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Three-time Oscar-nominated actor Sigourney Weaver will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Weaver said, “To be gifted this award is a privilege I share with all the filmmakers and collaborators I have worked with throughout the years. I proudly accept this award in celebration of all who have helped bring these films to life.”

Venice’s director Alberto Barbera, whose mandate was just renewed, said, “An actress of the caliber of Sigourney Weaver has few rivals. Strengthened by her significant theatrical training, she won over the great film-going public with ‘Alien,’ directed by Ridley Scott, soon becoming an emblematic figure of the 1980s.”

“During the course of that decade, she forged the image of a heroine unprecedented in the action film genre, able to victoriously rival the male models who, up to that point, had dominated epic and adventure movies. Not satisfied...

"The Simpsons" is a show home to innumerable colorful characters, including two space aliens named Kang and Kodos. How do aliens fit into the world of Springfield? Out of canon, of course! Created by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, the alien characters made their debut on the Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror," and have appeared in every "Treehouse of Horror" episode since (with one exception: "Treehouse of Horror Xxi").

These episodes are understood to take place outside of the standard "Simpsons" continuity, which means aliens can pop up and have no effect on the show's "normal" world. While Kang and Kodos mostly get cameo appearances, they occasionally get their own major "Treehouse of Horror" plotlines, like the time they famously switched places with then-presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole for "Treehouse of Horror VII." This is the episode that gave us the now-famous line, "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.

Season 1 of "The Simpsons" is a whole different beast. You've got brown Mr. Smithers, character designs out of a Dr. Seuss book, and Homer inexplicably sounding like Walter Matthau. It's a charming affair, but it also hasn't yet turned into "The Simpsons" we've come to know and love.

What complicates the first season even more is the way that Fox aired certain episodes out of order. This was famously a much bigger problem with the classic era of "Futurama," but it also led to some inconsistencies in early "Simpsons." While the animation, character designs, and voices were all slowly evolving in the right direction throughout the first three seasons, the out-of-order episodes meant the show would sometimes take a seemingly random, large step back in animation quality. A case in point was the season 1 finale, "Some Enchanted Evening," which inexplicably looked closer to the old bumpers on "The Tracey Ullman Show...

The most famous writer of The Simpsons is obviously Conan O'Brien, but even if they are not known by name, plenty of writers have gone on to some infamy. Al Jean and Mike Riess went from The Simpsons to creating its cult classic cousin The Critic; Jim Reardon has become a regular writer on Disney movies, most notably his Oscar-nominated work on Wall-e; and Wallace Wolodarsky, in addition to a career writing movies, has made a number of appearances in Wes Anderson films particularly as Mr. Fox's sidekick Kylie. But there is no writer more infamous than the author of 59 episodes, John Swartzwelder. Holding the record with a margin of 21 episodes, Swartzwelder's prolific contribution to The Simpsons is only partly why there is so much notoriety about him. Mystery has been created around Swartzwelder, unlike any other television writer. Some people believe he didn't even exist. But John Swartzwelder does...

The film Fantastic Mr. Fox brilliantly captures the spirit of autumn through its meticulous design and stop-motion animation, with a color palette that screams autumn. The wildlife setting and danger-filled farms in the film add to the story's depth and give a sense of danger and adventure. The film explores themes of family, community, and the acceptance of one's instincts while emphasizing the importance of food in bringing people together. It is the perfect movie to watch over a Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and across the country, people are preparing to spend time with family, learn about the cultural origins of the holiday and its basis in Native American culture, and, above all else, eat. Meanwhile, movie buffs are preparing for their annual viewings of either A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and obviously, both of these are fantastic choices.

But there's one...

The entertainment industry has been brought to a standstill by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The two unions are fighting for appropriate wages for their work, as well as ensure the future of their careers in light of advancements in artificial intelligence and fewer long-term opportunities. It's a struggle that's been felt by both unions and many other members of the film and television world.

