News

Kidnap thriller Fourth Wall starring Emma Roberts, produced byGreg Silverman’s US outfit Stampede Ventures, is set to be the first feature to shoot in the new AlUla Studios in Saudi Arabia.

Fourth Wall is written by Jerry Kontogiorgis and will be produced by Silverman and Grant Torre of Los Angeles-based Stampede, and directed by Alexis Ostrander. It is set to go into production in the first quarter of 2025.

Roberts, whose credits include Stampede’s Space Cadet, plays a former child star from a popular TV sitcom who is kidnapped and wakes up in a complete recreation of the show...

Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, CEO of Cairo-based production company Film Clinic, received the Variety International Vanguard Producer Award at the Red Sea Film Festival on Dec. 9, prior to the screening of his black and white silent film “Abdo & Saneya.”

Hefzy has just launched a Film Clinic outlet in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and production is ramping up in the kingdom. Recent projects with Saudi Arabia include the Saudi-set adventure movie “Hajjan,” which had its world premiere at Toronto.

Film Clinic is one of Egypt’s biggest production houses and has played a key role in supporting emerging and independent talent, including Hani Khalifa’s recent thriller “Flight 404.” Egypt’s candidate for the 2025 International Feature Oscar, the film grossed over $4 million in Saudi Arabia alone.

Film Clinic has six films at Red Sea this year, including three in official competition: Khaled Mansour’s “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo,” Mahdi Fleifel...

Mbc Studios, the production arm of Middle East broadcaster Mbc Group, has partnered with leading Saudi production firm Telfaz11 Studios to co-develop and co-produce multiple projects built around Saudi storytelling.

While details of initial projects have to be revealed, an announcement made during Red Sea International Film Festival said that one was “based on a compelling true story”, which highlighted the shared ambition of both companies to create “meaningful content that captures the richness of Saudi culture and resonates deeply with audiences across the region”.

The partnership is aimed at nurturing Saudi talent, encouraging creativity and contributing to the region’s film and television industries.

Prominent Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy is branching out into Saudi Arabia by setting up an outpost of his prolific Film Clinic shingle – which has six titles at Saudi’s Red Sea Film Festival – in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The milestone move comes after Hefzy has been busy forging rapports with Saudi’s film community on a number of projects including Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky’s high-end Saudi-set adventure movie “Hajjan” – which had its regional premiere at Red Sea last year after launching from Toronto. “Hajjan” was produced by Film Clinic in tandem with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra.

“This is something that’s been in the cards for a couple of years,” Hefzy told Variety. He added that though Film Clinic’s Saudi base will be in Riyadh, the idea is to be active throughout the entire kingdom. “We’re talking about Riyadh.

Film Clinic and Front Row Productions have teamed up with Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce the offbeat Saudi rom-com A Matter of Life and Death, written by Sarah Taibah (last year’s Red Sea International Film Festival opening film Hwjn, Jameel Jeddan) and directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf (Fay’s Palette, Jameel Jeddan).

Starring Taibah (Mandoob, Jameel Jeddan) and Yaqoub Alfarhan (Norah, Rashash and the upcoming AlGhaid), the film is “a quirky tale involving Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat,” according to a synopsis. “Their fates collide in the most peculiar way: she’s wishing for an end, while he’s wrestling with even darker thoughts.”

The creatives promise “a rollercoaster journey through love, destiny, and the surprising connections

that can sprout from life’s craziest twists all told through the...

Long-time collaborators Cairo-based Film Clinic and Dubai-based Front Row Productions are joining forces with Saudi Arabian companies Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce local rom-com A Matter of Life and Death.

The Jeddah-shot feature will revolve around the romance between two unconventional characters: Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat. Their fates collide as she is wishing for an end, while he is wrestling with even darker thoughts.

The feature will be directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf, whose 2021 drama Fay’s Palette, about a girl cloistered in her home by a controlling brother, was one of the first Saudi features to be made following the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.

Writer and actor Sarah Taibah, who took co-writing credits on Saudi fantasy drama Hwjn, is lead writer. She and...

Courtesy of StudioCanal

by James Cameron-wilson

I think it’s fair to say that if you poll any film critic or historian and asked them what were the five most notable films to have come out of this country last century, they would count Brief Encounter, A Matter of Life and Death, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Lawrence of Arabia and The Third Man. As such then, it is always a welcome opportunity to return to any one of the gilded quintet, particularly if they have been painstakingly restored to their former glory, as well as top-loaded with reams of informative and educational bonus material, of which the extras here are an embarrassment of riches. In short, released to celebrate the film’s 75th anniversary as part of StudioCanal’s Vintage Classics Collection, this 4K Uhd package is a gift to film buffs: the picture quality is so sharp you can...

Courtesy of BFI

by James Cameron-wilson

Between the years 1931 and 1937, Michael Powell directed twenty-three films: twenty-three films in six years. Sadly, ten of those works are no longer with us due to the fact that they were printed on the highly volatile nitrate film stock, which was not only extremely difficult and expensive to store, but was highly flammable. Michael Powell, who went on to direct such classics as The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, was still in his twenties when he started directing but was known for his sense of economy and swiftness of turning a project around. Thanks to a government initiative set up to boost British cinema by establishing a quota system – so that a proportion of British films had to be shown in British cinemas alongside the big-budget Hollywood releases – the ‘quota quickie’ was born.

For over 15 years, a remake of “The Crow” has been in development with countless directors and stars cycling in and out. A new spin on the stylistically influential comic book movie from 1994 that is mostly remembered for the tragic on-set death of star Brandon Lee would fall apart just as quickly it would generate heat or a star to coalesce in some way. At various points in time actors like Bradley Cooper, Jason Momoa and Luke Evans were attached to prior iterations of the project. All of them went away.

But now, a new version of “The Crow” finally opens wide courtesy of Lionsgate Friday, with Bill Skarsgård as the doomed title character and pop star FKA Twigs as Shelly, his equally doomed fiancée. The story follows these doomed lovers who are murdered, only for Skarsgård’s character to get a chance at revenge by sacrificing himself, traversing the lands...

Here is another film that ponders the big life-or-death existential questions, in the grand cinematic tradition of 1946’s A Matter Of Life And Death or, say, 1990’s Ghost. Tuesday, the ambitious debut feature from Croatian filmmaker Daina O. Pusić, in fact bears most similarities to 2016’s A Monster Calls: as with J.A. Bayona’s tear-jerking drama, this is a devastatingly moving fairy tale about a gravelly voiced, anthropomorphised fantasy character making friends with a human grappling with the terminal illness of a family member. Unlike that film, this comes from A24 and is decidedly made for adults rather than children, being distinctly, deliciously oddball.

It begins with a montage of people about to die. Cheerful stuff. Facing their end, this cavalcade of poor souls beg for mercy from Death, who takes an unlikely form: a shapeshifting CG macaw parrot, voiced by British actor Arinzé Kene (Connor from EastEnders). Who needs a cloak and scythe?...

Martin Scorsese’s deep love of film shines through in his exploration of the marvelous movies by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. As directors with a true artist’s eye, Powell and Pressburger crafted some of Britain’s most imaginative and meaningful pictures. Through their company, The Archers, they strove to elevate cinema as an expressive art.

In Made in England, Scorsese brings their extraordinary body of work to new viewers. With infectious passion, he shares insights into their techniques and themes—and how deeply their films enriched his own career. At the documentary’s heart, of course, are illuminating clips and discussions that bring Powell and Pressburger’s brilliance alive. From The Red Shoes to Black Narcissus, their images leave a lasting imprint.

What makes this documentary so wonderful is Scorsese’s obvious joy in celebration. He treats cinema not as formula but as expressions of life. With Made in England,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on July 25th, reviewing “Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger,” in theaters beginning July 26th, and will be playing throughout August in select markets.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger teamed up as filmmakers just before World War 2 began, and in that timing managed to make artistic war propaganda films that allowed the citizens of England and the world to get through that era with some creative integrity. They are best known for the ballet movie “The Red Shoes,” but also scored with the classics “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “Black Narcissus” and “A Matter of Life and Death.”

“Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger” is in theaters on July 26th, and in select markets in August. See local listings. Featuring Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Made in England: The Films of Powell and PressburgerImage: Cohen Media Group

Michael Powell was born in the coastal English county of Kent. He started in the silent-era film industry of the 1920s, working countless studio odd jobs before he was promoted, in the 1930s, to directing low-budget “quota quickies,...

Given the sense of wonder and promotion of emotion over reason that courses through Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s work, it’s appropriate that David Hinton’s Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger starts with a recollection of a defining childhood moment. The film’s narrator and one of its executive producers, Martin Scorsese describes himself as an asthmatic child confined indoors and thunderstruck by these old films he was seeing on television. Giddy with the memory of being a young boy accidentally coming across fantastical mindblowers like The Thief of Baghdad, Scorsese says there was simply “no better initiation” into what he calls “the mysteries of Michael Powell.”

The film that follows does a thoroughly commendable job of providing that same initiation for unwashed viewers. But because Made in England is structurally a somewhat staid illustrated lecture from Scorsese on Powell’s directing career, and to...

"What they offer is a vision of love... of longing and loss, hope and expectation of wonder... I've watched these movies so many times, they've become part of my life." Cohen Media Group has also released their own official trailer for the wondrous documentary film titled Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, set for a run this summer in limited theaters. The doc is a cinema history look back at the iconic Powell & Pressburger filmmakers. Narrated and presented by Martin Scorsese, this explores the history of the two famous filmmakers Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, known for their beloved films including Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, A Canterbury Tale, and Gone to Earth. It is "a love letter to one of cinema's greatest partnerships" with Scorsese taking us through his own admiration for their creations. Drawing on a rich array of archive material,...

Martin Scorsese’s voiceover narration and on-camera presence foregrounds the personal nature of “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger,” an irresistible documentary survey about the formative movies of mid-century British writer/director Michael Powell and his co-writer Emeric Pressburger.

Scorsese didn’t direct “Made in England,” but his insights and relationship with Powell and Pressburger’s movies serve as the clothesline that director David Hinton hangs his movie’s footage on, including clips from both his title subjects’ movies as well as some charming archival interview footage (both Powell and Pressburger are now dead). Even Hinton’s tendency of focusing on Powell over Pressburger makes sense when you consider Scorsese’s presence as the lightly held lens through which the movie presents formative Powell and Pressburger dramas like “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “The Red Shoes,” and “The Tales of Hoffmann.”

“Made in England” begins...

Two for One returns to TCM with a brand new episode on Saturday June 8, featuring David Byrne presenting two films: A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and Wings of Desire (1987). In this episode, David Byrne, the iconic musician and creative force behind Talking Heads, steps into the spotlight as a film curator. […]

Two for One: David Byrne – A Matter of Life and Death (1946) & Wings of Desire (1987)...

While filmmaking duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger — aka The Archers — may be best known for their extravagant color films like “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Black Narcissus,” and “The Red Shoes,” their underseen black-and-white, post-wwii potboiler “The Small Back Room” may be their most daring.

Following a wartime weapons expert whose experiences studying and disarming bombs have led to injuries and a nasty drinking habit, the film came at a time when audiences were ready to look past the fighting, so it didn’t perform well at the box office. Now, thanks to Rialto Pictures, the film is set to hit theaters once again on June 28 with a 4K restoration. Watch the new trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.

The restoration, handled by The Film Foundation and the BFI National archives, in association with StudioCanal, was also conducted with the help of...

"A valentine to British cinema's greatest dreamers." This one is for all the die-hard cinephiles! Mubi has unveiled the official trailer for the cinema history documentary film called Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, made by filmmaker David Hinton. This originally premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and it's next screening at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC coming up this June. The doc is narrated and presented by Martin Scorsese, who explores the history of these two famous filmmakers: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, known for their beloved films including Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, A Canterbury Tale, and Gone to Earth. It is "a love letter to one of cinema's greatest partnerships." Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and Hungarian Pressburger who thrived in...

