Exclusive: Chernin Entertainment has launched development on Tomato Can, a new boxing film scripted by Michael Brandt (3:10 to Yuma), from his and Jamie Foxx’s original idea.
Details as to the plot of the film are under wraps. Chernin Entertainment will produce alongside Foxxhole Productions’ Foxx and Datari Turner.
A veteran screenwriter, director, and producer, Brandt is well known for scripting 3:10 to Yuma, the Academy Award-nominated Western actioner from director James Mangold, which starred Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and Ben Foster. The co-writer and executive producer of Lionsgate’s recent Mark Wahlberg pic Arthur the King, Brandt also previously co-wrote the tentpoles Wanted and 2 Fast 2 Furious. In television, he’s best known for creating NBC’s Chicago Fire, as well as writing and exec producing each of the Chicago franchise’s other three hit series, with credits on over 650 episodes.
Most recently, Foxxhole Productions has worked...
Details as to the plot of the film are under wraps. Chernin Entertainment will produce alongside Foxxhole Productions’ Foxx and Datari Turner.
A veteran screenwriter, director, and producer, Brandt is well known for scripting 3:10 to Yuma, the Academy Award-nominated Western actioner from director James Mangold, which starred Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and Ben Foster. The co-writer and executive producer of Lionsgate’s recent Mark Wahlberg pic Arthur the King, Brandt also previously co-wrote the tentpoles Wanted and 2 Fast 2 Furious. In television, he’s best known for creating NBC’s Chicago Fire, as well as writing and exec producing each of the Chicago franchise’s other three hit series, with credits on over 650 episodes.
Most recently, Foxxhole Productions has worked...
- 5/20/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Actor The Holdovers, Paul Giamatti, 2023. ph: Seacia Pavao / © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection
Weekly Commentary: The realm of lead actor has been ruled by Cillian Murphy’s captivating portrayal in Nolan’s cinematic opus “Oppenheimer.” However, the final stretch of voting has seen two seasoned industry...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Actor The Holdovers, Paul Giamatti, 2023. ph: Seacia Pavao / © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection
Weekly Commentary: The realm of lead actor has been ruled by Cillian Murphy’s captivating portrayal in Nolan’s cinematic opus “Oppenheimer.” However, the final stretch of voting has seen two seasoned industry...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
While the recent Madame Web introduced Spider-Women in live-action, another Marvel character who has yet to get a live-action depiction is Miles Morales. The character is a fan favorite and has already starred in Sony’s Spider-verse films. In the MCU, the character has been acknowledged, with Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis mentioning him in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
While Miles Morale is yet to be cast in the MCU, Black-ish actor Miles Brown seems to be the perfect fit. The nineteen-year-old actor and rapper has the same first name and has similar Black and Latino parentage. He has been vocal about his dream of playing the character in the MCU and has also met Tom Holland and Kevin Feige on the red carpet for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Miles Brown Dreamed To Play Miles Morales Miles Brown in Black-ish
Ever since the character of Miles Morales has gained traction among fans,...
While Miles Morale is yet to be cast in the MCU, Black-ish actor Miles Brown seems to be the perfect fit. The nineteen-year-old actor and rapper has the same first name and has similar Black and Latino parentage. He has been vocal about his dream of playing the character in the MCU and has also met Tom Holland and Kevin Feige on the red carpet for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Miles Brown Dreamed To Play Miles Morales Miles Brown in Black-ish
Ever since the character of Miles Morales has gained traction among fans,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Happy New Year! As expected, the new year brings a slew of notable new titles to the various ever-growing streaming libraries, giving you plenty to watch in January 2024.
Whether you’re looking to catch up on 2023 releases or looking ahead to shiny new 2024 horror or sci-fi titles, January has it all.
These ten noteworthy horror titles will be available for streaming this month on some of the most popular streaming services out there. Here’s when/where you can watch them.
All Fun and Games – Hulu (January 4)
Salem teens discover a cursed knife that unleashes a demon that forces them to play gruesome, deadly versions of childhood games in Ari Costa and Eren Celeboglu’s teen horror movie. The 2023 horror release stars “Strange Things” actor Natalia Dyer alongside Asa Butterfield. The cast also includes Keith David, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio), Annabeth Gish (“The Fall of the House of Usher”), Laurel Marsden...
Whether you’re looking to catch up on 2023 releases or looking ahead to shiny new 2024 horror or sci-fi titles, January has it all.
These ten noteworthy horror titles will be available for streaming this month on some of the most popular streaming services out there. Here’s when/where you can watch them.
All Fun and Games – Hulu (January 4)
Salem teens discover a cursed knife that unleashes a demon that forces them to play gruesome, deadly versions of childhood games in Ari Costa and Eren Celeboglu’s teen horror movie. The 2023 horror release stars “Strange Things” actor Natalia Dyer alongside Asa Butterfield. The cast also includes Keith David, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio), Annabeth Gish (“The Fall of the House of Usher”), Laurel Marsden...
- 1/3/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Clockwise from left: Foe (Amazon Studios), Mad Max (American International Pictures), The Passenger (Paramount Home Entertainment)Image: The A.V. Club
Amazon’s Prime Video revs up the new year with new originals and several movies focused on automobiles and other modes of transportation. A few short months before Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga...
Amazon’s Prime Video revs up the new year with new originals and several movies focused on automobiles and other modes of transportation. A few short months before Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga...
- 12/31/2023
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
When the nominations for the 1959 Primetime Emmys were revealed, 13-year-old supporting candidate Johnny Crawford (“The Rifleman”) became the youngest male acting contender in TV academy history and then retained the title for the next six and a half decades. After so many years of his record appearing to be unbreakable, it was finally shattered this summer by Best Drama Guest Actor nominee Keivonn Montreal Woodard, who turned 10 this February. His historic bid for HBO’s “The Last of Us” makes him not only a credit to child actors but also to deaf performers, as no male one had ever earned Emmy recognition before.
Woodard appears in two first-season episodes of “The Last of Us” as Sam Burrell, a survivor of both leukemia and a pandemic-induced apocalypse who lives under the guardianship of his adult brother, Henry (Lamar Johnson). In his submitted episode, “Endure and Survive,” his comic book-loving character forms...
Woodard appears in two first-season episodes of “The Last of Us” as Sam Burrell, a survivor of both leukemia and a pandemic-induced apocalypse who lives under the guardianship of his adult brother, Henry (Lamar Johnson). In his submitted episode, “Endure and Survive,” his comic book-loving character forms...
- 12/25/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Kino Lorber Hires Rebecca Winter as Vice President, Partnerships and Platform Management (Exclusive)
Kino Lorber has hired Rebecca Winter to be its vice president of partnerships and platform management. In her new role, Winter will oversee strategic distribution partnerships and new business development across all Kino Lorber brands and streaming services, including MHz Choice and Topic. She will develop and expand partnerships and manage existing relationships. In addition, she will help drive revenue growth by distributing films and series from the Kino Lorber catalog across all means of distribution, including streaming and on-demand platforms.
She will report to Kino Lorber Chief Revenue Officer Lisa Schwartz. Winter joins Kino Lorber following an eight-year tenure at AMC Networks, where she most recently served as director, partner management and digital distribution. In that role, she worked across AMC Networks’ brands and streaming services including AMC+, Acorn TV, Allblk, Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited, as well as managed platform partnerships with Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV,...
She will report to Kino Lorber Chief Revenue Officer Lisa Schwartz. Winter joins Kino Lorber following an eight-year tenure at AMC Networks, where she most recently served as director, partner management and digital distribution. In that role, she worked across AMC Networks’ brands and streaming services including AMC+, Acorn TV, Allblk, Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited, as well as managed platform partnerships with Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Story Ave starring Luis Guzman grossed $9.85k in a limited opening at one theater, Quad Cinema, with multiple sold-out shows. The first feature from director Aristotle Torres, which won for Best Cinematography at SXSW (see Deadline review) expands to Chicago and the Bronx next week, followed by LA and additional markets October 13.
Guzman plays a no-nonsense subway operator who becomes an unlikely mentor to a teenager (Asante Blackk) caught up in the dangerous world of Bronx graffiti gangs. Written by Torres and Bonsu Thompson. Produced by Jamie Foxx.
In an overall market “that’s not exactly easy,” Story Ave pulled in a diverse crowd, said Kino’s director of theatrical distribution, Maxwell Wolkin. “You have to get creative, and find an angle, and find things that hit. And it’s not necessarily always what you expect, but this film is audience friendly, it’s got a real voice, it’s connecting with people.
Guzman plays a no-nonsense subway operator who becomes an unlikely mentor to a teenager (Asante Blackk) caught up in the dangerous world of Bronx graffiti gangs. Written by Torres and Bonsu Thompson. Produced by Jamie Foxx.
In an overall market “that’s not exactly easy,” Story Ave pulled in a diverse crowd, said Kino’s director of theatrical distribution, Maxwell Wolkin. “You have to get creative, and find an angle, and find things that hit. And it’s not necessarily always what you expect, but this film is audience friendly, it’s got a real voice, it’s connecting with people.
- 10/1/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
An aspiring mugger attempting his first stickup job has a lot to worry about. There’s a million ways that a sidewalk robbery could go wrong, from a target turning violent and pulling a gun to police catching the crime and making an arrest. But nobody ever thinks about the humiliating possibility that the would-be victim is completely unfazed by the criminal’s attempts at intimidation and simply takes pity on them.
That’s what happens in an early scene in “Story Ave” when Kadir (Asante Blackk), a shy teenager who clearly has no business getting involved with street crime, attempts to jump a stranger on the subway. A promising young painter, Kadir desperately wants to become a crew member of a local gang and graffiti collective that runs his corner of the Bronx. He’s much more interested in the spray painting — which the crew sees as “modern hieroglyphics...
That’s what happens in an early scene in “Story Ave” when Kadir (Asante Blackk), a shy teenager who clearly has no business getting involved with street crime, attempts to jump a stranger on the subway. A promising young painter, Kadir desperately wants to become a crew member of a local gang and graffiti collective that runs his corner of the Bronx. He’s much more interested in the spray painting — which the crew sees as “modern hieroglyphics...
- 9/29/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Near the end of Aristotle Torres’ assured feature debut “Story Ave,” a title card comes up on the screen, noting the film is “by The Bronx.” It’s a short moment, leading into the end credits, but it nevertheless speaks volumes to the textured approach that Torres gives to a film that, at least in its outline form, could feel cliché. A narrative about a gifted young artist Kadir (Asante Blackk), who falls into a gang as a result of buried trauma revolving around this family, only to be pulled out by a kind, lonely, older man Luis (Luis Guzmán) might have the surface trappings of a move-of-the-week, but Torres brings out enough stylistic flourishes and lived-in performances to elevate “Story Ave” into being one of the undersung movies of the year so far.
Read More: ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing...
Read More: ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing...
- 9/28/2023
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
The dreamy-eyed boy that we see in Landscape with Invisible Hand is the character of Adam Campbell, played by Asante Blackk. His character has been portrayed as that of a rebellious artist who resents the rules set by the Vuvvs through his paintings in a non-aggressive way. The very first conflict with the Vuvvs is identified when he looks at the clear sky to find a subject to paint but is disappointed because the Vuvvs are parking their floating sphere over their house, blocking his view. The movie is based on a science fiction novel written by M.T. Anderson, bringing us to terms with a futuristic view of our world in 2036. We have seen a similar futuristic dystopian worldview in the series Black Mirror.
The empathetic nature of Adam has also been brought out when he lets one of his classmates, Chloe, and her family live in their basement after...
The empathetic nature of Adam has also been brought out when he lets one of his classmates, Chloe, and her family live in their basement after...
- 9/20/2023
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
The pipeline from music video to feature film director isn’t discussed enough. Many beloved filmmakers started with music videos and commercials, from Spike Jones to Gus Van Sant to David Fincher.
Joining the ranks now is Aristotle Torres, who is known for beginning his career as the creative director for his college classmate J. Cole and going on to start the multi-media artist collective By Any Means, which produced and directed 70+ music videos for artists such as Big Sean, Justin Beiber, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, and more.
Continue reading ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing Up In The Bronx [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
Joining the ranks now is Aristotle Torres, who is known for beginning his career as the creative director for his college classmate J. Cole and going on to start the multi-media artist collective By Any Means, which produced and directed 70+ music videos for artists such as Big Sean, Justin Beiber, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, and more.
Continue reading ‘Story Ave’ Trailer: Luis Guzmán & Asante Blackk Star In A Touching Tale About Growing Up In The Bronx [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
- 9/18/2023
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
The New York Latino Film Festival (Nylff), the nation’s premier Latino film festival, kicks off Latino Heritage Month from Sept. 15-24. It features an impressive roster of 116 films from nearly 20 countries. Watch a trailer for the festival above.
Held, once again, at Regal Union Square, Nylff will open with the New York City premiere of Amazon Prime’s film “Cassandro”, starring Gael Garcia Bernal. It follows the true story of a colorful gay wrestler from El Paso who rose to international stardom.
