Listen to the full episode below, or read on for excerpts from our interview. Partial Transcript Below: Kogonada on the cinematic appeals of “After Yang” as a story: There were a few ingredients that felt really interesting and [were] just where I was in life then, and still now it felt like I really wanted to explore them more. Certainly memory is one, and even the way we engage the life of others....
Both shows are slated to launch in September, though specific release dates were not announced. Per NBCUniversal, Wilmore’s still-untitled show will feature the veteran comedian as he brings “his distinct voice to streaming with a new weekly special series. Larry will have real discussions with high-profile people from all different backgrounds including sports, politics, and entertainment. Each episode will not only cover the election but will also engage in the important conversations of the week....
The “Glee” and “Spring Awakening” alum stepped into the lead role made famous by Barbra Streisand as “Booksmart” actress Beanie Feldstein exited the Broadway production. Michele joins the production September 6, and Feldstein issued a statement addressing the show moving in a “different direction.” “I feel more ready than I ever have before, both personally and professionally,” Michele told The New York Times about taking over the part. “Funny Girl” reunites Michele with “Spring Awakening” helmer Michael Mayer, who produces and directs “Funny Girl....
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” (Warner Bros.) and “Black Widow” (Disney) — the #1 and #2 films this weekend — both can be seen at home, although in very different ways. “Space Jam,” as with all Warners releases this year, is free for HBO Max subscribers from its first week. “Widow” costs $29.99 to view, and then only for Disney+ subscribers. “Space” is a surprising #1, both for its better-than-expected performance — and because “Black Widow” took such a steep plunge, dipping 67 percent in its second weekend....
Her fourth feature film, the Medieval-set teen comedy “Catherine Called Birdy,” has enjoyed nearly universal praise from critics (not traditionally her biggest fans; the film is currently sitting pretty at 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, above even her highly regarded “Tiny Furniture”). She puts all doubts to bed with her latest, an adaptation of Karen Cushman’s YA novel, one of Dunham’s favorite childhood reads that was originally published in 1994....
A GoFundMe page has been set up by her son, Michael Guthrie, to cover funeral expenses. “Linda was a loving wife, a caring mom, a wonderful grandma and a great friend who was loved by many,” Guthrie said on the GoFundMe. See what others from the film community had to say on social media below. Manz, who was born in 1961, provided the groundbreaking, improvised narration for Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven,” starring in the film at the age of 15....
McMahon agreed to pay four women more than $12 million over the past 16 years to “suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity,” the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The board’s investigation is ongoing, a person with knowledge told IndieWire. The probe is also looking into allegations against Vince’s right-hand man John Laurinaitis, a top WWE executive who used to wrestle with the company as “Johnny Ace.” Laurinaitis is still on leave from WWE pending the board investigation, we’re told....
Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay added, “As Bilbo says, ‘Now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey.’ Living and breathing Middle-earth these many months has been the adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait for fans to have the chance to do so as well.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here....
Budge added, “And I sincerely thank the extraordinary cast and crew for their love, support and friendship over what has been a very difficult and unusual experience. Alas, some things just cannot be.” Australian actor Budge is best known for appearing on the country’s popular television series “Neighbours,” “Round the Twist,” and “Shock Jock.” He most recently appeared opposite Mia Wasikowska in “Judy and Punch.” Budge earned nominations from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for his supporting performance in “Last Train to Freo....
These films include some of IndieWire’s favorites from the past few weeks, including both new and established talents, exciting features for distributors looking for awards contenders or simply to get into biz with bright talents on the rise (or, why not both?), and much more. Open up those pocketbooks, and take a chance on these standouts. Jude Dry and Siddhant Adlakha also contributed to this article. “A Night of Knowing Nothing” A dreamlike documentary that magnifies the personal until it reveals a lucid political collage, Payal Kapadia’s feature debut “A Night of Knowing Nothing” is composed of archival footage, student chronicles of contemporary protests, and letters whispered aloud to an absent lover....
It’s August 3, 2007. We’re standing on the precipice of the most dire financial crisis since the Great Depression, but no one seems to know it yet. Good things are happening. A young senator named Barack Obama is sparking a new breed of American hope. “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” are about to open within a few weeks of each other. The iPhone has just been invented....
