Tag: Green Book

  • ‘Green Book’: The Feel-Good Oscar Contender Has a ‘Magical Negro’ Problem — Analysis

    ‘Green Book’: The Feel-Good Oscar Contender Has a ‘Magical Negro’ Problem — Analysis

    Dr. Donald W. Shirley was a piano prodigy of Jamaican descent who had mastered much of the standard concert repertory by age 10. “His virtuosity is worthy of gods,” Igor Stravinsky once said. Yet the idiosyncratic Shirley has been reduced to one of cinema’s long-standing racist stock characters in Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book.”To be fair,…

  • ‘Green Book’: Viggo Mortensen Talks Peter Farrelly’s Dramatic Chops, ‘Lord Of The Rings’ & More

    ‘Green Book’: Viggo Mortensen Talks Peter Farrelly’s Dramatic Chops, ‘Lord Of The Rings’ & More

    “Green Book” marks Viggo Mortensen‘s 50th silver screen credit to be released. The diligent actor is constantly looking for the unknown, that project that will challenge him, mentally and emotionally. Since retiring his crown as Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, he’s had a chance to do just that: branch out. “Eastern Promises,”…

  • Is ‘Green Book’ Woke Enough? Does It Need to Be? (Column)

    Is ‘Green Book’ Woke Enough? Does It Need to Be? (Column)

    When “Green Book” premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the response to it was ecstatic. Audiences gave it rapturous ovations and voted it their favorite movie of the festival, and critics swooned. Many of us felt that “Green Book,” directed with grace and crack timing by Peter Farrelly (from a script he co-wrote…

  • ‘Green Book’ Exclusive Clip: Mahershala Ali Shows Off His Piano Skills In The Crowd-Pleasing Oscar Contender

    ‘Green Book’ Exclusive Clip: Mahershala Ali Shows Off His Piano Skills In The Crowd-Pleasing Oscar Contender

    Odds are, you’ve probably already heard quite a bit about the film “Green Book,” which expands nationwide just in time for Thanksgiving. The film, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, tells the true story of a white bouncer-turned-driver that acts as a bodyguard for the highly-respected Black pianist, Dr. Don Shirley, as they embark…

  • Will Viggo Mortensen’s Racial Slur Doom His Oscar Chances?

    Will Viggo Mortensen’s Racial Slur Doom His Oscar Chances?

    The controversy over Viggo Mortensen’s use of the N-word during a recent Q&A for his movie “Green Book” appears to be over, but can he and the film recover enough to emerge as a genuine awards contender?In the immediate days following the incident, glowing profiles in the likes of USA Today and think pieces over…

  • ‘Robin Hood’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending

    ‘Robin Hood’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending

    In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the TV advertising attention analytics company iSpot.tv, Lionsgate claims the top spot in spending with “Robin Hood.”Ads placed for the action-adventure remake had an estimated media value of $7.88 million through Sunday for 1,037 national ad airings on 35 networks. (Spend figures are…

  • Film News Roundup: Palm Springs Film Festival Honors ‘Green Book’ With Vanguard Award

    Film News Roundup: Palm Springs Film Festival Honors ‘Green Book’ With Vanguard Award

    In today’s film news roundup, “Green Book” gets a festival honor, the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild names lifetime achievement winners, and indies “Tyger Tyger” and “Sons of the Cross” are heading into production.HonorsThe Palm Springs International Film Festival will present the drama “Green Book” with the Vanguard Award at its annual film awards…

  • ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Tops, but ‘Widows’ Tells a Sad Story

    ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Tops, but ‘Widows’ Tells a Sad Story

    When a film opens to over $60 million like “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” you could call it the top story and go from there. However, there’s just as much interest in the opening-weekend subplots provided by “Widows,” “Instant Family,” and “Green Book.” These results are not encouraging; in the cases of “Widows” and…

  • ‘Green Book’: Will Word of Mouth Save the Wobbly Oscar Contender?

    ‘Green Book’: Will Word of Mouth Save the Wobbly Oscar Contender?

    Two high-level openings with Oscar hopes, Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” (Universal) and Julian Schnabel’s “At Eternity’s Gate” (CBS), dominate the new releases entering the crowded and volatile specialized award season marketplace. “Green Book” is struggling to pull audiences with a multi-city opening at top theaters. The true 60s story starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali…

  • ‘The Grinch’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending

    ‘The Grinch’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending

    In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the TV advertising attention analytics company iSpot.tv, Universal Pictures claims the top spot in spending with “The Grinch.”Ads placed for the remake of the Christmas classic had an estimated media value of $9.28 million through Sunday for 1,903 national ad airings on 49…