Directed by Cory Finley (“Thoroughbreds”) from a screenplay written by Mike Makowsky, who was a student in the Roslyn School District when the film takes place (mid-aughts), “Bad Education” is darkly hilarious tackling of the most egregious and lucrative financial crime in the history of the US school system.
Read more‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ has Tom Hanks in the Role he was Born to Play — TIFF Review
Just a year after Morgan Neville’s indispensable documentary on Mister Rogers (“Won’t You Be My NeighboUr?”), director Marielle Heller’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood” has iconic everyman Tom Hanks playing the good-hearted children’s TV host in a role that not only perfectly suits him but embodies everything we love about the legendary Oscar-winning actor.
Read more‘Just Mercy’ Cannot Overcome its Oscar-Bait Conventions — TIFF Review
The saga of Harvard grad Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) is brought to the screen by way of Destin Daniel Cretton’s frustratingly conventional “Just Mercy.”
Read more‘The Two Popes’ Features Awards-Worthy Performances From Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce — TIFF Review
In 2013, progressive Cardinal Bergoglio and soon-to-be Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) paid a visit to conservative Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) so that he could tend his letter of resignation to him. Surrounded by controversy, Benedict shunned it off, saying it was bad timing for his cohort to exit at a time when he was being accused of turning a blind eye on inner corruption at the Vatican. What followed was a debate between two very different mindsets and their particular views on the best path forward for the Catholic Church in the 21st century.
Read moreOpinion: Todd Phillips’ Joker wins Venice’s Golden Lion — What's Next?
In a hugely historic turn of events, Todd Phillips’ Joaquin Phoenix starring “Joker” has taken the top prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Read moreANIMATED FILM
FRONTRUNNERS
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Toy Story 4
Missing Link
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
The Secret Life of Pets 2
MAJOR THREATS
Weathering With You
Abominable
I Lost My Body
STILL TO SEE
Frozen 2
Funan
Another Day of Life
Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles
Klaus
Spies in Disguise
The Addams Family
‘Joker’ Wins Golden Lion at Venice; Polanski Finishes With Second Place Prize
Well, this is a shock.
Read moreWoody Allen Says He's “Done Everything That The #MeToo Movement Would Love To Achieve"
Quentin Tarantino to Turn ‘Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood’ into Netflix Miniseries
Back in Easter time, news dropped unexpectedly that Quentin Tarantino would be dropping his eighth Movie, 2015’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ onto Netflix as an episodic series, containing all the footage he shot for the Movie that sadly, didn’t make it to the final cut.
Read moreBen Wheatley to helm Tomb Raider sequel
In an extremely surprising turn of events, Ben Wheatley, best known as a director of cult films such as ‘Kill List’, ‘High Rise’, and ‘Free Fire’, will be helming the sequel to Alicia Vikander Tomb Raider reboot that hit screens last year.
Read moreOlivia Wilde Says Poor ‘Booksmart’ Box-Office Was Due to People Being ‘More Accustomed To Male-Dominated Comedies”
Critics and celebs wanted to push “Booksmart” on audiences, what with its glorious 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and an impressive 85 on Metacritic. However, its ‘B+’ CinemaScore should have been a concern. Yes, that is a fine rating from audiences polled exiting the movie, but it’s not the kind of score that necessarily leads to incredible word-of-mouth. For that, you probably need an A, especially for a low-budget film such as this one, with barely any big stars and a box-office-debilitating R rating to boot.
Read more‘Waves' Trailer Sets Up Trey Edward Shults' Critically Acclaimed Festival Hit
Some of you may have missed out on 2016’s hidden masterpiece, Trey Edward Shults’ “Krisha.” However, there is a vocal fanbase behind the film and many are starting to see Shults as one of the most talented young indie filmmakers to come around in ages. “Krisha” was a movie that defied standard film experiences, and felt way ahead of its time — it could prove to be, in the forseeable future, a pivotal moment in film history. A scathing, Kubrick-ian vision of a family reunion from hell, “Krisha” not only turned out to be a miracle for the work of art that it was, but it also felt damn near miraculous to have such an intimate and independently financed film, shot in nine days with a cast consisting mostly of Shults’ family, existing in the current cinematic zeitgeist.
Read more‘Shawshank Redemption' Director Doesn't Think the Movie Could Be Made Today
“The Shawshank Redemption” was released in 1994 to good but not great reviews — however, over the last two decades, the Frank Darabont-directed movie has aged like fine wine. Not only is it now one of the most heralded movies in history, having topped the IMDb’s list of highest-rated films for more than a decade now, but it is also a selection in the Library of Congress. That’s how important ‘Shawshank’ is.
Read more‘American Factory' is an Incisive Look at the Cultural Divide Between East and West [Review]
After winning a prize at Sundance last January, the documentary “American Factory” was acquired by Netflix and is now available to stream.
Read moreScarlett Johansson Says Woody Allen is Innocent: “I Believe Him, And I Would Work With Him Anytime”
Scarlett Johansson, one of the most famous people on earth, has finally come out and defended Woody Allen, a director whom she has worked with as an actress in three movies ( “Match Point,” “Scoop,” and “ Vicky Cristina Barcelona”).
Read moreRoman Polanski's ‘An Officer and a Spy’ Tops Critics Polls at Venice
A kind person by the name of Takeru over at Awards Watch decided to tabulate the average scores from the four main critics poll happening at Venice ( international, FIPRESCI, Italian and Russian grids). Is it a surprise that Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” tops the list with an average score of 4.15? Of course not. If you read French film criticism, like I do, you would know that Roman Polanski’s latest has been garnering glowing reviews in Europe. However, American critics have, unsurprisingly, panned the film.
Read moreMartin Scorsese Calls Adam Driver the ‘Greatest Actor of his Generation’
“The Dead Don’t Die.” “The Report.” “Marriage Story.” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” 2019 has quickly become the year of Adam Driver. And Even with three of those Movies still to be released, and with Martin Scorsese in attendance to hand out one of Telluride’s silver medallions to Driver this weekend, whilst also calling him ‘the greatest actor of his generation’. Just how did he become one of the finest actors working today.
Read moreGaspar Noe's New Version of ‘Irreversible’ Re-Cut Chronologically Into ‘Another Film'
As the Venice Film Festival closes in on its final days we should probably mention that controversial filmmaker Gaspar Noe is there to screen a new cut of his film 2002 film “Irreversible,” but told in chronological order.
Read more‘Jojo Rabbit’ Trailer: Director Taika Waititi's “Anti-Hate” Satire Goes For Oscar
Fox Searchlight has released a full trailer for “Jojo Rabbit,” which will be world premiering at TIFF this coming Sunday.
Read more‘Joker' on Track for $100M Opening?
Warner Brothers' R-rated “Joker” may very well end up nabbing blockbuster numbers at the Box-Office.
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