Industry

She glittered on the red carpet and kept a smile instead of a stiff upper lip in the face of her tepidly received film. Nicole Kidman is a pro when it comes to promoting one of her movies, even when it’s an uphill battle.

Films Festivals in Los Angeles happen all year round, no surprise perhaps in the city that invented the movie business. Although the global festival circuit is dominated by Cannes, Venice or Toronto, and while Sundance is still the preferred forum for “indies” – in any given week there are venues right here in Los Angeles that delight film lovers with screenings of films from around the globe.

New kid on the block Neighbors moved into number one over the weekend as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lost its grip on the top spot. The latest feature from the extended Judd Apatow comedy syndicate, Neighbors puts new mommy and daddy Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen against a gang of frat boys led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco who move in next door.

Slowly, gradually but inexorably, over the past decade, something extraordinary has been happening in Brazil : after half a century of total domination as the country’s go-to form of audio-visual entertainment, the telenovela is steadily fading, its audience in a continuous free fall. In its place, a new generation of viewers, who grew up with American series and sitcoms, from Friends to The X Files and Lost, are seeking out the local equivalent of their passions.

Blockbuster season is officially here and audiences came out in droves to see their first vernal idol swing circles around his hapless foes. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 racked up $92 million in its domestic opening weekend.

It’s been just over a year since famed film critic Roger Ebert passed away but his spirit remained very much alive at EbertFest, the namesake film festival he founded 16 years ago in his hometown of Champaign, Illinois. This year a stellar line up of film makers descended on the small town to honor the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, including Spike Lee and Oliver Stone both marking 25th anniversaries of their films, Do the Right Thing and Born on the Fourth of July.

We mourn the passing of Golden Globe winner (and three-time nominee) Bob Hoskins. The beloved British actor passed away at the age of 71.