The 59th New York Film Festival has made it official. Jane Campion’s “The Power of Dog” will screen there as part of its prestigious Centerpiece slot on October 1st. Before then, it is slated to world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, in early September, and will have its North American premiere a few days after that at Telluride. No word yet on TIFF.
Read more‘Old’: M. Night Shyamalan is Back in the Cinematic Gutter [Review]
M. Night Shyamalan is a brand. His name alone being stamped on a trailer can bring asses to seats. In his latest film, the India-born director squanders the promise he showed in his 2016 comeback vehicle, “Split,” by again riffing on a “Twilight Zone”-like premise, but with mixed results.
Read more‘Pig’: Subdued Nicolas Cage Performance Can’t Compensate For Weak Script [Review]
“Pig,” written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (who co-wrote the story with Vanessa Block) is a film that strains for self-importance. What it does have going for it is a mournful and endearing performance by Nicolas Cage as a loner looking for his kidnapped truffle pig.
Read moreVenice Lineup Includes Almodovar, Campion, Larrain, Schrader, Sorrentino — Coen and Dominik Rejected?
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I can finally mention that the reason why Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” was not at Venice, and that I wasn’t including it in my predictions all these weeks, was due to the fact that it was rejected by the Venezia selection committee.
Read more‘JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass’: Oliver Stone’s Potent Re-examination Deserves U.S. Distribution
It’s been 30 years since Oliver Stone released his controversial “JFK” — an exhaustively brilliant account of the conspiracy behind President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. His latest treatment on the subject, which played earlier this month at the Cannes Film Festival, is the never-less-than-absorbing documentary “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.”
Read moreDarren Aronofsky's ‘The Whale' Now Set For 2022 Release
Darren Aronofsky’s completed “The Whale” will not be released this year, this according to my source connected to the film’s distributor, A24. You can forget a Venice Film Festival bow, which has been a place where Aronofsky premiered four of his last five films.
Read moreJordan Peele's ‘Nope' Plot Being Kept in Absolute Secrecy
I will follow writer-director Jordan Peele whichever direction he chooses to go next in his career. After all, his first two films, “Get Out” and “Us,” weren’t just box-office smashes, but worthy examples of top-tier socially-conscious horror.
Read moreRobert Eggers’ ‘The Northman’ Currently Undergoing Reshoots
Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” is currently undergoing an intense series of reshoots, this after poorly received test screenings put a damper on the possibility of it being released in 2021.
Read morePoorly-Reviewed Mark Wahlberg Drama ‘Joe Bell’ Was Re-Edited and Being Released on Friday [Review]
At first, Mark Wahlberg’s TIFF-premiered film, “Good Joe Bell” was simply retitled “Joe Bell,” but then we learned that it wasn’t even going to be the same film that screened in Toronto last September. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s re-edited version reorganized the flashbacks, cut a few scenes out and included new footage, but it currently sits at 42% on the Tomatometer. So, despite going back to the editing room, the quality of “Joe Bell” doesn’t seem to have improved.
Read moreJoel Coen's ‘The Tragedy of MacBeth' Set to Open 59th New York Film Festival
Joel Coen’s upcoming “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Now it is set to open the 59th New York Film Festival on September 24th. Bypassing Telluride and Venice a foregone conclusion in my world, but this only makes NYFF more likely the place to be for cinephiles in September (sorry, Toronto).
‘Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain’: Doc Tackles The Life and Death of the Celebrated Chef [Review]
The late Anthony Bourdain seemed to have the perfect life: a young daughter, money, and the kind of show that felt more like a vacation than actual work. The venerable chef traveled the world, to the most interesting cities, eating the best food those locations had to offer and rejoicing in the simplest pleasures of life. But that didn’t seem to be enough.
Read moreThe Best Films of Cannes 2021
This was a Cannes Film Festival that reignited my love for the movies. Sure, the lineup wasn’t on-par with the remarkable 2016, 2018 and 2019 editions of the festival, but its main goal was met: to reboot le septième art. And, it worked. Oh, so wonderfully. To be surrounded again by friends, old and new, to again be at the mecca of the medium, no words could describe how important and vital this 74th edition of the festival was to rev back up the engine again.
Read moreWhat Will Play at Telluride ‘21?
A major mystery when it comes to this year’s fall fests is what films will actually show up at TIFF, Telluride, Venice and New York. Toronto got the ball rolling yesterday with their slate of Galas and Special Presentation titles. However, the hybrid format this year in Toronto seems to have gotten some studios to pull out titles that were originally planned to be screened there.
Read moreTIFF Announces Gala Premieres and Special Presentations ...
It could just be that we’re in for another mediocre fall festival season, but the Toronto International Film Festival disappointed plenty this morning when they announced their galas and special presentations titles. It’s not that there aren’t potential golden nuggets here, but, rather, it’s the movies we thought would be there that is giving plenty, including myself, reasons for concern.
Read moreCannes 2021 Critics Poll Results: ‘Titane,’ ‘The Souvenir Part II,’ and ‘Red Rocket’ Nab Most Votes
Over 35 critics who attended the 2021 Cannes Film Festival were included in a poll that asked them to name the 5 best films they saw on the croisette for this 74th edition of the prestigious festival.
Read more6 Movies Featuring Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has been around for much longer than many of you would think. When the first commercial VR headsets hit the market in the 1990s, everyone wanted one – briefly, then the technology returned to the dark. It re-emerged almost a decade ago – and this time it seems here to stay. VR has been embraced by a variety of industries, from movies and gaming (especially gaming) to education and even casinos. Pretty soon, if all goes well, the most popular online casino Canada has to offer may launch its VR variant – the software is ready to deploy, showcased years ago at trade fairs. The day when you can step into JackpotCity, choose your gaming table and toss a few chips on the virtual roulette table is coming closer each day.
Read moreCannes Boss Exclaims 2021 Edition of the Festival “Proved That Cinemas Are Not Superspreader Events”
You have to hand it to Cannes head honcho Thierry Fremaux. He pulled it off. The 2021 Cannes Film Festival went on, during a pandemic, without much of a glitch. There was incredibly accessible on-site testing, a majority of attendees were fully vaccinated, and mandatory mask-wearing at every screening. All this as close to a total of 500 movie screenings were packed to the rafters, with no social distancing whatsoever. It worked. Goddamit, it worked.
Read morePaul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Soggy Bottom’ Aiming for New York Film Festival World Premiere
You can -almost- forget about Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Soggy Bottom” premiering at Venice or Telluride. A little birdie is telling me that the New York Film Festival is very close to nabbing the world premiere to the film.
Read morePedro Almodóvar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’ Set To Open 78th Venice Film Festival
Pedro Almodóvar’s new film “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penelope Cruz, will open the upcoming Venice Film Festival in September. Almodóvar’s film, which was shot during the pandemic, will world premiere in competition on September 1st and the festival will run until September 11th.
Read more‘Where is Anne Frank’: A Dark-less History Lesson For Kids [Cannes]
Kitty, the imaginary teen friend addressed in Anne Frank’s diaries, ends up being the main character in Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank?”.
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