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Christmas is merely weeks away, which means lots of hot cocoa, frenzied shopping and wrapping gifts. But the perfect cure for the stress of the holiday season is a great Christmas movie, and there are a handful of solid films currently available to stream on Netflix. Below, we’ve rounded up a curated list of the best Christmas movies on Netflix right now, from bona fide classics to new favorites.

Photo credit: Netflix

A Christmas Prince

The one that started it all — “A Christmas Prince” was Netflix’s first foray into the Christmas Romance genre, and the 2017 film was such a hit, it essentially put the streamer on the map as a new go-to destination in the market previously dominated by Lifetime and Hallmark. Ever-charming “Ghosts” and “iZombie” star Rose McIver stars as Amber, an ambitious journalist who infiltrates the Aldovian Royalty under the guise of tutoring young Princess Emily...

The “wolfvision” sequence in Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated animated feature “Wolfwalkers” is perhaps one of the most striking animated moments this year.

Set in 1650 Ireland, the film follows Robyn (voiced by Honor Kneafsey), a wolf hunter’s daughter brought to Ireland as part of the English colonization of the Emerald Isle during the time of Oliver Cromwell. Robyn wants join her father in the hunt but he bans her from going into the forest. Being an adventurous girl, Robyn ventures there alone, where she meets Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a young Irish girl who happens to be able to transform into a wolf — a wolfwalker.

When Robyn goes to sleep, she learns she, too, can shapeshift and transform into a wolf. The flattened aesthetic of the 16th-century Irish town in which she lives — inspired by rough and boxy woodcut art of that era — transforms into flowing lines, vibrant colors and illuminated...

"Awaken your magic!" Yay! One of the best animated films from last year is now playing in cinemas again. GKids has re-released Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart's magical adventure Wolfwalkers in select theaters in the US, with more venues playing it nationwide coming up this weekend. A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night. Featuring the voices of Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whitaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. I totally adore this film, along with everything else Tomm Moore has made! I'm happy it's playing again after first opening in the fall. As wonderful as this film is, it's even better on the big screen! If you can safely get to a...

Newcomer Apple TV Plus landed its first Oscar nomination in the animated feature category thanks to “Wolfwalkers.”

A mix of 17th century Irish folklore with female empowerment and actual history, it comes from animation studio Cartoon Saloon, the third in its Irish trilogy after “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea.”

The artists deliberately left pencil lines in as part of their visual storytelling. Animators were encouraged by co-directors Ross Stewart and Tomm Moore to be as scribbly as possible to fit in with the timeless aesthetic that 2D hand-drawn animation provides — brushstrokes and etchings included.

That style, and setting the film in 1650 when Catholic Ireland was overcome by English Protestant rule, helped give “Wolfwalkers” its fairytale feel. In the story, young Robyn (voiced by Honor Kneafsey) wants to go into the woods with her father when he hunts wolves. She sneaks off without his permission and befriends...

In Ireland today, Wolfwalkers directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart are celebrating an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature.

Placing distributor Apple TV+ in that race for the first time, the nom is a first for Moore’s longtime collaborator, Stewart. Moore, meanwhile, has just achieved a hat trick, having now scored Oscar nominations for each film in his ‘Irish Folklore Trilogy,’ which includes his two prior features, Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.

For both Moore and Stewart, news of the nomination was a relief. “You don’t want to break the streak. I think everyone gave it 110%, all the crew that we worked with—our ‘wolf pack,’ as we call them,” said Moore. “So, I’m so happy that all their hard work has been recognized.”

“It’s a bit surreal,” added Stewart. “We were just praying for good news, and we got it.”

For both directors,...

On Friday, March 19, Wolfwalkers will be rereleased in theaters, North American distributor Gkids announced today.

The Apple Original Film’s latest theatrical run will kick off in New York, at the Angelika Film Center. In celebration of the Irish roots of the fantastical hand-drawn pic, which is set in Kilkenny, Gkids also has scheduled a special St. Patrick’s Day sneak preview, which will take place at the Angelika on March 17.

Additional theaters in major markets across North America will be added throughout March and April.

Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore and his longtime collaborator, Ross Stewart, the film centers on Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), a young apprentice hunter from England, who journeys with her father to Ireland, to help take out a pack of wolves. Long confined by the Puritanical society in which she’s been raised, the girl experiences true freedom for the first time only when...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Animated Feature

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: “Over the Moon” continues to miss in a few key spots like art directors and could be that Oscar morning snub we aren’t anticipating, even with the love for Glen Keane pouring through the branch.

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Golden Globe Predictions:

Best Motion Picture – Animated

Updated: Feb. 24, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been analyzed to determine...

With Wolfwalkers, directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart looked to enter uncharted creative territory, while closing out an acclaimed ‘Irish Folklore Trilogy’ that kicked off over a decade ago.

Produced by small-but-mighty, Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Moore’s previous features, The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014), each earned Oscar nominations. But it’s with Wolfwalkers that he appears to be on the cusp of a breakthrough win.

Marking his longtime collaborator Stewart’s directorial debut, the film distributed by Apple TV+ and Gkids is set in 1650, in the medieval, Irish town of Kilkenny. Its protagonist, Robyn, is an apprentice hunter, who journeys with her father from England to help take out a pack of wolves. Long confined by the Puritanical society in which she’s been raised, the girl experiences true freedom for the first time only when she befriends Mebh, a girl from a mysterious tribe,...

Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey) and Mebh Óg Mactíre (voiced by Eva Whittaker) in wolf form. Photo: Apple TV

The third film in the Celtic trilogy which also includes The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s Wolfwalkers tells the tale of an English girl who travels to Ireland with her father during the Cromwell era. He’s there to hunt wolves. She wants to become a hunter too, but after befriending a shape shifting wolfwalker, she comes to see the animals in a very different way.

Robyn meets a wolf Photo: Apple TV

Wolfwalkers has received several nominations for Best Animated Film this awards season, most notably from the Golden Globes, which won’t surprise anyone who has seen it. It stands out from the crowd because it mostly uses traditional 2D animation, but its beautiful imagery, inspired by traditional Celtic art,...

Since the inception of the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature category in 2001, the race has been utterly dominated by powerhouse American studios—the most notable examples being Walt Disney Studios and its Emeryville subsidiary, Pixar. Having claimed eight Oscars over the last decade, and 13 overall, these studios have become almost insurmountable over time.

This year, they once again pose fierce competition with two titles, the clear frontrunner being Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ Soul. Meditating on the origins of the human personality, Docter’s follow-up to Oscar winners Up and Inside Out centers on Joe (Jamie Foxx), a frustrated middle-school band teacher, who seeks to return to Earth, after a sudden accident separates him from his body. Striving to return to New York City to realize his dreams of performing as a jazz musician, the character finds that his only way back from the celestial realm known as The Great Before is to mentor a stubborn,...

They brought you The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea. Now from the same team comes Wolfwalkers, a beautifully presented fable which reflects on the history of English conquest in Ireland and the powerful cultural traditions that helped the Irish to resist. Where illuminated manuscripts wove their way through the first film and the sea flowed through the second, here we are caught between two worlds: the grey rigidity of the city and the wild, tumbling chaos of the forest that surrounds it - a forest where wolves dwell.

When young Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey) first arrives in Ireland, the city is all she knows - and before this one, the orderly landscapes of England, where she was born. Her father (Sean Bean) is a hunter, brought hither to eradicate the wolves that are making the city's inhabitants loathe to venture outside its walls are reap the bounty of.

“Wolfwalkers” is the third and final film in director Tomm Moore‘s Irish folklore trilogy that contains “The Secret of Kells” (2009) and “Song of the Sea” (2014). And it’s no coincidence that Bruno Coulais scored all of them. “I think 12 years ago it was the first with ‘The Secret of Kells and it was evident that we were meant to work together,” Coulais tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Btl Experts: Film Composers panel (watch above). “I love the mood of his films and the third one is a masterpiece, I think. I’m very proud to work with him.”

The film, which like its predecessors is hand-drawn, follows Robyn (voice of Honor Kneafsey), a young English girl in 1650 Ireland whose father Bill (voice of Sean Bean) is tasked to hunt down wolves under the orders of an Oliver Cromwell-esque Lord Protector (voice of Simon McBurney). One day, Robyn...

