Entertainment

Original title: John Malone Says He Advised David Zaslav on His Controversial Warner Bros. Discovery Compensation Package Media mogul John Malone is opening up about advising David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, on his new contract with the media giant. In an interview with the New York Times about his memoir Born to be Wired, Malone, Zaslav’s longtime mentor, told the publication that he recently advised the WBD boss on a new contract that would maximize his potential for generating long-term wealth but also dampen down public criticism that surrounded previous pay deals by keeping the headline figure of the package “skinny.” In April, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Zaslav received a 2024 compensation package worth $51.9 million, compared with $49.7 million in 2023 and $39.3 million in 2022 when the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger closed. However, in June, WBD shareholders voted to reject the 2024 compensation packages of its top executives, including Zaslav. “It doesn’t look like it’s all that generous, but in reality, it’s your path to meaningful wealth,” Malone opined to the ...

Original title: Telluride: ‘Jay Kelly’ Team on Clooney and Stardom, Sandler’s Soulful Turn and Crudup’s Crazy Scene Due to illness, George Clooney couldn’t make it to this year’s Telluride Film Festival for the North American premiere of Jay Kelly, a film that centers on a movie star (Clooney) who experiences an existential crisis that prompts him to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Europe to see his daughter and accept a career tribute from a film festival, and his “team,” who are expected to drop everything to support him. But a large coterie of Clooney’s collaborators on the film were in town — among them co-writer/director Noah Baumbach, actors Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup and Patrick Wilson, and composer Nicholas Britell — and basked in the warm reception and awards chatter that greeted the Netflix title at its four festival screenings, two of which followed career tributes to Baumbach. On Sunday, following one of those screenings, I sat down with the aforementioned group for a wide-ranging Q&A. We discussed why Baumbach and Emily Mortimer wrote the part of Kelly with Clooney in mind ...

Original title: Telluride: ‘Jay Kelly’ Team on Clooney and Stardom, Sandler’s Soulful Turn and Crudup’s Crazy Scene Due to illness, George Clooney couldn’t make it to this year’s Telluride Film Festival for the North American premiere of Jay Kelly, a film that centers on a movie star (Clooney) who experiences an existential crisis that prompts him to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Europe to see his daughter and accept a career tribute from a film festival, and his “team,” who are expected to drop everything to support him. But a large coterie of Clooney’s collaborators on the film were in town — among them co-writer/director Noah Baumbach, actors Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup and Patrick Wilson, and composer Nicholas Britell — and basked in the warm reception and awards chatter that greeted the Netflix title at its four festival screenings, two of which followed career tributes to Baumbach. On Sunday, following one of those screenings, I sat down with the aforementioned group for a wide-ranging Q&A. We discussed why Baumbach and Emily Mortimer wrote the part of Kelly with Clooney in mind ...

Original title: Walmart Wants to Challenge Amazon as a Streaming Aggregator, Adds Peacock as Video Partner Walmart wants to take on Amazon Prime Video in the video aggregation space, overhauling its subscription offering with a new benefit called “Video Subscription Choice,” and adding Peacock as a partner. The retail giant on Monday announced its new plan, which includes an extension of its deal with Paramount+, originally signed three years ago. The new offering will see subscribers to its Walmart+ bundle be able to choose between a complimentary subscription to Peacock’s premium tier, or the Paramount+ essential plan. Subscribers can also switch between Paramount+ and Peacock every 90 days, if they so choose. The choice-based offering also leaves open the possibility of Walmart adding other streaming services as potential options in the future. “The additional option of Peacock Premium adds even more value and more choice to our membership, without raising the price,” said Deepak Maini, senior VP of Walmart+. “By offering the ability to switch between two top-tier video streaming service ...

Original title: ‘Lost in the Jungle’ Review: ‘Free Solo’ Directors Capably Tackle a Remarkable Tale of Survival in the Amazon for Nat Geo Real-life drama doesn’t get much more harrowing, or much more inspiring, than the story at the heart of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Juan Camilo Cruz’s new documentary Lost in the Jungle, which showed at Telluride ahead of its September premiere on National Geographic. In 2023, Indigenous Colombian Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy (aged 13 at the time) and siblings Soleiny (9 at the time), Tien (5) and Cristin (under a year) were on a plane headed to Bogota. It crashed somewhere in the Amazon, killing their mother and two other passengers, but the kids were OK. Relatively. Lost in the Jungle The Bottom Line The story is more compelling than the way it’s told. Venue: Telluride Film Festival Airdate: 9 p.m. Friday, September 12 (National Geographic) Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Juan Camilo Cruz 1 hour 36 minutes The Colombian military sent a unit of commandos into the jungle, while regional tribes sent their own search party, all certain that even if the ch ...

