Category: News

(Photograph credit: Netflix)

Filmiere.com was unsure of the fact that if “Mank” will still keep getting released in October or not since not much left but we didn’t have a trailer or poster or anything but the good news is here; now the stills are out. One of the most anticipated films of the year; “Mank” tells the story of Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz

(Gary Oldman) on his tumultuous path to developing one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time. Actor Tom Burke will portray Orson Welles. The film will follow Mankiewicz as he attempts to hand off the Citizen Kane screenplay to Welles.

This is a tricky subject, because it may echo Pauline Kael’s “Raising Kane” article which was heavily criticized and damaged Welles’ reputation. Orson’s fans, film historians, critics, and people like Peter Bogdanovich can easily attack the movie no matter how well it is executed.

But Fincher is a smart guy, he probably knows what to do and those stills look great enough – certainly a contender for cinematography Oscar. Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins are also in the cast, with some rumors are circling around the net claiming that Seyfried can get a Best Supporting Actress to push for her portrayal of Marion Davies.

Davies was portrayed previously by Kirsten Dunst to a great degree in “The Cat’s Meow” (2001) but she didn’t have a Netflix campaign. Probably the trailer is soon.

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(photograph credit: Pieces Film, Inc.)

Venice Film Festival has started strong enough. Shia Labeouf keeps his comeback going on with “Pieces of a Woman”, a drama that got strong reviews, co-starring Vanessa Kirby who also has another festival film; “The World to Come”.

Kirby has been on fire since her award-winning role in “The Crown” and it’s exciting to see her rise. “The Duke”, screened out of competition, starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent also got very strong reviews, five stars from both The Guardian and Telegraph. British press loving it.

It’s directed by “Notting Hill” director Roger Michell. Daniele Luchetti’s “Lacci” didn’t too strong, as it’s been called “softer Marriage Story”. French Quentin Duplex is going to be a festival favorite; “Mandibles” was very well received. Chaitanya Tamhane’s “The Disciple” did well with critics but may struggle to find an audience.

Jamila Zbanic’s Srebrenica massacre-themed Bosnian film “Quo Vadis, Aida?” also met with strong love. Hollywood Reporter called it “a terrifically harrowing historical film that’s impossible to forget.” Abel Ferrara and Pedro Almodovar also got decent reviews. Of course, it was not without disappointment.

Gia Coppola’s new film is seemingly not on the level of her previous “Palo Alto” but that’s alright, it still looks intriguing just like pretty much everything else of this year’s festival.  Regina King made history today as the first African American woman to have a film play.

And remember, an African American woman has never been nominated for best director. Maybe it could change? Because her film got very strong reviews. Filmiere.com will keep you updated.

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(Photograph Credit: Strand Releasing)

If you follow European cinema close enough, you probably had seen “Head-On”, one of the most celebrated German films of the 21^st century directed by Fatih Akin. Filmiere.com reports with sorrow that the lead actor of the movie, who also starred in two other Akin features; Turkish-German actor Birol Unel has passed away.

In 2005 Ünel acted in the commercially successful Turkish film Hırsız var!; his later films included Transylvania (2006), Seven Heroes, and Soul Kitchen (2009), another. His career declined after struggles with alcohol and he was also in the news with minor criminal charges and homelessness.

Ünel died in Berlin on 3 September 2020, aged 59, at a Berlin hospital, after suffering from cancer. It’s said that alcoholism was his lifelong struggle. Unel won the German Film Award and also nominated for European Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in “Head-On”.

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(Photograph credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Not so many British directors have a devoted fan base like Guy Ritchie has. “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” were such beloved hits that turned Ritchie into some kind of Tarantino of his country. His career was not consistent, he made “big” Disney films, he had a lot of flops like “King Arthur”, but his fans remained loyal to him.

He came back to the genre that made him famous; those low-class British gangsters and their criminal activities – from “Rocknrolla” to most recently, “The Gentlemen” which earned mostly positive reviews which were surprising given he was never a critical favorite.

Now he’s reuniting with his beloved British star Jason Statham for the fourth time. Statham stopped to make Ritchie style movies and instead, became an action here but seems this movie will please fans of both Statham and Ritchie cause according to early reports it’s a spy action film, Filmiere.com reports.

Statham is set to star as Orson Fortune, an MI6 agent who is recruited by global intelligence alliance ‘Five Eyes’ to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order.

Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert Sarah Fidel, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission to find billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds and infiltrate his inner circle. It’s not their only project, there were also reports of them teaming up on a film called “Wrath of Man”.

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(Photograph credit: Warner Bros)

“Batman” shooting has stopped again, Filmiere.com reports for comic book movie lovers. It was reported that the production had to stop when “one of the crew members” got tested positive for coronavirus and a few hours later, reports have started to claim that it’s the Batman himself – Robert Pattinson.

During the last month, several other stars like Antonio Banderas and Dwayne Johnson have been tested positive. Warner Bros. confirmed earlier on Thursday that production was being halted after a crew member tested positive but did not confirm the person’s identity.

Vanity Fair first reported that Pattinson was the one who had coronavirus. This is terrible news and worrying for everyone. Wishing Pattinson a speedy recovery, and hoping that he’ll manage to finish the film without having anyone else having any health problems.

Some rumors claim that the production will go on for two weeks with a body double.

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(Photograph credit: Walt Disney Pictures)

“Mulan” definitely had a strong appeal to the Chinese box office but Disney, as Filmiere.com previously reported, interested in earning money since it was risky to release in the US and many other places, not to mention many cinemas are still closed down anyway.

So they decided to release the film on Disney Plus but with extra money but now we know that from December, there will be no need to pay extra. So those who want to see the film but don’t want to pay much can wait three months longer.

As for the film itself, some of the reviews are coming out. It seems this may please the lovers of moviegoers who love to see some epic treatment of the story but those who loved the light tone and comedy of the original animated series can be disappointed.

That said, most of the reception is very positive, and some even calling this the best live-action treatment of Disney material. Starting Sept. 4, “Mulan” will be available to Disney Plus subscribers who pay the additional $29.99 early-access fee, on top of the regular $6.99-per-month subscription.

“Your access to ‘Mulan’ will continue as long as you are an active Disney Plus subscriber,” the Disney Plus website says currently.

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(Photograph credit: Paramount Pictures)

“The Godfather” parts one and two are often considered to be two of the best films of cinema history in every way possible. When Francis Ford Coppola made the third part, the reviews were mixed even if the film was a success again and did well with the Oscars also.

Some complained that the film is not strong on standalone, some complained about the tone and performances, especially of Sofia Coppola’s (who later stopped acting and became a successful director). Now Filmiere.com is reporting that the third film gets a new treatment.

Coppola and his production company American Zoetrope worked from a 4K scan of the original negative to undertake a painstaking, frame-by-frame restoration of both the new Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone and the original The Godfather: Part III.

In order to create the best presentation possible, Zoetrope and Paramount’s restoration team began by searching for over 50 original takes to replace lower resolution opticals in the original negative. This process took more than six months and involved sifting through 300 cartons of negative.

Will the new version make the haters happy? Time will tell.

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(Photograph credit: Reuters)

We’ve let you know that the Venice Film Festival is finally starting and here it is. It kicked off with a lovely tribute to Ennio Morricone and also letters from the festival directors all around the world which is no surprise because Venice is the first post-pandemic film festival.

Less glamour, less famous names, stronger restrictions but it still goes on. Tilda Swinton was the recipient of the festival’s annual Golden Lion award for career achievement this year. Following a rousing speech about the power of cinema, in which she said “Cinema is my homeland” Swinton concluded, “Viva Venezia.

Cinema cinema cinema. Wakanda Forever. Nothing but love.” A lovely tribute to Venice, to Chadwick Boseman, and to the movie lovers all around the world. For the next days, Cate Blanchett and her jury will keep on watching the films and we’ll hopefully get reviews on them.

It’ll be interesting to see what films will be celebrated by the jury and by the critics and how it’ll all those pandemic restrictions will affect this year’s festival. Filmiere.com will keep you updated.

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(photograph credit: Deadline/Shutterstock)

Beloved auteur Paul Thomas Anderson cast Philip Seymour Hoffman in all of his movies before his tragic death. But “Phantom Thread” may be the only PTA film with no Hoffman involvement. Filmiere.com finally can confirm that Philip’s son Cooper Hoffman will lead Paul’s new movie.

We still don’t know too much about the plot but early reports have claimed that it’s gonna be about a teenage boy. People were wondering whom he’s going to cast and there were some rumors after the set photos that it might be Philip Seymour’s son and here it is.

It’s also confirmed that Alana Haim, one of Haim sisters of the famous music band is going to be in the movie which also should come off no surprise since Paul directed several of their music videos and even once stated that he could just film them forever.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1970s San Fernando Valley feature which is set at MGM remains to be one of the most anticipated films for cinephiles worldwide.

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(Photograph credit: New Line Cinema)

When you look at the biggest auteurs of Iran, Italy, Poland, Austria, and of course, France – chances are you’ll come across to her name.

French veteran actress Juliette Binoche who has worked everyone from Hollywood’s blockbusters like “Godzilla” to auteurs like Abel Ferrara to French legends like Louis Malle, Olivier Assayas, and Claire Denis will be rightfully recognized by Zurich Film Festival this year with their Golden Icon Award, an award that went to Cate Blanchett, Hugh Grant, Richard Gere and many other icons in the past.

Binoche is known for her versatility and talent as well as a remarkable career. She was also on news earlier this year for her controversial remarks on her social media account which she seemingly supported some of the internet conspiracy theories, Filmiere.com reports.

Binoche is expected to come to Zurich to take her award. Binoche will receive the honor on Sept. 30 in Zurich at a presentation ahead of a screening of her most recent film, the French-language comedy How to Be a Good Wife.

Binoche will take part in a masterclass in Zurich on Oct. 1 where she will discuss her life and career as is the usual case with the honorees.

Credit: Mensur Zeinal