“Wolfwalkers,” currently streaming on Apple TV Plus, comes to the Oscar race with a reservoir of good will—and strong reviews from NPR, the Los Angeles Times and other outlets. Named the best animated film of 2020 by Indie Wire, the Kilkenny-based Cartoon Studio film is the final installment of an Irish folklore trilogy about Robyn, a young apprentice hunter with more than a passing resemblance to Saoirse Ronan, and her father, Bill, who journey to Ireland to eliminate the last wolf pack.

The year is 1650, an oppressive time when English general Oliver Cromwell put the Irish in stockades. When Robyn befriends Mebh, a wild native girl from a mysterious tribe that is rumored to have the power to change into wolves when they sleep, she changes her mind, entering the strange and wonderful world of the Wolfwalkers. And, wouldn’t you know it, Mebh’s powers have a way of catching on.

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced their nominees for their 2020 Eda awards, with Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” leading with nine nominations including best film and director. With 25 individual categories, their awards are divided into three sections: the standard “Best Of” section, the “Female Focus” awards and “Eda Special Mentions.” Women dominated the “best of” section, with four of the five slots occupied by women.

Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” was the second-highest nomination leader with eight, and Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” nabbed six mentions. “Our Eda Awards always honor the year’s best regardless of gender,” says Awfj and Eda Awards founder Jennifer Merin. “We are thrilled that in 2020 three female-directed films have emerged as our most-nominated films. Even better, two of these and several other multi-nominated films tell stories centering on strong and complex female characters from diverse backgrounds.”

The Awfj will announce their winners on Jan.

“Wolfwalkers,” the new animated film from Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, is another Celtic adventure that is steeped in Irish history. Set in 1650 Ireland, the Apple TV+ film follows Robyn (voice of Honor Kneafsey), a young English girl who wants to tag along with her father Bill (voice of Sean Bean) as he hunts wolves under the orders of an Oliver Cromwell-esque Lord Protector (voice of Simon McBurney). After sneaking out one day into the woods, Robyn befriends Mebh (voice of Eva Whittaker), a fearless wolfwalker who, along with her mother, are the last of their kind, and learns about the magic of the wolves — and becomes a wolfwalker too.

When Moore started working on “Wolfwalkers” years ago, he did not foresee its themes of polarization and otherization becoming “depressingly timely,” he tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Film Animation panel (watch above).

“You know how ‘Star Trek...

There are two massively acclaimed animated feature films arriving in viewers’ homes this month. One of them, Pixar’s “Soul,” premieres on Disney+ on Christmas Day. The other, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s “Wolfwalkers,” is in select theaters now and debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday. You can’t go wrong with either picture, but the former may turn out to be the bigger surprise for general audiences.

Read More: “Wolfwalkers”: Animated Irish myth is a stunning masterwork [Review]

The third in a series of Irish folktale inspired features, “Wolfwalkers” centers on the unlikely friendship between Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), an English girl accompanying her father to medieval Ireland, and Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a young pup whose family has the magical ability to transform into a wolf.

Continue reading ‘Wolfwalkers’ Directors’ Long Run To Finish An Irish Folklore Trifecta [Interview] at The Playlist.

Hulu's Palm Springs and HBO's Lovecraft Country lead the nominations for the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards, which are best described as being more pop culture and genre-oriented version of the Critics Choice Awards.

These awards are a special event honoring the most popular, fan-obsessed genres across both television and movies, including Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, Action, and Animation.

The winners will be revealed in a special television presentation, which will be produced remotely following Covid safety protocols, hosted by writer/director/podcaster Kevin Smith and actress/writer Dani Fernandez.

The ceremony will air on The CW Network on Sunday, January 10, 2021 (8:00-10:00pm Et/Pt) and will stream the next day for free on The CW App and cwtv.com.

Film Nominations

Best Action Movie

Bad Boys For Life (Sony)

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Extraction (Netflix)

Greyhound (Apple TV+)

The Hunt (Universal)

Mulan (Disney+)

The Outpost...

Today brought the inaugural nominations for the Critics Choice Super Awards. As a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, seeing this list of nominees is a welcome reminder that there’s still been a wonderful assortment of films released in 2020. Of course, there are tons of Oscar contenders to come, including a bunch that have not been released, and the Critics Choice Awards will cover them, but it’s nice to see some movies listed here that the Academy Awards and other groups will surely ignore. Co-hosted by Kevin Smith, the show will take place in January and surely will be one to watch! Here are all of the nominees: Film Nominations For The Inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards Best Action Movie Bad Boys For Life (Sony) Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) Extraction (Netflix) Greyhound (Apple TV+) The Hunt (Universal) Mulan (Disney+) The Outpost (Millennium Media) Tenet (Warner Bros.) Best...

The Andy Samberg comedy “Palm Springs” led all films in nominations for the first annual Critics Choice Super Awards, a new honor from the Critics Choice Association devoted to superhero, sci-fi/fantasy, horror, action and animated films and television series. “Lovecraft Country” was the most nominated program in the television categories.

The winners will be announced during a special on The CW on Jan. 10, 2021, with Kevin Smith and Dani Fernandez hosting.

The Critics Choice Association, which has been presenting the Critics Choice Awards for 25 years and the Critics Choice Documentary Awards for five years, added the Critics Choice Super Awards during a year in which many of the big genre films that would have been competing for prizes — among them the James Bond film “No Time to Die” and Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” — were rescheduled for 2021 releases because of coronavirus-prompted theater closings.

In addition, the early timeline for...

Animation comes in all shapes and sizes. From independent features and shorts to the family blockbusters that littered theaters, back when going to the movies was a thing. We even had the occasional raunchy animated comedy. What we don’t have a ton of, at least recently, is animated works where the visuals truly take center stage. Enter Wolfwalkers, the effort from Apple Original Films (as well as Gkids) that hopes to break into the Oscar race. Given the weak year, as well as how elegantly done this feature is, and the streaming service is poised to score an Academy Award citation. Releasing this week, it’s something the whole family can enjoy, even if the youngest of viewers may not be as enthralled as others will be. The film is an animated adventure, set within a magical version of Ireland. This is the official synopsis: “In a time of superstition and magic,...

AFI Fest on Friday announced the winners of its 2020 audience award and jury prizes. The winners include “76 Days,” a documentary about Wuhan, China’s response to the pandemic, and “Pillars,” a short that explores Black girlhood in today’s America.

The festival, now in its 34th year, attracted its largest audience ever with a mostly virtual program, which opened up the festival to an audience of residents of all 50 states. It screened 125 titles, over half of which were directed by women, 39 percent directed by people of color, and 17 percent directed by members of the LGBTQ community.

“With an audience of more than double from last year, we welcomed over 200 filmmakers and guests from around the world for Q&As and panels,” said Michael Lumpkin, director AFI Festivals. “This year’s festival was truly a celebration of film across the country with festival goers joining us online from all 50 states.

Scott Adkins plays a violence-prone former spy turned bouncer in this tale of shootouts with a young daughter in tow

Acting talent is largely neither here nor there when it comes to low-budget action thrillers: what makes the difference is a script that’s smart enough to play to its cast’s strengths. Instead, Legacy of Lies prefers to fill its runtime with numerous scenes of sappy father-daughter bonding.

Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2) stars as Martin Baxter, a former MI6 operative who quit 12 years ago, after a mission in Kiev went terribly, mysteriously wrong. Now he’s the single dad of an annoyingly precocious 12-year-old (Honor Kneafsey) and makes ends meet as a nightclub door-minder, with a spot of cage fighting on the side. A multidimensional character then, albeit with only one dimension of interest: a ’roid-ragey bouncer who unnecessarily escalates every situation to violence has the advantage of...

Wolfwalkers Trailer 2 and 2020 Nycc Virtual Round Table — Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart‘s Wolfwalkers (2020) movie trailer 2 and virtual round-table from the 2020 New York Comic Con have been released and feature Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, Nora Twomey, and [...]

Continue reading: Wolfwalkers Movie Trailer 2 & 2020 Nycc Virtual Round-table: Robyn Goodfellowe enters an Enchanted World [Apple TV+]...

Cartoon Saloon (Aka Irish Studio Ghibli) are really on a bit of a roll. The Kilkenny-based animation studio has had a string of critical hits with The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner. Now their latest feature Wolfwalkers returns them to the familiar ground of Irish folktales, with a not insubstantial amount of real-life history in the mix.

