“Merry Christmas to me, from all of you!” he stated “My new middle name has been chosen. You voted and the winner is clear. In 2019 my new legal name will be: Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin. It has a nice ring to it (if you like my name).” This middle name experiment started with a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at the end of November, where the “Home Alone” star told the host he wanted “to spruce up” his middle name, which was originally Carson....

Hamill’s Luke Skywalker doesn’t show up until the very final scene of “The Force Awakens.” However, Hamill hated that intro so much that he he even pitched his idea for a story that would have fixed a “missed opportunity.” “Everyone talks about the shock of realizing that on ‘Force Awakens’ I don’t come in until the last page,” he said (via Comicbook). “A bigger shock to me was them killing Han Solo before Luke could ever see his best friend again....

Although ‘Irishman’ director Martin Scorsese wishes the world would have been able to see his Oscar contender in theaters, he knows that his movie will be seen in numerous ways. He just has one request — don’t watch it on your phone. Speaking to film critic Peter Travers on his ABC show “Popcorn with Peter Travers,” Scorsese talked about the idea of people watching his three-and-a-half-hour film on their tiny phone screens....

“[Be] careful what you wish for. Being the Oscar frontrunner out of the gate is not always where you want to be. Spielberg knows this firsthand: A decade ago, “Lincoln” was the frontrunner and scored 11 nominations but wound up with only two wins, for Daniel Day-Lewis (who, after all, was Lincoln) and production designer Rick Carter.” “The Fabelmans” is a crowdpleaser with an 84 Metascore, but the family drama lacks some of the scale and scope that attracts multiple nominations....

When they are announced tomorrow, Netflix may become the first studio to land three Best Picture nominees in one year. The nominations will likely reveal what we already know; Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” are major players. But, there is a chance Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” lands key nominations in every category and emerges as a true contender. The following are the surprises/shocks that I’m predicting....

As you may know, we have a few theories as to why Will Smith hasn’t been campaigning hard for his Best Actor trophy. We’ll reserve judgement on that, possibly, for a later piece, but Smith’s momentum loss is Benedict Cumberbatch’s gain and, in all honesty, the “Power of the Dog” actor has been relentlessly and successfully doing the media rounds these last few months. So, it’s still Cumberbatch vs Smith, but you wouldn’t know it by the industry reactions Denzel Washington has been getting for his “The Tragedy of Macbeth” performance....

Netflix has now unveiled four photos from the movie, each of them encompassing four different decades in the life of the movie’s main character Frank Sheeran (De Niro). Earlier in the year, there had been a hold-up in the post-production process for “The Irishman.” It did seem to be a case of unrealistic expectations in regards to the CGI that was being used for the de-aging process — something an old-school filmmaker like Scorsese probably didn’t expect to happen....

I was a fan when I saw it at Sundance, It started off very slow but the second half is extremely strong. Driver is excellent. Ditto Annette Benning as California Senator Dianne Feinstein. The villain of the whole thing is Barack Obama’s former CIA director John Brennan, as played by Ted Levine. It helps that it is very of-the-moment, but will the more unabashed Obama fans abide by the fact that it paints his administration in a very negative light?...

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Miranda July’s quirky and original “Kajillionaire,” has the uber-talented writer-director of “Me, You and Everyone We Know” tackling the Dyne clan, a husband-wife-daughter team of criminals forging petty crimes in Los Angeles. These eccentric neurotics embrace the dream of someday becoming “Kajillionaires.” The Dynes are Robert, Theresa (Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger) and their 26 year-old daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood). They dress like shlubs, in oversized thrift shop-like clothes, whilst their daughter Old Dolio (I know, that name) lacks the emotional development and quite frankly, maturity, to make it in the real world....

I was really open to enjoying Lena Dunham’s “Sharp Stick,” which has turned out to be the most maligned film of Sundance 2022. Channeling her inner Todd Solondz, Dunham has her naive lead protagonist, 26-year-old Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth), caregiver to Zach, a child with an intellectual disability. Sarah Jo is eager to lose her virginity, and decides to pull the moves on Zach’s thick-headed father, Josh (Jon Bernthal). She wants him to teach her all about the sex she feels she’s missed out on for her entire life....

