The monster tale

Jane Fonda went down memory lane on The Drew Barrymore Show remembering films from her acting career. When an image of the 2005 rom-com Monster-in-Law came up, Fonda recalled the infamous slap scene opposite Jennifer Lopez that left her with an injury. “The thing that comes to mind right away is we have a slapping scene – I slap her, she slaps me…,” Fonda recalled. “Well Jennifer, as per Jennifer, she had this enormous diamond ring and so when she slapped me one of the times it cut open across my eye – my eyebrow.” Fonda continued, “And she’s never apologized.” Monster-in-Law was directed by Robert Luketic and written by Anya Kochoff about aspiring fashion designer Charlie (Lopez) who has to face her mother-in-law played by Fonda who will do anything to ruin her relationship with her son. The film marked Fonda’s return to the movies after a 15-year absence since the release of Stanley & Iris in 1990. The comedy also starred Michael Vartan, Wanda Sykes, … [Read more...] about Jane Fonda Recalls Jennifer Lopez Cutting Her Eyebrow In ‘Monster-In-Law’ Slap Scene: “She Never Apologized”

BFI Distribution has picked up Tilda Swinton and Joanna Hogg ’s latest collaboration, The Eternal Daughter , for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland. The pic will hit cinemas this autumn and form the centerpiece of a Joanna Hogg retrospective season hosted at BFI Southbank that will also include a programme of films that have influenced her work. The Eternal Daughter is the BFI’s second acquisition from A24, following the Irish drama God’s Creatures, starring Paul Mescal and Emily Watson earlier this year. The film also marks Hogg and Swinton’s third collaboration following the acclaimed two-part Souvenir series, which starred Swinton’s daughter Honor Swinton Byrne. Written and directed by Hogg with Martin Scorsese once again on board as Executive Producer, the film follows an artist and her elderly mother who confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past. The film is an Element Pictures … [Read more...] about ‘The Eternal Daughter’: BFI Distribution Acquires Tilda Swinton Ghost Tale For UK & Irish Release

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and BAFTA-nominated director Natalie Hewit are boarding the National Geographic documentary Endurance (working title), the incredible story of “the epic search to find the lost ship of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.” The announcement comes almost exactly a year after Shackelton’s ship Endurance was discovered eerily intact on the Weddell Sea floor near the northernmost part of the Antarctic, more than a hundred years after the vessel sank. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust organized and funded the mission to find the historic wreck. Shackelton and his crew of 27 set sail in late 1914 on an exploratory mission endorsed by Winston Churchill, then Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty. The ship became trapped in sea ice, forcing the crew to quit the vessel and set up camp on an ice floe. Then, on November 27, 1915, Endurance sank. As one crewman wrote, “She went down bow first, her stern … [Read more...] about NatGeo Doc On Dramatic Find Of Shackelton’s Ship Endurance To Be Directed By Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin And Natalie Hewit

EXCLUSIVE : Matt Reeves ’ 6th & Idaho is teaming with ZQ Entertainment to produce God’s Country — a new genre film starring Scream VI’ s Melissa Barrera , which will mark the American directorial debut of Egor Abramenko ( Sputnik ). The film going into production this summer will have Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions. Will Soodik ( Westworld ) wrote the script. Reeves ( The Batman ) and Rafi Crohn ( Tales from the Loop ) will produce for 6th & Idaho, alongside ZQ Entertainment’s Ara Keshishian and Petr Jákl (who financed the development), Adam Kassan ( End of Watch ), and Barrera. WME reps foreign and co-represents domestic rights with CAA Media Finance, and will introduce the project at EFM. “Egor is an exciting emerging talent,” Reeves told Deadline, “and … [Read more...] about Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho, ZQ Entertainment Team On ‘God’s Country’ Starring Melissa Barrera; Egor Abramenko Directing – EFM

Oscar-winning screenwriter, playwright and film director Christopher Hampton was on feisty form in a masterclass in Qatar earlier this week as part of the Doha Film Institute ’s Qumra talent incubator event (March 10-16). Hampton, who won Academy Awards for the screenplays of Dangerous Liaisons and The Father and was Oscar-nominated for Atonement , urged aspiring screenwriters in the auditorium to try to retain some sort of control of their work and creative vision. “I would advise anybody to try to get at least some sort of associate producer credit to maintain a grip on the material and you have to fight… fight with a lot of people,” he said. “They don’t want to give it to you. They don’t want to give you those powers, but I’ve always argued that since the writer is the origin of the piece, they deserve to be respected.” “Don’t be unreasonable because there is a very strong possibility that other people’s ideas will be as good as yours but there comes a … [Read more...] about Christopher Hampton Talks Screenwriter Control; ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ Sprint Against Miloš Forman – Qumra Masterclass

