Between 2016 and 2020, family YouTube stars Myka and James Stauffer exhaustively chronicled their journey of adopting a boy with special needs from China. The couple’s story of welcoming the child, who they called Huxley, into their family of five began a new era of success for the Ohio-based vloggers, whose adoption video of Huxley alone brought in more than 5 million views.
But their ascendant business, where Huxley was a star, came crashing down in 2020, when the couple released a video revealing that they had found a new home for the boy. They said their adoption termination resulted from their realization that they couldn’t adequately care for Huxley and his medical issues — prompting widespread backlash that ultimately led to Myka disappearing from public life. (“Huxley” is no longer the child’s name, and James still has an active YouTube channel focused on car care, with over one million subscribers.)
That...
But their ascendant business, where Huxley was a star, came crashing down in 2020, when the couple released a video revealing that they had found a new home for the boy. They said their adoption termination resulted from their realization that they couldn’t adequately care for Huxley and his medical issues — prompting widespread backlash that ultimately led to Myka disappearing from public life. (“Huxley” is no longer the child’s name, and James still has an active YouTube channel focused on car care, with over one million subscribers.)
That...
- 6/6/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tribeca Festival, which announced its feature film lineup Wednesday, has now also revealed its television lineup for the 2024 festival, which includes brand new docuseries featuring Issa Rae and Dave Eggers and projects from Dakota Fanning, Jake Gyllenhaal and J.J. Abrams.
This year’s program includes 11 premieres, including Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ career and her journey to closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases from executive producers Dakota and Elle Fanning; MGM+’s “Hollywood Black,” an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay from executive producer Justin Simien; and Apple TV+’s “Presumed Innocent,” a legal thriller starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams. The show also stars Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard.
Returning series getting...
This year’s program includes 11 premieres, including Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ career and her journey to closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases from executive producers Dakota and Elle Fanning; MGM+’s “Hollywood Black,” an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay from executive producer Justin Simien; and Apple TV+’s “Presumed Innocent,” a legal thriller starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams. The show also stars Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard.
Returning series getting...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Tribeca Festival, which unveiled its film slate Wednesday, is out with its television lineup of world premieres of new and returning programs from networks and streamers.
The 23rd edition, which unspool June 5-16, features 11 series premieres and two first looks at returning classics. World premieres include Hulu’s Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer, executive produced by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ journey in closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases; Hollywood Black, executive produced by Justin Simien, an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler, and Ava DuVernay; and Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal, hailing from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams, also with Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard.
The program spotlights ESPN docuseries In the Arena: Serena Williams,...
The 23rd edition, which unspool June 5-16, features 11 series premieres and two first looks at returning classics. World premieres include Hulu’s Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer, executive produced by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ journey in closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases; Hollywood Black, executive produced by Justin Simien, an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler, and Ava DuVernay; and Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal, hailing from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams, also with Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard.
The program spotlights ESPN docuseries In the Arena: Serena Williams,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Tribeca Festival TV and Now lineup is just about as star-studded as it gets.
This year’s installment, presented by Okx, includes the world premiere of David E. Kelley’s legal thriller “Presumed Innocent” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, who also executive produces along with J.J. Abrams. Ruth Negga, Peter Sarsgaard, Renate Reinsve, and O-t Fagbenle co-star in the Apple TV+ series that marks Gyllenhaal’s first foray into TV.
The Tribeca Festival takes place June 5 through 16 and highlights new and returning programs from networks and streamers such as Apple TV+, AMC, HBO, Hulu, Paramount+, and more. The 2024 TV lineup features 11 series premieres and two first looks at returning series, including the Season 4 premiere of “My Brilliant Friend” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” Season 2.
True crime docuseries including as Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” executive produced by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, and...
This year’s installment, presented by Okx, includes the world premiere of David E. Kelley’s legal thriller “Presumed Innocent” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, who also executive produces along with J.J. Abrams. Ruth Negga, Peter Sarsgaard, Renate Reinsve, and O-t Fagbenle co-star in the Apple TV+ series that marks Gyllenhaal’s first foray into TV.
The Tribeca Festival takes place June 5 through 16 and highlights new and returning programs from networks and streamers such as Apple TV+, AMC, HBO, Hulu, Paramount+, and more. The 2024 TV lineup features 11 series premieres and two first looks at returning series, including the Season 4 premiere of “My Brilliant Friend” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol” Season 2.
True crime docuseries including as Hulu’s “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer,” executive produced by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, and...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Screenwriter Jack Thorne has penned IVF drama Joy that’s coming to Netflix soon: here’s the trailer and more details.
Prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne is probably best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Shane Meadows, from the This Is England series to the astonishingly powerful The Virtues.
He has now penned the drama Joy, which is a period drama about the birth of the first IVF baby.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse, and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science...
Prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne is probably best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Shane Meadows, from the This Is England series to the astonishingly powerful The Virtues.
He has now penned the drama Joy, which is a period drama about the birth of the first IVF baby.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse, and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science...
- 3/19/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Netflix has shared the first teaser for Joy, the historical drama starring James Norton, Bill Nighy, and Thomasin McKenzie about the birth of IVF treatments.
The film’s full synopsis reads: Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse, and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realize their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them.
The screenplay was penned by Jack Thorne. Story is from Thorne and Rachel Mason.
The film’s full synopsis reads: Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse, and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realize their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them.
The screenplay was penned by Jack Thorne. Story is from Thorne and Rachel Mason.
- 3/18/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the ill-fated Western film “Rust,” was convicted on Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the film’s cinematographer.
Jurors returned a verdict after less than three hours of deliberations on Wednesday afternoon, following two weeks of testimony about safety lapses on set.
Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence. She faces up to 18 months in prison at sentencing, which is expected sometime in April.
Following the verdict, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Gutierrez Reed remanded into custody. As her attorney, Monnica Barreras, rubbed her back to comfort her, bailiffs led her away.
Outside the First Judicial District courthouse in Santa Fe, N.M., juror Alberto Sanchez told reporters that the jury reached a “fair” verdict.
“Someone died,” Sanchez said. “You gotta take responsibility. Especially when you’re handling weapons and you’re in charge of those. That’s your job.
Jurors returned a verdict after less than three hours of deliberations on Wednesday afternoon, following two weeks of testimony about safety lapses on set.
Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence. She faces up to 18 months in prison at sentencing, which is expected sometime in April.
Following the verdict, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Gutierrez Reed remanded into custody. As her attorney, Monnica Barreras, rubbed her back to comfort her, bailiffs led her away.
Outside the First Judicial District courthouse in Santa Fe, N.M., juror Alberto Sanchez told reporters that the jury reached a “fair” verdict.
“Someone died,” Sanchez said. “You gotta take responsibility. Especially when you’re handling weapons and you’re in charge of those. That’s your job.
- 3/6/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Script by Jack Thorne, about the world’s first IVF baby.
Production is underway in the UK on Joy, a Netflix feature based on the true story of the world’s first in vitro fertilisation baby, starring Thomasin McKenzie, Bill Nighy and James Norton.
Screen can reveal an exclusive first look at the film, above.
The film is directed by the UK’s Ben Taylor, who has previously directed episodes of Netflix’s Sex Education, with a script by Bafta-winning writer Jack Thorne who co-created the story with his wife Rachel Mason.
Joy is produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey...
Production is underway in the UK on Joy, a Netflix feature based on the true story of the world’s first in vitro fertilisation baby, starring Thomasin McKenzie, Bill Nighy and James Norton.
Screen can reveal an exclusive first look at the film, above.
The film is directed by the UK’s Ben Taylor, who has previously directed episodes of Netflix’s Sex Education, with a script by Bafta-winning writer Jack Thorne who co-created the story with his wife Rachel Mason.
Joy is produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey...
- 9/23/2023
- by Ben Dalton¬Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
While Hollywood still has a long way to go in supporting queer stories and storytellers, we’re living in a relative golden age of LGBTQ cinema compared to what has come before. Netflix has not always chosen to support the LGBTQ community in their business decisions, but the streamer has played a major role in increasing the visibility of queer characters and storylines in both film and TV, and in supporting queer creators in telling stories.
As we celebrate Pride month and beyond, let’s take a look at some of the best LGBTQ movies Netflix currently has on offer. If you’re looking for a queer film to watch—satirically funny or devastatingly earnest, heart-stoppingly romantic or casually queer—try one of the many excellent and diverse options below.
Brokeback Mountain
“Brokeback Mountain,” a neo-Western film about two male cowboys who love one another in a deeply homophobic society,...
As we celebrate Pride month and beyond, let’s take a look at some of the best LGBTQ movies Netflix currently has on offer. If you’re looking for a queer film to watch—satirically funny or devastatingly earnest, heart-stoppingly romantic or casually queer—try one of the many excellent and diverse options below.
Brokeback Mountain
“Brokeback Mountain,” a neo-Western film about two male cowboys who love one another in a deeply homophobic society,...
- 6/17/2023
- by Kayti Burt
- The Wrap
Alec Baldwin is working on a documentary about the 'Rust' shooting.In October 2021, the 65-year-old actor and producer was holding a Colt .45 handgun during rehearsals when it accidentally discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.Now, Baldwin - who resumed shooting the movie at Yellowstone ranch in Montana last week - is working on a documentary about the film with 'Last Days in Vietnam' and 'Ethel' director Rory Kennedy, Variety reports.This is the second documentary about the tragic incident, as director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz are also shooting a documentary about Hutchins with the cooperation of her husband Matthew Hutchins.Production on 'Rust' is expected to finish by the end of May.Attorney Melina Spadone said: “The production will continue to utilize union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition.
- 4/22/2023
- by Colette Fahy 2
- Bang Showbiz
“Rust” resumed filming Thursday at the Yellowstone ranch in Montana, a year and a half after Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza, who was injured in the shooting at a New Mexico movie ranch, is returning to finish the Western that stars Baldwin, Jensen Ackles, Travis Fimmel, and Frances Fisher.
Patrick Scott McDermott has also been added to the cast, taking over for Brady Noon, who was not available to complete filming due to other commitments.
Manslaughter charges against Baldwin were officially dropped Friday.
While production is under way, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy is working on a documentary about Baldwin and the “Rust” movie accident, Variety has confirmed. Kennedy, who has directed documentaries including “Last Days in Vietnam” and “Ethel,” was seen filming Baldwin as he left his New York home for Montana and her documentary crew is also on set in Montana,...
Patrick Scott McDermott has also been added to the cast, taking over for Brady Noon, who was not available to complete filming due to other commitments.
Manslaughter charges against Baldwin were officially dropped Friday.
While production is under way, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy is working on a documentary about Baldwin and the “Rust” movie accident, Variety has confirmed. Kennedy, who has directed documentaries including “Last Days in Vietnam” and “Ethel,” was seen filming Baldwin as he left his New York home for Montana and her documentary crew is also on set in Montana,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
As we told you all week, the resurrected Rust returned to filmming today in Montana at the Yellowstone Film Ranch.
Call it coincidence, but production resumes on the western just as the state of New Mexico officially drops involuntary manslaughter charges against producer and star Alec Baldwin.
Joel Cohen social media
The production has touted the addition of new crew members including Safety Officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan (Tenet Production Safety), EP/LP Stephen Marinaccio (Jack Ryan), and Production Designer Christine Brandt (Card Counter).
Returning Rust filmmaker Joel Souza, who was injured in the shoulder from the discharged prop gun that Baldwin was holding back in October 2021, said in statement “Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a brilliant and dedicated new production team is joining former cast and crew to complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud.
Call it coincidence, but production resumes on the western just as the state of New Mexico officially drops involuntary manslaughter charges against producer and star Alec Baldwin.
Joel Cohen social media
The production has touted the addition of new crew members including Safety Officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan (Tenet Production Safety), EP/LP Stephen Marinaccio (Jack Ryan), and Production Designer Christine Brandt (Card Counter).
Returning Rust filmmaker Joel Souza, who was injured in the shoulder from the discharged prop gun that Baldwin was holding back in October 2021, said in statement “Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a brilliant and dedicated new production team is joining former cast and crew to complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud.
- 4/21/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Three “Rust” crew members sued Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers on Monday, alleging they suffered symptoms of insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety stemming from the fatal shooting of the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, according to a lawsuit obtained by Et.
The three crew members claim they were in the church building during filming, when Baldwin’s gun went off, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the gun he was holding discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Souza on the Western film set in New Mexico.
Read More: 'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Permitted to Have Firearm: What to Know About On-Set Tragedy, Aftermath
Last week, Baldwin formally entered a not-guilty plea to the manslaughter charge. According to court docs, obtained by Et, the 64-year-old actor waived his right to appear before...
The three crew members claim they were in the church building during filming, when Baldwin’s gun went off, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Baldwin, who denied pulling the trigger, has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the gun he was holding discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Souza on the Western film set in New Mexico.
Read More: 'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Permitted to Have Firearm: What to Know About On-Set Tragedy, Aftermath
Last week, Baldwin formally entered a not-guilty plea to the manslaughter charge. According to court docs, obtained by Et, the 64-year-old actor waived his right to appear before...
- 2/28/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Director Joel Souza is among crew members returning to the project.
The producers of Rust have said that production on the tragedy-hit project will resume this spring under original director Joel Souza and with Bianca Cline as cinematographer.
Cline, best known for her work on Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, joins the project in place of original cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the film in October 2021. Cline will donate her salary to charity in honour of Hutchins.
Original Rust star Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were last month charged...
The producers of Rust have said that production on the tragedy-hit project will resume this spring under original director Joel Souza and with Bianca Cline as cinematographer.
Cline, best known for her work on Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, joins the project in place of original cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the film in October 2021. Cline will donate her salary to charity in honour of Hutchins.
Original Rust star Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were last month charged...
