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Television wins new respect from movie elite at Cannes festival

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:19:56 -0400

By Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - Actors and directors gathered for the world's leading movie showcase in Cannes this week said television was increasingly luring top talent and should no longer be seen as artistically inferior to the big screen. TV series like "The Wire," "Homeland", "Mad Men," "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones", which have won critical and commercial success, were cited for breaking down the division between movies and TV, giving audiences innovative viewing. ...

WikiLeaks documentary spotlights complexity of Julian Assange

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:16:57 -0400

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may claim to be a champion of transparency, but when an Oscar-winning filmmaker wanted to shine a light on his rise to fame after publishing secret U.S. diplomatic cables on his website, Assange was none too pleased. Alex Gibney set out to uncover the story behind Assange, 41, and the website he founded in 2006 to leak classified information submitted by anonymous sources, but received little cooperation from the former computer hacker. ...

How an extreme movie makeover saved 'Fast & Furious' from going direct to DVD

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:30:52 -0400

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Fast & Furious 6" has become a road race to riches without a finish line in sight. Roaring into theaters Friday, the movie is expected to generate $80 million or more over the Memorial Day weekend - astounding numbers for a franchise that is more than a decade old, and isn't "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones." Even more astonishing, Universal's "Fast" films are the rare series that seem to pick up steam with each new sequel. ...

Paddy Considine and Fares Fares join Tom Hardy thriller 'Child 44'

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:11:28 -0400

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Paddy Considine and Fares Fares ("Zero Dark Thirty") are in negotiations to join the international ensemble of Summit Entertainment's Soviet-era thriller "Child 44," TheWrap has learned. The duo will be joining Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman in the movie, which Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House") is directing from a script by Richard Price, who adapted the bestselling novel by Tom Rob Smith. "The Killing" star Joel Kinnaman was previously reported to be in negotiations as well. ...

'Before Midnight's' director, stars Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke celebrate 'the lowest-grossing trilogy ever'

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:21:12 -0400

By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Hangover Part III" may be the biggest three-quel to hit movie screens this Memorial Day weekend, but in indie circles that tale of Vegas debauchery will have to take a decided back seat to a man and a woman who'll spend an hour and a half having conversations. "Before Midnight" is the third installment in an unlikely trilogy that began with "Before Sunrise" in 1995 and continued with "Before Sunset" in 2004. ...

Jon Stewart casts Gael Garcia Bernal as lead in his directorial debut 'Rosewater'

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:58:32 -0400

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jon Stewart has tapped Gael Garcia Bernal to star in his feature directorial debut "Rosewater," TheWrap has learned. Scott Rudin is producing with Stewart and Gigi Pritzker of OddLot Entertainment, which is financing the film. Stewart is taking a 12-week hiatus from hosting Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" in order to make the movie. "Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver will take over hosting duties for eight weeks during Stewart's absence. ...

'Before Midnight' review: Joy and pain, long after happily ever after

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:39:35 -0400

By Alonso Duralde LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - As a rule, we like our love stories to end with a big kiss between the boy and the girl (or other combinations thereof) who have overcome obstacles and issues before setting off together on a life of perfect, eternal romance, unsullied by imperfection or boredom or change or unhappiness. ...

eOne picks up Princess Diana biopic starring Naomi Watts

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:25:16 -0400

By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Entertainment One has secured domestic distribution rights to "Diana," a biopic of the late princess starring Naomi Watts, the company announced on Thursday. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall") directed the film from a script by Stephen Jeffreys. The film depicts the last two years of Diana's life, in particular her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan. ...

Amanda Seyfried to star in Noah Baumbach's 'While We're Young'

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:26:42 -0400

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fresh off a SAG nomination for her turn as Cosette in "Les Miserables," Amanda Seyfried is in final negotiations to join Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts and Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach's indie movie "While We're Young," TheWrap has learned. Seyfried emerged as a potential candidate for the role of Driver's love interest several weeks ago and she has now cleared room in her fall schedule for the movie, which is being produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush. ...

Graphic sex in applauded lesbian love story gets Cannes buzzing

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:58:55 -0400

By Alexandria Sage CANNES (Reuters) - An intimate love story between two young women received rave reviews from critics at the Cannes film festival despite explicit lesbian sex scenes that could limit the film's distribution. "La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2" ("Blue is the Warmest Color") is a poignant tale of love and sexuality centered on 15-year-old Adele, in a breakout performance by Adele Exarchopoulos, and her lover Emma (Lea Seydoux), set to premiere on Thursday evening. ...

WikiLeaks doc director on Julian Assange: 'The balls of this guy - I thought, 'wow.'

