World Movie News: The Last 24 Hours
A new horror sequel claws into US cinemas today, European film and British PR both lost respected figures over the weekend, and the streaming calendar for the rest of the month is starting to take shape.
Here’s what’s happened over the last 24 hours.
Horror fans in the US finally catch up with Evil Dead Burn today, the latest and bloodiest instalment in Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’s long-running franchise, starring Luciane Buchanan as a woman who discovers her in-laws are turning into Deadites one by one after her husband’s death. In the UK we had a head start, with the film in cinemas since July 9 (and probably exiting soon). (I personally found the violence overly gratuitous… read my review here and Featured on the latest Flickering Dreams podcast here.)
French and Bulgarian cinema are mourning Natalia Dontcheva, the Bulgarian-born actress based in France who died Saturday at 56 after what her stepson described as a ten-year battle with illness. Dontcheva, the daughter of actor Plamen Donchev, was best known to French TV audiences for her recurring role in TF1’s adaptation of Doc Martin, and to festival audiences for Lady J and Sashinka, the latter earning her a Prix Iris nomination. Her agent called her “a profoundly talented artist and woman of great sensitivity.”
Closer to home, British entertainment PR has lost one of its best-known figures: Neil Reading, whose client list included John Cleese and Lenny Henry, has died at 56 following a short illness. Reading ran his own well-regarded firm, Neil Reading PR, and was a familiar presence at UK premieres and press days for decades; tributes have poured in from clients and colleagues across the industry.
On the streaming front, the picture for the rest of August is filling out nicely for readers either side of the pond: Starz are adding the billion-dollar Michael Jackson biopic Michael on August 10, HBO Max picks up A24’s Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway, which is well-worth seeing, and Prime Video adds the well-reviewed but under-seen Is God Is (not one that I’ve seen). The UK release windows for most of these titles typically follow within a few weeks of the US streaming date, so worth keeping an eye out.
Elsewhere, the box office conversation is still all about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Sony now openly discussing a run at $2 billion worldwide after its record $927 million opening weekend, while family audiences have PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie to look forward to, with early preview screenings starting today ahead of its wider run. I’m off with two of my grandsons, 6 and 3, to see that later today so wish me luck!
That’s all for today. More as the week develops.
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