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Academy Award-nominated actress Keira Knightley is set to star in a new Netflix spy thriller series titled Black Doves. If you’re just as excited as us to see this show, you must continue reading to find out all there is to know about it, including the December 2024 release date.

On Oct. 14, Netflix officially announced that Black Doves will make its long-awaited premiere on Thursday, Dec. 5. All six episodes of the series will release on Dec. 5. Along with the release date announcement, the streamer released a teaser clip featuring cast members Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire. It's a chilling clip, with Knightley and Whishaw face's both covered in blood.

Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire as you've never seen them before.

Black Doves, a six-episode spy thriller, premieres December 5. pic.twitter.com/mwJVdpLXyJ

— Netflix (@netflix) October 14, 2024

Before the series was released or even had a release date, Netflix announced...

Narra la historia real de Enric Marco, un hombre que fingió haber sido prisionero en un campo de concentración nazi. © BTeamPictures

Se ha publicado un nuevo tráiler de Marco, la película de Aitor Arregi y Jon Garaño, que tuvo su estreno mundial en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Venecia, pasó por el Festival de San Sebastián y estuvo entre las tres películas preseleccionadas para representar a España en los Oscars 2025.

Basada en una historia real, Marco sigue a Enric Marco, un deportado que nunca existió. Un hombre que durante años fue capaz de mantener, ante la opinión pública y su propia familia, una mentira difícil de imaginar: que había sido prisionero en un campo de concentración nazi. Carismático y convincente, Marco ascendió a la presidencia de la Asociación Española de Víctimas del Holocausto, donde se convirtió en una figura destacada y admirada por su supuesta valentía y sufrimiento. Hasta...

Narra la historia real de Enric Marco, un hombre que fingió haber sido prisionero en un campo de concentración nazi. © BTeamPictures

“Marco”, la película de Aitor Arregi y Jon Garaño, tendrá su estreno mundial en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Venecia, donde competirá en la sección Orizzonti.

Basada en una historia real, “Marco” sigue a Enric Marco, un deportado que nunca existió. Un hombre que durante años fue capaz de mantener, ante la opinión pública y su propia familia, una mentira difícil de imaginar: que había sido prisionero en un campo de concentración nazi. Carismático y convincente, Marco ascendió a la presidencia de la Asociación Española de Víctimas del Holocausto, donde se convirtió en una figura destacada y admirada por su supuesta valentía y sufrimiento. Hasta que un día un historiador descubre que su relato es completamente falso.

La película está protagonizada por Eduard Fernández como Enric Marco. Completan...

Director and producer Tom Tykwer has become managing director of Berlin-based production company X Filme Creative Pool, best known for “Babylon Berlin,” alongside Uwe Schott. Tykwer succeeds Stefan Arndt, one of Germany’s leading producers.

The reorganization of the company’s management is intended to “sharpen the focus on the development and implementation of creative, bold and unusual material for film and television,” according to a statement.

Arndt is leaving at his own request but will remain associated with the company as a producer.

X Filme Creative Pool was founded 30 years ago by Tykwer together with the writers and directors Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy as well as Arndt. The four founders, who remain shareholders together with Beta Film and Bogey, based themselves on United Artists with the aim of producing sophisticated films with an audience appeal – or, as Variety put it, “intelligent films that audiences want to see.”

Tykwer...

Luc Besson’s Dogman is in search of some kind of distinctive armature on which to hang its psychoanalytical and philosophical ramblings. Which is ironic considering that Douglas Munrow (Caleb Landry Jones), the paralyzed “Dogman” of the film’s title, makes much ado about having discovered his voice through drag, pontificating on the value of disguises and lip-synching while dressed as Édith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe. All the while, Jones plays the dog-loving avenger as a puzzling riff on Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performances as the Joker. It’s a performance that, like much of the film, flits between telegraphing seriousness and wanting to be understood as camp.

Doug was abused and abandoned as a child, and after embracing his ostracization as an adult, he began taking in stray dogs and playing the part of the Pied Piper by having his “babies” burglarize the wealthy and take down criminals.

International independent production company and financier Gold Rush Pictures has signed a deal with Germany’s X Filme Creative Pool to participate in financing and co-produce the next three projects written and directed and/or produced by Tom Tykwer, including features and TV series.

The partnership follows Gold Rush Pictures recent investment in Tykwer’s German contemporary drama “The Light,” the filmmaker’s return to the big screen after seven years and four seasons as writer and director of the hit series “Babylon Berlin.” It is the writer-director’s first feature film since his 2016 adaptation of “A Hologram for the King,” starring Tom Hanks.

Currently in production, “The Light” (“Das Licht”) centres on a troubled family who take on a mysterious woman as a housekeeper. When she successfully shakes up the lives of the family, she then confronts them with the dark fate of her own. The film stars Lars Eidinger,...

Beta Cinema will start selling The Light, Tom Tykwer’s return to the big screen after seven years, at the upcoming European Film Market and has released a first look image of the film.

Beta Cinema is handling sales for all territories except German-speaking territories, France and North America.

