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Exclusive: Here’s an independent romantic comedy we hear is coming together: Oscar winner Diane Keaton and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star Taylour Paige are set to star in Mack and Rita which will be produced by Alex Saks. Katie Aselton Duplass is directing, we hear.

The comedy is billed as being in the spirit of Big. Mackenzie Martin is tired of doing all the things she has to do to keep up and get ahead in her 30’s. Since she was a little girl, raised by her Grammie Martin, her deepest wish has been to be just like her Grammie, comfortable in her own skin, great at saying “no” and largely unburdened by what other people think of her. Not to mention Mack has always loved a good chunky sweater and being in bed by 8 pm. While at her best friend’s bachelorette in Palm Springs, Mack stumbles...

Mixing comedy and drama while making a political point is a tough nut to crack. As much as people like Adam McKay and Aaron Sorkin are good at making you angry and making you laugh in equal measure, there’s always folks who will take them to task for that approach. Moreover, there’s tons of storytellers out there who just can’t pull it off. Unfortunately, actor and director Edward James Olmos, along with his writer Robert McEveety, are the latest to join that latter group, with the film The Devil Has a Name. Despite noble ambitions and a solid cast, this is a misfire. The movie is a dramedy, pitting an oil company against a farmer, with wide ranging consequences. When Gigi (Kate Bosworth) is pulled in front of her bosses to find out just what the hell happened, she tells the story of a battle with Fred Stern...

In “Battlestar Galactica” star and sometime director Edward James Olmos’ “The Devil Has a Name,” corporate America is poisoning the little guy, again. Call me cynical, but that will hardly come as a surprise to most audiences, who’ve been watching entities with deep pockets shirk public safety for quick profits for the better part of their lives, thanks in no small part to Hollywood’s efforts to amplify the whistleblower. Over the years, we’ve seen nuclear facilities fail to contain radiation (“Silkwood”), fracking interests conspire to deceive a small town (“Promised Land”) and DuPont dump toxic chemicals into a West Virginia water supply (“Dark Water”).

Such movies are nearly always earnest to the point of self-righteous, an approach best exemplified by “Erin Brockovich” — which is the case “Devil” most closely resembles, since both true(ish) stories seek to expose the impact of carcinogens seeping from unlined wastewater ponds into the surrounding area.

The sheer range of genres represented by this week’s new releases — from Liam Neeson thriller “Honest Thief” to romantic weepie “2 Hearts” — suggests that distributors of all kinds are doing their best to give audiences the kind of selection they enjoyed before the lockdown.

Well, nearly all kinds of distributors.

The major studios are still playing it safe and holding their tentpoles for a time when they can pack the megaplexes, although Paramount has stepped in with a fun post-apocalyptic adventure, “Love and Monsters,” which goes straight to PVOD, and Sony picked up an unconventional neo-noir called “The Kid Detective” out of the Toronto Film Festival that sneaks into theaters today. Pre-Halloween horror offerings continue, as Amazon Prime releases two more titles in its Welcome to the Blumhouse series: “Evil Eye” and “Nocturne.”

Art-houses land a major title in 2019 Venice Film Festival winner “Martin Eden,” an Italian adaptation of the Jack London novel.

Kate Bosworth shines in a juicy role as a cigar-smoking oil matriarch in this drama directed by veteran actor Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos is an actor-film-maker with a long history of advocating for Latino screen representation, and he has cast himself as something of what you might call a “magical Latino” stock character in this environmental courtroom drama. He plays Santiago, the right-hand man of Fred Stern (David Strathairn), a recently widowed California almond farmer, who is locked in a legal battle with a big bad oil firm. Santi always has some old-west wisdom to offer his old pal, such as “Don’t confuse fightin’ with livin’”; or “Who knows the true meaning of ‘covfefe’?”

It’s a forgivable indulgence, since The Devil Has a Name is also providing juicy roles for several other character actors who have long been underserved and unappreciated. Former child star Haley Joel Osment...

