Latest news with #HollywoodNorth
National Observer
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- National Observer
MOVIES: Rust with Alec Baldwin finally arrives but can't shake the accident he caused
The big news, shocker actually, in the movie world this week was Donald Trump's plan to impose a 100% tariff on some movies. So called runaway productions seem to be the main target. Films that could have been made in the US but went elsewhere to save money. Hello BC, Ontario and many other places. Think how often Vancouver has played Seattle, and Toronto has pretended to be Chicago. Marvel movies generally film in the UK. It goes on and on. How it'll work is not clear at all. The best outline of the plan that I've read so far is at the entertainment website DEADLINE which reported on the ideas Trump got from the actor Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy, etc. etc.). You can read about them here: Hollywood North will hurt but so will the streamers like Netflix and the smaller independent films especially will really hurt. There'll be fewer of those made, I've seen predicted. Ironically several are on my list today, although I start with this: Rust: 3 Marcella: 3 ½ The Luckiest Man in America: 4 Clown in a Cornfield: 2 ½ Lucky Star: 3 ½ Unit 234: 3 Fight or Flight: 3 RUST: Alec Baldwin escaped the involuntary murder charge but his movie remains seriously damaged. Who can think about anything else but that he fired the gun that killed a woman cinematographer during the filming? How many want to see the film? That's too bad because, even though it has problems, it has some good ideas and nicely recreates the atmosphere of classic western movies. It starts like Shane and then shows a dark side of the old west, like Unforgiven, maybe. 'The only order that exists in this world is the order that we impose,' says one character. There's not enough in this story. Baldwin plays Harland Rust who has a sketchy and violent history but tries to atone by doing right. He breaks his grandson (Patrick Scott McDermott) out of jail to save him from hanging after a false conviction for accidentally shooting a rancher. Since he had had arguments with him, the court took the easy route and assumed it was a deliberate act. Rust offers to take him to Mexico and off they ride with a hopped-up sheriff's posse and fanatical bounty hunters in pursuit. The script brings in ideas that it doesn't integrate. A woman lawyer and distant relative (Frances Fisher) arrives but doesn't do much. There's talk on the ride south about Indian territory and wrongs done there, but only talk. And through the whole film there are biblical references, like a bounty hunter's assertion that he is 'God's angel of wrath.' Oddly, there's also a reference to Plato. And, of course, more gunplay, plus an ironic bit. Rust shows how to properly handle a gun. Joel Souza directed the film. Not all of it though. He was wounded by Baldwin's shot. (In theaters) 3 out of 5 MARCELLA: Many a home kitchen library contains the book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and it is cited as 'definitive.' The woman who wrote it, Marcella Hazan, is credited with teaching people in North America about the best of Italian cuisine and with her simple recipes learn how to cook it. This film tells you who she was. Born in Italy, worked as a teacher, brought to the US in the 1950s by the man she married, Victor Hazan, who had already been living there and met her when he went back for a visit. She had two science degrees but in the US her lack of English held her back. As a housewife she was eager to please her husband and learned to cook. That had always been inside her, she said, and just needed to come out. Then she held small cooking classes which Craig Claiborne at the New York Times noticed and promoted. Julia Child noticed too, introduced her to her publisher and Marcella, with her husband doing the writing, produced the first book that's become so classic. Those are bare facts, which include a return to Italy, for a while running a cooking class there and then a return to the US, to Florida. We get to appreciate what drove her. Part of that was overcoming a childhood accident that permanently maimed one of her hands. She refused to let that deter her, according to people in the film, including her son Giuliano, who has become a cookbook author himself. The other part was her love of Italian culture and food and her compulsion to see it done right. Foodies will love this film. (In theaters) 3 ½ out of 5 THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA: You'll have a very entertaining hour and half watching this true story and get a touching personal story as well. It's set in 1984 when a hapless overweight guy (Paul Walter Hauser ) who modestly describes himself as an air conditioning repair man and an ice cream truck driver applies to be a contestant on a CBS-TV game show called Press Your Luck. One of the producers (David Strathairn) recognizes a potential audience favorite and puts him on fast. He's watched the show often with his daughter. He knows it and starts winning. And keeps winning. Over $100,000 the last time I noticed. The TV executives are alarmed. How can he do it? Is he cheating? Can they forget the audience and stop him? While that's going on, we sense there's a story behind it all. During a break, he wanders into another studio and into a live interview where he talks about feeling rejected by people he loves. We later learn that appearing on the show is a solution for him, but in a surprising way. The film which started out light and comical turns plaintive and affecting. Samir Oliveros directed; Walton Goggins plays the show MC and there's an unexpected cameo by Johnny Knoxville, of all people. (Now available from several digital services) 4 out of 5 CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD: It was Roger Ebert who named the genre: 'the dead teenager movie.' It, and its variations, is back. A new Final Destination arrives next week, I Know What You Did Last Summer soon after, and this matter-of-course example, now. Teens go for them. They deal with generational divide, disrespect from adults and their own feelings of victimhood. What better way to show all that than getting them terrified and killing them off one by one. The deaths here aren't as graphic as in some of these films; they come suddenly and startle more than gross out. And they're often combined with or surrounded by humor. The film is milder than some, as directed by Eli Craig. He made it in Winnipeg, lives in Vancouver and incidentally, is a son of Sally Field. (Off topic, but fun to mention). Based on a popular novel, the film gives us Quinn (Katie Douglas) who, after her mother dies, moves with her dad from Philadelphia to a small mid-western town where he becomes the local doctor. She gets mixed up with a cool crowd at school including a rich boy (Carson MacCormac) and a blonde girl who resents her arrival. A teacher criticizes her unfairly and the local sheriff (Will Sasso, also from B.C.) advises her to stay away from that crowd. The problem is they mock the town, once the home of a syrup factory, now burned down. The teens produce U-tube videos showing its former mascot as a killer clown. Then it appears for real, first in a video, then in the cornfield where the teens go to play and then several at once coming out from the corn plants. The deaths follow but a later attempt to put a deeper meaning and explanation to all this is too sketchy. The killings are the main attraction. (In theaters) 2 ½ out of 5 LUCKY STAR: The Chinese are avid gamblers. By reputation anyway. This film based in Alberta takes up that idea as background to a family drama that could take place in any culture. That's even though the characters are all Chinese and the writer-director, Gillian McKercher, is half-Chinese. The story could resonate anywhere. The father in this family (Terry Chen) has been convinced to give up his gambling addiction. He's asked about it constantly and says, yes, he's not gone back. But as the owner of small repair shop, he's short of money and his problems just keep coming. His wife (Olivia Cheng) asks if he's paid the mortgage, the suggestion clearly is that he's liable to miss doing that. His car is towed and he can't get it back until he pays all his outstanding parking tickets. When he's pressed about what he owes on his income tax, he falls for a scam. He borrows money, sends it off but it disappears. That draws him back to gambling. He finds a high-stakes game but is warned that the host 'can be a hard ass.' The real crux of this story is what it does to his family. McKercher says in Chinese society that would be secret, not talked about outside. Here, the wife takes a stand. This is a very smart film with no easy answers. (In theaters) 3 ½ out of 5 UNIT 234: Do you like movies with twists and surprises? Check this one out because here they keep coming. Several people turn out not to be what you think. Incidents are not what they seem. And a note in the end credits could also qualify as a surprise. It says this is a Canadian film, set in Florida but filmed in the Cayman Islands. I wonder what Trump and Voight would think of that. The story takes place in a venue that's unusual in the movies: a self-storage facility. In one unit there a man found unconscious on a stretcher. He's got a wound; a kidney has been taken from him. The young woman who owns the place (Isabelle Fuhrman) and wants to keep it going to honor her father who left it to her is stuck working alone this weekend and having to deal with this problem. It immediately gets worse. Some thugs want the man's body; they're sent by a businessman played by Don Johnson and we think we know why because he's coughing repeatedly. When the comatose man (Jack Huston) comes to and asks 'Where am I?' we get his story, something about organ transplants for profit, his rare blood type and being passed from buyer to buyer. Even that doesn't explain much as we later find out. Or as one character says: 'We're all guilty of something.' The movie, directed by Andy Tennant, is improbable but compelling. (Video on demand) 3 out of 5 FIGHT OR FLIGHT: Here's a film that doesn't bother with sublety, character development or even explanation. Action is what is has to draw you in, from a frenetic fight on an airplane at the start to an over-the-top bit of ultraviolence at the end. And a mystery in between that's so improbable that it's almost absurd. But don't let that dissuade you. This is a brisk bit of fun. Josh Hartnett stars as a disgraced ex-intelligence agent for the US now moping and drinking in Bangkok. But the woman who caused his ouster from the CIA (Katee Sackhoff) now needs him back. She has no one else in Bangkok on short notice. She offers to clear his reputation if he just does this: get on a plane for San Francisco (a passport is e-mailed) and find a computer hacker called The Ghost who'll be on the same flight. Seem like everybody has heard that too and there are several assassins who'll also be on that plane. Josh has to keep the Ghost alive. It's the kind of story screenwriters dream up. First-time director James Madigan, who's background is in special effects, delivers it with a propulsive pace, lots of on-board intrigue and sprightly dialogue. Josh associates with two of the in-flight crew (Charithra Chandrand Danny Ashok)--who turn out to be suspicious--and fights off attacks by the assassins in various areas of the plane. Not much realism here but lots of action and comedy. (In theaters) 3 out of 5
CBC
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
What Trump's proposed film tariff could mean for Hollywood North
Social Sharing Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 100 per cent tariff on films produced outside of the U.S. Despite Trump saying later that he would consult the film industry before making any moves, there's still a lot of uncertainty about what this latest addition to the trade war might mean for Hollywood North. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud unpacks what we know — and don't know — so far about this looming policy change with Kate Ziegler, the president of ACTRA Toronto, and J. Miles Dale, a film producer who won an Oscar for The Shape of Water. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Kate, how surprised were you when you saw Trump making that announcement on Truth Social on Sunday? Kate: I wasn't super surprised. I think we're all kind of watching, thinking about … when will something come closer to my circle? And also there have been some, I would say, disruptions going on in Washington. There's been some lobbying going on to do something, to join the tariff fight in a way that has been really kind of frightening. So I certainly didn't know, but I wasn't like, "Whoa, how did this happen?" It was kind of like, "Right, OK, Sunday night. What's Monday going to look like?" You know? Elamin: Yeah, this idea that you said — when is this going to hit my circle? — I think that is a hallmark of the Trump presidency. Every industry is like, what's going to happen to us? Miles, were you surprised when the announcement happened? Miles: I'm not really surprised by anything that he says or that the administration is doing right now, because the bar has become bananas. But a lot of people had been asking me, do you think this is going to hit our industry? And I said I certainly hope not, because we're an extremely integrated global industry and we cross borders pretty effortlessly. And then I couldn't really figure out how they might be able to administer it. It's not like a bag of avocados that comes from Mexico…. We have people from all over the world who work on these things. We do our posts in Los Angeles, and sometimes we shoot a movie in two or three different places. So I think that we were hoping there wouldn't be, and now here we are. And now I think people are all very confused about how it might work. But I think more than anything, it's a catalyst to a conversation. The lack of work in Los Angeles, the birthplace of our industry, has been getting a lot of press lately…. So if it can be a good catalyst to a conversation— I notice, for example, in this Jon Voight manifesto or whatever you want to call it, there's a call for a 10 per cent federal U.S. tax credit, which I think we all think would be a great thing for our brothers and sisters there in the U.S.; there's lots to go around. Even though in Canada, most provinces have a film industry — obviously, B.C., Ontario and Quebec foremost, but also in the Atlantic provinces, and in Alberta and Manitoba to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan — so a federal tax credit seems a little more equal. In the U.S., that's less so. So I think some states might not be up for that. It's a possibility. And if that were to happen, it would be a good thing because it's not going to put so much of the burden on the states. Elamin: I just want to clarify a couple of things you said there. "Jon Voight manifesto" — Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone are part of this council, let's say, that Donald Trump appointed ambassadors to Hollywood, to sort of figure out the problems that Hollywood is going through and how he can be a participant in that. Kate, you're the president of an actors' union. Since this announcement came out, what kind of questions have you been getting from the members? Kate: A lot of the questions are centered around how will it work, which is essentially this avocado piece, right? Like, are TV shows going to be exempt? Is it theatregoers that are going to be affected? What if something is a co-production? There's a lot of Canadian-American co-pros with Ireland, and Australia, and South Africa…. I think it showed such a fundamental lack of understanding coming out of the White House, or an unwillingness to express an understanding, if there is one. That really threw people who live inside this work into a state of chaos and confusion, and asking questions that I think they know that the answer is, they haven't worked any of that out. So those are a lot of the things that people wanna know: is it going to stop a production in its tracks, a film, a TV show? What's going to happen?