Presented by Kino Lorber, the Festival will screen Aristotle Torres’ debut feature “Story Ave”, starring Luis Guzman as an Mta transit worker held up by young graffiti artist Kadir (Asante Blackk).
HBO Documentaries will present “You Were My First Boyfriend”, the heartwarming story of Cecilia Aldarondo as she revisits her 1990s adolescence. Also showing is “Radical”, the story of actor Eugenio Derbez as a teacher in a...
Held, once again, at Regal Union Square, Nylff will open with the New York City premiere of Amazon Prime’s film “Cassandro”, starring Gael Garcia Bernal. It follows the true story of a colorful gay wrestler from El Paso who rose to international stardom.
Presented by Kino Lorber, the Festival will screen Aristotle Torres’ debut feature “Story Ave”, starring Luis Guzman as an Mta transit worker held up by young graffiti artist Kadir (Asante Blackk).
HBO Documentaries will present “You Were My First Boyfriend”, the heartwarming story of Cecilia Aldarondo as she revisits her 1990s adolescence. Also showing is “Radical”, the story of actor Eugenio Derbez as a teacher in a...
- 9/14/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Landscape with Invisible Hand,” a space alien science fiction film with highly symbolic overtones to our current society, based on a novel by M.T. Anderson and featuring Tiffany Haddish. In theaters since August 18th.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam (Asante Blackk) is a young artist living under the near-future rule of the Vuvv, an odd-looking race of space conquerors whose latest plunder is earth. They assimilate humans through a wearable device that pumps their message into the brain. When Adam meets Chloe (Kylie Rogers), their courtship morphs into a popular social media event that the Vuvv ardently watch. The income derived from these views help both their families, including Adam’s mother Beth (Tiffany Haddish), but at what price? And when will the boot of their new leaders reach their necks?
”‘Landscape with Invisible Hand” in theaters since August 18th. Featuring Asante Blackk,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam (Asante Blackk) is a young artist living under the near-future rule of the Vuvv, an odd-looking race of space conquerors whose latest plunder is earth. They assimilate humans through a wearable device that pumps their message into the brain. When Adam meets Chloe (Kylie Rogers), their courtship morphs into a popular social media event that the Vuvv ardently watch. The income derived from these views help both their families, including Adam’s mother Beth (Tiffany Haddish), but at what price? And when will the boot of their new leaders reach their necks?
”‘Landscape with Invisible Hand” in theaters since August 18th. Featuring Asante Blackk,...
- 8/21/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Landscape with Invisible Hand,” a space alien science fiction film with highly symbolic overtones to our current society, based on a novel by M.T. Anderson and featuring Tiffany Haddish. In theaters since August 18th.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam (Asante Blackk) is a young artist living under the near-future rule of the Vuvv, an odd-looking race of space conquerors whose latest plunder is earth. They assimilate humans through a wearable device that pumps their message into the brain. When Adam meets Chloe (Kylie Rogers), their courtship morphs into a popular social media event that the Vuvv ardently watch. The income derived from these views help both their families, including Adam’s mother Beth (Tiffany Haddish), but at what price? And when will the boot of their new leaders reach their necks?
”‘Landscape with Invisible Hand” in theaters since August 18th. Featuring Asante Blackk,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam (Asante Blackk) is a young artist living under the near-future rule of the Vuvv, an odd-looking race of space conquerors whose latest plunder is earth. They assimilate humans through a wearable device that pumps their message into the brain. When Adam meets Chloe (Kylie Rogers), their courtship morphs into a popular social media event that the Vuvv ardently watch. The income derived from these views help both their families, including Adam’s mother Beth (Tiffany Haddish), but at what price? And when will the boot of their new leaders reach their necks?
”‘Landscape with Invisible Hand” in theaters since August 18th. Featuring Asante Blackk,...
- 8/21/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Every now and then a film comes along that manages to reinvigorate a genre and causes filmmakers to reevaluate exactly what a film is supposed to pass along to an audience. With the new science fiction piece called Landscape with Invisible Hand, filmmaker Cory Finley has done just that – created a genre piece that transcends the genre to become great art.
Several years into the occupation of Earth by aliens called the Vuvv – which initially held the promise of prosperity for all and marvelous technological advances, that didn’t exactly pan out – humanity has grown complacent and, in many ways, stagnant. One thing the Vuvv are fascinated with is the human capacity to love and will pay interested humans to allow them to experience it via lives-tream broadcasts that are the main form of entertainment for the creatures.
These broadcasts can lead to steady incomes and better lives for the humans that mount successful ones.
Several years into the occupation of Earth by aliens called the Vuvv – which initially held the promise of prosperity for all and marvelous technological advances, that didn’t exactly pan out – humanity has grown complacent and, in many ways, stagnant. One thing the Vuvv are fascinated with is the human capacity to love and will pay interested humans to allow them to experience it via lives-tream broadcasts that are the main form of entertainment for the creatures.
These broadcasts can lead to steady incomes and better lives for the humans that mount successful ones.
- 8/19/2023
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
You don’t see too many science fiction comedy-dramas heading into movie theaters these days – or any days, quite frankly – so that alone is cause to celebrate the arrival of “Landscape With Invisible Hand,” the odd title of an intriguing film that opens today (Friday) in limited release, starring a cast of mostly unknowns with the exception of Tiffany Haddish in a prime co-starring role. It’s written and directed by Cory Finley, who directed the Emmy-winning 2020 made-for-tv movie “Bad Education” that starred Hugh Jackman. And its composer is Michael Abels, a Pulitzer Prize winner and two-time Emmy nominee whose genre-defying scores include the Jordan Peele horror trio “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope.”
Based on a hotly-received young-adult novel by author M.T. Anderson, the film from MGM, Plan B Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures is something of an eccentric mashup of the alien horror and teen romantic comedy genres with some...
Based on a hotly-received young-adult novel by author M.T. Anderson, the film from MGM, Plan B Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures is something of an eccentric mashup of the alien horror and teen romantic comedy genres with some...
- 8/18/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Re-releases reliably dot the theatrical calendar and this week have a standout. Oldboy, the 2004 Cannes prize-winner, re-released by Neon on its 20th anniversary restored and remastered, grossed $235k on Wednesday and $150k Thursday — for a total cume $385k on 250 screens heading into the weekend.
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
- 8/18/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Kylie Rogers stars as Chloe Marsh and Asante Blackk as Adam Campbell in director Cory Finley’s Landscape With Invisible Hand. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved
The “invisible hand of the marketplace” is a favorite term of laissez-faire globalized economics, but Landscape With Invisible Hand is a dark comedy science fiction tale about a teen-aged artist living on a near-future Earth transformed by twenty years of occupation by creatures from another planet. We expect invaders from space to be scary monster with big weapons but what if the space aliens who came to conquer the Earth weren’t monsters with ray guns but annoying, harmless-looking bureaucrats who used economic soft power and brought advanced technology which made most human jobs obsolete?
