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Dome Karukoski’s Little Siberia is a Finnish black comedy about punishment and forgiveness, the cycle of redemption that feels particularly hard-earned yet elusive. Characters lie, swindle and manipulate each other, all for a shred of happiness, better prospects that seem impossibly out of reach in their tiny town. Everyone knows each other, secrets can’t be stowed away in the dark for too long. The gloves are off and this is what the film searches through, angling for salvation in characters hopelessly lost and wretched.

Touted as Netflix’s first Finnish original, you can’t help thinking if it couldn’t have been funnier or grimmer, it never quite hits the desired tragicomic balance, since characters themselves come off as prototypes, saddled with clunky lines. The protagonist’s hangdog demeanour too doesn’t help matters; it gets tiring to watch him grumble and whine constantly.

Little Siberia Plot Summary...

I am sure you have heard some version of that short story about the drowning man who kept waiting for God to help him, right? In case you haven’t, well, here’s the basic summary of it: A man is stuck on the roof of his house during a flood, and he is praying to God for help. A rowboat arrives, and the people in it ask the man to come with them. The man rejects their invitation and continues to pray to God. Then a speedboat arrives, and the folks in it request that the man join them so that he can be taken somewhere safe. The man refuses to join them and keeps praying to God. After that, a helicopter comes to rescue the man, and he declines their helping hand too, only to resume his prayers. Finally, the man dies by drowning and goes to Heaven,...

The debate about who would win in a battle between the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore and The Lord of the Rings’ Gandalf the Grey, has been a topic of discussion for ages. So much so that even George R.R. Martin had once offered his take on the topic while appearing at the premiere of J.R.R. Tolkien’s biographical film.

George R.R. Martin | image: Sanna Pudas, licensed under Cc By 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When director Dome Karukoski’s biographical film Tolkien, starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins premiered in 2019 in Los Angeles, George R.R. Martin attended the event to express his love for the author and even praise the movie. Therein, after learning about Collins’ love for the Harry Potter films, Martin joined the debate about Dumbledore and Gandalf’s power and offered his verdict.

George R.R. Martin believes Gandalf could easily defeat Dumbledore in a duel

Appearing...

Quick Links Nicholas Hoult Played J.R.R. Tolkien in a Failed 2019 Biopic 2019s Tolkien Heavily Used a Trope That Tolkien Openly Disliked A Better Biopic About J.R.R. Tolkien Could Still Be Made

Although there have been numerous films and now TV shows based on material by J.R.R. Tolkien and his fantastical masterpiece The Lord of the Rings, few attempts have been made to tell his own story in the same capacity. While there have been documentaries, biographies, and extensive behind-the-scenes DVD extras on director Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) video releases -- only one movie drama has been made capturing the author's own life and experience. Tolkien (2019) was a fictionalized version of the young Tolkien's life up until his ideation of the seeds that would become his epic saga about Middle-earth and the fated One Ring. The movie itself is fairly straightforward, and almost forgettably so.

Upon watching Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones, we’ve all come across glaring similarities between the three fantasy projects. There’s no doubt that both J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin have been deeply influenced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Particularly, A Song of Ice and Fire author has been an outspoken fan of Tolkien’s works.

George R.R. Martin | image: Gage Skidmore, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Therefore, when director Dome Karukoski came up with his 2019 biographical film Tolkien, starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins – George R.R. Martin attended the world premiere. Addressing questions and expressing his deep admiration for the author, Martin surprisingly clapped back at Collins after she made a comparison between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Admiring J.R.R. Tolkien’s Works George R.R. Martin Took Inspiration from Them

While...

Netflix has unveiled a suite of Nordic features and series, partnering on projects with the likes of Working Title, Jo Nesbø, Milad Alami, Dome Karukoski and Sf Studios.

Little Siberia, a Finnish film from Finnish-American director Dome Karukoski, whose credits include Goteborg premiere Tom Of Finland and Jrr Tolkein origin story Tolkein, directs an adaptation of Antti Tuomainen’s novel of the same name. The everyday life of the small village of Hurmevaara is shaken when a meteorite falls through the roof of a car one night.

Cast includes Eero Ritala, Malla Malmivaara, Tommi Korpela and Martti Suosal, with Ina Sohlberg,...

Netflix announced six new Nordic feature film productions at its Next on Netflix showcase in Stockholm on Monday.

