Sundance: ‘A Real Pain’ Sells to Searchlight for $10 Million

The first big Sundance 2024 sell has arrived. “A Real Pain,” directed by Jesse Eisenberg, starring himself and Kieran Culkin, has gone to Disney’s Searchlight for a cool $10 million.

Eisenberg & Culkin star as mismatched cousins David and Benji. They reunite for a tour of Poland to honor their grandmother, but older tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family’s history

The film, playing in the US Dramatic Competition, is now the frontrunner to win both the audience and Jury awards, which will be announced next weekend. The reviews from last night’s screening have been, mostly, raves for the warmhearted comedy.

The buzz for “A Real Pain” started after its premiere last night at the Eccles Theater. Soon after, a number of studios participated in the bidding war. It also helps that Culkin is coming off winning the Critics Choice and Emmy Awards for his performance in HBO’s “Succession.”

I will say that not all of the reviews have been flat-out raves, there are some hesitant ones coming in from the likes of The Guardian and IndieWire. Remember, Sundance is THE festival for overhyped films — critics over there drink the mountain-air infused kool aid. I’ll be watching “A Real Pain” on Tuesday.

Sir Patrick Stewart, 86, Has Died

A real shocker. There are some people you think will live forever, and Sir Patrick Stewart was one of them. The legendary actor has passed away at the age of 86. We’ve lost one of the greats.

Ken Russell's ‘The Devils' Extends Theatrical Run Indefinitely (!) After $3.3M Box Office Surprise

Nobody expected a 55-year-old NC-17 movie to be one of the surprise box office stories of the fall. Yet here we are, and this absolutely puts a smile on my face.

‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ First Reactions Are Very Positive

Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.

‘Compassionate Release': Christopher McQuarrie's First Non-Tom Cruise Film in 25 Years Stars Denzel Washington, Taps ‘In Bruges' DP Eigil Bryld

Bryld shot "In Bruges," "The Holdovers" and "House of Cards." That seems like the right fit for what is a smaller, character-driven crime story, and a change of pace for McQuarrie after years of stunt-heavy theatrics.

James Gunn Says DCU Batman Casting “Isn't Very Far Off” — Do We Really Need Two Batmen?

Right now, the cleanest path is to let Reeves finish his trilogy and bring in the new guy once the dust has settled. Gunn clearly hasn’t gotten the memo.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

CONFIRMED: Sadie Soverall Exits Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World' Mid-Shoot, Lily McInerny Steps In Lead Role

Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny.

Ron Howard’s ‘Alone at Dawn’ Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway Sets Christmas 2027 Release

This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Next Film Retitled to ‘Slayground,’ Current Runtime is 2.5 Hours, Plot Details

Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, formerly “October,” still has no release date. You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now.

Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser to Star in Woody Allen's Next Film

A few months ago, Deadline reported that Woody Allen's next film, set in Madrid and carrying a $14M budget, will be "largely English-language" and feature a "high-profile cast."

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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