Reese Witherspoon as Tracy FlickScreenshot: Paramount Pictures
This May, Glee turns 15. For better or worse—often both, within the same episode—the series is singular. It ushered in a wave of musical TV shows, and with it a new era of merchandising. Its young cast might not have become Euphoria famous,...
This May, Glee turns 15. For better or worse—often both, within the same episode—the series is singular. It ushered in a wave of musical TV shows, and with it a new era of merchandising. Its young cast might not have become Euphoria famous,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Drew Gillis
- avclub.com
There were many memorable cinematic performances that came from actresses in 1999 (Annette Bening in American Beauty, Samantha Morton in Sweet and Lowdown, Julianne Moore in Magnolia). And then there was a truly iconic turn from Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick, the terrifying antagonist in Alexander Payne’s sharp political satire, Election.
A cunning, ambitious and oh-so-annoying foil to her teacher and would-be mentor, Omaha-area social studies instructor Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), Tracy is at times the worst — for example, when her affair with Mr. McAllister’s best friend is discovered, the teenager has no qualms about abandoning him entirely — and in other moments, Tracy can be the absolute best. At least, she insists on that top slot, no matter what: having the highest grades, getting into the best college, winning a high school election — she’s destined for greatness, which in the time Election takes place means winning the office...
A cunning, ambitious and oh-so-annoying foil to her teacher and would-be mentor, Omaha-area social studies instructor Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), Tracy is at times the worst — for example, when her affair with Mr. McAllister’s best friend is discovered, the teenager has no qualms about abandoning him entirely — and in other moments, Tracy can be the absolute best. At least, she insists on that top slot, no matter what: having the highest grades, getting into the best college, winning a high school election — she’s destined for greatness, which in the time Election takes place means winning the office...
- 4/24/2024
- by Kevin Dolak
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Current Debate is a column that connects the dots between great writing about topics in the wider film conversation.Crossroads.It was early last March when, after twenty-three years and over two thousand reviews, A. O. Scott announced he would resign from his post as film critic at the New York Times, leaving his readers to wrestle with some cataclysmic prophecies. “The current apocalypse,” he wrote on his way out,… is that streaming and Covid anxiety are conspiring to kill off moviegoing as we have known it, leaving a handful of I.P.-driven blockbusters and horror movies to keep theaters in business while we mostly sit at home bingeing docuseries, dystopias and the occasional art-film guilt trip. Am I worried? Of course I’m worried. The cultural space in which the movies I care most about have flourished seems to be shrinking. The audience necessary to sustain original...
- 1/25/2024
- MUBI
At this late date, in the year 2024, one might be curious to know what the general public thinks of Joss Whedon's 2012 blockbuster "Marvel's The Avengers." When it was released, it was an event unlike anything that came before. Thanks to a novel release schedule by Marvel Studios, several solo superhero flicks preceded "The Avengers," setting up each of the individual characters as autonomous entities before their inevitable team-up. When the team-up finally struck, audiences went mad, granting "The Avengers" a $207 million opening weekend, and a cumulative worldwide gross of $1.5 billion. The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe altered film journalism for a decade, keeping enthusiasm for the series at a constant high boil. Many assumed that the superhero genre was peerless, untouchable, and eternal.
In 2024, the MCU has faltered, interest has fallen, and superheroes are limping out the door. What's more, Joss Whedon has been repeatedly ousted as abusive and inappropriate,...
In 2024, the MCU has faltered, interest has fallen, and superheroes are limping out the door. What's more, Joss Whedon has been repeatedly ousted as abusive and inappropriate,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
When A.O Scott announced his departure as the New York Times film critic back in March, he cited the “feeling of disconnection between the critic and the audience” as his reason for leaving the coveted post. It’s hard to blame him; when he revealed his best-of-the-year list at the tail end of 2022, his social media mentions quickly turned hostile, accused of elitism due to not featuring Top Gun: Maverick in his picks (that his number 1 was a commercial hit in the form of Jordan Peele’s Nope was an irony not entirely lost in the mix). Audiences used to look towards critics for guidance, to find the hidden gems among the dozens of new releases released every week. Now, it seemed, the majority just wanted confirmation...
When A.O Scott announced his departure as the New York Times film critic back in March, he cited the “feeling of disconnection between the critic and the audience” as his reason for leaving the coveted post. It’s hard to blame him; when he revealed his best-of-the-year list at the tail end of 2022, his social media mentions quickly turned hostile, accused of elitism due to not featuring Top Gun: Maverick in his picks (that his number 1 was a commercial hit in the form of Jordan Peele’s Nope was an irony not entirely lost in the mix). Audiences used to look towards critics for guidance, to find the hidden gems among the dozens of new releases released every week. Now, it seemed, the majority just wanted confirmation...
- 12/21/2023
- by Alistair Ryder
- The Film Stage
There’s a scene in the 2010 film Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts’s character Liz basks in the experience of eating a guilt-free pizza. It was an important character moment for her–and for many audience members. And whatever your specific dietary preferences or requirements may be, we hope that you’ll enjoy whatever your guilt-free “pizza moment” is this Thanksgiving, surrounded by friends and family (chosen or otherwise.)
Food, of course, has played as major a role in cinema as any other basic human biological function, from the sprawling bowls of pasta in the works of Martin Scorsese, to the last decade’s trend of thoughtfully investigative health-leaning food docs such as Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. Today, though, we’re leaving the scare-mongering at the kids’ table and indulging in some seriously calorie-dense, celebratory depictions of food on film.
So cinch up that lobster bib and...
Food, of course, has played as major a role in cinema as any other basic human biological function, from the sprawling bowls of pasta in the works of Martin Scorsese, to the last decade’s trend of thoughtfully investigative health-leaning food docs such as Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. Today, though, we’re leaving the scare-mongering at the kids’ table and indulging in some seriously calorie-dense, celebratory depictions of food on film.
So cinch up that lobster bib and...
- 11/21/2023
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
The latest film from acclaimed director Jeff Nichols, ‘The Bikeriders’, has received a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the popular review aggregator website. The film, which stars Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon and Mike Faist, is a thrilling drama about a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who embark on a cross-country road trip in the 1960s.
The film is inspired by the iconic photography book of the same name by Danny Lyon, who documented the lives and culture of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay, said he wanted to explore the themes of freedom, rebellion and identity that Lyon captured in his images.
The Bikeriders First Look
‘The Bikeriders’ features stunning cinematography by Adam Stone, who collaborated with Nichols on his previous films such as ‘Mud’, ‘Take Shelter’ and ‘Loving’. The film also boasts an original score by David Wingo, who composed...
The film is inspired by the iconic photography book of the same name by Danny Lyon, who documented the lives and culture of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay, said he wanted to explore the themes of freedom, rebellion and identity that Lyon captured in his images.
The Bikeriders First Look
‘The Bikeriders’ features stunning cinematography by Adam Stone, who collaborated with Nichols on his previous films such as ‘Mud’, ‘Take Shelter’ and ‘Loving’. The film also boasts an original score by David Wingo, who composed...
