‘Monkey Man’ Review: Dev Patel’s Directorial Debut Packs A One-Two Punch Of Action And Social Commentary – SXSW

Monkey Man.The British actor’s new film premiered to a strong reaction at SXSW last month, but he has since spoken about how difficult it was to get the film made.During a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) ahead of the film’s cinema release this week (April 5), the actor said that directing, producing and acting in the film was “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life”, per Variety.He added that “everyday we faced absolute catastrophe” throughout the process.“I begged our financier not to shut us down a few weeks before principal photography,” he said. “We were meant to shoot in India then COVID hit.

IFC Films’ Late Night With The Devil topped the specialty market in its second week, as a Tollywood and a Bollywood film both made the top ten in a rare occurrence. Strong horror and Indian fare have helped buoy the box office since Covid. They continue to fill in the top ten, including this week, which boasts a monstrous hit in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire — but is a neighborhood with fewer overall wide release due to Hollywood strikes.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After three days of release, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” stands as the third-highest-grossing movie of the year. It has collected a mighty $194 million globally in its opening weekend, ranking behind only “Dune: Part Two” ($626 million after five weeks of release) and “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($347 million after four weeks of release) in terms of overall ticket sales. The monster mashup, from Warner Bros.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Dev Patel makes his feature directorial debut with the upcoming action movie “Monkey Man,” which blew the roof off SXSW earlier this month and earned strong reviews, but getting the film made was no walk in the park. During a Reddit AMA ahead of the film’s April theatrical release, Patel told fans that directing, acting in and producing “Monkey Man” was “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life” because “everyday we faced absolute catastrophe.” “I begged our financier not to shut us down a few weeks before principal photography,” Patel wrote.

Naman Ramachandran Popular Bollywood actor Boman Irani is making his directorial debut with “The Mehta Boys.” Irani starred in 2002 Locarno title “Let’s Talk” and shot to Bollywood fame with his roles in “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.” (2003) and “Main Hoon Na” (2004). He also had significant roles in “Khosla Ka Ghosla” and “Don” (both 2006) and “3 Idiots” (2009). Irani has more than 100 acting credits with his most recent film release “Dunki” being one of the top 10 Indian hits of 2023.

Over the years, it's become a custom among Muslims to break their fast at their favourite restaurants. And in turn, those eateries have risen the occasion, with scores of venues offering iftar deals and buffets.

Kobbie Mainoo, the rising Manchester United star, has a very famous brother who made his name on Love Island. Kobbie's own quick rise to fame continued this week when he got his first call-up to play for England.

Dana Carvey, 68, has apologized to Sharon Stone for a 1992 “Saturday Night Live” skit in which she took her clothes off.Stone, 66, was a guest on the podcast “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade” when Carvey brought up the sketch, which occurred when Stone hosted “SNL” in the wake of her hit movie “Basic Instinct.” Carvey said Stone “was such a good sport” because “the comedy we did in 1992 with Sharon Stone, we would literally be arrested now.”The skit in question was called the “Airport Security Sketch,” in which male airport security officers, including Carvey playing an Indian security guard, had Stone remove one item of clothing at a time — to see if she was carrying anything dangerous on her person.“I want to apologize publicly for the security check sketch where I played an Indian man and we’re convincing Sharon, her character, or whatever, to take her clothes off to go through the security thing,” Carvey told Stone — as Spade added that it was “so offensive.”Carvey cited the year of the sketch, 1992, as being “from another era,” while the “Sliver” actress chimed in that it didn’t really bother her at the time.“I know the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony,” she said. “And I think that we were all committing misdemeanors [back then] because we didn’t think there was something wrong then.

Scripted formats were placed front and center of BBC Studios’ panel at Series Mania, as the Doctor Who seller confirmed it is making up to three more versions of Ghosts and has bought Spain’s Brutal Media.

Naman Ramachandran Top Bollywood star Ajay Devgn‘s Indian visual effects studio NY VFXWaala has set a strategic partnership with Sweden’s Goodbye Kansas Studio. NY VFXWaala has secured a major stake in Goodbye Kansas, through an offshore subsidiary, while simultaneously launching a joint venture studio in India.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Beverley McGarvey has been appointed president of Network 10, head of streaming and regional lead for Australia and New Zealand, with immediate effect by Paramount Global. She reports to Pam Kaufman, president & CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences at the group.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, as well as a number of James Bond films, passed away on February 27, aged 85. A cause of death has not been disclosed.The news was announced by Alliance Agents on Tuesday (March 12), with the agency paying tribute to a career “spanning over 50 years with notable roles in Sherlock Holmes, A Passage to India, Secret Army and of course one of the most memorable death scenes in the Star Wars franchise.”Culver played Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back, the character who is Force-choked to death by Darth Vader after losing track of a rebel ship.“Apology accepted, Captain Needa,” Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) says as Culver’s character drops to the ground clutching his throat.

Hidden in the basement of Bolton Museum is an attraction you won’t find anywhere else in Greater Manchester - and it’s completely free to visit. Beneath the museum is the region’s only public aquarium.

Ethan Shanfeld After the release of her latest film “Origin,” director Ava DuVernay was vocal about her disappointment that the movie failed to garner widespread attention or awards buzz. Now, the X/Twitter account for “Origin” is taking aim at the distributor Neon, calling out the company for not inviting the filmmakers to its Oscar party. Quote-tweeting a photo from the party, the account posted one day after the Academy Awards: “Is it odd that the filmmakers of Neon’s current film in theaters weren’t invited to this Neon celebration? Nope.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee, is one of the four or five greatest action films ever made. Yet it has a thin, awkward, lurching story.

Selome Hailu At a festival known for raucous audiences, Dev Patel‘s “Monkey Man” made for the rowdiest screening yet. During the SXSW premiere of the actor’s directorial debut, Austin’s Paramount Theater was filled with cries of “We love you, Dev!” and “India!” that can only be described as guttural. The crowd’s love for Patel only grew more fervent as the film went on, revealing not only a new cinematic voice, but a surprisingly political action thriller that saw Patel’s character take on the Hindu caste system with teeth, knives and blood.Dev Patel receives a standing ovation after a #SXSW screening of his feature directorial debut "Monkey Man." pic.twitter.com/OcpjhByVSu “The action genre has been abused by the system,” Patel said while introducing the film.

Universal‘s bender of a weekend continued past Oscars into Monday night with the enthusiastic SXSW premiere of Monkeypaw’s Dev Patel feature directorial debut, Monkey Man, which blew the roof off Austin’s Paramount Theatre.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Thailand is poised to get serious about its commitment to the film industry, and plans to launch a major new body, the Thailand Creative Culture Agency, with a budget of THB7 billion ($200 million). Long a destination for Hollywood, China and India productions, and currently playing host to the lensing of Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” Thailand has many of the elements that could contribute to building a major film industry. These include diverse locations, skilled crews, studio facilities and a location production, or incentive, scheme.

Renowned for his passion for food and appetite for outrageous eating feats, Man v Food star Adam Richman has embarked on a culinary journey across the British Isles "as a love letter" to British cuisine. Armed with a map of the UK, the Brooklyn-based food expert and chef is attempting to shed light on the "globally misunderstood" and "unfairly maligned" realm of British cuisine for a new Food Network UK show, Adam Richman Eats Britain.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood film “Shaitaan” has scored a hefty opening, according to data provided to Variety. The film marks the first collaboration between billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Studios, Bollywood A-lister Ajay Devgn’s Devgn Films and Panorama Studios. “Shaitaan” scored a worldwide weekend gross of $9.8 million, including India, according to numbers from Panorama Studios.