Venice Review: Makbul Mubarak’s ‘Autobiography’

TORONTO – There once was a noble King whose reputation was slandered following his death. His enemies made sure that his name was equated with the worst rulers of his land.

Few things are as important to comedy as the element of surprise, so the first really big laugh in Paul Weitz’s “Moving On” comes fairly early. Claire (Jane Fonda) is going out of town for the weekend, back to her old home for the funeral of a dear friend from college.

What would it look like if Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn took a stab at a superhero show? If one guessed neon-soaked, with a penchant for nihilism and framed through the throbbing tempo of synthesizer beats, they would be correct, of course.  NWR’s familiar triad of sorrow, synth, and neon guides his latest, Netflix’s six-part series “Copenhagen Cowboy.” The sprawling show trails Miu (Angela Bundalovic), an unlikely heroine presented as a non-descript magical entity whose powers go from healing long-lasting migraines to allowing post-menopausal women another shot at fertility.

Shekhar Kapur’s first film since 2007’s “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” itself a sequel to his Best Picture nominated “Elizabeth” from 1998, curiously sees the filmmaker shifting from prestige period drama to lighter romantic comedy fare with “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”. Written by Jemima Khan (producer of “Impeachment: American Crime Story”), the film stars Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) as Zoe, a documentarian making a film about the “assisted” marriage of Kaz (Shazad Latif, “Star Trek: Discovery”), the proverbial boy next door.

Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” isn’t so much a bad movie — though it’s certainly that — as an inexplicable one, a comedy/drama set in the Vietnam War that somehow believes it’s saying anything that hasn’t been said a million times already about that conflict, and far more skillfully.

Doja Cat has teased the sound of her upcoming fourth album, saying in a new interview that she’s currently inspired by the German rave music of the 1990s.Speaking to the CR Fashion Book, the pop-rapper said that she and her collaborators “have so many ideas” for what her fourth album could feature, with their current “challenge” being to “mak[e] those ideas consistent”. Though she didn’t reveal too much about the material itself, Doja said: “I just know there’s a lot going on.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Film-festival awards don’t usually have much lasting impact, but four years ago, when “Green Book” played at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Award, it had a seismic effect. It set the film on what would become its road to Oscar glory. Since that turned out to be a very bumpy road, with many critics dumping on the film for what they perceived to be its outdated liberal race consciousness (not me — I thought “Green Book” was terrific), the Toronto award kept coming back into the conversation. It was used to signify the nature of the movie’s appeal — namely, that maybe this wasn’t a film destined to be embraced by the most elite levels of the establishment, but it was one that “the people” went for. And that’s just what ended up happening. (The people, in this case, including a great many Oscar voters.)

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Can you imagine anything more delightful than Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin co-starring in a movie with Richard Roundtree and Malcolm McDowell … in 1972? That was the year Fonda won an Oscar for “Klute” and daffy “Laugh-In” star Tomlin released her first comedy album. The two men were riding high with “Shaft” and “A Clockwork Orange,” respectively. Just think what an ensemble film that played to each of their strengths might have yielded 50 years ago. That’s wishful thinking, of course. You can’t go back, and you can’t do things over, but it’s never too late to move on. At least, that’s the message writer-director Paul Weitz is peddling in “Moving On,” a sassy feature-length sitcom with a #MeToo twist in which two estranged friends reunite to settle a decades-old score.

Writer/Director Paul Weitz wrote the sublime road comedy Grandma for Lily Tomlin, and now at the suggestion of Tomlin he wrote a new film for both Lily and Jane Fonda, one with characters unrecognizable from the pair they played for seven years on the Netflix sitcom, Grace And Frankie, in a story tinged with a dark side, as well as some pungent commentary on the effect of sexual trauma, even nearly a half century later. This is the kind of movie I love, independently made, using great actors in a unexpected kinds of roles, running a tight no-fat 85 minutes, and being thoroughly entertaining with something to say as well.

