Typically, reboot film franchises don’t surpass the originals. The first films are so iconic and firmly entrenched in the popular consciousness that the reboots get dinged for any changes they make — and sometimes the changes they don’t make. But there are exceptions — just check the “Planet of the Apes.” And maybe no film series inverts this trend more than “Mad Max.”
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
- 5/25/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in May 2023. It has since been updated with new films to crack the Cannes 5-minute mark.]
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and the reviews have begun to emerge. The film follows a businessman and grieving widower who invents a controversial technology known as Gravetech that allows families to see inside the graves of their loved ones as they decompose. Although known as the master of body horror, fans shouldn’t expect too much of that as Cronenberg’s latest is a much more personal film. The Shrouds is at least partly inspired by the death of his wife, Carolyn Cronenberg, in 2017.
THR‘s Leslie Felperin said, “This fetid stew of sex, death and tech may be an aphrodisiac for hardcore Cronenberg fans, but more casual viewers are likely to find it all rather slapdash and undercooked here. Cinematographer Douglas Koch’s lighting looks drabber than usual, and many of the scenes feel like the first or second take after a long day’s filming,...
THR‘s Leslie Felperin said, “This fetid stew of sex, death and tech may be an aphrodisiac for hardcore Cronenberg fans, but more casual viewers are likely to find it all rather slapdash and undercooked here. Cinematographer Douglas Koch’s lighting looks drabber than usual, and many of the scenes feel like the first or second take after a long day’s filming,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Revenge director Coralie Fargeat’s new body horror satire, The Substance, screened at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend, and the reactions have been (mostly) very positive - although it sounds like the movie has its share of shocking moments.
The film focuses on an acclaimed actress turned celebrity host of a daytime exercise program (Demi Moore) who gets replaced by a younger star (Margaret Qualley), sparking a confrontation between the two women that ultimately turns violent.
The Substance reportedly features some pretty extreme gore, but the scene that's sparked the most discussion is a brutal fight between Moore and Qualley's characters - complete with graphic, full-frontal nudity.
“I had someone who was a great partner,” said Moore of her co-star. “We were obviously quite close at some moments… and naked. But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes].”
Moore also noted that the film “pushed me out of the comfort zone,...
The film focuses on an acclaimed actress turned celebrity host of a daytime exercise program (Demi Moore) who gets replaced by a younger star (Margaret Qualley), sparking a confrontation between the two women that ultimately turns violent.
The Substance reportedly features some pretty extreme gore, but the scene that's sparked the most discussion is a brutal fight between Moore and Qualley's characters - complete with graphic, full-frontal nudity.
“I had someone who was a great partner,” said Moore of her co-star. “We were obviously quite close at some moments… and naked. But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes].”
Moore also noted that the film “pushed me out of the comfort zone,...
- 5/20/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
Demi Moore is using her juiciest leading role in years to make a statement against the sexism of Hollywood.
Moore stars in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror Hollywood satire “The Substance,” which premiered in competition at Cannes to rave reviews. The actress plays an aging star who acquires a mysterious serum that births a younger, more ideal version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. The two women are nude throughout the film, which shows the horrors of women going to extremes to preserve their self-image in Hollywood. Moore credited Qualley for being a “great partner” during a nude scene they share together.
“We were obviously quite close at some moments…and naked,” Moore said during the Cannes press conference (via The Hollywood Reporter). “But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes].”
Moore explained that the gross-out horror feature, which debuted at Cannes Sunday night, undermines the “male perspective of the ideal woman” to a harrowing degree.
Moore stars in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror Hollywood satire “The Substance,” which premiered in competition at Cannes to rave reviews. The actress plays an aging star who acquires a mysterious serum that births a younger, more ideal version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. The two women are nude throughout the film, which shows the horrors of women going to extremes to preserve their self-image in Hollywood. Moore credited Qualley for being a “great partner” during a nude scene they share together.
“We were obviously quite close at some moments…and naked,” Moore said during the Cannes press conference (via The Hollywood Reporter). “But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes].”
Moore explained that the gross-out horror feature, which debuted at Cannes Sunday night, undermines the “male perspective of the ideal woman” to a harrowing degree.
- 5/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Certainly the grossest, most way-out-there, and dare-you-to-lose-your-dinner film to debut in the Cannes competition so far, Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge” follow-up “The Substance” premiered in the Palais Sunday night after a morning press screening that saw plenty of expected walkouts. Surely the same volume of repulsed exiters carried over to the premiere public screening, where Greta Gerwig’s jury got their first glimpse of the otherwise since-secretive film whose synopses and press notes tell you little. Mubi has distribution rights, which the company purchased just before the festival started. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich calls it an “instant classic.”
In this audacious, two-plus-hour feminist body horror, Demi Moore bares all to play a once-decorated actress quote-unquote past her prime named Elisabeth Sparkle, now resigned to Jane Fonda-esque fitness videos. But her time is finally up. She’s fired for being too old, sent packing home back to her sparse LA apartment,...
In this audacious, two-plus-hour feminist body horror, Demi Moore bares all to play a once-decorated actress quote-unquote past her prime named Elisabeth Sparkle, now resigned to Jane Fonda-esque fitness videos. But her time is finally up. She’s fired for being too old, sent packing home back to her sparse LA apartment,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is still going full steam, with deals and screenings galore. We’ve got the first responses to some highly anticipated projects including the new films from Emma Stone and Nicolas Cage, a filmmaker weighing in on the Harvey Weinstein conviction reversal and a studio going all in on a single filmmaker.
