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Around Tinsel Town
>> Film festival updates and awards season beckons
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year saw several premieres; The first two episodes of Rebecca Hall’s The Listenerspremiered at the festival on Saturday while Pamela Anderson took a bow for The Last Showgirl. A documentary sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu premiered while Jennifer Lopez’s sports drama Unstoppable earned a rousing ovation.
The 81st Venice International Film Festival which got wrapped up last Saturday had Pedro Almodovar winning the Venice Golden Lion for The Room Next Doorwhile Nicole Kidman took home the Volpi Cup. The winners were chosen from an eclectic roster of exceptional international films. The festival also saw the premiere of Tamil actor Radikaa Sarathkumar’s Little Jafna. Directed by Lawrence Valin, the film closed Venice’s Critics Week.
Shogun won the most Emmys ever for a single season of a television series with 14 at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday night, while The Bear won seven, including Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Jamie Lee Curtis. Maya Rudolph won her sixth career Emmy on Saturday night, taking the trophy for best character voice-over for her work on Big Mouth, while Angela Bassett won her first for her narration of the National Geographic show Queens.
Bollywood
‘Bhooth Bangla’: Akshay Kumar announces new film with Priyadarshan after 14 years
Shahid Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj reuniting for action entertainer; Triptii Dimri in cast
Taapsee Pannu, Kanika Dhillon announce new film ‘Gandhari’
Ajay Devgn’s ‘Raid 2’ to release early next year
Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh to reunite in ‘Jigra’
Shah Rukh Khan ribs Karan Johar about hosting chat shows: When are you going to make films?
Season two of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ gets a premiere date
Actor Vikas Sethi of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ fame dies of cardiac arrest
Malaika Arora shares first statement after her father’s death
Hollywood
James Earl Jones, acclaimed actor and iconic voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa, dies at 93
Michael B Jordan takes reins as director, to star in new ‘Thomas Crown Affair’ remake
Judd Apatow and Steven Spielberg collaborate for ‘Cola Wars’
Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ picked up by A24
Eve Hewson in early talks to reunite with Steven Spielberg after ‘Bridge of Spies’
‘Spider-Man 4’ in talks to recruit ‘Shang-Chi’ director Destin Daniel Cretton, Tom Holland set to return
Josh Brolin passes on playing Hal Jordan in HBO’s Green Lantern series, ‘Lanterns’
Vir Das to host 2024 International Emmy awards ceremony
Francis Ford Coppola files lawsuit against Variety for allegations over unprofessional behaviour on ‘Megalopolis’ set
Ewan McGregor honoured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Disney faces lawsuit for using Peter Cushing’s likeness for Grand Moff Tarkin in ‘Rogue One’
Todd Stashwick joins Paul Bettany in ‘Vision’ series at Disney+
Regional cinema
Dulquer Salmaan’s ‘Kaantha’, produced by him and Rana Daggubati, goes on floors
Mammootty-Gautham Menon film titled ‘Dominic and the Ladies’ purse’; first look out
‘The Greatest of All Time’: Trisha shares BTS images from Vijay - Venkat Prabhu’s ‘GOAT’
Ganesh-Ramesh Aravind starrer titled ‘Yours Sincerely Raam’
TJ Gnanavel to helm ‘Dosa King’ after Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Vettaiyan’
‘Gochara’: Director Roopa Rao of ‘Gantumoote’ fame announces her next
Director Sundar C and Vadivelu to reunite after 14 years for ‘Gangers’
Samyuktha’s first look from ‘Sharwa 37’ and ‘BSS 12’ revealed on her birthday
Simran’s next titled ‘The Last One’; first look out
‘Bagheera’, starring Srii Murali and produced by Hombale Films, gets a release date
Makers release Aishwarya Lekshmi’s first look from Sai Durgha Tej’s film
Gautham Karthik’s next to feature dialogues by Raju Murugan and co-produced by ‘Dada’ director
World cinema
‘Cinema Paradiso’ director Giuseppe Tornatore announces maiden visit to India
Matilda De Angelis is fuelled by strength, intelligence and anger in ‘Citadel: Diana’
Trailers
Alia Bhatt turns hero to jailbreak brother Vedang Raina in ‘Jigra’ teaser trailer
Jr NTR is ruthless and fearless in Koratala Siva’s ‘Devara Part - 1’ trailer
‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’ trailer calls Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri-starrer to be a ‘97%’ family film
In ‘Meiyazhagan’ teaser, Karthi and Arvind Swami play cousins cut from different cloth
Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong star in the mentorship that moulded Donald Trump in ‘The Apprentice’ trailer
Sobhita Dhulipala is a fiercely independent interior designer in ‘Love, Sitara’ trailer
In ‘Hold Your Breath’ trailer, Sarah Paulson faces unseen terror in 1930s Oklahoma
Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci satirise the craft of superhero cinema in ‘The Franchise’ trailer
With the ‘Kadaisi Ulaga Por’ trailer, Hiphop Tamizha Adhi’s film hints at a political action drama
Ariana DeBose faces off against a sinister presence amidst the chaos of a kitchen in ‘House of Spoils’ trailer
Niveditha Shivarajkumar’s maiden production introduces the quirky, melancholic world of Vicky in ‘Firefly’ teaser
HBO Max brings Stephen King’s vampire classic to life with ‘Salem’s Lot’ trailer
Essential reading
1) Vikrant Massey interview: Who doesn’t love money? I love money
>> The actor talks about his life post-‘12th Fail’, his preparations for ‘Sector 36’, his stand on the death penalty, and more
2) ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’ gave me tremendous personal satisfaction: Aparna Balamurali
>> The actor talks about falling in love with the story, how she avoids getting stereotyped and not engaging with trolls online
3) ‘LOTR: The Rings of Power season 2’ interview: This season is about politics and growth
>> Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards and director Charlotte Brandstrom sound off on their journeys with season 2
4) Vivek Athreya on ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’: I did not want my protagonist (Nani) to be a killer
>> Writer-director Vivek Athreya talks about subverting cliches, avoiding violence, and inspirations ranging from Batman to Mani Ratnam
5) Zia Anger interview: On ‘My First Film’, autofiction and working with Odessa Young
>> The American filmmaker and performance artist opens up about the anxieties of building upwards from failure
6) ‘The Glassworker’ interview: Usman Riaz on bringing Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated feature to life
>> The creator reflects on his seasoned anime inspirations, growing in post 9/11 Pakistan and the outpour of support from India
7) Vidya Balan interview: ‘Saris allow you to be your most authentic self’
>> Actor Vidya Balan talks about dealing with her body image and her journey in the film industry
8) Caroline Libresco: Finance, networking are major issues for women independent filmmakers
>> Creative producer and former director of Sundance Women’s Initiative, sees potential in India’s independent film movement
9) Hema Committee report: Kerala High Court raps govt for inaction, asks it to hand over full report to SIT
>> Special Bench directs SIT to state whether any cognizable offences have been identified or not and what actions can be taken
10) ‘Paata Venuka Bhagotam’: Tales behind timeless tunes in Telugu cinema
>> M. L. Narasimham uncovers the magic behind iconic Telugu songs in his latest book
11) From the margins to the mainstream: how films are elevating marginalised voices
>> Dalit cinema is emerging as a powerful force, shifting the focus from elite-centric narratives to the stories of marginalised communities
12) Ashwika Kapur on how ‘Catapults to Cameras’ is a film and an experiment
>> Ashwika Kapur talks about how the film encourages youngsters in rural Bengal to move away from ritual hunting
13) What to expect from the Emmys 2024: ‘Shōgun’, ‘The Bear’ and ‘Baby Reindeer’ predicted to win big
>> With a strike-induced hiccup that pushed last year’s ceremony into January, the return of the Emmys this fall has high stakes
14) Screen share: Films and shows that sparkle with fashion
>> From the flapper fashions of ‘Downton Abbey’ and the skinny suits of ‘Mad Men’, here are some of the best-dressed films and shows to pamper your peepers
What to watch
1) Tovino Thomas carries ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’ (ARM), a visually-impressive drama, despite the underwhelming writing
2) Kareena Kapoor Khan is impressive in ‘The Buckingham Murders’, a socially-pertinent whodunit
3) Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal throw down in ‘Sector 36’, a rancid thriller
4) Satya makes ‘Mathu Vadalara 2’, a spoofy thriller drama a fun watch
5) James McAvoy lights up ‘Speak No Evil’, a host-from-hell shocker
6) ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’ is an intriguing mystery drama driven by a flawless screenplay
7) Aparshakti Khurana and Ishwak Singh become the voice of dissent in ‘Berlin’, a subversive espionage thriller
8) ‘Kaalapatthar’ is an intriguing take on the politics of statues
9) Vince Vaughn shoulders the deceptive crime-comedy ‘Bad Monkey’ series
10) Nicole Kidman presides over ‘The Perfect Couple’, a stylish, superficial murder mystery
11) Willa Fitzgerald’s electrifying run in ‘Strange Darling’ elevates this subversive shocker
12) Zia Anger’s moving meta-fiction ‘My First Film’ is a stunning ode to failure
Published - September 13, 2024 04:38 pm IST