Striking is also something that The Simpsons is familiar with, both in-universe and out of it. Within the show itself, multiple episodes have seen the titular family working with various unions to bring down institutions and protect the rights of Springfield's citizens. In real life, the voices behind the series threatened to go on strike to secure a better contract for the cast -- and succeeded, highlighting how the people behind some of entertainment's biggest prooperties can enact change.

The ‘90s were the decade of The Simpsons, sorry Seinfeld. The family was introduced in 1987 through a series of short clips in between skits on Fox’s The Tracey Ullman Show, overstayed their welcome and were spun off. The series debuted on Dec. 17, 1989 with a holiday special, “Simpsons Roasting on An Open Fire,” before hopping on the rotisserie of regular rotation on Jan. 14, 1990 with “Bart the Genius,” directed by David Silverman, and written by Jon Vitti.

The half-hour animated series was created by Matt Groening, who came up with it as a last-second pitch to foil his own plan to animate his comic strip Life in Hell. The Simpsons was produced by TV legend James L. Brooks, who drove The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi, and Sam Simon, who wrote for Taxi and Cheers.

The voice talent continued over from the shorts. Dan Castellaneta performed the voices of Homer Simpson,...

The Good House Review — The Good House (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, written by Thomas Bezucha, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky and starring Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, David Rasche, Rebecca Henderson, Molly Brown, Kathryn Erbe, Kelly AuCoin, Georgia Lyman, Oliver Boyle, Adrian [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Good House (2021): An Intriguing and Affecting Drama with Solid, Likable Performances...

Plot: The Good House follows Hildy Good, a wry New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches, who loves her wine and her secrets. Her compartmentalized life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high-school flame and becomes dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior. Igniting long-buried emotions and family secrets, Hildy is propelled toward a reckoning with the one person she’s been avoiding for decades: herself.

Review: Believe it or not, it has been over a decade since Sigourney Weaver was the lead in a feature film. While she has acted steadily in major supporting roles or as part of an ensemble, Weaver’s last top-billed performance was in 2007’s The Girl in the Park. At 72, Weaver has had key roles in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise and was even a Marvel villain in Netflix’s Defenders series, but The Good House...

In The Good House, from directors Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky, Hildy Good (Sigourney Weaver) is a successful realtor in an idyllic New England town who works hard at maintaining an exterior that everything is going her way when it’s very much not. When Hildy crosses paths with an old flame, local construction contractor Frank Getchell (Kevin Kline), things reignite between them, but that also brings old demons to the surface and forces Hildy to face her own bad choices and the damage they’ve caused.

Imax is out this Sunday with Brandi Carlile: In The Canyon Haze – Live from Laurel Canyon on 31 screens nationwide, an encore of a live event that reps a milestone for the large format exhibitor.

The concert was broadcast Thursday from LA’s storied Laurel Canyon neighborhood to 87 Imax theaters (there would have been a few more if Hurricane Ian hadn’t taken out Florida locations). More than three dozen sold out for what is the company’s top-grossing live event. It featured Carlile and her band — no live audience — performing reimagined versions of songs from her new deluxe album “In The Canyon Haze”. Filmed for Imax using Imax digital cameras, it’s the first event of its kind Imax has staged.

Early this year, the company grossed 300k from its live stream of Kanye West’s Donda 2 concert event in Miami — the closest thing to date. (It released the...

A middling movie with a must-see performance at its core, “The Good House” does something interesting with the notion of the unreliable narrator. As the unfortunately named Hildy Good, Sigourney Weaver brings deceptive self-confidence to the role of a small-town Realtor. We meet Hildy introducing a couple to the fictional New England fishing village of where the Good family has lived for so long, there’s talk of witches in their past. But Hildy can’t be trusted — not because her character is bad, but because she’s in denial.

“I can walk through a house once and know more about its occupants than a psychiatrist … could in a year of sessions,” Hildy boasts, addressing the audience directly. In truth, she’s not talking to us so much as she is rationalizing things to herself. The slyly insightful way Forbes (“Infinitely Polar Bear”) and Wolodarsky (who spent years writing for...

With the temps falling and the leaves slowly changing, lots of folks may be thinking of taking a trip to New England. Perhaps you could “hunker down” in a quaint old house by the water. Hey, if you’ve got the moola, maybe you could just buy the place, and make it your getaway, or permanent “digs”. Oh but most of us would have to do this vicariously, maybe at the movies. But who would you contact about such a fantasy home, say in a rustic lil’ village? And that is answered in this week’s star-powered release. Surely such a spot would be free of worries, “no hassles, no hustles”, right? Not really, as this film’s focus finds out. It seems you’re never safe from those “inner demons”, not even at The Good House.

That person living in such a primo place is the town’s number...

This review originally ran Sept. 15, 2021, for the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Like many an entertaining addict, Hildy Good is a great storyteller, providing withering judgments about the people in her orbit amidst all the latest gossip. But like all addicts, the stories she tells always exonerate herself and her behavior — she’s just fine, it’s everyone else who’s messed up. And so what if she sneaks wine after having already been sent to rehab? She never drinks before 5pm, so it’s not like she’s an alcoholic or anything.

Sigourney Weaver plunges herself into the role of Hildy in “The Good House,” and it’s been a while since this titan of cinema has been given a character with the complexity (and the screen time) that the actor deserves. Weaver’s droll comic style has surfaced periodically over the course of...

Sigourney Weaver stars in The Good House. Photo: Roadside Attractions Whatever good there is to say about The Good House revolves around its luminous star, Sigourney Weaver. There are moments in Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky’s new dramedy when you wonder why, despite two Golden Globe Awards, three Oscar...

Life doesn't always go the way we planned, and the stories we tell ourselves aren't always true. In "The Good House," New England real estate agent Hildy Good, played by Sigourney Weaver, seems to have it all. She has the gorgeous house, the successful real estate business, and a potential romance with her high school flame, local construction contractor Frank (played by Kevin Kline). The only problem is that she's an alcoholic, and despite going through rehab for her daughter and convincing everyone that she's stayed sober, she hasn't. One glass of wine after dinner turns into one bottle, and before long, Hildy faces losing everything. "The Good House" is a funny, heartfelt drama with a killer cast, based on the novel of the same name by Ann Leary. 

I had the chance to sit down via Zoom with "The Good House" directors Maya Forbes ("The Polka King") and Wally Wolodarsky...

Days of Wine & Mortgage: Weaver Soars in Drama on Denial & Redemption

“It always begins with denial,” Hildy Good announces in the opening frames of The Good House, a successful New England realtor whose personal and professional life are on the wane thanks, in part, to her alcoholism. Adapted from the 2013 novel by Ann Leary, husband and wife directing team Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky (The Polka King; Infinitely Polar Bear) craft a rare narrative centered exclusively on the interiority of a woman in her sixties whose life is swiftly crumbling.

There have been plenty of classic melodramas about alcoholism, such as The Lost Weekend or The Days of Wine and Roses, but Forbes and Wolodarsky offer something unique with a narrative initially suggesting a Nancy Meyers comedy then descending into the sobering and sinister.…...

“Avatar” star Sigourney Weaver revealed some insight about James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which premieres Dec. 16.

“The story is about family, about our families trying to stay together [and] the lengths to which we all go to protect each other and protect the place where we live,” Weaver told Variety at a special screening for her new film “The Good House” in New York City. “It’s very much based on Jim’s family and his joy in the family; and also, how vulnerable you are when you have children.”

A hit for over a decade since its original release, “Avatar” once again dominated the box office with an impressive re-release in theaters. Ahead of the upcoming sequel, the 2009 sci-fi epic wowed with 30 million worldwide in ticket sales, as reported on Sept. 25.

Weaver, who turns 73 in October, will travel back in time as she plays a...

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired North American rights to “The Good House” from Amblin Partners, in association with Participant. The film will have its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16, with Roadside Attractions setting a wide release date for September 30 exclusively in theaters.

