News

Taiwan has selected Chung Mong-hong’s dark drama “A Sun” as its contender for the best international feature film section of the Academy Awards, previously referred to as the Oscar for the best foreign-language film.

The selection was announced by the Ministry of Culture, which said that its special panel at the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development had considered 18 candidate films. In a statement, the ministry praised the film for its “memorable and moving portrayal of parent-child relations.”

The film which details the pressures on a family of four that follow the younger son being sent to juvenile detention, had its premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Shortly afterwards, it played at several of Asia’s leading festivals, Busan, Tokyo and the Golden Horse festival. In the 2019 Golden Horse awards it collected the best film best director, best film editing, best actor and supporting actor awards. It also collected the audience choice prize.

Taiwan has submitted films in the category in many years since 1957. Two titles by Ang Lee, “The Wedding Banquet,” and “Eat Drink Man Woman” received Oscars nominations in 1993 and 1994, while Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” won at the 73rd edition for films from 2000. Only one other Taiwanese film has received any Oscars attention, Wei Te-sheng’s “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” which made the 2011 edition’s January shortlist.

“A Sun” was a favorite with Variety reviewers. Chief critic, Peter Debruge called it a “masterful drama.. a world-cinema stunner.” He also included it in a list of the ten best films of the decade that were without U.S. distribution. The film is now available to stream on Netflix.

The Oscars ceremony will be held April 25, 2021, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic from its previously scheduled Feb. 28 date.

https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/taiwan-selects-a-sun-foreign-language-oscars-contender-1234785935/

Rapper 21 Savage and producer Metro Boomin have announced the release of their latest collaborative project, “Savage Mode 2,” with a video featuring the voice of actor Morgan Freeman.

Over imagery of crows with blood-red eyes, a snowy graveyard and Savage and Boomin in the studio, Freeman’s soothing voice informs viewers of the true meaning of savage mode.

“‘Savage’ is defined as fierce, beastly and untamed. ‘Mode’ is defined as a way of operating or using a system,” Freeman says. “So to be in a savage mode is to go hard, not allowing anything to stop or deter you from your mission,” Freeman says.

As one of the songs from the album begins to play and blood pours into a room in a scene reminiscent of “The Shining,” Freeman continues his voiceover.

“Basically, this means when somebody is in savage mode, they are not to be f—ed with,” Freeman says. “I now present to you, ‘Savage Mode 2.’”

The trailer video is directed by Gibson Hazard, who has produced visuals for an impressive roster of artists, including Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Diddy, Dr. Dre and The Weeknd. Though it has not been officially announced, it is possible that the trailer could be the start to a music video for one of the tracks on the upcoming album.

“Savage Mode 2” is the sequel to Savage and Boomin’s 2016 EP “Savage Mode,” which produced songs like “X” featuring Future, “No Heart” and of course, the titular track “Savage Mode.”

A promotional website for the album has also been created, featuring “Savage Mode 2” merchandise, a live countdown and a phone number that fans can call to hear a sneak peek of the project.

Watch the full announcement video below.

https://variety.com/2020/music/news/21-savage-metro-boomin-savage-mode-2-morgan-freeman-1234785894/

If someone were to ask the average layperson to name a famous American architect, chances are Frank Lloyd Wright is the first name that comes to mind. Born in 1867, he had established himself as a pioneering architect by the turn of the twentieth century as he shifted away from the Classical designs and ornamentation of the Beaux Arts and moved towards a more organic, humanistic sensibility that incorporated geometric shapes with natural materials. Today, his fame star shines brighter than ever, and his homes remain highly coveted works of art.

As a key contributor to the Prairie School, he designed buildings that emphasized horizontal forms that mimicked the long, flat landscape of the prairie, and developed a utopian concept for American living in the 1930s. Wright was not only a major thinker, but also a prolific architect: he designed over 1,000 buildings that ranged from churches and museums to office buildings and hundreds of residences — including several that are currently on the market and looking for a buyer.

The real beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work is that it was for everyone and anyone — not every house is a $18 million Los Angeles mansion. Whether you’re in search of a humble home for a small family, or you’re a black card-carrying mogul in search of an awe-inspiring abode clad in stone, there’s something out there for you!