The aliens, called the Vuvv, met resistance from ordinary people and governments when they first arrived but then...
The “invisible hand of the marketplace” is a favorite term of laissez-faire globalized economics, but Landscape With Invisible Hand is a dark comedy science fiction tale about a teen-aged artist living on a near-future Earth transformed by twenty years of occupation by creatures from another planet. We expect invaders from space to be scary monster with big weapons but what if the space aliens who came to conquer the Earth weren’t monsters with ray guns but annoying, harmless-looking bureaucrats who used economic soft power and brought advanced technology which made most human jobs obsolete?
The aliens, called the Vuvv, met resistance from ordinary people and governments when they first arrived but then...
- 8/18/2023
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Plot: In the near future, aliens have taken over the earth, and the economy will be ruined. The upper-class lives in hovering sky domes while the working class toils on earth, trying to make ends meet in a world where virtually all industries have ceased to operate. In this impoverished future, a sensitive teen artist (Asante Blackk) navigates first love, the need to express himself creatively, and his family’s relationship with the occupying aliens.
Review: Landscape with Invisible Hand is unusual for an alien invasion story. Based on the book by M.T. Anderson, Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds and Bad Education) depicts an alien takeover that happened without any violence. Instead, the aliens superior technology and business acumen allowed them to make deals with the wealthiest, most influential humans, and now they have their hands (or flippers) in everything.
The aliens in this look almost comical. They resemble slimy coffee tables...
Review: Landscape with Invisible Hand is unusual for an alien invasion story. Based on the book by M.T. Anderson, Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds and Bad Education) depicts an alien takeover that happened without any violence. Instead, the aliens superior technology and business acumen allowed them to make deals with the wealthiest, most influential humans, and now they have their hands (or flippers) in everything.
The aliens in this look almost comical. They resemble slimy coffee tables...
- 8/16/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
We’re fully into the “Dog Days of Summer” now, and while “Barbenheimer” has been running rampant over the box office for months, it might be time for a few new movies to take over this weekend … maybe? Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
After over a month in theaters, one expects that both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” might have to finally give up some screens — Christopher Nolan will hang onto most IMAX screens, thank you very much — and along comes two movies from the same studios that will try to avoid the legendary pitfalls of a mid-to-late August release.
Opening in 3,900 theaters is Warner Bros’ “Blue Beetle,” the studio’s third DC superhero movie of the year after “Shazam! The Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash,” this one based on possibly a lesser-known superhero. “Blue Beetle” is also the very first LatinX superhero to get a solo movie in theaters.
After over a month in theaters, one expects that both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” might have to finally give up some screens — Christopher Nolan will hang onto most IMAX screens, thank you very much — and along comes two movies from the same studios that will try to avoid the legendary pitfalls of a mid-to-late August release.
Opening in 3,900 theaters is Warner Bros’ “Blue Beetle,” the studio’s third DC superhero movie of the year after “Shazam! The Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash,” this one based on possibly a lesser-known superhero. “Blue Beetle” is also the very first LatinX superhero to get a solo movie in theaters.
- 8/16/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
In what is poised to be a case of Warner Bros beating itself for the No. 1 spot at the box office this coming weekend, the studio’s new DC superhero title Blue Beetle is poised to halt Barbie‘s three-weekend streak with a $28M-$32M opening. Barbie, meanwhile, is looking at a $22M-$24M fifth weekend, -30%, per industry sources. Through Monday, the Greta Gerwig-directed Mattel doll feature counts $531.2M — the studio’s domestic top-grossing title ever.
As we told you, the Angel Manuel Soto-directed Blue Beetle is overindexing with Latino and Hispanic audiences, hence the hope is that there will be plenty of walk-up business. That was the case with Warners’ The Meg 2: The Trench, which hit a $30M start at the top of its projections two weekends ago. Blue Beetle crawls into 3,850 locations and will play in Imax theaters, which the pic gains in full from Oppenheimer.
As we told you, the Angel Manuel Soto-directed Blue Beetle is overindexing with Latino and Hispanic audiences, hence the hope is that there will be plenty of walk-up business. That was the case with Warners’ The Meg 2: The Trench, which hit a $30M start at the top of its projections two weekends ago. Blue Beetle crawls into 3,850 locations and will play in Imax theaters, which the pic gains in full from Oppenheimer.
- 8/16/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Kylie Rogers stars as Chloe Marsh and Asante Blackk as Adam Campbell in director Cory Finley’s
Landscape With Invisible Hand
A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film
Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon
© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved Apparently, aliens love reality TV just as much as some Earthlings do. That’s the premise behind Landscape with Invisible Hand, the new film based on a 2017 sci-fi novel. Asante Blackk (This Is Us) stars as a teenager who broadcast their romance for a race of invading aliens to enjoy. Landscape with Invisible Hand is Blackk’s first film, and he’s thrilled that it’s a sci-fi movie. (Click on the media bar below to hear Asante Blackk) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Assante_Blackk_Sci_Fi_.mp3
Landscape with Invisible Hand opens in theaters on Friday.
The post Asante Blackk’s Psyched Over Sci-Fi Film Debut appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
Landscape With Invisible Hand
A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film
Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon
© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved Apparently, aliens love reality TV just as much as some Earthlings do. That’s the premise behind Landscape with Invisible Hand, the new film based on a 2017 sci-fi novel. Asante Blackk (This Is Us) stars as a teenager who broadcast their romance for a race of invading aliens to enjoy. Landscape with Invisible Hand is Blackk’s first film, and he’s thrilled that it’s a sci-fi movie. (Click on the media bar below to hear Asante Blackk) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Assante_Blackk_Sci_Fi_.mp3
Landscape with Invisible Hand opens in theaters on Friday.
The post Asante Blackk’s Psyched Over Sci-Fi Film Debut appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 8/15/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Tiffany Haddish (The Aftermath) agrees to marriage with an alien in the final trailer for Landscape with Invisible Hand. Based on M.T. Anderson’s satirical sci-fi novel, the strange story is set in a time in which aliens have taken over Earth without wiping out the human population.
In addition to Tiffany Haddish, the R-rated film stars Asante Blackk (This Is Us) and Kylie Rogers (Home Before Dark). Cory Finley, Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay nominee for Thoroughbreds, adapted Anderson’s novel and directed the sci-fi dramedy.
Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produced, with Brad Pitt, Gabby Shepard, David Kern, M.T. Anderson, Megan Ellison, and Tiffany Haddish executive producing.
MGM’s releasing Landscape with Invisible Hands in theaters on August 18, 2023.
Poster for ‘Landscape with Invisible Hand’ (Photo © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
The Plot:
Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new...
In addition to Tiffany Haddish, the R-rated film stars Asante Blackk (This Is Us) and Kylie Rogers (Home Before Dark). Cory Finley, Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay nominee for Thoroughbreds, adapted Anderson’s novel and directed the sci-fi dramedy.
Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produced, with Brad Pitt, Gabby Shepard, David Kern, M.T. Anderson, Megan Ellison, and Tiffany Haddish executive producing.
MGM’s releasing Landscape with Invisible Hands in theaters on August 18, 2023.
Poster for ‘Landscape with Invisible Hand’ (Photo © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
The Plot:
Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new...
- 8/14/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
As depicted in a new trailer, the upcoming Tiffany Haddish-starring film Landscape with Invisible Hand imagines a world in which an alien species called the Vuvv has taken over Earth and humans are just trying to get by. For Haddish’s Beth Campbell, that apparently means agreeing to take on one of the extraterrestrials as her “pretend husband” so it can be “immersed in the human culture.”
Thankfully for Haddish, her new alien spouse isn’t equipped for sex with humans, but her children understandably aren’t very happy about the situation. Her son Adam (Asante Blackk) responds to a request for a hug with disdain, saying, “That thing is not my dad.” And when Haddish says she believes that the Vuvv “have hearts,” Adam retorts, “I literally think they don’t have circulatory systems. Period.” Watch the trailer for the sci-fi comedy below.
“Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth,...
Thankfully for Haddish, her new alien spouse isn’t equipped for sex with humans, but her children understandably aren’t very happy about the situation. Her son Adam (Asante Blackk) responds to a request for a hug with disdain, saying, “That thing is not my dad.” And when Haddish says she believes that the Vuvv “have hearts,” Adam retorts, “I literally think they don’t have circulatory systems. Period.” Watch the trailer for the sci-fi comedy below.
“Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
"At some point it starts being domination." Indeed - and I wonder if that's where we are now with society? MGM has unveiled a final official trailer for the audacious sci-fi film Landscape with Invisible Hand, directed by Cory Finley (of Thoroughbreds and Bad Education previously). The film opens in US theaters nationwide this Friday, on August 18th. This is adapted from the book of the same name by M.T. Anderson (which comes highly recommended), and it first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (our review). "Welcome to the future, where the entertainment is us." When an occupying alien species' (who are called Vuvv) bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families' futures. It's a clever commentary on capitalism and art and how we sacrifice our integrity just to make money. Even though...
- 8/14/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Writer/director Cory Finley’s sci-fi drama Landscape with Invisible Hand is set to reach theatres this Friday, August 18th – and with just four days until that date arrives, the final trailer for the film has dropped online! You can check it out in the embed above. JoBlo.com’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch to watch Landscape with Invisible Hand at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and gave it an 8/10 review (you can read it Here), describing the film as “a unique, cerebral alien invasion story told with style and intelligence.” So take a look at the trailer and see if this looks like a movie you’d want to watch on the big screen!
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson, the film has the following synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is...
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson, the film has the following synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Get an inside first look at writer/director Cory Finley’s new sci-fi drama Landscape With Invisible Hand with this new behind-the-scenes featurette that showcases stars Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, and Tiffany Haddish.
Synopsis: When an occupying alien species’ bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families’ futures.
About The Film
Starring: Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers and Tiffany Haddish Director: Cory Finley Screenplay by: Cory Finley Producer: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Landscape with Invisible Hand is in theaters on August 18, 2023!
For More Information, Please Visit:
Official Site / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / #LandscapeMovie
The post Landscape With Invisible Hand Releases Featurette first appeared on CinemaNerdz.
Synopsis: When an occupying alien species’ bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families’ futures.
About The Film
Starring: Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers and Tiffany Haddish Director: Cory Finley Screenplay by: Cory Finley Producer: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Landscape with Invisible Hand is in theaters on August 18, 2023!
For More Information, Please Visit:
Official Site / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / #LandscapeMovie
The post Landscape With Invisible Hand Releases Featurette first appeared on CinemaNerdz.
- 8/11/2023
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
Get an inside first look at Cory Finley’s new sci-fi drama Landscape With Invisible Hand – starring Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers and Tiffany Haddish. The film opens in theaters August 18.
Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their flashy advanced technology initially held promise for global prosperity, but rendered most human jobs – and steady income – obsolete. When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different, absurdly life-altering sacrifices for their families.
Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their flashy advanced technology initially held promise for global prosperity, but rendered most human jobs – and steady income – obsolete. When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different, absurdly life-altering sacrifices for their families.
- 8/10/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"I hope that people find in it a reflection of this moment that we're living through right now." MGM has revealed a new "First Look" featurette for sci-fi film Landscape with Invisible Hand, an impressively unique feature from filmmaker Cory Finley (of Thoroughbreds and Bad Education previously). This is adapted from the book of the same name by M.T. Anderson (which comes highly recommended), and it first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (our review). "Welcome to the future, where the entertainment is us." When an occupying alien species' (called "Vuvv") bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families' futures. It's a clever commentary on capitalism and art and how we sacrifice our integrity just to make money to live and love. Landscape stars Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, Tiffany Haddish, with Brooklynn MacKinzie,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Based on the acclaimed novel by M.T. Anderson, the official trailer for writer/director Cory Finley’s Landscape with Invisible Hand, starring Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, and Tiffany Haddish has just been released.
Synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their flashy advanced technology initially held promise for global prosperity, but rendered most human jobs – and steady income – obsolete. When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different,...
Synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their flashy advanced technology initially held promise for global prosperity, but rendered most human jobs – and steady income – obsolete. When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different,...
- 6/18/2023
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
"Landscape with Invisible Hand" is the new science fiction feature written and directed by Cory Finley, based on the 2017 novel by M. T. Anderson, starring Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers and Tiffany Haddish, releasing August 18, 2023 in theaters:
"...in the near-future, where the alien species 'Vuvv' has taken over Earth, an aspiring teenage artist and his girlfriend hatch a scheme to make money, by broadcasting their dating life to the fascinated alien.
"But the teens slowly come to hate each other and can't break up without bankrupting their families..."
Click the images to enlarge....
"...in the near-future, where the alien species 'Vuvv' has taken over Earth, an aspiring teenage artist and his girlfriend hatch a scheme to make money, by broadcasting their dating life to the fascinated alien.