The Devil Has a Name Trailer — Edward James Olmos‘ The Devil Has a Name (2020) movie trailer has been released by Momentum Pictures and stars David Strathairn, Edward James Olmos, Kate Bosworth, Pablo Schreiber, and Haley Joel Osment. Plot Synopsis The Devil Has a Name‘s plot synopsis: “Widowed, broke, and adrift, farmer Fred Stern (David [...]

Continue reading: The Devil Has A Name (2020) Movie Trailer: Farmer David Strathairn stands up against a Ruthless Oil Company...

Well Go USA has launched a new trailer for the sci-fi thriller ‘Synchronic’ starring Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie.

When New Orleans paramedics and longtime best friends Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are called to a series of bizarre, gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to the mysterious new party drug found at the scene. But after Dennis’s oldest daughter suddenly disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality—and the flow of time itself.

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Ally Ioannides and Katie Aselton join Dornan and Mackie on the cast.

Also in trailers – Kate Bosworth, Haley Joel Osment and Martin Sheen star in trailer for ‘The Devil Has A Name’

The film has a US release date of October 23rd.

The post Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie star in trailer for sci-fi...

Have you heard the news? The Devil Has a Name! Or so the title of this new movie claims. Featuring always-welcomed character actor David Strathairn, this film claims to “comedically pull back the curtain on the culture of greed that poisons Corporate America, from sea to polluted sea.” Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen, Alfred Molina, and Haley Joel Osment all […]

The post ‘The Devil Has a Name’ Trailer: The Truth Lies Beneath appeared first on /Film.

Momentum Pictures has debuted a new trailer for ‘The Devil Has A Name’ featuring Kate Bosworth, Haley Joel Osment and Martin Sheen.

Inspired by bizarre, true events, Widowed, broke and adrift, farmer Fred Stern (David Strathairn) finds a new purpose in life when he learns that the psychotic matriarch of a sinister oil company is polluting his water. But as his crusade against the powers that spill out of the courtroom and into his personal life, Fred must find a way to avoid the ruin of his farm, his family and his dreams.

Directed by Edward James Olmos, the film stars David Strathairn, Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Katie Aselton, Haley Joel Osment with Alfred Molina and Martin Sheen.

Also in trailers – Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins star in trailer for ‘The Father’

The film is released in US cinemas, On Demand and Digital October 16th.

The post Kate Bosworth,...

"You're not going to be able to get away with this anymore." Momentum Pictures has released the official trailer for The Devil Has a Name, directed by acclaimed actor Edward James Olmos. Let's be clear - "greed" is the name of the devil (despite the line in this trailer), and he/it has poisoned the entire world. A psychotic oil matriarch leaves the whole industry exposed when she attempts to outfight a bullish farmer whose water has been poisoned. David Strathairn stars as a farmer who won't give up his fight, and puts everything at risk, to take down greed corporate oil schmucks in this film inspired by "bizarre, true events." The impressive full cast includes Kate Bosworth, Edward James Olmos, Katie Aselton, Haley Joel Osment, with Alfred Molina and Martin Sheen. This looks crazy-in-a-good-way and awesome in terms of the fervor - take down those greedy bastards! Or at...

Cast includes Taylor Russell, Jason Isaacs, Tom Wilkinson.

Los Angeles-based Storyboard Media, which struck a raft of deals at Afm on the Robert De Niro action comedy The Comeback Trail, shifts gears as it prepares to introduce Efm buyers to Ya adaptation Dr. Bird’s Advice For Sad Poets.

Taylor Russell, Lucas Jade Zumman, Jason Isaacs, Tom Wilkinson, Lisa Edelstein, and David Arquette star for writer-director Yaniv Raz.

Based on the book by Evan Roskos, the film centres on a teenager who seeks advice from an imaginary pigeon therapist as he tries to make sense of adolescence and come to terms with his sister’s disappearance.

France, Spain, Italy, South Korea among buyers flocking to action comedy.

Storyboard Media has announced a slew of sales at Afm on its all-star action comedy The Comeback Trail with current awards contender Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman.