“Kinds of Kindness” Confounds
Yorgos Lanthimos, just a few months since his bizarre, female-empowerment madcap science fiction movie “Poor Things” scooped up four Oscars (including Best Actress for Emma Stone), debuted his new film, “Kinds of Kindness.”
The movie reunites the filmmaker with his frequent writing partner, Efthimis Filippo, and his muse, Emma Stone. The movie is not a straightforward narrative but an anthology film comprised of three loosely connected storylines, where the actors play different characters in each segment. (This is Searchlight’s big summer movie; it’s going up against the new “Quiet Place” prequel.
“Kinds of Kindness” Confounds
Yorgos Lanthimos, just a few months since his bizarre, female-empowerment madcap science fiction movie “Poor Things” scooped up four Oscars (including Best Actress for Emma Stone), debuted his new film, “Kinds of Kindness.”
The movie reunites the filmmaker with his frequent writing partner, Efthimis Filippo, and his muse, Emma Stone. The movie is not a straightforward narrative but an anthology film comprised of three loosely connected storylines, where the actors play different characters in each segment. (This is Searchlight’s big summer movie; it’s going up against the new “Quiet Place” prequel.
- 5/18/2024
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The latest Yorgos Lanthimos / Emma Stone team-up, a film called Kinds of Kindness (previously known as And), is set to reach theatres on June 21st – but first, it’s having its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which is now underway. The first reviews of Kinds of Kindness are now arriving online, and they’re describing this 165 minute “triptych fable” as dark, bizarre, insidious, intriguing, brilliant, bonkers, disturbing, puzzling, funny, surreal, creepy, mind-bending, twisted, and innovative. We have rounded up some of them below led by one from our own Eric Walkuski!
Our man @ericwalkuski just caught #KindsofKindness: Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness defies easy description; it's a trilogy of morbid tales that will beguile some, repel others. Uneven as a whole, the film still has enough shock value and absurd dark humor to keep you on your…
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) May 17, 2024
Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri says, Lanthimos can “reclaim his...
Our man @ericwalkuski just caught #KindsofKindness: Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness defies easy description; it's a trilogy of morbid tales that will beguile some, repel others. Uneven as a whole, the film still has enough shock value and absurd dark humor to keep you on your…
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) May 17, 2024
Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri says, Lanthimos can “reclaim his...
- 5/17/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone further expands her cinematic universe alongside auteur Yorgos Lanthimos with their latest collaboration “Kinds of Kindness.”
Yet while “Poor Things” was an Academy Award-winning feature, the Cannes premiere for “Kinds of Kindness” seemed to puzzle critics and fans alike. The feature, which was originally titled “And”, is Lanthimos’ eighth film and co-stars Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie.
Lanthimos previously described the contemporary anthology film as being “three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts,” which, according to the director, was “almost like making three films” in one.
Lanthimos reunited with frequent screenwriter collaborator Efthimis Filippou to pen the script for “Kinds of Kindness.” The duo previously co-wrote Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” “The Lobster,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and “Alps.”
The IndieWire...
Yet while “Poor Things” was an Academy Award-winning feature, the Cannes premiere for “Kinds of Kindness” seemed to puzzle critics and fans alike. The feature, which was originally titled “And”, is Lanthimos’ eighth film and co-stars Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie.
Lanthimos previously described the contemporary anthology film as being “three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts,” which, according to the director, was “almost like making three films” in one.
Lanthimos reunited with frequent screenwriter collaborator Efthimis Filippou to pen the script for “Kinds of Kindness.” The duo previously co-wrote Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” “The Lobster,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and “Alps.”
The IndieWire...
- 5/17/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It really does seem like legendary Australian filmmaker George Miller cannot miss his major projects. It really does. The visionary is the one who provided us with the Mad Max franchise, a cult classic series that initially starred Mel Gibson in the titular role before he was replaced by Tom Hardy in Fury Road. The latter is also known for introducing Furiosa, initially played by Charlize Theron, a character so popular that Miller decided to make a prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which premieres globally next week but has had its Cannes premiere only recently. Anya Taylor-Joy leads the movie, and based on the reaction at Cannes, Miller will have another major hit!
Furiosa is set to be released in theaters on May 23, 2024, which is next week, but the Cannes premiere came this week in Cannes, where it was screened as an out-of-competition feature, and the reactions were great!
Furiosa is set to be released in theaters on May 23, 2024, which is next week, but the Cannes premiere came this week in Cannes, where it was screened as an out-of-competition feature, and the reactions were great!
- 5/17/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
The long-awaited Cannes premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis has finally happened and while the audience at Cannes seemingly loved the movie, the critics are… well… polarized, to say the least. We have already seen some mixed reviews not long after the secret buyers’ screening, which did not go as planned for Coppola, and while the filmmaker has put a lot of effort into the marketing campaign, Cannes was the next important stop for the movie, which is still looking for a distributor. The movie is expected to get a limited theatrical release this year ahead of the awards season, but based on the early reactions, Megalopolis might not be as grand as the story behind it suggests.
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
- 5/17/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Francis Ford Coppola has done well at Cannes, winning the Palme d’Or twice, for “The Conversation” (1974) and “Apocalypse Now” (1979), another film mired in controversy during production that sailed into release as a critical and box office success ($85 million worldwide), nominated for eight Oscars and winning two. Now the winemaker is back in Cannes with controversial “Megalopolis,” a 2 hour, 18 minute movie which he debuted at a gala premiere Thursday night to the usual sustained standing ovation (measured between seven and 10 minutes). There were a few boos at the press screening. He had dreamed of making the overstuffed extravaganza for 40 years since he wrote early versions of it in the ‘80s, but finally spent $120 million of his own money to produce and direct it.