The showcase, which followed similar events in Germany and London last week, gave updates on 26 titles across film and TV, including 12 new titles. For the new Nordic TV line-up, read here.

On the cinema front, new Nordic movies include an adaptation of the Key Series crime whodunnit books about Private detective Julia Stark, by Alex Ahndoril, the pseudonym for husband and wife writers Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril.

Working titled The Key Series, the debut feature-length instalment will see Julia Stark hired by a wealthy family to solve a murder been committed at their estate in the northwest of Sweden.

Banijay company Filmlance is lead producing. Casting and the delivery date has yet to be confirmed.

The platform is also getting behind Little Siberia from Finnish director Dome Karukoski, whose feature...

Irish producer and film industry activist Mike Downey has received the inaugural lifetime achievement award of the Stockfish Film Festival in Iceland for his contributions to the international film industry.

The award, presented at a private ceremony Wednesday night, recognizes achievement from professionals in the “academe, production, distribution, film festival and market scenes.”

Downey, founder of Film and Music Entertainment (F&me), has production credits on more than 100 feature films, including Dome Karukoski’s Tom of Finland, Volker Schlöndorff’s Return to Montauk, Agnieszka Holland’s Charlatan and Adrian Sibley’s documentary The Ghost of Richard Harris. He is currently working on Holland’s highly-anticipated upcoming Franz Kafka biopic Kafka. He’s a member of the BAFTA Council, the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

But Downey is arguably better known within the film industry for his tireless activism on behalf of filmmakers in crisis.

Each year we are proud to partner with the European Film Promotion to celebrate ten emerging European talents as part of their ongoing Efp Shooting Stars programme. Today we’re pleased to join the reveal of 2023’s cohort, who we’ll be getting to know better next year at the 73rd Berlinale.

Here are 2023’s European Shooting Stars:

Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy), Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Judith State (Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland).

We’ll be meeting with each of the Shooting Stars out in Berlin next February and speaking to them. So, remember to check back next year for those interviews.

In the meantime, here are more details about each of the intake from the Efp themselves.

Belgium / Joely Mbundu ©Tina Herbots

Joely Mbundu hails from Villeneuve-St-Georges, France and attended school in Flanders,...

New Regency is expanding in Asia-Pacific with the hire of Ben Bishop as VP of international sales for the region, based out of Sydney.

Prior to joining New Regency, Bishop served as president of international distribution at Vortex International, and international VP of TV sales for Asia-Pacific at “Narcos” producer Gaumont. Before Gaumont, he worked with eOne Television International for 13 years in various roles within the film and TV divisions, culminating in sales director for Australia, New Zealand and Asia. At eOne, Bishop sold projects including “La La Land,” the “Divergent” film series and “The Walking Dead.”

In January 2019, New Regency re-formed its international sales team to take back control of its international television licensing activities. With a long-standing partnership with 20th Century Fox for its global theatrical distribution, the Walt Disney Company also handles the company’s home entertainment and first pay rights. Meanwhile, New Regency’s London-based sales team,...

Searchlight Pictures has promoted Taylor Friedman to senior vice president of production and elevated Richard Ruiz to vice president of production.

Friedman, who has been with Searchlight since 2009, previously served as vice president of production, and Ruiz, who joined the indie label in 2015, previously served as director of production. Both executives will continue reporting into Katie Goodson-Thomas and DanTram Nguyen, heads of film production at Searchlight

During her time at Searchlight, Friedman has overseen films such as Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit,” Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” all of which were nominated for or won Oscars. Friedman is currently working on Waititi’s upcoming film “Next Goal Wins,” Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut “Flamin’ Hot” and McDonagh’s next film “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Prior to Searchlight, she worked at Paramount Vantage and...

With the pandemic causing a slowdown in production, there’s an opportunity for already-shot shows from across the pond to fill the gap. Adapted from the novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, “The Beast Must Die” is an intense and reflective tale of grief, vengeance, and privilege that’s as impossible to stop watching as I’m sure the book itself is to read. Anchored by Cush Jumbo and Jared Harris’ indomitable performances, the addictive import could even fill the void left by other crime dramas like “Mare of Easttown.”

Frances Cairns (Jumbo) details her intentions in the opening minutes of the series: “I’m going to kill a man.” She doesn’t know who the man is or where he lives, but his days are numbered. Said man ran over her six-year-old son, Marty, in a hit-and-run, leaving Frances to pick up the pieces of a life left utterly broken. Having...

Helsinki-filmi also produced ’Tom Of Finland and ’Heart Of A Lion’.

Finland’s Aurora Studios has acquired independent production company Helsinki-filmi, which has credits including Tom Of Finland and Tove.

Helsinki-filmi will continue its operations independently while becoming a subsidiary of Aurora.

Aleksi Bardy, the majority owner of Helsinki-filmi, will become a partner at Aurora and join its executive board while continuing to serve as CEO of the production company. No redundancies will be made as a result of the acquisition.

Previous Helsinki-filmi shareholders Annika Sucksdorff and Dome Karukoski will no longer be part-owners of the company after the acquisition.

The Denver-based TV festival SeriesFest is once again going virtual this year, unveiling a lineup of events that include the world premiere of Peacock’s docuseries “Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell,” as well as conversations with guests including actors Jennifer Garner and Mark Duplass, and YouTube chief business officer Robert Kyncl, and panels dissecting “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and much more.

The seventh year of the event, dubbed “SeriesFest: Season 7,” takes place from June 24 to July 11 and revolves around the theme “What’s Next?” and includes several panels and screenings that dive into the future of programming.

Also, as part of the festival, actor Ann Dowd will receive the inaugural “SeriesFest Impact in Television Award,” which SeriesFest describes as “recognizing trailblazers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance in television.”

“This past year left an indelible imprint on our narratives,” co-founders Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith Westbrook...

The Criterion Channel has unveiled their lineup for next month and it’s another strong slate, featuring retrospectives of Carole Lombard, John Waters, Robert Downey Sr., Luis García Berlanga, Jane Russell, and Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Also in the lineup is new additions to their Queersighted series, notably Todd Haynes’ early film Poison (Safe is also premiering in a separate presentation), William Friedkin’s Cruising, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorama.

The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.

See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.

#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014

12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957

About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985

The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986

The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953

Aya of Yop City,...

Apple TV Plus released a trailer for the second season of comedy “Trying,” which will launch on May 21.

The second season will continue to follow Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) navigating the adoption process. After being approved by an adoption panel, they now find that matching with a child is not as straightforward as they had hoped. Helped by their eccentric social worker Penny (Imelda Staunton), they are determined to do everything they can. When Nikki meets a little girl called Princess at an adoption event, she knows instantly that this is the child for them. However, there are obstacles to Nikki’s plan that may prove insurmountable. Ophelia Lovibond, Oliver Chris, Sian Brooke, Darren Boyd and Robyn Cara will also return this season.

“Trying” is created, written and executive produced by Andy Wolton, directed and executive produced by Jim O’Hanlon, produced by Sam Pinnell, co-produced by Tim Mannion...

The 6th edition of MipDrama, launching Friday as part of virtual conference and market event MipTV, showcases new series – most in post-production, a few wrapped – from some of the biggest and most exciting drama series players in the world. Few events will command more attention from buyers. The following are brief profiles of what they’ll be watching:

“Agatha Christie’s Hjerson”

Concept Creator: Patrik Gyllström

Prod Cos: Br•F (Sweden), TV4/CMore(Sweden), Nadcon (Germany), Zdf, Government of Aland, Agatha Christie Ltd.

Distribution Co: Zdfe

Main Broadcasters: TV4/CMore, Zdf

Move over Poirot. The latest Christie sleuth will be a dapper Finnish gourmet who, living in a modern-day Stockholm and hardly concealing his bisexuality, ushers the author and the whodunnit into the 21st century. A light and playful reimagining of a figure who only receives glancing references in Christie’s oeuvre, the series packs a powerful producer punch: Sweden...

Cush Jumbo has said that shooting The Beast Must Die on the Isle Of Wight last year was the most challenging experience of her career.

The BritBox UK original, which has been acquired by AMC in the U.S., tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

Jumbo, who has starred in The Good Wife, said on a TCA panel that she has not experienced working on a series like it before — both physically and creatively.

“I feel like I was pushed to my very limit on this job. It’s the most challenging shoot I have ever been on for many reasons. I get cast in a lot of dramas, and people think of me as quite a tough person who deals with the dark things on television, but actually, I’m a bit of a wuss,” she said.

