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Watching “Babygirl” at the Venice Film Festival, I thought, “Isabelle Huppert is going to like this.” Here is a provocative movie, directed by Halina Reijn, starring Nicole Kidman as a corporate CEO engaging in kink and sexually submitting herself to a younger intern (Harris Dickinson). Kidman’s Romy cuts a powerful silhouette in the office by day, but by night, she’s on all fours being dominated in increasingly adventurous sexual encounters.

With Huppert as jury president, it was no surprise when Kidman won Best Actress, as Huppert famously stars in the darkly perverse “The Piano Teacher,” a movie Reijn’s script is surely in deep conversation with. In the 2001 Michael Haneke film, Huppert played a stoic music instructor who becomes sexually overpowered by a younger pupil. I went into “Babygirl” expecting the American version of “The Piano Teacher,” though Reijn’s film is more buoyantly sex-positive than sinisterly Freudian.

The worst thing your partner could possibly say to you after sex, after you’ve said “I love you,” is the dreaded “love you.” No “I.” And that’s not the most demoralizing response Romy (Nicole Kidman) has for an amorous confession by her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) in “Babygirl,” writer/director Halina Reijn’s provocative erotic dramedy that begins and ends with an orgasm. One of them is faked, but in between, this perversely funny and absorbing new film explores the pleasure gap between men and women, and how our inability to talk about sex limits our ability to just do it.

And there’s lots of sex here, with Kidman going raw inside and out for one of her top performances in a career built on risk-taking. That’s all the way back to her psychosexual breakout in “Dead Calm” and as recently as “Big Little Lies,” where...

Nicole Kidman goes to the far side of psychosexual debasement in Halina Reijn’s Venice premiere “Babygirl.” Kidman plays Romy, the high-powered executive atop a New York shipping company whose carefully controlled life and secret desires are ripped open by a newly arrived intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), whom she first meets when he saves her from a near-dog attack.

In one of Kidman’s most exposing roles, the Oscar winner starts a what-else-but-lurid affair built around domination and private humiliation with the younger Samuel. Dickinson’s character exploits Romy’s position of power to manipulate her into being the sub in their relationship — as thrilled as she is to go along with it, especially given unsatisfying (but very regular) sex with a husband played by Antonio Banderas. Guttural onscreen orgasms, bare skin, on-all-fours sex, finger-fucking, and kink abound in a movie destined to stir conversation all year.

“We are living...

Filmmaker Halina Reijn’s sex-positive erotic thriller Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman in a characteristically bold performance, may have just changed the, errr…mood…at the Venice Film Festival.

Babygirl‘s first press screenings in Italy received rapturous applause Friday morning, and the movie’s many sexual moments and thematically subtle message could be overheard sparking animated discussions among festivalgoers up and down the Lido. The awards chatter around Kidman’s performance has officially begun, and the commercial winning streak for A24, which produced the film and is releasing it in the U.S. on Dec. 25, appears fully secure.

Babygirl stars Kidman as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Iron Claw). Without revealing spoilers, the playful and propulsive film’s real themes are power dynamics, female gratification...

Halina Reijn wants to bridge Hollywood’s “orgasm gap.”

“It’s huge! Huge!” the Dutch actress-turned-director exclaims, gesticulating wildly over our Zoom call to discuss her new film, Babygirl. “In Hollywood movies, we still see women having orgasms that are physically just not possible, at least for 99 percent of women!”

The orgasms in Babygirl, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival, it’s safe to say, will be more realistic. And there will be plenty of them. After her U.S. debut, the Gen Z slasher satire Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), Reijn returns to the more erotic tones of her first feature, the 2019 Dutch drama Instinct, which chronicled an illicit relationship between a prison therapist and an incarcerated sex offender.

Babygirl stars Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO married to the age-appropriate and undeniably sexy Jakob (Antonio Banderas) who embarks on a forbidden romance with a much younger intern, played by...

The Teamsters and other Hollywood Basic Crafts unions announced Thursday that they have ratified their new contracts, which provide 7% wage increases across the board.

The five unions — which collectively represent about 8,000 workers — reached a tentative deal on Saturday night with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Teamsters Local 399 fought for double-digit wage increases, along with a ban on driverless trucks and a minimum staffing rule of one driver per truck. But the studios were not willing to break the wage pattern set by SAG-AFTRA last year and by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — annual increases of 7%, 4% and 3.5%.

Some classifications were able to get increases above that level. Negotiators were unable to get the staffing minimum or language on autonomous vehicles, though the AMPTP did offer its assurance that the studios have no plans to use driverless trucks.

“Preparation for the next round of negotiations starts now,...

In their latest update on ongoing negotiations with studios and streamers, leaders of the Hollywood Basic Crafts union coalition singled out an alleged “lack of urgency” on the employer side of the discussions.

“At the conclusion of our scheduled dates for June, we want to make it clear that we are not interested in bargaining against ourselves,” Hollywood Basic Crafts chairperson Lindsay Dougherty and four other leaders said in a statement on Friday, after finishing up their second week of targeted negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. “There is a perceived lack of urgency on the employers’ end in addressing issues affecting our members.”

The Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition consists of the Teamsters Local 399, Ibew Local 40, LiUNA! Local 724, UA Local 78 and Opcmia Local 755, and collectively represents around 7,600 crew members, including drivers, location managers, electricians and plasterers.

A number of the group’s contracts are currently scheduled...

Contract season is well underway. IATSE has already been at the negotiating table for months, but last week it left without a deal. Now it’s the teamsters’ turn.

Starting today, Monday, June 10, the Hollywood Teamsters with Local 399 alongside Hollywood Basic Crafts will head to the negotiating table to fight for new three-year contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Negotiations are scheduled to run to mid-July; most of the specific contracts being negotiated now expire on July 31.

Should the teamsters fail to reach a tentative deal with the studios by July 31, Hollywood will most likely be headed for another strike, and all film and TV production will almost certainly come to a standstill. The teamsters were instrumental in 2023’s dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in shuttering productions, agreeing to not cross picket lines and putting studios in a tough spot. Had the teamsters crossed the picket lines,...

Days of Our Lives (Dool) spoilers and updates pose the question, can Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) and Jada Hunter’s (Elia Cantu) shocking pact truly free Gabi Hernandez (formerly Camila Banus)?

Rafe and Jada have teamed up with Kristen Dimera (Stacy Haiduk) and Stefan Dimera (Brandon Barash) to find out who really killed Li Shin (Remington Hoffman)!

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers – A Compromising Position And Circumstantial Evidence

Viewers will remember how Gabi was arrested for the murder of Li, her ex-husband; she came to the apartment just vacated by Tripp Johnson (Lucas Adams) and Wendy Shin (Victoria Grace).She walked in on a horrible sight-Li bleeding out on the kitchen floor with a knife in his back, which she removed-just as Stefan and Wendy and Tripp walked in.

Wendy didn’t believe Gabi didn’t murder her brother because of the dysfunction between the two exes, and soon the police came and arrested her.

Based on the cast alone, Steven Soderbergh‘s upcoming spy flick “Black Bag” could be his buzziest feature in a long time. Deadline reports that two more join Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett on the thriller’s cast list: Regé-Jean Page and Marisa Abela. Abela’s casting is a coup for the actress, who stars in the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back To Black” this Spring, which will likely be a breakout role for the “Industry” actress.

Continue reading ‘Black Book’: Marisa Abela & Regé-Jean Page Join Steven Soderbergh’s Upcoming Spy Pic At Focus Features at The Playlist.

Exclusive: 3Point0 Labs, the talent management house headed by former CAA agent and Francis Ngannou manager Marquel Martin, is launching a talent and literary advisory division with the signing of The Black Book producer Anakle Films.

3Point0 Labs is best known for owner Martin’s work with UFC lineal heavyweight world champion and boxer Ngannou, who is set to fight Britain’s Anthony Joshua on Friday (March 8). It launched in in 2022 after Martin exited his combat sports agent role at CAA, from which he had placed Mma star Ngannou in Fast & Furious film F9.

It has underscored the launch of3Point0 Labs Talent & Literary Management by signing U.S.-Nigerian producer Anakle Films, which is led by founder Editi Effiong, who wrote, produced and directed Netflix’s action thriller film The Black Book. Mimi Bartels, former general manager of FilmOne Studios and a major player in Nollywood, is co-founder.

Here’s a first look at Hagen (working title), the German-Czech fantasy drama epic, which now counts Fremantle as its worldwide distributor.

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel ‘Hagen von Tronje’, the series is a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga, which is widely considered as an inspiration behind modern fantasy franchises such as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Super-indie Fremantle has jumped to acquire rights outside of German-speaking territories, with the agreement covering the six-part series and accompanying feature film. Fremantle’s stablemate at German conglomerate Bertelsmann, Rtl, has German streaming and TV rights.

