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Ever since her movie Thelma premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, June Squibb has gotten a kick out of the response that’s been repeated over and over again this year.

“People have really made a big deal about the fact that it was my first leading role,” says the veteran actress, who turned 95 in November, of Josh Margolin’s senior citizen dramedy. “Everybody has laughingly said it over and over. People are impressed with that, and as much as anything else, they’re impressed by the fact that I’m still going.”

Still going is one way to put it. Squibb has been churning out the work in 2024 with roles in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Velma, Inside Out 2, American Horror Stories and Lost & Found in Cleveland. There’s more to come in the new year.

“I do have some work that...

Exclusive: Longtime Universal acquisitions exec Jasper Van Hecke has recently left his role as SVP Global, Acquisitions & Production at the Universal Pictures Content Group (Upcg), headquartered in London.

Dutchman Hecke joined Upcg in 2008 and was known for acquiring, pre-buying and exec-producing feature films and documentaries for global and multi territory rights. He was in his latest role since 2017.

During his tenure Van Hecke managed a team of executives across several territories, including in London, Los Angeles, Sydney and Amsterdam. It’s not immediately clear if he will be replaced.

Among the many films Van Hecke worked on were Pearl, Five Feet Apart, ‘71, Thelma, Personal Shopper, Springbreakers, War With Grandpa, Cop Car, Emily The Criminal, Mandy, First Reformed, Moonage Daydream, Tina, Marley, Apollo 11 and Three Identical Strangers. Upcoming docs include Musk and The Last Journey. Below, the executive runs down some of the career highlights from his time at the studio.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Dune: Part II,” “The Wild Robot” and “Inside Out 2” were among the film nominees for the 40th Artios Awards, which the Casting Society announced Tuesday morning.

The winners will be announced at three different ceremonies that takes place on Feb. 12, 2025. “Abbott Elementary” star Janelle James will host the Los Angeles awards at the Beverly Hilton; “Baby Reindeer” Emmy winner Jessica Gunning will host the London gala at White City House; and comedian Jordan Carlos will host in New York at the Edison Ballroom.

The Artios awards recognize achievement in casting in film, television (scripted and unscripted), commercials and theater.

“As we commemorate the 40th Annual Artios Awards, we are delighted to announce Janelle, Jessica, and Jordan as the hosts for our global ceremonies,” Casting Society president Destiny Lilly said in a statement. “Their remarkable wit, talent, and dynamic presence perfectly complement...

Leonardo DiCaprio turned 50 in November and celebrated with a bash at L.A. hotspot San Vicente Bungalows. But he wasn’t the person whose party people were talking about.

That would be “Thelma” star June Squibb, who turned 95 on Nov. 6 and whose birthday blowout was a testament to how wide the actor’s appeal is. People from all generations packed the private residence to pay their respects; celebs from Kumail Nanjiani, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kathryn Newton mingled about. A 16-minute video of well-wishers included everyone from Scarlett Johansson to John Goodman. It also included her “Glee” co-star Chris Colfer and his husband Will Sherrod pitching “Junerassic Park” — a theme destination dedicated to the actor that includes “Squibb Games.”

Colfer reveals he has long teased Squibb about silly birthday celebrations. “For her 90th, I threatened to take her to Magic Mike in Vegas and for her 95th, we planned a skydiving trip,...

“Kraven the Hunter” is the latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man universe to spotlight a foe from the web-slinger’s rogues gallery. The catch? Just like the “Venom,” “Morbius” and “Madame Web” movies, there’s still no sign of the wall-crawler himself.

At the film’s world premiere in New York, Ariana DeBose, who stars as Calypso alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven, had a clear message for Marvel: Bring Kraven into the mix to fight Spider-Man.

“This is meant to be a standalone film and an origin story, but I do think Kraven deserves that epic showdown with Spider-Man,” DeBose told Variety on Tuesday night at AMC Lincoln Square 13. “There’s literally a whole comic about it. Give the people what they want. I think they should do that. And if there’s space for Calypso and Kraven’s journey, then great!”

As Sony reportedly shifts focus from solo supervillain...

On January 12, 2025, the 30th annual Critics’ Choice Awards will take place in Santa Monica, California, celebrating the top cinematic achievements of 2024. While not as high-profile as some other award shows, the Critics’ Choice Awards are highly respected and often provide clues about winners at future ceremonies.

Unlike other major awards, these recognize a wide range of genres, with specific categories for films like comedies and animated features. One of this year’s standout hits, Deadpool & Wolverine, has secured a nomination for Best Comedy, solidifying its place as a strong contender thanks to its significant impact and widespread acclaim.

