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Around Tinsel Town
>> San Diego Comic Con
The much-hyped San Diego Comic Con took place between July 25 and July 28. The event saw several film and series announcements, but the news that sent the fans into a frenzy was this: Robert Downey Jr. announced his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as Marvel mega-villain Doctor Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom.
Some highlights from the event:
> Robert Downey Jr. to receive a paycheck north of $80 million along with perks for next two ‘Avengers’ movies
> ‘The Boys’ prequel ‘Vought Rising’ announced at Comic-Con
> Michael C Hall to return for ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ series
> ‘Alien: Romulus’ Hall H panel witnesses 6,500 facehugger masks as director Fede Alvarez updates SDCC
> Marvel unveils ‘Fantastic Four’ film title with concept reel featuring Galactus
> ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff, ‘The War Between the Land and Sea’, officially announced
> ‘Star Trek’ to expand with new comedy series
> Steve Zahn joins cast of ‘Silo’ season 2
>> TFPC pauses all film-related activities from Nov. 1; actors, producers, and other stakeholders react
An air of uncertainty has descended upon Tamil cinema — unlike anything since the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown — after the Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) released a statement on regulations to be implemented in how films are to be produced and released in Tamil Nadu. The announcement mandated an eight-week streaming release window for big-star films; prevented actors from taking on new projects before completing their prior commitments; called for a temporary halt to the commencement of new films from August 16 to resolve the situation of multiple films being stuck in the can; and called a halt to all film-related activities from November 1, this year, to implement measures to regularise actors’ remuneration. The governing body’s six-pointer statement sent ripples wide and far, with stakeholders raising concerns about how the regulations will be implemented
>> IDSFFK 2024
The 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, took place between the July 26 and 31. The event saw Anand Patwardhan’s ‘Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam’, a deeply personal history of the filmmaker’s family that is intertwined with the history of the nation, be awarded the Best Long Documentary. Ranajit Ray’s ‘Putulnama,’ on the daily struggles of puppet artistes, won the award for the Second Best Long Documentary.
Here are some major highlights from the event, as reported by Praveen SR:
> Wildlife filmmaking pioneers Bedi Brothers see their films as messages of conservation
> How students of a Spanish film school intelligently defied Franco’s dictatorial regime
> ‘Farming the Revolution’ becomes a powerful document of a historic protest
> ‘Flickering Lights’ chronicles a remote village’s long wait for electricity
> ‘Colours of Kollywood,’ a student project, looks critically at colourism in the Tamil film industry
> Lalit Vachani’s ‘Prisoner No. 626710 is Present’ is a moving portrait of a prisoner caught in a Kafkaesque situation
Bollywood
Ranveer Singh to headline ‘Uri’ director Aditya Dhar’s next
Kartik Aaryan wraps ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ shoot
Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ to premiere on November 7
Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir and Rima Das’ anthology film ‘My Melbourne’ to open 2024 IFFM
Vikrant Massey to front Ruskin Bond adaptation ‘Aankhon ki Gustaakhiyan’
Vaani Kapoor’s ‘Badtameez Gill’ wraps filming
Neena Gupta-led musical drama, ’Hindi-Vindi,’ gets first look
Sharvari Wagh begins shooting for YRF Spy Universe film ‘Alpha’
Kay Kay Menon-starrer detective series ‘Shekhar Home’ gets premiere date
Vedang Raina, Khushi Kapoor talk about working again after ‘The Archies’
Hollywood
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ now has 6th biggest opening weekend of all time; smashes R-rated record with $205 million debut
Film Academy re-elects Janet Yang as president
Videos surface of Francis Ford Coppola trying to kiss extras on ‘Megalopolis’ set
‘House of the Dragon’ S2 finale leaks online, HBO says ‘aggressively removing clips’ from internet
Jason Reitman’s movie on ‘SNL’ gets title, to release in October
Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney decline hosting the Oscars 2025
Chris Evans on his return in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: Playing Johnny again was a dream come true
‘Longlegs’ topples ‘Parasite’ as Neon’s highest grossing film domestically
James Gunn’s ‘Superman: Legacy’ wraps production
Regional Cinema
Prabhas’ ‘The Raja Saab’ locks release date, first glimpse out
Bengali film industry lockdown ends after CM intervenes
Arjun’s first look from Ajith Kumar’s ‘Vidaa Muyarchi’ out
Dulquer Salmaan’s next film titled ‘Aakasam Lo Oka Tara’
Yuvan Shankar Raja to produce ‘Sweetheart!’ starring Rio Raj
Makers of KD - The Devil’ introduce Sanjay Dutt as Dhak Deva
Bengali filmmaker Rahool Mukherjee rages against cine workers’ federation after technicians boycott shoot
First look of Krithi Shetty and SJ Suryah from Vignesh Shivan-Pradeep Ranganathan’s ‘Love Insurance Kompany’ out
Director Leena Manimekalai creates her own Video on Demand channel
Prashanth’s ‘Andhagan’ gets a new release date
World Cinema
‘Squid Game’ Season 2 premiere date out, makers confirm Season 3
Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming Apple TV series ‘Disclaimer’ drops first look
Tom Cruise receives France’s prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honour
Irish star Eanna Hardwicke to play Manchester United football legend Roy Keane in ‘Saipan’
Apple TV+’s first German series ‘Where’s Wanda?’ gets streaming date
‘The Crow’ starring Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs gets release date in India
‘Cobra Kai’ creators tease a Mr. Miyagi prequel series
Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon 2’ to premiere at Venice Film Festival
Trailers
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 trailer shows the long-feared re-emergence of Sauron
Michelle Yeoh keeps it lively in the teaser of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ spinoff, ‘Star Trek: Section 31’
Trailer of Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Khel Khel Mein’ promises a comedy-drama with plenty of surprises
Eddie Redmayne plays a smart assassin in the teaser of ‘The Day of the Jackal’
Keerthy Suresh challenges the status quo in trailer of anti-Hindi comedy ‘Raghuthatha’
‘Vedaa’ trailer shows John Abraham back to fight for justice with Sharvari
‘Mr Bachchan’ teaser shows Ravi Teja as an Income Tax officer with an attitude
Teaser of Netflix’s ‘Sakamoto Days’ brings Taro Sakamoto’s dual identities to life
Colin Farrell embarks on a criminal odyssey in the new trailer of ‘The Penguin’
Glimpse of ‘Mechanic Rocky’ shows Vishwak Sen as the man in charge
Teaser-trailer of ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’ shows Ryoma Takeuchi as Kazuma Kiryu and Kento Kaku as Nishikiyama Akira
Essential reading
1) Actor Prashanth interview: On ‘Andhagan,’ ‘GOAT’ and why Vijay is like a brother to him
>> The ‘Top Star’ also talks about how directors Mani Ratnam and Shankar moulded him
2) Director Chimbudeven on Yogi Babu’s ‘Boat’: I don’t think the freedom fighters of our land got their due
>> The filmmaker also talks about how historical decisions, ideologies and movements inspire him
3) KS Chithra interview: What keeps the legendary singer still curious at 61?
>> She reflects on how she adapts to today’s playback culture and the changing soundscape of the country
4) Director Surya Vangala: Trisha brought in fine nuances, made it look effortless
>> The filmmaker discusses the making of the Telugu web series ‘Brinda’, which marks actor Trisha’s debut in the digital space
5) Director Vijay Milton: Vijay Antony’s ‘Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan’ is inspired from a Denzel Washington film
>> He also shares what he learnt from working with superstars like Shivarajkumar
6) Screen Share | Rousing stories of sporting greats who beat the odds
>> While most sports biopics suffer from a templated treatment, some balance emotional beats with sporting significance to offer a stirring experience
7) Mike Gunton on ‘Planet Earth III’: ‘A cautionary tale and an expression of hope’
>> The EP says ‘PE III’ shows the natural world in a modern way — the wonders as well as the touch points where humanity and animals come into contact
8) Tarsem Singh returns, with a 4k restoration of ‘The Fall,’ even as he awaits a theatre release for ‘Dear Jassi’ in India
>> The Indian-origin filmmaker speaks about his two films and on working with Lady Gaga in the music video of ‘911’
9) Workplace friction and Disney+ Hotstar’s ‘Hardly Working’
>> The newest comedy special to drop on OTT trains its scathing jokes on bosses and discontent at the office
10) From ‘Devadoothan’ to ‘Manichitrathazhu,’ Malayalam cinema witnesses a spate of re-releases of cult classics and blockbusters
>> With the help of digitally remastered 4K Dolby Atmos versions, films like ‘Manichitrathazhu’ are hoping to attract new audiences
11) Collective Artists Network’s Vijay Subramaniam: The whole industry needs to come together to standardise costs
>> Vijay discusses ruptures in the film industry and supercharging the creator economy
12) From Seoul to Busan, you can now hop on a K-Drama tour to explore South Korea
>> Tourists enamoured by the Hallyu are choosing to explore South Korea and its culture through K-drama and K-pop tours
13) How will the cess on movie tickets, OTT subscriptions help workers and artistes in distress in Karnataka?
>> A new bill, passed on June 26, envisages constituting a welfare board and establishing a fund to provide social security to film and theatre workers and artistes
What to watch
1) Janhvi Kapoor is caught in an inept plot in ‘Ulajh’
2) Josh Hartnett is earnest in M. Night Shyamalan’s insipid thriller, ‘Trap’
3) Ajay Devgn and Tabu struggle in dated romance ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’
4) Trisha, Ravindra Vijay sparkle in ‘Brinda,’ a taut crime drama
5) In ‘Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan,’ Vijay Antony headlines a watered-down mishmash of Hollywood films
6) ‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli’ is an enjoyable, informative journey of a game changer
7) Irregular pacing, unidimensional characters peril ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’
8) Yogi Babu cannot save ‘Boat,’ a tedious, talkative survival drama
9) ‘Wonderland’ has an intriguing premise that needed better writing
10) ‘The Decameron,’ a millennial take on Boccaccio’s bawdy tales, is hampered by uneven tempo and sporadic laughs
11) Yogi Babu, Radha Mohan cook up a delectable hodgepodge in web series ‘Chutney Sambar’
12) Amala Paul, Asif Ali’s ‘Level Cross’ fails to meet potential despite clever writing and unexpected twists
