Meanwhile, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Broker” is supposed to be the real deal. The “real emotional wipeout” says someone who saw the Dhont/Abassi rumors I posted last week, that claimed Dhont’s film was just that. There are still quite a few key films left to be screeened Saeed Roustaee’s “Leila’s Brothers,” Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon,” Kore-eda’s “Broker,” Albert Serra’s “Pacification,” Dhont’s “Close,” and Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up.” Tonight, it’s also the premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis....

The uber-controversial “Dave Chappelle: The Closer” was announced to be the comedian’s final Netflix special, even before the severe backlash that followed. Well, not anymore. More Chappelle is coming. Netflix is doubling down and announced four more stand-up specials from the comedian, starting with this year’s “Chappelle’s Home Team.” That’s a major slap in the face of the activists who openly called for his cancelation last year. Critics have, more or less, gone sour on Chappelle....

The budget on this Netflix original is said to have been over $120 million. Of course, there is no way an adaptation of DeLillo’s novel should be more than $30-50 million, not much CGI is needed , save for the toxic gas sequence, as it’s mostly characters monologuing with each other in various rooms. And yet, the budget completely ballooned for this one. The film is 136 minutes, but it feels rushed....

Of these 5 nominees, “The Power of the Dog” has four acting nominations. That would put it in the lead. “Licorice Pizza” has no acting noms. “Belfast” has 2 nominees. “West Side Story” has 1. A few quick notes on the surprises from this morning’s Oscar nominations .. Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”) Snubbed. I guess “Dune” just directed itself? Hey, you know I’m not a diehard fan of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, but it’s quite odd that he was snubbed in the Best Director category....

I emailed Thompson yesterday morning to point out the curious omission. As much as I disliked that film, I find it hard to believe it won’t be a contender. Was that a purposeful absence? She answered back, it turns out she decided to add it, but in the “long shots” category, adding that she’s “advocating hard for Michelle Yeoh in Best Actress”. Alright, fine, but, whether you like it or night, one has to accept that “Everything Everywhere All At Once” will be a major player, right?...

Great, right? I would have preferred Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a visual groundbreaker. I can’t wait to see it again. So much detail in every single frame of that movie. Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

“Titane” producer Christophe Reymond says that the introduction of the COVID health pass in France deterred many from going to see his film in French cinemas. According to Raymond, “the sanitary pass killed “Titane”. He added, “When the film’s distributor, Diaphana, pre-purchased it four years ago, we were hoping to get 300,000 admissions. At the time, of course, the question of a possible Palme d’Or win did not arise. With the selection in Cannes and the Palme, we hoped to go to 500,000....

I’ve said this before: It’s entertaining; the action is deliriously over the top, the story very silly, and its 3-hour runtime is a little too indulgent. I know Rajamouli was going for an “epic” scope and the sheer exuberance of the whole thing is pretty contagious, but it’s a whopping 187 minute assault of the senses … Paul Schrader doesn’t seem to be a fan. When asked about the film the “First Reformed” filmmaker had this to say about Rajamouli’s silly Netflix sensation: “The CGI wore me down....

We shouldn’t mix up Scott’s “Napoleon” with Cary Fukunaga’s HBO miniseries … “Napoleon.” Fukunaga’s 6-episode venture is based off of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary unfilmed 1970’s screenplay which was going to star Jack Nicholson as the titular antihero. Scott’s film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Josephine aka “Kitbag.” The film is based on a screenplay by David Scarpa, who teamed up with with Scott in 2017 on the more-than-decent “All the Money in the World....

If you remember, I wrote details about “Our Apprenticeship,” which is set in France and will be his first non-Japanese/Korean production:“Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s forthcoming Paris-based OUR APPRENTICESHIP sounds major — it’ll feature a young cast composed of a gay French couple, a Syrian, a Belgian, a South Korean and Japanese woman at the center. Features many queer characters as they each learn each other’s languages.” Hamaguchi began collecting funding on the film in 2019....

I never really thought of comparing male and female filmmakers from a purely evolutionary standpoint, but if you just step back a bit, assess the arguments she’s making, then maybe you could, at the very least, understand her point of view. Sasha is fearless. What she wrote is pure bait for the twitter hounds to take and attack. There will be no nuanced debate about the differences between male and female directors, it’s purely WAR from now on....

The film was officially released three years ago today on November 1st, 2019. Movie fans expecting another “Goodfellas” or “Casino” were sorely disappointed, but that was precisely the point of the movie. It was a blatant condemnation of the gangster life. The minute the NYFF screening at Alice Tully Hall finished, I wrote: “Think GOODFELLAS, but directed by the man who gave us SILENCE. A culmination, meditation and tribute to every Scorsese/De Niro/Pesci collaboration....

“Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” was met with jeers & cackles at last night’s press screening. What did I exactly witness? The editing was horrendous. The photography ugly. The dialogue seventh-grade level. Penn used to be a decent filmmaker with his best movie being 2001’s “The Pledge”. What happened?” “The actor plays a conman father, a double life counterfeiter/bank robber, who also tries to take care of his parent-hopping daughter, Jen (Dylan Penn)....

An anonymous source close to the WB emailed me back saying “There is no doubt in my mind that you will be seeing “Tenet” before fall hits. As you can imagine, we are very frustrated by the constant delays that have happened but are now in full-blown release mode for the film. The support and backing we have gotten from European chains these last few weeks has been overwhelming, they are ready to watch this movie and so is the rest of the world....

Set during the pandemic, an ever-playful Zoë Kravitz is Angela, an agoraphobic tech worker who discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime via someone’s SIRI-like device called KIMI. When she reports the crime to her superiors, she’s met with resistance. Why? She investigates deeper and finds a conspiracy involving a multinational company that forces her to do the unthinkable: leave her apartment. This relevant depiction of surveillance, isolation and mental health in the COVID-19 era has Soderbergh playfully toying with our current anxieties....

”Falling” is Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut, an austere, sometimes rewarding film, which features the absolute worst movie father since James Coburn raised hell in Paul Schrader’s “Affliction.” Drawing on his own upbringing, Mortensen loosely bases “Falling” on the relationship his parents had — toxic alpha father, abiding mother. The highlight of the film is a career-peak performance from Lance Henriksen as Viggo’s on-screen dad, Willis. Shifting back and forth between present day and flashbacks, the toxicity that Willis exudes on screen eventually takes its toll....

A quick look at some of the other titles to world premiere; “The Lovebirds,” a rom-com that reunites Kumail Nanjiani with “The Big Sick” director Michael Showalter. There’s also “In & Of Itself” directed by Frank Oz, and Spike Jonze’s documentary tribute “Beastie Boys Story.” SXSW Film Festival kicks off on March 13. You can check the full SXSW 2020 lineup here. Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” has bombed at the box-office. This coming after the filmmaker’s “West Side Story” garnered the same fate last year, which begs me to ask the question: if Spielberg can’t even bring people to a movie theatre anymore, then who can? I imagine Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino can still pull it off, but these four directors are now part of a dying breed....

These are the 12 best working today. 1. Emmanuel Lubezki 2. Roger Deakins 3. Christopher Doyle 4. Robert Richardson 5. Edward Lachman 6. Darius Khondji 7. Rodrigo Prieto 8 Vittorio Storaro 9. Matthew Libatique 10. Bruno Delbonnel 11. Hoyte Van Hoytema 12. Robert Elswit Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

Can you believe, in its 93-year history, there has never been a documentary nominated for the Best Picture Oscar? Odds are that streak will continue next year unless “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” shocks. Don’t get me wrong, Laura Poitras’ film has a shot, but it’ll take a major push from critics for that to occur. Maybe a Best Film prize from the NYFCC or LAFCA, but I just don’t think that’s possible....