The official nominations for all categories are being announced as we speak, and it’s confirmed that Deadpool & Wolverine has secured a major nomination:

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is nominated for Best Comedy at the 2025 #CriticsChoiceAwards. pic.twitter.com/NqJpdYNHuJ

— X-Men Updates (@XMenUpdate) December 12, 2024

As for the full list of nominees in the Best Comedy category,...

January 12, 2025, will see the 30th annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which will be held in Santa Monica, California, honoring the biggest cinematic achievements of 2024 in a proper way. While the Critics’ Choice Awards are not among the major awards, they are very important and often an indicator for future ceremonies.

The Critics’ Choice Awards are given in numerous categories, some of which are genre-related, which differentiates these awards from other major ones that have more generalized categories, with only several genres standing out. In light of this, we can confirm that one of this year’s biggest hits nabbed a nomination.

As you might have assumed, we are talking about Deadpool & Wolverine, as the movie nabbed a major nomination in the Best Comedy category, in which it is certainly one of the biggest contenders when we look at the overall competition and the impact of the movie.

The official nominations...

Poster for ‘Kraven the Hunter’

Remember back when Madam Web came out and we all hoped Sony would do better with its Marvel properties with Kraven the Hunter? Yeah, we need to keep hoping. It seems as if Sony just doesn’t even care about these Marvel movies anymore.

Kraven the Hunter is about a Russian man named Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nosferatu) who survived a lion attack as a boy when a girl named Calypso (Ariana DeBose from I.S.S.) gave him a special elixir. The potion not only saved his life, but gave him incredible strength, speed, and agility. As a grown man, he decides to use these new skills to become Kraven the Hunter, a vigilante who goes after the worst of the worst criminals.

Unfortunately for Kraven, his father, Nikolai (Russell Crowe from The Exorcist), is himself one of these worst of the worst,...

When Beyond the Gates cast Tamara Tunie as the matriarch of the Dupree family, fans anticipated who would join her as the patriarch. Turns out it was Clifton Davis, a veteran actor with roughly 60 years in the business. The Amen actor never stops working, whether on the small screen, the big screen, or on stage. He sings and composes music, plus he’s a minister. He will entertain you on every level, from emotionally to spiritually.

The Early Days

Clifton Davis was born in Chicago and raised in Long Island, specifically Mastic, New York. He’s the son of a nurse and a minister. He holds numerous degrees, including a BA in Theology and a Master of Divinity degree. In fact, he’s an ordained Seventh-Day Adventist minister.

According to a GETtv interview, seeing his first Broadway show, The Apple Tree, inspired him to get into acting. The play starred Barbara Harris and Alan Alda.

Colman Domingo in ‘Sing Sing’ (Photo Credit: A24)

The San Diego Film Critics Society selected Sing Sing as Best Picture of 2024, with the film also receiving Best Actor (Colman Domingo) and Best Adapted Screenplay awards. Wicked tied as the most-awarded film, earning Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, and Best Costume awards.

Dune: Part Two led the list of San Diego Film Critics Society nominees with 12 nominations and won two: Best Director and Best Sound Design. Anora and September 5 also took home two awards from the Southern California-based critics.

2024 San Diego Film Critics Winners

Best Picture

Winner – Sing Sing

Runner Up – Anora

Runner Up – Conclave

Best Director

Winner – Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two

Runner Up – Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing

Best Actor

Winner – Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Runner Up – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Runner Up – Daniel Craig, Queer

Best Actress

Winner – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths

Runner Up – Amy Adams,...

In the long lineage of badass super-smart feminist women in cinema, Geena Davis is one of the greatest. She's weathered a long career in Hollywood, which can be hazardous for women (especially as they age), and has still come out on top. With her recent appearance as Stacy in Zoë Kravitz's ferocious directorial debut "Blink Twice," Davis has reminded us all that she's one of the best to ever do it, bringing some unnerving levity to the film's deeply claustrophobic tone. She can tell an entire story just with her eyes and is an incredible performer, but for many years she was all but absent from the silver screen. So, what happened? How did one of Hollywood's biggest stars just sort of disappear from the limelight for nearly two decades, only appearing in the occasional small movie role or on an ill-fated television series?

There were a number of...

TIMOTHÉE Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Zendaya as Chani in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ (Photo by Niko Tavernise)

The San Diego Film Critics Society is known for marching to the beat of its own drum. Last year, the So. California group named Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret the Best Picture of 2024. And this year’s nominees break from other critics groups, with Dune: Part Two leading with 12 nominations. Conclave followed with nine, and Sing Sing and Wicked each earned eight.

Winners will be announced on Monday, December 9, 2024.

2024 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominees

Best Picture

Anora

Challengers

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Sing Sing

Best Director

Brady Corbet – The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two

Edward Berger, Conclave

Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing

Best Actor

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Daniel Craig, Queer

Ralph Fiennes,...

Cast members of AMC’s hit anthology series “The Walking Dead” accept the Dan Curtis Legacy Award at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in February 2024. (Courtesy photo)

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films will host the 52nd Annual Saturn Awards on Groundhog Day next year, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The awards ceremony will honor the best TV shows and movies in the genre of science fiction, horror and fantasy with its annual banquet on February 2, which will stream live via Electric Entertainment’s platform Electric Now and on The Roku Channel for the first time.

Nominees for the Saturn Awards were announced this week, with Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) grabbing the top spot for the most-nominated entertainment company with 35 nominations. Wbd-owned or produced films like “Dune: Part Two,” “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” and “Wonka” were among the titles mentioned. Dune: Part Two was the most-nominated singular title with 14 potential award wins.

On Wednesday, the National Board of Review announced its winners for the 2024 calendar year, and it’s great news for “Wicked.” The blockbuster film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical won Best Film and Best Director for Jon M. Chu, plus the Spotlight Award for the Creative Collaboration between stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. (See the full list of winners below.) All of the NBR champions will receive their trophies at a New York City gala event on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, with Willie Geist serving as host.

This year’s lead acting trophies went to Daniel Craig (“Queer”) for Best Actor and Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) for Best Actress, while the supporting honors went to Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) for Best Supporting Actor and Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”) for Best Supporting Actress.

Other NBR award winners include “Conclave” for Best Ensemble, Mikey Madison (“Anora”) for Breakthrough Performance, India Donaldson...

Universal’s feature take of the Broadway musical, Wicked, wasn’t only named Best Film of 2024 by the National Board of Review, but the movie was also named Best Director for Jon M. Chu, while its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are receiving an NBR Spotlight Award for their creative collaboration.

A24 after coming up big earlier this morning at the Independent Spirit Awards with noms for I Saw the TV Glow and Sing Sing, saw wins here with NBR for Babygirl, Nicole Kidman winning Best Actress; and Luca Guadagnino’s Queer winning Best Actor for Daniel Craig.

Winners will be honored at the NBR’s annual awards gala Jan. 7 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The ceremony will be hosted by MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist. The group’s awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking and also hand out its signature honors for the NBR Icon Award,...

The National Board of Review has unveiled its 2024 awards winners list. The announcement comes amid the churn of a busy awards week — the New York Film Critics Circle shared their picks on Tuesday, while the Film Independent Spirit Awards rolled out its nominees Wednesday. The AFI Awards list of the 10 best films of the year also unveils Thursday. The Gotham Awards, meanwhile, took place Monday in New York, crowning “A Different Man” the best independent feature of the year.

The National Board of Review awards gala will take place on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in New York. The splashy musical “Wicked” was the big winner, taking prizes for Best Film and Best Director for Jon M. Chu. On the acting side, Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), and Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”) took acting honors. The event will be hosted by MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-anchor Willie Geist.

Whether it's because of the strikes last summer or simply the rapidly evolving nature of the industry, this year's Oscar race is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. The Gotham Awards provided a shock Monday night as A24's bafflingly un-campaigned A Different Man...

Nominations for the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards are in!

The awards show celebrates films budgeted at less than $30 million to produce and must be considered “independent.” There are also TV categories!

For the films, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow got six nominations each. Shogun got the most TV nominations with five total.

The show will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, with Aidy Bryant hosting.

Keep reading to find out more…

Scroll down for the full list of nominees…

Best Feature

Anora

Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow

Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys

Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing

Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton

The Substance

Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner

Best First Feature

Dìdi

Director/Producer: Sean Wang

Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters...

The 40th edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards unveiled nominations this morning, nominating Neon’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora, A24’s I Saw the TV Glow, Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys, A24’s Sing Sing and Mubi’s Demi Moore body-swap horror movie The Substance for Best Feature.

Anora and I Saw the TV Glow equally lead all noms with six apiece. The Sean Baker-directed Anora landed Best Feature, Best Lead Performance (Mikey Madison), two Best Supporting Performance noms (Yuri Borisov and Karren Karagulian), Best Director, and the Producers Award.

I Saw the TV Glow, which made its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, is quite the shocker, busting into the Best Feature category as it arguably hasn’t been on the lips of any awards prognosticator this year. The Jane Schoenbrun-directed-and-written drama horror title follows a teenager who is just trying to make...

