Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novella “A Christmas Carol,” “Spirited” focuses on the Ghost of Christmas Present, portrayed in the original story as a Father Christmas-esque figure. In the (mostly) streaming film, Ferrell plays the spirit, who spends every year selecting a new corrupted person to be visited by him and the ghosts of Christmases Past and Future. However, when he chooses Clint Briggs (Reynolds) as the ghosts’ new project, he winds up getting the script flipped on him by the savvy businessman, who forces the spirit to go through his own past, present, and future....

The effort, which includes backing from CAA Media Finance, ICM International and Independent Group, Endeavor Content, and UTA Independent Film Group, marks a follow-up to the first major film market held during the pandemic. The agencies came together in June to hold a similar online event that coincided with the Cannes Marché du Film, a parallel event to the official one that was meant to recreate the way business has traditionally been conducted on the ground in France....

Seed&Spark’s streaming platform allowed filmmakers to submit their work directly; accepted projects enjoyed a 50-50 revenue split. About 100 creators, representing about 200 titles, opted to have their titles transferred to IndieFlix. Similarly, IndieFlix allows filmmakers to submit their work directly to the platform for consideration. They’re paid based on a model that pools subscription revenue and pays filmmakers on a minutes-watched rate. “With the Seed&Spark library, my goal is to get it live and have a home for that content,” said IndieFlix CEO Scilla Andreen....

2021 has already been a great year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” looks to extend the winning streak. The latest entry in the MCU follows Shang-Chi, the “Master of Kung Fu,” and the first Asian superhero to headline a Marvel film, marking a major moment for Asian representation. The film, which hit theaters on September 3, is projected to rake in a record-breaking $83....

In the fake show promo, a vocieover intones: “You’ve seen dead teens in New York, Chicago, and Boston, but what about another city with very specific whites? Pennsylvania whites?” “Murdur Durdur” also parodies Winslet as a British person playing a salt-of-the-Earth Pennsylvanian (she told Indiewire that her character, Mare Sheehan, is “kind of disgusting“). The commercials bills “Murdur Durdur” as “an extremely Pennsylvania crime show.” Musk added to a line of unusual and potentially risky “SNL” hosts, often to impressive ratings, including Donald Trump, Al Gore, Ralph Nader, and Al Sharpton....

“The truth is that LeBron ain’t Michael,” Pytka said comparing the new film’s star, LA Lakers basketball player LeBron James to the original film’s lead, Michael Jordan, one of the biggest celebrity athletes of all time. Also among his complaints were the film’s “insignificant” soundtrack and Bugs Bunny’s “heartbreaking” new role (and not in a good way). Pytka said that the new version of Bugs Bunny “looked like one of those fluffy dolls you buy at an airport gift shop to bring your kid when your business trip has taken too long....

The show is a prequel to the original series, taking place on the U.S.S. Enterprise in the years before Captain Kirk took the helm. In addition to featuring the iconic ship (which has made appearances on “Star Trek: Discovery” but will now be front and center), the show also features classic characters like Spock in leading roles. Paramount’s official synopsis reads: “‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U....