| | | | What's news: Netflix's Sex Education will end with its upcoming fourth season. Indiana Jones 5 made a respectable $12m at the domestic box office on Monday. Greta Gerwig will direct a Chronicles of Narnia feature adaptation for Netflix. Chinese box office monster Lost in the Stars will get a U.S. release. — Abid Rahman |
Is HBO's 'The Idol' Worth Saving? ►"The Idol frequently forgoes its most interesting threads to explore the inert dynamic between Jocelyn and Tedros." THR culture critic Lovia Gyarkye runs the rule over the first (and possibly last?) season of HBO's much talked about and much dunked upon music industry drama The Idol. Lovia writes that the first season finale of Sam Levinson's messy series starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd makes you wonder what could have been. The critic's notebook.
—"The right time to graduate." Netflix’s Sex Education is coming to an end. The streamer revealed that the upcoming fourth season of the international favorite starring Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson as sex therapists will be its last. The final season will debut Sept. 21, nearly two years since the third season debuted on Netflix. The story.
—Something to cheer at last. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny earned $11.8m at the Monday box office, on par with what Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Thor: Love and Thunder earned on their first Mondays, respectively. That’s welcome news for Dial of Destiny after opening to an underwhelming $60.4m. The box office report.
—"The post certainly got the message across to most and did it’s job." Michael Imperioli has clarified his “satirical and symbolic take” on a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that narrow or erase protections and opportunity for minority groups. The Sopranos and White Lotus actor took to Instagram on Tuesday to expound on a now-deleted post in which he "forbid bigots and homophobes from watching" his work on the heels of a series of conservative court rulings. The story. |
Philippines Threatens to Ban 'Barbie' ►Petty in pink. Film regulators in the Philippines are threatening to join Vietnam in banning Warner Bros’ much-anticipated Barbie movie over a brief scene in the film that depicts a politically sensitive map of Southeast Asia. On Monday, Vietnam said it was banning all screenings of Barbie for its inclusion of a map showing the so-called “nine-dash line,” a line indicating China’s controversial territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all say violate their sovereignty. The story.
—ICYMI. Barbie filmmaker Greta Gerwig is attached to direct a feature film version of The Chronicles of Narnia books for Netflix. While no official announcement has been made, it has long been rumored that Gerwig, who worked with the streamer on the Noah Baumbach-directed White Noise, would tackle a Narnia movie. The story.
—A chance to see what the fuss is about. China’s first blockbuster of 2023, Lost in the Stars, is readying for release in North America, Australia and New Zealand later this week. The film will launch on July 7 in approximately 60 locations across 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Chen Sicheng's mystery thriller, based on a stage play once optioned by Alfred Hitchcock, has already earned a massive $360m in China. The story.
—Another coup for TIFF. Ladj Ly, whose debut feature Les Misérables won the Jury Prize in Cannes and became a box office hit in France, is bringing his follow-up feature Les Indésirables to the Toronto International Film Festival for a world premiere. Ly skipped Cannes with Les Indésirables and Venice was also under consideration for the premiere ahead of a Nov. 22 commercial release. The story. |
How 'Nimona' Uses Pink to Subvert Stereotypes ►Pretty in pink. The color pink plays a big part in Netflix's new animated feature Nimona. THR's Abbey White spoke to members of the film's creative team, including production designer Aidan Sugano, on the significance of the titular shape-shifter's shade of pink, subverting color stereotypes within the black-white binary, and how a change from the comic is reflected in the film's use of green. The story.
—A portentous first. HBO’s Insecure is now streaming on Netflix, marking the first time an HBO original series is available on a rival streaming platform in the U.S. All five seasons of the Issa Rae-fronted series, which aired its series finale in 2021, landed on the rival platform this week. The streamer is also set to add Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Six Feet Under and Ballers as part of a co-exclusive deal with WBD’s Max, which closed late last week. Additionally, HBO series True Blood will be added to Netflix outside the U.S. The story.