Awards season is chugging right along. Next up are the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor the best and brightest in indie cinema and television. To qualify, a film's budget must not exceed $30 million, which means major blockbusters like Wicked and Gladiator II are, obviously, out of the running.

This year,...

Go past the hut at the entrance to an apartment complex off a busy street in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. Turn left at the Aloha Room and go past the little nook with a red waterfall and a sign that reads “Volcano Mauna Loa Falls.” Don’t worry about the black panther statue. Cross a little stream that signs call the Kauai River, look for the door on the left and you’ll find the modest kitchen table that served as Ground Zero for the movie “Thelma.”

First, though, June Squibb will have to invite you in, because the table is at the entrance to her kitchen, next to a formidable glassed-in bookcase that sports an impressive collection of carefully placed volumes dominated by mysteries and thrillers written by Scandinavian authors. It’s here, in this pleasantly kitschy midcentury complex, that Squibb first met with “Thelma...

Although scarves may be accessories, they are essential and have their own category in most stores. Yes, they keep your neck and shoulders warm, but they also add dimensions to an outfit like no other accessory.

Many of the top movie moments are graced by scarves—they may even have revolved around them without us realizing it. There are probably hundreds of them out there, but here are our top five choices, from classics to contemporary.

5. Audrey Hepburn’s Stunning Red Scarf in Funny Face (1957)

The five-minute modeling montage of Greenwich Village intellectual turned model Jo Stockton (played by Audrey Hepburn) is an iconic scene.

In the 1957 movie “Funny Face,” Audrey Hepburn, as bookstore clerk turned fashion model Jo Stockton, wears a red scarf wrapped around her neck while dancing in Paris (Credit: Paramount Pictures)

But the scarf moment was when she was traipsing down the Daru steps of the Louvre,...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! /Film has again put together the ultimate 2024 gift guide for pop culture fanatics. For everyone who loves movies and TV shows as much as we do, we've put together a massive list of media, toys, collectibles, books, soundtracks, and various pieces of geeky gear for the biggest nerds in your life. Whether you're buying gifts for friends and family or trying to get some ideas for your own Christmas list, we've got so much packed into this gift guide! 

So what are you waiting for? Get scrolling, and if you need even more ideas, don't forget to check out last year's SlashFilm gift guide!

Read more: /Film's Top 100 Movies Of All Time

Buy The Biggest Movies Of 2024

As of this moment, the biggest movies of 2024 are Pixar Animation's "Inside Out 2" and Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine," giving Disney the top two spots at the domestic box office.

Since Mission: Impossible‘s inception, the iconic action franchise has continued to influence the genre, even to this day. Josh Margolin’s recent action flick, Thelma, starring June Squibb, also takes heavy inspiration from the Tom Cruise-led IP, which not only is the 93-year-old’s first leading role but also serves as her foray into the realm of action.

Thelma | Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Moreover, per the filmmaker, the Top Gun: Maverick star himself gave his blessing to the new film by allowing them to use the footage of his beloved action franchise,

Tom Cruise Immediately Gave Josh Margolin’s Proposition the Thumbs-up Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Apart from engaging in death-defying stunts on a regular for the Mi movies, the actor has also been a vocal advocate for original and theatrical releases, which explains his new deal with WB. So it’s not hard to see why...

Paul Mescal as Lucius and Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius in ‘Gladiator II’ (Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan © 2024 Paramount Pictures)

Back in 2000, audiences got swept up in Ridley Scott’s epic historical film Gladiator, cheering for Russell Crowe’s Maximus to defeat the psychotic emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in the arena. Now, Scott continues the story in the sequel Gladiator II.

Set 16 years after the original, the sequel follows a grown-up Lucius living in Numidia, preparing to battle the Romans with his archer wife. Under the command of General Marcus Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), the Roman navy overwhelms Lucius’ city. Acacius triumphs, seizing the city, killing Lucius’ wife, and taking Lucius captive as a slave.

Once in Rome, Lucius and other slaves are thrown into the arena to fight against deadly giant monkeys. Lucius survives and in doing so, snags the attention of Macrinus (two-time Oscar...

The man has many classics, but here’s my list of the top 7 you can stream right now.

With Ridley Scott’s sequel “Gladiator II” hitting theaters this weekend, it’s a great time to countdown his top movies on streaming. The director has been making movies for almost 50 years – since he released “The Duellists” in 1977. And he’s done it across multiple genres – from historical dramas to space epics to sci-fi dystopian futures, to road trip movies. So, here are the top 7 Ridley Scott movies you can watch on streaming right now.

