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Sparks have shared their new single “Drowned in a Sea of Tears” from their upcoming album Mad!, which the Mael brothers will take on the road this fall on a North American tour.

The song and its corresponding Amber Navarro-directed video that documents Russell Mael’s narrator’s attempts to be “a savior” to a woman trying to pick herself up from emotional turmoil, captured in the visual when the protagonist nearly drowns in her own car as it fills with tears.

“We don’t usually get inspired by anything...

Ahead of their new album, Mad!, Ron and Russell Mael have returned with a new Sparks song, “Drowned in a Sea of Tears,” and the announcement of 2025 North American tour dates.

The dates will occur in September 2025, after the arrival of Mad! on May 23rd, beginning with a show in Atlanta on September 5th. From there, the Mael brothers will perform in Philadelphia, Boston, Brooklyn, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, and more cities before wrapping with a show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on September 30th.

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A Live Nation ticket pre-sale for select dates will take place on Wednesday, April 9th at 10:00 a.m. local time (use code Dance) via Ticketmaster, with a public on-sale following on Friday, April 11th at 10:00 a.m. local time.

The single, “Downed in a Sea of Tears” is a tightly-packaged breakup pop song with a minor, brooding feel,...

Morrissey has once again said something asshole-ish and, in other news, forks were found in the kitchen. This time, Moz has called Sparks “headless palisades savages who threw their old friends into hot molten lava for sexy kicks.” Points for creativity, at least.

The quote comes from a new Instagram post from Morrissey, in which he shared a slew of archival photos from the early ’90s. The final image is of a note written to Morrissey from Ron and Russell Mael, the brothers behind Sparks. In the caption, the former Smiths frontman comments on how “nice” the note was, before launching into the mudslinging.

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As hinted at in his insult, Morrissey and Sparks have a history of friendship. Even when Sparks released the 2009 single “Lighten up Morrissey,” all seemed well. Russel told The Guardian that Moz “really loved” the song. It all came crashing down, however,...

Sparks have revealed new details about their forthcoming album Mad!. They’ve also shared the album’s second single, “JanSport Backpack.”

Originally announced back in January, Mad! serves as Ron and Russell Mael’s 28th studio album and arrives on May 23rd as their first release on Transgressive Records. They’ve now revealed the album’s tracklist and artwork; check them out below. They’re also celebrating the release of Mad! with a multi-continental tour kicking off in Japan and running through the UK/EU in June; the tour will feature Sparks’ first official show in Italy. Get tickets to their tour here.

Get Sparks Tickets Here

“JanSport Backpack” follows lead single “Do Things My Own Way,” and boasts a similarly bittersweet tone. Russell Mael narrates the aftermath of a breakup, frequently zeroing in on his former partner’s JanSport backpack as a sad reminder of love lost; all the while,...

Sparks have announced they are returning with a new album titled Mad! later this year through their new label home, Transgressive Records. Though the duo is keeping further details under wraps, they’ve shared a new single, “Do Things My Own Way,” and revealed international tour dates.

Accompanied by handclaps and soaring electric guitars, brothers Ron and Russell Mael imbue the lyrics to “Do Things My Own Way” with a combined sense of defiance and whimsy: “Gonna do things my own way/ I’m Howard Hughes/ In Jordan Twos.”

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As Sparks shared in a statement, the song represents “our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025.”

Sparks’ live return will begin on June 8th in Kyoto, Japan, and also feature stops throughout the UK and Europe, including cities like Tokyo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Milan. Find the full schedule below.

Their most recent album, The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte,...

Zach Clark’s sci-fi film The Becomers tells a strange yet poignant tale of two aliens seeking refuge on our planet. In their dying world, they’re forced to evacuate, traveling through space sadly separated. Each lands on Earth, where they assume human forms to hide in plain sight among us. But finding each other won’t be easy as they navigate an unfamiliar world and its people.

Right away, this oddball cinematic journey stands apart from typical alien invasion stories. We don’t experience the fear of not knowing who to trust as impostors possibly surround us. Instead, we follow the aliens themselves as confused outsiders, grasping to understand humanity while yearning to reunite. Learning each new skill like language and customs proves both entertaining and unsettling as inaccuracies emerge.

Along the way, the film explores profound themes of identity, love against all odds, and what it means to truly fit in.

