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‘Port of Call’ Star Aaron Kwok Reflects on Acting Career
36 minutes ago
When Aaron Kwok started winning acclaim and awards for his acting performances a decade ago, many people were surprised. After all, Kwok was already one of the four “heavenly kings” of Cantonese pop music — Cantopop for short — a superstar musician and highly-rated dancer. Couldn’t he just trade on his celebrity without the need to be taken seriously as an actor as well?
Showbiz observers should not have been surprised. Kwok says the big screen was always a key part of his game plan. And that acting, singing and dancing are inseparable. “I couldn’t give up any one activity; I’d have to give up my life. What I love is entertaining, being an artist,” he says.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a Hollywood star,” says Kwok, who says he was initially attracted to American cinema by the perception of glitter and stars. “But, step by step, »
- Patrick Frater
Riley Keough on ‘American Honey’ Director Andrea Arnold: ‘She Captures Life’
51 minutes ago
Filming “American Honey” was as wild and unpredictable as the movie itself. For Riley Keough (a veteran of last year’s best picture nominee “Mad Max: Fury Road”), it was a singular experience to work with British auteur Andrea Arnold on the very American road trip saga. Keough plays Krystal, the no-nonsense manager of a “mag crew,” a group of teens who travel town to town peddling magazine subscriptions to make money. The story is told through the eyes of Star (Sasha Lane), who joins the crew at the invitation of Jake (Shia Labeouf), the top seller and Krystal’s boy toy. The triangle gets complicated, to say the least, and as Keough explains, she never knew what would happen next.
“I heard that Andrea was making a film and I was a huge fan of hers already. I tried to do everything I could to have the opportunity to be in the film. »
- Geoff Berkshire
Peering at a Subtitled World
1 hour ago
With close to 500 films released every year, there are many options for ticket buyers. And while a small fraction of those films arrive in different languages with subtitles, the passion among foreign-language film enthusiasts and distributors is fervent. There is an interest in work outside the traditional Hollywood studio system with international filmmakers who are ready to show the world what they have to offer. Finding new voices and showing their works to audiences drives these distributors.
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, the co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics, have long led the foreign-language charge in terms of importing the most dynamic storytellers from overseas, with 13 foreign-language film Oscars since founding Spc with Marcie Bloom in 1992. They have consistently demonstrated a healthy track record for producing and distributing internationally flavored independent cinema.
“There are always big surprises,” Barker says. One title, however, immediately sprang to Barker’s mind. “When we decided »
- Nick Clement
Oscar Foreign-Language: ‘Toni Erdmann,’ ‘Elle’ Join War-Themed Entries From Europe
1 hour ago
Trying to identify thematic patterns in the submissions for the foreign-language Oscars is harder than detecting “notes of loam, peach and toast” in a bottle of Chardonnay – you tend to wonder whether any of it is real or if it’s all about showing off. Usually there’s one exception to the rule for European entries, and 2016’s choices don’t buck the trend: World War II. Not just the Holocaust, that perennial monstrous evergreen whose unfathomable horrors are somehow thought to be perfect big-screen fodder, usually by diehard sentimentalists with no grasp of a genocide’s profundity (although both “Ida” and “Son of Saul” blew that axiom out of the water). This year basically only Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Paradise” deals full on with the Holocaust, making it a probable candidate for at least the short list, but the World War II still features aplenty in the nominees. In general though, »
- Jay Weissberg
Oscar Foreign-Language: Latin American Films Go Easy on the Edgy
1 hour ago
The year 2016 isn’t exactly overflowing with unmissable movies from Latin America. This despite producing, on a steady and annual basis, some of the most interesting cinema anywhere.
So it might be wise to tamp down expectations that this year’s roster of films (14 total) submitted for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar will produce some kind of world-beater.
There’s always the tricky consideration that what might be terrific cinema isn’t the right strategic pick for a given country’s industry reps to submit to the Academy.
Take, for example, three strong, uncompromising, sometimes even brilliant films: two from Argentina, Eduardo Williams’ “The Human Surge,” and Nele Wohlatz’s “The Future Perfect,” and one from Mexico, Amat Escalante’s “Untamed.”
These films may have dazzled crowds, juries, and critics at major festivals, but none were submitted, and it’s possible these movies’ wild, and wildly experimental strokes wouldn’t »
- Robert Koehler
Oscar Foreign-Language Race: Asian Titles Struggle for Exposure
1 hour ago
In a year jam-packed with submissions from Cannes-minted international auteurs, the 27 Asian films competing for a nomination in this year’s foreign-language film race are facing stiff headwinds. Only a couple have U.S. distribution, something that both narrows the likelihood of nabbing one of the five slots and presents an enormous opportunity for exposure, given that many films haven’t traveled far from their respective regions.
