SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 66th San Francisco International Film Festival

Posted on March 22, 2023 by admin

Today, SFFILM announced the full lineup for the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), the longest-running film festival in the Americas. This year’s program, curated from over 5,000 submissions and invitations, will screen exclusively in theaters across San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley from April 13–April 23.

“It is SFFILM Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “The line-up includes a wealth of Bay Area filmmakers across all sections, and highlights new—and seminal—work from eminent filmmakers. Our curatorial team, dedicated to showcasing evocative stories, prioritized films that unite us all through cinematic expression and outstanding narrative craft. We continue SFFILM’s legacy of bringing international work to the Bay with stories from 37 countries and an exciting array of emerging artists. For the third year in a row, half of this thematically diverse program is helmed by female or non-binary filmmakers and we are so proud to share these stories with festival attendees.”

The 2023 SFFILM Festival will run in theaters across the Bay Area, including the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market, the Castro Theatre, the Premier Theater, The Walt Disney Family Museum, and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). The central hub of the Festival will be at CGV San Francisco to allow for maximum viewing; this location will also feature a hospitality lounge presented by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for guests to meet and mingle with each other in between screenings.

“We are thrilled to bring an array of exciting new films and filmmakers to our discerning and passionate Bay Area film lovers,” said Anne Lai, Executive Director of SFFILM. “Each year, our Festival unites us both inside and outside of theaters where we engage in conversations across audiences, filmmakers, industry guests, and others who help us deepen our understanding of the craft, and of the fascinating world we all share. I am particularly delighted that in addition to hosting screenings in venues across the Bay Area, we will have a Festival hub at the CGV San Francisco. We are excited to host a space this year that harnesses the energy of multiple screens. As audiences gravitate towards different fare, they will also be able to spend time in a gathering place designed to create connection, possibility, and opportunity with one another. Find your spot, and we’ll see you there.”
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WonderCon 2023 Is Set For This Weekend

Posted on March 21, 2023 by admin

WonderCon 2023 is set to be held this weekend, March 24th-26th at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The event is set to feature features 900+ exhibitors in a 412,000 square foot Exhibit Hall filled with comics, original art, toys, and merchandise from many popular artists, publishers, and retailers.

Among this year’s special guests include award-winning comic book writer Jason Aaron, animator and director Tom Cook, and comic book and television writer Mark Stephen Evanier among many others. To see the full list of programs and guests here. https://comic-con.org/wca/2023/special-guests

Tickets are on sale online or in person. You can click here to buy tickets.

WonderCon 2023 also showcases exclusive movie and television programming, panels featuring the top comics publishers in the country, anime, autographs, games, the Masquerade, and portfolio review.

Don’t leave yourself feeling famished after a day of fun! Find out which fabulous Food Trucks will be at WonderCon by following this link. From frankfurters to falafel, feast fancily on fare from far and wide at WonderCon 2023! https://t.co/msZbMS53Or #WonderCon #WonderCon23 pic.twitter.com/ukgTVn14Sk

— WonderCon (@WonderCon) March 23, 2023

New Tales Of Syzpense Series Set To Bring Twin Tales To Life This June

Posted on March 20, 2023 by admin

The split-book revival is under way at Syzygy! Beginning in June, Tales Of Syzpense will present two titanic, 12-page tales of shock and awe, plus additional bonus material, published by Image Comics.

Up first—courtesy of Lore co-creators T.P. Louise and Ashley Wood—the lead-off mystery of “Les Mort 13” plays out on the surreal and mysterious island of Southport after a run-in with Eris, the goddess of strife…

Next, Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel will present readers with the story “Dreamweaver,” about an aging adventurer with a mystical secret who looks to pass on his abilities to the next generation of hero… until they have much greater success than he did, and he decides he wants those abilities back at any cost.

Each issue will also feature two “Les Mort 13” covers by Wood, a “Dreamweaver” cover by Daniel, and a Syzpenseful tribute cover to famous split books of the past.

“Tales of Syzpense features two characters who Ash and I have long been developing in parallel ways without discussing them with each other—in fact, both lead characters coincidentally use swagger sticks and wear cloaks—so it made sense to present their initial adventures in the split-book format we love,” said Ryall. “And Tales of Syzpense gives us a nice outlet to tell both these stories, as well as carve out space for other creators to feature their own characters here as well.”
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Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta’s Phantom Road Premier Issue Rushed Back To Print

Posted on March 19, 2023 by admin

Hot new series Phantom Road—by Sentient creative team Jeff Lemire (The Bone Orchard Mythos, Little Monsters) and Gabriel Hernández Walta (The Vision, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: Old Man Whittier)—is burning up the pavement with the first issue already wiped out completely at the distributor level and reorders escalating by the minute. Image Comics is fast-tracing the debut issue back to print this week in order to keep up with the breakneck speed of buzz for this wildly popular new title. This reprint will land on shelves same day as Phantom Road #2—just in time for customers eager to jump on board for the ride.

In an early exclusive reveal of the series, Forbes described the sizzling new grindhouse thriller as: “What do you get when you cross Stephen King’s The Langoliers with John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China? You’d probably get something close to Phantom Road.”

CBR called the new series, “a masterful use of setting, subtle incorporation of genre elements and tasteful exploration of the uncanny” while ComicsBook.com declared that it: “absolutely lives up to the hype.”
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Paramount+ Set To Premiere “Rabbit Hole” Premieres With Two Episodes On Sunday March 26

Posted on March 18, 2023 by admin

“Rabbit Hole” features a dynamic cast including Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir, Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”) as Dr. Ben Wilson, Meta Golding (“Empire”) as Hailey Winton, Enid Graham (“Mare of Easttown”) as Josephine “Jo” Madi, Jason Butler Harner (“Ozark”) as Valence, Walt Klink (“Arctic Circle”) as The Intern and Rob Yang (“Succession”) as Edward Homm.

