Month: June 2020

Un nouveau “Blade Runner” pour Ridley Scott !

Posted on by HelenAtAmarIt

Selon une information révélée par Deadline Hollywood, Ridley Scott a accepté de réaliser une nouveau film “Blade Runner” pour Alcon Entertainment, la société actuellement détentrice des droits. Le film, dont on ignore encore si ce sera une suite ou un Prequel, sera distribué par Warner.

Pour certains, c’est une bonne nouvelle. Pour d’autres, ils n’auront pas assez de mouchoirs pour sécher leurs larmes de rage…Selon le site Deadline Hollywood qui révèle l’information, Ridley Scott a signé un accord avec la société Alcon Entertainment, en vue de réaliser et produire un nouveau film sur l’univers de Blade Runner. Le film serait distribué par Warner, comme ce fut le cas pour le film de 1982. On ignore toutefois s’il s’agira d’une suite au chef-d’oeuvre original ou bien d’un Prequel.

Interrogé par le Los Angeles Times sur ce projet, un des producteurs du film, Andrew A. Kosove, a déclaré : “est-ce que le film aura quoi que ce soit à voir avec Harrison Ford ? Non, bien sûr. C’est une réinvention totale, et cela signifie qu’on a besoin de sang neuf, y compris dans le casting.” Des propos qui ne rendent pas forcément les choses plus claires et tendraient même à entretenir la confusion…Pas de suite avec Harrison Ford dans le rôle-titre, mais une suite possible quand même quitte à changer intégralement le Casting ? Ou bien va-t-on vers un Prequel ?

Si cette annonce a de quoi surprendre, il faut se rappeler que le projet n’est malgré tout pas nouveau. Il y a quelques mois, en mars précisément, Alcon Entertainment, qui venait d’obtenir les droits sur la licence, avait annoncé développer un projet de film autour de Blade Runner, avec ou sans l’implication de Ridley Scott. Si l’on est tenté de ne pas voir de prime abord d’un oeil bienveillant un nouveau volet à un film qui se suffit largement à lui-même, il faut aussi reconnaître que la confirmation de Ridley Scott aux commandes du projet est plutôt rassurante, plutôt que de voir un Yes Man d’Hollywood saborder une telle franchise. Et dans un réel élan d’enthousiasme, on peut même se dire qu’avec la nouvelle passion du cinéaste pour la 3D, expérimentée dans son prochain Prometheus et dont il affirme ne plus pouvoir se passer, un nouveau Blade Runner en 3D aurait de l’allure. Ou pas.

En bonus, la bande-annonce de Blade Runner – Final Cut (2007)

Olivier Pallaruelo avec Deadline Hollywood

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Manufacturing Sales See Largest-Ever Drop In April: Statistics Canada

Posted on by HelenAtAmarIt

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell by a record amount in April, the first full month of physical distancing measures in the wake of COVID-19.

The agency says manufacturing sales fell 28.5 per cent to $36.4 billion in April, following a 9.8 per cent decline in March when the pandemic first began to take hold.

Economists on average had expected a decline of 20.0 per cent, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

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Sales were down in all 21 industries, led by the transportation equipment and petroleum and coal product industries.

Sales in the transportation equipment industry fell by 76.4 per cent to $1.9 billion in April, the largest drop on record, as Canadian vehicle assembly plants stopped operations, while the petroleum and coal product industry sales dropped by a record 46.4 per cent to $2.0 billion.

Manufacturing sales in volume terms fell by a record 26.0 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2020.

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Miranda July nous parle du “Future” [Video]

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Lors du dernier Festival de Berlin, AlloCiné a rencontré l’actrice-réalisatrice Miranda July, l’auteur de “Moi, toi et tous les autres”, pour parler de son nouveau film, insolite et mélancolique, “The Future”, en salles le 17 août.

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The Future de et avec Miranda July, avec aussi Hamish Linklater et David Warshofsky : sortie le 17 août 2011

Calgary Company Pulls 'Ignorant' Black Lives Matter Gelato, Apologizes

Posted on by HelenAtAmarIt

Click:dance costume costumes

CALGARY — A Calgary company is apologizing for making a Black Lives Matter gelato, which it says it launched Friday with the intention of donating the profits to organizations that support inclusion and diversity.

