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Lisa Westcott, the British makeup artist who won an Oscar for her work on 2012’s Les Misérables, has died, her husband told The Hollywood Reporter. She was 76.

Westcott died July 30 at her home in Oxford with her husband, Jeremy Ancock, and her twin children, George Ancock and Harriette Rothwell, with her. She was a staunch advocate for crew workers’ rights and fought fiercely for them to be upheld over the years, her family said.

She shared the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling with Julie Dartnell for their efforts on the musical’s film adaptation that starred Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway.

The pair were photographed accepting the prestigious prize from Jennifer Aniston and Channing Tatum 11 years ago, beaming as they posed for photos afterward.

Westcott also earned two consecutive Oscar nominations for Mrs Brown (1997), starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly and Gerard Butler, and Shakespeare in Love (1998), with Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes,...

While Netflix has had a few massive hits in the wake of The Crown ending and Stranger Things preparing for its final run, Bridgerton quickly stood out as the streamers next property capable of becoming a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of viewers. Bridgertons popularity grew so immense compared to other popular drama shows that Netflix had enough confidence to develop the spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which focused on the courtship between a young Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest). While it's a charming alternate version of history that is certainly geared towards those that already love the Bridgerton style and universe, the 1994 Oscar-nominated dramedy The Madness of King George offered a more realistic interpretation of Englands Regency Crisis.

It was July 1994. The summer was sizzling. And so were cinemas. That’s truly no lie.

James Cameron’s action comedy flick “True Lies” opened in theaters on the 15th of the month, knocking “Forrest Gump” from the top of the box office chart in its second week. “True Lies” starred a pre-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a U.S. government spy whose occupation is unbeknownst to his own family. (They think that he’s a salesman.) Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet at the time, thanks to a string of recent successes including 1988’s “Twins,” 1990’s “Total Recall” and 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” While “True Lies” was judged favorably by most critics, it was the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s onscreen wife Jamie Lee Curtis who received the bulk of the praise. Her nice but naive character was undergoing a midlife crisis, and Curtis injected her...

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story provided a detailed look into the lives of key political players shaping Bridgerton's world. The Madness of King George offers a deeper dive into Queen Charlotte and King George's relationship, shedding light on Bridgerton's backstory. While The Madness of King George may differ stylistically from Bridgerton, it adds significant context to the show's drama and political dynamics.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story offered a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the political players who shape Bridgerton's world, with one 30-year-old movie demonstrating how their stories can be continued. Queen Charlotte was, in many ways, an exemplar of how to create a prequel series to a popular TV show. Centering on otherwise supporting characters like Queen Charlotte herself and Lady Danbury, the story was a beautifully detailed evocation of the early years of Charlotte's reign. However, such was the story's success that many fans are...

Explore Helen Mirren’s Life and Career Helen Mirren’s Height Compared to the Average English Woman Helen Mirren’s Height and Her Love for High Heels Helen Mirren’s Shoe Size Across Different Regions A Glimpse into Dame Helen Mirren’s Illustrious Career Fascinating Facts about the Accomplished Helen Mirren Captivating Wisdom from Helen Mirren: Timeless Quotes to Inspire and Empower Helen Mirren Exudes Royal Elegance at Trumbo Premiere in Suzannah Dress

British actress Helen Mirren dazzled on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in a royal purple amethyst satin gown with a sweeping train at the screening of “La Plus Precieuse Des Marchandises” (The Most Precious Of Cargoes) on May 24, 2024, in Cannes, France (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)

Helen Mirren’s Height Compared to the Average English Woman

Helen Mirren is reportedly 5 feet 4 inches tall (162.6 cm). This places her at approximately the average height of an English woman.

Jeanne du Barry is a regal visual feast thanks Mawenn's keen direction. Mawenn and Johnny Depp have a genuine chemistry and portray a distinct love in quiet, subtle ways. The portraits of Jeanne, Louis Xv, and other people may be a bit one-dimensional and ahistorical, but Jeanne du Barry has impressive themes and gorgeous visuals nonetheless.

Jeanne du Barry is a film of gestures and glances, not sweeping monologues and action. It has some of the court intrigue found in titles like The Other Boleyn Girl, The Madness of King George, and Dangerous Liaisons, but ultimately isn't too interested in the backroom wheeling and dealing of monarchic power players. As the title implies, the film is a biography of Jeanne Bcu, who would become Madame du Barry, and mostly focuses on her time at Versailles as the chief mistress of King Louis Xv.

Jeanne du Barry offers a gorgeous look...

Playwright Alan Bennett has written original screenplay The Choral, which will begin filming this summer.

There’s a reason a remake of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues (pictured above) was one of the first things put into production when the pandemic started in 2020. Not only were they easy to film with a single cast member, but the texts are also regarded as modern classics of drama, each story a masterpiece in construction and storytelling. You only have to watch the original versions to see the astonishing power of David Haig in Playing Sandwiches or Dame Thora Hird in A Cream Cracker Under The Settee.

The Choral, meanwhile, is Alan Bennett’s first original script written for the screen in forty years, after 1984 comedy A Private Function. The synopsis reads as follows:

Set in Ramsden, Yorkshire in 1916, the plot centers on the chorus master and most of the men of the ambitious local Choral Society,...

Sony Pictures Classics has taken worldwide rights to Nicholas Hytner’s The Choral, written by Alan Bennett, and set to star Ralph Fiennes, Jim Broadbent and Simon Russell Beale.

This is the fourth feature collaboration between Bennett and Hytner after The Lady In The Van, The History Boys and The Madness Of King George. Unlike those films,The Choral is based on an original screenplay rather than a play.

Hytner will produce the film alongside Kevin Loader and Damian Jones. Backing comes from Sony Pictures Classics, BBC Film and Screen Yorkshire, and shooting will commence in Yorkshire this May.

Executive producers include Caroline Cooper Charles,...

Director Nicholas Hytner and writer Alan Bennett are collaborating again, with The Lady in the Van, The History Boys and The Madness of King George duo set to team on The Choral, which will star Ralph Fiennes, Jim Broadbent and Simon Russell Beale. Production begins in May in Yorkshire, according to Sony Pictures Classics, which said Wednesday that it has acquired all worldwide rights to the pic.

Unlike their previous collaborations that were based on Tony-winning playwright Bennett’s stage plays, this is an original screenplay. Set in Ramsden, Yorkshire in 1916, the plot centers on the chorus master and most of the men of the ambitious local Choral Society, who have volunteered for the front. Under the direction of the demanding, driven Dr. Guthrie (Fiennes), the Choral recruits a crop of teenage boys and girls. Together they discover the joys of singing and the urgency of desire as the new...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Achievement in Production Design Barbie

Weekly Commentary: If you’re keeping track of the contenders vying for Academy Awards this season, you might have noted Variety’s prediction that Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” could clinch a single award for production design, sparking a flurry of discussions within the punditry community.

It’s a fairly big month on Prime Video in March, at least compared to the other streaming service offerings! There are are two major films arriving on Amazon’s streamer. The first is a remake of the Patrick Swayze action classic Road House. Stepping into the late Swayze’s shoes? A crazy-jacked Jake Gyllenhaal, who really seemed to want to go the extra mile for this project.

The other big film coming to Prime Video is Ricky Stanicky, and the plot sounds really fun! It follows three friends who have always blamed their mistakes on an imaginary guy called Ricky Stanicky. When they have to finally introduce people to Stanicky, they decide to hire a washed-up actor (John Cena) to impersonate him. Hilarity ensues, maybe? But if neither of those make your watchlist, there’s also the return of the animated hit series Invincible.

Here’s everything coming to...

English royalty has been a global fascination, perhaps driven by Britain's political influence in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also for its dramatic personal stories. This fascination has provided material for films and television shows such as The Madness of King George, which explores the reported mental illness experienced by George III during his later years, and The Tudors, which follows the dramatic life of perhaps the most famous of the monarchs, Henry VIII, and his infamous marriages. Television series like The Crown capture what goes on in the modern-era monarchy, focusing on Elizabeth II's long reign. Among the monarchs, there is a fascination by filmmakers with Elizabeth I, earning her portrayal dominant screentime in movies such as Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age, as well as series like teen drama Becoming Elizabeth and the acclaimed multiple Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries Elizabeth I.

Historical dramas can incorporate humor to make characters from the past more relatable and human. Some historical dramas, like "The Madness of King George" and "Napoleon," use comedy to explore the quirks and flaws of historical figures. Movies like "Marie Antoinette" and "The Favourite" take a modern, satirical approach to historical events, using humor to critique societal norms and behaviors.

