'The Fall Guy,' a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW
Coming nearly straight from the Oscars with a truck full of Kenergy, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt rolled into South By Southwest to premiere โThe Fall Guy,โ an affectionate, action-fueled ode to stunt work and the dedicated professionals that throw their bodies into filmmaking.
An anti-Trump video shared by the DeSantis campaign is 'homophobic,' says a conservative LGBT group
A prominent group that represents LGBT conservatives says a video shared by Ron DeSantisโฒ presidential campaign that slams rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people โventured into homophobic territory.โ.
Wolfgang Petersen, blockbuster filmmaker of 'Das Boot,' dies
Wolfgang Petersen, the German filmmaker whose WWII submarine epic โDas Bootโ propelled him into a blockbuster Hollywood career that included the films โIn the Line of Fire,โ โAir Force Oneโ and โThe Perfect Storm,โ has died.
Presleyโs Popcorn Flicks: KSATโs movie junkie gives reviews of recent releases
As the self-proclaimed โmovie junkieโ at KSAT, people are always asking me about whatโs new in theaters. Thatโs why I decided to gather some of my thoughts about some of the movies in theaters and share them with you.
Movies love a comeback story. This summer, it's their turn.
Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disneyโs โDoctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madnessโ and runs through the end of August.
Churchill painting owned by Angelina Jolie sells for $11.5M
The Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sold at auction on Monday March 1, 2021, for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britains World War II leader. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)LONDON โ A Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sold at auction on Monday for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britainโs World War II leader. The pre-sale estimate was 1.5 million pounds to 2.5 million pounds, and the previous record price for a Churchill painting was just under 1.8 million pounds. Churchill gave the painting to Roosevelt as a memento of the trip. The painting was sold by the Jolie Family Collection.
In 'Minari,' harvesting an American dream
In Chungโs film, the watery basin throbs with significance โ a physical symbol of putting roots down, of Korean American harmony, of resiliency. The minari in โMinariโ was sowed by Chungโs father โ an almost impossibly poignant bit of set dressing in a film that blooms in the gap between generations. AdThe Golden Globes spawned a controversy by limiting โMinariโ (a deeply American film, with dirt in its fingers, and largely Korean dialogue) to its foreign-language film category. And perhaps most importantly, its honest and authentic rendering of an Asian American family, in an entertainment world so often reliant on stereotype, has resonated meaningfully for many. For me, whatโs incredible, taking a step back, weโre almost like their American dream come true,โ says Oh.
As 'Kimye' become Kim and Kanye, will it stay peaceful?
FILE - Kanye West, left, and Kim Kardashian attend the WSJ. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, from Kanye West after 6 1/2 years of marriage. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Initial signs suggest a smooth and amicable split between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. As โKimyeโ becomes just Kim and Kanye with Kardashian filing for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, they do so with a prenuptial agreement in place, independent fortunes and a desire to share time with their four young children. โThere's a lot of wiggle room in the space between joint custody," divorce attorney Reid Aronson said.
Former Trump casino where stars played goes out with a bang
The former Trump Plaza casino was imploded after falling into such disrepair that chunks of the building began peeling off and crashing to the ground. โI got chills,โ Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. AdOpened in 1984, when Trump was a real estate developer in his pre-politics days, Trump Plaza was for a time the most successful casino in Atlantic City. AdBut things began to sour for Trump Plaza when Donald Trump opened the nearby Trump Taj Mahal in 1990, with crushing debt loads that led the company to pour most of its resources โ and cash โ into the shiny new hotel and casino. Trump Plaza was the last of four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014, victims of an oversaturated casino market both in the New Jersey city and in the larger northeast.
Angelina Jolie sells painting Churchill gave as gift to FDR
(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON โ A painting by Winston Churchill that is a piece of both political and Hollywood history is coming up for auction. He painted it after the January 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Churchill and Roosevelt planned the defeat of Nazi Germany. He said Churchill captured the view in the โwonderful, evocative paintingโ and gave it to Roosevelt as a memento of the trip. AdThe painting is being sold by the Jolie Family Collection as part of Christieโs March 1 modern British art auction in London. โThe record price at auction for Churchill is about 1.8 million (pounds) for a painting that, in my view, is not as important as this,โ he said.
2020 in photos: The biggest, most iconic pop culture moments
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) (2020 Getty Images)Harvey Weinstein sentencedHarvey Weinstein leaves the New York City criminal court during his sex crimes trial on Jan. 10, 2020 in New York City. (2020 Getty Images)Megxit happensIt was the exit heard all around the world: Megxit. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) (2020 Getty Images)Zoom reunionsZooming became the new way to communicate in 2020, and everyone was doing it. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images) (2020 Manny Carabel)Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win 2020 electionAfter a wild election season, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris beat President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images) (2020 Getty Images)What was your favorite pop culture moment from 2020?
Pop Culture in (ugh) 2020, from the bizarre to the sublime
on Aug. 31, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman in character as T'Challa in "Black Panther" and 10-year old twins Lenny, left, and Bobby Homes paying tribute to Boseman at their home in in Mesa, Ariz. on Aug. 31, 2020. (Takiyah Dupas, Marvel Studios, Annalie Homes via AP)And now, for our annual look at the year in pop cultureโฆ. Truth is, people turned to culture of all kinds in 2020 โ highbrow and lowbrow โ to satisfy varied and sometimes conflicting needs: Distraction, inspiration, consolation, escapism, hope. A Broadway star serenaded health workers from his apartment window, and ballet dancers performed โSwan Lakeโ from their bathtubs. The world mourns an actor of immense talent who, like many of his characters, radiated a regal sense of dignity.
Tarantino has deal for 2 books on films, including 1 his own
The Oscar-winning director has a two-book deal with Harper, beginning with a novelization of โOnce Upon a Time ... In Hollywoodโ was released in 2019 and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor and Brad Pitt as his stunt double. โIn the โ70s movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading," Tarantino said in a statement Tuesday. โI see myself writing film books and starting to write theater, so Iโll still be creative. I just think Iโve given all I have to give to movies.โ_____AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
TV's 'Warrior' latest proof that Bruce Lee still holds sway
(Cinemax via AP)PHOENIX โ Even nearly 50 years after his death, Bruce Lee can still make ripples. Shannon Lee isnโt giving up on finding a new home for โWarrior,โ which will eventually be available on HBO Max. โI think heโs really getting his due as a creative โ someone who knows how to story-tell,โ Shannon Lee said. โItโs just little things that the writers put in there to pay homage to Bruce Lee without being a caricature, which I think is the danger zone whenever you get to the subject of Bruce Lee,โ Nguyen said. โHe believed in celebrating peopleโs cultures and backgrounds and not holding it against them,โ Shannon Lee said.
Venice reclaims spotlight as 1st COVID-era film fest opens
Festival attendees cycle in front of the main cinema ahead of the start of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. The 77th edition of the worlds oldest film festival opening Wednesday looks nothing like its predecessors. Italys strict 10-week lockdown largely tamed the virus, but infections are now rebounding after summer vacations. Guests to the glamorous film festival are not exempt. Italian films are well represented, including the first Italian opening-night film in years, the out-of-competition family drama Lacci by Daniele Luchetti.
Stuntmen are increasingly Hollywood's go-to action directors
This image released by Netflix shows Chris Hemsworth, left, in a scene from "Extraction," premiering this week on Netflix. (Jasin Boland/Netflix via AP)Some of today's top action directors were first doubles for Brad Pitt, Neo and Wolverine. Hargrave is the latest in a lineage of stuntmen who have gone from stepping in for actors to directing them. It's a fairly recent career pathway thanks largely to the success of Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") and David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde"). They've been leaders in the field since founding the action design company 87Eleven in 1997.
Academy Awards 2020: โParasiteโ makes history, while acting awards follow the script
"Parasite" made history at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first non-English language film to win best picture, while adding honors for director Bong Joon Ho, original screenplay and the renamed "international feature film" category. The four acting wins, meanwhile, followed the script, given the array of honors handed out in the run-up to Oscar night. Both wins were widely anticipated, given the array of honors the two have earned in the run-up to Oscar night. Suspense over the best picture race remains at the heart of this year's event, based on the consistency among acting honors in the buildup to movie industry's biggest night. The awards have also reignited the debate about inclusion and diversity within the academy, which birthed the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag five years ago.
In a win for the world, โParasiteโ takes best picture Oscar
LOS ANGELES โ Subtitle this: โParasiteโ is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Bong Joon Hoโs masterfully devious class satire took Hollywoodโs top prize at the Oscars on Sunday night, along with awards for best director, best international film and best screenplay. In winning best adapted screenplay for his Nazi satire โJojo Rabbit,โ the New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi became the first indigenous director ever to win an Oscar. โJokerโ composer Hildur Gudnadottir became only the third woman to ever win best original score. After a year in which women made significant gains behind the camera, no female directors were nominated for best director.
Hanks, Fonda and more stars amuse at Oscars rehearsals
(AP Photo/John Locher)LOS ANGELES, Calif. โ Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are standing on the Oscars stage performing some hilarious material for a few dozen people who are in stitches watching the two comedians. Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell are just a few of the stars who circulated in and out of the Dolby Theatre to rehearse Saturday, including Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jane Fonda and Mahershala Ali. But the stars werenโt always confined to the stage, especially if they arrived a little early. Makeup artists Antonio Rael has been standing in for big stars for 34 years. Rael was talking about the stand-ins but that doesnโt mean some of the stars arenโt anxious as well.