Making six episodes of a emotionally heavy crime drama on an island is hard enough under the most hospitable circumstances. The upcoming AMC show “The Beast Must Die” somehow managed to do it on the Isle of Wight in the middle of lockdown.

“We were on this island. These characters are trapped on this island. Everything is cyclical, and it energized in a different kind of way,” series star Cush Jumbo said on Thursday at AMC’s panel at the virtual Ctam Winter 2021 Press Tour.

Aside from the various production challenges, “The Beast Must Die” also managed to update the Nicholas Blake novel of the same name, written over 80 years ago. In the series, Jumbo plays a grieving mother who slowly works her way into the life of the man (played by Jared Harris) she believes to be responsible for the death of her son. Writer Gaby Chiappe set out...

AMC Networks has acquired six-part revenge thriller “The Beast Must Die,” produced in partnership with BritBox UK, New Regency Television International and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free.

The series, based on the novel by Nicholas Blake, centers on a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she thinks murdered her son. The program stars “Chernobyl” and “Mad Men” actor Jared Harris, “The Good Wife’s” Cush Jumbo, as well as Billy Howle, Nathaniel Parker, and Geraldine James.

“The Beast Must Die” will premiere on AMC and streaming platform AMC Plus later this year.

“This series will be something special for AMC and our AMC+ subscribers. It continues a legacy of very successful relationships with the brilliant Jared Harris and our friends at Scott Free, and forges new producing partnerships with BritBox and New Regency Television,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks. “The Beast Must Die...

Exclusive: One of BritBox UK’s first original dramas, The Beast Must Die, is ready to begin an 11-week shoot on the Isle Of Wight from next Monday. The series has also rounded out its cast, which is headlined by Jared Harris.

Produced by New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films, The Beast Must Die is an adaption of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, the nom de plume of poet Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

The five-part series will shoot with “comprehensive” coronavirus safety protocols, which include cast and crew being routinely tested for the disease and having to wear masks on set at all times, except when cameras are rolling. They will undergo daily temperature checks and health screenings, while on-...

“Trainspotting” creator Irvine Welsh will adapt his novel “Crime” alongside long-standing screenwriting partner Dean Cavanagh (“Wedding Belles”) for BBC and ITV-backed streamer BritBox U.K. The six-episode production is one of four original commissions announced by the platform on Wednesday.

Set in Edinburgh and directed by James Strong (“Liar”), “Crime” will star Dougray Scott (“Mission: Impossible 2”) as a detective who is investigating the disappearance of a schoolgirl while battling his own personal demons. It is being produced by Buccaneer Media, Tony Wood and Dougray Scott. Executive producers are Welsh, Cavanagh, Richard Tulk-Hart and James Strong. It is distributed worldwide by Cineflix Rights.

Five-part revenge thriller, “The Beast Must Die,” based on Nicholas Blake’s novel, is being produced by New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free. New Regency will also distribute internationally.

The series stars Jared Harris (“Chernobyl”), Cush Jumbo (“The Good Wife”), Billy Howle (“MotherFatherSon...

The BBC and ITV’s joint-venture streamer BritBox has pulled the curtain back on its first slate of UK drama originals, just weeks after Deadline revealed that Damian Lewis and Dominic West will star in an adaptation of A Spy Among Friends for the streamer.

Building on the Kim Philby espionage thriller, which BritBox is co-producing with Spectrum Originals, the subscription video service has announced three fresh projects — all of which are literary adaptations with British writing, directing, and acting talent at their core. They will premiere in 2021.

First up, New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films will make The Beast Must Die, an adaption of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, the nom de plume of poet Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

Upcoming talent to be showcased at the Berlin Film Festival.

The 10 young actors selected for this year’s European Shooting Stars has been unveiled.

European Film Promotion (Efp) has revealed the selection of upcoming talent, which will be introduced to international casting directors, producers and filmmakers at the Berlin Film Festival next month.

They include Germany’s Jonas Dassler, who starred as serial killer Fritz Honka in Faith Akin’s The Golden Glove, a biography of German serial killer Fritz Honka, which played in competition at last year’s Berlinale.

The selection also features Poland’s Bartosz Bielenia from Poland,...

European Film Promotion has unveiled the 10 Shooting Stars, up-and-coming acting talents set to break out internationally, who will be honored at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival.