The year is 1650, Oliver Cromwell’s forces have occupied the city of Kilkenny and apparently introduced them to the Elsinore school of architecture, judging from the thick city walls and steel gates. With them is Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey), precocious daughter of an English hunter (the ever-authoritative Sean Bean) tasked with ridding a local wolfpack from the forest so it can be torn down. However, the wolves are led by Mebh, a wolfwalker able to shift between wolf and human, who refuses to leave until her missing mother returns.

Apple has launched the official trailer for their anticipated original fantasy animated feature ‘Wolfwalkers’.

In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumoured to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Sean Bean, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker and more lend their voices to the Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart directed.

Also in trailers – Tilda Swinton stars in trailer for Pedro Almodóvar short ‘The Human Voice’

The...

"You're a wolf when you sleep... a girl when you're awake." Apple has released a full-length trailer for the animated feature film titled Wolfwalkers, the latest project from acclaimed Irish animation filmmaker Tomm Moore co-directing with concept artist Ross Stewart. In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn, comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when Robyn saves a wild native girl, Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwakers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. The voice cast is lead by Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whitaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. This premiered at TIFF and it's absolutely wonderful - I raved about it in my review.

Apple TV Plus has released the full trailer for its first animated feature, “Wolfwalkers.” “Song of the Sea” director Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart are behind the animation.

The hand-drawn film “Wolfwalkers” is set in mid-17th-century Ireland during a time of superstition and magic amidst a world of Irish folklore. Robyn Goodfellowe, voiced by Honor Kneafsey, follows her father to wipe out the last of the wolf pack. While there, she befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night.

As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Filled with rich illustrations, the trailer shows the blossoming friendship between the two characters and their mythical world.

“Wolfwalkers” directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart didn’t conceive of the idea for their animated, Irish folklore parable until 2013 as they were finishing their previous film “Song of the Sea.” But even though the film is set in Medieval times, the history has only become more prescient.

“Wolfwalkers” comes from the animation team at Cartoon Saloon, which developed both “Song of the Sea” and “The Secret of Kells,” both Oscar-nominated films about Irish folklore. Their latest completes a trilogy of sorts, but the directors told TheWrap that it stands alone in how it speaks to the problems of today.

“The 17th Century and sadly hundreds of years later has some similar stuff where we have our protector is a fairly recognizable strong man, autocratic leader kind of ruling with fear and division, and also the destruction of the forests for agricultural use and also to symbolically tame the indigenous...

New York Comic Con’s first-ever virtual convention is less than two weeks away and the schedule for the 4-day lineup has been set, with appearances by new TV series like “Utopia” and “The Stand,” and reunions for fan-favorite shows, including “Lost” and “Smallville.”

Hosted by Nycc parent ReedPop and dubbed New York Comic Con’s “Metaverse,” the online event will run Oct. 8-11 as the virtual replacement for New York Comic Con 2020. The Nycc Metaverse panels will stream on New York Comic Con’s YouTube channel.

Per ReedPop, “In addition to panels streaming live & on-demand exclusively via YouTube, fans will be able to participate in talent Q&a’s during panels, turn every panel into a watch party and geek out with other fans using YouTube’s Comments, Community Tab, and Live Chat features.”

See below for a list of must-see TV and film-centric “Metaverse” panels and their descriptions,...

After unveiling their first wave of programming last week, New York Comic Con and McM Comic Con’s Metaverse have even more panels and entertainment to feed your fandom. The all-digital confab is set to take place October 8-11 via the New York Comic Con YouTube channel.

This year’s edition will include everything the in-person event offers all in the comfort of your own home. They will stream exclusive panels as well as addition content and programming including a look at the Apple film Wolfwalkers, a panel with the writers’ room of Colin Trevorrow and Scott Kreamer’s Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, a behind-the-scenes look at the Dylan O’Brien post-apocalyptic adventure Love and Monsters, a Smallville reunion and the return of the Osbournes in their upcoming Travel Channel event. Check out the second wave of programming below.

Inside the World of Wolfwalkers from Apple TV+

Join directors Tomm Moore...

Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon may not be able to match the impact or consistency of Japan’s Studio Ghibli (who can?), but the Kilkenny-based outfit has gradually emerged as one of the world’s last and most valuable bulwarks against the crude and craven soullessness that has defined the post-“Shrek” era of mainstream animated movies. Rooted in Celtic mythology and drawn to look like a moving stained glass window, 2009’s Oscar-nominated “The Secret of Kells” stood apart from its computer-generated 3D contemporaries for its warmth and its beauty. While the likes of “Bolt” and “Kung Fu Panda” offered all the magic of a trip to the mall, Cartoon Saloon’s breakout almost seemed holy by comparison.

If subsequent efforts “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner” were even prettier but less enthralling, the studio’s potential only grew stronger as it doubled down on a steadfast commitment to stories rich in cultural history.

The woodsmen are clearing out the forest to expand Kilkenny, Ireland’s farmland circa 1650 under orders of Lord Protector Cromwell (Simon McBurney)—an Englishman. He and the British crown see these Irish folk as a people in need of taming so it’s only fitting that he try his hand at ridding the countryside of wolves first. This is something these peasants can get behind because they fear what those beasts might do if left unchecked. They clamor for the soldiers to protect them. They willingly invite another Englishman in Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean) to serve as the Lordship’s chief hunter to do the deed. And this fearmongering distracts them from realizing how Cromwell’s threat of burning the forest if he fails foreshadows how he’ll treat their non-compliance too.

Because Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s Wolfwalkers is a children’s film, however, such stark political commentary...

A decade ago, Tomm Moore startled the world by landing an Oscar nomination for “The Secret of Kells,” an independent animated feature that wowed those who saw it with its distinctive look (extrapolated from illuminated manuscripts) and near-phosphorescent palette (leaves so green they practically glow in the dark). At the time, outsider animation hardly stood a chance against Hollywood studios, but now, no one should be surprised if he lands another for “Wolfwalkers,” whose dazzling visual design makes “Kells” look positively prehistoric by comparison.

We might as well start with what a wolfwalker is: Instantly recognizable by their blazing round eyes and fiery red hair, these bewitching characters are neither human nor beast but some combination of the two. They speak to wolves as if by telekinesis, protecting people from possible attack — but what they’re really doing is defending the animals, who are directly endangered by the modernizing world around them.

Directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, part of the team behind such traditionally-animated modern classics as “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” score another old-school triumph with “Wolfwalkers,” an Irish tale with something to offer viewers of all ages.

There’s wit and adventure, and a pair of delightful young friends whose determination saves the day, but there’s also stunning art and cogent observations about colonization, stewarding the environment, ruling through fear and misinformation, the perils of over-protective parenting, and England’s centuries-long effort to control the Irish, both materially and spiritually.

It’s 1650 in Kilkenny, Ireland, to be exact, where we meet young Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey of the “A Christmas Prince” trilogy). Robyn dreams of being a fearsome wolf-hunter like her father Bill (Sean Bean), but his paramount concern is keeping Robyn safe, as his late wife would have wished. Bill has...

Wolfwalkers Trailer — Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart‘s Wolfwalkers (2020) teaser trailer has been released by Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Tommy Tiernan. Plot Synopsis Wolfwalkers‘ plot synopsis: “In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the [...]

Continue reading: Wolfwalkers (2020) Teaser Trailer: Robyn Goodfellowe’s Father journeys to Ireland to Wipe Out the Last Wolf Pack...

"Be a wolf!" Apple has released an official teaser trailer for a new animated feature film titled Wolfwalkers, the latest project from acclaimed Irish animation filmmaker Tomm Moore co-directing with concept artist Ross Stewart. In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn, comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when Robyn saves a wild native girl, Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwakers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. The voice cast includes Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whitaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. I am a huge fan of Moore's work, and I had no idea he was making this! I couldn't be more excited!! This looks...

"You will not win." Lionsgate has released the first official trailer for an international spy thriller titled Legacy of Lies, from Dutch director Adrian Bol. This will be available to watch on VOD later this summer for those who want to watch it. Scott Adkins stars as Martin Baxter, an ex-MI6 agent who is thrown back into the world of espionage and high stakes to uncover the shocking truth about operations conducted by unknown secret services. Martin finds himself in the crosshairs of both UK and Russian intelligence, with a threat on his family putting even more pressure on him to deliver. Also starring Anna Butkevych, Honor Kneafsey, Andrea Vasiliou, Martin McDougall, Matt Mitler, Marco Robinson, Victor Solé, and Yuliia Sobol. This looks like every other spy action thriller, with all the same warehouses and underground bunkers and colorful bars where Kgb agents appear. And the "movie trailer guy" voiceover in this is so bad.

