Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’ is Sinking With 58 Metascore

This has thus far been a fall festival season of disappointments. One of the prime letdowns has got to be Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” which I’ll be watching next week at TIFF.

“Empire of Light” currently has a 58 on Metacritic and 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. I keep hearing the reception at Telluride was “warmly polite”. You can bet pundits will try to push this one all season long. Folks like Jeffrey Wells, Sasha Stone, Pete Hammond, Scott Feinberg and Clayton Davis are praising “Empire of Light”, but critics? They have their fangs out for Mendes.

We can theorize that in the past, critically-maligned films like “The Blind Side” (53 MC Score), “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” (46) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (49) still managed to receive Best Picture nominations. Nothing is impossible. We shouldn’t completely discount Mendes’ film from the Oscar race.

The film will now screen at TIFF. It should be warmly received there, like all movies that play that festival. Based on the reviews, Olivia Colman could still get that Oscar nomination, but the film itself? I’ll weigh in on that when I see it next week.

Mendes is a competent filmmaker who has, for the most part, avoided this kind of critical bashing in his 23 year filmmaking career. The sole exceptions being “Away We Go,” “Jarhead” and “Spectre.”

Joel Coen’s ‘Jack of Spades’ Is a Gothic Mystery Based on a 1901 Novel, With Patsy Ferran “Dynamite” in the Lead

I can confirm that Joel Coen’s “Jack of Spades” is based on Frances Frederica Montrésor’s 1901 novel “The Alien: A Story of Middle Age.” It’s a ghost story. A gothic mystery.

Kendrick Lamar & ‘South Park’ Creators’ ‘Whitney Springs’ Budget Almost Hits $150M, Still Unfinished

Stone and Parker’s “Whitney Springs” still isn’t finished. The budget has skyrocketed to over $100M. Stone and Parker have taken full responsibility for the delay.

Michael Mann Has “Secretly Recut” ‘Miami Vice’ for a New “Director’s Final Cut” to Premiere in October

I’m not sure how this is going to turn out, but Michael Mann “secretly recut” his ‘Miami Vice’ movie, which has now led to the 4k restoration, a “Director’s Fina Cut,” to world premiere on October 3.

Paul Feig to Direct ‘The Italian Job’ Sequel for Paramount

Wait, what? According to Deadline, Paul Feig is going to direct an “Italian Job” sequel for Paramount. No word yet on cast returns. A writer is supposed to be hired soon for the script.

‘Digger’ Final Trailer Teases Iñárritu’s Apocalyptic Satire With Tom Cruise

We’re just 24 days away from its release, yet there doesn’t seem to be much excitement building around this film. The marketing has not worked.

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.

Joaquin Phoenix Reuniting with Mike Mills for Next Film, Shooting in January 2027

Phoenix is set to reunite with Mills on this next film, which is being distributed by A24 and starts shooting January 2027. This will be Phoenix’s first film since “Eddington.”

Paul Thomas Anderson Has Already Chosen His Next Film, Jonny Greenwood Says

“Paul is getting close to pressing the button on the next film, I believe, and I’m already trying to learn a new instrument that would be central to it,” Greenwood tells Screen Daily.

Ridley Scott Says “I Didn’t Say That” After Calling ‘The Dog Stars’ His Best Movie Since ‘The Martian’

In June 2026, Scott told The Buyer that “The Dog Stars” is “probably the best movie I’ve done since The Martian.” He’s now denying he ever said that.

Todd Field-Written ‘The Girls’ Sets Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic to Direct, November Shoot

Cinephiles another Todd Field movie, and although we might have to wait for his next directorial effort, “The Girls” will have to suffice for now.

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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