George Gallo, whose writing credits include Bad Boys and Midnight Run, directs the film (see exclusive first-look picture), which has gone in France (Originals Factory), Spain (Vertice 360), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Middle East (Eagle Films), Latin America (Idc), South Korea (Noori), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan (Applause), and Cis (Volga).

Further deals closed in Eastern Europe (ProRom), Poland (Monolith), Greece...

New Girl alum Lamorne Morris, Alisha Wainwright (Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments) and Oscar-nominated actors Haley Joel Osment and Jackie Earle Haley has signed on to star in Death of a Telemarketer, and indie comedy-drama from Datari Turner Productions.

The film was written by recent USC Cinematic Arts graduate Khaled Ridgeway, who is also directing. The plot follows a too-slick-for-his-own-good telemarketer (Morris) who finds himself in a life or death circumstance, when he is held hostage at gunpoint for trying to con an middle-aged man (Haley) down on his luck, to win a hunger games-style sales contest at work.

Matt McGorry, Gil Ozeri, Woody McClain, Sujata Day, David So, Ian Verdun, Gwen Gottlieb, and Starletta DuPois also co-star in the pic, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles.

Datari Turner is producing the film alongside James J. Yi and Meagan Good. Turner recently wrapped production on the Netflix film Uncorked, directed...

Fichtner’s acting credits include The Perfect Storm, Black Hawk Down, and TV series Mom.

Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard’s Storyboard Media has picked up international sales rights to William Fichtner’s feature directorial debut Cold Brook for Efm.

Fichtner, whose acting credits include The Perfect Storm, Black Hawk Down, and TV series Mom, stars alongside Kim Coates from Sons Of Anarchy and Harold Perrineau from Lost.

Cold Brook tells of two maintenance workers at an upstate New York college who are hailed local heroes when they apprehend an intruder. When they learn he is lost, they choose to help him in life.

On-location filming in Los Angeles rose 2.4% in the first quarter of 2018 compared with a year ago. That’s good news after a dismal 2017 when on-location filming took a nose dive, with feature films, TV pilots and reality shows all hitting five-year lows despite the state’s $330 million-a-year tax incentives program.

Altogether, there were 9,724 on-location shooting days in the city during Q1 2018 – up 4.4% compared to the average first quarters of the past five years, according to data gathered by FilmLA, the city’s film permit office.

“This report confirms what below-the-line-workers across Los Angeles are already experiencing — film and television production is booming,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “Each new production means more good-paying jobs and a healthier economy for everyone. L.A. is the creative capital of the world, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

On-location feature film production had an especially good quarter, posting an...

Boosted by a surge in feature film activity, total on-location filming in greater Los Angeles increased an impressive 2.4% in the first quarter to 9,724 shoot days, permitting agency FilmL.A. reported Wednesday.

Feature film production jumped 11.7% to 814 days — its first double-digit gain since 2015. FilmL.A. President Paul Audley pointed to the state’s expanded tax credit program, which can cover up to 25% of a film’s budget.

“It is exciting to see increases in high job producing categories in film and television production,” Audley said. “The California Tax Credit program is sustaining the industry in our region and demonstrates how critical it is for a continuation of the program.”

Incentivized projects, including “Bird Box,” “Peppermint,” “The Devil Has a Name,” “Destroyer” and “Captain Marvel” contributed 20% or 161 of the shoot days in the feature category.

“Captain Marvel” was one of seven films with budgets over $100 million that have been covered by the expanded program.

Feature film productions on-location in Los Angeles increased 11.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to Q1 of last year. It marks the first double-digit increase in three years, according to the not-for-profit organization FilmL.A.

The California Film Commission has been offering tax credits to lure Hollywood studios back to the Golden Coast to film projects, as major studios like Disney have fled for tax havens such as Atlanta, or locations with other incentives.

