EXCLUSIVE: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan are set to lead Scrublands, a TV adaptation of Chris Hammer’s novel for Australian streamer Stan.
08.02.2023 - 01:23 / thewrap.com
“Sharper” opens with a fake out—in its own title. A dictionary definition fades up on the screen, declaring “sharper” as a noun that means “one who lives by their wits.” This little bit of cheeky word play is a harbinger for the never-ending rug pulls and elaborate deceptions to come in this con artist thriller, directed by longtime TV director Benjamin Caron and written by the team of Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka.
Things are never what they seem in “Sharper.”The film is a slickly-executed piece, an enjoyable but almost unbearably twisty puzzle box of narrative fun, but once everything slots together the box is unfortunately empty. Just like the characters in the film who seem to con, grift, and scam just because they can, it feels a bit like the filmmakers tied the narrative up in knots just so they could untangle it in front of us with a flourish, a “ta-da!” that feels about as substantial as a trick, not a treat.We open on a meet-cute: a cozy Lower East Side rare books store where a shy young shop clerk, Tom (Justice Smith) connects with a comely NYU grad student, Sandra (Briana Middleton), over a copy of “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” It takes a few fumbling attempts, but the two eventually end up at the Japanese spot around the corner and, later, they share a first kiss over a first edition of “Jane Eyre.” A charming falling-in-love montage ensues, but this is not the end of the story, or even the beginning.“Sharper” is structured in chapters, and the first one, “Tom” falls somewhere in the middle of the story.
Each chapter follows a main character, puzzle pieces snapping into place to reveal the larger picture. Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen crafts a specific look for each chapter, reflecting
.EXCLUSIVE: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan are set to lead Scrublands, a TV adaptation of Chris Hammer’s novel for Australian streamer Stan.
Little Simz and Grace Jones are among the acts to have been confirmed for Love Supreme 2023.Europe’s largest outdoor jazz festival will return to Glynde Place in East Sussex for its 10th anniversary from June 30 to July 2.Simz will be headlining on the Saturday in her Love Supreme debut, while Grace Jones will top the bill on the Sunday, having previously headlined the festival in 2016.Also confirmed for this year’s Love Supreme are Emeli Sandé, Yussef Dayes, Greentea Peng, Tower of Power, Tigran Hamasyan, Jazzmeia Horn, Yaya Bey, and Courtney Pine. They join previously announced the previously announced Thundercat, Gabriels, Candi Staton, Pip Millett, and Obongjayar, with more acts set to be announced at a later date.LITTLE SIMZ AND GRACE JONES TO HEADLINE LOVE SUPREME 2023Tickets are on sale now for our spectacular 10th Anniversary in Glynde.
Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac are celebrating their new off-Broadway show!
Club action returns this weekend as Manchester United host Championship side Durham in the fifth round of the Vitality Women's FA Cup.
Lise Pedersen The Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX, has unveiled the full program of its 20th edition, which includes 200 new films, more than half of which are world premieres, sealing CPH:DOX’s reputation as one of the leading events of its kind in Europe. For the first time, all 13 films competing for the top Dox:Award are world premieres. These include “A Storm Foretold,” the long-awaited doc on Donald Trump’s former adviser Roger Stone by Danish political journalist Christopher Guldbrandsen; established filmmaker Margreth Olin’s highly anticipated epic film “Songs of the Earth”; “A Tiger in Paradise,” a surreal journey into Swedish singer José González’ inner world by Ruben Östlund’s regular creative partners Mikel Cee Karlsson and Erik Hemmendorff; and “Total Trust” by Jialing Zhang (“One Child Nation”), described as “the first major film about the Chinese surveillance state (…) – a disturbing tale of technology, (self-) censorship and abuse of power in the 21st century.”
. After a limited theatrical release on February 10 that allows to be eligible for industry awards recognition down the road, the suspenseful drama and psychological thriller is out today — streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Watch NowThe all-star cast — Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton — shine in their portrayals of flawed, complex characters.
Looking out for his partner in crime! Anthony Mackie had some sound advice for David Harbour when it came to working with pal Sebastian Stan — and warned him not to take anything too personally.
