Pete Hammond: Last News

For the first time since2020, just before Covid dealt a devastating blow to the industry, exhibitors and awards season, it feels like this year’s Oscar show may return to some sense of normalcy. And with box office hits mixed with acclaimed indies among the 10 Best Picture nominees, this could be the turning point in the recovery of the Academy Awards. At the nominees’ luncheon, in fact, Steven Spielberg was overheard telling Tom Cruise that he may have saved the movie business with Top Gun: Maverick, 2022’s No. 1 movie and a billion-dollar rescue for the industry. On Maverick’s tail came Avatar: The Way of Water, which became the third biggest global-grossing film of all time. And shock of shocks, both of those long-gestating sequels are Best Picture contenders with 10 nominations between them.

Where does it come from, that shiver of doubt about Everything Everywhere All At Once and its Best Picture prospects? (Almost) everyone says it’s the winner, far and away. The picture is unbeatable. The Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, and the Screen Actors Guild have crowned it already, and the Writers Guild is likely poised to do the same tonight. The Spirit Awards did it yesterday. The Critics Choice Awards had already gone thumbs up. As Deadline’s Pete Hammond points out, all six prognosticators on the Los Angeles Times “Buzzmeter” have Everything Everywhere in for the win.

Briana Middleton, one of the leads of Apple TV+’s upcoming movie Sharper, has been tapped by the streamer to headline its high-profile drama series Metropolis, inspired by Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 science fiction film. Middleton is the first actor cast in the project, from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and UCP where he is under an overall deal.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday hosted its annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon to celebrate this year’s crop of hopefuls.

Director Benjamin Caron says that he was “yearning to flex a different muscle” and go from the “historical period drama” that is The Crown to the thrills and spills of Andor and on to the delicious deceit at the heart of his accomplished first feature film Sharper, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton, giving a star-in-the-making performance.

 Michael J. Fox looked in good spirits as he was joined by his wife Tracy Pollan at the premiere of his documentary.The 61-year-old actor proudly posed next to his wife of nearly 35 years  at the event for STILL: A Michael J.

Jennifer Lopez's latest marital rom-com Shotgun Wedding has been branded 'capably mediocre' and an 'interminable slog'  by critics in first reviews.The film follows couple Darcy (Jennifer) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) as their 'extravagant destination wedding is hijacked by criminals'. Lenny Kravitz and comeback queen Jennifer Coolidge also star in the Jason Moore-directed flick.However, the Amazon Prime film was slammed by critics over the 'lack of chemistry' between its leads, its 'lazy rehashing of wedzilla tropes' and for 'wasting the talent' of its star-studded cast.Deadline critic Pete Hammond wrote:  'Its biggest problem is a complete lack of credibility or sense of reality that might make any of this over-the-top affair remotely plausible.  Oh dear: Jennifer Lopez's latest marital rom-com Shotgun Wedding has been branded 'capably mediocre' and an 'interminable slog' by critics in first reviews (pictured with Josh Duhamel in the film)'The incredulity of it all won’t matter much to non-discerning viewers, however, who put pace and fun above logic and recognizable human beings.'Variety critic Guy Lodge likened the 'capably mediocre' flick to an episode of The White Lotus 'directed by Sylvester Stallone' due to a plethora of explosive scenes centered around wealthy characters.

Editors note: Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films that will factor in this year’s movie awards races.

It seems this time of year every critic is going to weigh in with their 10 Best List for something or other. It is what we do at the end of the year, and 2022 is no different. And as I always do , I cheat. So, sue me. In what has turned out to be a very good year I think for movies, considering the sad state of box office success for the more ambitious and adult-aimed films out there, it has actually been heartening in this still pandemic-affected era to see the Hollywood studios so heavily in the game of producing quality crowd pleasers that also are good enough and deserving enough to make any of these lists, unless that is you are one of those grumpy critic-types who only go for the most obscure anti-entertainments out there. That ain’t me. I like to cheer on what I call movie movies, and I don’t penalize any of them for making some money along the way and bringing back audiences. If they are good, big or small , they are worth championing and so this annual ritual is just another cog-in-the-wheel of doing just that. Now for the “cheating” part.

