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Oscar Isaac is observing Human Rights Day.

For the occasion, observed Dec. 10, the actor recorded a PSA urging viewers to “please support the organizations that work tirelessly to protect and promote our human rights.”

The actor’s video message follows his starring turn in the 2016 movie The Promise, which tells the story of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian genocide at the end of World War I. Since the movie’s release, a slew of celebrities have pledged to “keep the promise” to help displaced refugees and fight for human rights.

The late rocker Chris Cornell — whose family continues to carry...

The Los Angeles Committee of Human Rights Watch had their most successful fundraising dinner to date, raising more than every year prior.

Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic performs as Human Rights Watch presents the Voices For Justice Annual Gala

Credit/Copyright: Benjamin Shmikler/ABImages

The event, which took place last week at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, had an immense amount of celebrities and influential people in attendance including Eric Esrailian, Serj Tankian, Angela Sarafyan, Kimberly Marteau Emerson, Mike Medavoy, David Foster, Katherine McPhee, and Linda Ramone. Last night also introduced the inaugural Promise Award, followed by a very special performance by Ryan Tedder and Drew Brown of OneRepublic.

Inspired by the film and song that powerfully depicted the atrocities committed against the Armenian people; the award recognizes an outstanding song, television show, or film that advances the values of equity and justice in an original and powerful way. Fittingly, the inaugural...

Even though the Armenian genocide depicted in Open Road's The Promise took place more than 100 years ago, when Chris Cornell wrote the searing end-title theme, he wanted to bring awareness to similar atrocities going on today.

"Rather than people thinking, 'Wow, what a horrendous thing that happened a century ago,' I'd love for them to realize that it is happening now and the fact that the warning signs are always the same leading up to a genocide," said the late Soundgarden singer in an interview a few weeks before his May 2017 death and shortly before the film, starring Christian Bale...

Exclusive: Posthumous Oscars are rare, but Chris Cornell, who died in May at age 52, stands a chance of winning one, or at least being nominated, for his moving theme song from The Promise. The film is an epic-like love story from director Terry George that is set during the Armenian genocide and the last days of the Ottoman Empire. It opened in the spring through Open Road Films but is hoping to be remembered at least in this category on behalf of Cornell. Watch a video…...

When Terry George embarked on the filming of his Armenian genocide drama “The Promise” starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, following nearby with his own crew was director Joe Berlinger.

Read More: ‘The Post’ Trailer: Steven Speilberg Releases The Pentagon Papers

Known for his documentaries such as the “Paradise Lost” trilogy and “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” the filmmaker used the production of “The Promise” to make “Intent To Destroy,” his own cinematic exploration of the tangled web of responsibility that has driven a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies.

Continue reading ‘Intent To Destroy’ Clip: The Horrors Of The Death March [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time for director Joe Berlinger to tie his documentary about the Armenian Genocide with a behind-the-scenes account of the making of The Promise, Terry George's dramatic film about the same subject. Unfortunately, that $100 million would-be cinematic epic starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac sank like a stone upon its premiere last spring, attracting critical brickbats and going virtually unseen. That the film bankrolled by Armenian-American businessman Kirk Kerkorian was a box-office disaster lends an unfortunate aspect to the otherwise excellent and informative Intent to Destroy.

The documentary, divided into...

Today George Clooney, through the Clooney Foundation for Justice, gave a $1 million gift to The Sentry to kick off its “Making War Criminals Pay” fundraising campaign.

With increased investigative capacity, The Sentry – an initiative of the Enough Project and Not On Our Watch – will dramatically increase its production of dossiers focused on war criminals and their financial networks. The Sentry’s dossiers are being turned over to banks and governments in order to lay the foundation for serious action by regulatory and law enforcement authorities around the world, aimed at prosecuting or seizing the assets of those who finance and benefit from genocide or other war crimes.

