‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Screening For Press on December 6th

I was told that “Avatar: The Way of Water” won’t screen for press until December 6th in NYC. That’s just around nine days before Thursday previews begin for James Cameron’s 192-minute epic. The social media embargo will lift at 6PM ET on 12.06, the review embargo on 12.13 at 12PM ET.

This means that, unless any last-minute screenings are added, New York (NYFCC) and Los Angeles (LAFCA) film critics won’t get to see the movie before voting on their annual awards. Maybe 20th Century will set up a special screening for National Board of Review members ahead of their vote?

It’s not like ‘The Way of Water’ was ever going to be a critical darling, but you’d expect it to be seen in advance by critics. We all suspect 20th Century will be mounting an Oscar campaign for this film … unless reviews turn out to be terribly mediocre.

Meanwhile, you have “Babylon” having already been screened for press last week and it’s only coming out on December 23rd. Other contenders: “Emancipation” is supposedly eyeing a screening the week of its release (12.2.22). As for “A Man Called Otto,” it will be screened in Los Angeles on December 5th.

Can Nathan Fielder’s ‘You Can See Everything’ Make Oscar History as the First “Documentary” Nominated for Best Picture?

In the Academy’s 97-year history, no documentary has ever been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar? Fielder’s doc is being tipped as potentially making history — but is it even non-fiction?

Ridley Scott Claims ‘Treasure Island’ Will Be the Most Expensive Movie of His Career

Scott says it could be “the highest budget film” of his career” before accounting for tax incentives.” If Scott isn’t bullsh*tting here, and lord knows he might be, that would put the cost in the $200M+ range.

Brady Corbet’s ‘The Origin of the World,’ His ‘X-Rated’ 4-Hour Follow-Up to ‘The Brutalist,’ Begins Production in South Africa

Brady Corbet's “The Origin of the World,” his X-Rated epic about "Northern California’s economy" in the 1970s epic, has now started production in South Africa under the working title “SALT FLATS.”

Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘If Love Should Die’ is Finally Happening — Renate Reinsve Vicky Krieps, Johnny Flynn to Star

Hansen-Løve has a new film — a period piece set in England. “If Love Should Die” will focus on the 18th-century English philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft. This was announced three years ago, and it is finally happening.

Venice 2026: Koreeda’s ‘Look Back’ Disappoints, el-Toukhy’s ‘Woman Unknown’ Provokes, Moretti Surprises

Venice keeps trudging along. Twelve of the 21 films in competition have now been screened. Tomorrow, we’ll get to see Casey Affleck’s “Company,” Florian Zeller’s “Bunker,” and Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s “DAU.”

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Good/Great Movies That Don't Deserve Their “Rotten" Scores

These 31 titles clearly have their share of detractors — that’s why they’re “rotten” — and I expect some people to question a few of these picks. That’s fine. However, I believe most are strong films, worth reevaluating.

‘Dune: Part Three’ Reportedly “Blew Away" Warner Bros. With Rough 3-Hour Cut as New Teaser Stuns

Today, “Dune: Part Three” tickets went on sale, this time non-premium formats were made available, and it was all accompanied by a brand-new teaser—and the footage is stunning.

What is David Fincher’s Best Film? 100+ Critics Say, No Contest, It’s ‘Zodiac’

We managed to gather 118 ballots from critics, programmers, filmmakers, and scholars. Each was asked to submit a single title, the one they believe to be the best of Fincher’s filmography.

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Glimpses of the Moon’ (Apparently) Starts Production This Month in Italy

Coppola has described “Glimpses” as a “strange 30s-style musical.” No cast has been announced. The film is a loose adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, “inspired” by Leo McCarey’s “The Awful Truth.”

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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