When you think of John Woo, you think of action. With movies such as The Killer, Hard Boiled, Face/Off, Mission: Impossible 2, and more, the director has delivered some of the greatest action in the history of cinema, but his next project will be a big departure. While speaking with Empire, John Woo confirmed that his next movie will be a “half-musical” made in collaboration with Sparks, the pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron and Russell Mael.

“My next project is actually a half-musical,” Woo said. “I’m going to be working with the Sparks Brothers, who wrote the script and songs — we are just starting work on some changes to the script.” The director then joked that this “will be my first movie where I don’t need to hire a stuntman.” Woo has wanted to tackle a musical for some time, even coming close to helming...

John Woo movies always have a spark – the legendary Hong Kong director is responsible for some of the greatest (and most bonkers) action ever committed to the screen, in Hard Boiled and Face/Off and The Killer, to name but a few. But we’ve never had a John Woo movie with Sparks – the legendary cult pop duo also known as Ron and Russell Mael, behind such earworms as ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’. Until now, that is. Because, as the filmmaker tells Empire in a major upcoming interview, he’s currently working with the art-pop icons on a very different kind of Woo movie.

“My next project is actually a half-musical,” Woo confirms to Empire. “I’m going to be working with the Sparks Brothers, who wrote the script and songs — we are just starting work on some changes to the script.” While the...

Since Jack Finney’s “The Body Snatchers” was first published 70 years ago, screen adaptations — official and unofficial alike — have taken place in small-town USA, Me Decade San Francisco, a military base, high school and so forth. All had a gist in common: humanity being infiltrated and co-opted by a shape-shifting invasive force from outer space. Loosely playing on that theme, Zach Clark’s “The Becomers” adds a new wrinkle, in that this time the body-hopping entities don’t necessarily intend conquest. They just want to co-exist, peacefully. But it turns out they may have chosen the wrong planet and/or species, because they discover today’s mankind is perhaps too messed up to be worth the trouble.

That’s a good premise for the kind of sly, deadpan absurdism Clark aims for here. But despite its fantastical hook, this episodic narrative lands short of the curiously winsome black comedy quirkiness...

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes…a planetary apocalypse forcing you and your alien soulmate to invade the Earth and possess bodies you don’t understand? Sure, why not.

In Zach Clark’s wonderfully weird “The Becomers,” alien terror collides with a cascading case of mistaken identity. When two genderless extraterrestrials crash-land in different parts of Illinois, they must covertly assimilate through a revolving door of skin-suits before finding each other’s new forms. Clark’s latest is more candy-tart than saccharine-sweet — but for those unfamiliar with his out-there style, this electric portrait of doomsday-defying love serves as a ready-made soft spot for the indie filmmaker.

“The Becomers” writer/director/editor is already known for painting in seriocomic shades thanks to movies like “Little Sister” and “White Reindeer.” He’s exploring themes of complex grief again here, but this time it’s through the lens of a loss...

A scene from The Becomers. Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures

Start with the classic, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Flip the perspective to that of the aliens who take over human bodies. Then tell the story from the ETs’ point of view in a darkly comedic package. Now you know what you’ll be getting in The Becomers.

The film is narrated in a dreamy, romantic tone by a male voice (Russell Mael), rhapsodizing about its great love for its partner who has also come to Earth, both landing somewhere in the Metro Chicago area. We don’t know what they look like, since they must take over a human’s body, killing the original occupant in the process. The result is a new mind in an old body, with the only visible difference being bright colorful lights emanating from their eyes. Their goal is to blend into that person’s life without being noticed,...

Have you ever seen something really horrific or even just bizarre on our planet and thought, 'ugh, what would an alien think if they were to visit Earth right now?'" That's the core question of The Becomers, an upcoming extraterrestrial body-snatch film from Little Sister and White Reindeer director,...

The Becomers: "Forced to flee their dying planet, two body-snatching alien lovers arrive separately on Earth. Determined to find each other, the aliens jump from body to body, but they quickly learn that it's not easy to inhabit their new, fleshy hosts, and that life in modern-day America is more complicated than they could have ever imagined."

"Writer/director Zach Clark’s acclaimed sci-fi genre-bender The Becomers kicks off its U.S. theatrical release on Friday, August, 23rd and arrives on VOD in North America on Tuesday, September 24th. The film will open in New York on August 23rd at Cinema Village, in Los Angeles on August 30th at Lumiere Music Hall, and in Chicago on September 13th at Music Box Theatre, with more cities listed below.

