(This article forms a part of the First Day First Show newsletter that brings you the latest and best from the world of movies and entertainment. Subscribe now)
Around Tinsel Town
>> Malayalam’s ‘2018’ is India’s official Oscar entry this year
Malayalam survival drama ‘2018’, based on the unprecedented rains and flood that hit Kerala in 2018, was chosen as India’s Oscar entry this year. The film is the fourth Malayalam film, after Guru ( ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ and Lijo Jose Pellissery’s ‘Jallikattu’, to be sent as the country’s official entry to the Oscars. Girish Kasaravalli, chairman of the selection committee, announced that the Film Federation of India (FFI) picked the Malayalam film for its very relevant theme of climate change.
>> Hollywood writers strike comes to an end
Hollywood’s writers strike was declared over after nearly five months Tuesday night when board members from their union approved a contract agreement with studios. The deal of Writers Guild of America may set a template for talks with striking actors. The Screens Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced that strike negotiations with studios would resume from Monday. Meanwhile, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas applauded the agreement between the WGA and the studios and streamers.
Hollywood
Michael Gambon, actor who played Albus Dumbledore in six ‘Harry Potter’ movies, dies at 82
France selects ‘The Taste of Things’ for the Oscars, snubs ‘Anatomy of a Fall’
Trevor Noah cancels shows in Bengaluru after experiencing trouble with acoustics at the venue
Martin Scorsese wants directors to fight comic book movie culture
David MacCallum, star of hit TV series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’ and ‘NCIS’, dies at 90
‘True Detective: Night Country’ gets a streaming date
Paramount sets release dates for ‘Smile 2’, ‘Mean Girls’ musical
Russell Brand makes first comments amid wave of sexual assault allegations
Bollywood
Dadasaheb Phalke Award conferred on Waheeda Rehman
Shefali Shah, Vir Das, Jim Sarbh bag International Emmy Awards nominations
Alia Bhatt’s next with Vasan Bala titled ‘Jigra’, release date announced
Actor Parineeti Chopra, politician Raghav Chadha get married
‘Dev Anand @ 100’ film festival kicks off with ‘Johny Mera Naam’, ‘Guide’ screenings
‘Mumbai Diaries’ season 2 gets a premiere date
Rajkummar Rao, Tripti Dimri to star in ‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’
Taapsee Pannu’s production ‘Dhak Dhak’ gets a release date
‘Animal’: Rashmika Mandanna’s first-look poster out
Regional
It’s ‘Salaar’ vs ‘Dunki’ at the box office this Christmas
Tamil actor Vishal alleges corruption in CBFC, Centre initiates inquiry
Rakshit Shetty’s ‘Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Side B)‘ gets a new release date
Vikram and Gautham Menon’s ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’ release date out
Sivakarthikeyan, AR Murgadoss team up for ‘SK23’
Cauvery row: Kannada activists disrupt actor Siddharth’s press conference
Vijay Antony’s next titled ‘Hitler’; first look and motion poster out
Dulquer Salmaan’s ‘Lucky Baskhar’ goes on floors
Sundeep Kishan, CV Kumar reunite for ‘Maayavan’ sequel
Trailers
Ranbir Kapoor and Sandeep Reddy Vanga open a chest of daddy issues in ‘Animal’ teaser
Akshay Kumar is on yet another heroic mission in ‘Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue’ trailer
In the teaser of ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’, 456-real life contestants play diverse games
Tahir Raj Bhasin ascends a criminal empire in the 60s in ‘Sultan of Delhi’ trailer
Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed and Jeremy Allen White star in a love triangle in ‘Fingernails’ trailer
In ‘Argylle’ trailer, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa and more star in a globe-trotting actioner
Disney unveils trailer of musical comedy ‘Wish’
New in Streaming
New on Netflix this week: Beckham, a documentary on the famous England footballer, third season of Lupin, Vishal Bharadwaj’s espionage drama Khufiya and more
New on Amazon Prime Video this week: Docu-series The Fake Sheikh, comedy drama Kumari Srimathi, season 4 of Hostel Daze, and more
Coming to Apple TV+: Lessons in Chemistry, an American drama based on an historical fiction by the same name, ThePigeon Tunnel, adocumentary, love triangle Fingernails, and more
New on Disney+ Hotstar in October: Season 2 of Loki, period drama Sultan of Delhi, 100 Years of Disney, and more
Essential Reading
1) Into the ‘Khufiya-verse’ with Vishal Bhardwaj
>> The director discusses the murky, fascinating world of Indian espionage, and plans for a ‘Khufiya’ universe
2) K G George, a filmmaker who stayed ahead of his times
>> The nine-time Kerala State Film Awards winner will be remembered for his powerful women characters and the sheer variety of themes he handled
3) How KG George’s women characters immortalise the late director’s cinematic brilliance
>> The legendary filmmaker’s female characters continue to resonate, reminding viewers of the enduring impact of his cinematic legacy
4) The ‘AI Wave: How Tamil cinema is embracing artificial intelligence tools
>>Tamil cinema is already embracing AI tools, saving on time and money, while riding high on imagination
5) Kevin Greutert and Anthony Stabley speak about ‘Saw X’: ‘There is always a choice’
>> The director and production designer speak about the audience’s ever-growing engagement with James Kramer and his twisted traps
6) As ‘2018: Everyone Is A Hero’ goes to the Oscars, Tovino Thomas says it’s a double dhamaka for him
>> The actor opens up on his career after recently winning the Septimius Award for the Best Asian Actor for his role in the Malayalam survival drama
7) Waheeda Rehman’s Tamil Nadu connect
>> Thanjavur-based Shahida Malik, the elder sister of the veteran Hindi actress, talks about growing up with her ‘Chand’
8) Meet the team behind ‘Kannur Kafe’, the Malayalam sitcom that has gone viral
>>The sitcom, created by a group of artistes from Kannur, looks at the lighter side of life
9) Malayalam actor Dinesh Prabhakar on working in the Hindi web series ‘Bambai Meri Jaan’
>> The actor plays a gangster in the web series that traces the evolution of the Mumbai underworld
10) A biography of director Vittalacharya gives comprehensive insight into the life and works of the auteur
>> The book ‘Jai Vittalacharya’ is a collection of anecdotes, info and lesser-known facts about the legendary director-producer
11) Director Simple Suni: ‘Shambhavi’ is driven by twists and turns
>> Kannada film director not only directs but also produces the serial ‘Shambhavi’ for Udaya TV
12) Trevor Noah’s ‘Off The Record’ tour: Delhiites learn of Delhi woes, as explained by Trevor
>> The tour was marked by its interactive-ness as the comedian moved away from a prepared set and posed questions to the audience
What to watch
1) Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi drives ‘The Vaccine War’, which comes across like a toolkit of a film
2) ‘Sex Education’ season 4 is a fond, fitting farewell to Otis and the Moordale gang
3) ‘Chithha’, starring Siddharth, is a painfully-relevant and poignantly-brilliant drama
4) Gareth Edwards bats for AI in ‘The Creator’, the sci-fi spectacle with a beating heart
5) ‘Chandramukhi 2’, starring Raghava Lawrence, Kangana Ranaut is a mildly-entertaining sequel no one asked for
6) Eve Hewson is magnetic in ‘Flora and Son’, John Carney’s musical almost-romance
7) A vibrant Nithya Menen anchors ‘Kumari Srimathi’, a tale of rural entrepreneurship with a dash of humour
8) Mammootty’s ‘Kannur Squad’ is an effective procedural drama, that works despite its generic elements
9) ‘Saw X’ is a bloody, gory sequel that restores the franchise to its former glory
10) Jayam Ravi’s ‘Iraivan’ is marred by psycho-thriller deja vu and a messy third act
11) ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley is an elementary thriller
12) Boyapati Sreenu and Ram Pothineni’s mass outing ‘Skanda’ is a test of endurance
13) The comedy drama ‘Fukrey 3’, starring Varun Sharma, Pulkit Samrat, leaks all over the place
14) Wes Anderson brings the Roald Dahl story sweetly alive in ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’
15) ‘Peddha Kapu 1’ is a tedious depiction of the rise of common man
16) ‘Baanadariyalli’, a love story starring Ganesh and Rukmini Vasanth, fails to hit the heights
17) ‘Thothapuri: Chapter 2’ is a less preachy, more controlled expansion on an important theme
18) In ‘Tora’s Husband’, Rima Das tells a delicate, haunting pandemic story
19) ‘While We Watched’, the documentary on Ravish Kumar, finds idealism in distress
20) ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick’ is an unnecessary prequel spin-off that bites the bullet
21) Kaitlyn Dever’s gotta do it all her own in ‘No One Will Save You’
22) ‘Spy Kids: Armageddon’ is a mostly enjoyable reboot that evokes nostalgia
23) ‘Cassandro’ is a feel-good biopic powered by the performance of Gael Garcia Bernal
24) ‘Song of the Bandits’ is a swashbuckling Korean period entertainer
