Innholdsfortegnelse for 1/12/2022 i Variety

I loved the opening line of Tim Gray’s endearing tribute to Sidney Poitier on Jan. 7, one day after the beloved actor died at age 94: “Every artist hopes to make the world a better place. Sidney Poitier actually did.” As many have written, Poitier not only had a tremendous impact on Hollywood and the culture at large; his immeasurable contributions to the civil rights movement and other humanitarian causes were equally poignant and inspirational. In late August of 2005, I witnessed one of his many acts of kindness up close, one that gave me a personal glimpse of someone I had grown up adoring and admiring for all his incredible work on the silver screen. I came across Poitier that summer just after Hurricane Katrina had ripped through New…

In “The Last Picture Show,” Peter Bogdanovich vividly captured life in a dusty Texas town circa 1951 with an honesty and sexual candor that still feels bracing today. Bogdanovich, who died last week at the age of 82, received two Oscar nominations for the 1971 film and went on to make commercial hits such as “Paper Moon,” but never again scaled the same cinematic heights as he did with his early feature, which won statuettes for Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman. Ellen Burstyn, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Lois Farrow, spoke to Variety about her experiences making the film and Bogdanovich’s legacy. “They sent me the script for ‘The Last Picture Show’ and told me to look at the part of the waitress — that was…

When Michael K. Williams died in September, he had already wrapped shooting most of Season 2 of his Vice TV docu-series “Black Market.” But some voiceover work and on-camera elements still remained for the final three episodes of the show, which explores the underworld of illegal trades and the complex forces that drive people into those shadow economies. “The entire team and everyone involved in the show was grieving,” says executive producer Matt Goldman. “It was obviously a very emotional time for all of us.” But that also made the “Black Market” team more determined to complete the season, which premiered on Jan. 10. “We wanted to bring in people that we knew Mike was close with,” Goldman says, “that would understand the feelings we were all sharing in the…

AWARDS CIRCUIT We lost Sidney Poitier, and his impact is immeasurable. He was a titan in the industry who broke barriers and Oscar records. He became the first Black man to be nominated for any acting Oscar for “The Defiant Ones” (1958). At 37, he was the first Black man to win a competitive Oscar, for “Lilies of the Field” (1963), which, along with Hattie McDaniel’s supporting actress win in 1940, paved the way for Black excellence to be considered attainable by Hollywood-accolade measures. At the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony, Poitier was given an honorary award the same night Denzel Washington won best actor (“Training Day”) and Halle Berry took home best actress (“Monster’s Ball”). Poitier is so often not acknowledged when people reflect on that night; they fail to…

Jesse Plemons (1) says Benedict Cumberbatch’s (2) Method acting as the gruff Phil Burbank while shooting “The Power of the Dog” definitely intensified their on-camera dynamic. “It creates a mood,” Plemons tells me from Austin, where he is filming “Love & Death,” HBO Max’s original limited series about Texas housewife Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen), who murdered a fellow churchgoer with an ax in 1980. “It kind of starts creeping in and in between in one way or another,” he says. In the Jane Campion-directed Netflix film, Cumberbatch plays a wealthy rancher in 1925 Montana who grieves for Bronco Henry, his late mentor and probable lover. His repressed feelings cause him to horrifically bully his brother (Plemons), his sister-in-law, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Plemons admits that Cumberbatch…

This year is all about transformations. Stellan Skarsgard in “Dune,” Jared Leto in “House of Gucci” and Jessica Chastain in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” all required hours in the makeup chair and daily application of prosthetics for their roles. At the other end of the scale, Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in “Respect,” Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in “House of Gucci,” Nicole Kidman in “Being the Ricardos” and Emma Stone in “Cruella” just needed little accents from a winged liner to a straight line or the perfect bold red lip, and even gold lipstick to make subtle statements about their characters. Here’s an insight into the transformation process. Being the Ricardos Hair and makeup: Teressa Hill, Ana Lozano Filmmaker Aaron Sorkin’s…

The cinematographers for such films as “West Side Story,” “The Power of the Dog” and “Macbeth,” worked hard in collaboration with the different visions of each film’s director. Filmmaker Joel Coen wanted “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” his adaptation of the Shakespearean staple about the ambitious Scottish king, to be rooted in theatricality but not to look like a filmed play. “West Side Story” had to convey the grittiness of the mean streets of New York as well as dance sequences full of life and color. “The Power of the Dog” had to convey the vastness of Montana and the oppression of a home on the range. Bruno Delbonnel worked with light and shadow for Macbeth’s tragic story and its deep psychological threads. All ornamentations were removed from the sets, there…

