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      ‘Black Beauty’ Review: A Melodrama in Need of Rougher Edges

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      Written in 1877, Anna Sewell’s classic children’s novel “Black Beauty” warned against the abuse of horses. The pristine adaptation streaming on Disney+ is a melodrama in need of rougher edges. Directed by Ashley Avis (a former competitive equestrian), the movie is set in the present-day United States and features two female protagonists: the fiery mustang Black Beauty (voiced by Kate Winslet) and the recently orphaned Jo (Mackenzie Foy), now living with her uncle John (Iain Glen), training horses at Birtwick Stables.[embedded content]Angry at the world, Jo softens after meeting Beauty, a kindred spirit without a family, too. On the ranch’s sun-kissed pastures, the girl and horse heal each other, until a fire destroys the stables at Birtwick. Struggling financially, John leases Beauty as a show horse to a wealthy equestrian family, the Winthrops, for their spoiled tween daughter Georgina (Fern Deacon). Jo despises Georgina’s abusiveness toward Beauty — the brat kicks holes into the horse — yet Jo still falls for Georgina’s dreamy older brother, George (Calam Lynch). Ultimately, Birtwick sells Beauty out from under Jo. Beauty, now forced to work for new owners, endures hardships: She performs grueling rescues of lost hikers and later pulls carriages through Central Park.Though Winslet is the marquee name on the cast list, “Black Beauty” materializes not as the horse’s story, but Jo’s. Unfortunately, even that character’s grief is underwritten as she pines for a daydream teen romance and a reunion with her steadfast horse, rather than ever revisiting her parents’ death. Avis loses the novel’s sincerity by watering down Sewell’s animal welfare plea. In this update, the humans are not as villainous. Beauty is not as prominent. And the novel’s mustang spirit diminishes into a ho-hum horse movie.Black BeautyNot rated. Running time: 1 hour and 49 minutes. Watch on Disney+. More

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      Jack O'Connell Impressed 'Jungleland' Director With 'Unbelievable' Boxing Skills

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      WENN/Brian To/Apega

      The ‘Unbroken’ star is playing a bare-knuckle fighter in the new drama film, and director Max Winkler reveals that he executed his fights flawlessly and had no need of his stunt double.

      Nov 27, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Actor Jack O’Connell has the fighting skills to become a professional boxer, according to his “Jungleland” director Max Winkler.
      The “Unbroken” star pulled no punches in the new drama, in which he plays a bare-knuckle fighter who travels across America with his manager brother, portrayed by Charlie Hunnam, for one last bout.
      O’Connell was primed for the role, having grown up boxing, but Winkler, who also trained in the ring during his youth, was really impressed by how good he was – and as a result, the Brit’s stunt double didn’t have to do much work.
      “Jack O’Connell could be a professional boxer. He’s an unbelievable fighter and did all his own stunts,” Winkler tells WENN.

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      “There was just one punch thrown by someone else. He’s such a good fighter and moves his body in such a beautiful way… He’s a stunning fighter and a stunning actor…”
      “We didn’t have to spend any time teaching him how to fight,” the filmmaker continues. “We were trying to catch up to him if anything.”
      O’Connell and Winkler worked closely with the stunt co-ordinator, boxing coach, and other fight advisors on the set of “Jungleland” to ensure every move was fully rehearsed, and Jack nailed every shot.
      “When you’re doing a boxing movie with gloves you have the luxury of missing (a punch) and it’s OK because getting hit in the face with a glove feels different than when you’re doing a bare-knuckle boxing movie – you don’t have that luxury because if you miss, you can knock someone out or break your hand,” Winkler explains. “Jack is such a good fighter that he never missed.”
      “Jungleland”, which Winkler co-wrote with David Branson Smith and Theodore Bressman, is out now in select theatres and on video-on-demand services.

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      Vanessa Kirby Says Film Industry for Women Changed Overnight Due to MeToo Movement

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      WENN

      The ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ claims the #MeToo movement following Harvey Weinstein scandal has sparked global movement for gender equality in Hollywood.

