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"The First Omen" was one of the biggest movie surprises of the year. What could've easily been a cheap, lazy cash-in on IP awareness turned out to be an inventive, smart, and surprisingly disturbing horror movie that just happens to be a prequel. As Witney Seibold wrote in his /Film review: "In an age when long-in-the-tooth horror franchises like 'Halloween' and 'The Exorcist' are being tiresomely revived without a trace of creativity, it's refreshing and splendid to see a picture that is thoughtfully menacing, uniquely stylish, deathfully intense, and utterly terrifying. 'The First Omen' is a film of dank, bloody, spittle-flecked dread, made no less powerful by the foregone conclusion."

In "The First Omen," we follow a young novitiate (Nell Tiger Free) who is sent to help at an orphanage in Rome. Once there, she begins to experience terrifying visions that hint at a grand conspiracy involving unspeakable evil.

Richard Donner’s The Omen begins June 6, at 6 am in Rome, with the birth of the Antichrist and his adoption into an affluent American family. Damien Thorn’s birth and subsequent reign of terror, preordained by franchise canon, make approaching a prequel to a heralded horror classic a daunting task. Director Arkasha Stevenson makes it look effortless with The First Omen, a masterclass in form matched by its compelling horror and characters.

The First Omen, set in 1971, follows American novitiate Margaret Daino (“Servant” star Nell Tiger Free) as she’s sent to Rome to work in an orphanage before she takes the veil. As Margaret adapts to not just her new vocation but an entirely new country and a city in the throes of unrest, she finds herself drawn to socially withdrawn orphan Carlita (Nicole Sorace). It’s through her bond with and concern for Carlita that Margaret notices something amiss within the convent.

Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”) stars in The First Omen, an upcoming prequel to the original 1976 horror classic directed by Arkasha Stevenson.

The new prequel movie from 20th Century Studios will unleash hell in theaters on April 5, 2024. It’s rated “R” for “Violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.”

The First Omen is based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter). It follows young novitiate Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) as she’s sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church. There, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

Ahead of the film’s release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson about tackling a prequel to a heralded classic,...

Oompa, Loompa, doompa-dee-dand, an “immersive” Willy Wonka experience got out of hand. Oompa Loompa, doompa-dee-deece, kids started crying, parents called the police.

The event in Glasgow, Scotland, was meant to be a celebration of Wonka, last year’s Timothée Chalamet-starring prequel, complete with chocolates, dancing Ooompa-Loompas, and special audio and visual effects. Produced by organizers House of Illuminati, the event was billed as a “journey filled with wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn,” though the main surprise turned out to be that generic movie spon-c0n became more unsettling than the factory in Roald Dahl’s book.

Attendees arrived at a small, sparsely-filled warehouse in an industrial section of Glasgow to find plastic decorations, a small bouncy castle, and a surprising lack of confections. Tickets for the event cost up to £35, and many purchasers reported traveling long distances and being barred from entry upon arrival.

One attendee,...

Production earmarked for February start in Hungary.

Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, and Michael Shannon will star in Bluestone Entertainment and Walden Media’s post-war historical drama Nuremberg.

James Vanderbilt will direct from his screenplay based on Jack El-Hai’s book The Nazi And The Psychiatrist, with production scheduled for a February start in Hungary.

Malek will play American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, whose job it is to assess whether Nazi prisoners are fit to participate in the Nuremberg trials, which took place in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Kelley finds himself in a battle of wits with Hermann Göring...

Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, as well as Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, are set to star in historical drama “Nuremberg,” Bluestone Entertainment and Walden Media announced.

Director James Vanderbilt, known for writing and producing “Zodiac” prior to his directorial debut with “Truth,” wrote the script based on the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai. The rights to the book were acquired by Bluestone Entertainment, Walden Media and Széchenyi Fund — who are also financing the film.

The film will follow Malek as an American psychiatrist tasked to determine if Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes. He finds himself in a battle of the wits with Hitler’s right-hand man, played by Crowe. Shannon will portray Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, the chief prosecutor in the Nuremburg trials.

“What an absolute honor it is to be working with such a tremendously talented group of actors.

Netflix and the U.K.’s National Youth Theatre have launch an awareness program after a survey revealed alarming concerns about nepotism in the creative industries.

A National Youth Theatre survey of 3,000 young people across the U.K. found that the “nepo-baby” effect extended beyond on screen talent to behind the scenes roles too. Some 79% of young people believed they need connections rather than talent and determination to make it and a further two-thirds (68%) thought they needed to live in a big city to have a career in TV or film.

To alleviate these concerns, Ignite Your Creativity, a free program from Netflix and the National Youth Theatre, aims to help young people build networks and raise awareness about the wide range of behind the scenes careers in film, TV and theatre. The program will support 500 young people aged 14-25 years in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the Northeast of the country.

The “Nepo baby” effect has been laid bare in the UK by Netflix/National Youth Theatre research that showed the vast majority of respondents believe connections rather than talent are required to make it big.

Unveiled alongside the research, the streamer and theater have launched the Ignite Your Creativity program to “crack the class ceiling,” which will support 500 young people in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the North East to build industry connections and knowledge of behind the scenes careers in film, TV and theater.

Four out of five (79%) of the 3,000 young people surveyed believe they need connections rather than talent and determination to make it, and that the issue isn’t limited to on-screen success but covers a wealth of positions behind the camera. One respondent to the survey said “nepo babies” emerge at all levels, adding: “Most people don’t seem to realize that this kind of nepotism isn’t just for celebrities.

U.K. director Mike Leigh directs films in a wide range of moods but his working-class dramas are what made his name. All or Nothing is an emotionally punishing story of everyday life on a lower rung of a stagnant economy, where nobody has dreams and pessimism is the order of the day. The bitterness and anger are most evident in the abusive attitudes and verbal brutality from one generation to the next, even with the caring, sensitive Penny (Lesley Manville) and the inoffensive Phil (Timothy Spall). Leigh’s players craft heartbreaking characters whose individual miseries can’t be dismissed. We invest heavily in the hope of a positive outcome even as everything we see says, ‘no.’ Yet the film’s honesty doesn’t want us to give up on these people.

All or Nothing

Blu-ray

Severin Films

2002 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 128 min. / Street Date November 23, 2021 / Available from Amazon / 29.95

Starring: Lesley Manville,...

Following the first two films of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – earlier this year, the MCU, having apparently exhausted the current universe of heroes, now embarks – with Eternals – on telling the tale of a new team of heroes who are, in actuality, ancient aliens that have been coexisting with humans for thousands of years subtly guiding and protecting the planet and it inhabitants from those that may cause it harm. Now, the old foes of the Eternals, the Deviants, have surfaced again in an attempt to gain control of the world, forcing the Eternals themselves to emerge from hiding to battle their fiercest enemy.

Director Chloé Zhao – whose last film, Nomadland (2020), took home the Oscars for Film, Actress, and director as well as a host of other awards – does an admirable job keeping the varying storylines flowing...

Taylor Swift was almost cast in Les Misérables — but she didn’t land the role of Éponine for what director Tom Hooper says is a very “flattering” reason.

Hooper, who would eventually go on to direct the singer in Cats, revealed in a recent interview with Vulture that while he came close to casting Swift in the 2012 movie, he ultimately didn’t believe Swift fit the character of an impoverished girl who gets overlooked.

“She had auditioned for Les Mis. She rather brilliantly auditioned for Éponine. I didn’t cast her, but I got very close to it,” Hooper, 47, told Vulture.

The film of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” arrives without so much buzz as hisses thanks to a trailer released back in July which seemed to horrify more than to suggest a beloved fantasy musical that has, according to provided production information, been staged for over 81 million people in more than 50 countries and in 19 languages since its London premiere in 1981.

In its original theatrical presentation, “Cats” was weird, yes, but also an admirably immersive, intimate blend of junkyard pizzazz, busy makeup, leg warmers, T.S. Eliot rhymes and Webber earworms that, in its nonsensical Jellicle-osity, added up to something reasonably transportive. It never purred, but it pranced, preened and projected enough to be cat-video distracting, even as it augured decades of stage musicals that favored the flashy over the finely tuned.

But Tom Hooper’s jarring fever dream of a spectacle is like something that escaped from Dr. Moreau’s creature...

Universal and Working Title’s feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Cats has started filming with the studios announcing the official parts to many of the castmembers who have already been announced, i.e. Taylor Swift who will play Bombalurina, James Corden as Bustopher Jones, and as many have surmised, Jennifer Hudson is Grizabella.

Also starring is Dame Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba as Macavity, Sir Ian McKellen as Gus, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots and Francesca Hayward as Victoria. Deadline exclusively broke many of the Cats castings.

Many have wondered how Cats will appear on screen, and the Tom Hooper-directed production is using a new technology to transform cast members into a vivid new vision of their characters.

Hooper adapted with Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), and is producing with Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, as well as Debra Hayward,...

"The Furniture," by Daniel Walber, is devoted to Mike Leigh this week for his 75th birthday. (Click on the images to see them in magnified detail.)

Topsy-Turvy is a subtle, even deceptive film. It moves like a light-hearted showbiz comedy, almost a Victorian Waiting for Guffman. Yet there’s much more going on. Why is it so long, for example? What is Mike Leigh trying to express with so many characters? Why "The Mikado"?

These are questions that can be answered by paying close attention to its production design, the Oscar-nominated work of Eve Stewart and Helen Scott. This is a film about London at the peak of the British Empire, a metropolis gobbling up the riches and the bric-a-brac of the entire world. And the chosen entertainment of its people, eager to take in the sights and sounds of their imperial fantasies, were the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

A sick film for sick people, Gore Verbinski’s “A Cure for Wellness” is the strangest movie that a major studio has released since 2014’s “Inherent Vice” (a Thomas Pynchon adaptation that only got the green light because everybody wants to be in the Paul Thomas Anderson business, even though that business hasn’t been profitable in a very long time). A thick, festering chunk of psychological horror that feels like a full-bodied Guillermo del Toro remake of “Shutter Island,” this woozy 146-minute nightmare does for workaholics what Val Lewton did for cat people, and it does so in ridiculous style. It isn’t particularly smart, but a Hollywood product this screwy doesn’t really have to be — even at its most half-baked, “A Cure for Wellness” is still a thrilling reminder of what can happen in the increasingly rare instance when a visionary filmmaker is given serious cash without...

Exclusive: First look at Annette Bening and Jamie Bell in Barbara Broccoli-produced drama shooting in UK.

Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annette Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.

Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!

The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.

Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.

Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...

Exclusive: First look at Annete Bening and Jamie Bell in Barbara Broccoli-produced drama shooting in UK.

Screen can reveal the first image from Barbara Broccoli-produced UK romance-drama Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annete Bening (American Beauty) as Hollywood golden age actress Gloria Grahame.

Bening stars alongside Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) in the true story of the young Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner who fell in love with the older Hollywood actress Grahame, an Oscar-winner known for performances in Crossfire, The Bad And The Beautiful and Oklahoma!

The duo’s bond intensified after Grahame was diagnosed with terminal cancer and went to stay with Turner’s family home in Liverpool.

Cast on the long-gestating biopic also includes Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Graham, Frances Barber and Leanne Best.

Broccoli of James Bond producer Eon and Synchronistic Pictures’ Colin Vaines (Coriolanus) produce, while Im Global is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Lionsgate...

Exclusive: Paul McGuigan-directed drama, written by Matt Greenhalgh, to shoot June 27 in UK; Annette Bening, Jamie Bell lead cast.

Im Global will launch sales in Cannes on prestige UK package Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, set to star BAFTA-winners Annette Bening (The Kids Are Alright), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) and Julie Walters (Brooklyn).

Lucky Number Slevin and Sherlock director Paul McGuigan will direct the period feature, written by Control and Nowhere Boy writer Matt Greenhalgh.

James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli (Spectre) will produce under her Eon Productions banner alongside Gangs Of New York executive and Coriolanus producer Colin Vaines. Stuart Ford’s Im Global will also co-finance.

Based on the memoir by British actor Peter Turner, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool follows the playful, but passionate relationship between Turner (Bell) and the eccentric Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening), who rose to fame in the 1940s.

What starts...

I'm sure most of you watched the Academy Awards last night, so I wanted to create a place for you to talk to us and your fellow commenters about the winners, losers, snubs, performances, and host. For good reason, the topic of diversity was looming large in the minds of the producers of the broadcast, and I thought host Chris Rock did a great job of ripping Hollywood while at the same time creating a call to action for equal opportunity in the industry (which is all the controversy really boils down to). For addressing a tough, complicated issue that obviously doesn't start and end with the organization of the Oscars, I thought it was handled about as well as it could have been.

As for the winners and losers, I was pleasantly surprised to see Mad Max: Fury Road take home as many awards as it did, considering what...

The International Press Academy has revealed the nominees of the 20th Satellite Awards and Ridley Scott's "The Martian" led the pack with nine nominations including Best Film. Winners will be announced on February 21st.

Here's your complete list of nominees of the 20th Satellite Awards:

Motion Picture

Spotlight, Open Road

Sicario, Lionsgate

Room, A24

The Revenant, 20th Century Fox

The Martian, 20th Century Fox

Carol, The Weinstein Co.

Brooklyn, Fox Searchlight

Bridge of Spies, DreamWorks

Black Mass, Warner Bros.

The Big Short, Paramount

Director

Tom Hooper, The Danish Girl

Thomas McCarthy, Spotlight

Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies

Ridley Scott, The Martian

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Actress in a Motion Picture

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Carey Mulligan, Suffragette

Brie Larson, Room

Blythe Danner, I.ll See You in My Dreams

Actor in a Motion Picture

Will Smith, Concussion

Tom Hardy, Legend

Michael Fassbender,...

In bringing the story of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) to the screen, Tom Hooper reunited with costume designer Paco Delgado and production designer Eve Stewart, both of whom received Oscar nominations for the director’s previous outing, “Les Miserables.” With “The Danish Girl,” the two are once again given the opportunity to meticulously recreate the styles and settings of a bygone era, and this time, their work could pay off in wins. -Break- Subscribe to Gold Derby Breaking News Alerts & Experts’ Latest Oscar Predictions Delgado currently holds third place in our predictions with odds of 9/2. Known for his work with Pedro Almodovar (“Bad Education” in 2004 and “The Skin I Live In” in 2011) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Biutiful” in 2010), the costumer could benefit from the academy’s bias for period dramas in this category, which you could usually just call Best ...

Bridge Of Spies

Nominees for the Art Directors Guild (Adg, Iatse Local 800) 20th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in 11 categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos were announced by Adg Council Chair Marcia Hinds and Awards Producer Thomas Wilkins.

The 20th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards presented by Dxv by American Standard, will take place on Sunday, January 31, 2016 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.

The Art Directors Guild (Iatse Local 800) represents 2,300 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film, television and theater as Production Designers, Art Directors, Assistant Art Directors; Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists; Illustrators and Matte Artists; Set Designers and Model Makers; and Previs Artists.

The Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2015 Are:

1. Period Film

Bridge Of Spies

Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen...

Coco here, ready to talk about the Art Directors Guild and their wacky nominations. 

Usually we reserve the term category fraud for when lead performances are nominated in less competitive supporting categories, but the Art Directors Guild suggests we expand the definition. The Guild divides its film categories into period, fantasy, and contemporary, which makes senses. But this year's nominations suggest the division between the three categories are rather arbitrary. (The Film Experience is on the record saying that categories only matter if you follow the rules, so maybe the Adg should read this piece by our beloved Nathaniel.)

Anyway, here are the nominations:

Production Design (Period Film)

Bridge of Spies - Adam Stockhausen

Crimson Peak - Thomas Sanders

The Danish Girl - Eve Stewart

The Revenant - Jack Fisk

Trumbo - Mark Rickner 

Thomas Sanders's gothic sets are gorgeous, but Crimson Peak is a movie about ghosts. The...

The Art Directors Guild has unveiled the nominees of its 20th anual Excellence in Production Design Awards and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is one of the contenders in the Contemporary Feature Film category. But it may be hard for the force to beat the magical "Cinderella!"

And as a big Madonna fan, yup I'm a Rebel Heart, it's heartwarming to see the icon as one of the nominees in the Short Format category for her "Ghosttown" music video! The only music video nominated!

Winners will be announced on January 31. Here's the full list of nominees of the Art Directors Guild Awards:

Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2015

Period Film

Bridge Of Spies

Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen

Crimson Peak

Production Designer: Thomas E. Sanders

The Danish Girl

Production Designer: Eve Stewart

The Revenant

Production Designer: Jack Fisk

Trumbo

Production Designer: Mark Ricker

Fantasy Film

Cinderella

Production Designer:...

On Sunday, December 20th the St. Louis Film Critics Association released their annual best of the year awards.

Here is the official press release with the list of winners:

St. Louis Film Critics Announce 2015 Awards

“Spotlight,” “The Revenant” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” top winners

For Immediate Release

“Spotlight,” “The Revenant” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” were the top winners in this year’s St. Louis Film Critics Association 2015 Awards, announced Sunday.

“Spotlight,” a drama about the Boston Globe investigation of pedophile priests, won Best Film, Director – Tom McCarthy and Original Screenplay, written by Josh Singer and McCarthy.

“The Revenant,” based on Hugh Glass’s wilderness survival story, was also recognized with three — Leonardo DiCaprio – Best Actor, Emmanuel Lubezki – Cinematography and Scene – Hugh being mauled by the grizzly bear.

“Mad Max: Fury Road,” the fourth installment in the futuristic action thriller, received three — Best Editing, Visual Effects and Art Direction.

Awards show season is off and running, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association just announced their nominees for the 2016 Critics' Choice Awards.

On top of the film heap with a whopping 13 nods is “Mad Max: Fury Road,” while the television leader, “Fargo,” has an impressive eight mentions overall.

The 2016 Critics’ Choice Awards is slated to air on the A&E Network on January 17th. Here’s the complete list of nominees-

Movies

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Sicario

Spotlight

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Johnny Depp, Black Mass

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Supporting Actor

Paul Dano,...

Critics Choice Awards Best Actress nominee Cate Blanchett in 'Carol.' Television Best Reality Show, Competition Chopped. Face Off. MasterChef Junior. Survivor. The Amazing Race. The Voice. Best Reality Show Host Ted Allen, Chopped. Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race. James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio. Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night. Jeff Probst, Survivor. Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen. Best Structured Reality Show Antiques Roadshow. Inside The Actors Studio. MythBusters. Project Greenlight. Shark Tank. Undercover Boss. Best Talk Show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Graham Norton Show. The Late Late Show with James Corden. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Best Unstructured Reality Show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Cops. Deadliest Catch. Intervention. Naked and Afraid. Pawn Stars. Best Actor In A Comedy Series Anthony Anderson, Black-ish. Aziz Ansari, Master of None. Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth. Randall Park,...

The Broadcast Film Critics Association, of which I'm a proud voting member, has announced the nominations for the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards. We're doing something different this year, we're combining both the movie and TV categories for one spectacular night of celebrating the visual art -- cinema and television. And we're going back to our original name and simply presenting the 21st annual Critics. Choice Awards gala.

This year, and after racking our brains trying to figure out who to nominate (our deadline was last Friday at 11 p.m.), George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" led the movie pack with 13 nominations including best picture!

I'll be attending our gala on January 17th and I'll make sure to keep you posted on the winners! For now, here is the full list of nominees for the 21st Critics' Choice Awards:

Movie

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn...

The subtle craft of transforming transgender pioneer Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) in "The Danish Girl" is one of the great stories this awards season involving production design, cinematography, hair/makeup and costume design. For Eve Stewart, the way into the production design was through the celebratory paintings of Elbe's wife, Gerda (Alicia Vikander), along with the dramatic difference in settings (restrictive Copenhagen vs. progressive Paris, though actually shot in Brussels). For hair/makeup designer Jan Sewell and costume designer Paco Delgado, the contrasts in hair coloring, facial sculpting and fashion were crucial to the feminization of Elbe (born Einar Wegene), who became the first known recipient of sex reassignment surgery. (Additionally, cinematographer Danny Cohen played with light to explore the physical and emotional journey and made subtle adjustments in camera height to accentuate Elbe's feminine side.) "It's very peculiar,...

Last week, I wrote about how visual effects can help an audience escape into another world in a film. A movie’s sets can do the same thing, convincing the audience that it is in the same world as the characters, regardless of that world’s time period or geographic location. Indeed, sets can help build a world that does not even exist on earth. The Academy Award for Best Production Design (previously known as Best Art Direction) awards a film’s production designer, responsible for the overall sets, and its set decorator, responsible for filling up those sets with props, among other things. The category tends to reward a combination of period and fantasy films. But while period films certainly predominate, at least one fantasy title, sometimes more, scores every year. Contemporary nominees are rare. But what this category tends to value more than anything else is grandeur. Like most crafts categories,...

Toronto – Like Einar Wegner’s battle to acknowledge her true self, there is something off about “The Danish Girl.” It’s beautifully made. It features strong performances from leading actors Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. It tackles a subject matter Hollywood has long ignored with a serious and compassionate voice. But, as Tom Hooper’s new drama unspools over its two-hour running time it’s clear something isn’t quite right The adaption of David Ebershoff’s acclaimed novel chronicles how Einar (Redmayne) transitioned from a married, moderately successful painter in 1920’s Denmark to Lili Elbe, reportedly the first transgender woman to undergo successful sexual reassignment surgery. Moreover, it focuses a good deal of attention on how Lili’s arrival affected her unsuspecting wife Gerda (Vikander). So much so that the story often seems to be more from Gerda’s perspective even if Lili’s journey is fueling the narrative.