Fremantle plans to launch the series at its Fremantle Presents showcase this Friday (March 1) at the London TV Screenings. This follows an agreement between Rebecca Dundon on behalf of Fremantle and Friedrich Radmann on behalf of Constantin Film.

The series is billed...

Fremantle revealed Wednesday that it has secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. The deal includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release. Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will be showcasing “Hagen” as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday as part of London TV Screenings.

“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

The show centers on dutiful soldier Hagen and Siegfried, the legendary dragon slayer. Hagen, bound by loyalty to the kingdom, is Lord Commander, ready to serve and stand by his king.

David Duchovny, Jack Whitehall and Game of Thrones star Carice van Houten are set to star in a psychological thriller for Amazon Prime Video.

The trio are leading Malice, which is being produced by Clarkson’s Farm producer Expectation and Tailspin Films. James Wood (The Great) is the writer and executive producer.

The show is understood to be following a young man, played by British comic and Bad Education star Whitehall, who tries to infiltrate the world of a wealthy family. X-Files star Duchovny and van Houten, who played Melisandre in Game of Thrones, will play the heads of the family.

Duchovny, best known for playing Mulder in The X-Files, most recently appeared in Hulu’s History of the World, Part II and Meg Ryan romcom What Happens Later. Whitehall is starring in American romcom Silent Retreat and recently helmed a return of the BBC’s Bad Education. Van Houten...

David Duchovny, Jack Whitehall, and Carice van Houten are set to star in a new psychological thriller series that has been ordered at Amazon’s Prime Video, Variety has learned exclusively.

Titled “Malice,” the UK original hails from writer and executive producer James Wood. The series will be a co-production between Expectation Entertainment and Tailspin Films for Prime Video.

Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say the series will follow a young man (Whitehall) who seeks to infiltrate the world of a wealthy family, with Duchovny and van Houten playing the heads of that family.

Duchovny is best known for his starring role in the hit Fox supernatural procedural “The X-Files,” on which he starred as FBI agent Fox Mulder. He played the character not only through much of the series and its recent revival on Fox, but also in two “X-Files” feature films. Duchovny is...

RoboCop and Total Recall director Paul Verhoeven says he’d make another sci-fi film in the vein of those classics if it were offered. “I haven’t seen it,” he said.

RoboCop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers, released in 1987, 1990 and 1997 respectively, are among the greatest sci-fi films ever made. Darkly, violently satirical and loaded with sly humour, they carry all the manic energy of the director behind them – Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven.

By the millennium, however, the independent studio system that gave Verhoeven the latitude to make those films had gone, and 2000’s Hollow Man – an invisible Kevin Bacon thriller even Verhoeven admitted he was disappointed with – marked the end of his movie-making period in America. After that, Verhoeven made smaller-scale but no less edgy films like Black Book, Elle and the saucy nun drama, Benedetta.

In a new interview with Metrograph's Eric Kohn (as picked up by IndieWire), Verhoeven...

White Bird.The repeatedly delayed film White Bird, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R.J. Palacio, follows an elderly Jewish woman looking back on her youth in France during World War II, particularly the time she spent hiding from the Nazis. The framing is odd: She is telling this tale to impart a lesson to her grandson, a bully character from a different, earlier novel by Palacio, Wonder. Both stories are part of a wider fictive universe authored by Palacio, the “World of Wonder,” which comprises spinoff books, film adaptations, and merchandise, all branded with the poptimistic slogan/hashtag “Choose Kind.” A friendly schoolmate refusing to persecute White Bird’s protagonist for being Jewish is implicitly an example of “choosing kind,” divorced from any historically based understanding of solidarity or resistance to fascism. More problematically, White Bird has as its epigraph George Santayama’s famous quote “Those who can’t...

Exclusive: Former Rx France execs Liliane da Cruz and Samira Haddi have launched Indicium Consulting, an events management biz for the entertainment industry.

The pair, who exited Mipcom and MipTV organizer Rx France last year, debuted their new business last week at the inaugural Sica 2023, an African content event held at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire in Côte d’Ivoire.

The pair have worked in TV and film events management for more than 15 years. Their new B2B business will specialise in restructuring, planning, organizing, and executing events in the entertainment content industry.

