Latest news with #Mission:Impossible—TheFinalReckoning
New Straits Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: 'The Matrix is everywhere': cinema bets on immersion
IN a Los Angeles theatre, a trench coat-wearing Neo bends backwards to dodge bullets that spiral over the viewer's head, as the sound of gunfire erupts from everywhere. This new immersive experience is designed to be a red pill moment that will get film fans off their couches at a time when the movie industry is desperate to bring back audiences. Cosm, which has venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, is launching its dome-style screen and 3D sets in June with a "shared reality" version of 'The Matrix', the cult 1999 film starring Keanu Reeves as a man who suddenly learns his world is a fiction. "We believe the future will be more immersive and more experiential," said Cosm president Jeb Terry at a recent preview screening. "It's trying to create an additive, a new experience, ideally non-cannibalistic, so that the industry can continue to thrive across all formats." Cinema audiences were already dwindling when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, shuttering theatres at a time when streaming was exploding. With ever bigger and better TVs available for the home, the challenge for theater owners is to offer something that movie buffs cannot get in their living room. Prestige projects like Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' or Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning 'Oppenheimer' increasingly opt for the huge screens and superior film quality of IMAX. But Cosm and other projects like it want to go one step further, collaborating with designers who have worked with Cirque du Soleil to create an environment in which the viewer feels like they are inside the film. For filmmakers, it's all about how you place the cameras and where you capture the sound, said Jay Rinsky, founder of Little Cinema, a creative studio specializing in immersive experiences. "We create sets like the Parisian opera, let the movie be the singer, follow the tone, highlight the emotions... through light, through production design, through 3D environments," he said. The approach, he said, felt particularly well suited to 'The Matrix', which he called "a masterpiece of cinema, but done as a rectangle". For the uninitiated: Reeves' Neo is a computer hacker who starts poking around in a life that doesn't quite seem to fit. A mysterious Laurence Fishburne offers him a blue pill that will leave him where he is, or a red pill that will show him he is a slave whose body is being farmed by AI machines while his conscious lives in a computer simulation. There follows much gunfire, lots of martial arts and some mysticism, along with a romance between Neo and Trinity, played by the leather-clad Carrie-Anne Moss. 'The Matrix' in shared reality kicks off with a choice of cocktails — blue or red, of course — which are consumed as the audience sits surrounded by high-definition screens. Shifting perspectives place the viewer inside Neo's office cubicle, or seemingly in peril. "They're sometimes inside the character's head," said Rinsky. "The world changes as you look up and down for trucks coming at you." The result impressed those who were at the preview screening.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Richard Johnson: Tom Cruise seems ‘enchanted' by Ana de Armas
NEW YORK — It's hard to tell whether Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas are just friends helping promote their films by hanging out together or something more. Cruise is hawking 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' and de Armas is plugging 'Ballerina.' A source who saw them in a private room at Annabel's in London said, 'He looks enchanted by her, and she looks very happy with him.' But don't forget, they are actors. Cruise, 62, was expected to end the series with this, the eighth 'Mission Impossible' movie, but it's already grossed over $450 million worldwide, so we'll see. Cruise has been working on other ideas, though, including a movie version of the old Lee Majors TV show, 'The Six Million Dollar Man.' It would have to be six billion today. In case you weren't glued to the tube in the '70s, Majors played a grievously injured astronaut, rebuilt by the government with superhuman powers. Cruise's films have grossed billions worldwide, so he'll be back on the big screen soon for sure. **** Elon Musk — who has at least 14 children with four mothers — provided a laugh at the Literacy Partners Annual Gala at Pier Sixty. During her speech, '60 Minutes' star Lesley Stahl asked any women in the audience who had a child by Elon Musk to please raise their hand. 'Statistically, there should be at least six of you,' she quipped. Honoree Bob Woodward recalled Carl Bernstein coming to him in the late 1980s and suggesting they interview Donald Trump. 'Are you f–king serious!' Woodward replied, commenting that Bernstein — who was present in the audience — 'has the best nose in the business.' Also honored were Knopf editor Erroll McDonald, TV correspondent Cynthia McFadden and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Oprah Winfrey slipped into the Literacy Partners gala through a side door, skipping the red carpet and the paparazzi. She gave a speech about the importance of reading before disappearing into the night. **** Christine Mack loves discovering and helping emerging artists. Her Mack Art Foundation provides a studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and a nearby apartment so they can work. 'I've never had so much fun,' she told me. 'Art brings people together. Art is not for the rich. It's for everyone.' Mack will be honored Aug. 23 at the Southampton Arts Center Summerfest, where she'll show some of her collection of artists like Rashid Johnson, Kenny Scharf, KAWS and Keith Haring. On June 28, the Center will host its annual kick-off party, 'Whimsy: Motown Magic,' which will feature dancing to the classics — from 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' to 'Superstition' — performed by That Motown Band. Hosts include Jamee and Peter Gregory, Kara Ross, Sylvia Hemingway, Lauren Roberts, Nicole and Allen Salmasi, and the center's co-founder J. Whitney Stevens. Mack, who finances her foundation by buying and selling art, explained how easy it is to help young artists. 'I'd buy their first painting so they can pay their rent.' **** Musicians Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe set tongues wagging as they dirty danced into the wee hours in the club at the Public Hotel on the Lower East Side. The pair had performed earlier in the night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, where Jones hula-hooped to a song in sheer black tights, a thong, and one of her gigantic signature red and black headdresses. Later at the club, Monáe, who identifies as pansexual and non-binary, wore a black beret with patches, oversized red heart-shaped glasses, and red gloves as the two embraced and danced to the music. Monáe took to the mic several times to serenade the crowd, who went wild as the two mixed and mingled with their fans. Grace told friends that she and Monáe have a song coming out this summer. The pair were out swinging until nearly 5 a.m. **** Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and composer Karen LeFrak have released 'Romántico,' a new CD of world premiere recordings. LeFrak, the wife of real estate tycoon Richard LeFrak, has composed over 200 pieces and released 17 albums that have received over 45 million streams since 2021. She has also had her works performed by orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Her next work, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, has been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and will be performed next year. The new CD is available on all platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, and at **** Former congresswoman Carolyn Maloney attended her former spokesperson Adrien Lesser's birthday dinner at Shun Lee Cafe along with 'Sex and the City' author Candace Bushnell, designer Julia Haart, CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, former NYC nightlife mayor Ariel Palitz and longevity doctor Amanda Khan. **** Out & About: Gurney's, a Montauk favorite with everyone from Scarlett Johansson to Naomi Watts, has a new restaurant, Gigi's, opening this week, headed by chef Justin Lee who was previously at Mina Group and French Laundry … Foursome, a new Turkish restaurant, whose name references its four owners — Haldun Kilit, Kaan Sekban, Tuba Demircioglu and Oya Mungan — is serving up Mediterranean fare at 9 Jones St. The new hot spot is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their rainbow-colored pancakes, celebrating Pride Month, have gone viral on Instagram … Gallerist Quang Bao from 1969 Gallery gave a dinner for artist Radu Oreian and his solo show 'That Magic Light' at Au Cheval's secret subterranean room on Cortlandt Alley and Walker Street. The show will be up until Saturday. ________
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Brad Pitt reveals one condition he has to work with Tom Cruise again
Brad Pitt isn't willing to risk death to share the big screen with Tom Cruise. At the 'F1' premiere in Mexico City, Pitt, 61, revealed he has one major condition about doing another movie with Cruise, 62, over 30 years after they co-starred in 'Interview with the Vampire.' 11 Brad Pitt at the 'F1' red carpet premiere in Mexico City on June 9. Getty Images Advertisement 11 Tom Cruise at the 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' premiere in New York on May 18, 2025. WireImage 'Well, I'm not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and sh-t like that, so when he does something again that's on the ground,' Pitt told E! News last week. Cruise, who famously does his own stunts in films including the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, has been imploring fans to go see Pitt's new sports drama film in which he plays a former Formula 1 driver. Advertisement 11 Tom Cruise hanging off a plane in 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.' AP 'He's so sweet. He's sweet,' Pitt said to E! News about the 'Top Gun' star. 'We did have our Go-Kart days back in the early 90s,' Pitt further recalled. When asked who was the faster driver, Pitt said of Cruise, 'He got me in the end. I gotta admit.' 11 Brad Pitt with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon in New York in Sept. 2024. GC Images Advertisement 1994's 'Interview with the Vampire' is still the only film that Pitt and Cruise have collaborated on in their careers. In April, Cruise spoke about Pitt and 'F1' during a presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. 11 Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in 'Interview With The Vampire.' Sygma via Getty Images 11 Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in a scene from 'Interview with the Vampire.' Getty Images Advertisement 'Brad's got a new movie, with Jerry Bruckheimer, Joe Kosinski,' Cruise said on stage. 'I can't wait to see that this summer. It'll be awesome.' 'It's great to see Brad driving,' Cruise added. 'He's very good. He's a very good driver. Believe me, I've raced against him. When we were doing 'Interview with the Vampire' we'd go and race go-karts. We'd literally finish and go drive go-karts all night.' 11 Brad Pitt in 'F1.' AP 11 Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible 8.' AP Bruckheimer, 81, and Kosinski, 51, have worked with Pitt on 'F1' and Cruise on 2022's smash hit 'Top Gun: Maverick.' In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Kosinsk spoke about the differences in working with Pitt and Cruise. 11 Tom Cruise at the 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' Mexico City premiere on May 20. Carlos Tischler / 'Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time is super capable and very skilled,' Kosinski said. 'They both have the natural talent for driving. But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more.' Advertisement 'F1' action-vehicle supervisor, Graham Kelly, added: 'We'd have had a crash. Tom pushes it to the limit. I mean really to the limit. That terrifies me. I mean, I've done loads of 'Mission: Impossibles' with Tom and it's the most stressful experience for someone like me building cars for him, doing stunts with him. Whereas Brad listens and he knows his abilities, and I think he'd be the first to say, 'Yeah, I'm not going to do that.'' 11 Brad Pitt at the British Grand Prix 2023. PA Images via Getty Images 11 Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in 'F1.' AP Advertisement In that same interview, Kosinski revealed that Pitt and Cruise were supposed to reunite for his version of 'Ford v Ferrari,' but the studio didn't approve his budget. James Mangold ended up directing the 2019 sports drama starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon. 'F1,' also starring Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Javier Bardem, will be released in theaters June 27.