Top 7 Ridley Scott movies on streaming - Ranked

No. 7: ‘Black Hawk Down’

No. 6: ‘American Gangster’

No. 5: ‘Thelma & Louise’

No. 4: ‘Blade Runner’

No. 3: ‘The Martian’

No. 2: ‘Gladiator’

No. 1: ‘Alien’

No. 7: ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001) | Peacock

Coming in No. 7 is “Black Hawk Down” – Scott’s intense depiction of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu,...

AARP The Magazine has announced the nominees for the annual Movies for Grownups Awards. The best picture contenders are “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Gladiator II” and “September 5.”

The best actress race includes Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), Demi Moore (“The Substance”), and June Squibb (“Thelma”). The best actor category has Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”), and Jude Law (“The Order”).

Best director nominees include Pedro Almodóvar (“The Room Next Door”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Edward Berger (“Conclave”), James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”), and Ridley Scott (“Gladiator II”).

“Passionate for sophisticated, high-quality content, older audiences have the ability to propel film and TV content into mainstream popularity,” says AARP film and TV critic Tim Appelo. “With this year’s Movies for Grownups nominations, AARP spotlights the talents and work that resonate with this powerful demographic.

Edward Berger’s papal thriller Conclave and the upcoming Timothée Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown lead the nominations for the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which annually champion movies for grownups, by grownups and encourage films and TV shows that resonate with older viewers.

Focus Features’ Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, scored a leading six nominations, while Searchlight’s James Mangold-directed Complete Unknown, which hits theaters on December 25, had five noms. The two pics are nominated for the Mfg’s marquee Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups Awards, alongside Paramount’s Gladiator II and September 5 (which had four noms apiece) and Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, (three noms).

Last year’s Best Picture winner, Killers of the Flower Moon, went on to nab 10 Oscar nominations.

Other notable nominees include Robert Zemeckis’ Miramax-produced, Sony-distributed generation-spanning Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and penned by Eric Roth in...

Edward Berger’s Conclave, which takes viewers into the drama behind the selection of a new pope, leads this year’s Movies for Grownups Awards nominees with six nods, including for the top prize of best picture.

James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as the legendary musician, landed five nods, followed by four-time nominees Gladiator II and September 5 and triple nominees Sing Sing, Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist.

The best picture category sees Conclave face off against A Complete Unknown, Emilia Pérez, Gladiator II and September 5.

In addition to best picture, Conclave is represented in the categories of best actor (Ralph Fiennes), best supporting actor (Stanley Tucci), best supporting actress (Isabella Rossellini), best director (Berger) and best screenwriter (Peter Straughan).

A Complete Unknown is up for best picture, director (Mangold), screenwriter (Mangold and Jay Cocks), ensemble and Best Time Capsule.

Gladiator II, in addition to best picture,...

Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site for Contenders Film: Los Angeles, its annual all-say awards-season movie showcase that took place November 16 at the DGA Theater in Hollywood.

Click here to launch the streaming site.

This year’s lineup featured the stars and creatives behind 21 movies catching buzz this year, with panelists hitting the stage including Kevin Costner, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Luca Guadagnino, Pedro Almodóvar, Saoirse Ronan, Brian Tyree Henry, Pamela Anderson, Denis Villeneuve, Steve McQueen, Jason Reitman, and Jeremy Piven and Shira Piven among many more.

They repped the movies Blitz from Apple Original Films; The Fire Inside, My Old Ass, Unstoppable and Challengers from Amazon MGM Studios; Hard Truths from Bleecker Street; Saturday Night from Columbia Pictures; The Wild Robot from DreamWorks Animation; Day of the Fight from Falling Forward Films; The Performance from Gvn Releasing; Thelma from Magnolia Pictures; Anora and Longlegs from Neon; Nickel Boys...

It's been a quiet few weekends at the box office, relatively speaking, as Hollywood is waiting for the pre-Thanksgiving window to drop a potential Barbenheimer sized bomb on the industry with the release of "Wicked" and "Gladiator II." Both films are expected to do big business and both could be in the awards season mix here in the coming weeks/months, which only serves to give them a longer life in theaters. Fortunately for Paramount and director Ridley Scott, his blockbuster sequel is already off to a great start overseas.

Even though Amazon's holiday movie "Red One" opened atop the charts domestically, it was "Gladiator II" coming in at number one internationally. The sequel took in $87 million around the world over the weekend, with the film rolling out in 67 different markets. That represents the biggest R-rated opening ever for a Paramount release worldwide. It's also, amazingly enough, the biggest international...