The selection comprises Bartosz Bielenia from Poland, star of Jan Komasa’s “Corpus Christi,” among films shortlisted for this year’s best international feature film Oscar; France’s Zita Hanrot, the voice talent of Zunaira in animated Oscar contender “The Swallows of Kabul” who broke out locally with Philippe Faucon’s “Fatima”; and Portugal’s Joana Ribeiro who is currently shooting Antoine Fuqua’s action thriller “Infinite” for Paramount alongside Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Previous Shooting Stars include Alicia Vikander, Alba Rohrwacher, Matthias Schoenaerts, Pilou Asbæk and Baltasar Kormákur.

The Shooting Stars initiative is also honoring German actor Jonas Dassler, who made a splash at Berlin last year with his performance as a serial killer in Fatih Akin’s “The Golden Glove”; Dutch actor Bilal Wahib,...

The 2020 edition of European Shooting Stars has unveiled the 10 young acting talents it will spotlight, with participants arriving with credits including Polish Oscar shortlisted feature Corpus Christi.

On the list is Polish actor Bartosz Bielenia, whose turn as an amateur priest in Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi has already earned him acting awards at the Stockholm, Chicago and El Gouna film festivals.

He is selected alongside Danish actress Victoria Carmen Sonne, who has appeared in Hlynur Palmason’s Winters Brothers and Isabella Eklöf’s 2018 Sundance pic Holiday; she has won two Danish Academy awards (Bodils).

Also named is Swiss actress Ella Rumpf, who lead the cast of Julia Ducournau’s 2016 Cannes selection Raw, which won her the Révelation prize at the 2018 César Awards, and Jakob Lass’s 2017 Berlin title Tiger Girl. Rumpf will also appear this year in upcoming German Netflix series Freud.

Portuguese talent Joana Ribeiro makes the 2020 cut...

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has crowned its 2019 award winners. The respected doc event named Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s In A Whisper as best feature-length documentary. The pic, which centers on two emigrated Cuban filmmakers whose passion for film, friendship, and freedom reunites them after years apart, takes a $22,000 prize. This year, for the first time at Idfa, three new awards were presented in the competition for feature-length documentary: best directing went to Mehrdad Oskouei for his film Sunless Shadows; the best editing and cinematography prizes went to Sander Vos and Maasja Ooms respectively for their work on Punks. Elsewhere, Lucy Parker won the best first appearance award for her film Soldiarity, the Fipresci Award was given to Alyx Ayn Arumpac for Aswang, and the award for best mid-length doc went to Jalal Vafaei for Anticlockwise. Victoria Mapplebeck won the Idfa DocLab Award for Digital...

Five industry experts will select Europe's most promising young acting talents for the 23rd edition of the initiative, to be held once again during the Berlinale. The European Film Promotion (Efp) has announced the jury for the 2020 European Shooting Stars. With their combined expertise, the jury will select the ten most talented and internationally versatile young actresses and actors from the 29 candidates who have been nominated by their national film promotion institutes. Efp will announce the ten finalists on 9 January, ahead of the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival where the awards will be presented on stage at the Berlinale Palast on 24 February. The jury consists of British casting director Lucy Bevan, who most recently cast the upcoming major studio productions: Universal's Cats, Disney's Cruella, and Fox's Death on the Nile; award-winning Finnish director Dome Karukoski, whose films The Home of the Dark Butterflies and Tom of...

Lucy Bevan, casting director on “Cats” and “Cruella,” is among the jury members for the upcoming edition of European Film Promotion’s annual European Shooting Stars. It selects Europe’s best young acting talent, with the roster unveiled ahead of the Berlin Film Festival in February, where they will receive their awards.

Bevan will be joined on the five-strong jury by Dome Karukoski, the Finnish director of “Tolkien” and other films including “Home of the Dark Butterflies” and “Tom of Finland,” both of which have been his country’s Oscar entries. Vesela Kazakova, the actor-turned-director, whose debut feature “Cat in the Wall” premiered at Locarno, is also on board.

Slovak producer Katarína Krnáčová, vice president of the Slovak Film and Television Academy and producer of “Little Harbour,” which won the Crystal Bear at Berlin in 2017, and German film journalist Rüdiger Sturm round out the judging lineup.

The jury will choose...

Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event titles revealed.

The projects selected for Tallinn Black Nights’ industry showcase have been revealed, including a drama executive produced by Tim Roth and a new category for youth films.

