During the pandemic, most of us apparently watched Chris Hemsworth's actioner "Extraction" more than anything else, with the 2020 film becoming the most popular Netflix original movie at the time. But I remember being much more excited for "The Little Things."
This neo-noir crime thriller from writer-director John Lee Hancock seemed to have it all — especially if you happened to be a '90s kid with fond memories of "Seven." The trailer for "The Little Things" promised Denzel Washington in full jaded cop mode as Kern County Sheriff's Office deputy Joe Deacon, tracking down a serial killer in early-'90s Los Angeles with the help of a much younger, idealistic L.A. cop in the form of Rami Malek's James Baxter. It might have sounded a tad formulaic, but I'll take any noir-tinged thriller promising to give us a peek under California's carapace and reveal the seedy underworld therein.
This neo-noir crime thriller from writer-director John Lee Hancock seemed to have it all — especially if you happened to be a '90s kid with fond memories of "Seven." The trailer for "The Little Things" promised Denzel Washington in full jaded cop mode as Kern County Sheriff's Office deputy Joe Deacon, tracking down a serial killer in early-'90s Los Angeles with the help of a much younger, idealistic L.A. cop in the form of Rami Malek's James Baxter. It might have sounded a tad formulaic, but I'll take any noir-tinged thriller promising to give us a peek under California's carapace and reveal the seedy underworld therein.
- 4/5/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Years before Angelina Jolie’s global superstardom, her aesthetic proved most similar to the “more European look” of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.”
The 1991 Disney film was released the same year Jolie appeared in Lenny Kravitz’s “Stand by My Woman” music video and four years before Jolie’s big screen debut in 1995 film “Hackers.” Yet Jolie’s looks were the easiest point of comparison when describing the original concept art for Belle in “Beauty in the Beast,” according to voice actress Paige O’Hara.
“She kind of looked like Angelina Jolie — very beautiful,” O’Hara said in the book “Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara,” as excerpted by Insider. “I didn’t see how anybody would identify with that person. You’d look at her and put her on a pedestal. [Animators] changed the look of her. She was a little too perfect.”
Disney animator James Baxter explained that they tried...
The 1991 Disney film was released the same year Jolie appeared in Lenny Kravitz’s “Stand by My Woman” music video and four years before Jolie’s big screen debut in 1995 film “Hackers.” Yet Jolie’s looks were the easiest point of comparison when describing the original concept art for Belle in “Beauty in the Beast,” according to voice actress Paige O’Hara.
“She kind of looked like Angelina Jolie — very beautiful,” O’Hara said in the book “Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara,” as excerpted by Insider. “I didn’t see how anybody would identify with that person. You’d look at her and put her on a pedestal. [Animators] changed the look of her. She was a little too perfect.”
Disney animator James Baxter explained that they tried...
- 9/21/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Netflix offered up work in progress footage from its first original animated feature, “Klaus,” at the Annecy Animation Festival on Wednesday. The wacky Santa origin story, from director Sergio Pablos (creator of “Despicable Me”), boasts innovative 2D. The streamer’s first animated Oscar contender will qualify theatrically this holiday season.
In “Klaus,” a young, lazy Scandinavian postman named Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) gets exiled by his father to a contentious village in the cold north to launch the postal service, where he meets a mysterious, white-bearded toymaker named Klaus (J.K. Simmons). The retro look has a definite Disney vibe, full of classic squash-and-stretch and illustrative design. But it’s enhanced by stunning lighting and texturing, courtesy of new tracking software from Pablo’s studio in Madrid, which takes 2D into the 21st century with some digital flourishes.
“We knew we had a story that would be better served by traditional animation,...
In “Klaus,” a young, lazy Scandinavian postman named Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) gets exiled by his father to a contentious village in the cold north to launch the postal service, where he meets a mysterious, white-bearded toymaker named Klaus (J.K. Simmons). The retro look has a definite Disney vibe, full of classic squash-and-stretch and illustrative design. But it’s enhanced by stunning lighting and texturing, courtesy of new tracking software from Pablo’s studio in Madrid, which takes 2D into the 21st century with some digital flourishes.
“We knew we had a story that would be better served by traditional animation,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With the announcement that it’s planning an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run later this year for its first original animated feature, “Klaus,” Netflix fired a shot across the bows of rival studios. Just as Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” which netted the streamer a trio of Academy Awards, raised the ante for streaming services in the live-action realm, the company’s feature animation ambitions have executives from DreamWorks Animation to the Mouse House taking note.
Netflix is developing an ambitious slate of animated features and series, while also beefing up its in-house animation studio. Amazon and Hulu, meanwhile, have both ramped up their acquisition and production of animated content, while other soon-to-launch Ott services — including Disney+ — are expected to fuel the toon boom.
The competition among content-hungry streamers has sparked a gold rush for producers and independent studios. What remains to be seen is how the rash of digital disrupters will transform...
Netflix is developing an ambitious slate of animated features and series, while also beefing up its in-house animation studio. Amazon and Hulu, meanwhile, have both ramped up their acquisition and production of animated content, while other soon-to-launch Ott services — including Disney+ — are expected to fuel the toon boom.
The competition among content-hungry streamers has sparked a gold rush for producers and independent studios. What remains to be seen is how the rash of digital disrupters will transform...
- 5/15/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Among new members are Maren Ade, Hugh Grant and Hayley Squires.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has revealed its 2018 intake of new members drawn from the film, TV and games industry.
Among the 386 new members are actors Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe and Hayley Squires, directors Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann), Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) and Michael Pearce (Beast), film execs Shana Eddy-Grouf (Studiocanal) and Katie Goodson-Thomas (Fox Searchlight), and La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger.
Former UK and Ireland Screen Stars of Tomorrow in the new intake include producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and actor Jessie Barden.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has revealed its 2018 intake of new members drawn from the film, TV and games industry.
Among the 386 new members are actors Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe and Hayley Squires, directors Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann), Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) and Michael Pearce (Beast), film execs Shana Eddy-Grouf (Studiocanal) and Katie Goodson-Thomas (Fox Searchlight), and La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger.
Former UK and Ireland Screen Stars of Tomorrow in the new intake include producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and actor Jessie Barden.
- 12/12/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Hugh Grant, Jodie Whittaker and Letitia Wright are among 386 new BAFTA members. The 2018 intake span the film, games and TV industries across eleven countries. Scroll down for the full list of new members.
Among new members are BAFTA-winner Grant, Doctor Who star Whittaker, BAFTA-nominee Willem Dafoe, Black Panther star Letitia Wright, La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger, Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan, Toni Erdmann director Maren Ade, and UK broadcasters Sandi Toksvig and Simon Mayo.
BAFTA comprises around 8,000 members worldwide. The UK org tweaked its membership requirements in 2016 in a bid to improve diversity of intake.
Amanda Berry, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said, “We’re delighted to welcome our new members to BAFTA. Our members represent the breadth of the ever-evolving film, games and television industries. They sit at the heart of everything BAFTA does, from mentoring emerging talent, voting in the Awards, sharing...
Among new members are BAFTA-winner Grant, Doctor Who star Whittaker, BAFTA-nominee Willem Dafoe, Black Panther star Letitia Wright, La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger, Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan, Toni Erdmann director Maren Ade, and UK broadcasters Sandi Toksvig and Simon Mayo.
BAFTA comprises around 8,000 members worldwide. The UK org tweaked its membership requirements in 2016 in a bid to improve diversity of intake.
Amanda Berry, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said, “We’re delighted to welcome our new members to BAFTA. Our members represent the breadth of the ever-evolving film, games and television industries. They sit at the heart of everything BAFTA does, from mentoring emerging talent, voting in the Awards, sharing...
- 12/12/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners of the 45th annual Annie Awards were revealed on Feb. 3, 2018 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Pixar‘s Oscar frontrunner “Coco” won all 11 of its races. Its main Academy Awards rival, “The Breadwinner,” won just one of its 10 bids. The Annies, which hand out awards in 36 categories, are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Assn. Scroll down for the complete list of winners.
In addition to these three dozen competitive awards, honorary ones named for Windsor McKay were presented to honor the career achievement and exceptional contributions to the industry of British character animator James Baxter, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenburg and the Canadian animation duo Wendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to TVPaint for its versatile software for 2D animation, the Special Achievement Award went to Cuphead, the 1930s inspired wonder-game from StudioMDHR and the June Foray...
In addition to these three dozen competitive awards, honorary ones named for Windsor McKay were presented to honor the career achievement and exceptional contributions to the industry of British character animator James Baxter, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenburg and the Canadian animation duo Wendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to TVPaint for its versatile software for 2D animation, the Special Achievement Award went to Cuphead, the 1930s inspired wonder-game from StudioMDHR and the June Foray...
- 2/4/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“Coco,” Pixar’s Oscar-frontrunning love letter to Mexico and Día de los Muertos, took animated feature honors Saturday at Asifa-Hollywood’s 45th Annie Awards (at UCLA’s Royce Hall). GKids additionally earned the independent award for “The Breadwinner,” the powerful Afghan drama, directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon, and executive produced by Angelina Jolie.
“Coco,” in fact, swept the Annies with a record 11 wins (including directing for Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, writing for Molina and Matthew Aldrich, character animation, character design, production design, effects, storyboarding, voice acting for Anthony Ganzalez as Miguel, music, and editorial).
Meanwhile, the controversial “Dear Basketball” (powered by Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Disney legend Glen Keane) won the short contest, while Oscar-nominated “Revolting Rhymes” (adapted from Roald Dahl poems) took special production honors for Magic Light Pictures. It remains to be seen, though, if the Academy will reward the Oscar-nominated “Dear Basketball,...
“Coco,” in fact, swept the Annies with a record 11 wins (including directing for Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, writing for Molina and Matthew Aldrich, character animation, character design, production design, effects, storyboarding, voice acting for Anthony Ganzalez as Miguel, music, and editorial).
Meanwhile, the controversial “Dear Basketball” (powered by Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Disney legend Glen Keane) won the short contest, while Oscar-nominated “Revolting Rhymes” (adapted from Roald Dahl poems) took special production honors for Magic Light Pictures. It remains to be seen, though, if the Academy will reward the Oscar-nominated “Dear Basketball,...
- 2/4/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Even if you don't recognize British animator James Baxter by name, you have certainly seen his work. He was the character animator for Belle in the 1991 best picture nominee Beauty and the Beast, for the wise mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and, more recently, for Hiccup's mother, Valka, in How to Train Your Dragon 2.
His characters have not only become screen classics, but also have found flesh-and-blood life, appearing in Disneyland parades and on the Broadway stage in the musicals that have been spun off from the hit films — something that he admits to finding a...
His characters have not only become screen classics, but also have found flesh-and-blood life, appearing in Disneyland parades and on the Broadway stage in the musicals that have been spun off from the hit films — something that he admits to finding a...
- 2/2/2018
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Arkwright’s is still open for funny business. The Still Open All Hours TV show comedy has been renewed for a third series (season) on BBC One. The British broadcaster has also commissioned a Still Open All Hours Christmas special.The Still Open All Hours TV series cast includes: Sir David Jason, Tim Healy, James Baxter, Stephanie Cole, and Sally Lindsay. Series regulars also include Maggie Ollerenshaw, Johnny Vegas, Kulvinder Ghir, Brigit Forsyth, Nina Wadia, and Geoffrey Whitehead. Lynda Baron is unable to return due to a scheduling conflict. Get the details from this BBC press release.Read More…...
- 9/13/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Three Emmerdale characters are to bow out of the show later this year. Tony Haygarth and Lewis Linford - who play farmhand Mick Naylor and his gamekeeper grandson Lee Naylor respectively - are to finish filming within the next couple of months as their characters have 'had their day'. James Baxter's character Jake Doland is also being written out of the rural drama and all three will remain on screen until early summer. Speaking to Soaplife, the show's series producer Gavin Blyth said: "Every character has their time in the show, some longer than others." When originally cast, producers reportedly intended for the Naylors to become the show's new "farming dynasty", following in the footsteps of the Sugdens in a bid to "take the show back to its farming roots". Blyth also hinted that death will (more)...
- 5/6/2009
- by By Kris Green
- Digital Spy
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