Set in present day in Berlin, The Light is billed as a portrait of a modern family between collapse and new beginnings.

It stars Lars Eidinger, who will next been seen be in Matthias Glasner’s Berlinale competiton entry Dying, actress/director Nicolette Krebitz from Aieou and Wild, alongside Elke Biesendorfer,...

Tom Tykwer’s return to the big screen is getting closer. After seven years working in television, co-creating and co-directing, with Henk Handlogten and Achim von Borries, four seasons of acclaimed period drama Babylon Berlin, the German director of Run Lola Run, The International and Cloud Atlas will mark his movie comeback with the contemporary German-language drama The Light (Das Licht).

Tykwer’s production house X Filme Creative Pool, German distributor X Verleih and Beta Cinema, which have picked up international sales rights for the film, on Thursday unveiled the first look of The Light. The still, which almost resembles a Renaissance painting, features star Tala al Deen bathed in a radiant glow from a device on the table in front of her.

Al Deen plays Farrah, a mysterious Syrian woman who enters the lives of the Engels, a middle-class German family whose world is slowly unraveling. Nothing appears to...

Tom Tykwer is coming back to the movies.

The German director of Run Lola Run and Cloud Atlas has announced his return to filmmaking with the German drama Das Licht (The Light).

The feature, which has just wrapped principal photography, is described as a portrait of a family “between collapse and new beginnings” and deals with the major issues of our time “in a world that is reeling.”

Das Licht is Tykwer’s first feature film since 2016’s A Hologram for the King, starring Tom Hanks. He has spent the past seven years on TV, co-creating and co-directing, with Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries, four seasons of the acclaimed and award-winning German historic series Babylon Berlin.

Das Licht stars Babylon Berlin alum Lars Eidinger and actor-director Nicolette Krebitz (Wild, My Zoe) as Tim and Milena Engels, a couple whose family, including nearly grown twins Frieda (Elke Biesendorfer) and Jon...

September has arrived, and with it comes a whole host of new movies to watch on streaming. Whether you’re looking to kick Spooky Season off early with a fun horror movie, hoping to catch up on a new release you missed in theaters or just want to curl up with a cozy rom-com, there is a litany of choices below. We’ve got picks for Netflix, Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+ and Disney+, curating the very best newly streaming films on each service this month.

Check out our picks for the best new movies to stream in September 2023 below.

“The Monster Squad” TriStar Pictures

Paramount+ – Sept. 1

Kick off Spooky Season early with an 80s cult classic that should be as popular as “The Goonies.” The 1987 film “The Monster Squad” follows a group of kids whose monster knowledge comes in handy when an ancient curse brings iconic Universal Monsters to life in Los Angeles.

Netflix’s newest spy thriller series “The Night Agent,” based on the novel by Matthew Quirk and starring Gabriel Basso and recent Oscar nominee Hong Chau, seems to be a bonafide hit for the streamer. It debuted at #1 on the English television list with 168.7 million hours viewed. Created by Shawn Ryan of “The Shield,” the series ending up in the top 10 for 93 countries, many of them at #1. Read on for the Netflix Top 10 (Week of March 20).

Season 2 of “Shadow and Bone” was in second place with 55 million hours viewed – it was #1 in the Ukraine –followed in third by Season 4 of “You” with 30.2 million hours viewed. The first five episodes of the fourth season of reality series “Love is Blind” entered the charts in fourth with 25.5 million hours viewed. The documentary series “Waco: American Apocalypse” entered the charts right behind it with 21.5 million hours viewed.

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” remained #1 for...

“The Night Agent” might not be pulling “Wednesday” numbers, but the new thriller series had a very strong first week on Netflix.

The Shawn Ryan-created thriller topped Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV series list in its first week of availability, with 168.71 million hours viewed. That’s the most for Week 1 of a new Netflix series, English-language or otherwise, since “Wednesday.” And we’re only counting four days of viewing, as “The Night Agent” debuted on a Thursday; Sunday night is Netflix’s weekly cutoff.

Beyond new debuts, “The Night Agent’s” start was the single best week for a show since Season 2 of “Ginny & Georgia” premiered to 180 hours viewed. Last week marked the third-biggest week for the debut of a Netflix show since the streamer started publicizing the Top 10 lists.

“Wednesday,” of course, still ranks at No. 1 in terms of new-series debuts, after it opened to a...

The Night Agent snuck its way to the top of Netflix’s English-language TV charts for the week of March 20.

The series, created by Shawn Ryan and based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, debuted on March 23, raking in 168.7M hours viewed in its first few days on the streamer. According to Netflix, that is the third-best premiere week of viewing across Season 1 TV for any Netflix Original. It also appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries.

Love Is Blind Season 4 also debuted its first five episodes this week, bringing in 25.52M hours viewed. That brought it to No. 4 on the list. Episodes 6-8 drop on March 31, followed by episodes 9-11 on April 7 and the final episode on April 14. Waco: American Apocalypse was also a newcomer on the list this week with 21.5M hours viewed (No. 5).

Shadow and Bone Season 2 held onto its second place spot on...