Coppola faced drama on the set. He replaced VFX and art department members over clashes in filmmaking methods. Adam Driver, who plays a Robert Moses-style builder who...
Coppola faced drama on the set. He replaced VFX and art department members over clashes in filmmaking methods. Adam Driver, who plays a Robert Moses-style builder who...
- 5/17/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Francis Ford Coppola's self-funded passion-project, Megalopolis, screened at the Cannes Film Festival last night, and the first reviews for the sci-fi epic have now been shared online.
Depending on which critics you choose to trust, the movie is either a masterpiece, an unmitigated disaster, or somewhere in between!
Despite reports of audiences giving the film a 10-minute standing ovation, reviews have been decidedly mixed, which is represented by an early Rotten Tomatoes score of 50%.
Only 22 verdicts have been added so far, so this score is sure to change when press screening take place down the line. But with such a polarizing reaction, we don't anticipate it fluctuating too much.
Have a read through some of the reviews at the links below.
#Megalopolis Review: "It's not likely to go down as one of the more incisive responses to our bitterly polarized political landscape. Nor does it ever quite settle on a uniform tone,...
Depending on which critics you choose to trust, the movie is either a masterpiece, an unmitigated disaster, or somewhere in between!
Despite reports of audiences giving the film a 10-minute standing ovation, reviews have been decidedly mixed, which is represented by an early Rotten Tomatoes score of 50%.
Only 22 verdicts have been added so far, so this score is sure to change when press screening take place down the line. But with such a polarizing reaction, we don't anticipate it fluctuating too much.
Have a read through some of the reviews at the links below.
#Megalopolis Review: "It's not likely to go down as one of the more incisive responses to our bitterly polarized political landscape. Nor does it ever quite settle on a uniform tone,...
- 5/17/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
How often do you think about ancient Rome? If you're director Francis Ford Coppola, the answer is apparently "quite a lot." HIs latest film is "Megalopolis," a passion project that he had to finance himself in order to have full creative freedom, and it takes place in a crumbling city called New Rome, following an architect named Cesar (Adam Driver) as he seeks to build a more sustainable future. It's some wacky stuff, and Coppola has bought in completely.
The very first batch of reviews and reactions to "Megalopolis" are coming out of Cannes Film Festival in France, where the film made its world premiere. Given the movie's troubled production and absolutely wild teaser trailer, it should come as no surprise that the reviews are as intense as they are mixed, though most praise the unique sci-fi epic for its audacity and willingness to fully commit to its ideas and world.
The very first batch of reviews and reactions to "Megalopolis" are coming out of Cannes Film Festival in France, where the film made its world premiere. Given the movie's troubled production and absolutely wild teaser trailer, it should come as no surprise that the reviews are as intense as they are mixed, though most praise the unique sci-fi epic for its audacity and willingness to fully commit to its ideas and world.
- 5/16/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Messy, Maddening, Masterpiece: The first reviews for Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis have arrived
Francis Ford Coppola has spent decades bringing Megalopolis to life. The director began crafting the project back in the ’80s but recognized that it would require a huge budget to match its massive scope, so it spent decades on the shelf. Now, after spending upwards of $120 million of his own money, Coppola has brought Megalopolis to the Cannes Film Festival, and the reviews have begun to pour in.
THR‘s David Rooney said, “It’s windy and overstuffed, frequently baffling and way too talky, quoting Hamlet and The Tempest, Marcus Aurelius and Petrarch, ruminating on time, consciousness and power to a degree that becomes ponderous. But it’s also often amusing, playful, visually dazzling and illuminated by a touching hope for humanity. I can’t say I was always engaged over its two hours-plus run time, but I was always curious about where it was going next. Is it a good movie?...
THR‘s David Rooney said, “It’s windy and overstuffed, frequently baffling and way too talky, quoting Hamlet and The Tempest, Marcus Aurelius and Petrarch, ruminating on time, consciousness and power to a degree that becomes ponderous. But it’s also often amusing, playful, visually dazzling and illuminated by a touching hope for humanity. I can’t say I was always engaged over its two hours-plus run time, but I was always curious about where it was going next. Is it a good movie?...
- 5/16/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
After months of speculation, the critical book has finally been opened on Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. The early word? Predominantly positive, with some very high highs and inevitably a few low lows.
Below, we run through some of the first reactions.
Deadline’s Damon Wise praised the movie, calling it a “mad modern masterwork that reinvents the possibilities of cinema”. He said the film is “something of a mess; unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame. It is also, however, a pretty stunning achievement, the work of a master artist who has taken to Imax like Caravaggio to canvas. It is a true modern masterwork of the kind that outrages with its sheer audacity.”
He continued: “Halfway through, there’s a very audacious gimmick that tears down the fourth wall in ways younger filmmakers can only dream of. Coppola breaks many of the cardinal...
Below, we run through some of the first reactions.
Deadline’s Damon Wise praised the movie, calling it a “mad modern masterwork that reinvents the possibilities of cinema”. He said the film is “something of a mess; unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame. It is also, however, a pretty stunning achievement, the work of a master artist who has taken to Imax like Caravaggio to canvas. It is a true modern masterwork of the kind that outrages with its sheer audacity.”
He continued: “Halfway through, there’s a very audacious gimmick that tears down the fourth wall in ways younger filmmakers can only dream of. Coppola breaks many of the cardinal...
- 5/16/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” just may have broken the internet — and the brains of more than a few critics at Cannes.
Upon the film’s world premiere, fans and critics alike took to social media to capture the “insanity” of Coppola’s latest feature, which has been described by the auteur as a “Roman epic.” Count IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as a fan: In his review, he said that “Coppola’s wild and delirious fever dream inspires new hope for the future of movies.” The film debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and is still looking for distribution, but will definitely get an IMAX release regardless.
