brightlight Archives

Mar22025 by cineverseNo Comments

2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action’ Review: Optimism and Outrage Battle It Out in Solid Shorts Crop

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By Peter Debruge According To The variety Over the past two decades, the Academy Awards have been in a constant state of flux: There are now 10 best picture nominees instead of five, the membership has grown (and diversified) by more than 50% in that time, streaming releases now routinely vie for the top prize. Amid all that change, one constant remains: For 20 years, ShortsTV has been working with the short film nominees to get their work seen around the country. The theatrical audience for those releases grows each year, to the point that the “2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action” package is on track to outgross best picture nominee “Nickel Boys” at the box office. First up in an all-around strong (and impressively international) selection is the Croatian short that won th...

Mar22025 by cineverseNo Comments

Box Office: ‘Captain America’ Staying Above ‘Last Breath’ as Theaters Go Quiet Over Oscars Weekend

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By J. Kim Murphy According To The variety Sunday might be billed as Hollywood’s biggest night, but it certainly won’t be outside of the Oscars ceremony. As the town readies for the last evening of awards season, theaters are seeing another muted weekend. Focus Features’ underwater thriller “Last Breath” is projecting a measured opening at $7.3 million. Meanwhile, Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” is expected to maintain No. 1 for the third weekend in a row, despite quickly losing momentum among moviegoers. “Last Breath” dived into $3 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,018 venues. The survival thriller, about a real rescue operation by deep sea divers, is projected to earn $7.3 million through its opening frame. Alex Parkinson directs a cast that includes Wo...

Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

New York Times Asks Court to Dismiss Justin Baldoni’s Defamation Lawsuit

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By Angelique Jackson, Brent Lang According To The variety The New York Times is asking a federal judge to dismiss Justin Baldoni‘s defamation suit against the paper for its role in publishing a bombshell report that ignited his legal battle with Blake Lively. Baldoni has accused the Times of working in coordination with Lively and her PR team on the Dec. 21 article entitled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” that revealed the actress had filed a civil rights complaint accusing her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star of misconduct. The piece also contained allegations that Baldoni and his representatives engaged in an elaborate effort to tarnish Lively’s reputation in retaliation after she raised her concerns about his on-set behavior. In its filing,...

Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa’s Bodies Test Negative for Carbon Monoxide; Hackman’s Pacemaker Stopped on Feb. 17

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By J. Kim Murphy According To The variety The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, remain under investigation, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza shared at a press conference Friday afternoon. In a statement, Mendoza stated that both Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning. The sheriff also disclosed that Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its “last event” on Feb. 17, meaning that it is currently assumed that that is the date that the actor died. Mendoza said there remains uncertainty over the order of the couple’s deaths. Final toxicology and autopsy reports remain pending — a process that Mendoza says “could be a month or three months or longer.” Initial findings indicate that there was “no external trauma to either in...

Feb252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Deadpool’ Creator Says Kevin Feige Should ‘Get Off the Mound. He’s Spent’ as ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Suffers Huge Box Office Drop

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By Zack Sharf According To The variety Captain America: Brave New World” fell at the box office with a 68% drop in its second weekend, marking the third biggest drop of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far after flops like “The Marvels” (78% drop) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (69% drop). “Deadpool” creator Rob Liefeld reacted to the news with a blunt statement on X about the president of Marvel Studios: “Get [Kevin] Feige off the mound. He’s spent.” Liefeld announced earlier this month that he is cutting ties with Marvel after he and his family weren’t invited to Disney’s afterparty at last July’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere. He said on his podcast at the time that Disney’s decision was “meant to embarrass, diminish and defea...

Feb252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Rachel Zegler Says Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Backlash Is Due to ‘Passion’ For the Original Movie: ‘We’re Not Always Going to Agree With Everyone’

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By Jack Dunn According To The variety “Snow White” star Rachel Zegler says the backlash against Disney‘s latest live-action remake is due to “passion” for the original film. While Disney’s live-action re-releases have seen better days since 2019’s “The Lion King,” the “Snow White” rehash has been a particular point of contention in some circles due to Zegler’s Columbian heritage. The outrage came to a head when the “Y2K” star called the 1937 original “dated,” featuring a prince that “literally stalks” Snow White. Zegler now says she interprets the controversies as an overprotective reaction to a beloved Disney classic. “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion,” Zegler told Vogue Mexico. “What an honor to be a part of something tha...

Feb252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Technicolor Begins to Shut Down Operations ‘Due to Inability to Find New Investors

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By Carolyn Giardina According To The variety Following a weekend during which it tried to make 11th hour deals to save the company and its brands, Technicolor Group CEO Caroline Parot sent a memo to employees Monday, writing “due to inability to find new investors for the full Group, despite extensive efforts, [Paris-headquartered] Technicolor Group has filed for Court ‘recovery procedure’ before the French Court of Justice to give a chance to enable to find solutions.” Technicolor encompasses VFX giant MPC (“Mufasa,” “The Lion King”), commercial VFX brand The Mill, Mikros Animation and Technicolor Games. A total shutdown of MPC and Technicolor’s operations would affect thousands of visual effects workers in countries include the U.S., UK, Canada and India. T...