The film, starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, is an adaptation of Ann Leary’s best selling novel. The story follows Hildy Good (Weaver), a New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches. Good loves her wine and her secrets, but her compartmentalized life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high-school flame, Frank Getchell (Kline). Becoming dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior, the film follows the couple as long-buried emotions and family secrets are ignited, propelling Good towards a reckoning with the one person she’s been avoiding for decades: herself.

“We’re confident...

US premiere at Tribeca set for June 18.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired North American rights from Amblin Partners to Toronto 2021 selection The Good House starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline.

The adaptation of Ann Leary’s novel gets its US premiere at Tribeca Festival on Saturday (June 18) and Roadside Attractions plans an exclusive theatrical release on September 30.

Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bezucha. The Good House follows a wry New England estate agent and descendant of the Salem witches whose life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high school flame.

Click here to read the full article.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired North American rights to The Good House from Amblin Partners, in association with Participant.

The comic drama, starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in the film adaptation of Ann Leary’s book, bowed at the Toronto Film Festival in 2021. The Good House is set for a theatrical bow on Sept. 30.

The film, directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with Thomas Bezucha, portrays Weaver as a New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches who understands her neighbors’ problems and secrets but is in denial about her own.

The Good House also stars Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, David Rasche, Rebecca Henderson, Molly Brown and Beverly D’Angelo. The film marks Weaver’s and Kline’s third collaboration after 1993’s Dave and the 1997 drama The Ice Storm.

“Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline make...

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired North American rights to the romantic drama The Good House from Amblin Partners, in association with Participant. The film based on Ann Leary’s New York Times bestseller is heading to the Tribeca Film Festival for its U.S. premiere in June 18, and will hit theaters via Roadside on September 30.

The Good House follows Hildy Good (three-time Oscar nom Sigourney Weaver), a wry New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches, who loves her wine and her secrets. Her compartmentalized life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high-school flame, Frank Getchell (Oscar winner Kevin Kline), and becomes dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior. Igniting long-buried emotions and family secrets, Hildy is propelled toward a reckoning with the one person she’s been avoiding for decades: herself.

The film acquired by Lionsgate and Roadside marks the third collaboration between Weaver and Kline,...

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions announced on Monday that they have jointly acquired the North American distribution rights to “The Good House,” a Participant-produced drama starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline that will have its U.S. premiere at Tribeca this week and will be released in theaters Sept. 30.

Based on the bestselling novel by Ann Leary, “The Good House” stars Weaver as Hildy Good, a wry New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches, who loves her wine and her secrets. Her compartmentalized life begins to unravel as she rekindles a romance with her old high-school flame, Frank Getchell (Kline), and becomes dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior.

Igniting long-buried emotions and family secrets, Hildy is propelled toward a reckoning with the one person she’s been avoiding for decades: herself. Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky directed the film from a screenplay adaptation they co-wrote with Thomas Bezucha.

CAA’s acquisition of ICM Partners, the biggest shakeup in the Hollywood representation space in over a decade, continues a tradition of consolidation in the agency business. CAA and Endeavor both were launched by star agents who left established powerhouses Wma and ICM, respectively. The fastest way to grow is through acquisition or merger. Since size is crucial in the cutthroat agency business, here is how CAA would scale up in different areas if its acquisition of ICM Partners goes through to form a combined company that would continue to carry the CAA name.

Before ICM purchased the Stellar Group in October 2020, their annual billings were estimated to be around $200M, fueled by TV, TV lit and its publishing divisions. Based on that, industry insiders estimate that CAA likely shelled out more than $550M for ICM. ICM has offices in New York, Los Angeles and London, with roughly 400-plus employees.

The Good House is roughly one-half of an utterly wonderful, character-driven comedy-drama. But one-half is insufficient to classify anything a success. That is true even when the entirety features an exceptional lead performance from Sigourney Weaver, the actor giving her most full-throttle, deep-throated, go-for-broke role in years as Hildy, a real-estate agent who erects a steely facade. Hildy’s world in the New England town of Woodhaven is in fact gripped with conflict, her current life revolving around a struggle for sobriety.

Many of these elements, and their refreshing allowance for deep character flaws, are positives. And, for these, directors Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky deserve praise. But Forbes, Wolodarsky, and co-writer Thomas Bezucha made several miscalculations in their adaptation of Ann Leary’s 2013 novel—chief among these the way-too-significant amount of time spent on, well, nearly every non-Hildy onscreen. Only a local contractor and old flame of Hildy’s,...

I am not of fan of movies that resort to breaking the fourth wall, as it were, and letting their key characters talk incessantly to the audience. It is a device that generally feels lazy, a writer’s crutch to explain away story points instead of letting us discover for ourselves. The recent annoying pandemic comedy Together, with James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan as a bickering couple who sell their sides of ongoing marital arguments directly to the camera, is an example of why overuse of this technique can be so tired. Now along comes The Good House, which just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and where Sigourney Weaver as a functioning alcoholic real estate agent in North Boston offers her view on the town and its people with full sarcasm intact. It is based on the 2013 book by Ann Leary, and it seems this very literary conceit was...

Writing, directing, and life partners Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky work out all of their disagreements on the page, the couple confided to Variety at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

While that may pertain strictly to film narratives, they’re certainly on the same page about their festival entry “The Good House” — a rich and unexpected drama starring Sigourney Weaver as you’ve never really seen her.

Adapted from the Ann Leary book of the same name, “The Good House” has Weaver playing Hildy Good, a real estate agent in an aristocratic New England town whose penchant for booze collides with the pangs of being a middle-aged divorcee to disastrous effects.

“The bulk of our career has been spent writing and we always talk about point of view, and this book had such a strong point of view. It does this really perceptive job in creating a world, and...

Sigourney Weaver was drawn to her new movie “The Good House” for multiple reasons — mainly because she feels that “women in their 60s don’t really have a voice in film.”

“How often in my life have I been sent a script that’s just about a great dame?” Weaver told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman during a video interview at the Toronto International Film Festival. “In this case, Hildy is in her 60s, and women in their 60s don’t really have a voice in film, especially, in Hildy’s case, such a funny voice. I just found it very entertaining, very touching — she’s got some issues like all of us!”

The actress, who is 71, said she also connected to the character of Hildy, a realtor in New England whose life unravels when she hooks up with an old flame (played by Kevin Kline).

“It’s so exciting to...

In “The Good House,” Sigourney Weaver plays Hildy, a prickly, well-born Realtor in a wealthy New England town. Hildy is a mother and grandmother, and her family has become concerned with her drinking. When they stage an intervention, the beginning of which you can see in this exclusive clip, Weaver’s Hildy breaks the fourth wall, and tells the audience about the players.

“Let me introduce everyone first,” Hildy says to the camera. And then she does, peppering her comments with asides: “This is my ex-husband, Scott, to whom I pay alimony. Even though he left me for a man after 22 years of marriage.”

“The Good House,” an acquisition title produced by Amblin Partners, will premiere as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 15. Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky co-directed the film, and also adapted Ann Leary’s 2013 novel of the same name with Thomas Bezucha.

The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday and promises to be more sparsely attended than previous iterations which packed the Canadian city with leading lights of Hollywood, power-players and star-gazers. It’s a painful concession to the complexities of international travel during Covid, which is keeping many filmmakers, stars, studio executives and sales agents from making the trip across the border.

But that won’t stop the dealmaking that’s been a staple of past festivals from taking place. Last year, a digital TIFF still hosted mega-sales for Halle Berry’s “Bruised” and “Malcolm & Marie” with Zendaya and John David Washington. The 2021 gathering should be no different with new projects on offer from Naomi Watts, Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and plenty of other A-list talent. Let the deals begin!

The Survivor

Director: Barry Levinson

Cast: Ben Foster, Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard

Sales Agent: Endeavor...

Updated August 11 With New Additions Below.

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival has an opener: Stephen Chbosky’s feature-film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” will serve as the Opening Night Gala Presentation at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival and will screen Thursday September 9 at Roy Thomson Hall. Starring Tony winner Ben Platt as Evan, along with Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Nik Dodani, “Dear Evan Hansen” features songs from the original Broadway sensation.

The festival has also announced its closer, Zhang Yimou’s “One Second,” billed as “a love letter to movies and a reminder of how they can unite people, regardless of our differences,” along with a robust series of additions to both the Galas and Special Presentations slates, joining a list of already-announced titles. Standout films include the world premiere of Michael Showalter’s Jessica Chastain-...

The first wave of Toronto International Film Festival 2021 titles dropped last week, and now we have even more movies joining the festival. The titles announced today are part of the TIFF Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery lineup, and include new films from Jane Campion, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, Joachim Trier, and more – including a […]

The post TIFF 2021 Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery Lineup Announced appeared first on /Film.

The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its lineups for the Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery programs as it ramps up toward the kickoff of its 46th edition September 9-18. The festival also solidified additional Gala and Special Presentation titles and took the wraps off TIFF Rewind, a new block that highlights memorable films from previous TIFF editions along with conversations and Q&As with directors and casts.

This comes after the festival last week announced that Dear Evan Hansen will be the opening-night film, while Zhang Yimou’s One Second will close it. It also revealed a portion of the Gala and Special presentation titles that featured films from directors Edgar Wright, Melanie Laurent, Barry Levinson, Antoine Fuqua, Jacques Audiard and Ted Melfi.

Today, TIFF added world premieres for Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s The Good House and Camille Griffin’s Silent Night to its Gala lineup, and...

New TIFF Rewind features filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.

World premieres of Ruth Paxton’s UK horror A Banquet, Agustina San Martín’s Argentinian genre tale To Kill The Beast and Sébastien Pilote’s Canadian period drama Maria Chapdelaine are among Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery selections announced by Toronto International Film festival.

Scroll down for full list of new titles

The festival also unveiled additional Gala and Special Presentations titles, and introduced TIFF Rewind featuring filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.

Gala screenings include the world premiere of Camille Griffin’s UK...

This weekend may end up being an incredibly important one in the history of cinema. Why, you ask? Well, Trolls World Tour opted to skip a theatrical release entirely, debuting as a rental in homes. For years, theaters have fought the day and date model, suggesting it could be an end to the cinematic experience. That’s led to some of their battles with Netflix, etc, as streaming services make inroads into the film world. Today, we can look a bit into whether this movie is truly the canary in the coal mine… For those unaware, the film is a sequel to the surprise hit (and Academy Award nominee) Trolls. Here is the storyline, according to IMDb: “Poppy and Branch discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock.

Four years ago, with its colorful array of cute, bubbly, and pop-musically-inclined characters, “Trolls” became a surprise toy-turned-family-movie blockbuster, bolstered by an earworm of a soundtrack — kindergarteners everywhere knew every syllable of voice actor and music producer Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — that kept the film alive months after its theatrical debut.

Now “Trolls World Tour” takes the stage, and while it doesn’t quite hit the same high notes as its predecessor, the home-field advantage of being one of the first theatrical releases to be released day-and-date on-demand amid the coronavirus pandemic will bring some much-needed entertainment and lightness to families everywhere.

When rocker Queen Barb (voiced by Rachel Bloom) descends on the land of the “Techno” trolls, she makes her plans immediately known: “We’re all going to be one nation of Trolls — under rock!” she vows, as she plots to force every troll community to convert to rock trolls.

ReFrame, the coalition formed by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute, and IMDbPro have added 22 more titles to the list of movies earning the ReFrame Stamp, which recognize standout, gender-balanced films. The program launched June 8 with 12 films on the list from a group comprising the top 100 domestic-grossing films of 2017, with Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman, Universal’s Girls Trip, A24’s Lady Bird and Fox’s The Post among them.

The stamp progam has since been expanded to studio and independent films that have U.S. domestic theatrical or streaming distribution. Newcomers unveiled today include Warners’ recent hit Crazy Rich Asians, IFC’s Mary Shelley and Spc’s Glenn Close starrer The Wife among 2018 releases, and Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Baldoni’s Five Feet Apart among 2019 pics. (See the full list of new films below.)

The stamp is intended as a mark of distinction for projects that have...

Twenty-five years ago, “Simpsons” writers Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky begged their bosses not to cut the core joke in “Last Exit to Springfield,” the best episode in the history of the show. It’s a long, weird bit that goes thirty awkward seconds without a payoff. The words “dental plan” and “Lisa needs braces” bounce around Homer’s brain as he waits in a beer line, until he blurts out a realization that reveals to viewers, for the first time, how dumb he truly is. “It went on for a page and a half! We gotta cut this. This doesn’t make any sense...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Blame (Quinn Shephard)

Written, directed, edited, and starring 22-year-old Quinn Shephard, Blame premiered at Tribeca Film Festival last spring. We said in our review, “It’s an impressive debut feature that’s confident and assured, yet feels less like a feature film and more like an effective television drama with a few well-drawn characters and a multi-episode arc. Its asymmetric narrative doesn’t always work as it withholds information...

Sneak Peek new footage from the upcoming comedy feature "The Polka King", written and directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, starring Jack Black, Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman and Jacki Weaver, based on the book "The Man Who Would Be Polka King" by Joshua Brown and John Mikulak, airing on Netflix January 12, 2018:

"...a Pennsylvania polka sensation (Black) seduces his fans into investing in a 'Ponzi' scheme, swindling them out of millions..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Polka King"...

Regardless of the quality of the final project, Jack Black and his boundless energy is often the best part of any film he’s a part of. This can be said of the upcoming Jumanji sequel as well as a film he brought to last year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Polka King. Written and directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky (also responsible for Infinitely Polar Bear), the film tells the true story of Jan Lewan, famed Polish polka singer and Ponzi scheme scammer in Pennsylvania. Based out of a novelty store in Hazleton, Jan wraps himself up in the American Dream. Playing everything from weddings to county fairs and other senior citizen-heavy venues, his polka fanbase grows as he continues to expand the number of band members, much to the chagrin of friend and band clarinetist Mickey (Jason Schwartzman).

Ahead of a Netflix release in January, the first...

"I heard that people are investing money in you." Netflix has finally unveiled the official trailer for The Polka King, a film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year (back in January) and will be released on Netflix just before the Sundance Film Festival next year (in early 2018). Jack Black stars as Jan Lewan, a Polish immigrant who became the "King of Pennsylvania Polka" and started a Polka Ponzi scheme. This is based on a true story and it almost seems too crazy to be real, but it is. The cast includes Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver, J.B. Smoove, and Willie Garson. This reminds me of Jack Black's other good dramatic role, in Linklater's Bernie, but it's an entirely different story. I heard some solid buzz on this at Sundance, but it seems to have been forgotten until its return now. Take a look. Here's...

The first trailer has been released for Jack Black's upcoming Netflix film The Polka King. I had a chance to see this film at Sundance earlier this year and it was a wildly entertaining dark comedy! Jack Black also delivers one of the best performances of his career.

The movie is actually based on a true story that is just so insane! People can't make this shit up. Black plays a character named Jan Lewan, the beloved "Polka King" who conned an entire town with a Ponzi scheme. I loved this film and I think a lot of you will enjoy the hell out of it! Here's the synopsis:

In The Polka King, Jack Black stars as Jan Lewan, a Polish immigrant who became the “King of Pennsylvania Polka.” A believer in the American Dream, Jan worked hard and dreamed bigger, but with big dreams come big mistakes.

Netflix just released the first trailer for its Jack Black-starring comedy The Polka King, which it picked up in June at Sundance for high seven figures. The film is based on the the documentary film The Man Who Would Be Polka King from directors John Mikulak and Joshua Von Brown. The film version was directed by Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky who also scripted. The film follows Lewan (Black), who developed a Ponzi-like scheme, taking hordes of cash from senior citizens…...

