film director

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He Brought You the Line 'And Don't Call Me Shirley'

Writer-director Jim Abrahams, a parody specialist, is dead at 80

(Newser) - "And don't call me Shirley!" That iconic line from 1980's Airplane! is one of many that can be attributed to writer-director Jim Abrahams, who leaves behind a legacy of laughs following his death Tuesday at age 80, per The Hollywood Reporter . Abrahams, who died of natural...

Malia Obama Drops Last Name for Film, Her Dad Reacts

Former first daughter, 26, goes by 'Malia Ann' for her directorial film debut

(Newser) - On IMDb, a description for the short film The Heart lists the movie's director as Malia Obama, daughter of the 44th US president. But in the credits of the film itself, the 26-year-old decided to appear simply as "Malia Ann"—a nugget addressed by her famous dad...

Anna Kendrick Recalls 'Icky' Move by Director

Though actress says she got the last laugh

(Newser) - Asked about the worst note ever given to her by a director, Anna Kendrick did not hold back. "I remember a director once in a room full of 100 extras or something being like, 'Hey, on this next one just try something. Just make something up. Just improv...

Shyamalan Was Called 'the Next Spielberg.' Then, a Fall

David Sims profiles the horror/thriller filmmaker's struggles, and eventual resurrection, for the Atlantic

(Newser) - By the time M. Night Shyamalan was in his early 30s, he had a huge hit to his name thanks to 1999's The Sixth Sense , his psychological thriller starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, and two follow-ups—2000's Unbreakable and 2002's Signs —that seemed to...

David Lynch: My Days of Directing Are Probably Done
David Lynch's
Days on Set
Are Done
Aug 5, 2024 12:54 PM CDT

David Lynch's Days on Set Are Done

Director has emphysema, risk of catching COVID is too great

(Newser) - "Smoking was something that I absolutely loved," says David Lynch, "but in the end, it bit me." This by way of announcing that the beloved 78-year-old director has emphysema and probably won't be doing any more directing—at least in person, reports the AV Club...

Footage Emerges After Claims of 'Unprofessional' Coppola Behavior

Clips show Godfather director embracing, kissing female extras on set of Megalopolis

(Newser) - Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is coming out at the end of September, but the current advance buzz doesn't have much to do with the movie itself. Instead, it focuses on more allegations against the famed Godfather film director involving him acting "unprofessional" on the movie set, including...

French Director Charged With Raping 2 Women

Actress says Benoit Jacquot groomed her when she was 16, he was 52

(Newser) - French film director Benoit Jacquot has been charged with rape and banned from directing minors or having any other contact with them. The 77-year-old was charged Wednesday with raping actresses Julia Roy, 34, and Isild Le Besco, 41, years ago, the New York Times reports. Jacquot was charged with raping...

Director Sentenced to Prison, Flogging Flees Iran

With a 'heavy heart,' Mohammed Rasoulof has chosen exile

(Newser) - One of Iran's leading film directors says that with a "heavy heart," he has chosen exile over imprisonment. Mohammed Rasoulof, whose latest movie, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, is due to premiere at the Cannes film festival next Friday, was sentenced last week to eight years...

When Harry Met Sally Almost Had Another, Sadder Ending

It's what would've happened if director Rob Reiner hadn't met his wife in real life, he says

(Newser) - In the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally, the title characters end up marrying more than a decade after their first meeting—a happy ending to an ordeal of a relationship. Now, director Rob Reiner says the movie was inspired by stuff going on in his own life at the...

Director Malia Obama Debuts at Sundance
Malia Obama Makes
Her Sundance Debut
Jan 19, 2024 11:35 AM CST

Malia Obama Makes Her Sundance Debut

'The Heart' previously won best live action short at the Chicago International Film Festival

(Newser) - Malia Obama has come a long way from her time protesting on the sidelines of the Sundance Film Festival. This year, she's screening a film there. The eldest daughter of former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama was on the red carpet Wednesday for the screening of...