Adam Driver leads the feature as a pseudo alter ego of writer/director Coppola, with the Oscar-nominated actor playing an architect who envisions saving his corrupt city and transforming the metropolis into a utopia. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) clashes with Driver’s character,...
Upon the film’s world premiere, fans and critics alike took to social media to capture the “insanity” of Coppola’s latest feature, which has been described by the auteur as a “Roman epic.” Count IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as a fan: In his review, he said that “Coppola’s wild and delirious fever dream inspires new hope for the future of movies.” The film debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and is still looking for distribution, but will definitely get an IMAX release regardless.
Adam Driver leads the feature as a pseudo alter ego of writer/director Coppola, with the Oscar-nominated actor playing an architect who envisions saving his corrupt city and transforming the metropolis into a utopia. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) clashes with Driver’s character,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The first reviews are in for George Miller’s anticipated Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and the notices are largely positive so far.
Deadline’s Pete Hammond said Miller had “perhaps given birth to the greatest Max yet, a wheels-up, rock-and-rolling epic.” Pete was one of many to praise the cast, production design and visuals. “Shout-out to action designer Guy Norris and his team, who show the need for a stunts Oscar.” You can check out his review here.
The movie currently has an 87% rating from 45 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Below are a spread we’ve collated from across the globe.
Reviewing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the movie four stars, and he was one of many to heap praise on leads Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. He called Taylor-Joy an “overwhelmingly convincing action hero” who “sells this sequel.”
Related: Cannes Film Festival Photos
The Au Review in Australia...
Deadline’s Pete Hammond said Miller had “perhaps given birth to the greatest Max yet, a wheels-up, rock-and-rolling epic.” Pete was one of many to praise the cast, production design and visuals. “Shout-out to action designer Guy Norris and his team, who show the need for a stunts Oscar.” You can check out his review here.
The movie currently has an 87% rating from 45 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Below are a spread we’ve collated from across the globe.
Reviewing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the movie four stars, and he was one of many to heap praise on leads Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. He called Taylor-Joy an “overwhelmingly convincing action hero” who “sells this sequel.”
Related: Cannes Film Festival Photos
The Au Review in Australia...
- 5/16/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Unfrosted Launch Heralds Mixed Reactions Jerry Seinfeld’s ambitious project “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tarts Story” attempted to blend humor with a satirical take on the breakfast pastry’s invention during the 1960s cereal brand wars. Despite the creative premise and Netflix backing, the movie has attracted polarizing reviews since its release on May 3rd, 2024. Critics Find Little Sweetness in Unfrosted A majority of critiques suggest that ‘Unfrosted’ missed its expected impact. Notably, David Ehrlich expressed his disdain: The scene prompted a “furious yell” at the TV, adding in his review that the surprise was “not funny enough to escape a feeling of
The post Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted Receives Polarized Reviews and Criticisms first appeared on TVovermind.
The post Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted Receives Polarized Reviews and Criticisms first appeared on TVovermind.
- 5/10/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
The social media embargo just lifted for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and it sounds like filmmaker George Miller has done it again. Given his phenomenal pedigree, we aren't surprised; does the prequel improve on 2015's classic Mad Max: Fury Road, though?
That was always going to be a tall order and, based on what we see below, it doesn't quite match the rights of that gloriously demented ride. In its own right, though, Furiosa's origin story sounds like a worthy addition to the long-running series which kicked off with 1979's Mad Max.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are receiving widespread praise for their work, with the latter's transformation once again making it clear there's more to him than playing the McU's God of Thunder in the Avengers and Thor franchises.
Tickets for Furiosa reportedly go on sale later today, so another trailer could be imminent. At the very least,...
That was always going to be a tall order and, based on what we see below, it doesn't quite match the rights of that gloriously demented ride. In its own right, though, Furiosa's origin story sounds like a worthy addition to the long-running series which kicked off with 1979's Mad Max.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are receiving widespread praise for their work, with the latter's transformation once again making it clear there's more to him than playing the McU's God of Thunder in the Avengers and Thor franchises.
Tickets for Furiosa reportedly go on sale later today, so another trailer could be imminent. At the very least,...
- 5/7/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
George Miller’s “Furiosa” is already riding high with first reactions.
The prequel to 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character warrior in an epic saga that spans 15 years for her origin story. Per the official synopsis, a young Furiosa is kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. As they trek across the Wasteland, the gang come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war over dominance, Furiosa faces many trials to find her way home.
While “Furiosa” is set to premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival May 15, early screening first reactions have already gone viral. Both Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s respective performances are especially highlighted by critics.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote, “[It] brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really,...
The prequel to 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character warrior in an epic saga that spans 15 years for her origin story. Per the official synopsis, a young Furiosa is kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. As they trek across the Wasteland, the gang come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war over dominance, Furiosa faces many trials to find her way home.
While “Furiosa” is set to premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival May 15, early screening first reactions have already gone viral. Both Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s respective performances are especially highlighted by critics.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote, “[It] brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The first reactions are here for George Miller’s latest venture into the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The embargo broke for social media reactions to Furiosa, the eagerly anticipated prequel to the 2015 stunner Mad Max: Fury Road.
This new entry has Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (taking over for Charlize Theron) and Chris Hemsworth as a devious warlord in a story that takes place 15 years before the previous film.
Early social reactions (below) can sometimes be a bit different (typically more enthusiastic) than official critic reviews, and surely there are many more to come soon. But based on the first batch Monday evening, Furiosa is a visual stunner with “ferocious, wild and unrelenting” action and a story that “spans decades” and boosts strong performances from the two leads.