In addition to George Clooney’s generous grant, The Sentry is pleased to announce leadership gifts from: Don Cheadle, Carl Allen, Ruben Vardanyan, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, and three major donors who wish to remain anonymous. Including the Clooney Foundation grant, these gifts total $3.45 million.

Joe Berlinger’s documentary about the Armenian genocide Intent to Destroy won the top Best Documentary Film Award at 2017 Doc La. The film-in-film produced by Berlinger, Chip Rosenbloom and Eric Esrailian depicts the century of sophisticated denial campaigns by the Turkish government that perpetrated the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, and features Atom Egoyan, Christian Bale, Mike Medavoy, Eric Bogosian, Serj Tankian, Angela Sarafian, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and the Us…...

Montel Williams and Dean Cain, executive producers of the documentary “Architects of Hate,” say that U.S. refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide allows genocide to continue. “If you don’t call it what it is, and you let it be covered up, it allows it to be continued,” Cain said in an interview with TheWrap’s Stuart Brazell. “Genocide denied is genocide continued. We use the Armenian genocide to show you how a whole number of genocides are being committed today.” And the reason the federal government won’t formally recognize what took place as genocide is simple, Cain says.

"It's an experience I wouldn't wish even on my worst enemies..." Abramorama has premiered the official trailer for a documentary titled Intent to Destroy, an examination of the Armenian Genocide and the history of denial by the Turkish government. This seems like one of the most definitive docs examining this historically tragic event, telling not only the history behind it and how it happened, but the ways various governments attempted to cover up and downplay the depressing truth of it all. The doc even examines how this "laid the groundwork for the genocides that followed." Filmmaker Joe Berlinger also visits the set of Terry George's The Promise, a feature film starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale set during the Armenian Genocide, discussing how hard it is to make a film about this. This looks powerful, and sad, but important. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Joe Berlinger's documentary Intent to Destroy,...

The Armenian Genocide claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1917, but the truth about the horrors was suppressed because of America’s diplomatic relationship with Turkey. Even as recently as 2016, when filmmaker Terry George set out to make a narrative feature about the tragedy, the Oscar Isaac-starring “The Promise,” he fielded threats from the Turkish government. Academy Award-nominated director Joe Berlinger was on set to capture the challenges — both artistic and political — in making a movie about the Genocide. In the first trailer for this unflinching documentary, “Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial, and Depiction,” Berlinger weaves interviews with filmmakers and historians into his fascinating behind the scenes footage.

Per the official synopsis: “Berlinger’s cinematic exploration of the tangled web of responsibility that has driven a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies. Intent to Destroy...

Exclusive: Abramorama and Gathr Films have acquired North American theatrical rights to the Joe Berlinger documentary Intent to Destroy, a film-within-a film that centers on the Armenian genocide of 1915 and was a critical favorite at this year’s Tribeca and Hot Docs film festivals. Abramorama will release the film theatrically on Nov. 10 in New York and Los Angeles followed by select cities nationwide. Gathr Films will then expand the release with one-night-only event…...

A California State Senator has weighed in on a controversial decision to ban a billboard advertisement for the film documentary Architects of Denial, which covers the Armenian genocide as told by survivors. Caruso Affiliated Holdings, which runs the Americana at Brand mall in heavily Armenian Glendale, California, reportedly denied an outdoor billboard ad at the mall because it was “too political,” according to the marketing firm that handles its advertising. The film is…...

Chris Cornell‘s philanthropic legacy lives in.

Before his May 18 death, the Soundgarden frontman filmed a music video in honor of World Refugee Day, which was released posthumously on Tuesday, when the cause is observed.

Cornell wrote and recorded “The Promise” for the movie of the same name, which stars Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale and tells the story of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian genocide at the end of World War I. Cornell was a fierce advocate for those affected by the current refugee crisis, and since The Promise’s release this year, he traveled the world promoting the...

George and Amal Clooney's twins are coming any day now!