Filmmaker Demands Probe Into Parasite Actor's Death

Bong Joon-ho wants answers on what happened to Lee Sun-kyun, who died of an apparent suicide

(Newser) - South Korea is still reeling from the death last month of popular Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun, whose body was found in a car in a Seoul park. Lee's family says he'd left behind what appeared to be a suicide note, and now the director of his hit 2019...

Lisa Marie Slammed New Elvis Film's 'Vengeful' Script

Singer's late daughter didn't like how he was depicted in Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla,' per 'Variety'

(Newser) - Priscilla Presley has been making headlines this week for her recent sit-down with Piers Morgan, in which she broke down while talking about her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in January at the age of 54. Now, Lisa Marie is the one dominating the news, with a report on...

Renowned Iranian Filmmaker Is Stabbed to Death

Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, were killed in their home

(Newser) - A filmmaker hailed as "one of the pioneers of Iranian cinema" has been stabbed to death along with his wife in their home near Tehran, reports AFP . Dariush Mehrjui was killed Saturday night along with wife Vahideh Mohammadifar, a screenwriter. Authorities say Mehrjui texted his daughter about 9pm to...

Scorsese Saw Hollywood's Ills at Screening for Departed

'Studio guys' were upset because it clearly would not be a franchise

(Newser) - Martin Scorsese turns 81 in November, and he's making the rounds to plug his new film Killers of the Flower Moon with Leonardo DiCaprio. In a wide-ranging interview with GQ , Scorsese talks about feeling out of step with modern Hollywood. For instance, he rarely goes to Los Angeles anymore...

Exorcist, French Connection Director William Friedkin Dies

Oscar-winner was 87

(Newser) - William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director who became a top filmmaker in his 30s with the gripping The French Connection and the horrifying The Exorcist but struggled in the following decades to match his early success, has died. He was 87. Friedkin, who won the best director Oscar for The French ...

Greta Gerwig's '113-Minute Love Letter to Barbie'


Greta Gerwig's
'113-Minute
Love Letter
to Barbie'
LONGFORM
Jul 16, 2023 8:55 AM CDT

Greta Gerwig's '113-Minute Love Letter to Barbie'

Willa Paskin takes a deep dive into the director's complicated tribute to the iconic Mattel doll

(Newser) - Greta Gerwig has wondered more than once why Mattel, Warner Bros., and the producers of her upcoming Barbie movie gave her free rein to put her unusual live-action spin on the iconic doll. In her piece on the 39-year-old director for the New York Times , Willa Paskin notes that "...

James Cameron on Sub: 'I Wish I'd Spoken Up'

Director details flaws he saw in Titan's construction, slams OceanGate's lack of third-party certification

(Newser) - James Cameron says he knew "in my bones" that the Titan submersible was gone as soon as he heard it was missing. Now, the Titanic director and deep-sea explorer is expressing regret at not speaking up more on his concerns about the OceanGate vessel, which he says "shouldn'...

First Details Out on Tarantino's Possible Last Movie

'Hollywood Reporter' says his 10th film may center on the late critic Pauline Kael

(Newser) - It looks like Quentin Tarantino knows what his 10th and likely final movie will be about. The Hollywood Reporter quotes insiders who say it will be called The Movie Critic and be set in the 1970s with a female lead. THR speculates it might center on Pauline Kael, an influential...

Coppola Film Has Reportedly 'Descended Into Chaos'

'Megalopolis' set in Atlanta said to be mired in mass firings/resignations, spiking costs

(Newser) - Just a few weeks ago, all seemed to be chugging along on the set of Megalopolis, the latest film in the works by Francis Ford Coppola, with a star-studded cast that includes Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, and Forest Whitaker. But appearances were apparently cloaking what's...

Taylor Swift Strikes Deal to Direct
Taylor Swift
Strikes Deal
to Direct
Dec 10, 2022 1:35 PM CST

Taylor Swift Strikes Deal to Direct

Searchlight project will be her first feature film

(Newser) - Having been honored for her directing of two short films, Taylor Swift is moving to a longer form. Calling her "a once in a generation artist and storyteller, Searchlight Pictures has announced that it has a deal for the pop star to direct a feature film, Variety reports. The...

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