"But the teens slowly come to hate each other and can't break up without bankrupting their families..."
Click the images to enlarge....
- 6/14/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
JoBlo.com’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch writer/director Cory Finley’s sci-fi drama Landscape with Invisible Hand at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and gave it an 8/10 review (you can read it Here), describing the film as “a unique, cerebral alien invasion story told with style and intelligence.” A wider audience will get their chance to see the movie when it’s given a theatrical release on August 18th – and with that date just a couple months away, a trailer for Landscape with Invisible Hand has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson, the film has the following synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their...
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by M. T. Anderson, the film has the following synopsis: Years into a benevolent alien occupation of Earth, the human race is still adjusting to the new world order and its quirky coffee table-sized overlords called the Vuvv. Their...
- 6/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Love is a purely human emotion that can’t be faked — such is the theme at the center of the first trailer for Cory Finley’s “Landscape With Invisible Hands,” released Tuesday.
The film is based on the book by M.T. Anderson and, per the official synopsis, it takes place years into a benevolent occupation of Earth by an alien species. “When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different, absurdly life-altering sacrifices for their families.”
The trailer looks like a quirky romantic comedy, albeit with an alien invasion in the middle of it.
The film is based on the book by M.T. Anderson and, per the official synopsis, it takes place years into a benevolent occupation of Earth by an alien species. “When 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and new girlfriend Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) discover the Vuvv are particularly fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their budding romance to make extra cash for themselves and their families. Life is good, for a while, until the flame of their teenage love fizzles out and they’re forced to make very different, absurdly life-altering sacrifices for their families.”
The trailer looks like a quirky romantic comedy, albeit with an alien invasion in the middle of it.
- 6/13/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
"Romantic love is the most poetic of all human love modes – it should never be faked." MGM has revealed the official trailer for the sci-fi creation Landscape with Invisible Hand, an impressively unique new film from filmmaker Cory Finley (of the acclaimed films Thoroughbreds and Bad Education previously). This is adapted from the book of the same name by M.T. Anderson (which comes highly recommended), and it first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. "Welcome to the future, where the entertainment is us." When an occupying alien species' (called the "Vuvv") bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families' futures. It's a clever commentary on capitalism and art and how we sacrifice our integrity just to make money to live and love. Landscape stars Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers, Tiffany Haddish, with Brooklynn MacKinzie,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The drama from debut director Aristotle Torres was a prizewinner at SXSW.
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to SXSW prizewinner Story Ave, debut feature of music video director Aristotle Torres.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for the film in October, followed by a digital and home video release on all major platforms.
Starring Luis Guzmán and Asante Blackk, Story Ave won a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at SXSW for director of photography Eric Branco.
The drama centres on a South Bronx teen artist who escapes into the world of graffiti gangs after the death of...
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to SXSW prizewinner Story Ave, debut feature of music video director Aristotle Torres.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for the film in October, followed by a digital and home video release on all major platforms.
Starring Luis Guzmán and Asante Blackk, Story Ave won a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at SXSW for director of photography Eric Branco.
The drama centres on a South Bronx teen artist who escapes into the world of graffiti gangs after the death of...
- 5/25/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to the indie drama Story Ave, starring Asante Blackk (This Is Us) and Luis Guzmán (Wednesday) — which we were first to report on — slating it for release in theaters in October, with a on digital and home video debut to follow.
Marking the feature debut of well-known music video director Aristotle Torres, the film tells the story of Kadir (Blackk), a South Bronx teen and gifted visual artist who loses his way following the death of his younger brother. Overcome with grief and struggling with school and family, he escapes into the creative yet dangerous world of graffiti gangs. To prove himself and join his neighborhood’s ruling gang, Kadir attempts to rob Mta conductor Luis (Guzmán) on the Story Ave subway platform, only to be caught off guard when Luis agrees to give Kadir the cash if he’ll sit down to a meal with him.
Marking the feature debut of well-known music video director Aristotle Torres, the film tells the story of Kadir (Blackk), a South Bronx teen and gifted visual artist who loses his way following the death of his younger brother. Overcome with grief and struggling with school and family, he escapes into the creative yet dangerous world of graffiti gangs. To prove himself and join his neighborhood’s ruling gang, Kadir attempts to rob Mta conductor Luis (Guzmán) on the Story Ave subway platform, only to be caught off guard when Luis agrees to give Kadir the cash if he’ll sit down to a meal with him.
- 5/25/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to “Story Ave,” which won a special jury award for cinematography at SXSW.
From debut filmmaker Aristotle Torres, “Story Ave” stars Luis Guzmán and Asante Blackk, with Guzmán serving as executive producer alongside producer Jamie Foxx.
“Story Ave” follows teenage graffiti artist, Kadir Grayson (Blackk) who recently ran away from home and tries to prove himself to his neighborhood gang. One night Kadir heads over to the Story Ave. subway platform and attempts to hold up Mta worker Luis Torres (Guzmán) in a robbery. But once Luis proposes he’ll hand over the cash if Kadir has a meal with him, the two get to know each other throughout the meal, and with time their connection turns into growing and sincere friendship.
“’Story Ave’ is a New York story unlike any we’ve seen before,” said Wendy Lidell, Kino Lorber SVP of theatrical distribution and acquisitions.
From debut filmmaker Aristotle Torres, “Story Ave” stars Luis Guzmán and Asante Blackk, with Guzmán serving as executive producer alongside producer Jamie Foxx.
“Story Ave” follows teenage graffiti artist, Kadir Grayson (Blackk) who recently ran away from home and tries to prove himself to his neighborhood gang. One night Kadir heads over to the Story Ave. subway platform and attempts to hold up Mta worker Luis Torres (Guzmán) in a robbery. But once Luis proposes he’ll hand over the cash if Kadir has a meal with him, the two get to know each other throughout the meal, and with time their connection turns into growing and sincere friendship.
“’Story Ave’ is a New York story unlike any we’ve seen before,” said Wendy Lidell, Kino Lorber SVP of theatrical distribution and acquisitions.
- 5/25/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
During his early years of theater and indie film acting, Luiz Guzmán did a spell as a youth counselor in New York City. The actor with a grizzled countenance and a world-weary voice appears to have tapped into those memories for drama “Story Ave.” The actor brings an anchoring warmth to his portrayal of the Mta conductor who is held up by the unsure and anguished, but also infuriating, protagonist in Aristotle Torres’ affecting debut feature (co-written with Bonsu Thompson).
Asante Blackk — of “This Is Us” and “When They See Us” — is Kadir, a high-schooler and aspiring artist whose younger brother has just died. A post-funeral reception makes clear that he and his mother (along with her boyfriend) are not a comfort to each other in this time of grief. Kadir is bedeviled by vivid nightmares that seem to damn him for not having done something to save his brother,...