Watching Peter Farrelly’s new film, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and knowing little about it going in, I kept thinking this would be a totally absurd, beyond belief story if it isn’t one that really happened. By the end I saw it is indeed 100% true, proving life can sometimes be stranger than fiction.  As such it turns out to be one of the more memorable, and certainly heartfelt movies this year, as well as a Vietnam War movie that couldn’t be further from The Deer Hunter, Platoon, and Apocalypse Now,  but a character-driven drama that defies logic but makes you believe once again in the power of the human spirit. This is the rare Vietnam film seen from the POV of a civilian, a key reason it works as well as it does.

could he? And even if he can sign on with a freighter taking cargo to Southeast Asia, what can he do when he gets to Saigon?He embarks on the trip at least partly because nobody he knows thinks he’ll actually do it, and he bumbles his way around Vietnam with a bag full of beer that dispenses so many cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon it starts to feel like a cross between a clown car and Jesus’s loaves and fishes. (Chickie and his pals, Catholics all, would either appreciate or be offended by the Jesus comparison.)The point of the movie, of course, is what Chickie learns in Vietnam — that it’s a quagmire, that the good guys and bad guys aren’t as clear-cut as they might have seemed back at the bar, and that Americans are being lied to about what’s happening by their government. But to learn his lessons, he’s got to find his way around a good chunk of Vietnam, hitching rides on military helicopters because the top brass figures that he must be CIA, since a civilian can’t really be wandering around in country.

D23 Expo, the Disney fan event held every two years, just wrapped up in Anaheim, California. For fans of the brand, it’s their chance to get a first look at new movies, television shows and theme park attractions from every corner of the vast Disney empire and to celebrate (along with other like-minded folks) the stories that mean so much to them.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras sharply criticized the Toronto and Venice film festivals today for programming documentaries connected with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, suggesting the decision bordered on a “whitewashing” of history.

Endlessness might be the right word for viewers in 2022, given the conflicts that still wrack the globe more than 100 years after the events in this film.)“All Quiet on the Western Front” starts with the bucolic landscape of Western Europe in 1917; we know we’re in for carnage, but first we see hills and trees, clouds sitting in a pink-tinged sky, fog slipping through the woods. It’s a technique Berger and his cinematographer James Friend return to again and again, deliberately placing their story in a world that would look like paradise if not for the blood squabbles of humans.And “All Quiet” doesn’t give us time to bask in that beauty; before long, we’re in a short, brutal battle, and then the ground is littered with dead bodies.

Ana de Armas is attracting all kinds of attention for her acting chops lately, having skyrocketed to general acclaim ever since her star-making turn in 2019's Knives Out.MORE: Did you notice Ana de Armas' tribute to Marilyn Monroe at Venice Film Festival?The actress is particularly gaining significant traction for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming Blonde, which received the longest standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.VIDEO: Ana de Armas is Bond girl stunning in fragrance advertHowever, another aspect of her life which has been receiving quite a bit more attention is her relationship, as she prefers to keep that side a bit more private.The star has been linked to Tinder executive Paul Boukadakis, with several pictures having emerged of the two together, although neither have confirmed the romance.The two have been spotted together on a few occasions in New York and Los Angeles since they were first reportedly set up in June of 2021.MORE: Ana de Armas nailed end of summer dressing in shorts suit at Venice Film FestivalPictures of the two were even shared by DailyMail which saw them take in the sights of the beautiful city by the water.Their relationship was seemingly confirmed when they were first spotted together in New York in September of 2021 in pictures published by Extra.

Toronto International Film Festival on Monday night. Running time: 109 minutes. Rated R (language throughout, some violent content and brief graphic nudity).

Aaron Carter revealed that he willingly entered a rehabilitation program in an attempt to regain custody of his 10-month-old son Prince.

Toronto International Film Festival is “The Son.”Running time: 125 minutes. Not yet rated.

