Paolo Sorrentino’s Cannes Competition entry “Parthenope” has been acquired by A24 for North American distribution. Inspired by the Greek myth of the siren who threw herself into the sea after failing to seduce Ulysses with her voice, “Parthenope” marks Sorrentino’s seventh Cannes Competition selection. Previous selections include “Youth” in 2015, as well as the eventual… Continue reading A24 acquires Paolo Sorrentino’s Cannes Competition entry ‘Parthenope’
According to this Production Weekly, Michael Mann’s “Heat 2” is scheduled to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2024, likely in October or November. In a recent interview with Radio France, Mann confirmed that he is currently in pre-production for “Heat 2” and expressed that, judging by the stack of papers on his desk,… Continue reading Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2′ to Shoot in October or November
Universal Pictures has secured a director for its highly anticipated Leonardo da Vinci film. Andrew Haigh, known for his work on “All of Us Strangers,” has been chosen to direct and adapt Walter Isaacson’s celebrated biography of the Renaissance polymath. Isaacson’s book, based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks and recent discoveries… Continue reading ‘All of Us Strangers’ Director Andrew Haigh Set to direct Leonardo Da Vinci film for Universal
Quentin Tarantino has reportedly scrapped what was supposed to be his tenth and final feature film, The Movie Critic, deep into pre-production. This decision is one in a long line of cancelled or unproduced projects left by the Hollywood wayside. For every film that makes it to our screens, hundreds if not thousands fail to… Continue reading Tarantino abandons his tenth film – five other times Hollywood giants cancelled big projects
Trần Anh Hùng, the Vietnamese-born French director known for his Oscar-nominated film The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) and Norwegian Wood (2010), returns with another gorgeous work, The Taste of Things. Due for UK release in February 2024, the film is already out in France. The Taste of Things won the best director award at… Continue reading The Taste of Things review: this gastronomic French tale is a feast for the senses
Science fiction is never really about the future. The best sci-fi makes use of an imagined future world to provide a critical distance from our current time; to ask questions about what we are doing rather than where we are going. Director Garth Davis’ Foe, adapted from the novel by Iain Reid, is sci-fi for… Continue reading Foe review: a Frankenstein tale of the not-so-distant future
There have been more than 60,000 books written about Napoleon since his death in 1821. Cinema too has been drawn to him time and again. The Lumière brothers made a short film in 1897 and he featured in the mostly lost British film The Battle of Waterloo (1913). Already, the standard image of Napoleon was… Continue reading Napoleon Bonaparte features in 60,000 books and more than 100 films – does Ridley Scott’s stand up?
All prime ministerial memoirs are about shaping legacies. “History will be kind to me,” Churchill is alleged to have said before writing his own six-volume history. “For I intend to write it.” But among these memoir writers sits a sub-genre of leaders who need to do some pretty serious legacy shaping. Think Anthony Eden on… Continue reading Liz Truss’s lessons on how not to be a prime minister
Corruption has long been a scourge in parts of Latin America. Traditionally, it has funneled down domestic routes, with local politicians, business interests and drug lords benefiting from graft and dodgy dealings. Indeed, a 2022 report from Transparency International found that 27 out of 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have shown stagnant… Continue reading How China uses ‘geostrategic corruption’ to exert its influence in Latin America
Albania may be struggling with high levels of corruption at all levels of society, but the country is taking a new approach to tackling this crime with the introduction of a special anti-corruption body, known as Spak. Spak is made up of a special prosecution office, the national bureau of investigation, and special courts dealing… Continue reading How one of the most corrupt countries in Europe is tackling crime at the highest level
