Peter Debruge - celebsbar.com

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor On the eve of King Charles III’s coronation, Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge was awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his long devotion to supporting French cinema. The French government bestows the honor, which means Knight of the national Order of Arts and Letters, to creative and literary figures who have contributed to French culture over the years. Past recipients range from Dennis Lim to Wes Anderson. The event took place Friday at the Beverly Hills residence of French consul general Julie Duhaut-Bedos, who hosted the ceremony along with Rosalie Varda, daughter of director Agnès Varda. “We are gathered today to celebrate the remarkable career of Peter Debruge and his strong relationship with France,” said Duhaut-Bedos. “French cinema could not have asked for a better long-distance lover,” she continued.

Peter Debruge Charles Iii III (Iii) Agnes Varda Michael Haneke Rosalie Varda Pat Saperstein Deputy Alice Diop Julia Ducournau France city Dennis city Vienna film gatherings art awards career Celebrity Remark

Box Office: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Rockets to $48 Million Opening Day

J. Kim Murphy “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” formally kicked off the summer blockbuster season Friday. While Disney’s domestic numbers have yet to come in, analysts indicate the film drew about $48 million on its opening day, a figure that includes $17.5 million in Thursday previews. “Vol. 3” is on track to land within its expectations heading into the weekend, which had pegged the Disney release to take root with a $110 million to $120 million debut through Sunday. That would be enough to notch the second-highest opening of the year, behind only the $146 million that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” coined over a three-day frame. However, it’s still roughly a quarter down from the $146.5 million debut earned by “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” back in 2017.

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‘Love Again’ Review: Far-Fetched Romance Finds Celine Dion Ready for Her Close-Up … and Her Comeback

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic We’ve all heard Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” but if you really listen to the lyrics — “Love can touch us one time, And last for a lifetime … Near, far, wherever you are / I believe that the heart does go on” — the tragedy they describe applies to more than just comely Rose learning to live without her blue-eyed cabin boy. Eighteen years after “Titanic” made her a mega-star, Dion lost her husband and manager, René Angélil, and the singer has made no secret of her struggle to move on since. An old-school, straight-faced studio romance featuring five new songs from Ms. Dion, writer-director Jim Strouse’s “Love Again” is all about such healing — to the extent that if it were a book instead of a movie, it would be filed in the self-help section. Liberally adapted from the 2016 German film “Texts for You” (“SMS für Dich”), the more-creepy-than-cute plot focuses on a grieving New York children’s book illustrator who sparks up a new relationship with the complete stranger who’s inherited her dead boyfriend’s phone number. “Truly, Madly, Deeply” this isn’t.

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Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ Set to Begin Streaming on Prime Video

Angelique Jackson It’s time to lace up your kicks: Ben Affleck’s “Air” will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning May 12. “Air” debuted April 5 on more than 3,500 screens, which marked an unprecedented theatrical release for Amazon, as the studio affirmed its billion-dollar commitment to making movies for the big screen. The film is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and is the inaugural project from Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity. Directed by Affleck, from a script by Alex Convery, “Air” tells the true story of how Nike’s basketball division signed then-NBA rookie Michael Jordan into a historic partnership that revolutionized the world of endorsement deals with the creation of the Air Jordan brand.

Viola Davis Chris Messina Marlon Wayans Michael Jordan Jason Bateman Jerry Maguire Gustaf Skarsgard Peter Debruge Julius Tennon Chris Tucker Matthew Maher Phil Knight Alex Convery Sonny Vaccaro USA Jordan film stars audience gossips sports Dreams Matthews

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Review: Rocket’s Backstory Reveals Why These Are Marvel’s Top Heroes

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic For those who didn’t know the Marvel catalog inside out, when James Gunn first unleashed “Guardians of the Galaxy” back in 2014, it felt like the company was suddenly calling in the B-team. Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor. Those guys were household names who deserved stand-alone movies. But Star-Lord? Drax the Destroyer? Lethal green-skinned Gamora, grunting tree-thing Groot and a sarcastic raccoon named Rocket? They felt like parodies of the better-known Marvel characters — not so much superheroes as a ragged crew of sci-fi scoundrels roaming the cosmos in search of trouble. The surprising thing was, “Guardians” turned out to be the most entertaining Marvel movie yet. The characters had chemistry and didn’t take themselves seriously (occasionally, not seriously enough). This crew genuinely seemed to enjoy saving the galaxy. In a way, they were an improvement on the Avengers, and much more fun than any of the misfired Fantastic Four movies — not quite as irreverent as Taika Waititi’s “Thor” sequels or the off-canon “Daredevil” films that would follow, but an aspirational template for what comic book movies could be.