The question going into the movie’s Memorial Day weekend launch is whether Miller’s epic can jump start the Hollywood box office after a sluggish few months,...
The embargo broke for social media reactions to Furiosa, the eagerly anticipated prequel to the 2015 stunner Mad Max: Fury Road.
This new entry has Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (taking over for Charlize Theron) and Chris Hemsworth as a devious warlord in a story that takes place 15 years before the previous film.
Early social reactions (below) can sometimes be a bit different (typically more enthusiastic) than official critic reviews, and surely there are many more to come soon. But based on the first batch Monday evening, Furiosa is a visual stunner with “ferocious, wild and unrelenting” action and a story that “spans decades” and boosts strong performances from the two leads.
The question going into the movie’s Memorial Day weekend launch is whether Miller’s epic can jump start the Hollywood box office after a sluggish few months,...
- 5/7/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The first reactions for George Miller’s “Furiosa” have trickled in on social media ahead of the movie’s world premiere later this month at the Cannes Film Festival, and it appears the “Mad Max: Fury Road” director has another amazing action epic on his hands.
“Brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really, really fucking good,” IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote on X. “Operates in an extremely different gear than ‘Fury Road’ (in ways that i suspect will frustrate some people), but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”
Entertainment writer and New York Film Critics Circle member Esther Zuckerman called the film “great,” while Fandango’s Erik Davis called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best.”
“A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases,...
“Brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really, really fucking good,” IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote on X. “Operates in an extremely different gear than ‘Fury Road’ (in ways that i suspect will frustrate some people), but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”
Entertainment writer and New York Film Critics Circle member Esther Zuckerman called the film “great,” while Fandango’s Erik Davis called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best.”
“A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Theaters are in a slump longer than they should be. The last five weekends averaged about $70 million total, while in 2019, the same five weekends with lower ticket prices averaged $190 million. That means success in VOD revenue is all that more important for studios. Even so, on the two top 10 lists from iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), half the slots are taken by companies other than the usual top five.
Results overall reflect the cutback in releases due to last year’s strikes, some longer windows for bigger-grossing studio releases, and, in most cases, a weaker response to other films that made little theatrical impact. All that made it easy for “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), by far the year’s biggest hit, to repeat as #1 on both charts for the third week. And that’s with a higher price than usual.
Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,...
Results overall reflect the cutback in releases due to last year’s strikes, some longer windows for bigger-grossing studio releases, and, in most cases, a weaker response to other films that made little theatrical impact. All that made it easy for “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), by far the year’s biggest hit, to repeat as #1 on both charts for the third week. And that’s with a higher price than usual.
Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Dang, the New York Film Critics Circle is getting old. The group’s 90th-annual ceremony is promising to be a toast each and every one of those nine decades come 2025.
The NYFCC will ring in its 90th anniversary with a Gala Awards dinner on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at Tao Downtown. IndieWire can confirm that a special anniversary program is in the works to celebrate this historic milestone for the NYFCC.
“This has already been an exciting time for moviegoing, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2024 holds before our 90th anniversary dinner,” NYFCC Chair David Sims said. “NYFCC has always been there to recognize and celebrate the best in cinema, and we’ll be sure to put on an especially fun show next January.”
Sims will serve as the 2024 Chair of the NYFCC, Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s General Manager. IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland...
The NYFCC will ring in its 90th anniversary with a Gala Awards dinner on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at Tao Downtown. IndieWire can confirm that a special anniversary program is in the works to celebrate this historic milestone for the NYFCC.
“This has already been an exciting time for moviegoing, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2024 holds before our 90th anniversary dinner,” NYFCC Chair David Sims said. “NYFCC has always been there to recognize and celebrate the best in cinema, and we’ll be sure to put on an especially fun show next January.”
Sims will serve as the 2024 Chair of the NYFCC, Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s General Manager. IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland...
- 4/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“I Saw the TV Glow” director Jane Schoenbrun finally celebrated their second feature at the film’s New York City premiere on Wednesday, April 24, in partnership with Rooftop Films. But “I Saw the TV Glow” first premiered back in January at Sundance, under the banner of A24, and with Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s production company Fruit Tree.
“I sent it to [Fruit Tree] and a couple other people, and they were like, ‘Hey, we wanna work with you,'” Schoenbrun told IndieWire. “Then I got a call from Emma Stone who was like, ‘Thank you so much for your business,’ and I was like, ‘You’re welcome!'”
The visually striking film follows two teens who are obsessed with a disturbing young adult TV show that, once canceled, starts to bleed into reality for the characters. David Ehrlich wrote in IndieWire’s review that the film “marries the queer radicality...
“I sent it to [Fruit Tree] and a couple other people, and they were like, ‘Hey, we wanna work with you,'” Schoenbrun told IndieWire. “Then I got a call from Emma Stone who was like, ‘Thank you so much for your business,’ and I was like, ‘You’re welcome!'”
The visually striking film follows two teens who are obsessed with a disturbing young adult TV show that, once canceled, starts to bleed into reality for the characters. David Ehrlich wrote in IndieWire’s review that the film “marries the queer radicality...
- 4/29/2024
- by Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
Debating the horror genre’s artistic value is tacky. Measuring its success by the box office can be just as boring. But I’d bet you a head-start in a chase sequence that those metrics still steer how Hollywood talks about its longest-surviving obsession at many prestige events.
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
- 4/27/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
A curious thing happened when the first trailer for “Challengers” came out: People started getting really, really weird online about the suggestion that the three main characters — played by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor — have a threesome. It prompted memes and hand-wringing alike, as if this was the first time any actor in film history had ever pretended to engage in sex onscreen — never mind that the film ultimately doesn’t have an actual sex scene at all, instead withholding from the audience in order to build up the lingering sexual tension that eats away at all sides of its love triangle. The fervor around the possibility of sex in “Challengers” affirmed something that has been obvious for years now: Cinema, especially American cinema, is starved for films that sizzle with genuine sensuality.
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
- 4/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Is 2024 the year of tennis? At the movies and on our TV screens, the answer might be yes. This spring brings two major releases that both heavily feature racquets, green courts, and sweaty tennis action. The first was Peacock’s “Apples Never Fall,” a limited series based on “Big Little Lies” scribe Liane Moriarty’s novel about the family of two married tennis pros (played by Annette Bening and Sam Neill) who are forced to contend with the mysterious and sudden disappearance of their matriarch. Even more anticipated is “Challengers,” a Luca Guadagnino film that arrives — after strike-related delays — this April to tell the steamy story of a tennis coach (Zendaya) caught between her husband and an old flame as the two men go head to head in a Challenger tennis event.
These two releases mark the biggest Spring for tennis-related media in…possibly ever. Which isn’t necessarily hard...
These two releases mark the biggest Spring for tennis-related media in…possibly ever. Which isn’t necessarily hard...
- 4/24/2024
- by Wilson Chapman and Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” debuted on Netflix on April 19. Critical pans aside (IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called Part Two “almost as disastrous” as Part One and gave it a D. Perhaps David’s the real “Scargiver.”), the sequel to the 2023 “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” became the streamer’s biggest film (in any language) for the week of April 15-21. It was watched for 44.2 million hours; based on its 2:04 runtime, Netflix translates that to 21.4 million views.
On the March 6 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Snyder said “Rebel Moon — Part One” was seen by more people (on Netflix) than the smash-hit “Barbie” (in theaters).
“Say right now, [Part One is] like almost 90 million views… 80 or 90 million accounts turned it on, give or take,” Snyder told Rogan. “They assume two viewers per screen, right? So that’s 160 million people supposedly watching… at $10 a ticket,...
On the March 6 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Snyder said “Rebel Moon — Part One” was seen by more people (on Netflix) than the smash-hit “Barbie” (in theaters).
“Say right now, [Part One is] like almost 90 million views… 80 or 90 million accounts turned it on, give or take,” Snyder told Rogan. “They assume two viewers per screen, right? So that’s 160 million people supposedly watching… at $10 a ticket,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
“Civil War,” the new acclaimed drama from director Alex Garland, is dominating theaters everywhere, and the film’s star Kirsten Dunst gives one of her best performances in her long and varied career. In honor of her latest movie, let’s revisit her many awards races, including her first Oscar nomination for “The Power of the Dog.”
Dunst’s first role that brought the actress lots of awards attention arrived in 1994 in Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire,” starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Dunst’s performance as the young outspoken vampire Claudia earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, up against Sophia Loren in “Prét-à-Porter,” Robin Wright Penn in “Forrest Gump,” Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction” and Dianne Wiest, who won the trophy for “Bullets over Broadway.”
Occasionally the academy will reward a great child performance with an Oscar nomination, the way they did with...
Dunst’s first role that brought the actress lots of awards attention arrived in 1994 in Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire,” starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Dunst’s performance as the young outspoken vampire Claudia earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, up against Sophia Loren in “Prét-à-Porter,” Robin Wright Penn in “Forrest Gump,” Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction” and Dianne Wiest, who won the trophy for “Bullets over Broadway.”
Occasionally the academy will reward a great child performance with an Oscar nomination, the way they did with...
- 4/20/2024
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
Glen Powell and Richard Linklater may be long-time collaborators and friends — and now, with the imminent release of their “Hit Man,” credited co-writers — but these two can still surprise each other.
Case in point: for the fact-based and very fun “Hit Man,” Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a seemingly regular dude who ends up moonlighting for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake assassin, tasked with snagging people who are attempting to employ a hitman to off certain people in their lives. The film, based on a Texas Monthly story, follows Gary as he tries on all sorts of personas — redneck hitman, Russian hitman, the list goes on and on — while also romancing a potential client (Adria Arjona) under the guise of smooth-talking hitman Ron. But all those other personas? Powell-original creations!
During an event held on Wednesday evening in New York City, Powell was on hand for a post-screening chat,...
Case in point: for the fact-based and very fun “Hit Man,” Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a seemingly regular dude who ends up moonlighting for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake assassin, tasked with snagging people who are attempting to employ a hitman to off certain people in their lives. The film, based on a Texas Monthly story, follows Gary as he tries on all sorts of personas — redneck hitman, Russian hitman, the list goes on and on — while also romancing a potential client (Adria Arjona) under the guise of smooth-talking hitman Ron. But all those other personas? Powell-original creations!
During an event held on Wednesday evening in New York City, Powell was on hand for a post-screening chat,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Glen Powell is a triple threat (if you count the producing part) in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man.” Powell co-wrote, produced, and stars in the upcoming feature from Linklater, reuniting the duo after “Everybody Wants Some!!”
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, “who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona),” per the film’s synopsis. “As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.”
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, “who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona),” per the film’s synopsis. “As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.”
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The following is a spoiler-filled discussion about “Civil War” between IndieWire Film Editor Ryan Lattanzio, Editorial Director Kate Erbland, and Reviews Editor and Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich. IndieWire’s review of the film can be found here.
David Ehrlich: Before Kate, Ryan, and I saw “Civil War” in IMAX on a Thursday morning earlier this month (a very chill way to start the day), I had fully expected to spend the next few weeks chewing on Alex Garland’s still-pinned hand grenade of a movie about an ununited America — a movie that had already been met with an appropriately polarized reaction at every stage of its existence, and would continue to be raved about and read for filth on the internet in the time leading up to its spectacular first weekend at the box office. I expected my brain to be on fire by the time the screening was over,...
David Ehrlich: Before Kate, Ryan, and I saw “Civil War” in IMAX on a Thursday morning earlier this month (a very chill way to start the day), I had fully expected to spend the next few weeks chewing on Alex Garland’s still-pinned hand grenade of a movie about an ununited America — a movie that had already been met with an appropriately polarized reaction at every stage of its existence, and would continue to be raved about and read for filth on the internet in the time leading up to its spectacular first weekend at the box office. I expected my brain to be on fire by the time the screening was over,...
- 4/15/2024
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
After a long delay that saw it drop out of the 2023 Venice Film Festival due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the wait for “Challengers” is nearly over. Luca Guadagnino’s erotic thriller, which stars Zendaya as a tennis prodigy who finds herself in a love triangle with two professional players after an injury forces her to retire, seems well-positioned to be one of spring’s biggest hits, thanks to its combination of star power and strong early reviews.
In a new featurette released by MGM, Guadagnino, Zendaya, and her “Challengers” co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist can be seen discussing the film’s use of tennis as an allegory for sexual power dynamics.
“It’s like a tennis movie, but it’s not really about tennis,” Zendaya said. “Tennis is really just the outlet these characters use to express their chaos.”
Guadagnino explained how the main characters are so obsessed with...
In a new featurette released by MGM, Guadagnino, Zendaya, and her “Challengers” co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist can be seen discussing the film’s use of tennis as an allegory for sexual power dynamics.
“It’s like a tennis movie, but it’s not really about tennis,” Zendaya said. “Tennis is really just the outlet these characters use to express their chaos.”
Guadagnino explained how the main characters are so obsessed with...
- 4/13/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Zendaya Led Challengers Receive Positive Reviews Ahead Of Its Theatrical Release. (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Zendaya-led Challengers has received positive reviews from critics, and it will have an amazing impact on its theatrical release, which is still a few days away. The actress recently received much praise for her performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two and now in this Luca Guadagnino directorial. Scroll below to find out what the critics are saying about it.
Cast of Challengers-
Emmy winners Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are featured in the sports drama as Tashi and Patrick. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actress is one of the rising stars in Hollywood, and West Side Story fame Mike Faist will also support her.
About Challengers-
It is a sports romance drama featuring Zendaya as the lead, and the story revolves around her character, Tashi. She is a former tennis player who took her husband Art,...
Zendaya-led Challengers has received positive reviews from critics, and it will have an amazing impact on its theatrical release, which is still a few days away. The actress recently received much praise for her performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two and now in this Luca Guadagnino directorial. Scroll below to find out what the critics are saying about it.
Cast of Challengers-
Emmy winners Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are featured in the sports drama as Tashi and Patrick. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actress is one of the rising stars in Hollywood, and West Side Story fame Mike Faist will also support her.
About Challengers-
It is a sports romance drama featuring Zendaya as the lead, and the story revolves around her character, Tashi. She is a former tennis player who took her husband Art,...
- 4/13/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Walt Disney Pictures brought the Pride Lands to Sin City. The studio unveiled footage of “Mufasa: The Lion King” at their CinemaCon panel this Monday, showcasing Barry Jenkins’ prequel of the 2019 “Lion King” remake.
Jenkins accompanied the film to Las Vegas at CinemaCon, and he explained to the crowd, “what the director of ‘Moonlight’ is doing here to tell me about an 8-quadrant legacy film.” Well, he said making it was “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.”
A photorealistic CGI film in the vein of the 2019 film, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will focus on the ascension of Mufasa (voiced in the prequel by “The Underground Railroad” star Aaron Pierre) to the ruler of the Pride Lands. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will also star as Scar, along with Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, and John Kani all reprising their roles from the 2019 “Lion King” as Pumbaa, Timon, and Raifiki,...
Jenkins accompanied the film to Las Vegas at CinemaCon, and he explained to the crowd, “what the director of ‘Moonlight’ is doing here to tell me about an 8-quadrant legacy film.” Well, he said making it was “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.”
A photorealistic CGI film in the vein of the 2019 film, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will focus on the ascension of Mufasa (voiced in the prequel by “The Underground Railroad” star Aaron Pierre) to the ruler of the Pride Lands. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will also star as Scar, along with Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, and John Kani all reprising their roles from the 2019 “Lion King” as Pumbaa, Timon, and Raifiki,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Brian Welk and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Update: More than 300 Jewish creatives — including eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, “SNL” star Sarah Sherman, actor and documentarian Alex Winter and “Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles — have added their names to the list of signatories of an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Mardi Gras is long over, and Halloween is still months away. But over the next four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Overlook Film Festival will celebrate the strange and unusual with a salute to horror that couldn’t be timelier.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
- 4/4/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: this list was originally published October 2017. It has since been updated to coincide with the release of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”]
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
- 4/2/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Looking for bold new work from first- and second-time feature filmmakers? Look no further than New Directors/New Films, the premier New York City festival that annually highlights them.
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The highest grossing director of all time, Steven Spielberg enjoys high-brow classics as much as crowd-pleasing blockbusters. Known for “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jaws,” “West Side Story” (2021), and more favorites, the beloved American filmmaker premiered his semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” in theaters last November.
The movie, nominated for seven Oscars (winning none), tells the story of how Spielberg came to be Spielberg — chiefly through the lens of his parents’ traumatic divorce. Boasting a cast that includes not just Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Spielberg’s mom and dad, but also David Lynch in a rare acting opportunity, “The Fabelmans” was described by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as an epic rendering of “the breakup that launched a million blockbusters.”