Tonight, Hollywood Blvd. was buzzing with excitement for the World Premiere of the all new Muppet caper Muppets Most Wanted, held at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, CA. Stars from the film, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Constantine, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Sweetums, Josh Groban, Ray Liotta, and Danny Trejo greeted fans as they walked the red carpet. Also, director James Bobin, producer David Hoberman, producer Todd Lieberman, writer/executive producer Nicholas Stoller, and executive producer John G. Scotti were there to support the film. Special guests included Angie Everhart, Terry Crews, Tito Ortiz, Ken Marino, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and more. Check out the Muppet fun below!

Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as...

Fortissimo to introduce the project at the Efm and handle world-wide sales on the film.

Fortissimo Films has acquired comedy The Time of Their Lives, from writer-director Roger Goldby.

The cast includes former Dynasty star Joan Collins, Pauline Collins and the original Django, Franco Nero.

The film is in pre-production with filming set to start summer 2014.

Produced by Sarah Sulick for Bright Pictures, the film also has The King’s Speech designer Eve Stewart on board, together with three-time Oscar-winner Sir Tim Rice who will executive produce and oversee the soundtrack.

Joan Collins plays a former Hollywood star who escapes her London retirement home and travels to France to gate-crash her ex-husband’s funeral. Pauline Collins plays a housewife with a failing marriage who joins Collins on the trip. Along the way, the pair becomes romantically embroiled with a reclusive Frenchman played by Franco Nero.

The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo’s Nicole Mackey and Bright Pictures...

Fortissimo to introduce the project at the Efm and handle world-wide sales on the film.

Fortissimo Films has acquired comedy The Time of Their Lives, from writer-director Roger Goldby.

The cast includes former Dynasty star Joan Collins, Pauline Collins and the original Django, Franco Nero.

The film is in pre-production with filming set to start summer 2014.

Produced by Sarah Sulick for Bright Pictures, the film also has The King’s Speech designer Eve Stewart on board, together with three-time Oscar-winner Sir Tim Rice who will executive produce and oversee the soundtrack.

Joan Collins plays a former Hollywood star who escapes her London retirement home and travels to France to gate-crash her ex-husband’s funeral. Pauline Collins plays a housewife with a failing marriage who joins Collins on the trip. Along the way, the pair becomes romantically embroiled with a reclusive Frenchman played by Franco Nero.

The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo’s Nicole Mackey and Bright Pictures...

“I’m so glad I did it. I kick myself sometimes, thinking that I nearly turned it down. That would have been one of the biggest regrets of my life, because every day is funny. Every day.”

We’re in Ricky Gervais’ dressing room on the set of the new Muppets film. He’s currently explaining how he almost missed the opportunity to star in the movie due to scheduling conflicts. And he’s doing so while dressed as a lemur.

“I’ve loved the Muppets for about thirty-five years. I used to watch them every Sunday.” Gervais reveals, “I’ve got older brothers and sisters, and even when I was young, I saw them laughing at what I thought was a kid’s show. And I thought, ‘there’s something else about this kid’s show’.”

Gervais isn’t alone in his love of the Muppets. There’s something about Kermit and Co.

‘Disney’s Muppets Most Wanted takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theatres in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit the Frog—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon, and Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard.‘

That is the boilerplate pitch for The Muppets Most Wanted. Verbatim. If you think that sounds like it’ll be fun to watch, can you imagine being on set for a day watching the film actually being made? Well imagine no more…

It was Monday 5th March 2013 and a significant portion of...

Joan Collins, Pauline Collins and Franco Nero are attached to star in Roger Goldby's UK road movie "The Time of Their Lives" at Bright Pictures.

Joan Collins plays Helen, a former Hollywood siren determined to gatecrash her ex-husband’s funeral at a glamorous French hideaway. She escapes her London retirement home with the help of Priscilla (Pauline Collins), a repressed English housewife stuck in a bad marriage.

Nero will play a famous French recluse who becomes part of an uneasy love triangle with the two women.

Eve Stewart ("Les Miserables," "The King’s Speech") will design the film, while Oscar winner Sir Tim Rice will executive produce and oversee the soundtrack.

Sarah Sulick produces and filming begins next summer

Source: Screen Daily...

Exclusive: Franco Nero, lyricist Tim Rice, designer Eve Stewart also attached to Roger Goldby project.