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‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Review: ‘The Green Knight’ Director David Lowery Delivers a Rote Disney Reboot

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic With “Peter Pan and Wendy,” Disney sets out to bring the boy who refused to grow up into the 21st century — not literally, like those taxing live-action/cartoon hybrids, where computer-generated Smurfs get loose in Manhattan or Tom and Jerry wreak havoc in a high-end hotel. The studio’s latest remake is still set in Edwardian England, the way both J.M. Barrie’s play and the animated feature it inspired were. But the sensibility is very much of the moment, as director David Lowery (who did an admirable job of updating “Pete’s Dragon” for Disney) refreshes the 1953 classic according to contemporary priorities. In conception and casting both, the new movie presents a diverse and empowered ensemble. The vintage toon’s shameful Native American stereotypes have been corrected. The beloved Tinker Bell character can now serve as a role model for a wider range of children. Sharing hero duties, Wendy gets to announce, “This magic belongs to no boy!” Even Captain Hook, once treated as irredeemable crocodile fodder, is revealed to be a misunderstood figure from Peter’s past who’s fallen out of touch with his happy thoughts.

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‘Kokomo City’ Documentary Star Koko Da Doll Found Dead at 35

Angelique Jackson “Kokomo City” star Koko Da Doll was found fatally shot on Tuesday in Atlanta. She was 35 years old. The Atlanta Police Department reported that Koko was found with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Koko, whose given name is Rasheeda Williams, was a prominent transgender woman featured in the award-winning documentary “Kokomo City,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film, which marks the feature directorial debut of Grammy-nominated producer, singer and songwriter D. Smith, presents a raw depiction of the lives of four Black trans sex workers living in Atlanta and New York City — Koko, Daniella Carter, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver — as they confront the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, as well as the persistent threat of violence they face each day.

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Why ‘Gatekeepers’ Matter to Future of Filmmaking and Reaching Diverse Audiences

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic From the importance of diversity in storytelling to the impact of Netflix and other streamers on the distribution marketplace, a panel of top content industry creatives and executives weighed pressing issues for the future of filmmaking. The panel, held March 31 as part of the World Film Industry Conference and hosted by the nonprofit org NewFilmmakers LA, featured a master filmmakers’ dialogue moderated by Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge. The panelists were drawn from different disciplines: Oscar-winning documentary director Morgan Neville, filmmaker/showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna, producer Paul Perez (Perez Pictures), Walt Disney Animation Studios vfx supervisor Marlon West and previsualization expert Chris Edwards (The Third Floor).

Reese Witherspoon Ashton Kutcher Gloria Estefan Morgan Neville Warner Bros Peter Debruge Aline Brosh Mackenna Andy Garcia Chris Edwards Paul Perez Marlon West Netflix film stars audience experts Love Latin

In Search of ‘Bare Realism,’ The Dardenne Brothers Keep Turning Their Camera on Society’s Overlooked Members

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic If I were to count on one hand the most preeminent humanist filmmakers of our time, the first two fingers would have to be dedicated to Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Bringing empathy and insight to stories of immigrants, outcasts and the working poor, the Belgian siblings have dedicated their career to observing characters Western society prefers to overlook. In that time, the brothers have screened every one of their 12 features at Cannes, collecting two Palme d’Or trophies — in 1999 for “Rosetta” and 2002 for “L’Enfant.” The Dardennes keep the prizes in the office they share at their Liège-based production company, Les Films du Fleuve. “They are in an armoire so the sight of them doesn’t weigh too heavily on our shoulders when we start working on a new film,” they tell Variety.

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‘Mafia Mamma’ Review: Toni Collette Inherits a Crime Family in Fun Female-Empowerment Farce

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In her own home, Italian American working mom Kristin Balbano Jordan (Toni Collette) is hardly the boss. When her deadbeat hubby isn’t cheating on her, he calls the shots, and her independent-minded son can’t wait to leave for college. At work, her male colleagues undermine her every idea. What Kristin doesn’t realize is that it’s not her destiny to be a doormat. Far from it. Come to find, she’s next in line to run Italy’s well-connected Balbano clan, and though Kristin couldn’t have imagined she was heir to an organized crime family, taking charge amounts to an offer she can’t refuse. A fun fish-out-of-water farce with “Godfather” DNA and a clever female-empowerment kick, “Mafia Mamma” makes inspired use of Collette, who’s never better than when playing women we oughtn’t to have underestimated. Here, using stiletto heels to brutally stab a rival clan’s top assassin, first in the crotch and then in the face, demonstrates that Kristin’s better suited to the job than her enemies could have imagined. While such a graphic scene may come as a shock in a movie that’s more “Under the Tuscan Sun” than “Scarface” (“He had bits of his scrotum stuffed in his eye socket,” reports Monica Bellucci as Bianca, Kristin’s seen-it-all consiglieri), it more than proves that Donna Balbano deserves some respect.

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‘Still’ Trailer: Michael J. Fox Reveals How His Parkinson’s Diagnosis Made Him a ‘Tough Son of a Bitch’ in New Documentary

Charna Flam Apple has released the official trailer for its highly anticipated documentary, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” which is set to premiere on May 12. “Still” follows Fox, the legendary “Back to the Future” and “Teen Wolf” actor, as he recounts his life story, from his childhood in Canada to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Director Davis Guggenheim elevates Fox’s story with the inclusion of documentary, archival and scripted elements, which come together to take viewers inside Fox’s world. In interviews with Guggenheim, Fox recounts the difficult years that followed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that causes uncontrollable movements, at just 29 years old. Now 61 and having come to terms with the illness, Fox recounts in the trailer how living with Parkinson’s has made him a “tough son of a bitch.”

Michael J.Fox Laurene Powell Davis Guggenheim Jonathan King Peter Debruge Nicole Stott Jonathan Silberberg Michael Harte Canada film stars actor Inside Fox

‘Chupa’ Review: Jonás Cuarón Applies the Amblin Formula to a Fluffy Mexican Creature Feature

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic According to legend, the chupacabra is a fearsome, blood-sucking beast — a lean and intimidating animal you wouldn’t want to come across feasting on your livestock at night. Not so the cub three kids nickname “Chupa” (Spanish for “sucker,” short for its species) in Mexican director Jonás Cuarón’s family-friendly Netflix movie. This one looks like a fuzzy-wuzzy baby lynx, with inquisitive amber eyes and a pair of awkward azure wings it still hasn’t learned how to use. A single glimpse of this oversized kitten and you’ll want one for your own, if not the plush version to snuggle up with at night. That’s a pretty radical reimagining of a mythical monster usually discussed in horror terms, but an inspired way to bring a sense of Amblin-esque wonder south of the border, attempting to do for a legendary Latin American creature what films like “E.T.” did for extra-terrestrials — which is to say, turn something typically perceived as a threat into everyone’s new fantasy best friend. Cuarón doesn’t exactly hide his influences here, paying overt homage to Steven Spielberg throughout. He even goes so far as to tack a “Jurassic Park” poster on the wall of 13-year-old Alex’s (Evan Whitten) all-American bedroom.

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‘Chevalier’ Review: Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s Fiery Take on a Forgotten French Maestro Ought to Set the Record Straight

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Though his life and accomplishments were largely erased under Napoleon, the extraordinary figure at the center of Stephen Williams’ “Chevalier” really did exist. Born on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the son of a white plantation owner and his Black slave, Joseph Bologne went on to excel in spheres rarely accessible to people of color in 18th-century French society. Here was a champion swordsman and celebrated musician invited to play his violin at Versailles, where Marie Antoinette reportedly accompanied him on the harpsichord. So why has it taken so long for his story to be told? The time certainly seems right to rediscover the Chevalier — an honorary title that reveals how high Bologne rose under France’s overtly racist Code Noir, as well as a fitting name for the film. A compelling example of Black excellence dating back even before the French Revolution, the English-language “Chevalier” doesn’t feel nearly as fusty as its powdered wigs and period setting might suggest. Like “Chocolat” (not the Johnny Depp confection, but the 2016 Omar Sy vehicle about the circus clown who broke barriers on the Paris stage), this modern-minded if occasionally under-nuanced costume drama fills a historic gap, starting with its fanciful opening scene: a violin showdown between Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Joseph Prowen) choreographed like a rap battle.

Johnny Depp Kelvin Harrison-Junior Omar Sy Peter Debruge Marie Antoinette Stephen Williams Joseph Bologne France Austria Guadeloupe film audience musician composer opera Music

‘Triangle of Sadness’ Is Headed to Criterion Collection in April

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After a successful awards season, “Triangle of Sadness” is one of several films being added to The Criterion Collection this month.

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‘Transparent’ Star Trace Lysette And Patricia Clarkson Play an Estranged Daughter and Mother Who Connect in ‘Monica’ – Watch U.S. Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Los Angeles-based Italian director Andrea Pallaoro’s delicate drama “Monica” is finally set to open in U.S. theaters via IFC following its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival. The film starring transgender actor Trace Lysette (“Transparent”) as a woman who returns home to the Midwest to care for her dying mother, played by Patricia Clarkson, marked the first time an openly-transgender actress headlined a Venice competition title. In “Monica” Lysette plays a woman who from Los Angeles goes back to her suburban midwest home for the first time since she was a teenager to care for her mom who had rejected her when she transitioned.