David Niven and Kim Hunter of the set of A Matter Of Life And Death (1946). Photo: courtesy of Altitude

Director David Hinton's Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger draws on a rich array of archival material to craft a captivating celebration of one of cinema's great collaborative partnerships. Together, the English Michael Powell and Hungarian Emeric Pressburger were the creative forces behind some of British cinema's most memorable films: The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter Of Life And Death, The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp and The Tales Of Hoffmann.

Martin Scorsese narrates and hearing him express his love for these films makes it feel like Made In England is a meeting with destiny. He was the only choice, not only because of his personal and professional relationships with Powell and his longtime editor, and Powell's widow Thelma Schoonmaker, but because of his enthusiastic energy,...

Following the best movie of last year, 2024 brings a lesson in cinema history from Martin Scorsese. He’s narrated a new documentary on two of the greatest directors of all time, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the duo responsible for The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Considering Scorsese’s close connection to their work, from being captivated at a young age and much later becoming friends with Michael Powell (who was married to Scorsese’s long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker), he’s the perfect guide through their filmography.

Following the Berlinale premiere of David Hinton’s Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, it’ll now get a U.K. and Ireland release on May 10 from Altitude and the first trailer has arrived. With U.S. distribution coming from Cohen Media Group, Mubi has also...

A movie marathon with our favorite auteurs? Where do we sign up?

Turner Classic Movies’ latest limited series “Two for One” features curated double features coupled with commentary from select guest programmers like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and more. The upcoming TCM series is hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, who will interview each director about why they chose to highlight their two chosen films.

“Two for One” will feature 12 nights of double features, beginning April 6. With the logline “two films, one filmmaker, countless perspectives,” the series is set to span all of cinematic history. Directors will offer commentary on the double feature’s cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and their own personal reflections.

Martin Scorsese kicks off the show with a conversation comparing “Blood on the Moon” and “One Touch of Venus.” The following week, actress/director Olivia Wilde picks “Auntie Mame” and 1976 documentary “Grey Gardens.

Turner Classic Movies have announced a new limited series, Two for One, that will feature 12 nights of double features curated by some of the most celebrated filmmakers in Hollywood beginning April 6. TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz will be joined by each director, including Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, Spike Lee, Nicole Holofcener, and Rian Johnson, to introduce the two films they chose. They will offer commentary on the double feature’s cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and their own personal reflections.

“This was such an eclectic group of filmmakers to sit down with, which was invigorating, from Martin Scorsese talking about a Robert Mitchum western, to Spike Lee discussing Elia Kazan, to Olivia Wilde’s breakdown of Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame,” said Ben Mankiewicz. “In these double features, these 12 directors lead us on an insider’s journey through cinematic history.”

See...

For any film lovers who grew up on, generationally depending, the cinema of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, or the essential ’90s cinephile primer “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies” — or both, as for this writer — “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger” arrives as an unmitigated treat.

A straightforwardly constructed documentary trawl through the dizzy highs and sporadic lows of the most iridescently fabulous filmography in British cinema, David Hinton’s film would be plenty pleasurable as a mere feature-length clip reel. That it gets longtime Powell and Pressburger champion Martin Scorsese to narrate the proceedings, with the same blend of scholarly authority and avuncular enthusiasm he brought to “Personal Journey,” makes the doc more than the sum of its already attractive parts: a movingly sincere valentine from a filmmaker now due his own equivalent tributes, shortening the distance between youthful discovery and senior nostalgia.

Exclusive: Ahead of its world premiere today at the Berlin Film Festival, Cohen Media Group has secured all North American distribution rights to Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger.

Martin Scorsese narrates the film, which is directed by Emmy winner David Hinton.

Cmg negotiated exclusive theatrical and ancillary rights in North America with a planned release in 2024 in an exclusive window prior to TCM’s subsequent TV premiere.

The film puts a spotlight on Brit filmmakers Powell and Pressburger who created some of the most revered films of the British golden age, including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. In the words of Scorsese, their films were “grand, poetic, wise, adventurous, headstrong, enraptured by beauty, deeply romantic, and completely uncompromising.”

