Sundance turns 40 this year and AMC Networks is celebrating the film festival’s big 4-0 with the release of a curated lineup of dozens of movies that previously debuted at the event, including “Birth/Rebirth,” “Sleeping with Other People,” “Savage Grace” and “Heathers,” for streamer AMC+.
A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.
“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.
A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.
“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.
- 1/10/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Working Title and Studiocanal romantic comedy “What’s Love Got To Do With It?,” directed by Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), has added to its cast.
Joining the existing cast of Lily James (“Yesterday”), Shazad Latif (“Departure”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Christmas”) are British actors Rob Brydon (“The Trip to Greece”) and Asim Chaudhry (“Wonder Woman 1984”), Pakistan’s Sajal Ali (“Mom”) and veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi (“Kaali Khuhi”).
The film is based on an original script by Jemima Khan “(The Clinton Affair,” “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”).
“It’s a story of identities,” Kapur has said, describing the film. “It’s about cultural clashes and it’s a comedy, but it’s about hiding behind an identity and how identities can become tribal, and how tribalism can lead to clashes and fundamentalism. It’s a romcom, but based on this fundamental idea of people...
Joining the existing cast of Lily James (“Yesterday”), Shazad Latif (“Departure”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Christmas”) are British actors Rob Brydon (“The Trip to Greece”) and Asim Chaudhry (“Wonder Woman 1984”), Pakistan’s Sajal Ali (“Mom”) and veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi (“Kaali Khuhi”).
The film is based on an original script by Jemima Khan “(The Clinton Affair,” “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”).
“It’s a story of identities,” Kapur has said, describing the film. “It’s about cultural clashes and it’s a comedy, but it’s about hiding behind an identity and how identities can become tribal, and how tribalism can lead to clashes and fundamentalism. It’s a romcom, but based on this fundamental idea of people...
- 1/15/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – In a world gone a bit madder and sadder, the films of 2020 were a welcome escape from the travails of weekly reality. Without theater exhibition by and large, films had to be experienced on smaller home screens, shrinking bold cinematography and emphasizing the story.
Reflected in my 10 Best Films Of 2020 are those storyteller films, the escapes that told tales of our possibilities and hope. In lieu of complete normalcy in 2021, let’s at least get back to the theaters.
I begin by ranking the 25th film favorites through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Eurovision Song Contest, 24th - Da Five Bloods (Delroy Lindo symbolized a whole war in his performance), 23rd - Wonder Woman 1984 (we have met the villains and they are us), 22nd - The Hunt (sharpest satire in the tool shed), 21st - The Nest...
Reflected in my 10 Best Films Of 2020 are those storyteller films, the escapes that told tales of our possibilities and hope. In lieu of complete normalcy in 2021, let’s at least get back to the theaters.
I begin by ranking the 25th film favorites through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Eurovision Song Contest, 24th - Da Five Bloods (Delroy Lindo symbolized a whole war in his performance), 23rd - Wonder Woman 1984 (we have met the villains and they are us), 22nd - The Hunt (sharpest satire in the tool shed), 21st - The Nest...
- 1/3/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
IFC Films has nabbed North American rights to South African Oliver Hermanus’ “Moffie,” a queer war film that is set against the backdrop of a South African border war. The indie studio will release the film in April 2021.
Hermanus directs the film and adapted the story from André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical 2006 novel with Jack Sidey. “Moffie” premiered at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. It was a homecoming of sorts for the director, whose previous feature, “The Endless River,” was the first South African film to be nominated for the Golden Lion.
“‘Moffie’ is a brilliant cinematic vision with a powerful message that will inspire audiences and critics alike,” Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to come on board with such an accomplished film and singular directorial voice.”
“Moffie” stars Kai Luke Brummer, Ryan de Villiers, Matthew Vey, Stefan Vermaak,...
Hermanus directs the film and adapted the story from André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical 2006 novel with Jack Sidey. “Moffie” premiered at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. It was a homecoming of sorts for the director, whose previous feature, “The Endless River,” was the first South African film to be nominated for the Golden Lion.
“‘Moffie’ is a brilliant cinematic vision with a powerful message that will inspire audiences and critics alike,” Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to come on board with such an accomplished film and singular directorial voice.”
“Moffie” stars Kai Luke Brummer, Ryan de Villiers, Matthew Vey, Stefan Vermaak,...
- 12/17/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Lydia Dean Pilcher’s big moment had arrived.
After producing movies for Wes Anderson and Mira Nair, Pilcher was finally sliding behind the camera herself. “Radium Girls,” her feature directing debut, was set to open in New York City in April when the coronavirus struck, grinding the cultural life of Gotham to a standstill and imperiling the business and art form she loves.
Instead of despairing, Pilcher got creative. Juno Films, the movie’s distributor, pushed the debut back to the fall and set about fashioning a Covid-compliant release strategy for the indie drama. When it finally opened in October, it screened at drive-in theaters and had special virtual showings. To raise awareness, the distributor and filmmakers of “Radium Girls” — which documents the true story of female factory employees who contracted radiation poisoning due to poor working conditions — partnered with environmental groups like the Sierra Club and gave them a...
After producing movies for Wes Anderson and Mira Nair, Pilcher was finally sliding behind the camera herself. “Radium Girls,” her feature directing debut, was set to open in New York City in April when the coronavirus struck, grinding the cultural life of Gotham to a standstill and imperiling the business and art form she loves.
Instead of despairing, Pilcher got creative. Juno Films, the movie’s distributor, pushed the debut back to the fall and set about fashioning a Covid-compliant release strategy for the indie drama. When it finally opened in October, it screened at drive-in theaters and had special virtual showings. To raise awareness, the distributor and filmmakers of “Radium Girls” — which documents the true story of female factory employees who contracted radiation poisoning due to poor working conditions — partnered with environmental groups like the Sierra Club and gave them a...
- 12/10/2020
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Arianna Bocco has been named president of IFC Films. Her promotion comes after more than a decade at the indie studio, where Bocco oversaw acquisitions and productions for IFC Films as well as for its genre label IFC Midnight.
Bocco is stepping into the role after Lisa Schwartz announced in November that she was stepping down as co-president of the studio. Jonathan Sehring, who served as co-president of IFC Films for decades, left the company in 2018.
In her new role, Bocco will continue to oversee acquisitions, production, marketing and publicity, while adding oversight of theatrical film distribution. She will also be tasked with continuing to grow its subscription streaming service, IFC Films Unlimited.
IFC Films is owned by AMC Networks. Bocco will now report to Miguel Penella, AMC Networks’ president of SVOD. He, in turn, reports to Ed Carroll, AMC Networks’ COO.
“Arianna is a talented and respected executive who...
Bocco is stepping into the role after Lisa Schwartz announced in November that she was stepping down as co-president of the studio. Jonathan Sehring, who served as co-president of IFC Films for decades, left the company in 2018.
In her new role, Bocco will continue to oversee acquisitions, production, marketing and publicity, while adding oversight of theatrical film distribution. She will also be tasked with continuing to grow its subscription streaming service, IFC Films Unlimited.
IFC Films is owned by AMC Networks. Bocco will now report to Miguel Penella, AMC Networks’ president of SVOD. He, in turn, reports to Ed Carroll, AMC Networks’ COO.
“Arianna is a talented and respected executive who...
- 12/2/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
This summer a new board of directors took the reins at the Greek Film Center (Gfc), the body that oversees all aspects of the country’s film policy, from bolstering the development and production of local cinema to luring international film and television shoots to the Mediterranean nation. Despite recent years in which the Gfc has often appeared adrift, industry veterans have thus far been cautiously optimistic that the shake-up will bring much-needed stability and continuity to the organization.
Markos Holevas, who was recently named president of the Gfc’s board, told Variety that the center would waste little time in ensuring that the Greek industry hits the ground running in 2021. “We want to change many things before the end of the year, to begin the new year with a new profile,” he said.
As the Thessaloniki Film Festival winds down, Holevas said the new board was now determined “to...
Markos Holevas, who was recently named president of the Gfc’s board, told Variety that the center would waste little time in ensuring that the Greek industry hits the ground running in 2021. “We want to change many things before the end of the year, to begin the new year with a new profile,” he said.
As the Thessaloniki Film Festival winds down, Holevas said the new board was now determined “to...
- 11/16/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films, announced she will be stepping down from her role at the end of the year.
Schwartz, who led the independent film studio’s business strategy, distribution and strategic partnership, most recently spearheaded IFC’s streaming channel called IFC Films Unlimited. The newly created subscription-based platform is home to IFC favorites like “The Trip,” “45 Years” and “The Babdook.”
IFC Films has been one of the few studios to continue rolling out new movies during the pandemic, fielding modest Covid-era hits that were popular at drive-in theaters, like “The Wretched” “The Trip to Greece,” psychological thriller “Swallow,” and “How to Build a Girl” with Beanie Feldstein.
“In an extraordinary year like no other, extraordinary and innovative approaches were developed which kept IFC Films at the forefront of film distribution,” Schwartz said in a statement. “I’m very proud to have been a part of the...
Schwartz, who led the independent film studio’s business strategy, distribution and strategic partnership, most recently spearheaded IFC’s streaming channel called IFC Films Unlimited. The newly created subscription-based platform is home to IFC favorites like “The Trip,” “45 Years” and “The Babdook.”
IFC Films has been one of the few studios to continue rolling out new movies during the pandemic, fielding modest Covid-era hits that were popular at drive-in theaters, like “The Wretched” “The Trip to Greece,” psychological thriller “Swallow,” and “How to Build a Girl” with Beanie Feldstein.
“In an extraordinary year like no other, extraordinary and innovative approaches were developed which kept IFC Films at the forefront of film distribution,” Schwartz said in a statement. “I’m very proud to have been a part of the...
- 11/12/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
With a second lockdown looming amid a spike in coronavirus cases across Greece, Giorgos Karnavas, of production outfit Heretic, knew it was a race against time to wrap shooting on “Triangle of Sadness,” a satire directed by Oscar nominee and Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund.
Production on the Woody Harrelson-starring feature was postponed for three months earlier this year due to Covid-19, and principal photography was underway on the island of Evia and on a yacht in the Ionian sea when bars, restaurants, cinemas, and non-essential stores across this Mediterranean nation were shuttered on Nov. 7 for at least three weeks. (Harrelson, who has already filmed his scenes in Sweden, did not travel to Greece.)
The production team nevertheless received a special permit from the government to continue the shoot, which wraps Nov. 13. “We had the support of multiple Greek authorities during the whole way through,” said Karnavas, who...
Production on the Woody Harrelson-starring feature was postponed for three months earlier this year due to Covid-19, and principal photography was underway on the island of Evia and on a yacht in the Ionian sea when bars, restaurants, cinemas, and non-essential stores across this Mediterranean nation were shuttered on Nov. 7 for at least three weeks. (Harrelson, who has already filmed his scenes in Sweden, did not travel to Greece.)
The production team nevertheless received a special permit from the government to continue the shoot, which wraps Nov. 13. “We had the support of multiple Greek authorities during the whole way through,” said Karnavas, who...
- 11/9/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films has nabbed Chad Hartigan’s “Little Fish,” a love story set in a post-pandemic world that will have an eerie resonance when viewed in light of the coronavirus crisis.
The deal is for North American rights. IFC, which has remained active during Covid-19, releasing films such as “The Nest” and “The Trip to Greece,” will debut the picture on Feb. 5, 2021. “Little Fish” stars Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”), Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”), Raúl Castillo (HBO’s “Looking”), and French singer-songwriter Soko. “Little Fish” boasts a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin based on a short story by Aja Gabel.
According to the official log line, “Little Fish” unfolds in a world where a pandemic has broken out. The disease causes its victims to lose their memories. Newlyweds Emma (Cooke) and Jude (O’Connell) have to grapple with this painful new reality. After Jude contracts the disease, the young couple struggles to...
The deal is for North American rights. IFC, which has remained active during Covid-19, releasing films such as “The Nest” and “The Trip to Greece,” will debut the picture on Feb. 5, 2021. “Little Fish” stars Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”), Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”), Raúl Castillo (HBO’s “Looking”), and French singer-songwriter Soko. “Little Fish” boasts a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin based on a short story by Aja Gabel.
According to the official log line, “Little Fish” unfolds in a world where a pandemic has broken out. The disease causes its victims to lose their memories. Newlyweds Emma (Cooke) and Jude (O’Connell) have to grapple with this painful new reality. After Jude contracts the disease, the young couple struggles to...
- 9/24/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Movie: The Trip to Greece Where You Can Stream It: Hulu The Pitch: UK actor/comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite for the fourth entry in this long-running franchise to travel across another country, eat […]
The post The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Trip to Greece’ Ends the Franchise, But Simultaneously Makes the Case for More appeared first on /Film.
The post The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Trip to Greece’ Ends the Franchise, But Simultaneously Makes the Case for More appeared first on /Film.
- 9/12/2020
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
On the September 11, 2020 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta is joined by /Film managing editor Jacob Hall, senior writer Ben Pearson and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to discuss what they’ve been up to at the Water Cooler. At The Water Cooler: What we’ve been Doing: Peter went to Las […]
The post Water Cooler: Tenet, Mulan, The Vow, Cuties, You Can Not Kill David Arquette, The Nice Guys, #Alive, The Devil All the Time, The Trip to Greece, Avengers Station, Star Trek, Doctor Who appeared first on /Film.
The post Water Cooler: Tenet, Mulan, The Vow, Cuties, You Can Not Kill David Arquette, The Nice Guys, #Alive, The Devil All the Time, The Trip to Greece, Avengers Station, Star Trek, Doctor Who appeared first on /Film.
- 9/11/2020
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
Sally Hawkins nominated for best actress.
Craig Roberts’ comedy drama Eternal Beauty has secured five nominations at the British Academy Cymru Awards.
Sally Hawkins and Roberts have received nods for best actress and director respectively at the awards, which recognise the best film and TV productions in Wales.
The film, which received its debut at the BFI London Film Festival in 2019 and is due for UK release on October 2, also picked up nominations for costume design, production design and editing.
The nominations are led by BBC-hbo fantasy series His Dark Materials, which is filmed in Cardiff and received nine nods.
Craig Roberts’ comedy drama Eternal Beauty has secured five nominations at the British Academy Cymru Awards.
Sally Hawkins and Roberts have received nods for best actress and director respectively at the awards, which recognise the best film and TV productions in Wales.
The film, which received its debut at the BFI London Film Festival in 2019 and is due for UK release on October 2, also picked up nominations for costume design, production design and editing.
The nominations are led by BBC-hbo fantasy series His Dark Materials, which is filmed in Cardiff and received nine nods.
- 9/3/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films Unlimited, the streaming arm of IFC, has expanded to Canada.
It will be made available on Amazon Prime beginning Wednesday. Customers can subscribe directly to IFC Films Unlimited for $5.99 Cad per month. The subscription service also offers access to movies from IFC’s other labels Sundance Selects and genre label IFC Midnight.
The expansion of IFC Films Unlimited in Canada will debut with the release of “The Wretched,” a supernatural horror film written and directed by the Pierce Brothers.
“IFC Films Unlimited has consistently outperformed our expectations since launching just over a year ago. The programming has attracted specialty film fans who are looking for high-quality independent film across a variety of genres. We are thrilled to continue our expansion in Canada with Amazon,” said Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films.
IFC Films Unlimited’s library includes such previous releases as “Frances Ha,” “The Man Who Knew Infinity,...
It will be made available on Amazon Prime beginning Wednesday. Customers can subscribe directly to IFC Films Unlimited for $5.99 Cad per month. The subscription service also offers access to movies from IFC’s other labels Sundance Selects and genre label IFC Midnight.
The expansion of IFC Films Unlimited in Canada will debut with the release of “The Wretched,” a supernatural horror film written and directed by the Pierce Brothers.
“IFC Films Unlimited has consistently outperformed our expectations since launching just over a year ago. The programming has attracted specialty film fans who are looking for high-quality independent film across a variety of genres. We are thrilled to continue our expansion in Canada with Amazon,” said Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films.
IFC Films Unlimited’s library includes such previous releases as “Frances Ha,” “The Man Who Knew Infinity,...
- 8/5/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
In this strange new moviegoing ecosystem, IFC Films is one indie distributor doing well despite the hurdles of releasing content amid the ongoing pandemic. Not only did the arthouse platform just cross the $2-million mark overall at the drive-in box office with the release of “Relic,” but IFC also is currently in the lead in getting out films to Oscar voters on the Academy’s new screening platform.
Right now, nine films out of 19 contending for Academy eyeballs in the online screening room come from IFC, and they include “Premature,” “Swallow,” “Resistance,” “The Other Lamb,” “True History of the Kelly Gang,” “The Wretched,” “How to Build a Girl,” “The Trip to Greece,” and “Babyteeth.” IFC has had a strong 2020 slate, earning critical buzz and solid VOD returns including for “Relic,” which with drive-in play and digital play combined has earned more than $580,000 since opening on Friday, July 10. Next up, IFC...
Right now, nine films out of 19 contending for Academy eyeballs in the online screening room come from IFC, and they include “Premature,” “Swallow,” “Resistance,” “The Other Lamb,” “True History of the Kelly Gang,” “The Wretched,” “How to Build a Girl,” “The Trip to Greece,” and “Babyteeth.” IFC has had a strong 2020 slate, earning critical buzz and solid VOD returns including for “Relic,” which with drive-in play and digital play combined has earned more than $580,000 since opening on Friday, July 10. Next up, IFC...
- 7/12/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” a documentary about one Isreali chef’s attempts to recreate some of the French Monarchy’s most delicious desserts.
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
- 6/26/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Greece, where the death rate due to the coronavirus outbreak has been among among the lowest in Europe, is looking to lure more international productions by raising its cash rebates from 35% to 40% just as cameras are already rolling there on what is being touted as the first post-pandemic European co-production to start up.
“Greece is quite a success story in these particularly difficult times because of (anti-coronavirus) measures that were taken early on,” said Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission during a virtual Cannes Market panel.
The country was on lockdown between March 3 and May 4, and just one week later shooting had already resumed on hit Greek TV series “Wild Bees,” a period piece about three farmer sisters who live in a small, fictional village in the Thessalian flatland in the late 1950s, which was the first Greek production that started filming after the pandemic.
The scheduled production output of “Wild Bees,...
“Greece is quite a success story in these particularly difficult times because of (anti-coronavirus) measures that were taken early on,” said Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission during a virtual Cannes Market panel.
The country was on lockdown between March 3 and May 4, and just one week later shooting had already resumed on hit Greek TV series “Wild Bees,” a period piece about three farmer sisters who live in a small, fictional village in the Thessalian flatland in the late 1950s, which was the first Greek production that started filming after the pandemic.
The scheduled production output of “Wild Bees,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
However the total box office for the week was just 17% of the comparable week last year.
The Trip To Greece – the fourth and final film in Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip franchise – has led the New Zealand box office chart after the first week since all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
Starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and distributed in New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, the UK comedy took Nz$82,128 in its first seven days on 74 screens.
The top five was rounded out by Love Sarah, Sonic The Hedgehog, The Assistant and Bloodshot.
Total cinema box office revenue for the week...
The Trip To Greece – the fourth and final film in Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip franchise – has led the New Zealand box office chart after the first week since all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
Starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and distributed in New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, the UK comedy took Nz$82,128 in its first seven days on 74 screens.
The top five was rounded out by Love Sarah, Sonic The Hedgehog, The Assistant and Bloodshot.
Total cinema box office revenue for the week...
- 6/18/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
With streaming dominating the industry — and suddenly becoming the “new normal” in a changing world — IndieWire is taking a closer look at the news cycle, breaking down what really matters to provide a clear picture of what companies are winning the streaming wars, and how they’re pulling ahead.
By looking at trends and the latest developments, Streaming Wars Report: Indie Edition offers a snapshot of what’s happening overall and day-to-day in streaming for the indie set. Check out the latest Streaming Wars Report for updates to the bigger players in the industry.
The question is no longer if indie streaming outfits are up to the task of competing with the big dogs — Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, whatever Quibi thinks it is — but how much more they are able to keep growing and evolving when home entertainment reigns supreme. While niche outfits like The Criterion Channel, IFC Films Unlimited,...
By looking at trends and the latest developments, Streaming Wars Report: Indie Edition offers a snapshot of what’s happening overall and day-to-day in streaming for the indie set. Check out the latest Streaming Wars Report for updates to the bigger players in the industry.
The question is no longer if indie streaming outfits are up to the task of competing with the big dogs — Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, whatever Quibi thinks it is — but how much more they are able to keep growing and evolving when home entertainment reigns supreme. While niche outfits like The Criterion Channel, IFC Films Unlimited,...
- 6/12/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
IFC Films has scooped up the North American rights to Cooper Raiff’s “S—house,” the film that won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the virtual 2020 SXSW Film Festival, the indie distributor announced Wednesday.
Raiff wrote, directed and starred in his feature debut about a tender college romance that has been compared to the early work of Richard Linklater or Lena Dunham.
IFC Films will release “S—house” in the fall of 2020.
Also Read: How IFC Films' Bet on Drive-In Theaters Paid Off During the Pandemic
Raiff stars in “S—house” alongside Dylan Gelula, Amy Landecker, Logan Miller and Olivia Welch and is the story of Alex, a friendless college freshman who is seriously contemplating transferring to a college closer to his mom (Landecker) and sister (Welch), to whom he is still extremely tethered. Everything changes one night when Alex takes a leap and attends a...
Raiff wrote, directed and starred in his feature debut about a tender college romance that has been compared to the early work of Richard Linklater or Lena Dunham.
IFC Films will release “S—house” in the fall of 2020.
Also Read: How IFC Films' Bet on Drive-In Theaters Paid Off During the Pandemic
Raiff stars in “S—house” alongside Dylan Gelula, Amy Landecker, Logan Miller and Olivia Welch and is the story of Alex, a friendless college freshman who is seriously contemplating transferring to a college closer to his mom (Landecker) and sister (Welch), to whom he is still extremely tethered. Everything changes one night when Alex takes a leap and attends a...
- 6/10/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Hardscrabble grief hides behind high-scoring words on the Scrabble board in “Sometimes Always Never,” English director Carl Hunter’s scattered-brained but ultimately affecting hodgepodge of a first feature. As if they’re random letter tiles from a full bag, some ideas create meaning while others crowd the hand without much use.
Bill Nighy dons the deadpan charm of wordsmith Alan, a man unable to engage with the likelihood that his son Michael, gone missing long ago, may never turn up. “Hope is a great friend,” he tells his other adult child, Peter (Sam Riley), during a trip toward possible closure. Nuanced emotions escape his vocabulary, and in his quest for the prodigal son, he’s alienated the son who remains, the solid constant he takes for granted.
Known for heartfelt dramas that include Danny Boyle’s “Millions” and Simon Curtis’ “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce creates characters charged with latent resentment,...
Bill Nighy dons the deadpan charm of wordsmith Alan, a man unable to engage with the likelihood that his son Michael, gone missing long ago, may never turn up. “Hope is a great friend,” he tells his other adult child, Peter (Sam Riley), during a trip toward possible closure. Nuanced emotions escape his vocabulary, and in his quest for the prodigal son, he’s alienated the son who remains, the solid constant he takes for granted.
Known for heartfelt dramas that include Danny Boyle’s “Millions” and Simon Curtis’ “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce creates characters charged with latent resentment,...
- 6/10/2020
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
‘The Invisible Man.’
Universal’s The Invisible Man is getting a second lease of theatrical life thanks to drive-ins and newly re-opened cinemas in Western Australia, Adelaide and Alice Springs.
Leigh Whannell’s psychological thriller was the top grosser last weekend as the top 20 titles rang up $456,000, a whopping 148 per cent up on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Including the Queen’s Birthday holiday in most states, nationwide takings totaled $514,000.
Whannell’s film starring Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer and Michael Dorman earned $66,000 on 10 screens over those five days in week 15, lifting the total to $8.06 million.
That means the movie co-produced by Blumhouse Productions’ Jasom Blum and Goalpost Pictures’ Kylie du Fresne has grossed $160,000 since cinemas shuttered in March, although it was released on Premium VOD on April 1.
Seven drive-in cinemas in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Heddon Greta near Newcastle and Yatala in South-East Queensland are generating tidy sums.
Universal’s The Invisible Man is getting a second lease of theatrical life thanks to drive-ins and newly re-opened cinemas in Western Australia, Adelaide and Alice Springs.
Leigh Whannell’s psychological thriller was the top grosser last weekend as the top 20 titles rang up $456,000, a whopping 148 per cent up on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Including the Queen’s Birthday holiday in most states, nationwide takings totaled $514,000.
Whannell’s film starring Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer and Michael Dorman earned $66,000 on 10 screens over those five days in week 15, lifting the total to $8.06 million.
That means the movie co-produced by Blumhouse Productions’ Jasom Blum and Goalpost Pictures’ Kylie du Fresne has grossed $160,000 since cinemas shuttered in March, although it was released on Premium VOD on April 1.
Seven drive-in cinemas in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Heddon Greta near Newcastle and Yatala in South-East Queensland are generating tidy sums.
- 6/8/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Alan Partridge fans will be in for a treat this September, as Steve Coogan is recording a podcast in the guise of his hapless host for Audible. It’s been confirmed that subscribers will be able to access the complete series of From The Oasthouse via Audible from 3 September, as it will arrive in one big 18-part chunk.
According to the bumf, 20-minute-long episodes of From The Oasthouse will “introduce one of the nation’s best-loved broadcasters to a young, diverse and digitally-engaged audience. Without the BBC or North Norwich Digital’s editorial management breathing down his neck, this new podcast will give Partridge the opportunity to fully realise his creative vision, in the highest quality audio.”
You can listen to the first episode right now by demanding your Alexa-enabled device “read From the Oasthouse” – so give it a whirl, if you already have access to the Amazon tech.
“Like most people,...
According to the bumf, 20-minute-long episodes of From The Oasthouse will “introduce one of the nation’s best-loved broadcasters to a young, diverse and digitally-engaged audience. Without the BBC or North Norwich Digital’s editorial management breathing down his neck, this new podcast will give Partridge the opportunity to fully realise his creative vision, in the highest quality audio.”
You can listen to the first episode right now by demanding your Alexa-enabled device “read From the Oasthouse” – so give it a whirl, if you already have access to the Amazon tech.
“Like most people,...
- 6/8/2020
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
I’m an unabashed fan of “The Trip” and its three sequels. They’re the British talk-verité road comedies in which Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, playing heightened versions of their quicksilver acid-tongued middle-aged selves, drive around some lovely European country, stopping for lavish lunches at Michelin-star restaurants as they slice and dice each other’s egos with the quippiest of thoughts — a one-upmanship game between frenemies that periodically bursts out into their dueling impersonations of some legendary movie star.
It’s hard to pinpoint what it is that gives the “Trip” movies their special tang, but the whole rapid-fire competitive banter of Coogan and Brydon, most of which they make up on the spot, reminds me of the razzing prankishness of “A Hard Day’s Night” with a touch of the conversational enchantment of “My Dinner with Andre.” These are comedies to take seriously (though not too seriously). They’re also dramas to take lightly.
It’s hard to pinpoint what it is that gives the “Trip” movies their special tang, but the whole rapid-fire competitive banter of Coogan and Brydon, most of which they make up on the spot, reminds me of the razzing prankishness of “A Hard Day’s Night” with a touch of the conversational enchantment of “My Dinner with Andre.” These are comedies to take seriously (though not too seriously). They’re also dramas to take lightly.
- 6/2/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Few could have guessed that a simple BBC travelogue series that followed two British comedians riffing and doing Michael Caine impressions would take off, but the Trip movies have been a comforting part of our pop culture landscape for the past decade. Like a warm blanket. Or a nicely grilled scallop. For 10 years, Steve […]
The post ‘The Trip to Greece’ Review: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s 10-Year Food Odyssey Comes to a Bittersweet End appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘The Trip to Greece’ Review: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s 10-Year Food Odyssey Comes to a Bittersweet End appeared first on /Film.
- 5/29/2020
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Indie horror film “The Wretched” is inching toward a milestone, eyeing the top spot on box office charts for the fifth weekend in a row. It’s a rare feat that hasn’t been achieved since Marvel’s superhero juggernaut “Black Panther” debuted in 2018.
Notching this particular benchmark, in this case, comes with a pretty big caveat; “The Wretched” is one of the only movies on box office charts. But its relative dominance of a sparse field highlights what has become a winning strategy for IFC Films, the specialty label that behind the supernatural thriller.
At a time when Hollywood studios have delayed, amended, or scrapped plans to debut major movies, IFC Films has decided to keep release dates and continue rolling out films as scheduled. It’s allowed the company to carve out a prime position at the few moviegoing venues — most of which are drive-in theaters — that have...
Notching this particular benchmark, in this case, comes with a pretty big caveat; “The Wretched” is one of the only movies on box office charts. But its relative dominance of a sparse field highlights what has become a winning strategy for IFC Films, the specialty label that behind the supernatural thriller.
At a time when Hollywood studios have delayed, amended, or scrapped plans to debut major movies, IFC Films has decided to keep release dates and continue rolling out films as scheduled. It’s allowed the company to carve out a prime position at the few moviegoing venues — most of which are drive-in theaters — that have...
- 5/29/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Andrew Patterson’s retro sci-fi thriller “The Vast of Night” has the look and feel of a restored 1950s Cadillac. There are certain aspects that appear new, but your first impression of the car is of its original time and era, a place that seems both modern yet quaintly of the past. From the moment the opening shot closes in on an old TV set playing an episode of “Paradox Theater,” a riff on old “Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits” shows, we’re placed in the front seat of a story that feels both old and new, familiar yet different.
Once the camera bypasses the old faded black-and-white TV set, it fades in on an evening in the small town of Cayuga, New Mexico. Everett (Jake Horowitz), a smooth-talking radio DJ, arrives at a busy basketball game where most of the locals are gathering. He’s joined by Fay...
Once the camera bypasses the old faded black-and-white TV set, it fades in on an evening in the small town of Cayuga, New Mexico. Everett (Jake Horowitz), a smooth-talking radio DJ, arrives at a busy basketball game where most of the locals are gathering. He’s joined by Fay...
- 5/28/2020
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Variety Streaming Room: Film, TV Executives on Adapting to New Production Challenges During Pandemic
When Covid-19 forced television studios to close their doors, long-running late-night shows such as “Conan” were faced with a dilemma. Was it possible to keep being funny and lifting audiences’s spirits from home? So, Conan O’Brien and his team set out to recreate their particular brand of comedy via Zoom.
“We had no choice,” Jeff Ross, executive producer at Conan and CEO of Team Coco, said during the third episode of the Variety Streaming Room weekly series “Rebooting the Entertainment Industry.” “We went through it during the writer’s strike, after 9/11 — we realized we could do a show. Now, it’s Conan at home alone with an iPhone and a laptop, Zooming interviews and shooting comedy alone and uploading media from his phone, which can’t last that much longer…I think the audience gets it and I think the audience kind of appreciates it.”
Ross and O’Brien aren’t alone.
“We had no choice,” Jeff Ross, executive producer at Conan and CEO of Team Coco, said during the third episode of the Variety Streaming Room weekly series “Rebooting the Entertainment Industry.” “We went through it during the writer’s strike, after 9/11 — we realized we could do a show. Now, it’s Conan at home alone with an iPhone and a laptop, Zooming interviews and shooting comedy alone and uploading media from his phone, which can’t last that much longer…I think the audience gets it and I think the audience kind of appreciates it.”
Ross and O’Brien aren’t alone.
- 5/27/2020
- by Klaritza Rico
- Variety Film + TV
On the usual Memorial Day holiday, the summer box office is just reaching high gear. This weekend was supposed to launch “F9” into the stratosphere — until the pandemic forced Universal to push back the latest “Fast & Furious” franchise title to April 2, 2021.
As May comes to a close, “Scoob!” is continuing its premium VOD success for Warner Bros. This weekend’s newbie was Paramount’s once-planned April release “The Lovebirds,” starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, which showed up at Netflix, while several other originals launched with varying reactions.
Here are some topline results:
“The Lovebirds” went straight to number one on Netflix.
The first 2020 theatrical studio title to be sold to a streamer, Michael Showalter’s crime comedy rose to the top film spot at Netflix as soon as it was released last Friday. We don’t yet know the volume of interest, but unlike the Russo brothers’ original action film “Extraction,...
As May comes to a close, “Scoob!” is continuing its premium VOD success for Warner Bros. This weekend’s newbie was Paramount’s once-planned April release “The Lovebirds,” starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, which showed up at Netflix, while several other originals launched with varying reactions.
Here are some topline results:
“The Lovebirds” went straight to number one on Netflix.
The first 2020 theatrical studio title to be sold to a streamer, Michael Showalter’s crime comedy rose to the top film spot at Netflix as soon as it was released last Friday. We don’t yet know the volume of interest, but unlike the Russo brothers’ original action film “Extraction,...
- 5/25/2020
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The Greece-y Strangler: Winterbottom Lays His Culinary Comedy Series to Rest
Michael Winterbottom aims to kill his darlings with the fourth and final segment of his celebrated series The Trip to Greece, wherein actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon continue to portray exaggerated, pretentious versions of themselves as they needle one another passive-aggressively and consume delectable dishes in various posh restaurants.
All journeys must come to an end, seems to be the theme, as Winterbottom riffs on Homer with Steve and Rob all set to ‘retrace the steps of Odysseus’ before reality comes crashing in, at long last. Although a frivolous travelogue would seem to add insult to injury to the world’s current gridlock in the wake of Covid-19, it’s actually a reminder to cherish the privilege our moments as they transpire since nothing is guaranteed to last.…...
Michael Winterbottom aims to kill his darlings with the fourth and final segment of his celebrated series The Trip to Greece, wherein actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon continue to portray exaggerated, pretentious versions of themselves as they needle one another passive-aggressively and consume delectable dishes in various posh restaurants.
All journeys must come to an end, seems to be the theme, as Winterbottom riffs on Homer with Steve and Rob all set to ‘retrace the steps of Odysseus’ before reality comes crashing in, at long last. Although a frivolous travelogue would seem to add insult to injury to the world’s current gridlock in the wake of Covid-19, it’s actually a reminder to cherish the privilege our moments as they transpire since nothing is guaranteed to last.…...
- 5/23/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Traditionally, the long Memorial Day weekend is the territory where Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies — or else massive tentpoles such as “Mission: Impossible” and “Aladdin” — plant the stake for a blockbuster summer season. But there’s nothing traditional about the release schedule this year. With the coronavirus pandemic still posing a public health threat, Hollywood studios are holding their big offerings for a future date. But there are still a few big-budget movies to watch — including “The Lovebirds” and Mary J. Blige’s “Body Cam” — and no shortage of smaller streaming titles. Here are the week’s new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
High-profile on-demand studio and indie offerings:
Body Cam (Malik Vitthal)
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon, iTunes and other on-demand platforms.
With the ongoing coverage of the killing of Kentucky Emt Breonna Taylor by Louisville police,...
High-profile on-demand studio and indie offerings:
Body Cam (Malik Vitthal)
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon, iTunes and other on-demand platforms.
With the ongoing coverage of the killing of Kentucky Emt Breonna Taylor by Louisville police,...
- 5/22/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
When The Trip first came out, I don’t think anyone necessarily intended for it to become a franchise. However, now four movies later, it has become a very unique beast. About as far removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as possible, these flicks are a hybrid of documentary, cooking/travel show, and British sitcom. Somehow, the mixture has worked beautifully, with The Trip to Greece completing the quartet. A very light case of diminishing returns is in evidence here, but this is still a very funny film with a lot to offer, provided you like English humor and admiring good food. If that sounds up your alley, this is going to be a real treat when it hits Digital on Friday. This film is the final installment in The Trip series, beginning with that title (initially having started life as a television show), and continuing with The Trip to Italy,...
- 5/21/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
“The Trip to Greece” marks the last stop on one of cinema’s most unlikely franchise journeys.
The film, which once again finds comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing exaggerated versions of themselves, has all the familiar elements that gave the series its cult status in the U.S. There are long, luxurious meals consumed in beautiful locations, interspersed with dueling impressions from two talented mimics channeling everyone from Mick Jagger to Michael Caine.
Beginning with 2010’s “The Trip,” which found the men on a foodie tour of the North of England, the pair have also added Spain and Italy to their itineraries. But the movies are more than just travelogues. What gives “The Trip” its potency is that intermixed with five-star meals and stunning vistas is a meditation on mortality and celebrity. In advance of the U.S. debut of “The Trip to Greece” on May 22, Coogan and...
The film, which once again finds comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing exaggerated versions of themselves, has all the familiar elements that gave the series its cult status in the U.S. There are long, luxurious meals consumed in beautiful locations, interspersed with dueling impressions from two talented mimics channeling everyone from Mick Jagger to Michael Caine.
Beginning with 2010’s “The Trip,” which found the men on a foodie tour of the North of England, the pair have also added Spain and Italy to their itineraries. But the movies are more than just travelogues. What gives “The Trip” its potency is that intermixed with five-star meals and stunning vistas is a meditation on mortality and celebrity. In advance of the U.S. debut of “The Trip to Greece” on May 22, Coogan and...
- 5/21/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Barbora Kysilkova doesn’t trust Karl-Bertil Nordland, a junkie and thief who steals two of her most significant paintings from an Oslo art gallery in 2015. Nordland doesn’t trust Kysilkova, who must have ulterior motives when she approaches him in a courtroom and asks if he’ll pose for her. And viewers probably shouldn’t trust Benjamin Ree, whose film about Kysilkova and Nordland, “The Painter and the Thief,” is filled with feints and withheld information and suspiciously intimate access to its subjects.
But maybe trust is overrated, because “The Painter and the Thief” is a fascinating, perplexing, occasionally annoying but always involving chronicle of a truly crazy relationship.
Filmed with restraint but also ready to get weird when the situation calls for it, Ree’s second feature (after 2016’s “Magnus”) is a meditation on seeing and being seen and on the relationship between artist and subject (or muse), but...
But maybe trust is overrated, because “The Painter and the Thief” is a fascinating, perplexing, occasionally annoying but always involving chronicle of a truly crazy relationship.
Filmed with restraint but also ready to get weird when the situation calls for it, Ree’s second feature (after 2016’s “Magnus”) is a meditation on seeing and being seen and on the relationship between artist and subject (or muse), but...
- 5/20/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“I do think as you get older, it’s inevitable that you repeat yourself,” says Rob Brydon. “This is the fourth time we’ve been on one of these jaunts.” His dining companion Steve Coogan, who’s been digging lustily into a plate of braised lamb, shakes his head. “Originality is overrated. Everything’s derivative.” Just look at The Aenid — it’s “the greatest poem of the Roman Empire, and that was a rip-off.” By the time these two comedians are served dessert, they’re bickering over Coogan’s level...
- 5/20/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “My Salinger Year,” a drama starring Margaret Qualley and Sigourney Weaver that made its debut as the opening night film at the Berlinale 2020, the distributor announced Tuesday.
Philippe Falardeau (“Monsieur Lazhar”) directed and wrote the film that’s based on the memoir of the same name by Joanna Rakoff.
“My Salinger Year” is set in New York in the ’90s and follows a recent graduate with dreams of becoming a writer who takes a job as an assistant to the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J.D. Salinger. Her office still has old-fashioned dictaphones and typewriters and agents doze off after three-martini lunches, and her job is to process the large amount of fan mail sent to Salinger. But as she reads the heart-wrenching letters from around the world, she becomes reluctant to send the agency’s impersonal standard letter and...
Philippe Falardeau (“Monsieur Lazhar”) directed and wrote the film that’s based on the memoir of the same name by Joanna Rakoff.
“My Salinger Year” is set in New York in the ’90s and follows a recent graduate with dreams of becoming a writer who takes a job as an assistant to the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J.D. Salinger. Her office still has old-fashioned dictaphones and typewriters and agents doze off after three-martini lunches, and her job is to process the large amount of fan mail sent to Salinger. But as she reads the heart-wrenching letters from around the world, she becomes reluctant to send the agency’s impersonal standard letter and...
- 5/19/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A thriller that wants to be more than that and stretches the bounds of plausibility to get there, “Inheritance” may have you squirming in your seat and shaking your head in equal measure.
The setup has a certain amount of promise, maybe: Imagine the family from “Succession” living in the house from “Parasite,” complete with a guy trapped in the basement. But then forget about comparisons to those estimable projects, because “Inheritance” is really just a clunky potboiler that uses fancy settings to distract from the contrivances on which it is built.
The film from director Vaughn Stein (“Terminal”) was due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and to receive a theatrical release, but it instead debuted on DirecTV on goes demand on May 22, where the presence of Lily Collins, Chace Crawford and Simon Pegg may account for a modicum of interest.
Also Read: All the Hollywood Films Arriving...
The setup has a certain amount of promise, maybe: Imagine the family from “Succession” living in the house from “Parasite,” complete with a guy trapped in the basement. But then forget about comparisons to those estimable projects, because “Inheritance” is really just a clunky potboiler that uses fancy settings to distract from the contrivances on which it is built.
The film from director Vaughn Stein (“Terminal”) was due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and to receive a theatrical release, but it instead debuted on DirecTV on goes demand on May 22, where the presence of Lily Collins, Chace Crawford and Simon Pegg may account for a modicum of interest.
Also Read: All the Hollywood Films Arriving...
- 5/19/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2020 summer movie season is one like never before. With social distancing and shelter-in-place regulations shutting down theaters across the world, the film industry is in uncharted waters. What was set up to be a season for studios to unleash expensive and highly anticipated tentpoles has been truncated and diminished by frequent calendar adjustments and looming uncertainty.
Many of the films that were poised to be the biggest hits of the summer have been pushed back. Marvel’s “Black Widow,” Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” have all staked out new release dates for later this year. Some movies, such as Universal’s “F9” and Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” have been delayed as far as 2021.
The shutdown has also led studios to experiment with digital and video-on-demand (VOD) releases for films that were originally scheduled to debut in theaters. “The King of Staten Island,” “Artemis Fowl...
Many of the films that were poised to be the biggest hits of the summer have been pushed back. Marvel’s “Black Widow,” Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” have all staked out new release dates for later this year. Some movies, such as Universal’s “F9” and Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” have been delayed as far as 2021.
The shutdown has also led studios to experiment with digital and video-on-demand (VOD) releases for films that were originally scheduled to debut in theaters. “The King of Staten Island,” “Artemis Fowl...
- 5/18/2020
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
There are many viewers who, upon hearing that “The Trip to Greece” is very much like the three previous entries in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s comic culinary road trip flicks, will be not disappointed but absolutely delighted. Given the current state of uncertainty and the likelihood that social-distancing will dramatically impact the ability of studios to produce new movies, new incarnations of the familiar and beloved are treasured.
Continue reading ‘The Trip To Greece’: Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon’s Multi-Film Journey Comes To Its Delightful End [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Trip To Greece’: Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon’s Multi-Film Journey Comes To Its Delightful End [Review] at The Playlist.
- 5/18/2020
- by Chris Barsanti
- The Playlist
In the opening scene of “The Trip to Greece,” Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, seated (of course!) at an idyllic outdoor table at a to-die-for Mediterranean restaurant, take note of the fact that they’ve been going on their culinary road trips together for close to 10 years. Even for those who have followed them through “The Trip,” “The Trip to Italy,” “The Trip to Spain,” and now “The Trip to Greece,” that news may come as a slightly sobering surprise — a sign of how quickly time passes, and of how a delicate and hilarious series of small-scale semi-improvised British comedies, if they stick around long enough, can become…what? An institution? A franchise?
Maybe something better. The “Trip” films, to those of us who wouldn’t dream of missing one (though we know they’re not so much finely cut gems as casual sketches tricked up into movies — that’s...
Maybe something better. The “Trip” films, to those of us who wouldn’t dream of missing one (though we know they’re not so much finely cut gems as casual sketches tricked up into movies — that’s...
- 5/18/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Now arriving at its fourth (and allegedly final) installment, Michael Winterbottom’s “The Trip” series has established Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan as one of the funniest comic duos this side of Laurel and Hardy, but these movies — for all of their dueling Michael Caine impressions and Michelin-delicious meals — have always been suffused with a deep and abiding sense of sadness. They’re not shy about that: The regret, loneliness, and middle-aged malaise come wrapped in a contraceptive of “Philomena” jokes and belittling jabs about Brydon’s career as a “light entertainer,” but the darkness is ever-present, like a backseat passenger these men drive around during their circular road trips around Europe. Instead of a laugh track, every punchline is followed by an existential twang of self-doubt.
Each episode has been a touch bleaker than the last. 2010’s “The Trip,” in which Brydon and Coogan spent a week eating at...
Each episode has been a touch bleaker than the last. 2010’s “The Trip,” in which Brydon and Coogan spent a week eating at...
- 5/18/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Toward the end of “The Trip to Greece,” British comic Rob Brydon (playing a version of himself) is talking to his wife (played by an actress who is not his wife) about the trip he’s just taken with his old pal and sparring partner Steve Coogan.
“Is it all fun and games?” she asks.
“No,” he says. “It’s mostly fun and games.”
And that’s a good way to describe “The Trip to Greece,” as well as the three other movies that Brydon and Coogan have made with director Michael Winterbottom. In 2011’s “The Trip,” 2014’s “The Trip to Italy,” 2017’s “The Trip to Spain” and now “The Trip to Greece,” the two men drive around a beautiful location, eat fabulous meals, talk about stuff and try to make each other laugh, often with dueling impersonations. And yes, it’s mostly fun and games.
Also Read: 'The Trip to Greece...
“Is it all fun and games?” she asks.
“No,” he says. “It’s mostly fun and games.”
And that’s a good way to describe “The Trip to Greece,” as well as the three other movies that Brydon and Coogan have made with director Michael Winterbottom. In 2011’s “The Trip,” 2014’s “The Trip to Italy,” 2017’s “The Trip to Spain” and now “The Trip to Greece,” the two men drive around a beautiful location, eat fabulous meals, talk about stuff and try to make each other laugh, often with dueling impersonations. And yes, it’s mostly fun and games.
Also Read: 'The Trip to Greece...
- 5/18/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
When embarking on their first trip, Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, and Michael Winterbottom weren’t aware their journeys would extend for the next decade, but from the first few scenes of their tour through northern England, the stage was set for what we’ve come to cherish from these outings. There will be slightly fictionalized barbing, an array of impressions besting the most popular YouTube comedians, gorgeous locales, delicious food, and some slight drama to give the semblance of a narrative arc. For their final adventure, The Trip to Greece, they stay the course with this tried and true formula, making for a satisfying finale while still leaving room for contemplation.
Picking up a few years after the rather unexpected ending of 2017’s The Trip to Spain-which found Coogan in the middle of the desert with potential danger approaching–Winterbottom gives only the briefest lip service to how that situation was cleared up.
Picking up a few years after the rather unexpected ending of 2017’s The Trip to Spain-which found Coogan in the middle of the desert with potential danger approaching–Winterbottom gives only the briefest lip service to how that situation was cleared up.
- 5/18/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Essie Davis in ‘Babyteeth’.
Us distributor IFC Films and sibling IFC Midnight have set multi-platform launch dates for Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth and Natalie Erika James’ Relic, but release plans for Australia are yet to be settled.
A bittersweet comedy starring Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis, Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace, Babyteeth will premiere in cinemas and on demand on June 19.
A psychological horror movie co-scripted by James and Christian White, featuring Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin and Bella Heathcote, Relic will open on July 10.
Produced by Alex White and based on Rita Kalnejais’ play, Murphy’s film had its world premiere in Venice. Mendelsohn and Davis play a couple who discover their seriously ill teenage daughter Milla (Scanlen) has fallen in love with drug dealer Moses (Wallace).
It’s her protective parents’ worst nightmare but Milla teaches those in her orbit how to live like there is nothing to lose.
While...
Us distributor IFC Films and sibling IFC Midnight have set multi-platform launch dates for Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth and Natalie Erika James’ Relic, but release plans for Australia are yet to be settled.
A bittersweet comedy starring Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis, Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace, Babyteeth will premiere in cinemas and on demand on June 19.
A psychological horror movie co-scripted by James and Christian White, featuring Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin and Bella Heathcote, Relic will open on July 10.
Produced by Alex White and based on Rita Kalnejais’ play, Murphy’s film had its world premiere in Venice. Mendelsohn and Davis play a couple who discover their seriously ill teenage daughter Milla (Scanlen) has fallen in love with drug dealer Moses (Wallace).
It’s her protective parents’ worst nightmare but Milla teaches those in her orbit how to live like there is nothing to lose.
While...
- 5/4/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Middle East distributor Front Row is pivoting its releases for May and June to digital while theaters continue to be closed due to the pandemic. As we reported earlier this month, the company already switched films including Resistance, Misbehaviour, and The Assistant to online across a variety of platforms including local and international services. Now, it has continued that endeavor with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon comedy The Trip To Greece, Dakota Fanning-starrer Sweetness In The Belly, and Sally Potter’s The Roads Not Taken, all of which will launch towards the end of May. The company also has two anime titles – City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes and Code Geass: Lelouch – which will launch digitally in June. “Part of our decision is because we need to keep supporting our exhibition partners and not burden them with a stack of unreleased titles. Let’s not forget, we are not the...
- 4/29/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Hearts and Bones.’
Madman Entertainment had dated Ben Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones for an April 30 premiere on 40 screens, the marketing campaign was ready and Hugo Weaving was set do a a publicity tour.
That was until the sky fell in – all cinemas closed due to the pandemic – so the distributor and producer Matt Reeder had to rethink their strategy.
The upshot: The drama which follows Weaving’s war photographer and a South Sudanese refugee (newcomer Andrew Luri), who discovers a photograph that threatens to destroy them both, will be available to buy on digital platforms for $19.95 from May 6.
“Matt and Ben are fully on board with the decision; this is a great time to experiment,” says Madman Entertainment MD Paul Wiegard.
Wiegard is confident the download-to-own offer will get significant take-up through iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Sony PlayStation, Telstra and Fetch TV. That will be followed by...
Madman Entertainment had dated Ben Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones for an April 30 premiere on 40 screens, the marketing campaign was ready and Hugo Weaving was set do a a publicity tour.
That was until the sky fell in – all cinemas closed due to the pandemic – so the distributor and producer Matt Reeder had to rethink their strategy.
The upshot: The drama which follows Weaving’s war photographer and a South Sudanese refugee (newcomer Andrew Luri), who discovers a photograph that threatens to destroy them both, will be available to buy on digital platforms for $19.95 from May 6.
“Matt and Ben are fully on board with the decision; this is a great time to experiment,” says Madman Entertainment MD Paul Wiegard.
Wiegard is confident the download-to-own offer will get significant take-up through iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Sony PlayStation, Telstra and Fetch TV. That will be followed by...
- 4/19/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Netflix has launched a new trailer for season 2 of Ricky Gervais’ ‘After Life’ and this time Tony tries hard to give back to the people that helped him.
Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the comedy-drama series follows Tony (Ricky Gervais), a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.
In series 2, whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.
Will the town’s local Am-Dram show lift everyone’s spirits?
The six-part series is created, written, directed and stars Ricky Gervais, Penelope Wilton, David Bradley, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden, Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl, Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Mandeep Dhillon,...
Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the comedy-drama series follows Tony (Ricky Gervais), a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.
In series 2, whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.
Will the town’s local Am-Dram show lift everyone’s spirits?
The six-part series is created, written, directed and stars Ricky Gervais, Penelope Wilton, David Bradley, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden, Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl, Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Mandeep Dhillon,...
- 4/10/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite for another sojourn through Europe in The Trip to Greece, the fourth installment in the British actors’ culinary and comedic travelogue series.
Ahead of the fourth film’s stateside arrival on video-on-demand and (potentially) movie theaters on May 22nd, IFC Films has shared the official trailer from the Michael Winterbottom-directed movie.
Like its predecessors in northern England, Spain and Italy, The Trip to Greece finds Coogan and Brydon following in the footsteps of Odysseus while sharing elegant meals, sightseeing and trading celebrity impressions...
Ahead of the fourth film’s stateside arrival on video-on-demand and (potentially) movie theaters on May 22nd, IFC Films has shared the official trailer from the Michael Winterbottom-directed movie.
Like its predecessors in northern England, Spain and Italy, The Trip to Greece finds Coogan and Brydon following in the footsteps of Odysseus while sharing elegant meals, sightseeing and trading celebrity impressions...
- 4/9/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
IFC Films has debuted a new trailer for Michael Winterbottom’s third instalment of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s ‘A Trip To Greece’.
When Odysseus left Troy it took him ten years to get back to his home in Ithaca. Steve and Rob have only six days on their own personal odyssey in The Trip To Greece. On the way, they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, myth, history, democracy and the meaning of life!
Featuring locations such as Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the unique island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestor’s Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos, and Ancient Stagira, as well as a lot of shooting in restaurants and hotels in Athens, Hydra, Lesvos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Kavala, and at the Peloponnese.
Also in trailers – Netflix launch new trailer for the third and final...
When Odysseus left Troy it took him ten years to get back to his home in Ithaca. Steve and Rob have only six days on their own personal odyssey in The Trip To Greece. On the way, they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, myth, history, democracy and the meaning of life!
Featuring locations such as Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the unique island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestor’s Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos, and Ancient Stagira, as well as a lot of shooting in restaurants and hotels in Athens, Hydra, Lesvos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Kavala, and at the Peloponnese.
Also in trailers – Netflix launch new trailer for the third and final...
- 4/9/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In today’s film news roundup, “The Trip to Greece” will be released on May 22, Easter weekend will see a TV release of Fathom Events’ “Jesus,” and a Mary Pickford project is in the works.
‘The Trip’ Returns
IFC Films has set a May 22 digital and on demand release for the Steve Coogan-Rob Brydon comedy “The Trip to Greece,” the third sequel in director Michael Winterbottom’s travel series.
The trailer, released Wednesday, shows the duo retracing Odysseus’s footsteps in only six days with stops at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros and Niokastro Fortress in Pylos. There are also the trademark celebrity impressions — Marlon Brando and Sean Connery in the new iteration — plus gourmet meals and plenty of barbed commentary, such as Coogan asserting that he’s gotten better looking with age.
‘The Trip’ Returns
IFC Films has set a May 22 digital and on demand release for the Steve Coogan-Rob Brydon comedy “The Trip to Greece,” the third sequel in director Michael Winterbottom’s travel series.
The trailer, released Wednesday, shows the duo retracing Odysseus’s footsteps in only six days with stops at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros and Niokastro Fortress in Pylos. There are also the trademark celebrity impressions — Marlon Brando and Sean Connery in the new iteration — plus gourmet meals and plenty of barbed commentary, such as Coogan asserting that he’s gotten better looking with age.
- 4/9/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
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