Cj Entertainment’s “The Age of Shadows,” distributed in the United States by Cj, is from South Korea’s Kim Jee-woon. He is a genre specialist who brings the muscular action of his pics “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” and “I Saw the Devil” to a spy thriller about Korean resistance to Japanese rule in the late 1920s.
Film Movement has Singapore’s death penalty drama “Apprentice,” from rising star Boo Junfeng. The film first screened to strong reviews in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard this year. »
- Scott Tobias
Oscar Foreign-Language: Middle East Grows More Competitive
2 hours ago
With submissions helmed by a former foreign-language Oscar winner (Iran’s Asghar Farhadi) and a two-time nominee (Palestine’s Hany Abu-Assad), Middle Eastern titles look to be more competitive than ever in the foreign-language film category. While the lineup includes some films that premiered at major events such as Sundance and Cannes, all the 11 regional entries have screened in multiple smaller festivals and have nabbed many awards. The list also includes the first-ever submission from Yemen, the stark, fact-based drama, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced,” from the country’s first female helmer, Khadija Al-Salami, who is the press and cultural attache at Yemen’s French Embassy.
Even discounting any alumni effect, the two strongest contenders are Farhadi’s “The Salesman” and Abu-Assad’s “The Idol.” “The Salesman” commands attention for shining a revealing light on the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Iranian society while taking on issues of gender, »
- Alissa Simon
Oscar Foreign-Language Race: When English Is the Mother Tongue
2 hours ago
Heavily English-speaking regions can be wild cards in the foreign-language Oscar race, entering films one might not immediately identify as being from the region at all. The United Kingdom is among the least predictable entrants: Following last year’s thoroughly indigenous Welsh-language submission of “Under Milk Wood,” the British selectors looked further afield, entering Brit-Iranian helmer Babak Anvari’s Persian-language, Tehran-set horror film “Under the Shadow,” which caused a critical stir at Sundance this year. Mixing traditional white-knuckler tropes with sharp political subtext, this auspicious debut feature is a fresh, adventurous choice — though it’ll have to overcome the branch’s usual aversion to its genre.
Also venturing far from home with a Middle-Eastern outlook, New Zealand selectors took a chance by opting for Pietra Brettkelly’s documentary “A Flickering Truth,” which examines film archivist Ibrahim Arify’s restorative work in Afghanistan following the culturally destructive influence of the Taliban. »
- Guy Lodge
Diego Martinez Ulanosky, Ashauri Lopez, Lucero Sanchez Novaro Prep ‘Going Rampant’ at Caponeto (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
Mexico City — Mexico’s Caponeto, a TV, branded content, film and live-show production-sales company based out of Mexico City, is developing girls road series “Desenfrenadas” (Going Rampant), an original TV fiction series that Caponeto hopes will pioneer a new way of doing business in the independent TV sector in Mexico.
Now ready to shoot, “Going Rampant” is a 10-part half-hour dramedy about three girls who, unhappy about how their hipster-ish and uber-neurotic lives are playing out, decide to embark on a road-trip. They meet a fourth girl, who confronts a matter of life-or-death, catapulting the quartet on a journey of no return. Their bad decisions lead to even worse, said Caponeto’s Diego Martinez Ulanosky, who will direct “Going Rampant.”
Screenplays are complete for the whole series, which is currently casting. Cast will combine “well-known actresses that go wild” and indie actors, Martinez Ulanosky added.
“Far from the traditional archetypes of local series, »
- John Hopewell
Media Stocks Fall After Trump Takes White House
2 hours ago
U.S. financial markets stabilized Wednesday as investors came to grips with Donald Trump’s upset presidential victory.
After dropping sharply as results trickled in indicating that the Republican standard bearer had a widening path to victory, trading rebounded. The Dow Jones industrial plunged 800 points in futures trading in the wee hours of election night, but climbed back as markets opened. It kicked off down roughly 30 points, before rising slightly in early market trading. The S&P 500 also rebounded after falling 5% in the aftermath of Trump’s triumph. The index was up 0.5% in early morning trading.
Media stocks, however, did not fare as well. Time Warner, which has found itself in Trump’s cross-hairs over its proposed $85 billion sale to At&T, fell roughly 1.68% to $86.40. At&T was up slightly. It’s not clear that a deal will move forward given Trump’s promise to kill the union.
Viacom shares »
- Brent Lang
‘Manchester by the Sea’ Crew Had Specific Moods to Relate on Film
2 hours ago
For editor Jennifer Lame, reading Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” met her high expectations. “I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and went in with such high hopes, which always leads to some amount of disappointment, but after reading it, it met them and more. I loved it.”
