8-year-old Jenny (Violet McGraw) is constantly caught in the middle of the feuding between her lawyer mother Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and artist father Jeff (Rupert Friend). She leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by puppets called “Grisly Kin”, which are based on the works of her father. When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie’s father (Brian Cox) sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer) tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them. When the motives of the ghoulish creatures become clear, the lives of everyone are put very much in jeopardy.
From the director of THE DEVIL INSIDE, William Brent Bell, the movie stars Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer, Violet McGraw.
Watch the trailer for SEPARATION now and check out this scary movie in cinemas on April 30.
So, Spring Break has officially…sprung, I suppose. Time for a road trip, if only virtually for many of us. And that’s what this new streaming comedy adventure is all about. Well, mostly since it’s got a few unique twists. First, rather than making Florida the final destination, the “sunshine state” is the starting point. Plus we’re dealing with a couple of thirty-something slackers, not frisky high-schoolers or “single and ready to mingle” collegians. Oh, and here’s a biggie: it’s all improvised, though the four actors are working from an outline as sort of a “plot map” similar to the Christopher Guest “mockumentaries” or HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Wait a sec, I said just four actors. Correct, because this is also a “prank” film, a new comedy designation popularized by the TV and feature film work of Johnny Knoxville (BAD GRANDPA) and Sasha Baron Cohen (last Fall’s BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM). In short, it means that the players are truly “keeping on their toes” by having to deal with real people who may have wildly unexpected reactions to their antics. So, buckle up for an East Coast trek that might take a few odd, out-of-the-way turns during what hopefully will not be recalled as a BAD TRIP.
Somehow this trip begins in reverse, a flashback actually to a year ago in a sleepy small Florida retiree town. That’s the home of Chris (Eric Andre) who is barely making ends meet while working his latest job at a car wash. His day’s drudgery is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of his high school crush Maria Li (Michaela Conlin). Chris is too scared to approach (and a bit humiliated by a work..uh..accident), but he vows to connect with her again someday. Meanwhile, his best pal Bud (Lil Rel Howery) is behind the counter at a computer supply/repair shop when his bullying ex-con sister Trina (Tiffany Haddish) bursts in demanding his “spare change”. After this bit of family drama, the story flashes forward to the present day and Chris’s present gig at a smoothie shop. And in walks Maria! But this time he musters the courage to speak to her, even asking her out for a coffee or cocktail. She demurely declines, telling him that she’s heading back to NYC for the opening of a big exhibit at her art gallery. And she gives him her card, in case he ever is in the area. Chris takes the card as a sign and an invite. He’s got to make his way north in the next 10 days for the gallery event. Chris convinces Bud to join him on the quest, although neither can afford a flight. If only they had a car, or could borrow one. After much pleading, Chris convinces Bud to get Trina’s car out of a long-term parking garage, since she’s away at a “long-term” correctional facility. But wouldn’t you know it, just as the guys hit the road, Trina busts out of the slammer. And where’s the first place she goes? The garage to retrieve her pink car, the “Bad Bitch”, naturally. And so begins an East Coast odyssey with Trina in hot pursuit of Chris and Bud as they embark on a series of misadventures along the way to Chris’ romantic ideal. But can they get to Maria before Trina gets to them?
If there were an acting award for bravery or at least fearlessness, then Mr. Andre would certainly be in the running for it, right alongside the BORAT duo. As Chris, he gives a performance mixing current tech savvy with a knowing wink to the slapstick clowns of a century ago. The guy simply and completely commits, hurtling toward the concrete at one point or enduring nightmare nakedness at another, well several points. And that’s not to mention the added “skeez” factor of bodily …fluids. And yet, in the middle of the chaos, Andre projects a child-like spirit, often evoking the optimism of an incurable romantic (I thought of Jim Carey’s “So I got a chance” from the original DUMB AND DUMBER). He’s great in the big action set pieces but really shines when plowing ahead in quiet scenes of humiliation especially when a quiet conversation turns into a wonky musical number. And though often needed as the “grounded” “straight man” Howery takes a near equal number of comedic risks as the picked upon Bud. He’s at his best when Bud frantically tries to hold on to his dignity as Chris seemingly “leaves the planet”. But he’s not a complete “doormat” as he emphatically insists that the plot of the movie WHITE GIRLS could really work. Still, Howery is the perfect “patsy” when dealing with the constantly furious Haddish, eschewing her talk show glamour to make Trina a truly endearing and hilarious villain. She’s a true “force of nature”, a whirling dervish of prison “tatts”, gold chains, and a beeping ankle monitor. And we can almost see the glee from her eyes as she intimidates and emasculates nearly everyone unlucky to cross her path (though her instant attraction to an officer is quite touching). Kudos also to Conlin who brings a real sweetness and surprising toughness to the role of the “fantasy girl” who knows when to give Chris a much-needed “wake up call”.
Reminding of the old “plate spinner” acts of classic TV variety shows, director Kitao Sakurai barely breaks any dinnerware as he captures the real reactions of the bystanders “on the fly”. Somehow he’s at just the right angle getting the most of “John and Jane Q. Public”. Of course, praise must also be given to the editing team who had to comb through hours of the same gags from different camera set-ups. Yes, the film has an episodic feel as though it was the best of a cable “candid camera” (with more “raunch”), but the actors never lose track of their characters’ established desires and dreams. That’s a tribute to the five writers (including Sakurai and Andre) who have carefully crafted the story’s structure, using great set pieces in the different cities and states. Complimenting the amazing actors, and often enhancing their performances, are the craftspeople and artisans, who had to fashion and control the on-camera effects (curtain and CGI don’t work in the “real”). Their efforts are nothing short of astounding, from the mechanical tricks to the makeups, and even some deft puppetry. If you stick around for the end credits, you’ll get a hint of their wizardry (most deserving of a home video bonus feature or two). And sure there are bloopers, but you’ll also see the same gags done with different “citizens” who didn’t react as hoped (one bar patron is seconds from throttling Andre). At 84 minutes it’s a sprightly quick trip and because of the many inspired talents involved, it’s far from a BAD TRIP. And it may make you think twice about taking that “selfie” at the zoo.
3 out of 4
BAD TRIP streams exclusively on Netflix beginning Friday, March 26, 2021
As most of the country enters full Spring break “status”, the studio wants to lure film fans back into the theatres with a genre that usually thrives in the warmer months, the “rock ’em, sock ’em”, ” hard” R-rated action flick. Ah, but something sets this one apart from the other “bone-crunchers” of the box office. Well, right off, from the poster and other marketing, we see it stars an actor being, to put it mildly, “cast against type” (no offense, but “The Rock”, he ain’t’). Oh, but the lead role is the vital ingredient in this new mix of thriller elements while tossing in tropes of other genres. From those comic book-inspired sagas, we get a “master of mayhem” who’s wrapped in the guise of an average joe. And, as with horror flicks, there’s lots of concern about whether his unleashed “inner beast” can be tamed once more. So basically, almost everyone initially dismisses him since, and he proclaims this to many other characters, he appears to be a real NOBODY.
The “non-entity” in the title refers to “mild-mannered” suburban husband and father “Hutch” Mansell (Bob Odenkirk). His days are pretty much routine. Hutch awakes at the same time, eats the same breakfast, always seems to just miss the garbage pick-up, then takes the bus to his nine-to-five job at a small-sized machinery shop (is it automotive, or heating equipment). After clocking out, it’s another ride home to his bored (a massive cushion between them at night in the bed they share) real estate sales agent wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), surly unimpressed teenage son Blake (Gage Munroe), and sweet, doting nine-year-old daughter Abby (Paisley Cadorath). And then, late one night, that routine is shattered. Hearing a noise, Hutch goes downstairs and stumbles upon a pair of black-clad, ski-masked home invaders. Unfortunately, they get the drop on him, but Hutch complies with their demands giving away his watch, wedding band, and a few bucks in the “petty cash” bowl. Ah, but son Blake springs into action, trying to tackle one of them as Hutch freezes. The teen is rewarded with a black eye as the duo escapes into the night. Of course, nearly everyone, co-workers, neighbors, even the police, inform Hitch that they would’ve “taken out” the crooks. But Hutch seems resigned to be the “wimp of the block” until daughter Abby tells him that her kitty-cat bracelet is gone. This flips on an inner switch, as Hutch switches gears into “revenge” mode. He pays a late-night visit to the retirement complex home of father David (Christopher Lloyd), opens a wall safe, and takes out a pistol along with a big wad of cash. Playing “detective”, he tracks the thieves down (in the scuffle Hutch saw a unique wrist tattoo), who don’t have the bracelet, but are in very “dire straights”. Hutch’s “code” will not allow him to punish them. However, a group of violent drunken thugs harassing a young woman on the bus ride back home? Well, they will certainly satisfy his “blood lust’. After emptying his gun of cartridges, he leaves them in a bloody, crumpled mess. But wouldn’t you know…one of those creeps he put in the hospital is related to the city’s most feared Russian gangster, the kingpin/ dance club-owner Yulian (Aleksey Serebryakov). When he does his own “sleuthing”, the entire Mansell family has a target on their backs. Can Hutch possibly protect them despite the return of these hidden skills from a past violent life? And does he have a “reset” button?
