Category Archives: Film

Anne Heche was trapped in burning house for 45 minutes after crash

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Firefighters battled flames and smoke to extract Hollywood actor after her car crashed into building in Los Angeles last month

First responders could not reach Anne Heche to begin treating the actor as she was trapped, mortally injured, for 45 minutes after her car crashed into a house in Los Angeles last month, according to a report.

Amid appalling flames and smoke from the crash, firefighters could not reach the car for 20 minutes and then couldn’t get it out of the building to extract her for at least another 20 minutes, NBC reported, citing fire department documents and radio communications.

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‘Secret’ screenings of cancelled Batgirl movie being held by studio – reports

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It remains unlikely the public will ever see the scrapped $90m film, with the directors saying ‘it cannot be released in its current state’

Warner Bros Discovery are reportedly holding a series of discreet “funeral screenings” for their never-to-be released DC film Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed with multiple sources that a select few who worked on the film, including cast, crew and studio executives, would be attending the screenings this week on the Warner Bros lot in California. One source described them as “funeral screenings”, as it is likely the footage will be stored forever and never shown to the public.

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Chinese censors alter ending of Minions: The Rise of Gru film

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Viewers mock addendum explaining Gru’s family values and arrest of thief Wild Knuckles

Censors in China have changed the ending of the animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru for its domestic release, according to viewers in the country, in yet another example of China altering a popular Hollywood film.

According to posts and screenshots of the film, shared on Weibo, a platform similar to Twitter, there is an addendum by censors showing that Wild Knuckles, a main character in the heist film, was caught by police and served 20 years in jail.

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Leon Vitali, Stanley Kubrick collaborator and Barry Lyndon actor, dies aged 74

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Vitali, who gave up acting to become the demanding director’s right-hand man, died in Los Angeles on Friday


Leon Vitali, the Barry Lyndon actor who became one of Stanley Kubrick’s closest associates, has died at the age of 74.

Vitali died on Friday in Los Angeles, his family said on Sunday. He died peacefully surrounded by loved ones including his three children, Masha, Max and Vera.

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Gary Busey charged with sexual offenses at New Jersey convention

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Police say charges for US actor, 78, include criminal sexual contact at Monster Mania horror film convention last weekend

Actor Gary Busey is facing charges of sexual misconduct and harassment stemming from his behavior at a fan convention in New Jersey, police said on Saturday.

Police in Cherry Hill, a New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia, charged the 78-year-old Busey with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one of attempted criminal sexual contact and another of harassment, officers said in a statement.

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Family of Bill Paxton settles wrongful death lawsuit with Los Angeles hospital

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US actor, who starred in Apollo 13, died in 2017 from stroke 11 days after undergoing heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai

Bill Paxton’s family has struck an agreement to settle its wrongful death lawsuit against a hospital and surgeon who operated on the late actor’s heart shortly before his 2017 death, a court filing showed Friday.

Notice of the settlement came as a 19 September trial date for Paxton’s family’s lawsuit loomed. Assuming the judge presiding over the case ultimately approves it, the agreement would all but wrap up the claims that Paxton’s wife, Louise, and their children, James and Lydia, leveled against Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai medical center and surgeon Ali Khoynezad.

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Jonah Hill says he will no longer promote his own films to protect his mental health

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Actor and director pens open letter revealing his nearly 20-year struggle with anxiety attacks, ‘which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events’

Jonah Hill has announced he will no longer take part in promoting his films due to his mental health issues being exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events.

The 38-year-old actor revealed his plan in an open letter published by Deadline ahead of the debut of his new documentary, Stutz, which he directed. The film is about Hill’s relationship with his therapist Phil Stutz, who Hill began seeing in 2017 at the recommendation of fellow actor Joaquin Phoenix. In the film Hill and his therapist discuss his mental health.

In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255

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Anne Heche’s death ruled accidental after fiery car crash

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The actor died of smoke inhalation and burns after her car smashed into a west Los Angeles home, coroner’s report says

Anne Heche died from inhalation injury and burns after her fiery car crash and the death was ruled an accident, according to coroner’s results released on Wednesday.

Heche, 53, also had a fractured sternum caused by “blunt trauma”, according to information on the website of the Los Angeles county medical examiner.

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Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot and Air Force One, dies aged 81

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German film-maker was known for action and suspense thrillers, including In the Line of Fire, Outbreak and The Perfect Storm

The German film-maker Wolfgang Petersen has died at the age of 81.

The Oscar-nominated writer-director was known for films such as Das Boot, Air Force One and In the Line of Fire. He died of pancreatic cancer at home in the company of his wife, Maria Borgel Petersen. His death was confirmed by his representative.