More than two decades after the fall of Maximus Decimus Meridius in the arena in "Gladiator," director Ridley Scott is back with a sequel to his Best Picture-winning epic. "Gladiator II" picks up decades after the events of the first film, with Paul Mescal ("All of Us Strangers") now tasked with fighting his way through a series of insane challenges for the Emperors of Rome. But does it end there? Or is there more on the way?

Scott isn't a director known for teasing sequels, save for perhaps the ending of "Prometheus," but credits scenes have become all the rage in recent years. So, we must at least ask the question, does "Gladiator II" have a credits scene that audiences need to be aware of? We're here to answer that question in spoiler-free fashion. Seriously, there will be no spoilers of any kind here, so proceed without fear of having anything ruined.

With every awards season comes something new: emerging talent, groundbreaking technology, fresh storylines. This season, at least six new directors hit the ground running. Actor Embeth Davidtz (Schindler’s List, Matilda and The Morning Show) wrote and made her feature directorial debut, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, about a white Zimbabwean family following the Rhodesian Bush War; actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, Fargo, American Hustle), a grandson of John Huston, wrote and helmed the boxing drama Day of the Fight; Malcolm Washington, son of Denzel Washington, co-wrote and directed The Piano Lesson, based on the August Wilson play; cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Mudbound) jumped behind the camera for The Fire Inside,another boxing movie; Josh Margolin wrote and directed Thelma, based on something that happened to his grandmother; and film editor William Goldenberg (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty) helmed Unstoppable, about a boxer born with one leg.

In...

Contenders Film: Los Angeles photo studio hosted talent on November 16 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles as cast members of films stopped by including Brian Tyree Henry, Ryan Destiny, and Rachel Morrison from The Fire Inside; Maisy Stella from My Old Ass; Jharrel Jerome, Judy Robles and William Goldenberg from Unstoppable; Josh O’Connor and Luca Guadagnino from Challengers; Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn and Sean Baker from Anora; Kevin Costner from Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1; Saoirse Ronan and Steve McQueen from Blitz and Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and Pedro Almodóvar from The Room Next Door.

Related: Deadline Contenders Film Los Angeles Arrivals And Panels Gallery: Kevin Costner, Brian Tyree Henry, Mikey Madison, Luca Guadagnino, Maisy Stella And More

Talent that attended the afternoon panels included June Squibb and Josh Margolin from Thelma, Jason Reitman for Saturday Night; Mark Hamill and Lupita Nyong’o from The Wild Robot...

Thelma filmmaker Josh Margolin pointed the film’s 95-year-old leading lady June Squibb to the same source of inspiration that sparked the movie itself: his grandmother, who shares the name of the title character.

“Josh gave me some little films that he’d made, like of Thelma going to the store or Thelma celebrating her birthday, just to get an idea of who she was and what she was like,” Squibb explained during a panel with Margolin at the Deadline Contenders Film event on Saturday.

“She’d always just been a huge figure in my life and sort of an inspiration to me and someone I always looked up to,” Margolin said of the real-life Thelma Post. “I had been making these little documentaries about my grandma when she was living alone in her nineties for the first time ever,” recalled Margolin. “And it was just an interesting time because...

Contenders Film: Los Angeles, Deadline’s signature and original Contenders event, kicks off its latest edition this morning at 8:30 a.m. Pt at the DGA Theater in Hollywood, giving awards voters the opportunity to experience up close and personal the story of 21 of the awards season’s most acclaimed movies, and to hear directly from the talent responsible.

If you’re not attending in person, click here to launch the livestream.

The year 2024 has been a challenging one for the film community as the actors and writers strikes of last year threw the industry off balance and delayed many films, stopping some right in the middle of production and making it especially hard to stick to planned release dates. What is remarkable is the number of films that did manage to meet release dates and maintain the highest quality that has brought them to our event today.

What a lineup we have,...

After first being released theatrically in the United States on June 21, 2024, “Thelma” is now available to stream on Hulu, as of Friday, Nov. 15. Non-Hulu subscribers can buy or rent the movie for a fee on Amazon Prime.

The Magnolia Pictures comedy-drama stars June Squibb as the titular 93-year-old sassy character whose family members become more and more concerned about her wellbeing. After being scammed out of $10K, Thelma goes after the people who stole from her, with Richard Roundtree playing her trusty sidekick and Malcolm McDowell taking on the role of the villainous scammer.

Josh Margolin wrote and directed “Thelma” in his feature directorial debut. The character of Thelma Post is inspired by a real-life experience of Margolin’s own grandmother. The running time is 97 minutes and it’s rated PG-13.

See our video interview with ‘Thelma’ director-writer Josh Margolin

Gold Derby spoke with Squibb earlier this awards season about “Thelma,...