Business Insider
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Paramount is laying off 3.5% of its US workers. Read the memo its leadership sent to staff.
Paramount is laying off 3.5% of its US workforce as it deals with ongoing declines in its linear TV arm. This is the second layoff in a year after a 15% reduction in 2024. Paramount is the latest old-media company, after Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, to cut jobs in recent days as they adjust staffing to align with their declining legacy TV business. Paramount employed 18,600 worldwide as of the end of 2024. The industry is in the midst of a broad reordering, prompted by the shift of audiences from legacy TV — which continues to generate a lot of cash but is shrinking — to streaming, which has recently started to show signs of profitability. As part of this shift, WBD and Comcast are spinning off their linear TV businesses into new companies. As for Paramount, the cuts take place at a jittery time, as it seeks regulatory approval for its proposed merger with Skydance Media, a process that's been complicated by President Donald Trump's legal face-off with CBS's TV news crown jewel "60 Minutes." Two top news execs, Wendy McMahon and Bill Owens, have already quit the company, citing disagreement with Paramount's handling of the matter. Here's the memo about the layoffs from George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, who make up the office of the CEO: Hi Everyone, As we navigate the continued industry-wide linear declines and dynamic macro-economic environment, while prioritizing investments in our growing streaming business, we are taking the hard, but necessary steps to further streamline our organization starting this week. We will be reducing our domestic workforce by 3.5%, with the majority of impacted staff being notified today. This process may also result in some impacts to our workforce outside the US over time. As always, any changes will be considered in accordance with local legal obligations. We recognize how difficult this is and are very thankful for everyone's hard work and contributions. These changes are necessary to address the environment we are operating in and best position Paramount for success. Along with our HR leaders, we are committed to ensuring all impacted employees are supported with care and respect during this time. We are deeply grateful to the many employees who have been a part of creating and propelling our record-breaking hit content— most recently "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," "MobLand," and the NCAA Tournament—and for the impressive growth in streaming that our hits continue to drive. As our company transforms, there is so much to be proud of. Our progress is clear, and the results are meaningful. As always, thank you for your commitment, compassion and support for one another as we continue to transition Paramount for the future.
Perth Now
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Hannah Waddingham and Tom Cruise are 'similar-minded geeks'
Hannah Waddingham and Tom Cruise hit it off because they are "similar-minded geeks". The 50-year-old actress appears in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, the eighth and final film in the franchise, and she got on well with her co-star because they both behave like "ridiculous 12 year olds". She told The Sunday Times magazine: 'We're like ridiculous 12 year olds. Me, him and [the film's director] Chris McQuarrie are very similar-minded geeks. On the aircraft carrier, I was spending hours a day filming F-18s landing and taking off.' Hannah plays a naval admiral and she and Tom, who reprises his role as Ethan Hunt, filmed on the George HW Bush aircraft carrier off the coast of Italy, sleeping alongside 4,500 navy personnel and before they had even arrived, the Ted Lasso star realised just how much of a "lunatic" her co-star could be. She said: 'I was in the admiral's quarters; he'd cleared out to some cot bed somewhere. Tom was in the captain's quarters. 'We'd arrived on a Black Hawk helicopter while the carrier was moving.' As they came into land, Tom told Hannah to film it on his phone. She added: 'He went, 'Welcome to Mission.' I was, like, you're a lunatic.' Hannah has previously been told she was "too big on camera" to be cast and though Jason Sudeikis wasn't worried about hiring the 5ft 11in star for Ted Lasso, she admitted some of the cast, who were not programme regulars, weren't as comfortable filming with her. She said: 'I even had a couple of day players in Ted Lasso going, 'Is it all right if she doesn't wear shoes in this scene?' ' Hannah went to drama school and when she was 19, one female teacher warned her she'd never work on TV because she looked "like one side of her face has had a stroke" and the cruel comments deterred her away from the small screen for a long time. She admitted: 'She really knocked my confidence so much that I then didn't audition for things for years on telly. 'I hope she's rotting somewhere. Silly cow. People like that it's their own insecurities and I know that now.'