Looks are deceiving with Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop, an adaptation of Penelope Fitzgerald’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel from 1978. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill drama that will surely fall into the usual clichés of perseverance and eventual victory about a woman standing up to a small town of bullies that sees her as an outsider is actually much more complex. Rather than be about an ever-increasing contingent of allies coming out of the woodwork to rally around her as she sticks it to the haughty aristocrats up on the hill, this story focuses upon the unfortunate reality that money and power will almost always prevail. Instead of fantasizing about an old-fashioned conservative community’s wholesale ideological change, Fitzgerald and Coixet reveal how success happens one person at a time.

It’s the type of message that simultaneously inspires and frustrates in today’s climate of bullish partisans refusing to...

"You make me believe once more in things I thought forgotten..." Greenwich Entertainment has released an official Us trailer for this lovely book-lovers film The Bookshop, the latest feature from Catalan filmmaker Isabel Coixet. This had a major premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, but it was rather poorly received, and hasn't been highly regarded by many critics unfortunately. The Bookshop stars Emily Mortimer as an independent woman living in England in 1959 who fights to keep a bookshop open and running in a small town that doesn't really seem to need one. The full supporting cast includes Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Hunter Tremayne, Honor Kneafsey, James Lance, and Reg Wilson. It's described as "an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community." This will probably connect most with die-hard book lovers. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for...

Right, let’s get this out the way first: I’m not much of an Agatha Christie fan. Never have been, never will be. The slight disappointment of last year’s much-hyped Murder on the Orient Express seemed to prove that I’ve been justified about at least one thing in my life.

It’s fair to say then, that I wasn’t expecting a great deal when I sat down for Crooked House. Which is perhaps just as well because, valiant attempt though it is, this is a film that probably only diehards would truly appreciate.

That’s not to say this crime drama is without its good points; far from it. Let’s start with the cast, because it really is sent from the gods. Glenn Close, Terence Stamp, Gillian Anderson? All that’s needed is Robert DeNiro to make the unlikeliest of appearances and we’d have...

Author: Zehra Phelan

Vertigo Releasing have released the first trailer for The Bookshop starring Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy.

Based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name; ‘The Bookshop’ is set in 1959, Florence Green (Emily Mortimer), a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop – the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. Fighting damp, cold and considerable local apathy she struggles to establish herself but soon her fortunes change for the better. By exposing the narrow-minded local townsfolk to the best literature of the day including Nabokov’s scandalizing “Lolita” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”, she opens their eyes thereby causing a cultural awakening in a town which has not changed for centuries.

Directed and co-written by Isabel Coixet, the film stars Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson and Honor Kneafsey.

The Bookshop Official Synopsis

Set...

Everyone can't stop talking about A Christmas Prince. The Netflix movie, starring Rose McIver and Ben Lamb, is getting a lot of attention right now. The film follows journalist Amber Moore (McIver) who arrives in Aldovia to report on a press conference about Prince Richard (Lamb). However after a series of events, Amber ends up pretending to be the tutor for the prince's sister Emily (Honor Kneafsey) to get the inside scoop on the royal family. But as we're looking closer at this movie, we're finding a lot of similarities between A Christmas Prince and some of your other favorite princess movies. Let us show you some of the major references. 1. The Princess Diaries: When Amber has...

Crooked House Review Crooked House (2017) Film Review, a movie directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, and starring Glenn Close, Gillian Anderson, Terrence Stamp, Christina Hendricks, Stefani Martini, Max irons and Honor Kneafsey. Crooked House is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name and said to be one of her favorites. Set in 1950’s England [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Crooked House (2017): A Twisted Tale With Numerous Elements to Enjoy...

Louisa Mellor Jan 17, 2017

We’ve scoured Sherlock’s The Final Problem for tiny details and references to other stories, and here’s what we found…

Warning: contains spoilers.