The 56-year-old actor hinted that the due date for his babies was coming soon on Sunday, when he didn't appear at the Aurora Prize for Awaking Humanity event in Yerevan, Armenia, joking about Amal could give birth. George co-founded the event, which honors survivors of the Armenian genocide.

"I really would have been [there] but if I came there and my wife had twins while I was there, I could never come home," he said in a taped video message to the audience.

Watch: Exclusive -- Amal Clooney to Give Birth to Twins 'Any Day Now,' Source Says

Last week, a source told Et that Amal is expected to give birth "any day now," though her due date was originally thought to be around the first week of June.

"They are expecting her to give birth early," the source said, noting that the...

George Clooney is this close to becoming a father to twins!

The actor, 56, skipped Sunday’s Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia, and submitted a video message to explain the reason for his absence.

“I really would have been but if I came there and my wife had twins while I was there, I could never come home,” Clooney said of his 39-year-old pregnant wife Amal, who is due in June.

Last year, Clooney, who is a member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, was in attendance to present an award at the inaugural gathering which honored...

Fatih Akin sends a cumbersome bull into the socio-political china shop of present-day Germany, and all its racial and social divides, with In the Fade, a compelling (if somewhat ugly and hammy) contemporary revenge thriller wherein fear begets fear, hates begets hate, and thrills — however imprudent they might be — are easy to come by.

We’re in Hamburg’s diverse and famously progressive St. Pauli district (the choice of location is no accident). Diane Kruger (speaking her Muttersprache) plays Katja Sekerci, a woman who is out to avenge the death of her husband, Nuri (Numan Acar), and only son, both of whom are killed at the beginning of the film when a nail bomb erupts outside Nuri’s office. The crime is given further weight by the fact that Nuri is of Turkish extraction. It’s an unavoidably slippery topic, no doubt, but Akin (a Hamburg native of Turkish descent...

Author: Jo-Ann Titmarsh

Fatih Akin has had a directorial trajectory that oscillates between the compelling and raw Head-On to the less successful Armenian genocide movie The Cut via the joys of Soul Kitchen. In the Fade sees Akin in his native Hamburg tackling racism and the burgeoning far right extremism.

The film opens with Nuri Sekerci (Numan Acar), wearing a white suit and black shirt reminiscent of Tony Manero, is heading out of his prison cell and into marriage with Katja (Diane Kruger). The jostling and joshing inmates cheering him on his way is a joy. From here we jump ahead a few years and see the two happily ensconced in a beautiful home with a lovely six-year-old son Rocco. Nuri has a legitimate business and Katja is a stay-at-home mum. But when a bomb explodes and kills her family, we wonder how legitimate Nuri was and where all the money came from.

Chris Cornell was fully immersed in work and family in the weeks before his startling death on Wednesday night at age 52.

Although a medical examiner ruled that the former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman died of suicide by hanging, his family insisted in a statement released through their attorney that the devoted husband and father would not have knowingly and intentionally taken his own life — and question whether any “substances” played a role in his death.

“Without the results of toxicology tests, we do not know what was going on with Chris — or if any substances contributed to his demise,” Cornell...

The family of Chris Cornell are speaking out about the shocking death of the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman, who was found dead at MGM Grand Detroit on Wednesday night. The medical examiner ruled that Cornell died of suicide by hanging, but the family believes he was not suicidal and instead hint that the side effects of his prescription drugs may have led to his death.

The Cornell family’s attorney Kirk Pasich said in a statement that the family is “disturbed” at inferences that Cornell knowingly and intentionally took his life and that Cornell told his wife that he had...

Jessica Simpson and Amal Clooney may walk in different circles, but they've got the same great taste!

Both women rocked the same $3,995 Dolce & Gabbana cocktail-print cady midi dress over the last few months. 