- 9/2/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
On the brink of turning 70, Ken Burns will release his very first film, “Working in Rural New England,” which he made as an undergraduate at Hampshire College. The 28-minute docu will be released July 25 on Unum, Burn’s American history digital platform on PBS.
About Old Sturbridge Village, an outdoor history museum in Massachusetts that re-creates life in rural New England from 1790 through the 1830s, the docu was commissioned by the museum in 1973. The film served as Burns’ senior thesis at the liberal arts college in nearby Amherst, Mass. Accompanying the doc on Unum is a pre-recorded conversation between Burns and New York Times literary critic A.O. Scott.
“It in some ways does not look like a Ken Burns film,” Scott says during his conversation with Burns. “It’s moving images in the present day, in color. So, it doesn’t immediately say to a modern viewer, a film by Ken Burns.
About Old Sturbridge Village, an outdoor history museum in Massachusetts that re-creates life in rural New England from 1790 through the 1830s, the docu was commissioned by the museum in 1973. The film served as Burns’ senior thesis at the liberal arts college in nearby Amherst, Mass. Accompanying the doc on Unum is a pre-recorded conversation between Burns and New York Times literary critic A.O. Scott.
“It in some ways does not look like a Ken Burns film,” Scott says during his conversation with Burns. “It’s moving images in the present day, in color. So, it doesn’t immediately say to a modern viewer, a film by Ken Burns.
- 7/25/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
For most filmmakers working today, the challenges involved in building a successful franchise aren’t likely to come up. It’s hard enough to get one movie made, much less a whole fleet of them. By that same token, navigating today’s industry requires some understanding of the key market forces driving success, and IP is definitely one of them. Come up with an idea that can scale and you might have a shot at real sustainability.
However, this is not the most fertile time to embrace that concept. Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” underperformed at the box office last weekend. Early tracking for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” doesn’t look much better.
Meanwhile, Disney’s two biggest properties, Marvel and Star Wars, both seem to have hit an inflection point. Marvel fired longtime president of physical and postproduction Victoria Alonso this past week,...
However, this is not the most fertile time to embrace that concept. Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” underperformed at the box office last weekend. Early tracking for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” doesn’t look much better.
Meanwhile, Disney’s two biggest properties, Marvel and Star Wars, both seem to have hit an inflection point. Marvel fired longtime president of physical and postproduction Victoria Alonso this past week,...
- 3/25/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSThe Act of Killing. Though he’s known for nonfiction, Joshua Oppenheimer just began production on a musical about the end of the world, fittingly called The End. Filming now in Dublin, it stars Tilda Swinton and George Mackay, via the production company’s website.After 23 years, A.O. Scott is stepping away from film criticism at the New York Times, transitioning to a new role as a critic at large for the Book Review. He conducts his own exit interview.In comedy news, Safdie muse and Razzie record-breaker Adam Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this week in Washington, D.C.Finally, we’re thinking of the character actor Lance Reddick this week, who died suddenly last Friday at...
- 3/22/2023
- MUBI
Jordan Peele is staying in business with Universal Pictures, as the studio has just set an untitled fourth film from the “Nope” writer/director for release on Dec. 25, 2024. Additionally, an untitled horror/thriller from Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions will open in theaters on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
Other movies dated for Christmas 2024 include James Cameron’s third “Avatar” movie and the third movie in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” film franchise. Recently, Broadway adaptation “Wicked, Part 1” scooted out of the Christmas timeframe to occupy a new Thanksgiving slot. “Wicked,” like the Peele project, will be released by Universal.
Peele’s feature directorial debut, “Get Out,” was released by Universal in 2017 and grossed over $255 million against a budget of just $4.5 million. On top of being an astounding commercial success, it netted Peele a Best Original Screenplay Oscar with additional nominations for Best Picture, Director and Actor. That Academy Award-winning screenplay, about a Black man...
Other movies dated for Christmas 2024 include James Cameron’s third “Avatar” movie and the third movie in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” film franchise. Recently, Broadway adaptation “Wicked, Part 1” scooted out of the Christmas timeframe to occupy a new Thanksgiving slot. “Wicked,” like the Peele project, will be released by Universal.
Peele’s feature directorial debut, “Get Out,” was released by Universal in 2017 and grossed over $255 million against a budget of just $4.5 million. On top of being an astounding commercial success, it netted Peele a Best Original Screenplay Oscar with additional nominations for Best Picture, Director and Actor. That Academy Award-winning screenplay, about a Black man...
- 3/20/2023
- by Drew Taylor and Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Pete Docter is no stranger to awards ceremonies.
He’s the only filmmaker to have won the Best Animated Feature Oscar three times (most recently for the 2020 film “Soul”) and Docter’s “Up” was only the second animated movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Add to that a half-dozen Annie Awards and a BAFTA trophy.
This year, Docter will be honored with the Winsor McKay Award at this year’s Annies, presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, Asifa-Hollywood. Previous Winsor McKay honorees, named for the legendary animator behind Gertie the Dinosaur, include Eyvind Earle, Hayao Miyazaki, Ray Harryahusen, Tim Burton and Don Bluth. Docter will be honored alongside Canadian animator Evelyn Lambart (posthumously) and Craig McCracken, creator (most recently) of Netflix’s “Kid Cosmic.”
“That’s totally exciting. I had no idea. And then you look at the list of past...
He’s the only filmmaker to have won the Best Animated Feature Oscar three times (most recently for the 2020 film “Soul”) and Docter’s “Up” was only the second animated movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Add to that a half-dozen Annie Awards and a BAFTA trophy.
This year, Docter will be honored with the Winsor McKay Award at this year’s Annies, presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, Asifa-Hollywood. Previous Winsor McKay honorees, named for the legendary animator behind Gertie the Dinosaur, include Eyvind Earle, Hayao Miyazaki, Ray Harryahusen, Tim Burton and Don Bluth. Docter will be honored alongside Canadian animator Evelyn Lambart (posthumously) and Craig McCracken, creator (most recently) of Netflix’s “Kid Cosmic.”
“That’s totally exciting. I had no idea. And then you look at the list of past...
- 2/21/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The New York Times’ film critic A.O. Scott is moving to a new beat.
Scott, who has reviewed more than 2,200 films for the Times over the last 23 years, will shift to The New York Times Book Review where he will “write critical essays, notebooks and reviews that grapple with literature, ideas and intellectual life,” according to a memo to Times staff from Sam Sifton, Gilbert Cruz and Sia Michel Tuesday.
“In many ways this is a natural progression,” they added in the note. “Tony was a literature concentrator at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude in 1987, and is a graduate-school dropout in American literature (Johns Hopkins: thank you, next!). He started his journalism career as an assistant to Robert Silvers at The New York Review of Books and was soon contributing reviews there, as well as to Slate and, of course, to Newsday.”
Scott will leave the culture section for the Book Review in March,...
