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**After a successful run at a variety of film festivals, during which it won several awards, including Best Thriller at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival California, Best U.S. Feature Film at the Washington Film Awards Washington, and Best Feature Film at the Oakland Film Festival California, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation’s apocalyptic survival thriller THREE is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at home, Tubi and Fawesome Tv.",[25,29,30],{},"Directed by Billy Higgins (Dead Blood, G.P.S, Apples and Oranges)  THREE depicts a world on the edge of collapse. After a nuclear blast destroys San Francisco, three strangers, Spencer (Alia Ripley), Michelle (Deja Lopez), and Saskia (Allison von Hausen), come together for a desperate journey across the California Central Valley. As they move through a landscape filled with fallout and chaos, they find that the biggest threat to their survival is not the radiation and anarchy but the deep mistrust and personal biases they each hold.",[25,32,33],{},"THREE strips away the typical elements of a big studio production to focus on intense character-driven exploration. The film poses a hauntingly relevant question. This is not about surviving the end of the world, but about surviving ourselves. THREE is a timely, restrained, and powerful reminder that the human connection is both our greatest vulnerability and our only hope.",[25,35,36],{},"“THREE feels like it hits a different nerve today than when I first conceived it nearly 20 years ago,” stated director Billy Higgins. “It was originally written in a post-9\u002F11 world, but bringing it to life now — in a post-COVID era, with growing division and uncertainty — gives it a new urgency.  At its core, it’s about human connection, and the idea that even in the darkest moments, there’s still hope for us. I’m incredibly grateful to our cast and crew for bringing this film to life, to World Wide Motion Pictures for championing it, and to the audiences and festivals who have supported us along the way,” he further noted.",[25,38,39],{},"Produced by a dynamic young production team, including Billy Higgins, Drew Cercley, and Mandy Miller. With striking cinematography by T.J. Thickett, a compelling musical score by Victor Vazquez, and a screenplay written by Blake Armstrong and Billy Higgins.",[25,41,42],{},"“World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is honored to introduce this award-winning thriller to American audiences,” said Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “This genre represents an exciting new direction for us and offers an opportunity to expand our marketing approach for the release of compelling theatrical feature films” he added.",[25,44,45,46,53],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (",[47,48,52],"a",{"href":49,"rel":50},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.wwmpc.com",[51],"nofollow","www.wwmpc.com",") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,55,56],{},[57,58,59],"strong",{},"Media Contact:",[25,61,62],{},"Anahi Langarica\nPublic Relations, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation\n(714) 960-7624",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":66},"",2,[],"Press Releases","2026-05-11","md",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-releases-survival-thriller-three-now-available-on-streaming-s",{"title":20,"description":27},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-releases-survival-thriller-three-now-available-on-streaming-s","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-releases-survival-thriller-three-now-available-on-streaming-s","De06jccLg2lGnRx_w5TxXNSNWPX3TBU4HM5672X6d6Q",{"id":78,"title":79,"body":80,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":104,"description":84,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":105,"navigation":71,"path":106,"seo":107,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":108,"stem":109,"__hash__":110},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-kiss-streaming-run.md","The Kiss, Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Bille August’s Romantic Drama, Begins Streaming\u002FVOD Premiere Run",{"type":22,"value":81,"toc":101},[82,85,88,91,94],[25,83,84],{},"**Los Angeles, 2026 **Following its successful nationwide theatrical release,\nThe Kiss, the acclaimed Danish feature film directed by Academy Award winner\nBille August, has begun its streaming\u002FVOD premiere on a variety of platforms\nincluding Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku, Fandango Now, Comcast, and the\nKino Lorber Collection.",[25,86,87],{},"“We’re delighted to bring The Kiss to new audiences, especially in light of the\nenthusiastic reception the film received from audiences and critics during its\ntheatrical run,” stated Paul D. Hancock, president of World Wide Motion Pictures\nCorporation. Additional presentation streaming services will follow throughout\nthe year. The film is also available in other non-theatrical markets including\nCSTV for universities\u002Fcolleges, library systems, cruise lines and rail.\nA poignant, intense romantic drama, The Kiss is the latest work by August, the\nacclaimed filmmaker whose Pelle the Conqueror (1987) starring Max Von Sydow,\nwon the Academy Award, Palme d’Or and Golden Globe, and whose international\nsuccesses also include The House of the Spirits starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep\nand Glenn Close (1993) and Les Miserables starring Liam Neeson and Uma\nThurman (1998).",[25,89,90],{},"Based on the classic German novel Beware of Pity by Stefan Zwieg, who also\ninspired The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Kiss stars an award-winning international\ncast including Danish actors Clara Rosager, Esben Smed, and Lars Mikkelsen who\nrecently starred in the Netflix production of Frankenstein and previously starred in\nthe most recent Star Wars installment Ahsoka.",[25,92,93],{},"The Kiss has garnered awards and accolades from critics and festivals around the\nworld, including the Audience Awards at The Roberts Awards in Denmark, Grand\nPrix at the Warsaw International Festival, Best Director at the Barcelona Film\nFestival, and Official Selection at the Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden, European\nFilm Festival in Lebanon, Film by the Sea International Film Festival, and Bari\nInternational Film Festival in Italy. Audiences enthusiastically applauded the film\nat U.S. festivals including Sun and Stars International Film Festival (Palm Beach,\nFL), Sedona International Film Festival (Sedona, AZ) and Cinema World Fest (Los\nAngeles, CA).",[25,95,96,97,100],{},"Set against the backdrop of 1913 Denmark at the start of World War I, The Kiss\nfollows the journey of a noble cavalry officer, hoping to complete his military\ntraining with distinction. After helping the local baron out of a tough situation one\nday with his automobile, he is invited to join him and his family for dinner at their\ncastle, where he meets the Baron’s beautiful wheelchair bound daughter. The two\nbegin spending more and more time together as she slowly falls in love and he\nstruggles with being able to discern if his feelings for her are genuine or merely out\nof pity, all while the ominous threat of the first World War looms over them.\nFounded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (",[47,98,52],{"href":49,"rel":99},[51],") is\na diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved\nin the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films,\ndocumentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World\nWide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and\nconsulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy\nAwards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":102},[],"Uncategorized","2026-03-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-kiss-streaming-run",{"title":79,"description":84},"the-kiss-streaming-run","blog\u002Fthe-kiss-streaming-run","vbrHHmpYN8ayTrFJawyXTXgEOl7B54E8RFtnlVLwRLc",{"id":112,"title":113,"body":114,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":179,"description":180,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":181,"navigation":71,"path":182,"seo":183,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":184,"stem":185,"__hash__":186},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-kiss-oscar-winning-filmmaker-bille-augusts-romantic-drama-sets-may-16-u-s-premiere-engagements.md","The Kiss, Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Bille August’s Romantic Drama, Sets May 16 U.S. Premiere Engagements",{"type":22,"value":115,"toc":177},[116,122,125,128,131,134,140,149,153,156,163,170],[25,117,118,121],{},[57,119,120],{},"Los Angeles, CA, April 25, 2025"," –(PR.com)-The Kiss, the acclaimed Danish feature film directed by Academy Award winner Bille August will begin its U.S. premiere engagements May 16 at select theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Boston; Kansas City, Missouri, and Sedona, Arizona. A poignant, intense romantic drama, The Kiss is the latest work by August, the acclaimed filmmaker whose Pelle the Conqueror starring Max Von Sydow, won the Academy Award, Palme d’Or and Golden Globe, and whose international successes also include The House of the Spirits starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close and Les Miserables starring Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman.",[25,123,124],{},"Based on the classic German novel Beware of Pity by Stefan Zwieg, who also inspired The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Kiss stars an award-winning international cast including Danish actors Clara Rosager, Esben Smed, and Lars Mikkelsen who starred in the most recent Star Wars installment Ahsoka.",[25,126,127],{},"The Kiss has garnered awards and accolades from critics and festivals around the world, including the Audience Awards at The Roberts Awards in Denmark, Grand Prix at the Warsaw International Festival, Best Director at the Barcelona Film Festival, and Official Selection at the Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden, European Film Festival in Lebanon, Film by the Sea International Film Festival, and Bari International Film Festival in Italy. Audiences applauded the film at U.S. festivals including Sun and Stars International Film Festival (Palm Beach, FL), Sedona International Film Festival (Sedona, AZ) and Cinema World Fest (Los Angeles, CA).",[25,129,130],{},"Set against the backdrop of 1913 Denmark at the start of World War I, The Kiss follows the journey of Anton, a noble cavalry officer, hoping to complete his military training with distinction. After helping the local Baron out of a tough situation one day with his automobile, he is invited to join him and his family for dinner at their palatial castle, where he meets the Baron’s beautiful wheelchair bound daughter, Edith. The two begin spending more and more time together as Edith slowly falls in love and Anton struggles with being able to discern if his feelings for her are genuine or merely out of pity, all while the ominous threat of the first World War looms over them.",[25,132,133],{},"“We’re honored to bring this memorable work by such a distinguished filmmaker to American audiences,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.",[25,135,45,136,139],{},[47,137,52],{"href":49,"rel":138},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,141,142,143,148],{},"World Wide will be collaborating on this release with Juno Films of New York (",[47,144,147],{"href":145,"rel":146},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.junofilms.com",[51],"www.junofilms.com",") primarily utilizing their extensive expertise in Art house circuit and non-theatrical digital markets following the film’s theatrical release. Juno Films specializes in the development and execution of customized finance and distribution strategies for films targeting specialized audiences.",[25,150,151],{},[57,152,59],{},[25,154,155],{},"Falco Ink.\n(212)445-7100",[25,157,158,159],{},"Shannon Treusch\n",[47,160,162],{"href":161},"mailto:Shannontreusch@falcoink.com","Shannontreusch@falcoink.com",[25,164,165,166],{},"Janice Roland\n",[47,167,169],{"href":168},"mailto:Janiceroland@falcoink.com","Janiceroland@falcoink.com",[25,171,172,173],{},"Danielle Villanella\n",[47,174,176],{"href":175},"mailto:DanielleVillanella@falcoink.com","DanielleVillanella@falcoink.com",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":178},[],"2025-04-29","Los Angeles, CA, April 25, 2025 –(PR.com)-The Kiss, the acclaimed Danish feature film directed by Academy Award winner Bille August will begin its U.S. premiere engagements May 16 at select theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Boston; Kansas City, Missouri, and Sedona, Arizona. A poignant, intense romantic drama, The Kiss is the latest work by August, the acclaimed filmmaker whose Pelle the Conqueror starring Max Von Sydow, won the Academy Award, Palme d’Or and Golden Globe, and whose international successes also include The House of the Spirits starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close and Les Miserables starring Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-kiss-oscar-winning-filmmaker-bille-augusts-romantic-drama-sets-may-16-u-s-premiere-engagements",{"title":113,"description":180},"the-kiss-oscar-winning-filmmaker-bille-augusts-romantic-drama-sets-may-16-u-s-premiere-engagements","blog\u002Fthe-kiss-oscar-winning-filmmaker-bille-augusts-romantic-drama-sets-may-16-u-s-premiere-engagements","jh1QmeDnxo56gf73sYJ6KvpI581G0N3oCSIIaxo9_GM",{"id":188,"title":189,"body":190,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":222,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":223,"navigation":71,"path":224,"seo":225,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":226,"stem":227,"__hash__":228},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-cinerama-dome-in-hollywood-is-closed-but-some-are-fighting-to-reopen-it.md","The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is Closed, But Some are Fighting to Reopen It",{"type":22,"value":191,"toc":220},[192,199,202,205,208,211,214,216,218],[25,193,194,195],{},"Source: Variety",[47,196],{"href":197,"rel":198},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002F2021-oscars-nominations-list-nominees-1234928711\u002F",[51],[25,200,201],{},"There’s something poetically tragic about one of Hollywood’s most unique and popular theaters, one that has long stood as the embodiment of film-going at its most awe-inspiring, having to close its doors and showing no signs that it will ever open them up again. Before the start of the 2020s decade, the Cinerama Dome, located on the city’s famous Sunset Boulevard, was one of the most ideal places where one could go and see the latest cinematic release on the big screen. In fact, it was built specifically to showcase (then) new cutting-edge technology intended to move the art of cinema further ahead than it already was; the Cinerama Dome is named after the Cinerama widescreen film format that was introduced in the 1950s and made certain features feel larger and more epic in size and scope, and upon its opening in November of 1963, one of the theater’s primary purposes was to exhibit Cinerama films as they were originally designed: as stunningly wide as possible. Even after the Cinerama film format began to fade from popularity, the Cinerama Dome still made a respectable effort to update to the times and gives its attendees the best possible film-viewing experience imaginable, and in spite of whatever ups and downs it may have dealt with throughout the next few decades, it managed to do just that without showing any signs of stopping for any longer than a briefly temporary period.",[25,203,204],{},"That, unfortunately, began to change in March 2020, when the Cinerama Dome, like just about every other theater in the United States, was forced into closure as a result of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. While this was initially viewed as a temporary measure (with many expecting it to reopen along with all the others), the theater’s parent company Pacific Theaters announced in April 2021 that it wouldn’t be reopening any of its locations - the Cinerama Dome included. While hopes for the theater’s fate to change were raised upon the announcement that the Decurion Corporation would acquire the theater, with the intention of renaming it Cinerama Hollywood, delay after delay has prevented it from reopening as originally desired. As of April of 2025, the Cinerama Dome’s fate remains uncertain; Decurion has expressed no desire to sell the complex to another company, so there does appear to be an impression that it still wants to hold onto the property for at least a little bit longer. Keeping the property is not the same as allowing it be fully operational though, as the theater’s ongoing closure demonstrates, so whether or not the day the Cinerama Dome reopens will occur any time soon remains up in the air for the time being. If there is one thing working in the theater’s favor though, it’s the fact that, despite all that has happened over the past five years, it still has dedicated admirers willing to whatever it takes to get their favorite film-viewing venue back up and running again. How eager are they? They’ve managed to put together a petition signed by roughly 30,000 individuals calling for the Cinerama Dome to be open once again.",[25,206,207],{},"To find the person behind this small but devoted movement, one needs to look no further than Ben Steinberg, the cinephile who got the petition started in the first place and was responsible for collecting a good bulk of its 30,000 signatures. Having made it his mission to get both the Cinerama Dome and the ArcLight Cinemas, another Hollywood theater that had been shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, back to their former glory, Steinberg crafted his petition just over a month ago and has used the time since to gather support, ultimately collecting tens of thousands of signatures that prove how much people want to see these venues up and running once more. On Sunday, April 13th, Steinberg and many of his fellow Cinerama Dome admirers met in front of the theater for a group photo intended to further reinforce their commitment to reopening it. “It’s not reopening this year, because I spoke with the property manager, Steinberg claims while discussing the current state of the Cinerama Dome. “I was on site and he had keys and I asked him about it and he told me there’s no plans to open.” Such news has not done enough to fully diminish Steinberg’s spirits, as he’s been hard at work on social media to draw attention to his cause and find as many supporters as possible; when asked about why he’s so adamant about getting the Cinerama Dome reopened, Steinberg’s answer was simple but still meaningful: “It was just one of my favorite places in the world”.",[25,209,210],{},"Another Cinerama Dome supporter, actor Larry Blum, expressed similar sentiments as he talked about how he first saw the 1979 film “Hair” at the theater, an experience that marked the start of a life-long appreciation for the venue, and lamented the ongoing closure that has affected it, referring to the closed theater as “an eyesore” that pales in comparison to how it appeared in the years before the pandemic. Like Steinberg, Blum had a fairly straightforward explanation as to why he joined so many others for the photo-op: in his words, “it deserves to be among the Chinese Theater and the Pantages in Hollywood – all the beautiful theater architecture that makes Los Angeles unique”. Gunzi Merchant, a film researcher who’s also expressed support for the Cinerama Dome’s reopening, made a similar comment when discussing the theater’s relation to some of the other famed film-going venues in Hollywood; “We have a lot of amazing movie palaces like the Chinese Theater and the Egyptian,” Merchant claims, “but this is from a different era, the early ’60s. What’s inside is so unique and not replicated anywhere else.” Then there’s Jessica Brown, who’s among the newer of the Cinerama Dome’s admirers having only moved to the Los Angeles area in early 2020 and seeing Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” there just before the theater was closed by the pandemic. When asked about why she wants to see the Cinerama Dome reopened, Brown spoke from personal experience and detailed her concerns that what happened where she used to live could very easily happen to one of Hollywood’s most revered film-going venues. “I lived up in the North Bay area, and one of the movie theaters closed down, it became a Dick’s Sporting Goods,” Brown claims, “and I don’t want to see that happen here”.",[25,212,213],{},"Is the Cinerama Dome fated for a similar future? Not if Steinberg and his fellow supporters have any say about it. Steinberg in particular is incredible hopeful that filmmakers and film fans alike can be as loud as possible about letting people know that they do not wish to see the Cinerama Dome come to a definitive end, and even as other theaters (many of them owned by national theater chain AMC) fill the void and serve as the source of major premieres, many still cling to whatever hope they still have that one day, the Cinerama Dome will again let people inside and allow them to see whatever cinematic feature they have to offer on the biggest screen available.",[25,215,207],{},[25,217,210],{},[25,219,213],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":221},[],"2025-04-21",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-cinerama-dome-in-hollywood-is-closed-but-some-are-fighting-to-reopen-it",{"title":189,"description":194},"the-cinerama-dome-in-hollywood-is-closed-but-some-are-fighting-to-reopen-it","blog\u002Fthe-cinerama-dome-in-hollywood-is-closed-but-some-are-fighting-to-reopen-it","_up9NtY-XKTrZ2JKXA6qcglzfqwfzkaF71s0DeJVBWY",{"id":230,"title":231,"body":232,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":260,"description":261,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":262,"navigation":71,"path":263,"seo":264,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":265,"stem":266,"__hash__":267},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fis-the-art-of-cinema-dead-it-is-according-to-quentin-tarantino.md","Is the Art of Cinema Dead? It Is According to Quentin Tarantino.",{"type":22,"value":233,"toc":257},[234,242,245,248,251,254],[25,235,236,237],{},"Source: ",[47,238,241],{"href":239,"rel":240},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.avclub.com\u002Fquentin-tarantino-2019-last-year-of-movies",[51],"The AV Club",[25,243,244],{},"Can an artform ever truly die? Not necessarily. As long as there’s at least one person willing to create something through the usage of a given artistic medium, then that medium cannot really go extinct. However, while that may be the case, it’s still very possible that said medium can lose its place in global culture as other, more modern forms of artistic expression surpass it in terms of appeal and popularity. Take painting for example; there are certainly plenty of paintings being produced on a daily basis (whether for personal or commercial purposes), but when it comes to recreating the image of a person (or multiple) in a manner as realistic as possible, photography has proven itself to be a far quicker and more successful medium. Inevitably, every art form will have its peaks and valleys, and while none of them may die out entirely, there are still worries that some of them - at least those that have historically been considered major money-makers - will no longer be as profitable as they once were. This is a predicament that the art of cinema is currently facing; while film has undoubtedly gone up and down in terms of its mass appeal, many are more concerned that ever that the medium has reached a point of no return and might never be as prominent as it had once been in the decades prior. With new forms of entertainment gaining traction and various economic factors forcing studios to direct more of their resources towards safer (in theory) productions, it does appear that cinema, if it isn’t completely going away, is nearing the end of its days as it’s currently perceived. That’s the belief held by one noteworthy filmmaker, one who’s been a revered name in the film industry for over thirty years and, while not without his fair share of controversies, continues to be seen as one of the most distinct auteurs currently working. His name: Quentin Tarantino.",[25,246,247],{},"To most cinephiles, the name Quentin Tarantino needs no introduction, with a reputation built on the success of films like “Pulp Fiction”, the “Kill Bill” duology, and “Django Unchained” preceding him and cementing his status as a modern-day master of the cinematic art form. With such a place in Hollywood, Tarantino seems to have at least some credibility in terms of how film is currently perceived as an art form, which is why so many were quick to take notice when he declared that cinema had died in the year 2019. This was a claim he made during a recent appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, where he boldly asked (with his trademark profanity), “What the f*** is a movie now?”, before going on to discuss how the theatrical experience was being weakened by studios choosing to release their films to in-home viewing only a few weeks prior to when they were first put in theaters. “What—something that plays in theaters for a token release for four f***ing weeks? All right, and by the second week you can watch it on television,” Tarantino ranted. “I didn’t get into all this for diminishing returns. I mean, it was bad enough in ’97. It was bad enough in 2019, and that was the last fucking year of movies.”",[25,249,250],{},"Those familiar with Tarantino’s filmography might be quick to notice that the specific choice of year he referenced - 2019 - is perhaps not entirely coincidental. That was the year that saw the release of his latest cinematic endeavor, the Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt-starring “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”, although as the filmmaker continued to speak, additional reasons for citing 2019 as the end of cinema came to light. In fact, that was the year that Tarantino had previously spoken out about concerns that cinema appeared to be a dying art form, explaining in a Deadline article his worries about making films in an increasingly unstable business climate. “I think a lot of us making movies are facing a dark night of the soul,” Tarantino claims. “I know I am, and so are a lot of us who make movies, where movies were one thing to us, and they were this one thing for a long time. We are wondering if we’ll still be doing it this way fifteen years from now. And my guess is not. I don’t know what it’s going to be like fifteen years from now, but I don’t think this way will be the way.”",[25,252,253],{},"As pessimistic as the “Inglourious Basterds” director’s comments may have been at the time, they were still made without any awareness of what was to come in the years to follow. Since 2019, Hollywood has had to contend with both a global pandemic brought upon by the emergence of the COVID-19 virus in 2020 and a pair of major guild strikes in 2023, both of which forced most productions to a standstill and cost each of the major studios billions of dollars in revenue. Such occurrences have only made the studios less willing to take risks and made it difficult for filmmakers to get their work financed, a matter that Tarantino is not alone in publicly addressing. Nicole Kidman, easily one of the most renowned actors currently working (her erotic thriller “Babygirl” being the most recent of her big screen appearances), was one such Hollywood figure who lamented the insane difficulty to get anything that isn’t a major IP green-lighted in today’s day and age. “I just think that’s the nature of what we’re dealing with now. Things are shrinking in terms of shows being done and films being made,” Kidman states. “I definitely feel it. I’m sure most people in the industry feel it. I know the crews feel it. I know writers feel it.”",[25,255,256],{},"Are Tarantino’s claims of cinema dying in 2019 hyperbolic? To a certain extent, yes. There are of course plenty of them being  produced and released on a daily basis, and at least a handful of them are being widely praised as textbook examples of the art of cinema at its best. After all, few would consider the likes of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” (the two most recent Academy Award winners for Best Picture) to be less than finely crafted. Still, given all that has happened over the past few years, one can’t entirely fault Tarantino for having such a negative outlook on an industry that helped turn his debut feature “Reservoir Dogs” into a breakout hit with which he could create a decade-spanning career. At the moment, Tarantino is in no rush to create his next feature, telling his audience at Sundance that he wishes to wait until his son is old enough to understand and appreciate the experience of being on a film set. He’s also currently writing a play that he may or may not adapt to film depending on how well it’s received; in his words, If it’s a fiasco I probably won’t turn it into a movie. But if it’s a smash hit? It might be my last movie.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":258},[],"Industry Articles","2025-01-29","Source: The AV Club",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fis-the-art-of-cinema-dead-it-is-according-to-quentin-tarantino",{"title":231,"description":261},"is-the-art-of-cinema-dead-it-is-according-to-quentin-tarantino","blog\u002Fis-the-art-of-cinema-dead-it-is-according-to-quentin-tarantino","BZiSfhDAIyB7CrznKEmBSxqIMFdW49haCPMVoKWYo38",{"id":269,"title":270,"body":271,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":260,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":299,"navigation":71,"path":300,"seo":301,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":302,"stem":303,"__hash__":304},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fla-wildfires-delay-and-cancel-pre-oscar-events-are-the-actual-awards-next.md","LA Wildfires Delay and Cancel Pre-Oscar Events. Are the Actual Awards Next?",{"type":22,"value":272,"toc":295},[273,280,283,286,289,292],[25,274,236,275],{},[47,276,279],{"href":277,"rel":278},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Foscars-2025-nominations-announcement-delayed-voting-extended-lunch-canceled-1236107586\u002F",[51],"The Hollywood Reporter",[25,281,282],{},"Sometimes it can feel like, with all that’s going on within, the world is on fire; at the current moment, it actually is, or at least a small but heavily populated part of it. For over a week, the wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles, the largest city in the state of California (and one of the nation’s largest overall), has resulted in a small number of casualties and an even larger number of permanently damaged residences and businesses, all of which have forced those who previously called them home to find new shelter. In general, these fires have brought nothing but harm to the people who’ve established themselves in Los Angeles; the entertainment industry, however, seems to be in a particularly worrisome position right now. With so much of the industry - especially film and television production - rooted in the so-called City of Angels, the ongoing wildfires have made either incredibly difficult or inappropriately untimely to conduct business as usual. While there are still productions currently taking place at this point in time, it’s becoming increasingly tricky to do so as the wildfires remain largely uncontained and a threat to the city and its millions of people. Many have naturally acted accordingly, choosing to push back certain events that were intended to occur in the near future to a later date that will (hopefully) be well after this fiery disaster has finally come to an end. This unfortunately includes what is possibly the single most anticipated event for anyone working in film; while the event itself has not yet been delayed, the minor events that are intended to lead up to it have, and unless things start to change for the better, it’s possible that the main show itself will also have to be pushed back. The event in question, of course, is the upcoming Academy Awards.",[25,284,285],{},"Announcements of these delays come in the wake of five individuals associated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) - four governors and a former CEO to be specific - losing their homes to the flames that continue to devastate the Southern California area. It’s this region that serves as the home to more than half of the Academy’s ten thousand members, so it’s hardly surprising that, in order to remain sensitive to those that’ve been affected by the wildfires, the AMPAS has chosen to delay many of its pre-Oscar events. Though the actual Academy Awards have not yet been delayed - as of this writing, the show is still set to take place on Sunday, March 2nd, several of the essential procedures and announcements needed in order for the show to happen have been extended and revised in some way. Specifically:",[25,287,288],{},"The voting window for Oscar nominations has been lengthened; instead of closing at 5 pm PST on Tuesday, January 14th, the closing date will now be Friday, January 17th (also at 5pm PST)\nThe announcements for the Academy Award nominations, originally set for Friday, January 17th at 5:30 am PST, will now take place just under a week later on Thursday, January 24th (the time remains the same however). Also worth noting, the nominee announcements will still be televised, but no in-person audience will be present.\nThe Oscar Nominees Luncheon, an annual tradition in which those nominated for Academy Awards gather together for the first time since their nominations, has been outright cancelled. The event was intended to take place on Monday, February 10th, but although there will still be many smaller dinners held in the days leading up to the main ceremony, no central gathering will be held this year.\nThe Scientific and Technical Awards have been postponed from their original date of Tuesday, February 18th. At this moment, no new date for the event has been scheduled.",[25,290,291],{},"Each one of these decisions was agreed upon by the majority of the AMPAS’ board of governors, one made up of fifty-five individuals with some history and experience working in the film industry. As previously mentioned, four of these governors - Lynette Howell Taylor of the producers branch (also an Academy vice president), Brooke Breton of the visual effects branch, Mark P. Stoeckinger of the sound branch, and Jinko Gotoh of the animation branch - had each lost their homes to the ongoing LA wildfires, with former Academy CEO Dawn Hudson (who served from 2011 to 2022) also sharing this unfortunate fate. Interestingly, in spite of what has happened, many of these people continue to persist with their work and remain dedicated on keeping the spirit that has kept Hollywood up and running for decades alive; Breton has most notably overseen her branch’s annual “bakeoff”, which was held virtually on Saturday, January 11th for those in contention for the Best Visual Effects award to make their cases for a potential nomination (if not an outright win).",[25,293,294],{},"While a decision regarding whether or not to delay the Oscars themselves remains up in the air, the Academy will continue to ponder the best course of action, with some of its members being adamant about the show being held as planned and others insisting that the resources that would normally go to holding the ceremony be redirected to efforts against the wildfire (it’s this latter position that actress Jean Smart has spoken out in favor of). The Academy has already donated roughly $750,000 to fire relief efforts, and there’s certainly an incentive to contribute more to the cause, but on the other hand, postponing or even cancelling the Oscars could be disadvantageous to everyone who relies on the ceremony to make a living (the show by itself is said to require the employment of over a thousand people). Whatever happens though, it’s almost unanimously agreed that the show itself will more or less be an unofficial telethon intended to revive the film industry and the city it calls home, with Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang expressing much hope in a statement released on Monday, January 13th. “Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,” the statement reads. “We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts…we will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community”.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":296},[],"News","Source: The Hollywood Reporter",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fla-wildfires-delay-and-cancel-pre-oscar-events-are-the-actual-awards-next",{"title":270,"description":298},"la-wildfires-delay-and-cancel-pre-oscar-events-are-the-actual-awards-next","blog\u002Fla-wildfires-delay-and-cancel-pre-oscar-events-are-the-actual-awards-next","BL79QXPRaj-r5_En0xDCRe3kqWzRbPE1018EIS6r_D4",{"id":306,"title":307,"body":308,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":260,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":333,"navigation":71,"path":334,"seo":335,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":336,"stem":337,"__hash__":338},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-brutalist-and-emilia-perez-triumph-at-golden-globes-with-multiple-wins-each.md","“The Brutalist” and “Emilia Perez” Triumph at Golden Globes with Multiple Wins Each",{"type":22,"value":309,"toc":331},[310,316,319,322,325,328],[25,311,236,312],{},[47,313,279],{"href":314,"rel":315},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Flists\u002Fgolden-globes-2025-winners-list\u002F",[51],[25,317,318],{},"Unlike most other awards ceremonies, the Golden Globe Awards are sometimes difficult to judge as indicators of how the remainder of the film award season will play out, in large part because it offers two Best Picture prizes instead of only one. Each year, organizers of the Golden Globes separate the films submitted for awards recognition into two different categories: Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Each year, both of these prizes are given out, and while each win can create an idea as to which films may become potential frontrunners for equivalent prizes at future awards ceremonies - the Academy Awards being the most prominent of the bunch - rarely do they serve as fully accurate predictors, especially when a film that doesn’t win the Golden Globe ends up winning the Oscar (an occurrence that has taken place quite frequently in modern history). Regardless of this situation, many continue to turn their attention towards the Golden Globes each year to see which films supposedly have the best chance of winning bigger and better prizes later on in the awards season. This year’s ceremony, held on Sunday, January 5th, does not appear to be any different, and with both of the Best Picture winners managing to pick up more than one additional award by the end of the evening, one might be inclined to believe that their respective chances of winning at the upcoming Oscars (as well as any other major ceremony set to take place before it) are larger than initially assumed.",[25,320,321],{},"In terms of overall wins, Jacques Audiard’s musical crime comedy “Emilia Perez” was the ultimate victor with a total of four awards earned by the end of the evening; given that it had received more nominations than any other film going into the ceremony - ten to be exact (although with the caveat that it was nominated more than once in some categories) - it’s not too much of a shock that such a high nomination count would lead to an equally impressive win count. In addition to the film’s winning of the Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy prize (for which it beat out such films as Sean Baker’s “Anora” and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”), the film also secured wins for Best Non-English Language film (it’s a French production that’s spoken largely in Spanish), Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Zoe Saldana, and Best Original Song for the tune “El Mal” (for which Audiard, Camille, and Clement Ducol were awarded). Admittedly, few of these specific categories are known to be reliable indicators of a potential Best Picture win at the Academy Awards, but if nothing else, the multiple wins achieved by “Emilia Perez” suggest that it’s a major contender for the upcoming awards show nonetheless.",[25,323,324],{},"Serving as that film’s biggest competition - or at least that’s the impression given by the Golden Globes - is Brady Corbet’s epic period drama “The Brutalist”, which came in second place in terms of overall wins with a total of three awards. In addition to the film’s winning of the Best Motion Picture - Drama prize (for which it beat out the likes of James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part 2”, the film also secured Corbet a win for Best Director and Adrien Brody a win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama. Unlike many of the accolades given to “Emilia Perez”, those given for directing and lead acting, while not absolute certainties, do tend to suggest that these kinds of films are those most favored to win the highly coveted Best Picture prize. This is not to suggest that “The Brutalist” is guaranteed a Best Picture win at the upcoming Academy Awards, but the Best Director and Best Actor prizes it’s been given do make its odds a bit better than some - if not most - of its competition.",[25,326,327],{},"Having said all that, there is still some pretty solid competition that both “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Perez” will have to contend with, with many of the films that will also vie for major victory at the Oscars also managing to secure at least one win at the Golden Globes. For starters, the award for Best Screenplay - a category that has often (but not always) lined up with the eventual Best Picture winner - was given to Peter Straughan for the script he wrote for Edward Berger’s “Conclave”, which had been nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama and could hypothetically win Straughan a similar award (specifically Best Adapted Screenplay) at the Oscars. The other acting categories, meanwhile, give a good impression as to which kinds of performances most voters are choosing to honor and recognize this year: Fernanda Torres pulled perhaps the biggest upset of the evening with her win in Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here”, while the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy award was given to Demi Moore for her role in the black comedy body horror “The Substance”. Then there’s Sebastian Stan and his winning of Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, a prize he earned for his performance in Aaron Schimberg’s black comedy psychological thriller “A Different Man”, and Kiernan Culkin, who was given Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in co-star Jesse Eisenberg’s buddy dramedy “A Real Pain”. Most of these films are also contenders for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and while there’s little to imply that each of them being nominated is a surefire thing, these wins do suggest that there is plenty of attention being directed towards them nonetheless.",[25,329,330],{},"The remaining film categories are not quite as indicative of what could be a potential nominee for Best Picture, but the prizes are still worth at least some acknowledgment. The award for Best Animated Feature, for example, was something of a surprise, with the Latvian-produced “Flow” beating out favorites like “The Wild Robot” and “Inside Out 2” to take home the prize, while the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement was given to “Wicked”, which continues to be one of the more popular features currently viewable in theaters. Lastly, Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama “Challengers” earned a Best Original Score prize for composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a small but significant win in an evening that was largely made up of many other small but significant wins.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":332},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-brutalist-and-emilia-perez-triumph-at-golden-globes-with-multiple-wins-each",{"title":307,"description":298},"the-brutalist-and-emilia-perez-triumph-at-golden-globes-with-multiple-wins-each","blog\u002Fthe-brutalist-and-emilia-perez-triumph-at-golden-globes-with-multiple-wins-each","nuAlBNKA_BBo8xVSzBBP64xZT15J498XEa9ZrIO5v_c",{"id":340,"title":341,"body":342,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":260,"description":373,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":374,"navigation":71,"path":375,"seo":376,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":377,"stem":378,"__hash__":379},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-brutalist-revealed-to-have-been-made-in-part-using-controversial-ai-creations.md","“The Brutalist” Revealed to Have Been Made In Part Using Controversial AI Creations",{"type":22,"value":343,"toc":371},[344,351,354,357,360,368],[25,345,236,346],{},[47,347,350],{"href":348,"rel":349},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Ffilm\u002F2025\u002Fjan\u002F20\u002Fthe-brutalist-and-emilia-perezs-voice-cloning-controversies-make-ai-the-new-awards-season-battleground#img-1",[51],"The Guardian",[25,352,353],{},"Cinema, like any art form, requires a great amount of time and human effort in order to achieve the creation of a given work within the medium. In fact, cinema is especially unique in that it tends to require the involvement of several individuals, with there often being hundreds, if not thousands, of people taking part in a single production. Whether one’s contribution to a film’s making has a creative or a technical purpose, there’s no denying that it takes the hard work of multiple perseverant figures in order for a film to reach its completion, with the credits that are played (usually) at the end of each and every major film production serving as proof of how many people were necessary for their respective creations. It’s for these reasons why artificial intelligence (AI) has become such a hot-button issue over the past couple years; rather than pay people to create part of a film, studios are becoming increasingly interested in having AI craft these elements digitally, whether they’re visuals or sounds, as a way to cut costs - or in other words, not pay for the labor that they’d otherwise require. For some studios, the ideal endgame would be to create a whole feature entirely through AI; none have made it to that point as of yet, but efforts are being made to slowly integrate its usage into an increasing number of films, much to the outrage of those who feel that they’re being unfairly replaced. Actors, writers, visual effects artists, and countless other members of creative professions have been rather vocal about their fears of AI taking over and replacing their jobs, and have been quick to criticize any film that has resorted to AI usage, even if it’s limited to only a few minor details. There are two films in particular that have recently received a decent amount of flack for the involvement of AI technology in their creation; given that they are both currently major awards contenders, these criticisms could not have come at a worse time.",[25,355,356],{},"The first of these two films is “The Brutalist”, Brady Corbet’s epic period drama about a Jewish Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust who has immigrated to the United States and puts his architectural skills to use on an ambitious project commissioned by a wealthy American tycoon. Up to this point, “The Brutalist” has received nothing less than overwhelming praise from those who have seen it; it was even fortunate enough to become one of the big winners at the Golden Globes with prizes being given to it for Best Motion Picture - Drama among others. However, in a recent interview conducted with Red Shark News, editor Dávid Jancsó revealed that AI software had manipulated the voices of lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in order to make their characters’ dialogue sound more authentically Hungarian. According to Jancsó, the intention was to create dialogue that was so close to the actual Hungarian language “that not even locals will spot any difference”, and through the use of tools developed by the Ukraine-based Reseercher, which had previously done work for the Star Wars spin-off series “Obi-Wan Kenobi”, Jancsó has supposedly done just that. “Most of their Hungarian dialogue has a part of me talking in there. We were very careful about keeping their performances,” Jancsó explains. “It’s mainly just replacing letters here and there… we had so much dialogue in Hungarian that we really needed to speed up the process otherwise we’d still be in post.”",[25,358,359],{},"The second film to have recently received some pushback for its usage of AI technology is Jacques Audiard’s crime comedy musical “Emilia Perez”, which, coincidentally enough, not only happened to be the other big winner at the most recent Golden Globes (having taken home the award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy), but also utilized AI in a manner almost identical to how “The Brutalist” used it. The interview revealing this information actually took place back in May during the film’s exhibition at the Cannes Film Festival, but has gotten a bit more interest as of lately in light of Corbet’s film being criticized for similar reasons. In said interview, re-recording mixer Cyril Holtz discusses how AI was utilized in order to change the voice of Karla Sofía Gascón, the film’s lead actress, so that it was better suited for the various bits of singing her character is meant to do throughout a good bulk of the feature. According to Holtz, AI was a necessary tool that allowed them to expand Gascón’s vocal range, something that they were able to achieve by blending her singing with that of Camille, the film’s primary composer and songwriter.",[25,361,362,363,367],{},"Those involved in the making of these films claim to have nothing but reasonable motives for using AI, but for many, such intentions fail to justify the refusal to have these task be done by actual creative professionals, as was considered normal throughout much of the medium’s history. It’s telling that another recent release, the A24 psychological thriller-horror “Heretic”, went out of its way to include a statement explicitly stating that “no generative AI was used in the making of this film”, as if to assure those concerned about the new technology that it had not been utilized in any way for its creation. It’s also worth noting that AI was one of the biggest talking points during last year’s writers and actors’ strikes, so much so that when a deal between these unions and the studios that employed them was eventually reached (thus bringing each of these strikes to an end), the contracts were written carefully to take AI into consideration and ensure that there were “guardrails” put in place so that AI could not be used to generate scripts or recreate actors’ performances without their full consent. On the other hand, not every creative in Hollywood has been overwhelmingly negative about the rise of AI; a Facebook post from “Taxi Driver” screenwriter Paul Schrader, for instance, discusses how he used ChatGPT to create ideas for films that seemed tailor-made for the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Ingmar Bergman, claiming to be “stunned” by what the AI had come up with. Still, Schrader was hesitant to fully endorse AI altogether, stating that “people mistakenly think AI is a technological advance like ",[364,365,366],"span",{},"the"," automobile when in fact it’s a virus driven by a hyperbolic curve”.",[25,369,370],{},"In regards to how “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Perez” will be affected by the controversy that surrounds these revelations, it’s hard to determine how their chances of victory at the upcoming Academy Awards will be affected, especially given how polarizing AI and its usage has gotten over the past several months. Still, with Brody still being seen as a frontrunner for Best Actor and Gascón potentially making history as the first openly transgender woman to have a shot at the Best Actress prize, one shouldn’t be so quick to count either of these performers out.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":372},[],"Source: The Guardian",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-brutalist-revealed-to-have-been-made-in-part-using-controversial-ai-creations",{"title":341,"description":373},"the-brutalist-revealed-to-have-been-made-in-part-using-controversial-ai-creations","blog\u002Fthe-brutalist-revealed-to-have-been-made-in-part-using-controversial-ai-creations","I18XhiH1-YWkV9TByqxH06qY24qTCVrF-U9bITvqSW4",{"id":381,"title":382,"body":383,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":417,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":418,"navigation":71,"path":419,"seo":420,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":421,"stem":422,"__hash__":423},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgermany-passes-new-law-for-film-funding-one-that-could-be-of-benefit-to-hollywood.md","Germany Passes New Law for Film Funding, One That Could Be of Benefit to Hollywood",{"type":22,"value":384,"toc":415},[385,392,395,398,401,404],[25,386,236,387],{},[47,388,391],{"href":389,"rel":390},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fglobal\u002Fgermany-film-funding-law-good-news-hollywood-1236262701\u002F",[51],"Variety",[25,393,394],{},"Where exactly does the money needed to make a film come from? In the United States, the answer to this question isn’t that hard to figure out; Hollywood is a business after all, so it’s only natural that the various studios found within Hollywood build on the profits earned from past productions to fund those intended to be released in the future. There are certainly flaws to this system, especially given how often certain films bomb and fail to make back the money spent on them, but it’s persisted for well over a century nonetheless, and no matter how many problems it faces, this business model will most likely remain in place for quite some time. Elsewhere in the world, however, it’s the national governments that provide filmmakers with the needed monetary resources; whereas some countries view cinema as a business, others prefer to see it as an art and are thus more inclined to financially support the creation of such artworks. Still, there are some conditions that have to be met in order for a filmmaker to receive government funding; these rules will vary from nation to nation, but when followed, they should make it as easy as possible for someone to make the film they wish to create. Similar laws apply to how a film can be financed and exhibited within the nation in question, and in the new year, Germany will begin to enforce a brand new set of laws that relate specifically to its own film industry, albeit those that may not solve all of the issues that they were initially intended to address.",[25,396,397],{},"Before the end of its final 2024 session on Friday, December 27th, the German parliament passed a new law that heavily revises a currently standing law relating to how films are financed within the European nation, one that intends to streamline and simplify the process but, according to a handful of critics, has been watered down from what was originally drafted. While much of the new law focuses on subsidies given to local film and television productions and the means from which they’re provided (e.g. ticket sales), it also raises the current cash back production grant on these productions from 5% to 30%. In other words, there’s more money going into these films, which makes filming in Germany far more lucrative to those from outside the country (e.g. Hollywood) to want to produce at least a couple films within it. According to producer Philipp Kreuzer, whose credits include “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Cliffhanger 2”, the grant will supposedly make Germany “more lucrative for incoming productions”, meaning that the number of people coming into the country for filming could increase dramatically over the next few years.",[25,399,400],{},"Given the various internal political struggles the German government has contended with as of lately, it’s all the more relieving for Hollywood that this law has been able to come into being, especially if it means there’s a great financial incentive to be gained from it. One of the films that Kreuzer is currently involved in the production of, an addition to the Vin Diesel starring “Riddick” series titled “Riddick: Furya”, has already been given a grant worth over $11 million in US currency, so even after only a couple days since the law’s passing, Hollywood is already benefiting. It has of course been benefiting from Germany’s patronage for quite some time now of course - “The Matrix Resurrections” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” are among some of the more recent film releases that have been supported in part by Germany’s patronage - but many are enthusiastic that this new law will draw even more Hollywood productions to the central European nation.",[25,402,403],{},"There is, however, a major catch to all of this: the current cap on how much Germany is willing to fund a given project remains firmly in place. At the moment, the German government will only grant a maximum of $26 million (in US currency) to a given film production (for television, the limit is even lower at just over $10 million), and the total amount that it’s willing to provide for all films and television shows shot in a single year is $374 million; if the maximum amount was granted to each film production, then only fourteen films would be supported, and the $26 million may not be enough to cover all the costs that aren’t backed by other sources. There was an effort made to raise the cap during the law’s initial drafting, but a long and tiresome debate process ultimately forced this provision out of the law, much to the chagrin of many producers who reside and work in Germany. Simone Baumann, who currently heads the promotional body Germany films, alleges that there is currently enough money to finance the productions that are currently in place, but by either August or September, there may not be any more.",[25,405,406,407,410,411,414],{},"It’s worth noting that there are three pillars on which this new law is based, some of which are largely fulfilled by what’s contained within the law while others are not. The first of these are the local subsidies provided to the film and television productions shot within Germany; this is what lawmakers have agreed to keep in place, and the law’s contents relating to how these subsidies are determined and granted will be enforced as originally intended. The second is the tax incentive that seeks to attract foreign productions; this was modified slightly by the German parliament, but with the existing cash grant now being set at 30%, the provision has yet to be fully approved. The third and final pillar is an investment obligation directed largely at streaming platforms that could theoretically bring forth over $624 million each year that would go to German film and television productions; this pillar has so far not been approved, and will continue to receive further debate and revision in the coming year. It’s these last two that have proven to be a particularly daunting challenge for those seeking to boost Germany’s film industry, and with the issue of streaming - one that has brought its own set of challenges to the table - only growing more prominent with each passing day, there are worries that the financial incentive to be gained may not be as high as initially hoped. “There’s a lot of discussion around it,” Baumann claims, adding that many German producers will probably “have to downsize the ",[364,408,409],{},"20%"," percentage ",[364,412,413],{},"of revenues"," they are asking for… otherwise, it might not happen at all.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":416},[],"2025-01-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgermany-passes-new-law-for-film-funding-one-that-could-be-of-benefit-to-hollywood",{"title":382,"description":194},"germany-passes-new-law-for-film-funding-one-that-could-be-of-benefit-to-hollywood","blog\u002Fgermany-passes-new-law-for-film-funding-one-that-could-be-of-benefit-to-hollywood","KxhLyaXTHfwtfWZ9ROg8xzqdqr1VnvOX0MCY7MLt_eM",{"id":425,"title":426,"body":427,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":417,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":452,"navigation":71,"path":453,"seo":454,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":455,"stem":456,"__hash__":457},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2025-emilia-perez-leads-with-ten-nominations-in-film-categories.md","Golden Globes 2025: “Emilia Perez” Leads with Ten Nominations in Film Categories",{"type":22,"value":428,"toc":450},[429,435,438,441,444,447],[25,430,236,431],{},[47,432,391],{"href":433,"rel":434},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fawards\u002Fgolden-globes-nominations-2025-full-list-1236236911\u002F",[51],[25,436,437],{},"The Golden Globes have always held a peculiar place in the film award circuit, and not just because of it being one of the few awards ceremonies to simultaneously honor both cinematic and made-for-television productions. Since its inception in 1944, the Golden Globe Awards has raised eyebrows for a wide variety of reasons, from perplexing award categories to controversies surrounding its parent organization, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In recent years, the Golden Globes has made considerable efforts to rebrand itself as something more worthy of respect (even going so far as to cut itself off from the HFPA, with the Golden Globe Foundation now serving as the event’s primary overseer), and while not everyone is once again sold on the Golden Globes, many of the efforts to change for the better are easy to notice and appreciate. With there now being a greater push to be more inclusive in terms of who gets to vote and what gets to be voted on, the Golden Globe Awards still have quite a way to go before it can be as esteemed as many of its contemporaries, but for the time being, one will have to judge the show on what it currently has to offer. Speaking of which, it wasn’t too long ago - the morning of Monday, December 9th to be more precise - that the nominations for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards were made known to the public. Some of the nominees were more or less expected shoe-ins, while other inclusions (or perhaps even omissions) proved to be rather shocking. In any case, while the results of the Golden Globe nominations can’t give award enthusiasts a perfect picture of how the Academy Awards and all other upcoming film award ceremonies will play out, chances are that what it’s chosen to nominate isn’t too far off from how many of those other organizations will make their decisions, and it’s thus worth at least some of one’s time to look at what the Golden Globes has chosen to nominate.",[25,439,440],{},"Leading the pack with a surprisingly large number of nominations is Jacques Audiard’s musical crime comedy “Emilia Perez”, which managed to secure a total of ten nominations and triumph over just about every other film and individual in terms of nomination count. It’s worth noting, however, that the film was double nominated in two of the categories - both Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana received nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while both “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” were featured among the nominees for Best Original Song - which means that the total number of categories “Emilia Perez” is nominated in is actually only eight. Still, eight is a remarkably high number for a film to receive; in addition to the aforementioned categories, “Emilia Perez” will also vie for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical of Comedy (Karla Sofia Gascon), Best Director and Best Screenplay (both for Audiard), and Best Original Score (Camille and Clement Ducol). It would seem that the film is nominated in just about every category that it was able to qualify for, and even if this high nomination count doesn’t translate into a complete sweep at the upcoming award ceremony (set to take place on Sunday, January 5th and be aired on the CBS television network), its overwhelming presence bodes well for its future and should at the very least earn it an accolade or two.",[25,442,443],{},"The highest honor that “Emilia Perez” could possibly earn at the Golden Globes is, as previously stated, the prize for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, one of the two Best Picture prizes offered by the organization that is also being competed for by five other films. These are Sean Baker’s romantic comedy-drama “Anora”, Luca Guadagnino’s sports romantic dramedy “Challengers”, Jesse Eisenberg’s road comedy-drama “A Real Pain” (it’s not uncommon for many of the films nominated in this category throughout its history, despite being labeled as comedies, nonetheless include rather heavy dramatic elements), Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” (it’s also not unheard of for horror films to end up in the Comedy or Musical category as well - e.g. 2017’s “Get Out”), and John M. Chu’s blockbuster fantasy musical “Wicked”. On the other end of ths spectrum is the category for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Like its more comically\u002Fmusically oriented counterpart, there are six features that have a chance of receiving this highly coveted award: Brady Corbet’s historical drama “The Brutalist”, James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”, Edward Berger’s mystery thriller “Conclave”, Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction action epic “Dune: Part Two”, RaMell Ross’ historical drama “Nickel Boys”, and Tim Fehlbaum’s historical drama “September 5”. As is the case in the other category, there’s a solid array of quality feature films to be found here, and no matter which of the six ends up winning, few would argue against the presence of the majority of these films (the same goes for the Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category as well).",[25,445,446],{},"As stated earlier, “Emilia Perez” will also compete for the Best Foreign Language Film prize, and while its placement as a nominee in the more prominent Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category may imply that it has this other accolade in the bag, one shouldn’t overlook just how competitive this category also happens to be. Also vying for this award are Payal Kapadia’s French\u002FIndian-produced drama “All We Imagine as Light” (for which Kapadia will also compete for Best Director), Magnus von Horn’s Polish\u002FSwedish\u002FDanish-produced historical psychological horror “The Girl with the Needle”, Walter Salles’ Brazilian-produced political biographical drama “I’m Still Here”, Mohammad Rasalouf’s German-produced “The Seed of a Sacred Fig”, and Maura Delpero’s Italian-produced drama “Vermiglio”. Given their exceptional quality, any one of these films could pull a surprise upset and keep “Emilia Perez” from claiming victory.",[25,448,449],{},"Lastly, in terms of film-specific categories, there is Best Animated Feature, for which six films made predominantly using the medium of animation will compete. These are Gintz Zilbalodis’ fantasy adventure “Flow”, Kelsey Mann’s coming-of-age comedy-drama “Inside Out 2”, Adam Elliot’s tragicomedy “Memoir of a Snail”, Disney’s fantasy musical “Moana 2”, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham’s comedy “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul”, and Chris Sanders’ science fiction adventure “The Wild Robot”. Like all those that had been nominated in the other categories, these are all highly commendable feats of cinema, and no matter which of them is ultimately selected as the winner, one can at least find some relief in knowing that many of them are more than worthy of such an honor.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":451},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2025-emilia-perez-leads-with-ten-nominations-in-film-categories",{"title":426,"description":194},"golden-globes-2025-emilia-perez-leads-with-ten-nominations-in-film-categories","blog\u002Fgolden-globes-2025-emilia-perez-leads-with-ten-nominations-in-film-categories","oPD4cpb_SmV0L1HuReik2aGL20NDw-sL4UphAaWmOE8",{"id":459,"title":460,"body":461,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":417,"description":520,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":521,"navigation":71,"path":522,"seo":523,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":524,"stem":525,"__hash__":526},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-social-network-no-country-for-old-men-among-national-film-registry-selections.md","“The Social Network”, “No Country for Old Men” Among National Film Registry Selections",{"type":22,"value":462,"toc":518},[463,470,473,480,483,492,495,503,510],[25,464,236,465],{},[47,466,469],{"href":467,"rel":468},"https:\u002F\u002Fnewsroom.loc.gov\u002Fnews\u002F25-films-named-to-national-film-registry-for-preservation\u002Fs\u002F55d5285d-916f-4105-b7d4-7fc3ba8664e3",[51],"Library of Congress",[25,471,472],{},"Can a work of art ever be truly immortalized and be kept intact for generations to experience? If so, then one needs to look no further than the organizations and institutions that largely dedicate themselves to the preservation of art. In the United States, the Library of Congress is perhaps the most noteworthy of such institutions, with its National Film Registry division focusing primarily on the works of cinema that the Library deems worthy of preservation. For a film to be selected into the National Film Registry, it needs to have have some kind of importance to the United States, whether they are of historical, cultural, or aesthetic significance, and near the end of each year, the Library of Congress makes an announcement regarding which films are among the latest for inclusion. The most recent of these announcements came on Tuesday, December 17th, with twenty-five short and feature-length films being listed as the new inductees into the National Film Registry’s extensive catalog of films that it considers to have great value as a reflection of American culture past and present. Some of these films date back to well over a century ago, while others are less than two decades old; regardless of their age though, one can still recognize their worth and understand why the Library of Congress has selected them for permanent inclusion in its national archives. All of these films are highly respectable in their own right, but here are just a handful of them that are perhaps slightly more noteworthy than the rest:",[25,474,475,476,479],{},"***Angels with Dirty Faces ***",[57,477,478],{},"(1938)"," - not to be confused with “Angels with Filthy Souls” (a film made within the fictional universe of Chris Columbus’ 1990 holiday classic “Home Alone”), this Michael Curtiz crime drama came out just a couple years after the Production Code began to be enforced, although it wasn’t enough to completely stop the film from showcasing a story that reflected American urban living at the height of the Great Depression. With James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart as its primarily leads, the film offers insight into a vision of America that’s described as being “made in the streets of immigrant, segregated, hardscrabble neighborhoods”, but still offers the possibility of redemption to those willing to see the errors of their misdeeds.",[25,481,482],{},"***Beverly Hills Cop *****(1984) **- one of the most popular fish-out-of-water films to have been made in the 1980s, this police-centric comedy stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a Detroit-based officer who heads to the titular Los Angeles neighborhood in search of a murderer who took the life of his childhood friend. Though Murphy’s hilariously witty performance and a catchy electronic instrumental theme have proven vital to this film’s ability to stand the test of time, the narrative’s reflection of race relations during this time period (those embodied by the African-American Foley and the various conflicts he has with the predominantly white Beverly Hills police force as he attempts to locate his criminal target) is what gives the film much of its substance.",[25,484,485,491],{},[486,487,488],"em",{},[57,489,490],{},"Dirty Dancing","** (1987) **- filmgoers who saw this dance-oriented teen drama during its initial release had the time of their lives watching the blossoming romance between protagonists Johnny and Baby (played respectively by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey), and nearly forty years later, the story of their bond continues to win the hearts of viewers across the nation. A deeper analysis of the film’s subject matter will reveal some surprisingly heavy themes - including abortion, classism, and even some hints of anti-Semitism - and the screenplay’s ability to address them in a mature enough manner gives the film more weight than what audiences expected from it at the time, enough to cement it as an all-time classic.",[25,493,494],{},"***Invaders from Mars *****(1953) **- many of the science fiction films made during the 1950s served as a reflection of the Cold War paranoia prevalent throughout this period, most of it rooted in the fear of Soviet forces invading the United States and threatening the sanctity of the American lifestyle. This William Cameron Menzies-directed feature was no different, utilizing some impressively crafted sets and lavish color cinematography to turn this tale of alien invasion into a feature that would go on to have a major influence on future sci-fi cinema. Nearly every film to have some focus on aliens made in the years following this feature’s release, from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to “The Iron Giant”, owes some credit to this influential 1953 classic.",[25,496,497,502],{},[486,498,499],{},[57,500,501],{},"My Own Private Idaho","** (1991)** - retelling one of Shakespeare’s iconic stories though the point of view of two young queer men is an ambitious endeavor in theory; in practice, director Gus van Sant manages to turn his modernization of “Henry V” into a moving and emotionally devastating drama that speaks to the internal struggles that many people, especially those within the LGBT community, faced at the time and continue to face to this day. The pairing of Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix proves essential in holding this film together, as it’s their portrayal of Scott and Mike, two hustlers living in the American Northwest who travel across states in search of the latter’s mother, that grounds the film in the midst of its daring themes and events.",[25,504,505,506,509],{},"***No Country for Old Men ***",[57,507,508],{},"(2007)"," - brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have made one modern classic after another since the beginning of their filmmaking career, with the likes of 1996’s “Fargo” and 2000’s “O Brother Where Art Thou?” still receiving praise as some of the best films of the past few decades. It wasn’t until the release of this neo-western that the Coens finally picked up their first Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards, and many would agree that the victory was very well-deserved. With an increasingly suspenseful screenplay and Javier Bardem’s equally chilling performance as the heartless Anton Chigurh, the film reflects the Coen Brothers at their darkest as well as their finest, sitting firmly in place as one of their best features to date.",[25,511,512,517],{},[486,513,514],{},[57,515,516],{},"The Social Network","** (2010) **- it may be more recent than the majority of the other films that have been recently inducted into the National Film Registry, but that doesn’t detract from its meaning and merits. Through the excellent direction of David Fincher and a remarkable screenplay from Aaron Sorkin, this biographical drama about the rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg comes across as disturbingly ahead of its time in many respects, using its narrative to display the rise of antisocial tendencies among its characters against the backdrop of a social media platform that was ironically designed to bring people closer together. In an age where the negative effects of social media have only amplified, Fincher and Sorkin’s film seems more relevant than ever.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":519},[],"Source: Library of Congress",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-social-network-no-country-for-old-men-among-national-film-registry-selections",{"title":460,"description":520},"the-social-network-no-country-for-old-men-among-national-film-registry-selections","blog\u002Fthe-social-network-no-country-for-old-men-among-national-film-registry-selections","hup6H9dFSP1k-IKLY6PS-GJ7Ch0BzFXpk561vvLmT-A",{"id":528,"title":529,"body":530,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":556,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":558,"navigation":71,"path":559,"seo":560,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":561,"stem":562,"__hash__":563},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fa-different-man-pulls-off-surprise-win-at-2024-gotham-awards.md","“A Different Man” Pulls Off Surprise Win at 2024 Gotham Awards",{"type":22,"value":531,"toc":554},[532,539,542,545,548,551],[25,533,236,534],{},[47,535,538],{"href":536,"rel":537},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F12\u002F2024-gotham-awards-winners-list-1236189204\u002F",[51],"Deadline",[25,540,541],{},"Those hoping to see their favorite big-budget blockbusters win a major award will have to look elsewhere from the Gotham Awards, a ceremony that’s specifically designed to celebrate the exact opposite kind of cinematic creation. It’s been that way since 1991, when the Gotham Film & Media Institute, a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City and founded in 1979, first began its annual tradition of honoring independently made films that perhaps didn’t get the same amount of attention as their more mainstream counterparts, but were nonetheless worthy of considerable praise and recognition. More than thirty years later, the Gotham Awards continue to strive for the celebration of independent cinema, with its most recent ceremony, held this year on Monday, December 2nd, giving out nine awards intended to honor either a specific feature film or one of the individuals who contributed to its exceptional quality. Compared to other film-oriented award ceremonies, the Gotham Awards and its accolade count might appear to be rather small, but those who are fortunate enough to win them can confirm that they are of no lesser value because of these circumstances. It can also be rather intriguing to see how the Gotham Awards go against the grain of what the rest of the awards circuit considers to be the best of the best; this latest ceremony in particular has seen quite a few upsets in which some of the more underestimated features have managed to pull off a win or two. How such surprises will affect the remainder of the awards season - if at all - is not fully known, but for the time being, one can at least feel prideful for those that have managed to achieve this type of success so far.",[25,543,544],{},"Perhaps the biggest upset of the evening came with the giving of the Gotham Awards’ highest honor, the Best Picture prize. This was a category in which quite a few noteworthy titles were competing, including Sean Baker’s “Anora” (considered by many to be the current frontrunner for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards), Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl”, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers”, and RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys”, and yet not one of these films ended up taking home the accolade. Instead, it was Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man”, which stars Sebastian Stan as an actor who undergoes a major medical procedure to fix his disfigured face before realizing the unexpected price said procedure comes with, that ended up claiming the Best Picture award at the end of the ceremony, a win that even Schimberg himself admits was not something he anticipated. “I’m not the only person in the room who’s totally stunned by this,” Schimberg stated during his acceptance speech. “Considering the other nominees I thought it would be hubris to prepare a speech, so I’m going to wing it.”",[25,546,547],{},"Fortunately for one of the Best Picture nominees, it was not a night of complete loss; in fact, by the end of the ceremony, this particular film was able to secure not one, but two wins. That film is “Nickel Boys”, a historical drama about two African-American boys placed in a Florida reform school during the 1960s (one that offers less than pleasant treatment to those who go there), for which its director RaMell Ross was named Best Director, giving him a victory over Baker, Payal Kapadia of “All We Imagine as Light”, Guan Hu of “Black Dog”, and Jane Schoenbrun of “I Saw the TV Glow”. Meanwhile, one of its stars, Brandon Wilson, won the award for Breakthrough Performer, for which he competed against Lily Collias from “Good One”, Ryan Destiny from “The Fire Inside”, Maisy Stella from “My Old Ass”, and Izaac Wang from “Didi”. Even if neither of these wins was able to carry over into a Best Picture accolade, chances are that Ross and Wilson are still fairly happy with what they were able to achieve.",[25,549,550],{},"There was one other film fortunate enough to receive two Gotham Awards by the time the ceremony came to an end, although it was strangely a film that somehow did not secure a Best Picture nomination. That film was Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing”, which managed to earn both of the acting prizes against competition from nine other actors in each category. The first of these awards, Outstanding Lead Performance, was given to Colman Domingo for his work in this film, allowing him to beat out these other nominees: Pamela Anderson from “The Last Showgirl”, Adrien Brody from “The Brutalist”, Marianne Jean-Baptiste from “Hard Truths”, Nicole Kidman from “Babygirl”, Keith Kupferer from “Ghostlight”, Mikey Madison from “Anora”, Demi Moore from “The Substance”, Saoirse Ronan from “The Outrun”, and Justice Smith from “I Saw the TV Glow”. As for the other acting category, Outstanding Supporting Performance, Clarence Maclin’s portrayal of a fictional version of himself ended up triumphing over the following actors: Yura Borisov from “Anora”, Kiernan Culkin from “A Real Pain”, Danielle Deadwyler from “The Piano Lesson”, Brian Tyree Henry from “The Fire Inside”, Brigette Lundy-Paine from “I Saw the TV Glow”, Natasha Lyonne from “His Three Daughters”, Katy O’Brian from “Love Lies Bleeding”, Guy Pearce from “The Brutalist”, and Adam Pearson from “A Different Man”.",[25,552,553],{},"Elsewhere in the Gotham Awards, wins in the remaining four categories went to films that were unable to secure any other prizes (assuming that they were even nominated in any of the other categories). Azazel Jacobs, for example, won the award for Best Screenplay for “His Three Daughters”, an accolade that would have otherwise gone to C. Mason Wells and Nathan Silver for “Between the Temples”, Ryusuke Hamaguchi for “Evil Does Not Exist”, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for “Femme”, or Annie Baker for “Janet Planet”. Vera Drew, meanwhile, was named Breakthrough Director for her work on “The People’s Joker”, enabling her to beat out competitors Shuchi Talati for “Girls Will Be Girls”, India Donaldson for “Good One”, Alessandra Lacorazza for “In the Summers”, and Mahdi Fleifel for “To a Land Unknown”. As for Best Documentary Feature, “No Other Land” came out on top over “Dahomey”, “Intercepted”, “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”, “Sugarcane”, and “Union”, while the prize for Best International Feature went to “All We Imagine as Light”, which ended up beating “Green Border”, “Hard Truths”. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”, and “Vermiglio”. It’s an impressive array of winners for sure, although one most likely wouldn’t expect anything less from the Gotham Awards.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":555},[],"2024-12-04","Source: Deadline",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fa-different-man-pulls-off-surprise-win-at-2024-gotham-awards",{"title":529,"description":557},"a-different-man-pulls-off-surprise-win-at-2024-gotham-awards","blog\u002Fa-different-man-pulls-off-surprise-win-at-2024-gotham-awards","qqFCLh1LXEnsHrFUu-oYJPxwEYhKTymhT9-mNoE_Z_Q",{"id":565,"title":566,"body":567,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":556,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":592,"navigation":71,"path":593,"seo":594,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":595,"stem":596,"__hash__":597},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjim-abrahams-one-of-the-comedic-legends-behind-airplane-passes-away-at-80.md","Jim Abrahams, One of the Comedic Legends Behind “Airplane!”, Passes Away at 80",{"type":22,"value":568,"toc":590},[569,575,578,581,584,587],[25,570,236,571],{},[47,572,538],{"href":573,"rel":574},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fobituaries-people-news\u002Fjim-abrahams-dead-airplane-naked-gun-hot-shots-1236223683\u002F",[51],[25,576,577],{},"Since the earliest days of cinema, filmmakers have sought to use their creations to entertain the masses however they could, with one of the most effective means of getting an emotional response from them was to simply make them laugh. Even before the innovation of sound and the ability for actors to say funny things, comedians have been a staple of the cinematic art form, with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd using their silent comedies to put a smile on those fortunate enough to see them. In the time since, countless actors, writers, and directors have stepped up to demonstrate their exceptional comedic talents: the 1940s saw the rise of comedic duo Abbott and Costello, the 1970s saw British comedy troupe Monty Python cement its legendary status with films like “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, and in the 21st century, people like Paul Feig and Judd Apatow continue to uphold the legacy of comedy cinema that had been established by all those who’d come before them. While it’s hard to pinpoint a specific individual or group as the embodiment of a certain era’s preferred choice of cinematic comedy, there are nonetheless those that stand out more than others. In the 1980s, for example, a trio of filmmakers produced some of their finest works to date - a collection featuring such films as 1980’s “Airplane!” and 1988’s “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” - and more or less redefined what could be achieved with the cinematic medium in terms of humor. This trio consisted of brothers David & Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, the latter of whom has sadly passed away at the age of 80, leaving behind an incredible and unrivaled legacy for future generations to admire and be enraptured by.",[25,579,580],{},"Born on May 10th, 1944 to a Jewish family living in Shorewood, Wisconsin, Abrahams had been close companions with the Zucker brothers since as far back as the earliest days of his childhood. The friendship they shared continued to persist into their adulthood, with the three enrolling at the University of Wisconsin - Madison starting in 1971 and forming their own comedy troupe referred to as the Kentucky Fried Theater (an amusing reference to the popular fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken). As Abrahams and the Zuckers spent their college years honing their talents as comedic performers, they conceived a variety of humorous sketches and set-ups that, as they also became more familiar with the process of filmmaking, gradually transformed into the foundation of their very first feature film. That film, appropriately titled “The Kentucky Fried Movie”, was released in the year 1977 and acted as an anthology of loosely related sketches that Abrahams had written with the Zuckers. With a budget of $650,000 and the direction of John Landis, the film’s $7.1 million gross was enough to confirm that Abrahams and his collaborators had what it took to break out as successful comedy filmmakers. Landis quickly went off on his own, ultimately directing future comedy classics like 1978’s “Animal House” and 1980’s “The Blues Brothers”, but Abrahams and the Zucker brothers remained a unit, one that allowed them to make more comedy films even better and funnier than they what they had made up to that point.",[25,582,583],{},"As a team - one referred to as Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (or ZAZ for short) - Abrahams and the Zucker brothers would simultaneously write and direct two major comedy films during the 1980s and share writing credits for one that David Zucker would direct single-handedly. Easily the most famous of these films was 1980’s “Airplane!”, a spoof of the 1957 film “Zero Hour!” as well as the “Airport” series of the 1970s (many of which have ironically been eclipsed in terms of popularity and recognition by the aforementioned parody). Not only did the team receive both a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and a BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay, but the film continues to be cherished as one of the best in the history of comedic cinema, even ranking #10 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 funniest American films. Even if Abrahams and the Zuckers’ subsequent films weren’t quite able to reach this same degree of success, they have nonetheless proven capable of showing off their exceptional talents. 1984’s “Top Secret!” took aim at the spy genre the same way “Airplane!” took aim at the disaster genre, and 1988’s “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (a film adaptation of a short-lived television series Abrahams and the Zucker brothers developed for ABC) did just the same for the police procedural. The latter film may not have had Abrahams directly behind the camera during its production, but the screenplay he contributed to for it still includes a variety of humorous lines and gags that only someone like Abrahams could conceive.",[25,585,586],{},"Even after he and the Zuckers chose to go separate ways, Abrahams continued to put his skills as a comedic filmmaker to good use wherever he could, including 1988’s “Big Business” and 1990’s “Welcome Home, Roxy Charmichael”. The year 1991, meanwhile, saw the release of “Hot Shots!”, which he directed and co-wrote alongside Pat Proft, and two years later, its sequel “Hot Shots Part Deux!” made its way to the big screen. With the former being mostly a parody of “Top Gun” and the latter mostly parodying the Rambo franchise (although countless other films are also parodied to a certain extent), Abrahams proved he was more than capable of making quality comedy films without the assistance of the Zuckers. That capability, however, would not last for much longer though; his final directorial effort was the critically panned 1998 crime drama spoof “Mafia!”, and his final writing credit came in 2006 with the release of “Scary Movie 4”, also the recipient of less than stellar critical reviews.",[25,588,589],{},"His lowest points, however, are practically nothing compared to the finest feats of comedic cinema he contributed to, and with his passing on Tuesday, November 26th, many have expressed their sadness over the loss of such a beloved talent. While Abrahams is survived by his wife Nancy, their two sons, and three grandchildren, it was Journey Gunderson of the National Comedy Center that best summed up the impact Abrahams left on the medium of cinema. “Jim Abrahams redefined the boundaries of humor through groundbreaking works like ‘Airplane!’ and  ‘The Naked Gun’ series,” Gunderson remarks in a statement released shortly after news of Abrahams’ passing broke out. “Together with Jerry and David Zucker, he transformed satire into an art form, inspiring generations of comedians and filmmakers and leaving an indelible mark on the world of comedy.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":591},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjim-abrahams-one-of-the-comedic-legends-behind-airplane-passes-away-at-80",{"title":566,"description":557},"jim-abrahams-one-of-the-comedic-legends-behind-airplane-passes-away-at-80","blog\u002Fjim-abrahams-one-of-the-comedic-legends-behind-airplane-passes-away-at-80","kmWmxGnW0FAUX1u1GzIYFhWVdGps1JzvNQCj5XllJP8",{"id":599,"title":600,"body":601,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":556,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":629,"navigation":71,"path":630,"seo":631,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":632,"stem":633,"__hash__":634},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsuper-man-and-will-harper-share-top-prize-at-critics-choice-documentary-awards.md","“Super\u002FMan” and “Will & Harper” Share Top Prize at Critics Choice Documentary Awards",{"type":22,"value":602,"toc":627},[603,609,612,615,618,621,624],[25,604,236,605],{},[47,606,279],{"href":607,"rel":608},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fcritics-choice-documentary-awards-2024-winners-list-1236058141\u002F",[51],[25,610,611],{},"At most film awards ceremonies, the usual assumption is that there will only be a single film or individual to be given one of the numerous prizes handed out throughout the event. Because of this, when there is a tie - when two (if not more) winners are named at once - many may be caught slightly off guard, though rarely to a point where they become suspicious about what’s happened. While ties don’t occur on a regular basis, no awards ceremony is completely immune from possibly awarding multiple winners at once; even the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences, the organization that holds the yearly Academy Awards, has seen its fair share of ties over its extensive history (the most recent taking place in 2013 when both “Skyfall” and “Zero Dark Thirty” were both named recipients for the Best Sound Editing accolade). With that said, it’s even rarer for there to be a tie when it comes to the big prize, the Best Picture accolade (or whatever the equivalent is at a given ceremony); regardless of whether an organization has chosen to honor all of cinema or a small portion of it, there’s often a determined effort to decide upon one single winner above all others, which makes the reveal of a potential tie all the more surprising. Of course, ties are still bound to happen from time to time, something that became quite apparent at the most recent Critics Choice Documentary Awards when not one, but two features were named winners of the event’s highest honor, the Best Documentary Feature award.",[25,613,614],{},"On Sunday, November 10th, the 9th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, held this year at the Edison Ballroom in New York City and livestreamed on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, took place and, after handing out various prizes that honored the best of this year’s documentary film releases, came to a conclusion with the announcement of the winners of the Best Documentary Feature award, one that came as something of a minor shock to those who’d only anticipated hearing one film title being read out loud. As it turns out, there were two big winners for the evening, although if one were judging by the number of awards won overall throughout the evening, then there may in fact be a clearer answer as to which film has managed to triumph over all others over the course of the ceremony.",[25,616,617],{},"With a total of six wins (including the aforementioned Best Documentary Feature), Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s “Super\u002FMan”, which focuses on the life of “Superman” actor Chistopher Reeve following a horse-riding accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, proved to be the big favorite among Critics Choice voters. In addition to the organization’s highest honor, the film also received prizes for Best Archival Documentary and Best Biographical Documentary, while Bonhôte and Ettedgui were named Best Director, Otto Burnham was awarded with Best Editing, and Ilan Eshkeri won the prize for Best Score. While “Super\u002FMan” wasn’t the most nominated film going into the ceremony, it nonetheless managed to sweep in every category it’d been featured in, a strong indication of not only the documentary’s warm reception, but also of a possible chance that it may be able to triumph at upcoming awards ceremonies that aren’t entirely focused on documentaries.",[25,619,620],{},"Conversely, the other Best Documentary Feature award winner was nominated in three other categories but was unable to win in any of them, making its tie with “Super\u002FMan” all the more unexpected (but by no means underserved). That film is Josh Greenbaum’s “Will & Harper”, a Netflix-produced documentary revolving around a cross-country road trip taken between popular actor Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, who had come out as a transgender woman to Ferrell just a few years prior. Besides the Best Documentary Feature prize, the film also earned Greenbaum a nomination for Best Director and Nathan Halpern a nod for Best Score (both of which, as discussed earlier, ultimately went to “Super\u002FMan”), in addition to Zoë White’s nomination for Best Cinematography (a prize that was given to Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, and Justin Turkowski for their work on the Apple TV+ documentary “The Last of the Sea Woman”). Even with this only win, the success of “Will & Harper” so far does also bode well for its future prospects in the coming award season.",[25,622,623],{},"Going into the ceremony, the film that had more nominations that any other was not any of the previously mentioned features, but rather Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s political documentary “Sugarcane”, which investigates the Canadian Indian residential school system and the alarmingly devastating impact it’s had on Indigenous Canadian cultures. Prior to the event, “Sugarcane” looked forward to potential wins in the categories of Best Documentary Feature, Best True Crime Documentary, Best Political Documentary, Best Historical Documentary, Best Director, Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s) (both for NoiseCat and Kassie), Best Editing (for Nathan Punwar and Maya Daisy Hawke), and Best Cinematography (for Kassie and Christopher LaMarca). By the time the event ended, “Sugarcane” was fortunately able to avoid going home completely empty-handed, securing wins for both Best True Crime Documentary and Best Political Documentary.",[25,625,626],{},"There were, of course, plenty of other documentaries awarded throughout the evening, even if each of them was only able to pick up one award. Among the other multiple-prize winners were “The Last of the Sea Women”, which (as mentioned earlier) won Best Cinematography and Best Science\u002FNature Documentary, and “Simone Biles Rising”, which was given accolades for Best Sports Documentary and Best Limited Docuseries. Among the single-prize winners were Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, who won Best New Documentary Filmmakers for their work on “Daughters”; Steve Martin, who won Best Narration for “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces”; “The Greatest Night in Pop”, which was named Best Historical Documentary; “Music by John Williams”, the recipient of the Best Music Documentary award; and “30 for 30”, which won Best Ongoing Series. Many would agree that these are all fine documentaries, and one hopes to see at least a few of them go on to receive even greater recognition in the near future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":628},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsuper-man-and-will-harper-share-top-prize-at-critics-choice-documentary-awards",{"title":600,"description":298},"super-man-and-will-harper-share-top-prize-at-critics-choice-documentary-awards","blog\u002Fsuper-man-and-will-harper-share-top-prize-at-critics-choice-documentary-awards","oUJ5h7fQKJsqkoiteycf1zTcSKuNjoz6uHUz_Ulqghc",{"id":636,"title":637,"body":638,"category":103,"coverImage":12,"date":556,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":663,"navigation":71,"path":664,"seo":665,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":666,"stem":667,"__hash__":668},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-bros-and-cj-enm-enter-unprecedented-agreement-to-remake-each-others-films.md","Warner Bros and CJ ENM Enter Unprecedented Agreement to Remake Each Other’s Films",{"type":22,"value":639,"toc":661},[640,646,649,652,655,658],[25,641,236,642],{},[47,643,538],{"href":644,"rel":645},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F11\u002Fwarner-bros-cj-enm-1236181340\u002F",[51],[25,647,648],{},"How does a cinematic remake - especially one of a film that’s generally well-liked, if not an all-time classic - justify its existence? What needs to be done in order for people to look at it as more than just a safe, but creatively lacking means of capitalizing on an already popular concept? This is a question that many remakes have tried to answer over the years, and while there are quite a few remakes (from 1983’s “Scarface” to 2005’s “King Kong”) that have been relatively able to win over audiences, the majority of them tend to be dismissed and deemed inferior to films that were already just fine the way they were. This, however, applies to films remade within the country in which they were originally conceived; when discussing remakes made in one country of films made in an entirely different nation, it would seem that a greater number of possibilities is opened up. After all, because no two countries share the exact same social and\u002For political values, a film written and shot in one country will likely differ from how the exact same film is written and shot in another. Because of this, foreign remakes are often a rather fascinating subject to discuss, even if they too run into many of the same issues that plague the average remake. For every “The Departed”, Martin Scorsese’s 2006 remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs”, there is an “Oldboy” (which, in this case, is Spike Lee’s 2013 remake of the 2003 South Korean film of the same name). There’s also the matter of obtaining the rights to remake a given film, which can be a trickier hurdle to overcome when dealing with international interactions. Oftentimes, it can simply be dealt with by offering up a large enough sum of money, but in some rare cases, a more unorthodox agreement can be arranged. One such agreement took place quite recently actually, with one of the United States’ most famed film distributors entering a pact with one of South Korea’s most famed film distributors, with both giving each other the right to remake the other distributor’s features.",[25,650,651],{},"On Tuesday, November 19th, it was announced that Warner Bros, the United States-based studio behind such recent hits as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and the “Dune” series (among countless other iconic films and franchises) had made a deal with CJ ENM, the South Korea-based studio behind films like “Parasite” and “The Handmaiden”, that will enable both studios to produce and distribute films together, each of which will be a remake of something that had already been made by one of these two studios. Warner Bros will use this opportunity to make English-spoken remakes of films originally shot in Korean, while CJ ENM will do the opposite and turn what were previously English-language films into those now spoken predominantly in Korean. Although each studio will be mostly personally responsible for the creation and financing of each of these remakes, they will nonetheless provide to each other from time to time in order to ensure that each film is given the most suitable cast and crew, as well as a feasibly manageable budget.",[25,653,654],{},"In the majority of international territories, Warner Bros will serve as the primary distributor for these new remakes and oversee their release in several regions throughout Europe, the Americas, and even Asia to a certain degree. There are a few exceptions, however: in addition to its native South Korea, CJ ENM will also distribute these films in such nations as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Turkey, those where it’s a much more familiar name to those living within these countries. No matter which of these companies acts as chief distributor though, both appear to be enthusiastic about this new business deal. In a statement released by Warner Bros Motion Picture Group co-chairs\u002FCEOs Micahel De Luca and Pam Abdy, both expressed a great deal of eagerness to work alongside their equivalents at CJ ENM as they begin work on all these remakes. “Miky Lee, CJ Vice Chairwoman, and the team at CJ ENM have built an enviable slate of films over its history to become a powerhouse producer of Korean cinema, with films that resonate with audiences across the globe,” the statement reads. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with CJ ENM as we look to expand Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s movies offerings around the world.”",[25,656,657],{},"Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, the head of CJ ENM’s Film Business division, released a similar statement not too long afterwards, echoing many of the same sentiments and conveying a sense of excitement for what’s to come from this collaboration. “Warner Bros. is home to a legendary library that bridges Hollywood of past and present and is steeped in excellence,” Ko’s statement reads. “Warner Bros. and CJ have built extensive libraries across North America and Asia, each in their unique way. This collaboration allows us to uncover and revitalize hidden gems, bringing inspiring stories to today’s audiences. It’s a wonderful privilege to be partnered with an iconic brand that boldly continues to evolve, create and champion storytelling at the highest level.”",[25,659,660],{},"So which films that have been made by CJ ENM will Warner Bros choose to remake? Conversely, which films that have been made by Warner Bros will CJ ENM choose to remake? There’s currently no explicit answer to either of these questions, perhaps in part due to the wide variety of titles to choose from. The Warner Bros film library, for example, has over 12,000 titles in its collection, some of which are of films made by Warner Bros itself, while others are of films that had been purchased by the company several years prior (e.g. the pre-1986 MGM film catalog). This means that films as old as “The Jazz Singer” or “The Wizard of Oz” and films as recent as “Joker” or “The Matrix” could, in theory, receive the Korean-language remake treatment (although budgetary restrictions will almost certainly be a challenge for CJ ENM, one that could very easily dissuade them from producing anything that might be extremely costly). CJ ENM’s film library, meanwhile, isn’t nearly as big, so Warner Bros will likely be inclined to turn their attention to some of the studio’s more well known works (among them the Best Picture nominated “Past Lives”, which only came to theaters just over a year ago). No matter what films Warner Bros and CJ ENM choose to remake though, an arrangement such as this has never taken place (at least on this big of a scale) before, and one can only wonder what will come of this new and intriguing partnership.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":662},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-bros-and-cj-enm-enter-unprecedented-agreement-to-remake-each-others-films",{"title":637,"description":557},"warner-bros-and-cj-enm-enter-unprecedented-agreement-to-remake-each-others-films","blog\u002Fwarner-bros-and-cj-enm-enter-unprecedented-agreement-to-remake-each-others-films","5UxzS0WdZEVxc6ZLYOf6qvPfOzvOffXF7yln9apF1Fc",{"id":670,"title":671,"body":672,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":702,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":703,"navigation":71,"path":704,"seo":705,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":706,"stem":707,"__hash__":708},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Femilia-perez-leads-with-four-nominations-for-37th-european-film-awards.md","“Emilia Pérez” Leads with Four Nominations for 37th European Film Awards",{"type":22,"value":673,"toc":700},[674,679,682,685,688,691,697],[25,675,194,676],{},[47,677],{"href":197,"rel":678},[51],[25,680,681],{},"For most film awards ceremonies, the focus is primarily kept to the nation in which the hosting organization is present. Films made outside that country in are of course acknowledged and nominated from time to time (even winning in several of the biggest prizes in many cases), but never do they take up the majority of the nominees, as voters will often show a strong preference for whatever has been produced within the borders of where they call home. That’s not nearly as much of an issue for the European Film Awards though, mostly because of the fact that its scope spreads throughout the entirety of its titular continent rather than a single nation. Since its origins in 1987, the European Film Awards, held by the European Film Academy, has sought to pay tribute to the best cinematic works made by European filmmakers within the span of a given calendar year, of which there are often plenty to choose from. Whether a film is made as far west as Portugal, as far east as Romania, as far south as Italy, or as far north as Ireland (if not even further in any direction), any film produced mostly within at least one nation in Europe can qualify for the European Film Awards. Such flexibility has enabled a wide variety of highly acclaimed feature-length films (as well as some shorts here and there) to receive at least some recognition from an organization dedicated to showcasing the best of European cinema, and if the most recent announcements are any indication, this dedication has not waned in the slightest. The morning of Tuesday, November 5th saw the nominations for the 37th European Film Awards, which are expected to take place on December 7th (just over a month after this announcement) in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland, be revealed to the general public, and while there are quite a few titles that those who have kept up with the film festival circuit are fairly familiar with, there are just as many that perhaps haven’t gotten the same amount of attention, something that may hopefully change with these recent nominations.",[25,683,684],{},"Leading the pack in terms of total nominations is “Emilia Pérez”, a Spanish-language production from French filmmaker Jacques Audiard. In addition to the highly coveted Best European Film Award (which would go to Audiard and fellow producers Pascal Caucheteux, Valérie Schermann, and Anthony Vaccarello should the film be named the winner), this musical crime comedy has also received nods for Best European Director, Best European Screenwriter (both for Audiard), and Best European Actress (Karla Sofia Gascón). While few are surprised that Audiard’s film, one that has so far taken several film festivals by storm, has made it into the European Film Awards nominations, they are perhaps a little shocked to find that Audiard, despite previously being nominated by the European Film Academy five times in the past, has yet to actually win a single prize for them. Then again, if the over 5,000 members of the Academy are willing to give this most recent film of Audiard’s as many nominations as it has, then maybe they’ll be willing to go even further and finally give the filmmaker the accolade he’s sought for so long.",[25,686,687],{},"Someone who has been awarded in the past by the European Film Academy is Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, whose most recent film happens to be tied with Audiard’s in terms of the number of nominations. That film, “The Room Next Door”, serves as Almodóvar’s first foray into English-language filmmaking, a situation that, if it has not improved Almodóvar’s chances of winning, has at least done little to worsen them. This drama film, which previously earned the Golden Lion at the most recent Venice Film Festival, will also vie for the Best European Film award (which, should it win, Almodóvar will accept alongside producers Agustin Almodóvar and Esther García), as well as the awards for Best European Director, Best European Screenwriter (both Almodóvar), and Best European Actress (Tilda Swinton).",[25,689,690],{},"In second place, one will find “The Seed of a Sacred Fig”, which has a rather fascinating history that connects to its creator, filmmaker Mohammad Rasalouf, being a native of the Iranian nation. In fact, while Rasalouf secretly filmed a majority of this film in his home country, Iran’s extreme censorship laws forced him to smuggle his work out of the nation and receive the support of an outside distributor. This is why, despite technically being an Iranian film, “The Seed of a Sacred Fig” has been submitted by Germany as its pick for a potential Best International Film award at the upcoming Academy Awards (that held by the United States’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), and it’s also how the film was able to secure three nominations for the upcoming European Film Awards. Like “Emilia Pérez” and “The Room Next Door”, Rasalouf’s film will compete for the Best European Film Award (which he would share with producers Amin Sadrei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner, and Rozita Hendijanian), and Rasalouf will personally compete for Best European Director and Best European Screenwriter.",[25,692,693,694,696],{},"While its total number of nominations is only limited to two, the French satirical body horror ",[366,695],{}," Substance” also stands a chance of taking home the Best European Film Award, having already been a contender for the Palme d’Or at the latest Cannes Film Festival and even won the prize for Best Screenplay. Director\u002Fwriter Coralie Fargeat, who accepted the aforementioned award at Cannes, seeks to repeat this success in the Best European Screenwriter category, and should her film be named Best European Film, she will accept this too with fellow producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.",[25,698,699],{},"These four films are perhaps the most noteworthy contenders for the Best European Film Award, but they aren’t the only ones. Also competing are Lina Soulem’s “Bye Bye Tiberias”, a co-production between France, Belgium, Palestine, and Qatar; Mati Diop’s French\u002FSenegalese documentary “Dahomey”; Gints Zilbalodis’ Latvian\u002FFrench\u002FBelgian animated fantasy adventure “Flow”; Alina Maksimenko’s Polish documentary “In Limbo”; Kristina Dufková’s Czech\u002FFrench\u002FSlovakian animated feature “Living Large”; Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Basel Adra, and Hamdan Ballal’s Palestinian\u002FNorwegian documentary “No Other Land”; Claude Barras’ Swiss\u002FBelgian\u002FFrench animated film “Savages”; Johan Grimonprez’s French\u002FBelgian\u002FDutch documentary “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”; Isabel Herguera’s Spanish\u002FGerman\u002FIndian animated film “Sultana’s Dream”; Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s animated docudrama “They Shot the Piano Player”, a co-production between Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Peru; and finally, Maura Delpero’s Italian\u002FFrench\u002FBelgian drama “Vermiglio”. All of these make for rather interesting and commendable choices (with the unusually high number of animated and documentary films nominated being especially notable), and no matter which one of these films ends up being most in the European Film Academy’s favor, it should go without saying that these films are indeed some of the best that European cinema has to offer.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":701},[],"2024-11-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Femilia-perez-leads-with-four-nominations-for-37th-european-film-awards",{"title":671,"description":194},"emilia-perez-leads-with-four-nominations-for-37th-european-film-awards","blog\u002Femilia-perez-leads-with-four-nominations-for-37th-european-film-awards","mX7hjWLmMSnVeDZdcvaicGuM5usz9Yc054Gn6Owu7nQ",{"id":710,"title":711,"body":712,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":702,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":740,"navigation":71,"path":741,"seo":742,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":743,"stem":744,"__hash__":745},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpaul-morrissey-one-of-avant-garde-cinemas-most-influential-figures-passes-away-at-86.md","Paul Morrissey, One of Avant-Garde Cinema’s Most Influential Figures, Passes Away at 86",{"type":22,"value":713,"toc":737},[714,719,722,725,728,731,734],[25,715,194,716],{},[47,717],{"href":197,"rel":718},[51],[25,720,721],{},"In filmmaking, there are often very specific rules that one follows as they work to create a given work of cinema, those that relate to how a narrative or certain technical aspects are handled. When followed carefully, as the majority of mainstream releases tend to do, the resulting film can be something that just about anybody could theoretically appreciate, with both the story it tells and the visuals used to tell it proving strong enough to hold one’s interest throughout the entirety of its running time. These rules, however, are not always mandatory, and there are in fact many films that deliberately break them in order to create something far more unique, if not instantly comprehensible. This is what is known as avant-garde, or experimental cinema: a form of filmmaking that receives its appeal from how those who create it go against the grain and craft their works in unorthodox manners. Avant-garde cinema is hardly anything new; it dates all the way back to the Silent Era (with 1929’s “Un Chien Andalou” perhaps being one of the more famous films made in this particular fashion) and gained a great deal of momentum in later decades. There are several acclaimed filmmakers who built their careers in the avant-garde, one of whom has sadly passed away quite recently at the age of 86; his name is Paul Morrissey, and when looking back on the legacy he left behind, one will find that he left a significant impression of the world of avant-garde cinema.",[25,723,724],{},"Morrissey’s life first began on February 23rd, 1938, with his birth taking place in New York City and a good bulk of the life that followed likewise choosing to call the nation’s most populous city home. During his adolescence in the 1950s, Morrissey acquired a 16mm camera and used it to produce his very first batch of short films, and after spending a brief amount of time engaging in service for the United States Army, Morrissey returned to his passion for cinema and operated his own personal film exhibition venue where he would showcase both his films and those made by his closest friends and associates. This was mostly an underground venture however, not the kind that would immediately catapult him to any major success, but luckily for Morrissey, things would begin to turn around for him upon first meeting Andy Warhol, an artist who spread his reach into a wide variety of mediums. Although many perhaps best know him for pop art works like the iconic Campbell’s Soup can painting, Warhol is arguably one of the most important figures in all of avant-garde cinema’s history, so it should come as no surprise that Morrissey meeting him would lead to bigger and better things for the up-and-coming filmmaker. By keeping budgets extremely low and focusing primarily on the multiple distinct subcultures of New York City, Morrissey and Warhol quickly made for a solid partnership, with 1965’s “My Hustler” being the first of their many noteworthy film collaborations.",[25,726,727],{},"For these films, Morrissey would often serve as both cinematographer and editor, making him most responsible for both how each shot in the films he and Warhol made looked and how every one of them would be arranged alongside one another. With the actors hired to appear in these films being non-professionals, and the material being mostly improvised rather than scripted, it was usually up to Morrissey to determine what these films would be about through his ambitious approach to both cinematography and editing. This approach would pay off tremendously during the earliest stages of Morrissey’s avant-garde career; his and Warhol’s 1970 film “Trash” quickly became their biggest commercial success to date (relatively speaking, as experimental films are not the kind that typically earn blockbuster-size grosses), and films like 1968’s “Lonesome Cowboys” and 1972’s “Women in Revolt” likewise found dedicated audiences who appreciated what Morrissey and Warhol had concocted together. Sadly, this partnership between them would not last; following 1974’s “Blood for Dracula (aka Andy Warhol’s Dracula), Morrissey and Warhol ended up going their separate ways, with the former, during the later years of his life, downplaying the creative contributions made by the latter (who himself passed away in 1987).",[25,729,730],{},"Despite his collaboration with Warhol coming to an end, Morrissey’s career was far from over, as he would continue to make films (some less experimental in nature than others) throughout many of the following decades. These include a 1978 adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes story “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, which starred actors Peter Cook and Dudley Moore as Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson respectively, and the 1982 film “Forty-Deuce”, which is perhaps best known nowadays as the feature that gave famed actor Kevin Bacon his first major appearance in cinema. His final film was released in 2010 under the title “News from Nowhere”, capping off a cinematic legacy that continues to be cherished by those who consider themselves admirers of avant-garde art.",[25,732,733],{},"In addition to filmmaking, Morrissey also proved pivotal to the formation of the avant-rock musical group Velvet Underground, for which he served as a manager for and helped get the careers of nowadays-famed musicians like John Cale and Lou Reed off the ground. The band’s album of the same name, their first ever, famously featured a Warhol painting of a banana on its cover, and despite its initial underperformance (barely making its way into the Billboard 200 in 1967), time has mostly been kind to the band’s debut album, with many in today’s day and age praising it as one of the best of its kind.",[25,735,736],{},"Despite choosing to end his work in the early 2010s, Morrissey continued to live a relatively satisfactory life until contracting pneumonia in the later days of October, ultimately passing away in a New York City hospital on Monday the 28th. He is survived by Kenneth Morrissey, his brother, and several other still-living relatives in addition to all those who have discovered and found much to admire in each and every film he’s made. Given all that he’s contributed to the world of avant-garde cinema, it’s safe to say that Morrissey will not be forgotten any time soon.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":738},[],"Blog",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpaul-morrissey-one-of-avant-garde-cinemas-most-influential-figures-passes-away-at-86",{"title":711,"description":194},"paul-morrissey-one-of-avant-garde-cinemas-most-influential-figures-passes-away-at-86","blog\u002Fpaul-morrissey-one-of-avant-garde-cinemas-most-influential-figures-passes-away-at-86","w-KP8HmH1iJzTsbtLgMsjWUFb-PI5dCaBgNQs8gkfgk",{"id":747,"title":748,"body":749,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":774,"description":753,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":775,"navigation":71,"path":776,"seo":777,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":778,"stem":779,"__hash__":780},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fanimation-domination-five-animated-films-crack-box-offices-top-10-a-rare-occurrence.md","Animation Domination: Five Animated Films Crack Box Office’s Top 10, A Rare Occurrence",{"type":22,"value":750,"toc":772},[751,754,757,760,763,766,769],[25,752,753],{},"Animation is frequently an expensive medium to create with; granted, film in general is typically quite costly, but to make an animated film, one where nearly everything has to be constructed from scratch, it’s far from uncommon for a filmmaker to spend the same amount of money that will often go into the average major blockbuster. This is perhaps one reason why, at least in North America, there aren’t too many animated features being made on a yearly basis; a studio can usually only afford to put out one or two animated films at a time, and there are only a small handful of animation studios currently operating (or at least there are only a few that stand a chance of making a respectable amount of money at the box office). Because of all this, most studios tend to spread out the releases of their animated offerings, with one not coming out until at least a few weeks after the previous, and when looking at the box office charts, there probably won’t be any more than two or three animated features sitting in the top 10. With that said, there are certainly exceptions to this rule, especially when independently made animated films, or even those made outside the United States, enter the scene and perform better than what is normally expected  from them; such films have in fact become more common and popular over the past few years, and while they rarely rank especially high on the box office charts, their presence does nonetheless a noticeable rise in popularity that may be expanding past their niche demographics. Evidence of this trend can perhaps be easily found when looking at the results of the most recent weekend box office, specifically the period between Friday, October 11th, and Sunday, October 13th; for the first time in quite a while (if ever), there are currently five animated films to be found in the box office’s top 10, each of them coming across as fairly distinct from one another and showing that, as competitive as they may be, they’re still able to thrive in a market that isn’t always the easiest to contend with.",[25,755,756],{},"Granted, none of these films were able to make it to the top of the box office - that honor would ultimately go to the independent slasher film “Terrifier 3” (a remarkable achievement in its own right) - but that does little to diminish the impressiveness of these animated films and their ability to take up half of the Top 10. Even more impressive is how few of these features feel as if they’re targeted towards the exact same demographic; there may be some overlap, but they’re otherwise unique enough to appeal to different groups and thus benefit from catering more specifically to those groups. When looking at these five films, one will find that the collection is indeed rather diverse; some of them are new releases, while others are holdovers from the previous weeks (one is in fact a re-release of a film that’s over three decades old). Some are family-oriented, while others are aimed mostly at older audiences; some are made using computer animation, while others are hand-drawn or stop-motion. In short, there’s no one type of animated film that most audiences have been eager to direct their attention to, and all of them are better off because of it.",[25,758,759],{},"In terms of new releases, the Morgan Neville-directed LEGO-style documentary “Piece by Piece”, which tells the life story of popular musician Pharrell Williams, was easily the most successful of the bunch, just barely cracking the top 5 and earning a total of roughly $3.8 million over the three-day period. This amount may be lower than what distributor Focus Features was hoping for - early estimates suggested the film would earn somewhere between $5-7 million - but it nevertheless serves as the highest opening weekend for an animated documentary, and the film will easily be the most finanically successful of such films (which may explain why there are so few in existence) by the end of its run. Even if the film does ultimately fail to make back the costs put into it, “Piece by Piece” only had a budget of around $16 million, so it won’t be a huge loss to Focus Features, and if nothing else, the film should be able to get by off its generally positive reception from critics (with Rotten Tomatoes currently listing an 81% approval rating).",[25,761,762],{},"Just a few spots below at the #8 spot is Tensai Okamura’s anime feature “My Hero Academia: You’re Next”, the latest cinematic installment of the widely beloved “My Hero Academia” anime series. With a weekend total of around $3 million, this film’s grosses so far aren’t quite as high as some of its predecessors - 2020’s “My Hero Academia: Hero Rising” and 2021’s “My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission” each made $5.8 million and $6.2 million respectively during their opening weekends, but this might be partially due to some behind-the-scenes shake-ups, as distribution rights for this series has transitioned from anime distributor Funimation to Toho, one of Japan’s most prominent film distributors. Their acquisition of the North American distribution rights to “My Hero Academia” comes as part of a new plan to expand its reach overseas, and if the results so far aren’t quite on part with prior achievements, Toho will likely do all that it can to ensure that success is accomplished in the long run.",[25,764,765],{},"Finally, the last “new” animated release of the weekend, Disney’s stop-motion classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, made it all the way to the #9 spot and earned a total of around $2.3 million. Re-releasing this Henry Sellick-directed feature has become something of a holiday tradition for Disney; the film was even brought back to theaters last year in celebration of its 30th anniversary, an event that ultimately added $9.8 million to its total gross. With this most recent re-release, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has so far earned a lifetime total of $90 million, a good percentage of that coming from yearly re-releases. The film’s ability to keep audiences coming back to see it on the big screen, enough for Disney to keep putting it back into theaters on a regular basis, is perhaps a testament to the film’s long-term appeal.",[25,767,768],{},"All that remains of this weekend’s animated offerings are two holdovers from the weeks prior, with DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” performing the best out of all these films with a weekend total of $13.4 million and making it all the way to the #2 spot. Having only dropped 27% from the previous weekend (allowing it to outrank the previous #1 film, Warner Bros’ “Joker: Folie a Deux”), the universally acclaimed film has performed rather remarkably since its release at the end of September, and the company’s recent decision to announce a sequel proves that it’s quite confident that the film will become a highly beloved franchise not too dissimilar from the likes of “Shrek” or “How to Train Your Dragon”. The other holdover, Paramount’s “Transformers One”, can meanwhile be found at #6 on the box office, having come out a week before “The Wild Robot” and adding $3.6 million in weekend grosses to a total that now sits at roughly $53 million. It’s a somewhat disappointing gross given the film’s $75 million budget, but reception from critics and audiences has also been immensely positive, so there’s hope that the film will still be able to form a dedicated following in the long run.",[25,770,771],{},"In fact, that seems to be the recurring theme among these animated films: few of them are doing as well at the box office as some might’ve desired, yet their artistic quality is high enough so that at least a small but devoted audience is willing to speak their praises. This should allow most of these animated features to maintain significant long-term value, but for the time being, the fact that they’re all able to sit alongside each other at the box office and take up half of its Top 10 should be enough cause for celebration. Animation has historically been dismissed as a kids-only medium that most adults aren’t willing to direct their attention towards, but that doesn’t entirely appear to be the case if this recent box office weekend is any proof. If animation can be just as abundant and prosperous at multiple points in the near future - in other words, if there can be this many animated films, each with its own distinct identity and target demographic, playing at once and not cannibalizing one another - then there may come a point where animation is just as admired and respected as its live-action counterpart.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":773},[],"2024-10-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fanimation-domination-five-animated-films-crack-box-offices-top-10-a-rare-occurrence",{"title":748,"description":753},"animation-domination-five-animated-films-crack-box-offices-top-10-a-rare-occurrence","blog\u002Fanimation-domination-five-animated-films-crack-box-offices-top-10-a-rare-occurrence","nw6pVo3LyHTHp7CE6YgGNncuD6ulpDQa7h7OgmDnbwE",{"id":782,"title":783,"body":784,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":774,"description":788,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":808,"navigation":71,"path":809,"seo":810,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":811,"stem":812,"__hash__":813},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmemoir-of-a-snail-named-best-film-at-london-bfi-film-festival.md","“Memoir of a Snail” Named Best Film at London BFI Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":785,"toc":806},[786,789,792,799],[25,787,788],{},"Animation is sadly dismissed rather frequently by those who see themselves as the highest authorities of the film industry, often (and unfairly) looked down upon as a kids-only form of entertainment and constantly mislabeled as a genre. Despite the immense amount of time and effort that usually goes into the making of animated shorts and features (in many cases, far more than the typical live-action production), rarely does any of that effort receive the appreciation it deserves; while animated films are certainly some of the most financially successful releases of a given year, and there are more than a few that are subjected to overwhelming critical praise, none of it ever amounts to anything substantial where it arguably matters most: during awards season. With the exception of the token Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short categories (and, on occasion, one of the music-oriented categories), animated films have hardly any chance of being named the winner of a festival or awards ceremony’s highest honor, typically a Best Picture prize of some variant with equal merit. Even at the Academy Awards, possibly the most revered annual film awards show, only three animated films - 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast”, 2009’s “Up”, and 2010’s “Toy Story 3” - have been nominated for Best Picture, and none of them have been fortunate enough to win the prize. All of this proves how little respect the art of animation generally receives from the greater cinema intelligentsia, but it also makes the few instances where animation has been able to triumph all the more noteworthy. One such instance actually just occurred at the London BFI Film Festival, with its most sought-after prize going to a rather unexpected contender, that being an independent stop-motion animated feature by the name of “Memoir of a Snail”.",[25,790,791],{},"From the title alone, the premise of “Memoir of a Snail” may seem quite mundane, suggesting a focus on the life of a creature that most run into on a regular basis and probably doesn’t have that much going on that one might consider exciting. However, this tragicomedy is actually anything but mundane; with its narrative directing the majority of its attention toward Grace, a young girl living in 1970s Australia viewed as something of a misfit by those around her, the film (its title a reference to the character’s fondness for collecting snails) follows Grace’s transition from childhood to adulthood and the various challenges that she contends with throughout. While this may all seem like the standard coming-of-age fare, how the film executes such a premise, at least according to those who’ve been fortunate enough to see the film, is quite exceptional, with the story exploring a variety of subject matters far more mature than one might expect from a film that looks the way it does. Despite a cast that features notable names like Eric Bana, Jackie Weaver, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, the true MVP of this picture is director Adam Elliot, a creator of stop-motion animation based in Melbourne who’d previously made such films as “Harvie Krumpet” and “Mary and Max” (the former of which earned Elliot an Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2004). It would appear that Elliot, if not the most famous of stop-motion filmmakers, has nonetheless garnered a highly respectable reputation throughout a career that has spanned several decades, and it would appear that the overwhelmingly positive reception that “Memoir of a Snail” has so far received is doing very little to change that.",[25,793,794,795,798],{},"Earlier this year, “Memoir of a Snail” already proved its worth as a feature worthy of major recognition with its winning of the Cristal Award for Animated Feature, the highest honor that can be bestowed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, but its surprise win at the BFI London Film Festival proves that it’s more than capable of standing out among those that aren’t also made within the animated medium. Upon naming the film as the winner of the Best Film award of the festival’s Official Competition, jury leader Alexandra Phillipe expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for “Memoir of a Snail” and how much it had moved her and several of her fellow jurors. Describing the film as a “singular achievement in filmmaking” as well as “emotionally resonant and constantly surprising , Phillipe and the jury further praised Elliot’s animated creation for “",[364,796,797],{},"tacking"," pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognise an animated film alongside its live-action peers”.",[25,800,801,802,805],{},"Although “Memoir of a Snail” was without question the biggest winner of the BFI London Film Festival, which began on Wednesday, October 9th and concluded on Sunday, October 20th (interestingly, with another animated feature designed in a stop-motion style, Morgan Neville’s Pharrell Williams LEGO biography “Piece by Piece”), there were nonetheless quite a few other films that were fortunate enough to receive some acknowledgement from festival jurors. One film that was given a Special Mention, for example, was Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”, which already garnered a good amount of attention at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and continued to attract interest as it arrived in London, largely through its “intricately crafted story brimming with imagination that dares to say the unsayable about a sexual predator in a close-knit Zambian community”. Then there’s Laura Carreira’s “On Falling”, which was given the Sutherland Award (an accolade designated for first-time feature filmmakers) and allowed Carreira to become the first British filmmaker to earn the prize since 2010. The jury that gave out this specific award, one led by Dionne Edwards, praised “On Falling” as a “richly-layered portrait of a world governed by corporate profit motive, as seen through the story of an immigrant woman whose alienation ",[364,803,804],{},"they"," feel deeply, told with masterful cinematic precision and understated, lived in performances” before then calling the film “a powerful, mesmerising and bold first feature”. In this category, another animated film was fortunate enough to be named as a special mention: Pchardo Espaillat’s “Olivia and the Clouds”. Between it and “Memoir of a Snail” being named Best Film, the medium of animation may still have a long way to go before it can be given the same amount of respect and admiration as its live-action counterpart, but there are still those who are willing to reject the preconceptions surrounding this particular art form and speak out in order to acknowledge its value.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":807},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmemoir-of-a-snail-named-best-film-at-london-bfi-film-festival",{"title":783,"description":788},"memoir-of-a-snail-named-best-film-at-london-bfi-film-festival","blog\u002Fmemoir-of-a-snail-named-best-film-at-london-bfi-film-festival","5J9Rgi7Q-Bca5bZ8z30ezQv1XI6-eKql42g0lNpTIgo",{"id":815,"title":816,"body":817,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":836,"description":821,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":837,"navigation":71,"path":838,"seo":839,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":840,"stem":841,"__hash__":842},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-york-film-festival-makes-room-for-documentary-features-of-incredible-length.md","New York Film Festival Makes Room for Documentary Features of Incredible Length",{"type":22,"value":818,"toc":834},[819,822,825,828,831],[25,820,821],{},"To most filmgoers, anything that they choose to see at their local cineplex will likely run somewhere between one-and-a-half and two hours (give or take), just long enough for them to feel as if they’ve earned their money’s worth of entertainment but not so long that they start to lose interest. From a financial standpoint, such lengths are preferable to studios that seek to offer as many screenings of a given film at a given point in time (in addition to the aforementioned reason), but it’s not unheard of for a studio to make a feature that can run for around three hours. In fact, many of Hollywood’s most historically prestigious pictures, from “Gone with the Wind” to “The Ten Commandments”, all have considerable running times that go well past the three hour mark, and even today, films like “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” and “Avengers: Endgame” prove that there is still an audience willing to watch a film for over three hours under the right circumstances. With that said, even Hollywood has its limits, as there has rarely been a film made by the American motion picture industry that has gone past the four hour mark. Independent cinema, on the other hand, has not had to subject itself to such limitations, and as those in attendance of the most recent New York Film Festival can confirm, a four-hour feature seems rather short compared to some of the films that have somehow been given room to play at a festival with only so much time to show so many films.",[25,823,824],{},"First beginning this year on September 27th and expected to end on October 14th (making it one of the longer events of the yearly film festival circuit), the 62nd New York Film Festival, hosted by the nonprofit organization Film at Lincoln Center, has gained a small but significant amount of attention as of lately for its decision to include a handful of features - many of which are of the documentary variety - that have running times that are far longer than what the typical filmgoer is normally used to. These include Julia Lotkev’s “My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow”, which plays for a total of just under five-and-a-half hours long; two related films from Wang Bing - “Youth (Homecoming)” and “Youth (Hard Times)” - that each go on for over six hours each; and the longest of them all, Dimitris Athyridis’ “Exergue”, which makes those other films look like short subjects compared to its over fourteen hours running time. An exploration of an event in Greece known as Documenta, which many consider to be one of the world’s most noteworthy exhibitions of contemporary art, “Exergue” in particular was spoken fondly of by New York Film Festival art director Dennis Lim, who praised the film as “a film that’s not just about contemporary art, but really about the intersection of art and money and politics” after noting that “there’s something about the way that film really digs into this extremely fascinating process of making an art exhibition”.",[25,826,827],{},"For the record, “Exergue” was not shown in its entirety during a single screening, as a film of such length, as it turns out, is even too lengthy for the New York Film Festival to showcase all at once. Instead, as Lim explained, the film was divided into three segments - each somewhere between four and five hours in length (still much longer than the average Hollywood release) - that were spread out over three different nights. That, however, was just for the initial screening of the film, as Lim then announced that over the festival’s final weekend - specifically on Saturday, October 12th and Sunday, October 13th, the film would be shown in two parts, each around seven hours in length and each screened throughout the entirety of a single evening. When asked about whether the film’s running time would dissuade audiences from giving it a watch, Lim confidently assured that the documentary is consistently interesting enough to hold the attention of even the most easily distracted of viewers. “I do think the film is very compulsive, very engrossing,” Lim claims, “so length really isn’t an issue”.",[25,829,830],{},"Still, such unusual lengths have proven to be a challenge when it comes to getting these films into theaters for people to see, with Lim later acknowledging the difficulty many have had in trying to see Bing’s films, the second and third part of his “Youth” trilogy that explores the lives of young textile workers living and working in the urban environments of China’s northwestern region. Despite such difficulty, Lim is certain that Bing’s documentaries will nonetheless receive the attention they deserve. “More and more they have shown in the U.S., especially in New York, and he’s cultivated a following,” Lim claims. “I think he’s a major filmmaker. I think very few filmmakers have done as much with the documentary form in the last two decades.”",[25,832,833],{},"For those interested in seeing a documentary at the New York Film Festival but maybe don’t have the time for anything greater than the usual film length, there are fortunately still plenty to choose from that can be seen throughout the remainder of the event, which won’t see its end until Monday, October 14th. Many of these documentaries are even making their world premiere at the festival, including “San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood”, Stanley Nelson’s look-back at the former working-class Manhattan neighborhood that once existed where Lincoln Center (and with it, the New York Film Festival) now stands, and “Suburban Fury”, Robinson Devor’s insight into the life of the woman who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in San Francisco one day in 1975. Also being shown at this year’s New York Film Festival are Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s “Union”, which revolves around the workers of an Amazon sorting facility in Long Island and their success in becoming the first unionized employees of such a location, and Yashaddai Owens’ “Jimmy”, which examines the life of legendary writer James Baldwin, who happened to be born a hundred years prior to the year in which this documentary is being released. These documentaries, and all other films being exhibited at this year’s New York Film Festival, are so far drawing in some satisfyingly-sized crowds, and Lim is hopeful that it will continue to stay this way for the rest of the festival and every other that follows. “If the metric is attendance, then I think we’re doing well and we’re really happy,” Lim states. “We’re excited about how engaged the audiences are with the work that we’re showing”.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":835},[],"2024-10-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-york-film-festival-makes-room-for-documentary-features-of-incredible-length",{"title":816,"description":821},"new-york-film-festival-makes-room-for-documentary-features-of-incredible-length","blog\u002Fnew-york-film-festival-makes-room-for-documentary-features-of-incredible-length","xXo7-s1vp726AjBpbMG769f5Cz9qreBY-ZncNyebxc0",{"id":844,"title":845,"body":846,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":836,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":871,"navigation":71,"path":872,"seo":873,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":874,"stem":875,"__hash__":876},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Frobert-watts-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-producer-passes-at-86.md","Robert Watts, “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” Producer, Passes at 86",{"type":22,"value":847,"toc":869},[848,854,857,860,863,866],[25,849,236,850],{},[47,851,279],{"href":852,"rel":853},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Ftiff-2024-awards-life-of-chuck-peoples-choice-1236001737\u002F",[51],[25,855,856],{},"The role of a producer for a given work of cinema may not have the exciting creativity of a director or a screenwriter, but such a person is nonetheless essential for the completion of just about every major cinematic production that comes into being. Producers come in many different forms - in addition to producers, there are executive producers, associate producers, and so on - and the roles they each play allow the creation of a film to go by as smoothly as intended (or at least they try to have it be that way). Producers are generally responsible for the supervision of nearly every aspect of a film’s making: selecting scripts, coordinating various creative tasks, acquiring financing, the list goes on; there indeed seems to be no limit as to what a producer may need to do in order to make sure that a film is finished in the most timely and effective manners one can imagine. Because of this, whenever a film (if not an entire series) is received positively by audiences, the producer is entitled to at least some credit for its success. A director or writer may have been responsible for the ideas at its center, but more often than not, it’s the producer who makes it possible for those ideas to amount to anything in the first place. As such, it can be rather disheartening to hear that a producer who contributed to some of the most popular film franchises in recent memory has passed away, and unfortunately, that has in fact happened with Robert Watts, whose production credits include the likes of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”. On Monday, September 30th, Watts passed in his sleep inside his West Sussex home, ultimately making it to the ripe age of 86 and leaving behind a rather respectable legacy.",[25,858,859],{},"A London native born on the 23rd of May in 1938, Watts began his career in the film industry as a second unit and assistant director for the 1965 James Bond picture “Thunderball”, a role that he would continue to fill for various other films made throughout the 1960s, including “Hysteria” and “The Yellow Rolls-Royce”. It wasn’t long until he moved into production, however, starting with the 1968 Stanley Kubrick classic “2001: A Space Odyssey” before then moving on to such films as 1973’s “Papillon” and 1976’s “Sky Riders”. Interestingly, it was another film set in outer space that would truly get the ball rolling on Watts’ career as a producer, that of course being the 1977 George Lucas-directed feature “Star Wars”, a film that, at the time, few could’ve predicted would become the monster-sized sensation it ended up being. Despite only serving as production manager for that film, Lucas seemed to be impressed enough with what Watts was capable of doing and gradually had him move up the ranks throughout the production of his next few films.",[25,861,862],{},"For the next “Star Wars” film, 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back”, Lucas (who would hand directing duties over to Irvin Kershner for this newer feature) assigned Watts to the position of associate producer, a role that he was given once more for another Lucas production, the Steven Spielberg-directed action-adventure blockbuster “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Released in the summer of 1981, the Indiana Jones-introducer also proved to be a sensational hit at the box office, and that could only mean good things for Watts, as he could continue to move up in the ranks as both of these series progressed. For 1983’s “Return of the Jedi”, the final installment of Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy”, Watts was promoted to an official co-producer title, then later became the primary producer for the next two “Indiana Jones” sequels: 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (the latter of which allowed for a reunion with James Bond actor Sean Connery). Each one of these films, as expected, became incredible box office successes, and as much as one may be inclined to credit Spielberg and Lucas for such achievements (which, in fairness, they do deserve for the most part), one shouldn’t overlook Watts’ contributions, as his skills as a producer made it possible for every one of these films to go through a relatively calm and chaos-free filmmaking process.",[25,864,865],{},"Outside “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”, Watts’ most famous work as a producer may be the 1988 animation\u002Flive-action hybrid “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, an innovative blend of two very different cinematic mediums that required the efforts of two different production units - one for shooting live-action film, and the other for hand-drawing every animated character seen in this feature - in order for such an ambitious feat to be pulled off as well as it did. As director Robert Zemeckis shot the feature’s live-action components and director Richard Williams stepped in to bring the titular cartoon rabbit and his animated companions to life, Watts was one of a handful of producers who worked as hard as they could to make sure that this elaborate and expensive production would be completed in the least stressful manner possible. Despite some minor issues here and there, Watts’ efforts, in addition to those of every other individual who helped make the film, paid off tremendously, with the film becoming one of 1988’s biggest financial hits and later earning multiple prizes at the following year’s Academy Awards. In fact, when combined with the grosses of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”, the total sum earned by the films Watts produced in this period is well over $3.34 billion in worldwide ticket sales.",[25,867,868],{},"Watts may not have done a whole lot of producing in the time since - his most recent credits as a producer include 1991’s “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” and 1993’s “Alive” (as well as its 2013 documentary follow-up “Alive: 20 Years Later”) - but his contributions to cinema are nonetheless commendable, and those who knew him best were quick to pay tribute to a man who had been so pivotal to their films’ success. While several of the cast and crew members who had collaborated with Watts throughout his career were quick to share their thoughts and expressions of love and appreciation for the newly deceased producer, it was Frank Marshall, who directed the aforementioned “Alive” who had some particularly noteworthy words of appraisal for Watts as he learned about the producer’s passing: “We have sadly lost another great one, Robert Watts,” Marshall states in a posting to various social media platforms, further adding that “he was loved by all who worked with him, and I learned a lot from his vast knowledge, wonderful spirit and sense of humor. Sail on, dear friend, sail on”.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":870},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Frobert-watts-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-producer-passes-at-86",{"title":845,"description":298},"robert-watts-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-producer-passes-at-86","blog\u002Frobert-watts-star-wars-and-indiana-jones-producer-passes-at-86","hvNHKQF-xQvJzrEWx7k1aDfKxBqf-NDKPYlK0KTD1mk",{"id":878,"title":879,"body":880,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":902,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":903,"navigation":71,"path":904,"seo":905,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":906,"stem":907,"__hash__":908},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmike-flanagans-the-life-of-chuck-the-tiff-peoples-choice-awards-latest-winner.md","Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck”: The TIFF People’s Choice Award’s Latest Winner",{"type":22,"value":881,"toc":899},[882,887,890,893,896],[25,883,236,884],{},[47,885,279],{"href":852,"rel":886},[51],[25,888,889],{},"“Chariots of Fire” in 1981; “The Big Chill” in 1983; “The Princess Bride” in 1987; “The Fisher King” in 1991; “Life is Beautiful” in 1998; “American Beauty” in 1999; “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000; “Amelie” in 2001; “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008; “12 Years a Slave” in 2013; “La La Land” in 2016; “Jojo Rabbit” in 2019; “Belfast” in 2021; “The Fabelmans” in 2022; and “American Fiction” in 2023. What do all of these films (and many others) have in common? Each one of them was their respective year’s recipient of the People’s Choice Award, the highest honor that is annually bestowed at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While a respectable accolade on its own merits, the People’s Choice Award has gained a reputation for singling out features that would later go on to achieve greater success within each of the yearly award circuits they participated in. Many of these films were later recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with nominations (if not wins) at their annual Academy Awards ceremonies, and some of them have even been fortunate enough to achieve the highly coveted Best Picture prize. Regardless of their award success though, many consider the films chosen by Toronto jurors as the best of the films exhibited at a given festival to be among the finest films crafted in recent memory, so winning such a prize can often be very beneficial to a feature film’s long-term appeal. With all of this in mind, it’s safe to say that the future looks very bright for the latest recipient of Toronto’s People’s Choice Award, that being the Mike Flanagan-directed science fiction drama “The Life of Chuck”.",[25,891,892],{},"Based on the Steven King story of the same name, one that was first read in his 2020 publication “If It Bleeds”, the film stars Tom Hiddleston (perhaps best known for playing the character known as Loki in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe series) as titular protagonist Charles “Chuck” Krantz, whose appearance on a local billboard gets the ball rolling on a story that’s told in reverse chronological order as it delves deeper into the rather unusual life lived by a man who seems to be anything but extraordinary. Director Mike Flanagan is no stranger to adapting King’s writing into cinema - his 2019 film “Doctor Sleep” is just one instance in he which he translated one of the author’s stories into the medium of film - but never before have any of these features received strong enough acclaim to a point of major awards recognition, so it says quite a lot that the voters at TIFF deemed this particular film worthy enough of its most prestigious honor. In addition to Hiddleston, actors like Karen Gillan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill, and Jacob Tremblay all play vital roles in this peculiar genre-bending feature, but like he does on the billboard that lingers over the people within this film’s narrative, it’s Hiddleston and Flanagan’s direction that seem to be most impressive to those who’ve so far been able to see the film, with the latter enthusiastically accepting the People’s Choice Award prior to the festival’s conclusion. “I’m absolutely overwhelmed,” Flanagan claims in a statement released after his film was announced as the major TIFF winner. “We’re so grateful that The Life of Chuck connected with audiences in such a powerful way, but never expected this.”",[25,894,895],{},"While “The Life of Chuck” may have come out on top at TIFF, one shouldn’t overlook the two runner-up features that were possibly very close to snatching the People’s Choice Award for themselves. The first runner-up is a film that had already been making the rounds at many of the previous major film festivals and had even managed to secure the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival just a few months prior; that film is Sean Baker’s comedy-drama “Anora”, which stars Mikey Madison as an exotic dancer who enters a romance with the son of a Russian oligarch, a relationship that soon takes a dangerous turn when those within her new amour’s inner circle catch on to them. Despite losing the People’s Choice Award, the momentum driving “Anora” does not appear to be slowing down in any way, and should it continue to stay up and running, it will most likely be a major contender in the oncoming award season. The same can probably be said for the second People’s Choice Award runner-up, Jacques Audinard’s musical crime comedy “Emilia Perez”; starring Zoe Saldana as a lawyer recruited by the titular character (played by Karla Sofia Gascon) to assist in the faking of her death, this unpredictable musical adventure takes these two, as well as two other happiness-seeking women, throughout the Mexican nation on a ride as wild for the ensemble as it is for the viewing audience. All four of its lead actors (the other two being Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz) shared the award for Best Actress at the most recent Cannes Film Festival (one of the few instances where multiple actors share such an award for the same film), and between that and its acknowledgement at Toronto (among other major festivals), “Emilia Perez” should also not be counted out as a potential award attracter.",[25,897,898],{},"Elsewhere at the Toronto International Film Festival, various other features were fortunate enough to receive at least one of the other accolades that the festival had to offer. The prize for Best Documentary, for example, was given to Mike Downie’s “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal”, while Josh Greenbaum’s “Will & Harper” (which features famed comedic actor Will Ferrell) and Ali Weinstein’s “Your Tomorrow” were each named one of the award’s runner-ups. The Midnight Madness Audience award, meanwhile, went to Coralie Fargeat’s body horror “The Substance”, which stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in its central roles, while John Hsu’s “Dead Talents Society” and Andrew DeYoung’s “Friendship” were respectively named the first and second runner-ups. It’s worth noting that most of these awards were decided by the majority of festival attendees who were given the option to vote on their favorites in each category, whereas other awards like the Platform Prize (which went to Carlos Marques-Marcet’s drama “They Will Be Dust”), the FIPRESCI Prize (given to K’naan Warsame’s “Mother Mother”), and the NETPAC Prize (awarded to Sue Kim’s “The Last of the Sea Women”) were all decided by a select panel of jurors for each accolade. No matter how these awards were determined though, each of the films that received them have proven their worth as stellar cinematic achievements, and one can only hope that they’ll continue to be seen as such within the coming future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":900},[],"Featured","2024-09-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmike-flanagans-the-life-of-chuck-the-tiff-peoples-choice-awards-latest-winner",{"title":879,"description":298},"mike-flanagans-the-life-of-chuck-the-tiff-peoples-choice-awards-latest-winner","blog\u002Fmike-flanagans-the-life-of-chuck-the-tiff-peoples-choice-awards-latest-winner","7IxYFvhAkwpfo91Dd8xiIo4H8vHX0LAfklRalSb_L4M",{"id":910,"title":911,"body":912,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":940,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":941,"navigation":71,"path":942,"seo":943,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":944,"stem":945,"__hash__":946},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjames-earl-jones-star-wars-and-lion-king-actor-passes-away-at-93.md","James Earl Jones, “Star Wars” and “Lion King” Actor, Passes Away at 93",{"type":22,"value":913,"toc":938},[914,920,923,926,929,932,935],[25,915,236,916],{},[47,917,538],{"href":918,"rel":919},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F09\u002Fjames-earl-jones-dead-1236082801\u002F",[51],[25,921,922],{},"For many actors, the opportunity to play one character that will go on to become one of the most iconic figures in all of popular culture is something that they’d most likely take without question, even if they aren’t fully aware that such an outcome is even possible. Even if the rest of their filmography doesn’t quite reach the heights of success as that one role, it should still be enough to cement their place in culture and deem them one of the most loved actors of their generation. In the case of James Earl Jones, there are actually two characters played by him that, in the time since their respective cinematic introductions, have become some of the most well-known and admired of the past few decades, and interestingly enough, they have one major trait in common. If Jones is not best known for his vocal performance as Darth Vader in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” franchise, then he is best known for his vocal performance as Mufasa in Disney’s 1994 animated classic “The Lion King”; in both films, Jones plays a father who maintains a powerful presence but is ultimately revealed to be a caring parent. To those who grew up watching these films, Jones’ ability to play an engaging paternal figure made him incredibly endearing, and to those exact same people, the news of his passing on Monday, September 9th must surely come as a devastating surprise.",[25,924,925],{},"Born on January 17th, 1931 in the northern Mississippi community of Arkabutla, Jones faced a great deal of challenges as a child due to a stutter that sometimes made it difficult for him to properly communicate. Jones credits his passion for poetry and acting for helping him overcome the struggles that came with this disability, and after performing military service for the United States Army during the Korean War, Jones made a commitment to pursue full-time acting, first landing various roles on the stage before gradually transitioning to the screen, though throughout his career, he would make numerous appearances in both mediums and receive more or less the same amount of acclaim in each.",[25,927,928],{},"Jones earned his first major acting role in 1957 for the Broadway production of “Sunrise at Campobello”, a play about United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt and his struggles with polio. Shortly afterwards, Jones found himself building a reputation through various appearances in Shakespeare in the Park performances, those that included plays like “Hamlet” and “King Lear”. It wouldn’t be until 1968 that Jones earned his first Tony Award for his performance in “The Great White Hope” as boxer Jack Jefferson, earning the prize for Best Actor in a Play before winning the exact same award in 1987 for his role as working-class father Troy Maxson in “Fences”. Two additional Tony nominations came in 2005 and 2012 respectively - the former for his role in “On Golden Pond”, the latter for his performance in “The Best Man” - and in the time between and since, Jones could also be seen in such plays as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “Driving Miss Daisy”.",[25,930,931],{},"Jones would actually go on to reprise his “The Great White Hope” role in 1970 for the film adaptation of the same name, a performance that would earn Jones his only competitive Academy Award nomination (he was eventually given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy in 2011). It wasn’t his first screen performance though; on television, he first appeared in 1963 in an episode of CBS’ “East Side\u002FWest Side”, and just a year later, Jones made his big screen debut with a role in Stanley Kubrick’s black comedy political satire “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”. From there, Jones went on to perform in countless films that have since been regarded as all-time classics; these include 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian”, in which he played the villainous snake cult leader Thulsa Doom; 1988’s “Coming to America”, in which he played King Jaffe, the monarch of the African kingdom of Zamunda and father of Eddie Murphy’s lead Prince Akeem; 1989’s “Field of Dreams”, in which he played Terence Mann, an author\u002Factivist who had once dreamed of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers; 1990’s “The Hunt for the Red October”, in which he played James Greer, vice admiral for the United States Navy who then became Deputy Director of the CIA; and 1993’s “The Sandlot”, in which he played Mr. Mertle, the blind next-door-neighbor who owns a dog referred to as “The Beast”. Jones’ final film performance came in 2021, as he reprised his role of King Jaffe for the sequel “Coming 2 America”.",[25,933,934],{},"As widely beloved as most of those roles are, most would agree that it was his performances as Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King” are undoubtedly his most famous and universally beloved. This is rather fascinating given that, due to them being vocal performances, only his voice can be heard as Jones plays each of these characters, although those who have seen these films can attest that his voice is all that’s needed to make them both feel truly larger-than-life. Jones’ voice has been described as a “stirring basso profondo” that has lent itself well to a wide variety of roles that had required him to maintain a bold and commanding demeanor, and more often than not, such a voice has proven astonishingly captivating, with Darth Vader and Mufasa arguably being the strongest examples of Jones’ vocal capabilities.",[25,936,937],{},"In the end, Jones would ultimately pass away in his home in Pawling, New York after over seventy years of acting. Upon news of his death, countless fans and organizations, those ranging from actors like Mark Hamill and Octavia Spencer to institutions like the University of Michigan (Jones’ alma mater) and the Screen Actors Guild, were quick to pay tribute to the actor, and the sheer number of passionate responses only further proves that he had indeed left such a monumental impact on the entirety of popular culture. Some of that impact may be largely associated with only a handful of roles, but said roles are more than enough to make James Earl Jones one of the finest and most cherished performers of the past few decades.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":939},[],"2024-09-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjames-earl-jones-star-wars-and-lion-king-actor-passes-away-at-93",{"title":911,"description":557},"james-earl-jones-star-wars-and-lion-king-actor-passes-away-at-93","blog\u002Fjames-earl-jones-star-wars-and-lion-king-actor-passes-away-at-93","H9KsrqtHwq1xx9K4n2RcN-H4C_szzSHqVXT_-pudtQg",{"id":948,"title":949,"body":950,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1041,"description":1042,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1043,"navigation":71,"path":1044,"seo":1045,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1046,"stem":1047,"__hash__":1048},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Froad-diary-relay-and-other-titles-to-anticipate-at-this-years-toronto-film-festival.md","“Road Diary”, “Relay”, and Other Titles to Anticipate at This Year’s Toronto Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":951,"toc":1039},[952,959,962,974,990,1012,1019,1031],[25,953,236,954],{},[47,955,958],{"href":956,"rel":957},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rollingstone.com\u002Ftv-movies\u002Ftv-movie-lists\u002Fmost-anticipated-movies-2024-toronto-international-film-festival-1235071865\u002F",[51],"Rolling Stone",[25,960,961],{},"With the Telluride Film Festival just recently wrapping up and the Venice International Film Festival nearing its own end, it may seem too soon for some to direct their attention towards yet another high-profile film festival. That doesn’t appear to be stopping the Toronto International Film Festival from opening its doors to the hundreds of people attending its screenings though; with the overall event commencing on Thursday, September 5th and currently planning to continue until Sunday, September 15th, those who have grown tired of having to keep up with all of this festival news will likely find little relief throughout this next week or so. For everyone who’s still eagerly looking forward to how this latest film festival will play out though, there is in fact quite a bit to take interest in, most of it relating to the various features that will be exhibited at one of the many theatrical venues spread throughout the Toronto area. As has been the case for several years now, the line-up of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival contains a solid mix of films made by a cast and crew comprised in part of some noteworthy industry names and features that have been crafted by those less familiar to the general film-going public (although one can hope that a potential success at this eleven-day event will change all that). With well over a hundred different feature-length and short films for one to see at this year’s festival, it can be quite difficult to determine which of them is most deserving of one’s attention. Nonetheless, there are a handful of titles that have been able to stand out more than others, and while every film that is being screened at Toronto this year is worthy of at least some interest, these are some of the few that been most successful in obtaining it:",[25,963,964,969,970,973],{},[486,965,966],{},[57,967,968],{},"The Assessment","** (directed by Fleur Fortuné)** - government control of one’s reproductive decisions seems to be a minor recurring theme at this year’s festival (another TIFF-selected feature, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s ",[486,971,972],{},"April",", also covers this subject), although in the case of this film, such a topic receives exploration through the lens of dystopian science fiction. Elizabeth Olsen and Himseh Patel star as a couple whose relationship is assessed by an auditor (played by Alicia Vikander) who will determine whether or not the two are capable of starting and raising a family. In spite of the film’s not-too-distant future setting, many of the ideas it chooses to explore seem all too relevant in a world where reproductive rights are having to be fought for once again, and many will thus be rather shocked by how similar this film’s story is to real-world events.",[25,975,976,981,982,985,986,989],{},[486,977,978],{},[57,979,980],{},"Cloud","** (directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa)** - respite what his name may imply, the acclaimed director of such films as ",[486,983,984],{},"Cure"," and ",[486,987,988],{},"Tokyo Sonata"," bears no relationship to legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, although it’s easy to think otherwise given how well the former has been able to demonstrate his cinematic talent. With his latest directorial effort, an intense thriller about a young man who resells items over the Internet and gets caught in the middle of a strange and startling conspiracy that puts his life at risk, Kurosawa hopes to remind audiences that he’s still every bit as capable of creating exciting features as he was when he began working over fifty years prior. With actor Masaki Suda standing front and center as the film’s central lead, the film has more than enough shocking twists and turns to keep one enthralled in what occurs.",[25,991,992,997,998,985,1001,1004,1005,985,1008,1011],{},[486,993,994],{},[57,995,996],{},"The Life of Chuck","** (directed by Mike Flanagan)** - the director of such horror films as ",[486,999,1000],{},"Oculus",[486,1002,1003],{},"Ouija: Origin of Evil"," is no stranger to the works of famed writer Stephen King (having also directed film adaptations of his stories ",[486,1006,1007],{},"Doctor Sleep",[486,1009,1010],{},"Gerald’s Game","), but for him to tackle one of King’s more lightweight works may come as a surprise to some. Still, with a cast that includes leading man Tom Hiddleston as the titular protagonist in addition to Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Mark Hamill (among others), there appears to be a decent amount of promise in this cinematic story of an average account whose life becomes anything but average after inadvertently stumbling into fame and fortune. The pairing of King’s writing and Flanagan’s direction has worked quite well in the past, so it should be able to work just as well here.",[25,1013,1014,1015,1018],{},"***Nightbitch ***",[57,1016,1017],{},"(directed by Marielle Heller)"," - if titles alone were enough to inform people of how deserving of one’s interest the film in question is, then this horror comedy would easily be one to instantly cement itself as one of the year’s most noteworthy cinematic highlights. Amy Adams stars as a writer who puts her career on hold to shift her attention to her newfound motherhood, a situation that proves to be far more psychologically - and as it soon becomes apparent, physically - overwhelming than she could’ve ever expected. Just as unnerving as it is absurdly satirical, this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s novel of the same name thrives on both its outlandish premise and the committed-as-ever performance of its lead actor. If Adams doesn’t receive any major awards recognition for this feature, chances are that it won’t be due to a lack of trying on her part.",[25,1020,1021,1026,1027,1030],{},[486,1022,1023],{},[57,1024,1025],{},"Relay","** (directed by David McKenzie)** - whistleblowers, while an essential part of making the general public aware of what corporations do behind closed doors, will often be targeted by those whose best interests lie within making sure these people don’t speak. Enter Ash (played by Riz Ahmed), whose very profession is designed to ensure the protection of these people; rarely is this an easy task though, and when Sarah (played by Lily James), one of his clients who’s on the verge of breaking a major scandal to the public, finds herself being trailed by a gang of thugs hired by her employer to keep her from sharing her secrets, it’s up to Ash to take more direct action and protect Sarah by any means necessary. This may all seem fairly straight-forward, but with the director of ",[486,1028,1029],{},"Hell or High Water"," at the helm, this appears to be a wild ride throughout.",[25,1032,1033,1038],{},[486,1034,1035],{},[57,1036,1037],{},"Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band","** (directed by Thom Zimny)** - as much as film festivals like these may cherish whichever fictional works of cinema happen to come their way, they’re often just as happy to exhibit any nonfictional works with subject matters that are oftentimes just as appealing. This documentary, for example, takes viewers back in time throughout the history of 20th century music as it examines the career and legacy of one of America’s most iconic singers and the band that helped make him the legend he remains to this day. While most everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the name Bruce Springsteen, less attention is given to the New Jersey-based E Street Band that has been by Springsteen’s side for well over several decades, a commitment that this documentary goes out of its way to celebrate.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1040},[],"2024-09-09","Source: Rolling Stone",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Froad-diary-relay-and-other-titles-to-anticipate-at-this-years-toronto-film-festival",{"title":949,"description":1042},"road-diary-relay-and-other-titles-to-anticipate-at-this-years-toronto-film-festival","blog\u002Froad-diary-relay-and-other-titles-to-anticipate-at-this-years-toronto-film-festival","IN2m07qIQZ0fhWqpCrOyHnC7PN7PjsVC3tqVorGWWcE",{"id":1050,"title":1051,"body":1052,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1077,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1078,"navigation":71,"path":1079,"seo":1080,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1081,"stem":1082,"__hash__":1083},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Falain-delon-one-of-frances-biggest-film-stars-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88.md","Alain Delon, One of France’s Biggest Film Stars, Passes Away at the Age of 88",{"type":22,"value":1053,"toc":1075},[1054,1060,1063,1066,1069,1072],[25,1055,236,1056],{},[47,1057,538],{"href":1058,"rel":1059},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F08\u002Falain-delon-dies-french-actor-88-1236042995\u002F",[51],[25,1061,1062],{},"Considering just how many world-famous actors have their careers rooted in Hollywood and elsewhere within the United States’ film industry, it can be easy to forget that there are several others who have succeeded in making names for themselves within different regions across the globe. France, for example, has produced a solid handful of well-regarded film stars that have not only proven quite popular within their native country, but have been able to branch out to other parts of the world as well, with the likes of Omar Sy and Lea Sydoux being among the most recent French actors to make the transition into Hollywood filmmaking. Famous French actors are nothing new, of course, with the French New Wave of the 1960s being especially crucial for the rise of many of France’s most influential actors and filmmakers, many of whom are still widely regarded as one of the most important contributors to the cinematic medium. Among these individuals was actor Alain Delon, who made a name for himself by appearing in such films as “Le Samouraï” and “The Leopard”, some of which are said to be among the most impressively crafted in all of French cinema. To lose someone as prominent as Delon, for many, would be like losing a key piece of one’s history, which makes it all the more upsetting for some that, at the age of 88, Delon has passed away. According to a statement released by his children, Delon’s passing came during the morning hours of Sunday, August 18th, with the actor being surrounded by his closest family inside his home located in the French village of Doucy (around a hundred miles south of where Paris can be found) as his life finally came to an expected, but no less saddening end.",[25,1064,1065],{},"Delon’s life began in November of 1935, with his birth taking place in the Parisian suburb known as Sceaux. What followed was a somewhat overwhelming series of events that made Delon’s childhood and teenage years rather hectic: his parents divorced while he was still fairly young, he worked as a butcher inside his stepfather’s shop before signing up for military service, and it wasn’t long before he was sent to Southeast Asia to fight in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. After returning to France in 1956 and moving to Paris shortly afterwards, Delon entered the world of cinema through the relationship he formed with Brigette Auber, an actress who had just recently been featured in “To Catch a Thief”, an Alfred Hitchcock-directed mystery set and shot in the French Riviera. Just a year later, Delon and Auber attended the 1957 Cannes Film Festival together, where the former would meet Jean-Claude Brialy, an up-and-coming actor and director, and George Baume, the man who would go on to be his personal agent. “I came down with a girl that I liked, who loved me…” Delon says to a masterclass he gave at Cannes in 2019 as he recalls this pivotal moment in his history, “... I took it all in, did the red carpet but even then, I felt at home… not least and I say this without pretension because it was made clear to me that I was not bad looking.”",[25,1067,1068],{},"Delon’s first major film role would ultimately come to him through his connection to his mistress Michèle Cordoue, who convinced her husband at the time, a filmmaker named Yves Allégret, to cast Delon in his upcoming feature “Quand la femme s’en mêle”. Delon has long been open about the impact the women in his life had on his career as a film star, speaking about the matter with those attending another masterclass he held at Cannes in 2019. “If I hadn’t met the women I met, I would have died long ago,” Delon claims. “It’s the women – I don’t know why – who loved me, who got me into this profession, who wanted me to do it, and who fought for me to do it”. After the release of “Quand la femme s’en mêle”, more acting roles came in Delon’s sights; among his earliest film appearances are those “Sois belle et tais-toi”, directed by Marc Allégret and also including Jean-Paul Belmando as one of its leading actors, and “Christine”, which sees Delon star alongside actor Romy Schneider with Pierre Gaspard-Huit serving as director. It wasn’t long until Delon and Schneider would commit to a romantic relationship not unlike that which they took part in on screen, and while their relationship would only last for five years, they remained quite friendly with one another, as evidenced by their reunion for the 1969 film “The Swimming Pool”.",[25,1070,1071],{},"As Delon’s life progressed further along, he found himself engaging with a variety of new romantic partners, including German actor\u002Fsinger\u002Fmodel Nico and French actor Mirelle Darc, whom he met while shooting the 1969 gangster film “Jeff” and ended up being with for about fifteen years. It was during this time that Delon found himself being cast in even more high-profile features: the 1960 René Clément-directed crime thriller “Plein Soleil”; the 1962 Michaelangelo Antonioni-directed romantic drama “L’Eclisse”; and Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film “The Leopard”, for which Delon earned a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Male Newcomer. It was his collaboration with director Jean-Pierre Melville that Delon is said to have reached the height of his career, however; the success of their 1967 film “Le Samouraï” led to two more films - 1970’s “The Red Circle” and 1972’s “A Cop” - before Melville succumbed to a fatal heart attack in 1973.",[25,1073,1074],{},"Delon continued to act throughout most of the years that followed, appearing in too many crime thrillers to count while also experimenting with other genres from time to time. The 1976 Holocaust drama “Mr. Klein”, the 1984 melodrama “Notre Histoire”, and the 2008 comedy “Asterix at the Olympic Games”, are among the most notable films Delon appeared in during the years following his peak. His deteriorating health and various instances of family drama have made Delon’s personal life somewhat stressful as he continued to age, but in spite of everything, when news of Delon’s passing was announced to the public, reactions were overwhelmingly mournful, with French president Emmanuel Macron sharing his own personal obituary on social media. “Melancholy, popular, secret, he was more than a star: a French monument,” Macron’s statement on social media states, one that many would agree is a fitting description of one of French’s most iconic big screen icons.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1076},[],"2024-08-26",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Falain-delon-one-of-frances-biggest-film-stars-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88",{"title":1051,"description":557},"alain-delon-one-of-frances-biggest-film-stars-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88","blog\u002Falain-delon-one-of-frances-biggest-film-stars-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88","pSxgYsRcOhKmy9kVGf3Kc03uQeUvtq3NljelgOW78Bg",{"id":1085,"title":1086,"body":1087,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1077,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1112,"navigation":71,"path":1113,"seo":1114,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1115,"stem":1116,"__hash__":1117},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdavid-lynch-reveals-empysema-diagnosis-may-no-longer-direct-in-person.md","David Lynch Reveals Empysema Diagnosis, May No Longer Direct in Person",{"type":22,"value":1088,"toc":1110},[1089,1095,1098,1101,1104,1107],[25,1090,236,1091],{},[47,1092,391],{"href":1093,"rel":1094},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fdavid-lynch-emphysema-cant-leave-house-direct-1236095608\u002F",[51],[25,1096,1097],{},"At what point does a filmmaker decide they are personally no longer willing to keep making films? For some, there is no point, as they’ll continue to work until the day they day, but for others, there is a desire to bring their career to an end and spend the remainder of their lives immersing themselves in the joys and luxuries (or at least those available to them) of retirement. In these cases, retirement is usually a completely voluntary option; it’s the filmmaker themselves who decides that they’ve done all that they’re willing to do and are now interested in spending the time they have left without having to contend with the pressures of their work. However, there are also instances where a filmmaker may still want to keep working, yet are forced to stop due to reasons outside of their control. Such a predicament is of course far from preferable, but there are in fact quite a few filmmakers who have had to give up their careers prematurely for a variety of reasons, whether they’re related to health, finances, family, or anything else that may force the figure in question to reconsider their priorities. Just recently, one especially noteworthy filmmaker revealed that they too have a health condition that might in fact prevent them from making any more films, and given the extensive body of work that this person has developed over the past few decades, many will no doubt be saddened by the possibility that his career may now be near its end. The filmmaker in question: the incomparable David Lynch.",[25,1099,1100],{},"If there’s any word that can be used to describe the many films directed by David Lynch, “normal” would probably not be one of them. Born in 1946 and first beginning his career as a filmmaker in 1967, Lynch made his feature-length directorial debut with 1977’s “Eraserhead”, an experimental psychological horror film that captured the attention of millions with its darkly surreal imagery and a narrative that became increasingly grotesque and disturbing as it revealed more about the inner lives of its characters. The success of “Eraserhead” would eventually lead Lynch to crafting many more films that had a similarly uncanny nature, with the likes of 1987’s “Blue Velvet” and 2001’s “Mulholland Drive”. He has been known to direct slightly more conventional cinematic fare from time to time - among such films are his 1984 adaptation of “Dune” and 1999’s “The Straight Story” - but it’s the films that are generally thought of as “weird” that tend to come to mind most frequently whenever they think of Lynch and his body of work. While his most recent theatrical release, the psychological thriller “Inland Empire”, was released all the way back in 2006, Lynch has nonetheless remained fairly active within the entertainment industry, releasing a third season of his previously two-season television series “Twin Peaks” in 2017 and even making a cameo as famed director John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans” in 2022. One might think that there’s little that can stop Lynch from doing what he’s best known for, but if his recent diagnosis is any indication, that might not be entirely true.",[25,1102,1103],{},"In an interview conducted with the magazine Sight & Sound, which will use the interview as the cover story for its upcoming September issue, Lynch revealed that he’d recently discovered that he has emphysema, a disease caused by the enlargement of air spaces within his lung tissues, and that such a condition puts him at high risk for COVID-19, which has made it incredibly difficult (if not entirely impossible) for him to leave his own home. “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not, Lynch claims, citing a years-long smoking habit as the cause of his condition, “and now, because of COVID, it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold”. According to Lynch, the disease has gotten so bad that he can longer walk any further than a very short distance without running the risk of taking in too little oxygen, so him being able to direct a film like he had in the years prior does not appear to be a feasible option any longer. With that said, there is still a possibility - albeit a very slight one - that Lynch may continue to direct, but if he does, it will have to be remotely from the safety of his own home. “I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it,” Lynch states as he considers this option as opposed to his earlier on-set directorial efforts, although he noted soon afterwards that it wouldn’t be the most pleasant experience for him. As he himself put it rather bluntly, “I wouldn’t like that so much”.",[25,1105,1106],{},"Directing (or at least in-person directing) may no longer be an option for Lynch, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to give up filmmaking altogether, as there are a few projects of his that he would like to get off the ground sooner than later. Further into his interview with Sight & Sound, Lynch discussed a screenplay he wrote in 2010, one titled “Antelope Don’t Run No More”, that he hopes will be turned into a proper feature film someday. He also talked about “Snootworld”, an animated feature he had been working on for roughly twenty years alongside Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter of the 1990s holiday classics “Edward Scissordhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, expressing the difficulty he’s faced in getting studios interested in what he describes as something akin to a traditional fairy tale. “Just recently, I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this, so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months, but they rejected it,” Lynch told his interviewer, further stating that “old-fashioned fairy tales are considered groaners: apparently, people don’t want to see them. It’s a different world now, and it’s easier to say no than to say yes”.",[25,1108,1109],{},"Some may find it disheartening that someone as universally acclaimed as David Lynch is no longer in a position where he can directly make his own films, while others may find frustration in the projects he does have interest in being turned down by companies who don’t share such an interest. In any case, while every filmmaker is guaranteed to reach the end of their career at some point, it’s never pleasing when it comes without the agreement of said filmmaker. It’s hard to say what will come of Lynch and his filmography in the near future, but one can only hope that he’s able to make something new even in the midst of such unfortunate circumstances.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1111},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdavid-lynch-reveals-empysema-diagnosis-may-no-longer-direct-in-person",{"title":1086,"description":194},"david-lynch-reveals-empysema-diagnosis-may-no-longer-direct-in-person","blog\u002Fdavid-lynch-reveals-empysema-diagnosis-may-no-longer-direct-in-person","CRrsRFsBuQW3W_seGbw7md7c7ONROSTmGCRkLBOWQPk",{"id":1119,"title":1120,"body":1121,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1077,"description":1144,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1145,"navigation":71,"path":1146,"seo":1147,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1148,"stem":1149,"__hash__":1150},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-and-it-ends-with-us-whose-leads-are-married-top-box-office.md","“Deadpool & Wolverine” and “It Ends With Us” - Whose Leads are Married - Top Box Office",{"type":22,"value":1122,"toc":1142},[1123,1130,1133,1136,1139],[25,1124,236,1125],{},[47,1126,1129],{"href":1127,"rel":1128},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.usatoday.com\u002Fstory\u002Fentertainment\u002Fmovies\u002F2024\u002F08\u002F12\u002Fblake-lively-ryan-reynolds-it-ends-with-us-deadpool-and-wolverine-box-office\u002F74765651007\u002F",[51],"USA Today",[25,1131,1132],{},"Nobody was expecting “Deadpool & Wolverine”, the latest superhero blockbuster from cinema juggernaut (no X-Men reference intended) Marvel Studios, to give up its spot at the top of the box office charts so easily, especially considering its record-breaking opening weekend and a mostly positive reception from critics and audiences. When the film opened on Friday, July 26th, it ultimately ended the three-day period with a total domestic gross $211.4 million and an overall gross of $446.5 million worldwide, more than enough to secure a #1 spot at the box office and surpass “Inside Out 2” (which also happens to have been distributed by Marvel’s parent company Disney) as having the largest opening weekend of any 2024 release. Still, an opening weekend by itself cannot determine how well a film is able to appeal to audiences in the long run, as word of mouth still needs to be favorable enough to keep viewers coming back for more. Fortunately, with a 78% approval rating from critics on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes and an A rating from audiences on CinemaScore, it appears that the general consensus on “Deadpool & Wolverine” is that it’s a solid enough blockbuster that keeps crowds pleased throughout most of its running time, and the following weekend grosses seem to support this notion. In its second weekend of release, the film earned a domestic gross of around $97 million, a decent 53% drop from the previous weekend and still enough to keep it in first place; in its third and most recent weekend of release, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is still #1 with roughly $54 million in North American ticket sales. With these totals, the film managed to cross the highly coveted billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office, and it won’t be long until it surpasses “Joker” as the highest-grossing R-rated feature of all time. What’s most surprising about this weekend, however, is that the film came surprisingly close to losing its #1 spot to a film that actually has a minor connection to its primary cinematic competition.",[25,1134,1135],{},"Opening at #2 this weekend with a domestic gross of approximately $50 million is Sony’s “It Ends With Us”, a romantic drama based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover and directed by Justin Baldoni. Going into the weekend, most analysts had predicted that the film would make anywhere between $23 million and $30 million, a solid total for a film that only cost $25 million to make but not enough to surpass “Deadpool & Wolverine”. Its critical reception didn’t exactly do much to suggest that the film was strong enough to earn anything greater; Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a 59% approval rating, by no means a terrible score but not one that would imply a larger-than-expected turnout. That assumption, however, quickly changed when “It Ends With Us” secured an opening day total of $24 million, earning more in a single day than some thought it would make in three. By the weekend ended, the Baldoni-directed drama made roughly $50 million in domestic ticket sales, not quite enough to top the superhero feature that’s been box office champion for the past few weeks, but still far more than most had anticipated.",[25,1137,1138],{},"Apart from their close proximity on the box office charts, how are these two films connected? The answer lies in which actor plays the leading character in each of them; “Deadpool & Wolverine” stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular Deadpool in his fourth cinematic outing as the character (the first three being 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, 2016’s “Deadpool”, and the 2018 sequel “Deadpool 2”), while “It Ends With Us” stars actor Blake Lively , who previously starred on the teen television drama “Gossip Girl” and films like “A Simple Favor” before landing the lead role in a film that would earn her the biggest opening weekend of her career so far. In real life, Reynolds and Lively (who also serve as producers of their respective films) are a married couple, with the latter (and the children they share together) even making brief appearances in “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “IF”, another film released this year that stars Reynolds in a leading role. One would have to go back all the way to the year 1990 to find the last box office weekend in which a married couple starred in two different feature films that sat alongside each other at the top office box office. During a brief period in the summer of that year, Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard 2” and Demi Moore’s “Ghost” would alternate between the #1 and the #2 spots at the box office, with the latter ultimately being the higher-grossing of the two features. Willis and Moore had been married to each other at that time, so their films sharing a similar position at the box office comes across as an unusual scenario in which art (or at least the business thereof) imitates life, and it would not be until this most recent weekend that another married couple, this time Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, would achieve a similar feat.",[25,1140,1141],{},"As one might expect, there doesn’t appear to be much competitive animosity between the couple, especially considering that no matter how the weekend turned out, both films would still be deemed bona fine successes. “Deadpool & Wolverine” will soon cross the $500 million mark at the domestic box office, one of the few films to do so in a post-pandemic world, and with a current worldwide total of around $80 million, “It Ends With Us” has already turned a healthy profit and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. Whether Lively’s film will rise above Reynolds’ film during that time is not yet certain, and the competition provided by new releases (the most notable being “Alien: Romulus”, which is set to premiere in theaters across the nation on August 16th) will most likely hold both films back from either achieving or retaining a spot at the box office’s highest point. For the time being however, one can appreciate the curious rarity that is seeing two actors who are married to each other star in two separate features that just happen to be right next to each other at the top of the box office charts. While it’s certainly not impossible for something like this to ever happen it again, there’s no guarantee that it will occur any time soon, so it’s safe to say that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively should probably appreciate this strange phenomenon while it still lasts.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1143},[],"Source: USA Today",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-and-it-ends-with-us-whose-leads-are-married-top-box-office",{"title":1120,"description":1144},"deadpool-wolverine-and-it-ends-with-us-whose-leads-are-married-top-box-office","blog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-and-it-ends-with-us-whose-leads-are-married-top-box-office","qTxhK6YUj8zKek03izF2KcKMy1bWIdDjeHJmD5hwVLE",{"id":1152,"title":1153,"body":1154,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1179,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1180,"navigation":71,"path":1181,"seo":1182,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1183,"stem":1184,"__hash__":1185},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-earns-211-million-during-record-breaking-opening-weekend.md","“Deadpool & Wolverine” Earns $211 Million During Record-Breaking Opening Weekend",{"type":22,"value":1155,"toc":1177},[1156,1162,1165,1168,1171,1174],[25,1157,236,1158],{},[47,1159,391],{"href":1160,"rel":1161},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fbox-office\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-box-office-sixth-biggest-debut-history-1236088804\u002F",[51],[25,1163,1164],{},"What was once the most prosperous franchise in all of Hollywood is now… still the most prosperous franchise in all of Hollywood, though as of lately, not all of its releases have been surefire hits. Since its origins in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has continuously put out a string of superhero features all designed to tie together in one cohesive storyline, a strategy that has proven beneficial throughout most of its existence (enough for the series in its entirety to just recently cross the $30 billion mark), but may have lost a bit of steam over the past few years. Given the overwhelming critical and commercial success of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame”, regarded by many as the grand finale of the series’ first major storyline, it’s not too surprising that subsequent efforts, though mostly well received, have struggled to recapture the magic that those earlier films pulled off so well. This is not to say that these films aren’t still making money; “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” were each able to pull in well over $800 million, but while the latter was just a few tens of millions away from the highly coveted billion dollar mark, only “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, a collaboration with Sony (a rival distributor to Marvel’s parent company Disney) has been able to surpass that point in the time since “Endgame”.",[25,1166,1167],{},"Then, of course, there are the underperforming films, some of which were affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (“Black Widow” and “Eternals” are perhaps the most notable MCU films to take a major hit from being delayed as a result of nationwide theater closures) while others could not quite as easily fall back on such an excuse. The year 2023 was a particularly disappointing year for Marvel’s cinematic output (if not that of Disney in general); although the aforementioned “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” performed well enough, the earlier-released “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” fell sharply down the box office charts after a fairly solid opening weekend, while the later-released “The Marvels” failed to take off and became the franchise’s first outright bomb. While some could argue that the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes made it difficult to properly market that film, others have pointed to a general sense of superhero fatigue among filmgoers, many of whom seem to be growing tired with the excessive amount of comic book-based media being made on a yearly basis. If this is truly the case, then it has at least encouraged Marvel to slow down a little bit. In fact, this year, Marvel has decided to only bring one feature film to the big screen; that film just came out this past weekend, and thankfully, it appears that the numbers it’s pulling are more than enough to keep Marvel going for at least a little bit longer. The craziest part of this whole ordeal: the film in question is “Deadpool & Wolverine”, a feature that’s truly unlike anything seen in the MCU up to that point, and not necessarily in ways that would normally be the most desirable.",[25,1169,1170],{},"For starters, this film’s titular characters, or at least the incarnations shown throughout, are not indigenous to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but rather the X-Men series that began in 2000 under the distribution of 20th Century Fox. It was Disney’s purchase of the latter company in 2019 that finally allowed Marvel to take back the film rights to the X-Men, meaning that the two fan favorite characters, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, could be used however Marvel wanted to use them. Other X-Men characters have made cameo appearances in some of the more recent MCU releases, but this is the first instance in which Marvel is making this pre-existing series the central focus of its latest cinematic release. Also worth noting: in order to adhere to the content and humor style so many have come to appreciate about the previous “Deadpool” features (the first of which came out in 2016, while its first sequel arrived two years later in 2018), “Deadpool & Wolverine” was designed to be the MCU’s first R-rated feature, as opposed to all the others films being rated a more family-inclusive PG-13. If not for the overwhelming financial success of those two earlier films (the first “Deadpool” made over $782 million during its initial theatrical run, while “Deadpool 2” topped that total with over $785 million), Disney would probably be hesitant to release a film that would discourage younger viewers and their guardians from seeing this newest film. Fortunately, Disney seems to believe that the potential reward is worth the risk, though even it probably didn’t anticipate just how much hype there was for this rather unorthodox release.",[25,1172,1173],{},"As the weekend that began on Friday, July 26th came to a close on Sunday, July 28th, many had observed the box office performance of “Deadpool & Wolverine” being strong enough to take the film past the $200 million dollar mark, with the film ultimately generating around $211 million during the three-day period. Not only does this allow the film to soar past the $154 million opening weekend of “Inside Out 2” (another Disney-distributed release) and have the biggest opening weekend of any film released in 2024 so far, but the gross is high enough to make it the sixth biggest opening weekend of all time, with the two most recent “Avengers” films, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, and the first two “Star Wars” sequels of the 2010s holding it back from entering the top five. This total, however, only covers the film’s performance at the domestic box office, with worldwide ticket sales bringing its earnings up to $444 million; should the film maintain strong enough legs throughout the next few weeks, it should easily join 2019’s “Joker” to become the second R-rated billion-dollar grosser.",[25,1175,1176],{},"Marvel’s success may have been somewhat undercut by some of its most recent releases, but this doesn’t mean it’s ready to end any time soon, and this most recent weekend just further cemented Marvel’s rock-solid reputation with audiences. Between the announcements made at San Diego Comic-Con, many of which received overwhelmingly positive reactions from fans, and the record-breaking opening weekend achieved by “Deadpool & Wolverine”, the Marvel Cinematic Universe still has several people that continue to look forward to what it has to offer. Should that momentum remain as high as it is, then maybe Marvel’s woes will soon be a thing of the past.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1178},[],"2024-08-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-earns-211-million-during-record-breaking-opening-weekend",{"title":1153,"description":194},"deadpool-wolverine-earns-211-million-during-record-breaking-opening-weekend","blog\u002Fdeadpool-wolverine-earns-211-million-during-record-breaking-opening-weekend","73czxnhU8Gc2Ejy_mC15khHXx6mCcQNT-ezF0dM2TPI",{"id":1187,"title":1188,"body":1189,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1222,"description":1223,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1224,"navigation":71,"path":1225,"seo":1226,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1227,"stem":1228,"__hash__":1229},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Flonglegs-pulls-an-upset-earns-its-distributor-neon-its-biggest-opening-weekend-yet.md","“Longlegs” Pulls an Upset, Earns Its Distributor Neon Its Biggest Opening Weekend Yet",{"type":22,"value":1190,"toc":1220},[1191,1198,1201,1204,1207,1210,1217],[25,1192,236,1193],{},[47,1194,1197],{"href":1195,"rel":1196},"https:\u002F\u002Fgizmodo.com\u002Flonglegs-neon-box-office-2000471717",[51],"Gizmodo",[25,1199,1200],{},"For most major studios, the most desirable position on the box office charts is the top spot, that which shows that their most recent cinematic release is the most financially lucrative to come out that weekend. An opening at #1 may indicate that the film is bound for success as people from all over line up to see it, while opening any lower on the chart may indicate the opposite and suggest the possibility of the film ultimately bombing. Of course, being at the top of the box office (or not) is by itself not an immediate indicator of success; sometimes, a #1 opener can still have a less than satisfactory gross, whereas a film that opens lower can still develop legs and remain in place even as more releases compete for screens. In addition to all that, not all studios expect their films to rank that highly whenever they send them to theaters; while a major studio like Disney or Universal will do everything in their power to ensure that their releases earn as much as possible, smaller studios that focus on independent fare are usually content with having smaller openings. These are the likes of A24 and Neon, studios that don’t spend nearly as much on the production and distribution of films as their blockbuster-making counterparts and can thus be more accepting of opening weekend grosses that don’t even reach the tens of millions. With that said, if a film of theirs is able to surpass even the highest of expectations and take in more than anyone had anticipated, most people in the industry are likely to take notice. That’s exactly what’s happened this most recent weekend, as there’s been an independent release that, although it did not claim the top spot at the box office, still performed better than most would assume and even earned its distributor its biggest opening weekend to date. The film in question: the Neon-distributed Osgood Perkins-directed horror feature “Longlegs”.",[25,1202,1203],{},"Going into this weekend, most were expecting last weekend’s box office champion, Universal’s animated family film “Despicable Me 4”, to remain in the #1 position after opening with a fairly impressive Fourth of July weekend gross just a week prior. Sure enough, that was indeed what happened, with the film raking in roughly $44.7 million over the three-day period. It was the #2 spot, however, that caught most analysts and industry professionals off guard, as “Longlegs”, which cost less than $10 million to produce and only slightly more to market, exceeded most predictions (many of them figuring the film would make anywhere between $7-9 million throughout the weekend) and instead ended up earning around $22.6 million. There are quite a few reasons why this is so astounding: this is not only the biggest opening weekend for Neon in the entirety of its so-far seven years of existence, but it’s also the biggest opening weekend for any original horror film released so far this year. Not only that, but it’s a major high point for independent cinema in general; in fact, no other independently released horror film has been able to earn so much during its opening weekend.",[25,1205,1206],{},"To further demonstrate how unprecedented the success of “Longlegs” is so far, one needs to look no further than the other big release of the weekend, Sony and Apple’s period romantic comedy “Fly Me to the Moon”. Conventional wisdom would normally dictate that this film would be the kind to pull in respectable numbers at the box office; its premise about two people involved in the 1969 Moon landing is familiar and appealing to most of the general public, its leads Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum are fairly recognizable film stars, and the $100 million budget suggests that the studios involved in its making are confident that it would be, if not the biggest film of the year, one that audiences would be at least somewhat eager to see. In actuality though, despite it supposedly being the more safely marketable of the major films released this past weekend, “Fly Me to the Moon” only made it as high as the #5 spot on the box office charts, only earning around $10 million throughout the three-day period and even falling behind weeks-old holdovers like “Inside Out 2” and “A Quiet Place: Day One”. In short, the small-scale horror feature that only cost a fraction of what goes into the average Hollywood blockbuster came out well ahead of the actual Hollywood blockbuster that came out at the exact same time.",[25,1208,1209],{},"How was this possible? For one thing, even if Neon only spent so much to market “Longlegs”, they were able to do so in an incredibly clever manner. By placing the film’s trailer in front of many of the big releases that had come out in the weeks prior, and also by creating a sense of mystery in said trailer by limiting how much information they revealed (but still showing just enough to get potential viewers interested), Neon developed a near-perfect strategy that enabled them to advertise the film in the most effective way possible, with many comparing the film’s marketing campaign to another surprise horror hit, 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project”. Accordng to Neon distribution head Elissa Federoff, much of the campaign’s success can be attributed to how much creativity and imagination was put into it, claiming that they “built a movement around this film… when audiences can tell that it will be original and something they haven’t seen before, they’ll rally behind it.”",[25,1211,1212,1213,1216],{},"Second, not only did the film look good to most audiences, but those who saw it thought that it lived up to the hype. Reception from critics is almost overwhelmingly positive, with Rotten Tomatoes giving “Longlegs” an 86% approval rating and citing its “disquieting mood” and “a nightmarishly gonzo performance by ",[364,1214,1215],{},"one of its lead actors"," Nicholas Cage” as among the main reasons why critics have largely taken a liking to the film. General audiences are admittedly a little more mixed, with those polled by CinemaScore giving the film an average C+ rating, but considering that most horror films tend to receive ratings that low, word of mouth may prove stronger in the coming weeks than this rating suggests.",[25,1218,1219],{},"Of course, there’s plenty of competition that “Longlegs” will have to contend with. On top of the films that are also currently playing in theaters, the coming weeks will see the likes of “Twisters” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” take over the majority of screens, many of them almost guaranteed to make far more than this much-smaller horror film ever could. Then again, if its performance so far is any proof, perhaps “Longlegs” will continue to build an audience and earn its place as one of the breakout hits of this most recent summer.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1221},[],"2024-07-19","Source: Gizmodo",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Flonglegs-pulls-an-upset-earns-its-distributor-neon-its-biggest-opening-weekend-yet",{"title":1188,"description":1223},"longlegs-pulls-an-upset-earns-its-distributor-neon-its-biggest-opening-weekend-yet","blog\u002Flonglegs-pulls-an-upset-earns-its-distributor-neon-its-biggest-opening-weekend-yet","IW_MFQurVcW11-ry5gd6G01Qdn5zFE1eIrgf0j5xGgo",{"id":1231,"title":1232,"body":1233,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1263,"description":1264,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1265,"navigation":71,"path":1266,"seo":1267,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1268,"stem":1269,"__hash__":1270},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fafter-months-of-talks-paramount-will-merge-with-skydance.md","After Months of Talks, Paramount Will Merge with Skydance",{"type":22,"value":1234,"toc":1261},[1235,1242,1245,1248,1251,1254],[25,1236,236,1237],{},[47,1238,1241],{"href":1239,"rel":1240},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2024\u002F07\u002F08\u002Fparamount-skydance-merger.html",[51],"CNBC",[25,1243,1244],{},"Corporate mergers are rarely the type of process that anyone who isn’t a high-ranking company executive eagerly looks forward to, especially when the companies involved are major parts of a prominent industry, but in today’s day and age, they are nonetheless becoming increasingly common. Hollywood in particular has been subjected to quite a few acquisitions over the past decade or so; it was just over five years ago, for example, that the Walt Disney Company had completed its purchase of 20th Century Fox and brought a second major motion picture studio under its ownership. While no other buyout of this size and scale has happened with any of the other so-called Big Five studios (a collection that includes the likes of Universal and Warner Bros.), other major corporations have taken it upon themselves to acquire a given studio and seize control of its various film productions. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that MGM, at one point one of the most prestigious studios in all of Hollywood, was bought by tech giant Amazon, and only a couple years ago did ownership of Warner Bros. move from to Discovery Media from AT&T, which itself had only owned the studio for just a few years. Then there’s Paramount Global, a company that resulted from the merger of Viacom, which had previously owned film studio Paramount Pictures and its various subsidiaries, and news conglomerate CBS. As has been the case with quite a few of the aforementioned companies, very little time seems to have passed between that merger and another that was just recently announced. Despite the ups and downs of the negotiations that have taken place over the past couple months, it appears that Paramount will once again merge with another major company. Its name: Skydance Media.",[25,1246,1247],{},"With the coming merger, the Redstone family, whose company National Amusements previously held a majority of shares in Paramount, will hand over control to Skydance and its founder David Ellison, whose father Larry Ellison also happens to be the founder of another major company Oracle. Although talks of a merger between Paramount and Skydance had been brought to a halt just a few weeks earlier, it would appear that the new terms agreed to by the two companies are satisfactory enough for them to properly pursue such a procedure. According to the deal, private equity firms associated with Skydance like RedBird Capital will invest as much as $8 billion into Paramount, allowing to fully acquire National Amusements and give it around $2.4 billion in value ($1.75 billion of which will be in equity). Skydance itself will invest an additional $1.5 billion into Paramount as it brings all of its assets - the Paramount film studio as well alongside television networks like CBS and Nickelodeon - under its umbrella - and begins its efforts to completely reinvent the company. As Jeff Shell, a prominent representative of RedShell who will serve as the newly merged company’s president, puts it, “it’s a new Paramount, it’s not just a catchphrase… we think it’s going to be a new day for these combined assets.”",[25,1249,1250],{},"It should be noted that despite Paramount and Skydance agreeing to a merger, there’s still quite a bit that needs to happen before the deal can be fully sealed. For one thing, approval from the government and its various anti-trust departments needs to be given to ensure that this whole ordeal will not lead to a monopoly, a process that isn’t expected to be complete until around the third quarter of 2025. There’s also the “go-shop period” that’s set to take place during this time, that in which a special committe acting on behalf of Paramount can seek out other, potentially more preferable offers from other major corporations. Should no such offers be made though, and if the government were to give their seal of approval to Paramount and Skydance’s merger, then it would appear that the fate of Paramount Pictures and its associated film and television divisions is more or less set in stone. At the moment though, there does seem to be a great deal of optimism regarding the direction of the companies and the leadership of soon-to-be CEO David Ellison, whom Shell describes as a creative type most ideally suited to run a company intended to create art and entertainment. “It’s been a long time since a creative executive ran one of the big Hollywood companies,” Shell claims in a recent call with investors, “and I think it’s really important when creative is the core.”",[25,1252,1253],{},"To those currently working at Paramount, a merger with Skydance may as well be the best option available at the moment, especially given the recent struggles the company has had as of lately. The number of cable television customers on which the company had previously thrived has dropped dramatically over the past couple years, and its personal streaming service Paramount+ has yet to turn a profit (although the same can easily be said about many of its competitors, even the more popular Netflix and Disney+). Between all this and its company-wide marketing efforts doing little to generate greater interest in the company, it’s not surprising that Paramount’s stock has faced sharp drops over the past several months and shows little signs of going upwards any time soon. Skydance, as far as some of the most prominent figures in this situation know, could be the key to turning Paramount back into a major competitor; the two already have something of a pre-established history together (with Paramount distributing various Skydance-produced films in the past, as well as CBS partnering with Skydance for the airings of select National Football League games), so the familiarity they have with one another should be at least somewhat beneficial to both in the long run.",[25,1255,1256,1257,1260],{},"For the time being though, the Redstone family, currently headed by National Amusements head Shari Redstone, will have to oversee the transition of power from their decades-long ownership to that of Skydance, that which comes with feelings of melancholy but also hope on Redstone’s part. “As you know, my father ",[364,1258,1259],{},"Sumner Redstone"," built Viacom and CBS by bringing together a group of the best assets in media, news, and entertainment,” Redstone states in a memo written and sent to employees across Paramount and its various divisions. “While people often debated whether content or distribution ruled the day, my father was governed in all of his decisions by his belief that content was indeed king”. Hopefully, Skydance will continue to adhere to this philosophy and allow Paramount to keep making quality films and other forms of media.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1262},[],"2024-07-13","Source: CNBC",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fafter-months-of-talks-paramount-will-merge-with-skydance",{"title":1232,"description":1264},"after-months-of-talks-paramount-will-merge-with-skydance","blog\u002Fafter-months-of-talks-paramount-will-merge-with-skydance","AWIQrnOJ77bXf1km-bEHl4IEGuw7Fo8asHgzDGRvQcg",{"id":1272,"title":1273,"body":1274,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1302,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1303,"navigation":71,"path":1304,"seo":1305,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1306,"stem":1307,"__hash__":1308},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fr-i-p-bud-s-smith-editor-of-the-exorcist-flashdance-and-other-cinematic-classics.md","R.I.P. Bud S. Smith, Editor of “The Exorcist”, “Flashdance” and Other Cinematic Classics",{"type":22,"value":1275,"toc":1300},[1276,1282,1285,1288,1291,1294,1297],[25,1277,236,1278],{},[47,1279,538],{"href":1280,"rel":1281},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fbud-s-smith-dead-academy-award-film-editing-nominee-the-exorcist-flashdance-obituary-1235997761\u002F",[51],[25,1283,1284],{},"The work of a film editor may not always get the credit that it so often deserves, but without it, the art of cinema as it’s currently known would not exist, let alone be so universally revered. Before the invention of film editing, most filmmakers could only make films that were at most a few minutes long and showed a single perspective of a given subject; while the likes of Georges Melies were able to get slightly creative with their camera work and work around this issue to a certain extent, most cameras had to remain firmly in place and could not show more than one specific event at a time. It was only when filmmakers realized that one could cut and arrange different pieces of film into a specific order and use such combinations to tell longer and more substantial stories that the cinematic medium truly came alive. To this day, editing remains a necessary part of the post-production process, and while they may not always receive the name recognition of actors, directors, or other more widely admired individuals, there are those that are still looked up to as pioneers of the art form. These include Thelma Schoonmaker, who can claim credit for the assembly of countless Martin Scorsese features; Walter Murch, a frequent collaborator with Francis Ford Coppola who put together “The Godfather” and its sequels; Jennifer Lame, the most recent winner of the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for her work on Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”; and finally, an editor who sadly passed away just recently at the ripe age of 88, Bud S. Smith.",[25,1286,1287],{},"Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 6th, 1935, Smith began his career in the film industry in 1963, working his way through the editorial department before earning his first job as the chief editor of a feature in 1969. It was during that year that Smith assembled Robert Downey, Sr.’s comedic satire “Putney Swope”, which stars Arnold Johnson as a black advertising executive who’s voted chairman of the board and uses his new position of power to take his company in bold and audacious directions. Though a relatively small production (budgeted at only around $120,000), the film proved solid enough for Downey, Sr.’s liking that he asked Smith to edit his next two features: “Pound” in 1970 and “Greaser’s Palace” in 1972. It wasn’t until a year later in 1973 that Smith’s career truly took a turn for the better when he was hired to edit three films that were to be released that year: Vernon Zimmerman’s road comedy “Deadhead Miles”, another Robert Downey, Sr. film that was titled “Sticks and Bones” and made its premiere on television that summer; and a film that is arguably still Smith’s most widely praised work to date, William Friedkin’s supernatural horror classic “The Exorcist”.",[25,1289,1290],{},"One cannot overstate just how big of a hit “The Exorcist” was when it made its debut during the Christmas season of 1973; in fact, when adjusted for inflation, its box office gross is still among the ten highest of any feature film released in the United States. More importantly, while the film was certainly not without its controversies, reception from critics and audiences was generally very positive, enough for the film to ultimately receive ten Academy Award nominations (one of them being Best Picture) during the following year’s ceremony. Smith was one of the people who receives an Oscar nomination for his contributions to “The Exorcist”, nominated alongside Evan A. Lottman and Norman Gay in the category for Best Film Editing (ultimately losing to Carl and Harold F. Kress for “The Towering Inferno”). Smith’s editorial work for “The Exorcist” was so exceptional that he became one of Friedkin’s most frequent collaborators, working with the director on films like 1977’s “Sorcerer”, 1980’s “Cruising”, and 1985’s “To Live and Die in L.A.” among others.",[25,1292,1293],{},"“The Exorcist” would not be the only instance in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science would consider recognizing Smith’s work as an editor. About a decade after that film came the 1983 dance drama “Flashdance” directed by Adrian Lyne; while reviews of the feature were largely negative, there was a great deal of praise directed to various aspects of its technical craftsmanship, particularly Smith and fellow editor Walt Mulconery’s arrangement of the many tightly edited dance sequences that can be seen throughout. Smith was once again nominated for a Best Film Editing Academy Award for his work on this film, losing this time to the five-person team made up of Glenn Farr, Lisa Fruchtman, Stephen A. Rotter, Douglas Stewart, and Tom Rolf for “The Right Stuff”. Smith and Mulroney, were however, able to win the BAFTA for this exact same category, so they did not exit that year’s award ceremony completely empty-handed.",[25,1295,1296],{},"Apart from the previously discussed features, Smith’s biggest claim to fame as an editor may be the 1984 martial arts drama “The Karate Kid”, which continues to be thought of as a bona fide classic of the 1980s. It also happens to be the second film of his that he was also credited as producer; the first of these was the aforementioned “Sorcerer”, and in the following years, Smith would continue to be listed as producer in such films as Friedkin’s 1986 television film “C.A.T. Squad” and Tim Sullivan’s 2006 horror film “Driftwood”. Still, as much as Smith would serve as producer for certain feature films (especially during the later stages of his career), he continued to primarily work as an editor, with the 2005 sports drama “The Game of Their Lives” being the final film for which Smith served as an editor.",[25,1298,1299],{},"In 2012, Smith was unfortunately diagnosed with throat cancer, a condition that more or less brought what remained of his capability to work to an end. Smith would ultimately survive for another twelve years before passing away in his Studio City home on June 23rd after succumbing to respiratory failure. He is survived by his wife Lucy Coldsnow-Smith, who had previously worked as a dialogue editor on such films as “Boyz n the Hood” and “Million Dollar Baby” among many others. Like many great creators, Smith may no longer be among the living, but his contributions to the cinematic medium will keep his legacy alive for several years to come.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1301},[],"2024-07-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fr-i-p-bud-s-smith-editor-of-the-exorcist-flashdance-and-other-cinematic-classics",{"title":1273,"description":557},"r-i-p-bud-s-smith-editor-of-the-exorcist-flashdance-and-other-cinematic-classics","blog\u002Fr-i-p-bud-s-smith-editor-of-the-exorcist-flashdance-and-other-cinematic-classics","TbHcWjN0zu5e0JLSK_rd3J6GUC5PBAdRw4rJFaABrZA",{"id":1310,"title":1311,"body":1312,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1337,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1338,"navigation":71,"path":1339,"seo":1340,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1341,"stem":1342,"__hash__":1343},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Finside-out-2-tops-dune-2-and-becomes-2024s-biggest-box-office-draw-so-far.md","“Inside Out 2” Tops “Dune 2” and Becomes 2024’s Biggest Box Office Draw (So Far)",{"type":22,"value":1313,"toc":1335},[1314,1320,1323,1326,1329,1332],[25,1315,236,1316],{},[47,1317,391],{"href":1318,"rel":1319},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fbox-office\u002Finside-out-2-highest-grossing-movie-year-passing-dune-2-1236045195\u002F",[51],[25,1321,1322],{},"Throughout most of the first half of 2024, the reigning champion of the box office charts was Warner Bros. and director Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic “Dune: Part 2”, the sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 feature “Dune”. That film proved to be a surprise hit in a pandemic-recovery climate that made it difficult for most other cinematic releases (garnering over $400 million at the global box office as well as six Academy Awards), so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that the sequel has done even better, nearly doubling its predecessor’s gross with a current total of around $712 million. In spite of all this success, Villeneuve, while very much proud of how warmly his films have been received, seems to be a bit disappointed that it’s taken so long for any other film released this year to come close to matching, if not topping, his accomplishment. In a recent interview, Villeneuve lamented how his film has remained at the top of the yearly box office for as long as it has, citing the underperformance of certain big-budget releases and claiming that his film still being #1 is less a sign of its quality and more a sign of how the current box office landscape isn’t producing as many big hits as it probably should. Granted, part of this may be the result of last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which forced various different major releases to be pushed back and resulted in a few noticeably large gaps in the yearly release schedule, but even then, one would assume that studios would try to find a way to fill those gaps while they make preparations for their bigger features to come out. While there have been a few solid successes so far this year - Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” and Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” stand out in particular - nothing has been able to top “Dune: Part 2”... or at least that was the case until very recently, with a studio that ironically struggled quite a bit last year stepping in to usurp the aforementioned sci-film’s box office throne. The studio that’s done this is Disney; its film is “Inside Out 2”.",[25,1324,1325],{},"Going into its opening weekend, “Inside Out 2”, an animated production from Disney and its subsidiary Pixar, already had a lot working to its advantage that suggested a bright future for the film. As a sequel to 2015’s “Inside Out”, which earned just under $860 million during its initial box office run and continues to be cherished as one of Pixar’s best films, this newer feature had the benefit of a built-in audience that could develop a nostalgic attachment to the original film in the nine years since it had first came out. Also proving advantageous for the film is the generally favorable reception from critics, with many praising the film for its capability of expanding upon the ideas of the first film in an inventive and thought-provoking manner. Before the film finally made its debut during Father’s Day weekend, analysts had projected an opening weekend gross of around $80 to $90 million. This would’ve been enough to declare the film one of Disney’s biggest successes in recent memory, but as it turns out, such estimates were unable to take into account just how highly anticipated this animated feature turned out to be.",[25,1327,1328],{},"By the time the period between Friday, June 14th and Sunday, June 16th came to an end, “Inside Out 2” managed to accumulate a weekend domestic gross of around $154 million; this is the biggest opening weekend for any film since last year’s “Barbie”, it’s the third biggest opening weekend for an animated film (trailing only 2019’s remake of “The Lion King” and 2018’s “Incredibles 2”), and the fourth biggest opening weekend for a PG-rated feature (following the two previously mentioned films and 2017’s remake of “Beauty and the Beast”). Needless to say, Disney could not be happier that the film is performing as well as it is, especially considering how so many of its big-screen releases last year failed to meet expectations. In fact, the most recent Pixar films have generally struggled to break even at the box office (at least when they weren’t sent straight to the streaming service Disney+); 2022’s “Lightyear” only made $226 million on a $200 million budget (resulting in a loss of over $100 million), and last year’s “Elemental”, while ultimately able to develop strong legs and make it to just under $500 million, still had to overcome Pixar’s lowest-grossing opening weekend to date. Because of all this, Disney has been banking on “Inside Out 2” to do well and lift Pixar out of its post-pandemic slump, and so far, it looks like it’s outpacing even the most optimistic of expectations.",[25,1330,1331],{},"For further evidence of how well “Inside Out 2” is doing, one needs to look no further than its second weekend at the box office, which is usually a strong indicator of how well a film is being held up by word-of-mouth. If a film makes significantly less in its second weekend than it did in its first, the assumption is that people aren’t responding to the film nearly as well as one would desire; if the drop isn’t quite as steep, that usually means people are enjoying the film and may in fact be coming back to see it additional times. As it turns out, “Inside Out 2” was fortunate enough to drop by only 34.4% and earn over $101 million throughout the three-day period; that’s more than it was initially predicted to make during the prior weekend, and it’s enough for the film to earn the biggest second weekend for any animated feature. Films earning $100 million or more during their second weekend of release is already a rare achievement, so Disney not only has much to celebrate at the moment, but if the film can maintain similar holds throughout the coming weeks, they’ll still have much to celebrate as the summer season moves along.",[25,1333,1334],{},"Admittedly, the next month or so does appear to be pretty competitive and may keep “Inside Out 2” from holding onto the top spot for very long. Another animated family film, Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” will likely draw audiences of all ages through the Fourth of July holiday period, and before the end of the month, “Deadpool and Wolverine” could break out with the year’s biggest opening weekend (which, if early tracking is any indication, is a very strong possibility). For the time being though, “Inside Out 2” sits comfortably at the top with a current domestic gross of $356 million and an overseas gross of $373 million, totalling to around $729 million worldwide. That’s more than enough to surpass “Dune: Part 2” as the highest-grossing release of 2024 so far, something that Denis Villeneuve is perhaps quite pleased to see happen.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1336},[],"2024-06-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Finside-out-2-tops-dune-2-and-becomes-2024s-biggest-box-office-draw-so-far",{"title":1311,"description":194},"inside-out-2-tops-dune-2-and-becomes-2024s-biggest-box-office-draw-so-far","blog\u002Finside-out-2-tops-dune-2-and-becomes-2024s-biggest-box-office-draw-so-far","XPaX88bg94xu9H1rwMty0VvVdkRSNPj8eiKYKfzfnw0",{"id":1345,"title":1346,"body":1347,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1372,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1373,"navigation":71,"path":1374,"seo":1375,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1376,"stem":1377,"__hash__":1378},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwild-robot-elton-john-and-other-films-announced-for-tiff-2024-line-up.md","“Wild Robot”, Elton John, and Other Films Announced for TIFF 2024 Line-Up",{"type":22,"value":1348,"toc":1370},[1349,1355,1358,1361,1364,1367],[25,1350,236,1351],{},[47,1352,279],{"href":1353,"rel":1354},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Ftiff-2024-films-elton-john-amy-adams-1235925472\u002F",[51],[25,1356,1357],{},"Even when a major film festival isn’t set to take place for at least a couple months, it can still find ways to generate hype and get people excited about what they might possibly be able to see at the upcoming event. Frequently, how festivals go about doing this is by announcing at least some of the features that will be screened (in some cases, for the first time ever) at some point during the multi-day event, giving potential attendees a brief glimpse into what lies in store for them upon entering one of the several venues taking part in the festival. Even when only a small fraction of the selected cinematic works are made known to the public prior to the event, those that are revealed, especially those that have already gathered a decent amount of attention, are usually enough to draw the interest of festival-goers and make them curious as to what else there is to offer. Because of all this, when a film festival does announce at least some of the films it’s chosen for exhibition, reactions tend to be equal parts enthusiastic and intrigued, with the inclusion of such films creating an impression that these are some of the most ambitious and skillfully crafted works of cinema that one may find throughout this entire year. That’s certainly what’s happening with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) right now; though its 2024 event won’t take place until later this September, it’s already generated quite a bit of buzz with the few titles it has declared as part of its upcoming festival line-up. Some of these films have already gotten their fair share of marketing and are therefore highly anticipated by film-goers; others are perhaps a bit less familiar but nonetheless succeed in getting people excited to see them. In any case, the films that TIFF organizers publicly revealed on Tuesday, June 18th are those that will likely be among the most looked-forward-to once the event begins on September 5th and continues until September 15th.",[25,1359,1360],{},"Perhaps the most noteworthy of the mainstream cinematic releases that are currently known to be awaiting a screening at TIFF is Universal and DreamWorks’ animated science fiction adventure “\n“The Wild Robot”, which will be among the various films to receive their world premiere at the upcoming festival. So far, there’s been a great number of factors that have suggested that this film will be one to look out for: its director is Chris Sanders (best known for such critically acclaimed features as “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon”), its voice cast consists of well-regarded actors like Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal, and its visually stunning art style brings to mind the earlier DreamWorks release “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”, which many have praised as one of the best films ever made by the studio. There’s just as much hope that “The Wild Robot”, the story of a robot stranded on a distant island who befriend the animals inhabiting the territory, will be just as universally beloved, and if its inclusion at this year’s TIFF is any indication, the odds of it receiving such a reception are very much in its favor.",[25,1362,1363],{},"Also set to makes its world premiere at the Toronto festival is the amusingly titled “Nightbitch”, a surreal blend of horror and comedy from director Marielle Heller (whose previous directorial credits include “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”). Based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Yoder and starring Amy Adams in the lead role, the film has so far been described as a bizarre depiction of a woman whose transition to a stay-at-home mother role leads her down a horrifically peculiar path. What that means is not yet certain (unless, of course, one is already familiar with the source material), but what is certain is that the film’s screening will occur alongside Adams being honored by TIFF with a Tribute Performer Award that recognizes her long and impressive career as an actor, one that likely will be further praised come the release of “Nightbitch”.",[25,1365,1366],{},"Of course, these aren’t the only major releases one will have to look forward to at this year’s TIFF, and the few others that have been announced do seem to hold just as much potential to become a big breakout hit. Among said films are the following: the Elton John documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late” from directors R.J. Culter and David Furnish; “Harbin”, a South Korean drama directed by Woo Min-ho of “Inside Man” fame and starring actors Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Park Jeong-min, and Jeon Yeo-been; Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck”, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story starring Jacob Tremblay and Tom Hiddleston; and “Rez Ball”, a portrayal of Indigenous basketball players from director Sydney Freeland (who was previously involved in the production of “Echo” and “Reservation Dogs”, both of which also revolve primarily around characters of Indigenous backgrounds).",[25,1368,1369],{},"These titles may only be a small percentage of those that await exhibition at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, but they should be enough to attract the attention of festival attendees and make them more eager to find out what else there is to find throughout the eleven-day event. According to TIFF chief programming officer Anita Lee, the films revealed so far are indeed just a sampling of the plethora of cinematic creations that are currently being prepared to be shown at the festival, and those that have yet to be announced are in no way less exceptional. “We know the TIFF audience has been eagerly anticipating what films will be coming to Toronto this September, and today’s announcement is a perfect snapshot of what’s to come this year,”  Lee states while discussing the films that she and her fellow festival organizers have chosen to make known to the public, further stating that “TIFF is renowned for showcasing works from both emerging and established filmmakers worldwide”. What those other films may be might not be currently known, but if those that are known are any indication, then it’s safe to say that there will be much to wait with excitement  for at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1371},[],"2024-06-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwild-robot-elton-john-and-other-films-announced-for-tiff-2024-line-up",{"title":1346,"description":298},"wild-robot-elton-john-and-other-films-announced-for-tiff-2024-line-up","blog\u002Fwild-robot-elton-john-and-other-films-announced-for-tiff-2024-line-up","P22AJWo5-0REMvbDYFaoyl3XKkskWXaZIF8E6ChXVAI",{"id":1380,"title":1381,"body":1382,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1447,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1448,"navigation":71,"path":1449,"seo":1450,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1451,"stem":1452,"__hash__":1453},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fantidote-brats-and-other-films-to-look-out-for-at-this-years-tribeca-film-festival.md","“Antidote”, “Brats”, and Other Films to Look Out for at This Year’s Tribeca Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":1383,"toc":1445},[1384,1390,1397,1405,1413,1421,1429,1437],[25,1385,236,1386],{},[47,1387,391],{"href":1388,"rel":1389},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Ftribeca-festival-film-premieres-kristen-stewart-lily-gladstone-1236023829\u002F",[51],[25,1391,1392,1393,1396],{},"In the world of film festivals, there’s never a true end, but rather a continuous transition from one event to another. The Cannes Film Festival, for example, may have come and gone, but now many are turning their attention towards the next few film festivals set to take place within the coming weeks, perhaps most notably the Tribeca Film Festival. Held mainly within the boundaries of New York City, the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Jane Rosenthal and Robert de Niro and entering its twenty-third year with its most recent occurrence (its founding largely being a response to the September 11th attacks that took place in 2001), may appear to be a more local event compared to the prestige of Cannes, Venice, and other international film festivals, but that doesn’t make any of the films exhibited any less worthy of one’s attention and respect. In fact, when choosing many of the cinematic works that they considered strong enough for a festival screening, a thematic pattern seemed to emerge among those selected; the pattern is perhaps not intentional, but it does nonetheless speak to where society in general may be at this point in time. “It’s not like we set out to say, ‘This is what we want to do.’ As an activist film festival, we always look for ",[364,1394,1395],{},"political"," films,” Rosenthal claims while discussing the line-up of the upcoming festival.. “This year, there’s a mental health narrative. I don’t know if that’s a post-COVID thing”. Whether this pattern was intentionally taken into consideration or a mere coincidence, one cannot deny that there are still plenty of fascinating films that one can look forward to seeing at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which begins June 5th and is set to end on the 16th. Choosing highlights out of all those that are expected to be screened during the twelve day period is rarely an easy feat, but there are fortunately a small handful that have proven able to stand out just a little bit more than some of the others:",[25,1398,1399,1404],{},[486,1400,1401],{},[57,1402,1403],{},"Antidote"," - it was sadly not too long ago that Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary “Navalny”, had his life cut short by forces of the Russian government that he had been so vocally opposed to. Such an alarming incident, however, isn’t enough to keep filmmakers from speaking out against the regime, with this James Jones-directed feature being the latest to openly comment on the injustices committed by Russia’s highest authority figures. Focusing primarily on three people who likewise went out of their way to expose the atrocities for which Russian president Vladimir Putin and his associates are allegedly responsible for, this was a risky film to create, which makes it all the more deserving of existence.",[25,1406,1407,1412],{},[486,1408,1409],{},[57,1410,1411],{},"Brats"," - to most people growing up in the 1980s, the group of actors collectively referred to as the Brat Pack features a decent number of names that one may still find somewhat familiar, those that range from the likes of Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore to Jon Cryer and Lea Thompson. One of these former Brat Packers, Andrew McCarthy, has taken on a directorial position as he gathers many of the other individuals associated with this group to look back at their lives and careers and consider all that’s taken place in the time since the peak of their popularity. Much attention is drawn to a New Yorker magazine article that branded these actors with this specific title, one that may have had major effects on all of these actors in the long run.",[25,1414,1415,1420],{},[486,1416,1417],{},[57,1418,1419],{},"Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge"," - interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton are quite abundant within this documentary, but there’s no denying that this is meant to be about the titular fashion icon above all others. Von Furstenberg herself gets plenty of time to share her history and personal struggles with directors Sharmin Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, both of whom use their film to look back at the designer who first created the wrap dress and many other groundbreaking innovations within the world of fashion. Though not without its distressing moments, this film is otherwise a celebration of Von Furstenberg’s influence and a reminder of what the industry could be like if not for her various accomplishments.",[25,1422,1423,1428],{},[486,1424,1425],{},[57,1426,1427],{},"Jazzy"," - losing the Academy Award for Best Actress has surprisingly done very little to diminish the spirits of actor Lily Gladstone, who seems to have received more and more opportunities to show off her exceptional talents in the time since. This Morrisa Maltz-directed drama does not appear to be any different; an insight into the childhood of a South Dakota-born Oglala Lakota girl, this film makes for a genuine emotional roller coaster as it explores the impact of family and grief on one’s coming-of-age. The reunion of Gladstone and Maltz, who previously collaborated on “The Unknown Country”, more or less guarantees that this film will strike a very personal chord with many and be incredibly moving for many others as well.",[25,1430,1431,1436],{},[486,1432,1433],{},[57,1434,1435],{},"Sacramento"," - while perhaps best known for his acting roles in films like “Oppenheimer” and television series like “Will & Grace”, Michael Agarano is no stranger to the director’s chair, having previously helmed the 2017 feature “Avenues” and attracted a decent amount of attention with his surprisingly cinematic skills. This long-awaited follow-up feature hopes to prove that the quality of Agarano’s directorial debut was no fluke, and its buddy comedy premise does hold a great deal of potential. Also featuring actors Michael Cera and Kristen Stewart among others, this story of two friends contending with the responsibilities of adulthood will prove relatable to anyone who’s entered their thirties yet still doesn’t feel like their lives are fully figured out yet.",[25,1438,1439,1444],{},[486,1440,1441],{},[57,1442,1443],{},"Winter Spring Summer of Fall"," - there’s nothing quite as compelling as a romance between two people who couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. With this film, director Tiffany Paulsen brings actors Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White together for an upbeat rom-com storyline about an overachieving musical genius and an underachiever who enjoys music but isn’t nearly as committed to making it. Against all odds, a summer romance blossoms, one that is threatened by the possibility of their respective paths taking them in separate directions, although if one is familiar with this genre, then they might be at least a little confident in love being able to triumph no matter how much stands in its way.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1446},[],"2024-06-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fantidote-brats-and-other-films-to-look-out-for-at-this-years-tribeca-film-festival",{"title":1381,"description":194},"antidote-brats-and-other-films-to-look-out-for-at-this-years-tribeca-film-festival","blog\u002Fantidote-brats-and-other-films-to-look-out-for-at-this-years-tribeca-film-festival","C4CP6U0MaGgCctKKuqQbIT4GZh3QH4WUGGeMLWVFWzU",{"id":1455,"title":1456,"body":1457,"category":259,"coverImage":12,"date":1447,"description":1461,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1476,"navigation":71,"path":1477,"seo":1478,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1479,"stem":1480,"__hash__":1481},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-foreign-language-films-have-become-a-pop-culture-phenomenon.md","How Foreign Language Films have become a Pop Culture Phenomenon",{"type":22,"value":1458,"toc":1474},[1459,1462,1465,1468,1471],[25,1460,1461],{},"If the average viewer was asked for some of the best film releases as of late, joining the likes of Avengers and Oppenheimer would likely be Parasite. International media has grown in popularity, particularly with the younger audience, exponentially in recent years. While massive franchises like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominate the box office, foreign films have seen a major rise in public interest. Several Korean and Japanese movies have taken both the box office and social media by storm with many of them trending on X, formally known as Twitter, and several having found success at prestigious award ceremonies.",[25,1463,1464],{},"When the 92nd Academy Awards came around in early 2020, the world of cinema was forever changed with the resounding success of Bong Joon Ho’s smash hit Parasite. The Korean film made waves at the Oscars, taking home four awards, Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay, alongside a further two nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Production Design. With the release and subsequent praise of Parasite, public interest in foreign films saw a massive increase, and both international feature films and foreign language films have been thriving ever since.",[25,1466,1467],{},"Now, in a post-Parasite world, the amount of these movies that have experienced great success has only grown more and more as the years go on. Last year saw the release of several major hits in both fiction and non-fiction, including Justine Triet’s French crime drama Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s British historical drama The Zone of Interest and Mstyslav Chernov’s Ukrainian war documentary 20 Days in Mariupol. Similar to Parasite, each of these films found great success at the Academy Awards, with Anatomy of a Fall winning Best Original Screenplay, The Zone of Interest winning both Best International Feature Film and Best Sound, and 20 Days in Mariupol winning Best Documentary Feature Film. American films with heavy use of foreign languages have also grown more common and widely accepted, with Celine Song’s Past Lives being nominated for Best Picture alongside major english language productions like Chrisopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Prior to this past year, Edward Berger’s adaptation of classic German war film and novel All Quiet on the Western Front hit Netflix in October 2022 and found remarkable success, winning several different categories at the 2023 Oscars including Best International Feature Film, Best Music, and more, alongside nominations in major categories such as Best Picture.",[25,1469,1470],{},"Venturing into the realm of animation, international productions have become some of the most widely beloved and well regarded films in the industry. This past year, Hayao Miyazaki’s adventure drama The Boy and the Heron released as the newest movie from the renowned Japanese Director, and the film received the award for Best Animated Feature Film at the most recent Academy Awards. Another Japanese director, Makoto Shinkai, has also been releasing many major hits including Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume, all of which have experienced incredible critical and commercial success.",[25,1472,1473],{},"Included in the list of recent success stories are many of our own films here at WWMPC. Some of our most recent releases such as Imogen Thomas’s heartwarming Australian indie film Emu Runner, Juan Vicente Chuliá’s documentary Dancers, and Akan Satayev’s Kazakhstani drama The Road to Mother have all found remarkable success at film festivals and award shows alike. Our newest film slated for release early next year is academy award winner Bille August’s Danish romance and war drama The Kiss which has also received a nomination at the prestigious Danish Film Awards alongside several wins and nominations at film festivals across Europe.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1475},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-foreign-language-films-have-become-a-pop-culture-phenomenon",{"title":1456,"description":1461},"how-foreign-language-films-have-become-a-pop-culture-phenomenon","blog\u002Fhow-foreign-language-films-have-become-a-pop-culture-phenomenon","p4NSmOXBTg-gFyxPss_99ZH2QMKk1qsptqhFVDpDoBs",{"id":1483,"title":1484,"body":1485,"category":297,"coverImage":1506,"date":1507,"description":1489,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1508,"navigation":71,"path":1509,"seo":1510,"seoDescription":1511,"seoTitle":1512,"slug":1513,"stem":1514,"__hash__":1515},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-submissions-open.md","WWMPC Opens Submissions for 2025 Acquisition Slate",{"type":22,"value":1486,"toc":1504},[1487,1490,1493,1501],[25,1488,1489],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is now accepting submissions from filmmakers for consideration in its 2025 acquisition slate.",[25,1491,1492],{},"We're looking for completed features and late-stage works-in-progress across genres, with a particular interest in character-driven dramas, regional stories, and films that take their time. We do not require festival premieres, though prior festival play is welcome context.",[25,1494,1495,1496,1500],{},"Filmmakers can submit directly through our ",[47,1497,1499],{"href":1498},"\u002Fsubmit-your-film","Submit Your Film"," page. Please include a link to a screener or trailer, a brief synopsis, and your contact information.",[25,1502,1503],{},"We review submissions on a rolling basis and aim to respond to all filmmakers within a few weeks.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1505},[],"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fsubmissions-open.jpg","2024-06-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-submissions-open",{"title":1484,"description":1489},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is accepting film submissions for its 2025 acquisition and distribution slate.","WWMPC Opens Submissions for 2025 Slate","wwmpc-submissions-open","blog\u002Fwwmpc-submissions-open","6_r1qYxGbS-h20Xb8hFeJzGU4yrchanZRVmLa7hhOYI",{"id":1517,"title":1518,"body":1519,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1547,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1548,"navigation":71,"path":1549,"seo":1550,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1551,"stem":1552,"__hash__":1553},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fanora-named-latest-palme-dor-winner-at-2024-cannes-film-festival.md","“Anora” Named Latest Palme d’Or Winner at 2024 Cannes Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":1520,"toc":1545},[1521,1527,1530,1533,1536,1539,1542],[25,1522,236,1523],{},[47,1524,538],{"href":1525,"rel":1526},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F05\u002Fcannes-film-festival-winners-2024-full-list-1235940952\u002F",[51],[25,1528,1529],{},"Another Cannes Film Festival has come and gone, and with it, the latest in a long line of films that have been deemed worthy enough of the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor, has been announced. As the curtains began to fall on the latest occurrence of an event that’s taken place usually every year since 1946, those in attendance waited eagerly to find out which of the features that were screened In Competition would be fortunate enough to receive this highly coveted prize. There were quite a few notable titles that Cannes jurors could’ve chosen from: Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making science fiction epic “Megalopolis”, Yorgos Lanthimos’ black comedy anthology “Kinds of Kindness”, Ali Abassi’s eerily relevant biographical drama “The Apprentice”, and David Cronenberg’s surreal arthouse horror “The Shrouds” among several others that were equally eager to claim Cannes’ top prize for itself. In the end however, this year’s selection of Main Competition jurors, a line-up that included such esteemed names as Lily Gladstone, Omar Sy, and Jury President Greta Gerwig, showed preference to a film that was perhaps smaller in scale compared to some of its biggest competition, a feature made by a filmmaker who was already making steady progress throughout the festival circuit with his past few features. That filmmaker’s name is Sean Baker, and the film he submitted to this year’s Cannes Film Festival is simply referred to as “Anora”.",[25,1531,1532],{},"Described by many as a modern-day Cinderella story, Baker’s romantic comedy-drama stars Mikey Madison (best known beforehand for her roles in “Scream” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as the titular character, a Brooklyn-based stripper who meets and enters a relationship with Ivan (played by Mark Eydelshteyn), the young son of a powerful Russian oligarch. It isn’t long before the two are wed, and it takes even less time for the latter’s parents to discover their marriage and do everything in their power to end it. As one might expect, various complications arise from forces outside and within Anora and Ivan’s relationship, resulting in all the tension and drama often found in these kinds of situations.",[25,1534,1535],{},"To Cannes jurors, such drama was more than enough to keep them invested, enough for them to name “Anora” the best feature to be screened In Competition at this year’s event. This is not the first instance in which Baker had vied for the Palme d’Or - his 2021 feature “Red Rocket” also competed for the award during that year’s festival (ultimately losing out to Julia Ducournau’s “Titane”) - but it is of course the first time in which Baker has managed to actually win the award (as well as the first time any American film had done so since Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” in 2011). As she announced “Anora” as this year’s Palme d’Or recipient, Gerwig praised it as an “incredibly human and humane film that captured our hearts, made us laugh, let us hope beyond hope and then broke our hearts and never lost sight of the truth”, making it very clear that it was exactly what she and her fellow jurors were looking for in a film that they considered most deserving of this award.",[25,1537,1538],{},"Describing this victory as his “singular goal as a filmmaker for the past 30 years”, Baker enthusiastically accepted the award, claiming to have been blown away by the festival choosing to even screen his film, let alone declare it the best of the best. During his speech, Baker also spoke to the current state of theatrical exhibition within the world of cinema, stating that he wanted to do everything in his power to keep the practice of going to the cineplex to view whatever was being shown their alive and well for as long as possible. “I’m going to fight for cinema because right now as filmmakers we need to fight to keep cinema alive,” Baker said to those present at the ceremony where he accepted his Palme d’Or. “This means making feature films intended for theatrical exhibition. The world has to be reminded that watching a film at home while scrolling through your phone checking emails and half paying attention is just not the way - although some tech companies would like us to think so. Watching film with others in a movie theater is one of the great communal experiences, we share laughter, sorrow, anger, fear and hopefully have a catharsis with our friends and strangers - and that’s sacred. So I say the future of cinema is where it started, in a movie theater.”",[25,1540,1541],{},"With the Palme d’Or now secured, “Amora” will soon make its way to theaters across the globe and continue to wow audiences the way it did with those in attendance at Cannes, an effort that will be a lot easier to achieve thanks to Neon securing distribution rights to the film (at least in the United States, as Universal’s independent division Focus Features will handle distribution in various international markets). This is actually the fifth Palme d’Or winner in a row that Neon has been fortunate enough to distribute, with the likes of last year’s “Anatomy of a Fall”, 2022’s “Triangle of Sadness”, the aformentioned 2021 film “Titane”,  and 2019’s eventual Best Picture Academy Award winner “Parasite” all being acquired by Neon following their wins at the Cannes Film Festival. All of these films have benefited greatly from the attention that Neon has been able to gather for them, and should things play out in a similarly favorable manner, “Anora” should be able to likewise gain a respectable reputation as one of this year’s most notable titles.",[25,1543,1544],{},"“Anora” wasn’t the only film to receive recognition from Cannes jurors though, with Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” even taking both a Jury Prize and a shared Best Actress award that went to its largely female ensemble (one that included Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofia Gascon). “The Seed of a Sacred Fig”, meanwhile, earned its director Mohammad Rasoulof a Special Prize, while “Grand Tours” director Miguel Gomes was named Best Director. Jesse Plemons was named Best Actor for his performance in “Kinds of Kindness” (although he was sadly not present to accept the award), and “All We Imagine as Light”, India’s first film to compete at Cannes in years, was honored with the Grand Prize. Like “Anora”, these are all highly commendable works of cinematic art, and their popularity will hopefully continue to grow from here on out.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1546},[],"2024-06-01",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fanora-named-latest-palme-dor-winner-at-2024-cannes-film-festival",{"title":1518,"description":557},"anora-named-latest-palme-dor-winner-at-2024-cannes-film-festival","blog\u002Fanora-named-latest-palme-dor-winner-at-2024-cannes-film-festival","ji409F8bFbiu1Ap6v7z1Ze-1LbV83D-yG28vzFSxXe0",{"id":1555,"title":1556,"body":1557,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1585,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1586,"navigation":71,"path":1587,"seo":1588,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1589,"stem":1590,"__hash__":1591},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fstudio-ghibli-the-boy-and-the-heron-creator-wins-honorary-palme-dor-at-cannes.md","Studio Ghibli, “The Boy and the Heron” Creator, Wins Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes",{"type":22,"value":1558,"toc":1583},[1559,1565,1568,1571,1574,1577,1580],[25,1560,236,1561],{},[47,1562,391],{"href":1563,"rel":1564},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fstudio-ghibli-cannes-1236007884\u002F",[51],[25,1566,1567],{},"There are few international film-going events quite as revered as the Cannes Film Festival, which normally takes place in the French city of Cannes around the month of May, and there are few awards given out at Cannes that are as highly sought after as the Palme d’Or. Translating to the Golden Palm in English, the Palme d’Or is more often than not awarded to a single film that is selected for in-competition exhibition at each annual festival; there will usually be several feature films vying for the prize, but under normal circumstances, only one can claim it at a time. However, there is also the less common, but nonetheless immensely desirable Honorary Palme d’Or, which isn’t awarded to a single film so much as it is to a person (or in this most recent case, a group) that has had some significant impact on the world of cinema. First given to Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman in 1997, the Honorary Palme d’Or has not been handed out each year at Cannes, but those who are fortunate enough to receive are generally regarded as some of the world’s most esteemed figures associated with the cinematic medium. These include French actress Jeanne Moreau, Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, and big-name Hollywood stars like Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise. At this most recent Cannes Film Festival, for the first time since the award’s inception, three Honorary Palme d’Or have been given out: one to Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep, another to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, and the last given not to a single filmmaker, but an entire studio that has produced some of the most universally acclaimed features of the past few decades. Its name: Studio Ghibli.",[25,1569,1570],{},"To almost everyone living in its native Japan, as well as countless others living elsewhere across the globe, Studio Ghibli needs no introduction. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma (all of whom collaborated on “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, directed by Miyazaki and released a year prior to unprecedented critical and commercial success), the studio has maintained a shockingly strong track record throughout its nearly forty years of existence, with many of its features being among the highest-grossing releases of all time in Japan. On top of that, its popularity appears to be just as high in various different international markets, with the likes of “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away” being frequently regarded as some of the greatest films ever made (with those two previously mentioned films even making their way onto Sight and Sound’s most recent Greatest Films of All Time list). Such overwhelming admiration has only grown more apparent with the release of Miyazaki’s latest film “The Boy and the Heron”, which not only became the first Japanese animated feature to top the North American box office upon its release in December of last year, but also earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, making it one of only two non-English language films to do so (the other being the aforementioned “Spirited Away”, which earned the exact same prize after its North American release in 2002).",[25,1572,1573],{},"Given such a reputation, it seems fitting that if the Cannes Film Festival were to give out a Palme d’Or to a collective of multiple people for the first time, it’d be a studio as almost universally cherished as Studio Ghibli. That being said, if one were to ask Miyazaki how he feels about such recognition, he’d probably be rather hesitant to take full credit for the success of his studio and its productions, or at least that’s what Suzuki, his long-time associate and producer, claims. “He knows a large group of people have helped make each one of his films,” Suzuki states with the assistance of a Japanese-English translator. “Miyazaki is typically Japanese, which is to say he is very shy. When he learned this award was for our studio as a group, he was very happy with that. It takes a long time to make his movies and many people help make the movies.”",[25,1575,1576],{},"Miyazaki and Suzuki may be rather nonchalant about Ghibli receiving such a prestigious prize, but when it comes to those giving it out, there doesn’t seem to be anything less than unapologetic enthusiasm, at least not from Irish Knoblach and Thierry Fremaux, the president and general delegate of Cannes respectively, who released a statement prior to awarding Ghibli expressing the passion and appreciation they and the rest of the festival have for the studio that brought “Grave of the Fireflies” and “Princess Mononoke” into the world. “For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” the statement reads. “Like all the icons of the seventh art, these characters populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”",[25,1578,1579],{},"At first though, nobody working at Studio Ghibli could’ve ever predicted how much the world would come to wholeheartedly embrace their films, as their main priority at the time was simply making sure that they could keep making one feature after another and remain successful enough to do so, never once considering the fact that they were making some of the greatest animated masterpieces of all time in the process. “We were too busy,” Suzuki half-jokingly remarks. “We were making the first film and we thought maybe if we can make this film and it succeeds then we can make the next film. But we knew that if we fail and the movie is bad or if no one likes it then that was the end of us. So we were just focusing on that first film.”",[25,1581,1582],{},"That placement of their focus, fortunately, has paid off tremendously. On top of all that Miyazaki has created, the likes of “The Cat Returns” director Hiroyuki Morita and Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed “The Secret World of Arrietty” and the Academy Award nominated “When Marnie Was There”, have also built respectable reputations for themselves while working for the studio. Regardless of who has directed one of its many widely adored cinematic releases though, there’s no denying that Studio Ghibli has set a standard for filmmaking that few other individuals and studios have managed to come anywhere close to reaching. Such an astonishing achievement does not deserve to go without some recognition, and many would agree that the Honorary Palme d’Or given to it at the most recent Cannes Film Festival is exactly what it deserves most.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1584},[],"2024-05-25",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fstudio-ghibli-the-boy-and-the-heron-creator-wins-honorary-palme-dor-at-cannes",{"title":1556,"description":194},"studio-ghibli-the-boy-and-the-heron-creator-wins-honorary-palme-dor-at-cannes","blog\u002Fstudio-ghibli-the-boy-and-the-heron-creator-wins-honorary-palme-dor-at-cannes","T9I7oeo8XDXJ6xl69lcoTCsnSU-vWRnO5_v0x8l2F0c",{"id":1593,"title":1594,"body":1595,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1675,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1677,"navigation":71,"path":1678,"seo":1679,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1680,"stem":1681,"__hash__":1682},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-2024-has-commenced-here-are-some-films-to-look-out-for.md","Cannes 2024 Has Commenced. Here are Some Films to Look Out For.",{"type":22,"value":1596,"toc":1673},[1597,1604,1607,1615,1623,1631,1634,1637,1645,1653,1665],[25,1598,236,1599],{},[47,1600,1603],{"href":1601,"rel":1602},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffestivals\u002Fcannes-buzziest-sales-titles-competition-packages-1235002771\u002F",[51],"IndieWire",[25,1605,1606],{},"Being one of the most highly revered film-going events to be found across the globe, the Cannes Film Festival, which takes place on a yearly basis (usually around the month of May) in the French city of Cannes, will often set a standard as to which films can be deemed as among the best of the best. While there can be as many as thousands of feature-length and short films that are submitted to festival organizers each year with the hopes of being selected for the annual line-up, only a fraction of those will end up making the cut and receiving exhibition at one of the various venues that have opted to take part in the festival. Because of this, if a film does find its way to Cannes, there’s more often than not something about it that’s worth taking into serious consideration. Whether it’s a major studio release hoping to use good word-of-mouth to further draw attention to itself, a passion project for a filmmaker that has previously garnered much acclaim for this past cinematic efforts, or the feature film debut of an up-and-comer who might have what it takes to become the next big name, its chances of success can be greatly boosted by the promotion it receives from inclusion at the Cannes Film Festival. This year alone, there are plenty of festival selections that are looking to earn the support of a major distributor and move further along their paths to critical and commercial success, and while not all of them have been picked up yet (in fact, some of them may not even be picked up at all), those that are being heavily considered for widespread distribution will continue to make their case as they shine upon the big screens that one can access while attending the festival. There are too many notable titles to list at once, but here’s a handful of them that perhaps stand out a bit more than the rest:",[25,1608,1609,1614],{},[486,1610,1611],{},[57,1612,1613],{},"The Apprentice"," (directed by Ali Abassi) - to say that Donald Trump has become a controversial figure over the past few years would be something of an understatement, so it should come as no surprise that a film about his history would attract the attention of so many. Starring Sebastian Stan as Trump during his earlier years, this biographical drama looks to be every bit as enticing as it is harrowing.",[25,1616,1617,1622],{},[486,1618,1619],{},[57,1620,1621],{},"Bird"," (directed by Andrea Arnold) - little is currently known about this coming-of-age drama, which is likely the result of major plot details deliberately being withheld by distributor Cornerstone Films. What has been revealed is the starring of Barry Keogan and Franz Rogowski as lead characters Bug and Bird, whose dynamic could result in one of the most emotionally moving features to come out of this year’s festival.",[25,1624,1625,1630],{},[486,1626,1627],{},[57,1628,1629],{},"Christmas Eve on Miller’s Point"," (directed by Tyler Taormina) - on top lead actors Michael Cera and Elsie Fisher, one will also be able to spot the children of iconic filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese among the cast. Such an ensemble is more than enough to earn the attention of festival attendees, yet it’s the film’s careful mix of light-hearted comedy and family drama that will hopefully keep them in their seats.",[25,1632,1633],{},"***Emilia Perez ***(directed by Jacques Ardiard) - the director of 2012’s “Rust and Bone” seeks to be a major contender for the Palme d’Or once more, and his latest film could very well be his most ambitious work yet. A comedic crime thriller featuring Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramirez in the lead roles, this film appears to have what it takes to attract the attention of festival-goers, if not the big prize itself.",[25,1635,1636],{},"***Megalopolis *** (directed by Francis Ford Coppola) - it’s been quite a while since the renowned director of “The Godfather” brought anything to the big screen, and with this sci-fi drama, he’s looking to make a comeback to end all comebacks. With a budget of over $100 million and a cast that features the likes of Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel, this is easily one of the most notable titles that can be found at this year’s festival.",[25,1638,1639,1644],{},[486,1640,1641],{},[57,1642,1643],{},"Motel Destino"," (directed by Karim Aïnouz) - 2019 saw Aïnouz’s “Invisible Life” win Un Certain Regard at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, while “Firebrand” from last year contended for the Palme d’Or. His latest feature, an erotic thriller set in the heart of his native Brazil, proves that Aïnouz is not yet finished with trying to win over Cannes audiences, and given his past with the festival, there are likely already those looking forward to his latest offering.",[25,1646,1647,1652],{},[486,1648,1649],{},[57,1650,1651],{},"Oh, Canada"," (directed by Paul Schrader) - though perhaps best known for writing the script for the 1976 classic “Taxi Driver”, Schrader has also stepped into the position of director on multiple occasions. This drama serves as his latest cinematic creation, and with lead actor Richard Gere already attracting much buzz for his performance in this film, this could be one of the more unexpected breakouts of this year’s event.",[25,1654,1655,1660,1661,1664],{},[486,1656,1657],{},[57,1658,1659],{},"Queens of Drama"," (directed by Alexis Langlois) - those associated with the making of this musical drama have described it as possibly “the queerest film ",[364,1662,1663],{},"one has"," ever seen”, a bold claim to make but not one without merit. In depicting a romance between two popular performers - one’s a pop singer, the other’s a punk rocker - this French feature starring Louiza Aura and Gio Ventura could very easily be the next big Cannes inclusion to take the world by storm.",[25,1666,1667,1672],{},[486,1668,1669],{},[57,1670,1671],{},"Savages!"," (directed by Claude Barras) - it was only a few years ago that Barras’ previous animated feature “My Life as a Zucchini” earned its way into a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. He could very easily repeat that feat with this latest stop-motion creation, one that tells the story of a baby orangutan which also serves as a poignant and relevant pro-environmental narrative.