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Films Hollywood Lite Blogs

Mission Impossible: Another Tom Cruise action franchise is back

Several action set pieces are teased in the trailer, including a sniper battle during a desert storm, a fistfight in a nightclub and a chase atop a moving train…reports Asian Lite News

Close on the heels of the rapturous reception to ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ at the Cannes Film Festival, another Tom Cruise action franchise is back, with the first trailer of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One’ being dropped on Monday evening by Paramount Pictures.

‘Dead Reckoning’, reports ‘Variety’, is the seventh entry in the spy thriller series, which stars Cruise as Ethan Hunt, a special agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

The trailer shows the return of several ‘Mission: Impossible’ series cast members, including franchise stalwart Ving Rhames, more recent additions Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson, and ‘Fallout’ star Vanessa Kirby. In addition, the trailer shows the return of Henry Czerny, who appeared in the original 1996 ‘Mission: Impossible’ as IMF director Eugene Kittridge. He’s shown having a tense meeting with Cruise’s Hunt.

“Your days of fighting for the so-called ‘Greater Good’ are over,” Czerny says to Cruise in the trailer, according to ‘Variety’. “This is our chance to control the truth. The concepts of right and wrong, for everyone for centuries to come. You’re fighting to save an ideal that doesn’t exist. It never did. You need to pick a side.”

Several action set pieces are teased in the trailer, including a sniper battle during a desert storm, a fistfight in a nightclub and a chase atop a moving train. The trailer closes with a dramatic shot of Cruise, famous for doing his own stunts in the franchise, driving a motorcycle off a cliff and skydiving into the air below.

‘Dead Reckoning’ is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously helmed ‘Rogue Nation’ in 2015 and ‘Fallout’ in 2018. ‘Part One’, co-produced by Cruise, and scheduled for a July 14, 2023, release, will be followed by ‘Dead Reckoning: Part Two’ in 2024, which is expected to be the final appearance of Cruise as Ethan Hunt.

ALSO READ-‘A Summer Slumber’

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Films Hollywood Lite Blogs

‘Three thousand years of longing’ gets six-minute standing ovation


Elba and Swinton shared a warm hug during the post-screening standing ovation, which had the Grand Palais audience swooning and whistling…reports Asian Lite News

Elba and Swinton shared a warm hug during the post-screening standing ovation, which had the Grand Palais audience swooning and whistling.

Filmmaker George Miller took over the Cannes Film Festival with ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’, his first directorial effort since ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.

The film starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, earned a six-minute standing ovation after its world premiere at Cannes’ Palais theater, reports ‘Variety’.

A love letter to storytelling and its tropes and parables passed down through history, ‘Three Thousand Years’ follows a solitary academic (Swinton) and a burdened genie (Elba) she finds in a bottle in the markets of Istanbul.

His history unfolds in the stories of those who had found him before.

While his memories were relayed in dazzling ancient locations with heavy special effects, half of the film is spent in a hotel room (the same that Agatha Christie lived in when she wrote ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, a bellhop tells Swinton).

The Cannes crowd enjoyed Swinton and Elba hanging out in bathrobes, casually bickering over the ethics of wish making, until the movie eventually gives way to a bittersweet love story.

Elba and Swinton shared a warm hug during the post-screening standing ovation, which had the Grand Palais audience swooning and whistling.

Miller, in his trademark coke bottle glasses, looked on with pride.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the film with an audience, and it’s very moving,” Miller told the crowd.

“I’m very, very grateful.”

The film is predominantly a two-hander between Swinton and Ilba, although supporting roles are played by the likes of Aamito Lagum, Burcu Galgedar and Matteo Bocelli.

Miller co-wrote the movie with Augusta Gore, based on ‘The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye’, a collection of short stories published by author A.S. Byatt.

Miller reunited several members of his ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ crafts team for the new movie, including editor Margaret Sixel, cinematographer John Seale and composer Tom Holkenborg.

MGM’s distribution arm United Artists Releasing is set to release ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ in theatres on August 31.

ALSO READ-‘A Summer Slumber’

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Crime Hollywood

Amber Heard breaks down in tears during testimony

Heard is defending herself in a $50 million defamation trial. Depp has accused her of fabricating her domestic violence allegations to advance her career….reports Asian Lite News

Hollywood actress Amber Heard broke down as she told a jury that her former husband and actor Johnny Depp had sexually assaulted her with a bottle during a fight in Australia.

According to ‘Variety’, Heard took the stand for the second day on Thursday, as she continued to recount a series of violent incidents that marked their relationship.

She said the fight in Australia during filming of the fifth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film in March 2015 was prompted by Depp’s jealousy and her concern about his drug use.

She said Depp had repeatedly hit her, threw bottles at her and choked her against a refrigerator, before finally getting her on top of a countertop and penetrating her with a bottle.

“I remember just not wanting to move,” ‘Variety’ quoted the actress as saying.

She said she remembered thinking: “Please, God, I hope it’s not broken.”

She said Depp repeatedly said: “I’ll f***ing kill you.”

Heard is defending herself in a $50 million defamation trial. Depp has accused her of fabricating her domestic violence allegations to advance her career.

His lawsuit alleges that he lost out on the sixth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and other movie roles after Heard referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in a December 2018 op-ed.

Heard began her testimony on Wednesday afternoon, recounting how she first met Depp and fell in love with him.

But she said she also discovered that Depp could become extremely jealous, especially when drunk or high, and fly into rages.

On Thursday, she told the jury about a flight on a private jet in May 2014, when she claimed that Depp slapped her and then kicked her to the floor.

She also told the jury of other violent episodes, in Tokyo, and on Depp’s private island in the Bahamas. She said Depp could be verbally cruel, calling her a “wh***”, a “s**t” and a “fat a**”.

Depp has denied ever assaulting Heard. He already told the jury his own version of events surrounding the Australia fight, alleging that she severed his fingertip when she threw a bottle at him.

Heard has previously testified about these incidents during a trial in the UK, but the details of the alleged sexual assault were kept confidential in that proceeding.

In her testimony on Thursday, Heard also said she ended up with cuts on her arms and feet from the broken glass.

She said, at one point, Depp had held a broken bottle to her jaw, and threatened to “carve up my face”.

She said the next morning she found a series of messages that Depp had written on the walls in his own blood and in paint.

Heard also told the jury about a fight in December 2015, when she said that Depp dragged her by the hair up the stairs. He said the two got into a shoving match, and that Depp head-butted her squarely in the nose.

She said she instantly felt searing pain in her nose.

Depp previously testified that he was trying to restrain Heard from hitting him by putting her in a bear hug, and the contact was incidental.

Later that night, Heard said that she told Depp that she was going to leave him.

She said that Depp dragged her into another room, threw her on a bed, and kneeled on her back.

She said he repeatedly punched her, and screamed in her ear: “I fucking hate you!a She said she could not breathe.

“I thought, ‘This is how I die’,” she said.

“He’s going to kill me now. He’s going to kill me, and he won’t even have realised it.”

The trial will take a one-week break before testimony resumes on May 16, when Heard will return to the stand. She is yet to complete her direct testimony, and Depp’s lawyers will then have the opportunity to cross-examine her.

Judge Penney Azcarate told the jury that closing arguments are set for May 27.

ALSO READ: Biden names Indian American to body that monitors spies

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Arab News Films Hollywood

‘Multiverse of Madness’ banned in Arab countries

Benedict Cumberbatch’s upcoming superhero film ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ will not see the light of day in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries due to the inclusion of a gay character, reports ‘Variety’…reports Asian Lite News

A source told ‘Variety’ that Saudi Arabian censors held back their permit to release the film in the kingdom as the changes they requested were not approved by Disney.

The new Sam Raimi-directed sequel stars Cumberbatch as the titular character, and it also features the new hero America Chavez, played by ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ star Xochitl Gomez.

As per reports cited by ‘Variety’, Gomez’s character in the movie is reportedly gay, true to how she is portrayed in the Marvel comics.

The ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel, which is scheduled to release in the US on May 6, was initially slated for release in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries on May 5.

But in the region, which maintain a conservative outlook on movies concerning or containing sex, homosexuality, and religious issues are routinely cut to comply with censorship rules.

In this case, Disney was either unwilling or unable to make edits requested by censors.

ALSO READ: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: A pleasing entertainer with brilliant cinematography

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is set after the events of ‘WandaVision’, ‘Loki’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, follows the Sorcerer Supreme’s attempts to contain the aftermath of the multiverse-fracturing spell he cast in the recent Tom Holland and Zendaya-starrer ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which caused villains from across the multiverse to spill over into the central Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

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Films Hollywood Lite Blogs

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ to hit screens on May 27

The new trailer of the film, which was released on YouTube, garnered a whopping 6.3 million views in a matter of hours of being released…reports Asian Lite News

One of the most awaited films of the year, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ will hit screens on May 27.

