News Analysis India

Tag: Movie

  • Twinkle Khanna comes under attack for her remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’ 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Author and former Bollywood actor Twinkle Khanna is being criticised on social media for making a tongue-in-cheek remark about the film “The Kashmir Files” in her Sunday column for a leading daily.

    In her satirical column published on April 3 with the headline ‘Did Will Smith learn a one-tight-slap lesson from India?’ on the shocking turn of events at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Khanna also wrote about how she was planning to register ‘Nail Files’, a title inspired by Vivek Agnihotri’s recently released film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.

    Under her nom de plume ‘Mrs Funnybones’, Khanna wrote that the potential film ‘Nail Files’ may revolve around a “disastrous manicure”, which she said would be “better than putting the final nail into the communal coffin”.

    The film has been called out for its problematic politics by some critics and authors but that has not affected its box office collection as the movie, released on March 11, has minted Rs 331 crore, according to the figures given by the producers in a tweet.

    The 47-year-old Khanna, who is the daughter of prolific Hindi cinema stars Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, was called out on social media by users who described her as a “shallow” Bollywood personality “devoid of morals”.

    Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, a Kashmiri Pandit, appealed to the columnist to not be insensitive towards the plight of the community. 

    Commenting on her column, Pandit tweeted Monday evening, “@mrsfunnybones ma’am, you are too late. This film (#KashmirFiles) on the genocide of #KashmiriPandits has already hit the nail on the communal coffin of #IslamicTerrorism. Request you not be so insensitive towards the genocide of 7 lac #KashmiriPandits.

    .@mrsfunnybones ma’am, you are too late. This film (#KashmirFiles) on the genocide of #KashmiriPandits has already hit the nail on the communal coffin of #IslamicTerrorism.Request you not be so insensitive towards the genocide of 7 lac #KashmiriPandits . pic.twitter.com/3CMQqRm63x
    — Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) April 4, 2022
    ” Another user wrote, “She does seem daft and insensitive to say this. All the Bollywood fraternity are shallow and devoid of morals.”

     Khanna’s comments come weeks after her husband and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar congratulated “The Kashmir Files” director on the success of the film, also quipping how it affected the box office business of his film “Bachchhan Paandey”, which was released on March 18.

    Kumar, known for his pro-establishment stand as opposed to his wife’s, had last month at an event said Agnihotri has brought a “harrowing truth to light” through his film.

    Khanna has been away from social media since Sunday after she shared the link to her column and retweeted it on her Twitter page.

  • ‘CODA’ gains Oscar momentum with top prize at PGA Awards 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: CODA won the top prize at Saturday night’s Producers Guild Awards, giving momentum to the possibility that the small film could have a big night at next week’s Oscars.

    The story of three adult family members who are deaf and a fourth who is not and seeks a singing career beat out bigger contenders including “The Power of the Dog”, “Dune” and “West Side Story” to take an award that more often than not goes on to win the Academy Award for best picture.

    “This movie has been an amazing ride, it was such a special one to make, there was so much love and so much heart put into it,” said Fabrice Gianfermi as he accepted the award with his “CODA” co-producers Philippe Rousselet and Patrick Wachsberger at the 33rd PGA Awards.

    An American Sign Language translator, who had been off to one side of the stage throughout the night’s speeches, stood front and centre during the ‘CODA’ acceptance and another stood in front of the stage to translate for the three actors from the film who are deaf: Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant.

    “CODA”, an acronym for “children of deaf adults”, is nominated for three Oscars at the March 27 ceremony, including best adapted screenplay for writer-director Sian Heder and best-supporting actor for Kotsur, who is expected by most to become the first actor who is deaf since Matlin in 1987 to win an Oscar.

    After it won best ensemble at last month’s Screen Actors Guild Awards it began to appear “CODA” could get real consideration for best picture. The odds may be getting better.

    The top PGA award winner has gone on to win the top Oscar in three of the past four years and 10 of the past 13 Academy Award voting closes Tuesday.

