(Left) Matt Dillon in ‘The House That Jack Built’. Photo: TrustNordisk. (Right) Stephan James in ‘Race’. Photo: Entertainment One Films.
Preview:
Matt Dillon and Stephan James are boarding new drama ‘I Play Rocky’.
Anthony Ippolito is playing Sylvester Stallone in the movie.
Peter Farrelly is in the director’s chair.
A little over a month since we learned that director Peter Farrelly had picked Anthony Ippolito to play Sylvester Stallone in the tumultuous making-of story of one of the classic sports movies –– that would be ‘Rocky’ –– we now know two of the names joining him in ‘I Play Rocky.’
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in ‘Rocky’. Photo: United Artists.
Peter Gamble (‘Office Uprising’) wrote the script for this one, which follows a struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment writes a script that a big movie studio wants to buy, but he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead.
Turning down an offer of life-changing money, he instead works for pennies to get the movie made with himself in the starring role.
The movie became the biggest box office hit of 1976, notching 10 Oscar nominations and winning Best Picture.
A cultural touchstone that established Stallone as a Hollywood legend, the ‘Rocky’ franchise, distributed by United Artists and later MGM, remains one of the most iconic and financially successful sports film franchises of all time, with $1.7 billion in grosses between the original films and their ‘Creed’ spin-offs.
Where else can we see Matt Dillon and Stephan James?
Matt Dillon in ‘High Desert,’ now streaming on Apple TV.
Anthony Ippolito has landed the starring role as Sylvester Stallone in ‘ I Play Rocky’.
Peter Farrelly is directing.
It’ll chronicle the making of ‘Rocky’.
It’s been more than a year since we reported on Peter Farrelly agreeing to direct based-on-truth, behind-the-scenes movie ‘I Play Rocky’, which chronicles Sylvester Stallone’s efforts to land the lead in the boxing classic he set up.
This marks the second time Ippolito will play an iconic Italian-American actor, as his most notable previous credit was as Al Pacino in Paramount+ series ‘The Offer’, itself a look at the difficult production of ‘The Godfather’.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in ‘Rocky’. Photo: United Artists.
The new movie, set up at Amazon MGM Studios and written by Peter Gamble, chronicles the true Hollywood story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa.
Told “no” at every turn, Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.
Ippolito had a similar approach to his own role –– when he learned the movie was being made, he created and sent in his own audition tape directly to the producers, landing the role in the process.
Toby Emmerich, the former Warner Bros. Motion Picture chief, is one of the main producers and had this to say:
“I’ve been a fan of Peter Farrelly as both a filmmaker and a person since getting to work with him on the music for ‘Dumb and Dumber’. But it was ‘Green Book’ that made me think of Pete for this inspiring screenplay. Christian Baha and I feel blessed to have Pete at the helm for this movie. And like the unknown Stallone starring in Rocky, Pete will be conducting a worldwide search to discover another actor who just needs one shot — in ‘I Play Rocky’ — to show the world what he can do.”
Well, now they have that actor!
When will ‘I Play Rocky’ be on screens?
While Amazon MGM Studios has yet to confirm a release date, we do know this one is currently being set as a theatrical movie.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rocky’. Photo: United Artists.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bobby and Peter Farrelly about their work on ‘Dear Santa’, developing the screenplay, getting the movie greenlit, reuniting with Jack Black, directing children, the movie’s tone, P.J. Byrne’s unusual performance, casting Post Malone, and their favorite Christmas movies.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
(L to R) Director and producer Bobby Farrelly and screenwriter and producer Peter Farrelly talk ‘Dear Santa’.
Moviefone: To begin with, Peter, can you discuss developing the screenplay with the other writers and the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
Peter Farrelly: Well, it wasn’t my idea. It came from Kevin Barnett and Pete Jones, guys we collaborate with a lot. They just came in and said, “What about this? A kid writes a letter to Santa, but he misspells it and instead writes it to Satan.” I was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” That’s a good movie. It’s a comedy first. It’s like there was a devil in ‘Damn Yankees’ but it never got dark, and that’s what this is. And no better person to play the devil than Jack Black who’s innately lovable. You know his heart is in the right place. I’m not saying Satan’s is, but this Satan’s heart is in the right place.
MF: Bobby, is a Christmas movie about Satan a difficult project to get greenlit?
Bobby Farrelly: Well, it is a movie that we worked on for many years. It took 10 years to get the script right. So along the way, we did have studios who were interested in the concept, but we never felt like it was at the right place. So finally, Jeremy Kramer, over at Paramount who had been working with us for years on this, shepherding, got Pete’s and Ricky Blitt‘s new script, and he thought, “You know what? This is it. The time’s right, let’s do it.” So, Paramount did it, and here we are. The trick is doing it in a way where it’s fun and it’s not too dark, and it’s a Christmas story, and then it has a nice happy message and that sort of thing. We didn’t want to turn it into a horror movie by any stretch of the imagination.
Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
MF: Peter, was it more difficult to get this movie made than some of your past films?
PF: They’re never easy. There are no easy movies to make. But Jeremy Kramer, he took the bull by the horns and really made this thing happen because it wasn’t easy. After ‘Dumb and Dumber’, you would’ve thought we could walk in anywhere and make a movie. No. They’re like, “Yeah, well that was a Jim Carrey movie. You guys are lucky to be at the party.” So, you’re still going to fight to get your next movie on, which was ‘Kingpin’, but it’s not easy. They’re never easy. So, no matter what you do, it’s hard in this space.
MF: Peter, can you talk about creating the right tone for the screenplay?
PF: I don’t think the tone is dark. I would never describe it as dark. I mean, it’s a light telling of the thing. It’s slightly edgy for a PG-13 movie and this is a goofy Satan. This isn’t ‘The Exorcist’. This is a goofy Satan who’s moved by a kid’s niceness to become nice. The message is quite uplifting, I think, at the end.
(L to R) Director Bobby Farrelly and Jack Black on the set of Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
MF: Bobby, can you talk about finding the right tone for the movie on set?
BF: It feels like when (Satan) shows up, it feels like this might get dark, but it’s Jack, and he plays it in a way where he’s very likable and you go with him. He’s won over by the kid and what a nice kid he is and the spirit of Christmas and all that. So, he changes much more than the kid changes. The kid doesn’t get swayed at all by him. In fact, to the contrary, Jack’s character has an arc to him.
MF: Bobby, what was it like directing young actor Robert Timothy Smith, and is there a trick to getting a great performance from a child actor?
BF: Well, we’ve directed some kids in the past, but never this many. What I learned about kids is first, you treat them like everyone else because they are just as talented as any adults we’ve ever worked with. It’s a shorter day. There’s a lot of things that must happen. They must go to school, and you can only work so many hours and all that. But boy, they’re good actors, and they can keep up with the adults even if they improvise or go off the page. It was a joy. It was a lot of fun working with this talented young actor and the kids around him. Kai Cech who plays his girlfriend and Jaden Carson Baker, who plays his best friend, Gibby, those guys were all great, and they’re nice kids too, so it was a lot of fun to work with.
(L to R) Jack Black and Robert Timothy Smith star in Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
MF: Peter, why was Smith the right young actor for this role?
PF: That kid, he reminded me of a young Albert Brooks. His delivery is very adult, but it’s like a nebbish kind of Woody Allen. I thought the kid was good.
MF: Peter, what was it like working with Jack Black again after ‘Shallow Hal’ and can you talk about what he brings to this role?
PF: Well, again, because he’s supposed to be like a goofy Satan, you want somebody who’s lovable and not dark and somebody who everybody is familiar with. He’s the way he was in ‘School of Rock’ where he was a little edgy, and he is dealing with kids, but he’s also adult because he’s trying to teach the kids something, but he’s not teaching in this one. But in any case, you need somebody like that, and that openness and that likability carries the movie. I hate to think what would’ve happened if we’d made the movie with somebody who has a dark element.
(L to R) Robert Timothy Smith, Jaden Carson Baker, Jack Black and Post Malone star in Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
MF: Bobby, what was it like working with Post Malone and when you cast a popular musician in a movie to perform one of their own songs, are you able to request the song they sing or did Malone choose the song himself that he performs in the concert sequence?
BF: Here’s the thing. You can write him into the script, but he’s probably going to be out touring or doing something. Those guys are busy. But we were able to get him to come in and he was touring, but we were able to get him to come for three or four days into his schedule, because he read the script and he said, “This is going to be fun.” So, he came and totally delivered it. I love that song that he plays in the movie. It’s called ‘I Like You’, and it was perfect for what we needed our young Liam character to be dancing to on stage. So, it was the perfect song. He was more than happy to do it. We were super lucky to get him. And boy, was he fun to work with. He’s like, “You guys all have to play beer pong with me.” All right. Everyone’s playing beer pong. We worked it into the movie with Robert Timothy Smith’s character. It was a lot of fun. Post, that’s a thing that he does. Anyone he meets, he wants to (play beer pong) after the show. He wants to just do a little bit of that. That’s his version of shooting pool or something. He wants to play a little bit of beer pong, and so we worked it into the story when he was there.
MF: Bobby, actor P.J. Byrne’s gives an unusual performance with a very specific accent and almost speaks like an English gentleman from the 1800s. Did you direct him to speak like that or did he come up with that on his own?
BF: You know what? I got to give P.J. his due. He came in with that sort of take on the professor, and as soon as he did it, I was like, “I love it. Absolutely perfect.” P.J.’s, that kind of actor. He has a definite defined take on how he’s going to play it. It wasn’t necessarily how we saw it, but that’s why we hired him. We knew he’d deliver.
(L to R) Jack Black and Robert Timothy Smith star in Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
MF: Peter, what is the secret to making a great Christmas movie?
PF: Well, I would say the secret is heart, having heart, but then ‘Bad Santa’ is one of my favorites, and it didn’t have a ton of heart. But it did have some. I guess I’d have to say my favorite Christmas movie is ‘Elf’. I loved ‘Elf’. I could watch ‘Elf’ every year. It’s a fun one to watch. In fact, when we were making ‘Green Book’, we were doing it in December. Viggo Mortensen rented out a whole theater and the whole cast and crew went to watch ‘Elf’ because he loves that movie. It’s interesting, if you look at ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, there’s some dark little bits in there. Yet ultimately, it’s an uplifting movie, and that’s what we wanted this to be.
MF: Finally, Bobby, what is your favorite Christmas movie?
BF: I loved ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, which is one of the original Christmas classics. But I just loved the way it did have some real drama in it, and real storytelling. It wasn’t a comedy for most of it, but boy, it had a sweet, happy ending. That’s the formula I wanted to follow with ‘Dear Santa’. It’s a tight balance between telling a dark story here or telling a story that’s got a lot of heart and a lot of happiness and ends with a big up note.
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What is the plot of ‘Dear Santa’?
A young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) accidentally mixes up his spelling and sends his Christmas list to Satan (Jack Black) instead of Santa.
Who is in the cast of ‘Dear Santa’?
Jack Black as Asmodeus/”Santa Claus”
Robert Timothy Smith as Liam Turner
Jaden Carson Baker as Gibby
Kai Cech as Emma
Brianne Howey as Molly Turner
Hayes MacArthur as Bill Turner
Keegan-Michael Key as Dr. Finklman
P. J. Byrne as Mr. Charles
Post Malone as himself
Paramount Pictures presents a Farrelly Brothers / Kraymation Films production, a Bobby Farrelly film, ‘Dear Santa’.
It’ll follow Sylvester Stallone’s efforts to get the boxing classic made.
Stallone himself isn’t involved in the movie at this point.
Since switching from being known as one half of comedy directing duo the Farrelly brothers to making worthier, based-on-truth Oscar-baity type films such as ‘Green Book’ (which did indeed pick up the Oscar) and ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ (which, er… did not), Peter Farrelly has only once ventured back towards his old stomping grounds with this year’s Prime Video comedy title ‘Ricky Stanicky’.
He’s veering back to the grounded world for his next film, agreeing to direct ‘I Play Rocky’, which will chronicle Sylvester Stallone’s struggles in convincing someone to make his iconic boxing movie.
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What’s the story of ‘I Play Rocky’?
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in ‘Rocky’. Photo: United Artists.
A struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment writes a script that a big movie studio wants to buy, but he refuses to sell it unless he gets to play the lead.
Turning down an offer of life-changing money, he instead works for pennies to get the movie made with himself in the starring role.
The movie becomes the biggest box office hit of 1976, notching 10 Oscar nominations and winning Best Picture. The true story of the making of the iconic movie ‘Rocky’.
‘Office Uprising’ writer Peter Gamble is at work on the script, but there’s no indication yet as to whether Stallone himself will be involved.
Toby Emmerich the former Warner Bros. Motion Picture chief, is one of the main producers and had this to say:
“I’ve been a fan of Peter Farrelly as both a filmmaker and a person since getting to work with him on the music for Dumb and Dumber. But it was ‘Green Book’ that made me think of Pete for this inspiring screenplay. Christian Baha and I feel blessed to have Pete at the helm for this movie. And like the unknown Stallone starring in ‘Rocky’, Pete will be conducting a worldwide search to discover another actor who just needs one shot — in ‘I Play Rocky’ — to show the world what he can do.”
“When I first read Peter Gamble’s energetic and poignant script, I knew it captured something very special. The story of ‘I Play Rocky’ is as unique as Sylvester Stallone himself, a seeming everyman with an undeniable gift who needs to share it with the world and refuses to take “no” for an answer. And like the hero of our film, Baha Productions needed grit and determination as we fought for years to make this project into a reality. We are so fortunate to have teamed up with Toby Emmerich and Peter Farrelly, two legendary talents who not only share but enhance our vision of the film.”
When will ‘I Play Rocky’ be in theaters?
There is no release date set for the movie at this time. The rights to distribute it are being sold at this year’s Cannes market.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rocky’. Photo: United Artists.
The second film in the “Harry Potter”-adjacent franchise introduces Jude Law as a younger Albus Dumbledore, who recruits protagonist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) before he divides and destroys the wizarding world. Lots going on there.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 12 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include an extended cut of the movie, deleted scenes, and making-of featurettes.
The Best Picture Oscar winner is the feel-good tale of an unlikely interracial friendship based on a true story. Rough-and-tumble Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a refined black black pianist, on a concert tour through the Deep South. While the film generated some controversy for its depictions of race relations (and questionable history of some of its key creative personnel), it still triumphed at the Academy Awards and Ali won his second Oscar.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 12 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The sci-fi adventure is set in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone lives in giant moving cities on wheels, roaming the Earth to find resources. When an assassin and historian team up, they lead a band of outcasts to prevent London from gobbling up everything in its path. You know, that old story.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 12 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes and an audio commentary.
‘The Kid Brother‘ (March 12): The Criterion Collection has a new 4K digital restoration of this 1927 Western romp starring silent comedy legend Harold Lloyd that’s an irresistible blend of action, romance, and slapstick invention.
‘The Magic Flute‘ (March 12): Ingmar Bergman‘s 1975 version of Mozart’s opera is considered one of the best opera films of all time. It fulfilled a longtime dream of the director and showcases his deep love of music. Criterion’s release has a 2K digital restoration with uncompressed stereo soundtrack.
‘Someone to Watch Over Me‘ (February 12): After the fantastical flop of Tom Cruise‘s “Legend,” Ridley Scott returned to more earthbound intrigue with “Someone to Watch Over Me,” an oddly underrated entry in the director’s oeuvre. A sturdy romantic procedural starring Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers (hey, it was 1987), this new edition from our friends at Shout Factory includes new interviews with writer Howard Franklin and cinematographer Steven Poster. If you’ve never seen it and consider yourself a Scott enthusiast, seek it out. It’s got style to spare.
Barry Jenkins follows up his Oscar-winning film “Moonlight” with this adaptation of James Baldwin’s acclaimed novel. The beautiful and tragic love story follows young adult Tish (KiKi Layne) and her fiancé, Fonny (Stephan James), whose future is derailed when he is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. The stunning performances are led by Oscar winner Regina King. Now available on Digital HD.
The sequel stars Emily Blunt as the magical nanny, who returns to the Banks family to help the grown-up Michael (Ben Whishaw) and his children through a difficult time. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays a lamplighter, while original star Dick Van Dyke makes a special cameo. The movie features brand-new songs, including the Oscar-nominated “The Place Where Lost Things Go.” Now available on Digital HD.
Christian Bale’s eye-popping transformation into former Vice President Dick Cheney nabbed the movie’s makeup artists an Academy Award. The often-satirical movie, from “Big Short” director Adam McKay, follows Cheney on his path to becoming the most powerful VP in American history. Now available on Digital HD.
‘Catastrophe’ (March 15)
Amazon’s rom-com-with-a-twist series comes to a close with a final season that follows Rob (Delaney) and Sharon (Horgan) continuing to struggle with parenthood and adulting. Rob is now attending AA, while Sharon tries to keep their family together.
‘Shrill’ (March 15)
In Hulu’s new comedy series, Aidy Bryant stars as Annie, an overweight woman who wants to change her life — but not her body. She’s trying to get ahead in her career while juggling bad boyfriends, a sick parent, and a perfectionist boss.
The heist movie teams up quite a cast of Hollywood heavy-hitters: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal. They play former Special Forces operatives who reunite for a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. And though they’re used to carrying out dangerous missions, this one is solely for self-gain. But when events take an unexpected turn, their loyalties and moral code are pushed to a breaking point.
‘Arrested Development’ Season 5, Part 2 (March 15)
The Bluths are back and in more trouble than ever. Buster’s on the run, no one has seen Lucille 2, and the wall is still unfunded. Then the gay mafia gets involved and even Michael can’t seem to save the day.
‘Love, Death & Robots’ Series Premiere (March 15)
David Fincher and Tim Miller team up for what’s being billed as the first animated anthology series for adults. The 18 stories span the science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy genres; have unique animation styles, from traditional 2D to photo-real 3D CGI; and deal with topics including racism, government, war, free will, and human nature.
‘Queer Eye’ Season 8 Premiere (March 15)
The Fab Five — Antoni Porowski (Food & Wine), Bobby Berk (Interior Design), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming), Karamo Brown (Culture), and Tan France (Fashion) — head to Kansas City, Missouri to help people of different backgrounds be their best selves. Can you believe?!
‘Turn Up Charlie’ Series Premiere (March 15)
Idris Elba, who DJs himself in real life (he spun at Prince Harry’s wedding), plays a struggling DJ named Charlie who reluctantly becomes a manny to his best friend’s problem-child daughter.
‘The Good Fight’ Season 3 Premiere, CBS All-Access (March 14, 3:01 a.m.)
The legal drama returns to CBS All-Access for a no-holds-barred third season. Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) continues to try to resist a crazy administration without going crazy herself. Meanwhile, Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) balances a new baby with a new love.
‘Project Runway’ Season 17 Premiere, Bravo (March 14, 8 p.m.)
Bravo’s venerable fashion design competition show gets an almost complete makeover. Host Heidi Klum and mentor Tim Gunn are out; Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano are in.
‘Billions’ Season 4 Premiere, Showtime (March 17, 9 p.m.)
A new war is brewing in the financial and political circles of New York City. But where the fighting used to be between Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), now the two enemies are allies in a union brokered by Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff).
In a wide-open field at the 91st Academy Awards, the dramedy about an unlikely friendship between a white driver (Viggo Mortenson) and a black classical pianist (Mahershala Ali) won the top prize in movies.
“Green Book” was beset by controversy over its depiction of racism, but managed to overcome it. It also won Best Original Screenplay.
“We made this film with love, and we made it with tenderness and we made it with respect. It was all done under the direction of Pete Farrelly,” said producer Jim Burke.
Farrelly then took over the microphone: “It’s about loving each other despite our differences and finding out about who we are … The same people.”
In a sign that 2018’s movies divided Academy members as much as moviegoers, Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director for “Roma,” seen as a heavy favorite for Best Picture before the ceremony.
Just in time for the Oscars, the Best Picture-nominated film hits home video. With this remake, Bradley Cooper makes his directorial debut and stars as the grizzled country rocker Jackson Maine. Stepping into the role of the ingenue who dazzles him and the world with her incredible vocals is Lady Gaga. Their soaring duet of “Shallow” is just the start of an emotional and tear-jerking journey.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 19 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include a making-of featurette and music videos.
Melissa McCarthy earned an Oscar nomination for showing off her dramatic side in this film based on a true story. She plays Lee Israel, a writer who once made a living writing celebrity profiles in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But now that her kind of work has fallen out of favor, she gets desperate and turns to forging letters from dead authors. But it’s not long before Lee’s elaborate con goes awry.
The movie arrives on DVD on February 19 (and is already available on Digital HD).
The horror flick that producer J.J. Abrams called “bats–t crazy” follows a group of American paratroopers who are shot out of the sky the night before D-Day and parachute to what seems to be a safe house. Except it isn’t safe — it’s the site of gruesome Nazi science experiments to create the ultimate super soldier.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 19 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include six making-of featurettes.
Taron Egerton stars as the titular character in this new adaptation, with Jamie Foxx as Little John and Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The movie arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 19 (and is already available on Digital HD). Bonus features include a seven-part documentary, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
‘Death in Venice’ (February 19): Criterion rightly celebrates Luchino Visconti’s late-career adaptation of Thomas Mann’s beloved novella, a beautiful interpretation that also seems almost eerily predictive, with one eye looking into the future at the looming AIDS crisis. This deluxe edition, featuring a 2008 documentary about the filmmaker, a 1970 short film made by Visconti about the casting of the film, with vintage documentaries happily resting alongside more recent material.
‘Backbeat’ (February 19): Our friends at Shout Factory have put together a wonderful package for Iain Softley’s underrated formation-of-the-Beatles drama, including deleted scenes, interviews, and an audio commentary with Softley, Ian Hart and Stephen Dorff (who is just so, so good in this season of “True Detective,” right?) If you’ve never seen this movie, it rules.
‘La Vérité’ (February 19): The French drama starring Brigitte Bardot as a woman on trial for killing her lover gets a new 4K restoration on Blu-ray.
‘The Return of the Vampire’ (February 19): In this 1943 film, Bela Lugosi returns as vampire Armand Tesla in this unofficial sequel, which hits Blu -ray with three new audio commentaries.
The Golden Globe-winning drama tells the tale of an unlikely interracial friendship based on a true story. Rough-and-tumble Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a refined black black pianist, on a concert tour through the Deep South. While the film has generated some controversy for its depictions of race relations, it has drawn in many accolades through awards season. Now available on Digital HD.
Julia Roberts stars as Holly, a mother who is thrilled when her 19-year-old son (Lucas Hedges) comes home from rehab. The rest of the family is skeptical and wary, and Holly soon realizes the difficulties of dealing with an addict son. Now available on Digital HD.
A married couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) who didn’t expect to have kids decide to foster three siblings. But becoming an instant family isn’t quite that easy and hijinks and mistakes ensue. Now available on Digital HD.
Ray Romano and Mark Duplass star in this buddy dramedy as misfit neighbors who bond after the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The boundaries of friendship are tested when the cancer patient asks for help in procuring medication to end his suffering.
‘Chefs Table: Volume 6’ (February 22)
The award-winning documentary series is diversifying its subjects, after receiving some criticism for featuring so many white male chefs. This season includes the first black chef, Mashama Bailey of the Grey in Savannah, Georgia. The other episodes focus on Sean Brock of the Southern-themed Husk restaurants; Asma Khan of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express; and famed Italian butcher Dario Cecchini.
‘Survivor: Edge of Extinction’ Season Premiere, CBS (February 20, 8 p.m.)
The 38th season of the reality competition series pits four returning players against 14 newcomers. There’s also a new twist: Everyone who is voted out goes to Extinction Island, where their will to remain in the game is tested in a physically and psychologically brutal way.
‘The 91st Academy Awards,’ ABC (February 24, 8 p.m.)
A wide-open Best Picture race, controversy over four categories getting kicked to commercial breaks, and lack of a host have made this year’s Oscars the most buzzed-about in years.
‘True Detective’ Season 3 Finale, HBO (February 24, 10 p.m.)
Mahershala Ali is the frontrunner to win his second Oscar on the same night as the finale of the crime drama that will likely net him an Emmy, as the Purcell children’s case comes to a close.
The Producers Guild of America handed out its annual awards over the weekend, and the winner of the group’s highest honor may be on the verge of scooping up some major statuettes at next month’s Oscars, too.
“Green Book” was the night’s biggest honoree at the PGA Awards ceremony on Saturday, taking home the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures (the PGA equivalent of the Best Picture prize). The film was co-produced by Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly (who also directed), and Nick Vallelonga.
“When you make ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ you don’t expect to ever get an award,” Farrelly joked as he accepted the award on Saturday.