The latest film from the celebrated American indie filmmaker, the visually striking and outrageously plotted film reverberates with the pulse of politics...

The trailer for the 2023 film, The Becomers is here, putting a more gruesome and absurd take to the body-snatching genre. The film made its debut during the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival and stars Russell Mael, Molly Plunk, Isabel Alamin, Keith Kelly, and Mike Lopez. The film will have a limited theatrical release across America before it makes its way to VOD for all to see.

As the summer movie season comes to a close, August brings a shockingly stacked slate of offerings, topped by a film that is sure to age like a fine classic in years to come. Elsewhere we have accomplished debuts, action spectacles, and a thriller from the man who has recently returned to perfecting the formula.

15. Blink Twice (Zoë Kravitz; Aug. 23)

While its new title doesn’t quite have the hook of its original, Pussy Island, we’re curious what’s in store for the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz. Featuring some cast––including Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, and Geena Davis––the story follows a cocktail waitress who becomes infatuated with a tech mogul and travels with him to his private island, where things begin going wrong. Featuring cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in genre-bending comedy The Becomers, and exclusive new images reveal just how goopy and gross the body hopping can be.

Dark Star Pictures releases The Becomers in theaters on August 23, 2024.

In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.

Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances,...

White Reindeer and Little Sister director Zach Clark returned to the festival circuit last year with The Becomers, a sci-fi tale narrated by none other than Sparks frontman Russell Mael and starring Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, and Frank V. Ross. Picked up by Dark Star Pictures, they’ve now debuted the first trailer ahead of a U.S. theatrical release on August, 23rd and VOD release on September 24.

Here’s the synopsis: “Forced to flee their dying planet, two body-snatching alien lovers arrive separately on Earth. Determined to find each other, the aliens jump from body to body, but they quickly learn that it’s not easy to inhabit their new, fleshy hosts, and that life in modern-day America is more complicated than they could have ever imagined.”

Jared Mobarak said in his review, “Writer-director Zach Clark has seemingly worked backwards from the Qanon chaos that...

"I guess we're gonna have to start assimilating sooner rather than later." Dark Star Pictures has revealed an official trailer for The Becomers, an indie sci-fi comedy from filmmaker Zach Clark. This premiered at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal one year ago, and is ready for release in US art house theaters + on VOD this fall. A body-snatching alien comes to Earth, reconnects with their missing partner alien, and tries to find their way in modern America. The "visually striking and outrageously plotted film reverberates with the pulse of politics & cultural trends of the last five years – drawing from Covid, Qanon, and constant states of anxiety – while exploring themes of confusion, isolation, and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers." Starring Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, and Frank V. Ross, and featuring narration from Sparks' lead singer Russell Mael.

Damsel (2018) is an underrated comedy western masterpiece that showcases Robert Pattinson's funniest performance yet. Comedy westerns have a rich history with classics like Blazing Saddles (1974) paving the way for films like Damsel. Robert Pattinson's previous experience in westerns, like The Rover (2014), set the stage for his role as discussed here.

Written and directed by the Zellner Bros David and Nathan, the former two years his sibling's senior Damsel (2018) should be commonly cited as one of the funniest westerns ever made. It stars Robert Pattinson alongside Mia Wasikowska, with this Wild West comedy marking their second of three collaborations. Other cast members include Robert Forster and Russell Mael, along with David Zellner, who frequently appears in movies that he personally directs.

Each of those names provides hilarious efforts against a beautiful Wild West backdrop, particularly Robert Pattinson. This may be his most underrated performance it's easily his funniest and as a whole,...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in genre-bending comedy The Becomers, and Dark Star Pictures announced today that they’ve acquired it for release.

In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.

Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.

Clark...

Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to Zach Clark’s genre-bending comedy “The Becomers,” with plans for a theatrical release in the third quarter of 2024. The acquisition took place before the commencement of the 2024 European Film Market on Feb. 15.

The alien romance film had its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal; it subsequently screened at Beyond Fest and the Leeds International Film Festival. The cast includes Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V. Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly. Russell Mael, the lead singer of Sparks, lends his voice to the film as narrator.

Written in march 2021, the film “reverberates with the pulse of American politics of that time,” according to the description. It draws from Covid, Qanon, and “constant states of anxiety while exploring themes of confusion, isolation and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers.