Their debut event, Sica, ran from November 20 to 22 with the backing of the Côte d’Ivoire state. The line-up included the world premiere of Kagiso Lediga’s Classified. The series is billed as a gripping teen espionage drama from by Skybound Galactic and Johannesburg-based Diprente. It’s set to stream on Amazon Freevee in the U.S.

The film is a German-Belgian co-production, directed by Jens Meurer.

Tull Stories has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Jens Meurer’s documentary Seaside Special.

It picked up the film directly from producers Instant Film; Tull Stories is planning a theatrical release in the UK and Ireland from November 10.

Shot on 16mm film, Seaside Special depicts the UK’s last original end-of-the-pier variety show, and the people who put it on preparing for their 2019 summer season.

The film is produced by Cloe Garbay, Bastien Sirodot, Judy Tossell and Meurer, for Germany’s Instant Film and Belgium’s uMedia. It is written...

Matt Damon dated a few notable talents before settling down with current wife Luciana Barroso. But all he needed was to date celebrities a couple of times before realizing he might’ve been better off with partners who weren’t famous.

Why Matt Damon refused to date other celebrities Matt Damon | Michael Loccisano/WireImage

Damon had a couple of public relationships with his fellow actors in the past. Perhaps his most known relationships at the time were with Winona Ryder and Minnie Driver. Although his relationships with either didn’t last very long, Ryder and Driver still spoke very highly of their ex.

“Matt couldn’t be a greater, nicer guy. I’m really lucky that I’m on good terms with him,” Ryder once told Black Book (via Yahoo).

Meanwhile, Ranker reported that some of Damon’s lesser known celebrity flings included Claire Danes and Underworld star Rhona Mitra.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Circus Maximus

Before their collaboration Aggro Dr1ft heads to the fall festival circuit, Travis Scott and Harmony Korine’s Utopia album companion Circus Maximus is now available to stream for free. Also featuring segments directed by Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, Valdimar Jóhannsson (Lamb), and music-video maestro Kahlil Joseph, the release follows a brief theatrical run a few weeks back.

Killer Joe (William Friedkin)

Somewhere between greasy leftover fried chicken and stale half-finished beer cans sits Killer Joe, filmmaker William Friedkin’s fresh adaptation of Tracy Letts’ 20-year-old play. Young Chris (Emile Hirsch) has an idea: have his mother killed and collect on her insurance in order to pay off a batch of drugs that’s gone missing. Chris’ father Ansel shrugs in agreement,...

Teamsters Local 399 has a new in-house legal counsel.

The North Hollywood-based union has hired former Netflix senior counsel Kay Kimmel as its new in-house counsel and as a dedicated counsel for the Teamsters’ motion picture and theatrical trade division, secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty announced at a membership meeting on Sunday.

“It’s almost unheard of to see lawyers move from management side to the side of working people,” Dougherty said in a statement. “We feel very fortunate to have Kay joining our team. She has always been a fair and respected lawyer, even while working for the employers. Her decades of experience in our industry, and thorough understanding of our Local 399 contracts, positions her to be a great asset to our members and the division.”

Kimmel spent over five years at Netflix and, before that, was vp labor relations at Paramount and Entertainment Partners. Kimmel began her work at Local 399 on...

Click here to read the full article.

Even before the ink dried on two major IATSE and Teamsters Local 399 contracts at the end of 2021 and start of 2022, members of the unions — which collectively represent a significant portion of union crewmembers in the Los Angeles area — were fretting about climbing consumer prices. But especially now, after inflation hit 40-year highs at several points in 2022 (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index measuring all items), some are arguing that the 3 percent compounded annual scale increases codified in IATSE’s Basic Agreement and the Teamsters’ “Black Book” contract aren’t cutting it.

“We’ve massively seen a rise in the price of everyday goods of almost all kinds,” says IATSE Local 600 member and camera assistant Andy Kennedy-Derkay. He notes that, due to the travel his job requires, he sometimes uses a full tank of gas in a day,...

Click here to read the full article.

Constantin Film has unveiled the main cast for Hagen, its ambitious new fantasy series, billed as a reinterpretation of the Nibelungenlied, the German folk saga often cited as an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Dutch actor Gijs Naber (Blackbook, The Story of My Wife) will star as the titular Hagen von Tronje in the project, alongside Jannis Niewöhner (Berlin Station, Amazon’s Beat) as his antagonist, the nearly-invincible hero Siegfried. Lilja van der Zwaag will play princess Kriemhild, Rosalinde Mynster the Valkyrie Brunhild, while Dominic Marcus Singer will take on the role of King Gunter.

Dark actress Jördis Triebel and Jörg Hartmann (The Weissensee Saga) have supporting roles.

The Nibelungen saga has been adapted many times before, most famously in a series of two classic films from Fritz Lang in the 1920s. A TV movie version, in 2004, starred Kristanna Loken Brunhild,...

A24 has landed the rights to “Instinct,” an erotic psychological thriller from “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director Halina Reijn.

A24 is planning a one-night-only event to release the film on the company’s screening room on Thursday, Sept. 22. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. Et.

“Instinct” had its world premiere at the 2019 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland and later played at the Toronto International Film Festival. Next Thursday’s screening will be the first time “Instinct” has been available in North America since its pre-pandemic festival debut.

Additionally, the evening will mark the first time that A24 uses its screening room to show a film that the indie company has acquired, as opposed to one of its own productions.

“Instinct” will be available as a double feature with Reijn’s latest feature film “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a satirical slasher about rich 20-somethings who plan a hurricane party that turns deadly.

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is...

Writer / Director / Actor Halina Reijn discusses some of her favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Rrr (2022)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Gothic (1986)

Warlock (1989)

Annie (1982)

Midsommar (2019) – Dennis Cozzalio’s 2019 year-end movie roundup

Bambi (1942) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary

Annie (2014)

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Husbands (1970) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Opening Night (1977)

The Piano Teacher (2001) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Black Book (2006)

Elle (2016) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s 2016 year-end movie roundup

The Fourth Man (1983)

Basic Instinct (1992) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Showgirls (1995)

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Fatal Attraction (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

9 ½ Weeks (1986)

Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

365 Days (2020)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Chinatown (1974) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary

Marathon Man (1976)

The Abyss (1989)

Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...

Exclusive: The shakeup at Teamsters Local 492 in New Mexico continues with the resignations of two of the local’s top officers: Trey White and Melissa Malcom-Chavez. White had been the local’s principal officer and secretary-treasurer, and Malcom-Chavez had been the local’s business agent for the movie industry.

Their resignations come in the wake of last week’s announcement, first reported by Deadline, that following an investigation and audit of Local 492’s financial records, the executive board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters had transferred Local 492’s jurisdiction over film and TV production in the state to Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399.

Sources tell Deadline that prior to the takeover, Local 492’s movie division had been run like a “dictatorship” in a state that has become a major production hub thanks to its generous tax incentives program. Local 399 has long preserved its jurisdiction over film and television work in the...

Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 has been granted the film and TV jurisdiction of Teamsters Local 492 in New Mexico following an investigation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Ibt) and an audit of Local 492’s financial records. Effective immediately, Local 492 members working in the motion picture industry will become members of Local 399.

The dramatic move comes after Ibt investigators were sent to New Mexico in May “due to significant member concerns around the referral rules and financial structure for New Mexico Movie Teamsters,” Local 399 leader Lindsay Dougherty said in a notification to members of both locals. “It was ultimately recommended that due to the findings from the audit, Teamsters Local 492 should no longer hold the jurisdiction to represent Teamsters in the motion picture industry. The recommendation was taken to a vote by the General Executive Board to not only remove the jurisdiction from Local 492, but, effective immediately, those in the...

It’s hard to resist a clever, well-made generational-skewering satire and the A24 horror “Bodies Bodies Bodies” really seems to fit the bill. The English-language directorial debut of Dutch filmmaker/actress Halina Reijn, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” debuted at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year and appeared to be a massive hit.

Our review from SXSW breaks it down well.

Continue reading ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Trailer: There Are No Safe Spaces In A24’s New Gen-z-Is-The-Worst Horror at The Playlist.

Emergence from pandemic lockdowns and the promise of in-person festivals has excitement brewing for the future of film, and the genre industry is no exception. The official selection of the 2022 Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes is in, and it displays bullish trends for the future of genre.

“There’s a lot of horror, and it kind of goes back to practical effects, and I love that,” says Frontières executive director Annick Mahnert. “Practical effects are coming back, which is great.”

Highlighting this trend is potential standout “Gnomes!” from the Netherlands, a horror film about gnomes who murder curious humans and turn them into sausage while they’re still alive. The film boasts producer and art department master Richard Raaphorst (“Frankenstein’s Army”), who brought the gnomes to life.

Other possible standouts of practical effects are “Requiem for a Robot, “Street Trash” and “Serial Kitten,” which blends costumes and CGI.