But on Saturday, Righteous Gelato posted a letter on Facebook from CEO James Boettcher stating the company “did the wrong thing” and “will do better.”

Boettcher also admits in the post that the company’s choice of chocolate as the flavour for their fundraiser was “ignorant.”

On its website, Righteous Gelato boasts it has “a braver vision to change the world.”

The company did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

The post says the company still wants to fulfil its original goal of raising funds for the Black community, and says 100 per cent of profits from its online store in June will be invested in organizations that “you chose that focus on Black Lives.”

“While our intentions were from a place of love, we truly failed, and we are wholeheartedly sorry,” Boettcher said in the post.

“Thank you for offering us the feedback and the opportunity to learn. We are listening.”

Black Lives Matter protests have been organized across the United States and around the world following the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who died while a police officer pressed a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The protests are calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality.

Dorsa Zamanpour with United Black People Allyship Movement in Calgary said in an email that Righteous Gelato needs black employees who are familiar with their communities as well as with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Zamanpour said the group has reached out to Boettcher, but has not heard back.

“The UBPAM does not support this type of performative allyship; with all of the resources available to corporations these days, ignorance is not a justification,” she wrote. 

“Righteous Gelato and any other companies that strive to be allies should hire and consult with true community leaders before attempting to ‘stand in solidarity.’”

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Boettcher said on Facebook that the company will remove artwork and labels from people who have already ordered the gelato. He said that they’d chosen “a friend and community builder,” but “could have chosen a Black artist.”

“There is no quick fix to the problems our world is facing with racism, and there is no quick fix for our failures in trying to help,” Boettcher wrote.

“In our intention of doing the right thing, we did the wrong thing. And that’s not ok.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020.

Nouvelles photos de “The Avengers” ! [PHOTOS]

Posted on by HelenAtAmarIt

Entre Thor et Captain America en pleine action sur le tournage, et une bonne partie du casting présenté au D23 (convention organisée par Disney), les “Avengers” ont fait parler d’eux en images ce week-end !

Même s’il vient de sortir sur les écrans français, Captain America ne se tourne pas les pouces pour autant. Accompagné par Thor, le super-héros Marvel a en effet été vu, en pleine action, sur le tournage de The Avengers, face à des ennemis qui, au premier abord, semblent avoir un sens très particulier de la mode, jusqu’à ce que les capteurs sur leurs costumes nous fassent réaliser que leur look est du à la performance-capture. Moins echevelé que sur les photos ci-dessous, Chris Hemsworth a ensuite rejoint Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson ou Tom Hiddleston au D23, sorte de Comic-Con spécial Disney, où de nouvelles images du film ont été dévoilées. Celles-ci ne sont pas encore disponibles, mais les clichés de la présentation, si, ce qui est mieux que rien. Et si vous avez encore quelques lacunes concernant The Avengers, notre dossier spécial n’attend que vous.

Maximilien Pierrette

 

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) et Captain America (Chris Evans) en pleine action tous seuls…

Les mêmes, mais avec des ennemis

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Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston et Joss Whedon au D23

Les mêmes, vus de plus près

CMHC Acknowledges Its Role In Forced Resettlement Of Black Canadians

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. acknowledged a lack of diversity in its ranks and its role in past acts of racism on Friday as it pledged to overhaul how it does business.

The federal housing agency said it will re-assess all of its practices through a racialized lens to an effort to eliminate discrimination.

It also used the statement to acknowledge its role in funding the forced resettlement of Black people, most notably from Halifax’s historic Africville and Hogan’s Alley in Vancouver.

CMHC’s decision was prompted by anti-Black racism demonstrations held across Canada and the U.S. after the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man in Minneapolis who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Watch: Trudeau addresses racism, systemic discrimination in Canada. Story continues below.

 

“We haven’t done nearly enough. CMHC must set a high standard,″ the agency said in a statement.

“We must all stand together with our Black co-workers and the victims of murder, oppression and the systemic racism that exists everywhere.”

Black people make up 3.5 per cent of Canada’s population and 5.2 per cent of CMHC employees.

Those who are Indigenous amount to 4.9 per cent of the national population and 2.4 per cent of the CMHC workforce.