Last week, a bunch of high-ranking military officials went before the US Congress and admitted that the government has been aware of the existence of aliens and that remains of extraterrestrials had been recovered from UFO crash sites. But the public at large was relatively unphased by this news because we're already so wrapped up in our own problems. How much more shocking can an alien invasion be to say, a global pandemic or a climate crisis?

Seeing The Becomers at the Fantasia Film Festival reflected this mood. The sci-fi rom-com indie satire drops a pair of aliens into a distracted and troubled world much like our own. It was written and directed by Zach Clark (Little Sister) in the early days of Covid-19, joining the leagues of post-pandemic flicks like Sick and Corona Zombies.

“…the film has an unworldly feeling to it…”

In The Becomers, an alien has landed on earth,...

Writer/Director Zach Clark (Little Sister) takes familiar science fiction concepts, namely body-hopping aliens attempting to assimilate themselves on Earth, to awkward results and gets even weirder with it. The Becomers defies easy categorization as it blends absurdist humor with gross-out sci-fi and quirky rom-com conventions. It’s an ambitious voyage aimed to challenge perceptions and occasionally the gag reflex as it examines the power of love amidst a turbulent world.

The Becomers begins as horror, with an alien landing on Earth and seeking a human host to emulate. The alien finds one but then comes upon a woman giving birth in her car, asking for help. The title card then abruptly appears over a revolting mingling of blood and viscous yellow body fluid swirling on the ground. It’s enough to impress upon viewers that this alien species’ body-hopping way of fitting in spells bad news for the human hosts.

As the narrator (Sparks’ Russell Mael) tells his story of star-crossed love many moons away, we watch as violence is wrought upon random, unsuspecting souls. Is the brightly lit, eye-holed entity taking over these bodies the same character as the disembodied voice we hear? Maybe. Hopefully.

Why? Because that would mean it isn’t acting out of aggression. It would merely be an alien creature come to Earth, jumping from host to host until it can reunite with its lover. When one body no longer proves sufficient, it must discard and seek another. When it settles on one that works, it lays low in hiding––using the cash from the pockets of its victims to find its way onto the Internet so it can buy contact lenses that hide its glow without the need of sunglasses. Unfortunately, however, Earth (and especially America) is hardly the “safest” place to hide.

Writer-director...

Some star-packed projects are heading to the 19th annual Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. The just-announced lineup includes films featuring, produced or directed by the likes of Tom Hanks, Eva Longoria, Alden Ehrenreich, Queen Latifah, Tom Holland, Keke Palmer, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Travolta and more.

Over 400 short films are programmed in the festival, which runs from August 10-20. It’s a hybrid event, with in-person screenings at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood complemented by a virtual program streaming on the platform Bitpix TV. It’s an Oscar-qualifying festival in four categories: Best Documentary Short (newly added this year), Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Short Animation and Best Short Live Action. Winners of those prizes automatically become eligible for Academy Award consideration.

Mindful of the actors and writers strikes, the festival issued a statement along with the lineup announcement. “HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes,...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in The Becomers, a genre-bending comedy set to make its premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

A new clip and poster reveal below gives a glimpse at the weird, funny, grotesque blend of genres in the latestby writer/director Zach Clark (Little Sister).

The Becomers tells “of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America.”

Written, directed, and edited by Clark, the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.

A new, exclusive first-look clip and poster has been released for Zach Clark’s upcoming genre-bending comedy The Becomers ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival later this week on July 22nd. The Becomers tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America. You can check out the exclusive clip and brand-new poster below.

Written and conceived in early 2021, The Becomers reflects the challenges of the real world at the time through its pointedly chaotic portrayal of society, with science fiction elements heavily inspired by the original Star Trek series. A true brew of surprising genres, the film is all at once comedic, horrific, grotesque, and romantic. The imminent premiere of The Becomers marks Clark’s second time screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival following the 2016 Canadian premiere of Little Sister,...

It’s time for some body-snatching mayhem.

Zach Clark’s “The Becomers,” about confused alien lovers trying to find their place on Earth, and each other, has debuted the first clip and poster ahead of its Fantasia Film Festival premiere.

“I was really inspired and influenced by 1950s B-movies. I have always liked the disreputable pockets of film history. My general approach to the entire movie was to embrace that and embrace kitsch as an access point,” said Clark.

“Older genre films really invite the audience in. Now, it’s all about visual effects and things looking as real as possible. But this more lo-fi effect asks you to play along in a way that modern stuff doesn’t.”