Leading German producer and distributor is prepping an ambitious 2023 slate.

One of Germany’s leading production and distribution companies, Constantin Film is delivering one of its “most ambitious” slates of films and series this year, according to executive chairman Martin Moszkowicz.

They include Berlinale gala screening Sun And Concrete (Sonne Und Beton), directed by David Wnendt, which Constantin co-producers and distributes, and Paul W.S. Anderson’s fantasy adventure In The Lost Lands, starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista. Hagen, a big budget feature and six-part series based on the epic German Nibelungen saga, has also started shooting, and Constantin is...

Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano and Giorgio Colangeli have joined Black Bear Pictures’ upcoming psychological horror film “Immaculate” with previously announced star and producer Sydney Sweeney. The film has begun its principal photography in Rome.

The horror film depicts devoutly religious Cecilia (Sweeney) who receives an offer at an illustrious Italian convent. While seemingly picture-perfect, her new home in the Italian countryside holds some horrifying secrets.

Morte’s credits include “Money Heist,” “Mirage,” “The Wheel of Time” and the upcoming series “Talkies.” Porcaroli has worked on projects such as “Perfect Strangers” “Baby,” “18 Presents” and the upcoming “Il Vangelo Secondo Maria.” Romano was featured in “The Hand of God,” “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” “Imma Tataranni – Deputy Prosecutor” and “Night Sun.” Colangeli’s credits include “Il Divo,” “Mindemic,” “Citizens of the World” and the upcoming “Castelrotto.” Sweeney’s acting work includes “Euphoria,” “The White Lotus” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.

In-person convention returns to Las Vegas from April 25-28.

Constantin Film chairman and producer Martin Moszkowicz will receive the CinemaCon 2022 Career Achievement in Film Award at International Day Luncheon on April 25.

Moszkowicz’s producer, executive producer and co-producer credits include Downfall, Nowhere In Africa, the Resident Evil and Fack Ju Goehte franchises, Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, The Baader Meinhof Complex, Pope Joan and more recently Welcome To Raccoon City, Der Nachname and Liebesdings.

CinemaCon is scheduled to run as an in-person event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from April 25-28.

Moszkowicz oversees Constantin’s film business including worldwide production and distribution,...

In "No Time to Die," we spent a little bit of time with James Bond's gadgeteer or "man in the chair," Q — played by Ben Whishaw, the voice of "Paddington" and star of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." We got to visit Q's apartment and we learned that he was gay. The reveal was casual, like, "By the way, Q happens to be gay," and that was that. Even as Bond had no time to die, the movie, despite its 163-minute runtime, had no time to dig beyond the surface of Q's sexuality.

In a recent interview with The Guardian (via Variety), Whishaw — who himself identifies...

The post Ben Whishaw Calls Q's Sexuality Reveal in No Time to Die 'Unsatisfying' appeared first on /Film.

Britney Spears has been a pop icon since she was a teenager. Such notoriety from such an early age can be difficult to weather, and she has often had to fight her private battles in the public eye. But she has put together a pretty remarkable body of work in spite of those challenges. Below we count down her 30 greatest hits. What do you think of our choice for her number-one of all time?

30. “Work Bitch” (2013)

29. “Make Me” featuring G-Eazy (2016)

28. “Pretty Girls” with Iggy Azalea (2015)

27. “Perfume”(2013)

26. “Piece of Me” (2007)

25. “I Wanna Go” (2011)

24. “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know” (2001)

23. “Gimme More” (2007)

22. “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart” (1999)

21. “Hold It Against Me” (2011)

20. “Everytime” (2004)

19. “Me Against the Music” featuring Madonna (2003)

18. “Break the Ice” (2008)

17. “Lucky” (2000)

16. “Overprotected” (2002)

15. “Circus” (2008)

14. “Sometimes” (1999)

13. “If You Seek Amy” (2009)

12. “Scream and Shout” with will.i.am (2012)

11. “Womanizer” (2008)

10. “Boys” featuring Pharrell Williams (2002)

9. “I’m Not a Girl, Not...

Screenwriter and award-winning producer Cynthia Hargrave, who helped launch the careers of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, has died due to complications from systemic scleroderma. She was 64.

With Anderson’s 1993 debut “Bottle Rocket,” Hargrave was the first producer to turn a Sundance Film Festival short into a Hollywood studio feature. Hargrave was a producer on the original short as well as the subsequent 1996 feature film of the same name, which stars Owen and Luke Wilson and has become an indie classic.

Hargrave was married to the late L.M. Kit Carson, who also produced and acted in “Bullfighter” and “Hurricane Streets.” She helped lift her husband’s projects off the ground and served as a mentor for cinematographer Enrique Chediak, composer Jan Kaczmark and a long list of below-the-line professionals.

Hargrave also produced Morgan J. Freeman’s debut feature “Hurricane Streets,” which was the first film to win three awards at Sundance,...

Award-winning film producer Cynthia Hargrave, who produced Wes Anderson’s debut feature film, “Bottle Rocket,” passed away on June 9 from complications of systemic scleroderma. She was 64.