- 2/15/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
“Rust” is resuming production after years of litigation.
Rust Movie Productions announced on Tuesday the film is expected to resume filming this spring with new additions to the film crew.
Original members of the crew are set to return, including director Joel Souza include Allan Graf (Stunt Coordinator), Terese Davis (Costume Designer), Stacy Lockhart (Makeup Department Head) and Anna Williams (Hair Department Head).
Read More: Alec Baldwin Facing New Lawsuit Over ‘Rust’ Shooting From Halyna Hutchins’ Parents And Sister
Matthew Hutchins will serve as an Executive Producer along with Academy Award-nominated producer Grant Hill.
New additions to the cast include Safety Officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan (Tenet Production Safety), EP/LP Stephen Marinaccio (Jack Ryan), and Production Designer Christine Brandt (Card Counter).
Working weapons and any form of ammunition will remain banned, while live ammunition is — and always was — prohibited on set.
“Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a...
Rust Movie Productions announced on Tuesday the film is expected to resume filming this spring with new additions to the film crew.
Original members of the crew are set to return, including director Joel Souza include Allan Graf (Stunt Coordinator), Terese Davis (Costume Designer), Stacy Lockhart (Makeup Department Head) and Anna Williams (Hair Department Head).
Read More: Alec Baldwin Facing New Lawsuit Over ‘Rust’ Shooting From Halyna Hutchins’ Parents And Sister
Matthew Hutchins will serve as an Executive Producer along with Academy Award-nominated producer Grant Hill.
New additions to the cast include Safety Officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan (Tenet Production Safety), EP/LP Stephen Marinaccio (Jack Ryan), and Production Designer Christine Brandt (Card Counter).
Working weapons and any form of ammunition will remain banned, while live ammunition is — and always was — prohibited on set.
“Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a...
- 2/14/2023
- by Anita Tai
- ET Canada
A new documentary about cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed in an accidental shooting on the set of Rust in 2021, has been announced as the embattled Alec Baldwin western prepares to resume filming this spring.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Hutchins documentary will cover her life and career, including her work on Rust. It will be directed by Rachel Mason and produced by Julee Metz, while Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, has also signed on as an executive producer.
In a statement, Rust Movie Productions said, “Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna,...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Hutchins documentary will cover her life and career, including her work on Rust. It will be directed by Rachel Mason and produced by Julee Metz, while Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, has also signed on as an executive producer.
In a statement, Rust Movie Productions said, “Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Rust, the Western starring Alec Baldwin struck by tragedy when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set, will resume production this spring. A documentary about Hutchins will be made alongside the film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, several members of the original Rust crew will return to complete the production, including director Joel Souza, who was also injured during the shooting. There will be some new faces joining the production: Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) will be the film’s new cinematographer, and she plans to donate her salary to charity.
The production resumes after the crew reached a settlement with Hutchin’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, who now serves as executive producer. The agreement also offers Hutchins and the couple’s son an insurance payout, as well as a portion of Rust’s profits.
When production began in 2021, Rust employed several non-union crew members. Now, the...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, several members of the original Rust crew will return to complete the production, including director Joel Souza, who was also injured during the shooting. There will be some new faces joining the production: Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) will be the film’s new cinematographer, and she plans to donate her salary to charity.
The production resumes after the crew reached a settlement with Hutchin’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, who now serves as executive producer. The agreement also offers Hutchins and the couple’s son an insurance payout, as well as a portion of Rust’s profits.
When production began in 2021, Rust employed several non-union crew members. Now, the...
- 2/14/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Film News
One of the most controversial and high-profile Hollywood productions in recent memory is in the news again. The ill-fated "Rust" movie made headlines all across the industry due to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021, which has since led to actor Alec Baldwin facing criminal charges of manslaughter. Now, filming will reportedly pick up once again this spring after a lengthy hiatus.
Details come courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that the filmmakers intend to restart production in the hopes of finishing the film alongside both new crew members and old ones -- including, by all accounts, Baldwin himself. This comes after conflicting reports in past months indicating that the picture was unlikely to be completed at all. However, the subsequent settling of a wrongful death lawsuit between Hutchins' family and Rust Movie Productions helped pave the way for production to resume eventually. As part of the deal,...
Details come courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that the filmmakers intend to restart production in the hopes of finishing the film alongside both new crew members and old ones -- including, by all accounts, Baldwin himself. This comes after conflicting reports in past months indicating that the picture was unlikely to be completed at all. However, the subsequent settling of a wrongful death lawsuit between Hutchins' family and Rust Movie Productions helped pave the way for production to resume eventually. As part of the deal,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Alec Baldwin and the production team behind “Rust” have hired a cinematographer who will take over in place of Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set in October 2021.
Bianca Cline (“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On”) will fill the role “at the behest” and with the “blessing and support” of Hutchins’ husband, Matthew. She will donate her salary to charity in Halyna Hutchins’ honor.
Filming was originally set to resume in January; it will now pick up in the spring.
Also Read:
Alec Baldwin Challenges Firearm ‘Enhancement’ Charge That Would Add 5 Years — Because It Didn’t Exist at Time of ‘Rust’ Shooting
As decided by last October’s settlement between Baldwin, the producers and Hutchins’ estate, Matthew Hutchins has signed on as an executive producer. He’s joined by Grant Hill, along with the original producers.
In addition to a number of returning crew members – including director Joel Souza,...
Bianca Cline (“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On”) will fill the role “at the behest” and with the “blessing and support” of Hutchins’ husband, Matthew. She will donate her salary to charity in Halyna Hutchins’ honor.
Filming was originally set to resume in January; it will now pick up in the spring.
Also Read:
Alec Baldwin Challenges Firearm ‘Enhancement’ Charge That Would Add 5 Years — Because It Didn’t Exist at Time of ‘Rust’ Shooting
As decided by last October’s settlement between Baldwin, the producers and Hutchins’ estate, Matthew Hutchins has signed on as an executive producer. He’s joined by Grant Hill, along with the original producers.
In addition to a number of returning crew members – including director Joel Souza,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Rust, the indie Western on which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by a prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin on October 2021, is eyeing a spring start date to resume production.
The film’s producers, Rust Movie Productions, confirmed the news Tuesday, saying Bianca Cline, whose recent credits include Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, has come aboard as cinematographer joining a mix of new and previous crewmembers.
Producers said that Cline will donate her salary to charity in honor of Hutchins.
Original crew members returning with director Joel Souza — who was shot and wounded in the incident in which Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with involuntary manslaughter — include stunt coordinator Allan Graf, costume designer Terese Davis, makeup department head Stacy Lockhart and hair department head Anna Williams among others.
Halyna Hutchins’ husband Matthew will serve as an executive producer, as will Grant Hill (The Thin...
The film’s producers, Rust Movie Productions, confirmed the news Tuesday, saying Bianca Cline, whose recent credits include Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, has come aboard as cinematographer joining a mix of new and previous crewmembers.
Producers said that Cline will donate her salary to charity in honor of Hutchins.
Original crew members returning with director Joel Souza — who was shot and wounded in the incident in which Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with involuntary manslaughter — include stunt coordinator Allan Graf, costume designer Terese Davis, makeup department head Stacy Lockhart and hair department head Anna Williams among others.
Halyna Hutchins’ husband Matthew will serve as an executive producer, as will Grant Hill (The Thin...
- 2/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro, Dominic Patten and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The producers of “Rust” have named a new cinematographer to take over for Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on set in October 2021.
The production also announced that a documentary will be made about the completion of the film and about Hutchins’ life and work. The documentary will have the “full support” of the production and of Hutchins’ widower, Matthew.
“Rust” was originally set to resume filming in January, but is now slated to restart sometime this spring. Bianca Cline, who worked on “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” will take over as cinematographer.
The production also announced that Grant Hill, an industry veteran whose producing credits include the “Matrix” films and “The Thin Red Line,” will be joining as a producer.
Alec Baldwin is still on board in the title role, despite being charged last month with involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins’ death. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer,...
The production also announced that a documentary will be made about the completion of the film and about Hutchins’ life and work. The documentary will have the “full support” of the production and of Hutchins’ widower, Matthew.
“Rust” was originally set to resume filming in January, but is now slated to restart sometime this spring. Bianca Cline, who worked on “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” will take over as cinematographer.
The production also announced that Grant Hill, an industry veteran whose producing credits include the “Matrix” films and “The Thin Red Line,” will be joining as a producer.
Alec Baldwin is still on board in the title role, despite being charged last month with involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins’ death. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Rust will resume filming this spring with a mix of new and old crewmembers, including embattled star and producer Alec Baldwin, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The plans from the production to finish the film come amid the prosecution of Baldwin for manslaughter, multiple lawsuits from former members of the crew against the movie’s producers and an investigation into alleged systemic safety issues on set.
Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, American Horror Story) will join the film as its cinematographer in Halyna Hutchins’ stead, according to Rust Movie Productions. A documentary on Hutchins’ life, including her work on Rust, spearheaded by director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, will also commence shooting with the “full support” of the production and Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, who will serve as an executive producer on both titles.
“Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they...
Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, American Horror Story) will join the film as its cinematographer in Halyna Hutchins’ stead, according to Rust Movie Productions. A documentary on Hutchins’ life, including her work on Rust, spearheaded by director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, will also commence shooting with the “full support” of the production and Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, who will serve as an executive producer on both titles.
“Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they...
- 2/14/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In recent years, the global TV landscape has been shaken up by some of the most talented, British and Irish female auteurs to have braced this planet.
The likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel have wowed audiences around the world, lending new credence to the term “authenticity” and forging disruptive shows that have little influence from outside forces.
Perhaps a less obvious candidate to fit within this bracket is BAFTA-winning This Country creator and star Daisy May Cooper, but with the BBC/HBO’s Rain Dogs, BBC One’s Am I Being Unreasonable? heading to Mipcom and a second season of Fox’s This Country remake Welcome to Flatch hitting screens soon, Cooper’s U.S star is on the rise and the Coel/Waller-Bridge comparisons are percolating.
The 35-year-old is as down-to-earth as they come. Born in the small British town of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, the Irishwoman speaks to...
The likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel have wowed audiences around the world, lending new credence to the term “authenticity” and forging disruptive shows that have little influence from outside forces.
Perhaps a less obvious candidate to fit within this bracket is BAFTA-winning This Country creator and star Daisy May Cooper, but with the BBC/HBO’s Rain Dogs, BBC One’s Am I Being Unreasonable? heading to Mipcom and a second season of Fox’s This Country remake Welcome to Flatch hitting screens soon, Cooper’s U.S star is on the rise and the Coel/Waller-Bridge comparisons are percolating.
The 35-year-old is as down-to-earth as they come. Born in the small British town of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, the Irishwoman speaks to...
- 7/28/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
As New York’s Tribeca Film Festival ceded its traditional springtime slot for a decidedly more summery one this June, it will coincide with Pride month — when just about everything in New York gets a little more gay. With queer audiences excited to be together again and looking for events to feel proud of, the festival’s new time could be just the thing to kick off the celebratory month. Between TV pilots and in-person talks from beloved gay comedians John Early and Tig Notaro and the premieres of independent queer films from around the world, Tribeca’s robust slate of LGBTQ programming has something for every cultural palate.
“When I joined the team, it was [with] the intention of making sure the festival made space for queer representation, and making sure that their stories were not limited to queer bubbles, that they were being appreciated my mainstream audiences as well,...
“When I joined the team, it was [with] the intention of making sure the festival made space for queer representation, and making sure that their stories were not limited to queer bubbles, that they were being appreciated my mainstream audiences as well,...
- 6/8/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
This list was updated on June 7, 2022 in celebration of this year’s Pride month. It was first published on August 25, 2017.
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
- 6/7/2022
- by Jude Dry and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Filmmaker Rachel Mason Remembers Halyna Hutchins: ‘She Pushed Me Into So Many Places’ (Guest Column)
The last time I saw Halyna, she asked me, as she always did, “What’s happening with your projects?” And I knew which ones she meant. Not the documentaries (boring camerawork) but the ones that involved the most complex, creative and wild shots. She wanted to discuss my dream film that I’ve been crafting ever since I met her, a musical sci-fi crafted partially on a stage set representing the cosmos, where stars are personified as live actors.
For many, the idea may sound far-fetched, but for Halyna it was exactly what she wanted to work on, and she had more ideas for how to shoot it than I could even begin to count.
She even sometimes compelled me to come up with ideas for the express purpose of making beautiful shots, even before the concept was developed. She’d plan things out. Because I came out of the visual art world,...
For many, the idea may sound far-fetched, but for Halyna it was exactly what she wanted to work on, and she had more ideas for how to shoot it than I could even begin to count.
She even sometimes compelled me to come up with ideas for the express purpose of making beautiful shots, even before the concept was developed. She’d plan things out. Because I came out of the visual art world,...
- 10/27/2021
- by Rachel Mason
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Nell knew he needed somebody great to help him capture the darker side of Los Angeles — a world of low-rent motels, bar rooms and back alleys — for “Blindfire.” The movie, which was set to mark Nell’s feature debut, was a tense police thriller that examined issues of social justice and race, and it would take a master of the camera to help him pull it off. That’s how the neophyte director first connected with Halyna Hutchins, a rising cinematographer who was making a name for herself shooting short films and low-budget indies like “Darlin'” and “Snowbound.”
On Thursday, while Hutchins was in New Mexico shooting “Rust,” a Western starring Alec Baldwin, she was shot by a prop gun that contained a live round of ammunition and died at the age of 42. Authorities have confirmed that Baldwin discharged the shot that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza,...
On Thursday, while Hutchins was in New Mexico shooting “Rust,” a Western starring Alec Baldwin, she was shot by a prop gun that contained a live round of ammunition and died at the age of 42. Authorities have confirmed that Baldwin discharged the shot that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza,...