Scott, who has reviewed more than 2,200 films for the Times over the last 23 years, will shift to The New York Times Book Review where he will “write critical essays, notebooks and reviews that grapple with literature, ideas and intellectual life,” according to a memo to Times staff from Sam Sifton, Gilbert Cruz and Sia Michel Tuesday.
“In many ways this is a natural progression,” they added in the note. “Tony was a literature concentrator at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude in 1987, and is a graduate-school dropout in American literature (Johns Hopkins: thank you, next!). He started his journalism career as an assistant to Robert Silvers at The New York Review of Books and was soon contributing reviews there, as well as to Slate and, of course, to Newsday.”
Scott will leave the culture section for the Book Review in March,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it)
The Movie: "The Comedy"
Where You Can Stream It: Peacock
The Pitch: Rick Alverson is known for eschewing traditional modes of storytelling and narrative, and his filmography is basically one extended effort to subvert audience expectations and supply an alternative to mainstream cinema. His most recent film, "The Mountain," continues that project. But for me, the high point came in 2012 with "The Comedy" — a movie "about movies," according to Alverson. And when it debuted to the Sundance crowds that year, some folks were, shall we say, less than impressed.
The movie focuses on Swanson, played by alt comedy legend Tim Heidecker. The 30-something Brooklynite is completely disconnected from the world around him. He drifts through New York City in a...
The Movie: "The Comedy"
Where You Can Stream It: Peacock
The Pitch: Rick Alverson is known for eschewing traditional modes of storytelling and narrative, and his filmography is basically one extended effort to subvert audience expectations and supply an alternative to mainstream cinema. His most recent film, "The Mountain," continues that project. But for me, the high point came in 2012 with "The Comedy" — a movie "about movies," according to Alverson. And when it debuted to the Sundance crowds that year, some folks were, shall we say, less than impressed.
The movie focuses on Swanson, played by alt comedy legend Tim Heidecker. The 30-something Brooklynite is completely disconnected from the world around him. He drifts through New York City in a...
- 2/8/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Mike Hodges, best known as the director of gritty, stylish thrillers like Get Carter — the original — Croupier, The Terminal Man and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead has died, according to his longtime friend and the producer of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Mike Kaplan. Hodges was 90.
Hodges was a relatively new director who’d worked mostly in TV when he burst upon the international film scene with Get Carter in 1971. The crime drama starring Michael Caine is still considered among the best British gangster films ever made. Set against a working class background in northern England, Hodges blended irony and humor with stark tension and sudden violence. Those elements became, along with his attention to atmosphere, his signatures. The film was remade in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone as the lead.
Michael Caine in ‘Get Carter’ circa 1971. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
In 2000, his film Croupier introduced the world to Clive Owen.
Hodges was a relatively new director who’d worked mostly in TV when he burst upon the international film scene with Get Carter in 1971. The crime drama starring Michael Caine is still considered among the best British gangster films ever made. Set against a working class background in northern England, Hodges blended irony and humor with stark tension and sudden violence. Those elements became, along with his attention to atmosphere, his signatures. The film was remade in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone as the lead.
Michael Caine in ‘Get Carter’ circa 1971. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
In 2000, his film Croupier introduced the world to Clive Owen.
- 12/20/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-director Daniel Kwan is telling fans of his A24 hit not to get toxic on social media when it comes to film critics snubbing the movie on their “best movies of 2022” lists. Some “Everything Everywhere” admirers stormed Twitter to criticize The New York Times film critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott for leaving the movie off their top 10 lists. Films that did make the cut included Jordan Peele’s “Nope” and foreign films like “Eo.” One fan called Scott “pretentious” and an “upper middle class zealot” for snubbing “Everything Everywhere.”
“I know the end of year discourse on film twitter can be toxic [as fuck] with all of the ‘Best of’ lists that come out, but this really needs to stop,” Kwan wrote on Twitter to outraged fans. “The act of ranking any piece of art is so absurd and should only be seen as an incredibly personal and subjective endeavor.
“I know the end of year discourse on film twitter can be toxic [as fuck] with all of the ‘Best of’ lists that come out, but this really needs to stop,” Kwan wrote on Twitter to outraged fans. “The act of ranking any piece of art is so absurd and should only be seen as an incredibly personal and subjective endeavor.
- 12/8/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Steven Spielberg is immensely concerned about the future of cinema. The "Fabelmans" director went on record with A.O. Scott of the New York Times to talk about his new movie, but also to express extreme trepidation about where movies stand in the wake of Covid lockdowns. Movies, he feels, aren't drawing crowds to theaters the same way they did in the past, and -- perhaps controversially -- he felt that people streaming movies at home wasn't a suitable substitute. Back in 2013, in an interview with the Guardian, Spielberg had already predicted a sea change in the future of moviegoing, claiming that expensive, effect-based blockbusters (a class of film he helped pioneer back in the 1970s) would fetch higher ticket prices while smaller, more intimate dramas like his own "Lincoln" would play only smaller arthouses. The director also felt that Netflix and other streaming services should be omitted from Academy Award consideration,...
- 12/5/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
‘Wall-e’ Director Andrew Stanton Explains How Pixar’s Sci-Fi Darling Joined the Criterion Collection
“Wall•E,” the tale of a little trash-collecting robot that voyages to the cosmos and winds up restarting humanity, is many things. It’s Pixar’s ninth animated feature, released at a time when the studio was on an unprecedented creative hot streak (it was sandwiched snugly in-between “Ratatouille” and “Up”). It’s also one of the most idiosyncratic movies in the studio’s history, featuring live-action components (some aided by visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic), cinematography inspired and advised by Roger Deakins and a largely wordless first act that calls back to the earliest days of cinema.
And while the movie was rapturously received (New York Times critic A.O. Scott put it as his #1 movie of 2008 and said: “the visual sublimity of Andrew Stanton’s latest Pixar masterpiece is matched by a depth and sweetness of feeling not seen since the heyday of Charlie Chaplin”) and continues to...
And while the movie was rapturously received (New York Times critic A.O. Scott put it as his #1 movie of 2008 and said: “the visual sublimity of Andrew Stanton’s latest Pixar masterpiece is matched by a depth and sweetness of feeling not seen since the heyday of Charlie Chaplin”) and continues to...
- 11/29/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
On November 18, A24 released “The Inspection” starring Jeremy Pope as Ellis French, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother (played by Gabriel Union) with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines. The film is inspired by the life of writer-director Elegance Bratton, who experienced intense homophobia at boot camp and at home. The film currently has a 76 freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to generally favorable reviews.
See Jeremy Pope (‘The Inspection’): ‘You can be the hero of your own story when you take back the narrative’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
The film received three Gotham Awards nominations for Breakthrough Director (Bratton), Best Supporting Actress (Union) and Best Supporting Actor for Raul Castillo, who plays Rosales, a junior drill sergeant who takes an interest in Ellis. The film has been gaining Oscar buzz since premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Pope has nearly cracked the...