Hargrave was the first producer to leverage a Sundance Film Festival short film into a Hollywood studio feature with Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket” from 1993, starring Owen and Luke Wilson. In addition to producing the original short, she was a producer on the subsequent 1996 feature of the same name, now regarded as an indie classic.

“When Bob Wilson introduced me and his sons Owen, Luke, and Andrew to Kit Carson and Cynthia Hargrave thirty years ago, he introduced us to the pathway to the rest of our lives,” Anderson said in a statement. “We think of both of our old friends often and very fondly, and we send our condolences to all of Cynthia’s closest friends and family.”

Hargrave also executive produced Morgan J.

With global screen sectors increasingly in flux thanks to the aftershocks of an unprecedented pandemic coupled with intensifying streaming wars, it would be easy to see why execs in the business could feel a little on the apprehensive side. But for Oliver Berben, deputy CEO and deputy chairman of German production and distribution powerhouse Constantin Film, this is the golden age of international content production.

“If I could have chosen the time in the whole industry of moviemaking to be working, I would have absolutely chosen this time to live and do my work,” enthuses the well-respected exec. “It’s the perfect time to challenge yourself. I love situations where everything is questioned and I think for us working in a creative business, to be in a situation where you’re not sure is a good thing because you question yourself constantly. The moment you lean back and say ‘ok,...

Philipp Kadelbach, director and co-creator of the series “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo,” says his initial impulse when approached to helm the series was to steer well clear of what he saw as a fool’s errand, given the iconic status in Germany and elsewhere of Uli Edel’s 1981 feature film “Christiane F.,” which – like the series – is based on the book “Christiane F.: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.”

“I said, ‘I’m not going to do this. I’m not crazy.’ Because it’s like a monument for so many people. And everybody would start attacking me because I’ve gone to tell this story again, and they really loved it,” he tells Variety.

However, having read Annette Hess’ scripts, he saw how she had approached the material in a different way. The film felt like it had a voyeuristic approach to the subject, he says. He resolved to...

Kate: It’s not meant to be.Alex: No. Don’t say that. Something must’ve happened.A decade and a half is not really long enough to commemorate a film’s anniversary—but then again, bogus nostalgia for the immediate past is the main engine of pop culture discourse today. So here’s a wild proposition: what if 2006 was the last great year for adventurous, bigger-budget movies? It’s impossible to answer, of course, but consider these studio releases: Marie-Antoinette, Children of Men, Southland Tales, Clint Eastwood’s Iwo Jima diptych, Inside Man, Miami Vice, Idlewild, Crank, Idiocracy, The Holiday, The Black Dahlia. Millions were spent on bizarre highbrow and/or vanity projects like Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep, Soderbergh’s The Good German, Tommy Lee Jones’ (phenomenal) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, or Ryan Murphy’s (excruciating) Running With Scissors. World Trade Center and United...

Fremantle has near sold the world outside Asia on “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” – thanks to a raft of sales that include a worldwide deal with Amazon Prime Video for the U.S., English-speaking territories and all Europe’s outstanding major markets.

Taking in further sales to HBO Europe, Nent Group and Russia’s More TV, the series, produced by Constantin Television and Amazon Studios and a modern reworking of the story of Christiane F., has currently closed more than 40 territories, Fremantle announced Monday.

Co-produced by the Czech Republic’s Wilma Film and Italy’s Cattleya, “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” will open on Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and Benelux from April 9, and Italy on May 7.

HBO Europe has licensed 15 territories in Central and Eastern Europe, where it operates channels and streaming services, led by Poland and Hungary and the Baltic States.

“Resident Evil” and “Shadowhunters” producer Constantin Film has renewed the contracts of its long-serving CEO Martin Moszkowicz and TV and digital chief Oliver Berben, and promoted Berben to deputy CEO.

Moszkowicz has been CEO of Constantin Film since Jan. 1, 2014 and in addition to company management and strategy he is also in charge of worldwide production and distribution, world sales, marketing and publicity, and corporate communication and legal affairs, among other duties.

Moszkowicz’s most recent credits include “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” (2017), “Suck Me Shakespeer” (2017), “This Crazy Heart” (2017), “How About Adolf?” (2018), “Polar” (2019), “The Collini Case” (2019), “The Silence” (2019), “Das perfekte Geheimnis” (2019), “Dragon Rider” (2020), and “Monster Hunter” (2020).

Berben has been a member of the board since Jan. 1, 2017, and as deputy CEO will continue to run the TV, entertainment and digital media division, and supervise the development and production of all national and international projects of the division. Berben will continue his activities as a producer as well.

Exclusive: Germany-based production and distribution powerhouse Constantin Film has renewed the contracts of long-serving CEO Martin Moszkowicz and Management Board member Oliver Berben early, and for an extended period of several years. The Supervisory Board of the Resident Evil producer extended Moszkowicz’s contract this month, taking effect from January 1, 2021. Berben has also been named Deputy CEO.

