Latest news with #EvaGreen
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Jimmy Jaguar' Review: An Atypical Hungarian Horror Flick That's More Provocative Than Frightening
Hungarian auteur Bence Fliegauf is about as far from the mainstream as you can get, although he has tried his hand at various Hollywood genres — including the 2010 English-language sci-fi flick Womb, which starred Eva Green and Lesley Manville. But his eclectic range of movies are often dark and difficult to classify, which may explain why he's been a regular on the festival circuit for nearly two decades without ever getting much play in theaters. The director's latest feature, Jimmy Jaguar, is another brooding head-scratcher, one that's equal parts fascinating and frustrating. On paper, it could be pitched as a Hungarian Blair Witch Project meets Insidious, using a faux-documentary device to explore a case of demonic possession among a group of outsiders living in the countryside. But it doesn't include a single jump scare, killing scene or drop of blood, and never manages to frighten the viewer. It plays more like a meditation on horror itself — how it seeps into the real world, which is filled with plenty of horrors of its own. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'A Second Life' Review: Agathe Rousselle, Star of Palme d'Or Winner 'Titane,' Carries a Compellingly Off-the-Cuff Paris Movie Karlovy Vary Eastern Promises Winners Include 'Battalion Records,' 'In Vacuo' 1-2 Special Takes Radu Jude's 'Dracula' for North America Both provocative and contemplative, the film caused a steady stream of walkouts during its premiere in competition at Karlovy Vary. And yet Fliegauf is a gifted auteur who knows what he wants and also how to get it, filling his movie with chilling everyday images — darkened roads, abandoned pets, isolated farmhouses — that work their way under our skin. Jimmy Jaguar may not be outright scary, but it leaves viewers (at least those stick around till the end) with a haunted feeling, as if the world had somehow gone wrong. The storyline sounds like perfect fodder for Jason Blum, who could probably up the adrenaline factor by several notches and turn this premise into a box-office hit. Somewhere in rural Hungary, two extremely strange men — Seed (Erik Major) and Marci Balfi (Krisztian Peer) — have been arrested for kidnapping and sequestering an old hermit living alone in the woods. They claim that a demon named Jimmy Jaguar, or Jagu, possessed their souls and told them to do it. But there's a catch: The man they attacked happens to be a Serbian war criminal who was hiding out for years in Hungary, escaping arrest by the Hague and living in relative freedom. The kidnappers claim they had no idea who he was, but the unseen documentarian telling their story suggests they committed a crime of pure vengeance. Does Jimmy Jaguar exist, or is he simply a crazy alibi for the culprits? Fliegauf spends the rest of the movie asking that question, which he complicates by adding several other characters said to be possessed by Jagu. They include a pregnant girl (Juli Jakab), who believes she was inseminated by the demon à la Rosemary's Baby; a woman (Nora Jakab) who runs a creepy commune where one of the kidnappers takes a vow of silence; and two Jagu-loving 20-somethings (Aliz Solyom, Lilla Kizlinger), who work at an outdoor kennel filled with cats and dogs who all seem to be possessed as well. Fliegauf constantly toys with horror film elements, whether in the use of found footage, the droning music hinting at something awful that's about to happen, or locations that look like perfect staging grounds for murder. (The director is also credited as composer and production designer.) And yet there's hardly an ounce of violence on screen, which feels like both a cop-out and, in some ways, an accomplishment. Jimmy Jaguar is a horror movie without explicit horror. It's as if censors came in to cut out anything that could result in an R rating, leaving us the eerie remnants of what may have happened. Still, the director indulges in a few twists that are obvious and a bit corny, especially in the closing act. By that point, we're still wondering if Jimmy Jaguar — who first appeared as a character in a spooky Hungarian children's song from the 1970s — is the real thing or not. Fliegauf enlists a group of experts — including a psychiatrist (Gyorgy Banko), an anthropologist (Vilma Fozy) and the detective (Eszter Balla) who interrogated the kidnappers at the start of the movie — to debate the issue, filming their discussion like a real talk show panel. It's yet another way to distance the viewer from anything remotely scary, doubling down on the notion that horror is not only about killers leaping out of closets or from behind trees, but about the evil that exists all around us — as well as the fears that such evils evoke. This may not convince viewers walking into Jimmy Jaguar hoping to get a good fright, but, for better or worse, Fliegauf has never really been interested in convincing anyone except himself. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
The Star
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Actress Eva Green develops new sake with a lower alcohol content