“It just turned into triage.” That’s how Anne Quart describes the past few weeks on Broadway. As senior VP of production and co-producer at Disney Theatrical, Quart saw first-hand the chaotic spate of disruptions, cancellations and closings prompted by the surging omicron variant, not just in New York but around the world, during the crucial holiday period. “You wake up in the morning, and you brace yourself as each company’s daily test results start to come in,” says Quart, who has day-to-day oversight of Disney’s global portfolio of 24 productions. “For about a week there, it felt like a tsunami.” So did the onslaught of unsettling news that came out of Broadway during what is usually the industry’s most profitable time of year. With omicron ripping through the Broadway community,…

Clinging to its annual awards ritual after a year of censure, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. made it incredibly awkward for superstar talent and major studios to publicly celebrate a 2022 Golden Globe win. Following the dramatically scaled-down Jan. 9 ceremony at The Beverly Hilton — closed to the media and boycotted by talent and executives over questionable business practices and a lack of diversity in the HFPA’s membership — almost all the winners and the trophy-hungry media giants behind them stayed mum. In a typical year this would be unheard of, especially given the tradition of campaign strategists using Globe wins to build momentum for the Oscar race. “Being the Ricardos” star Nicole Kidman’s surprise win over Kristen Stewart of “Spencer” would’ve been touted in congratulatory print ads and…

Clay Aiken wasn’t expecting to run for Congress again. Then North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson gave an anti-LGBT speech in which he said, “What is the purpose of homosexuality?” “I watched that with just dumb-struck awe that someone could be so ignorant,” the 43-year-old Aiken told Variety. “I said, ‘I got your purpose, bitch. I will show you.’” The “American Idol” Season 2 runner-up announced his bid to represent North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District on Jan. 10, to replace retiring Democratic Rep. David Price. In 2014, Aiken lost a run for the 2nd Congressional District in the state, in what was considered to be a safe Republican seat. The 6th district, by contrast, is much bluer, but with at least seven other Democratic candidates vying for the nomination, it…

Years before the film “Respect” was developed, Jennifer Hudson had been hand-picked to play Aretha Franklin — by Franklin herself. Having long had her eye on Hudson, the “Queen of Soul,” who generally preferred stand-up comics be the opening act at her concerts, broke her own rule and asked the Chicago native to open for her at an April 2003 show. “That was a dream,” says Hudson. A few years later, they met at Franklin’s New York home, and Franklin gave her an assignment: “She said, ‘It is you, Jennifer. I want you to play me,’” recalls Hudson. But when the time came to shoot the film, Hudson says, “You can’t help but to be overwhelmed.” Director Liesl Tommy says, “If you dare to take this story on, there are…

Carnivals, quaint towns, imagined futures and historic locations are a few of the many worlds built by production designers seeking to land recognition this awards season. While Patrice Vermette’s work on “Dune” is garnering attention for his imagining of Arrakis, Tamara Deverell seeks to break barriers in the male-dominated world with her work on “Nightmare Alley” — according to Vari ety’s own research, women make up only 27.14% of working production designers within the Art Directors Guild. (The guild does not look at media separately, so that is a total across film and TV.) “Respect’s” Ina Mayhew looks to gain attention for her craft in building the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Re-creating 1970s punk London for “Cruella” was tasked to Fiona Crombie, while Guy Hendrix Dyas built a…

Ghostbusters: Afterlife The VFX team at MPC Film was responsible for animating the Mini-Pufts scene for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” “It was one of those moments when you remember why you wanted to be an animator and work in VFX,” says MPC Film animation supervisor Christophe Paradis. In one memorable sequence, the mischievous Mini-Pufts marshmallows cause havoc in a Walmart, burning, blending and melting each another. “In our dailies sessions with director Jason Reitman and production supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, our team was encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table,” says VFX supervisor Pier Lefebvre. “I think the choreography was the perfect combination of gruesome, evil, infantile, savage, unhinged and funny, all while bringing personality to each marshmallow. Our inspiration for the scene included the 1984 movie ‘Gremlins,’ released the same…

Every generation has their own TV dad who becomes so familiar, he’s like a real member of the family. In earlier eras, it may have been Andy Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show” or Carl Winslow on “Family Matters.” For me, growing up in the 2000s, it was Danny Tanner on “Full House.” I wasn’t born when the sitcom first aired in 1987, but watching reruns on TBS became as essential a part of my after-school routine as homework and dance classes. I’ll admit I wasn’t a “Full House” loyalist because of Bob Saget, who died on Jan. 9 at 65 and played Danny Tanner, the wholesome clean freak and father of three girls — D.J. (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). I was unapologetically…

STRICTLY BUSINESS The launch plan was turned inside out, which, as it turned out, was meant to be. Former HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines made their long-awaited return to cable TV this month with the rebrand of Discovery’s DIY channel under the banner of the Gaines’ Magnolia home and lifestyle brand. A linear cable channel launch is a rare occurrence these days, but Chip and Jo, as the couple are known to 20 million-plus social followers, have sway with the upscale demographics that still shell out for big pay TV bundles. “Nobody knows the future. But we’re here to definitively announce that television is not dead yet,” Chip says. Discovery initiated a long courtship of the pair who rose to fame nearly a decade ago on HGTV’s home renovation…

Sweet Flower is joining entertainment heavyweights Sony, Apple and Amazon in Culver City. The cannabis retailer is set to open the doors of its flagship at 10000 Culver Blvd. on Jan. 21. Billed as the first dispensary in Culver City, the 3,150-square-foot emporium will offer 89 brands, of which 20% are BIPOC-owned — including Biko, SF Roots, Grizzly Peak, Sundae School, Agua De Flor and El Blunto. The Culver City spot joins Sweet Flowers operating in West Hollywood, Studio City, Westwood and downtown. Hollywood collaborations have featured Chelsea Handler, Beats by Dre and the Kristen Wiig comedy “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.” Sweet Flower was also the first retailer to carry Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s cannabis and lifestyle brand Houseplant. Sweet Flower CEO Tim Dodd tells…

MY DAD WAS A FORCE OF NATURE. Anyone who was in his presence would feel it immediately. Some would be awestruck, others giddy and almost all would get tongue-tied. And then something remarkable would happen. He would take their hand or touch their arm and fix them with a gaze so warm and so present it would bring them back to themselves, to the moment. I never understood the alchemy that allowed him to be both otherworldly and simultaneously so incredibly down-to-earth. He was magic. The rarest of humans that could make you feel like you were in the presence of both a king and your favorite friend. It’s this quality that drew the world to him, and I think, at least in part, it’s why we are collectively heartbroken…

The costume design race is a design dream, from the fantasy world of “Dune,” to 1970s London in “Cruella,” the iconic re-creation of legendary gowns in “Respect” and the power pants of Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos,” which help tell the story of a trailblazer. Designers such as Chanel collaborated for the psychological drama “Spencer,” while Gucci opened its archives to “House of Gucci.” Here’s a look at some of the contenders. Being the Ricardos Costume designer: Susan Lyall Lyall built a wardrobe for the performer Lucille Ball as well as the behind the scenes creative producer and wife Lucille Arnaz, played by Nicole Kidman. For the latter, at one point, Arnaz wears pantsuits. With the film set around a week of filming the iconic “I Love Lucy,” Lyall…

Amazon’s “Being the Ricardos,” written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, centers on Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) during a week preparing a 1952 episode of “I Love Lucy.” Sorkin praised his artisans, saying, “I consider these five people coauthors. They deserve a lot of credit.” Jeff Cronenweth Cinematography “Scenes in the ‘present day,’ when the week’s preparations take place, have a caramel-coated look to them. That’s in contrast with the ‘future,’ which shows interviews with the show’s writers when they’re older; both visual looks are in contrast with the flashbacks, plus the ‘I Love Lucy’ shards, which are taking place in Lucy’s head. Every day on the set, I was telling Jeff that I loved something that he and his fantastic trio of camera operators were…

FILM REVIEW Director: Simon Kinberg Starring: Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o It’s not usually a good idea to grade a movie on the curve of when it’s released. But in the case of “The 355,” one is tempted to make an exception and say: For a first-week-of-January thriller, it isn’t bad. Early January tends to be a dumping ground, because the prestige awards contenders are still opening wide; it’s when you’ll get a shark drama that’s too lousy to be a trashy summer movie. But “The 355” is a vigorous formula action spy flick with an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire plot that mostly holds your attention, periodically revs the senses, and gives its actors just enough to work with to put a basic feminine spin on the genre. I make…