Actor Andre Braugher has died following a brief illness.
He’s probably best known for TV work on ‘Homicide’ and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’.
Former co-stars such as Terry Crews have paid tribute.
Andre Braugher, a deep-voiced, endlessly talented actor who forged a career playing a variety of authority figures and drew a deep love from those who worked with him, has died.
Braugher was 61 and died following a brief illness. His was an impressive, full career even though he passed shockingly young for a man so seemingly vital.
Andre Braugher: Early life and career
(L to R) Yaphet Kotto as Lieutenant Al Giardello, Melissa Leo as Detective/Sergeant Kay Howard, Clark Johnson as Detective Meldrick Lewis, Reed Diamond as Detective Mike Kellerman, Andre Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton, Kyle Secor as Detective Tim Bayliss, Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch, Michelle Forbes as Dr. Julianna Cox, and Max Perlich as J.H. Brodie in NBC’s ‘Homicide: Life on the Street.’
André Keith Braugher was born in Chicago on July 1st, 1962. The prodigious student attended the prestigious St. Ignatius College Prep in his hometown, then earned a B.A. from Stanford University and a master’s degree from Juilliard — he received scholarships to all three schools.
He considered medicine as a career but saw performing as more exciting once joking in an interview for the ‘Homicide: Life on the Streets – The Unofficial Companion’ that, “doing a play was more exciting than doing math in the library. Nobody applauds you in the library.”
His initial work, as with so many others, was on the stage, in Public Theater Shakespeare in the Park productions in New York City, playing parts in various productions over the years.
(L to R) Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Andre Braugher, and Patricia Clarkson in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
But it was on the small screen that Braugher truly shone, his talent proving rich for both drama and comedy.
He first made a TV name for himself as Detective. Winston Blake on a series of the Telly Savalas-starring ‘Kojak’ TV movies that aired in 1989-90 and was former Philadelphia cop turned cab driver Mike Olshansky, on the 2002-04 CBS series ‘Hack’.
In between, he portrayed a character based on a real-life doctor on the ABC series ‘Gideon’s Crossing’.
Still, he’ll likely forever be known for two key roles: Braugher starred as master interrogator Detective. Frank Pembleton on NBC’s ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ for the first six seasons of the show’s acclaimed 1993-99 run, then played another cop, Captain. Raymond Holt — this time for laughs — on the Fox-NBC sitcom ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’.
He won his first Emmy for an episode of ‘Homicide, and a second followed for his performance as the leader of a crew planning a high-stakes heist on the FX miniseries ‘Thief’. He’d go on to be nominated multiple more times.
(L to R) Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher discuss ‘She Said.’
Given how many projects Braugher has been involved with, he naturally has a lot of colleagues who were quick to salute him.
This was the statement from NBC and Universal Television:
“Andre Braugher was the actor that others in the profession would always aspire to be. He infused Det. Frank Pembleton on ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ with both righteous ferocity and quiet dignity. In addition to his prowess as a dramatic actor, his comedy chops were also on full display as the determined and passionate Capt. Holt in ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine.’ His performances will continue to inspire future generations and we will miss him tremendously.”
Terry Crews, who co-starred with Braugher on ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, took to Instagram to remember his friend.
Braugher is survived by his wife, Ami (they first met in 1988, she was his onscreen wife, Mary, on ‘Homicide’, and they married for real in 1991), three sons, his mother and brother.
(L to R) Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
Released on Hulu today, ‘Boston Strangler’ faces the pressure of being both a true crime story and a crusading journalist narrative, which have been brought to screens in compelling and memorable form by stories such as Netflix‘s ‘Mindhunter’ and ‘Spotlight’. We bring up those two titles in particular, because this new movie comes across as a mash-up of both, even if it’s not quite playing on their level.
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What’s the story of ‘Boston Strangler’
One of the most infamous crime cases in history, the story of the Boston Strangler has already inspired several movies and TV series. Between 1962 and 1964, more than a dozen single women, ranging in age from 19 to 85, were killed in the Boston area, all of them strangled, their bodies posed provocatively by a mysterious attacker who came to be known as the “Boston Strangler.”
