Dan Fogelman is staying in business with Hulu, with the streamer ordering a drama series set within the NFL from the celebrated TV producer.
Exact plot details on the untitled series are being kept under wraps, aside from the fact it takes place in the NFL and has a generational family component, per an individual with knowledge of the project.
Fogelman serves as writer and executive producer on the series. Jess Rosenthal also executive produces via his and Fogleman’s Rhode Island Ave. Productions along with David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, and Jason T. Reed for Skydance Sports. 20th Television and Skydance Sports will produce. Fogelman is currently under an overall deal at 20th TV.
This is now the second series order Fogelman has landed at Hulu. He is also the creator of the upcoming drama series “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, which does not have a premiere...
Exact plot details on the untitled series are being kept under wraps, aside from the fact it takes place in the NFL and has a generational family component, per an individual with knowledge of the project.
Fogelman serves as writer and executive producer on the series. Jess Rosenthal also executive produces via his and Fogleman’s Rhode Island Ave. Productions along with David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, and Jason T. Reed for Skydance Sports. 20th Television and Skydance Sports will produce. Fogelman is currently under an overall deal at 20th TV.
This is now the second series order Fogelman has landed at Hulu. He is also the creator of the upcoming drama series “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, which does not have a premiere...
- 10/15/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Concerns about Warren Beatty’s health are nothing new.
After all, the 87-year-old has been a household name since the ’60s, and these days, he rarely appears in public. So it stands to reason that there would be occasional speculation about his overall condition.
The latest round of fears about the screen legend’s well-being began back in March when he was conspicuously absent from daughter Ella’s Broadway debut.
Warren Beatty speaks onstage during the screening of â.Heaven Can Waitâ. during the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival at The Hollywood Roosevelt on April 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for TCM) Warren Beatty’s Health: Is There Cause For Concern?
That absence led several outlets to observe that Beatty has not made a public appearance since 2022.
“Hollywood insiders can’t help but wonder if he’s Ok or very ill,” an insider recently told In Touch (via Yahoo!
After all, the 87-year-old has been a household name since the ’60s, and these days, he rarely appears in public. So it stands to reason that there would be occasional speculation about his overall condition.
The latest round of fears about the screen legend’s well-being began back in March when he was conspicuously absent from daughter Ella’s Broadway debut.
Warren Beatty speaks onstage during the screening of â.Heaven Can Waitâ. during the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival at The Hollywood Roosevelt on April 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for TCM) Warren Beatty’s Health: Is There Cause For Concern?
That absence led several outlets to observe that Beatty has not made a public appearance since 2022.
“Hollywood insiders can’t help but wonder if he’s Ok or very ill,” an insider recently told In Touch (via Yahoo!
- 9/29/2024
- by Tyler Johnson
- The Hollywood Gossip
Exclusive: The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival will host the world premiere of American Coup: Wilmington 1898, about a forgotten chapter in American history that saw a white supremacist mob terrorize Black residents of a North Carolina city, overthrowing an elected city government.
The film directed by Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein is among the highlights of the 33rd edition of Hsdff, the oldest all-documentary film festival in North America. Directors Richen and Lichtenstein and two of the film’s main participants are expected to attend the festival, which runs October 18-26 in the Arkansas resort town. [Scroll for the full lineup]
Hsdff, presented by Oaklawn, will kick off with Space Cowboy, directed by Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt, fresh from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film tells the story of Joe Jennings, a man who has pulled off some of the most amazing skydiving stunts in cinema history, some that...
The film directed by Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein is among the highlights of the 33rd edition of Hsdff, the oldest all-documentary film festival in North America. Directors Richen and Lichtenstein and two of the film’s main participants are expected to attend the festival, which runs October 18-26 in the Arkansas resort town. [Scroll for the full lineup]
Hsdff, presented by Oaklawn, will kick off with Space Cowboy, directed by Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt, fresh from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film tells the story of Joe Jennings, a man who has pulled off some of the most amazing skydiving stunts in cinema history, some that...
- 9/23/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The character of Adira Tal (Blu Del Barrio) was introduced in "Star Trek: Discovery" in the episode "People of Earth". In that episode, the U.S.S. Discovery had only recently arrived in the 32nd century after being sucked through a time hole from the 23rd century. The Discovery crew eventually found the distant future remnants of the Federation, and submitted themselves for inspection, hoping to learn more about the future. They found that power had changed dramatically in the past 930 years, mostly thanks to a galaxy-wide cataclysm called the Burn wherein all viable starships spontaneously exploded. The Discovery and its crew were to undergo a brand-new mission to restore the Federation and assure the galaxy that Starfleet was still around and eager to return to its utopian ways.
While the Discovery was undergoing inspection by a militant future organization called the United Earth Defense Force, Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) met the 16-year-old Adira Tal,...
While the Discovery was undergoing inspection by a militant future organization called the United Earth Defense Force, Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) met the 16-year-old Adira Tal,...
- 7/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Star Trek: Discovery’s journey comes to an end, and it leaves behind a sense of frustration. Spoilers lie ahead.
Nb: The following contains spoilers…
The end of Star Trek: Discovery arrives, then, not with a firework display of pop culture anticipation, but rather the whimper of a series that never translated beyond a highly protective core fanbase of viewers. You do or die with Discovery, it seems. Mine, in the end, has been a death by 60+ episodes.
The episode ‘Life, Itself’ by all accounts was never conceived as a series finale, rather Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise’s episode, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, was meant to wrap up a fifth season. It provided in theory the biggest Discovery plotline yet – the search for the Progenitors, a long extinct race who seeded the known universe of life. It doesn’t get much bigger than Space Gods.
Yet what was promoted in the season premiere,...
Nb: The following contains spoilers…
The end of Star Trek: Discovery arrives, then, not with a firework display of pop culture anticipation, but rather the whimper of a series that never translated beyond a highly protective core fanbase of viewers. You do or die with Discovery, it seems. Mine, in the end, has been a death by 60+ episodes.
The episode ‘Life, Itself’ by all accounts was never conceived as a series finale, rather Kyle Jarrow and Michelle Paradise’s episode, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, was meant to wrap up a fifth season. It provided in theory the biggest Discovery plotline yet – the search for the Progenitors, a long extinct race who seeded the known universe of life. It doesn’t get much bigger than Space Gods.
Yet what was promoted in the season premiere,...
- 5/31/2024
- by A J Black
- Film Stories
This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers.
It’s the end of an era. Or at least, the end of a beginning of one. We’ve now all seen the final episode of Star Trek: Discovery, and no matter how you may feel about that fact, its conclusion still marks an important moment within the larger Star Trek universe.
The show wasn’t always easy to like. It struggled to find and maintain a coherent identity and for every step it took forward creatively, it often felt as though it took another (or two) back. It didn’t always find enough stories for its sprawling cast of characters. Its hyper-focus on Michael Burnham, once a mutineer now a Starfleet captain, and its trademark emotional feel—and love of talking through problems—made for a very different sort of Star Trek show, one that only occasionally managed to capture the adventurous,...
It’s the end of an era. Or at least, the end of a beginning of one. We’ve now all seen the final episode of Star Trek: Discovery, and no matter how you may feel about that fact, its conclusion still marks an important moment within the larger Star Trek universe.
The show wasn’t always easy to like. It struggled to find and maintain a coherent identity and for every step it took forward creatively, it often felt as though it took another (or two) back. It didn’t always find enough stories for its sprawling cast of characters. Its hyper-focus on Michael Burnham, once a mutineer now a Starfleet captain, and its trademark emotional feel—and love of talking through problems—made for a very different sort of Star Trek show, one that only occasionally managed to capture the adventurous,...
- 5/30/2024
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of "Star Trek: Discovery."
After nearly seven years on the air, "Star Trek: Discovery" has come to a satisfying end with this week's series finale, titled "Life, Itself" -- though not without answering a lingering question or two along the way. The galaxy-spanning trail of breadcrumbs has led to the final hiding spot of the Progenitors' lifegiving technology, with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery successfully flinging the dangerously powerful MacGuffin safely out of reach into the center of a black hole, the threat of Moll (Eve Harlow) handing the weapon over to the Breen having been neautralized. Fans were even given a glimpse of Burnham's blissful life together with Booker (David Ajala) decades in the future, putting a nice and tidy bow on characters we've spent the better part of a decade getting to know and love.
After nearly seven years on the air, "Star Trek: Discovery" has come to a satisfying end with this week's series finale, titled "Life, Itself" -- though not without answering a lingering question or two along the way. The galaxy-spanning trail of breadcrumbs has led to the final hiding spot of the Progenitors' lifegiving technology, with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery successfully flinging the dangerously powerful MacGuffin safely out of reach into the center of a black hole, the threat of Moll (Eve Harlow) handing the weapon over to the Breen having been neautralized. Fans were even given a glimpse of Burnham's blissful life together with Booker (David Ajala) decades in the future, putting a nice and tidy bow on characters we've spent the better part of a decade getting to know and love.
- 5/30/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Get ready for an epic journey through the cosmos with Season 5, Episode 10 of “Star Trek: Discovery” titled “Life, Itself,” airing on Parsho at 8:00 Pm on Monday, June 3, 2024. In this thrilling installment, viewers are once again invited to join the crew of the USS Discovery as they venture into the unknown and encounter new worlds and civilizations.
In “Life, Itself,” the crew of the USS Discovery embarks on a daring mission to explore uncharted territories and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As they navigate through the vastness of space, they encounter strange phenomena, encounter hostile alien species, and confront moral dilemmas that test their resolve and principles.
With its blend of action, adventure, and thought-provoking storytelling, “Star Trek: Discovery” continues to captivate audiences with its exploration of the human condition and the boundless possibilities of the cosmos. From thrilling space battles to poignant character moments, “Life, Itself” promises to...
In “Life, Itself,” the crew of the USS Discovery embarks on a daring mission to explore uncharted territories and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As they navigate through the vastness of space, they encounter strange phenomena, encounter hostile alien species, and confront moral dilemmas that test their resolve and principles.
With its blend of action, adventure, and thought-provoking storytelling, “Star Trek: Discovery” continues to captivate audiences with its exploration of the human condition and the boundless possibilities of the cosmos. From thrilling space battles to poignant character moments, “Life, Itself” promises to...
- 5/27/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
When asked about the long journey to Star Trek: Discovery‘s fifth and final season, producer Alex Kurtzman is honest but optimistic. “It’s been an incredible ride for us,” Kurtzman tells Den of Geek when we chat with him at SXSW 2024. “And yeah, it was an incredibly bumpy first year.”
Kurtzman’s referring to the behind-the-scenes difficulties that plagued the show’s first two seasons. Initially developed by Bryan Fuller, who wrote for Deep Space Nine and Voyager before going on to make fan-favorite shows such as Hannibal and American Gods, Discovery ultimately premiered with Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts as showrunners. By the end of season two, both had left the show, with Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise stepping in as showrunners to right the ship.
But for some Star Trek fans, the problems with Discovery go beyond a troubled production. Initially presented as the adventures of Spock...
Kurtzman’s referring to the behind-the-scenes difficulties that plagued the show’s first two seasons. Initially developed by Bryan Fuller, who wrote for Deep Space Nine and Voyager before going on to make fan-favorite shows such as Hannibal and American Gods, Discovery ultimately premiered with Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts as showrunners. By the end of season two, both had left the show, with Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise stepping in as showrunners to right the ship.
But for some Star Trek fans, the problems with Discovery go beyond a troubled production. Initially presented as the adventures of Spock...
- 3/15/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Oscar nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams) has been set to direct Mind vs. Machine, a new docuseries on the lightning rod topic of artificial intelligence from Oscar winner Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Emmy-winning producers Alyssa Fedele & Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve James, the Oscar-nominated director behind Hoop Dreams and Life Itself, will tackle AI in the docuseries Mind vs. Machine, which has Alex Gibney on board as a producer.
Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which are working with Gibney on his upcoming Elon Musk doc Musk, are financing the project and also producing alongside James and Gibney, Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
New York Times technology correspondent Cade Metz will executive produce with Closer Media’s Zhang Xin, William Horberg, and Joey Marra, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, and David Levine.
According to the announcement, the project is described as “a five-part, landmark docuseries artfully crafted from a blend of interviews, archival footage, dramatic recreations, AI visualizations, and cutting-edge special effects, is definitive in its unparalleled access to key inventors, scientists, futurists, and thinkers including Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, Ray Kurzweil, Deborah Raji, and Meghan O’Gieblyn.
Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which are working with Gibney on his upcoming Elon Musk doc Musk, are financing the project and also producing alongside James and Gibney, Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
New York Times technology correspondent Cade Metz will executive produce with Closer Media’s Zhang Xin, William Horberg, and Joey Marra, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, and David Levine.
According to the announcement, the project is described as “a five-part, landmark docuseries artfully crafted from a blend of interviews, archival footage, dramatic recreations, AI visualizations, and cutting-edge special effects, is definitive in its unparalleled access to key inventors, scientists, futurists, and thinkers including Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, Ray Kurzweil, Deborah Raji, and Meghan O’Gieblyn.
- 2/1/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
American Beauty (1999)A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter’s best friend.Rating: 8.3/10Stars: Kevin Spacey (Lester Burnham), Annette Bening (Carolyn Burnham), Thora Birch (Jane Burnham), Wes Bentley (Ricky Fitts)20th Century Women (2017)The story of a teenage boy, his mother, and...
- 11/4/2023
- by The A.V. Club Bot
- avclub.com
Graphic: Images: IMDBAmerican Beauty (1999)
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter’s best friend.
Rating: 8.3/10
Stars: Kevin Spacey (Lester Burnham), Annette Bening (Carolyn Burnham), Thora Birch (Jane Burnham), Wes Bentley (Ricky Fitts)
20th Century Women (2017)
The story of a teenage boy, his mother,...
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter’s best friend.
Rating: 8.3/10
Stars: Kevin Spacey (Lester Burnham), Annette Bening (Carolyn Burnham), Thora Birch (Jane Burnham), Wes Bentley (Ricky Fitts)
20th Century Women (2017)
The story of a teenage boy, his mother,...
- 11/4/2023
- avclub.com
Welcome to the world of documentaries, where real lives and real stories come to life on the screen. There’s something profoundly moving about witnessing the human experience captured through the lens of a camera – the raw emotions, the untold struggles, and the amazing moments that shape our lives. As a documentary enthusiast who believes in the power of storytelling, I’m excited to share with you a curated list of seven documentaries that offer a deep dive into the complexities of our existence.
Related: 10 Must-Watch Documentaries That Changed Public Perception
These documentaries are more than just films; they’re windows into the lives of individuals who have experienced the spectrum of human emotions and challenges. From the comfort of your couch, you’ll have the privilege of walking in their shoes, experiencing their journeys, and gaining insights that might just change your perspective on the world.
Each documentary on...
Related: 10 Must-Watch Documentaries That Changed Public Perception
These documentaries are more than just films; they’re windows into the lives of individuals who have experienced the spectrum of human emotions and challenges. From the comfort of your couch, you’ll have the privilege of walking in their shoes, experiencing their journeys, and gaining insights that might just change your perspective on the world.
Each documentary on...
- 10/25/2023
- by Pia Vermaak
- buddytv.com
How much longer will the Oscars wait? That is, wait to embrace the quality and sheer brilliance of documentary filmmaking in a significant way, meaning nominating one in the best picture category? Matthew Heineman’s deeply moving “American Symphony,” which follows Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall, is yet another home run for the filmmaker behind “Cartel Land” and “City of Ghosts,” not to mention a singular love story.
Batiste’s larger-than-life personality was on full display following the Telluride screening of the documentary, when he led a band down to the main street of Telluride.
The film doesn’t just follow Batiste in his musical element, such as his work as band leader for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” or when he led the 2022 Grammy nominations and won album of the year. Instead, it’s an intimate portrait of...
Batiste’s larger-than-life personality was on full display following the Telluride screening of the documentary, when he led a band down to the main street of Telluride.
The film doesn’t just follow Batiste in his musical element, such as his work as band leader for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” or when he led the 2022 Grammy nominations and won album of the year. Instead, it’s an intimate portrait of...
- 9/1/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Right on time, this week brings a companion documentary to one of summer’s biggest movies, directed by an acclaimed filmmaker whose pedigree makes him an immediate Oscar candidate — especially in a year that isn’t overflowing with breakout docs.
The contender to watch this week: “A Compassionate Spy”
On the heels of “Oppenheimer” comes a documentary about Ted Hall, an American physicist who gave the Soviet Union classified intelligence about the construction of the atomic bomb. “A Compassionate Spy” has deep pedigree in two-time Oscar-nominated director Steve James, who made “Hoop Dreams,” “Life Itself,” and “City So Real.” If the campaign gods are smart, they’ll put James and Christopher Nolan in a room together at some point, even though Hall isn’t depicted in “Oppenheimer.” “Spy” is now in theaters and on VOD.
Other contenders:
“Black Ice”: Hockey is Canada’s most popular sport, which of course...
The contender to watch this week: “A Compassionate Spy”
On the heels of “Oppenheimer” comes a documentary about Ted Hall, an American physicist who gave the Soviet Union classified intelligence about the construction of the atomic bomb. “A Compassionate Spy” has deep pedigree in two-time Oscar-nominated director Steve James, who made “Hoop Dreams,” “Life Itself,” and “City So Real.” If the campaign gods are smart, they’ll put James and Christopher Nolan in a room together at some point, even though Hall isn’t depicted in “Oppenheimer.” “Spy” is now in theaters and on VOD.
Other contenders:
“Black Ice”: Hockey is Canada’s most popular sport, which of course...
- 8/5/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a fair amount is made of Klaus Fuchs, the German theoretical physicist who passed secrets from Los Alamos to the Soviet Union. But nowhere in this substantive blockbuster do we hear about Theodore Hall. A wunderkind physicist from Far Rockaway, New York City, recruited to the Manhattan Project as an 18-year-old Harvard senior, Hall, too, shared atomic secrets with the Soviets, for what he later claimed were purely moral reasons: He thought the possibility of the U.S. — or any country — having a monopoly on...
- 8/4/2023
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
While the fall movie lineup continues to shift due to studios adamantly deciding not to fairly pay the writers and actors responsible for them being in business in the first place, not much has changed when it comes to August. Aside from A24 yanking Julio Torres’ Problemista from its August 4 opening, the rest of the calendar has stayed intact and here are the films that should be on your radar.
13. What Comes Around (Amy Redford; Aug. 4)
One of the most divisive films to premiere at TIFF last year was Amy Redford’s What Comes Around (formerly titled Roost). Led by Grace Van Dien, Summer Phoenix, Jesse Garcia, and Kyle Gallner, the thriller tracked a young love affair that becomes a menacing game of cat-and-mouse where nothing is what it seems. Jared Mobarak said in his review, “What Comes Around is a tricky film to talk about without massive spoilers unless,...
13. What Comes Around (Amy Redford; Aug. 4)
One of the most divisive films to premiere at TIFF last year was Amy Redford’s What Comes Around (formerly titled Roost). Led by Grace Van Dien, Summer Phoenix, Jesse Garcia, and Kyle Gallner, the thriller tracked a young love affair that becomes a menacing game of cat-and-mouse where nothing is what it seems. Jared Mobarak said in his review, “What Comes Around is a tricky film to talk about without massive spoilers unless,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While the latest film from Hoop Dreams and Life Itself director Steve James premiered last fall at Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, it’s clear why Magnolia Pictures wanted to wait until later this summer for a release. Ideal viewing shortly after Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer arrives in theaters, A Compassionate Spy tells the thrilling story of a controversial Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who infamously provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, told through the perspective of his loving wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades. Ahead of the August 4 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Here’s more of the synopsis: “Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn’t share his colleagues’ elation after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb.
Here’s more of the synopsis: “Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn’t share his colleagues’ elation after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb.
- 7/1/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Something gruesome & horrible was being constructed." Magnolia Pictures has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film titled A Compassionate Spy, made by the award-winning Chicago-based doc filmmaker Steve James. This premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival last year, and ended up being one of my favorite films of the festival. A Compassionate Spy tells the incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who shared classified nuclear secrets with Russia. Hall is interviewed extensively, along with his wife Joan Hall, and courageously tells his story in this. It's a very sensitive topic, especially nowadays, but fascinating to dig into - he was one of a few people who had worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos and shared its secrets to the Russians. He thought it would be wrong for America to be the only country with this extraordinary power. Does he regret this knowing what Russia became?...
- 6/27/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Is there such thing as a sympathetic cause for treason?
Magnolia Pictures documentary “A Compassionate Spy,” directed by two-time Oscar nominee Steve James, captures the controversial true story of Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall. Part of the team behind J. Robert Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb, Hall shared nuclear secrets with the Soviet Union. The documentary is told through the perspective of Ted’s wife Joan Hall, who protected his secret across their 50-year marriage.
The official “Compassionate Spy” synopsis reads: Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Ted Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn’t share his colleagues’ elation after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. Concerned that a U.S. post-war monopoly on such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the...
Magnolia Pictures documentary “A Compassionate Spy,” directed by two-time Oscar nominee Steve James, captures the controversial true story of Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall. Part of the team behind J. Robert Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb, Hall shared nuclear secrets with the Soviet Union. The documentary is told through the perspective of Ted’s wife Joan Hall, who protected his secret across their 50-year marriage.
The official “Compassionate Spy” synopsis reads: Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Ted Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn’t share his colleagues’ elation after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. Concerned that a U.S. post-war monopoly on such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the...
- 6/27/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Two very different bears — one going berserk on drugs and another a mere superstition — hit streaming this week. It’s a slow month for digital premieres, but the best of this week’s offerings span a variety of moods and genres. You’ll also find a pair of documentaries about beloved cultural figures worth watching.
The contender to watch this week: “Cocaine Bear“
Elizabeth Banks paraded her movie’s eponymous terrorizer onto this year’s Oscar stage, so who’s to say she couldn’t do it again in 2024? Maybe “Cocaine Bear” can ride its box-office success to a Best Visual Effects nomination. It worked for “The Revenant,” but that had Leo and a huge awards-friendly pedigree. Either way, you can watch the likes of Keri Russell and Alden Ehrenreich stave off this hopped-up villain on Peacock.
Other contenders:
“No Bears”: New Yorker critic Richard Brody and Los Angeles...
The contender to watch this week: “Cocaine Bear“
Elizabeth Banks paraded her movie’s eponymous terrorizer onto this year’s Oscar stage, so who’s to say she couldn’t do it again in 2024? Maybe “Cocaine Bear” can ride its box-office success to a Best Visual Effects nomination. It worked for “The Revenant,” but that had Leo and a huge awards-friendly pedigree. Either way, you can watch the likes of Keri Russell and Alden Ehrenreich stave off this hopped-up villain on Peacock.
Other contenders:
“No Bears”: New Yorker critic Richard Brody and Los Angeles...
- 4/15/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
“This Is Us” alums Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman are reuniting for a drama that has been ordered to series at Hulu, Variety has learned.
Hulu is not commenting on exact plot details of the untitled series, but sources describe the show as a thriller and say Brown would star as the head of security for a former president.
In addition to writing, Fogelman will executive produce via Rhode Island Ave. Productions along with Jess Rosenthal. Brown will executive produce in addition to starring, with John Hoberg also executive producing. 20th Television is the studio, with Fogelman currently under an overall deal there.
Fogelman previously created the hit NBC family drama “This Is Us,” in which Brown starred as Randall Pearson throughout the show’s six-season run. Brown earned five consecutive Emmy nominations for his work on the show, winning the award for best actor in a drama in...
Hulu is not commenting on exact plot details of the untitled series, but sources describe the show as a thriller and say Brown would star as the head of security for a former president.
In addition to writing, Fogelman will executive produce via Rhode Island Ave. Productions along with Jess Rosenthal. Brown will executive produce in addition to starring, with John Hoberg also executive producing. 20th Television is the studio, with Fogelman currently under an overall deal there.
Fogelman previously created the hit NBC family drama “This Is Us,” in which Brown starred as Randall Pearson throughout the show’s six-season run. Brown earned five consecutive Emmy nominations for his work on the show, winning the award for best actor in a drama in...
- 4/6/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Three-time Emmy Award winner Sterling K. Brown is set to reunite with “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman to executive produce and star in a new untitled drama series for Hulu Originals.
The highly secretive spec script from Fogelman quietly went to senior level executives at 20th Television and Hulu and was picked up to series.
In addition to Fogelman and Brown, Jess Rosenthal and John Hoberg serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Television.
Also Read:
John Cena-Led ‘WWE: Recruits’ Docuseries Greenlit at Roku
Brown, who earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for his performance as Randall Pearson in “This is Us,” most recently starred in Focus Features’ “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul,” which earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
He will be seen this July in the IFC feature film “Biosphere,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The highly secretive spec script from Fogelman quietly went to senior level executives at 20th Television and Hulu and was picked up to series.
In addition to Fogelman and Brown, Jess Rosenthal and John Hoberg serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Television.
Also Read:
John Cena-Led ‘WWE: Recruits’ Docuseries Greenlit at Roku
Brown, who earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for his performance as Randall Pearson in “This is Us,” most recently starred in Focus Features’ “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul,” which earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.
He will be seen this July in the IFC feature film “Biosphere,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- 4/6/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
April on Prime Video is stacked with returning favorites, the launch of one of Amazon’s biggest shows ever and a bevy of great movies to watch. The fifth and final season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” launches on April 14, while Amazon will premiere the globe-trotting action-thriller series “Citadel” – starring Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and Richard Madden – on April 28. The show hails from “Avengers: Endgame” filmmaker Joe and Anthony Russo.
Noteworthy movies arriving on April 1 include the “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” movies, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Looper,” “Vanilla Sky” and “Top Gun.”
You can also stream the Billy Eichner rom-com “Bros” starting April 4 and the George Clooney/Julia Roberts rom-com “Ticket to Paradise” on April 11.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in April 2023 below.
Also Read:
The 41 Best Movies on Amazon Prime (April 2023)
April 1
American Gigolo
At the Gate...
Noteworthy movies arriving on April 1 include the “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” movies, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Looper,” “Vanilla Sky” and “Top Gun.”
You can also stream the Billy Eichner rom-com “Bros” starting April 4 and the George Clooney/Julia Roberts rom-com “Ticket to Paradise” on April 11.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in April 2023 below.
Also Read:
The 41 Best Movies on Amazon Prime (April 2023)
April 1
American Gigolo
At the Gate...
- 4/1/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
As befitting its status as one of the world’s biggest companies, every now and then Amazon likes to take a big swing with its Prime Video originals. With its list of new releases for April 2023, the streamer is taking one of its biggest swings yet.
Though it’s not quite as vast or expensive as fellow Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Citadel (premiering April 28) is a massive, massive undertaking. Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, this spy series is described as “an expansive and groundbreaking global event comprising a mothership series and several local language satellite series.” This means that the Russo Brothers-produced project will eventually feature several spinoffs in multiple countries and languages around the world. Neat-o!
The only other major TV original of note this month is Dead Ringers, based on the 1988 David Cronenberg film of the same name,...
Though it’s not quite as vast or expensive as fellow Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Citadel (premiering April 28) is a massive, massive undertaking. Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, this spy series is described as “an expansive and groundbreaking global event comprising a mothership series and several local language satellite series.” This means that the Russo Brothers-produced project will eventually feature several spinoffs in multiple countries and languages around the world. Neat-o!
The only other major TV original of note this month is Dead Ringers, based on the 1988 David Cronenberg film of the same name,...
- 4/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Prime Video is hoping to launch its own extended franchise universe in April with the premiere of international spy series “Citadel” from the minds of the Russo Brothers. The show stars Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra, and Stanley Tucci, and is intended to be the first block of an interconnected story with different spinoffs in countries and regions around the world. The first version will begin streaming on April 28. In the show, the world is in the grips of Manticore, a criminal organization, and several former spies are recruited to restore order despite having their memories erased.
Watch the trailer for “Citadel”:
Beloved young adult author Judy Blume opened the door to discussion about difficult subjects for generations of kids. Now, the writer is the subject of a new documentary, “Judy Blume Forever,” coming to Prime Video on April 21. The doc looks at her trajectory — from a scared kid to...
Watch the trailer for “Citadel”:
Beloved young adult author Judy Blume opened the door to discussion about difficult subjects for generations of kids. Now, the writer is the subject of a new documentary, “Judy Blume Forever,” coming to Prime Video on April 21. The doc looks at her trajectory — from a scared kid to...
- 3/27/2023
- by Fern Siegel
- The Streamable
The spotlight's shining brightly on Olivia Cooke these days -- largely due to her quietly powerful role as Alicent Hightower in HBO's "House of the Dragon."(Of course, the viral video in which she and co-star Emma D'arcy trade cocktail preferences certainly helped to sway the public.) But for those who have been paying attention, Cooke has consistently demonstrated an eclectic taste for projects and a scene-stealing presence right from the get-go.
The Oldham-born actress, whose natural British accent isn't often used on-screen, has starred in an impressive amount of television and film projects since her feature film debut in 2012's "The Quiet Ones." It's no wonder she's caught the attention of directors like Steven Spielberg, given her prowess and range across theatre, television, live-action, and animated film.
Cooke holds her own against cinematic heavyweights like Bill Nighy and Anya Taylor-Joy. Even in the most unfortunate cinematic misfires, she delivers memorable performances.
The Oldham-born actress, whose natural British accent isn't often used on-screen, has starred in an impressive amount of television and film projects since her feature film debut in 2012's "The Quiet Ones." It's no wonder she's caught the attention of directors like Steven Spielberg, given her prowess and range across theatre, television, live-action, and animated film.
Cooke holds her own against cinematic heavyweights like Bill Nighy and Anya Taylor-Joy. Even in the most unfortunate cinematic misfires, she delivers memorable performances.
- 2/24/2023
- by Kyle Milner
- Slash Film
Acquisition
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights from Participant to “A Compassionate Spy,” the new documentary from Steve James. The film, which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival ahead of its North American launch at Telluride, is a real-life spy story about Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, told through the perspective of his wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades. Magnolia will release the film in theaters later this year.
“A Compassionate Spy” is presented by Participant and is a Mitten Media and Kartemquin Films production produced by Mark Mitten p.g.a., Dave Lindorff, and Steve James. Executive producers are Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Tim Horsburgh and Gordon Quinn.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia executive VP Dori Begley and senior VP of acquisitions John Von Thaden; Participant’s Liesl Copland, executive VP content strategy and sales, Adam Macy,...
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights from Participant to “A Compassionate Spy,” the new documentary from Steve James. The film, which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival ahead of its North American launch at Telluride, is a real-life spy story about Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, told through the perspective of his wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades. Magnolia will release the film in theaters later this year.
“A Compassionate Spy” is presented by Participant and is a Mitten Media and Kartemquin Films production produced by Mark Mitten p.g.a., Dave Lindorff, and Steve James. Executive producers are Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Tim Horsburgh and Gordon Quinn.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia executive VP Dori Begley and senior VP of acquisitions John Von Thaden; Participant’s Liesl Copland, executive VP content strategy and sales, Adam Macy,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American rights to A Compassionate Spy, the new documentary from Oscar-nominated director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself) from Participant.
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, follows the real-life spy story of Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who infamously provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. The story is told through the perspective of his loving wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades.
Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, but didn’t share his colleagues’ excitement after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. Concerned that the new weapon would give the U.S. a post-war monopoly on global power and could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the bomb’s construction to the Soviet Union,...
The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, follows the real-life spy story of Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who infamously provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. The story is told through the perspective of his loving wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades.
Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, but didn’t share his colleagues’ excitement after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. Concerned that the new weapon would give the U.S. a post-war monopoly on global power and could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the bomb’s construction to the Soviet Union,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Autlook Filmsales handles international sales at EFM on story of nuclear physicist Ted Hall.
Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American rights from Participant to A Compassionate Spy, Steve James’s documentary about the controversial American nuclear physicist Ted Hall who passed secrets to the Soviet Union.
At age 18 Harvard graduate Hall became the youngest recruit to the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. After the United States detonated its first nuclear bomb he became concerned his country had a potentially catastrophic monopoly on the technology and provided confidential information to the Soviets.
The film is told from the perspective of Joan,...
Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American rights from Participant to A Compassionate Spy, Steve James’s documentary about the controversial American nuclear physicist Ted Hall who passed secrets to the Soviet Union.
At age 18 Harvard graduate Hall became the youngest recruit to the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. After the United States detonated its first nuclear bomb he became concerned his country had a potentially catastrophic monopoly on the technology and provided confidential information to the Soviets.
The film is told from the perspective of Joan,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Film Festival has often been called one of the world’s most important documentary marketplaces, with 39 of the past 65 Best Documentary Feature contenders (60) either beginning or continuing their road to the Oscars in Park City, Utah. Examples include “Summer of Soul,” “Flee,” “Writing With Fire,” “Honeyland,” “The Edge of Democracy,” “American Factory,” “Time,” “The Mole Agent,” “Crip Camp,” “Rbg,” “Of Fathers and Sons,” “Minding the Gap,” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s nominees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and manned flight to Mars are only a few of the subjects addressed by this year’s eclectic non-fiction slate.
Two of those–Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and Netflix’s joint venture with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “American Factory”–won the award. Four of this season’s nominees —“All That Breathes,” “Fire of Love,” “Navalny,” and “A House Made of Splinters”—played the festival in 2022. Climate change, human rights violations, competitive mariachi, and manned flight to Mars are only a few of the subjects addressed by this year’s eclectic non-fiction slate.
- 1/31/2023
- by Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The company behind “Hoop Dreams” and Academy Award-nominated “Minding the Gap” has named Amir George its new artistic director.
George takes over on Nov. 1 at Kartemquin Films, the non-profit, Chicago-based documentary production collective. He is the first person of color to hold one of two top leadership positions at the 56-year-old company and the organization’s second artistic director. George succeeds Kartemquin co-founder and current artistic director Gordon Quinn, who will move into a new part-time role at the org as a senior advisor.
George will lead Kartemquin’s artistic vision and will help oversee the company’s operations. He will also serve as executive producer on all the outfit’s films.
“Kartemquin has been instrumental in taking documentary filmmaking into the public eye by showing how story can lift social issues and serve as a tool for influencing public debate and public-policy making around some of the most pressing issues of the day,...
George takes over on Nov. 1 at Kartemquin Films, the non-profit, Chicago-based documentary production collective. He is the first person of color to hold one of two top leadership positions at the 56-year-old company and the organization’s second artistic director. George succeeds Kartemquin co-founder and current artistic director Gordon Quinn, who will move into a new part-time role at the org as a senior advisor.
George will lead Kartemquin’s artistic vision and will help oversee the company’s operations. He will also serve as executive producer on all the outfit’s films.
“Kartemquin has been instrumental in taking documentary filmmaking into the public eye by showing how story can lift social issues and serve as a tool for influencing public debate and public-policy making around some of the most pressing issues of the day,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Telluride Film Festival’s emphasis on documentary has not wavered in recent years. But the prominence of nonfiction fare at the 49th edition has arguably made this year’s Telluride the autumn Sundance, where some of the biggest buzz is for docs.
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures releases the film in theaters and on VOD on Friday, August 4.
Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy” is ultimately a minor addition to one of documentary cinema’s great bodies of work, but it might just contain the one true secret to a happy marriage: sharing historically significant nuclear secrets.
That sure seems to have been a winning strategy for Ted Hall, a young physics student who fell in love with an undergrad named Joan at the University of Chicago in 1947. They seemed like natural soulmates from the start, but Ted’s inevitable proposal came with a radioactive disclaimer. If Joan wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, she would have to accept that Ted — who was admitted to the Manhattan Project as a preternaturally smart teenager — had passed crucial information about the...
Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy” is ultimately a minor addition to one of documentary cinema’s great bodies of work, but it might just contain the one true secret to a happy marriage: sharing historically significant nuclear secrets.
That sure seems to have been a winning strategy for Ted Hall, a young physics student who fell in love with an undergrad named Joan at the University of Chicago in 1947. They seemed like natural soulmates from the start, but Ted’s inevitable proposal came with a radioactive disclaimer. If Joan wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, she would have to accept that Ted — who was admitted to the Manhattan Project as a preternaturally smart teenager — had passed crucial information about the...
- 9/2/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
After highlighting 40 titles confirmed to hit theaters this fall, we now turn our attention to the festival-bound films either without distribution or a release date. Looking over Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festival selections, we’ve rounded up 20––most of which we’ll be checking out over the next few weeks––we can’t wait to see.
Check out our 20 most-anticipated festival premieres below, and return for our reviews.
A Cooler Climate (James Ivory and Giles Gardner; NYFF)
After debuting at NYFF’s third edition in 1965 with the Merchant-Ivory production Shakespeare Wallah, James Ivory returns this year for a world premiere. A Cooler Climate, co-directed with Giles Gardner, finds the filmmaker poetically revisiting a formative trip to Afghanistan through self-shot film he recovered. Featuring music by Alexandre Desplat and clocking in at 75 minutes, we’re curious what the 94-year-old Oscar winner has cooked up. – Jordan R.
A Compassionate Spy...
Check out our 20 most-anticipated festival premieres below, and return for our reviews.
A Cooler Climate (James Ivory and Giles Gardner; NYFF)
After debuting at NYFF’s third edition in 1965 with the Merchant-Ivory production Shakespeare Wallah, James Ivory returns this year for a world premiere. A Cooler Climate, co-directed with Giles Gardner, finds the filmmaker poetically revisiting a formative trip to Afghanistan through self-shot film he recovered. Featuring music by Alexandre Desplat and clocking in at 75 minutes, we’re curious what the 94-year-old Oscar winner has cooked up. – Jordan R.
A Compassionate Spy...
- 8/30/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Showtime has given a green light to Seasoned, a half-hour comedy pilot starring real-life husband and wife Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) and Kathryn Grody (The Lemon Sisters).
Co-created and co-written by writer-director Ewen Wright and their son Gideon Grody-Patinkin, Seasoned is a scripted comedy inspired by the couple’s real life and relationship. Per the logline, it “follows the delightfully tumultuous relationship and life of a successful, gregarious, deeply committed, slightly insane married couple played by Patinkin and Grody – roles they’ve been rehearsing for the last 43 years. The source of their unending magic is the same as their unending woe: that they’ve stayed together all this time.”
Jax Media is producing the project for Showtime, with pilot production set for July in New York City.
“Mandy and Kathryn helped me and millions of online viewers get through the pandemic with their wonderfully warm, funny and inspired social media posts,...
Co-created and co-written by writer-director Ewen Wright and their son Gideon Grody-Patinkin, Seasoned is a scripted comedy inspired by the couple’s real life and relationship. Per the logline, it “follows the delightfully tumultuous relationship and life of a successful, gregarious, deeply committed, slightly insane married couple played by Patinkin and Grody – roles they’ve been rehearsing for the last 43 years. The source of their unending magic is the same as their unending woe: that they’ve stayed together all this time.”
Jax Media is producing the project for Showtime, with pilot production set for July in New York City.
“Mandy and Kathryn helped me and millions of online viewers get through the pandemic with their wonderfully warm, funny and inspired social media posts,...
- 6/23/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has revealed eight 2022 Documentary Motion Picture nominees that will advance to the final round of voting for the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and eight non-fiction motion-picture nominees. Some 8,000 PGA members will make their picks before the 33rd Annual Producers Guild of America Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2022.
With the over-crowded documentary awards field, being seen is the first order. Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives deep-pocketed distributors like NatGeo an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded two of the eight PGA nominations: Thai cave thriller “The Rescue” and Covid diary “The First Wave.” HBO also landed two nominees, Nanfu Wang’s portrait of China during Covid,...
With the over-crowded documentary awards field, being seen is the first order. Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives deep-pocketed distributors like NatGeo an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded two of the eight PGA nominations: Thai cave thriller “The Rescue” and Covid diary “The First Wave.” HBO also landed two nominees, Nanfu Wang’s portrait of China during Covid,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has revealed eight 2022 Documentary Motion Picture nominees that will advance to the final round of voting for the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. The nominees for the Documentary category are selected by the Documentary Nomination Jury, made up of at least fifty documentary producers who select between three and eight non-fiction motion-picture nominees. Some 8,000 PGA members will make their picks before the 33rd Annual Producers Guild of America Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 26, 2022.
With the over-crowded documentary awards field, being seen is the first order. Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives deep-pocketed distributors like NatGeo an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded two of the eight PGA nominations: Thai cave thriller “The Rescue” and Covid diary “The First Wave.” HBO also landed two nominees, Nanfu Wang’s portrait of China during Covid,...
With the over-crowded documentary awards field, being seen is the first order. Box-office buzz is not a factor in this pandemic year, which gives deep-pocketed distributors like NatGeo an advantage. It has a long list of strong, widely seen contenders that yielded two of the eight PGA nominations: Thai cave thriller “The Rescue” and Covid diary “The First Wave.” HBO also landed two nominees, Nanfu Wang’s portrait of China during Covid,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Gotham Awards will be the first awards body on the independent circuit to choose its winners for the year on Monday.
On the film side, two Netflix features lead the tally, both from debut women filmmakers — Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter.” There isn’t always an obvious blueprint to predicting this group. As we saw with last year’s two tied categories, things could get interesting at Cipriani Wall Street. The Gotham are just the start of a busy week that has a great influence on the Oscar race. After Monday’s first critics and guild screening of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Wednesday’s unveiling of Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,” Thursday brings us the National Board of Review selections before the New York Film Critics Circle weighs in on Friday.
As for the television side, the Gothams will...
On the film side, two Netflix features lead the tally, both from debut women filmmakers — Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter.” There isn’t always an obvious blueprint to predicting this group. As we saw with last year’s two tied categories, things could get interesting at Cipriani Wall Street. The Gotham are just the start of a busy week that has a great influence on the Oscar race. After Monday’s first critics and guild screening of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Wednesday’s unveiling of Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,” Thursday brings us the National Board of Review selections before the New York Film Critics Circle weighs in on Friday.
As for the television side, the Gothams will...
- 11/28/2021
- by Clayton Davis and Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
When award-winning documentarian Steve James premiered his docuseries “City So Real” to great acclaim at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, it existed strictly as a four-part effort. The taut, edge-of-your seat insider’s treatment of the hotly contested, 14-candidate-deep 2019 mayoral race in Chicago not only highlighted the incredibly varied individuals running for office, but also showcased a full panorama of Windy City residents encompassing an array of districts.
All of them were in various states of ennui and distrust due to the city’s famously corrupt legacies. The series chronicled a startling victory via runoff by once-lagging underdog Lori Lightfoot, an openly gay Black woman armed with decades of public service and grassroots-based tenacity. Think Rocky but switch out the Philly cheesesteaks for Italian beef sandwiches.
But soon thereafter, as director James bluntly pointed out, “the world changed.”
“So I sat at home thinking we need to do some kind of...
All of them were in various states of ennui and distrust due to the city’s famously corrupt legacies. The series chronicled a startling victory via runoff by once-lagging underdog Lori Lightfoot, an openly gay Black woman armed with decades of public service and grassroots-based tenacity. Think Rocky but switch out the Philly cheesesteaks for Italian beef sandwiches.
But soon thereafter, as director James bluntly pointed out, “the world changed.”
“So I sat at home thinking we need to do some kind of...
- 6/15/2021
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Exclusive: The Good Fight is getting a high-profile new cast addition for Season 5. Emmy and Tony winner Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) is joining the praised Paramount+ drama series as a series regular with a one-year deal.
Patinkin will play Hal Wackner, a layman with no legal training who spontaneously decides to open a court in the back of a copy shop. Against all odds, the court catches on, and the team at Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart find themselves contending with judgements that mean nothing legally, but are honored by much of the entertained public.
This marks Patinkin’s return to television following his eight-season run as CIA vet Saul Berenson on Showtime’s Homeland, which landed him a Golden Globe nomination and four out of his seven Emmy nominations. Patinkin won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS’ Chicago Hope.
Coincidentally, Patinkin and The Good Fight star Christine Baranski,...
Patinkin will play Hal Wackner, a layman with no legal training who spontaneously decides to open a court in the back of a copy shop. Against all odds, the court catches on, and the team at Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart find themselves contending with judgements that mean nothing legally, but are honored by much of the entertained public.
This marks Patinkin’s return to television following his eight-season run as CIA vet Saul Berenson on Showtime’s Homeland, which landed him a Golden Globe nomination and four out of his seven Emmy nominations. Patinkin won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS’ Chicago Hope.
Coincidentally, Patinkin and The Good Fight star Christine Baranski,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Mandy Patinkin has inked with ICM Partners.
Patinkin played CIA vet Saul Berenson on 96 episodes of Showtime’s Homeland, a role which landed him a Golden Globe TV supporting actor nomination and four out of his seven Emmy nominations. Patinkin won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope.
The Chicago, Ill. native cut his teeth in TV commercials and radio appearances before blazing a huge career on the New York stage playing opposite Meryl Streep and John Lithgow in the Arthur W. Pinero play Trelawny of the ‘Wells’. From 1975 through 1976, he also played Fortinbras, Prince of Norway and Player King in a Broadway revival of Hamlet, with Sam Waterston in the leading role. However, it was Patinkin’s turn as Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita opposite that won him a Best Featured Actor in...
Patinkin played CIA vet Saul Berenson on 96 episodes of Showtime’s Homeland, a role which landed him a Golden Globe TV supporting actor nomination and four out of his seven Emmy nominations. Patinkin won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope.
The Chicago, Ill. native cut his teeth in TV commercials and radio appearances before blazing a huge career on the New York stage playing opposite Meryl Streep and John Lithgow in the Arthur W. Pinero play Trelawny of the ‘Wells’. From 1975 through 1976, he also played Fortinbras, Prince of Norway and Player King in a Broadway revival of Hamlet, with Sam Waterston in the leading role. However, it was Patinkin’s turn as Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita opposite that won him a Best Featured Actor in...
- 3/2/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Dickens had the teeming streets of Victorian-era London, Balzac had Paris during the Bourbon Restoration period, and Steve James has 21st century Chicago. A key part of the team behind the groundbreaking Hoop Dreams, this veteran documentarian has dabbled over the years in everything from biopics (Prefontaine) to bigger-picture looks at social ills (Abacus: Small Enough to Jail). It’s the City of Broad Shoulders, however, that’s provided him with a creative home base via Kartemquin Films and a subject rich enough to examine in depth. Every U.S.
