Per THR: “Plemons will play Tom White, the lead FBI agent investigating the murders.” The role of Tom White was originally written forLeonardo DiCaprio when the film was being developed for Paramount, the idea being to have DiCaprio star as the traditional good guy of the movie. As THR adds: “Plemons now finds himself in a role that was originally going to be played by DiCaprio before the Oscar-winner segued to a secondary lead....

To them, it’s more about who made the movie, who stars in it, its message, rather than if it is a good or bad film. Of course, it is important to progress and have inclusion at the movies, but it should never be realized in a forced-upon way. Progression happens in baby steps, not by purposely being shoved into the equation. There is now a lack of patience, people want change NOW, but in art, it can never be achieved that way....

First things first, you’ve seen the trailer for “The Fabelmans.” It’s exactly what you think it will be. There are no surprises or narrative risks, it’s quite literally “The Steven Spielberg Story.” What to make of Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans”? A 150 minute love letter to his mother, and, more annoyingly, to himself. The reviews have been positive, some have reservations, others don’t. I definitely think it’s an at-times fascinating, but frustratingly flawed personal statement....

Then why doesn’t Apple release the damn thing? They want a contender this year and “Emancipation” isn’t the answer. Supposedly, “Napoleon” isn’t either. My source thinks it might be because Marty doesn’t want to take on Spielberg. It’s Spielberg’s year, they claim. If that’s the case, then it’s an extremely lame excuse. I don’t think that would stop Apple. Have Scorsese and Apple purposely decided to withdraw from the Oscar sweepstakes because of Spielberg’s ‘Fabelmans’?...

“Small Axe” is a series of five stories that shed light on the trials and tribulations of the West Indian community of London during the ‘60s, ‘70s,’ and ‘80s. “Lovers Rock,” for example, tells the story of young love and music at a blues party in the early 1980s. Whereas “Red, White and Blue” is a feature-length episode that follows a West Indian man in London that joins the police force after witnessing his father being assaulted by officers....

Of note; The 2020 feature film lineup will no doubt Center on Jim Rash and Nat Faxon’s remake of the Swedish dark comedy “Force Majeure” (now titled “Downhill”), Julie Taymor’s Gloria Steinem biopic “The Glorias,” Michael Almereyda’s Nikola Tesla biopic “Tesla,” and Alan Ball’s “Uncle Frank.” Want more? Miranda July’s third feature “Kajillionaire,” Dee Rees’ Anne Hathaway-starring “The Last Thing He Wanted,” Sean Durkin’s second feature “The Nest,” Benh Zeitlin’s long-awaited “Beasts of the Southern Wild” followup “Wendy,” “Dear White People” director Justin Simien returns to the festival with the horror-satire “Bad Hair” in the Midnight section and Eliza Hittman, following up the excellent “Beach Rats” with “Never Rarely Sometimes Always....

If it’s anywhere near as great as this past January’s highly successful online edition then there probably won’t be much of a reason for me to travel from the Northeast all the way to the Park City mountains of Utah. My decision will also depend on whether most, if not all, of the lineup will be made available on the digital platform. Those attending the festival in-person will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with a vaccine that is approved by the World Health Organization....

I emailed a few people this weekend about “The Way of the Wind,” and one in-the-know French producer told me that Cannes Film Festival boss Thierry Fremaux and Malick have been talking privately, since last year, about a potential world premiere on the Croisette this coming May. It, of course, all depends whether Malick has a cut of the film that he is satisfied with by then, he is well-known to stay in the editing room floor for years until he finds the right narrative “form....

Casino Royale (2006) Casino Royale will most certainly keep all the gambling fans glued to their seats. It features the adventures of agent 007 aka James Bond (Daniel Craig) who tries everything in his power to stop Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a notable financier of terrorist organizations. After realizing that Le Chiffre wants to use his poker expertise to raise money for terrorism in high stake matches, MI6 sends agent 007 to beat him at the poker table....

