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Hulu beats Netflix with its own Fyre Festival documentary debut
Both Hulu and Netflix have been working on documentaries about the disastrous Fyre Festival, and Hulu has now released its version just a few days ahead of Netflix. Fyre Fraud, as its name suggests, gives a look into how those behind Fyre Festival defrauded investors as well as attendees. And the film shows how the event turned out to be an utter fiasco lacking the luxurious food, accommodations and performances initially promised.
The ‘Minecraft’ movie will now be directed by Peter Sollett
The Warner Bros. Minecraft movie has a new director... again. Variety reports that Peter Sollett is now on board to write and direct the long-awaited movie, which was at one point supposed to be released in May of this year. However, production has hit delays, due in part to director switchups. Previously, Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) was set to direct the film, but he left the project last August. And he had taken over from Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) who dropped out in 2014.
Netflix’s ‘Fyre’ shows how fraud built and doomed Fyre Festival
Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming Fyre Festival documentary, and it recaps both how hype around the event was built as well as how it all came crashing down. A good portion of the trailer also focuses on Billy McFarland, the Fyre Festival co-founder who has now been convicted of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. Through a number of interviews, Fyre reveals how McFarland continued to pull in investors while falsely promising that profits were to be had.
Jake Gyllenhaal faces art world horrors in Netflix’s ‘Velvet Buzzsaw'
Netflix has released a trailer for its creepy new film Velvet Buzzsaw. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), it's set in LA's art scene and shows what happens when "art collides with commerce." The film features an all-star cast, led by Jack Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo, which includes John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting), Tom Sturridge (On the Road) and Zawe Ashton (Wanderlust).
Humans abandon a toxic Earth in Netflix’s film ‘IO’
Netflix has released a trailer for its next sci-fi film, IO, which takes place in a future where Earth has become uninhabitable to humans. While most of humanity has abandoned Earth for Jupiter's moon Io, scientist Sam Walden, played by Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers), has stayed back, attempting to find a way for humans to survive on the now toxic planet. But her plans change when Micah (Anthony Mackie) shows up, and the two have to figure out how to safely get to the last shuttle off of Earth before it leaves without them.
Netflix reveals the challenges of creating 'Bandersnatch'
Last month, Netflix dropped its interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, which lets viewers get involved in how the story plays out. Now the company is providing a look at some of the challenges the team faced while making the movie. "Part of the excitement of working at Netflix is constantly inventing what is internet TV," Todd Yellin, Netflix's VP of product, says in a short video released by the company. "There's a lot of responsibility because we are innovating on this whole new form."
Netflix says over 45 million accounts have watched 'Bird Box'
Netflix's Sandra Bullock-led film Bird Box started streaming December 21st and now in a rare move, the company has shared viewing numbers. From its Netflix Film Twitter account, the company said over 45 million accounts had watched Bird Box so far, adding that it had the strongest first week of any Netflix film to date.
Video game movie 'Free Guy' signs Jodie Comer, Lil Rel and Joe Keery
Things are moving forward for video game focused action-comedy Free Guy. The movie, which stars Deadpool favorite Ryan Reynolds, has just signed Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, Get Out's Lil Rel and Stranger Things' Joe Keery in supporting roles. Free Guy -- set to begin shooting in April -- tells the story of a background character (Reynolds) who realizes he's living in a video game, and with the help of an avatar (Comer), must stop the game's developers from shutting down his world.
Netflix's 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' is getting a sequel
Netflix is giving its hit rom-com To All the Boys I've Loved Before the sequel treatment. The movie is based on Jenny Han's young adult trilogy and will reunite the first film's leads, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. Screenwriter Sofia Alvarez is also returning to pen the sequel, reports Variety, as is production outfit Overbrook Entertainment: the company behind Netflix's fantasy-action flick Bright and its upcoming sequel.
Netflix will stream Taylor Swift’s tour film on December 31st
Taylor Swift announced today that a film of her Reputation stadium tour is headed to Netflix and a new trailer is giving us a peek at what's in store. The trailer begins with Swift saying "When she fell, she fell apart. When she finally rose, she rose slowly," as clips of crowds and performances flash across the screen. "She heard echoes of new words. Without your past, you could never have arrived here," she adds, before the trailer launches into her performance of ...Ready for It?
A film shot completely on an iPhone wins the Turner Prize
Contemporary artist Charlotte Prodger has won the the Turner Prize for her series of short clips shot entirely on an iPhone. The snippets, narrated by Prodger, feature such disparate visuals as views of the Scottish countryside from a train window, a T-shirt on a radiator and a cat pawing at a lamp, according to The Guardian. In a tweet, Apple CEO Tim Cook hailed Prodger's win as "a first for a film shot on iPhone, and another milestone in the democratization of photography and filmmaking."
Netflix nabs eco-drama 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'
Continuing its spurt of new content announcements, Netflix has snagged the global rights to Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The Oscar-nominated thesp's movie will be available on the streaming service worldwide -- barring the UK and Japan, reports Variety.
Heat-rejecting film could reduce air conditioning costs
Climate change can be a vicious cycle when folks crank up the air conditioning during heat waves and add even more CO2 to the atmosphere. Scientists from MIT and the University of Hong Kong have developed a new type of window coating that could curb that trend. It remains highly transparent up to 89 degrees F (32 degrees Celsius), but beyond that, it becomes translucent like frosted glass. As a result, it reflects back up to 70 percent of the sun's incoming heat, reducing interior temperatures and the load on your air conditioner.
Giphy’s film festival turns GIFs into art
As I made my way into the Metrograph movie theater in New York City, I felt like I was attending a screening for the Tribeca Film Festival. There was a red carpet, people posing for professional photographers, an official film guide and, of course, drinks and popcorn. This isn't quite what I expected when I learned I'd be attending Giphy's first Film Fest. If that name sounds like an oxymoron, the event was a showcase of 118 videos of 18 seconds or less from five different categories: narrative, animated, stop-motion, experimental and wild card. Considering that most of my GIF consumption happens on a laptop or phone, I wasn't expecting this big a to-do.
Netflix’s ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ debuts December 7th
Netflix snapped up the rights to Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, a film that had been in the works for some time, earlier this year, and now it has a release date and a new trailer. In the trailer, you see the familiar Jungle Book story -- a young boy is taken in and raised by jungle animals, but as he grows up, he grapples with the fact that he doesn't really belong with them or with his fellow humans. Of course this version has director (and Baloo voice actor) Andy Serkis' own spin.
Netflix has six new animated films and series in the works
As Disney gears up for its own streaming service, Netflix is adding to its slate of family content, and it just revealed six new animated projects that are in the works. As Variety reports, the latest animated additions include two films and four series, a few of which have some big names attached.
Ubisoft is adapting 'Child of Light' for TV
With more and more games turning into TV and movie properties (such as The Witcher, Street Fighter and Alan Wake), it's only natural that a major studio such as Ubisoft would want a bigger slice of the action. Among other projects, the company is working on scripts for a Child of Light TV series and a Werewolves Within movie, it told Variety.
Classic cinema streaming service FilmStruck will close November 29th
FilmStruck, WarnerMedia's streaming service that focuses on classic and indie cinema, is shutting down November 29th. The two-year-old platform is already closed to new subscribers.
Netflix snags the rights to ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’
New Chronicles of Narnia adaptations are headed to Netflix, and while details about the plans are light, it looks like both films and series are in the works. The news was posted to the official Chronicles of Narnia Facebook page today and the press release said that this is the first time the rights to all seven books have been obtained by one company. "CS Lewis' beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a statement. "Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we're thrilled to be their home for years to come."
AMC’s A-List subscription service now supports Fandango and Atom
AMC is making it even easier for you to use the Stubs A-List subscription program, as members will now be able to get movie tickets through Fandango and Atom Tickets. The company launched A-List, its answer to MoviePass, in June, and though the three-movies-per-week plan cost more than what MoviePass was offering at the time -- one movie per day for $10 per month -- it also featured a few perks that MoviePass lacked, such as IMAX and 3D showings, repeat viewings and booking in advance.