Historical dramas are plagued by their reputation as stuffy and somber affairs, but some movies have a surprising funny side to them which proves there is still plenty of vitality in the genre. Since they so often deal with seismic events in global politics or the lives of world leaders, many historical dramas shy away from using humor too much, but it can be a valuable tool to help bridge the gap between the past and the present. Using comedy to its full potential doesn't just make a movie funnier.

The new biographical drama “Golda” features Helen Mirren in a transformative role as Golda Meir, the so-called “Iron Lady of Israel” who faced high-stakes responsibilities and decisions during the Yom Kippur War. Written by Nicholas Martin and directed by Guy Nattiv, the Bleecker Street contender is Mirren’s first big play at a potential Academy Award nomination in many years, so let’s look back at her four Oscar races.

With a career in film going back to the 1960s, Mirren saw her first Oscar nomination in 1994 in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in “The Madness of King George.” Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this biographical comedy-drama tells the story of King George III and how his Lieutenants tried to adjust the rules to run the country after he went mad. Mirren played his wife, Queen Charlotte, and she was one of four citations for the movie at the 67th Academy Awards,...

The White Bird: A Wonder Story cast has the opportunity to tell a new story in the world of the 2017 movie Wonder, and features an equally impressive lineup as the original. In 2017's Wonder, Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) was a young boy with a rare facial deformity whose fellow students bully and ostracize him when he tries to start going to a private middle school rather than continue homeschooling. One of these students is a boy named Julian, who torments and bullies Auggie and his own mother even helps persecute Auggie by Photoshopping him out of a class photo because she felt he didn't belong. White Bird: A Wonder Story focuses on Julian after his parents pull him out of school, and he goes to visit his grandmother.

While it seems strange to see a heartless bully as the focus of the story, he is not the main character in...

Helen Mirren is set to amaze once again in the upcoming biopic "Golda" as she portrays Golda Meir, the Prime Minister during the Yom Kippur War. The film focuses on the 19 days of the war and Meir's defense of her homeland, despite doubts from those around her. With an impressive cast and directed by Guy Nattiv, "Golda" is a highly anticipated film, distributed by Bleeker Street. Mirren's versatile career and previous portrayal of real-life personalities make her a perfect fit for this role.

Helen Mirren will amaze the world once again with her acting skills in Golda, the upcoming biopic from Israelite director Guy Nattiv, set during the Yom Kippur War. The movie was presented back in February at the Berlin Film Festival, and now while anticipating its theatrical release on August 25, the first trailer is finally out:

The movie follows the life of Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel...

Most people know Zoe Saldana as either blue or green. But her work in the Avatar and Marvel universes are only her most recent outings.

Saldana's first role was in a dance movie called Center Stage. It was our intro to her and her most compelling part.

What Is Center Stage?

Center Stage is a 2000 film by director Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George) and revolves around a group of twelve aspiring ballet dancers invited to the prestigious American Ballet Academy to pursue their dreams of becoming professional ballet dancers.

The movie was unique in that it cast actual ballet dancers in the roles. It also features extended scenes of ballet that were done by the actors themselves. Many of them were first-time actors, including Zoe Saldana.

Center Stage revolves primarily around Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), a naive young woman who may not be the best dancer but is...

Kevin Goetz, Screen Engine to be honoured with Power of Cinema Award.

Helen Mirren will receive 2023 American Cinematheque Award on November 4 at Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Mirren, who won the Oscar for The Queen in 2007 and has been nominated on three other occasions for The Last Station (lead actress) Gosford Park and The Madness Of King George (supporting), becomes the 37th recipient of honour.

Her credits include Excalibur, The Mosquito Coast, Cal, Red, The Duke, and Prime Suspect, Phil Spector and 1923 among others for television. She currently appears in Fast X and recently starred as Israel’s first...

To mark the release of Allelujah arriving for Premium Digital Ownership and Premium Digital Rental from 17th April and will also be available on Blu-Ray and DVD from 29th May, we have 3 Blu-Rays to give away!

Allelujah is directed by Richard Eyre from a screenplay by Heidi Thomas (Call the Midwife, Cranford), and based on the stage play by Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, The Lady in The Van). It is a warm, humorous and deeply moving story about surviving old age:

When the geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital decides to fight back by galvanizing the local community: they invite a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital’s most distinguished nurse. Allelujah celebrates the spirit of the elderly patients whilst paying tribute to the deep humanity of the medical staff battling with limited resources and ever-growing demand.

