(This article forms a part of the First Day First Show newsletter that brings you the latest and best from the world of movies and entertainment. Subscribe now)
Around Tinsel Town
>> Film festivals galore
The lineup for the 81st Venice Film Festival has been unveiled by artistic director Alberto Barbera and new president of the Venice Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The festival will also feature the premiere of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s new films. Similarly, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced its gala and special presentation line-up.
Ram Charan will be the guest of honour at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). He will also be awarded the Ambassador for Indian Art and Culture for his stellar contributions to Indian cinema. The same festival will also be where actor Aparshakti Khurana’s film Berlin will premiere along with the screening of multiple Tamil films.
Closer home, veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has been appointed festival director for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) will be held from December 4 to 11. On the other hand, the 16th edition of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) will honour documentary filmmakers Naresh Bedi and Rajesh Bedi (Bedi Brothers) with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bollywood
Anurag Kashyap returns to the children’s film genre with ‘Little Thomas’
Shah Rukh Khan becomes first Indian actor to get customised gold coin by Paris museum
‘Khel Khel Mein’ motion poster out; Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu lead a full house
Ali Fazal joins Samantha Ruth Prabhu in fantasy drama ‘Rakht Brahmand’
‘Rana Naidu’ Season 2 begins filming; Arjun Rampal joins Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh in returning Netflix series
Back with ‘Barzakh’, Fawad Khan apologises for making Indian fans wait so long
Hollywood
Robert Pattinson in talks to star opposite Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Die, My Love’
Rebecca Ferguson joins Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’ film
Brendan Fraser to play Dwight D Eisenhower in D-Day movie ‘Pressure’
Glen Powell on returning to ‘Top Gun 3’: I have a date
Zac Efron to star in ‘Famous’, Jody Hill set to direct
Sharon Stone joins Bob Odenkirk’s ‘Nobody 2’
Tessa Thompson to star in Netflix thriller series ‘His & Hers’
‘Inside Out 2’ shoots past ‘Frozen 2’ as the highest-grossing animated film in history
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman break Guinness World Record for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer
‘Suits’ universe expands with ‘Suits: LA’ spinoff, confirms NBC
Conor Leslie all set to lead horror-thriller ‘Archangel’
Camila Mendes, Madelyn Clyne join cast of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
Marvel’s ‘Blade’ will likely receive R-rating, according to Kevin Feige
Paul Feig to direct film adaptation of docu-series ‘Worst Roommate Ever’
Regional
Rajinikanth praises Kamal Haasan’s ‘Indian 2’; shares update on ‘Vettaiyan’
Tovino Thomas’ next is ‘Narivetta,’ co-starring Suraj Venjaramoodu, Cheran and more
Sequel to Asif Ali, Biju Menon’s ‘Thalavan’ announced
Ravi Teja-SS Rajamouli hit film ‘Vikramarkudu’ set for re-release
Indrajith Sukumaran and Anaswara Rajan to star in ‘Mr & Mrs Bachelor’
Pradeep Ranganathan - Vignesh Shivan ‘Love Insurance Kompany’ first look out
Mathew Thomas - Arjun Ashokan’s ‘Bromance’ goes on floors
‘Kottukkaali’: PS Vinothraj’s sophomore film starring Soori, Anna Ben gets a release date
Suriya looks menacing in special birthday glimpse from Karthik Subbaraj’s film, ‘Suriya 44’
Vishwak Sen’s ‘Mechanic Rocky’ gets a release date; Shraddha Srinath joins the cast
‘Mr Bachchan,’ Ravi Teja’s film with director Harish Shankar, gets a release date
First look of SJ Suryah from Vikram’s film, ‘Veera Dheera Sooran,’ out
Aashiq Abu wraps up shoot for ‘Rifle Club’, starring Anurag Kashyap
Trailers
Nani and SJ Suryah have a face-off in Vivek Athreya’s ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’ video
Basil Joseph gets into trouble in Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Nunakkuzhi’ teaser
Netflix has released the ‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli’ trailer; a documentary on the ‘RRR’ director’s journey
Zack Snyder teases his original vision with ‘Rebel Moon — The Director’s Cut’ trailer
‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ trailer shows Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey in a new pickle
Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne and Carrie Coon must let bygones be bygones in ‘His Three Daughters’ trailer
Timothée Chalamet channels Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’ trailer
Vince Vaughn is a desperate ex-cop in ‘Bad Monkey’ trailer
In ‘Secret’ trailer, Dhyan Sreenivasan is haunted by premonitions
Halitha Shameem’s ‘Minmini’ trailer focuses on metamorphosis of mind
Jeff Goldblum is a paranoid Zeus in mythology-flavoured satire ‘Kaos’ teaser trailer
Essential Reading
1) Riz Ahmed’s interview on ‘Dammi’ and the exploration of personal and political landscapes
>> Yann Demange and Riz Ahmed talk about their new short film that paints a raw, evocative portrait of Paris
2) Suniel Shetty on how his time with Rajinikanth changed him as a person
>> The popular Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast share about keeping busy with web-series and other projects
3) Santhy Balachandran speaks about ‘Ennennum’ and its award win at Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival
>> The young actor shares about being part of the Malayalam sci-fi film and the response it garnered in Europe
4) Director Radha Mohan on his web-series ‘Chutney Sambar,’ working with Yogi Babu, and 20 years in the movies
>> The filmmaker talks about completing 20 years in the industry, making his streaming debut and breaking stereotypes
5) ‘Reservation Dogs’ editor Varun Viswanath shares about his Emmy nomination
>> Varun talks about his experiences in the cutting roomand the responses to his first Television Academy nomination
6) Queer filmmaker Jijo Kuriakose talks about his short film ‘Velipadu’
>> The director dwells deep on showcasing the experience of a gay man accepting his sexuality through the queer gaze
7) From ‘Devadoothan’ to ‘Manichitrathazhu’: Malayalam cinema’s tryst with re-releases of cult classics and blockbusters
>> Director Sibi Malayil and industry insiders talk about how digitally remastered versions of yesteryear classics attract new audiences
8) The many shades of violence on-screen
>> A deep dive into the portrayal of violence in films, its impact and necessity, given how such depictions can contribute to real-life aggression and desensitisation
9) Screen Share | A column on films that stir up an appetite
>> Food in films is undoubtedly a visual treat to behold; here is a list of films where food takes centre stage
What to watch
1) Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman’s bromance works on every level in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
2) Dhanush’s fiery bloodfest offers only dwindling returns in ‘Raayan’
3) Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ is a Nazi-slaughter spectacle
4) ‘Family Drama’ is a dark comedy which comes into its own in a hilarious second half
5) ‘Kenda’ is a sharp observation on the nexus between crime and politics
6) Raj B Shetty’s ‘Roopanthara’ is an engaging anthology on self-transformation
7) Not enough Nicolas Cage in ‘Arcadian’ which is an effective, bare-bones chiller
8) Anya’s butt-clutching escapades make for a funny, forgettable joyride in ‘Spy x Family Code: White’
9) ‘Nagendran’s Honeymoons’ is an unimaginatively written series that does not tread any new ground
10) Saiju and Niranj shine in ‘Gu’, a film that deals with supernatural elements in an ancestral home
11) Anthony Hopkins cannot save ‘Those About to Die’, a muddled mess of gratuitous sex and gore
12) Fawad Khan grounds ‘Barzakh,’ a bewitching, overblown saga
13) Sooraj Tom’s unadventurous approach makes ‘Vishesham’ an average fare
14) Sydney Sweeney is immaculate in ‘Immaculate’, an imperfect horror outing