Original title: Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ Delivers TKO at Venice World Premiere, 15-Minute Ovation Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, delivered a knockout punch Monday at the Venice Film Festival. The A24 film had its world premiere Monday night inside Sala Grande and the audience went wild, responding with a 15-minute standing ovation. It proved to be a special night for Johnson as Kerr also made the trek to Venice for the showing where they were joined by co-star Emily Blunt. Amid cheers of “DJ,” “Benny” and “Emily,” the audience went wild as all four — Johnson, Blunt, Safdie and Kerr — were all teary-eyed throughout the emotional scene. Even Seth Rogen, a surprise guest, was cheering and hollering while holding a camera throughout the ovation and snapping photos the entire time. A24’s The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne Johnson as UFC champ Mark Kerr delivers TKO at Venice Film Festival world premiere with 15-minute standing ovation. The Rock in tears by the end as was co-star Emily Blunt, direc ...

Original title: Graham Greene, ‘Dances With Wolves’ Actor, Dies at 73 Graham Greene, the Oscar-nominated actor from Dances with Wolves, has died. He was 73. The actor died Monday in Stratford, Ontario, of natural causes, Graham’s rep told The Hollywood Reporter. Born in 1952 in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve, the Canadian actor made his small screen debut in the 1979 Canadian drama series The Great Detective and film debut in Running Brave (1983). However it was his role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves that earned him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. Out of its 12 nominations, Dances with Wolves won seven, including one for best picture. The film launched Graham’s career to new heights, with the actor having performances in over 200 film and television productions, as well as starring roles at the Stratford Festival. Graham’s other best-known roles include Maverick (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), The Green Mile (1999), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game (2017). He also starred i ...

Original title: Amanda Seyfried in Tears, Does Shaker Dance After ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ World Premiere at Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival hosted a world premiere on Monday afternoon for Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee, delivering something close to a religious experience. The audience responded to the film, which stars Amanda Seyfried as founder of the radical religious sect the Shakers, with raptrous applause, and a 15-minute standing ovation. Seyfried wipes back tears as the house light rose and joined director Fastvold in the film’s signature arm-pumping shaker dance as the ovation rained down. Fastvold’s partner, and co-screenwriter Brady Corbet worked the crowd and kept the ovation at a fever pitch. Fastvold looked to be in tears as well, turning around to hug her daughter with Corbet who beamed with pride. The Shakers were a cult-like group, which formed as an offshoot of Quakerism in Manchester, England in 1747. They got their name from worship practices that included trembling, dancing and speaking in tongues. Founder Lee espoused gender and social equality while believing hersel ...

Original title: ‘The Smashing Machine’ Review: Dwayne Johnson Delivers the Blows as a Tormented Fighter in Benny Safdie’s Gritty and Downbeat MMA Flick Sticks, stones, body blows and multiple knees to the head may break his bones, but names are what do real damage to pioneering UFC fighter Mark Kerr, a beast of a man who could crush opponents in the ring and fall apart as soon as he stepped outside it. In Benny Safdie’s compellingly gritty and offbeat biopic, The Smashing Machine, Kerr wavers between hot and cold, passive and aggressive, chilled-out on the couch and pulverizing a door in his living room, showcasing a fragility that’s way bigger than his ballooning biceps. Played by Dwayne Johnson in the wrestler-turned-actor’s most absorbing turn yet, the mixed martial arts champ anchors a rise-and-fall fight flick that takes many cues from the genre but never delivers a Rocky-style knockout — nor does it even try to. The Smashing Machine The Bottom Line A well-performed and punishing fight flick, both in and out of the ring. Venue: Venice Film Festival (Competition) Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten Director, ...

Original title: ‘Kim Novak’s Vertigo’ Review: Doc Tribute to an Icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age Crosses the Line From Loving to Fawning Shown out of competition in Venice in conjunction with the festival giving a lifetime achievement award to its 92-years-young titular subject, documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo is essentially a cinematic fan letter, written with love but chock full of gushing, purple prose, some of it by the subject herself. Swiss filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe is already known for his essayistic celebrations of auteurs and their masterworks, including Lynch/Oz, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist and The People Vs. George Lucas. He may take writing, directing and co-producing credits here, and appears onscreen as Novak’s interviewer, but it’s Novak who feels like the one who’s largely in charge. Kim Novak’s Vertigo The Bottom Line Her-story. Venue: Venice Film Festival (Out of Competition) Director/screenwriter: Alexandre O. Philippe 1 hour 16 minutes That commitment to seeing the world through Novak’s eyes comes with a certain price in credibility. However much you might admire her as an a ...