Hollywood
Sony Pictures unveils exciting 2015 line-up
MUMBAI: Starting the year with the comedy Sharafat Gaye Tel Lene hitting theatres on 16 January 2014, Sony Pictures has a fantastic lineup of movies that include Hollywood comedy The Wedding Ringer about a best man on hire, starring top comic Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting.
That is not all! Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie with Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman is next on the list, featuring a story about a robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
Summer releases include the successful horror franchise Insidious, which takes the story back to the beginning. This will be followed by Pixels, a unique action comedy about aliens, directed by Chris Columbus and the comedy Grimsby, co-written by Sacha Baron Cohen.
After which, the film, Ricki and The Flash directed by Jonathan Demme will feature a story about an ageing rocker played by Meryl Streep.
The last quarter of the year will see Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Kingsley, based on the true story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
The year ends with a bang with the highly anticipated James Bond film, Spectre releasing in early November, followed by the Genndy Tartakovsky-directed follow-up to the record-smashing Hotel Transylvania.
Sony Pictures India managing director Kercy Daruwala said, “In 2014 we released the biggest film of the year with The Amazing Spiderman 2 and consolidated our leadership position with five out of the top ten Hollywood films in India of all time. Our 2015 line-up promises an even more exciting year ahead, with the distribution of some local films, the scope of a sure-shot blockbuster like Spectre plus a very rich variety of other promising titles.”
Sony Pictures India director of marketing Divya Pathak added, “2014 was a very exciting and challenging year for us in which we took movie marketing where it’s never gone before, to all corners of the country, with franchises like Spider-Man. We are enthusiastic about our diverse and unique 2015 line-up and look forward to reaching new heights in marketing innovation.”
Sony Pictures India director of sales Appu said, “Our fantastic slate in 2015 holds equal promise for both audiences and exhibitors. With the Bond film slated for a release in the next diwali season, we intend to literally light up the box office.”
Hollywood
Did the ballet and opera controversy cost Timothée Chalamet his Oscar?
The actor’s ‘dying art forms’ comments may have danced away his Oscar chances.
LOS ANGELES: Last night, the 98th Academy Awards delivered a performance that wasn’t in the script, as Michael B. Jordan clinched the Best Actor statue, leaving Timothée Chalamet’s widely predicted win to pirouette away into the night. While Chalamet was long considered the frontrunner for his starring turn in Marty Supreme, many are whispering that a singular, ill-timed performance, not on screen but on the campaign trail, may have rewritten the finale.
For months, the narrative surrounding the race had a singular star, Chalamet, the critics’ darling and the bookies’ bet. However, the closing numbers saw a dramatic plot twist. Chalamet found himself upstaged not just by his fellow nominees but by the ghost of public opinion, following remarks he made during a Variety and CNN actor-on-actor conversation in February.
What started as a breezy discussion turned distinctly frosty when Chalamet, the conversation’s designated trendsetter, took aim at some classical institutions. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, where no one is interested anymore,” he said, before branding them “dying art forms.”
The backlash was swift and, unfortunately for Chalamet’s campaign, star-studded. For the film industry, an establishment that often fancies itself as the glamorous custodian of the high arts, the actor’s comments didn’t just strike a bum note. They sounded like a discordant symphony. Academy heavyweights, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg, publicly voiced their disapproval. Spielberg himself countered that the “cinematic experience” and classical performance are bound by a similar dedication to audience engagement, effectively suggesting that Chalamet’s view was perhaps a bit too modern for its own good.
The conversation quickly became a media maelstrom. In a masterstroke of high-culture clapback, renowned ballerina Misty Copeland didn’t just issue a statement. The Academy even choreographed a surprise performance by her for the ceremony itself, a powerful, wordless rebuttal that many saw as a direct riposte to Chalamet’s dismissive claims. Even regional arts institutions joined the choreography. The Seattle Opera offered a cheeky “TIMOTHEE” discount, granting a 14 percent markdown to prove that people do, in fact, care.
Did this cultural counterpoint truly cost Chalamet his win? While some industry insiders argue that Michael B. Jordan’s complex dual performance in Sinners, a performance that also swept the SAG Awards, had simply built up too much momentum, the timing of Chalamet’s comments was undeniably poor. Coming as final Oscar voting began, they arguably soured his narrative and made a vote for him feel, to some, like a vote against artistic unity.
Even the ceremony itself wasn’t finished with the narrative. Host Conan O’Brien, whose sharp tongue is a celebrated feature of these galas, didn’t miss a beat. “Security is extremely tight tonight,” O’Brien jibed during his opening monologue, glancing toward the front row. “I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities. They’re just mad you left out jazz!”
The laughter that followed was pointed, a final public curtain call for a controversy that Chalamet likely wished had closed weeks ago. Whether it was a case of genuine peer disapproval, a sudden surge in support for Jordan’s powerhouse performance, or simply a case of poor footwork on the campaign stage, the ballet and opera debacle has now cemented its place in Oscar history. Chalamet’s experience serves as a clear memo to future contenders. Even when you are the headline act, a solo performance can still fall flat if you forget to play to the entire house.