Peter Debruge Patricia Clarkson Nick Vivarelli International Trace Lysette Andrea Pallaoro Los Angeles Los Angeles Italy film stars actress actor exclusive Platform

‘Air’ Review: Ben Affleck Turns Nike’s Quest to Sign Michael Jordan Into This Generation’s ‘Jerry Maguire’

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on basketball sneakers every year. Sure, everybody needs shoes, but it shouldn’t matter if your choice bears the Nike swoosh, Adidas’ three stripes or the Converse star. In most cases, consumers aren’t simply buying footwear; they’re investing in the fantasy of walking in someone else’s shoes — a sports star or personal idol — of believing that switching one’s kicks has a direct impact on your potential for greatness. As the Nike marketing gurus in Ben Affleck’s “Air” put it, “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into.” If you’ve been alive on earth in the last 40 years, then you already know what happened when a rookie named Michael Jordan let Nike put his name and likeness on their shoes. But “Air” isn’t about convincing the greatest basketball player in the history of the game to sign with Nike, although a “Jerry Maguire”-desperate Matt Damon — as paunchy, flop-sweating Sonny Vaccaro — might trick you into thinking this is just the (admittedly very entertaining) anatomy of a landmark business deal.

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‘Joy Ride’ Review: Adele Lim’s Asian ‘Girls Trip’ Gives Four Women of Color a Chance to Cut Loose

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In 1993, “The Joy Luck Club” made Hollywood history, proving to a skeptical — and let’s face it, racist — industry that there was mainstream demand for a culturally sensitive Chinese American ensemble drama. Three decades later, along comes “Joy Ride,” throwing sensitivity to the wind en route to obliterating any remaining barriers. Like “Girls Trip” with an all-Asian-American cast, the Seth Rogen-produced, hard-R road movie follows small-town besties Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) to Beijing, where they tackle everything from taboo tattoos to a devil’s threesome with all the gusto you’d hope or expect from “Crazy Rich Asians” co-writer Adele Lim’s directorial debut.

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‘Knock at the Cabin’ Sets Peacock Release Date

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Peacock continues to expand its growing library of films with “Knock at the Cabin,” which will stream exclusively on the NBC platform starting March 24. The M. Night Shyamalan thriller, starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge and Rupert Grint, follows three family members who are camping in the woods and are suddenly interrupted by four strangers with visions of an impending apocalypse. The only way to prevent the end of the world, they claim, is to have the family willingly kill one of their own. The movie collected $14.2 million in its opening weekend in February, enough to top box office charts and dethrone “Avatar: The Way of Water.” It also landed a promising “A-” CinemaScore from ticket buyers.

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‘Tetris’ Review: Taron Egerton Brings Home the Original Blockbuster in Video Game History Lesson

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic At last, a video game movie that’s more than just a video game movie. In theory, “Tetris” — that primitive and highly addictive block-stacking strategy game — doesn’t lend itself to the big-screen treatment any more than Rubik’s Cube or Tic-Tac-Toe might. But Noah Pink has found an ingenious solution to a classic puzzle. The screenwriter realized that there’s more to Tetris than most people knew. Namely, there’s a terrific backstory about how this Soviet-hatched computer software made its way over the Iron Curtain, and telling it could play like a Cold War thriller as three teams of Western rivals race one another to Russia to secure the rights.

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‘BlackBerry’ Trailer: Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton Play Mobile Phone Moguls Who Build an Empire That Breaks Them Down

Charna Flam The so-called “crackberry” is back. IFC Films has released the first official trailer for the upcoming comedy-drama film, “BlackBerry,” which provides a peek into exactly how the handheld device revolutionized the cell phone industry. Director Matt Johnson, along with co-screenwriter Matthew Miller, adapted Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry” for the big screen. Johnsonplays BlackBerry co-founder Douglas Fregin in the film, alongside Glenn Howerton as chair and co-CEO Jim Balsillie, Jay Baruchel as co-founder Mike Lazaridis and Cary Elwes as Palm CEO Carl Yankowski. The cast also includes Saul Rubinek, Michael Ironside, Rich Sommer, Michelle Giroux, Mark Critch and SungWon Cho.

Matt Johnson Cary Elwes Maxime Cottray Peter Debruge Saul Rubinek Glenn Howerton Jay Baruchel Nate Bolotin Aram Tertzakian Rich Sommer Nick Spicer Mark Critch Michael Ironside Noah Segal Mike Lazaridis Jim Balsillie Sean Silcoff Fraser Ash Kevin Krikst county Love county Jay Berlin city Adrian film Mobile CEO Discover Provident Matthews BlackBerry

‘Raging Grace,’ ‘Angel Applicant’ Top SXSW Film Festival Awards

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Two days after ”Everything Everywhere All at Once“ won seven Oscars, including best picture, the SXSW Film Festival, where Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s movie launched last year, has announced its own awards. To be clear, “EEAAO” was a studio-backed opening night premiere (not one of the smaller movies launched in competition at the indie-focused fest), but you can still feel the excitement in Austin around the landmark Oscar win. After all, SXSW was the first festival to take Daniels seriously, awarding them top prize for their Battles music video (“My Machines”) in 2012. Will any of the movies or directors screening here this year go on to change film history?

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