Of course, the subject of my earlier casting comments is Odenkirk, who displays another unforeseen “skill set’ in his talent roster. After establishing himself as a major comic talent as co-creator of the influential HBO gem “Mr. Show”, he continued in supporting roles in several other humorous movies and TV shows (he auditioned for the lead in “The Office”), until AMC-TV’s “Breaking Bad” spun-off his lawyer character for the acclaimed drama “Better Call Saul”. Yes, comedy and drama, but an action star? Fortunately Odenkirk sells it, giving the script an extra jolt with his “low-energy” everyman in the film’s opening sequences. When he peels away his timid outer shell, Odenkirk shows us that Hutch is re-vitalized as he returns to his former self. Luckily he still shows us that his love of family hasn’t been discarded, which injects an extra urgency to the story’s last act. Nielsen as wife Becca also seems to awaken from her slumber as she finds much more mystery in the man she’s been keeping at a distance so long. Lloyd is also terrific as another man wearing a “false front”, who’s happy that his boy has returned” while gleefully joining him and diving into the real chaos, after numbing himself with the phony carnage of “late show” TV Westerns. Serebryakov proves a worthy adversary as an unrestrained rabid dog whose ego will not let this little “worm” get the best of him (he inspires panic in both his enemies and allies). The great Michael Ironside (the “exploder” of SCANNERS) is the most understanding employer ever as Hutch’s long-time boss. Oh, and there’s a terrific final battle cameo role for a great music/action flick star (no spoilers from me) that helps the flick end on a high note.
The man behind HARDCORE HARRY, Ilya Naishuller directs the destruction with a deft, confident flair, shifting gears with ease from the drudgery of Hutch’s “comfy” lifestyle to the adrenaline-fueled set-pieces, in particular, the bus “beat-down”. For that he gets us inside Hutch’s head as he scopes in the enemy and the surroundings like a general hatching a battle strategy. Oh, but he’s not a super-human, as the somewhat-tipsy creeps inflect loads of damage to the “one man armada”. It helps that Odenkirk sells the pain of flexing little-used muscles. This tale combines themes from THE EQUALIZER, AMERICAN BEAUTY, and the JOHN WICK flicks (the script is from one of its creators Derek Kolstad) and produces a really original spin on the urban action genre. But at the midpoint, it veers a tad off course into a now-familiar staple with the current “go-to” baddies, the “made-men from Moscow”. I believe I literally sighed and said under my breathe “Russian mobsters, again” since I CARE A LOT was mere weeks ago. This leads to the finale that owes a bit too much to Denzel’s outing and the HOME ALONE flicks (really). Oh, but when it works in that first half, Odenkirk as the savage suburban Centurian is a sight of awesome bloody wonder. Thanks to him Hutch is most memorable and far from a NOBODY. Cross him and you’d better call Saul, right after 9-1-1.
3 Out of 4
NOBODY opens in select theatres everywhere beginning Friday, March 26, 2021
“Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.”
For those of you who remember seeing director Nick Castle’s sci-fi gem in theaters during the summer of 1984, those words are ingrained in your memory!
THE LAST STARTFIGHTER tells the story Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), an arcade game whizz-kid whose wildest dreams comes true when he finds himself enlisted to fight in an interstellar war. The movie also starred Dan O’Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart and the great Robert Preston as “Centauri”. It’s still a fun, great film to watch!
Now screenwriter Gary Whitta (Rogue One, The Book of Eli, Star Wars Rebels, The Walking Dead) has revealed the sizzle reel for THE LAST STARFIGHTERS, the sequel which fans have long been waiting for.
Whitta, a huge fan of the original movie, also spoke about the potential sequel over on his Twitch channel where he says they did the concept art to show the studios what the film will look like.
Judi Dench as Miss Rocholl in Andy Goddard’s “Six Minutes to Midnight.” Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
A Nazi-run boarding school for girls on the British coast? Sound preposterous but in fact there really was such a school, which is the inspiration for the period spy thriller SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT.
Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, and Jim Broadbent headline the film, a Hitchcock-like British historical thriller set in the summer of 1939, just as WWII loomed. The Augusta-Victoria College is a finishing school for German girls at Bexhill-on-Sea on the southeast coast of England.
The film has been a pet project for many year for Eddie Izzard, who grew up in the area., and not only stars in the film but co-wrote the script along with co-star Celyn Jones and director Andy Goddard. The idea sparked when Izzard visited a Bexhill museum and saw the school’s insignia patch, which features a small Swastika along side a British flag.
The school, which existed from 1932 to 1939, was intended for German girls, many of them the daughters of the Nazi elite, to learn the English language and about English culture, as part of a plan to spread Nazi ideology to Britain. Actually, Augusta-Victoria College was one of many international schools in the area prior to WWII, in an area long noted for such foreign-run boarding schools. However, this is a fictional film. While it is it is unclear what, if any, of the story is factual, although it seems likely that British authorities were keeping an eye on the school as tensions rose prior to the Nazi’s invasion of Poland in 1939.
After the mysterious disappearance of the school’s previous English teacher, teacher Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) goes for an interview as a replacement for the job at Augusta-Victoria College for girls at Bexhill. He is interviewed by the German school’s British headmistress, Miss Rocholl (Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench), who describes the school as a place to promote understanding between British and German people. She chooses to focus on that aspect of the school rather than its Nazi sponsorship, and is genuinely devoted to “her girls” and their care and education. Although the headmistress is less than impressed with Miller, who has a spotty employment history, she does need to quickly find a replacement to maintain the girls’ English language skills. In the end, she agrees to hire him on a trial basis, swayed in part by the fact that he is half-German and bilingual.
Miller isn’t there just to teach English but to keep tabs on the German school. The school is on summer break and only the other teacher who seems to be present is the physical education teacher Ilise Keller (Carla Juri), who drills the girls in exercise routines and takes them on outings to the beach to swim. On one such seaside outing, they make a shocking discovery – the body of the former English teacher, which has washed up on shore. The discovery sparks tensions at the school, mirroring the tensions rising on the international scene as war approaches.
With everyone on edge, a tale of secrets and espionage begins. There is a distinct Hitchcock flavor to this spy thriller set in the late ’30s, specifically echoing THE 39 STEPS, although the plot is wholly different.
Audiences are used to seeing Eddie Izzard in comic roles or doing stand-up, so seeing him in a straightforward dramatic role is a bit of a shift, yet the actor handles is well. He couldn’t have better supporting cast with Dame Judi, who plays the well-meaning if deluded headmistress, and Jim Broadbent, who adds the comic relief as a colorful, outgoing local bus driver who ends up playing a critical role. Izzard’s co-writer Celyn Jones plays a policeman, a crafty veteran of the last war, who is assisting the local police captain, played by James D’Arcy, in investigating the events around the discovery of the body of the missing man.
Many characters are not what they seem, and secrets, betrayals and chases abound. Izzard’s Miller is very much a Hitchcock character, a man falsely accused of a crime who must go on the run to clear his name, although Miller has his secrets too.
Unsurprisingly, the acting is excellent, particularly Dench’s portrayal of the well-meaning headmistress, whose affection for “her girls” blinds her to what is really going on. Dame Judi gives a touching performance as the headmistress, so devoted to her young charges that she is willing to ignore the glaring warning signs right in front of her. As the spy thriller story unfolds, her position becomes more tenuous and she reaches a breaking point.
The rest of the cast also do fine work, with Celyn Jones and Jim Broadbent particularly memorable in their smaller but pivotal roles.
The whole tale is set in the scenic British countryside, with the stately home that houses the school, the area’s picturesque historic sites, and the lovely rolling hills and windswept coast. The sets and period details are just right, and scenic location setting adds both to the film’s visual appeal and its authentic feel.
Those period details include that Augusta-Victoria school crest, with its unsettling mix of British and Nazi symbols, which so struck Izzard when he first saw it.
SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT offers fine historical spy thriller entertainment, nice performances and a glimpse into a little-known, curious bit of British history. It opens Friday, March 26, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema, and Marcus’ Chesterfield, Ronnie’s, St. Charles and Arnold Cinemas.
I approached this rom-com among the elderly with great trepidation. The cast of SENIOR MOMENT is headed by three actors whose work I’ve enjoyed many times – William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd and Jean Smart. The anxiety comes from decades of such films turning out to be mush that can be downed without dentures, as the seniors become caricatures in absurd situations. One common trope is for a hot, much younger woman to fall for a man old enough to be at least her father. Such connections develop even without the geriatric gent having enough money or fame to provide incentive. I suppose the tradition arose from old white male studio heads, who lived their own fantasies vicariously via the screening room. If a Walter Matthau character could reel in an Ann-Margret, as he did in GRUMPY OLD MEN, hope remains alive for them and the old dudes who buy tickets.
Mercifully, this script resists the temptations of schmaltz and gives us a relatively believable story, set in a California desert city, mainly full of retirees. Shatner is a former jet pilot, who chases skirts ardently, propping up his appeal with his Porsche convertible. He drives rather sportily, if not recklessly, as part of his charm. Unfortunately, he does so once too often, costing him possession of his car and driver’s license. For him, that’s the equivalent of a gelding. The rest of the film follows his efforts to regain both with the help of several friends. Along the way, he meets a free-spirited, age-appropriate baker (Smart) for whom he develops an uncharacteristic attraction. You can fill in the rest of where they’ll wind up on your own. But screen writers Kurt Brungardt and Christopher Momenee make the journey entertaining, while director Giorgio Serafini runs the table in a crisp 92 minutes.
There’s less need to suspend disbelief here than usual for the genre. The supporting cast contributes well all around. Scenes in a retirement home are free of cheap gags at the occupants’ expense. The scenery of Palm Springs and its environs is used to good advantage. Shatner forgoes the long mid-sentence pauses he made (in)famous as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk. That either means at 90 he’s more lucid than 50, or so, years ago; or he’s become a better actor, who no longer needs such gimmicks. Ideally, both would be true. Smart plays a very contemporary woman, strong and certain of her standards and aspirations, helping to make SENIOR MOMENT fresh and current.
There’s nothing profound to be gained here, but at least it’s a safe bet for your entertainment time and money. That’s more than many wind up offering.
Here’s your first look at the brand-new trailer for director Ben Wheatley’s IN THE EARTH.
As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them. IN THE EARTH stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, Reece Shearsmith, John Hollingworth, Mark Monero.
Ben Wheatley’s films have won numerous awards, received international critical acclaim and have been theatrically released globally. Ben’s films include HIGH RISE, SIGHTSEERS, A FIELD IN ENGLAND, KILL LIST while his latest film “Rebecca”, an adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier classic, premiered on Netflix in November 2020. In October 2020 it was announced that the director would helm THE MEG 2 (link)
When asked what inspired the story of IN THE EARTH, Wheatley says, “I wanted to make a film that was contextualized in the moment. Movies I was seeing that had been made but released during the pandemic felt very old-fashioned. No one is talking about what has just happened… Covid is going to mark a generation. It felt like making a film in 1946 and not referencing the fact that everyone had just gone through the second world war. In that retrospect, I wanted to make something that would be immediate. To talk about this moment. I wanted to make something about the experience I was having right now. And I think that is what horror cinema should be. It takes the moment that we are living in and puts it into a genre.”
Guy Ritchie’s upcoming film WRATH OF MAN got it’s first poster today and featured star Jason Statham. The film is in theaters May 7.
A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.
Ritchie also took to Twitter to make the announcement that the first trailer hits on Monday.
Hey Oscar fans! Have you caught the new promo for this year’s Academy Awards?
The Oscars show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh have announced 14 key members of the production team for the 93rd Oscars®, which airs live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
Rob Paine has been associated with the Oscars telecast for more than 20 years and returns as supervising producer. Paine has more than 200 television events to his name and has earned eight Primetime Emmy® Award nominations, a Daytime Emmy Award nomination and a Peabody Award. His credits include “Celebrating America,” “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote,” 12 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, “The Kennedy Center Honors” and the “Primetime Emmy Awards.”