Joan Collins, Pauline Collins and Franco Nero are attached to star in UK road movie The Time of Their Lives, from The Waiting Room writer-director Roger Goldby.

Former Dynasty star Collins is set to play Helen, a former Hollywood siren determined to gatecrash her ex-husband’s funeral at a glamorous French hideaway. Helen escapes her London retirement home with the help of Priscilla (Pauline Collins), a repressed English housewife stuck in a bad marriage.

Nero, whose prolific career includes the starring role in 1966 Western Django, will play a famous French recluse who becomes part of an uneasy love triangle with the two women.

Sarah Sulick produces for Bright Pictures, the company she set up with Roger Goldby to make his debut feature The Waiting Room, which premiered at Edinburgh and sold to Lionsgate in the UK, IFC Films in the...

Digital Spy presents a list of winners and nominees at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards 2013, hosted by Stephen Mangan from The Brewery in London on Sunday, April 28, 2013:

Breakthrough Talent

Mike Bartlett - The Town

Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives

Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)

Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story - Winner

Costume Design

Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs

Sheena Napier - Parade's End - Winner

Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)

Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street

Digital Creativity

Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics - Winner

Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic

Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City

Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal

Director (Factual)

Katharine English - Our War

Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes - Winner

John Dower...

Digital Spy presents a list of nominees for the BAFTA TV Craft Awards 2013, to be hosted by Stephen Mangan from The Brewery in London on Sunday, April 28, 2012:

Breakthrough Talent

Mike Bartlett - The Town

Julie Gearey - Prisoners' Wives

Rhys Thomas - Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Director's Cut)

Tim Whitnall - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story

Costume Design

Amy Roberts - Mrs Biggs

Sheena Napier - Parade's End

Odile Dicks-Mireaux - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)

Lorna Marie Mugan - Ripper Street

Digital Creativity

Steve Boulton, James Rutherford - Channel 4 Paralympics

Production Team - Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic

Production Team - Foxes Live: Wild in the City

Production Team - The Great British Property Scandal

Director (Factual)

Katharine English - Our War

Ben Chanan - The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes

John Dower - Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow

Ben Anthony...

The sweeping and spectacular musical extravaganza Les MISÉRABLES has been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries around the globe. Now the motion picture adaptation that grossed more than $340 million worldwide arrives on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on March 22, 2013, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Critically acclaimed and star-studded, Les MISÉRABLES is a stunningly realized interpretation of Victor Hugo’s epic tale of broken dreams, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the endurance of the human spirit.

Hugh Jackman, Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway star in this critically acclaimed adaptation of the epic musical phenomenon. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells the story of ex-prisoner Jean Valjean (Jackman), hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe), after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

The latest adaptation of Les Miserables stars Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russel Crowe all singing their ever-loving hearts out in startling close-ups from director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech). And you can enjoy all of the misery of Les Miserables in your own home with one of the five Blu-ray copies we've got from Universal. These are the features included on Universal's disc: The Stars of Les Misérables: Director Tom Hooper talks about casting the iconic characters, and the actors discuss why it was important to them to be a part of this groundbreaking version of Les Misérables. Creating the Perfect Paris: Production designer Eve Stewart created a massive Paris set featuring real cobblestones and running water. Take an intricate look into the detailed...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

If you didn't tune in for the Academy Awards last night, here's a short breakdown of what you missed: William Shatner showed up from the future, Jennifer Lawrence tripped and fell, and Michelle Obama co-presented the award for Best Picture. It was kind of a weird night, but for the most part, the hardware was handed out to all of the expected parties. Argo won Best Picture, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor and Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress. If there was a surprise, it was that Life of Pi walked away with the most awards (4) including Best Director for Ang Lee. Zero Dark Thirty got shut out of everything except for Best Sound Editing (in a rare tie with Skyfall). Quentin Tarantino was also a pleasant surprise for Best Original Screenplay. What did you think of this year's Oscars? What was the highlight of the night? How would you rate Seth McFarlane as host?...

Hollywood's most prestigious night is coming to an end inside the Dolby Theatre, and GossipCenter has the complete list of winners from Sunday's 85th Academy Awards.

Helmed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, celebrities gathered inside to find out which films received the historic Oscar winner recognition.

The top prize went to "Argo" taking home Best Film, while Ang Lee scored a win in the Best Director category.

Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis can add a new title to their name after taking home the win for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively.

Meanwhile, Adele, Norah Jones, and the cast of "Les Miserables" took to the stage to wow the crowd with amazing performances.

