“Stan & Ollie" Is a Touching and Heartfelt Tribute to a Legendary Duo [review]

December 4, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

When his best friend Oliver Hardy died, Stan Laurel refused to act ever again. That simple insight explains the core of what makes Jon Baird‘s "Stan & Ollie" (Sony Classics, 12.28) a touching tribute to the legendary Hollywood duo. The film is about a lasting friendship in a line of work where friendships shouldn't exist, and backstabbing is supposed to happen, every inch of your moral compass being tossed out of the window for the sake of fame.

Not even Joaquin Phoenix Can Save Languidly-Delivered “The Sisters Brothers”

October 6, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

You can usually count on director Jacques Audiard to deliver the goods and, more times than not, he does. I was rather taken by his last four films, (in order of preference, "A Prophet," "Rust and Bone," “The Beat My Heart Skipped," and "Dheepan") all dealing with the dark corners of male masculinity. That's why his latest, "The Sisters Brothers," a grimy, gunky Western filled with absurdist nihilism, suffers from being so, well, un-Audiard-esque.

Set in 1851, the film deals with brothers and assassins Charlie and Eli Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly play the Cowboys), as it languishes its Northwestern setting, deep through the mountains of Oregon, right into a dangerous brothel in the small town of Mayfield, and ending in the gold rush-set landscape of California. Paralleling their story are Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed's lone drifters, them too set on striking it rich in California.

John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell Team-Up for "Holmes and Watson" [Trailer]

September 29, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

The last great Will Ferrel comedy was "Step Brothers." It now feels like a prophetic statement on today’s epidemic of stay-at-home millennials, except "Step Brothers" was released 10 years before this disconcerting phenomenon.

‘Exorcist: Martyrs' Trailer is Here; Mike Flanagan Calls it “The Scariest Thing I’ve Ever Made”

Scarlett Johansson is the lead; she plays a detective who watches a serial killer's execution — only for his murder spree to continue in demonic fashion. “Exorcist: Martyrs” is set to hit theaters on March 12, 2027.

Barry Levinson to Direct Elia Kazan Biopic ‘A Life’

The 84-year-old "Rain Man" director is attached to direct "A Life," a biopic of Elia Kazan based on the legendary filmmaker's 1988 memoir. The project hit the market today.

Francis Ford Coppola Is Bringing ‘Megalopolis' Back to Theaters in October, and He Wants You Texting During the Movie?

Audience members will be encouraged to text in their questions before, during and after the screening, with Coppola answering the best ones live.

Hollywood Defends ‘Digger’— Michael Mann, Jane Fonda, Glen Powell, Ron Howard & More Praise

This is a film that's sparked more conversation over the last week than just about anything else out there, and not just because of the box office carnage.

‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Is 2 Hours and 38 Minutes, Longest Film in the Franchise

Now, for the million-dollar question: will it be any good? I will say that the film has tested very well, whatever that might mean these days.

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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