Exclusive: WME has signed filmmaker R.J. Cutler and his production company This Machine, fresh off the announcement of Cutler’s upcoming documentary on Elton John.
“The agency will work with the award-winning filmmaker – who has made some of the most significant documentaries and television series of the past quarter century – in all areas,” according to Cutler’s PR reps.
Deadline broke the news last week that Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ won the rights to the Elton John feature, to be co-directed by Cutler and John’s life partner David Furnish, in a deal pegged at around 30 million. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend will include concert performances spanning 50 years, as well as the recording artist’s journals and contemporary footage of his family.
Over the course of a 30-year career,...
“The agency will work with the award-winning filmmaker – who has made some of the most significant documentaries and television series of the past quarter century – in all areas,” according to Cutler’s PR reps.
Deadline broke the news last week that Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ won the rights to the Elton John feature, to be co-directed by Cutler and John’s life partner David Furnish, in a deal pegged at around 30 million. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend will include concert performances spanning 50 years, as well as the recording artist’s journals and contemporary footage of his family.
Over the course of a 30-year career,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ announced today the feature documentary “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend.” From Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler and filmmaker David Furnish, the documentary will serve as the official feature on Elton John, comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. Following a robust festival run and limited theatrical release, the film will be available exclusively on Disney+.
Rooted in Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” the feature documentary film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in what promises to be one of the greatest send-offs in rock-and-roll history when John performs his final North American show at Dodger Stadium this upcoming November. The film will also look back at the extraordinary first five years of John’s career when,...
Rooted in Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” the feature documentary film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in what promises to be one of the greatest send-offs in rock-and-roll history when John performs his final North American show at Dodger Stadium this upcoming November. The film will also look back at the extraordinary first five years of John’s career when,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ have won the rights to a big feature documentary package, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend. No one would comment, but we hear the docu, from Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler as well as filmmaker (and longtime Elton John partner) David Furnish, sold for about 30 million.
Designed to serve as the official feature on Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. The plan for the project is to get a festival run and limited theatrical release and be made available exclusively on Disney+.
At the heart of the documentary is Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” as the film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in his...
Designed to serve as the official feature on Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is comprised of unseen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family. The plan for the project is to get a festival run and limited theatrical release and be made available exclusively on Disney+.
At the heart of the documentary is Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” as the film will capture Elton John’s final months on the road, culminating in his...
- 5/18/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive producer Ryan Murphy takes Andy Warhol enthusiasts and neophytes alike into a melancholy immersion of the man’s life and work — using his own words and voice reconstructed with artificial intelligence — in “The Andy Warhol Diaries.” Directed by Andrew Rossi (“Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times” and “The First Monday in May”), the six-part documentary series debuts March 9. Watch the official trailer below.
While Warhol was seemingly scrupulous about keeping his private life private — often flippantly telling journalists he was “asexual” — there’s plenty beneath the surface of his groundbreaking 20th-century art to suggest otherwise. That’s one of the achievements of “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” which melds talking-head testimonies from those who knew him with impressionistic montages of his work and archival snippets from his New York scene at the Factory. There’s plenty of the salacious here, from Warhol’s brushes with drugs, his...
While Warhol was seemingly scrupulous about keeping his private life private — often flippantly telling journalists he was “asexual” — there’s plenty beneath the surface of his groundbreaking 20th-century art to suggest otherwise. That’s one of the achievements of “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” which melds talking-head testimonies from those who knew him with impressionistic montages of his work and archival snippets from his New York scene at the Factory. There’s plenty of the salacious here, from Warhol’s brushes with drugs, his...
- 2/23/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
"He was always acting..." "He was inaccessible in so many ways." We all know the actor, but not the man himself. Who really was Charlie Chaplin as a person, not just the actor? Find out! Showtime has debuted an additional new US trailer for the documentary film The Real Charlie Chaplin, which recently played at the London Film Festival after first premiering at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. We also posted the UK trailer a few weeks ago. From the award-winning creative team behind Notes On Blindness and Listen To Me Marlon. For decades he was the most famous man in the world – but who was the real Charlie Chaplin? This traces Charlie Chaplin's meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to the heights of Hollywood superstardom, before his scandalous fall from grace. Showtime will debut in the US starting in December. I am so ready to watch this! I've...
- 10/29/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"He didn't want people to know the real Charlie." Altitude Films has unveiled an official UK trailer for the documentary film The Real Charlie Chaplin, which recently played at the London Film Fest this month after first premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. From the award-winning creative team behind Notes On Blindness and Listen To Me Marlon. Groundbreaking, controversial, outspoken and visionary. For decades he was the most famous man in the world – but who was the real Charlie Chaplin? Drawn from a remarkable archive of newly unearthed material, this new doc film is a revealing and poignant portrait of Hollywood's most iconic figure. It traces Charlie Chaplin's meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to the heights of Hollywood superstardom, before his scandalous fall from grace. I can't wait to see this! I've been fascinated with real Chaplin after learning about his retreat to Switzerland in the final years of his life.
- 10/20/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler will be presented with the Pennebaker Award at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, honoring lifetime achievement, the Critics Choice Association announced Thursday.
The presentation will take place Sunday, November 14, as part of the sixth annual edition of the documentary awards show, at Bric in Brooklyn. During the event the Critics Choice group will hand out a slew of competitive awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director and Best First Documentary Feature.
“Throughout his distinguished career, R.J. Cutler has created category-defining films and television series, and we are honored to have him as our recipient of this prestigious award,” Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin said. “With his work as a documentarian beginning as a producer of D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’ landmark 1993 film, The War Room, that collaboration serves as a link between generations, and R.J. has continued to honor Penny’s pioneering legacy...
The presentation will take place Sunday, November 14, as part of the sixth annual edition of the documentary awards show, at Bric in Brooklyn. During the event the Critics Choice group will hand out a slew of competitive awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director and Best First Documentary Feature.
“Throughout his distinguished career, R.J. Cutler has created category-defining films and television series, and we are honored to have him as our recipient of this prestigious award,” Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin said. “With his work as a documentarian beginning as a producer of D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’ landmark 1993 film, The War Room, that collaboration serves as a link between generations, and R.J. has continued to honor Penny’s pioneering legacy...