The lineup has been set for Contenders Film: Los Angeles, Deadline’s signature movie awards-season event. The showcase, which will take place Saturday, November 16 in Hollywood at the DGA Theater, features a star-studded lineup of actors and filmmakers behind 21 Oscar-hopeful films that have premiered this year, many first seen at festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Telluride and Toronto.

Deadline’s Contenders is an opportunity, as always, as a one-stop shop for awards voters to experience the story of acclaimed films up close and personal, highlighting what has brought the stars and creatives and their movies to this moment. The all-day event begins with a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. before panels start at 8:30 a.m.

Click to RSVP for either attending in person or via livestream.

From the Sundance Film Festival in January the spotlight will be on Magnolia Pictures’ Thelma, with the remarkable 95-year-old star June Squibb on hand with her film.

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This November, Hulu is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the surreal action comedy-drama series Interior Chinatown to the Christmas comedy-drama film Nutcrackers. However, for this article, we only included the films that are coming to Hulu this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 7 best films that are coming to Hulu in November 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Aliens (November 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Credit – 20th Century Fox

Aliens is a sci-fi action thriller drama film written and directed by James Cameron. The 1986 film is set in a dystopian future and it follows Ellen Ripley who is sent back to the planet Lv-426 to establish communication with a terraforming colony but when she gets there she is hunted by an Alien Queen who is out for her life. Aliens stars Sigourney Weaver,...

When Josh Margolin first heard that his grandmother had nearly become the victim of a phone scam — in which someone pretending to be Margolin attempted to score thousands of dollars from the elder — he immediately felt ill at ease and violated on her behalf. But it didn’t take long for the writer-director to recognize a great story: What if his grandmother had given away her money and, upon realizing the scam, set out to get revenge? The result is Margolin’s feature debut Thelma, starring June Squibb in the eponymous role as a 93-year-old Los Angeles resident who doesn’t […]

The post “There’s an Inherent Absurdity to the Lengths She Goes”: Josh Margolin on Thelma first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

When Josh Margolin first heard that his grandmother had nearly become the victim of a phone scam — in which someone pretending to be Margolin attempted to score thousands of dollars from the elder — he immediately felt ill at ease and violated on her behalf. But it didn’t take long for the writer-director to recognize a great story: What if his grandmother had given away her money and, upon realizing the scam, set out to get revenge? The result is Margolin’s feature debut Thelma, starring June Squibb in the eponymous role as a 93-year-old Los Angeles resident who doesn’t […]

The post “There’s an Inherent Absurdity to the Lengths She Goes”: Josh Margolin on Thelma first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Regardless of their underlying raison d’être—Sony’s Hail Mary attempt to share the Spider-Man film rights with Disney—the Venom films have been some of the most engaging superhero movies of the post-Avengers: Endgame landscape, if for no other reason than because of their refreshing lack of pretension. Kelly Marcel, making her directorial debut with Venom: The Last Dance after co-writing the first film and writing the second, keeps to the series’s simple, darkly humorous approach, and, if anything, streamlines things even further. Where the first two films occasionally stumble between trying to maintain momentum and attempting to flesh out their characters, The Last Dance runs through the majority of its exposition in brief, easily digested info dumps amid its constant forward motion.

Consider how swiftly the film introduces Knull, the god-king of the symbiote species who lies imprisoned by his own creations. In order to free...

Venom: The Last Dance is set for its worldwide release this Friday. This third installment marks the end of the franchise, with Tom Hardy stating he is finished with the role.

The film is expected to hint at several significant elements, particularly the introduction of Knull. Although Knull is not slated to be the main antagonist, the director has suggested that he will appear in a few scenes and hinted at an exciting future for the character.

Some critics and viewers have already seen the movie, and the first reactions on social media are starting to roll in. As is often the case, the responses are mixed.

While some fans are lauding the film for its humor, clever jokes, and overall spectacle, others argue that this latest installment continues the trend of disappointing Venom movies.

I think #VenomTheLastDance is the best of the three, while still being incredibly bad. It’s bizarre,...

You probably might have thought that if CW’s beloved show Supernatural would go on to have a crossover with another world, it would most likely be The Vampire Diaries. On the other hand, Supernatural fans always expected the unexpected but even then, the show didn’t fail to surprise us throughout its fifteen seasons. Thus, when the thirteenth season rolled in, we did Not expect Sam, Dean, and Castiel would turn 2D and step into the universe of Scooby-Doo.

Supernatural Season 13 Episode 16, ‘Scoobynatural’ | Credits: The CW

As Team Free Will magically got zapped into the animated world of crime-solving detectives, we viewers went on a journey of our own. A journey where two of our favorite universes collided in the best way possible. Since Warner Bros. owned both the titles, the crossover was easily greenlit, but they did have one rule regarding it all.

The One Rule Warner Bros.

John Amos was not a man to be trifled with.

The celebrated actor, who passed away on August 21, 2024 at the age of 84, came to the performing arts from the gridiron. He was signed as a free agent by the Denver Broncos in 1964, and caught on with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967. But, in between those very brief stints, he mostly played semi-pro ball. I do not mean this as a slight. They go hard at that level because they're looking to impress pro scouts. So Mr. Amos took his share of punishment before he started applying makeup to step in front of a camera and portray one of the 1970s most beloved TV dads.

If you watched "Good Times" during its six-season run from 1974 to 1979, or caught it in syndication, you know Amos' James Evans, a hard-working man grinding to raise three children along with his saint of a wife...

John Amos, the actor whose characters in Good Times, Roots and The Mary Tyler Moore Show lent the 1970s a solid share of its too-few portrayals of strong Black male role models, has died in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 84.

His August 21 death, announced by son Kelly Christopher Amos, had not been disclosed until today.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over. Many fans consider him their TV father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor. My father loved working as an actor throughout his entire life…. most recently in Suits LA playing himself and our documentary about his life journey as an actor,...

FX dropped a freaky official trailer for American Horror Stories season four. The one-minute trailer teases a bloody good time, with clips from each of the five new episodes airing as part of the 2024 Huluween Event.

The trailer revealed the following titles: “Backrooms,” “The Thing Under the Bed,” “Clone,” “Leprechaun,” and “X.” All five episodes premiere on Hulu on October 15th.

Michael Imperioli (The White Lotus), Henry Winkler (Barry), Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Debby Ryan (Jessie), and Jeff Hiller (American Horror Story: NYC) star in season four episodes. The horror anthology series’ new season also features Jessica Barden (Pieces of Her), Angel Bismark Curiel (Pose), Guy Burnet (3 Body Problem), Victor Garber (Family Law), and June Squibb (Thelma).

The American Horror Story spinoff is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall, Max Winkler, Jon Robin Baitz, Brad Falchuk, and Manny Coto.

‘American Horror Stories’ Season 4 Poster (Photo Credit: FX...

American Horror Stories Huluween 2024 poster

FX’s American Horror Story spinoff, American Horror Stories, will return with season four this October. The network confirmed the new season will premiere as part of Hulu’s annual Huluween event on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Season four will consist of five new scary episodes. The network’s releasing all five episodes of the horror anthology series’ new season at once for those who are into binge-watching.

FX’s premiere date announcement did not include any details on the five episodes – not even the titles. However, they did announce the new season’s cast. Michael Imperioli (The White Lotus), Henry Winkler (Barry), Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Debby Ryan (Jessie), and Jeff Hiller (American Horror Story: NYC) will appear in season four. Jessica Barden (Pieces of Her), Angel Bismark Curiel (Pose), Guy Burnet (3 Body Problem), Victor Garber (Family Law), and June Squibb (Thelma) also star.

In the glitzy world of Hollywood, where even blockbuster budgets can’t always guarantee success, Ridley Scott’s $45M Brad Pitt film had a rollercoaster ride. This audacious project, initially dashed by execs who thought it was too risky, is now being hailed as a feminist triumph. Imagine: a film torn apart by studio suits only to rise from its ashes as a cult classic championing gender equality.

Ridley Scott speaking at the 2012 WonderCon in Anaheim | Image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

With its once-derided two-woman car heist now revered, the movie’s sparked debates and inspired countless discussions on feminist cinema. Buckle up for a deep dive into the film that defied the odds, proving that even in Hollywood, the best stories sometimes come from the wreckage of what almost was.

How Thelma & Louise and Alien became more than just stories, redefining...

Exclusive: Peter Stormare (Fargo) is among 28 new additions to the cast of Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole, Netflix’s forthcoming crime series based on the novels from Norwegian author Jo Nesbø.

Others featuring in prominent secondary roles include Anders Baasmo (Power Play), Ellen Helinder (Exit), Simon J. Berger (Exit), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Westworld) and Kelly Gale (Plane). Director Anna Zackrisson (Deliver Me) has also joined the production, which as previously reported, will star Tobias Santelmann, Joel Kinnaman and Pia Tjelta.

Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero detective Harry Hole (Santelmann). Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers — and supposed colleagues — operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective, Tom Waaler (Kinnaman). Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons.