News

Guillermo del Toro's 2002 action/horror sequel "Blade II" came with a novel concept: what if vampires had vampires of their own? Blade, to remind readers, was a half-vampire badass who hunted and killed vampires as his life goal. The sunlight-allergic bloodsuckers, in Blade's world, were secretive titans of industry, hidden in boardrooms and careful to remain out of the public eye. They had a culture and ancient writings all their own, and a vast network of human interns who could do their ghoulish bidding during the daylight hours. Blade (Wesley Snipes) was born half-vampire after his mother was bitten while pregnant. As an adult, Blade has found all the most efficient ways to slay vampires, notably by cutting them up with pure silver swords. 

In "Blade II," the title hero found that some vampires had evolved into a new species called Reapers. Reapers had lower jaws that could split...

Chile’s Francisca Alegria, whose debut feature “The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future” premiered at Sundance 2022, is launching a Latinx production company called Madre, with offices based in Chile, Uruguay and the U.S.

Together with her partners Fernanda Urrejola, Gabriela Rosés and Cristóbal Güell, Alegria said: “We firmly believe that stories have the ability to shape perspectives, challenge norms, and inspire action. With this in mind, we strive to select projects that not only entertain but also provoke thought and spark meaningful conversations.”

Recognizing that “representation matters,” the company intends to showcase Latinx culture “beyond surface-level diversity” stating: “We aim to portray the complexities, nuances, and rich tapestry of our community, shedding light on the multifaceted experiences and identities that often go unseen or are misunderstood.”

The new company is working on a fantasy feature set in Chile with Latinx producers Sergio Lira and Lynette Coll atLuz Films and “The Cow…...

As Sanctuary, Zachary Wigon’s twisted tale of a dominatrix and her wealthy client, opens in NY and LA, David Lancaster of producer Rumble Films recalls a speedy 18-day shoot on a custom-made set in Brownsville, Brooklyn in late summer of 2021. It was Covid, so not the easiest time for indie financing.

It world premiered in Toronto, Neon picked it up. Rumble is pretty prolific with projects including Whiplash, Night Crawler, Eye In The Sky, Drive and Donnybrook. It lost one project to a lack of pandemic insurance and more recently saw another fall away since it wouldn’t have been finished shooting by the end of June – when actor and director contracts expires and they could potentially be on strike alongside writers. “It’s a tricky world,” he said.

He’s in Cannes with eOne horror thriller Visitation by Nicolas Pesce starring Olivie Cooke and Isla Johnston that finished...

Hundreds of fish lie dead on a riverbed. A lone (lonely?) cow ambles around late at night in a forest. A flock of birds fly in discordant unison up above. The arresting images of nature gone awry in Francisca Alegría’s “The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future” are but the first clues that this rural-set Chilean feature has a distinct ecological interest. This hypnotic tale about how hard it can be to heal earthly and familial wounds marks a singular feature debut from the director of 2016 short “And the Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye.”

Aptly matching its dizzying and obfuscating title, the film opens with a premise that owes much to Latin America’s most treasured literary genre: magical realism. A young woman, with a motorcycle helmet in tow, emerges from the river where she presumably committed suicide decades ago. She washes ashore only slightly disoriented,...

Francisca Alegría’s The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future is an object lesson in what can result when a work of art subordinates itself to a message. And in this case, that the message of ecological redemption feels too little too late makes the film’s failure to give it resonance all the more frustrating. Between its half-realized characters, unresolved plotlines, and perfunctory stab at magical realism, it’s hard to take this story as seriously as it takes itself.

Set in present-day rural Chile, the film opens with Magdalena (Mía Maestro) washing up on the banks of a river alongside the bodies of countless fish. The woman, it turns out, drowned decades earlier after driving her motorcycle into the water. Having aged not a day since the accident—or was it suicide?—she wanders into the village where she used to live. And it’s there that Magdalena’s former husband,...

Leonor Varela with Anne-Katrin Titze on The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future: “For me the stories that came to mind to build my character had to do with familiar echoes in the disconnect …”

Francisca Alegría’s The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future (La Vaca Que Cantó Una Canción Hacia El Futuro), co-written with Fernanda Urrejola, Manuela Infante and shot by Inti Briones, stars Leonor Varela with Mia Maestro, Alfredo Castro, Marcial Tagle, Enzo Ferrada Rosati, Laura Del Rio Rios, María Velasquez, and 2222, the cow.