- 9/30/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Now playing on Amazon Prime, “Val” is a documentary that reveals an insider’s perspective of what it’s like to be a Hollywood actor. Like Oscar-winner “Amy,” archival footage is the secret sauce — in this case, shot by subject Val Kilmer himself and saved over the decades in a cavernous vault. Kilmer brought in editor Leo Scott a decade ago to digitize that footage. Several years later, Scott and another editor-director, Ting Poo, pitched Kilmer on turning his trove of material into a first-person documentary narrative about his so-called Hollywood life.
With any non-fiction film like this, getting access and keeping it is key to success. And yet the question when it comes to this sort of celebrity profile is always: How honest and authentic is the story? What has been left out? And, in the case of a film like “Val,” if the filmmakers work for the subject,...
With any non-fiction film like this, getting access and keeping it is key to success. And yet the question when it comes to this sort of celebrity profile is always: How honest and authentic is the story? What has been left out? And, in the case of a film like “Val,” if the filmmakers work for the subject,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Now playing on Amazon Prime, “Val” is a documentary that reveals an insider’s perspective of what it’s like to be a Hollywood actor. Like Oscar-winner “Amy,” archival footage is the secret sauce — in this case, shot by subject Val Kilmer himself and saved over the decades in a cavernous vault. Kilmer brought in editor Leo Scott a decade ago to digitize that footage. Several years later, Scott and another editor-director, Ting Poo, pitched Kilmer on turning his trove of material into a first-person documentary narrative about his so-called Hollywood life.
With any non-fiction film like this, getting access and keeping it is key to success. And yet the question when it comes to this sort of celebrity profile is always: How honest and authentic is the story? What has been left out? And, in the case of a film like “Val,” if the filmmakers work for the subject,...
With any non-fiction film like this, getting access and keeping it is key to success. And yet the question when it comes to this sort of celebrity profile is always: How honest and authentic is the story? What has been left out? And, in the case of a film like “Val,” if the filmmakers work for the subject,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Eva Weber will direct ‘Merkel’, made of archive material and interviews.
Merkel, a feature documentary abouot German chancellor Angela Merkel, is in the works from UK companies Passion Pictures and Odd Girl Out Productions, with backing from the Curzon Cm Development Fund.
The film will use archive material and interviews with those who know her to tell the story of how Merkel overcame the triple challenges of being a woman, a scientist, and an East German.
The film is in development and will be the feature documentary debut of German filmmaker Eva Weber, who works in London through her company Odd Girl Out Productions.
Merkel, a feature documentary abouot German chancellor Angela Merkel, is in the works from UK companies Passion Pictures and Odd Girl Out Productions, with backing from the Curzon Cm Development Fund.
The film will use archive material and interviews with those who know her to tell the story of how Merkel overcame the triple challenges of being a woman, a scientist, and an East German.
The film is in development and will be the feature documentary debut of German filmmaker Eva Weber, who works in London through her company Odd Girl Out Productions.
- 7/14/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: NYC-based design agency Keithcity Group has signed on to craft animated sequences for Tony Kaye’s film, Tremendum, which is currently in production and scheduled for release this fall.
Tremendum tells the story of a struggling Russian actress who travels to Hollywood, hellbent on achieving mainstream success. Tragically murdered, she lives in the mind of an investigating detective, and inadvertently sets up a manifesto that leads to a Holy Grail, on a new acting methodology.
The film stars a largely Russian cast: Valeriya Kozhevnikova, Victoria Dayneko, Denis Shvedov and Beverly D’Angelo. Its producers include Kaye, Raymond Markovich and Kostas Khionidis.
Only partially animated, Tremendum is inspired by Kaye’s conversations with Marlon Brando, from the late ’90s through the early 2000s. Kaye and Brando worked together on a series of acting workshops titled “Lying for a Living,” the participants of which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Little Richard,...
Tremendum tells the story of a struggling Russian actress who travels to Hollywood, hellbent on achieving mainstream success. Tragically murdered, she lives in the mind of an investigating detective, and inadvertently sets up a manifesto that leads to a Holy Grail, on a new acting methodology.
The film stars a largely Russian cast: Valeriya Kozhevnikova, Victoria Dayneko, Denis Shvedov and Beverly D’Angelo. Its producers include Kaye, Raymond Markovich and Kostas Khionidis.
Only partially animated, Tremendum is inspired by Kaye’s conversations with Marlon Brando, from the late ’90s through the early 2000s. Kaye and Brando worked together on a series of acting workshops titled “Lying for a Living,” the participants of which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Little Richard,...
- 6/30/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has ordered a documentary series based on Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul, the new Henry Holt book by Time Magazine correspondent Jamie Ducharme. Series will be directed and executive produced by R.J. Cutler, who’s coming off the Showtime docu Belushi and Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry for Apple TV+ and Neon.
Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will be exec producers for Amblin Television, alongside Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith for This Machine, and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel for Time Studios.
Amblin optioned the book last year and Cutler came aboard in February. Series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will be exec producers for Amblin Television, alongside Elise Pearlstein and Trevor Smith for This Machine, and Ian Orefice and Rebecca Teitel for Time Studios.
Amblin optioned the book last year and Cutler came aboard in February. Series will chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
- 6/17/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the first credits in the documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” is “An Interscope Films Production,” which isn’t the most encouraging opening. When the company that manages an artist and releases their music is also behind a film about that artist, you expect lots of access but perhaps not so much objectivity.
Then again, it’s pretty much guaranteed that most music-oriented docs these days have ties to the artists’ business interests — and besides, Billie Eilish is not the kind of musician who seems inclined to be looking for an airbrushed vanity piece. The music she’s been making since she was 13 constitutes her own authorized portrait of sorts, and it’s a portrait that is raw and unkempt and human; if the point of her music is to capture a young life in all its messiness, uncertainty and pain, the company that releases that...
Then again, it’s pretty much guaranteed that most music-oriented docs these days have ties to the artists’ business interests — and besides, Billie Eilish is not the kind of musician who seems inclined to be looking for an airbrushed vanity piece. The music she’s been making since she was 13 constitutes her own authorized portrait of sorts, and it’s a portrait that is raw and unkempt and human; if the point of her music is to capture a young life in all its messiness, uncertainty and pain, the company that releases that...
- 2/26/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Exclusive: R.J. Cutler will direct and produce the documentary series Big Vape, an adaptation of Jamie Ducharme’s upcoming nonfiction book about the rise of the controversial e-cigarette company Juul. Cutler just directed the Showtime docu Belushi and has upcoming Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry which will be released February 26 on Apple TV+.
Cutler’s This Machine is teamed on the series with Amblin Television and Time Studios to chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Amblin optioned the book last year. Executive producing with Cutler are Amblin Partners’ co-presidents of television Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (The Americans), This Machine’s Trevor...
Cutler’s This Machine is teamed on the series with Amblin Television and Time Studios to chronicle the rise of Juul from a scrappy tech start-up to a multibillion-dollar tobacco company that at one point controlled 72% of the market. This will be no puff piece: Juul’s rise, and the high nicotine concentration and flavored products, helped spark what top health authorities labeled an epidemic of youth addiction.
Amblin optioned the book last year. Executive producing with Cutler are Amblin Partners’ co-presidents of television Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (The Americans), This Machine’s Trevor...
- 2/18/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The world got to know John Belushi’s eyebrows before we got to know the man. They projected his innermost confusion, telegraphed his thought processes, and misdirected his most sincere intentions. Showtime’s heartfelt and intimate documentary, Belushi, opens with clips from the comic icon’s screen test for Saturday Night Live. Armed with just his face, he lets those eyebrows steal the scene. They cajole, caress, and careen across the bottom of his brow, culminating in a series of aerobic stretches with a gymnast’s flair. Belushi didn’t have to crack a joke, he barely had to say a word, and yet showed a world of possibilities within a few inches of cranial space. Belushi really was a lot like his decathlon character in the Little Chocolate Donuts skit. All he needed was some sugar to keep him going. The documentary shows Belushi really was born that way,...
- 11/20/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
‘Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist’ to be directed by Stephan Kijak.
A documentary about how Hollywood icon Rock Hudson became “the single most influential AIDS patient ever” is in the works from UK outfit Altitude.
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist will be directed by Stephen Kijak, with Altitude on board to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at AFM online next week.
Altitude Distribution will release the film in the UK and Ireland.
The film will explore how Hudson’s death from AIDS-related complications in 1985 shocked the world and upended decades-old assumptions about his image. It also brought attention to the disease,...
A documentary about how Hollywood icon Rock Hudson became “the single most influential AIDS patient ever” is in the works from UK outfit Altitude.
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist will be directed by Stephen Kijak, with Altitude on board to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at AFM online next week.
Altitude Distribution will release the film in the UK and Ireland.
The film will explore how Hudson’s death from AIDS-related complications in 1985 shocked the world and upended decades-old assumptions about his image. It also brought attention to the disease,...
- 11/6/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
One of Hollywood’s most famous leading men is getting the feature documentary treatment.
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist comes from Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, We Are X) and producers George Chignell (Citizen K, Listen to Me Marlon) and Will Clarke (Horrible Histories: The Movies — Rotten Romans, Filth), with Altitude set to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at the virtual American Film Market next week.
Altitude Distribution will also release the film in the U.K. and Ireland.
An icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Rock Hudson was the man all women wanted and all ...
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist comes from Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, We Are X) and producers George Chignell (Citizen K, Listen to Me Marlon) and Will Clarke (Horrible Histories: The Movies — Rotten Romans, Filth), with Altitude set to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at the virtual American Film Market next week.
Altitude Distribution will also release the film in the U.K. and Ireland.
An icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Rock Hudson was the man all women wanted and all ...
- 11/6/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
One of Hollywood’s most famous leading men is getting the feature documentary treatment.
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist comes from Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, We Are X) and producers George Chignell (Citizen K, Listen to Me Marlon) and Will Clarke (Horrible Histories: The Movies — Rotten Romans, Filth), with Altitude set to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at the virtual American Film Market next week.
Altitude Distribution will also release the film in the U.K. and Ireland.
An icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Rock Hudson was the man all women wanted and all ...
Rock Hudson: Accidental Activist comes from Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, We Are X) and producers George Chignell (Citizen K, Listen to Me Marlon) and Will Clarke (Horrible Histories: The Movies — Rotten Romans, Filth), with Altitude set to produce and handle international sales, introducing the project to buyers at the virtual American Film Market next week.
Altitude Distribution will also release the film in the U.K. and Ireland.
An icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Rock Hudson was the man all women wanted and all ...
- 11/6/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: As his superb Showtime documentary Belushi premieres next month and with Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry upcoming from Apple TV+, R.J. Cutler has launched the production company This Machine, with an investment from Industrial Media. Cutler sealed the deal with Industrial Media’s CEO Eli Holzman and President Aaron Saidman.
In the new company, Industrial Media will have an ownership stake. Producer Elise Pearlstein will join Cutler’s This Machine as EVP of Documentaries, and Devon Hammonds — who had been Industrial Media SVP of Development & Current Programming – East Coast — will now serve in a dual role as EVP of Non-Fiction TV for This Machine. Hammonds’ focus will be returning series development for the new company. Trevor Smith, Cutler’s longtime producing partner, will serve as producer for the company’s original content.
In in its first talent deal, 14-time Emmy Award-nominee Jane Cha Cutler has...
In the new company, Industrial Media will have an ownership stake. Producer Elise Pearlstein will join Cutler’s This Machine as EVP of Documentaries, and Devon Hammonds — who had been Industrial Media SVP of Development & Current Programming – East Coast — will now serve in a dual role as EVP of Non-Fiction TV for This Machine. Hammonds’ focus will be returning series development for the new company. Trevor Smith, Cutler’s longtime producing partner, will serve as producer for the company’s original content.
In in its first talent deal, 14-time Emmy Award-nominee Jane Cha Cutler has...
- 10/19/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
At the beginning of the documentary “Belushi,” author Tanner Colby is heard in a telephone conversation explaining to an interview subject that he’s talking to people about John Belushi because “No one’s ever done a real biography of John as a performer … I just want to give a full portrait of him as a human being.”
Those interviews from Colby, which were used for a 2005 book about the comedian and actor, are now at the heart of R.J. Cutler’s nonfiction film “Belushi,” which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival on Wednesday and will also play at the AFI Fest before heading to Showtime on Nov. 22. And while you could say that the movie gets in the neighborhood of being a full portrait of the human being, it would be a stretch to call it a biography of John Belushi the performer – because at a certain point,...
Those interviews from Colby, which were used for a 2005 book about the comedian and actor, are now at the heart of R.J. Cutler’s nonfiction film “Belushi,” which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival on Wednesday and will also play at the AFI Fest before heading to Showtime on Nov. 22. And while you could say that the movie gets in the neighborhood of being a full portrait of the human being, it would be a stretch to call it a biography of John Belushi the performer – because at a certain point,...
- 10/14/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
What would the world look like if Animal House alumni John “Bluto” Blutarsky were in the Senate now? The actor who played him, John Belushi, maintains he’d rather be an anarchist than a professional in the trailer for upcoming Belushi. Never quite ready for prime time, the performer had already urged lemmings in their final jump for National Lampoon. Showtime’s documentary feature shows how he made the leap himself to comic icon.
Belushi was in the original cast of Saturday Night Live, which goes into season 46 on Oct. 3, and his influence on comedy is felt as strongly today as it was when he put on Henry Kissinger’s glasses. The documentary was made by the team which brought us Listen to Me Marlon, an immersive look at Marlon Brando’s acting as told by the legend himself: R.J. Cutler, who directed The September Issue and The World According to Dick Cheney,...
Belushi was in the original cast of Saturday Night Live, which goes into season 46 on Oct. 3, and his influence on comedy is felt as strongly today as it was when he put on Henry Kissinger’s glasses. The documentary was made by the team which brought us Listen to Me Marlon, an immersive look at Marlon Brando’s acting as told by the legend himself: R.J. Cutler, who directed The September Issue and The World According to Dick Cheney,...
- 9/30/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Imagine Documentaries and Emmy-winning director-producer R.J. Cutler have teamed up on a new four-part true-crime docuseries that pulls back the curtain on New York’s most infamous jewel thief, Jack Roland Murphy, aka “Murf the Surf.”
Cutler is writing it and will direct. His docus include The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, The September Issue, The World According to Dick Cheney, Thin and Listen to Me Marlon. His nonfiction TV credits include American High, Freshman Diaries and 30 Days, and he conceived and directed the series Nashville and the film If I Stay and generated The Oval Office Tapes. His docuseries Dear… is streaming on Apple TV+, and he’s got a November Showtime airdate for Belushi, with the musical drama Bronzeville right behind it. Cutler also is the producer-director of the untitled Billie Eilish docu for Apple TV+ He has won two Emmys.
Murphy has quite a track record of his own,...
Cutler is writing it and will direct. His docus include The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, The September Issue, The World According to Dick Cheney, Thin and Listen to Me Marlon. His nonfiction TV credits include American High, Freshman Diaries and 30 Days, and he conceived and directed the series Nashville and the film If I Stay and generated The Oval Office Tapes. His docuseries Dear… is streaming on Apple TV+, and he’s got a November Showtime airdate for Belushi, with the musical drama Bronzeville right behind it. Cutler also is the producer-director of the untitled Billie Eilish docu for Apple TV+ He has won two Emmys.
Murphy has quite a track record of his own,...
- 7/17/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Soccer ace Wayne Rooney, England’s all-time leading goal scorer, is to be the subject of an official documentary biopic from Maradona producer-financier Lorton Entertainment.
Production is underway on the film about the life and career of the former Manchester United, Everton and DC United star, who currently plays for Derby County.
Directed by BAFTA-winner Matt Smith (Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad), the access doc will feature personal archive footage and interviews with talking heads from across the world of football and beyond.
Rooney burst onto the scene after making his professional debut for Everton aged 16. In a glittering career, not without its bumps along the way, the forward went on to become Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer. The film will track Rooney’s path to the present day and ask what next for the Liverpudlian superstar.
Rooney said: “I’m excited to be the subject of this documentary.
Production is underway on the film about the life and career of the former Manchester United, Everton and DC United star, who currently plays for Derby County.
Directed by BAFTA-winner Matt Smith (Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad), the access doc will feature personal archive footage and interviews with talking heads from across the world of football and beyond.
Rooney burst onto the scene after making his professional debut for Everton aged 16. In a glittering career, not without its bumps along the way, the forward went on to become Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer. The film will track Rooney’s path to the present day and ask what next for the Liverpudlian superstar.
Rooney said: “I’m excited to be the subject of this documentary.
- 6/26/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Acclaimed documentary producer John Battsek, whose credits include Oscar-winner One Day In September and Emmy-winner Manhunt: The Inside Story Of The Hunt for Bin Laden, is making his first foray into podcasts with Audible series Deepcut.
The investigative six part non-fiction series will see Battsek and his new production company Ventureland tackle the complex and controversial cases of four deaths at the Deepcut army barracks in the UK.
The series will examine the deaths of the four young soldiers, found shot dead at the Princes Royal Barracks (Aka Deepcut) in Surrey, England between 1995 and 2002. As their families searched for answers, allegations of bullying, sexual abuse and violence begin to surface and suspicions mounted that evidence had been withheld or destroyed. The incidents led to lengthy legal contests.
Battsek’s team for the series includes investigative journalist Jane MacSorley and former detective chief inspector Colin Sutton who join forces to...
The investigative six part non-fiction series will see Battsek and his new production company Ventureland tackle the complex and controversial cases of four deaths at the Deepcut army barracks in the UK.
The series will examine the deaths of the four young soldiers, found shot dead at the Princes Royal Barracks (Aka Deepcut) in Surrey, England between 1995 and 2002. As their families searched for answers, allegations of bullying, sexual abuse and violence begin to surface and suspicions mounted that evidence had been withheld or destroyed. The incidents led to lengthy legal contests.
Battsek’s team for the series includes investigative journalist Jane MacSorley and former detective chief inspector Colin Sutton who join forces to...
- 5/20/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Universal Pictures executive Amit Dey has been named Svp & Head of Valence Media’s new non-fiction division at Mrc.
In the newly formed role, Dey will be responsible for developing, producing and managing all documentary content for film and TV, as well as working with sales and distribution partners across all documentary projects.
He will collaborate across Valence Media divisions which include Mrc Film, Mrc Television, dick clark productions and Billboard Media Group, and he will report to Valence Media co-CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu.
Dey will lead efforts on the first feature length documentary from Baby Driver director Edgar Wright, about California music duo, Sparks. The project is currently in production. Baby Driver director Wright shot footage of the band at a 2018 London concert.
Dey will also be across Mrc’s previously announced doc partnership with UK outfit Fulwell 73 (Carpool Karaoke). Valence previously produced the Hulu documentary Fyre Fraud.
In the newly formed role, Dey will be responsible for developing, producing and managing all documentary content for film and TV, as well as working with sales and distribution partners across all documentary projects.
He will collaborate across Valence Media divisions which include Mrc Film, Mrc Television, dick clark productions and Billboard Media Group, and he will report to Valence Media co-CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu.
Dey will lead efforts on the first feature length documentary from Baby Driver director Edgar Wright, about California music duo, Sparks. The project is currently in production. Baby Driver director Wright shot footage of the band at a 2018 London concert.
Dey will also be across Mrc’s previously announced doc partnership with UK outfit Fulwell 73 (Carpool Karaoke). Valence previously produced the Hulu documentary Fyre Fraud.
- 10/24/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s music in the air for Showtime. The premium cable network has made a series commitment to a yet-to-be-titled musical drama series executive produced by Alicia Keys, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
The series, which will be produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, “traverses generations to tell an emotionally complex family story that interweaves modern-day and 1959 Detroit, centering on a mystery uncovered by a young musician who moves back to her childhood home,” according to the network.
Pasek and Paul, the songwriting team behind “La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” will contribute music to the series. “The SpongeBob Musical’s” Kyle Jarrow will write and executive produce. Marc Platt, whose deep well of credits includes “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “The Band’s Visit” and “La La Land,” will executive produce alongside “Nashville” exec producer R.J. Cutler and “Grease: Live!” producer Adam Siegel.
“We...
The series, which will be produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, “traverses generations to tell an emotionally complex family story that interweaves modern-day and 1959 Detroit, centering on a mystery uncovered by a young musician who moves back to her childhood home,” according to the network.
Pasek and Paul, the songwriting team behind “La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” will contribute music to the series. “The SpongeBob Musical’s” Kyle Jarrow will write and executive produce. Marc Platt, whose deep well of credits includes “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “The Band’s Visit” and “La La Land,” will executive produce alongside “Nashville” exec producer R.J. Cutler and “Grease: Live!” producer Adam Siegel.
“We...
- 7/17/2019
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
Showtime has given a series commitment to an untitled musical drama executive produced by multiple Grammy winner Alicia Keys and the Oscar, Tony and Grammy winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Pasek and Paul also will contribute music to the series, produced by Fox 21 Television Studios. Kyle Jarrow (SpongeBob SquarePants musical) will write the series and executive produce with Oscar-nominated producer Marc Platt, Emmy winner R.J. Cutler, and Emmy winner Adam Siegel (Grease: Live!)
The as-yet untitled series traverses generations to tell an emotionally complex family story that interweaves modern-day and 1959 Detroit, centering on a mystery uncovered by a young musician who moves back to her childhood home.
“We have always been intrigued by the prospect of doing a Showtime musical series,...
The as-yet untitled series traverses generations to tell an emotionally complex family story that interweaves modern-day and 1959 Detroit, centering on a mystery uncovered by a young musician who moves back to her childhood home.
“We have always been intrigued by the prospect of doing a Showtime musical series,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s PatMa Productions has tapped former Showtime programming executive Joan Boorstein as President of the multiplatform independent production company.
“We’re very lucky to have such a seasoned and talented executive join our team,” said Tassler and Di Novi. “There’s no substitute for experience and relationships in this business and Joan possesses both in spades.”
Boorstein began her career at Showtime where she ultimately became Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs. Originally a movie executive, she worked on more than 100 movies, including Golden Globe winner Dirty Pictures, as well as Soldier’s Girl, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and Paris Trout. She then moved over to series, where she worked on such shows as Brotherhood, The United States of Tara, The Borgias, Episodes and Penny Dreadful created by John Logan.
Boorstein also focused on feature documentaries including Listen to Me Marlon, which was...
“We’re very lucky to have such a seasoned and talented executive join our team,” said Tassler and Di Novi. “There’s no substitute for experience and relationships in this business and Joan possesses both in spades.”
Boorstein began her career at Showtime where she ultimately became Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs. Originally a movie executive, she worked on more than 100 movies, including Golden Globe winner Dirty Pictures, as well as Soldier’s Girl, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and Paris Trout. She then moved over to series, where she worked on such shows as Brotherhood, The United States of Tara, The Borgias, Episodes and Penny Dreadful created by John Logan.
Boorstein also focused on feature documentaries including Listen to Me Marlon, which was...
- 6/10/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Showtime programming executive Joan Boorstein has been tapped to serve as president of PatMa Productions, the newly-launched company by former CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler and film/TV producer Denise Di Novi.
Boorstein began her career at Showtime, eventually rising to senior vice president of creative affairs. She was initially a movie executive, working on over 100 films before shifting over to TV. During her tenure, Boorstein worked on such shows as “Brotherhood,” “The United States of Tara,” “The Borgias,” “Episodes,” and “Penny Dreadful.”
Boorstein also focused on feature documentaries including “Listen to Me Marlon,” “The World According to Dick Cheney,” “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic” and the “This American Life” documentary series.
Also Read: 'The Red Line' Not Picked Up for Second Season at CBS
After leaving Showtime, Boorstein joined John Logan and Desert Wolf Productions, working on several projects including “The Nix.” She went on...
Boorstein began her career at Showtime, eventually rising to senior vice president of creative affairs. She was initially a movie executive, working on over 100 films before shifting over to TV. During her tenure, Boorstein worked on such shows as “Brotherhood,” “The United States of Tara,” “The Borgias,” “Episodes,” and “Penny Dreadful.”
Boorstein also focused on feature documentaries including “Listen to Me Marlon,” “The World According to Dick Cheney,” “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic” and the “This American Life” documentary series.
Also Read: 'The Red Line' Not Picked Up for Second Season at CBS
After leaving Showtime, Boorstein joined John Logan and Desert Wolf Productions, working on several projects including “The Nix.” She went on...
- 6/10/2019
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Former Showtime programming executive Joan Boorstein has been named president of PatMa Productions, the banner founded by producer Denise Di Novi and former CBS chairman Nina Tassler.
Boorstein began her career at Showtime where she ultimately rose to the position of Svp of creative affairs. She was originally a film executive, working on over 100 movies, before moving over to the series department, where she worked on such shows as “Brotherhood,” “The United States of Tara,” “The Borgias,” “Episodes” and “Penny Dreadful.”
“We’re very lucky to have such a seasoned and talented executive join our team,” said Tassler and Di Novi in a joint statement. “There’s no substitute for experience and relationships in this business and Joan possesses both in spades.”
PatMa Productions, launched in January 2019 by Di Novi and Tassler, is named after their mothers, Pat and Norma. The company is aiming to create content across multiple platforms.
Boorstein began her career at Showtime where she ultimately rose to the position of Svp of creative affairs. She was originally a film executive, working on over 100 movies, before moving over to the series department, where she worked on such shows as “Brotherhood,” “The United States of Tara,” “The Borgias,” “Episodes” and “Penny Dreadful.”
“We’re very lucky to have such a seasoned and talented executive join our team,” said Tassler and Di Novi in a joint statement. “There’s no substitute for experience and relationships in this business and Joan possesses both in spades.”
PatMa Productions, launched in January 2019 by Di Novi and Tassler, is named after their mothers, Pat and Norma. The company is aiming to create content across multiple platforms.
- 6/10/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
"I always felt I can do anything, if people are laughing." Magnolia Pictures + CNN Films have debuted the official trailer for a documentary titled Love, Gilda, a profile of the iconic comedienne Gilda Radner, as told in her own voice. Similar to the documentary Listen to Me Marlon, the film is based around a series of long, unreleased audio diaries and personal journals written/recorded by Gilda Radner before she passed away in 1989. It's described as a "comprehensive remembrance of Radner's public legacy" and "underpinned by an engrossing insight into her private struggles." This looks like a heartfelt film that gets into her story, showing how tragically short her life was, yet how much of an impact she made and how she inspired many. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Lisa D'Apolito's documentary Love, Gilda, direct from YouTube: In her own words, comedienne Gilda Radner looks back and...
- 7/26/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There are few stories more compelling — or tragic — than that of the tortured artist who rises from obscurity only to be crushed under the weight of success. Equally as rare are designers so influential they need only one name: Versace, Dior, Galliano, McQueen. Alexander McQueen is the closest thing to fashion royalty we’ve had in this century, a true visionary who transcended the fashion world to become an internationally recognized artist. His garments teetered between the gorgeous and the grotesque, his runway shows could pass as performance art, and his collections were often chic and shocking all at once. His posthumous 2011 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Savage Beauty,” was the eighth most popular show in the museum’s history, and the most visited for the Met’s Costume Institute.
The polished new documentary, “McQueen,” charts the late designer’s rise from English country boy to fashion’s enfant terrible,...
The polished new documentary, “McQueen,” charts the late designer’s rise from English country boy to fashion’s enfant terrible,...
- 7/20/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
“No one discovered Alexander McQueen. Alexander McQueen discovered himself,” opens the trailer for “McQueen,” a new film about the legendary British fashion designer. Becoming head designer of Givenchy at 27, McQueen was known for his eponymous fashion label, which was marked by theatrical fashion shows and cutting edge designs. After his death in 2010, The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted a show entirely to McQueen’s prolific 19-year career, resulting in record attendance for the museum at the time.
Written and directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews. Ettedgui is best known for co-writing the 2015 documentary “Listen to Me Marlon,” a compelling and detailed portrait of Marlon Brando made entirely from audio recordings of the actor. Bonhôte is one of the founders of Pulse Films, which co-produced “The Witch” and “American Honey.”
“I don’t want to...
Written and directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews. Ettedgui is best known for co-writing the 2015 documentary “Listen to Me Marlon,” a compelling and detailed portrait of Marlon Brando made entirely from audio recordings of the actor. Bonhôte is one of the founders of Pulse Films, which co-produced “The Witch” and “American Honey.”
“I don’t want to...
- 5/31/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Indie distributor Abramorama has formalized its relationship with industry veteran Tom Hassell, hiring him as Svp and Head of Sales. He had been collaborating with the company as a consultant since 2010 on titles including recently Ron Howard’s The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, Miss Sharon Jones!, and Listen to Me Marlon. He currently is spearheading releases campaigns for Abramorama’s Jane Goodall docu Jane from Brett Morgen whhich hit the specialty box…...
- 10/25/2017
- Deadline
Bleecker Street has secured North American rights to Ian Bonhote’s documentary “McQueen” about the life of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Bonhote recently began shooting in London and Paris, with plans to re-create scenes as well as use motion and photographic archives and new and existing interviews about the British designer, who committed suicide at age 40 in 2010. Peter Ettedgui (“Listen to Me Marlon”) is scripting the film. Known for his striking designs and haute couture collections, McQueen started his career in his teens before rising to stardom as designer for Givenchy and launching his own label. Also Read: Met.
- 6/7/2017
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Bleecker Street has acquired North American distribution rights to Ian Bonhote's McQueen, a feature-length documentary on the life of fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Production is underway in London and Paris, and Embankment Films has closed a slew of overseas sales on the title. Penned by Listen To Me Marlon‘s Peter Ettedgui, the film takes a bold and cinematic approach, using newly shot re-created scenes, motion and photographic archives, audio archives and…...
- 6/7/2017
- Deadline
While Cannes Film Festival hosts the world premieres of some of our most-anticipated dramas of the year, it also debuts promising documentaries, a good portion of which are about cinema history. This year they have a new documentary about one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors with Becoming Cary Grant. Ahead of the premiere, and an airing on Showtime next month, the first trailer has arrived.
Rather than taking a look at his acting process or experiences on set, this new documentary, from director Mark Kidel, offers a more personal angle. Through Grant’s own words from his unpublished autobiographical book, as spoken by Jonathan Pryce, it looks at the actor’s difficult upbringing and therapy he underwent in the 1950s. Judging from the first preview, it looks to be a moving film, perhaps reminiscent of Listen to Me Marlon from a few years ago. Check out the trailer below.
Rather than taking a look at his acting process or experiences on set, this new documentary, from director Mark Kidel, offers a more personal angle. Through Grant’s own words from his unpublished autobiographical book, as spoken by Jonathan Pryce, it looks at the actor’s difficult upbringing and therapy he underwent in the 1950s. Judging from the first preview, it looks to be a moving film, perhaps reminiscent of Listen to Me Marlon from a few years ago. Check out the trailer below.
- 5/8/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Cary invented himself, and of course it worked superbly on screen." Showtime has unveiled a trailer for a documentary about acting icon Cary Grant, titled simply Becoming Cary Grant. This doc follows in the footsteps of other fantastic recent documentaries about actors, like Listen to Me Marlon, which also uses audio recordings. Becoming Cary Grant seems to be more about who Cary was in real life, as a real person, not so much his performances or career as an actor. There's an interesting passage in this trailer about using LSD and how it helped (maybe?) him with his own demons. Grant earned two Oscar nominations, but never won before he died in 1986. This looks like a must watch doc for any fans of Grant and his work. See below. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Mark Kidel's documentary Becoming Cary Grant, from YouTube: Using words from his unpublished autobiography...
- 5/4/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Emile Hirsch keeps himself busy these days, but he’s not always making movies. The 31-year-old actor recently finished the first draft of a novel, completed a screenplay, and spends a lot of time painting still lifes in his backyard.
Meanwhile, he’s acting in a wider range of projects than ever before. A versatile performer known for immersing himself in his roles, he currently stars opposite Brian Cox in the minimalist horror-drama “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” opening December 21, and has a range of projects — from a buddy comedy with Jk Simmons to a sweeping China-set period drama with an otherwise Asian cast—scheduled for 2017.
“The work itself is the goal,” he said, settling into Brooklyn eatery Sisters after a long day promoting “Jane Doe” in Manhattan. He was in the midst of a monthlong break from the novel, following the advice of Stephen King’s “On Writing,” his favorite guidebook.
Meanwhile, he’s acting in a wider range of projects than ever before. A versatile performer known for immersing himself in his roles, he currently stars opposite Brian Cox in the minimalist horror-drama “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” opening December 21, and has a range of projects — from a buddy comedy with Jk Simmons to a sweeping China-set period drama with an otherwise Asian cast—scheduled for 2017.
“The work itself is the goal,” he said, settling into Brooklyn eatery Sisters after a long day promoting “Jane Doe” in Manhattan. He was in the midst of a monthlong break from the novel, following the advice of Stephen King’s “On Writing,” his favorite guidebook.
- 12/16/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Last Tango in Paris” has always courted controversy and acclaim in roughly equal measure. That balance seems likely to tip with the revelation that an infamous rape scene involving Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and a stick of butter was, in fact, non-consensual.
Bernardo Bertolucci has admitted as much in a newly surfaced interview from 2013 held at La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, saying that he “didn’t tell [Schneider] what was going on” because he wanted her to react “as a girl, not as an actress.” Watch the video below.
Read More: R.I.P. Maria Schneider (1952-2011)
Schneider was 19 at the time, while Brando was 48. “I wanted her to react humiliated,” Bertolucci adds. “I think she hated me and also Marlon because we didn’t tell her.” That said, he doesn’t “regret” his actions — this, despite Schneider’s reaction to her experience. “To obtain something I think you have to be completely free,...
Bernardo Bertolucci has admitted as much in a newly surfaced interview from 2013 held at La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, saying that he “didn’t tell [Schneider] what was going on” because he wanted her to react “as a girl, not as an actress.” Watch the video below.
Read More: R.I.P. Maria Schneider (1952-2011)
Schneider was 19 at the time, while Brando was 48. “I wanted her to react humiliated,” Bertolucci adds. “I think she hated me and also Marlon because we didn’t tell her.” That said, he doesn’t “regret” his actions — this, despite Schneider’s reaction to her experience. “To obtain something I think you have to be completely free,...
- 12/3/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Over the course of his legendary acting career, Toshiro Mifune was a samurai, a stray dog, and a shoe tycoon. He was a muse for one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th Century, a beacon for Japanese cinema, and a howling ambassador for the entire country and its culture. He was a feral force of nature who prized combustion over control, a wild gust of wind whose energy only a precious few collaborators knew how to harness. He was even, according to his daughter, almost Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The one thing that Toshiro Mifune wasn’t — wasn’t even capable of being — was boring. At least not on screen. At least not until now.
A thin, dull, and by-the-numbers biography that fails to capture its subject’s irrepressible spirit or properly contextualize his importance, Steven Okazaki’s “Mifune: The Last Samurai” might have made for a solid bonus feature on a Criterion Collection DVD,...
The one thing that Toshiro Mifune wasn’t — wasn’t even capable of being — was boring. At least not on screen. At least not until now.
A thin, dull, and by-the-numbers biography that fails to capture its subject’s irrepressible spirit or properly contextualize his importance, Steven Okazaki’s “Mifune: The Last Samurai” might have made for a solid bonus feature on a Criterion Collection DVD,...
- 11/25/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
As prolific a filmmaker as there ever could be, attempting to cover the expansive career of the late director Sidney Lumet could seem a bit foolhardy. A career not only spanning decades and 44 feature films, Lumet’s influence on theater performing and the evolution of television storytelling is just as important to his legacy, if not more so. However, it gets a bit easier, and all the more engrossing, when he’s the one doing the talking.
Based entirely around a newly unearthed interview in 2008, Nancy Buirski’s newest documentary attempts to give us a glimpse deep into the life and work of director Lumet, from the man himself. Before passing away in 2011, the director sat down for an exhaustive interview that, while opening on a rumination about his best known film 12 Angry Men, spans far more than just the greatest hits.
Entitled By Sidney Lumet, the film finds Lumet at his most introspective,...
Based entirely around a newly unearthed interview in 2008, Nancy Buirski’s newest documentary attempts to give us a glimpse deep into the life and work of director Lumet, from the man himself. Before passing away in 2011, the director sat down for an exhaustive interview that, while opening on a rumination about his best known film 12 Angry Men, spans far more than just the greatest hits.
Entitled By Sidney Lumet, the film finds Lumet at his most introspective,...
- 10/28/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Watching “Everything Is Copy” (HBO), on the life of Nora Ephron, it’s clear that the late writer and filmmaker was willing to use, and to massage, the truth. Of the narrator’s hamster-loving first husband, in her 1983 novel “Heartburn,” Ephron’s own ex-, Dan Greenberg, says the strange trait is an invention; of 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally…” the screenwriter admits that Meg Ryan’s cheerful, high-strung co-lead is based “more or less” on herself. As New Yorker editor David Remnick remarks of Ephron’s inimitable essays, “her voice in print really replicated her voice—almost—in life.”
Indeed, in “Everything Is Copy,” as in the other films nominated for Outstanding Documentary/Nonfiction Special at this year’s Emmys, the subject’s work inhabits this space between the dashes, the “almost” and the “more or less.” It’s where the biographical blurs into the fictional, where fact and craft diverge.
Indeed, in “Everything Is Copy,” as in the other films nominated for Outstanding Documentary/Nonfiction Special at this year’s Emmys, the subject’s work inhabits this space between the dashes, the “almost” and the “more or less.” It’s where the biographical blurs into the fictional, where fact and craft diverge.
- 8/17/2016
- by Matt Brennan
- Indiewire
November tends to be the biggest month of the year for the Criterion Collection, the boutique home video company releasing some of their most exciting releases in time for the holiday shopping season. And, lucky for us, that trend continues in 2016, as Criterion has just revealed this year’s batch of November titles, and the slate includes some absolutely major must-owns. From Paul Thomas Anderson finally joining the Collection (and bringing Adam Sandler along with him!) to a series of samurai films that have never gotten their proper due, these are movies that are worth stampeding for on Black Friday.
Check out Criterion’s full November 2016 slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title. And be sure to visit Criterion’s website for full release info.
1. “Punch-Drunk Love” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002). #843
It was only a matter of time before Paul Thomas Anderson finally joined the Criterion Collection,...
Check out Criterion’s full November 2016 slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title. And be sure to visit Criterion’s website for full release info.
1. “Punch-Drunk Love” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002). #843
It was only a matter of time before Paul Thomas Anderson finally joined the Criterion Collection,...
- 8/15/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey made history Thursday morning. The pals were nominated in the Guest Actress in a Comedy Emmy category for hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
That’s not unusual — “SNL” hosts are nominated for Emmys all the time. But here’s what’s unique: Poehler and Fey were nominated as a single, combined entity. Earlier this year, the TV Academy accepted their joint submission, and their names appeared together on nomination ballots.
Read More: Emmys 2016 Nominations: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Mr. Robot,’ ‘The Americans’ Get Major Nods
That’s never happened in an acting category before because, well, a person is generally one person. But this was a unique circumstance: “SNL” guest hosts are eligible for guest star Emmys – but usually even comedy teams are nominated separately. (For example, Keegan-Michael Key is nominated this year for “Key & Peele” in the supporting comedy actor category, but Jordan Peele is not.
That’s not unusual — “SNL” hosts are nominated for Emmys all the time. But here’s what’s unique: Poehler and Fey were nominated as a single, combined entity. Earlier this year, the TV Academy accepted their joint submission, and their names appeared together on nomination ballots.
Read More: Emmys 2016 Nominations: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Mr. Robot,’ ‘The Americans’ Get Major Nods
That’s never happened in an acting category before because, well, a person is generally one person. But this was a unique circumstance: “SNL” guest hosts are eligible for guest star Emmys – but usually even comedy teams are nominated separately. (For example, Keegan-Michael Key is nominated this year for “Key & Peele” in the supporting comedy actor category, but Jordan Peele is not.
- 7/14/2016
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
After tackling entertainment icon Marlon Brando with last year’s documentary Listen to Me Marlon, filmmakers R.J. Cutler (The September Issue) and John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man) have reunited for a new documentary about one of comedy’s most revered names: John Belushi. John Belushi was a comedy legend who skyrocketed to fame and sadly left […]
The post John Belushi Documentary in the Works at Showtime appeared first on /Film.
The post John Belushi Documentary in the Works at Showtime appeared first on /Film.
- 5/24/2016
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Showtime is teaming with Listen to Me Marlon filmmakers R.J. Cutler (The September Issue, The World According to Dick Cheney) and John Battsek (Searching For Sugar Man, The Tillman Story) on a feature-length documentary about the life and times of comic legend John Belushi. For the first time, Showtime says, Belushi's widow Judith Belushi Pisano has agreed to cooperate with the making of a film about the late comedian's life, and provided the exclusive photo of John from…...
- 5/23/2016
- Deadline TV
Matt Tyrnauer has been set to direct a feature documentary about Studio 54 that will tell the no-holds-barred story of Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell and their 1970s-defining Manhattan nightclub. Shooting begins in May on the untitled project, which will be produced by Passion Pictures’ John Battsek as well as Tyrnauer and Corey Reeser’s Altimeter Films. Battsek’s London-based Passion Pictures was behind this past year’s Listen To Me Marlon and the 2012 Best Documentary…...
- 5/2/2016
- Deadline
HBO won four Peabody Awards in the documentary and education category, including the Scientology doc “Going Clear,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” Night Will Fall” and Andrew Jarecki‘s seductive true-crime documentary based on the life of Robert Durst “The Jinx.” Netflix’s “What Happened, Miss Simone,” PBS’ “India’s Daughter,” “Isis in Afghanistan,” “Don’t Tell Anyone” and Showtime’s “Listen to Me Marlon” join the HBO docs among the Peabody 30. Peabody Awards are based at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. This year marks the inaugural winners of The Peabody 30. Also Read: 'Jessica Jones,...
- 4/26/2016
- by Brian Flood
- The Wrap
Exclusive: A total of 110 films will screen at the festival, including recent Golden Bear-winner Fuocoammare and a selection of Israeli docs.
Topics including immigration and instability in the West Bank region will be highlighted at this year’s Docaviv international documentary festival (May 19-28) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Among the 2016 programme is Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning Fuocoammare, Shimon Dotan’s Sundance premiere The Settlers and Sean McAllister’s BAFTA-nominated A Syrian Love Story.
The festival will open with Babylon Dreamers [pictured], about a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, despite struggling to survive in tough circumstances in Israeli city Ashdod, decide to pursue their dream of entering the International Breakdance Championships.
That film will compete in the festival’s Israeli competition, which offers a prize of $18.5k (70k Ils), alongside 12 other titles including films about arranged marriages in Morocco and Yemen (Child Mother), depression-curing shamans in the Amazon rainforest (The Last Shaman), and three...
Topics including immigration and instability in the West Bank region will be highlighted at this year’s Docaviv international documentary festival (May 19-28) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Among the 2016 programme is Gianfranco Rosi’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning Fuocoammare, Shimon Dotan’s Sundance premiere The Settlers and Sean McAllister’s BAFTA-nominated A Syrian Love Story.
The festival will open with Babylon Dreamers [pictured], about a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, despite struggling to survive in tough circumstances in Israeli city Ashdod, decide to pursue their dream of entering the International Breakdance Championships.
That film will compete in the festival’s Israeli competition, which offers a prize of $18.5k (70k Ils), alongside 12 other titles including films about arranged marriages in Morocco and Yemen (Child Mother), depression-curing shamans in the Amazon rainforest (The Last Shaman), and three...
- 4/19/2016
- ScreenDaily
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