“At CMHC, we would once have congratulated ourselves for our diversity,” CMHC said.

“This is however no achievement when too few of our people leaders are Black or Indigenous ― none among senior management. And diversity isn’t enough: it’s where we start.”

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Kike Ojo-Thompson, who runs diversity, inclusion and equity consultancy Kojo Institute, said CMHC’s statement seemed like it was written in the voice of someone who really understands the moment the country had been plunged into.

She found it interesting that CMHC was so forthcoming with data around their Black and Indigenous employees, “particularly because their numbers are so low.”

“The first step to an accountability framework and accountability approach is to actually show your data, so that you as well as the community can know what the target is,” she said. “If you’re low, we know you’ve got to get from zero to three, or three to five, and we’re not going to expect 10 tomorrow… so exposing the data is very helpful.”

Among the measures announced Friday, CMHC said it will create specific targets for adding Black and racialized people to its leadership and senior management ranks.

It will offer leadership training and professional development to support the progress of Black and racialized employees and provide mandatory anti-racism training for all staff.

People with lived experience of racism will now be involved in a re-assessment of CMHC’s recruiting, evaluation and promotion processes and its diversity and inclusion efforts.

“We reject racism, white supremacy and wish to atone for our past racism and insensitivity,″ CMHC said.

“Racism has been built up and reinforced for centuries, whether against Black, Indigenous people or people of colour. Only a sustained and focused effort will eliminate it.”

Ojo-Thompson said there were some measures missing from the statement.

She would have liked to see CMHC mention an external advisory body.

Such a group must be external, she said, because it offers protection and accountability in organizations that may otherwise punish people who speak out.

She also wanted more clarity around who exactly came up with the new policies and promises CMHC made and how much flexibility they offer if people suggest further ideas.

“What you’ve told me is, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ so my question is, ’If I say that there’s something missing, will you do that or is this all?‴⁣

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020.

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1ères séances : “Cowboys & envahisseurs” s’impose

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Le western de science-fiction “Cowboys & envahisseurs”, emmené par Harrison Ford et Daniel Craig, réalise le meilleur démarrage de ce mercredi 24 août avec 1776 entrées, devant “Tu seras mon fils” et “Les Bien-aimés”.

1 – Cowboys & envahisseurs – 1776 entrées (18 copies)

2 – Tu seras mon fils – 1335 entrées (20 copies)

3 – Les Bien-aimés – 914 entrées (21 copies)

4 – This Must Be the Place – 715 entrées (18 copies)

5 – Un jour – 711 entrées (13 copies)

6 – One Piece – Strong World – 118 entrées (une copie)

7 – Pain noir – 100 entrées (4 copies)

8 – Bienvenue à Monte-Carlo – 63 entrées (une copie)

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9 – Le Mur invisible – 33 entrées (une copie)

10 – Vacances à Paris – 27 entrées (une copie)

Clément Cuyer avec Rentrak France

Cineworld Calls Off $2.8-Billion Deal To Take Over Cineplex

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TORONTO — International movie theatre chain Cineworld PLC says its deal to buy Cineplex Inc. for $2.8 billion is off, claiming that “certain breaches” of the contract were made by the Canadian company.

But Cineplex fired back late Friday, insisting the allegations of wrongdoing are false, and vowing to see Cineworld in court in a battle over damages.

The sudden disagreement sets the scene for what could be a dramatic showdown between two movie exhibition giants in the midst of a viral pandemic that’s forced their theatres to shut down.

Cineworld, which is headquartered in London, says it became aware of a material adverse effect and breaches by the Toronto-based Cineplex, which led it to scrap the deal before a looming June 30 deadline.

However, it did not outline the specifics of its allegations in a statement, and a Cineworld representative would not answer questions. Cineworld said it complied with its obligations and will “vigorously defend any allegation to the contrary,” and seek damages.

Cineplex issued its own statement, saying that it believes there is “no legal basis” to terminate the agreement, and that it is Cineworld that has breached the contract. It said the contract explicitly excludes “outbreaks of illness or other acts of God” from what would be considered material adverse effects of the deal.

“Cineplex believes that Cineworld’s allegations represent buyer’s remorse, and are an attempt by Cineworld to avoid its obligations under the (agreement) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the company said.

