Guillermo's ghostly hotel room

Guillermo del Toro, the acclaimed director of The Shape of Water, has shared a chilling experience while staying in a hotel in Aberdeen. Known for his fascination with the eerie and supernatural, del Toro took to social media to describe the unsettling atmosphere in his hotel room, where he sensed a disturbing presence.

He said the room had been vacated by one of his producers after strange electrical and physical occurrences frightened her. Despite this, he decided to keep the room, saying, “The atmosphere in the room is oppressive, and I am not going to spend much more time there.”

Although he hasn’t experienced anything himself yet, del Toro decided to sleep in a different room, noting, “I need six hours of sleep to have a good shooting day … something is in that room with me.”

The director is currently in Scotland filming a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Monster.  

He added: “I always stay in ‘the most haunted room’ but only once did I experience anything supernatural. The rest of the time: nothing. I have high hopes.”

Curry back on the big screen

Tim Curry is making a triumphant return to the big screen after a 14-year hiatus with the upcoming horror movie Stream. The legendary Britishactor, best known for his iconic role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), has had a prolific career in film and television. His last feature film appearance was in Burke & Hare in 2010, before a major stroke in 2012 confined him to a wheelchair, leading him to focus primarily on voice acting.

Director Michael Leavy said: “We are so happy and thrilled to bring Tim back to the movies and back to the big screen. His charm always radiates and shines through everything he does and we are so honoured to have him a part of Stream!”

Skarsgård's tough role

 

Bill Skarsgård has revealed just how tough it was playing the role of Eric Draven in the new reboot of the cult classic The Crow.

“Physicality wasn’t really an issue, but the mental state kind of wears on you because you live in it for four months, you know?”he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I had a great shoot, a lot of night shoots. … You’re kind of preoccupied in a bleak state of mind for a while. I like to be consumed by it when I’m doing it. Actually, we were working out a lot, I found it really helpful. There’s nothing like being tired and sweaty to get the demons out.”

Skarsgård also spoke about the qualities in his character that stood out to him and inspired him to tackle the part. “I feel like he’s a fragile individual when you meet him, someone that’s almost given up on life and surely given up on himself. So getting to perform that, and then him finding Shelly [Draven’s girlfriend played by British singer-songwriter FKA Twigs] and falling madly in love with her and how he projects onto her this kind of saving angel,” he explained.

“And then when he loses her, what he’s willing to do for her. It’s kind of the beautiful archetypal story about what people do for love, and he’s commendable that way, I think, Eric as a character – very generous.”

Edinburgh winners named

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced the winners of its new prizes for feature and short filmmaking.

The Ceremony, directed by Jack King, a self-taught filmmaker from Bradford, received the £50,000 Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. Filmed entirely in black and white, it tells the story of two migrant workers tasked with burying a colleague in the Yorkshire hills. When one insists on giving the deceased a proper Islamic burial, tensions rise, leading to a powerful struggle over what is right.

In the short filmmaking category, Manny Wolfe, directed by Trevor Neuhoff, won the £15,000 Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence. The film follows a weary actor in 1947 Hollywood who, despite being a real werewolf, faces nonstop rejection until a chance encounter offers him a role in a major monster movie.  

'Fake quotes' trailer pulled

Lionsgate has pulled a trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming film Megalopolis after it was discovered to contain fabricated quotes from film critics.

Megalopolis, a long-awaited science fiction epic from the legendary director, is a self-funded project that Coppola has been trying to bring to life for decades. The film, inspired by the fall of Rome, features an ensemble cast including Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, and Giancarlo Esposito.

According to Variety, the now-removed trailer included quotes supposedly from critics, critiquing Coppola's earlier films—many of which are now regarded as classics. The intent seemed to be to frame Megalopolis as a film that could overcome negative perceptions and emerge as a cinematic milestone.

However, it was quickly noticed that the quotes did not appear in the actual reviews. For example, a quote attributed to Roger Ebert, claiming Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) was "a triumph of style over substance," was actually from Ebert's review of Tim Burton's Batman (1989).

Variety's Owen Gleiberman was another critic misrepresented in the trailer. While he did review Dracula, he never called it "a beautiful mess," as the trailer falsely claimed. Gleiberman commented, "Even if you're not a fan of critics, we don't deserve to have words put in our mouths."

Lionsgate issued a public apology, stating: "We are immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis. We sincerely apologise to the critics involved, as well as to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope, for this inexcusable error. We screwed up. We are sorry."

Boy George set for the big screen

 

Another 80s music legend is set for the big screen, as TriStar Pictures is developing a biopic about Boy George. The screenplay will be written by J.C. Lee, known for his work in both film and television. Oscar-winning producer Cathy Schulman will produce the film alongside George’s manager Paul Kemsley, and George himself will serve as an executive producer, ensuring his story is told authentically.

Although the project is still in its early stages, the film will feature music from George and his band Culture Club and the screenplay will be adapted from George’s autobiographies, Take It Like a Man, Straight, and Karma, focusing on the peak years of Culture Club’s success.

Boy George shot to fame as the lead singer of Culture Club, a band that dominated the 80s music scene with hits like "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me." With seven UK Top 10 singles and nine U.S. Top 10 hits, Culture Club has sold over 100 million singles and 50 million albums worldwide.

He remains a global icon, known for his vibrant personality and influence across music, fashion, and culture. His career spans sold-out tours, numerous TV appearances, and a recent star turn in Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical.  

