Kicking off on May 15-17 with the LA Independents, with a heavyweight Spanish-language presence, the LA Screenings then host Hollywood studio presentations. To help cut through the slates, – especially at the LA Independents but including some big studio plays – here’s Variety’s pick of 20 top titles:
“The Americas,” (NBCU, BBC Studios)
Narrated by Tom Hanks, his first unscripted narrator gig, and billed as an epic natural history series from “Planet Earth” producer BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Scored by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and using groundbreaking technology to reveal the continent’s natural wonders. Previewed at MipTV, in a presentation which was one of the biggest events of the whole market.
“Amia,” (Dori Media Group)
Unfolding against the background of the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against Amia, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, the...
“The Americas,” (NBCU, BBC Studios)
Narrated by Tom Hanks, his first unscripted narrator gig, and billed as an epic natural history series from “Planet Earth” producer BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Scored by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and using groundbreaking technology to reveal the continent’s natural wonders. Previewed at MipTV, in a presentation which was one of the biggest events of the whole market.
“Amia,” (Dori Media Group)
Unfolding against the background of the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against Amia, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, the...
- 5/14/2024
- by John Hopewell and Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Rico Verhoeven’s Dutch-produced acting debut is a slapdash meeting of illogical storylines amid meaningless plot points
This hapless Dutch-produced thriller almost redeems itself with a decent final sequence staged in the neon-doused John Wick style, but it is too little, too late. Gigantic 6ft 5in kickboxer Rico Verhoeven blows his shot at action stardom with a showing of anti-charisma best described as if Lenny from Of Mice and Men had become a special forces operative. And the Amsterdam tourist board – for whom this at least lustrously shot film serves as a long commercial – must hold serious dirt on Frank Grillo for him to have signed up. Even by his snap-your-hand-off-for-a-paycheck standards, he has a binfire on his hands.
Verhoeven plays Matteo, former crack point man for a tactical unit of vague remit, who is licking his wounds after a hostage rescue at the German national opera goes south and his boss is killed.
This hapless Dutch-produced thriller almost redeems itself with a decent final sequence staged in the neon-doused John Wick style, but it is too little, too late. Gigantic 6ft 5in kickboxer Rico Verhoeven blows his shot at action stardom with a showing of anti-charisma best described as if Lenny from Of Mice and Men had become a special forces operative. And the Amsterdam tourist board – for whom this at least lustrously shot film serves as a long commercial – must hold serious dirt on Frank Grillo for him to have signed up. Even by his snap-your-hand-off-for-a-paycheck standards, he has a binfire on his hands.
Verhoeven plays Matteo, former crack point man for a tactical unit of vague remit, who is licking his wounds after a hostage rescue at the German national opera goes south and his boss is killed.
- 6/13/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Rico Verhoeven, Marie Dompnier, Peter Franzén, Frank Grillo, Roland Møller, Rona-Lee Shimon, Pippi Casey, Magnus Samuelsson, Simon Wan | Written by Tad Daggerhart | Directed by Todor Chapkanov
I was set to cover Black Lotus when it was released in the UK a month from now when, to my surprise, a friend announced it was our movie watch for the weekend. It seems it was released over here with pretty much zero publicity, which is never a good sign. But his enthusiasm “It’s got Frank Grillo and a seven-foot Mma fighter!” won me over. And since I was going to be watching it now, I figured I might as well write it up now as well.
Armed men have taken the German National Opera hostage and are demanding a three hundred million ransom. Three hundred million what is never mentioned but be it dollars, euros, or marks, they want three hundred million of them.
I was set to cover Black Lotus when it was released in the UK a month from now when, to my surprise, a friend announced it was our movie watch for the weekend. It seems it was released over here with pretty much zero publicity, which is never a good sign. But his enthusiasm “It’s got Frank Grillo and a seven-foot Mma fighter!” won me over. And since I was going to be watching it now, I figured I might as well write it up now as well.
Armed men have taken the German National Opera hostage and are demanding a three hundred million ransom. Three hundred million what is never mentioned but be it dollars, euros, or marks, they want three hundred million of them.
- 5/24/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
"There's always something to fight for." The Movie Partnership in the UK has revealed an official trailer for an action thriller film titled Black Lotus, made by a Bulgarian filmmaker named Todor Chapkanov. After opening in The Netherlands last month, it will be available to watch on VOD / digital directly in June this summer - it's skipping theaters. From the looks of it, this is yet another direct-to-video quality action bash with a derivative plot and nothing really new to offer anyway. Rico Verhoeven (who's also a famous Dutch kickboxer) stars as an ex-special forces operative who reecntly lost his good friend on a dangerous mission. He returns to Amsterdam, where he wages a one-man war through the streets of the Dutch city to rescue his friend's daughter from the local crime syndicate that takes her. The main cast includes Marie Dompnier, Peter Franzén, Pippi Casey, and action regular Frank Grillo.