See Jeremy Pope (‘The Inspection’): ‘You can be the hero of your own story when you take back the narrative’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
The film received three Gotham Awards nominations for Breakthrough Director (Bratton), Best Supporting Actress (Union) and Best Supporting Actor for Raul Castillo, who plays Rosales, a junior drill sergeant who takes an interest in Ellis. The film has been gaining Oscar buzz since premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Pope has nearly cracked the...
- 11/18/2022
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
My earliest memory is of going to see "Star Wars" in the summer of 1977 with my mom and my older brother. I was three years old, so it's mostly a vaguely sensed recollection, but one moment stands out with startling clarity: when the lights went down, I screamed.
This was back when movie theaters actually went dark. No dimmed house lights lining the walls, no light strips to guide you up and down the aisle (save possibly for faded glow tape that hadn't been replaced in years). It was pitch black in that theater for a second or two until the tattered bumper preceding the coming attractions flickered across the screen. I remember that, too. I remember feeling saved.
I've been chasing that sensation ever since, often to the annoyance of my moviegoing companions. For me, the ritual of going to the movies was as important as watching the movie itself.
This was back when movie theaters actually went dark. No dimmed house lights lining the walls, no light strips to guide you up and down the aisle (save possibly for faded glow tape that hadn't been replaced in years). It was pitch black in that theater for a second or two until the tattered bumper preceding the coming attractions flickered across the screen. I remember that, too. I remember feeling saved.
I've been chasing that sensation ever since, often to the annoyance of my moviegoing companions. For me, the ritual of going to the movies was as important as watching the movie itself.
- 11/10/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
One problem with being The New York Times—big, lumbering, important—is that you sometimes get in your own way. It happens even when you cover the movies. Every now and then, you find yourself looking at a picture that’s looking at you. And that can be awkward.
Just such a moment is pending, as The Times prepares to deal with She Said, Maria Schrader’s film about the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of Harvey Weinstein and sex abuse by two of its reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
That was a proud enterprise for the paper, the kind of reporting it’s supposed to do. But past triumph won’t make it any easier for the Times‘ critics and cultural reporters to cover the film when Universal unveils it at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 13, at a world premiere that will find their two colleagues on-stage with the actresses who portray them,...
Just such a moment is pending, as The Times prepares to deal with She Said, Maria Schrader’s film about the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of Harvey Weinstein and sex abuse by two of its reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
That was a proud enterprise for the paper, the kind of reporting it’s supposed to do. But past triumph won’t make it any easier for the Times‘ critics and cultural reporters to cover the film when Universal unveils it at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 13, at a world premiere that will find their two colleagues on-stage with the actresses who portray them,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
In what Criterion is describing as their “first collaboration” with fabled animation studio Pixar, Andrew Stanton’s “Wall•E” will be joining the collection this November (spine #1161). And, typical of Criterion releases, it will be festooned with special features, including a new essay (by Sam Wasson), a pair of audio commentaries and a new documentary called “Wall•E A to Z,” featuring co-writer/director Andrew Stanton and writer Jim Reardon.
“Wall•E,” released back in 2008, originated as an idea from “Up” director (and current Pixar chief creative officer) Pete Docter called “Trash Planet.” Soon the idea mutated, as it was passed to Stanton and the focus became squarely on a small, lonely robot inhabiting an abandoned, garbage-covered Earth. When another droid visits Earth, the sleek new Eve, Wall•E falls in love. He follows her to the Axiom, a cruise ship in space, and together they reignite the human race.
“Wall•E,” released back in 2008, originated as an idea from “Up” director (and current Pixar chief creative officer) Pete Docter called “Trash Planet.” Soon the idea mutated, as it was passed to Stanton and the focus became squarely on a small, lonely robot inhabiting an abandoned, garbage-covered Earth. When another droid visits Earth, the sleek new Eve, Wall•E falls in love. He follows her to the Axiom, a cruise ship in space, and together they reignite the human race.
- 9/8/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWomen Talking.The 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which doesn't reveal its lineup until the four-day festival starts, took place last weekend. Its program included world premieres of Sarah Polley’s Women Talking and Sam Mendes’s Empire of Light, as well as Adam Curtis’s new 420-minute-long Russia [1985-1999] Traumazone, plus a tribute to Cate Blanchett. A.O. Scott, reporting from the festival for the New York Times, remarks that "Every so often, Telluride’s best is as good as movies can be," and singles out Women Talking specifically: "...what Women Talking shares with Moonlight is an absolute concentration on the specifics of story and setting that nonetheless illuminate a vast, underexplored region of contemporary life. A reality that has always been there is seen as if for the first time."Charlbi Dean Kriek—South African model,...
- 9/7/2022
- MUBI
Jordan Peele’s Nope is a UFO story where characters aren’t concerned with killing an alien so much as capturing it on camera. In that regard, it’s an extraterrestrial thriller that feels very much in sync with our zeitgeist, one whose chief preoccupation revolves around our struggles to process singular, horrific happenings in an age when they are so swiftly commodified into something sellable, scrollable, and endlessly watchable. Daniel Kaluuya plays Oj Haywood, Keke Palmer his sister Emerald. They’re the descendants of the Black jockey immortalized in Eadweard Muybridge’s The Horse in Motion (1878), a man whose name (unlike the horse’s and its owner’s) has long been erased from history. The Haywood siblings own a ranch in Agua Dulce, where they train horses for film appearances. But business is drying up, and a neighbor—former child star Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun)—wants to buy them out.
- 8/16/2022
- MUBI
With just two films, “Get Out” (2017) and “Us” (2019), director Jordan Peele established a reputation for awards-worthy, socially conscious horror. His third film “Nope” opened on July 22. Does it hold up against his previous work? Let’s consider the “Nope” reviews from critics across the media landscape.
As of this writing the film has a MetaCritic score of 76 based on 51 reviews counted so far: 42 positive, eight mixed, and only one outright negative. That’s his lowest score on the review aggregator so far after “Get Out” averaged out to 85 and “Us” received 81. But if a director’s films have all been rated higher than 75 by the critical establishment, they must be doing something right.
SEEBox office preview: Can Jordan Peele’s 3rd movie ‘Nope’ build on the promise of ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’?
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, which classifies reviews simply as positive or negative without MetaCritic’s sliding scale from...
As of this writing the film has a MetaCritic score of 76 based on 51 reviews counted so far: 42 positive, eight mixed, and only one outright negative. That’s his lowest score on the review aggregator so far after “Get Out” averaged out to 85 and “Us” received 81. But if a director’s films have all been rated higher than 75 by the critical establishment, they must be doing something right.
SEEBox office preview: Can Jordan Peele’s 3rd movie ‘Nope’ build on the promise of ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’?
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, which classifies reviews simply as positive or negative without MetaCritic’s sliding scale from...