Related: Who Wore It Best? Jennifer Lopez Rocks Same Balmain Jumpsuit as Kendall Jenner

The fun frock perfectly complemented Clooney's growing baby bump as she attended the London premiere of The Promise on April 6, where she met the late Chris Cornell and his daughter, Toni. Cornell wrote and performed the end-title song of the same name for the 2016 film, which takes place during the Armenian Genocide.

Simpson, meanwhile, wore the dress to a friend's wedding earlier this month.

"Martinis for Mark and Teenie...

Fans and loved ones of rocker Chris Cornell are reeling after his shocking and unexpected death at age 52.

Cornell, who first gained fame as the lead singer of Soundgarden and later the band Audioslave, was found dead in his hotel room at the MGM Grand Detroit following the band’s performance at the Fox Theatre, his rep and Detroit police confirm to People.

The Wayne County, Michigan medical examiner completed an autopsy Thursday afternoon and confirmed that Cornell died of suicide by hanging.

“Chris seemed in really great spirits and everyone is in complete shock,” a friend of the rocker and wife Vicky Karayiannis,...

Chris Cornell‘s sudden death at the age of 52 is a tragedy felt in heavy waves across the world of music and beyond. The rocker was found dead in his hotel room in Detroit Wednesday night following what would turn out to be a final Soundgarden performance.

The frontman for Soundgarden and, later, Audioslave, Cornell helped pave the way for the grunge movement of the early and mid ’90s alongside bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

But behind the music, Cornell was also a husband and a father. Alongside his legacy, he leaves behind wife Vicky and their two children: son Christopher,...

Just one month before Chris Cornell’s shocking and unexpected death at age 52, the legendary rocker walked the red carpet with his wife and family for the final time to promote a passion project with family ties.

The former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman wrote and performed the end-title song for The Promise, a film that addressed the Armenian genocide. On April 18 he attended a screening of the film at New York’s Paris Theater with his wife, Vicky Karayiannis, and their two children: daughter Toni, 12, and son Christopher, 11.

Last month, Cornell told Billboard the project moved him because his wife...

Jean Reno has signed with Paradigm, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned. He previously was with CAA.

The French actor rose to international acclaim in 1994 in Luc Besson’s The Professional, starring as the titular hitman who mentors a young orphan (Natalie Portman). His subsequent Hollywood credits include Mission: Impossible, Godzilla, Ronin and The Da Vinci Code, as well as Couples Retreat and Steve Martin’s two Pink Panther movies, wherein he showed off his comedic flair. Reno most recently appeared in Armenian genocide drama The Promise, starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon.

Reno continues to be repped...

Sickly cinematography and romance add unnecessary schmaltz to this Oscar Isaac-led historical drama

The victim of an alleged IMDb vote-rigging scheme, this romantic drama set against the backdrop of the first world war Armenian genocide was controversial even before its release. Director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) suggested that the numerous one-star votes that followed the film’s premiere last year were politically motivated, rather than appraisals of the film-making – likely, given that hardly anyone had seen the film at the time. That said, with its sugary soft-focus, treacle-toned cinematography, over-masticated fake Turkish accents and cloying love triangle device, this is film that delivers more empty calories than historical sustenance.

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Kourtney Kardashian rang in her 38th birthday earlier this month and celebrated with a girls-only trip to Tulum, Mexico. The eldest Kardashian had the company of her sister Kim as well as close friends Stephanie Sheppard, Malika Haqq, Brittny Gastineau, and Larsa Pippen. On Monday, the ladies bared it all in tiny bikinis - Kourtney showed a ton of underboob while Kim's greatest asset was on display in a vintage Dior two-piece - and appeared to have a blast while splashing and posing for photos in the ocean. Kim later shared some pretty wild tales about the, um, activities going on via Twitter, while Kourtney shared a couple of racy snaps on Instagram. Later in the week, the sisters were out and about again, flaunting their fit figures in sequined swimsuits on the beach at Joe Francis's Casa Aramara in Punta Mita. RelatedDangerous Curves Ahead: Over 40 of Kim Kardashian...