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1674},[],"2024-05-18","Source: IndieWire",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-2024-has-commenced-here-are-some-films-to-look-out-for",{"title":1594,"description":1676},"cannes-2024-has-commenced-here-are-some-films-to-look-out-for","blog\u002Fcannes-2024-has-commenced-here-are-some-films-to-look-out-for","uBH51TzKKZbcVZjOWgxZ6XxI6ZHFSk1HOtAM3TQjKe0",{"id":1684,"title":1685,"body":1686,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":1741,"description":1742,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1743,"navigation":71,"path":1744,"seo":1745,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1746,"stem":1747,"__hash__":1748},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-the-kiss-for-north-american-release.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires The Kiss for North American Release",{"type":22,"value":1687,"toc":1739},[1688,1700,1703,1706,1709,1712,1715,1718,1724,1727,1730,1736],[25,1689,1690,1693,1694,1699],{},[57,1691,1692],{},"Los Angeles, CA, May 15, 2024","  –(",[47,1695,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":1697},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002F",[51],"PR.com",")– World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) has acquired the exclusive US\u002FCanadian distribution rights to The Kiss, the multi-award winning Danish feature film directed by Bille August, it is announced by Paul D. Hancock, CEO of WWMPC. A poignant, intense romantic drama, The Kiss is the latest work by August, the acclaimed filmmaker whose Pelle the Conqueror starring Max Von Sydow won the Academy Award, Palme d’Or and Golden Globe, and whose international successes also include The House of the Spirits starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close and Les Miserables starring Liam Neeson and Uma Therman.",[25,1701,1702],{},"Originally released last year in Europe, The Kiss illuminates what August describes as “the complex emotions that people encounter when faced with difficult circumstances, such as a romantic relationship with a disabled person who does not wish to be defined solely by their disability.”",[25,1704,1705],{},"WWMPC management is considering different release dates for The Kiss which stars accomplished Danish actors Clara Rosager, Esben Smed, and Lars Mikkelsen who starred in the most recent Star Wars installment Ahsoka. The cast gives a tour de force performance in this evocative and touching period drama.",[25,1707,1708],{},"In The Kiss, Rosager plays Edith, a wealthy baron’s daughter who is paralyzed from the waist down due to an accident. She faces a chance at love with Anton who is played by Smed. Anton, a military lieutenant, questions whether his feelings for her are true or only pity. He is also conflicted by fears that the relationship may affect his prestigious future military career.",[25,1710,1711],{},"“We’re honored to bring this memorable work by such a distinguished filmmaker to American audiences to enjoy and add it to our long list of celebrated film releases,” stated Hancock.",[25,1713,1714],{},"WWMPC will be partnering with Juno Films of New York to extend the film’s theatrical footprint with select arthouse theaters and the digital distribution of the film across multiple platforms. Juno specializes in custom distribution strategies, targeting audiences that have a unique appreciation for films like The Kiss. Recent Juno releases include Lasse Hallstrom’s Hilma and the upcoming Sundance audience award winner for Best Dramatic Feature, Girls will be Girls.",[25,1716,1717],{},"The Kiss has garnered a wide variety of awards and accolades from critics around the world including the Audience Award at The Robert Awards in Denmark, The Grand Prix at The Warsaw International Film Festival in Poland, Best Director at the Barcelona Film Festival in Spain, Official Selection at the Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden, Official Selection at the European Film Festival Lebanon, Official Selection at the Film by the Sea International Film Festival in the Netherlands, and Official Selection at the Bari International Film Festival in Italy.",[25,1719,45,1720,1723],{},[47,1721,52],{"href":49,"rel":1722},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry Executives and Board Members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and numerous honors from international film festivals.",[25,1725,1726],{},"Media Contact",[25,1728,1729],{},"Alyssa Beltran",[25,1731,1732],{},[47,1733,1735],{"href":1734},"mailto:wwmpc@wwmpc.com","wwmpc@wwmpc.com",[25,1737,1738],{},"(714)960-7264",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1740},[],"2024-05-14","Los Angeles, CA, May 15, 2024  –(PR.com)– World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) has acquired the exclusive US\u002FCanadian distribution rights to The Kiss, the multi-award winning Danish feature film directed by Bille August, it is announced by Paul D. Hancock, CEO of WWMPC. A poignant, intense romantic drama, The Kiss is the latest work by August, the acclaimed filmmaker whose Pelle the Conqueror starring Max Von Sydow won the Academy Award, Palme d’Or and Golden Globe, and whose international successes also include The House of the Spirits starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close and Les Miserables starring Liam Neeson and Uma Therman.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-the-kiss-for-north-american-release",{"title":1685,"description":1742},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-the-kiss-for-north-american-release","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-the-kiss-for-north-american-release","lhb69B0o2NUofoSKpaL9abEsCZ4QrR6gWV-JrLJNcOw",{"id":1750,"title":1751,"body":1752,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1795,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1796,"navigation":71,"path":1797,"seo":1798,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1799,"stem":1800,"__hash__":1801},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-bayona-to-labaki-here-are-the-jurors-for-the-2024-cannes-film-festival.md","From Bayona to Labaki, Here are the Jurors for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":1753,"toc":1793},[1754,1760,1763,1766,1769,1772,1775,1778,1781,1784,1787,1790],[25,1755,236,1756],{},[47,1757,538],{"href":1758,"rel":1759},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F04\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2024-competition-jury-1235898054\u002F",[51],[25,1761,1762],{},"No film festival can be complete without at least one jury (each of them comprised of a solid handful of people with experience and expertise in the world of cinema) to examine the films being presented to them, discuss the merits of these films with their peers, and ultimately come to a decision as to which of them are most worthy of recognition. If a film festival is to award a given number of cinematic works submitted to them, there must first be a carefully chosen group of people who are capable of deciding who and what are most deserving of such accolades. A smaller festival may have to settle for jurors who reside in the general area, but a larger festival may be fortunate enough to gather some of the most esteemed individuals currently working in the industry to comprise its juries. Such is the case for many of the world’s prestigious film festivals, with the Cannes Film Festival arguably being, if not the single most revered film-going event, among those most highly anticipated with each passing year. With the 2024 Cannes Film Festival set to take place later this month (from May 14th to May 25th to be precise), it too must find those most qualified to judge the films selected for this year’s event, and sure enough, it has indeed done just that. As a matter of fact, on April 29th, eight of the main Competition jurors were announced in addition to Greta Gerwig, who had already been revealed as jury president not too long ago. These nine individuals will be responsible for viewing all the films competing for the Cannes Film Festival’s most sought-after prizes, with the Palme d’Or, the festival’s equivalent of a Best Picture award, being its highest honor. Each of these nine people represent the best of what the art of cinema currently has to offer, and when looking at many of their past accomplishments, it’s not difficult to understand how.",[25,1764,1765],{},"As was previously stated, Greta Gerwig shall serve as jury president, a title that she took a surprisingly short amount of time to receive. Over the past seven years, Gerwig has garnered a great deal of attention with three highly acclaimed directorial efforts. Her 2017 film “Lady Bird” played a crucial role in elevating Gerwig’s status to something more noteworthy and respectable, and her 2019 adaptation of “Little Women” only furthered proved that she was a talented and artistically ambitious filmmaker. However, her most impressive feat so far is last year’s “Barbie”, a cinematic adaptation of the popular doll line that earned a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Award and became the highest-grossing film of 2023 (which it achieved in part due to its connections to the popular Barbenheimer craze, the result of it being released alongside Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”).",[25,1767,1768],{},"Also benefiting from the attention generated by an Oscar nomination is Lily Gladstone, one of the eight other jurors who will serve alongside Gerwig. An actor whose background is rooted in the indigenous Blackfoot and Nez Perce Tribal Nations, Gladstone has been able to get her career up and going with roles in such films as Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 film “Certain Women” and Morissa Maltz’s “The Unknown Country” in 2022. To most however, Gladstone is best known for her appearance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, which premiered last year to great critical acclaim and garnered Gladstone a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in the film.",[25,1770,1771],{},"Another relatively well-known actor who will join her fellow jurors at Cannes is Eva Green, whose balance of independently produced features and big-budget blockbusters has allowed her to build a reputation as one of the industry’s most flexible actors. The likes of 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2014’s “300: The Birth of an Empire” have enabled Green to become a noteworthy name among mainstream film-goers, but films like 2011’s Perfect Sense” and 2019’s “Proxima” have proven that big audiences aren’t entirely necessary for Green to demonstrate her talents.",[25,1773,1774],{},"French actor Omar Sy has likewise proven successful as a performer in both his native France and in Hollywood, often finding himself rotating between the two regions whenever he has the opportunity to lend his skills to a given feature film. Having received his big break with 2011’s “The Intouchables”, Sy has since maintained his popularity with such French productions as 2013’s “Mood Indigo” and 2020’s “The Lost Prince” while also building a reputation in the United States with blockbuster fare like the “Jurassic World” franchise.",[25,1776,1777],{},"It was the “Jurassic World” franchise that also gave director J.A. Bayona, who helmed 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”, one of his biggest international hits to date. In his native Spain however, Bayona has perhaps received more acclaim for his 2007 debut feature “The Orphanage” and 2012’s “The Impossible”, which earned him a Goya Award for Best Director as well as four others for the film. His most recent directorial effort, “Society of the Snow”, has proven even more remarkable with a grand total of twelve Goya Awards received overall.",[25,1779,1780],{},"Hailing from the Italian nation is Pierfrancesco Favino, whose career bears strong parallels to Sy’s in that he too has made a considerable effort to take on a few roles in Hollywood releases in addition to his regular appearances in Italian cinema. One can find Favino in such blockbuster releases as 2009’s “Angels & Demons” and 2013’s “World War Z”, but those hoping to see him at his very best will likely find what they’re looking for in the Italian-made 2005’s “Romanzo Criminale” and 2020’s “Padrenostro”, the latter of which won him a Best Actor award at that year’s Venice Film Festival.",[25,1782,1783],{},"Far from a stranger to the Cannes Film Festival, screenwriter\u002Fphotographer Ebru Ceylan can claim writing credits for such films as 2008’s “Three Monkeys” and 2011’s “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”, which managed to win Best Director and Grand Prix prizes respectively. Many of the films Ceylan has been attached to have also been selected for competition at Cannes, with 2014’s “Winter Sleep” even being fortunate enough to take the Palme d’Or and uphold Ceylan’s reputation as a filmmaker worthy of admiration.",[25,1785,1786],{},"Nadine Labaki has also made multiple films that have received major recognition from the Cannes Film Festival, the most notable being 2018’s “Capernaum”, which benefited greatly from a Cannes Jury Prize win and later went on to receive Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best International Feature. Prior to that, Labaki also released “Where Do We Go Now?” in 2011, which was presented at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard selection and helped to further establish her as a filmmaker worthy of attention.",[25,1788,1789],{},"Lastly (but certainly not leastly), there is Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kor-eda, who started his career making television documentaries before making repeated appearances at Cannes with a wide array of features ranging from 2001’s “Distance” to 2016’s “After the Storm”. His biggest achievement at Cannes so far, however, is his Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters” from 2018, which later earned an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature, although his Best Screenplay win for last year’s “Monster” proves that Kor-eda may not have fully peaked yet.",[25,1791,1792],{},"These are the nine jurors who will work together to serve this year’s Cannes Film Festival and determine which of the films to be included in Competition deserve to be honored most above all others. All of these filmmaker have benefited in some way from their own recognition awarded to them by Cannes, and hopefully they too will be able to allow the same to happen to at least one up-and-coming filmmaker hoping to make it big at this year’s festival.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1794},[],"2024-05-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-bayona-to-labaki-here-are-the-jurors-for-the-2024-cannes-film-festival",{"title":1751,"description":557},"from-bayona-to-labaki-here-are-the-jurors-for-the-2024-cannes-film-festival","blog\u002Ffrom-bayona-to-labaki-here-are-the-jurors-for-the-2024-cannes-film-festival","29_jjtnRs9LEMqMy3Y6dc5T2HtRTFVcRGS61YkkPzC8",{"id":1803,"title":1804,"body":1805,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1838,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1839,"navigation":71,"path":1840,"seo":1841,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1842,"stem":1843,"__hash__":1844},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-fiction-the-holdovers-claim-wga-awards-over-a-month-after-the-oscars.md","“American Fiction”, “The Holdovers” Claim WGA Awards Over a Month After the Oscars",{"type":22,"value":1806,"toc":1836},[1807,1813,1816,1819,1822,1833],[25,1808,236,1809],{},[47,1810,279],{"href":1811,"rel":1812},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fwriters-guild-awards-2024-winners-list-1235873732\u002F",[51],[25,1814,1815],{},"When the 96th Academy Awards concluded during the evening of March 10th, many believed that the long and laborious award season had finally reached its end. After all, many consider the Oscars to be the most highly anticipated award show of the season, so once it’s over, so is the yearly film awards circuit. As it turns out however, the end of award season had not fully been reached; in fact, even after over a month since the Academy Awards’ announcement of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” as the Best Picture of the year 2023, there are still a small handful of smaller organizations and ceremonies still in need of handing out their own respective awards. One of these organizations was the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a labor union consisting of hundreds of film and television writers currently working throughout the American entertainment industry. Although the exact reasons for the WGA choosing to hold its award ceremony after the Academy Awards instead of before it like in previous years (and like how nearly every other major Hollywood guild, including the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), many suggest that the months-long strike the WGA participated in last year may be a significant factor, as its placing of normal operations on hold likely forced the WGA to postpone its yearly event rather than haphazardly try to plan it before the Oscars. Whatever the case may be, the Writers Guild Awards nonetheless took place on Sunday, April 14th, and even if the outcomes of certain categories weren’t too difficult to predict, there was still plenty to celebrate for those honored.",[25,1817,1818],{},"Of the various awards handed out by the WGA, only three relate specifically to materials written for the cinematic medium: Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Documentary Screenplay. The latter may sound rather unusual in theory given that the purpose of a documentary is to showcase real-live people and events instead of completely make them up, but in many cases, a proper screenplay can allow a documentary filmmaker to get their intentions across in an effective manner. This year (as is normally the case), the WGA chose to nominate five documentary features in this category: “Bella!”, written by Jeff L. Lieberman; “It Ain’t Over”, written by Sean Mullin; “Stamped from the Beginning”, written by David Teague and adapted from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s book of the same name; “What the Hell Happned to Sweat, Blood, and Tears?”, written by John Scheinfeld; and the ultimate winner, “The Pigeon Tunnel”, written by Errol Morris.",[25,1820,1821],{},"Over in the category for Best Adapted Screenplay, Cord Jefferson’s Academy Award winning screenplay for “American Fiction”, which he based on the Percival Everett novel “Erasure”, added further to its success streak with yet another major award win. In earning the WGA prize, “American Fiction” overcame the competition of four other nominees, some of which it also competed with at the Oscars: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”, written Kelly Fremon Craig and based on the book by Judy Blume; “Killers of the Flower Moon”, written by Martin Scorsese & Eric Roth and based on the book by David Grann; “Nyad”, written by Julie Cox and based on the book “Find a Way” by Diana Nyad; and “Oppenheimer”, written by Christopher Nolan and based on the book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.",[25,1823,1824,1825,1828,1829,1832],{},"The outcome of Best Oirignal Screenplay, on the other hand, was a little less predictable due to “Anatomy of a Fall”, which had won the Oscar for this exact same category, was deemed ineligible for a nomination by the WGA. Nonetheless, it wasn’t too difficult to determine which film would win; with its biggest source of competition out of the way, David Hemingson’s screenplay for “The Holdovers” was able to come out on top. In doing so, it overcame the competition of these four additional nominees: “Air”, written by Alex Convery; “Barbie”, written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (which ironically was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards due to it being based on the doll character of the same name); “May December”, written by Sammy Burch and Alex Mechanik; and “Past Lives”, written by Celine Song. In his acceptance speech, Hemingson credited “a brilliant cast ",[364,1826,1827],{},"including the likes of Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa"," and a brilliant director ",[364,1830,1831],{},"Alexander Payne","” while also paying tribute to his family, specifically (in his own words), “in memory of my mother who raised me, my uncle who saved me, and my father, who gave me my love of the written word and taught me the value of integrity.”",[25,1834,1835],{},"There were many acceptance speeches like the one Hemingson gave that came across as rather heartfelt and endearing, but there were also quite a few speeches that maintained a sarcastic and critical tone as well, many of them addressing the very reasons why the WGA went on strike several months ago. At the ceremony’s New York location (the event was held simultaneously in both New York City, and Los Angeles, California), host Josh Gondelman joked about his own difficulty working as a writer in the aftermath of the strike, claiming that he remains unemployed as a way to show solidarity with his fellow writer while nothing that some people are still getting back on their feet… just to make ends meet, Jon Stewart was forced to take a part-time job working Monday nights”. However, the strongest speech that directly referenced the strike came from the WGA’s Eastern Division president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who thanked all the other guilds that striked with or showed their support for the WGA during the time when they most needed it. “To me, the most pivotal moments of the WGA strike of 2023 were each and every time we were joined by our sister unions,” Cullen stated. “Each and every time Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians showed up to play honky tonk on the sidewalks of New York City. Each and every time a Teamster truck driver refused to cross our line. Each and every time an IATSE crew member sacrificed their day’s pay for our cause. Each and every time a SAG-AFTRA actor grabbed a megaphone out of our hands and chanted chants that did not rhyme. Thank you for your solidarity. We are one union, and we stand by your side, forever.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1837},[],"2024-04-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-fiction-the-holdovers-claim-wga-awards-over-a-month-after-the-oscars",{"title":1804,"description":298},"american-fiction-the-holdovers-claim-wga-awards-over-a-month-after-the-oscars","blog\u002Famerican-fiction-the-holdovers-claim-wga-awards-over-a-month-after-the-oscars","lv1mXXsr5thqKP-Lo_SF-UAFbOTj8qbhs0Yd0Atmn58",{"id":1846,"title":1847,"body":1848,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1874,"description":1852,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1875,"navigation":71,"path":1876,"seo":1877,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1878,"stem":1879,"__hash__":1880},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhundreds-of-beavers-generates-hundreds-of-laughs-from-frida-cinema-and-other-theaters.md","“Hundreds of Beavers” Generates Hundreds of Laughs from Frida Cinema and Other Theaters",{"type":22,"value":1849,"toc":1872},[1850,1853,1856,1859,1862,1869],[25,1851,1852],{},"Picture taken live at Frida Cinema",[25,1854,1855],{},"The evening of April 8th, 2024 saw dozens of people line up just outside the entrance to the Frida Cinema, a nonprofit independent theater located in the heart of Santa Ana, California. Despite there being so many different people gathering to see one film in particular, not one of them had to pay a cent for admission; everyone who had managed to acquire a ticket for that night’s event had either gotten it via their membership to the Orange County theater or through an email sent to those who had responded to a Polygon article offering up to 150 tickets to the screening that night. Given the overall enthusiasm among the crowd though, there’s a good chance that most of these people would’ve gladly shelled out as much money as possible to access an exhibition of the film being shown that night. Said film is one that has already made the rounds at various venues and festivals over the course of the past several months, garnering overwhelming acclaim from every critic and audience fortunate enough to see this film. From what has been spoken of the film so far, one may be led to assume that it’s a revolutionary work of high art that challenges the norms of the current cinematic landscape and captivates audiences with its distinct approach to the cinematic medium. In a way, the film can indeed be described as such, though perhaps not for the reasons that one would use to describe the average arthouse feature. In fact, this film is conceptually one of the last that most would think of as “high art”, yet to those who have seen it, its execution is strong and clever enough for it to achieve this status regardless of how it appears on the surface. The film in question: Mike Cheslik’s slapstick comedy “Hundreds of Beavers”.",[25,1857,1858],{},"Shot entirely in grainy black and white and foregoing the use of any comprehensible dialogue, Cheslik’s film serves as a throwback to the silent age of cinematic comedy while also drawing heavily from various popular video games and cartoons. Set during a particularly harsh winter some time in the 19th century, the film follows Jean Kayak (played by Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, who also serves as one of the film’s producers and screenwriters alongside Cheslik), an applejack-salesman-turned-fur-trapper who must survive the cold climate while striving to win the heart of a merchant’s daughter. How he must go about completing such tasks is primarily by trapping various animal species (particularly the titular rodent above all others), although in typical slapstick comedy fashion, catching and killing these animals is far easier said than done. Even then, nothing can prepare the protagonist for the sheer insanity that comes from the beavers and their suspiciously extravagant construction skills.",[25,1860,1861],{},"The exhibition strategy utilized by Cheslik and his fellow filmmakers is rather unorthodox compared to most other independently released features. First premiering at Austin, Texas’ Fantastic Fest at the end of September 2022, “Hundreds of Beavers” has not been placed under the distribution of an outside company, as Cheslik has instead chosen to distribute the film himself and have it be booked at one cinematic venue after another, hoping that word of mouth will be strong enough to draw in audiences without having to resort to typical marketing practices. So far, the film has found its way to plenty of film festivals both within and outside the United States, being screened during such events as the Wisconsin Film Festival in April of 2023 to Germany’s Fantasy Filmfest White Nights in January 2024 (among many others). It wouldn’t go into “official” release until January 26th of this year though, and rather than open in hundreds of theaters simultaneously, the theatrical rollout has been a bit more gradual, slowly making its way to each new market while just as slowly building a credible reputation. It would appear that this release strategy is designed to use word of mouth to get as many people packed into a single screening as possible, and if that is in fact the case, it seems to be working phenomenally.",[25,1863,1864,1865,1868],{},"So far, critical reception to “Hundreds of Beavers” has been almost unanimously positive; review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a 95% approval rating from critics with an average rating of 8.3\u002F10, while the audience approval rating is an equally respectable 93% with a 4.7\u002F5 average. According to the site’s consensus, the film is “a comedic gem that gives a dam” that benefits from “sustaining a zany premise with stylistic bravura and inspired gags”, with one critic in particular, Variety’s Dennis Harvey, praising the film as “a sort of vast homage to comedy past ",[364,1866,1867],{},"...including"," the Roadrunner v. Coyote Saga, as well as pre-talkie knockabout humor… and so on”. Its current total box office intake, meanwhile, sits at just over $207,000, which may seem rather underwhelming compared to the average Hollywood release and its ability to gross millions of dollars, but is more than enough to make back the film’s incredibly low budget of $150,000. More revenue is expected to pour in as “Hundreds of Beavers” enters one new market after another, with its mostly positive reception hopefully being enough to attract the interest of the most attentive of film enthusiasts.",[25,1870,1871],{},"Such enthusiasts filled the seats of the Frida Cinema during its “Hundreds of Beavers” screening that Sunday evening, and those in attendance can confirm that the film more than lives up to the hype. A continuous laugh-fest throughout the entirety of its one-hundred-and-eight-minute running time, the film succeeded in blowing its viewers away with its absurd and cartoon-like comedic antics, and by the time it finally came to an end, one could hear an ecstatic round of applause from just about everyone as the credits rolled and the lights turned back on. The Q&A with director Mike Cheslik proved just as enjoyable, with Cheslik answering many of the questions asked to him with a relatively sarcastic and unserious tone that many were likely more delighted by than they would’ve been by a regular Q&A (and to say nothing of an “unexpected” beaver appearance). Experiences like this seem to be quite common among all of the screenings that “Hundreds of Beavers” has had so far, and while a digital release of the film is planned for later this month, there’s still hope that more and more people will be able to view this film in theaters as many others already have. Should that still be the case, the film’s already passionate audience will continue to grow and built it up as a modern masterpiece of comedic cinema.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1873},[],"2024-04-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhundreds-of-beavers-generates-hundreds-of-laughs-from-frida-cinema-and-other-theaters",{"title":1847,"description":1852},"hundreds-of-beavers-generates-hundreds-of-laughs-from-frida-cinema-and-other-theaters","blog\u002Fhundreds-of-beavers-generates-hundreds-of-laughs-from-frida-cinema-and-other-theaters","_BbpSqLTUlTFdUCk-vcijLFpC7HkSEE_Q2FDgis0Fcs",{"id":1882,"title":1883,"body":1884,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1909,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1910,"navigation":71,"path":1911,"seo":1912,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1913,"stem":1914,"__hash__":1915},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgeorge-miller-to-receive-career-achievement-award-at-upcoming-cinemacon.md","George Miller to Receive Career Achievement Award at Upcoming CinemaCon",{"type":22,"value":1885,"toc":1907},[1886,1892,1895,1898,1901,1904],[25,1887,236,1888],{},[47,1889,279],{"href":1890,"rel":1891},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fgeorge-miller-furiosa-award-cinemacon-1235864386\u002F",[51],[25,1893,1894],{},"For the most part, CinemaCon is a time for studios to look forward to the future and make a big spectacle out of all the major releases they have prepared for the upcoming months. First held in 1975 and referred to as the ShoWest Convention (a name that would be changed to CinemaCon in 2011), the event is the creation of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), a trade group that consists of many of the nation’s most prominent theater chains that was first founded in 1959. Each year, NATO uses CinemaCon as an opportunity for the major studios to come together and reveal to its attendees (more often than not those with direct ties to the industry overall), acting as an exposition and a trade show where people and businesses with a major stake in Hollywood and its associated goings-on can show off whatever new innovation (whether it’s a new film or an advancement in how one can experience such a film) they have to offer. Progress tends to be first and foremost on the mind for anyone who happens to make their way to CinemaCon (which has historically been held in Las Vegas, with this year’s event taking place at the city’s Caesar’s Palace location), but at the same time, it does make a slight effort to look back from time to time. This is usually whenever CinemaCon seeks to honor any individual whose contributions to the cinematic medium are deemed worthy enough to be recognized with a major accolade, and each year, the event does find the time to hand out at least one of these career achievement awards. The likes of George Lucas, Michelle Yeoh, and countless others have each been fortunate enough to be honored by CinemaCon, and it will be at the most recent convention, currently set to take place next week, will another filmmaker be commemorated for his work. That filmmaker’s name: George Miller.",[25,1896,1897],{},"On Tuesday, April 2nd, CinemaCon announced that in less than a week - specifically on Monday, April 8th during a lunch ceremony - Australian filmmaker George Miller will receive a lifetime achievement award for his decades of contribution to the medium of cinema. In a publically released statement, CinemaCon managing director Mitch Neuhauser praised Miller for his ambitious and innovative approach to cinematic storytelling, referring to the seventy-nine year old auteur as “an archetypal storyteller” who “has transformed the imaginations of moviegoers worldwide, forever altering the cinematic landscape… his filmmaking serves as a testament to his enduring impact and inspiration”. Miller already has plenty to be excited about this year - his newest film “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is set to be released during Memorial Weekend next month (and will likely have a sneak preview shown to CinemaCon attendees) - but the decision to award Miller with a Career Achievement accolade can only make an already exciting time an even greater cause for celebration.",[25,1899,1900],{},"Ironically, Miller himself likely never anticipated any of this growing up in his native Queensland, especially considering that he had initially planned to go down a completely different career trajectory. Although he and his brother Chris would experiment with filmmaking from time to time during his early adulthood (even completing a short film titled “Violence in Cinema: Part 1” in 1971), George had originally set his sights on becoming a medical doctor, having studied medicine at the University of New South Wales and later completing his residency in 1972 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. However, it was through his experience as a doctor that Miller found the inspiration for what soon became his most famous cinematic creation. In witnessing a variety of brutal injuries (and more than a few deaths) brought upon by reckless automobile accidents, Miller began to imagine a world where careless driving had gotten prevalent enough for it to be a harbinger of a decaying society, and from that vision, he would craft the film that would seal his fate and make cinema the focal point of his legacy. That film was soon released in Australia during April of 1979; its name was “Mad Max”.",[25,1902,1903],{},"Despite a polarizing critical reception upon its initial theatrical release, its unprecedented box office success more than guaranteed that the film would leave a lasting impact. With a budget no greater than $400,000, “Mad Max” was able to receive roughly $100 million in global ticket sales, making it for a time the single most profitable film ever made. Such success could not go without at least one attempt at being replicated, and in the following years, Miller would expand upon the story he first finished in 1979 with two more sequels: “Mad Max 2” in 1981 (titled “The Road Warrior” for its North American release due to concerns about those who may not have been familiar with the original film) and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” in 1985. Work on a fourth film went in and out of production for the next few decades, with Miller turning his attention towards other films in the time in between, but all that time proved to be more than worth it in the end. Finally released in 2015, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is widely hailed as being Miller’s single greatest cinematic creation to date, with the film’s six Academy Award wins and several other nominations (including Best Picture and Best Director nods for Miller) proving the film was indeed as exceptional as everyone claimed it was.",[25,1905,1906],{},"Of course, there’s more to Miller's career than just the “Mad Max” films. Among his other works are 1992’s “Lorenzo’s Oil”, which garnered Miller a nomination for Best Original Screenplay; 1995’s “Babe” and its 1998 sequel “Babe: Pig in the City” (Miller only wrote and produced the former, but did also direct the latter); and another family-friendly duology, the 2006 animated feature “Happy Feet” (which gave Miller his first Academy Award win, one for Best Animated Feature) and its 2011 sequel “Happy Feet 2”. These films are certainly a far cry from his more popular “Mad Max” series, but they nonetheless demonstrate Miller’s flexibility as a filmmaker, and they only make it further clear as to why CinemaCon has chosen to honor him with a career achievement award. As the world waits patiently to see how “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” fares in comparison to its predecessors, Miller himself will at least be able to find some relief in knowing that whatever happens next, his legacy so far has been nothing short of an impressive feat.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1908},[],"2024-04-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgeorge-miller-to-receive-career-achievement-award-at-upcoming-cinemacon",{"title":1883,"description":298},"george-miller-to-receive-career-achievement-award-at-upcoming-cinemacon","blog\u002Fgeorge-miller-to-receive-career-achievement-award-at-upcoming-cinemacon","2r5j_CjptzBhFI7eZkFKRKh9Nq5pcr2ZWaItSE40dYY",{"id":1917,"title":1918,"body":1919,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1948,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1949,"navigation":71,"path":1950,"seo":1951,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1952,"stem":1953,"__hash__":1954},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-cinematheque-announces-this-is-not-a-fiction-a-new-documentary-film-festival.md","American Cinematheque Announces This Is Not a Fiction, a New Documentary Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":1920,"toc":1946},[1921,1927,1934,1937,1940,1943],[25,1922,236,1923],{},[47,1924,391],{"href":1925,"rel":1926},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Famerican-cinematheque-documentary-festival-this-is-not-a-fiction-1235945065\u002F",[51],[25,1928,1929,1930,1933],{},"The medium of cinema may be an inherently fictional art form, but there are films that come closer to capturing reality than something intentionally designed to be more fictional. This, of course, is the very purpose of the documentary, a non-fictional version of cinema that, as the Oxford English Dictionary describes it, “document",[364,1931,1932],{},"s"," reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record”. With all that said, there’s no way for a documentary film to be a perfect portrayal of whatever it is they’re choosing to capture on screen - after all, a filmmaker will most likely have their work constructed in a way that best gets across their personal view of the subject, and doing so may require some slight adjustments or distortions to the footage they’ve recorded - but the best documentaries are those that are nonetheless able to present a compelling presentation of their respective topics. Over the years, documentary films have received quite a bit of favorable attention, from the Academy Awards’ annual handing-out of Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short prizes to such pictures’ inclusion at countless different film festivals. In the case of the latter, there aren’t too many festivals that are dedicated solely to showcasing the best that documentary cinema has to offer, which makes the recent announcement of such an event by the American Cinematheque, a non-profit organization located in Los Angeles, all the more noteworthy.",[25,1935,1936],{},"On Tuesday, March 19th, the American Cinematheque announced that it would be kicking off a new documentary-centric film festival called This is Not a Fiction later next month. A nine-day event taking place between April 10th and April 18th, the festival will see various venues located in the heart of Los Angeles exhibit a select number of documentary feature-length and short films while also holding a handful of in-person panels intended to pay tribute to many of the most noteworthy names associated with documentary filmmaking. According to festival founders Chris LeMaire and Cindy Flores, who serve as Senior Film Programmer and Film Programmer respectively, This is Not a Fiction “goes beyond the limits of genre, with the lineup reflecting the boundless possibilities of non-fiction storytelling”, with LeMaire and Flores further describing it as “a celebration of non-fiction as a form of filmmaking and its profound impact on our lives, from its influence in art and entertainment to its power in education, political advocacy and social discourse”.",[25,1938,1939],{},"So what do potential festival goers have to look forward to? First, there’s the Los Angeles premiere of “Thank You Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story”, which will be held at the city’s Aero Theatre on April 10th and serve as the opening program of This is Not a Fiction. On top of a screening of the docuseries, there will also be a Q&A panel that will feature filmmaker Gotham Chopra and the subject of the docuseries himself, John Bon Jovi. Elsewhere that night, over at the Los Feliz 3, festival attendees can look forward to screenings of “Bastards at the Party” and “Nostalgia for the Light”, the former of which will also have a Q&A panel with filmmaker Cle Sloan. Both the Aero Theatre and the Los Feliz 3 will continue to serve as the festival’s main venues for the following day, with the former screening “Los Angeles Plays Itself” (accompanied by a Q&A with filmmaker Thom Andersen) and the latter exhibiting the newly restored “Not a Pretty Picture” (which will also feature a Q&A, this one with the film’s director Martha Coolidge) and then “Mysterious Object at Noon” shortly afterwards. On April 12th, the third day of the festival, the Egyptian Theatre will begin its involvement with the festival, showing a 15th anniversary presentation of the film “30 for 30” that will feature yet another Q&A panel; it’ll be perhaps the biggest panel yet, with the likes of Marsha Cooke, Brett Morgan, and Jeff Tremaine being among those who will participate in the discussion. That screening will be followed by that of the film “Trash Humpers”, while over at the Aero Theatre, one can look forward to a 30th anniversary screening of “Crumb” (one followed by a Q&A panel with Terry Zwigoff) and then that of the film “Trash Humpers”. The Los Feliz 3 will also hold a few additional screenings that evening, specifically for the films “Girls State” and “Sans Soleil” (the former of which will have a Q&A panel with producers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss moderated by Amy Nicholson).",[25,1941,1942],{},"Throughout all the days that follow, there will be even more documentary films old and new to look forward to, including all of the following: premieres of “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” and “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg”;  restorations of “Lumumba: Death of a Prophet” and “Incident”; “Jackass: The Movie”, accompanied by a Q&A panel with filmmaker Jeff Tremaine; a 35mm print of “Gimme Shelter”; “Homeland: Iraq Year Zero”, which will be presented by the Arab Film and Media Institute; “Brothers Keeper” and “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills”, both of which will use 35mm prints owned personally by their director Joe Berlinger (who will also participate in Q&As after the films’ screenings); a program titled Science is Fiction: The Films of Jean Painlevé that will showcase a selection of the French documentarian’s short films made between the years 1935 and 1968; and “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces”, from director Morgan Neville (who shall also participate in a Q&A after the film’s screening).",[25,1944,1945],{},"Finally, to close out This is Not a Fiction, the Aero Theatre will hold the Los Angeles premiere of a film titled “Power” while following it up with another film called “Strong Island”, while the Los Feliz 3 will screen “Landscape Suicide” (which, as is the case for many of the films exhibited at this festival, will feature a Q&A, this one with filmmaker James Benning) and the Arab Film and Media Institute’s presentation of “This is Not a Film”. There will, of course, many other fascinating documentaries to be screened over the course of the festival (many of which could not be listed here because there are just so many), and hopefully, should this event go as smoothly as desired, it could be the first of one of many This is Not a Fiction festivals that will continue to cherish the art of documentary filmmaking.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1947},[],"2024-03-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-cinematheque-announces-this-is-not-a-fiction-a-new-documentary-film-festival",{"title":1918,"description":194},"american-cinematheque-announces-this-is-not-a-fiction-a-new-documentary-film-festival","blog\u002Famerican-cinematheque-announces-this-is-not-a-fiction-a-new-documentary-film-festival","7__aQeteRj55yYP_SxlsSNF5o_sGwIeUCoV1dTaXZ28",{"id":1956,"title":1957,"body":1958,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":1983,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":1984,"navigation":71,"path":1985,"seo":1986,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":1987,"stem":1988,"__hash__":1989},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-named-best-picture-wins-six-other-academy-awards.md","Oscars 2024: “Oppenheimer” Named Best Picture, Wins Six Other Academy Awards",{"type":22,"value":1959,"toc":1981},[1960,1966,1969,1972,1975,1978],[25,1961,236,1962],{},[47,1963,391],{"href":1964,"rel":1965},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fawards\u002Foscar-winners-2024-list-1235932341\u002F",[51],[25,1967,1968],{},"“Memento”; “The Dark Knight”; “Inception”; “Interstellar”; “Dunkirk”; and “Tenet”. All of these films were written and directed by Christopher Nolan, a filmmaker who has been a long revered figure among those who consider themselves admirers of the cinematic art form. This appreciation has frequently extended to various voters of the Academy Awards (as well as various other award-giving organizations), as all of the aforementioned films have at least been nominated for a solid handful of these very awards, with many of them winning one or more of them. In spite of these film’s success though, Nolan has historically been unable to make a film that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has deemed worthy enough of the Best Picture title. He’s certainly come close in the past; both “Inception” and “Dunkirk” received nominations for this accolade, and the absence of “The Dark Knight” among the nominees for the 2009 ceremony led to an outcry large enough to sway the Academy into expanding the list of yearly nominees from five to at most ten. Still, none of them were quite strong enough for voters to declare them the best of the best, leaving Nolan without a Best Picture win… or at least that used to be the case. As of Sunday, March 10th, 2024, Christopher Nolan can no longer be classified as a filmmaker who hasn’t made a film that has won the Academy’s Best Picture prize. The film that finally allowed him to achieve this long-awaited milestone: the epic biographical drama “Oppenheimer”.",[25,1970,1971],{},"On the one hand, “Oppenheimer” is in many respects the kind of film that Academy voters very much like to gravitate towards: it’s a period piece detailing one of the most infamous moments in human history (specifically the creation of the atomic bomb), and the film’s generally somber tone allows it to present itself as a serious and meaningful work of cinema, one that all but outright demands some prestigious recognition. On the other hand, it’s also a major blockbuster release, one that, while unable to cross the highly coveted billion dollar mark at the box office, does nonetheless sit comfortably as the third highest-grossing film of 2023 (in terms of worldwide sales). Academy voters have, in recent years, not been that inclined to honor those films that have already ranked in millions of box office dollars - in fact, not since 2003’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” has a Best Picture winner made so much money at the box office - but that’s certainly not the case with this most recent decision. With such a substantial global gross and now a Best Picture award to call its own, “Oppenheimer” could very well be one of the most successful Best Picture winners in quite some time.",[25,1973,1974],{},"Going into the ceremony with thirteen nominations altogether, “Oppenheimer” ulitmately won not only Best Picture, but six other awards for a total of seven, the most of any film to win over the course of the evening. Nolan himself picked up an additional prize for Best Director, while two of the film’s actors, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr., were named Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively. In addition to those wins, “Oppenheimer” was also able to secure victories in the categories of Best Cinematograpy, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score. These are all impressive achievements, but many would agree that they are all additional garnishes to the film’s greatest accomplishment, winning Best Picture. Nolan made sure to make this moment count, speaking of his passion for film during his acceptance speeches and going to great lengths to advocate for the continued relevance of theatrical film-going. “Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old,” Nolan stated as he stood in front of several ceremony attendees after receiving his prizes. “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here, but to know that you think that I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”",[25,1976,1977],{},"“Oppenheimer” may have been able to blow away most of its competition, but it wasn’t the only feature that was able to score multiple Academy Award wins before the end of the ceremony. Entering the event with eleven nominations beforehand (the second highest of any film, trailing only Nolan’s work) was Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black comedy “Poor Things”, which managed to win four Oscars and become the second most awarded film of the evening. These accolades were primarily for the film’s artistic achievements, as “Poor Things” was awarded with Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, but on top of all these, lead actress Emma Stone was named Best Actress (giving Stone her second win in this category after 2016’s “La La Land”). This particular win was not without controversy - many were hoping that Lily Gladstone would take the prize for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” - but either way, Stone was more than overwhelmed as she accepted the award, expressing her gratitude to her fellow castmates and crew in doing so, claiming that she was“so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film.”",[25,1979,1980],{},"Elsewhere throughout the ceremony, non-English language films made up a surprisingly high number of winners. Of course, Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” won the award for Best International Feature Film (which can only go to films made outside the United States), but it was also fortunate enough to win an additional prize for Best Sound. Justine Triet’s courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall”, another Best Picture nominee, also managed to pick up a win for Best Original Screenplay, while two Japanese films - Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” and Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” - each won for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects respectively. Between these and films like J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow” (which received two nominations but won for neither), it does seem like the Academy is starting to become more aware of the merits of international cinema, and while “Oppenheimer” winning Best Picture is very much a victory for the long-standing Hollywood studios, it may be too long before another foreign feature goes on to receive this exact same award and pride itself as the best film made that year.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":1982},[],"2024-03-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-named-best-picture-wins-six-other-academy-awards",{"title":1957,"description":194},"oscars-2024-oppenheimer-named-best-picture-wins-six-other-academy-awards","blog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-named-best-picture-wins-six-other-academy-awards","kIIRAnFSrRrEJOfCHc564dhk4Bt0xnCTt9dQRF-R3ho",{"id":1991,"title":1992,"body":1993,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2032,"description":2033,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2034,"navigation":71,"path":2035,"seo":2036,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2037,"stem":2038,"__hash__":2039},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fblockbusters-that-win-best-picture-theyre-a-little-more-common-than-you-think.md","Blockbusters That Win Best Picture? They’re (A Little) More Common Than You Think",{"type":22,"value":1994,"toc":2030},[1995,2002,2005,2008,2011,2014,2017,2024,2027],[25,1996,236,1997],{},[47,1998,2001],{"href":1999,"rel":2000},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt15398776\u002F",[51],"IMDb",[25,2003,2004],{},"Although anything is possible and there is always room for a potential upset, many would agree that the film most likely to win the Best Picture prize at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards ceremony is Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical drama “Oppenheimer”. Should this outcome occur as many are expecting it to, it will be quite noteworthy for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it will finally earn Nolan his first ever Best Picture win (and likely an accolade for Best Director as well); despite a filmography consisting of such critically acclaimed features as “The Dark Knight”, “Inception”, and “Dunkirk”, none of them have yet proven fortunate enough to win the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ highest honor (despite each of them still picking up quite a few awards here and there). To many, “Oppenheimer” winning Best Picture would be seen as the Academy finally acknowledging Nolan’s status as a modern master of the cinematic medium. However, a win for “Oppenheimer” would also stand out due to the film’s unusually high box office gross, as the film recently wrapped up its initial box office run with a total of $329.1 million in North America and $631.6 million overseas, amounting to an overall worldwide total of  around $960.7 million. Even if it wasn’t able to cross the billion dollar mark, this is still an unprecedented achievement, especially considering how the Academy doesn’t always favor films that earn so much money.",[25,2006,2007],{},"If one were to look back at many of the previous Best Picture winners, one would find that most of these films are usually not the kind that would generate record-breaking numbers at the box office. For comparison, the last film to be named Best Picture by the Academy, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, was able to pull in $77.2 million domestically and $66.2 million overseas (a global total of $143.4 million). That’s certainly an impressive accomplishment given the films $14-25 million budget, and the film’s ability to endure within the top 10 during its theatrical release speaks to the highly positive word-of-mouth the film received, but even that amount is but a fraction of what “Oppenheimer” was able to take in. More importantly though, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is one of the higher-grossing Best Picture winners of recent memory, with many of the Best Picture winners preceding it earning significantly less in terms of box office revenue.",[25,2009,2010],{},"None of this, of course, is to say that the Academy completely ignores films that make substantial amounts of money at the box office. After all, “Barbie”, the highest-grossing film of 2023, will be competing for Best Picture alongside “Oppenheimer”, and just last year, “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick”, the two highest-grossing films of 2022, were also Best Picture nominees at the previous Academy Awards. Neither film won, however, and should “Oppenheimer” triumph as many are anticipating, “Barbie” will probably be denied a Best Picture trophy. With all of this in mind, it may seem easy to assume that the films that the Academy thinks are worthy of winning Best Picture and the films that make hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars at the box office are one and the same. If one were to look back at the Academy’s history though, one may be surprised to find that there have been several instances where major box office popularity and a Best Picture win were both bestowed onto a specific film from time to time. Such instances may be few and far between, but they do prove that the Academy is sometimes willing to admit that the biggest box office blockbusters are the films that most deserve to be named Best Picture.",[25,2012,2013],{},"One thing to keep in mind, however, is that theater ticket prices have not been consistently stagnant, as inflation has caused the average cost to grow significantly over the past several decades. Because of this, it may be more beneficial to analyze how many tickets a film was able to sell rather than the amount of money it was able to receive, as the former is a much stronger indicator of how popular a film is at the time of its release. After all, if two films - one released in 2003, the other in 2023 - were to each make a billion dollars, the earlier-released one would be the more popular of the two due to ticket prices being lower than they would be twenty years later. With all that said, here are the highest grossing Best Picture winners at the North American box office (adjusted for inflation):",[25,2015,2016],{},"Gone with the Wind (1939) - roughly 202,286,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $1,895,421,694\nThe Sound of Music (1965) - roughly 142,485,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $1,335,086,324\nTitanic (1997) - roughly 135,549,800 tickets for an adjusted total of $1,270,101,626\nBen-Hur (1959) - roughly 98,046,900 tickets for an adjusted total of $918,699,453\nThe Sting (1973) - roughly 89,142,900 tickets for an adjusted total of $835,268,973\nThe Godfather (1972) - roughly 79,056,084 tickets for an adjusted total of $739,503,825\nForrest Gump (1994) - roughly 78,637,100 tickets for an adjusted total of $736,829,627\nAround the World in 80 Days (1956) - roughly 64,615,400 tickets for an adjusted total of $605,446,298\nThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - roughly 61,639,700 tickets for an adjusted total of $577,563,989\nMy Fair Lady (1964) - roughly 60,062,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $562,782,814\nThe Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - roughly 60,000,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $562,000,000\nWest Side Story (1961) - roughly 56,012,900 tickets for an adjusted total of $524,839,936\nLawrence of Arabia (1962) - roughly 55,437,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $519,444,690\nRocky (1976) - roughly 55,040,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $515,724,800\nThe Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - roughly 55,000,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $515,350,000\nThe Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - roughly 54,400,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $509,728,000\nOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - roughly 53,685,400 tickets for an adjusted total of $503,032,198\nDances with Wolves (1990) - roughly 43,699,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $409,462,441\nRain Man (1988) - roughly 43,291,700 tickets for an adjusted total of $405,475,506\nKramer vs. Kramer (1979) - roughly 43,020,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $403,099,274\nPatton (1970)  - roughly 39,838,600 tickets for an adjusted total of $373,287,682\nPlatoon (1986) - roughly 35,436,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $332,035,320\nGladiator (2000) - roughly 34,814,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $326,207,180\nTerms of Endearment (1983) - roughly 32,878,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $308,071,545\nMidnight Cowboy (1969) - roughly 31,538,800 tickets for an adjusted total of $295,518,556\nThe French Connection (1971) - roughly 31,333,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $293,593,021\nThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) - roughly 31,055,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $290,988,161\nA Beautiful Mind (2001) - roughly 29,414,700 tickets for an adjusted total of $275,615,739\nChicago (2002) - roughly 28,306,400 tickets for an adjusted total of $265,230,968\nThe Godfather Part II (1974) - roughly 25,455,100 tickets for an adjusted total of $238,514,287\nDriving Miss Daisy (1989) - roughly 25,214,100 tickets for an adjusted total of $236,256,117\nAmerican Beauty (1999) - roughly 24,935,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $233,585,667\nUnforgiven (1992) - roughly 24,390,500 tickets for an adjusted total of $228,538,985\nOut of Africa (1985) - roughly 23,562,400 tickets for an adjusted total of $220,779,854\nSchindler’s List (1993) - roughly 23,085,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $216,306,450\nThe Deer Hunter (1978) - roughly 20,931,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $196,126,281\nOrdinary People (1980) - roughly 20,359,500 tickets for an adjusted total of $190,768,515\nThe Departed (2006) - roughly 20,120,800 tickets for an adjusted total of $188,531,896\nChariots of Fire (1981) - roughly 20,060,900 tickets for an adjusted total of $187,970,633\nShakespeare in Love (1998) - roughly 19,833,700 tickets for an adjusted total of $185,841,769\nSlumdog Millionaire (2008) - roughly 19,017,700 tickets for an adjusted total of $178,245,510\nThe King’s Speech (2010) - roughly 17,612,000 tickets for an adjusted total of $165,024,440\nBraveheart (1995) - roughly 17,350,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $162,835,608\nThe English Patient (1996) - roughly 17,309,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $162,187,204\nAnnie Hall (1977) - roughly 17,153,100 tickets for an adjusted total of $160,724,547\nArgo (2012) - roughly 16,943,900 tickets for an adjusted total of $158,764,343\nGandhi (1982) - roughly 16,758,200 tickets for an adjusted total of $157,024,334\nMillion Dollar Baby (2004) - roughly 15,681,300 tickets for an adjusted total of $146,933,781",[25,2018,236,2019],{},[47,2020,2023],{"href":2021,"rel":2022},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Fchart\u002Ftop_lifetime_gross_adjusted\u002F?adjust_gross_to=2022",[51],"Box Office Mojo",[25,2025,2026],{},"So what can be learned from all of this information? For one thing, the assumption that the Academy doesn’t favor films that make large amounts of money at the box office isn’t entirely accurate; all of the films listed above rank somewhere in the top 1,000 highest-grossing North American box office releases (adjusted for inflation), selling at least 15 million tickets each and generating a gross that would amount to at least $145 million if each ticket costed as much then as it does now. Granted, many of these films saw their grosses increase AFTER they were nominated for Best Picture (and perhaps more so after they won), but either way, it does prove how the Academy Awards can influence a film’s box office gross just as much as the inverse is true.",[25,2028,2029],{},"Of course, even when a film is able to receive a box office boost via a Best Picture win, these numbers also show how much audiences and studios have become less enthralled with the kinds of films that tend to win Best Picture in favor of more conventional blockbuster fare. Many of the more popular Best Picture winners, as the list above proves, were released between the 1950s and the 1980s, with the newest film on the list, 2012’s “Argo”, only making it to #46, whereas the oldest film on the list, 1939’s “Gone with the Wind”, sits comfortably at the top of the list and will likely not be dethroned any time soon. It’s quite telling that, should it be the next film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, “Oppenheimer” would only barely usurp “Gladiator” for the #23 spot despite being the most successful of such films to be released in over a decade. Then again, perhaps the warm reception from both awards voters and audiences may prove beneficial to more than just “Oppenheimer”; if studios are willing to recognize that they can make films that can cater to both groups, then it’s quite possible that another film that grosses just as much as Nolan’s film may go on to become a future Best Picture recipient.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2031},[],"2024-03-07","Source: IMDb",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fblockbusters-that-win-best-picture-theyre-a-little-more-common-than-you-think",{"title":1992,"description":2033},"blockbusters-that-win-best-picture-theyre-a-little-more-common-than-you-think","blog\u002Fblockbusters-that-win-best-picture-theyre-a-little-more-common-than-you-think","oQnoQDfwBtrKkazTQIfRYmvK0pLTxjg81qwqqkykX98",{"id":2041,"title":2042,"body":2043,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2071,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2072,"navigation":71,"path":2073,"seo":2074,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2075,"stem":2076,"__hash__":2077},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-top-honors-on-its-way-to-oscar-glory.md","SAG Awards 2024: “Oppenheimer” Wins Top Honors on Its Way to Oscar Glory",{"type":22,"value":2044,"toc":2069},[2045,2051,2054,2057,2060,2063,2066],[25,2046,236,2047],{},[47,2048,279],{"href":2049,"rel":2050},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fsag-awards-2024-winners-list-1235831881\u002F",[51],[25,2052,2053],{},"Rarely can the exact outcome of an awards ceremony be predicted in its entirety with complete accuracy, as there is always the possibility of a film or individual pulling off an unexpected upset. Still, while this may not be the case, one can still get a general sense of what could win when looking back at all the previous award ceremonies of the previous months and noticing if there’s anything or anyone that’s been able to repeat their successes more than once. With this most recent Academy Awards, set to commence during the early evening of March 10th, countless analysts and industry professionals are placing their bets as to what will win the prize for Best Picture as well as all others given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the majority of them are looking to every event that’s happened so far throughout the award season in order to make their most educated guess possible. Fortunately for these people, it was just recently - Saturday, February 24th to be exact - that another ceremony was held that could help them form a more accurate assessment of what’s to come at the Oscars. Granted, the scope of this particular ceremony is a little bit more limited as it only focuses on one specific profession within the art of filmmaking, but given the group’s size and the event’s tendency to draw much attention from the media, such a condition does little to suggest that it isn’t valuable asset when it comes to predicting the Academy Awards. The event in question: the most recent Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.",[25,2055,2056],{},"Overall, the SAG Awards don’t usually hand out more than a few accolades for performances in cinema over the course of their two-and-a-half hour (give or take several minutes) proceedings, with there only being six prizes given out this year specifically for cinematic performances. That’s all that the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (SAG-AFTRA), a labor union representing thousands of actors working throughout the North American film industry, needs to honor its members though, and while nothing can be guaranteed for sure, many do look to the SAG Awards to determine who has the best chances of winning the same awards at the upcoming Oscars. For this year, SAG has simultaneously provided additional evidence that those who have already won several acting awards will receive the exact same prize at the Academy Awards while also throwing in a few unexpected recipients that make an already tight race even tighter and hard to predict. This may all seem rather surprising considering that the SAG Awards only have a select number of film-related prizes (one of which does not even have an equivalent category at the Oscars), but that only shows just how prominent actors are within the groups that decide these specific outcomes.",[25,2058,2059],{},"Although the closest thing to a Best Picture prize that the SAG Awards gives out has less to do with the film as a whole and more to do with the ensemble cast at the films’ core, the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture still holds a great deal of merit and can sometimes be a predictor of what will win Best Picture at the Oscars. Such was the case last year when Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won this very accolade (among other awards given to its various nominated actors) and went on to be named Best Picture at the Academy Awards just a few weeks later. If everything that’s happened so far (this most recent SAG Awards included) is any reliable proof, then one can expect Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” to repeat this exact same feat on Oscar night; having previously won similar prizes at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and various other awards ceremonies, the film has only further strengthened its chances of winning the top prize with its receiving of Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Given the size of the film’s cast - one that contains the likes of Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, and Florence Pugh (among others who were honored by SAG that evening) - it’s no surprise that this star-studded ensemble was able to win over those participating in the voting, although given all that “Oppenheimer” has achieved so far, this win arguably reflects the film’s overall quality  and more than just its cast.",[25,2061,2062],{},"On top of the aforementioned prize, two other actors who took part in “Oppenheimer” were also honored for their individual contributions to the film. These were Cillian Murphy, who won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of titular lead J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Robert Downey Jr., who was honored with the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Lewis Strauss. How these wins affect the potential outcome of the equivalent awards given by the Academy Awards could not be more different. While Robert Downey Jr. winning at the Oscars seems to be all but cemented, with him having won several other Best Supporting Actor awards prior to the SAG Awards, Murphy’s win comes in the wake of him losing many of the previous Best Actor awards to Paul Giamatti of “The Holdovers” (who had also been nominated for the same SAG award). Granted, there were other Best Actor prizes Murphy won before this, so it’s safe to assume that, at least for the time being, the race for the Oscar is between Murphy and Giamatti and much too close to call.",[25,2064,2065],{},"A similar situation is playing out in the female acting categories, one of them more or less ensuring a similar win at the Oscars and the other making things a bit too tricky to predict at the moment. While Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who played Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers”, was able to add to her multiple Best Supporting Actress wins with her SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Lily Gladstone’s win of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for playing Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon” makes the race for the Oscar between her and Emma Stone, who was also nominated in this category for playing Bella Baxter in “Poor Things”, much closer than it already was. Either one of the two could be fortunate enough to take this prize at the upcoming Academy Awards, but in the meantime, one can only speculate as to who has the stronger odds.",[25,2067,2068],{},"Lastly, there was the award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, a prize that has no equivalent at the Academy Awards but is still deserving of at least some attention. This year, the accolade was given to the stunt team of “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One”, beating out “Barbie”, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, and “John Wick: Chapter 4” in order to earn this honor. One may not be able to use this particular award to predict anything that will happen later on in award season, but that doesn’t mean it’s without any respectable value, at least not less than any of the other esteemed awards handed out by the Screen Actors Guild.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2070},[],"2024-03-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-top-honors-on-its-way-to-oscar-glory",{"title":2042,"description":298},"sag-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-top-honors-on-its-way-to-oscar-glory","blog\u002Fsag-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-top-honors-on-its-way-to-oscar-glory","E9bRQ2_jlqtEj-1Q7flXOSxFygDgH_ixRZUhgCoZe_w",{"id":2079,"title":2080,"body":2081,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2106,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2107,"navigation":71,"path":2108,"seo":2109,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2110,"stem":2111,"__hash__":2112},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foppenheimer-continues-awards-season-success-streak-with-multiple-bafta-wins.md","“Oppenheimer” Continues Awards Season Success Streak with Multiple BAFTA Wins",{"type":22,"value":2082,"toc":2104},[2083,2089,2092,2095,2098,2101],[25,2084,236,2085],{},[47,2086,391],{"href":2087,"rel":2088},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fawards\u002Fbafta-film-awards-2024-winners-list-1235913491\u002F",[51],[25,2090,2091],{},"With less than a month left until the Academy Awards take place, many are more eager than ever to find out which of the previous year’s nominated features will go on to win the film industry’s most revered prizes, the most prestigious being the award for Best Picture. In the meantime though, there have been plenty of other awards ceremonies that have not only showered these films with even more accolades, but have also provided additional evidence as to what might end up winning at the Oscars. Among the most recent of these was held by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (or BAFTA for short), which one could describe as the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the United States’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Although the BAFTA Awards tends to focus a little more heavily on films made within its native Britain, they otherwise include many of the same categories featured in the Oscars and often end up nominating many of the same films. Because of this, the BAFTA Awards, not unlike such other ceremonies as the Golden Globes, tends to be viewed as something of a predictor of what’s to come at the Oscars, as several of the films that win here will often repeat this exact same success when returning to the country on the other side of the Atlantic. If that continues to be true with this most recent BAFTA Awards ceremony, then the outcome of certain categories may be all but set in stone (perhaps literally in regards to the Best Actress category).",[25,2093,2094],{},"Taking place on Sunday, February 18th, the 77th Annual British Academy Film Awards had quite a few memorable events occur throughout its hours-long proceedings. Host David Tennant opened the main show with a pre-recorded sketch loosely based on his television series “Staged”, and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor performed her hit song “Murder on the Dancefloor”, which saw a increase in popularity following its usage in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn”. However, as is often the case, it was the awards and those who won them that served as the ceremony’s biggest highlights, and while there were quite a few films fortunate enough to pick up at least one prize before the night’s end, only a couple managed to secure a truly substantial number, with one in particular receiving Best Picture alongside its other wins, enough for it to become the single most awarded film of the evening. That film: Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical drama “Oppenheimer”.",[25,2096,2097],{},"Having already taken quite a few Best Picture awards from various different organizations over the past few months, “Oppenheimer” appears to be the major frontrunner and the film most likely to take the Oscar in just under three weeks. Its wins at BAFTA seem to have done very little to change that outcome; in fact, it’s probably made it even more likely. On top of the film winning Best Picture, “Oppenheimer”, having been nominated in thirteen categories altogether prior to the start of the ceremony, also managed to take home six additional awards: Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Original Score. While one can’t yet guarantee that “Oppenheimer” will repeat all of these successes on Oscar night (Cillian Murphy faces some especially stiff competition from Paul Giamatti of “The Holdover”, who has managed to pick up many of the Best Actor awards that Murphy was unable to win himself), the film’s performance at the BAFTAs only further prove how Nolan and his collaborators have impressed the awards circuit to an astonishing degree. As long as that momentum remains strong, one shouldn’t be too shocked if “Oppenheimer” ends up repeating these successes (and perhaps even win some of the awards that it wasn’t able to win here) once the Academy Awards finally get underway.",[25,2099,2100],{},"If there is one film that might pull off an upset and hold “Oppenheimer” back from achieving a Best Picture win at the Oscars, it would probably be Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black comedy “Poor Things”, which came in second at the BAFTAs in terms of the number of awards won throughout. Though it was unable to beat “Oppeneheimer” for the Best Picture BAFTA, it was able to find success in five other categories, some of which it was in fact competing with Nolan’s film for. These include Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hair, and Best Special Effects. If “Poor Things” is unable to overcome the competition provided by “Oppenheimer” in some of the more highly sought-after Oscar categories, it should at least be able to find some relief in knowing that it should be able to win in some of the same categories it had won at the BAFTAs. Granted, even without “Oppenheimer” looming over it, “Poor Things” will still have to contend with “Killers of the Flower Moon” lead actress Lily Gladstone (who vys for the Best Actress award alongside Stone) and “Barbie” (which could take the Costume Design and Production Design awards), though hopefully such competition won’t be too great of a hindrance to its success.",[25,2102,2103],{},"Of course, with this being an awards ceremony held by a British institution, it would seem rather unusual if a film made within this country did not pick up multiple awards for its own. Such a predicament was fortunately averted, however, thanks to Jonathan Glazer’s historical drama “The Zone of Interest”, which exited the ceremony with a total of three BAFTAs won over the course of the evening. These include Outstanding British Film, Best Sound, and Best Film Not in the English Language (the film, despite being made in the predominantly English-speaking United Kingdom, is spoken entirely in German, Polish, and Yiddish). Many are predicting that “The Zone of Interest” will win the Oscars’ equivalent to the latter category - specifically Best International Feature, and while its odds may not be quite as strong in any of the other categories it’s nominated in (a total of five altogether), that won’t change the fact that it, much like both “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things” were able to perform exceptionally well at this most recent British Academy Film Awards.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2105},[],"2024-02-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foppenheimer-continues-awards-season-success-streak-with-multiple-bafta-wins",{"title":2080,"description":194},"oppenheimer-continues-awards-season-success-streak-with-multiple-bafta-wins","blog\u002Foppenheimer-continues-awards-season-success-streak-with-multiple-bafta-wins","dICbkRbKEyh4LWVmCu9swKxoaHPbQHo9HJnGD_BW22o",{"id":2114,"title":2115,"body":2116,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2148,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2149,"navigation":71,"path":2150,"seo":2151,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2152,"stem":2153,"__hash__":2154},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsuper-bowl-weekend-a-normally-uneventful-time-sees-record-low-at-the-box-office.md","Super Bowl Weekend, A Normally Uneventful Time, Sees Record Low at the Box Office",{"type":22,"value":2117,"toc":2146},[2118,2124,2127,2130,2133,2136,2139],[25,2119,236,2120],{},[47,2121,391],{"href":2122,"rel":2123},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fbox-office-argylle-beats-lisa-frankenstein-lowest-grossing-weekend-1235907196\u002F",[51],[25,2125,2126],{},"Historically, the weekend during which the Super Bowl, the final professional football game of the yearly season, takes place (usually the first or second weekend of February) has rarely been an especially lucrative time period for major film studios. The reason could not be more obvious: most people are either watching the big game or making preparations to watch the big game, so there usually isn’t much time available to them that would allow them to visit their nearest cineplex and purchase a ticket for whatever is playing there. With that said, it’s not uncommon for some studios to offer counterprogramming to those who don’t particularly care for sports, and while such films don’t usually see especially high weekend grosses, they may serve as a means of escape for anyone who doesn’t have much interest in football. This year though, whatever counterprogramming was released into theaters this Super Bowl weekend was not nearly enough to attract the eyeballs needed to avert sinking to a broken record, that being the lowest grossing Super Bowl weekend in decades (with the exception of those during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic).",[25,2128,2129],{},"Throughout the three-day period between Friday, February 9th and Sunday, February 11th, the nationwide box office generated a revenue total of only $42 million, a number that some would consider disappointing for even a single major film release, let alone the entirety of the industry. For comparison, last year’s Super Bowl weekend was able to earn $53 million in total ticket sales; in the years prior to the start of the pandemic, those numbers were $84 million in 2020 and $75 million in 2019. As one can see, none of these periods were especially busy for the box office, but it’s quite telling how this most recent Super Bowl weekend saw an intake of barely half of what had been earned just over five years ago. Interestingly, the same cannot be said about the big reason why so few people went out to theaters this past weekend, as Super Bowl LVIII saw a completely different record broken: the most watched telecast of all time with a total of 123.4 million viewers tuning in to see the Kansas City Chiefs go head to head with the San Francisco 49ers. While the fact that people tend to avoid film-going in favor of the Super Bowl on a regular basis was already fairly obvious, the sharp contrast of the difference in box office records broken by each entity only makes the fact even more so.",[25,2131,2132],{},"So what did the few people who were willing to attend a screening at their nearest theater have to look forward to? For the majority of ticket-buyers, the preferred choice was a holdover from the previous weekend, Universal and Apple’s spy action-comedy “Argylle”, although even that film isn’t benefiting much from the lack of competition. Having reportedly cost around $200 million (and that’s before marketing costs), “Argylle” already got off to an underwhelming start last week with an opening weekend gross of $17.5 million, enough to give it the #1 spot but hardly enough to suggest that it will be able to recoup its budget through theatrical sales alone. It doesn’t look like word of mouth is strong enough to keep the film afloat for much longer either; during its second weekend, “Argylle”earned roughly $6.5 million, a drop of about 62% from what it had earned just a week prior. Although this may not be the steepest week-to-week decline a film can experience at the box office, it’s still steep enough to imply that audiences aren’t as enthusiastic about the film as the studio that made it would desire. With its current domestic grosses sitting at around $28.6 million and contributing to a worldwide gross of $59.7 million, it would take a true miracle to prevent “Argylle” from becoming the year’s first major box office bomb.",[25,2134,2135],{},"Faring ever worse at the box office this weekend was a new release from Focus Features (a subsidiary of Comcast, which also owns Universal), Zelda Williams’ directorial debut “Lisa Frankenstein”. Normally, this romantic horror would be a perfect fit for the demographic that has historically shown little interest in the Super Bowl - i.e. teenage girls and young adult women - but even they didn’t seem to care enough about “Lisa Frankenstein” to check it out when it opened this past Friday. In total, the film earned about $3.8 million over the course of the three-day period, a noticeably abysmal number for a film given a wide release in around 3,100 theaters across the nation. The one upside: “Lisa Frankenstein” only cost $13 million to produce (a substantial fraction of what it took to make “Argylle”), so even if this film does ultimately underperform, it won’t be too big of a loss for Focus Features.",[25,2137,2138],{},"Following behind “Argylle” and “Lisa Frankenstein” were more holdovers from the past few weeks, with the likes of MGM’s “The Beekeeper” maintaining a spot in the top ten for its fifth consecutive weekend and Warner Bros’ “Wonka” achieving the same for its ninth weekend. Though word of mouth can be credited to some degree for these films’ long-term prominence (“Wonka” has proven especially lucky given its recent entry into the top 10 highest-grossing 2023 releases worldwide), the fact of the matter is there just haven’t been enough big draws to attract film-goers to come out over the past few weeks, with this most recent Super Bowl weekend being no exception. “That’s extremely quiet for any weekend of the year, including Super Bowl weekend,” claims Franchise Entertainment Research head David A. Gross, whose company specializes in the analysis of box office performance. “‘Dune 2’ cannot come fast enough.”",[25,2140,2141,2142,2145],{},"Gross, of course, is referring to Warner Bros’ “Dune: Part II”, which is currently planned to come out on March 1st. Though the likes of Paramount’s ",[2143,2144],"bob",{}," Marley: One Love” and Sony’s “Madame Web” are also coming out in the meantime, none of these films are expected to earn any grosses that their respective studios (and the rest of the industry for that matter) can find impressive. According to many, it won’t be until “Dune: Part II’ that the box office will start to truly pick up, and even then, it will have to do a lot in order to make up for what has so far been a fairly dissatisfactory year for the domestic box office.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2147},[],"2024-02-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsuper-bowl-weekend-a-normally-uneventful-time-sees-record-low-at-the-box-office",{"title":2115,"description":194},"super-bowl-weekend-a-normally-uneventful-time-sees-record-low-at-the-box-office","blog\u002Fsuper-bowl-weekend-a-normally-uneventful-time-sees-record-low-at-the-box-office","_aEotjAk_u1JCumYwpoi0FC7zCMj-4oV-BeWpdpA7kY",{"id":2156,"title":2157,"body":2158,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2204,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2205,"navigation":71,"path":2206,"seo":2207,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2208,"stem":2209,"__hash__":2210},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhighlights-of-the-2024-sundance-film-festival.md","Highlights of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":2159,"toc":2202},[2160,2166,2169,2175,2178,2184,2190,2196],[25,2161,236,2162],{},[47,2163,538],{"href":2164,"rel":2165},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2024\u002F01\u002Fsundance-2024-movie-reviews-1235795799\u002F",[51],[25,2167,2168],{},"Award season may still be in full swing as it continues to commemorate the films released throughout the previous year, but that doesn’t mean the film festival circuit has been put to a standstill. In fact, it’s still carrying out business as usual, with one festival after another taking place and exhibiting whatever cinematic fare it has deemed worthy of being seen on the big screen. As far as film festivals held within the United States go, few are as prestigious as the Sundance Film Festival, which usually runs for a brief period throughout the month of April of each year and serves as a starting point for those eager to see what could stand out most in the coming year. The 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which took place between Thursday, January 18th and Sunday, January 28th, was no exception, showcasing a wide variety of unique cinematic creations over the course of its eleven-day duration, many of which were fortunate enough to receive the backing of a major distributor (one that would allow for them to be more easily accessed by the general public) and\u002For at least one of Sundance’s many awards, the most notable being the festival’s Grand Jury Prizes. Regardless of how well a film fared at this year’s Sundance however, it’s safe to say that there are quite a few noteworthy titles that will hopefully continue to build a respectable reputation in the time following the festival’s end. There are plenty of impressive films featured in this year’s Sundance line-up that are worthy of discussion, but here are some that somehow have managed to stand out just a little bit more than others:",[25,2170,2171,2174],{},[57,2172,2173],{},"“Between the Temples”"," - directed by Nathan Silver (who has co-written the script alongside C. Mason Wells), this comedy stars Jason Schwartzman as a cantor who finds himself assisting his newest student - ironically, his music teacher from elementary school (played by Carol Kane) - in preparing for her late-in-life bat mitzvah. While this premise may sound delightfully bizarre, Silver finds a way to give it an abundance of heart and weight, with many festival-goers praising the chemistry between Schwartzman and Kane and its ability to embed humanity into, as one reviewer put it, “the midlife reawakening many eventually face en route to self-acceptance”.",[25,2176,2177],{},"**“Black Box Diaries” **- there are personal films, and then there are films that intend to reveal the most harrowing experiences of a person’s recent history. Shiori Ito’s documentary is very much one of those latter films, one that explores the investigation of her sexual assault that seeks to expose the systemic barriers that prevent someone from receiving the justice they deserve. What Ito chooses to include in this film is a scathing indictment of institutions that somehow end up protecting abusers more so than they are willing to punish them, one that forces the audience to consider just how prevalent this anti-mentality truly is in a world that sees itself as civilized.",[25,2179,2180,2183],{},[57,2181,2182],{},"“Freaky Tales”"," - filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the writer\u002Fdirector team behind 2019’s “Captain Marvel”, have assembled an all-star cast for this latest cinematic endeavor of theirs, one that contains such notable names as Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Dominique Thorn, and Tom Hanks among many others. In telling four interconnecting stories set in 1987 Oakland (many of which revolve around actual historical events that occurred at this time and place), the film may be a little lacking in narrative substance, but the charisma of its exceptional cast should prove at least somewhat compelling as the film lays out one plot twist after another.",[25,2185,2186,2189],{},[57,2187,2188],{},"“In the Summers”"," - the Grand Jury Prize winner of this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, this drama may not be a direct recreation of the life of filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, but there is just enough of her real-life history on display here for one to get a decent sense of what growing up was like for her. Focusing primarily on two sisters spending the summer with their father, Samudio, in taking inspiration from her own summers in Colombia, certainly takes her time to explore the joy and tension that come with living an ordinary life, but with a cast that includes such actors as Sasha Calle and Leslie Grace, that time ultimately proves well spent.",[25,2191,2192,2195],{},[57,2193,2194],{},"“Love Lies Bleeding”"," - speaking of queer love stories, writer\u002Fdirector Rose Glass (who had previously attracted much attention with her 2019 debut feature “Saint Maud”) has brought together actors Katy O’Brien and Kristen Stewart for this chilling romantic thriller about a gym manager and a bodybuilder whose growing feelings cause them both to become entangled in a violent criminal conspiracy. While the likes of Jena Malone and Ed Harris make for a strong supporting cast, this is O’Brien and Stewart’s film above all else, and their chemistry shines in a film that maintains an exhilarating energy as it dives deeper into its gritty and suspenseful story.",[25,2197,2198,2201],{},[57,2199,2200],{},"“Stress Positions”"," - any film that has the word “stress” in its title is probably not going be a particular pleasant viewing experience, and while there may be some humor to be found in this dramedy from filmmaker Theda Hammel, its setting during the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic should be enough give the viewer a sense of how stressful this story will feel. On top of the aforementioned plague, protagonist Bahlul (played by Qaher Harhash) must also contend with a broken leg and the company of his uncle Terry (played by John Early), a predicament that, perhaps to a fault, may be an experience just as overwhelming to the audience as it is to Bahlul.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2203},[],"2024-02-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhighlights-of-the-2024-sundance-film-festival",{"title":2157,"description":557},"highlights-of-the-2024-sundance-film-festival","blog\u002Fhighlights-of-the-2024-sundance-film-festival","-m2SprvNUFRfpe7e5B86MkEtGHkJ15do9cnRZZXytfY",{"id":2212,"title":2213,"body":2214,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2242,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2243,"navigation":71,"path":2244,"seo":2245,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2246,"stem":2247,"__hash__":2248},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-blows-away-competition-with-13-nominations.md","Oscars 2024: “Oppenheimer” Blows Away Competition With 13 Nominations",{"type":22,"value":2215,"toc":2240},[2216,2222,2225,2228,2231,2234,2237],[25,2217,236,2218],{},[47,2219,279],{"href":2220,"rel":2221},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002F2024-oscars-nominees-list-1235804181\u002F",[51],[25,2223,2224],{},"For the ninety-sixth time in its decades-long history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled its list of nominees for its upcoming Academy Awards ceremony, and to say that reactions following the announcement on Tuesday, January 23rd have been explosive would be something of an understatement. This, of course, is nothing new for the Oscars; every year that the Academy reveals which films and individuals have been nominated within a given category, there will always be those whose inclusion will been seen as a surprise by many and those whose omission will cause an uproar from anyone hoping to see their favorites have a chance at winning a major award. That’s more or less how the Academy Award nominations have played out for nearly a century, and this most recent announcement seems to be hardly any different. Whether one agrees with the Academy’s decisions or considers them blasphemy though, this year’s nomination line-up does paint a fairly impressive picture of what are considered to be the best films released in the year 2023, with a few features in particular proving their worth by appearing in more categories than any other film. Some of these films are major blockbusters that have proven popular with critics and audiences alike, while others are smaller films that have overcome their lack of box office sales and gained decent-sized followings through strong word of mouth. Either way, they all now have a chance of showing everyone that they are the best that the art cinema has to offer, though it won’t be until Sunday, March 10th that they’ll have the opportunity to prove it.",[25,2226,2227],{},"Fitting for a film revolving around the invention of the atomic bomb, Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical drama “Oppenheimer” seems to have made quite an impact on Academy voters, as it has managed to secure thirteen nominations in total, more than any other film acknowledged by the institution so far. On top of a Best Picture nomination and Nolan being nominated for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the film will also compete for Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey, Jr.), Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, and Best Original Score. With a presence in so many different categories, “Oppenheimer” appears to have the greatest advantage of any nominated film, and even if it’s unable to win all (or even the majority) of the awards it’s competing for, it’d be quite shocking for it to not walk away with at least a major accolade or two.",[25,2229,2230],{},"Trailing right behind “Oppenheimer” in terms of nomination count is Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black comedy “Poor Things”, a film that could not be more different from Nolan’s creation yet has nonetheless managed to be almost as appealing to Academy voters, as evidenced by the eleven nominations it’s earned. The film will compete with “Oppenheimer” for Best Picture, and Lanthimos, like Nolan, is up for Best Director; in addition, “Poor Things” also has a chance of winning Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Original Score. As one can see, many of these categories are for the exact same awards that “Oppenheimer” is vying for, meaning that if there’s any film that might give Nolan’s film a run for its (nearly a billion dollars worth of) money, it’s Lanthimos’.",[25,2232,2233],{},"Then again, one shouldn’t overlook the potential of another Best Picture nominee that has managed to score a double-digits worth of nominations: Martin Scorsese’s epic biographical western crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Like Nolan, Scorsese is also up for Best Director, and the film will also contend for Best Actress (Lily Gladstone), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song for “Wazhazhe (A Song for My People)”. The lack of a Best Adapted Screenplay is a bit shocking and may be a sign that the Academy does not favor it quite as much as either “Oppenheimer” or “Poor Things”; still, anything is possible, so one shouldn’t overlook Scorsese’s film maybe pulling an upset or two.",[25,2235,2236],{},"Speaking of upset, despite doing fairly well with a total of eight nominations (albeit in seven categories), the other half of the Barbenheimer craze does not seem to be quite as impressive to Academy voters. Greta Gerwig’s fantasy comedy “Barbie” does still have much to look forward to on Oscar night; it too is a Best Picture nominee, wit its additional nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Song for both “What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken” providing additional opportunities for “Barbie” to earn an Oscar. However, many have noticed the absence of Gerwig and Margot Robbie in the Best Director and Best Actress categories respectively and, as a result, have expressed their frustration with the “snubbing” of those who they feel deserved to compete for these awards.",[25,2238,2239],{},"Apart from those four films, six other features also stand a chance (as slim as it may be) of winning Best Picture. The most nominated of these six is Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro”, which will also vie for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress (Carey Mulligan), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Sound. The least nominated of these six is Celine Song’s “Poor Things”, which only has a single other nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The rest each have five nominations in total: Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” is also nominated for Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score; Justine Triet is a Best Director nominee for her Best Picture nominated “Anatomy of a Fall”, which is also competing for Best Actress (Sandra Huller), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing; Jonathan Glazer has been chosen as the final Best Director nominee for “The Zone of Interest”, another Best Picture nominee that also stands a chance of winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Sound; finally, “The Holdovers” completes the Best Picture category while also hoping to win for Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Best Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. Needless to say, it’ll be quite fascinating to see where all these awards go (as well as all others that are expected to be given out) come the 10th of March, but either way, many have already expressed their joy and outrage (perhaps even both) with what has and\u002For has not been nominated by the Academy, showing just how much the Academy Awards is, has been, and will likely continue to be the source of great controversy, whether it’s deserved or not.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2241},[],"2024-01-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-blows-away-competition-with-13-nominations",{"title":2213,"description":298},"oscars-2024-oppenheimer-blows-away-competition-with-13-nominations","blog\u002Foscars-2024-oppenheimer-blows-away-competition-with-13-nominations","8gzIev1BcqmRkyOOUKbjSGT4zTq5ucb8ZY00EZuzZlE",{"id":2250,"title":2251,"body":2252,"category":259,"coverImage":2289,"date":2290,"description":2256,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2291,"navigation":71,"path":2292,"seo":2293,"seoDescription":2294,"seoTitle":2251,"slug":2295,"stem":2296,"__hash__":2297},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fstate-of-independent-distribution.md","The State of Independent Film Distribution in 2024",{"type":22,"value":2253,"toc":2286},[2254,2257,2260,2265,2271,2277,2283],[25,2255,2256],{},"Independent distribution has always been a game of patience and precision, but the last two years have compressed both. Theatrical windows have shortened, digital platforms have consolidated their licensing appetites, and audiences are more fragmented across services than ever before.",[25,2258,2259],{},"For distributors like WWMPC, this has meant rethinking the traditional release cascade. Rather than a rigid theatrical-then-digital sequence, we increasingly build a release plan around where a specific film's audience actually lives.",[2261,2262,2264],"h2",{"id":2263},"three-shifts-were-watching","Three Shifts We're Watching",[25,2266,2267,2270],{},[57,2268,2269],{},"Platform specificity."," Not every film belongs on every service. Matching a title to the right platform's audience matters more than maximizing the number of platforms.",[25,2272,2273,2276],{},[57,2274,2275],{},"Regional theatrical."," National wide releases remain out of reach for most independent titles, but regional theatrical runs in the right markets can build word of mouth that a straight-to-digital release cannot.",[25,2278,2279,2282],{},[57,2280,2281],{},"Festival-to-release pipelines."," The gap between festival premiere and commercial availability is closing, driven by audience expectation and social media momentum that fades quickly if there's nowhere to act on it.",[25,2284,2285],{},"We'll continue to share our thinking on this as the landscape evolves.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2287},[2288],{"id":2263,"depth":65,"text":2264},"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Findustry-distribution.jpg","2024-01-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fstate-of-independent-distribution",{"title":2251,"description":2256},"An industry analysis of how streaming economics and theatrical windows are reshaping independent film distribution in 2024.","state-of-independent-distribution","blog\u002Fstate-of-independent-distribution","ImAwYVKnBBtNAN_JBi8qLoEXbT0Ri2Dm480ol5u9v34",{"id":2299,"title":2300,"body":2301,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2326,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2327,"navigation":71,"path":2328,"seo":2329,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2330,"stem":2331,"__hash__":2332},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-big-becomes-a-best-picture-front-runner.md","Critics Choice Awards 2024: “Oppenheimer” Wins Big, Becomes a Best Picture Front-runner",{"type":22,"value":2302,"toc":2324},[2303,2309,2312,2315,2318,2321],[25,2304,236,2305],{},[47,2306,391],{"href":2307,"rel":2308},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2024\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2024-winners-list-1235870581\u002F",[51],[25,2310,2311],{},"As the yearly film awards season moves along and makes it way towards the Academy Awards, the event often regarded as the climactic culmination of this period, there will usually come a point where one film is determined to be the one that is most likely to win the highly coveted Best Picture prize, the Academy’s most prestigious honor. How this is predicted can be very simple - all one needs to do is look at which film is receiving the most awards (especially those that are a given organization’s equivalent to a Best Picture accolade) - and while there is by no means a guarantee that all of these successes will lead directly to the film’s name being read aloud at the end of the Oscars (there is, after all, still plenty of room for an upset to take place), its chances of this happening do tend to be more likely if the film in question has been able to garner several different awards prior to that point. Last year, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” became a quick pick for many predicting what would win the Best Picture award as it won a surprising majority of the awards it had been nominated for by just about every critics group and awards organization that had chosen to recognize it; sure enough, not only was that very film indeed named Best Picture, but six other prizes from the Academy were given to prove once and for all that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was a film that lived up to its title and reputation. Figuring out which film will be the next to achieve this honor has admittedly taken a little longer, but if the recent Critics Choice Awards are any indication, it appears that a major front-runner has entered the scene.",[25,2313,2314],{},"Although the people who vote in the Critics Choice Awards are not the same people who vote in the Academy Awards (as the name implies, the former are voted on by film critics, while the latter are voted on by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, many of whom are not film critics), both events share many of the exact same categories, so it’s quite easy to draw comparisons between the two and perhaps even determine what will win at the later event from what wins at the earlier event. During this year’s Critics Choice Awards, which were held on Sunday, June 14th, one film in particular proved successful in winning more awards than any other film nominated that evening, with one of the eight prizes it was given being the award for Best Picture. That film: Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, which not only won Best Picture, but also Best Director for Nolan, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., Best Acting Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score. All of these wins come just shortly after the multiple Golden Globes that “Oppenheimer” had been awarded last week (one of them being Best Motion Picture - Drama), and given the prominence of both of these events during the typical awards season, it may be safe to say that Nolan’s film, while not yet by any means guaranteed a Best Picture win at the upcoming Oscars, has a better chance of doing so than any other film at this point in time.",[25,2316,2317],{},"Following close behind in second place with a total of six wins at the Critics Choice Awards is, amusingly enough, the other half of the insanely popular Barbenhemier phenomenon. Although Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” was denied a Best Picture win (as well as wins in many other categories that were ultimately awarded to “Oppenheimer”), it was fortunate enough to be named the year’s Best Comedy, a honor that could’ve otherwise gone to such films as “Bottoms” and “No Hard Feelings”. In addition to that accolade, “Barbie” also succeeded in picking up prizes for Best Original Screenplay (which, due to the Academy acknowledging the film being based on the Mattell toy property, it is not allowed to compete for at the Oscars and will instead have to be considered for Best Adapted Screenplay), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, and Best Original Song for the tune “I’m Just Ken”. Combined together, the ongoing Barbenheimer phenomenon was ultimately able to take home a grand total of fourteen wins from the Critics Choice Awards; if this pattern is able to continue all the way to the Academy Awards, then it will only further prove just how bizarre, yet fascinating the existence of Barbenheimer continues to be.",[25,2319,2320],{},"This year’s Critics Choice Awards have also created a better idea of what might win in the Oscars’ acting categories, especially considering how the Golden Globes’ decision to split each of its leading actor prizes into two (giving one for Best Actor or Actress in a Drama, and another for Best Actor or Actress in a Musical or Comedy) makes it slightly more difficult to get a sense of what might win if there were only one award for each gender. For example, Cillian Murphy of “Oppenheimer” was able to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, while Paul Giamatti of Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” won for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy; when the two were pitted against each other in one category though, it was Giamatti who won the Critics Choice Award. A similar situation played out with the Best Actress prize; at the Golden Globes, Lily Gladstone of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” was awarded Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, while Emma Stone of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” won for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Once again, it was the more “comedic” performance that the Critics Choice Awards displayed a preference for, with Stone ultimately being named Best Actress.",[25,2322,2323],{},"Elsewhere throughout the Critics Choice Awards, Da’Vine Joy Randolph of “The Holdovers” won Best Supporting Actress (an accolade she also won at the Golden Globes), “American Fiction” was decided to have the Best Adapted Screenplay, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was named Best Animated Feature (which it lost to “The Boy and the Heron” at the Golden Globes), and “Anatomy of a Fall” was honored with the award for Best Foreign Language Film. How likely any of these films and individuals are to win these exact same prizes at the Academy Awards is far from certain at this point in time, but much like “Oppenheimer”, if these films can continue to keep earning awards as the season progresses towards its inevitable conclusion, they may have a solid enough chance of doing so once Oscar night finally arrives.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2325},[],"2024-01-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-big-becomes-a-best-picture-front-runner",{"title":2300,"description":194},"critics-choice-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-big-becomes-a-best-picture-front-runner","blog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2024-oppenheimer-wins-big-becomes-a-best-picture-front-runner","wahSnmSu4ky0NDkDBnPzcsJ3XIlensyEyJekSYHIjl4",{"id":2334,"title":2335,"body":2336,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2361,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2362,"navigation":71,"path":2363,"seo":2364,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2365,"stem":2366,"__hash__":2367},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2024-oppenheimer-triumphs-while-poor-things-holds-back-barbie.md","Golden Globes 2024: “Oppenheimer” Triumphs While “Poor Things” Holds Back “Barbie”",{"type":22,"value":2337,"toc":2359},[2338,2344,2347,2350,2353,2356],[25,2339,236,2340],{},[47,2341,279],{"href":2342,"rel":2343},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fgolden-globes-2024-winners-list-1235781166\u002F",[51],[25,2345,2346],{},"If there were any awards ceremony that was tailor-made for something like the Barbenheimer phenomenon, it’s easily the Golden Globe Awards. The reason for this: the Golden Globes are among the few organizations that hand out not one, but two Best Picture prizes: one for Drama, and the other for Musical and\u002For Comedy films. When the nominations for the 81st Golden Globe Awards were announced just over a month ago, many were pleased to find that both of the films at the heart of Barbenheimer - specifically Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” were nominated in at least one of these categories, with the former being listed as a contender for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and the latter being listed under Best Motion Picture - Drama. In theory, both of these films could win their respective awards and stand together as they are recognized by the Golden Globes as being the best films that the year 2023 had to offer, bringing the Barbenheimer phenomenon to its highest point yet. When the time actually came for the awards ceremony however, things didn’t quite play out like many were hoping. Granted, as each winner was announced throughout the evening of Sunday, January 7th, both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” could be heard multiple times, but while one of these films was able to come out on top and take the Best Motion Picture prize it had been nominated for, the other sadly fell short of such an accomplishment, ultimately holding Barbenheimer back from a complete domination of the Golden Globes.",[25,2348,2349],{},"Fortunately for one of these films, not only did it win a Best Motion Picture award, but it took home four additional prizes and came out as the most successful film of the evening. That film was “Oppenheimer”, which not only won Best Motion Picture - Drama, but also received Best Director for Nolan, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for Cillian Murphy, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Robert Downey, Jr., and Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson. In spite of all these wins though, it was not a perfect evening for “Oppenheimer”, as the film ended up losing in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture categories (the latter being specifically for Emily Blunt). Regardless, “Oppenheimer” still succeeded in taking five of the eight awards it had been nominated for, all of which demonstrate the film’s strength as an award-winning powerhouse and strengthen its chances of winning Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony in March.",[25,2351,2352],{},"One half of Barbenheimer may have been able to triumph during the evening, but while the other half was not entirely without success, its greatest ambitions were stopped by another film that vied for many of those same awards. Winning Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy was not “Barbie” like so many had hoped, but rather Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things”, which had received seven nominations in total prior to the start of the Golden Globes. “Poor Things” also hindered “Barbie” from taking the award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, with the former’s leading actress Emma Stone earning the accolade over the latter’s leading actress Margot Robbie. On the bright side, “Barbie”, as was previously stated, did not leave the Golden Globes completely empty-handed, as it managed to receive two prizes before the evening came to a close. Those awards were for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement (an admittedly controversial category that many have accused of being more focused on a film’s financial success rather than its artistic quality) and Best Original Song, the latter going to Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for their song “What Was I Made For?”",[25,2354,2355],{},"In addition to “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer”, and “Poor Things”, two other films proved fortunate enough to take multiple prizes over the course of the Golden Globes. The first of these films was Justin Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall”, a French production that was named Best Non-English Language Film while also winning the award for Best Screenplay. The second of these films was Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”, which proved successful in taking home two of the acting accolades: Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Paul Giamatti, and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Finally, there were two more films took the remaining two prizes: Martin Scorses’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, which earned leading actress Lily Gladstone the award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, and Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron”, which was named Best Animated Feature. Given the Golden Globes’ claims that it would be striving for greater diversity in terms of its voters and winners, these latter two awards are at least some proof that such efforts are having some impact, as Gladstone is the first person of Indigenous descent to win an acting the award, while “The Boy and the Heron” is the first non-English language film to win Best Animated Feature.",[25,2357,2358],{},"It should go without saying that this was a rather interesting year for the Golden Globes, and that’s before one takes the winning films and individuals into consideration. Not only was this the first ceremony held outside of the control of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that founded the awards (with Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries now in charge of organizing the event), but it was also the first to be aired on the CBS television network (as well as on its sister streaming service Paramount+) in over forty years, with most of the previous ceremonies airing on rival network NBC. As evidenced by these factors, the Golden Globes have had to undergo quite a few changes as of lately (many of them the result of significant controversies that have popped up over the past few years), but while there are still some things that the Golden Globe Awards continue to receive criticism for, one can at least find relief in knowing that the films and people that won its awards are as strong as they are and will hopefully to prove their worth as the remainer of the awards season continues into the coming weeks.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2360},[],"2024-01-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2024-oppenheimer-triumphs-while-poor-things-holds-back-barbie",{"title":2335,"description":298},"golden-globes-2024-oppenheimer-triumphs-while-poor-things-holds-back-barbie","blog\u002Fgolden-globes-2024-oppenheimer-triumphs-while-poor-things-holds-back-barbie","fYb_d0aQdy1CjEIpPgAqxUqaZ1dLiG7aEQRIcO6t4BQ",{"id":2369,"title":2370,"body":2371,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2400,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2401,"navigation":71,"path":2402,"seo":2403,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2404,"stem":2405,"__hash__":2406},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fzone-of-interest-wins-over-toronto-critics-is-a-best-picture-upset-in-the-cards.md","“Zone of Interest” Wins Over Toronto Critics. Is a Best Picture Upset in the Cards?",{"type":22,"value":2372,"toc":2398},[2373,2379,2382,2389,2392,2395],[25,2374,236,2375],{},[47,2376,279],{"href":2377,"rel":2378},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fzone-of-interest-toronto-critics-1235761675\u002F",[51],[25,2380,2381],{},"What will be named Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards? It’s a bit too early to tell at this point, though many have already drawn their attention to the films that seem to have a stronger chance than others. For some, Martin Scorsese’s epic western crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” is one of the filmmaker’s most impressive cinematic creations in years, and the Academy will honor it and his decades-long career with its highest honor. Other people feel that Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black comedy “Poor Things” will follow in the footsteps of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, last year’s Best Picture winner, and be the next work of hyper-surreal cinema to claim the prize. Then, of course, there’s the enduring power of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, which could lead to either Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” or Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” being named the most impeccably crafted film of 2023 (if nothing else, both films are already two of the highest-grossing releases of the year, and each of them can point to the sheer number of Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominations as evidence of how much they’ve struck a chord with voters). As far as anyone can tell, each of these films has the potential of triumphing over all others and being named Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but that shouldn’t automatically mean that there are no other contenders lurking in the background and waiting for their moment to shine. In fact, the Toronto Film Critics Association has named a film that has yet to be mentioned as their pick for Best Picture, a film that has managed to garner much acclaim and recognition, but is not yet seen as a frontrunner at the upcoming awards ceremonies. That film: Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest”.",[25,2383,2384,2385,2388],{},"Spoken primarily in German and Polish, Glazer’s film, based on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis, stars Christian Friedel as Rudolf Hoss, a Nazi officer who lives with his wife Hedwig (played by Sandra Huller) as they try to maintain a comfortable status of living while residing right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which cites the film as having a 92% approval rating from critics, describes “The Zone of Interest” as that which “dispassionately ",[364,2386,2387],{},"examines"," the ordinary existence of people complicit in horrific crimes” and “forces us to take a cold look at the mundanity behind an unforgivable brutality”; in short; there doesn’t seem to be much about Glazer’s film that one would consider “pleasant”, but most would agree that its a powerful work of cinema regardless. It’s so powerful, in fact, that earlier this year, the Cannes Film Festival nominated the film for its Palme d’Or and ended up giving it the Grand Prix, its second most prestigious accolade. This alone should make “The Zone of Interest” a Best Picture nominee at the very least, and if it can achieve that, one shouldn’t overlook the possibility of it even winning the award.",[25,2390,2391],{},"Still, doing so will require “The Zone of Interest” to contend with some fairly stiff competition, some of which has been acknowledged in runner-up positions by the Toronto Film Critics Association. When it comes to Best Picture, for example, Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” and the aforementioned “Killers of the Flower Moon” both place second and third among those voting for the award, whereas in the Best Director category, Glazer was also able to take this prize, but only after just barely beating out Scorsese and Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall”. The mentioning of these films, all of which have already garnered much attention and been frequently regarded as major awards contenders, suggests that they will continue to hold their weight throughout the remainder of the awards season, meaning that if “The Zone of Interest” is to continue its way to the top, it will have to perform the difficult task to proving itself more worthy than any other feature film that competes alongside it.",[25,2393,2394],{},"Elsewhere within the Toronto Film Critics Association, two actors were honored with awards for Outstanding Lead Performance: Lily Gladstone for her portrayal of Mollie Kyle in “Killers of the Flower Moon”, and Sandra Huller for her portrayal of Sandra Voyter in “Anatomy of a Fall”. Both of these actors have already been widely praised for their performances in these films, so much so that each of them is being viewed as a major frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar, a status that seems to have been reaffirmed with this recognition from Toronto film critics. Similar sentiments can be expressed about the winners of Outstanding Supporting Performance: Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in “Barbie”, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who plays Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s comedy-drama “The Holdovers”. Could either of these individuals go on to repeat such success at the Academy Awards and any other remaining awards ceremonies? No one can say for sure at this moment, but these wins do further push the odds towards their favor.",[25,2396,2397],{},"Then there are many of the remaining categories for which members of the Toronto Film Critics Associated voted, some of which went in some fairly expected directions, while others turned out a bit more surprising. Scorsese and Eric Roth, for instance, were awarded with Best Adapted Screenplay for “Killers of the Flower Moon”, but it was Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s “Barbie” script that was named Best Original Screenplay (quite a feat for a film based on a popular line of children’s dolls). The award for Best Animated Feature, meanwhile, went to Pablo Berger’s science fiction tragicomedy “Robot Dreams”, while Aki Kurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves”, a romantic comedy-drama co-produced by Finland and Germany, was named Best International Feature. Do any of these films stand much of a chance, if any at all, at winning these exact same awards at the upcoming Oscars ceremonies? For some, such chances are stronger than others, though if history has proven anything, it’s that there is always plenty of room for surprises. How many surprises there can possibly be will largely boil down to what ends up being nominated for the Academy Awards (which won’t be revealed for another month), but for the time being, one can find relief in knowing that “The Zone of Interest” and other lesser-acknowledged films still have the opportunity to pull off an upset.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2399},[],"2023-12-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fzone-of-interest-wins-over-toronto-critics-is-a-best-picture-upset-in-the-cards",{"title":2370,"description":298},"zone-of-interest-wins-over-toronto-critics-is-a-best-picture-upset-in-the-cards","blog\u002Fzone-of-interest-wins-over-toronto-critics-is-a-best-picture-upset-in-the-cards","_DU5saTVl6bwGYn-KXkwOHpk4ytT2u94laKtQXC_YgA",{"id":2408,"title":2409,"body":2410,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2438,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2439,"navigation":71,"path":2440,"seo":2441,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2442,"stem":2443,"__hash__":2444},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbarbie-leads-with-nine-golden-globe-award-nominations.md","“Barbie” Leads with Nine Golden Globe Award Nominations",{"type":22,"value":2411,"toc":2436},[2412,2418,2421,2424,2427,2430,2433],[25,2413,236,2414],{},[47,2415,538],{"href":2416,"rel":2417},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F12\u002Fgolden-globe-nominations-2024-1235660995\u002F",[51],[25,2419,2420],{},"Nobody would bat an eye if one were to refer to the upcoming Golden Globe Awards ceremony, currently set to take place on Sunday, January 7th 2024, as an unusual change of pace, even more so than usual given the stigma that has surrounded the event for the past few years. For one thing, this will be the first time in years that the Golden Globes will not be televised on NBC; the network refused to renew its deal with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that created and runs the Golden Globes (likely due to many of the controversies connected to the latter). As a result, CBS will instead air the event live (while simultaneously streaming it on Paramount+) as it takes place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the establishment where the Globes have been continuously held throughout much of its recent history. Second, most of the category sizes have been noticeably increased, with the number of possible nominees within a given category being raised from five to six, making it possible for more films to receive multiple nominations that they might not have been able to achieve under the previous circumstances. Third, there is the addition of two new Golden Globe Awards, one of which relates directly to film: that for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. The merits of this specific prize have prove rather debatable, but given the event’s need to reinvent itself after all of its recent controversies have caused it to be seen in a mostly negative light, a new award like this may be a valuable asset in getting people to watch they show (assuming that it doesn’t backfire and generate any further criticism).",[25,2422,2423],{},"In any case, on Monday, December 11th, the nominations for the 81st Annual Golden Globes were announced and made known to the general public. Some of the nominated films and individuals came as quite a surprise to many (as did many of those that did not receive certain nominations), while the presence of others was all but guaranteed. Triumphing above all others, however, was Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, which has already caught much of the film industry off guard as it sits firmly in place as the year’s highest-grossing cinematic release and continues to go above and beyond with its multiple Golden Globe nominations, a total that surpasses any other nominated film this year. Appearing in nine award categories altogether: “Barbie” currently seeks to take home at least one of the following accolades: Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Margot Robbie), Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Ryan Gosling), Best Director - Motion Picture (Greta Gerwig), Best Screenplay - Motion Picture (Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach), and three nominations within Best Original Song - Motion Picture, those for the tunes “Dance the Night”, “I’m Just Ken”, and “What Was I Made For?”",[25,2425,2426],{},"It should be noted that with three of the nominations for “Barbie” all appearing in the same category (Best Original Song - Motion Picture), the actual number of categories that Gerwig’s film appears in only amounts to seven. Because of this, if one considers only the number of overall categories a film has been nominated in, then the actual film that has received the most Golden Globe nominations is not “Barbie”, but rather (fittingly enough) the other half of the unexpectedly popular Barbenheimer trend, specifically Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”. That film can be found having nominations within eight different categories: Best Motion Picture - Drama, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture (Cillian Murphy), Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Emily Blunt), Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Robert Downey, Jr.), Best Director - Motion Picture (Christopher Nolan), Best Screenplay - Motion Picture (Christopher Nolan), and Best Original Score - Motion Picture.",[25,2428,2429],{},"Trailing just behind both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” with seven nominations altogether is Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Not only will the film compete with “Oppenheimer” for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Leonardo DiCaprio),  Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Robert de Niro), Best Director - Motion Picture (Martin Scorsese), Best Screenplay - Motion Picture (Martin Scorsese and Eric Roth), and Best Original Score, but Lily Gladstone is also vying for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama.",[25,2431,2432],{},"Although “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” both have respectable odds of winning the Best Motion Picture - Drama award, they’ll have to overcome some stiff competition in order to do so. Also appearing within the category are Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” (which received three additional nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language, as well), Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” (for which Cooper also earned nominations for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director - Motion Picture), Celine Song’s “Past Lives” (for which Song had also secured nominations for her screenplay and direction), and Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” (another nominee for Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language).",[25,2434,2435],{},"Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy does not look any less competitive. In addition to “Barbie”, the films nominated in this category are Ben Affleck’s “Air”, Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction”, Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”, Todd Hayne’s “May December”, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things”, the latter of which also has five other nominations including Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Emma Stone), Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Mark Ruffalo). All these films, as well as any others that have been nominated elsewhere, have made quite an impression with their ability to secure nominations here, and if things continue to play out in their favor, there’s a chance that the next few awards ceremonies may prove equally prosperous.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2437},[],"2023-12-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbarbie-leads-with-nine-golden-globe-award-nominations",{"title":2409,"description":557},"barbie-leads-with-nine-golden-globe-award-nominations","blog\u002Fbarbie-leads-with-nine-golden-globe-award-nominations","KimvO8-AeVmEaIbqupgjDOQ3OurnXoif4WGPOoTzd6k",{"id":2446,"title":2447,"body":2448,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2473,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2474,"navigation":71,"path":2475,"seo":2476,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2477,"stem":2478,"__hash__":2479},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpixars-soul-luca-and-turning-red-to-receive-long-overdue-theatrical-releases.md","Pixar’s “Soul”, “Luca”, and “Turning Red” to Receive (Long Overdue) Theatrical Releases",{"type":22,"value":2449,"toc":2471},[2450,2456,2459,2462,2465,2468],[25,2451,236,2452],{},[47,2453,391],{"href":2454,"rel":2455},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fpixar-soul-turning-red-luca-theaters-1235822031\u002F",[51],[25,2457,2458],{},"In a perfect world (or at least one where a major cinematic release could potentially draw in a respectably sized audience), the films created by Pixar Animation Studios (a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company’s film division) and released between late 2020 and early 2022 - specifically “Soul”, “Luca”, and “Turning Red” - would have been available for exhibition in several theaters across the globe, allowing those who have grown a fondness for the studio behind such classics as “Toy Story”, “Ratatouille”, and “Coco” to see its latest animated creations on the largest screens possible. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March of 2020, just about every theater in the nation was forced into closure as a means of reducing the spread of disease, dramatically cutting off the revenue that could be earned from any film that had been in theaters just before that point. In fact, this was the fate of Pixar’s earlier feature “Onward”, which received a so-so gross of around $39 million during its opening weekend but was unable to develop legs due to the sudden closing of the majority of the nation’s theaters. In order to make “Onward” more accessible to those who were now unable to see it at their local cineplex, Disney immediately made it available on its streaming service Disney+, a platform that the company was becoming increasingly dependent on as a result of the company being cut off from theatrical ticket sales. It would be this very service that would serve as the primary means of exhibition for the next few Pixar releases, though many would argue that this decision proved detrimental in the long run.",[25,2460,2461],{},"Originally intended for a theatrical release in the summer of 2020, “Soul”, the next Pixar film set to come out, was initially pushed back to November of that same year, but when it became clear that a theatrical release would not be profitable during this time (mainly because the pandemic was still looming over much of the world), Disney instead chose to give the film a premiere on Disney+ on Christmas Day. A similar decision was made with the Pixar film that followed, that being 2021’s “Luca”, which was originally expected to come out in theaters in the summer of that year before Disney decided that it too would be better off going directly to Disney+. Then there’s the film that was planned to come out after that, “Turning Red”. It too looked as if it would receive a proper theatrical release (and one that looked a bit more likely given the supposed easing of the pandemic and the possibility that people were ready to return to theaters). However, a last-minute cancellation resulted in this film also being sent directly to Disney+. It wouldn’t be until a few months later that a Pixar film would finally make it to the big screen for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but even then, the recent foregoing of theatrical releases only seemd to do more harm than good.",[25,2463,2464],{},"When 2022’s “Lightyear”, a spin-off of Pixar’s highly beloved “Toy Story” franchise, came to theaters and served as the studio’s first appearance on the big screen in over two years, it was able to earn a lower-than-expected, but otherwise passable opening weekend gross before quickly dropping further down the charts and ultimately being deemed a box office bomb. Many factors are said to have played into the underperformance of “Lightyear”, but one of the most commonly cited is the fact that the previous Pixar films were all sent to Disney+, creating the impression that Pixar was no longer (or at least not at this time) a strong enough brand to encourage people to attend a screening at their local theater. Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, who also served as the director of “Soul” and one of the screenwriters of “Lightyear”, himself even acknowledged just how much the film-going landscape has changed since the start of the pandemic and how streaming has only further made theatrical releases more difficult to sustain. “In the long run, there’s been a bit of a mixed blessing because we’ve trained audiences that these films will be available for you on Disney+,” Docter claims. “and it’s more expensive for a family of four to go to a theater when they know they can wait and it’ll come out on the platform.”",[25,2466,2467],{},"For a time being, it looked as if Pixar’s most recent cinematic creation “Elemental” would be the next to underperform at the box office, with its $29.5 million opening weekend gross as the domestic box office being the lowest of any Pixar film in history. However, word-of-mouth and Disney deliberately holding back from releasing the film on Disney+ until much later helped “Elemental” stay afloat in the coming weeks, ultimately earning the film a worldwide gross of just under $500 million. According to Pixar president Jim Morris, the combination of theatrical sales and the revenue earned from streaming, theme parks, and merchandising should ensure that “Elemental” will become profitable in the long run, although it’s the former that Docter seems to be most appreciative of. “In the case of ‘Elemental,’ it’s a beautiful spectacle, there’s detail everywhere. I think you feel it more and it’s a better experience,” Doctor alleges. “There’s the shared experience as well, that you get to see it in a room with strangers, and there’s something about the energy that comes from other people that makes the whole experience more vibrant and interesting.”",[25,2469,2470],{},"It would seem that this unexpected success story has encouraged Pixar to give some of its earlier releases a second chance to shine on the big screen. Earlier next year, Disney will release the three Pixar films that had been sent to Disney+ in theaters as originally intended; “Soul” will come out on January 12th, “Turning Red” will be exhibited in theaters starting February 9th, and “Luca” will make its way to the big screen on March 22nd. Some may allege this decision is driven mainly by Disney lacking any major new releases until 20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” premieres during Memorial Day Weekend and is therefore in desperate need of some quick and easy money, but whatever the reason may truly be, those who were so eager to see all of these films on the big screen as they originally envisioned will finally have the opportunity to do so throughout the first few months of the upcoming new year.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2472},[],"2023-12-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpixars-soul-luca-and-turning-red-to-receive-long-overdue-theatrical-releases",{"title":2447,"description":194},"pixars-soul-luca-and-turning-red-to-receive-long-overdue-theatrical-releases","blog\u002Fpixars-soul-luca-and-turning-red-to-receive-long-overdue-theatrical-releases","b_4014lek3Xvp6pTbEMqOIVu0CdWf0_V_x5ryXPwc2E",{"id":2481,"title":2482,"body":2483,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2508,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2509,"navigation":71,"path":2510,"seo":2511,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2512,"stem":2513,"__hash__":2514},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpast-lives-anatomy-of-a-murder-win-big-at-2023-gotham-awards.md","“Past Lives”, “Anatomy of a Murder” Win Big at 2023 Gotham Awards",{"type":22,"value":2484,"toc":2506},[2485,2491,2494,2497,2500,2503],[25,2486,236,2487],{},[47,2488,391],{"href":2489,"rel":2490},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Fawards\u002Fnews\u002Fgotham-awards-winners-list-1235810321\u002F",[51],[25,2492,2493],{},"With so many films competing for the industry’s various awards over the course of a single yearly season, it can be difficult for smaller, more independently produced works of cinema to stand out among the crowd. Because films that receive the backing of major studios are afforded the luxury of greater and more widespread publicity, independent films can often get lost in the crowd and be kept from receiving the attention they may deserve. This is an issue that the Gotham Independent Film Awards, or simply Gotham Awards, has sought to remedy since its inception in 1991. Founded and overseen by New York City’s Gotham Film & Media Institute, a non-profit organization that’s been cited as “the largest membership organization in the United States dedicated to independent film”, the Gotham Awards seek to acknowledge the cinematic creations that are able to represent the best of what the artform has to offer even without the financial support of major studios and\u002For corporations. That mission has remained the central driving force of the Gotham Awards for over three decades, and it was only just recently that the event’s thirty-third annual ceremony took place. With all the nominees and associated individuals gathering at New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street location during the evening of Monday, November 27th, the 33rd Annual Gotham Awards continued the tradition started by those who helped put together the Gotham Film & Media Institute’s first ceremony over thirty years prior and handed out ten awards over the course of the event, seven of which went specifically to films (while the other three were given to television productions).",[25,2495,2496],{},"Of the select number of accolades awarded regularly by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, the most highly coveted is the Best Feature prize, an equivalent to the Academy Awards’ Best Picture. This year, Celine Song’s romantic drama “Past Lives” was the recipient of this award, with the writer-director enthusiastically accepting the award while being joined on stage by Greta Lee and John Magaro, both of whom had served as two of the film’s most prominent actors. “Thank you, Gotham, for this award,” Song said during her acceptance speech “It’s such an honor. It really means the world to receive it with my debut set in New York City, a city I live in and love deeply.” In addition to this category, “Past Lives” has also been nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance (which went specifically to the aforementioned Lee) and Breakthrough Director (for which Song was recognized); though the film would sadly not secure wins in either of these other categories, its receiving of Best Feature nonetheless speaks volumes of its quality and will hopefully be a sign of things to come as awards season moves along.",[25,2498,2499],{},"More than any other nominated film of the year, Andrew Haigh’s romantic fantasy “All of Us Strangers” had the opportunity to win four separate awards over the course of the ceremony, with receiving nominations for Best Screenplay, Best International Feature, Outstanding Lead Performance (Andrew Scott) and Outstanding Supporting Performance (Claire Foy). Unfortunately, the film ended up going home empty-handed as each of the categories it had been nominated in had their respective prizes go to one of the other nominated films. Interestingly, one of those films was Justine Triet’s courtroom drama-thriller “Anatomy of a Fall”, which had only been nominated in two categories - Best Screenplay and Best International Feature - yet was able to secure wins in both, making it the only feature of the evening to receive more than a single award.",[25,2501,2502],{},"With each of the acting categories - Outstanding Lead Performance and Outstanding Supporting Performance - including ten nominated actors each (a possible effect of both of them no longer being separated into two gendered categories each), it’s safe to say that each of them was fairly competitive at the very least. This of course makes the reveal of the eventual winners all the more noteworthy, and in the case of Outstanding Lead Performance, the winning actor is especially surprising considering that the film she won for is not the one she’s getting the most attention for. As one of the central leads of Martin Scorsese’s epic Western crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon”, actor Lily Gladstone has certainly made a name for herself over the past few months, and the fact that her win in this category is for a completely different film - specifically Morrisa Maltz’ drama “The Unknown Country” - is a testament to Gladstone’s capabilities as an actor and the degree of success she’s reached throughout the year. It’s difficult to determine whether her performance in “The Unknown Country” will be able to attract all that many eyes throughout the next few months - the more lucrative “Killers of the Flower Moon” will most likely continue to be Gladstone’s more highly publicized film - but either way, one can only hope that the recognition she’s received for both of these films will allow her to further build a successful acting career.",[25,2504,2505],{},"Winning the Outstanding Supporting Performance award was actor Charles Melton for his performance in Todd Haynes’ drama “May December”, one that found itself having to compete with the likes of Juliette Binoche of “The Taste of Things”, Jaime Foxx of “They Cloned Tyrone”, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph of “The Holdovers” among several others. Best Documentary Feature, meanwhile, went to Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters”, a Tunisian feature that competed for the Palme d’Or at the most recent Cannes Film Festival and will be Tunisia’s entry for the Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. Finally, the award for Breakthrough Director was given to A.V. Rockwell for her drama “A Thousand and One”, providing Rockwell and her film with a win after being nominated in three categories altogether (the other two being Best Feature and Outstanding Lead Performance, the latter going to actress Teyana Taylor). The total number of awards handed out over the course of the ceremony may be smaller than most others, but few would argue that those won are more than worthy of these prizes, and it will be very exciting to see how well these films and filmmakers continue to fare as the yearly award season continues onward.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2507},[],"2023-12-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpast-lives-anatomy-of-a-murder-win-big-at-2023-gotham-awards",{"title":2482,"description":194},"past-lives-anatomy-of-a-murder-win-big-at-2023-gotham-awards","blog\u002Fpast-lives-anatomy-of-a-murder-win-big-at-2023-gotham-awards","68A0ML2cuUf66GaF9WBFbBTO0j-9VVhMSwTWZPDUSM4",{"id":2516,"title":2517,"body":2518,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2546,"description":1223,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2547,"navigation":71,"path":2548,"seo":2549,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2550,"stem":2551,"__hash__":2552},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fout-of-clay-out-of-business-factory-closure-sparks-worries-for-uks-aardman.md","Out of Clay, Out of Business? Factory Closure Sparks Worries for UK’s Aardman",{"type":22,"value":2519,"toc":2544},[2520,2526,2529,2532,2535,2538,2541],[25,2521,236,2522],{},[47,2523,1197],{"href":2524,"rel":2525},"https:\u002F\u002Fgizmodo.com\u002Faardman-clay-shortage-update-wallace-gromit-chicken-run-1851035687",[51],[25,2527,2528],{},"What has to happen for a studio to no longer be able to make films? Theoretically, anything is possible. Maybe revenue can dwindle to such a low level that it’s no longer profitable to keep the studio up and running. Perhaps a change in leadership can lead to certain sectors of a much larger corporation to be deemed unnecessary and forced to close its doors. These are just a small handful of reasons as to why a given studio might have to shut down and cease production on any films and\u002For programs they had planned on making, and the majority of them can come across as relatively mundane or uninteresting to the average person. However, there are also those rare occasions where the reason is rather unusual, at least compared to how other studios tend to operate. Is it, for example, possible for an animation studio to make films when the most essential material resource they use to create them is no longer available to them? There have recently been some worries about this exact same situation playing out, and they all connect to one the United Kingdom’s most revered animation studios: Aardman Animations, best known for such works as “Chicken Run” and its recent sequel as well as the beloved “Wallace & Gromit” franchise.",[25,2530,2531],{},"To understand the potential problem that Aardman is facing right now requires some understanding as to how it makes its various short and feature-lenghth films. As opposed to other animation techniques like hand-drawn or computer animation, Aardman shoots the majority of its works using the medium of stop-motion. This is a process that requires the construction of physical puppets and sets that animators can arrange in one manner before shooting a single still image of what they’ve created. Once the image has been captured, the puppets are tweaked ever so slightly before another picture can be taken; the process the repeats itself enough for the images, when shown together at a rapid enough rate, create the illusion of a moving image. The basics of this process are more or less akin to any other method of animation, but it’s the use of physical objects that enables the art of stop-motion to mirror live-action filmmaking more closely than another animated medium.",[25,2533,2534],{},"The materials used for stop-motion come a wide variety, one that includes everything from paper cut-outs to carefully crafted mannequins with metal, easily adjustable skeletons. In the case of Aardman, the preferred resource is a type of clay called Newplast plasticine, which it has used since the studio first began making films back in 1972 and has turned into a defining trademark of its various productions. Clay-mation (the term used for stop-motion created using clay figures) may not be a process that’s exclusive to Aardman, but it is one that most will immediately connect to the British studio. It has proven itself to be a vital asset in the making of Aardman’s countless cinematic creations, which is why many grew concerned when it was announced that the company that provides Aardman with its most crucial resource would no longer be able to do so.",[25,2536,2537],{},"The company in question was a small factory located Torquay, a small town found within the English county of Devon, one that, just before its closure, was the only factory that had still been producing Newpast materials (those that take their name from their creator Lewis Newplast). A recently released report from The Telegraph revealed that Aardman was able to purchase whatever plasticine could still be found within the factory’s warehouses, and that all of it is currently being used as part of the production of another upcoming Wallace & Gromit feature, one that’s expected to be released near the end of 2024. After that, Aardman will have to either seek out an entirely new material for the creation of future clay-mation productions, shift to an entirely different medium of animation altogether (most likely that of the digital variety), or, if neither option is feasible enough, shut its doors altogether. The latter two options may only be a worst-case scenario, but given the current state of the studio, one shouldn’t be so quick to disregard the possibility.",[25,2539,2540],{},"In spite of all these worries however, Aardman itself has not publicly expressed any real negativity towards the whole ordeal and instead seems rather optimistic about moving forward. In fact, just a few days after The Telegraph published its article that sent many of the stop-motion studio’s biggest admirers into panic mode, Aardman itself took to social media to directly address the situation and assure those who are most worried that there is currently no reason to sound the alarm. “We are touched about recent concern over the future of our beloved clay creations, but wanted to reassure fans that there is absolutely no need to worry”, the social media statement reads. “We have high levels of existing stocks of modelling clay to service current and future productions and, much like Wallace in his workshop, we have been tinkering behind the scenes for quite some time with plans in place to ensure a smooth transition to new stocks to continue to make our iconic productions.”",[25,2542,2543],{},"If what Aardman has claimed in this statement is correct, then it looks as if the future of the studio is not nearly as bleak as many had feared upon the announcement that the supplier of its most important modelling materials was no longer in operation. With that said, even if there is far less need to worry than initially presumed, this whole matter does demonstrate how Aardman is one of the few major animation studios that has remained committed to the medium on which it had found success. Computer animation, which some would argue tends to be far less time and labor-consuming (although even that can be rather debatable), has all but completely taken over the industry altogether, with the likes of hand-drawn animation and stop-motion becoming an increasing rarity. This is perhaps the biggest reason why so many were quick to express their concerns about Aardman’s future; not only are they worried about the loss of a studio that created some of modern animation’s most beloved characters, but they’re also worried about the potential extinction of an art form that has been all but outright replaced by digital methods.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2545},[],"2023-11-26",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fout-of-clay-out-of-business-factory-closure-sparks-worries-for-uks-aardman",{"title":2517,"description":1223},"out-of-clay-out-of-business-factory-closure-sparks-worries-for-uks-aardman","blog\u002Fout-of-clay-out-of-business-factory-closure-sparks-worries-for-uks-aardman","jU_oZX7Sy3bTZYUwONNc9hscQYI5foV1aY126ThT00Q",{"id":2554,"title":2555,"body":2556,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2585,"description":2586,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2587,"navigation":71,"path":2588,"seo":2589,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2590,"stem":2591,"__hash__":2592},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-aftra-has-a-new-contract-that-can-end-strike-now-it-just-needs-to-vote-on-it.md","SAG-AFTRA Has a New Contract That Can End Strike. Now It Just Needs to Vote on It",{"type":22,"value":2557,"toc":2583},[2558,2565,2568,2571,2574,2577,2580],[25,2559,236,2560],{},[47,2561,2564],{"href":2562,"rel":2563},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cbsnews.com\u002Flosangeles\u002Fnews\u002Fsag-aftra-to-begin-voting-tuesday-on-tentative-deal-with-studios\u002F",[51],"CBS News",[25,2566,2567],{},"For a brief period, it looked as if the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would still be unable to settle on a new contract that would end the former’s months-long strike, one that, along with the earlier Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that had come to its own end just a short while ago, brought much of the American film industry to a standstill. Various sources claim that disagreements over the usage of AI technology, which many actors are concerned could potentially be used to replace performers without providing them with just compensation, were a major sticking point in the discussions, and had that remained the case, it’s quite possible that SAG-AFTRA’s strike could have continued into the oncoming new year. Fortunately though, that no longer appears to be the case; after some alleged revision of certain language used in the new contract, it does appear that both SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have finally come to a satisfactory agreement, with the former announcing an end to their strike shortly after a new contract was apparently settled on. However, if that is to be the case, there is still one crucial step that needs to be taken: the thousands of members that make up SAG-AFTRA need to look over the new contract and vote on it.",[25,2569,2570],{},"Starting Tuesday, November 14th, those who membership with SAG-AFTRA began voting on the new contract, a three-year agreement made with the AMPTP that finally brought an end to a strike that lasted for one hundred and eighteen days, one that finally ended at 12:01 AM on Thursday, November 9th after a deal was announced the day prior. It was just recently that the union’s national board of directors voted to approve the new contract, with 86% of the board opting to move forward with what has been written (perhaps not a completely unanimous vote, but one close enough to satisfaction nonetheless). Now it’s up to the remainder of the guild, a total of roughly 160,000 union members, to determine whether or not the “yes” vote holds, and with voting expected to continue until the first week of December, there’s plenty of time for them all to look over what’s been agreed to and whether or not it meets their demands.",[25,2572,2573],{},"According to SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, the new contract absolutely does meet most (if not all) of the demands made by the guild, acknowledging all the various ways in which this newest deal had broke ground that had not been previously touched upon in past agreements. “We have forged the biggest deal in industry history, which broke pattern, established new revenue streams and passed a historic $1 billion-plus deal with the most progressive AI protections ever written,” Drescher claims. “I feel pretty confident in saying this is a paradigm shift of seismic proportions.” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, expressed similar thoughts as he explained how this new contract addressed such concerns as streaming data and AI technology. “Once ratified, this deal will fundamentally reset how our membership is compensated to account for the growth of streaming and, for the first time, institute deep protections against the encroachment of AI technology,” Crabtree-Ireland states. “At its core, this deal is about our members and making sure they are able to maintain the dignity that comes with a career as an actor and performer.”",[25,2575,2576],{},"The newly written contract features several terms that address a wide variety of issues that currently plague the acting profession in Hollywood, but for most, there are some that are more important than others. For one thing, once the contract has been fully approved, general wages will immediately increase by 7% and will see further increases over the next two years, with these new wages and funding for benefits totalling to well over a billion dollars that will be distributed among SAG-AFTRA’s thousands of members. Second, “consent and compensation guardrails” that protect actors against the unauthorized usage of their likeness by AI technologies have been put into place; if a studio is to include a digital recreation of a given actor (whether it’s a background extra or a more popular celebrity) in any of its productions, it must first receive fully informed consent from the actor in question. Third, film and television productions designed for release on streaming platforms will now offer participation bonuses that will be added to regular residuals in compensating actors. Finally, there are the other smaller, but still essential provisions like an improvement of relocation benefits, regulation for audtions that are “self-taped”, and higher residuals for stunt performers, among several others.",[25,2578,2579],{},"The new contract is currently set to expire on June 30th, 2026, giving actors and producers roughly two-and-a-half years to adapt to the changes enforced by these new terms and determine whether or not more work needs to be done. For the time being though, it looks as if most everyone is at least somewhat satisfied with the deal that has been reached, with the AMPTP seeming to be especially eager to get new film and television productions back up and running. “We are pleased that the (union's) National Board has recommended the agreement for ratification by the membership,” one AMPTP spokesperson claims in a recently released statement. “We are also grateful that the entire industry has enthusiastically returned to work.”",[25,2581,2582],{},"As far as Hollywood and its associated industries are concerned, there’s no such thing as a time that’s “too soon” for a return to work. With the studios being forced to a standstill since May of this year, when the WGA first began its strike and paved the way for SAG-AFTRA to begin striking just a few months afterwards, the local economy is said to have lost billions of dollars that could’ve gone to not only those directly employed in the production of films and television series, but also smaller businesses (such as restaurants and caterers) who specifically require these larger companies to provide patronage for their services. None of this will have to be worrying for much longer though; so long as the members of SAG-AFTRA vote to approve their latest contract, everyone will be able to come out of this experience better off than they were before.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2584},[],"2023-11-18","Source: CBS News",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-aftra-has-a-new-contract-that-can-end-strike-now-it-just-needs-to-vote-on-it",{"title":2555,"description":2586},"sag-aftra-has-a-new-contract-that-can-end-strike-now-it-just-needs-to-vote-on-it","blog\u002Fsag-aftra-has-a-new-contract-that-can-end-strike-now-it-just-needs-to-vote-on-it","OVMY5-JWZjW4alwPUASHMIFldBGDebJoIvhQJD2rkSc",{"id":2594,"title":2595,"body":2596,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":2634,"description":2600,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2635,"navigation":71,"path":2636,"seo":2637,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2638,"stem":2639,"__hash__":2640},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fremembering-a-legend-a-tribute-to-a-remarkable-career.md","Remembering a Legend: A Tribute to a Remarkable Career",{"type":22,"value":2597,"toc":2631},[2598,2601,2604,2607,2610,2613,2616,2619,2622,2625,2628],[25,2599,2600],{},"We’re sad to bid farewell to a true entertainment industry professional, Matthew Perry, who passed away recently. Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the beloved television series Friends, leaves behind a legacy that has not only entertained millions but has also inspired generations of actors and viewers alike. We’ll reflect on his career, celebrating his achievements and the enduring impact he has had on the world of entertainment.",[25,2602,2603],{},"Early Life and Journey to Acting",[25,2605,2606],{},"Matthew Langford Perry was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, to Suzanne Marie Morrison, a Canadian journalist, and John Bennett Perry, an American actor. Raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Perry's early life was marked by a passion for tennis. In fact, he initially aspired to become a professional tennis player and even moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15 to pursue this dream. However, fate had a different path in store for him. Despite his affable demeanor on screen, Perry faced challenges in his early years. School wasn't always easy for him due to his struggles with learning disabilities, which made him a target for bullies. Despite these obstacles, he found solace and purpose in acting. Perry's father, being an actor himself, introduced him to the world of theater, where he discovered his love for performing.",[25,2608,2609],{},"Before the fame of \"Friends,\" Matthew Perry honed his acting skills through various television appearances. He made his debut in 1987, with a role in the series \"A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.\" Subsequently, he appeared in popular shows such as \"Growing Pains,\" \"Who's the Boss?,\" and \"Beverly Hills, 90210.\" Perry's talent was evident, even in these early roles, earning him recognition among audiences and industry professionals alike. However, it was his role in the 1990s sitcom \"Dream On\" that provided a platform for Perry to showcase his comedic abilities. His witty and charming portrayal of Martin Tupper's (Brian Benben) best friend added to his growing reputation as a talented comedic actor. These experiences laid the foundation for his iconic role as Chandler Bing in \"Friends.\"",[25,2611,2612],{},"Impact of \"Friends\" of Perry's Career and Beyond",[25,2614,2615],{},"\"Friends\" premiered in 1994 and became an unprecedented success. Perry's portrayal of Chandler Bing, the sarcastic but lovable character, garnered immense popularity. The show's massive global fanbase turned Perry and his co-stars into household names almost overnight. For a decade, from 1994 to 2004, Perry played a pivotal role in the series, which not only solidified his status as a television star but also brought him critical acclaim. The success of \"Friends\" significantly affected Perry's career trajectory. The show provided him with opportunities that extended beyond television. He ventured into films, starring in movies like \"Fools Rush In\" (1997) and \"The Whole Nine Yards\" (2000), where he showcased his versatility as an actor, demonstrating his ability to excel in both comedic and dramatic roles. His association with \"Friends\" opened doors for him in both the entertainment and business realms, making him one of the most recognized and influential actors of his time.",[25,2617,2618],{},"In addition to his work on the big screen, Perry also made impactful contributions to the theater world. He wrote and starred in the play \"The End of Longing,\" a production that received positive reviews for its raw emotional depth and compelling storytelling. Perry's dedication to his craft shone through in every role he undertook, leaving a lasting impression on audiences and critics alike.",[25,2620,2621],{},"Philanthropy and Advocacy",[25,2623,2624],{},"Beyond his acting talent, Matthew Perry was also known for his philanthropic efforts and advocacy work. He openly shared his personal struggles with addiction, using his platform to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues. He became a prominent advocate for addiction recovery programs and co-founded the Perry House, a sober living facility located in his former beachfront Malibu home. This facility served as a refuge for individuals recovering from addiction, providing a supportive and stable environment crucial for the recovery process. In addition to his work with addiction recovery, Perry supported numerous other charitable organizations. He was involved with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, an organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS. In remembering Matthew Perry, it is important to recognize not only his acting talent but also his compassion and courage that inspired many and will continue to inspire positive change and help countless individuals on their paths to recovery and well-being.",[25,2626,2627],{},"A Lasting Legacy",[25,2629,2630],{},"As we remember Matthew Perry, we celebrate not only his remarkable career but also his resilience, kindness, and advocacy. His ability to bring laughter and joy to millions, coupled with his willingness to confront personal challenges openly, leaves an indelible mark on the entertainment industry and the lives of those he touched. Let us honor Matthew Perry by cherishing the memories he created on-screen and off-screen. May his legacy continue to inspire future generations of actors and remind us of the power of storytelling to connect us all.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2632},[],"Film Spotlight","2023-11-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fremembering-a-legend-a-tribute-to-a-remarkable-career",{"title":2595,"description":2600},"remembering-a-legend-a-tribute-to-a-remarkable-career","blog\u002Fremembering-a-legend-a-tribute-to-a-remarkable-career","L2bNi9fRnDvkMJnjLma0mVznFLYWEj3Wg5j4CRtWEVw",{"id":2642,"title":2643,"body":2644,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2667,"description":2668,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2669,"navigation":71,"path":2670,"seo":2671,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2672,"stem":2673,"__hash__":2674},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdelays-delays-and-more-delays-studios-push-back-films-as-actors-strike-lingers.md","Delays, Delays, and More Delays!! Studios Push Back Films as Actors’ Strike Lingers",{"type":22,"value":2645,"toc":2665},[2646,2653,2656,2659,2662],[25,2647,236,2648],{},[47,2649,2652],{"href":2650,"rel":2651},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fmaryroeloffs\u002F2023\u002F10\u002F30\u002Flive-action-snow-white-pushed-to-2025-by-actors-strike-here-are-all-the-movies-that-have-been-delayed-this-year\u002F?sh=2ab786265c79",[51],"Forbes",[25,2654,2655],{},"Many of the major Hollywood studios that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP); despite recently agreeing to a contract with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) that allowed its months-long strike to come to an end, no such deal has yet been made with the other (significantly larger) striking union, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). With SAG-AFTRA continuing to strike, meaning that the thousands of actors that make up the union are refusing to take part in new film and television productions or promote those that are set to come out in the near future, the studios that comprise the AMPTP are facing great difficulty in either creating new works that they can release in theaters or on streaming or marketing those they are currently planning to put out. In the case of the latter situation, this has swayed the studios to push back films to later release dates than they had originally intended, and with so many of these major releases being delayed farther back than most would desire, the cinematic landscape of the near future appears to be significantly more sparse than most would expect.",[25,2657,2658],{},"Among the more recently announced delays are those relating to films being produced by Walt Disney Pictures, easily one of the industry’s largest and most well-known studios, and its various subdivisions (e.g. Pixar, Marvel, and 20th Century Studios, among others). Just last week, Disney announced that its live-action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, which had originally been eyeing a release in March of next year, would now be held back for an entire year and will now be released in March of 2025. Another film set to come out next March, Pixar’s animated sci-fi feature “Elio”, was pushed back even further, and it now hopes to come out in June of 2025 (interestingly, Pixar’s other 2024 release, “Inside Out 2”, remains in its current June 2024 release date despite it originally being set to come out after “Elio”). These are just the latest announcements that Disney has made in regards to films that will now be coming out later than originally scheduled; in fact, after Disney’s animated musical “Wish” premieres in theaters just before this coming Thanksgiving, the studio will not have another major theatrical release until May when 20th Century Studios and Marvel’s “Deadpool 3” arrives in theaters, and that’s assuming it also doesn’t get pushed back (which, considering it was previously planned to come out this November, wouldn’t be the first time the film had been hit with such a delay). Other Disney releases produced by Marvel Studios that have likewise been burdened with additional delays include “Captain America: Brave New World”, which is currently set for a premiere at the end of next July instead of at the beginning of May as originally planned; “Thunderbolts”, which was previously set for that late July release but will now arrive in theaters around Christmas of next year; and “Blade”, which hopes for a February 2025 release after its push-back from the earlier plan of a September 2024 release.",[25,2660,2661],{},"Disney, however, isn’t the only studio having to delay many of its biggest cinematic releases as a result of the strike. Warner Bros., for example, famously delayed the release of “Dune: Part 2”, which many had viewed as a potential contender for the upcoming awards season, and it now expects a release in the coming March instead of its original plan to come out this November. Another Warner Bros. release, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”, fared slightly better in terms of how far back its being delayed, as it was only pushed back by a month from its original March 2024 release to April of that same year. Then there’s Paramount, which had recently announced two major releases that would now be delayed: the horror prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One”, which has been moved from an early March 2024 release to a late June 2024 release; and the eighth installment of the long-running “Mission: Impossible” franchise, which is being pushed back by almost a full year from June 2024 to May 2025.",[25,2663,2664],{},"These are the plans at this time, but they should in no way be seen as guarantees, especially as the SAG-AFTRA continues to linger throughout the film industry and keep nearly every major production at a standstill. Of course, the solution to all this should be simple: the studios that currently hold billions of dollars in earnings need to agree to give a portion of that wealth (one larger than what had been previously offered) to those on strike, while also meeting all the other demands being made by the striking actors. At the moment, talks are currently taking place between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA, but given how difficult it has been so far to strike an agreement, one shouldn’t get their hopes too high. Even if a deal is reached any time soon, it will still take some time for productions to resume as originally scheduled, meaning there will likely be further delays for many of the upcoming film releases most highly anticipated by the general public.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2666},[],"2023-11-05","Source: Forbes",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdelays-delays-and-more-delays-studios-push-back-films-as-actors-strike-lingers",{"title":2643,"description":2668},"delays-delays-and-more-delays-studios-push-back-films-as-actors-strike-lingers","blog\u002Fdelays-delays-and-more-delays-studios-push-back-films-as-actors-strike-lingers","mlIE_kUES6radPvOzGhW5I5yY-z7MaJx1d64qleMNnk",{"id":2676,"title":2677,"body":2678,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2722,"description":2723,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2724,"navigation":71,"path":2725,"seo":2726,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2727,"stem":2728,"__hash__":2729},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fheres-to-a-happy-retirement-a-look-back-at-the-career-of-michael-caine.md","Here’s to a Happy Retirement: A Look Back at the Career of Michael Caine",{"type":22,"value":2679,"toc":2720},[2680,2687,2690,2696,2702,2708,2714],[25,2681,236,2682],{},[47,2683,2686],{"href":2684,"rel":2685},"https:\u002F\u002Few.com\u002Fgallery\u002Fmichael-caine-photos\u002F",[51],"Entertainment Weekly",[25,2688,2689],{},"An actor’s retirement may not be nearly as tragic as their passing, but there is nonetheless something sad about hearing that a performer who spent several years of their lifetime bringing to life one iconic character after another has decided that their time on the screen has reached its end. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the recent announcement that Michael Caine, a British actor who has appeared in various films throughout his decades-long career, has chosen to end his career. Born Maurice Joseph Mickelwhite on March 14th, 1933, Caine first began acting in the early 1950s, developing his stardom in the 1960s and 1970s and going on to become one of the most recognizable British actors of the 20th century (and even part of the 21st). Having made it to the ripe age of ninety years old, one can’t be too surprised that Caine would aspire to spend whatever remains of his time without having to contend with the burden of employment, but one cannot help but feel melancholic about the fact that he will appear in no more films from this point on. With his final feature, the biographical drama “The Great Escaper”, recently debuting in theaters across the United Kingdom, Caine’s filmography has officially reached its ending, and in commemoration of his long and prosperous career, there seems to be no better time than now to look back on it and some of the most memorable works of cinema that Caine contributed his acting talents to.",[25,2691,2692,2695],{},[57,2693,2694],{},"“Zulu” (1964)"," - although Caine had been cast in a wide array of minor roles during the first few years of his acting career, it was this British epic war film that helped him truly break out in the industry and let the world know what he was capable of. Through his portrayal of Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, a real-life officer who fought in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, Caine proved that he could successfully convey a convincing and properly developed character arc with the script and direction provided to him, effectively demonstrating how Bromhead went from an arrogant and inexperienced soldier to a man well aware of both the enemy army’s capabilities and the necessities of being a quality military leader. By following the example of Lieutenant John Chard (played by Stanley Baker), Bromhead eventually comes into his own, a development made believable through Caine’s impeccable performance.",[25,2697,2698,2701],{},[57,2699,2700],{},"“The Italian Job”"," (1969) - if “Zulu” demonstrated what Caine could achieve with a prominent supporting role, then this comedy caper was exactly what needed to show what he could achieve as the leading man. In portraying the Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, who aspires to steal a massive hoard of gold being transported through Italy following his release from prison, Caine appears to have little difficulty in adapting to the central spotlight, seamlessly immersing himself into the role of a thief eager to finish a heist first began by a recently deceased friend and fellow criminal. There’s quite a bit to enjoy in this quintessential British heist film, from Quincy Jones’ score to a climactic Mini-Cooper chase that ends with one of cinema’s most iconic cliffhangers, yet it’s Caine who holds the film together and provides it with a leading figure who’s more than able to commanding the attention of the viewer.",[25,2703,2704,2707],{},[57,2705,2706],{},"“Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)"," - for his performance in this comedy-drama directed by Woody Allen, Caine was awarded one of the two Academy Awards he would receive throughout the duration of his career (the other being for his performance in 1999’s “The Cider House Rules”. Despite this accolade being given for Best Supporting Performance, there’s little about how Caine plays his character in this film that suggests it’s in any way inferior to a more noticeable leading role. Serving as the primary focus of one of three recurring storylines featured over the course of this complexly plotted narrative, Caine stands out above all others as Elliot, a man who has grown discontented with his marriage to Hannah (played by Mia Farrow) and develops an infatuation with her sister Lee (played by Barbara Hershey), leading to a stressful fallout that only further brings out the best of Caine’s thespian talents.",[25,2709,2710,2713],{},[57,2711,2712],{},"“The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)"," - an annual holiday favorite for many who grew up around the 1990s and afterwards, this cinematic adaptation of Charles Dicken’s iconic novella has gained an unexpected reputation as one of its more faithful retellings. This is especially surprising considering that the film is not only more comedic than most adaptations, but also has a cast consisting largely of frogs, bears, pigs, and other funny puppet characters. What keeps the film grounded in spite of these odd circumstances is Caine’s performance as Ebenezer Scrooge, one that he insisted on playing with utmost seriousness and sincerity even when it would’ve been much easier to give a more tongue-in-cheek performance. This approach could not be more perfect for the role of Scrooge, at it helps embody the character’s transformation from a bitter miser to a more joyous altruist come across as all the more believable and endearing.",[25,2715,2716,2719],{},[57,2717,2718],{},"“Children of Men” (2006)"," - out of all the real-life individuals for Caine to base his portrayal of Jasper Palmer, a former political cartoonist who has more than his fair share of qualms with the totalitarian regime that has taken over the United Kingdom in this film’s version of the year 2027, John Lennon probably was not the first that would come to most people’s minds. As it turns out though, the inspiration is actually quite fitting for a character who, in spite of this Alfonso Cuaron-directed dystopian action thriller bearing a predominantly bleak and serious tone, allows Caine to flex some of his more comedically-oriented skills as a performer. In fact, this was allegedly the first role Caine played that would have him both fart and smoke cannabis; it’s not exactly the most serious role Caine has ever taken on, but it’s also one that has its more dramatic aspects as well, providing the actor with a role far more nuanced than one might anticipate from his appearance.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2721},[],"2023-10-21","Source: Entertainment Weekly",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fheres-to-a-happy-retirement-a-look-back-at-the-career-of-michael-caine",{"title":2677,"description":2723},"heres-to-a-happy-retirement-a-look-back-at-the-career-of-michael-caine","blog\u002Fheres-to-a-happy-retirement-a-look-back-at-the-career-of-michael-caine","zVPrwywU2WSP3HnMo58g6ATyNyXM41lGRJCeShMExtM",{"id":2731,"title":2732,"body":2733,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2761,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2762,"navigation":71,"path":2763,"seo":2764,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2765,"stem":2766,"__hash__":2767},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-members-approve-new-contract-officially-end-months-long-strike.md","WGA Members Approve New Contract, Officially End Months-Long Strike",{"type":22,"value":2734,"toc":2759},[2735,2741,2744,2747,2750,2753,2756],[25,2736,236,2737],{},[47,2738,538],{"href":2739,"rel":2740},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F10\u002Fwriters-strike-deal-approved-ratification-vote-1235567930\u002F",[51],[25,2742,2743],{},"In a previous article, it was announced that negotiators for both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had agreed to a new contract that would finally bring an end to the former’s strike, which it had held since May of this year. When the announcement was made on September 27th, it looked as if things were finally turning around for the better, and those associated with the guild - specifically the thousands of writers who wrote various different films and television programs for the nation’s major studios - were finally having their demands met. However, at that time, one small but significant obstacle remained before the strike could officially come to an end: once WGA leadership gave their approval to the newly drafted contract, it was up to the remaining voting members to either endorse or reject this new contract. Had it still been too dissatisfying for their liking, and had these voters opted not to agree to these new terms, then the strike would continue forward as it has been for several months now. However, that option appears to be no longer necessary, as those who participated in the ratification vote are almost unanimously in favor of this latest agreement.",[25,2745,2746],{},"During the afternoon of Monday, October 9th, the WGA announced that its membership had finally ratified its long-awaited new contract with the AMPTP, taking roughly a week to vote on the matter and receiving a total of 8,525 votes from the 11,000 members of the WGA West and WGA East divisions. When the time came to determine the response to this new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement, an email was sent throughout the guild to reveal the results of the vote. “There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the email stated, confirming than an overwhelming majority had voted in approval of the new contract.",[25,2748,2749],{},"Officially going into effect on September 25th and set to expire on May 31st, 2026, this latest contract addresses such ongoing issues as residual payments, data transparency (something that has been highly demanded from streaming services that have abstained from revealing key information regarding how well they’re performing), and stronger protects from AI that might pose a risk to the writers’ employment. For the most part, all of the demands made by the WGA have been agreed to by the AMPTP, meaning that the 148-day strike the former participated in (the second longest in the guild’s history, surpassed only by its 1988 strike) had succeeded in its biggest goals. There were concerns that this might not be the case when the WGA negotiating committee, a group featuring the likes of chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and former WGA presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser, sat back down with such studio heads as Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on September 20th, but in spite of these worries, it does appear that these studios have finally become willing to agree to the WGA’s terms.",[25,2751,2752],{},"After leaders of both the WGA West Board and the WGA East Council unanimously expressed their support for the new deal on September 26th, the issue was sent to the remainder of WGA members to give their seal of approval (or rejection) to the contract, one that WGAW president Meredith Stiehm and WGAE president Lisa Takeuchi both endorsed with utmost enthusiasm. When the vote revealed that such enthusiasm was shared by the majority of WGA members, Stiehm and Takeuchi were each quick to announce their happiness with the turnout. “Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” Stiehm claimed in a statement sent to members of the WGA’s western division after the final vote was tallied. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman, Negotiating Committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA Negotiating Committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff that supported every part of the negotiation and strike.”",[25,2754,2755],{},"Takeuchi, meanwhile, was a little more focused on where to go from here - specifically the support of the Screen Actors Guild - American Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members who are still on strike - in the statement she sent to members of the WGA, though one can still detect a great deal of optimism in her words. “Now it’s time for the AMPTP to put the rest of the town back to work by negotiating a fair contract with our SAG-AFTRA siblings, who have supported writers throughout our negotiations,” Takeuchi remarked. “Until the studios make a deal that addresses the needs of performers, WGA members will be on the picket lines, walking side-by-side with SAG-AFTRA in solidarity.”",[25,2757,2758],{},"Indeed, with SAG-AFTRA still on the picket lines and refusing to let Hollywood continue with business as usual until their demands are met, one shouldn’t automatically assume that things are going to return to normal now that the WGA has received a new contract. At this moment in time, negotiators who represent SAG-AFTRA are expected to meet with the AMPTP at various times throughout the current week. One can only hope that the result of these talks will be a contract just as satisfactory to SAG-AFTRA as the one for the WGA was, but considering that there are some issues that are more exclusive to the plight of the actors (some of which may be harder to fight over with the AMPTP), doing so won’t be easy. In the meantime though, SAG-AFTRA has been overwhelmingly supportive of the WGA, recently congratulating its fellow guild’s success in obtaining a more satisfactory contract. “SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on the overwhelming ratification of their new contract,” the guild announced in its own publicly released statement. “We salute the WGA negotiators, leadership and members for their fortitude and dedication. Onward!”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2760},[],"2023-10-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-members-approve-new-contract-officially-end-months-long-strike",{"title":2732,"description":557},"wga-members-approve-new-contract-officially-end-months-long-strike","blog\u002Fwga-members-approve-new-contract-officially-end-months-long-strike","oD_7MXmyopKlWJsk_xB3N44n9_lBuXu4MjlV9WlXzFE",{"id":2769,"title":2770,"body":2771,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2799,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2800,"navigation":71,"path":2801,"seo":2802,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2803,"stem":2804,"__hash__":2805},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Funion-takes-visual-effect-disney-vfx-workers-to-join-iatse.md","Union Takes (Visual) Effect: Disney VFX Workers to Join IATSE",{"type":22,"value":2772,"toc":2797},[2773,2779,2782,2785,2788,2791,2794],[25,2774,236,2775],{},[47,2776,279],{"href":2777,"rel":2778},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fwalt-disney-pictures-vfx-workers-vote-yes-unionize-under-iatse-1235602555\u002F",[51],[25,2780,2781],{},"The recently-ended Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and ongoing Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike would not be possible if not for the fact that these organizations were the creation of workers coming together and fighting for better treatment. These guilds, as well as all others that can be found throughout the American entertainment industry, represent a significant portion of the industry’s labor force and go to great lengths to ensure that whoever is part of these unions is able to receive the best payment and working conditions achievable from the studios that serve as their employers. When these studios are unwilling to meet these demands, it’s the unions that bring everyone together and take to the streets to picket, as is the case with the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. These guilds are not the only ones working on behalf of Hollywood’s thousands of laborers; in fact, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) covers many of the behind-the-scenes workers (including gaffers, set builders, and countless over craftspersons and technical workers) who play a significant role in allowing a given film or television program to look the way it does.",[25,2783,2784],{},"There is, however, one profession within the industry that has largely gone un-unionized throughout most of its existence: that of the visual effects worker. From big-budget blockbusters to smaller independent works, most films and television shows nowadays require some amount of digital visual effects (whether they’re noticeable or not), and these require hundreds of workers to design, create, and integrate them naturally into whatever project they are needed for. Despite the increasing need for visual effects, nearly all of this side of the industry is without a union, which makes it easier for studios to take advantage of these workers and force them into working longer hours for less-than-satisfactory pay. In fact, it’s possible that the reason why so many productions have become more reliant on visual effects is because studios are able to use them without having to contend with unions. If that’s the case, then it looks like these companies may need to start having second thoughts about how they treat visual effects workers, because if recent developments are any indication, the current state of non-unionization within the visual effects industry may be nearing its end.",[25,2786,2787],{},"On Tuesday, October 3rd, an election was held by the National Labor Relations Board in order to determine whether or not the visual effects workers employed by Walt Disney Pictures, one of Hollywood’s largest and most iconic film studios, would unionize and join the IATSE. That vote was unanimously in favor of unionization - specifically 13-0 - and as a result, the various data wranglers, witness camera operators, and various other production staff whose efforts go into the creation of the studio’s special-effects heavy productions (most notably those created by Marvel Studios, the subsidiary of Disney entirely devoted to adapting the Disney-owned Marvel Comics into feature films and streaming programs) are on the verge of receiving protection from the IATSE. In a statement release to the public, IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb claimed that this vote represented a major break from a status quo that has long been a disadvantage to those working to create the visual effects essential to many of Disney’s biggest releases. “This unanimous vote,” Loeb claims, “sends a clear message that the demands of VFX workers for dignity, respect, and fairness must be heard.”",[25,2789,2790],{},"This is actually not the first instance in which a pro-unionization vote has taken place within the walls of the Disney studios. Just last month, around fifty visual effects workers who worked in-house voted to form a union, likewise agreeing unanimously on the issue. The overwhelming passage of such votes should come as no surprise considering that nearly all of thes workers had previously signed union authorization cards that confirm their desire to join the IATSE. It should be noted, however, that these votes only apply to those currently employed directly by Disney, as any of the third-party studios hired by Disney to create their films’ visual effects (which employ thousands of workers of their own) remain without a union at this point in time. Still, unionization for these workers is a goal that will hopefully be reached in the long run, and in the meantime, those who have already received the approval to form a union are already taking their next steps foward with this overarching plan.",[25,2792,2793],{},"As of now, the next course of action for the newly unionized visual effects workers of Disney is to begin collective bargaining negotiations with the studio so that a contract, one that will ensure that these workers are compensated properly and allowed to do their jobs safely, is written and agreed upon. Drafting a contract shouldn’t be too difficult; according to IATSE organizer, the intent it currently to have the members of this new union “work under the Basic Agreement contract already used by entertainment workers in 13 locals including the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600), Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700) and Art Directors Guild (Local 800)”. That agreement, however, is currently set to expire in March 2024, at which point negotiations for a new, better contract are set to commence. Should Disney be unwilling to agree to whatever new terms are mandated by the IATSE, it’s quite possible that they will have to contend with another strike, something that, in light of the two most recent strikes taking place against it and nearly every other major studio in Hollywood, is something Disney certainly does not want at this moment.",[25,2795,2796],{},"The mission to unionize all of the visual effects industry may have only gotten so far at the time of this writing, but such a small amount of progress will undoubtedly prove essential in the long run. With a new union being formed within one of Hollywood’s most powerful studios in spite of said studio’s best efforts to prevent it, it’s only a matter of time before more unions pop out among the other studios and bring representation to those who currently have none. Visual effects artists as a whole may not be unionized yet, but if things keep going the way they are, that tide will certainly change sooner than most might expect.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2798},[],"2023-10-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Funion-takes-visual-effect-disney-vfx-workers-to-join-iatse",{"title":2770,"description":298},"union-takes-visual-effect-disney-vfx-workers-to-join-iatse","blog\u002Funion-takes-visual-effect-disney-vfx-workers-to-join-iatse","LV_AQaJGu5KWl70FksRPyhJO1pHe5n_3nhy9RvUWSmc",{"id":2807,"title":2808,"body":2809,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":2840,"description":2813,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2841,"navigation":71,"path":2842,"seo":2843,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2844,"stem":2845,"__hash__":2846},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-greta-gerwigs-barbie-is-changing-what-it-means-to-be-a-women-in-cinema.md","How Greta Gerwigs, Barbie is Changing What it Means to be a Woman in Cinema.",{"type":22,"value":2810,"toc":2838},[2811,2814,2817,2820,2823,2826,2829,2832,2835],[25,2812,2813],{},"There was a time when many referred to Greta Gerwig as a small indie actor who starred in minor films that went nowhere but a film festival and then into a vault of all the lost films that Hollywood chose not to showcase. Many of us, however, need to become more familiar with Greta, as it seems she's here to stay, and her stories are here to change cinema as we know it. While it may seem that Gerwig has been intricately placed into the laps of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and that her success is fortuitous, Gerwig's upbringing is a peculiar one but also inspirational.",[25,2815,2816],{},"Gerwig began her acting career after graduating from Barnard College in 2006. But this was not always her plan; after completing her undergraduate, Gerwig applied to several master's programs to become a playwright. Unfortunately, she was rejected by every single one. It's interesting to consider that the director\u002Fwriter of the highest-grossing film of 2023 was dismissed from every master's program, but it's also refreshing, right? Greta Gerwig was not a hidden gem in the back of the classroom waiting for the professor to single her out and take her on a journey of success. She was a student, learning how to be a writer and earning her stripes. After this rejection, Greta began to star in many “mumblecore” films, a genre of low-budget movies that frequently feature amateur actors and naturalistic settings. It's easy to see how these genres played a role in Greta's solo directorial debut 'Ladybird' and its experimental tendencies.",[25,2818,2819],{},"Speaking of LadyBird, When Gerwig was 34, she directed her first film in 2017, Ladybird, a story on the self-discovery of a strong-willed 18-year-old and her mother and in 2019’s, Little Women a classical book adaptation about four sisters. Both films heavily surrounded the multifaceted, calculated, mysterious phenomena: women.",[25,2821,2822],{},"Hearing through the grapevine that Gerwig would write and direct the Barbie movie wasn't surprising. It was, however, a surprise to see how it was executed. When we think of Barbie, a convoluted conversation arises. The debate of Barbie's ability to do more harm than good and vice versa is at the center of the field. For some girls, Barbie reminded them of everything wrong with them. With others, Barbie showed them everything they could be.",[25,2824,2825],{},"The hype for the Barbie movie was extensively growing by the month, and memes flooded every social media site about what the film may be. But no one knew what the Barbie movie would give us.",[25,2827,2828],{},"Somehow, Greta turned Barbie inside out; she reflected on Barbie's flaws and how Barbie thought she was changing the world when, in reality, she wasn't. But it did something else. Rejecting past preconceptions is a frequent feminist theme, but Greta has sensitively re-envisioned a common ground allowing women to be themselves. The vitality of a woman's spirit, as opposed to her status as a lover or academic achiever, determines her value. And when Barbie began to feel like she wasn’t contributing to her community enough, she began to fumble. Her fears manifested into physical entities, cellulite, falling off the 3rd story of her dream house, and flat feet! These humorous, often bemusing strokes of bad luck made us, as the audience, laugh but comforted the women in the theatres who all felt like a Barbie doll falling off a 3rd story floor. The reality is that it's normal to feel out of place, not enough, or behind everyone. But the female audience rarely saw that on the movie screens. At one point, we all will feel like the stereotypical Barbie, the Barbie who is not a veterinarian, a naval officer, or a fashion designer, just your average everyday Barbie.",[25,2830,2831],{},"Barbie wasn't the customary superhero of the film. At times, she was the underdog. To make up for the lack of female leads in movies, many directors and writers will write the female lead to be cutthroat, desensitized, cynical, and harsh to the touch. But not all women exist like that; a woman is allowed to be lost, and she is allowed to feel out of place, and this is not something that is a direct consequence of her gender. Women can solely exist as multifaceted beings with hopes, ideas, fears, anxieties, and, most of all, mistakes.",[25,2833,2834],{},"Barbie also ruled out a prospective male lover. Growing up, it was always Barbie and Ken. Sometimes, I we might say Ken under our breath. He wasn't nearly that important to us. And that was a universal thing, instead of turning this dynamic of 2 characters into a women-hating man trope. It became something beautiful. While Barbie did not romantically want Ken, she wanted the best for him as a friend. She led him on a journey of self-exploration to help him find his own path that was not adjacent to her. He didn't have to be 'and ken'; he could be just 'ken.'",[25,2836,2837],{},"It's vital to add that Gerwig is not the only female director on an expedition to redefine what it means to be a girl. There is a throng of female storytellers who need a shoulder to sit on to get their stories told. And with Gerwig's success, we hope that soon we won’t have to make another table; we can all sit on the same one.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2839},[],"2023-10-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-greta-gerwigs-barbie-is-changing-what-it-means-to-be-a-women-in-cinema",{"title":2808,"description":2813},"how-greta-gerwigs-barbie-is-changing-what-it-means-to-be-a-women-in-cinema","blog\u002Fhow-greta-gerwigs-barbie-is-changing-what-it-means-to-be-a-women-in-cinema","LwGqLN-OkjSjCgxTQyTZInMYvIKjiurm-a92LVsaINI",{"id":2848,"title":2849,"body":2850,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2879,"description":2880,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2881,"navigation":71,"path":2882,"seo":2883,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2884,"stem":2885,"__hash__":2886},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fone-strike-down-wga-and-amptp-reach-tentative-agreement-on-new-contract.md","One Strike Down: WGA and AMPTP Reach “Tentative Agreement” on New Contract",{"type":22,"value":2851,"toc":2877},[2852,2859,2862,2865,2868,2871,2874],[25,2853,236,2854],{},[47,2855,2858],{"href":2856,"rel":2857},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nbcnews.com\u002Fpop-culture\u002Fpop-culture-news\u002Fhollywood-screenwriters-studios-reach-tentative-deal-resolve-strike-rcna107963?ex=digest",[51],"NBC News",[25,2860,2861],{},"Throughout the history of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the labor union representing thousands of film and television writers working in Hollywood and elsewhere within North America, the longest it had ever been on strike was a total of 154 days, a record set by a strike that took place in the year 1988. Roughly thirty-five years later, that record looked as if it were about to be broken, with this latest strike seeing the guild taking to the streets and picketing for a total of 146 days. However, despite there being over a week before such a record could be surpassed, this strike appears to have finally come to an end. After months of striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the organization serving on behalf of the various major Hollywood studios from Disney to Warner Bros., representatives from both organizations were able to sit down over the weekend to renegotiate their terms and, in the case of the former, strive to secure better working conditions for every member of the guild. If the announcements made during the evening of Tuesday, September 26th are any indication, there’s a strong chance that an agreement that almost everyone can be happy with has been reached.",[25,2863,2864],{},"“WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” the WGA declared in a statement released that night after months of uncertainty as to whether or not the AMPTP would become willing to give in to its demands, further claiming that “this was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days”. With the WGA West Board and the WGA East Council recently voting in favor of the new terms offered by the AMPTP, the deal will now need to be ratified by a majority vote from the entirety of the WGA, and given the optimistic spirit currently prevalent throughout much of the guild, ratification appears to be all but guaranteed. \"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional”, the WGA’s negotiating committee claimed in its official statement, “with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”",[25,2866,2867],{},"It took five days for negotiations between WGA negotiators and the heads of the studios included in the AMPTP (a group that includes the likes of Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal chairman Donna Langley), but it appears that those five days were relatively well spent. Even Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass seemed quite enthusiastic about the studios hopefully getting back up and running better than ever, claiming in an official statement that the time has come to “focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on their feet and stronger than ever before.”",[25,2869,2870],{},"However, what Bass failed to acknowledge in her statement is that while one major Hollywood strike may have its conclusion in its sights, another one still lingers over the industry and continues to keep it at a standstill for the time being. That strike is currently being held by the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA), an even larger Hollywood union representing the thousands of film and television performers working in the various productions that take place throughout the nation. At the current time, representatives of both SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have yet to sit down to discuss a contract of their own; while the former is fighting to address many of the same issues that the WGA brought forth in its own negotiations (from residual payments to protections against the usage of artificial intelligence, or AI, in certain media), there are those that are more exclusive to the plight of SAG-AFTRA’s members (such as concerns regarding self-tape auditions) and may be more difficult for the AMPTP to agree to. Despite all this, SAG-AFTRA was nonetheless fully supportive of the WGA when it announced it had reached a potential bargain with the AMPTP, releasing a public statement that congratulated the writers and expressed hope that a similar deal can be released for its own guild members. “We remain on strike in our TV\u002FTheatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal,” the statement read.",[25,2872,2873],{},"One can only hope that the time it takes for the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA to reach an agreement isn’t as long as the time it took for the former to reach with the WGA, especially given the immense financial toll these strikes have taken on just about everyone working within the industry. Thousands of people working on the several different film and television productions that were previously taking place had to be deprived of their ability to do their jobs and receive compensation for their labors due the strikes shutting them all down, and countless interviews with writers, actors, and other behind-the-scenes crew members have described the various financial struggles that they’ve had to go through during this time, even though many of them are adamant that the strikes are worth all this trouble. Of course, the studios, despite having far more financial resources to fall back on at the moment, have also taken a noticeable financial hit as a result of the ongoing strikes, with Warner Bros., for example, allegedly losing as much as $500 million from their inability to produce new films and television programs.",[25,2875,2876],{},"The last time a major strike had this great of an effect on the film industry was in 2007 when the WGA had its last strike, and even then, SAG-AFTRA wasn’t striking alongside them. The dual strike that, for the time being, continues to push onward, is a noteworthy reminder of just how much Hollywood has gone through over the past decade or so. Regular broadcast viewership has subsided in favor of online streaming, and AI technology threatens the opportunity for actual human creatives to produce something that can be enjoyed by the masses. Nobody wanted these strikes to take place, but they have proven necessary regardless, and hopefully, the AMPTP and all the studios it represents will come to terms with how this ever-changing media landscape will force them to change its business practices and how it treats those responsible for it staying afloat.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2878},[],"2023-10-03","Source: NBC News",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fone-strike-down-wga-and-amptp-reach-tentative-agreement-on-new-contract",{"title":2849,"description":2880},"one-strike-down-wga-and-amptp-reach-tentative-agreement-on-new-contract","blog\u002Fone-strike-down-wga-and-amptp-reach-tentative-agreement-on-new-contract","stsdgY_icOBHaFBySWqUy7Qje5ZlCK3s6D8Y4Qsvu4U",{"id":2888,"title":2889,"body":2890,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2912,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2913,"navigation":71,"path":2914,"seo":2915,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2916,"stem":2917,"__hash__":2918},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2023-american-fiction-the-boy-and-the-heron-win-toronto-festivals-top-prizes.md","TIFF 2023: “American Fiction”, “The Boy and the Heron” Win Toronto Festival’s Top Prizes",{"type":22,"value":2891,"toc":2910},[2892,2898,2901,2904,2907],[25,2893,236,2894],{},[47,2895,1603],{"href":2896,"rel":2897},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffestivals\u002F2023-toronto-international-film-festival-full-winners-list-1234906438\u002F",[51],[25,2899,2900],{},"The yearly film festival circuit continues to move along towards the highly anticipated string of awards ceremonies set to begin prior to the year’s conclusion, and it was only just recently that the latest of these festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival, wrapped up after ten days of showcasing a wide variety of cinematic creations from filmmakers old and new. In some respects, TIFF feels like a perfect balance between Hollywood and the cinematic landscape that lies outside the United States. On the one hand, TIFF takes place in Toronto, Ontario, one of the largest cities in Canada (apart from Mexico, the United States’ closest neighbor), so it’s within close enough proximity to Hollywood for the major studios and filmmakers to more easily access the event than is possible with film festivals that take place further out in the world. On the other hand, with both TIFF and Hollywood lying on opposite sides of the American-Canadian border, the festival is still the product of an entirely different film industry, so even in spite of whatever influence of filmmaking from the other side of the border may exist, TIFF is still designed to represent the Canadian film industry and its values above all else. In any case, TIFF has strived to serve as a proper exhibition of an abundance of cinematic excellence hailing from various different points of the globe, and it doesn’t look like this year’s event was any different. Beginning on Thursday, September 7th and ending on Sunday, September 17th, the ten-day festival had quite a bit to offer from its expansive selection of chosen films, and before it all finally came to an end, a small handful of them were deemed to be the best of the best, some of which have a very solid chance of building their reputations in the coming months.",[25,2902,2903],{},"With TIFF, not unlike the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals (among others), generally thought of as being the start of awards season and a reliable predictor of how the upcoming awards ceremonies will play out, it’s hardly surprising that many people were looking forward to finding out what would win Toronto’s biggest prize: the People’s Choice Award. After all, eleven of the previous fourteen winners of this particular accolade would later go on to at least be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, with some, like 2018’s “Green Book” and 2020’s “Nomadland” even going on to win the award. What might be a bit shocking to some is the film that TIFF jurors ended up giving the People’s Choice Award this year: Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction”, a satire of the publishing industry starring Jeffrey Wright as a writer who pens an intentionally unflattering depiction of the black experience that somehow becomes an immense overnight success. Prior to TIFF, “American Fiction” hadn’t been getting the kind of attention that such films as “Poor Things” and “The Holdovers”, those crafted by filmmakers who had already made a name for themselves at previous festivals, were receiving from jurors and event attendees; with this People’s Choice Award win though, that will hopefully start to change for the better. Should things continue to go well enough, Jefferson’s film could become a surprise breakout within the remainder of the awards circuit.",[25,2905,2906],{},"One shouldn’t feel too bad for “The Holdovers” though, as it was named one of the runners-up for the People’s Choice Award. Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, the period comedy-drama, which revolves around a teacher who supervises the students of his school who are unable to return home for the holidays, had previously premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, where it was met with mostly positive reception. Responses from Toronto film-goers seem to be equally favorable, and while it had fallen just a bit short of winning the People’s Choice Award, its First Runner-Up status should almost certainly be of some benefit to the film as it continues to maintain a presence in what’s left of the festival circuit. Similar thoughts can be expressed about the other runner-up for the People’s Choice Award: Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron”, which marks the return of the director behind such animated classics as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away” after a retirement that proved to only be a temporary status. Miyazaki’s previous directorial endeavor, the 2013 biographical drama “The Wind Rises”, had previously held its North American premiere at TIFF, so it seems only natural that his comeback film would likewise receive its own North American premiere at the same event. This approach certainly didn’t hurt the film’s ability to win the favor of jurors and festival-goers, and its earning of the Second Runner-Up spot for the People’s Choice Award further proves that Miyazaki has not lost his touch even after the decade-long period between film releases.",[25,2908,2909],{},"Those concerned with only the People’s Choice Award and whatever film won it (or at least came close to winning it), however, are at risk of ignoring the various other films that had one at least one accolade at this year’s Toronto festival. A24 and Larry Charles’ amusingly-titled “Dicks: The Musical”, for example, was fortunate enough to receive the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award, with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s “KILL” and Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s “Hell of a Summer” being named the award’s runners-up. The People’s Choice Documentary Award, meanwhile, went to “Mr. Dress-Up: The Magic of Make-Believe”, directed by Robert McCallum and highlighting the history and influence of the popular Canadian children’s television series. Then there was the Platform Award, which was handed out to Tarsem Singh Dwandhar for the film “Dear Jassi”, while the Best Canadian Feature Film award went to “Solo” and director Sophie Dupuis. Even short films got their fair share of recognition from TIFF jurors, with Daria Kascheeva winning Best Short Film for “Electra” and Jasmin Mozaffari winning Best Canadian Short for her film “Motherland”. These are just a small sampling of the cinematic works that received at least one accolade from the Toronto International Film Festival, and while there’s much to admire about those associated with the winner and runners-up of these People’s Choice Award, one shouldn’t overlook the other films that were able to win some of the smaller prizes.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2911},[],"2023-09-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2023-american-fiction-the-boy-and-the-heron-win-toronto-festivals-top-prizes",{"title":2889,"description":1676},"tiff-2023-american-fiction-the-boy-and-the-heron-win-toronto-festivals-top-prizes","blog\u002Ftiff-2023-american-fiction-the-boy-and-the-heron-win-toronto-festivals-top-prizes","fSIaNyKworXSt_JDoTuKKPwwYRqviTv6_5SER1AYulk",{"id":2920,"title":2921,"body":2922,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2947,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2948,"navigation":71,"path":2949,"seo":2950,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2951,"stem":2952,"__hash__":2953},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpoor-things-takes-the-golden-lion-prize-at-the-2023-venice-film-festival.md","“Poor Things” Takes the Golden Lion Prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":2923,"toc":2945},[2924,2930,2933,2936,2939,2942],[25,2925,236,2926],{},[47,2927,1603],{"href":2928,"rel":2929},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffestivals\u002F2023-venice-film-festival-award-winners-full-list-1234903844\u002F",[51],[25,2931,2932],{},"Earlier this year, the Academy Award for Best Picture was given to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, a film that many would describe as a major break from the norm when it came to most recent Best Picture recipients. For one thing, the film had come out much earlier in the year than most major awards contenders (which studios tend to release in the fall season, close enough to when most voters begin casting their ballots), allowing to maintain a steady momentum throughout the next several months and remain in the public consciousness long enough for it to not only make its way into the awards circuit, but more or less completely dominate the period throughout its entirety. Second, with the exception of “Parasite” just a few years prior, it’s the only Best Picture winner to feature a cast of actors who are primarily of Asian descent, some of whom even managed to further strengthen the film’s success at the Academy Awards with some additional acting prizes (specifically Michelle Yeoh’s Best Actress prize and Ke Huy Quan’s win for Best Supporting Actor). Above all else though, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was, for a lack of a better word, weird. Relishing in its status as an absurdist science fiction comedy-drama that revolved around the concept of the multiverse and threw in just about every odd visual one could imagine, the film could very well be one of the most unique cinematic experiences in recent memory, and not necessarily in ways that one would consider awards worthy. In spite of everything however, such weirdness surprisingly did little to repel those who voted in any of the season’s many major awards ceremonies; in fact, if the seven Oscars it won are any indication, the weirdness of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” may’ve been exactly what attracted people to its side in the first place.",[25,2934,2935],{},"Considering the Academy’s (and that of most awards organizations in general) penchant for favoring uplifting feel-good stories, serious dramas that deal directly with relevant social issues, and other cinematic works that one might describe as “down-to-earth”, one might assume that the triumph of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a one-time situation. However, a recent breakout at this year’s Venice Film Festival suggests that there may still be a demand for films that are more creatively bizarre than what has usually been released during this particular time of the year. That film is “Poor Things”, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, distributed by Searchlight Pictures, and starring such actors as Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Defoe. Based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alisdair Gray, the film, described by many as a modern re-imagining of the “Frankenstein” story, takes place in a time and place reminiscent of the Victorian period and revolves around Bella, a young woman who is resurrected shortly after her suicide by her mad scientist guardian. With her brain unable to function properly as a result of the previous events, Bella develops an innocently naive outlook on a world she is no longer familiar with and, by running away with a shady, but charismatic lawyer, Bella makes it her mission to see the world and achieve full autonomy over her body and life.",[25,2937,2938],{},"If that synopsis sounds unusually surreal, then those who have been fortunate enough to see the film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival shortly after the event’s beginning, will likely reaffirm such an assumption and claim that “Poor Things” is even odder than anyone might’ve initially guessed. However, they would also say that the film is just as exceptionally created as it is intriguingly surreal, with one article from IndieWire describing the film as “an irresistibly funny, gorgeously crafted, and very graphic sexcapade” and echoing many of the same praises that critics and festival attendees gave the film shortly after its premiere. Granted, one could argue that some of this was to be expected from director Yorgos Lanthimos, who had previously helmed such surreal black comedies as “The Lobster” and “The Favourite” (the latter of which earned leading actress Olivia Coleman an Academy Award for Best Actress), but if the early reviews are any indication, “Poor Things” might be Lanthimos’ most ambitious and certainly strangest film yet - and that’s precisely what has allowed it to captivate Venice festival-goers.",[25,2940,2941],{},"As the Venice Film Festival reached its conclusion on September 9th, there was much talk about whether or not “Poor Things” would receive any of the event’s major awards. After all, prominent filmmakers like Martin McDonagh and Jane Campion, who served as part of the jury for this year’s event, were said to have spoken fondly about Lanthimos’ cinematic creation, and there already seems to be much buzz around Emma Stone and her potential to win a second Best Actress Oscar for her work in the film. As it turns out, the jury at the Venice Film Festival did not simply award “Poor Things”, but it gave the film its highest honor possible: the Golden Lion. Given the competition, this alone is already an incredibly impressive achievement, but what makes “Poor Things” and its Golden Lion win especially noteworthy is how it places it alongside other past Golden Lion winners like “The Shape of Water”, “Roma”, “Joker”, and “Nomadland” - all of which were eventually nominated at their respective Academy Awards ceremonies (and two of which ended up winning this highly coveted prize). If the success of “Poor Things” at this year’s Venice Film Festival has not cemented its chances of winning Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars ceremony, then at the very least it’s safe to assume that a nomination is all but guaranteed.",[25,2943,2944],{},"Of course, if “Poor Things” does intend to pursue a Best Picture win, it will have to continuously face some stiff competition over these next few months. Films like Michael Mann’s “Ferrari”, Nikolaj Arcel’s “The Promised Land”, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla”, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist” (the latter of which won the runner-up Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize) have also been the recipient of great praise over the duration of the Venice Film Festival, and the same can be said about many other films that will also vie for awards recognition throughout the next several weeks. Still, the weirdness of “Poor Things”, if nothing else, will certainly be enough to draw the attention of many, and hopefully, that attention will continue to grow as the festival and awards circuits continue to move forward.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2946},[],"2023-09-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpoor-things-takes-the-golden-lion-prize-at-the-2023-venice-film-festival",{"title":2921,"description":1676},"poor-things-takes-the-golden-lion-prize-at-the-2023-venice-film-festival","blog\u002Fpoor-things-takes-the-golden-lion-prize-at-the-2023-venice-film-festival","sTbPoEA8fsurDaDaCUweCppScSdkqw-TAkuyzPlinZU",{"id":2955,"title":2956,"body":2957,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":2982,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":2983,"navigation":71,"path":2984,"seo":2985,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":2986,"stem":2987,"__hash__":2988},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-holdovers-to-dorji-a-recap-of-the-50th-telluride-film-festival.md","From “Holdovers” to Dorji: A Recap of the 50th Telluride Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":2958,"toc":2980},[2959,2965,2968,2971,2974,2977],[25,2960,236,2961],{},[47,2962,538],{"href":2963,"rel":2964},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F08\u002Ftelluride-film-festival-lineup-2023-1235530657\u002F",[51],[25,2966,2967],{},"Compared to larger, more prestigious film festivals like those in Venice or Toronto, the Telluride Film Festival, located in the heart of Telluride, Colorado, may not quite receive the same amount of attention as its international counterparts, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any merit as a significant kick-off of the fall film festival circuit. In fact, many cite the festival as one of the most important of such events, as many previous Telluride festivals have served as a showcase for a variety of features that would later go on to receive prominent awards buzz in the months to come, enough to actually be nominated or even win at the Academy Awards that would take place during the beginning of the following year. With this year’s Telluride Film Festival, which began on Thursday, August 31st and concluded on Monday, September 4th, commemorating its fiftieth anniversary, there seemed to have been more hype surrounding the festival than ever, and if the way it ended up playing out is any indication, there’s a very good chance that the films that were exhibited and awarded here will continue to gather recognition as awards season continues.",[25,2969,2970],{},"What makes the selection of films chosen for the Telluride Film Festival especially unique in comparison to other festivals is the surprise factor of the announcement, as it usually takes place only a few days prior to when the event is supposed to begin. In theory, this should leave most in the dark as to what they can look forward to seeing, but in practice, there are ways to figure out what will be screened ahead of time even before festival officials reveal the line-up to the public. For one thing, Telluride tends to take place right around the same time as the Venice Film Festival, which tends to exhibit many of the exact same films that the Colorado festival is fortunate enough to feature in its own line-up. Sure enough, the Telluride and Venice festivals are indeed taking place right alongside one another this year (even though Telluride has already come to an end of its comparatively short five-day period), and they do in fact have quite a few titles in common. There’s also the Cannes Film Festival, which, in the case of its most recent occurrence, took place a few months prior to the beginning of Telluride; it too tends to feature a decent handful of films that would later go on to be screened at the Colorado event, and when comparing the selections for this year, this too seems to be the case. Still, as easy as it can be to predict some titles, there are still the occasional surprises when it comes to finding out what will be seen at the Telluride Film Festival, and for the most part, this year’s surprises are nothing if not pleasant.",[25,2972,2973],{},"For those wondering how previous Academy Award winners will be able to follow up the success they had achieved with films they’d made just a few years prior, this year’s Telluride Film Festival may be able to answer those questions in an unexpected, but satisfactory manner. There are indeed quite a few previous Oscar winners who presented their most recent cinematic offerings at the festival this year. Among them are Alexander Payne, a writer\u002Fdirector who had previously won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, one for 2004’s “Sideways” and 2011’s “The Descendants”. His latest film, a coming-of-age drama titled “The Holdovers” and starring Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, made its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and was immediately met with immense critical acclaim, meaning it does have some potential to be a major awards contender should it continue to maintain such a momentum. Also premiering at Telluride this year was the psychological thriller “Saltburn”, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who had previously won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for her 2020 film “Promising Young Woman”. The film, which stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, and Rosamund Pike, was also the recipient of mostly favorable critical reception and should hopefully remain such as awards season moves forward. Perhaps more surprising than any of these films is that which had been newly created by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who had previously won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for their 2018 film “Free Solo”. Rather than make another documentary, Vasarhelyi and Chin have instead opted to make the leap into fictional narrative filmmaking, teaming up with Netflix to create “Nyad”, a biographical sport drama based on the life of swinner Diane Nyad. The risk seems to be paying off so far though; not only has its premiere at Telluride resulted in mostly critical acclaim, but actors Annette Benning and Jodie Foster are already being talked about as possible contenders for major acting categories.",[25,2975,2976],{},"Those films aren’t the only ones to have benefited from a premiere at the Telluride Film Festival though; in fact, there are several more films that had been fortunate enough to make their big debut here. These include Searchlight’s “All of Us Strangers”, directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott; Netflix’s “Rustin”, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo; “Wildcat”, directed by fame actor Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya; “Fingernails”, directed by Chistos Nikou and starring Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed; Magnolia’s “The Promise Land”, a Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen; “Tuesday”, distributed by A24 and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss; and “Janet Planet”, the directorial debut of Pulitzer winner Annie Baker that has also received the backing of A24. Most of these, however, may pale in comparison to “The Monk and the Gun”, which was directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”, a film that hard garnered the Bhutanese filmmaker a great deal of international acclaim and even an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature.",[25,2978,2979],{},"These are only just some of the titles that could be found on the line-up list for this year’s Telluride Film Festival, and many of them can also be found as part of the selections for various other major film festivals that either have happened, are happening, or are currently expected to happen. One can only speculate as to how much recognition each of these films will continue to receive as the fall film festival circuit continues to hop from one event to another, but with anything being possible, one can only feel excitement and curiosity in finding out what’s to come of these impeccably crafted feature films.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":2981},[],"2023-09-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-holdovers-to-dorji-a-recap-of-the-50th-telluride-film-festival",{"title":2956,"description":557},"from-holdovers-to-dorji-a-recap-of-the-50th-telluride-film-festival","blog\u002Ffrom-holdovers-to-dorji-a-recap-of-the-50th-telluride-film-festival","LlSIwuD1-jXzNDT0-NmMOhlxe6huaa3r5X0LKs0m_MU",{"id":2990,"title":2991,"body":2992,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3021,"description":3022,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3023,"navigation":71,"path":3024,"seo":3025,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3026,"stem":3027,"__hash__":3028},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbiopics-and-a-beast-among-notable-titles-screening-at-this-years-venice-film-festival.md","Biopics and a “Beast” Among Notable Titles Screening at This Year’s Venice Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":2993,"toc":3019},[2994,3001,3004,3007,3010,3013,3016],[25,2995,236,2996],{},[47,2997,3000],{"href":2998,"rel":2999},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vulture.com\u002F2023\u002F08\u002Fmovies-to-see-at-2023-venice-film-festival.html",[51],"Vulture",[25,3002,3003],{},"Under most normal circumstances, a major international film festival is already hardly anything to overlook. Not only can such an event draw attention to an abundance of feature-length and short films made in various locations across the globe, but it can be also be a useful means of determining which cinematic creations have the greatest potential to either achieve major awards buzz or become a sleeper hit at the box office (if not both). However, under the current circumstances, film festivals might be a more valuable asset to major studios than usual. With the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes making it difficult for most studios to either make more films or promote the ones they’re eagerly awaiting to release (to a point where Warner Bros. “Dune: Part 2”, which many had expected to be one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of the latter end of 2023, has recently been pushed back to March of next year), it’s up to the smaller, independently-produced features, many of which do not require such extravagant promotion, to fill the void currently being left by the increasingly postponed major releases. Because of this, more eyes are looking towards film festivals than ever as analysts and industry professionals to determine which of these smaller, but no less admirable works of cinema have the best chance of leaving an impact in the upcoming final weeks of the year. This year’s Venice International Film Festival (VIFF), which marks the 80th anniversary of the annual event, is one such festival that is currently garnering the interest of many noteworthy names and associations. Having commenced on Wednesday, August 30th and going until Saturday, September 9th, VIFF currently plans to exhibit an impressive number of films that were already highly anticipated in the weeks prior to its beginning, and if their reception at Venice is as strong as desired, there’s a solid chance that people will continue to hear about them throughout the rest of the current year and the first few months of the next.",[25,3005,3006],{},"When it comes to films that are often thought of as being especially catered towards the interest of awards groups, biopics are often the first to come to mind, as their recreation of real-world events and people can, if executed properly, represent the art of cinema at its most authentic and artistically appealing. That mentality seems to be alive and well at this year’s Venice festival, with there being at least three big-screen biopics set to be screened and (hopefully) appreciated by those attending the event. Bradley Cooper, for example, is going above and beyond with his Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro”, a film that he has not only directed and written (alongside Josh Singer in the latter task), but also stars as the famed composer. Though there has been some controversy surrounding the questionable make-up Cooper donned in order to better resemble the real-life Bernstein, Cooper and distributor Netflix are confident that the film as a whole, one for which Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese both serve as producers, will be able to overcome this minor dilemma and inspire awe in those who view the film at Venice.",[25,3008,3009],{},"Sofia Coppola, meanwhile, also has her own biopic ready and waiting to screen at VIFF, one that many have described as being a near-perfect compliment to a film that had come out just a year prior. That film is “Priscilla”, which centers its attention on Priscilla Presley, the wife of iconic singer Elvis Presley, and looks to be the polar opposite of last year’s Baz Luhrmann-directed “Elvis” in every way. As opposed to that film’s bold and spectacle-driven stylization, Coppola has brought a more subdued and intimate approach to her portrayal of the life of the woman who went on to marry one of the biggest names in the history of American music, and it’ll be quite fascinating to see how the film tackles the real-life events on which it’s based in comparison to how Luhrmann did the same with this film.",[25,3011,3012],{},"Perhaps the most intriguing Venice biopic of the bunch, however, is “Ferrari”, the first film to have been directed by Michael Mann of “Heat” and “Collateral” fame in over eight years, and one that he has allegedly been trying to get off the ground since the early 1990s. In fact, the idea for the film may actually have roots in a much earlier point in Mann’s life, during a time in which he’s said to have been quite obsessed with the automobiles produced by the Ferrari car company. If that’s the case, then Mann has been enthusiastically awaiting the completion and release of this film for most, if not all of his life. With such a history, one can only hope that the film is able to live up to the hype, and with Adam Driver playing the lead role of Enzo Ferrari and a script that narrows in on Ferrari’s experiences during the year 1957, it’s safe to say that Mann’s biopic will be unconventional, but nonetheless worthy of one’s interest.",[25,3014,3015],{},"It’s not just biopics that are generating a significant amount of buzz at VIFF years though; as a matter of fact, some of the films set for exhibition at this year’s festival are perhaps more unconventional than what Mann has to offer. Actress Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos, who had previously collaborated on 2018’s “The Favourite”, have joined forces once again to create “Poor Things”, an adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel that has been described as a “postmodern revision of Frankenstein”. David Fincher and Harmony Korine each have a film about a hit-man, with the former directing “The Killer” for Netflix and the latter going in a more fantastical direction with his film “Aggro Dr1ft”. Wes Anderson, just a few months after the nationwide release of his latest feature “Asteroid City”, will introduce a short film titled “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar”, his second Roald Dahl adaptation following 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox”. William Friedkin’s final film, “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial”, will hopefully close the recently passed director’s decades-long career on a high note. Then there is “The Beast”, a French production directed by Bertrand Bonello and starring Lea Sydoux that revolves around a futuristic society and the star-crossed romance that somehow finds life within.",[25,3017,3018],{},"All of these films, as well as several more, are expected to shine brightly at this year’s Venice International Film Festival and garner the interest of those who may wish to further promote these films over the course of these next few months. As stated earlier, many of them are anything but conventional, but with the current state of the industry likewise being anything but conventional, such films may just be what’s needed to keep cinema alive as the industry remains at a standstill.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3020},[],"2023-09-05","Source: Vulture",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbiopics-and-a-beast-among-notable-titles-screening-at-this-years-venice-film-festival",{"title":2991,"description":3022},"biopics-and-a-beast-among-notable-titles-screening-at-this-years-venice-film-festival","blog\u002Fbiopics-and-a-beast-among-notable-titles-screening-at-this-years-venice-film-festival","wDfuj3y32w4sibLnr7jXVo5nGL5qxpX2C_w_Lb6_Oos",{"id":3030,"title":3031,"body":3032,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3057,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3058,"navigation":71,"path":3059,"seo":3060,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3061,"stem":3062,"__hash__":3063},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-returns-theaters-to-sell-4-tickets-all-day-on-sunday-august-27th.md","National Cinema Day Returns: Theaters to Sell $4 Tickets All Day on Sunday, August 27th",{"type":22,"value":3033,"toc":3055},[3034,3040,3043,3046,3049,3052],[25,3035,236,3036],{},[47,3037,538],{"href":3038,"rel":3039},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F08\u002Fnational-cinema-day-discount-tickets-super-mario-bros-movie-gran-turismo-1235523604\u002F",[51],[25,3041,3042],{},"Last year on September 3rd (the Saturday right before Labor Day), theaters across the nation participated in the first National Cinema Day event, an exciting new strategy that those working in the film industry hoped would draw crowds unlike anything seen in recent memory to whichever local cineplex was closest. The move was simple, but instantly appealing: charge tickets for no more than $3 (a price that even included IMAX and 3-D screenings, which usually come with an additional surcharge). In theory, it was an idea that made perfect sense; the price of the average theater ticket has skyrocketed over the past few years (currently sitting at around $11.75 as of 2022), so dropping the price to one that most people would be far more willing to pay would logically have greater success in encouraging them to buy one and see a given film. In practice, National Cinema Day was indeed a rousing success, as just over 8.1 million people went to their local theater and paid for at least one ticket to see such films as “Top Gun: Maverick” and a re-release of “Jaws”. The total revenue brought in over that single day was roughly $24 million, a mere 8% increase from the previous Saturday, but one achieved despite tickets costing a fraction of their usual price. Raising attendance was the key objective of National Cinema Day, and with it ultimately seeing the highest attendance of any day in 2022, it’s safe to say that theaters and studios have been pleased with the turnout, so much so that talks for a second National Cinema Day immediately came into fruition.",[25,3044,3045],{},"Those talks were fortunately able to lead to the establishment of a second annual National Cinema, and it’s set to come back even earlier in the year this time. More specifically, the date is set for August 27th, with the Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit organization behind the previous National Cinema Day (one founded by the National Association of Theater Owners, an organization representing a solid percentage of the nation’s most prominent theater chains), making the announcement on Monday, August 21st while declaring that over 3,000 theaters throughout the country (which feature a total of around 30,000 individual screens) would be participating in the event. This time around, tickets will not be sold for more than $4, a whole dollar more than the previous year, but still significantly less than how much tickets usually cost. There’s also a strong possibility that concessions will be sold at a discount throughout the day, but that decision will be left to each theater chain.",[25,3047,3048],{},"What do audiences have to look forward to on this year’s National Cinema Day? For one thing, there are a decent number of new releases that are arriving in theaters that very weekend, most notably Sony’s “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story”, a biographical sports drama about Jann Mardenborough and his rise from being a mere player of the “Gran Turismo” video game to a professional race car driver. Then there are those films that have been in theaters for several weeks now, yet continue to draw in respectable crowds; these include Warner Bros.’ megahit “Barbie”, which recently became the studio’s biggest domestic grosser of all time, and Universal’s “Oppenheimer”, which recently became the highest-grossing release to never hit the #1 spot at the box office. Other recent hits will also be given another chance to shine on the big screen like they had earlier in the year; whether they’re animated offerings, like Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” or Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, or more action-oriented affairs like Lucasfilm’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, these films pulled in solid numbers during their initial runs earlier this year, and could very easily pick up a decent amount of additional revenue come the 27th. Finally, there are big re-releases for films that have not graced the silver screen in years but will undoubtedly be appealing to those in need of a nostalgic throwback. Last year, Steven Spielberg’s 1975 feature “Jaws” received this treatment; this year, his other monster blockbuster, 1993’s “Jurassic Park” will do the same and excite audiences the way it did over thirty years prior.",[25,3050,3051],{},"According to Cinema Foundation president Jackie Brenneman, there is much enthusiasm in the industry as all those involved eagerly await National Cinema Day and a turnout similar to last year’s event. “Following the rousing success of the first annual National Cinema Day, we welcome everyone to join us for the communal experience of one of America’s favorite past times,” Brenneman stated as the Cinema Foundation announced the return of National Cinema Day, which she claims has the full participation of just about every distributor and exhibitor in the country this year. “We’ve been working on this for a while,” Brenneman explained while noting that some independent studios and theaters were initially caught off-guard by the announcement of the previous National Cinema Day. “We tried to learn from that. To have conversations much earlier, give notice much earlier.”",[25,3053,3054],{},"The theatrical climate was a bit different from how it had been just under a year ago. Whereas the year 2022 had only seen a small handful of major box office successes (a number low enough for the industry to create National Cinema Day in the first place), 2023 has fared a bit better and seen even more films reach box office heights that hadn’t been seen since the end of the previous decade. Still, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes still going on and theaters desperately seeking films and strategies that will lure people to their local theaters, the need for National Cinema Day, a day meant for “celebrating the moviegoing experience and how important movie theaters are to our communities”, is as strong as it ever was. NATO CEO Michael O’Leary, who just recently took over the position from previous NATO head John Fithian, certainly seems to think so, as he claims that cinema has “the power to bring us together to share in the joy, the thrill and the magic of a great story told on the big screen.” This sentiment rang true throughout much of the previous National Cinema Day, and should the prospect of a $4 ticket be just appealing enough for the average film-goer, there’s a solid chance that it will ring just as true during this year’s event.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3056},[],"2023-08-27",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-returns-theaters-to-sell-4-tickets-all-day-on-sunday-august-27th",{"title":3031,"description":557},"national-cinema-day-returns-theaters-to-sell-4-tickets-all-day-on-sunday-august-27th","blog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-returns-theaters-to-sell-4-tickets-all-day-on-sunday-august-27th","rf7ztVPop0RAzMpb0308n9RCNN_K3EZ30duYdY31vtg",{"id":3065,"title":3066,"body":3067,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3098,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3099,"navigation":71,"path":3100,"seo":3101,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3102,"stem":3103,"__hash__":3104},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2023-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-bad-boy-to-premiere-with-primetime-lineup.md","TIFF 2023: “All the Light We Cannot See”, “Bad Boy” To Premiere with Primetime Lineup",{"type":22,"value":3068,"toc":3096},[3069,3075,3078,3081,3084,3087,3090,3093],[25,3070,236,3071],{},[47,3072,538],{"href":3073,"rel":3074},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F08\u002Ftiff-2023-primetime-programme-bad-boy-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-1235498010\u002F",[51],[25,3076,3077],{},"When people think of film festivals, they tend to think of films that are expected to and will hopefully receive a major release on the big screen. After all, most of the films chosen for a given festival will likely be exhibited in one of the several theatrical venues selected to be used for said festival, and many filmmakers who submit their work do so under the assumption that, if they are successful enough, people will be see what they’ve created on the largest possible screen. In recent years however, theaters have started to lose their status as the only desirable means in which a film can be accessed by the public. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have made the idea of watching a film from the comfort of one’s home whenever they choose increasingly appealing and feasible, and with the profits they’ve generated from this particular business model, such services have been able to purchase the distribution rights to various major motion picture releases and make them available only through streaming instead of in theaters. In addition, television series have also begun to gain a degree of artistic quality that had previously been unseen in past generations, perhaps in part because streaming has made the line between film and television so blurry that it’s become possible to make one or the other but create a similar visual aesthetic that could easily fit either.",[25,3079,3080],{},"This is where the Primetime program of the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) comes into play. Rather than simply just show singular feature films, as will be the case elsewhere in the festival (currently set to take place between Thursday, September 7th and Sunday, September 17th), the Primetime program will showcase excerpts of various international television programs that are either set to be released some time in the near future or are seeking a major distributor to release them. The idea of something meant for the small screen being exhibited on the big screen might have seemed unthinkable even a decade ago, but as the Primetime program proves, many television series have aimed for a cinematic quality that had been all but unachievable in the years prior, so much so that their artistic merits have proved respectable enough to be seen on a screen much larger than what most would have anticipated.",[25,3082,3083],{},"According to TIFF Creative Programming Officer Anita Lee, this year’s Primetime lineup is one of the best to be offered in the history of the festival, one that she sees as a stellar representation of serialized visual storytelling on a global scale. “This year’s Primetime programme is bigger than ever and gives audiences the exclusive and unmatched opportunity to celebrate the best new international series together, in cinema, on the big screen,” Lee states, claiming that those featured as part of the program will highlight “underrepresented voices from an exciting new wave of storytellers.”",[25,3085,3086],{},"One of the most high-profile series set to make their world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is “All the Light We Cannot See”, a Netflix miniseries developed and written by Steven Knight and directed by Shawn Levy. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Anthony Doerr, the four-part series takes place in occupied France at the height of World War II and follows two teenagers - the blind French girl Marie-Laure LeBlanc (played by Aria Mia Loberti) and the German boy Werner Pfennig (played by Louis Hoffman) who come together to combat the rising Nazi regime. Before its public release on Netflix on November 2nd, “All the Light We Cannot See” will shine on the big screen at one of TIFF’s various theatrical venues, giving its audience an opportunity to see this historical drama in a way they may not have access to otherwise.",[25,3088,3089],{},"Also set to make its world premiere at this year’s Toronto festival is “Bad Boy”, an Israeli series from the creators of the teen drama series “Euphoria” (which was later adapted into a popular American series for HBO). A collaboration between Peter Chernin’s North Road Co. and the Sipur production banner, the series, developed by creator Ron Lesham and directed by Hagar Ben-Asher, the series revolves around a man who, during his youth, was held at a juvenile detention center and developed a friendship with a most unusual stranger there. In the years since, the now fully-grown man is a popular comedian who seeks to keep his past as a prison youth a secret, one he struggles to keep as his old “friend” reappears in his life.",[25,3091,3092],{},"Perhaps just as highly anticipated as (if not more so than) the aforementioned series “Expats”, the follow-up creation of Lulu Wang, who had previously made a name for herself with her highly acclaimed 2019 comedy-drama “The Farewell”. With this latest directorial effort, a series currently set for a release on the Amazon Prime streaming service, Wang adapts Janice Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel “The Expatriates” and tells the story of a expatriate community and the various personal dramas that occur among its affluent members, a cast of characters that features the likes of Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo as just a small handful of its principal players. Apart from a 2021 short film titled “Nian”, Wang has not helmed a major production since releasing “The Farewell” over four years ago, so many will be quite eager to see what has come of her filmmaking talents in the time since.",[25,3094,3095],{},"These, of course, are only three of the nine series that will be included in this year’s TIFF Primetime program (the other six being “Alice and Jack” from the United Kingdom, “Bargain” from South Korea, the Finland\u002FSweden\u002FBelgium\u002FEstonia co-production “Estonia”, and the Canadian series “Black Life: Untold Series”, Brie Mack Gets a Life”, and “Telling Our Story”). It’s hard to believe that film festivals have changed so much over the past couple years that these television series have been permitted to make their debuts on the big screen, but it does make for a decent reminder of how the rise of streaming have brought the worlds of cinema and television closer together than ever before.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3097},[],"2023-08-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2023-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-bad-boy-to-premiere-with-primetime-lineup",{"title":3066,"description":557},"tiff-2023-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-bad-boy-to-premiere-with-primetime-lineup","blog\u002Ftiff-2023-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-bad-boy-to-premiere-with-primetime-lineup","pfkGRsbwoi9bmEW-3RBf-_sJI2fX3zDzeD3IeIgutvg",{"id":3106,"title":3107,"body":3108,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3140,"description":3141,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3142,"navigation":71,"path":3143,"seo":3144,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3145,"stem":3146,"__hash__":3147},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwilliam-friedkin-1935-2023-exorcist-french-connection-director-passes-at-87.md","William Friedkin (1935-2023): “Exorcist”, “French Connection” Director Passes at 87",{"type":22,"value":3109,"toc":3138},[3110,3117,3120,3123,3126,3129,3132,3135],[25,3111,236,3112],{},[47,3113,3116],{"href":3114,"rel":3115},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWilliam_Friedkin",[51],"Wikipedia",[25,3118,3119],{},"The New Hollywood movement of the 1970s saw the rise of many up-and-coming filmmakers who are nowadays regarded as some of the most influential in the history of cinema. Some of these filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, have continuously released one new film after another and maintained strong reputations as the most revered directors in all of Hollywood. Others, while finding a good amount of prosperity during the height of the New Hollywood era, were not quite as able to stay relevant in later years. This is not to say that their work isn’t deserving of praise - in fact, many of the films that such filmmakers make well after the peak of their popularity are often thought of as underrated and have received strong cult followings - but with some exceptions, few of these films are able to elevate their creators to the same status of fame and admiration that they achieved with their earlier creations from at least a few decades prior. William Friedkin, who passed away on August 7th, 2023, is arguably one such filmmaker who reached the height of his success during the New Hollywood period but found it difficult to maintain this success in the following years. His most famous films came into being in the early half of the 1970s, whereas most of his future cinematic endeavors were unable to reach the same degree of critical and commercial appreciation. Still, with the director’s recent passing, there’s no better time to look at his career as a whole, and perhaps even shed light on some of his works that maybe deserve more favorable recognition than they get.",[25,3121,3122],{},"Born on August 29th, 1935 in the city of Chicago Illinois, Friedkin, the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, developed a fascination with the medium of cinema during his teenage years, being especially inspired by such films as Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, which he would allegedly view multiple times throughout his later youth. It was actually through Hitchcock that Friedkin would take his first steps towards a directorial career, helming one of the last episodes of “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” before moving to Hollywood and beginning work on his first feature films. These included “Good Times”, a 1967 comedy musical western starring Sonny and Cher (a film that Friedkin himself later admitted was “unwatchable”); “The Birthday Party”, a 1968 neo-noir drama starring Robert Shaw; and “The Boys in the Band”, a 1970 drama based on the play of the same name by Mart Crowley.",[25,3124,3125],{},"It would not be until 1971 that Friedkin finally received the universal acclaim that so many filmmakers seek to achieve with “The French Connection”, a neo-noir action thriller starring Gene Hackman. Friedkin’s decision to shoot the film in a manner reminiscent of gritty documentaries instead of the usual clean-cut Hollywood productions caught the attention and appreciation of critics and audiences across the nation, with a scene in which Hackman’s character, Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, chases after an elevated train still being cited as one of the greatest chase sequences ever put to film. Even at the time, it helped cement the film as an instant modern classic, and at the 44th Academy Awards, not only did the film receive five Academy Awards (including Best Picture), but Friedkin himself was awarded with a Best Director prize as well.",[25,3127,3128],{},"One would think that topping such an astonishing feat would be impossible, yet it was just two years later that Friedkin would quite possibly do just that with his next feature, the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist”. Based on the bestselling novel by William Peter Blatty, the film reached a degree of commercial success that’s still relatively unheard of for most works of horror (when adjusted for inflation, the film ranks as one of the ten highest-grossing releases of all time), and its critical reception was no less positive, with Friedkin’s direction being just one of the elements that those who saw the film were quick to commend. In fact, it was for this film that Friedkin received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director, one of ten nominations “The Exorcist” received overall (ultimately winning two for Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Sound).",[25,3130,3131],{},"If one had asked Friedkin himself what he considered to be his best work though, his answer would be the film he released four years after “The Exorcist”, that being his 1977 film “Sorcerer”, a thriller based on the 1953 French film “The Wages of Fear”. Unfortunately, most critics and audiences at the time overwhelmingly disagreed with Friedkin’s assessment of his feature, as the film failed critically and financially (the latter being largely the result of coming out around the time that George Lucas’ “Star Wars” became one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of all time), much to the director’s devastation. His follow-up crime comedy “The Brink Job”, first released in 1978, also failed to leave much of an impact, and as Friedkin entered the 1980s, his fortunes sadly seemed to further dwindle.",[25,3133,3134],{},"Friedkin’s 1980 crime thriller “Cruising”, starring Al Pacino, proved polarizing among critics and audiences, and like his previous features, also underperformed at the box office, as did his 1983 comedy “Deal of the Century”, which received even worse reviews from critics. However, Friedkin was able to achieve a minor comeback with his 1985 film “To Live and Die in L.A.”; not only was the film a moderate success at the box office and the recipient of mostly warm reception from critics (with many making favorable comparisons to “The French Connection”), but many of its stars, including Willem Defoe and John Turturro, would go on to become prominent figures of the film industry in the following years.",[25,3136,3137],{},"The last few decades of Friedkin’s life and career saw similarly hit and miss results, though none came anywhere near the immense commercial success of his earliest cinematic creations. Some, like 1990’s “The Guardian”, failed to impress critics, while others, such as 2011’s “Killer Joe”, were able to fare a bit better with critics. His final feature, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”, is set to premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in September. How kind reactions will be to Friedkin’s last cinematic endeavor is not yet known, but hopefully it will be a satisfactory conclusion to a career that may not have seen continuous success, but nonetheless left a significant cultural impact when success was achieved.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3139},[],"2023-08-13","Source: Wikipedia",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwilliam-friedkin-1935-2023-exorcist-french-connection-director-passes-at-87",{"title":3107,"description":3141},"william-friedkin-1935-2023-exorcist-french-connection-director-passes-at-87","blog\u002Fwilliam-friedkin-1935-2023-exorcist-french-connection-director-passes-at-87","2NFnyYWxndqfTPes4ne-ln-sjO8hFaHmnz_cV4Q1ZRY",{"id":3149,"title":3150,"body":3151,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3180,"description":3181,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3182,"navigation":71,"path":3183,"seo":3184,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3185,"stem":3186,"__hash__":3187},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Felemental-still-burning-presumed-pixar-flop-maintains-strong-legs-throughout-the-summer.md","“Elemental” Still Burning: Presumed Pixar Flop Maintains Strong Legs Throughout the Summer",{"type":22,"value":3152,"toc":3178},[3153,3160,3163,3166,3169,3172,3175],[25,3154,236,3155],{},[47,3156,3159],{"href":3157,"rel":3158},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnn.com\u002F2023\u002F07\u002F31\u002Fentertainment\u002Felemental-box-office-legs\u002Findex.html",[51],"CNN",[25,3161,3162],{},"As anyone familiar with the iconic Aesop fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” can tell you, sometimes slow and steady is what wins the race. In other words, one’s success is not determined entirely by how they perform in the beginning, but how they continue to perform until they reach the inevitable end. In the world of cinema, this is what the term “legs” refers to: a film’s ability to continue to earn money even after most have supposedly come out to see the film on its opening weekend. How much a film makes in the weeks following its premiere compared to how much is grossed during that opening weekend is often a testament to how well received said film is by audiences. A large multiplier (e.g. 4x or higher) usually indicates that the film is of a high quality and word of mouth is encouraging people to see if well after it first came out. Conversely, a low multiplier (e.g. 2x or less) will often suggest poor word of mouth and a refusal from audiences to see what is being touted as a mediocre product. The latter situation can be especially harmful for a film that supposedly has a strong opening; this was the case with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” from earlier this year, which had a respectable $110 million opening but struggled to maintain momentum due to lackluster audience reception and ending up becoming a financial disappointment. On the other hand, the former situation can be of great relief to a film that may not have the most desirable opening weekend, and no film to come out this year quite as effectively demonstrates this as Disney and Pixar’s most recent animated offering “Elemental”.",[25,3164,3165],{},"When “Elemental”, directed by Pixar veteran Peter Sohn, first premiered in June, it failed to reach the initial projections of a $40 million opening weekend and instead had to settle for less than $30 million at the domestic box office. This initial inability to meet expectations caused many box office analysts to immediately declare the film a bomb, claiming that the film would not be able to recoup its $200 million budget with these kinds of numbers. However, in the weeks following its debut, “Elemental” has been able to maintain a surprising amount of momentum at the box office. Even as various new films are released and make their way to higher rankings on the box office charts, “Elemental” has managed to benefit from both strong word of mouth and a lack of family-friendly competition and remain steadily afloat. As of Monday, July 31st, “Elemental” is just a short distance away from hitting the $150 million mark at the domestic box office. At the moment, it’s made roughly 5x what it earned over its opening weekend, giving the film the largest multiplier of any Pixar film since the original “Toy Story” all the way back in 1995.",[25,3167,3168],{},"On top of all that, “Elemental” will most likely pass the $400 million at the worldwide box office some time this week. Following its premiere in Japan on August 6th, the film should end its run with around $430 million in global grosses. What was initially perceived as a guaranteed flop has proven popular enough to remain the public consciousness for as long as it has, and even if the film still does end up losing money, it won’t be nearly as much as originally expected. In fact, the film is currently the highest-grossing original animated feature of the 2020s as well as Disney’s most successful animated feature since “Frozen II” back in 2019; not even “Encanto”, which became a global phenomenon shortly after its premiere on Disney’s streaming service Disney+, was unable to make nearly this much money during its theatrical run.",[25,3170,3171],{},"Speaking of Disney+, one of the reasons why “Elemental” has had a better time at the box office than some of the other most recent animated offerings from Disney is how the company has opted not to immediately make the film available for streaming. Due to reasons relating to the ongoing pandemic, many of Pixar’s previous works like “Soul” and “Turning Red” were denied a theatrical release and instead went directly to Disney+, which, according to Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, may have inadvertently trained audiences to wait for Pixar films to come out on streaming and not go out to their local cineplex. This may be one of the main reasons why “Lightyear”, the most recent Pixar film prior to “Elemental”, was said to have underperformed at the box office; its Disney+ release was set for just over a month later, and those eager to see were more or less willing to be patient. “Elemental”, on the other hand, currently has no set Disney+ release date, which Docter believes is encouraging people to see it in theaters as it was meant to be seen. “We’re trying to make sure people realize there’s a great deal you’re missing by not seeing it on the big screen,” Doctor claims in an interview with Variety.",[25,3173,3174],{},"Still it’s the aforementioned reasons as to why “Elemental” has been able to hold on for as long as it has - strong word of mouth and a lack of competition from other family films - that are perhaps the more credible sources of the film’s success. While critical reception has so far been decent, but hardly exceptional (the film currently sits at around a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), audience reception has proven to be far more favorable, as evidenced by the film’s A rating on Cinemascore. In addition, with Universal and DreamWorks’ “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken” crashing and burning at the box office and Paramount and Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” not set to come out until August 2nd, “Elemental” has had almost all of the family market throughout the latter half of June and the entirety of July. With all these factors in mind, it’s no wonder “Elemental” has managed to do solid business even after its opening weekend suggested it wouldn’t be able to.",[25,3176,3177],{},"“There was no way of sugarcoating a $30 million opening,” claims Disney’s theatrical distribution head Tony Chambers. “We knew the audiences loved it… we’re seeing much longer legs on movies if the audience scores are good.” Sure enough, audiences around the world do appear to adore “Elemental” (to say nothing of the film’s record-breaking box office in South Korea), and even if can’t quite reach the billion dollar heights of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, the film still serves as a solid reminder as to why one shouldn’t automatically dismiss a film if its opening weekend box office isn’t necessarily high enough for one’s liking.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3179},[],"2023-08-06","Source: CNN",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Felemental-still-burning-presumed-pixar-flop-maintains-strong-legs-throughout-the-summer",{"title":3150,"description":3181},"elemental-still-burning-presumed-pixar-flop-maintains-strong-legs-throughout-the-summer","blog\u002Felemental-still-burning-presumed-pixar-flop-maintains-strong-legs-throughout-the-summer","akKPgsoCiXww3Tgz97SvxxWiEoS3opyl5W1Nz4KXLk4",{"id":3189,"title":3190,"body":3191,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3216,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3217,"navigation":71,"path":3218,"seo":3219,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3220,"stem":3221,"__hash__":3222},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbarbenheimer-blows-up-box-office-sets-unprecedented-records.md","“Barbenheimer” Blows Up Box Office, Sets Unprecedented Records",{"type":22,"value":3192,"toc":3214},[3193,3199,3202,3205,3208,3211],[25,3194,236,3195],{},[47,3196,391],{"href":3197,"rel":3198},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fbarbenheimer-box-office-barbie-oppenheimer-historic-weekend-1235678323\u002F",[51],[25,3200,3201],{},"Of all the major Hollywood films to be released in the year 2023, none are as outwardly distinct from one another as Warner Bros. fantasy comedy “Barbie” and Universal’s biographical thriller “Oppenheimer”. The former, directed by Greta Gerwig of “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” fame, is a bright, colorful, and intentionally artificial-looking film adaptation of the popular toy line of the same name (one that has historically been aimed primarily at young girls), while the latter, directed by Christopher Nolan (best known for such films as “Inception” and “The Dark Knight”), recreates the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who spearheaded the invention of the atomic bomb. With “Barbie” appearing to be targeted at women and younger audiences and “Oppenheimer” supposedly being aimed at men and older audiences, one would think that there wouldn’t be too much overlap in terms of those who are eager to see a given film. This may be why Universal and Warner Bros. were willing to release their films on the same day (Friday, July 21st); neither necessarily thought of the other as a threat to their business (at least in this particular situation). With all this in mind, it might not seem too surprising that each film has been able to thrive in spite of coming out right alongside one another. What is surprising though: the fact that both films may have inadvertently helped each other become bigger successes than previously anticipated.",[25,3203,3204],{},"The reason behind this unexpected success: the meme known throughout social media and the entirety of the Internet known as Barbenheimer. When it was revealed that “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” would be released to theaters at the exact same time, several social media users took notice of what an immensely stark contrast these two films had with one another and, rather than opting to just pick one or the other, announced a desire to see them both back-to-back, an experience that many would describe as being one of the greatest tonal whiplashes one could subject themselves to within the span of two feature films. This trend only grew more and more as the premiere date emerged and the marketing for each film only made audiences more eager to see both these films, and while the “winner” of this unusual cinematic showdown is clear for all to see, the “loser” was still able to exceed most expectations and bring in far more money over its opening weekend than most anyone had thought was possible.",[25,3206,3207],{},"With a weekend gross of around $162 million (a noticeable improvement over the previously reported $155 million, and a much higher total than the $110 million that the most optimistic of pre-release predictions had anticipated), “Barbie” took the top spot at the box office and broke several different records in doing so. It was able to earn the largest opening weekend gross of any film released in 2023, blowing past previous record holder “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and its $146 million (though it should be noted that “Mario” was released on a Wednesday and was able to collect over $200 million during the five-day period). It’s also the largest opening weekend gross for any film that was directed by a woman; that record has previously been set over four years prior with 2019’s “Captain Marvel”, which had been directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and was able to earn $153 million throughout its opening weekend. That title, however, now belongs to Greta Gerwig, and the overwhelming success of her film could not have come at a better time for Warner Bros., which is currently suffering a massive loss following the underperformance of its previous major blockbuster “The Flash”, and the studio is hoping that the film will continue to maintain a prominent presence at the box office in the weeks to come. “This historic result reflects the intense heat, interest and enthusiasm for ‘Barbie,” states Jeff Goldstein, the president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. “This doll will indeed have long long legs.”",[25,3209,3210],{},"“Oppenheimer”, meanwhile, may have only been able to collect just over half of the weekend gross that “Barbie” was able to accumulate over the three-day period, but that is by no means a disappointment, especially considering how much less many were expecting it to make. In contrast to the $45 to $50 million that many had predicted the film would earn during its opening weekend in the weeks leading up to its release, Nolan’s film blew past expectations and earned roughly $82.4 million (even higher than the initial reports of $80.5 million). In hindsight, “Oppenheimer” was probably never going to make anywhere near as much money as “Barbie”; its three-hour running time reduces the number of screenings a theater can hold in a given day (which is less of an issue for the just-under-two-hours “Barbie”), and its R rating puts a limit on the number and types of people who are able to see the film theatrically (again, this is less of an issue for “Barbie”, as its PG-13 rating is far more inclusive). However, these limitations were not enough to suppress the unprecedented amount of hype surrounding Christopher Nolan’s latest cinematic endeavor; apart from “The Dark Knight” and its sequel “The Dark Knight Rises”, this is the highest opening weekend gross of Nolan’s career, and it’s also one of the highest opening weekends for any R-rated film or biopic. Even if the film wasn’t able to match the grosses of “Barbie”, it’s highly doubtful that anyone at Universal is unhappy with how “Oppenheimer” is performing.",[25,3212,3213],{},"Another factor that may have enabled “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” to perform better than anticipated (and could allow them to continue to fare well in the following weeks): strong word of mouth. Both films have been almost universally lauded by critics (popular reviewer aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes currently shows “Barbie” with a 91% approval rating and “Oppenheimer” with an approval rating of 94%), and audience reception so far has been no less enthusiastic. Should both films maintain this momentum over the next few weeks, it would be more or guaranteed for both of them to become some of the biggest box office successes in recent memory. The industry certainly needs such success right now - a recent string of underperforming blockbusters and the delays being caused by the currently ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are bringing a major blow to business - and hopefully from all this, they’ll be able to recognize that sometimes the films people want to see are the ones that appear to be most unique, ambitious, and reflective of their creator’s distinct and personal visions.