The respected Moszkowicz has been CEO of Constantin Film since 2014. In addition to company management and strategy, he is in charge of worldwide production and distribution, world sales, marketing and publicity, corporate communication and legal affairs — among others. He has been part of Constantin Film’s management since 1990, first as Producer and Managing Director, then as a member of the Managing Board. As a producer, executive producer and co-producer, Moszkowicz has been responsible for numerous local and international hit features and TV productions. In 2019, he exec produced Das Perfekte Geheimnis (Perfect Strangers) which...

This of course took place before Covid happened. But there is little reason to think that Constantin Television’s goals will have changed with coronavirus.

On Feb. 24, on the first day of the Berlinale Series Market, Oliver Berben, Constantin head of TV, entertainment and digital media, took to the stage to host a Constantin Television showcase.

It packed a major new show announcement: “The Palace,” produced for Zdf, an identical twin period drama, set just before the fall of the wall, from Uli Edel, director of 1981 movie German classic “Christine F,” Constantin’s first big international breakout, and a string of more recent series hits for the company, such as “Adlon Hotel” and “The Master Butcher.”

Rodica Doehnert (“Adlon Hotel”) serves as lead writer. Kathrin Bullemer and Rüdiger Böss produce. Global Screen handles worldwide distribution.

A sizzle reel served to introduce a new TV adaptation, which wrapped its shoot in February,...

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the planet, Latin music’s biggest names, from Juanes to Alejandro Sanz, have urged their fans to stay home. But Puerto Rican Mc Darell said it best when he tweeted on Tuesday: “Nobody Go To The Discotek. Everybody Go Home.”

Now, with U.S. cities ramping up restrictions on public events, Panamanian urbano singer Sech had no choice but to cancel the remainder of his Sueños tour. In lieu of touring the West Coast as planned, he will stream an acoustic set...

Following a general pattern of decline since its ‘20s golden age, over the past two decades, Germany has seen a moderate revival of its limited—and drastically underfunded—film industry. Even so, despite a greater output of movies and higher box office returns, few recent German productions achieved mainstream success. Wolfgang Becker’s ingenious tragicomedy “Good Bye, Lenin!” and Tom Tykwer’s disturbing psychological thriller “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” are two internationally-acclaimed exceptions that prove the rule.

Continue reading ‘Pelican Blood’: Katrin Gebbe’s Astonishing Psycho-Drama Opens The Door To A Pint-Sized Psycho [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.

Rüdiger Böss, for over a decade one of the best-known and liked acquisitions executives in the international television business, is to join Constantin Film, Germany’s leading independent movie producer and distributor — responsible for the hugely successful “Resident Evil” franchise — and an increasingly important producer of international TV series.

Until last year, Böss served at ProSiebenSat.1 Media Se, one of Germany’s leading broadcast networks, as executive vice president of group content acquisitions and sales, a position he held for 11 years. He was responsible for the negotiations for and acquisitions of licensed movies and series for the entire media group.

As of November, Böss will be employed at Constantin Film as a producer of theatrical films, TV movies and TV series. He will also be joining the management team at Constantin Pictures, a subsidiary of Constantin Film Intl., and will be one of its managing directors.

Martin Moszkowicz, CEO of Constantin Film,...

Just in time for Christmas comes the heartwarming story of “Perfume,” which follows a half-dozen friends so obsessed with the possibilities of smell that the death of one of them dredges up some extremely unpleasant things about their pasts.

The new series is based on the 1985 Patrick Süskind novel “Perfume,” which was previously adapted into the 2006 Tom Tykwer film “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” starring a pre-Bond Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, and Dustin Hoffman. This new TV venture brings the original story into a modern context, rather than the 18th-century French environs of the novel.

In updating the historical story, this six-part season also gets a detective show twist, with a group of investigators looking into the death of a singer. What they find is a group of one-time school friends, at least one of whom stumbled into the practice of using human scents as the basis for making a one-of-a-kind fragrance.

Patrick Süskind's novel "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" has already yielded one excellent adaptation in Tom Tykwer's outstanding movie of the same name but the concept of Süskind's book is being revamped for a new project simply titled "Perfume."

Writer Eva Kranenburg has updated the story to take place in the present and follows a young profiler tracking what appears to be a serial killer responsible for a series of brutal murders. The investigation leads her to a mysterious group formed at a boarding school whose members tried to manipulate people by using human scents.

The six-episode limited series is produced by Constantin Film who previously produced Tykwer's feature film adaptation, and is directed by Philipp Kadelbach who is best known for his...

Perfume, the new German thriller series from Netflix and Germany's Constantin Film, will have its world premiere at this year's Munich Film Festival, debuting in Munich's TV series sidebar.

The series, inspired by Patrick Suskind's best-seller Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, and the 2006 film of the same name, follows a group of ambitious students who experiment with the power of scent to bend people to their will, with deadly results. Perfume features a who's who of young German talent, including August Diehl, Friederike Becht, Wotan Wilke Mohring, Ken Duken, Trystan Putter, Marc Hosemann and Juergen Maurer....