Author: Daniel Brightmore

More than 100 years may have passed since the outbreak of the First World War, but The Promise offers worrying parallels with today’s political landscape, highlighting the damage caused when intolerance rises un-checked. The film admirably tries to balance the plot demands of a love triangle with the weighty drama and real-life horror of a dark chapter in history: the Armenian genocide.

We follow apothecary Mikael (Oscar Isaac) when he leaves his hometown in Armenia, and his betrothed, behind to train as a doctor in Constantinople. But with Europe on the brink of meltdown, his hopes for his career, and a budding romance with French governess Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), are cut off before they can bloom when war breaks out. While vying for Ana’s affections Mikael meets American journalist Chris (a gruff and grandstanding Christian Bale) soon risking his life to bear witness to the...

Author: Zehra Phelan

It comes as no surprise that some of our most heinous historical world events have become the subject of a cinematic depiction. As audiences wanting their thirst for great cinema and intrigue in world issues grow we have had, in the naughties alone, Roman Polanski deliver The Pianist in 2002 and more recently László Nemes’ Son of Saul to quench our desire. Even this week, we have the release of Terry George’s The Promise which tells the story of the Armenian Genocide in the final years of the Ottoman Empire with Oscar Isaac, Charlotte LeBon and Christian Bale hitting our cinemas.

Whether these events are genocides, horrific murders, acts of terrorism or even demonic paranormal activities, our quest for knowledge, understanding and feeling has inspired filmmakers for years. Their films set out to shine a light on the atrocities and suffering of man, and act to empower...

Author: Scott Davis

Writer/director Terry George’s new film, The Promise, arrives on UK shores this weekend amidst some resistance: the event it chronicles, the genocide of 1.5million Armenians from 1915, was one of the first modern genocides and has historically been surrounded in controversy. So much so that after the film was shown at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, IMDb registered over 57,000 one-star votes, which some commentators said was a campaign to downrate it by deniers of the genocide.

But none of that has derailed those involved in the film, particularly George, who says that the story was an important one that needed to be told, particularly as many modern audiences know little to nothing about the event. On the historical relevance, George told us:

“The fact that you don’t know much about the history speaks to the success of the Turkish governments who have repressed this...

Love hurts. Love is complicated.

And in particular, for one man who is trying to keep all his promises during the Armenian genocide.

In The Promise, Oscar Isaacs plays an Armenian medical student who made a promise to wed a girl for money to attend school in Turkey. During his student life, he falls in love with another woman and made certain promises to her too. As the Armenian genocide unfolds, he has made many promises, in which he had to keep and had to break.

The Promise also stars Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Sarafyan, Tom Hollander, James Crowell, Jean Reno, and Tamer Hassan. It is directed by Terry George.

Lrm had a sit-down interview with the lovely actresses Charlotte Le Bon and Angela Sarafyan. We had a wonderful discussion about the love triangle in the film and what supposedly would happen if their characters would’ve met in the movie.

Marketing, publicity executives report to Tom Ortenberg.

Open Road Films has named Loren Schwartz president of marketing while Liz Biber has been promoted to president of publicity.

Schwartz and Biber will report directly to Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenberg, who made the announcement on Tuesday.

Open Road marketed and distributed Armenian Genocide drama The Promise at the weekend on behalf of Survival Pictures. The film reportedly cost more than $90m and opened on $4.1m in 2,251 theatres.

Schwartz is Open Road’s third marketing chief in 14 months. He replaces Jonathan Helfgot, who only took the place of Jason Cassidy in March 2016 and is understood to be joining Fox as head of theatrical marketing.

Biber has been head of publicity since the company’s inception in 2011.

Schwartz most recently served as executive vice-president of genre marketing and advertising at Warner Bros.

Prior to that, he was senior vice-president of creative advertising at Columbia Pictures, where he worked...