Co-producer Jeannae Rouzan-Clay joins the Oscars production team for the first time. She is a writer and producer, and the Vice President of Specials for Jesse Collins Entertainment. For more than 15 years, Rouzan-Clay has been at the helm of multiple television shows for major networks and streaming platforms including CBS, BET, VH1, Nickelodeon and Netflix. An NAACP Image Award®-winning producer, her work includes such award shows as “BET Awards,” “Black Girls Rock!,” “BET Honors,” “ABFF Honors” and “Soul Train Awards”; such specials as “Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd,” “The 14th Annual Stand Up for Heroes,” “The All-Star Nickmas Special,” “Leslie Jones: Time Machine,” “Dear Mama,” “Def Comedy Jam 25” and “BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration”; and the competition series “Sunday Best.”
Co-producer Dionne Harmon joins the Oscars production team for the first time. She is the Executive Vice President of Content & Strategy at Jesse Collins Entertainment, where she oversees development and production of unscripted and scripted content. A four-time NAACP Image Award winner, Harmon has produced tentpoles and specials including “A Grammy Salute to the Sounds of Change,” “Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd,” “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” “BET Awards,” “BET Hip Hop Awards,” “Soul Train Awards” and “BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration,” as well as the comedy specials “Leslie Jones: Time Machine” and “Amanda Seales: I Be Knowin’” and the competition shows “Rhythm + Flow” and “Nashville Squares.” On the scripted side, Harmon’s credits include the BET miniseries “The Bobby Brown Story” and the series “American Soul.”
Co-producer Raj Kapoor joins the Oscars for the fifth consecutive year, overseeing screen content and performances. His recent credits include the “The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live!,” “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” “Grammy Awards®,” “Primetime Emmy Awards,” “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “Latin Grammys,” “The E! People’s Choice Awards,” “Stand Up to Cancer” and several “The Disney Family Singalong” specials. Kapoor has mounted numerous large-scale international tours for Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, One Republic, “American Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” Backstreet Boys, Shania Twain, Juanes, Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato.
Taryn Hurd rejoins the Oscars for the eighth consecutive year as talent producer. She also has served as talent producer on the past six Governors Awards ceremonies along with numerous television variety specials and award shows.
Amberia Allen returns as a writer for the Oscars for the second consecutive year. She has been a writer for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and “The Last O.G.,” and has written for numerous live awards shows and variety specials, including “Golden Globe Awards,” “Primetime Emmy Awards” and “The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.” In addition, Allen holds a PhD in Sociology from UCLA and has co-authored the annual UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report.
Rodney Barnes returns to the Oscars production team as a writer. A writer and producer, he is currently executive producer for an untitled HBO series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, and showrunner, writer and creator of “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable” for HBO Max. Barnes has penned Marvel Comics’ “The Falcon,” Marvel/Lucasfilm’s “Lando: Double or Nothing” and “Quincredible” for the Lion Forge imprint. Other credits include “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” “The Boondocks” and “Everybody Hates Chris.”
dream hampton joins the Oscars production team as a writer. An award-winning filmmaker and writer, her most recent works include the feature documentary “Treasure,” the HBO documentary “It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It,” the BET documentary series “Finding Justice” and Lifetime’s Emmy-nominated “Surviving R. Kelly,” which broke ratings records and earned a Peabody Award. hampton was named to the 2019 TIME 100 list of most influential people in the world.
Richard LaGravenese is a first-time writer for the Oscars show. A film and television writer, director and producer, he earned an Oscar® nomination for his original screenplay for “The Fisher King.” His other writing credits include “Unbroken,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Beloved,” “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “A Little Princess” and “The Ref.” He wrote and directed such films as “The Last Five Years,” “Beautiful Creatures,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Freedom Writers,” the “Pigalle” segment in “Paris, Je T’Aime,” and “Living Out Loud.” His television credits include “Behind the Candelabra,” for which he received an Emmy nomination; the Emmy-nominated documentary “A Decade under the Influence” and the legal series “The Divide.”
Head writer Jon Macks returns for his 24th Oscars telecast. He has been honored with eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including three for the Oscars telecast. In addition to his work on the Oscars, Macks wrote for 22 years on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and writes for Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Martin Short, Helen Mirren and Michael Douglas. In the past year, he wrote for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, provided debate prep for President Biden and was one of two writers on the “Celebrating America” Inaugural Night special.