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3215},[],"2023-07-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbarbenheimer-blows-up-box-office-sets-unprecedented-records",{"title":3190,"description":194},"barbenheimer-blows-up-box-office-sets-unprecedented-records","blog\u002Fbarbenheimer-blows-up-box-office-sets-unprecedented-records","x6rDvUyoLGPb8mJWm_d6fxuLXTUJa5OS4TZlvUHr4FU",{"id":3224,"title":3225,"body":3226,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3254,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3255,"navigation":71,"path":3256,"seo":3257,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3258,"stem":3259,"__hash__":3260},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhollywoods-plan-to-end-wga-strike-let-the-writers-go-broke.md","Hollywood’s Plan to End WGA Strike: “Let the Writers Go Broke”",{"type":22,"value":3227,"toc":3252},[3228,3234,3237,3240,3243,3246,3249],[25,3229,236,3230],{},[47,3231,538],{"href":3232,"rel":3233},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F07\u002Fwriters-strike-hollywood-studios-deal-fight-wga-actors-1235434335\u002F",[51],[25,3235,3236],{},"Although a strike can ultimately be of great benefit to a given party in the long run, the period in which the strike takes place is anything but beneficial to either employer or employee. The current Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, for example, is taking its toll on both the guild itself, one that consists of just over 15,000 film and television screenwriters, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the various studios that employ these several writers for their wide array of productions. For the AMPTP, having no writers to produce scripts for whichever films and series they seek to create means they are unable to continue production and work towards earning a profit from these creations, resulting in the studios losing millions on a weekly basis. Those that make up the WGA, meanwhile, cannot earn any money from their work on account of them being on strike and therefore refusing to do their jobs, meaning that they too are suffering a significant financial loss as this moment. There’s no denying that both sides want this strike to come to an end, but what they each hope to achieve by its conclusion could not be more different - writers want better pay, the studios want to pay the writers less - so the strike has no choice but to continue. Of course, while the studios and producers have millions, if not billions, of dollars and can therefore sustain losses for the time being, the writers do not have anywhere near such a degree of weath (which is the main reason why they’re striking to begin with). This, unfortunately, is exactly what studios are banking on in order to put a stop to the WGA’s strike.",[25,3238,3239],{},"At this current moment in time, not one of the major Hollywood studios seems willing to sit down with the WGA and negotiate a new contract, as they instead appear to be adamant about letting the strike go on until the writers have completely used up all of what remains of what little financial resources they currently have. That’s at least what one industry veteran with strong connections to the studios has argued; “I think we’re in for a long strike, and they’re going to let it bleed out,” they claim. With the WGA strike reaching its 71st day (at the time of this writing) and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) on the verge of their own strike (one that would bring Hollywood to an even greater standstill than what it’s currently experiencing), the studios could easily avoid all of this by simply giving into the strikers’ demands (which, according to recent data, would cost them far less than what they’re currently losing to the strike). However, their desire to control their workers appears to outweigh their desire to keep as much money as they possibly can at the moment (one can’t help but be reminded of this line from “A Bug’s Life”: “It’s not about the food. It’s about keeping those ants in line”), so the studios are more than happy to let the writers continue their strike without any real progress being made.",[25,3241,3242],{},"When will studios start to be at least a bit more open to the possibility of sitting down for talks with the WGA again? “Not Halloween precisely, but late October, for sure, is the intention,” one producer with ties to the AMPTP claims; should this be accurate, it will be two-and-a-half to three whole months before the guild will be able to begin negotiations on a new contract. By this point, the studios hope, the writers will have almost completely drained their resources in the five months they’ll be on strike and will thus come crawling back to their employers begging to work and be paid again. Some may dismiss such claims as the studios attempting to appear tougher than they are, but others allege that this has been the plan since the very beginning of the strike. “It’s been agreed to for months, even before the WGA went out,” states one anonymous executive. “Nobody wanted a strike, but everybody knew this was make or break.”",[25,3244,3245],{},"It should come as no surprise that Wall Street has expressed its approval of the studios’ willingness to, as one executive put it, “break the WGA” by forcing its members to go for such a long period without receiving any sort of financial support from their employers. “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” one executive alleges, a mission that some have described as “a cruel but necessary evil” (although others would argue that there’s nothing “necessary” about such actions).",[25,3247,3248],{},"What studios are hoping for is the WGA being desperate for renegotiate before the start of the holiday season, which would enable the AMPTP to have complete control over the new contract without the WGA having any real say over what goes into it. However, if one were to ask any member of the guild if there was any chance of them stooping to such a level, the answer would almost universally be a resounding “no”. Even with the financial strains burdened by the ongoing strike, there’s little evidence to suggest that the WGA has any plans to back down from what they are seeking. It doesn’t hurt that each of the guild’s thousands of members and those who support appear to be in nearly full solidarity with one another, to a point where there are even various campaigns in which one can donate to various organizations aiming to keep the writers on their feet for as long as possible. One of these groups, the Green Envelope Grocery Aid, has already received over 40,000 donations and provided 376 striking writers with roughly $100 worth of grocery money, and the group will continue to accept donations for as long as the strike goes on. It’s just one of many different ways in which the public is coming out to support the writers, which means that the AMPTP may not have as much power as it thinks it will have once the end of the year approaches.",[25,3250,3251],{},"For the time being though, both the WGA and the AMPTP remain firmly in place as the former’s strike continues into its third month. Should SAG-AFTRA also go on strike, Hollywood will certainly be at greater financial risk (one that it could completely avoid if it agreed to what the guilds are demanding from them), but for now, it seems that the WGA is on its own when it comes to its push back against the studios. Then again, with so many people showing their support, the WGA may not be nearly as powerless as the AMPTP and the studios it represents would like to believe.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3253},[],"2023-07-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhollywoods-plan-to-end-wga-strike-let-the-writers-go-broke",{"title":3225,"description":557},"hollywoods-plan-to-end-wga-strike-let-the-writers-go-broke","blog\u002Fhollywoods-plan-to-end-wga-strike-let-the-writers-go-broke","j55XJFjeCnA7di2Kqz5O-PuzBQkIxhX5gCj-ngq4JOU",{"id":3262,"title":3263,"body":3264,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3292,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3293,"navigation":71,"path":3294,"seo":3295,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3296,"stem":3297,"__hash__":3298},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwe-are-prepared-to-strike-over-300-actors-announce-in-letter-to-sag-aftra-leaders.md","“We Are Prepared to Strike”, Over 300 Actors Announce in Letter to SAG-AFTRA Leaders",{"type":22,"value":3265,"toc":3290},[3266,3272,3275,3278,3281,3284,3287],[25,3267,236,3268],{},[47,3269,538],{"href":3270,"rel":3271},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Factors-strike-stars-urge-sag-aftra-to-take-hard-line-in-talks-1235426024\u002F",[51],[25,3273,3274],{},"June 30th - not merely the final day of the month, but the final day of negotiations that could decide whether or not one of the largest labor unions in all of Hollywood brings all of its work to a halt and sends its thousands of members to the streets to protest for better working conditions. Starting that day, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), if it is unable to produce a satisfactory contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), will begin a strike that will take place throughout the nation, one in which the majority of the guild’s tens of thousands of members (just over 116,000 to be more specific) will join one another in solidarity against such major studios as Disney and Netflix and bring nearly every film and television production currently taking place to a grinding halt. Hollywood is already bearing the burden of one ongoing strike, as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has remained on strike since the beginning of May, and another would surely make operation even more difficult. Unfortunately for it and every major studio, the odds of SAG-AFTRA joining WGA in the streets is all but an absolute certainty. For one thing, the union’s vote to authorize a strike should negotiations fall apart was almost unanimously positive, with just under 98% of voting members agreeing that SAG-AFTRA should go on strike. More recently however, a letter from some of the industry’s most notable actors only further encourages such action, as all these people have come together to further sway SAG-AFTRA leaders to moving forward with a strike.",[25,3276,3277],{},"On Tuesday, June 27th, it was revealed that a letter signed by over three hundred actors who claim membership with SAG-AFTRA was sent to the union’s highest-ranking leaders, one that insists that they stand their ground as they continue their talks with the AMPTP. “A strike brings incredible hardships to so many, and no one wants it,” the letter claims, “but we are prepared to strike if it comes to that. And we are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not”. Those whose signature can be found at the end of the letter include such notable names as Kevin Bacon, Glenn Close, Jennifer Lawrence, Mark Ruffalo, Patton Oswalt, Meryl Streep and Ben Stiller. Of course, this is just a small sampling of the hundreds of names attached to this letter, all of whom are adamant that SAG-AFTRA accept nothing less than a deal that will greatly benefit all of the guild’s members.",[25,3279,3280],{},"According to reports from SAG-AFTRA leadership, negotiations so far have been “extremely productive” and that one should “remain optimistic” about the prospects of a satisfactory contract being reached in the near future. Still, with the June 30th deadline just days away, most of SAG-AFTRA hesitates to share the optimism of their leaders, with this recently written letter being further proof of how determined the actors are to ensure better treatment. “This is not a moment to meet in the middle,” the letter continues, “and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us. We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it. If you are not able to get all the way there, we ask that you use the power given to you by us, the membership, and join the WGA on the picket lines. For our union and its future, this is our moment. We hope that, on our behalf, you will meet that moment and not miss it.”",[25,3282,3283],{},"Another instance of SAG-AFTRA showing almost universal solidary came on Monday, June 26th as it was announced that the union’s two main political factions announced that they’d both endorse the re-election of current SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and secretary-treasurer Joely Fisher, both of whom are running to keep their current positions and are expected to remain in place once voting takes place later this summer. While Drescher had previously achieved the union presidency on the ruling United for Strength ticket, Fisher was elected via the opposing Membership First ticket. For both parties to be so unified that they’re both willing to support each side’s re-election is a testament to how serious the matters they’re putting up with in their contention against the AMPTP truly are, and it, alongside the previously mentioned strike ratification vote that earned a 98% approval of the measure, further demonstrates how serious and determined the guild is to fight for its needs.",[25,3285,3286],{},"In the letter sent to SAG-AFTRA leadership, the actors discuss the various issues that are pushing them towards a strike and how the union has so far done a commendable job at fighting for a proper solution to these issues. “We were glad to see SAG-AFTRA lead the way among the guilds in identifying AI as a threat to our livelihoods that must be addressed right now, a ‘game changer’,” the letter reads. “We felt as though you understood how wildly our pay and our residuals have been undermined, how long we’re being held between seasons.” Although minimum and residual payments have long been a sticking point in the history of contract negotiations between the AMPTP and the various Hollywood labor unions, the rise of AI has come to be seen as something that could drastically change how the industry operates, with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA expressing concerns about its potential to replace some, if not most of, the current labor force. “Especially as regards Artificial Intelligence,” the letter continues, “we do not believe that SAG-AFTRA members can afford to make halfway gains in anticipation of that more will be coming in three years, and we think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI.”",[25,3288,3289],{},"With barely a few days left until the current contract expires, it’s more important than ever for SAG-AFTRA to stand its ground, and as this letter proves, its members are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve a better deal. “This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us,” the letter states in its concluding paragraph. “We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it. If you are not able to get all the way there, we ask that you use the power given to you by us, the membership, and join the WGA on the picket lines. For our union and its future, this is our moment. We hope that, on our behalf, you will meet that moment and not miss it.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3291},[],"2023-06-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwe-are-prepared-to-strike-over-300-actors-announce-in-letter-to-sag-aftra-leaders",{"title":3263,"description":557},"we-are-prepared-to-strike-over-300-actors-announce-in-letter-to-sag-aftra-leaders","blog\u002Fwe-are-prepared-to-strike-over-300-actors-announce-in-letter-to-sag-aftra-leaders","YMc6sdo0YqkCBNSic_KXamX4wKpJhxnl020YCKkzwyI",{"id":3300,"title":3301,"body":3302,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":3362,"description":3363,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3364,"navigation":71,"path":3365,"seo":3366,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3367,"stem":3368,"__hash__":3369},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ella-purnell.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: Ella Purnell",{"type":22,"value":3303,"toc":3360},[3304,3311,3338,3344,3347,3352,3357],[25,3305,3306,3307,3310],{},"Known for her wide range of acting abilities, Ella Purnell is a star in her own right. First she started out in theater in England then worked her way into film and television. Purnell is a skilled and trained actor, making waves in all realms of entertainment across the world. Her most recent project, ",[486,3308,3309],{},"Yellowjackets"," (2021-) has been met with glowing reviews and only proves her acting chops as top’s in the field.",[25,3312,3313,3314,3317,3318,3321,3322,3325,3326,3329,3330,3333,3334,3337],{},"Purnell was trained at the Young Actors Theatre Islington in the UK and attended classes at Sylvia Young Theatre School. From there, she was cast in a production of ",[486,3315,3316],{},"Oliver!"," Which then led her to her first feature film role in Mark Romanek’s ",[486,3319,3320],{},"Never Let Me Go"," starring Kiera Knightley Since then, she has starred in ",[486,3323,3324],{},"Intruders"," co-starring Clive Owen, ",[486,3327,3328],{},"Kick-Ass 2"," starring Chloe Grace Moretz, *Maleficent *starring Angelina Jolie, ",[486,3331,3332],{},"Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children","co-starring Samuel L. Jackson, and *Churchill *starring Miranda Richardson.  One of the first films she starred in that grabbed international and film festival attention is ",[486,3335,3336],{},"Ways to Live Forever"," co-starring Robbie Kay and Greta Scacchi.",[25,3339,3340],{},[3341,3342],"img",{"alt":64,"src":3343},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002Fep-young.jpg",[25,3345,3346],{},"In *Ways to Live Forever, *Purnell plays Kayleigh the cousin of Felix played by Alex Etel. Kayleigh is able to sneak Felix and his best friend Sam played by Robbie Kay into her uncle’s bar for a few underage drinks. Kayleigh accomplishes one of Sam’s goals as he valiantly fights a terminal diagnosis of leukemia. The two eventually share a first kiss in a heartfelt scene that represents all the good that is in the world. Her character along with the two boys represents the innocence in all children; the desire to be free and young with no care in the world while helping Sam live out his goals and write a book about his adventures. The film is a beautiful, yet heart-wrenching portrayal about death and ways to live beyond the life lived on Earth.",[25,3348,3349],{},[3341,3350],{"alt":64,"src":3351},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002Fep-yellowjackets.jpg",[25,3353,3354,3356],{},[486,3355,3309],{}," is a darker turn from the Ways to Live Forever. In a *Lord of the Flies *style thriller and survival story, Purnell leads the series as Jackie Taylor, the captain of the Yellowjackets soccer team. One of the series’ main settings is in the wilderness, after a plane carrying the soccer team crashes in the middle of nowhere, making the team members live without any kind of structure, familiarity, and even uncertainty with cannibalism hanging over them as a possible outcome. Purnell stands out in this series, serving a darker and intriguing role than any others she has done.",[25,3358,3359],{},"Ella Purnell’s skill and ability has only grown in recent years. In the 2010s and into the 2020s, she has proven that she can handle any role given to her. A wonderful character actor and a triple threat to boot, it would be unwise to underestimate her potential in the world of entertainment.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3361},[],"2023-06-20","Known for her wide range of acting abilities, Ella Purnell is a star in her own right. First she started out in theater in England then worked her way into film and television. Purnell is a skilled and trained actor, making waves in all realms of entertainment across the world. Her most recent project, Yellowjackets (2021-) has been met with glowing reviews and only proves her acting chops as top’s in the field.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ella-purnell",{"title":3301,"description":3363},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-ella-purnell","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ella-purnell","OeL6XBQPvzAVp6mbnzLxgAfWFtY2Wjh4t2hIkQLtdik",{"id":3371,"title":3372,"body":3373,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3402,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3403,"navigation":71,"path":3404,"seo":3405,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3406,"stem":3407,"__hash__":3408},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-industry-giants-to-indie-creators-annecy-film-festival-shines-light-on-animations-best.md","From Industry Giants to Indie Creators, Annecy Film Festival Shines Light on Animation’s Best",{"type":22,"value":3374,"toc":3400},[3375,3381,3384,3387,3390,3397],[25,3376,236,3377],{},[47,3378,391],{"href":3379,"rel":3380},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fglobal\u002Fnimona-ruby-gillman-mutant-mayhem-migration-1235640607\u002F",[51],[25,3382,3383],{},"Since its inception in 1960, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (sometimes shortened to the Annecy Festival) has been hailed as the animation-focused equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival, and that’s not just because it too takes place within the French nation (specifically in the eastern city of Annecy). Originally being held every two years before turning into a yearly event in 1998, the festival has become a source of gathering for the world’s most prominent and revered figures and studios who specialize in the medium of animation. Each year near the beginning of June, animators and filmmakers make their way to Annecy to either compete against one another or to just simply show off what they are currently producing. This is one of four animation film festivals that has received the sponsorship of the International Animated Film Association - the other three taking place in Ottawa, Canada; Hiroshima, Japan; and Zagreb, Croatia - though given how many more high-profile works get highlighted at Annecy compared to the others, it’s safe to say that this is the most revered of them all. If this year’s selection of films and presentations is any indication, that status won’t be changing any time soon, as there are quite a number of notable announcements and screenings that either have or are expected to take place before the festival’s end. Many of these, unsurprisingly, come from some of the biggest animation leaders in the world like Disney and Netflix, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any notable independent studios and creations worthy of one’s attention.",[25,3385,3386],{},"Of course, while the number of major studio productions shown at Annecy (either fully completed or still work-in-progress though very near completion) is somewhat limited, the impact most, if not all of them are anticipated to make on the industry as a whole will hopefully be quite large. Disney, for example, has only a short film to show off at this year’s event, but the size and scale of this short is far greater than almost anything the company has produced yet. Made to commemorate the studio’s 100th anniversary as part of a year-long celebration held by the entirety of the Walt Disney Company, the short, titled “Once Upon a Studio”, combines hand-drawn animation, computer-generated imagery, and live-action in its depiction of Disney animation’s most beloved and iconic characters, a number said to be around four hundred altogether (a testament to how expansive the Disney filmography has become over its century-long history). Featuring the voice talents of Bret Iwan as Mickey Mouse, Josh Gad as Olaf the Snowman, and the late Robin Williams as the Genie (whose dialogue is sourced from previously unused recordings), the short has been described as a “love letter” by directors Trent Correy and Dan Abraham, and will make its public premiere alongside the studio’s upcoming theatrical release “Wish” in November of this year.",[25,3388,3389],{},"Other major motion picture productions being screened at Annecy include Universal and DreamWorks’ “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken”, a coming-of-age fantasy comedy set to be released in theaters at the end of June; “Nimona”, a previously unfinished feature from the recently defunct Blue Sky Studios that was passed over to Annapurna and Netflix (which will make the film available for streaming also before the end of June); and Paramount and Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”, the latest incarnation of the popular martial arts action\u002Ffantasy\u002Fcomedy property that has captivated young audiences since its creation in the mid-1980s. The latter film, at the time of its Annecy screening, was not yet finished (with the version shown stated beforehand to be very much a work-in-progress), but considering how enraptured its audience was regardless of its unfinished nature, many are predicting that it too will be another breakout hit once it comes to theaters in the beginning of August.",[25,3391,3392,3393,3396],{},"Despite the overwhelming presence of the big studios however, there is still plenty of room for smaller, independent productions to take hold of the spotlight. One feature titled “Four Souls of Coyote”, for example, was described by esteemed French animator Eléanor Coleman as being “a delightful, quirky Hungarian feature made entirely within one Budapest studio” in her expressing of excitement of what this year’s festival has to offer when it comes to independently created fare. “There’s such a range: Stop-motion, 2D, 3D, big name directors, such as Oscar winning ‘Ratatouille’ co-writer Jim Copabianco ",[364,3394,3395],{},"‘The Inventor’",", to French auteurs,” Coleman states before going on to highlight such Un Certain Regard contenders as “White Plastic Sky,” another Hungarian featured helmed by directors Tibor Banoczki and Sarolta Szabo, and the Spanish-made“Robot Dreams” from Arcadia Motion Pictures, for which independent distributor Neon recently received North American distribution rights. David Jesteadt, president of indie animation giant GKIDS (which not only distributed such Academy Award nominees as “The Secret of Kells”, “Ernest and Celestine”, and “Minari”, but also currently holds the North American rights to the acclaimed Studio Ghibli filmography) shared similar comments regarding this year’s Annecy line-up. “If you just sampled the competition lineup,” Jesteadt argues, “I think you’d be pretty excited about the state of animation.”",[25,3398,3399],{},"Of course, one shouldn’t overlook the various different short films set to screened at some point during the Annecy Festival. Though they may not be as talked about as their feature-length counterparts, there are still several wonderful animated shorts that demonstrate the exceptional talent of their respective creators. These include “Humo”, a harrowing Holocaust narrative from Mexican director Rita Basulto; “The Smile”, a stop-motion mockumentary from Dutch filmmaker Erik Van Schaaik; “Last Order”, a short, but disturbing tale of horror from Chinese animator Hangjin Jo; “La Saison Pourpre” a lavishly animated piece from France’s Clémence Bouchereau; and “27,” the Best Short Palme d’Or winner from Hungary’s Flora Anna Buda. As one can see, their limited running times do not diminish their overall quality, and they are further proof as to why the Annecy International Film Festival reigns supreme as one of animation’s biggest global events.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3401},[],"2023-06-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-industry-giants-to-indie-creators-annecy-film-festival-shines-light-on-animations-best",{"title":3372,"description":194},"from-industry-giants-to-indie-creators-annecy-film-festival-shines-light-on-animations-best","blog\u002Ffrom-industry-giants-to-indie-creators-annecy-film-festival-shines-light-on-animations-best","mhUsxmo_SLQEQfHKqbuIEPGjhKRfEv0HbHRujPWSIhc",{"id":3410,"title":3411,"body":3412,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3444,"description":3445,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3446,"navigation":71,"path":3447,"seo":3448,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3449,"stem":3450,"__hash__":3451},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-votes-to-authorize-strike-could-join-writers-guild-in-the-coming-weeks.md","Screen Actors Guild Votes to Authorize Strike, Could Join Writers Guild in the Coming Weeks",{"type":22,"value":3413,"toc":3442},[3414,3421,3424,3427,3430,3433,3436,3439],[25,3415,236,3416],{},[47,3417,3420],{"href":3418,"rel":3419},"https:\u002F\u002Fabcnews.go.com\u002FUS\u002FwireStory\u002Fhollywood-actors-guild-votes-authorize-strike-writers-strike-99858588",[51],"ABC News",[25,3422,3423],{},"If a vote just barely crosses the 50% threshold needed for approval (or doesn’t cross it at all), one gets the impression that the voters are fairly divided on a given issue. If the majority of these voters make up a percentage of roughly 75%, then there is a bit more agreement among them, though there are still a significant number of those voting against them. The closer a voting block comes to being 100% in agreement regarding a particular matter, the more unified they seem to be, and the more apparent that their stance on a random subject is something that needs to be addressed and dealt with. In the case of the most recent Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, just under 98% of voting members agreed that said strike was a necessary effort, taking to the streets and remaining there since May 5th. Considering that only 2% of members voted against a potential strike, it seems that the WGA has legitimate grievances against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group representing the various major studios who employ the WGA’s thousands of film and television writers, and that nearly all of the union is joined in fighting for what they are owed. Just recently, a similar scenario has begun to play out with another, much larger Hollywood labor union, one that could lead to yet another strike before the end of June.",[25,3425,3426],{},"On the evening of Monday, June 5th, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced that its vote to authorize a nationwide strike had an overwhelming majority of approval, and that if  a new, satisfactory contract is not reached between the guild and the AMPTP by June 30th, most, if not all, of the over 160,000 of screen actors, journalists, and various other laborers who comprise the WGA will drop what they are doing and commence picketing throughout Hollywood and wherever else any major film or television productions are supposed to be taking place (though most news and broadcast productions will likely be unaffected and continue to do business as usual). Of the approximately 65,000 members who cast votes, nearly 98% voted in favor of a strike, a total not too dissimilar to that which had been reached by the WGA.",[25,3428,3429],{},"There are several issues at hand that have swayed most voters into pushing for a strike, the most notable being the need for an increase in base compensation (something SAG-AFTRA claims has been severely impacted by inflation and the rise of streaming throughout the entirety of the entertainment industry), demands for the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) programs that serve as a threat to most currently working actors, and the mandated practice of “self-taped auditions”, which the guild claims passes the burden of cost from the studios and producers to the actors who may struggle to pay for such a service.",[25,3431,3432],{},"“We are approaching these negotiations with the goal of achieving a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry overall,” the AMPTP claimed in a statement released shortly after SAG-AFTRA announced that it had voted in favor of authorizing a strike, confident that it would be able to avert such an event prior to the June 30th deadline. Still, the actors’ guild has so far expressed little but dissatisfaction with current negotiations, and with the WGA entering its sixth week of striking, the possibility of SAG-AFTRA and its thousands of members joining the writers in the picket lines only grows more likely with each passing day.",[25,3434,3435],{},"Until just recently, there was actually a strong chance that, on top of the currently striking WGA and the potentially striking SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) would also consider going on strike, which would result in a one-two-three punch against the AMPTP and the studios it represents that may not be so easy for the industry as a whole to overcome. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore though (or at least not to the same degree), as the DGA, which represents roughly 19,000 film, television, and commercial directors, has reached what they have described as a “truly historic” agreement with the studios, one that they claim addresses many of the same issues that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are fighting for, as well as those that relate more directly to the directing profession, including safety measures like banning live ammunition on set and practices meant to increase diversity and inclusion in a field largely dominated by white men.",[25,3437,3438],{},"While neither commented specifically on any of the terms reached in the agreement between the DGA and the AMPTP, both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA expressed sentiments of congratulations to the directors who were supposedly able to achieve most of what they had been fighting for, even if this development has done little to change where they currently stand on the issues. Still, there were those whom this agreement did not sit well with, particularly some WGA members who recalled a similar situation playing out around the time of the 2007-2008 Writers Strike. In that instance, the DGA also negotiated its own contract as the WGA picketed, one that they claim forced the WGA to fall back in line and end their strike, something they worry might happen with this most recent strike. “Zero surprise,” claims veteran writer Steven DeKnight of “Pacific Rim: Uprising” fame in a publicly released statement on Twitter. “The AMPTP continues to use their tired old playbook. And the DGA sadly continues to toe the line, knowing that they can draft off of the WGA’s resolve to strike for a truly historic deal. Disappointing, but not surprising.”",[25,3440,3441],{},"At the moment though, the WGA has shown no signs that its strike will come to an end any time soon, with a recent letter stating that “to resolve the strike, the companies will have to negotiate with the WGA on our full agenda”. SAG-AFTRA, should it also commence a strike as agreed upon in the recent authorization vote (which would be the first for the guild since 1980), will most likely maintain a similar position and stand unified against the power of the studios. “Our bargaining strategy has never relied upon nor been dependent on the outcome or status of any other union’s negotiations, nor do we subscribe to the philosophy that the terms of deals made with other unions bind us,” claims SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, adding that their recent vote was a “clear statement that it’s time for an evolution in this contract.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3443},[],"2023-06-10","Source: ABC News",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-votes-to-authorize-strike-could-join-writers-guild-in-the-coming-weeks",{"title":3411,"description":3445},"screen-actors-guild-votes-to-authorize-strike-could-join-writers-guild-in-the-coming-weeks","blog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-votes-to-authorize-strike-could-join-writers-guild-in-the-coming-weeks","MKWXkbhCPaHxpsRTkjovf613i2dzXQBXwXrYAgm8DD8",{"id":3453,"title":3454,"body":3455,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3483,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3484,"navigation":71,"path":3485,"seo":3486,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3487,"stem":3488,"__hash__":3489},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-2023-anatomy-of-a-fall-the-zone-of-interest-claim-festivals-biggest-prizes.md","Cannes 2023: “Anatomy of a Fall”, “The Zone of Interest” Claim Festival’s Biggest Prizes",{"type":22,"value":3456,"toc":3481},[3457,3463,3466,3469,3472,3475,3478],[25,3458,236,3459],{},[47,3460,391],{"href":3461,"rel":3462},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2023-palme-dor-prizes-awards-1235627110\u002F",[51],[25,3464,3465],{},"Yet another Cannes Film Festival has come and gone, and with it, a whole new slew of films revered by those fortunate enough to attend the twelve-day event being honored with at least one of the many prestigious awards that could be handed out by the festival’s various juries. Before the 76th Cannes Film Festival officially wrapped up on May 27th, 2023 (having begun several days earlier on May 16th), many of its top prizes were awarded to those films that the jurors determined to be the most exceptional of those that had been submitted and approved for theatrical exhibition at some point during the nearly-two-week event. Of the juries to have a say in which films are most deserving of the festival’s accolades, it’s the Main Competition jury that perhaps holds the greatest significance, as it’s they who decide which film is most worthy of the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival equivalent of a Best Picture award and the highest honor it can bestow. With this year’s Main Competition voters including actress Brie Larson, actor Paul Dano, and this year’s Jury President, director Ruben Ostlund (who had won the previous year’s Palme d’Or for his film “Triangle of Sadness”) among many others, there’s no denying that this year’s Main Competition jury is a fitting embodiment of what it means to be a quality work of cinema. If the films they’ve selected to win the Palme d’Or and the other Main Competition awards are any indication, they have more than lived up to this reputation.",[25,3467,3468],{},"Taking this year’s Palme d’Or award was “Anatomy of a Fall”, a French legal thriller by director Justine Triet. Featuring Sandra Huller in the lead role of a writer attempting to prove her innocence after she is accused of murdering her husband, the film has enabled Triet to become only the third woman director to create a Palme d’Or winning film, following in the footsteps of Jane Campion’s 1993 film “The Piano” and “Titane” director Julia Ducournau, who had won the award just two Cannes festivals prior and joined Ostlund and the others as a Main Competition juror for this year’s event. While presenting the award, actress Jane Fonda commented on the presence of seven women directors whose films competed for this most recent Palme d’Or, the most of any Cannes Film Festival up to that point, and acknowledged how far the event has come in striving for greater gender inclusivity since Fonda first attended the festival several years ago. Triet, however, used her acceptance speech to discuss a different subject matter, speaking out in support of the ongoing protests against pension reform currently taking place in the French nation, even though festival rules strictly forbid talk of such issues in acceptance speeches.",[25,3470,3471],{},"In addition to being one of this year’s Main Competition jurors, Ducournau also presented the Grand Prix award, the second most prestigious Cannes prize after the Palme d’Or. Winning this year’s Grand Prix was “The Zone of Interest”, a German-language co-production between Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States directed by Jonathan Glazer. In adapting the novel of the same name from Martin Amis (who had sadly passed away midway through the Cannes Film Festival), the film provides a disturbing insight into the life of a Nazi commandant who executed several Jewish people while stationed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Though the film keeps the majority of these atrocious crimes off-screen throughout most of its running time, those who saw the film can attest to how well it conveys such horrors nonetheless. While it’s hard to say what played the biggest role in earning Glazer’s period drama the Grand Prix - some voters may have been swayed by the film’s daunting subject matter, others may have wanted to pay tribute to the recently deceased writer of its source material - but either way, hardly anyone can say that the film is unworthy of at least some award recognition.",[25,3473,3474],{},"In addition to the primary Palme d’Or and Grand Prix awards, the Main Competition jury also awarded two actors with their respective Best Actor and Best Actress prizes. The former was handed out to Japanese actor Koji Yakusho for his performance in Wim Winders’ “Perfect Days”, a co-production between Winders’ native Germany and Yakusho’s native Japan that sees him playing a working-class man who cleans toilets during the morning hours of each day and spends the rest of it observing the surrounding city of Tokyo and the people within. Merve Dizdar, an actress hailing from the nation of Turkey, was meanwhile honored with the Best Actress award for her performance in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s drama “About Dry Glasses”, in which she plays a schoolteacher living in rural Turkey who accuses another teacher, the film’s chief protagonist (played by Deniz Celiloglu) of abusing a student.",[25,3476,3477],{},"When the time came to give out the award for Best Screenplay, it was Yuji Sakamoto who accepted the prize for writing the script for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama “Monster”, which revolves around a mother who notices her son engaging in some troubling activity and ends up confronting his teacher in order to figure out what’s actually going on. The film had also been fortunate enough to win the Queer Palm, an independent Cannes prize designated specifically for films that discuss LGBT subject matters, making it one of the few competing films to win multiple awards at this year’s Cannes festival (even if it was only nominated for the main Palme d’Or). The award for Best Director, meanwhile, went to Tran Anh Hung for his historical romance drama “The Pot-au-Feu”, a film set in 19th century France and focuses on the blossoming relationship between two chefs who bond over their shared passion for cooking. As he took to the stage to accept the award, Anh Hung amusingly used his acceptance speech to thank his wife, then “correcting” himself by referring to her as his “cook”.",[25,3479,3480],{},"Finally, there is the last of the Main Competition awards, the Jury Prize, which this year went to the Finnish comedy-drama “Fallen Leaves” by director Aki Kurismaki. Described as a love story between two strangers brought together by a series of radio dispatches from the war in Ukraine, the film bears the kind of compelling narrative that just about anybody can find some interest in, making it an ideal candidate for the Jury Prize and allowing it to stand proudly among the various other films that the Cannes Film Festival has deemed worthy enough to receive at least one of its many prestigious accolades.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3482},[],"2023-06-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-2023-anatomy-of-a-fall-the-zone-of-interest-claim-festivals-biggest-prizes",{"title":3454,"description":194},"cannes-2023-anatomy-of-a-fall-the-zone-of-interest-claim-festivals-biggest-prizes","blog\u002Fcannes-2023-anatomy-of-a-fall-the-zone-of-interest-claim-festivals-biggest-prizes","h4EGgBxbu8K0Gq7-m_M9vBXKPiw2IeylVIb_Zo3MT7M",{"id":3491,"title":3492,"body":3493,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3521,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3522,"navigation":71,"path":3523,"seo":3524,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3525,"stem":3526,"__hash__":3527},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-aftra-plans-vote-to-authorize-strike-can-hollywood-handle-twice-the-striking.md","SAG-AFTRA Plans Vote to Authorize Strike: Can Hollywood Handle Twice the Striking?",{"type":22,"value":3494,"toc":3519},[3495,3501,3504,3507,3510,3513,3516],[25,3496,236,3497],{},[47,3498,391],{"href":3499,"rel":3500},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fsag-aftra-strike-authorization-vote-1235617040\u002F",[51],[25,3502,3503],{},"What could possibly be more frustrating for one of the world’s most prominent filmmaking industries than a strike that forces the majority of its productions to a standstill? How about a second strike that forces even more of its productions to a standstill? While Hollywood has yet to reach that point, it’s quite possible it will within the next couple weeks. At the moment, the thousands of people that make up the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are picketing in the streets demanding a better deal for those who write the business’ countless film and television scripts, the result of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) inability to provide a satisfactory agreement for the WGA. This strike is already costing studios like Disney and Warner Bros. several millions of dollars, much more than they would be giving up it they were willing to agree to the WGA’s terms, and that number is expected to only grow with each passing day. As if the Writers’ strike wasn’t enough though, these same studios could soon have to contend with another strike from an even more prominent labor union, that being the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and its roughly 160,000 members (for comparison, the WGA only consists of around 15,000 members). Whatever toll the Writers’ strike is taking on the film industry would only skyrocket with the addition of SAG-AFTRA into the mix, and unless it and AMPTP are willing to reach a strong enough agreement in the next few weeks, that’s almost precisely what will happen.",[25,3505,3506],{},"On Wednesday, May 17th, SAG-AFTRA released a public statement claiming that it will be holding a strike authorization vote sometime before June 7th, the day it’s currently set to engage in negotiations with the studios. While the vote will not necessarily make it certain that the union’s tens of thousands of members will join the striking WGA in the streets once its current contract expires on June 30th, it will give SAG-AFTRA what it describes as “maximum bargaining leverage” as it discusses its terms with the AMPTP. “We must get all our ducks in a row should the need present itself,” states current SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher. “The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort. As my dad always says, ‘Better to have and not need than to need and not have!’”",[25,3508,3509],{},"The last time in which the threat of a SAG-AFTRA strike authorization vote came was in 2017 following claims from the union that the AMPTP sought “outrageous rollbacks” that would have undoubtedly had a significant effect on the guild. Fortunately, both sides of the conflict were able to come to a satisfactory agreement, and a note vote to authorize a strike was needed. One vote that did occur took place in 2018 vote and involved those who worked in television animation. The vote saw 98% of those participating agree to go on strike if necessary, but a deal reached two months later also resulted in there being no need for a strike.",[25,3511,3512],{},"Much has changed in the time since both of those votes however, so much so that there appears to be a significantly stronger desire for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike. With only three weeks before the beginning of negotiations and the expiration of the current contract, both sides have only so much time to come to an agreement and avert a second industry-stopping shutdown. This is why SAG-AFTRA is beginning its strike authorization vote as soon as possible: so it can gain leverage over AMPTP without having to lose too much time. The ongoing WGA strike has likewise given SAG-AFTRA an advantage by providing an example of what can happen if the actors’ guild and the studios cannot create a satisfying contract. Still, that might be easier said than done given that some of SAG-AFTRA’s priorities don’t entirely line up with those of the WGA, even though both unions seem to strongly support one another. “I don’t think what’s very important to writers — and I’m a writer too in the WGA — is the kind of stuff that we’re going after,” Drescher, who has also made appearances in the WGA picket lines from time to time, claims. “Although I’m very empathic for their needs to be honored, I feel like our conversation is going to be very different. And I feel very hopeful that maybe we won’t get to this point.”",[25,3514,3515],{},"What are the issues that SAG-AFTRA intends to bring to the forefront once it begins talks with AMPTP? As it turns out, they’re many of the same issues that have caused the WGA to go on strike. For starters, there’s the demand for wage increases; due to the inflation that has occurred over the years, many actors who receive scale pay believe the current minimum to be too small of a number of which they can make a decent living, and they hope these upcoming talks will see a sufficient raise for all those associated with the union. Streaming residuals are also a major point of contention for SAG-AFTRA; many services like Netflix and Disney+ do not currently make the data regarding subscriber numbers and viewership of content publicly available, which makes it difficult to determine how much residual payment those involved in production should receive. SAG-AFTRA seeks to change that in its negotiations with the studios, and it also hopes to change how artificial intelligence programs that can replicate an actor’s image are used by the studios, a situation that raises various ethical questions regarding how, if at all, an actor should be recreated with digital means without providing the original actor with just compensation. Lastly, the union will draw some attention to the move towards “self-tape” auditions, which involves actors filming themselves in order to audition for a given role. Many performers consider this process to be “costly and burdensome” and wish to return to a more traditional means of auditioning.",[25,3517,3518],{},"Will SAG-AFTRA’s demands be fulfilled in their upcoming talks with the AMPTP? Or will they only be further encouraged to go on strike and join the WGA in the streets? With a little over a month before the union’s current contract reaches its expiration date, there’s still quite a bit that can happen before and during these upcoming talks, but if the current environment is any indication, one should prepare for a second, even larger strike to come into formation and force the American film industry to yet another standstill.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3520},[],"2023-05-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-aftra-plans-vote-to-authorize-strike-can-hollywood-handle-twice-the-striking",{"title":3492,"description":194},"sag-aftra-plans-vote-to-authorize-strike-can-hollywood-handle-twice-the-striking","blog\u002Fsag-aftra-plans-vote-to-authorize-strike-can-hollywood-handle-twice-the-striking","gEx3xvGrFIIfV3LbD4sNkeR71a8ZNZ0jMqFACR5FtM4",{"id":3529,"title":3530,"body":3531,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3574,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3575,"navigation":71,"path":3576,"seo":3577,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3578,"stem":3579,"__hash__":3580},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-2023-cannes-film-festival-commences-here-are-some-potential-highlights.md","The 2023 Cannes Film Festival Commences. Here are Some Potential Highlights.",{"type":22,"value":3532,"toc":3572},[3533,3539,3542,3548,3554,3560,3566],[25,3534,236,3535],{},[47,3536,1603],{"href":3537,"rel":3538},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002Ffeatures\u002Fgeneral\u002Fcannes-2023-most-anticipated-films-1234860452\u002F",[51],[25,3540,3541],{},"With the Writers Guild of America going on strike and bringing most, if not all, of the American film industry to a halt, the state of cinema is far from ideal at this moment in time, at least as far as those who have the most to gain from this business are concerned. Until a satisfactory resolution can be achieved and productions can resume as originally planned, many filmmakers and studio heads are in need of relief to ease the stresses they are most likely experiencing. Luckily for them, an event that has great potential to take these people’s troubles off their minds has just begun all the way on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically near the beaches of the French city of Cannes. For the seventy-seventh time in its decades-long history, the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious international film-going events in the world, is underway, having begun on Tuesday, May 16th and continuing until Saturday, May 27th. This twelve-day period will see an impressive array of feature-length and short films shine on the big screen and vie for the favors of those who may think of them as incredibly lucrative in terms of critical and commercial reception (assuming they don’t already have the backing of a major studio and\u002For distributor). With the current WGA Strike making it difficult to focus on any mainstream productions that are meant to be taking place right now, studios will most likely be extra attentive as to which films they may want to acquire and push towards possible success, and there’s fortunately quite a bit to choose from the selection this year’s festival has opted to showcase. One would think that it would be impossible to highlight a limited number of them given the size and quality of the line-up, but while that’s true to some extent, there are those that do fare better at standing out than others. These are some of the few (but far from the only ones) that proved most successful in grabbing attention:",[25,3543,3544,3547],{},[486,3545,3546],{},"Asteroid City"," - there are few current filmmakers with such an immediately distinctive style quite like Wes Anderson, whose trademark for quirky and unconventional stories told using symmetrical and pastel-colored imagery allow audiences to identify his works with great ease. His latest cinematic endeavor, centered around a fictional American town from which it receives its title, appears to be firmly in line with the style Anderson has become so famous for, which bodes well for those eager to see how the writer\u002Fdirector handles this 1950s period piece involving the town’s unusual encounter with what seems to be an extraterrestrial being. With an ensemble cast that includes Anderson regulars like Jason Schwartzman and Tilda Swinton, as well as the less frequent Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie, it’s safe to say that Cannes audiences will be looking to the stars in more ways than one when it comes to this film.",[25,3549,3550,3553],{},[486,3551,3552],{},"Club Zero"," - Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival (with her previous feature, the 2019 film “Little Joe” premiering at the festival and earning lead actress Emily Beecham its Best Actress award), so it’s safe to say that she’s more than ready to wow audiences yet again with her latest cinematic creation. On the surface, the film certainly sounds promising enough, as it focuses on a young prep school teacher (played by Mia Wasikowska of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Crimson Peak” fame) bonding with her students in a way that may prove to be of great detriment to their health and wellness. Hausner alleges that the film will put great emphasis on eating behaviors and disorders that are all too common in the modern world, which would potentially allow its themes to be of great weight and relevance to many Cannes attendees. If it’s able to handle them well enough, this could be another winner for Hausner.",[25,3555,3556,3559],{},[486,3557,3558],{},"Killers of the Flower Moon"," - if there are any terms that can immediately grab a cinephile’s attention, they are “Martin Scorsese” and “three-hour epic”, both of which can apply to the latest directorial effort from the filmmaker behind “Taxi Driver”, “Goodfellas”, and countless other cinematic classics. Two of Scorsese’s favorite actors to work with, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, headline the 1920s-set film, based on a bestselling work of nonfiction by David Grann, as an uncle-nephew duo wrapped up in a conspiracy to steal the land of the Osage Nation people in an attempt to harvest its oil and obtain great wealth. Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures, the film’s chief distributors, currently plan to put Scorsese’s film into wide release in October of this year, and with a budget of over $200 million, the film will need all the attention it can get in order to make a profit. If all goes well at Cannes though, success may be within reach.",[25,3561,3562,3565],{},[486,3563,3564],{},"May\u002FDecember"," - films about the process of filmmaking are quite popular among the cinematic creative community, and it’s not difficult to see why, as there are aspects about these particular stories that most of these people will relate to. When it comes to Todd Haynes’ latest film, the focus in on how an actor attempts to get into character when playing a person who actually existed in real life, as Natalie Portman stars as Elizabeth, a young Hollywood actress who travels to the South to visit Julianne Moore’s Gracie, a woman who gained nationwide notoriety for her relationship with a man over two decades younger than her. What begins as an actress’ efforts to immerse herself in the role she’s been cast to play spirals into a chaotic mess that threatens the sanctity of Gracie’s family and forces both women to reflect upon how similar they truly are, a situation that may end up hitting a bit too close to home for some actors.",[25,3567,3568,3571],{},[486,3569,3570],{},"Strange Way of Life"," - before Ang Lee was hired on to direct the 2005 western romance “Brokeback Mountain”, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar considered helming the production himself, but ended up turning it down out of concerns that his creative freedom would be too limited for his liking. Nearly twenty years later, Almodóvar has been given another chance to create a queer western, this one (his second-ever English-language production) centered on two middle-aged men (played by Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal) who reunite after a twenty-five year separation. In describing the film, Almodóvar claims the film has all the trademarks of the western genre - the gunslinger, the sheriff, and so forth - but puts its central romantic leads front and center in a way not commonly seen in the typical western. “There are two men,” Almodóvar explains, “and they love each other, and they behave in that situation in an opposite way.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3573},[],"2023-05-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-2023-cannes-film-festival-commences-here-are-some-potential-highlights",{"title":3530,"description":1676},"the-2023-cannes-film-festival-commences-here-are-some-potential-highlights","blog\u002Fthe-2023-cannes-film-festival-commences-here-are-some-potential-highlights","74SVvi0_MnyvNIfh7FHoppV-kCT_q1SHf8xSp3ASWe0",{"id":3582,"title":3583,"body":3584,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3624,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3625,"navigation":71,"path":3626,"seo":3627,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3628,"stem":3629,"__hash__":3630},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdga-begins-negotiations-as-wga-strike-continues-to-linger-over-hollywood.md","DGA Begins Negotiations as WGA Strike Continues to Linger Over Hollywood",{"type":22,"value":3585,"toc":3622},[3586,3592,3595,3602,3605,3616,3619],[25,3587,236,3588],{},[47,3589,279],{"href":3590,"rel":3591},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fbusiness\u002Fbusiness-news\u002Fdirectors-guild-studios-priorities-1235483711\u002F",[51],[25,3593,3594],{},"If there’s one thing that Hollywood dreads more than an industry-wide strike that forces nearly all of its major productions to come to a halt, it’s two industry-wide strikes that force nearly all of its major productions to come to a halt. Unfortunately for the studios that call Tinseltown their home, there’s a very strong chance that they will be faced with such a predicament in the near future. They’re already at a standstill due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) going on strike starting last week, and if negotiations with another major labor union don’t go swimmingly, that union may also take to the streets and join the WGA in their picketing. That other union: the Directors Guild of America (DGA), rivaled perhaps only by the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAGA) as the most prominent union with the greatest amount of influence in the industry. At the moment, no plans have been cemented by the DGA to go on strike, but if talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) go about as well as those between the AMPTP and the WGA did (which is to say not well at all), one should expect a second strike to commence within Hollywood.",[25,3596,3597,3598,3601],{},"As of Wednesday, May 10th, leading representatives of the DGA has made its way to Sherman Oaks, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, to engage in negotiations with the AMPTP for a contract that will hopefully satisfy the needs of the guild’s roughly 19,000 members, talks that will undoubtedly be especially contentious due to the WGA strike progressing a little bit further out in the city. Though the DGA and the WGA claim to be prioritizing separate issues in their push for a better deal, one can easily detect an overlap in what each guild is asking for (which, given how many individuals are both writers and directors and therefore have affiliations with both guilds, should not be too surprising). With the current contract set to expire on June 30th, the DGA and AMPTP have less than two months to come to a satisfactory agreement. Such an agreement, as of this writing, may be a bit too difficult to reach before the current deadline, if a statement sent to the DGA’s thousands of members in February claiming that the studios are “not yet prepared to address ",[364,3599,3600],{},"their"," key issues” is any indication. “We know there will be conflict,” one DGA member claims. “The battle will test us… the stakes are pretty dire.”",[25,3603,3604],{},"The rise of streaming has seen the rise of many issues that are being discussed in these negotiations, from lower residuals to shorter television series that reduce the number of episodes producers and the amount of potential payment each director may receive. Residuals in particular have been a major topic of contention for the DGA, as the guild claims that the current subscriber-based business model that streaming utilizes makes it difficult to understand how much a director may receive for a given work, especially if only data from the United States and Canada is taken into account instead of the world as a whole. “Under our current formula,” the guild explained in a video statement released to its members, “no matter how many millions of global subscribers a service might have, the Studios only pay you a fraction of the domestic residual to compensate you for all of the global audiences that enjoy your work.”",[25,3606,3607,3608,3611,3612,3615],{},"Outside of this demand for greater data transparency, other topics currently being discussed include improvements to the current health and pension plans, raising the current wage floors, stronger protections for directors’ creative rights, an allowance of greater diversity and inclusivity within the directorial field, and the institution of more effective safety standards, all of which fail to meet the satisfaction of most of the DGA’s membership. For one member of both the DGA and the WGA, Thom Harp of “The Donor Party” fame, it’s the need for better safety standards that’s especially critical, as he recalls the sixteen-to-eighteen hour shifts he would often work as a production assistant before moving upward to become a director. “",[364,3609,3610],{},"On longer days",", you do get paid more ",[364,3613,3614],{},"in overtime",",” Harp notes, “but money isn’t worth a life.”",[25,3617,3618],{},"Easily the biggest priority for the DGA though, as it has recently become for just about every creative working in the entertainment industry right now, is the subject of artificial intelligence, something that could potentially be used to replace these talents for the sake of the studios not needing to pay wages, a situation that nearly every union finds unacceptable. It’s the use of AI screenwriting that is said to be the major driving force for the current WGA strike; to put it bluntly, studios are eager to use AI for the creation of film and television scripts, but the writers are not, especially if it’s their own past work being used to feed these algorithms without granting the writers their fair share of the profits. This refusal on the studio’s behalf to display any care for the WGA’s concerns has proven equally alarming for the DGA, and its members hope that their talks with the AMPTP will be more successful, even if they’re well aware that they will most likely not fare any better. “One of the issues on my mind is how to achieve a balance between the positive uses of AI and the possible disruption of the job force,” one anonymous DGA member writes. “We need to figure out how to keep it from taking control of us,” a second anonymous member states.",[25,3620,3621],{},"It will be incredibly difficult for both the DGA and the AMPTP to ignore the ongoing WGA strike as they engage in negotiations, and while the former may not always see eye to eye with its writer-centric fellow union, there are plenty of issues where the two groups are more or less perfectly aligned in their stances. They both seek higher wage floors, they both want the residual payment process to be changed to better reflect the growth of streaming throughout the world, and they both want the data collected by Netflix, Amazon, and other companies that generate a bulk of their profits through global streaming to be made more publicly available. For someone like Harp, who serves as a member of both the DGA and the WGA, these are issues that need to be addressed, and in spite of everything, Harp seems confident that they will be in the end. “It’ll likely be tougher this time around than in the past,” Harp admits, “but I think they will ultimately get some hikes in minimums and eventually get a new contract that addresses the changing landscape.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3623},[],"2023-05-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdga-begins-negotiations-as-wga-strike-continues-to-linger-over-hollywood",{"title":3583,"description":298},"dga-begins-negotiations-as-wga-strike-continues-to-linger-over-hollywood","blog\u002Fdga-begins-negotiations-as-wga-strike-continues-to-linger-over-hollywood","XvLcSjXJYby17T1_rkN1_kKrd0pG29HFilkF-MDYuC8",{"id":3632,"title":3633,"body":3634,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3662,"description":373,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3663,"navigation":71,"path":3664,"seo":3665,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3666,"stem":3667,"__hash__":3668},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwriters-on-strike-wga-officially-declares-strike-against-hollywood-producers.md","Writers On Strike!!! WGA Officially Declares Strike Against Hollywood Producers",{"type":22,"value":3635,"toc":3660},[3636,3642,3645,3648,3651,3654,3657],[25,3637,236,3638],{},[47,3639,350],{"href":3640,"rel":3641},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fcommentisfree\u002F2023\u002Fmay\u002F03\u002Fwhy-hollywood-writers-are-striking",[51],[25,3643,3644],{},"After weeks of negotiation and deliberation, it has finally come to this. On Tuesday, May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a labor union consisting of roughly 15,000 film and television writers working throughout the country (about 10,000 of which make up the Guild’s West branch, while just over 5,000 are part of its East branch) declared that a nationwide strike had commenced after talks with the American Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an organization representing the industry’s largest visual media production companies, failed to produce a new contract that would satisfy the demands of those who were seeking fairer treatment and wages for their work. Although the WGA had previously voted to ratify a strike earlier this year, none would officially start if the two groups were able to reach a satisfactory agreement and produce a new contract. That doesn’t appear to be the case however, and with negotiations failing to generate anything worthy of the WGA’s approval, the guild has been left with little other choice than to strike. Starting at 12:01 AM that Tuesday, the thousands of writers associated with the WGA dropped their work and took to the streets to picket, kickstarting a stoppage of film and television production that will undoubtedly have a major impact on the industry as a whole.",[25,3646,3647],{},"Some may still have vivid memories of the previous WGA strike, one that had taken place between 2007 and 2008, perhaps not the strike itself and what its picketers were fighting for, but rather the type of content that came about as a result of the strike. Reality television saw a boost in popularity, and many of the subsequent blockbusters that came out shortly after this period were of a significantly lower quality than desired (MGM’s “Quantum of Solace” and Paramount’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) were allegedly two of the biggest cinematic victims of the strike). While many fear that this newest strike will have a similar impact on the quality of future films and television series, there is an equally vocal group that is encouraging people to direct their complaints not toward the striking writers, but rather toward the Hollywood producers who are refusing to treat their employees fairly. After all, if these producers weren’t so willing to maintain their record-high profits over the well-being of their workers, as the striking guild members allege, none of this would be happening.",[25,3649,3650],{},"In an opinion piece for The Guardian, writer Michael Jamin, who had previously worked for such television series as “Beavis and Butthead” and “King of the Hill”, went into detail to discuss what it was that had changed in time between the last strike and now that had forced the WGA to go on strike, emphasizing how much the rise of streaming has changed the industry yet has had little effect on how writers are compensated. “The studios are, of course, entitled to change their business model,” Jamin explains. “Their goal is to maximize profits – and they’re doing a great job of it. The resulting change has increased studio profits by 39% over the past 10 years. Yet in that same time period, the average writer’s salary has gone down 4%. The pie has gotten larger, but writers’ share of that pie has significantly decreased. Ultimately, the way screenwriters are compensated for their work needs to be updated: we’re being paid according to the old business model, not the new.”",[25,3652,3653],{},"According to Jamin, despite there being more television series and films being produced than there had ever been in the past (in large part due to the need for larger libraries of content with which streaming services can attract viewers), the number of episodes made for a single season of television has gone down from an average of twenty-two or twenty-four to roughly eight or ten. Because most writers tend to be paid per episode, that decrease in episode numbers represents a massive pay cut, as well as a massive drop in the number of writers working on a given series and a drop in the average employment term. “In the long term, this will be bad for Hollywood,” Jamin claims. “Career writers are experienced, and generally studios will only trust a show with a multimillion-dollar budget to an experienced writer. Experience is how they protect their investment.”",[25,3655,3656],{},"Hollywood knows this, and the writers who work for this know it too, and it’s been one of the many issues that have been brought up every three years when the WGA and AMPTP engage in negotiations for a new contract. This time around however, talks have not been able to produce any satisfactory concessions for the writers, and with around 98% of voting members choosing to ratify the strike should the worst-case scenario play out, one should not be surprised that a major strike has been declared, one that has resulted from the worst case scenario indeed playing out as many had anticipated. “Over 98% of the membership agreed on the issues that most affected them,” Jamin noted in reference to the voters’ near-unanimous solidarity. “The fact that 98% of the membership agreed speaks volumes. You can’t get 98% of people to agree that the Earth is round.”",[25,3658,3659],{},"For some, the image of a strike is a violent one that tends to be associated with various forms of criminal and damaging behavior. In truth, however, the strike being held by the WGA is a peaceful one defined by little more than thousands of people holding signs and walking around in circles while speaking out loud against the injustices they suffer. While there will be those who will be annoyed by the guaranteed negative impact this strike will have on the films and television series to come, Jamin and his fellow strikers assure that these actions are necessary and will have a positive impact in the long run. “The people we’re picketing are our employers,” Jamin states. “We like them and we want to work for them. We have the same goal. They want to make a lot of money, and we want to be the people that make them that money. We just need a fair deal to make that happen.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3661},[],"2023-05-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwriters-on-strike-wga-officially-declares-strike-against-hollywood-producers",{"title":3633,"description":373},"writers-on-strike-wga-officially-declares-strike-against-hollywood-producers","blog\u002Fwriters-on-strike-wga-officially-declares-strike-against-hollywood-producers","qWXE2EIKsaSc3F7-cYaaTQXRXCA1nPgThn5j9hZ3LYQ",{"id":3670,"title":3671,"body":3672,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3707,"description":2880,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3708,"navigation":71,"path":3709,"seo":3710,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3711,"stem":3712,"__hash__":3713},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsteven-spielberg-agrees-editing-guns-out-of-e-t-was-a-mistake.md","Steven Spielberg Agrees Editing Guns Out of “E.T.” Was “A Mistake”",{"type":22,"value":3673,"toc":3705},[3674,3680,3683,3686,3689,3696,3699,3702],[25,3675,236,3676],{},[47,3677,2858],{"href":3678,"rel":3679},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nbcnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fus-news\u002Fsteven-spielberg-says-regrets-editing-guns-et-rcna81556",[51],[25,3681,3682],{},"When a film is completed and released to the public, that’s usually the end of its production journey. After all, there’s an assumption that a finished film has been made exactly how its creators had intended it to appear. However, there are occasions where films have had to be taken back to the editing room and re-adjusted for whatever reason. This is hardly a new issue; as far back as the Golden Age of Hollywood, films have been re-edited to appease censors and be permitted for exhibition in theatrical venues that may not be so accepting of certain content. However, while such revisions may have an impact on how a film plays out or sounds, what’s seen within a single image may not be so easy to change, or at least that was the case during the early days of Hollywood. With the advancement of digital technology beginning in the early 1980s, producers and filmmakers have become more capable of making the visuals as initially seen in the original prints of a given film appear in a way in which they had never been seen before, though not necessarily in a way that most would find appealing.",[25,3684,3685],{},"Among the first of these new advancements was the colorization process, with which films that were originally shot in black and white could now be seen in full color. For those who have no interest in these older, minimally colored cinematic works, this process would allow such films to be more palatable to a world that has grown accustomed to color cinematography. On the other hand, many film purists found the idea of adding color to films that may have been shot in black and white for a very specific reason to be sacriligeous. Among the most notable critics to have spoke out against colorization was “Citizen Kane” auteur Orson Welles; upon hearing that media mogul Ted Turner was considering a colorized version of his 1941 classic, Welles allegedly had this response: “Don’t let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons.”",[25,3687,3688],{},"As digital effects technology advanced further, some filmmakers took it upon themselves to add or change certain elements from how they originally appeared. Perhaps the most notable example of this was George Lucas and his Special Edition versions of his “Star Wars” trilogy, which he began releasing in 1997 with new digital alterations and additions that allowed him to make his films closer to how he would’ve originally made them back in the late 1970s and early 1980s had the technology been more up to date. Lucas and other filmmakers like him were indeed able to revise their films to better suit their original visions (among several other reasons why they might want to alter their film), but to paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm (as played by Jeff Goldblum) from “Jurassic Park”, just because one can does not necessarily mean one should. Ironically, these are the exact sentiments felt by that film’s very director, as evidenced by a recent discussion he had in which he expressed regret over altering one of his most iconic works.",[25,3690,3691,3692,3695],{},"While taking part in a masterclass as the Time 100 Summit, director Steven Spielberg, best known for “Jaws”, the ",[3693,3694],"indian",{}," Jones” series, and countless other cinematic classics, discussed his 1982 “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and a version of the film made for its 20th anniversary celebration in 2002. In this version, a scene that had previously shown a pair of government officials holding guns in the original cut now featured the same men’s weapons being switched out for walkie-talkies. At the time, such a small but noticeable change was met with ridicule from several different voices within the entertainment industry (the Comedy Cental animated series “South Park” even spent much of the episode “Free Hat” mocking the alteration), and over twenty years after that initial incident (and all future re-issues of the film returning to the use of the original cut), Spielberg seems to agree that editing out the guns was a mistake. “I never should have done that,” Spielberg admitted. “‘E.T.’ is a product of its era. No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are, either voluntarily, or being forced to peer through.”",[25,3697,3698],{},"As he continued to speak, Spielberg revealed more about what originally inspired him to make the change and how he came to realize the error of doing so. “‘E.T.’ was a film that I was sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were approaching kids with firearms exposed and I thought I would change the guns into walkie talkies, “Spielberg explained. “Years went by and I changed my own views… I should have never messed with the archives of my own work, and I don’t recommend anyone do that. All our movies are a kind of a signpost of where we were when we made them, what the world was like and what the world was receiving when we got those stories out there. So I really regret having that out there.”",[25,3700,3701],{},"Comparing his re-editing of “E.T.” to the recent announcement that the works of author Roald Dahl would be revised to remove language that would deem insensitive nowadays, Spielberg further stressed the need to leave works of the past as they were originally written. “Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever!” Spielberg joked before returning to speak with a more serious tone. “For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.”",[25,3703,3704],{},"If Spielberg’s words are any indication, looking back at the past while simultaneously planning ahead for the future is hardly an easy task, and the most recent additions to his filmography are further proof of this. In the past two years, Spielberg has directed “West Side Story”, the second cinematic adaptation of the iconic stage musical, and “The Fabelmans”, a semi-autobiography loosely based on his own life and experiences. At the moment, he is currently making plans for a remake of the 1968 Steven McQueen action-thriller while also preparing for the debut of “Indiana Jones and the Diamond of Destiny”, which he is producing but not directing (instead choosing to hand control over to “Logan” director James Mangold). However, when it comes to the films he has already finished, he seems more than eager to leave them as they originally appeared, having learned a lesson that might be of great use to anyone else working in the film industry.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3706},[],"2023-04-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsteven-spielberg-agrees-editing-guns-out-of-e-t-was-a-mistake",{"title":3671,"description":2880},"steven-spielberg-agrees-editing-guns-out-of-e-t-was-a-mistake","blog\u002Fsteven-spielberg-agrees-editing-guns-out-of-e-t-was-a-mistake","kG22_5mBN5yjYoaRWgXL0udq0nnbkVlU7Q1bvTUsPf0",{"id":3715,"title":3716,"body":3717,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3761,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3762,"navigation":71,"path":3763,"seo":3764,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3765,"stem":3766,"__hash__":3767},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-critics-week-line-up-revealed-film-highlights-of-upcoming-festival-competition.md","Cannes Critics’ Week Line-Up Revealed: Film Highlights of Upcoming Festival Competition",{"type":22,"value":3718,"toc":3759},[3719,3725,3728,3738,3744,3747,3753],[25,3720,236,3721],{},[47,3722,538],{"href":3723,"rel":3724},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Fcannes-critics-week-2023-line-up-1235327585\u002F",[51],[25,3726,3727],{},"Earlier this month, it had been announced that two highly anticipated upcoming cinematic releases - James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” - would be screened at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, which is currently set to take place this year in Cannes, France between May 16th and May 27th. The inclusion of both implies that these are films of great artistic merit, yet neither is expected to compete in any of the festival’s major competitions. This makes given that most festival juries are inclined to give their prizes to cinematic works that do not have the involvement of major studios and filmmakers (“Indiana Jones” is the fifth in the long-running action-adventure series spearheaded by Steven Spielberg, while “Killers” has the backing of both Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures), films that were made by either up-and-coming or lesser known filmmakers that do not have the international recognition of their Hollywood peers. In fact, one section of the upcoming 76th Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Critics’ Week (this year holding its 62nd annual event), is specifically designed to showcase films that are the creations of mostly filmmaking newcomers. With the oversight of the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week will hold screenings for eleven feature films, seven of which will be in competition and four of which are special screenings, as well as a solid handful of short films. All of these cinematic works are either the first or second films created by their respective filmmakers, reinforcing the efforts of the Cannes Critics’ Week to focus on those who are new to the world of filmmaking. Currently planned to be screened between May 18th and May 25th, all of the films selected here (those chosen in favor of over a thousand submitted features) will no doubt make an impression, but there are some that have been quicker to grab the attention of festival-goers and those who pay close enough attention to such events. Here is just a small sampling of the films that could end up breaking out from this year’s Critics’ Weeks line-up:",[25,3729,3730,3733,3734,3737],{},[57,3731,3732],{},"“Power Alley (Levante)”"," - from Brazilian director Lillah Halla (whose 2020 short “Macara” was part of that year’s Cannes Critics’ Week line-up) comes this feature-length drama, one of the eleven films in Competition this year, revolving around a young volleyball player who, upon discovering she is pregnant, finds herself going up against the nation’s abortion ban as she seeks to undergo a procedure that has been illegalized by the Brazilian government. Praised by Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen for how it “opposes the conservatism gnawing at ",[364,3735,3736],{},"Lillah Halla’s"," country with a queer and rallying vision”, the film’s themes undoubtedly hold great weight to people who face these exact same issues no matter where in the world they live, giving the film an edge that many of the other competing films may not have.",[25,3739,3740,3743],{},[57,3741,3742],{},"“Sleep (Jam)”"," - from South Korea and director Jason Yu, who had previously served as an assistant for Academy Award winning director Bong Joon-ho, this film stars Lee Sun-kyun of “Parasite” fame and Jung Yu-mi, who had previously acted in “Train to Busan” as a newlywed couple that are increasingly terrorized by the husband’s unusual sleeping habits and the horrific events that come about from them.“Three chapters, two protagonists, a baby crying, a dog barking and a lurking phantom are the ingredients for a perfect horror comedy with a demonic efficiency,” Cahen remarked in describing the film. If her words.are accurate to how the film plays out, then there will no doubt be plenty of laughs and scares to be found in this intriguing mix of two genres with very different intentions, yet play out using similar cinematic techniques.",[25,3745,3746],{},"**“Tiger Stripes” **- yet another work of horror to be featured in this year’s event, this Malaysian film from director Amanda Eu delves deep into the folklore of Southeast Asia as it depicts a twelve-year-old girl starting to undergo puberty and change at a disturbingly fast rate. Though she initially attempts to hide her changing appearance from the outer world, she ultimately decides to no longer stay in hiding, leading to a series of strange events that further reflect the need for teenage rebellion in a society that may not be encouraging to the average teenage girl. Comparisons to Pixar’s “Turning Red” may come to mind for some viewers, but Cahen seems confident that the film will stand out on its own, claiming that “this fantasy film celebrates young girls’ desire for freedom and to have fun, in a society that tries hard to impose discipline.”",[25,3748,3749,3752],{},[57,3750,3751],{},"“La Ravissement”","  - this French psychological thriller from director Iris Kaltenbäck features quite a few notable names among its cast, many of whom have already made noteworthy appearances in recent works of French cinema. These include Alexis Manenti (“Les Misérables”), Nina Meurisse (“Camille”, “Petite Maman”) and Younès Boucif (Standing Up), though it’s Hafsia Herzi who stars in the leading role of a woman who kidnaps a friend’s newborn baby and brings it to a former lover of hers, alleging that the child is theirs with hopes that they will be able to build a life together. This is a premise ripe with the potential for engaging and suspenseful thrills, and with Cahen herself praising the film as “a vertiginous first film with fine and precise writing,” audiences will certainly be eager to see how it all plays out.",[25,3754,3755,3758],{},[57,3756,3757],{},"“Lost Country”"," - the second feature film from Serbian director Vladimir Perišić marks his return to filmmaking following his 2009 existentialist drama “Ordinary People” (which was included in that year’s Critics’ Week program and went on to win Best Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival) and focuses on a teenager with a corrupt politician mother, forcing him to choose between his morals and his family. Much of the film takes place in the midst of the 1996 Belgrade student protests against the election fraud of then-President Slobodan Milošević, a historical event that bears strong parallels to the events of the present-day political landscape. “It’s a powerful film revisiting the codes of classic tragedy,” Cahen claims in describing the film, one that also benefits greatly from its deeper political commentary.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3760},[],"2023-04-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-critics-week-line-up-revealed-film-highlights-of-upcoming-festival-competition",{"title":3716,"description":557},"cannes-critics-week-line-up-revealed-film-highlights-of-upcoming-festival-competition","blog\u002Fcannes-critics-week-line-up-revealed-film-highlights-of-upcoming-festival-competition","mfBIaFx66cqDTq4TbsRr4K-wEooy--4GqLcP33VEd1A",{"id":3769,"title":3770,"body":3771,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3802,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3803,"navigation":71,"path":3804,"seo":3805,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3806,"stem":3807,"__hash__":3808},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-commences-strike-authorization-vote-raises-possibility-of-industry-wide-shutdown.md","WGA Commences Strike Authorization Vote, Raises Possibility of Industry-Wide Shutdown",{"type":22,"value":3772,"toc":3800},[3773,3779,3782,3785,3788,3791,3794,3797],[25,3774,236,3775],{},[47,3776,538],{"href":3777,"rel":3778},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Fwga-says-survival-of-writing-as-a-profession-is-at-stake-in-this-negotiation-1235322122\u002F",[51],[25,3780,3781],{},"The script of a given film or television episode could very well be its most important asset. Without it, a director cannot visualize how a certain scene is supposed to play out. An actor cannot develop a proper understanding of how their character is supposed to feel and behave. Dialogue can be improvised in theory, but relying too heavily on improvisation can make one come across as uncertain and unprepared. Before any real production (or even most of pre-production) can take place, there needs to be at least a single draft of a script so that the people creating a work of audiovisual media can have some comprehension of what kind of material they seek to produce. Because of all this, the screenwriter is easily one of the most essential members of the filmmaking process, as its their words that will allow the rest of the creative team to know what it is exactly that they need to bring to the table. Considering just how important the writer is when it comes to making films and television series, one would think that they would be justly compensated for their work. That’s not always the case however; in fact, there are several writers working in the industry right now that feel they are not receiving fair treatment in terms of how much they are being asked to work and how much they are being given in return. How adamant are the writers are in getting what they feel they deserve? They’re so determined that they’re willing to take to the streets and picket for their fair share, an event that could end up grinding the entirety of the film and television industries to a halt.",[25,3783,3784],{},"On Tuesday, April 11th, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the nation’s largest union for film and television writers, opened up voting that would allow members to decide whether or not the guild as a whole would go on strike. Should the measure be approved by a majority of voters, several of the WGA’s roughly 25,000 members (around 20,000 who are part of the Los Angeles-based WGA West and about 5,000 who make up the New York City-based WGA East) will most likely stop whatever work they are currently doing and join their fellow guild members in a nationwide strike, one that will undoubtedly force nearly every film and television production that utilizes WGA-affiliated writers to come to a standstill. In an email sent to all members of the WGA, guild leaders stressed the importance of going on strike if a satisfactory agreement with the American Motion Picture and Televison Producers (AMPTP) cannot be reached, claiming that “the survival of writing as a profession is at stake in this negotiation.”",[25,3786,3787],{},"“Over the past decade, while our employers have increased their profits by tens of billions, they have embraced business practices that have slashed our compensation and residuals and undermined our working conditions,” the email reads. “We’ve met and talked with thousands of you about our bargaining agenda and heard loud and clear that this negotiation can’t be business as usual. The compensation increases and protections we’re demanding are designed to restore what has been taken away from writers.”",[25,3789,3790],{},"Having begun on Tuesday at 8:30 pm, the vote is currently expected to continue until Monday, April 17th at noon. At the moment, an overwhelming “yes” vote is being expected by many; to how great of a degree is currently uncertain, but a previous strike authorization vote in 2017 saw 96% of WGA members voting in favor of going on strike, so there is precedent that this latest vote will achieve a similar tally. Making a strike even more likely is how much the WGA is going to great lengths to ensure that those who can vote for a strike are doing so; among the most notable writings pushing for solidarity within the guild are Thomas Schnauz of “Better Call Saul” fame and Ariel Dumasare, the head writer of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, all of whom are taking to social media to sway fellow WGA members to fight for a strike.",[25,3792,3793],{},"It should be noted, however, that a vote in favor of a strike will not automatically cause a strike to go into motion, as the WGA is still undergoing talks with the AMPTP for a new contract. In fact, the AMPTP actually offered WGA leadership (with Ellen Stutzman serving as chief negotiator) the opportunity to engage in talks during a week that had originally been planned to serve as time off between talks. The WGA refused to return to negotiations until Friday, April 14th, but they are nonetheless expected to resume for three more days once the WGA is able to sit back down with the AMPTP. In the meantime, various meetings among the guild have or are expected to take place to discuss the possibility of a strike and its potential ramifications.",[25,3795,3796],{},"Whether its’ in-person meetings at locations like the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles and the United Federation of Teachers’ Shanker Hall or in the comfort of members’ homes via Zoom, most of the WGA is taking this time to communicate with one another and discuss what the best course of action is, even though most seem to be in agreement that a strike may very well be necessary. “I appreciate the outreach,” one pro-strike guild member claimed in regards to an information being scheduled for April 13th in West Los Angeles, “but I already know how I’m voting.”",[25,3798,3799],{},"So far, this sentiment seems to be shared almost universally throughout the WGA, with even the most conservative of writers starting to feel resentment of their current working conditions and agreements. “We’ve been patient, we’ve been willing to meet the studios more than halfway before,” one writer claims. “Nobody wants to see production halt, obviously, but now we need to see some action, some real increases and equity.” Nonetheless, productions could very likely come to halt if producers are not willing to give the writers their dues, something that the WGA, whether it be through simple negotiation or an industry-halting strike, is willing to fight for no matter what. “The studios need to understand that the days of lowballing need to end, they need to know this is not business as usual,” an unnamed cable showrunner has stated. “Giving our team in the room more leverage can only be a positive outcome in the short and long run.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3801},[],"2023-04-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-commences-strike-authorization-vote-raises-possibility-of-industry-wide-shutdown",{"title":3770,"description":557},"wga-commences-strike-authorization-vote-raises-possibility-of-industry-wide-shutdown","blog\u002Fwga-commences-strike-authorization-vote-raises-possibility-of-industry-wide-shutdown","bsEXAsJLWP3ZCKFUwIULSPfsBGvxBugAP175zfBER5k",{"id":3810,"title":3811,"body":3812,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":3857,"description":3858,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3859,"navigation":71,"path":3860,"seo":3861,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3862,"stem":3863,"__hash__":3864},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-special-social-media-campaign.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Launches Special Social Media Campaign",{"type":22,"value":3813,"toc":3855},[3814,3820,3823,3826,3829,3832,3835,3838,3841,3847,3852],[25,3815,3816,3819],{},[57,3817,3818],{},"Los Angeles, CA, April 12, 2023 – (PR.com)"," - World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) is excited to announce the launch of a special Social Media campaign for the 35-episode award-winning documentary series, All the Best with Zita Keeley. Starting on April 12, 2023 fans and followers of the series can engage with WWMPC’s social media Reels, which showcases the best interviews with local guides, famous chefs, restaurant owners, and more with host, Zita Keeley. There will also be a corresponding “Trivia” posting schedule that will tentatively take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the release of a new video.",[25,3821,3822],{},"Zita travels throughout the world aboard luxury cruise ships in search of authentic local dishes, all while meeting and learning from chefs and residents in each distinctive location. Zita, a cook, author, world traveler, and specialist in fine wines discovers new cuisines in cities all throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. In various episodes of the multi-season series, she meets with local guides to find remarkable places to dine and to get a glimpse of each city’s history.",[25,3824,3825],{},"The goal of the WWMPC marketing team will be to help the vast audience of TikTok and Instagram followers, with their wide variety of demographic groups to find the series by creating a library of 30-second to one-minute clips from each episode that specifically highlights the unique foods Zita experiences as one category and the far-reaching geographic destinations she explores as another category, creating a type of mini episodic stream of short “consistent” content for the follower\u002Fviewer.",[25,3827,3828],{},"“By creating more engaging and shareable content, we hope to increase our reach with the online community and inspire a new generation of filmmakers and travelers around the world,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO.",[25,3830,3831],{},"The special social media campaign is part of WWMPC’s ongoing efforts to better connect with their audience on social media platforms and give fans and followers a better look at the company’s wide array of entertainment products like All the Best with Zita Keeley from ZPK Productions.",[25,3833,3834],{},"“Given that TikTok, for example, is widely known for food and travel-related content along with being one of the largest social media apps currently, we believe that the local cuisines and fun destinations seen on the episodes will surely fit in with the TikTok algorithm and help us reach a broader interactive audience,” stated Alyssa Beltran, Project Coordinator.",[25,3836,3837],{},"Fans and followers can stay connected with the latest updates and join the conversation using the hashtag #WWMPC.",[25,3839,3840],{},"\"We’re looking forward to seeing how fans engage with our social media Reels and share their favorite Zita moments with our followers,\" Beltran further stated.",[25,3842,45,3843,3846],{},[47,3844,52],{"href":49,"rel":3845},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials, and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,3848,3849],{},[57,3850,3851],{},"For more information",[25,3853,3854],{},"Contact: Jaiden Person\n(714) 960 - 7264",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3856},[],"2023-04-15","Los Angeles, CA, April 12, 2023 – (PR.com) - World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) is excited to announce the launch of a special Social Media campaign for the 35-episode award-winning documentary series, All the Best with Zita Keeley. Starting on April 12, 2023 fans and followers of the series can engage with WWMPC’s social media Reels, which showcases the best interviews with local guides, famous chefs, restaurant owners, and more with host, Zita Keeley. There will also be a corresponding “Trivia” posting schedule that will tentatively take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the release of a new video.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-special-social-media-campaign",{"title":3811,"description":3858},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-special-social-media-campaign","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-special-social-media-campaign","8c0GyRjYsBmrddOY74GtOGZnaksvQdxLQCk0poXhsvc",{"id":3866,"title":3867,"body":3868,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3896,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3897,"navigation":71,"path":3898,"seo":3899,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3900,"stem":3901,"__hash__":3902},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdisneys-moana-not-even-a-decade-old-to-receive-live-action-remake.md","Disney’s “Moana”, Not Even a Decade Old, to Receive Live-Action Remake",{"type":22,"value":3869,"toc":3894},[3870,3876,3879,3882,3885,3888,3891],[25,3871,236,3872],{},[47,3873,391],{"href":3874,"rel":3875},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fmoana-live-action-remake-dwayne-johnson-1235571997\u002F",[51],[25,3877,3878],{},"“Cinderella”; “The Jungle Book”; “Beauty and the Beast”; “Dumbo”; “Aladdin”; “The Lion King”; “Lady and the Tramp”; “Mulan”; “Pinocchio”; what do all of these films have in common? Not only are they all animated features made by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the primary animation division of the Walt Disney Company (which will be celebrating its one-hundredth anniversary later this year), but they have also all been remade into live-action (or in the case of “The Lion King”, computer-generated imagery designed to emulate live-action) features over the past few years. Since the release of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010 (a film that admittedly has very little connection to the 1951 animated film apart from anything that was already present in the original Lewis Carroll books), these live-action “re-imaginings” have proven to be major successes for Disney. While their critical reception may leave much to be desired, their box office performance, at least as far as Disney is concerned, is more than enough to justify their existence, with the “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King” remakes being among the select few films to cross the billion dollar mark at the global box office.",[25,3880,3881],{},"It should be noted, however, that all of the original animated films were at least twenty years old when they received their respective remakes. In fact, until very recently, “Lilo and Stitch”, which came out in 2002 (just over two decades before now) was the newest film that Disney had decided to remake (the live-action adaptation is currently in production and expected to come out within the next couple years). Why is this important? Because it creates the impression that Disney understands that these films need time to leave a cultural impact and become nostalgic enough for a live-action remake to become reasonable. This is something that has already been achieved by almost all of the films that have or are currently being remade by Disney, with the next remakes set to come out over the next few months, “Peter Pan & Wendy” and “The Little Mermaid”, being based on animated films released in 1953 and 1989 respectively. Looking over this trend, one would assume Disney would have the patience to wait until deciding to remake more recent animated successes like “Frozen” or “Encanto”. However, a recent announcement of yet another live-action remake suggests that patients may no longer be a virtue that Disney holds as high of a regard for. The film being remade: the 2016 animated musical “Moana”, a film that has not even turned seven years old as of yet.",[25,3883,3884],{},"On Monday, April 3rd, during a meeting with shareholders of the Walt Disney Company, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who had played the character of Maui in the original animated “Moana”, announced that the studio had begun work on a live-action remake of the 2016 feature. Not only will Johnson return to the role of Maui, but he will also be one of its producers, working alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia through their production company Seven Bucks Productions, as well as Beau Flynn of Flynn Picture Co. Among the film’s executive producers are Auli’i Cravalho, who had portrayed the titular character in the original animated film, and Scott Sheldon, who also represents Flynn Picture Co. Still, if there’s anyone whose involvement with this remake has so far been center stage in this announcement, it’s Johnson’s, as the actor turned to social media to express how eager he was to be working on this remake. “Humbled to say we’re bringing Moana’s beautiful story to the live-action big screen!” Maui wrote in a Twitter post. “Maui changed my life (miss you grandpa) and I’m honored to partner with Disney to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people.”",[25,3886,3887],{},"In a separate statement, Johnson further elaborated on his love for the story of “Moana” and his excitement in getting to return to the role of Maui. “I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of ‘Moana’ to the live-action big screen,” Johnson claimed in his statement. “This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion, and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.”",[25,3889,3890],{},"Johnson is undoubtedly happy with the existence of a live-action “Moana” remake and his involvement with the project, but others who aren’t attached to the making of this film have reacted with a sense of skepticism, and for a variety of different reasons. One of the most frequently raised points of concern is the timing; in contrast to all the other Disney films that had been at least twenty years old by the time Disney had announced production on their respective live-action remakes, “Moana”, first released in November of 2016, is not even seven years old at this point in time, so for many, it seems far too soon to turn the film into a work of live-action. Then there are the comparisons made to how other recent Disney films have had their franchises expanded; two films released prior to “Moana”, the 2013 film “Frozen” and 2016’s “Zootopia”, were recently announced to be getting animated sequels (or in the case of “Frozen”, another sequel following the 2019 release of “Frozen II”) at some point over the next few years, which makes sense given that most popular animated features nowadays tend to get immediate sequels. Considering “Moana” is newer than both of these films, one would expect Disney to take the sequel route with this film as well, especially since the original film grossed over $680 million at the worldwide box office and appeared to be profitable enough to warrant a sequel.",[25,3892,3893],{},"However, it seems like Disney has decided that a live-action remake would be a more preferable means of expanding upon the legacy of “Moana”, a decision that, given the generally divisive nature of Disney’s live-action remakes, may end up raising more eyebrows than cheers.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3895},[],"2023-04-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdisneys-moana-not-even-a-decade-old-to-receive-live-action-remake",{"title":3867,"description":194},"disneys-moana-not-even-a-decade-old-to-receive-live-action-remake","blog\u002Fdisneys-moana-not-even-a-decade-old-to-receive-live-action-remake","eJXhDN446ex1IwGl5qEYmPHhqOTo51EW3Ty342H6mwo",{"id":3904,"title":3905,"body":3906,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3934,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3935,"navigation":71,"path":3936,"seo":3937,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3938,"stem":3939,"__hash__":3940},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Findiana-jones-5-set-to-premiere-at-2023-cannes-film-festival.md","“Indiana Jones 5” Set to Premiere at 2023 Cannes Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":3907,"toc":3932},[3908,3914,3917,3920,3923,3926,3929],[25,3909,236,3910],{},[47,3911,391],{"href":3912,"rel":3913},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fglobal\u002Findiana-jones-dial-of-destiny-cannes-festival-1235564712\u002F",[51],[25,3915,3916],{},"The 2022 film awards season may be a thing of the past now that the Academy Awards have come and gone as they do every year (choosing the unexpected breakout “Everything Everywhere All at Once” as its Best Picture recipient), but that doesn’t mean the film awards and festival circuit will have much time to take a breather. In fact, many of the most prestigious and renowned international film festivals are currently making plans to hold their respective yearly events and showcase the finest cinematic works they are willing to present on the big screen. Of these film festivals, few are as esteemed as the Cannes Film Festival, which will be holding its 76th annual event between May 16th and 27th of this year. Since its inception in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival, located in the French city of Cannes, has exhibited some of the most beloved and acclaimed films of all time, many of which have been awarded with the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or. Past Palme d’Or winners like Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver”, Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”, and Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” have all gone on to be known as genuine cinematic classics in the years since their victories at Cannes, proving that just about any film that receives the opportunity to be at least screened at the festival is most likely something special. This makes it all the more noteworthy whenever a highly anticipated film is announced to be holding its premiere at Cannes, as there’s an implication that the film is even more worthy of one’s attention than many had previously thought. Naturally, this seems to be the case with one of the latest films that was just recently revealed to be having a premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”.",[25,3918,3919],{},"Following in the footsteps of last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick”, which premiered at the previous Cannes Film Festival and went on to be both a Best Picture nominee at the Academy Awards and one of the year’s highest-grossing films, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, the fifth installment of the long-running action-adventure series first conceived by director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas in 1981, is currently making plans to be screened at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. This won’t be the first instance in which Indiana Jones made an appearance at the festival - his previous film, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” had in fact opened the 2008 event - so many are expecting the return of cinema’s most famous archaeologist to the French film festival to be met with a warm welcome, especially considering that there are quite a few things about this latest entry into the series that seem to make it especially noteworthy.",[25,3921,3922],{},"For one thing, while Spielberg and Lucas are still attached to the film as its executive producers, this will mark the first time that the former has not directed, as Spielberg had previously helmed all the previous “Indiana Jones” films since the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981. Fortunately, the film does appear to be in good hands under the leadership of James Mangold, who had previously received great acclaim for not only his 2019 Best Picture nominee “Ford v. Ferrari”, but also his 2017 superhero film “Logan”, which received great acclaim for how well of a send-off it was for Hugh Jackman’s beloved X-Men character Wolverine. The high quality of “Logan” might be a particularly good indicator of what “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” might be like, as the film is believed to be the last in which lead actor Harrison Ford will play the iconic titular character. Though his supporting cast is no less noteworthy, as it features such international stars as Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen, all eyes will most likely be on Ford as he dons the fedora for what it most likely the grand finale of his portrayal of Indiana Jones.",[25,3924,3925],{},"At the moment, publicly-released plot details have been kept to a minimum, though it’s all but certain that the film will feature flashbacks featuring Jones (de-aged using the latest in digital effects technology) fighting against Nazis as he had in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Still, that lack of knowledge is only making filmgoers all the more curious as to how the film will play out, and that craving for information will almost certainly be satisfied sooner than originally planned should “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” premiere at the Cannes Film Festival as reports currently suggest. At the moment, the film is most likely to be screened on either the second day of the festival (May 17th) or the third (May 18th); this puts it in a similar position to the aforementioned “Top Gun: Maverick”, which also premiered early on in the festival and used that initial goodwill to propel itself to a worldwide gross of nearly $1.5 billion and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.",[25,3927,3928],{},"“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” might not be the only major Hollywood release to benefit from exhibition at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival though. In fact, there are quite a few noteworthy titles that are currently being considered for inclusion in the festival line-up. Among the most notable is Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, which the Cannes Film Festival has actually secured already and will mark the first instance in which a work of his has been shown at the festival since his 1985 film “After Hours” (for which he was given a Best Director award by the festival jurors). Budgeted at around $200 million, this epic western starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser and Robert De Niro looks to be one of Scorsese’s most ambitious cinematic endeavors yet, one that will definitely benefit from whatever buzz it could generate from a screening at Cannes. Also be considered for exhibition at Cannes is “Asteroid City”, the latest film from Wes Andeson that features Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, and Tilda Swinton among its main cast.",[25,3930,3931],{},"These films and many others are among those that will (or at least could) be named once the Cannes Film Festival publicly unveils its Official Selection on April 13th. With Ruben Östlund, whose 2022 film “Triangle of Sadness” was awarded with last year’s Palme d’Or, presiding over the twelve-day event, it’s all but certain that the 76th Cannes Film Festival will be one that many will want to pay close attention to.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3933},[],"2023-03-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Findiana-jones-5-set-to-premiere-at-2023-cannes-film-festival",{"title":3905,"description":194},"indiana-jones-5-set-to-premiere-at-2023-cannes-film-festival","blog\u002Findiana-jones-5-set-to-premiere-at-2023-cannes-film-festival","P0IPMz2DJwivsBAZ7PHeCfkSyQEdPu4Nk2601wSbDVU",{"id":3942,"title":3943,"body":3944,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":3972,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":3973,"navigation":71,"path":3974,"seo":3975,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":3976,"stem":3977,"__hash__":3978},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwinnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-banned-release-in-hong-kong-theaters-pulled.md","“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” Banned? Release in Hong Kong Theaters Pulled",{"type":22,"value":3945,"toc":3970},[3946,3952,3955,3958,3961,3964,3967],[25,3947,236,3948],{},[47,3949,279],{"href":3950,"rel":3951},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fwinnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-hong-kong-ban-china-censorship-1235357400\u002F",[51],[25,3953,3954],{},"Despite being one of the most financially lucrative theatrical markets in all the world, having skyrocketed in prominence over the past decade, it still remains very difficult for a film made outside the nation of China to get a full release in its wide array of movie theaters. Not only does China only permit a certain amount of international cinema to be allowed within its borders for theatrical exhibition, but it also has very strict guidelines regarding the kind of content they’re willing to let Chinese filmgoers see on the big screen. Even the most minor of elements can sway Chinese censors into either denying a given film a release within the country or demanding severe edits to the finished product, many of which may be too extreme for the studio that produced the film to adhere to. This is why “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was the first production from Marvel Studios since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” to get a Chinese release, as none of the films made in between were able or willing to adhere to the nation’s censorship laws (and even then, it didn’t start screening until February 7th, nearly three months after its release elsewhere throughout the world). Granted, most of this applies mainly to mainland China, as regions like Hong Kong and Macau, those of which their status as being part of China or not has proven controversial, do have slightly different guidelines regarding the kinds of films they are willing to allow. Still, that doesn’t mean the main Chinese government won’t intervene if they feel it’s necessary, as possibly exemplified by the sudden cancellation of the release of one film in particular, perhaps one of the most unlikely to get wrapped up in this sort of situation.",[25,3956,3957],{},"The film in question is “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey”, a horror re-imagining of the beloved icon of children’s literature first conceived by A.A. Milne and given a significant boost in popularity after being adapted into animated form by Walt Disney Studios. Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to make the big-budget blockbusters that have recently tried to get some kind of theatrical release within China, this micro-budget slasher costed barely a fraction of what it usually takes to produce a typical major-studio release, which is why the film has so far been considered a rousing success after earning over $4 million in worldwide ticket sales (mostly from the United States, Mexico, and Russia among other nations). While exhibition throughout all of China might have been a lost cause due to the overwhelming presence of graphic violence throughout the feature, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” was initially able to secure some kind of release in the city of Hong Kong, and had originally been planned to be seen on as many as thirty theaters within the metropolitan area. That’s no longer the case though, as the film has now been removed from all of the schedules and websites of the Hong Kong theater chains that had previously expected to screen the film (as is the case for Macau, where the film had also been anticipated for theatrical release).",[25,3959,3960],{},"Why has such plans been cancelled all of a sudden? Is it due to there being far too much violence in the film? That doesn’t appear to be the case according to The Hollywood Reporter, which alleges that a censored version of the film, one that heavily tones down the amount of gore seen throughout, had been approved by local Hong Kong censors (with a secret screening even taking place at some point during the previous week). So what are the reasons then? Many are speculating that “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” might’ve been pulled for political purposes, specifically those of a most unusual (if not completely baffling) kind. The issue, some claim, is not the violence, but rather the titular character himself, one who has been frequently compared to a high-ranking Chinese government official and subsequently been subjected to various bans within the nation in order to suppress such comparisons.",[25,3962,3963],{},"Though the ban has yet to be publicly declared, the fictional character known as Winnie the Pooh has been forbidden by the Chinese government due to a supposed similarity in physical appearance to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. These initial comparisons turned the honey-loving bear into an unofficial symbol of resistance against the ruling Chinese Communist Party, as evidenced most notably through bloggers drawing comparisons between Winnie the Pooh’s round, cuddly appearance and that of Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader, however, did not find this to be much of a laughing manner though, soon taking drastic measures in order to ensure that no further ridicule would take place within the nation. The banning of Winnie the Pooh was so strictly enforced that even the 2018 film “Christopher Robin”, a live-action film from Walt Disney Studios featuring the fictional teddy bear (one far less grizzly than “Blood and Honey”), was denied a release by Chinese censors. No official reasoning had been given, but local sources allege it was due to this intense crackdown on Winnie the Pooh imagery. If something as innocent as a Disney film can be deemed as offensive to Chinese officials, it’s hardly surprising that a film with far more unflatteringly adult content faced a similar pushback.",[25,3965,3966],{},"Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time China has put pressure on the city of Hong Kong for reasons relating to free speech within the region. Since the passage of China’s National Security Law in 2020, any media that the mainland considers to be too offensive has faced great difficulty in being screened in Hong Kong. Perhaps the most notable example is the Academy Awards ceremony in 2021 (marking the first instance in fifty years that the show hadn’t been aired in Hong Kong) despite Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Chang’s “Better Days” being nominated for Best International Feature. Many have cited the similarities made between removing the Oscars from air to instructions given by Beijing media regulators that demand local press refrain from reporting on the ceremony. The reason most frequently cited: a previous ceremony featured the documentary short “Do Not Split”, which focused on the pro-democracy protests that took place in Hong Kong in 2019, being among the nominated films.",[25,3968,3969],{},"Compared to these more explicitly political controversies, the removal of “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” might appear to be comparatively absurd, but then again, one could argue that the Chinese government feeling threatened by Winnie the Pooh of all characters is equally nonsensical.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":3971},[],"2023-03-26",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwinnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-banned-release-in-hong-kong-theaters-pulled",{"title":3943,"description":298},"winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-banned-release-in-hong-kong-theaters-pulled","blog\u002Fwinnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-banned-release-in-hong-kong-theaters-pulled","v9jygSYQp9E5Zvp5GVB5x1nVj1LN_XL3lhrNlV1cmoU",{"id":3980,"title":3981,"body":3982,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4007,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4008,"navigation":71,"path":4009,"seo":4010,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4011,"stem":4012,"__hash__":4013},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-best-picture-and-six-other-academy-awards.md","“Everything Everywhere All at Once” Wins Best Picture and Six Other Academy Awards",{"type":22,"value":3983,"toc":4005},[3984,3990,3993,3996,3999,4002],[25,3985,236,3986],{},[47,3987,391],{"href":3988,"rel":3989},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Fawards\u002Fawards\u002Foscar-winners-2023-list-1235548935\u002F",[51],[25,3991,3992],{},"In any other universe, the idea of a film like Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” being named Best Picture by the Academy Awards, or even winning any other prestigious award of such a caliber, would be almost unthinkable. For one thing, the film first premiered in March of last year, just a few weeks after the previous Academy Awards ceremony and far from the late-fall\u002Fearly-winter period in which most Oscar hopefuls are released to theaters. Second, the film, an absurdist comedy-drama that hops from one bizarre universe to another within its high-concept narrative, falls into the genres that tend to be dismissed by most Academy voters, many of which have historically demonstrated a preference for historical dramas and other forms of more “serious” cinema. All things considered, a film that features characters who literally have hot dogs for fingers should be the last thing that most would consider to be deserving of a major award, let alone the highest honor that can be given for a feature film. However, one of the key ideas behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is how there’s an infinite number of universes where anything, no matter how improbable, is possible, making it all the more appropriate that the Daniels’ film, in spite of all the odds, was able to somehow come out on top.",[25,3994,3995],{},"By the end of the 95th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 12th, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, entering the ceremony with eleven nominations in ten categories, had been given a total of seven awards, more than any other film nominated for the previous year and more than any Best Picture winner since “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008 (and more than any film since 2013’s “Gravity”). Apart from the aforementioned Best Picture win, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while editor Paul Rogers was honored with the Oscar for Best Film Editing. Then there are its acting wins, which allowed the film to join 1954’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” and 1976’s “Network” to have won three of the four possible acting awards. Those wins were awarded to Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress (making her the first winner of Asian descent in this category, as well as the first person of color to win since Halle Berry - who appropriately presented the award to Yeoh - for 2001’s “Monster Ball”), Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor, and Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Supporting Actress. It was not a complete sweep for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” though; Stephanie Hsu was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the film failed to pick up wins for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song for the tune “This is a Life”, but such losses were nonetheless outnumbered by its wins, so there’s very little for anyone involved in the making of the film to complain about.",[25,3997,3998],{},"Coming in second place behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in terms of overall wins was Edward Berger’s German-language epic war drama “All Quiet on the Western Front”. Fitting for a film based on a story that had already been turned into a Best Picture winner (the 1930 cinematic adaptation of the same name was given this honor during the 3rd Academy Awards), Academy voters seemed rather fond of this latest cinematic retelling of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 anti-war novel, as the film had received nine nominations prior to the ceremony, trailing only 2000’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and 2018’s “Roma” in having the most of any non-English language film. Of these nominations, “All Quiet on the Western Front” managed to earn four Academy Awards in total, winning for Best International Feature, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design; besides its Best Picture loss to the aforementioned “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, the film has also failed to secure wins for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound. Despite these losses, this is still an impressive achievement for a film made outside the United States, one that shows just how much more welcoming of international cinema it has become over the past few years.",[25,4000,4001],{},"Interestingly enough, the only other film to pick up more than one Academy Award was a film that was not even nominated for Best Picture. That film was Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”, which the Academy voted to award with the prizes for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Actor, the latter going to Brendan Fraser for his performance as Charlie in the film. Other than that, all the other winning films were only able to secure a single win by the end of the evening. The award for Best Adapted Screenplay went to the drama “Women Talking” and its writer Sarah Polley (who has also directed the film); Best Animated Feature was given “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”, making it one of the few films not made by Disney to win the award and the first stop-motion work to do so since 2005’s “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”; “Nalvany” was named Best Documentary Feature, while “The Elephant Whisperers” was likewise named Best Documentary Short Subject; Best Live-Action Short Film was awarded to “An Irish Goodbye”, and Best Animated Short Film was handed to “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”; “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick”, the two highest-grossing films of the previous year, were honored with Best Visual Effects and Best Sound respectively; “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” followed in the footsteps of its 2018 predecessor “Black Panther” by achieving a win for Best Costume Design. Lastly, there is Best Original Song, which went to “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”, making this the first time in which a film from India was honored with an Academy Award.",[25,4003,4004],{},"The only downside to the results of this year’s ceremony is the fact that such films as “The Banshees of Inisherin”, “Elvis”, “The Fabelmans”, “Tar” and “Triangle of Sadness” to go home empty-handed despite receiving several nominations in various different categories. Still, as it’s often said, being nominated is an honor in its own right, and overall, few would argue that a film as unlikely as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” isn’t deserving of being the big winner that it was.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4006},[],"2023-03-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-best-picture-and-six-other-academy-awards",{"title":3981,"description":194},"everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-best-picture-and-six-other-academy-awards","blog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-best-picture-and-six-other-academy-awards","R-HrekB6MctRU1vytfBhbSniCA-_GHjdRxiBiUphtUI",{"id":4015,"title":4016,"body":4017,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4056,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4057,"navigation":71,"path":4058,"seo":4059,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4060,"stem":4061,"__hash__":4062},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-awards-2023-everything-women-and-union-solidarity-are-evenings-big-winners.md","WGA Awards 2023: “Everything”, “Women”, and Union Solidarity are Evening’s Big Winners",{"type":22,"value":4018,"toc":4054},[4019,4025,4028,4031,4038,4041,4044,4051],[25,4020,236,4021],{},[47,4022,391],{"href":4023,"rel":4024},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002F2023-writers-guild-america-awards-winners-list-1235543511\u002F",[51],[25,4026,4027],{},"In any other situation, the biggest highlight of any given film awards ceremony would be the films and individuals would be the most talked about topic of the evening. After all, that’s why people attend these sorts of events: to honor the cinematic achievements of the past year and all those involved. In the case of the most recent Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards, which took place on Friday, March 5th at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, there seemed to be more on the minds of those present at the ceremony. Granted, there were many cheers to be had in celebration of those who received a given accolade, with there being three film awards handed out by the WGA before the end of the evening, but as the ceremony played out, it became increasingly apparent that the greatest applause was reserved not for the winners themselves, but those calling for the WGA and its various members to come together in anticipation of the upcoming contract negotiations with the major studios, which could signal the possibility of an upcoming strike should talks take a turn for the worse.",[25,4029,4030],{},"Still, one shouldn’t discuss the events of this year’s WGA Awards without discussing those that won, and despite there only being a small handful of film winners, that doesn’t make them any less admirable or noteworthy. The medium of documentary filmmaking, for example, may not seem like the type that would require a written screenplay, but as it turns out, the WGA does in fact hand out an award for Best Documentary Screenplay, this year nominating the following documentary films: “2nd Chance”, “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”, “Last Flight Home”, “¡Viva Maestro!”, and the eventual winner, “Moonage Daydream”, for which writer Brett Morgan (who also directed, edited, and produced the film) was honored.",[25,4032,4033,4034,4037],{},"In the category for Best Adapted Screenplay, Sarah Polley won for her film “Women Talking”, which she adapted from Miriam Toew’s novel of the same name, coming out on top over fellow nominees “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, “She Said”, and “Top Gun: Maverick”. In her acceptance speech, Polley gave thanks to a teacher of hers who encouraged her to “let ",[364,4035,4036],{},"her"," write stories all day”, while also citing the similarities between the themes of her film and the issues that the WGA would be contending with during their upcoming negotiations. This would be one of many references to the forthcoming talks made throughout the evening, with Polley emphasizing the need for collective action. “It’s about having the hard conversations,” Polley stated in her speech, “about envisioning and taking responsibility for having the vision of a better future. That is the definition of a union.”",[25,4039,4040],{},"Similar sentiments were expressed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert when they won the award for Best Original Screenplay for their film “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which had been given to them over “The Fabelmans”, “The Menu”, “Nope” and “Tár”. This is yet another major win for a film that has proven itself to be an unexpected powerhouse over the awards season, and with this being the last major ceremony before the Academy Awards, many have reasonably assumed that the film winning Best Picture and many other Oscars is all but a guarantee. Regardless, Kwan and Scheinert displayed nothing but humility in their acceptance of the award. “Writing is confusing and hard, and we felt so lost so often,” Scheinert claimed. “Thank you to our therapists.” Once Scheinert finished speaking, Kwan openly requested that his fellow writers prepare for the possibility of contract negotiations failing and leading to all productions coming to a halt. “Every single benefit is something that has been hard fought and hard won,” Kwan stated as he encouraged his fellow WGA members to think hard about what can be gained and what could be put at risk from the upcoming talks. “The perverse incentives this industry has been boiling in is going to push against you in every single direction unless we stand together.”",[25,4042,4043],{},"Discussions of contracts and strikes, of course, were not limited merely to acceptance speeches; in fact, this subject was the very first thing brought up once the ceremony got started. “Welcome to the Writers Guild Awards and strike authorization vote,” host and “Abbot Elementary” star Janelle James as the event began, while renowned filmmaker Charlie Kaufman, while receiving a Screenwriting Laurel career achievement award, had more than a couple fiery remarks regarding the power structure in Hollywood. “We are trained to believe that what we do is secondary to what they do,” the “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” screenwriter stated in allusion to executives whose desperate need to keep their jobs caused them to make harmful decisions. “Our work is to reflect the world, say what is true in the face of so much lying. The rest is window dressing at best, ‘Triumph of the Will’ at worst.”",[25,4045,4046,4047,4050],{},"Few, however, could make the point better than Meredith Stiehm, president of the WGA West, who described the guild as a “good sheriff” who “",[364,4048,4049],{},"walked"," around like Gary Cooper — low key but watchful, vigilant and a little swagger.” The WGA, according to Stiehm, is a force determined to preserve peace but still willing to enforce the rules set in place by their contracts by any means necessary. “The guild says there are rules, there are laws,” Stiehm noted while acknowledging a recent lawsuit that resulted in a settlement where over $42 million in residuals were owed to several guild members. “We stand up to people who aren’t playing fair. We’re not looking for a fight. But we’re not going to get rolled, either.”",[25,4052,4053],{},"At the moment, contract negotiations are expected to begin on March 20th, and in the time between now and then, Stiehm encourages her fellow WGA members to remain unified in their efforts to receive a better deal. “It’s possible it could get a little rough, a little rugged,” Stiehm warned. “But we have been there before. We know how to stick together. We’ve done it before. Sticking together is how we win. The point of the union is to stick together…. Solidarity is everything.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4055},[],"2023-03-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwga-awards-2023-everything-women-and-union-solidarity-are-evenings-big-winners",{"title":4016,"description":194},"wga-awards-2023-everything-women-and-union-solidarity-are-evenings-big-winners","blog\u002Fwga-awards-2023-everything-women-and-union-solidarity-are-evenings-big-winners","lwSfrXrsY9cnecqUNVovqyYvIcxXGqq4bGJv3WXno1o",{"id":4064,"title":4065,"body":4066,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":4056,"description":4070,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4111,"navigation":71,"path":4112,"seo":4113,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4114,"stem":4115,"__hash__":4116},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-womens-history-month.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: Women’s History Month",{"type":22,"value":4067,"toc":4109},[4068,4071,4074,4080,4086,4096,4102],[25,4069,4070],{},"Image Credit: College of Lake County",[25,4072,4073],{},"Women’s History Month is a great time to recognize some of the first women to enter the world of film production in early Hollywood. Some such women are American costume designer Edith Head, film editor Margaret Booth, and sound editor Kay Rose.",[25,4075,4076,4079],{},[57,4077,4078],{},"Edith Head (10\u002F28\u002F1897-10\u002F24\u002F1981)",", designed costumes for some of the first major Hollywood films. Head’s academic roots were at the University of California where she earned her B.A., Stanford University for her M.A., and an art school in LA. She was eventually hired by lead designer of Paramount Studios as a sketcher and worked her way to costume designer through apprenticeships. In 1938 she became chief designer at Paramount in charge of the costume department, becoming the first woman to head a design department at a major studio.",[25,4081,4082,4083],{},"She became renowned for her range of designs and her ability to “placate” dramatic actors and directors.During her career, Head was nominated for 34 Academy Awards and won 8 of  them for her work in ",[486,4084,4085],{},"The Heiress (1949), Samson and Delilah (1949), All About Eve (1950), A Place in the  Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), and The Sting (1973).",[25,4087,4088,4091,4092,4095],{},[57,4089,4090],{},"Margaret Booth (1\u002F16\u002F1898-10\u002F28\u002F2002)"," first began working as an editor when she was hired to work as a “patcher” editing silent films by D.W.Griffith in 1915. She eventually began work for Louis B. Mayer when he was an independent film producer. When Mayer merged with others, Booth became a director’s assistant at the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1924). In 1935, she was nominated for an Academy award for *Mutiny on the Bounty. *A few other films she has worked on are ",[486,4093,4094],{},"Wise Girls (1929), A Yank at Oxford (1938), The Way We Were (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Cheap Detective (1978), and Seems Like Old Times (1980)",". In 1978 Booth was awarded an Honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for film editing. She is the longest-lived person ever to have been given the award. In 1983, she was also awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for her work opening the door for other women to enter careers in film editing.",[25,4097,4098,4101],{},[57,4099,4100],{},"Kay Rose (2\u002F12\u002F1922-12-11-2002)"," was one of the first women to work as a sound effects editor in Hollywood, Spending 54 years as a sound editor. Rose studied film at Hunter College in NY where she then became a civilian film apprentice for the Army Signal Corp in Astoria NY in WWII creating training films. In 1944, she moved to Hollywood and after having trouble finding work as a sound editor she decided to take a bus to Universal Studios and asked security if they would hire her as an assistant. She was able to secure a job and then eventually worked her way up to be in demand by directors like Sydney Pollack, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Altman, Gene Kelly, Martin Scorcese, Alan Pakula, Blake Edwards, Robert Redford, and more.",[25,4103,4104,4105,4108],{},"Rose was also the first woman to win an Academy Award for sound editing for work on ",[486,4106,4107],{},"The River",". In 1993, she won the Lifetime achievement award in 1993 from Motion Picture Sound Editors and in March 2002 she was awarded the Career Achievement Award from Cinema Audio Society.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4110},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-womens-history-month",{"title":4065,"description":4070},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-womens-history-month","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-womens-history-month","_0JV60vY87Y6e28KyFCxnkM_slbMeJM9dhZRjhK-Jbk",{"id":4118,"title":4119,"body":4120,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4145,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4146,"navigation":71,"path":4147,"seo":4148,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4149,"stem":4150,"__hash__":4151},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-dominates-pgas-and-sags-is-the-best-picture-oscar-next.md","“Everything Everywhere…” Dominates PGAs and SAGs. Is the Best Picture Oscar Next?",{"type":22,"value":4121,"toc":4143},[4122,4128,4131,4134,4137,4140],[25,4123,236,4124],{},[47,4125,538],{"href":4126,"rel":4127},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F02\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-sag-awards-records-a24-white-lotus-1235272658\u002F",[51],[25,4129,4130],{},"Throughout much of the current films awards season, indie distributor A24’s absurdist comedy-drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, has been regarded as one the most prominent frontrunners for the highly coveted Academy Award for Best Picture, yet hadn’t quite been able to create the impression that the prize was its to lose. On the one hand, several guilds and local critics associations were happy to endorse the film with their highest honors, with the Critics Choice Awards and Directors Guild of America being among the more prestigious organizations to name “Everything Everything All at Once” as the best film of the previous year. On the other hand, some of the other prominent awards ceremonies that have taken place so far were not as willing to do the same. The Golden Globes chose Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” as its Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and the BAFTAs selected “All Quiet on the Western Front” as Best Film; in doing so, both organizations all but ignored the Daniels’ surreal and unconventional genre mash-up in favor of a film that many would consider to be “safer” picks. Neither of these losses completely diminished the chances of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning a Best Picture Oscar, but they certainly proved that it was far from a guarantee, causing many to speculate how great its chances really were. However, two recent guild awards ceremonies, both of which are highly esteemed and widely considered to be major predictors for the forthcoming Oscars, have provided a more clear and possibly more definitive answer, one that could cement “Everything Everywhere All at Once” as the Best Picture of 2022: Those guilds: the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAGA).",[25,4132,4133],{},"Though it only had a three film awards to hand out on Saturday, February 25th - Theatrical Motion Picture, Animated Motion Picture, and Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture (the latter two being won by “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” and “Nalvany” respectively) - the PGAs are nonetheless regarded as a useful tool in predicting the Academy Award for Best Picture, not necessarily because of the award itself or those who vote for it, but rather how the award itself is voted. Instead of voters merely choosing which film they think is best, the vote is chosen via a ranked-choice system, one in which each voter ranks each film option from best to worst. Through this process, the eventual winner is that which is given the highest average ranking among all the delivered ballots, and depending on how the vote goes along, the winning film may not necessarily be the film that receives the most #1 picks so much as it is the film considered the least polarizing. Theoretically, the film that receives the most #2 or #3 votes could end up winning over a film that receives far more #1 votes, but also a significant number of lower-ranking votes. Why is this important? Because the Academy Awards decide their Best Picture in a very similar manner to the PGAs, and many of the people who partook in the PGA voting make up a significant bulk of Academy voters; in short, the film that is the PGA winner for Best Theatrical Motion Picture has also been the film to win the Best Picture Oscar in recent years, with last year’s surprise breakout “CODA” being the latest example of this phenomenon. If this trend continues as anticipated, then “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which the Producers Guild of America has honored with its highest film honor of the year, should likewise be named Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.",[25,4135,4136],{},"Further encouraging the chances of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning Best Picture was the Screen Actors Guild of America Awards, which took place just a day after the PGAs on Sunday, February 26th. Rather than vote on Best Picture, the SAGs votes on Outstanding Performance by a Cast in Motion Picture, which does not honor a film as a whole so much as it honors its acting cast (though it nevertheless regarded as a Best Picture equivalent), and this year, the cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was selected as the best of 2022, with Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Harry Shum, Jr., Jenny Slate, and Michelle Yeoh all being named in recognition of this honor. Granted, the Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture Award hasn’t always been an accurate indicator of what will win the Oscar for Best Picture, but given both it and the PGAs had somehow foreseen the rise and eventual triumph of “CODA” in the previous year, as well as the prominent number of actors that make up Academy membership, these results should not be overlooked.",[25,4138,4139],{},"If “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture isn’t convincing enough of the film being all but guaranteed to win big at the Academy Awards, then the film’s success elsewhere throughout this year’s SAGAs. With the exception of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (which instead went to Brendan Fraser for “The Whale”, which had also been distributed by A24), all of the major film awards were given to a performance from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. Michelle Yeoh won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, Ke Huy Quan received the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, and Jamie Lee Curtis took home the accolade for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role; all of these actors were honored for their performances in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. With the film winning four of six film awards handed out by the Screen Actors Guild of America (the last award going to “Top Gun: Maverick” for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture), it’s safe to say that the Daniels’ cinematic achievement will be on everyone’s mind when the Oscars finally commence on Sunday, March 12th.",[25,4141,4142],{},"Does all this mean that “Everywhere All at Once” will indeed win Best Picture (and several other accolades) at the upcoming Academy Awards? Again, nothing is certain until the winners are officially announced, but considering all that’s happened, it will be very surprising (if not outright disappointing) if things turn out differently than hoped.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4144},[],"2023-03-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-dominates-pgas-and-sags-is-the-best-picture-oscar-next",{"title":4119,"description":557},"everything-everywhere-dominates-pgas-and-sags-is-the-best-picture-oscar-next","blog\u002Feverything-everywhere-dominates-pgas-and-sags-is-the-best-picture-oscar-next","JMQ3TYwOZ-CHyQ4ICL9OCQ2hlpHc9krKN8Isxdkd1kM",{"id":4153,"title":4154,"body":4155,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4183,"description":3181,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4184,"navigation":71,"path":4185,"seo":4186,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4187,"stem":4188,"__hash__":4189},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbafta-awards-2023-all-quiet-on-the-western-front-takes-home-top-prizes.md","BAFTA Awards 2023: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Takes Home Top Prizes",{"type":22,"value":4156,"toc":4181},[4157,4163,4166,4169,4172,4175,4178],[25,4158,236,4159],{},[47,4160,3159],{"href":4161,"rel":4162},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnn.com\u002F2023\u002F02\u002F19\u002Fentertainment\u002Fbafta-awards-2023-winners-list\u002Findex.html",[51],[25,4164,4165],{},"Awards season continues to move along throughout the film industry, and with the Academy Awards just over two weeks away, the level of excitement seems to only grow stronger as the date draws closer. Such excitement has in fact skyrocketed with some of the more recent lesser-known, but nonetheless just-as-meaningful awards ceremonies, the latest of which recently took place on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Held on Sunday, February 19th, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held its 76th annual British Academy Film Awards to commemorate the cinematic releases of 2022, taking place at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre and handing out twenty-five competitive accolades over the duration of the event. While there are some categories designated specifically for films made in the United Kingdom (those being Outstanding British Film; Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer; Best British Short Animation; and Best British Short Film), most of the categories are open to most other cinematic works, allowing the BAFTAs to more or less serve as the British equivalent of the Oscars. As such, many have come to see the BAFTAs as a means of predicting how the Academy Awards will play out; if that continues to be the case, then the results of this year’s BAFTAs could have likely caused some to rethink their prior expectations.",[25,4167,4168],{},"Easily the biggest surprise of the ceremony was the dominance of one film in particular, a film that most had not expected to be that strong of a contender, or at least as strong as those that had previously been sweeping up many of the year’s previous film awards. That film is “All Quiet on the Western Front”, a German-language anti-war film based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name. Though not the first cinematic adaptation of Remarque’s harrowing story (that title goes to an American version released in 1930 that managed to win the Best Picture Oscar for that year), it hasn’t been any less critically acclaimed, and such recognition has only grown with the most recent BAFTAs. Not only did the film take the prize for both Best Film and Best Film Not in the English Language, but director Edward Berger received accolades for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (the latter he shared with Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell), as did James Friend for Best Cinematography, Volker Bertelmann for Best Original Score, and Lars Ginsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prasil, and Markus Stemler for Best Sound. Altogether, “All Quiet on the Western Front” took home a total of seven BAFTAs from fourteen nominations overall, more than any other film nominated.",[25,4170,4171],{},"Two films, meanwhile, came in second with four wins each. The first of these was a film that actually hailed from the BAFTAs’ native United Kingdom, that being “The Banshees of Inisherin” from Irish director Martin McDonagh. Both of the supporting actor awards were given for performances in this film (specifically, Barry Keogan won Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Kerry Condon won Best Actress in a Supporting Role), McDonagh himself won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, and the film as a whole was named Outstanding British Film. The second was “Elvis”, a music biopic of iconic singer Elvis Presley from director Baz Luhrmann. For the film, Austin Butler received a Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as the titular musician, while Nikki Barrett and Denise Chamian won for Best Casting, Catherine Martin won for Best Costume Design, and Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston and Shane Thomas received the BAFTA for Best Make-Up & Hair.",[25,4173,4174],{},"Elsewhere throughout the ceremony, all of the other winning films managed to receive a single BAFTA each. Cate Blanchett won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “Tar”; “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” was named Best Animated Film; “Navalny” was awarded with Best Documentary; “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was honored for Best Editing; “Babylon” was given the BAFTA for Best Production Design; “Avatar: The Way of Water” received the accolade for Best Special Visual Effects; Charlotte Wells was the recipient for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for writing and directing “Aftersun”. Finally, though she was not honored for any specific film, it was Emma Mackey who was given the EE Rising Star Award.",[25,4176,4177],{},"Perhaps the biggest shock of the event came not necessarily from what did win, but rather what didn’t win, or at the very least how much it didn’t win. Despite being a major powerhouse throughout many of the past awards, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” came up mostly empty-handed at the BAFTAs apart from the aforementioned Best Editing award. Kwan and Scheinert lost Best Director to Edward Berger for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Best Original Screenplay to Martin McDonagh for “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Michelle Yeoh lost Best Actress in a Leading Role to Cate Blanchett for “Tar”; Ke Huy Quan lost Best Actor in a Supporting Role to Barry Keoghan for “The Banshees of Inisherin”. These are just some of the awards that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” failed to earn at the BAFTAs, with the most notable being its loss of Best Film to “All Quiet on the Western Front”.",[25,4179,4180],{},"With all that said, does this mean that there’s no chance for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to win the Academy Award for Best Picture? Not necessarily, especially after Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won Outstanding Directing - Feature Film at the Directors Guild of American Awards, one of the more prominent of the guild-specific awards ceremonies, just as day earlier. Still, if the BAFTAs have proven anything, it’s that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to major film awards. Even if “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” haven’t quite knocked “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from its frontrunner spot, they have shown that its supposed eventual victory is far from guaranteed, and only time will tell if the Daniels’ absurdist comedy-drama will triumph in the end.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4182},[],"2023-02-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbafta-awards-2023-all-quiet-on-the-western-front-takes-home-top-prizes",{"title":4154,"description":3181},"bafta-awards-2023-all-quiet-on-the-western-front-takes-home-top-prizes","blog\u002Fbafta-awards-2023-all-quiet-on-the-western-front-takes-home-top-prizes","Q3-Pdqlhi5tFeL1sAXuBLourM_OgacN5_EN8C7zxv3I",{"id":4191,"title":4192,"body":4193,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":4212,"description":4197,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4213,"navigation":71,"path":4214,"seo":4215,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4216,"stem":4217,"__hash__":4218},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffilm-spotlight-black-history-month.md","Film Spotlight: Black History Month",{"type":22,"value":4194,"toc":4210},[4195,4198,4201,4204,4207],[25,4196,4197],{},"Image Credit: Shenandoah University",[25,4199,4200],{},"February is Black History Month and a great way to celebrate Black History Month is by watching films that tell the stories of Black history and culture. It’s hard to cover the entire Black experience with just one film so it is ideal to watch a handful of films to gain a holistic impression of Black history in cinema. Thankfully, there are a growing number of films told from the Black perspective that retell a variety of experiences. Some more recent films that cover a range of themes include: “Woman King”, “BlacKkKlansman”, “The Hate U Give”, and “Hidden Figures”.",[25,4202,4203],{},"The timeliest of the films, “Woman King” (2022), tells the story of a 6,000-person all-female militia that fought for the African Kingdom of Dahomey during the early 19th century. Oscar winner Viola Davis (The First Lady, The Help) plays the lead role as General Nanisca in this tale of ancient warriors. In this next film, Golden Globe award nominee and son of Oscar winner Denzel Washington, John David Washington, plays Ron Stallworth in the “BlacKkKlansman” (2018). Based on a true story, “BlaKkKlansman” follows African American detective Stallworth who was able to gain access to the Colorado Springs K.K.K during the late 1970s by sending a white proxy played by Adam Driver (House of Gucci, Marriage Story).",[25,4205,4206],{},"The 2018 book to film “The Hate U Give” directed by George Tillman Jr. is one that speaks on gun violence and racism experienced by the Black community as well as giving a nod to the arts and culture surrounding the era of early hip-hop. “The Hate U Give” Amandla Stenberg (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) plays Starr Carter, a teenage girl who witnesses her childhood best friend being shot and killed by police. “Hidden Figures” is a story of historic Black success. This 2016 film unveils the brains behind many of NASA’s missions and computing in the late 20th century. Known as the West Computers, Taraji P. Henson (The Karate Kid, Empire), Oscar nominee Octavia Spencer (The Help, Self Made), and Grammy nominee Janelle Monae (Moonlight) play some of the first Black and female mathematicians and engineers to work for NASA during the 1960s.",[25,4208,4209],{},"It would be safe to say that anyone looking to brush up on their Black history as well as their Black culture would be served well by watching these four films as they cover a range of time-periods and subjects that feature talented and well-respected actors.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4211},[],"2023-02-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffilm-spotlight-black-history-month",{"title":4192,"description":4197},"film-spotlight-black-history-month","blog\u002Ffilm-spotlight-black-history-month","vlh1jC8PD1ml_Q0gRd1Iv2KtE2P6dCrToCwMrZJZYd8",{"id":4220,"title":4221,"body":4222,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4264,"description":4265,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4266,"navigation":71,"path":4267,"seo":4268,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4269,"stem":4270,"__hash__":4271},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-lincoln-to-nixon-our-favorite-films-to-watch-on-presidents-day.md","From “Lincoln” to “Nixon”: Our Favorite Films to Watch on Presidents Day",{"type":22,"value":4223,"toc":4262},[4224,4231,4234,4244,4250,4256],[25,4225,236,4226],{},[47,4227,4230],{"href":4228,"rel":4229},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tcm.com\u002Ftcmdb\u002Ftitle\u002F96548\u002Fyoung-mr-lincoln#overview",[51],"TCM",[25,4232,4233],{},"Presidents Day may not get the same degree of esteem as other federal holidays like Memorial Day or Veterans Day - whereas those days are dedicated to people that are almost universally revered, presidents can be a lot more divisive in terms of politics - but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any value to be found within it. First established in 1879 and referred to as Washington’s Birthday in commemoration of George Washington, the first President of the United States, the holiday was amended nearly a century later to celebrate all presidents past and present, now taking place every third Monday of February. Nowadays, most people think of the holiday as little more than a day off from work or school, but that doesn’t mean one can’t use the opportunity to look back at how our culture has come to view any one of the forty-five people that have served as Presidents and their legacies. Some of these individuals are still revered as true American icons, others are significantly less fondly remembered, and plenty of them are still debated as to how well they actually served this nation. As is often the case with most subject matter, cinema can be a vital tool in not only reflecting a society’s view of a given individual, but perhaps even shaping it if the film is of great enough quality. Sure enough, there have been plenty of films made over the years that depict the life and career of a given president and offer a compelling look into who that person was, whether it’s a more positive portrayal or a more negative one. There have been plenty of presidents over the nation’s nearly two-and-a-half decades of existence, and even more films in which they can be seen as their lead protagonists. Here are some of the ones that we appreciate the most:",[25,4235,4236,4239,4240,4243],{},[486,4237,4238],{},"Young Mr. Lincoln"," (1939) and ",[486,4241,4242],{},"Lincoln"," (2012) - in their respective portrayals of Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, these two different films could really not be more different. The former depicts a pre-presidency Lincoln working as a lawyer and acts as a (completely fictionalized) courtroom drama in which he defends two young men accused for a murder they didn’t commit; the latter is a bit more rooted in real-life historical events as it revolves around Lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery during the peak of the Civil War. Given the films are separated by over seven decades of cinematic history, the vast differences in how these films are presented shouldn’t be all that surprising, yet put together, they help create a solid, if not entirely historically accurate, portrayal of one of America’s most revered presidents. It’s only natural that two of cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers - John Ford and Steven Spielberg - were the ones to have directed these films, as it is for two of cinema’s most acclaimed actors - Henry Fonda and Daniel Day-Lewis - took it upon themselves to play Lincoln and did so to great effect. Both films are solid enough on their own, but when paired with one another, they result in a satisfying and more complete look into the life of President Lincoln.",[25,4245,4246,4249],{},[486,4247,4248],{},"Nixon"," (1995) - whereas Abraham Lincoln is still considered by many to be one of America’s greatest presidents, Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, is widely regarded today as being anything but great, forced to resign from the position in 1974 as a result of the Watergate scandal. Given the scale of such a scandal, it would be easy for a filmmaker to double down on Nixon’s more negative qualities and make him out to be an outright villainous character, but that’s not what director Oliver Stone (who also helmed 1991’s “JFK” and 2008’s “W.”, two other films based on real-life American politics) has chosen to do with this 1995 historical drama. Highlighting the various complexities that made up Nixon’s character, Stone makes a surprisingly admirable effort to portray Nixon as a somewhat respectful figure, yet one who was nonetheless heavily flawed and ultimately brought down by his determination to stay in power no matter the cost. Anthony Hopkins received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Nixon in this film, one that helped further cement Stone’s ambitious effort to paint the disgraced president as a more complicated man than most give him credit for.",[25,4251,4252,4255],{},[486,4253,4254],{},"Primary Colors"," (1998) - released before the presidency of its main subject was even finished, Mike Nichols’ adaptation of “Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics”, which focused on the 1992 presidential campaign of 42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton, must’ve seemed like a rather questionable film to come out during this specific period of time. However, with the Monica Lewinsky breaking out shortly afterward, the film ultimately proved to be surprisingly timely, and looking back on it nearly twenty-five years later, it does provide some fascinating insight into a man who certainly appeared to mean well, yet often found himself being held back by many of his own personal indulgences. John Travolta might seem like a strange pick to play Clinton, but he somehow slips into the role with a shocking amount of ease, though it’s Emma Thompson who shines even brighter as his wife Hillary, giving a performance that results in one of the most sympathetic portrayals of the First Lady to date.",[25,4257,4258,4261],{},[486,4259,4260],{},"Thirteen Days"," (2000) - for many presidents, their legacy can often be boiled down to a single historical moment and how they choose to handle what could be some of the most important decisions of their lives. For John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, that moment was the Cuban Missile Crisis, an event that could’ve ended with mass nuclear destruction had it gone worse than it actually did. Though few can even know what it was like to have navigated such a borderline catastrophe, this political thriller from director Roger Donaldson does come fairly close, and much of why the film works is how well it gets into the mind of the president who had to carefully guide the country through this time of uncertainty. Though told primarily through the point of view of Kevin Costner’s Kenneth P. O’Donnell, a top White House assistant, it’s Bruce Greenwood who stands out most in his portrayal of Kennedy, showing a more reserved and uncertain side of the President that most may not be that familiar with, albeit one that grounded him a way that made it possible for him to avert what might have been the end of the nation.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4263},[],"2023-02-17","Source: TCM",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-lincoln-to-nixon-our-favorite-films-to-watch-on-presidents-day",{"title":4221,"description":4265},"from-lincoln-to-nixon-our-favorite-films-to-watch-on-presidents-day","blog\u002Ffrom-lincoln-to-nixon-our-favorite-films-to-watch-on-presidents-day","b8kMFxfcKebawBNjmNA0N-Wmrt05dsTzOUiBYUsLllk",{"id":4273,"title":4274,"body":4275,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":4316,"description":4317,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4318,"navigation":71,"path":4319,"seo":4320,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4321,"stem":4322,"__hash__":4323},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol-2.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: Red Roses and Petrol",{"type":22,"value":4276,"toc":4314},[4277,4284,4291,4306,4309],[25,4278,4279,4280,4283],{},"With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, one of the most prominent matters of the heart is on the forefront of minds and markets – love. When someone thinks about love, death is probably not the first thing that pops into their mind. For Moya Doyle played by Olivia Tracey (",[486,4281,4282],{},"The Island, Lucky You)",", however, Valentine’s Day will forevermore be a reminder of her late husband Enda. In Director Tamar Hoffs award-winning film, “Red Roses and Petrol”, the story of a family dealing with their grief after the passing of their father is told to viewers through the experience of each member’s relationship to the head of their family.",[25,4285,4286,4287,4290],{},"In the first few minutes of the film, viewers are introduced to the deceased patriarch Enda Doyle played by veteran actor, Malcolm McDowell (",[486,4288,4289],{},"A Clockwork Orange, Father Stu, Halloween)",", as he records his final moments on tape. While explaining his diagnosis “a broken heart”, he collapses and dies from a heart attack. The remainder of the film introduces Enda’s wife and children as they deal with the passing of their husband and father through the retelling of personal memories with him and watching his many home videos.",[25,4292,4293,4294,4297,4298,4301,4302,4305],{},"Despite the darker nature of the story, the film manages to layer in an abundance of comedic relief. One scene in particular shows the youngest Johnny Doyle played by Max Beesley (",[486,4295,4296],{},"Glitter, Hotel Babylon",") snorting his father’s ashes thinking they are cocaine. Despite the humor, the film makes it evident that each member has significant trouble processing the passing. Johnny is filled with rage and resentment as he battles his memories of tough love from early childhood. For Medbh the middle child played by Heather Juergensen (",[486,4299,4300],{},"Kissing Jessica Stein, The Haunted Mansion)"," , her inherited fiery personality and “sharp tongue” play out as echoes of Enda’s character. The grieving process for the eldest, Catherine played by Susan Lynch (",[486,4303,4304],{},"Nora, Waking Kelly","), is one of guilt as she defends herself for being the favorite of the three. In an attempt to keep the memory of her husband positive, Moya refuses to acknowledge the details of her own painful relationship with Enda until the final moments of the film upon which she can be seen burning a book he gifted to her.",[25,4307,4308],{},"The unfolding of each member's grief and the different emotions they endure as they go through their respective processes are nothing more than exhibitions of love with nowhere to go. When someone passes, those close to them realize what they had and what they’ve lost. All the good and bad emotions are brought back up to the surface but at the end of the day, these are just different reflections of love, which is more than just a “warm romantic feeling” as Moya puts it.",[25,4310,4311],{},[3341,4312],{"alt":64,"src":4313},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F02\u002FRed-Roses-and-Petrol-One-Sheet.jpg",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4315},[],"2023-02-11","With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, one of the most prominent matters of the heart is on the forefront of minds and markets – love. When someone thinks about love, death is probably not the first thing that pops into their mind. For Moya Doyle played by Olivia Tracey (The Island, Lucky You), however, Valentine’s Day will forevermore be a reminder of her late husband Enda. In Director Tamar Hoffs award-winning film, “Red Roses and Petrol”, the story of a family dealing with their grief after the passing of their father is told to viewers through the experience of each member’s relationship to the head of their family.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol-2",{"title":4274,"description":4317},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol-2","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol-2","1QTRD2y8-EYctsibeIHLVQncSihJsyOxcZ-JiGMI0v0",{"id":4325,"title":4326,"body":4327,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4358,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4359,"navigation":71,"path":4360,"seo":4361,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4362,"stem":4363,"__hash__":4364},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famc-theatres-will-soon-charge-more-for-certain-seats-not-everyone-is-happy.md","AMC Theatres Will Soon Charge More for Certain Seats. Not Everyone is Happy.",{"type":22,"value":4328,"toc":4356},[4329,4335,4338,4341,4344,4347,4350,4353],[25,4330,236,4331],{},[47,4332,391],{"href":4333,"rel":4334},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Famc-theaters-movie-ticket-price-seat-location-1235514262\u002F",[51],[25,4336,4337],{},"It’s hardly surprising to anyone to say that theaters have been struggling for quite some time and have become increasingly desperate to find new ways to make money. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made the whole situation worse, but even with the state of the world inching closer to something resembling normalcy, as well as blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” bringing in respectively large crowds, theaters haven’t been able to sell quite enough tickets to their liking. Making a profit in an age where going out to one’s local cineplex is becoming somewhat less desirable is far from an easy feat, but it’s perhaps that desire to bring in more revenue that might be one of the major problems to begin with. With the average American ticket price ranging anywhere between $10 and $15, perhaps even more depending on the location\u002Fformat in which a given film is presented in (e.g. IMAX or Real-D 3-D), on top of the alarmingly high costs of popcorn and other concessions, many people aren’t as willing to see a film on the big screen if it isn’t some kind of major must-see event. From a theater owner’s perspective, these high prices do make sense - they only make so much from selling tickets (as a bulk of the revenue goes to the studios), so concessions are more heavily relied on to make a profit - but not so much for a casual filmgoer who may only be inclined to pay so much money occasionally. For many theater chains, this predicament is a double-edged sword: finding a way to increase revenue is necessary to stay in business, but the wrong strategy could discourage audiences and cause sales to drop even lower than before. This is a dilemma that AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest theater chain at the moment, may have to contend with after announcing a bold new strategy that many are already crying foul over.",[25,4339,4340],{},"The strategy in question is one called Sightline at AMC, which will use the location within a given auditorium to determine the price of a single ticket. In a manner similar to other entertainment venues like sports stadiums and concerts, AMC intends to divide each auditorium into specific sections and charger either a higher or lower price depending on which is seen as the more desirable seating for watching a film on the big screen. According to AMC, there will be three different pricing options to choose from: Standard Sightline, which is designated to the seats that are described as “the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket”; Value Sightline, described as “seats in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium, and are available at a lower price than standard sightline seats” (this option will only be available to those who are part of AMC’s Stubs membership program); and Preferred Sightline, which refers to “the seats in the middle of the auditorium and are priced at a premium to standard sightline seats”, even though AMC Stubs’ A-List members will not have to pay an additional cost to reserve seats here. Although Sightline at AMC is set to commence on Friday starting with select locations in New York City, Chicago, and Kansas City, the plan is currently set to be put in place at all AMC theaters within the country before the year’s end. However, the plan is only expected to apply for showings past 4:00 PM and on normal days of operation, meaning that matinee screenings and the chain’s Discount Tuesdays (when all tickets cost only $5) will not be affected by Sightline at AMC at this time.",[25,4342,4343],{},"In announcing Sightline at AMC, executive VP and CMO Eliot Hamlisch compared the strategy to that of other popular entertainment venues and claimed that it will allow filmgoers to find greater value in the cinematic experience. “While every seat at AMC delivers an amazing moviegoing experience, we know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing,” Hamlisch states. “Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience, so that every trip to an AMC is a great one.”",[25,4345,4346],{},"This is far from the first time theaters have experimented with changing the ticket price for specific films and seats - AMC actually charged a dollar or two more for tickets to Warner Brothers’ “The Batman” last year, while just recently, select screenings for Paramount’s “80 for Brady” actually decreased ticket prices in an effort to attract older filmgoers that made up much of the film’s target demographic - but if implemented, Sightline at AMC will have the widest scale of any price-raising strategy yet, and unfortunately, many are already taking an issue with what they accuse of being a means in which theaters can further alienate those who were already struggling to go to their local theater on, at most, a semi-regular basis.",[25,4348,4349],{},"Among the more noteworthy critics of this new initiative is actor Elijah Woods, best known for such film series as “Happy Feet” and “The Lord of the Rings”, who spoke out on social media and condemned AMC for what he believes is an effort that will hurt lower-income filmgoers. “The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood wrote on Twitter. “This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower-income and reward for higher income.”",[25,4351,4352],{},"Joining Wood in this criticism of Sightline at AMC was John Rocha, a YouTube film critic who was far less concerned with refraining from direct and profane language in statement against the strategy. “Look, this is some classist shit. IMAX, 4DX, 3D, Screen X charging more makes sense since you’re getting the film in a new way. BUT this is not the way. Poor people, you sit in the poor section and you rich folks please move the velvet ropes around the middle section to find your seats,” Rocha claims, echoing a similar concern to Wood’s regarding Sightline’s effect on less affluent filmgoers. “However, this is not too big of a surprise to me. If you've been following me for a few years, you know that I've stated that the time is coming when tickets to a movie will be like tickets to Broadway. This is a big step in that direction.”",[25,4354,4355],{},"Will Rocha’s concerns be confirmed through the implementation of Sightline at AMC? Or will it be a beneficial experience for both theaters and audiences? Only time will tell, but the controversy generated so far serves as a solid reminder as to what can happen if businesses become too desperate to increase profits without considering a possible backlash from the public.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4357},[],"2023-02-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famc-theatres-will-soon-charge-more-for-certain-seats-not-everyone-is-happy",{"title":4326,"description":194},"amc-theatres-will-soon-charge-more-for-certain-seats-not-everyone-is-happy","blog\u002Famc-theatres-will-soon-charge-more-for-certain-seats-not-everyone-is-happy","iNAvqsO9ZcY9d2DydvNMsyledegRdiqC7n3PX8C7yTM",{"id":4366,"title":4367,"body":4368,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4400,"description":4401,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4402,"navigation":71,"path":4403,"seo":4404,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4405,"stem":4406,"__hash__":4407},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdespite-controversy-academy-will-not-retract-andrea-riseboroughs-best-actress-nomination.md","Despite Controversy, Academy Will Not Retract Andrea Riseborough’s Best Actress Nomination",{"type":22,"value":4369,"toc":4398},[4370,4377,4380,4383,4386,4389,4392,4395],[25,4371,236,4372],{},[47,4373,4376],{"href":4374,"rel":4375},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vanityfair.com\u002Fhollywood\u002F2023\u002F01\u002Fthe-academy-andrea-riseborough-oscar-nomination-to-leslie-awards-insider",[51],"Vanity Fair",[25,4378,4379],{},"Whenever the nominations for the Academy Awards (or any major film award ceremony for that matter) are announced to the public, there’s almost a guarantee that the films and individuals named will lead to some kind of backlash in one way or another. Sometimes it’s because a name that many felt should have been a surefire inclusion was somehow left out in a given category, while other times a name that many didn’t think deserved such a presence ended up there anyways (in many instances actually, both of these reasons can apply). This year has proven to be no exception; when the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were revealed on Tuesday, January 24th, several voices made their opinions known regarding their disappointment, if not outrage, over who and what had (or had not) been announced. Many people, for example, expressed great frustration over the lack of women in the Best Director category despite such names as Sarah Polley for “Women Talking” and Charlotte Wells for “Aftersun” being among those most discussed for a potential nomination. Others, meanwhile, made their bafflement over films like “RRR” receiving very little, if any, nominations despite their overwhelming popularity wth critics and audiences (the aforementioned Telugu-language film only received a Best Original Song for the song “Naatu Naatu”, even though many had been hoping for it to break into the Best Picture category among others).",[25,4381,4382],{},"Then there is the category of Best Actress, which has proven to be perhaps the biggest source of controversy due to who was (or was not) nominated. Granted, some of the nominees, including Cate Blanchett for “Tar” and Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, were expected to appear in this category, and many analysts have predicted either one of these two actors to take the prize on March 12th. The same cannot be so easily said for the other three nominees though; Michelle Williams’ performance in “The Fabelmans”, though well received, has been deemed by many to be more fitting of a Best Supporting Actress nomination, while the nomination of Ana de Armas’ portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in “Blonde” has proven to be baffling for many given the film’s generally negative reception. Neither of these nominations, however, match the bizarre controversy that has surrounded the fifth nominee in this category, that of Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie”, one that ultimately led to an internal investigation within the Academy.",[25,4384,4385],{},"All things considered, the independent drama would probably not have received much attention from the Academy, let alone an official nomination, under normal circumstances. First premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival last March before receiving a limited theatrical release in October from distributor Momentum Pictures, “To Leslie” initially left very little impression at the box office, earning just over $27,000 in ticket sales. In theory, this should have made its chances of an Oscar nomination all but impossible, so how did Andrea Riseborough’s performance in the film wind up in the Best Actress category? As is often the case with most unexpected success stories nowadays, social media was a significant factor, with notable celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Edward Norton vouching for the film and Riseborough on their respective platforms and encouraging Academy voters to take the film into serious consideration. It’s a far from the heavily financed and marketed campaigns that often come about when most studios attempt to sway voters into nominating whatever films they’re pushing to receive awards recognition, with many of the campaign’s supporters describing at a “grassroots effort” that opted to use whatever celebrity connections it had rather than spend more money than it had on screenings, advertisements, or other promotional strategies.",[25,4387,4388],{},"As questionable as these methods are, none of them seemed to go too far against the Academy’s rules for campaigning, but there soon reached a point where a look into the campaign for “To Leslie” did start to raise some eyebrows. Among the questionable “social media tactics” cited by the Academy were those of Frances Fisher, who, in her promotion of the film, was said to have not simply praised Riseborough’s performance, but also encouraged her fellow Academy voters to turn their attention away from “locks” like Danielle Deadwyler for “Till” and Viola Davis for “The Woman King” so that Riseborough could receive greater focus.",[25,4390,4391],{},"Academy rules state that “any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or title is expressly forbidden”, so Fisher supposedly broke these rules through her endorsement of Riseborough and her dismissal of Deadwyler and Davis, neither of which ended up in the Best Actress category despite their “locks”. The absence of both David and Deadwyler has in fact made Riseborough’s nomination all the more controversial, with many accusing the Academy of overlooking the acclaimed performances of two black actresses in favor of a white woman’s comparatively obscure performance.",[25,4393,4394],{},"In spite of all the controversy and backlash, has the “To Leslie” campaign done anything that makes its nomination deserving of a retraction? According to the Academy, it has not, with CEO Bill Kramer releasing a statement claiming that “the Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded”, thereby permitting Riseborough’s nomination to remain in place. Kramer did, however, note the questionable nature of the social media tactics used to promote the film, and that such concerns would be addressed as the Academy pushes to make sure that such campaigns remain fair and ethical. “Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning,” Kramer claims. “These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership. The Academy strives to create an environment where votes are based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible films and achievements.”",[25,4396,4397],{},"In the end, all the fuss surrounding “To Leslie” and leading actress Andrea Riseborough may not have deprived them of their Academy Award nomination, but it could very well change the relationship between awards voting and social media as it currently known.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4399},[],"2023-02-04","Source: Vanity Fair",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdespite-controversy-academy-will-not-retract-andrea-riseboroughs-best-actress-nomination",{"title":4367,"description":4401},"despite-controversy-academy-will-not-retract-andrea-riseboroughs-best-actress-nomination","blog\u002Fdespite-controversy-academy-will-not-retract-andrea-riseboroughs-best-actress-nomination","l7jiSD-z_ldlmAiND1eMhFftSl0n1q2HZAfTGykE-sY",{"id":4409,"title":4410,"body":4411,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4440,"description":4441,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4442,"navigation":71,"path":4443,"seo":4444,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4445,"stem":4446,"__hash__":4447},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-with-eleven-nominations.md","Oscars 2023: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Leads with Eleven Nominations",{"type":22,"value":4412,"toc":4438},[4413,4420,4423,4426,4429,4432,4435],[25,4414,236,4415],{},[47,4416,4419],{"href":4417,"rel":4418},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002Flive\u002F2023\u002F01\u002F24\u002Fmovies\u002Foscar-nominations-academy-awards",[51],"The New York Times",[25,4421,4422],{},"It’s been nearly a century since the Academy Awards were first held and established as perhaps the biggest event of the year for the American film industry. Since its inception in 1927, the Academy Awards (or Oscars as they have become more frequently known), held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have maintained a reputation for honoring what they consider to be the best that cinema has to offer within a given year, and while not all films that are given an Oscar are able to stand the test of time, those that do are still widely hailed as some of the greatest cinematic works ever created. This year marks the 95th Academy Awards, and while nobody can say for sure how must lasting power any of the nominated films will have in the long run, there’s still plenty of buzz surrounding a select number of works and their potential to achieve at least one major accolade during the upcoming ceremony on Sunday, March 12th. It was only just recently though - Tuesday, January 24th to be precise - that the nominations for the upcoming event were revealed, most of which appear to paint a fairly solid picture as to what could end up taking home the biggest prizes of the evening.",[25,4424,4425],{},"Continuing the success streak that began all the way back in April 2022 with an unexpectedly strong long-term performance at the box office (and so far shows no signs of slowing down) is A24’s absurdist comedy-drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which became the most nominated film of the year with a total of eleven Academy Award nominations. These include Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for writers\u002Fdirectors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, two Best Supporting Actress nods for Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, Best Original Score for Son Lux, Best Original Song for the song “This is a Life” and its writers Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing. While having the most nominations does not necessarily guarantee that it will win in all these categories or even be a lock for Best Picture (in fact, the Best Picture award has often not gone to the most nominated film), many experts believe that it is almost impossible for the film to go home with at the very least one award, especially given how prominent the film is throughout many of the most noteworthy categories.",[25,4427,4428],{},"If “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is going to win Best Picture though, it will only do so after experiencing some tough competition from the other nominees, many of which have also scored their fair share of nominations. Two films, for example, are tied for second place in terms of overall nominations; the first of these is Searchlight Pictures’ “The Banshees of Inisherin”, which previously beat “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the most recent Golden Globes by taking home the prize for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. Despite securing two less nominations, the film nonetheless maintains a solid position as a major frontrunner; not only is it also a Best Picture nominee, but Martin McDonagh has also earned spots in both the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories, as have Colin Farrell for Best Actor, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for Best Supporting Actor, Kerry Condon for Best Supporting Actress, Carter Burwell for Best Original Score, and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for Best Film Editing.",[25,4430,4431],{},"Also garnering nine Academy Award nominations was Germany’s “All Quiet on the Western Front”, which received global distribution from Netflix. Recent years have seen the Oscars dedicate much attention and nominations to at least one film made outside the United States (the most successful being 2019’s “Parasite”, which actually ended up winning Best Picture the following year), and the large number of categories “All Quiet on the Western Front” can be found in is further evidence of this trend. It is yet another Best Picture nominee, and has also received nods for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, and of course, Best International Feature Film. Judging by these specific categories, a win for Best International Feature is all but guaranteed for the German anti-war epic, as are at least one or two wins in the technical categories.",[25,4433,4434],{},"Technical awards are an area where another Best Picture nominee, Warner Brothers’ music biopic “Elvis”, could very easily acquire at least one Oscar before the night’s end, as it will be competing in a total of eight categories, which include Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and most notably, Best Actor for Austin Butler. Right behind “Elvis” is yet another Best Picture nominee, Universal’s “The Fabelmans”, with a total of seven nominations. Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiography have unsurprisingly proven popular among Academy voters, as the director has also earned nods for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (the latter he shares with Tony Kushner), while actors Michelle Williams and Judd Hirsch were recognized in the categories of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively for their performances in the film, and nods for Best Original Score and Best Production Design were also earned.",[25,4436,4437],{},"Apart from the five films previously mentioned, five other films were nominated for Best Picture and several other different categories. These are Focus Features’ drama “Tar” and Paramount’s blockbuster sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” (both of which earned six Oscar nominations each), 20th Century Studio’s sci-fi sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” (which earned four nominations in total), the Swedish\u002FGerman\u002FFrench\u002FBritish co-production “Triangle of Sadness” (nominated for three awards overall), and United Artists’ “Women Talking” (also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay). Could any of these films pull off a surprise Best Picture win, or will the Academy opt to give the prize to a more heavily nominated feature? Only on March 12th when the Oscars take place will anybody know for sure, but for the time being, one can only appreciate what has already been achieved by the films nominated.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4439},[],"2023-01-27","Source: The New York Times",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foscars-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-with-eleven-nominations",{"title":4410,"description":4441},"oscars-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-with-eleven-nominations","blog\u002Foscars-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-with-eleven-nominations","uUCQa9yiaXkJ63gTTvCjv69JjgEeGRa6b0sfdawdBHs",{"id":4449,"title":4450,"body":4451,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4479,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4480,"navigation":71,"path":4481,"seo":4482,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4483,"stem":4484,"__hash__":4485},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-top-honors.md","Critics Choice Awards 2023: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Wins Top Honors",{"type":22,"value":4452,"toc":4477},[4453,4459,4462,4465,4468,4471,4474],[25,4454,236,4455],{},[47,4456,538],{"href":4457,"rel":4458},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2023\u002F01\u002F2023-critics-choices-awards-winners-list-1235221917\u002F",[51],[25,4460,4461],{},"Compared to the more well-known and prestigious Academy Awards and even the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards are a more recent addition to the vast number of ceremonies that make up the film awards circuit. First established in 1996 and referred to as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the event is held each year by the American-Canadian Film Critics Choice Association, an organization made up of several online, radio and television critics who specialize in the medium of film. The ceremony may be relatively young compared to its more popular contemporaries, but in recent years, the Critics Choice Awards have started to gain a considerably greater amount of attention, especially since it first began airing on network television (this year on the CW). Part of this can be attributed to how accurate of a predictor the event has become for the forthcoming Oscars, as many of the winners who earn a prize at the Critics Choice Awards have gone on to win the exact same prize at the Oscars. If that trend continues, then the results of this year’s ceremony, the 28th Critic Choice Awards, should provide a somewhat accurate picture of what the upcoming Academy Awards might look like.",[25,4463,4464],{},"Coming into the ceremony with a total of fourteen nominations, a record total achieved only by three films prior (2017’s “The Shape of Water”, 2018’s “The Favourite”, and 2019’s “The Irishman”), A24’s absurdist comedy-drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, wound up taking home a total of five accolades by the end of the night, more than any other film honored that evening. Not only was the film named Best Picture, but Kwan and Scheinert also received prizes for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Ke Huy Quan won for Best Supporting Actor and Paul Rogers won for Best Editing. Despite losing out the award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy to “The Banshees of Inisherin”, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has remained a prominent frontrunner in the Best Picture Oscar race for several months now, and while the Critics Choice Awards have not always been the most accurate predictor in this specific category (in the past ten years, only five of the Critics Choice winners ended up being named Best Picture at the Oscars), this win nonetheless increases the likeliness of the film Kwan and Scheinert have crafted taking the industry’s most sought-after accolade.",[25,4466,4467],{},"Coming in second place with a total of two wins overall, there were four other films tying for the runner-up spot. Angela Bassett was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, a film that had also been awarded with Best Costume Design (a prize that its predecessor, 2018’s “Black Panther” has also received just four years prior). Another prominent sequel, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, won awards for Best Acting Ensemble and Best Comedy (two awards that do not have specific equivalents at the Academy Awards), while the Indian epic action-drama “RRR” was named Best Foreign Language Film and its song “Naatu Naatu” was announced as Best Song. Finally, there is Todd Field’s “Tar”, for which Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress prize and Hildur Gudnadottir won for Best Score. Outside of those previously mentioned, there were two other acting prizes out handed out at the Critics Choice Awards that evening. The award for Best Young Actor\u002FActress went to Gabriel LaBelle for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiography “The Fabelmans”, while Best Actor went to Brendan Fraser for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s drama “The Whale.",[25,4469,4470],{},"Elsewhere throughout the ceremony, there were a decent number of other films that managed to leave with a single award and nothing more. Sarah Polley and her film “Women Talking” won the Critics Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Claudio Miranda won the award for Best Cinematography for his work on the action sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”. Best Production Design went to Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino for their work on the historical epic “Babylon”, Baz Luhrmann’s music biopic “Elvis” received a prize for Best Hair and Makeup, and “Avatar: The Way of Water” was honored with the award for Best Visual Effects. Finally, there was the award for Best Animated Feature, which went to “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”.",[25,4472,4473],{},"Interestingly, Martin McDonagh’s historical comedy-drama “The Banshees of Inisherin”, which went into the ceremony with nine nominations in total, ended up winning in none of the categories it was included in, despite winning many of the top honors at the recent Golden Globes. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic “The Woman King”, which had received four Critics Choice Awards nominations, also left the event empty-handed, as did Charlotte Wells’ drama “Aftersun” and Matt Reeves’ superhero film “The Batman”, both of which earned three nominations beforehand. Oliver Hermanus’ drama “Living” and Chinonye Chukwu’s biographical drama “Till”, meanwhile, each garnered two nominations, but likewise won in none of their respective categories.",[25,4475,4476],{},"Will the wins seen at the Critics Choice Awards be repeated at the Academy Awards taking place on March 12th? If what has happened so far and elsewhere throughout the awards circuit is any indication, there’s a strong chance that they will in some cases, but might not in other cases. There are still many more major events to keep an eye on - not only are the Screen Actors Guild Awards, perhaps the most well-known of the guild-specific awards ceremonies, set to occur on February 26th, but the yet-to-be-announced Academy Awards nominations are currently expected to be revealed next week on January 24th. How these events compare to the Critics Choice Awards is at the moment uncertain, but there’s little doubt that the comparisons will be quite fascinating regardless of what happens.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4478},[],"2023-01-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-top-honors",{"title":4450,"description":557},"critics-choice-awards-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-top-honors","blog\u002Fcritics-choice-awards-2023-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-top-honors","Uy_QmhdGUcX587G4W70krXDROfp_wbtbBy3Kd-VNEBY",{"id":4487,"title":4488,"body":4489,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4522,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4523,"navigation":71,"path":4524,"seo":4525,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4526,"stem":4527,"__hash__":4528},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2023-the-fabelmans-the-banshees-of-inisherin-take-top-prizes.md","Golden Globes 2023: “The Fabelmans”, “The Banshees of Inisherin” Take Top Prizes",{"type":22,"value":4490,"toc":4520},[4491,4497,4504,4507,4510,4517],[25,4492,236,4493],{},[47,4494,391],{"href":4495,"rel":4496},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2023\u002Fawards\u002Fawards\u002Fgolden-globes-2023-winners-list-1235480125\u002F",[51],[25,4498,4499,4500,4503],{},"This year’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony certainly had a lot to contend with, not just the usual issues that tend to arise when putting together a major event dedicated to honoring the best films and television of the previous year, but also the great amount of controversy surrounding the very organization putting it all together. With this being the Golden Globes’ return to television after NBC refused to air the previous year’s ceremony, the result of accusations that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) had a significant lack of diversity within its membership, the event was seen by many as not merely a comeback, but an attempt to win back the approval of those who had become disillusioned with the Golden Globes. Host Jerrod Charmichael himself referenced the HPFA’s inclusivity issues during his opening monologue; “I’m here because I’m Black,” he joked. “I won’t say they ",[364,4501,4502],{},"are"," a racist organization… but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died, so do with that information what you will.”. There was also the matter of holding the event on Tuesday, January 10th, as opposed to the usual Sundays on which past Golden Globes took place, due to scheduling conflicts NBC had with Sunday Night Football and to avoid competition with the College Football Playoff National Championship game that took place the Monday before. Needless to say, there were plenty of challenges (some greater than others) the Golden Globes had to overcome in order to put on a halfway decent event, but in the end, that’s exactly what was achieved, and looking at the films and individuals who were honored throughout the evening, one might be able to get a solid sense of things to come.",[25,4505,4506],{},"With a total of three prizes earned before the end of the ceremony, the night’s biggest winner was “The Banshees of Inisherin”, a comedy-drama set in 1920s Ireland directed and written by Martin McDonagh. Not only was the film awarded with the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, one of two Best Picture prizes given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but McDonagh received the prize for Best Screenplay, while leading actor Colin Farrell was named Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. The other Best Picture equivalent meanwhile, that being for Best Motion Picture - Drama, went to Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiography “The Fabelmans”, a film that had also earned the director a Golden Globe for Best Director. Both these wins place “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “The Fabelmans” as major frontrunners for the Best Picture prize at the upcoming Academy Awards, but it should be noted that neither is a surefire winner as of yet. In fact, in the past decade, only three winners of Best Motion Picture - Drama (2013’s “12 Years a Slave”, 2016’s “Moonlight”, and 2020’s “Nomadland”) and one winner for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (2018’s “Green Book”) would eventually go on to take home the Oscar for Best Picture. In other words, the Golden Globes have not been an entirely reliable predictor as to what will win at the Academy Awards.",[25,4508,4509],{},"One film that could certainly triumph over “The Fabelmans” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” is one that has built an unusually strong momentum in the months since its release to theaters, a momentum that has only further strengthened with its own two Golden Globe wins that same night. That film is “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert; despite being unable to receive the prizes for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy as hoped, the film still found a way to not leave the ceremony empty-handed. Leading actress Michelle Yeoh found herself on stage at the ceremony after being named this year’s Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her performance in the film, as did her costar Ke Huy Quan shortly after his name was read from the envelope that revealed the winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.",[25,4511,4512,4513,4516],{},"Both Yeoh and Quan are among the few actors of Asian descent to receive such major actor prizes, something that both actors acknowledged in their respective acceptance speeches. “All of you women understand this,” Yeoh stated as she reflected on how both racism and ageism served as major obstacles throughout her career. “As the days, the years and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well”. Quan, meanwhile, looked back on his early years as a child actor in films like “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and how he struggled to get acting roles in his adulthood. “No matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid,” Quan stated. “Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. ",[364,4514,4515],{},"Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert"," remembered that kid, and they gave me an opportunity to try again.”",[25,4518,4519],{},"Elsewhere in the acting categories, Cate Blanchett was named Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her performance in Todd Field’s “Tár”, while Austin Butler received the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for playing the titular character in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening though was the prize for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, given to Angela Bassett for her performance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. This marks the first instance that a Marvel Cinematic Universe film has received a Golden Globe for acting (in fact, it’s the first major award in general that an MCU film has received for acting), though Bassett’s primary concern was ensuring that her speech honored her “Black Panther” costar Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020 before they could begin filming “Wakanda Forever” together.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4521},[],"2023-01-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2023-the-fabelmans-the-banshees-of-inisherin-take-top-prizes",{"title":4488,"description":194},"golden-globes-2023-the-fabelmans-the-banshees-of-inisherin-take-top-prizes","blog\u002Fgolden-globes-2023-the-fabelmans-the-banshees-of-inisherin-take-top-prizes","ifIoY4TNaz97z5UgmwfYhB3kIJbP5e3UIQZYRQQt5Dw",{"id":4530,"title":4531,"body":4532,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":4553,"description":4536,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4554,"navigation":71,"path":4555,"seo":4556,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4557,"stem":4558,"__hash__":4559},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-emu-runner.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Emu Runner”",{"type":22,"value":4533,"toc":4551},[4534,4537,4540,4543,4546],[25,4535,4536],{},"When considering the world's indigenous populations, there seems to be less attention by the media given to groups outside of the Americas. Before colonialism, the land was tended to by a variety of indigenous communities. These communities lived in harmony with the plants and animals of their respective regions and in return, they developed connections to the land and its inhabitants. In Australia, for example, there were originally 500 different aboriginal groups that occupied the continent for up to 50,000 years. One such story that does highlight the plight of the Australian indigenous communities is the award-winning film “Emu Runner”.",[25,4538,4539],{},"The film opens by introducing an indigenous family enjoying a day at the water’s edge. The opening scene shows nine-year-old Gemma, her mother, and her sister fishing from a local creek in their rural Australian town. While fishing, Gemma’s attention is caught by a wild emu. The emu is a flightless bird that can run at speeds up to 31 miles an hour. Gemma’s mother tells Gemma that the Emu is called a Nori in their indigenous culture. She goes on to explain that she believes that all people have an animal spirit inside of them that connects them to their land and that the emu connects Gemma and her people to the land.",[25,4541,4542],{},"On their walk back from the fishing trip, Gemma’s mother collapses and passes away from what seems to be a massive heart attack. Gemma witnessing the entire tragic event is heart-broken. As the story unfolds, Gemma’s grief turns into an obsession with the emu. Viewers are repeatedly shown Gemma running back to the place where her mother died, trying to see the emu again imagining some type of connection between her beloved deceased mother and the bird. She begins stealing food to feed the emu and skipping school to visit it. It appears as if Gemma develops a deep tie to the emu in order to rekindle the bond to her late mother. Emu runner is a beautifully written movie that exemplifies the significance of keeping the stories and traditions of indigenous people intact as their legacies live on in their children. As shown by “Emu Runner,” it’s important to continue nurturing these legacies in the media for communities around the world and the overall well-being of their indigenous roots.",[25,4544,4545],{},"You can stream or download Emu Runner at vimeo.com.",[25,4547,4548],{},[3341,4549],{"alt":64,"src":4550},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F01\u002FScreen-Shot-2021-01-27-at-9.18.46-AM-e1662168965172.png",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4552},[],"2023-01-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-emu-runner",{"title":4531,"description":4536},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-emu-runner","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-emu-runner","V15lINdg1rgCvCswIkMxpd5LnlnCsRDqK3pf1_SFYPY",{"id":4561,"title":4562,"body":4563,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4591,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4592,"navigation":71,"path":4593,"seo":4594,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4595,"stem":4596,"__hash__":4597},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Favatar-underperforms-at-chinese-box-office-falls-victim-to-nations-covid-spike.md","“Avatar” Underperforms at Chinese Box Office, Falls Victim to Nation’s COVID Spike",{"type":22,"value":4564,"toc":4589},[4565,4571,4574,4577,4580,4583,4586],[25,4566,236,4567],{},[47,4568,279],{"href":4569,"rel":4570},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fchina-box-office-avatar-2-below-tracking-1235284398\u002F",[51],[25,4572,4573],{},"In any other situation, an opening weekend gross of $134 million domestically and $441 million worldwide would be a sure sign of success, especially considering only a small handful of films this year have gotten anywhere near these totals. James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water”, the sequel to his insanely popular 2009 film “Avatar”, is no ordinary film however; said to have cost anywhere between $350 and $450 million (making it easily one of the most expensive film productions of all time), Cameron himself alleged that the film needed to become one of the highest grossing films of all time in order to at least break even. At least in terms of domestic grosses, “Avatar” has so far failed to live up to those expectations, falling short of the $150-$175 million it had been predicted to earn over its opening weekend. With all that said, nobody has yet to call the film an outright failure yet; the original “Avatar” opened to a (comparatively) meager $77 million back in December 2009 before legging out to a total of $760 domestically and becoming the highest-grossing film in the nation, and that’s on top of the several millions more made overseas that helped the film take the title of highest-grossing film worldwide. Many analysts are predicting a similar pattern to occur for “Avatar: The Way of Water”, which they believe will take advantage of the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, as well as the lack of any major competition until the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in February, and develop strong legs throughout the coming weeks.",[25,4575,4576],{},"There’s also much attention being paid to the film’s performance outside North America, where it has so far made over twice as much as its domestic gross and will likely depend further on international sales in order to inch closer to a profit. Even that situation, however, has already shown to have some drawbacks, the most notable being the film’s performance so far in China, which has recently become one of the most lucrative film-going markets over the past few years. China was one nation where the original “Avatar” had generated a solid portion of its record-breaking grosses; in fact, a recent re-release in the nation allowed the film to reclaim its title as highest-grossing film worldwide from “Avengers: Endgame”, which managed to briefly outsell the film for a short time after its release in 2019. Given these events, as well as the fact that “Avatar: The Way of Water” has been one of the only Hollywood productions to secure a theatrical release in the country as of lately, one would think that the Middle Kingdom would be just as welcoming of its sequel; that doesn’t appear to be the case so far, but that might not entirely be the film’s fault.",[25,4578,4579],{},"Initial pre-sales and estimations originally anticipated that “Avatar: The Way of Water” would earn a weekend gross of well over $100 million in China, but by the end of the three-day period, the film had only earned roughly half of that predicted total, specifically around $57.1 million. Why such an underwhelming gross? Experts have cited a recent re-emergence of COVID-19 in Beijing and various other Chinese metropolitan markets. “China’s theatrical industry continues to labor under the impact of COVID, with significant impact to original estimates,” claims Rance Pow, whose company Artisan Gateway serves as a box office consultancy for the region. “This includes what may be a reluctance of people to return in force to public spaces, including cinemas — ironically, as COVID policies become more adaptable to local conditions.”",[25,4581,4582],{},"Another factor that may have hindered the box office performance of “Avatar”, and not just in China, is its long running time of well over three hours. Not only does this make it more difficult for theaters to offer as many different showtimes as possible, but for some film-goers, such an extensive length might be a bit too overwhelming. Granted, a run time of over three-hours is not an immediate deal breaker; both “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” and the aforementioned “Avengers: Endgame” both last for well over three hours, and both continue to rank high as some of the biggest cinematic money-makers of all time. Both those films, however, were immediate follow-ups that had come out just under a year after their respective predecessors. “Avatar: The Way of Water” arrived in theaters nearly thirteen years after the original “Avatar”, so for some, a three-hour running time to a sequel they saw over a decade ago (and might not even be that eager to see) might be more discouraging than encouraging. If China continues to take drastic measures in response to its latest COVID spike, then “Avatar 2‘s long runtime may work against it”, Pow claims.",[25,4584,4585],{},"Having said all that, there are some signs that “Avatar” could still pick up steam throughout China over the next few weeks. For one thing, social media scores on local sites like Maoyan and Douban indicate generally favorable reception from those who have managed to see the film. Also, $15.8 million of the weekend gross (about 27% of the overall total) was earned from the nation’s 735 IMAX screens, making the number the fourth highest-grossing opening for an IMAX release in China. “Avatar” was specifically designed for viewing in the largest theater format possible, so if it can continue to draw in audiences with its promise of the most thrilling viewing experience possible, the IMAX format could continue to serve as a major advantage.",[25,4587,4588],{},"Will the resurgence of COVID in China hinder the ability for “Avatar: The Way of Water” to make a respectable profit? Things aren’t looking great ideal at the moment, but as the original “Avatar” proved when it first came out, perhaps waiting things out will prove to be most advantageous in the long run.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4590},[],"2022-12-25",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Favatar-underperforms-at-chinese-box-office-falls-victim-to-nations-covid-spike",{"title":4562,"description":298},"avatar-underperforms-at-chinese-box-office-falls-victim-to-nations-covid-spike","blog\u002Favatar-underperforms-at-chinese-box-office-falls-victim-to-nations-covid-spike","iMSFA1Y9l3Mx_cIR2OrT1z2O0NtBX-jfgQ3BaV4BRbI",{"id":4599,"title":4600,"body":4601,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4633,"description":2880,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4634,"navigation":71,"path":4635,"seo":4636,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4637,"stem":4638,"__hash__":4639},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-the-banshees-of-inisherin-leads-with-eight-nominations.md","Golden Globes 2022: “The Banshees of Inisherin” Leads with Eight Nominations",{"type":22,"value":4602,"toc":4631},[4603,4609,4612,4615,4618,4621,4624],[25,4604,236,4605],{},[47,4606,2858],{"href":4607,"rel":4608},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nbcnews.com\u002Fpop-culture\u002Fawards\u002Fgolden-globes-nominations-banshees-inisherin-tops-film-categories-rcna60343",[51],[25,4610,4611],{},"To say that the Golden Globe Awards, one of the most well-known annual awards ceremonies in the entertainment industry, has had difficulty with public relations as of lately would be a bit of an understatement. After a 2020 report from The Los Angeles Times alleged that the Golden Globes founder, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), had been responsible for a variety of breaches in ethics, including the noticeable absence of black voting members in the organization since 2002, there was an almost immediate and significant backlash, so much so that NBC, the television network that had been airing the Golden Globes each year for the past several years, had opted not to air its previous ceremony. This ultimately led to last year’s event being held privately, one that was attended only by a small number of guests and had the winners announced through social media. In the time since though, the HFPA has managed to fix many of its mistakes, or at least enough of them to win back the support of NBC. After making considerable efforts to diversify the organization’s membership and those participating in Golden Globes voting, NBC agreed to reinstate the telecast. As a result, the 80th Golden Globes are currently expected to be handed out on Tuesday, January 10th, 2023 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, the favored venue for many of the past Golden Globes ceremonies. In the meantime though, all that is now known are the films and individuals nominated, a line-up that was only just recently announced on Monday, December 12th, 2022.",[25,4613,4614],{},"Among the various films nominated in the Golden Globes’ many film-centric categories, Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” leads with a total of eight nominations, the most notable being Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. The film, a black comedy revolving around the deteriorating friendship between two drinking buddies living in 1920s Ireland, also earned McDonagh nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay, while also securing nods for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Colin Farrell), two for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture (Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan), Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Kerry Condon), and Best Original Score.",[25,4616,4617],{},"Trailing right behind “The Banshees of Inisherin” in terms of overall nominations is Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which became a surprise breakout hit in April of this year and has only increased its momentum in the time since. It’s easily the biggest competition “Banshees” will have to contend with during the Golden Globes and later on throughout awards season; not only is the film also nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, but both Daniels will also be vying for Best Director and Best Screenplay, pitting it directly against McDonagh and his film. Elsewhere, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has also picked up nods for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture (Ke Huy Quan), and Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Jamie Lee Curtis).",[25,4619,4620],{},"As one might easily guess, the category for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy will likely be the most heated race of the ceremony, especially considering how both “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” have recently been eyed as potential Best Picture frontrunners at the upcoming Academy Awards. Apart from those two though, the category has also chosen the following films as its nominees: Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon”, which has also earned nods for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Diego Calva), Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Margot Robbie), Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Brad Pitt), and Best Original Score; Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, for which its lead Daniel Craig was also nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy; and Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sadness”, for which Dolly de Leon received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.",[25,4622,4623],{},"With all that said, one shouldn’t overlook the Golden Globes’ other most prestigious accolade, Best Motion Picture - Drama. Here, one will find two major blockbuster sequels, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” (also nominated for Best Director) and Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” (also nominated in the category of Best Original Song for the song “Hold My Hand”), as well as another relatively successful box office hit, Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”, which also secured nominations for Best Director and Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Austin Butler). Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” also picked up a nomination for Best Motion Picture - Drama alongside four other nods for Best Director, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (Michelle Williams), Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Finally, there is the last film nominated in this category, Todd Field’s “Tár”, which also earned nods for Best Screenplay and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (Cate Blanchett).",[25,4625,4626,4627,4630],{},"There’s little doubt that all the films and people mentioned here are worthy of praise and admiration, but whether they’ll be enough for the Golden Globes to rebuild their reputation remains to be seen, and is far from a certainty at this point. Even ignoring all the controversy that has surrounded the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the past couple years, Hollywood awards shows in general have suffered from declining ratings due to decreasing interest from younger audiences. The presence of such popular films as “Top Gun: Maverick” in some of the categories might help alleviate this issue to some degree, but there’s a strong chance that more will have to be done in order for the ceremony to receive generally positive reception from critics and viewers. Still, the HPFA is optimistic about what’s to come, with its president Helen Hoehne describing the show’s most recent host, the Emmy winning comedian Jerrod Carmichael, as having “comedic talents ",[364,4628,4629],{},"that"," have entertained and thrilled audiences while providing thought-provoking moments that are so important in the times we live”.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4632},[],"2022-12-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-the-banshees-of-inisherin-leads-with-eight-nominations",{"title":4600,"description":2880},"golden-globes-2022-the-banshees-of-inisherin-leads-with-eight-nominations","blog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-the-banshees-of-inisherin-leads-with-eight-nominations","HN9KhN3TggXCvuwTnMbhNiVfFN9rBE3n5ZsHL6VZtYQ",{"id":4641,"title":4642,"body":4643,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4674,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4675,"navigation":71,"path":4676,"seo":4677,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4678,"stem":4679,"__hash__":4680},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Faftersun-dominates-british-independent-film-awards-with-seven-total-wins.md","“Aftersun” Dominates British Independent Film Awards with Seven Total Wins",{"type":22,"value":4644,"toc":4672},[4645,4651,4654,4657,4660,4663,4666,4669],[25,4646,236,4647],{},[47,4648,279],{"href":4649,"rel":4650},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fbifa-2022-winners-aftersun-best-film-1235274080\u002F",[51],[25,4652,4653],{},"It was only just recently that the Gotham Independent Film Awards, an event held by the United States-based Gotham Film & Media Institute, took place as it has nearly every year since its existence and awarded a select number of independently produced features be awarded with any of its cherished accolades. Less than a week later, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, another organization dedicated to the appreciation of independent filmmaking, the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), held its own awards ceremony, one of many to be held annual since its inception in 1998, to honor the best independent cinema, specifically that made within the United Kingdom. It all took place in London’s Old Billingsgate Market on December 4th, with actor Ben Bailey Smith serving as the event’s host as one winner after another was announced in each included category. As one might have anticipated, several films were honored throughout the night, but by the ceremony’s end, there was one clear winner above all others, as evidenced by its collection of more BIFA prizes than any other film nominated.",[25,4655,4656],{},"With a total of sixteen nominations prior to the beginning of the ceremony, it was more or less expected that Charlotte Wells’ drama “Aftersun”, which had broken out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was picked up by distributor A24, would be the big winner, and while it ended up receiving less than half of the awards it was nominated for, it still took home more than any other film. Not only was the film about a complicated father-daughter relationship named Best British Independent Film, the BIFA’s equivalent of a Best Picture award, but Charlotte Wells was also honored with three awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. Gregory Oke, meanwhile, received the award for Best Cinematography for his work on the film, and Blair McClendon was honored with the prize for Best Editing, as was Lucy Bright through her Best Music Supervision win. In addition to these wins, “Aftersun” had also been nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance (Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal), Breakthrough Performance (Frankie Corio), Best Debut Screenwriter (Charlotte Wells), Best Casting (Lucy Pardee), Best Costume Design (Frank Gallacher), Best Make-Up and Hair Design (Oya Aygor and Murat Cagin), Best Original Score (Oliver Coates), Best Production Design (Bailur Turan), and Best Sound (Jovan Adjer and Vijay Rathinam).",[25,4658,4659],{},"Coming in second in terms of overall wins and nominations was Georgia Oakley’s debut feature “Blue Jean”, which centers around the double life of a young school teacher. Having received thirteen nominations prior to the ceremony, the film ended up taking home four BIFAs for Best Leading Performance, which went to Rosy McEwen; Best Supporting Performance, going to Kerry Hayes; Best Debut Screenwriter, which Oakley herself received; and Best Casting, which was accepted by Shaheen Baig. “Blue Jean” also received nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Debut Director (all Georgia Oakley), Best Supporting Performance (Lucy Halliday), Breakthrough Performance (Rosy McEwen), Best Editing (Izabella Curry), Breakthrough Producer (Helene Sifre), and Best Ensemble Performance (Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes, Lucy Halliday, Lydia Page, Stacy Abalogun, Farrah Cave, and Amy Booth-Steel).",[25,4661,4662],{},"In the category of Best Joint Lead Performance, which is given to two actors rather than one like all the other acting categories, Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance were awarded for their roles in “The Silent Twins”, while Safia Oakley-Green received the BIFA for Breakthrough Performance for her appearance in “The Origin”. Best Ensemble Performance, meanwhile, went to “Our River… Our Sky” and was given to cast members Zainab Joda, Darina Al Joundi, Amed Hashimi, Mahmoud Abo Al Abbas, Basim Hajar, Labwa Arab, Meriam Abbas and Siham Mustafa.",[25,4664,4665],{},"Winning both documentary categories was “Nothing Compares”, which presents the life of popular singer Sinéad O’Connor, taking home the prizes for Best Documentary Feature and Best Debut Director - Feature Documentary, the latter being accepted by director Kathryn Ferguson, who drew much applause during her acceptance speeches of these awards.“There need to be a million more Sinéads out there in the world right now”, Ferguson stated, referencing the risks the popular took throughout her career. The BIFA for Best International Independent Feature, meanwhile, went to Norway’s “The Worst Person in the World” and its director Joachim Trier, who urged the audience to dismiss the increasingly popular belief that “independent film was dying” in his acceptance speech.",[25,4667,4668],{},"Not all the awards handed out during the evening were of a competitive nature. Samantha Morton, best known for her work in “The Walking Dead” and “Minority Report” among other works, was presented with an honor for her acting contributions to British cinema, while the Special Jury Prize, which is voted on by BIFA’s main jury, was given to the organization Open Door for its work “helping talented young people without financial support or resources gain places at leading U.K. drama schools”.",[25,4670,4671],{},"In acceptance of the former award, Morton spoke out against the challenges and harassment she faced throughout her career and called upon her fellow filmmakers to stand up to such ongoing behaviors that are far too prevalent throughout the film industry. “I got fired, many times”, Morton claimed in her description of what he had to put up with and what had happened when she stood up for herself. “So thank you, BIFA, for allowing me to be here today. When you are young and those things happen to you as an actress — those things hopefully will never happen again.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4673},[],"2022-12-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Faftersun-dominates-british-independent-film-awards-with-seven-total-wins",{"title":4642,"description":298},"aftersun-dominates-british-independent-film-awards-with-seven-total-wins","blog\u002Faftersun-dominates-british-independent-film-awards-with-seven-total-wins","kxRgDyRkyoSIbOO2181_w2nTENTyT8dlBI2qVi6bM1Y",{"id":4682,"title":4683,"body":4684,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4713,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4714,"navigation":71,"path":4715,"seo":4716,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4717,"stem":4718,"__hash__":4719},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-big-at-2022-gotham-awards.md","“Everything Everywhere All at Once” Wins Big at 2022 Gotham Awards",{"type":22,"value":4685,"toc":4711},[4686,4692,4695,4698,4701,4704],[25,4687,236,4688],{},[47,4689,279],{"href":4690,"rel":4691},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002F2022-gotham-awards-winners-full-list-1235270305\u002F",[51],[25,4693,4694],{},"What most people know as award season may not technically start offering its biggest prizes until around the start of the new year, but that isn’t stopping some organizations from already going ahead and handing out their own accolades. One such event is the Gotham Independent Film Awards (or simply Gotham Awards), the most recent of which took place on Monday, November 28th. Held this year at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City and arranged by the Gotham Film and Media Institute, a nonprofit group dedicated to independent film and located primarily within New York City (with branches extending to Seattle, Minneapolis, and other metropolitan areas in the United States), the Gotham Awards are presented annually to that year’s handful of independently produced cinema and those who have contributed to its making, having honored such individuals since the inaugural ceremony in 1991. In the more than three decades since, several acclaimed works of independent cinema have been acknowledged and appreciated by the organization holding the event, and it was only just recently that another handful of exceptional cinematic fare has been recognized.",[25,4696,4697],{},"Kicking off what could very well be an ongoing streak of Best Picture (or an association’s equivalent thereof) wins throughout the upcoming awards season is A24’s sleeper hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, an absurdist comedy-drama that has already proven to be a much greater success than even the most optimistic predictions had anticipated when it was first released to theaters. It’s been several months since the film’s limited premiere in April of this year, yet there have yet to be any signs of it slowing down any time soon. The Gotham Awards, in fact, have only increased the attention given to “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, as it was this film that the Gotham Film and Media Institute has chosen to honor with its most prestigious prize, the award for Best Feature (while also naming one of its actors, Ke Huy Quan, with the award for Outstanding Supporting Performance). Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheiner, as well as fellow producers Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca and Jonathan Wang were all named in the announcement of the film’s win, with Kwan taking to the stage to express the gratitude he and his collaborators have for this highest honor. “Right now if we’re going to endure the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years together, we’re going to have to heal that trauma collectively,” Kwan stated in his acceptance speech, alluding to one of the film’s core themes and how said themes have resonated deeply with much of its viewing audience. “We’re going to have to figure out how to open up the collective imagination and we’re going to have to figure out how to all be whole, emotionally talented, kind, resilient people.”",[25,4699,4700],{},"Before the ceremony had officially started, it was Focus Features’ “Tár” that was seen as the most prominent frontrunner, receiving five Gotham Award nominations going into the event. While it could not overcome the competition provided by “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, it did not go home empty handed either, with writer\u002Fdirector Todd Field taking home the prize for Best Screenplay. The runner-up in terms of overall nominations, another A24 film titled “Aftersun”, also managed to get through the event with a single award, as director Charlotte Wells was given the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award, a prize dedicated entirely to those making their feature directorial debuts. When it came time to present the acting prizes, Danielle Deadwyler was named the recipient of the Outstanding Leading Performance award for her portrayal of Mamie Till-Mobley in Orion Pictures’ biographical drama “Till”, while Gracija Filipovic was honored with the Breakthrough Performer award in recognition of her performance as Julija in the Kino Lorber distributed “Murina”. “All That Breathes”, meanwhile, was named as this year’s winner of the Best Documentary Feature award, while the French drama-thriller “Happening” took the prize for Best International Feature.",[25,4702,4703],{},"Competitive awards weren’t the only honors presented at this year’s Gotham Awards though, as there were also a decent number of special tributes being featured throughout the night’s event. Among the recipients of said tributes were actress Gina Prince-Bythewood, Focus Features executives Peter Kujawski and Jason Cassidy, and actress Michelle Williams, the latter of whom was given her award by Paul Dano, her costar in the recently released Steven Spielberg drama “The Fabelmans” (filling in for Spielberg, who was originally scheduled to give the award but had to step down after contracting COVID). The most poignant tribute, however, was that for the late Sidney Poitier, who passed away earlier this year and left behind an incomporable cinematic legacy. It was during this tribute that presenter Jonathan Majors announced that the Gotham Sidney Poitier Initiative had been launched, which Majors referred to as “an ambitious set of programs that aim to expand on Poitier’s legacy to support the next generation of filmmakers, through the pillars of mentorship, scholarship, project funding and career advancement”.",[25,4705,4706,4707,4710],{},"Easily the most amusing tribute of the night was that for Adam Sandler, presented by brothers Joshua and Benjamin Safdie, whose 2019 film “Uncut Gems” featured Sandler in the lead role. The Safdies spoke out about how Sandler’s comedic work had been a major inspiration for them growing up and jokingly claimed that the actor could go “toe-to-toe with Daniel Day-Lewis and Jerry Lewis”. It wasn’t until Sandler took the stage to accept his award when the most humorous moments of the ceremony began to take place; after recalling the times he had met Poitier and thought of him as “the nicest and funniest guy” (Sandler’s tribute had immediately followed Poitier’s), Sandler then delivered a speech allegedly written by his daughters. Said speech made note of how the girls would’ve liked to have been at the ceremony with their father, but had to stay home so that, as Sandler explained, they wouldn’t “spend the whole night looking for Timothée Chalamet”. While a less-than-serious jab at Ben Stiller films followed shortly afterwards (Sandler claimed that his daughters “were doing everything they can’t do when he’s at home, including “laugh",[364,4708,4709],{},"ing"," out loud at Ben Stiller movies”), it didn’t deter from the sheer love for his career and his family that Sandler had conveyed in his speech, the kind of passion that could be seen throughout the entirety of this year’s Gotham Awards.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4712},[],"2022-12-01",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-big-at-2022-gotham-awards",{"title":4683,"description":298},"everything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-big-at-2022-gotham-awards","blog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-wins-big-at-2022-gotham-awards","Koa_UsVUPJ0rtDNU6YuKB45GsJICMyV8HKZGglGTw8c",{"id":4721,"title":4722,"body":4723,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4754,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4755,"navigation":71,"path":4756,"seo":4757,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4758,"stem":4759,"__hash__":4760},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-lands-eight-nominations-at-independent-spirit-awards.md","“Everything Everywhere All at Once” Lands Eight Nominations at Independent Spirit Awards",{"type":22,"value":4724,"toc":4752},[4725,4731,4734,4737,4740,4743,4746,4749],[25,4726,236,4727],{},[47,4728,391],{"href":4729,"rel":4730},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Fawards\u002Fawards\u002F2023-independent-spirit-awards-nominations-1235438877\u002F",[51],[25,4732,4733],{},"First founded in 1984, the Independent Spirit Awards have served as a counterpart for the more popular Academy Awards that is dedicated exclusively to films produced independently or with minimal support from the studio system outside of distribution. In the nearly four decades of the ceremony’s existence, several independent films that have been honored with its various prizes have gone on to receive similar recognition at other, more prestigious events such as the aforementioned Oscars and are now regarded as classics of modern cinema, with films like “Pulp Fiction”, “Juno”, and “Get Out” being among the films honored with the Independent Spirit Awards’ top accolades and seen in today’s day and age as excellent, if not innovative, works of cinema. Every year, the Independent Spirit Awards selects a handful of films that may or may not get the same amount of attention elsewhere and give them the opportunity to receive at least some awards recognition and hopefully use that recognition to increase their chances when it comes to more well-known awards ceremonies. This year, the Independent Spirit Awards have indeed chosen to acknowledge plenty of spectacular films that, if they have not already been receiving significant awards buzz before, have likely had their chances of Academy Award nomination boosted to some degree, with one film in particular, one that has already proven to be a far greater success than most had anticipated, receiving more nominations than any other.",[25,4735,4736],{},"That film, landing a total of eight Independent Spirit Award nominations, is the A24-distributed absurd comedy-drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which currently holds the title of being the distributor’s most financially successful film to date and has a chance of further building upon its already astonishing reputation as awards season draws nearer. It’s already doing just that at the Independent Spirit Awards; not only has it landed one of the ceremony’s Best Feature nominations, but it has also been nominated in the following nominations: Best Director  and Best Screenplay for writer\u002Fdirectors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Best Lead Performance for leading actor Michelle Yeoh, two Best Supporting Performance nominations for Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan, Best Breakthrough Performance for Stephanie Hsu, and Best Editing for editor Paul Rogers. Having the most nominations may not necessarily guarantee that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will receive the most wins, but given the film’s ongoing acclaim, the odds are in its favor, and at least one win should be expected.",[25,4738,4739],{},"One films that has actually already won at least one award, specifically the Robert Altman Award (which is given to the director, casting director, and ensemble cast collectively), is Orion Pictures’ drama “Women Talking”, with those recognized with this win including director Sarah Polley, casting directors John Buchanan and Jason Knight, and (among many others) cast members Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand. It’s certainly an honor, but the one downside is that winning the award disqualifies any of its actors from being included in the Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance categories, which is why none of the film’s actors have been recognized elsewhere by the Independent Spirit Awards. On the bright side, “Women Talking” has also been nominated for Best Feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Sarah Polley, so it hasn’t been completely ignored in favor of this one honorary prize. Its potential for additional awards success will largely depend on how strong the competition from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and the other nominated films is, but if nothing else, at least “Women Talking” has the Robert Altman Award to claim as its own.",[25,4741,4742],{},"Besides the two aforementioned films, there are three other features nominated in the Best Feature category: the romantic horror “Bones and All”, which has also received nominations for Best Lead Performance for Taylor Russell and Best Supporting Performance for Mark Rylance; the horror-thriller “Our Father, the Devil”; and the drama “Tár”, which trails only “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with seven Independent Spirit Award nominations: Best Director and Best Screenplay for Todd Field, Best Lead Performance for Cate Blanchett, Best Supporting Performance for Nina Hoss, Best Cinematography for Florian Hoffmeister, and Best Editing for Monika Willi. Of the films that weren’t nominated for Best Feature, the drama “Aftersun” triumphs with a total of five nominations: Best Lead Performance for Paul Mescal, Best Breakthrough Performance for Frankie Corio, Best First Feature, Best Cinematography for Gregory Oke, and Best Editing for Blair McClendon.",[25,4744,4745],{},"Outside all the main categories, the last remaining accolade is the John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for less than a million dollars and is writer, director, and producer. Here, one can find five nominated features: “The African Desperate”, “A Love Song”, “The Cathedral”, “Holy Emy”, and “Something in the Dirt”. None of these films have been nominated elsewhere, so this will be their only opportunity to receive some recognition at the ceremony.",[25,4747,4748],{},"All of these films, as well as several others not previously mentioned, will be voted on by members of Film Independent, the organization behind the Independent Spirit Awards, with the winners expected to be announced on March 4th, 2023. Twenty-five nations have been represented by the films nominated this year, with 61% of their writers and directors being women and 34% being BIPOC; of the nominated actors, 70% are women and 27% are BIPOC. Taking all of the nominated individuals into account, 51% are women and 33% are BIPOC; these numbers may not reflect a completely diverse line-up, but it’s arguably more inclusive than past Independent Spirit Awards.",[25,4750,4751],{},"With that being said, there is plenty to appreciate about the upcoming awards ceremony. This is the first year to include the gender-inclusive Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance categories (as opposed to previous years where the award was divided into Best Lead\u002FSupporting Actor and Actress), and many of the films nominated are already being highly speculated to be major contenders at various other upcoming awards ceremonies. How much so is hard to say at the moment, but at least for the time being, there’s a good chance that they will find at least some success at the Independent Spirit Awards.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4753},[],"2022-11-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-lands-eight-nominations-at-independent-spirit-awards",{"title":4722,"description":194},"everything-everywhere-all-at-once-lands-eight-nominations-at-independent-spirit-awards","blog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-lands-eight-nominations-at-independent-spirit-awards","PxHp6K4g0509mpTpJVnB1qdOrUNc2Vgx-1URCZfGuMA",{"id":4762,"title":4763,"body":4764,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4792,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4793,"navigation":71,"path":4794,"seo":4795,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4796,"stem":4797,"__hash__":4798},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foscar-submitted-joyland-banned-in-native-pakistan-filmmakers-to-appeal-decision.md","Oscar-Submitted “Joyland” Banned in Native Pakistan, Filmmakers to Appeal Decision",{"type":22,"value":4765,"toc":4790},[4766,4772,4775,4778,4781,4784,4787],[25,4767,236,4768],{},[47,4769,391],{"href":4770,"rel":4771},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fasia\u002Fjoyland-ban-pakistan-oscar-1235431295\u002F",[51],[25,4773,4774],{},"Despite the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (previously referred to as Best Foreign Language Film) having existed since 1947 and allowed nations from all across the globe to receive some kind of recognition at a ceremony that is otherwise largely biased towards English-language films, there are still quite a few countries that have not only not won the award, but haven’t even been nominated once. Of the 133 nations that have submitted a film to be nominated at least once throughout the category’s 75 year history, only 62 of them - less than half - have succeeded in landing a nomination for a given year’s Academy Awards ceremony (with less than half of that number - 28 to be precise - ultimately winning the award with one f their films). Among the countries that have yet to be properly acknowledged by the Academy are the island nation of Indonesia, Mongolia in central Asia, and nearly the entirety of the African continent (with some exceptions like South Africa). Still, despite these shortcomings, many of these nations continue to produce films with hopes that they will one day end up being nominated for this prestigious award.",[25,4776,4777],{},"This year, for example, sees the nation of Pakistan being represented by “Joyland”, a Punjabi-language drama from writer\u002Fdirector Saim Sadiq, which became a surprise hit at the most recent Cannes International Film Festival and even took home its Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. This certainly gives it an advantage that previous Pakistani films have not been fortunate enough to receive, and it’s quite possible that it will be the nation’s first film to receive a Best International Feature Film nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards. However, in the meantime, “Joyland” must contend with an issue that has undoubtedly been frustrating for the filmmakers and those who wish to have it represent the nation of Pakistan: the government of Pakistan itself.",[25,4779,4780],{},"On November 12th, it was announced that the Pakistani government has banned “Joyland” due to it containing what they claim to be “highly questionable content”. The country’s censor board had previously granted the film a censor certificate to the film, according to the nation’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, but the decision has since been reversed, and the film is now able to be viewed publicly within Pakistan. “Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which do not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979,” states the order banning “Joyland”. “Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the Federal Government declares the feature film titled ‘Joyland’ as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinemas which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect.”",[25,4782,4783],{},"The film, centered around the youngest son of a conservative family who joins an erotic dance theater and develops a romance with the transgender starlet he works with, was originally set to be released in Pakistan on November 18th. That’s no longer the plan though, and with the Pakistani government being unwilling to grant “Joyland” any other date for release, Sadiq Saim has understandably spoken out against what he has deemed to be a “grave injustice”, one he describes as “absolutely unconstitutional and illegal”. In an Instagram post made shortly after his film’s banning, Saim called upon his country’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to review this decision and give “Joyland” an opportunity to be exhibited publicly. “The response that ‘Joyland’ has received from every corner of the world has been both humbling and energizing,” Saim’s post states. “I am thankful for all the messages on mainstream and social media in support of the film and against the decision to hinder the film’s release in its home country, which shows that Pakistani audiences are sensible and don’t want to be dictated about which film they should or should not watch”.",[25,4785,4786],{},"As Saim’s post implies, “Joyland” has fortunately been much more favorably received elsewhere in the world. Besides its aforementioned win at Cannes, the film just recently received the Young Cinema Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, a group partnered with critics’ association NETPAC and the Griffith Film School. “‘Joyland’ represents a significant new cinematic talent in Saim Sadiq from Pakistan, who has crafted a moving and entertaining drama about family in his debut feature film,” the organization claimed in a written statement released shortly after the film’s ban in Pakistan. “The Young Cinema Award Jury commends Saim Sadiq for his brave and joyous celebration of community diversity and the universality of love”. In addition, Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has signed on to be an executive producer for the film, which will definitely help “Joyland” gain further recognition throughout the international film community, a campaign that will hopefully culminate in a nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards.",[25,4788,4789],{},"In the meantime though, Saim and his fellow filmmakers are working their hardest to reverse the ban placed on their film. Though the odds may not be entirely in his favor, the young Pakistani director will not be so easily swayed by the will of his nation’s government. “A number of people have put in years and years of hard work and money behind this film and we cannot allow that to go to waste based on baseless rumors and complaints from a few individuals that have suddenly overridden the law and the system,” Saim’s Instagram post continues. “Hence as artists and filmmakers and citizens we must not sit back and we must raise our voices collectively. I urge the Pakistani Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to please review this decision and return the right of our citizens to be able to watch the film that has made their country’s cinema proud world over.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4791},[],"2022-11-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foscar-submitted-joyland-banned-in-native-pakistan-filmmakers-to-appeal-decision",{"title":4763,"description":194},"oscar-submitted-joyland-banned-in-native-pakistan-filmmakers-to-appeal-decision","blog\u002Foscar-submitted-joyland-banned-in-native-pakistan-filmmakers-to-appeal-decision","brMdNLD7P1wLy597-pc2JdnPgik-ydxrP-TthbkhTI0",{"id":4800,"title":4801,"body":4802,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4830,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4831,"navigation":71,"path":4832,"seo":4833,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4834,"stem":4835,"__hash__":4836},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fanother-strike-looming-wga-prepares-for-contract-negotiations-and-the-worst.md","Another Strike Looming? WGA Prepares for Contract Negotiations… and the Worst",{"type":22,"value":4803,"toc":4828},[4804,4810,4813,4816,4819,4822,4825],[25,4805,236,4806],{},[47,4807,538],{"href":4808,"rel":4809},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F11\u002Fwriters-guild-contract-negotiating-committee-writers-strike-fears-1235165788\u002F",[51],[25,4811,4812],{},"There have been few disruptions of the entertainment industry that have been quite as notable as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that took place between November 5th, 2007 and February 12th, 2008. During that period of time, the roughly 12,000 film and television writers that made up the WGA East and West divisions took to the streets and picketed against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the association representing the various studios operating in Hollywood and elsewhere throughout the nation. While the strike did bring productions all across the country to a standstill and cost the industry as much as $2.1 billion dollars, it did ultimately prove to be somewhat successful for the Writers Guild, earning greater jurisdiction over newer forms of media and a larger percentage of the distributors’ grosses earned through digital services. Despite this success though, many people nowadays remember the strike mainly for the negative impact it had on several films and television series being made around that time (both in terms of finances and quality). One would think that there would be a considerable effort to prevent such an event from ever happening again, but considering the rising frequency of strikes against several different industries spread throughout the country (in fact, an IATSE striker was just barely averted less than a year ago), another writers’ strike seems all but inevitable. With the most recent contract between the WGA and AMPTP set to expire next year, one may happen sooner than most might expect.",[25,4814,4815],{},"Just recently, both the WGA East and the WGA West began to set up its negotiation committee and prepare for talks with the AMPTP, appointing a total number of 24 members. These include chief negotiator and WGA West executive director David Young, co-chairs and WGA West presidents David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser, and Patric M. Verrone, who served as president of the WGA West during the previous writers’ strike. In terms of the issues that will be brought up during these upcoming meetings, fellow committee member Angelina Burnett cited a need for better minimums and over-scale compensation as being among the many talking points that she and the rest of the committee will fight for. “There seem to be more writers than ever working at or near minimum,” Burnett wrote in a statement while campaigning for a seat at the committee. “While the majority of members continue to work above minimum (aka scale), that ‘over-scale’ ceiling has lowered for all but our most successful. This downward pressure has been evident in the data for some time, but now we’re also dealing with inflation. A dollar buys less than a year ago.” Although the WGA has been able to earn a 3% increase in minimums during past contract cycles, it has not as successfully been able to raise the limit of over-scale payment, something that the guild hopes to change with their upcoming contract negotiations. “With incentives aligned, the Guild can now make a powerful move to create the conditions for a higher ceiling. We can dramatically lift the floor and double minimums across the board,” Burnett continues. “Will it take a strike? Yes. Should we consider striking for this? Yes.”",[25,4817,4818],{},"Burnett also claimed that residuals and profit participation were additional key issues that were worth going on strike for should things take a turn for the worse, alleging that the way streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max handled data made it all but impossible to properly assess how much a writer should be paid for their work on a given film or show released via a streaming platform. “Whether in collectively negotiated residuals (which fund health and pension funds across the guilds\u002F crafts),” Burnett continues, “or individually negotiated back end points, every creator and unionized person employed in film and television is cheated by this secrecy.” As far as Burnett and her fellow committee members are concerned, a strike may be necessary in order for corporations to open the black box and allow unions access to this hidden data, and that such a strike should be taken in serious consideration. “I hold a smidge of hope there are nuances here that would lead them to concede with only the threat of a strike,” Burnett adds. “I wouldn’t bet on it, though. Should we consider striking for this? Yes.”",[25,4820,4821],{},"Another WGA official who earned a place at the negotiating committee was Eric Haywood, who referred to, among other issues, an overhaul of pay and residuals from streaming, an end of free work demands, and the opportunities for lower and mid-tier writers to be involving in the shooting and post-production of films and television shows that use their scripts. “We can’t afford to hope that the multi-million-dollar corporations that produce and distribute TV shows and movies will suddenly come to their senses, realize they have ‘enough’ money in their bank accounts, and share the wealth with writers out of the goodness of their hearts,” Haywood asserted in one of his campaign statements. “To the contrary, we should expect absolutely no gains for which we aren’t prepared to fight tooth and nail. Hopefully, this won’t require a strike, but if the success of the agency campaign has taught us anything, it’s that there’s nothing we can’t accomplish with a unified membership that empowers its leadership to show no fear at the negotiating table.”",[25,4823,4824],{},"Yet another recently appointed committee member, Ashley Gable, expressed similar sentiments in her own campaign statement, emphasizing the need for writers to be more justly compensated for contributing to the increasing presence of digital media (among other major changes) in the industry. “In the upcoming negotiation, we must apply our power to put more money in writers’ pockets,” Gable states. “We must negotiate responses to the effects of vertically integrated streaming, mega-mergers, the convergence of theatrical and SVOD (subscription video on demand), shorter TV seasons, the increasingly common scourge of the mini-room and subsequent assault on TV producing fees. Writers’ pay across all platforms is being driven down to scale. We need a richer streaming residuals formula. We need script parity across all platforms. We need minimums for comedy\u002Fvariety content on SVOD.”",[25,4826,4827],{},"Can any of these objectives be achieved through negotiations alone, or will the WGA be forced to take part in yet another strike that would shut down productions across the nation? All the individuals previously mentioned (alongside other committee members such as Kay Cannon, Adam Conover, and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel) will certainly try their best to succeed in the former, but considering the overall circumstances, the latter should be anticipated to some degree.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4829},[],"2022-11-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fanother-strike-looming-wga-prepares-for-contract-negotiations-and-the-worst",{"title":4801,"description":557},"another-strike-looming-wga-prepares-for-contract-negotiations-and-the-worst","blog\u002Fanother-strike-looming-wga-prepares-for-contract-negotiations-and-the-worst","2UCt9JY9u3nTr6LnpAS9DfE2NjplFUMhoEtwC36nrdc",{"id":4838,"title":4839,"body":4840,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4876,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4877,"navigation":71,"path":4878,"seo":4879,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4880,"stem":4881,"__hash__":4882},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fterrifier-2-the-unexpected-horror-breakout-of-halloween-2022.md","“Terrifier 2”: The Unexpected Horror Breakout of Halloween 2022",{"type":22,"value":4841,"toc":4874},[4842,4848,4851,4858,4865,4868,4871],[25,4843,236,4844],{},[47,4845,391],{"href":4846,"rel":4847},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fbox-office\u002Fterrifier-2-box-office-success-1235417905\u002F",[51],[25,4849,4850],{},"Halloween has come and gone, and with it, a nationwide trend of celebrating the holiday by watching whatever horror films one can get their hands on. While many of the films watched during the Halloween season are bonafide classics like “The Shining” and the Universal Monsters franchise, others were much more recently created. In fact, a good handful of these films were just recently completed and released to theaters for the very first time, so there’s a good chance the average film-goer got into the spirit of the season by visiting their local cineplex. “Smile”, for example, was one such film that benefited greatly from the timing of its release, debuting in theaters just before October began and having since earned a total of around $92 million from domestic ticket sales (and there’s still a solid chance of it crossing the $100 million threshold by the end of its run). “Halloween Ends”, meanwhile, has accumulated roughly $60 million since its premiere in the middle of October, a smaller sum than previous entries in the “Halloween” franchise, but still enough for the film to make a profit. Then there is “Barbarian”, which came out earlier than those other horror films and had far less going for it in terms of star power and marketing, yet has still managed to generate over $40 million and more than recoup its $4.5 million budget.",[25,4852,4853,4854,4857],{},"The success of all those films, however, vastly pales in comparison compared to a horror film that, while not coming close to the amount of revenue they had received, has nonetheless performed far more impressively than anyone could have anticipated. The feats of this film, not unlike the earlier-released indie darling ",[4855,4856],"everything",{},", Everywhere All at Once”, serve as yet another reminder that the success of a film is not judged only by how much money it makes, but how much it’s able to build an audience and create strong enough buzz to attract people beyond the time of its opening. The film in question: “Terrifier 2”, a low-budget slasher film produced by the appropriately named studio Bloody Disgusting and written, directed, edited, and produced by Damien Leone. A sequel to the 2016 cult film “Terrifier” and the third feature film centered around the villainous Art the Clown, has wormed its way into the Top 10 at the box office and stayed there since its release on October 6th and earned a total of $7.73 million in domestic ticket sales. That may not seem like much compared to other films released around this time, but it’s far more than the $250,000 spent to make the film, and this gross is even more spectacular when one analyzes how the film got to this amount.",[25,4859,4860,4861,4864],{},"With not a single major celebrity to headline the film and hardly any promotional support from major motion picture studios, “Terrifier 2” earned about $825,000 from 886 theaters during its opening weekend, about $931 per theater. In most cases, a film that leaves this small of an impact on the box office would come and go with hardly anyone noticing, but “Terrifier 2” didn’t simply come and go once its first weekend finished. In truth, the exact opposite happened; while most major releases, even the more popular ones like “Top Gun: Maverick”, will see some kind of drop-off in ticket sales during the second weekend of its release compared to its first, “Terrifier 2”, despite its theater count being reduced to 700, surprisingly grossed even more during its sophomore weekend, making $850,00 over the three-day period.“We dropped to 700 screens in ",[364,4862,4863],{},"our second weekend",", and we continued to increase our gross,” claims Iconic Releasing sales and distribution VP Devon Canfield. “That doesn’t happen when you lose locations.” This jump is sales encouraged the distributors to bring the film back to 55 more theaters, increasing its theater count to 755 and allowing the film to more than double its weekend revenue with a total of $1.9 million earned during its third weekend. Most recently, during the fourth weekend of its release, “Terrifier 2”, likely taking advantage of the Halloween holiday, expanded its reach to 1,550 theaters, its widest release yet, and only dropped 4% for a weekend total of $1.8 million. As of this writing, “Terrifier 2” has earned just under $8 million over its lifetime and could surpass $10 million before the end of its run.",[25,4866,4867],{},"The way in which “Terrifer 2” has performed at the box office would be enviable in any situation, but it becomes all the more astonishing when considering just how many factors were working against its favor. For one thing, the film was not given a rating by the Motion Picture Association, a requirement for most theaters to screen a film, so getting it into as many theaters as it was able to was enough of a challenge on its own. Then there’s it’s running time of well over two hours; longer running times usually mean fewer screenings in a given theater at a time, and “Terrifier 2” was only given one or two screenings per day at most of its locations. Lastly, there’s the film premiering digitally (albeit only on the Bloody Disgusting owned platform Screambox) on October 31st, less than a month after its release, which might’ve encouraged some to forego the theatrical release and wait patiently to watch the film from the comfort of their homes.",[25,4869,4870],{},"With all this in mind, how did “Terrifier 2” perform as well as it has in spite of everything that should’ve doomed it to obscurity? To put it simply, word of mouth was just that strong, with Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock alleging it to be a far greater asset than any marketing campaign. “When the target audience hears ‘vomit-o-rama’,” Bock claims, “that’s worth the price of admission.” Comscore senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian expressed similar sentiments in recognition of the film’s surprise success, stating that the film “has caught fire in a way you don’t see for a movie that’s not from a major studio” and comparing its week-to-week increases to “finding a Sasquatch”. Even the limited number of showtimes has become more of an advantage than a disadvantage; according to Canfield, “almost every showtime is near capacity… theaters have had to switch it to larger houses.”",[25,4872,4873],{},"If there’s any takeaway from the success of “Terrifier 2”, Canfield claims, it’s that there is a demand for cinematic fare beyond just the superhero films and sequels that currently make up most of the major studios’ output. As Canfield himself put it in his words of advice to the nation’s several theaters: “embrace alternative content and don’t be afraid to take risks.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4875},[],"2022-11-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fterrifier-2-the-unexpected-horror-breakout-of-halloween-2022",{"title":4839,"description":194},"terrifier-2-the-unexpected-horror-breakout-of-halloween-2022","blog\u002Fterrifier-2-the-unexpected-horror-breakout-of-halloween-2022","91phjFtRtlwc6dCmneXl7rZ3e43EwxexRqQLIZGhTgE",{"id":4884,"title":4885,"body":4886,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4914,"description":3141,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4915,"navigation":71,"path":4916,"seo":4917,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4918,"stem":4919,"__hash__":4920},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdracula-on-the-big-screen-the-cinematic-history-of-bram-stokers-beloved-vampire.md","Dracula on the Big Screen: The Cinematic History of Bram Stoker’s Beloved Vampire",{"type":22,"value":4887,"toc":4912},[4888,4894,4897,4900,4903,4906,4909],[25,4889,236,4890],{},[47,4891,3116],{"href":4892,"rel":4893},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FDracula",[51],[25,4895,4896],{},"As October 31st approaches, and with it the nationally popular holiday Halloween, many are seeking out their favorite works of horror cinema in celebration of this spooky season. Many of these films have long been revered as classic staples of the genre, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film “Psycho” and George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” from 1968, while others, such as Paramount’s sleeper hit “Smile”, have only just recently been released and could very easily become a Halloween tradition in the coming years. Needless to say, the numbers of these kinds of films are seemingly endless and only growing larger with the passage of time. With that said, some characters tend to show up throughout the horror genre more than others, whether they’re the star of a long-running franchise (e.g. Michael Myers of the “Halloween” series, of which its latest entry, “Halloween Ends”, premiered just a few weeks ago) or are part of the public domain and can be freely used by any filmmaker (such as the Phantom of the Opera, whose filmography ranges as far back as the early 1920s). As far as the latter kind is concerned, few cinematic monsters have left quite as much of an impact as the nefarious Count Dracula. Since his introduction in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” (with this year marking its 125th anniversary), the villainous bloodsucker has long been seen as the definitive fictional vampire, and the wide array of films he has appeared in (albeit sometimes under a different alias) is further proof of his longevity.",[25,4898,4899],{},"Interestingly, the oldest surviving film to adapt Bram Stoker’s story is one that does not use any of the names featured throughout, although the general plot and characters remain unchanged nonetheless. That film was released in 1922 under the name “Nosferatu”, made in Germany under the direction of F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as a creature of the night referred to not as Dracula, but Count Orlock. This alteration of the names was an effort to get past copyright laws after Murnau was refused the rights for a more direct adaptation, though that didn’t prevent the Stoker estate from filing suit soon after the film’s premiere. Efforts were made to destroy all existing prints of the film, but some fortunately survived and enabled the film to live on to this very day. In fact, “Nosferatu” is regarded by many as a masterpiece of the silent era of cinema, with great praise going to Shreck’s performance as the menacing vampire antagonist and cinematography that relied heavily on the German Expressionist style that another silent horror, 1920’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, had innovated just a few years prior.",[25,4901,4902],{},"It would be less than a decade later when Hollywood’s very own Universal Studios, having succeeded in acquiring the film rights to the original “Dracula” novel, attempted to create its own cinematic version of the titular vampire, and to say they succeeded would be something of an understatement. Although the film would more closely follow the 1924 stage adaptation of the novel more than the novel itself, few people at the time took issue with its deviations from the primary source material, too entranced and terrified by what was being shown on screen to think of anything else. Directed by Tod Browning, the film incorporated a slow and moody atmosphere to highlight the gothic nature of its many haunting set pieces, with the very first scenes showcasing Dracula’s Transylvanian castle being perfect examples of the haunting imagery shown throughout the film. Still, few would argue that anything featured in the film stands out nearly as well as actor Bela Lugosi as the titular character, with his thick native Hungarian accent and overall sophisticated charisma elevating the character from merely a horrific murderer to a person far more fascinating. A critical and commercial success upon release, “Dracula” has since been seen as one of Universal’s most famous monsters and appeared in several more films made by the studio, with Lugosi even reprising his role for the 1948 horror comedy “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”.",[25,4904,4905],{},"Browning’s film was not the only “Dracula” being made at Universal Studios at the time though, as another crew of filmmakers was actually making more or less the exact same film during the hours in which Browning and his crew were resting, using the exact same sets but having its actors speak Spanish instead of  English. That film, also titled “Dracula”, was directed by George Medford (who allegedly did not speak Spanish himself and had to rely on a translator to give directions) and features actor Carlos Villarías as the titular count. Although the film was thought to be lost for some time after its premiere, one of its remaining prints was discovered in the 1970s and since been restored and made available for viewing, with many citing this Spanish-language version of the film as being superior to the original English-language version (though many still debate about whether or not Villarías’ performances matches that of Lugosi).",[25,4907,4908],{},"As the decades progressed, more cinematic versions of Dracula began to appear from time to time. Christopher Lee took on the role in 1958 for Terence Fisher’s British-made film “Dracula” (retitled as “Horror of Dracula” in the United States to avoid confusion with the 1931 film) and its subsequent sequels, most of which also depicted Dracula as having black, slicked-back hair and incorporated a visual style that relied heavily on black and a bright, saturated red for its overall color scheme. Going even further to give Stoker’s tale a greater amount of visual extravagance was Francis Ford Coppola of “The Godfather” fame with his 1992 film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, which (as the title suggests) aimed to be more faithful to its source material and utilize an appropriately faithful aesthetic to its production and costume design. Such efforts paid off well for the film, as it later won three Academy Awards, with one, for example, going to Eiko Ishioka for Best Costume Design.",[25,4910,4911],{},"In recent years, Dracula is perhaps best known as a more comedic character, brought to life as an animated character portrayed by Adam Sandler and Brian Hull in Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania” franchise. Universal has also made several attempts to revive its version of the character, most recently with the critical and financial disappointment “Dracula Untold”. As one can see, Dracula has appeared quite frequently over the course of cinematic history in many different forms (some more threatening than others), and it’s a testament to how strong this character is that he can he depicted in such drastically different manners yet still be very distinctly the vampire modern popular culture knows so well.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4913},[],"2022-10-31",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdracula-on-the-big-screen-the-cinematic-history-of-bram-stokers-beloved-vampire",{"title":4885,"description":3141},"dracula-on-the-big-screen-the-cinematic-history-of-bram-stokers-beloved-vampire","blog\u002Fdracula-on-the-big-screen-the-cinematic-history-of-bram-stokers-beloved-vampire","_aN2pfHUFEG95F0fJNQ991EZOj9tCKQFaCoQYzQ7Q6U",{"id":4922,"title":4923,"body":4924,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4956,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4957,"navigation":71,"path":4958,"seo":4959,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4960,"stem":4961,"__hash__":4962},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcorsage-and-all-that-breathes-take-top-prizes-at-bfi-london-film-festival-2022.md","“Corsage” and “All That Breathes” Take Top Prizes at BFI London Film Festival 2022",{"type":22,"value":4925,"toc":4954},[4926,4932,4935,4938,4945,4948,4951],[25,4927,236,4928],{},[47,4929,1603],{"href":4930,"rel":4931},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002F2022\u002F10\u002F2022-bfi-london-film-festival-awards-winners-list-1234773003\u002F",[51],[25,4933,4934],{},"Since its inception in 1957, the BFI London Film Festival, held and organized by the British Film Institute (BFI) and usually taking place during the month of October, has been revered as one of the most prestigious cinematic events in the United Kingdom. Though perhaps not as renowned as some of Europe’s other major film festivals like those in Berlin and Venice, the festival has provided a means for filmmakers around the world to show off the best of their creations, claiming to be dedicated to showing “new discoveries from important and exciting talents in world cinema”. That goal has been present from the beginning, with the inaugural festival screening such international classics as Akira Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood” and Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal”, and in the decades since, many fine works of cinema have opened, closed, or at least been screened at some point during the duration of a given festival. In recent years, the festival has bookended itself with an array of well-received and awards-worthy films; last year’s event, for example, opened with Jeymes Samuel’s modern Western “The Harder They Fall” and closed with Joel Cohen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, both of which were met with generally positive reception.",[25,4936,4937],{},"Living up to those films, as well as those that were exhibited in the time between their screenings, is no easy task, but fortunately, the most recent event has proven itself capable of succeeding in that very task. Taking place between October 5th and 16th of this year, the 2022 BFI London Film Festival provided twelve days worth of film-going at a variety of venues throughout London.Opening the festival was “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical”, a cinematic adaptation of the 2010 stage musical (itself an adaptation of Dahl’s 1988 literary work), and closing it was “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, a sequel to Rian Johnson’s critically acclaimed 2019 whodunnit “Knives Out”. Critical reviews for both of these films have so far been mostly positive, justifying their status as the films to open and close the festival, but it’s the films that were shown in the time between that are much more noteworthy, especially those fortunate enough to receive specific awards recognition from the festival.",[25,4939,4940,4941,4944],{},"Taking home the BFI London Film Festival’s most highly coveted award, one simply titled Best Film, was “Corsage”, a biopic centered around Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary from director Maria Kreutzer. Submitted to represent the nation of Austria and vy for the Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature, “Corsage” will certainly benefit from the boost of attention provided by winning the festival’s top prize, especially considering claims that festival judges were “seduced by ",[364,4942,4943],{},"leading actress"," Vicky Krieps’ sublime performance of a woman out of time trapped in her own iconography and her rebellious yearning for liberation”. Regardless of what happens from this point though, Kreutzer herself seems to be ecstatic about receiving this award, making her appreciation of the festival’s decision clear in her acceptance speech. “I want to say thank you to the members of the jury for choosing our film and giving us this beautiful award,” Kreutzer says in her speech. “For me this award, which is an award for the film, is not only my award it belongs to all of us. The most beautiful thing about my job is to collaborate with so many great creatives and artists and create something together day by day without knowing how it will turn out… For all of us I’m so happy that it turned out so well and that people love the film so much…This award is for everyone on my team. It’s hard to find the right words right now, I’m happy!”",[25,4946,4947],{},"Another film, meanwhile, found further success in winning the the Grierson Award in Documentary Competition after already proving to be a major hit at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. That film was Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes”, which depicts the joint efforts of two brothers in their rescue of birds throughout the nation of India. This is another film that many have looked at as a major contender for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and a nomination has only become likelier following its win at the London Film Festival. “The winner of this year’s award is a film that through an intimate lens reveals the beauty of kinship and the struggle for survival in a time of increasing social and environmental collapse,” jurors for the Documentary Competition wrote in praise of Sen’s film. “This masterful work is thrilling evidence of the present and future of non-fiction filmmaking. This is pure cinema.”",[25,4949,4950],{},"Like Kreutzer, Sen proved to be very delighted by this win, using his speech to discuss how much recognition from this festival in particular means to him. “The film has very deep connections to the UK and London in particular,” Shaunak Sen claims in his acceptance speech. “Our wonderful producers are all based in London, attending the screenings at the London Film Festival was excellent personally for me because apart from the responses from the packed houses also it became a warm gathering of other crew members… Most importantly, while the awards are fabulous as a kind of recognition for the work we have put in, it feels special because what awards like this do is give traction to the truly singular work that our protagonists, the brothers Nadeem and Saud, do. I’m absolutely thrilled and so, so happy.”",[25,4952,4953],{},"In addition to those films, two other works of cinema were acknowledged and awarded by the jury and audience of the BFI London Film Festival. Receiving the Sutherland Award in First Feature Competition, an award designated for first-time feature filmmakers, was “1976”, which hails from the nation of Chile and was directed by newcomer Manuela Martelli. The Audience Award, meanwhile, went to the documentary feature “Blue Bag Life”, directed by Alex Fry, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, and Lisa Selby. Still, all of these were just a small handful of the films screened at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, and even the ones that were not recognized with a major award are still more than worthy of recommendation. This festival is considered one of the United Kingdom’s biggest film-going events for a reason, and its most recent lineup only further strengthens that status.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4955},[],"2022-10-21",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcorsage-and-all-that-breathes-take-top-prizes-at-bfi-london-film-festival-2022",{"title":4923,"description":1676},"corsage-and-all-that-breathes-take-top-prizes-at-bfi-london-film-festival-2022","blog\u002Fcorsage-and-all-that-breathes-take-top-prizes-at-bfi-london-film-festival-2022","SrX26olS4weB9EDZCnHtEkxr_wMvV3aPAcqIESiwuXI",{"id":4964,"title":4965,"body":4966,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":4994,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":4995,"navigation":71,"path":4996,"seo":4997,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":4998,"stem":4999,"__hash__":5000},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftar-and-triangle-of-sadness-excel-with-limited-arthouse-debuts-at-the-box-office.md","“Tár” and “Triangle of Sadness” Excel with Limited Arthouse Debuts at the Box Office",{"type":22,"value":4967,"toc":4992},[4968,4974,4977,4980,4983,4986,4989],[25,4969,236,4970],{},[47,4971,538],{"href":4972,"rel":4973},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F10\u002Ftar-triangle-of-sadness-specialty-box-office-ponninyin-selvan-part-1-terrifier-2-1235139485\u002F",[51],[25,4975,4976],{},"As is often the case at the weekend box office, the results of the revenue earned over this period of time are something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the film that held last weekend’s #1 spot, Paramount’s latest horror “Smile”, held surprisingly well with a total of $17.6 million, only a 22% drop compared to the previous weekend and trailing only 2017’s “Get Out” for the best second-weekend hold for an R-rated horror film. On the other hand, some of the newer releases didn’t fare nearly as well as their studios had hoped, with 20th Century Studios’ “Amsterdam” falling well below expectations and only bringing in $6.2 million over the three-day period, likely due to the film’s generally negative reception from critics and audiences. Sony’s family-oriented musical “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” also underperformed, but not nearly to the same degree as “Amsterdam”, managing to receive $11.5 million throughout the weekend. As one can see, few of these numbers are anything to write home about, but considering that many of the season’s most highly anticipated films won’t be put into wide release for a few more weeks, these low totals shouldn’t be too surprising.",[25,4978,4979],{},"These numbers, however, reflect the revenue earned by films given wide release; when it comes to arthouse films released in only a small number of theaters (though for many of these films, that number will increase dramatically in the coming weeks), the overall grosses earned, while much smaller compared to more mainstream fare, have the advantage of significantly higher per-theater averages, earning far more with each individual screening than films that are currently more accessible in a larger number of theaters. Of these arthouse releases, there are two in particular that, despite only being shown in an extremely limited number of theaters during the past weekend, have been able to produce exceptional results: Focus Features’ “Tár” and Neon’s “Triangle of Sadness”, each benefitting from overwhelmingly positive critical reception and successful runs at recent international film festivals.",[25,4981,4982],{},"As the more successful of these two arthouse films, even despite being shown in less than half the theaters “Triangle of Sadness” could be seen in, the Todd Fields directed “Tár” received roughly $160,000 from four theaters over the previous weekend - more specifically, $64,000 on Friday, $53,000 on Saturday, and $43,000 on Sunday. That’s around $40,000 per theater (the second highest average of the year, following only “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”), specifically one of the New York or Los Angeles locations where one could have possibly seen the film. For three of these theaters - Lincoln Square and The Angelika in New York, as well as The Grove in Los Angeles - “Tár” was the most successful film of the weekend, and later this week, the film will debut in thirty additional locations spread across ten different national markets. Considering how well received “Tár” has been so far (it currently has a 97% approval rating from critics and an 80% approval rating from general audiences), with many praising the performance of leading actress Cate Blanchett in particular (one that had won her a Best Actress award at the most recent Venice Film Festival), it’s quite likely that the film will have an even more impressive gross over the next weekend.",[25,4984,4985],{},"Regardless of how the next few weeks play out for “Tár”, its distributor Focus Features will likely be very satisfied with how well the film is doing, with distribution chief Lisa Bunnell noting how significant its weekend grosses at The Grove and Lincoln Square are for the film’s long-term success, as well as the success of adult-oriented cinema in general. “We need to look at those signs as encouraging as bringing those adult audiences into theaters again,” Bunnell notes, while also mentioning how the demographics of the film’s audience had greater age diversity than the studio had anticipated. “It feels like it’s a nice mix of females and males, over 50 and under.”",[25,4987,4988],{},"Opening alongside “Tár” was the winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness”, being screened in ten theaters over the course of the weekend and receiving a total of $210,074 (averaging out to $21,007 per theater). Of the locations where it could be accessed, Alamo Brooklyn and AMC Burbank brought in the biggest audiences for the Woody Harrelson-starring black comedy, earning around $24,400 and $22,200 respectively. The critical reception of “Triangle of Sadness” may not be quite as strong as that of “Tár” (it currently has a 73% approval rating from critics, though its audience approval is higher at 88%), but that likely won’t matter too much for those eager to see the film. Even Bunnell sees the success of this competing film as a good sign that adult arthouse fare still has a devoted audience. “It’s good news for specialty films when you have two elevated films in the marketplace doing business, and it’s a step in the right direction,” Bunnell claims. “As we go into awards season, each week, you will have specialty films coming and they will all perform at various levels. But the fact that we are getting people to see these films is really important.”",[25,4990,4991],{},"With all that said, perhaps the biggest success story for an independent release this weekend is that of Iconic Events’ “Terrifier 2”, which came in at #10 at the box office with an estimated weekend gross of $825,000 from 886 screens, receiving an average of about $931 per theater. That may be dramatically lower than the per-screen averages of “Tár” and “Triangle of Sadness”, but those films had the advantage of major film festival screenings and backing from revered independent film distributors. “Terrifier 2”, meanwhile, was funded primarily through crowd-funding efforts with very little (if any) support from major filmmaking institutions. Getting this film into theaters at all was likely the most its creators had hoped for, so it being able to break into the top 10 at the box office (making this the first weekend since its premiere that “Top Gun: Maverick”, so far the year’s biggest financial success, has ranked below the Top 10) must surely be a pleasant surprise at least, and another sign that sometimes it’s not necessarily the biggest blockbusters that receive the most devoted followings.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":4993},[],"2022-10-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftar-and-triangle-of-sadness-excel-with-limited-arthouse-debuts-at-the-box-office",{"title":4965,"description":557},"tar-and-triangle-of-sadness-excel-with-limited-arthouse-debuts-at-the-box-office","blog\u002Ftar-and-triangle-of-sadness-excel-with-limited-arthouse-debuts-at-the-box-office","EZPYTwtUrwDBFjFdBUU2wtS4W4pEULkP5EvUeUDcQkQ",{"id":5002,"title":5003,"body":5004,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5039,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5040,"navigation":71,"path":5041,"seo":5042,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5043,"stem":5044,"__hash__":5045},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseptember-2022-box-offices-worst-september-since-1996-excluding-pandemic-closure.md","September 2022: Box Office’s Worst September Since 1996 (Excluding Pandemic Closure)",{"type":22,"value":5005,"toc":5037},[5006,5012,5015,5018,5021,5024,5027,5034],[25,5007,236,5008],{},[47,5009,279],{"href":5010,"rel":5011},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fbox-office-worst-september-26-years-1235230312\u002F",[51],[25,5013,5014],{},"For some people, complaining about an underwhelming September box office is hardly any different than complaining about a cheap hamburger purchased from a local fast food restaurant. Sure, one would hope for something more satisfactory, but given the circumstances, one can’t be all that surprised by the results. Historically, September has been seen as something of a dumping ground for films that studios may not necessarily have the most faith in, especially compared to the high-profile summer blockbuster releases that come out just a few months prior. With people going back to school\u002Fwork and not having nearly as much time to visit their local theater as they did during the summertime, most studios aren’t willing to risk putting out a super-expensive product, so most September releases usually consist of low-budget (if not low-quality) films that don’t need much to turn a profit and likely won’t have much of a long-term impact. It’s these conditions that have made September, alongside January, one of the least desirable times to release a film in theaters throughout much of recent cinema history.",[25,5016,5017],{},"Recent box office totals have only reinforced how unreliable September can be when it comes to selling tickets in large quantities. According to box office analyst website Comscore, theaters only accumulated a total of $328.7 million between September 1st and September 30th. Given the billions made by the likes of “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion” during the summer film-going season, a drop-off of this scale was to be expected, but perhaps not to this significant of a degree. September may usually be the most lucrative time of the year for the box office, but no September - apart from that of 2020, when most theaters across the nation were still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic - has seen a total monthly revenue this low since 1996, which earned a total of $326.7 million (and that’s before adjusting for inflation). In short, this most recent September was the lowest-grossing in over a quarter-century.",[25,5019,5020],{},"For comparison, the previous September of 2021 was able to accumulate a total domestic box office gross of around $367 million. However, there is a caveat to these numbers: last September had the advantage of a major blockbuster, Marvel’s superhero film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, being released during Labor Day weekend and driving a majority of ticket sales throughout the following weeks. Without that film, it’s almost certain that September 2021 would have made far less than what September 2022 ended up making without any major big-budget releases. With this in mind, it does prove that this is not a worst-case scenario, but it still doesn’t change the fact that for much of the film industry, these recent totals are nonetheless rather disappointing.",[25,5022,5023],{},"What is the cause behind these underwhelming numbers? The reasons should be clear by this point: there just weren’t enough high-profile releases to bring audiences into theaters, with Comscore chief box office analyst Paul Dergarbedian referring to this as the “drought after the feast” in reference to how lucrative the previous months had been. Granted, there were some titles that were able to exceed expectations at the box office, most notably Sony’s “The Woman King”, which was September’s top earner with around $40 million domestically. As impressive as that is though, the total still pales in comparison to films that had come out just a few months earlier, and few of the other September releases have been able to come anywhere close to earning that much revenue. Between the lack of any audience-grabbing titles and the supply chain issues Hollywood is still having to deal with due to the ongoing pandemic, it seems that a lackluster September, even by lackluster September standards, was inevitable.",[25,5025,5026],{},"If September has never been regarded as a particularly favorable time to release a film, why are studios still disappointed with these most recent totals? It might have something to do with the fact that, during the few years before the start of the pandemic, the September box office had actually seen a dramatic rise in ticket sales unlike anything they had seen before. Many cite the release of the horror film “It”, which first debuted in September 2017 and helped drive the total box office revenue of that month to $702.9 million, shattering the record at the time. Subsequent Septembers didn’t quite reach those heights, but they still brought in rather impressive amounts of revenue, with September 2018 earning around $670.8 million and September 2019 making approximately $698.2 million. Of course, those numbers plummeted the following year due to the pandemic, with September 2020 bringing in only $79.9 million, but until that point, no September had made less than $500 million in domestic ticket sales since 2005, which shows just how much the cinematic landscape has changed in terms of when to release a film to theaters.",[25,5028,5029,5030,5033],{},"Will the following Septembers be able to turn things around? It’s hard to say at this point, but Dergarbedian is rather optimistic given that there will in fact be quite a few high-profile releases set to come out during these times. “The good news is that September 2022 marks more of an anomaly than a trend,” Dergarbedian claims, “with September 2023 boasting The Equalizer 3, The Nun 2 and, of course, ",[364,5031,5032],{},"in 2024"," the next blockbuster installment of Deadpool”. These are just a few of the films currently announced for a September release, and it’s quite possible that even more highly anticipated films will come out during this time as well.",[25,5035,5036],{},"As for the remainder of the year, most studios are relatively hopeful that the films set to come out between October and December will bring masses back to theaters in large numbers. October will see a wide range of genres being represented by the month’s output, from the horror sequel “Halloween Ends” to the superhero blockbuster “Black Adam” and the romantic comedy “Ticket to Paradise”. November, meanwhile, will see the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, the sequel to one of Marvel’s most popular superhero films to date, and a month later, “Avatar: The Way of Water”, the sequel to the current highest-grossing film of all time, will also come out. This recent September may have been less than satisfactory for the box office, but given what has already happened throughout the year and what is still expected to happen, it likely won’t matter too much when looking at 2022 as a whole.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5038},[],"2022-10-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseptember-2022-box-offices-worst-september-since-1996-excluding-pandemic-closure",{"title":5003,"description":298},"september-2022-box-offices-worst-september-since-1996-excluding-pandemic-closure","blog\u002Fseptember-2022-box-offices-worst-september-since-1996-excluding-pandemic-closure","xsvk9kuvWF0Bk4d6gt6PAYtRcXvRqDTboaO3s_fPowA",{"id":5047,"title":5048,"body":5049,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5077,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5078,"navigation":71,"path":5079,"seo":5080,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5081,"stem":5082,"__hash__":5083},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftom-hanks-claims-to-have-made-only-four-good-films-which-ones-could-they-be.md","Tom Hanks Claims to Have Made “Only” Four Good Films. Which Ones Could They Be?",{"type":22,"value":5050,"toc":5075},[5051,5057,5060,5063,5066,5069,5072],[25,5052,236,5053],{},[47,5054,391],{"href":5055,"rel":5056},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Ftom-hanks-four-pretty-good-movies-1235385385\u002F",[51],[25,5058,5059],{},"There are few actors working in the modern-day film industry that have maintained such a favorable reputation over the course of several decades quite like Tom Hanks, to a point where many have begun to refer to him as this generation’s Jimmy Stewart (as both actors have been known for their humbling screen personas and their ability to shine in both comedy and drama films). Since receiving the first major starring role of his cinematic career with the 1984 fantasy comedy “Splash”, Hanks has worked steadily as an actor for almost four decades, appearing in well over a hundred films and most recently playing the kind fatherly figure Gepetto in Disney’s live-action remake of “Pinocchio”. In spite of this successful career though, Hanks himself has maintained a rather modest stance when looking back on his filmography, so much so that he has (perhaps somewhat jokingly) claimed to have made only a small handful of films he considers to be “pretty good”.",[25,5061,5062],{},"In a recent interview with People Magazine, one in which he promotes his first novel “The Making of a Major Motion Picture Masterpiece” (set to be released on May 9th, 2023), Hanks discusses the long, tedious process that often goes into the production of a motion picture, and how that process has changed dramatically over the artform’s decades-long history. \"No one knows how a movie is made — though everyone thinks they do,\" Hanks tells People. \"I've made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think) and I'm still amazed at how films come together. From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image on screen, the whole process is a miracle.\" Hanks’ statement, as presented in the article, is clearly focused less on a specific film and more on how films in general are made, yet it’s his comment on how he supposedly believes he’s only made four “pretty good” films that has caught much of the public’s attention, largely due to how he does not bring up any specific films in this statement. Granted, given the context, Hanks was probably not being too serious when saying any of this, but nonetheless, it has sparked much debate about which films Hanks could possibly be referring to. In the time since the article’s publishing, Hanks has yet to directly identify any of the past films he’s made that he considers best, leaving the rest of the world guessing as to what they could be.",[25,5064,5065],{},"Among the most popular guesses as to which films Hanks favors most are the ones that have garnered him an Academy Award or at least a nomination for the award. As of this writing, Hanks has earned two Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, which he won back to back in 1993 for the film “Philadelphia” and in 1994 for “Forrest Gump” (making him one of the few actors to win the award in two consecutive years). In addition, he has received three additional Best Actor nominations for 1988’s “Big”, 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan”, and 2000’s “Cast Away”, as well as a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the 2019 film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”",[25,5067,5068],{},"Others have looked to the works of certain directors in order to deduce which of the ones Hanks appeared in are among those he had in mind when claiming to have only made four “pretty good” films. Of the filmmakers Hanks has collaborated with most, Steven Spielberg has proven to be not only the most well-known, but also the one who has allowed Hanks to act in some of his most iconic roles. As of 2022, Hanks and Spielberg have made five films together: the aforementioned “Saving Private Ryan”, 2002’s “Catch Me If You Can”, 2004’s “The Terminal”, 2015’s “Bridge of Spies”, and 2017’s “The Post”. In addition, the two have also collaborated on the 2001 HBO miniseries ”Band of Brothers” and the 2010 miniseries “The Pacific”, the latter of which gave Hanks his first simultaneous directing, producing, and screenwriting credits. Robert Zemeckis is another director with whom Hanks has made several films; their most recent work is the previously mentioned “Pinocchio” remake, and before hand, Zemeckis had directed Hanks in his Oscar-winning performance in “Forrest Gump” as well as “Cast Away” and the 2004 animated holiday film “The Polar Express”, which allowed Hanks to act in multiple roles through its use of motion capture technology.",[25,5070,5071],{},"Nowadays, people perhaps know Hanks best as a dramatic actor, largely due to the great number of critically acclaimed dramas he has starred in. On top of all the films previously discussed, Hanks has garnered overwhelming praise for such films as the 1995 docudrama “Apollo 13”, the 2002 period crime drama “Road to Perdition”, and the 2013 biopic “Saving Mr. Banks”, in which he played entertainment icon Walt Disney. However, as impressive as Hanks’ dramatic performances may be (and there are certainly several examples to choose from that prove this), he has also managed to demonstrate his comedic talents on multiple occasions. In fact, early on in his career, comedy was perhaps the genre Hanks was best known for, breaking out in such films as “Splash” and “Big” and later on starring in romantic comedies like 1993’s “Sleepless in Seattle” and 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail”. The 1992 baseball film “A League of Their Own” also provides some of Hanks’ best comedic material, but perhaps Hanks’ best-known role for comedy (and perhaps drama to a certain extent) is one is not actually seen, but rather heard: the cowboy doll Sheriff Woody of the “Toy Story” films, a four-picture series that saw its most recent installment with the 2019 Academy Award winner “Toy Story 4”.",[25,5073,5074],{},"With so many films to choose from, it’s not difficult to understand why people are having a hard time narrowing Hanks’ filmography to just four films. However, if looking back at Hanks’ career has taught anything, it’s that none of this discussion really matters in the long run. If anything, Hanks seems less interested in looking back at his career and is mostly eager to look forward to what he will be a part of next, finding the process of making a film far more enjoyable and rewarding (if frustrating at times) than the finished film itself. “Movie-making is very hard work over a very long period of time that consists of so many moments of joy slapped up against an equal number of feelings of self-loathing,” Hanks claims. “It is the greatest job in the world and the most confounding of labors that I know of.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5076},[],"2022-10-01",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftom-hanks-claims-to-have-made-only-four-good-films-which-ones-could-they-be",{"title":5048,"description":194},"tom-hanks-claims-to-have-made-only-four-good-films-which-ones-could-they-be","blog\u002Ftom-hanks-claims-to-have-made-only-four-good-films-which-ones-could-they-be","sGfS6hHlL0JRtL3jP_MHFZI6qBBPOFMrFi5XghAM1m4",{"id":5085,"title":5086,"body":5087,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5119,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5120,"navigation":71,"path":5121,"seo":5122,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5123,"stem":5124,"__hash__":5125},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2022-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-wins-big-becomes-best-picture-frontrunner.md","TIFF 2022: Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” Wins Big, Becomes Best Picture Frontrunner",{"type":22,"value":5088,"toc":5117},[5089,5095,5098,5101,5108,5111,5114],[25,5090,236,5091],{},[47,5092,391],{"href":5093,"rel":5094},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fsteven-spielberg-the-fabelmans-toronto-film-festival-peoples-choice-award-1235375979\u002F",[51],[25,5096,5097],{},"Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the few directors working in the film industry whose name has become just as big of a brand as any current blockbuster franchise, and for good reason. Many of the most popular films ever made have been directed by Spielberg; when adjusted for inflation, the likes of “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” can still be found among the highest-grossing films ever released. However, for all of Spielberg’s success, there is one prize that has mostly eluded the acclaimed filmmaker: the Academy Award for Best Picture. Granted, one film of his has in fact won this award - specifically his 1993 film “Schindler’s List”, but apart from that, not once has Spielberg taken home the Best Picture trophy despite being nominated several times. All of the films previously mentioned were Best Picture nominees, as were “Saving Private Ryan”, “Munich”, “Lincoln”, and most recently, his cinematic adaptation of “West Side Story” from last year. In spite of these losses though, Spielberg’s career and pursuit of another Best Picture winner continue, and with his most recent film, it’s quite possible that the award could be in his hands fairly soon.",[25,5099,5100],{},"To understand how Spielberg could in fact be walking down the path to another Best Picture win, one needs to look no further than the most recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which recently took place in Canada’s highest populated city and concluded for the year on September 18th. Although the festival has many prizes to hand out to the numerous films screened and discussed throughout its eleven-day duration, the one most coveted is the People’s Choice Award, TIFF’s equivalent of a Best Picture award, which has been handed out since its creation in 1978. Already a remarkable achievement in its own right, the People’s Choice Award has become seen as a reliable predictor of future Best Picture Academy Award winners in recent years. If a PCA winner hasn’t gone on to receive Best Picture at the Oscars, as was the case for 2018’s “Green Book” and 2020’s “Nomadland”, then it has at least received a nomination, as was the case for 2016’s “La La Land”, 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri”, and 2019’s “Jojo Rabbit”. Granted, in the time since the PCA’s creation, only seven of its winners have gone on to receive Best Picture, but five of those films have come out in the past twenty years, seemingly making its ability to predict Best Picture winners more reliable with the passage of time.",[25,5102,5103,5104,5107],{},"Now that the most recent TIFF event has come and gone, a new PCA winner has been announced, that being Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans”. Starring such talents as Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Gabriel LaBelle in the leading role of Sam Fabelman, the film is a coming-of-age story that bears strong resemblances to Spielberg’s own childhood, with the character of Sam being more or less a stand-in for the director in his youth. After having its world premiere at TIFF, the film received an immediate standing ovation and rave reviews from those who were there to view the film before all others. One such audience member, Variety film critic Peter Debruge, referred to the film as a “150-minute self-portrait, crafting a loving homage to the complicated relationship with ",[364,5105,5106],{},"Spielberg’s"," parents that has informed so much of his work.” Such an overwhelmingly positive reception proved strong enough to earn the film its first major prize of the awards season, with “The Fabelmans” being named the recipient of the PCA right before the festival as a whole finally came to an end. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and  the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family,” Spielberg said in response to the film’s win. “Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”",[25,5109,5110],{},"“The Fabelmans” may have been the big winner at this year’s TIFF event, but there were still plenty of other films recognized and given their own prizes. Taking the first runner-up spot behind Spielberg’s film was “Women Talking”, a drama from director Sarah Polley based in Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, while the second runner-up was Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, the sequel to his beloved 2019 whodunnit “Knives Out”. Meanwhile, the audience award for the festival’s Midnight Madness series went to “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”, a satirical, heavily fictionalized biopic about the life of comedy musician Weird Al Yankovic, and the documentary award went to “Black Ice”, a Canadian documentary discussing the sport of ice hockey and its history of anti-black racism.",[25,5112,5113],{},"While they may not have been fortunate enough to receive any of the aforementioned awards, there were still plenty of high-profile films screened at TIFF, including Gina Prince-Bythewood’s critically acclaimed historical epic “The Woman King” (which recently topped the most recent weekend box office) the romantic drama “My Policeman”, and the romantic comedy “Bros”. Not all the films shown at TIFF were major Hollywood productions though, and some of the smaller-scale works were fortunate enough to receive their own special recognition. Nisha Pahuja’s documentary “To Kill a Tiger” was given one of the Amplify Voices Awards for Best Canadian Feature Film, an award specifically designed to highlight underrepresented filmmakers (as only films made by BIPOC Canadian filmmakers are eligible for the award), as were Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Leonor Will Never Die” and Vinay Shukla’s “While We Watched”. The Changemaker Award, meanwhile, went to Luis de Filippis’ “Something You Said Last Night”, while the Platform Prize was given to Anthony Shim’s “Riceboy Sleeps”.",[25,5115,5116],{},"Still, big or small, just about every film shown at TIFF was able to shine bright on the big screen and prove its worth, and those attending would agree that the event as a whole was yet another rousing success. “2022 brought an exceptional selection of films that excited festival audiences around the world,” TIFF executive director Cameron Bailey claims in acknowledgment of this year’s festival cinematic selection. “Our lineup showcased beloved auteurs alongside fresh voices in filmmaking, including numerous women powerhouses. TIFF welcomed guests, press, industry, international stars, and directors back to the city and into cinemas. The sweeping range in cinematic storytelling from around the world is a testament to the uniqueness of the films that are being made. We’re so grateful and proud of this year’s festival.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5118},[],"2022-09-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftiff-2022-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-wins-big-becomes-best-picture-frontrunner",{"title":5086,"description":194},"tiff-2022-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-wins-big-becomes-best-picture-frontrunner","blog\u002Ftiff-2022-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-wins-big-becomes-best-picture-frontrunner","hnDJtpXOdqvOMAPo1GW-0lU51pEUnyryY4k6y_sP2mI",{"id":5127,"title":5128,"body":5129,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5160,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5161,"navigation":71,"path":5162,"seo":5163,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5164,"stem":5165,"__hash__":5166},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fr-i-p-jean-luc-godard-1930-2022-icon-of-the-french-new-wave-of-cinema.md","R.I.P. Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022), Icon of the French New Wave of Cinema",{"type":22,"value":5130,"toc":5158},[5131,5137,5140,5143,5146,5149,5152,5155],[25,5132,236,5133],{},[47,5134,538],{"href":5135,"rel":5136},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F09\u002Fjean-luc-godard-dies-pioneering-french-director-was-91-1235117175\u002F",[51],[25,5138,5139],{},"The American film industry has produced many world-renowned directors, with such names as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese being among the best known, but if one were to look outside Hollywood, one would be able to find several different directors whose contributions to the medium have been just as, if not more, influential. The nation of Japan, for example, has given the cinematic world such talents as Akira Kurisowa and Hayao Miyazaki. Moving further toward the Asian mainland, Tsui Hark and John Woo were able to make names for themselves as groundbreakers in Hong Kong cinema, not unlike Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook for the South Korean film industry. Further out west on the continent of Europe, the nation of Italy has been the birthplace for countless prominent directors, from father of the spaghetti western Sergio Leone to Federico Fellini, who is perhaps best known for his work in the Commedia all’italiana genre. Then there is France, a country so significant in the world of cinema that one time period in particular has become known as one of the most important in film history: the French New Wave. Beginning in the late 1950s and continuing throughout the 1960s, this period saw the release of many French films of which their distinct approaches to editing, narrative, and visual style broke from the mold of commonplace filmmaking and remain an inspiration for modern filmmakers to this very day. Directors most often associated with the French New Wave include François Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, and a filmmaker who, on September 13th, 2022 passed away at the ripe age of 91, Jean-Luc Godard.",[25,5141,5142],{},"Born in Paris, France on December 3rd, 1930, Godard, whose films have garnered a favorable reputation for their radical and politically motivated nature, spent most of his early years living in Nyon, Switzerland before moving back to Paris in 1949 and joining a community of young film critics, his first steps into the world of cinema. Beginning his career writing for film magazines like Cahier du Cinema, which was founded by Andre Bazin and would soon become a major influence in modern-day film criticism and filmmaking, Godard first made a name for himself as a writer and director with the 1960 film “Breathless”, or in its native French language, “À bout de souffle”. Based on a story from Claude Chabrol and the aforementioned Truffaut, the film stars Jean-Paul Belmando as Michel, a criminal on the run, and Hollywood actress Jean Seberg as Patricia, his American-born girlfriend. With a bold and unconventional style that relied heavily on jump cuts, “Breathless” quickly attracted much attention and, alongside such other films as Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows” and Alain Resnais’ “Hiroshima mon amour”, kicked off the movement now known as the French New Wave.",[25,5144,5145],{},"With “Breathless” proving to be a success, Godard continued to produce films throughout the 1960s that challenged traditional methods of filmmaking. Such works include the 1963 film “Le Mépris” (“Contempt” in English), which featured such acting talents as Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance, and “Le petit soldat”, which had actually been made in 1960 but had been banned in France until 1963, when the film was finally allowed to be shown to the public. The production of this film was where Godard met one film’s stars, Anna Karina, with whom he would share a marriage between 1961 and 1965. Although the marriage was short, most of Godard and Karina’s cinematic collaborations, which include “Bande à part” from 1964 and 1965’s “Pierrot le Fou”, would go on to become some of their most memorable works.",[25,5147,5148],{},"After divorcing Karina, Godard would enter a second marriage in 1967, this time with writer and actress Anne Wiazemsky, the star of his recent political satire “La Chinoise”. Despite lasting much longer than his previous marriage, this too would soon come to an end, with Godard and Wiazemsky divorcing in 1979. Godard would not marry ever again, but he would find a long-term partnership with Anne-Marie Miéville, whom he met in 1970 and would soon become a regular collaborator with. Even without the two ever getting married, this relationship proved to be Godard’s most successful, only coming to an end with his recent passing.",[25,5150,5151],{},"Godard’s most influential work may have been made during the 1960s and 1970s, but he continued to make films throughout most of his life, even seeing a minor career resurgence with such films as “In Praise of Love” from 2001 and 2010’s “Film Socialisme”. His final cinematic endeavor, however, came in 2018 with the release of “The Image Book”, which screened in competition at that year’s Cannes Film Festival and ended up receiving the Special Palme d’Or.",[25,5153,5154],{},"This was the latest of many European festival awards given to Godard, with prior wins including the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear for his 1965 film “Alphaville” and the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for 1985’s “First Name: Carmen”. In spite of such a legacy, Godard had strangely not won a single competitive Academy Award at any point during his career. Godard was awarded with an Honorary Oscar in 2010, but he chose to skip the ceremony; having been quite critical of the American film industry throughout much of his life, Godard claimed that such an award meant nothing to him. “I think it’s strange,” Godard said to a reporter when asked about his opinion on the Academy’s honorary award. “I asked myself: Which of my films have they seen? Do they actually know my films? The award is called The Governor’s Award. Does this mean that Schwarzenegger gives me the award?”",[25,5156,5157],{},"As far as Godard was concerned, most of America couldn't care less for his contributions to the cinematic medium, but the same cannot be said for his native France. As soon as news of Godard’s passing was first made public by the French newspaper Liberation, many of the nation’s most prominent figures were quick to express their condolences and their appreciation for the iconic filmmaker. French President Emmaneul Macron released a statement on Twitter that paid tribute to Godard, referring to him as the “iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers”. Former cultural minister of France Jack Lang, meanwhile, spoke on France Info Radio and said that Godard was “absolutely unique… he wasn’t just cinema, he was philosophy, poetry.” Anyone familiar with Godard’s work would most likely find it very difficult to disagree with this sentiment.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5159},[],"2022-09-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fr-i-p-jean-luc-godard-1930-2022-icon-of-the-french-new-wave-of-cinema",{"title":5128,"description":557},"r-i-p-jean-luc-godard-1930-2022-icon-of-the-french-new-wave-of-cinema","blog\u002Fr-i-p-jean-luc-godard-1930-2022-icon-of-the-french-new-wave-of-cinema","bMBwLM5q9mdAWcRDYrIWxroayT2D13Q6AMJyzo8WZI4",{"id":5168,"title":5169,"body":5170,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5198,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5199,"navigation":71,"path":5200,"seo":5201,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5202,"stem":5203,"__hash__":5204},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-was-a-rousing-success-top-gun-maverick-the-most-attended-film.md","National Cinema Day Was a Rousing Success: “Top Gun: Maverick” the Most Attended Film",{"type":22,"value":5171,"toc":5196},[5172,5178,5181,5184,5187,5190,5193],[25,5173,236,5174],{},[47,5175,279],{"href":5176,"rel":5177},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fbox-office-spiderman-top-gun-1235212113\u002F",[51],[25,5179,5180],{},"If the intention of National Cinema Day, a special event held by the National Association of Theater Owners’ nonprofit branch The Cinema Foundation, was to get as many people into the seats of their local cineplex as possible, then it’s safe to say that this mission was effortlessly accomplished, perhaps far more than even the most optimistic predictions had anticipated. It didn’t take much to bring people in - all that was promised was tickets for a price no greater $3 each (as well as several other discounts for concessions depending on the theater chain), and for many, that was more than enough. It’s currently estimated that over 8 million people took part in National Cinema Day on Saturday, September 3rd and purchased tickets for at least one screening at the theater nearest to them, giving theaters the highest attendance of any day of the year so far (for comparison, the previous day only saw an overall attendance of 1 million; the day after, only 1.7 million). Granted, this most recent Labor Day weekend as a whole still suffered in comparison to those of the past; the four-day period saw a total revenue of only $68 million, far lower than previous Labor Day weekends that saw much larger grosses. For many though, the goal for Saturday wasn’t necessarily to see how much money was made so much as it was how many tickets could be sold, and at least in this regard, there’s much to be happy about.",[25,5182,5183],{},"Bookending the summer film-going season at the top of the box office was Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick”, which has blown past expectations to become the highest-grossing film of the year so far. Upon its release in theaters during Memorial Day weekend, the film took in over $160 million during the four-day period, much higher than many had been expecting. That alone would be enough to deem “Top Gun: Maverick” a surprise success, but in the week’s since, the film has held strong even with the arrival of such competition as Universal’s “Jurassic World Dominion” and Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder”. That successful streak reared its head once more as the film took advantage of National Cinema Day and returned to the top of the box office, making $7.9 million between Friday, September 2nd and Monday, September 5th. This might be the lowest gross of any film to top the Labor Day weekend box office in recent memory, but it was enough to bring “Top Gun: Maverick” past the $700 million mark in terms of domestic sales and make it the fifth highest grossing film in the nation of all time (its worldwide total, meanwhile, currently sits at $1.4 billion). Although many factors can be cited as being instrumental in the unexpected success of “Top Gun: Maverick”, the overwhelmingly positive reception from critics and audiences seems to be the most prominent, with such favorable word of mouth encouraging people to not only see the film, but for some, to do so more than once. Such is a huge sigh of relief for distributor Paramount Pictures, which has struggled to compete with the other major studios over the past few years but has seen a recent resurgence thanks to “Top Gun”, as well as other surprise hits like “The Lost City” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”.",[25,5185,5186],{},"“Top Gun: Maverick” was not the first film to claim the top spot for Labor Day weekend though. Before the official results were declared, it was Sony’s re-release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which added eleven minutes of additional material to what was originally shown in theaters, that declared itself to be the victor of the four-day period. According to Sony, the film was estimated to receive $7.6 million between that Friday and Monday, but as it turned out, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” only accumulated $6.6 million over that period. Not only was this not enough to take the #1 spot, but it wasn’t even enough to take the #2 spot; that honor went to another film released by Sony, the Brad Pitt-starring action vehicle “Bullet Train”, which came in just under “Top Gun: Maverick” with $7.3 million over the course of those four days.",[25,5188,5189],{},"If one were to look solely at per-theater averages, then the true victor of the holiday weekend might be not any of the aforementioned releases, but a re-release of a film that initially debuted over four decades prior. That film is Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic “Jaws”, which returned to 1,246 theaters and was shown in either the IMAX or Real-D 3-D formats. Swimming into the box office charts at #8 spot, “Jaws” earned around $3.3 million over the four-day period; this averages to about $2,685 per theater, higher than any other film over the same period of time (for comparison, “Top Gun: Maverick”, which topped the box office but played in more theaters, had a per-theater average gross of around $2,544).",[25,5191,5192],{},"It wasn’t all action films aimed mainly at adult audiences that lured people to their local theaters though. Family films, for example, were the ideal remedy for children and their guardians looking to escape the summer heat by any means possible, and of the family films that could be seen at the theaters in operation during Labor Day weekend, it was Warner Brothers’ animated superhero comedy “DC League of Super-Pets” that triumphed over all others. Coming in at the #4 spot at the weekend box office, the film earned $6.4 million over the four-day period, bringing its domestic gross to about $81.7 million and its worldwide gross to around $160.4 million.",[25,5194,5195],{},"Given how many of the films ranking highly at the Labor Day weekend box office had already been out for at least a few months (or in the case of “Jaws”, well over several decades), it’s safe to say that this year’s holiday weekend has been unconventional to say the least. Of course, that’s largely due to how much National Cinema Day had altered people’s film-going habits for one day if nothing more. While grosses could only be so high when tickets are going for no higher than $3 (much lower than the current national average of around $12), it’s doubtful that nearly as many people would go to their local theater if that wasn’t the case. Anyone who saw a film at their local cineplex on September 3rd could tell you that $3 tickets was an effective way of getting audiences to come in in large hoards, and according to Cinema Foundation president Jackie Brenneman, it’s possible that the event will be repeated in the coming years. “This event outstripped our biggest expectations,” Jackie Brenneman claims. “The idea of the day was to thank moviegoers for an amazing summer, and now we have to thank them for this amazing day.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5197},[],"2022-09-09",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-was-a-rousing-success-top-gun-maverick-the-most-attended-film",{"title":5169,"description":298},"national-cinema-day-was-a-rousing-success-top-gun-maverick-the-most-attended-film","blog\u002Fnational-cinema-day-was-a-rousing-success-top-gun-maverick-the-most-attended-film","i8igLTIZpgjjv5F_PQUGPaNbe3tZK9_nwj9h1-hEwrE",{"id":5206,"title":5207,"body":5208,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":5260,"description":5212,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5261,"navigation":71,"path":5262,"seo":5263,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5264,"stem":5265,"__hash__":5266},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-enters-into-multi-year-arrangement-for-streaming-with-sm1-tel.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation enters into multi-year arrangement for streaming with SM1 Television Network",{"type":22,"value":5209,"toc":5258},[5210,5213,5216,5219,5222,5225,5228,5231,5234,5237,5240,5245,5249,5253],[25,5211,5212],{},"**Los Angeles, CA, September 6th, 2022 – (PR.com) -**Management of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) is pleased to announce the recent collaboration with regional streaming service, SM1 Television Network, in Texas servicing the Southwest, United States.",[25,5214,5215],{},"SM1 currently has subscribers throughout the Southwest paying $4.99 per month and pushing out its marketing campaigns through a wide variety of traditional media along with Facebook ads and other platforms. As the service breaks into the streaming market, it’s offering an attractive 7-day free trial.",[25,5217,5218],{},"SM1 has continued to invest growth capital into the expansion of the platform in order to expand its national presence in the streaming corridor with other competitors. Ad campaigns have been launched on a continual run basis appearing periodically through Peacock, CBS, ESPN, Hulu, and NBC.",[25,5220,5221],{},"“We’re very excited to develop this relationship with SM1 as a regional streaming service in the Southwest. I’m hopeful that the company can enter into a variety of other similar arrangements throughout the U.S. in an effort to expand a network of similar services to accommodate various audiences with the company’s wide variety of content,” Paul Hancock President\u002FCEO stated.",[25,5223,5224],{},"SM1’s first selection of content from WWMPC’s library will include Feature Films, episodic television shows, and documentaries encompassing all genres.",[25,5226,5227],{},"“The slowdown in theatrical releases for smaller films over the last two years due to the pandemic has necessitated our exploration of and collaboration with more non-theatrical Gross Corridors, including a much wider array of streaming services like SM1,” Hancock further stated.",[25,5229,5230],{},"SM1 provides a comprehensive streaming service which gives users the opportunity to select from various titles of live and on-demand programming, including television shows, movies, music videos, podcast, documentaries and concerts).",[25,5232,5233],{},"SM1 recently contracted with Apple, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, to expand its footprint in the VOD space. Some of their current popular original titles include *The Untold Story of Elgin Davis *the former running back for New England Patriots and *Best Buddies *starring musical artist T-Rell.",[25,5235,5236],{},"“SM1 is pleased to develop this relationship with World Wide, in order to bring a more unique and varied library of film and television product to our subscribers,” stated Clay Dustin Founder and CEO of SM1.",[25,5238,5239],{},"In 2022, around 71% of American viewers have watched content from two or more SVOD providers among the five largest including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, and Disney+, up from 59% percent in the previous year and continues to grow.",[25,5241,45,5242,3846],{},[47,5243,52],{"href":49,"rel":5244},[51],[25,5246,5247],{},[57,5248,59],{},[25,5250,5251],{},[486,5252,1729],{},[25,5254,5255],{},[486,5256,5257],{},"(714) 960-7624",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5259},[],"2022-09-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-enters-into-multi-year-arrangement-for-streaming-with-sm1-tel",{"title":5207,"description":5212},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-enters-into-multi-year-arrangement-for-streaming-with-sm1-tel","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-enters-into-multi-year-arrangement-for-streaming-with-sm1-tel","SsAn82onDay8jRfJOW260XfidiMQIm-iKdAgCwANMrY",{"id":5268,"title":5269,"body":5270,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5301,"description":1264,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5302,"navigation":71,"path":5303,"seo":5304,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5305,"stem":5306,"__hash__":5307},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseptember-3rd-is-national-cinema-day-is-this-the-start-of-a-new-tradition-for-theaters.md","September 3rd is National Cinema Day. Is This the Start of a New Tradition for Theaters?",{"type":22,"value":5271,"toc":5299},[5272,5278,5281,5284,5287,5290,5293,5296],[25,5273,236,5274],{},[47,5275,1241],{"href":5276,"rel":5277},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2022\u002F08\u002F29\u002Fnational-cinema-day-to-offer-3-movie-tickets-for-one-day.html",[51],[25,5279,5280],{},"Labor Day weekend, often hailed by many in the film industry as the end of the summer season, does not usually see much of a turnout, at least not compared to earlier in the summer. One would think this period of time would be a last hoorah for the past couple months and the big earnings brought in by the films released during that time, yet with so many preparing to go back to school (if they aren’t there already), Labor Day weekend has rarely been seen as a lucrative time to release a film. The one exception (at least in recent memory) came last year with Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, and even that had the advantage of being a highly anticipated superhero film (the latest in a long-running and record-breaking franchise) that had its release date delayed due to a global pandemic.",[25,5282,5283],{},"Speaking of which, that’s another issue that has plagued the film industry for the past couple years, metaphorically and literally. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the grand majority of the nation’s theaters to be shut down throughout much of the year 2020, and the time since has seen some recovery, but not as much as studios and theaters would have liked. Sure, films like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Top Gun: Maverick” have exceeded expectations with their insanely high grosses (the latter benefiting from its studio Paramount’s decision to hold the film back until it had a chance of being successful at the box office), but it seems that only a small handful of major blockbusters are faring well at the moment, with other types of films appearing to underperform at best and outright bomb at worst. Despite a financial success here and there throughout the past several months, audiences aren’t going out to theaters as much as they had been before the start of the pandemic. It’s clear that if theaters are going to make a full comeback, they need something special - and not just another blockbuster - to attract more attention. The industry’s latest attempt at doing just that may appear to be a bit risky, but if it goes as well as hoped, it could become an annual tradition through which all can celebrate the art of cinema. Its name: National Cinema Day.",[25,5285,5286],{},"On September 3rd of this year, the Saturday that serves as the midpoint of Labor Day weekend, over 3,000 theaters (which possess a total of over 30,000 screens altogether) will offer tickets to any films being screened for just $3 (not counting taxes) in celebration of what the Cinema Foundation, the nonprofit division of the National Association of Theater Owners, is calling National Cinema Day. At several different chains throughout the country, including theater giants AMC and Regal Cinemas (a subsidiary of Cineworld, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy), not one ticket will be sold for over $3, regardless of the time of the day or the format of the film (IMAX, Real-D 3-D, etc.). Choosing to hold this “holiday” right before Labor Day might seem like an odd decision for some, but given that this period probably wouldn’t see much of an audience if there wasn’t anything major happening then, it might be the perfect time for theaters to perform this ambitious experiment.",[25,5288,5289],{},"While theatrical revenue may not quite be at the same heights it had achieved in 2019, studios have been pleased with the success of such films as “Jurassic World: Dominion” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, which have helped bring the domestic summer box office to over $3.2 billion. Such a total may be 20% less than what was earned in the summer of 2019 (a period which saw the release of “Toy Story 4”, “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, and other major box office breakouts), but it should be noted that this summer had 30% less films being shown, and either way, it’s still high above the total grosses of the previous two summers, a fact that Cinema Foundation president Jackie Brenneman is eager to commemorate. “After this summer’s record-breaking return to cinemas, we wanted to do something to celebrate moviegoing,” Brenneman claims in a statement released by the Cinema Foundation. “We’re doing it by offering a ‘thank you’ to the moviegoers that made this summer happen, and by offering an extra enticement for those who haven’t made it back yet.”",[25,5291,5292],{},"There is still one major challenge that needs to be overcome in order for National Cinema Day to go from being a one-time event to an annual staple of the film-going season: the films being shown in theaters during this time. On the one hand, as is often the case for films that come out during Labor Day weekend, the few new releases coming out this weekend are not the kinds of films that usually generate hundreds of millions of dollars.",[25,5294,5295],{},"These include the religious comedy “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” and the based-on-a-true-story drama “Gig and Nate”, neither of which is currently forecast to make a huge splash at the box office this weekend, even with tickets being only $3 on Saturday. On the flipside, there are a few films returning to theaters this Labor Day weekend that have already been declared as beloved staples of cinema, which could make them just appealing enough for audiences to come back to see them on the big screen once again. These films are the 1975 Spielberg masterpiece “Jaws”, often hailed as the original summer blockbuster and being shown exclusively in IMAX and Real-D 3-D formats for the very first time, and last year’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which overcame the presence of a pandemic to become of the biggest box office smashes in recent history and will return to theaters this weekend with eleven minutes of additional footage.",[25,5297,5298],{},"Will these options, as well as the opportunity to pay no more than $3 per ticket, be enough to generate enough interest in audiences and encourage them to close out the summer at their local cineplex? As is always the case, only time will tell, but as far as studios and theaters are concerned, there is nothing but excitement and anticipation for Saturday the 3rd. Should National Cinema Day prove to be a big enough hit, the event could very easily be repeated throughout the coming years. This is a rare opportunity for one to go see a film at the lowest price in recent memory, and if all goes according to plan, it could allow millions to rediscover the power of theatrically-released cinema.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5300},[],"2022-09-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseptember-3rd-is-national-cinema-day-is-this-the-start-of-a-new-tradition-for-theaters",{"title":5269,"description":1264},"september-3rd-is-national-cinema-day-is-this-the-start-of-a-new-tradition-for-theaters","blog\u002Fseptember-3rd-is-national-cinema-day-is-this-the-start-of-a-new-tradition-for-theaters","VmIWp4zcCD72ZBEeHJo7g0J48EfzqX5l2CVcxqzK5jI",{"id":5309,"title":5310,"body":5311,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5344,"description":5345,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5346,"navigation":71,"path":5347,"seo":5348,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5349,"stem":5350,"__hash__":5351},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjaws-e-t-and-the-return-of-the-theatrical-re-release.md","“Jaws”, “E.T.”, and the Return of the Theatrical Re-Release",{"type":22,"value":5312,"toc":5342},[5313,5321,5324,5327,5330,5333,5336,5339],[25,5314,5315,5316],{},"Image source: ",[47,5317,5320],{"href":5318,"rel":5319},"https:\u002F\u002Fbuzz.tt\u002Fmedia\u002Fposters\u002F2830\u002Fbackdrops_4_1500.jpg",[51],"Buzz.tt",[25,5322,5323],{},"In an age where films are more accessible to watch within the comfort of one’s home, one might wonder why somebody would bother seeing a film that isn’t a new release in theaters. After all, the price of a single ticket - in other words, a single viewing - could easily pay for one month’s access to a streaming service where they could watch not just one, but any number of available titles as many times as they can. However, those who do take the opportunity to see an older film at their local cineplex could assuredly explain why the experience is worth the price: some films - if not all films - are simply at their best when shown on the big screen. Whereas one’s home may be littered with distractions and without a screen big enough to keep one’s attention throughout the duration of a given feature, the theater is specifically designed so that such distractions are kept to a minimum. The screen towers above all else, the auditorium is otherwise dark and quiet (barring any disrespectful theater patrons), these are all-around ideal conditions for the average cinephile. Seeing a new release under these conditions may be favorable enough, but to see an older film that one considers an all-time favorite, or is at least curious enough to see how it compares to watching at home, is something else entirely. Film distributors and theaters seem to be well aware of this, and in recent years, they’ve started to provide more opportunities for such events.",[25,5325,5326],{},"Of course, if one were to go back in time to just two years prior, it’s very easy to understand why theaters would be willing to exhibit older films: they had nothing else to offer. The COVID-19 pandemic, which was first declared in March 2020 and is still ongoing, shut down theaters and film productions across the nation, and while theaters were quick to reopen as soon as possible, studios didn’t exactly provide much to work with. Most productions had to be delayed far longer than desirable, and even recently completed films had their release dates pushed much further back due to concerns about financial underperformance. With no new releases to screen, theaters have had to turn to much older cinematic works in order to draw in audiences and try to stay afloat in these troubling times. \"The pandemic spurred on a greater proliferation of re-releases in movie theaters since there were no new movies to come by,\" claims Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. \"Theaters are looking for more than just brand-new movies to put on their screens and with some 30% fewer releases in the mix this year, it's no wonder that this is a welcome trend.\"",[25,5328,5329],{},"In many respects, the re-release of an older film is a win-win situation for both theaters and distributors. Both split the sales of the tickets sold for a given film, but it’s usually the distributor that gets the larger percentage; that’s not always the case when the film in question is not a new release, so whenever theaters exhibit older films, there’s a strong chance that they’ll get to keep more of the ticket sales for themselves. Distributors still benefit greatly from this situation though, as they not only still earn some revenue from these sales, but also generate new interest in these older films through the high publicity that is often given to these re-releases. However the situation plays out, it’s usually good business, as Dergarabedian claims.\"Re-releases are great for theaters because it gives them more movies to put on their screens,\" he said. \"And it's great for the studios who can dig into their vaults and earn revenues on films that were released many years ago, but now regain a new life on the big screen.\"",[25,5331,5332],{},"Even before the pandemic started though, re-releases weren’t necessarily uncommon, but they didn’t go on for quite as long as some of the more recent instances of older films coming back to theaters. For example, Fathom Events, a theatrical exhibition company co-owned by major theater chains AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, has been known to provide older films for theaters to show for at least one or two days (often partnering with Turner Classic Movies in order to do so). Smaller theater chains are also known to have their own programs in which they show older films on a regular basis, with Harkins Theaters’ Tuesday Night Classics and Flashback Cinema, which collaborates with a variety of theater chains throughout the nation, being some of the more notable examples. However, such programs limit the showing of a given film to at most a small handful of screenings, never spreading out across the nation enough for film distributors to advertise as a major event.",[25,5334,5335],{},"Recently though, distributors like Universal and Paramount are taking the opportunity to re-release their films in a manner very much akin to how they’d put out a newer film, giving them wide releases and allowing them to play for an extended period of time. One of the most recent of these re-releases, the 40th anniversary celebration of Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, managed to earn $1.07 million over the previous weekend, not necessarily a massive amount, but enough for it to outgross such new releases as “Emily the Criminal” and “Mack & Rita”.",[25,5337,5338],{},"In the coming weeks, more re-releases are set to take place: Disney\u002FLucasFilm’s 2016 film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” will return to the big screen on August 26th to promote the upcoming Disney+ series “Andor”; another Spielberg classic, the 1975 summer blockbuster “Jaws”, hopes to perform swimmingly at the box office starting Labor Day Weekend. That same weekend will also see “The More Fun Stuff Version” of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, the reigning box office champion of the previous year.",[25,5340,5341],{},"The end of summer does not mean the end of re-releases though. Later in September, 20th Century Fox will re-release James Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar”, currently the highest grossing film at the worldwide box office, as a means of promoting its upcoming sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water”, which is set to premiere in December. Five months later, another Cameron blockbuster, 1997’s “Titanic”, will come back to theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. All of these, and possibly many more, demonstrate just how lucrative a re-release can be. After all, some films are simply experienced best when experienced on the big screen, and hopefully, there will be more events like these to further prove this point.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5343},[],"2022-08-26","Image source: Buzz.tt",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjaws-e-t-and-the-return-of-the-theatrical-re-release",{"title":5310,"description":5345},"jaws-e-t-and-the-return-of-the-theatrical-re-release","blog\u002Fjaws-e-t-and-the-return-of-the-theatrical-re-release","3PACrAXh20SMRCT2s6sOLAAQYBbJJkm4XToMIZw7UYM",{"id":5353,"title":5354,"body":5355,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5383,"description":373,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5384,"navigation":71,"path":5385,"seo":5386,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5387,"stem":5388,"__hash__":5389},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fless-batgirl-more-merging-whats-going-on-at-warner-bros-discover.md","Less Batgirl, More Merging… What’s Going on at Warner Bros. Discover?",{"type":22,"value":5356,"toc":5381},[5357,5363,5366,5369,5372,5375,5378],[25,5358,236,5359],{},[47,5360,350],{"href":5361,"rel":5362},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Ffilm\u002F2022\u002Faug\u002F08\u002Fhbo-max-end-streaming-warner-discovery-merger",[51],[25,5364,5365],{},"In today’s day and age, it’s hardly surprising to hear that a major corporation is being purchased by another, resulting in an even bigger conglomerate that brings the industry as a whole one step closer towards monopoly. That exact situation has played out rather frequently in the film industry in recent years: Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, Viacom and CBS combined to form Paramount Global, and MGM has fallen under the ownership of Amazon. The idea of such buyouts may not be as inherently shocking as they had been in the decades prior, but what isn’t as common is when a major studio is sold to one corporation, only to be immediately resold a short amount of time later. That’s the case with the company previously known as Time Warner Inc., home of the iconic film studio Warner Bros. In 2019, the company was purchased by telecommunications giant AT&T and renamed WarnerMedia, only to be spun off and merged with Discovery, Inc., the television giant behind such networks as Animal Planet and TLC, not too long afterwards in April 2022 and again be renamed to Warner Bros. Discovery. As one might expect, such a drastic change in leadership, especially one that takes place over an alarmingly small amount of time, is guaranteed to have some kind of serious effect on the company, its products, and its employees. That being said, few could have prepared for some of the more recent decisions made by the company, or more specifically CEO David Zaslav, most of which have had people shaking their heads in confusion and frustration.",[25,5367,5368],{},"The first (and possibly most controversial) of these decisions revolves around the DC superhero film “Batgirl”, which was originally expected to premiere on HBO Max, the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Having already finished filming with a budget of around $90 million, one would have expected the film to come out as intended and be accessible to the millions of viewers who subscribed to the platform, especially since it would have been the latest addition to the studio’s long-running and relatively lucrative superhero franchise. However, in a bizarre turn of events, Zaslav recently announced that the film had been canceled entirely (as was another nearly completed project set for an HBO Max release, the animated “Scoob! Holiday Haunt”). The reasoning is supposedly due to the company attempting to move away from exclusive streaming material, but many have cited tax incentives as an additional reason, as it seems Warner Bros. Discovery has opted for a write-down of around $15-20 million rather than accept the potential profits “Batgirl” would’ve generated.",[25,5370,5371],{},"Future projects haven’t been the only films affected though. Shortly after Zaslav’s announcement, HBO Max subscribers began to notice that many of the films that had originally premiered and were exclusively available on the platform had suddenly disappeared. These included “The Witches”, a Robert Zemeckis-directed fantasy starring Anne Hathaway, and “An American Pickle”, a historical comedy-drama starring Seth Rogen. At the moment, the latter is only accessible through iTunes as a $3.99 rental, and many of the other removed titles do not have this luxury. These films were only available to be streamed on HBO Max, so their removal has people worrying about whether or not they are lost forever.",[25,5373,5374],{},"Needless to day, these incidents had stirred a sense of panic among those employed by Warner Bros. Discovery, with worries about further cancellations and layoffs being among the more common concerns. Such concerns were all but confirmed however on Thursday, August 4th, when Zaslav announced at a second-quarter earnings report that HBO Max and Discovery+, the company’s other streaming service, would be merged into one single platform, effectively dropping both of the previous services. This decision has left industry analysts and casual observers baffled, with many citing the use of HBO Max to distribute many of Warner Bros.’ 2021 film releases, including “The Suicide Squad” and “In the Heights”, while they simultaneously screened in theaters. On the other hand, others have pointed out that making these films available in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time has resulted in them being commercial disappointments, as was the case for such films as “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “The Matrix Resurrections”. This may have been what was on Zaslav’s mind when he announced a “comeback” of only-in-theaters releasing. “We will fully embrace theatrical,” he announced, a sentiment that may come as a relief for those determined to preserve the longevity of the theatrical experience.",[25,5376,5377],{},"One announcement that did not come as a relief, however, was how Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery viewed the demographics of their streaming services, resulting in quick backlash on social media as well as a handful of mocking memes. According to Zaslav, HBO Max is “male skew”, “lean in” and “home of fandoms”, while Discovery+ is “female skew”, “lean back” and “home of genredoms”. Such descriptions were immediately met with accusations of sexism, as many ridiculed such notions as HBO Max was only for men who liked comic book movies, or Discovery+ was only for women who liked reality television (in theory, both platforms would be most profitable if they attempted to cater to as many demographics as possible).",[25,5379,5380],{},"Also becoming the recipient of mockery online was another part of Zaslav’s presentation that showed the “plan” Warner Bros. Discovery would pursue in its most basic form, represented by the images of a circle labeled “Content” from which arrows pointed to a large block that read “Streaming” in large text and “Movies” and “TV” in smaller text. The vagueness of such a diagram may be easy to poke fun at, but for many, it’s a painful reminder of how corporations view the art of film not as the product of passion and hard work, but rather a means of pushing for further economic gain. Few would be able to find reasons for Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent decisions that aren’t motivated by finances, and should the company continue to follow this path, the artistic integrity of its media catalog could be further jeopardized.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5382},[],"2022-08-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fless-batgirl-more-merging-whats-going-on-at-warner-bros-discover",{"title":5354,"description":373},"less-batgirl-more-merging-whats-going-on-at-warner-bros-discover","blog\u002Fless-batgirl-more-merging-whats-going-on-at-warner-bros-discover","LyFq2zscYJT0VWbIXefqvBe6Y2FEuCCYdLelxxxnHzQ",{"id":5391,"title":5392,"body":5393,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5421,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5422,"navigation":71,"path":5423,"seo":5424,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5425,"stem":5426,"__hash__":5427},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcauseway-the-fabelmans-among-films-to-be-screened-at-2022-toronto-film-festival.md","“Causeway”, “The Fabelmans” Among Films to Be Screened at 2022 Toronto Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":5394,"toc":5419},[5395,5401,5404,5407,5410,5413,5416],[25,5396,236,5397],{},[47,5398,538],{"href":5399,"rel":5400},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F07\u002F2022-toronto-film-festival-lineup-movies-list-1235079516\u002F",[51],[25,5402,5403],{},"Though the North American continent has been home for quite a few major film festivals over the past several decades, there are few that are as popular and revered as the Toronto International Film Festival. Taking place in the city of Toronto, the capital of the Canadian province of Ontario and the nation’s largest city overall, the festival (often referred to as TIFF for short) has become increasingly seen as a means for distributors to generate attention for whatever films they have chosen to compete in the coming awards season. Most of these films are usually targeted towards older audiences, films that may not necessarily be as highly anticipated as the usual output of summer blockbusters but can, under the right circumstances, become viable to receive any number of accolades and maintain some level of success in the long run. Such was the case for films like “Hustlers”, which premiered at TIFF in 2019, and “A Star is Born”, a film that also had its premiere at TIFF just a year prior. Both of these films went on to become immense critical and commercial successes, and they are only just a small sampling of the films that were able to take off at TIFF.",[25,5405,5406],{},"Admittedly, recent TIFF events have been a bit of a challenge due to the limitations forced upon the festival by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the festival has not been outright canceled at any point during this time, the ways in which films have been exhibited has had to be altered dramatically, either through minimizing the number of people allowed to attend a given screening or holding some events entirely online to ensure no in-person contact. This year’s festival, however, will not have to contend with such issues; theaters will be allowed to fill capacity with no mask or vaccine mandates, and live discussions and press conferences will be held alongside the various films being screened. In many respects, this year’s festival is a return to the status quo that existed before the start of the pandemic, which is good news for the over two-hundred feature films that are expected to be shown at the 2022 event.",[25,5408,5409],{},"With eighteen galas and forty-five special presentations currently planned for the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, scheduled to take place next month between September 8th and September 18th, this year’s event will showcase around 260 feature films (as well as a good handful of short films), many of which hope to do good business later on in the fall and holidays seasons. In a statement released alongside the announcement of this year’s festival line-up, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey expressed great confidence that the festival will play a major role reviving audience interest in smaller, more artistically driven films. “There are movies that will launch on the heels of the festival, that I hope adult audiences will see and revive that moviegoing habit,” Bailey claims. “Thankfully that’s been done with the summer blockbusters. There’s a different kind of movie that launches in the fall, and we’re hoping audiences go and see them.”",[25,5411,5412],{},"As many as nine world premieres for upcoming fall film fare have been revealed to be taking place at TIFF this year, and it’s safe to say that for many of these films, the levels of anticipation are at an all-time high. Opening the festival is the premiere of “The Swimmers”, which was directed by Sally El Hosaini and will later be distributed worldwide by streaming giant Netflix. Said company is also the international distributor to Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, the follow-up to Johnson’s 2019 sleeper hit “Knives Out” that is also currently expected to premiere at TIFF this year. Hosaini and Johnson are among many acclaimed directors whose work will shine bright at the festival this year; also premiering their films are Nicholas Stoller with his latest comedy “Bros” (which he co-wrote with star Billy Eichner), Gina Prince-Bythewood with her historical epic “The Woman King”, and Steven Spielberg with his semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans”. It’s that latter film that is especially notable in that it will be the first film directed by the “Jaws” and “Schindler’s List” auteur to premiere at TIFF, something that TIFF CEO Bailey seems very proud of. “When we saw the film, we responded in a strong emotional way,” Bailey claims. “I sent a note, which was passed on to Steven, about our own reaction to the film, how moved we were by it, how it’s a beautiful love letter to films and movies.”",[25,5414,5415],{},"Directors may be front and center when it comes to the films being shown at this year’s event, but that doesn’t mean the star power of cinema’s most well-known actors won’t also be essential in bringing awareness to the films they have been featured in. Jessica Chastain, who won an Academy Award last year for her performance in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (one of many films screened at the previous Toronto festival), will once again vy for awards as she acts with fellow Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in Netflix’s “The Good Nurse”. They’re not the only pair headlining a film at TIFF this year though, as Nicolas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes, the stars of “The Menu”, and “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”’s Lily James and Emma Thompson providing potential acting competition for the coming awards season. In addition to these actors, the festival will also showcase the talents of such names as Jennifer Lawrence in the war drama “Causeway”, Anna Kendrick in the thriller “Alice, Darling”, and Nicolas Cage in the western “Butcher’s Crossing”.",[25,5417,5418],{},"Many of these features, as well as several others that haven’t been mentioned, will compete for the Toronto International Film Festival’s biggest prize, the Grolsch People’s Choice Award, which had previously gone to such films as “Jojo Rabbit” and “Belfast”, both of which (as did many others), went on to become major awards contenders in the months following their respective TIFF screenings. Whatever film ends up winning this year though, the festival overall will still be seen as a major victory, as it’s the first fully in-person event since 2019 and will likely see a massive turnout of eager audiences. “We are expecting full houses,” Bailey states. “We know from the ticket packages that we had going for the last few weeks, some of them have already gone off sale, but there’s a lot still available. There’s enough appetite for what we’ve seen so far that we’re expecting a big audience.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5420},[],"2022-08-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcauseway-the-fabelmans-among-films-to-be-screened-at-2022-toronto-film-festival",{"title":5392,"description":557},"causeway-the-fabelmans-among-films-to-be-screened-at-2022-toronto-film-festival","blog\u002Fcauseway-the-fabelmans-among-films-to-be-screened-at-2022-toronto-film-festival","aj0dXfzLWHBcjdVOn5zuDxJvMD0Ajf1kCY9BUpF85Fg",{"id":5429,"title":5430,"body":5431,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5459,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5460,"navigation":71,"path":5461,"seo":5462,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5463,"stem":5464,"__hash__":5465},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwhite-noise-announced-as-opening-film-of-2022-venice-film-festival.md","“White Noise” Announced as Opening Film of 2022 Venice Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":5432,"toc":5457},[5433,5439,5442,5445,5448,5451,5454],[25,5434,236,5435],{},[47,5436,391],{"href":5437,"rel":5438},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fnoah-baumbach-white-noise-venice-film-festival-1235324438\u002F",[51],[25,5440,5441],{},"When it comes to major film festivals that take place in Europe, there are a small handful that are considered to be the most prestigious of them all. These three European film festivals, collectively known as the Big Three, are the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, the Berlin Film in Berlin, Germany, and the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. The latter is well known for being one of the world’s oldest ongoing festivals, first started in 1932, and in recent years has introduced several different films that have gone on to great awards success. Some of these films aren’t all that conventional either; at the 2019 festival, its highest honor - the Golden Lion - was given to the comic book adaptation “Joker”. Needless to say, the Venice Film Festival has become quite useful for filmmakers and studios to get their works out into the public consciousness and hopefully use that attention to achieve greater long-term success. This year’s event seems to be no different from those of the past; set to take place between August 31st and September 10th this year, the Venice Film Festival is currently expected to showcase and premiere a wide variety of exceptional feature-length and short films. Given how renowned the festival continues to be, one would expect that this year’s event will open with a film that is highly anticipated and expected to be among the best of the best. Fortunately, the 2022 Venice Film Festival will indeed open with such a film, that being Noah Baumbach’s latest cinematic endeavor, the black comedy “White Noise”.",[25,5443,5444],{},"Featuring a cast that contains the likes of Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as its leads, Baumbach’s film is an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel of the same name, one in which Drive plays a Middle American college professor who faces difficulty in navigating the ups and downs that come with his marriage to his fourth wife (played by Gerwig) and their children, a dilemma that is only further complicated when an “airborne toxic event” puts all their lives at risk. In addition to those previously mentioned, the film will also showcase the acting talents of Andre L. Benjamin, Raffey Cassidy, Don Cheadle, Lars Eidinger, and Alessandro Nivola.",[25,5446,5447],{},"Noah Baumbach is no stranger to the Venice Film Festival, as his previous film “Marriage Story” also played at the festival in 2019. This will be the first time one of his works has opened the event though, and it’s also the first time that a film distributed by streaming giant Netflix (which also distributed “Marriage Story”) will open the festival. Sure enough, Netflix is attached to quite a few films expected to be screened at this year’s event; the Marilyn Monroe biopic drama “Blonde”, starring Ana de Armas and directed by Andrew Dominik, is among the more notable, but there’s also a decent number of international releases that Netflix plans to distribute worldwide. These include “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” from Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (who received consecutive Best Director wins for “Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” and “The Revenant”), which depicts the existential crisis of a Mexican journalist\u002Fdocumentary filmmaker; and the modern tragedy “Athena”, directed by Romain Gavras of “The World is Yours” fame and written by Gavras and Ladj Ly (who previously helmed “Les Miserables”).",[25,5449,5450],{},"Although Netflix has been more than happy to have its films shown at any number of major film festivals, the Venice Film Festival in particular allows for something that cannot be achieved at the Cannes Film Festival: the ability to release these films onto streaming a short time after their festival run. According to French law, any film in competition at the Cannes Film Festival must have a theatrical run in France and can only be released to streaming after a fifteen-month waiting period. Considering Netflix’s business model requires them to release whatever films they have onto streaming as soon as possible, having to wait at least fifteen months is clearly not an option, so it’s had to pull films from competition, if not the entirety of the Cannes Film Festival, in order to avoid having to adhere to this mandate. No such mandate, however, exists at the Venice Film Festival, so Netflix has understandably been more eager to allow its films to compete at this particular event.",[25,5452,5453],{},"In a statement released to announce “White Noise” as the opening film of this year’s event, festival director Alberto Barbera seemed particularly excited about this decision, calling it a “great honor” and adding that ensuring the film was finished before making the announcement (which many had expected to come out sooner than it actually did) was well worth the wait. In his statement, Barbera praised Baumbach’s film and its success in adapting DeLillo’s work, calling it “an original, ambitious and compelling piece of art which plays with measure on multiple registers: dramatic, ironic, satirical,” while also praising the film’s ability to draw parallels between the obsessions and fears of the 1980s to those of today’s day and age. Baumbach seems to have been delighted by the festival’s decision, if his immediate response is any indication. “It is a truly wonderful thing to return to the Venice Film Festival, and an incredible honor to have ‘White Noise’ play as the opening night film,” Baumbach stated in response to the announcement. “This is a place that loves cinema so much, and it’s a thrill and a privilege to join the amazing films and filmmakers that have premiered here.”",[25,5455,5456],{},"“White Noise” is far from the only major release that many are looking forward to at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Other highly anticipated films expected to be screened include Warner Brothers’ psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling”, directed by Olivia Wilde; Focus Features’ “Tár” from director Todd Field; MGM’s “Bones and All”, directed by Luca Guadagnino; Searchlight Pictures’ “The Banshees of Inisherin” from director Martin McDonagh; and A24’s “The Whale”, directed by Darren Aronofsky. These are all only a fraction of what Venice has to offer this year though, and one can’t help but be excited for what else there is to be seen.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5458},[],"2022-07-31",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhite-noise-announced-as-opening-film-of-2022-venice-film-festival",{"title":5430,"description":194},"white-noise-announced-as-opening-film-of-2022-venice-film-festival","blog\u002Fwhite-noise-announced-as-opening-film-of-2022-venice-film-festival","mZRKGIlBBo3zluWAjN6L3k0XXxkHMz_C44IAjEqWpTQ",{"id":5467,"title":5468,"body":5469,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5500,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5501,"navigation":71,"path":5502,"seo":5503,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5504,"stem":5505,"__hash__":5506},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Firanian-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-to-serve-six-years-in-prison.md","Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi to Serve Six Years in Prison",{"type":22,"value":5470,"toc":5498},[5471,5477,5480,5483,5486,5489,5492,5495],[25,5472,236,5473],{},[47,5474,279],{"href":5475,"rel":5476},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Firan-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-serve-six-year-sentence-1235182648\u002F",[51],[25,5478,5479],{},"Whenever a well-known celebrity or industry figure is arrested and later convicted of a crime, one would expect said crime to be something of an abhorrent nature. For example, Harvey Weinstein, once one of the most prominent studio executives working in Hollywood, was found guilty of sexual assault and various other sex-related crimes just a couple years ago, and most would agree that the conviction was much needed and appreciated. However, it’s not uncommon for a filmmaker to be accused of crimes that many would say are not really crimes at all. In these situations, it’s less of a situation where the filmmaker did something wrong more than it is a situation where they did something the government did not approve of, regardless of how harmless others may deem such actions. Though such occurrences may not be all that common in the United States and other nations that are more supportive of freedom of speech, the same cannot be said in countries with strict censorship laws that can lead to harsh punishment if they are not adhered to. The nation of Iran is one such country where media censorship is strictly enforced, and one such filmmaker who has found himself in conflict with the Iranian government is Jafar Panahi, who has actually managed to gain a considerable amount of acclaim elsewhere in the world for his works.",[25,5481,5482],{},"Making his cinematic debut in 1995 with “The White Balloon”, which garnered the Camera d’Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, Jafar Panahi quickly gained a reputation as Iran’s best-known filmmaker. Several other films from Panahi would follow, including 2000’s “The Circle”, which won the Golden Lion at that year’s Venice Film Festival, and “Offside” in 2006, which was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Although these films have received overwhelming praise from overseas critics and audiences, the Iranian government has had a less than favorable reaction to Panahi’s work. Much of the subject matter explored in these films, including censorship, poverty, sexism, and violence among others, goes against what the government has declared to be acceptable, and it has repeatedly chosen to act accordingly against Panahi. Banning these films was among the first decisions made in order to suppress any presence of Pahani’s work in Iran, but the filmmaker has continued to fight back, and just recently, such conflict has reached a point where he must now serve a prison sentence.",[25,5484,5485],{},"On Tuesday, July 19th, the judiciary of the Iranian nation announced that Jafar Panahi would be forced to spend six years in prison, carrying out a sentence that had been delivered over a decade ago yet had not been properly enforced until now. As claimed by judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi, Panahi has been charged and convicted for producing what has been referred to as “anti-government propaganda”, and that the sentence should have begun in 2011 when the verdict had first been delivered.",[25,5487,5488],{},"Panahi’s sentence may not have been enforced until now, but he has been banned from international travel for over ten years as a result of his charges. That has not prevented him from making more films though, albeit in secrecy. These underground films have managed to fly under the radar of the Iranian government and released internationally, resulting in them being just as critically acclaimed (if not more so) than some of Panahi’s previous works. Among these films are “This is Not a Film”, a 2011 documentary constructed in the form of a video diary (said to have been smuggled out of Iran on a flash drive hidden in a cake),  and “Taxi”, which won the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival and various others festival awards. Panahi’s most recent films have likewise been well-received by critics and festival-goers, with “3 Faces” winning Best Screenplay at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival (an award accepted by Panahi’s daughter Solmaz), and his latest work, the anthology film “The Year of the Everlasting Storm”, being among the lineup of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.",[25,5490,5491],{},"Enforcement of Panahi’s prison sentence did not begin until just last week when the filmmaker visited the prosecutor’s office in Tehran (the nation’s capital) to ask about the cases involving Mohamad Rasalouf and Mostafa al-Ahmad, two other Iranian filmmakers that have struggled with the Iranian government over their works. Rasalouf and al-Ahmad had been arrested earlier in July, accused of speaking out on social media against the government’s violent response to protests in Iran’s southwestern region, and in doing so, supposedly undermining national security. It did not take long for Panahi himself to be arrested, and it wasn’t too long afterwards that the judiciary decided now was the time for him to carry out his six-year prison sentence.",[25,5493,5494],{},"As of this writing, Panahi has been detained in Evin Prison, and is currently expected to remain there for the next six years. Various human rights groups have been quick to speak out against Panahi’s imprisonment, drawing attention to not only the Iranian government’s mistreatment of the country’s world-renowned film industry, but also its mistreatment of protestors and activists in general. The nation certainly has a lot to deal with right now, from the possible crash of its national currency to the potential revival of its nuclear program, which several world powers are currently divided as to whether or not they should allow it to happen. An economic crisis looms over the nation of Iran, and the last thing it needs is the rest of the world looking down on it for the way it treats its people, especially its filmmakers.",[25,5496,5497],{},"If there is one positive thing to take away from all of this though, it’s the fact that it proves just how powerful the art of cinema can be. Most governments are well aware of how influential films can be on their people, which is why they are so eager to enforce censorship and ensure whatever is shown doesn’t go against its personal values. This is what makes some filmmakers, Jafar Panahi included, come across as so brave and daring, as they are willing to fight against these strict standards in order to make the films they desire to make. They may be subjected to unjust punishment for doing so, but to them, it’s worth it if it means getting to create the art they are so passionate about.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5499},[],"2022-07-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Firanian-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-to-serve-six-years-in-prison",{"title":5468,"description":298},"iranian-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-to-serve-six-years-in-prison","blog\u002Firanian-filmmaker-jafar-panahi-to-serve-six-years-in-prison","LFAH2zieHiglESB2QKWdguckJ2Z3OAajwWasf4VbXCQ",{"id":5508,"title":5509,"body":5510,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":5564,"description":5565,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5566,"navigation":71,"path":5567,"seo":5568,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5569,"stem":5570,"__hash__":5571},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-international-culinary-travel-series.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Launches International Culinary Travel Series.",{"type":22,"value":5511,"toc":5562},[5512,5521,5524,5527,5530,5533,5536,5539,5546,5549,5554,5558,5560],[25,5513,5514,5515,5520],{},"**Los Angeles, CA, July 5th, 2022 – (PR.com)- **World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce the acquisition and future launch of the international television series, *All the Best with Zita Keeley *(",[47,5516,5519],{"href":5517,"rel":5518},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.allthebestwithzita.com",[51],"www.allthebestwithzita.com","). WWMPC is pleased to introduce the 35-episode television special to a wide variety of markets and territories throughout the world starting in the fall.",[25,5522,5523],{},"Host, Zita Keeley travels throughout the world aboard luxury cruise ships in search of authentic local dishes, all while meeting and learning from chefs and residents in each distinctive location. Zita, a cook, author, world traveler, and specialist in fine wines discovers new cuisines in cities all throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. In various episodes of the four-season series, she often meets with local guides to find remarkable places to dine and to get a glimpse of each city’s history.",[25,5525,5526],{},"“For me, travel is about opening eyes and minds and expanding horizons, when traveling, anything and everything is an experience to be savored,” said Zita.",[25,5528,5529],{},"The idea for the series came from Zita’s personal love of traveling and, in particular, aboard luxury cruise ships that offer gourmet cuisine, fine wines, and lavish amenities as well as the opportunity to explore the places surrounding the various ports shown in the series.",[25,5531,5532],{},"Zita visits a variety of incredible destinations including Turkey, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Montenegro, Canada and the United States.",[25,5534,5535],{},"“We’re thrilled to be working with WWMPC in this adventure bringing the television series to the widest possible audience,” stated Executive Producer, Patrick Keeley.",[25,5537,5538],{},"The series, which has a format similar to the highly successful shows presented by the late American chef, Anthony Bourdain, and currently the award-winning actor Stanley Tucci, is planned to be presented on cruise lines, airlines, rail, and other forms of leisure and travel venues and applicable streaming services.",[25,5540,5541,5542,5545],{},"“The company is proud and excited to develop a relationship with ZPK Productions in bringing the television series, ",[486,5543,5544],{},"All the Best with Zita Keeley",", to an international market as the world slowly emerges from various types of pandemic lockdowns” stated WWMPC President\u002FCEO Paul. D. Hancock.",[25,5547,5548],{},"“We need to start thinking about the world in more normal terms including traveling to exciting destinations” Hancock further stated.",[25,5550,45,5551,3846],{},[47,5552,52],{"href":49,"rel":5553},[51],[25,5555,5556],{},[57,5557,59],{},[25,5559,1729],{},[25,5561,5257],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5563},[],"2022-07-08","**Los Angeles, CA, July 5th, 2022 – (PR.com)- **World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce the acquisition and future launch of the international television series, *All the Best with Zita Keeley *(www.allthebestwithzita.com). WWMPC is pleased to introduce the 35-episode television special to a wide variety of markets and territories throughout the world starting in the fall.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-international-culinary-travel-series",{"title":5509,"description":5565},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-international-culinary-travel-series","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-launches-international-culinary-travel-series","utN2KqktfK6o69pmpL8F7eXiCi4GHPDFThY_kpbZ4Qk",{"id":5573,"title":5574,"body":5575,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5603,"description":5604,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5605,"navigation":71,"path":5606,"seo":5607,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5608,"stem":5609,"__hash__":5610},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fminions-top-fourth-of-july-box-office-signal-big-comeback-for-family-films.md","“Minions” Top Fourth of July Box Office, Signal Big Comeback for Family Films",{"type":22,"value":5576,"toc":5601},[5577,5583,5586,5589,5592,5595,5598],[25,5578,236,5579],{},[47,5580,2023],{"href":5581,"rel":5582},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Farticle\u002Fed3161523204\u002F?ref_=bo_hm_hp",[51],[25,5584,5585],{},"Films aimed at family audiences tend to be among those that are most popular at the box office - or at least they have been for the past few decades - and it’s not hard to understand why. Few children are old enough to attend their local theater unsupervised, so more often than not, an outing to the movies will consist of at least one child and at least one adult per group. For comparison, a more adult-oriented film will draw audiences made up of either individual ticket-buyers or couples\u002Fvery small groups of people, so because current societal standards enforce the idea of children being accompanied by a parent or guardian, family films end up selling more tickets than they would if they were only being given to younger audience members and not those who are older and possibly not as interested in the film.",[25,5587,5588],{},"However, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to bring big changes to families’ movie-going habits, and not in ways that would be beneficial to theaters. Most parents have understandably been hesitant about taking them somewhere where they might be exposed to a contagious disease, so throughout much of 2020 and 2021, few family films were released in theaters, as many distributors feared that such films would bring in less than desired revenue due to how many families would opt to stay home rather than go out. Instead, most major studios turned to their streaming platforms as one of the primary means of distributing their most recent family films, often doing so to great success. Pixar, one of Disney’s primary animation divisions, released many of their most recent features - including “Luca” and “Turning Red” - exclusively to the company’s streaming service Disney+, all of which immediately became some of their most-watched content. Even Disney’s animated musical “Encanto”, which did get a theatrical release that accumulated $256 million in global ticket sales, exploded in popularity once it was made available to watch on Disney+. Given the circumstances, streaming seemed to be the preferred option for family film viewing, and throughout the past couple years, many of the major studios have acted accordingly.",[25,5590,5591],{},"However, recent months have shown that studios have been eager to make family films an exclusively theatrical experience, and have slowly adjusted the release patterns of their latest films in order to do this. Universal and Illumination’s “Sing 2”, released in December of last year, was among the first major efforts to return family films to a theaters-only release; even with rising COVID cases and heavy competition from box office juggernaut “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, “Sing 2” managed to develop some strong legs throughout the holiday season, earning $162.8 million at the domestic box office throughout its theatrical run, far more than any family film released throughout the pandemic had made up to that point.",[25,5593,5594],{},"In the months since the release of “Sing 2”, studios have released a few more family films exclusively to theaters, with most of them finding respectable success. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”, the sequel to the popular video-game film adaptation released just before the start of the pandemic in 2020, performed even better at the box office than its predecessor upon its premiere in April, speeding past $72 million during its opening weekend and going on to make over $400 million worldwide. Just a few weeks after “Sonic” came Universal and DreamWorks’ “The Bad Guys”, which received a smaller opening weekend total of around $24 million, but proved to have just enough staying power to make it to a global sum of $244.5 million. Then there’s Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear”, of which its performance has seen some rather mixed results. On the one hand, its $50.6 million opening weekend total was the highest of any animated film released since the start of the pandemic; on the other hand, studio analysts were predicting an opening weekend that was much higher, and with a budget of around $200 million, many are worried the film won’t break even.",[25,5596,5597],{},"It wasn’t until the Fourth of July weekend (appropriately enough) that a family film was met with success big enough to celebrate, that is to say success that would’ve been seen as big regardless of whether there was a pandemic or not. After being held back from release for over two years (as it was originally intended to come out in the summer of 2020), “Minions: The Rise of Gru”, the sequel to Universal and Illumination’s “Minions” (itself a spin-off of their highly lucrative “Despicable Me” franchise), finally made its debut on the big screen, and to say there was a demand to see the film would be a bit of an understatement. In the first three days of its release, from Friday July 1st to Sunday July 3rd, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” earned $108.5 milliion (making it the first family film to cross $100 million in its opening weekend since the pandemic started) and should make to around $128 million by the end of July 4th. These numbers allow the film to have the biggest Fourth of July debut of all time in North America (a title previously held by 2011’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and its $115.9 million opening), and it’s so far the most encouraging sign that family films have made a comeback in theaters. How well “Minions: The Rise of Gru” does from this point is uncertain (especially with the release of Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” in the coming weekend, which will most certainly snag some of the Minions’ audience), but considering the film’s A rating on Cinemascore and a budget kept under $100 million, it’s safe to say the film is anything but a failure.",[25,5599,5600],{},"Will the rest of the year see similar success for future family films? It’s hard to say for sure, especially since the immense popularity of the “Despicable Me” brand was what catapulted its most recent film to such great box office heights, but studios are still optimistic nonetheless. Warner Brothers’ “DC League of Super Pets”, Disney’s “Strange World”, and Universal and DreamWorks’ “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” are among the biggest family films set to come out later this year. Even if they aren’t able to match what the Minions have achieved, hopefully they’ll do well enough to prove that families are ready to go out to the movies once again.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5602},[],"2022-07-07","Source: Box Office Mojo",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fminions-top-fourth-of-july-box-office-signal-big-comeback-for-family-films",{"title":5574,"description":5604},"minions-top-fourth-of-july-box-office-signal-big-comeback-for-family-films","blog\u002Fminions-top-fourth-of-july-box-office-signal-big-comeback-for-family-films","UQpzRAo8ezSGRVaqfHZ3OzFW0sjlTmCeNkXsDXVi9Zs",{"id":5612,"title":5613,"body":5614,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5645,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5646,"navigation":71,"path":5647,"seo":5648,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5649,"stem":5650,"__hash__":5651},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmarcel-the-shell-earns-weekends-top-box-office-psa-another-breakout-hit-for-a24.md","“Marcel the Shell” Earns Weekend’s Top Box Office PSA: Another Breakout Hit for A24?",{"type":22,"value":5615,"toc":5643},[5616,5622,5625,5628,5631,5634,5637,5640],[25,5617,236,5618],{},[47,5619,538],{"href":5620,"rel":5621},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F06\u002Fa24-marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-specialty-box-office-1235052232\u002F",[51],[25,5623,5624],{},"To call the most recent weekend at the box office an interesting might be considered by some to be something of an understatement. For one thing, two films are currently vying for the #1 spot, with Warner Brothers’ music biopic “Elvis”, which first went into general release this weekend, and Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick”, currently in its fifth week of release, competing against each other with a weekend gross of around $30.5 million. Regardless of whichever film comes out on top, the latter will still have plenty of reason to celebrate, as it just recently became the first film of 2022 to receive a worldwide gross of $1 billion. On the other hand, Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear”, which had first come out last weekend, did not have as much to celebrate, as it followed an underwhelming opening weekend with a drop of 65% in ticket sales, far more than desired by those who were hoping the film would have strong legs in the coming weeks.",[25,5626,5627],{},"As one can clearly see, there’s a lot going on with the biggest films currently in theaters, but that doesn’t mean the smaller films should be ignored. After all, sometimes the films that seem to have the smallest impact at the box office are those that go on to have the biggest cultural impact in the long run. This can already be observed in the sleeper success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (which still remains in the box office Top 10 since its release fourteen weeks ago), and another film distributed by A24 that has just come out could very go on to achieve a similar feat, that being the live-action\u002Fstop-motion hybrid mockumentary “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.”",[25,5629,5630],{},"Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, who co-wrote the script with Nick Paley and Jenny Slate (who also stars as the titular character), the film and its characters have had quite an interesting history when it comes to getting onto the big screen. Based on a series of short films that were originally uploaded to YouTube in 2010, the shorts’ main lead, a one-inch shell with a single googly eye, shoes on his feet, and a mind of his own, made his theatrical debut last year when the feature-length film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2021 (while also being shown at SXSW last March). Produced by Cinereach and a variety of other small production companies, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” received a distribution deal with A24 in November of last year, and just recently began its release in theaters, opening in select venues throughout New York City and Los Angeles on Friday, June 24th. Although its current theater count is small (at the moment, it is currently only playing in six theaters), what it has achieved so far at the box office could be a sign of much greater things to come.",[25,5632,5633],{},"Throughout the first three days of its release, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” accumulated a total of just under $170,000 at the nationwide box office. This may not have been enough for the film to enter the Top 10 (instead premiering at #12 on the chart), but industry analysts are calling it a respectable opening nonetheless. The reason: with a per-screen average of around $28,267 per theater (as previously stated, only six theaters are currently showing the film, with many more to show it in the coming weeks), the film has the highest PSA of any film currently being seen in theaters. For comparison, both “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis” had an average of around $7,800 per theater over the previous weekend, just over a quarter of what “Marcel” had received over the same period of time.",[25,5635,5636],{},"Given the extremely small number of theaters it’s currently playing at, it’s hard to call the performance of “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” anything less than impressive, but will it be able to build upon this initial success once it does go into wider release? To answer this question, it might be important to look back on “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which opened in ten theaters during its first weekend to a total of $509,600 with a per-screen average of $50,965. “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” may have only earned a PSA just over half of that total, but it also opened in only six theaters, meaning that the film may have earned a much greater PSA had it been available to see in a slightly larger number of venues.",[25,5638,5639],{},"Still, if “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” is going to perform anywhere near as well as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is still performing (at the moment, the film sits at #8 with a weekend gross of $533,346 and a total domestic gross of $66,088,446), it will need to have strong word of mouth from those who have seen the film. Fortunately, the film’s reception so far seems to be nothing short of overwhelmingly positive. Of the fifty-five reviews currently listed on Rotten Tomatoes, not one of them is negative, with “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” currently having a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.4\u002F10. This is not too far off from the 95% approval rating and 8.6\u002F10 average score that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” currently has (though that film has far more reviews at the moment at a total of 317), and while it’s guaranteed to change once the film goes into wide release, the early reactions to “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” are far more encouraging than not.",[25,5641,5642],{},"Does this mean the film will be a surefire hit? It’s too early to say at the moment, especially since its rollout across the nation will be a gradual one. Next weekend will see the film enter six more major city markets - Austin, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. - before entering wide release the following weekend and steadily gaining venues throughout the summer. It may appear to be a slow approach to releasing the film, but this kind of strategy has proven effective for many independent features in the past, and there’s no reason to believe that it shouldn’t work for “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”. Its premise of a talking seashell might be a bit unusual to some, but being unusual didn’t stop “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from succeeding in the long run, so it’s hard to come up with reasons as to why this film achieve something similar.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5644},[],"2022-07-01",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmarcel-the-shell-earns-weekends-top-box-office-psa-another-breakout-hit-for-a24",{"title":5613,"description":557},"marcel-the-shell-earns-weekends-top-box-office-psa-another-breakout-hit-for-a24","blog\u002Fmarcel-the-shell-earns-weekends-top-box-office-psa-another-breakout-hit-for-a24","cGevXL0kqg0zzZ6Og-j-OpVAlA42Puhax6F84FGBWf8",{"id":5653,"title":5654,"body":5655,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5689,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5690,"navigation":71,"path":5691,"seo":5692,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5693,"stem":5694,"__hash__":5695},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjohn-mctiernan-jurassic-world-to-be-included-in-upcoming-london-action-festival.md","John McTiernan, “Jurassic World” to Be Included in Upcoming London Action Festival",{"type":22,"value":5656,"toc":5687},[5657,5663,5666,5669,5672,5675,5678,5681,5684],[25,5658,236,5659],{},[47,5660,391],{"href":5661,"rel":5662},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fglobal\u002Fdie-hard-predator-john-mctiernan-london-action-festival-1235298518\u002F",[51],[25,5664,5665],{},"The action genre has a somewhat contradictory status in the world of cinema in that it’s simultaneously one of the most popular film genres (if not THE most popular film genre) in terms of box office performance, yet one of the least recognized when it comes to critical appraisal or award nominations. Just looking at the current weekend box office is enough evidence of the action genre’s lucrative appeal; all three films sitting at the top of the charts - Universal’s “Jurassic World Dominion”, Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear”, and Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” - can be considered action films to varying degrees. However, while films like these may score various technical awards over the course of the awards season, few of them have been fortunate enough to take home anything more prestigious. In fact, “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Black Panther” are among the very few action films to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in recent years, and neither of them were considered worthy enough of winning despite overwhelming praise from critics and audiences. Even with this lack of awards success though, many would still argue that there is an art to the action genre that is worth appreciating, and one event set to take place at the end of this coming July hopes to make that point very clear.",[25,5667,5668],{},"Taking place between July 28th and July 31st of this year, the London Action Festival will serve as a celebration of action films and all the talent and effort that goes into making them. The event will include various film screenings, panels, and demonstrations that will theoretically allow those attending to have a better understanding of what goes on in the making of popular action films of the past, present, and (hopefully) future. “We will be celebrating the skills and talent of those who bring action movies and TV to life,” claims festival co-founder\u002Fdirector Julian Alcantara. “We see the festival as a way of showing far greater appreciation for those whose incredible work and achievements are rarely recognized come awards season, particularly in the areas of stunts and action design.”",[25,5670,5671],{},"Opening the festival is a showing of the 1988 classic “Die Hard”, considered by many to be one of the definitive staples of the action genre. Following the screening is a Q&A panel between guests and the film’s director John McTiernan, who also directed the 1987 film “Predator”, which will also be screened during the festival. These are just a few of the classic action films that are expected to be shown throughout the festival’s four-day duration, and between them and all other events, there’s a strong possibility that guests will be able to appreciate these films in ways they may not have considered in the past.",[25,5673,5674],{},"One type of demonstration that will be featured as part of the London Action Festival is the masterclass, in which industry professionals will explain in great detail how they were able to achieve certain feats in the making of certain films. The visual effects of the recently released “Jurassic World Dominion”, for example, will be the subject of one of these masterclasses, with visual effects supervisors Paul Fulker, a partner and creative director of visual effects company Proof London Ltd. (of which parent company Proof Inc. is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year), and Dave Vickery from Industrial Light and Magic hosting the discussion alongside the film’s director Colin Trevorrow.",[25,5676,5677],{},"Stunt work will be another subject that will be focused on heavily throughout the festival, with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn and his UK-based production company MARV hosting an exclusive screening of footage shot for the upcoming action film “School Fight”, directed by Damien Walters, who had previously worked as a stunt coordinator for various films and will be making his directorial debut with this new feature. In this upcoming masterclass, Walters will discuss the difficulties he faced in going from stunt professional to director, with cast members\u002Ffellow stunt performers Greg Townley and Bobby Holland Hanton also expected to take part in the panel.",[25,5679,5680],{},"For the most part, Picturehouse Central will serve as the main venue of most of the festival’s largest screenings and panels, but there are other locations throughout the Central London area where events are currently set to take place. These include the Royal Geographical Society and its upcoming Friday Night Showdown, which will combine comedy, music, panels, and numerous guests of honor into a single evening that will serve as a celebration of all things action. Other planned events include Write Club, where industry professionals will discuss the significance of the script in developing an action film, and Punch Above Your Weight – How To Make Your First Action Masterpiece, which will teach audiences how to create a professional looking action film on a small budget.",[25,5682,5683],{},"Serving as the festival’s primary media sponsor is the Internet news site Den of Geek, of which CEO Jennifer Bartner-Indeck described the mission statement of the festival (as well as Den of Geek itself) as “by the fans, for the fans”. As Bartner-Indeck put it best, “we’re looking forward to being associated with this long overdue celebration of the skills, creativity, talent, and bravery required to create the world’s most exciting content across film and TV.”",[25,5685,5686],{},"“This is going to be an exciting, fun and inspiring experience for audiences who love all things action,” states festival co-founder\u002Fdirector Ron Fogelman, who will work alongside Alcantara and cultural curator Ashanti Omkar to ensure the festival is the best possible event they can put together. “The very filmmaking that powers global entertainment deserves this level of attention and respect.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5688},[],"2022-06-25",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjohn-mctiernan-jurassic-world-to-be-included-in-upcoming-london-action-festival",{"title":5654,"description":194},"john-mctiernan-jurassic-world-to-be-included-in-upcoming-london-action-festival","blog\u002Fjohn-mctiernan-jurassic-world-to-be-included-in-upcoming-london-action-festival","hLEsexrbVgUhAYRJEj3SKzvL3v-dHWv1DZ0YOhJkJ64",{"id":5697,"title":5698,"body":5699,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5727,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5728,"navigation":71,"path":5729,"seo":5730,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5731,"stem":5732,"__hash__":5733},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Flightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-others-due-to-lgbtq-content.md","“Lightyear” Banned In Saudi Arabia, Others Due to LGBTQ+ Content",{"type":22,"value":5700,"toc":5725},[5701,5707,5710,5713,5716,5719,5722],[25,5702,236,5703],{},[47,5704,538],{"href":5705,"rel":5706},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F06\u002Flightyear-saudi-arabia-uae-malaysia-indonesia-egypt-ban-disney-pixar-1235044088\u002F",[51],[25,5708,5709],{},"Disney and Pixar’s most recent animated feature “Lightyear”, inspired by the character Buzz Lightyear from their flagship “Toy Story” franchise, is being seen by many as a return to form for the studio that produced the likes of “Finding Nemo” and “Inside Out”. The film will be the first in over two years that will premiere exclusively in theaters, as previous works “Soul”, “Luca”, and “Turning Red” were forced to instead come out on Disney+ due to concerns relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (the last film Pixar released to theaters, “Onward”, also had its theatrical run far sooner than desired to due to the pandemic). For many, getting to see “Lightyear” on the big screen will be quite an event, with industry analysts predicting the film will accumulate anywhere between $90 and $120 million over its opening weekend at the domestic box office. International ticket sales will certainly bring that total to an even higher number, but of the global markets that will provide “Lightyear” with theatrical exhibition, none of them will include Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and a handful of other nations that have chosen not to allow the film to be screened.",[25,5711,5712],{},"As Disney began to release “Lightyear” into one international market after another, it was announced that several countries have not been given distribution certificates that would permit the film to be shown in their theaters. Many of these nations are located in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, but Indonesia and Malaysia, located near Southeast Asia in the Pacific Ocean, have also refused to exhibit the film. In addition, the film has not yet been dated for a release in China, one of the world’s largest movie-going markets, and although no official reasons have been provided to explain why these bans have been put into place, many believe that it’s due to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content in the film (in order for a Chinese release, cuts to “Lightyear” would have to be made, much like Warner Brothers’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”), as has been the case with previous films that were also banned in these countries.",[25,5714,5715],{},"The content in question revolves around the character of Alisha Hawthorne (played by Uzo Aduba), a commanding officer and one of protagonist Buzz Lightyear’s (Chris Evans) closest friends. In the film, Hawthorne is shown at one point to be embracing another woman in a romantic manner, allowing the film to explicitly confirm the character being part of the LGBT community. Although the characters’ relationship was never questioned at any point during the film’s production, a kiss between the two was originally intended to be cut, only to be reinstated at the demand of several Pixar employees following the controversy surrounding Disney CEO Bob Chapek and how he had chosen to react to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that had recently been passed in the state of Florida.",[25,5717,5718],{},"In some of the nations where bans of “Lightyear” were announced, it’s possible that Disney did not even make an effort to submit the film for government approval, as they had done with previous films for the likes of Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Gulf region. On the other hand, there was in fact an effort to get the film out in some of these countries, as was the case for the United Arab Emirates, where a June 16th release was previously announced for “Lightyear” before its Media Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Youth and Culture released a statement to social media claiming that the film “is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards.” This comes in spite of the fact that showtimes at many UAE theaters had already been announced for “Lightyear”, though at the time of this writing, no links to times or tickets have been provided.",[25,5720,5721],{},"For those who had worked hard to create “Lightyear”, including director Angus MacLane, producer Galyn Susman, and several other cast and crew members, hearing that the product of their efforts will not be made available to certain parts of the world must certainly come as a disappointment. However, given that the alternative was to cut the material in question out and possibly deprive the film of some of its most meaningful moments, these bans may in fact be the best case scenario. It’s not the first time this situation has had to be faced by a major film distributed by Disney; in fact, several of such films had only come out very recently. These include Marvel superhero films “Eternals” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, as well as the Steven Spielberg directed musical “West Side Story”, all of which pushed to preserve the explicit LGBTQ+ content included in them and were denied releases in several international markets as a result. Had any of these films been released just a few years prior, it’s likely that Disney would’ve demanded that cuts be made in order for distribution in these markets.",[25,5723,5724],{},"What has changed that would allow Disney to be a bit more tolerant of LGBTQ+ content in their films, even at the risk of losing business in certain overseas markets? For the most part, it’s the creators of these films who are putting their foot down and making it more clear that they cannot put up with their films being censored in such a manner any longer. This became especially apparent after Bob Chapek’s mishandling of the company’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, after which many studio creatives revealed how strict the company had previously been when it came to depictions of LGBTQ+ characters. If the desire is for the company to save face, then it makes perfect sense for more recent films to be allowed to include such material, and while doing so has resulted in some nations refusing to show these films, it’s a much more preferable option than worldwide censorship.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5726},[],"2022-06-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Flightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-others-due-to-lgbtq-content",{"title":5698,"description":557},"lightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-others-due-to-lgbtq-content","blog\u002Flightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-others-due-to-lgbtq-content","3OsCt6VOSGbiqI_KdU44Ej2OoP2OgLNcaYEprEeeBxg",{"id":5735,"title":5736,"body":5737,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5768,"description":1223,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5769,"navigation":71,"path":5770,"seo":5771,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5772,"stem":5773,"__hash__":5774},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmorbius-re-release-bombs-proving-that-social-media-does-not-reflect-general-public.md","“Morbius” Re-Release Bombs, Proving that Social Media Does Not Reflect General Public",{"type":22,"value":5738,"toc":5766},[5739,5745,5748,5751,5754,5757,5760,5763],[25,5740,236,5741],{},[47,5742,1197],{"href":5743,"rel":5744},"https:\u002F\u002Fgizmodo.com\u002Fmorbius-theatrical-return-flops-spider-man-sony-marvel-1849020942",[51],[25,5746,5747],{},"If one is both a fan of cinema and frequent user of social media, then there is a very strong chance that they follow a wide variety of people and websites that directly relate to this passion for film. When using such platforms as Twitter or TikTok, it’s very easy to seek out others who share similar interests, so when it comes to expressing how much one either loves or hates a given work, it shouldn’t be long before someone else responds to such an expression; it may be an agreement or a disagreement, a simple like or a more detailed, but whatever the response may be, many of them can pile and lead to all sorts of usual content. Nowhere is this more evident than in meme culture; all it takes is one post in which a piece of media is recontextualized to fit a specific narrative. If said narrative comes across as appealing to enough people, then it will be repeated and further recontextualized, allowing the meme to have greater longevity and possibly renew interest in what the original subject of the meme was to begin with.",[25,5749,5750],{},"Sure enough, Internet memes have become a major reason for the renewed interest of certain films. Whether it’s the bizarre animated comedy “Bee Movie” or the previously maligned Star Wars prequels, memes based off these properties have allowed social media users to rediscover and perhaps find new appreciation in these previously dismissed works of cinema. To the studios that originally created these films, this can be rather pleasing news; if enough people are becoming increasingly interested in a given property, then it’s possible that they can find a way to capitalize on this newfound popularity. There is a major flaw in this logic though: social media users are not always an accurate reflection of the general public. Just because something is popular on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s popular everywhere else, and if a company moves too quickly to respond to an Internet trend that might not even stick around for much longer, the outcome can be quite embarrassing. This was the lesson that major film distributor Sony Pictures had to learn the hard way when they brought a film that had previously underperformed at the box office back to theaters, that being the vampire-superhero action film “Morbius”.",[25,5752,5753],{},"Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and starring Jared Leto in the titular role, “Morbius” was already coming off a very shaky production history by the time it first arrived in theaters. With its release date being pushed back several times due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film ended up moving so far past its original July 2020 opening date that films that were originally intended to come out after “Morbius”, including “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, were instead beforehand. This resulted in the film having to undergo heavy revisions in order to better fit the larger cinematic universe narrative that included those other films, and unfortunately, those revisions arguably led to a less satisfactory product.",[25,5755,5756],{},"Despite the budget of “Morbius” being surprisingly smaller than what is usually given to superhero films, estimated to be anywhere between $75 and $83 million, the film nonetheless failed to meet even the lowest of expectations. As of June 6th, 2022, “Morbius” has only accumulated $73.4 million in North America and $90 million elsewhere, totalling to around $163.4 million worldwide and quickly becoming one of the least financially successful films based on a Marvel character. Its critical reception was even worse, with review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes showing that the film has only a 17% approval rating from critics, many of whom cite a lackluster script and underwhelming visual effects as among the major reasons for the film’s low quality. Although the lower budget prevented “Morbius” from being a far bigger disaster than it could’ve been, it’s safe to say that very few people were genuinely pleased with how the film turned out.",[25,5758,5759],{},"In spite of (or perhaps because of, at least in an ironic sense) of how poorly received “Morbius” was, it didn’t take long for the Internet to get ahold of the film and go above and beyond to make it the next big meme generator. Among the original Morbius memes was the #MorbiusSweep movement, in which many sarcastically claimed that the film was actually one of the biggest money-makers of all time. Following the film’s release to premium video on-demand, Morbius’ (fake) catchphrase “It’s morbin’ time” quickly caught on throughout social media, some of which were even able to get laughs out of those who were unaware that the line wasn’t actually real. These were just a few of the many unusual memes that those who used such platforms as Discord and Tumblr were able to derive from the vampire film, and those in on the joke were quite clear that their “appreciation” of “Morbius” was not meant to be taken the least bit seriously.",[25,5761,5762],{},"One company that did take this activity seriously, however, was the studio that made “Morbius”. Apparently seeing these memes as a sign of newfound admiration for the film that was initially met with dismal responses (and not realizing quickly enough that it was all a big joke), Sony made the decision to re-release the film into around 1,000 theaters, seeing the surge in “popularity” as a sign that people were finally eager to see Jared Leto play a vampire on the big screen. Much to Sony’s surprise (and that of almost nobody else) though, that did not happen; on its opening day, the re-release only brought in $85,000 (roughly $82 per theater), which wasn’t enough for the film to even crack the top 10 at the box office. As many were to quick to point out, “Morbius” had bombed twice at the box office.",[25,5764,5765],{},"From this embarrassment, there are two lessons to be learned. The first: the way social media reacts to and interacts with a given film is not always genuine. Just because users are having fun making jokes out of a given property does not mean they actually like it, at least not enough to financially support it. The second (and perhaps most important of all): the Internet is not always an accurate reflection of the real world. Even if a film appears to be popular on a given social media website, it does not mean the rest of society feels the same way. If that were the case, then there would’ve most likely been more than four or five people turning out to each theater to experience “Morbius” on the big screen.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5767},[],"2022-06-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmorbius-re-release-bombs-proving-that-social-media-does-not-reflect-general-public",{"title":5736,"description":1223},"morbius-re-release-bombs-proving-that-social-media-does-not-reflect-general-public","blog\u002Fmorbius-re-release-bombs-proving-that-social-media-does-not-reflect-general-public","QWFYuZBgsiDjDiO4EwF9mkCxezvALGK2ZoqndpVvsDI",{"id":5776,"title":5777,"body":5778,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5809,"description":3181,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5810,"navigation":71,"path":5811,"seo":5812,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5813,"stem":5814,"__hash__":5815},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftriangle-of-sadness-park-chan-wook-among-big-winners-at-2022-cannes-film-festival.md","“Triangle of Sadness”, Park Chan-wook Among Big Winners at 2022 Cannes Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":5779,"toc":5807},[5780,5786,5789,5792,5795,5798,5801,5804],[25,5781,236,5782],{},[47,5783,3159],{"href":5784,"rel":5785},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnn.com\u002F2022\u002F05\u002F30\u002Fentertainment\u002Fcannes-film-festival-winners\u002Findex.html",[51],[25,5787,5788],{},"This year’s Cannes Film Festival, held between May 17th and May 28th, marked the seventy-fifth year in a row in which the world-renowned event took place, and the timing could not be more perfect for the festival to make a big comeback. Due to restrictions put in place by the French government in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous two Cannes Film Festivals had to contend with both delays and significant modifications to how film screenings took place, with many of them being held online instead of in person at a given film exhibition venue. This year’s festival, however, saw a return to something resembling normal conditions, with nearly all of the forty-one films included as part of the event - twenty-one of which are In Competition, while the other twenty are Un Certain Regard - being shown in a theater at least once over the course of the festival’s twelve-day period. With the benefit of the big screen working to each of these films’ advantage, plenty of strong impressions were made on jury members and all others who were able to attend the event. Still, with only a small number of awards to hand out, Cannes jurors could only select a handful of these films to deem the best of the best, but as challenging as that task may have been, these decisions were made nonetheless, and the finest of this festival’s batch of cinematic achievements was revealed before its conclusion on May 28th.",[25,5790,5791],{},"Of the awards handed out, there are none superior to the Palme d’Or, Cannes’ equivalent of a Best Picture prize. This year, the big winner was “Triangle of Sadness”, an English-language international co-production between France, Sweden, and others. Directed by Swedish director Ruben Östlund and starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, and Woody Harrelson, this satirical dark comedy film revolves around a celebrity couple who go on a luxury cruise and get caught up in all sorts of crazy and dangerous events. The eight-minute standing ovation the film received at the end of its screening all but confirmed that the film had left a huge impression on those who saw it, and its eventual Palme d’Or victory further cemented how much it was appreciated. Whether or not the film will have similar success with awards later on in the year is not yet certain, but previous Palme d’Or winner “Parasite” proved that Academy voters do pay close attention to Cannes, and considering that that film’s North American distributor Neon is also distributing “Triangle of Sadness”, it wouldn’t be surprising if the company attempted to include the film as part of a major awards campaign.",[25,5793,5794],{},"Meanwhile, the Grand Prix award, considered by many to be the runner-up to the Palme d’Or, was a tie going to two different films. The first of these films was “Close”, a Belgian drama from director Lukas Dhont that revolves around the friendship between two adolescent boys and the conflicts that arise with getting older and closer to adulthood. The second Grand Prix winner was “Stars at Noon”, a co-production between France, Panama, and the United States directed by French director Claire Denis. Featuring such talents as Joe Alwyn, Margaret Qualley, and John C. Reilly, the film centers around an English businessman and an American journalist who must find a way to escape the nation of Nicaragua while simultaneously falling in love with one another. It’s not often that this award goes to two films at the same time, but given the warm reception both films have received, it’s not hard to understand why it may have been hard to decide between the two.",[25,5796,5797],{},"Lastly, there is the Jury Prize, which is determined by a select jury from a very specific “official selection” of films. As was the case with the Grand Prix award, two films were awarded with the honor this year. The first of these films was “EO”, a Polish drama from director Jerzy Skolimowski that tells the life story of a donkey born into a Polish circus. The second film to win the Jury Prize was “The Eight Mountains”, an Italian-language drama directed by Felix van Groeningen about two friends who lived in a small Alpine village as children and eventually reunited during their adulthood. Again, for this award to go to two different films is not something that happens all the time, but it does show how admired these films are for the jury to be somewhat split as to which of them was the better of the two.",[25,5799,5800],{},"Although the previously discussed awards were the main prizes handed out at this year’s festival, there were still plenty of smaller accolades to hand out alongside them. The award for Best Director, for example, went to Park Chan-wook for his film “Decision to Leave”, a South Korean mystery in which a detective falls in love with a recently widowed young woman who becomes the prime suspect in the murder being investigated. As for the award for Best Screenplay, Tarik Saleh took home the honor for the script he provided for “Boy from Heaven”, a thriller set in Egypt that shows a young fisherman’s son traveling to Cairo to study at the Al-Azhar University, only to inadvertently get tangled up in an ongoing struggle between the nation’s political and religious elite.",[25,5802,5803],{},"Then there are the prizes for acting, of which two were handed out at this year’s festival. The first of these was Best Actress, which was given to Zar Amir Ebrahimi for her performance in Ali Abbasi’s Persian-language crime thriller “Holy Spider”, based on the true story of a serial killer who targeted and killed sixteen different women in Mashhad, Iran between the years 2000 and 2001. The award for Best Actor, meanwhile, went to Song Kang-ho for his work in the South Korean drama “Broker”, in which his character takes part in the illegal selling of babies in the adoption black market and ends up going on a road trip with one of these babies’ mother in order to interview the child’s prospective parents.",[25,5805,5806],{},"Plenty of other awards were handed out over the duration of the festival, from the Honorary Palme d’Ors given to actors Tom Cruise and Forest Whittaker to the various Un Certain Regard prizes. Even with so many awards given though, one thing is certain above all else: this year’s Cannes Film Festival, one meant to serve as the event’s big comeback, was miraculously a solid success.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5808},[],"2022-06-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftriangle-of-sadness-park-chan-wook-among-big-winners-at-2022-cannes-film-festival",{"title":5777,"description":3181},"triangle-of-sadness-park-chan-wook-among-big-winners-at-2022-cannes-film-festival","blog\u002Ftriangle-of-sadness-park-chan-wook-among-big-winners-at-2022-cannes-film-festival","0fxuRhJxDxwGZahaJsvIEAPoqvi04FwcJAXu4mEu0AU",{"id":5817,"title":5818,"body":5819,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5847,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5848,"navigation":71,"path":5849,"seo":5850,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5851,"stem":5852,"__hash__":5853},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-an-indie-breakout-holding-strong-at-the-box-office.md","“Everything Everywhere All at Once”: An Indie Breakout Holding Strong at the Box Office",{"type":22,"value":5820,"toc":5845},[5821,5827,5830,5833,5836,5839,5842],[25,5822,236,5823],{},[47,5824,538],{"href":5825,"rel":5826},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F05\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-a24-box-office-record-1235029369\u002F",[51],[25,5828,5829],{},"If one were to look at the most recent totals of the weekend box office, they will most likely be unsurprised by the film currently sitting in the top spot: Marvel’s most recent superhero blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. Although it has been a few weeks since the film was first released to theaters, the lack of any major competition has allowed it to remain the box office champion throughout most of the month of May. According to Box Office Mojo (from which all the following data was derived from) receiving about $187 million during its opening weekend and since accumulating a total of $342.1 million in North America and $461.1 million overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $803.2 million and making it (at the time of this writing) the highest-grossing film of the year so far. With films like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World: Dominion” coming out over the next few weeks, “Doctor Strange” will most likely be knocked down from its current #1 position sooner than later, but when it does, it will have already earned a substantial amount of revenue that will be difficult to top.",[25,5831,5832],{},"However, sometimes how much a film makes overall is not entirely indicative of its long-term appeal. After all, word of mouth can greatly impact the amount of money received over the course of one weekend as opposed to the previous; if a film is not well liked, then the drop-off from the previous week can be much larger than desired, whereas a film that is well received will only lose a small percentage of what was gained in the week prior. In the case of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, its second weekend box office saw a drop of 67% of what was earned in the previous opening weekend; in its third weekend, the drop was 49%. Neither of these drops imply that the film is a failure by any means, but they do show that its performance was a bit frontloaded (as is often the case for big blockbusters) and that word of mouth is not quite strong enough to encourage people to revisit the film at their local theater. On the exact opposite end of the spectrum is a film that had opened to very little at the box office (at least compared to the average blockbuster), yet has managed to stay afloat with some of the smallest drop-offs one could possibly imagine. That film (which, coincidentally enough, also revolves around the concept of the multiverse) is A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.",[25,5834,5835],{},"As is often the case for most independent features, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan among others, had a more gradual rollout in terms of its theatrical release, first coming out in a small handful of theaters before receiving a much wider release over the next few weeks. This is why for the first few weeks of its release, the film’s weekend box office saw increases rather than decreases - receiving $509,965 from only ten theaters in its first weekend, $1.1 million from 38 theaters in its second, and upon its official wide release into 1,250 theaters during its third weekend, a total of $6.1 million. At this point, because the film’s exhibition has supposedly become as widespread as possible, one would expect the following weekends to start seeing significant drops in terms of ticket sales. That’s not what happened with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” though; if anything, the exact opposite happened.",[25,5837,5838],{},"During its fourth weekend of release, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actually saw an increase of ticket sales from the previous weekend, going up by about 2% with $6.2 million. This might be due to the fact that the number of theaters it played in went up to 2,220, but even that cannot explain how well the film was able to stay strong during the following weeks. In its fifth weekend, the film’s revenue dropped by only 12.3%; in its sixth, there was yet another increase, this time by around 2.2%. In its seventh weekend, the film saw its biggest drop-off yet by 36.3%, though even this is still fairly impressive given how most films see bigger drop-offs than this on a weekly basis. The following weekend, however, saw the return of single-digit-percentage drops, as the film lost only 5.9% of what it earned last weekend; the weekend after that (and the most recent as of this writing), the film had an even smaller drop-off with 5.5%. Throughout these seven weeks of wide release (that is to say not counting its first two weeks in limited distribution), “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has managed to maintain its place in the middle of the top 10 of the box office, staying between the #4 and #6 spots and as of yet not sinking any further.",[25,5840,5841],{},"So far into its run, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has earned $52.2 million at the domestic box office. This might not seem like much given how much more prominent studio films tend to rake in, but for an independent release, it’s a remarkable feat, especially given how much it opened to. If one were to compare the film’s total gross to that of its first weekend of wide release, then they would see that the film has so far earned 8.6x of its opening weekend gross. For comparison, the total domestic gross “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is so far only 1.8x of its opening weekend gross. If “Everything Everywhere All at Once” opened as big as “Doctor Strange” did and continued to perform as well as it currently is, it would be one of the highest grossing domestic releases of all time even after adjusting for inflation, surpassed only by “Gone with the Wind” and the original “Star Wars”.",[25,5843,5844],{},"What is the lesson to take away from all of this? Simply put, word of mouth can have a major impact on the film in both the short term and the long term. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” currently has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (with an average rating of 8.7 out of 10); on the same site; audience approval is at 90% with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. Statistics like these demonstrate why the film is slowly but surely building an audience big enough to allow it to remain fairly high up on the box office charts in spite of seemingly earning very little from week to week. Films that are able to generate this kind of long-term momentum are usually the kind that go on to be seen as cinematic classics several years later; if its fortunes continue to be this favorable, then perhaps “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will too become yet another one of those great cinematic classics.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5846},[],"2022-05-27",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-an-indie-breakout-holding-strong-at-the-box-office",{"title":5818,"description":557},"everything-everywhere-all-at-once-an-indie-breakout-holding-strong-at-the-box-office","blog\u002Feverything-everywhere-all-at-once-an-indie-breakout-holding-strong-at-the-box-office","6uWHW73V7XM3vlKhWau9lDOuv6_gf5h7JQFF18foSH4",{"id":5855,"title":5856,"body":5857,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5900,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5901,"navigation":71,"path":5902,"seo":5903,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5904,"stem":5905,"__hash__":5906},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2022-kicks-off-with-a-handful-of-exciting-films.md","Cannes Film Festival 2022 Kicks Off With a Handful of Exciting Films",{"type":22,"value":5858,"toc":5898},[5859,5865,5868,5871,5874,5880,5886,5892,5895],[25,5860,236,5861],{},[47,5862,1603],{"href":5863,"rel":5864},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002F2022\u002F05\u002Fcannes-2022-film-sales-1234724841\u002F",[51],[25,5866,5867],{},"It may have been a couple years since the Cannes Film Festival has appeared to be anything resembling “normal”, but one can hardly tell considering how much buzz and anticipation has surrounded this year’s festival. Starting Tuesday, May 17th and continuing until Saturday, May 28th, this year’s event will see countless actors, directors, and other big-name members of the international film industry take the red carpet and showcase whatever new work of cinema they have most recently contributed to. It’s a far cry from the virtual gatherings that made up the previous festival, which prevented from holding in-person events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and while there were still a solid number of exceptional films screened and purchased for worldwide distribution that year, festival organizers are confident that being able to show this year’s selection at actual film-going venues will have a much greater effect on the films featured in this line-up. After all, many would argue that cinema is best experienced on the biggest screen possible; if that’s truly the case, then the films selected for Cannes this year should have a much easier time finding an audience than they would if they were shown only online.",[25,5869,5870],{},"Many distributors are especially eager to look to festivals such as Cannes after the most recent Academy Awards saw an unexpected festival purchase go on to take the prize for Best Picture. That film was “CODA”, which received distribution from Apple TV+ after making its debut at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Just a few years before that, the Cannes Film Festival itself saw the premiere of “Parasite”, directed by South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, which also went on to become a Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards (the first time a non-English language film had ever achieved such a feat). Apart from awards though, some distributors are curious to find the one indie darling that could become a surprise sleeper hit; many of them are looking at A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and its shockingly high box office intake as something to aspire to, with much of that film’s success boosted by strong word of mouth. If studios are able to find something as original and engaging at a festival such as Cannes, then they would theoretically have a chance at achieving similar results.",[25,5872,5873],{},"Fortunately, there’s a lot to choose from at this most recent Cannes Film Festival. While some of these films have already made deals with major studios for worldwide distribution, others are still up for grabs, with many distributors making major bids in order to receive access to these cinematic works and the potential for great critical and commercial success they have. Needless to say, having to pick out which of these films stand out the most and could indeed go on to receive favorable reception from critics and audiences is no easy task, yet there are still some that prove to be just a bit more intriguing than the rest. Here are some of the highlights that, whether the film has been completed or is close to completion, seemed to have the best luck in getting one’s attention:",[25,5875,5876,5879],{},[486,5877,5878],{},"The Dating Game"," - filmmaker Chloe Okuno follows up her directorial debut feature “Watcher”, which received rave reviews and distribution from IFC Films and Shudder following its premiere at Sundance, with a film from Ian McDonald’s Black List-making script. Starring Anna Kendrick of “Pitch Perfect” fame, the film, based on real-life events, centers around Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who appeared on the popular game show “The Dating Game” in 1978. Kendrick plays a contestant who ends up winning a date with Alcala, initially unaware that he has committed seven homicides and that she could very well be his eighth. With a suspenseful premise and Okuno’s previous experience with the thriller genre, it’s hard to imagine this film not winning the hearts - or at least getting them beating - of those attending Cannes.",[25,5881,5882,5885],{},[486,5883,5884],{},"Wicked Little Letters"," - having received the support of European distributor Studiocanal, there’s already a great deal of potential for this comedy to break out, especially considering its two stars Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley, appeared together in last year’s “The Lost Daughter” and were even nominated for Academy Awards for their respective performances. Hopefully this film, which revolves around two neighbors living in the 1920s who team up to solve a most unusual mystery, will be able to bring out similarly strong performances from the two. With Thea Sharrock (who previously helmed “Me Before You”) in the director’s chair and Johnny Sweet penning the script, making the most out of Coleman and Buckley shouldn’t be too difficult. Sharrock herself referred to the film as a “divine comedy with a profoundly moving core”, a promising description if there ever was one.",[25,5887,5888,5891],{},[486,5889,5890],{},"Saltburn"," - little is currently known about this in-production film at the time of this writing, but those attached to it are more than enough to generate interest in those looking for the next big indie film. For one thing, there’s its writer\u002Fdirector Emerald Fennell, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her debut feature “Promising Young Woman”, since making all of the industry curious as to how she would follow up such a feat. Then there’s the cast, with actors Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, and Rosamund Pike serving as the main leads. Not much else has been revealed about the film (other than its being primarily a story about obsession), but the information gathered so far already has festival-goers keeping an eye out for more to come.",[25,5893,5894],{},"“Breathe” - having been directly mentored by acclaimed director Spike Lee, director Stefon Bristol took what he learned and made the most of it with his feature debut, the 2019 film “See You Yesterday”, for which he earned a distribution deal from Netflix and an Indie Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. Bristol hopes to repeat this success with his sophomore effort, in which Jennifer Hudson and Quvenzhané Wallis play a mother and daughter who are forced underground after disaster renders the Earth oxygen-less and uninhabitable. With a Black List script from Doug Simon and a supporting cast feature Sam Worthington and Common, it’s hard to imagine this film being a difficult sell for those seeking the perfect mix of high concept and an indie-filmmaking aesthetic.",[25,5896,5897],{},"All of these films and several more will be among those pitched and presented at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. No matter which films end up getting picked up and by which companies, one can rest assured knowing that this year’s event will most likely be one to remember.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5899},[],"2022-05-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2022-kicks-off-with-a-handful-of-exciting-films",{"title":5856,"description":1676},"cannes-film-festival-2022-kicks-off-with-a-handful-of-exciting-films","blog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2022-kicks-off-with-a-handful-of-exciting-films","2CMVTYyl9m1AhnJh1aP_R6hniifCoGZyam7KseBmkVY",{"id":5908,"title":5909,"body":5910,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5944,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5945,"navigation":71,"path":5946,"seo":5947,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5948,"stem":5949,"__hash__":5950},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffantasia-international-film-festival-set-for-big-comeback-this-summer.md","Fantasia International Film Festival Set for Big Comeback This Summer",{"type":22,"value":5911,"toc":5942},[5912,5918,5921,5924,5927,5930,5933,5936,5939],[25,5913,236,5914],{},[47,5915,279],{"href":5916,"rel":5917},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Ffantasia-in-person-festival-2022-1235141287\u002F",[51],[25,5919,5920],{},"When people think of film festivals, they usually think of films created and marketed in a way that gives them an appearance of prestige. These are the kinds of films in which many distributors and filmmakers find the potential to generate major awards buzz, with the festivals they play at serving as a means for these films to get the backing of a prominent industry figure or organization so that the films have a better chance of getting some kind of award. That being said, there are some film festivals that aren’t as concerned with how awards-worthy a film is and just want to give those attending an exciting and memorable experience, something not unlike a trip to see the big blockbuster currently dominating cinemas.",[25,5922,5923],{},"One such festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, has been described as “the most outstanding and largest genre film festival in North America”, and it’s not hard to see why. As one of the continent’s biggest events to show genre movies (i.e. films generally deemed less “serious” and worthy of award recognition), Fantasia has been revered by film fans and distributors alike. While the previous festivals unfortunately had to go online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that won’t be the case this year, as festival organizers have announced a fully in-person experience for the first time in nearly three years.",[25,5925,5926],{},"On Thursday, May 5th, the organization behind the Fantasia International Film Festival announced its upcoming event, which will mark the 26th time such an event has been held, will return to theaters and take place between July 14th and August 3rd. According to current plans, all of the programs and workshops included in the festival will all take place as in-person events, with the Concordia Hall Cinema, the Cinematheque Quebecoise, the Cinema du Musee and the McCord Museum being included among the venues where film screenings are expected to take place.",[25,5928,5929],{},"Although a full line-up will not be announced until late June, some of the films set to be shown at Fantasia have been revealed, many of which will even have their world premiere at the festival. These include the following films: “Glorious”, directed by Rebekah McKendry and starring Ryan Kwanten and J.K. Simmons; “Convenience Story”, from director Satoshi Miki; “The Harbinger”, directed by Andy Mitton and starring Gabby Bean; “Country Gold”, the twenty-ninth directorial achievement of filmmaker Mickey Reece; and “The Breach”, from Morgue Magazine founder Rodrigo Gudiño. Some of these films are also the first ever made by their respective directors. These include Karim Ouelhaj’s “Megalomaniac”, based the real-life serial killer known as the Butcher of Mons; “All Jacked Up and Full of Worms”, from newcomer Alex Phillip; and “The Diabetic”, from first-timer director Mitchell Stafiej.",[25,5931,5932],{},"While many of the films being shown at Fantasia will be the first time they’ve been screened anywhere in the world, some of the films set for exhibition have already been shown in their native countries, but will make their debut in North America via Fantasia. Among such films are “The Mole Song: Final”, the third and final installment of Takashi Miike’s Mole Song series; “Kappei”, the directorial debut of Takashi Hirano; “Give Me Pity!”, a cringe comedy from Amanda Kramer; and “Next Door”, a claustrophobic black comedy from first-time writer\u002Fdirector Yeom Ji-ho.",[25,5934,5935],{},"Despite so much of the festival being dedicated to looking forward and seeing what the newest generation of genre filmmakers has to offer the world, some of it will also be dedicated to looking back at what came before and honoring the work and achievements of those who have inspired and continue to inspire. This is the purpose of Fantasia’s Career Achievement Award, which the festival will hand out this year to John Woo, the Hong Kong filmmaker behind such action favorites as “A Better Tomorrow” and “Face\u002FOff”.",[25,5937,5938],{},"As stated earlier, there’s still a lot more to be revealed in terms of a complete festival line-up, though one can only get excited for what could possibly make an appearance at Fantasia. Despite the previous festival being an online-only event, it still found a way to start strong and finish equally strong with the films it had to offer, opening with James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” and closing with “The Great Yokai War: Guardians”. Both of these films were highly anticipated blockbusters in their respective countries (the United States and Japan), so having the opportunity to screen both, and to do so as a means of bookending the entire festival, was truly a great honor for Fantasia. Considering that this year’s event will be held in person, it’ll be quite exciting to see what the festival will feature as part of its big comeback.",[25,5940,5941],{},"Regardless of what happens though, it’s almost certain that the Fantasia International Film Festival will be a haven for lovers of genre filmmaking. With so many film festivals dedicated to finding and showcasing the best of the best, often overlooking the type of film being presented in favor of how much prestige value it could have, events like Fantasia take a more humble approach and find things to appreciate in what others would consider to be low forms of cinematic art. It’s a strategy that has worked quite well for Fantasia, at least if the success of all twenty-five festivals that came before, and if all goes according to plan between July 14th and August 3rd, the twenty-sixth event should be just as successful.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5943},[],"2022-05-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffantasia-international-film-festival-set-for-big-comeback-this-summer",{"title":5909,"description":298},"fantasia-international-film-festival-set-for-big-comeback-this-summer","blog\u002Ffantasia-international-film-festival-set-for-big-comeback-this-summer","XyHwY53RTfkXYJzEH7TXdGG9aU7FpsXTllK5E47Vk5g",{"id":5952,"title":5953,"body":5954,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":5982,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":5983,"navigation":71,"path":5984,"seo":5985,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":5986,"stem":5987,"__hash__":5988},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjeonju-2022-south-korean-festival-gives-geographies-of-solitude-its-top-prize.md","Jeonju 2022: South Korean Festival Gives “Geographies of Solitude” Its Top Prize",{"type":22,"value":5955,"toc":5980},[5956,5962,5965,5968,5971,5974,5977],[25,5957,236,5958],{},[47,5959,391],{"href":5960,"rel":5961},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fasia\u002Fgeographies-of-solitude-jeong-sun-win-top-prizes-at-jeonju-film-festival-1235258109\u002F",[51],[25,5963,5964],{},"When people think of major international film festivals, the ones that usually come to mind are those that take place in the Western world. These include those that take place in North America, such as the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals, and those that can be found on the European continent, including the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals. However, if one looks outside these parts of the globe, they may find plenty of other film festivals that, while perhaps not quite as well known, still go out of their way to respect and honor the best that world cinema has to offer. One recent festival, for example, is the Jeonju Film Festival, which can be located in the city of Jeonju, South Korea. Currently taking place and set to conclude on May 7th, the festival has already showcased a wide variety of admirable and artistically captivating feature and short films. Despite the festival not ending yet though, many of its major awards have already been handed out; some may be puzzled as to why they have been given so early, but looking at the films awarded, it’s not hard to understand the judges’ enthusiasm.",[25,5966,5967],{},"This year’s festival is actually the first to be held mostly in person since 2019, as the previous two events had to change plans as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 festival took place entirely online and was delayed by an entire month, while the following 2021 event was a hybrid affair, with some screenings happening in person and others happening online. This most recent event, however, opted for a return to the usual festival-going procedure, with the 217 films included as part of the festival line-up, which hail from at least one of 52 represented nations, being exhibited at live events (although some were made available for streaming online). Needless to say, there’s a lot to choose from when it comes to selecting the best of the best, but as difficult as such decision-making must have been, a small handful of films were indeed chosen. Looking at those selected, it’s not hard to see why the judges decided in favor of such films.",[25,5969,5970],{},"Receiving the Grand Prize honor in the International Competition (that is to say those films made outside South Korea) was the Canadian documentary feature “Geographies of Solitude”, created by naturalist Zoe Lucas and experimental filmmaker Jacquelyn Mills. A chronicling of the natural ecosystem of Sable Island (which consists of sand dunes, wild horses, and several other kinds of wildlife and environments), the film first premiered in Berlin back in February of this year, and has since gone on to win several major awards. Three of these came from Berlin, including the CICAE prize and the Forum section’s Ecumenical prize, and it has a chance to pick up more when screened at the upcoming Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. Between these and its win at Jeonju, it’s safe to say that the documentary has a bright future ahead of it.",[25,5972,5973],{},"As for the Grand Prize award in the Korean Competition, “Jeong-Sun” was the film selected, with director Jeong Ji-hye accepting the prize on the film’s behalf. This dramatic film serves as a haunting cautionary tale of the harmful effects that cyberbullying and online shame can have on those whose private lives are exposed to the world without their consent, as it showcases a young factory worker whose life is turned upside-down after an intimate video of her is uploaded online and causes one troubling event after another throughout her community. In a day and age where social media is more prominent than ever, causing its impact on society as a whole to only grow stronger with the passage of time, the film’s message seemed to resonate quite well with those attending the Jeonju Festival, making its victory as the festival’s Best Korean Film feel all the more deserved.",[25,5975,5976],{},"Although “Geographies of Solitude” and “Jeong-Sun” were the big winners at this year’s festival, there were still plenty of other films receiving some kind of recognition. In the International Competition, the Best Picture Prize (the immediate runner-up to the more prestigious Grand Prize) went to “Unrest”, directed by Cyril Schaublin, while Special Jury Prizes went to “Tokyo Kurds” (directed by Hyuga Fumiari) and “The Silence of the Mole” (directed by Anaïs Taracena). In the Korean Competition, two awards for Best Actor were handed out, one to Oh Mine in Kim Jinhwa’s “Missing Yoon”, and the other to Ok Ja-yeon in Lee Wanmin’s “Archaeology of Love”. In addition, there were two CGV Arthouse Awards given out alongside all the others. The first of these two awards, the Upcoming Project Prize, went to “The Hill of Secrets” (directed by Lee Ji-eun), while the other, the Distribution Support Prize, was awarded to “Mother and Daughter” (directed by Kim Jung-eun).",[25,5978,5979],{},"Will the Jeonju Film Festival ever be seen as big and prestigious as those major film festivals found throughout the Western world? Probably not any time soon, but that doesn’t mean it deserves to go completely unnoticed. Whether the films shown at this annual festival come from within its native South Korea or hail from somewhere else in the world, it’s yet another opportunity for filmmakers to show off their work and take one step closer towards gaining international recognition. If anything, it’s smaller festivals like Jeonju that allow the festival circuit to have some artistic integrity and not just cater to those who have an excess of resources to worth with, and because of that, one can’t help but be even more interested in what these smaller events consider to be the best films they have to offer.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":5981},[],"2022-05-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjeonju-2022-south-korean-festival-gives-geographies-of-solitude-its-top-prize",{"title":5953,"description":194},"jeonju-2022-south-korean-festival-gives-geographies-of-solitude-its-top-prize","blog\u002Fjeonju-2022-south-korean-festival-gives-geographies-of-solitude-its-top-prize","0FU-r7HpLvXEsqZXJaVXlZIUBbQ5tep5RGwxHi9DWMQ",{"id":5990,"title":5991,"body":5992,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6026,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6027,"navigation":71,"path":6028,"seo":6029,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6030,"stem":6031,"__hash__":6032},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fstudios-set-for-a-spectacular-summer-as-cinemacon-starts.md","Studios Set for a Spectacular Summer as CinemaCon Starts",{"type":22,"value":5993,"toc":6024},[5994,6000,6003,6006,6009,6012,6015,6018,6021],[25,5995,236,5996],{},[47,5997,279],{"href":5998,"rel":5999},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fcinemacon-2022-hot-topics-box-office-netflix-1235134547\u002F",[51],[25,6001,6002],{},"Compared to more fan-oriented events like the San Diego Comic-Con or Disney’s D23 Expo, the annual CinemaCon, which normally takes place in Las Vegas, most likely isn’t the type of thing that most general cinephiles are going to go out of their way to attend. For studios and those directly involved in the filmmaking business though, it’s an opportunity to show off the biggest and brightest products they have to offer. For the likes of Universal, Paramount, and many of the other big-name studios operating in Hollywood, CinemaCon is a chance to make the films they have poured millions of dollars into creating look as if they are more than worth the investment. The past couple years have understandably made that a bit of a challenge, largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the greater emphasis put on streaming, but going into this year’s convention, most studios appear to be quite confident that the summer moviegoing season, considered by main to be the ideal period for the theatrical experience, is ready for a major comeback, especially considering the surprise amount of success that has already been achieved so far into the year.",[25,6004,6005],{},"It’s a major contrast to the overall mindset going into last year’s CinemaCon, which took place in August 2021 before there was any sign of potential for major recovery. Although some minor rebounds in the months leading up to the convention, there were hardly any major box office successes to suggest that were large enough to suggest that audiences were ready to return to the movies in massive numbers. Many even wondered whether such a recovery was even possible anymore due to how much the popularity of streaming has skyrocketed over the past couple years. Of course, all of that was several months before the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which, in the time since its theatrical premiere in December, has accumulated over $1.8 billion in ticket sales and have given moviegoers more than enough incentive to seek out the film at least once at their local theater.",[25,6007,6008],{},"As the year 2021 ended and made way for the year 2022, even more hits began to break out at the box office, maybe not quite to the same degree as “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, but still more so than many had expected from them. Family films in particular have once again become major draws; “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”, the sequel to the 2020 video game adaptation, gave distributor Paramount its biggest opening weekend since 2014, and during the most recent weekend at the box office, it stayed at the #2 spot, outpaced only by another family film, Universal and DreamWorks’ animated heist comedy “The Bad Guys”. Even films aimed primarily at female audiences are performing better than anticipated, with another Paramount film, the Sandra Bullock-starring adventure comedy “The Lost City”, being one in an increasingly rare breed of original filmmaking to attract a major audience.",[25,6010,6011],{},"Needless to say, studios have been quite ecstatic about what their films have done so far and what their future films have the capability of achieving. However, if there’s one thing on studios’ minds as they optimistically make their way to Las Vegas, it’s not so much their own success as another’s shortcomings. Just last week, streaming giant Netflix, which has positioned itself as a major threat to the existence of theatrical filmgoing in recent years, announced that it had lost around 200,000 subscribers over the past quarter, resulting in the company losing $54 billion in overall value. For some perspective on how many studios feel about Netflix, at a presentation during the 2017 CinemaCon event, Sony film chief Tom Rothman declared “Netflix, my ass,” to the hundreds of audience members before him. The immediate reception: applause all around.",[25,6013,6014],{},"Whether or not Rothman, or any other major studio representative for that matter, will express similar sentiments at this year’s event remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine such a subject being completely ignored as one presentation after another takes place at the Caesar’s Palace Colosseum venue. “The mythology has been taken out of streaming. Maybe it isn’t the future that everyone thought it was,” claims one studio executive after being asked about the situation currently going on with Netflix. “Theatrical wasn’t in the game during the pandemic, and streamers had the playing field all to themselves.” The possibility of Netflix giving some of their films widespread theatrical releases has even become a topic of discussion among those attending the event, with many believing the likelihood of Netflix opting to take such an approach to its business is growing. “Netflix is clearly trying to think about a second revenue stream,” suggests Eric Handler, an analyst for MKM Partners. “Putting their movies into a brief, exclusive theatrical window, could be a possible option.”",[25,6016,6017],{},"One major issue that could be a major hindrance to the comeback of major studio films is the ever-changing status of the theatrical window, which seems to have only gotten smaller and smaller over the past couple years. At the moment, the window is only forty-five days, after which most major releases may be released onto in-home viewing platforms; for smaller releases, that window shrinks down to seventeen days, at which point they can be accessed through premium video on demand.",[25,6019,6020],{},"This potential setback, however, seems to cause little worry among the studios, with many of their summer films being among the major focal points of each studio’s respective presentation. Paramount seeks to continue its hot streak with the release of the long-awaited “Top Gun: Maverick”, which will hold its first screening at CinemaCon before its official San Diego premiere and subsequent screening at the Cannes Film Festival. Sneak peeks at action-oriented blockbusters like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Black Adam” are also to be expected, as are those for family fare like “Lightyear” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru”.",[25,6022,6023],{},"If this year’s CinemaCon is any proof, studios seem eager to make a full recovery from what they had suffered from during the pandemic. Hopefully, what they have to offer is strong enough to warrant such a recovery.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6025},[],"2022-04-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fstudios-set-for-a-spectacular-summer-as-cinemacon-starts",{"title":5991,"description":298},"studios-set-for-a-spectacular-summer-as-cinemacon-starts","blog\u002Fstudios-set-for-a-spectacular-summer-as-cinemacon-starts","eIiOly_nT_mNPfj3ZPiTGrsUzoGgKFhfYO6kZ8VhJZo",{"id":6034,"title":6035,"body":6036,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6067,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6068,"navigation":71,"path":6069,"seo":6070,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6071,"stem":6072,"__hash__":6073},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcorner-office-somewhere-in-queens-among-others-included-in-tribeca-2022-lineup.md","“Corner Office”, “Somewhere In Queens” Among Others Included in Tribeca 2022 Lineup",{"type":22,"value":6037,"toc":6065},[6038,6044,6047,6050,6053,6056,6059,6062],[25,6039,236,6040],{},[47,6041,538],{"href":6042,"rel":6043},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F04\u002Ftribeca-festival-2022-lineup-film-tv-1235005218\u002F",[51],[25,6045,6046],{},"Once again, the beginning of the annual film festival circuit is right around the corner. Granted, one could argue that the festival season technically began with the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, but it won’t be until a little later in the year when these events will start to happen on a more frequent basis. Indeed, there are several major film festivals coming up over the course of the next few months, from the more high-scale events like the Cannes Film Festival in France to slightly smaller (but no less meaningful) events such as the Seattle International Film Festival in Washington State. As each of these festivals draws nearer, it’s only a matter of time before the selection of films chosen for screening at each festival is made known to the general public. That’s certainly the case for the Tribeca Film Festival, which operates primarily within New York City and just recently announced its lineup for its upcoming 2022 festival, one that includes films that have at least one of many prominent industry names attached to them.",[25,6048,6049],{},"On Tuesday, April 19th, the Tribeca Film Festival revealed the titles of 109 different films that will be showcased at the upcoming event, currently set to take place between June 8th and June 19th of this year. Each of these films will represent at least one of forty countries in which they were made, and eighty-eight of these films will have their world premiere take place at some point during the twelve-day period. “This 2022 feature film program leaves us proud and humbled by the boundless ingenuity and passion of our indefatigable filmmaking community,” claims Cara Cusumano, Tribeca’s director and vice president of Programming. “This year’s official selections again remind us of the vitality and urgency of independent film in a world that needs it more than ever.” Striving for diversity has been a major objective for Tribeca in recent years, and from what is suggested by the lineup, some progress has been made. While thirty-two of the directors whose films will be featured have already created works seen at previous festivals, fifty directors are newcomers who will be introducing their film debuts.",[25,6051,6052],{},"It was previously announced that “Halftime”, a Netflix-produced documentary revolving around the life and career of international star Jennifer Lopez, will serve as Tribeca’s opening film, while another documentary, Josh Alexander’s “Loudmouth”, is currently expected to close out the festival. In between, there are over a hundred feature films and over forty short films that will be showcased throughout the duration of the festival. It’s difficult to narrow down the number of highlights to just a small selection, but looking over the overall lineup, there are in fact a decent few that stand out above the rest.",[25,6054,6055],{},"Among the more high-profile films expected to be screened at this year’s Tribeca Festival are the Canadian feature “Corner Office” and “Somewhere in Queens”, which will serve as the directorial debut of actor Ray Romano. The former film, directed by Joachim Back, is an office satire that revolves around Jon Hamm as an office worker who moves his desk to an empty corner in order to distance himself from his irritating colleagues, only to find that doing so has an usual effect on these coworkers. The latter, which sees Romano as both the film’s main leading actor as well as its director, focuses on an Italian-American father who gets perhaps a bit too involved with the increasing success of his son as part of his high school’s basketball team. Though not the only films to feature well-known names in their main roles, these are two of the films currently receiving the most attention, and could very easily receive even more attention after the festival comes to an end.",[25,6057,6058],{},"In the U.S. Narrative Competition portion of the festival, one can find (among many other noteworthy titles) the supernatural-themed “Next Exit”, featuring such talents as Karen Gillan and Diva Zappa. The film takes place in a world where ghosts are real, and a medical procedure that allows people to kill themselves is introduced. What comes of this is a cross-country journey in which two people attempt to take part in the procedure, only to become increasingly doubtful of their motivations as they make their way forward. Also competing in this part of the festival is “The Drop”, a co-production between the United States and Mexico in which one half of a supposedly happily married couple accidentally drops a baby while attending a wedding on a tropical island. What follows is the very definition of cringe comedy, with the film generating one laugh after another from arguably the darkest and most uncomfortable of concepts.",[25,6060,6061],{},"While that part of the festival focuses primarily on films made within the United States, the International Narrative Competition has a much broader reach, with the films included as part of the program this year covering a much larger number of nations across the globe. From Israel, for example, comes the Moshe Rosenthal-directed comedy “Karaoke”, in which a married middle-class couple, who have recently reached their 60s, take interest in their new neighbor and the karaoke nights he holds in his apartment. Shlok Sharma’s “Two Sisters and a Husband”, meanwhile, hails from the nation of India and depicts the lives of two sisters as they deal with the fallout of one of them being pregnant with the child of a hotel manager despite him being married to the other. Then there is Australia’s “Blaze”, directed by Del Kathryn Barton, this coming-of-age fantasy centers around a young girl who summons an imaginary dragon to protect her and help her cope with having witnessed an alarmingly violent crime.",[25,6063,6064],{},"These are only but a small sampling of what this year’s festival has to offer though. Whether they be works of pure fiction or those of a more documentary-like nature, this year’s Tribeca Film Festival seeks to showcase a wide variety of ideas and talents originating from several different parts of the world. With it being one of several more film festivals to take place over the span of the next couple months, it will be quite exciting to see what new additions to the world of cinema this year will have to offer.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6066},[],"2022-04-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcorner-office-somewhere-in-queens-among-others-included-in-tribeca-2022-lineup",{"title":6035,"description":557},"corner-office-somewhere-in-queens-among-others-included-in-tribeca-2022-lineup","blog\u002Fcorner-office-somewhere-in-queens-among-others-included-in-tribeca-2022-lineup","mSo6X_cyJ4d0WXP6-qO668gF_QWNhHc_R1OhABRQTbU",{"id":6075,"title":6076,"body":6077,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6105,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6106,"navigation":71,"path":6107,"seo":6108,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6109,"stem":6110,"__hash__":6111},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnimona-finds-new-life-canceled-animated-film-revived-by-netflix-and-annapurna.md","“Nimona” Finds New Life: Canceled Animated Film Revived by Netflix and Annapurna",{"type":22,"value":6078,"toc":6103},[6079,6085,6088,6091,6094,6097,6100],[25,6080,236,6081],{},[47,6082,279],{"href":6083,"rel":6084},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fnimona-lands-at-netflix-1235128072\u002F",[51],[25,6086,6087],{},"In an act that many consider to be one of the biggest blows to the animation industry in recent memory, the Walt Disney Company shut down Blue Sky Studios, the studio behind such films as the “Ice Age” series and “The Peanuts Movie”, in February 2021. Having acquired its parent company 20th Century Fox in 2019, Disney seemingly found little use for the small Connecticut-based studio (especially considering it already has Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar) outside its already-existing intellectual properties, and when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to cut costs, it was ultimately decided that it was not financially feasible to keep Blue Sky up and running. The decision was met with overwhelmingly negative reaction, mainly because of how hundreds of workers were being deprived of their jobs during a time when most people were struggling financially. One aspect of Blue Sky’s shutdown that generated a considerable amount of attention, however, was the cancellation of a film that had already been 75% completed. That film: an adaptation of ND Stevenson’s acclaimed graphic novel “Nimona”.",[25,6089,6090],{},"The story of “Nimona”, which was being directed by Patrick Osborne at the time and was set to star Chloe Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed in the main roles, has been described as such: “A Knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone.” Originally set for a January 2022 theatrical release, those plans were abruptly canceled following the announcement that Blue Sky as a whole would be shut down.",[25,6092,6093],{},"Many have questioned why Disney would not allow what would’ve been Blue Sky’s final feature film to be completed before shutting the studio down after so much work on the film had been done. While no official reason has been given, some have speculated that part of Disney’s unwillingness to finish and release the film might be due to the film’s LGBTQ content. According to an article from Business Insider released in March 2022, two former Blue Sky employees claimed that Disney executives expressed concerns about an explicit on-screen kiss between two people of the same gender.",[25,6095,6096],{},"For over a year following Blue Sky’s closure, there was almost complete silence as to whether or not “Nimona” would be picked up and completed by another studio, leading many to believe that it would never see the light of day. Such fears were ultimately proven wrong, however; on April 11th, it was announced that streaming giant Netflix would be teaming with independent distributor Annapurna to finally allow “Nimona” to be completed and released. Chloe Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed will continue to portray the film’s main leads, playing the titular Nimona and Ballister Boldheart respectively, and will be joined by Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin. Taking over directing duties are Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who had previously directed “Spies in Disguise”, the film that would end up being the last released by Blue Sky, and producing the film are Roy Lee, Karen Ryan, and Julie Zackary, with Robert L. Baird, Megan Ellison, and Andrew Millstein serving as executive producers. While Netflix and Annapurna would provide the film with much of its funding, DNEG Animation, which had previously worked on last year’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” with Locksmith Animation, will complete animation for the film.",[25,6098,6099],{},"No release date has been set at the moment for “Nimona”, although Netflix and Annapurna are currently eyeing to get the film out some time in 2023. Should the film come out during that time, it will be the end of a long and often frustrating journey for “Nimona” creator ND Stevenson. With their graphic novel of the same name first appearing as a webcomic before receiving official publication by HarperCollins in 2015, Stevenson was quick to receive immediate acclaim, winning an Eisner Award and several others alongside it. In the time since “Nimona” being published, Stevenson has become a popular name in the animation community, working as a writer on such television series as “Wander Over Yonder” and “Ducktales” before being named showrunner for Netflix’s “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”. Said show, which ran from 2018 and 2020, received a great deal of praise for its prominent and diverse portrayal of LGBT characters, an element that Stevenson (who themself happens to be nonbinary) was certainly eager to carry over from “Nimona”.",[25,6101,6102],{},"Production on a cinematic adaptation of “Nimona” quickly began right around the time of the graphic novel’s initial publication, when 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to the comic in June 2015 and gave production duties to Blue Sky Studios shortly afterwards. The film had initially been set for a February 2020 release, but the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney changed all of that, resulting in the release date being delayed multiple times before Blue Sky as a whole was shut down, even though nearly three-quarters of “Nimona” had been finished. Given how much care and time had been put into the film, there was understandably great devastation among those who had been working on the film, so it’s no surprise the recent announcement of its revival has been received  with much delight and excitement.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6104},[],"2022-04-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnimona-finds-new-life-canceled-animated-film-revived-by-netflix-and-annapurna",{"title":6076,"description":298},"nimona-finds-new-life-canceled-animated-film-revived-by-netflix-and-annapurna","blog\u002Fnimona-finds-new-life-canceled-animated-film-revived-by-netflix-and-annapurna","2IjJXsa20H4JHaOhclabyvvSGIgHo_6PmYL8YrDg7_M",{"id":6113,"title":6114,"body":6115,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6143,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6144,"navigation":71,"path":6145,"seo":6146,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6147,"stem":6148,"__hash__":6149},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fvancouver-on-strike-canadian-directors-guild-struggles-to-reach-agreement-with-amptp.md","Vancouver on Strike? Canadian Directors Guild Struggles to Reach Agreement with AMPTP",{"type":22,"value":6116,"toc":6141},[6117,6123,6126,6129,6132,6135,6138],[25,6118,236,6119],{},[47,6120,538],{"href":6121,"rel":6122},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F04\u002Fdirectors-guild-of-canada-strike-vote-film-tv-contract-1234994069\u002F",[51],[25,6124,6125],{},"It was not too long ago that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) faced the possibility of a strike that could shut down a significant percentage of film and television productions throughout North America. Just before the end of 2021, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), one of the film industry’s largest labor unions, threatened to go on strike unless the AMPTP could agree to a new contract that would satisfy the demands being made. Although the IATSE did vote unanimously to strike should things take a turn for the worse, such an event was ultimately averted, as both groups did make a last-minute agreement on a new contract (one just barely ratified by IATSE members, since many felt the new contract did not do enough). Almost half a year later, the AMPTP faces the possibility of yet another strike, and while the opposing guild this time is not quite as large or prominent as the IATSE, it is one that could bring many major productions to a standstill. The guild in question: the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia.",[25,6127,6128],{},"On Monday, April 4th, it was announced that the Directors Guild of Canada, B.C. District Council, would strike against the North American film and television industry, its first time ever doing so, after over a year of trying and failing to reach a new contract with the AMPTP, after its previous one expired on March 31st, 2021. A vote among the guild’s 1,700 members (which consist not only of directors, but also second unit directors, production and unit managers, and several others employed in various directorial\u002Fproduction departments) to authorize a strike is set to take place on August 6th and 7th, and should the union agree to take such action (that is if an agreement with the AMPTP is not reached), film and television production throughout British Columbia would be completely shut down. Given just how many films and television shows are shot in British Columbia (especially near the city of Vancouver, the province’s largest city), this would have a much greater effect on the industry than most may assume.",[25,6130,6131],{},"According to DGC BC District Council Chairman Allan Harmon, the guild has done everything in its power to reach a fair agreement with the AMPTP, and that the only option left at the moment is to mandate a strike. “For the first time in our history, the DGC BC is calling on its members to vote in favor of a strike,” Harmon announces. “We have bargained in good faith for a full year, but the employers’ bargaining team has been unwilling to engage on our most important issues and has kept demanding more and more clawbacks throughout the process. Despite our willingness to compromise on significant issues, they kept moving the goalposts, making it impossible to get a fair deal for our people.”",[25,6133,6134],{},"Although there are many issues the DGC BC has debated with the AMPTP (as well as the Canadian Media Producers Association, or CMPA), what is currently being pushed on the table can be narrowed down to four major concerns: minimum wage differentials (basically having wage rates for lower paid positions increase alongside the national minimum wage), payment terms for COVID testing, retroactivity of wages to the expiry of the previous contract, and producer clawbacks. As of yet, neither the AMPTP nor the CMPA has proven willing to agree to any of these demands, much to the chagrin of the DGC BC. “It is incredibly perplexing and disheartening that the same studios and production companies who are actively engaged in efforts to diversify the workforce and attract folks from underrepresented groups, are, at the very same time, fighting against fair wages and treatment for our entry level employees,” claims DGC BC executive director Kendrie Upton. “These are the very jobs in which these new industry entrants will begin.”",[25,6136,6137],{},"Nothing that the AMPTP hasn’t already offered to other guilds (most notably the IATSE) is being asked for, the DGC BC claims, making the difficulty to reach a more satisfactory contract appear to be all the more unreasonable. Since the expiration of the previous contract back in March 2021, the guild has taken multiple actions to assert itself and push for a better deal, applying for mediation at the Canadian Labour Relations board back in May. Shortly afterwards, a mediator was appointed, and after receiving submissions from both parties, the mediator issued settlement recommendations in August, recommendations that seem to satisfy the DGC BC, but not the AMPTP. “The DGC BC agreed to the mediator’s recommendations in order to conclude an agreement,” the guild claims. “The Negotiating Producers rejected the mediator’s recommendations and continued to seek further concessions. The DGC BC held strong.” The AMPTP did make some concessions later on, but not nearly enough to meet the demands being made. “The Negotiating Producers’ most recent offer contains clawbacks from both the mediator’s recommendations and their prior offer,” the guild adds. “The DGC BC countered that offer; the Negotiating Producers rejected the counter without discussion. The parties are at an impasse.”",[25,6139,6140],{},"That impasse could transform into a full-on strike within the span of a couple days. Should the DGC BC vote in favor of going on strike, several of the guild’s 1,700 members could start picketing within the span of a couple days, resulting in the shutdown of several film and television productions currently operating throughout British Columbia. Given how the AMPTP was able to reach an agreement with the IATSE just hours before it was all set to go on strike, it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility for it to do the same with another, much smaller union. Still, if what has happened so far is any indication (especially considering how this whole ordeal has been going on for over a whole year now), nothing is certain, and if this impasse isn’t resolved within the next couple days, those living in British Columbia should brace for a potential upcoming strike and shutdown.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6142},[],"2022-04-09",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fvancouver-on-strike-canadian-directors-guild-struggles-to-reach-agreement-with-amptp",{"title":6114,"description":557},"vancouver-on-strike-canadian-directors-guild-struggles-to-reach-agreement-with-amptp","blog\u002Fvancouver-on-strike-canadian-directors-guild-struggles-to-reach-agreement-with-amptp","O642TMXDDuJUtw2cfm1x_IglXWlesTZhi2cc9tByjpk",{"id":6151,"title":6152,"body":6153,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6185,"description":6186,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6187,"navigation":71,"path":6188,"seo":6189,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6190,"stem":6191,"__hash__":6192},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcoda-dune-shine-as-the-big-winners-at-this-years-oscars.md","“CODA”, “Dune” Shine as the Big Winners at This Year’s Oscars",{"type":22,"value":6154,"toc":6183},[6155,6162,6165,6168,6171,6174,6177,6180],[25,6156,236,6157],{},[47,6158,6161],{"href":6159,"rel":6160},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pbs.org\u002Fnewshour\u002Farts\u002Fcoda-wins-best-picture-oscar-marking-a-streaming-first",[51],"PBS",[25,6163,6164],{},"If nothing else, the 94th Academy Awards had its fair share of surprises that many did not see coming, though not necessarily the most desirable of surprises. For example, the show’s attempt to create an audience favorite award (one decided by the general public - i.e. Twitter users) was undermined by an onslaught of Zach Snyder fans, who ended up voting for the director’s films “Army of the Dead” and “Justice League” (in the case of the latter, specifically a moment involving superhero character the Flash) in large enough numbers to outrank such favorites as “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, a film for which many believe the Academy designed its Fan Favorite awards specifically for in order to make up for not nominating it for Best Picture. Perhaps even more frustrating was the decision to cut eight award presentations from the live telecast and show them in condensed forms during commercial breaks. Sources claim this was an effort to reduce the overall show time to under three hours, an effort that ultimately backfired as the show ended up running much longer than previous ceremonies. Of course, most of these situations pale in comparison to an unexpected confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, in which the former responded quite violently to a joke the latter made at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her alopecia (a condition that causes major hair loss). All in all, if this year’s Academy Awards are to be remembered, it most likely won’t be for the most desired reasons.",[25,6166,6167],{},"Having said all of that, if one were to look past how the Oscars were presented and instead focus on the awards themselves and who and what won them, there is actually quite a bit to appreciate. Even though the events surrounding them might not have been the most pleasant, many of the biggest winners of the evening ended up breaking quite a bit of ground for the show’s nearly century-long history, all of it culminating in a Best Picture winner that many did not expect, but are nonetheless very happy to see.",[25,6169,6170],{},"In terms of the number of awards won overall, the film that ended up being the most triumphant was Warner Brothers and Legendary Entertainment’s science fiction epic “Dune”. Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, this Denis Villeneuve-directed feature ended up taking home six Academy Awards (many of them in technical categories): Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Villeneuve’s science fiction films are no strangers to the Oscars, as his previous works “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2019” also received their fair share of Oscar recognition, so considering all that has happened so far, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see his next film, a direct follow-up to “Dune”, end up repeating some of this success.",[25,6172,6173],{},"Although Japan and director Ryusuke Hamaguchi were not able to find the success that “Parasite” had found just two years prior and take home the prize for Best Picture for the film “Drive My Car”, their efforts were allowed to have some minor payoff, as the film did end up winning the award for Best International Feature. This marks the first time in over a decade since a Japanese film has come out on top, as the nation’s last win in this category was back in 2008 for the film “Departures”, for which director Yojiro Takita was honored. Best Animated Feature, meanwhile, went to the Disney-produced musical “Encanto”, giving one of its directors Byron Howard his second win in the category (having previously won for 2016’s “Zootopia”), and for the first time, musician\u002Ffilmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson was among those accepting the Best Documentary Feature award for his film “Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”.",[25,6175,6176],{},"The categories for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, meanwhile, ended up serving as major firsts for their respective winners. For his film “Belfast”, Kenneth Branagh received his first Oscar in the Best Original Screenplay category, having been previously nominated for writing and directing such works as the adaptations of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” and “Hamlet”. As for Best Director, the award went to “The Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion, her first win in the category over the course of her decades-long career. Campion is the third female director to be named Best Director at the Oscars (as well as the third oldest of all Best Directors), and between her and previous winner Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland”, this is the first time two female directors have won the award back to back.",[25,6178,6179],{},"The acting awards offered little surprise in regards to who ended up winning them, although many found much to appreciate nonetheless. Jessica Chastain was named Best Actress for her work in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, and Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress for playing the role of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”. In the case of the latter, there are many milestones to be found in DeBose’s win: it’s the first time a queer person of color has won an Oscar, and between DeBose and Rita Moreno’s win in 1962, the film’s character of Anita (played by both Moreno and DeBose) joins Vito Corleone and the Joker as one of the few times in which separate actors have won Oscars for playing the exact same character. Then there is Will Smith, who won Best Actor for his work in “King Richard”; it will sadly not be the thing Smith will be remembered most for that evening, but the award does finally give Smith a long overdue Oscar after decades of being one of the entertainment industry’s most famous members.",[25,6181,6182],{},"In the end though, it was Sian Heder’s “CODA” that proved to be the ultimate victor. Not only did the film win in the categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (making recipient Troy Kotsur one of the few disabled Oscar winners), but it wound up being named the Best Picture of 2021 in spite of stiff competition from nine other nominees. “CODA” is the first Best Picture winner to feature a predominantly deaf cast, the first to have previously premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and the first film distributed by a streaming platform (specifically AppleTV+) to be named Best Picture. How much of “CODA”’s win is an indicator of what’s to come from future Oscar winners is uncertain, but in any case, this is a groundbreaking win and a satisfying conclusion to what many people are viewing as the most unconventional (for better or worse) Academy Awards ceremony in recent memory.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6184},[],"2022-03-31","Source: PBS",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcoda-dune-shine-as-the-big-winners-at-this-years-oscars",{"title":6152,"description":6186},"coda-dune-shine-as-the-big-winners-at-this-years-oscars","blog\u002Fcoda-dune-shine-as-the-big-winners-at-this-years-oscars","Ws1xpLb9s9HxzeOsXy2g92tJ_GgyETpp-ClDt1f1-ZU",{"id":6194,"title":6195,"body":6196,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6227,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6228,"navigation":71,"path":6229,"seo":6230,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6231,"stem":6232,"__hash__":6233},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcoda-wins-big-at-the-pgas-and-wgas-can-it-pull-off-a-best-picture-upset.md","“CODA” Wins Big at the PGAs and WGAs. Can It Pull Off a Best Picture Upset?",{"type":22,"value":6197,"toc":6225},[6198,6204,6207,6210,6213,6216,6219,6222],[25,6199,236,6200],{},[47,6201,538],{"href":6202,"rel":6203},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F03\u002Foscars-coda-power-of-the-dog-pga-wga-1234982872\u002F",[51],[25,6205,6206],{},"For the longest time - more specifically, these past couple months - it looked like Jane Campion’s Western drama “The Power of the Dog” would be without question the big winner at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards. Its fortunes kicked off with a win for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director for Campion, and its award count has only gotten larger in the weeks since, pulling off major wins at such ceremonies as the BAFTAs and the Critics Choice Awards. Considering everything that has happened so far, one would think that the Best Picture Oscar is the film’s to lose. However, if history has taught anything, it’s that surprises can happen even in the most seemingly predictable of circumstances, and if one were to pay close enough attention, a potential underdog has begun to rise up in the ranks and could possibly pull off a major upset. That film: Sian Heder’s coming-of-age drama “CODA”.",[25,6208,6209],{},"“CODA”, which revolves around the family of deaf parents (the title itself is an acronym for “child of deaf adults”, certainly has an interesting release history compared to other Oscar contenders. Its premiere took place in January 2021 at the Sundance Film Festival, much earlier than the mid-autumn release dates that most nominated films tend to release. Not long after its premiere, Apple acquired the distribution rights to the film for $25 million, more than any other film in Sundance history. Despite the achievement, its placement on Apple TV+ definitely put “CODA” at a disadvantage; streaming films in general have had a tough time breaking out at the Oscars (despite several nominations, not one has won Best Picture as of yet), and Apple TV+’s status as a less popular service (at least compared to Netflix or Disney+) certainly doesn’t help matters much. Judging by these circumstances, “CODA” should theoretically have the lowest chances of winning among the Best Picture nominees. However, like most underdogs, signs that the odds are perhaps a bit higher than anticipated have been appearing at an increasingly frequent rate.",[25,6211,6212],{},"The first major instance of “CODA” coming out on top when it was least expected to do so came at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which took place near the end of February. Not only was actor Troy Kotsur awarded Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in the film (making him the first disabled actor to make such an achievement), but the cast as a whole ended up winning Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, beating out favorites such as “Belfast” and “Don’t Look Up”. Granted, in recent years, this award has not correlated with the eventual Best Picture winner all that often, but the surprise win did draw a lot of attention towards “CODA” and may have in fact influenced some of the awards it would acquire shortly afterwards.",[25,6214,6215],{},"It was just the weekend before the Oscars that “CODA” cemented itself as a serious contender for the Best Picture category, as award ceremonies for two major Hollywood guilds ended up giving the film its highest honors. The first of these was the award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the Producers Guild of America Awards, held on March 19th, to which the award went to producers Fabrice Gianfermi, Phillipe Rousselet, and Patrick Wachsberger. Nine other films - “Being the Ricardos”, “Belfast”, “Don’t Look Up”, “Dune”, “King Richard”, “Licorice Pizza”, “The Power of the Dog”, “Tick, Tick… Boom!”, and “West Side Story” - competed for the award, many of which are also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Recent years have shown that the PGAs have been a bit hit and miss when it comes to correlating with the Oscars - some years they’ve lined up perfectly, others they haven’t - but if nothing else, “CODA” winning the PGA’s biggest award does show that it does indeed have a major chance at winning the Oscar.",[25,6217,6218],{},"The following day, “CODA” found another major success at the Writers Guild of American Awards, winning one of two of the organization’s major film awards, Best Adapted Screenplay (the other, Best Original Screenplay, went to Adam McKay and David Sirota’s “Don’t Look Up”). Other films competing for the award were the sci-fi epic “Dune”, the film noir remake “Nightmare Alley”, the musical biopic “Tick, Tick… Boom!”, and the cinematic adaptation of the iconic musical “West Side Story”, but in the end, it was “CODA” that won big at the WGAs. Although a win for a screenplay does not instantly guarantee for the film overall, there have been very few Best Picture winners that have not won an Oscar for its screenplay, and between its Best Adapted Screenplay wins at both the WGAs and the BAFTAs, “CODA” appears to be on the verge of winning this same category at the Oscars.",[25,6220,6221],{},"With all of these factors taken into consideration, could “CODA” indeed pull an upset over popular favorite “The Power of the Dog” and win Best Picture at the Academy Awards? Such an event is far from guaranteed, but one aspect of the voting process that could work to either film’s favor is the ranked choice voting process used to determine Best Picture. Unlike other categories, where voters simply pick whichever nominee they like best, Best Picture requires voters to rank each film on a numbered scale (in this year’s case, on a scale from 1 to 10), and whichever film receives the highest average ranking will be named the year’s Best Picture. Even if “CODA” isn’t given the highest rating possible by the most voters, its final tally could average out to one that ends up being higher than any other nominated film.",[25,6223,6224],{},"Then again, considering how this system of voting works, one could theoretically predict any of the Best Picture nominees to be the big winner in the end, especially considering just how polarizing many of the nominated films have been this year. Still, whatever the case may be - whether a more expected film ends up winning or a less likely underdog pulls a major upset - this year’s Best Picture race is shaping itself to be one that is far more interesting than those of the recent past. The eventual outcome will hopefully be just as interesting, but only time will tell.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6226},[],"2022-03-26",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcoda-wins-big-at-the-pgas-and-wgas-can-it-pull-off-a-best-picture-upset",{"title":6195,"description":557},"coda-wins-big-at-the-pgas-and-wgas-can-it-pull-off-a-best-picture-upset","blog\u002Fcoda-wins-big-at-the-pgas-and-wgas-can-it-pull-off-a-best-picture-upset","sA3tBNQzaA-dSXMbtrsSIMyhnMiFbMEtkSjnFqNr93M",{"id":6235,"title":6236,"body":6237,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6265,"description":3181,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6266,"navigation":71,"path":6267,"seo":6268,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6269,"stem":6270,"__hash__":6271},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fannies-baftas-critics-and-dgas-a-recap-of-recent-awards-shows.md","Annies, BAFTAs, Critics, and DGAs: A Recap of Recent Awards Shows",{"type":22,"value":6238,"toc":6263},[6239,6245,6248,6251,6254,6257,6260],[25,6240,236,6241],{},[47,6242,3159],{"href":6243,"rel":6244},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnn.com\u002F2022\u002F03\u002F13\u002Fentertainment\u002Fbaftas-2022-winners-list\u002Findex.html",[51],[25,6246,6247],{},"With the Academy Awards only weeks away, it shouldn’t be any surprise that there are also several other awards shows taking place beforehand that many are hoping will give some greater insight as to how the Oscars will play out. However, it was just recently that quite a few awards shows took place, perhaps a few more than one would expect to take place over such a short period of time. Some of these awards shows narrowed the focus to a specific subsection of the filmmaking industry, others were broader in focus but were held and judged by a specific group of individuals. With there being so many awards shows taking place over the past couple days, it would not be fair to spotlight only one in particular, so what will happen here instead is a recap of each of the major awards that recently took place. The results of these awards shows (and any patterns or trends that can be determined from them) will be discussed, as will whether or not these results can serve as a trustworthy indicator of what will go down at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27th. Of course, even if one excludes Oscar predictions from the discussion, these various awards shows are all prestigious and commendable in their own way, and they are more than worthy of being talked about here today.",[25,6249,6250],{},"To start things off, there is the Annie Awards, which was held by ASIFA-Hollywood on Saturday, March 12th and gave out a variety of awards related to the multiple components of the animation industry. When it came to awards for feature films, the documentary “Flee” was awarded Best Independent Animated Feature, and the popular Disney musical “Encanto” also received three awards of its own. The big winner, however, was the Sony\u002FNetflix film “The Mitchells vs the Machines”, which won a total of eight awards, including Best Animated Feature. Having acquired so many awards at what many consider to be the animation industry’s most renowned ceremony, one might be led to believe that “The Mitchells vs the Machines” would be a shoo-in for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. However, in recent years, the Annies and the Oscars have not always seen eye to eye, often choosing different films as their respective Best Animated Feature winner (such as in 2019, when the Annie went to “Klaus”, but the Oscar went to “Toy Story 4”). This is not to say “The Mitchells vs the Machines” doesn’t have a shot at the Oscars, but considering “Encanto” winning at the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTAs (both of which are to be discussed) among others, a win is far from guaranteed.",[25,6252,6253],{},"Another recent awards show that centered itself around one specific component of filmmaking was the DGA Awards, which was held by the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, March 12th and honored members of the nation’s largest guild of film and television directors. When it came to film, only three awards were given out, two of which went to Maggie Gyllenhaal, who won Best Director - First Time Feature Film for her film “The Power of the Dog”, and Stanley Nelson, Jr., who won Best Director - Documentary for his film “Attica”. However, when it came to the biggest award of the bunch, Best Director - Feature Film, the award went to Jane Campion for her film “The Power of the Dog”, who ended up beating out such directors as Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza”, Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast”, Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story”, and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune”. This is far from the first Best Director award Campion has won over the past couple months (and far from the last, if the next awards to be discussed are any indication), so it should not be too surprising if Campion does win the Oscar as well, as is currently expected.",[25,6255,6256],{},"Next, there is the Critics Choice Awards, held on Sunday, March 13th, which covered many of the same categories that are to be found at the upcoming Academy Awards but were decided upon by professional film critics rather than Academy members. Of the films that took home multiple awards, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “West Side Story” each took home two awards (the former winning Best Actress for Jessica Chastain and Best Hair and Makeup, the latter winning Best Supporting Actress for Ariana DeBose and Best Editing), and “Belfast” and “Dune” won three awards each (the former winning Best Young Actor\u002FActress for Jude Hill, Best Acting Ensemble, and Best Original Screenplay; the latter winning Best Production Design, Best Score, and Best Visual Effects). However, “The Power of the Dog” was the biggest winner of the bunch with four awards: Best Director for Jane Campion, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and the biggest award of them all, Best Picture.",[25,6258,6259],{},"Similar events played out at another awards ceremony that took place on the same day, the British Academy Film Awards (often shortened to BAFTAs), although in terms of award distribution, the number of awards won by certain films did differ quite a bit. When looking at the total number of awards won by film, “Dune” won more than twice what its nearest competition achieved with five awards overall: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects. Also winning multiple awards were three movies, each of which won two awards. “CODA” received awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Troy Kotsur, and “West Side Story” won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ariana DeBose and Best Casting. Once again, however, it was “The Power of the Dog” that won the biggest awards of the evening, with Jane Campion once again winning for Best Director and the film being named Best Picture. With these successes, as well as those previously mentioned both here and in previous discussions, there’s a very strong chance that, barring any major upset, “The Power of the Dog” will reign supreme as the big winner at the upcoming Academy Awards.",[25,6261,6262],{},"The presence of four different awards over a span of two days proves just how close the end of the film awards season is, and there are less than two weeks until the biggest of the bunch, the Academy Awards, is set to take place. If what has happened so far is any indication, this year’s event will most likely be quite an interesting event, perhaps even more so than usual.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6264},[],"2022-03-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fannies-baftas-critics-and-dgas-a-recap-of-recent-awards-shows",{"title":6236,"description":3181},"annies-baftas-critics-and-dgas-a-recap-of-recent-awards-shows","blog\u002Fannies-baftas-critics-and-dgas-a-recap-of-recent-awards-shows","eCGK2x0m7RF_maX2gSHv54MHYnCk5XWhCKr9nyk9bYs",{"id":6273,"title":6274,"body":6275,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6307,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6308,"navigation":71,"path":6309,"seo":6310,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6311,"stem":6312,"__hash__":6313},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-oscars-telecast-is-cutting-awards-steven-spielberg-among-others-is-not-happy.md","The Oscars Telecast is Cutting Awards. Steven Spielberg (Among Others) Is Not Happy",{"type":22,"value":6276,"toc":6305},[6277,6283,6286,6289,6292,6295,6302],[25,6278,236,6279],{},[47,6280,538],{"href":6281,"rel":6282},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2022\u002F03\u002Fsteven-spielberg-oscars-controversy-statement-reaction-1234972587\u002F",[51],[25,6284,6285],{},"The Academy Awards are seen by many as the highlight event of the year for the film industry, aired on television each year for millions to watch and find out which films and individuals are named the best of the best for that specific year. One might be perplexed as to why, however, if they were to take a look at the ratings the Oscars have gotten in recent years, with those previously mentioned millions reducing in numbers with the passage of time. Needless to say, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts together the Oscars each year, has become a bit desperate to stay relevant and get people to watch the show, especially as its relationship with ABC, the television network that has shown the ceremony for several decades now, becomes more strained as the ratings fall. This year alone has seen multiple attempts by the Academy to get people interested in watching the show, the most notable being the introduction of a Fan Favorite award that will be decided upon by those using specific hashtags on Twitter and the Academy website. However, it’s one recent decision, one that aims to more carefully manage the Oscars’ run time, that has resulted in many people - including prominent industry figures - speaking out in outrage. That decision: to cut specific awards from the televised show.",[25,6287,6288],{},"For the record, no awards are being completely removed altogether; each award that had been handed out at previous ceremonies will still be given as this year’s event. What will happen is that eight awards in particular, rather than being shown live as part of the overall event, will instead be filmed about an hour before the main event and shown during commercial breaks. The awards that will be shown in this format are the following: the Best Short Film categories (Animated, Documentary, and Live Action), Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, and Best Original Score. The remaining award categories are currently expected to be shown live as they have in previous years.",[25,6290,6291],{},"This decision has since resulted in a massive amount of backlash from people across the industry and social media, with many accusing the Academy of sacrificing the acknowledgement of key filmmaking processes for the sake of boosting ratings. Perhaps no industry figure to speak out against this action has such incomportable status as Steven Spielberg, the iconic director and producer behind such classics as “Jaws”, “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”, and “Saving Private Ryan”, and also one of the Academy’s Board of Governors. His most recent film, his cinematic adaptation of the beloved stage musical “West Side Story”, is one of the major contenders at the upcoming ceremony, having received a total of seven nominations. Two of those nominations - Best Production Design and Best Sound - are among those being designated to the commercial breaks, so it’s no surprise that, in an interview with Deadline following a screening of the film at the 20th Century Studios lot, Spielberg vented his frustrations over what the Academy is planning to do with some of the awards.",[25,6293,6294],{},"“I disagree with the decision made by the executive committee,” Spielberg states. “I feel very strongly that this is perhaps the most collaborative medium in the world. All of us make movies together, we become a family where one craft is just as indispensable as the next… I feel that at the Academy Awards there is no above the line, there is no below the line. All of us are on the same line bringing the best of us to tell the best stories we possibly can. And that means for me  we should all have a seat at the supper table together live at 5.” As the interview continued, Spielberg cited the labors of those whom he worked with - those who may be rewarded with an Oscar but will not be shown receiving their award live on television - as a major factor in why he is so upset with the Academy’s decision. “When I look back and I think without John Williams, Jaws would wear dentures. With West Side Story, when Tony is singing ‘Tonight’ with Maria, without (Production Designer) Adam Stockhausen he would be singing it on a step-ladder and she would be on the scaffolding, all this on an empty soundstage. Without film editing all my movies would still be in dailies,” he says in the interview. “We all come together to make magic, and I am sad that we will all not be on live television watching magic happen together. Everybody will have their moment in the limelight. All the winners will be able to be shown with their acceptance speeches, but it’s the idea that we can’t all be there.”",[25,6296,6297,6298,6301],{},"As Spielberg is not alone in how upset he is with the Academy’s decision to cut awards and shorten the ceremony run time, there have been an overwhelming number of demands to reverse the decision and air the show as normal. Would Spielberg like to see this decision be reversed as well? “Yes I would, but I have tremendous respect for my fellow governors, and I have tremendous respect for ",[364,6299,6300],{},"AMPAS President"," David Rubin,” he answered in the interview. “The same thing came close to happening three years ago and at the eleventh hour a decision was made that reversed it and four categories that were in the commercial  breaks were reinstated on the live show. I hope it’s reversed, but I’m not anticipating a reversal and I am not optimistic about it.” Rubin, meanwhile, remained optimistic when questioned about the Academy’s decision and whether or not it would be reversed any time soon. “I can’t imagine that we’re not going to deliver the Oscar experience that both the nominees and the audience have been wanting and are dreaming about,” Rubins assures. “We feel really good about this plan. It feels inclusive and respectful and celebratory.”",[25,6303,6304],{},"Will the Oscars be able to pull this off in a way that manages to appease those who are criticizing its most recent attempt at producing a more ratings-worthy show? Or will the Academy change its mind in a last-minute effort to save face? Nobody knows for sure, and nobody will know until the Oscars take place on Sunday, March 27. For the time being though, many would agree that the efforts to get more people on board with the Oscars may have only driven people further away.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6306},[],"2022-03-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-oscars-telecast-is-cutting-awards-steven-spielberg-among-others-is-not-happy",{"title":6274,"description":557},"the-oscars-telecast-is-cutting-awards-steven-spielberg-among-others-is-not-happy","blog\u002Fthe-oscars-telecast-is-cutting-awards-steven-spielberg-among-others-is-not-happy","_L2HDwbGpKF4bJ3LjTLITGTpnt4pfVeICwdL1nELWJw",{"id":6315,"title":6316,"body":6317,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6345,"description":1144,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6346,"navigation":71,"path":6347,"seo":6348,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6349,"stem":6350,"__hash__":6351},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-awards-2022-coda-stands-as-big-winner-actors-predicted-for-oscar-success.md","SAG Awards 2022: “CODA” Stands as Big Winner, Actors Predicted for Oscar Success",{"type":22,"value":6318,"toc":6343},[6319,6325,6328,6331,6334,6337,6340],[25,6320,236,6321],{},[47,6322,1129],{"href":6323,"rel":6324},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.usatoday.com\u002Fstory\u002Fentertainment\u002Fmovies\u002F2022\u002F02\u002F27\u002Fsag-awards-2022-winners-live\u002F6924902001\u002F",[51],[25,6326,6327],{},"With a more specific focus (and therefore viewer award count) than the likes of the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards may not seem like the type of ceremony to be worthy of major media attention. However, its airing on national television (specifically Turner-owned networks TBS and TNT) seems to suggest otherwise, and it’s not hard to see why. As actors are often seen as the biggest names to be associated with filmmaking, it only makes sense that an awards show dedicated solely to this one craft would be more appealing to the general public than any other aspect of the overall process, even those that are arguably more important. Because of this, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the labor union representing a majority of the film industry’s working actors, has found a way to bring its annual awards handout into the spotlight and even become something of a predictor for the Academy Awards. That’s certainly the case this year, as the latest SAG Awards recently took place on Sunday, February 27th, and the results have provided the industry with some insight as to what and who could go on to Oscar success later on.",[25,6329,6330],{},"Although the SAG Awards do not have an award specifically for Best Picture (as its focus is solely on acting and on no other components of filmmaking), it does have its own top prize in the form of the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, to which this year’s award went to the coming-of-age comedy-drama “CODA” centered around members of the deaf community. Other films contending for the award were the semi-biographical “Belfast”, the global-warming satire “Don’t Look Up”, the biographical crime-drama “House of Gucci”, and the sports-centric biography “King Richard”; still, it was “CODA” that members of SAG ended up favoring above all others, with cast members Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo being named in association with this award. This particular win actually serves as something of a milestone for the disabled acting community, as “CODA” marks the first time that deaf\u002Fnon-hearing actors have been honored as being part of a film that would win the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award. Given that this category has tended not to correlate with the Academy Awards’ eventual Best Picture choice (with 2019’s “Parasite” being the only film of the past few years to win both), “CODA” is not yet guaranteed a major win at the Oscars, but that doesn’t make its success here any less admirable.",[25,6332,6333],{},"The success of “CODA” was not limited to only one award, however, as one of its actors, Troy Kotsur, also managed to receive the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. In doing so, Kotsur beat out competing actors Ben Affleck for “The Tender Bar”, Bradley Cooper for “Licorice Pizza”, Jared Leto for “House of Gucci”, and Kodi Smit-McPhee for “The Power of the Dog”. Kotsur, a deaf actor, became the first disabled actor to be nominated for a SAG Award, and with this win, he immediately became the first to win such an award. His success here will certainly improve his chances of winning an Oscar in the same category, though given some stiff competition, especially from Golden Globe winner Kodi Smit-McPhee, there’s still no guarantee that this will be the case.",[25,6335,6336],{},"Also shaking up the awards race for a specific category this year is the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, which was given to Jessica Chastain for her role in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”. The other actors contending for the award were Olivia Coleman for “The Lost Daughter”, Lady Gaga for “House of Gucci”, Jennifer Hudson for “Respect”, and Nicole Kidman for “Being the Ricardos”, and had this been the exact line-up for those nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, then maybe Chastain would be a more predictable choice for that award’s eventual winner. However, for that ceremony, both Gaga and Hudson are absent, and in their places are Penelope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers” and Kristen Stewart for “Spencer”. Although Chastain’ still has a chance of winning the Oscar, especially considering her SAG success, this change of competition may prove to be quite the challenge.",[25,6338,6339],{},"The remaining two SAG winners, on the other, seem to be all but guaranteed to win at the upcoming Academy Awards. For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, Will Smith was honored for his performance in “King Richard”, triumphing over the likes of Javier Bardem for “Being the Ricardos”, Benedict Cumberbatch for “The Power of the Dog”, Andrew Garfield for “tick, tick… BOOM!”, and Denzel Washington for “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. Ariana DeBose, meanwhile, won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, beating out Caitriona Balfe of “Belfast”, Cate Blanchett of “Nightmare Alley”, Kirsten Dunst of “The Power of the Dog”, and Ruth Negga of “Passing”. Both of these actors won the exact same awards earlier at the Golden Globes, so their success in winning not one, but two of the industry’s most prestigious acting awards, their chances of going on to win at the Academy Awards are much likelier than before, if not outright certain.",[25,6341,6342],{},"Finally, there is the award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, one of the few instances where stunt work is given recognition by a major awards organization. This year’s winner was the James Bond film “No Time to Die”, being chosen in favor of other stunt-heavy films like Marvel superhero films “Black Widow” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, as well as Warner Brothers’ “Dune” and “The Matrix Resurrections”, the former of which is seen as the frontrunner for many technical Academy Awards. This award’s inclusion makes for a strong reminder of how versatile the art of acting can truly be, and that whether or not an actor’s face is seen up close to the camera or far away from it, there is much to appreciate about an actor’s skill. That seems to be the mission statement of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and this latest ceremony is yet another example of dedication to that mission.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6344},[],"2022-03-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-awards-2022-coda-stands-as-big-winner-actors-predicted-for-oscar-success",{"title":6316,"description":1144},"sag-awards-2022-coda-stands-as-big-winner-actors-predicted-for-oscar-success","blog\u002Fsag-awards-2022-coda-stands-as-big-winner-actors-predicted-for-oscar-success","qv353COYzI--z_wf5GVjjm6jWBemn9TXELOxNZAAOqg",{"id":6353,"title":6354,"body":6355,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6399,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6400,"navigation":71,"path":6401,"seo":6402,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6403,"stem":6404,"__hash__":6405},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrancis-ford-copolla-to-pay-for-his-next-movie-out-of-his-pocket-the-price-120-million.md","Francis Ford Copolla to Pay for His Next Movie Out of His Pocket. The Price: $120 Million",{"type":22,"value":6356,"toc":6397},[6357,6363,6366,6369,6372,6383,6394],[25,6358,236,6359],{},[47,6360,391],{"href":6361,"rel":6362},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Ffrancis-ford-coppola-funding-120-million-dollars-megalopolis-1235184765\u002F",[51],[25,6364,6365],{},"Ask any filmmaker what the biggest challenge in getting a movie made is, and there’s a very good chance the answer will be the struggle to maintain both creative and financial control. Having both is rarely an achievable feat, and often one will have to be sacrificed (at least in part) for the other. If one is to retain creative control over a picture, the cost may be having to work with extremely limited resources, perhaps no more than a few million dollars. If one is to require an abundance of resources for the picture (such as a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars), a filmmaker will most likely have to meet the demands of a major studio or any other person\u002Finstitution willing to provide such a large sum, including the ability to provide creative input. There’s no doubt that filmmaking is an expensive and laborious process, and although the final product is usually more than worth it in the end, it can be easy to tell where sacrifices had to be made. Whether its a story hampered by executive meddling or production values hampered by an insufficient budget, there is hardly a single film that isn’t impacted either positively or negatively by these factors. For some filmmakers, this can prove to be an incredibly frustrating process, with one such example being the legendary Francis Ford Copolla.",[25,6367,6368],{},"Having made a name for himself in the 1970s with his 1972 masterpiece “The Godfather” (as well as its equally impressive 1974 sequel “The Godfather Part II”), Coppola is the type of director that one would think studios would be willing to allow to do whatever he pleased because of how successful those films were. Sure enough, Coppola was able to achieve such creative freedom early on in his career with such films as “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now”, but it didn’t take long for that goodwill to slowly fade away. More of his productions began to lose money, and studios became less eager to invest in the projects that Coppola wanted to make without having some say in the process. Although the 1970s allowed Coppola and his films to flourish, later decades have not been as kind to the “Godfather” director, resulting in a hit-and-miss career that has seen decent successes like “The Outsiders” and critical failures like “Jack.” His most recent film, 2011’s “Twixt”, was only given an extremely limited theatrical release and sent direct-to-video shortly afterwards, nothing close to the attention Coppola’s films were getting during his peak years.",[25,6370,6371],{},"That doesn’t mean Coppola has completely given up on filmmaking though; if anything, he’s planning on going bigger than he has in recent memory. Using about $120 million taken out of his own pocket (much of which earned from his self-owned vineyard), Coppola has announced his intentions to produce a film he calls “Megalopolis”, a film that he had written in the 1980s yet was never able to make before hand due to difficulty in getting studios to invest in the project. Actors like Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, and Forest Whitaker are said to be involved with the film, and if Coppola has indeed won them over, he’ll have more than enough star power to advertise the film with, something that he definitely needs considering how little else about the film seems to pique the interest of major investors.",[25,6373,6374,6375,6378,6379,6382],{},"In an interview with GQ Magazine, Coppola discussed the struggles he faced in pitching “Megalopolis” to major studios in the 1980s, describing it as similar to how he pitched “Apocalypse Now” after making the first two “Godfather” films, but to significantly less success. “Major Hollywood executives reacted to ",[364,6376,6377],{},"my"," ‘Megalopolis’ pitch the same way they did when I had won five Oscars and was the hottest film director in town and walked in with ‘Apocalypse Now’ and said, ‘I’d like to make this next.’ I own ‘Apocalypse Now,’” Coppola states. “Do you know why I own ‘Apocalypse Now?’ Because no one else wanted it… so imagine, if that was the case when I was 33 or whatever the age and I had won every award and had broken every record and still absolutely no one wanted to join me, ",[364,6380,6381],{},"then how do you think they’re reacting now?"," I know that ‘Megalopolis,’ the more personal I make it, and the more like a dream in me that I do it, the harder it will be to finance.”",[25,6384,6385,6386,6389,6390,6393],{},"Looking at the modern Hollywood landscape, one can easily understand where Coppola’s frustrations are coming from. Not only are most major studios reducing the number of films they put out each year, but most of their attention is going to a small handful of tentpole films that are more often than not rooted in already well-known franchises. These are considered “safer bets” by studios, encouraging them to put more of their time and resources in those films instead of more risky ventures that might not even cost as much as the blockbusters that are so heavily promoted each year. As far as Coppola is concerned, maintaining artistic freedom is harder than ever for a working director, which explains why he is willing to finance “Megalopolis” by himself despite the immense production costs. It should be noted, however, that such a high budget does not pose a serious risk to Coppola’s own personal wealth, as he claims that he is currently in a comfortable enough position where he can pursue the making of “Megalopolis” without putting his finances at risk. “It’s not as if $120 million is the extent of what I have,” Coppola remarks. “I have bequeathed much to all my children. And then they themselves, the greatest thing I bequeathed to my children is their know-how and their talent. ",[364,6387,6388],{},"My kids are"," not going to have a problem. They’re all very capable. And they have Inglenook ",[364,6391,6392],{},"the family winery",", where we are. There’s no debt on this place. None.”",[25,6395,6396],{},"Not much is currently known about the story Coppola hopes to tell with “Megalopolis”, although sources claim that the film will be akin to a Roman epic set in a New York-like utopia called New Rome. Less is known about when exactly the film will see the light of day, as development continues and a production date has yet to be announced. Still, should Coppola succeed in finishing “Megalopolis” and getting it out for people to see, it will be very interesting to see how this passion project that is Copolla’s and nobody else’s fares in a world where franchises and blockbusters are the dominant forces in the cinematic media landscape.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6398},[],"2022-02-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrancis-ford-copolla-to-pay-for-his-next-movie-out-of-his-pocket-the-price-120-million",{"title":6354,"description":194},"francis-ford-copolla-to-pay-for-his-next-movie-out-of-his-pocket-the-price-120-million","blog\u002Ffrancis-ford-copolla-to-pay-for-his-next-movie-out-of-his-pocket-the-price-120-million","QsjOmJ43T7cx7y3FXzk0fOQB1nPRcTkhlIFFEbxjXEw",{"id":6407,"title":6408,"body":6409,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6440,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6441,"navigation":71,"path":6442,"seo":6443,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6444,"stem":6445,"__hash__":6446},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Facademy-awards-to-allow-twitter-users-to-vote-on-their-own-best-picture-of-2021.md","Academy Awards to Allow Twitter Users to Vote on Their Own “Best Picture” of 2021",{"type":22,"value":6410,"toc":6438},[6411,6417,6420,6423,6426,6429,6432,6435],[25,6412,236,6413],{},[47,6414,391],{"href":6415,"rel":6416},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Fdigital\u002Fnews\u002Foscars-twitter-favorite-film-spider-man-1235181361\u002F",[51],[25,6418,6419],{},"If there is one complaint that has been repeatedly thrown at the Academy Awards (as well as other film awards ceremonies that attempt to have that same level of high status) in recent memory, it’s that the films selected are not those that the general public are very familiar with. Looking over past ceremonies and which films have been chosen for these awards and nominations, it’s not hard to see where these criticisms are coming from. Although a mainstream hit may appear every now and then, most of the films nominated for Best Picture and some of the more highly coveted awards tend to be independent works that rarely make more than a few tens of millions of dollars at the box office. This has caused some to label the Academy and other organizations as “pretentious” and not reflective of what is generally considered to be “good”. This wasn’t always the case though; earlier decades saw such films as “The Sound of Music” and “Titanic” be both the highest-grossing films of their years and the winners of Best Picture at the following Oscars. However, the last film to achieve this feat, Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, came all the way back in 2003; in the nearly two decades since, the gap between popular films and award-winning films seems to have only gotten wider.",[25,6421,6422],{},"To the Academy’s credit, some effort has been made over the past few years to appease these complaints, but such efforts have not always led to satisfactory results. For example, after films like “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E” were denied Best Picture nominations back in 2009, the Academy announced that the number of Best Picture nominees per year would be expanded to at least ten, a move that would theoretically allow more popular fare a chance of being included. This tactic has worked to some degree - the following year even saw such high-grossers as “Up” and “Avatar” be among the Best Picture nominees - but none of them have even come close to winning the award, as more often than not, the Academy has continued to opt for smaller, independent fare that general moviegoers may not have even heard of. Even less successful was an attempt in 2019 to introduce a category for “most popular film”, a move that was met with immediate backlash from those who felt that such a category would segregate such films from the Best Picture category and inadvertently deem them “inferior” to what the Academy deems to be quality filmmaking. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for the Academy to immediately pull the award, and the struggle to appeal to general audiences without sacrificing integrity remained.",[25,6424,6425],{},"This issue reared its head once again when the latest round of Academy Award nominations, those for the films of the year 2021, were announced. Many took issue with the absence of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, easily the biggest money-maker of the year and a film mostly lauded by critics and audiences, in the Best Picture category as well as several other major awards (with the exception of Best Visual Effects, one of the few categories where blockbusters are regularly acknowledged). Even independent filmmaker\u002Fcomic book media fan Kevin Smith was upset with the lack of “Spider-Man” among the nominees, criticizing the Academy for being out of touch with the common people. Whether or not the Academy is choosing to respond specifically to Smith’s accusation with their latest announcement is unknown at this time, but once again, the organization is making a more noticeable effort to highlight more popular films and generate interest from the average moviegoer. Their plan this time around: allow the people to vote on their own Best Picture of 2021.",[25,6427,6428],{},"On Monday, February 14th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave the world a special Valentine’s Day present by announcing a new category that would be decided by social media users and those who use such platforms to express their love for movies. By including the #OscarFanFavorite and #Sweepstakes tags in a post, any Twitter user can let the Academy know which film they personally consider to be the best of 2021, and whichever film accumulates the most posts of this kind will be announced as the winner live at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. Up until March 3rd will Twitter users (and those who choose to vote directly on the Academy website) be allowed to post their votes, with each user being allowed to vote up to twenty times per day, and any film regardless of whether it has any Oscar nominations or not will be considered for the award.",[25,6430,6431],{},"In this announcement, Academy digital marketing vice president Meryl Johnson expressed great optimism that this new feature of the Oscars will be a great success. “We’re thrilled to partner with Twitter to help build an engaged and excited digital audience leading up to this year’s ceremony,” Johnson claims. “The Oscars are an opportunity to bring people around the world together through their shared movie love, and through these activations social media users around the world now have more opportunities to engage with the show in real-time, find a community and be a part of the experience in ways they’ve never been able to before.”",[25,6433,6434],{},"In addition to this new “best picture” award, a second category for what is being called the #OscarsCheerMoment will also be featured at this year’s Oscar, which will be voted on in a similar manner to the #OscarsFanFavorite award. Both awards will also come with their own contest in which a small handful of random Twitter users will each receive a major prize of their own; for voting in the #OscarsFanFavorite category, three random voters will receive a free trip to Los Angeles and be allowed to present an award at next year’s Oscars ceremony, while five voters in the #OscarsCheerMoment will receive such prizes as free movie tickets\u002Fstreaming subscriptions for a whole year and\u002For exclusive Academy Museum Store items.",[25,6436,6437],{},"Will the general public be willing to take part in this (seemingly) bold new experiment the Academy is conducting? Or will they write it off as yet another pitiful attempt to appear relevant without having to make any real systemic change? There’s enough evidence to suggest there’s truth on both sides of the argument, but one will have to wait until the Academy Awards actually take place to know for sure.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6439},[],"2022-02-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Facademy-awards-to-allow-twitter-users-to-vote-on-their-own-best-picture-of-2021",{"title":6408,"description":194},"academy-awards-to-allow-twitter-users-to-vote-on-their-own-best-picture-of-2021","blog\u002Facademy-awards-to-allow-twitter-users-to-vote-on-their-own-best-picture-of-2021","qHQI5uyAkhW54MULrdfrb61_c_0WROmS88KoWdcdYPQ",{"id":6448,"title":6449,"body":6450,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6505,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6506,"navigation":71,"path":6507,"seo":6508,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6509,"stem":6510,"__hash__":6511},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnominees-for-2022-oscars-announced-multiple-international-films-among-them.md","Nominees for 2022 Oscars Announced: Multiple International Films Among Them",{"type":22,"value":6451,"toc":6503},[6452,6458,6461,6464,6467,6470,6477,6500],[25,6453,236,6454],{},[47,6455,1603],{"href":6456,"rel":6457},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002F2022\u002F02\u002Foscars-2022-international-drive-my-car-flee-1234697310\u002F",[51],[25,6459,6460],{},"The Academy Awards, easily the biggest annual celebration of the art of cinema known throughout the world, was once referred to by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, whose works include “Memories of Murder” and “Okja”, as a “very local” event. This is a reference to the fact that historically, the Oscars have tended to mostly ignore films made outside the United States and\u002For the English language (apart from the token Best International Feature award), instead choosing to focus primarily on those made within the nation. Of course, this quote proved to be rather amusing in hindsight, as it was not too long after that Bong’s film “Parasite” wound up being named Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards, as well as awards for directing and screenwriting, the first non-English language film to achieve such a feat. Because of the South Korean film’s success, many have begun to wonder whether or not there would be repeated success for foreign films at future Academy Awards, since “Parasite” has proven that Oscar voters are willing to accept such films as being among the best of the best. Accomplishing that may still be an uphill battle, but if the most recent Academy Award nominations are any indication, there is a decent chance of a foreign film winning big outside the usual category.",[25,6462,6463],{},"Of course, one place where recognition of foreign films is guaranteed is the Best International Feature category. Here, one can find the five films made outside the United States that the Academy has deemed to be the year’s best: from Japan, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car”; from Denmark, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee”; from Italy, Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God”; from Bhutan, Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Luana: A Yak in the Classroom”; and from Norway, Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World”. However, while the Italian and Bhutanese films failed to score any nominations outside Best International Feature, the same cannot be said for any of the other three nominees, each of which were able to score at least one other nomination. It’s difficult to predict how likely they are to win in any of these other categories, but their presence in these categories is nonetheless admirable and appreciated.",[25,6465,6466],{},"First, there is “The Worst Person in the World”, the Norwegian dark romantic dramedy from director Joachim Tier, who also contributed to the writing of the film. He, alongside co-writer Eskil Vogt, have been nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category for the script they have crafted for this film. Here, they will compete alongside fellow nominees “Belfast” (written by Kenneth Branagh), “Don’t Look Up” (Adam McKay and David Sirota), “King Richard” (Zach Baylin), and “Licorice Pizza” (Paul Thomas Anderson). Needless to say, it’s a fairly competitive category, especially considering the presence of Hollywood mainstays like Kenneth Branagh and Paul Thomas Anderson, but that should not rule out the possibility of Tier and Vogt pulling an upset.",[25,6468,6469],{},"Then there is “Flee”, one of the rare foreign animated documentary films to come out (though not the first to be acknowledged by the Academy, as 2008’s “Waltz with Bashir” was nominated for Best International Feature at that year’s ceremony). Although it was unable to earn any nominations in the larger or more technical-oriented categories, its triple-threat status as an animated feature, a documentary, and an international feature have enabled it to land spots in the categories dedicated to films of those specific kinds of film. Its competitors for Best International Feature have already been mentioned, and for Best Animated Feature, “Flee” will have to overcome the other triple-threat that is Disney - which has distributed three nominated films in the category - “Encanto” and “Raya and the Last Dragon”, made by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and “Luca”, made by Pixar Animation Studios - as well as “The Mitchells vs the Machines”, made by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix, if it is to win in this category. “Flee” may have better luck in the Best Documentary Feature category, though considering the competition - “Ascension”, “Attica”, “Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), and “Writing with Fire” - a win is far from guaranteed.",[25,6471,6472,6473,6476],{},"Lastly, there is “Drive My Car”, which probably has the biggest chances of pulling off a victory akin to “Parasite” due to its presence in three of the Oscars’ most prestigious categories. Its screenplay, penned by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, for which it will compete against “CODA” (written by Sian Heder), “Dune” (Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth), “The Lost Daughter” (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and “The Power of the Dog” (Jane Campion). Hamaguchi has also been nominated for Best Director for the film; once again, he will vy for the award alongside Campion, as well as Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast”, Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza”, and Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story”. Finally, there is Best Picture, in which “Drive My Car” is one of the ten nominated films, with the other nine being the aforementioned “Belfast”, “CODA”, “Dune”, ",[6474,6475],"licorice",{}," Pizza”, “The Power of the Dog”, and “West Side Story”, as well as “Don’t Look Up”, “King Richard” and “Nightmare Alley”.",[25,6478,6479,6480,6483,6484,6487,6488,6491,6492,6495,6496,6499],{},"Also worth mentioning is the song “Dos Oruguitas” from the animated film ",[486,6481,6482],{},"Encanto",", which has been nominated for Best Original Song alongside “Be Alive” from ",[486,6485,6486],{},"King Richard",", “Down to Joy” from ",[486,6489,6490],{},"Belfast",", “No Time to Die” from ",[486,6493,6494],{},"No Time to Die",", and “Somehow You Do” from ",[486,6497,6498],{},"Four Good Days",". Although the film was made domestically (by media giant Disney nonetheless), the song, composed and lyricized by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was written and sung entirely in Spanish, making this one of the few instances where a non-English song has been nominated in this category.",[25,6501,6502],{},"The odds of a foreign film being able to stand out at the Academy Awards may not be the highest, especially when there are so many strong contenders in each category. Still, if “Parasite” has proven anything, it’s that “difficult” and “impossible” are by no means synonyms, and there may be a chance yet that any of the nominated foreign films may be able to go home with more than just nominations.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6504},[],"2022-02-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnominees-for-2022-oscars-announced-multiple-international-films-among-them",{"title":6449,"description":1676},"nominees-for-2022-oscars-announced-multiple-international-films-among-them","blog\u002Fnominees-for-2022-oscars-announced-multiple-international-films-among-them","pkVAhIn2DAgJe2dprYQOaimzcvcuq5TwxwPM2pxAYqM",{"id":6513,"title":6514,"body":6515,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6544,"description":6545,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6546,"navigation":71,"path":6547,"seo":6548,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6549,"stem":6550,"__hash__":6551},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnanny-navalny-among-big-winners-at-2022-sundance-film-festival.md","“Nanny”, “Navalny” Among Big Winners at 2022 Sundance Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":6516,"toc":6542},[6517,6524,6527,6530,6533,6536,6539],[25,6518,236,6519],{},[47,6520,6523],{"href":6521,"rel":6522},"https:\u002F\u002Ffestival.sundance.org\u002F",[51],"Sundance Film Festival",[25,6525,6526],{},"The awards season for the films of 2021 may not have reached its end as of yet - in fact, at the time of this writing, this year’s Academy Award nominations have yet to be announced - but that doesn’t mean people aren’t already looking ahead to what this latest year has to offer. One needs to look no further than the most recent Sundance Film Festival, held this year between January 20th and 30th, for proof of this. Although the rise of the COVID-19’s Omicron variant has forced all film screenings to be held virtually instead of in person\\at the various theatrical venues scattered throughout Park City, Utah, there was nonetheless an abundance of quality cinema to be found at the 2022 event, with the best of the best being honored with at least one of the festival’s numerous revered prizes. It’s hard to say how many of these films will have lasting success in the coming year, especially with so many other films expected to be released and gain attention, but what has been shown so far has proven to be nothing short of spectacular, and at the very least they have the pleasure of being honored by one of the nation’s most admired film festivals.",[25,6528,6529],{},"Easily the most coveted of the awards given out at Sundance are the four Grand Jury Prizes, each categorized by both type of film (Dramatic or Documentary) and place of origin (U.S. or World Cinema). Winning the U.S. Dramatic Competition Award was “Nanny”, a horror film from writer\u002Fdirector Nikyatu Jusu (the second black female director to win the prize), while the U.S. Documentary Competition Award was given to “The Exiles”, directed by Ben Klein and Violet Columbus. The award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, meanwhile, went to “Utama” and director Alejandro Loayza Grisis, while “All That Breathes” and its director, Shaunak Sen, were honored with the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary Competition.",[25,6531,6532],{},"If a film could not be voted in favor of by the festival’s grand jury, then it still may find success among the general audiences taking part in the event. That is the purpose of the Audience Awards, voted on by festival-goers and generally regarded as more reflective of what a more general audience deems to be worthy. Of the films that vied for the various Audience Awards, it was “Nalvany”, an HBO-produced documentary crafted by director Daniel Rohr, that not only won the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary Competition, but was also named the overall Festival Favorite. Other Audience Award winners include comedy-drama “Cha Cha Real Smooth”, which won the U.S. Dramatic Competition Award for director Cooper Raiff; “Girl Picture”, a Finnish coming-of-age narrative from Alli Haapasalo that won the World Cinema Dramatic Competition Award; and “The Territory”, a film from director Alex Pritz and winner of the World Cinema Documentary Competition Award.",[25,6534,6535],{},"Although films are the primary recipients of the Sundance Film Festival’s various prizes, there are some awards that are designated specifically for certain aspects of the filmmaking process. Directors are unsurprisingly the most noteworthy winners of such awards, and as was the case for both the Grand Jury Prizes and the Audience Awards, there were four awards to hand out to directors in recognition of their cinematic accomplishments. At this year’s festival, it was Jamie Dack who won the U.S. Dramatic Competition Award for his coming-of-age film “Palm Trees and Power Lines”, while Reid Davenport was honored as the winner of the U.S. Documentary Competition Award for directing “I Didn’t See You There”. Meanwhile, Maryana Er Gorbach received the director’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition Award for her film “Klondike”, and the World Cinema Documentary Competition award for directing went to Simon Lereng Wilmont for “A House Made of Splinters”. Screenwriting and editing were also given their own Sundance prizes, with the winners including K.D. Dávila, who won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for the film “Emergency”, while Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput received the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award for their documentary “Fire of Love”. Lastly, there is Chase Joynt, whose documentary “Framing Agnes” allowed her to be honored with the NEXT Innovator Prize.",[25,6537,6538],{},"Then there are the Special Jury Prizes, also divided into one of the four previously discussed categories and handed out for specific special achievements. The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast went to the cast of the action thriller “892”, while the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision was given to Bradley Rust Gray for his film “Blood”. The U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision, meanwhile, was awarded to Margaret Brown for her film “Descendant”, and Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee were given the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change for their film “Aftershock”. As for the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting, Teresa Sánchez was honored for her performance in “Dos Estaciones”, while the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit was given to Martika Ramirez Escobar for her film “Leonor Will Never Die”. Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, meanwhile, received the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence in Verité Filmmaking for the film “Midwives”, and the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft went to Audience Award winner Alex Pritz and his film “The Territory”.",[25,6540,6541],{},"If there is one greater achievement than winning a Sundance award though, it’s receiving the backing of a major studio for widespread distribution, which would allow for greater access to a given film and the chance of said film getting even more attention. There were many films that found the backing of big distributors at this year’s festival; among them are “Brian And Charles”, picked up by Universal and Focus Features; “Fresh”, acquired by Searchlight Pictures and Hulu; and both “Fire of Love” and “The Territory”, each having National Geographic Documentary Films to call its distributor. Whether or not a film received an award or the backing of a major distributor though, its exhibition at the Sundance Film Festival is still a commendable accomplishment, and it’s hard not to appreciate each and every work of cinema that found its way into being part of this most recent event.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6543},[],"2022-02-05","Source: Sundance Film Festival",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnanny-navalny-among-big-winners-at-2022-sundance-film-festival",{"title":6514,"description":6545},"nanny-navalny-among-big-winners-at-2022-sundance-film-festival","blog\u002Fnanny-navalny-among-big-winners-at-2022-sundance-film-festival","jL8vQaM4mXfLWSZ42DmiqHSj3DmQiv0awUHMaFqMyuQ",{"id":6553,"title":6554,"body":6555,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6583,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6584,"navigation":71,"path":6585,"seo":6586,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6587,"stem":6588,"__hash__":6589},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-award-2022-nominees-house-of-gucci-the-power-of-the-dog-among-the-contenders.md","SAG Award 2022 Nominees: “House of Gucci”, “The Power of the Dog” Among the Contenders",{"type":22,"value":6556,"toc":6581},[6557,6563,6566,6569,6572,6575,6578],[25,6558,236,6559],{},[47,6560,391],{"href":6561,"rel":6562},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Fawards\u002Fnews\u002F2022-sag-nominations-list-nominees-screen-actors-guild-awards-1235151565\u002F",[51],[25,6564,6565],{},"The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards are certainly a unique situation when it comes to its status in the film awards season landscape. On the one hand, although not as revered as the Academy Awards, this awards ceremony, held by and honoring members of the film industry’s largest acting unions, is easily one of the most talked about, so much so that the ceremony is even broadcast yearly on TNT and other Warner Media owned networks. On the other hand, when it comes to film awards, it isn’t as big as other ceremonies, with there being only six categories dedicated to honoring the art of cinema; even the Golden Globes usually has more categories than that. Then again, the SAG Awards’ popularity probably shouldn’t be all that surprising; as actors are often the most talked about individuals associated with the production of film, it’s only fitting that more people would be interested in seeing them win awards as opposed to any other field or craft. In any case, the SAG Awards are among the most highly anticipated ceremonies of any given awards season, and it was only just recently that the most recent string of SAG Award nominees were made known to the public.",[25,6567,6568],{},"On Wednesday, January 12th, the nominations for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced on Instagram Live by actors Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens. It has been revealed that unlike the previous ceremony, which was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be held in person once again, taking up space in Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, with TNT and TBS providing television coverage of the proceedings. Starting at 8 pm E.T.\u002F5 pm P.T. on Sunday, February 27th, all six film awards (as well as a handful of television awards) will be handed out, and given the lineup of nominees announced, it will certainly be interesting to see who comes out on top, and how the results may provide a bit of foreshadowing of what may come at the Academy Awards.",[25,6570,6571],{},"As the Screen Actors Guild Awards are primarily focused on acting instead of the entirety of the filmmaking process, there is no Best Picture category to be found here, but rather one called Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which honors the combined talents of a given film’s main cast. This year’s nominated films (and the actors named alongside them) are “Belfast” (Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan), “CODA” (Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), “Don’t Look Up” (Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Lawrence, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Mescudi, Rob Morgan, Himesh Patel, Ron Perlman, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, Meryl Streep), “House of Gucci” (Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Al Pacino)” and “King Richard” (Jon Bernthal, Aunjanue Ellis, Tony Goldwyn, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Will Smith). With this category being the SAG Awards’ Best Picture equivalent, some may be surprised to find that both “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story” are absent from this category, especially since both won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture and are expected to be frontrunners in the category at the Oscars. However, it should be noted that the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award has rarely been a trustworthy predictor when it comes to determining what will win the Best Picture Oscar (in recent years, only 2019’s “Parasite” ended up winning both the Oscar and the SAG Award, while Best Pictures like “Nomadland”, “Green Book”, and “The Shape of Water” did not win Outstanding Cast at previous SAG Awards). Because of this, neither film should be affected too negatively by this absence, especially as they do appear in the other categories.",[25,6573,6574],{},"Speaking of the other categories, the individual acting awards have proven to be a bit more reliable when it comes to predicting the eventual Oscar winner, and it’s quite likely that whoever wins a SAG Award this year will go on to do the same at the Oscars. In the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role category, Andrew Garfield of “Tick, Tick… Boom” and Will Smith of “King Richard” are the frontrunners as a result of their respective Golden Globe wins, and for this award, they will compete amongst each other, as well as Javier Bardem of “Being the Ricardos”, Benedict Cumberbatch of “The Power of the Dog”, and Denzel Washington of “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. The award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, meanwhile, will go to one of these five: Jessica Chastain for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, Olivia Colman for “The Lost Daughter”, Lady Gaga for “House of Gucci”, Jennifer Hudson for “Respect”, and Nicole Kidman “Being the Ricardos”.",[25,6576,6577],{},"As for the awards for supporting roles, predicting who will win the Oscar from those selected for the SAG Awards might be a bit easier, although the final outcome is still far from certain. For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, the nominees are Ben Affleck for “The Tender Bar”, Bradley Cooper for “Licorice Pizza”, Troy Kotsur for “CODA”, Jared Leto for “House of Gucci”, and Kodi Smit-McPhee for “The Power of the Dog”. For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, the nominees are Caitriona Balfe for “Belfast”, Cate Blanchett for “Nightmare Alley”, Ariana DeBose for “West Side Story”, Kirsten Dunst for “The Power of the Dog”, and Ruth Negga for “Passing”. Having won the Golden Globes in these categories, the odds currently favor Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ariana DeBose at the moment; if they are successful in winning their respective SAG Awards, then their Academy Award wins will be all but guaranteed.",[25,6579,6580],{},"Finally, there is Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, of which the nominated films are “Black Widow”, “Dune”, “The Matrix: Resurrections”, “No Time to Die”, and “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. Considering how little recognition stunt work gets, it’s very refreshing to see it get its own category, one of the very few handed out by this organization, and it serves as yet another reminder of what makes the Screen Actors Guild Awards stand out among the rest.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6582},[],"2022-01-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsag-award-2022-nominees-house-of-gucci-the-power-of-the-dog-among-the-contenders",{"title":6554,"description":194},"sag-award-2022-nominees-house-of-gucci-the-power-of-the-dog-among-the-contenders","blog\u002Fsag-award-2022-nominees-house-of-gucci-the-power-of-the-dog-among-the-contenders","kOgFoX9IOsyqNHUYR5Lxzk0IV9cXcyMN4raXtybsnrM",{"id":6591,"title":6592,"body":6593,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6615,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6616,"navigation":71,"path":6617,"seo":6618,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6619,"stem":6620,"__hash__":6621},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-take-place-hand-out-awards-even-with-no-audience-to-watch.md","Golden Globes 2022 Take Place, Hand Out Awards - Even With No Audience to Watch",{"type":22,"value":6594,"toc":6613},[6595,6601,6604,6607,6610],[25,6596,236,6597],{},[47,6598,391],{"href":6599,"rel":6600},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2022\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002F2022-golden-globes-winners-list-1235149340\u002F",[51],[25,6602,6603],{},"If one were to be completely unaware that the most recent Golden Globe Awards ceremony recently took place, they may not be entirely to blame, as there were no publicly accessible ways in which one could do so. As a result of a series of controversies relating to the membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization behind the Golden Globes, many of the ceremony’s sponsors pulled their support, including television network NBC, which had been airing the Golden Globes for several years up to that point. In theory, the ceremony could have been streamed online on the organization website, but that option seems to have been ignored by the HFPA. Then again, if reports are to be believed, there wasn’t much of an event taking place to begin with. There were hardly any big celebrity presenters attending (apart from a handful of pre-taped bits), and those who did attend described the experience as something more somber and disheartening than what had been seen in previous Golden Globe ceremonies. With all that said, even though this year’s Golden Globes, the latest of what many would call one of Hollywood’s most extravagant parties, was not nearly as exciting as it would be in any other year, there were still many awards to give out, and judging by what went down, one might be able to get a sense of how the Academy Awards and the rest of film awards season may play out.",[25,6605,6606],{},"Perhaps the biggest winner of the evening was “The Power of the Dog”, the Netflix-distributed western drama from director Jane Campion, which ended up taking home three Golden Globe awards. Not only did the film receive the prize for Best Motion Picture - Drama, but Campion was also named the year’s Best Director for her work on the film, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who acted in the film alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, was given the award for Best Supporting Actor. Having acquired both the Best Director and one of the Best Motion Picture prizes, one would expect “The Power of the Dog” to now be the major frontrunner and the film most likely to take home these exact same awards at the upcoming Academy Awards. That was certainly the case for last year’s winning film “Nomadland” and its director Chloe Zhao, who managed to win the exact same awards at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Still, Zhao’s success seems to be an outlier in recent years, as many of the past few years’ major Golden Globes winners were unable to do likewise when it came to the Oscars, so there’s no certainty as of yet that Campion and her film will continue this winning streak at the upcoming (more meaningful) awards ceremony.",[25,6608,6609],{},"If anybody is capable of giving Campion and “The Power of the Dog” a run for their money, it’s without a doubt Steven Spielberg, arguably the director with the biggest name working in cinema and one whose expertise shows no signs of wearing out, especially if his most recent work is any indication. Said film, the most recent cinematic adaptation of popular Broadway musical “West Side Story”, ended up receiving the ceremony’s other best film award, Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. In addition, two of the film’s actresses, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose, were named Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture respectively, allowing the film to also receive a total of three awards. Considering that he lost the Best Director award, one might be led to assume that Spielberg and his film are at a disadvantage and may not have the same chances of winning at the upcoming Academy Awards. However, such an assumption ignores not only Spielberg’s overwhelming presence as an industry giant, but also the cultural significance that the legacy of “West Side Story” has maintained over the past few decades (its previous film adaptation, released in 1961, was named that year’s Best Picture and also received several other Oscars as well), which might be enough to sway certain voters. None of this is for sure of course, but the results of this year’s Golden Globes do prove that the race so far is still too close to call.",[25,6611,6612],{},"Although “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story” were the night’s big winners, there were still plenty of other films that were able to receive at least one Golden Globe before the night’s end. Will Smith and Andrew Garfield, for example, were named the Best Actors of the year, with the former winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for his role in “King Richard”, and the latter winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for his performance in “Tick, Tick… Boom!”. Nicole Kidman, meanwhile, won Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her work in “Being the Ricardos”, and “Belfast” was determined to have the Best Screenplay, allowing Kenneth Branagh to receive a Golden Globe despite losing Best Director and Best Motion Picture - Drama. The Japanese film “Drive My Car” was named Best Foreign Language Film, and Disney’s latest animated musical “Encanto” won the award for Best Animated Feature.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6614},[],"2022-01-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-take-place-hand-out-awards-even-with-no-audience-to-watch",{"title":6592,"description":194},"golden-globes-2022-take-place-hand-out-awards-even-with-no-audience-to-watch","blog\u002Fgolden-globes-2022-take-place-hand-out-awards-even-with-no-audience-to-watch","SBzPpUTAqFpdapXcoioTfo4TQ-VROg-gvtCuSkSg0D0",{"id":6623,"title":6624,"body":6625,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6656,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6657,"navigation":71,"path":6658,"seo":6659,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6660,"stem":6661,"__hash__":6662},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fspider-man-no-way-home-to-close-out-2021-with-a-gross-of-over-1-5-billion.md","“Spider-Man: No Way Home” to Close Out 2021 with a Gross of Over $1.5 Billion",{"type":22,"value":6626,"toc":6654},[6627,6633,6636,6639,6642,6645,6648,6651],[25,6628,236,6629],{},[47,6630,538],{"href":6631,"rel":6632},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F12\u002Fspider-man-no-way-home-top-grossing-movie-ever-for-sony-beats-rise-of-skywalker-1234902540\u002F",[51],[25,6634,6635],{},"As the saying goes, if one is to go out, then it is better to do so not with a whimper, but with a bang. That certainly seems to be the mentality for the worldwide box office this year; despite having to slowly recover from the closure of nearly every theater in the world (the result of the ongoing and continuously evolving COVID-19 pandemic), the box office is finishing the year off on a high note, if only due to one film in particular. Not since December of 2019, just over two years ago, that a film was released that was able to earn a worldwide gross of over $1 billion, that being “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”. No film was able to achieve such a feat throughout the year 2020, as the closure of most theaters meant there was little revenue for any film released to generate, and that trend continued throughout most of 2021 as well. Despite some solid performances from such films as “F9” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, there had not been a single film released throughout the year that was able to cross the coveted billion dollar mark. However, to quote another saying, good things come to those who wait, and for the box office, that wait was certainly worth it; just before the year's end, one film in particular swung in (pun intended) to save the day, that being the long-anticipated and since-beloved “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.",[25,6637,6638],{},"As of Tuesday, December 28th, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, the most recent installment of the insanely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise, has earned a domestic total of $516.4 million. This of course is far more than any other film has made at the North American box office since the start of the pandemic, but perhaps most significantly, it has surpassed the total of what “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, the last billion dollar grosser since the end of 2019, made during the entirety of its run. Whereas that film earned a final gross of $515.2 million nationwide by the end of its theatrical tenure, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was able to speed past it in only a matter of twelve days, and it still has plenty of time to build upon what it has already collected.",[25,6640,6641],{},"To succeed as much as it is would be enough of an achievement on its own, but the performance of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is even more remarkable when compared to films that had come out several years before the pandemic began. The ticket sales generated by the film so far have it outpacing such films as 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” (by 9%) and 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (by 22%). In fact, “Spider-Man” is doing so well that it’s only trailing record-grossers “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, and even then, by no more than 20%. As of this writing, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the third fastest film to reach $500 million domestically, a feat that would be commendable at any time, but is downright astonishing during a time when people might not be willing to go to a movie theater otherwise.",[25,6643,6644],{},"Of course, all of what has been said so far only relates to sales made in North America alone; when looking at the film’s performance on a global scale, the picture of its success becomes even more impressive. As of Tuesday the 28th, the international gross of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has made it up to just under $645 million; combined with domestic sales, the total gross of the film so far is $1.19 billion. This makes the film the first in nearly two years to break past the billion dollar mark, and it’s even enough to get past “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, which had earned $1.13 billion by the time its theatrical run had finished. Of course, as is the case with its domestic box office, there are still several weeks left for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to earn even more revenue than it already has, so the gap between its final revenue count and that of “Rise of Skywalker”, the last film to gross more than a billion dollars, will most certainly be much larger than it already is.",[25,6646,6647],{},"How big that gap will be will depend entirely on the film’s performance in the coming weeks though, specifically in the drop-off of revenue between the previous Christmas weekend and the upcoming New Year’s weekend. At least at the domestic box office, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is not expected to drop quite as much as it did last weekend (which saw a 68% drop from its opening weekend the week before), even with New Year’s Eve taking place on a Friday this year. Still, whatever happens from this point on will likely not matter much to Sony, the studio producing and distributing the film, as “Spider-Man” has already done more than enough to satisfy the studio. It’s now the biggest domestic earner for Sony (not adjusting for inflation) as well as the fifth biggest domestic earner for an MCU film, and on the overall list of highest-grossing films domestically, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” currently sits at #14. If its performance so far is any indication, the film will most likely enter the top 10 with little difficulty, possibly within the span of no more than a few weeks.",[25,6649,6650],{},"If there is one downside to “Spider-Man” overwhelming the box office, it’s the effect being had on other films that were recently released and are currently vying for whatever ticket sales aren’t being swallowed up by the superhero film. “Sing 2”, a sequel to the 2016 animated family film “Sing”, is currently the best-performing of the competition, earning around $54.78 million in its first seven days of release; while this is a better opening total than most animated films released in 2021, it’s still lagging behind the $93 million the original film made five years ago (though to be fair, that film didn’t have to contend with a global pandemic). Faring even worse are “The Matrix Resurrections” and “The King’s Man”, which many had hoped would make big bucks during the Christmas week but have only made $24.5 million and $12.4 million respectively during their first seven days. These films seem to demonstrate the risk of opening so close to such a highly anticipated blockbuster; while audiences may be willing to seek out alternatives to guaranteed blockbuster hits, there’s no certainty that said alternatives will be able to break out themselves.",[25,6652,6653],{},"Still, at the very least, theaters are more than content with having one film be enough to bring people out to the movies, and hopefully, similar occurrences will be more frequent throughout the coming year.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6655},[],"2022-01-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fspider-man-no-way-home-to-close-out-2021-with-a-gross-of-over-1-5-billion",{"title":6624,"description":557},"spider-man-no-way-home-to-close-out-2021-with-a-gross-of-over-1-5-billion","blog\u002Fspider-man-no-way-home-to-close-out-2021-with-a-gross-of-over-1-5-billion","lNKjHrN7NyNWTHhbBW7v5WBza0DcFv58BDp3KQ01xU8",{"id":6664,"title":6665,"body":6666,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6694,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6695,"navigation":71,"path":6696,"seo":6697,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6698,"stem":6699,"__hash__":6700},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsaudi-arabia-other-nations-ban-west-side-story-for-transgender-character.md","Saudi Arabia, Other Nations Ban “West Side Story” for Transgender Character",{"type":22,"value":6667,"toc":6692},[6668,6674,6677,6680,6683,6686,6689],[25,6669,236,6670],{},[47,6671,279],{"href":6672,"rel":6673},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fwest-side-story-banned-saudi-gulf-transgender-1235057645\u002F",[51],[25,6675,6676],{},"Since its world premiere before the end of November, Steven Spielberg’s cinematic adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical “West Side Story” has received a significant amount of press and attention, most of it showering the film with little but praise. Considered by many to be a potential contender in the upcoming awards season even before its debut, reviews so far have more or less reinforced this being a possibility, with many hailing the film as one of the best Spielberg (whose previous major awards winners include “Schindler’s List” and “Lincoln”) has made in quite some time and every bit as good as the previous 1961 film, which went on to win Best Picture and nine other Academy Awards. It’s not yet certain how well the positive word of mouth will affect the film’s box office earnings (especially given the ongoing pandemic and intense competition from “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and others in the following weeks), but if audiences are every bit as enthusiastic about the film as critics are, then there’s likely very little to worry about. What might be worrying, however, is how well the film does overseas, especially considering the presence of one specific character has resulted in the film being barred from release in certain nations.",[25,6678,6679],{},"Set in 1950s New York City, “West Side Story” showcases the tension between two rival gangs, the Jets (consisting of mainly white American-born young men) and the Sharks (who have immigrated from Puerto Rico). Among the Jets is Anybodys, the one female member of the otherwise all-male gang who acts and dresses in a masculine manner. Despite the character’s desire to fit in with the other guys, none of the other Jets seem to accept Anybodys’ gender identity, with main character Tony telling Anybodys to “be a girl and go home” at one point in the story. Because the original show was written in the 1950s, it’s not surprising that the treatment of Anybody’s gender identity does not come off as particularly sensitive by today’s standards. The newest film adaptation, however, is making an effort to avert this; not only is Anybodys explicitly a transgender man, but he is even being portrated by nonbinary actor Iris Menas. While not much attention has been drawn to this particular update, those who have noticed are pleased with the change and are hopeful that the character of Anybodys will allow for a greater push for transgender representation in major studio productions.",[25,6681,6682],{},"However, a recent development regarding the international release of “West Side Story” only further proves why it is still so difficult for there to be prominent trans representation (as well as representation of LGBTQ+ people in general) on the big screen. In the countries of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the film was denied a release certificate, preventing it from being publically shown in any of the nations’ theaters. Elsewhere in Bahrain, Qatar, and a few other Middle Eastern regions, requests that the film be cut were made by government censorship boards, only for such requests to be denied by distributor 20th Century Studios and parent company Disney. The result of these actions is the film being more or less banned in all the nations previously mentioned, as well as Oman and the United Arab Emirates. No official reasons as to why have been confirmed as of yet, but many are speculating that it’s due to the presence of Anybodys, as many of these nations have made homosexuality illegal and forbid references to it and other similar issues in their local media.",[25,6684,6685],{},"If these events sound familiar, then that would be because this is not the first time a film released by Disney or one of its subsidiaries has had to put up with this specific dilemma. In fact, the last time it happened was just over a month ago with the Marvel superhero film “Eternals”. Like “West Side Story”, the film was also banned in several Middle Eastern nations due to the depiction of the character Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry) as being married and raising a child with another man, with Phastos and husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman) even sharing an on-screen kiss at one point in the film. Requests for cuts were made by censorship boards, but Disney denied these requests as well, resulting in the film either staying banned or edited without the permission of the distributors.",[25,6687,6688],{},"As frustrating as it may be for the makers of these films to have to contend with their visions being challenged in such a manner, it’s worth noting how much Disney has been willing to stand by their directors and not give into demands for censorship, especially considering how little progress Disney has made when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in their films. Of course, the high profile of these directors might have something to do with it - “Eternals” director Chloe Zhao is currently the most recent recipient of the Best Director Academy Award for her previous film “Nomadland”, and Steven Spielberg is arguably the most well-known name in all of cinema - but even still, Disney allowing for these films to include these depictions of LGBTQ+ people is a bit surprising. Granted, these decisions probably won’t immediately lead to a greater presence of such people in their big-screen releases (at least none any more prominent than what “Eternals” and “West Side Story” are allowed to show), especially considering how China, the biggest box office outside the United States and one that studios highly desire to generate revenue from, is hardly any less strict when it comes to LGBTQ+ depictions. Still, considering that Disney has had little to no explicit representation of the LGBTQ+ community up to this point, the small steps that “Eternals” and “West Side Story” have made are still worthy of commendation.",[25,6690,6691],{},"It’s difficult to know when exactly Disney - and other major Hollywood studios for that matter - will reach a point where they are comfortable with including LGBTQ+ characters in major film roles without having to worry about potential losses from certain international markets. However, the push for such representation has only gotten stronger with the passage of time, and should that push continue to strengthen in the near future, it’s possible that such depictions will become commonplace sooner than some may expect.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6693},[],"2021-12-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsaudi-arabia-other-nations-ban-west-side-story-for-transgender-character",{"title":6665,"description":298},"saudi-arabia-other-nations-ban-west-side-story-for-transgender-character","blog\u002Fsaudi-arabia-other-nations-ban-west-side-story-for-transgender-character","sXWfN1YM1SD0DTzrkulH-_Tq_N0yi1imA0wIGeX219k",{"id":6702,"title":6703,"body":6704,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6732,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6733,"navigation":71,"path":6734,"seo":6735,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6736,"stem":6737,"__hash__":6738},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-can-theaters-attract-bigger-audiences-new-study-provides-possible-answers.md","How Can Theaters Attract Bigger Audiences? New Study Provides Possible Answers",{"type":22,"value":6705,"toc":6730},[6706,6712,6715,6718,6721,6724,6727],[25,6707,236,6708],{},[47,6709,391],{"href":6710,"rel":6711},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fmovie-theaters-more-customers-with-vaccine-mandates-lower-ticket-prices-study-1235121414\u002F",[51],[25,6713,6714],{},"In many respects, the month of December, the one to close out the year 2021, should be a time of great celebration for the film industry, especially for the hundreds of movie theaters that will be operating during this time. This final month of the year will see a plethora of highly anticipated films that are expected to draw in big crowds, the most notable being the superhero sequel “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, for which online ticket sales began Monday, November 29th and reportedly caused AMC, Fandango, and other websites to crash as a result of high traffic from those eager to see the film. Of course, there are other films to look forward to as well, including the Steven Spielberg directed musical “West Side Story”, the animated comedy sequel “Sing 2”, and the science fiction sequel “The Matrix Resurrections”. These are still but a small handful of examples of what one can expect from their local theater in December, and with such variety, one would think that ending the year on a high note would mean that all the problems that theaters have faced over the past year are over and done with.",[25,6716,6717],{},"Unfortunately, even with everything that will be coming out in December, it may not be enough to encourage audiences to keep coming back to the movies on a regular basis, at least when compared to how much they were doing so before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is what has been suggested by a recent survey performed by three collaborating organizations: Quorum, which specializes in film research, Cultique, a firm that works in brand consulting, and Fanthropology, an agency that focuses on research and strategy. In their survey, over 2,500 individuals who were considered regular pre-pandemic moviegoers were asked about their opinions regarding the current state of cinema and their willingness to go back to movie theaters. As it turns out, nearly half those surveyed (about 49% to be precise) claimed that they no longer go to the movies like they used to. Given the size of the survey when compared to the overall national population, this might not appear to be much cause for alarm, but it still reflects how many people in the United States are still hesitant to go back to theaters, even with the appeal of the big-budget blockbusters that (as many claim) are best experienced on the big screen.",[25,6719,6720],{},"What is behind the reluctance to go back to the movies? According to the authors of the study, the main concerns can more or less be boiled down to two issues. The first of these is safety, specifically the safety of going to a public venue during a time when there is still a pandemic and the COVID-19 virus still lingers throughout much of the nation. This was an issue cited by many former moviegoers who participated in the survey, 59% of which claimed that they don’t feel safe going to the movies. The second issue is price, an issue that has long plagued the moviegoing experience even before the start of the pandemic. Rising ticket sales continue to frustrate even the most casual of film-watchers, and about 65% of survey participants claimed that snacks such as popcorn are much more expensive than they are willing to pay for.",[25,6722,6723],{},"From what has been referenced, the solutions to movie theaters’ woes seem fairly obvious: make going to the movies safer and less expensive. Achieving the former would most likely be fairly easy to achieve, since requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination would not require much to enforce and may encourage those who are skeptical about theater safety. In fact,  33% of survey respondents stated that they would feel significantly more comfortable going to a movie theater if audiences were required to prove that they have been vaccinated, while another 30% claimed that they would be fine with there being a vaccination requirement. Granted, 20% of those surveyed expressed unwillingness to show proof of vaccination, claiming it to be an infringement on their rights, but such people are outnumbered (at least according to the survey), so establishing a vaccination mandate should be more helpful than harmful for theaters. In fact, many cities such as New York and Los Angeles already require proof of vaccination to attend public venues and events, so there is already precedent for theaters adopting such a policy and encouraging people to go to the movies without having to worry about the threat of COVID.",[25,6725,6726],{},"Making going to the movies less expensive, however, might be a bit of a challenge. Because ticket sales are split between movie theaters and movie studios (with the latter often taking a bigger cut of the profits depending on the film), it’s difficult for theaters to break even on ticket sales alone. This is the reason why concessions tend to appear more costly than they should be: they are what allow movie theaters to generate enough revenue to stay in business. Then again, if lower prices is not a feasible option, then perhaps providing a greater variety of better and higher quality foods and drinks may be more effective in getting people to spend their money on such items. This was a topic raised by many of the 65% of survey respondents who complained about concessions being too expensive, suggesting that improving what’s available at the concession stand, including more alcoholic drinks and healthier food options, would be worth paying more than the standard popcorn and soda that have long been staples of the film-viewing experience.",[25,6728,6729],{},"For all the negativity that this survey has revealed about people’s willingness to go back to the movies though, some of the results have proven to lean more toward the optimistic side. Approximately 58% of those who have yet to return to theaters claim that they do intend to do so at some point in the future, well above the 16% who say that they have not gone to the theaters since the start of the pandemic and do not plan to any time soon. Still, if there is any major takeaway from this survey, it’s that theaters need to make major changes if they want to see their revenue return to where it was before the pandemic. Some of these changes may be harder to implement than others, but they are nonetheless necessary if theaters are to survive a media landscape that is changing faster than ever. As stated in the report, “the clock is ticking… the longer exhibition takes to address these issues, the more likely it is that non-theater-going behavior will be set.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6731},[],"2021-12-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-can-theaters-attract-bigger-audiences-new-study-provides-possible-answers",{"title":6703,"description":194},"how-can-theaters-attract-bigger-audiences-new-study-provides-possible-answers","blog\u002Fhow-can-theaters-attract-bigger-audiences-new-study-provides-possible-answers","4DSd3MsB5HGW6kDT4pRnI9qd7U_OrFMbw3gE-5G4VAY",{"id":6740,"title":6741,"body":6742,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6770,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6771,"navigation":71,"path":6772,"seo":6773,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6774,"stem":6775,"__hash__":6776},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdisney-and-hbo-to-share-streaming-rights-to-20th-century-studio-films-for-one-more-year.md","Disney and HBO to Share Streaming Rights to 20th Century Studio Films for One More Year",{"type":22,"value":6743,"toc":6768},[6744,6750,6753,6756,6759,6762,6765],[25,6745,236,6746],{},[47,6747,391],{"href":6748,"rel":6749},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Fdigital\u002Fnews\u002Fdisney-warnermedia-fox-movies-streaming-2022-1235117329\u002F",[51],[25,6751,6752],{},"When the Walt Disney Company, whose film assets include Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, and Marvel Studios among others, completed its acquisition of major film studio 20th Century Fox (soon renamed 20th Century Studios), many had anticipated that the films released under this new ownership would soon become available to stream on one of the streaming platforms that Disney owned, be it Disney+ or Hulu. However, as of yet, films like “The Call of the Wild” and “Free Guy” are not exclusively available on any of these services. The reason for this: the streaming rights for these films are currently owned by a completely different company. As a result of an agreement made well before Disney’s acquisition of Fox, most films released under the 20th Century or Searchlight labels are available to watch on HBO, specifically any of the HBO channels or the streaming service HBO Max. Unsurprisingly, this arrangement has not been the most convenient for Disney, which had hoped to use its newly acquired Fox assets to promote its own services, and has since been making a significant effort to get those streaming rights for themselves. Fortunately for the company, those efforts may soon start to pay off, even if HBO remained attached for a little bit longer.",[25,6754,6755],{},"On Monday, November 22nd, it was announced that Disney and WarnerMedia (the company that owns HBO) had reached an agreement that would allow for the Fox films currently being streamed by HBO to slowly but surely transition over to the streaming services owned by Disney. While HBO will still be allowed to stream these films up until the end of 2022, these films will also be available for streaming on Disney+ and\u002For Hulu at the same time, giving viewers the option to see a given film on a platform owned by either of these companies. This will be the last time HBO will have access to these films and any others made by 20th Century Studios or Searchlight Pictures; a renewal of the current contract is not expected to happen, and after 2022, Disney will have full ownership of the Fox library.",[25,6757,6758],{},"According to the terms of the agreement, HBO will keep the exclusive rights to the pay-one TV window for approximately half of the upcoming 20th Century and Searchlight films up until the end of next year, allowing the company to air the films on the HBO cable television channel and its multiple variations, and also make them available for one-time viewing via premium video on demand, up until then. Disney has even agreed to let HBO start to air these films even earlier than was previously allowed, arranging a schedule to do so that still manages to comply with the current terms regarding the theatrical windows for these films. One minor catch: Disney has the right to place ads on certain Fox films, meaning that after an ad-free window has past for these films, Disney will be allowed to place advertisements on them when they are streamed on any of the ad-supported versions of HBO Max and Hulu.",[25,6760,6761],{},"The first film to be streamed on both Disney+ and HBO Max as part of this new agreement is “Ron’s Gone Wrong”, which was released in theaters earlier last month. The animated family film, revolving around a young boy and his smart-device-like robot companion, will premiere on both streaming platforms on December 15th, just in time for the holiday season. It is on this day that the film will also be made available on Blu-Ray and in digital stores (such as Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, and so forth), making the film accessible in just about every non-theatrical format. At the moment, no other titles have been announced under this new agreement, but it is expected that those that are will be released under a similar strategy that is currently being utilized for “Ron’s Gone Wrong”.",[25,6763,6764],{},"It will be interesting to see which films end up being included in this deal, especially considering the line-up of 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures films that are anticipated to be released throughout the end of 2021 and the following year. Closing out the year for 20th Century Studios are “West Side Story”, Steven Spielberg’s lavish musical adaptation\u002Fpotential awards contender, and “The King’s Man”, the latest in Matthew Vaughn’s popular action spy franchise. 2022 will then see 20th Century Studios release such highly anticipated cinematic works as “Death on the Nile”, Kenneth Branagh’s sequel to his 2017 hit “Murder on the Orient Express”, “The Bob’s Burgers Movie”, a film adaptation of the acclaimed animated television show, and “Avatar 2”, the long-awaited science fantasy follow-up to the film that currently holds the title of highest grossing film worldwide. Searchlight Pictures, meanwhile, will showcase a selection of smaller, but nonetheless equally attention-worthy films. Among the selection are “Nightmare Alley”, the Guillermo del Toro-directed psychological thriller set for release before the end of 2021, “Next Goal Wins”, a sports comedy-drama from writer\u002Fdirector Taika Waititi (whose previous Searchlight-released film, “Jojo Rabbit”, earned the filmmaker his first Academy Award), and “See How They Run”, an upcoming mystery film starring Saorsie Ronan, Sam Rockwell, and other well-known names.",[25,6766,6767],{},"Any one of these films (as well as those not previously mentioned) could be among those included in the deal between Disney and WarnerMedia. Although one could easily see either studio being more protective of the higher-budget and likely more financially profitable features, there’s no guarantee that even the biggest of these features will be kept exclusively by one side or the other, meaning that something like “Avatar 2” could easily wind up being available for viewing simultaneously on Disney+ and HBO Max. The arrangement might appear confusing to the average consumer, but given the circumstances, it’s most likely the best possible scenario. Between Disney’s eagerness to make the most of what it has acquired and HBO’s determination to hold on to what it still has for as long as possible, it’s rare for two rivals of such immense size to come to a mutual agreement like this without undergoing major conflict. Of course, none of this will matter once 2022 ends and Disney has full ownership of the Fox library, but until then, one can only speculate which titles will find their way onto two different services at once.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6769},[],"2021-11-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdisney-and-hbo-to-share-streaming-rights-to-20th-century-studio-films-for-one-more-year",{"title":6741,"description":194},"disney-and-hbo-to-share-streaming-rights-to-20th-century-studio-films-for-one-more-year","blog\u002Fdisney-and-hbo-to-share-streaming-rights-to-20th-century-studio-films-for-one-more-year","c-8MDP0KajFqHC2U5fIbh86M6VPZ-HowYBCVn0saZgQ",{"id":6778,"title":6779,"body":6780,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6812,"description":6813,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6814,"navigation":71,"path":6815,"seo":6816,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6817,"stem":6818,"__hash__":6819},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fiatse-barely-ratifies-new-contract-averting-industry-strike-and-shutdown.md","IATSE (Barely) Ratifies New Contract, Averting Industry Strike and Shutdown",{"type":22,"value":6781,"toc":6810},[6782,6789,6792,6795,6798,6801,6804,6807],[25,6783,236,6784],{},[47,6785,6788],{"href":6786,"rel":6787},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.latimes.com\u002Fentertainment-arts\u002Fbusiness\u002Fstory\u002F2021-11-15\u002Fiatse-contract-vote-ratify-film-crews-hutchins-loeb",[51],"The Los Angeles Times",[25,6790,6791],{},"It was just over a month ago that the film and television industry faced the threat of being shut down entirely. Such a threat was the result of stressful negotiations over a contract between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the various film and television studios working in North America, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the labor union representing over 150,000 artisans, craftspeople, and technicians working on major studio productions. With their most recent contract about to expire and there being a need to renew the contract, the IATSE strived to improve the working conditions of its members, citing overlong hours and unsafe working environments (among other factors) as it made its demands to the AMPTP. For a while, discussions achieved so little that the IATSE voted to authorize a strike should there be a need for one. However, the possibility of a strike started to dwindle when, at the very last minute, leaders of the IATSE announced that it had reached an agreement with the AMPTP, one that was just recently ratified by the union as a whole.",[25,6793,6794],{},"On Monday, November 15th, the crew workers that make up the IATSE voted to approve the new three-year contract negotiated and agreed to by union leaders and the AMPTP, officially ending the possibility of workers going on strike any time soon and ensuring that production on the various films and television series currently being made would continue as planned. In a statement released by the IATSE, the final vote was extremely close, with 50.3% of votes favoring the ratification of the new contract, one that will cover all workers based on the West Coast as well as those working outside Los Angeles and New York City. Of the over 63,000 members eligible to vote for the measure, around 72% of this number, an incredibly high turnout, ended up participating.",[25,6796,6797],{},"In a similar method to the electoral college that selects the United States president, the IATSE used a system of voting that allocates a certain number of delegates to each union local depending on the size of a given local. After all of a local’s members have voted, the delegates will vote unanimously to either approve or reject as determined by which side receives the majority of votes. In this case, the overall delegate vote ended up being 359 in favor of ratifying the new contract and 282 against it, resulting in a 56% approval (slightly higher than the total of overall votes) of the contract. It’s worth noting though that five of the thirteen West Coast locals, including Local 80 (which represents grips) and Local 600 (which represents camera crews), did in fact vote against the new contract. In fact, around 50.4% of all voting members based on the West Coast did indeed cast their votes to reject the contract.",[25,6799,6800],{},"Although the IATSE has long strived to avoid public conflicts with the AMPTP, recent events, including those directly related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have made such efforts more difficult, especially as the need to make up for lost time (as most productions were forced into shutdown during the early stages of the pandemic) led to most crews being put under a much greater amount of pressure than what they are used to, which was already incredibly stressful for a vast majority of crew members. For many members of the IATSE, there has never been a more critical time to improve conditions for those working on a given studio set, and if union leadership is to be trusted, such conditions have indeed been approved. “From start to finish, from preparation to ratification, this has been a democratic process to win the very best contracts,”claims Matthew Loeb, international president of the IATSE. “The vigorous debate, high turnout and close election indicates we have an unprecedented movement-building opportunity to educate members on our collective bargaining process and drive more participation in our union long term.”",[25,6802,6803],{},"Among the improvements that were achieved by this new contract are 54-hour break periods for those working five days a week, an increase in wages for those working in the historically lower-paid crafts, and increased coverage of health and pension plans after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in higher costs. However, this isn’t enough for those who voted against the new contract, many of whom state that such issues as long on-set hours and other unsafe working conditions have not been properly addressed. The recent death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidentally killed on the set of the Alec Baldwin produced film “Rust” has been frequently cited as evidence of how unsafe a film set can be. Camera crew members have allegedly made numerous complaints to producers that the sets they work on are unsafe due to the many hours they have had to spend there each day, but it was only after the death of Hutchins that such complaints were made known to the public.",[25,6805,6806],{},"Other issues referenced by those voting against the new contract include studios being permitted to make workers work 14-hour shifts (despite there now being a ten-hour limit on turnaround between film shoots), the proposed wage increase being less than the current rate of inflation, and the lack of residuals that fund health and pension plans for those working on the production of films and programs being made for streaming. Despite this though, supporters of the new contract are hailing it as a landmark in the push for better on-set working conditions, with the AMPTP appearing to be especially enthusiastic about the new deal. “Throughout the negotiations, IATSE leadership advocated changes to improved quality of life for those they represent,” the organization claims in a statement released shortly after the IATSE’s announcement. “These agreements meaningfully reflect the industry’s endorsement of those priorities and keep everyone working.”",[25,6808,6809],{},"Will this new contract hold up in the long run? There’s no way of knowing for sure at the moment, but for the time being, a strike and a shutdown are no longer a major concern.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6811},[],"2021-11-23","Source: The Los Angeles Times",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fiatse-barely-ratifies-new-contract-averting-industry-strike-and-shutdown",{"title":6779,"description":6813},"iatse-barely-ratifies-new-contract-averting-industry-strike-and-shutdown","blog\u002Fiatse-barely-ratifies-new-contract-averting-industry-strike-and-shutdown","hzhLlFiQ3JZg5kEUscKhWpDTFZf_qgr1Vy82Wo9rHfo",{"id":6821,"title":6822,"body":6823,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6845,"description":2880,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6846,"navigation":71,"path":6847,"seo":6848,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6849,"stem":6850,"__hash__":6851},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feternals-banned-in-some-countries-over-same-sex-kiss-cast-speaks-out.md","“Eternals” Banned in Some Countries Over Same-Sex Kiss, Cast Speaks Out",{"type":22,"value":6824,"toc":6843},[6825,6831,6834,6837,6840],[25,6826,236,6827],{},[47,6828,2858],{"href":6829,"rel":6830},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nbcnews.com\u002Fpop-culture\u002Fmovies\u002Fangelina-jolie-speaks-out-after-some-countries-ban-eternals-film-n1283421",[51],[25,6832,6833],{},"On Friday, November 5th, “Eternals”, the latest film in the long-running and highly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, was released to theaters in the United States and throughout many overseas markets. Although critical reception for the Chloe Zhao directed epic has proven to be fairly mixed (with its 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes being the lowest of the franchise so far), the film is at least proving to be a satisfactory financial success judging by its opening weekend. Having earned $71 million in the United States (giving the film the second-highest domestic opening weekend since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic) and an additional $90.7 million from overseas markets, the film has so far earned an overall total of $161.7 million; this may pale in comparison to previous MCU titles, but it’s nonetheless a respectable gross given the circumstances. There are some markets, however, that did not allow the film to be exhibited over the weekend, and do not plan on doing so any time soon. The reason for this: the film’s depiction of the franchise’s first LGBT couple.",[25,6835,6836],{},"Although the cast of “Eternals” is quite large, including the likes of Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and several more, the characters that have gained the most attention - both positive and negative - are Phastos and Ben, played by Brian Tyree Henry and Haaz Sleiman respectively. These two characters make up the first same-sex relationship to be prominently featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and one of the few examples of such relationships to be seen in modern-day blockbusters), and as such, reactions have been plentiful and vocal. On the one hand, LGBT rights activists and supporters have been incredibly enthusiastic about the presence of a same-sex couple in a major Hollywood production, hoping that this will lead to greater LGBT representation in future films. On the other hand, in some countries where LGBT rights are much stricter, reception to the film has not been as kind, so much so that “Eternals” has been outright banned in these nations.",[25,6838,6839],{},"Among the markets where “Eternals” will not be available for public viewing are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, places where same-sex relationships are forbidden from being depicted in their local media. Disney, the company distributing the Marvel superhero film, was allegedly given the offer to make cuts to the film that would allow the film to play and adhere to national policy. The studio refused to do so however, and thus the film was denied a release in these nations as a result. Some neighboring countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, will allow the film to be screened, but not without local censors making extensive edits that remove scenes featuring Henry and Sleiman’s characters, as well those that feature any sort of intimate activity (regardless of which sexes are involved).",[25,6841,6842],{},"However, this film is one of only a very small number of major Hollywood productions that have been willing to be this inclusive when it comes to representation of LGBT people. With many major markets still being incredibly restrictive when it comes to LGBT content, with China - easily one of the globe’s largest movie-going markets - being among the most notable of such markets, studios have been incredibly hesitant about depicting same-sex relationships in their films, not wanting to risk losing out on earning revenue from a given market. At most, a film may include a brief reference or visual that can easily be removed; for those seeking greater LGBT representation, this is nowhere near what they would like to see.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6844},[],"2021-11-21",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feternals-banned-in-some-countries-over-same-sex-kiss-cast-speaks-out",{"title":6822,"description":2880},"eternals-banned-in-some-countries-over-same-sex-kiss-cast-speaks-out","blog\u002Feternals-banned-in-some-countries-over-same-sex-kiss-cast-speaks-out","ZtsuPdyM36G7xRSbzLWxIUZzbAy3vVTyDB_rmUKlOis",{"id":6853,"title":6854,"body":6855,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6886,"description":1264,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6887,"navigation":71,"path":6888,"seo":6889,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6890,"stem":6891,"__hash__":6892},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foctober-2021-the-best-month-of-the-pandemic-for-the-box-office-so-far.md","October 2021: The Best Month of the Pandemic for the Box Office (So Far)",{"type":22,"value":6856,"toc":6884},[6857,6863,6866,6869,6872,6875,6878,6881],[25,6858,236,6859],{},[47,6860,1241],{"href":6861,"rel":6862},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2021\u002F10\u002F31\u002Foctober-best-month-for-box-office-ticket-sales-in-2021.html",[51],[25,6864,6865],{},"Over the past couple years, the month of October has started to go from one of the less lucrative times of the year for the domestic film industry to a time where the most unlikely of films can break out and earn big bucks. The month has historically been used as a time for studios to release any number of their various horror films, taking advantage of the Halloween season that lasted until the very end of the month. However, such works often had lower budgets than the much more expensive blockbusters that often came during the summer or holiday seasons, so for the most part, little was needed to turn a profit, and for the most part, little was exactly what these films earned. All of that began to change though in the last few years of the 2010s, with 2018’s “Venom” proving to be a surprise hit and 2019’s “Joker” performing even more impressively with a worldwide gross of over $1 billion. This trend of October being a time for unexpected blockbusters came to a brief halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but quickly bounced back a year later. In fact, October 2021 proved to be so successful that it’s done better for the box office than any month since the beginning of the pandemic.",[25,6867,6868],{},"Between October 1st and October 31st of this year, the domestic box office received an overall revenue total of around $637.9 million from ticket sales, making it the highest grossing month of the year so far. In doing so, it has surpassed July of this year, which previously held this title with an approximate gross of around $583.6 million. In an ordinary year, the idea of October being a more profitable month than July, the very middle of the summer blockbuster season, might sound absurd, but in a time when the pandemic still lingers over much of the country, anything is fair game, and studios couldn’t be happier to see such success. “Though this is likely an anomaly that will perhaps never be repeated,” notes Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, “the 10th month of the year has now shown that it can indeed provide a great home for blockbusters of any size or genre type.”",[25,6870,6871],{},"October 2021’s box office revenue may pale in comparison to the years 2018 and 2019, which earned domestic totals of $832.1 million and $789.5 million respectively, but even disregarding the pandemic, it’s still a remarkable total for a month that isn’t usually considered to be a lucrative time for the box office. In fact, it’s more than what was made during this month in 2017, when the domestic box office earned $569.8 million, showing just how much the month of October has changed in regards to being a desirable time to release a major blockbuster, even during the time of a pandemic.",[25,6873,6874],{},"Having opened at the beginning of the month, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, the sequel to the 2018 superhero film, proved to be the most successful of the films released during October, having so far earned a total of $190.4 million at the domestic box office. Following close behind is “No Time to Die”, the final installment of the James Bond franchise to star Daniel Craig as the lead, with around $133.3 million and counting. In addition, “Halloween Kills”, the follow-up to the 2018 “Halloween” revival, has so far made $85.9 million, more than expected given the film’s availability on the streaming service Peacock. Then there is “Dune”, the highly anticipated science fiction epic from director Denis Villeneuve; with a gross of $69.3 million and growing at the domestic box office, the film has been deemed just successful enough for a sequel to be greenlit, one that is expected to come out in theaters in just under a few years.",[25,6876,6877],{},"With these new totals, the year’s domestic box office has reached an overall gross of $3.1 billion in its first ten months. While this is 66% lower than what had been earned up to that point in 2019 (before the start of the pandemic), it is 45% higher than what had been earned up to that point in 2020, signalling that the box office is slowly, but surely on its way back to making something of a full recovery. In fact, one theater chain in particular, Cinemark (the third largest in the nation) recently reported that it received its highest monthly earnings this October since the beginning of the pandemic, more than double what it had earned in May. “I am thrilled that we have reached a new milestone within the industry’s recovery, delivering our best monthly box office performance since the reopening of our theatres,” states Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi. “Congratulations to our studio partners for creating must-see big-screen content with something for everyone.”",[25,6879,6880],{},"As impressive as October 2021 for the domestic box office, there’s a very good chance that what it has done will pale in comparison to what’s to come during the rest of the year. The final two months of 2021 will see even more major releases that are expected to take in a great amount of ticket revenue; November will see the debut of “Eternals”, the next film to be part of the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the long-awaited sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and the Disney animated musical “Encanto” among many others. December, meanwhile, will offer films that are arguably even more highly anticipated, including the Steven Spielberg musical “West Side Story”, the sci-fi sequel “The Matrix Resurrections”, and possibly the single most hyped movie of the entire year, the superhero sequel “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.",[25,6882,6883],{},"While some are still wary about the current state of the nation, most box office analysts have expressed great optimism about what is to come during the rest of the year. “We’ve been through several of these stress-test periods throughout the year, and there will be more to come during the holidays and winter,” claims Shawn Robbins of Boxoffice.com. “Vaccines for young children remain crucial in the long term. All in all, though, theater owners and studios should be very encouraged by the string of recent box office hits and what they signal for the new year around the corner.” The pandemic may not be over as of yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything for the film industry to look forward to in the upcoming months.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6885},[],"2021-11-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Foctober-2021-the-best-month-of-the-pandemic-for-the-box-office-so-far",{"title":6854,"description":1264},"october-2021-the-best-month-of-the-pandemic-for-the-box-office-so-far","blog\u002Foctober-2021-the-best-month-of-the-pandemic-for-the-box-office-so-far","yldqh6oxYwil4v6ox1ZRtJVhGRGcvZ2840OT1fIdoX4",{"id":6894,"title":6895,"body":6896,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6951,"description":2033,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6952,"navigation":71,"path":6953,"seo":6954,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6955,"stem":6956,"__hash__":6957},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fa-feast-of-foreign-frights-horror-films-from-around-the-world.md","A Feast of Foreign Frights: Horror Films from Around the World",{"type":22,"value":6897,"toc":6949},[6898,6904,6907,6913,6919,6925,6931,6937,6943],[25,6899,236,6900],{},[47,6901,2001],{"href":6902,"rel":6903},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt0260155\u002F",[51],[25,6905,6906],{},"The Halloween season is here at last, and that can mean any number of things for those celebrating this time of year. Parties, trick-or-treating, and carving jack-o-lanterns are all commonplace traditions for people getting into the Halloween spirit, but perhaps no activity fits the season quite as well as watching a horror movie, especially once the sun has gone down and the sky has darkened. Whether it’s a timeless classic like “Dracula” or a modern favorite like “A Quiet Place”, there is a seemingly endless number of horror films that would make for a perfect viewing experience for those looking to get some frights before the end of October. While many of the more well-known films were made here in the United States, the truth is that the world in general has produced several works of horror cinema that are diverse in style, theme, and place of origin, and the majority of them serve as a strong representation of what the countries that made them consider to be scary. Listing them all would take much more time that one is capable of spending, so a small sampling of what international cinema has to offer when it comes to the horror genre has been gathered for anyone interested in expanding their cinematic palettes. Without further ado, here are some fantastic horror films from across the globe:",[25,6908,6909,6912],{},[486,6910,6911],{},"The Ship of Monsters"," (1960) - with a story that blends the elements of horror with those of the science fiction and western genres, this Mexican film achieves something truly of its own making in its depiction of its titular space-sailing vessel and the creatures that can be found aboard it. With a cyclops, spider, and skeleton among the film’s small, but memorable cast, there’s plenty to be found here for those who thrive on creature features. Its budget and the time it came out may show in some aspects, but that’s part of what gives the film its own unique charm, and even if the film has reached a point where the majority of people don’t find it scary, it still makes for a serviceable time capsule and showcase of Mexico’s skill as a filmmaking nation.",[25,6914,6915,6918],{},[486,6916,6917],{},"Mark of the Devil"," (1970) - hailing from the nation of Germany (at the time, West Germany) comes a film that initially received a fair deal of criticism for its abundance of graphic violence and other disturbing content. Looking back on the film over fifty years later though, there’s a lot to appreciate once one starts to look past its more explicit visuals. Between its impressive special effects, a haunting soundtrack, and the solid use of its filming locations (specifically the mountainous countryside of Austria and its many great castles), the film proves that the nation that gave us “Nosferatu” had not yet lost its touch when it comes to delivering scares, a trend that still continues to this very day.",[25,6920,6921,6924],{},[486,6922,6923],{},"Road Games"," (1981) - most of the films listed here may not contain any names that the average moviegoer will be familiar with, but the same cannot be said for this Australian thriller, which folds the likes of Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis into its cast and places them at the center of this story of a truck driver and hitchhiker in search of a serial killer. Despite these big name American actors, the film is never lacking in an authentic Australian atmosphere, with director Richard Franklin taking full advantage of the Nullarbor Plain desert and creating an environment where a serial killer may not be the most dangerous threat. Said to be one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorites, it’s easy to see how this Hitchcockian thriller leaves such an impact.",[25,6926,6927,6930],{},[486,6928,6929],{},"Mahakaal"," (1994) - though American remakes of foreign films are quite common in today’s day and age, foreign remakes of American films don’t receive nearly as much attention, even though they can often produce surprisingly strong results. Take this re-imagining of “A Nightmare of Elm Street” from India for example, which takes the tale of a serial killer attacking his victims through their dreams and switches the setting from Ohio to India. Even with its similarities to the 1984 film, the film proves to be an intense thriller nonetheless, with directors Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay providing the proper direction that allows their actors to deliver the most believable (or in the case of Mahaveer Bhullar as the villain, believably terrifying) performances possible.",[25,6932,6933,6936],{},[486,6934,6935],{},"Night Watch"," (2004) - before coming to the United States to create such works as “Wanted” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, Kazakh filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov began his career by writing and directing a small, but solid handful of features in the nation of Russia. This urban supernatural horror, alongside its 2006 sequel “Day Watch”, is said to be among his finest, depicting two opposing supernatural police forces and the modern-day man who gets caught in the middle of their conflict. As is to be expected from Bekmambetov, the film remains consistently suspenseful throughout its running time, keeping the stakes high and ensuring that the protagonist remains sympathetic even as he is forced to take some dark drastic measures.",[25,6938,6939,6942],{},[486,6940,6941],{},"Terrified"," (2018) - it’s not everyday when a film’s title perfectly describes the emotion it intends to invoke in its audience, and in the case of this Argentine horror, the title could not be more appropriate. Centered around a series of unusual supernatural events taking place in a Buenos Aires neighborhood, the film starts on a soft and subtle note, but wastes no time in getting to the truly terrifying events that plague the film’s main characters. Capable of showcasing creatures and deaths every bit as impactful as its higher-budget counterparts, the film serves as a splendid representation of director Demián Rugna’s skill as a filmmaker, and with a sequel in the works, one can’t help but wonder how he plans to top what he’s done so far",[25,6944,6945,6948],{},[486,6946,6947],{},"Lamb"," (2021) - the most recently made and released of the selection presented, this Icelandic film proves how the greatest of horrors can come from the most unusual of circumstances. Telling the tale of a human\u002Fsheep hybrid and the human family that tries to raise it as one of its own, the film certainly appears innocent enough at first glance, but soon takes a hard turn into horror from which it does not ever return from. Thanks in no small part to a fantastic leading performance from Noomi Rapace, the film strikes a perfect balance between sweetness and suspense, a combination that may seem contradictory but actually feels right at home in a story such as this. Though it may ruin one’s view of sheep forever, the film is highly recommendable nonetheless.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6950},[],"2021-10-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fa-feast-of-foreign-frights-horror-films-from-around-the-world",{"title":6895,"description":2033},"a-feast-of-foreign-frights-horror-films-from-around-the-world","blog\u002Fa-feast-of-foreign-frights-horror-films-from-around-the-world","2UWwLBZknZYNLWWB6NUtHkwp8fqivgErAy_SzoSQD5k",{"id":6959,"title":6960,"body":6961,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":6993,"description":6994,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":6995,"navigation":71,"path":6996,"seo":6997,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":6998,"stem":6999,"__hash__":7000},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdeal-reached-between-iatse-and-amptp-but-rejection-by-union-members-possible.md","Deal Reached Between IATSE and AMPTP, But Rejection by Union Members Possible",{"type":22,"value":6962,"toc":6991},[6963,6970,6973,6976,6979,6982,6985,6988],[25,6964,236,6965],{},[47,6966,6969],{"href":6967,"rel":6968},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.slashfilm.com\u002F636100\u002Fiatse-deal-may-be-rejected-by-union-members-unhappy-with-terms\u002F",[51],"Slashfilm",[25,6971,6972],{},"Had things taken a turn for the worse on Monday, October 18th at 12:01 in the morning, the entirety of the nation’s film and television industry could have been completely shut down. That would have been the moment that the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a labor union representing around 150,000 artists, technicians, and crew members, would go on strike (the first time since World War II that such an event would happen) and send around 60,000 industry workers to the picket lines in order to push for better working conditions. However, it seems that the possibility of a strike has been reduced, if it even exists, as a deal for a new contract between the IATSE and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the organization representing the several major studios operating in the country, has allegedly been reached. Such a deal will still need to be approved by a majority of union members though, and that’s where complications may start to arise once again.",[25,6974,6975],{},"In their negotiations with the AMPTP, IATSE representatives sought, among other demands, increased living wages, more time off between shifts, and new terms that would require streaming companies and other “new media” to follow the same regulations placed upon traditional media productions like film and television. At initial glance, these issues seem to be addressed in this new agreement, a contract between the IATSE and the AMPTP that will remain in place for another three years. At first glance, the deal seems to be quite satisfactory for those who have been fighting to improve the conditions that crew members must experience when working on a film production. However, as more details about the agreement come to light, union members are expressing greater dissatisfaction with the terms, meaning that a strike could still happen if enough of them are unwilling to approve the contract. \"Basically nothing has changed,\" claims Ernesto Lomeli, a director of photography living in Los Angeles in an interview with Variety. \"I have not heard a single person saying they will vote yes.\"",[25,6977,6978],{},"One major demand that seemingly has been included in this new agreement is the requirement of a 54 hour weekend and a ten hour turnaround between shifts for all crew working on any given production. While this is seen by many as a major success for the union, several members claim that it’s still not enough, and that many of the inhumane working conditions, including the length of a shooting day and mention of “new media” productions, have been more or less ignored. With nearly 99% of voting union members approving of a potential strike, there may be a need for further negotiation in order to satisfy a significant portion of union members who may vote to reject the new terms otherwise. \"For years we've normalized and internalized all these abusive situations,\"  assistant production accountant Anne Fader states in an interview with Variety. \"I almost feel like crew members need a strike to let out all this frustration.\"",[25,6980,6981],{},"Not all responses to the deal have been entirely negative though. Many actors and directors, for example, have reacted positively to the IATSE’s announcement of their deal with the AMPTP, including writer\u002Fdirector Adam McKay, actress Saraya Blue, and comedian Patton Oswalt, the latter of whom wrote to IATSE members in a tweet telling them to \"don't forget we got your back anytime you need us”. It should be noted, however, that many of these statements were retracted when the backlash against the new contract began to grow, meaning that many of these high-profile figures who once lauded the success in reaching a new deal may no longer be as excited as they once were. If these people are indeed willing to give their full support to those who could still potentially go on strike, then they will need to do so sooner than later if union members do end up going to the picket lines.",[25,6983,6984],{},"In the meantime, a townhall meeting is being arranged for IATSE members to further discuss the terms of the new contract and debate whether or not to continue their pursuit of a strike. This will supposedly help those who are still undecided on the matter make a more fully thought-out decision, with one such member, costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones (who had previously worked on the Academy Award winning “Judas and the Black Messiah”), expressing her mixed feelings in an interview with Variety. \"Part of me wanted us to strike and put real pressure on AMPTP to meet our demands,” Jones claims. “I do know I'm hearing mixed opinions. IATSE leadership says it's a good deal yet a lot of IATSE members are saying it's not enough.”",[25,6986,6987],{},"Fortunately for people like Jones, there’s still a little bit more time for them to come to a decision. Because the details of the deal have yet to be compiled together into a single contract, there will likely be several more weeks until a ratification vote can take place. Film and television productions will resume as originally scheduled until then, meaning that the nearly 150,000 members of the IATSE - a group that consists of cinematographers, editors, electricians, hair\u002Fmakeup artists, prop-makers, set designers, and people of countless other crafts - will have to return to work as they have been as of lately. When the time for a vote does eventually come though, they will have the opportunity to make their voices heard once again, and if what is being publicly stated so far is any indication, there is a strong chance that the new contact will fail to reach ratification, which would quickly lead to the union declaring a strike.",[25,6989,6990],{},"There seems to be quite a bit of dissonance between union leadership, which has spoken positively about the new deal and claiming it to be a “landmark decision”, and the union members themselves, who have mostly expressed either great dissatisfaction or uncertainty with what is being proposed. Regardless of whether the contract is agreed or a strike begins instead, it will be very interesting to see how much of an impact this all has between the union and those who are a part of it.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":6992},[],"2021-10-21","Source: Slashfilm",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdeal-reached-between-iatse-and-amptp-but-rejection-by-union-members-possible",{"title":6960,"description":6994},"deal-reached-between-iatse-and-amptp-but-rejection-by-union-members-possible","blog\u002Fdeal-reached-between-iatse-and-amptp-but-rejection-by-union-members-possible","2fTvGp1OR5PbzOkJRHi9t6ilYqX49kSkzhVtXE3BDDw",{"id":7002,"title":7003,"body":7004,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7038,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7039,"navigation":71,"path":7040,"seo":7041,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7042,"stem":7043,"__hash__":7044},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Finternational-cinematographers-guild-votes-to-encourage-nationwide-strike.md","International Cinematographers Guild Votes To Encourage Nationwide Strike",{"type":22,"value":7005,"toc":7036},[7006,7012,7015,7018,7021,7024,7027,7030,7033],[25,7007,236,7008],{},[47,7009,538],{"href":7010,"rel":7011},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F09\u002Fcinematographers-guild-iatse-local-600-urges-members-to-authorize-strike-1234844672\u002F",[51],[25,7013,7014],{},"The art of filmmaking is rarely, if ever, a one-person effort, and most productions require a substantial number of people in order to be completed. Of course, actors, directors, and producers are among the more noteworthy individuals to be associated with making cinema, but they are only a small handful of those whose efforts go into the process. From gaffers to set constructors, there can be hundreds of people collaborating on a single production at a time, and even if they don’t always get the recognition they deserve, their labor is essential to the making of a given film or television program. A shortage, if not complete absence, of such individuals would certainly bring major delays to the industry, and if recent events are any indication, the business of film could see such delays happening in the very near future.",[25,7016,7017],{},"The most recent event to suggest that a potential near-shutdown of the film industry is on the horizon came on Sunday, September 26th when the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 voted to support a nationwide strike. This particular group is one of the largest to be part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a labor union that represents around 150,000 artisans, craftspersons, and technicians working in the entertainment industry throughout the United States and Canada. Its executive board voted unanimously on the matter, agreeing to encourage its members to vote “yes” on a potential strike, with national executive director Rebecca Rhine citing the need for working conditions to be as safe and healthy as possible for the thousands of people working in the industry. “Nobody wants to go on strike,” Rhine claims, “but we have been given little choice by companies that are earning record profits off our members’ labor, but are unwilling to treat those same workers with dignity and respect.”",[25,7019,7020],{},"The vote to endorse a strike follows the failed negotiations between the IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), with the latter organization refusing to respond to proposals from the former that emphasized a variety of needs that its members have raised concerns over, including (but not limited to) “rest periods, breaks, a living wage, sustainable benefits and fair compensation for work in streaming which is now a well-established and profitable business.” In its announcement of its vote, Local 600 stressed its support of all other locals involved in the bargaining unit, with Editors Guild Local 700 also voting unanimously to support a nationwide strike. Local 600 and Local 700 serve as one of three union divisions to represent on a national level, the third being the Art Directors Guild Local 800 (which has not yet voted on whether or not to endorse a strike but is expected to do so some time within the week).",[25,7022,7023],{},"Whether or not there will be a strike will come down to two separate votes being held on October 1st and October 3rd, one held by the thirteen studio locals working on the West coast under the Hollywood Basic Agreement, the other being held by the twenty-three locals operating outside the Los Angeles area under the Area Standards Agreement. Approval of strike authorization is said to be encouraged by all leaders working for all thirty-six locals; if they are able to encourage enough of their members to vote “yes”, then there will most certainly be a strike taking place across the nation.",[25,7025,7026],{},"What would such a strike mean for the film industry? In California, it would mean an entire shutdown of every film and television production currently taking place, and in New York, it would mean that the grand majority of film and TV productions would shut down as well. This is what IATSE informed legislators of both states earlier last week, stressing that unless the AMPTP was willing to meet the demands being made, the economic impact on the film industry as a whole, which has already suffered major losses since last year as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,could be catastrophic.",[25,7028,7029],{},"Speaking of the pandemic, one factor that could have a major impact on the upcoming strike votes is the expiration of return-to-work protocols established last year in order for the industry to resume work on many of its major productions. All of these protocols, consisting of testing, mask-wearing, and social distancing requirements, are set to expire on September 30th, one day before the vote for a strike is set to take place. While this agreement has been extended before and could very easily be extended again, doing so will require the full cooperation of the AMPTP and all unions involved, including the IATSE. Should there be a strike, it’s unlikely that these protocols will be extended, which could potentially put those who would still be working at risk of COVID infection.",[25,7031,7032],{},"Striking and the resulting shutdown of most film and television production is nothing new to the film industry. Many recall the 2007 strike held by the Writers Guild of America and how it forced delays on many of the biggest films and television series being made at the time. However, the WGA isn’t nearly as big or inclusive as the IATSE; should a strike be approved, then a significant percentage of the nearly 150,000 union members will take to the streets demanding better treatment from employers. The longer it takes for a satisfactory agreement between both the IATSE and the AMPTP to be reached, the longer it will take for the industry as a whole to get back up and running, so hopefully, if there is a vote in support of strike authorization, the event will conclude as quickly as possible.",[25,7034,7035],{},"In the meantime though, the nation will have to prepare for an upcoming strike, as IATSE president Matthew Loeb is adamant about one taking place. “We are at a stage where the employers have made this struggle about power, not reason,” Loeb states. “Therefore we are initiating a strike vote to authorize me to call one if necessary.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7037},[],"2021-09-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Finternational-cinematographers-guild-votes-to-encourage-nationwide-strike",{"title":7003,"description":557},"international-cinematographers-guild-votes-to-encourage-nationwide-strike","blog\u002Finternational-cinematographers-guild-votes-to-encourage-nationwide-strike","bhEGzWsy3QlqRlv7ihu0Z3rg96hoWzoar8q_Jb_p6yU",{"id":7046,"title":7047,"body":7048,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7079,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7080,"navigation":71,"path":7081,"seo":7082,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7083,"stem":7084,"__hash__":7085},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftoronto-international-film-festival-2021-sees-big-wins-for-belfast-the-power-of-the-dog.md","Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Sees Big Wins for “Belfast”, “The Power of the Dog”",{"type":22,"value":7049,"toc":7077},[7050,7056,7059,7062,7065,7068,7071,7074],[25,7051,236,7052],{},[47,7053,538],{"href":7054,"rel":7055},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F09\u002F2021-toronto-film-festival-complete-winners-list-belfast-jessica-chasten-benedict-cumberbatch-denis-villeneuve-dune-1234839226\u002F",[51],[25,7057,7058],{},"The 2021 Venice Film Festival hadn’t even finished wrapping up before the next in a long line of prestigious, closely-paid-attention-to film festivals commenced. On September 9th, just a few days prior to the ending of the Venice event, the Toronto International Film Festival began with the world premiere of “Dear Evan Hansen”, a film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical. What followed were nine additional days of various film screenings and panels, with the festival concluding on September 18th after giving its attendees access to a variety of unique offerings of the highest possible quality. Unlike Venice, which had opted to hold most of its events in person, TIFF organizers opted for a hybrid approach this year. Citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a major concern, organizers arranged to have both physical and digital screenings when it came to showcasing its selection of films both feature and shorter length. Regardless of how these films could be viewed, the majority of them proved to be engaging experiences, and before the festival finally came to an end, the best of the best were announced and awarded. Considering how well past TIFF winners have done later along in their respective awards seasons, there’s a very strong chance that many of this year’s winners will go on to repeat similar successes.",[25,7060,7061],{},"Easily the biggest winner of the Toronto International Film Festival was “Belfast”, a black-and-white drama based in part on the life of its director Kenneth Branagh, which was given the TIFF People’s Choice Award (with runner-up prizes going to Canadian drama “Scarborough” and “The Power of the Dog”, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst). This win serves as a major indication that “Belfast” will go on to be one of the frontrunners of the upcoming film awards season, as the majority of this award’s past winners have gone on to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. In fact, the recipient of the previous year’s People’s Choice Award, Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland”, ended up winning the Best Picture Oscar. Whether or not “Belfast” will go on to achieve this exact same feat is not yet certain, but its success at TIFF does imply that the film has a bright future ahead of it.",[25,7063,7064],{},"Alongside the main People’s Choice Award were the People’s Choice Documentary and the People’s Choice Midnight Madness awards, both of which are also considered to be highly coveted honors. In the case of the former, “The Rescue”, which focuses on the Tham Luang cave rescue that took place in 2018, was named the winner. Accepting the award were directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the husband-and-wife duo behind the 2019 film “Free Solo”, which won the Best Documentary Feature award at that year’s Oscars ceremony. The latter, meanwhile, went to the most recent Palme d’Or winner, Julie Durconau’s “Titane”, adding further to the French film’s success and making it a potential contender for Best International Feature Oscar.",[25,7066,7067],{},"Although “The Power of the Dog” was only named a runner-up when it came to the festival’s Best Picture equivalent, its leading actor would come out on top and receive the festival’s Best Actor equivalent. For his performance in the film (as well as “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain”, another film screened at the festival), Benedict Cumberbatch was named a recipient of the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, as was Jessica Chastain for her performance in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”. In addition, the TIFF Ebert Director Award went to Denis Villeneuve for his work on the highly anticipated science-fiction epic “Dune”, and musician Dionne Warwick was given a Special Tribute Award for the documentary “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over”.",[25,7069,7070],{},"Even though not every film submitted and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival could receive some form of awards recognition, festival organizers have still expressed great delight in the line-up of films they had to showcase, especially considering how much bigger it was compared to the scaled-down offerings of last year’s festival (though still not quite as big as that of 2019). When announcing the award winners at the end of the festival, co-heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente proved to be very enthusiastic about what they had to offer for this year’s event.“2021 brought an exceptional selection of films that excited Festival audiences around the world,” they claim. “Our lineup showcased beloved auteurs alongside fresh voices in filmmaking, including numerous women powerhouses. TIFF welcomed guests, press, industry, international stars and directors back to the city and into cinemas. The sweeping range in cinematic storytelling from around the world is a testament to the uniqueness of the films that are being made. We’re so grateful and proud of this year’s Festival.”",[25,7072,7073],{},"With so many films included as part of this most recent TIFF selection, it’s not hard to see why Bailey and Vicente are so delighted. Over a hundred films, including all those previously mentioned, could be accessed by those attending the festival. The major Gala Presentations saw such films as “Last Night in Soho” from writer\u002Fdirector Edgar Wright; “One Second” from Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou; and “The Survivor”, directed by Barry Levinson. Other Special Presentations allowed for the screenings of highly respectable titles from across the globe, including “Ahed’s Knee”, one of the titles considered for the Palme d’Or; “The Middle Man”, a co-production between the nations of Canada, Denmark, Germany, and Norway; and “Where is Anne Frank”, a film from “Waltz with Bashir” director Ari Folman.",[25,7075,7076],{},"These films were only a small collection of what this year’s Toronto International Film Festival had to offer, and despite the unusual circumstances in which they had to be screened in, all of them found a way to present themselves to the world and find their respective audiences. This year’s festival will certainly be hard to top, but hopefully, next year’s event will have an even greater number of films of similar high quality and global appeal.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7078},[],"2021-09-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftoronto-international-film-festival-2021-sees-big-wins-for-belfast-the-power-of-the-dog",{"title":7047,"description":557},"toronto-international-film-festival-2021-sees-big-wins-for-belfast-the-power-of-the-dog","blog\u002Ftoronto-international-film-festival-2021-sees-big-wins-for-belfast-the-power-of-the-dog","MMfAkT-M9Ml9L5KhZbIHY3_LADi7Mu0X9JvNyeuMIKg",{"id":7087,"title":7088,"body":7089,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7120,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7121,"navigation":71,"path":7122,"seo":7123,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7124,"stem":7125,"__hash__":7126},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-2021-levenement-hand-of-god-among-the-big-winners.md","Venice Film Festival 2021: “L’Événement”, “Hand of God” Among the Big Winners",{"type":22,"value":7090,"toc":7118},[7091,7097,7100,7103,7106,7109,7112,7115],[25,7092,236,7093],{},[47,7094,538],{"href":7095,"rel":7096},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F09\u002Fvenice-film-festival-2021-winners-golden-lion-full-list-1234831129\u002F",[51],[25,7098,7099],{},"Although many would consider the summer movie season to have concluded by now, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer a time for the art of cinema to flourish. Nowhere is this more evident than in the film festival scene, in which several major events are taking place around the world and showing off the best films they have to offer. There are many esteemed festivals to take note of, but the one that has most recently come and gone was one of the most significant events of the early film awards season, the Venice Film Festival. Taking place this year between September 1st and September 11th, the festival showcased a great number of feature-length and short films made by filmmakers from across the globe, some of which were even shown on the big screen for the very first time. Before its end though, the festival took the time to hand out a small number of awards for the films and filmmakers whose efforts festival judges deemed to be the best of this year’s cinematic output, the most prestigious being the Golden Lion, the festival’s award for best film. The competition was strong, but in the end, decisions were made, and the winners were announced.",[25,7101,7102],{},"Coming out on top was “L’Evénement (Happening)”, a French film based on a novel by Annie Ernaux, which is centered around a young woman living in 1963 who must contend with an unexpected pregnancy and whether or not she should have an abortion. Accepting the Golden Lion for the film was its director, French-Lebanese filmmaker Audrey Diwan, making her the sixth female director (and the second in the row, following last year’s winner Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland”) to receive the honor. In her acceptance speech, Diwan expressed her gratitude for the award and how much making the film meant to her. “I did this movie with anger,” Diwan states, “I did it with desire, also my heart and my head. I wanted “Happening” to be an experience, a journey in the skin of this young woman.”",[25,7104,7105],{},"Receiving the runner-up prize, the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, was “The Hand of God”, an autobiographical piece from director Paolo Sorrentino that focuses heavily on the filmmaker’s youth and the trauma he experienced from losing his parents at such a young age. The film, which will receive a limited theatrical release from distributor Netflix before its debut on streaming, also received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor and Actress, which went to the actor who plays Sorrentino in the film, Filippo Scotti (referred to by many as the “Italian Timothée Chalamet”). Sorrentino, who had previously won an Oscar for his 2013 film “The Great Beauty”, was equally emotional in the acceptance of his award, tearing up as he gave his speech in his native Italian tongue.",[25,7107,7108],{},"“The Hand of God” was not the only Netflix-distributed film to receive awards recognition from the Venice Film Festival though. “The Power of the Dog”, for example, allowed its director Jane Campion to take home the award for Best Director, while the prize for Best Screenplay was given to Maggie Gyllenhaal for the script she wrote for her feature directorial debut, “The Lost Daughter”. In her acceptance, Gyllenhaal enthusiastically expressed her admiration for the Italian nation and how thrilled she was to have her first film premiere at Venice. ”I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be here,” she told those who were present to hear her speech. “I was married in Italy, in Puglia. I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter in Italy and really my life as a director and a writer and my film was born here in this theater.”",[25,7110,7111],{},"Then there are the acting categories, awarded as part of the Volpi Cup Prize. Earning the prize for Best Actor was Filipino actor John Arcilla for his performance in “On the Job: The Missing 8”, while Best Actress went to Penelope Cruz for her role in the Pedro Almodóvar-directed drama “Parallel Mothers” (pulling something of an upset for those who had anticipated a victory for “Spencer” leading actress Kristen Stewart). Although much of her acceptance speech was dedicated to her family as a whole (including husband Javier Bardem and their children), Cruz gave special acknowledgement to her recently deceased mother-in-law Pilar Bardem. “At the end of our last conversation she told me, ‘I love you.’,” Cruz claims in her speech. “She was very fragile and I thought those were her last words to me, but then very quiet and very soft and with a smile on her face she said to me two more words ‘Coppa Volpi’… This is for all the mothers.”",[25,7113,7114],{},"The festival’s main competition drew most of the attention and showcased some of the more noteworthy works of cinema the event had to offer, but that didn’t mean the Horizons program didn’t have its fair share of exceptional films. “Pilgrims”, for example, was named Best Film (with director Laurynas Bareisa accepting the honor), while “A Plein Temps” received awards for both Best Director (Eric Gravel) and Best Actress (Laure Calamy). The Special Jury Prize, meanwhile, went to “El Gran Movimento” and its director Kiro Russo, Piseth Chhun won Best Actor for his performance in “White Building”, and the script for “107 Mothers”, from writers Ivan Ostrochovský and Peter Kerekes, was named Best Screenplay. Also receiving prizes from the Horizons program were “Los Huesos” (directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña) for Best Short Film, and “Imalculat” (directed by Monica Stan and George Chiper Lillemark) for the Lion of the Future, the Luigi De Laurentiis Award For A Debut Film.",[25,7116,7117],{},"With so many wonderful films screened and awarded throughout the eleven-day event, it’s safe to say that the Venice Film Festival was once again a major success. Although not without its hiccups here and there (specifically those relating to delays caused by glitching ticket reservation and longer-than-anticipated security lines), such missteps were not enough to prevent the festival from taking place and exhibiting the best that cinema has to offer. With there still being many more major film festivals to come, there’s hardly any reason why the rest of the festival circuit shouldn’t be pulled off to similar success.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7119},[],"2021-09-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-2021-levenement-hand-of-god-among-the-big-winners",{"title":7088,"description":557},"venice-film-festival-2021-levenement-hand-of-god-among-the-big-winners","blog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-2021-levenement-hand-of-god-among-the-big-winners","-muR-KBSsikDBsfH3Cpe619hLl0Y2wkJIO6yyAp04qI",{"id":7128,"title":7129,"body":7130,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7158,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7159,"navigation":71,"path":7160,"seo":7161,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7162,"stem":7163,"__hash__":7164},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fshang-chi-overcomes-delta-concerns-to-shatter-labor-day-box-office-records.md","“Shang-Chi” Overcomes Delta Concerns to Shatter Labor Day Box Office Records",{"type":22,"value":7131,"toc":7156},[7132,7138,7141,7144,7147,7150,7153],[25,7133,236,7134],{},[47,7135,391],{"href":7136,"rel":7137},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fbox-office\u002Fbox-office-marvel-shang-chi-labor-day-record-1235057013\u002F",[51],[25,7139,7140],{},"Of all the times to expect a major blockbuster to break out and make big bucks at the box office, Labor Day weekend has historically not been one of them. Widely considered to be the end of the summer box office season, the first weekend of September has hardly ever been valued as a time when a film would see a huge audience turn out to come see it. After all, with so many people preparing to go back to school and work, there usually isn’t much incentive for them to go out to the movies. Because of this, the majority of films released on Labor Day weekend over the past few decades have not received much revenue over their opening weekends. The largest amount such a film would generate was $30.6 million, which went to Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween” all the way back in 2007; while that’s a respectable amount for a low-budget horror movie, it’s nowhere near as much as a studio would want to go to a production they spent well over $100 million on. If this is as big as a film released on Labor Day weekend can get, it’s no wonder Hollywood has historically hesitated to take advantage of the four-day holiday weekend.",[25,7142,7143],{},"Leave it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, arguably the biggest film franchise of the present day, to completely upend those preconceptions though. Although the Disney-owned Marvel Studios had originally intended to release their latest film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, all the way back in February of this year, setbacks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic would eventually force the film to come out seven months later than expected, making the surprising move of taking up a Labor Day weekend release. While it’s hard to say how much better the film would’ve performed had it come out as originally intended (at least under normal circumstances; the presence of COVID would’ve certainly had a negative impact), there’s little to complain about how well “Shang-Chi” actually did end up performing. Despite the supposedly less than ideal release date and concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus’ Delta variant, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” found a way to completely shatter box office records upon its nationwide premiere on September 3rd, taking in $75.5 million over the initial Friday-Sunday period (more than double of what previous record-holder “Halloween” made), then adding just under $19 million on the following Monday for a four-day total of $94.4 million.",[25,7145,7146],{},"Under normal circumstances, this would certainly be an impressive feat for the Marvel brand, especially considering this is a completely new aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that had been barely touched upon by the series’ previous installments. Although “Shang-Chi” did not quite reach the heights that such juggernauts as “Black Panther” or “Captain Marvel”, it was still able to perform much better than how the likes of “Ant-Man” and “Doctor Strange” performed over the course of their opening weekends. However, with the pandemic still being a major concern throughout much of the nation, these are hardly normal circumstances, and the success “Shang-Chi” has received so far is nothing short of astonishing. In fact, out of all films released throughout the year, the opening weekend total ranks as the second-highest up to this point, being bested by only the $80.4 million that fellow Marvel film “Black Widow” earned back in July, proving just how lucrative and reliable the Marvel brand has proven to be even in these incredibly uncertain times.",[25,7148,7149],{},"There are several possible reasons why “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” was able to surpass even the most optimistic of expectations. Many have cited the excitement that many have had to see Marvel’s first film to feature an Asian lead and a cast made up of primarily Asian actors, believing the film to be something of a landmark for diversity in filmmaking. Others have pointed to the overwhelmingly positive reception the film has received from both critics and audiences, evidenced by a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” score on Cinemascore. However, it’s also quite possible that the main reason the film was able to do so well in theaters is because of the fact that it could only be seen in theaters. This is unlike most of the previous Disney releases (including “Black Widow”), which also had the option of being viewed from the Disney-owned streaming service Disney+ for an additional surcharge of around $30. “Shang-Chi” had no such option though, and those who wanted to see it over the weekend had to go out to their local theater to do so. Clearly, the theaters-only strategy is paying off quite well for the film (as it is for “Free Guy”, another Disney-distributed release), and there is much hope that such success will continue on for a bit longer.",[25,7151,7152],{},"With all that said, despite how impressive the film’s opening weekend is, how much long-term success “Shang-Chi” is still a bit uncertain. On the one hand, while the film is currently not available to watch on Disney+, it has been announced that the film will come to the streaming site forty-five days after the beginning of its theatrical release (somewhere around mid-October), so it’s possible that a significant chunk of “Shang-Chi”’s potential audience will hold off on seeing the film until they can view it for free (excluding the usual monthly fee for the service as a whole) from the comfort of their homes. There’s also the matter of the film’s international performance; outside the United States, the film earned $56.2 million from such foreign markets as France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. While this is still a respectable total, the key factor in how well “Shang-Chi” does overseas is the box office giant that is China, where it has yet to find a release date. Should this issue persist, then there’s a strong chance that the film might not be as successful as it could be in the long run.",[25,7154,7155],{},"For the time being though, Disney is viewing the results of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” as nothing less than a great success, especially considering how much better the film is doing in comparison to other recent films of its scale. With the next of such films not expected for at least a couple more weeks, there’s plenty of time for “Shang-Chi” to build upon its success, and considering how well liked the film is, there’s little reason to worry as of yet.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7157},[],"2021-09-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fshang-chi-overcomes-delta-concerns-to-shatter-labor-day-box-office-records",{"title":7129,"description":194},"shang-chi-overcomes-delta-concerns-to-shatter-labor-day-box-office-records","blog\u002Fshang-chi-overcomes-delta-concerns-to-shatter-labor-day-box-office-records","kb-aJRCXgX66dBf_X6B2LU97cXUG-pO3wu4OShrdvEU",{"id":7166,"title":7167,"body":7168,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7210,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7211,"navigation":71,"path":7212,"seo":7213,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7214,"stem":7215,"__hash__":7216},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffilmmakers-from-afghanistan-to-speak-at-the-venice-film-festival.md","Filmmakers from Afghanistan to Speak at the Venice Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":7169,"toc":7208},[7170,7176,7179,7182,7185,7188,7195,7202,7205],[25,7171,236,7172],{},[47,7173,279],{"href":7174,"rel":7175},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fvenice-to-invite-afghan-film-refugee-sahraa-karimi-1235004254\u002F",[51],[25,7177,7178],{},"Although the primary objective of most film festivals is for the viewing of the cinematic works chosen to be included, such events can also hold a number of panels and discussions in which filmmakers are allowed to speak about their experiences and the making of such films. The Venice Film Festival is one such event to exhibit both film screenings and live discussions, and the latest occurrence of this revered and long-running festival, taking place between September 1st and September 11th, will continue this trend. On top of screening a wide selection of films both feature-length and short, there will also be a wide variety of panels in which directors, actors, and numerous other individuals involved with the production of films will take the stage and discuss what went into the creation of their respective works. One panel in particular, however, is expected to stand out above all others, if only because of current international events and their effect on specific filmmakers.",[25,7180,7181],{},"On Saturday, August 28th, organizers of the Venice Film Festival announced that it will hold a panel in which directors from the nation of Afghanistan, which had recently been taken control of by the Taliban, will discuss the current situation surrounding their homeland and how it is impacting their ability to create cinema. Among the most prominent filmmakers to speak at the panel are Sahraa Karimi, director of “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” (which had previously been screened as part of the Horizons program of the 2019 Venice Film Festival), and Sahra Mani, the documentarian behind the film “A Thousand Girls Like Me”. Moderated by Italian journalist Giuliano Battison, well known for his coverage of the Afghanistan conflict in 2007, the panel is set to take place on September 4th at 3 pm local time, and will also include European Film Academy executive director Wouter Knol, as well as representatives of the International Coalition of Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR), as speakers.",[25,7183,7184],{},"According to the statement released by Venice, the panel will be primarily concerned with the current crisis and how the Taliban takeover will directly impact the nation’s population, especially its artists. Getting artists out of the country before they become directly threatened by the re-emerging Taliban government is the biggest priority for those holding and speaking at the panel, and those involved hope that the discussion will further encourage European governments to provide asylum for those attempting to flee Afghanistan. A suicide bombing near the nation’s capital Kabul served as a grave reminder of the danger being posed to the Afghan populace, and with United States troops set to be fully evacuated from the nation by the end of August, the people of Afghanistan are at greater risk than ever, and as much support as possible, the panel speakers claim, will be needed to get them all to safety.",[25,7186,7187],{},"Karimi, who also serves as the head of Afghan Film, the nation’s official filmmaking group, was one of the fortunate individuals who had managed to get out of Afghanistan, boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey on August 17th, mere days after the Taliban had seized control of Kabul. Much of Karimi’s work since has been mainly focused on getting other families out as safely and quickly as she was able to; in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (conducted through the WhatsApp messaging app from the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, where she currently takes refuge), Karimi claims to have so far gotten several of her colleagues and their families out of Afghanistan, with the Ukrainian and Slovakian governments (Karimi herself has Slovak citizenship as a result of her education in Bratislava) proving especially helpful in her progress so far. Such progress is not enough though, and much more work will need to be done in order to get more people out of Afghanistan.",[25,7189,7190,7191,7194],{},"One person whom Karimi is especially concerned for is one of the actresses she worked with on her film “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” (withholding her name for the sake of the actress’ personal safety). “",[364,7192,7193],{},"She"," was coming to the airport yesterday when the bombs went off,” Karimi explains. “She got away, she’s safe. But she can’t get out that way now.” Although she wasn’t willing to go into much detail (simply citing the whole situation as “pure chaos”), Karimi claims that more secretive means of getting her actress and crew members out of the country are being explored, means that will hopefully ensure the safety of as many people as possible.",[25,7196,7197,7198,7201],{},"On top of everything else going on in Afghanistan at the moment, Karimi is especially concerned about how much the Taliban will double down on censorship of the films produced in the nation, if not the complete shutdown of the industry altogether. Although none of the female filmmakers working for Afghan Film were fired (at least at the time of the interview), they had all been told to stay home for the time being, and Karimi is worried that the situation will only get worse, especially considering how little information is being given to her. “The Taliban have refused to speak to me at all, even though I’m head of Afghan Film,” Karimi states, “I was kicked out of our ",[364,7199,7200],{},"WhatApp"," workgroup then when I asked why they re-instated me. I’ve asked if I’m still in charge, if I should return, but no answer.”",[25,7203,7204],{},"All of these concerns, as well as several others that relate to the plight of Afghan filmmakers, are expected to be brought up at the panel set to take place on September 4th. With the situation in Afghanistan getting worse with each day, Karimi and her fellow panel speakers hope to use their platform to further emphasize these issues and stress the importance of getting its people to safety. Even though she herself has managed to find refuge in Europe, Karimi has yet to show any signs of stopping, with this upcoming panel being one of her many efforts to advocate for the safety of her fellow Afghan refugees and the future of the art she has built much of her life around.",[25,7206,7207],{},"“We cannot let the world forget,” Karimi says. “Or it will be the end of Afghan cinema.”",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7209},[],"2021-09-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffilmmakers-from-afghanistan-to-speak-at-the-venice-film-festival",{"title":7167,"description":298},"filmmakers-from-afghanistan-to-speak-at-the-venice-film-festival","blog\u002Ffilmmakers-from-afghanistan-to-speak-at-the-venice-film-festival","UxvYt4YqtZ_lKJBWTr-KDP4ysTwFOQa29H-KvYdvemY",{"id":7218,"title":7219,"body":7220,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7251,"description":7224,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7252,"navigation":71,"path":7253,"seo":7254,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7255,"stem":7256,"__hash__":7257},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Freminiscence-underperformance-shows-how-even-smaller-films-are-struggling-right-now.md","“Reminiscence” Underperformance Shows How Even Smaller Films are Struggling Right Now",{"type":22,"value":7221,"toc":7249},[7222,7225,7228,7231,7240,7243,7246],[25,7223,7224],{},"Much has been made about how many of the most recent blockbuster films being released at the moment are not doing as well as the studios that made them would have liked. At best, there are films like “Black Widow” which earn solid opening weekends but struggle to keep up the momentum for one reason or another. At worst, there are films like “The Suicide Squad” that have disappointing opening weekends and also fail to build enough momentum to be considered successful. There are several external factors that are likely causing these big-budget productions to underperform or outright flop, the biggest being the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that is encouraging many people to stay in their homes and not go out to the movies (especially when many of these films are either available to stream or will be within a short period of time). Because films like “Cruella” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” are so expensive to produce, they tend to receive the most attention whenever the revenue they take in doesn’t meet expectations. However, with all that has been said about these bigger-budget films, it’s easy to forget that even those with smaller budgets are facing similar struggles at the box office, with the most recent weekend box office being definitive proof of this dilemma.",[25,7226,7227],{},"Perhaps the most notable of the films that were most recently released in theaters to less than satisfactory results is the Hugh Jackman-starring “Reminiscence”. Although a larger production than most independent films, distributed by Warner Brothers and budgeted somewhere between $54 and $68 million, such status could not prevent the film from receiving little more than even the least desirable amount of revenue over its opening weekend, taking in just over $2 million over the three-day period. There’s no one reason why the film performed as poorly as it did - its availability on HBO Max may have allowed a majority of its viewers to see it from home for a significantly lower cost, and neither critic nor audience reception was particularly flattering (as evidenced by a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ grade on Cinemascore) - but in any case, receiving only $2 million during the opening weekend is something that very few would desire, making the situation surrounding “Reminiscence” all the more troubling.",[25,7229,7230],{},"While other films that were released over the weekend fared slightly better, even they are considered to be underperformers. Taking in around $3 million each over the weekend were “The Night House”, a horror film starring Rebecca Hall, and “The Protege”, an action film starring Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maggie Q. These totals were high enough to allow the two films to rank higher than “Reminiscence” on the box office charts, but the failure for either to get anywhere near a double-digit million total is causing the industry to see these films as disappointments. Even if their budgets are smaller than that of “Reminiscence” (budgetary data is currently unavailable for either film), it’s questionable whether or not the films will be able to break even by this point.",[25,7232,7233,7234,7239],{},"Although the pandemic and streaming availability have certainly played some part in preventing these films from making as much as they probably should have, it’s also possible that their target demographics may have also had some influence. This is what has been suggested in ",[47,7235,7238],{"href":7236,"rel":7237},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fhugh-jackman-reminiscence-box-office-flop-1235046473\u002F",[51],"a recent Variety article"," that suggests that films that appeal mainly toward an older audience aren’t able to fare as well at the box office as those with more wide-reaching target audiences, and that the pandemic is only making that situation even more prominent. This is what Box Office Pro analyst Shawn Robbins believes, claiming that “certain films without an ‘all-audience’ angle and aimed narrowly at adults over a certain age are in a more challenging spot to succeed commercially until those moviegoers are more comfortable returning to public lifestyles.”",[25,7241,7242],{},"Given that people (primarily males) between the ages of 25 and 35 tend to be the most consistent moviegoers, it’s no surprise that the better-performing films of the past year tend to appeal predominantly toward this demographic than an older one. Why are audiences of an older age group not as willing to go out to the movies compared to those that are younger? According to Franchise Entertainment Research head David A. Gross, the reason seems to be a combination of health concerns and affordability. “Older moviegoers — and by ‘older,’ we’re talking about 35 through baby-boomers — have the most to be concerned about their health, so for now they’re erring on the safe side,” Gross argues. “They’re also more affluent than younger moviegoers, so they have the most comfortable and high-quality home entertainment options. It raises the bar for movies that are less than must-see… why take a risk when it’s easy to stay home and watch something good?”",[25,7244,7245],{},"In the case of “Reminiscence”, opting to stay home seems to be an ideal option for those curious to see the film. Given the less than stellar reception it received from audiences and critics, it would make sense that the majority of its viewers would not think of the film as worthy of a theatrical viewing and instead experience it from the comfort of their homes. With that said, would the number of people watching the film on HBO Max translate into a much higher box office intake if they had all chosen to see the film in theaters? At the moment, Warner Brothers has yet to reveal the exact number of people who had watched “Reminiscence” on HBO Max over the weekend, although some studio executives have suggested that the film’s streaming metrics aren’t too far off from its box office. If that’s true, then the film probably would’ve underperformed even if wasn’t accessible via streaming.",[25,7247,7248],{},"Unfortunately, as long as the pandemic continues to spread and create new variants, there’s a very strong chance that this story will repeat itself with several other smaller films set to come out over the next few months. Even those these films may not cost as much as their blockbuster counterparts, they still deserve to have an audience and success, and it’s a shame that the current state of the world is making it incredibly difficult for them to do so.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7250},[],"2021-08-27",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Freminiscence-underperformance-shows-how-even-smaller-films-are-struggling-right-now",{"title":7219,"description":7224},"reminiscence-underperformance-shows-how-even-smaller-films-are-struggling-right-now","blog\u002Freminiscence-underperformance-shows-how-even-smaller-films-are-struggling-right-now","wRvguGUdmLKy7gaNeFzAVXzvpaRBQ0BTdj_Y1zMZYHY",{"id":7259,"title":7260,"body":7261,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7289,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7290,"navigation":71,"path":7291,"seo":7292,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7293,"stem":7294,"__hash__":7295},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-pushbacks-to-vaccine-cards-film-industry-prepares-for-another-covid-fall.md","From Pushbacks to Vaccine Cards, Film Industry Prepares for Another COVID Fall",{"type":22,"value":7262,"toc":7287},[7263,7269,7272,7275,7278,7281,7284],[25,7264,236,7265],{},[47,7266,279],{"href":7267,"rel":7268},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fmovies\u002Fmovie-news\u002Fsonys-hotel-transylvania-amazon-1234998312\u002F",[51],[25,7270,7271],{},"As much as the film industry (if not everybody else living in the nation) would like to think otherwise, the COVID-19 pandemic that had begun its wrath on the world last year is not over yet. Despite the availability of vaccines in just about every part of the country, many people have yet to be vaccinated. Although some states have had better luck with disease containment than others, the virus, most notably its Delta variant, remains a significant danger, with some states seeing even higher case numbers than in the previous year, when a vaccine was only in the development stages and not yet accessible to most. Many experts are anticipating that COVID will continue to have an effect on the nation during the fall season (a time of the year when the spread of disease in general is more prominent). This is forcing many governments and businesses to take action and prepare for the worse. For the film industry, this means a lot of push-backs and strategy changes, many of which might not be the most profitable but are nonetheless the most necessary.",[25,7273,7274],{},"One tactic that is starting to be enforced onto movie theaters by local governments is the requirement of a vaccine card for anyone who seeks to go to the movies. Leading the charge is New York City, which will mandate that anyone attending a live event or performance in one of the city’s countless indoor venues (movie theaters included) must have an authentic vaccine card and photo ID, or else otherwise be barred from entering the building. This order is expected to go into effect immediately, coming in just before a series of inspections and an increase of more direct enforcement on September 13th. Although the mandate is restricted to only the city of New York (one of the nation’s largest movie-going markets), several other cities and municipalities across the nation are considering similar measures, hoping to do everything in their power to combat the spread of COVID.",[25,7276,7277],{},"Despite these measures potentially reducing the number of people that are able to attend a screening of any given movie, many theater chains seem to have accepted what is being mandated, expressing optimism that it won’t have too much of a negative impact on their profits. “Most scientific experts tell you the virus will increase in winter compared with summer, but the big change between this winter and last winter is vaccinations,” claims AMC CEO Adam Aron, whose company currently has thirteen venues in New York City alone. “Fortunately, the number of vaccinations, especially among the most vulnerable populations, has been so extensive that we’re optimistic that we won’t see the kind of lockdown of society this winter that we saw last.” John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), expressed similar thoughts when claiming that his organization will not object to these newly placed mandates. “Working through how we implement it and how we deal with the economics are challenges,” Fithian states but we’re not going to oppose it, because people need to get vaccinated.”",[25,7279,7280],{},"Regardless of whether or not local governments will enforce vaccine card requirements, theaters and the studios who produce the movies intended to be played in them may still struggle to turn a profit, and the most recent box office results show just how uncertain the near future of cinema truly is. On the one hand, Disney\u002F20th Century Studios’ video-game-inspired “Free Guy”, starring “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, opened to around $28 million during its first weekend in theaters. While this is higher than what was expected by industry analysts (who had anticipated an opening weekend no higher than $20 million), it’s still lower than what a major Hollywood blockbuster is expected to make under normal conditions. It’s also worth noting that unlike Disney’s previous works, including “Black Widow” and “Jungle Cruise”, “Free Guy” is only available to see in theaters right now and not for an additional charge on Disney+. With only ticket sales to provide the film a source of revenue, there could still be a significant amount of money loss by the end of its theatrical run.",[25,7282,7283],{},"Not wanting to subject themselves to such losses, many studios are starting to reconsider their release schedule and change the way they intend to release certain films. One of the most notable major studios to make headlines with such reorganization is Sony, which is finding a variety of different ways to release their products as profitably as possible. One of its biggest upcoming releases, for example, is the superhero film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, which Sony has chosen to push back from its September release date to one later in October. A more recent (and arguably more drastic) change, however, is the decision to pull its upcoming animated comedy “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” from theaters and sell it to Amazon, where it will be available for in-home streaming on Amazon Prime. Given the film’s target audience is primarily under the age of twelve (a demographic that cannot currently receive a vaccine), watching the film in a theater could pose a risk of infection for any number of such viewers, so moving the film to streaming was probably the safest possible move Sony could make.",[25,7285,7286],{},"Whether or not these announcements are the result of personal corporate decision-making or enforcement by government officials, they are all solid evidence that there is still much more work that needs to be done in order to bring the COVID-19 pandemic closer to an end. Many are hopeful that those who have yet to be vaccinated will be encouraged to do so by these new developments, but with the conditions of autumn providing an even more perfect environment for the Coronavirus to thrive and create new variants, taking major risks right now is not necessarily in most people’s best interests.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7288},[],"2021-08-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-pushbacks-to-vaccine-cards-film-industry-prepares-for-another-covid-fall",{"title":7260,"description":298},"from-pushbacks-to-vaccine-cards-film-industry-prepares-for-another-covid-fall","blog\u002Ffrom-pushbacks-to-vaccine-cards-film-industry-prepares-for-another-covid-fall","lUOBGIEsT5-CKmbuhjpR2uelzSyOv0lX3ISzxgrJJ0M",{"id":7297,"title":7298,"body":7299,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7330,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7331,"navigation":71,"path":7332,"seo":7333,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7334,"stem":7335,"__hash__":7336},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-suicide-squad-underperformance-an-industry-reminder-of-an-ongoing-pandemic.md","“The Suicide Squad” Underperformance: An Industry Reminder of an Ongoing Pandemic",{"type":22,"value":7300,"toc":7328},[7301,7307,7310,7313,7316,7319,7322,7325],[25,7302,236,7303],{},[47,7304,538],{"href":7305,"rel":7306},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Fthe-suicide-squad-hbo-max-weekend-viewership-down-from-mortal-kombat-1234811672\u002F",[51],[25,7308,7309],{},"When the summer of 2021 began, many people working in the film industry were optimistic that after over a year of being all but completely shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people would come out in droves to the movies once it was safe to do so. As vaccine availability became more prevalent throughout the nation, many studios gained enough confidence to put some of their most high-profile productions into theaters, believing that those who had received the vaccine would be eager to go to the movies without having to worry about infection. At first, this did appear to be the case, with Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” grossing over $50 million in its opening Memorial Day weekend, Universal’s “F9” topping that with over $70 million, and Disney’s “Black Widow” garnering the largest opening weekend of any film released during the pandemic with $80 million. As the months passed, the amount of revenue generated by each newest film release seemed to only get higher and higher, and Hollywood was all but certain that its troubles were over and done with.",[25,7311,7312],{},"However, the events of the past couple weeks seem to suggest that this is not the case, and that the road to recovery is still not an easy drive. “Jungle Cruise”, released by Disney at the end of July, failed to top most of the major releases of the previous months, making around $35 million during its opening weekend. As low as these results may be though, many industry analysts had predicted the film would make even less over the weekend, so the film performing better than expected did little to raise the anxieties of those working in the business. The same cannot be said, however, for the film that came out the following weekend, one expected to do much greater business at the box office yet somehow fared even worse than “Jungle Cruise”. That film: the most recent addition to Warner Brothers’ superhero-centric DC franchise, “The Suicide Squad”.",[25,7314,7315],{},"Many had high hopes for the film going into the weekend, in large part due to how much positive buzz the film was creating ever since it was first announced. Not only did the cast consist of an unusually massive cast (even by superhero movie standards) of widely known names (including, but not limited to, John Cena, Idris Elba, and Margot Robbie), but the director of the film is none other than James Gunn, who had previously helmed Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its sequel, was fired from directing the third film, and was eventually rehired after a major social media backlash campaign. In the time between being fired and rehired though, Gunn had signed on to do “The Suicide Squad” for Warner Brothers, and considering the film opened to near universal acclaim (the film currently holds a very positive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes), one would think Gunn’s presence would result in great financial success as it had for his “Guardians” films.",[25,7317,7318],{},"If what “The Suicide Squad” has earned so far is any indication though, that might not be as achievable as previously thought. Not only did the film fail to top the opening weekend of any of the recent DC superhero films Warner Brothers has made over the past few years (with the exception of “Wonder Woman 1984”, which was released during the height of the pandemic), but its opening weekend totals were but a small fraction of what Gunn’s “Guardians” films had each made. Between Friday, August 6th and Sunday, August 8th, “The Suicide Squad” pulled in a total of $26.5 million; while this is enough to give the film the honor of having the biggest opening weekend of any R-rated film released during the pandemic, it’s nowhere near enough to allow the film to turn a profit, as its reported budget sits somewhere around $185 million. This is a major blow to Warner Brothers, which had previously found small, but respectable success with the likes of “Godzilla vs. Kong”, but now faces struggles once again between this and a steeper-than-desired drop-off for its previous release, “Space Jam: A New Legacy”.",[25,7320,7321],{},"What went wrong for “The Suicide Squad”? If one were to ask any insider working in the industry, they would most likely receive an abundance of reasons why the film didn’t perform nearly as well as expected. Some may point to the film’s R-rating, which may have made it difficult for younger audiences to access the film and provide the necessary payment to do so. Some may point to the poor reception of the film’s predecessor, 2016’s “Suicide Squad”, which may have discouraged (or even confused, given how similar the titles are) certain audiences from giving the film a chance. Others, however, will point to the film being available to watch for free on the Warner-owned streaming service HBO Max as the biggest reason for the film not gaining as much as it should have through ticket sales. According to Samba TV, an independent company that focuses on the analytics of streaming, “The Suicide Squad” was watched by over 2.8 million households over the past weekend, more than fellow DC films “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Zach Snyder’s Justice League”, but less than fellow R-rated action film “Mortal Kombat”. As reliable as Samba’s statistics are though, they don’t account for all factors related to streaming, so they don’t paint a full picture as to how well “The Suicide Squad” performed via HBO Max.",[25,7323,7324],{},"With all that said, none of these reasons address what is most likely the biggest reason for the film’s underperformance: the ongoing pandemic. Despite access to vaccines being greater than ever, a significant portion of the United States population remains unvaccinated (most notably those under the age of 12, who are not currently eligible to receive the vaccine), which is not only allowing the Coronavirus to continue its spread, but to also appear in new forms like the Delta and Lambda variants (the latter of which may be resistant to current vaccines). Although the number of vaccinated people is rising, it isn’t rising fast enough in certain parts of the country, resulting in new case numbers being as high as they’ve ever been (with states like Florida and Texas being especially notable for how prevalent the disease is spreading). Because of all this, many people are still concerned about leaving their homes and possibly contracting the virus, forcing them to remain in their homes and refrain from going out to the movies.",[25,7326,7327],{},"This is the primary reason why “The Suicide Squad” underperformed, and there’s a very strong chance that every other major film set for release in the next few months will suffer a similar fate. The message to Hollywood should be clear: the only way their films will be able to make big bucks at the box office is for the pandemic to come to an end.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7329},[],"2021-08-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-suicide-squad-underperformance-an-industry-reminder-of-an-ongoing-pandemic",{"title":7298,"description":557},"the-suicide-squad-underperformance-an-industry-reminder-of-an-ongoing-pandemic","blog\u002Fthe-suicide-squad-underperformance-an-industry-reminder-of-an-ongoing-pandemic","3CR5V07jDRWiCawTfC7vGylMBvPiMguvtNNME-TcbCE",{"id":7338,"title":7339,"body":7340,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7383,"description":7384,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7385,"navigation":71,"path":7386,"seo":7387,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7388,"stem":7389,"__hash__":7390},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fscarlett-johansson-vs-disney-the-lawsuit-that-could-change-the-film-industry.md","Scarlett Johansson vs Disney: The Lawsuit That Could Change the Film Industry",{"type":22,"value":7341,"toc":7381},[7342,7353,7356,7359,7362,7365,7368,7371,7374],[25,7343,236,7344,7348,7349],{},[47,7345,3159],{"href":7346,"rel":7347},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnn.com\u002F2021\u002F07\u002F29\u002Fmedia\u002Fscarlett-johansson-disney-lawsuit\u002Findex.html",[51],"\u002F",[47,7350,1197],{"href":7351,"rel":7352},"https:\u002F\u002Fgizmodo.com\u002Fblack-widow-lawsuit-escalates-as-scarlett-johanssons-te-1847394626",[51],[25,7354,7355],{},"Throughout the most recent decades of cinematic history, how a particular individual receives compensation for their work on a film has remained relatively consistent. While it is far from uncommon for an actor, director, or any other major talent to be paid a single specific amount for their contributions (e.g. an actor getting $2 million and nothing more), many filmmakers, especially those associated with major blockbuster franchises, will also ask for a percentage of whatever profits are earned from the film’s box office intake. For films that rank as among the highest-grossing of a given year, this latter option can be quite appealing for those who enter long-term contracts with a given studio, as there is often potential for an increasing paycheck should a franchise prove to be insanely profitable.",[25,7357,7358],{},"That has started to change, however, with the growing presence of films released through streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max as opposed to traditional theatrical sales. In this situation, since there is no certain way to calculate how profitable a film can be when exhibited through streaming, most cast and crew that work on these productions are usually contracted to receive a definitive sum up front and rarely anything more. For the most part, this hasn’t been too much of an issue for those working on such films, but only for films that are initially released only through streaming. When it comes to films that are released in theaters and on streaming at the same time, which have become increasingly common throughout the past year, that’s where things start to become a bit more complicated, and not in a good way.",[25,7360,7361],{},"Warner Brothers, the primary film branch of Warner Media, was among the first to be at the center of such controversies when it was announced that all of its 2021 films would be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. This caused a bit of an uproar among those who had worked on the films that Warner Brothers would be distributing throughout the year (as well as Legendary Pictures, a major production company that had worked with Warner Brothers on such films as “Godzilla vs Kong” and the upcoming “Dune”), with many claiming that the films being available for free on streaming would reduce the amount of revenue they would be making through theatrical ticket sales, therefore depriving these individuals of the money they would receive as agreed to in their contracts. While an agreement would eventually be reached among both parties, one that would ensure that those involved in the making of these films would be more justly compensated, the problem of talents not receiving the payments they are owed still persists, and it was just recently when one of Hollywood’s most famous actors began to take action against one of Hollywood’s biggest motion picture corporations, an act that could end up having major repercussions on the future of how cinema does business with those who work for it.",[25,7363,7364],{},"On Thursday, July 29th, actress Scarlett Johansson, best known for playing the superhero Black Widow throughout several films in the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise (including the most recent MCU film, also titled “Black Widow”), filed a lawsuit against Disney in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to Johansson, the studio had breached her contract when it had decided to release “Black Widow” in both theaters and on the company’s streaming site Disney+, as opposed to the original agreement to release the film only in theaters. According to the suit, much of Johansson’s promised earnings would be based in part by how much revenue the film receives through theatrical exhibition; putting the film on Disney+, the lawsuit claims, has resulted in the film (and therefore Johansson herself) not earning as much through ticket sales as it should be. \"As Ms. Johansson, Disney, Marvel, and most everyone else in Hollywood knows, a 'theatrical release' is a release that is exclusive to movie theatres,” the lawsuit states. “Disney was well aware of this promise, but nonetheless directed Marvel to violate its pledge and instead release the picture on the Disney+ streaming service the very same day it was released in movie theatres.\"",[25,7366,7367],{},"What makes this particular situation different from the HBO Max debacle is how Disney has chosen to release the film on Disney+, charging an additional $30 surcharge for the film (on top of the usual monthly payments subscribers make for the service) instead of making it available for no additional cost like everything else on the service. This is the exact opposite approach that Warner Media made with its decision, and one could argue that, because nobody is having to pay for a specific film on HBO Max, it would be difficult to determine what would be earned for that film alone if the people watching it on HBO Max were to instead see it in theaters. Disney, on the other hand, is charging a specific amount for viewers to watch “Black Widow”, allowing the studio to make it very clear as to how much revenue the film was receiving through streaming (which, during its opening weekend, came to a total of $60 million). With this means of distribution, Disney can know exactly how much a film makes through streaming, and with such information being known, one could feasibly determine how much a talent is owed as agreed to in their respective contracts.",[25,7369,7370],{},"Although Disney has argued such an approach was necessary in order for the film to profit during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic (similar to what Warner Media claimed when it announced its plans to give its films simultaneous theater\u002Fstreaming releases), Johansson and her lawyers believe that is no excuse for her being deprived of the earnings she is owed. She’s not the only Hollywood actor to feel this way, as Emma Stone and Emily Blunt, who had also starred in Disney films released in both theaters and on Disney+ (“Cruella” and the recently released “Jungle Cruise” respectively), are both said to be considering filing similar suits against Disney (although Blunt’s co-star, Dwayne Johnson, claims that he will not be taking such actions himself).",[25,7372,7373],{},"Given how wealthy these actors already are, especially from what they’ve already earned from these films, one could easily dismiss this as Johansson and her fellow actors simply not being satisfied with what they already have. However, there’s a very strong chance that what is going on here is also going on with countless other people working in the film industry, many of whom do not have the fame and status to file such lawsuits and garner public support. Regardless of whether or not Johansson needs the money she claims has not been given to her, her decision to file suit against Disney could have ripple effects on the industry as a whole, effects that could forever change how anyone working on a film, from a production assistant to an executive producer, is paid for their work from this point on.",[25,7375,7376,7377,7380],{},"“Ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights,” Johansson attorney John Berlinski states. “",[364,7378,7379],{},"This will"," surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts.\"",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7382},[],"2021-08-07","Source: CNN\u002FGizmodo",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fscarlett-johansson-vs-disney-the-lawsuit-that-could-change-the-film-industry",{"title":7339,"description":7384},"scarlett-johansson-vs-disney-the-lawsuit-that-could-change-the-film-industry","blog\u002Fscarlett-johansson-vs-disney-the-lawsuit-that-could-change-the-film-industry","Fmy5qSlz7h_vB3hJx84PMzJqxePyMTYEWMwMImPTFx8",{"id":7392,"title":7393,"body":7394,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7425,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7426,"navigation":71,"path":7427,"seo":7428,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7429,"stem":7430,"__hash__":7431},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-announces-2021-lineup-films-from-nearly-60-countries-included.md","Venice Film Festival Announces 2021 Lineup, Films from Nearly 60 Countries Included",{"type":22,"value":7395,"toc":7423},[7396,7402,7405,7408,7411,7414,7417,7420],[25,7397,236,7398],{},[47,7399,538],{"href":7400,"rel":7401},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F07\u002Fvenice-film-festival-2021-lineup-full-list-1234799827\u002F",[51],[25,7403,7404],{},"It was not too long ago when the Cannes Film Festival, highly regarded as one of the most prominent events in the world of cinema, concluded for the year after the previous year’s event had to be cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Taking place between early to mid July of this year, the 2021 Cannes Film Festival introduced a wide variety of films that hope to make their presence known throughout the globe, especially when it comes to major awards recognition. As prestigious as Cannes is though, it is only the beginning of what will no doubt be a very long and very exciting awards season, and just recently, one upcoming festival, which has become something of a predictor in recent years when it comes to showcasing award-worthy films, announced its full lineup of films that will be exhibited over the eleven-day period it will be held. That event, of course, is the 2021 Venice Film Festival.",[25,7406,7407],{},"On Monday, July 26th, organizers of the upcoming Venice Film Festival, the 78th consecutive instance in which it has been held, made its selection of films known to the general public, announcing a long list of cinematic works both feature-length and short. All of them will either premiere or be screened at its various venues throughout Venice, Italy between September 1st and September 11th, and will showcase a wide variety of talents originating from 59 countries throughout the world. As opposed to last year, which had seen a reduced presence from American and major-studio productions (in large part due to how the pandemic had forced many of these productions to a halt), there is a much greater number of such films set to be exhibited at this year’s festival, many of which are said to be some of the most highly anticipated of the year.",[25,7409,7410],{},"Of the major studios, it is Universal that will have the greatest presence at the Venice Film Festival with three films: “Halloween Kills”, the latest in the long-running “Halloween” horror franchise; “Last Night in Soho”, the newest work of cinema from Edgar Wright (of “Baby Driver” and the Three Flavors trilogy fame); and “The Card Counter”, a crime drama written and directed by Paul Schrader, best known as the screenwriter of “Taxi Driver” (it and “Last Night” are being distributed under Universal’s Focus Features label). Warner Brothers, meanwhile, will showcase its long awaited cinematic adaptation of “Dune” (directed by “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049”’s Denis Villeneuve), while Disney, through its 20th Century Studios label, will present “The Last Duel”, a Ridley Scott historical drama with the first script Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (as well as Nicole Holofcener) have written together since 1997’s “Good Will Hunting”. Although some may be a bit concerned with so many major American works in what is supposed to be an international affair, Venice chief Alberto Barbera seems to be nothing short of enthusiastic. “There is a strong comeback of the Americans”, Barbera notes, seemingly excited by how much the American film industry has recovered from the prior year.",[25,7412,7413],{},"Even with there being so many American-made films present at the Venice Film Festival, that does not mean that there won’t be plenty of opportunities for films made outside the States to make a name for themselves. As stated earlier, there will be films hailing from 59 different nations that will be exhibited throughout the events, many of which are expected to demonstrate the best that international filmmakers have to offer. Naturally, for a festival set entirely in Italy, there will be a great number of Italian films set to be screened, many of them made by some of the country’s most revered auters. These include Michelangelo Frammartino with “Il Buco”, the D’Innocenzo brothers with “America Latina”, Gabrielle Mainetti with “Freaks Out”, among many other Italian directors. France will also use the Venice Film Festival as a means of showcasing its own recently-made works of cinema, with the most notable being Stéphane Brizé’s “Un Autre Monde” (of which its star Vincent Lindon recently appeared in newest Palme d’Or title-holder “Titane”) and Xavier Giannoli’s “Illusions Perdues”. In addition to all of these titles, Ukranian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov will debut his latest creation, “Rhino”, as part of Venice’s Horizons section.",[25,7415,7416],{},"Because there are so many films set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, many industry analysts will be playing close attention to see which will go on to be the frontrunners of the year’s upcoming award season, especially considering how many of the films that had premiered at previous festivals had gone on to do just that. In fact, it was the previous Golden Lion winner, Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland”, that would end up repeating this success and win Best Pictures at the Academy Awards. Other films that have premiered at Venice and would end up with their fair share of awards success include “Joker” and “Marriage Story” in 2019; “A Star Is Born” and “Roma” in 2018; “The Shape Of Water”, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri”, and “The Favourite” in 2017; and “La La Land” and “Arrival” in 2016. If this pattern continues into this upcoming festival, then there’s a strong chance that any one of the films set to premiere will become a major contender in the upcoming awards season.",[25,7418,7419],{},"Speaking of award-winning films, Bong Joon-Ho, whose 2019 film “Parasite” was named Best Picture of that year, will serve as the jury president of the festival this year, where he will be joined by one of his fellow jurors, the aforementioned Chloe Zhao. Given the successful track records both of these directors have had with their respective Best Picture winners, it’s safe to say that their judgment will prove to be quite effective when it comes to determining which of Venice’s offerings this year are the best of the best.",[25,7421,7422],{},"With many of the same anti-COVID procedures that were enforced at the 2020 festival returning for this year’s event, many are hoping that all of the proceedings will be executed in a way that will ensure that everyone attending is as safe from infection as possible. If it is able to achieve just that, then the Venice Film Festival will undoubtedly be a tremendous success, one that could see at least a small handful of commendable films worthy of awards recognition in the near future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7424},[],"2021-07-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-announces-2021-lineup-films-from-nearly-60-countries-included",{"title":7393,"description":557},"venice-film-festival-announces-2021-lineup-films-from-nearly-60-countries-included","blog\u002Fvenice-film-festival-announces-2021-lineup-films-from-nearly-60-countries-included","MsPVmMZWpch0V16T2ps9TcSkMVVY0yNsWmSeS2BvnDY",{"id":7433,"title":7434,"body":7435,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":7497,"description":7498,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7499,"navigation":71,"path":7500,"seo":7501,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7502,"stem":7503,"__hash__":7504},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnorth-american-distributor-announces-collaboration-with-chicago-based-youth-foundation-for-the-relea.md","North American Distributor Announces Collaboration with Chicago Based Youth Foundation for the Release of New Family Film",{"type":22,"value":7436,"toc":7495},[7437,7444,7447,7450,7453,7456,7459,7462,7468,7476,7479,7482,7485,7488,7491],[25,7438,7439,7440,7443],{},"Los Angeles, CA, July 21, 2021 --(",[47,7441,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":7442},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with Girls in the Game in Chicago, Illinois prior to the theatrical release of the award-winning Feature Film Emu Runner (emurunner.com) from Australia. With the support of Girls in the Game, WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the upcoming international release of the Film, introducing audiences throughout the U.S. and around the world to this unique family story.",[25,7445,7446],{},"Emu Runner is a heartwarming story about an eight-year-old girl who forges a bond with a wild emu as a way to cope with the grief of losing her mother unexpectedly. In addition to reinforcing the special way young people and educators can help manage heartache and loneliness, the story also delves into the modern day complexities of race and social disparities within a community of Indigenous peoples, and is one of the only internationally distributed family films produced in recent times to highlight the difficulties of the Aboriginal experience. Emu Runner offers viewers a glimpse into the life of a community underrepresented around the world, at a time when unity and understanding are needed more than ever.",[25,7448,7449],{},"“As we prepare for the international release of this family film, we’re very grateful to organizations and groups from around the world such as the prestigious Girls in the Game for their kind support in spreading the word about the upcoming release of the film,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO of WWMPC.",[25,7451,7452],{},"Girls in the Game’s mission helps enable every girl to find her voice, discover her strength, and lead with confidence. Empowering these voices to speak up is a step towards generational change and a step towards creating a level playing field. Their commitment to a diverse, inclusive and just society is an active one, embedded in 26 years of sports, health, and leadership programming.",[25,7454,7455],{},"“We are very pleased to be part of this exciting feature film release. Our mission is quite simply for every girl to be empowered to find her voice and discover her strength, and to lead with confidence,” stated Meghan Morgan, Executive Director of Girls in the Game.",[25,7457,7458],{},"Winner of “Best Australian Independent Film” at a recent Gold Coast Film Festival (Australia), Emu Runner has garnered multiple festival nominations and accolades from around the world and has been showcased at festivals in the UK, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. Nominated for “Best Independent Film” by the esteemed Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts, the Film also received award nominations from the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and the Zlin Children’s Film Festival (Czech Republic).",[25,7460,7461],{},"Due to closures and scheduling difficulties of mainstream cinemas around the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWMPC’s tentative plans include releasing the Film on specially selected screens throughout the U.S. starting in the Fall of 2021.",[25,7463,45,7464,7467],{},[47,7465,52],{"href":49,"rel":7466},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,7469,7470,7471,7475],{},"Since 1995, Girls in the Game (",[47,7472,7473],{"href":7473,"rel":7474},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.girlsinthegame.org",[51],"), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has emerged as a leading girls' health and fitness organization in Chicago. Every year, Girls in the Game empowers more than 3,600 girls to make healthier choices and develop the confidence and leadership skills they need to succeed on and off the field. At Girls in the Game, every girl finds her voice, discovers her strength, and leads with confidence through fun and active sports, health, and leadership programs. We empower all girls to be gamechangers.",[25,7477,7478],{},"Contact",[25,7480,7481],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation",[25,7483,7484],{},"Candy Buck",[25,7486,7487],{},"714-960-7264",[25,7489,7490],{},"wwmpc.com",[25,7492,7493],{},[47,7494,1735],{"href":1734},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7496},[],"2021-07-28","Los Angeles, CA, July 21, 2021 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with Girls in the Game in Chicago, Illinois prior to the theatrical release of the award-winning Feature Film Emu Runner (emurunner.com) from Australia. With the support of Girls in the Game, WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the upcoming international release of the Film, introducing audiences throughout the U.S. and around the world to this unique family story.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnorth-american-distributor-announces-collaboration-with-chicago-based-youth-foundation-for-the-relea",{"title":7434,"description":7498},"north-american-distributor-announces-collaboration-with-chicago-based-youth-foundation-for-the-relea","blog\u002Fnorth-american-distributor-announces-collaboration-with-chicago-based-youth-foundation-for-the-relea","YEFHixowS3c_n42bM4_rNjbxusS0Kxgo45S2VZEbN9k",{"id":7506,"title":7507,"body":7508,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7539,"description":4441,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7540,"navigation":71,"path":7541,"seo":7542,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7543,"stem":7544,"__hash__":7545},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-makes-comeback-concludes-with-great-success.md","Cannes Film Festival Makes Comeback, Concludes with Great Success",{"type":22,"value":7509,"toc":7537},[7510,7516,7519,7522,7525,7528,7531,7534],[25,7511,236,7512],{},[47,7513,4419],{"href":7514,"rel":7515},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2021\u002F07\u002F07\u002Fmovies\u002Fcannes-film-festival-annette-opening.html",[51],[25,7517,7518],{},"The 2021 Cannes Film Festival seemed to have a lot more on its shoulders than previous festivals, in large part due to how much lost ground it has had to make up for. After the 2020 festival had to be cancelled as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many of the film premieres and events that were originally scheduled for that year had to be postponed until they could take place in the safest environment possible. As it turns out, that wait extended to well over a year, and the festival, normally being set in May of any calendar year, had to instead be dated for the days between July 6th and July 17th of this year. However, if one were to ask any person fortunate enough to attend the festival, they would most likely tell you that it was well worth the wait, for the 2021 Cannes Film Festival saw the debut and exhibition of some of the most impressive works of cinema the world has to offer.",[25,7520,7521],{},"As is the case for any film festival, there were several different juries viewing and judging the numerous films submitted and approved for screening, each consisting of some of the industry’s most talented individuals who were fortunately able to make their way to Cannes, France and do their part to determine which films were the best of the best. Many of these juries focused their efforts onto one type of film in particular, ranging from the independent International Critics to the Cinefondation and Short Films juries. It’s the Main Competition jury, however, that stands out as arguably the most significant of the bunch. Tasked with deciding which films and individuals would receive the festival’s most prestigious awards, the highest accolade being the highly coveted Palme d’Or, this year’s Main Competition jury was made up of some of the most respected figures of international cinema, from well-known American names like actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and director Spike Lee (who was named Jury President, a position he was originally given for the previously scheduled festival before its cancellation) to global icons like French-Sengalese filmmaker Matti Diop and Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil.",[25,7523,7524],{},"Competing in the Main Competition were a total of twenty-four films of which their origins are spread across the globe, many of them hailing from the festival’s native France and its surrounding neighbors while others came from as far as Japan and Morocco. One film in particular, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria”, had the involvement of six different nations - China, Colombia, France, Germany, Mexico, and of course Weerasethakul’s native Thailand - in its production. As one of two films to receive a Jury Prize from the festival (the other being Israeli\u002FFrench\u002FGerman co-production “Ahed’s Knee” from Israeli filmmaker Navad Lapid), it’s safe to say that the collaboration between all of these different nations had paid off to great success.",[25,7526,7527],{},"Those wondering whether or not there were any American films being included in the Main Competition can rest assured knowing that there were indeed three different films coming from the United States that had vied for one of the film’s many desirable accolades. These films were “Flag Day”, directed by Academy-Award winning actor Sean Penn, “The French Dispatch” (one of several films originally scheduled to premiere at the 2020 festival), from Wes Anderson of “Isle of Dogs” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” fame, and “Red Rocket”, the latest cinematic work to be created by “The Florida Project” director Sean Baker. Although none of these films would end up receiving any awards, most of them were still met with generally favorable reception, and could very easily remain in the spotlight as major awards contenders should they continue to generate such acclaim.",[25,7529,7530],{},"Not all of the films chosen for the festival were submitted with the intention of competing for awards, though for many of their creators, the opportunity to screen their work at one of the world’s most esteemed film festivals is enough of a prize. Here in the Out of Competition category, one could find even more noteworthy titles hailing from the United States, including the Todd McCarthy action-drama “Stillwater” and Todd Haynes’ documentary “The Velvet Underground”. Still, even among the films screened out of competition, those made outside the States continue to dominate. The majority of these films were made in France (including “Bloody Oranges” and festival closer “OSS 117: From Africa with Love”), although others originate from places farther out in the world, including “Emergency Declaration” from South Korea and the animated “Where is Anne Frank” from Israel.",[25,7532,7533],{},"Still, for many, it’s the films that were eventually honored with one of the many major awards handed out by the festival that are expected to attract the most attention over the next couple months (if not longer). Leos Carax was given the accolades for both Best Actor and Best Director for his film “Annette” (the film that had been given the honor of opening the festival), while Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve was named Best Actress for her performance in “The Worst Person in the World”, and Japanese screenwriters Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe were awarded with Best Screenplay for their work on “Drive My Car”. Receiving the Grand Prix award, the second most highly regarded of the festival’s honors, went to two different films: “A Hero” from Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, and “Compartment No. 6” from Finland\u002FEstonia\u002FGermany\u002FRussia and director Juho Kuosmanen. Only one film, however, could go home with the Palme d’Or, and that film was the French\u002FBelgian film “Titane” from director Julia Ducournau, the second female director (as well as the first directing on her own) in history to receive the award.",[25,7535,7536],{},"It may have taken over a year for the Cannes Film Festival to make a complete comeback, but that wait has seemingly made the festival even more exciting and notable than it might have been under normal circumstances. It’s not currently known exactly what the future has in store for the festival’s many great films, but it’s good to know they are all at the very least off to a great start.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7538},[],"2021-07-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-makes-comeback-concludes-with-great-success",{"title":7507,"description":4441},"cannes-film-festival-makes-comeback-concludes-with-great-success","blog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-makes-comeback-concludes-with-great-success","lC6AXHt0za5vpVWRUlWaeGFZr4ei3Hrg56w4mdM_zIQ",{"id":7547,"title":7548,"body":7549,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7580,"description":5604,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7581,"navigation":71,"path":7582,"seo":7583,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7584,"stem":7585,"__hash__":7586},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fblack-widow-excels-at-weekend-box-office-and-also-on-streaming.md","“Black Widow” Excels at Weekend Box Office, and Also on Streaming",{"type":22,"value":7550,"toc":7578},[7551,7557,7560,7563,7566,7569,7572,7575],[25,7552,236,7553],{},[47,7554,2023],{"href":7555,"rel":7556},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Farticle\u002Fed359662596\u002F?ref_=bo_hm_hp",[51],[25,7558,7559],{},"To say that “Black Widow” would do well at the box office would come as a shock to anybody at least somewhat familiar with the current cinematic landscape. The most recent installment of the insanely lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Widow” was all but guaranteed to be yet another home run for a franchise that has not seen a single film open lower than at the top spot of the global box office. Not even a worldwide pandemic, one that forced the film to be held back by over an entire year (having originally been set to come out in May of last year), could make the certainty of success any less feasible; if anything, having to wait longer has only made some people even more eager to go out to their local theater and see this newest addition of the world’s most popular superhero film franchise.",[25,7561,7562],{},"Sure enough, when the film did finally premiere in theaters across the globe on July 9th, its weekend earnings were nothing short of satisfactory. With a gross of around $80 million from the North American box office over the three-day period, “Black Widow” bested previous title holder “F9” to receive the largest opening weekend of any film released since the start of the pandemic. Outside the continent, the film received an additional $78 million from forty-six international markets (not including movie-going powerhouse China, where a release date for the film has not yet been set), resulting in a worldwide weekend gross of around $158 million. Not since December of 2019, when “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, has a film earned this much over its opening weekend, and should word of mouth be positive enough to keep the film’s momentum going for at least a couple more weeks (on Rotten Tomatoes, “Black Widow” currently has an 80% approval rating), there’s plenty more to earn over the duration of its theatrical window. All in all, Marvel looks to have yet another major success on their hands, more or less exactly what everybody expected.",[25,7564,7565],{},"What everybody may not have expected, however, was the additional information that Disney, parent company of Marvel, revealed when announcing how “Black Widow” had performed over the weekend. On top of the revenue the company received from theatrical exhibition, Disney also claimed to have earned over $60 million from Premium Access fees paid through its streaming service Disney+. Released simultaneously in both theaters and onto Disney’s own personal streaming platform, “Black Widow” was made available for a $30 dollar surcharge (in addition to the regular monthly payments made by most subscribers). Judging by what Disney claims the film made through streaming, it can be assumed that over two million households opted to view the film through their own personal devices rather than go out to see it at their local theater.",[25,7567,7568],{},"Disney revealing how much “Black Widow” earned from those viewing the film through Disney+ comes as something of a shock considering its refusal to discuss such details for the previous films released in such a manner. Earlier this year, Disney released its animated fantasy “Raya and the Last Dragon” and the live-action “Cruella” in both theaters and on Disney+ with a $30 surcharge, with many citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the primary reason for the studio to have these films exhibited both theatrically and in-home (not wanting to risk losing too much money in a situation where many theaters had yet to reopen). Although Disney was happy to share how much each of these films made through theatrical ticket sales, it refused to do the same with how much money each film made through streaming. This has led many to believe that neither “Raya” nor “Cruella” performed as well as desired through rental sales on Disney+; such claims were heightened when “Raya” was revealed to have skyrocketed in viewership once it was made available for free viewing on Disney+, further implying that initially charging $30 for the film did not pay off as well as the studio may have liked. Whether or not a similar situation will occur with “Cruella” has yet to be seen, as the film will not be made available for free until later in August.",[25,7570,7571],{},"None of this seems to be the case with “Black Widow” though, as Disney seems comfortable enough to reveal how much the film had earned through Disney+ rentals. Compared to the $158 million made through theatrical exhibition, one might be led to believe that the $60 million the film received through streaming might be a bit underwhelming. However, it should be noted that all of the money “Black Widow” takes in from streaming goes entirely to Disney, whereas ticket sales have to be shared between the studio and the thousands of theaters that are able to screen the film. Depending on how much of the revenue is given to theaters, it’s quite possible that Disney gained just as much money through streaming “Black Widow” on Disney+, if not more so, as it did through making the film available for theatrical viewing.",[25,7573,7574],{},"How will this affect films made by Disney that are anticipated to come out in the future? For its next few releases, there likely won’t be much change. Although Disney’s next film, the action-fantasy “Jungle Cruise”, will also receive a simultaneous release in theaters and on Disney+, the studio seems to be pulling back a bit with the films that will be following shortly afterward. At the moment, “Free Guy”, a sci-fi comedy from Disney acquisition 20th Century Studios, and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, yet another addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are currently planned to be released exclusively in theaters, avoiding Disney+’s Premium Access option altogether and making the films entirely dependent on theatrical ticket sales. With the pandemic easing in many parts of the world, there’s supposedly less of a risk for these films than there would be if they had been released earlier in the year. However, with the success of “Black Widow” in both theaters and on streaming, there’s no guarantee that the dual-release strategy is going away any time soon, and depending on how well “Free Guy” and “Shang-Chi” do, the strategy may become even more prominent than ever.",[25,7576,7577],{},"“Black Widow” is definitive proof of how much the business of movies has changed since the start of the pandemic. Whether or not those changes will become permanent or just temporary (and to what degree), the industry may not know for quite some time.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7579},[],"2021-07-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fblack-widow-excels-at-weekend-box-office-and-also-on-streaming",{"title":7548,"description":5604},"black-widow-excels-at-weekend-box-office-and-also-on-streaming","blog\u002Fblack-widow-excels-at-weekend-box-office-and-also-on-streaming","ortMcChMQ-O5l79EQY62SBuCa2Sl7NLSKcG3G-WtDoc",{"id":7588,"title":7589,"body":7590,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7627,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7628,"navigation":71,"path":7629,"seo":7630,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7631,"stem":7632,"__hash__":7633},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fquentin-tarantino-purchases-vista-theater-an-historic-los-angeles-venue.md","Quentin Tarantino Purchases Vista Theater, An Historic Los Angeles Venue",{"type":22,"value":7591,"toc":7625},[7592,7598,7601,7604,7607,7610,7613,7616,7619,7622],[25,7593,236,7594],{},[47,7595,391],{"href":7596,"rel":7597},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fquentin-tarantino-buys-vista-theatre-los-angeles-1235011904\u002F",[51],[25,7599,7600],{},"To say that filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is something of a controversial figure in Hollywood would likely be a bit of an understatement, especially when taking recent events surrounding the figure into consideration. On the one hand, Tarantino has more than proven himself to be one of the industry’s most consistently prolific writer\u002Fdirectors, starting his career on a strong note in the 1990s with such works as “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” and continuing to this day with award-winning films like “The Hateful Eight” and, most recently, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. On the other hand, Tarantino has also become somewhat infamous for expressing views that many would deem controversial, with his recent statements about the late Bruce Lee, whom he depicted in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, being among the more recent comments to generate such controversy.",[25,7602,7603],{},"Opinions about Tarantino tend to be all over the place, but if there is one thing that most have come to admire about him, it’s his passion for film and theater preservation, going out of his way to use his resources to acquire and preserve cinematic institutions that might otherwise be forced into closure by various circumstances. Such passion has shown no sides of weakening, and just recently, Tarantino announced that he has made yet another purchase that will allow him to hold on to and protect one additional staple of Hollywood history.",[25,7605,7606],{},"On Monday, July 5th, Tarantino went onto the Armchair Expert podcast, hosted by actor Dax Shepard, to announce that he has purchased the Vista Theatre, a historical movie-going venue located on the famous Sunset Boulevard. “We’ll probably open it up around Christmas time,” Tarantino claims, “and again: only film. It won’t be a revival house. We’ll show new movies that come out where they give us a film print. It’s not going to be like the New Beverly. The New Beverly has its own vibe.”",[25,7608,7609],{},"The Vista Theatre is not the only venue currently in the possession of Tarantino. The Landmark New Beverly theater, as mentioned by Tarantino in the earlier quote, was purchased by the “Pulp Fiction” director all the way back in 2007. Although it was forced into temporary closure last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the New Beverly was fortunately able to reopen last month, allowing it to resume its exhibition of 16mm and 35mm films, one of the few currently operating venues to continue such a tradition.",[25,7611,7612],{},"The Vista Theatre, meanwhile, has yet to fully reopen, still needing a little more time to make a full recovery from the pandemic. That being said, when the venue is once again open for business, Tarantino, despite offering very little detail as to what he has in mind for the theater, promises a film-watching experience comparable to few other locations. “The Vista is like a crown jewel kind of thing,” Tarantino claims. “We’ll show older films, but it will be like you can hold a four-night engagement.”",[25,7614,7615],{},"Tarantino’s purchase of the Vista Theater comes at a time when most mainstream movie theaters are struggling to make a comeback after suffering major losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, a culmination of events that, as Tarantino himself puts it, “have taken the specialness out of movies.” In his rant against the current state of movie theaters, Tarantino expressed his frustration in how many venues, in an effort to be more commercially appealing, have made the moviegoing experience less fulfilling. “Some of these chains where they’re showing commercials all through it, they don’t turn the lights down, everything is stadium seating, plastic shit,” Tarantino argues. “They have been writing their own epitaph for a long time, but they assumed the business would take you along. It’s been crazy throughout my career to see how the film experience is lessened for the viewer like every five years.”",[25,7617,7618],{},"Tarantino’s resentment of modern moviegoing has become so strong that he believes that some of the theater chains that had to permanently shut their doors “deserved” such a fate, if his comments on the matter are any indication. “I never like any theater closing, but some of these exhibitors that are going, they f***ing deserve to go. They’ve taken all the specialness out of movies anyway, some of these chains,” Tarantino told Shepard, explaining that he doesn’t believe a movie theater should “recreate my living room.”",[25,7620,7621],{},"When discussing boutique cinemas, smaller theaters that have more approachable staff members and allow for a more personalized film-watching experience, Tarantino suggests that such venues might be able to survive an increasingly changing cinematic landscape, even as theaters find themselves having to adapt to a business that has forever been changed by the pandemic. “I am not talking about the La-Z-Boy, order nachos and margaritas,” Tarantino states. “I actually like the Alamo Drafthouse a lot, but I have a living room. I want to go to the theater.”",[25,7623,7624],{},"As these quotes clearly demonstrate, Tarantino is not one to hold back his words when it comes to expressing his viewpoints on a particular cinematic subject. Although there’s a very strong chance that many of his claims will likely not sit well with various individuals, especially those who work for the venues that had to permanently shut down, his love for cinema and determination to keep the cinematic experience as authentic as possible are unquestionable. With both the New Beverly and Vista theaters under his management, Tarantino’s quest to keep the theatrical experience alive and thriving to the best possible degree continues on. Whether or not he will try to buy even more theaters (which, given how many are still struggling, is not entirely out of the question) is not yet known, but either way, as controversial as he can be, Tarantino’s status as a champion of film and theater preservation is quite worthy of commendation.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7626},[],"2021-07-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fquentin-tarantino-purchases-vista-theater-an-historic-los-angeles-venue",{"title":7589,"description":194},"quentin-tarantino-purchases-vista-theater-an-historic-los-angeles-venue","blog\u002Fquentin-tarantino-purchases-vista-theater-an-historic-los-angeles-venue","Efb6ckwojDYlVwKe3Lpjgvme4uLd5YJBHnf_FcLYLig",{"id":7635,"title":7636,"body":7637,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7665,"description":5604,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7666,"navigation":71,"path":7667,"seo":7668,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7669,"stem":7670,"__hash__":7671},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ff9-enters-united-states-theaters-brings-industry-one-step-closer-to-a-comeback.md","“F9” Enters United States Theaters, Brings Industry One Step Closer to a Comeback",{"type":22,"value":7638,"toc":7663},[7639,7645,7648,7651,7654,7657,7660],[25,7640,236,7641],{},[47,7642,2023],{"href":7643,"rel":7644},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Farticle\u002Fed158336004\u002F?ref_=bo_hm_hp",[51],[25,7646,7647],{},"Recovering from a global pandemic is rarely an easy task, especially when an industry is as big as the business of theatrically released films, but that has not stopped Hollywood from attempting such a comeback. Throughout 2021, less than a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several major studios have slowly started to bring their most high-profile productions back to the big screen, and while the results so far may not be quite as respectable as they might be in a world where the Coronavirus was a non-issue, the success of certain films has created the impression that most moviegoers are ready to return to theaters. Among the first of such films was the Warner Brothers’ monster mash-up “Godzilla vs. Kong”, which took in over $30 million during its opening weekend and would soon go on to be the earliest released film to cross the $100 million mark domestically. A few months later, during Memorial Day weekend, Paramount’s horror sequel “A Quiet Place Part II” was even more lucrative, making over $50 during the holiday weekend and soon becoming the highest-grossing film in the United States so far. Most recently however, Universal took its own gamble when bringing one of its blockbusters exclusively to theaters, and if the most recent box office is any indication, the gamble seems to be paying off quite well.",[25,7649,7650],{},"Released on June 25th, “F9”, the most recent installment of Universal’s highly successful “Fast and the Furious” franchise, opened to a total of around $70 million over the three-day weekend period. This is more than enough to allow the film to have the highest-grossing opening weekend so far in the year 2021, surpassing the total “A Quiet Place Part II” made over a similar amount of time by over $20 million. It’s also the largest amount that any film has made over its opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” all the way back in December of 2019 (a time span ranging just over an entire year-and-a-half). Admittedly, the revenue “F9” received over the weekend is slightly lower than what the franchise’s previous official installment, “The Fate of the Furious” made when it first opened in 2017 (approximately $99 million), but that film didn’t have to contend with a global pandemic, so a lower opening weekend total for “F9” is by no means a disappointment for Universal. In fact, the film making more than what franchise spin-off “Hobbs and Shaw” earned back in 2019 before the pandemic (around $60 million) proves just how much there is a demand for this series.",[25,7652,7653],{},"Of course, anyone who had been paying attention to  the performance of “F9” before coming out in the United States should not be the least bit surprised by how well it’s doing domestically so far. The film had already been released in a total of eight international markets, including China and South Korea, first premiering last month on May 19th. Over the course of the initial five-day period of its release, the film debuted to $163 million from ticket sales in these eight countries, giving it not only the largest international opening for any blockbuster since the beginning of the pandemic, but also the second largest international opening of any film released during the month of May, trailing only 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” (which had the advantage of being released in over thirty countries upon its premiere, making the achievement of “F9” all the more impressive.”",[25,7655,7656],{},"Speaking of Marvel superhero movies, the next test for the American box office (as well as the worldwide box office in general) will come on July 9th with the release of the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Widow”. Although not the first film Disney has released in theaters this year (with the animated “Raya and the Last Dragon” and the live-action re-imagining “Cruella” coming out several months prior), it is easily the film that Disney is banking on the most when it comes to bringing in audiences and millions in ticket revenue. With the film being the latest chapter in what has become the most successful film franchise of all time, there’s most likely a huge audience waiting eagerly to see the film and find out where the overall narrative the MCU has constructed will be going from here. If there is one thing that could keep “Black Widow” from receiving the largest opening weekend box office though, it would most likely be its simultaneous release on Disney+ (not unlike the aforementioned “Raya” and “Cruella”). Although the $30 surcharge may be too steep for some to watch through streaming, there’s still a good chance that the film being available for in-home viewing may prevent the film from reaching its highest ticket revenue possible. Still, with industry analysts currently predicting an opening weekend anywhere between $60-95 million, there doesn’t seem to be much worry about how “Black Widow” will do when it comes out on July 9th.",[25,7658,7659],{},"In the meantime though, apart from a handful of small releases, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of “F9” in its mission to dominate the box office for at least the next few weeks. As impressive as its opening weekend is however, there are some factors that could keep it from having a long shelf life when it comes to its theatrical exhibition. For one thing, the film’s critical reaction has been relatively mixed, as evidenced by a 59% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Cinemascore has given the film a B+ rating, a decent score, but not one that is usually associated with admirable long-term performance. Then there’s the matter of how it performed during its second week at the international box office, which saw “F9” take in over 80% less than what it received during its opening week. There’s no guarantee that the film will see a similar tumble during its second week at the domestic box office (especially with so little competition), but when taking all of these factors into consideration, it’s understandable for there to be some concern.",[25,7661,7662],{},"Still, if there’s one thing not to be concerned about, it’s the box office as a whole. Between the success of “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “A Quiet Place Part II”, and now “F9”, the big summer blockbuster is only getting closer and closer to a comeback, and with “Black Widow” and several other films on the verge of their debut, that comeback is all but inevitable.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7664},[],"2021-07-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ff9-enters-united-states-theaters-brings-industry-one-step-closer-to-a-comeback",{"title":7636,"description":5604},"f9-enters-united-states-theaters-brings-industry-one-step-closer-to-a-comeback","blog\u002Ff9-enters-united-states-theaters-brings-industry-one-step-closer-to-a-comeback","pXVKU5_K1JDfKk4g7srkmkiZ5Upi0Rru4tJuIQyVoEs",{"id":7673,"title":7674,"body":7675,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7710,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7711,"navigation":71,"path":7712,"seo":7713,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7714,"stem":7715,"__hash__":7716},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famblin-going-to-streaming-steven-spielberg-and-netflix-join-forces.md","Amblin Going to Streaming: Steven Spielberg and Netflix Join Forces",{"type":22,"value":7676,"toc":7708},[7677,7683,7686,7689,7692,7695,7698,7705],[25,7678,236,7679],{},[47,7680,538],{"href":7681,"rel":7682},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F06\u002Fsteven-spielberg-amblin-netflix-partnership-movies-the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-bradley-cooper-the-maestro-1234778665\u002F",[51],[25,7684,7685],{},"Even for those who aren’t as interested and knowledgeable of the film industry and the various individuals that are a part of it, there’s little chance that the name Steven Spielberg won’t immediately be recognizable. Considered by many to be one of the biggest names in the history of cinema, Spielberg’s decades-long history as a director has resulted in some of the most iconic films in popular culture, from all-time classics like “Jaws” and “E.T.” to more recent works like “Ready Player One” and the upcoming “West Side Story”. Even when he isn’t in the director’s chair, his magic touch has left its impact, as his production company Amblin has brought forth the creation of several other beloved films such as the “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” franchises. If there is anybody whose involvement can guarantee that a film will be of at least admirable quality, it’s certainly Steven Spielberg.",[25,7687,7688],{},"Being a major contributor to how theatrically released films are viewed in the modern day, it should be no surprise that Spielberg has previously expressed his thoughts on the rise of streaming services and their influence on the art of cinema. Although some have argued that his words were taken out of context, Spielberg is said to have encouraged the distinction between theatrical films and streaming films, claiming that each form of distribution should have its own unique method\u002Fstyle of production in order to differentiate both forms and make it clear which is best suited for a given feature film. That line may be starting to blur for Spielberg, however, as a recent announcement may give Spielberg and his company greater involvement in the streaming than many would’ve expected.",[25,7690,7691],{},"On Monday, June 21st, Amblin Partners, for which Spielberg was a founder and still serves as its chairman, revealed that it was forming a partnership with Netflix, the company currently standing as the world’s most prominent streaming business. The announcement serves as yet another effort by the streaming giant to show itself off as a major force in filmmaking, one that has made it its mission to weaken the line between theatrical films and streaming films. For Netflix heads Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber, collaborating with Spielberg will give them yet another useful asset to further maintain their presence in the film industry. For Spielberg, the agreement suggests that his desire to separate theatrical films from streaming films may not be as strong as it once was.",[25,7693,7694],{},"It should be noted that Amblin’s partnership with Netflix does not completely nullify its current deal with long-time partner Universal Pictures. In fact, both Amblin and Universal were able to renew their relationship last December, meaning that Universal will still be given distribution rights to a handful of Amblin’s major theatrical releases. However, with Netflix now being more directly involved in the production of Amblin’s films, there’s no longer a guarantee that Universal will be the first studio that will be considered to acquire whichever property, old or new, will receive the cinematic treatment. With Amblin being expected to produce several more features over the next couple years, Universal and Netflix may need to compete for the distribution rights of these new films. While Universal might be more successful when it comes to distributing some of the bigger profile films produced by Amblin, Netflix could very well have the advantage when it comes to acquiring a larger number of films, most of which will have significantly lower budgets than the more blockbuster-like productions.",[25,7696,7697],{},"This would not be the first time Netflix stepped up to provide distribution for films produced by Amblin. For example, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, one of last year’s Best Picture nominees from director Aaron Sorkin, was originally intended for theatrical release in 2020 with distribution by Paramount Pictures. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it unfeasible for Paramount to release the film theatrically, a deal was struck that allowed Netflix to take over as the film’s primary distributor and release the film onto its streaming service later that year. A similar arrangement was made with the upcoming Bradley Cooper vehicle “Maestro”, a biopic about revered film composer Leonard Bernstein, which is currently in pre-production and receiving finance and distribution from Netflix.",[25,7699,7700,7701,7704],{},"“At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways,” Spielberg claims in his announcement of Amblin and Netflix’s new partnership. “This new avenue for our films, alongside the stories we continue to tell with our longtime family at Universal and our other partners, will be incredibly fulfilling for me personally since we get to embark on it together with Ted ",[364,7702,7703],{},"Sarandos",", and I can’t wait to get started with him, Scott, and the entire Netflix team.” Sarandos, CEO and chief content officer of Netflix, expressed similar sentiments upon the announcement of his company’s collaboration with Amblin, citing Spielberg’s talent as a visionary creator whose stories and characters played a major role in his life. “We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team,” Sarandos states, “and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven’s cinematic history.”",[25,7706,7707],{},"The idea of one of the most famous figures of the theatrical film scene getting more involved in making films meant for streaming may come across as blasphemous to some, but to others, this could be simply an acknowledgement of how much has changed over the past couple years. Between the rise of streaming services and the negative impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry as a whole, it has become necessary for studios to make permanent changes to how they do business. Amblin and Netflix joining forces could very well be one of those permanent changes. The former’s deal with Universal does prove that releasing films theatrically isn’t a thing of the past yet, but no longer is it a guarantee for anything Amblin plans to make in the future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7709},[],"2021-06-25",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famblin-going-to-streaming-steven-spielberg-and-netflix-join-forces",{"title":7674,"description":557},"amblin-going-to-streaming-steven-spielberg-and-netflix-join-forces","blog\u002Famblin-going-to-streaming-steven-spielberg-and-netflix-join-forces","I8cGepmdsCCK-2Q9F2R2Gp8TSY2FAXbp_1xd5rJY-x0",{"id":7718,"title":7719,"body":7720,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7776,"description":7777,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7778,"navigation":71,"path":7779,"seo":7780,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7781,"stem":7782,"__hash__":7783},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-finest-fathers-of-film-a-look-at-our-favorite-cinematic-dads.md","The Finest Fathers of Film: A Look at Our Favorite Cinematic Dads",{"type":22,"value":7721,"toc":7774},[7722,7729,7732,7739,7746,7753,7760,7767],[25,7723,236,7724],{},[47,7725,7728],{"href":7726,"rel":7727},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Femurunnerfilm\u002Fphotos\u002Fthe-deadly-mr-wayne-blair-who-plays-jay-jay-in-the-film-photo-by-michael-gibbsdv\u002F608547609717074\u002F",[51],"Facebook",[25,7730,7731],{},"Sunday, June 20th will mark the 111st celebration of the holiday known throughout the nation as Father’s Day. From its first commemoration back in the year 1910, Father’s Day has come each and every third Sunday of June and allowed people all over the country to pay tribute to the fathers and father figures that have raised them. Although nothing can compare to the real-life people that have taken up such a mantle (either by biological, adoptive, or other means), there’s still something to appreciate about the paternal characters who have graced the silver screen and even served as a major inspiration for countless individuals. Throughout the decades, film has given us a wide variety of characters that, even if they are not technically fathers themselves, have nonetheless demonstrated the behaviors and values that many would want to find in the ideal father figure. Though there are far too many admirable father figures in cinema to count, we’ve nonetheless found a way to determine which are the ones that we enjoy most. Without further ado, here are some of our favorite fathers\u002Ffather figures of film:",[25,7733,7734,7735,7738],{},"Jay Jay Daniels - ",[486,7736,7737],{},"Emu Runner"," (2018): being a father is rarely an easy task, but in the case of Jay Jay, the patriarch of the Daniels family, it’s certainly much more difficult than most fathers are used to. Having to contend with both the passing of his wife and his status as an indigenous Ngemba person living in modern-day Australia, Jay Jay’s ability to raise his two daughters Gemma and Valerie is frequently put to the test, especially when social services and the local government begin to call his suitability as a parent into question. Though Jay Jay may not be a perfect dad, there’s never a doubt that he doesn’t truly love his family, and in no small part due to a fantastic performance from actor Wayne Blair, Jay Jay is able to effectively prove his worth as a realistic, but still respectable father.",[25,7740,7741,7742,7745],{},"Atticus Finch - ",[486,7743,7744],{},"To Kill a Mockingbird"," (1962): when a child refers to their parent by their first name rather than a more respectful alias such as “mother” or “dad”, one might be led to think that there is a lack of respect coming from the child. This could not be more false in the case of Atticus Finch; by permitting his young daughter Scout to call him “Atticus”, this Southern-born lawyer makes a dedicated effort to ensure that both he and his daughter see each other as equals. This allows the life lessons he teaches to his child to sink in with greater weight and meaning, whether he’s directly informing Scout about the importance of a good education or indirectly showing her why one must be willing to do the right thing even when the whole world seems to be working against you. Stern and steadfast, but still full of empathy whenever necessary, Atticus Finch continues to shine as one of cinema’s most admirable father figures.",[25,7747,7748,7749,7752],{},"Don Vito Corleone - ",[486,7750,7751],{},"The Godfather"," (1972): as the highest authority of New York City’s Italian mafia (appropriately referred to as “the family”), Don Corleone can easily be accused of a great number of crimes, but one thing that he can’t be accused of is being a comforting and supportive father. Although Vito holds his criminal organization at a high standard, it’s his true family that he personally considers that which he values most. This is most evident in his relationship with his son Michael, who had served as a Marine during World War II and was this close to making a name for himself that wasn’t brought down by the chains of “the family”. Michael being forced to become next in line for the title of Godfather following the murder of his older brother Sonny comes with much chagrin for Vito, proving just how proud he was of his son’s accomplishments and the life he could’ve had outside “the family”.",[25,7754,7755,7756,7759],{},"H.I. McDunnough - ",[486,7757,7758],{},"Raising Arizona"," (1987): at first glance, McDunnough (played by Nicolas Cage in one of his most noteworthy early roles) seems like the last person one would expect to be capable of being a halfway-decent parent. A former convict who gets involved in the kidnapping of a furniture magnate’s infant son, H.I. 's initial looks and actions make him out to be one of the last people who should ever take care of a very young child. However, as the film progresses, the time he spends with the baby Nathan Arizona, Jr. results in a change for the better in the increasingly protective H.I.. Whether he’s going to great lengths to get a bundle of diapers or defending the young child from the dangerous threat he calls the “warthog from hell”, H.I. proves that it’s never too late to become a good dad.",[25,7761,7762,7763,7766],{},"Guido Orefice - ",[486,7764,7765],{},"Life is Beautiful"," (1997): the Holocaust is a tragic period of time that no person should have ever lived through, especially when that person is far too young to understand what is going on. This is the dilemma Guido faces when he and his son Giosuè are forced into a concentration camp where death lurks around every corner. Not wanting to cause his son more distress than he can bear, Guido attempts to pass their situation off as a game, instructing him in the various ways to “play” in order to stay alive for as long as possible. Although the charade can only go on for so long, especially as Guido is executed near the end of the film, the lengths he goes to in order to keep Giosuè as upbeat and unaware as possible are nonetheless incredibly admirable, and though he cannot live to see it, Giosuè ultimately surviving the experience cements Guido’s success as a respectable father.",[25,7768,7769,7770,7773],{},"Mac MacGuff - ",[486,7771,7772],{},"Juno"," (2007): a good father does not necessarily have to be a conventional father, and one needs no further proof of that than J.K. Simmons’ surprisingly nonchalant character in this iconic 2000s comedy. When his daughter Juno tells him and his wife that she is pregnant, his reaction is full of significantly less outrage than one might expect from a father in a similar situation. Instead, he responds to the whole ordeal as casually and reasonably as possible, listening to what his daughter is telling him and keeping an open mind as to what Juno wants to do with this unexpected pregnancy. Mac’s reactions and behaviors may be out of the ordinary for a father whose teenage daughter has become pregnant, but considering just how well he handles the situation, perhaps more fathers should strive to be someone as understanding and supportive as he is.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7775},[],"2021-06-19","Source: Facebook",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-finest-fathers-of-film-a-look-at-our-favorite-cinematic-dads",{"title":7719,"description":7777},"the-finest-fathers-of-film-a-look-at-our-favorite-cinematic-dads","blog\u002Fthe-finest-fathers-of-film-a-look-at-our-favorite-cinematic-dads","GjWVEdtz_WJLJQ5S7WMPBKiO436X1NJGwFutjXK5ctk",{"id":7785,"title":7786,"body":7787,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7818,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7819,"navigation":71,"path":7820,"seo":7821,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7822,"stem":7823,"__hash__":7824},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-set-to-return-with-an-impressive-cinematic-line-up.md","Cannes Film Festival Set to Return With an Impressive Cinematic Line-Up",{"type":22,"value":7788,"toc":7816},[7789,7795,7798,7801,7804,7807,7810,7813],[25,7790,236,7791],{},[47,7792,391],{"href":7793,"rel":7794},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fcannes-film-festival-2021-lineup-1234986728\u002F",[51],[25,7796,7797],{},"The upcoming Cannes Film Festival, generally revered as one of the most prestigious festivals of international film festivals, may be happening a bit later in the year in comparison to previous festivals, set to take place between July 6th and July 17th of this year (as opposed to being scheduled during May as usual), but as the saying goes, better late than never. That could not be more true when compared to last year’s festival (or lack thereof); as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that had forced much of the world to a standstill, many major cinematic events had to be either postponed or cancelled altogether, with the latter being the case for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. However, with the world starting to recover from the pandemic, many institutions have become more comfortable with announcing the return of their many highly anticipated events. The Cannes Film Festival is no exception, and on June 3rd, the selection of films that would be screened over the course of the twelve-day event was announced.",[25,7799,7800],{},"One major question many analysts had before Cannes made its announcement was whether or not any of the films that were previously scheduled for the 2020 festival would be included as part of the 2021 event. For the most part, the answer is a resounding “yes”, with many of the previously scheduled films being included with the sixty-two other cinematic endeavors that will screen in and out of competition during the upcoming festival. Of these, twenty-four are expected to compete for the festival’s many prizes, the most honorable being the festival’s award for Best Picture, the Palme d’Or.",[25,7802,7803],{},"Looking at the list of films competing against one another and the people directing and producing them, one is likely to find at least one or two familiar names. Among the most notable American filmmakers whose works will vie for the festival’s top honors are Wes Anderson of “Isle of Dogs” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” fame for “The French Dispatch” (one of many films originally planned for a premiere at the 2020 festival), Academy Award winning actor-turned-director Sean Penn for “Flag Day”, and “The Florida Project” director Sean Baker for “Red Rocket”. As skilled and experienced all these filmmakers are, they will have to overcome some stiff competition from overseas if they seek to be named among the festival’s winners. Of these non-American productions, Leos Carax’ “Annette” from France (which is currently set to open the festival), Paul Verhoeven’s “Bendetta” from the Netherlands, Asghar Fahadi’s “A Hero” from Iran, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” from Thailand are said to be major contenders that should not go overlooked by festival judges.",[25,7805,7806],{},"Even among films that won’t directly compete for the Palme d’Or and the various other prizes handed out at Cannes, there are still expected to be a satisfactory number of titles that will entertain audiences and perhaps even demonstrate noticeable relevance to the current events still taking place throughout the world. This was implied when Thierry Frémaux, the general delegate and artistic director of the festival, first unveiled the line-up of films alongside festival president Pierre Lescure, both of whom appeared to be very enthusiastic about the upcoming film festival. “Cinema is not dead, and the return of audiences to movie theaters around the world was the first good news,” Frémaux claims during the line-up’s announcement, “and the festival will be the second good news.”",[25,7808,7809],{},"When deciding on which films to include throughout the duration of the festival, Frémaux emphasized the need to showcase a “very international” selection that best reflected the wide array of peoples and cultures throughout the globe. Doing so was far from an easy task, especially when it came to the factors that had to be taken into consideration when choosing and arranging the right films, some of which included ongoing discussions with international filmmakers and the continued presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which still proves to be a major concern due to recent spikes in cases in certain countries as well as the emergence of new virus variants. Despite these concerns, festival organizers were still able to narrow the 2,300 films submitted for the event down to a much smaller handful, and even with there only being so much room for a limited number of films, the selection does fortunately reflect this strive for international representation. Among the biggest surprises when it comes to films that will not only screen at Cannes, but compete as well, are “Nitram” from Australia’s Justin Kurzel, “Casablanca Beats” from Nabil Ayouch of Morocco, and “Lingui,” from Chad-born director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.",[25,7811,7812],{},"With the pandemic still posing a threat to the festival and the people who attend it, precautionary mandates have been put into place in order to keep the event as safe as possible. Wearing masks, for example, may not be a necessity for those walking on the red carpet outdoors, but it will be required for those who seek to attend any one of the major indoor screenings that will be held throughout the majority of the festival. What may not be required, however, is the limitation of maximum auditorium capacity; if things go as currently planned, then the government of France will begin full reopening and lift audience capacity guidelines for any of the nation’s cultural venues, including movie theaters.",[25,7814,7815],{},"On top of everything else, Frémaux implied that one title that was not yet announced would be a major blockbuster premiere that would serve as the festival closer. That film was revealed on June 7th as “F9”, the latest entry in the “Fast and the Furious” series, and while some may find its inclusion to be a bit questionable (especially since this film has already premiered in several markets already), others are perfectly fine with its presence. After all, in light of everything that had happened over the previous year, it makes perfect sense for an event symbolizing the return of cinema to go out with a bang (and maybe a few more explosions here and there).",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7817},[],"2021-06-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-set-to-return-with-an-impressive-cinematic-line-up",{"title":7786,"description":194},"cannes-film-festival-set-to-return-with-an-impressive-cinematic-line-up","blog\u002Fcannes-film-festival-set-to-return-with-an-impressive-cinematic-line-up","y8V-euQVXTEsMZdjNC3mOZ-3xpoKQkyRY6IS2Cs3tBo",{"id":7826,"title":7827,"body":7828,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7862,"description":5604,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7863,"navigation":71,"path":7864,"seo":7865,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7866,"stem":7867,"__hash__":7868},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbox-office-passes-100-million-total-gross-over-holiday-weekend-first-time-in-months.md","Box Office Passes $100 Million Total Gross Over Holiday Weekend, First Time in Months",{"type":22,"value":7829,"toc":7860},[7830,7836,7839,7842,7845,7848,7851,7854,7857],[25,7831,236,7832],{},[47,7833,2023],{"href":7834,"rel":7835},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Farticle\u002Fed1450181636\u002F?ref_=bo_hm_hp",[51],[25,7837,7838],{},"Although Memorial Day weekend has long been revered as a crucial period of the year when it comes to the film industry and its anticipation of abundant box office revenue, this most recent one might have been the most important in years. With a grand majority of movie theaters closed throughout most of last year (including the previous Memorial Day weekend) as a result of the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has only been recently that the business has been able to safely start making a full recovery. Although the amount of product had been limited when theaters began to reopen (albeit with the enforcement of strict anti-COVID measures), major studios have gradually become more willing to start providing theaters with their work.",[25,7840,7841],{},"While the availability of many of these films on streaming platforms like Disney+ and HBO Max has been worrying for theaters, fearing that audiences will prefer in-home viewing to the theatrical experience, this has proven to be not quite as big of a concern as was previously anticipated. Despite being available to stream, films like “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Godzilla vs Kong” have so far received surprising strong runs at the box office; their grosses would most likely be much higher under normal circumstances, but because the pandemic still remains, revenue that might otherwise be seen as underwhelming has instead been viewed with great enthusiasm.",[25,7843,7844],{},"However, none of what has been seen so far can compare to the overwhelming success of this last Memorial Day weekend, the first in well over a year where the total domestic box office gross has surpassed $100 million. Although a normal (or at least favorable) situation would result in one single film making over $100 million over the Memorial Day weekend, the fact that even the most optimistic of expectations were exceeded with the total revenue received is more than enough for analysts and industry experts to celebrate the coming comeback of American cinema. Many have pointed to the decision of not one, but two major studios to release a big-budget release over the holiday weekend as a sign of confidence that the industry is slowly getting back into business, but the results of both films’ performance can only strengthen such a hopeful outlook of the future.",[25,7846,7847],{},"Of the two big releases of the past Memorial Day weekend, it was Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” that shined as the ultimate victor, not just for the past four days, but arguably for any film released during the pandemic. Having earned a total of $58.5 million over the period between Friday and Monday ($48.4 million excluding Monday), the film has received the largest opening weekend of any film released since the beginning of the pandemic, soaring past the previous holder of the title, Warner Brothers’ “Godzilla vs Kong” by over $20 million. The total is even more impressive when one considers the performance of the original film, as “A Quiet Place” earned just over $50 million when it came out back in 2018. Because that film was released during a time when the idea of a global epidemic was hardly on anyone’s minds during that time, the sequel’s overperformance comes across even more remarkable, with not even the limitations of auditorium maximum capacity being enough to prevent the film from being able to outdo its predecessor. Considering the largely positive reception it has received from critics and audiences (as indicated by a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” score on Cinemascore), there’s a strong chance that the fortunes of “A Quiet Place Part II” will only grow over the course of the next couple weeks.",[25,7849,7850],{},"Coming in right behind was “Cruella”, Disney’s live-action villain-centered prequel to its animated classic “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”. Although the film was not able to make even half as much over the four-day weekend as its competition, its performance has been deemed to be more impressive than expected, ranking in around $26.5 million between Friday and Monday ($21.3 million excluding Monday). It’s worth noting that the film was simultaneously made available on Disney+ for a $30 fee at the exact same time it came out in theaters, meaning that the overall revenue the film made over the weekend is likely much greater than what is being reported from the box office, perhaps even greater than what “A Quiet Place Part II” was able to receive from ticket sales alone.",[25,7852,7853],{},"If Memorial Day weekend is still seen as the beginning of the summer movie season, then the exceptional results of this most recent holiday weekend should be a sign that a string of similar successes will most likely appear over the course of the next few months. With what has been announced so far, there does seem to be a decent variety of big-budget blockbusters that the industry hopes will drive ticket sales to respectable levels (or at least as respectable as they can be given that the COVID-19 has not yet been announced to be officially over), with such films as Warner Brothers’ musical “In the Heights”, Universal’s action-adventure “F9” (which is already doing incredible business overseas), and Disney\u002FMarvel’s superhero epic “Black Widow” being among those most highly anticipated by an eager movie-going public.",[25,7855,7856],{},"If there is one sign that success isn’t entirely guaranteed, it would have to be the massive drop in revenue for “F9” and its overseas totals when compared to the previous weekend. Earning only $20.8 million as opposed to the $136 million earned last weekend, the film was subjected to a drop of over 85%, a percentage much greater than what is often desired by major studios. Still, Universal doesn’t seem to be too concerned with this drop-off, especially considering the skyrocketing of sales that the film will most certainly receive when released in the United States at the end of June.",[25,7858,7859],{},"If things go as well as planned, “F9” will join “A Quiet Place Part II” and countless others as the films that contributed to the revival of the American box office.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7861},[],"2021-06-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbox-office-passes-100-million-total-gross-over-holiday-weekend-first-time-in-months",{"title":7827,"description":5604},"box-office-passes-100-million-total-gross-over-holiday-weekend-first-time-in-months","blog\u002Fbox-office-passes-100-million-total-gross-over-holiday-weekend-first-time-in-months","HMD8_25LImSAIdH8Iley-2pKFdkzJOpCRYsyRYMfb4c",{"id":7870,"title":7871,"body":7872,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":7929,"description":7930,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7931,"navigation":71,"path":7932,"seo":7933,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7934,"stem":7935,"__hash__":7936},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-animal-hero-kids-foundation-prio.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation announces collaboration with Animal Hero Kids Foundation prior to the release of the new Australian film, Emu Runner.",{"type":22,"value":7873,"toc":7927},[7874,7890,7898,7901,7904,7907,7910,7916,7919,7921],[25,7875,7876,7877,7889],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with Animal Hero Kids, a kindness education youth empowerment charity (AHK) prior to the theatrical release of the award-winning Feature Film ",[486,7878,7879,7880,7888],{},"Emu Runner ",[486,7881,7882,7883],{},"(",[47,7884,7887],{"href":7885,"rel":7886},"http:\u002F\u002Femurunner.com\u002F",[51],"emurunner.com",")."," with the support of AHK WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the upcoming U.S. release of the Film, introducing American audiences to this unique family story and to further educate people about the significance of healing through a mutually positive interaction with animals.",[25,7891,7892,7894,7895,7897],{},[486,7893,7737],{}," is a heartwarming story about an eight-year-old girl who forges a bond with a wild emu as a way to cope with the grief of losing her mother unexpectedly. In addition to reinforcing the special way other animals can help humans manage heartache and loneliness, the story also delves into the modern day complexities of race and social disparities within a community of Indigenous peoples, and is one of the only internationally distributed family films produced in recent times to highlight the difficulties of the Aboriginal experience. ",[486,7896,7737],{}," offers viewers a glimpse into the life of a community underrepresented around the world, at a time when unity and understanding are needed more than ever.",[25,7899,7900],{},"“As we prepare for the national release of this family film, we’re very grateful to organizations and groups such as the prestigious AHK for their kind support in spreading the word about the upcoming release of the film” stated Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO of WWMPC.",[25,7902,7903],{},"Animal Hero Kids goals are hailed by luminaries such as Academy Award Winner Joaquin Phoenix and Sir Paul McCartney. The organization has also received praise from former First Lady Michelle Obama who stated “…I thank you and all those who work with you for engaging in the importance of true citizenship…for all that you do in your community, for daring to innovate, for dreaming big, and for finding ways to create a better, kinder tomorrow.”",[25,7905,7906],{},"Animal Hero Kids founder, Susan Hargreaves has been equipping youth with the knowledge to aid all species since 1980. Animal Hero Kids inc. fosters empathy and kindness in children and teens by encouraging and recognizing compassionate and courageous acts that help all species of animals; and offering complimentary, interactive, humane education programs highlighting stories of the rescue and aid of animals in need.",[25,7908,7909],{},"“The cinematic portrayal of mutually, positive relationships with other animals, including a non-exploitive connection are vital to move the public conversation forward to consider all species. We at Animal Hero Kids are cheering for a film like Emu Runner that depicts a sense of caring at this level.” stated Susan Hargreaves, Founder of AHK.",[25,7911,7912,7913,7915],{},"Winner of “Best Australian Independent Film” at a recent Gold Coast Film Festival (Australia), ",[486,7914,7737],{}," has garnered multiple festival nominations and accolades from around the world and has been showcased at festivals in the UK, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. Nominated for",[25,7917,7918],{},"“Best Independent Film” by the esteemed Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts, the Film also received award nominations from the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and the Zlin Children’s Film Festival (Czech Republic).",[25,7920,7461],{},[25,7922,45,7923,7467],{},[47,7924,52],{"href":7925,"rel":7926},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.wwmpc.com\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7928},[],"2021-06-08","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with Animal Hero Kids, a kindness education youth empowerment charity (AHK) prior to the theatrical release of the award-winning Feature Film Emu Runner (emurunner.com). with the support of AHK WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the upcoming U.S. release of the Film, introducing American audiences to this unique family story and to further educate people about the significance of healing through a mutually positive interaction with animals.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-animal-hero-kids-foundation-prio",{"title":7871,"description":7930},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-animal-hero-kids-foundation-prio","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-animal-hero-kids-foundation-prio","9o3bJEO2ON3Yxhl8h5sKp3CRrtoX43qvvbUengwOtuY",{"id":7938,"title":7939,"body":7940,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":7982,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":7983,"navigation":71,"path":7984,"seo":7985,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":7986,"stem":7987,"__hash__":7988},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-media-and-discovery-agree-to-combine-the-latest-of-entertainment-company-mergers.md","Warner Media and Discovery Agree to Combine, the Latest of Entertainment Company Mergers",{"type":22,"value":7941,"toc":7980},[7942,7948,7951,7954,7961,7968,7971,7974,7977],[25,7943,236,7944],{},[47,7945,538],{"href":7946,"rel":7947},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F05\u002Fatt-discovery-merge-entertainment-assets-create-new-company-1234758218\u002F",[51],[25,7949,7950],{},"Throughout the past couple decades, buyouts and mergers of major entertainment corporations have become increasingly common, resulting in many of the world’s biggest media empires growing even larger than they previously were. The early 2010s saw Comcast acquire a majority stake in NBC\u002FUniversal, and in the year 2019, the Walt Disney Company completed its purchase of the film studio 20th Century Fox. Then there is WarnerMedia (formerly called Time Warner), the entertainment conglomerate that owns such industry giants as the Warner Brothers movie studio and the Turner television channels (which include the likes of CNN and TNT). In 2018, the entire company was sold to cable giant AT&T, effectively making it one of the most powerful forces in the entertainment industry. One would think that such companies would recognize their limits and be able to stop themselves from becoming too big to fail, but in a world where even the largest of industry giants must find new ways to strengthen their hold on the market these types of mergers will occur. This idea was only further reinforced with the most recent announcement from one of these giants, an announcement to merge with another entertainment company and further increase its media footprint.",[25,7952,7953],{},"On Monday, May 17th, 2021, AT&T released a statement claiming that it had made an agreement with Discovery, the owner of such television stations as the Food Network, HGTV, and TLC, to combine the company with its own WarnerMedia, cementing the documentary focused corporation’s status as merely another component of the conglomerate’s already massive entertainment division. The merger has been described by many as the perfect union of fictional and nonfictional content; under this new agreement, Discovery’s nonfictional programming and WarnerMedia’s fictional intellectual properties would fall under one umbrella, and while a new name has yet to be announced (if there will be any at all), industry analysts expect such a name to more accurately reflect this new mixture of iconic Warner-owned IPs and Discovery-owned programs.",[25,7955,7956,7957,7960],{},"“This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” AT&T CEO John Staneky claims in the statement released by the company to announce the upcoming merger. “It will support the fantastic growth and international launch of ",[364,7958,7959],{},"AT&T owned streaming platform"," HBO Max with Discovery’s global footprint and create efficiencies which can be re-invested in producing more great content to give consumers what they want.”",[25,7962,7963,7964,7967],{},"Current Discovery CEO David Zaslav is expected to serve as the driving force of this new entertainment division. Although current WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar will remain in his position until the merger is fully completed (an event not expected to occur until mid-2022 at the earliest), Zaslav released a personal statement reflecting his enthusiasm of the upcoming corporate amalgamation. “During my many conversations with ",[364,7965,7966],{},"AT&T CEO John Staneky",", we always come back to the same simple and powerful strategic principle,” Zaslav claims, “these assets are better and more valuable together.  It is super exciting to combine such historic brands, world class journalism and iconic franchises under one roof and unlock so much value and opportunity,”",[25,7969,7970],{},"The upcoming merger is said to be an all-stock transaction, with Discovery receiving a 29% stake in the company while AT&T will acquire the remaining 71%. AT&T will also be given around $43 billion as a result of the purchase, much of it consisting of cash payouts, debt security, and retention of current WarnerMedia debt. In addition, a new Board of Directors is planned to oversee the direction in which this company is taken, one consisting of thirteen members consisting of seven appointed by WarnerMedia (including the Chairperson of the Board) and six appointed by Discovery (with Zaslav serving as one of these six). It is currently unknown exactly how the new acquisition of Discovery content will affect what is already being produced by WarnerMedia, but Zaslav is hopeful that having both media families under this new company’s oversight will prove to be of great benefit.",[25,7972,7973],{},"“With a library of cherished IP, dynamite management teams and global expertise in every market in the world, we believe everyone wins,” Zaslav claims in his statement, “consumers with more diverse choices, talent and storytellers with more resources and compelling pathways to larger audiences, and shareholders with a globally scaled growth company committed to a strong balance sheet that is better positioned to compete with the world’s largest streamers.”",[25,7975,7976],{},"Still, not everyone is as excited about the prospects of WarnerMedia merging with Discovery as Zaslav is. With this being yet another in a long line of major corporate amalgamations, the number of individual companies that possess a significant stake in the entertainment industry is getting smaller and smaller, making it harder to independent businesses to compete without having to align themselves with a larger brand name. Many analysts have expressed their concern that the reduced number of economic competitors is steering the industry as a whole closer to full monopolization, and unless there is direct intervention from the federal government (of which there has been no announcement as of yet), hardly anything stands in the way of the media landscape moving further in this direction.",[25,7978,7979],{},"Despite this however, the current state of the global economy has only further reinforced this mentality and the need for large corporations to get larger, meaning that WarnerMedia and Discovering coming together will hardly be the last of such major corporate mergers.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":7981},[],"2021-06-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-media-and-discovery-agree-to-combine-the-latest-of-entertainment-company-mergers",{"title":7939,"description":557},"warner-media-and-discovery-agree-to-combine-the-latest-of-entertainment-company-mergers","blog\u002Fwarner-media-and-discovery-agree-to-combine-the-latest-of-entertainment-company-mergers","041AVvF48wTh8Hxpi9n1AANj5cOflW7wqNZ1nqLbvYk",{"id":7990,"title":7991,"body":7992,"category":7737,"coverImage":12,"date":8006,"description":8007,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8008,"navigation":71,"path":8009,"seo":8010,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8011,"stem":8012,"__hash__":8013},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Femu-today-tomorrow-by-the-magazine-for-emu-farmers.md","Emu Today & Tomorrow, The Magazine for Emu Farmers",{"type":22,"value":7993,"toc":8004},[7994],[25,7995,7996],{},[364,7997,7998,7999,8003],{},"pdf-embedder url=\"",[47,8000,8001],{"href":8001,"rel":8002},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F05\u002FETT_Spring_2021_043021_web.pdf",[51],"\"",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8005},[],"2021-05-29","pdf-embedder url=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F05\u002FETT_Spring_2021_043021_web.pdf\"",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Femu-today-tomorrow-by-the-magazine-for-emu-farmers",{"title":7991,"description":8007},"emu-today-tomorrow-by-the-magazine-for-emu-farmers","blog\u002Femu-today-tomorrow-by-the-magazine-for-emu-farmers","wBOsj6wH_hoPFisIAD8zyPUJcqbGWIKhauA6ieZTm_U",{"id":8015,"title":8016,"body":8017,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8048,"description":1676,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8049,"navigation":71,"path":8050,"seo":8051,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8052,"stem":8053,"__hash__":8054},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ff9-scores-biggest-opening-weekend-of-pandemic-signals-comeback-of-theaters.md","“F9” Scores Biggest Opening Weekend of Pandemic, Signals Comeback of Theaters",{"type":22,"value":8018,"toc":8046},[8019,8025,8028,8031,8034,8037,8040,8043],[25,8020,236,8021],{},[47,8022,1603],{"href":8023,"rel":8024},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indiewire.com\u002F2021\u002F05\u002Ffast-9-review-1234638051\u002F",[51],[25,8026,8027],{},"Throughout the past couple decades, the Memorial Day weekend, often occurring at the very end of May, has been viewed as one of the most important times of the year for the world of big-budget filmmaking. As this time is generally seen as the beginning of the summer season, which has historically seen the release of the year’s most popular films, studios will often kick things off with one of the films they hope will rank in the largest amount of revenue possible. Although little has changed that would make the time any less of a big deal, this upcoming Memorial Day weekend may be the most important in recent memory. After nearly an entire year in which the majority of movie theaters were forced into closure by the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first Memorial Day weekend since 2019 on which thousands of people across the nation will go to their local cineplex and check out the newest big release. With vaccinations on the rise and case numbers going down, it’s safe to say that the comeback of cinemas is all but guaranteed.",[25,8029,8030],{},"However, to find even further evidence that global cinema is on the verge of a major resurgence, one would have to look to the previous weekend, one that saw a film receive the biggest opening weekend gross of any film released during the pandemic, at least when taking international grosses into account. That film is “F9”, the latest in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise from Universal Pictures, receiving a total of $162.4 million from several different markets across the globe. Of these markets, it was China, one of the series’ most lucrative markets as well as the most successful box office of the previous year, that provided “F9” with the overwhelming majority of sales, around $135.6 million to be precise.",[25,8032,8033],{},"Under normal circumstances, a $160 million gross across the world might come across as somewhat of a disappointment, especially for a franchise known for making big bucks whenever a new installment is released. For comparison, the previous film in the series, 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious”, earned a record-breaking $540 million worldwide upon its opening weekend, over three times as much as its successor was able to achieve during a similar duration. However, with anti-COVID practices still being enforced in a grand majority of markets, many of which restrict the number of people allowed in a given auditorium during each screening, the intake that “F9” has received is seen less as a disappointment and more as a sure sign of success, with its totals being more than enough to pass the previous title holder, Warner Brothers’ “Godzilla vs Kong” (which earned $123.1 million over its global opening weekend), and receive the most successful opening weekend gross of any film released during the pandemic.",[25,8035,8036],{},"It should also be noted that despite being released in several major markets over the past weekend, one of them was not the United States. Those living in this nation will have to wait several more weeks to get their fill of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, as the film isn’t expected to be released until June 25th. Despite the long wait though, analysts predict that the series will still be appealing enough to draw in as many people as possible (at least given the circumstances), and the revenue it has received so far elsewhere only provides further encouragement that success in the United States is achievable for this long-running action franchise.",[25,8038,8039],{},"While “F9” won’t be released in the United States until just under a month from now, there are still some films that are coming out this Memorial Day weekend that are expected to finish the next few days with grosses that are respectable at the very release. In fact, this upcoming weekend will be the first in several months in which two major studios will each release a major big-budget production at the same time, competing against one another to see which of them will attract the largest audiences. Those films are “A Quiet Place: Part II”, the sequel to the unexpectedly popular 2018 horror film from Paramount Pictures, and “Cruella”, an origin story for the villain of Disney’s animated classic “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”.",[25,8041,8042],{},"Both of these films have much working to their advantage when it comes to their release later this week. “A Quiet Place: Part II” is highly anticipated not only as a follow-up to one of the biggest sleeper hits of 2018, but also as one of many films originally scheduled to come out around this time last year before being delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and if early critical reactions are any indications, the sequel is more than worth the wait. “Cruella”, meanwhile, is the latest in a long run of financially successful live-action re-imaginings that Disney has released over the past couple years. While these films have tended to be fairly polarizing when it comes to critic and audience reactions, early buzz suggests that this latest effort is one of the better of such films, which should provide additional help in getting audiences interested in the film. Of the two competing films, “A Quiet Place: Part II” is the one most expected to be #1 film at the box office, but because “Cruella” is being released simultaneously in theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service (albeit for an additional $30 surcharge), much of what it receives over the four-day weekend will likely be much larger than what is announced from box office revenue.",[25,8044,8045],{},"No matter which film comes out on top though, the true winner of the weekend will be the movie theater itself. After months of closure and less than satisfactory grosses from the few films they have been able to exhibit upon their reopening, movie theaters are finally starting to have films that they can show and lure in audiences across the world, especially those who have long missed the theatrical experience. With several more films to follow, including the Warner Brothers musical “In the Heights”, the Marvel superhero film “Black Widow”, and the aforementioned “F9”, it’s safe to say the summer blockbuster is back and ready for business.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8047},[],"2021-05-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ff9-scores-biggest-opening-weekend-of-pandemic-signals-comeback-of-theaters",{"title":8016,"description":1676},"f9-scores-biggest-opening-weekend-of-pandemic-signals-comeback-of-theaters","blog\u002Ff9-scores-biggest-opening-weekend-of-pandemic-signals-comeback-of-theaters","yShRAWzTCSlDM4LyXcXZ_XpH7p7eqzGP9eqp_bPEW3U",{"id":8056,"title":8057,"body":8058,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8089,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8090,"navigation":71,"path":8091,"seo":8092,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8093,"stem":8094,"__hash__":8095},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famazon-makes-bid-to-purchase-mgm-is-another-big-merger-on-the-horizon.md","Amazon Makes Bid to Purchase MGM: Is Another Big Merger On the Horizon?",{"type":22,"value":8059,"toc":8087},[8060,8066,8069,8072,8075,8078,8081,8084],[25,8061,236,8062],{},[47,8063,391],{"href":8064,"rel":8065},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Fdigital\u002Fnews\u002Famazon-mgm-acquisition-talks-9-billion-1234975168\u002F",[51],[25,8067,8068],{},"Although the name may not stand out nearly as much as the likes of Disney or Warner Brothers, there was a time when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (often referred to as just MGM) was one of the crowning jewels of the Hollywood film scene. Having produced such staples of film history as the 1939 epic “Gone With the Wind”, the 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain”, and several of the action-packed cinematic endeavors of British spy James Bond, it’s hard to imagine what the current world of cinema would look like had it not been for the contributions of this legendary studio. However, over the past couple decades, MGM has gone through its fair share of financial struggles and continues to face difficulty in maintaining relevance in a rapidly evolving media landscape. It doesn’t even own the rights to many of its most iconic works, as media mogul Ted Turner purchased, then immediately resold the studio while holding on to the majority of its intellectual properties (most of which are now under the ownership of WarnerMedia). The ups and downs of this once beloved cornerstone of cinema have persisted ever since, and just recently, yet another possibility of it being bought out by a larger company came into existence.",[25,8070,8071],{},"According to sources claiming to have major ties to the film industry, the tech giant Amazon is said to have begun negotiations to purchase MGM, making an offer of about $9 billion in order to acquire the film studio. Although representatives from either Amazon or MGM have yet to publicly address these claims, sources suggest that Mike Hopkins, the senior vice president of Amazon Studio, the company’s own film distribution division, and Amazon Prime Video, its own personal streaming service, is currently discussing the potential acquisition with Kevin Ulrich, MGM’s current chairman of the board and one of the leaders of major MGM stakeholder Anchorage Capital.",[25,8073,8074],{},"In hindsight, news of MGM receiving new ownership should not be too much of a surprise, especially considering the studio has allegedly been seeking a new buyer for several months now. Reports that MGM had begun searching for a larger company to acquire it first began to appear in December of last year, and while there have likely been several potential bidders looking to incorporate the studio into its assets, Amazon has long been considered one of the most likely to so, and these recent developments make the chances of the tech giant buying MGM all the more likely.",[25,8076,8077],{},"Despite many reports that Amazon is willing to put up $9 billion in order to acquire MGM, some analysts believe the actual total could either be much lower or a bit higher. According to The Information, the deal could actually be anywhere between $7 billion or $10 billion, although some analysts claim that the studio and its assets aren’t worth much more than $5 billion, meaning that the final price could be much closer to this estimate. In any case though, purchasing the studio will require a financial transaction that the majority of companies in the nation might not be capable of participating in, although that’s hardly an issue for something like Amazon, which continues to rake in billions of dollars each year as one of the world’s most prominent industrial leaders. In fact, just last year, Amazon spent over $11 billion to acquire various films, television series, and music for its Prime division - an increase of 40% from the previous year - so even if Amazon does end up paying the largest sum possible for MGM, it will hardly be a fraction of what they are already spending on a regular basis.",[25,8079,8080],{},"What is surprising, however, is how small of a purchase this would be compared to other recent media purchases from major conglomerates. For comparison, AT&T spent over $85 billion in order to acquire WarnerMedia and all of the properties under its umbrella, and Disney shelled out $71 billion in its purchase of 20th Century Fox. Even CBS spent just over $12 million when it merged with Viacom (owner of Paramount Pictures), a total that just barely goes above what is currently being offered to purchase MGM. For a studio that has had such an important legacy, it is somewhat disappointing that its current value isn’t much larger than most would assume it deserves.",[25,8082,8083],{},"As the owner of the streaming platform Amazon Prime Video, it makes perfect sense that Amazon would want a major motion picture studio of its own to advertise its product. Over the past couple years, several different streaming services have either been introduced by major studios or partnered with major studios in order to obtain exclusive streaming rights to their most noteworthy titles. These include Disney+, the WarnerMedia owned HBO Max, and of course the biggest of the bunch Netflix, which recently made a deal with Sony Pictures to become the studio’s primary platform to release their films for streaming once their window of theatrical exhibition comes to an end. All of these services push a specific studio’s output as a means of advertising, and by acquiring MGM, and with it such titles as the Rocky franchise, “The Silence of the Lambs”, and “Stargate”, Amazon could start to do likewise and pass off a major studio as one of its own.",[25,8085,8086],{},"Then again, the idea of MGM being yet another component of a much larger corporation, as unsurprising as it may be in today’s day and age, does feel a little bit disappointing. After all, one would like to think that the studio that gave the world such classics as “The Wizard of Oz”, “Ben-Hur”, and “2001: A Space Odyssey” would shine bright throughout the decades as one of the powerhouses of Hollywood. History, however, has shown that maintaining such a pedigree is much easier said than done, and MGM’s inability to stay under the ownership of one company has resulted in the studio having a status in the film industry much lower than it once had. Whether or not Amazon will help or hurt MGM in the long run is uncertain, but whatever happens, it probably won’t be too out of place compared to what has already happened.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8088},[],"2021-05-21",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famazon-makes-bid-to-purchase-mgm-is-another-big-merger-on-the-horizon",{"title":8057,"description":194},"amazon-makes-bid-to-purchase-mgm-is-another-big-merger-on-the-horizon","blog\u002Famazon-makes-bid-to-purchase-mgm-is-another-big-merger-on-the-horizon","0b5d1mICpg0BOizqTac4YpfGG0m1XTl4ku24ep8Duuc",{"id":8097,"title":8098,"body":8099,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8124,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8125,"navigation":71,"path":8126,"seo":8127,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8128,"stem":8129,"__hash__":8130},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnbc-drops-2022-golden-globes-is-the-end-of-an-awards-giant-near.md","NBC Drops 2022 Golden Globes: Is the End of an Awards Giant Near?",{"type":22,"value":8100,"toc":8122},[8101,8107,8110,8113,8116,8119],[25,8102,236,8103],{},[47,8104,391],{"href":8105,"rel":8106},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ftv\u002Fawards\u002Fgolden-globes-nbc-2022-1234969976\u002F",[51],[25,8108,8109],{},"Even before the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the globe and took a major toll on the film industry, the relevance of the televised awards show has long become increasingly questionable. What were once major ratings draws, garnering tens of millions of viewers each year, have now struggled to reach even a fraction of their earlier successes, let alone successes at that exact same level. The absence of open movie theaters in the previous year certainly didn’t help matters, with there being few films nominated by the major awards organizations that were able to attract significant interest in the general public. The result was record low ratings for these ceremonies, with the Golden Globes in particular receiving the lowest viewer count since the 1990s (less than 7 million views to be exact). One would like to think that’s the only reason why the future of the Golden Globes are fairly uncertain at the moment, but recent controversies and the fallout to come of it unfortunately suggest otherwise.",[25,8111,8112],{},"On Monday, May 10th, NBC, the television network that had aired the Golden Globes each year for the past few decades, announced that it will not air the upcoming 2022 ceremony, bringing their partnership with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that hands out the awards and puts together the ceremony, to an abrupt halt, possibly even a permanent end should the situation take a turn for the worse. While the record low ratings likely played some role in the network’s decision, NBC claimed that most of their reasoning is due to ongoing criticisms of how the HFPA has handled its business,  including issues of diversity and inclusion criticisms that go back very far in the organization’s history.",[25,8114,8115],{},"Another concern that many have had with the Golden Globes is how it goes about choosing certain films and television shows to nominate, if not outright give any of its major awards. With there being less than a hundred total people included in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, many have raised questions about whether or not such a small group has made themselves susceptible to bribery and other forms of persuasion from producers of potential Golden Globe nominees. The most recent example of such an incident involves the financial benefits given by the producers of the Netflix television series “Emily in Paris”, a show that received mixed reviews when its first season premiered and was not generally considered to be worthy of any major awards. Its appearance in many categories, including Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, came as a shock to many, raising questions as to how and why the show received so many nominations. A later reveal that some HFPA members’ stay at a hotel had connections to the “Emily in Paris” junket only made these suspicions grow stronger, causing many to claim that the show’s Golden Globe nominations were not entirely legitimate.",[25,8117,8118],{},"Although there haven’t been quite as many incidents of a similar nature in recent years, certain Golden Globe nominations have still been called into question, especially when it comes to films that did not receive the most favorable reception from critics and audience. The 2010 film “The Tourist” was one such film, with many even joking about how the film received a nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy despite being neither a musical nor a comedy, and most recently, the 2020 film “Music”, directed and produced by pop singer Sia, was nominated in the same category despite not only being more negatively received by critics, but also garnered its own controversy from its inaccurate and harmful depiction of autistic people.",[25,8120,8121],{},"With so many controversies building on top of each other, it was only a matter of time before they began to take their toll on the Golden Globes. With NBC dropping the next ceremony and such media giants as Netflix and Warner Media pulling their support as well, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is not in the best shape at the moment. Unless it’s able to effectively address its criticisms and enact greater change in how it conducts its affairs, the HFPA and the Golden Globes’ remaining days may indeed be numbers.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8123},[],"2021-05-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnbc-drops-2022-golden-globes-is-the-end-of-an-awards-giant-near",{"title":8098,"description":194},"nbc-drops-2022-golden-globes-is-the-end-of-an-awards-giant-near","blog\u002Fnbc-drops-2022-golden-globes-is-the-end-of-an-awards-giant-near","6BeTwmXkkOt4kfCmbYoZ7BsYYk3cu8o9JAdj1dkHkQo",{"id":8132,"title":8133,"body":8134,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8165,"description":5604,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8166,"navigation":71,"path":8167,"seo":8168,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8169,"stem":8170,"__hash__":8171},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdemon-slayer-tops-the-american-box-office-a-rare-feat-for-a-foreign-film.md","“Demon Slayer” Tops the American Box Office, A Rare Feat for a Foreign Film",{"type":22,"value":8135,"toc":8163},[8136,8142,8145,8148,8151,8154,8157,8160],[25,8137,236,8138],{},[47,8139,2023],{"href":8140,"rel":8141},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.boxofficemojo.com\u002Farticle\u002Fed1299186692\u002F?ref_=bo_hm_hp",[51],[25,8143,8144],{},"In a world that appears to be becoming increasingly globalized, one would like to think that a film made outside North America would be able to reign over all other films currently in theaters at the time of its release, at least no less easily than a film made within the nation. However, for the most part, such an event arely, if ever, happens, let alone on a regular basis. Even “Parasite”, which became the first foreign film to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture, only made a small total of $53 million in the United States and Canada, more than most foreign films but still not as much as the $71 million it received in its native South Korea. As acclaimed as the film was, it never reached a point where it was able to claim the #1 spot at the box office, further proving just how difficult it has been for non-American films to compete with those made domestically.",[25,8146,8147],{},"However, the most recent box office totals paint a very different picture, one that shows the rare occurrence of a foreign film claiming the top spot and earning more money over the three-day period than any other film. The film in question is the Japanese anime film “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train”, which received a total of $6.4 million over the most recent weekend, just barely enough to prevent its biggest source of competition, Warner Brothers’ video game action-adventure film “Mortal Kombat” (which earned $6.2 million over the same period) from taking the top spot. As impressive as this feat is, it’s even more remarkable considering that “Mortal Kombat” had actually beaten “Demon Slayer” for the #1 ranking the previous weekend (albeit once again within very close proximity of one another). While it’s not unheard of for the #1 and #2 films of any weekend to switch places the following one, it is significantly less heard for a film made outside the United States to move up in such a manner, making “Demon Slayer” a rare breed among films released theatrically in the United States.",[25,8149,8150],{},"Then again, looking at the performance of an animated film like “Demon Slayer” outside North America, its success probably shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise. While its current North American gross sits at around $35 million, its earnings everywhere else are over ten times that total, cumulating in worldwide gross that sits at just under $470 million. The majority of this revenue, just under $370 million, comes from the film’s native Japan, enough to allow the film to surpass the 2001 film “Spirited Away” and become the nation’s highest-grossing release of all time. Despite paling in comparison to its Japanese gross, what it has earned so far in America is nonetheless a major win for the anime; in fact, of all anime films released theatrically in the United States, only 1999’s “Pokemon: The First Movie” and its sequel, “Pokemon: The Movie 2000” have earned more than “Demon Slayer” (though depending on how the next few weeks play out, it’s possible for “Demon Slayer” to just barely surpass the latter Pokemon film).",[25,8152,8153],{},"While there is much to appreciate about “Demon Slayer” taking the #1 spot at the box office, it should be noted that the circumstances surrounding the film’s release in North America may have had a bigger impact on its earnings than one would like. Perhaps the biggest is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; despite the growing number of people being vaccinated across the country, most theaters are still obliged to abide by strict anti-COVID procedures, resulting in the number of people allowed in a given auditorium at a given screening to be kept to a minimum as mandated by local governments. It’s certainly possible that “Demon Slayer” might’ve earned more if maximum capacity limits were eased to allow more people in during a given screening, but then again, because these limits are what’s keeping many major domestic films from coming out at the moment, there’s a very strong chance that “Demon Slayer” would not have been able to top the box office had it not been for the absence of notable Hollywood productions.",[25,8155,8156],{},"Another area of concern for “Demon Slayer” is how much ticket sales have dropped in comparison to the previous weekend. Whereas the film even being an animated production was able to earn just over $21.1 million in its opening weekend, the following weekend’s $6.4 million gross meant a drop of almost 70% from what it had earned just over a week prior. Although the per-theater average still remains fairly respectable - currently showing at 1,905 theaters, the film was able to earn $3,359 per screen - the fact that it received so much less than the previous weekend does bring its able to generate revenue in the long term into question, as a drop of over 60% is rarely considered desirable for any film.",[25,8158,8159],{},"Despite these concerns however, there seems to be very little fear among industry analysts of the film underperforming, especially when it has already earned so much outside the United States. In fact, the success of “Demon Slayer” in Japan not only demonstrates the nation’s ability to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, but also proves that audiences are still willing to return to the box office whenever it is completely safe to do so. Originally released in Japan on October 16th of last year, the film came out at a time when Japan was not yet certain that it had fully contained the pandemic, forcing its theaters to adopt strict public safety measures that would hopefully reduce the spread of the virus as much as possible. With these measures including maximum capacity limits, one would think that it would be difficult for a film to earn a total anywhere near what it would be able to gain under normal circumstances. “Demon Slayer” going on to become Japan’s highest-grossing anime is impressive enough, but to do so in the midst of a global pandemic that still rages on in many countries is practically unheard of.",[25,8161,8162],{},"Will the North American box office see similar success any time soon? Nobody knows for sure, but with films like “Godzilla vs Kong” performing as well as they are at the moment, the possibility is by no means out of the question. With so many people being forced to stay in their homes for so long, there is a great demand among these people to go out and see whatever’s playing on the big screen. With many theaters starting to ease restrictions and many studios preparing their films for big theatrical releases, there’s a decent chance that the time for mass theatrical viewing is not too far off in the future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8164},[],"2021-05-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdemon-slayer-tops-the-american-box-office-a-rare-feat-for-a-foreign-film",{"title":8133,"description":5604},"demon-slayer-tops-the-american-box-office-a-rare-feat-for-a-foreign-film","blog\u002Fdemon-slayer-tops-the-american-box-office-a-rare-feat-for-a-foreign-film","kDF2cn3BxsFCh_J74yUh9XgrMpU4utXr-Mlkr4M4JAs",{"id":8173,"title":8174,"body":8175,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8203,"description":8179,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8204,"navigation":71,"path":8205,"seo":8206,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8207,"stem":8208,"__hash__":8209},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F93rd-academy-awards-recap-and-the-oscar-goes-to.md","93rd Academy Awards Recap: And the Oscar Goes To…",{"type":22,"value":8176,"toc":8201},[8177,8180,8183,8186,8189,8192,8195,8198],[25,8178,8179],{},"Source: The Ringer",[25,8181,8182],{},"There’s a certain irony in how unsurprising it has become for the Academy Awards to throw in a handful of new surprises, both intentionally and unintentionally, with each most recent awards ceremony. Going into this year’s ceremony, there was already much speculation as to how the event will be arranged and how certain awards will be handed out. Not only was the 93rd Academy Awards pushed back by almost two months to April 25th, 2021 as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the main venue was also changed, switching from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood (which had held the grand majority of Oscars ceremonies over the past few decades) to the Los Angeles Union Station, the city’s main railway station and one of the largest in the United States. With such a different setting to work with, Oscars producers had their work cut out for them when it came to producing a ceremony like no other, and for better or worse, they certainly did just that.",[25,8184,8185],{},"What’s most interesting about this year’s ceremony was how streamlined the event’s organization was. For the most part, very little occurred throughout most of the three-and-a-half hour apart from handing out the multiple awards and the speeches that followed. Even Regina King, who was the first presenter of the evening, had nothing preceding her before she stepped onto the main stage, almost immediately beginning to discuss the nominees for Best Original Screenplay, the first award given that evening. Considering how often the Oscars have been criticized for trying to overextend the proceedings with entertainment bits that have often been referred to as superfluous and even gimmicky, there was much to appreciate about how much the ceremony tried to restrict itself to the bare minimum.",[25,8187,8188],{},"Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for people to start taking issue with how the whole ceremony was being presented. For one thing, with some exceptions, very few of the awards being given were accompanied by images or clips of the films being nominated. Not only did this make it difficult for some people to tell which films they needed to be aware of, but for many of the technical categories that would usually require some visuals so that viewers could understand what field of filmmaking was being awarded (such as Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects), the lack of visual aid resulted in few of the nominees’ work being showcased to demonstrate why they were at least nominated for a particular award.",[25,8190,8191],{},"Then there was the In Memoriam montage; while there were few complaints about those who were included (ending with the image of the late Chadwick Boseman proved to be especially poignant for many), the montage appeared to go by much too fast for several viewers to fully appreciate or even notice who was being commemorated in the montage. It’s possible that time was a concern for Oscar producers, which may explain why the montage went by faster than most would’ve liked, but that possibility became a bit less feasible when “Get Out” actor Lil Rey Howerey playing a game of “Name That Tune” with some of the celebrities attending the ceremony, which culminated in Glenn Close singing along to the song “Dat Ass”. Not only did this go against the ceremony’s plan to keep to the bare minimum (coming across as the very same type of gimmick that they seemed to be trying to avoid up to that point), but many argue that the time would’ve been much better spent if it was given to the In Memoriam montage so that it didn’t appear to go by so quickly.",[25,8193,8194],{},"Of course, this is all more an issue with how the awards were presented rather than the actual awards themselves, as for the most part, the films awarded were those who were expected to win to begin with. Having received three awards, “Nomadland” proved to be the big winner of the evening, not only taking home the award for Best Picture, but also earning Chloe Zhao the award for Best Director (making her the second female director to receive the honor as well as the first woman of color to do so) and Frances McDormand the award for Best Actress, her third win in the category.",[25,8196,8197],{},"Following behind “Nomadland” in terms of win count were a handful of films that each won two awards overall. These include “The Father”, for Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Adapted Screenplay; “Judas and the Black Messiah”, for Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya) and Best Original Song (“Fight for You”); “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling; “Mank”, for Best Production Design and Best Cinematography; “Soul”, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score; and “Sound of Metal”, for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. In addition, “Promising Young Woman” was given the award for Best Original Screenplay, “Tenet” received the award for Best Visual Effects, and Youn Yuh-jung was named this year’s Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Minari”, leading to her giving one of the evening’s most memorable speeches (especially for presenter Brad Pitt).",[25,8199,8200],{},"All in all, the Oscars were carried out more or less as anticipated, in that it found a way to go against expectations in both the best and worst possible ways.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8202},[],"2021-05-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F93rd-academy-awards-recap-and-the-oscar-goes-to",{"title":8174,"description":8179},"93rd-academy-awards-recap-and-the-oscar-goes-to","blog\u002F93rd-academy-awards-recap-and-the-oscar-goes-to","UJxpY3jQ_IBEzdBvw9_g8k-B8i7pLDQ7a8yYwOOka8I",{"id":8211,"title":8212,"body":8213,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8247,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8248,"navigation":71,"path":8249,"seo":8250,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8251,"stem":8252,"__hash__":8253},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-announces-2021-film-festival-lineup-sets-expectations-high.md","Tribeca Announces 2021 Film Festival Lineup, Sets Expectations High",{"type":22,"value":8214,"toc":8245},[8215,8221,8224,8227,8230,8233,8236,8239,8242],[25,8216,557,8217],{},[47,8218],{"href":8219,"rel":8220},"https:\u002F\u002Fdeadline.com\u002F2021\u002F04\u002Ftribeca-film-festival-lineup-2021-1234740227\u002F",[51],[25,8222,8223],{},"Even before announcing its cinematic lineup for its most recent event, organizers of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival had already promised a festival unlike anything attempted in the past. With the COVID-19 pandemic still lingering throughout most of the nation, but starting to lose prominence as a result of increasing vaccinations, the festival has had to change plans in order to meet public health standards. In doing so, the festival has chosen to expand, moving past its traditional locations in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan and announcing locations throughout much of New York City, many of which will be outdoor and more accessible to the general public. With such a drastic change of pace for the two-decades old festival, one would expect the films shown to be some of the most highly anticipated and appealing cinematic works possible, and if what has been announced so far is any indication, there will be no shortage of such films.",[25,8225,8226],{},"On Tuesday, April 20th, the lineup for the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival was made known to the public. A total of 66 short and feature-length films will be included and allowed to compete in three different sections of the festival, while also being showcased in other sections of the event, including Viewpoints, Midnight, and Tribeca Critic’s Week among others. Set to take place between June 9th and June 20th, the festival will exhibit all of these films at a variety of outdoor venues throughout every borough of New York City, giving most of the city’s residents greater accessibility to events they might not otherwise be able to attend.",[25,8228,8229],{},"The film set to kick off the festival could not be a more appropriate choice. Holding its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival is the Warner Brothers’ musical “In the Heights”, the cinematic adaptation of the popular Broadway musical from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Set in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights and starring an ethnically diverse cast, the film will likely resonate well with the millions of people that call the Big Apple their home, and because the film was originally set to come out in 2020 before being postponed due to the pandemic, there has already been much anticipation built from those who have been patiently waiting over a year to see the film. With all these factors in mind, there’s a very strong chance that the premiere of “In the Heights” will be among the highlights of the entire festival.",[25,8231,8232],{},"“In the Heights” isn’t the only film to finally make its premiere at Tribeca after being held back by over a year. Of the fifty-six films to be exhibited for the first time, many of them were originally expected to premiere at what was supposed to be the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Unfortunately, those plans had to be cancelled when the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to safely hold the festival as intended, leaving most of these films on stand-by until this most recent festival. Much like “Into the Heights”, there is much anticipation for some of these more high-profile films, and hopefully they will all be well worth the wait.",[25,8234,8235],{},"With diversity being one of the biggest priorities for the Tribeca Film Festival, the films included in the lineup do mostly reflect this push for greater inclusivity. Of the programming announced so far, 60% of the films included are helmed by directors who are female, people of color, and\u002For members of the LGBT community, a much greater percentage than previous festivals.",[25,8237,8238],{},"As stated earlier, there are three main competition sections that the films of the Tribeca Film Festival will be included in. The first of these is the U.S. Narrative Competition, which is devoted to fictional feature films produced domestically in the United States. Among the films that will be competing in this section are “Catch the Fair One”, a Darren Aronofsky produced revenge thriller that centers around a Native American boxer on a quest to locate her missing sister; the romantic comedy “Mark, Mary, & Some Other People”, which sees its titular characters seeking new sexual partners and receiving some surprising results; and “Queen of Glory”, one of the films included in the Juneteenth series that revolves around a Ghanian-American Ivy Leaguer who becomes the owner of a Bronx bookstore following her mother’s death.",[25,8240,8241],{},"Then there’s the International Narrative Competition, which consists of films made outside the United States. Among these films are “Brighton 4th”, a co-production between the nations of Bulgaria, Georgia, and Russia among others; “Roaring 2020’s”, a French film that showcases the life of a person living through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in one seemingly unbroken shot; and “Wild Men”, a Danish comedy that sees its protagonist venture throughout the Norwegian wilderness and get into a series of absurd and wacky hijinks. Lastly, there’s the Documentary Competition, which features a selection of entirely nonfiction productions. Included in this specific lineup are such films as “Blind Ambition”, which tells the story of Zimbabwe’s Olympic wine tasting team; “On the Divide”, which looks into the lives of three Latinx families and connections to the one remaining abortion clinic on the U.S.\u002FMexico border; and “The Scars of Ali Boulala”, in which the titular Swedish skateboarder looks back on his history and that of the 1990’s skating scene.",[25,8243,8244],{},"These are but a small handful of films that will be showcased at this most recent Tribeca Film Festival, as there will be many more that will be available for viewing for anyone who seeks to attend the festival. With such a great variety, one can only hope the wait will be more than worth it.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8246},[],"2021-04-27",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-announces-2021-film-festival-lineup-sets-expectations-high",{"title":8212,"description":557},"tribeca-announces-2021-film-festival-lineup-sets-expectations-high","blog\u002Ftribeca-announces-2021-film-festival-lineup-sets-expectations-high","NuPcgxxEyeVtmwby07N4f4pp4k2mcwXj9yvapjRh5cQ",{"id":8255,"title":8256,"body":8257,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8285,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8286,"navigation":71,"path":8287,"seo":8288,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8289,"stem":8290,"__hash__":8291},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Facademy-awards-2021-the-nominees-for-best-international-feature-film.md","Academy Awards 2021: The Nominees for Best International Feature Film",{"type":22,"value":8258,"toc":8283},[8259,8265,8268,8271,8274,8277,8280],[25,8260,194,8261],{},[47,8262],{"href":8263,"rel":8264},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002Ffeature\u002F2021-oscars-best-international-feature-predictions-1234880372\u002F",[51],[25,8266,8267],{},"When the Korean film “Parasite” won Best Picture at the previous Academy Awards ceremony, many had hoped that its success would lead to a greater presence of international features among the various categories. While this doesn’t appear to be the case with this year’s nominees for the most part (although one American film spoken mainly in Korean, Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari”, has received a decent number of nominations), this year’s selection of films nominated for Best International Feature Film still proves to be quite a solid lineup, and with many of them getting less attention than the American-made films, the time has come to give them the spotlight and make themselves more known. So without further ado, here’s a quick summary of this year’s nominees for Best International Feature Film:",[25,8269,8270],{},"“Another Round” (Denmark) - seen by many as the frontrunner of the category (in no small part due to its director Thomas Vinterberg receiving a Best Director nomination), this comedy-drama revolving around the efforts of a group of teachers trying to regain control of their drinking habits has a lot to offer for even those not familiar with the Danish language. The plot details subject matter that is relatable to just about everyone to some degree or another, and with renowned actor Mads Mikkelsen playing the lead role, the film has more than enough to generate appeal on a much larger scale than the average foreign film.",[25,8272,8273],{},"“Better Days” (Hong Kong) - based on the Chinese novel “In His Youth, In Her Beauty”, this is the third film produced in Hong Kong to receive an Oscar nomination in this category, and it’s proven itself to be more than worthy of this honor. A great critical and commercial success when first released in China, this romantic crime drama centered around a high school girl getting inadvertently involved with a local street gang is nothing short of intense and engaging, and its nomination proves that it’s just as capable of captivating audiences outside of China as it is with those inside the Middle Kingdom.",[25,8275,8276],{},"“Collective” (Romania) - nominated in both the Best International Feature Film and the Best Documentary Feature categories, this film, Romania’s first to receive acknowledgement from the Academy in its ninety-three year history, is the perfect demonstration of the nation’s unsung talents as a filmmaking nation. Detailing the efforts of Romanian journalists to expose the corruption within the nation’s healthcare system, the film paints a harrowing picture of a story not as well known as similar situations in other countries, possessing a universal relevance that makes it every bit as important as any other film discussing similar issues.",[25,8278,8279],{},"“The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia) - a film of this particular title might sound absurd at first glance, but as it turns out, it’s anything but. Following a man separated from his wife by war and having to sacrifice his own body to earn the money needed to get back to her, the film paints a dark and depressing picture of the Syrian Civil War and the alarming effects it has had on those who have gotten caught in the middle. It’s far from pleasant, but still deserving of recognition, if only to bring awareness to what is currently happening in the nation of Syria.",[25,8281,8282],{},"“Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - although there were a handful of European nations involved with this war drama, this is above all else a film that the nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina can claim for their own, and it’s not hard to see why the nation would be proud of this particular feature. Through its depiction of a UN translator caught in the middle of the Srebrenica massacre and its after effects, there is hardly a moment when the film doesn’t make for a powerful and disturbing portrayal of war, one that brings to light the genocidal actions that still haunt the nations to this day.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8284},[],"2021-04-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Facademy-awards-2021-the-nominees-for-best-international-feature-film",{"title":8256,"description":194},"academy-awards-2021-the-nominees-for-best-international-feature-film","blog\u002Facademy-awards-2021-the-nominees-for-best-international-feature-film","VMPo4UzzjnqWfLNwW1jzIvF9FcJuBGNH9yVLEGz4trw",{"id":8293,"title":8294,"body":8295,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8332,"description":2723,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8333,"navigation":71,"path":8334,"seo":8335,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8336,"stem":8337,"__hash__":8338},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-awards-2021-will-oscars-repeat-these-results.md","Screen Actors Guild Awards 2021: Will Oscars Repeat These Results?",{"type":22,"value":8296,"toc":8330},[8297,8303,8306,8309,8312,8315,8318,8321,8324,8327],[25,8298,2723,8299],{},[47,8300],{"href":8301,"rel":8302},"https:\u002F\u002Few.com\u002Fawards\u002Fsag-awards\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-awards-2021-winners-list\u002F",[51],[25,8304,8305],{},"Of the many organizations that hand out awards for the best of the previous year’s cinema, the Oscars and the Golden Globes tend to get the most attention, as the awards they give tend to cover a wide array of categories. Many organizations, however, usually narrow their focus down to one specific aspect of filmmaking, such as writing or directing, and will often hand out awards only to that particular field. This is especially common among Hollywood guilds and labor unions, which are already devoted to one component of the film industry and only give awards to those who are part of that specific profession. Some of these include the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America, but few stand out as much as the Screen Actors Guild of America, which held their most recent awards ceremony on April 4th and gave some insight into who and what could be going home with the Oscars later this month.",[25,8307,8308],{},"Unlike most guild awards in Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild of America has the distinct privilege of airing their ceremonies on live television, doing so in the recent past on such cable networks as TNT and TBS. This is likely due to there being a greater focus on Hollywood actors, who tend to be the biggest names in the industry and can be very effective in drawing in audiences to watch, more so than some of the other professions in Hollywood that don’t often get as much recognition. Because of this, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are often looked at as being major indicators of what will win at the Academy Awards, with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture being seen as a possible precursor to the Oscars’ Best Picture category. The same can be said for all four individual acting categories, many of which have a tendency to correlate strongly with the eventual Oscar winners in these same categories.",[25,8310,8311],{},"How do this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards factor into the proceedings? For the most part, very few of the recipients of this year’s acting awards have come across as that much of a shock. Even still, some of the winners have managed to shake up the odds a bit, as those who were not as heavily thought of as major threats could have greater chances of winning the Oscar than one might have previously assumed. Nonetheless, many of the Screen Actors Guild Award winners are likely to repeat their success later this month, and barring any major upsets, the upcoming ceremony shouldn’t be too unpredictable.",[25,8313,8314],{},"In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, the late Chadwick Boseman was named the winner for his performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, beating out fellow nominees Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal”, Anthony Hopkins for “The Father”, Gary Oldman for “Mank”, and Steven Yeun for “Minari”. This award comes on the heels of Boseman’s previous wins, including a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor - Drama, and if this pattern continues as expected, he shall do the same with the Oscar.",[25,8316,8317],{},"In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, the winner was Viola Davis for her performance in the same film for which Boseman one his award, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. In winning this award, Davis had come out on top over the other nominees: Amy Adams for “Hillbilly Elegy”, Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman”, Frances McDormand for “Nomadland”, and Carey Mulligan for “Promising Young Woman”. Unlike the previous category, Davis’ win contrasts many of the year’s other Best Actress wins (the Golden Globe, for example, was given to Andra Day for her role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”, for which she was nominated for an Oscar but not a Screen Actors Guild Award). While Davis’ win certainly boosts her chances, the outcome for the Academy Award is not so easy to predict, so nothing is set in stone until later this month.",[25,8319,8320],{},"In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Daniel Kaluuya was awarded for his performance in “Judas and the Black Messiah”. Competing for the same award were Sacha Baron Cohen for “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, Chadwick Boseman for “Da 5 Bloods”, Jared Leto for “The Little Things”, and Leslie Odom, Jr. for “One Night in Miami”. Like Boseman, Kaluuya had won the same award at the Golden Globes, so there’s a very strong chance that his winning streak will continue on the night of the Oscars.",[25,8322,8323],{},"In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Yuh-Jung Youn won the award for her performance in “Minari”. The other nominees consisted of Maria Bakalova for \"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm\", Glenn Close for \"Hillbilly Elegy”, Olivia Colman for \"The Father\", and Helena Zengel for \"News of the World\". Similar to Davis, Youn has not had this many wins at previous awards ceremonies (the Golden Globe, for example, was given to Jodie Foster for “The Mauritanian”; neither the Oscars nor the Screen Actors Guild Awards even nominated her), so while she could still go on to win the Oscar, it’s far from a guarantee.",[25,8325,8326],{},"Perhaps most noteworthy though is Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which was given to “The Trial of the Chicago 7”. With the exception of “Minari”, none of the other films nominated in this category - “Da 5 Bloods”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, and “One Night in Miami” - are nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, so it’s hard to fully assess whether or not “The Trial of the Chicago 7” had strong chances of winning this Oscar.",[25,8328,8329],{},"In any case though, there’s much to appreciate about this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. This year’s ceremony serves as one of the most diverse in the history of the guild. Whether or not the Oscars will repeat this feat is still unclear, but one can only hope the results satisfy nonetheless.