Many critics have been praising the performances of Jennifer Lawrence and co-star Brian Tyree Henry in the new film Causeway.And on Friday the duo continued with the promotional push by attending a special Apple Original Films and A24 FYC screening of the psychological drama, which also included a Q-and-A session with fans and journalists, at the Ross House in Los Angeles.In the film, Lawrence plays Lynsey, a U.S. soldier, who experiences a traumatic brain injury during her tour in Afghanistan which forces her to return home.She struggles to return to her daily life with her mother as she awaits redeployment.  Promo mode: Jennifer Lawrence, 32, and Brian Tyree Henry, 40, attending a special screening of Causeway, which also included a Q-and-A session with fans and journalists, at the Ross House in Los Angeles on FridayThe actress, 32, and Henry, 40, posed for several photos ahead of the event.Lawrence, who only became a first-time mother when she gave birth to her son CY this past February, showed off her fit figure in a colorful form-fitting dress with a slit down the left side.

A new crop of prestige titles plant a flag at the arthouse in limited release this weekend from Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All to Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, to Elegance Bratton’s The Inspection. Greenwich Entertainment opens docLove, Charlie: The Rise And Fall Of Charlie Trotter IFC Films presents Bad Axe and Cohen Media Group is taking a swing at Fernando Trueba’s Memories Of My Father.

Deadline’s Pete Hammond hit all the big points from today’s live-and-video  membership meeting of  the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—Oscar show revamp, producers hired, revenue diversifying, inclusion program full steam ahead. President Janet Yang and Chief Executive Bill Kramer are promising much, and already beginning to make good on the promises, not least by holding the first of what are promised to be annual meetings open to the Academy’s 10,000-plus members.

Squid Game and Quinta Brunson will be looking to make history Monday at the 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The Netflix mega-hit could become the first non-English-language series to win Outstanding Drama, while the Abbott Elementary creator, executive producer and star could become only the second Black woman to win three Emmys — and the first to do it in the same year — if she converts all of her nominations.

In a hard-to-call category, Amanda Seyfried won her first Emmy, for a nuanced portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced biotech entrepreneur and one-time Silicon Valley rock star convicted of criminal fraud.

There is simply so much good content out there — in fact, way too much — that picking Primetime Emmy nominees that deserve to win is a tough job indeed. If they have gotten this far, with this level of competition, then they have to be good. I have seen much of what voters have to sift through to fill out their ballots, and it becomes a Solomon’s choice in many instances, this — and every — year.

On a break from his Madison Square Garden residency, and shortly after the Don’t Worry Darling Venice Film Festival world premiere, Harry Styles hit Toronto as his Amazon Studios Prime Video feature drama, My Policeman, made its world premiere and to a great standing ovation at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Florian Zeller’s family drama The Son had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday evening, eliciting a 10-minute standing ovation after the film’s screening.

Two past winners, both considered upsets in their respective victories, are back to square off against four veteran stars looking for their first win in this category. Three of the nominees are on their last chance for their popular series but, with no one from last year mucking things up, this race looks too close to call, a real free-for-all that just might result in a major twist.

The Television Academy has opened the envelope on its first batch of presenters for Monday’s 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Six of the eight nominees in this category have been previously nominated, but only two, Ted Lasso and Hacks, were among the nominees last year. The shows dominated the comedy categories with Lasso picking up seven Emmys including the top one, and Hacks emerging triumphant in the all-important writing, directing and Lead Actress contests. With six more contenders, will Lasso and Hacks be dominant on Emmy night once again, especially now that they are in their second seasons and no longer the new guys on the block? Both Barry and Curb Your Enthusiasm are, like Hacks, also from HBO/HBO Max, making that premium network/streamer the only outlet with multiple nominations. That could be a plus for the other networks as they don’t have to compete against themselves, but this kind of dominance still is a nice problem to have for HBO, which has a combined 35 nominations in the Comedy categories. An interesting fact is that this category has defied Emmy history lately by awarding a different show (Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso) the prize for the first time in all their cases in the last four years consecutively. Does that mean we are again ripe for something that has never won?

Olivia Wilde’s-highly anticipated Don’t Worry Darling had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this evening. Flanked by stars Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan — and Florence Pugh who flew in late from the Budapest set of Dune 2 — Wilde saw her film receive a spirited five-plus minute ovation.