Although convicted sex offender Alberto DeSalvo confessed to the crimes, there was no physical evidence tying him to the victims; he instead received a life sentence for a separate series of rapes and sexual assaults and was stabbed to death in prison years after his conviction. Speculation remains whether he was the sole perpetrator of the Strangler murders — decades later, the case is the subject of widespread fascination for many armchair sleuths and true-crime aficionados.
Written and directed by Matt Ruskin, ‘Boston Strangler’ follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, who becomes the first journalist to connect the murders.
When we first meet her, Loretta is assigned to the lifestyle section, she pushes to do more crime reporting, even as her hard-bitten bosses think she’s not up to the job. Early stumbles don’t help with that impression, but she’s soon making progress.
As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims and fear spreads across the city, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation alongside colleague and confidante Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), yet the duo finds themselves stymied by the rampant sexism of the era.
Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Cole bravely pursue the story at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.
Ruskin, no stranger to true crime tales after ‘Crown Heights’ and a wealth of documentary experience, brings a sure touch to the new movie, which does convincingly follow in the footsteps of ‘Zodiac’ and other serial killer thrillers.
Knightley and Coon of course bring great performances to the central roles, convincingly embodying women who are battling their bosses and trying to juggle family life even as they dig into the complicated case.
Unlike, say, the recent ‘She Said’, which slightly suffered from showing the journalists digging into a case that was largely in the past, ‘Boston Strangler’ –– despite its period setting –– throws you right into the heart of the case as the murders are still happening, and the two women are under threat even as they work to find the truth.
And that 1960s setting also means that the difficulties the pair face in convincing anyone to take them seriously are deeper and more shocking when viewed through today’s lens. When you have cops falsely claiming that a journalist was flirting with one of their officers to get information, you know the stakes are higher than just dealing with the crime.
Refreshingly, Ruskin doesn’t shy away from the divisions that crept in between the two as the case continued, as their differing ideas on the investigation began to drag them apart (though they still remained friends afterwards). And despite a clear passion for their work, he crafts the characters as fallible humans, not just crusading angels.
Around the central pair, the writer/director also builds a classy ensemble of veterans including Chris Cooper as editor Jack MacLaine, the man who reluctantly gives McLaughlin her shot at the crime desk. He’s a boozy, old school newspaper man who has connections to the cops that she’s frustrating but finds it within himself to back her when he realizes that she’s truly on to something.
There’s also the likes of Alessandro Nivola as driven cop Detective Conley, who figures out that it’s better to work with McLaughlin rather than stonewall her, and Bill Camp as Commissioner McNamara, who resents her stories painting his department in a bad light, however true it might be.
One major issue with the film late on is the pace, which slackens noticeably even as it should be ramping up. True, Ruskin is largely bound by the true story –– which can be both a blessing and a curse when you’re trying to make a compelling movie.
Part of the frustration of this case, with none of the authorities able to pin down a suspect (and being massively negligent when it comes to digging into the case) translates to the screen as the story starts to drag a little.
And Knightley, while breathing convincing life into McLaughlin, manages an American accent, but it’s not one you’d quite describe as “Bostonian” (especially given the real McLaughlin was born in Massachusetts) and it stands out even more given the accents around her (Coon, for example, sounds convincingly like she comes from the area). But it’s not a huge issue as you’re too busy following the journalists’ story.
Though it’s a shame that Disney decided to put the movie on to Hulu rather than giving it a shot in theaters, you can see why it might be considered a risk –– unless you have the likes of David Fincher aboard, there’s a chance audiences won’t show up for such a dark, moody thriller in an age of giant franchise movies.
Ably telling its story with just a few issues of its own, ‘Boston Strangler’ is a worthy addition to the genre blending journalism and crime.
Felix Kammerer in ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ Credit: Reiner Bajo.
American awards committees and guilds have been dominating the season (and the Oscar nominations drop on Tuesday), but today it was the turn of the British Academy of Film and Television Art, which delivered its movie nominees.
And, at least in terms of the nominees, it was a very good year for Netflix, which saw the latest adaptation of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ collect an impressive 14 nominations, the most of any movie this year.
The BAFTAs were also a place for movies that had seen little attention so far, including murder mystery comedy drama ‘See How They Run’ and investigative drama ‘She Said’ appearing on lists, albeit outside the major categories.
Perhaps most interestingly were names that didn’t make the cut––though Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ appeared in Best Original Screenplay, the director was tellingly missing from the director category and the movie didn’t make Best Film. Likewise, box office heavy hitters such as ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ made little impact on the main categories.
And, of course, there was a focus on British talent and output, some of which is unlikely to appear much elsewhere, but we’re glad to see the likes of ‘Brian and Charles’ and ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’, which looked like it was going to be a contender earlier in 2022 but has largely faded beyond a few mentions.
This year’s BAFTA ceremony will take place at Royal Festival Hall in London on February 19th, with Richard E. Grant hosting, pointing to what will hopefully be an entertaining evening.
Paul Mescal as Calum Paterson in A24’s ‘Aftersun.’
Here is the full list of nominees…
Best Film
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Elvis’
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
‘Tár’
Coming out of the pandemic, 2022 turned out to be a great year for cinema!
It began with a new take on the Dark Knight from Matt Reeves‘ ‘The Batman,’ followed by the surprise hit ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ then the summer blockbuster sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ and finishing off with James Cameron‘s long-awaited ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ its truly been an amazing year for movies.
With the year quickly coming to a close, Moviefone has assembled its list of the 22 best movies of 2022.
From Damien Chazelle, “Babylon’ is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Actually opening in limited release on December 30th, 2022 and directed by Marc Foster, the movie follows the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grumpy widower who is very set in his ways. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol, (Mariana Treviño) leading to an unlikely friendship that will turn his world upside-down.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette (Gregory Mann) who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto (David Bradley). This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the film tells the life story of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
A US soldier (Jennifer Lawrence) suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home in New Orleans. When she meets local mechanic James (Brian Tyree Henry), the pair begin to forge an unexpected bond.
Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on his own life story, the movie is set in post-World War II era Arizona and follows young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth. Also starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch.
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, ‘The Woman King’ tells the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Inspired by true events, the film follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for!
Directed by Matt Reeves, ‘The Batman,’ stars Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Also starring Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon.
‘Living’ is the story of an ordinary man (Bill Nighy), reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful – into one he can say has been lived to the full.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and part of the ‘Predator‘ franchise, when danger threatens her camp, the fierce and highly skilled Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) sets out to protect her people. But the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal.
Directed by Oscar-winning director James Cameron and set more than a decade after the events of ‘Avatar,’ the film tells the story of the Sully family (Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Directed by George Miller, the film follows Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), an academic content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past, and eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.
Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi).
Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring their business to the next level in Los Angeles.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
Directed by Robert Eggers, the film follows Prince Amleth, who on the verge of becoming a man witnesses his father (Ethan Hawke) brutally murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang), who kidnaps the boy’s mother (Nicole Kidman). Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) is now a Viking who’s on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
A couple travels (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
Directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, the film is a love story set in and around an old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s starring Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, and Micheal Ward.
New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film tells the story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter. What follows is a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.
Directed by Martin McDonagh and set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, the film follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.
A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
(L to R) Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
One of the toughest genres of movie to get right is the based-on-truth investigative dig into a big story. It’s not just that reporters hunched over keyboards or waiting for phones to ring can be singularly uncinematic, more that the heaviest hitters in the field – ‘All the President’s Men’, for example, or ‘Spotlight’ – boast a compelling subject, watchable performers as the dogged journalists and belief in the need for such work.
Fortunately, ‘She Said’ has all three. And if it doesn’t quite match those bastions of the form, then it certainly offers a hard-hitting, emotional and difficult probe into a world where too many people kept horrifying actions quiet for too long, with a variety of women’s lives and careers either destroyed or profoundly affected.
Directed by Maria Schrader (‘I’m Your Man’) and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (‘Disobedience’, ‘Colette’), ‘She Said’ follows the real-life investigation by New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey into the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct story, a bombshell piece which detailed a tapestry of allegations against the powerhouse producer, helped launch the #MeToo movement and assisted in sending Weinstein to prison for his actions.
Originally tipped off by accusations made by actress Rose McGowan (played in voice form only here by Keilly McQuail), Kantor and then Twohey began to peel the toxic onion of Weinstein’s world, revealing any number of accusations of gross sexual and abusive behavior towards subordinates, actresses and others.
(L to R) Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
It’s a painful subject to bring to life and Schrader never shies from showing the effect it had on everyone who was affected – at least, those who would go on the record initially. The trickiest aspect was finding sources who would agree to be quoted, since Miramax and others and arranged settlements with a number of victims that included strict gagging orders.
With dogged determination, the two reporters (aided by senior journalist Rebecca Corbett) dug away at the cone of silence, finding people – including Ashley Judd, who plays herself – willing to let their names be used in the initial piece.
Lenkiewicz, meanwhile, adapts the book that the three reporters wrote documenting their work, carefully charting the wide-ranging investigation that ended up taking them to London, Wales, Silicon Valley and beyond in search of reliable and willing witnesses and victims.
Kazan brings a quietly persistent flavor to Kantor, a seemingly unassuming woman who held the line even when threatened and followed. Likewise, Mulligan imbues Twohey with a world-weariness drawn from previous years covering scandals; she’s introduced on the trail of accusations against Donald Trump during the 2016 election year. There are death and rape threats randomly flooding her phone and conversations with the subject himself rife with threats of legal action and poisonous personal attacks.
(L to R) Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Andre Braugher, and Patricia Clarkson in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
Both of the leads are excellent, pushing the narrative along without flashy drama. These are complicated, driven women with the backbone to keep following the truth despite incredible pressure and resistance. Patricia Clarkson, for her part, makes the smaller role of Corbett into a mentor and colleague to be admired.
Around them, Schrader has built a supporting ensemble that shines almost to the same level – Jennifer Ehle will break your heart as Laura Madden, one of Weinstein’s victims who agrees to share her story even as she’s preparing to undergo major surgery. Andre Braugher brings gravelly power to Times executive editor Dean Baquet, snapping down the phone to recalcitrant lawyers and executives, and keeping his colleagues on the right track. And there are the various former studio workers and other victims who are quietly nudged into offering up their accounts or checking facts even if they won’t speak publicly.
Lest you think that it’s a grinding trudge through fetid soup, there are the moments of triumph, the calls to let Kantor or Twohey know that someone is willing to speak. Finding documents to back up the accusations. The reporters’ family lives also help to balance out the bleakness, moments of joy – but leavened with real-life challenges – as they dig ever deeper.
And though Weinstein is the subject here, he’s more a shadowy presence, heard over phones and glimpsed from behind when arriving at the Times office with his legal team to hammer out a statement to add to the story shortly before it’s published.
‘She Said’ is the sort of important story that it’s vital to get right. Tone is everything, and while Schrader sometimes lets the momentum lag, it’s almost always gripping. There is a measured feel to the movie that pushes it beyond feeling like someone is simply reading a Wikipedia entry about the investigation to you while you’re trapped in your chair.
And though not every scene of the journalists pouring through pages or squinting at screens to make sure the facts are straight work as well as the door-knocking encounters with former Weinstein assistants whose pain is written across their face, it doesn’t dilute what ‘She Said’ has to offer. True, a few scenes could easily have been snipped (we’re not sure we needed to have Kantor and Twohey show up at Gwyneth Paltrow’s beautiful home for a conversation we never get to watch) and there are flashbacks that flip between powerful and filler, but the whole holds together beautifully and the result is an urgent, engrossing look at the positive impact that good, professional journalism can have on the world, which is something more relevant than ever.
Given the extensive coverage – sadly, this is a story as old as time and one in which the revelations, far beyond Weinstein, will just keep arriving – it would be easy to think that you already know what happened. ‘She Said’ is here to assure you, with heartbreaking authority, that you most definitely do not.
‘She Said’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
Cast of ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
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Opening in theaters on November 18th is the new biographical drama ‘She Said,’ which tells the true story of the New York Times journalists that broke the story of Harvey Weinstein‘s sexual misconduct allegations.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan about their work on ‘She Said,’ the true story it is based on, the journalists that reported the story, and the courageous women that came forward to tell the truth.
Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star in ‘She Said.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Mulligan, Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, and director Maria Schrader.
Moviefone: To begin with, Carey, can you talk about playing Megan Twohey and what did you learn about her that surprised you?
Carey Mulligan: I mean there were so many reasons I wanted to be a part of the story in general, I think. The import of what these women achieved is something that we’ll learn about in the history books in years to come because of the courage of the survivors who came forward. So, I think it deserves a film about it, and about the women who spoke up.
