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The new Julia Roberts movie didn’t go over so well today in Venice.
Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” has been roundly panned by critics, landing it at an unfortunate 46% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Roberts stars along with Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ayo Edibiri, and Chloe Sevigny in what is described as a #Metoo thriller/mystery.
But the main critics in Venice didn’t appreciate it. Neither did Variety or The Hollywood Reporter.
David Rooney said in THR: “It seems almost implausible that the gifted filmmaker who just gave us the sizzling buoyancy of Challengers and the heady intoxication of Queer could deliver something so dour and airless.”
Owen Gleiberman in Variety: “After the Hunt has been made with a fair amount of craft and intrigue, but it’s also a weirdly muddled experience — a tale that’s tense and compelling at times, but dotted with contrivances and too many vague unanswered questions”
“After the Hunt” follows Guadagnino’s “Challengers” from last year, which at least had tennis for a distraction.
This isn’t good news for Amazon/MGM which is in the hunt for Oscar level movies.
But this is what festivals and screenings are for, to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Amazon says: “Man on the Run” is the centerpiece of a comprehensive new partnership among Paul McCartney, Universal Music Group, and Amazon that will unfold over the next year, including the release of exclusive music and merchandise drops for fans from Amazon Music, and one-of-a-kind commentary from McCartney himself. The partnership coincides with the release of his book “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run,” which will be available on Amazon and Audible November 4, and McCartney’s Got Back tour dates across North America this fall.
Obviously there’ll be a soundtrack to go with the documentary, but in the meantime you listen to and watch “One Hand Clapping” as a good preamble.
Justin Bieber’s latest album has been a dud, dropping out of the iTunes top 50 after just 8 weeks.
“Swag” last week sold just 170 paid downloads. Another 29,000 units came from streaming.
But today, with many new releases, “Swag” is outta here. The single, “Daisies,” lingers in the mid part of the top 100 on iTunes.
“Swag” was dropped without notice in late June. The Bieber team didn’t bother to make CDs or LPs, and had little marketing. Bieber made no promotional appearances, and of course, there was no tour.
Is Bieber washed up at 31? If he ever decides to tour again, he’ll be a greatest hit act. But even that will require marketing to get him into nostalgia realm.
Gardner has been a most valuable player on the show’s team, a strong member of the cast who can do anything.
For years she’s also been the “straight woman,” not gender or sexually, but the female lead off of whom quirky types could play their games.
Gardner reached a kind of zenith this past season in the Beavis and Butthead sketch with Mikey Day.
Now she joins a list that includes Michael Longfellow, Emil Wasim, and Devon Walker. Who’s next?
Executive producer Lorne Michaels is rarely off his game. But is he making mistakes with the 51st season? Longfellow, for example, was a strong young part of the team with a promising future.
As for Gardner, she’s been raking it in doing commercials with Dan Levy. She’s got great comedy chops and should be able to use “SNL” as leverage into prime time either on linear, cable, or streaming. She will really be missed.
So who’s next? The guillotine just keeps falling. Michaels must have found a superior group of newbies, that’s for sure.
Sue Gilad pleaded guilty to second-degree falsifying business records and was sentenced by Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Janet McDonnell on April 28, 2025 to a conditional discharge and ordered to complete 210 hours of community service, proof of which she provided to the court today. The defendant previously reimbursed the State for the funds.
Suzanne Gilad boasts in press clippings about collecting 30 Tony Awards from 17 Broadway shows she’s produced including “Smash,” “Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Outsiders,” and “The Who’s Tommy.”
Her husband, Boaz Gilad, the founder of Brookland Capital, bragged that he was the hottest real estate developer in Brooklyn until reality caught up with him in 2019. From 2017 to 2019 he billed himself as “a pioneering real-estate developer.”