Film and TV audiences have long been fascinated by the lurid idea of a high-stakes game, one so important that, if you lose, it costs you not merely your reputation but also your life. Whether it's the lethal confrontations between rival gunslingers in spaghetti Westerns or sci-fi dystopias like Rollerball or The Hunger Games, right up to Squid Game's remarkable global success, it seems that the notion of playing for keeps is one that never fails to stimulate the popular imagination.

Such is the central plot point of Lead Heads, a new British thriller due to debut on the big screen very soon. Here's what we know about the project so far.

Plot

Plot details for Lead Heads remain scarce, but whereas Squid Game had people in desperate debt playing fatal games for the voyeuristic pleasure of bored billionaires, Lead Heads looks set to take a more pragmatic approach.

Oscar-winning UK producer David Parfitt shared insights from the highs and lows of his 35-year producing career at a masterclass for the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent incubator over the weekend.

“I have been staggeringly lucky,” said Parfitt, who won an Oscar in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love with other high-profile credits including Much Ado About Nothing, The Madness Of King George, My Week With Marilyn and the Oscar-winning drama The Father.

Parfitt, who has worked in film and TV most of his life having started out as a child actor in the 1970s, said he knew from adolescence that he wanted to stay in the business but not in front of the camera. He credited Kenneth Branagh for enabling his crossover into producing.

The pair met on a West End theatre show in the 1980s.

“We had next-door dressing rooms. We were young and had too much time on our hands.

Oscar and BAFTA-winning film producer David Parfitt is hoping to reunite with French producer Philippe Carcassonne following their successful collaboration on Florian Zeller’s Oscar-winning drama The Father.

Parfitt revealed his plans during a masterclass at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent incubator event on Sunday.

“He [Carcassonne] is developing something really interesting based on an Israeli novel called Pain, which he commissioned as a French screenplay but they have decided they want to do it in England in English,” Parfitt clarified after the talk.

The 2019 novel by Zeruya Shalev revolves around a woman revisiting the double trauma of being caught up in a terror attack and abandonment by a lover when he comes back into her life a decade later.

Carcassonne’s partner, the actress and director Anne Fontaine, whose credits include Coco Before Chanel, is attached to direct the film, in what would be her first English-language production.

Comedy is what we need right now, says Nicholas Hytner, who ran London’s National Theatre for a decade.

It’s fine to have heavy-lifting dramas by Ibsen or Schiller, but boy-oh-boy laughter is an increasingly uplifting necessity.

Which is where Guys & Dolls and James Corden, post his life on The Late Late Show, come in.

Hytner, partnered with longtime executive Nick Starr, now own and control London’s Bridge Theatre and is overseeing a fully immersive revival of the classic Broadway musical Guys & Dolls, choreographed by Dame Arlene Phillips (Strictly Come Dancing) and now in early previews.

It stars Daniel Mays as Nathan Detroit, Andrew Richardson (A Call to Spy) as Sky Masterson, Celinde Schoenmaker (Rocketman) as Sarah Brown and Marisha Wallace (Aladdin) as long-suffering Miss Adelaide. Cedric Neal plays Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Also in the cast are Jordan Castle,...

Click here to read the full article.

Like some kind of cinematic equivalent of the vault in the Tower of London where the Crown jewels are stored, the stage-to-screen adaptation Allelujah piles a number of “national treasures” atop one another: a script based on a play from 2018 by national treasure Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George); a cast featuring such treasured national stars as Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Jennifer Saunders; direction from feted theater and film veteran Richard Eyre (Iris, Notes on a Scandal) and so on. It’s all rolled up in a story about the institution every Brit most loves to love and moan about in equal measure, the National Health Service. What could possibly go wrong?

At the risk of having my Leave to Remain resident status in the U.K. revoked, I am sad to report that Allelujah the film is something of a disappointment.

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are set to star in Taylor Sheridan’s new “Yellowstone” prequel “1932” at Paramount+, Variety has learned.

The show follows the Dutton family in the titular year, a time of Prohibition, the Great Depression, and westward expansion. “1932” is a followup to “1883,” the latter of which told the story of the Dutton family as they made their way to Montana to found what would become the Yellowstone Ranch in the mothership series. “1932” was ordered to series at Paramount+ back in February. The show falls under Sheridan’s expansive overall deal with Paramount.

This is the second TV starring role Ford has lined up in recent months. It was announced in April that Ford would star in the upcoming Apple comedy series “Shrinking,” the first major TV role of his career. The iconic actor is best known for starring in film franchises like “Star Wars,” “Blade Runner,...

