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Eddie Redmayne stars alongside Jessica Chastain in the upcoming Netflix-distributed film “The Good Nurse.” A sure bet premiere for this coming September’s Toronto International Film Festival. And don’t let the title mislead you, this is the story of real-life criminal Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), the “good” nurse of the title. Cullen, was actually known as the “Angel of Death,” and regarded as one of the most prolific serial killers in history....

I wrote this in my B+ review of the film: “Clearly inspired by Benh Zeitlin‘s masterpiece “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Zagar and cinematographer Zak Mulligan infuse magical surrealism to the film’s frames, such as underwater sequences which Jonah dreams up due to the incident at the lake. There are images of children covered in mud, the aforementioned sketch drawings and, most notably, Jonah levitating to the sky free of all the burdens that hamper him back down on the ground....

With Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of Dog” also Venice-bound, it all begs us to ask the question; will Venice outshine Cannes this year? This is having some in the industry buzzing, but don’t be fooled, Cannes is still the Mecca of cinema. If you’re looking for Oscar-buzz then, yeah, maybe Venice wins out, but, in terms of pure world cinema quality, Cannes always gets the top spot....

Fact of the matter is this: David Fincher has not directed a movie since 2014’s “Gone Girl.” He will not a new movie released this year, nor will he probably have one in 2020. So, what’s the deal? He stated just this past weekend that he’d be interested in directing a superhero movie. He seems rather lost, more than anything else, with the studio system closing down its doors on “auteur” filmmakers....

An interview with Allen [via ABC Spain] deserves to be translated into English. During the fascinating conversation, the writer-director tackles Mia Farrow, the decline of New York City, his urge to retire, his new film in Paris, and the sad state of American cinema (“There are always good movies, there are always some wonderful ones, but much less than before”.) . Allen also tackles cancel culture, and the absurdity of it all....

In the series’ third episode, by far the best and most accomplished of the docuseries, Baskin’s longtime rival Joe Exotic claims that Baskin murdered her ex-husband, put him in a meat grinder and then fed him to her big cats. Why would Baskin do such a thing? Well, quite simply, because just days before his disappearance Lewis was about to file for a divorce which was going to leaver her with almost no money in the settlement....

I wrote last month: “I kept insisting last year that, contrary to rumors, 20th Century Fox’s sci-fi epic would not receive an Academy-qualifying release in December. No chance. Gray’s films are not Oscar-bait. He’s a lone-wolf who goes by his own creative juices. So, of course, it was later announced that Gray’s “epic science fiction thriller” would not be released in its original January 11th release date and would be pushed to a May 24th, 2019 slot....

Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear” won the Grand Jury Prize at this past March’s SXSW Film Festival. This feature-length directorial debut, about a strong-willed teenage girl (Camila Morrone) navigating a loving but incredibly intense relationship with her veteran father, is the kind of gritty, American-infused realism that is sorely missed these days in American cinema. At its finest, it is carried through by a phenomenal star-making performance from Camila Morrone, a star-actress-in-the waiting, if there ever was one these days....

Cannes Jury Prize winner, “Bacurau,” which was directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, is a perplexing mix of magical surrealism and grindhouse. “Bacurau” catches many off-guard in its first 20 minutes before it transports audiences into a cinematic adventure like no other. On its surface, the film is a thriller, but one filled with indelible artistry and breathtaking cinematic luxury. READ MORE: ‘Bacurau’: Kleiber Mendonça Filho Flips The Arthouse Script With A Sinister, John Carpenter-y Blood-Soaked Adventure [Cannes Review] Set “a few years from now” in the imagined Brazilian town of Bacurau, the first act sets up a place so unknown that the locals can’t even seem to pinpoint it on a map when trying to teach local kids where they come from....

It sounds like an insanely bold statement from Dominik. I don’t care about its awards chances, I just want to see something different and “Blonde” is sure to break the mold on cinematic conventions. Here’s an excerpt from an Empire story on the film: If you remember, I broke the story back in August 2021 about Netflix’s severe discomfort after watching an NC-17 cut of the film. “Blonde” was originally supposed to screen at last year’s Venice Film Festival lineup before being pulled last-minute by Netflix....

