NEW YORK (AP) -- Steven Spielberg's newspaper drama "The Post" was named the year's best film by the National Board of Review, which also lavished its top acting honors on the film's stars, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The group announced its picks Tuesday on Twitter. Though the organization spread its awards around, it reserved three of its top slots for Spielberg's upcoming period film about The Washington Post's publishing of the Pentagon Papers. Streep plays Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham and... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Documentaries about Robin Williams, Gloria Allred and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a Lizzie Borden film with Kristen Stewart, and Debra Granik’s long-awaited follow up to “Winter’s Bone” are among the 110 features set to premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute announced the diverse lineup of films Wednesday for the annual festival held in Park City, Utah. Festival programmers say the films this year highlight the stories of alternative voices and points of view, including... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Directors Guild of America (DGA) membership has overwhelmingly ratified the new collective bargaining agreement between the Guild and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). “From increases in wages and benefit contributions to gains in safety, we entered into negotiations with the goal of achieving the best possible deal for our members who work in the commercial production industry,” said Thomas Schlamme, president of the DGA. “Thanks to the DGA negotiations committee and... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Tompa and Rondo, the creative directorial duo consisting of Tomas Skoging and Filip Nilsson, have joined RSA Films for commercial representation in the U.S. Skoging is co-founder/director of acclaimed Swedish creative collective Acne and Nilsson spent over two decades as the creative leader of Forsman and Bodenfors, transforming the small startup in Gothenburg, Sweden, into a prominent global creative agency. Formed only one year ago, Tompa and Rondo have turned out epic storytelling for IKEA... Read More, Comment
JERSEY CITY, NJ -- Director Michael Somoroff and veteran executive producer Jack Cohn have launched content production company Somoroff+ Studios. Housed at an international art destination, Mana Contemporary in Jersey City--the sprawling arts complex just 15 minutes from SoHo--the new studio is designed to meet the needs of global marketers and their ad agencies. Somoroff is an accomplished tabletop director whose career includes extensive credentials, both in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to launching Somoroff+... Read More, Comment
VENICE, Calif. -- Saville Productions has signed two-time Academy Award-nominated documentary film director Dan Krauss for branded content representation in the U.S. Krauss earned his first Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar nod in 2006 for The Life of Kevin Carter . He returned to the Oscar nominees circle in the same category earlier this year for Extremis . Krauss’ accolades go beyond the Oscar realm. He won The Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Truer than Fiction... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Directors Kate and Laura Mulleavy have joined the roster of Anonymous Content for spots and branded content. This marks the first career commercial representation for the sister duo. The move comes on the heels of Kate and Laura Mulleavy making their feature film debut with the drama Woodshock starring Kirsten Dunst, and just months after presenting the spring 2018 couture collection for their own fashion label, Rodarte, during Paris Haute Couture Week. “Kate and Laura are exceptionally... Read More, Comment
BOULDER, Colo. -- CP+B will be closing its Miami office in March of 2018. Over the course of the next several months, the focus will be on winding down and relocating operations. The Miami office is CP+B’s smallest U.S. shop, and the agency’s Miami accounts will move to Boulder, Los Angeles and São Paulo. The agency also has offices in London, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Beijing. “The DNA of CP+B centers around incredibly talented people doing extraordinary things. It’s our obligation to our employees and our... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Gifted Youth, the creative commercial production division of Funny or Die, has added director Trevor Clarence to its U.S. roster, marking the South African’s introduction to the American ad market. Clarence has garnered international acclaim for his work with KFC, KitKat and Volkswagen, among other brands, while headlining his own production boutique in Johannesburg. On the awards front, he has won multiple Loeries (South Africa’s mainstay award show), including Gold for his SABC Audience... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Director/DP Damien Toogood has signed with Accomplice Media for U.S. representation, and stepped straight into working with DDB San Francisco and its creative director Sam Brown. “Damien’s visual style and quirkiness, when it came to casting, were exactly what we were looking for,” Brown said. “Utilizing his skills in cinematography, in addition to his directing talent, made our collaboration a smooth and exciting process. He’s also a very funny guy!” Toogood was previously represented by... Read More, Comment
