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Useful as it may be for facts and stats, an actor’s Wikipedia page isn’t ever the go-to place for a complete, nuanced description of their thespian essence, and so it proves for Isabelle Huppert. “Known for her portrayals of cold, austere women devoid of morality, she is considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation,” states the introduction, in a strikingly selective encapsulation of over half a century on screen. Huppert can certainly do froideur and severity with flair — she’s imposing beyond the bounds of her diminutive frame in such rigorous, chill-carrying films as Claude Chabrol’s “La Cérémonie,” Michael Haneke’s “The Piano Teacher” and of course Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” though whether these complex, conflicted women are “devoid of morality” isn’t a call for any one web editor to make.

But it does Huppert an injustice to paint her, however admiringly, as some...

The Venice Film Festival has unveiled the names that will join Isabelle Huppert on the main Competition jury of its 81st edition, running Aug 28 – Sept 7.

Jury members include James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz, and Zhang Ziyi.

The jury will award the following official prizes to the feature films in Competition, with no joint awards allowed: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay, and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.

Jury head Huppert has a long relationship with the Venice Film Festival. She has won its Coppa Volpi for best actress twice with Story of Women (1988) and La Cérémonie (1995). In 2005, she was honored with a Special Golden Lion for the Overall...

It’s showtime!

Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will open the 81st annual Venice Film Festival, IndieWire has confirmed. The film will be screened out of competition on Wednesday, August 28 at the Sala Grande, marking its world premiere. Warner Bros. will release “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in theaters September 6.

The full Venice lineup will be announced July 23.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” stars Michael Keaton as the titular ghoul who is summoned by the Deetz family once again. This time, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) realize that the portal to the afterlife has been accidentally opened. Catherine O’Hara returns, and is also joined by newcomers Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.

The original “Beetlejuice” came out in 1988.

“‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization...

Iconic French actress Isabelle Huppert will be honored at this year’s Lumière Festival in Lyon with the prestigious Lumière Award for her contribution to cinema.

“Her career encompasses an immense part of the history of contemporary cinema,” the Institut Lumière, which oversees the festival, said of the French star of Elle, 8 Women and The Piano Teacher.

The institute gave just a sampling of Huppert’s more than 155 acting credits, which include collaborations with such French directing legends as Claude Chabrol, Claire Denis, François Ozon and Bertrand Tavernier, as well as international filmmakers including Michael Haneke, Paul Verhoeven and Hong Sang-soo. Her few U.S. films include Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate (1980), David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees (2004) and Frankie (2019) by Ira Sachs.

Huppert’s Lumière Award will take its place alongside a trophy case of other honors, including two Cannes best actress prizes — for Violette Noziere (1978) and...

Isabelle Huppert has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Lumière Award at the 16th edition of the classic film-focused Lumière Festival in Lyon this fall.

“Her career encompasses an immense part of the history of contemporary cinema,” the Institut Lumière, which oversees the festival, declared of the French actress.

The institute cited some of the top directors she has worked with across her more than 155 acting credits including French directors Claude Chabrol, with whom she made seven features early on in her, as well as Jean-Luc Godard, Claire Denis, Bertrand Tavernier, Diane Kurys, Maurice Pialat, Catherine Breillat, Michel Deville, François Ozon and André Téchiné.

Internationally, Huppert has also collaborated with Joseph Losey, Marco Ferreri and Michael Haneke, Michael Cimino’s Brillante Mendoza, Hong Sang-soo and Paul Verhoeven, with whom she clinched a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in his 2017 thriller Elle.

The actress has also...

Beloved French actor Isabelle Huppert will receive the Lumière Award in the city of Lyon in October.

Created by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, the Lumière Film Festival celebrates classic and contemporary cinema each fall. The Lumière Award honors a leading figure in the world of cinema and their entire body of work.

Huppert succeeds German director Wim Wenders who was awarded the prize in 2023. Former recipients include Tim Burton, Jane Campion, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, Ken Loach, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Pedro Almodóvar, Miloš Forman, the Dardenne brothers and Wong Kar-wai, among others.

“It’s a great honor for me to receive the Lumière Award. It’s a magnificent prize, and so is its festival. It’s an award that bears the name of the inventors of cinema! Receiving it fills me with joy and pride,” said Huppert.

A prolific actor who shoots an average...

by Cláudio Alves

In 1988, Isabelle Huppert won the first of two Venice Volpi Cups, for Chabrol's Story Of Women.

As Cannes approaches, a barrage of festival news has hit film lovers worldwide. From celebratory to tragic, many of these stories aren't even about the Croisette, signaling how 2024 is entering the festival season full throttle. For example, Isabelle Huppert has been announced as the Jury President for this year's Venice, provoking traumatic flashbacks to whoever still remembers her Cannes presidency in 2009. According to rumor, the French thespian was an absolute tyrant, imposing her will over the other jurors to award frequent collaborator Michael Haneke with his first Palme d'Or. Fellow juror James Gray infamously described her as a "fascist bitch."

Following Lupita Nyong'o in Berlin and Gerwig in Cannes, Huppert's announcement makes 2024 the first year when all the big three European Film Festivals chose women as their Main Competition Jury Presidents…...

Isabelle Huppert will head up the 2024 Venice Film Festival jury this year. Serving as jury president, Huppert will hand out the Golden Lion and other awards when the festival on the Lido concludes. The dates for this year’s edition are August 28 to September 7.

Huppert has never before served as jury president at Venice, but she did at Cannes in 2009, awarding the Palme d’Or to Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” after deliberations with James Gray, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Asia Argento, Robin Wright, and Lee Chang-dong. Before that she’d served on the jury headed by Dirk Bogarde at Cannes in 1984, which gave the top prize to “Paris, Texas.”

The 71-year-old actress has been a powerhouse force in global cinema for the past 50 years, making her mark in French cinema before quickly appearing in Hollywood productions such as Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gate.” Over the past decade Huppert’s...

French actor Isabelle Huppert has been named president of the international competition jury at the 81st Venice Film Festival.

The prolific Huppert was Oscar-nominated for her performance in 2016 crime drama Elle.

“There is a long and beautiful history between the Festival and I,” said Huppert. ”Becoming a privileged spectator is an honour. More than ever, cinema is a promise. The promise to escape, to disrupt, to surprise, to take a good look at the world, united in the differences of our tastes and ideas.”

Huppert has twice won the Coppa Volpi for best actress at Venice, in 1988 for Story Of Women...

Isabelle Huppert has been named as jury president for the main competition of the 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival, running from 28 August to 7 September 2024.

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of parent body the Biennale di Venezia, who confirmed the recommendation of Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera.

“There is a long and beautiful history between the Festival and I. Becoming a privileged spectator is an honor. More than ever, cinema is a promise. The promise to escape, to disrupt, to surprise, to take a good look at the world, united in the differences of our tastes and ideas,” said Huppert on acknowledging the honor.

Huppert has a long relationship with the Venice Film Festival. She has won its Coppa Volpi for best actress twice with Story of Women (1988) and La Cérémonie (1995). In 2005, she was honoured with a Special Golden Lion for the Overall...

Isabelle Huppert will preside over the main jury of the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

The revered French actor has a longstanding rapport with the Lido, having won Venice’s

Coppa Volpi for best actress twice, first with “Story of Women” in 1988, and subsequently with “La Cérémonie” in 1995, both directed by Claude Chabrol.

Huppert – who has made a total of eight films with Chabrol – also has a close bond with the Cannes Film Festival where in 1978 she won the best actress statuette for Chabrol’s “Violette.” In 2001, Huppert won her second best actress award at Cannes for her tour-de-force performance as a sado-masochistic music professor in Michael Haneke’s “The Piano.” In 2005, Huppert was honored by Venice with a Special Golden Lion for her titular role in “Gabrielle,” Patrice Chéreau’s costume drama about an imploded marriage.

In 2017 she gained her first Academy Award nomination for her role as a rape...

One of the greatest names in French cinema, Isabelle Huppert has expressed her wish to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The popularity of the MCU has attracted many stars to the superhero bandwagon. It looks like the superhero universe has also intrigued the 71-year-old actress. However, she has a condition to join the MCU- to play a “pure villain”.

Isabelle Huppert in Elle

Isabelle Huppert is known for playing grim and unemotional characters. She can be an interesting choice if the MCU considers her request to play a villain. Films like Avengers: Infinity War and The Dark Knight have proved to us that a formidable villain plays a crucial role in elevating a movie’s standard.

Isabelle Huppert wants to make her Marvel debut as a villain

The MCU

While Marvel has made many superstars like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth, veteran legends like Anthony Hopkins, Kurt Russell,...

Bertrand Tavernier, the prolific French filmmaker noted for films such as “Coup de Torchon” (1981), “A Sunday in the Country” (1984) and “Round Midnight” (1986), has died. He was 79.

The director’s death was confirmed on Thursday by the Institut Lumière in France and Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux. Tavernier had struggled with a pancreatic infection for some time, but it’s believed his death was abrupt.

Roger Ebert called Tavernier “one of the most gifted and skilled of French directors, the leader of the generation after the New Wave” and asserted that the director’s work represented a quiet repudiation of “the auteur theory that he once supported, since Tavernier never forces himself or a style” upon the viewer.

“If there is a common element in his work, it is his instant sympathy for his fellow humans, his enthusiasm for their triumphs, his sharing of their disappointments,” said Ebert. “To see the...

On-location film permits for the Los Angeles area slowed by 7.6% from October to November as production activity eased amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the FilmLA agency reported Tuesday.

The industry, which was mostly shuttered from March to June, has received approximately 3,552 film permit applications spanning 2,514 unique projects over the past 20 weeks for location shooting in the Los Angeles area. For the first time since production resumed, month-over-month permit volume decreased in November as application intake declined to 813 permits from 880 in October.

The agency said the slowing stemmed from the 2020 election, the Thanksgiving holiday and the pandemic. FilmLA’s daily intake is now averaging around 39 new applications per business day.

“The November decrease in production reflects the ongoing complexity of the moment,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “At this point, progress for production rests, like so many things, on effective community control of Covid-19. The Greater Los Angeles filmmaking community, so...

The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Since the early 1970s, Isabelle Huppert has amassed a staggering body of work. Relentlessly prolific and uncompromisingly daring, she has embodied an eclectic range of characters, often delving into the enigmatic recesses of individuals who are by turns destructive, tormented, and obsessed, and yet can be audaciously empowered, sexually complex, and passionately reflective. Huppert “surprises and unsettles us,” notes David Parkinson, writing for the British Film Institute, doing so by “relaxing her tightly coiled control and channeling her strength and energy into doing something shockingly impulsive.” But that control and impulsiveness was not instantaneous, nor was it effortless. Huppert’s abilities have been steadily honed over the course of more than 140 appearances in film and television. And if there is a darkness lingering over some of her more disturbing characterizations, there...

Author and screenwriter Colo Tavernier O’Hagan has passed away. France’s Institut Lumiére shared the news that the former wife and collaborator of Bertrand Tavernier died of cancer on June 13. A César Award winner for Tavernier’s 1984 drama Un Dimanche A La Campagne, she also worked with such filmmakers as Claude Chabrol and Pierre Granier-Deferre.

Among her credits are the screenplays for her then-husband’s Une Semaine De Vacances (1980), La Passion Béatrice (1987), Dirk Bogarde-starrer Daddy Nostalgia (1990) and L’Appat (1995) — the latter scooping Berlin’s top Golden Bear prize. She also provided the French translation for 1986’s multi award-winning jazz film ‘Round Midnight.

With Chabrol, she collaborated on 1988’s Une Affaire De Femmes and with Granier-Deferre on 1995’s Le Petit Garçon. Of Irish and Franco-Spanish origin, Tavernier O’Hagan also wrote for television and penned the 2013 book about words, Les Maux Des Mots.

Bertrand Tavernier said today, “Life had separated us,...

Colo Tavernier O’Hagan, the revered screenwriter of award-winning films by Bertrand Tavernier and Claude Chabrol, died from cancer on June 13, according to a statement from the Lumière Institute in Lyon.

Throughout her prolific career spanning film and TV, Tavernier O’Hagan was a life-long, inspiring collaborator to her former husband, Bertrand Tavernier, on many of his most successful films, starting in 1980 with “A Week’s Holiday,” which competed at Cannes.

Born Claudine O’Hagan in England, with an Irish father and a French-Spanish mother, the screenwriter first earned critical acclaim with the script of Tavernier’s “A Sunday in the Country,” which earned her the Cesar award in 1985 for best adapted screenplay, and a National Society of Film Critics Award nomination out of the U.S.

She also collaborated with Tavernier on the Dirk Bogarde starrer “Daddy Nostalgia,” which competed at Cannes in 1990, and “Round Midnight,” a jazz-infused drama...

French actress Isabelle Huppert will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival, in recognition of her “exceptional contribution to the art of film.”

Huppert will receive the award on Aug. 18, at the Raiffeisen Open Air Cinema, ahead of the screening of “Les Misérables.” Huppert will hold a masterclass on Aug. 18 her latest film “Frankie,” directed by Ira Sachs, will screen on Aug. 17.

During her career Huppert has worked with celebrated directors such as Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Otto Preminger, Bertrand Tavernier, Bertrand Blier and Claire Denis. Among her memorable roles were those in “The Piano Teacher,” “White Material,” “Elle” and “Greta.”

Awards that Huppert won include a BAFTA for most promising newcomer for “The Lacemaker,” two Venice Film Festival best actress awards for “Story of Women” and “The Ceremony,” Venice’s special jury Lion d’Or for “Gabrielle” and for her entire...

Huppert joins Alejandro González Iñárritu in receiving the award this year.

French actress Isabelle Huppert will receive the honourary Heart of Sarajevo award at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival (August 16-23), which recognises exceptional contribution to film.

Huppert will accept the award on August 18 at the Open Air cinema, ahead of a screening of Ladj Ly’s Cannes 2019 Competition title Les Misérables.

She will also give a masterclass about her career in the industry earlier in the day.

In a screen career of almost 50 years, Huppert has previously received two Cannes best actress awards for Violette (1978) and The Piano Teacher...

Christian Petzold: "Transit is the first movie in 20 years where the main character is a male." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Christian Petzold joined me for a conversation at the Film Society of Lincoln Center when he was in New York for Carte Blanche: Christian Petzold Selects and a sneak preview screening of Transit. He brought up Claude Chabrol's work with Stéphane Audran and Isabelle Huppert. Julia Hummer and Nina Hoss, George Romero's Dawn Of The Dead, Alex Brendemühl, a Franz Kafka-like "hell construction" in Anna Seghers' novel and the books of William Burroughs also emerged.

Marie (Paula Beer) with Georg (Franz Rogowski) in Transit

Shot by his longtime cinematographer Hans Fromm, Transit is Christian Petzold's "first movie in 20 years where the main character is a male" and he found himself "very...

There’s plenty of Sin in Walerian Boroczyk’s searing movie, but little of it can be laid at the feet of its heroine, no matter what terrible crimes she commits. In pre-WW1 Poland, the innocent Ewa’s tragedy is to fall hopelessly in love, without restraint; Boroczyk’s camera doesn’t flinch as the hapless Ewa falls from grace. Amour fou has been crazier than this, but rarely as destructive. Artistically this show is flawless, and in terms of sex politics it’s a scream of protest.

Story of Sin

Blu-ray + DVD

Arrow Academy USA

1975 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 130 min. / Dzieje grzechu / Street Date March 28, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: Grazyna Dlugolecka, Jerzy Zelnik, Olgierd Lukaszewicz, Roman Wilhelmi, Marek Walczewski, Karolina Lubienska, Zdzislaw Mrozewski, Mieczyslaw Voit, Marek Bargielowski.

Cinematography: Zygmunt Samosiuk

Film Editor: Lidia Pacewicz

Written by Walerian Borowczyk from the novel by Stefan Zeromski

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk

Walerian Borowczyk...

“Hidden Figures” tells the story of three strong women of color overcoming both white male and white female prejudice and discrimination in their personal and professional lives, all while sending the first man into space. Based on the true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, these women demonstrate tenacity, intelligence, and authority in the white-dominated Nasa program of 1961.

Read More: ‘Hidden Figures’ and ‘black-ish’ Win Big at 48th NAACP Image Awards

“Hidden Figures” was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s 89th Academy Awards. At the ceremony, the real-life Katherine Johnson was brought on stage in front of the Academy and guests by the cast of “Hidden Figures” Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, where she received a standing ovation.

Read More: ‘Hidden Figures’ Trailer: Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer Star in the Untold Story of Women...

Being called the French Hitchcock does Claude Chabrol a disservice, as his dark thrillers approach mystery and suspense almost completely through character, not cinematics. These three very good 1990s productions are completely different in tone and approach, and each showcases a stunning French actress.

Betty, Torment (L’enfer), The Swindle (Rien ne vas plus)

Blu-ray

3 Classic Films by Claude Chabrol

Cohen Film Collection

1992,1994,1997 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 103, 102, 105 min. / Street Date February 21, 2017 / 49.99

Starring Marie Trintignant, Stéphane Audran, Jean-François Garreaud, Yves Lambrecht; Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone, Dora Doll; Isabelle Huppert, Michel Serrault, François Cluzet, Jean-François Balmer.

Cinematography: Bernard Zitermann; Bernard Zitermann, Eduardo Serra

Film Editor: Monique Fardoulis (x3)

Original Music: Matthieu Chabrol (x3)

Written by Claude Chabrol from a novel by Georges Simenon; Claude Chabrol from a script by Henri-Georges Clouzot; Claude Chabrol

Produced by Marin Karmitz (x3)

Directed by Claude Chabrol (x3)

Not all Claude Chabrol films are equal, but...

Isabelle Huppert (Courtesy: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

The best actress Oscar race might seem like a showdown between La La Land’s Emma Stone and Jackie’s Natalie Portman, but Elle’s Isabelle Huppert is proving to be quite the upset. Should Huppert actually snag an Oscar nomination this year, shockingly it would be a first for the French thespian. If Huppert has flown under the Academy’s radar, who else out there is considered the best of the best and hasn’t had a chance to win Hollywood’s biggest award?

Our latest indication of Huppert’s surprise domination this awards season was at the Golden Globes when the 63-year-old won for best actress in a drama and bested Portman — Stone was nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy. Further catapulting Huppert in the best actress Oscar standings was Elle being named best foreign-language film,...

2016 movies Things to Come (pictured) and Elle have earned French cinema icon Isabelle Huppert her – surprisingly – first National Society of Film Critics Best Actress Award. 2016 Movies: Isabelle Huppert & 'Moonlight' among National Society of Film Critics' top picks Earlier today (Jan. 7), the National Society of Film Critics announced their top 2016 movies and performances. Somewhat surprisingly, this year's Nsfc list – which generally contains more offbeat entries than those of other U.S.-based critics groups – is quite similar to their counterparts', most of which came out last December. No, that doesn't mean the National Society of Film Critics has opted for the crowd-pleasing route. Instead, this awards season U.S. critics have not infrequently gone for even less mainstream entries than usual. Examples, among either the Nsfc winners or runners-up, include Isabelle Huppert in Elle, Moonlight, Toni Erdmann, Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea, and Lily Gladstone in Certain Women. French...

The crowd-pleasing “Hidden Figures” might be based on a true story in an unknown chapter of American history, but not every detail was drawn from real life. The film follows a trio of Nasa mathematicians and engineers during the early sixties “Space Race” era, including Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson, but it also required the invention of at least one crucial character.

To create the fictional role of Space Task rroup director Al Harrison, screenwriter Allison Schroeder used three different Nasa past chiefs – including two of Johnson’s own bosses – to round out the character. She gave special attention to the inclusion of personality traits from John Stack, a lauded Nasa aeronautical engineer who Schroeder billed as “kind of this perfect chauvinist feminist,” a forward thinker who was compelled by finding the best person for the job, no matter their race or gender.

More than 25 years after first becoming interested in adapting Shūsaku Endō’s “Silence,” Martin Scorsese has finally completed his passion project. The first reviews are in, and so far they’re all positive — if sometimes muted. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn gives the film starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson a B, saying that, while it’s “by no means a masterwork,” it is a “haunting, immersive experience that, were it not for a handful of flaws, would rank among the director’s grandest epics.”

Read More: ‘Silence’ Review: Martin Scorsese Delivers a Gorgeous Crisis-of-Faith Drama

Peter Debruge of Variety is similarly subdued in his praise:

Whereas Endō’s novel allows omniscient access to Rodrigues’ deep internal conflict, the film leaves audiences at arm’s length, forcing us to scrutinize Garfield’s face for psychological insights that, for most, are too complex to expect us to interpret on our own.

“We’re three black women chasing a white cop down the freeway in 1961. That there is a goddamn miracle.” From that early line, Theodore Melfi’s well-intentioned “Hidden Figures” establishes itself as a blunt, feel-good adaptation of Margot Lee Shetterly’s book, which chronicled three African-American women who played key roles in Nasa’s early space efforts. However, this is storytelling on autopilot, and it deserves more.

In that opening scene, Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) and her co-workers Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are pulled over by a police officer; he’s shocked to find out they’re rushing to the space agency. Their retort: “There are quite a few of us women working on the space program.”

Soon, we see that the women in “Hidden Figures” are just that. Their work at Nasa sticks them in a back room digging through mounds of equations,...

This past Friday Miguel Ali’s indie film “Confessions of a Womanizer” was released in limited theaters for an Oscar-qualifying run. Now, one of its actors has made Academy Award history without being nominated.

Kelly Mantle, an actor who identifies as gender-fluid, is the first performer to have submitted and be considered for a nomination in both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting actress categories.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, once Mantle was submitted in both male and female categories by the film’s creators, the Academy confirmed that he “can be nominated in either category.”

Read More: IndieWire and FilmStruck’s ‘Movies That Inspire Me’: Nicole Holofcener Explains How ‘High Hopes’ Earns Its Title

Mantle, best known as a contestant on the sixth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” portrays a transgender prostitute in “Confessions of a Womanizer.” The picture traveled around the indie film circuit in 2014, but...

One of the most intriguing directorial debuts on the horizon is Kirsten Dunst’s first foray behind the camera, in which she’ll take on Sylvia Plath’s landmark novel “The Bell Jar.” News broke in late July of Dunst’s adaptation, which casts Dakota Fanning in the lead role of Esther Greenwood, a wayward young woman whose descends into mental illness, but further developments have been pretty quiet until now. According to Cornerstone Films, the sales agent that has boarded the project, Dunst has cast “Fargo” co-star Jesse Plemons to play Lenny Shepherd.

Read More: ‘The Bell Jar’: Kirsten Dunst’s Entire Career Has Been Leading Up To Her Feature Directorial Debut – Girl Talk

Published in 1963, “The Bell Jar” follows Esther during a summer in New York City. Tormented by the death of her father, Esther arrives to take part in a prestigious internship at a magazine, but...

Taraji P. Henson’s memoir “Around the Way Girl” was released today. Among the many topics broached by the actress is her experience on David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which netted her critical acclaim and a richly deserved Academy Award nomination but paid far less than she had hoped. Henson calls her financial compensation for the David Fincher–directed drama “the equivalent of sofa change” compared to the princely sums bestowed upon Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

Read More: ‘Hidden Figures’ Trailer: Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer Star in the Untold Story of Women Anchoring Nasa

In her own words:

“Both Brad and Cate got millions. Me? With bated breath, I sat by the phone for hours, waiting for Vince[Cirrincione, her manager] to call and tell me the number that I thought would make me feel good: somewhere in the mid six figures — no doubt a mere...

The French star delivered one of the performances of the year in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle.

Isabelle Huppert will be the subject of a tribute and gala screening of Elle on November 13. She plays a successful businesswoman who tracks down her rapist.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired North America and select territories prior to the world premiere in Cannes and will release in the Us on November 11.

“Isabelle Huppert is a masterful actress,” said AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga. “Her fearlessness and precision shine in Elle, and we are thrilled to honour her illustrious career at the 30th edition of AFI Fest, as she exemplifies the best of world cinema.”

Huppert has earned a record 15 César Award nominations for an actress and won in 1995 for La Cérémonie.

She won the Cannes best actress prize for The Piano Teacher in 2001 and Violette in 1978 in a tie with Jill Clayburgh for An Unmarried Woman.

In 2002 she...

The Toronto International Film Festival provided a soft landing for about 30 minutes of scenes from Theodore Melfi’s “Hidden Figures,” the 20th Century Fox drama about three African-American women who provided the mathematical brainpower that helped launch John Glenn into space.

To be clear, the film’s official release date is January 13, 2017 — for now. However, this comes out of Elizabeth Gabler’s Fox 2000 division, which also shepherded “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Life of Pi,” and the studio has been considering its awards options on the title for months. They worked with Tiff to create an official event for the unfinished film — rare for the festival, which generally reserves its attention for completed works.

Read More: ‘Hidden Figures’ Trailer: Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer Star in the Untold Story of Women Anchoring Nasa

“Hidden Figures Live” included a press line that featured stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer,...

Hollywood tackles the big issues! This adapted play about an unwanted teen pregnancy is actually quite good, thanks to fine performances by Carol Lynley and Brandon De Wilde, who convince as cherubic high schoolers 'too young to know the score.' And hey, the teen trauma is set to an intense music score by Bernard Herrmann. Blue Denim 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives 1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date March 16, 2016 / available through Amazon / 19.98 Starring Carol Lynley, Brandon De Wilde, Macdonald Carey, Marsha Hunt, Warren Berlinger, Vaughn Taylor, Roberta Shore, Malcolm Atterbury, Anthony J. Corso, Gregg Martell, William Schallert. Cinematography Leo Tover Film Editor William Reynolds, George Leggewie Original Music Bernard Herrmann Written by Edith Sommer, Philip Dunne from the play by James Leo Herlihy and William Noble Produced by Charles Brackett Directed by Philip Dunne

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Sex education today is erratic, with no established standard, but...

MasterChef remained top of the ratings on Wednesday (March 11), according to overnight figures.

The BBC One cooking series added around 200,000 viewers to reach 4.87m (23.1%) for its second instalment at 7.30pm, while The People's Strictly entertained 3.35m (15.8%) at 9pm.

On BBC Two, Nature's Weirdest Events continued with 1.09m (5.4%) at 7pm, before Suffragettes Forever! The Story of Women and Power aired to 1.01m (4.7%) at 8pm.

This World appealed to 880k (4.2%) at 9pm, while Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience gathered 810k (4.6%) at 10pm.

Over on ITV, Big Star's Little Star added 200,000 viewers for its second episode with 3.11m (14.4%) at 8pm (130k/0.6% on +1), before Dci Banks entertained 3.65m (17.4%) at 9pm (158k/1.0%).

Channel 4's Location, Location, Location averaged 1.61m (7.5%) at 8pm (187k/0.9%), while 24 Hours in A&E rose to 1.85m (8.7%) at 9pm (272k/1.7%). First Dates amused 950k (6.0%) at 10pm, and a further 138k (1.7%) on +1.

Channel 5's GPs Behind Closed Doors rose to 1.04m (4.8%) at 8pm...

Catherine Deneuve: César Award Besst Actress Record-Tier (photo: Catherine Deneuve in 'In the Courtyard / Dans la cour') (See previous post: "Kristen Stewart and Catherine Deneuve Make César Award History.") Catherine Deneuve has received 12 Best Actress César nominations to date. Deneuve's nods were for the following movies (year of film's release): Pierre Salvadori's In the Courtyard / Dans la Cour (2014). Emmanuelle Bercot's On My Way / Elle s'en va (2013). François Ozon's Potiche (2010). Nicole Garcia's Place Vendôme (1998). André Téchiné's Thieves / Les voleurs (1996). André Téchiné's My Favorite Season / Ma saison préférée (1993). Régis Wargnier's Indochine (1992). François Dupeyron's Strange Place for an Encounter / Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre (1988). Jean-Pierre Mocky's Agent trouble (1987). André Téchiné's Hotel America / Hôtel des Amériques (1981). François Truffaut's The Last Metro / Le dernier métro (1980). Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Le sauvage (1975). Additionally, Catherine Deneuve was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category...

The lovable East Anglian rogue returns for another go-around in Acorn Media’s latest DVD release: Lovejoy series 4. Starring Deadwood’s Ian McShane, the series is centered around a slippery antiques dealer who occupies a moral grey zone and struggles to stay on the right side of the law.

As ever, Lovejoy is closely followed by his loyal sidekicks: the dim-witted Eric, and the “barker” Tinker Dill. Also returning this series is Lovejoy’s nemesis, Charlie Gimbert (Malcolm Tierney). Gimbert is to Lovejoy as that French chap was to Indiana Jones. Let’s just say that when grown men are fighting over antiques, there’s no such such thing as foul play!

The artefacts in this show are rather more exciting than the knick-knacks people wheel out at the Antiques Roadshow. In season 4, Lovejoy gets his hands on a commode that reportedly once belonged to Napoleon. He discovers a Billiards...

Coming to Blu-ray for the first time from the Cohen Media Group, Claude Chabrol’s late career thriller, Nightcap (better known by its French title, Merci Pour Le Chocolat) is often lumped into conversation as merely one of the seven films the director made with actress Isabelle Huppert. While it is certainly outshined by some of their finer achievements together (particularly The Story of Women and La Ceremonie), it stands firmly on its own as an odd exercise that’s more character study than murder mystery. Chabrol seems amused at the convention and convenience of the narrative, supplied by Charlotte Armstrong’s nonsensically titled 1948 novel The Chocolate Cobweb. Armstrong was in high regard in the 1950’s (her novel Don’t Bother to Knock was turned into a very strange Marilyn Monroe vehicle in 1952), and Chabrol seems keen on retaining the rather deliberate ambience from a tradition of genre gone by.

Friday's World Cup warm up game between England and Peru was the highest rated show outside of soaps.

The first of two international friendlies ahead of June's World Cup in Brazil was seen by an average audience of 6.32 million (30.3%). The match peaked with an audience of 7.9 million at 9.30pm.

ITV's evening ended with 1.08 million (13.8%) for the 10.45pm showing of Casino Royale.

Over on BBC One, the evening started with 3.17 million (18.4%) for The One Show, while Diy Sos: The Big Build attracted 3.79 million (17.9%) at 8pm.

Have I Got News For You was the channel's highest-rated show outside of soaps, pulling in average viewing figures of 3.91 million (17.6%). It was followed by 3 million (13.9%) for Room 101 at 8.30pm.

BBC One's evening ended with 3.45 million (25.3%) for The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm. This week's guests included Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

The Great British Menu kicked off BBC Two's evening with a ratings high of 2.04 million (10.7%) at 7.30pm.

ITV's Tonight: The Rise of Discount Supermarkets was Friday's highest rated show outside of soaps.

Exploring the success of budget supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, Tonight was seen by an average audience of 4.73m (24.3%) viewers at 8pm on ITV.

ITV's evening continued with 2.63 million (13%) for drama series Lewis at 9pm, while Pierce Brosnan's James Bond movie Die Another Day played to 877k (10.1%) at 10.35pm.

Have I Got News for You continued to be a ratings success for BBC One, attracting 4.01 million (19.4%) at 9pm. This week's show was hosted by Crimewatch presenter Kirsty Young.

It was followed by 3.09 million (15.7%) for Room 101 at 9.30pm, while 3.21 million (24.2%) tuned in to watch Julie Andrews, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on The Graham Norton Show at 10.40pm.

BBC One's evening kicked off with an average audience of 3.22 million (18.1%) for The One Show at 7pm, followed by 2.6m (12.8%) for Rhs Chelsea Flower Show...

MasterChef: The Final was Friday's highest-rated show outside of soaps, attracting an average audience of 5.41 million (25.9%).

The hour-long finale, which aired from 8.30-9.30pm on BBC One, peaked with 6.28 million as the winner was crowned.

It was followed by Have I Got News For You, which drew an average audience of 4.49 million (23%) at 9.30pm.

BBC One's evening began with 2.73 million (17.4%) for The One Show at 7pm and 2.45 million (13.9%) for A Question of Sport at 7.30pm.

With guests Dawn French, Kirsten Dunst and Bear Grylls, The Graham Norton Show pulled in 3.10 million viewers (24.5%) at 10.35pm, followed by 900k (10.8%) for Bad Education.

With an average audience of 2.55 million (13.3%), Weekend Escapes with Warwick Davis was ITV's highest-rated show outside of soaps, narrowly outperforming drama series Lewis with 2.53 (12.7%).

BBC Two's evening kicked off with 1.41 million (8%) for Great British Menu at 7.30pm, followed by a slightly increased 1.47 million (7.6%) for The Minister at 8pm and...

The BBC has outlined plans for its upcoming arts coverage.

Director General Tony Hall stated that the corporation aims to increase its art output with its "strongest commitment to the arts in a generation".

"The arts are for everyone, and from now on BBC Arts will be at the very heart of what we do," he added.

Productions from Glyndebourne and Shakespeare's Globe will be filmed for broadcast, along with Gemma Arterton's appearance in The Duchess of Malfi at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

The One Show will broadcast live from the Hay Literary Festival in May, while the makers of The Hollow Crown will reunite for filmed versions of Shakespeare's Henry VI and Richard III.

The BBC Arts... strand will be used on TV, radio and online via the BBC's iPlayer service.

iPlayer will premiere BBC Two series The Story of Women and Art, along with coverage of...

Riffing on Terek Puckett’s terrific list of director/actor collaborations, I wanted to look at some of those equally impressive leading ladies who served as muses for their directors. I strived to look for collaborations that may not have been as obviously canonical, but whose effects on cinema were no less compelling. Categorizing a film’s lead is potentially tricky, but one of the criteria I always use is Anthony Hopkins’s performance in Silence of the Lambs, a film in which he is considered a lead but appears only briefly; his character is an integral part of the story.

The criteria for this article is as follows: The director & actor team must have worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in a minimum of 2 must-see films.

One of the primary trends for the frequency of collaboration is the...

Amour: director Michael Haneke, stars Emmanuelle Riva and Jean Louis-Trintignant The Avengers have nothing to fear. Don’t expect the latest Michael Haneke movie to defeat the superhero flick at the box office or in terms of media coverage. But as far as I’m concerned, Amour — please scroll down to check out the French-language trailer — is one of the top five or so most eagerly anticipated film events of 2012. Amour‘s special effect, much more powerful than any CGI-created nonsense, is the reunion of Story of Women‘s Isabelle Huppert, Hiroshima, mon amour‘s Emmanuelle Riva, and The Conformist‘s Jean-Louis Trintignant. Shot in early 2011, Amour features 80-year-old Trintignant (nearly 130 movies in the last 56 years) and 84-year-old Riva (more than 50 movies in the last 52 years) as retired music teachers who have been married for decades. The 58-year-old Isabelle Huppert (more than 90 movies in the last four decades...

Well, we've taken a look at the leading men, now it's time to look at the actresses who have also fallen outside of the Academy Award radar. While there is no Gary Oldman-esque story of recognition this year at the Oscars for the ladies, these five names will hopefully be a reminder that there are more women out there other than Meryl Streep who deserve to put that funny gold statue on their mantle. The names here include international stars, undersung character actresses and bonafide legends. Their time will hopefully soon come, but until then, here's what they've done so far that deserves attention. Isabelle Huppert Nomination-Worthy Roles: Pomme in "The Lacemaker"; Violette Noziere in "Violette Noziere"; Marie in "A Story Of Women"; Jeanne in "La Ceremonie"; Marie-Claire Muller in "Merci pour le chocolat"; Erika Kohut in "The Piano Teacher"; Anne Laurent in "The Time Of The Wolf";...

This one is coming up late, due to Criterion jam packing a ton of releases on Friday, right while I was finishing up the original post. I think they wanted to mess with me, which is very funny. But being the premier (and only) site that gives you the best coverage of Hulu Plus movies, I don’t mind taking the time at all. I’m hoping it has nothing to do with the recent shake-up going on that Josh just reported on the other day (here), and with Hulu wanting to be bought because of financial problems stemming from multiple sources, this makes one wonder what’s going to happen to the Criterion Collection and their deal with Hulu. I’m crossing my fingers that whoever buys the service, be it Amazon, Google or Yahoo (who is the frontrunner), it doesn’t ruin the deal in place for Criterion and its films.

It seems strange that it's taken this long for Claire Denis and Isabelle Huppert to work together on a film, but whatever the reason, it was worth the wait. Denis's "White Material," featuring the legendary actress as a white African farmer who insists on staying in her home even though her war-torn country is descending into madness and bloodshed, offers the director yet another opportunity to display her beguiling style, with its patented mix of intense physicality and ethereal stylization. And who better than the amazing Huppert, the thinking man's goddess of the arthouse corporeal, to help bring this vision to fruition? It's a performance that relies more on movement and gesture than it does on dialogue and story. Huppert brings an intangible humanity to this character - despite the film's elliptical style, we're riveted by this woman's onscreen ordeal. The result is one of the actress's greatest parts - saying quite a bit,...

Claude Chabrol is the kind of figure who could be reclaimed after death – there are some films that might look much better years later

Nearly 50 years ago, Claude Chabrol – who died last weekend – wrote an essay, Big Subjects, Little Subjects, in which he set out an attitude to movies and a guide to his own career (which had only just begun). "You can make a film about the French Revolution, or a squabble with the next-door neighbour, the apocalypse of our time or how the barmaid became pregnant, the last hours of a hero of the Resistance, or the inquest on a murdered prostitute. It's all a question of personality."

If you wanted to demonstrate this theory in defence of modesty, you could point to Madame Bovary (1991), where despite the presence of Isabelle Huppert in the title role, Chabrol seems a little overawed or diffident with the material. If only...

Prolific French director of films with murder at their heart

The film director Claude Chabrol, who has died aged 80, created the first ripple of the French new wave with his first feature, Le Beau Serge (1958). Unlike some of his other critic colleagues on the influential journal Cahiers du Cinéma, who also became film-makers, Chabrol was perfectly happy in the mainstream. Along with Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette, he paid serious attention to Hollywood studio contract directors who retained their artistic personalities through good and bad films, thus formulating what came to be known as the "auteur theory".

In 1957, he and Rohmer wrote a short book on Alfred Hitchcock, whom they saw as a Catholic moralist. Hitchcock's black humour and fascination with guilt pervades the majority of Chabrol's films, most of which have murder at their heart. However, although Chabrol's thematic allegiance to Hitchcock remained intact, his...

It’s always sad to write about anybody who dies in the film business, but today’s loss is a big one. Claude Chabrol, a fellow critic and one of the founders of the French New Wave, which is a very big part of the Criterion Collection, has died at the age of 80. And like most filmmakers, he was working right until the end which is what all artists do when they love the medium as much as they do. So I wanted to take a few minutes out of your time to showcase a top 10 of his films. Sadly he isn’t featured within the Collection, but he is one of many directors that deserves a place within its walls. So without further adieu, let’s get into the wonders of Claude Chabrol.

10. Le Beau Serge (1958)

Why not start this list with Chabrol’s first film? It was an...