Many awards season prognosticators didn’t expect this kind of success, either, judging by the reactions going around on social media. But while the film has received mixed reviews, there’s no denying that it now has some serious awards momentum — and history on its side — heading into the Oscars, which will announce their nominations on Tuesday.
PGA win for "Green Book" is big. The PGA, has matched the Oscar for best picture in 20 of its 29 years, including “The Shape of Water” last year. It diverged in the two previous years when the Zanuck award went to “La La Land” and “The Big Short."
After announcing its nominations in the television and documentary categories earlier this week, the Directors Guild of America has now revealed its slate of nominees for its annual film awards — and with it, prognosticators may have a clearer shape of the Oscar race.
Recent Golden Globe winners “Roma” (Best Director Alfonso Cuaron) and “Green Book” (Best Comedy Film, helmed by Peter Farrelly) were both represented in the DGA’s lineup, as were “A Star Is Born” (Bradley Cooper), “BlacKkKlansman” (Spike Lee), and “Vice” (Adam McKay). Cooper also received a second DGA nomination in the first-time director category, as did newly-minted Writers Guild Awards nominee Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade”).
Amazingly enough, this is Lee’s first ever DGA nomination. He seems all but a shoo-in to repeat for an Oscar nomination, too.
Speaking of the Oscars, the DGA picks typically have lots of overlap with the eventual Academy shortlists of both Best Director and Best Picture. Last year’s DGA champ, “The Shape of Water,” went on to claim both of those Oscar statuettes.
The full list of nominees is below. The DGA Awards will be handed out on February 2.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM:
BRADLEY COOPER A Star is Born
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Dohrmann
First Assistant Director: Michele “Shelley” Ziegler
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Matthew R. Milan
ALFONSO CUARÓN Roma
(Netflix)
Unit Production Manager: Ana Hernandez
First Assistant Director: Frederic Henocque Albino
Second Assistant Director: Patrick Heyerdahl
Second Second Assistant Directors: Luis Fernando Vásquez, Julián ‘Chico’ Valdés, Arturo Garcia
PETER FARRELLY Green Book
(Universal Pictures)
Unit Production Managers: Alissa M. Kantrow, John Brister, Franses Simonovich (New York Unit)
First Assistant Directors: J.B. Rogers, Alejandro Ramia (New York Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Paul B. Uddo, Jack McKenna (New York Unit)
Second Second Assistant Directors: Gerson Paz, Jonathan Warren
Location Manager: Louis Zuppardi
SPIKE LEE BlacKkKlansman
(Focus Features)
Unit Production Manager: Marcei A. Brown
First Assistant Director: Mike Ellis
Second Assistant Director: Tracey Hinds
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jason Perez, Christina Ann Walker, Anastasia Folorunso
ADAM MCKAY Vice
(Annapurna Pictures)
Unit Production Managers: Julie Hartley, Jeff Waxman
First Assistant Director: Matt Rebenkoff
Second Assistant Director: Joann Connolly
Second Second Assistant Directors: Yarden Levo, Dave Vogel (Washington D.C. Unit)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR:
BO BURNHAM Eighth Grade
(A24)
First Assistant Director: Dan Taggatz
Second Assistant Director: Vic Coram
Second Second Assistant Director: Evelyn Fogleman
BRADLEY COOPER A Star is Born
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Dohrmann
First Assistant Director: Michele “Shelley” Ziegler
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Matthew R. Milan
CARLOS LÓPEZ ESTRADA Blindspotting
(Summit Entertainment)
Assistant Director: La Mar Stewart
Second Second Assistant Director: Dominic Martin
Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Armin Houshmandi
MATTHEW HEINEMAN A Private War
(Aviron Pictures) Unit Production Manager: Louise Killin First Assistant Directors: George Walker, Peter Freeman (Jordan Unit)
Second Assistant Directors: Tom Mulberge (UK Unit), Tom Browne (Jordan Unit)
Second Second Assistant Director: Tarik Afifi (Jordan Unit)
BOOTS RILEY Sorry to Bother You
(Annapurna Pictures)
Production Manager: Chris Martin
First Assistant Director: Brian Benson
Second Assistant Director: Hilton Jamal Day
Second Second Assistant Directors: Sam Purdy, Nick Alvarez