VENICE, Calif. -- Production house Durable Goods has signed director Sebastien Guy for U.S. commercial representation. He recently teamed with the company to direct a spot for UNTUCKit which airs on broadcast and online. Guy’s directing credits span spots for such brands as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Canon, Olay, Nokia, Oral B. Tresemme, Ford, McDonald’s, Snickers and Amnesty International. The Los Angeles/Sydney-based director/writer brings a cinematic quality to his branded work, leveraging his experience both in... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Like an avenging character straight out of one of his films, writer-director Taylor Sheridan said he was not going to let "Wind River" stay in Harvey Weinstein's control. The Weinstein Co. acquired his film and released it theatrically in August, positioning the Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner drama as a possible awards contender. But Sheridan's film was about sexual violence against young women on a tribal reservation, and suddenly Weinstein was being accused of similar things. For Sheridan... Read More, Comment
TORONTO (AP) -- It's a long distance from Sid Vicious to Winston Churchill, and a greater leap, still, from Dracula to "Darkest Hour." Gary Oldman, character-actor maverick, has taken up perhaps his biggest — and most buttoned-down — challenge. For even a veteran chameleon like Oldman who has a way of hiding in plain sight, the task of tackling such a heroic titan of 20th century history is a leap. If he can disappear behind just glasses (2011's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") or merely a mustache (1989's "The... Read More, Comment
The hours move slowly in "Call Me by Your Name ." It's summertime in Northern Italy in 1983 on a secluded 17th century villa, where life among the antiquities is beautifully tranquil and nothing is ever pressing. There is time to read the paper in the morning, while delicately picking at a soft-boiled egg. There is time to dally around with the locals at the lake for endless stretches or pop into a card game while in town "running errands." Shirts are optional, shoes are too, bathing suits are... Read More, Comment
The great playwright Eugene O'Neil looms as large over Woody Allen's latest film as the giant Ferris wheel that dominates the movie's Coney Island setting. It's not exactly clear whether "Wonder Wheel " is an ambitious homage to O'Neil or a blatant theft of his work. Either way, it will be hard going for even the biggest Allen fan. It's pitch dark, with little of Allen's signature quirk and plenty of stilted dialogue. "Oh God, spare me the bad drama!" one character wails at the end and you'll... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There are bad movies, and then there is "The Room," a spectacularly bizarre independent drama from 2003 starring, written, financed and directed by Tommy Wiseau, a unique-looking and accented man of ambiguous age and origin. "The Room" tells the story of a San Francisco banker, Johnny (Wiseau), whose fiancé, Lisa, and best friend, Mark, have an affair. And it is bafflingly awful — scenes are out of focus, plotlines are left dangling, soft-core sex scenes leave you cringing and the dialogue... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- The head of the Federal Communications Commission defended his plan to undo the country's net-neutrality rules by bringing the culture wars to telecommunications policy. There has been constant media coverage since Chairman Ajit Pai last week unveiled his plan to gut the Obama-era net neutrality rules, which were meant to keep broadband providers from playing favorites with websites and apps. Tech companies, including Airbnb, Etsy and Twitter, sent him a letter in support of the current rules... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Midge Maisel has everything she imagined as a New York City woman in 1958: perfect husband, two cute kids and a "classic six" apartment on Riverside Drive. Then, by chance, Midge scratches an itch she never dreamed she had when she unleashes her robust comic sensibility on the stage of a Greenwich Village nightclub. By then, her family life is in turmoil. All the better for fueling her fledgling stand-up career, which is pushed along by the gruff barmaid who hires herself to be Midge's manager... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC News fired longtime "Today" show host Matt Lauer on Wednesday for "inappropriate sexual behavior," making him the second morning television show personality to lose his job because of sexual misconduct charges in a week. Lauer's co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of Wednesday's "Today" show. Last week, CBS News fired Charlie Rose after complaints from several women who worked for him. NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the network had received a complaint from a... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Powered by football and “The Voice,” NBC won a second consecutive weekly ratings contest and narrowed the gap with front-runner CBS among total viewers for the TV season so far. For the year to date, NBC has climbed within 902,000 viewers of CBS, the narrowest gap in 15 years, according to Nielsen figures released Tuesday. Longtime leader CBS has drawn 9.9 million viewers compared to NBC’s 9 million. Networks usually tout their showing among advertiser-favored young adults ages 18 to 49, but... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pixar's "Coco" sang its way to the fourth best Thanksgiving weekend ever with an estimated $71.2 million over the five-day weekend, a total that easily toppled Warner Bros.' "Justice League." "Coco" rode strong reviews and an A-plus CinemaScore from audiences to the top spot at the domestic box office. According to studio estimates Sunday, it grossed $49 million from Friday to Sunday. Centered on the Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), "Coco" has already set box office records... Read More, Comment
