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As Spanish film festivals go, few have demonstrated the mainstream clout and drawing power of this year’s Seville European Film Festival (Seff), which boasts one of its most audience-friendly lineups of stars and films to date.

Sevilla aims to bring the best in European cinematographic culture to the south of Spain for dialogues between new artists and recognized figures from the industry while also dedicating space to new media for cinematographic expression. Always a haven for independent and arthouse fare, the festival has broadened its program in recent years to include more mainstream titles and A-list guests. It’s an intentional trend that the festival’s team hopes to continue nurturing in future editions.

This year’s Official Selection jury features two European cinema legends, producer David Puttnam and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons.

Irons is the more recognizable of the two, given his on-screen work in films such as...

Mad Distribution has secured all Arab rights to Hind Meddeb’s Sudan, Remember Us from Paris-based Dulac Distribution, ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The political documentary will screen as part of Giornate delgli Autori, the independent sidebar that runs parallel to the festival from August 28 to September 9, as a Special Event title.

Mad Distribution will handle the release of the film in territories across the Middle East and North Africa in 2025.

The documentary follows five young Sudanese political activists as they struggle to overthrow Sudan’s military regime in the tumultuous years leading up to...

Mad Distribution has secured all Arab rights to Hind Meddeb’s Sudan, Remember Us from Paris-based Dulac Distribution, ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The political documentary will screen as part of Giornate delgli Autori, the independent sidebar that runs parallel to the festival from August 28 to September 9, as a Special Event title.

Mad Distribution will handle the release of the film in territories across the Middle East and North Africa.

The documentary follows five young Sudanese political activists as they struggle to overthrow Sudan’s military regime in the tumultuous years leading up to civil...

On the second night of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Judith Godrèche told the mostly female crowd assembled on a beach next to the Palais, “This film is for you!” The French actor-director was presenting her short “Moi Aussi,” a last-minute addition to the festival lineup that covers sexual misconduct in the French film industry. Godrèche has become something of an ambassador to the fledgling movement after she came forward in February with claims that she was preyed upon and groomed as a minor by directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, allegations they both deny. The beach screening kicked off what many hope will be a sweeping French #MeToo reckoning.

But the festival and its accompanying film market also will feature several men who have been the subject of #MeToo allegations that range from sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence. The awkward presence of such actors as Shia Labeouf and James Franco,...

In another sign that the #MeToo movement is transforming the birthplace of cinema, France’s film producers and actors unions on Friday unanimously approved new measures aimed at preventing gender-based and sexual violence and harassment within the industry.

Several French industry associations — including the union of independent producers, the association of independent producers, the union of cinema producers and the professional union of dramatic artists — approved an amendment to their collective agreement which will require mandatory harassment training for producers and enforce the protection of minors on film sets, among other measures.

The new measures follow an announcement by the French film board, the Cnc, that it will make similar requirements a condition for receiving government subsidies. Given the importance of Cnc funding for most French movies, this ensures these #MeToo measures will become standard practice across the French industry. The Cnc will launch harassment training programs this summer.

But...

The April 25 decision by the New York Court of Appeals to overturn Harvey Weinstein’s felony sex crime conviction looked like a major blow to the #MeToo movement in the U.S. and to the progress made within the U.S. film industry since 2017 (when the first allegations against Weinstein were made public).

In France, they are still waiting for that first wave of progress. The outrage triggered by #MeToo echoed across la grande nation — it even spawned a French counterpart, #Balancetonporc, or “Expose Your Pig” — but, until very recently, efforts to challenge the structure of the French entertainment industry came to very little.

That, it seems, is changing. U.S.-style measures, including the use of intimacy coordinators for sex scenes or chaperones to supervise the treatment of minors, are slowly becoming standard practice on French movie sets. #MeToo is “really at the center of our discussion now, in...

Last year, the Cannes Film Festival shrugged off protests by women’s rights groups to open with Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, a period movie starring alleged abuser Johnny Depp as the king of France.

A year and a mini-#MeToo revolution later, Cannes has picked Moi Aussi (Me Too), a short film by French actress turned activist and filmmaker Judith Godrèche to open its Un Certain Regard sidebar.

Best known in the U.S. for the Oscar-nominated Ridicule (1996) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Godrèche became a key figure in France’s #MeToo movement after she accused acclaimed directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. Both men have denied the claims.

The allegations, and Godrèche’s standing as one of France’s best-known actresses and a beloved former child star, helped bring #MeToo back into the spotlight in France. Her...

With its list of May 2024 releases, Amazon Prime Video is giving us the kindest gift of all: cougar Anne Hathaway.

May 2 sees the premiere of The Idea of You, a romantic-comedy that features Hathaway as a 40-year-old mom finding romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer (Nicholas Galitzine). Having saved the medium of film forever, Prime Video is celebrating with some big time library titles this month as well. American Fiction and BlacKkKlansman arrive on May 14 and will be followed by Creed and Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story on May 16.

For its TV offerings, Prime is leading off with Outer Range season 2 on May 16. This James Brolin sci-fi Western will continue the mysteries of the strange happenings on Thanos’ ranch. Reality TV fans will be able to enjoy the Daniel Tosh-hosted competition series The Goat on May 9.

Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in April – Amazon...

Dominique Boutonnat, the President of France’s cinema board, will stand trial for sexual assault in June.

The producer and Cnc chief has been under investigation for two years after being indicted in February 2021 for an alleged sexual assault. In September 2022, the case was taken to trial. According to French media reports, a court in Nanterre has now set a court date for June. Boutonnat denies all charges.

Boutonnat was first placed under investigation in October 2020 after his godson filed a police complaint accusing him of an assault during a family holiday in Greece in August 2020.

When contacted about whether he would remain at the head of the Cnc following the news, the cinema body declined to comment and referred us to Boutonnat’s lawyer. We have reached out to Boutonnat’s legal team for comment.

Boutonnat was first appointed Cnc President in 2019. France’s government then gave him a...

Exclusive: Judith Godrèche is burning down the house. Her hope is that something better will emerge from the ashes.

In recent weeks, the French actress and director, a three-time César nominee known for starring in English and French-language hits including The Man In The Iron Mask, The Spanish Apartment and Potiche, has taken a match to a culture of silence and denial within France’s cinema world when it comes to sexual abuse. In her first trade interview, she talks to Deadline about her experiences, the motivation behind her campaign and what she hopes to achieve.

At the heart of Godrèche’s mission is the relationship she had with director Benoît Jacquot in the late 1980s, which began when she was only 14 years old, and he was 39. The minimum age of consent in France is 15.

Godrèche, now 51, lived with Jacquot for six years and appeared in his films The Beggars and The Disenchanted,...

French actor Judith Godrèche has lodge a rape complaint against filmmaker Benoît Jacquot, newspaper Le Monde reports.

Godrèche, who met Jacquot when she was 14 years old and the director was 39, accuses him of “predation” and “violent rape of a minor under 15 years old committed by a person in authority.” She has filed her complaint with France’s Juvenile Protection Brigade.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, Jacquot denies the claims, telling the outlet theirs was a “loving” relationship.

Godrèche and Jacquot met in 1986 on the set of his movie “Les Mendiants,” which was released two years later. Despite the 25 year age gap, they began a relationship which went on for six years, during which time the actor says she was “in [Jacquot’s] grip.” She also starred in his 1990 film “La Desenchantee.”

“It’s a story like the stories of children who are kidnapped and who grow up without seeing the world...

Fifty-six French stars, including Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling and Carole Bouquet, signed an open letter defending Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor who has been charged with rape and accused by more than a dozen other women of sexual assault, harassment or groping.

The essay, published in the conservative-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro, reads, in part: “We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching targeting him, the torrent of hate being dumped on his personality” (via AP). “When Gerard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art [of cinema] that is being attacked. … Depriving ourselves of this immense actor would be a drama, a defeat. The death of the art. Our art.”

Other signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Victoria Abril and Nathalie Baye, and directors Bertrand Blier and Francis Veber.

Depardieu has not been convicted in connection with any of the allegations and denies wrongdoing. He called the open letter “beautiful” and its signatories “courageous,...

Nearly 60 actors and public figures, including British actress Charlotte Rampling and former French first lady Carla Bruni, have signed an open letter claiming that French actor Gerard Depardieu is the victim of a “torrent of hatred.”

Depardieu, who was previously charged with rape in 2021, is currently facing a new sexual assault allegation after a French actress, Hélène Darras, filed a police complaint claiming he groped her in 2007. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the actor in an interview, saying he “makes France proud.”

The letter, published in French newspaper Le Figaro on Christmas Day,...

Lily Gladstone was already a fan of co-star Leonardo DiCaprio many years ago!

The 37-year-old actress, who stars in Killers of the Flower Moon with the 49-year-old star, revealed that she spent her allowance on a double VHS of Titanic way back when Toys ‘R’ Us was still around.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I loved that movie,” Lily told People.

“It was one of the first things I spent my allowance on. I pre-ordered the double VHS set from Toys ‘R’ Us when that was still around.”

“​​I remember the Blockbuster commercial, [with store employees] hearing the crowd of young women approaching. [The workers] set the Titanic on the shelf, and then you hear all the young ladies, and they’re like, ‘Uh-oh, here they come,’” she continued.

“I loved that movie for the film and for Kate Winslet. Leo was great in it because Jack Dawson was great,” she explained.

“And it’s funny,...

Gerard Depardieu is facing another sexual assault allegation after a French actress filed a new police complaint claiming he groped her in 2007.

The French actor, who was accused of assaulting over a dozen women in an investigative report published in April, was charged with rape in 2021 stemming from an incident involving a then-22-year-old actress at his home in Paris in August 2018.

The new complaint, filed by actress Hélène Darras, alleges that Depardieu sexually assaulted her when they were working on the 2007 film Disco. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed...

With five Academy Award nominations and a win for “The Revenant,” Leonardo DiCaprio has established himself as a Hollywood icon — vaulting from his first starring role in the sci-fi horror “Critters III” to challenging parts with major auteurs, including Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, while championing humanitarian issues through his prolific environmental activism.

In “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” DiCaprio played a washed-up movie star at the end of his tether, which is perhaps the biggest stretch of the actor’s filmography considering his esteemed pedigree and enviable body of work. With nearly $7 billion dollars of global box office to his name and a list of roles that prove his selective instincts each time out, DiCaprio is one of the few movie stars working today who always delivers something worth seeing.

That even includes Adam McKay’s 2021 end-times satire for Netflix “Don’t Look Up,...

Villa Collina, a Mediterranean Revival masterpiece nestled in the hills of Los Feliz in the shadow of Griffith Observatory, has a historic Hollywood pedigree stretching back almost a century. Designed by architect Henry Harwood Hewitt in 1927, the four-bedroom, four-bath estate was built for Olympian Clement E. Smoot, who was part of the 1904 gold medal-winning golfing team. A later resident was Artur Rodzinski, famed Polish conductor of the LA Philharmonic.

But Villa Collina became famous as the home of legendary English director James Whale in the 1930s. Whale reportedly lived at the Villa with his longtime partner David Lewis, despite rampant homophobia in Hollywood. According to Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, when agent Phil Berg asked Whale if he “had” to live with Lewis, Whale replied: “I don’t have to. I want to.”

One of the most prolific directors of the decade, Whale — portrayed by Ian McKellen...

These days it’s somewhat difficult to fathom there was a time when Leonardo DiCaprio was not recognized as one of the finest actors of his generation. Born with preternaturally good looks, talent, and an obvious degree of taste, DiCaprio has grown onscreen from precocious child actor to heartthrob, to movie star, and finally to revered leading man. At least onscreen.

With that meteoric career-trajectory beginning at the remarkably early age of 18 in the movie This Boy’s Life, DiCaprio has had the rare opportunity to carefully curate and shape his career from virtually the beginning, and in the process has left behind a body of work that is increasingly choosey—and well chosen. But which are the best performances, and which are the ones that didn’t work out? Read on to find out.

*Editor’s Note: We are focusing only on DiCaprio’s feature film performances where the actor...

Considering his future fame playing a certain Baron, it is an amusing coincidence that Peter Cushing’s very first job in the movies was under the direction of James Whale, director of the classic 1931 Frankenstein, as a double for star Louis Hayward in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). Hayward played twins in the film and Cushing played the opposite role for each take. Though he was cut out of the film and Hayward’s two halves spliced together in order to appear opposite himself, Cushing learned much about film acting from the experience as he was allowed to watch dailies and critique his own performance. As a reward for his work, he was given a small role in the film as the King’s Messenger. He would work with Whale once again near the end of his brief sojourn in Hollywood before returning home to his beloved England where...

French actor Gérard Depardieu is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct from 13 women.

The women spoke with MediaPart, a French investigative news website which launched a months-long investigation into the actor.

According to the report, actresses, make-up artists and production staff all provided testimony accusing Depardieu of inappropriate words or gestures that occurred during shooting for 11 films that came out between 2004 and 2022. MediaPart notes that Depardieu denies any criminal behavior.

Also Read:

Gerard Depardieu Charged With 2018 Rape, Sexual Assault (Report)

The investigation, which was launched after MediaPart repeatedly heard rumors of Depardieu’s on-set behavior, found that the actor’s behavior followed a common pattern of unwanted touching, groping, obscene sexual remarks and “persistent groaning noises.” In most cases, other crew members reportedly ignored or tolerated Depardieu’s behavior, often laughing it off.

The outlet contacted 20 producers and directors involved in the relevant productions but only 11 responded. All but one...

When “Creed III” punched its way to the top of the box office over the weekend with a massive $58.7 million domestic haul, it knocked out a host of records.

Directed, produced by and starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the MGM movie notched a franchise-best opening and the biggest domestic opening for a sports movie. With an additional $41.1 million Internationally, the film has already totaled more than $100 million worldwide. “Creed III” is also expected to become MGM’s first non-“Bond” film to gross $100 million domestically since the hit 2019 animated movie “The Addams Family.”

There were other impressive stats, including the film’s “A-“ CinemaScore and ticket buyers reported to be 63% male, with 55% between the ages of 18 and 34. The statistics also illustrated a racially diverse audience where 36% were Black, 28% were Latino, 23% were white, and 13% were Asian, according to PostTrak data. The film, which Jordan shot with Imax cameras, also...

Jonathan Majors is on fire right now. The actor is quickly rising to the ranks of superstardom, successfully pulling off back–to-back number one hits at the box office in a feat that few have accomplished in their careers. First, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," in which Majors plays the villain Kang the Conquerer, opened up to a domestic total of $104 million, and despite its steep drop in the follow-up weeks, the film remains in second place in the box office charts. The film knocking it out of the number one spot? "Creed III," also starring Jonathan Majors in the antagonistic role of Damian "Dame" Anderson.

Majors has been putting in the work, too. His performances have been turning heads since 2019, when he starred in "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," as the eccentric but kind-hearted Mont Allen. The film was a small indie affair that gained widespread acclaim...

Gabriel Byrne, the Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “In Treatment” star, is the latest addition to the “John Wick” spinoff film “Ballerina,” starring Ana de Armas.

Production on the film is currently underway, with Len Wiseman directing from a screenplay penned by Shay Hatten (“John Wick: Chapter 4”). Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski are producing, while Lionsgate’s Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project.

“For decades, Gabriel’s mysterious and enigmatic presence has enriched dozens of films,” Iwanyk said in a statement. “You can never quite be sure what he’s thinking, and that’s perfect for this world.”

Also Read:

‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Set at Lionsgate With ‘Total Recall’ Director Len Wiseman

Previously announced ensemble members include Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus.

Byrne will next be seen playing literary giant Samuel Beckett in the biopic “Dance First,...

December is here, and some holly jolly cheer along with some spooks and scares will come to Amazon Prime Video in the form of newly added shows and movies.

Prime Video Original Christmas rom-coms on the way include “Something From Tiffany’s” — out Dec. 9 — starring Zoey Deutch and Kendrick Smith Sampson about strangers who cross paths unintentionally, discovering they might be meant for each other instead of their significant others as well as “Your Christmas or Mine?” — out Dec. 2 — starring Asa Butterfield, Cora Kirk, Alex Jennings, David Bradley, Harriet Walters, Daniel Mays, Angela Griffin, Natalie Gumede, Lucien Laviscount and Ram John Holder.

For those still nursing a Halloween hangover, Nikyatu Jusu’s horror film “Nanny” starring Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan and Sinqua Walls arrives Dec. 16, and suspense thriller “Three Pines,” adapted from Louise Penny’s best-selling series, arrives Dec. 2, starring Alfred Molina. There’s also the finale of “The Peripheral” starring...

It’s been a big year for Prime Video. From The Boys season 3 to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to even the terrible games presented on Thursday Night Football, there were many hits to satisfy Jeff Bezos’ bottom line. How is the Amazon streamer planning on closing out 2022? Why, with another potential hit, of course!

Amazon Prime Video’s list of new releases for December 2022 is highlighted by the return of an old favorite. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 3 premieres all eight episodes on Dec. 21. This time around John Krasinki’s CIA analyst will be dealing with a potentially nuclear conflict with Russia. The only other original TV series of note this month is Three Pines on Dec. 2. The mystery series stars Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

Over on the movie side of things, Prime Video is bringing forward a major holiday tile on Dec.

It’s time to get the hot cocoa boiling and the holiday decorations up! It’s almost December and nearly every streaming service has consumers covered with both seasonal content and new shows to carry them into the new year. Amazon’s Prime Video service has a few new series debuting, including “Riches.” Starring Deborah Ayorinde, from “Them,” the series is described as “a high-stakes family drama about the exploits of the stylish, privileged, and super-successful Richards siblings vying for control over the family business.”

The streamer also brings actor John Krasinski back into the world of Tom Clancy with the third season of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.” This installment finds CIA officer Jack Ryan wrongly accused of treason and on the run from his own government as he races against the clock to stop a global catastrophe. The season hits December 21.

If you’re in the market for classic television,...

Timothée Chalamet, the 26-year-old costar of Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All” (United Artists), inspires slavish fans and critical praise — not unlike Leonardo DiCaprio 25 years ago when he made “Titanic.” The similarities in their trajectories are remarkable. Precociously talented; acclaimed portrayals of sensitive adolescents; risky roles; early, passionate followings by teenage girls; and acting Oscar nomination before the age of 27 (in Chalamet’s case lead).

Their significant difference is Chalamet stands at the threshold of a major career. By the same point in his own work, DiCaprio could have retired and be considered an iconic star. None of this diminishes Chalamet’s significant achievements, but it highlights differences in their eras.

“Bones and All” is no “Titanic” (not that anything is). The best-case scenario for this 16 million-budgeted drama is a breakout, not a blockbuster. Guadagnino has established a reputation for edgy, R-rated films with significant (and stylish) sex and violence.

The American Film Institute announced the recipients of its Writers’ Room Ready Awards on Thursday.

The annual awards program honors the best pilot scripts written by the AFI Conservatory’s screenwriting fellows. This year’s awards honor the 2021 and 2022 classes, after the prizes were delayed last year due to Covid-19.

“Congratulations to the 2021 and 2022 recipients of the Writers’ Room Ready Award,” AFI Conservatory dean and AFI executive vice president Susan Ruskin said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of the dedication these writers have shown to their craft, exemplifying the highest standard of excellence and creativity. Together with the mentors, we are committed to supporting this next generation of talented writers as they share their stories with the world.”

Suhana Chander, Gianmarco Maximilian Giacomelli, Christina Kelly Holmes, Lia Wang and Yancey Wang were announced as the winners of the 2021 class. Max Hersh, Adam Rottler, Marley Schneier, Anna Vecellio and...

MetaTheater, a platform that globally distributes live theater performances, will be presenting the live streaming of coming-of-age romantic drama, musical Midnight Sun with a K-pop star-studded cast starting May 3rd.

Midnight Sun had its first run introduced in May of 2021 when the industry of performing arts came to close down all around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Midnight Sun is a coming-of-age romantic drama that tells the growth, friendship, and love story of Haram, a young boy who is blinding like a summer day’s ray of light, and Haena, a girl who shines like a midsummer night’s moonlight. The big cast including SHINee’s Onew, DAY6’s Wonpil, Nu’Est’s Baekho, GOT7’s Yongjae, Lovelyz’s Kei, as well as musical actors Cho Hun, Kang Hyein, and Lee Ajin received a lot of attention, leading to the musical’s success by attracting 80,000 global audiences online and offline,...

“Uncharted” will likely see the best opening weekend so far this year. Critics don’t care four Sony’s video game adaptation starring Tom Holland (a weak 47 at the moment at Metacritic), but he and co-star Mark Wahlberg have their fans and there’s pent-up demand for an appealing new release. The three-day opening should be more than $30 million, possibly by some distance.

Meanwhile, the studio is celebrating the latest milestone for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” On Monday, it crossed $760 million in domestic gross. That places it as #3 of all-time moneymakers on the “ignore film history and inflation list,” or around #23 among all sound-era domestic releases based on ticket sales (rather than variable prices).

Either way: That’s phenomenal. It’s doing 80 percent or more of the business seen by “Avatar,” “The Force Awakens,” and “Avengers: Endgame,” none of which had to contend with a pandemic or a freefall in theater attendance.

It’s Johnny Knoxville and Tom Holland to the rescue — at least for low-grossing theaters this month. Knoxville and his merry band of pranksters from “Jackass Forever” (Paramount) opened Thursday night to $1.65 million, while Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster movie “Moonfall” took in $700,000 initially. Storms in the central part of the country shut down some theaters and otherwise dampened both figures.

February’s domestic box office take can’t be much worse than January’s: The $390 million total is just 44 percent of the same month two years ago, shortly before the pandemic began to spread around the world, shutting down many theaters in its wake. Normally, February grosses about 75-80 percent of January. This year should be better.

Last month had a strong start with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which added $164 million to its box office take after opening in December. That figure accounted for 43 percent of the box office total for all films.

Time is running out to stream films like “Lincoln,” “The Fisher King” and “He Got Game” on HBO Max. Below is the complete list of everything leaving HBO and HBO Max in January 2022, which includes some classic “Planet of the Apes” films, Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning “Argo” and 1988’s “Married to the Mob,” among others. Most of these titles leave the streaming service on Jan. 31, but departing HBO and HBO Max on Jan. 20 is a behind-the-scenes look at Guillermo del Toro’s new film “Nightmare Alley,” which is exclusively in theaters now.

If you’re looking for noteworthy titles to add to your watchlist before they depart, “Lincoln” is one of Steven Spielberg’s best, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” is a handsome and nail-biting spy thriller and “The Fisher King” is a great two-hander with Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.

Check out the full list of what’s leaving HBO Max in January 2022 below.

Back when WarnerMedia (which technically no longer exists in the same form) announced that it would be premiering its entire slate of 2021 films on HBO Max, this is the kind of month they likely had in mind. For HBO Max’s list of new releases in August 2021 is highlighted by an honest-to-goodness blockbuster.

The Suicide Squad is set to premiere Aug. 5 on HBO Max. This film featuring some of DC Comics’ most curious villains borrows its name, format, and many of its characters from the David Ayers-directed 2016 film Suicide Squad. This time around, the rogues gallery is directing by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and his colorful disposition. In addition to The Suicide Squad, August sees the arrival of the Hugh Jackman-starring Reminiscence on Aug. 20.

Read more Movies The Suicide Squad First Reactions Are In By John Saavedra Movies How The Suicide Squad is Different from Guardians of the Galaxy...

HBO Max will arguably debut its biggest Warner Bros. release yet on August 5, when James Gunn’s take on “The Suicide Squad” makes its day-and-date premiere on the streaming platform (the comic book blockbuster is also coming out in theaters nationwide).

But beyond “The Suicide Squad,” film fans will find a copious amount of features on HBO Max in August 2021, including a new Hugh Jackman movie, plus classic ‘90s favorites like “Basic Instinct,” “The Birdcage,” “The Fugitive,” “Deep Cover,” “Malcolm X,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Ahead, every new movie and series coming to HBO Max in August 2021, plus the top titles leaving the service before September 1.

New on HBO Max in August 2021

August 1

2 Days in the Valley, 1996 (HBO)

9/11: Fifteen Years Later, 2016

A Mighty Wind, 2003 (HBO)

A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014 (HBO)

The Accidental Spy, 2002 (HBO)

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, 2005 (HBO)

Americano, 2017 (HBO)

Anna to the Infinite Power,...

Giannetto De Rossi tragically, has left us, as a result of the same plague that has cut short the lives of many. He leaves behind a mammoth filmography which, with roughly 163 films, contains plenty of contradictions and surprises and further outlines the career of a true independent, a bona fide iconoclast, and the third generation of a family to leave a lasting mark on the film industry, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Camillo De Rossi, considered by many historians Italy’s first make-up artist, and his father, Alberto De Rossi. Giannetto, however, will be the first De Rossi to delve deep into the world of practical special effects, and his legacy lives on in the work of one of his two daughters, Lorella. To truly put into perspective the incredibly multi-faceted career of this giant, let us briefly go through a handful of the many diverse directors he...

French actor Gérard Depardieu has been charged with rape and sexual assault, the Agence France-Presse reports (via France 24 and Le Monde). The indictment against Depardieu, 72, was reportedly filed in December, although it wasn’t until Tuesday, February 23rd, that a source in the French justice system confirmed the charges.

Depardieu is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a then-22-year-old actress at his home in Paris in August 2018. The pair were reportedly rehearsing a scene for a play when the alleged incident took place, but a source told Afp...

Legendary French actor Gérard Depardieu has been charged with rape and sexual assault stemming from a 2018 incident, the French news agency Afp reported Tuesday.

An initial investigation into the accusations was dropped in 2019 for lack of evidence, but the case was reopened last summer, and criminal charges were filed in December, an unnamed judicial source told the Afp.

A 20-year-old actress accused Depardieu of having raped and sexually assaulted her at his Parisian home in August 2018. While a spokesperson for the actor has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment, his lawyer, Herve Temime, told Afp that the actor “completely rejects the accusations.” The lawyer has also denied the accusations in several other interviews over the years.

The actress’s lawyer, Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, told Afp that she hoped her client’s “private sphere will be respected” as the investigation continues.

Depardieu, 72, is an iconic French star with over...

It must not be an easy feat to play your own twin, but a surprising amount of actors have done it. From Lindsay Lohan in “The Parent Trap” to Paul Rudd in Netflix’s “Living With Yourself” to Mark Ruffalo in HBO’s new series “I Know This Much Is True” here are 19 stars who have played their own twins, clones, and even split-personalities on TV and in movies.

Lindsay Lohan – “The Parent Trap,” “I Know Who Killed Me” Pretty much everyone is familiar with Lohan’s iconic role in ‘The Parent Trap’ remake, but few are familiar with her much more grown-up, darker role in this 2007 psychological thriller in which her she plays two very different versions of a girl named Aubrey Fleming.

Mark Ruffalo – “I Know This Much Is True” He plays twins Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in the HBO series, the latter of whom is schizophrenic.

Tom Hardy...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and filmmakers and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.

Today we celebrate Halloween by discussing the B-Sides of Peter Cushing, one-third of The Unholy Trinity (including Christopher Lee and Vincent Price), star of many Hammer Films and Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars. To tackle a master such as Cushing, we bring in the inestimable Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. We mention their Vincent Price episode from Halloween last year and their more recent episode of Jamie Lee Curtis. Give them a listen!

For this episode, we discuss Violent Playground, Sword of Sherwood Forest, Cash on Demand, and The Masks of Death. Of course, the Universal Monsters movies come up, as do the Hammer Films that Cushing and Lee made legend.

With theaters in an unprecedented nationwide shutdown, we look back at the game-changing titles in play on this weekend in box-office history.

Under normal circumstances, this weekend would likely have been the best of 2020 to date. With “Mulan” (Disney) set to open and “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount) in its second week, grosses totaling $200 million were likely.

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And in 1998, this was the weekend after the Oscars — a date then known as something of a box-office dead zone. Streaming didn’t exist, and theater windows were longer than 90 days, which meant new films stayed away because they didn’t want to compete with the post-Oscar bump. Today, Oscar movies are no threat since most winners are on some form of VOD, or in wider release.

Last year, much of...

It might be a bit surprising to see the beloved Judi Dench in contention for an award calling out the worst achievements in film, but such was the effect of “Cats,” the widely ridiculed movie musical that leads this year’s Razzie noms. The good news, though, is that even if she wins she’ll be in good company. More than a dozen Oscar-winning actors have won Razzies too.

SEERazzies: Every Worst Picture Winner 1981 to Today

Dench, a Best Supporting Actress winner for “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), is now up for Worst Supporting Actress for her role as Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the Jellicle cats who was actually played by male actors on Broadway and the West End. This Razzies category alone has gone to Oscar winners Faye Dunaway and Kim Basinger.

Dunway also won Worst Actress for “Mommie Dearest” (1981). That category has gone to even more Oscar champs: Liza Minnelli...

British actor Jeremy Irons, who plays Ozymandias in the HBO series “Watchmen” and won an Oscar in 1991 for “Reversal of Fortune,” will serve as president of the International Jury at the 70th Berlin Intl. Film Festival, the event revealed Thursday.

Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian said: “With his distinctive style Jeremy Irons has embodied some iconic characters that have accompanied me throughout my journey in cinema, making me aware of the complexity of human beings. His talent and the choices he has taken both as an artist and as a citizen make me feel proud to welcome him as president of the jury for the 70th edition of the Berlinale.”

Irons said: “It is with feelings of great pleasure and not inconsiderable honor that I take on the role of president of the International Jury for the Berlinale 2020, a festival that I have admired for so long and that I have always enjoyed attending.

Hugh Grant and Andy MacDowell in Four Weddings And A Funeral. Mike Newell: 'They were all so gorgeous when they were young' Photo: © 1994 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved

One of those directors who never watches a film he made after he’s made it, Mike Newell once upon a time breathed new life into British cinema with his box-office-breaking and award-winning romantic comedy Four Weddings And A Funeral, now 25 years old. After this now-cult film, he moved on from the formulas of feel-good movies to Hollywood blockbusters of the likes of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005), one more film that has reached cult status according to pop culture standards and yet another that has marked an entire generation of youngsters.

A Cambridge graduate, Newell began directing at 22 and worked on various plays for TV. His springboard to international success was the TV film, The Man In The Iron Mask...

Randall Wallace, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Braveheart,” and his company Wallace Entertainment have accused Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment of federal trademark infringement and unfair competition in a new lawsuit filed Monday.

In papers filed with the federal court in the central district of California, Wallace says he owns the trademark rights to the names “Wheelhouse” and “Wheelhouse Entertainment” and has used the names in connection with the production of his own entertainment content, including “Braveheart,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Man in the Iron Mask” and as the director of “We Were Soldiers” and “Secretariat.” He also said in the filing that people frequently confuse Montgomery’s company with his own and that Montgomery’s Wheelhouse is aware of Wallace but refused to comply with requests to cease using the name.

“Wheelhouse Group has recently received a copy of the complaint filed by Wallace Entertainment. While the company is in the process of reviewing the complaint,...

The good twin/bad twin is a trope that goes back to works like The Man In The Iron Mask and Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. It’s also been utilized in myriad TV shows before like Gilligan’s Island, I Dream Of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Bonanza. For Friends’ Ursula and Phoebe, the twin plot was a bit more practical:…...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we explore movies from established stars that flopped at the box office, have been forgotten by time, or remain hidden gems. These aren’t the films that made them famous or kept them famous. These are the other ones. Today, in conjunction with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, we talk Leonardo DiCaprio with the very talented Gavin Mevius, co-host of The Mixed Reviews Podcast.

Perhaps the biggest movie star in the world at the young age of 23, Leo followed up his lead role in Titanic with a couple of quintessential B-Sides: The Man In The Iron Mask and The Beach. We also make quick mention of Woody Allen’s ‘98 film Celebrity, in which DiCaprio cameos as a pampered star. Our final two B-Sides consist of Body of Lies from 2008 and the oft-forgotten Oscar play J.

“Our legacy is up to you to decipher really,” Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris says nonchalantly. This week, his band is embarking on a U.S. leg of its Legacy of the Beast tour, which shares its name with the band’s new mobile game. They’re focusing on fan favorites from throughout their nearly 45-year history, like “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper,” along with what they’ve billed as one of their biggest-ever productions, complete with a plane that dangles over the stage for “Aces High.” But...

For nearly 30 years, Leonardo DiCaprio has managed to maintain an image as a handsome, Hollywood heartthrob and as one of the industry’s most bankable and pedigreed performers. While he’s consistently been at the top of the A-list, the roles DiCaprio has taken have changed dramatically. In “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” DiCaprio lends his star power to help Quentin Tarantino shape a new Tinsel Town legend. Here’s how the actor has evolved over the years:

“Growing Pains” (1991)

After guest starring on “Roseanne” and “Parenthood,” DiCaprio landed a role on the long-running sitcom “Growing Pains.” He played Luke Brower, a homeless student in the class of young school teacher Mike (Kirk Cameron) that the Seaver family take in until he is reunited with his father.

“This Boy’s Life” (1993)

In his first major movie role, Leo landed the starring role alongside Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin...

Paris prosecutors have dropped a rape investigation against Gerard Depardieu, the French actor’s lawyers told TheWrap.

“A number of investigations undertaken as part of this procedure have not enabled us to characterize the crimes alleged in all of their individual parts,” the prosecutor’s office announced in a statement Tuesday via Reuters and other French media reports.

According to Reuters, the French media said the accusation had been made by a 22-year-old French actress. Depardieu’s lawyers have denied the claims several times, with Depardieu’s attorney, Herve Temime, saying Depardieu “absolutely denies any rape, any sexual assault, any crime.”

Also Read: Luc Besson's Financially Troubled EuropaCorp Placed Under Court Protection in France

In August 2018, Depardieu was accused of rape and sexual assault by a woman, whose complaint was then handed over to Paris prosecutors. Reports said the incidents occurred on Aug. 7 and Aug. 13 at Depardieu’s home,...

Who says that vampires and werewolves can't work together? Bela Lugosi stars as a bloodsucker out for revenge alongside his werewolf aide (Matt Willis) in The Return of the Vampire, coming to Blu-ray on February 19th, and ahead of its release, Scream Factory revealed the full list of special features for the 1943 film, including three new audio commentaries:

Press Release: In 1918, Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi), a 200-year-old Hungarian Vampire, prowls the English countryside, feeding from the jugulars of the villagers. But Tesla's reign of terror is interrupted when a pair of scientists, Lady Jane and Sir John Ainsley, drive a railroad spike through his heart. The "un-dead" Tesla remains safely entombed for two decades until the impact from a stray Nazi bomb accidentally releases him. Along with his werewolf servant Andreas Obry, the resurrected vampire now plots vengeance on the family that put a halt to his nocturnal feasting. On...