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“An interesting idea gone haywire, “Mainstream” is director Gia Coppola’s social media satire, but instead of giving us an original perspective on the state of viral culture in 2020, we’re left with blanks. Nothing new is said in this remarkably trite examination of internet fame, but it does introduce us to Andrew Garfield’s “No One Special,” yes that’s his name, one of the most selfish, unlikable, and downright repulsive on-screen characters in quite some time....

Variety reports that the studio was “at least open to the possibility of unloading their crown jewel for a princely sum,” looking for a deal that would rake them more than half a billion dollars. So far, the two streaming services interested (said to be Apple TV and Netflix) are trying to lower the asking price. A spokesperson for MGM denied any streaming deal “We do not comment on rumors....

In his third film, “Nope,” Peele has a much bigger canvas to paint on. The result is his most ambitious movie, but also his messiest. One can say that “Nope” is in fact too big of a canvas for Peele’s indie sensibilities — an ambitious attempt at sci-fi epicness reminiscent of Spielberg’s glory days. That doesn’t necessarily mean “Nope” is devoid of fascination. You stick with it for most of its 135 minute runtime, curious where Peele is going to eventually lead you....

Carmichael stars as Val, a depressed slacker who quits his job right after getting promoted and, just minutes later, tries to commit suicide in a men’s bathroom stall — he fails miserably (the belt was attached too low). A few hours after that, he busts best friend Kevin (Christopher Abbott) from a psychiatric hospital. The bleach- haired, quick-tempered Kevin, also recently tried kill himself. Et voila! A suicide pact is formed, they decide that before the day is done they will point guns at each other’s heads and on the count of three … With 24 hours left on earth, Carmichael’s dark comedy has its two depressed thespians facing their pasts; Val wants to make things right with his long-term girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish), and estranged father (a miscast J....

“I attended an early screening of the movie. it was 3 hours long. Robert Pattinson narrates the entire movie as Bruce Wayne. It’s a detective noir film and you’re really able to get into his head of Batman because of this. It’s very graphic, you can hear bones cracking during some of the fight scenes and Batman almost breaks his hand punching someone.” “Alfred is more of a father figure than past iterations....

The obsessively constructed frames, and solid colours synonymous with his works are still here. It all amounts to a nice little homage to journalism & French culture. A chaotic burst of madcap energy. Short stories shot in glorious retro black & white by Cinematographer Robert Yeoman (most certainly as a wink and a nod to French New Wave cinema). Every frame feels like a painting — in fact, this may be Wes Anderson’s most detail-oriented film, and that’s saying something....

You can tell “The Prom” was a broadway musical in that the big moments in Murphy’s film are the musical numbers and not the dramatics. Much like the rest of Murphy’s oeuvre, the emotions ring false, the visuals are colorfully ugly, and the attitudes morally superior. The Prom’s villainous figure is Mrs. Greene, president of the Parents Teacher’s Association in a small rural Indiana town, played by Kerry Washington, she cancels the local high school’s prom when it is learned that one of the students, Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), was planning on attending the event with her mysterious girlfriend....

George Clooney’s “The Tender Bar” started off with some very favorable tweets when it first screened for DGA, BAFTA and film critics last week. And then, I posted the reaction of a well-seasoned West Coast film critic, who attended the DGA screening, and quite bluntly told me not to pay attention to the hyperbole tweets. This anonymous thespian told me the film was “poorly made,” “inconsequential” and “needlessly theatrical.” I received a few emails after posting this reaction telling me that this friend of mine seems to be in the minority since “Twitter is raving about it....

This was my second get-go with Darren Aronofsky’s film, but the crowd was with the damn thing from the very start. There’s just a lot of love and support right now for Brendan Fraser and his campaign just feels like a train that won’t quit. I still have the same reservations I had with the film from the first time I saw it around a week ago, but I expect the impending second wave of reviews to be very generous for “The Whale” here....

As mentioned yesterday evening, Variety was reporting Sony was “aiming” for a $15 million opening on its first weekend. I found that to be a bit too generous. It looks like it’ll be $12-$14 million tops. The critically-pushed period epic nabbed just $1.7 million last night in 3,271 theaters. That’s just $520 per screen. Yikes. Not just that, but previews started a bit earlier, at 3pm, for this one. The amount it made is very weak....

On its surface, “Together Together” is a fairly straightforward, albeit very sweetly rendered, comedy. As I was watching this cinematic game-changer, I admired the way its central characters (played by Ed Helms and Patti Harrison) kept growing on me, but little did I know that one of them was a transgender comedian. No, Ed Helms has not decided to transition. Rather, it’s the casting of Harrison (Shrill) that may very well set the tone for Transgender talent to get leading cisgender roles in future movies....

That’s part of the magic that comes in watching this doc about the former ordained minister who managed to find a place in the Television time-capsule with his TV show aimed at kids. 1,765 episodes from 1968 to 2001. That’s the impact Rogers had on a nation currently looking for its own identity. Rogers died of cancer at 74 more than 15 years ago, but, good God, we really need him now....

The fact of the matter is this: Movie theaters in New York City and Los Angeles remain closed, and to make matters worse, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are about to enter a world of hurt with their economies headed towards total shutdowns. I’m even hearing the upcoming Berlin Film Festival might be scrapped if cases continue to go up in Germany. Deadline is reporting on a hush-hush meeting between Warner Bros....

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Actor John Cena went on social media this week to apologize for calling the country of Taiwan … a country. Not just that, but he made the apology in Mandarin. What a pinhead! Cena found himself at the center of this controversy after an interview he gave to Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS. Cena told the network that “Taiwan is the first country that can watch ‘F9.’ In his apology video, posted to Chinese social media Weibo, Cena spoke in Mandarin and said, “I’m sorry for my mistake....

There were many disappointments. We will maybe Have to scratch off “Bardo,” “Empire of Light,” “White Noise,” and “The Whale” from our Best Picture predictions. Only a few survived: “TAR,” “Women Talking,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” and “Bones and All.” Although the latter, a gory cannibal romance directed by Luca Guadagnino, will probably be too extreme and divisive for the Academy. As it stands, on 09.05.22, this is how the Best Picture race looks like on my end:...

Set in a rural China filled with darkly dreamy, isolated, and neon-lit streets, Bi Gan focuses on a man in search of a woman that has haunted him for years. Just like the very best of elliptical works of David Lynch and Weerasethakul, a second viewing is mandatory to fully absorb the plot that intertwines in asymmetrical fashion and dares us to follow along. The result is damn near hypnotic....

This week the MPAA finally handed the film an “R” rating. The film’s previous “NC-17” rating has been annuled. “Infinity Pool” is said to have been re-edited to achieve the “R”. The official warning stamped on the film by the MPAA states “Rated R for graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and some language.” Let’s hope Cronenberg’s vision was not compromised during the re-editing process, although, with those warnings stamped by the MPAA, it sure looks as though “Infinity Pool” will still bring on the shocks....

According to a new report from an Albuquerque publication, a movie titled “Greenbrier” will begin shooting the New-Mexico city as early as the end of the month. The report confirms it is a movie related to Breaking Bad. If you remember, Gilligan had signed a three-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television this year. Production on “Greenbrier” is set to last until February. The movie is said to follow “the escape of a kidnapped man and his quest for freedom....