This is by far the biggest showing since the COVID-19 pandemic began last March. Before it, the three-day opening for Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” ($16.7 million) had the COVID-opening record. Of course, In normal times, “Godzilla vs. Kong” may have had an opening twice as profitable as these numbers, but this is still impressive considering it is also available for free to subscribers on HBO Max. Just over 60 percent of cinemas are now reopened....

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I was won over with Oldroyd’s debut feature, 2017’s “Lady Macbeth,” so much so that I decided to interview him during that fall’s TIFF. I was also correct in my assessment that we need to “get ready for star-in-the-making Florence Pugh.” It’s just a very undervalued film and Oldroyd’s latest has just climbed up on my fall must-see list. I didn’t even know it was shot. In my Lady Macbeth review, I wrote: “Oldroyd has reinvented the genre by injecting a much needed dosage of adrenaline....

Here’s the official synopsis: “Henry Brogan is an elite assassin who becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, he soon learns that the man who’s trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself.” Why am I hesitant in getting excited about “Gemini Man”? Because I feel like, given the fact that Will Smith has barely “aged” these last two decades, his younger self in the movie looks too similar to present-day Smith....

Take, for example, USA Today‘s Barbara VanDenburgh: “As if coping with the ravages of a global pandemic hasn’t made life unpleasant enough, now we’ve all got to talk about Woody Allen. again” — that’s how she begins her disgusting and rancid review of “Apropos of Nothing,” which she describes as “a shallow exercise in self-pity.” And, to think, they actually pay these people to write this crap. Of course, “Apropos of Nothing” is much more than just a case for Allen’s innocence, no, this is an exceptionally well-written self-examination filled with vividly-detailed stories, especially when it comes to Allen’s Brooklyn childhood and his Jewish upbringing all-the-way to his rise in the New York comedy scene, which led to classics such as “Bananas” and “Sleeper” being born a few years later....

This means that, unless any last-minute screenings are added, New York (NYFCC) and Los Angeles (LAFCA) film critics won’t get to see the movie before voting on their annual awards. Maybe 20th Century will set up a special screening for National Board of Review members ahead of their vote? It’s not like ‘The Way of Water’ was ever going to be a critical darling, but you’d expect it to be seen in advance by critics....

Just to reiterate what many have been asking me for weeks now (although I’ve mentioned it already in a few pieces I wrote). Set to skip the fall festivals: Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” David Fincher’s “The Killer”, David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam”, Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio”, Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light”, Steven Spielberg’s “The Fablemans,” and (possibly) Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon”. I know for a fact that Telluride is trying VERY HARD to get Chazelle’s film....

The reviews are good, a 79 on Metacritic and 93 on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a fairly smart, darkly humorous, and sometimes horrific ride. However, let’s all calm down on crowning this one the best horror movie of the year … “Barbarian” has a young woman (Georgina Campbell, so good) booking an Airbnb, but, upon arrival, discovers that the house was double booked and a mysterious man is already staying there....

It turned out that the film’s shelving had to do with tax returns. Variety had reported that Warner Bros. scrapped “Batgirl” not just because they didn’t like it, but because it made sense from a tax write-down standpoint. Apparently the tax returns will allow Warner to make their budget back if they destroy the movie’s existence. This tax return default could very well be something other studios copy in the future....

Ever since we confirmed that Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones & All” was going to Venice, there hasn’t been much news about the cannibal romance starring Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell. Any news or updates about the film will be of intriguing value to us, which is why we were quick on the trigger with this one. If you remember, Guadagnino’s last film was the polarizing “Suspiria.” It was a major change of tone for the Italian filmmaker who made a career out of summery, romantic and Italian-set films — “Suspiria” was a straight-up surrealist horror film....

There is no reason for “Deep Water” to go to streaminf. The script was written by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and directed by Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction”). It’s a film meant for mature audiences, but we all know that the over 35 demographic just isn’t ready to go back to theatres. Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

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What is wrong with film critics? How juvenile must you be to like a film as infantile and simple-minded as ‘Everything Everywhere’? I know we have some readers who like this movie, but how exactly is it one of the best movies released this year? I feel like I’m living on another planet. The higher brows over at Film Comment, Slant, Cahiers and Screen Slate don’t like the movie, but, still, to have mainstream film criticism bow down and drool all over EEAO has been one of the most puzzling things I’ve seen....

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Back in September Iwroteabout the film and its significance to water: “Throughout his film, Cuaron continuously turns his ever-watchful eye on the importance of water and its connection to both life and death. No coincidence then that the film’s first and last masterfully conceived frames have the simple imagery of soapy fluid washing away on pavement. " Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

Who doesn’t love a movie about revenge? What Liam Neeson did in “Taken” was clearly an influence, in fact it’s turning into the most influential action movie of the last 15 or so years. The second “John Wick” was actually a better movie than the original and didn’t run into the same problems the “Taken” sequels had. Repetitiveness wasn’t an issue, this was bolder filmmaking. Everything in “John Wick 2” was amped-up to the nth degree in more ambitious ways....

“Joker” is set to arrive in theaters on October 4. However, more excitingly, the trailer is set to debut tomorrow. Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

King RichardThe Power of the DogBelfastDuneCODALicorice PizzaThe Tragedy of MacbethDon’t Look UpThe Last DuelWest Side Story? Nightmare Alley? Bradley Cooper also stands a good chance of getting a Supporting Actor nod for what is essentially an 8-minute cameo. PTA will most certainly get a writing nod from the more adventurous writers block of the academy. The cinematography, although mesmerizing, might get snubbed. Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)Richard Jenkins (The Humans)Ciaran Hinds (Belfast)Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza)Jon Bernthal (King Richard) Jamie Dorman (Belfast)Jason Isaacs (Mass)Jared Leto (House of Gucci)Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)JK Simmons (Being the Ricardos) As much as I loved Cooper’s gonzo performance, Smit-McPhee deserves to win this category, which might just be the weakest of the four acting categories....

By exposing King as a flawed individual, the FBI hoped to humiliate him and weaken his credibility as a civil rights leader. The problem J. Edgar Hoover’s dirty cops had was one quite relevant to today’s media entanglements with Trumpian politics; despite the FBI seeking to make King’s secret life public knowledge by distributing copies of the King tapes to numerous media outlets, the media establishment had a calculated interest in protecting King....

BEST PICTURE: “Nomadland”BEST ACTOR Anthony Hopkins, “The Father”BEST ACTRESS Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Daniel Kaluuya in “Judas and the Black Messiah”BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Yuh-Jung Youn in “Minari”BEST DIRECTOR Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland” Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy