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Around Tinsel Town
>> San Diego Comic Con
The much-hyped San Diego Comic Con took place from July 25 to July 28. Several films and series were announced at the event, but the news that sent fans into a frenzy was this one: Robert Downey Jr. announced his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Marvel’s mega-villain Doctor Victor Von Doom aka Doctor Doom.
Some highlights of the programme:
> Robert Downey Jr. will receive a salary of over $80 million plus allowances for the next two ‘Avengers’ movies
‘The Boys’ prequel ‘Watt Rising’ announced at Comic-Con
> Michael C Hall will return for the series ‘Dexter: Resurrection’
> ‘Alien: Romulus’ Hall H panel sees 6,500 facehugger masks while director Fede Alvarez updates SDCC
> Marvel releases ‘Fantastic Four’ movie title along with concept reel featuring Galactus
‘Doctor Who’ spinoff ‘The War Between the Land and Sea’ officially announced
> ‘Star Trek’ to expand with new comedy series
> Steve Zahn joins the cast of ‘Silo’ Season 2
>> TFPC bans all film-related activities from November 1; actors, producers and other stakeholders react
Tamil cinema has been in a state of uncertainty since the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, after the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) released a statement on the regulations to be implemented for the production and release of films in Tamil Nadu. The announcement mandates an eight-week streaming release window for films featuring big stars; prohibits actors from taking up new projects before completing their previous commitments; calls for a temporary halt on the production of new films from August 16 to resolve the situation where several films are stuck; and calls for a halt to all film-related activities from November 1 this year to implement measures to regularise actors’ remuneration. The governing body’s six-point statement has created a stir wide and far, with stakeholders raising concerns over how the regulations will be implemented
>> IDSFFK 2024
The 16th Kerala International Documentary and Short Film Festival (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Film Academy, was held from July 26 to 31. The event gave the best long documentary award to Anand Patwardhan’s ‘Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam’, a deeply personal history of the filmmaker’s family intertwined with the history of the nation. Ranajit Ray’s ‘Putulnama’, on the daily struggles of puppeteers, won the second best long documentary award.
Here are some of the key highlights of the event, as reported by Praveen SR:
> Wildlife filmmaking pioneers the Bedi brothers see their films as a message of conservation
> How students at a Spanish film school intelligently challenged Franco’s dictatorial regime
> ‘Farming the Revolution’ became a powerful document of historic protest
> ‘Flickering Lights’ is the story of a long wait for electricity in a remote village
> ‘Colours of Kollywood’, a student project, takes a critical look at colourism in the Tamil film industry
> Lalit Vachani’s ‘Qaidi No. 626710 Saajit Hai’ is a poignant portrayal of a prisoner trapped in a Kafka-like situation
Bollywood
Ranveer Singh will play the lead role in ‘Uri’ director Aditya Dhar’s next film
Kartik Aaryan completes the shooting of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’
Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ to premiere on November 7
Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir and Rima Das’ anthology film ‘My Melbourne’ to open 2024 IFFM
Vikrant Massey to be seen in Ruskin Bond adaptation ‘Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan’
Shooting of Vaani Kapoor’s ‘Badtameez Gill’ is complete
The first look of Neena Gupta-led musical drama ‘Hindi-Vindi’ is out
Sharvari Wagh begins shooting for YRF Spy Universe film ‘Alpha’
KK Menon-starrer detective series ‘Shekhar Home’ set to premiere
Vedang Raina, Khushi Kapoor talk about working together again after ‘The Archies’
Hollywood
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ have 6th biggest opening weekend of all time; break R-rated record with $205 million
Film academy re-elects Janet Yang as president
Video surfaces of Francis Ford Coppola trying to kiss extras on the set of ‘Megalopolis’
‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 finale leaked online, HBO says ‘aggressively removing clips from the internet’
Jason Reitman’s ‘SNL’ film gets title, to release in October
Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney refuse to host Oscars 2025
Chris Evans on his return to ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: Playing Johnny is a dream come true
‘Longlegs’ surpasses ‘Parasite’ to become Neon’s highest-grossing film domestically
James Gunn’s ‘Superman: Legacy’ completes production
regional cinema
Release date of Prabhas’ ‘The Raja Saab’ is confirmed, first look revealed
Bengali film industry’s lockdown ends after CM’s intervention
Arjun’s first look from Ajith Kumar’s film ‘Vida Muyarchy’ is out
Dulquer Salmaan’s next film is titled ‘Aakasam Lo Oka Tara’.
Yuvan Shankar Raja to make ‘Sweetheart!’ starring Rio Raj
Makers of ‘KD-The Devil’ introduce Sanjay Dutt as Dhaakad Dev
Bengali filmmaker Rahul Mukherjee lashes out against Cine Workers Federation for technicians boycotting shooting
First look of Krithi Shetty and SJ Suryah from Vignesh Shivan-Pradeep Ranganathan’s ‘Love Insurance Company’ released
Director Leena Manimekalai launches her own video on demand channel
Prashanth’s ‘Andhagan’ gets a new release date
world cinema
‘Squid Game’ season 2 premiere date revealed, makers confirm season 3
First look at Alfonso Cuaron’s upcoming Apple TV series ‘Disclaimer’ released
Tom Cruise receives France’s prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honor
Irish star Anna Hardwicke to play Manchester United football legend Roy Keane in ‘Saipan’
Apple TV+’s first German series ‘Where is Wanda?’ gets a streaming date
‘The Crow’ starring Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs gets an India release date
‘Cobra Kai’ creators announce a Mr. Miyagi prequel series
Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon 2’ to premiere at Venice Film Festival
Trailers
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ season 2 trailer shows the long-awaited reemergence of Sauron
Michelle Yeoh keeps the vibe alive in teaser for ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ spinoff, ‘Star Trek: Section 31’
The trailer of Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Khel Khel Mein’ promises a comedy-drama with lots of surprises
Eddie Redmayne plays a clever killer in ‘The Day of the Jackal’ teaser
Keerthy Suresh challenges the status quo in the trailer of anti-Hindi comedy ‘Raghuthatha’
‘Veda’ trailer shows John Abraham fighting for justice with Sharvari
Ravi Teja seen as an Income Tax officer in the teaser of ‘Mr Bachchan’
Taro Sakamoto’s dual identity is brought to life in Netflix’s ‘Sakamoto Days’ teaser
Colin Farrell goes on a criminal journey in new ‘The Penguin’ trailer
‘Mechanic Rocky’ sneak peek shows Vishwak Sen as the man in charge
The teaser-trailer for ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’ features Ryoma Takeuchi as Kazuma Kiryu and Kento Kaku as Nishikiyama Akira.
Required Reading
1) Actor Prashanth interview: Why ‘Andhagan’, ‘GOAT’ and Vijay are like brothers to him?
>> The ‘Top Star’ also revealed how directors Mani Ratnam and Shankar shaped him
2) Director Chimbudevan on Yogi Babu’s ‘Boat’: I don’t think the freedom fighters of our country got their due.
>> The filmmakers also explain how historical decisions, ideologies and movements inspire them
3) K.S.Chitra interview: What keeps the legendary singer curious even at 61?
>> She reflects on how she adapts to today’s playback culture and the country’s changing sonic landscape
4) Director Surya Vangala: Trisha brought in the nuances which made the film look natural
>> The filmmaker discusses the making of Telugu web series ‘Brinda’, which marks actress Trisha’s debut in the digital space
5) Director Vijay Milton: Vijay Antony’s ‘Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan’ is inspired by the Denzel Washington film.
>> He also told what he learned from working with a superstar like Shivarajkumar
6) Screen Share | Exciting stories of great athletes who overcame obstacles
>> While most sports biopics suffer from a templated treatment, few balance the emotional beats with the significance of the sport to deliver a thrilling experience
7) Mike Gunton on ‘Planet Earth III’: ‘A cautionary tale and expression of hope’
>> EP says ‘PE III’ shows the natural world in a modern way — showing the wonders as well as the touch points where humanity and animals come into contact
8) Tarsem Singh has returned with the 4k version of ‘The Fall’ while he awaits the theatrical release of ‘Dear Jassi’ in India.
>> The Indian-origin filmmaker talks about his two films and working with Lady Gaga in the music video for ‘911’
9) Workplace conflict and Disney+ Hotstar’s ‘Hardly Working’
>> The latest comedy special coming to OTT serves up sharp jokes on bosses and discontent in the office
10) From ‘Devaduthan’ to ‘Manichitrathazhu’, Malayalam cinema continues to see the re-release of cult classics and blockbusters.
>> With the help of digitally remastered 4K Dolby Atmos versions, films like ‘Manichitrathazhu’ are hoping to attract new audiences
11) Vijay Subramaniam of Collective Artist Network: The whole industry needs to come together to standardise costs
>> Vijay discusses the rift in the film industry and promoting the creator economy
12) From Seoul to Busan, you can now go on a K-drama tour when visiting South Korea
>> Tourists influenced by Hallyu are choosing to explore South Korea and its culture through K-drama and K-pop tourism
13) How will cess on movie tickets, OTT subscriptions help distressed workers and artistes in Karnataka?
>> A new bill passed on June 26 envisages the formation of a welfare board and setting up of a fund to provide social security to film and theatre workers and artistes.
what to watch
1) Janhvi Kapoor is stuck in an incomprehensible plot in ‘Uljhan’
Read the full review here
2) Josh Hartnett is serious in M. Night Shyamalan’s dreary thriller ‘Trap’
Read the full review here
3) Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s struggle in their old romance ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’
Read the full review here
4) Trisha, Ravindra Vijay shine in ‘Brinda’, a tense crime drama
Read the full review here
5) In ‘Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan’, Vijay Antony headlines a weak mess of Hollywood films
Read the full review here
6) ‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli’ is an entertaining, informative journey of a game changer
Read the full review here
7) Erratic pacing, one-dimensional characters jeopardize ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’
Read the full review here
8) Yogi Babu fails to save ‘Boat’, a boring, talky survival drama
Read the full review here
9) ‘Wonderland’ has an interesting plot, but needed better writing
Read the full review here
10) ‘The Decameron’, a millennial tale based on Boccacchio’s obscene stories, is hampered by uneven pacing and sporadic laughter
Read the full review here
11) Yogi Babu, Radha Mohan cook delicious dishes in web series ‘Chutney Sambar’
Read the full review here
12) Amala Paul, Asif Ali’s ‘Level Cross’ fails to live up to its potential despite clever writing and unexpected twists
Read the full review here
