Exterminate all the brutes

NEON has acquired the North American rights to Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning director, Raoul Peck ’s ( I Am Not Your Negro ) documentary Orwell , the definitive feature-length documentary on visionary author George Orwell, with the exclusive cooperation of the Orwell Estate. Producers include Alex Gibney for Jigsaw Productions, Raoul Peck for Velvet Films, and Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content. Stacey Offman and Richard Perello will executive produce for Jigsaw. Zhang Xin, Joey Marra, and William Horberg will executive produce for Closer Media, alongside Jessica Grimshaw, Dawn Olmstead, and David Levine of Anonymous, and Jeff Skoll and Courtney Sexton of Participant. Johnny Fewings of Universal Pictures Content Group will serve as executive producer on the film, which is currently in production. “’Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past…,’ wrote Orwell in his novel, 1984. Today, the “newspeak” of … [Read more...] about NEON Picks Up Raoul Peck Documentary ‘Orwell’

There’s scarcely a word or move in Champions that you haven’t seen somewhere else before, but in a very modest way this goofball minor-league basketball yarn throws off enough amiable and vaguely raucous charm to keep a smile on sports fans’ faces much of time. Woody Harrelson makes the exasperated most of his role as a been-around-the-block minor-league coach whose likely final hope at employment is to whip a bunch of physically challenged misfits into presentable shape. It’s very easy to imagine gobs of middle-aged guys sitting around the tube at home or in a bar chugging a few while having a good time with this one. Mark Rizzo’s script is based on the 2018 Spanish comedy Campeones , directed by Javier Fesser and inspired by a real team. The new film is set securely in the American Midwest, though many of its biggest fans might end up being Canadians (the film was shot in Canada). From the outset, it’s easy to see that Harrelson’s middle-aged Marcus Markovich hasn’t … [Read more...] about Film Review: Woody Harrelson In Bobby Farrelly’s ‘Champions’

Stephen Sondheim ’s final, long-awaited musical Here We Are will make its world premiere this September in a strictly limited Off Broadway engagement to be directed by two-time Tony winner Joe Mantello . Formerly known as Square One , the final musical composed by Sondheim before his death in 2021 will be staged at The Shed , the Manhattan arts center that opened in 2019. Additional information including specific production dates and casting will be announced soon. Producer Tom Kirdahy made the premiere announcement today. Here We Are features a book by David Ives and is inspired by the two films The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel by Luis Buñuel. Executive Producers for Here We Are are Sue Wagner, John Johnson and Jillian Robbins, and the musical will be co-presented by The Shed; Artistic Director Alex Poots, President and COO Maryann Jordan, and Chief Executive Producer Madani Younis. Here We Are will be the … [Read more...] about Final Stephen Sondheim Musical ‘Here We Are’ To Make Off Broadway World Premiere This Fall With Joe Mantello Directing