My career's on its last leg, says Brad

Brad Pitt believes he's on the "last leg" of his acting career, but not for the reasons you might expect. In an interview in GQ magazine with his co-star in the forthcoming thriller Wolfs George Clooney, Pitt clarified the meaning behind the phrase he's used to describe the future of his career.

“I meant that in terms of seasons,” Pitt explained. “You start out leaving the safety of the Ozarks, and it’s all about discovery—exciting, interesting, painful, and awful all at once. When you make it to the big leagues, it becomes a different game, with new responsibilities, but also opportunities and the joy of working with people you respect.”

At 60, Pitt reflected on his current stage in life. “Now it’s about these last years. I see my parents... and what George was saying about getting older. In your 80s, the body becomes frail. But then I look at Frank Gehry—he’s 95, still creating great art, and has a beautiful family. I think that’s the formula: staying creative and loving your life.”

Pitt previously told GQ in 2022 that he was contemplating the final phase of his career, feeling that he's on his "last leg." Clooney added that they’re fortunate to be in a profession that doesn’t force retirement.

When asked about the fear of the phone stopping ringing with job offers, Clooney noted that actors face a choice: cling to past roles or embrace change. He emphasized that accepting aging and shifting to interesting character work allows for continued creativity.

“As long as you can make peace with change, it’s okay,” Clooney said.

Bumper week for the Reynolds family

Deadpool & Wolverine has now passed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming only the second R-rated film to do so after 2019's Joker. With $535.2 million from international markets and $494.3 million in the US  the superhero buddy comedy has now made $1,029.5 billion globally. All predictions are that it will overtake Joker's $1.079 billion gross by the end of the week. 

Deadpool & Wolverine is now the second film to pass the billion mark in 2024, following Inside Out 2. Between those two and its other releases, Disney is having a very good year, becoming the first studio to earn more than $3 billion this year.

And it was a very good weekend for the Reynolds household as Ryan's wife Blake Lively saw success with her own big new release. It Ends With Us, the romantic drama adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, earning $50 million in the US and $80 million globally in its first weekend.  

Scary line-up at FrightFest

Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024, the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film festival, will, for the first time, present its five-day extravaganza at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, taking over all seven screens, including the two Odeon Luxe West End screens. Running from August 22 – 26 August, the fest will showcase 69 features from across the world, including 25 main screen premieres and 45 Discovery Screen titles, embracing the famed First Blood’ strand, the latest genre documentaries, and some exciting restorations and retrospectives. Plus, there’s the regular short-film showcase (to be announced later), panels, and some surprise 25th edition extras. This year there are 28 world premieres, with eleven countries represented, spanning four continents. Co-director Alan Jones said: “FrightFest, the Dark Heart of Cinema, has been beating loud and proud now for an amazing 25 years that have seen major challenges and transformations to the global film industry that FrightFest has embodied, embraced and emblazoned.“ The festival opens with the World premiere of Broken Bird, the directorial debut feature from actress/filmmaker Joanne Mitchell. Based on an original story by Tracey Sheals and Mitchell’s subsequent award-winning short Sybil, this is an absorbing and disturbing tale about a mortician (played brilliantly by Rebecca Calder), whose dark desires are becoming more insatiable and progressively out of control. The closing night film is the English premiere of The Substance, the second thrilling shocker (after Revenge) from French writer/director Coralie Fargeat. The Cannes 2024 award-winning sensation is a Visionary Feminist Body Horror, starring a fearless Demi Moore as fading celebrity Elizabeth Sparkle who uses a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

 

Toronto Film festival line-up

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door, and Luca Guadagnino's Queer have been added to the lineup of the Toronto International Film Festival. These films are part of a group of 19 new titles, bringing the total number of movies at this year's festival to 276.

Megalopolis, featuring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel, was one of the most discussed and polarizing films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The Room Next Door marks Almodóvar's first English-language feature, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, while Queer is Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burroughs' 1985 novel, also premiering at Venice.

Other notable additions include the world premiere of Nick Hamm’s William Tell, a drama starring Claes Bang as the Swiss folk hero, with Golshifteh Farahani, Jonathan Pryce, and Ben Kingsley; Shell by Max Minghella, featuring Elisabeth Moss as an actress growing suspicious of a wellness company run by Kate Hudson; The Salt Path, directed by Marianne Elliott, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as a couple on a 600-mile journey after being evicted; and the documentary Paul Anka: His Way, directed by John Maggio.

The festival will also feature special screenings of the 1994 film Double Happiness and the Oscar-nominated 2014 drama Whiplash, with directors Mina Shum and Damien Chazelle in attendance.

Paramount starts layoffs

Paramount, the troubled entertainment giant, has begun its first round of layoffs under the leadership of co-CEOs Brian Robbins, Chris McCarthy, and George Cheeks. This move is part of their long-term strategic plan announced in June. The layoffs, set to occur in three phases, will reduce the company’s U.S. workforce by 15%, with about 90% of the cuts expected to be completed by the end of September, according to an internal memo obtained by TheWrap. The cuts will reportedly affect between 2,000 and 3,000 employees.

As part of the restructuring, Paramount Television Studios will be shut down, with its current and upcoming show productions transitioning to CBS Studios. This move is part of $500 million in previously announced cost-cutting measures, aimed at eliminating redundant functions and streamlining corporate teams. Impacted areas include marketing, communications, finance, legal, technology, and other support functions.

These layoffs contribute to a larger plan to reduce costs by $2 billion in connection with Skydance Media’s pending merger with Paramount Global. The $8 billion deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approval and other standard closing conditions.

Welcome

 Welcome to the new Movies1 Blog from the Movies1.tv website, written for people who love movies by people who are passionate about film