      Nov 27, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Vanessa Kirby has lauded the #MeToo movement for changing the landscape of the movie industry for women worldwide.
      Following the sexual harassment claims made against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, countless more tales of harassment and discrimination in the industry were brought to light, sparking the global movement for gender equality in Hollywood.
      In addition, #MeToo also served to alter the kinds of roles women were being offered, with “The Crown” star Vanessa telling Esquire magazine the movement “changed things overnight.”

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      “(Before,) I think people just accepted that men are the heroes, they get the journeys, they’re the protagonists, and women are the supporting roles: the wife, the girlfriend,” she shared. “(But now there’s) an active desire for people in power to create (fully realised, three-dimensional) parts for women. And a realisation that female-led movies can make money.”
      “I’m really excited by that,” continued Vanessa. “There are so many stories about women that haven’t been told. And it’s not about putting a woman in a male role and her playing the equivalent of the masculine alpha. Which I also can’t identify with. I don’t feel like I recognise that person, this invincible woman. I want to see women who are humans. I want to see those really raw, big journeys that (female characters) used to have. I really feel that’s my mission, to play a part in bringing that back.”
      Elsewhere in the interview, Vanessa reflected on how she has dealt with the Covid-19 lockdown and admitted it gave her time to pause – which her hectic career hasn’t ever allowed her.
      “I slept loads, which I haven’t done properly for years. We developed a routine. That’s something I’ve never had in my life, that kind of structure,” she said. “It’s soothing, isn’t it? I think it’s what human beings actually need.”

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      British Actors Banned From Playing Prince William in Kristen Stewart's Princess Diana Movie

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      WENN

      Actors with British passports are not allowed to audition for the role of young Duke of Cambridge in the upcoming ‘Spencer’ movie fronted by the ‘Twilight’ star.

      Nov 27, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Brexit means British kids will be barred for auditioning for the role of Prince William in a new movie starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana.
      Casting director Amy Hubbard posted a call out for 11-year-old male actors to audition for a role in the new movie, “Spencer”, on Twitter – but her followers spotted a stipulation that applicants must have a “European (not British-European) passport.”
      The note explained that the stipulation was down to “new Brexit rules” in place when Britain finally severs its ties with the European Union on 1 January (20), three-and-a-half years after voting to leave in a referendum.

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      “Spencer”, a biopic on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, starring [Kristen Stewart and directed by “Jackie” ‘s Pablo Larrain, is due to shoot in Germany for three months early next year.
      Although the film is set at Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate over three days during Christmas in the early 1990s when Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles was coming to an end, it is to be filmed in Germany with EU-based financiers.
      Hubbard went on to explain that rules around the funding of the film meant some actors had to share common citizenship with its financial backers, meaning only kids with EU passports need apply.
      The movie will be directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain and stars Stewart in the key role of the tragic Princess, who died in a car crash in 1997.

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      In Need of a Film About Romantic Possibility? Try ‘In the Mood for Love’

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusClassic Holiday MoviesHoliday TVBest Netflix DocumentariesAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyGateway MoviesIn Need of a Film About Romantic Possibility? Try ‘In the Mood for Love’Wong Kar-wai’s influential drama, along with his “Chungking Express,” are part of a new retrospective of the Hong Kong director’s work.Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as potential soulmates in “In the Mood for Love.”Credit…The Criterion CollectionBy More

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      ‘Zappa’ Review: Portrait of a Rock Star and a Nation’s Hero

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      This documentary directed by Alex Winter opens with a portrait of the ostensibly outrageous musician Frank Zappa in a moment of nobility. It is footage shot in Prague in 1991, two years before Zappa’s death from cancer at the age of 52.Zappa, whose work was one of the cultural inspirations for the future Czech Republic’s Velvet Revolution, became a latter-day national hero there. So on this occasion, which would be the last time he played guitar in public, the perfectionist musician consented to perform with an unrehearsed pickup band, to celebrate the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region. Of the new country his audience will bring into being, Zappa says, “Keep it unique.”[embedded content]“Zappa” foregrounds the laudable and often astonishing aspects of the man’s work and personality. A self-taught musician with a near-maniacal work ethic, over the years he came to regard his efforts in rock ’n’ roll as a day gig, necessary to support his more ambitious composing efforts. Despite his personal aloofness, he continues to inspire the musicians who worked with him; in interviews, the guitarist Steve Vai and the pianist and percussionist Ruth Underwood get very emotional when contemplating his loss.The movie doesn’t ignore the sexism of Zappa’s lyrics, or his occasional smugness in dealing with the press (among others). But it places these features in contexts that give them a certain coherence, while not entirely excusing them. Zappa mavens might be disappointed that some of the man’s bands get short shrift in the linear narrative (the amazing combo that toured behind “The Grand Wazoo” receives no play, for instance). But they’ll be heartened by those details that do get included, and by the sincere tribute paid. And non-Zappa people may be illuminated and eventually moved.ZappaNot rated. Running time: 2 hours 9 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters. More