The 2000s were a stronger decade for film, it was coming off the indie cinema boom of the ‘90s and these same independent studios started to get bought the likes of Fox and Sony during the aughts. The definition of an independent movie started to change this decade. As far as critics go, a good blueprint would be the massive critics poll I conducted in the summer of 2020. None of the films in the ensuing top 50 should really be counted as underrated, they all clearly have massive support....

1) Uncut Gems The Safdie Brothers, Josh and Benny, confirm their immaculate talents by making the most visceral and, yes, cinematic of the American movies I saw at TIFF. Their “gutter poetry” is amplified in “Uncut Gems” with the casting of Adam Sandler as a New York Diamond District dealer who is in over his head in gambling debts. It feels like a 21st century “Mean Streets” – no wonder then that Martin Scorsese is credited as the executive producer....

Last September in my B- review of the film at TIFF, I mentioned how Corbet’s “Vox Lux” was “an unusual film,” which “starts off with one of the tensest high school shootings I’ve ever seen and ends with an elaborately conceived and hypnotic pop music performance, filled with tacky dancing and a light show.” I added, “In between all the drama and fireworks is a character study about fame, trauma and the undeniable power of song....

Today, Tribeca announced the festivals full lineup of feature films and the highlights seem to stem from other festivals, including the TIFF premiered “Bad Education,” Judd Apatow’s SXSW title, “The King of Staten Island,” and Josephine Decker’s Sundance hit “Shirley.” Altogether, the features program will include 115 films from 124 directors from 33 different countries. This includes 95 world premieres, and 4 U.S. Premieres, plus one sneak preview. Many of the films premiering at the festival will likely never see the light of day in theaters, so this is a fest that compensates its attendees by premiering films that may never be viewed again....

“Also in recent days, rumblings about two unvaccinated actresses has grown louder and more concerned — one up for Oscar contention in a prominent indie, the other the headliner of a December tentpole.” Let the speculating begin … Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

In a three-year-old interview with The Verge, Werner Herzog claimed that today’s technology makes learning film at University a prehistoric thing: “Because today it’s fairly easy; you can make a film with a very high caliber camera that’s not expensive anymore,” said the filmmaker. “You can record sound on your cell phone if you add a good microphone and you can edit your film on your laptop.” Contribute Hire me...

It saddened me to read today’s Page Six article by Richard Johnson which stated that, according to numerous sources, Allen is currently not working on anything and is taking a break from directing. I guess the allegation by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow have really damaged his stand in the industry and it is all but impossible for him to raise funds for his next project in Hollywood. “Woody loves working....

Yes, the Snyder Cut is real and it’s coming to a TV screen near you as it is set for an HBO max premiere sometime in 2021. The trailer for Snyder’s cut was revealed this afternoon at the DC FanDome panel and it feels very Snyder-esque. Featuring Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah” —the same song Synder used in his adaptation of “Watchmen”—and the director’s knack for ultra slow-mo shots, this will no doubt result in a 4-hour wet dream for Snyder afficianados (that’s right, the movie clocks in at an astounding 240 minutes)....

This insightful doc focuses on the working class town of Dayton, Ohio and the opening of Fuyao, a Chinese-owned auto-glass company which took over a GM plant that shut down in 2008. The GM closing led to 20,000 people being out of work in Dayton which made the Fuyao opening a celebratory event for townspeople. On the other side of the spectrum are Fuyao’s Chinese bosses and workers, all of whom moved to Dayton for the company....

The premise of ‘Preparations’, on-paper at least, is certainly intriguing: Two decades after moving to America to further her career, neurosurgeon Márta (Natasa Stork) returns to her native Budapest to start a relationship with fellow doctor, János (Viktor Bodó). But when she arrives, he’s nowhere to be found, even worse, when she confronts him at his workplace, he appears to have no idea who she is and has no memory of the plans they made two days prior....

As mentioned, Morris is a legend of the documentary form with such films as “Gates of Heaven,” “The Fog of War,” and “Fast Cheap & Out of Control” to his name. However, it’s for 1988’s “The Thin Blue Line” that Morris will forever be remembered by. Not only did this landmark film manage to obtain an on-camera guilty murder admission, but it’s also known as the first major documentary to dramatically re-enact real-life events to tell its story....