A forgotten oddity from the early 1970s is Jacques Demy’s English language mounting of The Pied Piper, a rather bleak but mostly unequivocal version of the famed Grimm Bros. fairy tale about a titular piper who infamously lured the children of Hamelin to their assumed deaths after being rebuffed by the townsfolk when he similarly rid the town of plague carrying rats.

Set in the 1300s of northern Germany, this UK production blends bits of Robert Browning’s famed poem of the legend into the film, but the end result is unusually straightforward and unfussy, considering Demy’s predilection for inventive, colorful musicals, such as the classic confections The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. The stunt casting of Donovan as the piper generates a certain amount of interest, although he’s whittled down to a supporting character amongst a cast of master character actors like Donald Pleasence, John Hurt, Peter Vaughan, and child star Jack Wild.

Notably, The Pied Piper is one of the few Demy films not to be built around a strong, beautiful female lead, which may also explain why there’s no center point in the film. Cathryn Harrison (daughter of Rex, who starred in Louis Malle’s Black Moon) and a gone-to-seed Diana Dors (though not featured as memorably as her swarthy turn in Skolimowski’s Deep End) are the tiny flecks of feminine representation. It was also not Demy’s first English language production, as he’d made a sequel to his New Wave entry Lola (1961) with 1969’s Los Angeles set Model Shop. So what compelled him to make this departure, which premiered in-between two of his most whimsical Catherine Deneuve titles (Donkey Skin; A Slightly Pregnant Man) is perhaps the film’s greatest mystery.

Cultural familiarity with the material tends to work against our expectations. At best, Donovan is a mere supporting accent, popping up to supply mellow, anachronistic music at odd moments before the dramatic catalyst involving his ability to conjure rats with music arrives. Prior to his demeaning, Demy’s focus is mostly on the omnipotent and aggressive power of the corrupting church (Peter Vaughan’s Bishop) and Donald Pleasence’s greedy town leader, whose son (a sniveling John Hurt) is more intent on starting wars and making counterfeit gold to pay his gullible minions than stopping the encroaching plague. Taking the brunt of their violence is the Jewish alchemist, Melius (Michael Hordern), who is wise enough to know the rats have something to do with the spread of the disease. Demy uses his tragic demise to juxtapose the piper’s designs on the children.

While Hurt and Pleasance are entertaining as a toxic father and son, Demy seems estranged from anyone resembling a protagonist. Donovan is instantly forgettable, and the H.R. Pufnstuf and Oliver! child star Jack Wild gets upstaged by a wild mop of hair and a pronounced limp (which explains why he isn’t entranced along with the other children), and the film plays as if Donovan’s role might have been edited down in post. The script was the debut of screenwriters Andrew Birkin (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, 2006) and Mark Peploe (The Passenger, 1975; The Last Emperor, 1987) who would both go on to write a number of offbeat auteur entries.

Disc Review:

Kino Lorber releases this obscurity as part of their Studio Classics label, presented in 1.66:1. Picture and sound quality are serviceable, however, the title would have greatly benefitted from a restoration. Dp Peter Suschitzky’s frames rightly capture the period, including some awesomely creepy frescoes housing Pleasence and son, but the color sometimes seems faded or stripped from some sequences. Kino doesn’t include any extra features.

Final Thoughts:

More of a curio piece for fans of Demy, The Pied Piper mostly seems a missed opportunity of the creepy legend.

Film Review: ★★½/☆☆☆☆☆

Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

The post The Pied Piper | Blu-ray Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.

Niall Johnson is directing the New Zealand-set period adventure film.

Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jack Davenport (Pirates Of The Carribean) will star in Niall Johnson’s adventure film The Stolen, which will shoot in New Zealand in May.

Set during the country’s gold rush of the 1860s, Eve will play an upper class British woman searching for her kidnapped child in a perilous wilderness inhabited by ex-cons, with Davenport playing her romantic charge.

New Zealand native Emily Corcoran, who was an associate producer on BAFTA-nominated The Survivalist, wrote the screenplay and will also produce.

Premiere Picture is providing financing along with Red Rock Entertainment, Head Gear Films and New Zealand philanthropist Sir Douglas Myers.

Also starring are Richard O’Brien (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Graham McTavish (The Hobbit trilogy), Ariadna Cabrol (Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer), Gillian MacGregor (A Lonely Place To Die) and Cohen Holloway (What We Do In The Shadows).

Michael...

Alan Rickman, veteran actor and beloved for his performance in the "Harry Potter" franchise as the chilly villain Severus Snape, died today at 69. His roles, from "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" to "Love Actually" to "Die Hard," display his vast range; though he excelled at embodying nefarious characters, Rickman was a renaissance actor. Today, Hollywood mourns the loss of a legend. His "Harry Potter" co-stars and other celebrities took to social media to express their grief.  "Harry Potter" FamilyCelebritiesREAD More: Remembering Alan Rickman: 9 Essential Performances Now Streaming Online...

British actor Alan Rickman has died, aged 69.

The Harry Potter star's death was confirmed by his family on Thursday (January 14). He had been suffering from cancer.

A statement from his relatives reads, "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends."