French actress Eva Green has developed her own low-alcohol sake. – Photo: Seiun/The Green Wolf, via ETX Daily Up You might not expect to find sake among the latest trendy low-alcohol drinks, given its deep-rooted traditions, which are even recognised by Unesco. However, there is now a sake with an alcohol content of just 8%, and the name of its creator may surprise you. After beer, gin and other spirits, wine and even champagne, the range of low-alcohol drinks seems almost complete. The latest addition to the list of options is sake. Increasingly featured on restaurant menus, this Japanese rice wine has gained a new reputation in recent years. The Japanese drink is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran, and has an alcohol content around 14° – just like a red wine from the Rhône Valley. This is the case of Junmai, ie, sakes to which no alcohol has been added. Only alcohol resulting from the fermentation produces the desired effect. The alcohol content can rise to around 16% for Ginjo, a category corresponding to sakes in which the rice has been polished more (to 60%) and extra distilled alcohol has been added. This rises to 20% for Genshu, where no additional water has been added after fermentation. Sake is also being rethought as people look for lower-alcohol alternatives. However, few have tried and tested the concept. It is important to note that this rice-based alcohol is deeply rooted in both Japanese traditions and customs. Just as it would be impossible to define France's culinary heritage without its baguette, sake is an essential part of the Japanese way of life. The expertise required to produce it was added to Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list last December. However, the idea of crafting a low-alcohol version is not without merit. And the initiative is likely to cause a buss because it is led by the French actress Eva Green. Fascinated by Japanese culture, the former Bond girl embarked on this venture alongside her childhood friend, Hadrien Wolff. Both trained in France and Japan in the art of rice wine production. They eventually chose a 200-year-old brewery in Osaka, Kuninocho, to develop their own sake. Its distinctive feature is that it is only 8% alcohol by volume. This feat is achieved in the same way that some winemakers use to market low-alcohol wines: the fermentation process in vats is deliberately interrupted. The second fermentation is stopped by pasteurisation. Slightly sparkling on the palate, this new creation is best enjoyed chilled. It is called Seiun, which means "nebula' in Japanese. To market it, Eva Green and Hadrien Wolff set up the company The Green Wolf. The sake is currently available for pre-order at a price of €45. For the time being, deliveries will only be made in France and Belgium. As a special feature, each bottle will have a QR code linking to a playlist of the songs that were played during fermentation. These are spatial sounds, at various frequencies, which were emitted into each tank to stimulate the action of the yeast. Music may indeed have beneficial effects at this crucial stage in the wine-making process, according to scientific research conducted by researcher Stefano Cervigni on a vineyard in Tuscany. Other studies of this kind have been conducted and have reached similar conclusions, according to the specialist website, Grands Vins Privés. – AFP Relaxnews
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Green & Maria Pedraza To Star In Thriller ‘Just Play Dead' — Cannes Market
Oscar-nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Eva Green (Casino Royale), and Maria Pedraza (Money Heist) are set to star in the thriller Just Play Dead, we can reveal. The film will be directed by Gary Fleder (Homefront) and is written by Dan Gordon (Rambo: Last Blood). More from Deadline Cannes Opening Night: Festival Workers Briefly Protest Red Carpet, Deadline Shut Down From Filming Standing Ovations At Cannes: How We Clock Those Claps, Which Movie Holds The Record & Why The Industry Loves To Hate The Ritual Elizabeth Olsen Joins Kristen Stewart & Oscar Isaac In Hedonistic '80s Vampire Thriller 'Flesh Of The Gods' - Cannes Market The synopsis reads: 'When wealthy criminal mastermind Jack Wolfe (Samuel L. Jackson) is cornered by the Feds, he plans to fake his own death and claim the $30 million life insurance payout with his 'grieving' wife Nora (Eva Green), while framing her surfer lover Chad for his murder. But Nora is cooking up a scheme of her own: kill Jack for real, frame Chad and keep the fortune for herself. As lies unravel, Nora and Jack scramble to outsmart one another, leaving one burning question: who will come out on top in this twisted game of life and death?' Pic is a European co-production spearheaded by Head Gear Films' Phil Hunt who produces alongside Gemstone Films' Valentin Dimitrov, Sagiv Diamant, Moshe Diamant and Gaby Whyte Hart, who also serves as the casting director. It is executive produced by Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier for Highland Film Group. Highland Film Group is co-financing the film and handling international rights, with CAA Media Finance overseeing domestic rights at the Cannes market. Production is set to begin this fall in the Canary Islands. 'Working with such incredible talents as Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green is truly an honor. Eva Green will deliver a captivating performance as the cunning and seductive wife to Samuel L. Jackson's powerful kingpin in this intoxicating thriller,' said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. 'Dan Gordon has crafted a complex tale of lies, deceit and betrayal and Gary Fleder is the ideal director to bring this enticing and suspenseful project to life, which is already attracting buyers worldwide,' added Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier. 'I've always been drawn to stories that defy categorization, that live somewhere between genres and challenge audiences to stay on their toes. With Just Play Dead, written by the immensely talented Dan Gordon, and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green, I have the chance to return to that same rich, unpredictable territory. This film is provocative, sexy, and original—a perfect mix of clever storytelling and thrilling twists,' commented director Gary Fleder. Best of Deadline TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marion Cotillard and Eva Green pay tribute to ‘extraordinary' Emilie Dequenne
Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne has been remembered as 'extraordinary' by her fellow stars of French cinema, Marion Cotillard and Eva Green. The Missing star died at the age of 43, her agent said on Monday, after she revealed she had been diagnosed with a 'rare cancer' in October 2023. According to reports, Dequenne had been suffering from adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), an aggressive cancer of the adrenal gland. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eva Green (@evagreenweb) On Instagram, Green wrote: 'Emilie was already a star, an extraordinary actress who I revered,' when they first met during a drama school presentation, and called her 'humble, encouraging, so full of light and pure kindness'. The Penny Dreadful and Casino Royale star added that she last saw Dequenne at the Cannes Film Festival, where the star was a co-winner in 1999 for her role in Palme d'Or winning film Rosetta. 'When I saw her last summer, she was so vibrant and full of life, we were both certain that she had vanquished the rare form of cancer she had been battling,' she added. 'Her death has left me stunned… heartbroken… as it has left all those who knew her, and even those who knew her only in her films. She was grace, light, and all things excellent.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by @marioncotillard Cotillard wrote in French that she will 'forever cherish what we shared', and called Dequenne a 'sublime human' and a 'genius actress'. The Oscar winner said 'you have been and will be an source of infinite inspiration for me', and added that she had studied Dequenne's work. 'I am going to find a hard time realising,' she said. 'I will always find this unjust.' Cotillard said she 'loved' and will 'miss' the actress, also known for playing police officer Laurence Relaud in British anthology drama The Missing. The Missing stars James Nesbitt as the father of a boy who disappears during a family holiday in France. Dequenne also starred in horror-action film Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001) alongside Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci and Samuel Le Bihan. Her other roles included 2009's The Girl On The Train, in which her character Jeanne makes up a shocking story about a racially motivated attack on a train, and 2012 crime drama Our Children. She also played a sound recordist called Charlotte, who learns that her mother has been murdered, in noughties movie Ecoute Le Temps, and a mother in 2022 coming-of-age film Close. Dequenne cried after receiving the Cannes prize for Rosetta, in what was her first role in film when she was 18. She returned to the festival in 2024 for the 25th anniversary of Rosetta, which tells the story of a young girl's efforts to keep her job in the face of her own schizophrenia. Her last film was the post-apocalyptic thriller Survive, by French director Frederic Jardin. Dequenne was married to actor Michel Ferracci and had a daughter, Milla Savarese.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marion Cotillard and Eva Green pay tribute to ‘extraordinary' Emilie Dequenne
Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne has been remembered as 'extraordinary' by her fellow stars of French cinema, Marion Cotillard and Eva Green. The Missing star died at the age of 43, her agent said on Monday, after she revealed she had been diagnosed with a 'rare cancer' in October 2023. According to reports, Dequenne had been suffering from adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), an aggressive cancer of the adrenal gland. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eva Green (@evagreenweb) On Instagram, Green wrote: 'Emilie was already a star, an extraordinary actress who I revered,' when they first met during a drama school presentation, and called her 'humble, encouraging, so full of light and pure kindness'. The Penny Dreadful and Casino Royale star added that she last saw Dequenne at the Cannes Film Festival, where the star was a co-winner in 1999 for her role in Palme d'Or winning film Rosetta. 'When I saw her last summer, she was so vibrant and full of life, we were both certain that she had vanquished the rare form of cancer she had been battling,' she added. 'Her death has left me stunned… heartbroken… as it has left all those who knew her, and even those who knew her only in her films. She was grace, light, and all things excellent.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by @marioncotillard Cotillard wrote in French that she will 'forever cherish what we shared', and called Dequenne a 'sublime human' and a 'genius actress'. The Oscar winner said 'you have been and will be an source of infinite inspiration for me', and added that she had studied Dequenne's work. 'I am going to find a hard time realising,' she said. 'I will always find this unjust.' Cotillard said she 'loved' and will 'miss' the actress, also known for playing police officer Laurence Relaud in British anthology drama The Missing. The Missing stars James Nesbitt as the father of a boy who disappears during a family holiday in France. Dequenne also starred in horror-action film Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001) alongside Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci and Samuel Le Bihan. Her other roles included 2009's The Girl On The Train, in which her character Jeanne makes up a shocking story about a racially motivated attack on a train, and 2012 crime drama Our Children. She also played a sound recordist called Charlotte, who learns that her mother has been murdered, in noughties movie Ecoute Le Temps, and a mother in 2022 coming-of-age film Close. Dequenne cried after receiving the Cannes prize for Rosetta, in what was her first role in film when she was 18. She returned to the festival in 2024 for the 25th anniversary of Rosetta, which tells the story of a young girl's efforts to keep her job in the face of her own schizophrenia. Her last film was the post-apocalyptic thriller Survive, by French director Frederic Jardin. Dequenne was married to actor Michel Ferracci and had a daughter, Milla Savarese.