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8331},[],"2021-04-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-awards-2021-will-oscars-repeat-these-results",{"title":8294,"description":2723},"screen-actors-guild-awards-2021-will-oscars-repeat-these-results","blog\u002Fscreen-actors-guild-awards-2021-will-oscars-repeat-these-results","L5lgt-SO-M6x50vtn9LR5JhsdW9nss9Zt1axbMs8Y0U",{"id":8340,"title":8341,"body":8342,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8376,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8377,"navigation":71,"path":8378,"seo":8379,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8380,"stem":8381,"__hash__":8382},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-announces-return-to-in-person-events-for-2021-festival.md","Tribeca Announces Return to In-Person Events for 2021 Festival",{"type":22,"value":8343,"toc":8374},[8344,8350,8353,8356,8359,8362,8365,8368,8371],[25,8345,194,8346],{},[47,8347],{"href":8348,"rel":8349},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Ftribeca-film-festival-2021-covid-in-person-1234939786\u002F",[51],[25,8351,8352],{},"With the awards circuit for the previous year still having not yet completed (though with the Academy Awards less than a month away, the end is near), it may seem a bit early to some to kick off the various major film festivals that frequently introduce the films that would later go on to become major awards contenders in the following season. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic appearing to draw closer to an end as more and more people across the nation are receiving vaccinations, and as cases have begun to fall as a result, there does seem to be a general consensus forming that most businesses can start to safely return to operation. This looks to be the case with much of the film industry; not only are a majority of the nation’s movie theater starting to open back up (with Cineworld’s Regal chain planning to reopen the majority of its locations on the first weekend of April), but film festivals are also seeking to hold events that aren’t limited to online interactions. Of the country’s most renowned festivals, the Tribeca Film Festival is the most recent to take advantage of improving conditions, announcing plans to hold in-person events for its upcoming 2021 festival.",[25,8354,8355],{},"On March 29th, organizers of the Festival, which is normally located in New York City, announced their intention to hold multiple live events over the course of the twelve-day festival set to occur later this year. This news comes on the heels of the state of New York finding great success as of lately in combating the Coronavirus, with vaccination rates on the rise and a sense of normality slowly returning to the lives of its citizens. The recent reopening of New York City’s movie theater market, one of the largest in the nation (second only to Los Angeles, which as also started to reemerge), is further proof of how much safer it has become for people to start going out to the movies again, which is definitely good news for an organization that thrives on having as many people as possible attend its various movie screenings.",[25,8357,8358],{},"The timing couldn’t be better, as the 2021 festival will mark the 20th anniversary of Tribeca, something that was acknowledged by one of the festival’s co-founder, “Taxi Driver” and “Meet the Parents” actor Robert de Niro, in a statement released to announce the return of an in-person festival. “As New York emerges from the shadow of COVID-19,” de Niro announces, “it seems just right to bring people together again in-person for our 20th anniversary festival.”",[25,8360,8361],{},"Of course, none of this is to say that festival organizers won’t try to make this upcoming festival any less safe. Even with the number of cases dropping in New York, it will still take much longer to eradicate the threat of the Coronavirus, so in order to reduce the disease’s spread as much as possible, the Festival will be held as a primarily outdoor event, with a majority of the screenings being held at drive-ins and other outdoor venues in New York. According to Tribeca, it will work closely with the New York State Department of Health as a means of ensuring that all public gatherings adhere to the strict anti-COVID guidelines put in place.",[25,8363,8364],{},"This year’s festival will be held from June 9th to the 20th, a little over two months after the time the festival is usually held. Although many of the festival’s most significant events will occur in the Manhattan neighborhood from which the festival receives its name, this year will see the event spread out across much more of New York City, reaching out to other boroughs such as the Bronx and Staten Island. Among the locations currently planning to hold any number of the festival’s screening and live discussions are Brookfield Place New York, the Pier 57 Rooftop, the Battery, Hudson Yards, Empire Outlets in Staten Island and The MetroTech Commons in Brooklyn. In addition, around forty LED cinemas will pop up across each of New York City’s five boroughs, allowing for community screenings that the general public can have much easier access to than some of Tribeca’s more exclusive events.",[25,8366,8367],{},"One of Tribeca’s other co-founders, Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal, cited this sense of community in New York in her own statement announcing the festival’s return. “Tribeca is a community of the most resilient and talented storytellers on the planet,” Rosenthal claims. “In 20 years, our community of creators and partners have become a family. This summer we are excited to reunite as Tribeca becomes a centerpiece of live entertainment in neighborhoods across New York City.” This wouldn’t be the first time the Tribeca Film Festival has been used as a means of bringing people together during a time of great stress. In fact, the very first Tribeca Film Festival, taking place in the early months of 2002, was held in response to the September 11th attacks of the previous year, providing the people of New York City a means of hope and comfort during a time of great uncertainty.",[25,8369,8370],{},"Although the circumstances this time around are significantly different, the uncertainty surrounding the events of the previous year and the difficulty that has been faced in getting things back on track has taken quite a toll on the city, if not the nation in general. An event as exciting and welcoming as a film festival is just what’s needed to help lift people’s spirits, and as it was able to do just that almost twenty years earlier, there’s little reason why the Tribeca Film Festival can’t have such luck now. In fact, with the multiple venues spread throughout New York City where the events of the upcoming festival will take place, as opposed to the more limited number of previous festivals, the event will have a much wider and more accessible reach than ever before, meaning that there will be a greater chance for any one of New York’s millions of residents to take part in the cinematic festivities.",[25,8372,8373],{},"With the several safety protocols put into place, it won’t be easy for this event to go off without a hitch. However, with the pandemic nearing its conclusion and a sense of optimism returning to the nation, the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival may prove to be the ultimate culmination of New York City’s efforts to bring its people together once again.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8375},[],"2021-04-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-announces-return-to-in-person-events-for-2021-festival",{"title":8341,"description":194},"tribeca-announces-return-to-in-person-events-for-2021-festival","blog\u002Ftribeca-announces-return-to-in-person-events-for-2021-festival","lnmUJO-e47ZQl53fL1lXdkgIlpjTHJ2wVcecqFlrmA0",{"id":8384,"title":8385,"body":8386,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8422,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8423,"navigation":71,"path":8424,"seo":8425,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8426,"stem":8427,"__hash__":8428},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2021-oscar-nominations-announced-and-the-nominees-are.md","2021 Oscar Nominations Announced: And the Nominees Are…",{"type":22,"value":8387,"toc":8420},[8388,8393,8396,8399,8402,8405,8408,8411,8414,8417],[25,8389,194,8390],{},[47,8391],{"href":197,"rel":8392},[51],[25,8394,8395],{},"On April 25th, 2021, the 93rd Academy Awards will finally be held after being pushed back by a couple months from its original date. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a majority of film releases to either be postponed or released through streaming, the line-up of films that have been vying for awards recognition has been shaken up quite extensively, and a change of date became necessary in order to accommodate a greater number of films. Thanks to this schedule alteration, which has allowed films released before February 28th, 2021 (either through the traditional theatrical format or, if unable to be released in theaters as originally planned, onto an accessible streaming platform) to qualify for this year’s award ceremony, fears of a limited list of nominated films have proven to be unfounded.",[25,8397,8398],{},"Most notable above all else is the Best Picture category, which is meant to showcase the films considered to be the best of the previous year. This year, there are eight nominated films: “The Father” (released by Sony Pictures Classics), “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Brothers), “Mank” (Netflix), “Minari” (A24), “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures), “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features), “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios), and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix).",[25,8400,8401],{},"As many industry analysts had predicted, it was Netflix, continuing the trend of the streaming giant’s growing presence in the awards circuit, that ended up receiving the most nominations of any studio. Appearing in a total of ten categories, their film “Mank” was the most heavily nominated film, and the studio was also given multiple nominations for such films as “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (with six nominations), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (five nominations), and “Hillbilly Elegy” (two nominations). Other films distributed by Netflix that have managed to earn some recognition include “Over the Moon”, nominated for Best Animated Feature, and “Pieces of a Woman”, of which its lead actress Vanessa Kirby was nominated for Best Actress.",[25,8403,8404],{},"In the Best Actor category, Steven Yeun, for his role in “Minari”, has become the category’s first ever Asian American nominee, and Riz Ahmed, for his performance in “Sound of Metal”, is the first person of the Muslim faith to be nominated here. In addition, the performance of the late Chadwick Boseman in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is also among those contending for the Best Actor award; should Boseman win, he will be one of the category’s few black recipients, as well as one of the few posthumous Oscars ever awarded, not only for this category, but for the entirety of the Oscars’ history.",[25,8406,8407],{},"The Best Actress category, meanwhile, also has a line-up with a handful of noteworthy names. Viola Davis and Andra Day, for their performances in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The United States vs Billie Holiday” respectively, both have a chance of becoming only the second black winner of this category, one that has not seen a nonwhite actress win since Halle Berry’s win for the 2001 film “Monster Ball”. To do so, they will have to overcome stiff competition from Vanessa Kirby, Frances McDormand in “Nomadland”, and Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman”, though if Day’s Golden Globe win in this category is any indication, her chances of winning might be greater than expected.",[25,8409,8410],{},"Some of the acting nominations, however, have been met with confusion from analysts and the general public. According to many, the nominations of Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in the Best Supporting Actor category for their performances in “Judas and the Black Messiah” are somewhat questionable, as those who have seen the film would argue that either actor’s nomination would be more appropriate in the Best Leading Actor category (even if Kaluuya did end up winning the Golden Globe in this category).",[25,8412,8413],{},"In the Best Supporting Actress category, among the more noteworthy nominees is Youn Yuh-jung for her performance in “Minari”. This nomination comes in the wake of criticism that last year’s Best Picture nominee “Parasite”, a film made in South Korea and featuring a predominantly Korean cast, did not receive any nominations in the acting categories despite the strengths of its actors.",[25,8415,8416],{},"The award for Best Director, meanwhile, has also seen its fair share of notable nominees. For the first time in Oscar history, two female directors have been included in a single year: Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” and Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland”. In addition, this is also one of the few times two directors of Asian descent will be competing for the same award: the aforementioned Zhao and Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari”. At the moment, Zhao, having recently won the Golden Globe for Best Director, seems to be the frontrunner for the Oscar. If she wins, she will not only be the second female recipient of the Best Director Oscar (following Kathryn Bigelow for her 2009 film “The Hurt Locker), but also the first woman of color to receive the award.",[25,8418,8419],{},"Whether or not this will be the case has yet to be decided, and with over a month away until the ceremony, there’s still plenty of time for surprises and shake-ups. Either way, this year’s ceremony will be one like no other, simultaneously taking place at both the Dolby Theater and Union Station in Los Angeles as a means of reducing COVID spread. Nobody knows yet how well ceremony organizers will pull off this dual format, but no matter what happens, it will still be very exciting to see who will go home with the industry’s biggest awards, and whether or not history will be made in the process.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8421},[],"2021-04-01",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F2021-oscar-nominations-announced-and-the-nominees-are",{"title":8385,"description":194},"2021-oscar-nominations-announced-and-the-nominees-are","blog\u002F2021-oscar-nominations-announced-and-the-nominees-are","TKHNttSSUrnm_lQhQ9JnJJwGP4SMxYeMBHmAEBaIQRs",{"id":8430,"title":8431,"body":8432,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8463,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8464,"navigation":71,"path":8465,"seo":8466,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8467,"stem":8468,"__hash__":8469},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwriters-guild-of-america-hands-out-awards-predicts-possible-oscar-winners.md","Writers Guild of America Hands Out Awards, Predicts Possible Oscar Winners",{"type":22,"value":8433,"toc":8461},[8434,8440,8443,8446,8449,8452,8455,8458],[25,8435,236,8436,279],{},[47,8437],{"href":8438,"rel":8439},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fnews\u002F2021-wga-writers-guild-awards-winners-list",[51],[25,8441,8442],{},"Although such ceremonies as the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes tend to receive the most attention during the annual awards season, they are far from the only ceremonies held to honor the many cinematic accomplishments of the previous year. Most of these smaller ceremonies tend to focus primarily on one aspect of filmmaking, whether they hand out awards for a specific medium like the animation-centered Annie Awards or for a particular aspect of the filmmaking process like the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which gives out prizes for acting. Despite these ceremonies being held with less publicity than the larger awards presentations, they are still highly regarded among the filmmaking community, and in some cases, they can even serve as predictors for what will win the industry’s biggest awards.",[25,8444,8445],{},"The Writers Guild of America, for example, is one such organization of which its award ceremony is often used to predict which films will win Oscars in the writing categories. Although the association only hands out three awards for film - Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Documentary Screenplay - they do often reflect the films that are nominated for major awards in the exact same category, and those that win the WGA Award in one of these categories are believed to have strong chances (though not necessarily a guarantee) of winning the same award during the larger and more famous ceremony. This is a major reason why the most recent WGA Awards, held on March 21st, 2021, has received a bit more attention than it usually gets, as the films chosen to receive the awards aren’t exactly the most likely of winners.",[25,8447,8448],{},"First, there is the award for Best Original Screenplay, which is given to films of which their narratives were created directly for the screen. Going into the awards ceremony, renowned screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was expected by many to receive the award for his screenplay “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, considering that Sorkin had already won several other awards for this film, including the Golden Globe. Among the other films contending for the award were “Judas and the Black Messiah” (screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King; story by Berson, King, Kenny Lucas and Keith Lucas), “Palm Springs” (screenplay by Andy Siara; story by Siara and Max Barbakow), and “Sound of Metal” (screenplay by Darius Marder and Abraham Marder; story by Darius Marder and Derek Cianfrance). In the end however, the prize was given to Emerald Fennell for her film “Promising Young Woman”.",[25,8450,8451],{},"Then there’s the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, given to films that have been adapted from pre-existing written material. Considering the strength of the films nominated, any one of them could have taken home the prize, especially given the absence of Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland”, which is currently seen as the frontrunner for not only the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, but for the grand prize of Best Picture as well. It could have gone to Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s script for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (based on the play by August Wilson), or maybe Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies’ screenplay for “News of the World” (based on the novel by Paulette Jiles). Kemp Powers could have also taken home the prize for his script for “One Night in Miami…” (based on his stage play), or perhaps Ramin Bahrani could’ve done so for writing “The White Tiger” (based on the book by Aravind Adiga). As it turned out however, the award would given not to any of these films, but to the comedy sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, its screenplay written by Sacha Baron Cohen (the creator of the character this film is based on), Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, and Lee Kern; its story conceived by Cohen, Hines, Swimer,  and Nina Pedrad.",[25,8453,8454],{},"Both these films and their wins of their respective WGA Awards have received their fair share of surprised reactions from analysts and the general public, each for their own different reasons. While there are very few who doubt the quality of “Promising Young Woman” or its writer\u002Fdirector Emerald Fennell, its win has been seen as a major upset due to how many had predicted “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and its scribe to take home the award, especially how many writing prizes the film had received already. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, meanwhile, has a script that is largely derived from improvised material (which may explain why so many people are credited with writing the screenplay), as the film is a mockumentary that involves the characters interacting with real-life people (i.e. non-actors) and recording the reactions that occur. This is far from the conventional process of writing a screenplay, let alone one that is worthy of awards recognition, so to many, the film’s win is a major shock, even by the standards of the typical awards ceremony.",[25,8456,8457],{},"The major question on everyone’s minds is how the results of the WGA Awards will influence the results of the Oscars, at least as far as the writing categories are concerned. “Promising Young Woman” and Emerald Fennell are not yet the frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, with many industry pundits still anticipating a win for Aaron Sorkin and “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, but given the former’s WGA win, the chances of the latter winning the Oscar have become much less certain, especially given that some of the more recent previous winners of the WGA, including “Get Out” and “Parasite”, would go on to the win the Oscar in the same category. As for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and its multiple writers, even if one chooses to disregard the unusual circumstances surrounding the creation of its screenplay, the competition provided by Chloe Zhao and “Nomadland”, snubbed from the WGA Awards but still a major contender for the Oscars, will likely be too great for the “Borat” sequel to overcome, even if previous WGA\u002FOscar winners of the category, such as “Call Me By Your Name” and “Jojo Rabbit” suggest otherwise.",[25,8459,8460],{},"At the end of the day though, nothing is certain, so it will be quite interesting to see how the results of the WGA Awards compare to what will eventually win the Oscars.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8462},[],"2021-03-27",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwriters-guild-of-america-hands-out-awards-predicts-possible-oscar-winners",{"title":8431,"description":298},"writers-guild-of-america-hands-out-awards-predicts-possible-oscar-winners","blog\u002Fwriters-guild-of-america-hands-out-awards-predicts-possible-oscar-winners","MFk54Jp-7CmfGoeeUeorNkXSjUTJeTjK8npYZu-s5mk",{"id":8471,"title":8472,"body":8473,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8566,"description":8567,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8568,"navigation":71,"path":8569,"seo":8570,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8571,"stem":8572,"__hash__":8573},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fluckier-finds-than-leprechauns-highlights-of-irish-independent-cinema.md","Luckier Finds Than Leprechauns: Highlights of Irish Independent Cinema",{"type":22,"value":8474,"toc":8564},[8475,8519,8522,8528,8534,8540,8546,8552,8558],[25,8476,8477,8478,8485,8491,8485,8498,8505,8506,8513,8514],{},"*On the Set: Red Roses & Petrol - ",[486,8479,8480,8485,8486],{},[47,8481,8484],{"href":8482,"rel":8483},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0528462\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t6",[51],"Susan Lynch",", ",[47,8487,8490],{"href":8488,"rel":8489},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0254862\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t5",[51],"Greg Ellis",[486,8492,8493],{},[47,8494,8497],{"href":8495,"rel":8496},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0870447\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t2",[51],"Olivia Tracey",[486,8499,8500],{},[47,8501,8504],{"href":8502,"rel":8503},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0000532\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t1",[51],"Malcolm McDowell",",   ",[486,8507,8508],{},[47,8509,8512],{"href":8510,"rel":8511},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0432013\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t3",[51],"Heather Juergensen",", *",[47,8515,8518],{"href":8516,"rel":8517},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Fname\u002Fnm0066586\u002F?ref_=tt_cl_t4",[51],"Max Beesley",[25,8520,8521],{},"As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day across the nation several forms of activity are expected from those taking part in the holiday: wearing green clothing, marching in parades, and more alcohol consumption than one would normally partake in. For those looking for less dangerous means of commemorating the holiday though, perhaps the time has come to take a look into the world of Irish independent cinema. The nation of Ireland is no stranger to the world of film; in fact, many major productions, from 1952’s “The Quiet Man” to the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy of the 2010’s, had been produced at least in part in the Irish isle. However, in recent years, many of the country’s own films have gained traction and interest, and with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, it’s only fitting to now take the time to spotlight some of the nation’s finest films. So without further ado, here are some examples of quality Irish independent cinema.",[25,8523,8524,8527],{},[486,8525,8526],{},"December Bride"," (1991) - seen by many as a condemnation of the Irish Catholic Church’s policies regarding traditional relationship structures, this early 1900’s set period drama follows Sarah, a young woman who takes two brothers as lovers and becomes pregnant, unwilling to marry either or even find out which is the father of her child. As the narrative progresses, Sarah’s refusal to conform to the Church’s standards puts her at odds with the clergy and her community, putting both her life and those of the men she loves in jeopardy. With its focus on a polyamorous relationship, the film is ahead of its time, allowing for a poignant look into unconventional love.",[25,8529,8530,8533],{},[486,8531,8532],{},"O’Donoghue’s Opera"," (1996) - the first musical film made in Ireland, this mock opera was originally filmed in 1965 but never saw full completion until over thirty years later. Starring Irish musician Ronnie Drew and his band The Dubliners, the film bases its narrative on the execution ballad “The Night Before Larry Was Stretched”, as it follows Drew, the “best burglar in all Ireland”, and the efforts of his friends to free him from the hangman’s noose he gets caught in. Mixing a spaghetti western aesthetic with a sense of humor rich in Irish authenticity, the result is a delightful comedy-musical that makes the decades it took to be completed worth the wait.",[25,8535,8536,8539],{},[486,8537,8538],{},"How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate"," (1998) - shot in black-and-white on Super 16mm film, this debut feature from Irish director Graham Jones follows the plot of six teenagers to steal copies of their Leaving Certificate final school exams to avenge a close friend who committed suicide after his failed attempt to cheat. Using its unique cinematography to its advantage, the film takes the efforts of teenagers and plays them out with the scale and spectacle of a classic heist flick akin to “Ocean’s 11”, and if its 2004 American semi-remake “The Perfect Score” is any indication, there’s no denying\\ the film has had some notable impact on the world of cinema.",[25,8541,8542,8545],{},[486,8543,8544],{},"Borstal Boy"," (2000) - set during World War II, this historical drama follows real-life Irish writer Brendan Behan as he is imprisoned following a failed bombing mission as part of the Irish Republican Army. During his time in Borstal, the youth detention center he is trapped in, Brendan finds himself coming to terms with his own personal struggles as the pressure of his imprisonment only gets more overbearing. Drawing inspiration from Behan’s autobiographical work, the film provides an engaging look at troubled youth affected by war, and shows how conflict between bitter enemies may not always be as black and white as it appears.",[25,8547,8548,8551],{},[486,8549,8550],{},"Red Roses and Petrol"," (2003) - based on the stage play of Irish writer Joseph O’Connor, this dark comedy-drama revolves around the death of Enda Doyle (played to perfection by acclaimed actor Malcolm McDowell), and the conflict that ensues among his dysfunctional family as they attempt to figure out what kind of person their recently deceased patriarch was in life. Elevated by a soundtrack courtesy of Celtic band Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs (daughter of director Tamar Simon Hoffs), the film is one emotional twist after another, and its insight into strained familial relationships is bound to strike a chord with audiences one way or another.",[25,8553,8554,8557],{},[486,8555,8556],{},"The Secret of Kells"," (2009) - animation studio Cartoon Saloon has become a breakout producer of highly acclaimed animated films, with works such as “Song of the Sea” (2014) and “The Breadwinner” (2017) gaining nominations for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. It’s their debut (also Oscar nominated) feature, however, that stands out as the studio’s finest work yet. A fictionalized origin story for the Book of Kells, one of Ireland’s most renowned texts, the film incorporates several elements of Irish mythology into its narrative, resulting in a film that is every bit as visually breathtaking as the book at the center of the story.",[25,8559,8560,8563],{},[486,8561,8562],{},"Portrait of a Zombie"," (2012) - originally intended as a more straight-forward genre film, budget constraints forced director Bing Bailey to change his zombie horror film to more closely resemble a mockumentary format. While this significant style change could have easily become problematic, Bailey shows no signs of difficulty in his finished film, which follows an American documentary crew that becomes fascinated with a recently zombified young man and his family, who act as if nothing had changed. Compared favorably to the likes of “Evil Dead” and “Shaun of the Dead”, this film is yet another example of why zombies still live on in popular culture.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8565},[],"2021-03-17","*On the Set: Red Roses & Petrol - Susan Lynch, Greg Ellis, Olivia Tracey, Malcolm McDowell,   Heather Juergensen, *Max Beesley",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fluckier-finds-than-leprechauns-highlights-of-irish-independent-cinema",{"title":8472,"description":8567},"luckier-finds-than-leprechauns-highlights-of-irish-independent-cinema","blog\u002Fluckier-finds-than-leprechauns-highlights-of-irish-independent-cinema","pFGTLxAM5hmxSHu6rI0ErfdvZV71cnBzrHpMIEx2tw0",{"id":8575,"title":8576,"body":8577,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8604,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8605,"navigation":71,"path":8606,"seo":8607,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8608,"stem":8609,"__hash__":8610},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-box-office-on-the-verge-of-recovery-but-challenges-still-remain.md","American Box Office on the Verge of Recovery, But Challenges Still Remain",{"type":22,"value":8578,"toc":8602},[8579,8581,8584,8587,8590,8593,8596,8599],[25,8580,298],{},[25,8582,8583],{},"The recent reopening of New York City’s movie theaters last weekend has been seen by many as a major win for the film industry. After being closed for nearly a year when the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep the nation, the city finally permitted several of its theaters to resume operations, albeit under strict COVID-prevention guidelines, enabling the nation’s second largest moviegoing market to open for business once again. Even with these mandates, the addition of New York City ticket sales has clearly had a positive effect on the industry alone. Between March 5th and March 7th, domestic movie theaters earned a total of $25 million in total ticket revenue. While a disappointing number under normal conditions, this amount is the highest the industry has received in a single weekend since theaters were forced to shut down nearly a year ago. There’s little doubt that the reopening of New York’s theaters played a huge role in reaching this total, and analysts are predicting even higher numbers in the near future.",[25,8585,8586],{},"One major factor playing into these predictions is the reopening of movie theaters in Los Angeles and its neighboring regions, the only American moviegoing market in the nation larger than New York City. Though no announcement has been made by California governor Gavin Newsom regarding when movie theaters specifically may be allowed to return to operation, several sources claim that many counties are on the verge of moving from the Purple Tier of COVID restrictions to the Red Tier, which would allow several businesses, including movie theaters, to reopen under certain conditions. Credibility of these claims only became stronger when the California state government announced that major theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios could reopen starting April 1st if their respective counties had reentered the Red Tier, a declaration that resulted in much speculation that Los Angeles and Orange Counties were indeed on the verge of exiting the Purple Tier and getting closer to the Red Tier. Should they do so, then a significant handful of businesses in these counties, could open for businesses in a matter of weeks, if not days, after getting to go-ahead from the state and local governments.",[25,8588,8589],{},"None of this is to say that full box office recovery will arrive immediately. In fact, with maximum capacity limits being enforced for the time being, it’s highly unlikely that box office sales will go quite as high as they did before the start of the pandemic. Even with some films being pushed up on the release schedule (Paramount’s “A Quiet Place 2”, for example, was recently bumped up to come out this coming Memorial Day weekend), most studios are still keeping their most lucrative productions from coming out until much later in the year. Universal, for instance, has even pushed back its animated family film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru”, by another whole year, now planning to release it in the summer of 2022 (nearly two years after its original pre-pandemic release date). In spite of all this though, most studios have expressed great joy with the results of this most recent weekend box office, and are slowly making preparations for a return to business as normal.",[25,8591,8592],{},"With all that being said, there are still some challenges that movie theaters will have to contend with even after the pandemic draws to a close. With the rise of streaming services over the past few years (and them becoming one of the few reliable sources of entertainment throughout the previous year), most of this year’s biggest releases will likely lose a significant amount of ticket sale revenue due to the number of people that will instead choose to watch the film from the comfort of their own via a streaming platform like Disney+ or HBO Max. Some of these films will only require a simple monthly fee for a customer to receive access to a newly released film, such as those that Warner Brothers is releasing simultaneously in theaters and on its service HBO Max (the most recent being the live-action\u002Fanimation hybrid “Tom and Jerry”). Other films, like the animated fantasy “Raya and the Last Dragon”, also released in theaters and on the Disney+ streaming platform, will have their own price tag to be charged on top of the monthly fee already being paid. Whatever the case may be, it’s still less money going to theaters as opposed to films that are only being exhibited theatrically.",[25,8594,8595],{},"There’s also the matter of the theatrical window, which has been dramatically shortened in recent months for several major studios. Universal was the first to take this approach, making a deal with several theater chains to allow their films to play at their locations for a minimum of seventeen days before they could then be made accessible through premium video on demand. More recently though, Paramount announced that it would allow its films to play in theaters for around forty-five days before then making them accessible through its own service Paramount+, which had made its debut earlier this month. While these arrangements may still allow theaters to earn money off these films in the first few weeks of their release, they’re still likely to lose a noticeable amount of revenue than they would have under the previous theatrical window deal.",[25,8597,8598],{},"The recent performance of “Raya and the Last Dragon” over its opening weekend shows signs of how conflicting these kinds of arrangements are at the moment. While the film did premiere at #1 at the box office, its total gross was a bit lower than expected, earning much less than what last weekend’s #1 film, “Tom and Jerry” had received. While many reasons have been given to explain this underperformance, many are citing Disney’s inability to reach an agreement with theater chain Cinemark as a major factor, causing the chain to abstain from showing the film altogether. Depending on how much the film is revealed to have earned from streaming sales, this could have a major impact on how Disney chooses to release its next batch of films.",[25,8600,8601],{},"Movie theaters may not yet be out of the woods when it comes to overcoming the toll taken by the pandemic, and with how much the media landscape has changed over the past year, it may never see the same success it had prior to the previous year. Still, in spite of all the challenges that remain, recovery is still in sights to a certain degree, and for the time being, they’ll likely be content with just that.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8603},[],"2021-03-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famerican-box-office-on-the-verge-of-recovery-but-challenges-still-remain",{"title":8576,"description":298},"american-box-office-on-the-verge-of-recovery-but-challenges-still-remain","blog\u002Famerican-box-office-on-the-verge-of-recovery-but-challenges-still-remain","z45pU9TD13AONX92treqpNqZmr3sEHuwRaw-N5lxVBg",{"id":8612,"title":8613,"body":8614,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8648,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8649,"navigation":71,"path":8650,"seo":8651,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8652,"stem":8653,"__hash__":8654},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-york-city-allows-movie-theaters-to-reopen-is-the-end-near.md","New York City Allows Movie Theaters to Reopen: Is the End Near?",{"type":22,"value":8615,"toc":8646},[8616,8622,8625,8628,8631,8634,8637,8640,8643],[25,8617,298,8618],{},[47,8619],{"href":8620,"rel":8621},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-york-city-movie-theaters-to-reopen-at-25-percent-capacity",[51],[25,8623,8624],{},"As the city with the nation’s largest population, New York City has become a prominent sign of where the nation as a whole currently is in the midst of a global pandemic. Since the Coronavirus first broke out in the city, as well as the rest of the United, the state and city governments have had to resort to extreme measures in order to combat the spread of the disease. Though some have argued that such measures have been too extreme, others have claimed otherwise, especially considering that earlier last year, New York City had one of the highest case rates per capita. In any case, local governments, led by New York governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, have been adamant about keeping businesses closed until they can safely return to operation, despite those who have demanded to reopen sooner.",[25,8626,8627],{},"Among those who have been most critical of the government’s mandates is the movie theater industry, receiving a significant portion of its overall box office sales from the city alone. Of the major chains to protest their closure, Cineworld, owner of Regal Theaters, may be the most notable, citing New York’s policies and the multiple push-backs of many major film releases in its decision to keep all of its locations in the entire nation closed until further notice. Other chains like AMC and Cinemark, though not going as far as Cineworld in closing its theaters, have expressed similar dissatisfaction and remained adamant about being allowed to reopen in New York as soon as possible.",[25,8629,8630],{},"Fortunately for theaters, that time may not be too far away. On February 22nd, Andrew Cuomo announced that movie theaters in New York City will be allowed to reopen starting March 5th, almost a year after being forced to close down in the first place. There will still be certain conditions that theaters will have to maintain, however, particularly those involving maximum auditorium capacity. As mandated by Cuomo, theaters may only operate with 25% maximum capacity for the time being; only when case numbers become low enough will theaters be able to reduce the limit and allow more people in theaters at a given time.",[25,8632,8633],{},"Despite these restrictions, theater chains have reacted to Cuomo’s announcement with mostly enthusiasm, eager to begin reopening in one of the nation’s largest markets. A statement released by the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) cited most theaters’ commitment to reducing further spread of the Coronavirus, claiming that they will do whatever is necessary to safely operate during the remainder of the pandemic. “Stringent voluntary health and safety protocols have made it possible for cinemas across the country to operate safely and responsibly at higher capacity limits for many months without a single outbreak of COVID-19 being traced to movie theaters,\" NATO states. “\"We look forward to expanding the capacity from 25 percent to 50 percent in the very near future so that theaters can operate profitably.”",[25,8635,8636],{},"With New York City preparing to reopen the majority of its movie theaters under the required conditions, all eyes are now turning toward Los Angeles, the only movie-going market larger than New York City, to see whenever it will allow movie theaters to commence operations once again. Compared to the 7.4% of total box office revenue theaters received in 2019 from New York City, Los Angeles theaters contributed about 9% percent of these sales, making it the biggest source of ticket sales in the United States. At the moment, less than 40% of all theaters in the United States are operating. With New York theaters reopening and the possibility of Los Angeles theaters doing the same, studios and theaters are hopeful that it’s only a matter of time before all the nation’s theaters are once again open for business.",[25,8638,8639],{},"The question of how soon Los Angeles, as well as the rest of the state of California, will allow movie theaters to reopen remains up in the air though. At the moment, the majority of the nation’s counties fall under the Purple tier of the state government’s COVID charts, which are used to determine how widespread the disease is in a given location. At this tier, only drive-in theaters are allowed to operate, and the state’s indoor theaters are forced to remain closed. Once counties are able to reach the Red tier of the chart, theaters will be permitted to reopen, albeit with the same limited capacity standards New York is placing onto its theaters. At the Red tier, theaters may allow no more than 25% maximum capacity or 50 people (whichever is less) in a given auditorium. If counties are able to progress further into the Orange, then Yellow Tiers, they may expand to 50% capacity or 100 people in a given auditorium.",[25,8641,8642],{},"The good news is at the moment, signs are looking hopeful that the pandemic is starting to die down in the state of California. The number of new cases and deaths per day has been at the lowest levels since October, before the massive surge during the holiday season, and state and local governments have been doing everything in their power to make sure that vaccine distribution reaches as many people as possible. A new stimulus package approved by the California state government and its leader, governor Gavin Newsom, should also provide relief for many of the state’s residents, with the hope of ensuring that people and businesses will be able to return to normal operation as soon as it’s safe to do so.",[25,8644,8645],{},"On the other hand, some are concerned that another surge may be on the horizon. Many have claimed that the surge of new cases and deaths during the months of November and December was the result of businesses being allowed to reopen too early, most of which were forced back into closure as a result of this increase of COVID spread. The one difference between now and then, however, is the availability of the COVID vaccine, and the California government is hopeful that this will allow businesses to reopen without having to risk another rise in cases. It’s uncertain if this will be the case, but with New York starting to reopen, anything’s possible.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8647},[],"2021-03-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-york-city-allows-movie-theaters-to-reopen-is-the-end-near",{"title":8613,"description":298},"new-york-city-allows-movie-theaters-to-reopen-is-the-end-near","blog\u002Fnew-york-city-allows-movie-theaters-to-reopen-is-the-end-near","zjcVmcjWKDMAzzWYwKqQCZlDjYjAEcTO6JtJk7ch1SI",{"id":8656,"title":8657,"body":8658,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8682,"description":373,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8683,"navigation":71,"path":8684,"seo":8685,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8686,"stem":8687,"__hash__":8688},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseizing-golden-opportunities-history-made-at-the-golden-globes.md","Seizing Golden Opportunities: History Made at the Golden Globes",{"type":22,"value":8659,"toc":8680},[8660,8662,8665,8668,8671,8674,8677],[25,8661,373],{},[25,8663,8664],{},"The most recent Golden Globes ceremony, held on Sunday, February 28th, was already destined to be an awards show unlike any held in the past. Much of this is the result of the ongoing COVID-19, which not forced the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globes ceremony, to push the date back by over a month, but it has also made a conventional ceremony where all the major nominees get together at one specific location less feasible due to the risk of further disease spread. Instead, the plan for the 78th Golden Globes went for a bicoastal format, with one of its hosts, Amy Poehler, speaking live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California (where most of the previous Golden Globes ceremonies have been held), and the other, Tina Fey, hosting live from the Rainbow Room in New York City. Even then, not all the nominees and winners were able to appear at those locations, with many presenting or accepting their awards from the safety of their homes via video call. This is certainly not a conventional means of staging an awards ceremony, and the event was not without its various technical glitches. Still, the show went on as planned, and by the end of the night, each of the awards had been handed out, some of which helped make history for the nearly eighty-year old ceremony.",[25,8666,8667],{},"Of the major films to take home the ceremony’s most prestigious prizes, it was “Nomadland” that proved to be superior among the more dramatic contenders. Not only was the film given the title of Best Motion Picture - Drama, but its director, Chloe Zhao, received the honor of Best Director. This one of the few times this specific award has gone to a female director, and it’s the very first instance of a woman of Asian descent receiving this award. On the comedy side of the categories, it was “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, the sequel to the 2006 mockumentary “Borat”, that took home the award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, with its chief creative, writer\u002Fdirector\u002Fleading actor Sacha Baron Cohen being given the award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. With two wins each, “Nomadland” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, as well as the Disney\u002FPixar film “Soul” (which won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score), ended up tying for the most awards given to a single film that evening.",[25,8669,8670],{},"Equally significant in terms of history being made were the wins for the dramatic acting categories. For her role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”, Andra Day received the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, and the late Chadwick Boseman, for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, was awarded Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama. This is one of the few times in which both categories went to black actors (especially in the same year), and with Daniel Kaluuya winning Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in “Judas and the Black Messiah”, the percentage of acting awards going to black actors has been among the highest percentages of any Golden Globes ceremony.",[25,8672,8673],{},"Not every Golden Globe win was without controversy, however. The most notable of this is the award for Best Foreign Language Film, which had been handed out to the Korean-language film “Minari”. The controversy lies not within the film itself, which has received almost universal acclaim since its premiere, but rather how it has been deemed a “foreign film” due to its dialogue being predominantly Korean despite the film being made in the United States. This has resulted in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to receive accusations of racism, which claim the organization recognizes the film as “foreign” (i.e. un-American) due to most of its dialogue being in a language other than English. The lack of nominations in any of the other categories, which went predominantly to more “domestic” films, has only further demonstrated the “otherness” the organization has seemingly placed on the film.",[25,8675,8676],{},"Another major talking point of this year’s Golden Globes was the overwhelming presence of streaming services and their nominated films, although the proportions of nominations and wins for a given studio did not turn out as some may have anticipated. Despite having more nominations overall of any studio, Netflix only ended up receiving four of the fourteen Golden Globes for film: Chadwick Boseman’s aforementioned win, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy (Rosamund Pike for “I Care a Lot”), Best Screenplay (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), and Best Original Song (“Seen” from “The Life Ahead”). This is a decent number, but nowhere near as impressive as it could have been considering how many nominations Netflix had earned throughout all the categories. It’s even more surprising considering that two of its films, “Mank” and “The Trial of the Chicago”, were the most nominated films of the ceremony (the former receiving six nominations, the latter receiving five), yet only “The Trial of the Chicago” received a single award that evening, whereas “Mank”, despite having more Golden Globe nominations of any film, went home empty-handed.",[25,8678,8679],{},"With the Golden Globes having finally come and gone, most of Hollywood is rushing to see how this ceremony will influence the upcoming Academy Awards. At the moment, “Nomadland” and director Chloe Zhao, with its Best Picture and Best Director wins, seems to be the frontrunner. Then again, the winners of both categories of the previous year were “1917” and director Sam Mendes, only to lose the same Academy Awards to Bong Joon-ho and his film “Parasite”. In fact, many Golden Globe winners in recent memory failed to repeat their success at the Golden Globes, so “Nomadland” being named Best Picture at the Oscars should not be treated as a given fact. Still, its achievements so far are still worthy of praise, and even if its success is not completely guaranteed, it still has a chance to make history, as are the many other films and filmmakers who still have the potential for a major awards win in the future. In any case, seeing where awards season goes from here, especially considering what has happened so far, will most certainly be an interesting watch.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8681},[],"2021-03-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseizing-golden-opportunities-history-made-at-the-golden-globes",{"title":8657,"description":373},"seizing-golden-opportunities-history-made-at-the-golden-globes","blog\u002Fseizing-golden-opportunities-history-made-at-the-golden-globes","P7w5g44z8IdaXiCL9f29pH9D3dwj-yRtIDftbQMV_yc",{"id":8690,"title":8691,"body":8692,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8725,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8726,"navigation":71,"path":8727,"seo":8728,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8729,"stem":8730,"__hash__":8731},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Flunar-new-year-celebration-sees-box-office-resurgence-in-china.md","Lunar New Year Celebration Sees Box Office Resurgence in China",{"type":22,"value":8693,"toc":8723},[8694,8696,8699,8702,8705,8708,8711,8714,8717,8720],[25,8695,298],{},[25,8697,8698],{},"Looking back on the Lunar New Year of the year 2020, one can’t help but wonder just how prosperous the box office of China could’ve been. Considered by many to be one of the most cherished times of the year for most Chinese citizens (similar to the Christmas or summer seasons in the United States), the Lunar New Year has previously seen major economic boosts as the people of the Middle Kingdom gather together and celebrate. That was not the case for the year 2020 however. As a result of the emergence of the Coronavirus, which would quickly spread throughout the world and lead to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government took action and forced all businesses to close down until further notice. Movie theaters were not exempt from these mandates, and as a result, a time that should’ve seen several box office records be broken instead left very little for the film industry to take in.",[25,8700,8701],{},"Moving forward a whole year since the beginning of the outbreak, it’s quite remarkable how the situation has almost completely reversed itself. While some measures have been kept in place in order to prevent the return of the Coronavirus, China has gotten as close as it can to returning to normal, and the Lunar New Year can once again be celebrated to the fullest extent possible. The nation’s movie theaters are among the biggest benefactors of this returning celebration, and not only are they finding great success once more, but they’re doing significantly better than before the pandemic started.",[25,8703,8704],{},"When comparing the box office sales of the current Lunar New Year to those of 2019, one can see that this year’s sales have skyrocketed past those of the previous Lunar New Year celebration (not counting the year 2020 due to the government-mandated closures), which had already seen the shattering of several box office records. In the first three days of the 2021 Lunar New Year, Chinese movie theaters earned approximately 4.5 billion yuan (which amounts to just under $700 million in American dollars) in ticket salesi, a 33% increase from the year 2019. These numbers are even more impressive considering that most theaters still have maximum capacity guidelines for most of their auditoriums, most of which are no higher than 75%. Even with the limitations of how many tickets can be sold per showing, Chinese theaters seem to have little disadvantage when it comes to getting as many people as possible into these venues.",[25,8706,8707],{},"Of the many films taking advantage of the Lunar New Year, it’s “Detective Chinatown 3” that’s proving to be the most prosperous. The third installment of the immensely popular action and comedy series, the film earned $397 million in its opening weekend, not only racing past other titles released that weekend to top an already booming box office chart, but it also outpaced “Avengers: Endgame” to receive the biggest opening in a single market of any film in the world.",[25,8709,8710],{},"Current estimates predict that “Detective Chinatown 3” will finish its run with a total of around $750 million in ticket sales. While this won’t make the film the highest grossing film in the history of the Chinese box office - it would have to surpass the $874 million that “Wolf Warrior 2” earned in 2017 - the success the film has already achieved is quite astounding, especially given how little movie theaters were making just about a year prior.",[25,8712,8713],{},"Coming in second in terms of overall ticket sales is the romantic comedy “Hi, Mom”, taking in around $161 million over the weekend. Although this is less than half of what “Detective Chinatown 3” had gained, it’s still a very respectable total, and positive word-of-mouth could see the numbers go up dramatically in the near future. Other major film releases to claim a stake in the Lunar New Year box office include the action fantasy “A Writer’s Odyssey” with an estimated $48 million, the animated family film “Boonie Bears: The Wild Life” with about $38.5 million, the video game adaptation “The Yin Yang Master” with around $24.9 million, and the animated fantasy “New Gods: Rezha Reborn”, which received $21.2 million over the weekend. Least successful of the new releases was “Endgame” (not to be confused with the Avengers film of the same name), a comedy-drama that only took in $12.1 million over the three-day period.",[25,8715,8716],{},"When comparing the current Chinese box office to that of the United States, it’s not hard to see why some are feeling dismayed by the current situation. Whereas China has managed to reopen many of its major markets and allow local movie theaters to see massive resurgences in ticket sales, the United States has not had such luck due to the remaining presence of the COVID-19 pandemic. With several theaters across the nation still closed under local government mandate, most of the major studios have withheld most of their biggest blockbuster releases, and the few theaters that are open are receiving very little in terms of ticket sales, not only because of the lack of product, but also due to strict maximum capacity standards that prevent theaters from fully selling out each screening.",[25,8718,8719],{},"During the most recent weekend, from February 12th to the 14th (referred to by many as Valentine’s Day weekend), the biggest ticket seller only earned a total of just under $2.08 million, significantly less than even the slowest periods of a year no hampered by a global pandemic. That film, “The Croods: A New Age”, reached the top of the box office in its twelfth weekend of release; while there have been a small handful of new releases over the weekend (one of them, the historical drama “Judas and the Black Messiah”, entered the market at #2 with a $2.07 million weekend gross), it’s telling of how little Hollywood is willing to release any major films that the weekend’s biggest earner has been screening in theaters for over three months.",[25,8721,8722],{},"Yet not everyone is looking at the Chinese box office’s prosperity with envy. Many have argued that much of that resurgence can be attributed to how long Chinese moviegoers have had to wait until they can go out to the movies once again, taking the opportunity to quench their thirst for a big-screen viewing as soon as it became available. If the people of China are that willing to return to the movies once they are free to do so, then there’s little reason why a similar pattern shouldn’t emerge once all theaters in the United States are open once again. There’s no guarantee this will happen, let alone when it would happen (especially considering how extreme winter weather has begun to have a major impact on much of the central United States), but Hollywood is hopeful that once they return to releasing their films in theaters, those who have been seeking to return to the movies will do so in as big of numbers as possible.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8724},[],"2021-02-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Flunar-new-year-celebration-sees-box-office-resurgence-in-china",{"title":8691,"description":298},"lunar-new-year-celebration-sees-box-office-resurgence-in-china","blog\u002Flunar-new-year-celebration-sees-box-office-resurgence-in-china","IdIps4MpdmVSe27rNj7Ay8DstMPWdNFHe5dZvyUI9bI",{"id":8733,"title":8734,"body":8735,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8762,"description":6813,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8763,"navigation":71,"path":8764,"seo":8765,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8766,"stem":8767,"__hash__":8768},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fgoing-for-the-gold-highlights-of-the-golden-globe-nominations.md","Going for the Gold: Highlights of the Golden Globe Nominations",{"type":22,"value":8736,"toc":8760},[8737,8739,8742,8745,8748,8751,8754,8757],[25,8738,6813],{},[25,8740,8741],{},"When it comes to the award season celebrating the films of 2020, to quote a familiar saying, it’s better late than never. Despite a significant shortage of films as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there was still just enough for the major film associations to deem worthy of awards recognition. Granted, most of these films have been released through streaming services as opposed to traditional theatrical exhibition, a means of distribution that has become quite controversial over the past few years, but with the majority of theaters closed throughout 2020 and the major studios holding back most of their high-profile products, streaming has been, for the most part, the only source from which most of these films can be safely viewed. All this has resulted in the year’s biggest awards ceremonies having to be pushed back. In fact, in a normal year, the Academy Award nominations would have been announced, and the Golden Globes would’ve already been handed out.",[25,8743,8744],{},"However, as a result of significant postponements due to the pandemic, the Golden Globes nominations were only just recently announced, and the Oscar nominations won’t come out for another month. Still, as previously stated, it’s better these events happen late instead never, and sure enough, on Wednesday February 3rd, the nominees for the 78th Golden Globes were announced, and sure enough, streaming services proved to be the dominant force, as the grand majority of films nominated, as well as the majority of nominations, overall, were from streaming platforms.",[25,8746,8747],{},"Of these services, it was Netflix, arguably the most popular film streaming service currently operating, that took the lion’s share of the major nominations. Of the films nominated, it was Netflix’s “Mank”, David Fincher’s dramatic biopic about “Citizen Kane” writer Herman J. Mankiewicz, that ended up being the most heavily nominated film, earning a total of six nominations, the most prominent being Best Motion Picture - Drama. Other films released by Netflix that also scored at least one Golden Globe nomination include “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, which had also been nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and “The Prom”, which became a nominee for the other film category, Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. In addition, Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman were both nominated for Best Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for their film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, a film also distributed by Netflix. Overall, Netflix films ended up receiving a total of nineteen nominations, more than any other film distributor.",[25,8749,8750],{},"Joining “Mank” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” as nominees for Best Motion Picture - Drama were the British drama “The Father”, Searchlight Pictures’ “Nomadland” directed by Chloe Zhao, and the black comedy\u002Fthriller “Promising Young Woman”. On the opposite end of the spectrum, in the category of Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, joining “The Prom” are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, the sequel to the 2006 film “Borat”, the live recording of the popular Broadway musical “Hamilton”, the musical drama from popular singer Sia “Music”, and “Palm Springs”, an Andy Samberg sci-fi comedy that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.",[25,8752,8753],{},"In the acting categories, the nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama were Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal”, the aforementioned Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Hopkins for “The Father”, Gary Oldman for “The Mank”, and Tahar Rahim for “The Mauritanian”, whereas the nominees for Best Actress in a Motion Picture  - Drama included the previously mentioned Viola Davis, Andra Day for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”, Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman”, Frances McDormand for “Nomadland”, and Carey Mulligan for “Promising Young Woman”. Meanwhile, in the acting categories for Musical or Comedy, the Best Actor nominees were Sacha Baron Cohen for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, James Corden for “The Prom”, Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Hamilton”, Dev Patel for “The Personal History of David Copperfield”, and Andy Samberg for “Palm Springs”; as for the Best Actress nominees, those included were Maria Bakalova for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, Kate Hudson for “Music”, Michelle Pfeiffer for “French Exit”, Rosamund Pike for “I Care a Lot”, and Anya Taylor-Joy for “Emma”.",[25,8755,8756],{},"Perhaps the most notable category in terms of who was nominated was Best Director; not only is this the first time that the majority of nominated directors are female, but two of them are women of color, making this one of the most diverse line-ups in the history of the category. Said nominees consist of African-American director Regina King for “One Night in Miami”, Chinese director Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland”, and Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman”, who will be competing against each other, as well as David Fincher for “Mank” and Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7”. Zhao, Fennell, and Sorkin, will also be competing amongst each other for the award for Best Screenplay, for which Jack Fincher for “Mank” and Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton for “The Father” will also be competing for.",[25,8758,8759],{},"Who will end up being the winners in these categories and several others? Nobody will know until the end of the month on February 28th, when the ceremony will be held for the first time with a bi-coastal presentation, with Amy Poehler hosting from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, and Tina Fey hosting from the Rainbow Room in New York City. It will certainly be a unique Golden Globes ceremony as a result of this decision to hold it in two different locations, and it’s hard not to see this as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. How well the organizers will be able to pull this off is still yet to be known, but hopefully it will not detract from the films that are nominated and will hopefully go on to be the year’s biggest winners.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8761},[],"2021-02-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgoing-for-the-gold-highlights-of-the-golden-globe-nominations",{"title":8734,"description":6813},"going-for-the-gold-highlights-of-the-golden-globe-nominations","blog\u002Fgoing-for-the-gold-highlights-of-the-golden-globe-nominations","ckJA6qk_ZK42dBN8xI2pDpPIxpzeI2mNy_Ttwo6V8mc",{"id":8770,"title":8771,"body":8772,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8799,"description":557,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8800,"navigation":71,"path":8801,"seo":8802,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8803,"stem":8804,"__hash__":8805},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fapple-breaks-records-with-25-million-purchase-at-sundance.md","Apple Breaks Records with $25 Million Purchase at Sundance",{"type":22,"value":8773,"toc":8797},[8774,8776,8779,8782,8785,8788,8791,8794],[25,8775,557],{},[25,8777,8778],{},"The 2021 Sundance Film Festival has been quite an interesting experience to say the least, one very different from those in previous years. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic making it impossible to hold the festival in its traditional format while providing a safe movie-going experience, the organizers of this year’s event have had to take a new approach with the films selected for screening, showing some in drive-in theaters across the nation and making others available through online streaming. Despite these unusual circumstances though, by the time the Sundance Film Festival concludes on February 3rd, there will be several different short and feature-length films vying for distribution under the promise that receiving support from a prominent industry name will result in great critical and commercial acclaim. That seems to be enough of an incentive for one film distributor, so much so that it’s chosen to spend more money on one film in particular than what was spent on any purchase in the history of the festival.",[25,8780,8781],{},"On January 30th, 2021, tech giant Apple, which had recently entered the streaming wars with its own service Apple TV+, agreed to a deal in which they would spend a little over $25 million, more than any previous sale at the Sundance Film Festival, for the international distribution rights to “CODA”, a coming-of-age drama from filmmaker Siân Heder. For comparison, the record was previously held by last year’s $22.5 million purchase of the Andy Samberg vehicle “Palm Springs”, which was given to a joint partnership between Neon (which had distributed Best Picture winner “Parasite”) and streaming platform Hulu. Apple’s purchase of “CODA” outpaces that total by over $2.5 million, effectively taking over as record holder for biggest Sundance sale.",[25,8783,8784],{},"Given its premiere on opening night as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition, it’s not hard to see why “CODA” would be worth spending so much money on. Starring Emilia Jones as the sole member of her family with the ability to hear, the film, inspired by the French film “La Famille Belier”, focuses on the character of Ruby and the internal conflict she faces in deciding whether or not to follow her dreams or continue to support her family’s struggling fishing business. Upon the conclusion of its premiere, “CODA” (which is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) was instantly greeted with overwhelming acclaim, with critics praising the film for its portrayal of people with hearing disabilities and the difficulties they and their families face when living in a world that isn’t so accommodating to their condition. With the praise growing stronger by the minute, it was not long before distributors began bidding on the film, seeing it as a possible opportunity for them to compete in the coming awards season.",[25,8786,8787],{},"As the bidding price grew larger though, more and more contenders began to drop out, and eventually, it came down to two industry giants, Apple and Amazon. Considering Amazon has already proven to be a major contender as a distributor of independent cinema (some of which has even received its fair share of awards recognition), it would not have seemed too out of nowhere for the world’s largest online corporation to come out on top. In the end however, it was Apple that had given the biggest offering, and by the end of the day, the distribution deal had been set.",[25,8789,8790],{},"Apple’s success in buying the distribution rights to “CODA” comes as a major win to the company at a time when they have needed it most. Despite being one of the world’s biggest technology corporations, Apple has not had the same success with Apple TV+ as other companies have had with their own streaming services, and a large reason for that is likely due the lack of appealing content. Although it has been able to pick up the rights to a few names here and there, such as the various Peanuts television specials, it has still fallen short in acquiring major motion pictures that might elevate their brand. Whereas competing services have been able to claim a stake in the streaming wars with their own high-profile titles (Netflix, for example, is the distributor of some of the year’s biggest awards contenders, including “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom'' and “The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Apple has had a slow start in producing or at least acquiring such titles. At the moment, only the Bill Murray\u002FRashida Jones comedy-drama “On the Rocks” and the animated fantasy film “Wolfwalkers” are the only Apple-distributed titles making the rounds as contenders for major awards.",[25,8792,8793],{},"For Apple to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon and emerge as a film distributor worthy of respect, it’s going to need to earn the distribution rights of as many titles as it can possibly get, and that will likely mean spending lots more than it has in the past. The $25 million Apple has spent for “CODA” is proof of this; the fact that Apple spent so much money on this one film, so much so that it broke a major record in the process, shows just how much the company is willing to put on the line just to get access to the one thing that could guarantee success. If Apple is willing to make such commitments to other films that are in need of distribution, one would think that it’s chances of surviving and thriving in the streaming industry, one where the competition is growing larger and harsher with each passing day, might not be as bleak as originally expected.",[25,8795,8796],{},"If there is one additional upside to Apple’s record-breaking purchase, it’s the relief in knowing that the Sundance Film Festival is still as strong as ever. With the pandemic forcing festival organizers to make drastic changes as to how its films are exhibited, there was definitely a concern that whichever titles were being included might’ve not been able to attract the attention they need so badly. If “CODA” is any indication though, that’s not the case, and with there being so many more wonderful titles making their existence known to the world, it’s safe to say that, in spite of everything, this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a complete success.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8798},[],"2021-02-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fapple-breaks-records-with-25-million-purchase-at-sundance",{"title":8771,"description":557},"apple-breaks-records-with-25-million-purchase-at-sundance","blog\u002Fapple-breaks-records-with-25-million-purchase-at-sundance","AhZXa7LHmCUXQsakp9P3qwZV1vzFDoikF4FUt_YUHiM",{"id":8807,"title":8808,"body":8809,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8834,"description":8813,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8835,"navigation":71,"path":8836,"seo":8837,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8838,"stem":8839,"__hash__":8840},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fafis-list-of-the-best-films-of-last-year.md","AFI’s List of The Best Films of Last Year",{"type":22,"value":8810,"toc":8832},[8811,8814,8817,8820,8823,8826,8829],[25,8812,8813],{},"Source: Sundance",[25,8815,8816],{},"The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused extensive delays in the film industry, but that doesn’t mean plans have been outright canceled. With the year 2020 having finally come to a close, the time has come to look back and determine which films - or what few were released - are worthy of being considered the year’s best. Although nomination announcements for the major awards ceremonies, including the Golden Globes and the Oscars, are not expected until later on in the year, several smaller institutions have stepped up to make their selections. Most of these consist of local organizations like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, groups that may not necessarily reflect the views of the nation as a whole, let alone the entire global landscape. But then there is the American Film Institute (AFI for short), a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the art of the American motion picture. Each year, the AFI releases a list of films that its members have agreed upon as being the best of a given year (it also does the same for television programs), and just recently, the list for the year 2020 was announced.",[25,8818,8819],{},"What makes AFI’s Top 10 list unique among others is the lack of any ranking among the films listed. Whereas other lists will rank each of the films included from least good to most good (or vice versa), the AFI makes no distinction as to whether or not one film is better than the other, simply listing the films in alphabetical order and presenting them as if they were of equal quality. Given how controversial declaring which film is the best of a specific year can be, it makes perfect sense that the AFI would not want to show preference to one film over any of the others. This can be especially helpful for “genre” films and those created by minority filmmakers, which might otherwise be deemed “inferior” to more conventional fare. It’s not a perfect system - limiting the list to ten will mean some films will be omitted despite how well acclaimed they are - but the AFI’s list can be useful in determining which films best defined the year as its most honorable achievements, and this most recent list could most certainly do just that.",[25,8821,8822],{},"There’s a lot that can be interpreted from this year’s selection of films, but perhaps what’s most respectable is the diversity of the individuals in front of and behind the camera. While four of the films’ directors - Pete Docter, David Fincher, Darius Marder, and Aaron Sorkin - are white males, the demographic whose films have long dominated “Best Of” lists, the remaining films can be credited to those outside this group. Three directors - Regina King, Shaka King, and Spike Lee - are African American(four if you count “Soul” co-director Kemp Powers), and two - Lee Isaac Chung and Chloe Zhao - are of Asian descent. In addition, most of the films selected have a main character, if not a majority of the cast, that comes from a minority background. Four films - “Da 5 Bloods”, “Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, and “Soul” - all have predominantly black casts, the main characters “Minari” are played by actors of Korean descent, and Riz Ahmed, a British actor of Pakistani descent, is the lead of “Sound of Metal”.",[25,8824,8825],{},"What may be even more noteworthy about this year’s AFI list, however, is the overwhelming presence of films released through streaming instead of theaters. Of the ten films listed, four have been distributed by Netflix, and two were released by Amazon, both of which have premiered their films through their respective streaming services. In addition, Disney has made “Soul” available exclusively through its platform Disney+, and its subsidiary Searchlight Pictures will release “Nomadland”simultaneously in theaters and on its other streaming service Hulu, much like how Warner Brothers will release “Judas and the Black Messiah'' in theaters and on its service HBO Max at the same time. Even “Minari'', distributed by A24, was given a one-week release through virtual cinema, though it will also receive a theatrical release on February 12th.",[25,8827,8828],{},"It’s easy to blame the COVID-19 pandemic for there being so many films released through streaming, especially considering that “Soul, “Nomadland” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” would have all been given proper theatrical releases under normal circumstances. However, this would ignore the presence of streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, whose films have taken up the majority of the AFI’s list, and could very well do the same when it comes to the upcoming announcements for the major awards.",[25,8830,8831],{},"There’s a lot to take away from the AFI’s Top 10 Films of 2020 - some aspects worthy of praise, others a bit more concerning - but as a reflection of the year prior, it certainly does its job.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8833},[],"2021-02-03",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fafis-list-of-the-best-films-of-last-year",{"title":8808,"description":8813},"afis-list-of-the-best-films-of-last-year","blog\u002Fafis-list-of-the-best-films-of-last-year","-1mirhHvKsVIdc6W0iX0IPBQpR40moJXZSdiR3Pgxmk",{"id":8842,"title":8843,"body":8844,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":8881,"description":8882,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8883,"navigation":71,"path":8884,"seo":8885,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8886,"stem":8887,"__hash__":8888},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-the-american-emu-association-pri.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Announces Collaboration with the American Emu Association Prior to the Release of the New Australian Film, Emu Runner",{"type":22,"value":8845,"toc":8879},[8846,8856,8859,8862,8865,8868,8871,8874],[25,8847,8848,8855],{},[57,8849,8850,8851,8854],{},"Los Angeles, CA, January 27, 2021 --(",[47,8852,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":8853},[51],")--"," World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with the American Emu Association (AEA) in anticipation of the theatrical release of the award-winning feature film Emu Runner (emurunner.com). With the support of the AEA, WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the 2021 U.S. release of the film, introducing American audiences to this unique family story and to further educate people about the significance of this interesting wild animal and the emu industry in general.",[25,8857,8858],{},"Emu Runner is a heartwarming story about an eight-year-old girl who forges a bond with a wild emu as a way to cope with the grief of losing her mother unexpectedly. In addition to reinforcing the special way animals can help people manage heartache and loneliness, the story also delves into the modern day complexities of race and social disparities within a community of Australian Indigenous peoples, and is one of the only internationally distributed family films produced in recent times to highlight the difficulties of the Australian Indigenous experience. Emu Runner offers viewers a glimpse into the life of a community underrepresented around the world, at a time when unity and understanding are needed more than ever.",[25,8860,8861],{},"“As we prepare for the national release of this heartwarming family film, we’re very grateful to organizations and groups such as the prestigious AEA for their kind support in spreading the word about the upcoming release of the film,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO of WWMPC.",[25,8863,8864],{},"The AEA was formed in 1989 with the intent of promoting public awareness of emu products and fostering research to further develop a better understanding of this unique animal. The AEA represents an alternative agricultural industry, dominated by small farmers throughout the U.S., who are committed to humane and environmentally positive practices that produce high quality, beneficial products and knowledge.",[25,8866,8867],{},"\"We’re excited to be supporting the marketing effort for a film that depicts the emu in such a positive light, and appreciate World Wide Motion Pictures' efforts to bring more awareness of this amazing animal to American audiences,\" stated Dennis Anderson, President of AEA.",[25,8869,8870],{},"Winner of “Best Australian Independent Film” at the 2019 Gold Coast Film Festival (Australia), Emu Runner has garnered multiple festival nominations and accolades from around the world and has been showcased at festivals in the UK, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. Nominated for “Best Independent Film” by the esteemed Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts, the film also received award nominations from the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and the Zlin Children’s Film Festival (Czech Republic).",[25,8872,8873],{},"Due to closures and scheduling difficulties of mainstream cinemas around the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWMPC’s tentative plans include releasing the Film on specially selected screens throughout the U.S. starting in the summer of 2021.",[25,8875,45,8876,7467],{},[47,8877,52],{"href":49,"rel":8878},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8880},[],"2021-01-31","Los Angeles, CA, January 27, 2021 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is proud to announce a collaboration with the American Emu Association (AEA) in anticipation of the theatrical release of the award-winning feature film Emu Runner (emurunner.com). With the support of the AEA, WWMPC hopes to spread awareness for the 2021 U.S. release of the film, introducing American audiences to this unique family story and to further educate people about the significance of this interesting wild animal and the emu industry in general.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-the-american-emu-association-pri",{"title":8843,"description":8882},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-the-american-emu-association-pri","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-collaboration-with-the-american-emu-association-pri","YqI_Ba21CDJOMEORsMLA5GfqRQm8UjPCoFtFpYtoLYk",{"id":8890,"title":8891,"body":8892,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8947,"description":8948,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8949,"navigation":71,"path":8950,"seo":8951,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8952,"stem":8953,"__hash__":8954},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmore-than-just-netflix-our-favorite-streaming-services-for-independent-films.md","More Than Just Netflix: Our Favorite Streaming Services for Independent Films",{"type":22,"value":8893,"toc":8945},[8894,8901,8904,8907,8913,8921,8929,8937],[25,8895,236,8896],{},[47,8897,8900],{"href":8898,"rel":8899},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fandor.com\u002F",[51],"Fandor",[25,8902,8903],{},"On March 4th, 2021, the CBS All Access streaming service will rebrand itself as Paramount+, reflecting the recent merger of Viacom, the company that owns major motion picture studio Paramount, and CBS, one of the three original television networks. Paramount+ will be the latest in a long line of streaming services dedicated to showcasing a specific studio’s cinematic library, one that includes Disney+, Warner Brothers’ HBO Max, and Universal’s Peacock. As one can see, all of these services specialize in the content of their parent companies with little room for anything else they do not own. While this is beneficial for those seeking to legally view one of their favorite blockbusters or classics, those seeking to view independent cinema will have to look elsewhere. Even Netflix, the service that laid the groundwork for the streaming culture that has developed over the past decade, has become such an industry giant that even its output can no longer be considered “independent”.",[25,8905,8906],{},"Indeed, finding an abundant source of films made outside the mainstream studio system is becoming a greater challenge with each passing day, but that does not mean it’s impossible. In a world where large corporations are giving their high-profile content heavy amounts of promotion, there are some services that have minimal resources to advertise their products than the products themselves, much of it consisting of little-known, but still high-quality works of independent cinema. These are services with much to offer which is why we’ve decided to help out and promote some of these platforms. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite independent cinema streaming services:",[25,8908,8909,8912],{},[47,8910,8900],{"href":8898,"rel":8911},[51]," -  it was just recently announced that digital media company Cinedigm would acquire this service, and while a relaunch is expected to occur in the near future, we hope that it will do little to detract from this haven for independent cinema. With a total of over 4,600 titles, Fandor holds a wide variety of films in its library, one that consists of international features, documentaries, and other works of cinema outside the mainstream. It’s so far uncertain as to how much Cinedigm’s acquisition of the service will impact the type of content featured, but considering that CEO Chris McGurk hopes the site will reach one million subscribers within the next twenty-four to thirty months, there’s hope that this new strategy will be able to introduce more people to the world of independent cinema.",[25,8914,8915,8920],{},[47,8916,8919],{"href":8917,"rel":8918},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.indieflix.com\u002F",[51],"Indieflix"," - the name may suggest that this is merely a branch of the streaming giant Netflix, but in reality, it’s a fully independent service, much like the cinematic content it has to offer. Through a mixture of on-demand streaming and a handful selection of live-TV challenges, Indieflix has all sorts of film, from short to feature-length,  from classic to contemporary, the list goes on. While working closely with filmmakers to ensure the best possible viewing experience is a top priority for the service, Indieflix also strives to use their content as an educational resource, hoping that those who view the films they present will gain awareness of the world around them and the complex issues currently plaguing modern society. It’s a difficult task, but one with the potential to change the world for the better.",[25,8922,8923,8928],{},[47,8924,8927],{"href":8925,"rel":8926},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kanopy.com\u002F",[51],"Kanopy"," - for those whose budget may not allow for much in terms of paying for entertainment, this might be the best service for one to delve deeper into independent cinema and all that it has to offer. Through an arrangement with several public libraries and universities, Kanopy currently has over 30,000 titles ranging from documentaries to classics available for no charge whatsoever. The only requirement is a connection to either one of the aforementioned institutions, either a university profile or a library card (the latter of which is the best option for those not currently enrolled in college). Other than that, there is absolutely no cost for Kanopy whatsoever, so it’s an ideal service for those seeking to open themselves up to a larger cinematic would without having to worry too much about the expense.",[25,8930,8931,8936],{},[47,8932,8935],{"href":8933,"rel":8934},"https:\u002F\u002Fmubi.com\u002F",[51],"Mubi"," - one of the challenges that often comes with having a streaming service is having to decide what to watch when there are so many options to choose from. For those who struggle with such a decision, Mubi provides a solution by finding the right balance between variety and ease in choice. This is a site that keeps its present content levels low but frequently rotating, allowing a title to be available for around thirty days before being removed and replaced with another. This does make it difficult to revisit a favorite film from time to time, but the upside is the potential for a new film that one might not have known of before to join their list of favorite films. Foreign films are a prominent feature of Mubi, so this is an especially good service for those curious about expanding their tastes beyond the English language.",[25,8938,8939,8944],{},[47,8940,8943],{"href":8941,"rel":8942},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ovid.tv\u002F",[51],"OVID"," - even by independent streaming standards, this is among the smaller services, but as it’s been proven already, low quantity is not an indicator of low quality. There are currently just over 800 titles listed on OVID that fall into one of three categories: films that highlight social\u002Fpolitical issues relevant to the current world; international works of the animated, documentary, and\u002For experimental mediums; and the best of arthouse cinema from around the world. OVID currently plans on releasing anywhere between twenty-five to thirty new titles with each passing month, but don’t expect the service to become too overwhelming so quickly. The main focus is still to connect people and their histories to one another on a global scale, and considering what’s available so far on the site, there’s little about OVID to worry about.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8946},[],"2021-01-26","Source: Fandor",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmore-than-just-netflix-our-favorite-streaming-services-for-independent-films",{"title":8891,"description":8948},"more-than-just-netflix-our-favorite-streaming-services-for-independent-films","blog\u002Fmore-than-just-netflix-our-favorite-streaming-services-for-independent-films","Bl1N-sFLkOumWQEwOgiQdECkIvZGh2OpCNTY0qkKZF0",{"id":8956,"title":8957,"body":8958,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":8992,"description":194,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":8993,"navigation":71,"path":8994,"seo":8995,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":8996,"stem":8997,"__hash__":8998},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fstill-no-end-in-sight-studios-once-again-pushing-back-blockbusters.md","Still No End in Sight: Studios Once Again Pushing Back Blockbusters",{"type":22,"value":8959,"toc":8990},[8960,8966,8969,8972,8975,8978,8981,8984,8987],[25,8961,236,8962],{},[47,8963,391],{"href":8964,"rel":8965},"https:\u002F\u002Fvariety.com\u002F2021\u002Ffilm\u002Fnews\u002Fmovie-release-dates-coronavirus-pandemic-1234881304\u002F",[51],[25,8967,8968],{},"The beginning of a new year should be a moment of hope and optimism, especially when a year as despised as 2020 comes to an end. Indeed, with the arrival of 2021, one would like to think that there would be a change of pace in regards to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Not only have vaccines been approved for distribution throughout the country, but a new administration is set to begin work by January 20th after President-Elect Joe Biden is sworn into office. Still, even though these events will hopefully start to change things in the future, they will not improve things overnight, and no one should expect a return to normality any time soon. This is something that one needs to keep in mind when it comes to the reopening of businesses throughout the nation, especially the film industry. In fact, recent announcements from the major studios about the release of their biggest upcoming features serve as a reminder of just how far there still is to go.",[25,8970,8971],{},"The first of the postponement announcements came earlier this week when it was reported that Sony would be pushing back “Morbius'', a horror-fantasy superhero film starring Jared Leto, from its previous March 19th release date to almost seven months later on October 8th. To some, the film being released so close to Halloween makes perfect sense given the film’s subject matter (its premise revolves around its main character gaining vampire powers), but it’s clear to many that the date change has less to do with wanting to capitalize on the coming holiday and more to do with the uncertainty that releasing the film in March will be profitable for Sony, since movie theaters are not expected to be completely up and running by then.",[25,8973,8974],{},"What’s interesting about Sony’s announcement is its need for further pushback comes even after it has already postponed so much of its product. When the pandemic began last March, causing most major studios to change the release dates of their films to only a couple months into the future (under the optimistic belief that things would quickly return to normal sooner than later), Sony took a more drastic approach. Each one of its films originally planned to come out in 2020, including “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway”, was taken off the schedule and instead planned for release in the next coming year. In hindsight, this was probably the smartest decision of any of the major studios, as the pandemic continued on throughout the year and prevented any major blockbusters from turning a profit on theatrical sales alone (the few that were released in theaters, most notably those from Universal, were also made available for home viewing either on the same day or a few weeks afterward).",[25,8976,8977],{},"Reports of another postponement came shortly afterwards regarding “No Time to Die”, the latest in the long-running James Bond franchise currently distributed by MGM domestically and Universal overseas. The film had most recently been set for release on April 2nd (nearly a whole year after its original date in 2020), but recent reports suggest that the studios are planning to postpone the film yet again and have it come out in November of this year. At the time of this writing, neither MGM nor Universal have confirmed these rumors, but given Sony’s recent decision to push back “Morbius”, it would come as no surprise to hear that an even more high-profile picture like “No Time to Die” would also receive an additional push back.",[25,8979,8980],{},"Both these examples prove what many industry experts have been exclaiming repeatedly throughout the past few months: movie theaters are not ready to reopen, at least not ready enough to allow big-budget blockbusters to turn a profit. Many states have committed themselves to upholding this judgement, as theaters in states like California and New York remain closed as mandated by local governments. Still, in states where such regulations have not been put into place, movie theaters are struggling to keep their doors open, as the lack of appealing content and limited auditorium capacities is making it difficult for them to draw in enough people to be profitable. While independent films and older classics (which many theaters are charging at a lower price) are available for exhibition in the few theaters currently open, they aren’t enough to lure in people who currently prefer film viewing in the comfort of their homes.",[25,8982,8983],{},"At the moment, Warner Brothers seems to be the only studio willing to compromise when it comes to how it distributes its films. Last month, the studio made its most recent superhero movie, “Wonder Woman 1984”, available simultaneously in both theaters and on its streaming platform HBO Max, and it plans to do the same for most of its films set to premiere in 2021, the latest including potential awards contender “Judas and the Black Messiah” and the live-action\u002FCGI hybrid “Tom and Jerry”. Many have argued, however, that this release strategy is less beneficial to movie theaters than it is to Warner Brothers, since it won’t allow them to sell as many tickets as they would if the films were released only in theaters. This is currently the case with “Wonder Woman 1984”, which has only grossed $32 million in the United States so far, a total much smaller than any theater chain would want from such a highly anticipated blockbuster.",[25,8985,8986],{},"So far, no other studio has made such a commitment, though many have speculated Disney could be the next to do so. Its latest animated feature, “Raya and the Last Dragon”, is set to come out in March simultaneously in theaters and for a premium fee on Disney+. Recent rumors suggest the studio could do the same with an even bigger film, the Marvel film “Black Widow”. Should this happen, it could serve as the dam breaker for all studios to consider same-day theater\u002Fstreaming releases.",[25,8988,8989],{},"Will this be the case, or will studios just keep pushing their films back? No one knows for sure, but one thing is certain: now may not be the time for movie theaters to reopen.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":8991},[],"2021-01-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fstill-no-end-in-sight-studios-once-again-pushing-back-blockbusters",{"title":8957,"description":194},"still-no-end-in-sight-studios-once-again-pushing-back-blockbusters","blog\u002Fstill-no-end-in-sight-studios-once-again-pushing-back-blockbusters","_h1IfvoO6dm2h7-H0gwRTxpnpXrZo_qAxRHnHDqDOeY",{"id":9000,"title":9001,"body":9002,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9036,"description":2723,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9037,"navigation":71,"path":9038,"seo":9039,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9040,"stem":9041,"__hash__":9042},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwonder-woman-1984-vs-soul-streaming-battle.md","“Wonder Woman 1984” vs. “Soul”: Streaming Battle.",{"type":22,"value":9003,"toc":9034},[9004,9010,9013,9016,9019,9022,9025,9028,9031],[25,9005,236,9006],{},[47,9007,2686],{"href":9008,"rel":9009},"https:\u002F\u002Few.com\u002Ftv\u002Fwhat-to-watch-this-weekend-pixar-soul-wonder-woman-1984\u002F",[51],[25,9011,9012],{},"In a world where a deadly pandemic did not grip the world and force much of its businesses and practices to a standstill, both the Warner Brothers superhero movie “Wonder Woman 1984” and the animated Disney\u002FPixar family film “Soul” would’ve left their mark on the industry the same way any other major Hollywood production would. They would enter theaters on summer weekend with relatively little direct competition, they would score satisfactory opening weekend numbers and continue to generate revenue throughout the following weeks, and they would later become available for home viewing (as both physical media like Blu-Rays and digital means like on a streaming service) for those seeking to return to them on a regular basis. In a more normal world, this would’ve been the fate of these films, and if they were successful enough, there would be no cause for alarm.",[25,9014,9015],{},"Unfortunately, this is not that world. With the COVID-19 forcing movie theaters to be closed throughout most of the year 2020, both “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” have had to repeatedly push back their release dates with the hope that theaters would be safely reopened by then. However, as the year began to wind down, it became increasingly clear that traditional theatrical releases were not feasible at this point in time, and they could not push these films further back without holding up any other productions to be released in the near future. So a difficult decision for both films had been made: on Christmas Day, “Wonder Woman 1984”, while being released into whatever theaters were currently opened, was also made available for streaming on HBO Max (owned by Warner Brothers’ parent company AT&T), while “Soul” would forego the theatrical release entirely and premiere on Disney’s own service Disney+.",[25,9017,9018],{},"While these tactics are similar, they do differ in one key manner: while “Wonder Woman 1984” still provided the option of a theatrical viewing experience (at least for those living where movie theaters are still open), “Soul” did not. With these differences in mind, it begs the question: which one of these blockbusters came out on top? Or does it even matter given the unusual circumstances?",[25,9020,9021],{},"In terms of critical reception, “Soul” is the winner by a long shot. As is the norm for the average Pixar film, which tend to get overwhelmingly positive reception, “Soul”, according to review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, currently has a 96% approval rating with an average score of 8.4\u002F10, with many believing the film has the potential to be a prominent contender in the coming awards season. In contrast, “Wonder Woman 1984” has a 61% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving a score of 6.1\u002F10 on average; this isn’t terrible, but it is considerably less impressive than the reception of “Soul”.",[25,9023,9024],{},"How much did the release through streaming affect the critical reception of these films? Probably not a lot, though it’s not entirely impossible that not being able to experience the films as originally intended in theaters may have had an impact on how immersed a particular viewer may have been when watching the film. Still, as far as studios are concerned, how well the films are received by critics are of no concern compared to how much money the films are able to generate, so the real question is which of these two films proved to be the most profitable. To answer this question, one has to keep in mind that streaming platforms like HBO Max and Disney+ earn their revenue not by charging per individual content, but by monthly subscription fees. If a major release is announced on one of these platforms, then people who aren’t already doing so would agree to pay that monthly fee if only to see this new release. This is how the performance of “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” are being judged: by how many new subscriptions can be obtained through their presence.",[25,9026,9027],{},"In this regard, one may assume that “Wonder Woman 1984” is the definitive winner. In fact, the superhero film quickly went on to generate more customer sign-ups for a streaming service than any other film released in 2020. For comparison, the year’s previous record-holder, the filmed version of the popular stage play “Hamilton” only produced about 71% of the number of sign-ups that “Wonder Woman 1984” had, and the more direct competition, “Soul”, only generated about 35% of those numbers. It’s easy to think that “Wonder Woman 1984” blew “Soul” out of the water, but there are other factors to take into consideration. For one thing, these numbers do not account for the total number of subscribers of either service; in this regard, Disney+’s nearly 87 million subscribers vastly outweighs HBO Max’s 33 million subscribers, so overall, it’s quite possible more people saw “Soul” than “Wonder Woman 1984”. If translated into theoretical ticket sales, “Soul” may have likely crushed “Wonder Woman 1984”.",[25,9029,9030],{},"Another factor to take into consideration is how many of these new subscribers will stay subscribed after watching the films. Fortunately, both Disney+ and HBO Max have a wide variety of films and television programs for subscribers to choose from as a means of encouraging people to keep their accounts activated. Still, there’s no guarantee they’ll do so, and drop-offs are not entirely unexpected in this situation. This was the case for “Hamilton”; after its release, about 25% of new subscribers immediately canceled their accounts after seeing the movie, implying that purchasing a subscription was only to see “Hamilton” and nothing else. It’s not yet clear how many subscribers these services have retained after viewing “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul”, but given the incredible number of new films and programs set to come out over the course of the year, it’s clear that both Disney+ and HBO Max are doing everything in their power to keep people tuned in.",[25,9032,9033],{},"It could’ve been so much simpler. Both “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” could’ve been released into theaters, and their success could easily be judged by box office numbers alone. Still, such a situation is not currently possible in the world we live in, and if these films are any indication, determining a film’s success in a COVID-infected world won’t get easier any time soon.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9035},[],"2021-01-09",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwonder-woman-1984-vs-soul-streaming-battle",{"title":9001,"description":2723},"wonder-woman-1984-vs-soul-streaming-battle","blog\u002Fwonder-woman-1984-vs-soul-streaming-battle","mkbaprGIt1p-fLGFjd0TDqaunoWj8D-qVKD4CJZ1q9g",{"id":9044,"title":9045,"body":9046,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9092,"description":9093,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9094,"navigation":71,"path":9095,"seo":9096,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9097,"stem":9098,"__hash__":9099},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fjoy-to-the-world-christmas-films-from-across-the-globe.md","Joy to the World: Christmas Films from Across the Globe",{"type":22,"value":9047,"toc":9090},[9048,9054,9057,9063,9069,9075,9078,9084],[25,9049,236,9050],{},[47,9051,8935],{"href":9052,"rel":9053},"https:\u002F\u002Fmubi.com\u002Ffilms\u002Fjoyeux-noel",[51],[25,9055,9056],{},"Christmas time is here again, and for many people who celebrate the holiday, it’s tradition for families to gather together and watch one of their favorite Christmas movies. Some of these films have been long-time favorites, like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street”, while others are more recent, like “The Grinch” and “Elf”. Still, while many of these films are more than worthy of their Christmas classic status, there are plenty more films that are equally deserving, and many of them even come from outside the United States (Christmas isn’t just an American holiday after all). Foreign Christmas films sadly do not get the attention they deserve, so it’s only fitting that we take this time to acknowledge a handful of these films. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite Christmas films that have come from various nations around the world.",[25,9058,9059,9062],{},[486,9060,9061],{},"Three Wishes for Cinderella"," (1973) - a coproduction between Czechoslovakia and Germany, this has become a Christmas staple for many Eastern European nations, and it’s not hard to see its appeal. As the title suggests, this is an adaptation of one of the world’s most famous fairy tales modified to fit the conventions of the holiday season. It certainly strays from the original story in a number of ways - perhaps most significantly, three hazelnuts that can be used to grant wishes are used in place of the traditional fairy godmother figure - but that doesn’t mean it’s unable to capture the spirit of the original story. At the end of the day, those who view the film will still root for its underdog heroine and look down upon the wicked stepmother who oppresses her. Throw in a little holiday magic, and the result is a unique take on the classic story.",[25,9064,9065,9068],{},[486,9066,9067],{},"Fanny and Alexander"," (1982) - considering that his filmography contains the likes of  “The Seventh Seal” and “Wild Strawberries”, this Swedish film might not be considered the height of director Ingmar Bergman’s career, but that doesn’t make it any less admirable. Originally created as a five-hour miniseries, this film was later condensed to just over three hours, though its depiction of two children and the effects of their mother’s remarriage does not suffer from this reduction of the running time. Taking some inspiration from his own life, Bergman tells this Christmas-set narrative and turns it into a dramatic, but authentic look at abuse and the hypocrisy of those who claim to be religious. This was the last production Bergan ever directed, and thankfully, he’s able to end things on a high note.",[25,9070,9071,9074],{},[486,9072,9073],{},"Vacanze di Natale"," (1983) - the English translation of this Italian Christmas comedy is “Christmas Vacation”, but there’s otherwise no connection between this film and the 1989 National Lampoon film of the same name (in large part due to coming out six years prior). In reality, the films depicts a conflict between two families of greatly contrasting class; one hails from Milan and a more affluent background, the other calls Rome its home and is much less well-off and much more vulgar. Their meeting at a ski resort in the mountain town of Cortina d’Ampezzo is quick to lead to variety of absurd and hilarious scenarios, but while there is no shortage of hilarious jokes, the situation does allow the two families to eventually come to an understanding, leading to an ending that is every bit as heartwarming as one might expect from a holiday film.",[25,9076,9077],{},"*Tokyo Godfathers *(2003) - the holiday season is usually seen as a time for family to come together, but in many cases, what one considers “family” isn’t what most would expect. This is best demonstrated in this animated feature from Japanese director Satoshi Kon, in which three homeless people - an alcoholic, a trans woman, and a teenage runaway - finding an abandoned baby and attempting to return it to its parents. As one can imagine, this group is as far from the image of the ideal family model as one can get, but as their efforts to care for this baby show, that doesn’t make them any less caring. Christmas is not something commonly emphasized in Japanese cinema, so it’s interesting to see how the holiday is depicted in a culture that doesn’t cherish it the same way other nations do, and the final film pulls it off quite well.",[25,9079,9080,9083],{},[486,9081,9082],{},"Joyeux Noël"," (2005) - there aren’t many Christmas films that take direct inspiration from real-world events, but this French film (which earned an Academy Award nomination for what is now called Best International Feature) does just that. Based on the Christmas truce of 1914, the film follows French, German, and Scottish soldiers fighting amongst each other during World War I. A ceasefire is called on Christmas Eve, and all sides come together to celebrate the holiday. The film is a testament to the best of humanity during the worst of times, and seeing these men struggle to fight the very people they had bonded with just the other night never fails to pull at the heartstrings. It may not be entirely accurate to history, but it does capture the raw emotion that such an event must have invoked.",[25,9085,9086,9089],{},[486,9087,9088],{},"Tuesday, After Christmas"," (2010) - selected as one of the Un Certain Regard films of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this modern Christmas story comes from the nation of Romania and follows Paul, a family man trapped between his love for his wife Adriana and the affair he is having with Raluca, his daughter’s orthodontist. Paul struggles in deciding which woman means more to him, and as the Christmas season draws closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to act as if there is nothing wrong going on. Given that most Christmas films tend to lean to the wholesome side when it comes to depictions of family, this is far from what most people would want to see during this time of year, but it’s perhaps this painful acknowledgement of reality that makes it a unique, if not necessary, viewing during the Christmas season.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9091},[],"2020-12-29","Source: Mubi",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fjoy-to-the-world-christmas-films-from-across-the-globe",{"title":9045,"description":9093},"joy-to-the-world-christmas-films-from-across-the-globe","blog\u002Fjoy-to-the-world-christmas-films-from-across-the-globe","kRYlQ5TqGzV4bgqAJQVYWU9hGxfwZFNe4pvVdAR-Gd8",{"id":9101,"title":9102,"body":9103,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9134,"description":9107,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9135,"navigation":71,"path":9136,"seo":9137,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9138,"stem":9139,"__hash__":9140},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsundance-announces-lineup-hybrid-exhibition-for-2021-film-festival.md","Sundance Announces Lineup, Hybrid Exhibition for 2021 Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":9104,"toc":9132},[9105,9108,9111,9114,9117,9120,9123,9126,9129],[25,9106,9107],{},"Arthur Mola\u002FInvision\u002FAP",[25,9109,9110],{},"Although the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a major challenge for the film festival circuit in 2020, it was not enough to prevent some of the industry’s biggest events from occurring, albeit with some significant changes. Employing such tactics as hybrid exhibition (screening films in both theaters and online through streaming) and anti-COVID health practices (such as limited auditorium capacity), these festivals have not only found a way to exist in the middle of an international crisis, but to also introduce the films that could shine the brightest once the award season commences. Despite the disadvantage, such events as the Berlin Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival were pulled off without a hitch, and the next major film festival coming up, the Sundance Film Festival, hopes to achieve similar results.",[25,9112,9113],{},"On Tuesday, December 15th, organizers of the Sundance Film Festival announced the lineup of films that will be exhibited over the course of its run, which will take place from January 28th, 2021 to February 3rd. Throughout the week, the festival plans to showcase seventy-two feature-length films, fifty shorter-length productions, and four episodic works, each representing the visions and talents of filmmakers hailing from twenty-nine nations across the globe. Of these films, thirty-eight are being created by directors  making their feature debuts, and sixty-six will make their world premiere at the festival.",[25,9115,9116],{},"Because the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague the United States - in fact, many states are seeing record numbers of new daily cases and being forced into lockdown once again - many have expressed concern about how the festival can safely operate. Fortunately, the Sundance Film Festival has been able to reduce the potential of disease spread by announcing that most of the event will be held virtually. Although some in-theater screenings will be held at various points across the country (likely enforcing social distancing through limited auditorium capacity), most of the films being exhibited by the festival will be made available through an online platform exclusive to those willing to pay for a pass, one that range in price from the standard $500 to the $2,500 of an all-access pass.",[25,9118,9119],{},"Depending on the pass bought, festival “guests” will either gain instant access to the films being presented or request space in advance. The latter scenario will give those permitted to attend a virtual screening will be allowed to watch the film either during its premiere screening, creating a three-hour window after the time of its debut, or two days after its premiere, during which the film will be accessible for twenty-four hours. According to festival director Tabitha Jackson, this format will hopefully prove to be less challenging for filmgoers who might otherwise have trouble with scheduling. “Because you’re not running between venues,” Jackson claims, “the possibility of seeing more films is higher.”",[25,9121,9122],{},"As stated earlier, the small number of physical screenings to be held by the festival will take place in multiple states spread across the country, at a total of twenty-five different venues. This is opposed to previous festivals, where all the films were screened at venues located in Park City, Utah, and with this strategy, the films will be much more accessible to those living outside the festival’s native state. How accessible, of course, depends on where one is located in the nation. Some states will only have one venue dedicated to showcasing Sundance films, such as Northwest Film Forum in Seattle,Washington or the FilmNorth Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other states will host a larger number of Sundance-backed screenings, with the state of California alone holding events at six different locations, from the Roxie Theater in San Francisco to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.",[25,9124,9125],{},"These physical screenings are not merely limited to the contiguous states though, as the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico will also showcase a handful of Sundance films. In addition, a significant number of these venues will be drive-in theaters instead of the typical indoor auditorium most film festivals are accustomed to. For those attending screenings at such locations as the Sidewalk Drive-In in Birmingham, Alabama, they will be able to do so from the safety of their own cars.",[25,9127,9128],{},"Although this year’s lineup is smaller than previous festivals, which have exhibited over a hundred different films within the duration of a given festival, the films being presented are expected to be no less engaging, especially considering the diversity achievements that have been made. Not only will this festival be the first where the number of male-directed and female-directed films is even (about 50% of the films to be shown were directed by at least one woman), but 4% are directed by those whose gender identity is nonbinary, 15% of their directors are part of the LGBT community, and 51% of these films were spearheaded by a person of color. Given the great difficulty many minority groups have faced over the decades in terms of being represented in front of or behind the camera, many have expressed great joy in how much this year’s festival has achieved in terms of greater inclusivity.",[25,9130,9131],{},"Of course, there will be no shortage of big stars at this year’s festival. Among the more familiar names to present their work are actress Rebecca Hall, making her directorial debut with the race-focused drama “Passing”, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, whose documentary “Summer of Soul”, will be included as part of the festival program. Still, the festival will provide many opportunities for up-and-coming filmmakers to make their presence known to the world, and even with a pandemic continuing to take its toll on the nation, the high spirits of those who will take part in the festival show no signs of losing such positivity. It just goes to show how powerful the medium of film can be even during the worst of crises.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9133},[],"2020-12-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsundance-announces-lineup-hybrid-exhibition-for-2021-film-festival",{"title":9102,"description":9107},"sundance-announces-lineup-hybrid-exhibition-for-2021-film-festival","blog\u002Fsundance-announces-lineup-hybrid-exhibition-for-2021-film-festival","R1uMPM-5OggB42J9dI91TNy1K5ePrmUjnNM1iEVX-Is",{"id":9142,"title":9143,"body":9144,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9175,"description":298,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9176,"navigation":71,"path":9177,"seo":9178,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9179,"stem":9180,"__hash__":9181},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-brothers-to-release-all-2021-films-in-theaters-and-on-streaming-at-the-same-time.md","Warner Brothers to Release All 2021 Films in Theaters and on Streaming at the Same Time",{"type":22,"value":9145,"toc":9173},[9146,9152,9155,9158,9161,9164,9167,9170],[25,9147,236,9148],{},[47,9149,279],{"href":9150,"rel":9151},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fnews\u002Fchristopher-nolan-rips-hbo-max-as-worst-streaming-service-denounces-warner-bros-plan",[51],[25,9153,9154],{},"In November of this year, major motion picture studio announced that it will release its upcoming DC superhero film “Wonder Woman 1984” simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming platform HBO Max. The announcement came as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is causing surges in outbreaks throughout multiple states and forcing a significant number of the United States’ movie theaters into closure. Through this release strategy, Warner Brothers will be able to earn revenue through ticket sales in the limited number of theaters still open while also allowing those who currently don’t have access to theaters (or at least be able to afford going out to the movies) the opportunity to see the film. Although the film will not come out until Christmas Day, many have speculated how this decision will impact the near future of Warner Brothers’ (if not the entirety of Hollywood’s) theatrical releases. Despite not yet knowing how this tactic will play out for “Wonder Woman 1984”, Warner Brothers seems to not be willing to take any chances; in a move that has shaken the film industry, the studio plans to repeat the strategy for every film it plans to release next year.",[25,9156,9157],{},"On December 3rd, Warner Brothers announced that it will release its entire 2021 filmography in theaters and onto HBO Max at the same time. Among the seventeen films that will be put out by Warner Brothers through this release strategy include the crossover monster movie “Godzilla vs. Kong”, the live-action\u002Fanimation hybrids “Tom and Jerry” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy”, the action sequel “The Matrix 4”, and another DC superhero movie, “The Suicide Squad”. Not all of these films are big-budget blockbusters though, as smaller films like “Judas and the Black Messiah” will also receive a simultaneous theater\u002Fstreaming release.",[25,9159,9160],{},"Because of a variety of factors, including the unpredictability of the pandemic, the upcoming transition of power from the Trump administration to the Biden administration, and the uncertainty as to how “Wonder Woman 1984” will perform, many have questioned whether or not Warner Brothers is going too far in applying this strategy to all the films it plans to release in the upcoming year. On the one hand, a COVID vaccine has recently begun receiving distribution throughout the world, and many believe that by the time it reaches the entire world, movie theaters will be completely safe for operation, and there’s no need to instantly put these films on streaming when they could be much more profitable through ticket sales. On the other hand, getting a vaccine to the United States may not be that easy. In fact, Pfizer, one of the companies associated with the development of the vaccine, recently announced that it will not be able to get the vaccine out to the states until June, meaning that most Americans will not have access for quite some time, perhaps too much time for those who are most at risk of contracting COVID-19.",[25,9162,9163],{},"Even taking pandemic concerns out of the equation, many are concerned that the revenue made through a combination of ticket sales and streaming costs (i.e. how many people are willing to pay a monthly fee for access to the service) will not be sufficient enough for the films to break even, let alone make a substantial profit, as opposed to relying solely on ticket sales. This may not be as big of a concern for the films that have reasonably smaller budgets, but for the ones that cost hundreds of millions of dollars, whatever money is earned through monthly fees will most likely not be enough to balance out the films’ production and marketing costs. It would be one thing if Warner Brothers only applies this strategy to a handful of smaller films and maybe a single blockbuster (which would allow “Wonder Woman 1984” to serve as a test of sorts to see how larger-scale films would fare in this situation). However, a release both in theaters and on streaming at the same time is what Warner Brothers intends to do with all its 2021 films, and when looking at all the money being put into these films, the studio could be putting its entire future on the line. If the total revenue received does not match the total costs, Warner Brothers could face a major financial hit, if not the potential for complete bankruptcy.",[25,9165,9166],{},"It’s not just the studios who fear that this move will result in a major financial loss though. Major movie theater chains like Cinemark and AMC have spoken out against Warner Brothers’ decision, claiming that such a release strategy will deprive them of a significant portion of the revenue they receive through ticket sales. The conflict between these chains and Warner Brothers serves as a massive contrast to that between the theaters and another major film studio, Universal. An arrangement between these entities allows Universal to release onto premium video on demand after just over a couple weeks after their exhibition in theaters; in exchange, theaters would receive a portion of the money earned through these on-demand rentals. It’s far from a perfect solution, but given the uncertainty of the current pandemic-stricken society, it’s one that allows both parties to benefit to one degree or another. Warner Brothers has made no such deal with theaters, so it’s understandable for theater chains to be so upset with this decision.",[25,9168,9169],{},"Perhaps no individual has expressed more outrage at Warner Brothers’ announcement as much as one of its most notable figures, director Christopher Nolan, who has had every one of his films distributed by Warner Brothers since 2002 with his film “Insomnia”. “Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” Nolan claims in a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, directly targeting HBO Max. Nolan has received some backlash for his comments though, as it was his insistence that his latest film “Tenet” be released theatrically last summer in spite of the pandemic (and the film’s subsequent underperformance) that may have contributed to Warner Brother’s decision.",[25,9171,9172],{},"Will a simultaneous theater\u002Fstreaming release work in the end for Warner Brothers, or are the expenses just too great to be recouped through this strategy. The release of “Wonder Woman 1984” may provide some proof as to whether or not this was a smart decision for Warner Brothers, but still, as the majority of this year has proven so far, there’s no such thing as a guaranteed success.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9174},[],"2020-12-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwarner-brothers-to-release-all-2021-films-in-theaters-and-on-streaming-at-the-same-time",{"title":9143,"description":298},"warner-brothers-to-release-all-2021-films-in-theaters-and-on-streaming-at-the-same-time","blog\u002Fwarner-brothers-to-release-all-2021-films-in-theaters-and-on-streaming-at-the-same-time","GQM5PXmC_04X1dTUwzrCSmHKZjpQr-tzbSmuYy3TW5U",{"id":9183,"title":9184,"body":9185,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9230,"description":9189,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9231,"navigation":71,"path":9232,"seo":9233,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9234,"stem":9235,"__hash__":9236},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffeast-your-eyes-on-our-favorite-uncomfortable-family-dinner-scenes-in-film.md","Feast Your Eyes on Our Favorite (Uncomfortable) Family Dinner Scenes in Film",{"type":22,"value":9186,"toc":9228},[9187,9190,9197,9204,9211,9214,9221],[25,9188,9189],{},"Thanksgiving has come and gone and the holiday season has just begun once again, and it is a time for people to come together and peacefully share wholesome and fulfilling time and many meals with their closest relatives. In theory, it sounds like a good plan; in execution, not necessarily. Even taking the current COVID-19 pandemic (which is forcing many into quarantine and away from their loved ones) out of the equation, what should be a time for reunion and celebration can instead become quite hectic and conflict-prone for one reason or another. Fortunately, the idea of a family dinner going awry is quite common in the world of cinema, and such scenes help reduce our anxieties by showing that as bad as things may be, they can always be significantly worse. Therefore, in celebration of holiday meals, here are some of cinema’s most awkward, yet enjoyable depictions of family dinners gone horribly wrong.",[25,9191,9192,9193,9196],{},"The Soylent Green Meal - ",[486,9194,9195],{},"The Rocky Horror Picture Show"," (1975): a name like Dr. Frank-N-Furter is not the kind to hear without immediately becoming suspicious of the person who has such a name. It’s not quite enough for the newlyweds Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) to immediately turn around and run though, and their entry into the bizarre world of Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) ends up doing more harm than good for the young couple. This is best demonstrated when dinner time arrives. On the surface, the meal prepared looks harmless enough, but it isn’t long before Frank-N-Furter reveals the secret ingredient in the meat being served: human flesh, specifically that of his ex-lover Eddie. Brad and Jane are understandably disgusted, but sadly, this is the least of things they need to worry about.",[25,9198,9199,9200,9203],{},"(Back in) Time for Dinner - ",[486,9201,9202],{},"Back to the Future"," (1985): when travelling back in time and meeting relatives years before one was born, it’s not the least bit surprising that sharing a meal with them will lead to a variety of awkward situations. Case and point: when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) goes from the 1980’s to the 1950’s, he winds up having dinner with the teenage girl who will one day be his mother. As one can guess, there’s a lot working against Marty in his attempt to keep him being from the future a secret, especially when it comes to things that will (or at least should) happen in the future that he knows of but the others don’t yet. That’s bad enough, but even worse is his mother, not knowing who Marty is, expresses her attraction to who she believes is nobody else but a handsome young man… physically.",[25,9205,9206,9207,9210],{},"No Need for Finger Food - ",[486,9208,9209],{},"Edward Scissorhands"," (1990): sometimes the best of intentions aren’t enough to keep trouble from brewing at the dinner table. This is the lesson learned by the Boggs family when Peg (Dianne West), the maternal figure of the family, invites their new neighbor Edward (Johnny Depp) over for dinner. Edward, however, is a bit different from the Boggs family though: he’s pale, has minimal social skills, and in the place of hands are several pairs of scissors. This abnormality makes eating quite difficult for Edward: the Boggs son Kevin keeps staring, the father Bill refers to him as Ed instead of his preferred name Edward, and his scissor fingers make something as simple as picking up a single pea a daunting challenge. Still, this is where the family daughter Kim starts to take a liking to Edward, so it’s not a complete disaster.",[25,9212,9213],{},"Milked For All Its Worth - *Meet the Parents *(2000): compared to the scenes previously discussed, this iconic moment from this turn-of-the-millenium romantic comedy seems fairly grounded in reality, though that doesn’t make things any more comfortable. All the main character Greg (Ben Stiller) wants to do is make himself look good to the family of his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo), not an easy task when her father Jack (Robert de Niro). At one point, Greg lies about having grown up on a farm, and when questioned if he ever milked anything while living on said farm, Greg, struggling to keep up his lie, awkwardly responds with… “cat”. That’s only the beginning of Greg’s troubles though, and things snowball from there when the family cat and the ashes of a deceased relative get caught in the crossfires.",[25,9215,9216,9217,9220],{},"What a Doll - ",[486,9218,9219],{},"Lars and the Real Girl"," (2007): for many people, a family dinner can be the perfect opportunity to introduce a significant other to their relatives. That’s certainly what Lars Lindstrom (played by Ryan Gosling) intends to do when he brings his new girlfriend Bianca, a quadrapalegic of Brazilian\u002FDanish descent, to meet his family and bond over a delicious meal. Dinner won’t do much for Bianca though, since she’s unable to eat any of it - but not because of her disability. Here’s the problem: Bianca isn’t a real person. She’s a sex doll that Lars genuinely believes is a real, living breathing woman. It doesn’t take long for Lars’ family to recognize this unusual turn of events, and what comes of their struggle to play along results in nothing short of pure awkwardness.",[25,9222,9223,9224,9227],{},"A Cut Above the Rest - ",[486,9225,9226],{},"Django Unchained"," (2012): on its own, this dinner scene from the Quentin Tarantino directed western is discomforting enough, but a real-life injury makes it all the more chilling. When bounty hunters Django (Jaime Foxx) and Schulz (Christoph Waltz) arrive at a plantation to rescue Django’s love Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), an ensuing dinner with the plantation owner Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes anything but pleasant. There’s a skull of a deceased slave that Candie expresses a disturbing interest in, and his henchmen pull guns on the two bounty hunters, making the meal a matter of life and death. However, tensions reach their peak when Candie accidentally cuts his hand (the result of his actor actually cutting his hand for real) and smears his (this time faked) blood over Broonhilda’s face.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9229},[],"2020-12-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffeast-your-eyes-on-our-favorite-uncomfortable-family-dinner-scenes-in-film",{"title":9184,"description":9189},"feast-your-eyes-on-our-favorite-uncomfortable-family-dinner-scenes-in-film","blog\u002Ffeast-your-eyes-on-our-favorite-uncomfortable-family-dinner-scenes-in-film","NXN41WT2D9OTPIYeY8zozy0XFre0LvCUuJ_tdhOlnlQ",{"id":9238,"title":9239,"body":9240,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9274,"description":9244,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9275,"navigation":71,"path":9276,"seo":9277,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9278,"stem":9279,"__hash__":9280},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmovie-theaters-seek-bailout-turn-to-government-for-survival.md","Movie Theaters Seek Bailout, Turn to Government for Survival",{"type":22,"value":9241,"toc":9272},[9242,9245,9248,9251,9254,9257,9260,9263,9266,9269],[25,9243,9244],{},"Photo Credit: wusa9.com",[25,9246,9247],{},"Movie theaters have done just about everything to stay in business. They’ve reduced concession prices. They’ve brought back classic films that one might want to experience on the big screen for the first or thirtieth time. They’ve adopted any public health\u002Fsafety protocol they could to present themselves as clean and disease-free locations. Yet despite these efforts, it’s still not enough. With the COVID-19 pandemic still going on throughout the United States, most major film releases pulled from theaters until further notice, and disease prevention mandates keeping theater auditoriums from completely selling out. The result is theaters facing a massive decline in revenue over most of the year.",[25,9249,9250],{},"Recent findings from the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) have found that 96% of movie theaters in the United States have seen revenue decline by at least 70% compared to the previous year. With so many theaters, if not entire theater-owning companies, on the verge of bankruptcy, options are running low, which means many major chains are having to resort to the most desperate measure possible: ask the United States government to bail them out.",[25,9252,9253],{},"On Monday, November 9th, NATO sent a formal request to the United States Congress asking for the passage of legislation that would help theaters stay open until they could start showing more lucrative films on a regular basis. According to NATO, theaters are hoping for a national COVID-19 relief package to include at least $15 billion specifically for independent venues such as themselves. This proposal is referred to as “Save Our Stages”, and it is hoped that this amount will be able to keep theaters afloat for at least another year, during which they hope to achieve full economic recovery.",[25,9255,9256],{},"This request comes at a complicated time for the American government, as the recent national election has resulted in a transfer of power in the near future. On Saturday, November 7th, Democratic candidate Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election, defeating incumbent Republican candidate Donald Trump, and he will assume the position in January. This, combined with the Democratic Party retaining control of the House of Representatives and possibly gaining control of the Senate (if they are able to win the two runoff elections for Senate seats in Georgia, set to be held in January), would lead to an entirely different political party overseeing efforts against the Coronavirus.",[25,9258,9259],{},"While there’s certainly a possibility that the new Biden administration will agree to movie theaters’ requests and grant them the bailout money they need, theaters aren’t eager to wait that long and have instead attempted to appeal to the current Republican-controlled Congress, claiming that they need to be bailed out sooner than later regardless of who had control of the government. “Without bipartisan action now in the lame-duck session of Congress, hundreds of movie theaters will not make it,” claims NATO president\u002FCEO John Fithian. “Local communities across the nation are and will be permanently damaged. This Congress and Administration still have a job to do.\"",[25,9261,9262],{},"Government bailouts of major American corporations is nothing new, even when looking at recent history. In 2009, right after President Barack Obama was sworn into office, legislation for a national stimulus package was passed that included billions of dollars for the nation’s automobile industry (consisting of General Motors and other American car companies). However, that particular bailout was significantly different from what movie theaters are asking for. Not only is the automobile industry larger than the movie theater industry, but most would argue that the need for cars is much greater than the need for movie theaters, meaning that the government may feel it’s as necessary to bail out movie theaters.",[25,9264,9265],{},"Still, there is some hope for the Save Our Stages relief plan to be passed. One element that’s particularly noteworthy is the individuals who are sponsoring the bill: Republican Senator John Coryn of Texas and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Seeing that both of these senators are of opposing political parties, there is some potential for the legislation to receive support from both parties and be spared from the sharp partisanship that is dividing the Senate. That being said, a previous relief package that had been introduced prior to the recent election was unable to receive enough support from either Democrats or Republicans, and a lack of compromise has caused the legislation to go unpassed, and until a new Congress is sworn in this January, there’s little reason to believe that the current government will be able to make any satisfactory progress.",[25,9267,9268],{},"For movie theater owners though, having to wait will only do more harm than good. According to NATO, unless there is a staggering increase in theater attendance (unlikely considering that most major releases have been postponed indefinitely) or the government is able to quickly grant relief (also unlikely given the divided nature of the current Congress), at least 70% of theaters could be forced to file for bankruptcy, if not close their doors permanently. This may not be a big concern for those living in a metropolitan area like Seattle or Boston, but for those living in less densely populated areas, this could mean the loss of their one and only available movie theater.",[25,9270,9271],{},"It’s a very frustrating time for America, especially regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, many are looking forward to the upcoming Biden administration, and progress is being made on a potential Coronavirus vaccine. On the other hand, new cases of the disease are receiving rising numbers, and the pandemic may take another turn for the worse. Hopefully though, things will start to improve before they start to worsen, and hopefully, movie theaters will be spared from the economic collapse that the pandemic is making a possible reality.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9273},[],"2020-11-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmovie-theaters-seek-bailout-turn-to-government-for-survival",{"title":9239,"description":9244},"movie-theaters-seek-bailout-turn-to-government-for-survival","blog\u002Fmovie-theaters-seek-bailout-turn-to-government-for-survival","Hi-PGfg_oKvZhI-UwvzbFAS8rgzI3xsvmYd-2mQgopg",{"id":9282,"title":9283,"body":9284,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9309,"description":9288,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9310,"navigation":71,"path":9311,"seo":9312,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9313,"stem":9314,"__hash__":9315},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fclassic-films-light-up-big-screens-as-hollywood-holds-back-new-releases.md","Classic Films Light Up Big Screens as Hollywood Holds Back New Releases",{"type":22,"value":9285,"toc":9307},[9286,9289,9292,9295,9298,9301,9304],[25,9287,9288],{},"Movie theaters in the United States have a major problem: they’re open for business but have little to drive said business. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic keeping movie studios from releasing their highly anticipated productions in theaters, there’s hardly anything that will attract large groups of people to come out to the movies. Granted, theaters are already contending with a fixed drop in revenue; social distancing mandates have restricted the amount of people that can be in an auditorium at a given time, which in turn limits the number of tickets that can be sold. Still, this may not be as big of an issue if theaters were selling out as many screenings as possible given the limitations, but with even the newest releases struggling to make as much as a few million dollars in a given week, this doesn’t appear to be the case.",[25,9290,9291],{},"For the first time in weeks, “Tenet”, the Christopher Nolan directed blockbuster action film that had held on to the #1 spot at the box office ever since its Labor Day weekend releases, was finally outgrossed, specifically by the family comedy “The War with Grandpa”, which had originally been set for a 2018 release before being held back indefinitely due to the controversy surrounding its original distributor, The Weinstein Company (101 Studios now has distribution rights for the film). While it may appear to be an impressive feat at first glance, the film’s $3.6 million weekend gross leaves much to be desired, and with this being the most any movie has made over the past weekend, it’s no wonder that Hollywood is still hesitant to get their more expensive work out into theaters.",[25,9293,9294],{},"Interestingly enough, looking past “Tenet” and “The War with Grandpa”, the biggest ticket-seller of the weekend was not anything new, but rather a film that had already made an impact on popular culture. Coming in at #3 at the box office was the 1993 Halloween cult classic “Hocus Pocus”, earning just over $1.1 million over the Halloween weekend after already accumulating $1.9 million the previous weekend (where it ranked #2 behind “Tenet”). Given that most re-releases do not tend to rank very highly at the box office (one would have to go back to the 2011 re-release of “The Lion King” to see the return of a classic film perform so well), seeing an older film rank so high might come across as a surprise in any other context. However, with little to work with in terms of new films, it makes sense that a large handful of the few people who are going out to the movies right now are viewing something they find familiar and comforting.",[25,9296,9297],{},"That being said, seeing classic films appear so high up on the box office charts is nothing new, at least when looking at the year 2020. When the majority of movie theaters closed down earlier this year, and studios started pulling back their films, the few venues that were still open (predominantly drive-in theaters that posed less of a health risk) had to rely on older films in order to draw in audiences. The result was the likes of “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park”, iconic blockbusters that dominated the box office in the decades prior, reclaiming the top spots that they had once held many years ago. As the months of this year passed and movie theaters began to reopen once again, classic films still found a way to lure audiences, perhaps not in particularly high numbers but just enough to help them climb the box office charts. The previous month saw the return of  “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” to theaters, and the 2017 animated Pixar film “Coco” also came back to theaters this weekend, ranking just under the top 5 highest grossing films of the weekend. The next few weeks will see even more classic films come back to the big screen, with many, such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” arriving back in theaters just in time for the Halloween season.",[25,9299,9300],{},"In some respects, showing classic films can be a more profitable venture for theaters than showing a new feature. Unlike new releases, theaters do not have to share as much of their ticket sales with studios, meaning that they are able to keep more of what they have earned from showing classic films. Lately, theaters have been charging significantly less than what they would for a newer film (usually about $5), but because theaters are allowed to keep most of this money and not give it back to studios, they can still make just of a profit (if not a larger profit) on selling these tickets for less than usual. Combined with the fact that lower prices tend to encourage people to buy tickets more than higher prices would, it’s possible that despite earning less revenue, theaters are making a larger profit through their sales of “Hocus Pocus” tickets than they are with the newer “Tenet”.",[25,9302,9303],{},"With all this in mind, one may think that classic films are an essential tool in keeping movie theaters alive until Hollywood is comfortable with releasing their newer products into theaters. However, the one major downside to classic films is the fact that they are classic films, older works that have already been made available by other means. The silver screen is considered by many to be the definitive means of film viewing, but for others, watching the same film at home for free (or at least a lower price) is the more feasible option. “Hocus Pocus” may have made a decent amount for a re-release at the box office, but chances are that there are more people watching the film on television or through the Disney+ streaming service than the number going to see the film on the big screen. The same can be said for every other film being re-released to theaters right now: for many people, the cheapest option is the most preferable.",[25,9305,9306],{},"So does this mean classic films aren’t what will keep theaters up and running until the time comes for newer, bigger releases? From the numbers seen so far, it seems that they alone will not be enough to keep theaters open in the long run. Still, if “Hocus Pocus” and its high box office ranking are any indication, there is still an audience (though not one that is particularly large) willing to see classic films on the big screen, and with theaters needing all they can get in order to stay in business, a small audience is better than no audience, and with the holiday season just around the corner, re-releasing holiday classics might be something theaters want to consider.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9308},[],"2020-11-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fclassic-films-light-up-big-screens-as-hollywood-holds-back-new-releases",{"title":9283,"description":9288},"classic-films-light-up-big-screens-as-hollywood-holds-back-new-releases","blog\u002Fclassic-films-light-up-big-screens-as-hollywood-holds-back-new-releases","Qm2uo9u7IMDby6lkLOx_a3azFZ5UYdEK4QyWmcm7AVI",{"id":9317,"title":9318,"body":9319,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9309,"description":9323,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9352,"navigation":71,"path":9353,"seo":9354,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9355,"stem":9356,"__hash__":9357},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-gung-ho.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Gung Ho!”",{"type":22,"value":9320,"toc":9350},[9321,9324,9327,9330],[25,9322,9323],{},"Out of all the significant conflicts to occur throughout human history, there are few that have been as frequently recreated by the medium of film as World War II. Lasting from the late 1930s to the mid-1940’s, the number of WWII films that have been made over the years is too great to count, from “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo” to “Saving Private Ryan” and several more in between. Why is this period so popular in filmmaking? Plenty of reasons: it’s a fairly recent conflict (at least compared to the Civil War and other older wars), the tension between the Allies and the Axis Powers is a basic enough representation of good and evil to craft a story around, and perhaps most prominently, it was the first war where films could recreate what was going on in the present day. One example of such a film: the 1943 war film “Gung Ho!”",[25,9325,9326],{},"Drawing inspiration from a real-life World War II battle, the Raid of Makin Island, the film follows Lieutenant Colonel Thorwald, a member of the United States army tasked with leading a raid against the Japanese army. He seeks volunteers for what is sure to be a dangerous mission, and those he recruits are far from what the ideal soldier looks like. Among those joining Thorwald are a hillbilly, a minister who attempts to keep his profession a secret, and a young Filipino man who seeks revenge against the Japanese army for murdering his sister. Thorwald may not be entirely satisfied with the individuals he has recruited, but despite their differences, the soldiers do prove capable of working with and learning from each other, and it isn’t long before that cameraderie is put to the ultimate test.",[25,9328,9329],{},"Judging by the film’s almost documentary-like style (even including stock footage of the war at various points), one might be mistaken to believe that actual soldiers are being depicted in this film. This is unfortunately not the case, but it’s a testament to how strong the actors are for one to be so easily misled. Playing the film’s leading protagonist, Lieutenant Colonel Thorwald, is long-time actor Randolph Scott, who has appeared in a variety of genres throughout his career but is probably best known for western films like “The Tall T” or “Ride the High Country”. Joining Scott in the cast are Rod Cameron as the hillbilly Private Rube Tedrow, Robert Mitchum as the boxer-turned-private “Pig-Iron” Matthews, and Grace McDonald as Kathleen Corrigan, a nurse assigned to Thorwald’s unit who becomes the object of affection to two of Thorwald’s recruits.",[25,9331,9332,9333,8485,9338,9343,9344,9349],{},"There are plenty of films to choose from when it comes to examining the grand conflict that was World War II, but “Gung Ho!” stands out among the rest as a film that was able to take directly from the war for its production.  With a strong cast and the aesthetic of a documentary, this is the perfect film to help make one feel as if they are right there in the middle of the war itself. It’s amongst the best of films made during the War, and those interested can find the film on a wide variety of sites, including ",[47,9334,9337],{"href":9335,"rel":9336},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Foffsite\u002F?page-action=offsite-amazon&token=BCYkoxjDAlrW5aBcnycwN0vBjIVTpGNIgZyKKjms7ClZEZPfVRKP1242NBYxGVqlEZ0lZ4YWVukh%0D%0AGWo6vMXfN8aHjFOwWKhc2LTPOeVRskvxT4R_N7bFtRatrlMwmvxO8swYOp0B31eUW8VHRToH2-KT%0D%0AbhXNWO3q6YNURhbaqiRQuB-SZecwWvdNmgfJ5LIM1WmcdrkvF5EFRSixQwps_2_az5dibU6upNlJ%0D%0AMySte1fsQxLE7zSqvNswb5hTCX4AJW-tUDgJ8uy0glfchXkBfVzK-1XgMunSfiq25odqPodrUAo%0D%0A&ref_=tt_wo_pvc_epix_1",[51],"Epix",[47,9339,9342],{"href":9340,"rel":9341},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Foffsite\u002F?page-action=offsite-tubitv&token=BCYsp5cjJ7KdGtJIyMvyKqVHrUkGc4ZkFal8O5_ryCZPGL6kRYQFQe3QqtMsMMmFHMO9Yf-H4AQt%0D%0AE53tgBfbfzreGBxKN8tkhQBWNlAGCELtnaoz_gfMi_d6x8HzeeUlffDWNlw1E_zFxhZ0LdV2lOy1%0D%0AQLqnI81GuMo43PIY0OVzXsBxIJibt0Z3bzgkNG-buVVK%0D%0A&ref_=tt_wo_tubi_4",[51],"Tubi",", and ",[47,9345,9348],{"href":9346,"rel":9347},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Foffsite\u002F?page-action=offsite-amazon&token=BCYrMqAk8yzdMaAnjH_io6Vvj6fLGfQD5Vq4FEEUN-f0AbH1NqckkfMvxipdLMbBYf_t49nYC5J-%0D%0AxreTFCflD1cEB7x1uh1QgQRQDvujv64zGs5UvZQtOLJFVAKiqKBqurT1afQgrAzb5QpJCEfuEeNI%0D%0AA4DN36cFfzGgQMJr_aitFCM2YlYXK1-eD4UpaJkdYn75GrQyUpdZdYCrErGydHiT53THwtpVMk4o%0D%0AvXXf9OzQ0p3vzLQ8FB8jm_Ig45GCkap8RBysnVS8g8Yglk88AXGsyC5vX-pVkKlKCVyltJ5huK8%0D%0A&ref_=tt_wo_pvs_piv_3",[51],"Amazon Prime",".",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9351},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-gung-ho",{"title":9318,"description":9323},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-gung-ho","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-gung-ho","UaBmweyBgEXMZEFTw9HPMii46GNcTw0x8ukNP-b1R0g",{"id":9359,"title":9360,"body":9361,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":9374,"description":9365,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9375,"navigation":71,"path":9376,"seo":9377,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9378,"stem":9379,"__hash__":9380},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-news-report-alex-trebek.md","Special News Report – Alex Trebek",{"type":22,"value":9362,"toc":9372},[9363,9366,9369],[25,9364,9365],{},"It is with great sadness that we report the passing of friend and colleague Alex Trebek.",[25,9367,9368],{},"Mr. Trebek was involved in the television industry for over 40 years as a producer, host, and innovator of a wide variety of entertainment shows. He was a producer and host of the internationally successful game show “Jeopardy” which has been the second highest rated television show in syndication. Mr. Trebek was also the host of the successful television game show “Classic Concentration.” As a television media executive, he was developing new projects for television and film. Mr. Trebek, originally from Sudbury in Ontario, Canada, worked for the Canadian Broadcasting company (CBC) throughout the 1960’s and early 70’s before relocating to the United States in 1973. Mr. Trebek’s success in the game show world earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as one on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He hosted the National Geographic Bee in the U.S. and The Great Canadian Geography Challenge in Canada. Mr. Trebek was also very involved in the World Vision charitable organization, traveling to many third world countries and taping reports about the group’s efforts in order to benefit children around the world.",[25,9370,9371],{},"Mr. Trebek served as a Board Member for the company since 1987 and will be deeply missed by his many friends at WWMPC.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9373},[],"2020-11-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-news-report-alex-trebek",{"title":9360,"description":9365},"special-news-report-alex-trebek","blog\u002Fspecial-news-report-alex-trebek","hpHQrSTuhHqxWDZdtgJ2-Gh35NrjYdJotyJZQLINxzE",{"id":9382,"title":9383,"body":9384,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9444,"description":9388,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9445,"navigation":71,"path":9446,"seo":9447,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9448,"stem":9449,"__hash__":9450},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Freel-to-the-chief-our-favorite-fictional-film-presidents.md","Reel to the Chief: Our Favorite Fictional Film Presidents",{"type":22,"value":9385,"toc":9442},[9386,9389,9396,9403,9414,9421,9428,9435],[25,9387,9388],{},"The time has come once again for residents of the United States of America to cast their votes and decide who will either be elected or re-elected for a variety of government positions, the most notable being the nation’s highest authority, the President of the United States. This year, the race is between incumbent president Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. As is typical for every election cycle, opinions on both candidates range from staggering support to overwhelming opposition, and such polarizing opinions have divided people across the country. It’s time like these where one can’t help but look to the world of fiction to ease one’s nerves; if reality can’t provide a solid enough image of an ideal president, then perhaps fiction can do a much better job of doing so. Sure enough, there have been plenty of presidential figures that film has given us that, while not existing in reality, still demonstrate the values that most look for in an ideal leader. Here are some of the ones that we appreciate the most:",[25,9390,9391,9392,9395],{},"President Douglass Dilman, ",[486,9393,9394],{},"The Man"," (1972) - over thirty-five years before Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, making him the first person of color to win the presidency, James Earl Jones shined on the big screen as a hypothetical example of what a nation led by a nonwhite figure might look like. The events surrounding Dilman’s presidency are a bit unusual - he was not elected, but rather next in line after a series of assassinations and refusals to take up the job - so there’s a lot for the newly appointed leader to contend with, especially when he’s being pushed and pulled in varying directions. Still, Dilman recognizes the weight of his responsibilities, and does everything he can to prove he is more than worthy of his new title.",[25,9397,9398,9399,9402],{},"President Thomas J. Whitmore, ",[486,9400,9401],{},"Independence Day"," (1996) - it’s hard to imagine the United States, or the rest of the world for that matter, facing a crisis as big and dangerous as a global invasion by violent extraterrestrial life-forms. No one would envy any leader having to guide their nation through such a calamity, but while some may handle the situation poorly, Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman, is no such person. As someone familiar with the concept of war, having previously served as a fighter pilot\u002Fveteran of the Gulf War, Whitmore views the invasion as an act of war on the planet Earth, and with the help of numerous scientists and military personnel, he is able to to take on the aliens and give a new meaning to the holiday Independence Day.",[25,9404,9405,9406,9409,9410,9413],{},"President James Marshall, ",[486,9407,9408],{},"Air Force One"," (1997) - actor Harrison Ford has already proven himself to be an icon of American heroism with roles like Indiana Jones and Han Solo of the ",[486,9411,9412],{},"Star Wars"," franchise. Seeing him take on the role of President of the United States is not the least bit surprising, nor is it to see him use his experience as an action star in a role that, in theory, shouldn’t rely too heavily on physical activity. Still, given the context of the film - Russian terrorists have taken over the presidential plane - there’s no other choice than for the president to step up and fight to save the people aboard. Fortunately, in spite of all that’s working against him, President Marshall is able to live up to the task.",[25,9415,9416,9417,9420],{},"President Jimmy Dale, ",[486,9418,9419],{},"Mars Attacks!"," (2000) - sometimes it’s the thought that counts when it comes to judging the actions of an individual, and that’s certainly the case for this president, played to perfection by Jack Nicholson. When Martians invade the planet Earth (in a situation not too dissimilar to President Whitmore’s), Dale attempts a diplomatic approach, hoping to appeal to the aliens’ better nature and form a peaceful union between the two planets’ dominant life-forms. He appears to succeed at first - only to be immediately killed by a handshake from the deceptive Martian leader. Dale’s attempts at heroism may have ended in complete and utter failure, but one can’t help but appreciate his efforts.",[25,9422,9423,9424,9427],{},"President Mays Gilliam, ",[486,9425,9426],{},"Head of State"," (2003) - if the idea of Chris Rock being President of the United States seems ridiculous, that’s the point. In the context of the film, Rock’s character is selected as a last-minute replacement for the suddenly deceased Democratic nominee in a race that’s believed to be a lost cause. Having little experience as a politician, there’s little expectation for this “nobody” to make much of an impact, but as a representation of the African-American population, Gilliam accepts the responsibility given to him and does everything he can to pass himself off as a viable candidate. His methods are questionable - dubbing a video of Osama bin Laden is certainly pushing it - but his beliefs and passion are certainly not.",[25,9429,9430,9431,9434],{},"President Hathaway, ",[486,9432,9433],{},"Monsters vs. Aliens"," (2009) - considering that actor\u002Fcomedian Stephen Colbert has incorporated a substantial amount of political themes into his work, it’s no surprise that many have joked about the possibility of him actually being a prominent political figure. His role in this animated sci-fi comedy takes this joke to its most logical extreme - making him the president who (in what appears to be a trend for fictional presidents) must contend with the threat of an alien invasion. Though his heart and ambitions are in the right place, his brains seem to be a bit lacking, as evidenced by his failed efforts to make peaceful contact via keyboard solo. Still, Hathaway proves to be just comedic and competent enough to avoid the world’s end.",[25,9436,9437,9438,9441],{},"President Charlotte Field, ",[486,9439,9440],{},"Long Shot"," (2019) - the United States has yet to see its first female president (despite coming so close in 2016), but until that day comes, we’ll have to settle for Charlize Theron’s Secretary of State turned presidential candidate. Field’s journey to the presidency is far from easy, especially when it comes to her complicated professional\u002Fromantic relationship with her speechwriter Fred (played by Seth Rogen), but it’s supposed weakness that ultimately proves to be a major advantage, and it’s with his support that Field is able to overcome the temptations and threats that surround her campaign and become the nation’s first female president, an event that will hopefully play out in real life much sooner than later.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9443},[],"2020-11-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Freel-to-the-chief-our-favorite-fictional-film-presidents",{"title":9383,"description":9388},"reel-to-the-chief-our-favorite-fictional-film-presidents","blog\u002Freel-to-the-chief-our-favorite-fictional-film-presidents","bDl8ckS2HghXsEiRbeAjs65uP_CtxL5BBo0lDN-YQjo",{"id":9452,"title":9453,"body":9454,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9476,"description":9458,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9477,"navigation":71,"path":9478,"seo":9479,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9480,"stem":9481,"__hash__":9482},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-citizen-soldier.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Citizen Soldier”",{"type":22,"value":9455,"toc":9474},[9456,9459,9462,9465],[25,9457,9458],{},"The war genre of cinema is hardly anything new; it takes little time for the average person to hear the term “war film” and immediately recall “Saving Private Ryan”, “Apocalypse Now”, or one of the many other countless examples of works that fit in this particular genre. Less talked about, however, are films that examine post-war life and how those who have been to war come back to their lives before combat and how those experiences affect what should be a return to normality. Although not as popular as traditional war films, there are nonetheless a handful of quality films that tackle this subject matter, one that includes the 1946 Best Picture winner “The Best Days of Our Lives”, the Sylvester Stallone vehicle “First Blood”, and the subject of today’s discussion, “Citizen Soldier”.",[25,9460,9461],{},"The film revolves around Danny Parker, a young veteran who has returned to the United States following the end of the Vietnam War. Although his experiences have left Danny with a case of amnesia, he is released from the Veteran’s Administration hospital and left to ponder what he is to do with his life now that his military service has ended. While waiting at a bus stop, he meets and befriends a young woman with dreams of becoming a famous entertainer, and the two decide to become travel partners. What follows is a journey up the coast of California that is guaranteed to change the lives of these two young people forever.",[25,9463,9464],{},"It takes a certain kind of talent to play the characters around which this narrative revolves, and thankfully, these two leads could have been given more perfect casting. Playing the central protagonist Danny Parker is long-time actor Dean Stockwell, who has made appearances in a variety of films and television shows over the span of his decades-long career, even earning an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance as Anthony “Tony the Tiger” Russo in Jonathan Demme’s 1988 comedy “Married to the Mob”. Opposite Stockwell as the film’s female lead is Toni Basil, who is well known for appearing in several films directed by legendary actor\u002Fdirector Dennis Hopper, most notably his 1969 classic “Easy Rider”. However, it’s outside acting for which Basil is best known, as she is the singer for the 1981 classic song “Mickey”, and has most recently assisted Quentin Tarantino as a choreographer for his 2019 film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.",[25,9466,9467,9468,9473],{},"Although their most iconic work may lie elsewhere, one mustn’t underestimate how well Stockwell and Basil work when acting alongside one another, and “Citizen Soldier” is genuine proof of how the interaction of these two talents can lead to fantastic results. Thanks to these strong performances, the film is able to make this realistic look at life on the road following one’s time at war something that is both engaging and easy to relate to. Those curious to see how can find the film ",[47,9469,9472],{"href":9470,"rel":9471},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fcitizen-soldier\u002F",[51],"here"," and experience the film in all its down-to-earth glory.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9475},[],"2020-11-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-citizen-soldier",{"title":9453,"description":9458},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-citizen-soldier","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-citizen-soldier","q7--h-khy92WUxQuJfvcuYFslDQ3M3jVtV8JutrXO_g",{"id":9484,"title":9485,"body":9486,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9554,"description":9490,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9555,"navigation":71,"path":9556,"seo":9557,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9558,"stem":9559,"__hash__":9560},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fits-a-scary-world-after-all-halloween-films-from-across-the-globe.md","It’s a Scary World After All: Halloween Films from Across the Globe",{"type":22,"value":9487,"toc":9552},[9488,9491,9502,9508,9514,9520,9533,9546],[25,9489,9490],{},"The Halloween season has come once again, and a common tradition for many people during this time of the year is to sit back and watch one of their favorite horror or Halloween themed movies. There are far too many of these films to count, ranging from older favorites like “Psycho” or any of the Universal Monster movies to more recent favorites like “The Addams Family” and “The Cabin in the Woods”. However, most of these films tend to have been made here in the United States; there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but the preference for these films means that films made elsewhere in the world tend to be overlooked, despite being of similar high quality. So in order to fix this and bring some much needed attention to films that might not otherwise receive it, we’re going to tour the globe and highlight some of our favorite foreign Halloween movies. Without further ado, here are the ones that we enjoy most:",[25,9492,9493,9496,9497,9501],{},[486,9494,9495],{},"Nosferatu"," (1922)  - almost a decade before Universal released their cinematic Dracula, this German film took Bram Stoker’s horrific tale and brought it to life in all its terrifying glory (albeit with names changed in order to avoid copyright infringement). Directed by German auteur F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as the nefarious Count Orlock, this silent-era horror was a pioneer of the German expressionist movement, employing imagery that strayed from realism in order to invoke a sense of dread and suspense. Nearly a hundred years later, it remains an underrated classic of the horror genre, and can be found ",[47,9498,9472],{"href":9499,"rel":9500},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fnosferatu\u002F",[51]," among the many other amazing titles from World Wide Motion Pictures.",[25,9503,9504,9507],{},[486,9505,9506],{},"Diabolique"," (1955) - if there were any director to serve as the French equivalent of British cinematic icon Alfred Hitchcock, it would have to be Henri-Georges Clouzot, with this film in particular coming across as a unique re-imaging of Hitchcock’s beloved suspense thrillers. The film depicts the wife and mistress of a school headmaster who’s anything but loving to either of them (or anyone else for that matter), who take action to murder the sadistic principal and go to great lengths to cover their tracks. That proves to be much easier said than done though, and what follows is a string of sightings that raise skepticism over the headmaster’s “death”. The result: one of the most unnerving films French cinema has to offer.",[25,9509,9510,9513],{},[486,9511,9512],{},"Black Sunday"," (1960) - having previously worked in the Italian film industry as a cinematographer, Mario Bava shines with his first film as a director, one that remains one of the great classics of European cinema. In its depiction of a witch rising from the grave and seeking revenge against those who had wronged her, the film’s story could’ve easily fallen into camp territory and become difficult to take seriously. However, thanks to some amazing black-and-white visuals (Bava’s history as a cinematographer is put to good use) and a solid performance from leading actress Barbara Steele, the film ends up being a masterpiece, and the first of many great Italian horror films.",[25,9515,9516,9519],{},[486,9517,9518],{},"Who Can Kill a Child?"," (1976) - several years before Stephen King brought terror to the literary world with “Children of the Corn”, Spanish director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador introduced his own interpretation of a world where adults are absent and children have a disturbing amount of control. As it follows a young couple trapped on an island near Spain and forced to evade the island’s child population - one that has murdered all the adults and seeks more victims - Serrador’s cinematic achievement brings to mind the likes of George A. Romero’s zombie pictures through their eerie tone and atmosphere, while also serving as a painful reminder  of the lifelong effects war can have on even the youngest of individuals.",[25,9521,9522,9525,9526,985,9529,9532],{},[486,9523,9524],{},"Cronos"," (1993) - films like ",[486,9527,9528],{},"Pan’s Labyrinth",[486,9530,9531],{},"The Shape of Water"," may have made Guillermo del Toro a household name, but it was this lower-budget work of horror that kicked off what would come to be a prosperous career for the Mexican filmmaker. Set in del Toro’s home nation, the film follows an antiques dealer and his granddaughter who discover a centuries-old statuette that possesses the power to grant immortality; it sounds like a dream come true, but it isn’t long before the whole ordeal becomes their worst nightmare. Compared to del Toro’s works, this film may appear to be a little rough around the edges, but it nonetheless makes for a solid directorial debut for one of Mexico’s most acclaimed filmmakers.",[25,9534,9535,9538,9539,985,9542,9545],{},[486,9536,9537],{},"Suicide Club"," (2001) - Japan is no stranger to the horror genre (some of there films, like ",[486,9540,9541],{},"Pulse",[486,9543,9544],{},"The Grudge",", have even been given the remake treatment for American audiences), but the island nation has never made anything quite like this absurd, but alarming examination of the country’s generational gap. Through its combination of mass suicides and teen pop stars whose songs have brainwashing abilities, the film never falls short in creating truly disturbing imagery while also raising questions about the insane circumstances that contribute to such events. It might be difficult for some to get past the film’s discomforting opening sequence, but for those who do, it only gets crazier from there.",[25,9547,9548,9551],{},[486,9549,9550],{},"The Silent House"," (2010) - the key to success for many great horror films is the ability to make those watching the film feel as if they are actually present in the suspenseful events they are witnessing on the screen. This Uruguayan film attempts to invoke such a feeling by constructing its narrative in a way that makes the story look as if it were shot completely in one take, giving it an almost documentary-like aesthetic. Such a task is not easy to pull off, but director Gustavo Hernandez manages to succeed in this daunting challenge, and while the story itself may differ little from most haunted house films, Hernandez’ direction and lead actress Florencia Calucci elevate the film into being anything but conventional.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9553},[],"2020-10-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fits-a-scary-world-after-all-halloween-films-from-across-the-globe",{"title":9485,"description":9490},"its-a-scary-world-after-all-halloween-films-from-across-the-globe","blog\u002Fits-a-scary-world-after-all-halloween-films-from-across-the-globe","oPoPg5PeLqldby5Vzs7WQqhvdAixKciWTDXjzVw-Cvs",{"id":9562,"title":9563,"body":9564,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9554,"description":9568,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9584,"navigation":71,"path":9585,"seo":9586,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9587,"stem":9588,"__hash__":9589},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-nosferatu.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Nosferatu”",{"type":22,"value":9565,"toc":9582},[9566,9569,9572,9575],[25,9567,9568],{},"If there is any horror icon that has seen more cinematic incarnations than most, it’s most certainly the world’s most famous vampire character, Count Dracula. First appearing in literary form as the central antagonist of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula”, the character has appeared in countless films and television programs. Some, like Gary Oldman’s take in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 “Dracula” film, stick fairly close to Stoker’s original vision, while others, like the animated lead of “Hotel Transylvania” (played by comedian Adam Sandler), present a more humorous interpretation. Of course, most people tend to connect the character to Bela Lugosi’s performance in the 1930 Universal horror film “Dracula”, largely due to it being one of the earliest, therefore most definitive, versions of the character. There is, however, one portrayal that dates even further back than Lugosi’s, albeit under a different name: the titular character of the subject of today’s discussion, “Nosferatu”.",[25,9570,9571],{},"Although names have been changed (largely as a means of avoiding copyright issues), the film more or less plays out exactly as it did in the original Bram Stoker novel. Sent to oversee a real estate deal with the mysterious Count Orlok, young Thomas Hutter travels to the country of Transylvania where he makes an arrangement to sell the count a house in his hometown of Wisborg, Germany. A string of bizarre supernatural circumstances begins shortly afterwards, and Hutter begins to suspect that Orlok may not be entirely human. Sure enough, the count is in fact a vampire, but Hutter discovers this too late, and it isn’t long until Orlok begins to pose a serious danger to not only the town, but also his wife Ellen,to whom the count has become infatuated with.",[25,9573,9574],{},"Much of what makes this early incarnation of the Dracula story so iconic can be attributed to the film’s director F.W. Murnau. One of the original pioneers of German cinema, Murnau used classics of horror literature as a stepping stone for his development into a cinematic auteur. Before Dracula, it was the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that Murnau first translated into a cinematic medium with “The Head of Janus”, released in 1920, and six years later, he would adapt “Faust” into a cinematic work. It’s his 1924 film “The Last Laugh”, however, that may be his most significant contribution to the medium of cinema, as it innovated the concept of the subjective point of view (allowing the camera to “see” from the perspective of a character and reflect their state of mind), while also making extensive use of camera movement with a method that would come to be known as the “unchained camera technique”.",[25,9576,9577,9578,9581],{},"Still, “Nosferatu” remains Murnau’s most well-known work, and despite being overshadowed by the 1930 Universal film, it’s still widely hailed as one the great adaptations of the Dracula story. It’s a perfect film to watch during the Halloween season, and those interested can find the film at a variety of locations, including ",[47,9579,9472],{"href":9499,"rel":9580},[51]," at World Wide Motion Pictures.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9583},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-nosferatu",{"title":9563,"description":9568},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-nosferatu","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-nosferatu","oQIzFfXNK2Fe3BEtZpdnXlHjSALeSuuIlX9B2KC4Rnc",{"id":9591,"title":9592,"body":9593,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9618,"description":9597,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9619,"navigation":71,"path":9620,"seo":9621,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9622,"stem":9623,"__hash__":9624},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-toronto-to-venice-how-these-film-festivals-differ-in-a-covid-world.md","From Toronto to Venice: How These Film Festivals Differ in a COVID World",{"type":22,"value":9594,"toc":9616},[9595,9598,9601,9604,9607,9610,9613],[25,9596,9597],{},"Thamela Mpumlwana, Donisha Prendergast and Charles Officer attend the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival screening of 'Akilla's Escape' at West Island Open Air Cinema at Ontario Place on September 12, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario.",[25,9599,9600],{},"(Sept. 11, 2020 - Source: Getty Images North America)",[25,9602,9603],{},"There’s little that hasn’t been said already about the tremendous impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the film industry, let alone the world in general. How the various regions of the world has chosen to react to the Coronavirus has produced a surprisingly large array of results; while many nations have managed to contain the virus to a point where infections and deaths are near all-time lows, other nations have yet to achieve such success, though this has done little to stop them from trying to return to normal. The variation in how different parts of the world have dealt with the Coronavirus up to this point has led to the film industry taking very different approaches when releasing their work throughout the globe. International releases of larger films are either being slowly rolled out into one market at a time or immediately dropped onto streaming services for in-home viewing. Film festivals have also made several changes to how they operate, and there are two in particular that stand out: the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival.",[25,9605,9606],{},"As discussed in a previous article, the Venice International Film Festival remained a primarily on-site festival, with the majority of films being presented in the traditional theatrical manner. With there still being concern for the spread of the Coronavirus, multiple different strategies were employed in order to reduce such spread. Some of these strategies are quite familiar to those who have witnessed their own local movie theater reopen, from reduced seating that enforces social distancing to temperature checks at numerous checkpoints throughout the festival. Others have been more unique to the Venice International Film Festival and few places elsewhere, with the most notable being a large barrier around the red carpet that separates the figures strolling down the carpet from the journalists reporting on the event (while simultaneously preventing non-industry individuals from showing up and taking up too much space). Even with such drastic measures however, there was very little that prevented the festival from being held without any major situations, and as the Venice International Film Festival drew to a close on September 12th, it was more or less safe to say that the event was a success.",[25,9608,9609],{},"The Toronto International Film Festival, meanwhile, took a somewhat different approach when it came to its screening of certain films. A few months prior to the festival, organizers had announced that while some films would be shown in theaters as they had been in the years prior, others would be released onto a streaming platform for in-home viewing. Said platform would be known as the Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox; while the service would showcase past festival favorites prior to the beginning of this year’s festival, it would then provide options for either industry professionals (critics and other members of the film industry) and the public (specifically Canadian citizens) that would determine what new films could be accessed depending on the role of the user. As for films shown theatrically, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, a venue that had long been a staple of the Toronto International Film Festival, would show a select number of films with social distancing practices put into place, and outdoor locations such as Ontario Place and Polson Park would serve as locations for outdoor viewing. In addition, because celebrities and filmmakers will not be able to attend the festival as easily in the past, the Toronto International Film Festival has selected fifty of these individuals to serve as “Festival Ambassadors” that would promote the festival through various digital and interactive programs. This list of Ambassadors includes a wide variety of talent, from familiar names like Brie Larson and Rian Johnson to international faces such as Saudi Arabian director Haifaa al-Mansour and Nigerian-born Genevieve Nnaji.",[25,9611,9612],{},"When comparing the techniques used by each of these festivals, one can get a better sense of where each of these parts of the world are at in regards to how they have handled the COVID-19 pandemic. While strict safety measures had been put into place at the Venice International Film Festival, the fact that the event was still able to take place predominantly in person at many of the festival’s various theaters and venues indicates that, although the Coronavirus has not been completely eradicated, the environment is now safe enough where, as long as certain conditions have been met, there is no reason why the festival could not be held in its traditional format. The Toronto International Film Festival, on the other hand, does not seem to have such confidence at the moment. This may have less to do with Canada’s approach to combating the Coronavirus (new cases have actually fallen quite sharply in recent weeks) as it does with how its southern neighbor the United States is faring. Unlike much of the rest of the world, the United States has not been quite successful enough in containing the disease, and it’s understandable for the Toronto International Film Festival to be concerned about those coming in from America and being potential carriers of the virus. The primarily digital release of the festival’s most noteworthy films may not be the most ideal, but it is most likely the safest option for the time being, and it does have the benefit of being more accessible to those living outside Toronto (even if the public option is limited only to those living in Canada).",[25,9614,9615],{},"Despite these differences, there is little to suggest that both the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival aren’t capable of kicking off the awards season without a hitch as they have in the past. Having already reached its conclusion, Venice has already introduced its fair share of awards contenders, with much attention being placed on Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao and her film “Nomadland”, which stars Academy Award winner Frances McDormand in the lead role. The film was the recipient of the festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture; considering the three previous winners of the award have all been Best Picture nominees at the Oscars (one, 2017’s “The Shape of Water”, even won), it’s safe to say that “Nomadland” has a bright future ahead of it. Still, the award season has only just begun, so there are still plenty of other films that could just as easily come out as major contenders. With TIFF still carrying on, there may be another contender sooner than expected.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9617},[],"2020-10-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffrom-toronto-to-venice-how-these-film-festivals-differ-in-a-covid-world",{"title":9592,"description":9597},"from-toronto-to-venice-how-these-film-festivals-differ-in-a-covid-world","blog\u002Ffrom-toronto-to-venice-how-these-film-festivals-differ-in-a-covid-world","SdcR5LzawR0QRMKmOfqQF1-dw_Lrn3A3imEonIk5OS4",{"id":9626,"title":9627,"body":9628,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9618,"description":9632,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9649,"navigation":71,"path":9650,"seo":9651,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9652,"stem":9653,"__hash__":9654},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-as-you-like-it.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “As You Like It”",{"type":22,"value":9629,"toc":9647},[9630,9633,9636,9639],[25,9631,9632],{},"There is arguably no figure that has had a greater contribution to the art of the written word than William Shakespeare. Not only has the 16th century playwright given the English language so many unique words and expressions, but his works continue to be among the most frequently adapted to a wide variety of different mediums. There are far too many films, television programs, and other visual media that have drawn inspiration from Shakespeare, and there are far too many works of Shakespeare’s that have been repeatedly given such treatment, to the tragedy of “Hamlet” to the more comedic “Much Ado About Nothing”. The subject of today’s discussion, meanwhile, presents a cinematic interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known (yet no less deserving of appreciation) plays, that being the 1936 film “As You Like It”.",[25,9634,9635],{},"Following his successful overthrow and banishment of his older brother Duke Senior, the less admirable Duke Ftederick allows his niece Rosalind to remain in his inner circle with his daughter Celia. However, Rosalind has fallen in love with the charming Orlando, who, like Duke Senior, has also been banished by his older brother, causing Duke Frederick to banish Rosalind. Accompanied by Celia and the jester Touchstone, Rosalind disguises herself as the male Ganymede and retreats to the Forest of Arden, where the recently disposed Duke Senior resides. What follows is a string of events involving mistaken identities and complicated romance that, against all odds, ultimately concludes with a happily ever after for just about everyone.",[25,9637,9638],{},"For those familiar with the many film adaptations of William Shakespeare, then it should not be too much of a surprise that the name Laurence Olivier, that of the actor who plays the film’s leading male hero Orlando, appears in this motion picture’s opening credits. This was actually the first time Olivier had portrayed a Shakespearean character in film, and he would go on to be part of several other film adaptations of Shakespeare in the years to follow, even directing himself in a Best Actor Academy Award winning performance as the titular role of 1948’s Best Picture winner “Hamlet”. Having to convincingly play off such an extraordinary talent is no easy task, but fortunately, Elisabeth Bergner, who plays Orlando’s love interest Rosalind, is more than capable of living up to this challenge. Looking back at Bergner’s career, this is not the least bit shocking, as she made a name for herself as the lead protagonist of “Escape Me Never”, a play\u002Ffilm written by Margaret Kennedy that would give Bergner an Oscar nomination.",[25,9640,9641,9642,9646],{},"Made during the rise of Nazi Germany and featuring a cast and crew heavily populated by Jewish refugees, “As You Like It” comes across as very relevant to the time period it was produced in, as the characters’ escape to the refuge that is the Forest of Arden reflects the experiences of Jews fleeing the growing presence of Germany’s new fascist government. Historical context aside, this classic of British cinema makes for a fine representation of Shakespeare’s work, and those interested can find the film ",[47,9643,9472],{"href":9644,"rel":9645},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fas-you-like-it\u002F",[51]," and see for themselves.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9648},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-as-you-like-it",{"title":9627,"description":9632},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-as-you-like-it","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-as-you-like-it","AyjHsslrB7l_RHxbSw-XB1sfvFBoLq3LnK92AoCDcHA",{"id":9656,"title":9657,"body":9658,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9686,"description":9662,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9687,"navigation":71,"path":9688,"seo":9689,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9690,"stem":9691,"__hash__":9692},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fregal-theaters-close-once-again-will-other-chains-follow.md","Regal Theaters Close Once Again: Will Other Chains Follow?",{"type":22,"value":9659,"toc":9684},[9660,9663,9666,9669,9672,9675,9678,9681],[25,9661,9662],{},"Image Source: Tulsaworld.com",[25,9664,9665],{},"The lack of major theatrical film releases in the United States, brought upon by most of the studios delaying their films due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has taken an alarming toll on the movie theater industry. While Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” was hoped to be a sign that people were ready to come back to theaters in big numbers, its underwhelming domestic box office has proven otherwise, and studios have chosen not to risk a similar fate for their other big-budget productions. With little to drive revenue, yet still so much in terms of expenses, many have wondered whether theaters were better off staying closed until there was enough confidence that they could safely be open, and just recently, one major theater chain decided that being open for the time being was not worth the effort.",[25,9667,9668],{},"On Monday October 5th, Cineworld Group, the world’s second largest movie theater company, announced a temporary closure of the hundreds of theaters it currently owns, including the Regal theaters located throughout the United States. This decision comes after it was announced by MGM that its upcoming James Bond movie “No Time to Die” would be pushed back from its previous November 2020 release to April 2021, a full year after the film’s original April 2020 date. With this delay, the only major studio films waiting to be released in the year are two animated family films, Disney\u002FPixar’s “Soul” and Universal\u002FDreamWorks’ “The Croods: A New Age”. Both are currently set for a late November release, although given the ongoing pandemic (as well as the delays of the studios’ other films), it wouldn’t be too surprising to see either of these films be pushed back as well.",[25,9670,9671],{},"Interestingly, Cineworld CEO Mookie Greidinger does not put the blame of his company’s mass theater closures on the studios, but on the state of New York and its governor Andre Cuomo. In an interview with Deadline, Greidinger claims that Cuomo’s “inflexibility” in letting theaters in the state open has been a major influence in Hollywood hesitating to put its movies into theaters at this time. “The Governor allows in-restaurant dining, bowling alleys, casinos and others, but he will not allow cinemas”, Greidinger states, criticizing the New York governor for allowing other businesses to open but not theaters, despite the numerous public health measures that Cineworld and other theater owners have put into place in order to reduce spread of the Coronavirus. As Greidinger explains, “cinemas have taken huge steps and made a big investment in creating ‘CinemaSafe’ protocols and we can clearly say after operating the cinemas for over two months, that we are offering a safe environment for our customers,” although it seems even these steps are not enough to sway Cuomo into letting theaters reopen.",[25,9673,9674],{},"With such a large percentage of the movie theater industry shutting its doors until further notice, many have speculated whether or not the other major theater chains will do the same. However, at the moment, this does not appear to be the case. A day after Cineworld’s major announcement, AMC Theatres, the largest movie theater chain in the world, declared that it will not resort to shutting down its theaters again. In fact, once given the go-ahead, AMC will reopen even more of the theaters that are currently closed, hopefully in the New York and Los Angeles markets where local governments have restricted theaters from opening their doors. “We take great comfort in knowing that literally millions of moviegoers have already visited our theatres,” AMC CEO and President Adam Aron writes in a statement recently released by the company, “...our guests are telling us that our theatres have never been cleaner, and that they recognize the great effort AMC is making to keep them healthy and safe.”",[25,9676,9677],{},"The third largest theater chain in the nation, Cinemark, made a similar announcement that same day, stating that it too would keep its theaters open. What makes Cinemark’s position unique, however, is the fact that it has no theaters located in New York City and only one throughout the entire state of New York (specifically in Rochester), so the state government’s insistence on keeping theaters closed has less of an impact on Cinemark than it does on any of the other theater chains. “Cinemark’s reopening plan was designed with multiple contingencies in place to ensure we are able to be nimble and react as needed to this ever-changing environment,” a Cinemark representative states, “...we do not currently have plans to close our U.S. theatres and are continuing to align with demand, including reducing operating hours and days while we await new studio content to encourage theatrical moviegoing.”",[25,9679,9680],{},"Although the confidence that AMC and Cinemark show is admirable (and it’s understandable for them to want to keep their doors open), there’s little to suggest that remaining open will start to pay off any time soon. Assuming that “Soul” and “The Croods: A New Age” (as well as the superhero film “Wonder Woman 1984”, currently set for a Christmas release) are shown in theaters as currently planned, they will be the only major studio releases for the rest of the year, and if “Tenet” is any indication, audiences may still not yet be ready to come see them in theaters, which would make what should be bona fide successes for the studios major financial losses, piling onto the significant economic damage that the studios have dealt with over the course of the year.",[25,9682,9683],{},"If theaters are to remain open, then they will need to work with what they have in order to stay afloat. Smaller films like 101 Studios’ “The War with Grandpa” and Freestyle’s “2 Hearts” may not have gotten much attention, but hopefully they will be able to draw in enough of an audience for the time being. If not, then perhaps whatever classic films that are available to theaters will do the trick (a re-release of 1993’s “Hocus Pocus” was #2 at the box office this weekend). Still, with rising expenses and a pandemic that currently has no end in sight, the decision for Regal to close its theaters may be something the other chains might want to consider for themselves.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9685},[],"2020-10-15",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fregal-theaters-close-once-again-will-other-chains-follow",{"title":9657,"description":9662},"regal-theaters-close-once-again-will-other-chains-follow","blog\u002Fregal-theaters-close-once-again-will-other-chains-follow","FUmF-KeQppAsap9WVbjM_JAxs1Y1uqOQJbf5-mpeHIw",{"id":9694,"title":9695,"body":9696,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9686,"description":9700,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9717,"navigation":71,"path":9718,"seo":9719,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9720,"stem":9721,"__hash__":9722},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dracula-and-frankenstein.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Dracula and Frankenstein”",{"type":22,"value":9697,"toc":9715},[9698,9701,9704,9707],[25,9699,9700],{},"There are no characters more popular and commonplace during the Halloween season quite like Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. One is a vampire out for blood, the other is the combination of dead body parts brought back to life. Since their creation in the 1800s by authors Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley, Dracula and Frankenstein have haunted the imaginations of millions, and with the innovation of film, they have become more prominent staples of popular culture than ever. Being such iconic and yet very unique figures, one can’t help but wonder what would happen if the two were ever to interact. Many have attempted to answer this question over the years, and the subject of today’s discussion, the classic “Dracula and Frankenstein”, is the product of one of those attempts.",[25,9702,9703],{},"As she looks for her sister Joanie, who had gone missing after joining a community of hippies in Venice, California, young Judith discovers the maniacal Dr. Durray, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein and a mad scientist himself, and his lackey Groton, a literally axe-crazy man whom Judith learns is the murderer of her sister. It turns out that the deceased Joanie, along with Groton’s countless other victims, have been used as subjects for Durray’s experiments, and things take an even more terrifying turn with the arrival of the notorious vampire himself, Count Dracula. Dracula shows Durray the original Frankenstein monster, the one his ancestor created several decades prior, and convinces the mad scientist to bring him to life once again. The doctor agrees, hoping to use the monster for purposes of vengeance, and what comes of this resurrection is a monster mash unlike anything the world has ever seen before.",[25,9705,9706],{},"For those who are fond of classic horror cinema, the character of Groton may come across as very familiar. That’s because the actor playing him is none other than the legendary Lon Chaney, Jr. The son of silent era icon Lon Chaney, the so-called “Man of a Thousand Faces” who had appeared in such horror classics as “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, it did not take long for the younger Chaney to follow in his father’s footsteps. Although Chaney has had his fair share of non-horror roles in such films as “High Noon”, it’s his role as the titular character of 1941’s “The Wolfman” that has allowed Chaney to cement his status in the world of cinema, a role he continued to play in countless appearances that followed.",[25,9708,9709,9710,9714],{},"With the Halloween season so close, there’s no better time for a monster movie, and there’s nothing quite as perfect for viewing than “Dracula and Frankenstein”. Those who have longed to see two of cinema’s greatest monsters go head to head will not be disappointed, and those eager to see how it all goes down can find the film ",[47,9711,9472],{"href":9712,"rel":9713},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002Fdp\u002FB00009PBY7?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_amazon&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_amazon-20",[51]," and witness the action in all its violent glory.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9716},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dracula-and-frankenstein",{"title":9695,"description":9700},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-dracula-and-frankenstein","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dracula-and-frankenstein","PAJc9zf8c7fR8te3565VIey2Ef75qoBMmvKZqRW-cjM",{"id":9724,"title":9725,"body":9726,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9757,"description":9730,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9758,"navigation":71,"path":9759,"seo":9760,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9761,"stem":9762,"__hash__":9763},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftenet-and-the-box-office-have-movie-theaters-reopened-too-early.md","“Tenet” and the Box Office: Have Movie Theaters Reopened Too Early?",{"type":22,"value":9727,"toc":9755},[9728,9731,9734,9737,9740,9743,9746,9749,9752],[25,9729,9730],{},"Image source: Wall Street Journal",[25,9732,9733],{},"When Christopher Nolan’s multi-million dollar thriller “Tenet” opened in movie theaters throughout the United States on Labor Day weekend, many hoped that the film would be a sign that the film industry was ready to bounce back after months of dwindling sales. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the majority of the nation’s movie theaters to be closed, most of the industry’s films had to be pushed back extensively, receiving new release dates that were months later than what was originally intended (and that’s just for films that even got new release dates). While “Tenet” was no exception at first, having been initially set for a July release, director Christopher Nolan insisted that his film receive a theatrical release as soon as possible, believing his work would be the one big event that would draw audiences back to theaters and revitalize the industry. The film’s distributor, Warner Brothers, would ultimately agree to Nolan’s requests, and on Labor Day weekend, as many states began to allow their theaters to reopen, “Tenet” finally got to shine on the big screen for everyone to see in all of its grand cinematic glory.",[25,9735,9736],{},"There was just one problem: not enough people were coming out to see the film.",[25,9738,9739],{},"On its opening weekend, “Tenet”, screened in just over 2,800 theaters, earned just over $20 million in ticket sales. While this was a significantly larger total than any film screened at the time, it was nowhere near enough to begin to earn back the film’s budget, estimated to be roughly $200 million (not counting marketing costs). There was some hope that the film would hold strong in the following weeks as more theaters reopened, but a 66% drop in revenue the next weekend proves that this is currently not likely to happen. Its most recent weekend of release saw a gross of $3.4 million, enough to keep it as #1 at the box office, but still hardly anything to appreciate. At the moment, “Tenet” has earned just over $41 million at the domestic box office, twice what it made in its opening weekend but still a fraction of what was spent to produce it.",[25,9741,9742],{},"Fortunately, “Tenet” has had slightly better luck with overseas markets, which have boosted its total worldwide gross to just under $285 million dollars. Unfortunately, while these numbers might appear to cover the film’s $200 million budget, they are not enough to overcome the additional millions of dollars spent on marketing, nor do they reflect the percentages of the revenue being split between the studio and theaters. In order for “Tenet” to turn a profit, it would need to have a final gross of anywhere between $500-750 million, an amount that the film is not expected to acquire any time soon.",[25,9744,9745],{},"Why are numbers so low for “Tenet” despite all the hype and anticipation surrounding it? There are several reasons, but most of them can be connected to the fact that the pandemic has not yet come to an end. For one thing, social distancing procedures have limited the number of people that can watch a film on the big screen at a given time, with auditoriums being restricted to at most 50% capacity. Perhaps more significant, however, is the fact that most people aren’t ready to go back to the movies yet. Even with all the new health and safety procedures put into effect, most audiences don’t feel the risk is worth it at the moment, choosing instead to stay home and get their fill from streaming services and other sources of in-home movie watching.",[25,9747,9748],{},"The underperformance of “Tenet”, combined with that of Disney’s “Mulan” (which had been released for the price of $30 through premium on-demand viewing on its streaming platform Disney+), has sent shockwaves throughout the film industry, forcing studios to once again push their films back until they believe it is safe to release them. Warner Brother’s next big-budget blockbuster, “Wonder Woman 1984”, has been delayed until the Christmas season, and Disney has pushed back the majority of its films to next year. At the moment, the next big releases expected to hit the big screen are the next installment in the James Bond series “No Time to Die” and the animated Pixar film “Soul”. Both are planned to come out in November, though given the ongoing pandemic (and the resurgence of cases in many nations), many speculate that they will also be delayed once again.",[25,9750,9751],{},"The lack of any major releases is a serious problem for movie theaters. With so little revenue coming in, and expenses ranging from labor, rent, and supplies being just as high as they had been before the start of the pandemic, theaters are struggling to maintain a profit, and unless things take a turn sooner than later, then there’s a strong possibility that many theaters will go out of business and have to close permanently. Had theaters remained closed and continued to do so until there was a clear end to the pandemic, then they might have better luck in reducing expenses and even negotiating how much rent they are paying to landowners. However, that’s not the case, and at the moment, no major theater chain has announced any intention to change tactics and close their theaters until it’s safe to reopen them again.",[25,9753,9754],{},"What can be done then to keep theaters from completely going under? At the moment, not much. While screenings of classic films have performed modestly (a re-release of “The Empire Strikes Back” currently sits in the Top 5 at box office) and could be effective in drawing in those who want to experience the big screen with something they are familiar with, they are not enough to make up for the costs theaters are currently paying. Only a certain number of big, highly anticipated releases will encourage people to start going to the movies once again, but for the time being, no such films will be shown any time soon.  Of course, most of this may have been avoided if Christopher Nolan hadn’t pushed for “Tenet” to be the big screen event of the summer, allowing theaters to stay closed for as long as necessary. It’s ironic: in his efforts to save the theatrical experience, Christopher Nolan may have damaged it even further.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9756},[],"2020-10-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftenet-and-the-box-office-have-movie-theaters-reopened-too-early",{"title":9725,"description":9730},"tenet-and-the-box-office-have-movie-theaters-reopened-too-early","blog\u002Ftenet-and-the-box-office-have-movie-theaters-reopened-too-early","i31yArYgKsPG7XaqHdK5io-dmjrGackpiWXIwWthhPY",{"id":9765,"title":9766,"body":9767,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9811,"description":9812,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9813,"navigation":71,"path":9814,"seo":9815,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9816,"stem":9817,"__hash__":9818},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fno-more-gender-separation-at-the-berlin-international-film-festival.md","No More Gender Separation at the Berlin International Film Festival",{"type":22,"value":9768,"toc":9809},[9769,9781,9784,9787,9794,9797,9800,9803,9806],[25,9770,9771,9772,9776],{},"*Source: *",[47,9773],{"href":9774,"rel":9775},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.berlinale.de\u002Fen\u002Fdas_festival\u002Ffestivalprofil\u002Fprofil_der_berlinale\u002Findex.html",[51],[486,9777,9778],{},[47,9779,9774],{"href":9774,"rel":9780},[51],[25,9782,9783],{},"The COVID-19 pandemic may still retain an ongoing presence throughout the globe, but that hasn’t stopped the international film scene from attempting a return to normality. While the United States has only recently started to reopen their movie theaters and resume film production (and even then, many argue that it’s still unsafe to do so, with some states remaining adamant about keeping theaters closed), the rest of the world seems to be a bit more confident in terms of how well it has brought the Coronavirus under control. While measures to prevent further disease spread remain in place, many parts of Europe and Asia have made significant progress in getting their film industries back to normal. This includes their various film festivals, and one that has recently attracted an unexpected amount of attention is the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival.",[25,9785,9786],{},"Expected to be held between February 11th and February 21st of next year (assuming that the pandemic doesn’t interfere in any way), the Berlin International Film Festival will be one of the earliest venues for various films from across the globe to make their debut. As it has in almost every prior year, the festival will hand out a single Golden Bear for the picture that is deemed Best Film, as well as several Silver Bears in a variety of smaller categories. Unlike prior years however, some awards have been either retired or compressed into single awards. For one thing, the Alfred Bauer Prize, named after one of the festival’s founders, will no longer be given out. This decision came after revelations that Bauer was involved with the Nazi Party during the 1930’s and 1940’s, serving as a prominent member of the Party’s filmmaking bureaucracy.",[25,9788,9789,9790,9793],{},"However, the change that garnered the most attention was the festival’s decision to forego separate acting awards for male and female actors. Instead, these awards will be replaced with new Silver Bears for Best Leading Performance and Best Supporting Performance that do not discriminate by gender. According to the heads of the festival, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, the decision was made to reflect on the increasing demand for gender equality in the film industry, claiming that “not separating the awards in the acting field according to gender ",[364,9791,9792],{},"is"," a signal for a more gender-sensitive awareness in the film industry.”",[25,9795,9796],{},"By combining the acting awards and no longer distinguishing them by gender, the festival has not only enforced the idea that performances by male and female actors can be equivalent and do not need to be separated from one another, but also made the award more accessible to actors whose gender identity is nonbinary. Because there is a growing number of actors that do not consider themselves either a man or a woman, there is concern that nominating such actors for awards is difficult without placing them into a category that does not match their gender identity. By eliminating the gender factor, the Berlin International Film Festival has made this issue nonexistent, meaning that actors of any gender identity are now capable of competing without the threat of discrimination.",[25,9798,9799],{},"Although the festival’s decision has been deemed as a groundbreaker by many, this is not the first time an award ceremony has removed gender from its awards categories. In 2017, the MTV Movie and Television Awards reintroduced the Best Performance in a Movie award, which combined the male and female acting categories into a single award (it had also done this during the 2006 and 2007 ceremonies, but returned to separate male and female categories the following year). As the awards are decided through online voting (predominantly by those in MTV’s target teenage\u002Fyoung adult demographics), the MTV Movie and TV Awards have a respectable following, but do not hold the same level of merit and respectability as more prominent festivals and awards. The Berlin International Film Festival, on the other hand, holds much greater prestige in the awards circuit, so its decision to remove gender from its acting categories could set a new precedent, with other festivals possibly considering a similar decision.",[25,9801,9802],{},"While this decision has been mostly lauded, some people have expressed concern for potential gender bias in the long run. Despite male, female, and nonbinary actors now being able to compete amongst one another, there is worry that voters will be inclined to repeatedly vote in favor of one specific gender over another. If this happens, then an award that should be open to all genders may repeatedly end up going to one single gender, which would render the purpose of this single category all but pointless. If there is one benefit to the current separation of acting awards, it’s that it does allow both male and female actors a guaranteed opportunity to compete, a condition that may not be as easy to uphold when reducing the categories to a single award.",[25,9804,9805],{},"One possible solution to this issue is to preserve male and female categories, but also to introduce an award for performances by nonbinary actors. There are two problems with this solution however. For one thing, nonbinary actors at the moment have so little presence onscreen that it may be difficult to select nominees that best demonstrate the finest acting of a particular year. This could be solved through an increase in nonbinary casting, but given the current state of the film industry would be difficult to execute. Second, separating nonbinary actors from male and female actors would still create a sense of “otherness” that could inadvertently deem nonbinary actors as less worthy.",[25,9807,9808],{},"Still, this is all hypothetical, and while reducing the acting awards to non-gender-discriminatory categories isn’t completely foolproof, this decision is still commendable. At the end of the day, the Berlin International Film Festival is doing everything in its power to push for gender equality in the film industry, and hopefully other institutions will start to follow suit in the near future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9810},[],"2020-10-01","*Source: *https:\u002F\u002Fwww.berlinale.de\u002Fen\u002Fdas_festival\u002Ffestivalprofil\u002Fprofil_der_berlinale\u002Findex.html",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fno-more-gender-separation-at-the-berlin-international-film-festival",{"title":9766,"description":9812},"no-more-gender-separation-at-the-berlin-international-film-festival","blog\u002Fno-more-gender-separation-at-the-berlin-international-film-festival","Ru4DCnwWDGl_aUfZyn_uqpVDn-CKmFugkBZWssnpxIY",{"id":9820,"title":9821,"body":9822,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9853,"description":9826,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9854,"navigation":71,"path":9855,"seo":9856,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9857,"stem":9858,"__hash__":9859},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-mulan-xinjiang-controversy-a-hindrance-to-international-coproductions.md","The “Mulan”\u002FXinjiang Controversy: A Hindrance to International Coproductions?",{"type":22,"value":9823,"toc":9851},[9824,9827,9830,9833,9836,9839,9842,9845,9848],[25,9825,9826],{},"This photo taken on February 16, 2020 shows two workers wearing face masks manning a promotional stand for the Disney movie 'Mulan' in an almost empty shopping mall in Beijing. ( AFP\u002FGREG BAKER)",[25,9828,9829],{},"In an increasingly globalized world, several nations now more than ever find themselves collaborating with others with the intention of achieving a specific goal. No country has seen such a massive growth in international presence than China, with an economy skyrocketing over the past decade or so and capturing the attention of multiple foreign nations seeking to expand their markets in any way possible. This has led to many American companies turning to China in order to potentially collaborate with (and eventually profit off of) the growing economic giant, and no industry has its sights set on China like Hollywood.",[25,9831,9832],{},"Unlike the United States, which has seen a decreasing number of ticket sales over the past few decades, China’s box office has gone in the opposite direction, seeing rapid increases in the number of movie theaters across the nation and a boom in ticket sales as a result. Wanting to cash in on China’s increasing hunger for cinema, many of Hollywood’s largest studios have taken the Asian nation into account when crafting their various cinematic products. Perhaps the most significant American production made to appeal to the Chinese market above all else is “Mulan”, a live-action retelling of the 1998 animated Disney movie. Despite drawing heavily from this earlier work, the story has been extensively modified in order to tone down the original film’s Western-centric elements and make something more acceptable to Eastern audiences.",[25,9834,9835],{},"In theory, this sounds like a recipe for success. China and its people get to see a film intended primarily for them, and Disney gets to make a substantial profit off the tickets sold there. However, what was expected to be a production to be completed without any major problems has become anything but, and with the release of “Mulan” the previous weekend, the most recent controversy to come about from its presence can be traced to the film’s credits. While thousands of individuals and groups can be found listed, those associated with the province of Xinjiang, specifically its publicity department and the Public Safety and Tourism boards of Turpan, one of Xinjiang’s cities.",[25,9837,9838],{},"To understand the concerns surrounding the credit of these institutions, it’s important to discuss the multiple human rights violations that Xinjiang has been accused of. Since 2015, Xinjiang has been the source of imprisonment for over two million Chinese citizens, specifically those of the Islam-practicing Uyghurs ethnic group and other Turkic minorities. China has frequently denied there being any inhumanity in its decision to detain these people, claiming that such actions have been a necessary tactic to prevent terrorism and extremist activity. These locations are not concentration camps, the Chinese government claims, but rather educational facilities where people can train and establish critical vocational skills. Such claims have proven to be unconvincing for many however, and Xinjiang continues to face scrutiny for what has been repeatedly referred to as a violation of human rights.",[25,9840,9841],{},"How does “Mulan” connect to Xinjiang? No specific ties have been made public by either Disney or the Chinese government yet, although the presence of Xinjiang and its institutions proves there has been interaction to some degree. It is currently unknown how much of the film, if any of it, was filmed directly in the province, although multiple sources have alleged that they have scouted the region and even filmed some scenes there. Whatever the case may be, the reveal of these connections has led to an unprecedented amount of backlash on social media, which has called upon Disney to reveal the extent of Xinjiang’s presence in the production of “Mulan”.",[25,9843,9844],{},"Unfortunately, this is not the first time the live-action remake of “Mulan” has been dealt a setback in its path to global financial success. In August of last year, Liu Yifei, the actress playing the film’s titular protagonist, expressed support for the police in the protests that took place in the city of Hong Kong, despite the allegations that police were being excessively violent towards protestors. This led to several pro-democracy groups calling for a boycott against the film, and these calls have seen a resurgence following the film’s recent release, especially in light of the reveal that Xinjiang was involved with the film to some degree. Political controversy aside, the release of “Mulan”, originally planned to come out in March, had to be pushed back repeatedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic before Disney ultimately decided to forego a theatrical release in America and instead release the film through its streaming service Disney+ (albeit with a hefty $30 price tag).",[25,9846,9847],{},"The controversy surrounding Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” is a perfect example of the many issues surrounding Hollywood’s desire to claim a stake in China’s growing box office (now the second largest in the world). On the one hand, with America’s box office losing steam and studios needing to find new ways to stay in business, it’s understandable that they would want to gain the approval of China so that they can release their films in the nation (and receive a significant share of the ticket sales made there). On the other hand, the accusations of human rights violations in Xinjiang are only part of the source of criticism that the Chinese government has faced over the past few years, to a point where boycotts against China have become more and more frequent. With China so heavily involved with the production of many blockbuster hits, Hollywood doing business with the nation may not be the most ethical decision.",[25,9849,9850],{},"There may not be anything wrong with trying to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible, but when that audience includes a nation subjected to one international controversy after another, one may need to ask where to draw the line.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9852},[],"2020-09-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-mulan-xinjiang-controversy-a-hindrance-to-international-coproductions",{"title":9821,"description":9826},"the-mulan-xinjiang-controversy-a-hindrance-to-international-coproductions","blog\u002Fthe-mulan-xinjiang-controversy-a-hindrance-to-international-coproductions","UgQYGHLkNI2CzMbWFSRyGo8i1TF0zUKwOCiJ9ntPDp8",{"id":9861,"title":9862,"body":9863,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9853,"description":9867,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9884,"navigation":71,"path":9885,"seo":9886,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9887,"stem":9888,"__hash__":9889},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-quadroon.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Quadroon”",{"type":22,"value":9864,"toc":9882},[9865,9868,9871,9874],[25,9866,9867],{},"As the recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement demonstrates, race relations in the United States of America have never been ideal. Since the early 1600s, when the first slaves were abducted and brought to the New World from their native Africa, those with darker skin have been viewed as inferior to people of European descent. Even with the abolishment of slavery, not enough progress has been made to ensure black people are given equal treatment as their lighter-skinned counterparts. Still, much effort has been made to achieve this goal - some attempts have proven successful, others were cursed with failure - and with the innovation of cinema, the history of such race relations has been recreated (albeit struggling to be completely accurate) on multiple occasions. One noteworthy example that reflects on a period not often discussed is the subject of today’s discussion, the film “Quadroon”.",[25,9869,9870],{},"Set in the American South of the 1830’s, the film revolves around Caleb, a white man from the northern half of the United States who arrives in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, taking up residence with his aunt Nancy and her family. As Caleb becomes more acquainted with his new surroundings, he learns of the people referred to as “quadroons”, the children of white Creole men and their black female slaves whose ethnicity approximates to one-quarter black and three-quarters white. Caleb becomes infatuated with a quadroon woman, the lovely Coral, but in doing so, he becomes the subject of antagonism by Cesar Dupree, one of the most powerful Creole men in the city. What comes of this is a series of events that puts Caleb’s love and Coral’s life on the line.",[25,9872,9873],{},"Made in the early 1970’s, the film features in its cast a handful of actors that, while perhaps not the most recognizable, have still made their mark in the entertainment industry. Playing the leading lady Coral, for example, is Kathrine McKee, who had made multiple appearances on television throughout the 1970’s on shows like “Sanford and Son” and “Police Woman”. As for her love interest, the film’s main protagonist Caleb, the role is played by actor-turned director Tim Kincaid, and the antagonist of the picture, Cesar Dupree, is portrayed by George Lupo in what was ultimately his only film role, as he had passed away not long after filming had been completed.",[25,9875,9876,9877,9881],{},"As a reflection of racial attitudes during both the 1830’s (when the film is set) and the 1970’s (when the film was produced), “Quadroon” makes for a compelling insight into the causes and consequences that the conflict between blacks and whites has resulted in. Though some may be concerned with how the film fares compared to modern sensibilities, it still makes for a fascinating time capsule with which one can compare how things have (or have not) changed. Those interested can find the film ",[47,9878,9472],{"href":9879,"rel":9880},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002FQuadroon-Kathy-McKee\u002Fdp\u002FB00369YV2U",[51]," and see for themselves what the film has in store.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9883},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-quadroon",{"title":9862,"description":9867},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-quadroon","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-quadroon","CHqR1cXXHeCo1evP4sy-Sa22kR7Glf-Rb7TUCosQtSg",{"id":9891,"title":9892,"body":9893,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9924,"description":9897,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9925,"navigation":71,"path":9926,"seo":9927,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9928,"stem":9929,"__hash__":9930},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-venice-film-festival-begins-kicks-off-a-post-coronavirus-awards-season.md","The Venice Film Festival Begins, Kicks Off a Post(?)-Coronavirus Awards Season",{"type":22,"value":9894,"toc":9922},[9895,9898,9901,9904,9907,9910,9913,9916,9919],[25,9896,9897],{},"Blanchett, middle, with fellow jury members Nicola Lagioia, Joanna Hogg, Veronika Franz, Matt Dillon, Ludivine Sagnier and Christian Petzold. Photograph: Yara Nardi\u002FReuters",[25,9899,9900],{},"Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues throughout the United States, the rest of the world has been much more effective in returning to their prior pre-pandemic states, and no industry is quite as enthusiastic about making a comeback than the film industry. With the release of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” in a majority of international markets during the previous weekend (with a domestic release set to begin this coming Labor Day weekend in theaters that aren’t currently mandated by state governments to be closed), major studios are looking to the big-budget blockbuster to determine whether or not the time has come to resume wide release of the year’s most anticipated and expensive productions. Perhaps more significant, however, is the beginning of the international film awards season, set to commence on Wednesday, September 2nd with the opening of the Venice International Film Festival.",[25,9902,9903],{},"As the first festival of the season, there is plenty of attention being placed upon this long-standing institution, especially in the wake of a global epidemic that has put much of the industry on hold. The Cannes Film Festival, considered by many to be one of cinema’s most prestigious events, was one such festival that had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic, so many are now looking to Venice as a means of determining which of the year’s releases will emerge as contenders for the industry’s various awards.",[25,9905,9906],{},"As a sign of unity in such turbulent and frustrating times, the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival will see the directors of many of the festivals that had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns, most notably the Cannes Film Festival, take the stage and welcome the film industry and the various individuals involved back to the world of cinema. As stated by festival director Alberto Barbera, the main focus of the ceremony will be to reach out to those most affected by the pandemic, “especially to express our support for the industry and for filmmakers, talents, and exhibitors who have suffered the most”.",[25,9908,9909],{},"Although the pandemic has been effectively subdued throughout most of the world outside the United States, the organizers of the Venice Film Festival have gone to great lengths to ensure that there is as little contribution to a potential second outbreak as possible. Indeed, several measures have been put into place in order to reduce the possibility of further spread of the disease. Some of these measures are fairly expected compared to other businesses that have enforced anti-COVID regulations, others are a bit more unique to the festival. Either way, the festival claims to be doing everything in its power to prevent new Coronavirus cases.",[25,9911,9912],{},"Among the practices being put into place, according to Barbera, most notable is the establishment of multiple swab test locations for people that are arriving at the festival from places outside the European continent (as well as some European nations such as Spain). One of these locations will be at the Venice Airport, which is expected to screen and test over three hundred festival attendees over the festival’s first few days. In addition, thermo-scanners have been set up throughout the festival’s many entry points, and screening venues and press conferences have been arranged to enforce social distancing among the filmmakers and reporters attending the festival.",[25,9914,9915],{},"The achievement that Barbera and the festival organizers are most proud of, however, is what they are referring to as a complete reinvention of the red carpet experience. Said reinvention involves a large barrier that separates the red carpet and those walking down it from those standing outside the carpet. The barrier, Barbera notes, is intended to provide additional space for photographers who wish to maintain social distancing while also reducing the risk of fan gatherings that could potentially contribute to the spread of disease. According to Barbera, his biggest concern is the “fan frenzy” that tends to occur when celebrities and other prominent figures stroll down the red carpet, and the barrier being put in place will hopefully keep such frenzy to a minimum. The red carpet event will be broadcast and streamed live through various television and Internet platforms, but fans will otherwise have little to no access to those who are set to make an appearance.",[25,9917,9918],{},"No expense is being spared when it comes to assuring festival attendees that their health and safety is not something to worry about, which should come as a relief for those whose films are set to make their big debut at the Venice Film Festival. Opening the festival is the marriage drama “Lacci (The Ties)” from Italian director Danielle Luchetti, marking the first time in over a decade that an Italian film has opened the festival. Among the other European talents set to showcase their work at the festival are Hungarian-born Kornel Mundruzco with his film “Pieces of a Woman”, as well as Norwegian-American Mona Fastvold with “The World to Come”. Outside Europe,  two cinematic achievements from Mexico are set to premiere: “Nueva Orden” from director Michel Franco, and “The Human Voice”, a half-hour film helmed by Pedro Almodovar and starring acclaimed actress Tilda Swinton. Then there’s the presence of American film at the festival, with the highlights including Regina King’s directorial debut “One Night in Miami” and Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” starring Frances McDormand.",[25,9920,9921],{},"Can the organizers of the Venice Film Festival run things smoothly under these new anti-COVID measures? Will the potential success of the festival encourage future festivals to impose similar measures? Nothing is set in stone as of yet, especially when it comes to something as unpredictable as a pandemic, but hopefully, the events of the Venice Film Festival will be pulled off without a hitch, therefore becoming a sign of optimism for all the film festivals to come.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9923},[],"2020-09-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-venice-film-festival-begins-kicks-off-a-post-coronavirus-awards-season",{"title":9892,"description":9897},"the-venice-film-festival-begins-kicks-off-a-post-coronavirus-awards-season","blog\u002Fthe-venice-film-festival-begins-kicks-off-a-post-coronavirus-awards-season","4LzYIdx17HgSGu2O0y0inUAiyzdywJ7KfCj7XsQqaWg",{"id":9932,"title":9933,"body":9934,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9924,"description":9938,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9955,"navigation":71,"path":9956,"seo":9957,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9958,"stem":9959,"__hash__":9960},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-movies-money-and-murder.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Movies, Money, and Murder”",{"type":22,"value":9935,"toc":9953},[9936,9939,9942,9945],[25,9937,9938],{},"It may not always be wise to judge a film solely by its title, but in many cases, a title may be very useful in encapsulating what the overall idea of a film may be. Take “Crazy Rich Asians” for example; from the title alone, one can easily assume that a) the film revolves primarily around characters of Asian descent; b) all or most of said characters come from a relatively affluent background; and c) the events they take part in are not what most consider normal or ordinary. Sure enough, anyone who has seen the movie might tell you that this information deduced from the title alone is more or less accurate to what happens in the film. Another film where the title makes for a perfect summary of the story in general is the subject of today’s discussion, that being the thrilling crime drama “Movies, Money, and Murder”.",[25,9940,9941],{},"In the film, the young actress Lee McNight joins forces with the respectable Dr. Jim, persuading him to finance her latest picture and promising an opportunity to become a renowned film producer in exchange for his money. Dr. Jim agrees to the deal, and soon production on Lee’s film begins at Jim’s lavish Beverly Hills mansion. While filming an intimate scene together though, the two are walked in on by Jim’s wife, who is not at all accepting of what is taking place in her home. A fit of rage inadvertently leads to Jim shooting and killing his wife, and what follows is a chain of events that force Lee and Dr. Kim to cover up the tragedy while simultaneously finishing production on their movie.",[25,9943,9944],{},"In the role of Dr. Jim is veteran actor Martin Mull, whose credits include the films “The Bodyguard”, “Clue”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, and most recently 2010’s “Killers” starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, as well as notable appearances on such television shows as “Roseanne”, “The Simpsons” and “Two and a Half Men”. Actress Lainie Kazan, meanwhile, plays Dr. Jim’s wife, building on a career that originated on the stage before becoming part of several other feature films, including one of her most memorable roles to date in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” alongside Nia Vardalos and John Corbett. She has also made many television guest appearances, including roles on “The King of Queens”, “Ugly Betty”, and “Desperate Housewives”.",[25,9946,9947,9948,9952],{},"There are few films that are as perfectly summed up in their titles like “Movies, Money, and Murder”, and the film to which this title is attached does not disappoint when delivering what has been promised. Well acted and intense from beginning to end, the film presents a dark take on the process of filmmaking and how the best of intentions can lead to horrifying consequences. Those curious to see how can find the film ",[47,9949,9472],{"href":9950,"rel":9951},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fmovies-money-murder\u002F",[51]," and see its gripping suspense for themselves.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9954},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-movies-money-and-murder",{"title":9933,"description":9938},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-movies-money-and-murder","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-movies-money-and-murder","4HHoWq9ibFQP0N1nH2SEMc-VGOSh996JpujvkIIsl-E",{"id":9962,"title":9963,"body":9964,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":9995,"description":9968,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":9996,"navigation":71,"path":9997,"seo":9998,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":9999,"stem":10000,"__hash__":10001},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmovie-theaters-are-starting-to-reopenmaybe.md","Movie Theaters are Starting to Reopen…maybe.",{"type":22,"value":9965,"toc":9993},[9966,9969,9972,9975,9978,9981,9984,9987,9990],[25,9967,9968],{},"AP Photo\u002FMichel Euler",[25,9970,9971],{},"Just about five months ago, when the United States officially recognized the COVID-19 pandemic as a major threat, a majority of businesses were forced to close their doors in order to reduce the spread of disease. There was no more prominent industry that had almost been completely shut down than the movie theater industry, where many of its major chains, including AMC and Regal, closed the majority of their locations and made it almost impossible for any new films to be released theatrically. While not all movie theaters became inaccessible to the public - in fact, drive-in theaters saw a minor resurgence in popularity as a safer alternative to traditional movie theaters - the industry was forced to contend with an alarming drop in revenue, one that would remain at an all-time low until the time came for theaters to reopen. Fortunately, at least for some, that time may have finally come at last.",[25,9973,9974],{},"On August 21st, 2020, the nation’s largest theater chain AMC will reopen over a hundred of its locations, with competitors Regal and Cinemark, as well as several smaller chains, opening either at the exact same time or within the timeframe of the next few weeks. The weekend will see one new theatrical release, the Russell Crowe action-thriller “Unhinged”, with larger blockbusters like “The New Mutants” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” set to premiere in the following weeks. In the meantime, most of the films being exhibited upon reopening will consist of popular library titles, ranging from more recent fare like “Sonic the Hedgehog” to mainstream classics such as the “Rocky” series. To further encourage potential moviegoers to return to the theaters, AMC has even offered to charge tickets on reopening day for only 15 cents, roughly what a ticket cost when the company was founded a century ago.",[25,9976,9977],{},"For those who thrive on the theatrical experience and have dreaded the months in which they have been unable to view a film on the big screen, this should come across as a sign of major relief. The theaters have actually tried to reopen on various occasions during the previous few months, but the lack of certainty in the pandemic being brought under control has forced them to change their plans more often than desired. With the reopening date so close however, and no announcements regarding yet another delay, one would think that the return to normality is imminent, and that one can finally go out to the movies as they had in the months prior to the beginning of the pandemic.",[25,9979,9980],{},"There’s just one problem though: the pandemic hasn’t ended. In fact, many states are still seeing high numbers of new cases on a daily basis. Many fear that if movie theaters reopen, there is potential for yet another rapid spike in cases, raising the notion that it may not be safe yet to reopen theaters.",[25,9982,9983],{},"To the credit of the major theater chains, they have seemed to acknowledge that the threat of the Coronavirus still remains, and they have laid out a series of standards that need to be met in order to ensure public safety. Many of these guidelines are familiar when it comes to businesses that were already allowed to reopen before movie theaters: the requirement of both customers and employees to wear face masks, social distancing procedures that keep people at least several feet apart from each other, the list goes on. All one needs to do is visit the website of whichever chain owns the theater they have attended the most frequently to find out just what exactly is being done to ensure that there is as little spread of the disease as humanly possible.",[25,9985,9986],{},"How will these changes affect the moviegoing experience? Apart from everyone in the building covering up their face, the most noteworthy change would have to be the lower capacities of theater auditoriums. With theaters restricting the number of people that can be in a given location during a specific period of time, while also enforcing their guests to sit as far away from each other as possible, watching a film on the big screen, for the time being, will feel like a significantly less crowded experience. This may not be a major concern for those viewing some of the older films that will be shown immediately following theater reopening, but should the measures remain in place when newer, more highly anticipated films come to theaters, the feeling of experiencing something new with a large group of people may not invoke the same feelings of excitement and awe.",[25,9988,9989],{},"While some may find these new regulations to be satisfactory, others are not as convinced, still believing that they should not take the risk and instead keep the movie theaters closed. In fact, there are some states that have mandated that movie theaters and other similarly-sized venues remain shut down until further notice. Most notable is the state of California, which passed a series of orders that prevent theaters from reopening until given permission to do so by the state government. California is far from the only state to impose such measures though; despite no longer holding the title of the state with the most Coronavirus cases, New York remains adamant about keeping its movie theaters closed. In addition, a judge in neighboring state New Jersey recently ruled that the state could keep its movie theaters closed despite the complaints of various chains that they were allowed to reopen under guidelines set by the state.",[25,9991,9992],{},"Because these states hold more movie theaters than most of the other states in the nation, thereby making them a significant percentage of where most chains receive their revenue, some may assess these developments as a sign that movie theaters across the entirety of the nation should not be so quick to open back up. Still, unless there is a major announcement at the last second, most of the nation’s theaters are set to reopen starting this weekend. Does this mean we’ll see the return of the movie theater for good? Or will new developments in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic force theaters to close down once again? As in the recent past, only time will tell for sure whether this decision to reopen theaters was premature or not. At this point, all one can hope is for people and businesses to take the safest measures possible.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":9994},[],"2020-08-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmovie-theaters-are-starting-to-reopenmaybe",{"title":9963,"description":9968},"movie-theaters-are-starting-to-reopenmaybe","blog\u002Fmovie-theaters-are-starting-to-reopenmaybe","EjV1RkBVxLzBG8sUFi0qc92PR5YnpkSglU_uGOz6aOQ",{"id":10003,"title":10004,"body":10005,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":9995,"description":10009,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10025,"navigation":71,"path":10026,"seo":10027,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10028,"stem":10029,"__hash__":10030},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ninth-street.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Ninth Street”",{"type":22,"value":10006,"toc":10023},[10007,10010,10013,10016],[25,10008,10009],{},"While the usage of black-and-white cinematography has reduced dramatically over the decades due to the availability of color film, it is by no means an extinct technique. Oftentimes in modern cinema, showing a film in black-and-white can be quite beneficial in emphasizing a specific theme or concept. Some of the more famous examples of such films are Best Pictures Oscar winners “Schindler’s List”, in which director Steven Spielberg attempts to invoke a sense of historical realism, and “The Artist”, which pays homage to the Silent Era of Hollywood. The subject of today’s discussion takes a similar approach to Spielberg, but also uses black-and-white to reflect on people whose skin is literally black or white and their relations among one another, that film being the Kevin Willmott directed drama “Ninth Street”.",[25,10011,10012],{},"The film takes place in 1968 in the town of Junction City, Kansas (often referred to by residents as “Junk Town”), specifically in the location known as East Ninth Street. Although the street and its various nightclubs had showcased several prominent jazz musicians throughout the 1940’s, the prosperity could not last, and over two decades later, the area has been reduced to little more than a handful of cheap bars and strip clubs that military draftees from the nearby Fort Riley stop by for a quick moment of leisure. As the film delves deeper into how much East Ninth Street has changed over the years, several unique figures are introduced, ranging from a drunk World War II veteran who lost a leg in combat to a saloon owner who’s seen it all and wants nothing more than for her misery to end.",[25,10014,10015],{},"As the feature debut of writer-director Kevin Willmott, the film laid the groundwork for a career that, while not the most attention-grabbing, has proven mostly successful for the Kansas-born filmmaker. Most recently, his collaborations with Spike Lee have proven to be particularly noteworthy, having worked with Lee on such scripts as “Chi-Raq”, “BlacKkKlansman” (earning Willmott his first Oscar), and most recently, “Da 5 Bloods”. Of the many talented actors cast alongside Willmott, the most significant of the group includes Isaac Hayes, a prominent soul singer who wrote the Oscar-winning theme song of the film “Shaft” and also played the role of Chef on the animated sitcom “South Park”, and Martin Sheen, a prominent actor in both film and television, taking up prominent roles in the likes of “Apocalypse Now” and “The West Wing”.",[25,10017,10018,10019,9646],{},"It’s often said that one often needs to understand the past in order to pave the way for a brighter future, and there is no better film that demonstrates this than “Ninth Street”. Through its comparisons of the highs and lows that a single location has gone through over the course of its history, the film makes for an intriguing look into how times change and how difficult it can be for people to adapt to those changes, especially when race is an influential factor. Those interested to find out how can find the film ",[47,10020,9472],{"href":10021,"rel":10022},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002Fdp\u002FB00000JYX1?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_amazon&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_amazon-20",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10024},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ninth-street",{"title":10004,"description":10009},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-ninth-street","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ninth-street","8JPHYWaR1XdAkZWKncUycGGB3uQ57O2UMtd3P6I8xrQ",{"id":10032,"title":10033,"body":10034,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":10082,"description":10083,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10084,"navigation":71,"path":10085,"seo":10086,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10087,"stem":10088,"__hash__":10089},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-emu-runner-celebrated-australian-family-film.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Emu Runner, Celebrated Australian Family Film",{"type":22,"value":10035,"toc":10080},[10036,10046,10049,10052,10055,10058,10061,10064,10067,10072,10074],[25,10037,10038,10041,10042,10045],{},[57,10039,10040],{},"Los Angeles, CA, August 21, 2020"," --(",[47,10043,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":10044},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) has acquired global distribution rights to the heartwarming Australian feature, Emu Runner. Directed by Imogen Thomas, best known for her award-winning New York University Graduating short film, “Mixed Bag,” Emu Runner originally released in theaters in Australia and New Zealand stars A-list Australian actor Wayne Blair and newcomer Rhae-Kye Waites.",[25,10047,10048],{},"Waites plays a spirited eight-year-old Aboriginal girl, Gem, who deals with grief following her mother's death by forging a bond with a wild emu. It’s a bond she will do anything to keep, but one that puts her at odds with the area’s new social worker, as Gem begins stealing food to feed the emu. Emu Runner is one of the rare films that highlights the difficulties of the Australian Aboriginal People’s experience, exploring complex racial issues, and the process of personal loss and grief. The filmmakers gratefully acknowledge the help and support of the Brewarrina community in allowing a realistic portrayal of their long term existential struggle deep in the Australian Outback.",[25,10050,10051],{},"Emu Runner has already garnered multiple festival nominations and accolades around the world, including winning “Best Australian Independent Film” at the Gold Coast Film Festival (Australia) and nominations from the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and the Zlin Children’s Film Festival (Czech Republic), as well as being showcased at festivals in the UK, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. The film was a nominee for “Best Independent Film” by the esteemed Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts at the 2019 award’s ceremony.",[25,10053,10054],{},"WWMPC is tentatively planning a Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 theatrical release on select screens throughout the US, contingent on the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. The marketing strategy includes outreach and support from Australian embassies and ex-pat organizations to help promote the film in various countries throughout the release pattern. Emu Runner will be WWMPC’s second Australian release, succeeding the much lauded feature Amy, which starred Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths and Star Wars alum Ben Mendelsohn.",[25,10056,10057],{},"“We are very proud to be releasing another meaningful family film from Australia, especially one that also has timely significance in spotlighting the challenges of co-existing in a multi-racial world,” stated WWMPC President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock. “In addition to a highly evocative story, the film offers numerous educational opportunities to teach diversity and inclusion that we are eager to explore throughout the U.S. and all of our targeted territories,” Hancock added.",[25,10059,10060],{},"The creators of the film, in partnership with the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) have created a study guide for the film to be used by the Australian educational system for numerous course curricula, including Modern History, Civics and Citizenship, and Geography. In addition to its traditional media strategies, WWMPC plans to work with leading educational professionals in the US to adapt and customize this material for the American educational system, particularly focusing on highly relevant course enrichment material for Social Studies and the Humanities.",[25,10062,10063],{},"Hancock also elaborated on WWMPC’s excitement to proceed with all distribution and ancillary opportunities, including a pending deal with Warrior Records to release a soundtrack of songs inspired by the film.",[25,10065,10066],{},"Writer\u002FDirector Thomas stated, “We are thrilled World Wide Motions Picture Corporation has taken on the distribution rights of Emu Runner in the US and the world. In times of great uncertainty, I believe audiences often seek stories that reflect the fierce strength and resilience of the human spirit and are ultimately up-lifting. This is very much embodied through Gem’s story. We look forward to WWMPC bringing this Australian Indie family film to the widest possible audience.”",[25,10068,45,10069,7467],{},[47,10070,52],{"href":49,"rel":10071},[51],[25,10073,1726],{},[25,10075,10076,10077,10079],{},"Candy Buck\nWorld Wide Motion Pictures Corporation\n",[47,10078,1735],{"href":1734},"\n(714) 960-7264",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10081},[],"2020-08-22","Los Angeles, CA, August 21, 2020 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) has acquired global distribution rights to the heartwarming Australian feature, Emu Runner. Directed by Imogen Thomas, best known for her award-winning New York University Graduating short film, “Mixed Bag,” Emu Runner originally released in theaters in Australia and New Zealand stars A-list Australian actor Wayne Blair and newcomer Rhae-Kye Waites.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-emu-runner-celebrated-australian-family-film",{"title":10033,"description":10083},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-emu-runner-celebrated-australian-family-film","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-emu-runner-celebrated-australian-family-film","9ZFFNudc2Pg6qmqVSrkOHlhsrZSOKoXusPEUcC2fL_Y",{"id":10091,"title":10092,"body":10093,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10127,"description":10097,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10128,"navigation":71,"path":10129,"seo":10130,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10131,"stem":10132,"__hash__":10133},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-was-united-states-v-paramount-and-why-might-it-may-no-longer-matter.md","What Was “United States v. Paramount”? And Why Might It May No Longer Matter?",{"type":22,"value":10094,"toc":10125},[10095,10098,10101,10104,10107,10110,10113,10116,10119,10122],[25,10096,10097],{},"It’s easy to blame the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for the many issues currently happening throughout the film industry. Indeed, the pandemic has been responsible for quite a number of unfortunate events: the closure of most of America’s movie theaters, the delay of some films that were originally intended to be released theatrically earlier this year, and the release of other films onto digital home media rather than in theaters as previously planned (much to the chagrin of the theaters). However, there was one event last week that could not be blamed on the pandemic, although the pandemic could have some effect depending on how things play out from here. That event: the termination of the decrees set by the “United States v. Paramount Pictures” court case",[25,10099,10100],{},"In November of last year, the United States Department of Justice filed a motion to overturn the ruling that had been in place for over seventy years, and on August 7th of this year, a federal court granted the Department the requested motion. Unless new legislation is passed within the next two years, referred to as a sunset termination period, the decrees put in place by “United States v. Paramount Pictures” will no longer be valid. But what exactly is this case, and how will the erasure of its ruling impact the modern-day film experience?",[25,10102,10103],{},"In order to understand what led to this 1948 court case, one must go back even further to the beginnings of the American film industry. During this earliest period of film history, movie studios and theaters operated through vertical integration, meaning that the production, distribution, and exhibition of a single film could be controlled by one single company, often the studio. This system gave the majority of the industry’s revenue to a small handful of companies, creating perhaps not a complete monopoly, but an economic environment that limited competition and made it difficult for smaller, independent studios and theaters to have some presence in the industry.",[25,10105,10106],{},"Although the Federal Trade Commission had been investigating the major film studios since the Silent Era, it would not be until 1938 when the Department of Justice finally filed suit against the major studios. Although Paramount was the primary defendant in the case, others named included Warner Brothers, RKO Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and 20th Century Fox (which, along with Paramount, made up a group known as the Big Five), as well as the Little Three: Universal, Columbia, and United Artists.",[25,10108,10109],{},"In 1940, the case received its first ruling from a federal court in New York, one that, among other things, deemed the practice of block-booking, the selling of multiple films as a single unit, unlawful. The studios, however, would not comply with this ruling, and so the court case continued on throughout most of the 1940’s. It was not until 1948 when the United States Supreme Court issued a final ruling, one that not only upheld the decrees set by the lower courts, but also forced studios to give up the movie theaters that they owned. Although studios had only owned less than 20% of theaters by the time the Supreme Court issued its ruling, they took in almost half the overall revenue generated by theaters. With this ruling however, they could no longer directly receive such large amounts of revenue.",[25,10111,10112],{},"The ruling had many effects on the film industry as a whole, specifically those relating to businesses outside the main Hollywood system. Not only did the number of independent movie theaters increase, but so did the production of films produced outside the major studios, leading to one of the first major movements of independent cinema. Most notable were foreign and independent films made without the approval of the Hays Production Code, which placed restrictions on the content that could be featured in films. This weakening of the Production Code, combined with the newfound creative freedom of those working in front of and behind the camera, would prove instrumental in the decline of Hollywood’s Golden Age.",[25,10114,10115],{},"For decades, the standards set by the “United States v. Paramount Pictures” remained firmly in place, but this recent motion by the Department of Justice could change all that. It is possible that the ruling could be appealed and struck down by higher courts, but there is currently no guarantee that this will happen. If it doesn’t, or higher courts end up siding with this earlier ruling, what would this mean for the future of the theatrical film?",[25,10117,10118],{},"For one thing, companies that produced and distributed films could once again purchase the theaters where they would be exhibited. While it’s not out of the question for a major studio like Disney to start buying up large numbers of theaters, there’s also the possibility that major tech corporations like Amazon could do the same. With so many theaters at risk of going out of business due to the pandemic, this ruling could allow these major companies to swoop in and take the theaters for themselves, allowing them access to revenue that would otherwise go to smaller businesses.",[25,10120,10121],{},"There’s also the return of block-booking that could prove to be a concern, which would require theaters to buy multiple films for them to exhibit at once, rather than a single film at a time. Because theaters would have to show a specific number of films by a given studio, it would leave less room for independent films to be shown and generate profit. Considering that blockbuster films already take in a majority of theater revenue, block-booking only strengthens their grip on theaters.",[25,10123,10124],{},"Nothing is set in stone as of yet of course, but given the potential impact, this is not an event that should be ignored.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10126},[],"2020-08-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-was-united-states-v-paramount-and-why-might-it-may-no-longer-matter",{"title":10092,"description":10097},"what-was-united-states-v-paramount-and-why-might-it-may-no-longer-matter","blog\u002Fwhat-was-united-states-v-paramount-and-why-might-it-may-no-longer-matter","AUbOydsPJhQIlw5bLJIQ74Lkpev61bFXv8iDR96aAXo",{"id":10135,"title":10136,"body":10137,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10127,"description":10141,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10157,"navigation":71,"path":10158,"seo":10159,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10160,"stem":10161,"__hash__":10162},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-kino.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Kino”",{"type":22,"value":10138,"toc":10155},[10139,10142,10145,10148],[25,10140,10141],{},"If there is one problem with how American history is taught throughout the nation, it’s the lacking, if not complete absence, of Hispanic and Native American stories and figures. Because most of American history has predominantly focused on the achievements of white, mainly English-speaking people, those of other backgrounds have received little attention and been deemed by society as less deserving of discussion, even though they are anything but. Film is no exception when it comes to depicting such historical subject matter, as the average moviegoer is less likely to come across a history-based work of cinema centered around a BIPOC individual than they are one revolving around a white person. Of course, there are exceptions (even if they remain relatively obscure), with one in particular being the subject of today’s discussion, the 1977 historical drama, “Kino”.",[25,10143,10144],{},"The film in question revolves around the life of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, an Italian-born Jesuit missionary who would go on to become one of the most prominent figures in the establishment of Catholicism in the land that would come to be known as Mexico and the southwestern United States. Known as the “Padre on Horseback”, Kino traveled far from his home in southern Europe to these newly discovered regions of North and Central America, coming into contact with the various indigenous people living in this part of the world and becoming a friend and ally to many of these groups. The film covers a significant portion of Kino’s life throughout much of the 17th century, with the challenges he faced over the course of his trip being among the many highlights of this little known chapter of American\u002FMexican history.",[25,10146,10147],{},"Even if the title of the film doesn’t sound familiar, there’s a strong chance that some of the film’s main actors will be much more recognizable. Playing the lead role is Richard Egan, who had made a name for himself in the 1950’s and 1960’s with such films as “The 300 Spartans” and “Love Me Tender”. Perhaps even more recognizable, however, are the presence of two of the most well-regarded Hispanic actors in the history of American cinema and television. In the role of General Lafuente is Ricardo Montalban, best known for playing Mr. Roarke on “Fantasy Island” and Khan in the “Star Trek” franchise, whereas Cesar Romero, who holds the honor of being the first of many to portray the iconic comic supervillain Joker (specifically for the 1960’s “Batman” television show), appears as Admiral Juan Atondo.",[25,10149,10150,10151,9349],{},"Though this film may go by many names (including “Mission to Glory”, “Kino” remains just as compelling and devoted to its historical source material under each and every one of them. For those interested in learning more about early Mexican\u002Fsouthwestern American history, this is a must-watch, one that can be easily accessed ",[47,10152,9472],{"href":10153,"rel":10154},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002Fgp\u002Fvideo\u002Fdetail\u002Famzn1.dv.gti.f2a9f78b-af7b-8e73-b81f-ea7fcfd500de?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_pvs_piv&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_pvs_piv-20",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10156},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-kino",{"title":10136,"description":10141},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-kino","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-kino","yd6hsXKIynwI1l-L2HKpGBCepBQBgjDOQwejB0p8DUI",{"id":10164,"title":10165,"body":10166,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10187,"description":10170,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10188,"navigation":71,"path":10189,"seo":10190,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10191,"stem":10192,"__hash__":10193},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-hollywood-heartbreak.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Hollywood Heartbreak”",{"type":22,"value":10167,"toc":10185},[10168,10171,10174,10177],[25,10169,10170],{},"As anyone working in the film industry knows, one of the hardest parts about getting a film produced is the pitch, the attempt to persuade executives and investors into believing that the idea being expressed to them is worthy of receiving the cinematic treatment. Given how expensive the filmmaking process tends to be, Hollywood studios can be pretty picky when it comes to choosing what films they’re going to make, so the pitch must be perfect in order for a wannabe filmmaker to get the resources needed to turn their idea into the next big motion picture. Accomplishing such a feat is no easy task though, and more often than not, one is more likely to be rejected instead of being approved. This is a lesson that has to be learned the hard way by the protagonist of the subject of today’s discussion, “Hollywood Heartbreak”.",[25,10172,10173],{},"The film revolves around Randy, a man from Ohio who wants nothing more than for his story to be greenlighted by a major film studio and given the big screen treatment. Randy pitches his idea to a variety of different executives, and during each pitch, scenes of this potential movie are dramatized for the audience to view. Randy’s story, one that draws heavily from the Bible’s Genesis book, is a dystopian narrative set after a nuclear apocalypse, revolving around four individuals who intend to repopulate the Earth. Despite his enthusiasm and ambition, Randy keeps getting rejected by the agents and producers who hear his pitches, as their artistic sensibilities are nowhere near as vivid as Randy’s. This does little to dissuade the aspiring screenwriter though, and as the film progresses, Randy becomes more and more determined to see his dream become a reality, even as the odds of it doing so start to dwindle.",[25,10175,10176],{},"As the film is a narrative centered around the trials and tribulations of the Hollywood system, it’s only fitting that the actors cast for its characters have had their own share of experience with the system. Leading the picture as Randy is veteran actor Mark Moses, best known for appearing in films such as “Platoon” and television series like “Desperate Housewives”. Appearing as L.R. Sharkey, one of the many individuals Randy pitches to, is Ron Karabatsos, who also has his share of notable credits, including “Flashdance” and “Get Shorty”. Finally, in the last film he was involved in before his death, Jack Starrett,  an actor\u002Fdirector who had previously appeared in “First Blood” and “Blazing Saddles”, plays Lou Budowski.",[25,10178,10179,10180,10184],{},"For those who want insight into how films are pitched in the film industry, “Hollywood Heartbreak” is a must watch. Through Randy’s experiences, one is able to get a clear understanding of how one tries to persuade people into making their movie and how said persuasion often has little success. The film is available ",[47,10181,9472],{"href":10182,"rel":10183},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fhollywood-heartbreak\u002F",[51]," for those eager to see just how.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10186},[],"2020-08-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-hollywood-heartbreak",{"title":10165,"description":10170},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-hollywood-heartbreak","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-hollywood-heartbreak","TXjQqwD14HEiqZZb4Wbo_D2Mdc4Cdd-SMIAkGCHGeYQ",{"id":10195,"title":10196,"body":10197,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10228,"description":10201,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10229,"navigation":71,"path":10230,"seo":10231,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10232,"stem":10233,"__hash__":10234},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmulan-forgoes-the-theatrical-experience-is-the-end-near.md","“Mulan” Forgoes the Theatrical Experience: Is the End Near?",{"type":22,"value":10198,"toc":10226},[10199,10202,10205,10208,10211,10214,10217,10220,10223],[25,10200,10201],{},"Photo by micechat.com",[25,10203,10204],{},"If there’s one company that the expression “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” could easily apply to, it’s the Walt Disney Company. With a wide variety of media under its ownership, ranging from films to theme parks, the company has more to lose than most other media conglomerates, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are proof of that. Most of their theme parks have only just started reopening after months of closure, and production on their various film and television projects has had to be postponed indefinitely until they can safely resume work. With their primary sources of revenue giving them little as a result of the ongoing health crisis, Disney has had to take drastic measures to make up for their losses, with their most notable asset throughout the whole ordeal being their months-old streaming service, Disney+.",[25,10206,10207],{},"Since its launch in November of last year, Disney+ has provided millions of subscribers a wide variety of content old and new, showcasing not only much of Disney’s most iconic films and television series (including those from their subsidiaries Marvel, Pixar, and “Star Wars” creator LucasFilm), but also a healthy amount of original programming created specifically for the service, the most popular being the “Star Wars” spin-off “The Mandalorian”. Recently however, the streaming service has become something of a Plan B for Disney’s film branch. As the closure of theaters due to the pandemic has made it impossible for Disney to earn revenue through the theatrical release of their films, many of which Disney has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on. While the company has chosen simply to postpone the release date of their larger films, with the hope that the pandemic will soon end and moviegoers can safely experience such films, it has also opted to forego theaters in some cases and release their films directly to Disney+.",[25,10209,10210],{},"The first of these films was the Pixar animated fantasy “Onward”, which did actually get to be shown in theaters for a brief period of time in the beginning of March, but was then quickly made available when the majority of theaters closed and further revenue from this source was cut off. Next was the Kenneth Branaugh-directed sci-fi adaptation of “Artemis Fowl”, released onto Disney+ in June, and later in August, the same will happen with another live-action fantasy, “The One and Only Ivan”. Although all of these films have relatively large budgets (around $100 million dollars each), they still pale in comparison to their Marvel superhero flicks and live-action Disney remakes, so it’s no surprise that Disney has yet to do the same for those larger, more expensive projects, optimistic that once theaters reopen, they will rank in the big bucks they were expected to earn before the pandemic started.",[25,10212,10213],{},"Or at least that was the case until Tuesday, August 4th, when Disney announced that their live-action remake of “Mulan”, originally planned to come out at the end of March before being pushed back multiple times, will instead premiere on Disney+, foregoing a theatrical release throughout most the world.",[25,10215,10216],{},"With a budget of around $200 million, “Mulan” being released directly onto Disney’s streaming service, which was recently announced to have over 60 million subscribers, comes as something of a shock, with many wondering how the film can make a profit with so much money put into it and so little being earned through this particular method. However, there are two caveats to this announcement. For one thing, the movie will be released theatrically in regions where Disney+ is currently unavailable, meaning the film will be able to gain theatrical revenue in a small handful of international markets. More significantly however, is the price subscribers will have to pay to watch the film, as Disney will charge $29.99 for access to the film starting September 4th. Although the price is significantly higher, this strategy is not too dissimilar to that taken by Universal when releasing the animated “Trolls: World Tour” through video on demand back in April.",[25,10218,10219],{},"While this announcement has come as a surprise, it was in some respects inevitable. Despite most of the world slowly recovering from the pandemic, the United States, arguably the largest box office from which Disney earns the bulk of its revenue, has yet to reach a similar point when it comes to combating the disease. This means the majority of movie theaters remain closed, and while there has been announcement of reopening by many of the larger theater chains, there’s no sure guarantee considering how often they’ve had to retract their opening dates. With so much uncertainty as to when theaters will safely be back up and running, it’s no wonder that Disney has opted to not take the risk and instead release “Mulan” through streaming, despite the possibility that it will not be able to recoup its expenses in this manner.",[25,10221,10222],{},"To date, “Mulan” is now one of the largest films to reject theatrical release, and as such, it has caused many to question whether or not other films of a similar scale will receive such treatment. Will Disney repeat the process with its other live-action blockbuster, Marvel’s “Black Widow”? Will other studios follow suit with their own big-budget productions, such as Warner Brothers’ “Wonder Woman 1984” and Universal’s “Fast and the Furious 9”?",[25,10224,10225],{},"The answer to these questions will depend entirely on how well “Mulan” performs on Disney+. On the one hand, there is major demand to see this film, and for many, they will do whatever it takes to see it. On the other hand, the $29.99 price may be too steep for some, and they may be willing to wait until the film becomes available for free viewing. It’s too early to tell at this point, although given the impact it could have on the future of theatrical film viewing, this is a significant event that should be paid very close attention to.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10227},[],"2020-08-06",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmulan-forgoes-the-theatrical-experience-is-the-end-near",{"title":10196,"description":10201},"mulan-forgoes-the-theatrical-experience-is-the-end-near","blog\u002Fmulan-forgoes-the-theatrical-experience-is-the-end-near","tQzAqs25uc1ef9h0zqde_69N7O0mxmdJFccU72Sj4HE",{"id":10236,"title":10237,"body":10238,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10228,"description":10242,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10259,"navigation":71,"path":10260,"seo":10261,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10262,"stem":10263,"__hash__":10264},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-real-killers.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Real Killers”",{"type":22,"value":10239,"toc":10257},[10240,10243,10246,10249],[25,10241,10242],{},"Is it possible to sympathize with, or even root for, a cold-blooded killer? This is a challenge that many works of cinema have attempted to achieve over the decades, and while such a challenge is far from easy to pull off, there have been those that have seen their share of success. Last year’s “Joker”, for example, found a way to take one of the most iconic and dangerous supervillains of all time and turn him into someone audiences can identify with. Most of these kinds of narratives do not have the luxury of showcasing an already popular character though, and therefore it’s hard to find films that reach the same level of appeal and quality. That’s not to say such films don’t exist however. One example of such a film comes in the form of today’s subject, the horror-thriller “Real Killers”.",[25,10244,10245],{},"The film revolves around Odessa and Kyle James, two of America's most media-oriented killers, arrested and imprisoned for the murders of their parents. The two have escaped from Death Row at the San Quentin State Prison, and it’s not long before their escape catches the attention of the law and the media. In the midst of a fierce storm and pursued by law-enforcement officers, they find sanctuary in what appears to be the ideal American family, invading their home and taking the family hostage. There’s just one problem: this “ideal American family” is anything but. The daughters are two of the killers’ biggest fans, the mother isn't quite what she seems, and the father is perhaps more than their equal. It quickly becomes clear to Odessa and Kyle that the cops are the least of their worries, and as the rain pours down and the dragnet moves closer, the question that emerges is, \"Will the killers ever see the light of day?\"",[25,10247,10248],{},"If the premise sounds familiar to some, then there’s a strong chance that they were alive during the arrest and conviction of Lyle and Erik Menendez. For those unaware, these two brothers were arrested for the shotgun murders of their parents, Jose Menendez and his wife Mary, in 1989. Despite not being initially considered as suspects, their excessive spending of the family’s wealth would soon draw the attention of law enforcement, and in 1992, the two were charged and arrested for the murders. Erik and Lyle tried to persuade jurors that the murders were committed due to their history of being abused by their parents, but such arguments were not convincing enough to fully sway the jury. After a series of mistrials, the two were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison without opportunity for parole.",[25,10250,10251,10252,10256],{},"“Real Killers” may only be loosely inspired by these real-life events, but that doesn’t make its story any less compelling. By presenting its main characters with threats even more disturbing than they are, the film does what so many others have failed in and turned two violent killers into sympathetic leads. The film is now available for rent or purchase on ",[47,10253,9348],{"href":10254,"rel":10255},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Foffsite\u002F?page-action=offsite-amazon&token=BCYpYKShhApQJn22_yRcnWanacZWaHdicxH-xC7r2jcW0xtYOhLpP7wX5c5tni5Nrxuf55wB44Ac%0D%0Aqs_68hIhOwSCAL9fPWo8mFJVfLYH5cZl1HQ6rRIOZqhwfGz27lSl-_pStohbJd6tAyIOeKVstyde%0D%0AzjMetZmUPyf1vViVlXPWz1P3dSjFkVvwNcRmI2KC-TOVFTvL1MG555R1B1JOtQa3mcZvreOCqo61%0D%0Arc7-v0elsANILANAaIK1yFH8NRLF9ROQBJES24BW10R5QE4pueHBqRi2g9WyN81uhaRx4YuQn0w%0D%0A&ref_=tt_wbr_pvt_aiv",[51]," for those curious to see how.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10258},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-real-killers",{"title":10237,"description":10242},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-real-killers","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-real-killers","_tJXVuB3UKe4c6arBNeNi2J7007Ri4qSk4qlqej6lKY",{"id":10266,"title":10267,"body":10268,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10296,"description":10272,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10297,"navigation":71,"path":10298,"seo":10299,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10300,"stem":10301,"__hash__":10302},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseventeen-days-the-new-minimum-for-universal-movies-and-amc-theaters.md","Seventeen Days: The New Minimum for Universal Movies and AMC Theaters",{"type":22,"value":10269,"toc":10294},[10270,10273,10276,10279,10282,10285,10288,10291],[25,10271,10272],{},"Photo by: rttnew.com",[25,10274,10275],{},"Earlier this year, an unusual conflict broke out between the major film studio Universal Pictures and prominent theater chain AMC. When Universal’s animated film “Trolls: World Tour”, originally intended to be released in theaters in April of this current year, was instead released through video on demand as a result of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, this apparent foregoing of theatrical release drew the ire of many of the nation’s largest movie theater owners, including AMC. When Universal, seemingly satisfied with the success of “Trolls: World Tour” and how the film was distributed, announced it would consider similar release strategies for any of their upcoming films, AMC did not hesitate to respond. Shortly after Universal’s announcement, AMC declared that none of the company’s numerous theaters would exhibit any film made by Universal from that point on. What followed was an ongoing back-and-forth struggle between the theater giant and the studio giant that made people question how this conflict could impact the future of films being released theatrically.",[25,10277,10278],{},"That conflict just recently came to an end however (or at least it has for the time being). On Tuesday July 28th, 2020 AMC and Universal struck a deal regarding the theatrical window of future Universal releases, one that would allow Universal to have its films shown at AMC theaters once again. According to the terms, after seventeen days (including three weekends) of exhibition at AMC theaters, Universal would make their films available through premium video on demand, with AMC receiving a percentage of the revenue gained through on demand releasing. At the moment, the deal only applies to theaters located in the United States, although both companies have expressed a desire to broaden the agreement to AMC locations in other parts of the world in the near future. According to Universal, there is currently no set price for each upcoming VOD release, although it’s not expected to be too far off from the $19.99 charge that “Trolls: World Tour” was given for a 48-hour rental.",[25,10280,10281],{},"Before the agreement, it had long been a policy among major film studios that films would be shown in theaters for at least three months before they could be released to home media. However, the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent closure of the majority of the nation’s movie theaters has forced studios to make major changes in how they release their multi-million dollar productions. Many of the larger blockbusters have had their theatrical release dates pushed back extensively (to a point where some have even been indefinitely postponed), as they are so expensive that they cannot make a profit without theatrical distribution.",[25,10283,10284],{},"In the case of “Trolls: World Tour” (as well as another animated feature, Warner Brothers’ “Scoob!”) however, it was theorized that immediate home video release could prove to be just as profitable, and if Universal’s satisfaction with the animated feature’s performance is any indication, there does seem to be some merit to quickly releasing films onto premium VOD.",[25,10286,10287],{},"While this strategy may prove to be economically beneficial to those making movies, especially since VOD generates more profit for the studio than theaters, the same cannot be said for those showing movies. By immediately releasing “Trolls: World Tour” onto VOD, Universal has deprived the theaters that had originally intended to showcase the film of the money that such a film would have given them. A medium-scale film like “Trolls: World Tour” might not have had that big of an impact on theaters, but had this strategy been applied to a much larger picture like the upcoming additions to Universal’s “Fast and the Furious” and “Jurassic World” series, a much larger source of revenue, one necessary for keeping theaters afloat, would’ve been unavailable. With this being a possibility, it’s no surprise that a major theater chain like AMC would immediately protest against Universal’s decision to give some of their films immediate VOD release.",[25,10289,10290],{},"In an ideal world, all of this would’ve been quickly resolved, with Universal reconsidering its desire to release its films instantly through VOD and AMC allowing its theaters to showcase Universal films once again. However, because the pandemic continues to keep most of the nation’s theaters closed, both studios and theaters have had to find new ways of generating revenue in order to prevent themselves from completely going out of business. In many respects, this seventeen-day compromise feels like the only reasonable solution for the time being. With it, studios don’t have to wait as long to get films released through home media (where they would receive a larger profit margin), and theaters can still get some of the revenue earned through these sales even if the films aren’t on their screens for as long.",[25,10292,10293],{},"Will this drastically shortened theatrical window lead to similar measures being implemented throughout the entirety of the film industry? At the moment, it’s possible, but the likelihood is not immediately clear. At the moment, this arrangement is only between one film studio and one theater chain. Universal still has to abide by the three-month window when releasing their films through other theater companies like Regal and Cinemark. Conversely, theaters owned by AMC will get to show films made by Disney, Warner Brothers, and other studios for a similar duration of time before the studios get to release them onto home media. Still, that could all change much sooner than expected, and despite recent announcements that chains like Regal could start reopening by the end of August, there’s no guarantee that movie theaters will be back up and running any time soon (or even profitable if they do end up reopening). The pandemic has changed the film industry in ways that might not be reversible in the long run, and home media is the only thing keeping studios afloat for the time being. If push comes to shove, it may be the only thing keeping theaters afloat as well.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10295},[],"2020-07-31",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseventeen-days-the-new-minimum-for-universal-movies-and-amc-theaters",{"title":10267,"description":10272},"seventeen-days-the-new-minimum-for-universal-movies-and-amc-theaters","blog\u002Fseventeen-days-the-new-minimum-for-universal-movies-and-amc-theaters","MvvcL5OhAxflPG3CBimPGGhN8kxnctED2b3euvxS4kM",{"id":10304,"title":10305,"body":10306,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10326,"description":10310,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10327,"navigation":71,"path":10328,"seo":10329,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10330,"stem":10331,"__hash__":10332},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-shattered-illusions.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Shattered Illusions”",{"type":22,"value":10307,"toc":10324},[10308,10311,10314,10317],[25,10309,10310],{},"Of the many fine actors to make a name for themselves on the small screen (those with reputations that are anything but small), there are few quite like Morgan Fairchild. Beginning her career on the CBS soap opera “Search for Tomorrow”, Fairchild would quickly earn appearances on several different television programs, from dramas like “Dallas” to sitcoms like “Roseanne”. This is not to say that Fairchild has limited her career to television though, as she has been given several opportunities to shine on the big screen. Among her most noteworthy cinematic highlights are Tim Burton’s “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”, the police parody “Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult”, and the subject of today’s discussion, “Shattered Illusions”.",[25,10312,10313],{},"When Lynn Richards receives a job as a talk show host at KBST radio station in Los Angeles, she is given the opportunity to ask her audience questions about the different themes and illusions in life. At the station, Lynn finds herself under a tremendous amount of pressure from the station owner and her manager to maintain high ratings of her show and faces jealousy from a fellow station DJ, psychologist Angie Mason. In addition to her work pressures, Lynn is haunted by her father’s alcohol abuse that contributed to a horrific accident that disabled her sister, Carrie. When Lynn learns that her father has been paroled from prison after 12 years for Carrie’s accident, she receives a mysterious phone call from a man named “Adam”, who claims to be Lynn’s biggest fan. Adam tells Lynn live on her radio show that “death is what we need”, and a handful of people close to Lynn are murdered before she can find out who is behind her current torment.",[25,10315,10316],{},"Though Fairchild’s presence in the film is worthy of acknowledgement, she’s not the only source of talent to be found here. In the starring role of Lynn Richards is actress Colette O’Connell, who has made a variety of film and television appearances, including the films “Thirteen Days” and “Gabriela” and the television shows “The West Wing”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Also appearing in the film are Leland Crooke, best known for collaborating with director David Beaird in such films as “My Chauffeur” and “Scorchers”, Dan Monahan, best known for his role as Edward \"Pee Wee\" Morris in the 1980s “Porky's” trilogy of teen films, and Bruce Weitz, who had previously won an Emmy for his work in the NBC police drama “Hill Street Blues”.",[25,10318,10319,10320,9349],{},"The cast of “Shattered Illusions” may be more familiar with the small screen, but the film itself deserves all the admiration that a big screen release has to offer. An intense and captivating thriller from beginning to end, this is a must watch for anyone seeking an experience that will put them on the edge of their seat. Those interested can find the film available for purchase ",[47,10321,9472],{"href":10322,"rel":10323},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fshattered-illusions-morgan-fairchild-bruce-weitz\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10325},[],"2020-07-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-shattered-illusions",{"title":10305,"description":10310},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-shattered-illusions","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-shattered-illusions","NFAuWaEWNiaaTbrhx-R08T15yMPezEr7JA50VgcJ9Sg",{"id":10334,"title":10335,"body":10336,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10369,"description":10342,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10370,"navigation":71,"path":10371,"seo":10372,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10373,"stem":10374,"__hash__":10375},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcalifornia-vs-the-movies-how-re-closings-affect-film-industry.md","California vs the Movies: How Re-Closings Affect Film Industry",{"type":22,"value":10337,"toc":10367},[10338,10343,10346,10349,10352,10355,10358,10361,10364],[25,10339,10340],{},[486,10341,10342],{},"A sign outside of the Stanford Theatre announced its temporary closure in downtown Palo Alto on March 4, 2020. Photo by Nhat V. Meyer, Bay Area News Group",[25,10344,10345],{},"Last week, the state of New Jersey became the subject to a lawsuit from the major movie theater chains AMC, Cinemark, and Regal (among others), claiming that forcing them to remain closed while other businesses got to reopen violated their constitutional rights. Given the continued threat of the Coronavirus pandemic, the reason for said closures in the first place, one might wonder why the state doesn’t just order those other businesses to stay closed so that they are all treated equally. After all, that seems to be the strategy taken by the state of California, which could set a major precedent given the state’s prominence in the nation overall.",[25,10347,10348],{},"On Monday July 13th, California governor Gavin Newsom reimposed previously lifted restrictions on the state’s businesses, citing a recent spike in Coronavirus cases throughout the state, as well as the rest of the nation. According to Newsom’s announcement, all counties were to shut down any indoor activities, including restaurants, bars, and entertainment centers like museums and movie theaters. In addition, many of the state’s more heavily populated counties were ordered to close fitness centers, personal care services, and other locations where large groups of people are restricted to a single space at a time.",[25,10350,10351],{},"The announcement comes as California has witnessed a resurgence of the Coronavirus in the weeks following the state’s phased reopening, as attempts to return things to normal have only made the disease more prevalent. As of Monday, there have been over 7,000 deaths and nearly 330,000 diagnosed cases in the state, with the most recent data showing almost 8,400 new cases and 23 deaths in a single day. With the numbers getting higher by the day, it’s no surprise that Governor Newsom has decided to pull back and return much of California to a state of almost complete shutdown.",[25,10353,10354],{},"This announcement comes as a huge blow to the movie theater industry. All of the major chains have already had to postpone their reopening schedules to later in July as opposed to their earlier July dates. Despite not having any major new releases to exhibit, most of the major chains had originally intended to show popular classics as a means of getting moviegoers reacquainted with the theatrical experience. This is a tactic that has proven effective with drive-ins and other outdoor theaters currently open, with “Stars Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” being last weekend’s #1 movie at the (currently very limited) box office.",[25,10356,10357],{},"According to the recent announcement, none of these chains’ California locations would be allowed to reopen until further notice. These theaters make up a significant portion of these companies’ business. Of Cinemark’s 345 theaters in the nation, 66 are located in California. 87 of Regal’s 543 theaters are also in California, as are 54 of AMC’s 661 theaters. Each of these chains has more locations in California than most of the other states, which means their ability to be open in California has a major impact on their ability to open throughout the rest of the country. Because they cannot reopen in California as originally intended, these companies may need to reconsider their reopening elsewhere in the nation.",[25,10359,10360],{},"Theaters aren’t the only component of the film industry that face the risk of shutdown as a result of California’s new restrictions. In fact, many businesses relating directly to the production and distribution of America’s film and television productions are located in the Los Angeles area, the county that is one of the most heavily impacted by Governor Newsom’s orders. When the original reopening phases had begun earlier last month, it was expected for production of many of the industry’s biggest releases was to resume. However, with these new orders put into place, there’s a strong chance that these productions will have to shut down once more, which would reduce the number of new releases coming out in the near future, even on streaming platforms that have been less affected by the pandemic.",[25,10362,10363],{},"It’s worth pointing out that despite the rising Coronavirus case numbers in California, there are many states faring even worse. Texas and Florida have also seen a dramatic increase in cases over the past few weeks, no surprise given that they are also heavily populated states. Whereas California has taken action however, neither Texas nor Florida have made any announcement to change course and close most of their major businesses, which could prove to be a major issue unless plans are changed as soon as possible. Florida itself already has more Coronavirus cases than most of the rest of the world, with many countries starting to successfully reopen now that they have the disease under control, something that Florida and many other states are not at the moment capable of doing.",[25,10365,10366],{},"Will movie theaters close their locations in these states as well, and any other states where the Coronavirus is seeing increases in numbers? Perhaps they will eventually, but until there are government mandates put into place that would force these businesses to close, other states will see the reopening of their many movie theaters by the end of July. Although this may be good for business, this may not be ideal for anyone seeking to enjoy the theatrical experience without having to risk their health. This is why it is so important to remain attentive to what is going on in California at the moment. If the movie theaters chains see their inability to reopen in California as a sign that it’s still not a good time to reopen, then they may be incentivized to remain closed throughout the rest of the country. There’s no guarantee this will happen, but with cases rising to alarming numbers in multiple states, and many of these states’ governments not taking the proper actions, theaters may need to put public safety over profit for a change.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10368},[],"2020-07-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcalifornia-vs-the-movies-how-re-closings-affect-film-industry",{"title":10335,"description":10342},"california-vs-the-movies-how-re-closings-affect-film-industry","blog\u002Fcalifornia-vs-the-movies-how-re-closings-affect-film-industry","jbFYVQRqKkYLvENoFoguf8f6hG62PHfRowpJK8oxtW4",{"id":10377,"title":10378,"body":10379,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10369,"description":10383,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10399,"navigation":71,"path":10400,"seo":10401,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10402,"stem":10403,"__hash__":10404},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-time-for-a-champion.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Time for a Champion”",{"type":22,"value":10380,"toc":10397},[10381,10384,10387,10390],[25,10382,10383],{},"There’s a common misconception that a student film is inherently inferior to a more commercial production, one that causes many well-crafted works of cinema to go unnoticed due to the people making them not being “professional”. Granted, a student may have neither the resources nor the experience to create something on par with what an established studio may have little difficulty in constructing, but that does not instantly deem their work as something without worth. In fact, a student film can often be more authentic and personal than what’s usually produced by those with prominent careers in the film industry. For proof of this, there is the subject of today’s discussion, the sports drama “Time for a Champion”.",[25,10385,10386],{},"The film revolves around Elena, an introverted, fiercely independent, homeless teenage girl from Mexico, who is adopted by an American family in Pharr, Texas and enrolled into high school, where she struggles with her own personal demons and the constant bullying by her peers for being “different”. The only chance she has at survival, the only way she knows how to survive, is to run. She finds herself running away from her bullies and onto the track, where she catches the attention of her gym teacher who offers her a position on the track team. After some convincing, Elena agrees to join the team, thinking she finds sanctuary from her isolated state by being with others who enjoy doing what she does, run. However, that is not the case. After joining the team, she is faced with even further hardships from her fellow teammates who cast her aside. As Elena continues to excel at running, her teammates attempt to get rid of her. When the team’s plans fail, two of Elena’s teammates leave the team, causing the bullying to end. Elena finally feels like she belongs somewhere in the school, and with the statewide championship around the corner, she never felt happier. However, although Elena finally found a place of her own, she is still isolated as the girl with no friends. With the championship getting closer and closer, Elena must find the faith and courage in order to do what it takes to be a true champion.",[25,10388,10389],{},"“Time for a Champion” was produced by the PSJA Southwest Film Society, a filmmaking group established at PSJA Southwest Early College High School in Pharr, Texas. A prominent faculty member at the high school, Barry Glasser, writes the film and directs alongside Sarvelio Carreon. In addition, the cast is made up of those who were students and faculty at the school during the time of production, with the lead role of Elena going to Sheila Martinez.",[25,10391,10392,10393,9349],{},"“Time for a Champion” is a shining example of the best that student films have to offer. While it may not have the production values of a major motion picture, it nonetheless has the heart and emotional core that makes such films fulfilling experiences. With poignant themes and believable characters that just about anyone can identify with, this is a must watch, and those curious to see how can find the film available for on-demand viewing ",[47,10394,9472],{"href":10395,"rel":10396},"https:\u002F\u002Fvimeo.com\u002Fondemand\u002F170610?fbclid=IwAR0FI3fbKVVcMwxDBijlCujb5Hawpz-fSR8Dw81ka1cbVVrDZgfrXqtLoD0",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10398},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-time-for-a-champion",{"title":10378,"description":10383},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-time-for-a-champion","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-time-for-a-champion","VAkYpZaAUM8ueAiZv5sOjCVkDiyzipMBTl2Sfc0QjZM",{"id":10406,"title":10407,"body":10408,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10454,"description":10412,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10455,"navigation":71,"path":10456,"seo":10457,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10458,"stem":10459,"__hash__":10460},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcelebrating-pride-month.md","Celebrating Pride Month",{"type":22,"value":10409,"toc":10452},[10410,10413,10419,10422,10428,10434,10440,10446],[25,10411,10412],{},"It’s the month of June, which means Pride Month has come yet again. With much of the LGBTQ community using this month to celebrate their accomplishments and push for further progress in a large number of LGBTQ issues, it’s a common practice for many to seek out media that gives such people the proper representation they deserve. In commemoration of Pride Month, World Wide Motion Pictures has chosen to spotlight one letter in LGBTQ - the T for “trans”. While transgender people do not necessarily fall into the same category as gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals, as being trans relates to gender identity while the other three relate to sexual orientation. While they are far and few between, there are still plenty of films that effectively capture the trans experience and make for compelling narratives. Here are some of the ones that we enjoy best:",[25,10414,10415,10418],{},[486,10416,10417],{},"Paris is Burning"," (1990) - considering most of the transgender individuals depicted in film are white, it’s refreshing to see a film that puts the spotlight on trans people of color. This documentary from director Jennie Livingston follows the lives of several different black and Latinx people of varying gender identities, bringing to light the struggles they regularly face, from the AIDS crisis to all forms of bigotry. It’s by no means a pleasant experience from beginning to end - in fact, one of the subjects was murdered before the film’s release - but its determination to show transgender in an authentic and identifiable manner make the film a landmark in the depiction of trans people in film.",[25,10420,10421],{},"*The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert *(1994) - the terms “trans woman”, “transvestite”, and “drag queen” tend to get lumped together despite them having very different definitions. This Australian film helps get those differences across through its three main characters, each of which can be considered one of those three previously stated terms. As it follows these characters on their journey throughout Australia and the crazy events they get involved in, the film finds a way to incorporate comedy and a light heart into its narrative while still addressing the serious issues that its main characters face as a result of their gender identities, issues that many real life trans individuals face on a regular basis.",[25,10423,10424,10427],{},[486,10425,10426],{},"Wild Side"," (2004) - although the narrative itself is fictional, there’s still a strong sense of realism to be found in the performance of Stéphanie Michelini, who at the time was not a professional actor but is an actual trans woman. Through her portrayal of the sex worker also named Stéphanie, Michelini elevates this French film about the double life its central protagonist lives, one that contrasts her strained relationship with her mother to the three-way romance she engages in with her two flatmates. The impressionistic and non-chronological structure of the film’s story may take some time to comprehend, but the struggles that Stéphanie faces in her life should not be the least bit hard for anyone to understand and relate to.",[25,10429,10430,10433],{},[486,10431,10432],{},"Strella"," (2009) - having premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, this Greek film has since been included at various film festivals and even found success at numerous European awards ceremonies, and those who have seen the film can affirm that this work of cinema is worthy of such recognition. Following the romance between its titular character, a trans woman who works as a prostitute, and the ex-convict she falls in love with, the film quickly becomes an intense thriller as both characters’ pasts begin to catch back up to them, and the two are forced to go on the run if they are to be together. Like the previous entry, this film also casts an inexperienced trans woman, Mina Orfanou, in the lead role, but still manages to give her just the right material to allow her to pull off a performance no less compelling than any professional.",[25,10435,10436,10439],{},[486,10437,10438],{},"Pop Kowboy"," (2012) - one of the many quality films distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures, this comedic homage to the western and gangster genres finds a way to generate humor involving one of its main characters, a trans woman, without coming across as offensive or condescending. With this exploration of the crossing paths of a wannabe cowboy hero, a trans woman looking to start a new life for herself, and a gangster who’s just one failure away from facing the wrath of his employer, the film is able to draw attention to the many issues trans people feel on a regular basis, but still manages to do so in a way that doesn’t undermine the comedic undertones of its premise. Hilarious and heartfelt, this is a great watch for those seeking strong trans representation and some clever send-ups on various genres on the side.",[25,10441,10442,10445],{},[486,10443,10444],{},"Boy Meets Girl"," (2014) - even with the amount of progress made over the years, a romantic comedy that stars a transgender character and has a happy ending still seems like a pipe dream for many. Yet such an idea is not only possible, but already exists in the form of this rom-com-drama that centers around Ricky, a young trans woman who leaves her small Kentucky town and moves to New York City. There she meets Francesca, whom Ricky takes a liking to despite her already being engaged to a military man. One can easily feel the dread that Ricky experiences through this seemingly unattainable romance, but rather than succumb to tragedy, this film does the opposite and allows its protagonist to have the happy ending she and many other trans people deserve.",[25,10447,10448,10451],{},[486,10449,10450],{},"Tangerine"," (2015) - as the majority of its events take place over the course of a single Christmas Eve, one could almost make an argument that this film, shot entirely on iPhone smartphones, would be an appropriate watch during the holiday season, although its subject matter couldn’t have anything less to do with this particular time of year. What the film does present, however, is a harrowing tale of revenge and friendship, as it follows two trans women - the fierce Sin-Dee and the more subtle Alexandra - as they set out to locate the cisgender women with whom Sin-Dee’s partner\u002Fpimp has been having an affair with. With the two main characters being played by actual trans sex workers, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, there’s never a doubt that the leads are anything less than real, fully fleshed out people, resulting in a series comedic escapades that entertain but never at the expense of these characters’ gender identities.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10453},[],"2020-06-28",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcelebrating-pride-month",{"title":10407,"description":10412},"celebrating-pride-month","blog\u002Fcelebrating-pride-month","KwJYOlzuEIvuO47hcqkTStEmQ63uzBLA6p2ZI68mLyc",{"id":10462,"title":10463,"body":10464,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10679,"description":10468,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10680,"navigation":71,"path":10681,"seo":10682,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10683,"stem":10684,"__hash__":10685},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftop-dance-documentaries-to-watch-right-now.md","Top Dance Documentaries to Watch Right Now",{"type":22,"value":10465,"toc":10677},[10466,10469,10472,10475,10478,10483,10488,10494,10500,10503,10508,10516,10519,10525,10528,10533,10540,10543,10547,10550,10555,10562,10568,10573,10576,10581,10588,10593,10597,10603,10608,10615,10620,10624,10627,10632,10639,10644,10648,10653,10658,10665,10670,10674],[25,10467,10468],{},"Imagine scrolling down your social media timeline, bored out of your mind, and then you come across a dance video that is hard to resist. You sit there looking at the clip for several minutes, and it lightens up your mood. Why is dance so appealing that it is hard for people to resist? While dancers practice hard to perform gracefully on stage, documentary producers try their best to capture these moments through the camera. Watching dance documentaries is not meant for dancers or the dancing audience alone, but an experience that anyone should have in their lifetime. Watching dance documentaries should be on everyone’s list of things to do because it teaches so much about life and dancing.",[25,10470,10471],{},"Art of dance is calling. Each dancer has an innate passion and drive to want to move to the rhythm of the music. Dancing as an occupation takes on entirely different aspects of the art form. You need grit, courage, perseverance, dedication and guts to be a professional dancer. Dance documentaries that focus more on professional dance explores some of the challenges that those who chose to make a career out of the vocation encounter on their rise to the top.",[25,10473,10474],{},"Unlike YouTube videos and dance presentations on stage, which are polished and presented as final productions are choreographed dance, documentaries exploring the behind the scene activities of those in the dance profession. The final presentation that the audience watches usually consists of around 10% of the work, while behind the scene make up the remaining 90%. An important part of dance documentaries are the interviews with the dancers during rehearsals, showing their mental and emotional states, exposing the dedication they experience and possess, and examining all the hardships that they encounter on their rise to the top.",[25,10476,10477],{},"For those who are ready to dive into the world of dance, here’s a list of several top documentaries for you!",[25,10479,10480],{},[3341,10481],{"alt":64,"src":10482},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FDancer_OneSheet.png",[25,10484,10485],{},[57,10486,10487],{},"Dancers (DANZANTES)",[25,10489,10490,10493],{},[57,10491,10492],{},"Director",": Juan V.te Chulia",[25,10495,10496,10499],{},[57,10497,10498],{},"County",": Spain",[25,10501,10502],{},"A full length documentary about dance, but it’s also an emotional journey into the world of those who practice it. Without barriers nor judgments: Dance as a universal, transversal expression view through the eyes of its leads, even beyond its artistic values; as a useful social, inclusive and pedagogical resource.",[25,10504,10505],{},[3341,10506],{"alt":64,"src":10507},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BMTIyNDU2MzY0Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDE0NTQzMQ@@._V1_UY268_CR30182268_AL_.jpg",[25,10509,10510,10515],{},[486,10511,10512],{},[57,10513,10514],{},"Ballet Russes","** **",[25,10517,10518],{},"**Director: **Daniel geller, Dayna Goldfine",[25,10520,10521,10524],{},[57,10522,10523],{},"Country",": France",[25,10526,10527],{},"The film is an intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists — now in their 70s, 80s and 90s — who gave birth to modern ballet. The revolutionary 20th-century dance troupe known as the Ballets Russes began as a group of Russian refugees, who never danced in Russia, and became not one but two rival dance troupes.",[25,10529,10530],{},[3341,10531],{"alt":64,"src":10532},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BMTI5NTA3MzI2OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjcyMzc5Mw@@._V1_SY1000_CR007001000_AL_.jpg",[25,10534,10535],{},[486,10536,10537],{},[57,10538,10539],{},"La Danse: The Paris Opera",[25,10541,10542],{},"**Director: **Frederick Wiseman",[25,10544,10545,10524],{},[57,10546,10523],{},[25,10548,10549],{},"This fascinating film follows the new director of the Paris Opera, Stephane Lissner, as he adjusts this new role in 2014 and during the terrorist attacks in the city in November 2015.",[25,10551,10552],{},[3341,10553],{"alt":64,"src":10554},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002F6d69ffc4a1e90a60c3cfd7ff161db3cc5b52aefc.jpg",[25,10556,10557],{},[486,10558,10559],{},[57,10560,10561],{},"Mr. Gaga: A True Story of Love and Dance",[25,10563,10564,10567],{},[57,10565,10566],{},"Director:"," Tomer Heymann",[25,10569,10570,10572],{},[57,10571,10523],{},": United States",[25,10574,10575],{},"World-renowned choreographer Ohad Naharin created the movement style, Gaga, which has influenced an entire generation of dancers. The film explores his work with the Batsheva Dance Company and the rest of the modern dance world.",[25,10577,10578],{},[3341,10579],{"alt":64,"src":10580},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BMjI4ODYxODAyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzQ3MjU1MQ@@._V1_.jpg",[25,10582,10583,10515],{},[486,10584,10585],{},[57,10586,10587],{},"Planet B-Boy",[25,10589,10590,10592],{},[57,10591,10566],{}," Benson Lee",[25,10594,10595,10572],{},[57,10596,10523],{},[25,10598,10599,10600,10602],{},"Jumping continents and crossing cultures, ",[486,10601,10587],{}," looks at the history of breakdancing and its vibrant resurgence in urban cultures around the world.",[25,10604,10605],{},[3341,10606],{"alt":64,"src":10607},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BMTMyMTI1NDA5MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzM1NTY5Ng@@._V1_.jpg",[25,10609,10610,10515],{},[486,10611,10612],{},[57,10613,10614],{},"Pina",[25,10616,10617,10619],{},[57,10618,10492],{},": Wim Wenders",[25,10621,10622,10572],{},[57,10623,10523],{},[25,10625,10626],{},"A tribute to the late German Choreographer, Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations. During the preparation of the documentary, Pina Bausch passed away unexpectedly. This film showcases other dancers as they talk about Pina and perform some of her best-known pieces.",[25,10628,10629],{},[3341,10630],{"alt":64,"src":10631},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BMTU2MjA3ODI0MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTczNzA2MDE@._V1_UY268_CR30182268_AL_.jpg",[25,10633,10634,10515],{},[486,10635,10636],{},[57,10637,10638],{},"Fame High",[25,10640,10641,10643],{},[57,10642,10492],{},": Scott Hamilton Kennedy",[25,10645,10646,10572],{},[57,10647,10523],{},[25,10649,10650,10652],{},[486,10651,10638],{}," captures the in-class and at-home drama, competition, heartbreak, and triumph during one school year at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), also known as Fame High. Talented teenagers reach for their dreams of becoming actors, singers, dancers, and musicians.",[25,10654,10655],{},[3341,10656],{"alt":64,"src":10657},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F06\u002FMV5BYzUwNDhiOTEtYmFjYy00ZjZmLTg4MWUtY2U2YWZmYjY3NTNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzU3NDIwNDA@._V1_UX182_CR00182268_AL_.jpg",[25,10659,10660,10515],{},[486,10661,10662],{},[57,10663,10664],{},"Ballet Now",[25,10666,10667,10669],{},[57,10668,10492],{},": Steven Cantor",[25,10671,10672,10572],{},[57,10673,10523],{},[25,10675,10676],{},"Featuring New York City Ballet's Prima Ballerina Tiler Peck - the first ever woman to be asked to curate The Music Center's famed BalletNOW program - and a diverse cast of world-class dancers from around the globe, the film follows Tiler as she tries to execute her groundbreaking vision of mashing together the worlds of tap, hip-hop, ballet and even clown artistry.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10678},[],"2020-06-21",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftop-dance-documentaries-to-watch-right-now",{"title":10463,"description":10468},"top-dance-documentaries-to-watch-right-now","blog\u002Ftop-dance-documentaries-to-watch-right-now","PSByJJopeNw90b5KXjO22ZL6yvF-pNSVUT_-ulJHxvA",{"id":10687,"title":10688,"body":10689,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":10716,"description":10693,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10717,"navigation":71,"path":10718,"seo":10719,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10720,"stem":10721,"__hash__":10722},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-you-may-not-kiss-the-bride.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “You May Not Kiss the Bride”",{"type":22,"value":10690,"toc":10714},[10691,10694,10697,10700],[25,10692,10693],{},"Imagine a scenario in which you are forced into a scenario where you must marry the child of a criminal family in order to pay off a debt. Imagine finding yourself attracted to this person, making you much more willing to agree to this arrangement, but the catch is that you cannot engage in any physical intimacy with your new spouse. Would you agree to take part in this arranged marriage? And what would you do should your in-laws’ criminal background come into the forefront and pose a serious risk to you and your spouse? These are the questions at the center of the subject of today’s discussion, the action\u002Fromantic comedy film “You May Not Kiss the Bride”.",[25,10695,10696],{},"The film revolves around Bryan, a pet photographer who has found himself in serious debt with a local crime family. Vlatko, the Croatian-born patriarch of the family, arranges for Bryan to marry his daughter Masha in order for him to pay his debt and to allow Masha to acquire a green card. Vlatko forbids Bryan from touching his daughter, but nonetheless allows the two to spend a honeymoon in Tahiti. Things take a turn for the worse however when Brick, Masha’s ex-boyfriend, and two INS agents kidnap Masha, forcing Bryan to take drastic measures. With the help of the resort waitress Lani and her helicopter-flying cousin Ernesto, Bryan sets out to find his wife and simultaneously avoid the wrath of both her kidnappers and his father-in-law.",[25,10698,10699],{},"It takes a certain amount of talent in order to make the absurdity of such a premise somewhat plausible, and thankfully there are more than enough noteworthy talents to make this film in particular a delightful watch. Television actor Dave Annable, best known for his role in the late-2000’s series “Brothers and Sisters”, plays the lead Bryan, while his wife Masha is portrayed by Katharine McPhee, who made a name for herself as the lead in the short-lived but lauded series “Smash”. Among the cast’s supporting players are Kathy Bates, recently nominated for an Academy Award for her role in “Richard Jewell”, as Bryan’s enthusiastic mother; Rob Schneider, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member and frequent collaborator with Adam Sandler, as the insane helicopter pilot Ernesto; and Tia Carrere, known to most for her roles in “Wayne’s World” and “Lilo and Stitch”, as Lani, a resort waitress who assists Bryan in finding Masha.",[25,10701,10702,10703,985,10708,10713],{},"Mixing action, comedy, and romance into a single narrative is no easy task, but “You May Not Kiss the Bride” shows no difficulty in maintaining this necessary balance. With a solid cast and solid script and direction from Rob Hedden, the film is every bit as exciting as it is hilarious and heartwarming. For those seeking escapism, this is the perfect film to watch, and you can now find the film on ",[47,10704,10707],{"href":10705,"rel":10706},"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fus\u002Fmovie\u002Fyou-may-not-kiss-the-bride\u002Fid558112112?at=1001l6hu&ct=gca_organic_movie-title_558112112",[51],"iTunes",[47,10709,10712],{"href":10710,"rel":10711},"https:\u002F\u002Fvimeo.com\u002Fondemand\u002Fyoumaynotkissthebride",[51],"Vimeo"," and see for yourself how much fun this film can be.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10715},[],"2020-06-04",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-you-may-not-kiss-the-bride",{"title":10688,"description":10693},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-you-may-not-kiss-the-bride","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-you-may-not-kiss-the-bride","ZfSZW6o8hMNDaF8b1fDvfuXNUxXhNVBX3Mmd45s9ZhM",{"id":10724,"title":10725,"body":10726,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10900,"description":10730,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10901,"navigation":71,"path":10902,"seo":10903,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10904,"stem":10905,"__hash__":10906},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmore-than-just-wuxia-and-anime-a-look-at-lesser-known-asian-cinema.md","More Than Just Wuxia and Anime: A Look at Lesser Known Asian Cinema",{"type":22,"value":10727,"toc":10898},[10728,10731,10736,10744,10749,10761,10766,10774,10779,10791,10796,10804,10809,10817,10822,10835,10840,10859,10864,10872,10877,10885,10890],[25,10729,10730],{},"To say that films from Asia are taking the world by storm would be a massive understatement, especially given how many countries and cultures are found in the largest continent on Earth. Of course, Japan has been producing iconic anime for decades now, and China’s film industry has recently come to produce blockbusters on par with their Western counterparts. India continues to make more films than any other nation, and with “Parasite”, the most recent Academy Award winner for Best Picture, South Korea has proven its worth as a cinematic powerhouse. These four countries are the most frequently cited when discussing Asian cinema, yet they are far from the only nations making their contribution to the medium. To prove this, we will be looking elsewhere in the continent and highlighting films from nations that aren’t as frequently recognized for their works of film. So without further ado, here are some examples of the best that the lesser known Asian nations have brought into the world of cinema:",[25,10732,10733],{},[3341,10734],{"alt":64,"src":10735},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-0-2.png",[25,10737,10738,10743],{},[486,10739,10740],{},[57,10741,10742],{},"Cyclo","** (1995)** - one of the more famous works of Vietnamese cinema (so much so that even won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival), this film takes a close look at the working class living in Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s capital, and how the difficulty in their lives leads these people to come under the influence of the city’s criminal activity. Constructed primarily through abstract concepts and dialogue-free communication, the film may appear difficult to comprehend at first glance, but those that are able to get a full understanding of the film will find that this style, a staple of director Tran Anh Hung’s filmography, helps make this depiction of Vietnamese city life and crime all the more engaging and memorable.",[25,10745,10746],{},[3341,10747],{"alt":64,"src":10748},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-1.png",[25,10750,10751,10756,10757,10760],{},[486,10752,10753],{},[57,10754,10755],{},"State of Dogs","** (1998)** - quoted by author Garth Stein as inspiration for this novel ",[486,10758,10759],{},"The Art of Racing in the Rain",", this Mongolian pseudo-documentary from directors Peter Brosans and Dorjkhandyn Turmunkh takes place in the capital Ulan Bator, combining documentary-like and fictional elements to tell the story of Baasar, a dog shot and killed to reduce the city’s canine population. Over the course of the film, Baasar looks over the events of his life, constructed through an impressionistic and dream-like narrative that presents itself as a surreal, yet still believable reflection on the life of this dog. Although the line between fantasy and reality may not always be clear, the emotion the film’s four-legged protagonist evokes certainly is.",[25,10762,10763],{},[3341,10764],{"alt":64,"src":10765},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-2.png",[25,10767,10768,10773],{},[486,10769,10770],{},[57,10771,10772],{},"Tears of the Black Tiger","** (2000)** - if one were to take the western genre and place it in a setting completely different from the American western, what would be created would most likely resemble this action-adventure story hailing from the nation of Thailand. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Quentin Tarantino and John Woo, the film follows Dum, a young gunman determined to stop the wedding between Rumpoey, the woman he loves, and the police captain Kumjorn. Mixing a stylized color scheme with an abundance of gratuitous violence, the film presents Dum’s journey and the battles he fights throughout with just the right amount of intensity and excitement, resulting in a narrative that recalls the classic spaghetti westerns.",[25,10775,10776],{},[3341,10777],{"alt":64,"src":10778},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-3.png",[25,10780,10781,10786,10787,10790],{},[486,10782,10783],{},[57,10784,10785],{},"Whispering Sands","** (2001)** - with the international refugee crisis being more prominent than ever, this Indonesian drama could not be more relevant to the modern world. Starring Christine Hakim of ",[486,10788,10789],{},"Eat, Pray, Love",", the film follows Hakim as Berlian, a mother who is on the run with her daughter Daya in order to escape political violence. Although Daya longs for the return of her absent father, the stern Berlian keeps her moving along as the two make their way out of their home by the sea and into a desert where the sands constantly shift. Despite the antagonism between them, mother and daughter are forced to put up with each other in order to survive, and what comes of this is a dramatic, yet heartfelt look at familial relations in times of disaster.",[25,10792,10793],{},[3341,10794],{"alt":64,"src":10795},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-4.png",[25,10797,10798,10803],{},[486,10799,10800],{},[57,10801,10802],{},"The Clay Bird","** (2002)** - despite initially being banned in its native country due to issues of religious sensitivity, this drama from Bangladesh takes place in the 1960’s amidst the nation’s War of Liberation from the neighboring Pakistan. As his family must come to terms with the changes this political upheaval has brought upon the small world they know, young Anu is sent to the madrasah, a school of the Islamic religion, while his devout father Kazi must contend with the death of Anu’s sister and the ongoing shift of the region’s political landscape. Through its reflection of patriarchy and faith in a time of great change, the film is effective and emotional in showing the lengths one might go to in order to hold on to the sense of unity their faith brings.",[25,10805,10806],{},[3341,10807],{"alt":64,"src":10808},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-5.png",[25,10810,10811,10816],{},[486,10812,10813],{},[57,10814,10815],{},"In the Name of God","** (2007)** - a historical milestone as the first film from Pakistan to be released in its neighbor India in over half a decade, this drama is unique in its depiction of the September 11th terrorist attacks from the perspective of those living outside the Western world. Centered around two musicians Mansoor and Sarmad, the film shows the contrasting paths in life these two go down; Sarmad becomes an Islamic radical and an abusive husband to his arranged bride Mary, while Mansoor, originally attending a music school Chicago, is racially profiled by the FBI and detained in Guantanamo Bay. What comes of these intersecting narratives is a haunting exploration of how a peaceful religion like Islam can be exploited in the name of war and hate.",[25,10818,10819],{},[3341,10820],{"alt":64,"src":10821},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-6.png",[25,10823,10824,10829,10830,10834],{},[486,10825,10826],{},[57,10827,10828],{},"Who Am I?","** (2009)** - yet another underrated LGBT romance of international cinema (see more examples ",[47,10831,9472],{"href":10832,"rel":10833},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fall-you-need-is-love-underrated-lgbtq-romances-in-cinema\u002F",[51],"), this tragedy follows Rath, a Cambodian-American woman who returns to her native country to meet the actress-singer Thida, with whom she has engaged in long-distance telephone conversations. What begins as a platonic, almost sisterly, friendship soon blossoms into a passionate romance, but when Thida’s family tries to force them apart, their efforts to stay together only bring further misery to their already distressing dilemma. At the time of release, this was one of Cambodia’s most successful films, and given how well it manages to convey its central romance and drama, it’s not hard to see how the film had such a massive appeal.",[25,10836,10837],{},[3341,10838],{"alt":64,"src":10839},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-7.png",[25,10841,10842,10847,10848,985,10851,10854,10855,10858],{},[486,10843,10844],{},[57,10845,10846],{},"Tatsumi","** (2011)** - director Eric Khoo has been cited by many as a primary figure in the revival of the film industry in the nation of Singapore, with films like ",[486,10849,10850],{},"Be With Me",[486,10852,10853],{},"My Magic"," becoming prominent film festival favorites. In his first animated feature, Khoo adapts the manga memoir ",[486,10856,10857],{},"A Drifting Life"," and depicts the career and struggles of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, the Japanese comics artist who would come to be known as the creator of the genkira genre of adult Japanese comics. Although drenched in Japanese culture (even spoken in the Japanese language), Khoo nonetheless retains an aesthetic familiar to his Singaporean upbringing, and in doing so, he is able to paint a harrowing, but respectful tribute to an artist he was so heavily influenced by.Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.",[25,10860,10861],{},[3341,10862],{"alt":64,"src":10863},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002F8.png",[25,10865,10866,10871],{},[486,10867,10868],{},[57,10869,10870],{},"Chantaly","** (2012)** - coming to us from Mattie Do, the first (and so far only) female director from the nation of Laos, this horror film (Laos’ first to be written and directed within the country) follows the titular character, a young woman with a heart condition living with her overprotective father. She starts to believe her mother’s ghost is trying to communicate with her from the afterlife, but when a change in medication causes these “hallucinations” to cease, Chantaly must decide whether or not she should succumb to her illness in order to hear her mother’s words. As much of a family drama as it is a disturbing horror, this film takes an intriguing look at death as it questions how far one will go to be with their deceased loved ones.",[25,10873,10874],{},[3341,10875],{"alt":64,"src":10876},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-9.png",[25,10878,10879,10884],{},[486,10880,10881],{},[57,10882,10883],{},"The Woman Who Left","** (2016)** - winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, this drama films come from the Philippines, specifically from Filipino director and key figure in the slow cinema movement Lav Diaz. Indeed, the film, which follows the wrongfully imprisoned Horacia and her quest for revenge against the nation’s ruling class after her eventual release from prison, is a solid example of slow cinema. With a running time of nearly four hours and completely black-and-white cinematography, the film may be a hard sit for those accustomed to faster and more visually vivid films. Those who are patient, however, will be rewarded with a gripping narrative that serves as a cautionary tale for those who abuse their power over others.",[25,10886,10887],{},[3341,10888],{"alt":64,"src":10889},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F05\u002Fpasted-image-10.png",[25,10891,10892,10897],{},[486,10893,10894],{},[57,10895,10896],{},"The Road to Mother","** (2016)** - a film that World Wide Motion Pictures is proud to distribute throughout North America, this epic war drama from Kazakhstan follows the life of Ilyas, who, as a young boy, was separated from his family as a result of the growing Soviet presence and their imposement of collective farming. The film shows Ilyas making his way through life with the intention of reuniting with his mother Mariam and the rest of his family, placing him in the middle of some of Kazakhstan’s most significant historical events in doing so. Serving as both an emotional family drama and an epic insight into Kazakh history, this film makes for an engaging and touching experience on both the grandest and most intimate of scales. Now available on Blu Ray and DVD.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10899},[],"2020-05-30",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmore-than-just-wuxia-and-anime-a-look-at-lesser-known-asian-cinema",{"title":10725,"description":10730},"more-than-just-wuxia-and-anime-a-look-at-lesser-known-asian-cinema","blog\u002Fmore-than-just-wuxia-and-anime-a-look-at-lesser-known-asian-cinema","oMwrhOK7XqXF6XD6BFJ6QZ7-2Cty1W9vpj9bCqg7WQ0",{"id":10908,"title":10909,"body":10910,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":10959,"description":10914,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":10960,"navigation":71,"path":10961,"seo":10962,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":10963,"stem":10964,"__hash__":10965},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-academy-awards-changes-couldnt-get-into-theaters-no-problem.md","New Academy Awards Changes: Couldn’t Get Into Theaters? No Problem",{"type":22,"value":10911,"toc":10957},[10912,10915,10918,10921,10924,10927,10930,10933,10936,10939,10942,10945,10948,10951,10954],[25,10913,10914],{},"Throughout most of the history of the Academy Awards, films that could qualify for a potential nomination have had to meet specific requirements. Among the most significant is the rule regarding theatrical release; according to Academy rules, a film could only be considered for an award if it had been given at the very least a week-long theatrical run in either New York or Los Angeles. In recent years, this rule has become increasingly questioned since, with the rise of streaming platforms, films that many would consider awards-worthy have been denied such an opportunity due to this rule. While major companies like Netflix have successfully earned awards buzz with such films as “Roma” and “The Irishman” (albeit by barely meeting the theatrical release requirement), the same cannot be said for countless other films that don’t have this advantage.",[25,10916,10917],{},"This could all start to change, however, as a result of a recent announcement from the Academy. On Tuesday, April 28th, the board of governors agreed to temporarily lift its rule requiring theatrical releases for submitted films. According to the new revision, films released digitally can now qualify for next year’s Academy Awards. This announcement comes as the COVID-19 continues to take its toll on the world, which has resulted in many major films being pushed back extensively or forgoing theatrical release and instead being sent straight to streaming.",[25,10919,10920],{},"That being said, there are still specific guidelines that films have to follow in order to qualify for consideration. First of all, films that premiere on digital platforms must have been originally intended to be released in theaters. This condition immediately disqualifies films that are first and foremost intended to premiere through a streaming service like Netflix. Second, within sixty days of its release, the film must be made available on a streaming site that can only be accessed by members of the Academy Screening Room, the people that contribute to which films end up being nominated for Oscars and in which categories.",[25,10922,10923],{},"So which films qualify for awards consideration under these new guidelines? Of course, any film that has been released in theaters already or is still planned to be released in theaters at any point throughout the rest of the year is still eligible to compete. What about the films that have been or are planned to be released through digital means instead of through theaters as originally intended? Among that small selection are Disney’s “Artemis Fowl”, a cinematic adaptation of the Eoin Colfer sci-fi novel, and a handful of animated features, including DreamWorks’ “Trolls: World Tour” and Warner Brothers’ “Scoob!”.",[25,10925,10926],{},"As previously stated, these new rules are only meant as a temporary revision. When the COVID-19 epidemic does eventually come to an end, films will be able to be released in theaters on a regular basis as they had in the past. While it could be longer depending on how long the pandemic continues, theaters are expected at the moment to reopen no sooner than late July. Because of this, there is currently no reason to keep these rules for any longer than the rest of the year. In fact, the Academy has stated that once theaters are completely reopened, the seven-day theatrical release requirement will be reinstated. However, it has also expanded the areas in which a film vying for an Oscar can play. Instead of just Los Angeles and New York, films can now also be shown in theaters in the Bay Area (San Francisco and its neighboring areas), Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami.",[25,10928,10929],{},"Then again, even short-term changes can have long-term effects. What’s there to say that these temporary changes can’t have a permanent effect on how studios market and release their films? Given how the company has become a greater presence during awards season in recent years, it’s possible that Netflix and other streaming platforms will take full advantage of these new rules.",[25,10931,10932],{},"Take, for instance, the rule stating that films premiering digitally must’ve originally been intended for theatrical release. What exactly does this require? How must studios prove that they have films that they intended to put into theaters before being “forced” to settle for digital release? Considering Netflix has given certain films very limited theatrical releases in the past (allowing them to just barely meet the requirements of awards qualification), there’s a decent chance that they will claim that many of their films were going to have some kind of theatrical release before the pandemic. If the Academy does not make it clear as to how a studio can prove a film was originally planned for theatrical release, it’s possible that once the nominations for the next Academy Awards are announced, a significant portion of the films nominated could be streaming-released films that their makers claim were intended to go to theaters, regardless of whether or not they actually were.",[25,10934,10935],{},"Should this be the case, and streaming films end up dominating the awards season, then it’s possible that there will be a growing backlash against the usual theatrical release rule. After all, in this situation, these films would never have even been considered for awards. Why should similar films made in the future face greater obstacles when it comes to receiving potential nominations? Depending on how the events of the upcoming end-of-the-year awards season play out, one shouldn’t rule out making these temporary changes a permanent fixture of Academy requirements.",[25,10937,10938],{},"This is all just speculation, however, and in reality, these new changes are a blessing for many studios and filmmakers. With current events making it difficult to release films through theaters, many studios have to release their films digitally in order to make as much of a profit possible given the circumstances.",[25,10940,10941],{},"Doing so would usually mean giving up the awards consideration that have proven so beneficial to smaller films, so there’s much relief to be had in the Academy changing its rules to let films premiering on digital platforms stand a chance.",[25,10943,10944],{},"While this change to theatrical release requirement was the biggest announcement made by the Academy, it has also made several smaller changes regarding certain categories and how potential nominees can qualify, changes that are still worth discussing even if they aren’t intended to have as much of an impact.",[25,10946,10947],{},"One notable change is the elimination of one of the Oscars’ technical categories, or more accurately, the fusion of two already existing categories. Instead of there being awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, there will be a single award for Best Sound. This change was decided on by the Academy’s sound branch, and it reduces the number of awards overall to twenty-five. Historically, Oscars for sound have regularly been limited to one competitive award (and the occasional Special Achievement award); only since the 1980’s has there usually been more than one competitive award. Given how sound editing and sound mixing tend to get mixed up with each other (which can make it difficult for Academy voters to make well-educated decisions), it’s understandable that the sound branch would want to reduce this confusion and have there be only one sound award.",[25,10949,10950],{},"Going from sound to music, the Academy also created new rules for its Best Original Score category, which now state that a submitted score must consist of at least 60% original music; if the score comes from a sequel or a franchise film, that number goes up to 80%. Given how prominently franchise films have been nominated in this category in the past (the most recent being “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”), it makes sense for the Academy to expect newer music that doesn’t just retread a pre-existing score. After all, why should a score that won in the past be given a second opportunity to win in the future?",[25,10952,10953],{},"Another change regards the Best International Feature Film category, which had previously been referred to as Best Foreign Language Film. According to new Academy guidelines, all members of the Academy are allowed to take part in the preliminary round of voting, under the condition that they meet the minimum viewing requirement. How this will affect the category is uncertain at the moment, but depending on how many voters have seen specific international films and how many international films are submitted, this could have a significant influence on which films are ultimately nominated.",[25,10955,10956],{},"These are some of the biggest announcements made by the Academy, and while they may not hint at any significant change for the upcoming Academy Awards, these differences could make for an interesting change of pace, and we look forward to seeing how everything turns out.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":10958},[],"2020-05-24",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnew-academy-awards-changes-couldnt-get-into-theaters-no-problem",{"title":10909,"description":10914},"new-academy-awards-changes-couldnt-get-into-theaters-no-problem","blog\u002Fnew-academy-awards-changes-couldnt-get-into-theaters-no-problem","AVKUTHdtdMMKpRPbwJyTU1AGlNrIK4-fdL9xvVS8Av0",{"id":10967,"title":10968,"body":10969,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11040,"description":10973,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11041,"navigation":71,"path":11042,"seo":11043,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11044,"stem":11045,"__hash__":11046},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-goes-for-a-drive-in-plans-to-show-films-across-the-country.md","Tribeca Goes for a Drive-In, Plans to Show Films Across the Country",{"type":22,"value":10970,"toc":11038},[10971,10974,10977,10980,10983,10986,10989,11007,11010,11024,11027,11030,11032,11035],[25,10972,10973],{},"The drive-in movie theater, a venue in which people watch big-screen films from the comfort of their cars, has gained a minor resurgence over the past few months after years of declining popularity. With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping most traditional theaters closed in order to reduce further spread of the disease, the drive-in has been seen as a less health-risky alternative for the big screen experience. Because of this, many of the few remaining drive-ins in the nation have remained open and even seen a rise in attendance, but not enough to ensure the official comeback of this cinematic institution. With so few movies being released at the moment, there’s little incentive for most potential moviegoers to leave the safety of their homes, even for movie-watching that’s less prone to the spread of disease than the usual theater.",[25,10975,10976],{},"Part of the problem may be the lack of open drive-ins outside a small handle in a few states. If that’s the case, then Tribeca Enterprises, the organization behind the annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, might have the solution.",[25,10978,10979],{},"Last week, Tribeca Enterprises announced that it would join forces with AT&T and IMAX to create the Tribeca Drive-In, a program intended to bring the drive-in experience to various venues across the country over the coming summer. The series is expected to begin June 25th and carry on throughout the remainder of the season, though depending on the state of the pandemic and the reception of the series, it could go on for even longer.",[25,10981,10982],{},"At the moment, no specific locations have been announced for the program, although drive-ins and other outdoor venues have been cited as the kinds of places where Tribeca would like to show its programming. In addition, there has yet to be any confirmation as to what will be shown at the Tribeca Drive-In, although Tribeca has suggested that films both old and recent would be included, as well as non-cinematic programs like music and sports.",[25,10984,10985],{},"Speaking on behalf of Tribeca is one of its co-founders, legendary actor Robert de Niro, who expressed great excitement for what the Tribeca Drive-In has in store. “We’re excited to give people something to look forward to this summer,” de Niro claims, “and reinvent a classic moviegoing experience for communities to enjoy together safely”.",[25,10987,10988],{},"Despite no official confirmation as to what will be shown at the Tribeca Drive-In, it’s possible to make predictions based on the companies working with Tribeca, AT&T and IMAX.",[25,10990,10991,10992,10995,10996,10999,11000,985,11003,11006],{},"IMAX, best known for films shown on theatrical screens significantly larger than those found at the average theater, has become an increasing presence over the past couple decades as a means of making blockbuster films an even more enthralling experience than they already are. Since the release of Disney’s ",[486,10993,10994],{},"Fantasia 2000",", many Hollywood studios have viewed IMAX as a reliable asset when it comes to making their films more enticing, allowing IMAX-supported theaters to show their films on the largest screens possible. Many productions have even used cameras made specifically for IMAX viewing to shoot their films, with the most recent ",[486,10997,10998],{},"Avengers"," films, ",[486,11001,11002],{},"Avengers: Infinity War",[486,11004,11005],{},"Avengers: Endgame",", being shot using IMAX cameras.",[25,11008,11009],{},"It’s not only big-budget spectacles that have made use of the IMAX experience however. Long before its utilization in major Hollywood productions, IMAX was used primarily to create documentary films, most of which possess an educational factor with their emphasis on nature and history, that could be shown in museums, science centers, and other venues that emphasized learning. Given that Tribeca has already announced its intention to show other programs besides traditional movies, it would not be too surprising to see documentaries of this kind being incorporated into the series.",[25,11011,11012,11013,985,11016,11019,11020,11023],{},"Then there’s AT&T, which currently owns a significant portion of the Big Five studio Warner Brothers. With this ownership comes the rights to a variety of iconic works of cinema, from major franchises like ",[486,11014,11015],{},"Harry Potter",[486,11017,11018],{},"Batman"," to individual classic films like *The Wizard of Oz  *and ",[486,11021,11022],{},"Casablanca",". Warner’s film library is one of the largest in the world, so much so that its own streaming service, HBO Max, is set to be launched later this month. With such a wide variety of films to pick from, there’s no reason why Tribeca wouldn’t look to this catalog in order to decide on which films to show. In fact, as far as classic films are concerned, AT&T’s ownership of Turner Classic Movies, a television channel devoted entirely to classic films, may even allow classics not owned by Warner Brothers to be licensed out for this drive-in experience.",[25,11025,11026],{},"* *",[25,11028,11029],{},"As for Tribeca itself, there’s also the possibility that films shown at previous Tribeca Film Festivals may be included in the Drive-In. It has been announced that independent films would be incorporated into the program, so it would make sense for Tribeca, an organization devoted primarily to the exhibition of independent cinema, to feature films that were shown at any one of its earlier festivals. Depending on how long the pandemic continues, if the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival ends up being cancelled, the Tribeca Drive-In may be the solution to getting films originally meant for that festival shown on the big screen as initially intended.",[25,11031,11026],{},[25,11033,11034],{},"All of this is pure speculation, of course, as nothing specific has been confirmed. Still, from what is known so far, the Tribeca Drive-In sounds like the perfect remedy for those ailing from the absence of the big-screen experience. If it means allowing people across the nation to enjoy the summer movie-going experience without putting their health at risk, then the Tribeca Drive-In should be welcomed with open arms.",[25,11036,11037],{},"**",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11039},[],"2020-05-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftribeca-goes-for-a-drive-in-plans-to-show-films-across-the-country",{"title":10968,"description":10973},"tribeca-goes-for-a-drive-in-plans-to-show-films-across-the-country","blog\u002Ftribeca-goes-for-a-drive-in-plans-to-show-films-across-the-country","En41xweYFb2ih7It9eczh4jE3LKDo88ORPp-r7T1ufM",{"id":11048,"title":11049,"body":11050,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11070,"description":11054,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11071,"navigation":71,"path":11072,"seo":11073,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11074,"stem":11075,"__hash__":11076},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-third-law.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Third Law”",{"type":22,"value":11051,"toc":11068},[11052,11055,11058,11061],[25,11053,11054],{},"It is said that the truth can set one free, yet for many, the truth can often be much too painful to reveal, even when they know they must. Whether it’s something small like taking a cookie when nobody’s looking or a truth of a much large scale like those of many political controversies, secrets are a staple of humanity, and while some may find it easy to keep secrets, the costs that come from preserving such secrecy tend to be much greater than the truth could ever be. Such secrets can even be devastating when it comes to those kept from family and friends, a lesson that the characters of today’s film, “Third Law”, have to learn the hard way.",[25,11056,11057],{},"For four people, whose lives are intertwined, there is only one truth that separates them. Finding out what they secretly hide from one another is the only fear they have. For Adam, the only thing he holds dear to his heart is the love for his girlfriend Amy; as he battles through a deep depression. Marko, Adam's best friend, looks to be accepted into corporate life and, in the process, find his place in society. Carter, a man who wants to be everyone's friend, is in search of the one woman who can make his life complete, at the expense of everyone around him. Amy, Marko's co-worker, is under constant pressure to hide her secret ways from Adam and in turn hide her inner most thoughts in both her professional and private life. For each of them, their personal desires are greater than the relationships they hold. In a climactic ending, where all hell breaks loose; their secret lives are unraveled and they are forced to face reality head on. The decisions each of them make directly impacts each others' lives, resulting in everyone trying to attain what they ultimately desire.",[25,11059,11060],{},"To convey such drama with as much authenticity as possible is no easy task, but fortunately, this film has a cast of actors that is more than capable of living up to the challenge. In the role of Samantha is Christine Aziz, who has made a name for herself with minor roles on such television programs as “Covert Affairs”, “The Firm”, and “12 Monkeys”. Playing Mr. Andrews is Vincent Bellon, an actor\u002Fstuntman who is best known for performing in television shows like “Saving Hope” and “Warehouse 13”, as well as films like “The Warriors Maccabees: Fight for the Holy Land”. For the role of Mike, Ryan Kindret delivers a solid performance, and would continue to prove his worth in his most recent role as Kyle in “The Infidelity Monologues”. In addition, on top of his role as writer and director, Naveed also appears on screen as the character of Marko.",[25,11062,11063,11064,9349],{},"The title “Third Law” refers to the law of physics that states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and this film could not be a more accurate reflection of that law. Over the course of the film, viewers will realize just how much even the smallest of secrets can have major consequences, and those curious to know how can find the film ",[47,11065,9472],{"href":11066,"rel":11067},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fproduct\u002Fthird-law\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11069},[],"2020-05-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-third-law",{"title":11049,"description":11054},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-third-law","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-third-law","oTYn15p2lWEtXr2XywLnoweaRp6vKLdOskyZx3Vvv-w",{"id":11078,"title":11079,"body":11080,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11130,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11131,"navigation":71,"path":11132,"seo":11133,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11134,"stem":11135,"__hash__":11136},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftop-mother-son-relationships-on-film.md","Top Mother\u002FSon Relationships on Film",{"type":22,"value":11081,"toc":11128},[11082,11087,11090,11093,11096,11099,11104,11109,11112,11115,11123],[25,11083,11084],{},[3341,11085],{"alt":64,"src":11086},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002Funnamed-1.jpg",[25,11088,11089],{},"In the month of May, we celebrate and honor the women who carry the burden of bringing a human being into this world. Most of these women nurture, protect, and most importantly love their children with unconditional devotion. For a man, his first love is his mother and every second Sunday in May, we celebrate and honor these super women, for everything they do and for the love they have shared. In honor of Moms throughout the world we get to witness and experience a true tale of a mother’s love for her son with the upcoming theatrical release of the award winning film The Road to Mother, coming May 24th. As we celebrate and honor all mothers, we take a look back at the different mother and son relationships in film history.",[25,11091,11092],{},"The mother and son dynamic throughout film history have brought us a plethora of emotions such as grief, sorrow, and happiness. Let’s take a look at some of the notable mother and son relationships that have made an impact in film culture.",[25,11094,11095],{},"In Forrest Gump (1994), Sally Field plays the mother of Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks, who raises him to be an influential member of society despite his low IQ. Through her love and strength, Forrest makes a significant impact in some of the key American events during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.",[25,11097,11098],{},"Another film that displays the unconditional love of a mother is the 1985 based on a true life drama Mask starring Cher and Eric Stoltz. Stoltz plays Rocky Dennis, a young man who suffers from craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a rare bone disorder that causes cranial enlargements. In the film, Cher, who plays Rocky’s mother, faces the hardship of discrimination while caring for an ill son.",[25,11100,11101],{},[3341,11102],{"alt":64,"src":11103},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002Funnamed.jpg",[25,11105,11106],{},[3341,11107],{"alt":64,"src":11108},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FT2_4_lg.jpg",[25,11110,11111],{},"While these mothers deal with protecting their sons from the cruelty of society, one mother must protect her son from assassins sent from the future assigned to kill him. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, must protect her son, John Connor, played by Edward Furlong, from cyborgs attempting to eliminate him as a teenager so that he does not live to be the great military leader against the machines he is destined to become. Sarah Connor’s character epitomizes the toughness and skill while exemplifying motherly love.",[25,11113,11114],{},"There have been many other mother and son duos in film that have made its way to our hearts. The Disney classic Bambi (1942) is a great coming of age film of a young deer who loses his mother but learns to become an adult as a result. There are other kinds of influential mothers such as Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho (1960).",[25,11116,11117,11118,9349],{},"Mothers, no matter good or bad, will always have the love of their sons through thick and thin. As we have examined the various mother and son relationships in film history, we can conclude that no matter what the obstacle, mothers want the best for their sons and it is up to the son to take that love and be the best man their mother taught and raised them to be. In The Road to Mother, war will separate them but love will bring them back together. ",[47,11119,11122],{"href":11120,"rel":11121},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002FRoad-Mother-Altynai-Nogerbek\u002Fdp\u002FB085RTHPRY\u002Fref=sr_1_1?crid=OP7XR5GLDFXL&dchild=1&keywords=the+road+to+mother+dvd&qid=1588893775&sprefix=the+road+to+mother%2Caps%2C455&sr=8-1",[51],"Now available on DVD\u002FBlu Ray",[25,11124,11125],{},[3341,11126],{"alt":64,"src":11127},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FThe-Road-to-Mother.jpg",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11129},[],"2020-05-08",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftop-mother-son-relationships-on-film",{"title":11079,"description":64},"top-mother-son-relationships-on-film","blog\u002Ftop-mother-son-relationships-on-film","iAyHGRWFkBnpnNVZaQUxdlehCKnkVTNPz4jFQQ6Liws",{"id":11138,"title":11139,"body":11140,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11179,"description":11146,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11180,"navigation":71,"path":11181,"seo":11182,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11183,"stem":11184,"__hash__":11185},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Funiversal-vs-the-theaters-how-one-film-may-change-cinema-forever.md","Universal vs. the Theaters: How One Film May Change Cinema Forever",{"type":22,"value":11141,"toc":11177},[11142,11147,11150,11153,11156,11159,11162,11165,11168,11171,11174],[25,11143,11144],{},[486,11145,11146],{},"Image from Indiwire.com",[25,11148,11149],{},"When “Trolls: World Tour”, the sequel to the popular 2016 animated film, was announced, nobody expected much to come of it. It would attract families to theaters, sell a decent amount of merchandise, and play out more or less like any other animated feature from a major film studio. There was never a point where anybody could have pictured this film, nothing more than an hour-and-a-half kid-friendly cartoon musical, to leave that much of an impact on the entirety of the film industry.",[25,11151,11152],{},"All that changed in the months leading up to the film’s originally scheduled theatrical release date. “Trolls: World Tour” had initially been planned to come out in April, but when the COVID-19 pandemic forced movie theaters across the globe to shut down until further notice, that plan was no longer viable. The film’s distributor, Universal Pictures, could have perhaps pushed the release date back like every other film originally set to be released in the coming months. For “Trolls: World Tour” however, Universal decided to take a different approach. The studio announced that it would release the film simultaneously in theaters (or the very few that were still open) and through video on demand.",[25,11154,11155],{},"In some respects, the move was more beneficial to Universal than expected. With so many families in need of entertainment while under quarantine, a new animated film was just what they needed, and its $20 two-day rental fee would be significantly less than what families would pay at a theater. Because this release strategy would forgo theaters, Universal would receive more revenue from rentals since they would not have to give up a percentage of ticket sales.",[25,11157,11158],{},"This did not sit well with movie theater chains, especially the major ones like AMC and Regal, and the situation only got worse when Universal announced how much “Trolls: World Tour” in its first three weeks.",[25,11160,11161],{},"On Tuesday, April 28th, Universal CEO Jeff Shell announced that “Trolls: World Tour” had earned over $100 million in rental sales during the first three weeks it was available. While this was a smaller number than what the original “Trolls” had earned in a similar amount of time when it was released theatrically in 2016, the amount of revenue going directly to the studio was more or less the same for both films. Pleased with the success of this unusual release strategy, Shell announced that Universal would consider releasing some of their future films in theaters and on demand at the same time.",[25,11163,11164],{},"This resulted in a cry of outrage from movie theater companies, few of which were willing to accept what would be a noticeable cut to their own profits. The most noteworthy response came from AMC Theaters, the largest movie theater chain in the world, which announced that it would no longer show any Universal films at its locations. Unless the company changes its mind, moviegoers will have to look elsewhere to see any of the upcoming Universal Films like “F9” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru”. Meanwhile, the second largest theater chain, Regal Theaters, announced that while it would not immediately follow in AMC’s footsteps, it would remain dedicated to ensuring the respect of the theatrical window, issuing a warning for any studios considering simultaneous theater\u002FVOD releases.",[25,11166,11167],{},"It’s not hard to see why theaters are so determined to hold on to whatever sources of revenue they have. With the rise of streaming platforms throughout the 2010’s and onward, the average American has become less likely to go out to theaters on a regular basis, with the typical moviegoer only visiting the theater only three to five times a year. Theaters have had to resort to a variety of measures to ensure people keep attending their locations, from luxury seating to pass subscriptions that would allow customers to go to as many movies as they want for one single monthly price. There’s only so much these chains can do though, and for them, any cut to their revenue is something to be concerned about.",[25,11169,11170],{},"This is why the success of “Trolls: World Tour” has theaters making a big fuss. If more films follow this same strategy of being released both in theaters and on demand at the same time, then that’s less money going to an industry that’s already been struggling to keep their business afloat in the wake of streaming’s ever-growing presence. Warner Brothers has already announced that it will attempt to repeat Universal’s success by releasing its own animated feature, “Scoob!”, on demand later in May, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable for other studios to contemplate similar plans for their own animated films.",[25,11172,11173],{},"However, these are only mid-budget features that are getting this treatment. So far, no major blockbusters have been announced for simultaneous theater\u002FVOD release, meaning that studios do not yet have the confidence that the likes of “Black Widow” and “Wonder Woman 1984” can be profitable through immediate digital release and therefore must be released theatrically. It’s also worth noting that the success of “Trolls: World Tour” has less to do with shifting viewing preferences and more to do with the need for entertainment while people are quarantined, or at least that’s what the National Association of Theater Owners argues.",[25,11175,11176],{},"What does this mean? While the situation surrounding “Trolls: World Tour” is unique, it should definitely not be a sign that the theatrical experience is on its way out. Still, with movie theaters struggling and likely to still do so after the quarantine comes to an end, it’s worth keeping an eye on, if only to see how this conflict between studios and theaters continues to play out.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11178},[],"2020-05-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Funiversal-vs-the-theaters-how-one-film-may-change-cinema-forever",{"title":11139,"description":11146},"universal-vs-the-theaters-how-one-film-may-change-cinema-forever","blog\u002Funiversal-vs-the-theaters-how-one-film-may-change-cinema-forever","4odtDiBX-cP4HOH5ek8fpVFldPjX2RltwclChTM7fBs",{"id":11187,"title":11188,"body":11189,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":11227,"description":11228,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11229,"navigation":71,"path":11230,"seo":11231,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11232,"stem":11233,"__hash__":11234},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-wwmpc-partners-with-innovative-streaming-platform.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC) Partners with Innovative Streaming Platform",{"type":22,"value":11190,"toc":11225},[11191,11200,11203,11206,11209,11212,11218,11221],[25,11192,11193,10041,11196,11199],{},[57,11194,11195],{},"Huntington Beach, CA, April 30, 2020",[47,11197,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":11198},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the new streaming platform Filmocracy. The arrangement encompasses the licensing of a variety of films from the WWMPC catalog, consisting of various genres, including Red Roses and Petrol (Family Drama) starring Malcom McDowell, Pop Kowboy (LGTBQ) starring Ronnie Marmo, Rusty Steel (Action\u002FAdventure) starring Paul Campbell, The Lovely Patient (Family Drama) starring Joseph L. Glenn, Welcome to Eden (Documentary) featuring Daryl Hannah, Skin Deep (Documentary Series) featuring tattoo artists from around the world and Dancers (Documentary) featuring dance styles and cultures from around the world.",[25,11201,11202],{},"Filmocracy is a streaming platform that rewards users for discovering and rating movies, specifically indie films. They are currently in beta testing, with their complete launch scheduled for May 2020. They have partnered with over 50 film festivals and distributors and have over 2000 films on their site available to subscribers. Users can watch for free with advertising or upgrade to remove ads and access additional content and features. The service uses a program that rewards users for exploring films and incentivizes them to discover new content.",[25,11204,11205],{},"“By having user ratings prominently overlaid on a particular film, the friction between choosing and watching is removed,” stated Paul Jun, CEO of Filmocracy. “Our service is going to be bringing a completely different look to streaming that's inspired by popular mobile games and gives users pleasing micro rewards with every interaction,” Jun further stated.",[25,11207,11208],{},"The service has over 7000 members and is growing organically at about 200 users per day. The content providers include dozens of festivals, distributors, and hundreds of arrangements directly with individual filmmakers. WWMPC’s current arrangement with the service encompasses a revolving annual term with WWMPC films spotlighted periodically and in a highlighted position on the first page for optimal marketing effect. Tentatively the plan is to have the films be available on the platform starting May 5, 2020.",[25,11210,11211],{},"“We’re very pleased to be developing new and diverse relationships with a variety of exciting and innovative platforms like Filmocracy, which utilizes a gamification protocol through a freemium service,” stated A. Robert Sobolick, Executive Vice President of WWMPC.",[25,11213,45,11214,11217],{},[47,11215,52],{"href":49,"rel":11216},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television content. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have created, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television products, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,11219,11220],{},"Contacts",[25,11222,10076,11223,10079],{},[47,11224,1735],{"href":1734},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11226},[],"2020-05-01","Huntington Beach, CA, April 30, 2020 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the new streaming platform Filmocracy. The arrangement encompasses the licensing of a variety of films from the WWMPC catalog, consisting of various genres, including Red Roses and Petrol (Family Drama) starring Malcom McDowell, Pop Kowboy (LGTBQ) starring Ronnie Marmo, Rusty Steel (Action\u002FAdventure) starring Paul Campbell, The Lovely Patient (Family Drama) starring Joseph L. Glenn, Welcome to Eden (Documentary) featuring Daryl Hannah, Skin Deep (Documentary Series) featuring tattoo artists from around the world and Dancers (Documentary) featuring dance styles and cultures from around the world.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-wwmpc-partners-with-innovative-streaming-platform",{"title":11188,"description":11228},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-wwmpc-partners-with-innovative-streaming-platform","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-wwmpc-partners-with-innovative-streaming-platform","kIIQpMWFWtjHZ9HCqz1WnvcntSd1jXkReGjb4Uo2th4",{"id":11236,"title":11237,"body":11238,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11227,"description":11242,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11254,"navigation":71,"path":11255,"seo":11256,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11257,"stem":11258,"__hash__":11259},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dancers.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Dancers”",{"type":22,"value":11239,"toc":11252},[11240,11243,11246,11249],[25,11241,11242],{},"For as long as there has been music, there has been dance. Before the invention of the written word, dance would be used alongside music to convey a specific feeling or idea, and even thousands of years after the development of humanity’s first civilizations, dance continues to be practiced around the world as one of the most popular kinds of art. Considering how diverse and wide-reaching humanity is, it’s no surprise that many different kinds of dance would develop in various different places and times across the globe. From Native American tribal dances to modern break dancing, there are far too many examples of unique and captivating dance to showcase at once. That being said, this doesn’t stop the subject of today’s film, “Dancers”, from going out of its way to show as many as it can.",[25,11244,11245],{},"The most recent film to receive North American distribution from World Wide Motion Pictures, this Spanish feature length documentary comes to us from filmmaker Juan Vicente Chuliá. With this film, Chuliá and his crew travel the world to learn how the art of dance is viewed by different cultures and societies and for what purposes. What they find is a variety of dancers each with their own backgrounds and reasons for dancing. Among the people across multiple continents highlighted in the documentary are the main dancer of the Helsinki Ballet in Helsinki, Finland; a company of dancers with Down syndrome from Madrid, Spain; urban dancers from the Dominican Republic, and so many more. With each newly introduced dancer, the film demonstrates how dance not only relates to the diversity of the people practicing it, but also its therapeutic, social, and educational applications.",[25,11247,11248],{},"Despite it only being a year old, “Dancers” has already found a remarkable amount of success in the international film festival circuit. It been included as part of the Official Selection of various festivals including the the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; the Hague Global Cinema Film Festival in Hague, Netherlands; the Mostra de València Film Festival in Valencia, Spain, and the International Film Festival Jakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition, the film was awarded Best Feature Documentary at both the AliveDoc International Documentary Film Festival and at the Festival Cena Expandida in Goiania, Brazil; the Award for Outstanding Excellence at the Docs Without Borders Film Festival; and was a finalist for Best Feature Documentary at the Rome Independent Prisma Awards in Rome, Italy.",[25,11250,11251],{},"If documentary films have taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the real world can be just as capable of telling engaging narratives as fiction, and “Dancers” is certainly no exception. With its showcase of a diversity of dance around the world, the film is able to open one’s eyes and create a better understanding of how different, yet how alike, humanity can truly be. Starting June 15th, those interested can find the film on demand and see for themselves.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11253},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dancers",{"title":11237,"description":11242},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-dancers","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-dancers","hzly7wLFp8gt4wt2UBDFSEKygiiJOBrX40NO8bJ7CT4",{"id":11261,"title":11262,"body":11263,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11315,"description":11267,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11316,"navigation":71,"path":11317,"seo":11318,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11319,"stem":11320,"__hash__":11321},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcinemarks-reopening-plan-are-classics-the-key-to-success.md","Cinemark’s Reopening Plan: Are Classics the Key to Success?",{"type":22,"value":11264,"toc":11313},[11265,11268,11271,11274,11277,11280,11283,11286,11289,11292,11295,11298,11301,11304,11307,11310],[25,11266,11267],{},"With most of the world shut down as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, many businesses are struggling with the difficulty in deciding not only when to reopen, but how to reopen. Movie theaters are no exception; while many major chains do plan on starting back up once the pandemic dies down, there is still the question of how to get people into seats. Even ignoring the concerns people would have about whether or not it’s still safe to go to the movies, a bigger issue is what exactly theaters can show. Most of the year’s biggest blockbusters have been pushed back extensively to later in the year, if not the following year. Depending on when theaters reopen, there could be a huge demand from moviegoers, but no supply to satisfy them. So how can theaters keep customers satisfied and make money when there aren’t many new movies to show?",[25,11269,11270],{},"In the case of one major theater chain, Cinemark, the answer is simple: show movies that aren’t new.",[25,11272,11273],{},"Last week, Cinemark announced that it intended to reopen many of its locations starting in July. With many major movies being held back until at least later in the month, the theater chain’s CEO Mark Zoradi suggested that they could play what he referred to as “library movies”, films that had been previously released to cinemas. With two or three weeks between Cinemark’s anticipated reopening date and the release of the first few major Hollywood productions, Zoradi claims that these older films would serve as a decent placeholder until they are able show more newer releases.",[25,11275,11276],{},"While this is certainly one strategy that could prove to be effective in getting people back into theaters, one question still remains: what exactly does Zoradi mean when he says “library movies”?",[25,11278,11279],{},"One kind of “library movie” would be a film that had been previously released, but just recently enough to remain in the public consciousness. These kinds of films would have come out in the past decade or two (between 2000 and 2019), and include such films as the “Harry Potter” franchise, James Cameron’s “Avatar”, and the abundance of films part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.",[25,11281,11282],{},"This was the approach that China had intended to take when it originally planned to reopen its theaters. Earlier this month, the Chinese government announced that it would let a handful of theaters open their doors so people could start going back to the movies. Upon this announcement, it was rumored that many of these theaters would show recent blockbusters (both domestic and foreign) in order to peak the interest of those still hesitant about going back outside. This plan ultimately fell through, however, when China ordered that all theaters remain closed until further notice. Then again, when the time does come for theaters to reopen, there’s a strong chance that older films will be shown during the first few weeks back open.",[25,11284,11285],{},"On the other hand, when Zoradi refers to “library films”, could it be possible that he could be talking about films that are even older, to a point where they can be called “classic”? How far back could the Cinemark CEO be thinking? To the 1990’s with films like “Titanic” and “Jurassic Park”? The 1980’s with the likes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Ghostbusters”? In fact, why rule out films from as far back as the 1930’s, such as “Gone with the Wind” or “Frankenstein”?",[25,11287,11288],{},"None of this would be new territory for Cinemark. Throughout most of the 2010’s, Cinemark ran a program called the Cinemark Classic Series. Each theater participating with the program would show a specific classic film once or twice throughout the week, repeating the process the following week with a different film. The series quietly came to an end at the beginning of 2018, but recent events suggest Cinemark could fall back on this strategy in order to reacquaint people with the movie theater experience. If successful, the chain could even revive the Classic Series for a longer duration than just the first few reopening weeks.",[25,11290,11291],{},"Despite ending its Classic Series however, Cinemark still continued to show classic movies every now and then. This was mainly due to its collaboration with Fathom Events, a distribution company that specializes in theatrical releases for non-traditional programming, especially live events. Re-releases of classic movies are quite common among Fathom’s releases. In fact, earlier this year, before it had to stop as a result of the nationwide theater closures, Fathom had teamed up with Turner Classic Movies to show classic films like “An American in Paris” and “King Kong” on the big screen (in the case of the latter, its first big-screen showing in over sixty years).",[25,11293,11294],{},"Perhaps the biggest concern at the moment is choosing the right films. If Cinemark does begin to show more classics on their screens, then they would have to select relatively well-known films that people would want to experience on the big screen. Depending on the films, this could prove to be an immensely profitable venture.",[25,11296,11297],{},"While not common, some re-releases have proven to be quite successful in attracting moviegoers. In 2015, a one-day consecutive showing of the “Back to the Future” trilogy earned a worldwide total of $4.85 million, making it the #1 grossing film of the day. In 2019, a Fathom Events release of “The Wizard of Oz” earned $2 million during its original screening dates, a gross so high that additional dates were quickly added.",[25,11299,11300],{},"Even foreign classic films have been proven to be popular when released into theaters. In December 2016, Fathom Events and North American distributor GKids released the iconic Hayao Miyazaki film “Spirited Away” in commemoration of its 15th anniversary. The re-release proved to be such a huge success that the following year saw the creation of Studio Ghibli Fest, a monthly program in which one of the many films of Studio Ghibli, including “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” would be shown in theaters for a limited time.",[25,11302,11303],{},"Arguably the most impressive re-release in recent memory, however, came in 2011, when Disney released a 3D version of “The Lion King”, at one time the highest grossing animated film, for what was originally intended to be just one week. However, when “The Lion King” topped the box office that weekend with over $30 million (the first re-release to do so since “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” in 1997), Disney continued its run well past its original ending date, and when it did finally reach its conclusion, “The Lion King” had earned over $94 million, the most of any re-release in the past decade.",[25,11305,11306],{},"All these examples prove that re-releases can be a big money-maker if pulled off correctly. This, of course, would have to take several variables into consideration: the film chosen, the time of release, and how long the film will be available to see. Any of these variables can make or break a re-release, but if there’s one thing working in the favor of a potential future re-release right now, it’s the timing. Once theaters (and the rest of the national economy) start to open back up, there will be millions of people seeking some kind of entertainment outside their homes. Movie theaters are a notable source of such entertainment, and with so few new releases that would be available to see, there’s plenty of room for a classic to step in and make itself available for theatrical viewing.",[25,11308,11309],{},"This is what Cinemark would be hoping for when the time comes to reopen its theaters, but even without the current state of the world, there’s no reason why Cinemark (and other theater chains for that matter) shouldn’t make the most of showing classic cinema in theaters. Many of the films considered the greatest of all time are thought of as such for good reason, and the theatrical experience can play an important role in helping a film establish classic status. Older audiences can feel a sense of nostalgia watching a favorite film the same way they did when they were younger, and younger audiences who hadn’t seen the film before can watch the film in the exact same experience as those who had seen the film upon its initial theatrical release. There’s much to appreciate about the advancements of film with each passing year, yet sometimes one must be willing to show appreciation for the past in order to help create a better path for the future, and the world of cinema is certainly no exception.",[25,11311,11312],{},"Like the Maltese Falcon, these films are the stuff that dreams are made of, and the theatrical experience can be a significant contributor in achieving this.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11314},[],"2020-04-25",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcinemarks-reopening-plan-are-classics-the-key-to-success",{"title":11262,"description":11267},"cinemarks-reopening-plan-are-classics-the-key-to-success","blog\u002Fcinemarks-reopening-plan-are-classics-the-key-to-success","D-OHVheI8GrZ-f_8i7V1sap4OYSL2gdFHx-kFHoJA2g",{"id":11323,"title":11324,"body":11325,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11347,"description":11329,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11348,"navigation":71,"path":11349,"seo":11350,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11351,"stem":11352,"__hash__":11353},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-amy.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Amy”",{"type":22,"value":11326,"toc":11345},[11327,11330,11333,11336],[25,11328,11329],{},"There’s nothing more satisfying than to see an actor spend most of their career in relative obscurity throughout most of the world before finally breaking out and becoming a mainstay among some of the film industry’s most lucrative productions. Take the Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn for example: beginning his career in 1986, Mendelsohn has long been a successful actor in his native country, but to the rest of the world, his presence has mostly gone mostly unnoticed. This changed in the mid-2010’s, however; as Director Krennic, the antagonist of 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, Mendelsohn finally received exposure on a global scale, and his casting in such following films as “Ready Player One” and “Captain Marvel” prove that the actor has more than what it takes to be an international film icon. Still, even with this sudden skyrocket of success, one mustn’t forget their roots, and today’s film, the Australian drama “Amy”, originally distributed throughout the U.S. by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation provides one of Mendelsohn’s earlier performances and demonstrates how he developed such skill as an actor.",[25,11331,11332],{},"The film stars Alana de Roma as the titular character, an eight-year-old girl who had been traumatized by the death of her rock musician father Will Enker (played by Nick Barker), who had been accidentally electrocuted while performing on stage one day. Amy has since become deaf and mute as a result of the trauma, and she moves to the city of Melbourne with her mother Tanya (Academy Award Nominee Rachel Griffiths), who hopes to find out the reasons for her continued silence. Social workers try to help her speak again and eventually go to school, but it’s the friendship she forms with her neighbor Robert (Mendelsohn) that proves to be the key to Amy learning how to communicate again, as it’s his rock songs that she begins to sing along to and help her regain the voice she once had.",[25,11334,11335],{},"In the many years since its release, “Amy” has proven to be a prominent feature of various international film festivals and awards ceremonies. In its native Australia, it was shown at the Brisbane International Film Festival, received an award from the Australian Cinematographer’s Society, and was even nominated in two categories at the Australian Film Institute Awards. Elsewhere in the world, it received the Youth Prize and the Education Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Grand Jury Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, and earned the Public Prize at the Paris Film Festival. Alana de Roma even received a nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actress Age Ten or Under at the Young Artist Awards.",[25,11337,11338,11339,11344],{},"Mendelsohn and Griffith’s performances alone should be more than enough to attract one’s interest in “Amy”. After all, who doesn’t like to see where a popular actor like Mendelsohn was before becoming a common figure in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters? That being said, even without Mendelsohn, the film is a heartwarming story about a young girl finding the strength to overcome her trauma, as well as the people who do everything they can to help her. It’s an emotional roller coaster throughout, but one that is guaranteed to put a smile on one’s face when it comes to an end. Those interested can find the film on ",[47,11340,11343],{"href":11341,"rel":11342},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002Fdp\u002FB0006A9HU8?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_amazon&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_amazon-20",[51],"Amazon"," and see for themselves just how touching the story truly is.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11346},[],"2020-04-23",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-amy",{"title":11324,"description":11329},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-amy","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-amy","JZwkUxXoNKKbkEKt5EzPwvV96n2DSfCqh3_SQ9Era08",{"id":11355,"title":11356,"body":11357,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11405,"description":11361,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11406,"navigation":71,"path":11407,"seo":11408,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11409,"stem":11410,"__hash__":11411},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fa-possible-amc-bankruptcy-what-this-could-mean-for-the-future-of-cinema.md","A Possible AMC Bankruptcy? What This Could Mean for the Future of Cinema",{"type":22,"value":11358,"toc":11403},[11359,11362,11365,11368,11371,11374,11377,11384,11391,11394,11397,11400],[25,11360,11361],{},"If one wanted to catch up on the latest big-screen endeavor at their local cineplex, then there’s a good chance that the theater they go to is owned by AMC Theaters. Founded in 1920, AMC currently operates at over a thousand locations with over 11,000 screens among them, making the company the largest theater chain in the world. With their long history and large number of venues, it’s safe to say that even with strong competition from other chains like Regal and Cinemark, AMC retains a strong percentage of the theater industry’s earnings.",[25,11363,11364],{},"Or at least that has been the case until this year. As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic throughout the globe, the majority of theaters have been closed in order to reduce the spread of the disease, meaning that they are unable to profit off of any films they could be showing had this not been the case. While every chain has been severely impacted in some way or another by this outbreak, AMC seems to have been hit harder than any other chain. The company’s stock value has been falling with seemingly no end in sight, employees throughout the company have been furloughed, and there have even been talks of AMC filing for bankruptcy. To say that AMC is currently in crisis mode would be an understatement.",[25,11366,11367],{},"So what would happen should AMC go out of business, and what would this mean for theatrical distribution and distributors like World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation?",[25,11369,11370],{},"For one thing, if AMC were to shut down entirely (or even cut costs enough just to remain afloat), it would have to sell off its assets, specifically its many multiple-screen venues. But who could afford such large establishments? One would like to see these theaters go to smaller companies that might not have as big of a presence in the industry. Despite the overwhelming presence of a select handful, there are actually many other theater chains founded in the United States. Most of these keep their focus primarily to a specific region of the country, including Classic Cinemas in the Midwest, Regency Theaters in the Southwest, and National Amusements in the Northeast.",[25,11372,11373],{},"Should AMC have to give up some of, if not all, its theaters, any of these smaller chains could potentially take over. Alternatively, some of these theaters could become their own independent business outside of a major company. If more chains and independently owned theaters were to become stronger competition, ticket and concession prices might even start to decrease, as moviegoers would be tempted to go to whichever theater is the least expensive.",[25,11375,11376],{},"There’s one problem though: because these venues are so large and more expensive to operate than those with a lower number of screens, smaller businesses may not have the money to purchase and maintain such large structures. As a result, theaters previously owned by AMC could only be sold to major corporations that already have a major stake in the global economy. So would they go to other big theater chains then? Potentially, but given those same companies are also undergoing major financial stress as a result of the Coronavirus, they may not be so quick to acquire new locations.",[25,11378,11379,11380,11383],{},"What corporations might be interested in purchasing these theaters then? Arguably several, but there are strict limitations as to who could buy them. According to the ",[486,11381,11382],{},"United States v. Paramount Pictures"," Supreme Court ruling in 1948, companies involved with the production and distribution of films are not permitted to hold a major stake in film exhibition. In other words, while a company like Disney can own a single theater (like they do with the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood), they cannot own a chain of theaters. This rules out corporations like Sony and Comcast, as their business already consists of major film production and distribution. Even Amazon, not widely known for its films, might have difficulty when it comes to theater acquisition.",[25,11385,11386,11387,11390],{},"Who does this leave? One may think the number of potential buyers would be quite large, but this is not a realistic picture. For some major corporations, like oil conglomerate ExxonMobil, owning movie theaters might be too far from their field of expertise, and may not want to risk competing in a business they have little familiarity with. For others, like technology giants Google and Facebook, they might already have such a strong presence in the media landscape that they could potential violate the ",[486,11388,11389],{},"US v. Paramount"," ruling with their own content, therefore making them unwilling to buy theaters.",[25,11392,11393],{},"As one can see, there’s no easy answer when it comes to how AMC would have to deal with bankruptcy and what to do with the theaters they would no longer be able to operate. That being said, all of this is under the assumption that AMC would indeed go out of business, which has not happened yet. So could AMC be spared from this fate? If so, how?",[25,11395,11396],{},"For the time being, AMC and other theater chains are not expected to open their locations until later this summer, hopefully by the end of July. With most of the nation being self-quarantined, there will be a major demand for activities outside the home, as people now have the opportunity to leave their houses and make the most of their newly gained freedom. For many, the movie theater will be their target destination, especially since highly anticipated releases that had previously been postponed, like Disney’s “Mulan” and Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984”, will now be available for viewing, and any theater showing such films will likely see a huge turnout. This is exactly what movie theaters want to believe will happen, and that includes AMC.",[25,11398,11399],{},"Can AMC hold off the threat of bankruptcy long enough to take advantage of a boom in business once national quarantine comes to an end and people are allowed to go back to theaters? Many analysts currently claim that the company filing for bankruptcy, while not an outright certainty, is becoming more likely with each passing day. Still, even if the company does end up resorting to a bankruptcy filing, it wouldn’t automatically mean the end of AMC, so for those concerned that they will no longer be able to attend their local AMC theater and have to travel farther to a different location, there’s no need to worry, especially with a string of long-delayed blockbusters waiting to be released.",[25,11401,11402],{},"AMC may not be under the best of conditions, but if it has managed to survive for a whole century, then hopefully it has a chance of surviving this time of crisis and providing an outlet for a wide variety of films from companies like World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11404},[],"2020-04-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fa-possible-amc-bankruptcy-what-this-could-mean-for-the-future-of-cinema",{"title":11356,"description":11361},"a-possible-amc-bankruptcy-what-this-could-mean-for-the-future-of-cinema","blog\u002Fa-possible-amc-bankruptcy-what-this-could-mean-for-the-future-of-cinema","4JpXY3MyGNBoR3TDlTT70fpWySFyRUvjvqv8ZOWoIL4",{"id":11413,"title":11414,"body":11415,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11435,"description":11419,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11436,"navigation":71,"path":11437,"seo":11438,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11439,"stem":11440,"__hash__":11441},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-lovely-patient.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “The Lovely Patient”",{"type":22,"value":11416,"toc":11433},[11417,11420,11423,11426],[25,11418,11419],{},"Health is a major issue for just about everybody; most people would like to live for as long as possible, but the things that one needs to do to stay healthy aren’t always feasible. Perhaps even more daunting is finances; after all, if one does not have enough to support themselves or their loved ones, how can they attend to their other needs? To reach a state where one can finally claim to be completely well off is difficult for anyone to achieve, especially in times of crisis. However, if films like “The Lovely Patient” are any indication, there shouldn’t be any reason to give up all hope.",[25,11421,11422],{},"“The Lovely Patient” revolves around nineteen-year-old Leonard and his mother Catherine. The two live in a rundown motel, and Leonard dreams of starting a ghost-hunting web series to more effectively support his family. A recent job loss puts Leonard’s ambitions on hold, however, as he instead makes his way into becoming a driver for hire. His new position leads to him befriending Frank, a breast cancer patient whom Leonard quickly forms a connection with. He helps Frank with various tasks around the facility he lives at, and he even drives him all the way to his daughter’s wedding. The bond between Leonard and Frank grows with each day, but things begin to change when certain aspects of Frank’s life are revealed. With these revelations, a growing pile of bills, and even some startling news about Catherine’s health, Leonard finds himself questioning what to do in this time of crisis.",[25,11424,11425],{},"Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, but because the percentage of male breast cancer patients is significantly lower than female patients, male patients tend to get overlooked most of the time. “The Lovely Patient” strives to change this, and has even received support from various foundations and charities. Some of the groups  that the Film’s Distributor World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation have partnered with include Men Against Breast Cancer, Joy to Life, Hats Off for Cancer, the John W. Nick Foundation, the United Breast Cancer Foundation, and His Breast Cancer.",[25,11427,11428,11429,9349],{},"Cancer of any kind is something that no person deserves to go through, yet it’s a disease that is diagnosed on a daily basis throughout the world. Not only does it put great stress on its victims, but it does the same with those they care about. There are never any easy answers when it comes to how to respond to and combat this disease, but while there are several people who have lost their lives and loved ones to cancer, there are also plenty who have managed to come out on top one way or another. “The Lovely Patient” is a testament to this sense of optimism; as the film’s tagline put it best, life hits hard, but love hits harder. It’s a story that everyone is better off after seeing, and those who do wish to experience this heartwarming narrative for themselves can either buy the DVD or buy\u002Frent a digital copy ",[47,11430,9472],{"href":11431,"rel":11432},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Flovely-patient-2\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11434},[],"2020-04-17",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-lovely-patient",{"title":11414,"description":11419},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-the-lovely-patient","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-lovely-patient","RFf_BdEExZY03E97hQLD5wXQXCM3AMaU8FL_U_ztAig",{"id":11443,"title":11444,"body":11445,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11476,"description":11449,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11477,"navigation":71,"path":11478,"seo":11479,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11480,"stem":11481,"__hash__":11482},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdrive-in-theaters-the-oases-of-a-cinematic-desert-struck-by-disease.md","Drive-In Theaters: The Oases of a Cinematic Desert Struck by Disease",{"type":22,"value":11446,"toc":11474},[11447,11450,11453,11456,11459,11462,11465,11468,11471],[25,11448,11449],{},"For months now, the COVID-19 pandemic, more commonly known as the Coronavirus, has laid waste to the world, forcing people to confine themselves to their homes in order to reduce the spread of the disease. Naturally, this comes at a great cost to many major industries, and the film industry is no exception. With all of the major theater chains closing all of their establishments’ doors until further notice, the vast majority of theaters in the nation are inaccessible. There are exceptions, however. In fact, one particular kind of theater has started to see a minor resurgence over the past month: the drive-in theater.",[25,11451,11452],{},"The concept behind the drive-in movie theater is quite simple. At an outdoor location, a giant screen is held up in front of a large parking area. Once it’s dark enough, a projector plays a movie onto the screen from far behind, and cars parked in the area are positioned to face the screen. This way, moviegoers can watch the movie from their cars, receiving the sound through the radio and never once needing to step outside (unless they need to use the bathroom or want to purchase snacks from a nearby concession stand).",[25,11454,11455],{},"The history of the drive-in theater begins in 1933, when Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. opened the first official drive-in in Pennsauken, New Jersey. While several other drive-ins would appear throughout the country shortly afterwards, it wasn’t until after World War II that the concept really took off. A boost in economic prosperity meant not only a huge baby boom, but also a drastic increase in disposable income. With children and teenagers becoming marketable demographics, drive-ins took advantage of the situation and began to appeal to the youth. This approach proved to be a profitable one, and by the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, drive-ins were at the peak of their success.",[25,11457,11458],{},"By the late 1960’s and into the following decades though, the luck of the drive-in was beginning to run out. Newer forms of home entertainment like cable television and video made people less willing to leave the comfort of their home. The energy crisis of the 1970’s led to decreasing car use and the adoption of daylight savings time, both of which made running drive-ins less profitable. Runaway inflation and interest hikes for real estate made the land most drive-ins were located on too valuable to not be used for other purposes. Because of all these factors, drive-ins began to shut down in increasing numbers, and while the drive-in is not extinct, its numbers never fully recovered. Whereas there were over 4,000 drive-ins operating during their peak, there are just over 300 still open to this very day.",[25,11460,11461],{},"As one can see, time has not been considerably kind to the drive-in. While the concept has maintained some appeal due to nostalgia, the need to incorporate new technology (like digital projectors) has made running a drive-in more expensive than ever, and the revenue these establishments receive isn’t always enough to earn back the investment. Because of this, many drive-ins are unable to pay for these new features and are therefore unable to stay up to date in a modern world.",[25,11463,11464],{},"So why is it now, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, are some drive-in theaters seeing a boom in business that hasn’t been seen in years, if not decades? This is especially surprising given many states adopting social distancing policies that restrict one’s ability to go outside the home. If most people across the nation are trying their hardest to adhere to these regulations, why are they still going to drive-ins?",[25,11466,11467],{},"For many, the drive-in provides the perfect compromise between enjoying the theatrical experience and staying safe amidst the Coronavirus outbreak. Unlike a traditional theater, where up to hundred of people may be confined to a single area, those watching films at a drive-in remain in their cars. While there may be a similar number of people overall at a drive-in screen compared to a regular theater screen, they are all separated by their cars, meaning there’s less risk of spreading the disease. This allows moviegoers to watch a film on the big screen just as they would in a regular theater, but to do so without posing as big of a health risk.",[25,11469,11470],{},"This is not to say all drive-in theaters are taking advantage of this surge in popularity. In fact, many drive-ins have closed down just like regular theaters, either as mandated by the state government or their own personal unwillingness to risk further spread of the virus. However, the drive-ins that are still open are taking full advantage of the demand for the theatrical experience. Despite needing to take new measures intended to prevent the disease from spreading (from increased glove usage to allowing customers to order food via phone call or text), these drive-ins have proven to be willing to adapt, and for some locations, these measures are more than worth the effort.",[25,11472,11473],{},"With this rediscovery of the drive-in, could these kinds of theaters see a comeback? At this point, it’s hard to say. The coronavirus continues to plague the majority of the world, and in many countries, the end of the pandemic is nowhere in sight. Even when the pandemic does come to an end, most drive-ins still need to acquire the expensive technology that allows them to compete with traditional theaters, as well as other forms of film viewing such as streaming services. That being said, those coming out to the drive-ins in this time of crisis might find this different means of film viewing to be a pleasant one, and may be willing to repeat the experience some time, if not multiple times, in the future. What will come of the drive-in in the coming years remains uncertain, but if it’s still around after all this time, perhaps a comeback is not entirely impossible.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11475},[],"2020-04-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdrive-in-theaters-the-oases-of-a-cinematic-desert-struck-by-disease",{"title":11444,"description":11449},"drive-in-theaters-the-oases-of-a-cinematic-desert-struck-by-disease","blog\u002Fdrive-in-theaters-the-oases-of-a-cinematic-desert-struck-by-disease","TY425m9uHqWIbzRjxc2lWFpJYSdUcsz7297-eXLrpkE",{"id":11484,"title":11485,"body":11486,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11525,"description":11490,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11526,"navigation":71,"path":11527,"seo":11528,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11529,"stem":11530,"__hash__":11531},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ways-to-live-forever.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Ways to Live Forever”",{"type":22,"value":11487,"toc":11523},[11488,11491,11494,11497],[25,11489,11490],{},"Although the name Robbie Kay may not immediately ring any bells for the average person, there’s a decent chance that this young British actor’s face might be a bit more familiar. Beginning his career with a (sadly cut) part in Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film “The Illusionist”, Kay has since made a handful of appearances throughout film and television, taking on roles in films like “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Blood Fest”, as well as television series such as “Once Upon a Time” and “Heroes Reborn”. As these examples show, Kay is among the finest of many great young actors, and nowhere is that better shown than in the World Wide Motion Pictures distributed drama, “Ways to Live Forever”.",[25,11492,11493],{},"Based on the 2008 novel by Sally Nicholls, the film shows Robbie Kay as Sam, a twelve-year-old boy full of questions about everything: ghosts, UFOS, horror movies, and of course, the opposite sex. There is one thing he wants to learn more about above all else though: his disease. Sam has leukemia, and although his family would rather have him not dwell on his mortality and enjoy life while he can, Sam is determined to find out more about death and his disease. With the help of his friend Felix, Sam begins a “scientific investigation” of his predicament, which leads to him creating a list of everything he wants to do - break a world record, fly in a blimp, kiss a girl - while he is still alive. What follows is a string of events that confront the uncertainty of Sam’s future with love, humor, and even a little of the unexpected.",[25,11495,11496],{},"As the film is a co-production between the United Kingdom and Spain, “Ways to Live Forever” was able to find a decent amount of awards buzz at Spain’s Cinema Writers Circle Awards in 2011. There it won the CEC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated in five other categories, including Best Picture. Additional awards were picked up at a variety of film festivals. These include the Golden Wave Award for Best Film at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema in Bordeaux, France; the Michel Award at the Hamburg Film Festival in Hamburg, Germany; the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Award for Best Feature Film at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Jury Prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.",[25,11498,11499,11500,8485,11505,8485,11509,8485,11514,9343,11518,9349],{},"The subject matter of “Ways to Live Forever” might be a bit off-putting at first glance, but those who continue to follow along with the story will find something much more uplifting and heartfelt than expected. With a solid lead performance from Robbie Kay, the film delivers with great humor, an identifiable lead, and every emotion that one can possibly experience. Those interested can find the movie on ",[47,11501,11504],{"href":11502,"rel":11503},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.vudu.com\u002Fmovies\u002F#!content\u002F618266\u002FWays-to-Live-Forever",[51],"Vudu",[47,11506,9348],{"href":11507,"rel":11508},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002Fgp\u002Fvideo\u002Fdetail\u002Famzn1.dv.gti.56a9f78e-5694-eec2-fec2-e490b5c0aa78?autoplay=1",[51],[47,11510,11513],{"href":11511,"rel":11512},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=Mxcz24B-XnE",[51],"YouTube",[47,11515,10707],{"href":11516,"rel":11517},"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fus\u002Fmovie\u002Fways-to-live-forever\u002Fid944987976?at=1001l6hu&ct=gca_organic_movie-title_944987976",[51],[47,11519,11522],{"href":11520,"rel":11521},"https:\u002F\u002Fplay.google.com\u002Fstore\u002Fmovies\u002Fdetails?id=Mxcz24B-XnE",[51],"Google Play",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11524},[],"2020-04-09",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ways-to-live-forever",{"title":11485,"description":11490},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-ways-to-live-forever","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-ways-to-live-forever","QLz6EWVMtDckd1pIOdYaAnQ38YSNeDnSAH-a5WXnqH8",{"id":11533,"title":11534,"body":11535,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11626,"description":11627,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11628,"navigation":71,"path":11629,"seo":11630,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11631,"stem":11632,"__hash__":11633},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-beauty-of-motion-a-look-at-some-of-our-favorite-cinematic-dances.md","The Beauty of Motion: A Look at Some of Our Favorite Cinematic Dances",{"type":22,"value":11536,"toc":11624},[11537,11546,11549,11564,11572,11580,11588,11596,11604,11616],[25,11538,11539,11542,11543],{},[57,11540,11541],{},"Photo credit:"," NPR, ",[486,11544,11545],{},"Niko Tavernise\u002FCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures",[25,11547,11548],{},"Later this year, World Wide Motion Pictures will release the documentary “Dancers (Danzantes)” for people around the world to experience. Directed by Spanish director Juan Vicente Chuliá, this film takes viewers across the globe to show how people from various backgrounds incorporate the art of dance in their lives, and how dancing can have a major impact on the world around them. Indeed, dancing is a tradition as old as civilization itself, and nowhere is its influence more prominent than in the art of cinema. For as long as the moving image has been a staple of modern culture, it has been used as a tool to capture dancing at its finest. There are more than enough iconic dance scenes in film to discuss at great length, but in the end, we can only talk about a small handful. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite dance scenes brought to us by the world of cinema.",[25,11550,11551,11556,11557,985,11560,11563],{},[47,11552,11555],{"href":11553,"rel":11554},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ",[51],"Singin' in the Rain - Singin' in the Rain (1952)"," - of the many icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood, there is nobody more fondly associated with the art of dance than Gene Kelly. While films like ",[486,11558,11559],{},"An American in Paris",[486,11561,11562],{},"Anchors Aweigh"," prove that he is rivaled by few as a genuine triple threat (having mastered acting, singing, and dancing), it’s this 1952 musical classic that shows Kelly at the highest point in his career. There are many moments from this film that have deservingly withstood the test of time, but it’s the titular musical number that stands out above the rest. A perfect representation of happiness in the dreariest of conditions, the only thing more infectious than its earworm of a tune is the delightful dance routine Kelly creates for it.",[25,11565,11566,11571],{},[47,11567,11570],{"href":11568,"rel":11569},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=_n2s5i2i2Jg",[51],"Saraghina, La Rumba! - 8 ½ (1963)"," - taking place in the memory of Guido, the film’s leading character (and stand-in for director Federico Fellini), this scene reflects on a moment from Guido’s past, in which he dances with the local prostitute Saraghina, only to be berated by the leaders of his Catholic school. One of his first experiences with a woman (one of many more to come over the course of his life), this scene serves as an encapsulation of Guido’s youth and the immaturity he could afford to take part in before the reality of growing up could start to sink in. It’s a brief moment that ends on an unhappy note, but such an abrupt ending only reminds the now adult Guido how much he has lost since he began his transition into adulthood.",[25,11573,11574,11579],{},[47,11575,11578],{"href":11576,"rel":11577},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=GM47wAet-Tc",[51],"More Than a Woman - Saturday Night Fever (1977)"," - when a dance competition is a major plot point in a movie, then one expects to see some impressive movement coming from the dance floor, and in the case of this 1970’s disco drama, the dancers do not disappoint. Dancing to the Bee Gees’ “More Than a Woman” (one of many of the group’s tunes featured throughout the film), main character Tony (played by John Travolta in his breakout role) and his partner Stephanie give us a performance that is slow, but sensual and full of passionate, and while Tony may feel as if they didn’t deserve the win, it’s not hard to see how the two ended up winning the competition. Disco may be dead, but this scene continues to live on in our hearts.",[25,11581,11582,11587],{},[47,11583,11586],{"href":11584,"rel":11585},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=wjx28fUC3wo",[51],"Saloon Dance - The Muppet Movie (1979)"," - nothing says friendship like putting on a quick dance routine to entertain the masses, and in the case of Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, this was only the beginning. After Fozzie’s initial stand-up act falls flat, Kermit joins the bear on the stage, and the two engage in a simple tap dance performance. While the crowds in the El Sleazo Cafe remain unimpressed, the same cannot be said for the audience on the other side of the fourth wall. While the technical feats pulled off to create this scene are impressive, it’s the faith that these newfound friends have in each other that truly captures our hearts. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, the first of many to form throughout the Muppets’ journey.",[25,11589,11590,11595],{},[47,11591,11594],{"href":11592,"rel":11593},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=WpmILPAcRQo",[51],"Baby and Johnny - Dirty Dancing (1987)"," - to list our favorite dances in film and not bring up this iconic moment is almost unthinkable, and looking back on this scene, it’s not hard to understand why it’s left such a phenomenal impact. Much of the preceding film is devoted to the main characters training to perfect the dance to end all dances, and through their time together, the romance that blossoms between the two. Despite the ups and downs that occur, by the time Johnny heroically declares “nobody puts Baby in the corner”, it’s only a matter of time for them to deliver the ultimate payoff. Sure enough, they perform their dance to great success, and when Johnny holds Baby in mid-air, there’s no doubt that pure perfection has been achieved.",[25,11597,11598,11603],{},[47,11599,11602],{"href":11600,"rel":11601},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=grGiq0yTaj4",[51],"Dance Finale - Beau Travail (1999)"," - out of context, this scene of protagonist Sergeant Galoup dancing to Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night” is engaging enough on its own (if only due to how well actor Denis Lavant is able to pull off the moves shown). In the greater context of the overall film, however, it is an ironic ending to a story plagued with tragedy. Plagued by military service in Djibouti, repressed homosexual feelings, and eventual dismissal from the French Legion, Galoup is left with nothing more to lose. As Galoup holds a loaded gun right before the film cuts to him dancing, the meaning of this juxtaposition is ambiguous. Is the dance real? A metaphor for his final moments? Either way, it’s a perfect end to a tragic narrative.",[25,11605,11606,11611,11612,11615],{},[47,11607,11610],{"href":11608,"rel":11609},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=63FxLM3AQt4",[51],"Snow Dance - Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)"," - before ",[486,11613,11614],{},"Frozen"," took the world by storm with its own winter-centric song and dance, musical legend Rob Marshall gave the world this chilling (metaphorically and literally), but beautiful moment that embodies the struggles and hardships of its central figure, the geisha Sayuri. Starting slow and graceful, but soon becoming sporadic and brutal, the dance symbolizes Sayuri’s life as a geisha, with her wailing and flailing showing her descent into insanity, one brought upon by her determination to wait for a lover she knows will never return. Zhang Ziyi’s Golden Globe nominated acting and Oscar-winning costuming only add greater artistic integrity to this gorgeous, but haunting performance.",[25,11617,11618,11623],{},[47,11619,11622],{"href":11620,"rel":11621},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=VdfgiEQeceM",[51],"Bathroom Dance - Joker (2019)"," - at the most recent Academy Awards, this supervillain origin story received two awards: one for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), the other for Best Original Score (Hildur Guðnadóttir). To understand how both wins were achieved, all one needs to do is watch this one scene. The starting point of protagonist Arthur Fleck’s descent into darkness, this scene mixes Phoenix’s authentic acting with Guðnadóttir’s somber score to capture a dance that beautifully reflects the beginning of a harrowing transformation. While the Joker’s stair descent dance to the tune of Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll, Part 2” may be more iconic (and imitated), it’s this earlier scene that leaves the more significant emotional impact.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11625},[],"2020-04-04","Photo credit: NPR, Niko Tavernise\u002FCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-beauty-of-motion-a-look-at-some-of-our-favorite-cinematic-dances",{"title":11534,"description":11627},"the-beauty-of-motion-a-look-at-some-of-our-favorite-cinematic-dances","blog\u002Fthe-beauty-of-motion-a-look-at-some-of-our-favorite-cinematic-dances","QiGgkUfP3ku8snqWvU7voGtAzBjdC1EXChw2U4D75bU",{"id":11635,"title":11636,"body":11637,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11657,"description":11641,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11658,"navigation":71,"path":11659,"seo":11660,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11661,"stem":11662,"__hash__":11663},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-pop-kowboy.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Pop Kowboy”",{"type":22,"value":11638,"toc":11655},[11639,11642,11645,11648],[25,11640,11641],{},"Sometimes the best films come about by taking random elements that don’t seem to go together and using them in a way that makes their combination creative and compelling. For example, one might think that silly cartoon characters and a film noir aesthetic don’t go well together, but then we would not have the iconic “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. Or how about “Star Wars”? Surely nobody could have thought mixing samurai fights, talking robots, and western saloons would lead to a good film, let alone the biggest movie franchise of all time. But consider this: a modern-day comedy where the main characters are a transvestite, a cowboy, and a gangster. Could such a surreal premise work? The answer is “yes”, and the proof is the film “Pop Kowboy”.",[25,11643,11644],{},"As stated earlier, the film is centered around three primary characters. The first is Pony, a western obsessee who longs to be a hero like the ones he watches on the silver screen. Of course, his obsession makes him look like a joke to others, and he feels that he needs a damsel in distress in order to prove his worth. He finds what he’s looking for in Frankie, a singer\u002Fdancer with the unfortunate dilemma of being a woman trapped in a man’s body When Frankie appears to lose her briefcase, Pony returns it to her. He is unaware, however, that the briefcase was meant to be left for the mafia, intended to be part of a drop-off job she had hoped would get her some money to complete her transition. Sent to pick up the briefcase is Vinnie, a screw-up who’s one misstep away from being subjected to the mafia’s wrath. With his life at stake, he’s desperate to pull off what should be a quick and easy job. The result of Pony’s unexpected intervention is a series of unanticipated and unfortunate events.",[25,11646,11647],{},"A story like this deserves a cast like no other, and there are more than enough fine actors cast in this film to help bring this story to life. Making his leading debut in the role of Pony is Shawn Driscoll, best known for bit parts on television shows like “Freshman Dorm” and “The Monroes”, as well as stand-in roles for films like “Beowulf” and “Prom Night”. Although his portrayal of Frankie remains his only screen role, Craig Olsen still stands out as the co-host of “The Craig and Robbie Hour” on Global Voice Broadcasting Radio. “General Hospital” regular Ronnie Marmo plays Vinnie, and legendary TV actor Ron Hunter plays Nicky, the crime boss who puts the events of the plot in motion and inadvertently causes the three main characters to come together.",[25,11649,11650,11651,9349],{},"There’s never a time when a good light-hearted comedy would come in handy when easing one of their troubles, and “Pop Kowboy” fits the bill to a T. While not without its emotional dramatic moments, particularly those involving Frankie (whose struggles as a transwoman can be easily identified with by many), the film is first and foremost a comedy, and a hilarious one as well. Those interested can access the film at the Indie Movie Store ",[47,11652,9472],{"href":11653,"rel":11654},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fpop-kowboy\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11656},[],"2020-04-02",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-pop-kowboy",{"title":11636,"description":11641},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-pop-kowboy","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-pop-kowboy","8b7LeHbPzo4li7IalJsn76m5lWp1BaHd_BmDbZ2XtmM",{"id":11665,"title":11666,"body":11667,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11714,"description":11671,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11715,"navigation":71,"path":11716,"seo":11717,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11718,"stem":11719,"__hash__":11720},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwho-is-the-mpaa-how-every-american-film-release-relies-on-the-judgment-of-nine-people.md","Who is the MPAA? How Every American Film Release Relies on the Judgment of Nine People",{"type":22,"value":11668,"toc":11712},[11669,11672,11675,11678,11681,11684,11687,11690,11693,11696,11699,11702,11705],[25,11670,11671],{},"When looking at the various ratings given to films released in the United States by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), it can be quite perplexing as to how a film is rated and why, especially when it comes to films given different ratings despite being targeted at the same general audiences. Take two releases from 2018: the superhero blockbuster “Venom” and the indie teen drama “Eighth Grade”. The former tells the story of a man who becomes attached to an alien parasite that requires him to murder people for sustinence; the latter revolves around the real-life struggles of an insecure eighth grade girl. From those descriptions, one would assume that, despite both films being aimed at a teenage audience, “Venom” would have a more restrictive rating than “Eighth Grade”.",[25,11673,11674],{},"The exact opposite is true. Despite containing multiple scenes depicted intense action, brutal acts of violence, and other forms of disturbing imagery, “Venom” was only given a PG-13 rating. In contrast, “Eighth Grade” is significantly tamer when it comes to the events it depicts, yet due to (according to the MPAA) one too many uses of specific language, the film is rated R. To many comparing the two, these ratings come across as absurd. Why is a realistic depiction of teenage life considered less suitable for younger audiences than a seemingly endless string of murder and violence?",[25,11676,11677],{},"Unfortunately, this is par for the course when it comes to MPAA ratings. For whatever reason, violence tends to be graded less harshly in movies than other subject matters like sex, language, and drugs. In fact, according to a 2017 study, the amount of violence in PG-13-rated films has surpassed that of violence in R-rated films. Yet when it comes to sex or language, which many consider less psychologically damaging than violence, the MPAA will often impose higher ratings for lower amounts of such content. While a PG-13 rating will allow for a single use of the f-word (and even then, only if it’s not used in a sexual context), any more will immediately bump the rating up to R. This is the case with “Eighth Grade”, which passed this limit and ended up receiving an R, despite otherwise meeting all the standards of a film that a PG-13 (or perhaps even PG) rating would be appropriate for?",[25,11679,11680],{},"Why is there such a consistently negative bias when it comes to how the MPAA rates the films they are given? How are these films even rated in the first place? And who is it that decides what rating a film gets and for what reasons? Given the large number of films submitted to the MPAA each year, from a major blockbuster like “Avengers: Endgame” to a minor indie like “Honey Boy”, one would think there would be at least hundreds, if not thousands, of people involved with the ratings board, each member coming from a different background and possessing different values that might influence how they view certain subject matter. One would think that so many varying opinions would allow for each film submitted to receive a more fair and nuanced rating.",[25,11682,11683],{},"The reality is of significantly smaller scale however, and to an alarming degree as well. A 2018 report by the Los Angeles Times revealed that the MPAA ratings board consisted of nine members - five women and four men, all of whom are parents to children between the ages of five and twenty-one. This number can rise to as high as thirteen and as low as eight in a given year, meaning that the MPAA has, on average, around ten or eleven people rating every film to be released in the United States. This is a problem.",[25,11685,11686],{},"What is most troubling about how the MPAA ratings board is composed is how there is very little information disclosed about these board members apart from their gender, parental status, primary career, and native state (with the most recent board hailing from states including Hawaii and Ohio). Because of this limited amount of information accessible to the public, it raises questions about how diverse these people are and how those factors influence what ratings they vote to give a movie.",[25,11688,11689],{},"Two such factors relating to the diversity of the MPAA ratings board are race and sexual orientation, and when it comes to a film like “Moonlight”, the 2016 winner of the Best Picture Oscar, both of these factors can have an impact on how each board member might have judged its content. “Moonlight”, a coming-of-age story of a young gay black man living in Miami, was, as determined by the MPAA, rated “R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout”. While it’s hard to argue that the film doesn’t contain any form of sex, language, or drug use, what is more debatable is whether or not these kinds of content are prevalent enough for an R rating, and the background of an MPAA rater can influence this. On the one hand, a white heterosexual conservative might be more biased against the film’s subject matter and therefore want to give the film the highest rating possible. On the other hand, someone who is black or a member of the LGBT community, someone more likely to identify with the characters and story, may want to impose a lower rating to increase access to a larger number of people.",[25,11691,11692],{},"If there was greater knowledge of how diverse the MPAA ratings board is, then there would be less concern as to what mindset is used to determine the rating of a given film. As is though, the lack of background information provided leaves only assumptions as to who these people are. For all that is known, the MPAA ratings board is likely to be made up of only white heterosexual conservatives, people who may be biased when it comes to films revolving around characters who do not share their background.",[25,11694,11695],{},"A more conservative mindset might also explain why certain subjects like sex and violence are judged to such dramatically different degrees. While not exactly the same from person to person, many conservatives tend to hold the view that any sexual content is inherently bad, whereas violence (as long as it’s considered “good” or necessary) is more acceptable. Of course, this is a very simple interpretation of this viewpoint, as many other factors should be taken into consideration, including as the graphic detail a specific act or the severity of such an act’s consequences. Still, even with these factors in mind, the general conservative perspective when it comes to judging film content is “violence good, sex bad”.",[25,11697,11698],{},"If the general stance of the MPAA ratings board does lean more heavily towards a conservative bias, that would explain why even films aimed at the youngest of audiences are still given ratings that, while not too restrictive, are arguably higher than necessary. Last year’s animated Christmas film “Klaus”, for example, is rated “PG for rude humor and mild action”. While it’s not unreasonable to take action and humor into account when it comes to ratings, even a PG rating seems to be a bit much for a film targeted towards all ages. Is a single chase scene or a quick fart joke enough for the film to require parental guidance in order for their children to watch it? Many would say no, but this is not the case according to the MPAA. Such reasoning has resulted in the G rating going nearly extinct, with only one major release, Disney\u002FPixar’s “Toy Story 4” being the sole major release to receive this lowest rating.",[25,11700,11701],{},"It should be clear by this point that MPAA ratings are questionable at best and undeservingly harsh at worst. The fact that there are so few people giving input for these ratings only makes this situation even more frustrating, as does the lack of available information that lets people know who it is that is deciding who is rating the movies they watch. When there is the same number of people in the council of a single city like Seattle as there is the number of people judging hundreds of movies intended to be shown across the entire country, the process in which these movies are being graded starts to look considerably less fair.",[25,11703,11704],{},"So what is the solution? While there’s no guarantee that the MPAA rating system can be fixed in an instant, there are three things that could hold the key to rating films on a more reasonable level: numbers, diversity, and public awareness. Not only should there be significantly more people hired to rate films, but this increased number of people should reflect a greater variety of race, religion, sexuality, and so on. Revealing too much information about these people to the public can be a privacy concern, but this should not prevent the MPAA from disclosing its demographics. Those who see films should have the right to know who is rating them.",[25,11706,11707,11708,11711],{},"The push for diversity is something that just about every aspect of the film industry still struggles with. If the MPAA does, as CEO Charles Rivkin claims, “capture what America is thinking ",[364,11709,11710],{},"and"," listen to its consumers”, it needs to prove it.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11713},[],"2020-03-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwho-is-the-mpaa-how-every-american-film-release-relies-on-the-judgment-of-nine-people",{"title":11666,"description":11671},"who-is-the-mpaa-how-every-american-film-release-relies-on-the-judgment-of-nine-people","blog\u002Fwho-is-the-mpaa-how-every-american-film-release-relies-on-the-judgment-of-nine-people","ecf-fXwkMrB2GAV7-0YuRSAvFoWF6BdwDX314S8gR00",{"id":11722,"title":11723,"body":11724,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11756,"description":11728,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11757,"navigation":71,"path":11758,"seo":11759,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11760,"stem":11761,"__hash__":11762},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-nightingale.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “The Nightingale”",{"type":22,"value":11725,"toc":11754},[11726,11729,11732,11735],[25,11727,11728],{},"While it may be hard to think positive during a time of worldwide pandemic, one effect of the Coronavirus that one might call an upside is how the crisis is bringing families closer together. As quarantine orders grow and encourage millions across the globe to remain in their homes, families are coming together to get through this time of great suffering together. The bond between family members is a bond like no other, and often, family members will go to extreme lengths if it means supporting the people they love. One can see another example of such a bond in the subject of today’s discussion, the Chinese-French co-production, “The Nightingale”.",[25,11730,11731],{},"Directed by French director Phillip Muyl (who also crafted the screenplay with writer Ning Ning), this Mandarin Chinese language film stars Li Bao Tian as Zhu Zhi Gen, an elderly widow and the grandfather of young Ren Xing, played by Xin Yi Yang. In order to uphold a promise he made to his deceased wife, Zhi Gen begins a journey across China towards the village where his wife had grown up. In his hands is a cage with a bird, the titular nightingale, which he intends to release upon reaching the village. Joining him on the journey is Xing, whose spoiled, big-city-raised personality provides a source of stress for her weathered, rural-raised grandfather. Nonetheless, the two grow closer over the course of their journey, and they come to discover new values they never considered before.",[25,11733,11734],{},"Submitted by China for a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, “The Nightingale” was ultimately denied a nomination, but has found success at various other awards and festivals around the world. At the 2014 China Australia International Film Festival, the film was given a Jury Award for Best Picture and lead actor Li Bao Tian was given the award for Best Actor. Li was given the same award at the Minsk International Film Festival’s Children and Youth Films Competition that same year, as well as the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2014. In addition, the film was the Audience Choice Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival, and was nominated in the same category at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.",[25,11736,11737,11738,8485,11742,8485,11746,9343,11750,9349],{},"It’s hard to argue that the relationship between a grandparent and their grandchild is anything but special, and “The Nightingale” only provides further evidence as to how meaningful such a bond can be for both individuals. In a time when many are deeply concerned about the well-being of their families (especially family members who have reached senior status), it’s more important than ever to reflect on how much our loved ones mean to us. This film is an excellent tool for doing so, and those interested can access the film on a variety of digital platforms, including ",[47,11739,11504],{"href":11740,"rel":11741},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.vudu.com\u002Fmovies\u002F#!content\u002F743704\u002FThe-Nightingale",[51],[47,11743,10707],{"href":11744,"rel":11745},"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fus\u002Fmovie\u002Fthe-nightingale\u002Fid1074507177?at=1001l6hu&ct=gca_organic_movie-title_1074507177",[51],[47,11747,11522],{"href":11748,"rel":11749},"https:\u002F\u002Fplay.google.com\u002Fstore\u002Fmovies\u002Fdetails?id=RI358E12ziI",[51],[47,11751,11513],{"href":11752,"rel":11753},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=RI358E12ziI",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11755},[],"2020-03-26",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-nightingale",{"title":11723,"description":11728},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-the-nightingale","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-nightingale","AN3Nj9or7bm6nc9kQ0H8kPGlEJlhi7gswSHRJWiplKc",{"id":11764,"title":11765,"body":11766,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11788,"description":11770,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11789,"navigation":71,"path":11790,"seo":11791,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11792,"stem":11793,"__hash__":11794},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-applause.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Applause”",{"type":22,"value":11767,"toc":11786},[11768,11771,11774,11777],[25,11769,11770],{},"What kind of roles should an actor pursue if they want a shot at garnering critical acclaim? In many cases, an actor can be lauded for playing a character who, in the context of the fictional narrative, is an actor (either a real-life actor or one who is entirely fictional) themselves. Perhaps it’s because actors already feel some kind of personal connection to characters who are actors, but in many cases, actors who play actors frequently create strong performances that are difficult to not notice. A most recent example of this trend is Renee Zellweger, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of legendary actor Judy Garland in the biopic “Judy”. However, of the films distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures, there is none that demonstrates the finest of actors portraying actors than the film that made Paprika Steen a much talked about name, the Danish film “Applause”.",[25,11772,11773],{},"Steen portrays Thea Barfoed, a stage actress who is just as capable of gaining adoration from critics as she is succumbing to her alcoholism. Her instability has led to her being divorced from her husband Christian and losing custody of her two sons. Desperate to get her life back to normal, she uses her skills as an actress to try to manipulate her now ex-husband into giving her access to her children. It seems like a surefire plan, but like most surefire plans, it’s not nearly as easy as she expects. What follows is a reflection of the character Thea plays, the aggressive and wounded wife Martha of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, as Thea contends with much of the same drama and toxicity that her character experiences. With the pressure of both her past and the demands of the stage pushing down on her, Thea is forced to face her demons, ultimately realizing that she’s more fitted to living as an actress than she is to living as a person.",[25,11775,11776],{},"To say Steen’s performance in the film was well received would be an understatement. Roger Ebert called Steen’s acting “extraordinary”, while Los Angeles Times’ Betsy Sharkley called it “deeply affecting… unflinchingly real”. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly claimed that “Steen brings a thrilling emotional nakedness and… unsentimental honesty to the part”, and New York Times critic Karen Durbin called Steen’s performance “one of the best screen performances of the year”. On the international festival circuit, this acclaim translated into multiple awards for Steen. Her Best Actress wins for this performance include awards from the Nashville Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic (where the film premiered), and the Mumbai International Film Festival. Steen was even named Best Actress at the Robert Awards (Denmark’s equivalent of the Academy Awards), and she was also considered a major contender for (though ultimately unable to obtain) a Best Actress nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards.",[25,11778,11779,11780,11785],{},"These are just some of the examples of how Paprika Steen’s unmatchable performance has made “Applause” a must-watch for film enthusiasts. This is not to say that the other talents behind the film don’t deserve to be recognized as well. In fact, this film marks the directorial debut of Martin Zandvliet, whose 2015 film “Land of Mine” would go on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Still, if nothing else, Steen’s acting is more than enough to make “Applause” worthy of viewing. Those interested can access the film here on ",[47,11781,11784],{"href":11782,"rel":11783},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kinolorber.com\u002Ffilm\u002Fapplause",[51],"Kino Lorber"," and other websites.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11787},[],"2020-03-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-applause",{"title":11765,"description":11770},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-applause","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-applause","eS6lqC6iPT875m6PrE8kkYBpYDUFy1V1wa2LmjMieQk",{"id":11796,"title":11797,"body":11798,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11829,"description":11802,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11830,"navigation":71,"path":11831,"seo":11832,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11833,"stem":11834,"__hash__":11835},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcoronavirus-continues-its-conquest-on-cinema.md","Coronavirus Continues Its Conquest on Cinema",{"type":22,"value":11799,"toc":11827},[11800,11803,11806,11809,11812,11815,11818,11821,11824],[25,11801,11802],{},"If the previous weeks were a sign that the COVID-19, more commonly known as the Coronavirus, was here to stay for a while and take its toll on the world at large, then this most recent week has only made the threat of the virus all the more apparent. Multiple countries are shutting down, partially or even entirely. In the state of California, governor Gavin Newsom passed sweeping measures that restrict public activity to reduce the disease’s spread. Even Disneyland, the self-declared “happiest place on earth” that has only closed its gates on very rare occasions, has announced that it will remain closed for the remainder of the month (if not further).",[25,11804,11805],{},"To the surprise of no one, every part of the global economy has been affected to a certain degree, and this could not be more true for the film industry. With more people remaining confined to their homes, theater attendance has plummeted, and studios are looking to other means in order to make up for some of its lost revenue. In particular, Hollywood has put greater emphasis on streaming and other forms of home releasing.",[25,11807,11808],{},"It was just recently that Regal Cinemas, the second largest theater chain in the United States (owning over 500 theaters), announced that it will close all its locations until further notice starting Tuesday, March 17th. Other theater chains have also taken measures to reduce how many people are coming to their facilities; AMC, for example, has restricted the number of moviegoers per showing to fifty, a significantly smaller number than the hundreds that can usually fill a given auditorium. However, with Regal closing all of its doors, there’s no reason not to expect the other major chains to follow suit.",[25,11810,11811],{},"Theaters aren’t the only part of the film industry having to make major cancellations though. Some of this year’s most highly anticipated releases have had their opening dates pushed back so that they are not immediately affected by the Coronavirus. Much like James Bond’s “No Time to Die”, which will now be released in November as opposed to its original April date, films like “A Quiet Place: Part II” and “F9”, the newest entry in the “Fast and the Furious” series, will no longer be released as originally intended. “F9” has been pushed back over a year (now set to come out in April 2021), and no new date has been made for “A Quiet Place: Part II” to come out. Even Disney, which set box office revenue records last year, has removed its live-action “Mulan” remake, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry “Black Widow”, and “The New Mutants”, a film plagued by far too many release date changes, from their March 27th and April 3rd openings.",[25,11813,11814],{},"Even the production of many feature films has come to a halt in order to keep the spread of the Coronavirus to a minimum. Recently, Warner Brothers announced that it will delay production of “The Batman”, its next cinematic interpretation of the Caped Crusader, for at least two weeks, as it has with other upcoming blockbusters like “The Matrix 4” and “Fantastic Beasts 3”. This trend continues among the other major studios, with Disney, Paramount, and Sony also shutting down the majority of its film productions until it can be safe to resume.",[25,11816,11817],{},"With theaters being all but unreliable for the time being, Hollywood has turned to the likes of video on demand and streaming to give moviegoers their fill without having them go out to the theaters. Of the major studios, Universal is the first to make most of its recent productions available for home viewing. Starting this week, Universal films like “The Hunt” and “The Invisible Man” (as well as its indie label Focus Features’ “Emma”), which had been released in theaters earlier this year, will be made available to watch on demand, dramatically decreasing the theatrical window for all these films. In addition, the upcoming animated DreamWorks film, “Trolls: World Tour”, will be released on demand the same time as it is in theaters (should there be any theaters remaining open come the film’s set release date).",[25,11819,11820],{},"While Disney has yet to make similar announcements with its own recent releases, including the animated Pixar film “Onward” (which currently tops the weekend box office with an appalling $10 million weekend gross), it has opted to bring films already set for home release to consumers even sooner than initially planned. As announced earlier this week, films like “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will be available on digital platforms later this week, and should Universal’s model be effective, one might be able to expect films like “The Call of the Wild”, made by Disney’s newly acquired 20th Century Studios, to be available for home release even quicker than anticipated.",[25,11822,11823],{},"And then there are streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu. Although these companies are, much like the major film studios, unable to produce new content at the moment, there is still an endless selection of films and television series available to view. These platforms are constantly adding new content to be watched, and even the Coronavirus won’t stop this trend from carrying on. In the case of Netflix, films like “Silver Linings Playbook” and the most recent seasons of television series like “Black Lightning” will be made available to watch this week. Even our own “The Nightingale” is currently available to stream on several different platforms.",[25,11825,11826],{},"Will video on demand and streaming be the savior for studios in a time when theatrical productions and releases must be kept to a minimum in order to limit the spread of this disease? Unfortunately no; whatever studios earn from home releases will not be enough to recoup the billions of dollars expected to be lost due to the Coronavirus. Still, with people being confined to their homes and needing something to keep them occupied, the film industry must do whatever it can to keep its own losses as low as possible while also ensuring that consumers don’t have to risk infection in order to view their latest releases. This is a no-win scenario for just about everybody, but when dealing with such a situation, one must do whatever is possible to ensure that there is as little to lose as possible.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11828},[],"2020-03-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcoronavirus-continues-its-conquest-on-cinema",{"title":11797,"description":11802},"coronavirus-continues-its-conquest-on-cinema","blog\u002Fcoronavirus-continues-its-conquest-on-cinema","-ppjDvJAA06nXe4f2daMwb71juMr1hOZODLSy0DuskY",{"id":11837,"title":11838,"body":11839,"category":901,"coverImage":12,"date":11879,"description":11843,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11880,"navigation":71,"path":11881,"seo":11882,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11883,"stem":11884,"__hash__":11885},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fso-much-for-sxsw-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-cinema.md","So Much for SXSW: How the Coronavirus Is Affecting Cinema",{"type":22,"value":11840,"toc":11877},[11841,11844,11847,11850,11853,11856,11859,11862,11865,11868,11871,11874],[25,11842,11843],{},"image from Techcrunch.com",[25,11845,11846],{},"Last month, Hollywood found itself in a state like nothing they’ve experienced before when “Parasite”, a South Korean film from director Bong Joon-ho, infected the award season to become the first foreign language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Over a month later, the film industry finds itself at odds with another parasite - albeit one with a much bigger and much more concerning impact. Its name: the COVID-19 virus, or as it is commonly called, the Coronavirus. Originating in Wuhan, China and spreading throughout the globe, the Coronavirus has already taken the lives of hundreds and infected thousands more around the world. As one would expect, the prevalence of the disease has taken a major toll on the global economy, and the film industry has become one of its most notable victims.",[25,11848,11849],{},"On March 7th, 2020, the mayor of Austin, Texas, Steve Adler, announced a state of emergency in the city and ordered the cancellation of South by Southwest (SXSW), Austin’s annual arts, music, and technology festival. One of SXSW’s biggest highlights is its major film festival, which has seen the premieres of many noteworthy films like “Bridesmaids”, “The Cabin in the Woods”, and “Furious 7”. The film festival has also provided access for countless independent films, allowing them to potentially be picked up by prominent distributors and given more exposure for widespread theatrical releasing.",[25,11851,11852],{},"None of that will happen this year, however. With the cancellation of SXSW, many of the films set to premiere at the festival will have to look elsewhere in order to make their debuts. Unfortunately, the spread of the Coronavirus has only made other festivals just as susceptible to cancellation. In fact, many sources claim that if things don’t take a turn for the better soon, then the Cannes Film Festival, said by many to be cinema’s most prestigious film festival, could be cancelled as well.",[25,11854,11855],{},"Film festivals are only one aspect of the film industry that is being affected by the Coronavirus. More concerning to Hollywood is the massive decrease in box office revenue it has received compared to previous years, especially internationally. Case and point: China, a nation that has seen unprecedented box office growth over the past decade, so much so that many claim that it will soon surpass the United States to become the largest source of box office revenue in the world. With the impact of the Coronavirus, however, that might not happen as quickly as previously expected.",[25,11857,11858],{},"Unlike in the United States and other nations, Chinese movie theaters are under the direct control of the country’s communist government; this allows the government to impose whatever laws and restrictions onto these businesses if they wish to do so. The outbreak of the Coronavirus has made this control incredibly clear. In early February, right as the Coronavirus was starting to emerge, China ordered that all major movie theaters to be closed until further notice. This has made it impossible for Chinese moviegoers to go out to the movies, and for film studios to earn money from Chinese audiences.",[25,11860,11861],{},"For Hollywood, this has proven to be a major concern. The American film industry has become increasingly reliant on Chinese box office as a result of declining ticket sales domestically, and with the Coronavirus shutting down the grand majority of the nation’s theaters, Hollywood has been unable to earn that much needed income. Many films set to premiere in China have either been cancelled or postponed indefinitely; among the most significant films affected by such postponements are Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan”, a film set in China and starring actors of mainly Chinese background (in other words, a film seemingly designed specifically to attract Chinese moviegoers), and the next James Bond film “No Time to Die”, which has actually pushed its international release to November solely because of the Coronavirus.",[25,11863,11864],{},"China isn’t the only nation that has had to take action due to the Coronavirus. Just recently, Italy expanded quarantine to the entire country, putting all of its people and businesses on lockdown, including its movie theaters. While perhaps not as big of a blow to Hollywood revenue as China, this is still one less source of revenue for the film industry to draw from. With more and more countries taking more drastic measures to limit the spread of the disease, Hollywood could see the number of markets to draw revenue from only decrease with the passage of time.",[25,11866,11867],{},"Even here in the United States, there is speculation that the Coronavirus is deterring potential audiences from going out to the movies. This weekend saw the release of Disney and Pixar’s newest animated feature “Onward”. Whereas previous Pixar films have generally landed an opening weekend of anywhere between $60 and $100 million dollars, “Onward” finished its opening weekend with just under $40 million, a disappointing start for the multi-million dollar production. While many factors can be attributed to the film’s lower-than-expected opening, it’s hard to argue that fear of the Coronavirus may have played a role to some degree.",[25,11869,11870],{},"So what’s going to happen then? The Coronavirus has only gotten more prevalent throughout the world as the weeks go by, and government responses have only become more extreme. At this point, to say that the film industry will face great difficulty in making up for lost time is a major understatement, and when many of the major markets will open back up remains uncertain. For all anybody knows, this could be a crisis that continues over the course of the entire year.",[25,11872,11873],{},"Then again, maybe that’s for the best. At the end of the day, the health and safety of the general public should be the biggest priority, and whatever measures can be taken to protect the people should be taken into consideration. That is why China, Italy, and other nations are going to such great lengths to combat the Coronavirus; they are doing whatever they can to protect their people. Yes, this will result in major economic losses throughout the world, but if means keeping the number of casualties from this disease to a minimum, then economic impact should not be the first thing on the governments’ minds.",[25,11875,11876],{},"What is happening to the film industry right now may be alarming, but it pales in comparison to the impact the Coronavirus is having on people’s health.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11878},[],"2020-03-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fso-much-for-sxsw-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-cinema",{"title":11838,"description":11843},"so-much-for-sxsw-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-cinema","blog\u002Fso-much-for-sxsw-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-cinema","pX0Nm7lBc1dVU0Uq_EQtI45r3XUl9o4Dj73nG1dl4E8",{"id":11887,"title":11888,"body":11889,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11914,"description":11893,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11915,"navigation":71,"path":11916,"seo":11917,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11918,"stem":11919,"__hash__":11920},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: “Red Roses and Petrol”",{"type":22,"value":11890,"toc":11912},[11891,11894,11897,11900],[25,11892,11893],{},"While his name may not be the first to pop up in people’s heads when they hear “world-famous actor”, it’s hard to deny the impact that English actor Malcolm McDowell has had on the world of cinema. Making a name for himself with his portrayal of Alex DeLarge, the villainous protagonist of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”, McDowell has since built a long and respectable career as an actor, taking on such roles as H.G. Wells in the sci-fi cult classic “Time After Time”, Dr. Samuel Loomis in the 2007 remake of “Halloween” (as well as its sequel), and most recently, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch in the Fox News biopic “Bombshell”. Having a name as acclaimed as McDowell’s be a part of one of our films is a tremendous honor, which is why World Wide Motion Pictures would like to take this time to discuss a film of ours that would not be as strong as it is without Malcolm McDowell (not only as an actor, but also as an associate producer), 2003’s “Red Roses and Petrol”.",[25,11895,11896],{},"Taking place in Dublin, Ireland, the film revolves around the family of McDowell’s character, the recently deceased Enda Doyle. As the family gathers for Enda’s funeral, its dysfunctional nature begins to show as each family member scours through a series of video diaries meant to shed some light on Enda as a person. As the family (and the audience) learns more and more about Enda’s history, the relationships within increasingly sour, and the emotional twists and turns that ensue only make Enda a more complex and mysterious figure.",[25,11898,11899],{},"Throughout its run in the film festival circuit, “Red Roses and Petrol” has received its share of many awards and other forms of recognition. Its most distinguished honor was first prize at the Avignon Film Festival in Avignon, France, and it was also named a runner up at the Westwood Film Festival in Los Angeles. Among the other festivals the film was shown in are the Deauville Film Festival in Deauville, France; the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles; the Irish Film Festival in Boston; the Newport Beach Film Festival in Newport Beach, California; the Toronto Film Festival in Toronto, and the Palm Springs Film Festival in Palm Springs.",[25,11901,11902,11903,11907,11908,9349],{},"With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, there’s no better time to take a look at what Irish cinema has to offer, and “Red Roses and Petrol” is the perfect place to start. As the film is set in Ireland and contains multiple cast and crew members of Irish descent (most notably Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs, who provide the soundtrack), there’s no argument that the film thrives on Irish culture, and can be a great place to learn more about Ireland beyond the common stereotypes. Those interested can buy or rent “Red Roses and Petrol” ",[47,11904,9472],{"href":11905,"rel":11906},"https:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com\u002Fproduct\u002Fred-roses-and-petrol\u002F",[51],", and those still curious about what the film has to offer can learn more about it from its website ",[47,11909,9472],{"href":11910,"rel":11911},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.redrosesandpetrol.com\u002F",[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11913},[],"2020-03-12",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol",{"title":11888,"description":11893},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-red-roses-and-petrol","-g2-8_NwSezVgWO5u7HtdL7yEl9sFrzqgbqdl9LWyvI",{"id":11922,"title":11923,"body":11924,"category":2633,"coverImage":12,"date":11988,"description":11989,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":11990,"navigation":71,"path":11991,"seo":11992,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":11993,"stem":11994,"__hash__":11995},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-road-to-mother.md","WWMPC Film Spotlight: \"The Road to Mother\"",{"type":22,"value":11925,"toc":11986},[11926,11939,11945,11948,11951,11954,11957,11967,11974,11980],[25,11927,11928,11929,11932,11933,11936,11937,9349],{},"Between the late 1910’s and the early 1990’s, the Soviet Union was a major superpower with a significant amount of power and influence over much of the world. Made up of Russia and several other formerly independent nations, The Soviet Union is no stranger when it comes to film. From ",[486,11930,11931],{},"Battleship Potemkin"," to ",[486,11934,11935],{},"Rocky IV",", Soviet history, ideology, and relationships with foreign countries have long been the subject of multiple works of cinema. Yet one aspect of the Soviet Union - its influence on the nations it has annexed - has not received nearly as much focus, despite there being several of these smaller states. Perhaps this was something Kazakh director Akan Satayev desired to change with his 2015 historical epic, ",[486,11938,10896],{},[25,11940,11941,11942,11944],{},"Covering much of Kazakhstan’s history throughout the twentieth century, ",[486,11943,10896],{}," centers around a man named Ilyas, played by Adil Akhmetov, and his journey through life in search of his family. As a child, Ilyas is kidnapped and separated from his mother Mariam (Altynai Nogherbek) as a result of the Soviet government’s imposition of collectivization farming onto the nomadic people of Kazakhstan. Throughout the film, Ilyas goes to great lengths to reunite with his mother, and while there are many close calls, the events depicted prevent mother and son from coming back together so easily. It’s through this journey that we are able to look at the nation of Kazakhstan and its involvement with the Soviet Union through the eyes of Ilyas and his family.",[25,11946,11947],{},"From its opening scene, which contains a long scroll of text describing Kazakh history prior to the twentieth century, the film is very clear in its intention to be an encapsulation of Kazakhstan and what it has gone through over the course of several decades. While the story of Ilyas and his mother is fictional, the events depicted in the narrative do reflect real-life incidents that occurred throughout the nation’s history. Kazakhstan’s involvement in World War II is a major highlight",[25,11949,11950],{},"of the film’s historical overview, and at one point, Ilyas is even sent to Ukraine to fight as part of the Soviet army.",[25,11952,11953],{},"In a way, the emphasis on Kazakh history is every bit as important to the film as the main story of Ilyas and Mariam; considering those producing the film, that might not be a coincidence. The film was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a branch of the Kazakh government that serves to promote the nation and its values through art and culture. With this in mind, the film’s historical content becomes much more understandable. After all, what better way is there to educate the citizens of a nation than with a moving narrative that spans across the nation’s history?",[25,11955,11956],{},"That being said, this does not mean there is no merit to the central tale revolving around the bond between mother and child. For all the film does to patriotically showcase Kazakhstan and its history, it still manages to possess a strong heart that grounds the narrative in personal emotion that just about anyone can relate to. From the bond Ilyas forms with the head of an orphanage to Mariam’s vigil that allows her to retain faith that her son will return to her one day, there is never a point where the film loses track of the human story at its center.",[25,11958,11959,11960,11962,11963,11966],{},"Looking at ",[486,11961,10896],{},", one can’t help but be reminded of the 1939 film ",[486,11964,11965],{},"The Wizard of Oz",". This makes sense narratively; much like Dorothy and her desire to return home to her family in Kansas, Ilyas’ primary objective is to return home to his own family. The obstacles he faces may not be nearly as fantastical as winged monkeys, but his journey is every bit as dangerous and challenging. What’s even more noticeable about the film’s similarities to Oz is how the film employs color choice in its cinematography. As it takes place during several different periods of time, the film gives each time period its own color spectrum to distinguish each period from the others. Color is used for scenes in the present day, whereas past events are shown in either black and white or sepia.",[25,11968,11969,11970,11973],{},"This is one of the techniques director Akan Satayev and cinematographer Khassan Kydyraliev use to show the grand scale of their film. Vast landscapes and epic battles are common throughout the film, and the cinematography is put to full use in order to make these moments feel epic and engaging. Shooting the film in a widescreen format akin to ",[486,11971,11972],{},"Lawrence of Arabia"," was certainly the right choice for this movie; framing these scenes with a more compressed screen width would restrict the visual quantity of any given shot, therefore making the scene less appealing on an aesthetic level.",[25,11975,11976,11977,11979],{},"In 2017, Kazakhstan submitted ",[486,11978,10896],{}," as its contender for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. While the film would ultimately fail to earn a nomination, one can understand why Kazakhstan thought it would be strong enough for such recognition. There’s a",[25,11981,11982,11983,11985],{},"sense of universality in the film’s central story of a son’s decades-long journey to find his mother, and the historical content relating to Kazakhstan and its history with the Soviet Union gives insight into a nation that most might not be familiar with. There are numerous kinds of people that would likely find interest in this film. Whether one is a history buff, a veteran, a parent with a strained relationship with their child (or vice versa), or anywhere in between, there’s no denying that ",[486,11984,10896],{}," has something for everybody. Starting May 26th, those who are interested can find it on streaming, VOD, Blu-ray\u002FDVD, and other non-theatrical release platforms.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":11987},[],"2020-03-06","Between the late 1910’s and the early 1990’s, the Soviet Union was a major superpower with a significant amount of power and influence over much of the world. Made up of Russia and several other formerly independent nations, The Soviet Union is no stranger when it comes to film. From Battleship Potemkin to Rocky IV, Soviet history, ideology, and relationships with foreign countries have long been the subject of multiple works of cinema. Yet one aspect of the Soviet Union - its influence on the nations it has annexed - has not received nearly as much focus, despite there being several of these smaller states. Perhaps this was something Kazakh director Akan Satayev desired to change with his 2015 historical epic, The Road to Mother.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-road-to-mother",{"title":11923,"description":11989},"wwmpc-film-spotlight-the-road-to-mother","blog\u002Fwwmpc-film-spotlight-the-road-to-mother","xK28ck0hpCkIWRR_JkOMiSe0TDHA7UKhPNkLJq5A6mM",{"id":11997,"title":11998,"body":11999,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12050,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12051,"navigation":71,"path":12052,"seo":12053,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12054,"stem":12055,"__hash__":12056},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdubbing-vs-subtitles-which-is-better-for-film-watching.md","Dubbing vs. Subtitles: Which is Better for Film Watching?",{"type":22,"value":12000,"toc":12048},[12001,12006,12009,12012,12015,12018,12021,12024,12027,12030,12033,12036,12039,12042,12045],[25,12002,12003],{},[3341,12004],{"alt":64,"src":12005},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002FENofEn8VAAAh_fi.jpg",[25,12007,12008],{},"As the first film made outside the United States and the English language to receive the highly coveted Academy Award for Best Picture, Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” has sparked an interest in foreign films that had not been seen often in the years prior, with more and more people coming to see what it is about this work of South Korean cinema that has won the hearts of Academy voters. In doing so, some of these moviegoers are having to contend with the one thing that has kept them (and others) away from foreign language films: subtitles.",[25,12010,12011],{},"As “Parasite” is a South Korean film, its actors speak entirely in the Korean language. Because of this, audiences outside of South Korea have had to rely on subtitles that translate the film’s",[25,12013,12014],{},"dialogue into their own native language. While reading these subtitles is of concern to many, some have questioned why the filmmakers don’t just re-record dialogue so that it’s in the language that the audience speaks themselves. Why make people read the screen when they can just hear the film in a language they can understand?",[25,12016,12017],{},"This is the question at the heart of an ongoing debate about how one should view foreign films. Which is the better method: dubbing, having native actors record dialogue translated from one language to another, or subtitles, displaying the translated dialogue as text near the bottom of the screen?",[25,12019,12020],{},"Perhaps it’s best to begin this discussion by defending the technique of dubbing and how it fulfills the shortcomings of subtitles. The biggest difference between subtitles and dubbing is the sense used to interpret what is being said. Dubbing is heard, and subtitles are seen, and given that film is a predominantly visual medium, this can be a problem when it comes to paying attention. When there is so much being shown on the screen at a given time, and it’s critical that audiences see what is happening in order to understand the scene, subtitles can be a distraction. For some, it may be too difficult to comprehend what is going on at a given point in the movie when they are constantly having to look away from the action and characters in order to figure out what it is they are saying.",[25,12022,12023],{},"With dubbing, this is no issue. Because the sound in now in an understandable language, these same people can now pay greater attention to what is being shown on the screen, as they can now listen to whatever information is being conveyed without having to look away from the action. This is especially important when it comes to films aimed at a younger audience. Compared to adults and older audience members, children generally do not have particularly long attention spans, and if they are not fully captivated by what is in front of them, they may lose interest very quickly. Subtitles can be an immediate deal-breaker in this scenario; most children are more attentive to visuals and sound than they are to text, so when they constantly have to read in order to know what characters are saying, they may get frustrated and no longer want to watch.",[25,12025,12026],{},"This is something that Walt Disney Pictures attempted to avoid when acquiring the North American rights to the filmography of Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli in the early 2000’s. When releasing films like “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” to American audiences, Disney created brand new dubs for these films that translated the characters’ dialogue into the English language. This allowed the company to release the films in theaters and enable audiences to enjoy the films without having to be distracted by subtitles and\u002For unable to understand the films’ native Japanese language (although some screenings did offer the films in Japanese with English subtitles for those interested).",[25,12028,12029],{},"That being said, dubbing is an extremely difficult process that isn’t always pulled off particularly well. For one thing, the actors hired to record translated dialogue may not be able to give quality performances that match those of the actors in the original film. Combining a strong visual performance with a weak vocal performance can result in an uneven and unconvincing effect, making what was originally fairly solid in its native language significantly less engaging when spoken in a new one.",[25,12031,12032],{},"There’s also the issue of lip-synching that can make dubbing a challenge. Because lip movements differ greatly from language to language, finding the right words to match the lip movements of the characters while still retaining the original meaning of the dialogue is not always plausible, and audiences may be put off by how the spoken dialogue and the movement of the actors’ mouths do not line up exactly. When both this and the underwhelming vocal performances end up being a  problem, the result is a dub that is more laughable than it is loveable. All one needs to do is watch a random episode of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” to understand this issue; many of the films mocked on the show are foreign films dubbed (often very poorly) in the English language.",[25,12034,12035],{},"Even when the dub is of generally high quality, there may be some elements of the film’s original story that may not translate as well in a different language. While Disney’s dubs of Studio Ghibli films have strived to remain as faithful to the original versions as possible, some changes had to have been made to better suit an English-speaking audience. In doing so, they take away some culture-specific elements essential to how the films read in their native Japanese. For example, the films “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Princess Mononoke” reflect how Japanese culture tends to associate specific genders to animals regardless of a specific animal’s sex. “Kiki” portrays the male cat Jiji with a female voice (as cats are considered a more feminine animal), and in “Mononoke”, the female wolf Moro is given a male voice, in line with Japan’s view of the wolf as a masculine animal. In Disney’s English dubs however, all of this is ignored, and both animal characters are given voices more in line with their specific genders. While this may not ruin the films entirely, it does deprive them of some of their cultural background, meaning that audiences are not able to get an entirely authentic experience that Japanese speakers are able to.",[25,12037,12038],{},"With subtitles however, none of this is an issue. Apart from the display of translated text across the bottom of the screen, the original film remains mostly intact as they were when they were first completed. A filmmaker is able to retain their original vision for their film without having to make alterations that would be more acceptable to a foreign audience, so moviegoers that view a subtitled film will be able to see it exactly as it was originally intended. This may not be easy to appreciate when one is constantly having to look at the text on the bottom of the screen, but those who are able to find the right balance between reading subtitles and watching the visual action find themselves fully immersed in the cinematic experience being presented to them.",[25,12040,12041],{},"Another benefit of subtitles is how much they can help those with hearing impairments, who may not otherwise be fully capable of getting a full understanding of what they are watching even when the film was originally made in their native language. Because such people do not have the advantage of hearing everything being spoken, they are reliant mainly on visuals to help them understand what is happening, and often, the visuals alone are not enough for full comprehension. Subtitles, on the other hand, fill in the gaps for these people. By reading what the characters are saying, people with hearing disabilities can watch what is happening on screen and be able to interpret what is being said without having to use their ears to do so.",[25,12043,12044],{},"In a way, subtitles and other forms of on-screen text have always been useful in bridging the gap between a film and those who do not speak its language. In fact, during the silent era of cinema, films had no dialogue whatsoever, and whatever words needed to be conveyed were shown through intertitles, shots of text between visual scenes. This allowed moviegoers of all backgrounds to enjoy the medium of cinema regardless of their native language, especially immigrants who had not learned English and were able to adopt film as their primary source of art and entertainment. Even with the innovation of sound and other technological breakthroughs in the century since, the written word, when translated properly, has been an essential asset in helping break the language barrier for potential new audiences.",[25,12046,12047],{},"So which is better: dubbing or subtitles? At the end of the day, it depends on the person, the film, and a variety of other factors. While dubbing allows a viewer to watch a film with minimal distraction, subtitles allow a film to remain as it was originally envisioned. Every person has different tastes, and every film will only appeal to a specific number of tastes, and how subtitles or dubbing will influence those tastes varies dramatically in each situation.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12049},[],"2020-03-05",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdubbing-vs-subtitles-which-is-better-for-film-watching",{"title":11998,"description":64},"dubbing-vs-subtitles-which-is-better-for-film-watching","blog\u002Fdubbing-vs-subtitles-which-is-better-for-film-watching","mSpLA6C1XCvJU6Ov4GJA82x2iTA-uRLcKd4MeRFOFoU",{"id":12058,"title":12059,"body":12060,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":12073,"description":12064,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12074,"navigation":71,"path":12075,"seo":12076,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12077,"stem":12078,"__hash__":12079},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-news-report-mr-tony-miller.md","Special News Report – Mr. Tony Miller",{"type":22,"value":12061,"toc":12071},[12062,12065,12068],[25,12063,12064],{},"It is with great sadness that we report the passing of friend, associate, and genuine filmmaker, Tony Miller.",[25,12066,12067],{},"A veteran of the industry for over 40 years, Mr. Miller worked on a wide variety of feature films and numerous television productions. He edited over 30 films, including “The Last Man” and “Choosing Matthias.” He also produced 10 features films, 180 television commercials, a variety of music videos, as well as directed and edited video press kits. Mr. Miller was in charge of production for the Southern California-based companies Cinamerica Satellite Network and The Professionals Group, supervising a variety of different types of film and video productions. He also served in numerous production capacities for New World Pictures, United Artists, MGM, A&M Records, CBS, and Universal Pictures. He was the executive producer, editor, and post production supervisor for the Witchcraft series of feature films – the most successful direct-to-video film series ever produced. He won numerous awards, including the Houston World Fest Gold Award for the best dramatic picture as the co-producer and editor of the feature film “Dreamrider” with James Earl Jones. Mr. Miller was a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and was the head of the film and television department at the prestigious Harvard Westlake School in North Hollywood.",[25,12069,12070],{},"Mr. Miller served as an officer of the company since 1999 and will be deeply missed by his many colleagues at WWMPC.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12072},[],"2020-02-18",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-news-report-mr-tony-miller",{"title":12059,"description":12064},"special-news-report-mr-tony-miller","blog\u002Fspecial-news-report-mr-tony-miller","BeMV-1am6i376HHIlYUevfMfGDiY8D0MgjgbroyzufM",{"id":12081,"title":12082,"body":12083,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12200,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12201,"navigation":71,"path":12202,"seo":12203,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12204,"stem":12205,"__hash__":12206},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fall-you-need-is-love-underrated-lgbtq-romances-in-cinema.md","All You Need is Love: Underrated LGBTQ Romances in Cinema",{"type":22,"value":12084,"toc":12198},[12085,12090,12093,12098,12110,12115,12123,12128,12136,12141,12156,12161,12168,12173,12181,12186],[25,12086,12087],{},[3341,12088],{"alt":64,"src":12089},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fpop-corn-valentine.jpg",[25,12091,12092],{},"Valentine’s Day has long been a holiday associated with romance, and often people will choose to celebrate the holiday by watching a film centered around a romantic couple. However, while heterosexual pairings remain a staple of Hollywood storytelling from its very beginning, the same cannot be said for those whose sexuality differs from this standard. Due to the controversial nature of homosexuality and how it has been viewed by mainstream society, strong LGBTQ representation has largely been absent throughout much of Hollywood history, making it difficult for such people to find characters they can relate to on this level in the choice of cinema they watch. On the other hand, independent cinema, operating without the need for the backing of large profit-driven studios, has been much more open to offering a variety of films catering to the LGBTQ community. Many of these films have not received the attention they truly deserve, so for this coming Valentine’s Day, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation would like to take this opportunity to bring awareness to a handful of such films. Without further ado, here are some of the underrated productions of LGBTQ romance in cinema.",[25,12094,12095],{},[3341,12096],{"alt":64,"src":12097},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fmadcheninuniform.jpg",[25,12099,12100,12105,12106,12109],{},[47,12101,12104],{"href":12102,"rel":12103},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FM%C3%A4dchen_in_Uniform",[51],"Mädchen in Uniform"," (1931) - made right around the time that the Nazi Party was beginning to take control of the country, this German film makes for a stunning example of what queer cinema could’ve looked like had it not been for the rise of fascism in Europe. Telling the story of an all-girls boarding school student and the romantic feelings she develops for one of her female teachers, the sole source of compassion in an authoritarian system, the film works not only as a compelling lesbian romance, but also as a jabbing critique of the rising Nazi movement. As its 1958 remake and the 2006 loose retelling ",[486,12107,12108],{},"Loving Annabelle"," prove, its story and themes still resonate in an increasingly progressive, but still LGBTQ-unfriendly, world.",[25,12111,12112],{},[3341,12113],{"alt":64,"src":12114},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F1-jean-genet-un-chant-damour.jpg",[25,12116,12117,12122],{},[47,12118,12121],{"href":12119,"rel":12120},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FUn_chant_d%27amour",[51],"Un chant d’amour"," (1950) - one of the earliest films to explicitly detail homosexual attitudes and practices in such graphic detail, this French film, depicting the intimate interactions of two male prisoners separated by their cells, was initially banned upon its initial release, which would result in it becoming the center of the court case Landau v. Fording (1966). In the years since though, the film, despite its short running time (26 minutes), has gained a new appreciation for its ahead-of-its-time depiction of the complexities of a homosexual lifestyle. Trading on imagery, the film makes a bold statement with its upfront, yet artistic style, showing what many filmmakers remain hesitant to show to this very day.",[25,12124,12125],{},[3341,12126],{"alt":64,"src":12127},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fsenorita.jpg",[25,12129,12130,12135],{},[47,12131,12134],{"href":12132,"rel":12133},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMy_Dearest_Senorita",[51],"My Dearest Senorita"," (1972) - released near the end of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s regime, this film was a groundbreaker in its native country as the first made in Spain to explicitly discuss sexual orientation as a central theme. Revolving around a trans man in his pursuit of the young maid he has fallen for, the film is primarily comical in its depiction of its protagonist’s transition from female to male and the hardships that ensue, but never to a point where it becomes patronizing or insensitive to the struggles of transgender people. Through its ability to find humor and romance in a subject matter that had previously been banned from public discussion, the film is a comedic delight, but one full of authentic pathos, from beginning to end.",[25,12137,12138],{},[3341,12139],{"alt":64,"src":12140},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fkeanu-river-my-own-private-idaho-crop.jpg",[25,12142,12143,12147,12148,12151,12152,12155],{},[47,12144,501],{"href":12145,"rel":12146},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMy_Own_Private_Idaho",[51]," (1991) - nearly twenty years before winning an Oscar for his biopic ",[486,12149,12150],{},"Milk",", director Gus van Sant previously tackled the subject of homosexuality in this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s ",[486,12153,12154],{},"Henry IV",". Set primarily in the Pacific Northwest, the film stars Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix as two male street hustlers who travel across the region (and eventually, to Rome) in search of the latter’s mother. In line with the tragedy of its source material, the Film depicts an intimate, yet ultimately failed relationship between these two young men, whose respective actors demonstrate just the right amount of chemistry together to sell their connection, and also serve as a reminder of what great talent was lost with the passing of Phoenix.",[25,12157,12158],{},[3341,12159],{"alt":64,"src":12160},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002FScreen-Shot-2013-01-17-at-4.05.53-PM.png",[25,12162,12163,12167],{},[47,12164,10438],{"href":12165,"rel":12166},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt2369215\u002F",[51],"(2012) - This comedic yet heartwarming story reveals that life is more than who you are, but it's about what you can become. It centers around Frankie, a transvestite in need of money for a sex change and Pony, a wannabe cowboy who has trouble with love. Their lives become entangled after a drug deal gone bad. Pony falls for Frankie not realizing she is biologically a man. Pony thinks that their repeated encounters are more than coincidental. The film shows the paths taken in life and the people along the way can change the course of a person's life.",[25,12169,12170],{},[3341,12171],{"alt":64,"src":12172},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Funnamed.jpg",[25,12174,12175,12180],{},[47,12176,12179],{"href":12177,"rel":12178},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FThe_Way_He_Looks",[51],"The Way He Looks"," (2014) - submitted for (but ultimately denied) an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, this Brazilian film is a high school romance that possesses all the relationship drama that one expects from the genre, but also allows for a happy ending that many LGBT romances in film have struggled to achieve. Centered around a blind young man and his romantic pursuit of a new student at his school, the film combines the conventions of high school films with the themes of oppression and incompatibility that queer individuals often face on a regular basis, resulting in a narrative that hits close to home for many, but is still able to conclude on an optimistic note that will no doubt lift the spirits of those who idenify with the main leads.",[25,12182,12183],{},[3341,12184],{"alt":64,"src":12185},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fhand2.0.jpg",[25,12187,12188,12193,12194,12197],{},[47,12189,12192],{"href":12190,"rel":12191},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FThe_Handmaiden",[51],"The Handmaiden"," (2016) - winner of the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, this film takes the British novel ",[486,12195,12196],{},"Fingersmith",", changes its setting to 1930’s Korea under Japanese colonial rule, but never once downplays the pure homoeroticism of its source material. With its depiction of an intimate bond that develops between a Japanese heiress and the Korean thief hired to be her maid, the film puts its central romance in the middle of an intense psychological thriller that forces the two women to break free from the oppression of male authority in order to preserve their relationship. While its two-and-a-half hour run time may appear off putting at first, the film’s mix of eroticism and thrills prevent the film from even once become a bore.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12199},[],"2020-02-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fall-you-need-is-love-underrated-lgbtq-romances-in-cinema",{"title":12082,"description":64},"all-you-need-is-love-underrated-lgbtq-romances-in-cinema","blog\u002Fall-you-need-is-love-underrated-lgbtq-romances-in-cinema","REMz_GLG72JoG9HH_h29qJlBG7HAenC9jV6vJQGIebM",{"id":12208,"title":12209,"body":12210,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12317,"description":12214,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12318,"navigation":71,"path":12319,"seo":12320,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12321,"stem":12322,"__hash__":12323},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fbreaking-the-color-barrier-a-look-at-the-finest-of-black-independent-cinema.md","Breaking the Color Barrier: A Look at the Finest of Black Independent Cinema",{"type":22,"value":12211,"toc":12315},[12212,12215,12220,12230,12235,12241,12246,12252,12257,12263,12268,12274,12279,12285,12290,12300,12305],[25,12213,12214],{},"February 2020 has come at last, and with it comes an abundance of holidays: Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and even a holiday dedicated to a furry brown rodent that made a movie with Bill Murray. Going on throughout the entire month, however, is something arguably more important: a commemoration of African-Americans and their history. With Black History Month having officially begun and continuing throughout the month (and, thanks to the leap year, extending by one more day than usual), the time has come for us to look back at some of the artistic achievements that black people have contributed to the world. As our primary area of interest is independent film, World Wide Motion Pictures has opted to showcase the best that black filmmakers have brought to the world of cinema. There are plenty of films that we’d be happy to introduce, but here are some of the films that we feel best demonstrate why black cinema deserves to be prominently featured as part of an ongoing discussion of film history.",[25,12216,12217],{},[3341,12218],{"alt":64,"src":12219},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fthis_is_theWithinOurGates_original.jpg",[25,12221,12222,12225,12226,12229],{},[486,12223,12224],{},"Within Our Gates"," (1920) - One of the earliest achievements of black cinema, this silent era gem tells of a young biracial woman fighting to raise money for her local school and falling for a handsome black doctor along the way. Brought to us by director Oscar Micheaux, whose Chicago-based Micheaux Film and Book Company of Sioux City was one of the first film studios to be run by black filmmakers, the film was made in large response to the previous year’s ",[486,12227,12228],{},"Birth of a Nation",", which was lauded for it cinematic innovations but criticized for its racist depictions of African-Americans. Dealing with themes such as interracial romance, sexual assault, and the underfunding of the education system, the film remains just as poignant now as it did a century ago.",[25,12231,12232],{},[3341,12233],{"alt":64,"src":12234},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Funnamed-2.jpg",[25,12236,12237,12240],{},[486,12238,12239],{},"Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One"," (1967) - The 1960’s saw the rise of black documentarians like Madeline Anderson and St. Clair Bourne, whose films provided a direct insight into the trials and turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps the most ambitious of these documentaries came from filmmaker William Greaves, with an experimental film that follows a number of actors in Central Park as they perform the same scene of a marital break-up and shoot the scene repeatedly throughout the day. Metatextual on multiple levels in how it dissects the filmmaking process, the film ends up as a documentary within a documentary within a documentary, and its surreal yet fascinating presentation continues to serve as an inspiration for future experimental filmmaking.",[25,12242,12243],{},[3341,12244],{"alt":64,"src":12245},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002FMV5BNGQ5YTYwZmUtOTkwMy00NTZkLThiYmUtMDM1MzI0MjA0NTVmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDgyNjA5MA@@._V1_.jpg",[25,12247,12248,12251],{},[486,12249,12250],{},"Watermelon Man"," (1970) - Director Mario van Peebles is no stranger to pushing buttons with the stories he tells, and this early 70’s gem is certainly no exception. The film stars Godfrey Cambridge as Jeff, a white racist who one day finds that he has somehow turned into black man, a discovery that, of course, he is repulsed and terrified by. From the fallout that ensues, van Peebles uses the farcical comedy of this premise to effectively showcase how Jeff (and indirectly, the audience) comes to realize just how disadvantaged people of color can sometimes be in a world predominantly controlled by white people. Even fifty years later, the film remains a jaw-dropper in terms of its subject matter, but that only makes the themes van Peebles conveys all the more relevant.",[25,12253,12254],{},[3341,12255],{"alt":64,"src":12256},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fkillerofsheep-1600x900-c-default.jpg",[25,12258,12259,12262],{},[486,12260,12261],{},"Killer of Sheep"," (1978) -  Originating in the 1970’s and into the middle of the 1980’s was the LA Rebellion movement, in which black film students from UCLA took inspiration from the Roberto Rosselini and other filmmakers of the Italian neorealist movement, using techniques developed in this period to capture their worldview of black American culture. One such filmmaker was Charles Burnett, who uses this film to paint a picture of Watts, a predominantly black LA suburb and the effects poverty and social unrest has on its inhabitants. Aided by its semi-documentary style of storytelling, the film exemplifies the best of the LA Rebellion, with a scene showing children jumping from roof to roof standing out as one of the most iconic images of black cinema.",[25,12264,12265],{},[3341,12266],{"alt":64,"src":12267},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fmerlin_132899927_26e5852a-5807-49b9-81c0-ae900678116a-articleLarge.jpg",[25,12269,12270,12273],{},[486,12271,12272],{},"She’s Gotta Have It"," (1986) - To talk about the history of black independent cinema would be impossible without discussing one of its most iconic figures, Spike Lee. While* Do the Right Thing* remains his most popular work (and for good reason), his directorial debut, released three years earlier, is arguably just as impressive, or at least equally radical. While just as rooted in Lee’s urban New York upbringing as many of Lee’s works, this particular is unique in its depiction of female African-American sexuality. Revolving around a young Brooklyn-born black woman and the three men she engages in sexual activity with, this film was ahead of its time for its depiction of a black woman who finds freedom in multiple sex partners, loosely comparing monogamy to the act of slavery and portraying its protagonist’s control of her sexuality in a positive light, a theme that continues to hold merit over three decades since its release.",[25,12275,12276],{},[3341,12277],{"alt":64,"src":12278},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002FkymNvkCUsUWOrfvTVFoaicZoIW9CgfVugZ9Jpwoh_4wn1MEzSV9Y_8DCgoNvHIqz37xvVJk1tWXaDeUZxOkTms03srz_DGZqBHYjHJsDqyTOKQlN-VXGj35aESciRJbl4NiJLyv_gzRSelsnKsxCaWM8mDmRVLt7vaQ.png",[25,12280,12281,12284],{},[486,12282,12283],{},"The Watermelon Woman"," (1996) - Starring, written, and directed by Cheryl Dunye, this mockumentary follows a fictionalized version of Dunye, a black lesbian (both in the film and in real life), as she attempts to create a documentary on the life of a forgotten black actress in the 1930’s rumored to have also been attracted to women. The film is a poignant reflection of the absence of disadvantaged people in film history discourse that blurs the line between fiction and reality through its documentary style, with the revelation of its titular figure being a work of fiction (outside the context of the film anyways) serving as a reminder of how crucial it is for up-and-coming filmmakers to look to people just like themselves for inspiration.",[25,12286,12287],{},[3341,12288],{"alt":64,"src":12289},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Funnamed-3.jpg",[25,12291,12292,12295,12296,12299],{},[486,12293,12294],{},"Middle of Nowhere"," (2012) - With a new century comes new filmmakers, and of the new talents to emerge from black independent cinema, Ava DuVernay is easily among the most noteworthy. Through this story of a woman contending with her husband’s prison sentence and the relationships she forms outside her marriage, DuVernay reflects on the plight of mass incarceration among African-American men, examining the effects that imprisonment has on its victims and its families. As further demonstrated by one of her later works, the Netflix documentary ",[486,12297,12298],{},"13th",", this is an issue that DuVernay takes very seriously; in crafting this narrative, she proves capable of addressing the complexities and hardships burdened onto those involved.",[25,12301,12302],{},[3341,12303],{"alt":64,"src":12304},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002FFruitvale.jpg",[25,12306,12307,12310,12311,12314],{},[486,12308,12309],{},"Fruitvale Station"," (2013) - before gaining worldwide recognition with the superhero blockbuster ",[486,12312,12313],{},"Black Panther",", director Ryan Coogler crafted a much-smaller scale work of cinema that introduced many of the same themes that Coogler would come to incorporate into his following films. Recounting the tragic police shooting of Oscar Grant in 2009, the film showcases the life Grant lived and the relationships between him and his loved one, all of which came to an abrupt halt during a fateful encounter with an armed police officer. A predictor of sorts of the rising Black Lives Matter movement, the film maintains a place in American society as an embodiment of the well-documented struggle between African-Americans and certain municipal police forces.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12316},[],"2020-02-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbreaking-the-color-barrier-a-look-at-the-finest-of-black-independent-cinema",{"title":12209,"description":12214},"breaking-the-color-barrier-a-look-at-the-finest-of-black-independent-cinema","blog\u002Fbreaking-the-color-barrier-a-look-at-the-finest-of-black-independent-cinema","Xde35LLrqNBQhL3xxoB5oOPWVoCD3j-YUPue4K4ib9U",{"id":12325,"title":12326,"body":12327,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12387,"description":12333,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12388,"navigation":71,"path":12389,"seo":12390,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12391,"stem":12392,"__hash__":12393},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-from-unexpected-cannes-breakout-to-best-picture-of-2019.md","“Parasite”: From Unexpected Cannes Breakout to Best Picture of 2019",{"type":22,"value":12328,"toc":12385},[12329,12334,12337,12340,12343,12346,12349,12352,12355,12358,12361,12364,12367,12370,12373,12376,12379,12382],[25,12330,12331],{},[486,12332,12333],{},"Writer-director Bong Joon-ho celebrates four wins for Parasite, including Best Picture, at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. (Jeff Kravitz \u002F FilmMagic)",[25,12335,12336],{},"The story of Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 film “Parasite” revolves around the lower class Kim family in their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty and into a state of greater financial stability. When the family’s eldest son is hired to be an English tutor for the daughter of the significantly wealthier Park family, the Kims see this as an opportunity. Through the creation of false identities and other forms of manipulation, the Kim family manipulates the Parks into hiring them one by one, with the Park family unaware that their new employees are all related to one another. By the film’s midpoint, the Kims, despite some minor setbacks, have all but made themselves a staple of the Park residence.",[25,12338,12339],{},"Looking at this first portion of the movie, one can easily draw parallels between the initial premise of “Parasite” and the film’s overall performance throughout the 2019-2020 award season, which has resulted in the Film becoming the first foreign film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.",[25,12341,12342],{},"Before “Parasite”, no film made outside the United States and in a language other than English had taken home the Academy’s top prize. Several have been nominated - the most recent being last year’s “Roma” - but none of them have been fortunate enough to be named Best Picture. In many respects, this is no surprise; Hollywood has long devoted the majority of its attention to its own stars and productions, making it difficult for anyone and any film outside the system to have anywhere near as big of an impact. This difficulty for foreign films to break out in the award season (apart from the token Best Foreign Language Film, now titled Best International Feature award) mirrors the plight of the Park family, whose hardest efforts are at first not enough to get them out of poverty.",[25,12344,12345],{},"However, things began to turn around when “Parasite” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. Like the Kim son Ki-woo and the opportunity to tutor for the rich Park family given to him, the film’s submission and release at the Festival provided an opportunity for not just the film itself, but for foreign films in general, to make a name for itself and receive top consideration for awards. The first of such awards came in the form of the Cannes equivalent of Best Picture, the Palme d’Or. Winning through a unanimous vote, “Parasite” immediately began to draw attention, and while the award season was still months away, its status as an awards contender was sealed.",[25,12347,12348],{},"Of course, much like the many obstacles that the Kim family faced when slowly working their way into the Parks’ employment, “Parasite” found its own obstacles in the form of other films, the majority made by Hollywood or at least in the United States, that also premiered at various festivals and received their highest honors. Warner Brothers’ “Joker” earned the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Fox Searchlight’s “Jojo Rabbit” was given the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.",[25,12350,12351],{},"And even when those films began to fall out of favor, a late entry into the award circuit, Universal’s “1917” instantly became labeled as the frontrunner for Best Picture of 2019. It began with the Golden Globes, then continued with the Critics Choice Awards, the PGAs, the DGAs, and the BAFTAs - while both films were nominated for Best Picture at all these award ceremonies, “1917” would win all of them, and none would go to “Parasite”. Under these conditions, one would think that “Parasite” would stand little to no chance in taking home the Oscar in the same category.",[25,12353,12354],{},"Yet even without winning Best Picture at any of these ceremonies, the seeds for “Parasite”’s eventual victory had nonetheless been meticulously planted throughout the awards season.",[25,12356,12357],{},"It began at the Critics Choice Awards. In a turn of events that no one had anticipated, there was a tie for Best Director. While “1917” director Sam Mendes was named one of its recipients, so was “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho. Then came the Screen Actors Guild Awards; despite there not being a single actor from the film nominated for an individual award, the entire cast would win Best Ensemble, the Guild’s Best Picture equivalent. Next, the WGAs, in which “Parasite” beat expected favorite “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, to which it lost Best Screenplay to at the Golden Globes, and received the award for Best Original Screenplay. This repeated at the following day’s BAFTAs, giving “Parasite” yet another award for its original screenplay. One by one, “Parasite” had been winning smaller, but still quite significant awards, ones that let the world know that it was not yet out of the race for Best Picture.",[25,12359,12360],{},"Then, on Sunday January 9th, everything began to fall into place. Much like when the entirety of the Kim family had infiltrated the employment of the Parks, “Parasite” finally got the upper hand.",[25,12362,12363],{},"It was not an entirely clean sweep for “Parasite” during that night’s Academy Awards ceremony. While it was nominated for Best Production Design and Best Film Editing, the film would lose the former to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and the latter to “Ford v Ferrari”. However, these losses did little to stop “Parasite”’s momentum. By just the second award, “Parasite” could already be called an Oscar winner, receiving the award for Best Original Screenplay, and as predicted, its Best International Feature Film win came as a surprise to nobody.",[25,12365,12366],{},"But then came the award for Best Director. Many had anticipated that Sam Mendes would win for “1917”, as he had in several of the major award ceremonies before. Needless to say, it came as quite a surprise when the name Bong Joon-ho, who had already accepted “Parasite”’s previous two award wins, was read by presenter Spike Lee and announced as the winner.",[25,12368,12369],{},"Throughout much of Oscar history, a film winning either Best Director or an award for screenwriting (either Best Original Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay) was more or less a solid indicator (though by no means a guarantee) that it would win Best Picture. The chances increase for films that win for both directing and screenwriting, so by the time Joon-ho had been named Best Director, there was an increasing likelihood of “Parasite” winning Best Picture. Still, in spite of the success so far, would it be enough? Could the film be more than just the year’s best international feature film and instead be named as the best film in general?",[25,12371,12372],{},"By the time presenter Jane Fonda read the name on the Best Picture envelope, the answer became clear: yes it would. For the first time ever, a foreign language film had been named Best Picture at the Oscars.",[25,12374,12375],{},"While everybody at the ceremony that involved with the production of “Parasite” would take the stage to accept the award, there was no denying that Bong Joon-ho was the primary focus of most people’s attention, especially since through his wins, he too became a history maker. Receiving all four of his film’s awards - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film - Joon-ho tied for the most Oscar wins during a single ceremony. The only other individual with this many wins: Walt Disney. But in spite of “Parasite” shattering the glass ceiling for foreign films, will the future of the Oscars and other award ceremonies be as welcoming to future foreign films?",[25,12377,12378],{},"Given the Academy’s controversial history of representing certain people, groups, and films, one can look at “Parasite”’s Oscar success in one of two ways. While some can see this as a cynical move to ward off any claims that the Academy only pays attention to films made by and centered around white English-speaking individuals, others may see this as only the beginning, viewing “Parasite” as the first in a long string of films made outside the English language to be considered among the best filmmaking has to offer in a given year.",[25,12380,12381],{},"As champions of foreign films and making them more accessible to people throughout America, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation chooses to look at “Parasite”’s victory with an optimistic outlook. In an increasingly globalized world, it is more important than ever to experience what cinema outside the Hollywood system looks like, and every foreign that manages to break out and make a name for itself should be given as much attention as it deserves. “Parasite” has achieved this in ways that no other foreign film has in the past, and hopefully, we will get to see plenty more foreign films make similar accomplishments in the future.",[25,12383,12384],{},"“I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now,” “Parasite” producer Kwak Sin Ae states in the film’s Best Picture acceptance speech. She couldn’t be more right, and hopefully, it won’t be the last.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12386},[],"2020-02-11",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-from-unexpected-cannes-breakout-to-best-picture-of-2019",{"title":12326,"description":12333},"parasite-from-unexpected-cannes-breakout-to-best-picture-of-2019","blog\u002Fparasite-from-unexpected-cannes-breakout-to-best-picture-of-2019","EKMiGICn2b6ukVRzcNjRvHmQjP43NtG9eBZaWUNY5S0",{"id":12395,"title":12396,"body":12397,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12419,"description":12401,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12420,"navigation":71,"path":12421,"seo":12422,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12423,"stem":12424,"__hash__":12425},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwith-best-original-screenplay-wins-at-bafta-and-wga-parasite-inches-closer-to-oscar-gold.md","With Best Original Screenplay Wins at BAFTA and WGA, “Parasite” Inches Closer to Oscar Gold",{"type":22,"value":12398,"toc":12417},[12399,12402,12405,12408,12411,12414],[25,12400,12401],{},"With the 92nd Academy Awards less only a few days away, there’s still a lot of speculation surrounding the major award categories . One film that remains the center of attention for many is Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite”. Having succeeded in areas where few other films made outside the United States have, the South Korean black comedy\u002Fthriller has defied the odds to become one of the most talked about contenders of the award season this year. In fact, many have even raised the question as to whether or not the film can even do what no other foreign film has and take home the prestigious honor of Best Picture. Indeed, with six nominations overall, including Director and Best Original Screenplay (widely considered to be musts in order for serious consideration for the top prize), there’s no doubt that the film stands a fighting chance. That being said, is the evidence strong enough to suggest that a Best Picture win for “Parasite” is not only possible, but a serious likelihood?",[25,12403,12404],{},"In order to answer this question, it may be best to look at the chances of “Parasite” winning in one category in particular: Best Original Screenplay. Two major award ceremonies that occurred earlier this week  - the British Academy Film Awards (or BAFTAs for short) and the Writers Guild of America Awards (WGAs) - both honored the film with their respective Best Original Screenplays. Based on past results, there is a strong correlation between these awards and success at the Oscars.",[25,12406,12407],{},"Given its status as the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the America-centric Oscars, perhaps it’s best to start by looking at the recent history of the BAFTAs and how the films given Best Original Screenplay at this specific ceremony compare to the winners of the Oscar for the same category. Between the years 2009 and 2018, a span of ten years that precedes this most recent ceremony, there was an even number of films winning both the Oscar and BAFTA as there were films that won the BAFTA but not the Oscar. Of these ten films, five - “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “The King’s Speech” (2010), “Django Unchained” (2012), “Spotlight” (2015), and “Manchester by the Sea” (2016) - were recipients of Best Original Screenplay at both award ceremonies. Conversely, five films - “The Artist” (2011), “American Hustle” (2013), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017), and “The Favourite” (2018) - were given the BAFTA, but not the Oscar, for Best Original Screenplay. From these statistics alone, “Parasite” has a 50-50 chance of winning the Oscar in the same category it won the BAFTA.",[25,12409,12410],{},"Meanwhile, while the WGAs are not considered as prestigious as either the Oscars or the BAFTAs, they are one of the most highly regarded organizations that caters specifically to screenwriting and are therefore seen by some (as with the DGAs) as an indicator for what film will win the Oscar. Do the past wins reflect this theory? When comparing the winners of Best Original Screenplay at the WGAs in the years between 2009 and 2018 to the winners at the Oscars during that same time period, the results, like the BAFTAs, are split down the middle. On the one hand, five films - “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Midnight in Paris” (2011), “Her” (2013), “Spotlight” (2015), and “Get Out” (2017) - won both the WGA and the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. On the other hand, the other five WGA winner during this period - “Inception” (2010), “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), “Moonlight” (2016), and “Eight Grade” (2018) - did not receive the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. However, “Moonlight”, due to a technicality, was actually nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars and would later go on to win that award. Taking this into account, this would raise the count of simultaneous WAG\u002FOscar wins to six out of ten, meaning that, from these statistics alone, “Parasite” has a slightly higher chance of winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.",[25,12412,12413],{},"Judging by these findings, it stands to reason that “Parasite” has a strong chance of winning Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. However, if the film does end up being awarded for its screenplay, would that win translate to an eventual Best Picture win? Previous winners of Best Picture would say so. Between 2009 and 2018, only two Best Picture winners - “The Artist” (2011) and “The Shape of Water” (2017) - did not also receive an award for their screenplays. Every other Best Picture winner during these ten years - “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “The King’s Speech” (2010), “Argo” (2012), “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “Birdman” (2014), “Spotlight” (2015), “Moonlight” (2016),  and “Green Book” (2018) - was awarded either Best Original Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay. In short, if “Parasite” does end up winning Best Original Screenplay, then its chances of also winning Best Picture are very much in its favor.",[25,12415,12416],{},"Of course, this is all speculation. Given how much goes into the voting process and how different some organizations are than others, the fact of the matter is anything’s possible, and it’s not entirely out of the question for there to be more than a few surprises when the Oscars take place on Sunday. With that said, “Parasite” has shown no signs of stopping when it comes to winning award after award, and its chances of winning its share of Oscars, including possibly even Best Picture, should not be underestimated.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12418},[],"2020-02-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwith-best-original-screenplay-wins-at-bafta-and-wga-parasite-inches-closer-to-oscar-gold",{"title":12396,"description":12401},"with-best-original-screenplay-wins-at-bafta-and-wga-parasite-inches-closer-to-oscar-gold","blog\u002Fwith-best-original-screenplay-wins-at-bafta-and-wga-parasite-inches-closer-to-oscar-gold","WJ0CR_QqaE57BsBOG7A23wWa3bq-Q3jZbZti1BclNUY",{"id":12427,"title":12428,"body":12429,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12552,"description":12433,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12553,"navigation":71,"path":12554,"seo":12555,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12556,"stem":12557,"__hash__":12558},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdirectors-guild-of-america-honors-directors-at-72nd-annual-awards-ceremony.md","Director’s Guild of America Honors Directors at 72nd Annual Awards Ceremony",{"type":22,"value":12430,"toc":12550},[12431,12434,12437,12440,12445,12456,12461,12479,12489,12493,12512,12517,12520,12526,12531,12535,12539,12544,12547],[25,12432,12433],{},"As it has been since the beginning of 2020, some of Hollywood’s finest talents have gathered together to celebrate the achievements of visual media in the year 2019, only this time, the focus has been narrowed to the figure that many consider to be the most important of any production: the director. Saturday January 25th saw the 72nd Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards in Los Angeles, during which the directors of last year’s most acclaimed film, television, and commercials were commemorated for their work. With categories ranging from Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film to Outstanding Directorial Achievement in",[25,12435,12436],{},"Children's Programs, there was a small but significant number of awards to hand out during the evening, and many of the industry’s most esteemed figures turned up to see who would receive the honor of being named one of 2019’s best directors.",[25,12438,12439],{},"From its beginnings in 1936, the Directors Guild of America has served as a prominent labor union meant to protect the rights of its members, both creative and economic, working to ensure that directorial crew members are given everything they need so that the project they are directing - be it a film, television episode, or thirty-second commercial - can be constructed in the most efficient and satisfactory manner possible. While best known for representing directors, the DGA also includes other members of the directorial crew including assistant directors, unit production managers, production associates, and several others categories. As of 2020, the number of Guild members is over 18,000 and counting from around the world.",[25,12441,12442],{},[3341,12443],{"alt":64,"src":12444},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002FBill.jpg",[25,12446,12447,12448,12451,12452,12455],{},"Each year, each of these thousands of DGA members cast their votes as to whom they believe to have directed the finest that the previous year’s visual media landscape had to offer, then gathers together for one night to announce who has received the most votes. Last Saturday, the most recent of these gatherings took place, and the limited number of DGA Awards were handed out one by one to those who had received the most votes in their respective categories. Among the winners from the ceremony were ",[486,12449,12450],{},"Saturday Night Live"," alumni Bill Hader, winning Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for the Barry episode “ronny\u002Flilly”, to ",[486,12453,12454],{},"Her"," director Spike Jonze, taking home the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials award for his work at commercial production company MJZ.",[25,12457,12458],{},[3341,12459],{"alt":64,"src":12460},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-7.jpg",[25,12462,12463,12464,12467,12468,12471,12472,12475,12476,9349],{},"It was the awards for film, however, that most people had anticipated the most. For Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert were awarded for their Netflix documentary ",[486,12465,12466],{},"American Factory",", while Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film was given to ",[486,12469,12470],{},"Honey Boy"," director Alma Har’el, becoming the first woman and the first Israeli person to win in the category. Most significant of them all, however, was Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film, and the winner of the award, the guild’s most prestigious, was Sam Mendes for the World War I epic ",[486,12473,12474],{},"1917",", earning his second win in this category after 1999’s ",[486,12477,12478],{},"American Beauty",[25,12480,12463,12481,12467,12483,12471,12485,12475,12487,9349],{},[486,12482,12466],{},[486,12484,12470],{},[486,12486,12474],{},[486,12488,12478],{},[25,12490,12491],{},[3341,12492],{"alt":64,"src":12460},[25,12494,12495,12496,12499,12500,12503,12504,12507,12508,12511],{},"Also nominated in this category were Bong Joon-ho for the South Korean capitalism critique ",[486,12497,12498],{},"Parasite",", Martin Scorsese for the decade-spanning gangster story ",[486,12501,12502],{},"The Irishman",", Quentin Tarantino for the 1960’s Hollywood throwback ",[486,12505,12506],{},"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood",", and Taika Waititi for the farcical Nazi satire ",[486,12509,12510],{},"Jojo Rabbit",". In spite of the fact that only one of the five nominees were able to receive the honor in the end, each director was still allowed to give a speech to thank the Guild and those who had supported their work on their respective films.",[25,12513,12514],{},[3341,12515],{"alt":64,"src":12516},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Ftarantino.jpg",[25,12518,12519],{},"In the case of Quentin Tarantino, much of his speech time was used to address the plight of labor unions such as the DGA, many of which are struggling to support those they represent in today’s day and age. “In a world that’s… kind of seen unions… crumble, and the effect that that’s had on… all these areas of business and manufacturing,” Tarantino states, “...to see that our union is so strong, to see that the union in this town is so strong.”",[25,12521,12522,12523,12525],{},"Once again, however, it was Bong Joon-ho giving probably the most memorable of the speeches. With the assistance of his Korean-English translator, Joon-ho commends the actors he had worked with on ",[486,12524,12498],{}," for all they have done to make the film as strong as it is. “A lot of people comment on how in my films the genres switch constantly, and the tones switch, and that is all because of my great actors,” Joon-ho claims, “they provide the stability and the realistic atmosphere that allows me to explore such various genres”.",[25,12527,12528],{},[3341,12529],{"alt":64,"src":12530},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002FBon-Joon-Ho.jpg",[25,12532,12533],{},[3341,12534],{"alt":64,"src":12530},[25,12536,12522,12537,12525],{},[486,12538,12498],{},[25,12540,12541],{},[3341,12542],{"alt":64,"src":12543},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-1-1.jpg",[25,12545,12546],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures has a long history with the Directors Guild of America Awards Ceremony. Since 1983, our company has made it a mission to send some of our finest representatives to attend the award celebrations..This year was every bit as enjoyable as it has been in all the previous years we’ve attended. It truly is an honor to see such amazing talent be recognized for their efforts.",[25,12548,12549],{},"Once again, we congratulate the winners and nominees honored at this year’s Directors Guild of America Awards. We look forward to seeing what other remarkable works you have to offer the world in the near future.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12551},[],"2020-01-29",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdirectors-guild-of-america-honors-directors-at-72nd-annual-awards-ceremony",{"title":12428,"description":12433},"directors-guild-of-america-honors-directors-at-72nd-annual-awards-ceremony","blog\u002Fdirectors-guild-of-america-honors-directors-at-72nd-annual-awards-ceremony","00HauxSx2PB3tgj9GLZYHE-rpbrE8A_xdzM6mKc29-Y",{"id":12560,"title":12561,"body":12562,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12593,"description":12566,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12594,"navigation":71,"path":12595,"seo":12596,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12597,"stem":12598,"__hash__":12599},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-makes-history-as-first-foreign-best-ensemble-winner-at-the-sag-awards.md","“Parasite” Makes History as First Foreign Best Ensemble Winner at the SAG Awards.",{"type":22,"value":12563,"toc":12591},[12564,12567,12570,12573,12576,12579,12582,12585,12588],[25,12565,12566],{},"Despite victory, not a single actor from the film was nominated elsewhere.",[25,12568,12569],{},"Since its Palme d’Or victory at the Cannes Film Festival last year, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” has been an award season powerhouse, accomplishing what very few films made outside the United States have achieved and receiving several accolades from various prominent awards associations. On Sunday, January 19th, the film became an even greater presence when, during the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, “Parasite” triumphed over all other films when the film received the award for Best Ensemble, beating out the likes of American-made favorites like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Jojo Rabbit” in the process.",[25,12571,12572],{},"“Parasite”’s win is noteworthy for a variety of reasons. For one thing, this marks the first time in the ceremony’s twenty-six year history that a foreign language film has won its most distinguished honor. In fact, prior to “Parasite,” only one other foreign language film, 1998’s “Life is Beautiful,” had even been nominated in this category. Judging by this limited number of such films being included, foreign films have long been an often-ignored minority in the awards circuit. This is especially true when it comes to acting; perhaps in large part due to the language barrier, very few performances and casts from foreign films have been nominated, let alone won, any significant accolades since the inception of such recognition.",[25,12574,12575],{},"Even with “Parasite” as the recipient for this year’s Best Ensemble Award, this year’s ceremony shows that the film industry still struggles to acknowledge the existence of foreign language performances among the several films submitted and considered for awards. Apart from Best Ensemble, “Parasite” received no other nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, meaning that not a single actor from the film was considered for any of the other major categories. This is not the first time this has happened; not one individual actor from either “The Full Monty”in 1995 and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003 was nominated for a SAG, yet both films still ended up winning Best Ensemble. However, given its status as a foreign film, the absence of “Parasite” in any other categories proves that its high quality may not be enough to sway voters into considering performances not spoken in English.",[25,12577,12578],{},"Looking at the awards “Parasite” has won or at least been nominated for from other associations, the inability for any individual actor from the film to receive any recognition becomes more apparent. Despite the film’s numerous award nominations, most of them fall into the same categories - writing, directing, and other technical aspects of filmmaking. While Bong Joon-ho has received the bulk of nominations for his film, as have many of the people working behind the camera, those shown in front of the camera have not been so fortunate, with few of the actors receiving individual nominations for their performances. Even the film’s Best Ensemble win could be interpreted less as praise for the film’s cast than as a way to acknowledge the greatness of the film as a whole, regardless of what is thought of the cast.",[25,12580,12581],{},"This is not to say that individual performances in “Parasite” have gone completely ignored, as there have been some groups that have chosen to officially recognize specific actors from the film. Of the ensemble, Song Kang-ho, who plays the Kim family patriarch Kim Ki-taek, has been the actor nominated most frequently for his work in the film, being named as a potential Best Supporting Actor by such groups as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics among others. In addition, the Chicago Film Critics Association also nominated Cho Yeo-jeong, who plays the mother of the Park family Yeon-gyo, for Best Supporting Actress. Still, these are exceptions, and the rest of the cast, in spite of their strong performances, have not been given the honor of such acknowledgement.",[25,12583,12584],{},"Why is this the case? Why is it that, despite “Parasite” being so heavily lauded overall, its acting has gone largely unnoticed? As it is a film made in the Korean language instead of English, there’s a chance that some voters have been deterred by their inability to instantly understand what is being said. There is some rational to this logic; after all, how can one pay attention to a film’s acting when they’re constantly having to read subtitles, partially distracting them from what they are seeing on screen?",[25,12586,12587],{},"Then again, maybe the film being praised more as a whole than the sum of its parts may prove beneficial in the long run. The film’s acting nominations may be minimal, but this should not be seen as a sign of discouragement for the film’s future prospects, as “Parasite” remains a major contender in the ongoing awards circuit. This is especially important to consider since the films being recognized for their acting are not quite as successful in other categories. Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker” and Renée Zellweger for “Judy” are more or less locks in the Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress categories for most of the remaining award ceremonies, yet neither film has had as much of a presence, if any, when it comes to other aspects of filmmaking like writing or directing. The opposite is true for “Parasite”; it may have only received so much for its acting, but for just about everything else, it continues to be a major force as the award season winds down.",[25,12589,12590],{},"Does “Parasite” winning Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards without a single actor being nominated elsewhere make complete sense? Maybe not, but it does further cement the film’s status as a work of cinema worthy of its ongoing award season success and patronage by American audiences.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12592},[],"2020-01-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-makes-history-as-first-foreign-best-ensemble-winner-at-the-sag-awards",{"title":12561,"description":12566},"parasite-makes-history-as-first-foreign-best-ensemble-winner-at-the-sag-awards","blog\u002Fparasite-makes-history-as-first-foreign-best-ensemble-winner-at-the-sag-awards","IWPMNapcnz9eCp4Ecoul1Zn7lZXJS6_BkkEp_ZDNWl8",{"id":12601,"title":12602,"body":12603,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12642,"description":12609,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12643,"navigation":71,"path":12644,"seo":12645,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12646,"stem":12647,"__hash__":12648},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwith-critics-choice-award-win-parasite-continues-to-infect-the-hollywood-award-circuit.md","With Critics’ Choice Award Win, “Parasite” Continues To Infect the Hollywood Award Circuit",{"type":22,"value":12604,"toc":12640},[12605,12610,12613,12616,12619,12622,12625,12628,12631,12634,12637],[25,12606,12607],{},[57,12608,12609],{},"Photo Credit: Zimbo.com",[25,12611,12612],{},"Source: Getty Images North America",[25,12614,12615],{},"At World Wide Motion Pictures, we have taken great interest in finding films made outside the Hollywood system, especially those made outside the United States, and striving to make them a more prominent component of the nation’s popular culture. Whenever such a film does come along, we take great pleasure in seeing the film do what so few others of its kind have, and garner significant recognition on both a critical and commercial level. Neon’s “Parasite,” a South Korean film from director Bong Joon-ho, is the latest major foreign film to take the world - and especially Hollywood - by storm, and with its most recent wins at the Critics Choice Awards, it shows no signs of stopping.",[25,12617,12618],{},"On Sunday January 12th, 2020, “Parasite” was honored with two awards at the Critics Choice Awards ceremony. As many had anticipated, the film garnered a nod for Best Foreign Language Film, coming out on top among such films as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” from France and “Atlantics” from Senegal. What was perhaps a noticeably larger shock came when Joon-ho, tying with “1917” director Sam Mendes, was named the recipient of the Best Director award; in doing so, Joon-ho triumphed over such Hollywood legends as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.",[25,12620,12621],{},"Upon accepting his award for Best Director, Joon-ho, aided by his Korean-English translator, expressed his gratitude to be included among such a wide array of acclaimed talents. “What makes me happier is just being nominated with the fellow other amazing directors,” Joon-ho stated, “they’re all directors that I love so much, thank you.”",[25,12623,12624],{},"In addition to those two wins, “Parasite” was also nominated in five other categories: Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Editing, and the most prestigious title of them all, Best Picture.",[25,12626,12627],{},"Given the Hollywood award associations’ long-held preference for films made here in the United States, it’s rare for a foreign film to break out as a major contender for awards apart from the token Best Foreign Language Film award. For “Parasite” to not only gain as many award nominations as it has in a variety of categories, but to also successfully garner wins in these categories, is a sign that the film is strong enough to stand a chance among talents and work often expected to succeed during the award season, almost all of which are American or English-speaking.",[25,12629,12630],{},"These victories are far from the first for “Parasite”, however. Last week also saw “Parasite” take home the award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, while also being nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, adding to a number that is both rare for a foreign film and currently totaling an amount higher than any other film so far in this award season.",[25,12632,12633],{},"As of January 13th, according to the Award Leaderboard on Rotten Tomatoes, “Parasite” currently has a total of 111 award wins from several different awards associations, ranging from local groups like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association to those on a more national level like the National Society of Film Critics. For comparison, “Marriage Story,” which currently holds second place in terms of its number of awards won, has only received 68 wins from these associations. While that’s certainly still a respectable number, the fact that “Parasite” still outpaces its closest competition by a whopping 43 wins shows just how much of an awards giant the South Korean film has become.",[25,12635,12636],{},"To anyone who attended the Cannes Film Festival last year, however, this success is probably not the least bit surprising. Having made its world premiere at the festival, “Parasite” immediately became a favorite among those attending, even going so far as to eventually win the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or. Not only was the film the first from South Korea to receive this accolade, but it had done so through a unanimous vote, the first to do since “Blue is the Warmest Color” in 2013. From the beginning, “Parasite” had proven itself to be a major awards contender, and it has continued to live up to that title in the months since.",[25,12638,12639],{},"The awards season is far from over though, and with the Director’s Guild Awards and especially the 92nd Academy Awards approaching, it’s safe to say that “Parasite” will continue to be a major contender and do what very few, if any, foreign films have achieved as the season gets closer to its conclusion. World Wide Motion Pictures is no stranger to foreign films and their potential for awards; some of the films we have been honored to distribute, including Kazakhstan’s “The Road to Mother” and the French-Chinese co-production “The Nightingale,” have been selected as potential nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film award for their respective countries. To see a foreign film do so well in the award circuit is something we are more than happy to see more of, and we congratulate the cast and crew of “Parasite” for the success they have achieved so far and will continue to achieve as the award season continues.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12641},[],"2020-01-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwith-critics-choice-award-win-parasite-continues-to-infect-the-hollywood-award-circuit",{"title":12602,"description":12609},"with-critics-choice-award-win-parasite-continues-to-infect-the-hollywood-award-circuit","blog\u002Fwith-critics-choice-award-win-parasite-continues-to-infect-the-hollywood-award-circuit","wA_G0Z8SbNi5K1iOiUqH3kGhaoq2Ee6sBs4nQdonhjg",{"id":12650,"title":12651,"body":12652,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12688,"description":12658,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12689,"navigation":71,"path":12690,"seo":12691,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12692,"stem":12693,"__hash__":12694},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-director-encourages-greater-foreign-film-consumption-by-u-s-audiences.md","“Parasite” Director Encourages Greater Foreign Film Consumption by U.S. Audiences",{"type":22,"value":12653,"toc":12686},[12654,12659,12662,12665,12668,12671,12674,12677,12680,12683],[25,12655,12656],{},[57,12657,12658],{},"Bong Joon-Ho",[25,12660,12661],{},"Photo Credit: Richard Milnes\u002FShutterstock",[25,12663,12664],{},"At World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, one of our primary objectives is to encourage a greater awareness and interest from the general public in films that are created outside the United States, many of which are made in languages other than English and require subtitle usage for those who do not speak the language. We are pleased that this is a sentiment shared by South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, whose most recent film “Parasite” has become a surprise success both critically and commercially here in the United States.",[25,12666,12667],{},"On Sunday January 5th, 2020, at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, “Parasite” was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and Joon-Ho, alongside his Korean-English translator, went onto the stage to accept the award on the film’s behalf. In his acceptance speech, Joon-Ho (speaking in his native Korean, with his translator repeating in English) addressed the difficulties that many foreign filmmakers face when selling their work to a predominantly English-speaking populace: the fear that having to read subtitles causes disinterest in those who might otherwise be willing to watch such films.",[25,12669,12670],{},"“Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” Joon-Ho states.",[25,12672,12673],{},"Although Joon-Ho’s statement is a reflection of one of foreign cinema’s biggest challenges in generating widespread appeal, there is a refreshingly optimistic tone in this particular choice of words. Perhaps the success of “Parasite” has reinforced a positive outlook on the future of foreign cinema, and not just because of how well the film has done in the awards circuit. Box Office Mojo claims that as of January 6th, 2020, “Parasite” has earned nearly $130 million (in American dollars) worldwide on a budget of approximately $11 million, with just under $24 million of that total coming from the United States. While that number may pale in comparison to films made in the U.S, it's a remarkable achievement for films made outside the country. Not only does this gross rank among the top 10 grossing foreign-language films released in the U.S., but its per-theater average on its opening weekend was the highest for a newly released film since “La La Land” in 2016. As these numbers prove, there is an audience for foreign films, and when given the opportunity, this audience will come out in herds to experience such films.",[25,12675,12676],{},"Joon-Ho and other Directors like him may also be referring to the increasing number of ways in which foreign films may be accessed. Historically, foreign films have been distributed primarily through arthouse theaters, which may not be so easily accessed outside major cities. There are a handful of large multiplex theaters that, needing to fill extra screens not already being taken up by major Hollywood releases, may be willing to show the occasional foreign film or two, but with significant competition from major mainstream domestic releases, these smaller films often go largely ignored. However, thanks to the rise of streaming services like Netflix, many foreign films have become more accessible to those who do not have the advantage of traveling to a venue where foreign films are commonly shown, and viewers are instead able to experience these works at home. This was the case with “Okja”, Joon-Ho's previous film before “Parasite”, with a distribution deal through Netflix allowing the film to be shown exclusively on the platform and gain a noticeable following.While domestic competition still exists on such services, their convenience allows foreign films to have a greater chance to thrive among these other films.",[25,12678,12679],{},"Perhaps this is what Joon-Ho is referring to when he describes subtitles as a “one-inch obstacle.” While this description may have been intended to allude to how reading subtitles is not as big of an issue outside the U.S. as it’s commonly perceived, Joon-Ho may also be referencing the literal size that such subtitles take up when viewed on a computer or tablet, where films are being watched increasingly over time thanks to the growing presence of streaming services. If this is the case, then Joon-Ho’s claim of there being “many more amazing films” is in closer reach than one might expect. All it takes is the click of a mouse or a tap on a tablet to open one’s self up to the vast realm that is foreign cinema.",[25,12681,12682],{},"Regardless of what specifically Joon-Ho was referring to in this particular statement, one thing is certain: Joon-Ho is enthusiastic about the future of foreign cinema, with his words of encouragement allowing him to contribute to this growing interest from American audiences. While foreign films have yet to achieve the same level of financial success as those major releases made domestically, the track record of Joon-Ho’s most recent works shows that there is an audience more than happy to view films not spoken in the English language. We here at World Wide Motion Pictures couldn’t agree more; as distributors of such films as China’s “The Nightingale” Kazakhstan’s “The Road to Mother” and Denmark’s “Applause,” we too are well aware of the endless possibilities that foreign cinema has to offer, and we strive to ensure that anyone can see such films and come out with the same sense of fulfillment that they would receive when watching an English-language film.",[25,12684,12685],{},"At the end of his Golden Globe acceptance speech, Joon-Ho, opting to conclude by speaking in English instead of relying on his translator, stating that “there is only one language: cinema.” He could not have picked a more perfect statement to end on.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12687},[],"2020-01-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fparasite-director-encourages-greater-foreign-film-consumption-by-u-s-audiences",{"title":12651,"description":12658},"parasite-director-encourages-greater-foreign-film-consumption-by-u-s-audiences","blog\u002Fparasite-director-encourages-greater-foreign-film-consumption-by-u-s-audiences","w3jWidPKYxeRE2R5nu2FwkJe-PJ0GOWnaGQXRf2MW-8",{"id":12696,"title":12697,"body":12698,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":12855,"description":12856,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12857,"navigation":71,"path":12858,"seo":12859,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12860,"stem":12861,"__hash__":12862},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fasian-cinema-seeks-to-strike-gold-at-the-golden-globes.md","Asian Cinema Seeks to Strike Gold at the Golden Globes",{"type":22,"value":12699,"toc":12853},[12700,12710,12715,12720,12730,12756,12761,12766,12793,12799,12804,12809,12815,12845],[25,12701,12702,12703,12705,12706,12709],{},"Having been honored to distribute such award-winning works as Kazakhstan’s ",[486,12704,10896],{}," and China’s ",[486,12707,12708],{},"The Nightingale",", we here at World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation cherish the art of Asian cinema. We take great pleasure in seeing such films receive the same degree of acclaim and recognition that films from the West have become so accustomed to. This Sunday, January 5th, 2020, the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will take place and award some of the finest films the year 2019 had to offer.",[25,12711,12712],{},[3341,12713],{"alt":64,"src":12714},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-1.jpg",[25,12716,12717],{},[3341,12718],{"alt":64,"src":12719},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-2.jpg",[25,12721,12722,12723,12726,12727,12729],{},"We are delighted to see not one, but two prominent Asia-centric films, Chinese director Lulu Wang’s ",[486,12724,12725],{},"The Farewell"," and South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s ",[486,12728,12498],{},", be included in this year’s ceremony as nominees for some of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards.",[25,12731,12732,12733,985,12736,12739,12740,12743,12744,12747,12748,12751,12752,12755],{},"One category in which both films will engage in direct competition is Best Foreign Language Film, an award the two films are vying for alongside the French films ",[486,12734,12735],{},"Les Miserables",[486,12737,12738],{},"Portrait of a Lady on Fire"," and Spain’s ",[486,12741,12742],{},"Pain and Glory",".  Asian cinema is no stranger to this category; previous Golden Globe ceremonies have seen such films as Cambodia’s ",[486,12745,12746],{},"First They Killed My Father"," (2017) and Japan’s ",[486,12749,12750],{},"Shoplifters"," (2018) and ",[486,12753,12754],{},"The Wind Rises"," (2013) compete for the title of Best Foreign Language Film in their respective years.",[25,12757,12758],{},[3341,12759],{"alt":64,"src":12760},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-3.jpg",[25,12762,12763],{},[3341,12764],{"alt":64,"src":12765},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-4.jpg",[25,12767,12768,12769,12771,12772,12774,12775,12777,12778,12781,12782,12785,12786,12789,12790,9349],{},"That being said, many have criticized this category for hindering the presence of foreign films in categories dominated by Western cinema (in fact, HFPA rules forbid such films from competing in the main Best Picture Categories, both Drama and Musical\u002FComedy), and as a result, there has historically been little representation of foreign cinema outside this category. This is not the case for ",[486,12770,12725],{}," or ",[486,12773,12498],{},", however, as both films have successfully garnered nominations in other categories apart from the expected Foreign Language Film award, and could potentially break new ground if chosen above the competition for these awards. For ",[486,12776,12725],{},", a Chinese\u002FAmerican co-production consisting primarily of dialogue in Mandarin Chinese, lead actress Awkwafina has received a nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical Category, which she will compete for alongside Ana de Armas of ",[486,12779,12780],{},"Knives Out",", Cate Blanchett of ",[486,12783,12784],{},"Where’d You Go, Bernadette",", Beanie Feldstein of ",[486,12787,12788],{},"Booksmart",", and Emma Thompson of ",[486,12791,12792],{},"Late Night",[25,12794,12795,12796,12798],{},"In spite of the category’s name, Awkwafina’s performance bears a noteworthy dramatic edge that we believe allows the performance to shine as a potential winner for this award. Through her depiction of Billi, a young woman struggling with the terminal illness of her grandmother (or Nai-Nai as Billi calls her) and the rest of her family’s refusal to let Nai-Nai know of her own diagnosis, Awkwafina effectively captures and displays the multiple conflicting emotions she goes through over the course of the film, helping make ",[486,12797,12725],{}," a moving work of cinema that’s dramatic, but knows just the right places to lighten up and relieve tension. The competition in this category is strong, but we are confident that Awkwafina has a very solid chance of coming out on top.",[25,12800,12801],{},[3341,12802],{"alt":64,"src":12803},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-5.jpg",[25,12805,12806],{},[3341,12807],{"alt":64,"src":12808},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002Funnamed-6.jpg",[25,12810,12811,12812,12814],{},"Proving even more successful in categories outside Best Foreign Language Film is the South Korean film ",[486,12813,12498],{},", with director Bong Joon-ho being named in not one, but two additional award categories. For the film, which details the efforts of a lower class family manipulating their way into employment by a family of significantly higher economic status and the fallout that ensues from their actions, Joon-ho has received nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay, the latter of which he shares with fellow screenwriter Han Jin-won.",[25,12816,12817,12818,12820,12821,12823,12824,12826,12827,12830,12831,12834,12835,12838,12839,12841,12842,12844],{},"Not unlike Awkwafina, Joon-ho finds himself competing with some of Western cinema’s most iconic names in these categories; also vying for the title of Best Director are Quentin Tarantino for ",[486,12819,12506],{},", Martin Scorsese for ",[486,12822,12502],{},", Sam Mendes for ",[486,12825,12474],{},", and Todd Phillips for ",[486,12828,12829],{},"Joker",". Best Screenplay is no less competitive; along with the aforementioned Tarantino, there is also ",[486,12832,12833],{},"Marriage Story","’s Noah Baumbach, ",[486,12836,12837],{},"The Two Popes","’ Anthony McCarten, and ",[486,12840,12502],{},"’s Steve Zaillian hoping to take the prize. Nonetheless, given the overwhelming acclaim that ",[486,12843,12498],{}," and Joon-ho have received over the award season, one should not be so quick to rule out a potential victory in either category.",[25,12846,12847,12848,985,12850,12852],{},"Whatever the results are for this coming Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony, we here at World Wide Motion Picture Corporation congratulate the filmmakers of ",[486,12849,12725],{},[486,12851,12498],{}," for what they have accomplished so far. In an increasingly globalized world, we believe that it is more important than ever for foreign cinema to be accessible and admired by people from all parts of the globe. A victory for either film in any of their nominated categories will most certainly be incredibly beneficial in achieving this goal, but even if the ceremony ends with both films leaving empty-handed, their achievements up to this point have already done more than enough in helping make foreign cinema a more prominent staple of the overall cinematic landscape.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12854},[],"2020-01-04","Having been honored to distribute such award-winning works as Kazakhstan’s The Road to Mother and China’s The Nightingale, we here at World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation cherish the art of Asian cinema. We take great pleasure in seeing such films receive the same degree of acclaim and recognition that films from the West have become so accustomed to. This Sunday, January 5th, 2020, the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will take place and award some of the finest films the year 2019 had to offer.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fasian-cinema-seeks-to-strike-gold-at-the-golden-globes",{"title":12697,"description":12856},"asian-cinema-seeks-to-strike-gold-at-the-golden-globes","blog\u002Fasian-cinema-seeks-to-strike-gold-at-the-golden-globes","nijDvipY2FasZNeb27OmxykOCrbxzEQ67WP2-ClGMlU",{"id":12864,"title":12865,"body":12866,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":12917,"description":12870,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12918,"navigation":71,"path":12919,"seo":12920,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12921,"stem":12922,"__hash__":12923},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-rights-to-internationally-acclaimed-feature-document.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Rights to Internationally Acclaimed Feature Documentary,  Dancers (Danzantes)",{"type":22,"value":12867,"toc":12915},[12868,12871,12874,12877,12884,12887,12890,12893,12896,12901,12904,12906,12908,12912],[25,12869,12870],{},"Los Angeles, CA, October 10, 2019 -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced today that it has acquired North American distribution rights to the full length feature documentary and film festival favorite DANCERS (DANZANTES) from Spain’s Estrategias Para el Arte y la Cultura S.L.",[25,12872,12873],{},"DANCERS takes the viewer on a tour of the world of dance that is spiritual, stylistic and emotional, covering the multiple meanings of the act of dancing itself and those who perform it. There are no limits to dance, its expressions and its applications in physical movement as evidenced by this multicultural production.",[25,12875,12876],{},"DANCERS was filmed in multiple locations around the world, including Spain, Italy, Mexico, Japan, the United States, Brazil, and Finland. The production had the participation of award-winning choreographers and recognized collaborators in the creation of contemporary styles of dance, including from the National Dance Company (ES), Factoria Echegaray (ES), the National Ballet of Spain (ES), Pina Bausch Foundation (DM), and Dance Down Cia Elias Lafuente (ES). Among the composers featured in the film are Ramon Paus, Alejandro Roman, Fedrico Jusid, Juanjo Talavera, Fernando Lazaro, Adrian Pertout, Juan Ant. Mata, Selenite, and Odin Kaban. Artistic direction was provided by Cristina Masson, who was awarded the prize “100 Latinos” of the City Hall of Madrid for her career, and who is the director of EnClaveDanza and Academic of the AAEE (Academia de las Artes Escénicas de España).",[25,12878,12879,12880,12883],{},"Directed by Juan Vicente Chuliá (also known for *Tempered *and ",[486,12881,12882],{},"The Process","), and stars internationally-acclaimed dancers and dance companies including Minna Tervamäki (First Dancer, Helsinki Ballet), Kaari Martin (director, Ronny & Karri Martin Company), and Danza Down Elías Lafuente Dance Company. The Film was co-produced by Es. Arte, Juan Vicente Chuliá, and EnclaveDanza.",[25,12885,12886],{},"“The cast and crew and I are so pleased that the film has been picked up by distributor World Wide and will be receiving North American exposure through various marketing windows, including streaming and VOD.” states Juan Vicente Chuliá, the film’s director. “The values and themes in DANCERS have universal reach and appeal both to our intellect as well as our emotions. I’m delighted that US audiences will join us in this journey” Chuliá further added.",[25,12888,12889],{},"DANCERS has been showcased at numerous film festivals including: Docs Without Borders Film Festival (Nassau) – Winner Outstanding Excellence; Independent Prisma Awards (Rome) – Finalist Best Feature Doc; International Festival Cinema Povero (Varese) – Finalist Best Feature Documentary; Rethink Dance Film Festival (Fargo) – Finalist; International Film Festival (Jakarta) – Official Selection; Atlantic International Film Festival (Barranquilla) – Official Selection; Global Cinema Festival (The Hague) – Official Selection; Mostra de Valencia Film Festival (Valencia) – Official Selection; Mostra GiroDanza Cena Expandida (Goiania) - Winner Best Feature Documentary; Festival Cena Expandida in Goiania (Brazil) – Winner Best Documentary; Alive Doc International Documentary Film Festival (Los Angeles) – Winner Best Feature Documentary and Fan Award.",[25,12891,12892],{},"“We’re very proud to be bringing such a beautifully produced film as DANCERS to American audiences” stated Paul D. Hancock President\u002FCEO of World Wide. “The film’s cultural diversity fits in perfectly with our usual audience of international clientele throughout the United States and all those cinephiles that are inspired by filmed entertainment that is not only entertaining, but also educational and even healing.” Hancock further stated.",[25,12894,12895],{},"DANCERS will be released across a wide variety of platforms throughout the U.S. in winter 2020 including streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, among others. The film will also be made available for special screenings to a wide variety of performing art centers, Universities\u002Fcolleges, and dance schools\u002Fstudios.",[25,12897,45,12898,11217],{},[47,12899,52],{"href":49,"rel":12900},[51],[25,12902,12903],{},"Media Contacts:",[25,12905,7484],{},[25,12907,7481],{},[25,12909,12910],{},[47,12911,1735],{"href":1734},[25,12913,12914],{},"(714) 960-7264",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12916},[],"2019-11-22",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-rights-to-internationally-acclaimed-feature-document",{"title":12865,"description":12870},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-rights-to-internationally-acclaimed-feature-document","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-rights-to-internationally-acclaimed-feature-document","QaL3XvXdSzTv1GpR4ezwWPB0comUJsrPelGspxoX5_g",{"id":12925,"title":12926,"body":12927,"category":12969,"coverImage":12,"date":12970,"description":10487,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":12971,"navigation":71,"path":12972,"seo":12973,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":12974,"stem":12975,"__hash__":12976},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fc-dancers.md","Dancers",{"type":22,"value":12928,"toc":12967},[12929,12933,12936,12939,12942,12947,12953,12961,12964],[25,12930,12931],{},[57,12932,10487],{},[25,12934,12935],{},"facebook",[25,12937,12938],{},"instagram",[25,12940,12941],{},"twitter",[25,12943,12944],{},[3341,12945],{"alt":64,"src":12946},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F11\u002FDancers-One-Sheet-Jordan-scaled.jpg",[25,12948,12949,12952],{},[57,12950,12951],{},"ABOUT","\nDANCERS (DANZANTES) is a full length documentary about dance, but it’s also an\nemotional journey into the world of those who practice it. Without barriers nor\njudgments: Dance as a universal, transversal expression view through the eyes of its leads, even beyond its artistic values; as a useful social, inclusive and\npedagogical resource.",[25,12954,12955,12956],{},"U.S. PREMIERE:\nComing to VOD & Sreaming - Winter 2020\nRATING:\nN\u002FA\nGENRES:\nDocumentary\nNEWS:\n",[47,12957,12960],{"href":12958,"rel":12959},"https:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-rights-to-internationally-acclaimed-feature-documentary-dancers-danzantes\u002F",[51],"Link",[25,12962,12963],{},"VIDEOS",[25,12965,12966],{},"Gallery",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":12968},[],"Films","2019-11-16",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fc-dancers",{"title":12926,"description":10487},"c-dancers","blog\u002Fc-dancers","gR4DY-8QPgdWL1paoixZ6pfWbQns6R024kTYsqwUlPc",{"id":12978,"title":12979,"body":12980,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":13026,"description":13027,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13028,"navigation":71,"path":13029,"seo":13030,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13031,"stem":13032,"__hash__":13033},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Findie-movie-the-farewell-awkwafinas-role-of-a-lifetime-based-on-true-events.md","Indie Movie THE FAREWELL Awkwafina’s Role of a Lifetime Based on True Events",{"type":22,"value":12981,"toc":13024},[12982,12990,13009,13012],[25,12983,12984,12986,12987,12989],{},[486,12985,12725],{},", directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, is one of the biggest indie films of this year. With a 14.5 million USD box office holding, it “surpassed ‘Avengers: Endgame’ For Biggest Theater Average of the Year” according to Variety. Not only was the film a huge success in its initial release, but *The Farewell *holds its place as one of the more notable feature films that highlights Chinese culture and philosophies, as does the film ",[486,12988,12708],{},", one of China’s recent Academy Awards submissions for Best Foreign Language Film through a candid and comedic human interest storyline.",[25,12991,12992,12993,12995,12996,12998,12999,13002,13003,13005,13006,13008],{},"In ",[486,12994,12725],{},", the entertainer Awkwafina has evolved from a rapper in Queens, NY to an Indie movie darling. Not only was she praised for her execution of her film role, she has also become an icon of Asian representation in mass media and the film industry. ",[486,12997,12725],{},", which stars Awkafina, has gained a huge spotlight as it is her follow up role to the huge hit ",[486,13000,13001],{},"Crazy Rich Asians",", released in 2018. ",[486,13004,12725],{},", produced with a large Asian cast like ",[486,13007,13001],{},", was highly anticipated by the Asian-American community.",[25,13010,13011],{},"In this heartwarming tale based on an actual real life event, second-generation Chinese-American Billi (Awkwafina) learns about her family tradition of telling white lies about upcoming deaths of family members. When Billi’s beloved grandmother Nai-Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) is discovered by doctors to have only a few weeks left to live, the whole family gathers under the lighthearted and joyful veil of an (unexpected) wedding of one of the family members for the sake of Nai-Nai. When Billi crosses this rough road filled with family expectations and traditions, she learns that there is a lot to be thankful for, be happy about, and celebrate. She revists her childhood in her old country, revitalizes her strong family bonds, and rediscovers Nai-Nai’s quirky and sensenational persona.",[25,13013,13014,13015,13017,13018,13020,13021,13023],{},"The beauty of ",[486,13016,12725],{}," film is its portrayal of family bonds under a literally unspoken tragedy in a heartwarming and uplifting light. *The Farewell *is definitely not your typical film that is geared towards American audiences as it adopts Asian backgrounds, cultures, and and has a good amount of subtitles. Some might even say that ",[486,13019,12725],{}," is too much of a foreign film for them, as it is mostly in Mandarian with English subtitles and some English speaking parts; nonetheless, it reveals what it is to be a family under a universal light. Through ",[486,13022,12725],{},", film director Lulu Wang has woven a string of Chinese traditions with an intricate story of reborn family connections and ties.