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Going to the movies isn’t much fun for deaf people. Screenings in theaters with captions are limited and the special glasses and equipment needed to read them are often broken or unavailable.
“CODA,” a coming-of-age story about the only hearing member of a deaf family, will change that when it is screened with open captions that need no special equipment in all U.S. and U.K. movie theaters and showtimes, starting Friday.
“It couldn’t be more groundbreaking, (just) as the film is groundbreaking in support of the deaf community and the hard-of-hearing community,” said Marlee Matlin, who plays a deaf mother in the film. Matlin is the only deaf performer to ever win an Oscar, for best actress in “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987.
“CODA,” an acronym for child of deaf adults, won four awards at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It also will be streamed with full subtitles in more than 36 languages on Apple TV+, starting Friday.
“Anyone who watches this can feel connected with it because everyone comes from a family, and every family goes through similar struggles – kids growing up, what are they going to do in their future, becoming independent, maybe they’re moving away from their family,” he said.
Writer-director Sian Heder, who is hearing, learned American Sign Language for the project and wanted to ensure the film was accessible to everyone. for more on this story, read the full Reuters report.
AMC Entertainment to accept Apple Pay
Deadline also reported this afternoon that AMC Entertainment chairman-CEO Adam Aron said the chain will be technologically equipped to start accepting Bitcoin payments for U.S. movie tickets and concessions ordered online by the end of the year.
At a meaty, newsy and somewhat bizarre webcast, Aron also noted the chain will also start accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Apple in Bidding War for Jennifer Lawrence Film
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Variety reports: “Another day, another bidding war. Apple and Netflix are among the deep-pocketed steaming services willing to shell out big money to land an Oscar-baity film. In this case, it’s for the chance to see Jennifer Lawrence playing Sue Mengers, a legendary super agent who donned a caftan-like a suit of armor and wielded a joint like a mace while trying to get the best deal possible for her A-list clients.
In her heyday, Mengers represented the likes of Candice Bergen, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Ali MacGraw, Steve McQueen, Ryan O’Neal and, most famously, Barbra Streisand.”
IndieWire adds: ” Matthew Belloni, former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, also confirmed Apple and Netflix are two of the big contenders for Lawrence and Sorrentino’s Sue Mengers movie. Writing in his “What I’m Hearing…” newsletter, Belloni shared that the “Apple bid is in the $80 million range, says one source, including the $20 million-plus fee for Lawrence to star and produce with partner Justine Polsky via their Excellent Cadaver shingle.” John Logan, Lauren Schuker Blum, and Rebecca Angelo wrote the screenplay.
Just because Lawrence and Sorrentino have a history with Netflix doesn’t mean the Mengers biopic will land there. Apple is known to break the bank for A-list packages, recently acquiring Matthew Vaughn’s star-studded spy movie ‘Argylle’ for $200 million.”
Archive: Apple TV News