Pathé has released the first images from its new feature film, ‘Allelujah,’ a darkly comic tale about surviving old age.

Based on the stage play by Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George, The Lady in The Van), Richard Eyre (Notes on A Scandal, Iris) directs from a screenplay by Heidi Thomas.

The synopsis reads; When the geriatric ward of a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital decides to fight back by galvanizing the local community. They invite a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital’s most distinguished nurse. What could go wrong? The story celebrates the spirit of the elderly patients whilst paying tribute to the deep humanity of the medical staff battling with limited resources and ever-growing demand. But in the midst of the tears and the laughter, we slowly realise that there is something threatening the...

Exclusive: Rupert Graves has joined Hulu’s anticipated limited series Washington Black as a series regular, with Shaunette Renée Wilson signing on to a recurring role.

Graves and Wilson join a previously announced series regular ensemble led by Ernest Kingsley Jr. and Sterling K. Brown, which also includes Eddie Karanja, Tom Ellis, Iola Evans, Edward Bluemel and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.

Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is adapting the nine-episode drama series based on Esi Edugyan’s international bestselling novel of the same name. It will follow the extraordinary 19th-century adventures of George Washington (“Wash”) Black (Kingsley Jr.)—an 11-year-old boy on a Barbados sugar plantation who must flee after a shocking death threatens to upend his life. As previously announced, Brown is playing the gregarious, larger-than-life Medwin Harris, who traveled the world after a traumatic childhood as a Black refugee in Nova...

Helen Mirren will receive this year’s SAG Life Achievement Award and will be presented with the prize during the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony on February 27.

The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession”.

Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy winning actress Mirren becomes the most decorated SAG Life Achievement recipient with a total of 13 SAG nominations and five SAG Actor wins to her name.

Mirren is currently filming Golda, in the title role of Israel’s first female prime minister Golda Meir, which revealed a first look yesterday. She is also set to host Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, a four-part competition series premiering on November 28.

Taking her first major film role back in 1969 in Age Of Consent, Mirren broke through in The Long Good Friday in 1980. She received her first Oscar nomination in 1995 for The Madness Of King George...

Dame Helen Mirren has been chosen to receive the 2022 life achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. The honorary award will be presented at the SAG Awards ceremony on February 27 from The Barker Hangar.

Mirren is an Oscar winner as Best Actress for “The Queen, a four-time Emmy winner and a Tony winner. She has won five SAG Awards among her 13 career nominations.

Her film career has included “The Madness of King George,” “Gosford Park,” “The Last Station,” “Calendar Girls,” “Trumbo” and “Hitchcock.” Television programs have included “Prime Suspect” and its sequels, “The Passion of Ayn Rand,” “Door to Door,” “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” “Elizabeth I” and “Phil Spector.”

See SAG Life Achievement award: Full gallery of recipients since 1995

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, “Dame Helen Mirren is quite simply a brilliant and luminous talent. Her work runs the gamut of characters from a not-so-retired CIA super-killer and...

Icon will next be seen in The Duke.

Helen Mirren has been named as the 57th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award and will collect the honour at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Santa Monica on February 27, 2022.

The award is presented annually to an actor who embodies the “finest ideals of the acting profession”. Mirren is the most decorated SAG Life Achievement recipient with a total of 13 SAG Awards nominations and five SAG Awards Actor wins for The Queen, Elisabeth I, Phil Spector, and two for Gosford Park.

The acclaimed British actor won the Oscar for The Queen...

Lee Daniels joined his “Precious” breakthrough Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe at the Toronto International Film Festival this week (via Entertainment Weekly) to reflect on their 2009 drama, including the moment Daniels had to fire several “disrespectful” crew members only 20 days into production. The filmmaker said he “didn’t feel good” with the “Precious” dailies after two weeks of shooting.

“I had a white line producer, a white Ad, they also read [reviews that said my last film] ‘Shadowboxer’ was the worst film ever made, and they had zero respect for me, my vision, or what it was,” Daniels said. “They were New Yorkers that looked at this as a job. I kept coming home like, this doesn’t feel right, she doesn’t look right, the set looks weird. I felt like I was giving birth to an alien, literally, so I did something that I now don’t even know whether I’d have the courage to do,...

Exclusive: Will Kemp, Amanda Donohoe and Remy Hii will be co-starring in Netflix’s holiday Vanessa Hudgens threequel Princess Switch 3.

