News

Exclusive: Gus Halper (Rustin), Aliyah Camacho (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and Michael Mando (Better Call Saul) have joined the cast of Prime Video‘s graphic novel series, Criminal, in recurring roles. They join the previously announced cast of Charlie Hunnam, Adria Arjona, Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, Logan Browning, Pat Healy, Taylor Selé and John Hawkes.

Criminal is an interlocking universe of crime stories based on the multi-Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created by Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Halper will portray Ricky, an unstable guy who likes booze, coke, and speed (and not within moderation), Ricky Lawless has known Leo since they were teenagers. Like Leo, he’s the son of a criminal — only his dad was the most-feared man in the city, Teeg Lawless. Camacho will play Angie, Greta’s (Arjona) daughter. Angie is sharp, alert and maybe a little too adult for her age. Having lost...

Circle Collective is looking to tug at your heartstrings with their new science fiction romance With Love and a Major Organ, and we’re exclusively serving up the trailer to you today.

The film screened at a myriad of festivals, including SXSW, Fantasia, Cucalorus, and it will be released theatrically by Circle Collective in NYC on March 29th and in LA on 4/5.

From director Kim Albright, With Love and a Major Organ stars Anna Maguire as Anabel, a sensitive, empathetic young woman who lives in an alternate universe where self-care is manifested through suppressing emotion entirely. And hearts are readily [physically] removable.

“In a world where everyone’s heart is an object and there’s a strong societal pressure to dampen emotion, lonely Virtual Insurance broker Anabel always follows her heart. At odds with this overly pragmatic society, and after a series of devastating emotional blows, she rips her heart from...

Exclusive: Utopia’s arthouse distribution label Circle Collective has acquired U.S. rights to the dark comedy With Love and a Major Organ, which debuted in the experimental Visions program last year at SXSW.

Directed by Kim Albright and written by Julia Lederer, who adapted the screenplay from her play of the same name, Circle Collective is eyeing a Spring 2024 release for the title.

With Love and a Major Organ stars Anna Maguire as Anabel, a sensitive, empathetic young woman who lives in an alternate universe where self-care is manifested through suppressing emotion entirely. And hearts are readily removable. After a meaningful interaction with a stranger in the park George (Hamza Haq), Anabel takes a leap and literally gives her heart to him but does not expect for him to abscond with it.

The film was produced by Madeleine Davis (Freaks) and executive...

A sci-fi series based on Martha Wells novels, “The Murderbot Diaries,” has landed at Apple TV+.

Hailing from “About a Boy” creators Chris and Paul Weitz, “Murderbots” follows a self-hacking security android who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe. Alexander Skarsgård will lead the series and will serve as executive producer.

The Weitz brothers will write, direct, and produce under their Depth of Field banner. Andrew Miano also executive produces alongside for Depth of Field. David S. Goyer executive produces alongside Keith Levine for Phantom Four. Martha Wells will serve as consulting producer. Paramount Television Studios produces the series.

The project marks the second collaboration between Apple TV+ and Goyer, who...

Exclusive: After being forced to halt production with the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the crime drama King Ivory from writer-director John Swab (Ida Red) is back up and running once again, in and around Tulsa, Ok, having been named just recently as one of 39 productions that will benefit from a SAG Interim Agreement.

Previously unannounced actors who have been able to return to set, pursuant to the agreement, include James Badge Dale (The Departed), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Michael Mando (Better Call Saul), Rory Cochrane (Black Mass), Ritchie Coster (The Dark Knight), George Carroll (The Town), Sam Quartin (Candy Land), Academy Award nominee Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves) and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter).

While production on the majority of studio projects has been shuttered, amidst a dual strike by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, the actors guild is offering interim agreements to the projects of “truly independent producers,...

Montreal-based company represents worldwide rights excluding Canada on both titles.

Montreal-based Sphere Films has added two completed features to its Cannes line-up and will launch sales on the Croisette later this month on Queen Tut and Red Rooms.

Reem Morsi (The Last Mark) directed Queen Tut, which stars Alexandra Billings from Transparent in the story of an Egyptian teenager who leaves Cairo when his mother dies and lands in the underground queer nightlife scene in Toronto where he confronts his mother’s death by becoming a drag artist – much to his father’s disapproval.