Want more info about buying or selling a Frank Lloyd Wright home? The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has its own guide — check it out here.

https://variety.com/2020/dirt/more-dirt/a-jaw-dropping-frank-lloyd-wright-house-for-under-a-million-dollars-yes-it-exists-1234785906/

When he’s not drumming up a Grammy-winning record for Vampire Weekend, the critically beloved New York-based rock band he co-founded in 2006, Chris Tomson relaxes in the hip L.A. neighborhood of Silver Lake. Over the summer, the 36-year-old laid out $1.6 million for a traditional 1930s cottage with impressive views of the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory. The home hadn’t been on the market “in over 50 years,” per the listing, meaning the well-maintained but outdated interiors are ripe for a cosmetic refresh.

Set high above the street, the three-bedroom, single-story structure is accessed via a long brick walkway that gradually climbs the hill, meandering past the street-level two-car garage and two swaths of grassy lawn before reaching the front porch. Inside, there’s an unexpectedly voluminous living room with wooden ceiling beams and a brick fireplace, plus wall-to-wall carpeting the color of aged rust.

Other spaces include a prehistoric kitchen that’s been half-heartedly updated with medium-grade appliances. The kitchen steps down to a wee breakfast nook with impressive views of the city and hills, and elsewhere there’s an office paneled in gorgeously original knotty pine hardwood. Two of the home’s three bedrooms share a single large bathroom, complete with a built-in soaking tub and dual vanities, while the third smaller bedroom has its own ensuite bath. At the far rear of the residence, a covered and enclosed lanai opens to the petite backyard, where there’s a jacuzzi set under a loggia, a citrus tree, grassy lawn, and glorious views of the Silver Lake Reservoir.

Since their 2006 formation, Vampire Weekend has released four full-length albums, collecting two Grammy Awards in the process and selling millions of copies worldwide. In 2017, while his bandmates pursued their own projects during a group hiatus, Tomson released “Yougish American,” his first — and so far, only — solo album.

Isaac Fast of Coldwell Banker held the listing; Emily Karaszewski of Compass repped Tomson.

https://variety.com/2020/dirt/entertainers/vampire-weekends-chris-tomson-buys-eastside-l-a-fixer-1234785858/

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country’s top experts on the coronavirus pandemic, called some of Fox News’ reporting on the virus “outlandish” and added that some media stories are “taken out of context or are actually incorrect.”

In an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter on Monday, Fauci spoke about the news media’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is so much misinformation during this very divisive time that we’re in, and the public really needs to know the facts,” Fauci said. “Some of the media that I deal with…I wouldn’t say distort things, but certainly give opposing perspectives on what seems to be a pretty obvious fact.”

Fauci then singled out Fox News, calling some of their reporting “outlandish.”

“If you listen to Fox News, with all due respect to the fact that they do have some good reporters, some of the things that they report there are outlandish, to be honest with you,” he said.

He added that he’s concerned with the media because “sometimes things are said that are really taken either out of context or are actually incorrect.”

Fauci also discussed Dr. Scott Altas, a White House coronavirus task force member with whom CDC director Robert Redfield has questioned for sharing misleading information with President Trump, according to CNN.

Fauci called Atlas an “outlier,” saying that most members of the task force are working together.

“My difference is with Dr. Atlas, I’m always willing to sit down and talk with him and see if we could resolve those differences,” he said.

On Monday night, the worldwide coronavirus deaths passed one million, with the U.S. surpassing 200,000 deaths last week.

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/fauci-fox-news-coronavirus-1234785786/

Disney’s ‘Secret Society of Second-Born Royals’ features princesses, superheroes and action. Now streaming on Disney Plus, the film follows Sam (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), the second-born princess of the kingdom of Illyria. She lives in the shadow of her perfect older sister, Eleanor (Ashley Liao).

Sam is sent to summer school, and discovers she’s actually entered a training program for second-born royals, who each have unique superpowers to help secretly protect their kingdoms. There, she’s joined by fellow second-borns January (Isabella Blake-Thomas), Tuma (Niles Fitch), Roxana (Olivia Deeble) and Matteo (Faly Rakotohavana) to learn from their instructor James (Skylar Astin).

For director Anna Mastro, ensuring the safety of her cast was of upmost importance. Mastro recruited Matt Mullins (“Ford v. Ferrari”) as her trusted stunt coordinator to work with the team and train them in their newfound superpowers.

How did working with a group of kids differ from working with an individual actor?

Matt Mullins: One of the first things I wanted to see was what the kids could actually do. We got the whole cast and said, ‘Alright, what can you guys do?’

The most fun thing is to be able to take everybody’s abilities and see what they’re good at and then highlight that. We also looked at utilizing their personalities to eventually show what their skills were. So, it was a nice discovery process.

We had to come to terms with creating this universe and how to do it safely. Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays Sam, rides a skateboard and slides down this rail, so we had to look at how to do it practically. We’d get the stunt team to see what we could do with the actress and where to pad them. Then we’d look at doing a wire shot with the stunt person.

How do you strike that balance of knowing what’s safe for an actor to do and where you need a stunt double, so that you don’t have any broken bones on set?

Anna Mastro: That was exactly why it was important to me to have Matt be a part of the process. We’ve worked together before and I know he’s good at making things look great. I just didn’t trust any other stunt coordinator. You don’t want to hand your kids over to someone you don’t know, so it was important to me to have someone that I could trust on the creative side but to know the kids were going to be safe when they were learning it and training. I knew I could trust him.

How was the chase in the woods scene achieved with the multiple Skylars? 

Mullins: A lot of that was about coming up with James’ abilities. We wanted it to be different and we were trying to find different ways of using the forest.

We had to look at how to pull off Skylar being in 15 places at once, how do we pull it off? We looked at building files and visualizing it. It was about having Skylar in one place, a double there, another guy where we see over his shoulder, and the rest of it was figured out in VFX.

Mastro: We also had a limited amount of time to shoot that sequence. We had from 10 pm to 5 am, and we had to find doubles of Skylar. Every time you see Skylar, he had to go and shoot that scene in that place. It was a process of breaking it down with VFX.

Greg Bryk has done a lot of stunts and had worked with a lot of stunt doubles, but for Skylar, it was the first time he had done physical stunts. He’s done a lot of comedy and romantic comedies, but this was his first time doing action.

Mullins: Skylar came in and rehearsed. If you’re doing one side of a fight, all you have to do is learn that one side, but he had to learn all the different sides and areas because it’s so many different versions against this one guy.

What went into the finale with the battle scene? Was it shot on a real rooftop or was it a mix of both green screen and on-camera stunts?

Mastro: A lot of the ending was in the original script with the guy going down the roof, and it had some great stunt moments. I went to Toronto, and I fell in love with 20 different locations. I went back to Disney and I did a presentation with a photo book of every scene in the movie and it had a photo of what that location would look like, and they went for it.

That rooftop is the real rooftop of that real church. They allowed us to build scaffolding on there, and we added the stairs via green screen, and on the first day, we probably got 95% of the shots we needed. It was such a good thing because the next day, the weather was awful so we would not have been able to get what we did that day.

Mullins: If you do rooftop scenes in New York, they have parapets, but for that rooftop, they didn’t have any safety net, so, we had to put barriers in for safety purposes. And when you’re filming, if the cast was a certain distance to the edge, we had to wire everyone in. There’s a lot to accomplish on the shoot day and add that with all the safety aspects, it’s a lot.

https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/stunts-second-born-royals-disney-1234785634/

Ava DuVernay Selected for Inaugural MacDowell Trophy

‘Friday Afternoon in the Universe’ Sets Production 

The independent comedy film “Friday Afternoon in the Universe” will start production in February in Portland, Oregon, with Elisha Cuthbert, Jay Chandrasekhar and Bojana Novakovic, Variety has learned exclusively.

“Friday Afternoon in the Universe” centers on an alcoholic playwright who discovers that her play has been stolen and is being staged. The producers include Sean Patrick Burke, who produced the  film “As You Are,” which premiered in the American Drama competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and won a special Grand Jury Prize award.

Kino Lorber has acquired the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to William Greaves’ documentary “Nationtime,” which explores the National Black Political Convention of 1972 held in Gary, Ind.

The film will be released in virtual cinemas through Kino Marquee starting Oct. 23. The 4K version was restored by IndieCollect under the supervision of Louise Greaves, the director’s widow and filmmaking partner, with color correction by Oskar Miarka. Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Trust funded the restoration.

The Gary Convention gathered more than 10,000 Black politicians, activists, and artists from across the political spectrum, including more than 500 media representatives. The film is narrated by Sidney Poitier combined with poems recited by Harry Belafonte. Delegates included Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale, Coretta Scott King, PUSH founder Rev. Jesse Jackson and elected officials Ron Dellums, Charles Diggs, Walter Fauntroy, Richard Hatcher and Carl McCall. Belafonte, Dick Gregory, Isaac Hayes and Richard Roundtree performed for the crowds over the three days.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/film-news-in-brief-13-1234785676/

Following the finalization of their divorce, it appears Kacey Musgraves and her (almost) ex-husband Ruston Kelly are giving each other some space, cowboy! As often happens with divorce, the erstwhile couple are selling their house — in this case a folksy Victorian-style bungalow in the hip Nashville neighborhood of Inglewood, which is newly on the market for $359,000.

For a star of Musgraves’ fame and caliber, her Nashville digs are unusually modest. For comparison’s sake, Miley Cyrus’ farm-style estate, located in the posh suburb of Franklin, sprawls over almost 35 acres and cost her $5.8 million. Musgrave’s home, on the other hand, is sited on a quiet residential street amongst a gaggle of other seriously cute and similarly humble houses. Built in 1926, the quaint dwelling measures in at not quite 1,300 square feet and has just two bedrooms and one bathroom. However, what the Southern-style cottage doesn’t have in space, it certainly makes up for in character and charm. Clad in white clapboard, the exterior is accented with an unorthodox but eye-catching teal trim, while gray shingles top the roof. A small concrete path leads from the driveway, through a bit of pleasantly overgrown landscaping to the postcard-perfect front porch, which is decorated with the obligatory rocking chair. This is the South, after all.

Inside, original hardwood flooring, crown molding, decorative archways and pale gray walls can be found throughout. The living room is on the wee side, but it’s unquestionably cozy with a lovely white-painted decorative stone fireplace enhanced by a simple, lightly stained wood mantle that provides a welcome splash of natural color. A pair of casement windows flank either side of the fireplace, while a single double-hung window sits next to the front door and faces the street.

The living room flows effortlessly into the neighboring dining room that is bathed in natural light thanks to a series of large windows. A fetching barrel pendant lamp hangs over the dining area and lends a whisper of modernity to the otherwise traditional space. As is the case with many old Southern homes, the kitchen was built as separate room (no open floor plans here, folks), but the doors to the dining area, walk-in pantry and laundry room have all been removed to help give the room a greater sense of space and ease of flow. Up-to-date with medium-grade stainless steel appliances, the kitchen has ample cabinet space, a simple subway tile backsplash and an extra-large farm-style sink.

With just one rather generic bathroom, and two similarly sized bedrooms, Musgrave’s Music City digs do not have a proper master suite. The bedroom Musgrave and Kelly used as their master is light and airy with four double-hung windows that look out into the backyard, while the other bedroom doubled as a guest room and music studio.

The unexpected highlight of the residence just may be its window-lined home office, which appears to have been a porch or carport at some point during its lifetime. Painted completely white, from its clapboard walls to its wood floors, the room is warmed by a freestanding wood-burning stove. A pair of sea green French doors lead to a sizable screened porch, the perfect mosquito-free spot to whittle away a late afternoon sipping a mint julep and yakking with friends.

Steps lead down from the porch to the backyard, which feels roomy and private thanks to the quarter-acre lot. Verdantly lush and mostly covered with patchy grass, the yard is dotted with a smattering of mature trees and includes what listing details calls a “she shed,” the feminine version of a man cave.

