Category Archives: Film

Spielberg’s The Fabelmans wins Toronto film festival People’s Choice award

Posted on by

Director’s most autobiographical film to date picks up audience prize generally seen as indicator of awards success to come

Steven Spielberg’s new film The Fabelmans has won the Toronto international film festival’s People’s Choice award, long regarded in the film industry as a key indicator of awards success over the next few months.

The Fabelmans, directed by Spielberg and co-written with Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner, has been hailed as Spielberg’s most autobiographical film and has won generally admiring reviews. The story of a teenage boy coping with his parents’ disintegrating marriage in the 60s midwest, the Guardian described it as a “rare insight into the world’s most famous director who has usually kept us at arm’s length”.

Continue reading...

Jean-Luc Godard chose to end life through assisted dying, lawyer confirms

Posted on by

The medical report on death of 91-year-old director said he had chosen to end his life

Jean-Luc Godard, the maverick French-Swiss director who revolutionised post-war cinema in Europe, died by assisted dying, his lawyer has confirmed.

The medical report on the death of the 91-year-old director said he had chosen to end his life. He “had recourse to legal assistance in Switzerland for a voluntary departure” because he was “stricken with ‘multiple incapacitating illnesses’”, Godard’s legal council, Patrick Jeanneret, told AFP.

Continue reading...

Thai court orders repair of The Beach location 22 years after filming

Posted on by

Ruling on Maya Bay, on Ko Phi Phi Leh, comes decades after local authorities filed lawsuit over environmental harm

More than two decades after the Hollywood film The Beach was shot at Thailand’s glittering Maya Bay, the kingdom’s supreme court has ordered officials to press ahead with environmental rehabilitation work.

The 2000 adventure drama, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, drew criticism for the impact of the shoot on the once pristine sands of the bay, located on the island of Ko Phi Phi Leh in southern Thailand.

Continue reading...

Ben Stiller and Sean Penn banned from Russia after Ukraine comments

Posted on by

Hollywood actors included on Russia’s list of 25 new names excluded from country

Ben Stiller and Sean Penn have been banned from entering Russia following their outspoken support of Ukraine during the ongoing invasion.

Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs released a list on Monday of 25 new names that will be excluded from the country in response to “the ever-expanding personal sanctions by the … Biden Administration against Russian citizens”. Stiller and Penn are both included, along with political figures such as senators Mark Kelly, Rick Scott and Kyrsten Sinema.

Continue reading...

‘The world is so quick to pull the trigger of judgment’: Colin Farrell praises ‘discourse’ over cancel culture

Posted on by

Actor speaks ahead of Venice premiere of the Banshees of Inisherin, which reunites him with Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson for first time since In Bruges

Discourse and the exchange of ideas are a “gorgeous thing” in a world that’s “quick to pull the trigger of judgment” and cancel people, actor Colin Farrell has said.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin in Venice, the actor spoke passionately about how the film could act as a counter to today’s “information age” that “takes us away from the intimacy that’s required and interests that are needed to exist”.

Continue reading...

Olivia Wilde shuts down Don’t Worry Darling rumours amid controversy

Posted on by

The director dodged awkward questions over Florence Pugh and Shia LaBeouf ahead of the film’s Venice premiere

From its starry cast to its seemingly volcanic behind-the-scenes drama, Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling has become the talk of the town in Venice. All eyes were on the director as she faced the world’s press ahead of the film’s premiere – and after days of controversy involving Shia LaBeouf’s withdrawal from the project and Florence Pugh’s reluctance to take part in any press tours.

But the rumour mill was swiftly stifled after Wilde repeated the party line that everything was totally fine, and the festival’s press conference moderator shut down any further awkward questions. “Florence is a force; we are so grateful she is able to make it tonight [to the premiere] despite being in production,” Wilde said in response to a question about Pugh’s absence. “As for the endless tabloid gossip and noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel I need to contribute to it.”

Continue reading...

Don’t take democracy for granted, warns director of Argentine junta film

Posted on by

Comments at Venice film festival come after recent failed assassination attempt on Argentina’s vice-president

A failed assassination attempt this week on the Argentine vice-president has shown that democracy cannot be taken for granted, the director behind a courtroom drama about the trial of Argentina’s military junta has said.

Opening at the Venice film festival on Saturday, Santiago Mitre’s Argentina 1985 follows the prosecutors who, despite death threats and enormous legal difficulties, brought members of Argentina’s 1976-83 military dictatorship to trial in 1985.

Continue reading...

Artists must expose corruption, urges director of documentary on opioid crisis

Posted on by

The story of Nan Goldin, a photographer who campaigned against the Sackler family’s Purdue Pharma, premieres at the Venice Film Festival

A documentary about artist Nan Goldin’s fight to hold members of the Sackler family to account for the opioid crisis is “a challenge to other artists” to use their power to expose corruption, its director Laura Poitras has said.

The maker of lauded films including Risk (about Wikileaks) and Citizenfour (about Edward Snowden) was premiering All the Beauty and the Bloodshed in competition at the Venice film festival on Saturday.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

Gary Busey charged with sexual offenses at New Jersey convention

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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

Continue reading...

Anne Heche’s death ruled accidental after fiery car crash

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

Academy Awards apologises to Sacheen Littlefeather for Oscars speech moment

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...

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

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading...