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One of the main issues with Christine Jeffs’ A Mistake is that it bites off more than it can chew. Through its protagonist, Elizabeth Taylor, the film talks about a lot of things yet doesn’t necessarily discuss the stuff that really matters. Most of the time, it felt like Christine had picked up some unnecessary chapters from the book, on which the film is based, because of which the narrative ends up dragging for no apparent reason. And the main conflict took a back seat while a proud and self-centered surgeon went through a transformative journey of her own. In A Mistake’s ending, Elizabeth did get her closure, but I don’t think viewers share the same feelings. So, let’s look at all the important events of the film that finally changed Elizabeth’s perspective towards life and her profession.

Spoiler Alert

Elizabeth’s Lack of Empathy...

Medical dramas come with their own set of challenges. The professional jargon can bog down their overall dramatic impact. However, if made well, they can make us resonate with their pathos. The same happens with the 2024 New Zealand medical drama “A Mistake.” Based on Carl Shuker’s book of the same name, the film revolves around a fatal mistake that turns the lives of some medical professionals upside down. The film stars Elizabeth Banks in the lead role as medical surgeon Elizabeth Taylor. Besides her, the central cast includes Richard Crouchley, Simon McBurney, and Mickey Sumner.

Spoilers Ahead

A Mistake (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

“A Mistake,” starring Elizabeth Banks in the lead role, follows Elizabeth Taylor, a medical surgeon who finds herself in a tough spot after a fatal mistake during an operation with her team.

What happens in Elizabeth Banks starrer ‘A Mistake’?

“A Mistake” opens in an operation...

After 25 years on the big screen, Elizabeth Banks has long been ready for her closeup.

The 3x Emmy nominee recently reflected on the “second life” her onscreen career and how she’s gone from the “comic relief” to leading lady in her new medical drama A Mistake, which debuted in US theaters last month.

“It’s really only been in my second life as an actress here that I’ve started playing the lead role,” she explained to People. “It’s because I was a great ingénue for a long time. I played the lady in many movies to some great leading men. And then I had smaller roles in huge movies like The Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect, but never quite that DC or Marvel movie lead.”

Banks noted, “I’m often given more comic relief parts. So to have this offer felt like, wow, I’m going to...

It’s been 16 years since Christine Jeffs’ last feature, the seriocomic Amerindie sleeper “Sunshine Cleaning,” with Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. Her new feature “A Mistake” hews back to her 2001 debut, “Rain,” in that it is set in her native New Zealand and adapts its script from a Kiwi author (in this case Carl Shuker’s fifth novel). Though not a knockout, the director’s return affirms her knack for intelligent adult drama, here hinging on issues of medical ethics and bureaucracy — Elizabeth Banks plays an Auckland surgeon whose reputation and career are threatened when a patient dies after what had been anticipated as a routine procedure. Quiver Distribution is releasing the Tribeca-premiered film to 100+ U.S. theaters this Friday.

The distractingly named Elizabeth Taylor (Banks) is a highly regarded specialist, woken from a nap during one long night-shift by an emergency: A patient previously discharged as having minor ailments...

Let it be said that nothing beats the atmosphere of a good medical drama. Ask the creative team behind “ER,” “Chicago Med,” or more recent streaming efforts such as “The Good Nurse“; any project able to successfully capture the tension, stakes, and life on-the-edge thrill of wrenching someone from the precipice of death or simply helping the terminally ill cope with their imminent last days deserves more than a passing glimpse.

Continue reading ‘A Mistake’ Review: Elizabeth Banks Confidently Leads A Gloomy Medical Narrative at The Playlist.

“A Mistake” is a new ‘medical drama’ feature, written and directed by Christine Jeffs, based on the novel by Carl Shuker, starring Elizabeth Banks, Simon McBurney, Mickey Sumner, Rena Owen, Richard Crouchley and Matthew Sunderland, with a theatrical release Tba:

“…a respected surgeon makes a fateful decision during an operation, by allowing a young colleague to take charge.

“Then when a ‘mistake’ occurs, the surgeon finds herself in a difficult situation…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

"Mistakes may always happen. And I'm not trying to hide anything." Quiver Distr. has revealed an official trailer for an indie drama titled A Mistake, a medical thriller from filmmaker Christine Jeffs (of Sunshine Cleaning from 2008). This premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival a few months ago, and it's getting a theatrical release in September. A gripping cinematic adaptation of the best-selling novel, A Mistake delves into the perilous aftermath of surgeon Elizabeth Taylor's split-second medical decision, unfolding a thrilling exploration of the fatal ripple effects triggered by a single human error. After a new scheme to publicly report surgeons' performance, a gifted surgeon's life is thrown into disarray as her colleagues begin to close ranks, and even her partner who is a nurse at the hospital turns her back on her. Elizabeth Banks stars as surgeon Liz Taylor, with Mickey Sumner, Richard Crouchley, Simon McBurney, Fern Sutherland, Rena Owen,...

Elizabeth Banks takes charge and delivers in Skincare, a Hollywood-set psychological thriller that its feature-debuting director, Austin Peters, likes to label a “sunshine noir”. Certainly it has elements of the classic darkly lit black and white film noirs set in L.A. in the 40’s, but this one takes place directly in the bright sunlit corners of Southern California where facialists are definitely a thing.

It is a fictional story, very loosely inspired apparently by a real case involving aesthetician Dawn DaLuise who was accused of putting out a hit on a rival facialist in 2014 and did wind up doing some prison time before being acquitted. There is no mention of her or that, but apparently screenwriters Deering Regan & Sam Freilich, and Peters were “inspired” enough to use it as a tipping point. It is a completely fictionalized character Banks plays, but her transformation feels close to real life despite...

Elizabeth Banks commands the screen as distinguished surgeon Dr. Liz Taylor, grappling with turmoil both personal and professional in A Mistake. Adapting Carl Shuker’s novel, director Christine Jeffs crafts a nuanced portrait of accountability through a deceptively simple medical drama.

During a routine procedure, Taylor’s inexperienced registrar, Richard, makes a mistake with lasting consequences. A young patient named Lisa doesn’t survive complications, throwing the hospital into disarray. Taylor insists on taking full responsibility to protect Richard, unprepared for the storm ahead. Questions linger over duty and mistake, liability and lives.

Resolute in her skills, Taylor faces conflicts internally and externally as the tragedy’s effects spread. Hospital administration and the patient’s grieving parents demand answers, testing Taylor’s discipline and principles. Banks skillfully brings the star surgeon’s unraveling to life, navigating trauma with a tangible humanity. Subtleties in directing and storytelling probe complex issues of...

by Abe Friedtanzer

No one really wants to think about the idea of medical malpractice since anyone could end up on an operating table following an accident or other unexpected scenario. But things do go wrong, for a variety of reasons, and those stories can be worth telling. Prospective audiences of A Mistake should be well aware that the film features a great deal of graphic surgery within its opening minutes, setting up an uncomfortable and deeply unsettling chain of events that seek to assign blame for a wrongful death…...

Elizabeth Banks has one of her best roles to date in A Mistake, the New Zealand-set medical drama that had its world premiere Friday night at the Tribeca Festival.

It might be easy to forget that Banks is one of the best actors out there, especially since she also is known these days as a director (most recently Cocaine Bear) and even game show host (Press Your Luck). But as her most recent acting work in films like The Beanie Bubble and Call Jane proves again, she has real acting chops and always has. Therefore it is nice to see her sink her teeth into a major lead role in an intense but understated and dedicated turn as a brilliant and confident surgeon whose one routine mistake during an operation spirals out of control. In the process, her life becomes a mess, making her question just exactly who she really is,...

The June skies are clear as the Tribeca Festival gathers indie filmmakers from around the globe with a large slate of features and shorts, music, games, TV, audio storytelling and a major addition this year in De Niro Con, a tribute to the prolific actor and Tribeca co-founder.

The fest moved from April to June in part for the weather but that can’t be taken for granted — last year’s edition opened to a city blanketed with acrid smoke from Canadian wildfires as Mayor Eric Adams handed De Niro the key to the city at a press conference and Tribeca unveiled De Niro Con. Fan events and screenings with star power from Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller, David O. Russell, Christopher Walken and others will unspool over the last four days of the festival.

Other retrospectives and reunions will see Steven Spielberg screen and discuss his...

Jessica Biel (The Sinner) and Elizabeth Banks (Call Jane) will exec produce and star in The Better Sister, a thriller based on the novel by Alafair Burke. In a competitive situation, the project has landed at Prime Video with a series order. It hails from Tomorrow Studios, which will co-produce with Amazon MGM Studios.

Olivia Milch (Ocean’s 8), who wrote the pilot, and Regina Corrado (Mayor of Kingstown) serve as executive producers and showrunners on The Better Sister, which is meditating on the terrible things that drive sisters apart and ultimately bring them back together. This is the story of Chloe (Biel), who moves through the world with her handsome lawyer husband Adam and teenage son Ethan by her side while her estranged sister Nicky (Banks) struggles to stay clean and hustles to make ends meet. When Adam is brutally murdered, the prime suspect sends shockwaves through the family, laying bare long-buried secrets.

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the romantic-dramedy The Miniature Wife, which will star and be executive-produced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) and Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), the streamer announced Monday.

Created and executive-produced by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner (Boardwalk Empire), The Miniature Wife is a “high-concept marital dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses Lindy (Banks) and Les (Macfadyen) who battle each other for supremacy after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis,” according to its official description.

More from TVLineEarth Abides Series: Alexander Ludwig to Play Ish in MGM+ Adaptation of George R. Stewart Sci-Fi...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Peacock has handed a straight-to-series order to romantic dramedy The Miniature Wife, starring and executive produced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) and Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), from Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res.

Created and executive produced by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner, who also serve as showrunners, The Miniature Wife was taken out to premium buyers at the start of the year. It attracted interest from multiple streamers, ultimately landing at Peacock with a series order.

Based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez, The Miniature Wife is a high-concept marital dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses, Lindy (Banks) and Les (Macfadyen), who battle each other for supremacy after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.

Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer executive produce for Media Res.

A three-time Emmy nominee, Banks most recently starred opposite Zach Galifianakis...

Exclusive: Continuing to expand its cast, HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title) has added five as recurring: Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), Mickey Sumner (Snowpiercer), Brian Goodman (Fatal Attraction), Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem), and Colin Bates (American Rust).

Sbarge plays Police Chief Dorsey, who oversees a multi-unit operation to assist FBI Agent Tom (Ruffalo) and the team in their search. Sumner portrays Shelley Driscoll, who is desperate to escape her husband Ray, with Goodman as Vincent Hawkes, one of the 13 National Leaders of a dangerous biker gang. Nolasco plays Freddy Frias, the savvy and ruthless captain of Philadelphia’s largest drug trafficking organization, while Bates portrays Shane McReynolds, the Sergeant-At-Arms of a dangerous biker gang and a member of Jayson’s inner circle.

Others previously cast include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff...

Having completed production in the summer of the previous year, Christine Jeffs is now well-prepared to polish off her highly anticipated fourth feature film, a book-to-film adaptation titled A Mistake to high-brow auds. This marks a sixteen-year gap between her previous feature films – she began with a lot of fanfare early on with Rain (2001), Sylvia (2003) and then Sunshine Cleaning (2008). A Mistake sees Elizabeth Banks topline what was a shot in New Zealand project. Jeffs was at Sundance with her last film so it might be a fun comeback narrative for this acquisitions item.

Gist: Elizabeth is a gifted surgeon—the only female consultant at her hospital.…...

Exclusive: Following the successful theatrical run of her latest directorial effort Cocaine Bear, a Uni horror comedy that grossed over $87M worldwide, Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect franchise) has been set to topline Skincare, a new film from Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and producers Jonathan Schwartz and Logan Lerman, which wrapped production prior to the writers’ strike.

Starring alongside Banks are Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Luis Gerardo Méndez (The Resort) and Nathan Fillion (The Rookie).