Mark Consuelos is just as excited about the big things happening for his wife Kelly Ripa as she is, and took to social media to show it.MORE: Kelly Ripa shares rare glimpse from her rooftop – you have to see the views!The actor shared a pair of pictures on his Instagram Stories to cheer his wife on as the release date of her book, Live Wire, neared.VIDEO: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Love StoryHe posted a photograph of the book at their home, surrounded by flowers as he provided his followers with a link to order a copy of their own."2 weeks and counting for the release of #LiveWire," he wrote before switching to an image of Kelly pulling a cheeky face, writing: "So proud of my fave!!!"MORE: Kelly Ripa's son Michael jokes about appearance in latest vacation photoLive Wire is Kelly's debut book and hits the shelves on September 27.According to Dey Street Books, a HarperCollins Publishers imprint, Live Wire will include a "sharp, funny, and honest collection of real-life stories from Kelly Ripa, showing the many dimensions and crackling wit of the beloved daytime talk show host," Mark showed his support for his wife's upcoming bookIt will also feature "a collection of personal essays on childhood, motherhood, marriage, her career and the intersection of all the above" and will be "surprising, at times savage, a little shameless and always with humor."The book will include several stories from Kelly's own life and career, and she's going to be leaving home to embark on a nationwide book tour in support of it.MORE: Kelly Ripa looks gorgeous in flirty sheer dress for 'shameless plug'MORE: Kelly Ripa calls out Mark Consuelos for not taking good bikini photosWhile initially she intended to remain close to home with a pair of

“The Music Man”, Broadway’s hit musical revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster is coming to an end.

The mix of musical genres in the title of this Toronto Film Festival Gala Presentation reflects the wildly uneven tone of this rare drama from Tyler Perry Studios, a lush romantic musical telling the story of a Southern lynching with echoes of the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi 1955. An imminent bow on Netflix is probably the best strategy for it; Perry may have his following, but it’s hard to imagine a crossover audience for A Jazzman’s Blues.

Adam Benzine Guest Contributor Oscar-winning documentarian Laura Poitras slammed the heads of the Venice and Toronto film festivals for “engaging in a kind of whitewashing” by programming glossy documentaries from the Clinton family. Her comments come as TIFF this week hosted the Canadian premiere of Poitras’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” a documentary about the artist and activist Nan Goldin, and just days after the film won Venice’s top prize, the Golden Lion. It is the rare doc to land slots at the superfecta of Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York, and Poitras said she thought “long and hard” about whether or not to voice criticism at the same venues feting her latest work. Nevertheless, she said, “journalists need to ask hard questions.”

Manori Ravindran International Editor Neon has acquired the North American rights to the thriller “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” out of the Toronto International Film Festival, where it world premiered in the auteur-driven Platform section. Based on Andreas Malm’s manifesto tackling the climate crisis, the film is directed by Daniel Goldhaber (“CAM”); produced, co-written and stars Ariela Barer (“Runaways”, “Atypical”); co-written by Jordan Sjol and edited by Daniel Garber (“CAM,” “Some Kind of Heaven”). “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” follows a group of young environmental activists who set out to sabotage an oil pipeline in a timely thriller that’s described as “part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of direct action as climate activism.”

TORONTO – There is something overly familiar about Michael Grandage‘s “My Policeman.” Considering the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in media over the decades, tales of closeted gay men and their troubles are not exactly new. And stories about gay men who marry women to protect themselves from public persecution? Well, that’s a tale as old as time.

It would be empty hyperbole to declare Eddie Redmayne our worst living actor; in all likelihood, the honor belongs to someone nobody’s ever heard of, so bad that they never became famous in the first place. But in Tobias Lindholm’s new drama “The Good Nurse,” Redmayne still makes a bold argument for some qualified version of the statement.  During the early stretches that see him in one of his two settings as a performer – so anemic and withdrawn that he appears to be trying to stop existing – one might wonder whether he’s merely the worst of his Hollywood class.

Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping a young woman after prosecutors announced they had dropped the charge. The Manchester City defender denied sexually attacking Woman Seven at his Cheshire mansion in July of last year.

Adapted from Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, Edward Berger’s take on “All Quiet On The Western Front” is a chilling piece of anti-war filmmaking with a star-making turn from Felix Kammerer in the lead role of young Paul Bäumer, who learns the hard way that war is hell. Although it’s hard not to compare and contrast this new version to Lewis Milestone’s Best Picture-winning 1930 film starring Lew Ayres, it’s equally wild that it took nearly 100 years for a German adaptation given it’s the novel’s country of origin.