EXCLUSIVE: The Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews , held in northern Scotland, has set the lineup for its second edition, running April 14 – 16. Over the course of three days, the festival will host a series of official screenings and industry talks from filmmakers and artists such as director Joe Russo ( Avengers: Endgame, The Gray Man ), who returns to St Andrews after supporting the inaugural edition in 2022. Russo will be bringing with him what the festival has described as an “early sneak peek of a hotly anticipated project” that he has executive produced under his AGBO production outfit. The title of the pic will not be unveiled until the screening begins. The festival has also set Russo as the host of a public discussion on gaming and contemporary storytelling with Epic Games Chief Creative Officer Donald Mustard, who has worked as a creator and director on titles such as Fortnite . Russo’s AGBO is among the backers of Sands, alongside … [Read more...] about Scotland’s Sands International Film Festival Of St Andrews Sets Second Edition Including Joe Russo Talk & Mystery AGBO Debut

There’s a reason they call him The Darkling. Ben Barnes ‘ General Kirigan is on a downward spiral in Season 2 of Netflix ‘s Shadow and Bone as he seeks to expand The Fold and reign over Ravka. While in Season 1, the then-leader of Ravka’s Grisha army was a respected and charismatic Shadow Summoner, Kirigan has done away with the facade for Season 2. After surviving a Volcra attack that led everyone to believe he’d died, Kirigan has returned — very much alive and with a literal shadow army at his disposal that he’s using to stoke enough fear in the remainder of the Grisha army that they will help him defeat Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), who has set out to find the supposedly mythical creatures that can amplify her powers enough to destroy The Fold. “[Kirigan] was always on the wrong side. He’s always the villain. But in this season, it’s unleashed a little bit and he doesn’t have an army to rely on. He doesn’t have these masks of charm to rely on,” Barnes told … [Read more...] about Ben Barnes Breaks Down General Kirigan’s Dark Spiral In Season 2 of ‘Shadow And Bone’

Naming a young Black man’s story after a transport stop gives off strong Fruitvale vibes, but Aristotle Torres ’ feature debut reaches back further to the hip-hop morality tales of the early ’90s, like Boaz Yakin’s Fresh or Ernest Dickerson’s Juice — the wave that immediately followed John Singleton’s influential Boyz n the Hood . Surprisingly, given Torres’ history of videos for the likes of Ludacris and Nas, the soundtrack is light on rap, using unexpected needle drops like Pavarotti’s version of “La Donna e Mobile” to score scenes of spray-can anarchy on the New York subway. In all other ways, however, Story Ave is very much a ’hood movie, in the sense that its young protagonist is both constrained and defined by the place where he lives, in this case the Bronx. That person is Kadir ( Asante Blackk ), a talented young artist tormented by the recent death of his disabled little brother. Kadir runs with a graffiti crew called Outside the Lines, headed up by … [Read more...] about ‘Story Ave’ Review: Asante Blackk Stands Out In An Old-School N.Y. ’Hood Drama – SXSW

Stephen Boss, better known as DJ tWitch of The Ellen DeGeneres Show , who also was a contestant-turned-judge on So You Think You Can Dance, died Tuesday in a Los Angeles hotel room, reportedly by suicide. He was 40. His death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. The office did not state a cause. In a statement, Boss’ wife, dancer Allison Holker Boss, confirmed his death, saying, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us. Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans. “To say he left a legacy,” she continued, “would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this … [Read more...] about Stephen “tWitch” Boss Dies: Longtime ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ DJ Was 40

Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Terry Crews has been tapped as the lead and also will executive produce JumpStart , CBS ’ multi-camera comedy pilot based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic strip. Wayne Conley ( The Best Man) penned the TV adaptation for the project from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, Wendi Trilling’s TrillTV and CBS Studios. Phill Lewis will direct and executive produce the pilot, replacing Kelly Park due to changes in the production schedule; Park is directing NBC’s comedy pilot Non-Evil Twin instead. Based on the popular comic strip that debuted in 1989, JumpStart is set in Philadelphia and follows Joseph L. Cobb (Crews), a cop, his wife Marcy, a nurse, and Joe’s partner Crunchy. Crews’ Joe Cobb is a devoted husband, son, father and Philadelphia police officer. He is also a proud Black man and often feels pressured to be flawless in each of his roles, especially in light of controversies surrounding cops. He is a charming and exuberant role … [Read more...] about Terry Crews To Headline ‘JumpStart’ CBS Comedy Pilot Based On Comic Strip