They’re part of an ensemble that also features Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Florence Hall, Ricky Norwood, Suanne Braun, Mark Fleischmann, and Robin Soans.

In the first Princess Switch, Hudgens plays look-a-likes—a Chicago baker named Stacy De Novo, and Belgravia Princess Lady Margaret—who switch lives for a day. In the sequel, The Princess Switch: Switched Again, the stakes jump for Duchess Margaret and Princess Stacy, when the former’s party-girl cousin Fiona (also played by Hudgens) enters to foil royal plans.

Princess Switch 3‘s plot line: When a priceless relic is stolen, Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy enlist the help of Margaret’s audacious look-alike cousin Fiona again who teams with a dashing, mysterious man from her past to retrieve it, rekindling the sparks of a tantalizing...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we usually talk about movie stars and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, however, we talk about Oscar movies (!) that time has relegated to B-Side status.

To tackle such a task, Conor and I welcome the incredible Chris Feil of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. Our guest and his co-host Joe Reid dive into myriad films that were released to significant awards buzz, only to earn zero Academy Award nominations.

In today’s episode, we each choose one film to focus on. Conor’s pick is the 1976 Woody Guthrie biopic Bound For Glory. The film earned six Oscar nominations, including wins for Cinematography and Best Music, Adapted. Chris’ pick is Ironweed from 1987, starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, adapted from William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.

Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for “The Queen,” will portray Israel’s legendary Prime Minister Golda Meir in “Golda.” The film will be directed by Academy Award winner Guy Nattiv, and produced by BAFTA winner Michael Kuhn.

Embankment will represent international sales, with CAA Media Finance and ICM jointly handling the North American rights. Production is eyeing an October start.

The screenplay – written by Nicholas Martin (“Florence Foster Jenkins”), who also produces – focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Meir, also known as the “Iron Lady of Israel,” faced during the Yom Kippur War.

On Oct. 6, 1973, under cover of darkness, on Israel’s holiest day and during the month of Ramadan, the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan begin a surprise attack on the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Outnumbered and outgunned, Meir confronts the immediate, clear, and present danger of a ticking...

British actor Geoffrey Palmer, known for appearing in a large variety of stage, movie, and television roles over the past several decades, has sadly passed away. Having appeared in several episodes of Doctor Who, the official Twitter account posted that they were "sad to report the death" of the veteran performer, listing the episodes he had starred in. It was also confirmed by his agent that Palmer died peacefully at his home following a short illness. He was 93 years old.

Palmer was born on the 4th of June in 1927 in London, England. After serving as a corporal instructor in small arms and field training in the Royal Marines, Palmer had turned his attention to performing. In the 1950s, he was appearing in stage productions at the Royal Court and for the National Theatre Company, including productions of Weest of Suez and Sabrina Fair.

He'd also begin appearing on television around...

British actor Geoffrey Palmer, known for the long-running series “As Time Goes By,” “Butterflies” and “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,” has died peacefully at home, his agent told the BBC. He was 93.

In “As Time Goes By,” Palmer co-starred with Judi Dench. The two reunited in the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.” Other notable films he was in include “The Madness of King George,” “A Fish Called Wanda,” “Mrs. Brown,” and “Paddington.” His last appearance is in “An Unquiet Life,” a film currently in post-production.

Palmer appeared in several iconic TV series, such as “Doctor Who,” “The Saint,” “Fawlty Towers” and “The Avengers.”

Tributes have been pouring in after Palmer’s death.

“Baby Driver” director Edgar Wright tweeted a reference to Palmer’s role in “Reginald Perrin”: “The flight path gag wiping out the lines of Reggie Perrin’s brother-in-law is one of my favourite running gags in comedy.

There are only two months left to go in this truly hellish year and relatively new streaming service HBO Max is trying to make the best of them. While most other streamers recover from Halloween and get prepared for Christmas, HBO Max is using November 2020 to fill out its servers.

Things are pretty light not the new original series front this month with only Industry (Nov. 9) and His Dark Materials season 2 (Nov. 16) making a splash. But the streamer has a couple of notable original films to complement them. Between the World and Me, based on the book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, arrives on Nov. 21 and Melissa McCarthy comedy Superintelligence arrives on Nov. 26. That’s not even to mention two intriguing projects that don’t have dates yet: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion Special and The Mystery of Db Cooper.

Thankfully, the real appeal in November 2020 is all the fresh library...