As reported by yours truly last year, the Marilyn Monroe biopic has now been officially rated NC-17 for “some sexual content.” The MPAA’s decision to stamp this toxic rating on Dominik’s film has been a long time coming. It also means that “Blonde” is officially in the can since it’s been screened for MPAA purposes. “Blonde” is the first Netflix Original to receive the ultra-prohibitive certification. If you remember, there was a Dominik interview in early February where the writer-director confirmed that Netflix had Harvey-ed, so to speak, his film....

Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” bested Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” who won the best director prize for her film “Time.” Kristen Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead” took home the awards for best writing and best editing. It’s been a benchmark year for non-fiction, with the medium reaping the benefits of theater closures by not losing an ounce of its power on the small screen. Films like “Collective,” “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” “City Hall,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “MLK/FBI,” “Time” “Dick Johnson is Dead,” “The Social Dilemma,” and “Crip Camp” were the clearcut highlights....

We now have a trailer. The cinematography looks stunning, but the story itself, filled with cheeseball “big line” moments, feels a little too familiar and generic … If I watched that trailer and somehow missed the Haynes mention and then tried to guess who directed it, his name would not be anywhere on my guessing list. Regardless, this could very well be a misleading trailer. “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....

The film is an adaptation of a New York Times Magazine story by Nathaniel Rich, entitled “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare.” Mark Ruffalo plays the attorney who tried to take down the Dupont Corporation in a nearly 20-year legal lawsuit. It’s another David vs Goliath story involving big corporations, greed and the potential irreparable health damages they cause. The film works fine as it goes, with nothing unexpected really happening, and then you just start to entirely lose interest in it....

I decided to go through torture again and watch the whole thing last night and, folks, I have to tell you, this movie will forever live in the cinematic infamies of hell. The screenwriting is completely vapid, Stephen Chbosky’s direction slick to the nth degree, and it clocks in at an astounding 2 hours and 17 minutes in length. There are so many issues at play here, both morally and artistically....

This latest film seems to have re-energized Van Sant as a director, but not enough to save a screenplay filled with familiar biopic cliches. If you’re looking for a triumphant comeback for Van Sant then you’ll have to wait a little more. Van Sant tackles the 1989 memoir by Portland, Oregon cartoonist John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix), whose booze and drug-fueled tendencies ended up paralyzing him from head to toe. Callahan had been drinking heavily since his teens and was only 21 when a car accident, with reckless party-hound Dexter (Jack Black), had him crash his VW into a lamppostand....

About that 2016 film, it was a box-office failure receiving mixed reviews and was part of a fanboy backlash due to the all-female cast. Dan Aykroyd has been a long-time supporter of a Ghostbusters 3 being made, but this surprise announcement has now set the table for the original actors to star in this film, minus Harold Ramis who sadly passed away in 2014. However, there is the issue of Bill Murray who has been quite vocal in his disinterest to participate in a third chapter....

The saga of Harvard grad Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), a man who has now managed to overturn the death row sentences of over 140 inmates in America, is brought to the screen by way of Destin Daniel Cretton’s frustratingly conventional “Just Mercy.” Despite his east-coast roots at Harvard, Stevenson, decided to move to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned. His urgency to find justice had him thrust upon the case of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a black man sentenced to death, despite evidence proving his innocence....

I found the film and Thompson’s performance to be devoid of the sexual tension and eroticism needed to spring its tepid and stagey screenplay to life. Despite reservations towards the film, you have to feel bad for the creatives behind it, especially Thompson, who was probably thinking this would be heavily campaigned. I had even heard TIFF was interested in screening it. Oh, well. Directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand, it seems as though “Leo Grande,” which got very positive notices at Sundance, is now DOA....

In “Mindhunter,” he shot 75 takes for one particular scene. For “Zodiac,” he spent an entire afternoon trying to get a closeup of Jake Gyllenhaal’s hand tossing paperwork inside his car. And you never see the actor’s face in the final shot. In “The Social Network,” in response to a question about how many laptops he broke during that famous laptop smash scene, Andrew Garfield stated that it took 13+ scenes to get the shot Fincher wanted (that’s a lot of wasted laptops)....