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In October, an intriguing trailer was released via Netflix for Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye.” Telluride, who have had a tight relationship with Cooper over the years, premiering such films as “Black Mass,” “Hostiles,” and “Out of the Furnace,” did not screen ‘Pale Blue Eye’. In fact, the film skipped every major film festival. The result is not even an AFI premiere. Cooper’s film is just going straight to limited theatrical release on December 23rd....

So, this is basically a well-written FYC ad from Penn to his bud Cooper, a final hail mary to help out his friend whose film has been on the sort of staggering downward spiral that is the stuff of Oscar nightmares? How else can you explain lines such as: “It is the achievement of one artist who had the courage to stand naked and jump from the edge of a vertical cliff, bringing his whole cast and crew with him, and simultaneously catch their fall....

What exactly is going on with “Napoleon”? The project is still categorized as in development on its IMDB page, but with Fukunaga not even mentioned as the director. And yet, Fukunaga is now telling Collider that it is still very much happening, and that most of the episodes have already been written. Shooting could begin next year. Fukunaga also states in the interview that he has worked closely, hand-in-hand, with the Kubrick estate “to carry the torch in a way that embodies the spirit of what [Kubrick] was trying to achieve....

Some have finally seen Chloe Okuno‘s “Watcher,” which I raved about a few days ago. It’s a film filled with Polanski-esque atmosphere, as a young American woman (Maika Monroe) wanders around Romania with the feeling that she’s being stalked. It’s my current pick to win the top prize. The frustrations of online dating are satirically tackled in Mimi Cave’s “Fresh”. This is the kind of film where the less you know, the better....

According to The Wrap, the 2020 SXSW Film Festival is setting up an online streaming portal that will allow the films to be seen. No, the public will not get to see the films, but giving them a digital portal will help these young independent filmmakers reach out to the press and buyers. Given that SXSW doesn’t have much of a say as far as the theatrical experience goes, at least when compared to Cannes or Venice, why not support all the young directors who were supposed to have their movies screened in Austin and have critics review online screeners?...

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This aligns well with how Malick usually works, taking his time in the editing room, refining and molding whatever footage he has into a tone poem that satisfies the inner artist in him. Malick’s salad-toss approach to editing is infuriating to some fans, but sometimes it’s worth the wait (“The Tree of Life” “The Thin Red Line”). We’ve all read and heard eccentric Terry stories over the years. A few years ago, composer James Horner explained the fascinating post-production process on “The New World”....

In an exclusive interview with IndieWire, Gilliam spoke out against the towering reign of Marvel movies at the box-office, saying “I don’t like the fact they’re dominating the place so much,” he said. “They’re taking all the money that should be available for a greater variety of films. Technically, they’re brilliant. I can’t fault them because the technical skills involved in making them are incredible.” Gilliam then went on to criticize “Black Panther,” which earned more than $1....

For example, the Netflix-distributed “Russian Doll,” which had Natasha Lyonne star in this comedy-drama series as NYC born and bred Nadia, a young woman caught in a mysterious loop as she repeatedly attends the same event and dies at the end of the night each time – only to awaken the next day unharmed as if nothing had happened. A delectable mystery box of a vision, Lyonne, who created the show with Amy Poehler and Lesley Headland, found ways to play around with oft-used “Groundhog Day” narrative trickery in both creative and visionary ways....

This year, The Woman King – starring Viola Davis of Fences in 2016 – looks to become an important addition to this ever-growing trend across entertainment. Not only does it star the 2017 Best Supporting Actress winner, but Woman King will also tell a story based on the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was located within what is now the nation of Benin. A theme that’s proving popular across entertainment Away from the world of acting, you can see African-themed entertainment products surging in popularity....

The big films to look out for at TIFF ‘21 are Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” “Terrence Davies’ “Benediction,” Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” Michael Showalter’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” and Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman” Ok, so what’s missing? Well, A LOT. The Power of the Dog, The Card Counter, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Madres Paralelas, Nightmare Alley, Spencer, Blonde, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, King Richard, C’mon, C’mon, Cry Macho Contribute Hire me...

“Dark Waters,” was Inspired by a true story and centers around Bilott, played by Ruffalo, whose environmental suit against Dupont Company would expose a decades-long history of chemical pollution. An excellent cast has been assembled for. Hathaway, Robbins and Ruffalo will be joined by a stellar cast which includes Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman. Haynes is a director that critics have grown to really love over the years....

Participant Media has just announced that Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins, will star in an upcoming, and as-of-yet untitled, film from Haynes. The film is said to be based on a true story centered around an environmental lawyer (Ruffalo) that sues the famous Dupont corporation, which eventually exposes the company’s massive history of chemical pollution. Hathaway, Ropbbins and Ruffalo will be joined by a stellar cast which includes Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman....

Test screenings have been playing so well that I was starting to think it may very well end up at the holy trifecta: Telluride Venice and Toronto. Regardless, the International Film Critique tweeted today something that aligns quite well with what I’ve been hearing, that Harper’s film will be opening the Venice Film Festival in late August. More to come … Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

Wiseau was peeved off by the fact that the documentary revealed his mysterious country of origin, his age and how he managed to get funding for “The Room,” all of which has been a total mystery for more than 20 years now [via Variety]: The judge also revealed that Wiseau’s courtroom behavior was erratic, as he kept seeking last-minute delays and was a no-show during the first day of the trial....

As film journalists were narrowing down their Sundance 2021 focus on just a handful of films (“Passing,” CODA,” “Mass,” “Summer of Soul,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”), a vast number of unseen gems were being relegated to the sidelines. That’s a real shame because, if you know a thing or two about Sundance, the sheer act of discovery is what this film festival is all about. Who cares about another Nicolas Cage action movie (“Prisoners of Ghostland”) when you can simmer in the discovery of Ronny Trocker’s German provocation “Human Factors”?...

It sounds like another preachy sermon from DuVernay, who has really decided to completely destroy the promising filmmaking of “Middle of Nowhere” and “Selma” with rather bland projects. Written and directed by DuVernay, “Origin” chronicles the true journey of Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson as she embarks on a quest to find the origins of injustice. She ended up travelling across the world - from Berlin, Germany to India....

It’s no secret that, at least Stateside, there’s been immense pressure on film festivals to be more inclusive, try to include more female directors into their lineups, but Venice is currently struggling to do just that because, well, they just can’t seem to find any big-name female directors. Many were hoping the likes of Greta Gerwig, Marielle Heller, Chloe Zhao. Miranda July, Kelly Reichardt, and Josephine Decker would make the fall festival rounds this coming August/September, but, given Toronto’s stricter policies for submitting films this year and the overall lack of big-name female directors available, it’s been a real struggle for Barbera (according to ICSF’s very reliable Cedric Succivalli ) to find female-directed films he’s loved and which would be worthy of a competition slot....

The strategy is identical to studio’s upcoming release of “Wonder Woman 1984,” which will have parallel launches in both theaters and on HBO Max for a month on December 25. Following the one-month HBO Max streaming run, all films will continue to play exclusively in theaters “with all customary distribution windows applying to the title.” This is, of course, seismic news, shapeshifting, groundbreaking, whatever you want to call it. It is a confrimation of the inevitable death of the theatrical experience, at least, as we know it now....

When asked to name his peak career period DePalma didn’t choose any peak from the ‘70s or 80, but, rather, a one-two punch he had in the early ‘90s. De Palma: “In my mid 50s [actually his early to mid 50s], doing Carlito’s Way and then Mission: Impossible. It doesn’t get much better than that. You have all the power and tools at your disposal. When you have the Hollywood system working for you, you can do some remarkable things....