MARIA BAKALOVA

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — When it comes to acting, Maria Bakalova considers herself to be a person of extremes. But she realized different genres can achieve similar ends after her breakout role in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” a project she praised for its ability to effect change. Although her role in “Borat” opened her up to the potential and importance of a variety of genres, Bakalova said she still believes actors should be discerning about what parts they accept. When she thinks back on her time making "Borat," Bakalova said the infamous hotel room scene with Rudy Giuliani felt like the most precarious of Sacha Baron Cohen's antics, calling it a "scary situation." In addition to "The Honeymoon," she starred in "Bodies Bodies Bodies" and Judd Apatow's "The Bubble."

When it comes to acting, Maria Bakalova considers herself to be a person of extremes.

When it comes to acting, Maria Bakalova considers herself to be a person of extremes. Bakalova both stars in her latest project, “The Honeymoon,” and worked as a producer, something she said she hopes to do more of in the future. The drug-and-toilet-humor-filled comedy may seem like a long way off from her initial dream of acting in the kinds of films made in the avant-garde Dogme 95 movement, led by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.

Sunday studio estimates say the Brad Pitt action romp “Bullet Train" arrived with a $30.1 million opening weekend as the last big movie of Hollywood’s summer recovery landed in theaters.

Marvel Studios returned to Comic-Con's Hall H for the first time in three years with a massive presentation and new information about phases five and six of the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After the pandemic forced the South by Southwest Film Festival to turn virtual the last two years, the Austin, Texas, festival is plotting a largely in-person event this March that will feature the premieres of the third season of Donald Glover’s “Atlanta,” the latest from Richard Linklater and the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum comedy “The Lost City.”.

Steven Yeun, Nathan Lane, Issa Rae, Robert Pattinson, Janet Jackson, Leslie Odom Jr. and Laverne Cox are among the artists being invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Nielsen company says its preliminary estimate shows the Oscars audience on ABC dipped to slightly under 10 million viewers.

Red carpet glam was back Sunday at the Oscars with lots of award-worthy gold, bright white and red looks.

Ahead of Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards, Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr share their predictions for a ceremony that may see historic wins in multiple categories.

This was all of us trying to see how far could we go.” — Riz Ahmed, nominated for best actor for “Sound of Metal,” in an interview. He directed, co-produced and co-wrote the film, which earned six nominations and is the first best picture nominee with an all-Black producing team. — Emerald Fennell, nominated for best director and best original screenplay for “Promising Young Woman,” which also received nods for best picture and best actress, in a statement. And yes, I’ll have some drinks tonight.” — Thomas Vinterberg on his nomination for best director for “Another Round,” which was also nominated for best international feature film, in an interview. — Kaouther Ban Hania, director of best international feature nominee “The Man Who Sold His Skin.”

It’s a rare year when most of the Oscar nomination surprises are good ones, but 2020 was also a rare year for moviegoing and awards campaigns. Here’s our rundown of the snubs and surprises in the 93rd Academy Award nominations. FEMALE DIRECTORS GET THEIR SHOTFor 92 Academy Awards, only 5 women had ever been nominated for best director and never more than one in the same year. This year, the dubious honor goes to Glenn Close for her portrayal of Mamaw in Ron Howard’s adaptation of J.D. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film was well received, but seemed like a long shot for the major Oscars categories.

Bill Murray poses for a portrait at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival in Toronto on Sepy.9, 2012, left, and Carey Mulligan poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 25, 2020. Murray will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award and Mulligan will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award during this year's Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Photos by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, left, and Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is always starry a celebration of up and coming filmmakers and Oscar hopefuls, but this year the programmers have also decided to make it more accessible. Virtuoso Award recipients include Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kinglsey Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim and Zendaya. AdThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival regularly attracts more than 100,000 attendees annually.

(NBC via AP)In the opening moments of a Golden Globes night even more chaotic and confounding than usual, co-host Tina Fey raised a theoretical question: “Could this whole night have been an email?” Only the next three hours would tell. Or Chloé Zhao, making history as the first woman of Asian descent to win best director (and the first woman since 1984.) AdOf course, there were the usual confounding results and baffling snubs, compounded here by some epic Zoom fails. ZHAO MAKES HISTORYWhen Zhao won best director for her haunting and elegant “Nomadland,” she was the first woman of Asian descent to win that award. It was updated on March 3, 2021, to correct the nationality of director of “Nomadland.” Chloe Zhao is Chinese, not Asian American.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Maria Bakalova, left, and Sacha Baron Cohen in a scene from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." The project was so secret, Bakalova has said she actually worried she was being recruited for human trafficking. But soon she was in London auditioning for Sacha Baron Cohen to star in his “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” as his yet-unknown 15-year-old daughter, Tutar. I mean, I think I’m a little bit awkward and weird as a person and the way that I’m behaving, with all of these gestures. And he’s probably the person to whom I’m going to be forever grateful.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Maria Bakalova, left, and Sacha Baron Cohen in a scene from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for best musical/comedy. (Amazon Studios via AP)LOS ANGELES – Reactions from nominees for the the 78th Golden Globe Awards. — Bob Odenkirk, nominated for best actor in a TV drama for “Better Call Saul," in a phone interview. But I’m just so hyped.” — Nicholas Hoult, nominated for best actor in a TV musical or comedy for “The Great."

From the Kate Hudson movie that no one has heard of to the very awkward shut out of Spike Lee, here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises of the morning. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t surprised to hear Kate Hudson’s name announced among the best actress nominees. Lee’s acclaimed Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” was expected to be a shoo-in for any number of categories: Best picture, best director, best actor for Delroy Lindo or supporting actor for Chadwick Boseman, who died last year. The Globe nominations also tested our understanding of what constitutes a film with some interesting categorizations and nominations, putting Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology film series in a television category. The filmed “Hamilton” performance on Disney+, meanwhile, was eligible in the film categories and picked up two nominations.

In this image released by Netflix, Gary Oldman portrays Herman Mankiewicz in a scene from "Mank." On Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 the film was nominated for a Golden Globe for best motion picture drama. “Mank,” about “Citizen Kane” co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, landed nominations for best film, drama; best actor for Gary Oldman; best director for Fincher, best supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried; best score; and best screenplay for Jack Fincher, the director’s father who penned the script before dying in 2003. Netflix, which topped all studios at the Globes last year, too, led with a commanding 42 nominations, with 22 coming in film categories and 20 in television. AdThe Globes are typically the first major show of Hollywood’s awards season, which ends with the crowning of the best picture winner at the Oscars.

Nominations for the 78th annual Golden Globes will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Whether anyone will be attending the Golden Globes in person remains uncertain and improbable. On Tuesday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said the Globes — typically a bubbly dinner gathering with flowing drinks — will be held bi-coastally for the first time. digital channels and the Golden Globes' website. Last year's Golden Globes culminated in awards for “1917” and “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood."