Steve Pond
- EntertainmentThe Wrap
‘Apocalypse ’45’ Film Review: World War II Documentary Is an Elegy to Those Who Were Lost
The United States celebrated the end of World War II with Victory in Japan Day on Aug. 14, 1945, exactly 75 years before the release of “Apocalypse ’45,” Erik Nelson’s examination of the war in the Pacific in the words and film footage of the men who were there.But as that foreboding title suggests, you wouldn’t use a word like “celebrated” to refer to “Apocalypse ’45.” The documentary is a tribute to the men who fought, but it’s also an elegy for those who were lost, and it doesn’t evade questi
5-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
Toronto Film Festival Lineup to Include Films Directed by Regina King, Halle Berry
The feature directorial debuts of Halle Berry and Regina King will be part of the lineup at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, organizers announced on Thursday.Berry’s film, “Bruised,” features the actor and director as a mixed martial arts star fighting for custody of her young daughter. King’s “One Night in Miami” is based on a play that fictionalizes a night in 1964 in which boxer Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali), singer Sam Cooke, football player Jim Brown and activist Malco
5-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
Awkwafina, John David Washington, Florence Pugh Among the 819 Invited to Join Oscars Academy
Awkwafina, Kaitlyn Dever, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Brian Tyree Henry, Niecy Nash, Florence Pugh, Lakeith Stanfield, Olivia Wilde and John David Washington are among the 819 film professionals who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy announced on Tuesday.Additional invitations went to directors Ari Aster, Mati Diop, Robert Eggers, Ladj Ly and Lulu Wang; to documentary filmmakers David France and Jeff Reichert; to executives Jennifer Salke
28-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
‘The French Dispatch,’ ‘Soul’ Make the Cannes 2020 Lineup As Festival Reveals the Movies It Would Have Shown
Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Pete Docter’s “Soul” and two films from Steve McQueen, “Lovers Walk” and “Mangrove” (both from his anthology series “Small Axe”), are among the films that would have gone to this year’s Cannes Film Festival if it had taken place, Cannes organizers announced at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.While the prestigious festival itself will not happen, those films and 52 others in the 2020 Official Selection will bear the Cannes 2020 label, a way the festi
6-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
Television Academy Delays Emmy Voting, Bans Campaign Events
The Television Academy has moved back the dates of Emmy voting, changed some eligibility rules and suspended all “For Your Consideration” events in an effort to adjust to industry changes caused by the coronavirus, the Academy announced on Friday morning.In a release announcing the changes, the TV Academy said it has no current plans to cancel or postpone the Primetime Emmy Awards, which are scheduled for Sept. 20, or the Creative Arts Emmys ceremonies set for Sept. 12 and 13.However, it added,
5-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
Roman Polanski Draws Protests, Wins Prizes at Stormy Cesar Awards
The stormiest and most beleaguered Cesar Awards ever took place in Paris on Friday, with “Les Miserables” being named 2019’s best French film while protesters lined the streets outside the Salle Pleyel protesting the nominations for Roman Polanski’s “J’accuse,” which is known as “An Officer and a Spy” outside France.Despite the furor, Polanski won two Cesar awards, one for best director and another for adapted screenplay, which he shared with his co-writer Robert Harris. His film also won for it
7-min read - EntertainmentThe Wrap
‘The Lion King’ Is King at the Visual Effects Society Awards
“The Lion King,” the Disney “live-action” remake that is made up almost entirely of computer-generated characters and backgrounds, has won three awards at the Visual Effects Society’s 18th annual VES Awards, which were handed out Wednesday night in Los Angeles.The film won for its virtual cinematography and created environment, and also took the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, the VES category that corresponds most closely to the Academy Awards’ Best Visual Effects c
4-min read