The listing is held by Mary Beth Thomas and Jonny Gleaton of Village Real Estate.

https://variety.com/2020/dirt/entertainers/kacey-musgraves-giddy-ups-out-of-her-nashville-bungalow-1234785765/

Disney has moved its next D23 expo back a year until 2022, the company announced Monday.

The seventh biannual event, held in Anaheim, Calif., at the Anaheim Convention Center, had been scheduled to take place next summer, but will now be held on Sept. 9-11, 2022. Disney said it will use the event to kick start the company’s 100th anniversary celebration, coinciding with the 1923 founding of the company by Walt Disney.

D23 is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Co. The group was founded in 2009 with Bob Iger unveiling it at the company’s annual meeting. It’s best known for its exposition event, the D23 Expo. Membership includes discounts and early access to the convention.

The first D23 Expo was held at the Anaheim Convention Center with pavilions from Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Consumer Products. It showed off an expansion of Fantasyland, an extensive re-hauling of Star Tours for Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a fourth film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean franchise,” and appearances by John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Patricia Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Tim Burton, Selena Gomez, Robin Williams, Johnny Depp (as Captain Jack Sparrow), as well as live performances by Miley Cyrus and The Muppets.

Last year’s D23 included giant Marvel exhibits and a kiosk to sign up for Disney Plus and save $23 per year on a three-year subscription to the streaming service. The event presented preview looks at “Frozen II,” “Onward,” “Soul,” “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Mulan,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Jungle Cruise,” and “Cruella” along with 20th Century Fox projects “Ford v Ferrari,” “Spies in Disguise,” and “The King’s Man.”

Disney has been forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to delay many of its film including “Jungle Cruise,” “Eternals” and “Black Widow.”

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/disney-d23-delayed-2022-1234785689/

Glenn Close has spent the last decade working hard to get people to open up about mental illness.

“Everyone is connected in some way to mental illness, whether it’s a friend or a family member,” the actor tells Variety from her home in Montana. “The fact that it’s still so hard for people to talk about is tragic.”

Close co-founded Bring Change to Mind (BC2M) in 2010 to help end the stigma around mental health issues. Her sister, Jessie, lives with bipolar disorder and her nephew, Calen, has schizophrenia. “When we started it, we didn’t know what we were doing,” she said. “We just knew there was a need.”

The group’s eighth annual gala, Revels & Revelations, will be held virtually on Oct. 1. The event will honor Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and their children Trey, Jaden and Willow with the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award.

Williams’ son Zak told Variety that he and his sister Zelda chose the Smiths because they take “philanthropy and charitable works very seriously while being lighthearted and appreciating the medium of laughter and humor through it all.”

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, Revels & Revelations will feature performances and appearances by John Mayer, Karamo Brown, Wayne Brady, Paul Shaffer, Jonathan Groff, Jordin Sparks, Ron Howard, Cyndi Lauper, Alanis Morissette and the cast of Broadway’s “Jagged Little Pill.”

The evening benefits BC2M’s high school programs and public awareness campaigns. Several students will also make an appearance during the gala. Even though the event has to take place online this year, Close believes having the celebration through a screen is better than not having it at all.

“One of the reasons why people are finding COVID so difficult is that we feed as a species on looking into each other’s eyes, we need connection. You basically die without connection,” she said. “It’s hard to find that kind real profound connection when you’re looking into a screen. It’s something for us to remember when we can go back to being together.”

Williams, 37, said he believes the stigma around mental health issues has lessened in the years since his father died in 2014 by suicide, which was partially attributed to him having Lewy body dementia.

“I have great faith in the advocacy and awareness of Gen Z and Gen Alpha,” he said. “They’re very attuned kids and young adults who are focused on making a difference in the world.”

When asked if she has a message for people who may be struggling right now, especially because of isolation due to the pandemic, Close said, “I hear you. I see you. I’m here to help. How can I help?”

https://variety.com/2020/scene/news/glenn-close-will-jada-pinkett-smith-robin-williams-award-1234785573/