We might be stuck indoors this Halloween weekend, but thankfully, the various major streaming services are on hand to keep us occupied with a monumental mountain of new content heading our way over the next few days. As it’s both the end of the month and the beginning of November, the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu and Prime Video are adding a mix of seasonal movies and TV shows today and tomorrow, and a whole load of freshly licensed titles on Sunday.

First of all, Netflix is dropping five new originals this Friday, October 30th, including a couple of horrors, like The Day of the Lord and His House. Disney Plus, meanwhile, debuts The Mandalorian‘s season 2 premiere today, along with a new episode of The Right Stuff and Nicolas Cage movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Elsewhere, on the 31st, HBO Max adds last year’s Black Christmas...

As we have just about a week left to go of October, let’s take a look at everything that’s due to arrive on HBO Max in November. It’s a big month for the WarnerMedia streaming service, with countless new movies from their legendary library being added and plenty of fresh originals dropping throughout the following weeks. A few upcoming releases have yet to be dated, but otherwise, here’s the full list of what’s coming to HBO Max next month.

Released November Tba

12 Dates Of Christmas, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show, HBO Max Original Special Premiere

Crazy, Not Insane, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reunion Special, HBO Max Original Special Premiere

Full Bloom, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

I Hate Suzie, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

The Mystery Of Db Cooper, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Sesame Street,...

With a new month quickly approaching, it’s time to look ahead and see what’s coming to all your favorite streaming services this November. That’s Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and, of course, HBO Max.

Halloween will soon be behind us and given that Christmas isn’t too far off, we’re beginning to see some holiday titles pop up, with all the major platforms getting into the festive spirit. That’ll continue in December as well, of course, but for November, there’s certainly tons on offer for those looking to start the celebrations early.

There’s a lot of other great stuff on the way, too, though, be it classic films, underrated gems, brand new releases and much more, and you can check out the entire lineup, sorted by date, down below. Ready to dive in?

November 1

Netflix

60 Days In: Season 5

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Colin Leventhal, the highly respected and well liked UK film executive, has died at the age of 73 after an illness. His death was confirmed to Deadline by several people close to him and his family.

Leventhal joined the BBC in 1974 as a lawyer in the Programme Contracts department, rising to become head of copyright. He left the public broadcaster in 1981 to join the team setting up Channel 4 as a founding director when the commercial network launched in November 1982.

His time at C4 saw him take on several roles including director of acquisitions and business affairs, and managing director of Channel Four International, when he also oversaw FilmFour International (later to become Film4 Productions). Working alongside David Aukin, C4’s Head of Film, the pair developed the station into a backer of high-quality, critically acclaimed feature films, including Four Weddings And A Funeral, The Madness Of King George, Secrets And Lies,...

“I think I’m… quite ready for another adventure!” -Bilbo Baggins

Ian Holm, esteemed knighted British actor and standout of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Alien, is dead at the age of 88, having succumbed to complications from Parkinson’s disease. Holm passed away in a London hospital peacefully near his family and caregiver, as his agent confirmed to The Guardian, referring to the late actor as “charming, kind and ferociously talented,” and that “we will miss him hugely.”

Holm stood as a peer amongst other knighted legends like Ian McKellen and Laurence Olivier, but he never saw himself as a marquee-dominating movie star type, having maintained the grounded approach of a working actor. It’s a conceit evidenced by the way in which he selected roles across his 60-year career on stage and screen, rarely revisiting thematically similar characters, lest he become typecast. However, it’s also the...

Alien, Lord Of The Rings, The Fifth Element, The Madness Of King George, The Sweet Hereafter and Chariots Of Fire. Moviegoers came to know Ian Holm in these films, along with countless others, and sadly the world of cinema has lost another great actor.

From Reuters:

British actor Ian Holm, best known for his roles in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Alien”, has died aged 88, the Guardian newspaper said on Friday.

The actor, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire”, had died from a Parkinson’s related illness, the paper said.

“It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm Cbe passed away this morning at the age of 88,” his agent told the paper. “He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer. Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”

Holm began his career...

Sir Ian Holm, an Oscar nominee for Chariots of Fire and the star of the Lord of the Rings film franchise, died on Friday morning after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.

“He died peacefully in the hospital” in the company of his family and caregiver, his agent said in a statement. “Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”

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Ian Holm, the classically trained Shakespearean actor best known to film audiences for his performances in films including the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” movies, “Chariots of Fire” and “Alien,” has died. He was 88.