You can check out an exclusive clip of the film here and read our...

Without Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the films and career of Martin Scorsese would be very different. “Mean Streets” would be less red (thank those titular “Red Shoes”), the title fight in “Raging Bull” wouldn’t have been preceded by that thrilling oner (thank the duel in “Colonel Blimp”), and we wouldn’t have that audacious flash of yellow in “The Age of Innocence,” an idea swiped from the red-hot climax of “Black Narcissus.”

Scorsese has always been admirably honest about his tendency to steal from the best, and “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger” is at its most fun when Marty talks the audience through how the ironic filmmaking duo’s most striking images reshaped the canon. And what — to him — ultimately made them worth stealing.

These seemingly spontaneous moments are well-illustrated by director David Hinton, a BAFTA-winning documentarian who also made an episode of the...

‘Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger,’ the documentary executive produced and narrated by Matin Scorsese, has been acquired by Mubi ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

The arthouse streamer, distributor and production company has bought all rights for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Latin America, Turkey and India.

Directed by two-time BAFTA and Emmy winner David Hinton, ‘Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger’ is described as “Scorsese’s personal and moving look at two of British cinema’s greatest filmmakers.”

Powell and Pressburger created some of the great classics of the British golden age, including “The Red Shoes,” “Black Narcissus,” “A Matter of Life and Death” and “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.” In the words of Scorsese, their films were “grand, poetic, wise, adventurous, headstrong, enraptured by beauty, deeply romantic, and completely uncompromising.

The European Film Market is heating up as it winds to a close, with several major deals coming out of chilly Berlin. On Monday, art house streamer Mubi announced its first big buy of EFM, snatching up David

Hinton’s Martin Scorsese-narrated documentary, Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, for much of the world.

Mubi has acquired all rights in German-speaking Europe, Italy, France and Benelux for the doc, as well as Latin America, Turkey and India. The film has its world premiere in Berlin this week as part of the Berlinale Special. The deal was done between Mubi and Altitude Film Sales.

The latest from the BAFTA and Emmy-award winner Hinton (The South Bank Show, All This Can Happen) explores the life and work of British filmmaking duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who together created some of the greatest films of the British golden age,...

Exclusive: Martin Scorsese is returning to the Berlin Film Festival tomorrow for the first time in a decade. The cinema legend, currently on the awards circuit with latest epic Killers Of The Flower Moon, will be feted with the Berlinale’s highest honor, its lifetime achievement Golden Bear.

Ahead of the ceremony, the indefatigable Scorsese (81) found time to speak to us. In answer to ‘Deadline’s Five Burning Questions’, the filmmaker discussed a new project he has playing at the festival, some of the career collaborations he is most proud of, the importance of film festivals, his expectations for the future of cinema, and what might be next for him.

Scorsese has been to the Berlinale a number of times before, including with Raging Bull, Gangs of New York and Shutter Island, all of which screened out of competition, and with Berlinale competition entry Cape Fear in 1992. His Rolling Stones...

Courtesy of Studiocanal

by James Cameron-wilson

1960 was a year that sent shockwaves throughout the film industry. Alfred Hitchcock, who was to direct Anna Massey twelve years later in his lurid thriller Frenzy – about a serial killer in central London – opened a movie called Psycho. Psycho was significant in several regards. Hitchcock refused to show the film to critics and barred his two leads, Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, from doing any promotional interviews as he wanted total control over the film’s publicity and its content. This was in June of 1960. Two months earlier another celebrated filmmaker had released an equally shocking film called Peeping Tom and whose critical reception ruined both the movie and the reputation of its director, Michael Powell. Hitchcock wanted audiences to judge Psycho for themselves. Most audiences never got a chance to evaluate Peeping Tom.

Both films were about serial killers and both showed the murderer as a self-effacing,...