Disney’s “Captain Marvel,” starring Brie Lawson, is currently in production and is one of seven films under California’s incentive program with a budget over $100 million to film in the state. The Marvel film, due out next year, filmed in the first quarter under the incentive program along with “Bird Box,” “Peppermint,” “The Devil has a Name” and “Destroyer.”

Also Read: 'Scarface,' 'Deadwood' Movie, Jordan Peele Film Score California Tax Credits

“It is exciting to see increases in high job producing categories in film and television production,” FilmL.A. President Paul Audley said in a statement. “The California Tax Credit program is sustaining the industry in our region and demonstrates how critical it is for a continuation of the program.”

Of the 9,724 shoot days logged during the first quarter, films brought in by the incentive tax program accounted for 161 of those.

TV saw a 7.4 percent decline in the number of shoot days in L.A., but TV pilots enjoyed a 22 percent increase, and those brought in by the tax program contributed 24 percent, or 65 of the total shoot days.

Also Read: Cathy Yan in Early Talks to Direct Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn Movie

Tax incentivized TV dramas contributed 50.3 percent of the total shoot days in the category during the first quarter. Incentivized TV comedy projects totaled 89 shoot days, or 17 percent of the category. And on-location commercials rose 10 percent in the first quarter, to 1,633 shoot days.

“This report confirms what below-the-line-workers across Los Angeles are already experiencing – film and television production is booming,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “Each new production means more good-paying jobs and a healthier economy for everyone. L.A. is the creative capital of the world, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Production of web-based TV in L.A. was down 28.7 percent in the first quarter, compared with last year. Last April, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told TheWrap that the streaming giant planned to bring as much of its production as possible to California.

The company’s $90 million hit fantasy cop film “Bright,” which starred Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, also filmed entirely on location in downtown Los Angeles.

Also Read: Bill Mechanic's Academy Exit Blasts CEO Dawn Hudson, Inclusion Efforts, #MeToo Response

“I personally believe instead of investing in tax incentives that we should invest in infrastructure,” Sarandos told TheWrap. “When you think about productions chasing tax credits all over the world, it puts the onus on the cast and crew who have to travel.”

Read original story Film Production in Los Angeles Enjoys First Double-Digit Growth Since 2015 At TheWrap...

In today’s film news roundup, Leonardo DiCaprio has been named to present Martin Scorsese with the Robert Osborne Award, Edward James Olmos launches a film festival, and Amanda Seyfried lands a part.

Film Festivals

Turner Classic Movies has selected Leonardo DiCaprio to present Martin Scorsese with the inaugural Robert Osborne Award as part of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival’s opening.

DiCaprio has appeared in five of Scorsese’s films, beginning with 2002’s “Gangs of New York” and most recently in 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” DiCaprio will present the award April 26 in Los Angeles to the filmmaker for his decades-long commitment to the legacy and preservation of classic films.

In 1990, Scorsese established the Film Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. The foundation has funded the restoration of over 800 films and its World Cinema Project has restored 31 films from 21 countries.

The Robert Osborne...

Kate Bosworth has joined the dark comedy The Devil Has a Name from director and co-star Edward James Olmos.

David Strathairn is already attached to the indie about a psychotic oil patriarch who exposes the industry as he attempts to outfight a bullish farmer whose water has been poisoned. Bosworth is to play an oil industry executive.

Bosworth most recently starred in the BBC miniseries SS-GB and Crackle's The Art of More. Her other credits include Superman Returns, Beyond the Sea, Still Alice, Blue Crush, 21 and Homefront.

Patrick Hibler, Robert McEveety, Stephen McEveety and Marty Eli Schwartz are producing...

Exclusive: Principal photography has just kicked off in La on Edward James Olmos’ dark comedy The Devil Has A Name. Kate Bosworth and Alfred Molina are joining the cast that already includes Olmos and David Strathairn. Steve McEveety, Patrick Hibler and Rob McEveety of True Navigator Pictures are fully financing and producing with Storyboard Media handling worldwide sales launching in Berlin. Written by Rob McEveety and inspired by true events, the film centers on an…...