Kuwait Bans Horror Movie Because The Star Is Trans

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent It’s no secret that it’s taken decades of twists and turns in Hollywood to get Michael Mann’s anticipated “Ferrari,” which makes its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Aug. 31, to the big screen. But what’s less known is that the journey of this biopic about Italian sports car builder and racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari originated with Italy’s storied Cecchi Gori Group before the company went bust.

Anticipation is building for “Killers of the Flower Moon”, the latest film from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese.

After going viral with comedy skits years ago, Andrew Bowser has taken his character, Onyx the Fortuitious, to the big screen in the upcoming film, ‘Talisman of Souls.’ As seen in the trailer for the horror-comedy, “Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls” brings the title character (known most for viral comedy videos on social media) to life in a feature-length story about the silly goth getting involved in a ritual hoping to bring a demon from Hell to Earth.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pulsar Content has secured international rights on “Pacific Fear,” a French survival horror film which has started filming in French Polynesia. The movie is directed by Jacques Kluger, who previously directed the Belgian horror movie “Play or Die,” and is produced by Nolita, whose recent credits include the Netflix hit action franchise “Lost Bullet.” Darklight Content is co-producing.

Marta Balaga Paula Hernández’s “A Ravaging Wind” (“El viento que arrasa”) has debuted a poster and trailer ahead of its premieres at Toronto and San Sebastian. Based on the novel by Selva Almada – and written by Hernández and Leonel D’Agostino – “A Ravishing Wind” will play Toronto’s Centrepiece program, before opening San Sebastian’s Horizontes Latinos, a showcase of many of the best Latin American movies of the last year. It sees Alfredo Castro as Reverend Pearson, an evangelical pastor who travels Argentina by car in the 1990s with his daughter Leni (Almudena González, seen in “Argentina, 1985”).

Dancing With The Stars' Derek Hough has described his woodland wedding to Hayley Erbert as a “fairytale”.The dancer, 38, who is the former flame of UK singer Cheryl, tied the knot with his DWTS co-star in a redwood forest before a party at a cliffside estate in Carmel, California. Derek's best man was fellow DWTS professional Mark Ballas, who is the son of Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, while his dancer sister Julianne Hough served as a bridesmaid.The TV personality told US magazine People: “It’s one of the most breathtaking places.

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil says Matheus Nunes fully understands the stance of his club after a £47m bid from Manchester City was rejected, but understands why the midfielder would want a move to the Etihad.

BTS vocalist V has voiced his love for the recent Barbie movie.During his cover shoot for W Korea’s September issue, the K-pop idol opened up about his upcoming solo debut record ‘Layover’, due out on September 8. The singer also discussed recent happenings in his daily life, sharing that the Barbie movie had left a strong impact on him.When asked if he had watched any movies recently, V answered that he had seen Barbie, adding: “Truly, out of all the films I’ve watched recently, it had the strongest impact on me.”The singer went on to share how his love for jazz music has influenced his upcoming record.

Gears Of War creator Cliff Bleszinski has approved of Zack Snyder potentially directing a movie based on the acclaimed video game series.While at Gamescom 2023 to promote his upcoming film Rebel Moon, Snyder was asked which video game franchises he thinks would make for good films.“Gears [Of War] has always come up in our sort of circle,” he briefly teased before saying that he has always been interested in the Halo franchise, though he acknowledges that Paramount has already released a series based on the game.While he did not say much else about Gears Of War, Snyder has been a hot favourite among fans of the video game to helm a potential film.A Gears Of War film was green-lit at Netflix last year, though any further information on its development has remained scarce at the time of publishing. A tentative release date, cast and director have not been announced for the film.Now, Cliff Bleszinski has reacted to Snyder’s interest in a Gears Of War film, saying he “approves” of Snyder leading a movie, though he has one condition.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Fresh off of her season starring as “The Bachelorette,” ABC leading lady Charity Lawson will join the next season of “Dancing With the Stars.” Lawson will compete on “Dancing With the Stars” Season 32, which will air this fall and returns to ABC, in addition to Disney+ where it will stream simultaneously. Lawson is the second cast member to be announced for “DWTS” Season 32, joining the previously announced Ariana Madix, of “Vanderpump Rules” fame, who will also be in the ballroom competing for the Mirror Ball trophy.

The first trailer for the upcoming movie She Came to Me has been released ahead of the film’s theatrical release next month.

Barbie has become the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history in the US, overtaking Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight.As reported by Variety, Barbie has crossed $537.5million at the domestic box office to take the record.