The Canadian exhibitor added that it “intends to commence legal proceedings promptly against Cineworld and seek damages.”

A representative for Cineplex declined to comment further.

The spat comes as both companies grapple with an uncertain return to business after most movie theatres were forced to close by public health regulators earlier this year.

Cineplex stopped movie screenings in mid-March at all of its 165 theatres nationwide and has yet to outline a plan to resume operations. Even still, industry observers are uncertain how quickly cinemas can return to business as usual, since they will need to introduce physical distancing into the auditoriums, which means fewer tickets sold.

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Hollywood has also been reluctant to get its engines running again over concerns that few people would show up to their big-budget blockbuster hopefuls. On Friday, Warner Bros. pushed the anticipated release of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” one of few big summer movies still on the schedule, back two weeks to July 31.

Right from the start of the pandemic, Cineplex acknowledged that COVID-19, and government reactions, had made “business planning uncertain for the exhibition and location-based entertainment industries.”

Other parts of the Cineworld deal still hadn’t been met, including approval from Investment Canada, which had been delayed from the start of the month until June 15.

Several other conditions applied to the acquisition, including that Cineplex kept its debt below $725 million.

Cineworld struck the takeover deal for Cineplex long before COVID-19 had rattled the movie industry. Late last year, it offered to buy the company at $34 per share, a 42 per cent premium on the chain’s stock price at the time.

With files from Tara Deschamps

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020.

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Loblaw, Metro To Stop Extra Pay For Front-Line Pandemic Workers

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TORONTO — Two of Canada’s largest grocers are ending wage premiums they have been paying employees due to the pandemic.

Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Metro Inc. have been paying front-line employees an additional $2 per hour since mid-March when the restrictions due to COVID-19 were first put in place.

In a letter to customers, Loblaw executive chairman Galen Weston says that things have now stabilized at the company’s supermarkets and drug stores.

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Both Loblaw and Metro say they will end their temporary wage premiums on Saturday.

Loblaw says it will also pay a total of $25 million in one-time bonuses to employees, based on their average hours worked over the last 14 weeks.

Metro says it will pay an additional one-time bonus of $200 to each of its full-time employees and $100 to each of its part-time workers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020.

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Jagmeet Singh ‘Appalled’ Extendicare Planning $10M Payout Amid COVID-19 Crisis

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is “appalled” a for-profit long-term care company has committed to pay $10.7 million in dividends to shareholders so far this year, while it spent only $300,000 of its own money on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extendicare is a Markham, Ont.-based company that owns 69 long-term care and retirement homes in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and provides contract services to 53 other Canadian long-term care homes.

Extendicare made $1.13 billion in revenue in 2019 and is on track to make more this year, even as the novel coronavirus devastates some of its homes.

The company’s revenue for the first quarter of 2020 was up $6.1 million over the same quarter last year for a total of $268.8 million, according to a press release last month. Extendicare attributed the increase, in part, to government funding provided to help with COVID-19 outbreaks. 

“It’s exactly why for-profit has no place in long-term care homes… in the same period of time … this company didn’t just earn profit, but had enough profit where they gave dividends of $10 million,” Singh told HuffPost Canada Wednesday. “That’s wrong.”

The NDP leader called it a “stark and compelling” example for why the for-profit model is flawed in senior care. 

The chair of Extendicare’s board Alan Torrie told investors the company has no plans to cut dividends at its annual general meeting May 28. Audio of the speeches and discussions at the meeting are published publicly on the company’s website.

At least 80 people have died in Extendicare facilities due to COVID-19, the contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus.

“They were able to pay back dividends to shareholders of $10 million, meaning that they’re spending that much less on their care of their residents,” Singh said. “They’re spending that much less on staffing, and equipment, and supplies during COVID-19.”

Extendicare did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment.

Company credits government funding

At the annual general meeting, chief financial officer David Bacon said the Ontario government paid for more than half the costs the company incurred because of the pandemic. 

“The expense we incurred was about $700,000 of incremental expenses of which $400,000 was covered with some of the early funding we received in Ontario,” Bacon said.

Earlier: 

 

A spokesperson for Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton did not respond to HuffPost’s questions by deadline. A government spokesperson previously said the province provided $243 million in emergency funding to help homes with needs like hiring and retaining staff during the pandemic.

