international brightlight film festival Archives

Mar22025 by cineverseNo Comments

Harrison Ford No Longer Presenting at Oscars

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By Jack Dunn According To The variety Harrison Ford will no longer be presenting at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, Variety has confirmed. Variety has confirmed through Ford’s rep that his last minute exit Saturday was due to a shingles diagnosis received on Friday. The Mayo Clinic describes shingles as a non-life threatening incurable viral infection that causes “a painful rash” which looks like “a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso.” Entertainment Weekly was the first to report Ford’s exit. Presenters still slated to walk the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater on Sunday night for the 97th Academy Awards include Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson...

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...

Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

Blake Lively Hires CIA Alum for Crisis PR in Legal Battle With Justin Baldoni (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Tatiana Siegel According To The variety Blake Lively has hired a PR crisis manager with deep government ties as her legal battle with Justin Baldoni escalates. The actress, who is suing and being sued by her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star, is quietly working with Nick Shapiro, the CIA’s former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to former director John Brennan. “The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” says a member of the actress’ legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. In December, Lively filed a letter with the California Civil Rights Department in which she claimed that...

Feb262025 by cineverseNo Comments

Roberto Orci, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Transformers’ Writer-Producer, Dies at 51

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By Jack Dunn According To The variety Roberto Orci, the writer-producer behind the late 2000s reboots of “Star Trek” and “Transformers” and creator of “Fringe,” died Tuesday in his Los Angeles home from kidney disease, Variety has confirmed. He was 51. With partner Alex Kurtzman, Orci co-wrote projects including 2007’s “Transformers” and 2009’s “Star Trek.” Orci’s other credits include producing work on the “Now You See Me” franchise, “Ender’s Game” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” as well as writing credits on “Mission Impossible 3.” On the TV side, Orci and Kurtzman developed the 2010 reboot of “Hawaii Five-0” which ran for over 200 episodes. He also created “Sleepy Hollow” and “Fringe” for Fox. Born in Mexico, Orci attended Crossroads School in Los Angeles where he met...