But with Megan particularly, I think I was so interested in just the psychological makeup of someone who can do that job, of an investigative journalist. Who can ring someone up in the middle of the day, ask them maybe the most difficult thing that’s ever happened to that person, and try and start a relationship with that person to share that information with the world, with the sole conviction that it’s for the right reasons.
I think that’s a really extraordinary skill. I think we both felt from the beginning so in awe of them as women. They’re really extraordinary. They’re really impressive, and we just wanted to do that justice, and try to portray them honestly.
(L to R) Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
MF: Finally, Zoe, there is a pivotal scene in the film where Jody receives a call from Ashley Judd saying that she is willing to go on the record. Can you talk about filming that scene and how Judd’s courage really broke the story wide open?
Zoe Kazan: I think Carey and I both feel just this enormous debt of gratitude to all the women who spoke with Jody and Megan, either on or off the record. Carey has said, time and again, and I think it’s true, it takes so much courage and so much bravery to speak even in private about something traumatic that has happened to you, let alone with a reporter who’s going to use that story to tell the world.
I think knowing that Ashley had been so brave and that her going on the record had really made such an enormous difference within our industry and within the world, I think the emotion of that was very easy for me to access.
It was also just really meaningful to me to have Carey there. We’ve been friends for 14 years and I think getting to look into her eyes and say, “She’s going on the record,” and have that sort of connection between us, it really brought our partnership into the room at the same time as it was honoring Megan and Jody’s partnership and the sisterhood of all these women.
(L to R) Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher in ‘She Said,’ directed by Maria Schrader.
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When scandals break, especially those featuring sensitive subjects, it can sometimes take a long time for a movie to arrive that uses the case as the basis for drama.
There are times, though, that striking while the iron is at least still fairly hot works, and that topical consideration is key to ‘She Said’, which has its first trailer online just a few years after the events happened.
Universal snapped up the rights to the reporters’ 2019 book, ‘She Said: Breaking The Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite A Movement’ and moved quickly to adapt it.
Twohey and Kantor were investigating misconduct more generally in Hollywood when they began to zero in on Weinstein as a particular problem. The powerful producer, who had been involved with some huge movies, was also a notorious abuser, treating actresses like puppets he could manipulate, dangling career chances in return for sexual favors, or threats if they didn’t go along with his whims.
The reporters had secret meetings, harrowing phone calls and private text exchanges with victims, as A-list actresses agonized over whether to go on the record. Many of those involved had been paid off to say nothing, worried that they would be sued if they went on the record.
It took months of work, digging up new sources, figuring out how to talk about the issue without anyone breaking their non-disclosure agreement.
Fortunately, there were enough people willing to talk about what had been happening, and as a truth that had been an open secret in the hallways of Hollywood began to come out, Weinstein attempted to fight back.
We know the results, though – Twohey and Kantor began publishing their story in 2017 and he eventually ended up behind bars (he’s still facing more charges) and the reports (plus Ronan Farrow’s work) helped launch the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
The cast here also includes Patricia Clarkson as the Times’ investigations department editor Rebecca Corbett, and Andre Braugher plays the paper’s executive editor, Dean Baquet.
Samantha Morton is Zelda Perkins, a former assistant to Weinstein who endured his abuse and later found herself bound by constricting privacy agreements, while the likes of Elle Graham, Maren Lord, Keilly McQuail, Maren Henry, Tom Pelphrey, Hilary Greer and Davram Steifler are all in the ensemble.
‘Love Life’ director Maria Schrader is behind the camera here, working from a script by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who adapted Twohey and Kantor’s book.
Universal talked a big game at its CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday afternoon – and specifically about big numbers in terms of releases.
The studio has more than 20 movies scheduled for release this year (yes, even more than production powerhouse Disney), and was ready to sell that idea to the assembled theater owners in the audience.
Pairing on-stage filmmaking talent with workers from the boots-on-the-ground cinema world, Universal kicked things off with Jordan Peele’s anticipated next horror, ‘Nope’.
