I’ll admit it, I was one of the journalists suckered by the rumor that Captain Marvel, the upcoming blockbuster from Marvel Studios, was being review bombed by fanboys. I should have known better.
Read moreEx-Paramount CEO: Hollywood is now irrelevant because of Netflix and Disney Monopoly.
The elite Hollywood directors that have clamoring about the demise of the “theatrical experience” need to man-up and accept the concessions being made by Netflix. Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Christopher Nolan have to accept that this is where cinema is headed and that Netflix has become a Godsend in terms of being a place where viable adult entertainment is now made. You know, the mid-tier budgeted movie ($ 40-50 million) that most people say Hollywood just does churn out anymore because, well, they are monetary risks. And so, Netflix to the rescue!
Read moreJussie Smollett Has Been Indicted By A Grand Jury
Investigators are tightening their grip of evidence against Jussie Smollett, the scam artist/actor of “Empire,” to the point where he is now officially convicted of a crime .
Read moreThe First Tweet Reactions to “Captain Marvel" are Positive; What? Did You Really Think Critics Would Be Negative?
Well, consider me completely shocked by the overwhelmingly positive first reaction tweets for Marvel’s upcoming “Captain Marvel.” SHOCKED! I’m being sarcastic, of course, but name me another MCU movie that hasn’t had a positive overall tweet reaction? It’s pathetic how critics just stoop down and try to find the best combination of words to get those likes/retweets. Even a few of the critics seem to not be completely on-board have decided to just post whatever positives they saw, X-off the negatives. This isn’t film criticism, sorry. It’s just tweeting.
Read more“Roma” Oscar Frontrunner? Does That Mean the Oscar-Bait movie dead?
I wrote a little entry for IndieWire concerning the best and most pleasant surprise of this Oscar season:
“The silver lining for me is the fact that an artful and completely plotless film such as Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” is the Best Picture frontrunner. A film that, if it wins the top prize on February 24th, will have most mainstream moviegoers scratching their heads in total and utter confusion. This would have surely never happened in any other decade. You can feel the influence of the great neorealist filmmakers like Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rossellini all over this film, which justifiably leads me to believe that a win by “Roma” would be akin to an “Umberto D” or “La Strada” winning a Best Picture Oscar back in the ’50s. Unthinkable! Has the “Oscar-bait” film finally died? Can a “Roma” win finally put to rest the idea of what an “Oscar movie” should be? Maybe, just maybe, the academy’s tastes in film are being refined with each passing year. Of course, this theory could be completely sabotaged by a “Green Book” win, and we’re right back at square one.”
Asghar Farhadi's “Everybody Knows" is a Crushing Disappointment [Review]
Asghar Farhadi has built a career out of making masterful family dramas. With "About Elly," "A Separation," "The Past," and "The Salesman," the Iranian-born writer-director has put his name on the shortlist of world-class directors. I can count these rare and incisively talented filmmakers in less than two hands. So it pains me to be the bearer of bad news that the 46-year-old filmmaker's latest film, the Spanish-language drama "Everybody Knows," is not a bad movie, in fact it's half-decent, but that we've come to expect much more from him. Sometimes, expectations really do dictate how you feel about a film. This is the perfect example, as Farhadi's latest is a whodunit about a missing daughter and her mother, who painstakingly tries to put the clues together to find her.
Read moreSpielberg says “Green Book" is his favorite buddy movie since “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
I get asked practically every day “what movie should I watch?” by normal moviegoers, It’s become such a mundane question, given that you have to figure out what kind of movie tastes the person asking you has; Do they like drama? arthouse? Token Hollywood-ist conventionality? It’s very hard to just blurt out “Roma!” to every single person that asks me the question because, truth be told, “Roma” is not as easily accessible a movie as say “Green Book.” However, I’ve been just saying “Green Book” to everyone ever since November. It’s such an easy choice to make. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser that has an A+ CinemaScore and an impressive 8.3 rating on IMDB. You’d be hard pressed to find a Joe or Jane popcorn moviegoer that didn’t like Peter Farrelly’s oscar-nominated film. I sure as hell haven’t. Everybody I’ve recommended it to came back to me raving about it.
Read moreBret Easton Ellis: “If talent and merit are replaced by representation [then] we’re not living in a world that cares about movies anymore"
Easton Ellis and I tend to align with the same jam of thoughts when it comes to the hysterical, over-the-top, attempt by Hollywood to force inclusivity in movies down our throats instead of letting progress takes its form, shape into an organic, effortless movement, which is, by all means, what was happening before #OscarsSoWhite showed up and then the #TimesUp movement was used as an agenda in the industry as well. Don’t get me wrong, the African-American cinematic movement happening currently is invigorating and excitingly fresh, ditto the amount of great female directors we have had emerge the past few years, but, at the end of the day, a good movie is a good movie is a good movie, as they say.
Read moreNadav Lapid's Scathingly Original “Synonyms" Wins Berlin
I had written this on the Awards Watch forums a few days before Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms” was about to screen at the Berlin Film Festival, where it ended up winning the Golden Bear this past weekend.
Read more‘Leaving Neverland’ Trailer: Problematic and One-Sided HBO Documentary Has Abuse Victims Speaking Out
I saw Dan Reed’s problematic “Leaving Neverland” a week, or so, ago and it disturbed me in more ways than one. First off, the graphically detailed description by James Safechuck and Mark Robson of how Jackson sexually abused them as kids makes for some uncomfortable viewing. But also, if you know the background of these two guys, Robson has, by all accounts, lied under oath about Jackson in a court of law, among other sketchy things, you start to also become disturbed by Reed’s one-sided argument.
Read moreWriters Guild Awards 2019 Winners: ‘Eighth Grade' and ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?' win Original and Adapted Screenplay
I have to give my sincerest congratulations to Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade”) for winning the WGA’s Original Screenplay award, which goes against the entire narrative the academy tried to write for this years awards season. “To the other nominees in the category, have fun at the Oscars, losers!’” Burnham said at the podium. As you can imagine, Burnham wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, but who cares, right?
Read moreJussie Smollett’s drama is further proof that we have a journalism problem in this country.
The Jussie Smollett story should be used as a cautionary tale by anyone that practices journalism.
Read moreBruno Ganz, Known for “Downfall” and “Wings of Desire," Dead at 77
Bruno Ganz has passed on at the age 77.
Wim Wenders kickstarted Ganz’ career with the critically acclaimed “The American Friend” in 1977 and then solidified that inimitable German ennui with “Wings of Desire” in 1987. However, millennials will forever recognize him as the guy that played Adolf Hitler in Oliver Hirschbiegel‘s “Downfall,” which will live in infamy on YouTube because of those thousands of mock videos. But it also is the definitive cinematic portrayal of Adolf Hitler. No doubt about it. Oh, and how about his turn in Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu the Vampyre”? The guy was a sheer delight to behold.
He most recently appeared in Lars von Trier’s “The House that Jack Built.” Other credits of his include “The Reader” and “Unknown” Ganz is costarring in Terrence Malick‘s “Radegund,” which may or may not be released this year. Who knows.
‘Long Shot’ Trailer: Seth Rogen & Charlize Theron Are An Unlikely Match
Quality comedy is scant these days, but “Long Shot” (formerly known as “Flarsky”), starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, looks decent.
Read more“High Flying Bird" is messy, slight and overstuffed with ideas but its ambitions are undeniably exciting [Review]
Ray Burke (Andre Holland) is a top-notch New York sports agent that seems to have hit the big time by getting the rights to represent a basketball phenom named Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), only problem is that there’s a lockout and it’s preventing Scott and many other rookies from getting their first NBA paychecks, leaving them unsure of their future. Enter Burke, an ingenious on-the-spot groundbreaker, who decides to push the envelope a bit by trying to bring the players association and owners together with well-constructed set-ups and .. well just watch the movie.
Read moreAcademy Caves on Cinematography and Editing Oscars, They Will be Presented Live.
There were protests and, surprisingly, the Academy listened.
The controversial decision to temporarily ax handing out Oscars for Best Cinematography, Editing, Short Subject and Makeup/Hair Design has been cancelled. Now all 24 Oscars will be presented live. Another stupid decision that the Academy has now all but publicly regretted. Just like the Outstanding Popular Oscar category and just like choosing Kevin Hart as Oscar host. It’s been a pathetically entertaining awards season, now it’s time for the icing on the cake; “Green Book” winning Best Picture.
These people sure know what they're doing. With all of this interference from ABC, the Academy should just distance themselves from the network who clearly have insurmountably high expectations for the Oscars.
“Leaving Neverland" Feels More Like an Opportunistic Hit-Piece Rather Than a Documentary [Review]
I can “review” HBO’s upcoming “Leaving Neverland” or just give an opinionated schema of Michael Jackson and his history of sexual abuse allegations towards underaged teenage boys. I’ll try to do both.
Read moreJ.J. Abrams Wraps ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Filming, Posts Emotional Cast Photo
J.J. Abrams has announced, via Twitter, that “Star Wars: Episode IX” has wrapped up its principal photography. He also went on to post an emotional cast photo with members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac hugging on set.
Read moreOf Course, Regina King Doesn't Deserve the Oscar for “Beale Street”
Listen, Regina King’s performance in “If Beale Street Could Talk” was perfectly fine, but worthy of a Best Supporting Actress win? Of course not. Pundits and critics going the King route are either a) virtue signaling and/or b) a social media-backed wolf pack of Jenkins aficionados. Talk to most normal moviegoers that have nothing on the line except their unadorned and honest taste on movies and they will tell you King doesn’t deserve it. It doesn’t help that she was snubbed by SAG two months ago, ditto BAFTA.
Read moreThe Upcoming 91st Academy Awards Could Very Well Be a S****Show For the Ages
We all know the months that have led up to the upcoming 91st Oscars telecast have had the kind of veracity that can only be described as nothing but a shitshow. Forget about the incredulous backlash towards films such as “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” for a sec, I’m talking more about the three major faux-pas that the Academy did, starting from August of 2018 until this past week. (a) the Best Achievement in Popular Film Oscar idea, (b) the Kevin Hart fiasco, and (c) handing out Cinematography and Editing during commercial breaks.
Read more
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.