A rep for the actor has said Holm died in hospital on Friday morning. The actor had been battling Parkinson’s Disease for a number of years. However, as recently as January, Holm appeared in person to collect the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Icon Award in London.

Holm, who was celebrated for interpretations of most of the Shakespeare canon, including a towering “King Lear,” also excelled onstage in the original production of Harold Pinter’s “The Homecoming,” which he also brought to Broadway. He began working in films only midway through his career, debuting with an adaptation of his stage performance in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1968.

In later years, however, he worked increasingly...

Veteran British actor Ian Holm, star of Lord Of The Rings and Alien, has died aged 88.

In a message to the Guardian, Holm’s agent said: “It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm Cbe passed away this morning at the age of 88. He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer…Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”” He said that Holm’s illness was Parkinson’s related.

Holm was an instantly recognizable face in the industry, considered equally adept on stage and screen. He won a BAFTA and was Oscar-nominated for his role in the 1981 hit Chariots Of Fire and played Bilbo Baggins with aplomb in the epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy and Hobbit films.

One of his most iconic performances was as malfunctioning android Ash in Ridley Scott’s Alien.

Born in 1931 in Essex, UK, Holm excelled on stage...

Jodie Comer, Martin Freeman, Tamsin Greig, Kristin Scott Thomas and Imelda Staunton are among the stars lined up for new BBC One adaptations of playwright Alan Bennett’s acclaimed “Talking Heads” monologues, which start filming Tuesday.

Ten of the original pieces are being remade, having first aired on BBC Television in 1988 and 1998, winning two BAFTA awards. Two new monologues, written by Bennett last year, are also being filmed.

The contained nature of Bennett’s monologues means they are one of the very few dramas that can be produced while following guidelines on safe working practices during Covid-19. Filming is taking place at BBC Elstree Studios using existing sets.

They are produced by former National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner’s London Theatre Company and ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ producer Kevin Loader.

Lead director Hytner, whose film credits include “The Madness of King George” and “The History Boys,” said:...

If December is too long to wait for “The Crown,” HBO has the fix for you. Their four-part limited series “Catherine the Great” will be gracing our screens this fall.

Oscar-winner Helen Mirren steps into the role of the powerful Russian monarch. Between her Oscar-nominated turn as Queen Charlotte in “The Madness of King George,” her Oscar-winning role as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” and her Emmy-winning titular role in “Elizabeth I”, it’s no surprise to see Mirren playing a royal once again.

Continue reading ‘Catherine The Great’ Trailer: All Hail Helen Mirren In HBO’s New Period Drama Series at The Playlist.

“Game of Thrones” might be over, but HBO doesn’t seem quite ready to give up its coverage of controversial female leaders who fancy themselves the kind of royals who can break the very chains the monarchy has made possible. In “Catherine the Great,” an upcoming limited series from director Philip Martin and writer Nigel Williams, the chain-breaking potential turns to an actual ruler: Catherine the Great, played by Helen Mirren.

The four-part historical drama follows the Russian monarch as she nears the end of her reign in the late 18th century, with an apparent focus on her romantic relationship with Russian military leader Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke). The series also stars Georgina Beedle, Thomas Doherty, Andrew Rothney, Antonia Clarke, and Phil Dunster.

And yet the trailer at least hints at the early stages of Catherine’s remarkable run, one shaped by an auspicious and audacious start — she overthrew her...

DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures announced today that Sam Mendes’ 1917 will start shooting on April 1 on location in England and Scotland.

The film follows two young British soldiers (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay; Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) on a single day at the height of World War I.

Joining the two are Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Nabhaan Rizwan (Informer), Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Mendes, who will direct and wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Penny Dreadful) produces the film with Pippa Harris—his partner at Neal Street Productions—along with Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall. Co-producing is Michael Lerman.

Also announced today is the pic’s creative team: cinematographer Roger Deakins; production designer Dennis Gassner; costume designer Jacqueline Durran; editor Lee Smith; and composer Thomas Newman, who has created the scores for six previous Mendes films, including Skyfall, Road to Perdition and American Beauty.

The film is being produced by Neal Street Productions for DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures, and will be released by Universal in U.S./Canada on Dec. 25. Universal and Amblin Partners will distribute the film internationally, with eOne distributing on behalf of Amblin in the U.K.

1917 reps a reunion for Mendes and DreamWorks Pictures. His feature directorial debut, the Best Picture Oscar-winning American Beauty, was first made under Dw as well as two other films: Road to Perdition and Revolutionary Road.