After receiving news that his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has died, Lee (Casey Affleck) takes leave from his job as a janitor in Boston to return to his home town of Manchester-by-the-Sea where he finds out he’s become the sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and is forced to confront the past that separated him from his wife, Randi (Michelle Williams), and the town he left behind.
When we first meet Lee it’s not clear why his demeanor is rather stoic, unapologetic, and somewhat poignant. His personal tragedy is revealed through »
- Daron James
Inside the Academy Archives: A Priceless Trove of Foreign-Language Nominees
3 hours ago
Only French films compete for that country’s top César award. The Genies recognize Canadian movies, the Goyas spotlight Spanish cinema, and the Lolas celebrate German film. But at the American Academy’s annual kudosfest, all countries are eligible for best picture — and have been since the beginning.
Still, unless you count British movies (13 of which have taken home best picture Oscars), foreign cinema seldom competes for the top prize (only eight have been nominated, dating back to Jean Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion” in 1939). And yet, as distribution evolved and domestic audiences’ tastes expanded to support the release of international films on U.S. screens, the Academy created a special category to recognize non-English-speaking cinema.
2016 marks 60 years since the launch of the foreign-language Oscar category. Over the past six decades, the honorees have, quite literally, ranged from A (“A Man and a Woman,” “Amarcord,” “Amour”) to “Z” (Costa-Gavras’ intense »
- Peter Debruge
Los Cabos: Producer Carlos Sosa on Music, Nature and Docus
3 hours ago
Los Cabos, Mexico Music plays an integral part in Mexican producer Carlos Sosa’s life and career, but the documentary he presents at the 5th Los Cabos Int’l Film Fest’s Work-in-Progress program on Thursday, delves more on the harmony between man and nature.
The directorial debut of Monica Alvarez, “Bosque de Niebla” (“The Cloud Forest”), explores a self-sustaining community of 16 families who protect one of the most endangered and unique ecosystems in the country, the Bosque de Niebla (Cloud Forest) in Veracruz. “More than anything, this community is a celebration of life, on the ties between man and nature,” said Sosa of the community, which has built its own homes, schools and farm in search of a simpler, more independent lifestyle.
While he has produced one fiction feature so far, Alejandro Iglesias’ “The Leaf Blower,” and has another in development, the New York-set “Jolene” by Adan Aliaga, docus, »
- Anna Marie de la Fuente
Film Review: ‘Almost Christmas’
4 hours ago
Over the years, the home-for-the-holidays packaged family Christmas comedy has evolved into a rather odd ritual: a sugar cookie covered in bitter sprinkles. When a movie like “Almost Christmas” comes out, never mind the fact that it isn’t even almost Christmas. As long as the word “Christmas” is in the title, a great many of us will be lured into Pavlovian anticipation of a movie that’s full of toasty, old-fashioned Yuletide sentiment. But, of course, that’s only half of what the genre now offers. Ever since the ’80s, when John Hughes and “A Christmas Story” reconfigured the holiday movie into something that merged nostalgia with knockabout yocks, there’s been a how low can you go? quality to the annual rite of the megaplex Christmas flick. We want these movies to end with a big spiritual lump-in-the-throat, and they always do, but the way we want to »
- Owen Gleiberman
‘Santitos’ Alejandro Springall to Direct ‘Sonora,’ In Talks With China Film Group
5 hours ago
Producer-helmer-scribe Alejandro Springall is set to go behind the cameras once more with his long-gestating road movie that could be the first Latin American pic to be distributed in China.
Springall is in talks with the China Film Group for a possible theatrical release in the hermetic country.
“China currently allows an average 26 foreign titles a year, but the market is expected to open up next year,” said Springall who has visited the country. Producer Bertha Navarro, a partner of Guillermo del Toro in Tequila Gang, estimates the budget will fall under $3 million.
Best known for his acclaimed cross-border dramedy, “Santitos,” in 1999, the last feature Springall directed was the 2010 Eugenio Derbez romcom “No eres tu, soy yo.”
“I rarely direct features, but this project greatly appeals to me,” said Springall, who admits he is a history buff. Titled “Sonora,” the drama is based on the story “La Ruta de los »
- Anna Marie de la Fuente
Producer Jud Kinberg, Father of Simon Kinberg, Dies at 91
11 hours ago
Jud Kinberg, father of Simon Kinberg and a producer of “Lust for Life” and “The Collector,” died on Nov. 2 at his home in New York City, according to a rep for his son. He was 91.
Kinberg was a Brooklyn native who attended the University of North Carolina. He served with the U.S Army in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.
Kinberg began working in Hollywood under John Houseman, collaborating with him on films for MGM including “Julius Caesar,” starring Marlon Brando; “Executive Suite,” starring William Holden; “Her Twelve Men,” with Greer Garson and Robert Ryan; Vincente Minnelli’s “The Cobweb,” with Richard Widmark and Lauren Bacall; and “Lust for Life,” starring Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gogh.