For the second time in 13 months, Open Road Films has named a new marketing president. The indie studio is tapping Loren Schwartz to take the marketing reins. She is replacing Jonathan Helfgot, who is leaving Open Road.

Schwartz will report directly to Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg. Helfgot took over Open Road's marketing department just last year, when he replaced Jason Cassidy.

The move comes as Open Road struggles at the box office, most recently as the big-budget Armenian genocide drama The Promise earned just $4 million in its opening weekend. Open Road's high-profile Snowden from Oliver Stone took...

Kim Kardashian spoke out about the Armenian genocide in recognition of the 102nd anniversary of the mass killings. The reality TV show star, who is half Armenian on her father’s side, tweeted out a statement on Monday. “Thinking of Armenians everywhere. 102 yrs ago, Ottoman authorities began a slaughter that would kill 1.5m,” she wrote. Thinking of Armenians everywhere. 102 yrs ago, Ottoman authorities began a slaughter that would kill 1.5m. #ArmenianGenocide #NeverForget ???????? — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) April 24, 2017 Also Read: Kim Kardashian Blasted for Calling the Flu an 'Amazing Diet' April 24 marks the anniversary of the day in 1915 when...

Chicago – So much of civilization’s story is lost in the mist of “winners write the history,” and even as recently as 100 years ago there are instances of world history that is not generally taught. “The Promise” is set during the World War I period, and has a love triangle in the midst of a little known genocide.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The love triangle is represented by a top drawer trio… Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac and Charlotte Le Bon, and the heartache of the situation has echoes of Dr. Zhivago, without the soap opera. The attempted ethnic cleansing of the Armenian people at the hands of Ottoman Empire-era Turkey is shown with a tense desperation that doesn’t let up, even in the end. The information about the cleansing is exposed through the lovers surviving through it, and puts a spotlight on humans who become a cruel beast, and victimizes a tribe...

The late Kirk Kerkorian's parting gift to Hollywood was The Promise, a big-budget epic about the Armenian genocide.

Starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, the movie opened to a mere $4.1 million at the North American box office over the weekend. At that rate, the film stands to lose $80 million or more unless it overperforms overseas and in ancillary markets, according to box-office experts.

The Promise cost $90 million to $100 million to make before marketing costs and a distribution fee paid to Open Road Films in North America. Kerkorian, who died in 2015 and was of Armenian descent,...

While we're still unsure whether or not General Leia will come face-to-face with her son Kylo Ren after he killed Han Solo, or if she'll reunite with her twin brother Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, one thing is for certain. Leia and Poe will have a few scenes together. In a recent interview, Oscar Isaac, who plays ace X-Wing fighter Poe Dameron, opened up about his time spent on set with the late Carrie Fisher. And even though we don't really know much about Poe yet, these scenes shot between them should be intense and emotional for the audience.

Carrie Fisher's untimely passing last year had every Star Wars fan wondering if the beloved actress would ever return to the franchise. Fisher had already filmed her scenes for Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The question was whether she would be digitally recreated for Star Wars...

A hero. Always.

After more than one hundred years, Turkey has never formally recognize the Armenian genocide. The Promise will be one of the first major films that uses the fateful event in the early 20th century as a backdrop for its romantic drama.

The film stars Oscar Isaacs as an Armenian medical student, who promised to return to his fiancée after his studies. However, he falls in love with another Armenian girl and creates a romantic rivalry with an American journalist. As the love triangle is formed, the Ottoman Empire starts to crumble as the Turks try to relocate and to eliminate the Armenians.

The film also stars Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bron, Angela Sarafyan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jean Reno and James Cromwell.

Lrm had an exclusive sit-down interview with Bale as we discussed his role and knowledge of the Armenian genocide in The Promise.

The Promise is in theaters nationwide today.