Red Light is a European crime drama split between Belgium and the Netherlands, starring Carice Van Houten, Maaike Neuville and Halina Reijn (Black Book). Set in the sex clubs and brothels of Amsterdam and Antwerp, the series follows their characters Sylvia Steenhuyzen, Evi Vercruyssen and Esther Vinkel as their lives become entwined in the violence of the sex industry.

The series kick of with Detective Evi Vercruyssen (Neuville) being assigned the case of a murdered prostitute. The woman had worked in a club run by Sylvia (Van Houten) and her abusive lover Ingmar (Geert Van Rampelberg). Meanwhile, in the immediate aftermath of her father's death, Esther's (Reijn) husband goes missing. This has something to do with the club.

Esther is an opera singer with an aristocratic heritage, Evi is working class police and Sylvia is a prostitute and pimp. Despite their very different backgrounds, Red Light...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Alex van Warmerdam Collection

If you only know the work of Alex van Warmerdam as it pertains to his breakout psychological thriller Borgman, one know has a chance to dive into five other films from the Dutch director. Abel, The Northerners, The Last Days of Emma Blank, Schneider vs. Bax, and his new re-edit of Grimm are now on Film Movement Plus. We said in our review of Schneider vs. Bax, “Hitman films tend to be action-packed and heavy with tropes familiar to that particular sub-genre of thrillers. Yet Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam hopes to subvert those expectations by crafting an almost absurdist, Beckett-style drama between two contract killers hired to take out the other.”

Where to Stream: Film Movement...

Members of Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new Location Managers Agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The new contract, which takes effect March 13, covers location managers, key assistant location managers and assistant location managers.

The local didn’t release the raw vote totals but said that voter turnout was the highest in the contract’s recent history, with a 75% turnout and a 95% yes vote.

“Hollywood location professionals serve as the liaisons not just between production and locations, but also the community at-large,” said Lindsay Dougherty, Local 399’s lead negotiator for the contract. “They navigate the permit process and secure locations just as much as they are managing the expectations of the neighborhoods that have been selected to shoot-in. They are highly skilled and extremely personable individuals that often are the face of the production to the general public. This round of...

Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP for a new three-year contract covering some 800 location managers and assistant location managers. The local’s negotiating committee is unanimously recommending that members ratify it.

“Location professionals in Hollywood serve as the liaisons for the studios between businesses, neighborhoods, historic landmarks and the general public,” said Lindsay Dougherty, the local’s recording secretary and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Wester vice-president-elect, who was the union’s chief negotiator. “This group of highly skilled professionals are an essential component to ensure production continues throughout the state. The extent of their tireless work is often underappreciated. By way of these negotiations, we sought to shine light on their important contributions to the industry in the form of significant economic gains to chip away at making this group whole.”

Details of the tentative agreement will be shared with Local 399 location professionals early next week.

Hollywood Teamsters Local 399 have voted in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract with the industry’s major employers. The new deal includes increased pay for weekend work, higher overtime rates and gains for meal money and cell phone allowances.

The deal between Teamsters Local 399 and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was hailed on Wednesday night as a breakthrough in core economic issues for the union’s members. The Hollywood local of the famed drivers’ union represents 5,500 industry workers, including drivers, animal trainers, handlers and wranglers, dispatchers, casting and location professionals and mechanics.

“Our goal as the negotiating committee was to address our members’ core issues and leave no money on the table,” said Teamsters 399 lead negotiator Lindsay Dougherty. “Together, we were able to creatively make economic gains, secure a New Media deal that eliminates low tier wages, and protect the important contract provisions that our...

The members of Teamsters Local 399 have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract with TV and Film studios, the union announced Wednesday night.

While actual vote numbers have not been made public, according to the union, voter turnout was 67%, with 89% voting yes.

The so-called “Black Book” agreement will cover “Drivers, Dispatchers, Animal Trainers/Handlers, Wranglers, Mechanics, Auto Service and now Dot Administrators, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP),” the union said.

In addition, a separate vote ratified an addendum agreement covering “Chef Assistants and Chef Assistant-Drivers working on Feature and Television productions.” According to the union, voter turnout among these groups was 72%, with 98.4% voting yes.

In addition to a 3% annual raise, among the provisions of the new deal:

Inclusion of Budget Based New Media Side Letter – eliminating reference to lowest tier Mow rates

Compensation for invaded weekends – “Fraturday Pay“

Economic gains with yearly wage increases including retroactivity,...

