First thing's first, whatever backlash "Green Book" has gotten must be owned up by the culprits at hand; Viggo Mortensen, Peter Farrely, Nick Vallelonga and company all have to, if they haven’t already, admit to their past mistakes. This isn’t a think-piece where I will make the case for their innocence; No, whatever sins that may have been dug up from their pasts need to be owned up to by the accused. However…there comes a point in time when someone needs to look at the events that have transpired against this little-film-that-could and wonder, gee, are Harvey Weinstein’s smear campaigning tactics being used again in 2018 but, only this time, by other players that have learned from the Weinstein 101 book of Oscar-playing? I think they have, brilliantly might I add.
Read more‘Green Book’ Director Peter Farrelly Sorry for Flashing Penis in the Past: ‘I Was an Idiot’
“True. I was an idiot,” director Peter Farrelly said in a statement. “I did this decades ago and I thought I was being funny and the truth is I’m embarrassed and it makes me cringe now. I’m deeply sorry."
The Cut's Anna Silman, knowing full well that Oscar momentum was now with "Green Book," had posted a hit piece about Farrelly today.
Read morePaul Schrader Admits He Torrented His Unreleased Director’s Cut Of “Dying Of The Light”
In September of 2014, Paul Schrader directed “Dying of the Light,” a grim thriller starring Nicolas Cage as a CIA agent, obsessing over catching terrorists in the midst of suffering from terminal brain disease. The movie’s producers didn't want the artsy spy thriller that Schrader delivered to them, so they created their own cut and released it in theaters without his consent. This was met with severe pushback by not only Schrader but Cage as well, they both openly urged audiences not to watch the movie. This prompted Schrader to secretly re-edit “Dying of the Light” into an entirely new movie, attempting to splatter his original vision on-screen.
Read more“Glass” – Critics are not loving M. Night Shyamalan’s latest
Review to come …
The Oscars Reportedly Happening Without A Host
Variety's Matt Donnelly is reporting that the Academy heads have given up on trying to find an Oscar host. Their attempt to get back Kevin Hart was a final hail-mary, which failed, plus there's the problem that every candidate they seem to be reaching out to are, wisely, declining, their invite to emcee the 91st annual edition of the event. And so the 2019 Oscars will be hostless, at least that's what Donnelly is saying.
Read moreTodd Haynes’ New Movie Set to Start Shoot Next Week; Casts Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo and Tim Robbins
Todd Haynes is a filmmaker that I have grown to truly love over the years. His list of films is staggeringly impressive ("Safe," "Far From Heaven," "Carol") but watching his last film, 2017's "Wonderstruck," was an endurance test. In fact, I kept asking myself "is this really a movie directed by Todd Haynes?" None of the director's visual panache or unsentimentalit worth were on display.
Read moreDGA Criticized for Women Director Shut Out
Here's an undisputed fact: The studio and independent system is white-male dominated, all of this hoopla that a bunch of black and female filmmakers deserve their fair share of 2018 awards is quite simply overreaching and a form of virtue signaling on the part of film critics. The odds are heavily stacked for white male directors making the best films of the year.
Read moreExorcist Director William Friedkin Says Sequel Was “The Worst Piece of Sh— I’ve Ever Seen. It’s A F—ing Disgrace”
One of the great unsung American directors is no doubt William Friedkin ("The French Connection," "The Exorcist," "Sorcerer," "To Live and Die in L.A"). Friedkin had a mini comeback of sorts with 2006's "Bug," but, especially, 2011's masterful "Killer Joe," two shockers that pushed the boundaries of tension in American cinema. I was hoping that set of films could be a rejuvenation of sorts for the 82-year-old director but, alas, it never came. The fact that both those movies were all but ignored upon release has made it rather difficult for him to find the sufficient funding to make another cinematic statement.
Read more“Star Trek 4” Shelved by Paramount
Actress Melissa Joan Hart Admits Warned Her Son About Non-Christians: “We don’t know if these people are good people.”
Melissa Joan Hart recently told her 6-year-old son to be wary of people who don't believe in Jesus, especially Jews. The former "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" star was speaking about her Christian-led life on a new episode of the podcast "Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris." In the episode she explains how when the moment came for her son to be switched from a Christian preschool to a traditional school she gave him a warning, "We don't know if these people are good people. We don't know if they believe in Jesus," she said, adding "and he really took the Jesus part to heart." Hart's son eventually became friends with a Jewish boy, which prompted the normal curiosities and questions any boy his age would likely have, which included him asking mom "If you're Jewish, how do you get to heaven?"
Read moreWith “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” winning, the Golden Globes sent a message to the moral crusaders on Sunday Night
You could hear the uproar that was to come. Even if you weren't logged into a social media platform, you just knew that what the Hollywood Foreign Press Association decided to do yesterday was give a big middle finger to the outrage machine being generated online on a daily basis. What the HFPA's final decision on Sunday felt like was a towering statement that made you want to holler the kitschy Twisted Sister song: "We're not going to take it anymore."
Read moreBryan Cranston Defends Playing Disabled Person in New Movie: ‘As Actors We’re Asked to Play Other People.’
Bryan Cranston actually had to defend playing a disabled character in his latest film "The Upside," saying his casting as a man with quadriplegia was "a business decision."
Read moreDirectors Guild Nominations 2019: Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuaron, Spike Lee, Peter Farrely, Adam McKay
The Directors Guild of America gave us more clues today as to what to expect come Oscar nomination time. The 2018 DGA nominations went to five filmmakers that are now almost certain to have their films nominated for Best Picture: Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma,” ” Bradley Cooper for “A Star is Born,” Peter Farrelly for “Green Book,” Spike Lee for “BlacKkKlansman,” and Adam McKay for “Vice.”
Read moreJordan Peele’s ‘Us’ to Open SXSW Film Festival
Jordan Peele’s new horror movie "Us" will have its world premiere as the opening night film at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8. The film will hit theaters the following week on March 15th.
Read moreChris Rock: “If it was five years ago, I could say something really offensive and funny, but I can’t do that anymore.”
The 2019 New York Film Critics Circle Awards honored this year's winner last night in New York City. Chris Rock was there to present “Eighth Grade” director Bo Burnham with this year’s Best First Film prize, but actually ended up roasting our current climate of backlash to any kind of comedy.
Read moreAmerican Society of Cinematographers Reveals its List of 10 Best-Shot Films of the 20th Century; It Includes ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Tuesday by revealing its list of the best-shot films of the 20th century.
Read moreKevin Spacey Plots Comeback: “Getting offers from Europe and Russia”...
ASC Cinematography Nominations for ‘Roma’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Cold War’
I always look forward to the ASC cinematography nominations because, much like any legitimate cinephile, why wouldn't I? This marks the 100th year anniversary of the prestigious group, which decided to nominate two foreign-language films this year.
Read moreWriters Guild Awards Nominate “Black Panther,” “A Star is Born,” & More; Snub “First Reformed”
A major snub from this year's Writers Guild Awards nominations was Paul Schrader‘s “First Reformed ”screenplay. A film driven by its immaculately calculated screenplay more than anything else. Nope, the WGA believes that “Black Panther” deserves a nomination for its by-the-books script but not Schrader’s – hell, even John Krasinski’s near-wordless script for “A Quiet Place” was nominated.
Read more“Aquaman” Kissing Scene Censored in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, Deemed “Too Graphic”
"Aquaman" has been a resounding success at the worldwide box-office, so, because of its international clout, it has found its way into more, shall we say, conservative areas of the world. By all accounts there doesn't seem to be any need for censorship in director James Wan's PG-13 DC flick, but when in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia ...
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