    The PGA Awards, an untelevised show from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles honouring producers of film and television, is as much like a company awards banquet as a typical awards show, with no speeches cut short for time or curses bleeped out.

    “Producing some s–t is really f—–g hard,” said Issa Rae, producer of “Insecure” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” as she accepted the guild’s Visionary Award.

    Ninety-year-old Rita Moreno, star of both the 1961 and 2021 versions of “West Side Story”, accepted the guild’s Stanley Kramer Award, which honours someone who has combined a career of artistry and activism.

    “This business has taken tenacity and hard work,” Moreno said.

    “Advocating for issues of social justice for the last 60 years, it’s been exhausting, exhilarating and life-giving. Moreno said the night itself was both joyful and exhausting after taking the stage at 11 pm local time, nearly three hours into the show. I was really getting tired,” she said.

    “My buttocks are a bit sore.”

    George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, stewards of the Star Wars universe and producers of many other notable motion pictures, were honoured for their careers with the PGA’s Milestone Award.

    Presenter Steven Spielberg, whose films have been produced by both Lucas and Kennedy, called them “two titans” who are “still just like kids playing in a sandbox.

    Lucas acknowledged that his favourite achievement may not be the most popular among his peers, including the one who introduced him Saturday.

    “The thing I’m the most proud of is digital cinema. That was something that I worked on for 20 years. Spent many many millions of dollars to make it happen,” Lucas said.

    “Some still don’t believe in it. Where’s Steven?” Spielberg, standing in the wings, acted out the operation of a traditional film camera, to laughs from the crowd. But we’re all friends,” Lucas said.

    “Summer of Soul” won the PGA’s documentary film category and ‘Encanto’ won the award for animated movies. Both are also nominated for Oscars.

    In the PGA’s television categories, awards went to the producers of “Succession”, “Mare of Easttown” and “Ted Lasso”.

    Greg Berlanti, the producer of shows including “Dawson’s Creek” and several series from the DC comic universe, was given the guild’s Norman Lear Award and was praised for advancing LGBTQ characters and storylines.

    Outgoing co-presidents of the guild Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher were tearful as they expressed joy that they could finally see their gathered peers in person after two years during which the pandemic forced the show to go virtual.

    They praised their fellow producers for keeping the industry alive during their tough tenure.

    “Hollywood loves a comeback story,” Fisher said, “and boy, yours is one for the ages.

  • Brad Pitt’s ‘Bullet Train’ gets a new release date

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Brad Pitt’s ‘Bullet Train’ is arriving at the station a little later than scheduled. Sony Pictures announced that the action thriller is moving from July 15 to July 29, taking the recently-vacated date of Dwayne Johnson’s DC movie ‘Black Adam’.

    As per Deadline, the July 15 release date is now being taken by ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’, a drama-mystery from Sony’s 3000 Pictures.

    The move gives ‘Bullet Train’ a little breathing room behind Disney’s MCU threequel ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, which will hit theatres on July 8.

    In its new July 29 slot, ‘Bullet Train’ will battle two other wide openers: Focus Features’ horror-thriller ‘Vengeance’ and Paramount’s animated action-comedy ‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’, which are both releasing on July 22.

    Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train’ as an experienced assassin whose first day back at work isn’t as easy as planned as he finds himself among several other professional killers with a similar mission on said train.

    Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Zazie Michael Shannon, Andrew Koji and Benito A Martinez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) are also a part of the star cast.

    The upcoming movie has been helmed by ‘Deadpool 2’ director David Leitch. With a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz, the film is based on ‘Maria Beetle’ by Kotaro Isaka. 

  • Bruna Marquezine joins cast of DC’s Blue Beetle

    By Express News Service

    Brazilian actor Bruna Marquezine has been signed to play the female lead, Penny for the superhero movie Blue Beetle. It is the first DC Films production to star a Latino character.

    The film also stars Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillen, Xolo Mariduena, who is set to star in the lead role of Jaime Reyes, the alter ego of the Blue Beetle, a vigilante who has a scarab grafted onto his spine that gives him tremendous powers and the ability to emit blue energy. Escobedo will play Jamie’s younger sister, Milagros. 

    The film is directed by Angel Manuel Soto and scripted by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. It will be releasing on August 18, 2023. 

  • Tom Welling to lead Scott Windhauser’s action-thriller ‘Deep Six’ 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Smallvile” actor Tom Welling has been tapped to star in writer-director Scott Windhauser’s upcoming action-thriller movie “Deep Six”.

    According to Deadline, actors Cam Gigandet, Sidhartha Mallya, Cher Cosenza, Al Linea and Alessia Alciati will also feature in the film.

    “I really lucked out to get to work with such a great actor like Tom. I think he is really going to open a lot of eyes with his role. He gets to go to toe-to-toe with Cam in a game of cat and mouse that the audience will love. I can’t wait to show the world this project,” said Windhauser.

    The story centres on Terry (Welling) who is released early from prison only to be forced to go undercover to take down the Cosa Nostra in Italy.

    “On his first day, his fellow six-man undercover unit is taken out. Terry must then ride shotgun all day with a psychopath killer who may know he is working for the police,” the plotline reads.

    Emanuele Moretti is producing the movie for The Motus Studios.

  • Filmmaker David Lynch joins cast of  The Fabelmans

    By Express News Service

    Hollywood filmmaker David Lynch has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film The Fabelmans.

    The project marks the first collaboration between the two legendary filmmakers. Lynch will star alongside Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Julia Butters, and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle.

    Lynch has previously featured in guest roles in many shows and movies, including his own series Twin Peaks, in which he played the role of Gordon Cole.

    The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical film that is loosely based on Spielberg’s childhood. Spielberg co-wrote the script with Tony Kushner of Lincoln and Munich fame.

    The film is currently in post-production. The film’s ensemble also includes Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Julia Butters, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Jonathan Hadary, and Isabelle Kusman.

  • Nina Dobrev to star alongside Aaron Eckhart in action-thriller The Bricklayer

    By Express News Service

    Actor Nina Dobrev will star alongside Aaron Eckhart in the upcoming action-thriller The Bricklayer. Written by Hanna Weg and Matt Johnson, the film is set to be directed by Cliffhanger-director Renny Harlin. In the film, someone is blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible.

    As the world begins to unite against the US, the CIA must lure its most brilliant and rebellious operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.

    The film will be produced by Millennium Media along with Gerard Butler. G-Base’s Alan Siegel, Butler and Danielle Robinson, Eclectic Pictures’ Heidi Jo Markel, and Millennium Media’s Jeffrey Greenstein, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, Yariv Lerner, and Rob Van Norden are producing the film.

    Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, and Tanner Mobley from Millennium are executive producers. The film will begin production next month in Europe.

  • Angelina Jolie calls her ‘Eternals’ character a troubled soul

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, who essays the role of Thena in Chloe Zhao’s superhero film ‘Eternals’, describes her character as someone who is not very comfortable during peacetime and this trait emanates from the moral injury of the character.

    Due to her special ability to manipulate cosmic energy to augment her life force which grants her virtual invulnerability and immortality, Thena is known for being a social misfit. Commenting on this, Angelina says, “Thena is like a soldier who is affected by the memories of battle and has PTSD or moral injury to live with. Thena just assumes that a fight’s coming at her rather than care and kindness.”

    Talking about the complexities of her character, Angelina says, “So she’s quite wired, and a lot of her struggle is just holding on to her mind and her center and her peace. I understand her, and how she feels.”

    She further adds, “Thena is not comfortable in peacetime. She doesn’t know how to exist as a civilian or as a lover or as a friend, but she does know war. She knows who she is in combat. But she doesn’t know how to go to a party or socialise. She just doesn’t have those skills.”

    ALSO READ: Angelina Jolie calls those angry by ‘Eternals’ same-sex relationship as ‘ignorant’

    The film, which features an ensemble of Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani, is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.