Something strange is happening with “The Promise” on IMDb. As of right now, 50.8% (65.6k) of all reviews for Terry George‘s film about the Armenian Genocide give it a 10/10, while 47.8% (61.7k) of all reviews stand at 1/10. Even among the IMDb user ratings, which are notoriously reactive and negatively skewed, it seems absolutely unfathomable that only 1.4% of all viewers would give it a review between 2/10 and 9/10.

Continue reading ‘The Promise’ Director Claims Genocide Deniers Have Tanked His Movie’s IMDb Score at The Playlist.

By this time next month, Micah Green will no longer be with Creative Artists Agency. Green, who serves as film finance and sales co-head at CAA, is starting a new venture alongside Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin. Said endeavor doesn’t have a name yet, but Variety reports that it will be centered around investments in media and entertainment.

Read More: ‘Risk’: Laura Poitras Yanks Screening For Last-Minute Edits Following New Julian Assange Developments

Green’s time at the company saw it assist in financing for such high-profile directors as David O. Russell (“American Hustle”), Mel Gibson (“Hacksaw Ridge”) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Birdman,” “The Revenant”). Best known as the CEO of Gulf States Toyota Distributors, Friedkin is Imperative’s primary financier; among the company’s upcoming projects are the Bradley Cooper–starring World War II drama “Atlantic Wall” and “Tangerine,” a period thriller led by Scarlett Johansson.

Read...

This weekend marks the moment of truth for “The Promise,” when Open Road Films’ $100 million love story set against the Armenian genocide of World War I will open on 2,000 screens. Directed by Terry George, best known for directing 2004’s “Hotel Rwanda,” the film follows a romantic triangle between an Armenian medical student (Oscar Isaac), an Armenian artist (Charlotte Le Bon) and an American photojournalist (Christian Bale).

Read More: Gilbert Gottfried On Getting Fired and Feeling ‘Miserable’ About Life — Tribeca 2017

Early critics’ reviews of the film have been very mixed, and in the seven months since the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, a campaign of Armenian genocide deniers have attacked the movie by voting down its scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. While online ratings can reflect honest opinion, more than 60,000 online accounts gave “The Promise” the lowest possible score on IMDb the day after its Toronto...

Oscar Isaac’s “The Promise” earned just $200,000 at the Thursday previews last night, with showings starting at 7 p.m. Open Road Films is releasing “The Promise,” which stars Isaac as an Armenian medical student who falls into a love triangle with an American reporter (Christian Bale) and a beautiful dance instructor (Charlotte Le Bon) amidst the start of the Armenian Genocide in 1914. Heading into the weekend, trackers had the film making $5 million from an estimated 2,000 screens this weekend. It currently has a rating of 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Also Read: 'The Promise' Review: Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale Can't Save.

(l-r) Charlotte Le Bon as Ana, Oscar Isaac as Michael, and Christian Bale as Chris, in The Promise. Photo by Jose Haro. Courtesy of Open Road ©

The Armenian genocide during World War I is the backdrop for The Promise, tale of war and love starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale.

A hundred years on, many people still know little about this early 20th century genocide in the waning days of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, an event the Turkish government still refuses to acknowledge. It has been said that the world has so thoroughly forgotten the Armenian genocide only a few years afterward, that it encouraged Hitler to undertake his own genocide. But some Armenians did survive and the genocide is getting renewed attention after a century.

In director Terry George’s lush historical drama, Oscar Isaac plays Michael, a young Armenian man, the son of the local pharmacist,...

A wartime romance, jealous ex-wife and cute wild animals are among what's hitting theaters this weekend in The Promise, Unforgettable and Born in China. Also releasing is Brie Larson and an all-star cast in Free Fire, as well as the documentaries Citizen Jane: Battle for the City and The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki.

Read on to find out what The Hollywood Reporter's critics are saying about the weekend's new offerings (as well as which film will likely top the weekend box office).

The Promise

Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac star in the Armenian genocide drama where...

It’s been over a decade since director Terry George had a big hit with the three-time Oscar nominated “Hotel Rwanda,” and his career ever since has been in a steady downward tumble, culminating in his last feature film, 2011’s “Whole Lotta Sole” starring Brendan Fraser which almost nobody saw. So, the filmmaker has returned to war torn territory with “The Promise,” bringing with him some very big talent and subject matter – the Armenian Genocide – and that hasn’t been tackled very often at the movies.

Continue reading Christian Bale & Oscar Isaac Can’t Escape The Soap Opera-y ‘The Promise’ [Review] at The Playlist.

Last week's teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi had just a brief glimpse of Poe Dameron and Bb-8. We see Poe running towards an X-Wing, presumably his, as Bb-8 is rolling along. The ship explodes spectacularly in front of them, as they are seemingly under an intense attack. This scene is without context, so we have no clue what's really happening. But now we know that Poe is under a lot of duress in the movie, and he will be facing the biggest challenge of his life.

We can already infer from the panels at Star Wars Celebration that The Last Jedi is this trilogy's Empire Strikes Back. Director Rian Johnson has said that despite the destruction of Star Killer Base, The First Order is not sitting on their laurels. They destroyed the Republic government and are making big moves against The Resistance. It's strongly presumed that while...

In 1915, at the onset of World War I, the Ottoman Turks went on a government sponsored campaign to remove ethnic Armenians from the country. This forced relocation and slaughter of 1.5 million people would eventually be called the Armenian Genocide. To this day, Turkey refuses to acknowledge this event or take responsibility.

The Promise is a dramatization of the Armenian Genocide by Director Terry George. He was also the filmmaker behind Hotel Rwanda twelve years ago. Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale star as two men in love with the same woman, swept up in the bloody turmoil. Isaac plays Mikael, an apothecary studying to be a doctor. Bale co-stars as Chris Meyers, an American reporter for the Associated Press. Both men partake in an epic struggle to survive and escape the country.

Coming from Open Road, The Promise has had an interesting journey to the screen. Last year, after the premiere...

The star of The Promise had such a nomadic childhood that at one point he thought he was Russian. A perfect upbringing to become modern Hollywood’s ‘global human’

Much is made in Hollywood of chameleons – actors who have the ability to “disappear” into a role, appearing “unrecognisable” – while less is said about versatility. At rest, the faces of the best movie actors contain multitudes. Robert Mitchum had the broken-nosed face of a brute but the sleepy, languid eyes of an angel – “Bing Crosby on barbiturates”, in film critic James Agee’s phrase. Bette Davis could switch from glam to dowdy with the angle of her head and a couple of fill lights. And Robert De Niro’s ability to frown and smile simultaneously is legendary.

Related: The Promise review – Oscar Isaac tackles Armenian genocide in cliched but involving romance

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2017-04-20T07:12:18-07:00New Movies No Match for 'Fate of the Furious'

It's looking like a forgettable weekend at the box office in the lull before summer gets underway on May 5 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Holdover The Fate of the Furious is expected to clobber a handful of new films that open Friday, including Katherine Heigl's erotic thriller Unforgettable, Armenian genocide drama The Promise, starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, action-comedy Free Fire and sci-fi thriller Phoenix Forgotten. Disney also opens its latest nature documentary, Born in China.

Fate of the Furious is expected to earn $45 million or more in its second weekend after scoring the biggest global launch of all time with $535 million. (All eyes will be on the Universal film to see how much it drops.)

Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.

Fate of the Furious...

It's looking like a forgettable weekend at the box office in the lull before summer gets underway on May 5 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Holdover The Fate of the Furious is expected to clobber a handful of new films that open Friday: Katherine Heigl's erotic thriller, Unforgettable; Armenian genocide drama The Promise, starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac; action-comedy Free Fire; and sci-fi thriller Phoenix Forgotten. Disney also opens its latest nature documentary, Born in China.

Fate of the Furious is expected to earn $45 million or more in its second weekend after scoring the biggest...