'Star is Born' is our Best Picture front-runner, but watch out for 'Green Book'

October 29, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Before I tackle the Best Picture Oscar race, here are a few important takeaways when it comes to this weekend's box-office totals:

The slasher genre has most definitely been reignited with "Halloween." David Gordon Green's sequel to the 1978 classic topped the box-office yet again, in its second week of action, with a strong $32M weekend. That puts its 2-week total at a whopping $132M. Watch out for a major bump this week as it seems to be the only Halloween-centered movie currently in theaters and many will want a fright night at the cinema on the 31st.

'First Man': Do Millennials Actually Care About the Moon Landing?

October 15, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I'm sorry folks, I just can't get on-board the "First Man" train, not for particularly political reasons, such as what Richard Brody and Armond White seem to be doing, no, I believe Chazelle's film was rather stilted, impenetrable if you will -- it didn't help that I couldn't care less about the moon landing in the first place.

Yes, the film is about a huge, earth-shaking event, one which I wasn't alive to bear witness to or understand the importance of, but, truth be told, what did government exactly accomplish by going to the moon? Stealing American's precious tax-paying dollars?

'First Man' Backlash Coming From All Directions: "It's Not Patriotic Enough," "It's Too Patriotic," "It's Too White," ...

October 13, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

"First Man" has been surrounded by idiotic controversies ever since its world premiere at Venice this past August. A common complaint about Damien Chazelle's film, albeit mostly from conservative pundits, was that you never actually see Armstrong planting the flag on the moon. Of course, the flag actually appears in the film numerous times, including an actual shot of the flag waving on the moon and Neil Armstrong's son putting up a flag in front of the Armstrong household.

The flag is there. I've seen "First Man" twice now, and although you don't see Armstrong's iconic planting of it on the moon ground, it is subtly shown. Anyways, why are we even arguing about this in the first place? Who cares?!

Damien Chazelle's "First Man" fails to launch [TIFF]

September 14, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Neil Armstrong's story is adapted to the screen by director Damien Chazelleand talented scribe Josh Singer in "First Man" -- a mechanical, altogether flat attempt to recreate the events that led to Armstrong's historic trip to the moon.

The 33-year-old Chazelle, already known for his excellent work in "Whiplash" and "La La Land," stalls to find the same excitement and intensity of Armstrong's journey in "First Man." Why? Because he is restrained by adapting the story of a person that, quite frankly, was just not that interesting to begin with. Sure, Armstrong was the first man to step foot on the moon and the film's final stretch, delving into that historic voyage to space, is incredibly shot and ultimately very moving -- however, the getting there is rather dull and consists of mostly trial and error efforts from Armstrong and his NASA crew to prepare for the lunar journey.

Linus Sandgren to DP Shawn Levy's ‘Ghost Rider' on Film — Connor Storrie in Talks to Co-Star

Marvel's "Ghost Rider" just hired one of the best cinematographers working today. Linus Sandgren will serve as DP on Shawn Levy's MCU flick, and, most notably, the project will be shot on film.

Jafar Panahi Sentenced to Five Years in Prison as Iran Orders His Assets Seized

It keeps getting worse for Jafar Panahi. The Palme d'Or-winning director of "It Was Just an Accident" has been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to five years in prison.

‘The Birds’ Limited Series Starring Sarah Snook Lands at HBO

Hollywood remaking anything connected to Hitchcock has rarely produced memorable results. Yet the industry keeps trying, despite overwhelming evidence that it’s a fool’s errand.

‘One of Them Days’ Filmmaker Lawrence Lamont to Direct Ice Cube-Penned ‘Last Friday’ Sequel

Lawrence Lamont, whose “One of Them Days” was one of the more pleasant low-key surprises of early 2025, has been tapped by New Line to direct “Last Friday,” the fourth instalment of the “Friday” franchise.

‘Coyote vs. Acme' Ruled Eligible for Best Animated Feature Oscar — Crashes the Race Against ‘Wildwood’ and ‘Toy Story 5’

Should "Coyote vs. Acme" even be considered an animated film? The Academy requires animation to cover 75% of a film's runtime, and somehow this movie cleared that bar.

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.

CONFIRMED: Sadie Soverall Exits Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World' Mid-Shoot, Lily McInerny Steps In Lead Role

Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny.

Ron Howard’s ‘Alone at Dawn’ Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway Sets Christmas 2027 Release

This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Next Film Retitled to ‘Slayground,’ Current Runtime is 2.5 Hours, Plot Details

Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, formerly “October,” still has no release date. You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now.

Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser to Star in Woody Allen's Next Film

A few months ago, Deadline reported that Woody Allen's next film, set in Madrid and carrying a $14M budget, will be "largely English-language" and feature a "high-profile cast."

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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