brightlight Archives

Jul22024 by cineverseNo Comments

‘Real’ Review: Oleh Sentsov’s Ukrainian War Documentary Is Unplanned but Utterly Immersive

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By Guy Lodge According To The Daily) A lot of great cinema is made by happy accidents: certain intangible chemistries and tricks of timing that can’t be calculated even by the most exacting auteur. In the considerably rarer case of “Real,” the whole film is an accident, and one more vital than happy. Shot inadvertently while director Oleh Sentsov — not working as a filmmaker, but as a lieutenant in the Ukrainian Defense Forces — was holed up with his unit during a perilous battle in the early days of the war against Russia, the film captures the horror and claustrophobia of trench warfare with an immediacy that no big-budget fictional combat movie could hope to match, all courtesy of a GoPro camera on Sentsov’s helmet that he accidentally turned on while checking his equi...

Jul12024 by cineverseNo Comments

Oscar Contenders From First Half of 2024 (So Far), From ‘Dune: Part Two’ to Zendaya

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By Clayton Davis According To The Daily) The buzz on potential Oscar contenders from the first half of 2024 seems quieter than usual. Nonetheless, stars such as Zendaya, Cannes winner Jesse Plemons and Hollywood’s new “hit man,” Glen Powell, will be among those hoping to stay afloat in the awards conversation until the end of the season. Significant financial successes from the top of the box office charts are worth celebrating. Warner Bros.’ sci-fi epic sequel, “Dune: Part Two,” could become the seventh movie nominated in all seven technical categories, following its 2022 predecessor. Pixar’s big comeback, “Inside Out 2,” might vie for more than just a spot in the best animated feature category. This year also features several one-offs — films hoping for one or two mentions ...

Jul12024 by cineverseNo Comments

‘Inside Out 2’ Becomes First Movie of 2024 to Hit $1 Billion at Global Box Office

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By Rebecca Rubin According To The Daily) Talk about a mood booster. Disney and Pixar‘s emotion-laden “Inside Out 2” is the first film of the year to hit $1 billion at the global box office. After 19 days of release, the animated sequel has grossed $469.3 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $1.015 billion. It’s one of 11 animated films to join the billion-dollar club (eight of which are Disney titles), and it’s the fastest animated release to do so. When “Inside Out 2” opened in theaters on June 14, the film shattered expectations with $151 million domestically and overtook “Dune: Part 2” ($711 million) as the biggest opening of the year. It was also the first movie since last July’s “Barbie” ($162 million) to debut above $...

Jul12024 by cineverseNo Comments

Usher, Victoria Monét and Tyla Win Big at 2024 BET Awards

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By Steven J. Horowitz According To The Daily) Usher, Victoria Monét and Tyla were just a few of the big winners at the 2024 BET Awards, which took place in Los Angeles tonight at the Peacock Theatre. Taraji P. Henson hosted the four-hour show, which featured a parade of performances from Lauryn Hill, Will Smith, Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, Childish Gambino, GloRilla and many, many more. Of the standout moments of the night, the tribute to Usher in honor of his Lifetime Achievement Award victory was a centerpiece. Usher, who received an introduction from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, watched as a parade of artists paid tribute to his career. Childish Gambino, who had just presented the award for album of the year to Killer Mike for “Michael,” set off the Usher tribute...

Jun302024 by cineverseNo Comments

The Ho-Hum Box Office of Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Carries a Message: Don’t Turn Movies Into Television

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By Owen Gleiberman According To The Daily) It’s an old saw in Hollywood that you shouldn’t put your own money into a movie. But I’ve always had a powerful respect for anyone who does. Clearly, it’s a sign of their commitment — that they care enough about what they’re doing to have some skin in the game. I also think there’s an intoxicating roll-of-the-dice payoff in play: If you put your own money into a movie, your investment could hit the jackpot. (That’s what happened with Mel Gibson and “The Passion of the Christ” and George Lucas with “Star Wars.”) And, of course, there’s the admirable idea that those who self-finance are trying to bring a film into the marketplace that a corporate studio said no to. That’s one way that motion pictures can stay adventurous. So the reckless ...

Jun292024 by cineverseNo Comments

Bud S. Smith, Editor of ‘Sorcerer,’ ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Flashdance,’ Dies at 88

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By J. Kim Murphy According To The Daily) Bud S. Smith, an Oscar-nominated film editor who was a regular collaborator with William Friedkin and whose other credits include “Putney Swope,” “Flashdance” and “The Karate Kid,” died Sunday at his home in Studio City, Calif. due to respiratory failure after a prolonged illness. He was 88. Smith’s death was confirmed by his wife, dialogue editor Lucy Coldsnow-Smith. Over a career spanning five decades, Smith was a two-time Academy Award nominee: in 1984 for Adrian Lyne’s romance fantasia “Flashdance,” and in 1975 for William Friedkin’s horror classic “The Exorcist,” which Smith shared a nomination for with Evan A. Lottman and Norman Gay. Smith won the BAFTA award for best editing for “Flashdance” and received a career achie...

Jun292024 by cineverseNo Comments

Kalki 2898 AD’ Review: Lavish Tollywood Sci-Fi Epic Is an Unabashedly Derivative Spectacle

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By Joe Leydon According To The Daily) With “Kalki 2898 AD,” Telugu cinema filmmaker Nag Ashwin rifles through a century of sci-fi and fantasy extravaganzas to create a wildly uneven mashup of everything from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” to Marvel Comics movies, underpinned by elements from the Hindu epic poem “Mahabharata.” It’s billed, perhaps optimistically, as the first chapter of the Kalki Cinematic Universe franchise — which makes it part of a larger trend, since it launches the same weekend that Kevin Costner’s multi-film “Horizon” saga does in the U.S. International viewers unfamiliar with the specifics of the ancient Kurukshetra War between the Kauravas and the Pandavas — think Hatfields and McCoys, only with chariots and spears — may want to brush up on Indi...