Rickman was born in Acton, west London and attended the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before launching his career on the stage, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He landed a role on TV in 1982 BBC show The Barchester Chronicles, but he first gained international acclaim with his part in a stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985, which transferred from London to Broadway in 1987 and landed Rickman a Tony Award nomination.

A year later (88), the actor made his Hollywood breakthrough by landing the role of villainous Hans Gruber in 1988 blockbuster Die Hard opposite Bruce Willis.

A Hologram for a King

Director: Tom Tykwer

Writer: Tom Tykwer

Primarily known for his famed 1998 title Run, Lola Run, which shot actress Franka Potente into international stardom, German director Tom Tykwer’s been involved with a variety of international co-productions since, each seeming to find a minor cult following, such as Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), The International (2009), and most infamously, Cloud Atlas (2012), which he co-directed with Andy and Lana Wachowski (however, we were most impressed with his less discussed return to Germany with 2010’s well performed Three). Now, Tykwer’s adapated David Eggar’s (screenwriter for Away We Go and Where the Wild Things Are) novel, A Hologram for a King, a political allegory set in an up-and-coming Saudi Arabian city. The comedy-drama tells the story of an American businessman who makes a last-ditch attempt to stave off bankruptcy and finally accomplish something big. He wants to...

It’s almost September and that means Netflix is about to refresh their content, for better or worse. Some of the notable titles leaving include: High Fidelity, Anchorman 2, and The Skeleton Twins. So if you haven’t seen some of these titles, plan your nights accordingly. We of course can look forward more than a few new titles including The Monster Squad, Moonrise Kingdom (pictured above), and The Walking Dead: Season 5.

Available 9/1

72 Dangerous Animals: Australia: Season 1

Arthur: Season 17

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)

Battle Creek: Season 1

Blackbird (2014)

Capital C (2014)

Combustion (2013)

Da Jammies: Season 1

Divorce Corp. (2014)

Giggle and Hoot’s Best Ever! (2014)

Hamlet (1990)

Hardball (2001)

Heather McDonald: I Don’t Mean To Brag (2014)

Lawrence of Arabia: Restored Version (1962)

Los hombres también lloran: Season 1

Masters of the Universe (1987)

Mississippi Damned (2009)

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: Volume 1

Mouk: Season 1

Our Man in Tehran (2013)

Pandas: The Journey Home (2014)

Person of Interest:...

As you've likely heard, a slew of high-profile movies, including "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "World War Z" are leaving Netflix in September, thanks to the expiration of a deal with Epix.

Also going bye-bye, TV series including "Coach," "Undeclared," and Britcom "The It Crowd."

Leaving September 1

"Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London" (2004)

"Bratz: Rock Angelz" (2005)

"Care Bears: Big Wish Movie" (2005)

"Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-Lot" (2004)

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000)

"Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!" (2009)

"Doomsday Preppers": Season 1-3

"Electrick Children" (2012)

"FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (1992)

"Ink Master": Season 2

"Jackie Brown" (1997)

"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998)

"Mortal Kombat: The Movie" (1995)

"Patch Adams" (1998)

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" (2006)

"Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" (2000)

"Rules of Engagement" (2000)

"Rumpelstiltskin" (1987)

"Sarah's Choice" (2009)

"School of Rock" (2003)

"She's the One" (1996)

"Sleepless in Seattle" (1993)

"The It Crowd": Series 1-4

"The Lost Boys" (1987)

"Total Recall" (1990)

"W." (2008)

Leaving September 2

"Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This...

A Hologram for the King

Director: Tom Tykwer// Writer: Tom Tykwer

Primarily known for his famed 1998 title Run, Lola Run, which shot actress Franka Potente into international stardom, German director Tom Tykwer’s been involved with a variety of international co-productions since, each seeming to find a minor cult following, such as Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), The International (2009), and most infamously, Cloud Atlas (2012), which he co-directed with Andy and Lana Wachowski (however, we were most impressed with his less discussed return to Germany with 2010’s well performed Three). Now, Tykwer’s adapated David Eggar’s (screenwriter for Away We Go and Where the Wild Things Are) novel, A Hologram for a King, a political allegory set in an up-and-coming Saudi Arabian city. The comedy-drama tells the story of an American businessman who makes a last-ditch attempt to stave off bankruptcy and finally accomplish something big. He wants to...

Every so often, in a bizarre coincidence of release-date timing, two movies that seem remarkably similar will arrive in theaters in the same season. Remember how Paul Blart and Observe and Report turned early 2009 into the year of the mall cop? It’s happened again with Tracks, in which Mia Wasikowska treks 1,700 miles across the Australian outback, and Wild, in which Reese Witherspoon treks 1,100 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. These, of course, are not the first films to tag along with those traveling on foot. Nor are they the most ambitious. Even with an average distance walked of 1,400 miles, Wasikowska and Witherspoon aren’t among film history's top five when it comes to distance traveled using nothing but legs and feet. Here’s our list of Hollywood’s longest walkers:The Day After Tomorrow (2004): 225 miles, from Washington, D.C., to New York City Perfume: The Story of a Murderer...