There’s quite a lot going on beneath the shiny, fun surface of this animated comedy, though some of the questions it deals with — animal mortality, the world’s fragile eco-system — might be too much for younger children to process. For older, smarter kids, it could be a gateway film, a way to turn young cinephiles onto Powell and Pressburger’s 1946 masterpiece A Matter of Life and Death, with which it shares a little DNA. It also, like the brace of Chicken Run movies, raises the subject of nature conservation in a way they will respond to, thanks to Bill Nighy’s deliciously machiavellian uber-villain and his killer horde of robot bees.

The star of the show is a stray cat played by British comedian Mo Gilligan, who also narrates the film with a Goodfellas-style voiceover. When we meet him, he’s at the end of his lives, having been abandoned by his owners,...

February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.

February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...

With the New Year upon us, it’s time for our annual tradition of looking at the cinematic horizon. Having highlighted 30 films we guarantee are worth seeing this year and those we hope get U.S. distribution, we now venture into the unknown. We dug deep to chart the 100 films we’re most looking forward to, from debuts to documentaries to the return of some of our most-beloved auteurs, along with a small batch of studio films worth giving attention.

Though the majority lack a set release––let alone a confirmed festival premiere––most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2024. Be sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months (and beyond).

100. Civil War (Alex Garland; April 26)

A storm brewed across social media with the trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War. Garland, who last invigorated and disgusted audiences with Men, still boasts...

Now available as part of the company’s Black Friday Sale, Michele Soavi‘s Cemetery Man (aka Dellamorte Dellamore) makes its 4K Ultra HD debut courtesy of Severin Films.

It’s been called “stylish and gruesome” (Washington Post), “grotesque and touching” (Av Club) and “an experience unlike any other” (Bloody Disgusting). Now this magnum opus by director Michele Soavi – “the best Italian horror film of the ‘90s” (Fangoria) – can be experienced fully restored in Uhd for the very first time.

Rupert Everett stars as cemetery watchman Francesco Dellamorte, tasked with dispatching the recently deceased when they rise from their graves. But when he falls in love with a beautiful young widow (Anna Falchi), will his resurrected lust for life become greater than his bond with death?

François Hadji-Lazaro co-stars in the finest erotic romantic existential black comedy zombie gorefest of our time, with a Soavi-approved 4K scan from the Cinecittà...

There’s a scene in the Paul Reubens-starrer Pee-wee’s Big Adventure that finds its titular character setting off on a vagabond adventure. He hops aboard a train to sit side-by-side with a grizzled, toothless man known as Hobo Jack, and they sing camp songs until Pee-Wee suddenly sours on the moment. The disgust radiates from his face and he makes a rash decision to jump off the moving train and tumble into the dirt below. The scene lasts all of 53 seconds.

“It’s such a committed, incredibly short joke that takes so much effort and I think that that has embedded somewhere deep inside me,” Greta Gerwig explained from the podium inside Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday night while introducing a screening of Tim Burton’s 1985 film as part of AFI Fest. The blockbuster Barbie director turned up as part of her guest-directing duties for the Los Angeles-based festival,...

This year’s AFI Fest is back in full glory, featuring a rich lineup of critical favorites plus a slate of five films curated by guest artistic director Greta Gerwig, whose latest film, “Barbie” has grossed $1.4 billion.

Returning to Hollywood’s Tcl Chinese Theatre and screening films from October 25-29, the event will feature Gerwig’s curated list of films: “All That Jazz,” “An American in Paris,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” and “Wings of Desire.” AFI Fest will also screen the U.S. premiere of “Lee,” starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, who is a producer on the project as well. The biopic follows the life of Lee Miller, a wartime photographer who documented the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, London Blitz and liberation of Paris during WW II.

“I think AFI Fest and all film festivals are monuments to the inspirational power of film, the healing restorative power of film,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSSubscribe to Notebook magazine before November 1 to receive Issue 4, which explores cinematic soundscapes in their diverse sonic forms and includes contributions from filmmakers like Pedro Costa, Garrett Bradley, and Dominga Sotomayor, pop musician Julia Holter, plus a wide range of artists, writers, and scholars. Subscribers will also receive with this issue a very special gift, a seven-inch record featuring a song by filmmaker Gus Van Sant and a field recording by sound designer Leslie Shatz.This week brought the sad, shocking news that the legendary Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired from filmmaking due to illness. Hou's family confirmed in a statement that he is battling Alzheimer's, and the effects of long Covid have forced him to stop making films; they requested privacy during this time, adding that he is healthy overall, in the presence of family.