Asante Blackk — of “This Is Us” and “When They See Us” — is Kadir, a high-schooler and aspiring artist whose younger brother has just died. A post-funeral reception makes clear that he and his mother (along with her boyfriend) are not a comfort to each other in this time of grief. Kadir is bedeviled by vivid nightmares that seem to damn him for not having done something to save his brother,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
SXSW 2023 had several big movies which took up a lot of space in the larger conversation surrounding the festival. From the world premiere of "Evil Dead Rise" to the closing night unveiling of Ben Affleck's long-awaited return to the director's chair in the form of "Air" (which I reviewed), there was much to talk about. But film festivals such as this are often a great place to discover the next big thing. One film that may well pop coming out of the festival this year? Director Aristotle Torres' "Story Ave," which took home the Special Jury Award for Cinematography.
Critics have been very kind to the film following its premiere. It tells the story of a South Bronx native, Kadir Grayson (Asante Blackk), a very talented teenage artist who is floored by the grief of losing his younger brother. Kadir runs away from home and escapes, attempting to become...
Critics have been very kind to the film following its premiere. It tells the story of a South Bronx native, Kadir Grayson (Asante Blackk), a very talented teenage artist who is floored by the grief of losing his younger brother. Kadir runs away from home and escapes, attempting to become...
- 3/21/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Naming a young Black man’s story after a transport stop gives off strong Fruitvale vibes, but Aristotle Torres’ feature debut reaches back further to the hip-hop morality tales of the early ’90s, like Boaz Yakin’s Fresh or Ernest Dickerson’s Juice — the wave that immediately followed John Singleton’s influential Boyz n the Hood. Surprisingly, given Torres’ history of videos for the likes of Ludacris and Nas, the soundtrack is light on rap, using unexpected needle drops like Pavarotti’s version of “La Donna e Mobile” to score scenes of spray-can anarchy on the New York subway.
In all other ways, however, Story Ave is very much a ’hood movie, in the sense that its young protagonist is both constrained and defined by the place where he lives, in this case the Bronx. That person is Kadir (Asante Blackk), a talented young artist tormented by the recent death of his disabled little brother.
In all other ways, however, Story Ave is very much a ’hood movie, in the sense that its young protagonist is both constrained and defined by the place where he lives, in this case the Bronx. That person is Kadir (Asante Blackk), a talented young artist tormented by the recent death of his disabled little brother.
- 3/17/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a double meaning to the title of writer-director Aristotle Torres’ debut feature, Story Ave, that neatly sums up what this homegrown NYC coming-of-age drama is all about.
On the one hand, it refers to the fictitious Bronx subway station where its main character, a young and troubled graffiti artist named Kadir, has an encounter that will put him on either the right or wrong path for the future. On the other, it underlines the storybook quality of a movie that, although entrenched in certain socioeconomic realities, veers toward fantasy in some unexpected ways.
Torres, adapting with co-writer Bonsu Thompson from a short they made together in 2018, jumps back and forth between the two elements throughout Story Ave, which takes familiar tropes of the urban youth genre (gang violence, domestic troubles, peer pressure, guns and drugs) and, in its most memorable moments, turns them into something slightly magical. The...
On the one hand, it refers to the fictitious Bronx subway station where its main character, a young and troubled graffiti artist named Kadir, has an encounter that will put him on either the right or wrong path for the future. On the other, it underlines the storybook quality of a movie that, although entrenched in certain socioeconomic realities, veers toward fantasy in some unexpected ways.
Torres, adapting with co-writer Bonsu Thompson from a short they made together in 2018, jumps back and forth between the two elements throughout Story Ave, which takes familiar tropes of the urban youth genre (gang violence, domestic troubles, peer pressure, guns and drugs) and, in its most memorable moments, turns them into something slightly magical. The...
- 3/11/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What would life on Earth look like in a future where humans are still very much alive but no longer in charge? Landscape With Invisible Hand — directed by Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds, Bad Education) and based on the 2017 young adult novel by M.T. Anderson — depicts a depressed, dryly humorous society crumbling away at a steady pace. Little aliens called “the Vuvv” have landed and torpedoed the economy, leaving most humans either underemployed or out of work entirely. The wealthy have already abandoned the planet to live “up there” with the aliens, while everyone still on Earth is left to forage for what’s left of the money, land and food. Instead of fearsome creatures with horrifying lasers and military might, the Vuvv are tiny bureaucrats with no empathy for the poverty their soulless business practices have created.
Adam (Asante Blackk) and his family are essentially squatting in their own giant home,...
Adam (Asante Blackk) and his family are essentially squatting in their own giant home,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Jourdain Searles
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One travels to the Sundance Film Festival in the dead of winter for numerous reasons, chief of them being the promise of a front-row seat to confident debuts like Cory Finley’s delectably dark “Thoroughbreds.” Indeed, the playwright-turned-filmmaker demonstrated himself an original voice with his first cinematic outing in 2017, proving his promise with the equally sophisticated “Bad Education,” about a real-life public school embezzling scandal.
Marking Finley’s homecoming to Sundance, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” feels less like a return for the writer-director, and more like a swing-for-the-fences departure with mixed results. On the one hand, this impressively scoped science-fiction/satire blend with some old-school visual craft signals Finley’s natural aptitude for shepherding big Hollywood productions, being the largest scaled project of his still-ascendant career. Refreshingly, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” looks and feels like a big-screen experience complete with spaceships and creatively designed dystopian locales, an increasingly rare accomplishment...
Marking Finley’s homecoming to Sundance, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” feels less like a return for the writer-director, and more like a swing-for-the-fences departure with mixed results. On the one hand, this impressively scoped science-fiction/satire blend with some old-school visual craft signals Finley’s natural aptitude for shepherding big Hollywood productions, being the largest scaled project of his still-ascendant career. Refreshingly, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” looks and feels like a big-screen experience complete with spaceships and creatively designed dystopian locales, an increasingly rare accomplishment...
- 1/26/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. MGM releases the film in select theaters on Friday, August 18.
Cory Finley’s extremely welcome mission to make every conceivable kind of high school movie — at a time when few other serious filmmakers are bothering to make any kind of high school movie — continues with the young director’s third feature and first misstep. Like “Thoroughbreds” and “Bad Education” before it, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” leverages the ecology of American teenagedom into a satirical and/or breathtakingly sad class comedy that explores the value of empathy in capitalism. Unlike either of those two films, it’s full of slimy little aliens who look like a frozen supermarket turkey made out of tongue.