- 10/22/2021
- by Brent Lang and Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Chances are, you haven’t seen Rachel Mason’s debut film, The Lives of Hamilton Fish, a surreal, arty musical about two men—one a politician, the other a cannibal—who died on the same day in 1936. It toured the indie festival circuit, and that’s about all, and Mason didn’t expect a whole lot more from her follow-up, the highly personal documentary Circus of Books. That all changed when Ryan Murphy came on board as executive producer, and she was amazed to see the film’s profile rise dramatically.
“I actually didn’t realize how big of an impact having Ryan Murphy attached would be,” she laughs. “But his support of the film was, right out of the box, a game-changer. When we showed up at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, we went from being the underdog film that nobody really looked at to the film that people were talking about.
“I actually didn’t realize how big of an impact having Ryan Murphy attached would be,” she laughs. “But his support of the film was, right out of the box, a game-changer. When we showed up at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, we went from being the underdog film that nobody really looked at to the film that people were talking about.
- 2/6/2021
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
With her roots in the avant-garde art world, Rachel Mason’s highest hope for her family film was landing a screening at the One archive, USC’s library of LGBTQ media. A well-reviewed Tribeca Film Festival premiere led Ryan Murphy to sign on as Executive Producer, which brought about a buzzy Netflix debut and an unexpected Emmy nomination. After being continually surprised at how far her labor of love has taken her, Mason is going all the way: Why not chase an Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nomination?
It’s not out of the question. Hitting Netflix during the early weeks of stay-at-home orders, “Circus of Books” is a wildly entertaining documentary that charts the improbable story of Mason’s straight Jewish parents, Barry and Karen. For thirty years they owned a popular gay porn store and cruising spot in Los Angeles, at one point becoming the largest distributors of...
It’s not out of the question. Hitting Netflix during the early weeks of stay-at-home orders, “Circus of Books” is a wildly entertaining documentary that charts the improbable story of Mason’s straight Jewish parents, Barry and Karen. For thirty years they owned a popular gay porn store and cruising spot in Los Angeles, at one point becoming the largest distributors of...
- 1/8/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The Vampire Diaries alum Jason MacDonald is set for a recurring role in Fox’s This Country, Jenny Bicks’ and Paul Feig’s remake of the BBC comedy.
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Sam Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings. Seann William Scott, Aya Cash, Taylor Ortega, YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville also star.
MacDonald will play Kelly’s (Holmes) father, Bobby.
This Country is based on the eponymous BBC Three series, which ran on the British public broadcaster’s youth-skewing network for three seasons from 2017-20. The BAFTA-winning series, which was written by and starred Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, was set in the Cotswolds in rural England.
This Country is produced by Lionsgate, BBC Studios, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment.
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Sam Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings. Seann William Scott, Aya Cash, Taylor Ortega, YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville also star.
MacDonald will play Kelly’s (Holmes) father, Bobby.
This Country is based on the eponymous BBC Three series, which ran on the British public broadcaster’s youth-skewing network for three seasons from 2017-20. The BAFTA-winning series, which was written by and starred Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, was set in the Cotswolds in rural England.
This Country is produced by Lionsgate, BBC Studios, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment.
- 12/30/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Being a year where everyone was trapped indoors glued to their screens meant, for moviegoers, that smaller films were able to sneak onto the radar, and that especially extended to queer storytelling in 2020.
From unlikely romances like Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire” to genre-pushing nonfiction portraits like David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” and Rachel Mason’s “Circus of Books,” there were plenty of enjoyable and inspiring LGBTQ movies to engage with in an otherwise dour and painful year.
In “Monsoon,” Henry Golding burst out of the matinee idol image he established in “Crazy Rich Asians.” Mart Crowley’s scandalous 1960s play “The Boys in the Band” lived again on Netflix. In “Lingua Franca,” Isabel Sandoval wrote, directed, and starred in a breakout indie about an undocumented trans Filipina worker. In “Shirley,” Elisabeth Moss once again burned down the screen in her sly and kinky turn as gothic writer Shirley Jackson.
From unlikely romances like Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire” to genre-pushing nonfiction portraits like David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” and Rachel Mason’s “Circus of Books,” there were plenty of enjoyable and inspiring LGBTQ movies to engage with in an otherwise dour and painful year.
In “Monsoon,” Henry Golding burst out of the matinee idol image he established in “Crazy Rich Asians.” Mart Crowley’s scandalous 1960s play “The Boys in the Band” lived again on Netflix. In “Lingua Franca,” Isabel Sandoval wrote, directed, and starred in a breakout indie about an undocumented trans Filipina worker. In “Shirley,” Elisabeth Moss once again burned down the screen in her sly and kinky turn as gothic writer Shirley Jackson.
- 12/27/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Desmin Borges is set for a recurring role in Fox’s This Country, Jenny Bicks’ and Paul Feig’s remake of the BBC comedy.
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Sam Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings. Seann William Scott, Aya Cash, Taylor Ortega, YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville also star.
Borges will play Jimmy Jameson, the rival editor to Cheryl (Cash) in the town next to Flatch. Borges will join the series, currently filming in North Carolina, beginning in Episode 2. Feig is directing the series’ first three episodes.
This Country is based on the eponymous BBC Three series, which ran on the British public broadcaster’s youth-skewing network for three seasons from 2017-20. The BAFTA-winning series,...
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Sam Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings. Seann William Scott, Aya Cash, Taylor Ortega, YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville also star.
Borges will play Jimmy Jameson, the rival editor to Cheryl (Cash) in the town next to Flatch. Borges will join the series, currently filming in North Carolina, beginning in Episode 2. Feig is directing the series’ first three episodes.
This Country is based on the eponymous BBC Three series, which ran on the British public broadcaster’s youth-skewing network for three seasons from 2017-20. The BAFTA-winning series,...
- 12/4/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has made its first new series commitment for the 2021-22 season with the formal pick-up of the This Country.
The project comes from writer Jenny Bicks and director Paul Feig.
The announcement was made today by Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment's President of Entertainment.
Based on BBC's BAFTA-winning comedy created by Daisy Cooper and Charlie Cooper, This Country will be co-produced by Lionsgate, BBC Studios' Los Angeles production arm, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment.
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns.
Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly and Shrub Mallet and their idiosyncratic surroundings.
This Country also stars Seann William Scott and Aya Cash.
In addition, the series also stars Taylor Ortega (Kim Possible), YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville (What We Do in the Shadows).
"Fueled by Jenny and Paul's imaginative wit and distinct comedic voices,...
The project comes from writer Jenny Bicks and director Paul Feig.
The announcement was made today by Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment's President of Entertainment.
Based on BBC's BAFTA-winning comedy created by Daisy Cooper and Charlie Cooper, This Country will be co-produced by Lionsgate, BBC Studios' Los Angeles production arm, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment.
In the half-hour series, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns.
Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly and Shrub Mallet and their idiosyncratic surroundings.
This Country also stars Seann William Scott and Aya Cash.
In addition, the series also stars Taylor Ortega (Kim Possible), YouTuber Krystal Smith and Justin Linville (What We Do in the Shadows).
"Fueled by Jenny and Paul's imaginative wit and distinct comedic voices,...
- 10/30/2020
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Fox has ordered mockumentary series “This Country” from executive producers Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig, marking the broadcast networks first commitment for its 2021-22 slate.
Based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning series of created by Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, the half-hour comedy stars Chelsea Holmes (“At What Cost?”), Sam Straley (“The Kids Are Alright”), Seann William Scott (“Lethal Weapon), Aya Cash (“The Boys”), Taylor Ortega (“Kim Possible”), YouTube star Krystal Smith and Justin Linville (“What We Do in the Shadows”).
Per Fox, “This Country” follows a documentary crew that goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings.
“This Country” is written by Bicks, who will executive produce alongside director Feig, BBC Studios’ Angie Stephenson and Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper. Feigco’s Dan Magnante...
Based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning series of created by Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, the half-hour comedy stars Chelsea Holmes (“At What Cost?”), Sam Straley (“The Kids Are Alright”), Seann William Scott (“Lethal Weapon), Aya Cash (“The Boys”), Taylor Ortega (“Kim Possible”), YouTube star Krystal Smith and Justin Linville (“What We Do in the Shadows”).
Per Fox, “This Country” follows a documentary crew that goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings.
“This Country” is written by Bicks, who will executive produce alongside director Feig, BBC Studios’ Angie Stephenson and Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper. Feigco’s Dan Magnante...
- 10/30/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Fox has handed a 14-episode series order to This Country, Jenny Bicks’ and Paul Feig’s remake of the BBC comedy, marking its first formal pickup of the 2021-22 season.
It comes nine months after the project, which is a co-production between Lionsgate, BBC Studios’ L.A. production arm, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment, was the network’s first comedy greenlight of this year’s cycle. It was written by Sex and the City’s Bicks and directed by Bridesmaids’ Feig.
One day’s worth of footage was filmed before production was halted by Covid-19 back in March, and the series commitment was made on the strength of that material and subsequent scripts, rather than a traditional full pilot.
Described by the network as a “docu-com,” This Country follows cousins Kelly (newcomer Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet. Trailed by a documentary crew,...
It comes nine months after the project, which is a co-production between Lionsgate, BBC Studios’ L.A. production arm, Fox Entertainment and Feigco Entertainment, was the network’s first comedy greenlight of this year’s cycle. It was written by Sex and the City’s Bicks and directed by Bridesmaids’ Feig.
One day’s worth of footage was filmed before production was halted by Covid-19 back in March, and the series commitment was made on the strength of that material and subsequent scripts, rather than a traditional full pilot.
Described by the network as a “docu-com,” This Country follows cousins Kelly (newcomer Chelsea Holmes) and Shrub Mallet. Trailed by a documentary crew,...
- 10/30/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Let’s take a first look at the 2021 Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature. While the coronavirus pandemic has muted the buzz that usually builds at fall film festivals, several strong contenders have achieved prominence this year, starting at the Sundance Film Festival, which were held in January before the international shutdowns.
Netflix has four of these Sundance titles, led by “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” about a New York summer camp for disabled teens that opened in 1971 whose attendees became activists for disability rights. The doc, directed by Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht and executive-produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, was the winner of the fest’s U.S. Documentary Audience Award.
“Miss Americana,” directed by Lana Wilson, is a revealing look at singer-songwriter Taylor Swift‘s career that utilizes studio footage and concert recordings.
Sam Feder‘s “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” examines how transgender people are...
Netflix has four of these Sundance titles, led by “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” about a New York summer camp for disabled teens that opened in 1971 whose attendees became activists for disability rights. The doc, directed by Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht and executive-produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, was the winner of the fest’s U.S. Documentary Audience Award.
“Miss Americana,” directed by Lana Wilson, is a revealing look at singer-songwriter Taylor Swift‘s career that utilizes studio footage and concert recordings.
Sam Feder‘s “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” examines how transgender people are...
- 9/21/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
The Primetime Emmys take place on September 20 and air live coast-to-coast on ABC. But the majority of awards are handed out at the five Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies that take place in the week leading up to TV’s biggest night. The Creative Arts trophies will be awarded at five events on: September 14 (reality and nonfiction; Sept. 15 (variety); Sept. 16; Sept. 17 and Sept. 19 (mix). The first four of these will stream live on Emmys.com while the last will air on Fxx.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced TV productions, film shoots and entertainment events to shut down all year to slow the spread of the easily transmitted disease, all of this year’s Emmy ceremonies will be held virtually. While Jimmy Kimmel emcees just one show — the Emmys next Sunday — Best Reality Host nominee Nicole Byer (“Nailed It”) has been tapped to preside over all five of the Creative Arts awards.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced TV productions, film shoots and entertainment events to shut down all year to slow the spread of the easily transmitted disease, all of this year’s Emmy ceremonies will be held virtually. While Jimmy Kimmel emcees just one show — the Emmys next Sunday — Best Reality Host nominee Nicole Byer (“Nailed It”) has been tapped to preside over all five of the Creative Arts awards.
- 9/20/2020
- by Paul Sheehan, Marcus James Dixon, Joyce Eng, Daniel Montgomery and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
While Rachel Mason did experience quite a bit of pride in herself with her recent Emmy nomination for “Circus of Books,” she also saw her achievement as a triumph over those who doubted the documentary’s potential to appeal to people. “I actually had many people just say to me, ‘Oh, good luck with that.’ It was not easy,” says Mason in our recent webchat (watch the video above). But she also saw it as a bit of validation for the many people who work in the sex industry who face people prejudiced against them. This has even extended to those workers not being allowed to apply for Covid-19 relief funds. “In some ways I feel vindicated on the part of all the people that work in this industry. It’s a really beaten down and relentlessly attacked industry. There’s nobody easier to attack than people who work in porn and sex work.
- 8/7/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Women landed one third of all the Primetime Emmy nominations in the seven directing categories, a record high for the Television Academy.
In total, 16 women were recognized this year out of 48 total directing nominations — a big jump from last year, when nine out of 49 directing nominees (just over 18%) were women. And this year, a woman was nominated in every single directing category, after two straight years of no female directors getting a nod for a reality series and one year without a woman picking up a nom for a variety series.
Before this year, female directors had the highest representation in 2013, when eight of the 33 nominees — or 24% — were women. That was when there were still just six directing categories, as reality series had not been added to the list at that time.
In the writing categories, women landed 33 nominations out of a total of 120 nominees, or 27.5%. That’s a slight...
In total, 16 women were recognized this year out of 48 total directing nominations — a big jump from last year, when nine out of 49 directing nominees (just over 18%) were women. And this year, a woman was nominated in every single directing category, after two straight years of no female directors getting a nod for a reality series and one year without a woman picking up a nom for a variety series.
Before this year, female directors had the highest representation in 2013, when eight of the 33 nominees — or 24% — were women. That was when there were still just six directing categories, as reality series had not been added to the list at that time.
In the writing categories, women landed 33 nominations out of a total of 120 nominees, or 27.5%. That’s a slight...
- 7/28/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Aya Cash (You’re The Worst) and Justin Linville (What We Do In The Shadows) are set as series regulars opposite Chelsea Holmes, Sam Straley and Seann William Scott in Fox’s single-camera comedy pilot This Country. The project, based on the BBC series, hails from Jenny Bicks, Paul Feig’s Feigco Entertainment, Lionsgate, Fox Entertainment and BBC Studios.
Written by Bicks and to be directed by Feig, This Country is a half-hour mockumentary inspired by the BBC Three format created by Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper. The show follows the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Straley), who are trailed by a documentary crew as they go to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. The show follows the pair as they pursue their dreams, confront challenges and fight each other for frozen pizza. These two don’t have much, but they do have each other.
Written by Bicks and to be directed by Feig, This Country is a half-hour mockumentary inspired by the BBC Three format created by Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper. The show follows the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Straley), who are trailed by a documentary crew as they go to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. The show follows the pair as they pursue their dreams, confront challenges and fight each other for frozen pizza. These two don’t have much, but they do have each other.
- 7/10/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox is planning to produce all six of its pilot orders for this year’s development season and will continue to ramp up its off-cycle pilot orders.
The network has made the decision after its traditional pilot season was impacted by the Covid-19 production shutdown. Fox is the latest network to make its pilot decisions, after NBC and ABC both committed to filming five pilots.
Pilots for comedies Pivoting, starring Eliza Coupe, and This Country, the remake of the BBC series, join dramas The Big Leap, also inspired by a UK format, Argentinean remake The Cleaning Lady, Melissa Leo-fronted crime drama Blood Relative and its Goonies-inspired Untitled Film Re-Enactment Project will all be produced once production can safely resume.
Fox has extended the cast options for all of these pilots, which have all been written by women. All projects will be co-productions with Fox Entertainment and their original studio.
The network has made the decision after its traditional pilot season was impacted by the Covid-19 production shutdown. Fox is the latest network to make its pilot decisions, after NBC and ABC both committed to filming five pilots.
Pilots for comedies Pivoting, starring Eliza Coupe, and This Country, the remake of the BBC series, join dramas The Big Leap, also inspired by a UK format, Argentinean remake The Cleaning Lady, Melissa Leo-fronted crime drama Blood Relative and its Goonies-inspired Untitled Film Re-Enactment Project will all be produced once production can safely resume.
Fox has extended the cast options for all of these pilots, which have all been written by women. All projects will be co-productions with Fox Entertainment and their original studio.
- 7/2/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox still intends to shoot all six of the pilots it ordered this cycle ahead of the pandemic-forced production shutdowns and delays that hit the U.S. in mid-March, the network announced Thursday.
The broadcaster says it’s extended the options for all the projects, including single-camera comedies “Pivoting” and “This Country,” as well as dramas “The Big Leap,” “Blood Relative,” “The Cleaning Lady” and an untitled drama that follows kids attempting to make a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s “The Goonies.” However, there is currently no timeline set to begin production on the pilots amid Covid-19.
If ordered to series, these six pilots — which are all co-productions between Fox Entertainment and their respective studios — would join a lineup of new shows at Fox that includes Mayim Bialik-led comedy “Call Me Kat,” Nick Offerman and Jenny Slate’s animated series “The Great North,” and “Housebroken,” another adult cartoon,...
The broadcaster says it’s extended the options for all the projects, including single-camera comedies “Pivoting” and “This Country,” as well as dramas “The Big Leap,” “Blood Relative,” “The Cleaning Lady” and an untitled drama that follows kids attempting to make a shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg’s “The Goonies.” However, there is currently no timeline set to begin production on the pilots amid Covid-19.
If ordered to series, these six pilots — which are all co-productions between Fox Entertainment and their respective studios — would join a lineup of new shows at Fox that includes Mayim Bialik-led comedy “Call Me Kat,” Nick Offerman and Jenny Slate’s animated series “The Great North,” and “Housebroken,” another adult cartoon,...
- 7/2/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Rachel Mason, artist and director of the Netflix Original documentary Circus of Books, has signed with UTA in all areas.
Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Circus of Books puts the titular West Hollywood gay porn book store in the spotlight. Run by her parents Karen and Barry Mason, Rachel Mason chronicles the iconic shop that served as the epicenter for Lgbtq life and culture in Los Angeles. The film details the contradictions of growing up in the Mason home where sex was never discussed. The family eventually ran a mini adult empire that included a hardcore film production company.
Worldwide rights to the film were acquired by Netflix ahead of its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. Mason also wrote and performed the docu’s end-credit song, “Give You Everything.”
Mason is best known for her work in visual art and experimental music as well as fantastical mixed-media performances.
Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Circus of Books puts the titular West Hollywood gay porn book store in the spotlight. Run by her parents Karen and Barry Mason, Rachel Mason chronicles the iconic shop that served as the epicenter for Lgbtq life and culture in Los Angeles. The film details the contradictions of growing up in the Mason home where sex was never discussed. The family eventually ran a mini adult empire that included a hardcore film production company.
Worldwide rights to the film were acquired by Netflix ahead of its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. Mason also wrote and performed the docu’s end-credit song, “Give You Everything.”
Mason is best known for her work in visual art and experimental music as well as fantastical mixed-media performances.
- 5/20/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
There was a special mix of shame and liberation when you visited a gay bookstore that contained adult material. When I ventured into my first one in the Nineties, you might start out flipping through an Edmund White or Andrew Holleran novel before slowly making your way to the magazines: After Out and Genre and The Advocate, there was the sexy stuff like Bluebook, Mandate, Torso, and Inches. If you were lucky, they also had a selection of VHS tapes or albums or DVDs to rent and buy, as well as a stash of poppers,...
- 4/27/2020
- by Jerry Portwood
- Rollingstone.com
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Beastie Boys Story (Spike Jonze)
Even with its two-hour running time, the experience of watching Spike Jonze’s “live documentary” Beastie Boys Story has the feeling of a breezy, intimate, and perhaps too-short trip through the band’s history. Documenting a live event hosted in Brooklyn by surviving members Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, the collaboration is a performed extension of their memoir, Beastie Boys Book. Reteaming with the group, Jonze directs this minimal two-man stage show about three guys who were lucky enough to cultivate and sustain a relationship as best friends for years. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Apple...
Beastie Boys Story (Spike Jonze)
Even with its two-hour running time, the experience of watching Spike Jonze’s “live documentary” Beastie Boys Story has the feeling of a breezy, intimate, and perhaps too-short trip through the band’s history. Documenting a live event hosted in Brooklyn by surviving members Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, the collaboration is a performed extension of their memoir, Beastie Boys Book. Reteaming with the group, Jonze directs this minimal two-man stage show about three guys who were lucky enough to cultivate and sustain a relationship as best friends for years. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Apple...
- 4/24/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Rachel Mason’s mother never thought her art would go anywhere. No matter how many galleries and museums showed her work she would always be a failure, her career so far underground it may as well be six feet under. How beautifully ironic, then, that a film about her mother is the very thing bringing Mason’s work mainstream in a major way, since it just debuted on Netflix under Ryan Murphy’s oversight.
“Circus of Books” takes its name from the gay porn bookstore Karen and Barry Mason owned, overseeing two locations in Los Angeles for over thirty years. Not only is “Circus of Books” a lively and entertaining record of a vital piece of Lgbtq history, the film is also a deeply personal story about faith, living honestly, familial wounds, and the creative process. Mason turns the camera on her family in brave and often painful ways, lovingly...
“Circus of Books” takes its name from the gay porn bookstore Karen and Barry Mason owned, overseeing two locations in Los Angeles for over thirty years. Not only is “Circus of Books” a lively and entertaining record of a vital piece of Lgbtq history, the film is also a deeply personal story about faith, living honestly, familial wounds, and the creative process. Mason turns the camera on her family in brave and often painful ways, lovingly...
- 4/22/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Karen and Barry Mason were an average couple living the 1980s Southern California dream — a humble home in West Hollywood, three healthy children, weekly services at a synagogue in the San Fernando Valley and a small business to call their own.
That business, unbeknownst to friends at barbecues and PTA meetings, was at one point the largest distributor of gay pornography in the country, and a cultural safe haven for the queer community amid the draconian moralism of the Reagan era.
Their oddball, deeply emotional family journey is at the heart of the new Netflix documentary “Circus of Books,” which debuts April 22. Directed by the Masons’ daughter Rachel Mason, the film explores the trials of the Mason tribe, who lived in fear of judgment from their God and their peers while also forging lasting bonds with the societal outcasts who frequented their bookstore and built a community against the odds.
That business, unbeknownst to friends at barbecues and PTA meetings, was at one point the largest distributor of gay pornography in the country, and a cultural safe haven for the queer community amid the draconian moralism of the Reagan era.
Their oddball, deeply emotional family journey is at the heart of the new Netflix documentary “Circus of Books,” which debuts April 22. Directed by the Masons’ daughter Rachel Mason, the film explores the trials of the Mason tribe, who lived in fear of judgment from their God and their peers while also forging lasting bonds with the societal outcasts who frequented their bookstore and built a community against the odds.
- 4/22/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
In a charming new documentary produced by Ryan Murphy, a film-maker explores her parents’ business: a Los Angeles store selling gay porn
Rachel Mason always remembers her parents telling her as a teenager not to let anyone know what they did for a living. “They used the same codes the mafia does,” Mason said. “My mom had five different ‘official’ job titles as one point. She’d say, ‘I’m in real estate’ or ‘I’m a manager’.”
Both of which were, in a sense, true. Karen and Barry Mason – two quiet, middle-aged and, in the mother’s case, devoutly religious, people – did, in fact, own a commercial property and did run a store. What they kept hidden was the fact that their store happened to be the largest purveyor of hardcore gay pornography in Los Angeles, a place unknown to the general public but legendary among gay men across the Us.
Rachel Mason always remembers her parents telling her as a teenager not to let anyone know what they did for a living. “They used the same codes the mafia does,” Mason said. “My mom had five different ‘official’ job titles as one point. She’d say, ‘I’m in real estate’ or ‘I’m a manager’.”
Both of which were, in a sense, true. Karen and Barry Mason – two quiet, middle-aged and, in the mother’s case, devoutly religious, people – did, in fact, own a commercial property and did run a store. What they kept hidden was the fact that their store happened to be the largest purveyor of hardcore gay pornography in Los Angeles, a place unknown to the general public but legendary among gay men across the Us.
- 4/22/2020
- by Jim Farber
- The Guardian - Film News
Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp is going from the world of the Upside Down to world of the culinary arts in the newly released comedy Abe from Brazilian director Fernando Grostein Andrade.
The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year, features Schnapp as the food-obsessed titular pre-teen Abe — although that is not his only name. The Israeli-Jewish side of his family calls him Avram while the Palestinian-Muslim side Ibrahim. Meanwhile, his first-Generation agnostic lawyer parents call him Abraham. Then there are the readers of his food blog that know him simply as Abe.
More from DeadlineCrime Thriller 'Stray Dolls' With Cynthia Nixon Debuts, Deepak Chopra Brings Peace With 'The Mindfulness Movement' - Specialty Streaming PreviewRom-Com 'Almost Love' Makes Debut, IFC Serves Horror With 'The Other Lamb' - Specialty Streaming Preview'Resistance' Pivots To Digital Release, 'Tape' Sets Virtual Premiere,...
The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year, features Schnapp as the food-obsessed titular pre-teen Abe — although that is not his only name. The Israeli-Jewish side of his family calls him Avram while the Palestinian-Muslim side Ibrahim. Meanwhile, his first-Generation agnostic lawyer parents call him Abraham. Then there are the readers of his food blog that know him simply as Abe.
More from DeadlineCrime Thriller 'Stray Dolls' With Cynthia Nixon Debuts, Deepak Chopra Brings Peace With 'The Mindfulness Movement' - Specialty Streaming PreviewRom-Com 'Almost Love' Makes Debut, IFC Serves Horror With 'The Other Lamb' - Specialty Streaming Preview'Resistance' Pivots To Digital Release, 'Tape' Sets Virtual Premiere,...
- 4/17/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
An affectionate and absorbing documentary from film-maker Rachel Mason about her devout parents, who ran a famous adult bookstore in early-80s La
Here is a documentary with an absorbing and unexpectedly complicated story to tell, whose paradoxes and sadnesses are not entirely resolved by the end. Artist and film-maker Rachel Mason has created an affectionate portrait of her elderly parents, Karen and Barry, who in many ways are like one of the (fictional) old couples in When Harry Met Sally.
Karen is a former journalist, devoutly Jewish, and Barry is a former special visual effects engineer who worked on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 and invented a modification for kidney dialysis machines. But they found themselves in a tough financial spot in the early 1980s and took over Circus of Books, a gay porn bookstore in Los Angeles that also sold movies called things like Confessions of a Two Dick Slut...
Here is a documentary with an absorbing and unexpectedly complicated story to tell, whose paradoxes and sadnesses are not entirely resolved by the end. Artist and film-maker Rachel Mason has created an affectionate portrait of her elderly parents, Karen and Barry, who in many ways are like one of the (fictional) old couples in When Harry Met Sally.
Karen is a former journalist, devoutly Jewish, and Barry is a former special visual effects engineer who worked on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 and invented a modification for kidney dialysis machines. But they found themselves in a tough financial spot in the early 1980s and took over Circus of Books, a gay porn bookstore in Los Angeles that also sold movies called things like Confessions of a Two Dick Slut...
- 4/17/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.