This story first appeared in the Oct. 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Europe is dominating at the annual international TV confab Mipcom in Cannes, as continental dramas generate the market chatter typically reserved for U.S. productions. Constantin Film is expanding into English-language TV production, starting with Helix showrunner Ed Decter's small-screen Mortal Instruments, with production set to start in 2015.  Read more Mipcom: Netflix's Ted Sarandos Talks "Antiquated" Movie Distribution Model The German giant is combing its catalog for other films to turn into series, with Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and Resident Evil high

read more...

While production on a sequel to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones resumed after first being stalled, it seems that project has actually transformed from a film sequel to a television series. EW has learned that a deal is being finalized for a TV adaptation of Cassandra Clare's popular book franchise. Constantin Film, the company who controls the rights to the series, has shifted its focus to producing a television drama based on the franchise. Production is set to begin in 2015, though no other details about the project's development are currently known. The news makes sense for the company,...

Lilting is about loss times two. Mother and partner divided when their love object was alive. Battling still after his unexpected death. But although you will get teary eyed, the film is not depressive by any measure.

Why?

Writer/director Hong Khaou's debut feature is exhilarating in its craft, its performances, and its tale of the eventual fusing of two disparate hearts. Also, in its timeliness. Many ethic groups residing in Western countries are still more than a few steps behind in their acceptance of same-sex relationships.

The film commences with the handsome, lithe Kai (Andrew Leung) visiting his mother Junn (Cheng Pei Pei) in a London retirement home. Junn, of Cambodian-Chinese origin, although having lived in England for decades, has never bothered to become proficient in English. In fact, "Fuck you very much"is about her total vocabulary. A widow, Junn has consequently always depended on Kai for everything,...

This winter’s Paddington has received our attention for all the wrong reasons so far. First, there was that terrifying image of the film’s stuffed bear that sparked the hilarious Creepy Paddington meme. Then, The Weinstein Company released a disappointing first trailer for the movie that made it appear to be a spiritual – albeit less gratingly non-musical – cousin to Alvin and the Chipmunks, of all things. Finally, we learned that Colin Firth, who had previously been set to voice Paddington, had dropped out of the project mid-way through production. Luckily for TWC though, it doesn’t appear that the film will be delayed, as Skyfall actor Ben Whishaw has just been set to lend his voice to the animated bear.

Though the British actor is certainly less of a household name than Firth, Whishaw’s star has been steadily rising over the past few years. He’s won fans...

While he’s impressed us in everything from Bright Star to I’m Not There to Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Ben Whishaw got a bit of a deserved worldwide boost as the new Q in Skyfall. His latest role finds him taking on something much smaller with the drama Lilting. After premiering at Sundance (where Urszula Pontikos picked […]...

Tagline: "The Darkest Nazi Secret... is about to be Revealed." It has been a year since there has been any news on the horror feature Panzer Chocolate. Since 2013, the film has released in Spain and a trailer has also been released for the film. The clip looks inspired by 3D elements as chains cut through the camera lens. As well, the film stars Melina Matthews (Mama), Geraldine Chaplin (Doctor Zhivago), Ariadna Cabrol (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), Tony Corvillo (Sleep Tight) and Mark Schardan. Film fans can see the latest on this title below. In the story, three friends and part time archaeology students set off in search of missing art. Lost in World War II, these three colleagues are looking for stolen prints, taken by the NAZIs. Instead of finding the artwork, they find a hideous beast, Das Kommandant Frank. Their encounter with Frank shortens their lifespans, considerably.

Werner Herzog's new film continues to assemble an eclectic cast with Mike Tyson and Pamela Anderson in talks to star in Herzog's film adaptation of the award-winning coming-of-age tale "Vernon God Little" at Canana Films.

Based on Dbc Pierre's 2003 debut novel, the story is set in a small Texan border town. A violent school shooting is perpetrated by a bullied loner who guns down six classmates and then himself.

Vernon (Austin Abrams), his only friend, not only witnesses the suicide he then becomes a suspect in the shootings. Despite the dark subject matter, the tone is said to be that of a satirical black comedy about America's fame and violence obsessions.

Tyson would plan an ax murderer while Anderson's role is undisclosed. Russell Brand and Sasha Pieterse are also onboard as a scheming newspaper reporter and Vernon's love interest respectively.

Andrew Birkin ("Perfume: The Story of a Murderer") adapted...

Sci-fi romance was originally slated to be directed by the late Spanish director Bigas Luna.

Rising British actress Rachel Hurd-Wood (Peter Pan, Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer) is to star in Second Origin, the new film that maverick Spanish director Bigas Luna was originally slated to direct.

Here at the Efm, Manifest Film Sales today announced the imminent start of production on the project.

Bigas Luna who sadly died during the pre-production, is still being billed as co-director. His friend, co-writer and director Carles Porta is now helming.

A science-fiction romance about love and adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world, Second Origin tells the story of Alba and Dídac two young people struggling to survive in a world left in ruins.

Based on the bestselling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit del Segon Origen by Manuel de Pedrolo, which has sold over 2m copies worldwide, Second Origin is a Spanish/UK co-production, produced by [link...