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13025},[],"2019-09-18","The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, is one of the biggest indie films of this year. With a 14.5 million USD box office holding, it “surpassed ‘Avengers: Endgame’ For Biggest Theater Average of the Year” according to Variety. Not only was the film a huge success in its initial release, but *The Farewell *holds its place as one of the more notable feature films that highlights Chinese culture and philosophies, as does the film The Nightingale, one of China’s recent Academy Awards submissions for Best Foreign Language Film through a candid and comedic human interest storyline.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Findie-movie-the-farewell-awkwafinas-role-of-a-lifetime-based-on-true-events",{"title":12979,"description":13027},"indie-movie-the-farewell-awkwafinas-role-of-a-lifetime-based-on-true-events","blog\u002Findie-movie-the-farewell-awkwafinas-role-of-a-lifetime-based-on-true-events","LH9SAF-WB95a9x4VSeNuWR8c2tpIYZlCLJWEZsnZcAk",{"id":13035,"title":13036,"body":13037,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13070,"description":13043,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13071,"navigation":71,"path":13072,"seo":13073,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13074,"stem":13075,"__hash__":13076},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-announces-the-non-theatrical-release-of-central-asias-acclaimed-epic-the-road-to-mother.md","World Wide Announces the Non-Theatrical Release of Central Asia’s Acclaimed Epic \"The Road to Mother\"",{"type":22,"value":13038,"toc":13068},[13039,13044,13053,13056,13059,13062],[25,13040,13041],{},[486,13042,13043],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) has announced the non-theatrical release of \"The Road to Mother,\" Kazakhstan’s official entry for best foreign language film in the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.",[25,13045,13046,10041,13049,13052],{},[57,13047,13048],{},"Los Angeles, CA, August 08, 2019",[47,13050,1698],{"href":1696,"rel":13051},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) has announced the non-theatrical release of \"The Road to Mother\" (theroadtomother.com), Kazakhstan’s official entry for best foreign language film in the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Written by Timur Zhaksylykov and directed by Akan Satayev, the sweeping historical drama based on true events has completed its theatrical run on the AMC and Laemmle theater circuits and is now available in all ancillary markets. A spectacular panorama of this Satellite Country of the former Soviet Union and its years of separation, conflict and sacrifice before, during and after World War II, the epic drama is also a stirring testament to the power of maternal love in a time of upheaval.",[25,13054,13055],{},"World Wide’s long standing ancillary sales sub-distributors will include Kino Lorber for DVD, Video on Demand, streaming, pay TV, free TV and new digital media, and Swank Motion Pictures, which encompasses ships-at-sea (cruise lines), colleges\u002Funiversities, hospitals, military bases, rail and U.S. government agencies throughout the world. The Film will release in the Non-Theatrical markets starting in September and rolling out to various platforms throughout the Fall.",[25,13057,13058],{},"“These non-theatrical platforms give all movie lovers, including those outside the major markets who usually don’t get a chance to see them on the big screen, an opportunity to experience high quality foreign films,” stated A. Robert Sobolik, Executive Vice President for World Wide. “Sadly, these films, even the most prestigious like \"The Road to Mother,\" usually don’t receive enough theatrical coverage, opening on only a couple of screens in a few select cities, and often times the only way most of the general public can see them at all is on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. World Wide is dedicated to bringing the best of international cinema like 'The Road to Mother' to all movie-goers.”",[25,13060,13061],{},"\"The Road to Mother\" premiered at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival to critical acclaim, and has been showcased at numerous other festivals including: the New York Eurasian Film Festival (USA) - Winner: Best Foreign Film; the Marco Polo Film Festival (Croatia) - Winner: Best Film; WeLink International Film Festival (USA) - Winner: Best Feature Film; the Eurasian Bridge International Film Festival (Yalta) - Winner: Grand Prix and Best Actress for Altynai Nogherbek; and the Almaty Independent Film Festival (Kazakhstan) - Winner: Tulpar Prize. Additionally, \"The Road to Mother\" was recognized by the Ak IIbirs National Film Awards (Kyrgyzstan) in the category of Best Central Asian Film.",[25,13063,45,13064,13067],{},[47,13065,52],{"href":49,"rel":13066},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television products, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13069},[],"2019-08-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-announces-the-non-theatrical-release-of-central-asias-acclaimed-epic-the-road-to-mother",{"title":13036,"description":13043},"world-wide-announces-the-non-theatrical-release-of-central-asias-acclaimed-epic-the-road-to-mother","blog\u002Fworld-wide-announces-the-non-theatrical-release-of-central-asias-acclaimed-epic-the-road-to-mother","sQfpu7wfqTd2wWdTILfb2dmImGw0GYm8PM2Gm7fXHDk",{"id":13078,"title":13079,"body":13080,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":13107,"description":13084,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13108,"navigation":71,"path":13109,"seo":13110,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13111,"stem":13112,"__hash__":13113},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwwii-films-continue-to-succeed.md","WWII Films continue to succeed",{"type":22,"value":13081,"toc":13105},[13082,13085,13090,13095,13100],[25,13083,13084],{},"Each year on Memorial Day, we honor and commemorate our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. Hollywood has always been enamored with pictures that depict what many have deemed the last great war. The films that have been set during World War II with tales of bravery and heroism have seen much success throughout the last few decades. Films such as Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk, Hacksaw Ridge, and Darkest Hour, amongst many others, have seen Academy Award success over the years. Tom Hanks, who played an Army Captain in Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, is set to play Commander Ernest Krause in Aaron Schneider’s Greyhound, scheduled for release in the summer of 2020. The film is based on the book by C.S. Forester titled The Good Shepherd about a fictitious Navy commander who must take a convoy of Allied ships and protect the Atlantic waters from Nazi U-boats. Why have World War II dramas been a major go-to for Hollywood? Maybe the narrative is quite simple - It is clear cut, a good versus bad scenario. For storytelling purposes, this narrative makes it easier to write a screenplay with drama, horror, and suspense all rolled into one amazing story. With the Second World War having an impact around the world, it is only certain that many other international-based film industries besides Hollywood would produce such films. WWMPC’s award winning feature The Road to Mother, scheduled for a May 24th (Memorial Day weekend) theatrical release in the U.S., depicts the Soviet involvement in the war and the impact on the people of Kazakhstan. We can assure ourselves that there will be more films made about the Second World War, not only in Hollywood, but throughout world cinema.",[25,13086,13087],{},[3341,13088],{"alt":64,"src":13089},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FWP2.jpg",[25,13091,13092],{},[3341,13093],{"alt":64,"src":13094},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FSPIVA3.jpg",[25,13096,13097],{},[3341,13098],{"alt":64,"src":13099},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FWP3.jpg",[25,13101,13102],{},[3341,13103],{"alt":64,"src":13104},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F05\u002FWP4.jpg",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13106},[],"2019-05-20",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwwii-films-continue-to-succeed",{"title":13079,"description":13084},"wwii-films-continue-to-succeed","blog\u002Fwwii-films-continue-to-succeed","LmBg-FwXxJrEkGxCILaQAnBOVjDs1Ae7E6nhn17g3UU",{"id":13115,"title":13116,"body":13117,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":13152,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13153,"navigation":71,"path":13154,"seo":13155,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13156,"stem":13157,"__hash__":13158},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-impact-of-mother-son-relationships-in-dramatic-films.md","The Impact of Mother\u002FSon Relationships in Dramatic Films.",{"type":22,"value":13118,"toc":13150},[13119,13123,13125,13127,13129,13131,13135,13139,13141,13143,13146],[25,13120,13121],{},[3341,13122],{"alt":64,"src":11086},[25,13124,11089],{},[25,13126,11092],{},[25,13128,11095],{},[25,13130,11098],{},[25,13132,13133],{},[3341,13134],{"alt":64,"src":11103},[25,13136,13137],{},[3341,13138],{"alt":64,"src":11108},[25,13140,11111],{},[25,13142,11114],{},[25,13144,13145],{},"Mothers, no matter good or bad, will always have the love of their sons through thick and thin. As we have examined the various mother and son relationships in film history, we can conclude that no matter what the obstacle, mothers want the best for their sons and it is up to the son to take that love and be the best man their mother taught and raised them to be. In The Road to Mother, war will separate them but love will bring them back together. The film opens in theaters May 24th.",[25,13147,13148],{},[3341,13149],{"alt":64,"src":11127},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13151},[],"2019-05-14",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-impact-of-mother-son-relationships-in-dramatic-films",{"title":13116,"description":64},"the-impact-of-mother-son-relationships-in-dramatic-films","blog\u002Fthe-impact-of-mother-son-relationships-in-dramatic-films","Q5FijilxokRPArCIb5aXfpOtM1NLE2XqaKBPCZ77V3A",{"id":13160,"title":13161,"body":13162,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13231,"description":13232,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13233,"navigation":71,"path":13234,"seo":13235,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13236,"stem":13237,"__hash__":13238},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-theatrical-release-date-for-the-award-winning-the-r.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Announces Theatrical Release Date for the Award-Winning \"The Road to Mother\"",{"type":22,"value":13163,"toc":13229},[13164,13176,13179,13182,13185,13188,13191,13196,13199,13203,13205,13209,13212,13217,13220,13226],[25,13165,13166,13169,13170,13175],{},[57,13167,13168],{},"Los Angeles, CA, April 8, 2019","  -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced today that it will be releasing  the Academy Award\u002FGolden Globe contender THE ROAD TO MOTHER (",[47,13171,13174],{"href":13172,"rel":13173},"http:\u002F\u002Ftheroadtomother.com",[51],"theroadtomother.com",") in theaters throughout the U.S. starting May 24, 2019.",[25,13177,13178],{},"The film which was produced in Kazakhstan was that Country’s official submission for the 2017 Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film and the previous 74th Golden Globes in the same category.",[25,13180,13181],{},"Executive Produced by Aliya Nazarbayeva, directed by Akan Sateyev (also known for *Strayed, Zhauzhurek Myng Bala *), and starring internationally acclaimed Central Asia actors Bolat Abdilmanov, Aruzhan Jazilbekova, and Berik Aitzhanov, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was produced by KazakhFilm JSC. Inspired by true events and spanning nearly a century, the epic drama follows the journey of a young Kazakh family from the 1930s to present day and explores the history of Kazakhstan through war, famine, collectivization, and the determination of the clan to remain united.",[25,13183,13184],{},"“The film’s producers and I are honored to finally have THE ROAD TO MOTHER opening theatrically in the United States. I’m very happy that the World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation’s marketing and distribution team could see that the film’s heartwarming story was truly universal and could be enjoyed by audiences anywhere in the world,” states the film’s director, Akan Satayev.",[25,13186,13187],{},"THE ROAD TO MOTHER premiered at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival to critical acclaim and has been showcased at numerous other festivals, including: the New York Eurasian Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Foreign Film; the Marco Polo Film Festival (Croatia) – Winner: Best Film; WeLink International Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Feature Film; the Eurasian Bridge International Film Festival (Yalta) – Winner: Grand Prix and Best Actress for Altynai Nogherbek; and the Almaty Independent Film Festival (Kazakhstan)  – Winner: Tulpar Prize. Additionally, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was recognized by the Ak Ilbirs National Film Awards (Kyrgyzstan) in the category of Best Central Asia Film.",[25,13189,13190],{},"“World Wide is very proud to be releasing a meaningful multigenerational drama that also carries with it the high prestige of being Kazakhstan’s official foreign language entry for the Oscars,” states CEO Paul D. Hancock. “Families throughout the United States, especially mothers, will surely embrace this heartwarming story.”",[25,13192,45,13193,13067],{},[47,13194,52],{"href":49,"rel":13195},[51],[25,13197,13198],{},"Media Contacts",[25,13200,13201],{},[57,13202,7484],{},[25,13204,7481],{},[25,13206,13207],{},[47,13208,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13210,13211],{},"(714)-960-7264",[25,13213,13214],{},[57,13215,13216],{},"Joshua Jason, Founder\u002FPresident",[25,13218,13219],{},"JJPR",[25,13221,13222],{},[47,13223,13225],{"href":13224},"mailto:joshua@joshuajasonpr.com","joshua@joshuajasonpr.com",[25,13227,13228],{},"(323) 933-5716",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13230},[],"2019-04-17","Los Angeles, CA, April 8, 2019  -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced today that it will be releasing  the Academy Award\u002FGolden Globe contender THE ROAD TO MOTHER (theroadtomother.com) in theaters throughout the U.S. starting May 24, 2019.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-theatrical-release-date-for-the-award-winning-the-r",{"title":13161,"description":13232},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-theatrical-release-date-for-the-award-winning-the-r","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-theatrical-release-date-for-the-award-winning-the-r","VUnSk9ybzUACQwzQwuAoS8XP5nXiJMHYrh6oCuG19_M",{"id":13240,"title":13241,"body":13242,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":13258,"description":13246,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13259,"navigation":71,"path":13260,"seo":13261,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13262,"stem":13263,"__hash__":13264},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F71st-dga-awards-recap-and-winners.md","71st DGA Awards Recap and Winners",{"type":22,"value":13243,"toc":13256},[13244,13247,13250,13253],[25,13245,13246],{},"The World Wide team was pleased to be in attendance at the 71st DGA awards held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood this past Sunday (Feb 3rd). Despite rainy weather which soaked the red carpet, the stars were in attendance to show their support for the nominated directors. There was another win for Alfonso Cuaron, director of ROMA which is a good thing for Foreign Language Films like the upcoming release of WWMPC’s THE ROAD TO MOTHER! As the ceremony commenced, it was clear that this year’s DGA Awards were especially friendly to independent-leaning films like Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA, Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK, and Bo Burnham’s EIGHTH GRADE. With recognition going to veterans like Spike Lee for BLACKKKLANSMAN and new directors like Bradley Cooper for A STAR IS BORN, the nominations for a wide variety of feature film and television projects appear to be becoming more diverse in both genre and story. Diversity was a major theme of this year’s awards for both in front of and behind the camera, and was well-served with the wide variety of artists and filmmakers both new and old in attendance.",[25,13248,13249],{},"A Few of The Evenings Highlights Were:",[25,13251,13252],{},"Further recognition was afforded the UPM department (Unit Production Manager) for Kathleen McGill as well as the Directing teams including 1st and 2nd AD’s (Assistant Director) like Michael “Shelley” Ziegler (A STAR IS BORN) and Matt Rebenkoff (VICE).",[25,13254,13255],{},"All of the feature film directors were recognized, most being introduced by the stars of their films like John David Washington, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace for BLACKKKLANSMAN, Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira for ROMA, Christian Bale for VICE, as well as a touching introduction from Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini for GREEN BOOK director Peter Farrelly. Jordan Peele humorously delighted the crowd as he presented the award for First-Time Feature Film Director which went to 24-year-old Bo Burnham for the film EIGHTH GRADE. In his speech Burnham claimed that he didn’t see this as “a room of his peers, but rather a room full of people he admired.” Also spotlighted at this year’s awards were documentaries like THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS, directed by Tim Wardle. We hope the momentum for recognizing foreign language films continues into the 91st Academy Awards later this month and beyond.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13257},[],"2019-02-07",{},"\u002Fblog\u002F71st-dga-awards-recap-and-winners",{"title":13241,"description":13246},"71st-dga-awards-recap-and-winners","blog\u002F71st-dga-awards-recap-and-winners","wCEVeh3ezs2U2hfm8mOCAVnGviL4FefueJqcA2t_kvc",{"id":13266,"title":13267,"body":13268,"category":739,"coverImage":12,"date":13258,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13305,"navigation":71,"path":13306,"seo":13307,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13308,"stem":13309,"__hash__":13310},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdirectors-guild-awards-foreign-film-nominees-getting-deserved-recognition.md","Directors Guild Awards Foreign Film Nominees - Getting Deserved Recognition",{"type":22,"value":13269,"toc":13303},[13270,13275,13286,13298],[25,13271,13272],{},[3341,13273],{"alt":64,"src":13274},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F02\u002F49413238_2149231378674043_8928721792037059014_n.jpg",[25,13276,13277,13278,13281,13282,13285],{},"Awards Season is upon us, including the upcoming DGA Awards on February 2, 2019, and It looks as though foreign language films like Alfonso Cuarón’s ",[486,13279,13280],{},"Roma"," and Pawel Pawlikowski's ",[486,13283,13284],{},"Cold War"," are receiving more recognition this year at awards ceremonies than in past years. Hopefully this will start a trend with American cinema because, as we all know, some of the best quality films are from different parts of the world, which has always been a challenge for American audiences. “We just don’t like to read subtitles,” but the stories and production value can be exceptional. The World Wide Motion Pictures team will be attending this year’s Director’s Guild of America (DGA) Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and we’ll be excited to see if this shift towards foreign language films continues.",[25,13287,13288,13289,8485,13292,985,13295,13297],{},"With World Wide's upcoming release of the epic film* The Road to Mother* from Kazakhstan, directed by Akan Satayev, we’re hopeful that American audiences will be more willing to give these foreign language films a chance when competing against the big studio superhero productions like ",[486,13290,13291],{},"The Avengers",[486,13293,13294],{},"Wonder Woman",[486,13296,12313],{},". Although popcorn movies are crowd pleasers, it’’s refreshing to see the change going on in the US market. This shift gives the impression that The Road to Mother, with its wonderful acting, direction, writing and overall great family story will be a success in theaters this Spring!",[25,13299,13300],{},[3341,13301],{"alt":64,"src":13302},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F02\u002Fposter11-6.jpg",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13304},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdirectors-guild-awards-foreign-film-nominees-getting-deserved-recognition",{"title":13267,"description":64},"directors-guild-awards-foreign-film-nominees-getting-deserved-recognition","blog\u002Fdirectors-guild-awards-foreign-film-nominees-getting-deserved-recognition","g6nLB5HPvz_kUY8jEQJyMiG_3S7SUP9WnJ85Fnaud-0",{"id":13312,"title":13313,"body":13314,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13360,"description":13361,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13362,"navigation":71,"path":13363,"seo":13364,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13365,"stem":13366,"__hash__":13367},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fambassador-to-the-u-s-set-to-attend-exclusive-east-coast-screening-of-the-road-to-mother.md","Ambassador to the U.S. Set to Attend Exclusive East Coast Screening of The Road to Mother",{"type":22,"value":13315,"toc":13358},[13316,13322,13325,13328,13331,13334,13337,13343,13345,13350,13352,13356],[25,13317,13318,13321],{},[57,13319,13320],{},"Los Angeles, CA, July 17, 2018"," --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) will be co-hosting a special screening of the Feature Film The Road to Mother (theroadtomother.com) at the Carnegie Science Institute for Science in Washington D.C. on July 19th, 2018.",[25,13323,13324],{},"The screening, supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan will be attended by representatives of the White House, the Chamber of Commerce, business professionals, and cultural figures, with a guest list of nearly 400. The film’s leading actors, Adil Akhmetov and Aruzhan Jazilbekova, will be traveling from Kazakhstan to be in attendance.",[25,13326,13327],{},"The award winning film screened earlier this year in Greece, Italy, and Croatia and was the official selection for Best Foreign Film at the 90th Academy Awards and the 74th Golden Globe Awards and has won numerous awards at various Film Festivals.",[25,13329,13330],{},"The Road to Mother is based on a true story and follows a young man who is separated from his mother by war and journeys through harrowing experiences from childhood into adulthood without her to protect him. It is ultimately a stirring drama for the whole family about the power of maternal love.",[25,13332,13333],{},"The film will be released in select theaters throughout the US this fall, including major metropolitan areas, with many Kazakhstani and Asian American organizations offering their support.",[25,13335,13336],{},"“We’re very pleased that the Embassy of Kazakhstan has elected to support a special screening of the film for political luminaries in the D.C. area,” explained Paul Hancock, CEO of World Wide. “The sharing of cultural history can only prove to strengthen the relationship between societies, and filmed entertainment is one of the best ways to do that,” he further stated.",[25,13338,45,13339,13342],{},[47,13340,52],{"href":49,"rel":13341},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television products, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festival.",[25,13344,13198],{},[25,13346,13347],{},[57,13348,13349],{},"Farid Hameditoloui",[25,13351,7481],{},[25,13353,13354],{},[47,13355,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13357,12914],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13359},[],"2018-07-17","Los Angeles, CA, July 17, 2018 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) will be co-hosting a special screening of the Feature Film The Road to Mother (theroadtomother.com) at the Carnegie Science Institute for Science in Washington D.C. on July 19th, 2018.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fambassador-to-the-u-s-set-to-attend-exclusive-east-coast-screening-of-the-road-to-mother",{"title":13313,"description":13361},"ambassador-to-the-u-s-set-to-attend-exclusive-east-coast-screening-of-the-road-to-mother","blog\u002Fambassador-to-the-u-s-set-to-attend-exclusive-east-coast-screening-of-the-road-to-mother","9SsbgevKs5BvJVbJ0vbICVTsojSDI0fVOuMsu_ea2FU",{"id":13369,"title":13370,"body":13371,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13435,"description":64,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13436,"navigation":71,"path":13437,"seo":13438,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13439,"stem":13440,"__hash__":13441},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-kazakhstans-academy-awardgolden-globes-submission-th.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Kazakhstan’s Academy Award\u002FGolden Globes Submission, The Road to Mother",{"type":22,"value":13372,"toc":13433},[13373,13378,13388,13391,13393,13396,13398,13401,13407,13409,13413,13415,13419,13421,13425,13427,13431],[25,13374,13375],{},[3341,13376],{"alt":64,"src":13377},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F07\u002FTRTM-bw-1024x341.png",[25,13379,13380,13383,13384,13387],{},[57,13381,13382],{},"Los Angeles, CA, July 10, 2018"," -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced today that it has acquired North American distribution rights to THE ROAD TO MOTHER (",[47,13385,13174],{"href":13172,"rel":13386},[51],"), Kazakhstan’s official submission for the 2017 Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film and the previous 74th Golden Globe Awards in the same category.",[25,13389,13390],{},"Executive Produced by Aliya Nazarbayeva, directed by Akan Sateyev (also known for Strayed, Zhauzhurek Myng Bala ), and starring internationally acclaimed Central Asia actors Bolat Abdilmanov, Aruzhan Jazilbekova, and Berik Aitzhanov, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was produced by KazakhFilm JSC. Inspired by true events and spanning nearly a century, the epic drama follows the journey of a young Kazakh family from the 1930s to present day and explores the history of Kazakhstan through war, famine, collectivization, and the determination of the clan to remain united.",[25,13392,13184],{},[25,13394,13395],{},"THE ROAD TO MOTHER premiered at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival to critical acclaim and has been showcased at numerous other festivals, including: the New York Eurasian Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Foreign Film; the Marco Polo Film Festival (Croatia) – Winner: Best Film; WeLink International Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Feature Film; the Eurasian Bridge International Film Festival (Yalta) – Winner: Grand Prix and Best Actress for Altynai Nogherbek; and the Almaty Independent Film Festival (Kazakhstan) – Winner: Tulpar Prize. Additionally, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was recognized by the Ak Ilbirs National Film Awards (Kyrgyzstan) in the category of Best Central Asia Film.",[25,13397,13190],{},[25,13399,13400],{},"THE ROAD TO MOTHER will be released in select theaters throughout the US in fall 2018, including major metropolitan areas, with many Kazakhstani and Asian American organizations offering their support.",[25,13402,45,13403,13067],{},[47,13404,52],{"href":13405,"rel":13406},"http:\u002F\u002Fwwmpc.com",[51],[25,13408,13198],{},[25,13410,13411],{},[57,13412,13349],{},[25,13414,7481],{},[25,13416,13417],{},[47,13418,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13420,12914],{},[25,13422,13423],{},[57,13424,13216],{},[25,13426,13219],{},[25,13428,13429],{},[47,13430,13225],{"href":13224},[25,13432,13228],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13434},[],"2018-07-10",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-kazakhstans-academy-awardgolden-globes-submission-th",{"title":13370,"description":64},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-kazakhstans-academy-awardgolden-globes-submission-th","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-kazakhstans-academy-awardgolden-globes-submission-th","_xemYD5gzzpyIswv0PnAAMLzzsJoqPsNvOe7iimwmoc",{"id":13443,"title":13444,"body":13445,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13510,"description":13511,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13512,"navigation":71,"path":13513,"seo":13514,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13515,"stem":13516,"__hash__":13517},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-elects-new-board-member.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Elects New Board Member",{"type":22,"value":13446,"toc":13508},[13447,13453,13456,13459,13462,13465,13468,13474,13476,13481,13484,13486,13490,13492,13497,13500,13502,13506],[25,13448,13449,13452],{},[57,13450,13451],{},"Los Angeles, CA, February 27, 2018","-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has announced today that Elizabeth Sheldon has joined its Board of Directors. Ms. Sheldon will be providing a wide variety of ancillary sales knowledge and expertise to company management.",[25,13454,13455],{},"Sheldon is a veteran film industry executive with over two decades of experience, specializing in domestic and international markets. She has worked with World Wide for the past 6 years as a non-theatrical sales specialist, responsible for the release of many of the company’s films to the educational market, on DVD, and across various digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes.",[25,13457,13458],{},"“As the corporation continues to grow and evolve we’re very happy to welcome Elizabeth to the company’s Board of Directors,” stated Paul Hancock, CEO of World Wide. “We look forward to her guidance and council with respect to non-theatrical sales, digital strategy and to working together for many years to come,” Hancock added.",[25,13460,13461],{},"Sheldon is the founding partner and Chief Executive Officer of Juno Films, an all rights distribution company with a historically strong expertise in the non-theatrical and educational market. Prior to launching Juno Films, she was Chief Operating Officer of BOND\u002F360 where she oversaw acquisitions and distribution. Previously she was the SVP at Kino Lorber, where she founded the educational division Kino Lorber Edu. Her expertise in digital distribution has allowed her to become one of the industry’s foremost liaisons between filmmakers and digital exhibition outlets.",[25,13463,13464],{},"“The opportunity to collaborate with Paul and the fellow board members and officers is an immense honor and I hope that my particular expertise will be beneficial to the corporation over the years to come,” said Sheldon,",[25,13466,13467],{},"Sheldon graduated from Princeton University with a MA in German Studies, and a BA from Mills College in Philosophy. She has been recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential People in the documentary world by POV Magazine and has served as a jurist for a variety of film festivals.",[25,13469,45,13470,13473],{},[47,13471,52],{"href":49,"rel":13472},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,13475,11220],{},[25,13477,13478],{},[57,13479,13480],{},"Kelli Myers",[25,13482,13483],{},"Associate Vice President, Public Relations",[25,13485,7481],{},[25,13487,13488],{},[47,13489,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13491,12914],{},[25,13493,13494],{},[57,13495,13496],{},"Farid Toloi",[25,13498,13499],{},"Marketing Specialist",[25,13501,7481],{},[25,13503,13504],{},[47,13505,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13507,12914],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13509},[],"2018-03-01","Los Angeles, CA, February 27, 2018-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has announced today that Elizabeth Sheldon has joined its Board of Directors. Ms. Sheldon will be providing a wide variety of ancillary sales knowledge and expertise to company management.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-elects-new-board-member",{"title":13444,"description":13511},"world-wide-motion-pictures-elects-new-board-member","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-elects-new-board-member","XE3bbuOf7MatktR_uLyQk71tIfk5c_jaLXr-u8biK3o",{"id":13519,"title":13520,"body":13521,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":13538,"description":13520,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13539,"navigation":71,"path":13540,"seo":13541,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13542,"stem":13543,"__hash__":13544},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fa-special-news-report-george-t-lindsey.md","A Special News Report - George T. Lindsey",{"type":22,"value":13522,"toc":13536},[13523,13527,13530,13533],[25,13524,13525],{},[57,13526,13520],{},[25,13528,13529],{},"It is with great sadness that we report the passing of friend, associate, and genuine filmmaker, George T. Lindsey.",[25,13531,13532],{},"Mr. Lindsey was responsible, in conjunction with the production committee, for the selection and development of Feature film and television projects for WWMPC. He served with distinction on the company’s Board of Directors since 1981. His film and television career spanned over 40 years of literary and production film work. He was associated in the past with film production houses and television stations, including serving as an executive producer and director on the staff of NBC and its affiliate W.R.C.-TV and W.I.T.F. He was also the President of G.L. Productions Inc. and an award-winning documentarian, producing a wide variety of documentaries and docudramas throughout Europe, Africa, and South America. He worked with such legendary talent as Eli Wallach, Henry Fonda, Raymond Massey, Leonard Nimoy, Brock Peters and Lorne Green. Mr. Lindsey earned over 18 national film awards for film and television productions, including regional Emmy awards, local Emmy awards, the N.E.T. award for excellence in film production, and gold, silver and bronze medals in film production from the New York International Film Festival. He was a member of several professional organizations including the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc., and the Directors Guild of America.",[25,13534,13535],{},"Mr. Lindsey was one of the longest serving Board appointed operating officers of the corporation and will be deeply missed by his many colleagues at WWMPC.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13537},[],"2018-01-19",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fa-special-news-report-george-t-lindsey",{"title":13520,"description":13520},"a-special-news-report-george-t-lindsey","blog\u002Fa-special-news-report-george-t-lindsey","iKk80J5gCwaNONnD9MQIibucQzxKFlEnuEP8vf54QXk",{"id":13546,"title":13547,"body":13548,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13621,"description":13554,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13622,"navigation":71,"path":13623,"seo":13624,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13625,"stem":13626,"__hash__":13627},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fkanopy-press-release.md","Kanopy Press Release",{"type":22,"value":13549,"toc":13619},[13550,13555,13561,13564,13567,13570,13573,13579,13582,13584,13588,13590,13592,13594,13599,13601,13603,13605,13610,13613,13616],[25,13551,13552],{},[57,13553,13554],{},"World Wide contracts with Specialty Educational\u002FLibrary Distributor, to present Feature and Documentary Titles Nationwide",[25,13556,13557,13560],{},[57,13558,13559],{},"LOS ANGELES, CA – (November 28, 2017)"," - (PR.com)- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) is partnering with Kanopy, to bring a wide variety of feature and documentary titles specifically to colleges, universities, and library systems throughout the world from its catalog of more than 300 productions.",[25,13562,13563],{},"The basic framework of the arrangement includes an exclusive, multi-year term with revenue being shared evenly between the two companies. Films on Kanopy can be accessed by members of academic and public libraries, from multiple devices, and can be streamed directly into classrooms with corresponding visual aid with any syllabus material.",[25,13565,13566],{},"“I'm very pleased that World Wide and Kanopy have developed this mutually beneficial relationship starting with the films, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER and THE NIGHTINGALE,” states Paul Hancock, CEO of World Wide. “Having an additional window specifically for universities and library systems will be a very important component in the company’s development of additional gross corridors for its films and TV product” Hancock further stated.",[25,13568,13569],{},"Kanopy’s catalog of films is broad servicing more than 4,000 academic campuses and library systems worldwide. Some of the company’s prestigious institutional customers include the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Stanford University and Yale University.",[25,13571,13572],{},"“We’re happy to add selections from World Wide's extensive titles to our collection for libraries around the world,” states Dylan McGinty, licensing director at Kanopy.",[25,13574,45,13575,13578],{},[47,13576,52],{"href":49,"rel":13577},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,13580,13581],{},"Kanopy was founded in 2008 and is an on-demand streaming video service for public libraries and educational institutions that provides access to more than 30,000 films. Kanopy’s unique flexible models ensure that libraries only pay for films that patrons actually watch. The company works directly with filmmakers and film distribution companies to offer award-winning collections including titles from The Criterion Collection, PBS, BBC, Media Education Foundation, and more.",[25,13583,13198],{},[25,13585,13586],{},[57,13587,13480],{},[25,13589,13483],{},[25,13591,7481],{},[25,13593,12914],{},[25,13595,13596],{},[57,13597,13598],{},"Farid Toloui",[25,13600,13499],{},[25,13602,7481],{},[25,13604,12914],{},[25,13606,13607],{},[57,13608,13609],{},"Vanessa Latin",[25,13611,13612],{},"Public Relations",[25,13614,13615],{},"Kanopy LLC",[25,13617,13618],{},"(415) 513-1026",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13620},[],"2017-12-13",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fkanopy-press-release",{"title":13547,"description":13554},"kanopy-press-release","blog\u002Fkanopy-press-release","6jQg0PhoKwPRwWIjvZsI8iGrC9TT_Ibru3Gx3WjZxu8",{"id":13629,"title":13630,"body":13631,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13746,"description":13747,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13748,"navigation":71,"path":13749,"seo":13750,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13751,"stem":13752,"__hash__":13753},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcool-kind-kidr-joins-forces-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-combat-bullying.md","Cool Kind Kid(R) Joins Forces with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Help Combat Bullying",{"type":22,"value":13632,"toc":13744},[13633,13644,13647,13650,13653,13656,13659,13664,13666,13670,13673,13675,13678,13682,13687,13690,13697,13704,13707,13710,13715,13718,13721,13727,13732,13735,13738],[25,13634,13635,13638,13639,13643],{},[57,13636,13637],{},"Los Angeles, CA, September 21, 2016","  -  Launching a wide-ranging initiative to deter bullying in schools and neighborhoods, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) and Cool Kind Kid® (",[47,13640,13641],{"href":13641,"rel":13642},"http:\u002F\u002Fcoolkindkid.com",[51],") have formed an alliance to create an extensive array of educational materials to encourage a culture of tolerance and inclusion among our children. This partnership is tied to the forthcoming release of World Wide’s specialty film, Time for a Champion, which depicts the impact of bullying on a Latina high school student.",[25,13645,13646],{},"“We’re happy to announce that Cool Kind Kid® has chosen the feature film ‘Time for a Champion’ to spearhead their new campaign to raise awareness of the pernicious effects of bullying,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide.",[25,13648,13649],{},"“This is a unique film because it was produced by a school district which is known for its progressive educational programs to prevent bullying and promote respect for all students,” commented Barbara Gilmour, founder of Cool Kind Kid®.",[25,13651,13652],{},"“Time for a Champion” was produced by PSJA Southwest Film Society, a production company headquartered at PSJA Southwest Early College High School in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) in South Texas. The inspirational sports story portrays the efforts of a homeless Latina girl to overcome a background of neglect and poverty. Enrolled in high school by her new adoptive parents, she must then confront bullying in the classroom and on the athletic field. The screenplay was written by Barry Glasser, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Together he and former Univision executive, Sarvelio Carreon, produced and directed the film, which was staffed by more than 80 PSJA ISD students and faculty.",[25,13654,13655],{},"“We’ll be collaborating with Barbara Gilmour and her associates to mount an aggressive program of screenings and media appearances designed to provoke thoughtful, comprehensive discussions amongst families, educators, and religious and civic leaders in a concerted effort to prevent bullying, one follower at a time,” Hancock noted.",[25,13657,13658],{},"Cool Kind Kid® is dedicated to providing anti-bullying programs to help give children the tools to combat bullying in school and in other social settings. With its award winning, engaging music, and fun, social skills activities for kids, Cool Kind Kid® is teaching manners for children to provide them with the tools needed for not only bullying prevention, but for securing their successful futures.",[25,13660,45,13661,53],{},[47,13662,52],{"href":49,"rel":13663},[51],[25,13665,7478],{},[25,13667,13668],{},[57,13669,13480],{},[25,13671,13672],{},"Public Relations Coordinator",[25,13674,7481],{},[25,13676,13677],{},"714.960.7264",[25,13679,13680],{},[47,13681,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13683,13684],{},[57,13685,13686],{},"Barbara Gilmour",[25,13688,13689],{},"Cool Kind Kid®",[25,13691,13692],{},[47,13693,13696],{"href":13694,"rel":13695},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.CoolKindKid.com",[51],"www.CoolKindKid.com",[25,13698,13699],{},[47,13700,13703],{"href":13701,"rel":13702},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fcoolkindkid",[51],"www.facebook.com\u002Fcoolkindkid",[25,13705,13706],{},"866-KID-KIND (866-543-5463)",[25,13708,13709],{},"609-398-1949-phone",[25,13711,13712],{},[57,13713,13714],{},"Claudia Lemus",[25,13716,13717],{},"PR Specialist, PSJA ISD",[25,13719,13720],{},"(956) 354-2027 ext.1131",[25,13722,13723],{},[47,13724,13726],{"href":13725},"mailto:claudia.lemus@psjaisd.us","claudia.lemus@psjaisd.us",[25,13728,13729],{},[57,13730,13731],{},"Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez",[25,13733,13734],{},"Dir. Of Communications\u002FPublic Info",[25,13736,13737],{},"(956) 354-2027, (956) 279-9420",[25,13739,13740],{},[47,13741,13743],{"href":13742},"mailto:arianna.hernandez@psjaisd.us","arianna.hernandez@psjaisd.us",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13745},[],"2016-09-24","Los Angeles, CA, September 21, 2016  -  Launching a wide-ranging initiative to deter bullying in schools and neighborhoods, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) and Cool Kind Kid® (http:\u002F\u002Fcoolkindkid.com) have formed an alliance to create an extensive array of educational materials to encourage a culture of tolerance and inclusion among our children. This partnership is tied to the forthcoming release of World Wide’s specialty film, Time for a Champion, which depicts the impact of bullying on a Latina high school student.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcool-kind-kidr-joins-forces-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-combat-bullying",{"title":13630,"description":13747},"cool-kind-kidr-joins-forces-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-combat-bullying","blog\u002Fcool-kind-kidr-joins-forces-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-combat-bullying","5VlmcnTZhOZuT9hsshbn0jxz7CAbT354aetf1Pt-CNc",{"id":13755,"title":13756,"body":13757,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13833,"description":13834,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13835,"navigation":71,"path":13836,"seo":13837,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13838,"stem":13839,"__hash__":13840},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ffree2luv.md","Free2Luv and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Join in Global Educational Effort to Stop Bullying",{"type":22,"value":13758,"toc":13831},[13759,13770,13773,13776,13779,13782,13785,13787,13790,13792,13794,13798,13801,13804,13810,13813,13816,13818,13822,13825,13827],[25,13760,13761,13764,13765,13769],{},[57,13762,13763],{},"Los Angeles, CA, September 14, 2016","  - Time For a Champion, the specialty motion picture which depicts the impact of bullying on a vulnerable Latina high school student, has garnered the endorsement of Free2Luv® (",[47,13766,13767],{"href":13767,"rel":13768},"http:\u002F\u002Ffree2luv.org\u002F",[51],"), the acclaimed anti-bullying organization, it was announced today by Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of the film’s distributor, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, and Tonya Sandis, Co-Founder of Free2Luv. Free2Luv will spotlight Time For a Champion in a wide-reaching multi-media initiative targeting children and teenagers in schools and communities throughout the world.",[25,13771,13772],{},"“We’re honored to partner with Free2Luv on this vital educational venture,” Hancock says. “Free2Luv is respected by educators and civic leaders for its influential sponsorship of programs to illuminate the ethical choices that young people face every day in our challenging society. For them to choose our film as part of this effort is immensely gratifying.”",[25,13774,13775],{},"“We know firsthand the power of the arts to heal and inspire youth,” Sandis observed. “This is a groundbreaking film that will promote a much-needed dialogue. It shows the very subtle yet devastating and pernicious effects of bullying, and ultimately demonstrates the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity. We believe that all children will benefit from seeing this film, and look forward to being in the vanguard of that discussion.”",[25,13777,13778],{},"“Time For A Champion” was produced by PSJA Southwest Film Society, a production company headquartered at PSJA Southwest Early College High School in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) in South Texas. The inspirational sports story portrays the efforts of a homeless Latina girl to overcome a background of neglect and poverty. Enrolled in high school by her new adoptive parents, she must then confront bullying in the classroom and on the athletic field. The screenplay was written by Barry Glasser, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Together he and former Univision executive, Sarvelio Carreon, produced and directed the film, which was staffed by more than 80 PSJA ISD students and faculty.",[25,13780,13781],{},"Free2Luv is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to celebrating individuality and equality, spreading kindness and standing up to bullying through arts and entertainment. “We empower, engage and enlighten youth to be their true, authentic selves and know that they are perfect just the way they are,” Sandis explains.",[25,13783,13784],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (wwwmpc.com) is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,13786,7478],{},[25,13788,13789],{},"Kelli Myers\nPublic Relations Coordinator",[25,13791,7481],{},[25,13793,13677],{},[25,13795,13796],{},[47,13797,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13799,13800],{},"Lilly Harper\nFree2Luv",[25,13802,13803],{},"free2luv.org",[25,13805,13806],{},[47,13807,13809],{"href":13808},"mailto:info@free2luv.org","info@free2luv.org",[25,13811,13812],{},"Tel: 206.397.4724",[25,13814,13815],{},"Claudia Lemus\nPR Specialist, PSJA ISD",[25,13817,13720],{},[25,13819,13820],{},[47,13821,13726],{"href":13725},[25,13823,13824],{},"Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez\nDir. Of Communications\u002FPublic Info",[25,13826,13737],{},[25,13828,13829],{},[47,13830,13743],{"href":13742},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13832},[],"2016-09-15","Los Angeles, CA, September 14, 2016  - Time For a Champion, the specialty motion picture which depicts the impact of bullying on a vulnerable Latina high school student, has garnered the endorsement of Free2Luv® (http:\u002F\u002Ffree2luv.org\u002F), the acclaimed anti-bullying organization, it was announced today by Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of the film’s distributor, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, and Tonya Sandis, Co-Founder of Free2Luv. Free2Luv will spotlight Time For a Champion in a wide-reaching multi-media initiative targeting children and teenagers in schools and communities throughout the world.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffree2luv",{"title":13756,"description":13834},"free2luv","blog\u002Ffree2luv","078A1yLRUDp0o4vfav7n2VfqszhV-SfiR6GWGxsVLms",{"id":13842,"title":13843,"body":13844,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":13857,"description":13848,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13858,"navigation":71,"path":13859,"seo":13860,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13861,"stem":13862,"__hash__":13863},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-the-johns-hopkins-division-of-pediatric-onc.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Collaborates with The Johns Hopkins Division Of Pediatric Oncology to Bring Awareness to Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":13845,"toc":13855},[13846,13849,13852],[25,13847,13848],{},"Joining forces to beat childhood cancer and raise awareness, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology, along with other cancer-related organizations, have been selected by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to receive a portion of the box-office proceeds from the North American release of the upcoming film, Ways to Live Forever.",[25,13850,13851],{},"\"The funds will be used for research on childhood cancers such as leukemia. Types of funding sources are even more critical in these days of federal cutbacks of research funding,\" said Donald Small, M.D., Ph.D., director of the pediatric oncology division at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.",[25,13853,13854],{},"The film, scheduled to be released July 19, 20 and 21, is based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls. It tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend, Felix. Sam has leukemia and although the adults in his life don’t want him to dwell on it, Sam wants to know everything about his disease and death, a possibility he might face. In this poignant yet ultimately uplifting tale, Sam and his family face the immensity of an uncertain future with love, humor, and a touch of the unexpected.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13856},[],"2016-03-31",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-the-johns-hopkins-division-of-pediatric-onc",{"title":13843,"description":13848},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-the-johns-hopkins-division-of-pediatric-onc","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-the-johns-hopkins-division-of-pediatric-onc","ChOMrJeK0MZUg6iidAMFlVdwcQmxUYNyKCrzhMA6vXc",{"id":13865,"title":13866,"body":13867,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":13949,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":13950,"navigation":71,"path":13951,"seo":13952,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":13953,"stem":13954,"__hash__":13955},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-cancer-and-blood-foundation-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-supp.md","Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Collaborate to Support Cancer Patients and Families",{"type":22,"value":13868,"toc":13946},[13869,13890,13893,13901,13904,13907,13914,13916,13921,13923,13925,13929,13934,13937,13940],[25,13870,13871,10041,13874,13878,13879,13883,13884,13889],{},[57,13872,13873],{},"Los Angeles, CA, January 28, 2013",[47,13875,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":13877},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002F",[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce a partnership with Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation (CCBF) ",[47,13880,13881],{"href":13881,"rel":13882},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.childrenscbf.org",[51]," (the largest and oldest charitable organization in the US dedicated to the care of children with cancer and blood disorders) to raise awareness for the ",[47,13885,13888],{"href":13886,"rel":13887},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.waystoliveforevermovie.com",[51],"award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever"," (waystoliveforevermovie.com). The film will open in numerous theaters throughout the US later this year. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired.",[25,13891,13892],{},"“We are very proud to be working with CCBF to help spread this important message,” offers Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “We hope that Ways To Live Forever will not only bring more awareness to these disorders but also increase funding for research and patient support; a portion of our box office sales will be donated toward these continuing efforts.”",[25,13894,13895,13896,13900],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize. Additionally, nationally renowned book publisher Scholastic ",[47,13897,13898],{"href":13898,"rel":13899},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.scholastic.com",[51]," has plans for a re-issue of Nicholls’ best-selling novel as an enhanced eBook in advance of the film’s North American theatrical release.",[25,13902,13903],{},"“We are excited to be partnering with ‘Ways to Live Forever’ in our efforts to spread CCBF’s message and search for a cure,” said Les Lieberman, Chairman of CCBF, “Together, we can make a profound difference in the lives of so many children.”",[25,13905,13906],{},"Founded in 1952, the CCBF’s three-fold mission is to support the comprehensive clinical care of children living with cancer and blood disorders; foster research to help understand the causes of childhood cancer and blood disorders, and sponsor the fellowship training of pediatricians of the subspecialty of pediatric hematology and oncology.",[25,13908,13909,13910,13913],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures (",[47,13911,52],{"href":49,"rel":13912},[51],") is a production and distribution company with vast experience in many diverse mediums such as feature films, television production, and documentaries. Its industry executives and board members have garnered Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from numerous internationally recognized film festivals.",[25,13915,11220],{},[25,13917,13918],{},[57,13919,13920],{},"Kelli M. Larson",[25,13922,7481],{},[25,13924,7487],{},[25,13926,13927],{},[47,13928,1735],{"href":1734},[25,13930,13931],{},[57,13932,13933],{},"Lizzie Smith",[25,13935,13936],{},"Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation",[25,13938,13939],{},"(212) 297-4336",[25,13941,13942],{},[47,13943,13945],{"href":13944},"mailto:lsmith@childrenscbf.org","lsmith@childrenscbf.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":13947},[],"2016-03-17","Los Angeles, CA, January 28, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce a partnership with Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation (CCBF) http:\u002F\u002Fwww.childrenscbf.org (the largest and oldest charitable organization in the US dedicated to the care of children with cancer and blood disorders) to raise awareness for the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever (waystoliveforevermovie.com). The film will open in numerous theaters throughout the US later this year. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-cancer-and-blood-foundation-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-supp",{"title":13866,"description":13949},"childrens-cancer-and-blood-foundation-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-supp","blog\u002Fchildrens-cancer-and-blood-foundation-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-supp","t95ZP8C-t4We55tFqUMR3_CwuAIIFhwNPSgWv-fhMtI",{"id":13957,"title":13958,"body":13959,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14042,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14043,"navigation":71,"path":14044,"seo":14045,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14046,"stem":14047,"__hash__":14048},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-chance-joins-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-cancer-patients-and-famil.md","Children’s Chance Joins with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Help Cancer Patients and Families",{"type":22,"value":13960,"toc":14040},[13961,13987,13990,13998,14001,14004,14010,14012,14016,14018,14020,14023,14028,14031,14034,14037],[25,13962,13963,10041,13966,13969,13970,13975,13976,13981,13982,13986],{},[57,13964,13965],{},"Los Angeles, CA, April 16, 2013",[47,13967,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":13968},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to be working with the Children’s Chance (",[47,13971,13974],{"href":13972,"rel":13973},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.childrenschance.org",[51],"www.childrenschance.org",") to bring awareness to the award-winning feature ",[47,13977,13980],{"href":13978,"rel":13979},"http:\u002F\u002Fwaystoliveforevermovie.com\u002Fhome",[51],"film, Ways to Live Forever"," (",[47,13983,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":13984},[51],"www.waystoliveforevermovie.com","). Founded in the mid-90s, Children’s Chance funds programs to help meet the emotional, psychological, and financial needs of pediatric cancer patients and their families. The organization is supporting the theatrical release of the new film, which is based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls and opens across the US later this year. The story centers on a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend and fellow patient, Felix. Together, they set out to achieve their dreams and despite dealing with their illness, learn some inspirational lessons about family, friends, and the oddities of life",[25,13988,13989],{},"“We are thrilled to be working with Children’s Chance to help spotlight the often under-appreciated needs of the families of pediatric cancer patients, as well as the patients themselves,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “Through our combined efforts, we hope to fund support programs for these families, both by creating greater awareness and also by directly donating a portion of the film’s box office proceeds.”",[25,13991,13992,13993,13997],{},"Ways to Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, Audience Award at the Heartland Film Festival, and the Adult Jury Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. In addition, publisher Scholastic (",[47,13994,13996],{"href":13898,"rel":13995},[51],"www.scholastic.com",") has recently released Nicholls’ best-selling novel as an eBook version of the tale in advance of the film’s North American theatrical release.",[25,13999,14000],{},"“We are quite excited to be partnering with WWMPC on the release of this award winning film, Ways to Live Forever,” states Tom McGee, Executive Director of Children’s Chance. “I believe that those who watch this moving story will come away with a greater understanding of what we and the families we work with confront on a daily basis. Families who are faced with pediatric cancer must deal with pressures and issues most of us can barely imagine. The film moves you toward a sense of understanding that will change the way you see life, your loved ones and the world around you”",[25,14002,14003],{},"Founded in 1996 in South Carolina by two mothers who had daughters battling cancer, the organization provides assistance for non-medical financial needs (e.g. groceries, gas, utilities, and mortgages) to families of cancer patients during the period of their child’s often-costly cancer treatment and recovery. Children’s Chance’s popular mascot, Zig The Pig, is an integral part of outreach programs to schools, businesses, and community groups in an effort to raise awareness and fund programs to meet the emotional, psychological, and financial needs of pediatric cancer patients and their families.",[25,14005,45,14006,14009],{},[47,14007,52],{"href":49,"rel":14008},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,14011,11220],{},[25,14013,14014],{},[57,14015,13920],{},[25,14017,7481],{},[25,14019,7487],{},[25,14021,14022],{},"wwmpc @wwmpc.com",[25,14024,14025],{},[57,14026,14027],{},"Tom McGee",[25,14029,14030],{},"Executive Director",[25,14032,14033],{},"Children's Chance",[25,14035,14036],{},"803-254-5996",[25,14038,14039],{},"childrenschance @childrenschance.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14041},[],"Los Angeles, CA, April 16, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to be working with the Children’s Chance (www.childrenschance.org) to bring awareness to the award-winning feature film, Ways to Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). Founded in the mid-90s, Children’s Chance funds programs to help meet the emotional, psychological, and financial needs of pediatric cancer patients and their families. The organization is supporting the theatrical release of the new film, which is based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls and opens across the US later this year. The story centers on a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend and fellow patient, Felix. Together, they set out to achieve their dreams and despite dealing with their illness, learn some inspirational lessons about family, friends, and the oddities of life",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-chance-joins-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-cancer-patients-and-famil",{"title":13958,"description":14042},"childrens-chance-joins-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-cancer-patients-and-famil","blog\u002Fchildrens-chance-joins-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-help-cancer-patients-and-famil","ggR_j6J6gDdB8phmBestJMpQPyWUwo1YnjlTpDeDaZ0",{"id":14050,"title":14051,"body":14052,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14213,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14214,"navigation":71,"path":14215,"seo":14216,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14217,"stem":14218,"__hash__":14219},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-hospital-los-angeles-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awarene.md","Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Partners with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Bring Awareness to Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":14053,"toc":14211},[14054,14064,14067,14070,14073,14076,14091,14117,14125,14128,14133,14136,14139,14173,14175,14180,14183,14186,14189,14195,14199,14202,14204,14207],[25,14055,14056,14059,14060,14063],{},[57,14057,14058],{},"LOS ANGELES (March 6, 2013)—"," Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has joined film production and distribution company, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide), in a nationwide effort to raise awareness for childhood cancer through the award-winning feature film, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER (",[47,14061,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":14062},[51],"). Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt picture, which opens nationwide this summer, tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend, Felix who, despite battling leukemia, embark on an inspiring mission to achieve their dreams, answers their burning questions, and grow up fast.",[25,14065,14066],{},"The film will be released this year to select theaters nationwide, and a portion of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations that have teamed up with World Wide to bring further awareness to both the picture and its important message.",[25,14068,14069],{},"“We’re grateful to partner with World Wide Pictures Corporation for their courage to journey into the emotional, personal side of childhood cancer and their generosity to use this national platform to truly make an impact,” said Stuart E. Siegel, Director of the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Proceeds from the film will support critical Center needs, such as innovative translational research and our unique grant-funded psychosocial support groups that, like the characters in the movie, help teens and families of teens navigate the psychosocial obstacles that inevitably come with battling cancer.”",[25,14071,14072],{},"WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes: Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize. In anticipation of the film’s North American theatrical release, nationally renowned book publisher Scholastic has plans to release an enhanced eBook version of the best-selling novel on which the film is based.",[25,14074,14075],{},"“We are very proud to be associated with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to help bring further awareness to the opening of this special and relevant film throughout the US, thereby increasing research dollars available to find cures and help affected families,” offers Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide.",[25,14077,14078,14079,14084,14085,14090],{},"For more than five decades, the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (",[47,14080,14083],{"href":14081,"rel":14082},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fcancer",[51],"www.CHLA.org\u002Fcancer",") has been leading the fight against pediatric cancer and blood diseases through",[47,14086,14089],{"href":14087,"rel":14088},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fsite\u002Fc.ipINKTOAJsG\u002Fb.3579435\u002Fk.5FC8\u002FBasic_and_Translational_Cancer_Research_Program_of_The_Saban_Research_Institute.htm",[51],"innovative research"," and clinical programs, providing top clinical care and cutting-edge treatment for more than 1,100 new patients and 25,000 outpatient visits each year.",[25,14092,14093,14094,14099,14100,14105,14106,14099,14111,14116],{},"Dedicated to treating the whole child, the Center provides psychosocial programs for patients and survivors, like the",[47,14095,14098],{"href":14096,"rel":14097},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fsite\u002Fc.ipINKTOAJsG\u002Fb.3905899\u002Fk.8E50\u002FHOPE_Program.htm",[51],"HOPE Program"," and",[47,14101,14104],{"href":14102,"rel":14103},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fsite\u002Fc.ipINKTOAJsG\u002Fb.3768089\u002Fk.930E\u002FTeen_Impact.htm",[51],"Teen Impact",", a support group for teens and young adults that focus on the emotional and psychological toll of battling cancer.  The Center also utilizes creative and expressive arts therapy, confidence-boosting retreats,",[47,14107,14110],{"href":14108,"rel":14109},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fsite\u002Fc.ipINKTOAJsG\u002Fb.5950017\u002Fk.988F\u002FSTAR_Services.htm",[51],"academic support",[47,14112,14115],{"href":14113,"rel":14114},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002Fsite\u002Fc.ipINKTOAJsG\u002Fb.3768205\u002Fk.87F2\u002FLIFE_Program.htm",[51],"transition programs"," that endeavor to help patients achieve their goals and dreams while staying healthy.",[25,14118,14119,14120,9349],{},"Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is ranked fifth in the nation for cancer care on the",[47,14121,14124],{"href":14122,"rel":14123},"http:\u002F\u002Fhealth.usnews.com\u002Fbest-hospitals\u002Fpediatric-rankings\u002Fcancer",[51],"U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals List",[25,14126,14127],{},"About World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation",[25,14129,45,14130,7467],{},[47,14131,52],{"href":49,"rel":14132},[51],[25,14134,14135],{},"About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles",[25,14137,14138],{},"Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.",[25,14140,14141,14142,14147,14148,14153,14154,14153,14158,14099,14162,14167,14168,9349],{},"For more information, visit ",[47,14143,14146],{"href":14144,"rel":14145},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.chla.org\u002F",[51],"CHLA.org",". Follow us on",[47,14149,14152],{"href":14150,"rel":14151},"http:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FchildrensLA",[51],"Twitter",",",[47,14155,7728],{"href":14156,"rel":14157},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002FChildrensLA",[51],[47,14159,11513],{"href":14160,"rel":14161},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002FchildrensLA",[51],[47,14163,14166],{"href":14164,"rel":14165},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fcompanies\u002Fchildrens-hospital-los-angeles",[51],"LinkedIn",", or visit our blog:",[47,14169,14172],{"href":14170,"rel":14171},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.wearechildrens.org\u002F",[51],"WeAreChildrens.org",[25,14174,1726],{},[25,14176,14177],{},[57,14178,14179],{},"Lyndsay Hutchison",[25,14181,14182],{},"Senior Public Information Officer",[25,14184,14185],{},"Children's Hospital Los Angeles",[25,14187,14188],{},"Ph: 323.361.4121",[25,14190,14191],{},[47,14192,14194],{"href":14193},"mailto:lhutchison@chla.usc.edu","lhutchison@chla.usc.edu",[25,14196,14197],{},[57,14198,13920],{},[25,14200,14201],{},"Publicity Coordinator",[25,14203,7481],{},[25,14205,14206],{},"Ph: 714-960-7264",[25,14208,14209],{},[47,14210,1735],{"href":1734},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14212},[],"LOS ANGELES (March 6, 2013)— Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has joined film production and distribution company, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide), in a nationwide effort to raise awareness for childhood cancer through the award-winning feature film, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt picture, which opens nationwide this summer, tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend, Felix who, despite battling leukemia, embark on an inspiring mission to achieve their dreams, answers their burning questions, and grow up fast.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fchildrens-hospital-los-angeles-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awarene",{"title":14051,"description":14213},"childrens-hospital-los-angeles-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awarene","blog\u002Fchildrens-hospital-los-angeles-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awarene","MrKuuRXx4PlGR1VQoDKYz7jey7c2PPXmKQMV_wFEBG4",{"id":14221,"title":14222,"body":14223,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14297,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14298,"navigation":71,"path":14299,"seo":14300,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14301,"stem":14302,"__hash__":14303},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fchoc-childrens-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-join-forces-to-raise-awareness-and-funds-f.md","CHOC Children’s and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Join Forces to Raise Awareness – and Funds - for Pediatric Cancer",{"type":22,"value":14224,"toc":14295},[14225,14239,14242,14245,14248,14251,14254,14259,14261,14266,14268,14270,14276,14281,14286,14289],[25,14226,14227,10041,14230,14233,14234,14238],{},[57,14228,14229],{},"Los Angeles, CA, June 25, 2013",[47,14231,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14232},[51],")-- CHOC Children’s has partnered with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation in a nationwide effort to raise awareness – and funds - for pediatric cancer through the ",[47,14235,14237],{"href":13978,"rel":14236},[51],"award-winning feature film, “Ways to Live Forever,”"," which opens in select U.S. theaters this July 19th. Based on the acclaimed British children’s novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt movie depicts the story of 12-year-old Sam and his best friend, Felix, who are bravely battling leukemia. In spite of the disease, the two boys embark on an inspiring mission to achieve their dreams, find answers to their burning questions, and grow up fast.",[25,14240,14241],{},"\"This movie portrays an authentic perspective of what we see in our young cancer patients every day, particularly in our Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program. I encourage everyone to honor our courageous patients, as well as help raise awareness for pediatric cancer, by seeing this movie,\" said Dr. Leonard Sender, medical director, Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children's.",[25,14243,14244],{},"“Ways to Live Forever” stars acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (“The Thin Red Line, “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”); Greta Scacchi (“The Player,” Emma); Robbie Kay (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”); Alex Etel (“The Water Horse”); Emilia Fox (BBC’s “Pride And Prejudice”); and Ella Purnell (“Intruders,” “Never Let Me Go”). The film’s growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association; Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema; the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award; and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize. Additionally, nationally-renowned book publisher Scholastic has issued Nicholls’ best-selling novel as an enhanced eBook and will re-release a paperback version to coincide with the film’s North American theatrical release.",[25,14246,14247],{},"“We are excited and honored to be working with CHOC Children’s in order to help raise more awareness for pediatric blood cancers around the world,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “We hope that through our mutual efforts, ‘Ways to Live Forever’ can also increase funding for patient treatment and support; in addition to raising awareness, we are directly donating a portion of the film's box office proceeds toward these goals.”",[25,14249,14250],{},"The Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s will receive a portion of the proceeds of the film, which premieres in Orange County on July 19th at AMC Orange 30 (20 City Blvd. West, Orange, 92868).",[25,14252,14253],{},"Named one of the best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report (2013-2014), CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, CHOC’s regional healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four centers of excellence - The CHOC Children’s Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Hyundai Cancer Institutes.",[25,14255,45,14256,14009],{},[47,14257,52],{"href":49,"rel":14258},[51],[25,14260,7478],{},[25,14262,14263],{},[57,14264,14265],{},"Kelli Larson",[25,14267,7481],{},[25,14269,7487],{},[25,14271,14272],{},[47,14273,7478],{"href":14274,"rel":14275},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F499145\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,14277,14278],{},[47,14279,49],{"href":49,"rel":14280},[51],[25,14282,14283],{},[57,14284,14285],{},"Denise Almazan",[25,14287,14288],{},"714-509-8680",[25,14290,14291],{},[47,14292,14294],{"href":14293},"mailto:dalmazan@choc.org","dalmazan@choc.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14296},[],"Los Angeles, CA, June 25, 2013 --(PR.com)-- CHOC Children’s has partnered with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation in a nationwide effort to raise awareness – and funds - for pediatric cancer through the award-winning feature film, “Ways to Live Forever,” which opens in select U.S. theaters this July 19th. Based on the acclaimed British children’s novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt movie depicts the story of 12-year-old Sam and his best friend, Felix, who are bravely battling leukemia. In spite of the disease, the two boys embark on an inspiring mission to achieve their dreams, find answers to their burning questions, and grow up fast.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fchoc-childrens-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-join-forces-to-raise-awareness-and-funds-f",{"title":14222,"description":14297},"choc-childrens-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-join-forces-to-raise-awareness-and-funds-f","blog\u002Fchoc-childrens-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-join-forces-to-raise-awareness-and-funds-f","J8r9_Tx1B-yMvNlEg5-01m7htdfIMf4DKCvyKM_8nQQ",{"id":14305,"title":14306,"body":14307,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14313,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14351,"navigation":71,"path":14352,"seo":14353,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14354,"stem":14355,"__hash__":14356},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcuring-kids-cancer-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation.md","Curing Kids Cancer Partners with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation",{"type":22,"value":14308,"toc":14349},[14309,14314,14329,14332,14335,14338,14341,14344],[25,14310,14311],{},[57,14312,14313],{},"03\u002F05\u002F2013  \u002F\u002F Marietta, GA, USQ \u002F\u002F Clay Owen",[25,14315,14316,7882,14321,14325,14326,7888],{},[47,14317,14320],{"href":14318,"rel":14319},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.curingkidscancer.org",[51],"Curing Kids Cancer",[47,14322,14324],{"href":14318,"rel":14323},[51],"www.curingkidscancer.org","), a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, has joined film distribution company, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) in a nationwide effort to raise awareness for childhood cancers through the award-winning feature film, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER (",[47,14327,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":14328},[51],[25,14330,14331],{},"Slated for release in select theaters throughout the US this summer, the inspirational picture is based on the acclaimed children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls. In it, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend from the hospital, Felix, achieve their dreams, learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, and leave viewers both uplifted and inspired. A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit Curing Kids Cancer, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations and foundations that have teamed up with World Wide to support both the picture and its important message.",[25,14333,14334],{},"“We are very excited to be associated with the movie, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, as it gives an insightful look into what it is like for both children battling cancer and the families experiencing their journey,” says Grainne Owen, founder of Curing Kids Cancer. “It is joyful, hopeful, and certainly touches the heart of anyone who sees it.”",[25,14336,14337],{},"WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line; The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player; Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice – BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders; Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Jury Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. In anticipation of the film’s North American theatrical release, nationally renowned book publisher Scholastic has just released an enhanced eBook version of the best-selling novel on which the film is based (available from both Scholastic and major bookstores).",[25,14339,14340],{},"“We’re proud to be working with Curing Kids Cancer and their network of donors, volunteers, teachers, coaches, players and other friends of the charity and to welcome them to our growing team of supporters,” offers Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “It's unique programs are really making a difference through their efforts to fund pediatric cancer research.”",[25,14342,14343],{},"Curing Kids Cancer focuses on funding the most promising pediatric cancer research. Funds are raised through programs such as Coaches Curing Kids Cancer, Teachers Curing Kids Cancer, Players Curing Kids Cancer and others in addition to various fundraising events throughout the year. As pediatric cancer research is severely underfunded, the money raised by organizations like Curing Kids Cancer is crucially important. With it, research is being furthered and children’s lives are truly being saved!",[25,14345,45,14346,14009],{},[47,14347,52],{"href":49,"rel":14348},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14350},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcuring-kids-cancer-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation",{"title":14306,"description":14313},"curing-kids-cancer-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation","blog\u002Fcuring-kids-cancer-partners-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation","_y-AhKykCNrMHCOoFjEA3eXbQecPxhir73ZBRPEHtVo",{"id":14358,"title":14359,"body":14360,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14434,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14435,"navigation":71,"path":14436,"seo":14437,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14438,"stem":14439,"__hash__":14440},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fendure-to-cure-teams-up-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awareness-to-childhood-.md","Endure to Cure Teams Up with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Bring Awareness to Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":14361,"toc":14432},[14362,14379,14382,14385,14388,14391,14394,14399,14401,14405,14407,14409,14411,14415,14420,14423,14426],[25,14363,14364,10041,14367,14370,14371,13981,14375,14378],{},[57,14365,14366],{},"Los Angeles, CA, January 16, 2013",[47,14368,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14369},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is joining with Endure to Cure (Endure) to battle childhood cancers through the ",[47,14372,14374],{"href":13886,"rel":14373},[51],"award-winning film, Ways To Live Forever",[47,14376,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":14377},[51],"), which is slated for release in 2013. Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, the heartfelt motion picture tells the uplifting story of a plucky 12-year-old boy named Sam in his struggle with leukemia. The film follows Sam and his best friend Felix, also a cancer patient, through a series of particularly poignant and often humorous episodes as they explore the world around them, strive to fulfill their dreams, and make the most of the time that they have.",[25,14380,14381],{},"Ways To Live Forever will be released in select theaters throughout the US; a portion of box office is earmarked to benefit Endure to Cure Pediatric Cancer Foundation, as well as other cancer-related groups and organizations helping bring awareness to both the movie and its message. In addition, publisher Scholastic has plans for a re-issue of the best-selling novel (on which the film is based) both in paperback and as an eBook in anticipation of the film’s U.S. theatrical release. The eBook will include a number of enhancements, including stills from the production and other bonus features.",[25,14383,14384],{},"“Ways to Live Forever is a touching and inspiring motion picture. We are honored to be involved in such a special partnership that not only brings greater awareness to the trials and tribulations faced by children who are battling cancer, but also will help enable our programs to assist many more children and families than we otherwise would be able to do,” said Jason Sissel, Founder and President of Endure to Cure.",[25,14386,14387],{},"Ways to Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize.",[25,14389,14390],{},"“We are very proud to be associated with Endure to Cure in their efforts to support patients and families struggling with leukemia and other childhood cancers. We’re hopeful that by raising public awareness of organizations like Endure to Cure and the film Ways to Live Forever, we can help increase dollars for research and patient support -- both directly through our box office contribution and indirectly by bringing more attention to the message,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide.",[25,14392,14393],{},"Founded in 2011, Endure to Cure’s mission is to endure and conquer our physical and mental limitations in order to advance cures for pediatric cancer, to serve as an inspiration to people worldwide, and to unite those affected by cancer.",[25,14395,45,14396,14009],{},[47,14397,52],{"href":49,"rel":14398},[51],[25,14400,11220],{},[25,14402,14403],{},[57,14404,13920],{},[25,14406,14201],{},[25,14408,7481],{},[25,14410,7487],{},[25,14412,14413],{},[47,14414,1735],{"href":1734},[25,14416,14417],{},[57,14418,14419],{},"Jason Sissel",[25,14421,14422],{},"Endure to Cure Pediatric Cancer Foundation",[25,14424,14425],{},"866-400-2121",[25,14427,14428],{},[47,14429,14431],{"href":14430},"mailto:jason@enduretocure.org","jason@enduretocure.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14433},[],"Los Angeles, CA, January 16, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is joining with Endure to Cure (Endure) to battle childhood cancers through the award-winning film, Ways To Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com), which is slated for release in 2013. Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, the heartfelt motion picture tells the uplifting story of a plucky 12-year-old boy named Sam in his struggle with leukemia. The film follows Sam and his best friend Felix, also a cancer patient, through a series of particularly poignant and often humorous episodes as they explore the world around them, strive to fulfill their dreams, and make the most of the time that they have.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fendure-to-cure-teams-up-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awareness-to-childhood",{"title":14359,"description":14434},"endure-to-cure-teams-up-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awareness-to-childhood-","blog\u002Fendure-to-cure-teams-up-with-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-bring-awareness-to-childhood-","EwLTmoFYQ_YvSi6jlayLQTHaWuWQmjwr2RhSoE2rufc",{"id":14442,"title":14443,"body":14444,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14502,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14503,"navigation":71,"path":14504,"seo":14505,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14506,"stem":14507,"__hash__":14508},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fkino-lorber-acquires-distribution-rights-to-award-winning-feature-film-applause-from-world-wide-moti.md","Kino Lorber Acquires Distribution Rights to Award-Winning Feature Film APPLAUSE from World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation",{"type":22,"value":14445,"toc":14500},[14446,14461,14464,14467,14470,14473,14476,14479,14481,14485,14487,14489,14495],[25,14447,14448,10041,14451,14454,14455,14460],{},[57,14449,14450],{},"Los Angeles, CA, October 25, 2013",[47,14452,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14453},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has entered into a license agreement with Kino Lorber, Inc. for the feature film ",[47,14456,14459],{"href":14457,"rel":14458},"http:\u002F\u002Fapplausemovie.com",[51],"APPLAUSE"," from Koncern Film of Denmark. The agreement allows Kino Lorber the right to distribute the critically-acclaimed film for home video, rental and sell-through, pay TV, cable TV, satellite TV, free TV, hotel\u002Fmotel viewing, pay-per-view, and new media\u002Fdigital rights (VOD\u002FSVOD).",[25,14462,14463],{},"“APPLAUSE is the rare film that remains with you long after the first viewing largely due to the stunning, heartbreaking performance of the great Paprika Steen,” says Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber. “I was a fan when I first saw it on the festival circuit and am honored to add this film to the Kino Lorber library.”",[25,14465,14466],{},"Directed by Martin Pieter Zandvliet and starring one of Scandinavia’s foremost actors, Paprika Steen (Love Is All You Need, Keep The Lights On, Adams Apples, The Celebration) in a bravura performance, APPLAUSE enjoyed Oscar-qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles before opening to a wider national theatrical release. Previously, the film had been showcased at numerous festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Zurich Film Festival, the London International Film Festival, and the Hamptons International Film Festival.",[25,14468,14469],{},"In it, Steen stars opposite Michael Falch and Shanti Roney as a recovering alcoholic stage actress whose struggle to reclaim her role as a mother is complicated by the demons from her past. On stage, Thea plays the binge drinking, ostentatious Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ironically, her stage character bears an uncanny resemblance to her personal life. As her alcoholism and past regrets hang in the balance, Thea must decide whether to confront her inner demons or to let the show go on.",[25,14471,14472],{},"“We are very happy to have Kino Lorber representing the film for various ancillary windows, as high-caliber foreign language films such as APPLAUSE require special handling in order to maximize sales opportunities, and few do that better than Kino Lorber,” states Paul Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide.",[25,14474,14475],{},"With a library of 800 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 25 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, and Alive Mind Cinema banners, including four Academy Award®, nominated films in the last six years. In addition, the company brings over 70 titles each year to the home entertainment market with DVD and Blu-ray releases under its 5 house brands, distributes a growing number of third party labels, and is a direct digital distributor to all major platforms including iTunes, Netflix, HULU, Amazon, and others.",[25,14477,14478],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,14480,11220],{},[25,14482,14483],{},[57,14484,14265],{},[25,14486,7481],{},[25,14488,7487],{},[25,14490,14491],{},[47,14492,7478],{"href":14493,"rel":14494},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F523776\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,14496,14497],{},[47,14498,49],{"href":49,"rel":14499},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14501},[],"Los Angeles, CA, October 25, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has entered into a license agreement with Kino Lorber, Inc. for the feature film APPLAUSE from Koncern Film of Denmark. The agreement allows Kino Lorber the right to distribute the critically-acclaimed film for home video, rental and sell-through, pay TV, cable TV, satellite TV, free TV, hotel\u002Fmotel viewing, pay-per-view, and new media\u002Fdigital rights (VOD\u002FSVOD).",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fkino-lorber-acquires-distribution-rights-to-award-winning-feature-film-applause-from-world-wide-moti",{"title":14443,"description":14502},"kino-lorber-acquires-distribution-rights-to-award-winning-feature-film-applause-from-world-wide-moti","blog\u002Fkino-lorber-acquires-distribution-rights-to-award-winning-feature-film-applause-from-world-wide-moti","-tvTVIYvoaRXO-BN1VKO99Laq363YU-lkZX4-0ip6HM",{"id":14510,"title":14511,"body":14512,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14564,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14565,"navigation":71,"path":14566,"seo":14567,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14568,"stem":14569,"__hash__":14570},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fkino-lorber-inc-acquires-award-winning-feature-film-ways-to-live-forever-from-world-wide-motion-pict.md","Kino Lorber, Inc., Acquires Award-Winning Feature Film Ways to Live Forever from World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation",{"type":22,"value":14513,"toc":14562},[14514,14523,14526,14529,14532,14535,14538,14541,14543,14547,14549,14551,14557],[25,14515,14516,10041,14519,14522],{},[57,14517,14518],{},"Los Angeles, CA, December 16, 2014",[47,14520,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14521},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has entered into a licensing agreement with Kino Lorber, Inc., for the award-winning film Ways to Live Forever. The agreement allows Kino Lorber the right to distribute the critically-acclaimed film for home video, rental and sell through, pay TV, cable TV, satellite TV, free TV, hotel\u002Fmotel viewing, pay-per-view, and new media\u002Fdigital rights (VOD\u002FSVOD), among other things.",[25,14524,14525],{},"“Ways to Live Forever is a touching film that will inspire audiences of all ages,” says Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber, “with its message of bravery and fortitude in the face of a serious family trauma.”",[25,14527,14528],{},"Based on British author Sally Nicholls’ best-selling novel, the surprisingly uplifting story centers on Sam, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient, and his best friend\u002Ffellow-patient, Felix. Together, they set out to achieve their dreams and despite dealing with illness, learn some inspirational lessons about family, friends, and the oddities of life.",[25,14530,14531],{},"Ways to Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (ABC’s “Once Upon A Time,” Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (“Pride And Prejudice”), and Ella Purnell (Maleficent, Intruders, Never Let Me Go).",[25,14533,14534],{},"“We are very happy to be continuing our relationship with Kino Lorber and have them representing Ways to Live Forever for ancillary distribution,” states Paul D. Hancock, President\u002FCEO of World Wide. “High-caliber independent films such as this require special handling in order to maximize sales opportunities, and few do that better than Kino Lorber.”",[25,14536,14537],{},"With a library of 1000 titles, Kino Lorber has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 25 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, and Alive Mind Cinema banners, including Academy Award®- nominated films in recent years. In addition, the company brings more than 70 titles each year to the home entertainment market with DVD and Blu-ray releases under its house brands, distributes a growing number of third-party labels, and is a direct digital distributor to all major platforms.",[25,14539,14540],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,14542,11220],{},[25,14544,14545],{},[57,14546,14265],{},[25,14548,7481],{},[25,14550,7487],{},[25,14552,14553],{},[47,14554,7478],{"href":14555,"rel":14556},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F596697\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,14558,14559],{},[47,14560,49],{"href":49,"rel":14561},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14563},[],"Los Angeles, CA, December 16, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation has entered into a licensing agreement with Kino Lorber, Inc., for the award-winning film Ways to Live Forever. The agreement allows Kino Lorber the right to distribute the critically-acclaimed film for home video, rental and sell through, pay TV, cable TV, satellite TV, free TV, hotel\u002Fmotel viewing, pay-per-view, and new media\u002Fdigital rights (VOD\u002FSVOD), among other things.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fkino-lorber-inc-acquires-award-winning-feature-film-ways-to-live-forever-from-world-wide-motion-pict",{"title":14511,"description":14564},"kino-lorber-inc-acquires-award-winning-feature-film-ways-to-live-forever-from-world-wide-motion-pict","blog\u002Fkino-lorber-inc-acquires-award-winning-feature-film-ways-to-live-forever-from-world-wide-motion-pict","8Ql130Ab8aI4nq71DXpDeXR7_Tvzd3bSo2JLhaENMRg",{"id":14572,"title":14573,"body":14574,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14656,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14657,"navigation":71,"path":14658,"seo":14659,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14660,"stem":14661,"__hash__":14662},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fleukemia-texas-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-battle-childhood-cancers.md","Leukemia Texas and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Collaborate to Battle Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":14575,"toc":14654},[14576,14595,14598,14601,14604,14607,14616,14621,14623,14627,14629,14631,14633,14637,14642,14645,14648],[25,14577,14578,10041,14581,14585,14586,13981,14591,14594],{},[57,14579,14580],{},"LOS ANGELES, CA, JANUARY 09, 2013",[47,14582,1698],{"href":14583,"rel":14584},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130725101138\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F465233",[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) has formed a collaboration with Leukemia Texas in an effort to fight pediatric cancers through the release of the award-winning ",[47,14587,14590],{"href":14588,"rel":14589},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130725101138\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.waystoliveforevermovie.com\u002F",[51],"film, Ways To Live Forever",[47,14592,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":14593},[51],"), opening 2013 in North America. Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt film tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old boy named Sam in his battle with leukemia. The film revolves around Sam and his best friend Felix, also a cancer patient, as they strive to achieve all their dreams and discover new ways to appreciate family, friends, and all the oddities of life.",[25,14596,14597],{},"Ways To Live Forever will be released by World Wide in select theaters throughout the US, a portion of ticket sales going to Leukemia Texas, along with other cancer-related groups and organizations striving to bring awareness to both the movie and its message. In addition, publisher Scholastic has plans for a re-issue of the best-selling novel (on which the film is based) both in paperback and as an eBook in anticipation of the film’s U.S. theatrical release. The eBook will include a number of enhancements, including links to related movie clips and other bonus features.",[25,14599,14600],{},"“In 2012, thousands of Texans were diagnosed with leukemia, accounting for approximately 1 in 3 cancer cases in children. Our mission is critical and we remain dedicated to fighting this battle in 2013 and are thrilled to partner with the World Wide team,” said Mandy O’Neill, CEO of Leukemia Texas. “",[25,14602,14603],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes: Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize,",[25,14605,14606],{},"“I’m excited to have the World Wide team working alongside our friends at Leukemia Texas with regard to our combined effort of supporting patients and families struggling with leukemia and other childhood cancers. We’re hopeful that by raising public awareness for organizations like Leukemia Texas and the film Ways To Live Forever, we can help increase dollars for research and patient support,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide.",[25,14608,14609,14610,14615],{},"Founded in 1970, Leukemia Texas, the only organization of its kind in the state of Texas, is dedicated to fighting the life-threatening blood cancer of leukemia through the funding of leukemia research and patient aid, where 100% of the funds raised in Texas, stay in Texas. To learn more, visit ",[47,14611,14614],{"href":14612,"rel":14613},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.LeukemiaTexas.org",[51],"www.LeukemiaTexas.org"," or call 214-265-7393.",[25,14617,45,14618,7467],{},[47,14619,52],{"href":49,"rel":14620},[51],[25,14622,11220],{},[25,14624,14625],{},[57,14626,13920],{},[25,14628,14201],{},[25,14630,7481],{},[25,14632,7487],{},[25,14634,14635],{},[47,14636,1735],{"href":1734},[25,14638,14639],{},[57,14640,14641],{},"Madeleine Smith",[25,14643,14644],{},"Leukemia Texas",[25,14646,14647],{},"214-265-7393",[25,14649,14650],{},[47,14651,14653],{"href":14652},"mailto:Madeleine@leukemiatexas.org","Madeleine@leukemiatexas.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14655},[],"LOS ANGELES, CA, JANUARY 09, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) has formed a collaboration with Leukemia Texas in an effort to fight pediatric cancers through the release of the award-winning film, Ways To Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com), opening 2013 in North America. Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt film tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old boy named Sam in his battle with leukemia. The film revolves around Sam and his best friend Felix, also a cancer patient, as they strive to achieve all their dreams and discover new ways to appreciate family, friends, and all the oddities of life.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fleukemia-texas-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-battle-childhood-cancers",{"title":14573,"description":14656},"leukemia-texas-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-battle-childhood-cancers","blog\u002Fleukemia-texas-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborate-to-battle-childhood-cancers","6OleEkBvyzH_sRVnPBtiH70LErhKg-YbwbwvkxDF8VU",{"id":14664,"title":14665,"body":14666,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14730,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14731,"navigation":71,"path":14732,"seo":14733,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14734,"stem":14735,"__hash__":14736},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Flove-hope-strength-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-help-cancer-patients-and-fa.md","Love Hope Strength and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Partner to Help Cancer Patients and Families",{"type":22,"value":14667,"toc":14728},[14668,14677,14680,14683,14686,14694,14697,14700,14703,14708,14710,14714,14716,14718,14723],[25,14669,14670,10041,14673,14676],{},[57,14671,14672],{},"Los Angeles, CA, June 24, 2013",[47,14674,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14675},[51],")-- Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) the to raise awareness for the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever. LHS, founded in 2007 with the principle of fighting cancer through music, now turns its focus to film with its support of the new feature opening theatrically across the US beginning July 19, 2013. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired.",[25,14678,14679],{},"\"Love Hope Strength Foundation is proud to stand beside World Wide Pictures Corporation as an ally in the battle against cancer\", says co-founder and musician Mike Peters. \"The film evokes everything that we stand for at Love Hope Strength and shows the courage and humanity that can be found by all who are prepared to look cancer in the eye and say 'I will not give up, give way, or give in.' Proceeds from the film will be used to fund our international 'Get On The List' marrow donor campaign at rock concerts, music and film festivals. Over the last three years, LHS has attracted some 37,000 people to engage in the fight against cancer by signing up for the donor registry with over 500 going on to become potential lifesavers for the likes of people depicted in 'Ways To Live Forever'\"",[25,14681,14682],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize. Additionally, nationally-renowned book publisher Scholastic has issued Nicholls’ best-selling novel as an enhanced eBook and will re-release a paperback version to coincide with the film’s North American theatrical release.",[25,14684,14685],{},"“We are excited and honored to be working with Love Hope Strength to help raise awareness for pediatric blood cancers around the world,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “We hope that through our mutual efforts, Ways To Live Forever can also increase funding for patient treatment and support; in addition to raising awareness, we are directly donating a portion of box office proceeds toward these goals.”",[25,14687,14688,14689,14693],{},"Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS), ",[47,14690,14691],{"href":14691,"rel":14692},"http:\u002F\u002Flovehopestrength.org",[51],", is the world’s leading rock-and-roll cancer foundation, dedicated to saving the lives of people with cancer one concert at a time. LHS was founded in 2007 by leukemia survivors Mike Peters (of the Welsh band The Alarm) and James Chippendale (president of Doodson Insurance Brokerage).",[25,14695,14696],{},"Through their partnership with DKMS (the world’s largest bone marrow registry), LHS frequently spearheads bone marrow drives at concerts and major musical events like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits. LHS has added over 32,000 people to the international bone marrow database and has found over 465 potential life-saving matches for patients in need of bone marrow transplants.",[25,14698,14699],{},"Rather than funding cancer research, LHS focuses on building and supporting cancer centers around the world, boosting awareness of global cancer needs and expanding international bone marrow databases. One of LHS’s many accomplishments includes purchasing Nepal’s first mammography and internal radiation machines and funding the construction of the first children’s cancer center in Tanzania.",[25,14701,14702],{},"LHS primarily raises its funds through musically charged treks to majestic sites like Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji and Machu Picchu. Headquartered in Denver, LHS now has chapters in the United Kingdom and Australia.",[25,14704,45,14705,14009],{},[47,14706,52],{"href":49,"rel":14707},[51],[25,14709,11220],{},[25,14711,14712],{},[57,14713,14265],{},[25,14715,7481],{},[25,14717,7487],{},[25,14719,14720],{},[47,14721,7478],{"href":14493,"rel":14722},[51],[25,14724,14725],{},[47,14726,49],{"href":49,"rel":14727},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14729},[],"Los Angeles, CA, June 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) the to raise awareness for the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever. LHS, founded in 2007 with the principle of fighting cancer through music, now turns its focus to film with its support of the new feature opening theatrically across the US beginning July 19, 2013. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Flove-hope-strength-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-help-cancer-patients-and-fa",{"title":14665,"description":14730},"love-hope-strength-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-help-cancer-patients-and-fa","blog\u002Flove-hope-strength-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-help-cancer-patients-and-fa","EQYtW5RSaNw4nCpREzb726yytbRqc8Tnzn2EhEnLymY",{"id":14738,"title":14739,"body":14740,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14746,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14827,"navigation":71,"path":14828,"seo":14829,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14830,"stem":14831,"__hash__":14832},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpartnership-to-fight-pediatric-cancers-formed-between-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-ral.md","Partnership to Fight Pediatric Cancers Formed Between World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation and Rally for Kids with Cancer Foundation",{"type":22,"value":14741,"toc":14825},[14742,14747,14763,14766,14769,14772,14775,14784,14789,14791,14795,14797,14799,14801,14805,14810,14813,14816,14819],[25,14743,14744],{},[486,14745,14746],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation joins Rally For Kids with Cancer Foundation and its entertainment industry supporters including Eva Longoria, Goldie Hawn, and Hayden Christiansen, in preparation for the US release of the award-winning feature film Ways To Live Forever, a portion of the proceeds of which will go to benefit further research and assistance for pediatric cancer patients and their families.",[25,14748,14749,10041,14752,14755,14756,13981,14759,14762],{},[57,14750,14751],{},"Los Angeles, CA, January 21, 2013",[47,14753,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14754},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is teaming up with Rally for Kids with Cancer Foundation (Rally) to help fight childhood cancers through the 2013, nationwide release of the ",[47,14757,14374],{"href":13886,"rel":14758},[51],[47,14760,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":14761},[51],"). This touching and uplifting tale, which is based on the best-selling children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, follows a plucky 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend and fellow leukemia patient, Felix, through a series of poignant and sometimes humorous moments as they strive to fulfill their dreams, leave their mark, and make the most of the time that they have.",[25,14764,14765],{},"A portion of proceeds earned will benefit Rally and other cancer-related organizations that have joined forces with World Wide to promote both the picture and its message. Additionally, Scholastic, the publisher of the best-selling book on which the film is based, plans to re-release the original novel both in paperback and as an enhanced eBook in advance of the film’s North American release. A key feature of the enhanced eBook is that it will reference and provide links to related movie clips.",[25,14767,14768],{},"“Since the execution of the first Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Cup in 2008, our events have raised over $10 million in funds for the charitable organizations we support,” offers Joel Hock Founder of Rally. “This is a testament to what can be done when philanthropic individuals come together with one united vision: the health and well-being of our children.”",[25,14770,14771],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The film has garnered awards from around the world, including the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association.",[25,14773,14774],{},"“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Rally for Kids with Cancer Foundation and its supporters in an effort to achieve our mutual goals,” offers Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “Through the promotion of Ways To Live Forever, we will strive to help fund a cure for pediatric cancers and help families affected by the illness of a child,” Hancock added.",[25,14776,14777,14778,14783],{},"Founded in 2010, Rally for Kids with Cancer Foundation (",[47,14779,14782],{"href":14780,"rel":14781},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.rallyforkids.org",[51],"www.rallyforkids.org",") is a grant-giving organization that partners with several world-renowned foundations and hospitals specializing in pediatric oncology research, treatment, and patient care. Celebrity supporters include Eva Longoria, Gene Simmons, Goldie Hawn, Hayden Christiansen, Kurt Russell and more.",[25,14785,45,14786,7467],{},[47,14787,52],{"href":49,"rel":14788},[51],[25,14790,11220],{},[25,14792,14793],{},[57,14794,13920],{},[25,14796,14201],{},[25,14798,7481],{},[25,14800,12914],{},[25,14802,14803],{},[47,14804,1735],{"href":1734},[25,14806,14807],{},[57,14808,14809],{},"Sarah Jacobs",[25,14811,14812],{},"Events Coordinator",[25,14814,14815],{},"Solutions with Impact",[25,14817,14818],{},"(416) 703-5371",[25,14820,14821],{},[47,14822,14824],{"href":14823},"mailto:sjacobs@solutionswithimpact.com","sjacobs@solutionswithimpact.com",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14826},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpartnership-to-fight-pediatric-cancers-formed-between-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-ral",{"title":14739,"description":14746},"partnership-to-fight-pediatric-cancers-formed-between-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-ral","blog\u002Fpartnership-to-fight-pediatric-cancers-formed-between-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-ral","FeZ_bJRLgICG0P1Hqax3IR3Ti6gByGPXHvjYxfQvdQY",{"id":14834,"title":14835,"body":14836,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14896,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14897,"navigation":71,"path":14898,"seo":14899,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14900,"stem":14901,"__hash__":14902},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpsja-southwest-early-college-hs-secures-professional-movie-distribution-deal.md","PSJA Southwest Early College HS Secures Professional Movie Distribution Deal",{"type":22,"value":14837,"toc":14894},[14838,14847,14850,14853,14856,14859,14862,14865,14868,14871,14874,14876,14882,14885,14888,14891],[25,14839,14840,10041,14843,14846],{},[57,14841,14842],{},"Los Angeles, CA, February 11, 2016",[47,14844,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14845},[51],")-- Students at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA) are getting the experience of a lifetime by shooting the full-length film “Time for a Champion,” the first of several that will be produced at PSJA and distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation in Hollywood.",[25,14848,14849],{},"“Time for a Champion” is an original screenplay written by Barry Glasser, an English department faculty member at PSJA Southwest Early College High School with a long and diversified film industry background. Glasser is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.",[25,14851,14852],{},"The movie is currently directed and filmed by more than 80 PSJA Southwest students and produced by Glasser and Sarvelio Carreon, both faculty and founders of the newly formed PSJA Southwest Film Society. It is an inspirational sports story that depicts the life of a homeless Latina girl who overcomes a background of neglect and extreme poverty, and shows the impact of bullying among students. It is the first in a series of feature films that Southwest will produce and World Wide will distribute.",[25,14854,14855],{},"According to Glasser, the original film will be distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation—a distribution company based in the Los Angeles area that specializes in releasing prestigious independent domestic and international films — and will stream on various Video On Demand platforms, cable, broadcast, DVD and, if appropriate, will have a limited theatrical release in selected markets.",[25,14857,14858],{},"\"We’re thrilled to partner with PSJA Southwest Film Society in this groundbreaking venture,\" said Paul Hancock, World Wide president and CEO. \"Not only does this particular film reflect the lives and aspirations of today's teenagers, but the venture itself brings into our industry a new generation of filmmakers.",[25,14860,14861],{},"According to Glasser, the Hollywood writer\u002Fproducer and proud teacher, under the support of PSJA’s district administration, the film program will also be supplemented by study guides and a full array of educational materials which will be made available to schools nationwide. “This is definitely a ‘flagship’ program,” Glasser noted. “What we’re doing in the district can become a model for high schools and colleges throughout the country.”",[25,14863,14864],{},"About Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD",[25,14866,14867],{},"Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, located on the Texas-Mexico southern border, has rapidly become a state and national leader in creating more academic opportunities for all students. As a tri-city public school district offering a pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum, PSJA caters to a 32,000-student body and is focused on graduating all students College Ready, College Connected and College Complete. Some of PSJA’s most successful programs such as the Dual Language Enrichment Program, Early College Initiative and Dropout Recovery Program have been highlighted for effectively closing the gap to post-secondary education. At PSJA ISD all students can: Earn College Credit, Graduate Bilingual and Biliterate, Be Part of Athletic Excellence and Renowned Fine Arts Programs.",[25,14869,14870],{},"About PSJA Southwest Early College High School",[25,14872,14873],{},"PSJA Southwest Early College High School is a TEA designated early college high school implementing the comprehensive school wide model. It is one of a few selected in the state to offer wall-to-wall early college program. Over 1,700 students attending PSJA Southwest ECHS have the opportunity to attain up to 60 college hours or an Associate Degree from higher education partner (South Texas College) before graduating from high school. PSJA Southwest ECHS is also considered the flagship high school for the PSJA ISD Dual Language Enrichment Program because it has the largest number of Dual Language high school students served, not only in the district, but also within the state.",[25,14875,14127],{},[25,14877,45,14878,14881],{},[47,14879,52],{"href":49,"rel":14880},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s films, industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of critically-acclaimed film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,14883,14884],{},"More About Barry Glasser",[25,14886,14887],{},"As a studio executive, Barry Glasser was publicity director for Twentieth Century Fox, vice president of publicity for Walt Disney Studios, and senior vice president of marketing for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He wrote the screenplay for Golddiggers – Secret of Bear Mountain, the acclaimed family film released by Universal; created, wrote and\u002For produced such children’s television series as Mighty Orbots, Flutemaster, Galaxy High School, Visionaries, and Skateboy; and co-produced the animated feature film Little Nemo.",[25,14889,14890],{},"More About Sarvelio Carreon",[25,14892,14893],{},"Sarvelio Carreon recently completed producing and directing his first independent film, Fighting Spirit. Before that he served in a number of executive and creative positions – including research director for Univision, production manager for TV Azteca, and photojournalist for Telemundo, and ran his own production company.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14895},[],"Los Angeles, CA, February 11, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Students at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA) are getting the experience of a lifetime by shooting the full-length film “Time for a Champion,” the first of several that will be produced at PSJA and distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation in Hollywood.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpsja-southwest-early-college-hs-secures-professional-movie-distribution-deal",{"title":14835,"description":14896},"psja-southwest-early-college-hs-secures-professional-movie-distribution-deal","blog\u002Fpsja-southwest-early-college-hs-secures-professional-movie-distribution-deal","yDhewPvBlr68UbVm-ib5QHKtlH-Jfy7beOAJhkfL1jA",{"id":14904,"title":14905,"body":14906,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":14964,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":14965,"navigation":71,"path":14966,"seo":14967,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":14968,"stem":14969,"__hash__":14970},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-boston-area-film-screening-of-ways-to-live-forever-to-benefit-supporting-cancer-organization.md","Special Boston area Film Screening of Ways to Live Forever to Benefit Supporting Cancer Organizations",{"type":22,"value":14907,"toc":14962},[14908,14917,14931,14934,14937,14939,14941,14943,14947,14949,14951,14957],[25,14909,14910,10041,14913,14916],{},[57,14911,14912],{},"Los Angeles, CA, July 29, 2014",[47,14914,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14915},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) will be presenting a special Boston-area screening of the award-winning film Ways to Live Forever. Based on British author Sally Nicholls’ best-selling novel, the surprisingly uplifting story centers on Sam, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient, and his best friend\u002Ffellow-patient, Felix. Together, they set out to achieve their dreams and despite dealing with illness, learn some inspirational lessons about family, friends, and the oddities of life.",[25,14918,14919,14920,14925,14926,14930],{},"The Tuesday, September 23, event will take place at the historic Somerville Theatre (55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance through the ",[47,14921,14924],{"href":14922,"rel":14923},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vendini.com\u002Fticket-software.html?t=tix&e=67d29cea87a05c0f48725c1096a5aff6",[51],"Somerville Theatre"," or at the box office on the day of the event. A portion of the proceeds go to benefit the Boston area chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), along with other cancer foundations and pediatric hospitals. Following successful premieres in Europe and Asia, the film was released in the U.S. last year by World Wide in partnership with LLS (",[47,14927,14928],{"href":14928,"rel":14929},"http:\u002F\u002Flls.org",[51],"), the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer, to raise further awareness of children’s cancers.",[25,14932,14933],{},"“Ways to Live Forever is a poignant film that illustrates how a boy and his family cope with leukemia,” states Sharon Klein, Executive Director of LLS Massachusetts. “This film is especially relevant today, because of the fact that more than 310,000 people are living with or in remission from Leukemia in the United States. LLS exists to find cures and ensure access to the best available treatments for all blood cancers. We will continue our fight until we live in a world without blood cancer.”",[25,14935,14936],{},"The film has garnered awards from around the world, including the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association.",[25,14938,14531],{},[25,14940,14540],{},[25,14942,11220],{},[25,14944,14945],{},[57,14946,14265],{},[25,14948,7481],{},[25,14950,7487],{},[25,14952,14953],{},[47,14954,7478],{"href":14955,"rel":14956},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F572601\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,14958,14959],{},[47,14960,49],{"href":49,"rel":14961},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":14963},[],"Los Angeles, CA, July 29, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) will be presenting a special Boston-area screening of the award-winning film Ways to Live Forever. Based on British author Sally Nicholls’ best-selling novel, the surprisingly uplifting story centers on Sam, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient, and his best friend\u002Ffellow-patient, Felix. Together, they set out to achieve their dreams and despite dealing with illness, learn some inspirational lessons about family, friends, and the oddities of life.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fspecial-boston-area-film-screening-of-ways-to-live-forever-to-benefit-supporting-cancer-organization",{"title":14905,"description":14964},"special-boston-area-film-screening-of-ways-to-live-forever-to-benefit-supporting-cancer-organization","blog\u002Fspecial-boston-area-film-screening-of-ways-to-live-forever-to-benefit-supporting-cancer-organization","qqaTgooddZG3GL5oA35pzJmPEN21HrRWKGX-xhqX7Mk",{"id":14972,"title":14973,"body":14974,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15059,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15060,"navigation":71,"path":15061,"seo":15062,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15063,"stem":15064,"__hash__":15065},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-minnesota-chapter-celebrates-world-cancer-day-with-showing-of-feature-.md","The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Minnesota Chapter Celebrates World Cancer Day with Showing of Feature Film About Boy with Leukemia",{"type":22,"value":14975,"toc":15057},[14976,14985,14988,14991,14994,14997,15000,15003,15008,15011,15020,15022,15027,15029,15032,15038,15042,15044,15046,15052],[25,14977,14978,10041,14981,14984],{},[57,14979,14980],{},"Minneapolis, MN, January 27, 2014",[47,14982,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":14983},[51],")-- In recognition of World Cancer Day, the Minnesota Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will present a screening of the film Ways To Live Forever about a boy diagnosed with leukemia.",[25,14986,14987],{},"The event will take place Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014, at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis, 410 Oak Grove St, Minneapolis, MN. There will be a cash bar beginning at 6 p.m., with an introduction by Dr. Steven Rousey, of Minnesota Oncology, 7 p.m. with the film to begin shortly after. Tickets can be ordered in advance. Order $10 tickets online at mn.lls.llsevent.org\u002Fwaystoliveforever or purchase for $15 at the door.",[25,14989,14990],{},"The award-winning motion picture is based on the best-selling British children’s novel by Sally Nichols about a plucky 12-year-old named Sam who is trying to cope with his leukemia diagnosis. This ultimately uplifting tale centers on Sam’s journey with friend and fellow cancer patient Felix through a series of particularly poignant and sometimes humorous moments as they strive to fulfill their dreams, leave their mark, and make the most of the time that they have.",[25,14992,14993],{},"Following successful premieres in Europe and Asia, the film was released in the U.S. last year by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMPC), which has partnered with LLS to raise further awareness of children’s cancers.",[25,14995,14996],{},"“Approximately 90 percent of children under the age of 15 survive acute lymphocytic leukemia thanks in part to advances supported by LLS,” offers Teri Cannon, Executive Director of the Minnesota Chapter. “Unfortunately, 1 in 10 children do not survive and too many of those that do suffer long-term effects from today’s toxic therapies. We will continue to fund research until every child can live a long and healthy life.”",[25,14998,14999],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (ABC’s Once Upon A Time, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Maleficent, Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The film has garnered awards from around the world, including the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Adult Jury Prize, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association.",[25,15001,15002],{},"About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society",[25,15004,15005],{},[3341,15006],{"alt":64,"src":15007},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F03\u002Fdownload.png",[25,15009,15010],{},"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.",[25,15012,15013,15014,15019],{},"Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit ",[47,15015,15018],{"href":15016,"rel":15017},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.LLS.org",[51],"www.LLS.org",". Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.",[25,15021,11220],{},[25,15023,15024],{},[57,15025,15026],{},"Teri Cannon",[25,15028,14030],{},[25,15030,15031],{},"612-259-4496",[25,15033,15034],{},[47,15035,15037],{"href":15036},"mailto:Teri.Cannon@LLS.org","Teri.Cannon@LLS.org",[25,15039,15040],{},[57,15041,14265],{},[25,15043,7481],{},[25,15045,7487],{},[25,15047,15048],{},[47,15049,7478],{"href":15050,"rel":15051},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F538998\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15053,15054],{},[47,15055,49],{"href":49,"rel":15056},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15058},[],"Minneapolis, MN, January 27, 2014 --(PR.com)-- In recognition of World Cancer Day, the Minnesota Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will present a screening of the film Ways To Live Forever about a boy diagnosed with leukemia.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-minnesota-chapter-celebrates-world-cancer-day-with-showing-of-feature",{"title":14973,"description":15059},"the-leukemia-lymphoma-society-minnesota-chapter-celebrates-world-cancer-day-with-showing-of-feature-","blog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-minnesota-chapter-celebrates-world-cancer-day-with-showing-of-feature-","oCZp-5I1xr1Pa-ArrzOXVRwknVl7-TtXhE_drb_nUQs",{"id":15067,"title":15068,"body":15069,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15124,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15125,"navigation":71,"path":15126,"seo":15127,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15128,"stem":15129,"__hash__":15130},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Acquires Academy Award Submission, The Nightingale",{"type":22,"value":15070,"toc":15122},[15071,15080,15083,15090,15093,15096,15101,15103,15107,15109,15111,15117],[25,15072,15073,10041,15076,15079],{},[57,15074,15075],{},"Los Angeles, CA, June 16, 2015",[47,15077,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15078},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired North American distribution rights to the award-winning French\u002FChinese co-production, The Nightingale—China’s official submission for this year’s 87th Annual Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.",[25,15081,15082],{},"Directed by Philippe Muyl (The Butterfly), and starring A-list actors Xiaoran Li and Han Qin, The Nightingale is inspired by Muyl’s highly successful French feature, The Butterfly, a visually translucent award-winning film about the heartwarming friendship between a grumpy old man and an eight-year-old girl. In The Nightingale protagonist Zhu Zhi Gen has made a promise to his late wife. To fulfill that promise, he’s preparing to return with her pet caged bird (the companion of her final years) to her native village and set it free. He’d planned to make the trip alone, but his granddaughter, Ren Xing, a little girl from Beijing, is forced to go with him when her parents’ marriage is in turmoil. During this journey to the outer reaches of traditional China and through magnificent Guang Xi landscapes, the duo that seemingly has nothing in common opens up to each other, sharing memories and adventures.",[25,15084,15085,15086,15089],{},"Showcased at more than 30 film festivals around the world, The Nightingale has garnered awards from the River Run International Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best French Film; the Zlin Film Festival (Czech Republic) – Winner: Best Film for Children; the Buster Film Festival (Denmark) – Winner: Best Feature; the Wine Country Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best International Film; and the Minsk International Film Festival (Belarus) – Winner: Best Adult Performance in a Children’s Movie for ",[364,15087,15088],{},"Lead Actor"," Li Bao Tan.",[25,15091,15092],{},"“World Wide is very proud to be releasing another meaningful family film and one that also carries with it the high political presence of being China’s official entry for the Oscars,” states President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock. “With the growing emergence of China on the global stage, we’re thrilled to be involved in this second-ever official co-production between France and China.”",[25,15094,15095],{},"The Nightingale will be released at select theaters throughout the US in the fall 2015, including major metropolitan areas with many Chinese and Asian American organizations throughout the US supporting the film’s release.",[25,15097,45,15098,7467],{},[47,15099,52],{"href":49,"rel":15100},[51],[25,15102,11220],{},[25,15104,15105],{},[57,15106,14265],{},[25,15108,7481],{},[25,15110,7487],{},[25,15112,15113],{},[47,15114,7478],{"href":15115,"rel":15116},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F624161\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15118,15119],{},[47,15120,49],{"href":49,"rel":15121},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15123},[],"Los Angeles, CA, June 16, 2015 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired North American distribution rights to the award-winning French\u002FChinese co-production, The Nightingale—China’s official submission for this year’s 87th Annual Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale",{"title":15068,"description":15124},"world-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale","KJWKoMOKQ8fLSIFZQPUL1xN_GTHElyGOOQ9y0OKAtl4",{"id":15132,"title":15133,"body":15134,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15176,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15177,"navigation":71,"path":15178,"seo":15179,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15180,"stem":15181,"__hash__":15182},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-spiritual-documentary-about-the-existence-of-angels.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Acquires Spiritual Documentary About the Existence of Angels",{"type":22,"value":15135,"toc":15174},[15136,15145,15148,15151,15153,15155,15159,15161,15163,15169],[25,15137,15138,10041,15141,15144],{},[57,15139,15140],{},"Los Angeles, CA, March 27, 2014",[47,15142,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15143},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the feature-length documentary Inspired By Angels. Directed and Produced by Tony Miller, the film highlights individuals questioning the existence of angels and the role they play in the everyday lives of people. Bringing a deeper and better understanding to the question, this unique film showcases commentary from a variety of well-known experts including mediums, healers, and scholars like Doreen Virtue Ph.D., Keiko Anaguchi, and Susanna Sophia Hart.",[25,15146,15147],{},"The professionals documented are renowned for their experience helping “seekers” to better grasp an understanding of spiritual healing and the ability to theoretically channel angels via different communication methods. Virtue, who has a doctorate in Psychology, is the founder of Angel Therapy, a non-denominational form of healing and harmony through communication with angels. Anaguchi is a spiritual counselor who is known for interpreting spiritual messages and using them to create customer service training programs around the world. By sharing anecdotes about angel encounters and near-death experiences, these commentators elucidate the notion that angels are supporting factors in the struggles and life endeavors of people. Additionally, the film goes to the streets of Los Angeles to discover the “every man’s” opinion about the existence of angels.",[25,15149,15150],{},"“We’re thrilled to acquire Inspired By Angels, a documentary that explores different perspectives about the afterlife, spirituality, and the existence of angels,” President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock states. “The lecturers, authors, spiritual healers, and mediums documented in this thought-provoking show will enlighten viewers and open up new conversations.”",[25,15152,14478],{},[25,15154,11220],{},[25,15156,15157],{},[57,15158,14265],{},[25,15160,7481],{},[25,15162,7487],{},[25,15164,15165],{},[47,15166,7478],{"href":15167,"rel":15168},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F549266\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15170,15171],{},[47,15172,49],{"href":49,"rel":15173},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15175},[],"Los Angeles, CA, March 27, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the feature-length documentary Inspired By Angels. Directed and Produced by Tony Miller, the film highlights individuals questioning the existence of angels and the role they play in the everyday lives of people. Bringing a deeper and better understanding to the question, this unique film showcases commentary from a variety of well-known experts including mediums, healers, and scholars like Doreen Virtue Ph.D., Keiko Anaguchi, and Susanna Sophia Hart.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-spiritual-documentary-about-the-existence-of-angels",{"title":15133,"description":15176},"world-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-spiritual-documentary-about-the-existence-of-angels","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-acquires-spiritual-documentary-about-the-existence-of-angels","15SN3-tYJlc-9hGKILC3J2A5MV6L7E8-oWZy6wOgXgc",{"id":15184,"title":15185,"body":15186,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15228,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15229,"navigation":71,"path":15230,"seo":15231,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15232,"stem":15233,"__hash__":15234},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-documentary-series-that-explores-the-world-of-tattoo.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Documentary Series That Explores the World of Tattooing",{"type":22,"value":15187,"toc":15226},[15188,15197,15200,15203,15205,15207,15211,15213,15215,15221],[25,15189,15190,10041,15193,15196],{},[57,15191,15192],{},"Los Angeles, CA, February 25, 2014",[47,15194,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15195},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the documentary series, Skin Deep. Director and Editor Anthony Miller gives the viewer direct access to the artist’s chair and offers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the artistry of body art. This five-episode series features Los Angeles-based artists including Tricia Allen, F. Kirk Kelly, Greg James, Erika Stanley and the late John Brian “Swag” Knowles.",[25,15198,15199],{},"Each episode in the series highlights a particular artist and their special style, celebrating the now popular and much-admired art form of tattooing. The series profiles the foremost tattoo artists known in the industry, who tell their personal tales on how they became enthralled in the world of tattoos. From rock enthusiast Kirk Kelly to respected Polynesian tattoo artist Tricia Allen, Skin Deep documents the industry’s recognition and enables viewers to appreciate what it takes to become part of the everlasting tradition. With its popularity growing, this documentary-style series shows how tattoos have not only led to a more public display but has also become less taboo in the eyes of society.",[25,15201,15202],{},"“The artistry documented in this series is incredible,” states World Wide’s President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock. “We’re pleased to be able to release Skin Deep, which showcases this beautiful expression of creativity and also adds to our collection of high-quality special content shows.”",[25,15204,14478],{},[25,15206,11220],{},[25,15208,15209],{},[57,15210,14265],{},[25,15212,7481],{},[25,15214,7487],{},[25,15216,15217],{},[47,15218,7478],{"href":15219,"rel":15220},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F543695\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15222,15223],{},[47,15224,49],{"href":49,"rel":15225},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15227},[],"Los Angeles, CA, February 25, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the documentary series, Skin Deep. Director and Editor Anthony Miller gives the viewer direct access to the artist’s chair and offers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the artistry of body art. This five-episode series features Los Angeles-based artists including Tricia Allen, F. Kirk Kelly, Greg James, Erika Stanley and the late John Brian “Swag” Knowles.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-documentary-series-that-explores-the-world-of-tattoo",{"title":15185,"description":15228},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-documentary-series-that-explores-the-world-of-tattoo","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-documentary-series-that-explores-the-world-of-tattoo","IORrbxGIBNug3nLxP6MUZB3QBM2EWwENPkmGIQI8u5k",{"id":15236,"title":15237,"body":15238,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15300,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15301,"navigation":71,"path":15302,"seo":15303,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15304,"stem":15305,"__hash__":15306},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-new-film-focusing-on-uncommon-disease.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires New Film Focusing on Uncommon Disease",{"type":22,"value":15239,"toc":15298},[15240,15255,15258,15269,15272,15275,15277,15279,15283,15285,15287,15293],[25,15241,15242,10041,15245,15248,15249,15254],{},[57,15243,15244],{},"Los Angeles, CA, December 02, 2014",[47,15246,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15247},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) announced today that it has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the heartwarming film, ",[47,15250,15253],{"href":15251,"rel":15252},"http:\u002F\u002Fthelovelypatient.com",[51],"The Lovely Patient",", and has planned the DVD and digital release on Tuesday, January 20, to US audiences. The poignant film centers around a young man named Leonard who, while desperately searching for a job, must care for his mother who has suffered a stroke. Leonard finds work as an assistant for an older man who is battling breast cancer, and who needs a driver to take him to his daughter’s wedding.",[25,15256,15257],{},"The Lovely Patient features a talented cast, which brings to life interesting and often quirky characters that discover the importance of family and community. The film stars John Collier (42, The Three Stooges, Big Fish) as Frank, a man diagnosed with breast cancer, Joseph L. Glenn, Jimmie Ann Campbell, Shannon Krieger, and A.J. Sexton (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).",[25,15259,15260,15261,15264,15265,15268],{},"\"My motivation was to tell a story about cancer, about love, about forgiveness, and about redemption. I wanted to have all that wrapped into one ",[364,15262,15263],{},"film",", but I didn't want to tell the story on a level where people are dying all around,” the film’s writer\u002Fdirector Sylvester K. Folks (Roommates) shared with AL.com. “I wanted to tell the ",[364,15266,15267],{},"story of the"," another side of the cancer battle where people are just fighting every day.\"",[25,15270,15271],{},"The movie brings to light that an estimated 2,360 new cases of invasive male breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States, compared to 232,670 in females, as reported by the American Cancer Society. The lifetime risk of males getting breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000, and this rate has not changed in the last three decades.",[25,15273,15274],{},"“Male breast cancer is not as well known, acknowledged or funded as research for female breast cancer is; however, it is just as devastating and deadly. We’re happy to be spotlighting this rarely talked about the disease by bringing this important story to US audiences next year,” states Paul D. Hancock, World Wide’s president and CEO. “As with our last theatrical release - Ways To Live Forever, about two boys fighting leukemia - the company is teaming up with a number of health organizations, hospitals, and cancer foundations throughout the country to promote the film and expand its scope of awareness.”",[25,15276,14478],{},[25,15278,11220],{},[25,15280,15281],{},[57,15282,14265],{},[25,15284,7481],{},[25,15286,7487],{},[25,15288,15289],{},[47,15290,7478],{"href":15291,"rel":15292},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F594324\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15294,15295],{},[47,15296,49],{"href":49,"rel":15297},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15299},[],"Los Angeles, CA, December 02, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB: WWMO) announced today that it has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the heartwarming film, The Lovely Patient, and has planned the DVD and digital release on Tuesday, January 20, to US audiences. The poignant film centers around a young man named Leonard who, while desperately searching for a job, must care for his mother who has suffered a stroke. Leonard finds work as an assistant for an older man who is battling breast cancer, and who needs a driver to take him to his daughter’s wedding.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-new-film-focusing-on-uncommon-disease",{"title":15237,"description":15300},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-new-film-focusing-on-uncommon-disease","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-new-film-focusing-on-uncommon-disease","CKotaTa6bIAWHnGrokE_r85Sk9Mb4ipJ_Uh8oUOEZ5M",{"id":15308,"title":15309,"body":15310,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15349,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15350,"navigation":71,"path":15351,"seo":15352,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15353,"stem":15354,"__hash__":15355},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-welcome-to-eden-documentary-with-daryl-hannah-willie.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Welcome to Eden Documentary, with Daryl Hannah, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez",{"type":22,"value":15311,"toc":15347},[15312,15322,15325,15328,15330,15332,15336,15338,15340,15342],[25,15313,15314,10041,15317,15321],{},[57,15315,15316],{},"Los Angeles, CA, March 08, 2014",[47,15318,1698],{"href":15319,"rel":15320},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20141203070138\u002Fhttp:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F546261",[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the feature-length documentary Welcome to Eden. Directed by Michael McGreevey and written by Sean Patrick, this special interest show tells the inspiring story about a small patch of land that was preserved in gratitude of the local South Central Los Angeles community. Featuring Daryl Hannah, Joan Baez, and Willie Nelson, these celebrity activists join in the uplifting story of how passions unite to fight and protest for The Farm’s survival.",[25,15323,15324],{},"Following the LA Riots in the 1990s, the local community was left in turmoil and a 14-acre urban farm reinforced a positive outlook for the future. After an enriching 15 years of working and developing the oasis, it was then taken from the farmers with plans to demolish the land in place of a giant retail space. With a community already united, the film illustrates the mass amount of support contributed in creating the thriving natural farmland that was born. After a final eviction notice was given, The Farm’s 360 workers refused to leave, holding fasting declarations, tree sit-ins, and defiantly camping out. The occupation grew headlines and people flocked to join the encampment.",[25,15326,15327],{},"“World Wide is thrilled to gain acquisition and distribution rights for Welcome to Eden to expand its recognition and share this compelling story with a broader audience and market. We plan to continue to search for documentaries like Welcome to Eden to share with its followers stories about truly impressive humanitarian and environmental freedom fighters,” President\u002FCEO Paul Hancock states.",[25,15329,14478],{},[25,15331,11220],{},[25,15333,15334],{},[57,15335,14265],{},[25,15337,7481],{},[25,15339,7487],{},[25,15341,7478],{},[25,15343,15344],{},[47,15345,49],{"href":49,"rel":15346},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15348},[],"Los Angeles, CA, March 08, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive distribution rights for the feature-length documentary Welcome to Eden. Directed by Michael McGreevey and written by Sean Patrick, this special interest show tells the inspiring story about a small patch of land that was preserved in gratitude of the local South Central Los Angeles community. Featuring Daryl Hannah, Joan Baez, and Willie Nelson, these celebrity activists join in the uplifting story of how passions unite to fight and protest for The Farm’s survival.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-welcome-to-eden-documentary-with-daryl-hannah-willie",{"title":15309,"description":15349},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-welcome-to-eden-documentary-with-daryl-hannah-willie","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-acquires-welcome-to-eden-documentary-with-daryl-hannah-willie","0OqpnCeH8EB8uMTycSW9WhIyFtTrJYgx3nUGtZ8yDhk",{"id":15357,"title":15358,"body":15359,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15414,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15415,"navigation":71,"path":15416,"seo":15417,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15418,"stem":15419,"__hash__":15420},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-mylifeline-org-join-forces-to-spread-awareness-for-pediat.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation and MyLifeline.org Join Forces to Spread Awareness for Pediatric Cancer",{"type":22,"value":15360,"toc":15412},[15361,15375,15378,15381,15384,15387,15392,15394,15398,15400,15402,15407],[25,15362,15363,10041,15366,15369,15370,15374],{},[57,15364,15365],{},"Los Angeles, CA, October 28, 2013",[47,15367,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15368},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce its association with MyLifeline.org (MyLifeline), in a campaign designed to raise awareness of pediatric cancers via World Wide’s national release of the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever (",[47,15371,13985],{"href":15372,"rel":15373},"http:\u002F\u002Fwaystoliveforevermovie.com",[51],"). MyLifeline is spreading the word about the movie, which has been gaining enthusiastic audience response across the US and will continue its theatrical run on December 6 in a number of additional cities, including Denver. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired. A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit MyLifeline.org, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations and foundations.",[25,15376,15377],{},"“Easing the burden of communicating with a patient’s support community can increase the quality of life by opening the channel to receive love and encouragement while getting the patient and caregiver the logistical help necessary to make it from active treatment to survivorship,” said Melissa Bowen, Executive Director of MyLifeline.",[25,15379,15380],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and currently ABC's popular adventure drama, \"Once Upon a Time\"), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice), and Ella Purnell (Kick-Ass 2, Intruders). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Audience Award at the Heartland Film Festival, and the Adult Jury Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Nationally-renowned book publisher Scholastic has issued Nicholls’ best-selling novel as an enhanced eBook and is re-releasing the paperback version to coincide with the North American release of the film.",[25,15382,15383],{},"“We’re very proud to be working with MyLifeline and support their mission to provide a seamless communication platform for cancer patients and their families and friends,” states Paul Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “The film itself promotes these ideals of the importance of a support network, time spent with friends, and continuing to live as full a life as one can throughout the process. MyLifeline uses technology to help patients achieve these goals.”",[25,15385,15386],{},"MyLifeline.org Cancer Foundation, founded in 2007, provides free personal websites to patients and their caregivers so they can easily communicate with their friends and family during their treatment process and beyond. As people are overwhelmed with emails, phone calls, text messages, and more, MyLifeLine.org is the only personal website service that consolidates all caregiving needs in one place, while focusing 100% on cancer and the tools necessary to navigate the treatment process.",[25,15388,45,15389,14009],{},[47,15390,52],{"href":49,"rel":15391},[51],[25,15393,11220],{},[25,15395,15396],{},[57,15397,14265],{},[25,15399,7481],{},[25,15401,7487],{},[25,15403,15404],{},[47,15405,7478],{"href":14493,"rel":15406},[51],[25,15408,15409],{},[47,15410,49],{"href":49,"rel":15411},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15413},[],"Los Angeles, CA, October 28, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce its association with MyLifeline.org (MyLifeline), in a campaign designed to raise awareness of pediatric cancers via World Wide’s national release of the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). MyLifeline is spreading the word about the movie, which has been gaining enthusiastic audience response across the US and will continue its theatrical run on December 6 in a number of additional cities, including Denver. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired. A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit MyLifeline.org, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations and foundations.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-mylifeline-org-join-forces-to-spread-awareness-for-pediat",{"title":15358,"description":15414},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-mylifeline-org-join-forces-to-spread-awareness-for-pediat","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-mylifeline-org-join-forces-to-spread-awareness-for-pediat","kd7M6POwiP3A6I6aRvPdhLis391twe3XJsoYwtvAkug",{"id":15422,"title":15423,"body":15424,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15506,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15507,"navigation":71,"path":15508,"seo":15509,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15510,"stem":15511,"__hash__":15512},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-scholastic-raise-awareness-for-childhood-cancers-through-.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation and Scholastic Raise Awareness for Childhood Cancers Through the Film and Book, Ways to Live Forever",{"type":22,"value":15425,"toc":15504},[15426,15449,15452,15455,15458,15466,15471,15473,15477,15479,15481,15483,15487,15492,15495,15498],[25,15427,15428,15431,15432,15435,15436,15439,15440,15444,15445,15448],{},[57,15429,15430],{},"Los Angeles, CA, March 06, 2013"," –(",[47,15433,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15434},[51],")– Film distribution company World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is coordinating efforts with book publisher Scholastic (",[47,15437,13996],{"href":13898,"rel":15438},[51],") to raise awareness for childhood cancers through the ",[47,15441,15443],{"href":13978,"rel":15442},[51],"award-winning feature film, Ways to Live Forever"," (",[47,15446,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":15447},[51],"). Slated for nationwide release this summer, the inspirational picture is based on the award-winning novel by British author Sally Nicholls, which was published in the U.S. by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, in 2008. In the book, a spunky 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend\u002Ffellow leukemia patient, Felix, embark on a poignant and sometimes humorous quest to achieve their dreams, answer their burning questions about life, and grow up fast. In anticipation of the picture, Scholastic is publishing a movie tie-in e-book edition of the novel (available from major book retailers as well as from Scholastic on Storia®) on Friday, March 1.",[25,15450,15451],{},"“Ways to Live Forever is one of those bittersweet books that make you grateful to be alive, and make you look at your own kids with renewed and fierce appreciation,” said Arthur A. Levine, VP, Publisher, Arthur A. Levine Books. “We are so proud to be the U.S. publisher of Sally Nicholls’ incredibly moving debut.”",[25,15453,15454],{},"Ways to Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player; Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice – BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders; Never Let Me Go). The growing list of international awards includes Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Jury Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.",[25,15456,15457],{},"A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the numerous other cancer-related organizations and charitable foundations that have teamed up with World Wide to support both the picture and its important message. For a more complete listing, visit the “Supporters” tab on the film’s official website.",[25,15459,15460,15461],{},"“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Scholastic to bring both this heartwarming tale and its important message to North American audiences,” offers Paul D. Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “We’re also pleased to announce that author Sally Nicholls is supporting the film via her social media, including her official website: ",[47,15462,15465],{"href":15463,"rel":15464},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.sallynicholls.com.%E2%80%9D",[51],"www.sallynicholls.com.”",[25,15467,45,15468,14009],{},[47,15469,52],{"href":49,"rel":15470},[51],[25,15472,11220],{},[25,15474,15475],{},[57,15476,13920],{},[25,15478,14201],{},[25,15480,7481],{},[25,15482,7487],{},[25,15484,15485],{},[47,15486,1735],{"href":1734},[25,15488,15489],{},[57,15490,15491],{},"Charisse Meloto",[25,15493,15494],{},"Scholastic",[25,15496,15497],{},"212-389-3785",[25,15499,15500],{},[47,15501,15503],{"href":15502},"mailto:cmeloto@scholastic.com","cmeloto@scholastic.com",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15505},[],"Los Angeles, CA, March 06, 2013 –(PR.com)– Film distribution company World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is coordinating efforts with book publisher Scholastic (www.scholastic.com) to raise awareness for childhood cancers through the award-winning feature film, Ways to Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). Slated for nationwide release this summer, the inspirational picture is based on the award-winning novel by British author Sally Nicholls, which was published in the U.S. by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, in 2008. In the book, a spunky 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend\u002Ffellow leukemia patient, Felix, embark on a poignant and sometimes humorous quest to achieve their dreams, answer their burning questions about life, and grow up fast. In anticipation of the picture, Scholastic is publishing a movie tie-in e-book edition of the novel (available from major book retailers as well as from Scholastic on Storia®) on Friday, March 1.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-scholastic-raise-awareness-for-childhood-cancers-through",{"title":15423,"description":15506},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-scholastic-raise-awareness-for-childhood-cancers-through-","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-scholastic-raise-awareness-for-childhood-cancers-through-","Ox4iK-YD1Jr3wRSsmTEo8pVcs4HZoSWQvUDL8eYtTEw",{"id":15514,"title":15515,"body":15516,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15575,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15576,"navigation":71,"path":15577,"seo":15578,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15579,"stem":15580,"__hash__":15581},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-university-of-colorado-cancer-center-collaborate-to-sprea.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation and University of Colorado Cancer Center Collaborate to Spread Awareness for Pediatric Cancer",{"type":22,"value":15517,"toc":15573},[15518,15531,15534,15536,15539,15548,15553,15555,15559,15561,15563,15568],[25,15519,15520,10041,15523,15526,15527,15530],{},[57,15521,15522],{},"Los Angeles, CA, October 23, 2013",[47,15524,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15525},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce its association with the University of Colorado Cancer Center (CU Cancer Center), in a campaign designed to raise awareness of pediatric cancers via World Wide’s national release of the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever (",[47,15528,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":15529},[51],"). CU Cancer Center is spreading the word about the movie, which has been gaining enthusiastic audience response across the US and will continue its theatrical run with more openings on October 18. The release broadens to additional cities, including Metro Denver, on December 6. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired. A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit the CU Cancer Center, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations and foundations.",[25,15532,15533],{},"“The genomic revolution has allowed researchers to identify more and more driver genes in childhood cancer,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, Ph.D., CU Cancer Center Director. “Our investigators are working tirelessly to both contribute and use this knowledge to improve treatments for children with cancer. In our survivorship program, we follow these kids into adulthood because we want to know the impact of both new and classical treatments on their long-term quality of life. We are happy to do anything we can to raise awareness of pediatric cancers.”",[25,15535,15380],{},[25,15537,15538],{},"“We’re very proud to be working with the entire University of Colorado family, and especially the CU Cancer Center,” states Paul Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide. “We hope that through our mutual efforts, a motion picture like Ways To Live Forever can help raise awareness for pediatric blood cancers, and ultimately increase funding for life-saving research and personalized care.”",[25,15540,15541,15542,15547],{},"The University of Colorado Cancer Center (",[47,15543,15546],{"href":15544,"rel":15545},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.coloradocancercenter.org",[51],"www.coloradocancercenter.org","), founded in 1985, is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation and the only one in Colorado. In 2013, the CU Cancer Center was elected as a member of the elite National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an organization that establishes and delivers the gold standard in cancer clinical care. The mission of the CU Cancer Center is to discover, develop and deliver breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention that improve cancer care locally, nationally and globally. The CU Cancer Center is a consortium of three state universities and six health-related institutions, all collaborating to conquer cancer.",[25,15549,45,15550,14009],{},[47,15551,52],{"href":49,"rel":15552},[51],[25,15554,11220],{},[25,15556,15557],{},[57,15558,14265],{},[25,15560,7481],{},[25,15562,7487],{},[25,15564,15565],{},[47,15566,7478],{"href":14493,"rel":15567},[51],[25,15569,15570],{},[47,15571,49],{"href":49,"rel":15572},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15574},[],"Los Angeles, CA, October 23, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce its association with the University of Colorado Cancer Center (CU Cancer Center), in a campaign designed to raise awareness of pediatric cancers via World Wide’s national release of the award-winning feature film, Ways To Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). CU Cancer Center is spreading the word about the movie, which has been gaining enthusiastic audience response across the US and will continue its theatrical run with more openings on October 18. The release broadens to additional cities, including Metro Denver, on December 6. Based on the popular children’s novel by British author Sally Nicholls, a spunky 12-year-old leukemia patient named Sam and his best friend Felix set out to achieve their dreams and in the process learn to appreciate family, friends, and the oddities of life, leaving viewers both uplifted and inspired. A portion of the box office proceeds will benefit the CU Cancer Center, as well as other prestigious cancer-related organizations and foundations.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-university-of-colorado-cancer-center-collaborate-to-sprea",{"title":15515,"description":15575},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-university-of-colorado-cancer-center-collaborate-to-sprea","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-and-university-of-colorado-cancer-center-collaborate-to-sprea","x5TBHXPDMXK00gvw4ek-mj2PR5orr96TOUHPzqdCrfU",{"id":15583,"title":15584,"body":15585,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15591,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15653,"navigation":71,"path":15654,"seo":15655,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15656,"stem":15657,"__hash__":15658},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-new-cities-for-roll-out-of-applause.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Announces New Cities for Roll-Out of Applause",{"type":22,"value":15586,"toc":15651},[15587,15592,15601,15604,15607,15612,15615,15618,15621,15624,15627,15630,15632,15636,15638,15640,15646],[25,15588,15589],{},[486,15590,15591],{},"Award-Winning European Feature Film Continues Its US Theatrical Run.",[25,15593,15594,10041,15597,15600],{},[57,15595,15596],{},"Los Angeles, CA, March 16, 2011",[47,15598,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15599},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is pleased to announce that Applause, the award-winning Danish film starring internationally acclaimed actress Paprika Steen, will continue its U.S. theatrical rollout in the Southeast. The film will open in premier venues on March 20th in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center; on April 22, in Florida at the Gateway Cinema in Fort Lauderdale and at the Regal Shadowood in Boca Raton; and on May 13 in Minneapolis St. Paul at the St. Anthony Main.",[25,15602,15603],{},"“I’m very happy to report that the initial runs of the film in New York and Los Angeles were met with rave reviews from the national media,” states Paul D. Hancock, President and Chief Executive Officer of the 33-year-old, Southern California-based entertainment company.",[25,15605,15606],{},"World Wide's recently added business focus as a boutique distributor of specialty international films will incorporate the long-standing company philosophy of cost-control and moderately budgeted campaigns.",[25,15608,15609],{},[3341,15610],{"alt":64,"src":15611},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F03\u002Fpressrelease_163107_1300159900.jpg",[25,15613,15614],{},"The company implements both traditional and cutting-edge marketing efforts to promote optimal revenue generation on each project.",[25,15616,15617],{},"\"Foreign language films looking for distribution in North America are in good hands with World Wide because we know how to combine traditional advertising with extensive, online, viral marketing and other new media to specifically target these discriminating audiences,\" Hancock says. \"The combination of daily efforts to build and maintain ‘buzz’ about a film through social media, as well as conducting in-person, grass-roots, outreach efforts strictly keyed to potential demographics, is our forte.”",[25,15619,15620],{},"In order to gain further exposure for quality films, World Wide also mounts full Oscar campaigns on a limited budget, as was done for Steen’s performance in Applause, resulting in significant industry and media support for a Best Actress nomination. Additionally, the picture has garnered awards from the Zurich Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival as well as being selected for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival and the London International Film Festival.",[25,15622,15623],{},"\"We’re delighted that audiences are embracing the film and that word-of-mouth is catching on. As the U.S. rollout continues to other cities, we expect it to continue to establish World Wide as a significant presence in the specialty film marketplace and will soon be announcing further acquisitions,\" Hancock offers.",[25,15625,15626],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release reflecting management’s best judgment based on factors currently known involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors, including but not limited to World Wide’s ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, business acquisitions, acquisition of suitable motion pictures, and the performance of films in general licensed by World Wide.",[25,15628,15629],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",[25,15631,11220],{},[25,15633,15634],{},[57,15635,14265],{},[25,15637,7481],{},[25,15639,7487],{},[25,15641,15642],{},[47,15643,7478],{"href":15644,"rel":15645},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F305858\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15647,15648],{},[47,15649,49],{"href":49,"rel":15650},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15652},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-new-cities-for-roll-out-of-applause",{"title":15584,"description":15591},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-new-cities-for-roll-out-of-applause","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-announces-new-cities-for-roll-out-of-applause","m1CRUIdN3OjRmYXPxWsjwbegNOLdwVxeNDWpsYo9hDc",{"id":15660,"title":15661,"body":15662,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15707,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15708,"navigation":71,"path":15709,"seo":15710,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15711,"stem":15712,"__hash__":15713},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-sc-global-media-for-international-sales.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Collaborates with SC Global Media for International Sales",{"type":22,"value":15663,"toc":15705},[15664,15673,15676,15679,15682,15684,15686,15690,15692,15694,15700],[25,15665,15666,10041,15669,15672],{},[57,15667,15668],{},"Los Angeles, CA, May 02, 2014",[47,15670,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15671},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:: WWMO) has entered into a formal arrangement with foreign sales company SC Global Media in Los Angeles to service all international ancillary sales windows for the feature film, Rusty Steel. Produced, written and directed by Ion Ionescu, this Romanian picture features a high-action race against time to find gold and stars a magnetic cast of actors including Johan Urb, Paul Campbell, and critically-acclaimed screen star Dean Stockwell.",[25,15674,15675],{},"The thrilling, action-adventure tale was shot on location in Romania where two brothers, Mike and Rusty, inherit their recently deceased uncle’s yacht and upon going to claim it, also find the late man’s personal journal. In it, they read about the loss of his old ship, The Chancellor, a German war vessel that had been carrying an astonishing secret cargo: a fortune in Nazi gold! Intrigued, they set about finding the lost treasure in the abyss of The Black Sea. However, their search does not come without complications — there are dangerous mercenaries with the same agenda! Together with Gabby, the beautiful local woman who agrees to help, they embark on an exciting race against time.",[25,15677,15678],{},"“Ion Ionescu does it again with an intriguing plot of unveiling clues that lead to an astounding adventure,” offers World Wide’s President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock. “The action scenes are unpredictable and dynamic, and we’re very proud to be allied with SC Global to bring this exciting film to international attention.”",[25,15680,15681],{},"World Wide and SC Global’s management have worked together on previous film projects and SC Global will be utilizing all ancillary sales windows in different parts of the world. Helmed by David A. Jackson and Shauna Shapiro Jackson, SC Global Media is a 20-year-old company that produces and distributes film and television series, attends the major film and television markets each year, has a diverse lineup of the product, and maintains extensive ongoing relationships with distributors worldwide. The company has successfully marketed and licensed more than 300 feature films and television series throughout the world.",[25,15683,14478],{},[25,15685,11220],{},[25,15687,15688],{},[57,15689,14265],{},[25,15691,7481],{},[25,15693,7487],{},[25,15695,15696],{},[47,15697,7478],{"href":15698,"rel":15699},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F556033\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15701,15702],{},[47,15703,49],{"href":49,"rel":15704},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15706},[],"Los Angeles, CA, May 02, 2014 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:: WWMO) has entered into a formal arrangement with foreign sales company SC Global Media in Los Angeles to service all international ancillary sales windows for the feature film, Rusty Steel. Produced, written and directed by Ion Ionescu, this Romanian picture features a high-action race against time to find gold and stars a magnetic cast of actors including Johan Urb, Paul Campbell, and critically-acclaimed screen star Dean Stockwell.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-sc-global-media-for-international-sales",{"title":15661,"description":15707},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-sc-global-media-for-international-sales","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-collaborates-with-sc-global-media-for-international-sales","yl-eM-KCS5J-sUvzdCeuIqLcAi8mn0fdSvT7Q_otwqk",{"id":15715,"title":15716,"body":15717,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15766,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15767,"navigation":71,"path":15768,"seo":15769,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15770,"stem":15771,"__hash__":15772},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-considering-strategic-corporate-alliances.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Considering Strategic Corporate Alliances",{"type":22,"value":15718,"toc":15764},[15719,15728,15731,15734,15737,15740,15743,15745,15749,15751,15753,15759],[25,15720,15721,10041,15724,15727],{},[57,15722,15723],{},"Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 2011",[47,15725,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15726},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) today announced formation of an internal committee to explore acquisition\u002Fmerger possibilities with other well-run businesses actively operating in the North American film industry.",[25,15729,15730],{},"“Due to looming shifts in the long-standing working dynamic between studios, theater chains and television networks, it makes sense for a company such as ours, which has continued to operate successfully since 1977, to explore the possibility of pooling resources and combining strengths to better capitalize on these future shifts,” President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock explains.",[25,15732,15733],{},"World Wide’s recent release of the award-winning Danish feature, APPLAUSE (starring Paprika Steen), continues to receive rave reviews from a wide variety of highly respected national media. In particular, Ms. Steen continues to receive accolades for her performance, which was widely touted for a Best Actress Oscar nomination earlier this year. Currently playing in the Midwest, APPLAUSE will continue its national rollout at screens in Austin, TX, and San Francisco in the coming months.",[25,15735,15736],{},"\"We know how to combine traditional advertising and cutting-edge, Internet viral marketing efforts to build awareness and buzz for a film, which is how we extract optimal effectiveness from every marketing dollar,” Hancock continues. “Fiscal responsibility is at the heart of our business model, and with films like APPLAUSE, we have proven our ability to mount full Oscar campaigns without compromising this core belief. We are extremely proud of the talent on our staff and the exceptional industry connections our executive team has developed over the last thirty-plus years,” Hancock further states.",[25,15738,15739],{},"“World Wide’s 25-year previous history as a fully reporting publicly-held company, along with its library of more than 300 motion pictures, documentaries, docudramas and television titles, attractively positions the company for a strategic alliance at this time,” observes the company’s VP of Finance, Sean Gunning.",[25,15741,15742],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide is primarily engaged in the acquisition and distribution of awards-caliber international and domestic films for theatrical exhibition, television broadcast and syndication, and sale through all other ancillary channels, throughout the world. World Wide employs a culturally diverse and technologically savvy team of management and staff who work tirelessly to influence optimal revenue generation on each project. World Wide also serves as a consulting and advisory entity to the film and television industry.",[25,15744,11220],{},[25,15746,15747],{},[57,15748,13920],{},[25,15750,7481],{},[25,15752,7487],{},[25,15754,15755],{},[47,15756,7478],{"href":15757,"rel":15758},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F332621\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15760,15761],{},[47,15762,49],{"href":49,"rel":15763},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15765},[],"Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 2011 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) today announced formation of an internal committee to explore acquisition\u002Fmerger possibilities with other well-run businesses actively operating in the North American film industry.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-considering-strategic-corporate-alliances",{"title":15716,"description":15766},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-considering-strategic-corporate-alliances","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-considering-strategic-corporate-alliances","nEDHHVfJrGA_i4M2AjF0IWLm6ho8aMsVaMBf61SPQm0",{"id":15774,"title":15775,"body":15776,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15827,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15828,"navigation":71,"path":15829,"seo":15830,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15831,"stem":15832,"__hash__":15833},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-premieres-content-via-vimeo.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Premieres Content via Vimeo",{"type":22,"value":15777,"toc":15825},[15778,15793,15796,15799,15802,15804,15806,15810,15812,15814,15820],[25,15779,15780,10041,15783,15786,15787,15792],{},[57,15781,15782],{},"Los Angeles, CA, September 09, 2014",[47,15784,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15785},[51],")-- Beginning today, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has released several of its library titles to the public for sale or download via a joint arrangement with content provider Vimeo.com. The move also facilitates the launch of World Wide’s new consumer destination hub: Indie Movie Store (",[47,15788,15791],{"href":15789,"rel":15790},"http:\u002F\u002Fvod.indiemoviestore.com",[51],"http:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com","), where a rich library of classic films, features, and documentaries are available for purchase on DVD or through direct download. This partnership fits into Vimeo’s current strategy of acquiring original content for sale and\u002For rent, providing ease of use and high image quality for HD productions. As Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor put it, the company views itself as the “combination of premium, ad-free environment with the openness of the Internet.”",[25,15794,15795],{},"Included in this first wave of releases from World Wide’s library are award-winning and critically-acclaimed features like Pop Kowboy, Red Roses & Petrol (starring Malcolm McDowell), Amy (starring Rachel Griffiths), and Rusty Steel (starring Dean Stockwell). Additionally, World Wide is pleased to announce that several documentary series are being premiered, including: Inspired By Angels, which explores the existence of ethereal beings and features insight from a variety of clairvoyants and healers; Welcome To Eden, chronicling the real-life battle by both celebrities and Los Angeles locals to save an urban farm from commercial redevelopment efforts; and Skin Deep, which brings viewers into the intriguing and increasingly popular world of tattoo and introduces them to some of the talents of the best artists in the country.",[25,15797,15798],{},"“The launch of our joint venture with Vimeo has great potential to accelerate the exposure and monetizing of many of our library titles, which is very exciting,” states Paul Hancock, President and CEO of World Wide Motion Pictures.",[25,15800,15801],{},"World Wide’s library consists of a wide variety of theatrical and television product, encompassing multiple genres and subject matter. The range of titles includes current and classic productions, episodic series, and specialty shows. The library, which was established in the early 1980s, continues to add titles which will be released via VOD, digital download, and other emerging platforms.",[25,15803,14478],{},[25,15805,11220],{},[25,15807,15808],{},[57,15809,14265],{},[25,15811,7481],{},[25,15813,7487],{},[25,15815,15816],{},[47,15817,7478],{"href":15818,"rel":15819},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F579968\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15821,15822],{},[47,15823,49],{"href":49,"rel":15824},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15826},[],"Los Angeles, CA, September 09, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Beginning today, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has released several of its library titles to the public for sale or download via a joint arrangement with content provider Vimeo.com. The move also facilitates the launch of World Wide’s new consumer destination hub: Indie Movie Store (http:\u002F\u002Findiemoviestore.com), where a rich library of classic films, features, and documentaries are available for purchase on DVD or through direct download. This partnership fits into Vimeo’s current strategy of acquiring original content for sale and\u002For rent, providing ease of use and high image quality for HD productions. As Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor put it, the company views itself as the “combination of premium, ad-free environment with the openness of the Internet.”",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-premieres-content-via-vimeo",{"title":15775,"description":15827},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-premieres-content-via-vimeo","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-premieres-content-via-vimeo","ePatcM8lTHvjPVHvE7rogkMNu3GOLbVcbfDNUpKS2wo",{"id":15835,"title":15836,"body":15837,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15917,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15918,"navigation":71,"path":15919,"seo":15920,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15921,"stem":15922,"__hash__":15923},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-teams-up-with-the-pablove-foundation-to-bring-awareness-to-ch.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Teams Up with the Pablove Foundation to Bring Awareness to Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":15838,"toc":15915},[15839,15855,15858,15861,15864,15867,15876,15881,15883,15887,15889,15891,15893,15895,15900,15903,15906,15909],[25,15840,15841,10041,15844,15847,15848,13981,15851,15854],{},[57,15842,15843],{},"Los Angeles, CA, January 24, 2013",[47,15845,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15846},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is partnering with The Pablove Foundation (Pablove), to fight pediatric cancers through the release of the ",[47,15849,14374],{"href":13886,"rel":15850},[51],[47,15852,13985],{"href":13886,"rel":15853},[51],"). Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt picture, which opens nationwide this summer, tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend, Felix who, despite battling leukemia, embark on a mission to achieve their dreams, answers their burning questions, and grow up fast.",[25,15856,15857],{},"Ways To Live Forever stars critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Greta Scacchi (The Player, Emma), Robbie Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Alex Etel (The Water Horse), Emilia Fox (Pride And Prejudice - BBC), and Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go). The film has garnered numerous awards, including; Best Feature Film from the European Children’s Film Association, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival’s Jury Prize.",[25,15859,15860],{},"“As a parent, Ways To Live Forever truly spoke to my heart.” said Pablove’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Jo Ann Thrailkill, whose six-year-old son, Pablo, lost his battle to a rare form of childhood cancer. “The story is not one of sadness, but one of hope and perseverance in the face of tragedy, just like our story at The Pablove Foundation. We are grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness of childhood cancer through such a beautiful film.”",[25,15862,15863],{},"A portion of the box office earnings will be earmarked to benefit Pablove, as well as other cancer-related groups and organizations that are helping to bring awareness to both the movie and its message. In anticipation of the film’s U.S. theatrical release, nationally renowned book publisher Scholastic has plans to release an enhanced eBook version of the best-selling novel on which the film is based.",[25,15865,15866],{},"“We are delighted to be working with The Pablove Foundation in a combined effort to support patients and families struggling with leukemia and other childhood cancers,” offers Paul D. Hancock, World Wide’s President and CEO. “We’re hopeful that by raising public awareness of organizations like Pablove and Ways To Live Forever, we can contribute to funding research and patient support both directly through our box office contribution and indirectly by bringing more attention to the message.”",[25,15868,15869,15870,15875],{},"Founded in 2009 in Southern California, The Pablove Foundation’s (",[47,15871,15874],{"href":15872,"rel":15873},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pablove.org",[51],"www.pablove.org",") mission is to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs. Pablove has funded nearly half a million dollars in innovative research at institutions worldwide and supported child life programs at 16 children’s hospitals across the country.",[25,15877,45,15878,7467],{},[47,15879,52],{"href":49,"rel":15880},[51],[25,15882,11220],{},[25,15884,15885],{},[57,15886,13920],{},[25,15888,14201],{},[25,15890,7481],{},[25,15892,7487],{},[25,15894,14022],{},[25,15896,15897],{},[57,15898,15899],{},"Tiger Reel",[25,15901,15902],{},"Communications and Marketing Manager",[25,15904,15905],{},"The Pablove Foundation",[25,15907,15908],{},"323.657.5557",[25,15910,15911],{},[47,15912,15914],{"href":15913},"mailto:tiger@pablove.org","tiger@pablove.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15916},[],"Los Angeles, CA, January 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) is partnering with The Pablove Foundation (Pablove), to fight pediatric cancers through the release of the award-winning film, Ways To Live Forever (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). Based on the acclaimed British children's novel by Sally Nicholls, this heartfelt picture, which opens nationwide this summer, tells the inspiring story of an ambitious 12-year-old named Sam and his best friend, Felix who, despite battling leukemia, embark on a mission to achieve their dreams, answers their burning questions, and grow up fast.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-teams-up-with-the-pablove-foundation-to-bring-awareness-to-ch",{"title":15836,"description":15917},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-teams-up-with-the-pablove-foundation-to-bring-awareness-to-ch","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-teams-up-with-the-pablove-foundation-to-bring-awareness-to-ch","koyJMbqgIKtdXrqXLQ1cuR9sFPmiQuE_fXTyflcs3oY",{"id":15925,"title":15926,"body":15927,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":15987,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":15988,"navigation":71,"path":15989,"seo":15990,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":15991,"stem":15992,"__hash__":15993},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-host-twitter-conference-re-premium-vod-controversy.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Host Twitter Conference Re: Premium VOD Controversy",{"type":22,"value":15928,"toc":15985},[15929,15938,15946,15949,15952,15955,15958,15961,15964,15966,15970,15972,15974,15980],[25,15930,15931,10041,15934,15937],{},[57,15932,15933],{},"Los Angeles, CA, June 08, 2011",[47,15935,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":15936},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) announced plans to host a series of Twitter conferences to discuss hot-button topics faced in today’s film industry. The first dialogue, slated for Saturday, June 18th, at 1:00 pm. Pacific Time, will discuss the pros and cons of releasing a film for premium home video-on-demand (VOD) purchase while the film is still in theatrical play.",[25,15939,15940,15941,15945],{},"The controversial issue was a major topic among theater owners gathered at the recent CinemaCon in Las Vegas when it became known that four major studios — Fox, Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal — plan to supply product for the new platform, in essence making pictures available to the in-home viewer in half the time. While theater owners fear a decrease in revenue, the studios are anticipating a new opportunity to recoup some of the losses faced by the declining DVD market. These issues, as well other concerns like the added risk of piracy, will be discussed at ",[47,15942,15943],{"href":15943,"rel":15944},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.twitter.com\u002Fwwmpc_ceo",[51]," using the Twitter hashtag #filmvod. World Wide President and CEO Paul D. Hancock will be joined by a number of industry insiders, which currently include Andy Green, Erik Childress, and Lew O’Neil.",[25,15947,15948],{},"Andy Green is a film producer and co-founder of U.K.-based Distrify - a revolutionary new online method of film distribution through social media and smartphone apps.",[25,15950,15951],{},"Erik Childress is Vice President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He can also be found on eFilmCritic.com, WGN Radio Chicago with Nick Digilio and Criticwatch Quote Whore Crusader.",[25,15953,15954],{},"Lew O’Neil is a US theatrical distribution executive, formerly Senior Vice-President of Distribution at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and currently a consultant to D-Box Technologies of Canada.",[25,15956,15957],{},"\"I look forward to the group's lively discussion using this innovative social media platform and continuing with other industry-related topics,\" Hancock stated.",[25,15959,15960],{},"This social media conference series will be a precursor to planned future podcasts.",[25,15962,15963],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world and is primarily engaged in the development, packaging, production, acquisition and distribution of live-action motion picture and television productions for theatrical exhibition, television broadcast and syndication, and all other ancillary markets. The company’s productions and services are designed for global consumption, utilizing sales and marketing channels in territories throughout the world. World Wide also serves as a consulting and advisory entity to the film and television industry.",[25,15965,11220],{},[25,15967,15968],{},[57,15969,14265],{},[25,15971,7481],{},[25,15973,7487],{},[25,15975,15976],{},[47,15977,7478],{"href":15978,"rel":15979},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F329905\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,15981,15982],{},[47,15983,49],{"href":49,"rel":15984},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":15986},[],"Los Angeles, CA, June 08, 2011 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) announced plans to host a series of Twitter conferences to discuss hot-button topics faced in today’s film industry. The first dialogue, slated for Saturday, June 18th, at 1:00 pm. Pacific Time, will discuss the pros and cons of releasing a film for premium home video-on-demand (VOD) purchase while the film is still in theatrical play.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-host-twitter-conference-re-premium-vod-controversy",{"title":15926,"description":15987},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-host-twitter-conference-re-premium-vod-controversy","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-host-twitter-conference-re-premium-vod-controversy","bVeMRqP3z8_weBzNQkQ3gqQcHemzPpyIJudMSPDSmQo",{"id":15995,"title":15996,"body":15997,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":13948,"description":16054,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16055,"navigation":71,"path":16056,"seo":16057,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16058,"stem":16059,"__hash__":16060},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-releases-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Releases Academy Award Submission, The Nightingale",{"type":22,"value":15998,"toc":16052},[15999,16008,16011,16014,16019,16022,16025,16031,16033,16037,16039,16041,16047],[25,16000,16001,10041,16004,16007],{},[57,16002,16003],{},"Los Angeles, CA, October 23, 2015",[47,16005,1698],{"href":13876,"rel":16006},[51],")-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) will be releasing the award-winning Chinese\u002FFrench co-production, The Nightingale—China’s official submission for this year’s 87th Annual Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. The release of the film is being supported by numerous Chinese and Asian American organizations throughout the US.",[25,16009,16010],{},"The Nightingale will be released at select theaters nationwide on Friday, November 6. Premiere locations include: AMC Metreon 16, 4-star theatre (San Francisco), AMC Ontario Mills 30, AMC Orange 30, AMC Puente Hills 20, Laemmle Playhouse 7, Laemmle Town Center 5 (Los Angeles), AMC Empire 25 (New York), AMC Alderwood 16, AMC Pacific Place 11 (Seattle), The Clinton Theater (Portland), AMC Fashion Valley 18, AMC La Jolla 12 (San Diego), and Movies of Del Ray, (Florida).",[25,16012,16013],{},"“World Wide is very proud and excited to be releasing China’s official Academy Award submission to theaters across America,” states President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock. “We’re hopeful that audiences will appreciate the truly universal theme of The Nightingale: bringing families together, young and old, regardless of what country or culture they’re a part of.”",[25,16015,16016],{},[3341,16017],{"alt":64,"src":16018},"http:\u002F\u002Fnewsite.wwmpc.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F03\u002Fnightingale-onesheet.png",[25,16020,16021],{},"Directed by Philippe Muyl, and starring A-list actors Xiaoran Li and Han Qin, The Nightingale was inspired by Muyl’s highly successful French feature, The Butterfly, a visually translucent award-winning film about the heartwarming friendship between a wizened old man and an eight-year-old girl. In The Nightingale, protagonist Zhu Zhi Gen has made a promise to his late wife. To fulfill that promise, he’s preparing to return with her pet caged bird (the companion of her final years) to her native village and set it free. He’d planned to make the trip alone, but his granddaughter, Ren Xing, a little girl from Beijing, is forced to go with him when her parents’ marriage is in turmoil. During this journey to the outer reaches of traditional China and through magnificent Guang Xi landscapes, the duo that seemingly has nothing in common opens up to each other, sharing memories and adventures.",[25,16023,16024],{},"Showcased at more than 30 film festivals around the world, The Nightingale has garnered awards from the River Run International Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best French Film; the Zlin Film Festival (Czech Republic) – Winner: Best Film for Children; the Buster Film Festival (Denmark) – Winner: Best Feature; the Wine Country Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best International Film; and the Minsk International Film Festival (Belarus) – Winner: Best Adult Performance in a Children’s Movie for (Lead Actor) Li Bao Tan.",[25,16026,45,16027,16030],{},[47,16028,52],{"href":49,"rel":16029},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of critically-acclaimed film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,16032,11220],{},[25,16034,16035],{},[57,16036,14265],{},[25,16038,7481],{},[25,16040,7487],{},[25,16042,16043],{},[47,16044,7478],{"href":16045,"rel":16046},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.pr.com\u002Fpress-release\u002F643032\u002Fcontact",[51],[25,16048,16049],{},[47,16050,49],{"href":49,"rel":16051},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16053},[],"Los Angeles, CA, October 23, 2015 --(PR.com)-- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) will be releasing the award-winning Chinese\u002FFrench co-production, The Nightingale—China’s official submission for this year’s 87th Annual Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. The release of the film is being supported by numerous Chinese and Asian American organizations throughout the US.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-releases-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale",{"title":15996,"description":16054},"world-wide-motion-pictures-releases-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-releases-academy-award-submission-the-nightingale","HGjQJRpOLBbi9dt3gjxSFosH1b0hUesiI-0cgcEA4nw",{"id":16062,"title":16063,"body":16064,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16100,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16101,"navigation":71,"path":16102,"seo":16103,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16104,"stem":16105,"__hash__":16106},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Faccelerated-negotiations-for-mergers-and-acquisitions-activity.md","Accelerated Negotiations for Mergers and Acquisitions Activity",{"type":22,"value":16065,"toc":16097},[16066,16076,16079,16082,16085,16088,16091,16094],[25,16067,16068,16071,16072,16075],{},[57,16069,16070],{},"LOS ANGELES","--",[57,16073,16074],{},"(BUSINESS WIRE)","--Aug. 10, 2004--World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that at its Aug. 3, 2004 Board of Directors meeting, management approved an aggressive plan of accelerated negotiations for several possible merger and acquisition candidates.",[25,16077,16078],{},"The Board members who were assembled from around the United States have been receiving M&A proposals from domestic and international companies who desire, among other things, broader exposure to the Wall Street Capital Markets and an affiliation with long-established and respected public entities like WWMO.",[25,16080,16081],{},"\"All Board members were enthusiastic about the possibility of developing and building additional substantial shareholder value from possible mergers and acquisitions,\" said Paul Hancock, President\u002FCEO.",[25,16083,16084],{},"Hancock further added, \"As we have previously disclosed, we continue to analyze and conduct extensive due diligence on a variety of merger and acquisition candidates, including opportunities in diversified fields of enterprise, along with our own core business of film and TV production\u002Fdistribution.\"",[25,16086,16087],{},"In addition to discussion and passage of general operating Resolutions, the Board of Directors meeting also encompassed reports from management and staff on production and distribution activities of WWMO, including the creation and full implementation of an Internet marketing portal for film and TV product from the WWMO library of 300+ titles.",[25,16089,16090],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release reflecting management's best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors including, but not limited to, WWMO's ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, acquisition of suitable motion picture\u002FTV product, and the performance of films in general licensed and distributed by WWMO.",[25,16092,16093],{},"Please refer to WWMO's Securities and Exchange Commission filings for additional information.",[25,16095,16096],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. is a diversified company, with shareholders throughout the world, which is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. WWMO's industry executives and Board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16098},[],"2016-03-15","LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2004--World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that at its Aug. 3, 2004 Board of Directors meeting, management approved an aggressive plan of accelerated negotiations for several possible merger and acquisition candidates.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Faccelerated-negotiations-for-mergers-and-acquisitions-activity",{"title":16063,"description":16100},"accelerated-negotiations-for-mergers-and-acquisitions-activity","blog\u002Faccelerated-negotiations-for-mergers-and-acquisitions-activity","OcljSF_lAfMZABPtaqeEB4lpcTn_EZqUuuv4QdXwqVY",{"id":16108,"title":16109,"body":16110,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16135,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16136,"navigation":71,"path":16137,"seo":16138,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16139,"stem":16140,"__hash__":16141},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Facquisition-of-diversified-corporations.md","Acquisition of Diversified Corporations",{"type":22,"value":16111,"toc":16133},[16112,16119,16122,16125,16128,16131],[25,16113,16114,16071,16116,16118],{},[57,16115,16070],{},[57,16117,16074],{},"--Sept. 14, 2004--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that a Memorandum of Understanding had been executed between WWMO and American Pioneer Financial Services Inc. (APFS).",[25,16120,16121],{},"WWMO and APFS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the objective of constructing a full Acquisition Agreement within 60 days. The tentative arrangement would allow for WWMO and subsidiaries to acquire APFS, which includes subsidiaries Bascom Remmington Russell Marketing Corporation, Mortgage Technology Corporation, Gold Software Technologies, alyXsys and One Work Station. The acquisition by WWMO of APFS will result in APFS obtaining fully reporting publicly held status with trading of its securities on the Electronic Bulletin Board. The shareholders of APFS and affiliates would retain a majority interest in the resulting diversified corporations. The acquisitions are contingent upon the approval of the Boards of Directors and Shareholders of all participating corporations.",[25,16123,16124],{},"\"The company and its advisors have been working diligently at perfecting this potential acquisition for nearly 3 months and are enthusiastic about the potential for the co-mingling of World Wide's businesses and philosophies with APFS's highly diversified enterprises,\" said Paul Hancock WWMO's President\u002FCEO.",[25,16126,16127],{},"Hancock added: \"As we previously disclosed in our last Press Release, this potential acquisition will allow all entities to explore further into capital markets and take advantage of a wide array of other potential opportunities including broader roll-up possibilities to help increase shareholder value.\"",[25,16129,16130],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release reflecting management's best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors including but not limited to WWMO's ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, acquisition of suitable motion pictures, and the performance of films in general licensed by WWMO.",[25,16132,16096],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16134},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2004--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that a Memorandum of Understanding had been executed between WWMO and American Pioneer Financial Services Inc. (APFS).",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Facquisition-of-diversified-corporations",{"title":16109,"description":16135},"acquisition-of-diversified-corporations","blog\u002Facquisition-of-diversified-corporations","RCaQopHz4mrKjDJdyj10DoNEgvNc2GsHCt77Zr5GhJA",{"id":16143,"title":16144,"body":16145,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16177,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16178,"navigation":71,"path":16179,"seo":16180,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16181,"stem":16182,"__hash__":16183},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Facquisition-of-nationwide-service-corporation.md","Acquisition of Nationwide Service Corporation",{"type":22,"value":16146,"toc":16175},[16147,16154,16157,16160,16163,16166,16169,16172],[25,16148,16149,16071,16151,16153],{},[57,16150,16070],{},[57,16152,16074],{},"--Oct. 18, 2005--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that a Share Exchange Agreement has been executed between WWMO and Buckeye Ventures Inc. (BVI).",[25,16155,16156],{},"WWMO and BVI have signed the Agreement with the objective of a full closing of the transaction as soon as all conditions of the Agreement are satisfied. The arrangement would allow for WWMO to acquire BVI and its acquisition enterprises.",[25,16158,16159],{},"The acquisition by WWMO of BVI will result in BVI obtaining fully reporting publicly held status with trading of its securities on the Electronic Bulletin Board. The shareholders of BVI and affiliates would own a majority interest in the resulting diversified corporation. WWMO will continue its business operation unencumbered as a wholly owned subsidiary. The acquisition is contingent upon the consummation of all remaining documentation and shareholder approval.",[25,16161,16162],{},"\"The company and its advisors have been working diligently at perfecting this potential acquisition for over 6 months and are enthusiastic about the potential for the commingling of World Wide's businesses and philosophies with BVI's highly stable service oriented enterprise,\" said Paul Hancock, WWMO's President\u002FCEO.",[25,16164,16165],{},"Hancock further added: \"As we previously disclosed in our last press release and SEC filings, we have been aggressively pursuing the most appropriate partner organization in order to explore further into capital markets and take advantage of a wide array of other potential opportunities including additional diversified business roll-up possibilities to help increase shareholder value.\"",[25,16167,16168],{},"BVI, with their very strong experienced management team in the Retail Home Services Industry, is developing a national brand in a space where Home Depot and Sears have established recognizable names. Alan Mintz, CEO, says \"I am convinced that this $100 billion plus market is ripe for a consolidation given its fragmentation.\" Mintz further added \"We expect to be what Starbucks is to coffee houses, what Blockbuster is to video rental and what Hertz, Avis and Budget are to auto rental.\"",[25,16170,16171],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release reflecting management's best judgment based on factors currently known involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors including but not limited to WWMO's and BVI's ability to enter into various financing programs, roll-up business acquisitions, competition from other companies, acquisition of suitable motion pictures, and the performance of films in general licensed by WWMO.",[25,16173,16174],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. is a diversified company, with shareholders throughout the world, which is primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. WWMO's industry executives and Board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16176},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2005--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reported that a Share Exchange Agreement has been executed between WWMO and Buckeye Ventures Inc. (BVI).",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Facquisition-of-nationwide-service-corporation",{"title":16144,"description":16177},"acquisition-of-nationwide-service-corporation","blog\u002Facquisition-of-nationwide-service-corporation","t0suXfMrkeRWBuGQGwZ2eNtRvT9MLOm4AsY-Nv6413k",{"id":16185,"title":16186,"body":16187,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16229,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16230,"navigation":71,"path":16231,"seo":16232,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16233,"stem":16234,"__hash__":16235},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Famy-gets-new-life.md","AMY Gets New Life",{"type":22,"value":16188,"toc":16227},[16189,16195,16198,16212,16215,16218,16221,16224],[25,16190,16191,16194],{},[57,16192,16193],{},"Los Angeles, CA - (November 11, 2009)"," – World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has announced that in response to continued demand from fans around the world, it will re-release AMY, an award-winning Australian feature film starring Golden Globe-winner Rachel Griffiths, on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010.",[25,16196,16197],{},"Initially released theatrically in the US by World Wide in 2001 and on DVD in 2005, AMY is the poignant drama of a young girl (played by Alana De Roma) who was so traumatized by the tragic death of her rock-star father that she retreated into a world of silence. Ultimately through the efforts of her dedicated mother (Griffiths) and a young drop-out musician (played by Ben Mendelsohn) who lives next door, Amy breaks out of her self-imposed isolation by communicating through music and transforms the lives of those around her. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert called it “An enchanting, almost fantastical story.”",[25,16199,16200,16201,16204,16205,16211],{},"Griffiths currently stars in ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” for which she has received four Emmy nominations. Previously, she was best known for her 2002-05 role as Brenda Chenowith on HBO’s “Six Feet Under,” and was Oscar-nominated for her performance as Hilary in the 1998 film, ",[486,16202,16203],{},"Hilary & Jackie",". Mendelsohn is an Australian Film Institute Award winner who rose to prominence as a child-actor on television He currently stars in the Australian TV drama, “Tangled.” Mendelsohn has been recognized for his work as a lead actor in numerous Australian films and was seen by US audiences in ",[486,16206,16207,16208,16210],{},"Australia ",[486,16209,11710],{}," Knowing",". In 2009, Griffiths and Mendelsohn reunited to star in the Australian film, *Beautiful Kate, *which was directed by Rachel Ward. AMY is the feature film debut of the talented De Roma, who provides a vivid performance.",[25,16213,16214],{},"The winner of 21 international film festival awards, AMY received the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix de la Jeunesse as well as Best Film honors at the Public Festival du Film in Paris; the Pacific Film Festival in Hong Kong, the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy; the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis; the Leon, France International Film Festival; the Carrousel International Film Festival in Canada; and the Australian People’s Choice Awards, among many other prizes.",[25,16216,16217],{},"This magical story, while firmly anchored in naturalism, takes on a fairytale-like quality, thus combining three very different genres,” explains director Nadia Tass. “It’s a musical, it’s a comedy, it’s a profoundly moving drama.”",[25,16219,16220],{},"The engaging soundtrack includes tracks from Lamb, Ed Kuepper, Neneh Cherry, Donovan and a score by Philip Judd. The soundtrack also features the single “By Your Side (Mr. Popular)” by Australian rocker Nick Barker (who plays a supporting role in the film) and “You & Me,” a duet by Barker and Alana De Roma.",[25,16222,16223],{},"AMY, which was the number one art house film in Japan and France, is a Cascade Films Production that was written by David Parker and was directed by Nadia Tass. The film is produced by Parker and Tass and co-produced by Phil Jones. The film also stars Alana De Roma, Ben Mendelsohn, and Nick Barker.Original music by Phillip Judd. The film, which runs 103 minutes, is rated PG-13",[25,16225,16226],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16228},[],"Los Angeles, CA - (November 11, 2009) – World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has announced that in response to continued demand from fans around the world, it will re-release AMY, an award-winning Australian feature film starring Golden Globe-winner Rachel Griffiths, on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Famy-gets-new-life",{"title":16186,"description":16229},"amy-gets-new-life","blog\u002Famy-gets-new-life","zdOocgwAsEAmMQwk0HLjYp94bqFqKMRrBSyvWw5AzaY",{"id":16237,"title":16238,"body":16239,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16265,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16266,"navigation":71,"path":16267,"seo":16268,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16269,"stem":16270,"__hash__":16271},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fclosing-of-share-exchange-transaction.md","Closing of Share Exchange Transaction",{"type":22,"value":16240,"toc":16263},[16241,16247,16249,16252,16255,16258,16261],[25,16242,16243,16246],{},[57,16244,16245],{},"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)","--Mar. 1, 2006--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) and Buckeye Ventures, Inc. (Buckeye) announced today that their proposed Share Exchange Agreement (Reverse Acquisition), which was reported in previous press releases, closed on February 22 and includes certain agreements effective March 1.",[25,16248,16174],{},[25,16250,16251],{},"With shareholder approval, WWMO and Buckeye completed the Share Exchange transaction, which results in Buckeye obtaining fully reporting publicly held status through WWMO’s original structure trading on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board. WWMO will continue its business operation unencumbered as a wholly owned subsidiary.",[25,16253,16254],{},"\"All of us at World Wide and Buckeye have been working aggressively and diligently for over a year toward the conclusion of this exciting diversified enterprise and substantial opportunity to increase shareholder value,” said Paul Hancock, WWMO's President\u002FCEO, and Alan Mintz, Buckeye’s Chairman\u002FCEO, in a joint statement. Added Hancock and Mintz, “We are enthusiastic about building a consistent revenue producing business from the growing home services industry.”",[25,16256,16257],{},"Buckeye was formed for the purpose of acquiring and operating businesses in the Retail Home Services Industry, with the objective of creating a national brand for the consumer in a space where there is no established recognizable national name. Buckeye has committed to an acquisition schedule and has already begun to acquire residential service companies, with plans to become a significant player in the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and plumbing sectors by providing many small and mid-sized local and regional operators with the opportunity to become part of a growing national conglomerate that is a publicly held company.",[25,16259,16260],{},"Buckeye believes these low risk, high margin businesses will benefit from best practices and synergies of multiple locations and realize significant appreciation in a relatively short period of time. “Given the current fragmentation, I am convinced that this $100 billion market is ripe for consolidation,” said Mintz. Throughout his years in the industry, Mr. Mintz has been responsible for the acquisition of over 100 HVAC\u002Fplumbing service companies representing more than $500 million in annual revenue. Mr. Mintz plans to use his extensive industry knowledge in building Buckeye into a national brand and to that end has assembled a highly experienced management team that includes operators and executives of large multi-location companies in this industry.",[25,16262,16130],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16264},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 1, 2006--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO - News) and Buckeye Ventures, Inc. (Buckeye) announced today that their proposed Share Exchange Agreement (Reverse Acquisition), which was reported in previous press releases, closed on February 22 and includes certain agreements effective March 1.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fclosing-of-share-exchange-transaction",{"title":16238,"description":16265},"closing-of-share-exchange-transaction","blog\u002Fclosing-of-share-exchange-transaction","egjI7h_fR1fzHJLdFgQfvy_a_eUAtVHAMtyX8hr3XZ4",{"id":16273,"title":16274,"body":16275,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16310,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16311,"navigation":71,"path":16312,"seo":16313,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16314,"stem":16315,"__hash__":16316},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fcontinued-rollout-of-red-roses-and-petrol.md","Continued Rollout of Red Roses and Petrol",{"type":22,"value":16276,"toc":16308},[16277,16287,16290,16293,16296,16299,16302,16305],[25,16278,16279,16281,16282,16281,16284,16286],{},[57,16280,16070],{}," — ",[57,16283,16074],{},[57,16285,7481],{}," (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) is pleased to announce that Red Roses and Petrol, the prize-winning feature film starring Golden Globe-nominee Malcolm McDowell, will continue its US theatrical rollout. The film will open in premier venues on September 12 in Boston and on September 19 in Chicago and Denver.",[25,16288,16289],{},"During initial summer runs in the New York and Los Angeles areas, the film was held over in Forest Hills, NY, and Orange County, CA, for the Fourth of July weekend. “Traditionally this is a very difficult summer weekend for any small film to remain in theaters,” stated Paul D. Hancock, President and Chief Executive Officer of the 31-year old, Southern California-based entertainment company. After the US run is complete, Red Roses and Petrol will move onward to London and Dublin.",[25,16291,16292],{},"Based on a successful Irish play by acclaimed writer Joseph O’Connor, and directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, the darkly comedic drama offers a tour-de-force showcase for McDowell as Enda Doyle, a university librarian, poet, and rascal who is the flawed patriarch of a dysfunctional family struggling to come to terms with his death and with one another. As the family gathers in Dublin for Enda’s wake, Red Roses and Petrol explores the dynamics of familial relationships with sharp humor and surprising turns.",[25,16294,16295],{},"McDowell’s body of work spans more than 40 years of cinematic and television achievements, including the classic A Clockwork Orange, as well as current hits \"Heroes\" on NBC and \"Entourage\" on HBO. Enthusiastic about Red Roses and Petrol, McDowell has done interviews for the New York Times syndicate, the New York Daily News, and TV Guide, among others. Additional cast members include former Miss Ireland Olivia Tracey, Heather Juergensen (Kissing Jessica Stein), and Max Beesley (BBC’s “Hotel Babylon”).",[25,16297,16298],{},"The film has garnered awards from the Avignon Film Festival in France and the Boston Irish Film Festival as well as being selected for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival circuit. It features music from the popular Irish-American band Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles.",[25,16300,16301],{},"“We’re delighted that audiences are embracing the heart of Red Roses and Petrol, and that word-of-mouth is catching on. We expect the film to continue to establish World Wide as a significant presence in the specialty film marketplace, as we will soon be announcing further acquisitions,” Hancock also stated.",[25,16303,16304],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release reflecting management’s best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors, including but not limited to World Wide’s ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, business acquisitions, acquisition of suitable motion pictures, and the performance of films in general licensed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.",[25,16306,16307],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16309},[],"LOS ANGELES — (BUSINESS WIRE) — World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) is pleased to announce that Red Roses and Petrol, the prize-winning feature film starring Golden Globe-nominee Malcolm McDowell, will continue its US theatrical rollout. The film will open in premier venues on September 12 in Boston and on September 19 in Chicago and Denver.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcontinued-rollout-of-red-roses-and-petrol",{"title":16274,"description":16310},"continued-rollout-of-red-roses-and-petrol","blog\u002Fcontinued-rollout-of-red-roses-and-petrol","OyJYnvjnDvSHLm43kzSTm8cD7gdBF938DcXzXA3gJB0",{"id":16318,"title":16319,"body":16320,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16372,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16373,"navigation":71,"path":16374,"seo":16375,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16376,"stem":16377,"__hash__":16378},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feast-coast-opening-of-amy.md","East Coast Opening of Amy",{"type":22,"value":16321,"toc":16370},[16322,16333,16336,16345,16348,16351,16354,16357,16360,16367],[25,16323,16324,16326,16327,16332],{},[57,16325,16245],{},"--May 17, 2001--AMY, the award-winning Australian film which has won plaudits from audiences around the world, will have its New York premiere May 18 at the Angelika Film Center (",[47,16328,16331],{"href":16329,"rel":16330},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.angelikafilmcenter.com",[51],"www.angelikafilmcenter.com",") and the AMC Empire 25 Theatre as announced by Paul Hancock, president and CEO of World Wide Motion Pictures Corp., North American distributor of the Cascade Production.",[25,16334,16335],{},"\"We are delighted that AMY will be showcased at these outstanding Manhattan venues,\" Hancock commented. \"The Angelika is widely regarded as the nation's leading art theatre, and the AMC Empire 25 is a major new multiplex that has revitalized filmgoing on 42nd Street. To have our film selected for these theatres is indeed an honor.\"",[25,16337,16338,16339,16344],{},"AMY (",[47,16340,16343],{"href":16341,"rel":16342},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.amythemovie.com",[51],"www.amythemovie.com",") made its American debut in February in Los Angeles through the major theater chains AMC, Loew's, Mann and Edwards, then began its rollout into the Midwest with a gala premiere at the Celebration Cinema on April 27 in Michigan's state capitol of Lansing, attended by Governor and Mrs. John Engler and other dignitaries.",[25,16346,16347],{},"The winner of 21 international festival awards, including two prizes at Cannes, AMY was hailed by Roger Ebert on his nationally televised show Ebert & Roeper and the Movies as \"touching and surprising,\" \"thumbs up,\" and Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, said AMY is \"a skilled hearttugger ... engaging and imaginative.\"",[25,16349,16350],{},"AMY also received accolades from the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, Brisbane International Film Festival in Australia, and the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Hong Kong.",[25,16352,16353],{},"AMY is the poignant drama of a young girl traumatized by a tragic loss who can communicate only through music and who ultimately transforms the lives of everyone around her.",[25,16355,16356],{},"Rachel Griffiths, an Oscar nominee for Hilary and Jackie who is currently on screen in the box office hit Blow, stars in AMY under the direction of Nadia Tass. Tass most recently helmed the highly rated television version of The Miracle Worker for Disney and will next bring Mary Karr's best-selling book The Liars' Club to the screen.",[25,16358,16359],{},"WWMP expects more frequent media exposure of its film and television product as it prepares for trading of its common stock securities on NASDAQ SmallCap and other national and regional stock exchanges. WWMP has traded on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board since 1983.",[25,16361,16362,16363,16366],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMP (",[47,16364,52],{"href":49,"rel":16365},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world which is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrial films and television productions.",[25,16368,16369],{},"WWMP's industry executives, advisers and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16371},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2001--AMY, the award-winning Australian film which has won plaudits from audiences around the world, will have its New York premiere May 18 at the Angelika Film Center (www.angelikafilmcenter.com) and the AMC Empire 25 Theatre as announced by Paul Hancock, president and CEO of World Wide Motion Pictures Corp., North American distributor of the Cascade Production.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Feast-coast-opening-of-amy",{"title":16319,"description":16372},"east-coast-opening-of-amy","blog\u002Feast-coast-opening-of-amy","LaGZtShdUVmhWsHte2PWA3Ngn0otuaUW8OFqNpYGYQ0",{"id":16380,"title":16381,"body":16382,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16427,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16428,"navigation":71,"path":16429,"seo":16430,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16431,"stem":16432,"__hash__":16433},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fenergy-king-inc-and-subsidiary-separate.md","Energy King, Inc. and Subsidiary Separate",{"type":22,"value":16383,"toc":16425},[16384,16390,16393,16396,16399,16402,16405,16408,16411,16419],[25,16385,16386,16389],{},[57,16387,16388],{},"LOS ANGELES -- (BUSINESS WIRE)"," -- Energy King, Inc. (OTCBB:ENKG), a residential HVAC and plumbing services company announced today that it has separated from its subsidiary World Wide Motion Pictures Corp.",[25,16391,16392],{},"The two companies completed a reverse merger on March 1, 2006, through a tax exempt share exchange transaction which resulted in Energy King (at the time Buckeye Ventures, Inc.) obtaining fully reporting publicly held status through World Wide’s original structure trading on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board. World Wide continued its business operations as an independently operated subsidiary.",[25,16394,16395],{},"Both companies are enthusiastic that the separation will help each better focus on their respective areas of expertise and core competencies.",[25,16397,16398],{},"Energy King was formed to acquire companies in the highly fragmented, $70 billion residential HVAC (“Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning”) and plumbing service industries. Energy King currently operates locations in Northern California and the Boston, MA markets. The Company’s consolidated revenues are on a run-rate of approximately $20 million. Energy King is continuing its acquisition strategy and is in negotiations to acquire additional HVAC\u002Fplumbing service companies in various locations around the U.S.",[25,16400,16401],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. is a diversified company, which is primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. The company's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals.",[25,16403,16404],{},"World Wide’s CEO Paul Hancock stated, “I’m pleased that Energy King was able to combine an innovative and economically sound business model with the culmination of our work building World Wide over the past thirty years, in order to create increased shareholder value. I continue to be confident in Energy King’s objectives and future endeavors.”",[25,16406,16407],{},"“We at Energy King have been working diligently toward the conclusion of this separation” said Jeffrey Hultman, Energy King’s CEO. Added Mr. Hultman, “We are enthusiastic about focusing on and building our core home energy services business while pursuing adding Green Energy to our service offerings. We at Energy King wish World Wide all our best going forward.”",[25,16409,16410],{},"About Energy King Inc.",[25,16412,16413,16414,9349],{},"Energy King is engaged in all aspects of the residential HVAC and plumbing services industry. Being a part of the Company's network provides subsidiaries with: standardized policies and operating procedures which the Company's management team has adopted from their extensive industry experience and that have wide industry acceptance and application; comprehensive training programs to improve operating procedures and customer relations. Energy King is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit ",[47,16415,16418],{"href":16416,"rel":16417},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.enkg.com",[51],"www.enkg.com",[25,16420,16421,16424],{},[57,16422,16423],{},"Disclaimer:"," To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, future collaboration agreements, the success of the Company's development, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16426},[],"LOS ANGELES -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Energy King, Inc. (OTCBB:ENKG), a residential HVAC and plumbing services company announced today that it has separated from its subsidiary World Wide Motion Pictures Corp.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fenergy-king-inc-and-subsidiary-separate",{"title":16381,"description":16427},"energy-king-inc-and-subsidiary-separate","blog\u002Fenergy-king-inc-and-subsidiary-separate","aIGa7zTk6psQa8xfh2p73KAjkXkv7BGZTDyDiQ_Hjbo",{"id":16435,"title":16436,"body":16437,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16465,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16466,"navigation":71,"path":16467,"seo":16468,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16469,"stem":16470,"__hash__":16471},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fground-breaking-distribution-of-china-produced-animation-project-as-corporate-activity-accelerates.md","Ground-Breaking Distribution of China-Produced Animation Project as Corporate Activity Accelerates",{"type":22,"value":16438,"toc":16463},[16439,16446,16449,16452,16455,16458,16460],[25,16440,16441,16071,16443,16445],{},[57,16442,16070],{},[57,16444,16074],{},"--Dec. 13, 2005--World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reports a new development in its international production\u002Fdistribution activity and accelerated diversified corporate activity.",[25,16447,16448],{},"WWMO has licensed rights to 26 episodes of the hit Chinese animated series SKATEBOY AND THE QUEST TO CHINA, produced by Golden Ocean for CCTV (China Central Television), China's #1 broadcaster. The animated series will be released in North America on DVD through Aristea Entertainment and Pierson Media. \"This is the first of WWMO's Far East ventures to bring quality Chinese programs to the West. With attention focused on the coming Olympics and major Chinese movie releases, we see evidence of the burgeoning market for Chinese media product,\" reports Paul Hancock, President\u002FCEO of WWMO.",[25,16450,16451],{},"Under its original title, FLUTEMASTER, SKATEBOY was one of the most popular programs ever aired on CCTV, reaching an audience of 140 million viewers during its broadcast in 2004.",[25,16453,16454],{},"Created and developed by Barry Glasser and produced by Glasser, Lili Deng and Louis Liu, SKATEBOY is the fantasy adventure of a California beach kid thrust into a breathtaking world of magic, mythical creatures and a mist-shrouded lost continent when he discovers an enchanted flute that awakens the Emperor of China and an evil sorcerer from an ancient spell. The series, which was developed in Hollywood and produced and animated in China, represents an unprecedented collaboration between American and Chinese animators and broadcasters.",[25,16456,16457],{},"On the corporate side, WWMO expects to close its Share Exchange with diversified partner Buckeye Ventures Inc. (Buckeye) and change in control of the corporation, as reported in its 8-K and 10-Q securities filings, by the end of the year. Hancock, together with Alan Mintz, CEO of Buckeye, report that, \"Our initial target of $50-75 million in Home Services industry revenue through diversified acquisitions around the country is moving forward at a faster pace than expected, which would greatly increase shareholder value.\"",[25,16459,16130],{},[25,16461,16462],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMO is a diversified company, with shareholders throughout the world, which is primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. WWMO's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16464},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2005--World Wide Motion Pictures Corp. (OTCBB:WWMO - News) today reports a new development in its international production\u002Fdistribution activity and accelerated diversified corporate activity.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fground-breaking-distribution-of-china-produced-animation-project-as-corporate-activity-accelerates",{"title":16436,"description":16465},"ground-breaking-distribution-of-china-produced-animation-project-as-corporate-activity-accelerates","blog\u002Fground-breaking-distribution-of-china-produced-animation-project-as-corporate-activity-accelerates","xjOePoXRjuuHBDlPsmNs_SSqNnaElG80EmD5A73Xax0",{"id":16473,"title":16474,"body":16475,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16513,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16514,"navigation":71,"path":16515,"seo":16516,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16517,"stem":16518,"__hash__":16519},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fincreased-revenues-in-second-quarter-of-fiscal-2001.md","Increased Revenues in Second Quarter of Fiscal 2001",{"type":22,"value":16476,"toc":16511},[16477,16484,16487,16490,16493,16496,16499,16502,16508],[25,16478,16479,16071,16481,16483],{},[57,16480,16070],{},[57,16482,16074],{},"--Aug. 15, 2001--WWMP today reported revenues of $142,873 for the second quarter of fiscal year 2001, ended June 30, 2001, up 63% from $90,297 in last year's second quarter, representing a stronger second quarter for WWMP this year.",[25,16485,16486],{},"Earnings after provisions for taxes and adjusted for depreciation for the second quarter were $141,485, a 63% increase over $88,909 for the second quarter last year.",[25,16488,16489],{},"\"The year got off to a good start,\" said Paul Hancock, president\u002FCEO. \"Audiences love `AMY,' our first major domestic theatrical release, which has significantly increased our presence in the U.S. theatrical market and continues to help us create ideal conditions for stronger upcoming quarterly performances as the film maintains its rollout across the country.\"",[25,16491,16492],{},"Hancock added, \"We are also extremely pleased that we have been able to orchestrate arrangements for ancillary sales of the film with some of the top companies in the industry, including Swank Motion Pictures for cruise lines and universities, and Terri Steiner International for airlines throughout the world.\"",[25,16494,16495],{},"WWMP expects the third and fourth quarters of 2001 to exceed the first half year revenues from current activities. Management is reviewing several new feature films as a follow-up to \"AMY\" which may have a high potential for domestic theatrical marketing success.",[25,16497,16498],{},"Please refer to WWMP's Securities and Exchange Commission filings for additional information.",[25,16500,16501],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMP is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world which is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of features, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions.",[25,16503,16504,16505,9349],{},"WWMP's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals. Visit the company's Web site at ",[47,16506,52],{"href":49,"rel":16507},[51],[25,16509,16510],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release which reflect management's best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors including, but not limited to, WWMP's ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, acquisition of suitable motion pictures and the performance of films in general licensed by WWMP.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16512},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 2001--WWMP today reported revenues of $142,873 for the second quarter of fiscal year 2001, ended June 30, 2001, up 63% from $90,297 in last year's second quarter, representing a stronger second quarter for WWMP this year.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fincreased-revenues-in-second-quarter-of-fiscal-2001",{"title":16474,"description":16513},"increased-revenues-in-second-quarter-of-fiscal-2001","blog\u002Fincreased-revenues-in-second-quarter-of-fiscal-2001","sqhSPEFpEu_e3a7zIk0GJRhE9D0oeu7Z_Ei_76cKJ5M",{"id":16521,"title":16522,"body":16523,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16565,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16566,"navigation":71,"path":16567,"seo":16568,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16569,"stem":16570,"__hash__":16571},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmidwestern-opening-of-amy.md","Midwestern Opening of Amy",{"type":22,"value":16524,"toc":16563},[16525,16532,16535,16538,16545,16548,16551,16554,16557],[25,16526,16527,16071,16529,16531],{},[57,16528,16070],{},[57,16530,16074],{},"--May 1, 2001--Feature Film \"AMY\" Opened In The Midwest With Premiere In State Capitol Of Michigan; Governor Led Dignitaries At Gala Event.",[25,16533,16534],{},"Governor and Mrs. John Engler led an array of civic leaders and lawmakers from throughout Michigan at the Midwestern premiere of AMY, April 27, 2001, at the Celebration Cinema in the State Capital of Lansing, where the prize-winning film is now playing an open-ended engagement.",[25,16536,16537],{},"The opening gala was hosted by WWMP (OTCBB:WWMP) and the international law firm Dykema Gossett. In anticipation of the opening, interviews with the film's director, Nadia Tass and star, Rachel Griffiths, were broadcast on Senator Phil Arthurholtz's nationally syndicated radio show originating from WJIM in Lansing.",[25,16539,16540,16541,16544],{},"WWMP has begun its release of AMY (",[47,16542,16343],{"href":16341,"rel":16543},[51],") as a rollout into the Midwest following its American debut in February in Los Angeles. The East Coast opening is scheduled for May 18th in New York. Other parts of the country including Houston, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Seattle and Denver are scheduled to follow New York.",[25,16546,16547],{},"The acclaimed Australian film has been hailed by critics around the world. In a \"thumbs-up\" review on his nationally televised show Ebert & Roeper and the Movies, Roger Ebert called AMY \"a charming and offbeat Australian film...that manages to place a sweet story in a surprisingly tough setting.\" Ebert further lauded the film as \"an original and touching character study.\"",[25,16549,16550],{},"AMY has already won 21 international awards, including two awards at the Cannes Film Festival and accolades at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, Brisbane International Film Festival in Australia and the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Hong Kong.",[25,16552,16553],{},"A Cascade Film Production, AMY is the poignant drama of a young girl traumatized by a tragic loss who can communicate only through music and who ultimately transforms the lives of everyone around her. Rachel Griffiths, an Oscar nominee for \"Hilary and Jackie,\" stars under the direction of Nadia Tass, who most recently helmed the highly-rated television version of \"The Miracle Worker\" for Disney and who will next bring Mary Karr's best-selling book \"The Liar's Club\" to the screen. Tass produced AMY with the film's screenwriter and cinematographer David Parker.",[25,16555,16556],{},"WWMP expects more frequent media exposure of its film and television product as it prepares for trading of its common stock securities on Nasdaq SmallCap and other national and regional stock exchanges. WWMP has traded on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board since 1983.",[25,16558,16362,16559,16562],{},[47,16560,52],{"href":49,"rel":16561},[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world which is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrial films and television productions. WWMP's industry executives, advisors and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16564},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2001--Feature Film \"AMY\" Opened In The Midwest With Premiere In State Capitol Of Michigan; Governor Led Dignitaries At Gala Event.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmidwestern-opening-of-amy",{"title":16522,"description":16565},"midwestern-opening-of-amy","blog\u002Fmidwestern-opening-of-amy","P57a9BQXTRQw2w7pQvLp8pSCDs5IKHmgscYnuUI2IMo",{"id":16573,"title":16574,"body":16575,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16621,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16622,"navigation":71,"path":16623,"seo":16624,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16625,"stem":16626,"__hash__":16627},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fpreparation-for-nasdaq-listing.md","Preparation for NASDAQ Listing",{"type":22,"value":16576,"toc":16619},[16577,16584,16587,16590,16593,16596,16599,16602,16604,16608,16610,16613,16616],[25,16578,16579,16071,16581,16583],{},[57,16580,16070],{},[57,16582,16074],{},"--May 31, 2000--23 Year Old Publicly held World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation prepares for trading of its Common Stock Securities on the NASDAQ and Secondary Exchanges.",[25,16585,16586],{},"World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTC:WWMP) today announced that the company's Common Stock securities, which trades on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board is in preparation for quotation on the NASDAQ SmallCap and\u002For other national\u002Fregional stock exchanges.",[25,16588,16589],{},"WWMP, which has four industry related wholly owned subsidiaries and over 48 million issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, has traded its Common Stock on the OTC market since 1983. Management of WWMP has previously advised its stockholders and the public that it expects to apply for NASDAQ SmallCap quotation and\u002For possible quotations on other primary and\u002For secondary exchanges such as Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia or Pacific as soon as practical, and in this regard, applications and corresponding documentation are being prepared for submission or have already been submitted for review.",[25,16591,16592],{},"In recent years WWMP's Common Stock was thinly traded on the OTC market. Major firms that currently hold Common Stock in WWMP include Merrill Lynch, Prudential Securities, Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., Salomon Smith Barney, Paine Webber Inc., and Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. WWMP has been listed in financial publications such as the Moody's Business and Financial Information Guides since 1984.",[25,16594,16595],{},"In making the announcement, Paul Hancock, WWMP's CEO stated that, \"With production and distribution activity of the Company greatly increasing over the past several years and additional feature film, television and Internet component projects being acquired and or developed for future production, distribution, and implementation, we expect this increased activity to be of significant assistance to the current OBB market activity of the Company and future NASDAQ trading subsequently increasing overall shareholder value.\"",[25,16597,16598],{},"WWMP's most recent production and\u002For distribution projects include the thriller, SHATTERED ILLUSIONS with Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Weitz; the feature film dramatic stage adaptation NINTH STREET with Isaac Hayes and Martin Sheen; and the award-winning drama AMY with Academy Award nominee (for \"Hillary & Jackie\") Rachel Griffiths.",[25,16600,16601],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMP is a diversified company -- with shareholders throughout the world -- whose primary business focus is the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, docudramas, short subjects, industrial films and television productions. WWMP's entertainment industry executives have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects earning national and international awards including academy awards, emmy awards, drummer awards, gold, silver and bronze medals from various film festivals, academy award nominations, and emmy award nominations. The principals past productions include, among many others, CITY OF ANGELS, FORREST GUMP, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, PULP FICTION, TITANTIC, and MURDER SHE WROTE.",[25,16603,11220],{},[25,16605,16606],{},[57,16607,7481],{},[25,16609,7490],{},[25,16611,16612],{},"2120 Main Street, Suite 180, Huntington Beach, CA 92648",[25,16614,16615],{},"Phone: (714) 960-7264",[25,16617,16618],{},"Fax: (714) 374-0452",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16620},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2000--23 Year Old Publicly held World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation prepares for trading of its Common Stock Securities on the NASDAQ and Secondary Exchanges.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpreparation-for-nasdaq-listing",{"title":16574,"description":16621},"preparation-for-nasdaq-listing","blog\u002Fpreparation-for-nasdaq-listing","-qKjeMRKdR5CE_NGIJ1j9kqLfdFRFY-nQQipfx3xxXU",{"id":16629,"title":16630,"body":16631,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16699,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16700,"navigation":71,"path":16701,"seo":16702,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16703,"stem":16704,"__hash__":16705},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fred-roses-and-petrol-on-dvd.md","Red Roses and Petrol on DVD",{"type":22,"value":16632,"toc":16697},[16633,16639,16642,16658,16661,16670,16673,16676,16678,16680,16685,16688,16694],[25,16634,16635,16638],{},[57,16636,16637],{},"Los Angeles, CA - (August 11, 2009)"," – World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has announced that it will release RED ROSES AND PETROL, an award-winning feature film starring Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell on DVD on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.",[25,16640,16641],{},"Based on the Irish play by acclaimed writer Joseph O’Connor and directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, the darkly comedic drama offers a tour-de-force showcase for McDowell as Enda Doyle, a university librarian, poet, and rascal who is the flawed patriarch of a dysfunctional family struggling to come to terms with his death and with one another. Unfolding amidst a haze of cigarette smoke and uneaten food, as Enda’s family gathers in Dublin for his wake, RED ROSES AND PETROL explores the emotional dynamics of familial relationships with sharp humor and surprising turns.",[25,16643,16644,16645,8485,16648,8485,16651,9343,16654,16657],{},"McDowell’s body of work encompasses more than 40 years of cinematic achievements, including such classic films as ",[486,16646,16647],{},"A Clockwork Orange",[486,16649,16650],{},"O Lucky Man!",[486,16652,16653],{},"If....",[486,16655,16656],{},"Time After Time",". He has also been a regular guest star on NBC’s “Heroes” and HBO’s “Entourage.”",[25,16659,16660],{},"RED ROSES AND PETROL has garnered awards from the Avignon Film Festival, the Boston Irish Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.",[25,16662,16663,16664,16669],{},"In a first for World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, beginning 9:00am Pacific Time on Monday, August 24, the company will begin accepting online pre-sale orders for the DVD at ",[47,16665,16668],{"href":16666,"rel":16667},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20101223132340\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.redrosesandpetrol.com\u002F",[51],"www.redrosesandpetrol.com",".  A “Collector’s Edition” set of authentic 35mm film frames cut directly from an official theatrical release print of RED ROSES AND PETROL will be included as an exclusive gift with each order prior to September 8, 2009, while supplies last.  Those who purchase the DVD by online pre-sale can literally \"own a piece of the film\" that was projected in cinemas during the film's U.S. theatrical engagement.  Pre-orders of the DVD will ship on October 6, 2009, a full week before the film is released in stores nationally to the rest of the public.",[25,16671,16672],{},"The film’s memorable soundtrack features music from the platinum-selling Irish American band Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. Selected music from the film, including bonus tracks by the Rainmakers, Joe Puerta of Ambrosia, and the Elders, is also being released on Tuesday, October 13, by Warrior Records and will be available on CD, iTunes and other outlets.",[25,16674,16675],{},"RED ROSES AND PETROL is written by Joseph O’Connor, Tamar Simon Hoffs and Gail Wager Stayden and was directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs. The film is produced by Tamar Simon Hoffs, Gail Wager Stayden, Georganne Aldrich Heller, and Alfred Sapse. The cast includes Malcolm McDowell, Olivia Tracey, Heather Juergensen, Max Beesley, Susan Lynch, Greg Ellis, Catherine Farrell, Aubrey Morris, Robert Easton, and Sean Lawlor. Edited by Dathai Keane. Original music by Seth Podowitz. The film, which runs 97 minutes, is rated R for language, including some sexual references.",[25,16677,16307],{},[25,16679,11220],{},[25,16681,16682],{},[57,16683,16684],{},"Jennifer Boris",[25,16686,16687],{},"Big Time PR & Marketing",[25,16689,16690],{},[47,16691,16693],{"href":16692},"mailto:jennifer@bigtimetoday.com","jennifer@bigtimetoday.com",[25,16695,16696],{},"(323) 988-5613",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16698},[],"Los Angeles, CA - (August 11, 2009) – World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has announced that it will release RED ROSES AND PETROL, an award-winning feature film starring Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell on DVD on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fred-roses-and-petrol-on-dvd",{"title":16630,"description":16699},"red-roses-and-petrol-on-dvd","blog\u002Fred-roses-and-petrol-on-dvd","yHzWHVgjE3TER1pl6xbX-2nE5cvMEFCHLud2Sn-HwOE",{"id":16707,"title":16708,"body":16709,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16768,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16769,"navigation":71,"path":16770,"seo":16771,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16772,"stem":16773,"__hash__":16774},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Frelease-of-red-roses-and-petrol.md","Release of Red Roses and Petrol",{"type":22,"value":16710,"toc":16766},[16711,16720,16726,16737,16743,16748,16755,16760,16763],[25,16712,16713,16716,16717,16719],{},[57,16714,16715],{},"LOS ANGELES — (BUSINESS WIRE)"," — Continuing its expansion of international distribution operations, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired worldwide distribution for ",[486,16718,8550],{},", a prize-winning feature film starring Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell, it was announced today by Paul D. Hancock, president and chief executive officer of the thirty-year old Southern California-based entertainment company.",[25,16721,16722,16723,16725],{},"Based on a successful Irish play by acclaimed writer Joseph O’Conner, and directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, the darkly comedic drama offers a tour-de-force showcase for McDowell as Enda Doyle, a university librarian, poet, and rascal who is the flawed patriarch of a dysfunctional family struggling to come to terms with his death and with one another. Unfolding amidst a haze of cigarette smoke and uneaten food, as his family gathers in Dublin for his wake, ",[486,16724,8550],{}," explores the emotional dynamics of familial relationships with sharp humor and surprising turns.",[25,16727,16728,16729,16731,16732,985,16734,16736],{},"McDowell’s body of work encompasses more than forty years of cinematic achievements, including such classic films as ",[486,16730,16647],{},", O* Lucky Man!*, ",[486,16733,16653],{},[486,16735,16656],{},". He can currently be seen as a regular guest star on NBC’s “Heroes” and HBO’s “Entourage.” The film’s soundtrack features music from the popular Irish American band Flogging Molly and Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.",[25,16738,16739,16740,16742],{},"“As our next theatrical release, we expect ",[486,16741,8550],{}," to continue to establish World Wide as a significant presence in the specialty film marketplace, and we will soon be announcing further acquisitions as well,” Hancock said.",[25,16744,16745,16747],{},[486,16746,8550],{}," will be opening this fall in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, London and Dublin. The film recently had a research screening at the Century Theatres in Orange County, CA, receiving strong positive feedback from its first general public audience.",[25,16749,16750,16751,16754],{},"“We believe the film has crossover appeal akin to ",[486,16752,16753],{},"My Big, Fat Greek Wedding"," because of its universal theme of the unresolved conflicts between parents and their adult children,” Hancock noted, “and we will be waging an intensive publicity and promotional campaign to initially target specific interest groups and build advance awareness through both viral internet techniques and more traditional methods.”",[25,16756,16757,16759],{},[486,16758,8550],{}," has garnered awards from the Avignon Film Festival, the Boston Irish Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.",[25,16761,16762],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release, reflecting management’s best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors, including but not limited to World Wide’s ability to enter into various financing programs, competition from other companies, business acquisitions, acquisition of suitable motion pictures, and the performance of films in general licensed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.",[25,16764,16765],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world and is primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16767},[],"LOS ANGELES — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Continuing its expansion of international distribution operations, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired worldwide distribution for Red Roses and Petrol, a prize-winning feature film starring Golden Globe nominee Malcolm McDowell, it was announced today by Paul D. Hancock, president and chief executive officer of the thirty-year old Southern California-based entertainment company.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Frelease-of-red-roses-and-petrol",{"title":16708,"description":16768},"release-of-red-roses-and-petrol","blog\u002Frelease-of-red-roses-and-petrol","isy_GTkOt8Y--pB97oN6CmVgtvrZmy_FqQLdl_CTj9k",{"id":16776,"title":16777,"body":16778,"category":297,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16782,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16797,"navigation":71,"path":16798,"seo":16799,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16800,"stem":16801,"__hash__":16802},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsenior-executive-interviewed-on-the-net.md","Senior Executive Interviewed on the Net",{"type":22,"value":16779,"toc":16795},[16780,16783,16786,16789],[25,16781,16782],{},"CEOcast is the premier source of original and syndicated streaming broadcast interviews of Chief Executive Officers at public and private news-making companies.",[25,16784,16785],{},"CEOcast's programming is distributed to millions of on-line investors at over 700 financial web sites as well as to more than 20,000 portfolio managers, buy-side analysts and traders at more than 3,300 North American institutions. Content is also disseminated to over 7,000 investment research professionals representing over 425 institutions.",[25,16787,16788],{},"WWMP management expects similar electronic media exposure to be occurring with more frequency now as WWMP prepares for trading of its common stock securities on the NASDAQ SmallCap and other national and regional stock exchanges. WWMP, which has four industry-related wholly-owned subsidiaries and over 48 million issued and outstanding shares of common stock, has traded on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board since 1983.",[25,16790,16791,16792,9349],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMP is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world which is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrial films and television productions. With executive offices in Orange County, California, WWMPs industry executives, advisors and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals. Visit our website at ",[47,16793,52],{"href":49,"rel":16794},[51],{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16796},[],{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsenior-executive-interviewed-on-the-net",{"title":16777,"description":16782},"senior-executive-interviewed-on-the-net","blog\u002Fsenior-executive-interviewed-on-the-net","CEvy4qwpR0KeJ_fzZaZu2O4nsmak268xKomDri7Kw-0",{"id":16804,"title":16805,"body":16806,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16940,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16941,"navigation":71,"path":16942,"seo":16943,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16944,"stem":16945,"__hash__":16946},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-bring-awareness-.md","The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Partner to Bring Awareness to Childhood Cancers",{"type":22,"value":16807,"toc":16938},[16808,16828,16831,16834,16872,16875,16877,16881,16893,16895,16902,16904,16908,16910,16912,16914,16918,16923,16926,16929,16932],[25,16809,16810,13981,16813,16818,16819,13981,16824,16827],{},[57,16811,16812],{},"WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 6, 2012",[47,16814,16817],{"href":16815,"rel":16816},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130723215911\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.prnewswire.com\u002Fnews-releases\u002Fthe-leukemia--lymphoma-society-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-bring-awareness-to-childhood-cancers-182371161.html",[51],"PRNewswire)"," -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) are joining forces to help fight childhood cancers through the upcoming release of the award-winning motion picture,",[47,16820,16823],{"href":16821,"rel":16822},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130723215911\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.waystoliveforevermovie.com\u002F",[51],"WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER",[47,16825,13985],{"href":16821,"rel":16826},[51],"). The touching film is based on the best-selling British children's novel by Sally Nicholls about a plucky 12-year-old named Sam who has leukemia. This ultimately uplifting tale centers on Sam's journey with friend and fellow patient Felix through a series of particularly poignant and sometimes humorous moments as they strive to fulfill their dreams, leave their mark, and make the most of the time that they have.",[25,16829,16830],{},"The film will be released in 2013 to select theaters nationwide, and a portion of proceeds will benefit LLS and other cancer-related organizations that have teamed up with World Wide to promote both the picture and its message. Additionally, Scholastic, the publisher of the best-selling novel on which the film is based, plans to re-release it both in paperback and as an enhanced eBook this spring in advance of the film's North American release. A key feature of the enhanced eBook is that it will reference and provide links to related movie clips.",[25,16832,16833],{},"\"Approximately 90 percent of children under the age of 15 survive acute lymphocytic leukemia thanks in part to advances supported by LLS,\" offers Louis J. DeGennaro, chief mission officer of LLS. \"Unfortunately, 1 in 10 children do not survive and too many of those that do suffer long-term effects from today's toxic therapies. We will continue to fund research until every child can live a long and healthy life.\"",[25,16835,16836,16840,16841,8485,16844,16847,16848,8485,16851,16854,16855,16858,16859,16862,16863,16866,16867,8485,16869,16871],{},[47,16837,16839],{"href":16821,"rel":16838},[51],"WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER stars"," critically acclaimed actors Ben Chaplin (",[486,16842,16843],{},"The Thin Red Line",[486,16845,16846],{},"The Truth About Cats & Dogs","), Greta Scacchi (",[486,16849,16850],{},"The Player",[486,16852,16853],{},"Emma","), Robbie Kay (",[486,16856,16857],{},"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides","), Alex Etel (",[486,16860,16861],{},"The Water Horse","), Emilia Fox (",[486,16864,16865],{},"Pride And Prejudice"," - BBC), and Ella Purnell (",[486,16868,3324],{},[486,16870,3320],{},"). The film has garnered awards from around the world, including the Chicago International Children's Film Festival's Adult Jury Prize, Best Picture at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, the Heartland Film Festival Audience Award, and Best Feature Film from the European Children's Film Association.",[25,16873,16874],{},"\"We are very proud to be associated with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in reaching out to their member base to help support the opening of this film throughout the US, thereby increasing research dollars available to find a cure and help affected families,\" states Paul D. Hancock, World Wide's president and CEO.",[25,16876,15002],{},[25,16878,16879],{},[3341,16880],{"alt":64,"src":15007},[25,16882,16883,16884,16888,16889,9349],{},"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society **® **(LLS)is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.  Founded in 1949 andheadquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit",[47,16885,15018],{"href":16886,"rel":16887},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130723215911\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.lls.org\u002F",[51]," or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.",[47,16890,16892],{"href":16886,"rel":16891},[51],"www.lls.org",[25,16894,14127],{},[25,16896,45,16897,16901],{},[47,16898,52],{"href":16899,"rel":16900},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130723215911\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.wwmpc.com\u002F",[51],") is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.",[25,16903,11220],{},[25,16905,16906],{},[57,16907,13920],{},[25,16909,14201],{},[25,16911,7481],{},[25,16913,7487],{},[25,16915,16916],{},[47,16917,1735],{"href":1734},[25,16919,16920],{},[57,16921,16922],{},"Andrea Greif",[25,16924,16925],{},"Director of Public Relations",[25,16927,16928],{},"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society",[25,16930,16931],{},"(914) 821-8958",[25,16933,16934],{},[47,16935,16937],{"href":16936},"mailto:Andrea.greif@lls.org","Andrea.greif@lls.org",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16939},[],"WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 6, 2012 (PRNewswire) -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) are joining forces to help fight childhood cancers through the upcoming release of the award-winning motion picture,WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER (www.waystoliveforevermovie.com). The touching film is based on the best-selling British children's novel by Sally Nicholls about a plucky 12-year-old named Sam who has leukemia. This ultimately uplifting tale centers on Sam's journey with friend and fellow patient Felix through a series of particularly poignant and sometimes humorous moments as they strive to fulfill their dreams, leave their mark, and make the most of the time that they have.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-bring-awareness",{"title":16805,"description":16940},"the-leukemia-lymphoma-society-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-bring-awareness-","blog\u002Fthe-leukemia-lymphoma-society-and-world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-partner-to-bring-awareness-","DotgXrmGBhXYr1uGZgfPPp7GFCGJrsgN3p2AfiGntRA",{"id":16948,"title":16949,"body":16950,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":16986,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":16987,"navigation":71,"path":16988,"seo":16989,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":16990,"stem":16991,"__hash__":16992},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-focuses-on-new-business-model.md","World Wide Focuses on New Business Model",{"type":22,"value":16951,"toc":16984},[16952,16958,16961,16964,16967,16970,16972,16974,16978,16980,16982],[25,16953,16954,16957],{},[57,16955,16956],{},"LOS ANGELES, CA -- (February 23, 2011)"," -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced plans today to continue focusing one arm of its marketing and distribution structure on high-quality international films like its 2011 release of APPLAUSE (Denmark). The award-winning picture, starring the critically acclaimed, Danish-American actress, Paprika Steen, was released on a limited platform basis in NY and LA and received rave reviews from a wide variety of national media. The rollout of the film will continue in cities throughout the US.",[25,16959,16960],{},"\"The success of APPLAUSE indicates that there is a strong commercial market for this type of specialized product, and that a certain audience in the US is hungry for high-quality films such as this,\" offers the company’s CEO, Paul Hancock.",[25,16962,16963],{},"World Wide's added business focus as a boutique distributor of specialty international films will incorporate the long-standing company philosophy of cost-control and moderately budgeted campaigns. World Wide's philosophy employs a culturally diverse team of management and staff, and implements both traditional and cutting-edge marketing activities to influence optimal revenue generation on each project.",[25,16965,16966],{},"\"Foreign language films looking for distribution in North America are in good hands with World Wide because we know how to combine traditional advertising with extensive, online, viral marketing and other new media to specifically target these discriminating audiences,\" Hancock further states. \"The combination of daily efforts to build and maintain ‘buzz’ about a film through social media, as well as conducting in-person, grass-roots, outreach efforts strictly keyed to potential demographics, is our forte. We also have the ability and experience to mount full Oscar campaigns for films on a limited budget.\"",[25,16968,16969],{},"World Wide is aggressively seeking similar product through various channels, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and film festivals around the world. The acquisitions team is currently reviewing a number of films presented at the recent Berlinale and encourages representatives of awards-caliber international films looking for North American distribution to contact the corporate offices.",[25,16971,15963],{},[25,16973,11220],{},[25,16975,16976],{},[57,16977,13920],{},[25,16979,7481],{},[25,16981,14201],{},[25,16983,12914],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":16985},[],"LOS ANGELES, CA -- (February 23, 2011) -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced plans today to continue focusing one arm of its marketing and distribution structure on high-quality international films like its 2011 release of APPLAUSE (Denmark). The award-winning picture, starring the critically acclaimed, Danish-American actress, Paprika Steen, was released on a limited platform basis in NY and LA and received rave reviews from a wide variety of national media. The rollout of the film will continue in cities throughout the US.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-focuses-on-new-business-model",{"title":16949,"description":16986},"world-wide-focuses-on-new-business-model","blog\u002Fworld-wide-focuses-on-new-business-model","AWK2OJk0kTWohewlF06QmjrOxSNT9_GGUqUdxLSruuE",{"id":16994,"title":16995,"body":16996,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":17028,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":17029,"navigation":71,"path":17030,"seo":17031,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":17032,"stem":17033,"__hash__":17034},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-effect-a-reverse-stock-split.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation to Effect a Reverse Stock Split",{"type":22,"value":16997,"toc":17026},[16998,17005,17008,17011,17014,17017,17023],[25,16999,17000,16071,17002,17004],{},[57,17001,16070],{},[57,17003,16074],{},"--Dec. 4, 2001--WWMP (OTCBB:WWMP) management today announced that a one-for-five stock combination (reverse stock split) of WWMP common stock will be effective on Dec. 18, 2001. WWMP's shareholders had previously authorized WWMP's board of directors to conduct the reverse stock split. The reverse stock split will reduce the number of issued and outstanding shares of WWMP's common stock. As of Nov. 30, 2001, there were 50,628,652 shares of common stock outstanding. After the reverse stock split becomes effective, there will be approximately 10,125,730 shares outstanding.",[25,17006,17007],{},"WWMP's common stock is traded within the OTC (Over-The-Counter) securities system on the Electronic Bulletin Board under the symbol WWMP. Prior to the Effective Date, the Cusip No. for the common stock was 981536 10 5. After the Effective Date, the Cusip No. will be 981536 20 4. On December 18 and thereafter, all certificates that are issued will be for the adjusted number of \"new\" shares.",[25,17009,17010],{},"Paul Hancock, WWMP's president\u002FCEO, stated that, \"Management believes the reduction in the number of outstanding shares will increase the market value per share and make it easier to create a more active public market for our common stock.\"",[25,17012,17013],{},"Hancock added: \"The end result of this action will be to create a substantial increase in per share book value, coupled with a considerably more manageable issued and outstanding number of common shares. This should be helpful in management's endeavors relative to any mergers, acquisitions, financings and stock exchange listings to be undertaken by the company.\"",[25,17015,17016],{},"Founded in 1977, WWMP, a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, is involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of features, documentaries, short subjects and television productions.",[25,17018,17019,17020,9349],{},"WWMP's industry executives have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and prizes from world film festivals. Visit us at ",[47,17021,52],{"href":49,"rel":17022},[51],[25,17024,17025],{},"Any forward-looking statements contained in this release which reflect management's best judgment based on factors currently known, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of a number of factors. Risk factors are discussed in more detail in WWMP's filings with the S.E.C.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":17027},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2001--WWMP (OTCBB:WWMP) management today announced that a one-for-five stock combination (reverse stock split) of WWMP common stock will be effective on Dec. 18, 2001. WWMP's shareholders had previously authorized WWMP's board of directors to conduct the reverse stock split. The reverse stock split will reduce the number of issued and outstanding shares of WWMP's common stock. As of Nov. 30, 2001, there were 50,628,652 shares of common stock outstanding. After the reverse stock split becomes effective, there will be approximately 10,125,730 shares outstanding.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-effect-a-reverse-stock-split",{"title":16995,"description":17028},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-effect-a-reverse-stock-split","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-to-effect-a-reverse-stock-split","UE1kN0CG2GNAsX6Y6ow82LtTdq2w5S6itVMvnGbBP2E",{"id":17036,"title":17037,"body":17038,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":17087,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":17088,"navigation":71,"path":17089,"seo":17090,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":17091,"stem":17092,"__hash__":17093},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-acclaimed-danish-film-applause.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) Acquires Acclaimed Danish Film, APPLAUSE",{"type":22,"value":17039,"toc":17085},[17040,17056,17062,17068,17077,17082],[25,17041,17042,17043,17046,17047,17052,17053,17055],{},"**LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- **World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to the award-winning feature, ",[486,17044,17045],{},"Applause",", [",[47,17048,17051],{"href":17049,"rel":17050},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20120205222929\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.applausemovie.com\u002F",[51],"www.applausemovie.com","] from Koncern Film of Denmark. Directed by Martin Pieter Zandvliet and starring Danish-American actress Paprika Steen in an internationally acclaimed performance, ",[486,17054,17045],{}," will open exclusive, Oscar-qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles on December 3 prior to a wider national release.",[25,17057,17058,17059,17061],{},"Showcased at numerous film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the London International Film Festival, and the Hamptons International Film Festival, ",[486,17060,17045],{}," has won recognition for Steen's bravura performance as a recovering alcoholic stage actress whose struggle to reclaim her role as a mother is complicated by the demons from her past. World Wide plans to mount an Oscar campaign for the film and Steen's performance, with Steen scheduled to make extensive personal appearances in connection with the New York and Los Angeles openings.",[25,17063,17064,17065,17067],{},"\"Our ability to work with Paprika Steen, who is so well known from film and stage in Europe, presents an exciting opportunity for World Wide to promote and brand ",[486,17066,17045],{}," in the US,\" states company President\u002FCEO Paul D. Hancock.",[25,17069,17070,17071,985,17074,9349],{},"Widely recognized as one of Scandinavia's foremost actors, Steen has offered tour-de-force performances in such major European films as ",[486,17072,17073],{},"Adam's Apples",[486,17075,17076],{},"The Celebration",[25,17078,17079,17081],{},[486,17080,17045],{}," marks a significant step in World Wide's evolution, launching the company's new strategy of distributing high-profile foreign language films as a potentially lucrative niche market for North America. \"We're hoping to step into the gap created by the departure of such specialty distributors as Warner Independent and Paramount Vantage and fulfill the increasing demand among discriminating audiences for challenging and entertaining foreign language and independent films,\" Hancock offers.",[25,17083,17084],{},"Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide's industry executives and board members have produced, distributed and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards and prizes from world film festivals.",{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":17086},[],"**LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- **World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to the award-winning feature, Applause, [www.applausemovie.com] from Koncern Film of Denmark. Directed by Martin Pieter Zandvliet and starring Danish-American actress Paprika Steen in an internationally acclaimed performance, Applause will open exclusive, Oscar-qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles on December 3 prior to a wider national release.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-acclaimed-danish-film-applause",{"title":17037,"description":17087},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-acclaimed-danish-film-applause","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-acclaimed-danish-film-applause","KeVl5iAw6dY2hISceMbpe3EvAotv6UzNqGJ9zS1e7F8",{"id":17095,"title":17096,"body":17097,"category":67,"coverImage":12,"date":16099,"description":17170,"excerpt":12,"extension":69,"meta":17171,"navigation":71,"path":17172,"seo":17173,"seoDescription":12,"seoTitle":12,"slug":17174,"stem":17175,"__hash__":17176},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-award-winning-film-ways-to-live-forever-t.md","World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (World Wide) Acquires Award-Winning Film WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, Taken From the Internationally Popular Novel",{"type":22,"value":17098,"toc":17168},[17099,17141,17144,17147,17154,17156,17158,17162,17164,17166],[25,17100,17101,17110,17111,8485,17114,17117,17118,17121,17122,8485,17125,16862,17128,17131,17132,8485,17134,17136,17137,8485,17139,7888],{},[57,17102,17103,17104,17109],{},"LOS ANGELES--(",[47,17105,17108],{"href":17106,"rel":17107},"https:\u002F\u002Fweb.archive.org\u002Fweb\u002F20130517042753\u002Fhttp:\u002Fwww.businesswire.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhome\u002F20120522005453\u002Fen",[51],"BUSINESS WIRE",")","--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, the award-winning, British\u002FSpanish feature film co-venture from El Capitan Pictures, Formato Producciones S.L., and Life & Soul Productions. Based on Sally Nicholls’ best-selling British children’s novel of the same name, the touching family picture has been showcased at numerous international film festivals. Directed by Gustavo Ron and featuring brilliant performances by Robbie Kay (",[486,17112,17113],{},"Fugitive Pieces",[486,17115,17116],{},"Pinocchio",") and Alex Etel (",[486,17119,17120],{},"Millions","), WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER tells the inspiring and humorous story of Sam and his best friend, Felix: two young boys whose battle with leukemia prompts them to grow up fast, make their mark, and achieve their dreams. Rounding out the cast are Ben Chaplin (",[486,17123,17124],{},"Me And Orson Welles",[486,17126,17127],{},"The Remains Of The Day",[486,17129,17130],{},"The Pianist","), Ella Purnell (",[486,17133,3324],{},[486,17135,3320],{},"), and Greta Scacchi (",[486,17138,16853],{},[486,17140,16850],{},[25,17142,17143],{},"World Wide is currently reviewing partnership opportunities with a variety of prestigious corporations and nonprofit organizations throughout the US, including research hospitals, children’s cancer groups and foundations, to help gain increased exposure for this important motion picture.",[25,17145,17146],{},"“Because of the powerful message that this film presents concerning children’s cancer and World Wide’s desire to help fund a cure, we have decided to share a portion of the film’s US theatrical box-office revenue with select, cancer-related organizations nationwide,” President\u002FCEO Paul Hancock reveals.",[25,17148,17149,17150,17153],{},"The acquisition of WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER continues World Wide’s strategy of distributing high-profile, award-winning international films to a potentially lucrative North American market. “We are thrilled to be bringing such a wonderful picture to American audiences and anticipate success similar to what was achieved with our last family film, ",[486,17151,17152],{},"Amy",", from Australia,” Hancock further states.",[25,17155,14540],{},[25,17157,11220],{},[25,17159,17160],{},[57,17161,13920],{},[25,17163,7481],{},[25,17165,14201],{},[25,17167,12914],{},{"title":64,"searchDepth":65,"depth":65,"links":17169},[],"LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, the award-winning, British\u002FSpanish feature film co-venture from El Capitan Pictures, Formato Producciones S.L., and Life & Soul Productions. Based on Sally Nicholls’ best-selling British children’s novel of the same name, the touching family picture has been showcased at numerous international film festivals. Directed by Gustavo Ron and featuring brilliant performances by Robbie Kay (Fugitive Pieces, Pinocchio) and Alex Etel (Millions), WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER tells the inspiring and humorous story of Sam and his best friend, Felix: two young boys whose battle with leukemia prompts them to grow up fast, make their mark, and achieve their dreams. Rounding out the cast are Ben Chaplin (Me And Orson Welles, The Remains Of The Day), Emilia Fox (The Pianist), Ella Purnell (Intruders, Never Let Me Go), and Greta Scacchi (Emma, The Player).",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-award-winning-film-ways-to-live-forever-t",{"title":17096,"description":17170},"world-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-award-winning-film-ways-to-live-forever-t","blog\u002Fworld-wide-motion-pictures-corporation-world-wide-acquires-award-winning-film-ways-to-live-forever-t","ZJF97qWB47iRmfBy4W53mXlXTfEORJAn5PQ0DgwDxL4",1787582005605]