Jack Black is set to make his big screen return this Christmas in the long-awaited sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. But the iconic comedic force is trying something new for his next project. He is starring in his first ever Netflix original movie. And it premieres this January.

In The Polka King, Jack Black stars as Jan Lewan, a Polish immigrant who became the "King of Pennsylvania Polka." A believer in the American Dream, Jan worked hard and dreamed bigger, but with big dreams come big mistakes. Based on a true story, the film, co-written and directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, mixes comedy and tragedy showing the world's only known Polka Ponzi scheme. The Polka King co-stars Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver, J.B. Smoove and Willie Garson.

The Polka King is the official selection of the 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Netflix will debut The Polka King,...

Netflix has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Jack Black-starrer The Polka King, which first debuted at Sundance.

The feature is based on the documentary The Man Who Would Be Polka King from directors Joshua Brown and John Mikulak, which follows Grammy-nominated polka sensation Jan Lewan, who ended up running a Soviet souvenir-based Ponzi scheme that landed him in jail.

Black stars as Lewan and also acted as a producer under his Electric Dynamite banner. David Permut, Stuart Cornfeld, Shivani Rawat, Monica Levinson, Wally Wolodarsky and Priyanka Mattoo also produced.

Infinitely Polar Bear helmer Maya Forbes and former Simpsons writer...

Netflix has taken global rights to Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky’s comedy biopic The Polka King starring Jack Black as local Pennsylvania polka legend Jan Lewan. Deadline hears that Netflix paid seven figures for the movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January. A deal has been in the works since the movie premiered at Sundance. A streaming date has not been determined yet, but Polka King will hit Netflix before the end of this year. No word on…...

Let's hear it for the writers!

The Writer's Guild of America held their annual awards show on Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, where Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Donald Glover's breakout series, Atlanta were among those recognized for their achievement of the written word.

Read on below to see the full list of winners.

More: John Legend, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda Among 2017 Oscars Performers

Film Winners

Original Screenplay

Moonlight, Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; A24

Adapted Screenplay

Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures

Documentary Screenplay

Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner & Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films

Television And New Media Winners

Drama Series

The Americans, Written...

The Writers Guild Awards and the Academy writing nominees always don’t line up; many films are ineligible. This year, those included Oscar-writing nominees “Lion” and “The Lobster.”

This year, the WGA and the Academy differed dramatically. While the WGA deemed “Moonlight” and “Loving” as Original Screenplays, the Academy considered both as Adapted; only “Moonlight” landed a nomination.

At the WGA, as at the BAFTAs, Barry Jenkins’ script for “Moonlight” competed for the Original Screenplay Award against both Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” and Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land.” Unlike the BAFTAs, Jenkins emerged the winner over Lonergan, a sign of strength for “Moonlight,” which is nominated for eight Oscars.

Read More: Yes, Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’ Really Will Win Director and Picture Oscars — Here’s Why

However, in the Oscars’ Original Screenplay contest, lauded playwright and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Lonergan (“You Can Count On Me,...

The Writers Guild Of America, West and East held simultaneous ceremonies on both coasts on Sunday night.

Barry Jenkins enhanced his Oscar prospects with a win in the best original screenplay category for Moonlight based on a story by Tarell Alvin McCraney.

A24’s acclaimed drama beat Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and triumphed in a strong category that included Manchester By The Sea, Loving, and Hell Or High Water.

Eric Heisserer won the best adapted screenplay for Arrival, vanquishing heavyweight rivals Fences and Hidden Figures. Moonlight and Arrival compete for the adapted screenplay Oscar on Sunday.

Key categories appear below. For a full list of winners, click here.

Film Winnersoriginal Screenplay

Moonlight

Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, story by Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Adapted Screenplay

Arrival

Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the story ‘Story Of Your Life’ by Ted Chiang.

Documentary Screenplay

Command And Control

Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, story by [link...