Following the contemplative mood of two-ish years in Covid-19 lockdown, the 2022 fall film season was chockfull of projects meditating on the role — and, in the case of “TÁR,” responsibility — of artists. How...
The movie, nominated for seven Oscars (winning none), tells the story of how Spielberg came to be Spielberg — chiefly through the lens of his parents’ traumatic divorce. Boasting a cast that includes not just Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Spielberg’s mom and dad, but also David Lynch in a rare acting opportunity, “The Fabelmans” was described by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as an epic rendering of “the breakup that launched a million blockbusters.”
Following the contemplative mood of two-ish years in Covid-19 lockdown, the 2022 fall film season was chockfull of projects meditating on the role — and, in the case of “TÁR,” responsibility — of artists. How...
- 3/27/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The entire film industry is soon to descend upon the Côte d’Azur this May as the Cannes Film Festival readies for its 77th edition. From May 14 through May 25, the iconic festival event of the year will host much-awaited new works for auteurs and rising directors alike, across sections like the Competition, Directors’ Fortnight, Un Certain Regard (with jury president Xavier Dolan), and Critics’ Week. Major prizes will come at the end of the festival, and will no doubt set the tone for the movie year ahead.
Such was the case last year when Justine Triet’s eventual Oscar winner “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the top award, the Palme d’Or, the fourth consecutive film distributed by Neon to do so. Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 Grand Prize winner “The Zone of Interest” also won two Academy Awards, while Competition entries “Perfect Days” and “May December” earned Oscar nominations, too.
Such was the case last year when Justine Triet’s eventual Oscar winner “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the top award, the Palme d’Or, the fourth consecutive film distributed by Neon to do so. Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 Grand Prize winner “The Zone of Interest” also won two Academy Awards, while Competition entries “Perfect Days” and “May December” earned Oscar nominations, too.
- 3/27/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Kate Erbland and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
We live in strange times. This young century has been defined by harrowing disasters both natural and man-made, political tribalism, and existential threats to the future of the planet. What better time for documentary filmmaking?
Non-fiction cinema has been evolving since the birth of the medium while capturing a world in motion. From the actualités of the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century to the heavily manipulated ethnographic films of the 1920, from the vérité films of the Maysles brothers to the man-on-the-street agitprop popularized by Michael Moore, documentaries have naturally always been more responsive to their times than any other mode of filmmaking.
Not only do they reveal our world to us, but they shape how we view it, and the early years of the 21st century have proven that to be more true than ever before. On one hand, digital technology has infinitely expanded our range of vision,...
Non-fiction cinema has been evolving since the birth of the medium while capturing a world in motion. From the actualités of the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century to the heavily manipulated ethnographic films of the 1920, from the vérité films of the Maysles brothers to the man-on-the-street agitprop popularized by Michael Moore, documentaries have naturally always been more responsive to their times than any other mode of filmmaking.
Not only do they reveal our world to us, but they shape how we view it, and the early years of the 21st century have proven that to be more true than ever before. On one hand, digital technology has infinitely expanded our range of vision,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated many times.]
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
- 3/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Turns out the real demon in indie horror film “Late Night With the Devil” is its use of AI.
The IFC Films/Shudder release utilized artificial intelligence for a trio of still images — title cards, specifically — intended to enhance the ’70s aesthetic, according to the film’s directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. That has not gone over well within the creative community on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” the Cairnes brothers told Variety. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We...
The IFC Films/Shudder release utilized artificial intelligence for a trio of still images — title cards, specifically — intended to enhance the ’70s aesthetic, according to the film’s directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. That has not gone over well within the creative community on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” the Cairnes brothers told Variety. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We...
- 3/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
If curating the Best Action Movies of All Time felt borderline impossible, then ranking just the top entries from this century is Mission Barely Manageable.
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
- 3/22/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
What would movies be about if not for love? Since well before the days of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca,” romance has driven countless classic stories, setting up some of the highest highs in cinematic history to follow. Be it Cary Grant and Grace Kelly seeing stars in “To Catch a Thief” or Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal disturbing diner patrons in “When Harry Met Sally,” the 20th century was chock full of iconic romances that helped humanity fall in love with the movies. Of course, those titles were dominated by white artists telling largely heteronormative tales — meaning many (but not all) of the best and most inclusive romances have arrived this millennium.
Now, the best romance movies of the 21st century both resonate and surprise, showing audiences characters they might recognize from their own lives in new and surprising ways. Yes, finding “the one” is exceedingly well-frequented thematic territory,...
Now, the best romance movies of the 21st century both resonate and surprise, showing audiences characters they might recognize from their own lives in new and surprising ways. Yes, finding “the one” is exceedingly well-frequented thematic territory,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
What if “Friday the 13th” was told through Jason Voorhees’ point of view?
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
- 3/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech after Zone of Interest won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film has drawn condemnation from more than a thousand Hollywood actors, creatives and executives over the past few days, but there are also some in the entertainment industry who have spoken in support of Glazer and his speech.
For context, here is the entirety of Glazer’s speech:
Thank you so much. I’m going to read, I’m afraid.
Thank you to the Academy for this honor and to our partners A24 Films for access and Polish Film Institute, to the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, to my producers, actors, collaborators.
All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, but rather look what we do now.
For context, here is the entirety of Glazer’s speech:
Thank you so much. I’m going to read, I’m afraid.
Thank you to the Academy for this honor and to our partners A24 Films for access and Polish Film Institute, to the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, to my producers, actors, collaborators.
All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, but rather look what we do now.
- 3/20/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
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