They made 24 often morally complex pictures before falling out of fashion. Now, as a monumental BFI retrospective kicks off, can their stricken pilots and posh ballerinas speak to our divided era?

It is May 1945 and night has fallen across Europe. The world is at war, cities are aflame and a Lancaster bomber is falling from the sky. Inside the burning cockpit, squadron leader Peter Carter gives his name and age then outlines his politics. “Conservative by nature,” he says. “Labour by experience.” Played by David Niven, the hero of A Matter of Life and Death is your emblematic Englishman – in that he is a muddle. He is trad and prog, romantic and practical, and amiably optimistic even in the teeth of disaster (and perhaps then most of all). He is describing himself as the plane goes down. By proxy, he is describing the film-makers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, too.

Foo Fighters busted out a portion of the Led Zeppelin opus “Stairway to Heaven” during a break in their headlining set at the Ohana Festival on Sunday (October 1st).

The surprise rendition took place toward the end of the set. Dave Grohl appeared to stop the show while a member of the audience apparently was receiving medical attention, and he broke the silence with the opening arpeggios of “Stairway.”

“Did you figure that shit out or do I have to play fucking ‘Stairway to Heaven’?” asked Grohl, apparently addressing festival staff while still playing the song’s intro. “‘Cause I’ll fucking play this motherfucker, you know that, right?”

The band fell in, with keyboardist Rami Jaffee adding the iconic mellotron flute accompaniment as Grohl sang the opening verse. Finally, whatever was causing the delay got sorted out, and Grohl cut the song off before the chord change.

“Is that situation figured out?...

Ed Sheeran was found not liable in the copyright lawsuit trial that accused his song “Thinking Out Loud” of infringing on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”

After three hours of deliberations that followed a two-week trial in New York from April to May, the jury announced their verdict in favor of Sheeran, finding that he independently created his 2014 single and did not copy Gaye’s hit.

While Sheeran was pleased with the outcome (he won’t have to retire now, as he threatened during his testimony), he...

It’s the year of color/black-and-white hybrid films, led by such Best Cinematography Oscar contenders shot on Kodak film as “Oppenheimer” (Universal), “Poor Things” (Searchlight), “Asteroid City” (Focus Features), and “Maestro” (Netflix). In addition, there are two other contenders of interest: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) contains a series of striking monochromatic moments, while the black-and-white “El Conde” (Netflix) offers a lone color sequence.

They are part of a great stylistic tradition of intermingling color and black-and-white to evoke heightened states of mind in such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Bonjour Tristesse,” “Wings of Desire,” “JFK,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Pleasantville.” It can be real or imaginary, but the aesthetic differences help drive the narratives.

By contrast, “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century), shot by Kenneth Branaugh’s go-to cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, utilizes conventional black-and-white flashbacks to recap a mysterious murder. This...

The new documentary Mr. Jimmy tells the story of a Japanese kimono salesman named Akio Sakurai, who worships Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. For three decades, Sakurai has adopted the persona of “Mr. Jimmy,” playing guitar like Page and attempting note-for-note recreations of Led Zeppelin concerts in Tokyo clubs. After Page encouraged him, he moved to Los Angeles and joined a tribute act, Led Zepagain, to continue his idol worship. The picture, distributed worldwide by Abramorama, is in theaters now.

Filmmaker Peter Michael Dowd tells Rolling Stone he made the...

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Whether you want to become the next Neil Young or Joni Mitchell, or maybe just learn a few new chords, picking up an acoustic guitar is easier than ever thanks to their portability, great sound, and price. But knowing which guitar to start with can feel as intimidating as memorizing the intro to “Stairway to Heaven.”

The good news: When it comes down to buying a new acoustic guitar,...

