Many have been trying to pinpoint the exact reasons why Parker Finn’s “Smile” has been such a resounding box-office. After all, it has no big-name actors and the reviews were not that overtly spectacular.

In the December 2022 issue of Total Film (via /Film), James Cameron admits that if "Avatar: The Way of Water" doesn’t do well financially then he might stop making ‘Avatar’ movies after the already-completed third instalment gets released:

Steven Spielberg’s “The Fablemans” is finally getting released in select cities on Friday. That means we’ll be getting more reviews trickling in that could give us a better picture of its current Oscar frontrunner status.

With Edward Berger’s “All Quiet in the Western Front” now on Netflix, seemingly a very popular watch and getting good reviews, what have been the best war movies of the 21st century?

Last month, I reposted a 2019 piece I had written on the turbulent post-production process James Gray had to endure during “Ad Astra. 

From the very late ‘80s to the end of the aughts you couldn’t escape Morgan Freeman’s presence on-screen.

An IMDB Pro update is telling us that Francis Ford Coppola has started production on “Megalopolis” in Georgia.

Quentin Tarantino is not a fan of the MCU. Not a big surprise. Variety reports (via the Los Angeles Times) that, on the press tour for his new book, Tarantino had some none-too-pleasing words for directors who work with Marvel.

Vertical Entertainment has picked up “Misanthrope”, a psychological thriller from Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales).

Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson have decided to team up for their Best International Film predictions. It’s a very competitive race this year and, as we speak, there is really no clear frontrunner.

There are many noteworthy movies in theaters right now: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “TÁR,” “Aftersun,” “Armageddon Time,” “Triangle of Sadness” “Decision to Leave” … So much so that smaller films can easily get lost in the shuffle.

EXCLUSIVE: After “The Whale,” Darren Aronofsky is finally set to shoot his long overdue supernatural “ghost ship” movie “Adrift”.

Eric Roberts has over 700 screen credits to his name and I highly recommend this interview he gave to THR, published today, where he talks about his sprawling career.

UPDATE: Asghar Farhadi has responded to the plagiarism claims and what he says is a smear campaign against him.

Mucho thanks to Eliza Davis who spoke to Paul Schrader and got confirmation that “Master Gardener” will be released on March 30th, 2023. Magnolia Pictures bought Schrader’s latest yesterday morning and will be distributing the film in the US.

So, apparently, Jacques Audiard is set to direct a movie musical, in Spanish, about a trans-Mexican druglord, or something like that. We’ve now learned that filming is set to begin in the summer of 2023.

There’s now a trailer for Wong Kar-wai’s “Blossoms”, with lots of Chinese TV stars in the cast. I Would presume a 2023 airing, maybe even a Cannes world premiere.

I know the general rule here is to never doubt James Cameron, but this just-released “Avatar: The Way of the Water” trailer looks like a video game. I’m sure it’ll be better than that, after all the sky’s the limit when it comes to Cameron’s imagination.

Anne Thompson is again banging the drums for Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” She doesn’t deny that Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” is the frontrunner, but …