Kinberg also produced the British psychological thriller “The Collector,” directed by William Wyler, and “The Magus,” starring Michael Caine.
Kinberg also worked for ABC, Embassy, »
- Dave McNary
‘The Ardennes’ Producer Enters Dominique Deruddere’s ‘The Chapel’ (Exclusive)
14 hours ago
Savage Film’s Bart Van Langendonck, the Flemish producer of Belgium’s foreign-language Oscar candidate “The Ardennes,” is partnering up with Unanimous Entertainment’s Chris Coen to co-produce “The Chapel,” a drama to be directed by “Everybody’s Famous”‘s helmer Dominique Deruddere.
The English-language project is set against the backdrop of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious Brussels-set contest for classical musicians who are starting their careers.
Pic chronicles the journey of Jennifer Rogan, a young virtuoso pianist who prepares for the Queen Elisabeth Competition over the course of seven days, living in isolation along with 12 finalists in a chapel.
One of Belgium’s best-known directors, Deruddere’s credits include “Everybody’s Famous,” nominated for a foreign-language Oscar in 2001, and “Flying Love” with Jamie Dornan.
Following “The Ardennes,” which marked Robin Pront’s feature debut, Bart Van Langendonck (pictured above) is continuing to keep track of emerging helmers. Van »
- Elsa Keslassy
Dany Boon-Starrer ‘Penny Pincher!’ Travels Abroad, Bolsters French Box Office (Exclusive)
15 hours ago
Fred Cavaye’s “Penny Pincher!” (“Radin!”), the latest comedy starring “Welcome to the Sticks” actor Dany Boon, has proven a major box office hit in France and a big international sales success.
Released on Sept. 28 by Mars Distribution, “Penny Pincher” has grossed an estimated 17.7 million Euros ($19.5 million) from 2.8 million admissions, and currently ranks as the third highest-grossing French film of the year, behind a pair of comedy franchises, “Camping 3” and “Les Tuches 2.”
Meanwhile, TF1 Studio, which handles international sales on the film, has sold it across most territories, including Australia (Vendetta), Latin America (California), Korea (Cinelux), Spain (Vertices), China (Lemon Tree), Israel (Lev Films), Poland (Monolith Films), Portugal (Lusomundo), Former Yugoslavia (Blitz ), and Greece (Rosebud). Wild Bunch Germany, Italy’s Bim, Pathe in Switzerland, and Alternative Films in Belgium were among the first distributors to board the film.
Written by Laurent Turner and Nicolas Cuche, “Penny Pincher” stars Boon as »
- Elsa Keslassy
‘Mission: Impossible 6’ Gets Summer 2018 Release Date
17 hours ago
Paramount Pictures has scheduled Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible 6” for July, 27, 2018.
Cruise had announced in July, 2015, that he planned to go ahead with “Mission: Impossible 6” just as “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” was opening. That notion that was strongly endorsed by the studio following a $121 million global opening weekend for “Rogue Nation” with $56 million in the U.S. and another $65 million from 40% of international markets.
Cruise then promised in April at Cinemacon that the sixth Mission Impossible movie would have “…more incredible set pieces, stunts…and what I think is a very entertaining and compelling story.”
He closed his deal in September for “Mission: Impossible 6,” which is being produced and financed by Paramount and partner Skydance Productions, headed by David Ellison. Cruise is also a producer.
“Rogue Nation” took in $195 million domestically and $682 million worldwide. Paramount has opted to open “Mission: Impossible 6” using the same late July »
- Dave McNary
Raoul Coutard, New Wave Cinematographer of ‘Breathless,’ Dies at 92
18 hours ago
Raoul Coutard, the renowned cinematographer who collaborated with Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and Jacques Demy on classics of the French new wave, died Tuesday near Bayonne, France. He was 92 His death was reported by Le Figaro and Afp.
Coutard shot more than 75 films over nearly 50 years, including iconic films such as Godard’s “Breathless” and “Contempt” and Truffaut’s “Shoot the Piano Player” and “Jules and Jim.”
Coutards’s first movie with Godard was the groundbreaking 1960 “Breathless,” shot in black and white with the hand-held camera and natural lighting he became known for. He went on to shoot films including “A Woman is a Woman,” “Band of Outsiders,” “Pierrot le Fou,” “Alphaville,” “Weekend,” “Two or Three Things I Know About Her” and later films “Passion” and “First Name: Carmen” for the iconoclastic director.
Though he often clashed with Godard, he told the Guardian in 2001 that Godard said, “‘We will shoot »
- Pat Saperstein
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