Everyone knows the definition of a tribute band. But is there a difference between that and a “revival” band? Whatever one chooses to call it, when is such a project a money-making exercise in nostalgia — and when is it a sincere, concerted (pun intended) effort to recreate and sustain a genre of music that suddenly feels on life support? And exactly how short were those sleeves on Jimmy Page’s open-chested jacket from 1973?

These and other questions are addressed and grappled with in Mr. Jimmy, Peter Michael Dowd’s weirdly...

Dolly Parton has joined with surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on a new cover of the band’s 1970 hit, “Let It Be.”

The song is part of Parton’s upcoming album, Rockstar. Peter Frampton and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood also appear on the track.

Rockstar (out Nov. 17) will be Parton’s 49th studio album, and features 30 tracks, including a few new Parton songs, including “World on Fire” and the promotional track “Bygones,” featuring Rob Halford of Judas Priest.

Parton has also already released covers of Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” and Heart’s “Magic Man,” featuring Ann Wilson.

Other collaborations: “Every Breath You Take” with Sting, “Wrecking Ball” with Miley Cyrus, “Heart of Glass” with Blondie’s Debbie Harry, “Stairway to Heaven” with Lizzo, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” with Pink and Brandi Carlile, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with Elton John,...

Burbank, Calif. – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, the iconic supernatural film The Exorcist from Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (The French Connection) will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time this September.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1973 release, on September 19, The Exorcist will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs include both the 1973 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut of the film, which features eleven additional minutes of footage not seen in theaters.

Directed by Friedkin, who died today at age 89, from a screenplay by Academy Award winner William Peter Blatty, the film is based on Blatty...

The 1973 classic The Exorcist (watch it Here) isn’t just getting a new sequel (called The Exorcist: Believer and scheduled to reach theatres on October 13th) for its 50th anniversary. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced that they will be celebrating the film’s anniversary by giving it a new 4K release on September 19th – and this 4K edition will be available on physical media as well as digital. Copies can be pre-ordered at This Link.

Based on a novel by William Peter Blatty (pick up a copy Here), who also wrote the screenplay, The Exorcist was directed by William Friedkin and tells the following story: One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest,...

Way back in 2011, long before he was cast in the TV adaptation of Good Omens, actor Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) told MTV that his favourite film was Powell and Pressburger’s 1945 masterpiece A Matter of Life and Death. That was still the case in 2019, as confirmed on social media. For someone currently appearing as an angel, it’s an incredibly appropriate favourite film – and the makers of Good Omens must have been listening, because there are several Easter eggs nodding to the film appearing in the fantasy-comedy’s second season.

An Unusual Origin

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were British film-makers who started a production company called The Archers in 1939, just a few years after Pressburger came to Britain having fled the Nazis. As well as producing, they wrote and directed several very well-known and hugely influential films during the 1940s, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus,...

Dolly Parton is giving fans a taste of her upcoming rock album by releasing two iconic Queen covers included on the project.

The country icon debuted the covers “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” in a music video that also promotes the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Olympic-themed video celebrates athletes around the world, including Olympic medalists, and sports fans ahead of next year’s games

Read More: Dolly Parton Says She Would Rather ‘Drop Dead Onstage’ Than Opt For Retirement

“I love the Olympics!” Parton said in a statement, per Entertainment Weekly. “I do my best to plan my schedule to watch as much of it as I possibly can. I tape it just in case I miss the live action on a certain day and watch it back as soon as possible. I laugh, I cry, I scream, there are no losers in the Olympics...

Don’t expect to see an AI hologram of Dolly Parton performing live once she’s gone. In a recent press conference, the country legend (via The Independent) said she has no desire to leave her “soul” behind.

“I think I’ve left a great body of work behind,” Parton said. “I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved [with] because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this earth.”

She continued, “I think with some of this stuff I’ll be grounded here for ever… I’ll be around, we’ll find ways to keep me here.” According to The Independent, Parton also quipped that “everything” about her — including “any intelligence” — was artificial anyway.

Last year, Abba launched their “Abba Voyage” London residency (grab tickets here) featuring the (very much alive) Swedish pop icons in hologram form as they looked...