Directed by Moth Studio via Hornet for The Richards Group, this animation campaign for the Salvation Army tells different stories about hardship and what generosity means to those in need--as well as to those who give. One of those public service spots introduces us to Emma, an elderly homeless woman who remembers her childhood when she had a roof over her head. Back then, she loved holiday dinners when family got together and listened to Xmas music. She particularly enjoyed a piece of pie for... Read More, Comment
German agency Jung von Matt/Neckar created Guter Stoff ( Good Material ), a film for German energy company EnBW, to celebrate green energy. The agency chose to take a humorous approach to the project, a departure from the norm for this product category. Produced by Hamburg-based studio Sehsucht and directed by Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, the animated spot features three birds who enjoy the effects of getting “a buzz” from the green electricity lines they are sitting on. A buzzed pigeon... Read More, Comment
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) celebrates the season with a charming film that connects the brand with the magic of the holidays. DFC’s holiday campaign by DDB Canada in Toronto shares a story of what happens to the milk children lay out for Santa on Christmas Eve. “Milk plays an integral role in the long-standing tradition of leaving a glass out for Santa on Christmas Eve,” explains Sébastien Bergeron, assistant director, Mmarketing, DFC. “Our holiday campaign celebrates this cultural moment to... Read More, Comment
Jake Scott of RSA directed this spot for McCann NY titled “Bodega Cat” promoting the New York Lottery’s Holiday Scratch-Off games. Featured in this commercial is one of those lovable and furry feline mascots/symbols of NY delis and corner stores. This particular Bodega Cat, named Cyrus, wants than to warm the heart of its store owner during the holidays. So the cat embarks on a long journey into the cold night and through a festive and snowy New York to deliver a little cheer in the most... Read More, Comment
Beats by Dr. Dre launched a new #AboveTheNoise campaign film featuring Serena Williams, Neymar Jr., Cara Delevingne, Michael K. Williams, and Kris Wu. In a loud world full of distractions, it’s never been more important to rise Above The Noise. Directed by Terence Neale via Park Pictures for agency JohnXHannes, the short film Above The Noise” focuses on notables who have all faced noise and adversity, and continue to rise above it--while heralding the next generation of kids blocking out the... Read More, Comment
This TV spot kicks off the “Born Confident” campaign for Volkswagen created by adam&eveDDB in London and DDB Berlin/Hamburg. It tells the story of a young ram, who is born with thick black fur and the horns of a fully grown ram. From day one, the ram exudes confidence, leading his herd of sheep, standing up to a sheep dog, the farmer, and an intimidating bull. But when the ram encounters the new VW T-Roc SUV, he realizes that he has finally met his match. The TV ad was directed by Somesuch’... Read More, Comment
Toyotathon is back for its 38th year with a 100-second holiday commercial, a first in the broadcast industry, that showcases a family’s multigenerational story. “R+S” premiered Tuesday night, November 28, on NBC during “The Voice” in an isolated pod, with no other advertising or promotional spots surrounding it. This 100-second spot comes at a time when most networks are reducing commercial time. “R+S” unfolds like a film as it tells a family’s multigenerational story using a much loved family... Read More, Comment
BBDO Toronto has partnered with R.I.D.E. CHECKS and medical marijuana producer, Beleave, to create “Consequence Strains,” three new cannabis strains that expose the consequences of driving high The cannabis information resource Leafly.com lists 779 known marijuana strains, yet whimsical names like Laughing Grass and Candy Cane Brain fail to convey the potentially life-changing consequences of smoking and driving. High driving is on the rise in Canada. Nearly 500,000 Canadians have admitted to... Read More, Comment
AJ Bleyer of above + beyond films directed this spot featuring beatboxer/musician Reggie Watts musically demonstrating the benefits of Firefox’s new, faster browser. The premise has two Reggies in the (split) picture--one a slow, bored Watts waiting for an even slower browser to do its thing. The other, a hyper-energetic Watts, is in the fast Firefox environ where there’s little wait time to load a file, Eventually slow Watts moves over to join his speedy counterpart and the fast responsive... Read More, Comment