Members of Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year film and TV contract. The vote, counted tonight, was 89% for ratification and 11% against, with 67% of the eligible members casting ballots. The local did not release the actual vote totals.

The agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers includes higher wages, more overtime penalties and additional benefits to secure their industry pension and health plan. And for the first time, the new contract includes a budget-based new-media deal that eliminates the lowest rung on the pay scale – a substantial pay raise for those who would have been working at it going forward.

“Our rank-and-file members have been with us every step of the way throughout these negotiations,” said Lindsay Dougherty, Local 399’s lead negotiator. “Our goal as the negotiating committee was to address our members’ core issues and leave no money on the table. Together,...

The tentative agreement for a new three-year film and TV contract covering Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts includes higher wages, more overtime penalties and additional money for benefits to secure their pension and health plan. And for the first time, the new contract includes a budget-based new-media deal that eliminates the lowest rung on the pay scale.

The agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which was reached Friday, will be put to a ratification vote of the members next week. The Basic Crafts include Ibew Local 40, Studio Utility Employees Local 724, Studio Plumbers Local 78 and Studio Plasterers Local 755.

“My marching orders were clear; to protect, preserve and improve the livelihood of our members,” said Lindsay Dougherty, the unions’ chief negotiator and Local 399’s recording secretary, business agent and organizer. “Our members are the boots on the ground, and our members’ involvement in negotiations brought power to the bargaining table.

A tentative agreement has been reached for a new film and TV contract covering Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts. The agreement was reached this evening, and the unions’ bargaining committee is unanimously recommending it for ratification. The deal, which covers union work in 13 Western states, must now be ratified by the members of Local 399 and the Basic Crafts, which include Ibew Local 40, Studio Utility Employees Local 724, Studio Plumbers Local 78 and Studio Plasterers Local 755.

The unions said that details of the deal will be shared with their members in the coming days, with Teamsters Local 399 indicating it will hold an informational ratification meeting on Sunday, February 6th via Zoom, and its members will vote on the agreement electronically after the meeting.

The talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers got underway December 6 but recessed 10 days later to take a break for the holidays. The bargaining resumed on Jan.

Negotiations for a new film and TV contract covering Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts unions will resume for three days of bargaining January 19. The talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers got underway December 6 but recessed 10 days later to take a break for the holidays.

The current contract had been set to expire July 31 but was extended to allow for industrywide return-to-work discussions and IATSE’s longer-than-expected negotiations for its own film and TV pact. The Basic Crafts unions include Ibew Local 40, Studio Utility Employees Local 724, Studio Plumbers Local 78 and Studio Plasterers Local 755.

The Teamsters Local 399 negotiations involve its “Black Book” agreement that covers drivers, animal trainers/handlers, wranglers, dispatchers, mechanics, and auto-service workers in the film and TV industry.

Once those negotiations are completed, separate talks will be held with the AMPTP for Local 399’s Location Managers Agreement and its Casting Directors Agreement,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Antlers (Scott Cooper)

Scott Cooper is comfortable in the mud. The American director routinely finds himself in the confines of the lowdown and dirty, in gritty landscapes with working-class characters overcoming their shortcomings and often turning to violence to solve their problems. While his previous two features Black Mass and Hostiles failed to find tension in their deliberately tedious pacing, Antlers strikes the balance between methodology, terror, and blue-collar dynamics. – Erik N. (full review)

Where to Stream: VOD

Arrebato (Iván Zulueta)

That Arrebato has waited more than 40 years to receive a bona fide U.S. theatrical run is wild; it lives up to the cult-classic status it’s held since 1979. (The marketing push highlights it being Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite horror film.

Benedetta filmmaker Paul Verhoeven is re-teaming with Edward Neumeier, the screenwriter behind Verhoeven’s classic genre movies Robocop and Starship Troopers, on a political thriller titled Young Sinner.

The pair revealed the news during an interview with Moviemaker, telling the publication that the pic would be akin to Basic Instinct and would be made with as few digital elements as possible.

“I’m really thinking that what Neumeier and I, at this moment, want to do with this script, Young Sinner, will be an innovative version of movies like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct,” Verhoeven told the mag. “And it would not be adding all kinds of digital elements. As little as possible.”

“Young Sinner is a political thriller set in Washington, D.C.,” Neumeier added. “Our heroine, a young staffer who works for a powerful Senator, is drawn into a web of international intrigue and danger, and of course...