- 5/11/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
After exploring the tumults of French politics in “Baron Noir,” Oscar-nominated French-Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri immerses audiences into the rough world of French Special Forces in Iraq in “Dark Hearts.”
Ordered by Amazon Prime Video in France, “Dark Hearts” is set on the eve of the battle for Mosul in October 2016 and follows the lives of men and women who are part of a commando group deployed in Iraq to fight Isis. They are tasked with exfiltrating the daughter and grandson of an important Isis leader who will only cooperate with them on this condition.
Doueiri, who started his career in Hollywood working as a first assistant camera on movies like Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs,” was always curious about war movies but thought of them as a genre pre-empted by American filmmakers. So when French producer Gilles de Verdière at Mandarin Télévision approached him with the pitch for “Dark Hearts,...
Ordered by Amazon Prime Video in France, “Dark Hearts” is set on the eve of the battle for Mosul in October 2016 and follows the lives of men and women who are part of a commando group deployed in Iraq to fight Isis. They are tasked with exfiltrating the daughter and grandson of an important Isis leader who will only cooperate with them on this condition.
Doueiri, who started his career in Hollywood working as a first assistant camera on movies like Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs,” was always curious about war movies but thought of them as a genre pre-empted by American filmmakers. So when French producer Gilles de Verdière at Mandarin Télévision approached him with the pitch for “Dark Hearts,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Frank Grillo (Kingdom) has joined the action-thriller Black Lotus, starring eleven-time world kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, which is in production in the Netherlands.
In the film from director Todor Chapkanov (Viking Quest), Verhoeven plays the role of special forces officer Matteo Donner. After his best friend died while on a joint mission, he roamed the world struggling with guilt. Back in Amsterdam he ends up in a one-man war in the streets and on the canals of the city. Between explosions, flying bullets and crashing cars, Donner has only one goal: to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his dead friend. Details as to the role that Grillo will be playing haven’t been disclosed. The film will also star Marie Dompnier (Black Box), Peter Franzén (Vikings), Rona-Lee Shim’on (Fauda), Magnus Samuelsson (The Last Kingdom), Simon Wan (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Kevin Janssens (Revenge) and Roland Møller (Atomic Blonde...
In the film from director Todor Chapkanov (Viking Quest), Verhoeven plays the role of special forces officer Matteo Donner. After his best friend died while on a joint mission, he roamed the world struggling with guilt. Back in Amsterdam he ends up in a one-man war in the streets and on the canals of the city. Between explosions, flying bullets and crashing cars, Donner has only one goal: to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his dead friend. Details as to the role that Grillo will be playing haven’t been disclosed. The film will also star Marie Dompnier (Black Box), Peter Franzén (Vikings), Rona-Lee Shim’on (Fauda), Magnus Samuelsson (The Last Kingdom), Simon Wan (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Kevin Janssens (Revenge) and Roland Møller (Atomic Blonde...
- 7/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
When a show starts with the discovery of fifteen frozen bodies on a bus, you know that things are going to get dark. Witnesses: The Complete Series 2 manages to take viewers into a dark place, but the frozen bodies aren’t the most disturbing thing about this French series.
When fifteen frozen bodies are found on a bus, Detective Sandra Winckler (Marie Dompnier) is given the job of finding out who the victims are. When Catherine Keemer (Audrey Fleurot) turns up on the streets suffering from memory loss, with the only memory being her missing baby boy it is soon revealed that the two events are connected.
The second season of Witnesses weaves a tale not only of murder and kidnap, but also historical abuse of children, and in many ways it could be easy to get lost in all the strands the story creates. Thankfully though this isn’t the case,...
When fifteen frozen bodies are found on a bus, Detective Sandra Winckler (Marie Dompnier) is given the job of finding out who the victims are. When Catherine Keemer (Audrey Fleurot) turns up on the streets suffering from memory loss, with the only memory being her missing baby boy it is soon revealed that the two events are connected.
The second season of Witnesses weaves a tale not only of murder and kidnap, but also historical abuse of children, and in many ways it could be easy to get lost in all the strands the story creates. Thankfully though this isn’t the case,...
- 1/26/2018
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
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