Also joining in on the fun is the film’s surprising narrator, Russell Mael, best known as the lead singer for Sparks: The cult American band celebrated by Edgar Wright...

Lydia Tár made her Glastonbury debut, sort of, as actress Cate Blanchett joined Sparks onstage at the U.K. festival to interpretive dance during the performance of the cult rockers’ recent single “The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte.”

Blanchett’s surprise appearance was a live rendition of the Oscar-winning actress’ starring role in the track’s music video, which similarly featured Blanchett in a bright yellow suit, sunglasses and red headphones, dancing to her own beat as the Sparks songs plays.

Cate Blanchett and Sparks at #Glastonbury! pic.twitter.

Hollywood superstar Cate Blanchett made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury to perform with US pop-rock duo Sparks. The 54-year-old two-time Oscar winning actress appeared in the music video for the band’s recent single ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’, reports Mirror.co.uk. Sparks are a pop/rock band from Los Angeles formed by brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who perform keyboard and lead vocals, respectively.

Speaking to the crowds ahead of their performance, Russell shared his delight at being able to welcome ‘Lord of the Rings’ icon Cate to join them.

He gushed: “Hopefully as many of you know we have a brand new album, it just came out a couple of weeks ago. We have a super special treat tonight. We did a video for this song recently and we had the great honour of having the great actor Cate Blanchett join us – where are you Cate Blanchett?...

Horror Feature “My (Best Friend’S) Head Exploded” to Premiere in June: "Writer/Director Scott Bryan’s puppet-filled existential horror feature, “My (Best Friend’S) Head Exploded,” will have its two-weekend world premiere this June.

“My (Best Friend’s) Head Exploded” is a rebellious, existential, terrifyingly messy puppet feature made out of material things by actual people. It tells the story of Lydia, a coming-of-ageless vampire forced to deal with the loss of her best friend, Sam, after the pair conjures a moment of complete clarity which causes Sam’s head to explode.

In the aftermath, Lydia must contend with old ghosts, generational trauma, oppressive authority figures, and the confusing fear of infinity to set reality right and save her own sanity.

“I love making weird stuff that a studio would be afraid of and a computer couldn’t replicate,” Bryan said.

The film will show at the Salem Witch Board Museum in Salem,...

The genre-bending comedy features a voice performance from Sparks’ Russell Mael.

Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Zach Clark’s The Becomers and will launch the genre-bending comedy at this week’s Cannes market.

Clark wrote, directed and edited the film, which tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner and tries to find their way in modern America.

Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly star and Sparks lead singer Russell Mael has a voice role.

Clark said: “During the pandemic, I binged the original...

Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to “The Becomers,” a genre-bending comedy written and directed by Zach Clark. The company will launch the film at the Marche Du Film in Cannes this week. “The Becomer” tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America.

“During the pandemic, I binged the original ‘Star Trek’ series for the first time and then I made this movie” Clark said about his latest film. “It felt like life as we knew it was ending, but then again, it also felt like that might not be the worst thing either. ‘The Becomers’ is a story of love, longing, and alienation. A kitsch-soaked, pathos-laden melodrama about our sad, sad planet. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever made and I can’t think of anyone better than Yellow Veil...

Sparks have shared the title track to their upcoming album, The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte, and the accompanying music video stars none other than Cate Blanchett.

In the clip, the Tár actor sports a bright yellow suit and gigantic red headphones, alternating between standing still and breaking out some arm-flailing and knee-knocking dance moves. In the background, Sparks lead singer Russell Mael chills on a stool while his elder brother Ron cleans up a spilled latte (get it?). Watch Sparks’ video for “The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte” below.

Talking to Variety, the Mael brothers said they shot the video in Los Angeles just two weeks ago after a chance meeting with Blanchett at a film festival. “When she first heard it, she said, ‘I’m laughing and I’m crying at the same time,’ and I thought that was a really apt comment about this song,...

Cate Blanchett isn’t afraid to bust a move.

The actress took center stage in the music video for pop duo Sparks’ “This Girl Is Crying In Her latte”.

Dressed in a bright yellow suit and red headphones, the Academy Award-winning actress alternates between staring at the audience and showing off an eccentric set of dance moves while the duo singer behind her in a liminal space.

Read More: Cate Blanchett Insists Awards Season’s ‘Whole F**king Structure’ Should Change: ‘What Is This Patriarchal Pyramid Where Someone Stands Up Here?’