Leonor Varela as Cecilia with a calf: “it’s so sad, they’re separated from their mother very early on, but their instinct is to suck.” Photo: Inti Briones

In recent years, a number of outstanding films brought to the forefront an issue society at large is all too willing to ignore, namely the treatment of farm animals and...

After 25 years, Susana Gimenez, Argentina’s celebrated TV host, actress, model and entrepreneur, is set to make her hotly anticipated return to the big screen in a new Diego Kaplan comedy.

The still untitled film, penned by Kaplan and Pablo Minces, centers on a preeminent child psychologist who has her own struggles with her 43-year-old son who is reluctant to leave home. Principal photography is slated for October in Buenos Aires.

“I can’t believe I’m making a movie after all these years; I certainly wasn’t planning for it,” said Gimenez. “But Diego is a force of nature and a visionary. When he pitched the project to me, I just couldn’t resist it and jumped right in,” she added. Aside from starring in a host of film and TV series, Gimenez hosted a top-rated talk show likened to that of Oprah Winfrey or Italy’s Raffaella Carrà.

Chilean director Francisca Alegría weaves together singing cows and family trauma in this thoughtful magical realist fable with an environmental message

First-time Chilean director Francisca Alegría turns up the arthouse dial past eleven right from the name of her debut feature. The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future is a conspicuously poetic title that gives every impression that we’re in for a hardcore cine-patience tester. I have to admit that it made my heart sink. But while, yes, Tcwssf is a dreamy magical realist fable with an environmental message, Alegría weaves into her tale an emotionally satisfying, gripping family drama, with singing cows – and fish too.

It begins with the fish, dying by the shoal-load on the banks of a river, poisoned by pollution from a nearby factory. As the fish die, a woman gasps to the surface of the water. This is Magdalena (Mía Maestro), who drowned herself decades ago.

"There will always be things we can't explain." Kino Lorber has unveiled an official US trailer for a Chilean film with the exquisite title The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future. What a name for a film! This initially premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival last year, before stopping by numerous other film festivals throughout 2022. It's set for a small theatrical release in the US starting this May. It's one of these very artsy cinematic creations that is indescribable, but we'll try anyway. Cecilia travels to her father's farm after he has a heart attack. Back in her childhood home, Cecilia is met by her long-deceased mother whose presence brings to life a painful past chorused by the natural world surrounding them. "A lyrical rumination on family, nature, renewal, and resurrection, The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future is an ambitious proposal for acceptance and healing,...

One of the most striking directorial debuts to come out Sundance Film Festival last year, Francisca Alegría’s gorgeously haunting The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future takes a mysterious journey of magical realism through Chile. Revisiting themes from her short And the Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye, the film centers on the long-deceased Magdalena (Mia Maestro), who appears from the water, bringing with her old wounds and a wave of family secrets. Her daughter Cecilia (Leonor Varela) returns home to the family’s dairy farm with her own children, as they reconcile this strange occurrence in a bid for healing. Ahead of a release beginning on May 19 in New York City, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the U.S. trailer from Kino Lorber.

Michael Frank said in his review, “Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegria’s The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future...

Diane Warren is heading back to the Dolby Theatre. The legendary songwriter garnered her 14th Oscar nomination on Tuesday recognizing her work on “Applause” — an original song penned for the Samuel Goldwyn Films anthology, Tell It Like a Woman.

Related Story Oscar Nominations: The Complete List of Nominees Related Story How To Watch The 2023 Oscar Nominations Related Story Ryan Coogler On Sundance & 'Fruitvale Station' A Decade Later & How 'Creed' May Be The Most Park City Franchise Ever

While Warren was recognized in November with an Honorary Oscar, she has somehow not yet taken home a statuette for Best Original Song. Her most recent nominations from the Film Academy have come for the songs “Somehow You Do” from Vertical Entertainment’s addiction drama, Four Good Days; “Io Si (Seen)” from Netflix’s Sophia Lorren starrer The Life Ahead, co-written by Laura Pausini; “I’m Standing With You” from Twentieth Century Fox...

Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films has closed a deal with Italian outfit Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment to acquire U.S. distribution rights to star-studded female-powered feature Tell It Like A Woman, whose filmmakers and actors include Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson, Pauletta Washington, Cara Delevingne, Catherine Hardwicke, Margherita Buy, Marcia Gay Harden, Eva Longoria, Leonor Varela, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anne Watanabe and Mipo O.

For the film, superstar songwriter and 13-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren (who is getting an honorary Academy Award in November) has written original song Applause which was performed by Sofia Carson and is being released later this year as a single through Disney Music Group label Hollywood Records. An accompanying music video was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring singer and actress Carson.

Warren’s song is described as “the defining sound of the film and intended to serve as a hymn for female empowerment”. The filmmakers say they...

Utopia Picks Up The Last Tourist

Exclusive: Utopia has acquired rights to responsible travel documentary feature The Last Tourist and has set a March 15th digital release in the U.S. to mark the two-year anniversary of the pandemic closing the world’s borders to international travel. The film will also have its U.S. premiere on March 8th at Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Directed and written by Tyson Sadler and executive-produced by Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of community tourism pioneer and adventure operator, G Adventures, the movie features Dr. Jane Goodall, Lek Chailert, Gary Knell, Meenu Vadera and Jonathan Tourtellot. The documentary, which was awarded with the Special Jury Prize for Social Impact by the Canadian Documentary Jury at the Calgary International Film Festival, examines the history of modern tourism and offers a critique on its current state of affairs. It explores issues including animals suffering for entertainment,...

Key Chilean projects being moved at this year’s European Film Market:

Alis

Directors: Clare Weiskopf and Nicolás van Hemelryck

Casatarántula produced this Chile-Colombia-Romania doc along with Pantalla Cines and Defilm. Produced by Alexandra Galvis and Radu Stancu, it world premieres at Berlinale’s Generation 14plus sidebar. The Bogota, Colombia-set doc follows 10 teens at a public boarding school in a therapy exercise where they construct a narrative around a make-believe classmate dubbed Alis.

International sales: Latido Films

Cazadora

Director: Martín Duplaquet

A thriller set in a dystopian future in which a mother and her teen, on a hunting trip in the mountains, have a chance encounter with a woman that triggers some bizarre changes, merging the personalities of the two women. The film is penned by Valeria Hofmann and Antonio Luco, produced by Francisca Barraza of Funky Films with Platforma Post.

International sales: House of Film

The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future...

Francisca Alegria’s The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future is unlike any other experience offered by Sundance ’22: a deeply moving onscreen poem of unshakeable, dreadful beauty. In collaboration with lead actors Mia Maestro and Leonor Varela, Chilean writer/director Alegria paints a visually rich, emotionally layered fable about motherhood—where two troubled humans symbolize Mother Earth and the threats posed by our species. Adapted from Alegria’s award-winning short from Sundance ’17, The Cow premiered in this year’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. A stunning first feature, it’s both an urgent call to action and a study in contrasts. Reality vs.…...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Kino Lorber releases the film in theaters on Friday, May 19.

“The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future” uses magical realism to blend the story of a family deeply scarred by a suicide decades ago, and a fable of Mother Nature crying out for help. Thankfully, Francisca Alegría’s feature debut manages to be hauntingly moving and hopeful instead of angry and pessimistic, like Adam McKay’s recent doomsday satire “Don’t Look Up.”

The fish are dying from pollution, the bees are disappearing, and the milking cows are not far behind, not unlike the beginning of Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” And like the 2005 adaptation of the book, the lamentations of the animals is presented in song form, with the fish and cows singing woes of death and despair, begging for their...

Five years after her lauded short “And the Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye” won Sundance’s short film jury award in international fiction, Chile’s Francisca Alegria is bowing her feature debut on Jan. 23 at the Park City, Utah, fest.

In “The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future,” Alegria continues to further expand the themes in her short. “I was exploring this in-between place, which exists beyond our physical senses. It’s where the subtle entities are, where our sensations live, where death appears,” she says. “I wanted to convey those spaces through the stories and themes that have been with me since childhood. I do feel that in the short film, these themes became more like symbols because I didn’t have time to develop and dig into the heart and bones of the matter.”

In the short, 85-year-old Emeteria is visited by...

Principal photography is underway on Argentine Sebastian Schindel’s romcom-spy adventure hybrid “Mienteme” (“Lie to Me”). Delayed slightly by the pandemic, filming of the Chilean-Argentine co-production has been taking place in and outside of Buenos Aires, now experiencing a summer heat wave.

Schindel is best known for psychological thrillers such as his upcoming film for Netflix, “La Ira de Dios” (“The Wrath of God”) apparently even darker than his previous films. “Mienteme” would be his first romcom. Schindel, who has a strong background in documentary filmmaking, said in a previous interview: “We are betting on playing the limits between reality and fiction.”

“There are a lot of firsts in this film,” said Argentine lead and co-producer Lucas Akoskin who plays opposite his wife in real life, Chile’s Leonor Varela. “It’s my first time to work as an actor in Argentina and our first time to work together as a couple,...

It’s been a long development process for Francisca Alegria‘s directorial debut. The Chilean filmmaker (Sundance has supported several over the past decade) saw her short film And All the Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye win Sundance’s Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction (2016) and preemd at Telluride and TIFF as well. She has been prepping several projects including The Cow that Sang a Song About the Future – which was selected for both the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab in 2017. The film recently won some coin via European Work in Progress (Ewip) and stars some heavy-hitter talent in Leonor Varela and Alfredo Castro.…...

Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and Pauletta Washington have joined Iervolino Entertainment’s star-studded anthology project “Tell It Like a Woman.”

The trio will take on “Pepcy & Kim,” one of the anthology’s seven segments. Henson has signed on to direct the piece, which is inspired by the true story of Kim Carter, a former addict who has used her story and her nonprofit, the Time for Change Foundation, to help homeless women and children break the cycle and reclaim their lives.

Hudson is set to star in the segment, playing both Pepcy and Kim, opposite Washington. The segment is written by Catherine Hardwicke.

“Pepcy & Kim” completes the puzzle for the “Tell It Like a Woman” project, a film made by and about women, comprised of seven segments that make one intertwining feature film. Hardwicke, Cara Delevingne, Margherita Buy, Marcia Gay Harden, Eva Longoria, Leonor Varela,...

After enduring endless months of Covid-19 lockdown, Chile’s film and TV industry is revving up production once more. And several women are leading the charge.

Various high-profile titles are either in production or setting up dates, such as season two of Lucía Puenzo’s hit series “La Jauria” and, starting this month, Francisca Alegria’s debut feature, “The Cow Who Sang a Song About the Future.” Fernando Guzzoni’s “Blanquita” aims to start principal photography by July, says producer Giancarlo Nasi of Quijote Films, who also presides over Chile’s Film Arts Academy, founded in 2018.

For the first time, the 200-plus member Academy selected Chile’s submission to the 93rd Academy Awards, Maite Alberdi’s “The Mole Agent,” which was happily shortlisted in both international feature and documentary categories. Alberdi is hopefully indicative of the growing diversity and inclusion in Chile’s society on the whole.

“We are proud...

Exclusive: Cara Delevingne, Eva Longoria, Margherita Buy, Marcia Gay Harden, Leonor Varela and Jacqueline Fernandez are among the all-star cast for anthology feature Women’s Stories, whose segments will be directed by filmmakers including Catherine Hardwicke.

The film will be comprised of six segments directed by female directors from different parts of the world, shot in Italy, India and the U.S. They will range in genre from drama to comedy, docu-drama to animation. Cast will be all female.

The first four segments have been mapped out: Unspoken will be directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi and star decorated Italian actress Margherita Buy (My Mother), the seven-time David di Donatello award-winner; Lagonegro will be directed by Lucia Puenzo (La Jauria) and star Desperate Housewives and Overboard actress Longoria; Elbows Deep will be directed by Twilight filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke and star model and actress Delevingne (Suicide Squad), Oscar-winner Marcia...

Argentina’s Sebastian Schindel is venturing into unfamiliar territory with romcom-spy adventure hybrid “Mienteme” (“Lie to Me”), which he plans to shoot next year.

“Although most of my filmography falls into the “psychological thriller” genre, with a strong social context, what excites me most about making films is the possibility of exploring and experimenting in new areas,” said Schindel, adding: “I have always wanted to dive into the romantic comedy world for some time now, so ‘Mienteme’ is based on a cherished script I’ve been developing for the past few years.”

Schindel’s past films, including “The Crimes that Bind,” Argentina’s current submission to Spain’s Oscar equivalent, the Goyas, are screening on Netflix.

This time round, however, the Chilean-Argentine co-production has already been pre-financed through private equity and a Latin American distribution deal with Bf Paris, said co-producer-actor Lucas Akoskin. “We’d rather finance it through a...

Argentina’s preeminent writer-director Lucia Puenzo, who has proven her showrunner chops with “La Jauria” for Amazon Prime and eco-thriller series “Cromo,” has partnered with Gaumont, the producers of Netflix mega-hit “Narcos,” in a multi-project development deal.

Among the projects in the pact is “Futuro Desierto,” a near-future, dystopian thriller that turns on a robotics engineer who moves with his family to an isolated town in Patagonia where he is ordered to test the first humanoid robots in secret. Puenzo, whose notable film credits include the Cannes-selected “Xxy” and “The German Doctor,” will co-showrun and direct multiple episodes with her brother, Nicolas Puenzo, co-director of “Cromo” and “La Jauría.”

Another project, tentatively titled “This is Not a Love Song,” follows the extraordinary life of Tina Modotti, the eccentric Italian feminist photographer, model, actress and revolutionary political activist who was among the leading lights of cosmopolitan Mexico City in the early 1920s,...

Nyla Media’s film “American Cherry” fired a first assistant director last month after harassment complaints to the film’s producers on the first week of shooting.

Producer Taryn Arriola, head of production on the romance-thriller, told TheWrap: “We immediately terminated the services of the assistant director and removed him from the production after harassment complaints were filed and reviewed. It was a swift and necessary decision.”

The first assistant director, William Lambe, told TheWrap the accusations were completely false.

“I would never do that. I’ve been a first Ad for 15 years and I would never do that on any set,” he said.

Also Read: Demi Mann, Actress Who Accused Agent Cameron Mitchell of Sexual Assault, Drops Lawsuit Against CAA (Exclusive)

An individual close to the production told TheWrap that Lambe was accused of making “uncomfortable comments and unwanted advances on set, offering shoulder massages and other inappropriate things like that.

In what marks the company’s first Latin American project, Alec Baldwin’s El Dorado Pictures has boarded Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegria’s debut feature, “The Cow Who Sang a Song About the Future.” The multi-Emmy-winning actor and his El Dorado partner Casey Bader will serve as executive producers of the film, slated to start principal photography in Valdivia, Chile by April next year.

Alegria’s first feature is based on her acclaimed short “The Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye,” winner of the best international fiction short award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017.

“Francisca Alegria is creating a unique and engaging story set in a world of magical realism and stunning art. We are excited to join her in this process,” said Baldwin.

He added: “Her filmmaking style is original and powerful­­­­­­ and she certainly has a dynamic and promising career ahead.”

For El Dorado,...

New hire previously founded, ran management company Curated By Media.

Louis Arriola’s Us-based entertainment producer Nyla Media Group, which is preparing to open a studio facility in Dominican Republic in 2020, has named Cameron Mitchell CEO.

Mitchell will oversee all aspects of operations at Nyla, including strategic planning, finance, business development, business affairs, creative, and production and marketing of Nyla content.

Prior to joining Nyla Media Group, Mitchell founded and ran management company Curated By Media. He previously worked for more than 10 years as an agent, and has worked for almost 20 years in entertainment, representing actors, directors, and writers such as Gabrielle Union and RZA,...

Santiago, Chile — The much anticipated feature debut of Chilean Francisca Alegria, renowned for her magical short “And the Whole Sky Fit in the Dead Cow’s Eye,” has firmed up its cast and shooting dates.

Argentine thesp Mia Maestro (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”), Chile’s Leonor Varela, Alfredo Castro and rising talent Lucas Balmaceda (“The Prince”) lead the cast.

Inspired by her short, a Sundance sensation where it snagged the Short Film Jury Award in 2017, Alegria’s upcoming feature, “The Cow that Sang a Song About the Future” adapts a similar magical realist tone in a family drama set in the verdant countryside of Valdivia, southern Chile.

Varela plays a single mother, Cecilia, who returns to her childhood home with her 19-year-old son (Balmaceda) where she faces a series of surreal events, including the deaths of hundreds of cows and the reappearance of her long dead mother (Maestro), whose suicide profoundly marked the family.

In today’s film news roundup, Sarah May Sommers is starring in “American Cherry,” Jason Alexander has signed on to a film, Outfest has a new leader and BAFTA has awarded student prizes.

Castings

Jason Alexander has joined the cast of “Faith Based,” a comedy from director Vincent Masciale and writer Luke Barnett.

The satire of the Christian film industry follows two friends, played by “Funny or Die” regulars Barnett and Tanner Thomason, who come to the realization that all “faith based” films are extremely profitable and set out on a mission to make one of their own.

Alexander will play the eccentric head of a weight loss tea pyramid. The previously announced ensemble includes Lance Reddick, Danielle Nicolet, Carly Craig, Danny Woodburn, and Christoph Sanders.

The news was first reported by Deadline.

****

Sarah May Sommers, who plays a Manson Family member in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” is...

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm traveling with an elephant?" Synkronized has debuted the trailer for an indie drama titled Saving Flora, which premiered at a few small film festivals last year. Saving Flora is a family film about a circus elephant named Flora who can no longer perform her tricks. But before she's put down, the circus owner's daughter runs away with the elephant and goes on an adventure trying to save her. Starring Jenna Ortega along with David Arquette, Martin Martinez, Tom Arnold, Rhea Perlman, Leonor Varela, and Galen Howard. This has an unexpected intensely vibrant look to it, which thankfully softens up once they leave the circus. It might be charming? Take a look. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Mark Drury Taylor's Saving Flora, direct from YouTube: Flora is a circus elephant who can no longer perform her tricks. The night...

Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Morgan Freeman, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Mercedes de la Zerda, Jens Hultén, Priya Rajaratnam, Spencer Bogaert, Marcin Kowalczyk | Written by Albert Hughes, Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt | Directed by Albert Hughes

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age, Alpha tells a fascinating, visually stunning story that shines a light on the origins of man’s best friend. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before winter arrives.

It’s somewhat difficult to articulate a considerably insightful review of Alpha, not because its a poor film as such, but in the vein...

Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, FandangoNOW, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical Alpha The Meg Mile 22 (action-thriller; Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais...

Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Morgan Freeman, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Mercedes de la Zerda, Jens Hultén, Priya Rajaratnam, Spencer Bogaert, Marcin Kowalczyk | Written by Albert Hughes, Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt | Directed by Albert Hughes

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age, Alpha tells a fascinating, visually stunning story that shines a light on the origins of man’s best friend. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before winter arrives.

It’s somewhat difficult to articulate a considerably insightful review of Alpha, not because its a poor film as such, but in the vein...

From VancouverFilm.Net, Sneak Peek more new images, plus footage from director Albert Hughes' 'caveman' historical drama "Alpha", starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leonor Varela and Jens Hultén, that opened August 17, 2018 in 3D, real D 3D and IMAX:

"...after a 'Steppe' bison hunting expedition, 20,000 years ago in Europe during the 'Upper Paleolithic' period goes awry...

"...a young caveman struggles against the elements to find his way home...

"...all the while developing a friendship with a gray wolf, forging a tentative first bond between man and canine..."

Filming took place in Vancouver, Drumheller, Burnaby, Iceland and Dinosaur Provincial Park near Patricia, Alberta.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Alpha"...

“Crazy Rich Asians” is heading for a glamorous first weekend with an estimated $22 million from 3,384 North American locations.

The Warner Bros. film debuted August 15 and has already racked up $16 million. Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Awkwafina, and Michelle Yeoh star in the Asian-led pic, the first of its kind since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.”

“Crazy Rich Asians” currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% certified fresh and an A CinemaScore. Jon M. Chu directed from a screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim.

“The Meg’s” sophomore frame should come in second place with around $19 million from 4,118 domestic sites. The Jason Statham-starrer debuted to $45 million last weekend and has reeled in an additional $23 million since.

Statham stars as a scientist attempting to defend a beach from a prehistoric, 75-foot Megalodon shark. The Warner Bros. flick has also earned $154 million overseas.

STXfilms’ “Mile 22,” starring Mark Wahlberg, should bring in an...

It’s about to get crazy at the domestic box office.

Earlier tracking showed “Crazy Rich Asians” on pace for a $20 million debut, but updated estimates now indicate that a $26 million-plus five-day total is likely when Warner Bros. launches the romantic comedy nationwide on Wednesday. Mark Wahlberg’s “Mile 22” and Sony Pictures Releasing-Studio 8’s “Alpha” hit theaters on Friday.

As the first studio movie in years with a predominately Asian-American cast, the anticipation has long been building for “Crazy Rich Asians.” It arrives as Hollywood is being pressured to feature greater diversity on screen. Warner Bros. has been trying to build momentum by holding advance screenings to further generate buzz. If the glowing critical consensus is any indication (it currently holds a rare 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), “Crazy Rich Asians” should fare well in its theatrical run.

Jon M. Chu directed the adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book.

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 100 pairs of advance-screening IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the new film “Alpha” starring Kodi Smit-McPhee!

“Alpha,” which opens on Aug. 17, 2018 and is rated “PG-13,” also stars Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Spencer Bogaert, Priya Rajaratnam and Jens Hultén from writer and director Albert Hughes and writer Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt.

To win your free passes to “Alpha” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018 at 10 a.m. Cst. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail on that date.

From VancouverFilm.Net, Sneak Peek more new footage from director Albert Hughes' historical drama feature "Alpha", starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leonor Varela and Jens Hultén, opening August 17, 2018 in 3D, real D 3D and IMAX:

"...after a 'Steppe' bison hunting expedition, 20,000 years ago in Europe during the 'Upper Paleolithic' period goes awry...

"...a young caveman struggles against the elements to find his way home...

"...all the while developing a friendship with a gray wolf, forging a tentative first bond between man and canine..."

Filming took place in Vancouver, Drumheller, Burnaby, Iceland and Dinosaur Provincial Park near Patricia, Alberta.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Alpha"...

Alpha, a story of survival set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, opens everywhere August 16th. But lucky St. Louisans can see in in advance! We Are Movie Geeks is giving away passes for an advance screening on August 14th.

For a pair of tickets, all you have to do is add you name and email in our comments section below.No Purchase Required. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is often overbooked to assure a full house.

Europe, 20,000 years ago. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone — he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely...

In the wake of recent sexual and workplace harassment allegations against Chile’s biggest box office hitmaker, Nicolas Lopez, Netflix has placed its relationship with the filmmaker “under review.”

“Netflix has licensed several of Nicolás López films in the past and we have an agreement for one of his new projects, which is now currently under review,” it stated. Netflix was slated to release a new Lopez film under wraps next year.

At least eight actresses and models, among them Josefina Montané, Lucy Cominetti, Andrea Velasco and María Vidaurre, have come forward with damning allegations of sexual harassment against Lopez.

In an Instagram post, Lopez said: “I don’t understand what is happening nor the break in my years-long relationships of trust and affection. If I sometimes have been misunderstood, I apologize. But I’m not a stalker nor an abuser.”

Lopez also posted a video to YouTube, in which...

Sony Pictures has released a new trailer and poster man and wolf bonding film, Alpha.

Set 20,000 years ago, a stranded, lost and broken young man forges the unlikeliest of bonds with a wolf as they journey through a treacherous ice age.

Directed by Albert Hughes, the film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Mercedes de la Zerda and Jens Hulten.

Also in trailers – Dumbo descends in first trailer & poster for the Tim Burton’s remake of the Disney classic

The film is released in cinemas August 24.

Alpha Official Synopsis

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age. Europe, 20,000 years ago. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone — he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack,...

"Leaders are born from survival." Whoa. Sony has released a new trailer for the movie Alpha, which was originally set for release in March but then delayed until August this year. We featured the first trailer for this last year, almost a year ago, but the studio freaked. This new trailer is much different - selling it more as an uplifting tale like one of those fun nature documentaries. Very interesting pivot. This adventure follows the story of Zeta, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, a young man injured on a bison hunt left for dead. He befriends a lone wolf and together they figure out how to survive. The full cast includes Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Mercedes de la Zerda, and Jens Hultén. I can't believe they're actually trying to sell this as the story of the first dog, that's some serious pandering. Oh well. Here's the new...

