Reuters Entertainment News Summary

09/12/2016 0:59

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

'Birth of a Nation' star Parker avoids rape case question in Toronto

Nate Parker, the star and director of slavery historical drama "The Birth of a Nation," avoided a question on Sunday about whether he should have apologized to his accuser in a 17-year-old rape case, saying he did not want to "hijack" attention from the film at the Toronto International Film Festival. "This is a forum for the film, this is a forum for the other people that are sitting on this stage. It's not mine, I don't own it, it's not on me," said Parker, who was joined by the cast of his film at a news conference at the festival.

'Sully' Flies High to $35.5 Million U.S. Opening

Tom Hanks' "Sully" has taken off with a stellar $35.5 million at 3,525 North American locations, marking a solid start to the fall box office season. Directed by Clint Eastwood, "Sully" handily outperformed recent expectations, which had been in the $25 million range. The action-adventure, which recreates 2009's "Miracle on the Hudson" emergency landing, generated an A CinemaScore in a strong signal that "Sully" should continue to draw well in coming weeks.

Gordon-Levitt examines whistleblower's motivations in 'Snowden'

When veteran filmmaker Oliver Stone was casting an actor to play former NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden in a film, he said he went to only one person - Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "I don't know why, he just looked like, and felt like, and acted like he was one of that generation, very much the same age and computer knowledgeable," Stone told Reuters last month in Los Angeles.

Actor Ewan McGregor admits to nerves in debut as director

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor admitted to being "very nervous" about making his directorial debut with the movie adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "American Pastoral." The film, which premiered Friday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, also sees McGregor in the lead role of the hard-working man in late 1960s America whose family begins to fall apart after his daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning) becomes politically radicalized.

Philippine revenge drama wins Venice Film Festival's top prize

A nearly four-hour long movie about a woman's thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit won the Venice Film Festival's top prize on Saturday. Director Lav Diaz has described "Ang Babaeng Humayo" ("The Woman Who Left") as a testimony to the struggles of the Philippines after centuries of colonial rule.

'Birth of a Nation' cast deflect rape controversy to spotlight film

"The Birth of a Nation" director Nate Parker and his cast are playing challenging parts this weekend as they try to keep the spotlight trained on their acclaimed slavery drama while acknowledging concern about a rape case involving Parker. The day after "Birth of a Nation" received a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival, the 36-year-old writer, director and lead actor didn't shy away from questions on Saturday about his 2001 trial and acquittal on rape charges that have dominated conversation around the film.

'A United Kingdom' tells historic tale of love defying prejudice

A new film about the true story of an African king and white British woman whose marriage triggered a political crisis is first and foremost a love story, its star and director said. "A United Kingdom," which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, stars British actor David Oyelowo as Seretse Khama, a tribal king who would go on to become the first president of Botswana.

Hits keep coming as 'Sing' premieres at Toronto Film Festival

Comedy animation feature "Sing" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday to an enthusiastic reception from filmgoers before Academy award winner Jennifer Hudson and singer-songwriter Tori Kelly performed songs from the movie. The film tells the story of Buster, a Koala bear show-biz impresario voiced by Matthew McConaughey, who tries to save his struggling theater by hosting an "American Idol"-style singing competition.

His idea quickly spreads throughout the animal kingdom, attracting a wide range of contestants, from a mother of 25 piglets, played by Reese Witherspoon, to a porcine punk rocker, played by Scarlett Johansson.

Denzel Washington says 'The Magnificent Seven' like being a kid again

As a pastor's son, Denzel Washington never got to watch Westerns as a child, but playing around with guns and horses in Antoine Fuqua's remake of "The Magnificent Seven" was like being a kid again, he said at the Venice film festival on Saturday. Fuqua's take on a story about hired guns in the Old West protecting a town from thieves will close the 73rd edition of the world's oldest film festival on Saturday. It premiered in Toronto and screens in Venice in the out-of-competition section.

09/12/2016 0:59