The Canadian drama is in English...

Up next from Antiviral and Possessor director Brandon Cronenberg is the sci-fi movie Infinity Pool for Neon and Topic Studios, which boasts a cast including Mia Goth (Pearl) and Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman). This week we’ve learned that the upcoming movie has received an “Nc-17” rating from the MPA, with an appeal currently underway.

For now, Infinity Pool has been rated “Nc-17” for…

“Some graphic violence and sexual content.”

We’re hearing that Neon is intending on appealing to the C.A.R.A. Appeals Board, so we’ll keep you posted as we learn more. Either way, this one is very much on our radar at the moment!

The press release explained, “Alexander Skarsgård will star in Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool. Skarsgård will further serve as executive producer.”

In the film, “James and Em are young, rich, in love, and on vacation. Their all-inclusive resort boasts island tours and gleaming beaches.

IFC has greenlit “Sisters,” a half-hour dark comedy from Sarah Goldberg and Susan Stanley.

The six-episode series follows two women (Goldberg and Stanley), one born in Canada and the other in Ireland, who discover they are half-sisters and embark on a road trip to find their alcoholic father. Goldberg and Stanley, real-life best friends, co-created the series.

“Sisters” was developed by Peer Pressure, Shaftesbury, RTÉ and Declan Lowney, who is set to direct the first three episodes. Peer Pressure and Shaftesbury produce in association with Mermade and Gaze Pictures. The rights to the series are held by Sundance Now in the U.S., Crave in Canada and RTÉ in Ireland. Fremantle will distribute the series in all other territories. Filming is currently underway on location in Ireland and will conclude in late June.

Goldberg is best known for starring as Sally Reed in HBO’s “Barry.” She also played Lolly...

Ghost Master: "Ghost Master (originally titled Gôsuto masutâ) is a Japanese horror-comedy that follows Akira Kurosawa, a nerdy assistant director working on the set of a low budget rom-com at an abandoned school. Burnt out on campy teen dramas, Akira dreams of becoming the ultimate horror master. When a conflict with the director, Atsushi Suzuki causes half the cast to strike, Akira is left in charge of the production. Ditching the scheduled project and pivoting to his own horror script, titled Ghost Master, Akira is shocked when his evil screenplay comes to life and begins possessing the cast, including the film’s star, Yuya. As a killing spree commences and the body count rises, Akira must band together with the crew and one remaining actress, Mana to stop the gruesome attacks.

Winner of “Best Film” at the 2020 International Fantasy Film Awards, Ghost Master is directed by Paul Young (“Flashback”) and...

Up next from Antiviral and Possessor director Brandon Cronenberg is the sci-fi movie Infinity Pool for Neon and Topic Studios, and we’ve learned today that Alexander Skarsgård will star. The press release explains, “Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”, Godzilla Vs. Kong, The Little Drummer Girl, The Hummingbird Project, Hold the Dark, and upcoming The Northman) will star in Brandon Cronenberg’s […]...

A Little Red Flower came in second with $7m for a cumulative total of $196.9m.

Local comedy Big Red Envelope topped China’s box office over the weekend January 22-24, according to figures from theatrical consultancy Artisan Gateway, grossing $8m in its first three days.

Directed by Li Kelong and starring Bao Bei’er and Clara Lee, the film’s title refers to the red paper packets used in China to give money as gifts, especially during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Although the film topped the box office over its opening weekend, it drew a mixed response from audiences,...

Netflix continues to dominate the streaming industry during the Halloween season by adding a lot of new titles each and every day. And the latest batch of movies and original series, releasing this coming week, certainly don’t look like they’ll disappoint.

Courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry is currently in shambles. While a few directors, like Tenet‘s Christopher Nolan, push to reopen theaters with the necessary health precautions, dire circumstances have made this an impossibility for a lot of communities around the world. Luckily, streaming services have proven to be a great substitute for many people. Though in fairness, even before the global outbreak, these platforms were slowly turning into a preference in countless households.

I mean, imagine a juggernaut like Netflix, whose library of content spans several thousand movies, TV series, and documentaries, which you can access from the comfort of your sofa. Obviously,...