Toronto Star
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Donald Trump threatens 100% tariff on foreign-produced movies taking direct aim at Toronto's multibillion-dollar film industry
Could Hollywood North wind up on the cutting room floor? U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff target is movies produced outside the U.S., spelling trouble for Canada's multibillion dollar film and TV industry. Ontario's tourism and culture minister Stan Cho called the situation 'unacceptable,' but hopes Trump might hold off. 'I don't think we can sugar coat the potential impact … on the industry.' Late Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he intends to impose a 100 per cent tariff on movies produced outside the U.S. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW President Donald Trump is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S. In a post Sunday night on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to slap a 100% tariff 'on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.' (AP Video / May 5, 2025) 'The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump posted. 'Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.' Trump also called foreign-produced films 'propaganda' and 'a national security threat.' 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!,' Trump added. In 2023, Canada's film and TV industry had $12.2 billion worth of production, and contributed roughly $14 billion to Canada's Gross Domestic Product. Hala Hunny, a filmmaker based in Toronto, said Trump's latest move is self-defeating. 'Trump is shooting the U.S. movie industry in the foot by proposing 100 per cent tariffs on films shot outside of the country,' said Hunny. 'Films have always been shot all around the world, even during Hollywood's booming days.' The ubiquitous orange film set cones can be seen all over Toronto on any given day — a testament to an industry supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the city. Nick Lachance/ Toronto Star Hunny said the U.S. might not even have enough production capacity to take the overflow of movies currently shooting in Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I think there will be a lot of push back from major studios, streaming companies and major producers as well,' Hunny added. The head of one media production union local scoffed at Trump's claims that foreign-produced movies are a threat to U.S. national security. 'The idea that these films and shows are a threat to national security? It's ridiculous,' said Ryan Pogue, president of Unifor local 700, which represents film and TV production technicians in the Toronto area. 'It's clear he wants to bring all the jobs back to L.A.' Industry experts, unions and people from across Ontario's and Toronto's political spectrum slammed Trump's latest tariff threat. 'We expect to have a major impact if he goes through with these threats,' Cho also told reporters. 'We're waiting. We're hoping he doesn't go through with these threats, of course, and he changes his mind on his post. But we're going to react to what is actually in reality, as opposed to things that are posted on (social media).' Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, a former policy director at ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), said the province has built up an 'extraordinarily highly skilled workforce' in the film and television industry, and the government can't afford to sit back. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Stiles worries the tariffs will hit not just film but television productions as well. With COVID shutting down productions, followed by actor and writer strikes in the U.S., the film production sector has 'already taken a big hit … the folks who are employed in this industry are already suffering. We cannot afford another hit,' Stiles said. 'If we lose that sector, and we lose those jobs, they ain't coming back.' Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow estimates the film and TV business employs 30,000 people in the city pumping $2.6 billion a year into the economy. 'I can't imagine what would happen to this industry,' she says if Trump follows through on his tariff threats. Nick Lachance / Toronto Star Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Trump's threat is an overly simplistic look at a highly complex industry. 'The film industry is very global. And it's not as simple as saying 'we're just going to make everything in the U.S.A.,' said Chow, who estimated that the film and TV industry employs 30,000 people in Toronto, and adds $2.6 billion to the city's economy annually. 'I can't imagine what would happen to this industry.' The tariffs will hurt the industry on both sides of the border, warned the head of the Canadian Media Producers Association. 'The proposed actions outlined in U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement,' said CMPA president Reynolds Mastin, 'will cause significant disruption and economic hardship to the media production sectors on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Industry experts say the supply chain of how a film gets made is as complex as the auto industry. 'The problem is that the inputs (for movies) come from so many different places,' said U of T film studies professor Charlie Keil. 'To try to disentangle that immediately is again somewhat akin to what he's trying to do with automobile manufacturing.' Like vehicles, most major films are not produced in a single country, but rely on services and products from around the world. A single feature film might be shot at a studio in Eastern Europe, while relying on a special effects company in Canada and an animation house in Australia. For years, state governments like California have tried to attract more production through tax incentives. It's also unclear, Keil added, just how tariffs would work. Would the 100 per cent only apply to the cost of each non-U.S. service or good used in a movie, or would it be a blanket 100 per cent for the whole film? ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Keil suggested theatres could start adding surcharges for movies which face tariffs. Because tariffs wouldn't make it cheaper to create an all-U.S. production, Trump's approach would make it harder for studios to get movies made, and would likely push the film industry into a 'kind of paralysis,' Keil said, 'rather than stimulate domestic production.' Dozens of films and TV shows are being produced here at any given time, with many destined to be shown in the U.S. — often with Toronto standing in for American cities. With files from Star wire services