Peter Jackson has described Talk To Me as the “best, most intense” horror film he’s seen in years.The director, best known for helming the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit trilogies, praised the breakout Australian horror movie in a statement via distributor Ahi Films.“It’s relentlessly scary and disturbing – in the best possible way,” Jackson said (via TotalFilm). “Talk To Me isn’t just good – it’s very good.

Barbie has been banned in multiple countries following its release.Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the fantasy comedy has become the second highest-grossing film of 2023 worldwide behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, passing the $1billion mark earlier this month at the box office.The film’s success also crossed another milestone, becoming the highest-grossing live-action movie solely directed by a woman.Ahead of its release in July, Barbie was banned in Vietnam due to a scene featuring a map depicting China’s contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.As reported by Reuters, the scene shows “an offending image” of the “nine-dash line”, which is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over large areas of the South China Sea, which is contested by Vietnam.A number of films have recently been banned in the country for the same reason, including Sony’s Uncharted and Dreamworks’ animated film Abominable.Kuwait subsequently banned Barbie after the film promoted “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order”, according to Lafy Al-Subei’e, an under secretary of the Ministry for Press and Publication in the country (via the New York Times).Around the same time (August 9), Lebanon’s culture minister, Mohammad Mortada, made moves to ban Barbie, saying that the film was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation”.

The shortlist for the National Television Awards has now been revealed as the biggest names of the small screen battle it out for a range of prizes. There are 16 prizes up for grabs at this year's awards.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Add Peter Jackson to the list of high profile directors who adore “Talk to Me,” the new A24 horror movie from sibling filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou that’s become a word-of-mouth box office sensation this summer. The “Lord of the Rings” Oscar winner issued a statement through Ahi, one of the film’s distributors across Aotearoa and Australia, in which he singled out “Talk to Me” as one of the best horror efforts in recent years. “It’s relentlessly scary and disturbing – in the best possible way,” Jackson said (via Total Film).

Sure, many film fans might know Peter Jackson best from his time directing numerous ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. But if you’re a fan of his earlier work (such as “Braindead” and “Bad Taste“), you know Jackson got his start in the horror genre and knows a thing or two about creative scares.

Barbie movie has been banned in Kuwait and now faces calls for a ban in Lebanon amid complaints in the Arab nations about the film’s social values.Kuwait’s state news agency said that the nation acted to protect the country’s “public ethics”, while Lebanon’s culture minister accused the film of “promoting homosexuality”.The film is however still being shown in other conservative parts of the region, including Saudi Arabia.Barbie, which is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has grossed more than $1bn (£784m) worldwide within weeks of its release.Lafi al-Subaiei, the head of Kuwait’s board of film classification, said that the board usually asks for movie scenes to be cut if they are deemed to flout the country’s culture. But when a film promotes behaviour the state considers unacceptable, it is banned outright.The film “promulgate[s] ideas and beliefs that are alien to Kuwaiti society and public order”, a spokesman for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information said (via BBC News).On Wednesday, the Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada asked the interior ministry to “take all necessary measures to ban” Barbie.He said the film “promotes homosexuality and transsexuality… supports rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family”.Meanwhile, in the US, comedian and actor Marc Maron recently hit out at the film’s conservative critics, describing them as “insecure babies”.“The fact that certain men took offence to the point where they, you know, tried to build a grift around it in terms of their narrative as right wing [expletive] is so embarrassing for them.

topped $1 billion in global ticket sales, some countries still aren’t on board.The bubblegum pink flick won’t see a premiere in Kuwait to protect “public ethics and social traditions,” Reuters reported.Lafi Al-Subaie, chairman of the film censorship committee in Kuwait, has accused “Barbie” of “carrying ideas that encourage unacceptable behavior and distort society’s values,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cited local media reports. And in Lebanon, per Reuters, the film has been accused of “promoting homosexuality.”Minister Mohammad Mortada, who is supported by the powerful political party and militant group Hezbollah, said the movie was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation” and “contradicts values of faith and morality,” as it lessens the “importance of the family unit.”Because of Mortada’s statements, Lebanon’s interior minister, Bassam Mawlawi, has asked the General Security’s censorship committee to review the film and give its recommendation, according to Reuters.The Post reached out to Warner Bros.

Sacha Baron Cohen is reportedly reviving his character Ali G for a new feature film.According to Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via World Of Reel), Cohen has been secretly working on a new movie which sees him return to his early breakout character.This would be the second Ali G film following 2002’s Ali G Indahouse, directed by Mark Mylod. Cohen originally played the character on Channel 4 comedy series The 11 O’Clock Show and Da Ali G Show, which aired from 2000 to 2004.In 2021, Cohen reprised the character for a string of stand-up shows.