Take a look below for the complete list of the 2013 Academy Award winners!

Best Motion Picture of the Year

“Amour”

“Argo” Winner

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”

“Django Unchained”

“Les Misérables”

“Life of Pi”

“Lincoln”

“Silver Linings Playbook...

This evening’s Oscar ceremony is now over, and with the dust settling on the biggest awards ceremony of the entire year, and the winners and losers celebrating and commiserating together, we’ve put together a full list of the winners (as well as the beaten nominees) for this year’s awards.

Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain nailed the red carpet, apparently, and Sandra Bullock did wonderful things with a diamond hair-clip, while Bradley Cooper and Chris Pine both proved that beards are very much the hot thing right now. But the big events were yet to happen inside the La venue, as the audience sat ready to receive host Seth MacFarlane, and his inevitably cutting humour.

For the most part, MacFarlane was reserved, though a few barbs did land before the end of the night. He played his part also in the excellent musical staging throughout the ceremony, whose highlights featured Shirley Bassey,...

Tonight, Hollywood's biggest stars are at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 2013 Oscar Awards, and Et is bringing you all of the winners as they are announced! (Winners underlined).

Click here for full Oscar coverage.

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Alan Arkin, Argo

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Best Original Song

Before My Time, Chasing Ice

Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi

Suddenly, Les Miserables

Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Ted

Skyfall, Skyfall

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Amy Adams, The Master

Best Animated Film

Frankenweenie

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-It Ralph

ParaNorman

Brave

Best Foreign Language Film

Amour

No

War Witch

A Royal Affair

Kon-Tiki

Best Adapted Screenplay

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Argo

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Life of Pi

Best Original Screenplay

Flight

Zero Dark Thirty

[link...

It’s the biggest night in Hollywoodland and we’re along for the crazy, caffeine-fueled night. Whether it’ll be Lincoln’s night or a wider net of awards there’ll be plenty to talk about for weeks to come.

If you’re on Twitter then follow us tweet the night away over at @heyuguys and you can keep abreast of all the winners as they are announced right here.

Ang Lee’s Life of Pi took home the most awards, with four statues to its name for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

Ben Affleck’s Argo and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables were next, taking three apiece. Affleck’s third feature took the most coveted award of the evening, very much deservedly winning him, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov the Best Picture award, as well as taking home the Best Film Editing and...

And in the end, it was the movie with a snubbed director that took the top prize. Ben Affleck's "Argo" rocked the Academy Awards by winning the Best Picture of the year award. The biggest surprise for me was Ang Lee who went home with the Best Director trophy for "Life of Pi" while Steven Spielberg went home empty handed. His "Lincoln" still won two Academy Awards, one for Best Actor for the great Daniel Day-Lewis' fine performance as our beloved 16th President, and the other for production design.

Just as I predicted to the lovely Anne Hathaway three months ago, she went home with the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her brilliant performance as Fantine in "Les Miserables." This sort of is a blessing from the Academy as well for turning in a memorable Catwoman performance in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises."

Jennifer Lawrence won (and fell,...

It’s the biggest night of the year for Hollywood — the 85th Annual Academy Awards! HollywoodLife.com has the live stream from the Red Carpet, and we’ll stream the entire ceremony as well! Look below for video.

See which stars are wearing what, whose showing sideboob and who ends up on our best and worst dressed lists. Hear from celebs such as Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Kristen Stewart and more as they make their way down the red carpet to Hollywood’s Dolby Theater for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24! Click below to watch the live stream video.

Watch: Oscars Live Stream Video Full List Of Nominees:

Best Actor In A Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables

Joaquin Phoenix in The Master

Denzel Washington in Flight

Best Actor In A Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in Argo...

We're into the final reel of preparations before this year's Academy Awards. Here's a brief reading, watching and shopping list before you join us for live coverage of the Oscars red carpet from 11pm (6pm Est/3pm Pst)

There's just eight hours to go until the Oscars 2013 ceremony begins, and with the curveball chucked last night by Silver Linings Playbook snaffling the Independent Spirit Award, the race remains the most open in years. Will Argo capitalise on the momentum of the Globes and Baftas and take the top prize? Or will splitting best picture and best director (a category in which Ben Affleck isn't even nominated) be just too big a no-no? Might Silver Linings, Les Mis or even Life of Pi sneak up a snatch the top gong from under Spielberg and Affleck's noses?

Join us from 11pm UK time, when Hadley Freeman and Rosie Swash will be...