Scroll down for full list of projects

This year’s Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event will spotlight 18 films seeking sales agents or festivals for international premieres during works in progress sessions in the Estonian capital from November 26-27.

Both the Baltic Event, showcasing Baltic and Finnish projects, and International Works in Progress will compete for the same awards this year: the Post Production Award worth €10,000 and...

Tolkien

From legendary halls of Oxford to the grim and bloody trenches of World War I, this enthralling biopic explores the early years of J.R.R Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) and the relationships that defined the legendary author he would become. Chronicling his romance with Edith Brant (Lily Collins), as well as the various members of the Tea Club, Barrovian Society, Tolkien slowly grows from a shy and bookish young man into one of history’s most beloved writers – seasoned by life, and everything that comes with it.

Tolkien Special Features

Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Director, Dome Karukoski First Look Gallery Audio Commentary by Director, Dome Karukoski

Tolkien Blu-ray Specifications

Street Date: August 6, 2019

Screen Format: Widescreen 16:9

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-hd-ma, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English Sdh, Spanish, French

Total Run Time: 111 minutes

U.S. Rating: PG-13 for some sequences of war violence.

‘Men in Black: International.’

Sony Pictures and Amblin’s decision to reboot the Men in Black franchise without director Barry Sonnenfeld or stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, whose onscreen chemistry was crucial to the success of the first three editions, now seems questionable.

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson were a winning combo in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame but did not attract sizable audiences globally for Men in Black: International last weekend.

The F. Gary Gray-directed sci-fi comedy did open more strongly in Australia than in the Us and most other markets, almost certainly due to Hemsworth’s fan base, particularly among females, but it’s tracking far below all its predecessors.

Meanwhile Damon Gameau’s 2040 advanced to $871,000 after earning $73,000 in its fourth weekend, now on 68 screens, for Madman Entertainment. Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding topped $5 million after taking $53,000 in its seventh frame for Universal.

The top 20 titles harvested $13 million,...

Stars: Nicolas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, Craig Roberts, Harry Gilby, Laura Donnelly, Nia Gwynne, Pam Ferris | Written by David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford | Directed by Dome Karukoski

Tolkien, directed by Dome Karukoski, stars Nicolas Hoult as the titular character J.R.R. Tolkien. From his orphan beginnings through his rise in literature societies Britain and eventually the breadcrumb origins of his famed middle earth magnum opus The Lord of the Rings, he would eventually write. Tolkien, unfortunately, is a much-misaligned biopic that’s an ultra-conventional bore.

The performances no doubt intrigue with Hoult impressing but the actor along with Collins, both have nothing to do with such flat and generic material. Hoult showcases some terrific talent here. Especially in the latter half of the film. His emotional range is strong and as an actor, Hoult is still continuing to progressively hone his craft, and here is no different. He still struggles to...

Exclusive: Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd are in talks to star for their St. Vincent director Ted Melfi in The Starling, a Black List scripted comedy by Matt Harris.

The tone, comedy grounded with emotion, is comparable to St. Vincent. A married couple suffers a tragedy that strains their relationship. While her husband heads off to deal with grief in recovery, Lily Maynard stays home. He has built a beautiful garden for her in the backyard, but she finds herself assailed by a sizable black starling that has built a nearby nest. She seeks out a veterinarian to see if there is a humane way to get rid of this bird. That vet, who was a psychiatrist once but shed humans for animals, puts his own imprint on the situation. The film is an allegorical tale of how love can carry one through grief.

I’ve heard Melfi is...

As it is with most films based on real events, Tolkien isn't an exact or comprehensive account of J.R.R. Tolkien's life and career. While the most significant plot points are faithful to Tolkien's real-life story, there are embellishments, omissions, and even completely made-up events, which director Dome Karukoski intended to emphasize the emotions felt by Tolkien. Karukoski himself says making a biopic like Tolkien is "always a battle between fact and fiction," so here we'll take a closer look at this balancing act and go over the 5 things Tolkien changes from the real story and 5 things it leaves the same.

Related: Every Lord of the Rings Reference in Tolkien...

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are likely to live to reign another day at the box office.

“Avengers: Endgame” is on its way to its third weekend at No. 1 with an estimated $62 million.

The first real challenger to “Endgame’s” rule, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Detective Pikachu,” is heading for about $55 million from 4,202 locations after taking in $20 million on Friday.

