brightlight Archives

Jul102024 by cineverseNo Comments

Venice Film Festival Jury: Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, James Gray and More Join President Isabelle Huppert

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By Ellise Shafer According To The Daily) The full international jury for this year’s Venice Film Festival has been unveiled. The lineup joining president Isabelle Huppert is director-heavy, consisting of James Gray (“Ad Astra”), Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”), Agnieszka Holland (“Green Border”), Kleber Mendonça Filho (“Bacurau”), Abderrahmane Sissako (“Bamako”), Giuseppe Tornatore (“Cinema Paradiso”) and Julia von Heinz (“Treasure”). “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” star Zhang Ziyi rounds out the jury. In addition to awarding the Golden Lion for best film, the jury will also be responsible for handing out the Silver Lion grand jury prize, Silver Lion for best director, Coppa Volpi for best actress, Coppa...

Jul72024 by cineverseNo Comments

James Cameron Pays Tribute to ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic’ Producer Jon Landau: ‘A Part of Myself Has Been Torn Away’

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By Ethan Shanfeld According To The Daily) Saying that he feels like “a part of myself has been torn away,” director James Cameron has paid tribute to his longtime producing partner Jon Landau, who died of cancer July 5 at age 63. Cameron and Landau were close-knit producing partners for more than 30 years, working together on such landmark films as “Titanic” and the “Avatar” series. “The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades,” Cameron said in a statement to Variety. Cameron heralded Landau’s skill and love of helping him push the boundaries of moviemaking, as well as L...

Jul72024 by cineverseNo Comments

Longlegs’ Review: Nicolas Cage Worms His Way Into Your Nightmares With Dread-Filled Serial Killer Thriller

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By Peter Debruge According To The Daily) Now here’s a first: Apart from the pale-faced freak show of the film’s title, the experience of watching “Longlegs” didn’t strike me as all that frightening. At first. In the moment, it’s considerably less scary than the ecstatic early buzz — ginned up by Neon via whisper campaigns and strategic advance screenings — would have you believe. Less than 12 hours after seeing it, however, the demented Nicolas Cage character resurfaced in my nightmares, popping up out of nowhere to screech, “Hail Satan!” in that unnerving, high-pitched voice of his. How many horror movies can claim to hijack your subconscious? With “Longlegs,” writer-director Osgood Perkins (“The Blackcoat’s Daughter”) delivers the kind of payoff we sought ...

Jul62024 by cineverseNo Comments

A Quiet Place: Day One’ Director Explains the Ending, What Characters Are Still Alive and Says a Sequel Is ‘Absolutely’ Happening

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By Lexi Carson According To The Daily) SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses plot points from “A Quiet Place: Day One,” now playing in theaters. “A Quiet Place: Day One” is filled with tense silence, brutal kills and a moving ending, which leaves the door open for more apocalyptic horrors. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o stars as Samira, a terminally ill cancer patient who leaves hospice to explore New York City with her service cat Frodo. But her trip is disrupted when alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing invade Earth. Sam, Frodo and Eric (Joseph Quinn), a young English law student then meet amid the apocalypse, attempting to silently navigate through one of the world’s noisiest cities in a moment when the slightest sound will cause the Death Angels to attack. Sam h...

Jul62024 by cineverseNo Comments

All Happy Families’ Review: Not All Indie Family Dramedies Are Alike

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By Michael Nordine According To The Daily) “All happy families are alike,” claims the immortal first sentence of Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”; “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” And while jaded viewers may opine that all indie dramedies about dysfunctional families in the “Little Miss Sunshine” or “The Squid and the Whale” mold are alike, writer-director Haroula Rose’s “All Happy Families” suggests the genre has moved in a more grounded direction. Whether that’s ultimately a better direction remains to be seen. The focal point of this particular family is Graham (Josh Radnor), an aspiring screenwriter/actor whose older brother Will (Rob Huebel) stars on a hugely popular (and seemingly terrible) TV series. As Will surprises Graham by flying from Los Ange...

Jul32024 by cineverseNo Comments

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Review: Eddie Murphy Works Hard to Act Game in a Sequel Made to Tickle Your Nostalgia

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By Owen Gleiberman According To The Daily) Nostalgia, when it comes to reviving an old movie series, can be axiomatic. Every so often you see a genuine great piece of nostalgia — like “Creed” or the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot or the 2014 “Godzilla.” But then there’s the kind of nostalgia represented by “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” Plotted like a generic police-corruption thriller, lit with cruddy efficiency, pausing every 10 minutes or so for a “light” moment, the movie is no “Beverly Hills Cop.” But it’s better than the ballistic noise orgy that was “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1986) or the clunky retro mess of “Beverly Hills Cop III” (1994), so I guess we should be grateful. And I suspect that a lot of viewers who grew up in the ’80s will be. Let’s be clear, though, about the level of no...

Jul32024 by cineverseNo Comments

Peter Farrelly’s ‘Balls Up’ Comedy With Mark Wahlberg to Shoot in Australia

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By Patrick Frater According To The Daily) Balls Up,” an action comedy film from “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly and starring Mark Wahlberg, will shoot this month in Queensland, Australia. The picture is backed by Amazon MGM Studios and Skydance. The film follows two American marketing executives who are fired for blowing a client sponsorship opportunity and decide to use their free tickets to a major soccer match. Their drunken debauchery leads them to be hunted by every person across the country. The cast is headed by Wahlberg (“The Family Plan”) and Paul Walter Hauser (“The Instigators”). The film’s writers are Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (“Deadpool & Wolverine”). Producers include Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don ...