News about Alexander Payne

BRIAN VINER: June Squibb finally has her first starring role, as the title character in the cheeringly funny, gently poignant, wholly satisfying Thelma. Squibb already has an Oscar nomination to her name, for Best Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing turn in Alexander Payne's Nebraska (2013), when she was a mere 84. By the time of the next Academy Awards she will be 95 and I wouldn't bet against her going one better. What a story that would be. Thelma is a great story, too; and ostensibly a simple one. In Los Angeles, a sweet but iron-willed grandma is scammed out of $10,000 and resolves to track down the rotters who tricked her, in the hope of getting the money back.

Hollywood is a twitter from early January to mid-March. In La La Land, it's awards season. A pair of stylists fly in a preview of gowns for the 'female actors' (which I also reject in favour of the gracious and feminine 'actress' as well as some of the more flamboyant'male actors.' The make-up and hair specialists, nail technicians, and facialists all followed the stylists. They arrive from New York, Paris, and London, working frantically to make their client the epitome of glamour, not glamour, but instead beauty and 'trendiness,' rather than glamour.

Screenwriter Simon Stephenson has accused the creative team behind the coveted Academy Award nominee The Holdovers of plagiarizing a 2013 script he wrote for an unmade film called Frisco. The Holdovers, a dramatic comedy starring Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson, were directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson, with Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa leading the cast.

Da'Vine Joy Randolph returned from town for the 2024 Producers Guild Awards, just hours after winning her first Independent Spirit Award. This awards season, the 37-year-old actress has been busy, taking home practically every award she was nominated for, including playing Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. Over the past few months, she has been named in a Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice, National Board of Review, Screen Actors Guild, and Independent Spirit awards.

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BRIAN VINER: The Holdovers are enrolled in an all-boys boarding school in New England where crusty, irascible, world-weary classics teacher Paul Hunham (who was practically machine-tooled for the great Paul Giamatti) has spent his entire career, as a student there back in the mists of time. Giamatti received a Golden Globe for his pitch-perfect appearance, marking his second collaboration with director Alexander Payne 20 years after the glorious Sideways (2004).

Despite new woke laws, the British Film Academy and Television Awards short list nominations have revealed a decrease in diversity in several of the main categories. In the Best Film category, only one female filmmaker has been nominated, which is the lowest percentage since the guidelines were introduced in 2020. When no women were nominated as the best director for the seventh year in a row, the academy made changes to improve the awards' diversity, and all 20 finalists in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.

Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the coveted first victory of the night in the Female Support Actor category in a Motion Picture for her appearance in The Holdovers. As Angela Bassett and Jared Leto introduced the gong, the 37-year-old actress was ecstatic. 'Whew.' During her acceptance address, the veteran actress took to the microphone to say: 'Whew.' I'd like to congratulate the Hollywood foreign press for this award. For their continued assistance throughout this journey, thank you to Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh, Donna Langley, cujo, and the entire focus family. Alexander Payne, thank you for the opportunity to portray this beautiful and flawed woman. To my two burners in crime, Paul and Dominic, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with, and I'm grateful for making me a better artist as a result of it.'

According to Deadline, a sequel to the cult classic dark comedy election has been confirmed with Reese Witherspoon returning as overly optimistic Tracy Flick Can't Win The upcoming film, Tracy Flick Can't Win, will follow the former student body president as an adult and then try to climb to the top. The project will be handled by Paramount Pictures under its streamer Paramount Pictures has announced that it would be heading to Paramount Pictures' Paramount Plus. Witherspoon will reprise as Tracy and will also act as producer on the project alongside Lauren Neustadter of Hello Sunshine. Alexander Payne, the original producer of the 1999 film, will also serve as director.