Mitchell Marchand returns to the Oscars show as a writer. His credits as a comedy writer include such awards shows as “BET Awards,” “Hip Hop Awards,” “UNCF Evening of Stars,” MTV Video Music Awards,” “NAACP Image Awards” and “Primetime Emmy Awards.” He has penned jokes for such A-list talent as Jamie Foxx, Anthony Anderson, Mike Epps, Kevin Hart and Chris Rock, and created presentations for Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Quincy Jones and Kerry Washington. In 2021, Marchand’s work can be seen on the Netflix series “The Upshaws” and on the second season of “Kids Say the Darndest Things” on CBS.
Drummer, DJ, producer, author and founding member of hip hop group The Roots, Questlove joins the Oscars production team as the show’s musical director. He is the musical director for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” for which The Roots serves as the house band. A five-time Grammy Award® winner, Questlove has held musical directing positions with such artists as D’Angelo, Eminem and Jay-Z. He executive-produced the documentary series “Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America” through his production company Two One Five Entertainment and will next direct a documentary about Sly Stone. He made his directorial debut with the feature documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary. Questlove is an Academy member and has performed on the Oscars previously.
Production designer David Rockwell returns to the Oscars team. He previously served as production designer for the 81st and 82nd Oscars, the latter earning him a Primetime Emmy Award. Rockwell is the founder and president of Rockwell Group, an interdisciplinary architecture and design firm that emphasizes innovation. He has designed sets for more than 60 theatrical productions, both on and off-Broadway, including “She Loves Me,” for which he earned a Tony Award®, “Kinky Boots” and “Hairspray.” Rockwell’s current work includes The Perelman, a new arts center in New York (Restaurant and Lobby Interior Architect); Nobu hotels and restaurants worldwide; 1 Hotel Toronto; Smithsonian “FUTURES,” an exhibition celebrating the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary; and Drama, a new book exploring architecture and theater published by Phaidon in May. Honors include the National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum and the Presidential Design Award.
Lighting designer Robert Dickinson returns for his 32nd Oscars show. He has won 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, including three for Oscars telecasts. Additionally, Dickinson has been honored with two Daytime Emmy Awards. His credits include “The Kennedy Center Honors,” “Grammy Awards,” “Primetime Emmy Awards,” “Tony Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards” and “Academy of Country Music Awards”; Olympics ceremonies in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Athens and Vancouver; the ceremonies of the European Games in Baku; and the specials “Peter Pan Live!” and “The Sound of Music Live!”
The nominations for the 93rd Annual Academy Awards, presented on Monday, March 15, 2021.
Veteran director Glenn Weiss will return to direct the 93rd Oscars.
“Our plan is that this year’s Oscars will look like a movie, not a television show, and Glenn has embraced this approach and come up with ideas of his own on how to achieve this. We’re thrilled to have him as part of the brain trust,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.
Weiss has directed numerous live televised events, including five previous Oscars shows, for which he won two Primetime Emmys®, and 19 Tony Awards® shows, which earned him three directing Primetime Emmys. Weiss’s additional directing credits include this year’s multi-network Inaugural Night special “Celebrating America,” “The Democratic National Convention,” “The Kennedy Center Honors,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “BET Awards,” “Peter Pan Live!,” “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” “Primetime Emmy® Awards,” “Live from Lincoln Center,” “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular,” “Garth Brooks, Live from Las Vegas” and the “American Music Awards.”
The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Coming to Netflix on April 22 is director Joe Penna’s intriguing sci-fi film STOWAWAY.
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway (Anderson) accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially grim outcome, a medical researcher (Kendrick) emerges as the only dissenting voice against the clinical logic of both her commander (Collette) and the ship’s biologist (Kim).
STOWAWAY stars Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (A Simple Favor, Pitch Perfect), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (Velvet Buzzsaw, Hereditary), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O, Lost, Always Be My Maybe), and Shamier Anderson (Race, Destroyer).
Directed by Joe Penna and written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison, STOWAWAY is the second feature from Penna and Morrison, the duo behind the Cannes Official Selection ARCTIC. (TRAILER)
The film was shot entirely in Germany at Bavaria Studios in Munich and at MMC Studios in Cologne, with VFX handled by RISE | Visual Effects Studios.
