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Jeff Wolfe’s “Outbreak” (2024) is a low-budget metaphor-laden commentary on a massive virus outbreak that has engulfed a Californian locality. The film proceeds as a generic outbreak thriller. However, the ending problematizes our entire understanding of the information being given to us in bits and pieces, or at least what we tried so hard to establish from the incomplete shreds.

Outbreak (2024) Movie Synopsis & Plot Summary: Why does Neil act so distracted and aloof?

The film opens with a 911 dispatcher reporting a rabid dog attack at a construction site amid the arid Californian desert. Mourning Rock park rangers, Neil, Gibson, and their chief Mike Cortez, are en route to gun down the rabid dog. In the showdown between the rangers and the dog, Neil fumbles and fails to shoot the dog, leading to Cortez getting attacked by the animal. Finally, Gibson manages to pull the trigger and kill the dog. Neil...

James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” swept the 21st annual Ves Awards Wednesday night in an unprecedented wave of dominance in every category, winning nine of its record-breaking 14 nominations, including the top photoreal feature, and the newest category, The Emerging Technology Award, for its innovative water toolset.

Although the prestigious visual effects honorary society has not been a reliable Oscar bellwether in recent years — picking the VFX winner only twice in the last six years — this now looks like a lock for the “Avatar” sequel.

Hosted by Patton Oswalt at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (from Netflix) — the favorite to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar — won the top animation trophy and took home three awards; Amazon’s “Thirteen Lives” snagged the supporting prize, and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” grabbed the episodic prize and also took home three awards.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” topped the 21st Annual Ves Awards with nine wins, including for photoreal feature.

Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” was named best animated feature and took home three awards total. On the TV side, Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” won three awards and was named best photoreal episode.

Rian Johnson, Domee Shi, Tig Notaro, Jay Pharoah, Tyler Posey and Randall Park were among the presenters for the night. James Cameron presented the Ves Lifetime Achievement award to acclaimed producer Gale Anne Hurd.

Former Ves executive director Eric Roth received the Board of Directors Award from the current board, which includes Lisa Cooke, current Ves Chair; Jim Morris, Ves, president of Pixar Animation and founding Ves Chair; and former Chairs Jeffrey A. Okun, Ves; Mike Chambers, Ves; Carl Rosendahl, Ves; and Jeff Barnes.

“As we celebrate the 21st Annual Ves Awards,...

“Avatar: The Way of Water” came out on top at the Visual Effects Society’s 2023 Ves Awards, held Wednesday evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The James Cameron epic set a Ves record this year with 14 nominations in nine different categories, and it set a record for wins by coming out on top in every category in which it was nominated. By contrast, the original 2009 “Avatar” received 10 nominations and won five awards. The previous record for wins by a film was set by “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” at the first Ves Awards in 2003, when it won eight awards. (The show had fewer awards then than it does now.)

The nine awards for “Avatar: The Way of Water” included Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, the Ves category that aligns most closely with the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Competing with “Avatar...

The View Conference will host a virtual talk with the filmmakers behind Pixar’s “Lightyear” on Tuesday, June 28, and has announced the first speakers for its largely in-person event in Turin, Italy, from Oct. 16-21.

The free PreVIEW online event features director Angus MacLane, producer Galyn Susman, animation supervisor David DeVan and simulation and tailoring supervisor Fran Kalal. They’ll share a behind-the-scenes look at the animated adventure that follows the Space Ranger character that inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure from Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise.

“We are over the moon to join forces with our friends at Pixar for this special PreVIEW panel,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Meeting Angus MacLane and his creative team is a wonderful way to celebrate the launch of this much-anticipated film and also to whet the appetite for our main conference program in October.”

The View Conference highlights the top creative minds in visual effects,...

U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 has unveiled a slate of original dramas, marking the latest step in the Viacom-owned broadcaster’s push into scripted content.

The new dramas include a two-hour ghost story from Awesome Media & Entertainment and Two Rivers Media called “The Small Hand” adapted from novel by “The Woman in Black” author Susan Hill; psychological thriller “Penance” from West Road Pictures; four-part thriller “The Deceived” from New Pictures; and the return of thriller “Blood” for a new six part series.

Channel 5 increased the amount of money going into scripted following its cancellation of the “Big Brother” franchise. Dramas “15 Days” and “Agatha & The Truth of Murder” have already aired, while the broadcaster has previously announced drama commissions “Cold Call” and “All Creatures Great and Small.”

“The Small Hand” is a feature-length single drama adapted from crime writer Susan Hill’s book by Barbara Machin, creator of BBC’s long-running crime drama,...

Viacom’s Channel 5 has unveiled its latest drama slate including a thriller from Mr Selfridge writer Kate O’Riordan.

The British broadcaster has ordered three-part series Penance and two-hour drama The Small Hand as well as the renewal of Blood, starring Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar.

This comes after Deadline revealed that it was working on psychological thriller The Deceived.

O’Riordan is adapting her own novel Penance into a three-part series. A psychological thriller that follows the lives of Rosalie and Luke Douglas and their teenage daughter, Maddie. Following the loss of their son, Rosalie and Luke find their marriage under immense strain. Maddie and Rosalie find themselves in the caring hands of Jed, a charming and charismatic young man that they encounter at bereavement counselling who is also suffering under the weight of his own grief. Jed rekindles a hope for the future within the Douglas household.

On today’s Jedi Council, Kristian Harloff, Mark Reilly, and Rosie Knight discuss the following: The panel breaks down and analyzes the new Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer and poster. The Cannes Film Festival announced that they will be premiering Solo: A Star Wars Story at their festival ten days before its release. In an interview with Inverse, Star Wars: The Last Jedi VFX supervisor Ben Morris stated that “We will always [digitally] scan all the lead actors in the film." What does that mean for bringing back deceased actors into a future Star Wars movies? Sad Kylo Ren …...

Star Wars: The Last Jedi VFX supervisor Ben Morris reveals it’s standard procedure at the studio to digitally scan the lead actors of the films to have on file. The galaxy far, far away has always been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of filmmaking technology, but it wasn’t too long ago Lucasfilm generated some controversy due to their innovative advancements. As many know by now, 2016’s Rogue One featured a CGI recreation of the late Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, and the final scene starred a digitally de-aged Carrie Fisher as the 19-year old Princess Leia from A New Hope. There’s no denying this was an impressive feat, but the technique raised serious ethical questions.