Sutherland serves as executive producer for “Rabbit Hole”, alongside writer-directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (“This Is Us,” “WeCrashed”), Charlie Gogolak (“The Sinner,” “WeCrashed”), Suzan Bymel (“Designated Survivor”) and Hunt Baldwin (“Longmire,” “The Closer”).

Per Paramount’s release: in “Rabbit Hole”, nothing is what it seems when John Weir, a master of deception in the world of corporate espionage, is framed for murder by powerful forces with the ability to influence and control populations.

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Måneskin Announce Rush! World Tour

Posted on March 17, 2023 by admin

Today, Måneskin continue their skyrocketing rise around the world with the announcement of their RUSH! World Tour – which will see the band headline arenas in North America, South America, Japan, Europe, UK & Ireland, and their first ever shows in Australia, in Autumn / Winter 2023, bringing their raucous live set and phenomenal new live staging and astounding lighting that the band are currently touring in Europe. See the full list of tour dates along with ticketing details below.

In the US, where last year the band embarked on their first headline North American tour that sold out 100,00 tickets across 25 shows, and saw the band receive their first Grammy nomination in 2023 for Best New Artist, Måneskin will be kicking it up a notch and returning to headline arenas across the US and Canada, including a landmark show at New York’s historic Madison Square Garden.

After an incredible welcome in South America in 2022, Måneskin will return later this year, visiting Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia for the first time.

In Japan, where the band more than made their mark in 2022 with an incredible exclusive show and stand-out set at Summer Sonic, Måneskin will be returning to headline arenas in the country for the first time.
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“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”: Trailer For DreamWorks’ New Animated Feature Released

Posted on March 16, 2023 by admin

DreamWorks has unveiled the trailer for “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”, an upcoming animated film starring Lana Condor, Jane Fonda, Toni Collette and more. The film is set for release on June 30, 2023.

The DreamWorks’ official press release: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken dives into the turbulent waters of high school with a hilarious, heartfelt action comedy about a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever dreamed.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible.

She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Jaboukie Young-White, Ralph Breaks the Internet), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Oscar® nominee Toni Collette, Knives Out), has forbade Ruby from ever getting in the water.

But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.

Oceans Calling Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup With Headliners John Mayer, The Lumineers, Jack Johnson, And Alanis Morissette

Posted on March 15, 2023 by admin

Oceans Calling Festival is pleased to announce its much-anticipated 2023 lineup with headliners John Mayer, The Lumineers, Jack Johnson, and Alanis Morissette, taking place September 29-October 1 on the iconic Ocean City, Maryland Boardwalk at Ocean City Inlet Beach.

The festival’s second installment brings fans over 40 artists across three stages, featuring festival co-founders, partners, and local legends O.A.R. alongside performances by Weezer, Incubus, Noah Kahan, Sheryl Crow, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Dirty Heads, and many more.

The entire lineup and by-day breakout can be found here, and tickets will be available via Presale on Thursday, March 16 at 10 am ET with a public on-sale to follow with any remaining tickets. Oceans Calling Festival is excited to return to the shores of Ocean City and looks forward to bringing fans top-tier live music as well as an incredible culinary experience that will be a weekend for the books!
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Doug Wagner and Doug Dabbs’ New Revenge Story Klik Klik Boom To Launch This June

Posted on March 14, 2023 by admin

Fan-favorite writer Doug Wagner (Plastic, The Ride: Burning Desire) and artist Doug Dabbs (The Ride: Burning Desire) team up with Eisner award winning colorist Matt Wilson and letterer Ed Dukeshire for the forthcoming revenge comic, Klik Klik Boom. This five issue miniseries is set to launch in June from Image Comics.

“I can’t wait for everyone to see the insanity Doug, Matt, Ed, and I cooked up for this book. When this was all starting to stew, I told Doug Dabbs the muses were speaking to me about mixing movies like Fargo and The Fifth Element with the artistic inspirations of Robert Valley and Bengal,” said Wagner. “I wanted to try to find this balance between the old and the new, between neon cyberpunk and crime noir, and wrap all of that in a modern day action tour de force tortilla. The team didn’t let me down.”

In Klik Klik Boom, readers meet Sprout, a mute assassin who communicates exclusively through polaroid pictures. After being raised by her doomsday-prepping grandfather in the rolling hills of Idaho, Sprout has grown up with little exposure to other people, TV, or seen clothes outside of Army fatigues. Now she’s headed to the big lights of New York City to avenge her grandfather’s murder, but will the city’s mesmerizing glitz and glam help her succeed—or be the death of her?

Dabbs added: “I knew after working with Doug on The Ride: Burning Desire that there was a creative chemistry that had to be explored more. With Klik Klik Boom, Doug blew me away with his scripts and we ended up creating a story that’s so different, unexpected, and fun. Working with Matt and Ed was surreal, as they brought their god-level talents to the story. Our main character, Sprout, is a someone people haven’t seen before in any media. I can’t wait for people to meet her and see what we created!”

Klik Klik Boom #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 21. Klik Klik Boom will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” Big Winner 2023 Academy Awards

Posted on March 13, 2023 by admin

And The Oscar Goes To…. “Everything Everywhere All At Once”.

The 95th Academy Awards last night dominated the Oscars last night, winning seven trophies, including best picture, best actress, best director, best editing, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best original screenplay.

“Ladies, don’t let anybody ever tell you that you are ever past your prime,” Yeoh, 60, said when accepting the best actress Oscar. “Never give up.”

Brendan Fraser was also the big winner, taking home best actor for his lead role in The Whale, winning against other nominees Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy and Paul Mescal.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Actor: Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Best Director: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
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