Netflix has a whole lot of spooks up its sleeve for the month of October.

From Adam Sandler’s “Hubie Halloween” (Oct. 7) to the “Hill House” follow-up “The Haunting of Bly Manor” (Oct. 9), the Halloween-themed goodness is in high supply next month. Watch Netflix’s little teaser reel above.

If you want a gory horror film, try “Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight” (Oct. 28). Other new creepy flicks include “His House” (Oct. 30) “Cadaver” (Oct. 22) and Spanish-language film “The Day of the Lord” (Oct. 30).

For a younger audience, there’s “Vampires vs. the Bronx” (Oct. 2) and “The Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting” (Oct. 15).

In terms of TV, get ready for Volume 2 of Netflix’s “Unsolved Mysteries” reboot series (Oct. 19), and also check out Season 1 of CBS’ “Evil” (Oct. 1) about a forensic psychologist who comes face to face with evidence that challenges her disbelief in supernatural phenomena.

For some non-Halloween-themed content,...

Netflix was ahead of the game for October, releasing its “Netflix and Chills” horror lineup in anticipation of the Halloween season. Now the streaming giant has unveiled its full lineup for October, and believe it or not: horror remains at the forefront of its strategy.

The biggest release this month is undoubtedly The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan’s long-awaited followup to terrifying Haunting of Hill House. That arrives on Oct. 9. The film side of things is where most of Netflix’s other horror originals reside, with Hubie Halloween (Oct. 7), A Babysitters’ Guide to Monster Hunting (Oct. 15), and Rebecca (Oct. 22) all making their debut.

Some non-horror originals of note this month include high school drama Grand Army (Oct. 16) and the Anya-Taylor Joy-starring chess story The Queen’s Gambit (Oct. 26). Aaron Sorkin’s latest film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, arrives on Oct. 16.

Netflix is adding new library movies like Fargo,...

The full list of everything that’s coming to Netflix in October has been released today and as we’re facing the prospect of a Halloween spent at home, the streaming site is making sure that we’ve got more than enough spooky content to keep us occupied. In fact, there’s a huge amount of new movies and TV shows arriving on the service next month as part of the “Netflix and Chills” season.

October 1st also delivers a lot of great newly licensed content, too, which you won’t want to miss. Sticking with the Halloween theme, though, the haul features a few horrors/thrillers including Cape Fear, House of 1000 Corpses and You Have Always Lived in the Castle. Then, on the 2nd, new original movie Vampires vs. the Bronx lands. And skipping ahead to the 7th, be sure to catch Adam Sandler’s latest comedy, Hubie Halloween.

Feminist revenge tale screens at TIFF on September 14.

In the run-up to Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Altitude has boarded international sales rights to festival selection Violation and XYZ will handle US sales.

Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli co-directed the Midnight Madness selection about Miriam, a troubled woman on the edge of divorce who returns home to her younger sister, Greta, after several years apart.

After an error of judgment results in a betrayal, Miriam embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge. The feminist revenge tale screens at TIFF on September 14.

Sims-Fewer (Operation Avalanche), Jesse Lavercombe (American Gods), Anna Maguire...

Exclusive: Former CAA agent and Imagine Artist Management partner-manager Raj Raghavan is joining Echo Lake Entertainment as a talent manager, where he’ll continue to rep a roster of accomplished actors, playwrights, comedians and novelists.

Raghavan’s clients include Golden Globe Nominee Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl), four-time Filmfare Award winner and Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt (Gully Boy), British Independent Film Award winner Ashley Walters (Top Boy), BAFTA nominee Suraj Sharma, Ryan J. Haddad (The Politician), Brandon Scott Jones (The Good Place), Daria Berenato (WWE Superstar Sonya Deville), Sebastián Zurita (Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero), Niv Nissim (Sublet), Gibran Saleem (Better Things), Amanda Shechtman (Sunnyside), Thomas Beaudoin (Shameless), Anna Maguire (The Hummingbird Project), Gil Cates, Jr., and Sameer Pandya.

Raghavan comes to Echo Lake from Imagine. Prior to Imagine, he was an agent at CAA from 2005-2019 in the Los Angeles office.

Exclusive: Westworld and Creed star Tessa Thompson is to star with Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) in psychological thriller Balestra, which Mister Smith, Endeavor Content and CAA Media Finance will be shopping during next week’s Cannes virtual market.

Thompson will also executive-produce the film, which will be directed by Nicole Dorsey (Black Conflux).

Balestra follows disgraced competitive fencer Joanna Bathory (Thompson), who is desperately hoping for an Olympic comeback. Pressured by her husband and coach Rafe, she receives a prototype device allowing her to extend her training into her sleeping hours. By day she’s on the piste, and by night she’s lucid dreaming. But reality begins to blur when she encounters a stranger named Elliot (Kenzari) and gets caught in her own web of subconscious desires and unfulfilling reality.

The film is being produced by Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project). Also serving as executive producers will be Aron Eli Coleite...

Stars: Jessie Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek, Michael Mando, Johan Heldenbergh, Ayisha Issa, Mark Slacke, Sarah Goldberg, Frank Schorpion, Kwasi Songui, Conrad Pla, Julian Bailey, Jessica Greco | Written and Directed by Kim Nguyen

Written and directed by Kim Nguyen, The Hummingbird Project, which stars Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood) and Salma Hayek (Frida), is a thriller that follows two guys with a singular dream to build a fibre-optic cable between New Jersey and Kansas, which would be a millisecond faster than the competition, which would in turn make them into millionaires. Their ruthless and uber-powerful ex-boss Eva (Hayek) however, is doing her damnedest to slide between them and beat them. It’s a story of a strong and vicious need for financial gain, but also a story of finding a true self and reconnecting with things that truly matter.

The major issue that stood out to me here...

To celebrate the 4th October digital release of The Hummingbird Project, we have a copy of the film – redeemable via iTunes – up for grabs courtesy of Vertigo Releasing!

The Wolf of Wall Street meets The Social Network as A-listers Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Salma Hayek star in a tense tech thriller from Oscar-nominated director Kim Nguyen.

Oscar-nominated Kim Nguyen’s flashy, visceral tech finance thriller is the head-spinning story of an incredible plan to drill a tunnel halfway across the Us in a quite literal ‘get rich quick scheme’. Zombieland’s Jesse Eisenberg is fantastic as the street smart, hustling Vincent, while Tarzan himself Alexander Skarsgård is here virtually unrecognisable as the tech genius Anton. Together with Michael Mando (Better Call Saul), brilliantly funny as an engineer, they plan to revolutionise the stock exchange – by a millisecond. Salma Hayek is on wickedly good form as the devilishly devious executive...

Alexander Skarsgård is to star in The Stand, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel at CBS All Access.

The Big Little Lies star joins James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Jovan Adepo, Owen Teague, Henry Zaga, Brad William Henke and Whoopi Goldberg in the drama, which has kicked off filming in Vancouver.

Skarsgård plays Randall Flagg, also known as ‘the Dark Man’, whose unsettling and ever-changing presence is the embodiment of pure evil. Like Mother Abagail (Goldberg), Flagg appears in plague survivors’ dreams but, unlike her divine messaging, his ultimate goal is far more sinister.

He recently wrapped production on Warner Bros’ Godzilla vs. Kong and also starred in Lionsgate’s Long Shot, Fox Searchlight’s The Aftermath, The Hummingbird Project, Hold The Dark and AMC’s limited series The Little Drummer Girl. He is currently on Showtime’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida and next up...

Nathaniel R giving you the heads up on what's available to you now to screen at home.

New on DVD/Blu-Ray/Rental

• Aftermath Keira Knightley falls for the ever possibly evil and problematic Alexander Skarsgård (it happens to all of us) in this WWII infidelity drama

• Dumbo -not one of Tim Burton's finest but at least the production design is top notch, giving us plenty to look at. Thank you Rick Heinrichs, you're ever dependable.

• The Russian Five - Our documentary guru Glenn highly recommends this sports doc about Russian hockey players

Also out today: Jesse Eisenberg in The Hummingbird Project, the Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif movie The Tamarind Seed. and a Vietnamese action film called Furie. itunes deals and new to streaming after the jump...

Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson have signed on to star in Amazon’s science-fiction drama “Bliss,” with Mike Cahill directing from his own script.

Wilson portrays a recently divorced man whose life is falling apart when he meets Hayek’s character, a woman who lives on the streets and is convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is not real. She believes they are living in an ugly, harsh simulated world inside of the beautiful, peaceful “real” world of bliss.

Endgame Entertainment’s James D. Stern is producing, with the company’s Lucas Smith serving as executive producer. Marsha Swinton will also executive produce. Production began this week in Los Angeles.

Cahill directed “Another Earth” and “I Origins,” which were released by Fox Searchlight. Both films won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival where they premiered.

Hayek will next star alongside Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne...

Academy Award-nominees Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson are coming together for a mind-bending love story in “Bliss” from Amazon Studios.

The sci-fi drama was written — and will be directed — by Mike Cahill. Cahill was nominated for two Independent Spirit Award’s for best first feature film and best screenplay for his film “Another Earth,” which he wrote with Brit Marling (“The Oa”).

“Bliss” follows recently divorced Greg (Wilson), whose life is falling apart when he meets the enchanting Isabel (Hayek), a woman who lives on the streets and is convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is not real. Isabel believes they are living in an ugly, harsh world simulation inside of the beautiful, peaceful “real” world of bliss. Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel’s wild conspiracy theory.

Also Read: Adam Driver Political Thriller 'The Report' Gets September Theatrical...

Two-part programme will nurture film and TV projects from leading international producers.

The Climb producer Noah Lang, Finnish Making Movies Oy chief Kaarle Aho and Canadian actress and producer Rebecca Gibson are among the 26 producers who will participate in the 11th edition of Trans-Atlantic Partners (Tap).

A joint initiative between Germany’s Erich Pommer Institute (Epi) and the Canadian Media Producers Association (Cmpa), with the support of Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund, the two-part Tap programme is the only one of its kind devoted to supporting transatlantic film and high-end TV productions.

The first module runs in Berlin...

’Diego Maradona’ also lands at cinemas.

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Men In Black: International, the latest title in the popular sci-fi secret agent series is hoping to to end the three-week reign of Disney’s Aladdin at the top of the UK box office.

The fourth title in the Men In Black franchise stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as employees of a London branch of the titular agency, who must travel around the globe to counter a series of alien attacks.

Previous Men In Black films have been box office hits in the UK. The first title, Men In Black,...

During the Toronto International Film Festival, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Jesse Eisenberg and Kim Nguyen to discuss their latest collaboration, in the engaging, relevant drama The Hummingbird Project.

We discussed the genesis of this story, and Eisenberg explains why he felt the need to memorise the screenplay. Nguyen talks about the casting of Alexander Skarsgard, who features in the film in a supporting role, and is different to how we’ve ever seen him before. The director also talks about the commitment from his actors – with Salma Hayek, for instance, ringing him up late at night to discuss her character, while finally Eisenberg discusses the forthcoming Zombieland sequel, claiming that after a dozen scripts, they finally got it right.

Watch the full interview below:

Synopsis

Cousins Vincent and Anton are players in the high-stakes game of high-frequency trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream...

Joseph Baxter May 22, 2019

Jesse Eisenberg stars in The Art of Self Defense, playing a timid man who takes a dark path while toughening himself up with karate lessons.

The Art of Self Defense, an indie comedy film that screened at SXSW this past March, heads to a wide release, tapping into a thematic and topical corner that’s been successfully covered on the small screen with YouTube Premium’s Cobra Kai, showcasing a situation in which the martial art of karate leads bullied people down a destructive primrose path.

The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, who plays a run-of-the-mill milquetoast, who – after finally being sick of getting shoved around and remaining afraid – decides to sign up for a karate class, run by an eccentric sensei (Alessando Nivola), whose hardline philosophy resides squarely in the toxic masculinity discussion. Indeed, the initially-quixotic karate quest of Eisenberg's Casey appears destined for a dark turn.

Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine will star in Best Sellers, the directorial feature debut of Lina Roessler.

Pic follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor trying to save his boutique publishing house. Caine’s author is miserable and sharp-witted and just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar, and his orange Tabby cat.