David Harbour is a relative newcomer to the MCU — he debuted his role as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian in 2021's and is set to reprise the character in the upcoming team-up. So when it came time to learn everything he could about his future castmates, he turned toco-star Anthony Mackie, who had some particular advice about his franchise frenemy, Sebastian Stan, who will also be appearing in as Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier. «Sebastian is a very nice person,» Mackie said with a grin as he and co-star Jahi Di'Allo Winston spoke with ET's Ash Crossan this week.«Don't take his quietness and standoffishness as him being mean or rude. You just have to warm him up a little bit,» he teased. «You know, give him some almond butter, talk to him a little bit.
In today’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo sits down to talk about con man movies with director Benjamin Caron (“The Crown,” “Andor,” “Wallander”). The director is currently promoting his film, “Sharper,” which follows multiple con men and women in New York City who are all searching for the perfect mark and the biggest take.
Sebastian Yatra is dropping a new single tomorrow called “Una Noche Sin Pensar.” It’s the first song he will release after six months, and is coming with a steamy and sensual music video. The Colombian singer has been teasing fans with what’s to come, and he bares it all with Spanish actress, Milena Smit.A post shared by Sebastian Yatra (@sebastianyatra)Yatra and Smit get intimate in the video, making out passionately, swimming naked, and holding each other close.
Sharon Stone's younger brother Patrick Stone has died. On Monday, editors at TMZ reported that the Hollywood actress's sibling passed away "suddenly" on Sunday morning. A representative for the coroner's office told the outlet that Patrick's death is being treated as "sudden cardiac death due to heart disease".
This must have been such a difficult video to film. We have no idea how Sharon Stone did it.
Sharon Stone is mourning a major loss. The 64-year-old actress' younger brother, Patrick Stone, died Sunday morning, his wife, Tasha Stone, revealed on Facebook. He was 57.A rep for the coroner's office in Pennsylvania told that Patrick died from sudden cardiac death due to heart disease. ET has reached out to Sharon's rep for comment.Tasha shared the tragic news in a lengthy Facebook post Sunday.«My heart feels like it's been ripped out of my chest.
TMZ, with a rep for the local coroner’s office saying the passing “is being ruled as a sudden cardiac death due to heart disease.”Sharon, 64, has not yet publicly commented on the tragic news. Patrick’s passing comes less than two years after his son — Sharon’s nephew and godson — River died at 11 months due to total organ failure.
Sharon Stone's brother Patrick has died at the age of 57, causing more heartbreak for the actress after the death of her beloved nephew, River. It is believed that Patrick died suddenly in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pennsylvania. A representative for the coroner's office told TMZ that Patrick's death is being ruled as sudden cardiac death due to heart disease.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have allegedly been exiled from the American elite following the release of their explosive Netflix docuseries and the Duke of Sussex’s scathing memoir. Since fleeing the UK back in 2020, the Sussex’s have made a number of troubling accusations about the Royal Family and culture surrounding them in the UK.They were famously interviewed by TV legend Oprah and even lodged with American filmmaker Tyler Perry for a period where Harry admitted to rolling joints.
Director Benjamin Caron says that he was “yearning to flex a different muscle” and go from the “historical period drama” that is The Crown to the thrills and spills of Andor and on to the delicious deceit at the heart of his accomplished first feature film Sharper, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton, giving a star-in-the-making performance.
There are few things more disappointing when it comes to film than all the elements that should make something a genuinely interesting piece of work don’t fulfill the promise they present. “Sharper” is, unfortunately, a good example. READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023 The New York-set neo-noir thriller is very much a character-driven piece and boasts an incredible ensemble cast led by Julianne Moore.
One savvy IKEA shopper has explained a little-known hack that can help homeware fans purchase some new furniture completely free of charge on their next visit.
Seeing the nifty grifter drama Sharper reminded me how rarely we encounter this kind of clever cat-and-mouse game that might fall into the noirish genre but really relies on diving into a world filled with characters who reveal slices of their lives that keep changing moment to moment. It is the kind of movie I find enormously difficult to review because its ultimate success for a viewer is just watching it unfold, beat by beat, never quite knowing exactly where it is heading but still glued to the screen to find out.