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:22:39 -0400

By Sharon Waxman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange seemed like an intriguing topic for prolific documentarian Alex Gibney, but little did he know the rabbit hole of secrets, lies and hypocrisy he would find as he dug into his subject. Gibney's latest work, "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks," about Assange and his "radical transparency," is a fascinating look at one of our era's most fascinating information rebels. WaxWord caught up with Gibney ahead of the movie's May 24 release. ...

Viggo Mortensen to receive Dennis Hopper Award at AMFM Fest

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:14:50 -0400

By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Viggo Mortensen will receive the fourth annual Dennis Lee Hopper Award at this year's inaugural AMFM Fest in California's Coachella Valley, Film 4 Change announced on Thursday. Mortensen, an actor, writer, poet and visual artist, will receive the award at a ceremony in the desert town of Cathedral City on June 16, on the final day of the four-day festival that draws its name from the phrase "Art, Music, Film and More. ...

Zach Braff taught crowdfunding to Woody Allen - and he liked it

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:28:28 -0400

By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Reaction to Zach Braff's use of Kickstarter to fund his next indie film has been mixed, to say the least. But according to the "Scrubs" star, Woody Allen is "riveted" by it. During an interview on SiriusXM talk show "Unmasked," Braff said that the Oscar-winning "Annie Hall" director had no idea what crowdfunding was before meeting with him to discuss a project. "By the way, I'm the one who explained crowdfunding to Woody Allen," Braff said. "He's one of my heroes and I met him because we were talking about doing something together. ...

'American Horror Story' star Evan Peters joins 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:04 -0400

By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Evan Peters, an actor who has portrayed a lead in both seasons of FX's "American Horror Story," has been cast as super-fast mutant Quicksilver in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." As he's done with other additions to the upcoming sequel, like the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Bryan Singer made the announcement over Twitter on Thursday. Quicksilver is gifted with superhuman speed. The character, who is the son of Magneto, first appeared in "X-Men #4" in 1964, alongside his twin sister, the Scarlet Witch. ...

Cannes documentary makers focus on Jackie Stewart, Pele and Ali

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:07:47 -0400

By Mike Davidson CANNES (Reuters) - Three years after "Senna", the hit film biography of the late Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, sporting documentaries about Jackie Stewart, Muhammad Ali and Pele are competing for attention at the Cannes Film Festival. In "Weekend of a Champion", the Polish-French filmmaker Roman Polanski follows Stewart, his long-time friend, as he prepares to drive in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, at a time when the risks to drivers were far greater than they are now. ...

Bradley Cooper back for one last Hollywood 'Hangover'

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:33:43 -0400

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After years of struggling to break into the Hollywood A-list from television, actor Bradley Cooper has gained some serious recognition for his work on the silver screen. Cooper returns to the comedy franchise, "The Hangover," which skyrocketed his career, after dramatic roles that earned him an Oscar nomination and praise for his more dramatic talents. The 38-year old actor has been on TV since 1999 and landed some supporting film roles. ...

6 lessons Hollywood needs to learn from 'The Fast & The Furious'

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:11:21 -0400

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Fast & the Furious 6" is widely expected to dominate the Memorial Day box office and potentially become the highest grossing film in the lucrative franchise's history. For a franchise keep growing as it enters its second decade and sixth installment is nearly unheard of in Hollywood, where sequels tend to burn hot and fast, dying out quickly. ...

Box Office: 'Hangover Part III' Grosses $3.1M at Late Night Showings

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:07:38 -0400

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Debauchery paid off in a big way for "The Hangover Part III," as the latest installment in the black-out franchise generated $3.1 million in late night screenings on Wednesday, according to studio estimates. That's a strong number for midnight shows on a hump day, though it can't compete with the $10.4 million "The Hangover Part II" generated in late night screenings when it hit theaters two years ago. That figure stands as a record number for an R-rated release. ...

'Epic' review: Moments of delight pep up a crushingly familiar story

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:49:27 -0400

By Alonso Duralde LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - When everything around you is stultifyingly familiar, it's the tiny variations that catch your attention. And in "Epic," when the filmmakers take little detours from the reluctant-warrior-accepts-his/her-destiny plot, it brings some desperately needed livening up to what otherwise feels like a crushingly by-the-numbers kid saga. Sullen teen M.K. (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) heads out to the woods to live with her scientist father Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis) following the death of her mother. M.K. ...

'Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson to star in and produce 'Ape'

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:31:04 -0400

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After conquering "The Hunger Games," Josh Hutcherson is set to star in the dark psychological thriller "Ape" for Atomic Owl Pictures and JetLag Productions. Miguel Sapochnik ("Repo Men") will direct the film from a script by newcomer Jon Johnstone. Bree Herzog is producing for Atomic Owl along with JetLag's Hutcherson, Michelle Fightmaster and Ric Beddingfield. ICM Partners will handle worldwide rights. "Ape" is a dramatic tale of a young man's struggle with mental illness, love and a deep-rooted family secret. ...

Cannes: Lionsgate nabs U.S. rights to Clive Owen crime drama

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:38:28 -0400

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lionsgate nabbed U.S. distribution rights to the crime drama "Blood Ties" from Worldview Entertainment, the studio said Wednesday from the Cannes Film Festival. The film premiered at the French Riviera gathering this week and features Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Zoé Saldana, and Marion Cotillard. Lionsgate said it plans to release the picture through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. ...

Ryan Gosling's 'Only God Forgives': Critics really, really hate the crime drama

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:55:14 -0400

(Strong language in paragraph 7) By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ryan Gosling must be feeling pretty happy about his decision to skip the red carpet at Cannes this year. Critics at the Riviera film festival vivisected "Only God Forgives," his ultra-violent collaboration with Nicolas Winding Refn, leaving it as bruised and battered as the hunky star appears in promotional art for the film. Winding Refn, the enfant terrible of Danish film, previously teamed with Gosling on "Drive," earning a Best Director award at Cannes in 2011 for his hallucinatory crime story. ...

'Great Gatsby' director, cast come home with Sydney premiere

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:23:35 -0400

By Thuy Ong SYDNEY (Reuters) - Director Baz Luhrmann brought "The Great Gatsby" home on Wednesday for its Australian premiere, with box-office success for the Sydney-produced film bolstering hopes for the resurgence of the local film industry. The film, set in 1920s New York and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, is one of several international productions recently lured to Australia by federal government tax breaks and grants. The ambitious third adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "great American novel" debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last week and has so far raked in $23. ...

Damon Lindelof admits 'Star Trek' strip down was 'gratuitous,' 'misogynistic' moment

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:57:16 -0400

By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Star Trek Into Darkness" co-writer Damon Lindelof has kind of, sort of apologized for anyone offended by the gratuitous display of Alice Eve's nearly-naked body in movie theaters (and the movie's marketing) around the world. "I copped to the fact that we should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress," Lindelof wrote on Twitter on Monday night. Given the fact the image in question was featured in numerous trailers leading up to last week's release, moviegoers knew Alice Eve's character, Dr. ...

Danish director Refn splatters Cannes festival with violence

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:53:50 -0400

By Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - An ultra-violent thriller set in the Bangkok underworld of brothels and fight clubs came under attack at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday for its bloodletting which Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn defended as art. "Only God Forgives" by Refn, who won the best director award at Cannes two years ago, is the story of Julian, an American fugitive played by Canadian Ryan Gosling, who runs a boxing club in the Thai capital as a front for a drug business. ...

'The Hangover Part III' review: Thank god for peculiar, perverse - and outrageously funny - Galifianakis

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:47:50 -0400

By Leah Rozen LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Years from now, doctoral candidates are likely to write entire extended theses on Alan Garner, the character so memorably and brilliantly played by Zach Galifianakis in the "Hangover" series. This bearded baby-man - he's a walking Chia Pet - is pure id, one of the most transgressive characters to ever pop up in a mainstream movie. He's annoying, peculiar, perverse, prideful, cuddly and outrageously funny, all rolled into a single squat, hirsute package. Fortunately for "The Hangover Part III," much of it is all about Alan. ...

'Fast & Furious 6' review: Bypasses logic and drives straight to the pleasure center

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:51:06 -0400

By Alonso Duralde LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Neuropsychologists should consider studying "Fast & Furious 6" (and its equally thrilling predecessor, "Fast Five") for its unique ability to completely bypass the brain's logic center and go right to pushing our pleasure buttons over and over again. Countless action directors aspire to the big, dumb fun that these last few franchise entries have provided, but whereas most of them only get "dumb" and maybe "big" right, director Justin Lin and his crew deliver fun, fun, fun. (And nobody takes anybody's T-Bird away. ...

Melissa McCarthy allegedly fires extra from 'Tammy' set for abusing child

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:32:12 -0400

By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Melissa McCarthy allegedly booted a female extra from the set of her directorial debut "Tammy" on Monday after catching the woman mistreating, and possibly even abusing, her child. TMZ reports the unidentified woman reported to work on the Wilmington, N.C., set with a 4 to 5 year-old child in tow and struggled to control the child's behavior. McCarthy's reps did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment. ...

Keanu Reeves, Reese Witherspoon sci-fi romance 'Passengers' acquired by The Weinstein Company

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:25:33 -0400

By Lucas Shaw LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Weinstein Company has acquired the rights to "Passengers," an upcoming sci-fi film starring Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon, according to multiple individuals with knowledge of the deal. The movie won't begin filming for at least a few months, and TWC plans to release it next year. Reeves will star as a passenger on a spacecraft transporting thousands of people to a distant planet. Due to a malfunction in a sleep chamber, he awakens years before anyone else. All alone on the vessel, he decides to wake up another passenger (Witherspoon). ...

Cannes: The Weinstein Co. nearing deal for 'The Young and Prodigious Spivet'

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:02:25 -0400

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Weinstein Company is closing in on U.S. rights to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 3D adventure movie "The Young and Prodigious Spivet," which is one of the hottest available titles at Cannes. A spokesperson for TWC didn't immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment, but an individual close to the negotiations confirmed that a deal was likely to close. "Spivet" stars Kyle Catlett as the title character, a gifted 12-year-old boy who leaves his family in Montana and sets out across the country in order to receive a prize in Washington D.C. ...

News Corp to take charge of up to $1.4 billion this quarter

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:12 -0400

By Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - News Corp said on Friday it will write down the value of its Australian and U.S. publishing assets by up to $1.4 billion, as the company prepares to split its business between its newspaper and entertainment operations. The company said the goodwill impairment charge was primarily for its Australia newspapers though it gave no more details. It also said it expected reduced cash flows in the future. The charge will be taken in the quarter ending June 30 and could effectively wipe out News Corp's profit. ...

Steely Cotillard shines in 'The Immigrant'

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:19:12 -0400

CANNES, France (AP) — Academy award-winner Marion Cotillard gave her all and even learned another language to play a Polish woman struggling with the realities of 1920s New York in James Gray's terse offering, "The Immigrant."

Actress Amanda Bynes denies bong-throwing charges

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:48:47 -0400

By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - American actress Amanda Bynes appeared in court on Friday and denied charges of possessing marijuana and tossing a bong out of the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment. The former Nickelodeon child star, who appeared in court dressed in gray sweatpants, a long-sleeved black shirt and a disheveled platinum blonde wig, was released on her own recognizance after spending a night in jail after her arrest on Thursday. ...

Sandra Bullock Jokes About Gravity Sex Scenes With George Clooney

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:04:28 -0400

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney's upcoming space thriller "Gravity," appears to be filled with heart-pounding chills and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but when Access Hollywood spoke with Sandra about the movie, the actress was telling a different story!

Cannes: Dern a leading man again in 'Nebraska'

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:51:12 -0400

CANNES, France (AP) — For the aging, gruff patriarch of his father-son road trip "Nebraska," Alexander Payne tried to lure Gene Hackman out of retirement and considered the likes of Robert Duvall and Jack Nicholson. Bruce Dern calls them "the obvious guys."

Man charged with stalking Jennifer Lawrence's kin

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:46:08 -0400

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Canadian man is facing charges that he stalked the brother of Jennifer Lawrence after authorities say he repeatedly insisted that the man put him in touch with the Oscar-winning actress so he could protect her, according to court documents.

Iran filmmaker gets standing ovation for secret film at Cannes

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:09:49 -0400

By Mike Davidson CANNES (Reuters) - An Iranian director who was jailed for anti-government propaganda in 2010 emerged at the Cannes film festival on Friday to premiere a new film about state oppression that he shot in secret in his home country. Mohammad Rasoulof was found guilty of "actions and propaganda against the system" after trying to make a documentary about the unrest that followed the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. He was jailed for six years and banned from making films and leaving Iran for 20 years. ...

Period dramas premiere on day 10 of Cannes film festival

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:27:53 -0400

By Alexandria Sage CANNES (Reuters) - America's immigration debate finds echos in a period drama that premiered at the Cannes film festival on Friday about a Polish woman who arrives at Ellis Island and fights to survive in 1920s New York. "The Immigrant" features French Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as the immigrant Ewa, speaking English and Polish in the film, with Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner as the two men with whom she becomes entangled as she is forced into prostitution. ...

Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for auction

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:11:14 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - The wedding dress worn by film star Elizabeth Taylor for her first marriage to hotel heir Conrad Hilton in 1950 will go up for sale next month, auction house Christie's said on Friday. The simple, but elegant garment created by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose for the then 18-year-old Taylor is an oyster shell-colored, floor-length satin gown with a fine silk gauze off-the-shoulder illusion neckline. The dress, which was a gift from MGM film studios, has a top estimate of 50,000 pounds ($75,300). ...

Trip To Outer Space With Leonardo DiCaprio Goes For $ 1.5M At Auction

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:50:16 -0400

Going up to the stars with one of the Hollywood's biggest stars is going to cost you!