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Colin Farrell plunges into an intoxicating fever dream among the high-stakes baccarat tables of Macau casinos with “Ballad of a Small Player,” a rare major Western film shot on location in Asia’s gambling capital.The surreal, dark and twisty drama co-stars Tilda Swinton as an investigator in pursuit of Farrell’s velvet-suited conman and gambling addict. It was …

‘It was bananas’: Colin Farrell shoots new movie in Macau casinos Read More »

Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s surprise Oscars campaign for his first arthouse role in “The Smashing Machine” barreled into the Toronto film festival Monday.Johnson, 53, who has earned rave reviews playing fighter Mark Kerr, sat down with an audience before the movie’s North American premiere to reflect on a unique career.- Transformation -The former grappler and …

From rocky start to Oscar hopeful: Dwayne Johnson hits Toronto Read More »

A documentary about an Israeli ex-soldier set to premiere at the Toronto film festival — after initially being cut from the schedule — has become the latest flashpoint in Hollywood’s internal split over the Gaza conflict.”The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” which charts how retired Israeli general Noam Tibon saved his family and others …

Israel film at Toronto fest entrenches industry split over Gaza Read More »

Russell Crowe’s nerve-shredding portrayal of a notorious Nazi on trial and Angelina Jolie’s deeply personal dive into the world of French fashion led a busy Sunday of world premieres at the Toronto film festival.Crowe’s depiction of the second-ranking Nazi, Hermann Goering, in “Nuremberg,” as he plays a cat-and-mouse game with a psychiatrist (Rami Malek), drew …

Russell Crowe shaken by Nazi role in festival hit ‘Nuremberg’ Read More »

When Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao first studied Shakespeare at her British boarding school, the young Chinese pupil did not even speak English.So it has been a long journey to her latest film “Hamnet,” a poetic period drama that speculates on the life story of William Shakespeare himself, and is an early Academy Award frontrunner.”It was …

Chloe Zhao tackles Shakespeare’s true tragedy in ‘Hamnet’ Read More »

Channing Tatum says his performance in “Roofman,” which tells the true story of a man who robbed dozens of McDonald’s and hid out in a toy store, helped the stripper-turned-actor overcome “imposter syndrome.” “I was getting (acting) jobs before I knew anything of what I was doing,” Tatum told reporters Sunday, a day after the film’s …

Tatum says earned his place as an actor after ‘Roofman’ Read More »

“The Conjuring: Last Rites,” the latest in the popular horror film franchise about a couple of real-life paranormal investigators, debuted atop the North American box office with a whopping $83 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.The Warner Bros. film once again stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, who …

‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ makes huge debut at N. America box office Read More »

From donning a prosthetic penis to simulating bizarre sex work in a steamy motel room, Sydney Sweeney was “up for anything” while filming her Oscar-tipped role in boxing drama “Christy,” her director has told AFP.Sweeney, who has made negative headlines recently for controversial jeans ads, has become a contender for the Academy Awards for her …

Sydney Sweeney ‘fearless’ in new role, ‘Christy’ director says Read More »

Daniel Craig led an A-list cast to Toronto with his latest “Knives Out” whodunit movie, one of several star-studded world premieres on a packed Saturday night at North America’s biggest movie festival.The darkest of the now-trilogy of Oscar-nominated murder mysteries, “Wake Up Dead Man” is set at a small-town church in upstate New York, where …

Craig’s detective returns as new ‘Knives Out’ lights up Toronto fest Read More »

In “Palestine 36,” director Annemarie Jacir recounts a year of Arab revolt against British colonial rule that she says is crucial to understanding current events in the Middle East. “You can’t understand where we are today without understanding 1936,” Jacir told AFP a day after the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Palestinian …

‘Palestine 36’ shines light on Arab revolt against British rule Read More »