The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that Academy Award®-nominated director and producer Ridley Scott will be honored by AFI Fest 2017 with a tribute and world premiere closing night gala screening of TriStar Pictures’ All The Money In The World on Thursday, November 16, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The tribute will celebrate Scott’s legendary filmmaking career with a moderated discussion of his work followed by the screening of the Scott-directed All The Money In The World starring Academy Award® nominees Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams, and Academy Award® winner Kevin Spacey.
“For five decades, Ridley Scott’s tremendous visions of cities, new worlds, histories and science have transformed and influenced not only film, but our culture,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, AFI Fest director. “We’re honored to be celebrating the artistry of a director whose work has had an indelible influence on cinema culture, and the lexicon of visual style.”
One of our most prolific directors and producers, Scott is a four-time Academy Award® nominee–Best Picture for The Martian (2015) and Best Director for Black Hawk Down (2001), Gladiator (2000) and Thelma & Louise (1991). Additional films include Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Black Rain (1989), G.I. Jane (1997), Matchstick Men (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), American Gangster (2007), Robin Hood (2010), Prometheus (2012), The Counselor (2013), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and Alien: Covenant (2017).
All The Money In The World follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Kevin Spacey) to pay the ransom. When Getty, Sr., refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.
TriStar Pictures’ and Imperative Entertainment’s All The Money In The World is written by David Scarpa, based on the book by John Pearson. Produced by Scott, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Quentin Curtis, Chris Clark, Mark Huffam and Kevin Walsh, the film stars Williams, Spacey, Wahlberg, Plummer, Romain Duris and Timothy Hutton.
The film debuts in theaters this December.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More