They’re called the Vuvv, and by the time this story begins in 2036, these squat pink colonizers have been holding Earth’s economy hostage for more than five years.
Cory Finley’s extremely welcome mission to make every conceivable kind of high school movie — at a time when few other serious filmmakers are bothering to make any kind of high school movie — continues with the young director’s third feature and first misstep. Like “Thoroughbreds” and “Bad Education” before it, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” leverages the ecology of American teenagedom into a satirical and/or breathtakingly sad class comedy that explores the value of empathy in capitalism. Unlike either of those two films, it’s full of slimy little aliens who look like a frozen supermarket turkey made out of tongue.
They’re called the Vuvv, and by the time this story begins in 2036, these squat pink colonizers have been holding Earth’s economy hostage for more than five years.
- 1/25/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
For the last seven decades, aliens have been observing humanity, waiting for the right moment to touch down. When they finally do, after the world’s best military efforts to scare them fail, they broker deals with those wealthy enough to live high above the planet in their floating cityscapes. The less fortunate are left to fend for the scraps that remain of Earth, which now relies on the synthetic, cheap mass production of cubed food the aliens invented, along with other “innovations” to improve productivity and labor costs. This is the world of Cory Finley’s third feature Landscape with Invisible Hand, an adaptation of M.T. Anderson’s novel that initially intrigues with its lo-fi sci-fi ambition but has too much on its mind without saying anything interesting at all.
Landscape is demarcated into sections introduced with paintings of what lies ahead, the artist of each being Adam (Asante Blackk...
Landscape is demarcated into sections introduced with paintings of what lies ahead, the artist of each being Adam (Asante Blackk...
- 1/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
War of the Worlds. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Independence Day. Signs. All of these films depict alien invasions as they are happening, but what happens after the fact? And what if, by some small miracle, we come to an agreement with the invaders and find a way to live alongside them? That’s exactly what Cory Finley‘s Landscape With Invisible Hand aims to find out, albeit to mixed results.
Taking place a few years after a hyper-intelligent alien race known as the Vuvv took over planet Earth, Landscape With Invisible Hand subverts expectations by informing us that they did so through soft economic power rather than brute force, bringing wondrous technology to Earth that only the wealthiest could afford. This technology rendered most jobs obsolete, leaving the rest of humanity to scrape together money in the tourism industry.
Our point of entry for this new reality is Adam,...
Taking place a few years after a hyper-intelligent alien race known as the Vuvv took over planet Earth, Landscape With Invisible Hand subverts expectations by informing us that they did so through soft economic power rather than brute force, bringing wondrous technology to Earth that only the wealthiest could afford. This technology rendered most jobs obsolete, leaving the rest of humanity to scrape together money in the tourism industry.
Our point of entry for this new reality is Adam,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Landscape with Invisible Hand is a unique story of survival under economic occupation of the Vuvv, an extraterrestrial race who aim to dominate humanity in every way except violence. Written and directed by Cory Finley, the innovative, poignant film explores how humanity might handle an Earth-altering alien occupation and the resulting clash between class and commerce.
Related Story Tiffany Haddish Defends ‘Landscape With Invisible Hand’ From Stage After Audience Member Gripes About Studio-Backed Pic At Indie Fest Related Story Mubi Picks Up Ira Sachs' Sundance Premiere 'Passages' Related Story Sundance Review: Randall Park's Heartwarming 'Shortcomings'
Based on the book by M.T. Anderson, the film starts with a series of drawings and paintings created by Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk). His art documents how times have changed over a 10-year period from when he began drawing until he turned 17 in 2036. It depicts life before and during...
Related Story Tiffany Haddish Defends ‘Landscape With Invisible Hand’ From Stage After Audience Member Gripes About Studio-Backed Pic At Indie Fest Related Story Mubi Picks Up Ira Sachs' Sundance Premiere 'Passages' Related Story Sundance Review: Randall Park's Heartwarming 'Shortcomings'
Based on the book by M.T. Anderson, the film starts with a series of drawings and paintings created by Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk). His art documents how times have changed over a 10-year period from when he began drawing until he turned 17 in 2036. It depicts life before and during...
- 1/24/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
In "Landscape With Invisible Hand," we're dropped into the not-too-distant future — the 2030s — and learn that aliens have invaded the planet. But these visitors from another world didn't come here to blow up our monuments "Independence Day"-style. Instead, they struck deals with greedy businessmen and politicians to essentially take over the entire planet. Now, the wealthy get to live in floating cities that drift across the sky while everyone else is stuck down on Earth.
Adam (Asante Blackk) is one of the unlucky humans still inhabiting this doomed rock, living with his mother (Tiffany Haddish) and sister (Brooklynn MacKinzie). His father left for the coast years ago and never returned. Adam bides his time painting and attending a school system that has been completely taken over by the aliens known as the Vuvv. Chloe (Kylie Rogers), a new student, arrives one day and Adam is clearly smitten. So much...
Adam (Asante Blackk) is one of the unlucky humans still inhabiting this doomed rock, living with his mother (Tiffany Haddish) and sister (Brooklynn MacKinzie). His father left for the coast years ago and never returned. Adam bides his time painting and attending a school system that has been completely taken over by the aliens known as the Vuvv. Chloe (Kylie Rogers), a new student, arrives one day and Adam is clearly smitten. So much...
- 1/24/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
There was a semi-awkward moment at tonight’s Sundance Film Festival premiere of the Tiffany Haddish-led sci-fi film Landscape with Invisible Hand. During a post-screening Q&a with castmembers and filmmaker Cory Finley, an audience member asked what he prefaced as “a provocative question.”
Posing it “mainly for the producers and also for the Sundance programming team,” the questioner asked the panel if they “found it ironic that you have a film that’s about exploited young artists and also has studio financing having its world premiere at an indie film festival.”
Haddish quickly responded.
“First of all,” she began with exaggerated emphasis, to the crowd’s amusement, “I’m a producer on this film, and I didn’t feel exploited. And I feel like it’s very clear [Finlay] stood up for what he believed in, and I think that’s what every artist should do.”
Watch the full exchange below.
Posing it “mainly for the producers and also for the Sundance programming team,” the questioner asked the panel if they “found it ironic that you have a film that’s about exploited young artists and also has studio financing having its world premiere at an indie film festival.”
Haddish quickly responded.
“First of all,” she began with exaggerated emphasis, to the crowd’s amusement, “I’m a producer on this film, and I didn’t feel exploited. And I feel like it’s very clear [Finlay] stood up for what he believed in, and I think that’s what every artist should do.”
Watch the full exchange below.
- 1/24/2023
- by Scott Shilstone and Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
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