And the Oscar goes to … a movie most people have seen

Benny Safdie, from left, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Josh Hartnett, winners of the award for the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for “Oppenheimer,” pose in the press room during the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Oscars are poised to do something on Sunday that they haven’t done in a very long time: Hand its top award to a blockbuster.

After years of favoring smaller movies like “The Shape of Water” and “Nomadland, ” the clear best-picture favorite “Oppenheimer” — with just shy of $1 billion in tickets sold — is steam rolling toward the kind of big-movie dominance the Academy Awards hasn’t seen in two decades.

You have to go back to Ben Affleck’s “Argo” (2012) to find a best-picture winner that’s grossed more than $100 million domestically. Academy voters’ tastes have instead largely favored smaller independently produced films like “Moonlight,” “Nomadland” and “CODA,” an Apple release with zero reported box office in North America. Last year, the scrappy, distinctly un-Oscar-like indie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” played the role of awards-season underdog until it became an unlikely Academy Awards heavyweight.

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Source: And the Oscar goes to … a movie most people have seen

‘Could This Be True?’: Blockbuster Might Be Teasing a Surprise Comeback

Blockbuster is mostly a memory since the company shuttered all its locations — except one in Bend, Oregon. But eagle-eyed fans of the the famed video rental chain of the 90s noticed something change on the company’s official website and quickly took to social media to discuss their findings.

Getty Images The interior of the last remaining Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon

Upon visiting Blockbuster.com, a screen with the company’s logo appears with the phrase, “We are working on rewinding your movie.”

Source: ‘Could This Be True?’: Blockbuster Might Be Teasing a Surprise Comeback

Cindy Williams: Laverne & Shirley actress dies aged 75

Cindy Williams was best known for her role as Shirley Feeney in the popular American 1970s sitcom.

A family statement Monday announced her death, “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed.” It continues, “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”

Source: Cindy Williams: Laverne & Shirley actress dies aged 75

Kirstie Alley Dead: Star of Cheers Dies at 71 After Short Battle with Cancer – People Magazine

The actress’ death was confirmed by her children on Monday evening

Kirstie Alley, the star of Cheers and Drop Dead Gorgeous, has died. She was 71.

Alley’s children, True and Lillie Parker, announced the actress had died from cancer. In a statement to PEOPLE, True and Lillie confirmed that Alley died on Monday.

“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” they said in a statement.https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzqliopUks/?igshid=YWJhMjlhZTc%3D lley Verified • Liked by pradalover__ and others kirstiealley's profile picture kirstiealley Verified To all our friends, far and wide around the world… We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered. She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother. We are grateful to the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care. Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did. We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time. With love always, True and Lillie Parker

 Remembering Kirstie Alley’s Life in Photos

Source: Kirstie Alley Dead: Star of Cheers Dies at 71 After Short Battle with Cancer

Another Pittsburgh movie theater is closing – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Another movie theatre in our area is closing.

Phoenix Theatres North Versailles 18 is closing on Tuesday, September 6. Current employees will be offered jobs at the Bridgeville location.

If you have gift cards, you can use them there, or go to the website for a full refund.

Source: Another Pittsburgh movie theater is closing – CBS Pittsburgh

Movie Theaters Offering $3 Tickets on Sept. 3 to Battle Box Office Blues – The Hollywood Reporter

 

 

Theaters want people to put away their Labor Day weekend picnic baskets and see a movie for just $3 or less on Sept. 3 in celebration of the first-ever National Cinema Day.

More than 3,000 movie theaters will participate in the one-day event, which will apply to tickets for all formats, including Imax. Circuits offering the special pricing include AMC Entertainment, Cinemark Theatres and the embattled Regal Cinemas.

The promotion is the brainchild of the Cinema Foundation, a new non-profit organization that’s affiliated with the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Source: Movie Theaters Offering $3 Tickets on Sept. 3 to Battle Box Office Blues – The Hollywood Reporter

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! Three Stooges Festival coming to Pittsburgh in September | TribLIVE.com

Moe, Larry, Shemp, and Curly are coming to Pittsburgh. On film at least.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Friday that a Three Stooges Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Harris Theater.

The Three Stooges consisted of the Howard brothers, Moe, Shemp and Curly, and Larry Fine. When Shemp left to pursue a solo career, younger brother Jerome “Curly” Howard replaced him.

They made 190 short films for Columbia Pictures. The Harris is planning to show six of what are considered to be their best: “Pop Goes the Easel,” “Grips Grunts and Groan,” “Three Little Pigskins,” “Brideless Groom,” “Fright Night,” and “Sing a Song of Sixpants.”

Source: Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! Three Stooges Festival coming to Pittsburgh in September | TribLIVE.com

Olivia Newton-John, pop singer and ‘Grease’ star, dies at 73

The sugar-sweet performer with a string of No. 1 hits was also an advocate for cancer research.

(CNN)Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer whose breathy voice and wholesome beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the ’70s and charmed generations of viewers in the blockbuster movie “Grease,” died on Monday, according to a statement from her husband. She was 73.

“Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote in a statement on the singer’s verified Instagram account. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”
The singer revealed in September 2018 that she was treating cancer at the base of her spine. It was her third cancer diagnosis, following bouts with breast cancer in the early ’90s and in 2017.

Source: Olivia Newton-John, pop singer and ‘Grease’ star, dies at 73

Warner Bros. kills off ‘Batgirl’ movie, $90 million in : NPR

Sorry, DC universe fans: the movie, which starred ‘In The Heights’ actress Leslie Grace in the title role, will not be released theatrically or on HBO Max.

In a move that shocked Hollywood observers for the amount of money wasted, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Tuesday that it is shelving all plans to release the nearly finished film Batgirl, starring actress Leslie Grace.

The film had originally been planned with a $75 million budget that had rocketed up to $90 million, due to COVID-related delays. It was directed by the duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, whose credits include the 2020 Will Smith and Martin Lawrence vehicle Bad Boys for Life as well as the recent Disney+ series Ms. Marvel.

In a statement reported by multiple media sources, a Warner Bros. spokesperson wrote: “The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance.”

Warner Bros. has not replied to requests from NPR for comment.

Source: Warner Bros. kills off ‘Batgirl’ movie, $90 million in : NPR

‘The Batman’ Opens to $120 Million Overseas, Nears $250 Million Globally – Variety

 

 

 

Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” towered over international box office charts, collecting $120 million from 74 overseas markets.

After debuting to $128.5 million in North America, the Warner Bros. comic book adventure has generated $248.5 million globally to date. That’s a strong start since the movie, which clocks in at a butt-numbing three hours, cost $200 million to make.

Outside of domestic theaters, “The Batman” had the best turnout in the United Kingdom, where it earned $18.4 million, followed by Mexico, where it earned $12 million. Other top territories include Australia ($9.2 million), Brazil ($8.8 million), France ($8.5 million), Germany ($5.1 million) and Korea ($4.4 million). “The Batman” doesn’t open in China, which is currently the world’s biggest theatrical market, until March 18. It won’t play at all in Russia after Warner Bros. opted to pull its release following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source: ‘The Batman’ Opens to $120 Million Overseas, Nears $250 Million Globally – Variety

Sally Kellerman, M*A*S*H’s original ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan, dies aged 84 | Movies | The Guardian

Actor who worked in film and TV for more than six decades, and was a regular in Robert Altman’s other films, had originally planned to be a singer

Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor who played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in director Robert Altman’s 1970 film M*A*S*H, has died. Kellerman died of heart failure at her home Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, her manager and publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 84.

Kellerman had a career of more than 60 years in film and television. She was a regular in Altman’s films, appearing in 1970’s Brewster McCloud, 1992’s The Player and 1994’s Prêt-à-Porter – but she would always be best known for playing Major Houlihan, a strait-laced, by-the-book army nurse who is tormented by rowdy doctors during the Korean war in the comedy M*A*S*H.

In the film’s key scene – and a peak moment of misogyny – a tent where Houlihan is showering is pulled open and she is exposed to an audience of cheering men. “This isn’t a hospital, this is an insane asylum!” she screams at her commanding officer. She carries on a torrid affair with the equally uptight Major Frank Burns, played by Robert Duvall, demanding that he kiss her “hot lips” in a moment secretly broadcast over the camp’s public address speakers, earning her the nickname.

Source: Sally Kellerman, MAS*H’s original ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan, dies aged 84 | Movies | The Guardian

Want to be in a Tom Hanks movie? Extras are needed for filming in Pittsburgh area – WPXI

PITTSBURGH — If you want to be in a Tom Hanks movie, here’s your chance! Extras are needed for a project being filmed in the Pittsburgh area.

“A Man Called Otto” will be filmed in the greater Pittsburgh region and surrounding areas.

Kids, teens and adults are needed to portray town locals, army recruits, hospital staff, diner patrons, factory workers, train station employees, travelers and more.

Filming will take place from late February through early May.

Background actors will be paid.

CLICK HERE for more information and to apply.

Source: Want to be in a Tom Hanks movie? Extras are needed for filming in Pittsburgh area – WPXI

Sidney Poitier was inspiration to Pittsburgh’s Black actors, playwrights

Sidney Poitier’s groundbreaking work as a film actor and director is being hailed by prominent figures in Pittsburgh’s rich arts and entertainment community as the inspiration for their careers as actors, directors and playwrights.

Poitier, the first Black actor to win an Oscar for his performance as a handyman in 1963’s “Lilies of the Field,” died Friday at 94.

Before Poitier came along, Black characters usually were portrayed in movies in unflattering and stereotypical ways. Poitier broke that mold by articulating intelligence, intensity and defiance on screen, said Pittsburgh actor, director and playwright Monteze Freeland.

“I think specifically for me as a Black male actor, I think he was part of that blueprint that we still follow today. I think he was a lot of people’s North Star in a sense where he, of course, was a trailblazer,” said Freeland. “He knocked down barriers, he started trends. I think he is credited for the contemporary Black expression of acting that has served us throughout the years.”

Mark Clayton Southers, founder and producing artistic director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, remembers the profound impact Poitier made on him when he first saw him on screen.

“It’s like the impact (Barack) Obama has on Black kids today. They see him and know that one day they could be president. Well, when we saw Sidney Poitier on film in ‘Lillies of the Field’ and ‘Blackboard Jungle,’ he was our hero,” Southers said.

“It was amazing to see him work his craft and be so articulate. At that time, it was us against the world. It was unheard of just to get our stories told at that time. He was a renegade, and it was always refreshing to see him play these different roles. It was exciting to see this handsome Black man on screen.”

Source: Sidney Poitier was inspiration to Pittsburgh’s Black actors, playwrights

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Biggest Movie of the Year Worldwide – Variety

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s’ will become biggest movie of the year worldwide on Friday, Christmas Eve.

The latest entry in the Tom Holland-led trilogy will become the biggest movie of the year worldwide on Friday, Christmas Eve.

It’s set to cross the $1 billion mark on Christmas Day. At 11 days, it would be the second-fastest to hit that milestone (behind 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” at five days and tied with 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War”). It would also be the first theatrical release of the pandemic to join the billion-dollar club — even without China, the largest box office market in the world.

“No Way Home” made $29.3 million domestically on Thursday, bringing its seven-day gross to $385.8 million — the third-highest seven-day gross of all time, the highest seven-day gross in the “Spider-Man” franchise, and the second-highest seven-day gross ever for December and for a superhero film.

Source: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Biggest Movie of the Year Worldwide – Variety

Dean Stockwell Dies: ‘Quantum Leap’ Star Was 85

Former ‘Quantum Leap’ star Dean Stockwell, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor, died November 7 at age 85.

Former Quantum Leap star Dean Stockwell, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor whose career on stage, in film and TV spanned more than 70 years, died in the early morning of November 7. He died peacefully at home of natural causes, a rep for the family confirmed to Deadline. He was 85.

Stockwell was born in 1936 in North Hollywood. By the time he was 7, he was on Broadway, launching a career as a child actor. He appeared in Anchors Aweigh with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly; Kim with Errol Flynn; Gentleman’s Agreement, which landed him a Golden Globe Awardand, most notably, in the controversial 1948 movie The Boy with the Green Hair.

Source: Dean Stockwell Dies: ‘Quantum Leap’ Star Was 85

Peter Scolari Dead: ‘Bosom Buddies’, ‘Newhart’, ‘Girls’ Actor Was 66 – Deadline

Peter Scolari, the prolific television and stage actor who found instant fame and a lifelong friendship with Tom Hanks when the two co-starred in the hit 1980 TV comedy Bosom Buddies, died early Friday morning following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 66.

His death was announced by Ellen Lubin Sanitsky at Wright Entertainment.

Scolari’s 43-year show business career included such highlights as his Emmy-nominated series regular role of producer Michael Harris on Bob Newhart’s 1984-90 comedy Newhart, an Emmy-winning recurring role as the father of Lena Dunham’s character on HBO’s Girls, and, most recently, his role as Bishop Thomas Marx on the CBS supernatural drama Evil.

A partial roster of other TV credits include Fosse/Verdon, Madoff, The Good Fight, Murphy Brown, The West Wing, ER, Gotham, Law & Order: SVU, Ally McBeal, From the Earth to the Moon and Honey I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, to name a relative few. Film credits include The Polar Express and a cameo appearance as a TV host in the 1996 comedy-drama That Thing You Do!, directed by and starring his old friend and co-star Tom Hanks.

Source: Peter Scolari Dead: ‘Bosom Buddies’, ‘Newhart’, ‘Girls’ Actor Was 66 – Deadline

ReelAbilities Pittsburgh film festival returns Sept. 8-12 – LOCALPittsburgh

FOR THE filmmakers showcased in 2021 ReelAbilities Pittsburgh, that aphorism would be amended to never relinquishing the camera or final edit control.

Running Sept. 8-12 at Carnegie Museum of Art Theater, ReelAbilities Pittsburgh has been presented annually since 2013 by Film Pittsburgh. It features films that promote awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of individuals with disabilities.

The 2021 lineup includes showings of 12 eclectic films from Venezuela, Australia, Spain, Hong Kong and the U.S., supplemented by special discussion events with festival directors and actors Christina Abernethy, Sachi Cunningham, Nicholas Bruckman, Chandler Evans, Kaitlin Kerr, Kristin Rebstock, Afton Quast Saler and internationally renowned Pittsburgh street performer Bill Shannon, whose career as a skate punk and breakdancer is explored in Crutch.

Viewers will encounter the occasional well-known personage — George Lopez (At Last), Will Ferrell and William Jackson Harper (David), Latin percusssion star Ruper Vásquez (The Special) and U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Vice-President Kamala Harris (Not Going Quietly).

But at its core, the ReelAbilities films provide a series of life stories told with an unsurpassed level of intimacy, intensity and introspection. The settings may be ordinary … a subway car (Distances), summer camp (Best Summer Ever), Sunday church (Who Fights for You?), golf course (Re-Inventing the Wheel), family dinner table (Groundhog Night) or high school prom (At Last) … but the people whose worlds we enter are undeniably extraordinary.

Film Pittsburgh’s executive director Kathryn Spitz Cohan concurs. “That’s what’s so unique about ReelAbilities Pittsburgh,” she says. “The films and events emphasize how similar people are despite whatever differences we think we have.”

Following the Sept. 11 screening of Best Summer Ever, the Richard Meritzer Award for outstanding leadership in advancing the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act will be presented to Dr. Josie Badger of Pittsburgh.

Source: ReelAbilities Pittsburgh film festival returns Sept. 8-12 – LOCALPittsburgh

Pittsburgh-shot horror film Massacre Academy set for local premiere | Screen | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh has a strong connection to horror films. From being featured in George A. Romero’s Living Dead movies to Silence of the Lambs, we love a good scare. It makes sense that many indie filmmakers in the city have gravitated toward the horror genre, and Massacre Academy makes one more to add to the list.

Massacre Academy will have its red carpet premiere on Sat., July 31 at the Lamp Theatre in Irwin, Pa. In an email, the film’s writer/director Mark Cantu describes it as an ’80s slasher comedy. Cantu, who produces films under his Pittsburgh-based independent film production Cineworx, says the film was shot locally during the pandemic. Besides using a local cast and crew, Massacre Academy also features horror heavyweights like Felissa Rose, noted for playing the lead character in the 1983 cult horror film Sleepaway Camp.

Massacre Academy follows Kris McNeil (played by Jess Uhler), one of few survivors of a brutal series of murders by a slasher known as Carnie (Dave Sheridan). The film is set in 1987, two years after the massacre when Carnie is presumed dead. The trailer features a soundbite that says Carnie “sank to the bottom of a lake and drowned” but, as happens in horror films, a new series of killings begins and all signs point to him.

Tickets for the premiere are still available but limited, so get them while they last.


Massacre Academy premiere. 7 p.m. Lamp Theatre. 222 Main St., Irwin. $30. lamptheatre.org

Source: Pittsburgh-shot horror film Massacre Academy set for local premiere | Screen | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

Paid Extras Needed For Billy Porter Movie ‘What If?’ Filming In Pittsburgh – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Billy Porter is back in the Pittsburgh area to make a movie, and he is looking for paid extras.

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The Emmy Award-winning actor is making his debut as a director.

The movie is called “What If?” It focuses on a high school senior who posts on social media about his crush on a transgender classmate.

READ MORE:Pittsburgh Weather: Seasonable Temperatures To Start Before Hot Weekend

The movie is looking for extras between the ages of 18 and 23 to play other students.

The shoots will be on July 26 and 27 in the Bridgeville area. There also may be an opportunity to appear in the film on other days between July 19-30.

MORE NEWS:Car Crash Closes Part Of Lebanon Road In West Mifflin

Click here for more.

Source: Paid Extras Needed For Billy Porter Movie ‘What If?’ Filming In Pittsburgh – CBS Pittsburgh

Free tickets available Thursday morning for Pittsburgh weekend drive-in movie – WPXI

PITTSBURGH — Free tickets will be made available for the weekend drive-in movies presented by the city of Pittsburgh.

The Dollar Bank Drive-In Movie Night series will take place on Saturday in the Pittsburgh Zoo parking lot, Highland Park. Gates will open at 8 p.m., and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (PG-13) will begin around 9 p.m.

While admission is free, the number of parking spaces is limited, so advance ticket reservations are required. Free tickets will become available Thursday at 10 a.m. on the Special Events website (www.pittsburghpa.gov/events/cinema).

Dollar Bank Drive-in Movie Night is presented by the city of Pittsburgh and sponsored by 100.7 Star Pittsburgh.

Source: Free tickets available Thursday morning for Pittsburgh weekend drive-in movie – WPXI

Jessica Walter Dead: ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Archer’ Actress Was 80 – Deadline

Jessica Walter, the award-winning actress whose career spanned six decades, passed away in her sleep at home in New York City on Wednesday, March 24. She was 80.

Walter’s career included everything from a standout turn in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut, Play Misty for Me, to The Flamingo Kid and her Emmy-nominated turns on Trapper John M..D. and Streets of San Francisco. For her performance as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, Walter earned yet another Emmy nomination and two SAG nominations.

Walter won an Emmy starring in Amy Prentiss, an Ironside spinoff in the mid-1970s about a young San Francisco police detective. She also voiced Malory Archer on FXX’s animated series Archer.

Source: Jessica Walter Dead: ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Archer’ Actress Was 80 – Deadline

‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’ And ‘Goldbergs’ Star George Segal Dead At 87 | HuffPost

LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Segal, the banjo player turned actor who was nominated for an Oscar for 1966′s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and worked into his late 80s on the ABC sitcom “The Goldbergs,” died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California, his wife said.

“The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery,” Sonia Segal said in a statement. He was 87.

Source: ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’ And ‘Goldbergs’ Star George Segal Dead At 87 | HuffPost

Yaphet Kotto, ‘Alien’ and ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ actor, dead at 81 – CNN

(CNN)Yaphet Kotto, an actor known for bringing gravitas to his roles across television and film, has died, according to his agent, Ryan Goldhar. He was 81.

Kotto died on March 14 at 10:30 p.m. local time in the Philippines, where he lived with his wife, Goldhar said. Information on the cause of death was not provided.
Kotto’s on-screen body of work began in the late ’60s and remained steady through the ’90s. In that time, he amassed an array of memorable roles that spoke to his transformative talent.
His notable film work includes roles in “Alien,” “The Running Man,” “Midnight Run” and “Live and Let Die,” in which he played iconic Bond villain Mr. Big.

Source: Yaphet Kotto, ‘Alien’ and ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ actor, dead at 81 – CNN

Pittsburgh casting call for extras in Sandra Oh-starring Netflix dramedy ‘The Chair’ | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The show is written and created by Amanda Peet and executive produced by the creators of “Game of Thrones.”

A few lucky local actors who meet very specific qualifications may soon get the opportunity to work on a new Netflix show set to film in the Pittsburgh area.

The Pittsburgh Film Office announced in December that Netflix series “The Chair,” starring Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve” and “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Jay Duplass (“Transparent”), would be filming in the Pittsburgh region in the near future. The show will be written and co-created by Amanda Peet, mostly known for her acting work, and executive produced by “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff (Ms. Peet’s husband) and D.B. Weiss.

“The Chair” is a six-episode dramedy that is part of the $200 million “multiyear film and TV” deal Netflix struck with Benioff and Weiss in August 2019.

Source: Pittsburgh casting call for extras in Sandra Oh-starring Netflix dramedy ‘The Chair’ | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Drive-Ins Spread Through Hollywood (And Beyond)

As the prospects for going back to see movies indoors anytime soon grows dimmer, pop-up drive-ins are spreading. Now you can enjoy a socially distanced movie with dozens of other cars from Santa Monica to Montclair, along with more points in between.

In the heart of Hollywood, you’re even getting new(ish) movies. The much-hyped Tenet started playing nightly on Saturday at the Hollywood Legion Drive-In, a drive-in set up outside an American Legion hall just south of the Hollywood Bowl, ahead of the movie’s home release. The screen might not be the IMAX that director Christopher Nolan had envisioned, but it’s keeping the theatrical experience alive while we can’t be together in a movie theater.

The movie is the biggest Warner Bros. release since the pandemic began and one of its last releases before announcing that Wonder Woman 1984 would kick off plans to put all of its new movies on streaming site HBO Max through 2021. And the Legion Drive-In will be screening Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day too — tickets go on sale Thursday at 9 a.m., making it one of the few places in the city to see the movie in-person.

Hollywood’s American Legion Post 43 had recently renovated to add a $5 million theater with almost 500 seats, with the ability to screen both 35 millimeter and 70 millimeter film. But COVID-19 has meant a theater left empty most of this year.

“I actually went to Bill Steele, the theater director, and told him that I really thought that we should consider converting our parking lot back here into a drive-in theater,” the Legion’s chief projectionist Taylor Umphenour told LAist. He also works as a projectionist for the Motion Picture Academy and several of the major studios.

Source: Drive-Ins Spread Through Hollywood (And Beyond)

The Worst Movies of 2020 According to Variety Critics – Variety

1. Dolittle

Drug dealers used to have the mantra “Don’t get high on your own supply.” Maybe movie stars should live by the credo “Dolittle — just don’t do it.” The 1998 reboot was merely another middling Eddie Murphy comedy, but this Robert Downey Jr. remake achieves the staggering feat of being much, much worse than the fabled, creaky-boned 1967 Hollywood musical debacle. Is the problem the charmless critters? The ungodly mess of a story? Or the mechanical whimsy of Downey, who barely talks to the animals because he’s so busy talking to himself? All of the above. “Dolittle” is a movie that’s more excruciating than the sum of its frenetic yet lifeless kiddie-blockbuster parts.

2. The Last Thing He Wanted

The first mistake made by the gifted filmmaker Dee Rees (“Mudbound,” “Pariah”) was deciding to adapt one of Joan Didion’s worst forays into fiction: her 1996 tale of a Washington Post reporter who becomes an arms dealer for the U.S. government. The second mistake was to bold-face every only-in-a-Didion-novel twist and contrivance, and to have Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, and Willem Dafoe chew on the turgidly incoherent espionage dialogue as if they were acting in some breathless political noir. The result is a movie that gets so lost in the thickets of its pretension that you need a machete to cut through it.

3. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

used to create lyrically spiky head trips that teased your brain and heart at the same time. Now he makes sodden puzzles that don’t quite add up because they’re too busy telegraphing their cantankerous oddity. His latest trip down the rabbit hole of scrubby dream logic centers on a morose geek (Jesse Plemons) who’s too gnarled to connect to anyone, from his girlfriend (Jessie Buckley) to his Samuel Beckett sitcom parents (David Thewlis and Toni Collette) to the audience. But the spirit of disconnection is mother’s milk to Kaufman, and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is a depressive half-baked Twilight Zone — it’s all about the janitor! yeah, keep telling yourself that — that unravels before your eyes.

4. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

There are bad movies everyone hates and bad movies some people like (like “Ishtar” or “Xanadu”), and there’s no question that Will Ferrell’s I’m-an-idiot Nordic songfest burlesque has its cult of fans, who view it as an ironic expression of pop sincerity. Yet what about the jokes — as in, all of them — that just lie flat and sit there, like something on a plate of warm herring? Or the way that the movie can’t decide if Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, as an Icelandic duo who stumble into the Eurovision Song Contest, are bad singers, so-bad-they’re-good-singers, or good singers? The movie doesn’t satirize the annual Europop competition so much as it presents it, as if its very existence were funny. It’s not.

5. Guest of Honour

Atom Egoyan keeps masticating his old tropes — noodgy inspectors and disreputable bus drivers, secrets within mysteries within flashbacks, sexual indiscretion with a minor — in this jaw-droppingly convoluted and unconvincing family melodrama, which is centered around a restaurant that serves fried bunny-rabbit ears. Both the dish and the movie are supremely unappetizing, yet Egoyan, whose best films (“The Sweet Hereafter,” “Felicia’s Journey,” “Chloe”) now seem a world away, is increasingly content to play in Egoyan World, a jungle gym of ludicrous contrivance.

Source: The Worst Movies of 2020 According to Variety Critics – Variety

Analysts: AMC, Cinemark, Netflix Won’t Suffer Greatly From Warner Bros.’ 2021 Streaming Scheme

The fears of cinema collapse are an “overreaction,” there is no “death star,” analysts say.

One analyst, Matthew Harrigan of Benchmark, went so far as to say Netflix will not experience significant problems from the Warner Bros. move. He remarked the “oft bumbling HBO Max is not exactly the Netflix ‘death star,'” and boosted Netflix’s price target to $492, though this remains slightly below the stock’s current value of approximately $499.

Bloomberg reports cinema company executives responded swiftly to the Warner Bros. news. In an email, AMC CEO Adam Aron commented Warner seems to be “sacrificing” its movie division’s profitability “to subsidize its HBO Max start-up.” Cineworld Group (OTC:CNNW.F)owner of the Regal Theater chain, says it anticipates reaching a positive negotiation outcome with Warner because it is “very encouraged by the giant steps achieved recently with regards to the Covid-19 vaccination process.”

Source: Analysts: AMC, Cinemark, Netflix Won’t Suffer Greatly From Warner Bros.’ 2021 Streaming Scheme

Vince Vaughn’s Freaky Tops The Box Office With A Relatively Solid Debut – CINEMABLEND

With the country still struggling to contain the pandemic, Hollywood has mostly set its release schedule for the rest of 2020, and that’s come paired with a certain understanding of what theatrical releases are capable of at the box office. Being the first blockbuster out since March, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet created a high water mark in early September, making $20.2 million over an extended holiday weekend, but most big screen features since then have managed to top the charts by pulling in between $3.5-4 million. It was that amount of money that allowed Tim Hill’s The War With Grandpa to steal Tenet‘s crown, and then Mark Williams’ Honest Thief arrived a couple weeks later with that same total. November kicked off with Thomas Bezucha’s Let Him Go, which hit the high end of that range, and now we have the arrival of Christopher Landon’s Freaky… and you can probably guess how much it made.

Source: Vince Vaughn’s Freaky Tops The Box Office With A Relatively Solid Debut – CINEMABLEND

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