ICL professor warns against early lockdown lifting
Professor Azra Ghani of Imperial College London warns against the UK lifting lockdown restrictions too early and potentially causing a new, deadly wave of Covid infections.
Professor Azra Ghani of Imperial College London warns against the UK lifting lockdown restrictions too early and potentially causing a new, deadly wave of Covid infections.
Manchester United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is expecting UEFA's Champions League reforms to include a bigger role for clubs in the "governance and control" of the competition. UEFA has been negotiating a new format for the Champions League, to be introduced in 2024, with a bigger group stage, more games and 36 instead of 32 clubs. Woodward is a board member of the European Club Association, which represents the top clubs in UEFA and who have been involved in talks with the governing body over the reforms.
An extra-time goal from Alex Berenguer sealed Athletic Bilbao's place in a second successive Copa del Rey final after they beat Levante 2-1 (3-2 on aggregate) on Thursday. The Basque side will play Real Sociedad in last season's postponed Copa final on April 4 before taking on Barcelona in this year's a fortnight later. Roger Marti opened the scoring for Levante after 17 minutes with a close-range finish.
“Impeachment: American Crime Story” has found its Hillary Clinton in Emmy Award-winning actress Edie Falco. She is the latest high-profile star to join the series, which will detail the events surrounding the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. It was previously announced that Beanie Feldstein will star as Monica Lewinsky, with Clive Owen as Bill Clinton, […]
Manchester United posted increased revenue and profits for the three months to the end of December 2020 thanks to a broadcasting boom from a return to the Champions League.
Imax CEO Richard Gelfond on Thursday said his large-format theater company stands to “benefit” as Hollywood studios abandon the traditional 90-day windows between movies hitting theaters and heading to consumers on demand. “Imax is going to benefit from that, and the reason is, more of the value proposition is going to go to the backend of the release,” Gelfond said during Imax’s investor call on Thursday. “As windows get shorter, studios and talent are going to be more focused on how to create an event around their movie and how to make their movie stands out. We started to see some of that already– as windows have moved around, a lot of talent and directors have been in touch and asked how we can do more Imax with our movies.” Since Imax releases tend to be focused more on bigger-budget tentpole films — and include a premium charge for ticket buyers — both the company and studios stand to gain from a heightened theatrical experience. “If you are company who owns a streamer and studio, you want to find a way to find the biggest profit for that property,” he said. “There have been studies shown that when people see a movie in Imax, they like it better.” Indeed, we’ve already seen those moves. Over the weekend, Zack Snyder teased a black and white version of his “Justice League” version called “Justice Is Gray” that will be on HBO Max, but did not announce any further details. He also revealed that he shot in the 1.43:1 ratio in hopes that the movie will be released in Imax theaters once conditions permit, adding “to me the ultimate version is the black and white Imax version.” Also Read: Netflix 'Enthusiastic' About Shrinking Theatrical Windows: 'It's What Consumers Want' Several major studios have made significant moves to curtail the theatrical window in recent months, though the length of that window has varied based on the studio. Universal was the first to do so through an agreement with AMC Theaters and Cinemark to release films on PVOD as early as 17 days after theatrical release, or 31 days if the film earns a domestic opening of over $50 million. Warner Bros. went further, announcing that all of its 2021 films would be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, though that move was staunchly opposed by major theater chains. Disney has not made a slate-wide decision on the theatrical window for their films, but is experimenting with releasing films in theaters and on PVOD during the pandemic with “Raya and the Last Dragon.” And last week, Paramount announced that it would place “Mission: Impossible 7” and “A Quiet Place: Part II” on its new Paramount+ service 45 days after theatrical release. Gelfond wasn’t opposed to shorter windows and even suggested streamers might come in to provide more content for theaters as studios shorten their windows. Also Read: Bob Bakish Thinks the Paramount+ Theatrical-Window Plan Is More 'Sustainable' Than Others “I know Apple has made some noise honoring theatrical,” he said on the call. “If windows shorten, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is content coming in from the streaming companies to make up for that [shorter window].” Cinema chains have fought to preserve 90 days of exclusivity for decades, but most companies are not in any position to push back as the pandemic has kept most theaters shuttered for the last year. It was just five years ago when Napster creator Sean Parker roiled Hollywood with his proposed company Screening Room, which would offer films to stream at home for $50 the same day they were released in theaters. The idea was heavily criticized by theater owners and other entertainment execs at CinemaCon within days of its announcement, and studios backed away from the project. Our new “normal” has shifted Gelfond’s perspective just because there might finally be some “certainty” around what the future of the industry will look like. “I think certainty around windowing is a good thing — the uncertainty of windowing has been a cloud over the exhibition business for a long time and I think certainty is going to be beneficial,” he said. Jeremy Fuster contributed to this report. Read original story Imax Will ‘Benefit’ From Shorter Theatrical Windows, CEO Says At TheWrap
Children were evacuated from a school in the Eastern District of Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa, on March 4, following an 8.1-magnitude earthquake near the Kermadec Islands led to tsunami warnings across the Pacific.The earthquake, which struck in the morning, was the strongest of three large quakes recorded in the region in less than 24 hours.This footage shows students evacuating from Samoana High School, located in Utulei, American Samoa. After initially issuing a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for coastal areas, authorities downgraded guidance to a tsunami advisory. Credit: Dakota Sofa via Storyful
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will address his nation on Friday, kicking off an annual legislative session that is expected to further tighten Beijing's grip on Hong Kong.