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      ‘Stardust’ Review: A Week With David Bowie, Unaccompanied by His Music

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      This motion picture, in which an unusually coiffed performer, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, sings some Jacques Brel songs, purports to be a story about David Bowie.It’s called “Stardust,” and the director, Gabriel Range, who wrote the movie with Christopher Bell, opted to press on, even after he was denied permission to use Bowie’s songs. They might not have helped much, however.The movie expands on an interesting anecdote from Bowie’s career: his first trip to the United States in the early ’70s, a radio and print publicity jaunt with a publicist, whose family briefly entertained Bowie as a houseguest.[embedded content]Here, the publicist, Ron Oberman, played by Marc Maron, is the only Yankee believer in Bowie’s otherworldly talent. He drops, clumsily, several aperçus which, in this movie’s world, prove key to Bowie’s future superstar personae. (Inspirational dialogue: “A rock star or somebody impersonating a rock star, what’s the difference?”)Bowie is portrayed by Johnny Flynn, a real-life musician who appears capable. But he resembles Bowie — in James Thurber’s phrase — about as much as the MGM lion resembles Calvin Coolidge.The most bearable scenes of this road-trip-plus-flashbacks resemble “The End of the Tour” refracted through an episode of the podcast “WTF With Marc Maron.” The portrayal of Bowie is trying to the viewer. His character is either a stumbling, fumbling, fawn-eyed space cadet or an articulate, erudite conversationalist, depending on Range’s whim.In a scene depicting a marital spat, his wife, Angie Bowie, (Jena Malone) yells, “We were supposed to be king and queen!” (anticipating “Heroes,” a song that was years away). You can’t make this stuff up.StardustNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Google Play, Vudu and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters. More

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      ‘Superintelligence’ Review: Melissa McCarthy Has to Save the World

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      In this new Melissa McCarthy comedy, directed by her husband and frequent collaborator Ben Falcone (who has a supporting role), she plays Carol, described by another character as “the most average person on earth.” This pronouncement catches the ear of a roving artificial intelligence — one that travels from smartphone to TV to rice cooker at will — which decides on Carol, a former Silicon Valley star turned do-gooder, as its test subject.Taking on the voice of Carol’s favorite celeb, James Corden (who stars as his own voice), the “superintelligence,” a.k.a. the A.I., gives Carol a big bank account, a self-driving car and a snazzy apartment. In return, she must teach it about humanity. If it doesn’t like what it learns, it will end the human race.[embedded content]“Jexi” meets “The Day the Earth Stood Still” it is, then. Carol’s task is to revive her failed romance with George, a good-natured academic played good-naturedly by Bobby Cannavale. The countdown to extinction hooks up with what film scholars call the “comedy of remarriage.” (That is, the happy relitigation of a stalled alliance.) And the movie saunters between these two modes with minimal rhyme or reason. The couple is placed, to visual advantage, in many attractive Seattle locations — the city has never looked more sparkly than it does here.This is a movie of bits, enacted by varied comic luminaries. McCarthy’s “who me?” winsomeness, running neck and neck with her quick-witted cheekiness, is familiar. A new dynamic is added by the inspired Brian Tyree Henry, who, as Carol’s best friend and digital guru, hilariously crushes on the movie’s American president (Jean Smart).“This is nice — they’re nice people,” Falcone’s character, an F.B.I. agent tailing Carol, says while observing Carol and George at play. That is about the best recommendation one can give “Superintelligence.”SuperintelligenceRated PG for impending apocalypse and language. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. Watch on HBO Max. More