- 10/29/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Chicago – The 2018-19 mayoral campaign in Chicago was a historic moment for the city, as the first woman of color (Lori Lightfoot) was elected. Director Steve James, of the legendary “Hoop Dreams,” takes on the events leading up to this history and beyond, in “City So Real.”
The documentary is actually a five-part miniseries, which will make its debut on the NatGeo channel on Thursday, October 29th. The remarkable journey focuses on the candidates, but also on the divide in Chicago … between neighborhoods, black&white and socioeconomic classes. As the campaign wears on, in the background is the police killing of Laquan McDonald – a black teenager – and the subsequent backlash for the governmental and law enforcement authorities in the city. It’s all captured through the lens and perspective of Steve James, and his longtime producer Zak Piper.
‘City So Real,’ Directed by Steve James
Photo credit: NatGeo Channel
After...
The documentary is actually a five-part miniseries, which will make its debut on the NatGeo channel on Thursday, October 29th. The remarkable journey focuses on the candidates, but also on the divide in Chicago … between neighborhoods, black&white and socioeconomic classes. As the campaign wears on, in the background is the police killing of Laquan McDonald – a black teenager – and the subsequent backlash for the governmental and law enforcement authorities in the city. It’s all captured through the lens and perspective of Steve James, and his longtime producer Zak Piper.
‘City So Real,’ Directed by Steve James
Photo credit: NatGeo Channel
After...
- 10/28/2020
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"A master work of precision and scope." National Geographic has unveiled an official trailer for a new docu series titled City So Real, which will be launching with a special commercial-free, uninterrupted five-hour screening event on TV next week. We're breaking our rules about posting trailers for series because this is the latest work by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Steve James. James, a Chicago native, profiles the city of Chicago starting from 2018 to 2020 in this five-episode doc series. The main description adds that it's "a fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago and delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election." James' City So Real is a gritty and loving depiction of a city that is at once fiercely unique and a microcosm of the nation ⎯ and ...
- 10/23/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chicago – One of the most influential documentary makers in film history is Chicagoan Steve James of Kartemquin Films. His lens has commented upon not only the seminal “Hoop Dreams” (1994), but “Stevie” (2002), “The Interrupters” (2011), the Roger Ebert bio doc “Life Itself” (2014) and the recent “America to Me.”
His latest, debuting at the 56th Chicago International Film Festival (and October 29th on the National Geographic Channel), is “City So Real,” a searing inside look at the 2018 Chicago mayoral campaign. One of the subjects of that doc was the young and dynamic outlier candidate Neal Sáles Griffin, who talked issues within the film with HollywoodChicago.com.
Bound to become a defining miniseries (in five parts) on the continuing mystery that is the City of Chicago, director Steve James and Chicago’s Kartemquin Films explores the 2018-19 mayoral campaign during the upheaval of Rahm Emanuel’s decision not to seek another term. Exploring the...
His latest, debuting at the 56th Chicago International Film Festival (and October 29th on the National Geographic Channel), is “City So Real,” a searing inside look at the 2018 Chicago mayoral campaign. One of the subjects of that doc was the young and dynamic outlier candidate Neal Sáles Griffin, who talked issues within the film with HollywoodChicago.com.
Bound to become a defining miniseries (in five parts) on the continuing mystery that is the City of Chicago, director Steve James and Chicago’s Kartemquin Films explores the 2018-19 mayoral campaign during the upheaval of Rahm Emanuel’s decision not to seek another term. Exploring the...
- 10/20/2020
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Temple Hill Productions has signed a multiyear, first-look TV deal with Lionsgate to develop and produce scripted programming across various platforms. The two companies have previously worked together on the “Twilight” movies, “Power Rangers” and “Uncle Drew.” In addition to those films, Temple Hill has produced “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” “Love, Simon,” “Life Itself,” “The Hate U Give,” “First Man” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” among others. But this is a deal for TV shows. On the small screen, Temple Hill is known for producing “Mr. Mercedes,” “Revenge,” “Looking for Alaska,” “The Outsider,” “Dave” and “Love, Victor.” (All of those projects were independent of Temple Hill’s ongoing partnership with Lionsgate.) Also Read: Fxx's 'Dave': Lil Dicky Wants You to See Him as a 'Human Being, Not Just a 3-and-a-Half-Minute Song' Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen cofounded Temple Hill in 2006. Head of Television Adam Fishbach and...
- 10/6/2020
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
One of the hottest female directors of our time, Olivia Wilde, has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to develop and direct a female-centric Marvel feature.
Sony and Marvel are keeping tight-lipped over the project but rumours have been spreading like wildfire that a Spider-Woman project is currently in development at the studio.
The film will be written by ‘Booksmart’ writer Katie Silberman with Amy Pascal producing. Rachel O’Connor will executive produce.
Spider-Woman aka Jessica Drew first appeared in 1977 and was originally intended as a one-off character. She went on to star in 50 issues of an ongoing series. The title has been held by several Marvel Comics characters including Mary-Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. The ‘Spider-Gwen’ version of the character has most recently appeared in the animated feature ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ voiced by Hailee Steinfeld.
Also in news – Will Smith and Kevin Hart team up for remake of ‘Planes,...
Sony and Marvel are keeping tight-lipped over the project but rumours have been spreading like wildfire that a Spider-Woman project is currently in development at the studio.
The film will be written by ‘Booksmart’ writer Katie Silberman with Amy Pascal producing. Rachel O’Connor will executive produce.
Spider-Woman aka Jessica Drew first appeared in 1977 and was originally intended as a one-off character. She went on to star in 50 issues of an ongoing series. The title has been held by several Marvel Comics characters including Mary-Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. The ‘Spider-Gwen’ version of the character has most recently appeared in the animated feature ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ voiced by Hailee Steinfeld.
Also in news – Will Smith and Kevin Hart team up for remake of ‘Planes,...
- 8/20/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
National Geographic has acquired the docuseries City So Real directed by two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Steve James and his longtime producing partner Zak Piper. The series paints a portrait of contemporary Chicago as it gives a multifaceted look into the soul the American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election. The news was unveiled Monday morning by National Geographic Global Television Networks President Courteney Monroe during the network’s TCA press tour. The docuseries is slated to debut on the network later this fall.
City So Real comes from Participant and Kartemquin Films bowed at Sundance in January and initially included four one-hour episodes, but National Geographic will exclusively feature a timely fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
The docuseries starts in mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel was tangled in...
City So Real comes from Participant and Kartemquin Films bowed at Sundance in January and initially included four one-hour episodes, but National Geographic will exclusively feature a timely fifth episode that follows the Covid-19 pandemic and social uprising following George Floyd’s death.
The docuseries starts in mid-summer 2018 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel was tangled in...
- 8/3/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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