This story about “Onward” first appeared in the Oscar Nominations Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine Dan Scanlon now holds a rather strange place in movie history. His Pixar film, “Onward,” was the last film standing at No. 1 at the box office before movie theaters across the nation were forced to close by the pandemic. But even though his film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks, he was heartened by how families embraced “Onward” in quarantine. “This movie is so much about trying to make the most of what you have when something is missing or there is someone you can’t be with, and I think that’s something a lot of people have been grappling with in lockdown,” Scanlon said. “People would send me pictures of their families turning their living rooms into a movie theater and kids making hand-drawn movie tickets, and I was so heartened that people were able to enjoy that experience.” “Onward” is part of a proud Pixar tradition of animators putting a deeply personal part of themselves into their work. The fantasy film about Ian and Barley, a pair of teen elf brothers who go on a quest to bring their father back from the dead for one day was based on Scanlon’s own late father who passed when he was very young. Over the course of making “Onward,” Scanlon learned two important lessons from his Pixar peers: Don’t be afraid about oversharing, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Also Read: Why Delroy Lindo's Soliloquy in 'Da 5 Bloods' Differs From His Shakespeare Roles “When you’re writing a character based on yourself, the first few cracks at him are going to be pretty mean to that character and apologetic to everyone else,” Scanlon said about writing Ian, who learns to come to terms with the loss of his father as he becomes a powerful wizard. In the film, Ian is a very shy, socially-awkward teen, but in the first draft of the script, he was far more selfish and antisocial, something that he was encouraged to let go of in later drafts. “If you’re even slightly self-aware, there’s a tendency as a writer to write a character based on you as a jerk because of guilt on how you behaved, and that’s step one to being honest with oneself.” Scanlon is now passing those lessons on to the next wave of Pixar animators working on deeply personal films. Among them are Domee Shi, who won an Oscar with the animated short “Bao” and is now working on her feature debut “Turning Red” about a girl who turns into a panda when she gets too excited. There’s also “Luca,” a film heavily inspired by director Enrico Casarosa’s memories of growing up in Genoa. Also Read: How Chadwick Boseman Brought 'Grace and Grit' to His Final Film Roles “All of us directors talk to each other and I’ve told people, ‘There’s going to be a point where you’re worried that you’re sharing too much, but push that aside. If you’re oversharing, we’ll tell you, but don’t hold yourself back,'” he said. “We’re all here to make art, to learn about each other and connect, and that what makes me so excited when we start a new Pixar film because it means we’re going to learn more about Enrico’s life or Domee’s life. It’s going to have specificity to a person’s life.” That also applies to “Soul,” which was developed at the same time as “Onward” and were both made through a tight partnership between Scanlon and “Soul” director Pete Docter. Both men were executive producers on each other’s films, and Scanlon has memories of many meetings where the conversation would start with Ian and Barley and end with Joe Gardner and 22. “Really, the job of an executive producer is to be a pair of extra eyes and to ask questions about whatever is being worked on,” he said. “For Pete and I to both be helping each other…there’s a great mentor/mentee relationship going on. I’ve learned a lot from him and he’s said he’s learned a lot from me as well.” Read more from the Nominations Preview issue here. Read original story ‘Onward’ Director ‘Heartened’ That His Film Became a Refuge for Families During Lockdown At TheWrap
The rollout of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine began in Connecticut on March 4, with several front line workers receiving the vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford.Footage taken by Hartford HealthCare shows a health care worker administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to several people.Connecticut Gov Ned Lamont tweeted on March 5 that a total of 1,042,534 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the state. Credit: Hartford HealthCare via Storyful
Heavy snow accumulated quickly in parts of Colorado Thursday, March 4, making roads icy, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported.Footage taken by Tak Landrock shows big flakes falling in Colorado Springs, covering the streets in his neighborhood.A winter weather advisory was expanded to include the Southern Front Range Foothills across Jefferson and Douglas counties as the NWS forecast three to seven inches of snow.Snow was expected to persist into Thursday evening. Credit: Tak Landrock via Storyful
Benfica booked their place in the Portuguese Cup final with a 2-0 victory (5-1 on aggregate) over Estoril on Thursday. The Primeira Liga side took the lead two minutes from the break through Goncalo Ramos, before substitute Luca Waldschmidt netted in stoppage time at the end of the second-half. Benfica will face Braga in May's final after Carlos Carvalhal's side beat Porto 3-2 at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday to record a 4-3 aggregate win.
Chelsea moved into the Premier League's top four as Mason Mount's superb first-half goal earned them a 1-0 win at champions Liverpool who suffered a club-record fifth straight home league defeat on Thursday. Mount cut in to curl a low shot past Liverpool keeper Alisson in the 42nd minute, after Timo Werner had earlier had a goal disallowed, to give Chelsea a deserved halftime lead. Thomas Tuchel's side then showed great defensive discipline to stand firm in the second period as Liverpool improved.
Chelsea gained the upper hand in a tight battle for a place in next season's Champions League by inflicting Liverpool's fifth consecutive home defeat as Mason Mount's winner earned a 1-0 win on Thursday.
Though there have been occasions to wish he didn’t write so much of it, nobody writes dialogue quite like Quentin Tarantino. We know that because so very, very many have tried, fueling a whole subgenre of blatant “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” imitations that mercifully began subsiding around the turn of the millennium, but still […]
DraftKings will offer an assortment of betting opportunities for fans including in-game promotions, in-broadcast odds integrations, and prop bets. "This is a massive deal that will benefit UFC, DraftKings, and most of all the fans," UFC President Dana White said in a statement.
Roger Nils-Jones Karlsson, 45, communicated with his victims encouraging their investment in various fictitious schemes.
Bitcoin prices quadrupled last year and have rallied 66% this year on speculation the cryptocurrency could serve as an inflation hedge.
The upcoming NBC drama series “La Brea” has added four new castmembers. Eoin Macken, Jack Martin, Jon Seda, and Lily Santiago have all joined the series. They join previously announced cast members Natalie Zea, Zyra Gorecki and Chiké Okonkwo. In the show, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family […]
This review of “La Llorona” was first published following its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. For his third and most tonally adventurous feature to date, socially perceptive writer-director Jayro Bustamante repurposes one of Latin America’s most ubiquitous supernatural legends to fiercely examine genocide against indigenous people in his native Guatemala. Invoking genre narrative devices, the entrancingly evocative “La Llorona” (“The Weeping Woman”) walks between fact and myth to engender a shrewdly frightening piece of political horror. Sadistic military dictator General Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz), a fictionalized incarnation of the country’s former president Efraín Ríos Montt, stands accused of sanctioning the murder of thousands of Maya Ixil people in the Central American nation between 1982 and 1983. Battling health complications but still refusing to accept any fault, Monteverde is found guilty thanks to the courageous testimony of Ixil women still mourning their dead. Bustamante shoots the courtroom as a spiritual confessional devoid of natural light. Notwithstanding the evidence, Monteverde’s accomplices in power swiftly dismiss the verdict against the ailing villain. But the citizenry won’t obediently accept the impunity. Outside the lavish Monteverde home, protesters chant for justice. The mansion that once epitomized the esteemed family’s status is now a cursed prison for all those close to the acquitted criminal. Also Read: How Guatemalan Horror Film 'La Llorona' Used Genre to Examine Genocide A chorus of voices demanding punishment for the atrocious killing campaign moves in as the new, incessant soundtrack of their lives. Sins of the past literally come knocking in this bona fide horror movie that harnesses ghosts as impalpable activists, but still fulfills its aim to strike terror into its audience — unlike the recent, disastrous American production “The Curse of La Llorona.” Breathtakingly haunting throughout, “La Llorona” benefits from the subtle hand that its director employs to intertwine commentary on pervasive racism and corruption with episodes in which the eponymous entity, which in this case clamors for his tragically deceased children in the Ixil language, makes everyone inside the property question their sanity. An earthly mysticism, connecting the lore more to the indigenous worldview than to the Catholic notions of the afterlife, manifests visually through the recurrent presence of water and wind as elemental powers of change. Also Read: 'Tina' Film Review: Tina Turner Documentary Reaches for Pain and Glory But Falls Short Nightmarish flashbacks put Monteverde’s wife Carmen (Margarita Kenéfic), a character who represents bigotry and unchecked privilege within this world, in the shoes of her husband’s victims. Though a mostly compelling concept with subtext galore regarding experiential empathy, these brightly colored segments could seem a tad obvious near the film’s resolution. Those versed on this folk tale’s details will probably anticipate the mechanics of some of its twists; however, it’s the historical lens through which they are being reinterpreted that enlivens and revamps them. As part of the multiethnic and convincing ensemble cast, actress Sabrina De La Hoz, who was stupendous in Bustamante’s “Tremors,” returns now as Natalia, the conflicted daughter of a monster — and the mother of a child with a missing father — cautiously deciphering what to believe. “Ixcanul”‘s stern María Telón takes on the role of Valeriana, the loyal housekeeper who sticks around even when all other workers have vanished, while Juan Pablo Olyslager, the lead in “Tremors,” appears here briefly playing Letona, the general’s most trusted man. Amidst the commotion, the embattled clan hires Alma (María Mercedes Coroy), an unnervingly quiet young woman whose intentions are unknown. In the nearly silent part, a remarkably inexpressive Coroy (who followed her on-screen debut in Bustamante’s “Ixcanul” with the English-language drama “Bel Canto”) speaks not in many audible lines but through piercing looks and static strength. When she looks at the camera, her unbreakable expression radiates otherworldly wrath. Later in the film, Coroy emerges from water bathed in moonlight and wearing a white dress. In that striking moment, one cannot discern whether she is an ethereal vision or a corporeal figure. Also Read: 'The World to Come' Film Review: 2 Lonely Women Find Romance in Bleak Frontier Drama Framed with magnificent rigor, cinematographer Nicolás Wong’s compositions are both beautifully painting-like and enterprising, because their point of view — behind door frames, windows, and bunk beds — resembles the perspective of someone or something peeking at the characters from those positions. This excellently crafted camera placement in service of the mood also adds dynamism to a project with limited locations. Crystalline lighting choices, particularly at night with shadows of cool blue, magnify the eeriness that pool scenes here exude by design. It’s a conversation between below-the-line craft and performance. Seeking to amass a community of storytellers with the same foresight, Bustamante has formed his own acting troupe. For many of the thespians in “La Llorona,” their careers began with him. He has nurtured these emerging talents, and in just a few years, with a trifecta of movies premiering at prime international festivals, they have exposed Guatemalan cinema to the global spotlight. If films are a force for change, there’s hardly a better case study than what Bustamante and company are sowing by digging into topics deemed controversial. A purposefully somber cry for amends and acknowledgment permeated in phantasmagoric allure, “La Llorona” is genre-bending done right in a country reckoning with its recent trauma. Rather than being a single entity represented by Alma, Bustamante’s Llorona stands in for Guatemala as a whole, crying in unison for all the children it lost at the hands of those who swore to protect them. The mist that clouds their sight and keeps them away from a transparent future can only dissipate with the winds of truth. “La Llorona” opens in limited theatrical release on March 4. Read original story ‘La Llorona’ Film Review: Jayro Bustamante Examines Real-Life Historical Horror in Impressive Third Feature At TheWrap
The industrial sector is expected to rebound from the coronavirus-led slump on vaccine rollout, introduction of the much-awaited fresh round of stimulus and the Fed's continuous support to keep interest rates low.