Taking part in a Q&A with Anthony Fykes, co-owner of Next Act Cinema, the first-Black owned cinema in the Baltimore area, Peele outlined his movie-making policy. “I’m always attracted by my favorite movie I haven’t seen before,” said Peele. “My plan is to bring these new ideas and nightmares to the big screen.”
And about his latest? “This is definitely a ride. I like titles that are into how the audience is feeling and reflect on what they are thinking and feeling in the theater,” Peele told the crowd. “I’m going to personally thrive on the amount of times that we hear ‘Nope’ in the theater.”
Peele did ask that the audience not give away anything about the new teaser (which won’t be shown to regular audiences for a few weeks) but so far the story appears to involve workers at a ranch that caters to Hollywood productions being bothered by threats from the sky. Peele revealed that he’d been using new IMAX techniques to bring to the screen shots that no one has seen before.
Somewhere, you can just hear James Cameron muttering, “challenge: accepted!”
‘Nope’ is scheduled to land in theaters on July 2nd.
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Next up was Jamie Lee Curtis, there to promote ‘Halloween Ends’, and from the sounds of her comments, it’s also the big finale for her performance as victim-turned-badass Laurie Strode.
Yet before all of that, Curtis displayed her trademark sense of humor. “Two people got up?! Okay, whatever, it’s only been 44 f*****g years. I’m fine. I’m secure. Its’ fine. It’s really nice to be here again,” she announced upon arriving on stage (to a huge cheer and warm reaction from the audience).
Curtis went on to describe ‘Halloween Ends’, once again directed by David Gordon Green– as “Laurie Strode’s last stand.” The movie stars Curtis and Andi Matichak as Laurie’s granddaughter, Alysson, with the two working to stop stalking killer Michael Myers for good. It’ll wrap up the trilogy kicked off by Green in 2018’s ‘Halloween’ and continued via last year’s ‘Halloween Kills’.
Curtis visibly welled up as she confessed that, “It’s been the ride of my life to portray Laurie Strode,” adding that she knows now why horror movies matter: “Horror lets us confront what we can’t control.”
‘Halloween Ends’ stalks into theaters on October 14th, just in time for… well, you know the holiday it’s named for.
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The horror vibes continued with techno terror ‘M3GAN,’ which like, the recent ‘Halloween’ movies is a Blumhouse production.
Produced by James Wan and directed by ‘Housebound’s Gerard Johnstone, it stars Allison Williams as Gemma, a brilliant roboticist working at a toy company who creates a lifelike doll. When she gains custody of her orphaned niece, she uses the prototype of the doll with unimaginable consequences.
Williams was on stage to introduce the footage – which, somewhat predictably shows the doll reacting badly when someone in the family starts tries to shut it down when it begins behaving oddly – and admitted that despite starring in the likes of this and ‘Get Out’, “I’m genuinely too scared to watch 99 percent of the films in the genre.”
‘M3GAN’ will find its way into theaters on January 13th next year.
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Baltasar Kormakur’s latest, ‘Beast’, stars Idris Elba, and while it had a more muted presentation – really just a trailer – the footage showed Elba’s Dr. Nate Samuels on an African adventure with his wife and daughters when the situation turns desperate, and they are hunted by a lion. Samuels will have to survive and fight back to save his family.
The movie stars David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, Corey Hawkins, Javier Botet, Jon Briones and more in the story which follows the merchant ship Demeter on a voyage from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage. Probably because a certain vampire is aboard, and takes a liking to some of his fellow passengers…
‘Last Voyage of the Demeter’ sails in on January 27th next year.
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The terror levels decreased significantly (well, depending on how you view stressful family gatherings) thanks to star and executive producer Jo Koy introducing ‘Easter Sunday’.
Bringing the laughs (and making references to Jamie Lee Curtis’ sweary schtick), Koy explained how he planned his outfit – he was clad in his 18-year-old son’s pants to be fashion forward. “But I don’t have my son’s balls. I have 50-year-old balls.”
He continues by saying that Steven Spielberg first caught his stand-up act, and invited the comedian in to pitch his story, a universal one (he’s at the right studio, then). “We all laugh at the same shit,” Koy explained.
After Koy threw sweatshirts out to the crowd, he cued the trailer, which draws from his own life experiences and shows his chaotic Filipino family around the dinner table. The movie, despite its seemingly seasonal title, will be out on August 5, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.
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Koy was followed by ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ voice star Steve Carell, there to promote the latest chapter of the ever-expanding ‘Despicable Me’ franchise. He joked around with a cinema owner, who he challenged to mimic Gru and then introduced a clip from the movie, which arrives on July 1st after being pushed back more than once by pandemic concerns.
Animation was also represented by ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’. Introduced by one of the movie’s voice stars, Harvey Guillen (he’s Perro, a new character, who happens to be a chatty chihuahua), the story follows Puss’ (Antonio Banderas) attempts to secure more lives for himself after all his various scrapes. A new trailer was shown for the ‘toon, which debuts on December 21st.
Billy Eichner was on predictably comic form, arriving at CinemaCon for ‘Bros’, the rom com he wrote and stars in alongside Luke Macfarlane.
As is usual for the event, Eichner brought a clip from the movie, which showed Eichner as a podcast host who gets hired by a movie studio to write a gay romantic comedy in a very meta idea. Eichner’s character lays out his mission statement: “I don’t want any Hollywood bullshit, no scenes where two gay guys are about to hook up and all of a sudden the camera conveniently pulls away.”
‘Bros’ breaks new ground by featuring an all-LGBTQ+ cast, which Eichner talked about on stage. “You don’t believe a gay man can play straight but you suspend disbelief for Chewbacca,” he quipped, touting ‘Bros’ as the first gay rom-com ever to come from a major studio, adding he’s “not talking about the new Buzz Lightyear movie.”
Directed by Nicholas Stoller, ‘Bros’ will be out in theaters on September 30.
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Despite a comparative lack of star power on stage, ‘Ticket to Paradise’ boasts plenty of it on screen, with George Clooney and Julia Roberts as a divorced couple that reunites and travels to Bali to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever), from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago by marrying someone she just met. Billie Lourd, Lucas Bravo, Amanda O’Dempsey, Rowan Chapman, Murran Kain and Vanessa Everett round out the cast for that one, which travels to theaters on October 21st.
On a more serious note, that was followed by the first look at ‘She Said’, the drama about the investigative reporters at the New York Times who helped to break the Harvey Weinstein story that kicked off the #MeToo movement.
Stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, who play reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor respectively, were on hand to introduce the film’s trailer, and they talked up the importance of the behind-the-scenes story and Kantor and Twohey’s book on which the film is based.
The trailer showed Twohey and Kantor starting small in trying to peel back the layers on harassment, only to go deeper down the rabbit hole and finding people unwilling to say anything on the record as it turned to accusations about Weinstein.
“The only way these women are going to go on the record,” Kantor says in the trailer, “Is if they all jump together,” Twohey responds.
Maria Schrader directs, with the screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. The film opens in theaters from Universal on November 18th.
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Universal’s Focus Features had its own section, to debut looks at several of its movies. They included ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’, due on May 20th, heartwarming comedy ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ (July 15th), and ‘Little Children’ director Todd Field’s first film in 15 years, ‘Tár’, set in the world of classical music, starring Cate Blanchett as a conductor. ‘Tár’ will be in theaters on October 15th.
James Gray’s ‘Armageddon Time’ also received a first look of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream showcases a cast led by Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway. It has yet to score a general release date.
Following the relatively low-key, prestige Focus offerings, it was back to action chaos for ‘Violent Night’, introduced by star (and ‘Stranger Things’ regular) David Harbour.
Harbour raved about the experience of playing a hammer-swinging Santa who swears up a storm. The tone appeared to be a blend of ‘Die Hard’ and ‘John Wick’ and the movie arrives down theater chimneys on December 2nd.
“We are genuinely very enthused, we are crazed about this movie,” Goldblum told the crowd, revealing that this will be the first movie his kids see in theaters.
And of course, there was room for a little banter after Goldblum mentioned his character Ian Malcolm’s warnings about messing with nature in the original ‘Jurassic Park’. “That wisdom was ignored through subsequent movies,” he pointed out. Said Howard, “What would these moves be if people made the right choices?”
Retorted Goldblum, “You may be on to something. Maybe that’s been the message all this time, that dinosaurs are clever and homo sapiens are ignoramuses, or is it ignorami?”
‘Jurassic World Dominion’ roars into theaters on June 10th.
