International
Books to read before they hit Indian theatres in 2014
MUMBAI: Here’s the review of the ninth book in the 10-part series that features books being adapted into Hollywood movies in 2014.
This Is Where I Leave You – Jonathan Tropper
It is often said that the only occasions the family comes together is either to welcome another into the clan or mourn the loss of another.
The Foxman family comes together for the first time in years to mourn the loss of their father to fulfill their father’s last dying wish which was to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. The father is survived by his wife, daughters and his son, Judd Foxman. Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public.
As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets get revealed, and old passions are reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant.
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This Is Where I Leave You is considered to be Jonathan Tropper’s most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny and an emotionally raw and honest novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind. This Is Where I Leave You currently stands at 3.90/5 of 31,313 ratings on Goodreads.
The live action motion picture adaptation of the book directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) with a screenplay by Jonathan Tropper boasts quite an interesting star cast lead by Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Connie Britton (Nashville), Rose Byrne (Damages), Abigail Spencer (Rectify), Ben Schwartz (House of Lies), Corey Stoll (The Strain), Adam Driver (Girls) with Timothy Olyphant (Justified) and Academy Award winner Jane Fonda (The Newsroom).
This Is Where I Leave You releases at a theater near you 26 September.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