“We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the César Awards last year,” said Ron and Russell Mael. “Little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time (and a splendid person!) would graciously consent to lending her bootie-shaking skills to the first video from our new album, ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’. Dreams really do come true.

Pop-rock stalwarts Sparks landed one of the greatest acting talents the world has ever seen, Cate Blanchett, for their new music video and got her to do what she does best — dance!

In the new clip for “The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte” (the title track from Sparks’ next album), Blanchett appears in a striking yellow suit with red headphones covering her ears, oblivious to Sparks’ Ron and Russell Mael behind her. While Russell sings the song and Ron sits quietly in the back — briefly cleaning up a bit...

It’s rare we cover music videos––mostly those with a major name behind the camera. But no smaller an auteur label could be applied to Sparks, as sui generis as any force in popular music and with whom I spoke twice in 2021 on the occasion of films by Edgar Wright and Leos Carax. (Also this is my place to populate with whatever I like and the release of an album is cause for celebration equal with almost any movie.) With their new album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte arriving May 26, the first single (and title track) has received proper video treatment.

All justification’s in place without the inclusion of Lydia Tár, who has begun a recovery cycle after events from last year. Say what you will about supporting cancelled artists; possibly, also, this is just Cate Blanchett and I’m getting signals crossed. Whatecer the case:...

Cate Blanchett will feature her “booty-shaking skills” in the new music video for US pop-rock duo Sparks.

The accompanying video for the title track off of their forthcoming 26th studio album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, will premiere on YouTube on Friday (3 March).

In a short clip shared ahead of its premiere, Blanchett can be seen donning a bright yellow suit and red headphones as she wiggles her entire body.

Brothers Ron and Russell Mael met Blanchett “in Paris at the Cesar Awards last year”.

“Little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time – and a splendid person – would graciously consent to lending her booty-shaking skills to the first video from our new album,” the Mael brothers said (via Evening Standard).

“Dreams really do come true. We will sleep well tonight knowing that forever we can say we co-starred in a film with Cate Blanchett.

Well, we've got about another month left in 2022, and when many of us will be celebrating ringing in 2023, some terrific movies and television programs will be shuffling off of HBO Max. Sure, they will probably be finding themselves on another streaming service in the near future, but there are a number of great works that you should not spend any more time putting off. What better time to see them than in the waning days of this year?

From the beautiful nature documentary series "Planet Earth" to the Robert Zemeckis breakthrough hit "Romancing the Stone," quite a lot will be leaving the service when the ball drops. As time is not infinite, I've got five recommendations for you to fire up on HBO Max before the year is out, and all five are a grand time that I feel did not get nearly enough attention upon their initial theatrical releases.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSNighthawks.Buenos Aires—1970s Los Angeles—outer space—all of these destinations are contained in Issue 2 of the Notebook print magazine, which will ship out at the end of January. Click here to learn more and subscribe.If you read this New York Times profile of Jennifer Lawrence carefully, you’ll find that she is planning a project with Lynne Ramsay—an adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s Die, My Love. In a follow-up tweet, Kyle Buchanan added that Martin Scorsese will produce.X Crucior is the heavy-metal name of the next film project written by Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks—a musical, of course, continuing their momentum with Annette (2021). No director is attached yet, but if it's not too much to ask, a reunion with Guy Maddin would be fun.According to The Times,...

Veteran studio executives Peter Kujawski and Jason Cassidy will receive an Industry Tribute at the 32nd annual Gotham Awards ceremony, taking place live and in person at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Monday, November 28.

Kujawski and Cassidy are the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the leading specialty film studio Focus Features, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. The former joined Focus when it was formed, rising to the role of Chairman in 2016. The latter came aboard as Marketing President that same year, being elevated to his current post in 2019.

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Focus is known for producing or distributing such...

Focus Features is re-teaming with the sibling duo behind the band Sparks for a new musical epic at the studio titled X Crucior. After appearing as the subjects of Edgar Wright's documentary The Sparks Brothers from Focus, Ron Mael and Russell Mael will put their talents to use, penning and executive producing the film. The project is still in its early stages and details of the epic's plot are being kept close to the vest at this time.

Last summer Leos Carax’s long-awaited Annette was finally birthed into the world. As delightfully strange and singular as one would expect a musical written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael of the Sparks to be, it also thankfully will not be the last cinematic creation from the band.

Focus Features, who released Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, is now reuniting with the Maels for a new project titled X Crucior. While there are no specific details yet on the “musical epic,” the duo will be writing and executive producing the original project and Focus’ Kiska Higgs will oversee production on behalf of the studio. Staying as prolific as ever, Sparks will release their 27th studio album in 2023, following 2020’s A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and, of course, the Annette album.

“We think it’s a modern musical and something that has intentions of being something special and...

Fans of Sparks, rejoice! Not only will we be getting our favorite band's 27th album next year, they also have another cinematic project in the works. After using their mad genius to concoct last year's utterly singular "Annette" with French auteur Leos Carax, Ron and Russell Mael, have begun work on a new, original movie-musical called "X-Crucior." The film will be brought to us by Focus Features, who distributed last year's terrific documentary about the band called "The Sparks Brothers," directed by Edgar Wright.

As to what "X-Crucior" will be about, that information is currently being kept under wraps, but in their announcement, Focus describes the film as a "musical epic." Frankly, that's all I need to hear. We also do not know who will be coming on to direct the project, but the Maels will be serving as writers, composers, and executive producers. Along with the Maels, Focus' Kirsta...

Exclusive: Focus Features is getting back in business with musicians Ron and Russell Mael, after serving as the distributor for the 2021 Edgar Wright doc The Sparks Brothers, of which the duo were the subjects. The studio has today announced the launch of development on X Crucior, an original musical epic to be written and exec produced by the Maels.

Specifics as to the film’s plot are being kept under wraps, and whether a director has been attached to the project is not yet clear. But Focus’ Kiska Higgs will oversee production on behalf of the studio.

Brothers Ron and Russell Mael are best known for their work as the avant-garde pop-and-rock duo Sparks, and are currently enjoying a career resurgence following the release of two film projects including The Sparks Brothers. That feature takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with the brother bandmates,...

French New Wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard’s lasting legacy on cinema was embodied by the thousands of tributes to the late “Breathless” director.

Godard died at age 91 of assisted suicide in Switzerland, where the elective injection is legal. “He was not sick, he was simply exhausted,” a Godard family member told press outlets. The director’s longtime legal advisor Patrick Jeannere confirmed to The New York Times that Godard suffered from “multiple disabling pathologies.”

“He could not live like you and me, so he decided with a great lucidity, as he had all his life, to say, ‘Now, it’s enough,’” Jeanneret said.

Fellow directors, film critics, and actors paid tribute to the late “Band of Outsiders” icon.

French President Emmanuel Macron honored Godard in a social media statement, writing, “It was like an appearance in French cinema. Then he became a master. Jean-Luc Godard, the most iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers,...

Tributes are flowing in following the news of iconic New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard’s death at 91. The French-Swiss director, known for films like Breathless and Alphaville, died Tuesday, according to newspaper Libération and other French media outlets, citing relatives of the director.

The impact of Godard’s work has been vast, including for many working directors, writers, and actors. After the filmmaker’s death was announced on Tuesday morning, numerous filmmakers, world leaders, and celebrities reflected on his work.

French president Emmanuel Macron was one of the first to weigh in,...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: The Sparks Brothers

Where You Can Stream It: Netflix

The Pitch: As its title suggests, "The Sparks Brothers" is about Ron and Russell Mael, the brothers behind Sparks, the best band you may never have heard of. Filmmaker Edgar Wright pulls back the curtain on the inscrutable duo, giving them the career retrospective they deserve. Using a delightful mixture of animation, concert footage, interviews and more, self-described Sparks...

The post The Daily Stream: Edgar Wright's The Sparks Brothers Is a Must-Watch Music Documentary appeared first on /Film.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary “Flee” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2021 at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were presented on Tuesday night in New York City. “The Rescue,” about the efforts to retrieve a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, won the Audience Choice Prize.

The Neon release “Flee,” which uses animation to give anonymity to a young gay man who escaped Afghanistan as a teenager and made his way to Denmark, also won the award for graphic design and animation. It is nominated for Oscars in the documentary, animated-feature and international-feature categories.

Robert Greene won the directing award for “Procession,” while Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville took the producing prize for “The First Wave.”

Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won the most Cinema Eye awards, three, taking the prizes for debut feature, cinematography and score.

Other winners included “Summer of Soul...

This year’s ceremony was uncharacteristically devoid of controversy after politically-charged editions in 2020 and 2021.

Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.

The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.

The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director,...