Ryan Reynolds stars as the cheeky yellow Pokemon with Justice Smith co-starring as Tim, a young man with whom the world class detective teams up to figure out what happened to his partner, who is also Tim’s father. Reviews for the CGI-heavy pic have been mixed, with a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and A- CinemaScore.

Rob Letterman directed the film, which he co-wrote with Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Derek Connelly. “Pikachu’s” audience is skewing slightly male, with 59%, and very slightly older, with 51% over the age of 25.

“Avengers: Endgame...

During a recent trip to London, /Film sat down with Finnish director Dome Karukoski to discuss his newest film, Tolkien, a biopic of the author who created The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Karukoski had just finished making a different biopic when this project came his way, so he was resistant to it at first. But […]

The post Talkin’ ‘Tolkien’ With Director Dome Karukoski [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins in the film Tolkien. Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

One thing you learn early on in Tolkien is that it is pronounced “Tol-keen,” contrary to the way many fans have been saying it. That is one of many facts you learn in the J.R.R. Tolkien biopic Tolkien, which covers the early life of the “Lord of the Rings” author. It was not an easy life, as the young Tolkien, played by Nicholas Hoult, endured personal tragedies and hardships, but it was also a time of deep friendship, challenges, growth, and even young love, capped by the singular horrors of World War I, experiences which the author later wove into his fantasy tales of hobbits, elves and the fellowship of a ring.

Actually, Tolkien is more an interesting film than the deeply involving one audience might hope it would be.

by Chris Feil

Inert biopics line the multiplex like gravestones, but seldom are they as dead on arrival as Tolkien. Depicting the author and philologist’s young adulthood and experience in World War I before creating The Hobbit, Dome Karukoski’s film isn’t just another dull cookie cutter telling of a famous figure. It’s perhaps a new gold standard of “Wikipedia entry as high school book report as prestige picture” malaise, the low bar to compare passable boring films. “At least it’s not Tolkien.”

Nicholas Hoult stars as the eponymoius J.R.R. Tolkien, struggling to overcome his social and fiscal limitations while at Oxford. He is part of a foursome of tightly knit male friends and artists, each with class stature above his own. Meanwhile he sacrifices his love for fellow orphan Edith Bratt (Lily Collins) in order to secure his future. The outbreak of the war casts all of this asunder,...

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin recently attended the world premiere of Tolkien in Los Angeles. He was interviewed on the red carpet, which was actually green to honor Middle Earth, alongside stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins and director Dome Karukoski. Martin talked about how much J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings inspired his own writing and Game of Thrones, which is pretty obvious to just about anybody. However, things took a strange turn when Collins admitted that the Harry Potter book series was her favorite.

The Lord of the Rings vs. Harry Potter, and now Game of Thrones, debate has been going on for quite some time now. There are camps who will defend their favorite franchise at length online or verbally in person. All of which have some pretty passionate beliefs. With that being said, George R.R. Martin is firmly in The Lord of the Rings...

“Game of Thrones” fans have a lot to thank J.R.R. Tolkien for.

“Thrones” author George R.R. Martin, along with stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins and director Dome Karukoski, discussed their personal connections to Tolkien and his “Lord of the Rings” series on the red carpet — or more accurately, the green carpet (a nod to the author’s verdant Middle Earth) — at the premiere of biographical film “Tolkien” on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Martin told Variety, “He made me love the form he created — epic fantasy. He redefined fantasy of everything that had been before.” He said that Tolkien’s epic trilogy format influenced “Game of Thrones.” Martin joked, “I started doing a trilogy called ‘Game of Thrones.’ Now my trilogy is seven books — if I finish the last two.”

Martin called the film “profoundly moving” and praised the movie for avoiding cliches like a struggling writer “sitting at a...

J.R.R. Tolkien is an icon. And yes, I’m a fan. Whether it’s the brilliant stories and mythology he creates, or the Peter Jackson features films that he inspired, Tolkien’s work has always been an important part of my own life - as well as many others. And now, filmmaker Dome Karukoski has given fans a poetic tribute to one of the most important…...

The dramatic biopic Tolkien hits cinemas on May 10th, and we were fortunate enough to speak with several people who worked on the film, including director Dome Karukoski. Karukoski is known for many of his Finnish films and his previous biopic, Tom of Finland. We spoke with Dome in London about diving in his second biopic and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, the challenges he faced, and more. Read the full interview below. Let’s start at the beginning, how did you first come to be attached to Tolkien? Dome Karukoski: I didn’t really think I was …...

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is arguably the greatest fantasy writer of the twentieth century. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion are amongst the finest works in the genre. His incredible success did not come easy, and was a result of several influential relationships. Tolkien is a biopic about his formative years from Finnish filmmaker, Dome Karukoski. It traces the author's life from early childhood as an impoverished orphan to an officer in bloody World War I. The film has a high production value, but is woefully uneven in its narrative. The meandering script lacks focus, perspective, and is dialogue heavy. The result is a good-looking film that struggles to be interesting.

We first meet J.R.R. Tolkien (Harry Gilby) as a boy in the rolling English countryside. His father recently deceased, John lived a poor but happy life with his mother, Mabel (Laura Donnelly), and younger brother,...

Moviegoers across the country were able to see Tolkien ahead of its release this Friday, along with a Q&A moderated by Lord of the Rings super-fan Stephen Colbert, even if they weren't at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey on Tuesday for the first-ever screening of the movie.

The panel, featuring the Fox Searchlight film's stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins with director Dome Karukoski, was simulcast to select theaters following special screenings. In Montclair, Karukoski revealed what goes into a film like Tolkien, which chronicles the formative years of J.R.R. Tolkien's life as he forms ...

Moviegoers across the country were able to see Tolkien ahead of its release this Friday, along with a Q&A moderated by Lord of the Rings super-fan Stephen Colbert, even if they weren't at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey on Tuesday for the first-ever screening of the movie.

The panel, featuring the Fox Searchlight film's stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins with director Dome Karukoski, was simulcast to select theaters following special screenings. In Montclair, Karukoski revealed what goes into a film like Tolkien, which chronicles the formative years of J.R.R. Tolkien's life as he forms ...

The Marvel blockbuster has now grossed £73.5m, achieving the second-highest second weekend ever and breaking into the all-time top 10.

Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.31.

RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (May 3-5)Total gross to date Week 1 Avengers: Endgame (Disney) £14.3m £73.5m 2 2 Long Shot (Lionsgate) £814,897 £1.1m 1 3 The Curse Of La Llorona (Warner Bros) £591,139 £769,626 1 4 Tolkien (20th Century Fox) £550,348 £742,771 1 5 A Dog’s Journey (eOne) £499,207 £813,320 1 Disney

Disney’s Avengers: Endgame dominated the UK box office, achieving the second-highest second weekend ever and breaking into the all-time top 10 for the territory.

The film grossed £14.3m from Friday to Sunday, with only Sam Mendes’ James Bond...

Ahead of its nationwide release, see “Tolkien: Live from The Montclair Film Festival with Stephen Colbert,” an extraordinary event where you will be among the first to see the new feature film Tolkien together with an exclusive live simulcast Q&A with stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins and director Dome Karukoski, moderated by Tolkien super-fan Stephen Colbert.

Tolkien explores the formative years of the renowned author’s life as he finds friendship, courage and inspiration among a fellow group of writers and artists at school. Their brotherhood strengthens as they grow up and weather love and loss together, including Tolkien’s tumultuous courtship of his beloved Edith Bratt, until the outbreak of the First World War which threatens to tear their fellowship apart. All of these experiences would later inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tolkien

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Tolkien Fox Searchlight Pictures Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Dome Karukoski Screenwriter: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford Cast: Lily Collins, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Gibson, Pam Ferris, Genevieve O’Reilly, Colm Meaney, Derek Jacobi Screened at: Dolby24, NYC, 4/10/19 Opens: May 10, 2019 The biopic of J.R.R. Tolkien is as […]

The post Tolkien Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

When J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate issued a statement objecting to Dome Karukoski’s dour new biopic about the “Lord of the Rings” writer’s formative years, they had yet to actually see the film. Odds are they never will, as Christopher Tolkien has made clear his frustrations over the way that contemporary pop culture has devoured his father’s legacy: “Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed by the absurdity of our time,” he told Le Monde in 2012. “The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing.” That didn’t stop the estate from selling the rights to Tolkien’s signature fantasy saga when Amazon showed up with a $250 million check, but it’s hard to blame them for that.

Be that as it may, there’s a peculiar irony to the family’s pro forma objection to “Tolkien,” a...