—"I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson." Robert De Niro’s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez has died at the age of 19, his mother Drena De Niro announced on Sunday. Details of De Niro Rodriguez’s death were not immediately known. De Niro Rodriguez was an actor who appeared with his mother in the 2018 releases A Star Is Born and Cabaret Maxime. The story. |
'The Truman Show' Turns 25 ►"I did envisage something darker." To commemorate The Truman Show’s 25th anniversary this year and the 4K ultra HD release, THR's Brian Davids spoke to the film's writer Andrew Niccol. The Oscar-nominated scribe reveals the original script's darker tone — from setting the film in an alternate New York City to an alternate final line for Jim Carrey. The interview.
—"I wanted Indy to be confronted with something that would not only challenge his notions of belief, but also tempt him in a way." Brian also spoke to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold. In a spoiler filled conversation, the filmmaker explains why the third act surprise fits into the ethos of the franchise. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"That was an intense season when it comes to stunts!" For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to Jack Ryan star Wendell Pierce about the fourth and final season of the Amazon Prime Video spy series. The veteran actor, who plays CIA Agent James Greer in the show, opens up about the research and stranger-than-fiction aspects of the series. The interview. —"A big nose isn’t a problem, but big boobs offend some people." Katie, a voluptuous heroine from the little known 2008 Czech animated film Goat Story, has suddenly become a meme queen on social media. THR's Seth Abramovitch tracks down the film's director Jan Tománek to discuss Katie's new-found notoriety: "It leaves me completely cold." The interview. |
Film Review: 'Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano' ►"Filmmaking by fire." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Cyril Aris' Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano. This documentary chronicles the travails of a production company trying to make a movie in Lebanon, beset by obstacles in the wake of the devastating 2020 Port of Beirut explosion. The review.
—"As thought-provoking as it is gripping." Frank reviews Stephan Komandarev's Blaga's Lessons. A widow takes matters into her own hands after falling victim to a telephone scammer in the Bulgarian director's social injustice thriller. The review.
—"Socially conscious neorealism at its best." Frank reviews Behrooz Karamizade's Empty Nets. A young Iranian gets involved in black market caviar smuggling to earn the cash he needs for his marriage in this searing drama, premiering at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The review.
—"If you find murderers scary, try murder groupies." Frank reviews Pascal Plante's Red Rooms. A fashion model becomes obsessed with a serial killer who posts videos of his murders on the dark web in this disturbing French Canadian psychological thriller. The review.
In other news...
—First full trailer for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is released
—Locarno Film Festival unveils 2023 lineup
—Inside Valentino’s workshop the night before the show
—YouTube star Grace Helbig reveals breast cancer diagnosis
—Kit Harington and Rose Leslie welcome baby girl
—SCTV’s Dave Thomas and Son Harrison team for The Orange crime comedy
—Big Fish set house burns down after lightning strike
What else we're reading...
—Nate Rattner and Sarah Krouse crunch the numbers and report that TV’s golden era has proved costly to the streamers [WSJ]
—Jack Gray and Shaun Dacosta look into the disturbing recent trend of fans throwing things on stage at concerts [BBC]
—Aja Romano reports that TikTokkers and Snapchatters have started using AI filters as fortunetellers and fate predictors [Vox]
—Herpreet Kaur Grewal looks into why women adore Bruce Springsteen [Guardian]
—Zachary Small spoke to Black artists who say AI shows bias, and algorithms are erasing their history [NYT]
Today...
...in 1989, 20th Century Fox unveiled Ted Kotcheff’s dark comedy Weekend at Bernie’s in theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Edie Falco (60), Michael Stuhlbarg (55), Ellen Tamaki (31), Pruitt Taylor Vince (63), Ryan Hansen (42), Claudia Wells (57), Kathryn Erbe (58), RZA (54), Ronald D. Moore (59), Jenji Kohan (54), Danay Garcia (39), Anthony Welsh (40), Jeon Jong-seo (29), Ji Chang-Wook (36), François Arnaud (38), Jillian Armenante (55), Blu Mankuma (75), Huey Lewis (73), James Morosini (33), Mike Cahill (44), Diego Cataño (33), Robbie Robertson (80) |
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