News

The Giant Rock in Pokemon XYZ is a dangerous object linked to Mega Evolution, causing chaos and destruction in Hoenn and Kalos regions. Lysandre uses the Giant Rock to create a monster that disrupts the Kalos League tournament, aiming to destroy all life on Earth in the anime. This powerful object, with ties to a Kalos Legendary, nearly levels the region and serves as a replacement for the ancient weapon in the games.

While Pokémon fans might expect the most dangerous thing that exists in this universe to be a Pokémon, a mysterious object discovered in Pokémon XYZ actually proved itself to be incredibly destructive, thanks to the power of Mega Evolution. In fact, this object, known simply as the "Giant Rock," has an intricate connection with Mega Evolution, potentially being the source of the entire phenomenon.

In Pokémon XYZ, and the Mega Evolution specials which were released around the same time,...

We’re years past the days of A Rush Of Blood To The Head or X&y when Coldplay was still putting out inescapable hit songs that everyone liked (whether you’ll admit it or not), but the band has still been trucking along for decades, putting out largely inoffensive pop-rock ballads that allow Chris Martin to throw his…...

Coldplay’s “Fix You” was always something of a hymn, and last night, the song finally got the choir it needed. On their MTV Unplugged performance, the seven members of South Korean pop powerhouse BTS delivered an angelic, meticulously arranged, goose-bump-inducing cover of the song. It was a ridiculously perfect performance that should convert any remaining skeptics of BTS, Coldplay, soaring balladry, and/or the power of the human spirit.

“This song gave us comfort,” BTS’ Jimin said, “so we wanted to prepare this cover to comfort you as well.

After William Castle’s “Percepto!” or John Waters’ “Odorama,” it seems like the time has come for Swedish provocateur Anna Odell’s “The Gynaecological Cinema Chair” – an interactive experience created specially for this year’s Göteborg Film Festival. A concept that’s more than just an attention-grabbing gimmick, however, as the director behind 2013’s “The Reunion” was quick to point out to Variety following the screening of “The Examination”. Her new project, which sees Odell talk to known Swedes about subjects ranging from equality to strength, before asking them to strip from the waist down and sit in a gynaecological chair, in front of a trained professional, describing the workings of an actual exam.

“When I invited these men, I said: I am going to ask you to do something that only women do. I was afraid that if I tell them about the chair right away, they would run away,...

Chris Martin is famously press-shy. “You play your cards close to the vest,” Rolling Stone founder and editorial director Jann S. Wenner observes in this sit-down, filmed recently in New York City. “I try to,” Martin admits. But for one of the only interviews he’s doing around the release of Coldplay’s eighth album, Everyday Life, Martin opens up to Wenner as he has never before: about religion, sexuality, his drive, insecurities, and Coldplay’s place in the world today.

The frontman goes deep into his teenage years that led to Coldplay’s formation.

This year’s Nordic International Film Festival is changing locations.

With dates set for Oct. 16-20, the fifth annual event will move to the Roxy Cinema at The Roxy Hotel in New York. Panels and parties will take place at the Park Avenue outpost of the Stockholm museum Fotografiska.

Started by two Swedish born filmmakers based in New York, Linnea Larsdotter and Johan Matton, the festival boasts its status as the “biggest film festival outside Europe.” The silent theme for this year’s progressive official program is climate change.

Niff will present one world premiere, six international premieres, two North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres among its multiple programs. 79 percent of the films to be shown this year also include at least one woman in power. Additionally, the festival promises a focus on up-and-coming talent to screen in its Aurora Borealis category — part of its...

Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales outlet New Europe Film Sales has picked up world sales rights for the upcoming drama “Fools,” by Berlinale Silver Bear winner Tomasz Wasilewski (“United States of Love”), produced by Ewa Puszczynska, the producer behind Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winner “Ida” and nominee “Cold War.”

Leading Polish actors Dorota Kolak and Lukasz Simlat star in a film about the difficult relationship between a mother and son, and how their choices have dramatic consequences.

Puszczynska is producing for her company Extreme Emotions, in co-production with Ada Solomon at Romania’s Hi-Film and Jamila Wenske of Germany’s One Two Films, and in association with Nem Corp. Romanian DoP Oleg Mutu returns after his previous collaboration with Wasilewski on “United States of Love,” which New Europe sold to over 30 territories.

New Europe’s Cannes line-up includes the Critics’ Week selection “A White, White Day,” by Hlynur Palmason, which sold...

Urban Distribution has bought rights for France and Palace has taken rights for Australia to Hlynur Palmason’s “A White, White Day” from New Europe Film Sales, ahead of the film’s world premiere in Cannes this week, where it competes in Critics’ Week.

The film is Palmason’s second feature after “Winter Brothers,” which won four prizes at its world premiere in Locarno, and then played more than 60 festivals and won more than 30 prizes and was released in more than 10 territories.

“A White, White Day” is the story of an off-duty police chief from a remote Icelandic town, who begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession with finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. The film’s team calls it “a story of grief,...