The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-uk co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl and Wayne Marc Godfrey on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even on the Canadian side.

Cannes legend Michael Caine has marked his 2019 return to the Croisette via a new project in the festival market.

The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.

Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...

Cannes legend Michael Caine has marked his 2019 return to the Croisette via a new project in the festival market.

The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.

Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...

Tom Goodman Hill, Anna Maguire, Sonny Ashbourne Serkis also among cast.

Peaky Blinders actor Sam Hazeldine will lead the cast of 100 Feet Below Hell, Jp Watts’s First World War drama which starts shooting in the UK this week.

The film will tell the true story of ‘Hellfire’ Jack Norton Griffiths who conceived of a plan to dig a tunnel under no man’s land and plant a bomb to break the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines. With tens of thousands already dead from the battle, the mission falls to a group of civilian miners with no military training.

With April wrapping up, we can once again look back. We’ve officially finished up with the first third of the calendar. As such, I wanted to once again highlight the best of the year so far, consisting of my top ten and various awards for 2019 to date. Much like last time around, when I did the first quarter of the year at the start of April, I’m mostly limiting it to things that have already hit theaters. My only exception in the past has been that I’d include eligible titles from the currently ongoing Tribeca Film Festival, but since that’s still in progress, I’ll hold off. There are some others from the year that I’m fond of and might have otherwise included, but I didn’t want to cheat, so they’re on hold and will be given a special citation. Basically, it’s an arbitrary decision,...

Stars: Jessie Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek, Michael Mando, Johan Heldenbergh, Ayisha Issa, Mark Slacke, Sarah Goldberg, Frank Schorpion, Kwasi Songui, Conrad Pla, Julian Bailey, Jessica Greco | Written and Directed by Kim Nguyen

In this modern epic, Kim Nguyen exposes the ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world. Cousins from New York, Vincent (Eisenberg) and Anton (Skarsgård) are players in the high-stakes game of High Frequency Trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream? To build a fiber-optic cable straight between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions. But nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to breaking point on their quixotic adventure. Constantly breathing down their necks is their old boss Eva Torres (Hayek) a powerful, intoxicating and manipulative trader who will stop at nothing to come between them and...

Here’s an interesting movie hybrid, a flick that’s both a wall street drama, a family character study, and a chase thriller. Really, that’s because in the financial world, speed is everything (or perhaps the only thing). It’s the old adage, “he who hestiates is lost”, though in split-second trades and deals, the hestitant can lose a fortune. Hold up, a split-second is too long, it’s now down to a millisecond, or (as one character calls it) one flap of that teeny bird’s wing. That quest to be a jump ahead of your competitors forms the family scheme known as The Hummingbird Project.

After a brief prologue detailing the ins and outs of “high frequency trading” (older info for fans of the Wall Street flicks), we’re in 2011 as “idea man” Vincent Zaleski (Jesse Eisenberg) is meeting (and selling) with the silver-haired veteran exec that will bankroll his plan.

Executive was invited to stay on but will look to ’build something new’.

Paul Davidson is stepping down as executive vice-president of film and television of The Orchard in a move that follows the recent sale of the film group to investor 1091 Media.

Davidson has led the division for five years, overseeing acquisitions and releases on such titles as Birds Of Passage, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Neruda, El Angel, American Animals, and The Hummingbird Project.

At time of writing sources could not expand on the succession plan, nor did they elaborate on 1091 Media’s plans for the film and television business.

“Gloria Bell” shows some traction and enough heft to reach the Top Ten in its third weekend, and “Apollo 11” continues to grow, but overall the top adult-audience specialized titles see mixed results. This weekend’s releases also includes “Hotel Mumbai” which, like last week’s “The Mustang” and “The Aftermath,” will see wide national releases with hopes of some crossover success. The reality is limited openings with openings similar to “Hotel Mumbai” and others usually don’t break out beyond a modest level.

Opening

Hotel Mumbai (Bleecker Street) – Metacritic: 61; Festivals include: Toronto 2018

$86,492 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $21,623

This recreation of the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai’s most famous hotel got the highest theater placement in New York and Los Angeles. Starring Dev Patel, it received mildly favorable reviews. It is expanding quickly, with a limited initial run in contrast to Bleecker Street’s kidnapping thriller “Beirut” last year,...

The Hummingbird Project hopes to expose the “ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world.” The film focuses on two cousins trying to win big in the world of high-frequency trading, a complicated subject I won’t pretend I’m smart enough to understand. It all comes down to quick timing – milliseconds, really. In a Hummingbird Project infographic below, […]

The post ‘The Hummingbird Project’ Infographic Tells You How to Make $500 Million a Year appeared first on /Film.

Michael Mando is best known for his captivating portrayal of “Nacho” Varga on the hit AMC series Better Call Saul. You might also know him from Orphan Black, Spider-man: Homecoming, or Far Cry 3. In his latest film, The Hummingbird Project, he plays the chief engineer of a massive high frequency trading operation opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård. In this half hour he talks about his interest in the metaphysical aspects of the craft, his beginnings as a hungry but happy acting student, and how he doesn’t let fame get to his head but he’s open to the changes […]...

Michael Mando is best known for his captivating portrayal of “Nacho” Varga on the hit AMC series Better Call Saul. You might also know him from Orphan Black, Spider-man: Homecoming, or Far Cry 3. In his latest film, The Hummingbird Project, he plays the chief engineer of a massive high frequency trading operation opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård. In this half hour he talks about his interest in the metaphysical aspects of the craft, his beginnings as a hungry but happy acting student, and how he doesn’t let fame get to his head but he’s open to the changes […]...

Plenty of new movies are hitting arthouses. Two prime players platformed high-profile films, but neither Sundance opener “The Mustang” (Focus Features) nor “The Aftermath” (Fox Searchlight) passed the $20,000 per-theater average that stands as a minimum gauge for long-term specialized success. Like last week’s opener “Gloria Bell” (A24) — which expanded decently this weekend — both are aimed at the older demo who can be counted on to turn up in theaters as films broaden.

With the awards season in the rearview, it’s been a while since so many quality subtitled films are on display at once. Sure, an Oscar nomination helps to brand a foreign-language film, but several movies are holding their own anyway, especially starry family drama “Everybody Knows” (Focus), headlined by Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

Opening

The Mustang (Focus) – Metacritic: 76; Festivals include: Sundance 2019

$76,000 in 4 theaters; PTA: $19,000

Like last year’s “The Sisters Brothers,” this English-language drama set...

One millisecond is a nearly infinitesimal fraction of time. Heck, it just took you about a thousand milliseconds to read the words: “one millisecond.” So telling a story about a high-stakes race to convey information one measly millisecond faster than anybody else sounds like an exercise in making a heck of a lot of ado over, quite literally, almost nothing.

Thankfully, Kim Nguyen’s “The Hummingbird Project” is in on the joke. It’s a dryly humorous caper about a pair of cousins, Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård), who scheme to build a fiber-optic pipeline from Kansas City to New Jersey under the nose of their wealthy ex-employer, Eva Torres (Salma Hayek). Once built, their connection to the stock exchange will be one millisecond faster than anyone else’s, and that’s all the time they need to make a fortune.

Yes, that’s it; that’s their whole plan.

Alexander Skarsgård is doing double time this weekend. The actor stars in two new Specialty titles heading out into a crowded field, including The Aftermath from Fox Searchlight and The Hummingbird Project from The Orchard. The Aftermath, starring Keira Knightley and Jason Clarke, heads to New York and L.A. Friday ahead of a target of a few hundred theaters by early next month. Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Salma Hayek front The Hummingbird Project from The Orchard, launching in four New York and L.A. theaters, while Focus Features is bowing Sundance’s The Mustang with Matthias Schoenaerts, Connie Britton and Bruce Dern. Cohen Media Group is taking Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke’s Cannes debut Ash Is Purest White to select locations on both coasts. The company is hoping to take advantage of the Lunar New Year and slow slate of foreign fare. Oscilloscope picked up doc Combat Obscura...

Tonally schizophrenic and narratively challenged, “The Hummingbird Project” has pieces of a good movie, yet struggles to assemble them properly. Juggling family drama, corporate espionage, and the very nature of life and death itself, the film rushes from one theme to the next with the blistering speed of an Indy 500 driver delivering pizzas. And while a number of fantastic performances elevate the film, the drag of the script’s unfocused burdens keeps it from truly taking off.

Continue reading ‘The Hummingbird Project’: Great Performances From A Strong Cast Can’t Save This Messy Film [Review] at The Playlist.

Whatever it takes to keep a techno hellraiser on its feet, The Hummingbird Project doesn’t have it. Just don’t blame the film’s two lead actors. Jesse Eisenberg surges with all the manic energy he showed in The Social Network, playing Vincent Zaleski, the hustler behind an idea to run fiber-optic cable from Kansas to a Wall Street databank in New Jersey to gain a millisecond of info advantage — the speed of a hummingbird’s wing beat — that could bring in billions.

Alexander Skarsgård excels as Vincent’s cousin Anton,...

There’s something compelling about watching characters in a movie race to put a plan together. No matter what the plan being depicted is, whether they’re heroes or villains (or somewhere in between), the David vs. Goliath aspect has fueled cinema for much of its existence. You always want to see the little guy come out on top. We have another strong effort of that ilk hitting theaters this week in The Hummingbird Project. Featuring a pair of really good performances at its forefront, the film utilizes snappy dialogue and complex protagonists to power its engine. This is solid stuff, worthy of your time and money. The film is a drama taking place in the world of High Frequency Trading, where milliseconds literally are all that matters. Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård) are cousins players in the field. They work together for Eva Torres (Salma Hayek) but harbor a secret dream.

Alexander Skarsgård is looking to be as fast the one flap of a hummingbird’s wing.

The actor goes bald to play Anton Zaleski in The Hummingbird Project, one half of a duo of cousins looking to beat their former Wall Street boss and build a line straight to New York from Kansas that gets them trading information faster than anyone else.

And since the cross-country fiber-optic cable operation is a little hard to explain, he breaks it down in simple terms in a People exclusive clip of the movie, also starring Salma Hayek and Jesse Eisenberg.

“If all traders...

A little over a month ago, the first trailer for “The Hummingbird Project” was released. The footage shown gave viewers a clear indication that this film is going to be one of the more entertaining projects hitting the first part of 2019. But for my money, the standout moment of the trailer is the scene where star Alexander Skarsgård does the best dance committed to film since perhaps John Travolta in “Pulp Fiction.”

And in honor of the film’s impending release next week, we are thrilled to exclusively present the entire dance sequence, capped off with an equally impressive chase sequence through a hotel hallway and ending at a tennis court.

Continue reading ‘The Hummingbird Project’ Exclusive Clip: Alexander Skarsgård Dances Through The Hallways Because Of One Millisecond at The Playlist.

With the elongated awards season behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to the 2019 cinematic offerings and this month is a doozy. Featuring some of the greatest films we saw on the festival circuit in the last year as well as a few hugely promising new releases, it’s a varied, impressive slate. There’s also one film that I full-heartedly despised and couldn’t bear to mention, but other writers here feel on the other end of the spectrum, so it should at least provoke some heated discussion this month.

Matinees to See: Greta (3/1), The Hole in the Ground (3/1), Woman at War (3/1), The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (3/1), Leaving Neverland (3/3 & 3/4), Triple Frontier (3/6), Gloria Bell (3/8) Two Plains & a Fancy (3/8), The Mustang (3/15), The Eyes of Orson Welles (3/15), The Aftermath (3/15), The Hummingbird Project (3/15), Ramen Shop (3/22), Hotel Mumbai (3/22), The Highwaymen (3/29)

15. Giant Little Ones (Keith Behrman; March 1)

Considering the breadth of films...

Zhu Shengze’s ’Present.Perfect.’ takes Tiger award.

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has announced the award winners for its 48th edition, with Zhu Shengze’s Present.Perfect. taking the Tiger Award, with €40,000 accompanying prize.

The Tiger jury, comprised of Alfredo Jaar, Daniela Michel, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Katriel Schory and Pimpaka Towira, described it as ”a daring film that takes us to places where we have never been…brings to light characters that want and need to be seen.”

Ena Sendijarević’s Take Me Somewhere Nice received the special jury award in the Tiger competition, praised by the jury as “a...