Nancy Meyers is still searching for a new home for her film after parting ways with Netflix over budget concerns. But in the meantime, the director of rom-com classics like 2006’s The Holiday and Something’s Gotta Give has dropped some hints on Instagram, revealing details about her movie, confirming the title, and sharing its origin. Deadline reported that Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Michael Fassbender were in talks to star, but that the proposed Netflix budget — which sources say was coming in around $130 million — was causing issues. Sources say that while the studio was fine with $130 million, Meyers was fighting for $150 million, with $80 million of that going to above-the-line costs. The film is titled Paris Paramount , which we were first to tell you about in April 2022. It tells the story of an above-the-line filmmaking duo who reunite (begrudgingly) on set after falling in and out of love with each other. Meyers confirmed the … [Read more...] about Director Nancy Meyers Channels Ernst Lubitsch, Confirms Origin Of ‘Paris Paramount’ Film Title
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Michael Winterbottom Talks Blurring Of Lines Between Documentary & Fiction; Appeals For UK Film Funding Rethink – Qumra Masterclass
Michael Winterbottom has devoted much of his filmmaking career to revisiting real-life events through works blurring the boundaries between documentary and drama to various degrees. The filmmaker shed light on his approach in a recent Doha Film Institute (DFI) masterclass, going behind the scenes of Welcome To Sarajevo , 24 Hour Party People , In This World , The Road To Guantanamo , A Might Heart and Eleven Days In May . “It’s a continuum, even if you’re filming a fantasy film in a studio on a green screen there is an element of document to that. You’re recording that moment of the act of performance,” he said when quizzed on his attitude towards documentary versus fiction. “Equally, even in a documentary like Eleven Days … you’re trying to shape that story, so it a continuum,” he added, referring to the 2022 documentary commemorating 68 children killed in Israeli bombing raids over Gaza in May 2021. Winterbottom elaborated on this idea through his … [Read more...] about Michael Winterbottom Talks Blurring Of Lines Between Documentary & Fiction; Appeals For UK Film Funding Rethink – Qumra Masterclass
‘Parachute’ Review: Life After Rehab In Brittany Snow’s Directing Debut – SXSW
There’s a lot going on in this troubled-girl-on-a-journey story, which recalls the late-’90s proliferation of books like Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation and Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted . Brittany Snow ’s directing debut doesn’t so much add to that canon as dust it down a bit for a new generation, and its success is mostly attributable to its empathetic star Courtney Eaton — the deserving winner of a SXSW Special Jury Recognition for Performance — whose low-key work anchors a needlessly busy film that never quite settles down. A lot is packed into the opening salvo, from the moment we see Riley (Eaton) sitting on the curb outside a forbiddingly nondescript building, scrolling through pages and pages of narcissistic Instagram influencers. It will come as no surprise when we find out, shortly after that, that she’s been in for a fairly serious disorder she’ll describe variously as “an eating thing” and “body stuff,” but that doesn’t stop her best friend from insisting … [Read more...] about ‘Parachute’ Review: Life After Rehab In Brittany Snow’s Directing Debut – SXSW
Bruce Willis’s Wife, Emma Heming Willis, Posts Emotional Thank-You To Fans On His Birthday
It’s a happy birthday to Bruce Willis , who turns 68 today. But while the occasion is joyous, his deteriorating condition from dementia has been hard on his family, Emma Willis Heming said in an Instagram message today. Last month it was revealed that Willis has frontotemporal dementia (FTD), an increasingly debilitating form of the illness. To relieve some of the stress, Emma has been using her Instagram platform to keep fans updated on the Die Hard actor’s condition. But today she vented her own emotional state. “So today is my husband’s birthday. I have started the morning by crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose.” She admitted that putting on a brave face in the ensuing months since Willis’s diagnosis has been a strain. “I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this,” she said. “I always get this message, or people always tell me that ‘Oh, you’re so strong, I don’t know how you do it.’ I’m not given a choice. I wish I was. … [Read more...] about Bruce Willis’s Wife, Emma Heming Willis, Posts Emotional Thank-You To Fans On His Birthday
With ‘Jesus Revolution,’ The Faithful Are Back In Their Movie Theater Pews
Watching Jesus Revolution surge past $45 million in ticket sales for Lionsgate —matching or besting The Fabelmans , The Banshees Of Inisherin, Tár , Women Talking and Triangle Of Sadness, combined—it finally seems safe to say it. The faith-based audience is back. Between Covid and the culture wars, it’s been a rough few years for those who make, promote and/or enjoy what are loosely called inspirational films. Sometimes the pictures are overtly religious, as with Jesus Revolution , the real-life story of a pastor and his counter-cultural following in the 1970s. Others are simply aspirational—moralistic, values-laden tales, like Creed III or Respect , about individuals striving to be more and better than they already are. Either way, the uplift business was having tough time until Top Gun: Maverick broke through, at the strictly secular level, last year. The last explicitly religious film to top $40 million at the box office appears to have been … [Read more...] about With ‘Jesus Revolution,’ The Faithful Are Back In Their Movie Theater Pews
Sam Neill Is In Remission From Cancer And Is Back Working, He Tells Upset Fans
Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has tried to calm alarmed fans via Instagram following revelations that he’s been battling stage 3 blood cancer. The struggle was detailed in his upcoming memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” The 75-year-old Neill was undergoing chemotherapy until he switched to a new drug, one he will need to take monthly for the rest of his life. “I am alive and well and I have been in remission for 8 months, which feels really good,” he said in a video shared on Instagram Friday. “And I’m alive and kicking and I’m going to work.” Neill is back working alongside Annette Bening in the limited series, “Apples Never Fall.” Neill first noticed he had swollen glands while promoting Jurassic World Dominion last March. After consulting a physician, the actor was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer . … [Read more...] about Sam Neill Is In Remission From Cancer And Is Back Working, He Tells Upset Fans
Ben Affleck’s On Cloud Nine Amid ‘Air’ Debut, JLo Flick on Horizon
Getty Ben Affleck is on top of the world lately -- making movies with his best bud, and having his wife star in films he's producing ... which he says is the pinnacle of success and happiness. The actor-director sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for a chat about his new movie, "Air" which follows the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan to his legendary shoe deal ... and which just debuted at SXSW this weekend to rave reviews and thunderous applause . CBS Sunday Morning The film stars Ben and Matt Damon , and the reunion has truly had a shining effect on BA -- as you can tell in this interview. He talks about how chasing money in showbiz (or any biz, really) isn't the key to fulfillment, as he says he's found out. Instead, he says he's realized that right now ... he's at his most joyous. That's because he loved coming to work for this "Air" flick -- hanging out with his childhood BFF and collaborating, seeing his kids more often and doing … [Read more...] about Ben Affleck’s On Cloud Nine Amid ‘Air’ Debut, JLo Flick on Horizon
Elizabeth Banks — Good Genes Or Good Docs?!
Getty Elizabeth Banks ' looks over the years are aca-awesome! Here is a fresh 27-year-old version of the "Pitch Perfect" star gracing her natural beauty at a UNICEF For Fashion event in Los Angeles back in 2001 ( left ). This was just a couple of years before she played Marcela Howard in the film "Seabiscuit." And, 22 years later, the actress and filmmaker looked picture-perfect and dressed to the nines at this year's Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California. She learned how to be quite critical during her "Pitch Perfect" days as Gail the commentator, so the imperative question here is ... Elizabeth Banks ... Something Went Wrong … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Banks — Good Genes Or Good Docs?!
Drew Barrymore Is Okay With Hugh Grant ‘Barking Dogs’ Comments On Her Singing Voice
Drew Barrymore apparently doesn’t mind that Hugh Grant compared her singing voice to barking dogs. Interviewed on her own show about Music and Lyrics co-star Hugh Grant’s criticism, Barrymore responded with a hairbrush-as-microphone performance of the movie’s big song, “Way Back Into Love.” “Oh, Hugh… bert. Hubert,” she said, before singing again, “That’s for youuuuuu.” She also responded to Grant’s remarks that her singing voice was “just horrendous,” wherein he said barking dogs have done better vocalizations. “If you know Hugh, that is his way of loving you,” she said. “I swear, if you know Hugh, like, that is his way of loving you. I swear, okay, so it’s funny, too, because there’s this thing going around with him and Ashley Graham on the red carpet, and people are like, he’s such a curmudgeon and she’s so thrown.” She continued, “No, that is Hugh Grant. You think you’re getting this charming movie star and what you really get is grumpy Hugh and then you … [Read more...] about Drew Barrymore Is Okay With Hugh Grant ‘Barking Dogs’ Comments On Her Singing Voice
Sean Lampkin Dies: ‘Martin’ Sitcom Bar Owner Was 54
Sean Lampkin , best known for his role as bar owner Nipsey on 1990s sitcom Martin , has died at the age of 54. He died last Wednesday in his sleep from unknown causes, according to friend Marsel Watts. “My friend, my last roommate for 10 years, a father and family man, my brother, skate buddy, business partner, and trainer passed away this morning. RIP Sean Lampkin,” Watts wrote . “BKA as Nipsey the bartender on Martin, The pest control man in Bad Boys, the cab driver in Big Mamas House and the shooter in Life ,” she added. “He was a black belt in karate too. He worked for Martin Lawrence for decades as his right hand man. No Martin without Sean.” Memnar Grayton also paid tribute. “Sean gave us every morning the shining sun to lead his loved ones and friends down paths that are bright and clear of any danger. He gave us streams of love every day when we’re not feeling good, or we don’t seem to not want to do anything,” he wrote in Essence. … [Read more...] about Sean Lampkin Dies: ‘Martin’ Sitcom Bar Owner Was 54