On August 4, Disney announced it would bypass theaters to release “Mulan” on Disney+, with a $29.99 surcharge, on September 4 — the same Labor Day weekend currently occupied by Warner Bros.’ “Tenet,” which opens September 3. Traditionally, this holiday weekend doesn’t interest distributors; it’s a date that favors low-budget filler and the occasional horror title, as audiences are less likely to spend the last days of summer in movie theaters....
2. “The G Word with Adam Conover” (available May 19) Best Reason to Watch: Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama through their company, Higher Ground Productions, “The G Word” is a six-part comedic docuseries meant to better explain how the United States government affects people’s lives. Investigative comedian Adam Conover (“Adam Ruins Everything”) hosts (and is reason enough to watch), but adding to the impressive talent bringing “The G Word” to life is Michael Lewis, whose 2018 book “The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy” serves as inspiration for the show....
Earlier: Netflix has paused all productions and acquisitions out of Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, according to a just-published report in Variety. Representatives at Netflix could not immediately be reached for comment from IndieWire. Netflix reportedly had four Russian original projects in the works. One project affected is a crime thriller series currently in production that has now been put on hold. The neo-noir mystery series “ZATO” was set to be the streamer’s first original series filmed in Russia....
But that’s a big if in this wide open race that also includes Christopher Nolan’s time-inverted “Tenet” (which is finally available on the Academy’s online voting portal) and dark horse “Love and Monsters,” with its terrific array of Ray Harryhausen-like creatures. In the last four years, the VES has only aligned with the Academy once (for “The Jungle Book”). Then again, the VES nod could be enough to put “The Midnight Sky” over the top in this unorthodox awards season....
Indeed, a screenplay that knows exactly what’s it’s trying to achieve is the throughline in the Australian DP’s diverse body of work, an impressive oeuvre that spans the buttery textures of William Oldroyd’s “Lady Macbeth,” the Giallo-soaked tint of Peter Strickland’s “In Fabric,” the fiery vistas of Justin Kurzel’s “True History of the Kelly Gang” and the frenzied vibrancy of Janicza Bravo’s “Zola.” “I need to have a gut reaction to the script,” Wegner tells IndieWire in a recent interview....
The Hollywood Reporter was first to break that the creator and writer behind HBO’s acclaimed crime drama anthology series is negotiating an early exit from his FX deal, after his first show at the network fell through. Pizzolatto’s FX deal was tied to “Redeemer,” a drama series that would have reunited Pizzolatto with his “True Detective” Season 1 lead, McConaughey, who was set to star and executive produce. But sources told The Hollywood Reporter that McConaughey dropped out of the upcoming series, leading to its termination at FX and possibly scuttling Pizzolatto’s deal in the process....
The week-long BAM retrospective, “Cinema Is Sorcery: The Films of Nina Menkes,” features new restorations of “The Bloody Child” (4K by by The Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation) which premiered at NYFF last fall, and “Magdalena Viraga,” (2K by Arbelos Films) which makes its New York City premiere with the museum. “Magdalena Viraga” was filmed in bars and hotels in East Los Angeles, following the inner life of a prostitute, played by Tinka Menkes, who is imprisoned for killing her pimp....
In this world, Africa — or “Aprica” as it’s referred to in the novel — invaded Europe centuries ago, enslaving its people. In present-day London (known as “Albion”), slavery is an institution of the past, but Jim Crow-esque segregation laws maintain the power dynamic: A ruling class of Black “Crosses” control the country’s politics, wealth, and culture over an oppressed, impoverished underclass of white “Noughts,” who are at the brink of revolt....
The “Don’t Worry Darling” director was served with legal papers from former partner Jason Sudeikis while onstage introducing her highly-anticipated new film, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. The shocking moment was later condemned by Sudeikis’ attorney, saying the “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner had no prior knowledge of Wilde being served publicly. Wilde and Sudeikis dated from 2011 through 2020 and have two children, Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5. “It was my workplace,” Wilde opened up to Variety about the incident, without naming Sudeikis....