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Ezra Miller breaks silence to apologise ‘to everyone that I have alarmed’

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In their first statement since legal issues began, non-binary actor says they have begun treatment for ‘complex mental health issues’

Actor Ezra Miller has broken their silence amid a growing list of legal issues and allegations of erratic behaviour, saying they are seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues”.

In a statement provided by a representative of the actor to Variety on Tuesday, the 29-year-old non-binary actor apologised for any alarm they may have caused.

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Academy Awards apologises to Sacheen Littlefeather for Oscars speech moment

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Nearly 50 years after speech on behalf of Marlon Brando about depiction of Native Americans, Academy apologises for ‘unwarranted’ abuse she endured

Nearly 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather stood on the Academy Awards stage on behalf of Marlon Brando to speak out about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologised to her for the abuse she endured.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” in September.

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Anne Heche ‘peacefully taken off life support’ after death announcement

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The actor, severely injured in a car crash on 5 August, had been legally declared dead, but had life support maintained to facilitate organ donation

Anne Heche has been taken off life support, a family representative said, following the announcement of her death on Friday.

Heche, 53, had been severely injured in a single-vehicle car crash on 5 August, and had suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury”, according to a statement to CNN by Heche’s family. Her “brain death” was confirmed on Friday, meeting a legal definition of death in California, but it is understood life support was maintained to facilitate organ donation. A family representative said she had been “peacefully taken off life support” on Sunday.

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Anne Heche ‘not expected to survive’ car crash, actor’s family says

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The US actor will be taken off life support after it is determined if her organs are viable for donation, following a severe collision that left her car in flames

The family of Anne Heche say the US actor is “not expected to survive” a severe collision that left her vehicle engulfed in flames last Friday.

In a statement, Heche’s family said through a representative that she had suffered “a severe anoxic brain injury” and was now being kept on life support to determine whether her organs were viable for donation.

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Anne Heche is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since car crash

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A representative for the actor has described her as being in an ‘extreme critical condition’ following the incident on Friday

Anne Heche has not regained consciousness since shortly after she crashed her car in Los Angeles on Friday.

Initial reports about the actor’s condition said she was “stable” and firefighters said she had spoken to rescuers as she was pulled from the wreckage.

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Lars von Trier diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

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Danish director, who won Palme d’Or for Dancer in the Dark, said to be ‘in good spirits’

Lars von Trier, the acclaimed and controversial Danish director, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his production company has announced.

In a statement released on Monday, Zentropa – which von Trier co-founded in 1992 with producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen – said the director is in “good spirits and is being treated for his symptoms” while he completes the upcoming final season of his TV trilogy series.

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Anne Heche ‘stable’ after suffering severe burns in Los Angeles car accident

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Fans and friends express support for Hollywood star who drove her car into house, which was left ‘uninhabitable’

Actor Anne Heche was “stable” in hospital amid a wave of support from fans and fellow stars following an accident in which she drove her car into a Los Angeles home, causing severe burn injuries to herself as well as damaging the house which has become “uninhabitable”.

As of Saturday, the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) said it was investigating the incident but had not determined its cause. The Los Angeles fire department (LAFD) said in a statement it took 59 firefighters to extinguish the fire.

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Actor Anne Heche reportedly in critical condition after car crash in Los Angeles

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Collision near the home of actor known for films including Donnie Brasco left her vehicle ‘engulfed in flames’

The US actor Anne Heche has reportedly been taken to hospital in a critical condition after a collision that left her vehicle “engulfed in flames”.

The incident occurred on Friday morning in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles, near to Heche’s home.

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Sexual assault case against director Paul Haggis dropped in Italy

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Judge in Lecce rules no grounds to pursue investigation against Canadian director, 69, who spent 16 days under house arrest

Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis has had a sexual assault charge dropped by an Italian court six weeks after he was accused by a 28-year-old British woman of forcing her to have “non-consensual” sex with him.

A judge in the southern Italian city of Lecce ruled on Friday that there were no grounds to further pursue an investigation.

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Pat Carroll, voice of Disney villain Ursula in The Little Mermaid, dies aged 95

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The comedy actor, who started out as a regular on variety shows and became a prolific voice actor, died at home on Saturday of pneumonia

Pat Carroll, the Emmy award-winning actor and voice of the memorable Disney villain Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died aged 95.

Carroll died on Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told the Hollywood Reporter.

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US airman who rescued film of A-bomb horrors is honoured at last

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Cameraman Daniel McGovern copied footage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastation to ensure lessons were learned

The photograph shows devastation in Nagasaki after the atomic bomb: a scorched wilderness where there was once a city. At its centre stands a lone man with a camera.

It was 9 September 1945 and Lt Daniel McGovern, a US Army Air Force cameraman, was documenting ground zero, the point directly below the bomb’s detonation four weeks earlier. Few would recognise McGovern, but the vision of apocalypse is familiar from documentary footage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the second world war.

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