A union that represents about 5,000 workers at Extendicare homes said it is unacceptable for shareholders to make money off long-term care homes.

“What I heard today from Extendicare was both alarming and an affirmation of a truly ugly long-term care system,” Sharleen Stewart, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare, said in a statement after the annual general meeting.

“Residents are getting sick and dying. Workers are getting sick and dying. Enough is enough.

“Corporate dividends from companies like Extendicare, Chartwell, and Sienna, can no longer be a part of the delivery of healthcare equation.”

At Extendicare Guildwood in Scarborough, Ont., 40 people — or a quarter of the home’s 160 residents — have died after contracting COVID-19. 

Audrey Da Cruz told the Toronto Star her mother died of the disease just two months after moving into Extendicare Guildwood. The only email she received from the company after her mother died was an invoice, she said.

In Alberta, an outbreak of COVID-19 at Extendicare Hillcrest has killed more people than any other care home outbreak in the province. Twenty people had died there as of Monday.

As of Wednesday, 7,900 deaths have been linked to the disease. Its impact has disproportionately affected older Canadians.

Residents in long-term care and seniors’ homes make up 18 per cent of COVID-19 cases, but residents in these homes account for 82 per cent of deaths, according to Public Health Agency of Canada data released last week.

Some care home employees have refused to work in unsafe conditions, creating a staffing shortage in some facilities. The Toronto Star reported last month that COVID-19-related health outcomes have been worse in privately operated long-term care homes than in public facilities. 

The situation in some homes got so bad the military had to be brought in to certain facilities. Soldiers documented their observations in a May report that shocked the prime minister and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Inadequate training and shortages of personal protective equipment was a common theme that fuelled bad conditions inside the long-term care homes, according to the 15-page report.

Soldiers found shortages of linens; incidents of hypodermic needles being inadequately sterilized and reused; residents being left to sit in soiled diapers; patients’ feeding tubes being neglected for so long that the tubes had become “foul and coagulated.”

“It was hard to get through. It was the worst report, the most heart-wrenching report I have ever read in my entire life,” Ford told reporters last month.

One of the homes in the report, Orchard Villa in Pickering, Ont., is owned by Southbridge Care Homes, but managed by Extendicare.

It is the hardest-hit facility in Ontario with 79 deaths linked to COVID-19.

Soldiers said they found that staff at the home did not follow infection control practices, the building was infested with cockroaches and that they saw one patient choke to death after being fed lying down.

Cathy Parkes told HuffPost that an Orchard Villa staff member refused to give her 86-year-old father oxygen or transfer him to hospital on April 14. He died the next day — but she says she didn’t find out he had tested positive for COVID-19 until three weeks later. 

Orchard Villa’s executive director Jason Gay said he couldn’t answer most of HuffPost’s questions about Paul Parkes for privacy reasons but said the home is very sorry for his daughter’s loss.

Singh told HuffPost there are “lots of ways” the federal government can intervene. Getting provinces and territories together to talk about not renewing licences for long-term care homes is one option, the NDP leader said. The Canada Health Act (CHA) sets the conditions that provinces and territories must satisfy for federal funding. Singh suggested the values in the CHA could be extended to long-term care as an added layer of accountability to be requisite for provincial and territorial health-care transfers.

The NDP leader wants to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau call for the removal of profit from long-term care. It would “go a long way” in sending a message of leadership, Singh said.

Minister says feds powerless to improve conditions at pension board-owned care homes 

A HuffPost Canada investigation last month revealed coronavirus outbreaks have led to the deaths of at least 164 people in Revera Inc.-owned care homes, another for-profit care company. 

The company brands itself as a “leading owner, operator, developer and innovator in the senior living sector” and owns at least 500 properties in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Revera has been hit with more than 85 lawsuits as of last year. 

In April, lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit against Revera claiming the company failed to protect its residents from COVID-19, alleging poor sanitation practices, and inadequate safety measures to curb the transmission of the virus. 

Revera is privately operated but owned by a crown corporation called PSP Investments. The corporation is tasked with investing public-sector workers’ pensions.

When Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos was pressed last month to address accusations of negligence happening inside Revera facilities, he kept his distance, explaining the company operates independently from the federal government.

READ MORE…

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