The Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave their Best Picture award to Steve McQueen‘s epic anthology series “Small Axe,” so surely it must be the frontrunner for Best Limited Series at the Golden Globes, right? Gold Derby editors Zach Laws, Marcus James Dixon and Daniel Montgomery discuss whether or not the Amazon Prime series will ax the competition, or if Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” can checkmate it. Watch the full slugfest video above, or scroll down to listen to the podcast version.
See For ‘Small Axe,’ movie awards and TV awards could go hand-in-hand, just like the did for ‘Carlos’ 10 years ago
“It has such great snob appeal for the Globes,” Daniel explains. “It’s ‘cinema.’ That’s why the Los Angeles Film Critics awarded it Best Picture, even though it’s not a traditional film.” Rather, it’s a collection of five films centered around London’s...
See For ‘Small Axe,’ movie awards and TV awards could go hand-in-hand, just like the did for ‘Carlos’ 10 years ago
“It has such great snob appeal for the Globes,” Daniel explains. “It’s ‘cinema.’ That’s why the Los Angeles Film Critics awarded it Best Picture, even though it’s not a traditional film.” Rather, it’s a collection of five films centered around London’s...
- 1/24/2021
- by Zach Laws, Marcus James Dixon and Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“The Good Lord Bird” currently sits in eighth place in our combined TV odds to earn a bid for Best TV Movie/Limited Series at the Golden Globes, but are we underestimating the historical drama from Showtime? Its star Ethan Hawke is comfortably in second place for a Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor nomination and stellar reviews could lead one to believe it’s a lock for a series nod as well. The Hollywood Foreign Press loves a fact-based storyline and “The Good Lord Bird” seems to have all the ingredients to play spoiler.
Among the top 10 contenders in our rankings, “The Good Lord Bird” is one of the most popular with critics based on its score of 84 on Metacritic. Ed Cumming of The Independent writes, “‘The Good Lord Bird’ is an unusual thing: A smart, starry treatment of serious historical events that manages to retain a sense of...
Among the top 10 contenders in our rankings, “The Good Lord Bird” is one of the most popular with critics based on its score of 84 on Metacritic. Ed Cumming of The Independent writes, “‘The Good Lord Bird’ is an unusual thing: A smart, starry treatment of serious historical events that manages to retain a sense of...
- 1/13/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association caused a bit of a stir when they made the unconventional choice of picking Steve McQueen‘s “Small Axe” as Best Picture of 2020. That’s because “Small Axe” isn’t a film, per se. It’s an Amazon anthology series consisting of five standalone stories. But this isn’t the first time a European auteur blurred the line between television and film. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas‘s miniseries “Carlos” racked up both film and TV plaudits 10 years ago.
See‘Small Axe’ production designer Helen Scott: ‘Lovers Rock’ was an ‘exercise in atmosphere’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Small Axe” and “Carlos” are different in how they’re presented. “Carlos” told one story about international terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (played by Edgar Ramirez) over three episodes totaling more than five hours. “Small Axe’s” episodes, meanwhile, are different stories exploring a similar theme: the lives and struggles of Afro-Caribbean...
See‘Small Axe’ production designer Helen Scott: ‘Lovers Rock’ was an ‘exercise in atmosphere’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Small Axe” and “Carlos” are different in how they’re presented. “Carlos” told one story about international terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (played by Edgar Ramirez) over three episodes totaling more than five hours. “Small Axe’s” episodes, meanwhile, are different stories exploring a similar theme: the lives and struggles of Afro-Caribbean...
- 1/8/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has made a splash at the Golden Globes in the past. His Italian drama “I Am Love” (2010) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and then “Call Me by Your Name” (2017) picked up three bids for Best Film Drama and for Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer‘s performances. But neither of those films took home any trophies. Could Guadagnino finally win for his move to series television with “We Are Who We Are” on HBO Max? He wouldn’t be the first big-screen auteur to win on the small screen.
“We Are Who We Are” bears some resemblance to “Call Me by Your Name,” Guadagnino’s biggest Globes success so far. Both are about queer American teenagers coming of age in Italy. In “We Are,” it’s Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), whose mother (Chloe Sevigny) is the new commander of a US Army base in Italy. Fraser...
“We Are Who We Are” bears some resemblance to “Call Me by Your Name,” Guadagnino’s biggest Globes success so far. Both are about queer American teenagers coming of age in Italy. In “We Are,” it’s Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), whose mother (Chloe Sevigny) is the new commander of a US Army base in Italy. Fraser...
- 1/5/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Edgar Ramirez finds a way to stay busy. The Venezuelan born actor has spent the last three years earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as Gianni Versace in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” reuniting with his breakout “Carlos” director Oliver Assayas in “Wasp Network,” filming the upcoming Disney blockbuster “Jungle Cruise,” teaming up with good friend Jessica Chastain in the action flick “The 355” and appearing alongside Jennifer Garner the indie family flick “Yes Day.” And somehow he managed to fit in a key role in David E.
Continue reading Edgar Ramirez On The Temptation Of ‘The Undoing’ & Reuniting With Jessica Chastain [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Edgar Ramirez On The Temptation Of ‘The Undoing’ & Reuniting With Jessica Chastain [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 10/22/2020
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Edgar Ramirez is set to star alongside Jessica Chastain in Lucía Puenzo’s directorial effort, Losing Clementine. The film, an adaptation of the novel by Ashley Ream adapted by Ann Cherkis (Better Call Saul), was among those chosen for the California Film and Television Tax Credit. The film begins shooting in Los Angeles in Janaury.
Chastain plays world-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard. She is bipolar and with her 36th birthday rapidly approaching, she’s decided she’s done. After flushing away her meds, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—to finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a new home for her cat. Through humor and wit, she checks the tasks off her To-Do list, however, she uncovers secrets about her family and the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one will see coming, will...
Chastain plays world-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard. She is bipolar and with her 36th birthday rapidly approaching, she’s decided she’s done. After flushing away her meds, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—to finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a new home for her cat. Through humor and wit, she checks the tasks off her To-Do list, however, she uncovers secrets about her family and the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one will see coming, will...
- 10/7/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
AMC Networks Entertainment Group President Sarah Barnett will be stepping down from her position after Labor Day. Following her departure, the company’s Entertainment Networks, which includes AMC, BBC America, IFC and Sundance TV, and AMC Studios will report to AMC Networks COO Ed Carroll on an interim basis.
Barnett’s departure comes at a challenging time for linear television and especially ad-supported basic cable whose prospects were further hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, which cut ad spending. Her exit also comes at a high for her division. The announcement follows Tuesday’s Emmy nominations, where AMC Networks scored two of the eight best drama series Emmy noms with AMC’s Better Call Saul and BBC America/AMC’s Killing Eve, the only non-premium/streaming series to make the cut in the top drama category this year.
Like most linear TV companies, AMC Networks has been shifting its focus to streaming.
Barnett’s departure comes at a challenging time for linear television and especially ad-supported basic cable whose prospects were further hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, which cut ad spending. Her exit also comes at a high for her division. The announcement follows Tuesday’s Emmy nominations, where AMC Networks scored two of the eight best drama series Emmy noms with AMC’s Better Call Saul and BBC America/AMC’s Killing Eve, the only non-premium/streaming series to make the cut in the top drama category this year.
Like most linear TV companies, AMC Networks has been shifting its focus to streaming.
- 7/30/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva and Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s always difficult to watch a director end a streak of excellent, or at least interesting, movies with one that is just flat out disappointing. After a run of more than a decade that included acclaimed, awarded, and frequently discussed films like Summer Hours, Clouds of Sils Maria, Carlos, and Personal Shopper, French writer-director Olivier Assayas has come up way short with his new film, Wasp Network.
And it’s a damn shame too, because Assayas has assembled a fine cast led by Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal, Edgar Ramirez and Ana de Armas, and there are flashes of greatness and eloquence within Wasp Network’s very long two hours. But instead of focusing on the personal drama that is hidden within the film, Assayas seems to have wanted to make an epic, and the result is a shapeless, tedious mess that has to stop twice to sum up...
And it’s a damn shame too, because Assayas has assembled a fine cast led by Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal, Edgar Ramirez and Ana de Armas, and there are flashes of greatness and eloquence within Wasp Network’s very long two hours. But instead of focusing on the personal drama that is hidden within the film, Assayas seems to have wanted to make an epic, and the result is a shapeless, tedious mess that has to stop twice to sum up...
- 6/19/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
If you read Heather Wixson's 4-star review or you listened to our Sundance episode of Corpse Club featuring director Natalie Erika James, then you know that we can't wait for Daily Dead readers to see her new horror film Relic. Before it comes to theaters and Digital/VOD on July 10th, IFC will release Relic in drive-in theaters early beginning July 3rd, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend:
Press Release: New York, NY: Ahead of its July 10th theatrical and Digital/VOD date, IFC Films is bringing Relic to drive-in theaters only as an advance week-run beginning July 3rd as studios delay new releases to later in the summer. With a current score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Relic is one of the year’s most highly anticipated genre films of the Summer.
Recently heralded as one of Indiewire’s ‘20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know...
Press Release: New York, NY: Ahead of its July 10th theatrical and Digital/VOD date, IFC Films is bringing Relic to drive-in theaters only as an advance week-run beginning July 3rd as studios delay new releases to later in the summer. With a current score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Relic is one of the year’s most highly anticipated genre films of the Summer.
Recently heralded as one of Indiewire’s ‘20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know...
- 6/18/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Part of our on-going series Notebook Soundtrack Mixes.Wendy Carlos sits away from the limelight. Some might say she is somewhat a mysterious figure in the realms she is recognized in: film composition, classical composition, and electronic music. A pioneer of electronic music invention and application, Carlos is behind the development of much that we now take for granted in contemporary music, helping open up a word of new possibilities for future generations of composers and bedroom producers alike. Studying music and physics at Brown in the 1960s, Carlos went on to earn a masters in music at Columbia under the tutelage of electronic composer pioneer Vladimir Ussachevsky. It was there, a year before graduating, that Carlos met Robert Moog. The two began a partnership with a mutual vision: to create an instrument with the same expression as the piano, to update the form in the same way the piano updated the clavichord.
- 6/16/2020
- MUBI
“Wasp Network,” a Cuban political thriller starring Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez, will debut on Netflix next month.
The film, written and directed by Olivier Assayas, drops on the streaming service on June 19 across the globe, except for China, Eastern Europe, Greece, Portugal, the Middle East and France.
“Wasp Network” is based on the true story of the Cuban Five — intelligence officers who were arrested in Florida in the ’90s and later convicted of espionage and other illicit activities.
The movie follows René González (Ramirez), a Cuban pilot who leaves his wife and daughter behind to start a new life in Miami. After joining forces with a group of Cuban exiles in South Florida, known as the Wasp Network, he becomes part of a spy ring tasked with observing and infiltrating Cuban-American organizations against Fidel Castro.
Assayas, whose credits include Cannes-winner “Personal Shopper” and the miniseries “Carlos,” wrote the screenplay...
The film, written and directed by Olivier Assayas, drops on the streaming service on June 19 across the globe, except for China, Eastern Europe, Greece, Portugal, the Middle East and France.
“Wasp Network” is based on the true story of the Cuban Five — intelligence officers who were arrested in Florida in the ’90s and later convicted of espionage and other illicit activities.
The movie follows René González (Ramirez), a Cuban pilot who leaves his wife and daughter behind to start a new life in Miami. After joining forces with a group of Cuban exiles in South Florida, known as the Wasp Network, he becomes part of a spy ring tasked with observing and infiltrating Cuban-American organizations against Fidel Castro.
Assayas, whose credits include Cannes-winner “Personal Shopper” and the miniseries “Carlos,” wrote the screenplay...
- 5/19/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.To fill the void left by the absence of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, for the next two weeks, this column will be dedicated to films that premiered at the festival over the course of seven decades.
When the news broke that Olivier Assayas was collaborating with A24 on a TV version of “Irma Vep,” the only truly surprising thing about it was that the project had been conceived before the pandemic. The prospect of Assayas remaking his 1996 masterpiece would have seemed unfathomable just a few short months ago. Although Assayas’ previous foray into television produced the most exciting crime epic of the last 10 years (“Carlos”), the pitch reeked of desperation, a fetishistic desire for “normalcy,” and the need to keep working at any cost.
When the news broke that Olivier Assayas was collaborating with A24 on a TV version of “Irma Vep,” the only truly surprising thing about it was that the project had been conceived before the pandemic. The prospect of Assayas remaking his 1996 masterpiece would have seemed unfathomable just a few short months ago. Although Assayas’ previous foray into television produced the most exciting crime epic of the last 10 years (“Carlos”), the pitch reeked of desperation, a fetishistic desire for “normalcy,” and the need to keep working at any cost.
- 5/15/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
- 4/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Jason Segel’s new AMC anthology “Dispatches From Elsewhere” is having its first audience screening at NeueHouse Hollywood, the newest of the exclusive-ish members-only workspace clubs with which Los Angeles is being overrun. The mid-December crowd is intimate, mostly friends of Segel.
Since the end of “How I Met Your Mother,” on which he starred for nine years, the actor has received consistently good reviews for a handful of serious-minded movies such as “The End of the Tour,” in which he played the late author David Foster Wallace. None of those performances, however, has eclipsed his sitcom persona. For many, Segel remains the guy from “How I Met Your Mother.” But when introducing the first episode of “Dispatches,” AMC Networks programming chief Sarah Barnett makes clear exactly how she sees her new drama’s creator and star. “In this show, you really get to see the auteur-ness of Jason,” she...