- 7/22/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Hollywood is spending a lot of time and money in its effort to steer around the culture wars, but some contend it’s a hopeless mission: A growing sector of society is so polarized that “left” and “right” have melted into a blur. Hence a same-sex kiss between Lightyear power rangers stirs angst in Florida and bans in the Middle East, while Elon Musk goes viral when he confusingly announces he’s no longer “a liberal” (he’s still the world’s richest man).
The studios are hiring consultants like Culture House or Color of Change to red-flag areas of risk, but danger zones still loom. Even branches of the Motion Picture Academy that represent the crafts – the working people of Hollywood – will confront political issues in coming weeks that they’d urgently prefer to avoid (see below).
Hollywood’s founders would be appalled by these firestorms. A new book...
The studios are hiring consultants like Culture House or Color of Change to red-flag areas of risk, but danger zones still loom. Even branches of the Motion Picture Academy that represent the crafts – the working people of Hollywood – will confront political issues in coming weeks that they’d urgently prefer to avoid (see below).
Hollywood’s founders would be appalled by these firestorms. A new book...
- 7/22/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Reading the reviews of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” one would be forgiven for thinking that it must be some madly baroque spectacle of exquisite excess, the sort of thing that makes people roll their eyes — or that makes the eyes of others widen with delight — when they hear the name “Baz Luhrmann.”
In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney writes, “How you feel about Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ will depend largely on how you feel about Baz Lurhmann’s brash, glitter-bomb maximalism.” In Rolling Stone, K. Austin Collins calls the film “a brash, overwhelming experience. It’s a carnival in movie form,” while The New York Times’ A.O. Scott says, “All that satin and rhinestone, filtered through Mandy Walker’s pulpy, red-dominated cinematography, conjures an atmosphere of lurid, frenzied eroticism. You might mistake this for a vampire movie.” In my own review of “Elvis,” I, too, danced the Baz Luhrmann jig,...
In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney writes, “How you feel about Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ will depend largely on how you feel about Baz Lurhmann’s brash, glitter-bomb maximalism.” In Rolling Stone, K. Austin Collins calls the film “a brash, overwhelming experience. It’s a carnival in movie form,” while The New York Times’ A.O. Scott says, “All that satin and rhinestone, filtered through Mandy Walker’s pulpy, red-dominated cinematography, conjures an atmosphere of lurid, frenzied eroticism. You might mistake this for a vampire movie.” In my own review of “Elvis,” I, too, danced the Baz Luhrmann jig,...
- 6/26/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Universal’s “Jurassic World Dominion” roared to 18 million in Thursday previews.
The sixth film in the dino-saga is expected to loom large at the domestic box office this weekend, but it could be blistered by bad reviews and the continued popularity of “Top Gun: Maverick,” which is still soaring in its third week of release. “Jurassic World Dominion” is expected to generate 125 million in stateside ticket sales from 4,600 theaters across North America.
Of course, “Jurassic World Dominion” enters the fray with an impressive box office legacy to live up to in terms of its debut. “Jurassic World,” which rebooted the “Jurassic Park” franchise in 2015, opened to a massive 208 million and ended its theatrical run with 653 million in North America and 1.6 billion globally. Its sequel, 2018’s “Fallen Kingdom,” debuted to a 150 million and tapped out with 417 million domestically and 1.3 billion worldwide. Covid may take a bite out of “Dominion’s” revenues,...
The sixth film in the dino-saga is expected to loom large at the domestic box office this weekend, but it could be blistered by bad reviews and the continued popularity of “Top Gun: Maverick,” which is still soaring in its third week of release. “Jurassic World Dominion” is expected to generate 125 million in stateside ticket sales from 4,600 theaters across North America.
Of course, “Jurassic World Dominion” enters the fray with an impressive box office legacy to live up to in terms of its debut. “Jurassic World,” which rebooted the “Jurassic Park” franchise in 2015, opened to a massive 208 million and ended its theatrical run with 653 million in North America and 1.6 billion globally. Its sequel, 2018’s “Fallen Kingdom,” debuted to a 150 million and tapped out with 417 million domestically and 1.3 billion worldwide. Covid may take a bite out of “Dominion’s” revenues,...
- 6/10/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Peter Bart: Opportunity & Disaster Loom Side By Side For Indie Film Launches, Especially In Theaters
“Unless you happen to be Tom Cruise, launching a new movie today is a study in frustration. Or self-destruction.”
So states one veteran indie film distributor commenting on the current film market (see below), whose testimony is supported by the filmmakers and wannabes gathered this week at the Tribeca Festival.
Tribeca marks the start of festival season in the U.S., where opportunity and disaster loom side by side. Indie filmmakers view Tribeca as a delicious launching pad, but this year its agenda is also crammed with streamers, music, audio awards, assorted activist presentations and even celebrity sightings: Taylor Swift will introduce her new short and Wednesday night saw Jennifer Lopez tout her new documentary Halftime, which was the festival’s opening film but, even with Lopez’s promotional clout, will not have a theatrical release. It debuts on Netflix next Tuesday.
There will also be premieres of indie dramas and rom-coms,...
So states one veteran indie film distributor commenting on the current film market (see below), whose testimony is supported by the filmmakers and wannabes gathered this week at the Tribeca Festival.
Tribeca marks the start of festival season in the U.S., where opportunity and disaster loom side by side. Indie filmmakers view Tribeca as a delicious launching pad, but this year its agenda is also crammed with streamers, music, audio awards, assorted activist presentations and even celebrity sightings: Taylor Swift will introduce her new short and Wednesday night saw Jennifer Lopez tout her new documentary Halftime, which was the festival’s opening film but, even with Lopez’s promotional clout, will not have a theatrical release. It debuts on Netflix next Tuesday.
There will also be premieres of indie dramas and rom-coms,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSLight Industry, a much-loved venue for film and electronic art in New York, is creating a beautiful new space to host their talks and screenings. They are seeking donations to cover the costs of construction.Almost 40 years after first meeting as employees of California's Video Archives, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, co-writers on Pulp Fiction, will be making a new podcast together, watching and discussing movies that they first discovered in the library of the former video rental store.Apple have landed Steve McQueen's next feature, Blitz, a film set during World War II which will tell the wartime stories of a selection of Londoners.In what is yet another high-profile exit at a major film festival, Tabitha Jackson will be departing from her role as director of the Sundance Film Festival. As IndieWire note in their article,...
- 6/9/2022
- MUBI
First, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) turned down Marvel meetings about Disney+’s “Loki.” Now, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Jamie Lee Curtis argues there may be one multiverse too many in theaters.
Curtis shared two Instagram snapshots, first with side-by-side posters of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which has been dominating the box office since debuting with a limited theatrical release in March.
“Is it Just me? Does it seem Strange that our tiny movie that could and did and continues to do #1movieinamerica and is Truly Marvelous, out marvels any Marvel movie they put out there,” Curtis captioned, pointing out the alleged similarities between the promotional materials for the A24 film and MCU installment, directed by Sam Raimi. “Is this one of those Internet feuds? All I’ll say is we would Slay in a family feud...
