A roundup to come …
Read more‘Madres Paralelas’: First Look at Pedro Almodóvar’s New Film Starring Penélope Cruz, and Rossy de Palma
It didn’t take much time for director Almodóvar's next movie to be announced. The Spanish-Language “Madres Paralelas” (Parallel Mothers), which will be the legendary director’s 23rd feature-length film, wrapped production this past April. It stars Almodóvar regular Penelope Cruz.
Read more78-Year-Old Harrison Ford Set to Start Shooting ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Next Week
“Indiana Jones 5” will start filming in the UK next week. Steven Spielberg will not be directing the fifth instalment. Instead, it has been confirmed that director James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Logan”) will be taking over directing duty.
Read moreClint Eastwood Turns 91
Let’s just pause for a moment and cherish the fact that not only is this legendary actor-director still alive, but that he is also releasing a movie every year. In total, ever since his 1971 debut “Play Misty For Me,” Eastwood has directed 39 movies. Some great, some good, some not so good — these ups and downs come with the game, but his worth as a Hollywood auteur with a singular voice is undeniable.
Read moreCannes 2021: Final Predictions
And so, we’ve come to my final predictions before the Cannes 2021 lineup is revealed this Wednesday. As expected, a lot has changed these last few days. We have a more concrete idea of how everything will shape out, although surprises are still in store between now and the 3rd. I have confidence most, if not, all of these 21 films will be part of the competition:
Read moreMare of Easttown: Kate Winslet’s Tour-de-Force Performance as Grief-Stricken Cop is One of Her Very Best [Review]
The best TV show of 2021 so far has to be HBO’s “Mare of Easttown,” whose final episode aired last night. And although it had one too many twists for its own good, it completed director Craig Zobel’s shock-a-minute creation in more-than-satisfying fashion.
Read moreBox Office: 'A Quiet Place II' Nabs Biggest Pandemic-Era Debut With $57M...
“A Quiet Place II” is set to open with a resounding $57 million this Memorial Day weekend. This from 3,726 North American theaters, with some experts even predicting that the film will hit the $60 million mark. “A Quiet Place II” is the largest opening weekend of the pandemic, surpassing March release “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which raked in $48.5 million in its first five days. This bodes well for the the industry’s moviegoing comeback, after over a year of pandemic shutdowns and delays. Over the next few weeks, potential blockbusters such as “F9,” “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Old,” and “The Suicide Squad” are all set to roll into theatres.
Park Chan-wook’s ‘Decision to Leave’ Will Not be at Cannes 2021; Aiming For Venice. PTA and Ostlund also Out.
Park Chan-wook’s "Decision to Leave" won't be at Cannes. Korean news has confirmed that the film wasn’t submitted because it just isn’t ready. They don't know whether it will be ready this year or not, but a Venice premiere could still be in the table.
Read more‘Port Authority': Martin Scorsese-Produced Queer Romance Rings False [Capsule]
As I sat down in my usual go-to aisle seat at the Cannes Film Festival’s famous DeBussy theater, I had more-than-decent expectations for Danielle Lessovitz’ “Port Authority,” which was produced by none other than Martin Scorsese. Fast track two years later, and the film is being given a limp-dick release on VOD and “select theaters.”
Read more‘A Quiet Place Part II': Silence Has Never Been So Suspenseful [Review]
Whisper it quietly, the world of “A Quiet Place” is (finally) back. Hitting big screens over year after it was originally supposed to, and well worth the wait.
Read more‘Old’: Does M. Night Shyamalan Still Have a Good Movie Left in Him? [Trailer]
“Old” much like most Shyamalan endeavours, has a secretive plot, we probably won’t know too much about it until we actually see the film, which is set to be released on July 23rd.
Read moreCannes 2021: ‘Stillwater' to World Premiere; ‘The French Dispatch' Finally Announced
The final week before the Cannes Film Festival announces its lineup is always an exhausting one for Thierry Fremaux and his stalwart team of uber-cinephiles. I’m being told that only 80% of the lineup has, more or less, been locked up. There is still a lot of work to be done before the big June 4th announcement of the entire selection.
Read more‘Cruella’: A Disney-fied Product That Isn’t As Dark or Gritty As it Believes Itself to Be [Review]
A movie like “Cruella” isn’t as edgy as it thinks it is. It’s a Disney-friendly take on what should have been very dark and disturbing material. Overdriven by a soundtrack infused with pop songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, director Craig Gillespie’s origin story of the “101 Dalmatians” villainess is a lot of movie, in fact 133 minutes worth of it.
Read more‘The Underground Railroad': Fantasy Version of Slavery is Meant to Cuddle the ‘Safe Space’ Generation [Review]
Here is a fantasy version of slavery. “The Underground Railroad”, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead's 2016 novel of the same name, was directed and largely written by one Barry Jenkins. The end result of this ten-episode Amazon series is an incoherent mess jammed with useless soliloquys, unnecessarily redundant flashbacks and ill-advised preciousness. This is to be expected from media-driven “auteur” Jenkins. As much as his champions would like not to believe it, Jenkins is not a subtle filmmaker; quite the opposite, almost every frame he conceives in his films might as well come with an exclamation point in the end.
Read moreFirst Trailer: Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’ Shot Like a Giallo?
Edgar Wright. Psychological Horror. Set in the ’60s. Starring Thomasin Mackenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. We don’t know much else, but sign us up.
Read moreActor John Cena Apologizes on Social Media in Chinese for Calling the Country of Taiwan … a Country
Actor John Cena went on social media this week to apologize for calling the country of Taiwan … a country. Not just that, but he made the apology in Mandarin. What a pinhead!
Read moreChloe Zhao’s ‘Eternals’ Looks ... Bland [Trailer]
Chloe Zhao directs the big screen adaptation of Jack Kirby’s “Eternals” for Marvel. I was rather disappointed by this at first, Zhao directed one of the year's very best films “The Rider,” and won the Oscar this year for “Nomadland,” merging a groundbreaking blend of fiction and non-fiction into her stories, but signing on to a Marvel movie as a follow-up is not something I anticipated this talented artist to do.
Read moreKevin Spacey Set to Star in Italian Movie Directed By Franco Nero; His First Acting Role in Over 5 Years.
Kevin Spacey needs to act. It’s his drug. He was hooked on acting for close to four decades before he was blacklisted due to #MeToo allegations brought forth against him four years ago. The 60-year-old actor even admitted to having gotten offers from European financiers to act in their movies. However, it seems as though he has finally found his first film role since the epic takedown of his career.
Read moreHas the ‘Fast and Furious’ Franchise Ever Been Good?
Yes, the ninth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise will be a very popular movie for the low-IQ movie crowd and they tend to show up in droves to watch these movies. The lures of this never-ending franchise has always been the fast cars, but “The French Connection,” “Death Proof,” “Drive,” “Bullit,” “Ronin,” or even “Baby Driver” this is not.
Read more‘In the Heights’ Review Will Have to Wait ...
I almost never have a problem getting access to an advanced screening or screener, so it puzzles me that I’ve basically been ghosted by the Warner Bros. team behind Lin Manuel-Miranda’s upcoming musical “In the Heights” (HBO Max, 06.11.21).
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It’s been seven years since Alma Har’el’s feature debut, “Honey Boy,” which was written by and starred Shia LaBeouf — she is now set to direct her next film, with a very talented cast.