Tom Cruise, who wowed audiences around the world as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in ‘Top Gun’, returns as a trainer in this edition of the ‘Top Gun’ franchise.

The immensely popular Hollywood star shared a new trailer of Top Gun: Maverick on his Twitter timeline and said, “The new trailer for #TopGun is here. See you at the theater.”

Production house Paramount Pictures, in its description of the new film’s trailer, said, “After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

“When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

“Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.”

The new trailer of the film, which was released on YouTube, garnered a whopping 6.3 million views in a matter of hours of being released.

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Events Hollywood News

Oscars 2022 celebrates 50th anniversary of ‘The Godfather’

Director Francis Ford Coppola and stars De Niro and Al Pacino celebrated the 50th anniversary of the iconic film ‘The Godfather’ at the 94th Academy Awards under the theme ‘Movie lovers unite’ at the Dolby Theatre…reports Asian Lite News

On Sunday night, Coppola, Pacino, and De Niro took the stage as their film got honoured at completing 50 years. The three walked up to the stage to the theme song of ‘The Godfather’.

The director was seen making a speech about ‘The Godfather’, while De Niro and Pacino were standing silently beside him.

‘The Godfather’ tribute was introduced by rapper Puff Daddy.

ALSO READ: Ariana DeBose wins Best Actress in a Supporting role

‘The Godfather’ is a 1972 American crime film based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same name.

The film also stars Marlon Brando among many others.

It is the first installment in ‘The Godfather’ trilogy. The story, spanning from 1945 to 1955, chronicles the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando), focusing on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from a reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

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Celebrity Events Hollywood

Ariana DeBose wins Best Actress in a Supporting role

American actress-singer Ariana DeBose won the Oscars for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the remake of the musical “West Side Story” directed by Steven Spielberg…reports Asian Lite News

She played the role of Anita, the girlfriend of Sharks gang leader Bernardo, and sings the famous number “America”.

In the original film Anita was played by Rita Moreno, who also won an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actress for the role in 1962. With this Ariana became the only openly queer woman to win an Oscar and the second Latina actor to bag the coveted statuette.

DeBose joined Jennifer Lawrence as the only actors born in the 90s to have won an Oscar to their credit.

ALSO READ: CODA scripts history at Oscars

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Films Hollywood Lite Blogs

CODA scripts history at Oscars

Jane Campion, staved off competition from the likes of Seven Spielberg and Kenneth Branagh, to win the award for Best Director for her much-admired film, ‘The Power of the Dog’…reports Asian Lite News

The coming-of-age comedy-drama ‘CODA’ (which, incidentally, is the acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic ‘Dune’ emerged as the biggest winners at the just-concluded 94th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater here.

‘Dune’ bagged six awards, all in technical categories; ‘CODA’ made Oscar history by winning the awards in all three categories it was nominated in. It also became the first film from a major streaming platform — Apple TV — to bag the prestigious award of ‘Best Picture’, becoming thereby the first official nod from the Academy to the tectonic shift taking place in the entertainment industry because of the rise of OTT platforms in the Covid-19 era.

Jane Campion, staved off competition from the likes of Seven Spielberg and Kenneth Branagh, to win the award for Best Director for her much-admired film, ‘The Power of the Dog’.

‘Dune’ got the better of some serious competition — notably from ‘Shang-Chi’ and ‘Spider-Man’ — bagged Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. ‘CODA’ took home the honours for Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay (Sian Heder) and Best Picture of course.

Will Smith, who had earlier slapped comedian Chris Rock across his face over a joke directed at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, won the honour for Best Lead Actor owing to his performance in ‘King Richard’.

The biographical drama ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ won two awards — Best Lead Actress for Jessica Chastain and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

The broadcast from Dolby Theater also honoured the history of the art form of films as it brought back the casts of classics such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ and celebrated the 60th anniversary of James Bond with a presentation featuring skateboarder Tony Hawk, surfer Kelly Slater and snowboarder Shaun White.

Ariana DeBose was feted with the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’. Best Animated Feature Film went to Disney’s ‘Encanto’. The Japanese film ‘Drive My Car’, an international awards circuit favourite, clinched the title for eBest International Film’.

Jenny Beavan was conferred with Best Costume Design for ‘Cruella’, a film she initially almost refused to work on. Kenneth Branagh walked away with ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for his writing in the coming-of-age drama, ‘Belfast’.

Other winners included ‘Summer of Soul’, which won Best Documentary Feature; ‘No Time To Die’ (Best Original Song) for the title track by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell; ‘The Queen of Basketball’ (Best Documentary Short Subject); ‘The Windshield Wiper’ (Best Animated Short Film); and ‘The Long Goodbye’ (Best Live Action Short Film).

ALSO READ-Teary-eyed Will Smith kisses Oscar, Jessica best actress

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Films Hollywood Lite Blogs

Teary-eyed Will Smith kisses Oscar, Jessica best actress

“It’s like I wanna be a vessel for love, I wanna say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for trusting me with your story.”…reports Asian Lite News

Hollywood star Will Smith won the honour for ‘Actor in a Lead Role’ for the movie ‘King Richard’ at the 94th Academy Award held at the Dolby theatre.

‘King Richard’ is a biographical sports drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. It follows the life of Richard Williams, the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, who were executive producers of the film. It also stars Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal.

Smith was nominated alongside Javier Bardem ‘Being the Ricardos’, Benedict Cumberbatch ‘The Power of the Dog’, Andrew Garfield ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ and Denzel Washington ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’.

A teary-eyed Smith kissed his wife Jada Pinkett Smith before going on the stage and then made an emotional speech.

He said: “I was the first defender of his (Richard Williams) family. At this moment I am overwhelmed with what God is calling me to do in this world. Making this film I got to protect who was one of the most delicate people. I got to protect Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, two actresses playing Venus and Serena.

“I am being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people to do what we do. You gotta be able to take abuse, people will talk crazy about you and disrespect you and to pretend that it is okay.

“It’s like I wanna be a vessel for love, I wanna say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for trusting me with your story.”

Smith said that he wants to be an “ambassador of that kind of love, care and concern.”

Jessica best for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’

Jessica Chastain, who won the honour for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in biographical drama, ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ at the 94th Academy Awards, shared that in difficult times like the one which the entire world is going through, she feels inspired by her character’s radical acts of love.

The coveted award was presented to her on Sunday night by the legendary actor, Anthony Hopkins. As she accepted the award, Jessica took to the stage to give a speech, broadcast live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

She thanked her “brilliant” co-star Andrew Garfield and drew the audience’s attention towards the topic of suicide which continues to be the leading cause of death in the US.

“So many people out there feel hopelessness and alone and suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. It’s touched many families.

“It’s touched mine and especially members of the LGBTQ community. we’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us. There’s violence and hate crimes. In times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love.” she added.

Chastain preceded over fellow nominees — Olivia Colman for ‘The Lost Daughter’, Penelope Cruz for ‘Parallel Mothers’, Nicole Kidman for ‘Being the Ricardos’ and Kristen Stewart for ‘Spencer’ — for the win.

ALSO READ-Oscars 2022: Will Smith slaps Jade Rock for joke on Jada

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Events Films Hollywood

Oscars 2022: Will Smith slaps Jade Rock for joke on Jada

Hollywood star Will Smith walked up to the stage and slapped comic artiste Chris Rock over his humorous remark on Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith…reports Asian Lite News

Everyone at the Dolby Theater was in for a shock when Hollywood star Will Smith walked up to the stage and slapped comic artiste Chris Rock over his humorous remark on Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The incident took place when Chris was on the stage to present the Oscars for the Best Documentary category.

Chris started his gig with a few jokes about the audience members, including Pinkett Smith, referring to her as “G.I. Jane” due to her closely cropped hair, Pinkett Smith has spoken in the past about her battle with alopecia.

Moments after the joke, Smith walked to the stage and smacked Rock across the face; however, it was not sure if he connected well. It was unclear if the assault was a planned bit.

The uncensored footage of the show had Rock saying, “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” as Smith was on his way to his chair. “Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke.”

ALSO READ: Will Smith reveals his ‘terrifying’ moment

Will got back to his seat and shouted at Rock saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”.

Sean “Diddya Combs, who came on stage a few moments later, said, “I did not know that this year would be the most exciting Oscar ever. Will and Chris, we’re gonna solve that like family at the goal party right now we’re moving on with love.”