Let’s face it, Pokémon has never been a great anime; its messy premise has always better served the mechanics of a video game than the plot of a cartoon. But regardless of format, it’s the sense of almost mundane exploration in a big wide Pokémon world that makes the franchise memorable. While the heroes of “Dragonball Z” and “Gundam Wing” were tasked with saving humanity, Pokémon’s cartoon protagonist Ash Ketchum was often barely competent, just trying to make any sort of mark as he explored the wilderness. Ash didn’t even advance to the finals in the Indigo League Championships that wrapped up the show’s first story arc. That was a bold anticlimax for a property then in its heyday, with kids around the world still in the throes of Poké-mania. Through his shortcomings, Irl Pokémon trainers working to master the game could see themselves in...

South MountainIn my last dispatch from Austin I pinpointed the Visions section as a shortcut to South by Southwest’s generally more adventurous programming, if only to facilitate sifting through a number of arcane plot summaries. High-profile acts are bound to the festival thanks to tradition, release date timing, and in some cases city loyalty (think Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Terrence Malick’s Song to Song; both were shot in Austin and both ultimately premiered at SXSW). It would seem that some worthy but inconspicuous titles could easily fall between the cracks, though pioneers like Barry Jenkins prove otherwise. This year’s Global section I found particularly fertile, with titles ranging from X&Y, artist Anna Oddell’s experimental film inquisition of public personas and gender roles, to Marlén Viñayo’s Cachada: The Opportunity, a documentary about a group of working-class Salvadoran women that stage a performative re-enactment of their traumatic life stories.

Odell stars as a fictionalised version of herself opposite fellow Swedish star Mikael Persbrandt.

Screen can reveal the new trailer for X&Y, the latest feature from artist and filmmaker Anna Odell, ahead of its international premiere on Friday January 25 at International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 23 - February 3).

Odell stars as a fictionalised version of herself opposite fellow Swedish star Mikael Persbrandt, as the pair deconstruct their identities through alter-egos.

The cast also features Trine Dyrholm, Sofie Gråbøl, Vera Vitali, Shanti Roney, Jens Albinus and Thure Lindhardt.

The film opened Stockholm Film Festival in November and plays in the Big Screen competition section at Rotterdam,...

Big Screen Competition line-up also announced.

The 48th International Film Festival Rotterdam (23 Jan – 3 Feb) has revealed the eight films that will compete in its 2018 Hivos Tiger Competition.

Scroll down for the full line-up

The award includes a cash prize of €40,000, to be divided between filmmaker and producer. There is also a special jury award worth €10,000.

This year’s selection includes new feature films by directors including Johannes Nyholm, Ena Sendijarević, Ulaa Salim and Shengze Zhu. There are seven world premieres and one international premiere.

This year’s jury will comprise of Chilean filmmaker and artist Alfredo Jaar; Daniela Michel, festival...

In Anna Odell’s much-anticipated ”X&Y,” which world premieres as the opening film at the Stockholm Film Festival, the director also plays the leading role alongside Mikael Persbrandt, one of Sweden’s most renowned actors. Odell spoke to Variety about the film.

Odell is one of Sweden’s best-known contemporary artists and, since her directorial feature debut – “The Reunion” in 2013 – also a sought after name in Swedish cinema. The film won the top prize in Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, and two Guldbagge Awards, Sweden’s top movie honor, for film and screenplay. In “The Reunion,” Odell drew inspiration from her own life as someone with mental health issues, in order to raise questions about bullying, school hierarchies and power structures in society.

In “X&Y” Odell and Persbrandt play different versions of themselves, together with six alter egos – all played by well-known Swedish and Danish actors, among them Sophie Gråbøl,...

Before Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” – the acclaimed period-piece centering on the rivalry of two female courtiers, vying for the attention of England’s queen – closes the Stockholm Intl. Film Festival on Nov. 18, the event will have offered its audience 150 films, 39% of which are directed by women, a higher percentage than most international festivals.

The festival opens on Nov. 7 with the world premiere of Anna Odell’s “X&Y,” a film that playfully explores notions of gender identity. It is highly anticipated after the success of the director’s debut, “The Reunion,” which won the Fipresci Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and the best film and script awards at the Guldbagges, Sweden’s top movie contest.

“X&Y” is one of 22 titles competing for the Bronze Horse, the fest’s top prize, restricted to directors with no more than three films. Ten of these are helmed by women, among which are Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,...

Honorees to include Asghar Farhadi, Mary Harron and Gunnell Lindblom.

The Stockholm International Film Festival has revealed its 2018 programme, with the festival kicking off Nov 7 with the anticipated world premiere of Anna Odell’s X&Y, in competition.

Odell, the Swedish artist and filmmaker who last directed 2013’s award-winning The Reunion, returns starring as a fictionalized version of herself, collaborating with the celebrated actor Mikael Persbrandt to deconstruct themselves. The cast also features Trine Dyrholm, Sofie Gråbøl, Vera Vitali, Shanti Roney, Jens Albinus and Thure Lindhardt. New Europe handles sales.

Stockholm will close Nov 18 with The Favourite by Yorgos Lanthimos, from the Open Zone section.

Completed films will also screen at the New Nordic Films Market, including ‘X&Y’.

Haugesund’s New Nordic Films Market has confirmed the 24 completed films that will screen during the event, as well as the 16 works in progress projects that will be presented.

“We are proud to present a programme that reflects high quality, with a strong and exciting line up from new and emerging talents,” said Gyda Myklebust, programme director for New Nordic Films.

Completed films screening in the market include Anna Odell’s hotly anticipated X&Y; the second of three Utoya-related films this year, Carl Javer’s Reconstructing Utoya...