Directed by Austin Peters, Skincare is described as a vanity thriller set in Hollywood, though specifics as to its plot are under wraps. Peters wrote the script with Deering Regan and Sam Freilich. The film is the third on which Schwartz and Lerman have collaborated on as producers following A24’s The Vanishing of Sidney Hall and Cj Enm’s Press Play. Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi financed and produced...

The New Zealand government said on Tuesday that the country’s generous screen production incentives systems are to be continued.

The decision follows a New Zealand government review of the local and international production incentives and the post-production and visual effects schemes that began in late 2022.

They also follow expansion announced earlier this month of the rebate schemes in Australia. The two neighbors compete for international or ‘runaway’ productions on criteria including: locations, English-language skills, studio space, post-production and digital effects facilities, as well as cash rebates.

The screen sector contributes more than Nz$3.5 billion ($2.12 billion) to the New Zealand economy each year and directly employs over 13,900 people. The sector also has indirect benefits for other industries such as hospitality, construction and tourism, the government said.

The renewal of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant (Nzspg) system come with a handful of tweaks. One of these is to the scheme’s name.

Exclusive: NBCUniversal’s Bravo New Zealand has ordered a reality show set in the country’s top ski resort, while streamer Hayu has picked up Season 4 of The Circus.

Snow Crew shot at the Cornet Peak and The Remarkables resorts following a young, charismatic crew across the winter 2022 season.

The action follows the crew as they welcome a new season of guests and manage thousands of people on the mountains each day. According to the synopsis, “It’s work hard and play harder for the crew, juggling with the highs and lows of life on the slopes, where the weather can change on a dime, and you can expect the unexpected.” The crew hail from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK, and work under boss Nigel.

The series comes from Wonder Street and Stripe Studios, the pair that makes Bravo New Zealand unscripted show The Circus, which is now...

For folks older than 35, it’s hard to think about any one actor who defines the action genre as much as Arnold Schwarzenegger. For years, he was the biggest name in all of the film industry and just his appearance in a film would make it a blockbuster. But yeah, those days are long gone, but there’s still something exciting about seeing Schwarzenegger show up on screen, even if it’s as a nearly-retired CIA agent as in the series, “Fubar.”

Read More: James Cameron Thinks Bringing Back Arnold Schwarzenegger & Linda Hamilton For ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Was A Mistake

Netflix unveiled some first-look photos and a quick teaser for “Fubar,” the new series which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a CIA agent on the verge of retirement who has to go back out for one last job.

Continue reading ‘Fubar’ Teaser: Netflix Unveils First Look At New Arnold Schwarzenegger-Led Action Series at The Playlist.

Tessa Thompson (Westworld) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Super Pumped) are attached to star in the sci-fi thriller Ash, which the Grammy-winning musician and filmmaker Flying Lotus — otherwise known as Steven Ellison — will direct as his sophomore feature, as we first reported in January. Neill Blomkamp (District 9) has since then come aboard to exec produce the pic, which its financier XYZ Films will rep for worldwide sales at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

While at TIFF to meet with key buyers for Ash, Flying Lotus will appear in support of his segment of V/H/S/99, which is having its world premiere in the Midnight section of the festival.

The new film, for which the multi-hyphenate will also compose an original score, watches as a woman (Thompson) wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed, and must then decide if she can trust...

Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will headline the sci-fi thriller “Ash,” directed by Flying Lotus.

Thompson plays a space station worker who wakes up on a distant planet to find her colleagues viciously killed, and then forced to work together with the man (Gordon-Levitt) sent to rescue her. But as their investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events, the rescuer begins to wonder how innocent she really is.

Executive produced by Neill Blomkamp (“District 9”), “Ash” is based on an original screenplay written by Jonni Remmler. XYZ Films and Gfc Films will produce, with Echo Lake also onboard as an executive producer. XYZ Films is financing and handling worldwide sales at next week’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Flying Lotus will also compose an original score, with a production aiming to shoot in New Zealand next year. The multihyphenate will be attending TIFF to support...