Latest news with #JanusFilms
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pete Davidson Uncovers a Retirement Community Serial Killer in ‘The Home' Trailer
Pete Davidson is making his horror debut with the latest thriller from 'The Purge' creator James DeMonaco. After starring in killer comedy 'Bodies Bodies Bodies,' Davidson fully leans into the genre with DeMonaco's 'The Home' which is set in a retirement community. Davidson plays a rebellious twentysomething who is sentenced to community service at the seemingly-quiet nursing home. However, the residents on the fourth floor are strictly off-limits due to their 'special care' procedures. As the logline teases, 'as his suspicions grow and he digs deeper, he uncovers a chilling secret that puts both the residents' lives and his own in grave danger.' John Glover and Bruce Altman also star. DeMonaco directs from a script he co-wrote with Adam Cantor. More from IndieWire Cannes 2025 Films Sold So Far: Janus Films Acquires Hlynur Pálmason's 'The Love That Remains' Ana de Armas 'Hated' Singing in Ron Howard's 'Eden': 'I Would Rather Do 100 Stunts' 'When I set out to create 'The Home,' I aimed to capture the spine-chilling eeriness of 70's horror, where suspense simmers and ultimately erupts into glorious chaos,' DeMonaco said. 'Joining me is my Staten Island brother, Pete Davidson, who unveils a darker, dramatic side as his character navigates a bizarre group of residents in an old age home. The growing tension culminates in an epic blood-soaked finale, designed to leave audiences gasping, terrified, and cheering. I can't wait for everyone to visit The Home. Cover your eyes, folks.' 'The Home' is produced by Bill Block and Sebastien K. Lemercier. In addition to 'The Home,' Davidson recently has appeared in 'Riff Raff' and is set to star in 'The Pickup' alongside Eddie Murphy. Davidson also returned to 'Saturday Night Live' for the 'SNL50' event earlier this year; the actor starred on the sketch series from 2014 to 2022. 'I think I was very lucky to get my own own video [during the 'SNL50' special],' Davidson told Variety. 'There's 1,000 cast members and hundreds that are more popular and did better work than I did while I was there. I was just very grateful to be in a sketch and have a video and even just be invited. It was very surreal to see.' Davidson added, 'I know I was there for almost a decade but even when I came back and hosted, I was like, 'Wow, I do know all these guys.' I know [creator] Lorne [Michaels], I know most of the cast. It just hits different when you see, like, Meryl Streep doing a sketch. And I also know it was a bunch of people who were in nothing so I'm just very grateful. It was a really surreal moment, and I'm happy that it went well for Lorne and just for the history and the integrity of the institution.' He added that Michaels, who executive produced Davidson's meta Peacock series 'Bupkis,' was a father figure to him. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will co-release 'The Home' in theaters July 25. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Caught by the Tides' builds a new film from the existing works of its director
Advertisement The press kit describes the film as 'mix of fiction and documentary, featuring a cascade of images taken from previous movies, unused scenes, and newly shot dramatic sequences.' Using footage shot over 23 years, Jia crafts a meandering series of montages that subtly documents the passage of time through geographical and societal changes. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up As such, this film's main characters, Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) and her estranged lover, Brother Bin (Li Zhubin), age naturally, but not in the same way. One appears more affected by time than the other, which is revealed in a stunning close-up late in the film. We're witnessing 23 years of change over the course of two hours; the result is more effective than any fake movie magic could conjure. Advertisement Zhao Tao and Li Zhubin in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.''Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films It's even more dramatic if you know that these two characters initially met in Jia's second film, 2002's 'Unknown Pleasures.' Through B-roll and actual footage from that film, you see them as they were back then. Comparisons can be made to Li Zhubin in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films The film also chronicles the displacement of people as a result of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, using documentary footage shot since 2011. This isn't surprising given Jia's interest in the affected residents from Northern Shanxi to Southern Guangdong. 'Caught by the Tides' fashions a thin narrative thread that follows Qiao Qiao from the Chinese mining town of Datong to Beijing as she searches for Bin. He left her to seek better opportunities, promising to send for her once he finds work. But his constant radio silence worries Qiao Qiao, leading her on a somewhat quixotic journey to discover why. The non-linear structure employed here forces us to pay careful attention to figure out where we are, but Jia doesn't leave us completely in the dark. For example, intertitles with dates and locations are intermittently shown. And the changes in footage quality, camera type, and aspect ratio provide clues as to timeframe. Jia also pays special attention to technological advancements like updated cell phones and the emergence of artificial intelligence. The appearance of a friendly robot who reads people's faces and responds with reaffirming quotes is an amusing bright spot in the film's final segment, set in 2023. Advertisement Zhao Tao in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films Intertitles are also used on occasion to tell us what Qiao Qiao is texting or saying. She can speak, but we only hear her sing (there is more singing here than dialogue). Zhao, who is Jia's wife, muse, and collaborator, proves Norma Desmond's adage about why the silents didn't need dialogue: She has one of the most expressive faces in cinema, and her director loves to depict her in motion in his films, usually dancing to needle drops or at clubs. The newest footage, shot during the pandemic, brings 'Caught by the Tides' to a poignant coda. There's a great, shade-filled swipe at the United States controversy over wearing masks, and when Bin and Qiao Qiao remove their masks in their final scene together, it's a bittersweet moment. While I was never bored, I felt somewhat disconnected from this movie. It's not that I wasn't engaged or involved—I enjoy when a movie makes me work for its pleasures—it just felt like I was missing so much and left me wishing I'd seen more of the director's movies. By all means, see this film if you're interested. Just know you might have to do some homework afterwards. ★★★ CAUGHT BY THE TIDES Directed by Jia Zhangke. Written by Jia, Jiahuan Wan. Starring Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin. At the Brattle. 111 min. Unrated. Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bi Gan's Cannes Winner ‘Resurrection' Nabbed by Janus Films for North America (EXCLUSIVE)
Janus Films has acquired all North American rights to 'Resurrection,' the Special Award winner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival from visionary Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan. The film, which premiered in competition at Cannes, marks the third feature from Bi Gan, whose previous credits include 'Kaili Blues' and 'Long Day's Journey Into Night.' More from Variety Jafar Panahi Returns to Cheers in Tehran as Palme d'Or Victory Prompts Diplomatic Spat Between France and Iran 'The Love That Remains' Review: Hlynur Pálmason's Exquisitely Tender, Increasingly Haywire Portrait of a Family in Limbo Inside TikTok's Cannes Film Festival Takeover, From One-on-One Time With Tom Cruise to Reece Feldman's Short Film Premiere Told in six parts spanning a century, 'Resurrection's' framing story takes place in a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream, with one creature remaining entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld. The film stars Chinese superstar singer and actor Jackson Yee and veteran actor Shu Qi, known for her collaborations with Hou Hsiao-Hsien. 'Resurrection' was praised by Variety critic Jessica Kiang as 'a marvelously maximalist movie of opulent ambition that is actually five or six movies, each at once playful and peculiar and part of an overarchingly melancholy elegy for the dream of 20th-century cinema and the lives we lived within it.' Speaking with Variety ahead of the film's Cannes premiere, Bi had said: 'Screens are getting smaller and smaller, and I want to evoke that old feeling of watching films in theaters. The first story begins in the early 20th century, and I employed the cinematic language of that era.' The deal was negotiated between Janus Films and Les Films du Losange. 'Resurrection' was produced by China's Huace Pictures and Dangmai Films with France's CG Cinema, and features a score by M83. 'Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' is a kaleidoscopic, time-skipping, genre-mashing odyssey through cinema and dreams that will thrill fans of daring, visionary filmmakers like David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Leos Carax and Wong Kar-wai,' Janus Films said in a statement. 'We're very proud and excited to bring this surreal, provocative, epic experience to screens across North America and to champion the work of Bi Gan, a director we have long admired.' Les Films du Losange added: ''Resurrection' is a powerful and singular film that has been sparking passionate reactions from festival audiences, international buyers, and the press. It's a film that truly calls for a tailored, original, and ambitious release strategy. With their impeccable taste and exceptional vision, Janus Films are the ideal partners for us.' The acquisition continues Janus Films' recent push into first-run distribution of new international cinema. The company has earned eight Academy Award nominations in partnership with Sideshow Pictures, releasing such titles as Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Oscar winner 'Drive My Car,' Jerzy Skolimowski's Oscar-nominated 'EO,' Payal Kapadia's Cannes Grand Prix winner 'All We Imagine as Light,' and Gints Zibalodis' 'Flow,' which won the Oscar for best animated feature and became Janus' highest-grossing theatrical release. This year's Janus slate has included Alain Guiraudie's 'Misericordia,' David Cronenberg's 'The Shrouds' and Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Upcoming releases include Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cloud' in July and Ira Sachs' 'Peter Hujar's Day' slated for fall. Founded in 1956, Janus Films was the first U.S. theatrical distribution company dedicated to bringing international arthouse films to American audiences, building a library that includes classics from Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and contemporary masters like David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Girl on Edge' Review: A Mother and Daughter Hit Thin Ice in Zhou Jinghao's Alluring but Unsatisfactory Skating Drama
Zhou Jinghao's 'Girl on Edge' starts strong. A young woman is shown skating in a dimly lit ring, finishing her routine and stopping right in front of the camera. Her face is revealed, full of blood red bruises. This is the first of many indelible images that fill this psychological drama reminiscent of 'Black Swan'. Like that thriller, 'Girl on Edge' is about a competitive athlete trying to be the best and dealing with her inner demons. The film promises a tantalizing time but ultimately fails to deliver, as nothing that comes after that opening is as clean or cutthroat. The titular girl is Jiang Ning (Zhang Zifeng) a fiercely competitive skater who's been going through a demoralizing period in her training. She can't seem to get it right, never managing to finish a routine without falling. Her tough coach, her mother Wang Shuang (Ma Yili) can't hide her disappointment. She constantly berates her about her failures. The mother blames the daughter for her own short skating career; she had to give it up when she became pregnant. This fraught situation becomes even more tense when Wang takes on another trainee, Zhong Lind (Ding Xiangyua). Zhong, who's a worker at the ring and not a professional skater, has talent to spare. Suddenly Jiang has both a friend and a rival. More from Variety 'Mama' Review: A Housemaid Abroad Gets an Unpleasant Homecoming in an Intriguing Character Study That Veers Into Melodrama Chris Evans Skipped His Movie's Cannes Premiere Because It Was His Mom's 70th Birthday and 'Some Things You Just Can't Miss' Bi Gan's Cannes Winner 'Resurrection' Nabbed by Janus Films for North America (EXCLUSIVE) 'Girl on Edge' takes a while to get to the meat of its story: the relationship between the two younger women. The film asks many intriguing questions along the way. Is Zhong out to destroy Jiang or will Jiang self-implode from the pressure to succeed? As the two skaters get to train and play together, they seem to bring out the best in each other. Could the mother/coach have planted Zhong in order to give her daughter a reason to be better? Though the film doesn't provide a satisfactory resolution to these threads, the time the audience spends contemplating them is mostly enjoyable. But Zhou's feature loses its narrative edge in a series of jumbled twists. It seems to be reaching for both a profound, meaningful ending and a 'gotcha' subversion to bolster its thriller aspirations. Still 'Girl on Edge' delivers in visuals what it lacks in coherent narrative. The visual storytelling sticks in the memory: full of gorgeous images with metaphorical meaning. Jiang trains in a cast-like apparatus, as if she's in a cage, or appearing like a marionette doll manipulated by a bigger entity. The blue hued skating rinks and dance clubs Jiang and Zhang inhabit look beguilingly sinister, serving as both dreamscape and nightmarish reality. The skating scenes are full of tension, with every fall and swerve dramatically rendered in fast cut closeups on faces and skates. Cinematographer Yu Jing-pin creates an alluring visual atmosphere for these characters to play in. Additionally all three lead actors are masters of the close up. They can hold a frame well and convey much without saying anything. 'Girl on Edge' promises a psychological drama about mothers and in trying to reveal the inner turmoil of its characters, it loses its way. Instead of staying with the characters, it devolves into a jumbled mess of flashbacks, explanations and unsatisfactory resolutions. Zhou's images remain stronl; if only the script could keep up. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Mama' Review: A Housemaid Abroad Gets an Unpleasant Homecoming in an Intriguing Character Study That Veers Into Melodrama
'Mama,' director Or Sinai's first narrative feature, proves the filmmaker as a keen character observer. Inspired by stories she heard from migrant Eastern European women working in Israel, the film follows Mila (Evgenia Dodina), a housekeeper for a rich family providing for those she left back in Poland. When an unexpected accident forces her home, she discovers that her family doesn't need her as much as she thought they did. But while 'Mama' is a revelatory character study of a fascinating woman, it resorts a few too many times to melodramatic flourishes that undercut where its power lies. Above all, Sinai's film is a social drama, concerned with its characters' economic plight and attuned to what rights are denied to them. Mila is first shown in the big, lavish house owned by the family she serves. Her position there becomes apparent to the audience by the dismissive, though often laced with kindness, way that her employers treat her. They might claim she's kin, but she's obviously a servant. She takes solace in a tender affair she has with another domestic, the gardener (Martin Ogbu). These opening scenes effectively portray Mila's state of mind and show her vulnerabilities. More from Variety Chris Evans Skipped His Movie's Cannes Premiere Because It Was His Mom's 70th Birthday and 'Some Things You Just Can't Miss' Bi Gan's Cannes Winner 'Resurrection' Nabbed by Janus Films for North America (EXCLUSIVE) Jafar Panahi Returns to Cheers in Tehran as Palme d'Or Victory Prompts Diplomatic Spat Between France and Iran The tables are turned once the action moves to the small Polish village where she came from. There, Mila is the dominating alpha over her husband (Arkadiusz Jakubik) and daughter (Katarzyna Łubik). Her money is what keeps all three afloat, paying for the daughter's education and the building of a new house they plan to move into. Having spent years away wearing herself out so that the can afford a decent living, Mila reveals herself as a tyrant who always thinks she knows best. When she discovers that another woman (Dominika Bednarczyk) has replaced her as lover to her husband and surrogate mother to her daughter, she desperately tries to salvage her position at the top of the family Unfortunately the film presents Mila's plight in a series of melodramatic situations, incongruent with the well-observed character study that 'Mama' has been thus far. Melodrama can serve as a way to heighten a story, but only when done right. Instead of deepening Mila's character or showing consequences for her actions, these plot swerves manifest as a series of inexplicable decisions made by the protagonist. Prior to that, there was a heartfelt and confrontational drama happening between her and the other three characters she has to deal with in Poland. There might have been a better way to foreground the conflicts brewing between them than forcing such convoluted circumstances. This change is especially detrimental to the daughter's character, forcing Łubik to spend most of her performance hysterically responding to her mother's actions. The screenplay also underserves Bednarczyk, who gives an almost silent performance yet manages to render her character fully human. As 'Mama' becomes more of a mother-daughter showdown, that character disappears. Ogbu is a calming and loving presence as 'the lover' (the actual character name in the press notes, showing how much the filmmakers care about this figure) but 'Mama' wastes the chance to portray its only Black character as fully dimensional. He's only there to serve the lead character, adding carnality and color blindness to her attributes. At the center of the film lies Dodina's commanding performance. With a fierce gaze that ruptures the screen and looks straight through those watching, she's soulful, dynamic and powerful. Mila is complicated and headstrong, sometimes even bitter, and Dodina does not try to soften her at all. Instead she presents her in full, warts and all. Dodina never seeks the audience's sympathy yet manages to command utmost compassion. Matan Radin's crisp, unfussy cinematography captures the openness of the rich family's house in Israel with yellowish desert hues. In contrast, the smaller, cramped apartments that the characters inhabit in Poland are rendered with grayish, claustrophobic lighting. Sinai's framing of Dodina becomes more restrictive as Mila signals her dissatisfaction, showing how the world is closing in on her and forcing her to make irrational decisions. In these instances, the strong filmmaking trumps the script's inconsistencies. With 'Mama' many would understand why Sinai, a first time feature filmmaker, was given a berth a Cannes: this is a competent and intriguing debut. What it lacks in script sophistication, Sinai more than makes up for with her assured filmmaking and successful guidance of her lead performance. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