In 2019 — when it seems Brookland ceased to exist — the Real Deal reported that “Gilad developed a reputation as one of the most prolific developers in Brooklyn and a pioneer in raising money on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange…the firm had been facing serious financial difficulties since at least 2018…”
At the time, the Real Deal said, Brookland ‘owed its bondholders $42 million over the next three years and has been looking to sell off several of its properties…”
Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzalez said in a statement this week, “This defendant took advantage of a public health crisis by falsifying records to secure government aid that was meant to keep struggling small businesses afloat. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who attempt to enrich themselves through fraud at the expense of programs designed to protect New Yorkers.”
Inspector General Lucy Lang said, “Abuse of scarce state resources — during the pandemic and always — is a crime against both government and New Yorkers in need. Thank you to our partners at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for sharing our commitment to public integrity and to ensuring accountability for those who undermine it.”
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said: “The defendant submitted falsified copies of federal business income tax returns on behalf of three companies she controlled: In Fine Company LLC, Custom Broadway LLC and All the Josh Cohens LLC. As a result of the fraudulent applications, the defendant received approximately $69,099 in grant funds, which she then transferred into her personal bank accounts.”
A cursory Google search for Boaz Gilad reveal he’s spent more time in New York courtrooms than Broadway theaters. He’s been both plaintiff and defendant in a number of real estate deals gone bad. His LinkedIn page says he’s currently the host of a podcast called “Unmask:Taking the Mystery Out of Wins and Failures.” He also runs something called Zenith Clubhouse and is a former mortgage broker. In one article, he calls himself an “adjunct professor at NYU,” although I couldn’t find any other reference to that claim.
It’s as if the Gilads thought Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom could have been successes if they listened to them.
There’s scant evidence of the Gilads ever cross-referencing their businesses, although in 2006 they collaborated on a book called “The Real Estate Millionaire: How to Invest in Rental.” Self published, it sells for $46.75 on ebay.
Sue/Suzanne produced many of her shows as a team with someone named Larry Rogowsky, whose own Linkedin page includes a certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The pair’s latest project is a musical based on the much mocked movie, “Burlesque,” playing in London this summer.
The Venice Film Festival is off and running with two big stars and potential hit movies.
Emma Stone has made yet another film with Yorgos Lanthimos. Their “Poor Things” got her her second Oscar, and now “Bugonia” seems to be setting her up for another nomination, if not win.
Jesse Plemons co-stars in what is described as another loony, off the wall tale of a kind of pleasant kook who kidnaps the head of a company. He believes she’s an alien and even shaves her head before she wakes up in captivity. From the trailer it doesn’t look like she does much to dissuage him.
Stone’s first Oscar came from “La La Land.” She makes daring choices and they pay off. “Bugona” sounds like big stuff. The first 12 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are all “fresh,” giving the movie a 100% score.
George Clooney did miss all the press for “Jay Kelly,” his Netflix film with Noah Baumbach. But he did return to the Lido for the red carpet premiere and looked swell in his tux with wife Amal on his arm. He had said he was suffering from a sinus condition, but apparently someone found some Claritin in time for the show to go on.
“Jay Kelly” so far as an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, what I’d call a B plus. It’s a very American film that may not play as well in Europe. Clooney plays, basically, himself, a movie star in his twilight years trying to find meaning in his life. There are a lot of enthusiastic reviews, and the mixed ones even sound good. As a Clooney fan, I’m intrigued to say the least.
UPDATE: He made it to the red carpet after all. Bravo!
On Tuesday, George Clooney arrived in Venice looking and sounding great. He mugged it up for the paparazzi and looked like he was having a grand time.
By yesterday, he was gone, returned to his villa in Lake Como, a four hour drive away. He canceled all participation in the promotion for his movie, “Jay Kelly,” directed by Noah Baumbach.
The official word: he has a sinus infection. Apparently, there was no cure for this at his five star hotel and there are no doctors in Venice waiting to serve celebrities.
What’s really happening? Who knows? “Jay Kelly” is getting a mixed reaction online, and that may be infecting Clooney’s enthusiasm.
Netflix has high hopes for “Jay Kelly,” and so did all of us. Telluride just announced they’re having the North American premiere this weekend. We’ll have to wait and see if George’s sinuses clear up by then.