A few minutes before the North American premiere of “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” director Evgeny Afineesvky summed up his state of mind in a single word: “exhausted.”That makes sense, because “Freedom on Fire” screened at the Toronto International Film Festival about six months after Afineevsky and his team began working on it, barely more than a month after its final footage was filmed and only a few weeks after Helen Mirren recorded narration for a scene that comes early in the documentary.For Afineevsky, who landed Oscar and Emmy nominations for 2015’s “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” this sequel of sorts was made in a six-month rush, including just three months of editing after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February of this year. “The urgency of the movie,” the Russian-born director told the audience before the Tuesday morning TIFF screening, “is to not neglect the situation right now.”Certainly, urgency is a hallmark of “Freedom on Fire,” a harrowing document shot by dozens of people inside Ukrainian cities as the Russian army conducted a bombing campaign and an invasion that seemingly targeted civilians, despite Vladimir Putin’s claims that Russia was there to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country, and to somehow “free” it – though as more than one person in the film points out, the Russian offensive has resulted in ordinary citizens being freed from their lives, their homes, their families.The director’s first film about Ukraine, “Winter on Fire,” was an on-the-ground look at the 2013-2014 Maidan uprising, in which student protests against the Russian-backed president drew a brutal response but resulted in the removal of the president.

“Chevalier” will be released in the U.S. by Searchlight Pictures.

. This is a truly exciting time for queer cinema, with high-caliber films like “The Inspection” and “Fire Island” that will surely stand the test of time. Not only are the genres diverse, the stories also elevate the voices and experiences of gay men of color who have been neglected in mainstream representation for way too long. “The Inspection” opens in U.S.

Thania Garcia La Macarena in Colombia has a long history of hosting boisterous energy. The stadium has served as a venue for both concerts and bullfights since 1945, but on the weekend of Sept. 9, the ring was populated by Medellín native Salomón Villada Hoyos, otherwise known as Feid.  The reggaeton singer-songwriter sold out three consecutive nights at the stadium – a feat that not even two other hometown heroes, J. Balvin and Karol G., can claim (yet). Feid also famously beat out the late “Ídolo de México” Vicente Fernández, who performed there for the last time in Colombia in 2012.  Tickets for all three nights of Feid’s “Nitro Jam” shows sold out in just two days, while tickets for opening night sold out in two hours, according to El Colombiano.  

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K.J. Yossman Framestore has tapped “Top Gun: Maverick” VFX supervisor Ryan Tudhope as its new creative director. Tudhope, who is a member of the Television Academy and AMPAS, co-founded VFX studio Atomic Fiction, where he was also CEO. The studio had over 350 employees across L.A. and Montreal, working on projects including “Deadpool,” “Rogue One” and “Game of Thrones.” Tudhope’s experience spans two and a half decades, in which he has worked on over fifty feature film and episodic projects including “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” for Amazon Studios and “Spiderhead,” working as production-side VFX supervisor alongside director Joseph Kosinski. He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.”

In 2020, the filmmaker Matt Smukler — his most widely seen work then a Deutsche Telekom ad campaign starring Justin Bieber — completed a short about his wife’s sister’s family. Sheila Stahl and her husband Mike weren’t so different from any other small-town couple, a pair of good Christians gratefully receiving the daily pleasures of their hobbies (stock car racing, arts and crafts), their comfy recliners, and each other’s company.

K.J. Yossman After triumphing at last year’s Venice Film Festival, the U.K. and Irish rights to Eric Gravel’s race-against-time social drama “Full Time” (À plein temps) have been snapped up by Parkland Entertainment. It is set to be released in the U.K. and Ireland in early 2023. The film, which stars “Call My Agent’s” Laure Calamy, had its world premiere at last year’s festival in the Orizzonti section before going on to win prizes for both Calamy, for best actress, and Gravel, for best director. In “Full Time,” Calamy stars as Julie, a maid in a luxury Parisian hotel while simultaneously carting for her two children in the French countryside. One day, she finally gets a break when she is offered an interview for a long-hoped for job. But, as luck would have it, the interview is on the same day as a national strike, which shuts down the city’s transport.