Since the end of “How I Met Your Mother,” on which he starred for nine years, the actor has received consistently good reviews for a handful of serious-minded movies such as “The End of the Tour,” in which he played the late author David Foster Wallace. None of those performances, however, has eclipsed his sitcom persona. For many, Segel remains the guy from “How I Met Your Mother.” But when introducing the first episode of “Dispatches,” AMC Networks programming chief Sarah Barnett makes clear exactly how she sees her new drama’s creator and star. “In this show, you really get to see the auteur-ness of Jason,” she...
- 1/2/2020
- by Daniel Holloway
- Variety Film + TV
Edgar Ramirez, best known for “Carlos” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” will star in the drama “The War Has Ended,” from writer and director Hagar Ben-Asher’s award-winning original script about a man in search of his children. Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales at next month’s American Film Market.
The film is being produced by Dale Armin Johnson, Collen Camp, Jill Littman and Marek Rozenbaum, the chairman of the Israeli Academy of Cinema and Television.
Set in Poland in 1945, at the end World War II, Joseph (Ramirez) travels through battle-scarred towns with his horse, Oscar, and his enchanting puppet show to give local children a momentary escape from reality. Joseph performs the story of “Frank and Tiny,” two elephants on the hunt for Frank’s lost trunk, but his real mission is the perilous hunt for his two missing sons.
Along the way he finds an unlikely ally in Lily,...
The film is being produced by Dale Armin Johnson, Collen Camp, Jill Littman and Marek Rozenbaum, the chairman of the Israeli Academy of Cinema and Television.
Set in Poland in 1945, at the end World War II, Joseph (Ramirez) travels through battle-scarred towns with his horse, Oscar, and his enchanting puppet show to give local children a momentary escape from reality. Joseph performs the story of “Frank and Tiny,” two elephants on the hunt for Frank’s lost trunk, but his real mission is the perilous hunt for his two missing sons.
Along the way he finds an unlikely ally in Lily,...
- 10/23/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
“A lot of tiny things” changed in “Wasp Network” from the version that premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September to the new cut that arrived at the New York Film Festival on October 5. That was according to screenwriter and director Olivier Assayas, who discussed the film with press and industry along with its stars Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez. Watch their entire press conference above.
The film tells the true story of Cuban spies who infiltrated anti-communist groups in the Us, and Assayas admitted, “When I was editing I was obsessed with being … as precise as possible with the facts, so at some point I realized when we presented the film that we were overloading the audience with dates, places and facts, and that it was detrimental to the film.”
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There was also a time crunch since the...
The film tells the true story of Cuban spies who infiltrated anti-communist groups in the Us, and Assayas admitted, “When I was editing I was obsessed with being … as precise as possible with the facts, so at some point I realized when we presented the film that we were overloading the audience with dates, places and facts, and that it was detrimental to the film.”
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
There was also a time crunch since the...
- 10/12/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Bad Education”
Perhaps one of the biggest titles for sale, “Bad Education” stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Alex Wolff and is based on the real-life events that took place at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school.
“Citizen K”
Following his critically lauded “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Alex Gibney is back with “Citizen K,” a documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went from communist to political prisoner in a 20-year battle with Putin.
“The Friend”
Based on the award-winning Esquire article of the same name, the film follows a man (Jason Segel) who puts his life on hold to help his friends though a terminal cancer diagnosis. Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck also star in the Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) film.
“How to Build a Girl”
Everyone is obsessed with Beanie Feldstein following her performance in “Booksmart,” so naturally, this film has become a buzzy title for Tiff buyers.
Perhaps one of the biggest titles for sale, “Bad Education” stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Alex Wolff and is based on the real-life events that took place at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school.
“Citizen K”
Following his critically lauded “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Alex Gibney is back with “Citizen K,” a documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went from communist to political prisoner in a 20-year battle with Putin.
“The Friend”
Based on the award-winning Esquire article of the same name, the film follows a man (Jason Segel) who puts his life on hold to help his friends though a terminal cancer diagnosis. Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck also star in the Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) film.
“How to Build a Girl”
Everyone is obsessed with Beanie Feldstein following her performance in “Booksmart,” so naturally, this film has become a buzzy title for Tiff buyers.
- 9/3/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
French director/writer Olivier Assayas is working with perhaps his most high-profile cast yet for his latest film, “Wasp Network,” competing at the Venice Film Festival and starring Penélope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, and Gael García Bernal.
The film pivots on the true story of five Cuban spies held as political prisoners from the late 1990s up until 2014, and it’s based on the book “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five” by Fernando Morais. Assayas — acclaimed for films including “Personal Shopper,” “Irma Vep,” and most recently “Non-Fiction,” as well as the Golden Globe Award-winning miniseries “Carlos” — wrote the script himself, but the actual production of the film proved to be a challenge, as revealed in a recent interview with Variety out of the Venice Film Festival.
Assayas said that, initially, Cuban authorities refused to let him shoot “Wasp Network” in the country where, despite...
The film pivots on the true story of five Cuban spies held as political prisoners from the late 1990s up until 2014, and it’s based on the book “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five” by Fernando Morais. Assayas — acclaimed for films including “Personal Shopper,” “Irma Vep,” and most recently “Non-Fiction,” as well as the Golden Globe Award-winning miniseries “Carlos” — wrote the script himself, but the actual production of the film proved to be a challenge, as revealed in a recent interview with Variety out of the Venice Film Festival.
Assayas said that, initially, Cuban authorities refused to let him shoot “Wasp Network” in the country where, despite...
- 8/31/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Headlined by Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez, “Wasp Network” is world premiering and competing in Venice, but the Cuba-set film was a long-shot to get made because of its political subject and the difficulties in raising financing, director Olivier Assayas said.
“Wasp Network” centers on the true story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s, when anti-Castro groups based in Florida carried out military attacks on Cuba and the Cuban government struck back with the Wasp Network to infiltrate those organizations. Assayas wrote the screenplay, which is based on Fernando Morais’ book, “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five,” published by Companhia das Letras.
Assayas, whose credits include the Golden Globe-winning miniseries “Carlos” and “Personal Shopper,” which won him the best director prize at Cannes, told Variety that Cuban authorities had initially refused to let the film shoot there.
“They first refused...
“Wasp Network” centers on the true story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s, when anti-Castro groups based in Florida carried out military attacks on Cuba and the Cuban government struck back with the Wasp Network to infiltrate those organizations. Assayas wrote the screenplay, which is based on Fernando Morais’ book, “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five,” published by Companhia das Letras.
Assayas, whose credits include the Golden Globe-winning miniseries “Carlos” and “Personal Shopper,” which won him the best director prize at Cannes, told Variety that Cuban authorities had initially refused to let the film shoot there.
“They first refused...
- 8/31/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Orange Studio has boarded Olivier Assayas’ “Wasp Network,” the anticipated Cuban spy thriller that stars Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal, Edgar Ramirez and Wagner Moura.
CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert and Rt Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira are producing the film, which will start shooting on location in Cuba on Feb. 18. Adrian Guerra at the Spanish banner Nostromo (“Buried”) is co-producing.
Orange Studio, the film and TV arm of France’s leading telco group, has acquired international sales rights, as well as French distribution and pay-tv rights through Ocs. CAA is representing U.S. rights. The project was previously handled by Imr.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled about this collaboration with Olivier and this group of fantastic actors,” said Teixeira, whose production credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me by Your Name” and Crystal Moselle’s Sundance standout “Skate Kitchen.” “Bringing ‘Wasp Network’ to the big screen is a dream come true.
CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert and Rt Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira are producing the film, which will start shooting on location in Cuba on Feb. 18. Adrian Guerra at the Spanish banner Nostromo (“Buried”) is co-producing.
Orange Studio, the film and TV arm of France’s leading telco group, has acquired international sales rights, as well as French distribution and pay-tv rights through Ocs. CAA is representing U.S. rights. The project was previously handled by Imr.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled about this collaboration with Olivier and this group of fantastic actors,” said Teixeira, whose production credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me by Your Name” and Crystal Moselle’s Sundance standout “Skate Kitchen.” “Bringing ‘Wasp Network’ to the big screen is a dream come true.
- 2/4/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Wasp Network
French auteur Olivier Assayas (partner to Mia Hansen-Løve who we find on our list as well) shows no signs of slowing down with his seventeenth narrative feature Wasp Network, a tale of five Cuban spies working in a Florida based terrorist organization with consent of the Us government. Before 2018’s Non-Fiction now titled Double Lives (read review) even had the chance to premiere in competition at Venice, Assayas was putting together the project at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, eventually assembling a starry cast which includes Pedro Pascal, Penelope Cruz, Wagner Moura, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Edgar Ramirez (who headlined Assayas’ 2010 series “Carlos”).…...
French auteur Olivier Assayas (partner to Mia Hansen-Løve who we find on our list as well) shows no signs of slowing down with his seventeenth narrative feature Wasp Network, a tale of five Cuban spies working in a Florida based terrorist organization with consent of the Us government. Before 2018’s Non-Fiction now titled Double Lives (read review) even had the chance to premiere in competition at Venice, Assayas was putting together the project at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, eventually assembling a starry cast which includes Pedro Pascal, Penelope Cruz, Wagner Moura, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Edgar Ramirez (who headlined Assayas’ 2010 series “Carlos”).…...
- 1/8/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Edgar Ramirez is back at the Emmys, this time competing for Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor for playing the title role in FX’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” The Venezuelan-born actor was previously nominated in the lead category for playing the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal in the 2010 miniseries “Carlos.”
Ramirez has submitted the episode “Ascent” to Emmy voters for consideration. In the episode, Gianni begins to realize that he is ill and is determined to push his sister Donatella (Emmy nominee Penelope Cruz) towards realizing her own talents as a designer in the hopes that she may one day take over the company. The two design a dress together and receive an avalanche of positive publicity when Donatella wears the dress in public for the first time.
But later, when Donatella suggests that they simplify the dress to appeal to more customers, Gianni becomes enraged that she would compromise their artistic vision.
Ramirez has submitted the episode “Ascent” to Emmy voters for consideration. In the episode, Gianni begins to realize that he is ill and is determined to push his sister Donatella (Emmy nominee Penelope Cruz) towards realizing her own talents as a designer in the hopes that she may one day take over the company. The two design a dress together and receive an avalanche of positive publicity when Donatella wears the dress in public for the first time.
But later, when Donatella suggests that they simplify the dress to appeal to more customers, Gianni becomes enraged that she would compromise their artistic vision.
- 9/17/2018
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
Edgar Ramirez received his second Emmy nomination this year for playing fashion designer Gianni Versace in the FX limited series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” Ramirez was previously nominated at the Emmys for the miniseries “Carlos” in 2011.
Ramirez recently chatted with Gold Derby senior editor Joyce Eng about his close friendship with co-star Ricky Martin, the legacy of the Versace family and how this Emmy nomination feels different than his first. Watch the exclusive web chat above and read the complete interview transcript below.
SEERicky Martin Interview: ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’
Gold Derby: Edgar Ramirez, congratulations on your Emmy nomination for “Assassination of Gianni Versace.” I talked to your co-star, Ricky Martin, a couple months ago and he said he felt like the stars were aligned for you guys to play Gianni and Antonio and you got the part first and a couple weeks later Ryan Murphy called him.
Ramirez recently chatted with Gold Derby senior editor Joyce Eng about his close friendship with co-star Ricky Martin, the legacy of the Versace family and how this Emmy nomination feels different than his first. Watch the exclusive web chat above and read the complete interview transcript below.
SEERicky Martin Interview: ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’
Gold Derby: Edgar Ramirez, congratulations on your Emmy nomination for “Assassination of Gianni Versace.” I talked to your co-star, Ricky Martin, a couple months ago and he said he felt like the stars were aligned for you guys to play Gianni and Antonio and you got the part first and a couple weeks later Ryan Murphy called him.
- 9/14/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen and Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
According to our racetrack odds, Edgar Ramirez is the Emmy front-runner for Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor for playing the title character in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” The FX true-crime drama is the favorite to win Best Limited Series, so it stands to reason that voters would also recognize Versace himself. But there’s another reason the TV academy might want to check off his name: to make up for his loss for “Carlos” seven years ago.
The Venezuelan actor made appearances in “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007) and “Che” (2008) before his international breakthrough role as the title character in “Carlos,” a real-life political terrorist in the 1970s who was finally arrested in 1994 and is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Directed by French auteur Olivier Assayas, the series received widespread acclaim, including kudos from the film world. Ramirez won the Cesar Award for Best Actor and was a finalist...
The Venezuelan actor made appearances in “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007) and “Che” (2008) before his international breakthrough role as the title character in “Carlos,” a real-life political terrorist in the 1970s who was finally arrested in 1994 and is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Directed by French auteur Olivier Assayas, the series received widespread acclaim, including kudos from the film world. Ramirez won the Cesar Award for Best Actor and was a finalist...
- 7/9/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Lagardere Studios’ production label Imagissime is developing several internationally-driven documentaries, including “Living Under the Third Reich” and “The Rise of Modern Cooking.”
“The Rise of Modern Cooking,” which has been commissioned by Franco-German network Arte, as well as Belgian and Canadian broadcasters, pays homage to Auguste Escoffier — the restaurateur and culinary writer who modernized traditional French cooking methods. The documentary, directed by Olivier Julien, mixies archival, animated, and live-action footage.
The doc will start shooting soon. Elodie Polo Ackermann, the founder and president of Imagissime, said she aimed at creating an edgy, fun documentary that could lure young audiences. Polo Ackermann, who previously worked at Doc en Stock and Film en Stock on programs such Olivier Assayas’ “Carlos,” said she strived to deliver documentaries boasting sharply-written scripts.
“The line between fiction and documentary is blurrier than ever today so we’re looking to enlist authors who work in fiction and...
“The Rise of Modern Cooking,” which has been commissioned by Franco-German network Arte, as well as Belgian and Canadian broadcasters, pays homage to Auguste Escoffier — the restaurateur and culinary writer who modernized traditional French cooking methods. The documentary, directed by Olivier Julien, mixies archival, animated, and live-action footage.
The doc will start shooting soon. Elodie Polo Ackermann, the founder and president of Imagissime, said she aimed at creating an edgy, fun documentary that could lure young audiences. Polo Ackermann, who previously worked at Doc en Stock and Film en Stock on programs such Olivier Assayas’ “Carlos,” said she strived to deliver documentaries boasting sharply-written scripts.
“The line between fiction and documentary is blurrier than ever today so we’re looking to enlist authors who work in fiction and...
- 6/22/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Edgar Ramirez is a pretty terrific actor. He also happens to have an impressive resume with appearances in such feature films as Domino, Vantage Point, Zero Dark Thirty as well as the mini-series “Carlos the Jackal.” And this weekend he is taking on a demon or two in Deliver Us From Evil. In the new Scott Derrickson directed flick, Ramirez steals nearly every scene he is in. The man exudes a ton of presence in the film and gives one hell of a performance. When I sat...
- 7/1/2014
- by JimmyO
- JoBlo.com
• Stephan James (The L.A. Complex) is in talks to star as famed Olympian Jesse Owens in Race. He’d be replacing John Boyega in the role, who had to drop out due to his Star Wars: Episode VII commitments. Stephen Hopkins is directing the biopic, which will follow Owens from his humble beginnings to the 1936 Berlin Olympics where he won four gold medals. Not quite yet a household name, James has a number of higher profile projects coming up, including the football pic When the Game Stands Tall and Ava DuVernay’s civil rights drama Selma. [The Wrap]
• Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier...
• Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier...
- 5/29/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
Though I wasn’t too familiar with director Olivier Assayas up until a few years ago, after watching his excellent mini-series Carlos the Jackal, I’m now totally sold on the French filmmaker. Currently, he’s finishing up post-production on his new film Clouds of Sils Maria, which will likely premiere this year at Cannes. While we haven’t see much from it yet, a sales poster and official synopsis have been released today as the film is now looking for buyers at the European Film Market.
Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz, among others, Clouds of Sils Maria will focus on “middle age and that introspective period where one questions how they’ve spent their life so far and what they’ve accomplished.” It’s a topic that we’ve seen explored before many times in film but with the talent that’s been assembled here,...
Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz, among others, Clouds of Sils Maria will focus on “middle age and that introspective period where one questions how they’ve spent their life so far and what they’ve accomplished.” It’s a topic that we’ve seen explored before many times in film but with the talent that’s been assembled here,...
- 2/10/2014
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Originally titled simply Sils Maria, Olivier Assayas’ upcoming drama recently underwent a slight title change to Clouds of Sils Maria, and now the first promo poster has been released, along with the first official synopsis.
Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz make for an impressive leading trio, and the synopsis below teases some interesting dynamics between them.
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena.
She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a...
Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz make for an impressive leading trio, and the synopsis below teases some interesting dynamics between them.
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena.
She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a...
- 2/10/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Gritty biopic of the Venezuelan-born Marxist revolutionary Ilich Ramírez Sánchez aka Carlos The Jackal (Édgar Ramírez), who quit university in Moscow to head straight to Beirut to join the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Over the following years he would become a notorious terrorist bogeyman to the West, operating in London, Paris, Berlin, Damascus and Vienna, where he memorably stormed an Opec meeting. France's Olivier Assayas directs this assured TV-series-turned-movie.
- 1/15/2014
- Sky Movies
"Rectify," the Sundance Channel's first original scripted series all its own, will premiere next year, marking a shift the network's been making into the kind of high-end scripted show territory for which its sister channel AMC is best known. Sundance's dramas have until this point been acquisitions or coproductions like Olivier Assayas' "Carlos," the British spy miniseries "Restless" and Jane Campion's crime saga "Top Of The Lake" (the latter two are upcoming), but with "Rectify" and the slate of scripted series the network announced as in development in the Hollywood Reporter today, it's clear that the channel wants to establish itself as a place for quality original dramas. Read More: Sundance Channel Sets a Premiere Date For Its British Spy Miniseries 'Restless' Sundance has five scripted shows in the development, dealing with topics ranging from surfing to sex reassignment. ...
- 11/7/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
British comedic actor Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol, Paul) has been cast in the lead role in director Peter Chelsom.s (Shall We Dance?, Funny Bones,) next movie – drama comedy Hector And The Search For Happiness, it was announced today by Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel, founders and co-partners of The Solution Entertainment Group (.The Solution.) who are handling worldwide rights to the film.
Adapted for the screen by Chelsom and Tinker Lindsay from the bestselling novel of the same name by François Lelord, the film is a German/Canadian co-production produced by Egoli Tossell Film and Screen Siren Pictures currently in pre-production and set to shoot straight after Pegg.s The World.S End.
Pegg plays Hector, an eccentric yet irresistible London psychiatrist in crisis: his patients are just not getting any happier! He.s going nowhere. Then one day, armed with buckets of courage and an almost child-like curiosity,...
Adapted for the screen by Chelsom and Tinker Lindsay from the bestselling novel of the same name by François Lelord, the film is a German/Canadian co-production produced by Egoli Tossell Film and Screen Siren Pictures currently in pre-production and set to shoot straight after Pegg.s The World.S End.
Pegg plays Hector, an eccentric yet irresistible London psychiatrist in crisis: his patients are just not getting any happier! He.s going nowhere. Then one day, armed with buckets of courage and an almost child-like curiosity,...
- 5/19/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Mia Hansen-Løve proves that less is more in a beautifully observed tale of a student's romantic entanglements
The critic and columnist Alan Brien once told me about a friend consulting him about an autobiography he'd been asked to write. It was the mid-1950s when angry young men were all the rage, the friend was about 30 and clearly the publishers expected him to deliver something socially significant. "In 1939," he asked, referring to his sixth-form days, "whom should I have been reading and what should I have been thinking?" Somewhat mischievously Brien suggested he should have discovered Orwell, become disillusioned with Auden and Isherwood, had a sceptical approach to the Popular Front but a high regard for John Strachey, and so on. When I checked out the eventual book these were precisely the attitudes expressed, though whether these aspects of the author's intellectual development all came from Brien's tuition I can't be sure.
The critic and columnist Alan Brien once told me about a friend consulting him about an autobiography he'd been asked to write. It was the mid-1950s when angry young men were all the rage, the friend was about 30 and clearly the publishers expected him to deliver something socially significant. "In 1939," he asked, referring to his sixth-form days, "whom should I have been reading and what should I have been thinking?" Somewhat mischievously Brien suggested he should have discovered Orwell, become disillusioned with Auden and Isherwood, had a sceptical approach to the Popular Front but a high regard for John Strachey, and so on. When I checked out the eventual book these were precisely the attitudes expressed, though whether these aspects of the author's intellectual development all came from Brien's tuition I can't be sure.
- 5/5/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Lifting the mystical hammer Mjolnir is no easy feat - as it's becoming very clear from the trouble finding a director for Thor 2.
Kenneth Branagh decided not to come back for the sequel, Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk was in talks that didn't work out and Patty Jenkins recently exited the project over creative differences.
Marvel is now racing to fill that empty director's chair and, according to HeatVision, the studio has narrowed its search to two candidates - both from the world of television.
They are Alan Taylor (right) and Daniel Minahan (below right), who have both helmed episodes of Game of Thrones. Taking into account Brian Kirk's earlier discussions, it's obvious that HBO's acclaimed medieval fantasy adaptation is seen as a template from which the thunder god's next cinematic adventure could draw some inspiration.
Taylor has also been involved with Mad Men, The Sopranos and...
Kenneth Branagh decided not to come back for the sequel, Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk was in talks that didn't work out and Patty Jenkins recently exited the project over creative differences.
Marvel is now racing to fill that empty director's chair and, according to HeatVision, the studio has narrowed its search to two candidates - both from the world of television.
They are Alan Taylor (right) and Daniel Minahan (below right), who have both helmed episodes of Game of Thrones. Taking into account Brian Kirk's earlier discussions, it's obvious that HBO's acclaimed medieval fantasy adaptation is seen as a template from which the thunder god's next cinematic adventure could draw some inspiration.
Taylor has also been involved with Mad Men, The Sopranos and...
- 12/10/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
J.J. Abrams has lost out on his first choice Benicio Del Toro to play Khan (we think) in the Star Trek sequel but he has to move fast on a replacement with filming about a month away. Variety reports that Edgar Ramirez, whose amazing portrayal of Carlos the Jackal in that epic 2010 biopic has elevated him to a new ascension in Hollywood and Jordi Molla, whose face you will recognise more than the name from Colombiana and Knight & Day, are the two favourites.
This is kind of amazing to report on but it’s said Ramirez is favourite and has to perform his audition via Skype either today or tomorrow. From the sounds of things, Abrams has been left in such a pickle since Del Toro didn’t accept the offer that he doesn’t have time to fly out and meet Ramirez in person and he wants to make...
This is kind of amazing to report on but it’s said Ramirez is favourite and has to perform his audition via Skype either today or tomorrow. From the sounds of things, Abrams has been left in such a pickle since Del Toro didn’t accept the offer that he doesn’t have time to fly out and meet Ramirez in person and he wants to make...
- 12/8/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Diverse filmmaker Olivier Assayas' ambitious and fascinating biopic about Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (widely known as 'Carlos the Jackal') has such an astonishing scope that the word 'epic' fails to fully describe it. Saturated with rich details and boasting production values comparable to big-budget movies, Carlos The Jackal is an absolute triumph. This review will cover two of its versions, including the original television mini-series and the subsequently released 150-minute theatrical feature. Carlos the Jackal was without a doubt a very dangerous man, and one with a very big ego. He used his ideology simply as an excuse to satisfy his desire for power and domination over other people. The character is stunningly played by actor Edgar Ramirez in a mesmerizing performance. He convincingly portrays...
- 12/6/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Sundance Channel jumped into the original series business by ordering six episodes of the drama Rectify from producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad). Variety reported today that Rectify would be the first dramatic series for the cable outlet and a natural next step after the success of its miniseries Carlos, starring the Emmy-nominated Edgar Ramirez as the terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Ray McKinnon wrote Rectify, about a Death Row inmate freed after DNA evidence proves his innocence and who returns to his Georgia hometown to re-start his life, for AMC three years ago only for AMC to pass on the series.
- 10/31/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Chicago – Not all movies are similar in what they demand of the viewer. Obviously, a light mainstream romantic comedy requires a different level of commitment than a French period piece, but even art movies have varying degrees of viewer requirements. Even within the Criterion Collections, there are shorter, easier films and then there are releases like “Carlos,” a stellar epic that runs close to six hours and is accompanied by extensive, elaborate special features. This is the kind of release you’ll need to set aside more than just a day to appreciate. And it’s good enough that you may even want to watch it twice. Better set aside a week.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Carlos” is, in some estimations, the best modern film about terrorism. There have been several epic examinations of influential madmen recently, including the acclaimed “Mesrine,” but few have had the instant impact of “Carlos.” With a...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Carlos” is, in some estimations, the best modern film about terrorism. There have been several epic examinations of influential madmen recently, including the acclaimed “Mesrine,” but few have had the instant impact of “Carlos.” With a...
- 10/10/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—October 2011
By Allen Gardner
Terri (20th Century Fox) An awkward, obese teen (Jacob Wysocki) finds himself forming an odd friendship with his equally left-of-center vice-principal (John C. Reilly), who decides to help the boy navigate his way through adolescence’s rocky road. Low key film is filled with pathos and humor, but is ultimately too laid back for its own good (not to mention too long). Worth seeing for young Wysocki’s amazing, completely natural performance, and Reilly’s goofy charm. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurette; Deleted scenes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Mr. Nice (Mpi) Rhys Ifans stars in the true story of Howard Marks, a Welsh-born Oxford grad who gained the most notoriety in his life for being the UK’s biggest hashish smuggler during the ‘70s and ‘80s, when he wasn’t busy spying for Her Majesty’s government, hanging out with a...
By Allen Gardner
Terri (20th Century Fox) An awkward, obese teen (Jacob Wysocki) finds himself forming an odd friendship with his equally left-of-center vice-principal (John C. Reilly), who decides to help the boy navigate his way through adolescence’s rocky road. Low key film is filled with pathos and humor, but is ultimately too laid back for its own good (not to mention too long). Worth seeing for young Wysocki’s amazing, completely natural performance, and Reilly’s goofy charm. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurette; Deleted scenes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Mr. Nice (Mpi) Rhys Ifans stars in the true story of Howard Marks, a Welsh-born Oxford grad who gained the most notoriety in his life for being the UK’s biggest hashish smuggler during the ‘70s and ‘80s, when he wasn’t busy spying for Her Majesty’s government, hanging out with a...
- 10/3/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition I didn't request this one for review, but early reviews have been quite impressive. The thing is, I don't enjoy this film so much that I need a high-definition "ultimate" edition. My DVD copy should suffice for the couple of times I'm likely to watch this film again in my lifetime.
Carlos (Criterion Collection) Criterion has put together an impressive two-disc Blu-ray and four-disc DVD set for their release of Olivier Assayas' 339 minute epic Carlos, which I saw in its entirety at Cannes last year (read my review here) where I called it "a good-not-great film that has a no frills, clinical approach to its lead subject, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, or as you may know and/or remember him... Carlos the Jackal." It reminded me of Steven Soderbergh's Che in a lot of ways even though it is a far more cohesive film.
Carlos (Criterion Collection) Criterion has put together an impressive two-disc Blu-ray and four-disc DVD set for their release of Olivier Assayas' 339 minute epic Carlos, which I saw in its entirety at Cannes last year (read my review here) where I called it "a good-not-great film that has a no frills, clinical approach to its lead subject, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, or as you may know and/or remember him... Carlos the Jackal." It reminded me of Steven Soderbergh's Che in a lot of ways even though it is a far more cohesive film.
- 9/27/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Welcome back to Killer Film’s New Release Tuesday for September 27th! Before we get to these releases, let us remind you by ordering through our site, you not only get the best deals around from Amazon, but this one little click will help us out at no extra cost to you! It’s what keeps us killer!
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)
Donny says: Michael Bay is back with a vengeance! This third installment in the Transformers franchise is a kick-ass action extravaganza. Buy
Jason says: Another shiny turd from Michael Bay. Pass
How I Met Your Mother: Season Six
(Formats: DVD)
Donny says: Great writing, hot girls, and Nph! Buy
Jason says: Hot women and Doogie Howser M.D. Rent
Mimic
(Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)
Donny says: Guillermo del Toro’s slick horror film about a monster that can blend into its environment was a...
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)
Donny says: Michael Bay is back with a vengeance! This third installment in the Transformers franchise is a kick-ass action extravaganza. Buy
Jason says: Another shiny turd from Michael Bay. Pass
How I Met Your Mother: Season Six
(Formats: DVD)
Donny says: Great writing, hot girls, and Nph! Buy
Jason says: Hot women and Doogie Howser M.D. Rent
Mimic
(Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)
Donny says: Guillermo del Toro’s slick horror film about a monster that can blend into its environment was a...
- 9/27/2011
- by Donny Broussard
- Killer Films
Edgar Ramirez kills people. On screen. He played an assassin in “The Bourne Ultimatum” and international terrorist Carlos the Jackal in the Sundance Channel miniseries “Carlos,” for which he earned an Emmy nomination this year.
When MTV News caught up with him on the Emmys red carpet, Ramirez talked about his next killer role: Ares, god of war and violence, in the “Clash of the Titans” sequel, "Wrath of the Titans," scheduled for release in March, 2012.
“He wasn’t hugged enough,” said Ramirez of his character. “He’s a wounded, damaged kid, you know?”
Ares is also a kid with some very robust family members. In “Wrath,” Liam Neeson reprises his role as Ares’ dad, Zeus. Ralph Fiennes is also back as Uncle Hades, as is Sam Worthington as the main man/god and Ares’ brother, Perseus. Though Ares and Perseus have a “Cain and Abel kind of thing” going on in the film,...
When MTV News caught up with him on the Emmys red carpet, Ramirez talked about his next killer role: Ares, god of war and violence, in the “Clash of the Titans” sequel, "Wrath of the Titans," scheduled for release in March, 2012.
“He wasn’t hugged enough,” said Ramirez of his character. “He’s a wounded, damaged kid, you know?”
Ares is also a kid with some very robust family members. In “Wrath,” Liam Neeson reprises his role as Ares’ dad, Zeus. Ralph Fiennes is also back as Uncle Hades, as is Sam Worthington as the main man/god and Ares’ brother, Perseus. Though Ares and Perseus have a “Cain and Abel kind of thing” going on in the film,...
- 9/20/2011
- by Tami Katzoff
- MTV Movies Blog
Dominic Cooper's double performance as Uday Hussein and his stand-in means that more dictator flicks are guaranteed
The funniest thing I ever read about Uday and Qusay Hussein was that the guy who betrayed their final hideout was also the host who'd catered to their every iron whim – and that he finally grassed them up because they were obnoxious, demanding, entitled little brats.
To the last, it would seem, judging by The Devil's Double, which offers us a factually supercharged account of the toxic and violent relationship between Uday, Saddam's psychotic elder son, and his press-ganged doppelganger Latif Yahia. They're both played by Dominic Cooper in a batty, star-making double performance that is far more fun than the movie haphazardly slung around it.
Uday's a handful, living out some Baathist-inflected fantasia on De Palma's Scarface, shooting off guns indoors, plucking schoolgirls off the streets and raping them, exercising Caligulan...
The funniest thing I ever read about Uday and Qusay Hussein was that the guy who betrayed their final hideout was also the host who'd catered to their every iron whim – and that he finally grassed them up because they were obnoxious, demanding, entitled little brats.
To the last, it would seem, judging by The Devil's Double, which offers us a factually supercharged account of the toxic and violent relationship between Uday, Saddam's psychotic elder son, and his press-ganged doppelganger Latif Yahia. They're both played by Dominic Cooper in a batty, star-making double performance that is far more fun than the movie haphazardly slung around it.
Uday's a handful, living out some Baathist-inflected fantasia on De Palma's Scarface, shooting off guns indoors, plucking schoolgirls off the streets and raping them, exercising Caligulan...
- 8/8/2011
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
The 5½ hour film/TV miniseries Carlos, an epic, intensely detailed biographical account of the life of the infamous international terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sanchez—also known as Carlos the Jackal—is coming to Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion on Sept. 27.
Ilich Ramírez Sanchez is international terrorist Carlos.
Directed by Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours), the film follows the life of the one of Carlos (Édgar Ramírez, The Bourne Ultimatum), one of the 20th Century’s most-wanted fugitives, as he commits himself to violent left-wing activism throughout the Seventies and Eighties, orchestrating bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings in Europe and the Middle East.
Assayas portrays Carlos not as a criminal mastermind but as a symbol of political shifts around the world in the body of a swaggering global gangster.
The Blu-ray and DVD of the crime-drama movie—which carry the list prices of $49.95 each—will contain the following features:
• New digital transfer, supervised and...
Ilich Ramírez Sanchez is international terrorist Carlos.
Directed by Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours), the film follows the life of the one of Carlos (Édgar Ramírez, The Bourne Ultimatum), one of the 20th Century’s most-wanted fugitives, as he commits himself to violent left-wing activism throughout the Seventies and Eighties, orchestrating bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings in Europe and the Middle East.
Assayas portrays Carlos not as a criminal mastermind but as a symbol of political shifts around the world in the body of a swaggering global gangster.
The Blu-ray and DVD of the crime-drama movie—which carry the list prices of $49.95 each—will contain the following features:
• New digital transfer, supervised and...
- 6/23/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
It's the middle of the month, so you know what that means: an announcement from The Criterion Collection about what they've got coming next, and September looks like yet another strong month from the boutique label. The big name title of the month is Olivier Assayas' "Carlos." The five-and-a-half hour epic about famed terrorist Carlos The Jackal--portrayed in a riveting lead performance by Edgar Ramirez--will be spread across two BluRays or four DVDs. Unfortunately, the extras are a little sparse with the set, featuring interviews with Assayas, Ramirez and DoPs Denis Lenoir and Yorick Le Saux; a twenty minute making-of…...
- 6/15/2011
- The Playlist
Forty years on, few books have changed the literary landscape like Frederick Forsyth's political thriller
In 1969, a young British journalist returned to London after spending 18 months reporting on the Biafran war. His name was Frederick Forsyth. He was 31 years old and, by his own account, flat broke. Needing money quickly, he did what any self-respecting hack would have done: he wrote a thriller.
Initially entitled The Jackal, it told the story of an unnamed assassin hired to kill President de Gaulle. The novel took Forsyth just 35 days to write. He had no great literary aspirations and certainly no intention of revolutionising an entire genre. Forsyth's heroes were John Buchan and Rider Haggard: he simply wanted to tell a riveting story.
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the novel's publication. It is no exaggeration to say The Day of the Jackal has influenced a generation of thriller writers, from Jack Higgins to Ken Follett,...
In 1969, a young British journalist returned to London after spending 18 months reporting on the Biafran war. His name was Frederick Forsyth. He was 31 years old and, by his own account, flat broke. Needing money quickly, he did what any self-respecting hack would have done: he wrote a thriller.
Initially entitled The Jackal, it told the story of an unnamed assassin hired to kill President de Gaulle. The novel took Forsyth just 35 days to write. He had no great literary aspirations and certainly no intention of revolutionising an entire genre. Forsyth's heroes were John Buchan and Rider Haggard: he simply wanted to tell a riveting story.
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the novel's publication. It is no exaggeration to say The Day of the Jackal has influenced a generation of thriller writers, from Jack Higgins to Ken Follett,...
- 6/3/2011
- by Charles Cumming
- The Guardian - Film News
"Carlos" leading man Edgar Ramirez has already contended for SAG and Golden Globe awards for his audacious portrayal of the notorious fugitive Carlos the Jackal. Now, as the focus of the Emmy campaign by Sundance Channel, he is a frontrunner for Best TV Movie/Mini Actor. Among his competition: Idris Elba ("Luther"), Laurence Fishburne ("Thurgood"), William Hurt ("Too Big To Fail"), and Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones ("The Sunset Limited"). Since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, the five-and-a-half hour biopic has earned rave reviews and both the La and NY film critics named it Best Foreign-Language film last December. Last October, "Carlos" aired as a three-part miniseries on producing partner Sundance (thus qualifying for the Emmys) and this January it won the Golden Globe for Best TV Movie/Mini. Ramirez chatted with Gold Derby senior editor Rob Licuria from the Canary Islands where he is...
- 5/31/2011
- Gold Derby
I saw The Bourne Identity in theatres with my dad. He'd already read the original trilogy and was excited that they turned it into a movie. During the movie he turned to me and said, "This is nothing like the book, but I like it."
Being poor I was looking through my parents' books to find something to read for the Cannonball; lo and behold, I came across the original trilogy. I set those to the side and kept looking, when I came across The Bourne Legacy. What the fuck? Then Betrayal and Sanction popped up...then I got Deception. My intent was to read the entire series and then write a review not of just the individual books, but the series as a whole (I'm missing two...fucking Eric Van Lustbader). Why? Basically all of the stories are the same, Jason Bourne gets caught up in some crazy government shit,...
Being poor I was looking through my parents' books to find something to read for the Cannonball; lo and behold, I came across the original trilogy. I set those to the side and kept looking, when I came across The Bourne Legacy. What the fuck? Then Betrayal and Sanction popped up...then I got Deception. My intent was to read the entire series and then write a review not of just the individual books, but the series as a whole (I'm missing two...fucking Eric Van Lustbader). Why? Basically all of the stories are the same, Jason Bourne gets caught up in some crazy government shit,...
- 4/22/2011
- by Tamatha Uhmelmahaye
Following the recent rumour debunk that Viggo Mortensen had been cast in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot as General Zod, another name has now become attached to the film as possibly going toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill in Superman: Man of Steel.
According to Latino Review, who had the exclusive on this, according to their intrepid El Mayimbe, Edgar Ramirez (seen last year in the role of Carlos the Jackal) could well be in line for the villain’s role. At this present time there’s no word whether this would be for the role of General Zod or possibly another Superman villain entirely, another thing El Mayimbe has failed to uncover is whether Ramirez has auditioned for a role or whether he’s simply made it onto a shortlist.
Ramirez, whose other credits include “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Domino” is quite an interesting choice for the project, should we ever get the casting announcement.
According to Latino Review, who had the exclusive on this, according to their intrepid El Mayimbe, Edgar Ramirez (seen last year in the role of Carlos the Jackal) could well be in line for the villain’s role. At this present time there’s no word whether this would be for the role of General Zod or possibly another Superman villain entirely, another thing El Mayimbe has failed to uncover is whether Ramirez has auditioned for a role or whether he’s simply made it onto a shortlist.
Ramirez, whose other credits include “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Domino” is quite an interesting choice for the project, should we ever get the casting announcement.
- 3/24/2011
- by Craig Sharp
- FilmShaft.com
Carlos the Jackal, aka Edgar Ramirez, who played the terrorist wonderfully in the Carlos miniseries, is being touted for a potential role in the upcoming Superman film as a possible villain. This news comes off the heels of Zack Snyder shaking his head no during the press rounds for Viggo Mortensen as Zod.
Latino Review hears the rumor through their scoop mill. Here is what they say:
“From what I’m told, I’m hearing that Edgar Ramirez who by the way killed it in the 5 hour Carlos miniseries (can’t wait for the Criterion blu ray) is supposedly being eyed for a villain role in Zack Snyder’s Superman film.”
It isn’t known if Zod is even the villain in question the film is so tight lipped on all of that. All we continue to hear is that this movie is unlike any film or TV incarnation of...
Latino Review hears the rumor through their scoop mill. Here is what they say:
“From what I’m told, I’m hearing that Edgar Ramirez who by the way killed it in the 5 hour Carlos miniseries (can’t wait for the Criterion blu ray) is supposedly being eyed for a villain role in Zack Snyder’s Superman film.”
It isn’t known if Zod is even the villain in question the film is so tight lipped on all of that. All we continue to hear is that this movie is unlike any film or TV incarnation of...
- 3/24/2011
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
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