If you feel like this is odd and a, very, spur-of-the-moment decision by Netflix then you’re not alone in your thinking. It does feel as though it is being dumped, especially with little to no promo, with nobody is really talking about the movie either. I will be watching it tomorrow night via screener link, maybe buzz starts to build up when the embargo lifts midweek and positive reviews start to emerge, who knows....

These new original voices studied the formula of its great horror forebearers. After all, the cinematic horror genre, from its very roots in the ‘20s with German expressionism (Nosferatu) is akin to a deliciously twisted recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation, reinvented, both stylistically and socially, for the current anxieties of the day. Here are the ten best horror movies of the last 10 years. Runners-Up: Lights Out, The Wailing, Don’t Breathe, Hush, Sinister, It, Crimson Peak, Goodnight Mommy, I Spit On Your Grave, Mandy, Raw, You’re Next, Attack the Block, Climax, Midsommar, Us, The Cabin in the Woods, The Invisible Man, Cam, Possessor, The Guest Contribute Hire me...

One thing I have noticed the past year, is how few foreign films and performances there were to choose from, no doubt due to Cannes being canceled and Venice delivering only a few options. Of what was released/seen, Mads Mikellson’s work in “Another Round” was a highlight, ditto Viktoria Miroshnichenko in “Beanpole,” and Luca Marinelli in “Martin Eden”. Otherwise, I have to, sadly, contend that this was the worst year for foreign cinema on U....

From David Fincher to Martin Scorsese, to the much-anticipated return of Jonathan Glazer, 2022 is destined to deliver an abundance of cinematic riches. We’ve expanded our list to 40 titles this year because, quite frankly, why shouldn’t we? This coming cinematic year looks completely packed to the rafters, that is if studios are willing to embrace streaming or, at the very least, have patience until things get back to normal, whenever that may be....

So, it does look like we have a stacked lineup of films coming up this fall. With the Venice Film Festival lineup announcing on Thursday, the Toronto International Film Festival decided to get a head start and announce their own lineup which, again this year, looks phenomenal. [full lineup] The biggies for many will be the world premieres of Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit,” Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out,” and Marielle Heller’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” Also going to both Venice and Toronto (based on premiere status) will be some of the hottest titles of the year: Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat,” Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story, Pablo Larrain’s “Ema,” and Todd Phillips’ “Joker....

Only 9 Cannes-labeled titles were chosen this year: “Falling,” “Ammonite,” “Another Round,” “Ete 85,” “Memory House,” “True Mothers,” “Limbo,” “Spring Blossom,” and “Beginning.” I would put all nine of these titles high up on your must-watch list. The organizers of the fest already commented on today’s reveal, stating they expect a hybrid festival ready for public consumption, a mix of digital and a physical component. Supposedly, they’ll be relying on drive-ins and outdoor screenings and “some” indoor screenings....

Some of these films have elevated the bar for the casino industryand have proved to be a crucial part of the growth and overall look of the industry. Films led to the rise of the number of casino players in land-based casinos and some even added some twists to their premises inspired by such films. Online casinos such as Bitcasinoio came into play which brought convenience to bettors. With the help of technological innovations, their favourite games are just in the palm of their hands....

Vanity Fair, THR, IndieWire, The Telegraph, Variety, and Collider will all be near-perfect scores on Metacritic. A 92 on Metacritic as we speak. This is the film Cannes desperately needed this year. I thought it was a better lineup than many people claimed, but a clear and thorough critical darling like “Tár” would have greatly helped. First Showing’s Alex Billington has this to say: EARLIER: Same deal as “White Noise” earlier today....

I do have to mention that #MeToo “villain,” Roman Polanski, is set to premiere his new film “An Officer and A Spy.” Polanski’s film will be part of a competition lineup which only includes two female-directed movies out of the 21 selected. People were complaining there were only 4 women competing for the Palme D’or this year at Cannes, well, Venice’s harsher treatment towards X-chromosomed filmmakers will, no doubt, be noted by some....