Curtis shared two Instagram snapshots, first with side-by-side posters of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which has been dominating the box office since debuting with a limited theatrical release in March.
“Is it Just me? Does it seem Strange that our tiny movie that could and did and continues to do #1movieinamerica and is Truly Marvelous, out marvels any Marvel movie they put out there,” Curtis captioned, pointing out the alleged similarities between the promotional materials for the A24 film and MCU installment, directed by Sam Raimi. “Is this one of those Internet feuds? All I’ll say is we would Slay in a family feud...
- 5/9/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In a profile of Robert Eggers published in The New Yorker a couple of weeks before the release of The Northman, Sam Knight called the director’s latest “the most accurate Viking movie ever made.” The 38-year-old’s reputation as meticulous researcher long predates his Scandinavian saga, but the film’s estimated 90 million budget—a huge leap from the director’s first two features, The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019)—means that fastidiousness and attention to detail can now play out on a much larger and more ambitious scale. Co-written by Eggers with the Icelandic poet and novelist Sjón, The Northman borrows from the same Nordic legend Shakespeare drew from for his Hamlet. In Eggers’ retelling, Alexander Skarsgård plays Amleth, a prince on a revenge mission. As a ten-year-old (played by Oscar Novak), Amleth saw his father, King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke), murdered by his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang), who then seized...
- 5/9/2022
- MUBI
At the box office, A24’s genre-bending black comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has become the little indie that could.
After six weeks in theaters, the film has grossed 35 million in North America, an impressive sum for an arthouse flick. Those ticket sales are a positive indication that adult audiences will return to the big screen for the right movie, and also a reminder that ticket buyers really love the concept of a multiverse.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the well-reviewed “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stars Michelle Yeoh as a wife and mother who exists in a multiverse, a term popularized by Marvel comic book adventures like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the upcoming “Doctor Strange” sequel. In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Yeoh’s Evelyn Wang is being audited by the IRS when she discovers she has to connect with parallel...
After six weeks in theaters, the film has grossed 35 million in North America, an impressive sum for an arthouse flick. Those ticket sales are a positive indication that adult audiences will return to the big screen for the right movie, and also a reminder that ticket buyers really love the concept of a multiverse.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the well-reviewed “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stars Michelle Yeoh as a wife and mother who exists in a multiverse, a term popularized by Marvel comic book adventures like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the upcoming “Doctor Strange” sequel. In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Yeoh’s Evelyn Wang is being audited by the IRS when she discovers she has to connect with parallel...
- 5/1/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Sffilm announced the full lineup for the 65th annual San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest running film festival in the Americas. This year the Festival will make its return to theaters in person, featuring more than 130 films from 56 countries, including 16 World and 10 North American premieres, along with many Sffilm-supported titles. Of the films selected for the Festival, 56 are helmed by female or non-binary filmmakers and 52 are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. The Festival will also celebrate cinematic icon Michelle Yeoh with a special tribute to be presented by critically acclaimed actor Sandra Oh. The 2022 Festival will run April 21–May 1, with tickets on sale now at sffilm.org.
Michelle Yeoh was recently hailed by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott as “one of the great international movie stars of the past quarter-century.” Her tribute will be an intimate conversation with Emmy Award-nominated actress Sandra Oh, about her prestigious and extensive...
Michelle Yeoh was recently hailed by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott as “one of the great international movie stars of the past quarter-century.” Her tribute will be an intimate conversation with Emmy Award-nominated actress Sandra Oh, about her prestigious and extensive...
- 4/4/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Joachim Trier, writer/director of the multi-Oscar nominated film The Worst Person in the World, discusses his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
A History of Violence (2005)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s retrospective links
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Back To The Future (1985)
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Mirror (1975)
Stalker (1979) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Soylent Green (1973)
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
The Hunt (1959)
Remonstrance (1972)
Don’t Look Now (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bad Timing (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Walkabout (1971) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Performance (1970) – Mark Goldblatt’s trailer commentary
Drive My Car (2021)
491 (1964)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Persona (1966)
The Wild Strawberries...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
A History of Violence (2005)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s retrospective links
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Back To The Future (1985)
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Mirror (1975)
Stalker (1979) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Soylent Green (1973)
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
The Hunt (1959)
Remonstrance (1972)
Don’t Look Now (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bad Timing (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Walkabout (1971) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Performance (1970) – Mark Goldblatt’s trailer commentary
Drive My Car (2021)
491 (1964)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Persona (1966)
The Wild Strawberries...
- 3/15/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
When Steven Spielberg first pitched the idea of doing a new adaptation of “West Side Story” to Tony Kushner over breakfast eight years ago, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was slightly apprehensive about the prospect. As Kushner recalled in an interview with the New York Times last year, he left their meeting and told his husband, the writer Mark Harris, “You’re not going to believe this. He’s lost his mind.”
“It’s sort of funny because I hadn’t realized, I think, until the film came out and I started looking at some of the responses that I wasn’t the only one who thought that,” Kushner tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. But as Kushner quickly found out and audiences began to realize when “West Side Story” started screening in early December, the source text for the iconic musical is so robust and malleable, it was...
“It’s sort of funny because I hadn’t realized, I think, until the film came out and I started looking at some of the responses that I wasn’t the only one who thought that,” Kushner tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. But as Kushner quickly found out and audiences began to realize when “West Side Story” started screening in early December, the source text for the iconic musical is so robust and malleable, it was...
- 1/11/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The Oscar-contending documentary The Velvet Underground, about the influential 1960s avant-garde rock band fronted by Lou Reed, has been praised as a “superb testament to a lost world that helped make our own.”
Those words come from New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, who listed The Velvet Underground as number three among her choice of the year’s best films—fiction or nonfiction (her colleague A.O. Scott also put it on his top 10 list).
The praise not only recognizes the work of director Todd Haynes—the longtime filmmaker who makes his documentary debut with The Velvet Underground—but his collaborators, including editors Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz, and cinematographer Ed Lachman.
Over the course of his long career, Lachman has shot documentaries and scripted films, and earned Oscar nominations for two of Haynes’ dramatic features, Carol (2015), and Far From Heaven (2002). He says he doesn’t alter his approach to photography...
Those words come from New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, who listed The Velvet Underground as number three among her choice of the year’s best films—fiction or nonfiction (her colleague A.O. Scott also put it on his top 10 list).
The praise not only recognizes the work of director Todd Haynes—the longtime filmmaker who makes his documentary debut with The Velvet Underground—but his collaborators, including editors Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz, and cinematographer Ed Lachman.
Over the course of his long career, Lachman has shot documentaries and scripted films, and earned Oscar nominations for two of Haynes’ dramatic features, Carol (2015), and Far From Heaven (2002). He says he doesn’t alter his approach to photography...
