Civil war and reconstruction

The Islands , a 10-episode drama series, is in the works from BBC alum Stephen McDonogh’s Lone Wolf Pictures, Axel Kuschevatzky, Phin Glynn and Cindy Teperman’s Infinity Hill as well as The Whole Spiel, the company launched last year by former NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy and his cousin, Stefan Telegdy. The series, which is being shopped to networks and streamers, tells the story of the Falklands-Malvinas War of 1982 from the point of view of the people who were there and with the involvement of writers and filmmakers from both UK and Argentina. Writing is already underway, with Argentine film and TV writer Sebastian Rotstein ( El Presidente Season 2, Morir de Amor ) on board. The Islands is not a story of failed diplomacy or geo-politics — an angle recently explored on The Crown — but rather an epic portrayal of the brutal realities they brought to a group of extraordinary human beings in a geography that is as bafflingly remote as it is … [Read more...] about Falklands War Drama Series In Works From UK & Argentinian Creative Team, Paul Telegdy, Lone Wolf & Infinity Hill

B ackstage at the Rolling Thunder Revue , Allen Ginsberg (who has just dedicated his book of First Blues to “Minstrel Guruji Bob Dylan “) asks the convener of these revels, these winds of the old days, “Are you getting any pleasure out of this, Bob?” The convener, who can use words as if they were fun-house mirrors when he’s pressed, fingers his gray cowboy hat and looks at the poet. The first he had ever heard of Allen Ginsberg and the kind of people he hung out with was in Time around 1958 while he was still a kid in Minnesota. (“I’m Allen Ginsberg and I’m crazy.” “My name is Peter Orlovsky and I’m crazy as a daisy.” “My name is Gregory Corso and I’m not crazy at all.” That had broken up the kid in Minnesota.) Now, here on the road with this hooting, rocking carnival of time present and time past, both perhaps present in time future, is Allen, who has survived serene and curious, in a business suit. “Pleasure?” Dylan finds the word without taste, without … [Read more...] about On the Road With Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and the Rolling Thunder Revue

BUDAPEST, Hungary — European and American conservatives descended on this city Thursday morning to bemoan the supposed ‘suicide’ of Western civilization. The impending cultural death was blamed on a variety of causes, including immigrants who were “replacing” native-born workers; communists and “progressivists” pushing “gender madness”; and liberal democracy, which was creating a new “civic religion” out of the rights of man. Speakers, ranging from the CEO of Parler to the Prime Minister of Hungary, railed against the ‘woke’ media and the “unified troops of the international left” during a series of programming blocs with titles like “Western Civilization Under Attack,” “In God We Trust,” and “The Culture Wars in the Media.” It was the opening day of CPAC Hungary, the first European edition of the American Conservative Union’s flagship confab, and dark clouds were forming over Hungary. “James Burnham said that civilization dies only by suicide. I’m afraid that our lack of … [Read more...] about CPAC Europe Is a Safe Space for Authoritarians — and the Republicans Who Love Them

Tchaikovsky’s Wife filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov , a Russian dissident, was grilled, by the global press at Cannes over the pic being bankrolled by oligarch financing in particular Roman Abramovich , as well as the notion of the world’s boycott against all things Russia. Abramovich recently said he was donating monies from the sale of England’s Chelsea FC to a foundation that would benefit the war victims of Ukraine. Did the financier have similar plans to donate any future monies earned from Tchaikovsky’s Wife ? Serebrennikov fielded the question by saying Abramovich is one of the good guys. “He helps modern art, and he has for a long time now. He’s a real patron of Russia and that’s been deeply appreciated. Thanks to him, we have arthouse cinema,” said the filmmaker. The oligarch’s Kinoprime foundation is all for the greater glory of art per Serebrennikov: “These aren’t propaganda films, rather the contrary. You must realize he does a lot of good.” … [Read more...] about ‘Tchaikovsky’s Wife’ Director Defends Pic’s Oligarch Financier Roman Abramovich: “We Need To Lift The Sanctions” – Cannes

Twenty-four hours before his win for Best Documentary Feature would result in one of the most powerful speeches of this year’s Oscar night, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson and his Summer of Soul team gathered at an intimate brunch in the picturesque gardens of Dana Walden’s Brentwood estate. Walden was there, along with Peter Rice, Matthew Greenfield, David Greenbaum and other high-level Disney executives. Even Disney CEO Bob Chapek put in an appearance. They were present to toast the early success of a small Hulu imprint, Onyx Collective , which is run by Tara Duncan and is dedicated to flying the flag for creators of color, bringing diverse, authentic stories right to the heart of the studio better known for its noisemaking franchise brands like Marvel and Star Wars. As Disney continues to reign supreme as Hollywood’s biggest studio, Duncan’s ambitions for Onyx Collective are no less than to create a brand that can compete for that same mainstream attention, making it a … [Read more...] about Onyx Collective Continues Mission To Bring Representation To Disney After ‘Summer Of Soul’ Oscar Triumph — Deadline Disruptors

First, there was Parasite , shaking up the global film sector and snatching Oscar glory. Then, there was Squid Game . It’s been quite the three years for content from Korea, a nation that has long had an outstanding reputation for producing top quality entertainment that had nonetheless struggled to travel beyond Asia, with some exceptions. That changed in earnest last September when Hwang Dong-hyuk ’s Squid Game launched, breaking records that none could have thought breakable and stealing the zeitgeist in a way that no show has done in recent memory. If you didn’t know someone dressing up as a Squid Game character for Halloween, you probably weren’t invited to a Halloween party. Hwang is in a reflective mood after a whirlwind half year during which time his show has shaken up the global TV landscape, sending him from relative unknown outside his home nation to being told by Steven Spielberg: “I want to steal your brain.” “I feel like I’ve been … [Read more...] about How Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Korean Smash ‘Squid Game’ Proved The Potential Of Non-English TV — Deadline Disruptors

If there is one thing the now-concluded upfronts have shown us this year, it’s that the diminished giants of the broadcast networks are stepping lightly but blowing a lot of bluster. Unless you’re the Murdoch-owned Fox , that is. Then you’re just giving an Art of War middle finger to the convention of a fall schedule and forcing the town to guess your next move. Oh yeah, and the self-declared transitioning CW is primping itself for a likely sale to Nexstar – which means a double shot of Walker and All American with new spinoff series on the YA-leaning net’s schedule come September. New Broadcast Series For 2022-23 Season: Photo Gallery Following a pageant of often-bloated presentations from the corporate overlords in NYC over the past few days, it’s also now uncontested that the Big 3 are no longer the jewel in the crown. Shuffled into the overall conglomerate mega-mix and seemingly secondary to their streaming cousins, ABC , NBC and CBS are playing it … [Read more...] about Fall 2022 Primetime TV Grid: No Fox (Yet) As Nets Play It Safe With Much More Of The Same

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Miles Teller may be taking to the skies in this summer’s Top Gun: Maverick , but the actor is taking on a bear (no, really) in a new campaign for The Finnish Long Drink, a traditional Finnish alcoholic beverage that’s making its way to North America. The new campaign finds Teller in the middle of Finland, where he encounters a menacing-looking bear. Turns out, the bear isn’t angry, just thirsty , and in predictable fashion, it’s The Finnish Long Drink that brings brute and beast together. Teller is actually an investor in The Finnish Long Drink, which is a category of alcoholic beverage native to Finland that combines a sparkling citrus drink with real liquor (typically gin). Often known unofficially as Finland’s national drink, Teller says he first discovered the effervescent drink (think a tastier White Claw with a similar 5% … [Read more...] about From Start to ‘Finnish’: Miles Teller Talks New Role As Investor in Finnish Long Drink

Box office is big news this week, not so much for its totals as for its totemic significance. Throngs will greet Top Gun: Maverick , but will kids join the grownups to see a nearly 60 year-old actor starring in a sequel to a 36 year-old hit? At the other end of the audience spectrum, will seniors conquer their torpor to catch the new Downton and even lure their kids – the movie is dubiously titled Downton Abbey: A New Era to motivate the youth quadrant. These are edgy days for an industry seeking clues to two big puzzles: Does a broad demographic truly crave a return to the cool comfort of their movie theaters? And, if so, what sorts of movies would best combat their streamer fatigue? In Los Angeles there’s one dark portent: The multiscreen Landmark Theater on Pico, long the cathedral of indie films, will shut its doors forever shortly after the opening of Downton Abbey . Charles S. Cohen, Landmark’s owner who is a dedicated film nerd – he owns 35 other … [Read more...] about Peter Bart: It’s Back To The Future For The Box Office If ‘Top Gun’ Sequel Hits Stratosphere

Writer-director James Gray has been to the Cannes Film Festival in competition on four previous occasions with We Own the Night, The Yards, The Immigrant and Two Lovers but has yet to walk away with a prize. Maybe the fifth time will be the charm? It certainly would be deserving as Gray comes back to his beloved New York City roots with the highly autobiographical and intriguingly titled Armageddon Time . Lest you think that with that title this is more akin to his previous film, the Brad Pitt-starring sci-fi Ad Astra, think again. It couldn’t be farther apart and reps a return to his more frequent thoughtful character-driven family drama explorations rather than space, though that figures in at least one way. With Ad Astra and the exceptional and haunting jungle epic The Lost City of Z ( my favorite of all his films and one of the best of any kind this century), Gray had drifted from the films that brought him to Cannes. But he is back in familiar territory, … [Read more...] about Cannes Review: Director James Gray’s ‘Armageddon Time’