See related Travelers: why you should watch Netflix's new time travel show Travelers: first trailer for Netflix time travel series

With the help of the pause button and a pot of strong coffee, we’ve picked through Sherlock’s series four finale The Final Problem to seek out the nerdy references and painstakingly added background details. (You can find the same for the previous episodes here and here.)

Here goes…

1. Starting with the obvious, The Final Problem is of course the title of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1893 short story in which Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty appear to tumble to their deaths in the Reichenbach Falls. Andrew Scott’s Moriarty references the title several times in series two finale The Reichenbach Fall.

12 year old Honor Kneafsey stars in the leading role of Josephine in a new feature film adaptation of Agatha Christie crime novel Crooked House, which has just started filming in London.

Honor (represented by A&J Management) has just filmed on Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop and is known to TV audiences for her roles in Our Zoo and Benidorm.

She will star alongside Max Irons, as private detective Charles Hayward who is invited to solve the gruesome murder of wealthy and ruthless tycoon Aristide Leonides, poisoned in his own bed. Nobody is above suspicion, including Sophia (played by Stefanie Martini, who has just filmed the role of Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect prequel Tennison) Hayward's client and former lover.

The cast also includes Terence Stamp as a chief inspector and Christina Hendricks, Glenn Close, and Gillian Anderson as members of the dead man’s household.

Gilles Paquet-Brenner will direct...

Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close, Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson and Terence Stamp star in Julian Fellowes adaptation.

Principal photography has commenced in the UK on Agatha Christie adaptation Crooked House from director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah’s Key) and Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes.

The film will be produced by Joe Abrams at Brilliant Films, James Spring at Fred Films, and Sally Wood.

Based on the novel by Agatha Christie, private detective Charles Hayward is invited to solve a gruesome crime where nobody is above suspicion, including Sophia, his client and former lover.

The feature will star Max Irons (Woman in Gold) as Charles Hayward, Stefanie Martini (Doctor Thorne) as Sophia de Haviland, Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) as Lady Edith, Honor Kneafsey (Miss You Already) as Josephine, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Brenda, Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) as Magda and Terence Stamp (Big Eyes) as Chief Inspector Taverner.

The film is fully financed by Hindsight/Prescience. Metro...

Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close, Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson and Terence Stamp star.

Principal photography has commenced in the UK on Agatha Christie adaptation Crooked House from director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah’s Key) and Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes.

The film will be produced by Joe Abrams at Brilliant Films, James Spring at Fred Films, and Sally Wood.

Based on the novel by Agatha Christie, private detective Charles Hayward is invited to solve a gruesome crime where nobody is above suspicion, including Sophia, his client and former lover.

The feature will star Max Irons (Woman in Gold) as Charles Hayward, Stefanie Martini (Doctor Thorne) as Sophia de Haviland, Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) as Lady Edith, Honor Kneafsey (Miss You Already) as Josephine, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Brenda, Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) as Magda and Terence Stamp (Big Eyes) as Chief Inspector Taverner.

The film is fully financed by Hindsight/Prescience. Metro International...

Exclusive: Agatha Christie is finally headed back to the big screen. Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Stefanie Martini, Terence Stamp and Honor Kneafsey are joining Max Irons and Glenn Close to star in an upcoming adaptation of Christie's whodunit Crooked House, which has started shooting in and around London. Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah's Key) will direct the ensemble cast from a script written by Downton Abbey and Gosford Park writer Julian Fellowes, Tim Rose…...

Filming has started in Belfast on The Bookshop, an adaptation of the Penelope Fitzgerald novel by writer/director Isabel Coixet, about a woman, Florence Green, played by Emily Mortimer,  who decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition in a small town in 1959 England, to open a bookshop. A decision which becomes a political minefield.

Honor Kneafsey stars as Christine, Florence's 10 year old bookshop assistant. Honor (represented by A&J Management), starred in the BBC drama Our Zoo, and went on the join the cast of Benidorm.

A casting call was posted on Screenterrier to find the other young star of the film, a red-headed boy. 10 year old newcomer Harvey Bennett (represented by Purple Giraffe Casting) landed the part, in his first screen role.

The film stars Emily Mortimer as Florence Green, with Patricia Clarkson, and Bill Nighy. Charlotte Vega plays Kattie with James Lance as Milo North.

The Bookshop is...