- 12/10/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
With the majors eagerly seeking franchises rather than films, their executives might now pay some attention to a courtly Texan who lives in Paris. For 25 years, Wes Anderson has quietly but systematically built his unlikely and fragile franchise around 10 movies that filmgoers profess to enjoy but not understand. His latest, The French Dispatch, opened last week to a $5.5 million box office gross in Week 1, thus suggesting that “art movies” somehow can survive even amid the challenges of 2021.
The French Dispatch is a French movie (it’s not) based on a story (actually three) described by The New York Times as “a love letter to journalism,” which isn’t about journalism at all. But then other Anderson films like Bottle Rocket weren’t about rockets nor was Moonrise Kingdom about a kingdom nor Isle of Dogs that much about dogs.
Anderson’s gift lies in his ability each year to generate...
The French Dispatch is a French movie (it’s not) based on a story (actually three) described by The New York Times as “a love letter to journalism,” which isn’t about journalism at all. But then other Anderson films like Bottle Rocket weren’t about rockets nor was Moonrise Kingdom about a kingdom nor Isle of Dogs that much about dogs.
Anderson’s gift lies in his ability each year to generate...
- 11/4/2021
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
“In many ways,” Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling write at The New York Times, “the 93rd Oscars amounted to a celebration of diversity.” Postponed from the usual February slot to Sunday, April 25, no longer held in the iconic Dolby Theatre but in Los Angeles’s Union Station, and helmed by director Steven Soderbergh (who co-produced the event with Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher), the 2021 Academy Awards was an edition of historic firsts. Judging by the nominations alone, Shirley Li argues at The Atlantic, “the Oscars already had enough newness this year to prove its thesis that it deserves a future.”Nine of the twenty acting noms went to people of color, who nabbed two of the four awards. Riz Ahmed was the first Muslim nominee for Best Actor; Youn the first Korean actress to get an acting nod (and the first to win). Seventy women were nominated across all categories—the largest number ever.
- 4/28/2021
- MUBI
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
No cinephile’s bookshelf is complete without a well-curated selection of film criticism books to complement their robust movie library. After all, criticism exists to enhance our understanding of art, and really any creative endeavor. The art of film criticism is almost as old as film itself, and has evolved just as film has over the past century or so.
The below selection of film criticism classics includes a wide variety of literature that helps enhance the filmgoing experience, from in-depth histories of specific films to exhaustive analysis of filmmakers and actors; from essay collections of famed critics to histories of film movements and eras. They’re both historical and contemporary, with original...
No cinephile’s bookshelf is complete without a well-curated selection of film criticism books to complement their robust movie library. After all, criticism exists to enhance our understanding of art, and really any creative endeavor. The art of film criticism is almost as old as film itself, and has evolved just as film has over the past century or so.
The below selection of film criticism classics includes a wide variety of literature that helps enhance the filmgoing experience, from in-depth histories of specific films to exhaustive analysis of filmmakers and actors; from essay collections of famed critics to histories of film movements and eras. They’re both historical and contemporary, with original...
- 3/18/2021
- by Jean Bentley and Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
“Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 “Coming to America,” has released early on Amazon Prime. Originally, the pic was set to drop on the streaming service on Friday.
The sequel to John Landis’ hit comedy follows Prince Akeem (Murphy), who is set to become the king of the fictional country of Zamunda, an African kingdom untouched by colonialism, and finds out he has a son he never knew about — a street-savvy Queens native, Lavelle. To honor the former king’s (James Earl Jones) dying wish to raise his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem, and Semmi (Arsenio Hall), once again leave for America. The star-studded cast also includes Leslie Jones, Wesley Snipes and Shari Headley.
Originally set for release in theaters from Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios in October due to the pandemic.
The film has received mixed reviews so far,...
The sequel to John Landis’ hit comedy follows Prince Akeem (Murphy), who is set to become the king of the fictional country of Zamunda, an African kingdom untouched by colonialism, and finds out he has a son he never knew about — a street-savvy Queens native, Lavelle. To honor the former king’s (James Earl Jones) dying wish to raise his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem, and Semmi (Arsenio Hall), once again leave for America. The star-studded cast also includes Leslie Jones, Wesley Snipes and Shari Headley.
Originally set for release in theaters from Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios in October due to the pandemic.
The film has received mixed reviews so far,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- Variety Film + TV
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
It’s always a good time to update your bookshelf, and today IndieWire staffers have selected some of their favorite film books, from screenwriting manuals to fascinating histories and even musings on the art of criticism itself.
The selections are wide-ranging, so if you’re looking for a book specifically about film criticism then you can check out this list, and if you’re looking for a juicy memoir, check out this one.
But otherwise, read on for a broad spectrum of books about cinema, including behind-the-scenes accounts of major blockbusters, essays on film theory, and more.
Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson’s Picks: “John Wayne: The Life and Legend” by Scott Eyman Buy: $19.99 Buy...
It’s always a good time to update your bookshelf, and today IndieWire staffers have selected some of their favorite film books, from screenwriting manuals to fascinating histories and even musings on the art of criticism itself.
The selections are wide-ranging, so if you’re looking for a book specifically about film criticism then you can check out this list, and if you’re looking for a juicy memoir, check out this one.
But otherwise, read on for a broad spectrum of books about cinema, including behind-the-scenes accounts of major blockbusters, essays on film theory, and more.
Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson’s Picks: “John Wayne: The Life and Legend” by Scott Eyman Buy: $19.99 Buy...
- 3/2/2021
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
After several years as a daytime soap opera ingenue, Amanda Seyfried made her film debut at 18 in the hugely popular comedy “Mean Girls.” Although she was passed over for the lead role in favor of Lindsay Lohan, she made the most of her supporting role, kicking off a career characterized by diligence.
Now 35, she has racked up over 30 film credits and shown an aptitude across genres, including twisted horror, family-friendly adventure, and sunny romance. In the Netflix release “Mank,” she proves adept at another, the biopic. Seyfried steps into the shoes of Marion Davies, an actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood with whom she happens to have a great deal in common.
Davies was also bitten by the show business bug at an early age and performed in vaudeville before making her film debut at age 20 in 1917’s “Runaway Romany.” She dealt with much more scrutiny throughout her 20-year film career than Seyfried has,...
Now 35, she has racked up over 30 film credits and shown an aptitude across genres, including twisted horror, family-friendly adventure, and sunny romance. In the Netflix release “Mank,” she proves adept at another, the biopic. Seyfried steps into the shoes of Marion Davies, an actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood with whom she happens to have a great deal in common.
Davies was also bitten by the show business bug at an early age and performed in vaudeville before making her film debut at age 20 in 1917’s “Runaway Romany.” She dealt with much more scrutiny throughout her 20-year film career than Seyfried has,...
- 2/21/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Siân Heder's Coda (2021). The winners of this year's Sundance Film Festival have been announced, with Siân Heder's Coda and Questlove's Summer of Soul sweeping the top prizes. Chloé Zhao's Nomadland, David Fincher's Mank, and Jason Woliner's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm lead the Golden Globe film nominations, also announced today. See more hereThe international jury of the 71st Berlinale includes six previous winners of the Golden Bear: Mohammad Rasoulof, Nadav Lapid, Adina Pintilie, Ildikó Enyedi, Gianfranco Rosi and, finally, Jasmila Žbanić. The festival's industry event will be taking place March 1-5, with a "summer special" taking place in June. More information has emerged regarding Tilda Swinton and Joanna Hogg's next collaboration, The Eternal Daughter. Executive-produced by Martin Scorsese and filmed in Wales during lockdown, the film follows a middle-aged daughter and...
- 2/3/2021
- MUBI
Above: TimeCalling 2020 a strange year for films is a polite understatement. In a matter of weeks, the pandemic changed moviegoing (and movie-watching) as we knew them: cinemas closed, blockbusters were postponed, festivals turned digital, all while the theatrical window shrunk, and streaming platforms became the ultimate destination for an ever-growing number of releases. Which is why browsing through the “Best Films” lists of this annus horribilis is such an eye-opening experience. It is not to weigh the consensus around this or that title that one turns to them, but to question how the changes in our viewing habits may influence the kind of films we’ll watch and talk about moving forward. “As usual,” Eric Kohn contends at IndieWire, “anyone who thinks this was a bad year for movies simply didn’t see enough of them.” Despite these dire challenges and the uncertainty of the future, the cinema remained very much alive throughout the year,...
- 12/16/2020
- MUBI
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe cover for the new issue of Cahiers du Cinema is a patchwork tribute to the erratic year of 2020. Frederick Wiseman's City Hall also tops the Cahiers list of this year's top ten films. Actress and screenwriter Daria Nicolodi, best known for co-writing Dario Argento's Suspiria and appearing in a number of Argento's Giallo classics like Deep Red and Inferno, has died. Recommended VIEWINGAnthology Film Archives is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a showcase of video tributes from a wide range of artists, filmmakers, and scholars, including Bette Gordon, Abel Ferrara, Nathaniel Dorsky, and Michael Snow. They've also made available a free recreation of their inaugural program from November 30, 1970, featuring films by Georges Méliès, Joseph Cornell, Jerome Hill and Harry Smith. The curators of the Museum of Modern Art and the Berlinale...
- 12/3/2020
- MUBI
Movies about the making of movies rarely find an audience. That long-standing Hollywood dictum will be defied this weekend with the Netflix release of Mank, but here’s the rub: The central character is a critic who becomes a screenwriter who becomes a victim.
That may be a clue as to why Mank this week is receiving reviews somewhere between worshipful and orgasmic. Mank is the perfect tonic for film critics who have few movies to review and no festivals or award shows around to herald their “raves.”
None of is this to deny that Mank represents an exercise in film artistry, as well as in good timing. Consider its backstory: Orson Welles arrived in Hollywood in the pit of the 1930s Depression as a self-avowed young genius aspiring to make a movie about a billionaire, William Randolph Hearst.
The studios were not thrilled about Citizen Kane. MGM had just...
That may be a clue as to why Mank this week is receiving reviews somewhere between worshipful and orgasmic. Mank is the perfect tonic for film critics who have few movies to review and no festivals or award shows around to herald their “raves.”
None of is this to deny that Mank represents an exercise in film artistry, as well as in good timing. Consider its backstory: Orson Welles arrived in Hollywood in the pit of the 1930s Depression as a self-avowed young genius aspiring to make a movie about a billionaire, William Randolph Hearst.
The studios were not thrilled about Citizen Kane. MGM had just...
- 11/12/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is as Sorkin-esque as you would imagine, with critics describing it as the sort of talky, yet rousing and prescient courtroom drama that only Aaron Sorkin does best.
Early reviews give it a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75 on Metacritic, with just about every review singling out different performances from its deep cast, including a more playful and goofy turn from Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong, a wry, more subdued tone from Mark Rylance and other strong moments from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Michael Keaton.
But even though the film should be familiar to fans of “The West Wing” and “The Social Network,” among others, critics say generally that “Chicago 7” stands out for Sorkin’s work as a filmmaker.
“Sure, his dialogue has been visceral and urgent in movies from ‘A Few Good Men’ to ‘The Social Network’ to ‘Steve Jobs.
Early reviews give it a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75 on Metacritic, with just about every review singling out different performances from its deep cast, including a more playful and goofy turn from Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong, a wry, more subdued tone from Mark Rylance and other strong moments from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Michael Keaton.
But even though the film should be familiar to fans of “The West Wing” and “The Social Network,” among others, critics say generally that “Chicago 7” stands out for Sorkin’s work as a filmmaker.
“Sure, his dialogue has been visceral and urgent in movies from ‘A Few Good Men’ to ‘The Social Network’ to ‘Steve Jobs.
- 9/25/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
It’s been almost 30 years since Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan rocked out in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, but Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are back in this summer’s Bill & Ted Face the Music as the iconic duo, spurred to action once more when a visitor from the future tells them one of their songs can save the world and bring harmony to the universe.
Was it worth the wait? Here’s what critics are saying about the long-awaited comedy threequel, as it’s finally released in the U.S. today…
Katie Rife – Av Club
“While the high stakes couldn’t be higher, the film simply takes too long to find its focus. It’s not the most excellent of outcomes, but not a total bummer, either.”
John DeFore – THR
“Imagining the return of the time-traveling Messrs. Preston and Logan, Dean Parisot’s Bill & Ted...
Was it worth the wait? Here’s what critics are saying about the long-awaited comedy threequel, as it’s finally released in the U.S. today…
Katie Rife – Av Club
“While the high stakes couldn’t be higher, the film simply takes too long to find its focus. It’s not the most excellent of outcomes, but not a total bummer, either.”
John DeFore – THR
“Imagining the return of the time-traveling Messrs. Preston and Logan, Dean Parisot’s Bill & Ted...
- 8/28/2020
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Roger Ebert would refer to “Bring It On” as “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of cheerleader movies” in his February 2009 review of the comedy “Fired Up,” but his appreciation for the former 2000 teen comedy came later in life. Ebert originally gave “Bring It On” a two-star review that was mostly negative and criticized the movie for cramming too much R-rated material into a PG-13 teen comedy. While marking the movie’s 20th anniversary this week, “Bring It On” screenwriter Jessica Bendinger remembered how her father reacted to Ebert’s negative review in a surprising manner.
“There’s a story there. I’m from Chicago and Roger Ebert was a neighbor of my dad’s and he would see him at the grocery store,” Bendinger told the AP. “Apparently after that review, my dad confronted Roger in the Carnival Grocery like, ‘Hey, I’m Jessica’s dad and I really don’t like what you wrote.
“There’s a story there. I’m from Chicago and Roger Ebert was a neighbor of my dad’s and he would see him at the grocery store,” Bendinger told the AP. “Apparently after that review, my dad confronted Roger in the Carnival Grocery like, ‘Hey, I’m Jessica’s dad and I really don’t like what you wrote.
- 8/26/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
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