Sony Pictures has released a new trailer and poster for their upcoming Ice Age adventure film Alpha. The film comes from director Albert Hughes, the co-director of films such as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell and The Book of Eli, which was a solo directing gig.

I'm not sure about this movie. The trailers that have been released haven't done a very good job selling me on it. My kids want to see it, so maybe that's the film's market. Maybe it will end up being a decent watchable adventure movie, but I'm not expecting much.

The story is set in Europe 20,000 years ago during the Ice Age. "While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone -- he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness.

From VancouverFilm.Net, Sneak Peek director Albert Hughes' historical drama feature "Alpha", starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leonor Varela and Jens Hultén, opening August 17, 2018:

"...after a 'Steppe' bison hunting expedition, 20,000 years ago in Europe during the 'Upper Paleolithic' period goes awry...

"...a young caveman struggles against the elements to find his way home...

"...all the while developing a friendship with a gray wolf, forging a tentative first bond between man and canine..."

Filming took place in Vancouver, Drumheller, Burnaby, Iceland and Dinosaur Provincial Park near Patricia, Alberta.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Alpha"...

"Your soulmate is out there - you'll find him when the time is right." Paladin has released an official trailer for an indie romantic comedy titled All I Wish, from writer/director Susan Walter. This film also goes by the title A Little Something for Your Birthday, which is why it appears on the poster below. Sharon Stone (who we haven't seen much of these days) stars an aspiring fashion designer struggling to find success or love, until unexpectedly she meets her match on her birthday. Oh boy. The cast includes Tony Goldwyn, Famke Janssen, Ellen Burstyn, Gilles Marini, Liza Lapira, and Leonor Varela. Yeah this definitely looks as bad as it sounds, don't even bother unless you really, really, really want to see Sharon Stone again. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Susan Walter's All I Wish, direct from YouTube: An aspiring fashion designer (Sharon Stone) struggles to find success and love.

Sneak Peek footage, plus images from the upcoming 'caveman' feature "Alpha", directed by Albert Hughes, starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leonor Varela and Jens Hultén, opening March 2, 2018:

"..during the last great 'Ice Age', while on his first hunt with his tribe's most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. 

"Awakening to find himself broken and alone -- he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness.

"Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies...

"...enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Alpha"...

Alpha Trailer Albert Hughes‘ Alpha (2018) movie trailer stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, and Mercedes de la Zerda. Alpha‘s plot synopsis: “Alpha is an epic adventure set in the last Ice Age. Europe, 20,000 years ago. While on his first hunt, an initiation to his [...]

Continue reading: Alpha (2018) Movie Trailer: Kodi Smit-McPhee Tries to Survive the Ice Age...

"An enemy will become an ally." Sony Pictures has unveiled a trailer for an epic new action thriller titled Alpha, formerly known as The Solutrean (which is a very weird title so it makes sense they changed it). This is the latest feature film from Albert Hughes, who last directed The Book of Eli in 2010, and it's set during the last Ice Age - 20,000 years ago (kind of like Emmerich's 10,000 BC). This epic adventure follows the story of Zeta, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, a young man injured on a bison hunt left for dead. He befriends a lone wolf and together they figure out how to survive in this harsh environment. So basically it's The Revenant meets 10,000 BC. The full cast includes Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Mercedes de la Zerda, and Jens Hultén. I really, really adore wolves, so I'm already into this. But this trailer is a bit awkward,...

Albert Hughes, the co-director of films such as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell and The Book of Eli, which was a solo directing gig, has released the first trailer for his new film adventure Alpha, and it looks... interesting. The story is set in Europe 20,000 years ago during the Ice Age.

While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone -- he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives.

The young man's name is Zeta, and he's played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road, X-Men: Apocalypse). It's...

Leonor Varela has taken a supporting role in Studio 8’s ice age epic The Solutrean from director Albert Hughes. Inspired by the controversial “solutrean hypothesis,” which advances the idea that stone age Europeans might have been among the earliest settlers of the Americas, the coming-of-age tale of survival is set 20,000 years ago. It follows a young boy injured during a hunting expedition and left for dead who must use his skills, intuition and force of will to make it…...