Negotiations for a new film and TV contract covering Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts unions will begin this week with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.

The current contract had been set to expire July 31 but was extended to allow for industry-wide return-to-work discussions and IATSE’s longer-than-expected negotiations for its own film and TV pact. The Basic Crafts unions include Ibew Local 40, Studio Utility Employees Local 724, Studio Plumbers Local 78, and Studio Plasterers Local 755.

Steve Dayan, Teamsters Local 399’s secretary-treasurer, has named Lindsay Dougherty as the lead negotiator. Dougherty, who is Local 399’s recording secretary, business agent, and organizer, was recently elected as a Western Region vice president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Sean O’Brien Elected Teamsters President, Succeeding James P. Hoffa; Local 399’s Lindsay Dougherty Elected As A Western Region VP

“At a time when major corporations like Disney, Apple, Amazon, and...

If one is looking for their nunsploitation fix this December, a pair of acclaimed films should satisfy all holy cinematic urges. Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, which tells the tale of a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, is coming on December 3 via IFC Films. Then a week later Magnet will release Mickey Reece’s Agnes, which follows a nun who explodes with an outburst of rage and blasphemy, causing the church to investigate the incident as a potential demonic possession. Ahead of the releases, new trailers have now arrived for both.

Rory O’Connor said in his review of Benedetta, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the...

Ready or not, here comes the return of Paul Verhoeven. IFC Films has released the first U.S. trailer for the director’s long-awaited erotic lesbian nun romance “Benedetta,” which made its world premiere in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The project was originally tapped for the 2020 festival, but the pandemic canceled the event. Anyone familiar with Verhoeven’s psychosexual dramas “Basic Instinct” and “Elle” probably has a good idea what to expect from his latest.

The official synopsis from IFC Films reads: “A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. Based on Judith C. Brown’s ‘Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.'”

The film is Verhoeven’s first directorial effort since the 2016 release of “Elle.” That film also world...

At long last, Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta is touching down stateside this weekend with a North American premiere at the 59th New York Film Festival. Ahead of the event and a December 3 release, IFC Films have released a new teaser trailer for the tale of a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.

Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the title), its story focuses on the life of Benedetta Carlini, a nun in Precia who entered a sexual relationship with another woman in her convent.

by Nathaniel R

Will The Netherlands submit "De Oost", currently streaming on Amazon?

For those of you who like to follow the admittedly super niche drama of the submission battles for Oscar's best International Feature Film race, we have another finalist list to report. The Netherlands will be announcing their submission in early October but we have their 14 wide finalist list. The first thing to note is that Paul Verhoeven's excellent lesbian nun drama Benedetta is not on it. Perhaps it's because the Dutch director who The Netherlands have submitted four times  is now working in France mostly. Elle, his most recent previous picture, was a submission for France and perhaps Benedetta wasn't deemed Dutch enough? Only three of the fourteen possibilities from The Netherlands have anything like an international profile and all three are about young soldiers so we suspect the Dutch will be sending a war drama.

Stars: Lance Henriksen, Frank Lammers, Tonya Kay, Jack Betts, Everette Wallin, Shae Smolik, Daniel O’Reilly, Gregg Christie, Leticia Labelle, Giovannie Espiritu, Val McAdoo, Carter Scott, Marvin Ryan, Brie Mattson, Anthony Jensen | Written by Everette Wallin, Suzanne DeLaurentiis, Dale Fabrigar | Directed by Dale Fabrigar

Written by Everette Wallin, Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Dale Fabrigar and directed by Fabrigar, D-Railed is a mystery set on a train that crashes into a river. The sinking train isn’t the only thing for the survivors to worry about though, because there’s a monster in the murky depths who wants some dinner, too. It’s a murder mystery on a train… but with a difference and some added horror to pump up the tension a bit.

This one intrigued me because the whole plot sounded so crazy to me, like a bunch of ideas all tossed into one movie. The problem with throwing so many things at the wall though,...

Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the title), its story focuses on the life of Benedetta Carlini, a nun in Precia who entered a sexual relationship with another woman in her convent. Paul Verhoeven originally adapted the book with his longtime collaborator Gerard Soeteman, but the screenwriter stepped down when it became too “sexualized.” In the opening act there are not one, but two fart jokes. We are also, in many instances, offered evidence of the director’s well-founded appreciation for mommy’s milkies.

Originally titled Blessed Virgin and pegged for release way back in 2019, it marks an ever-welcome return for the great director, his first outing since 2016 when Elle...