Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Am I Ok? (Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro)
A romantic comedy that functions best as a fable of friendship and self-reflection, Am I Ok? is the kind of lightweight, amiable movie that just barely earns the emotional beats at the heart of its story. Set in Los Angeles, it follows the converging life events of two best friends, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), soul sisters with opposite personalities who tell each other everything—except for the big secrets they’ve been harboring from each other. How they respond to hearing them fuels Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro’s gentle and wobbly feature debut. – Jake K-s. (full review)
Where to Stream: Max
Dad & Step-Dad (Tynan DeLong)
Following the stellar comedy Free Time,...
Am I Ok? (Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro)
A romantic comedy that functions best as a fable of friendship and self-reflection, Am I Ok? is the kind of lightweight, amiable movie that just barely earns the emotional beats at the heart of its story. Set in Los Angeles, it follows the converging life events of two best friends, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), soul sisters with opposite personalities who tell each other everything—except for the big secrets they’ve been harboring from each other. How they respond to hearing them fuels Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro’s gentle and wobbly feature debut. – Jake K-s. (full review)
Where to Stream: Max
Dad & Step-Dad (Tynan DeLong)
Following the stellar comedy Free Time,...
- 6/7/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
New season of films on the Criterion Channel pay tribute to director’s dark and exacting work, from Blue Collar to Affliction
There’s a certain danger in collecting the work of Paul Schrader, as the Criterion Channel has done in a new streaming series that assembles 11 titles in anticipation of his Cannes-feted latest feature Oh, Canada.
Considered as a whole, the Schrader corpus may superficially appear repetitive to the point of stagnation, revisiting the same thematic concerns with the same narrative devices over and over through nearly a half-century on screen. He does so love his men in rooms, po-faced types haunted by their own capacity for sin as they morosely journal from their spartan living quarters between scandalized nighttime constitutionals to soak in the degradation of humanity. The cycle of transgression, penance and desperate grasping for salvation never stops, its eternal incompletion a key plank in Schrader’s...
There’s a certain danger in collecting the work of Paul Schrader, as the Criterion Channel has done in a new streaming series that assembles 11 titles in anticipation of his Cannes-feted latest feature Oh, Canada.
Considered as a whole, the Schrader corpus may superficially appear repetitive to the point of stagnation, revisiting the same thematic concerns with the same narrative devices over and over through nearly a half-century on screen. He does so love his men in rooms, po-faced types haunted by their own capacity for sin as they morosely journal from their spartan living quarters between scandalized nighttime constitutionals to soak in the degradation of humanity. The cycle of transgression, penance and desperate grasping for salvation never stops, its eternal incompletion a key plank in Schrader’s...
- 6/5/2024
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
“MaXXXine” is entering the spotlight a little earlier than expected, thanks to a fluffer of a film sneak peek.
IndieWire can exclusively announce that A24 will be re-releasing Ti West’s franchise starter “X” for one night only in theaters on June 18. Audiences will also get a preview of “MaXXXine” with a post-credit preview.
Ti West’s “X” is set in 1979, with a group of young filmmakers directing and starring in an adult film in rural Texas. Yet when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives, and a slasher ensues. Mia Goth’s wannabe starlet Maxine finds herself in a lead role for the adult feature, and also is suddenly the sole survivor after crazed old lady Pearl (also played by Goth) goes on a murderous rampage. Of course, Pearl herself got an eponymous prequel film; “MaXXXine” caps off West...
IndieWire can exclusively announce that A24 will be re-releasing Ti West’s franchise starter “X” for one night only in theaters on June 18. Audiences will also get a preview of “MaXXXine” with a post-credit preview.
Ti West’s “X” is set in 1979, with a group of young filmmakers directing and starring in an adult film in rural Texas. Yet when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives, and a slasher ensues. Mia Goth’s wannabe starlet Maxine finds herself in a lead role for the adult feature, and also is suddenly the sole survivor after crazed old lady Pearl (also played by Goth) goes on a murderous rampage. Of course, Pearl herself got an eponymous prequel film; “MaXXXine” caps off West...
- 6/4/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: UTA has signed comedic multi-hyphenate Cedric The Entertainer and his production company A Bird And A Bear Entertainment for representation in all areas.
A comedian, actor and executive producer, Cedric currently stars opposite Max Greenfield in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood, which returned for its sixth season in February and has been picked up for a seventh. Created by Jim Reynolds, the show follows midwesterner Dave Johnson (Greenfield) as he relocates his white family to a predominantly African American neighborhood in Los Angeles. There, Dave’s excessive friendliness isn’t well-received by everyone, especially his new next-door neighbor, Calvin Butler (Cedric The Entertainer). Cedric won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show last year, marking his sixth inclusion in the category.
CBS Studios doubled down on its commitment to The Neighborhood universe by giving a series order to Crutch,...
A comedian, actor and executive producer, Cedric currently stars opposite Max Greenfield in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood, which returned for its sixth season in February and has been picked up for a seventh. Created by Jim Reynolds, the show follows midwesterner Dave Johnson (Greenfield) as he relocates his white family to a predominantly African American neighborhood in Los Angeles. There, Dave’s excessive friendliness isn’t well-received by everyone, especially his new next-door neighbor, Calvin Butler (Cedric The Entertainer). Cedric won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show last year, marking his sixth inclusion in the category.
CBS Studios doubled down on its commitment to The Neighborhood universe by giving a series order to Crutch,...
- 6/3/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
In this digital-dominated era, the allure of physical media like DVDs and Blu-rays remains robust, transcending mere nostalgia. These formats offer a tangible, personal connection to the artistry of film and television—a curated collection that one can physically handle, showcase, and possess.
As the industry increasingly veers towards streaming as its primary mode of distribution, collecting physical media is becoming a niche yet cherished pastime. It remains the most reliable method to ensure access to a broad spectrum of titles, often in the highest possible quality. A 4K Blu-ray on your shelf guarantees immediate, uninterrupted viewing—free from buffering or service outages—of your favorite films and TV shows in stunning resolution. Moreover, these discs frequently include a wealth of bonus content, ranging from archival gems to freshly...
In this digital-dominated era, the allure of physical media like DVDs and Blu-rays remains robust, transcending mere nostalgia. These formats offer a tangible, personal connection to the artistry of film and television—a curated collection that one can physically handle, showcase, and possess.
As the industry increasingly veers towards streaming as its primary mode of distribution, collecting physical media is becoming a niche yet cherished pastime. It remains the most reliable method to ensure access to a broad spectrum of titles, often in the highest possible quality. A 4K Blu-ray on your shelf guarantees immediate, uninterrupted viewing—free from buffering or service outages—of your favorite films and TV shows in stunning resolution. Moreover, these discs frequently include a wealth of bonus content, ranging from archival gems to freshly...
- 5/31/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist and Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer talks to us about his latest film, Young Woman And The Sea, and the long process of getting it made.
Some movies descend into the ninth circle of development hell and never return, but Young Woman And The Sea, at least, has a happy ending. Having begun life in 2015 at Paramount Pictures, the project – about real-world swimmer Gertrude Ederle and her 1926 attempt to swim the English Channel – was put into turnaround five years later.
By 2020, the production had lost its original star, Lily James, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly continued to try to get it made, eventually striking a deal with Walt Disney Pictures. There, it was originally intended as fodder for the Mouse House’s Disney+ streaming service, yet the film director Joachim Rønning came back with was so impressive that Disney executives decided to give it a limited cinema release.
All of which led...
Some movies descend into the ninth circle of development hell and never return, but Young Woman And The Sea, at least, has a happy ending. Having begun life in 2015 at Paramount Pictures, the project – about real-world swimmer Gertrude Ederle and her 1926 attempt to swim the English Channel – was put into turnaround five years later.
By 2020, the production had lost its original star, Lily James, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly continued to try to get it made, eventually striking a deal with Walt Disney Pictures. There, it was originally intended as fodder for the Mouse House’s Disney+ streaming service, yet the film director Joachim Rønning came back with was so impressive that Disney executives decided to give it a limited cinema release.
All of which led...
- 5/31/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
The Exorcist is my choice for the best horror movie of all time. Some may say Rosemary’s Baby or The Shining or Night of the Living Dead, but as a good Catholic boy, nothing has ever gotten under my skin the way William Friedkin’s original did. But, with great success comes the desire for Hollywood to make a hit into a franchise, but Friedkin was not a franchise director. He famously turned down French Connection II, but the studio, perhaps noticing how the second French Connection turned out decently, decided to go ahead and turn it into a franchise. Still, the results, with one notable exception were a disaster. So without any further adieu, here’s our list of Exorcist movies ranked – from worst to best.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
So, worst is a degree here rather than a black-and-white fact. All of the Exorcist sequels – with that one...
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
So, worst is a degree here rather than a black-and-white fact. All of the Exorcist sequels – with that one...
- 5/29/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Entre ellas, ‘Anora’, ‘The Substance’ y ‘Emilia Pérez’, que ya tienen asegurada su llegada a España.
Concluida la 77 edición del Festival de Cannes, desde mundoCine os traemos las películas más comentadas y aclamadas de la sección oficial a competición de Cannes 2024 , además de deciros si tienen o no distribución en España.
10. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)
¿De qué trata? La rutina de la enfermera Prabha se ve trastocada cuando recibe un regalo inesperado de su marido, del que se ha separado. Su compañera de piso y más joven que ella, Anu, trata de encontrar en vano un lugar en la ciudad para intimar con su novio. Un viaje a una ciudad costera les permite encontrar un espacio para que sus deseos se manifiesten.
Premio: Gran Premio del Jurado.
¿Tiene distribución en España? Sí. Distribuye Atalante Films.
9. Bird (Andrea Arnold)
¿De qué trata? En su pequeña y destartalada casa del norte de Kent,...
Concluida la 77 edición del Festival de Cannes, desde mundoCine os traemos las películas más comentadas y aclamadas de la sección oficial a competición de Cannes 2024 , además de deciros si tienen o no distribución en España.
10. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)
¿De qué trata? La rutina de la enfermera Prabha se ve trastocada cuando recibe un regalo inesperado de su marido, del que se ha separado. Su compañera de piso y más joven que ella, Anu, trata de encontrar en vano un lugar en la ciudad para intimar con su novio. Un viaje a una ciudad costera les permite encontrar un espacio para que sus deseos se manifiesten.
Premio: Gran Premio del Jurado.
¿Tiene distribución en España? Sí. Distribuye Atalante Films.
9. Bird (Andrea Arnold)
¿De qué trata? En su pequeña y destartalada casa del norte de Kent,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Marta Medina
- mundoCine
The vibrant city of Linden is gearing up to host the 9th Annual Afro House Music Festival on June 22, 2024. This year’s festival promises an exhilarating blend of music, dance, and culture, offering attendees a day filled with non-stop entertainment. Exciting Lineup and Events The festival will be held at the highly anticipated Dream Upscale Lounge. The day’s events include everything from a Salsa Dance Festival at Empire Outlets to an immersive Murder Mystery Show. Additionally, various acclaimed directors like David Cronenberg and Paul Schrader will be showcasing new titles, adding a distinctive cinematic touch to the festivities. A...
- 5/28/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
On awards day, there is what they call le reprise des films de la Compétition – essentially each film in the comp receives one extra screening for those who might have missed the film, and while our top three films didn’t move, some scores did become official. Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig edged out Kapadia’s All We Iagine as Light but one point, while Schrader’s Oh, Canada technically edged out Arnold’s Bird and Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides if we take into consideration the decimal point differences. Here is the final grades and last chart.
The top 5:
Mohammad Rasoulof’ 3.6
Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light 3.5
Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez 3.4
Sean Baker’s Anora 3.4
Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada 3.0
Andrea Arnold’s Bird, 3.0
Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides 3.0
Middle of the pack:
Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour 2.9
Michel...
The top 5:
Mohammad Rasoulof’ 3.6
Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light 3.5
Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez 3.4
Sean Baker’s Anora 3.4
Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada 3.0
Andrea Arnold’s Bird, 3.0
Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides 3.0
Middle of the pack:
Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour 2.9
Michel...
- 5/27/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has now concluded, with Sean Baker’s Anora taking home the Palme d’Or. While our coverage will continue with a few more reviews this week––and far beyond as we provide updates on the journey of these selections––we’ve asked our contributors on the ground to share favorites.
See their picks below, and explore all of our coverage here.
Leonardo Goi (@LeonardoGoi)
1. Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes)
2. All We Imagine As Light (Payal Kapadia)
3. Misericordia (Alain Guiraudie)
4. Anora (Sean Baker)
5. Eephus (Carson Lund)
6. Viet And Nam (Trương Minh Quý)
7. Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point (Tyler Taormina)
8. Black Dog (Guan Hu)
9. Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)
10. Good One (India Donaldson)
Read all of Leonardo’s reviews here.
Luke Hicks (@lou_hicks)
1. Anora (Sean Baker)
2. Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke)
3. Oh, Canada (Paul Schrader)
4. Viet and Nam (Trương Minh Quý)
5. The Seed of the Sacred Fig...
See their picks below, and explore all of our coverage here.
Leonardo Goi (@LeonardoGoi)
1. Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes)
2. All We Imagine As Light (Payal Kapadia)
3. Misericordia (Alain Guiraudie)
4. Anora (Sean Baker)
5. Eephus (Carson Lund)
6. Viet And Nam (Trương Minh Quý)
7. Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point (Tyler Taormina)
8. Black Dog (Guan Hu)
9. Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)
10. Good One (India Donaldson)
Read all of Leonardo’s reviews here.
Luke Hicks (@lou_hicks)
1. Anora (Sean Baker)
2. Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke)
3. Oh, Canada (Paul Schrader)
4. Viet and Nam (Trương Minh Quý)
5. The Seed of the Sacred Fig...
- 5/27/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Often, the juries at the Cannes Film Festival will try to make a political statement in their choices for the winners of the world’s most famous film festival. Not this year. At least, not in the way they might have.
I rather thought that director Mohammad Rasoulof would take the Palme d’Or for his stirring The Seed Of The Sacred Fig. It deals with the oppressive regime in Iran and the crisis in one family, where the daughters rise up to protest against the wishes of their father, a judge handing out death sentences for those who make their voices heard.
Plus, the back story of Rasoulof’s own daring escape from his home country after making this movie in secrecy and also being handed an eight-year prison sentence, is also a strong one.
He made his way to Cannes, where his film deservedly received a rapturous welcome...
I rather thought that director Mohammad Rasoulof would take the Palme d’Or for his stirring The Seed Of The Sacred Fig. It deals with the oppressive regime in Iran and the crisis in one family, where the daughters rise up to protest against the wishes of their father, a judge handing out death sentences for those who make their voices heard.
Plus, the back story of Rasoulof’s own daring escape from his home country after making this movie in secrecy and also being handed an eight-year prison sentence, is also a strong one.
He made his way to Cannes, where his film deservedly received a rapturous welcome...
- 5/25/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola reflected on their lifelong bond as the “Megalopolis” director presented the “Star Wars” visionary with Cannes Film Festival’s honorary Palme d’Or on Saturday night.
Before Lucas received the award, he was greeted in the theater by a several-minute standing ovation, during which he gave the crowd a thumbs-up and got a little teary-eyed. When Coppola came on stage, the two embraced and exchanged some private remarks.
In his speech, Coppola recalled his first meeting with Lucas, who shadowed him on the set of his film “Finian’s Rainbow” in 1968.
“Pleased to have someone in my own generation, I suggested he come every day, but only on one condition: That he come up with a brilliant suggestion every day, which he consistently did. And with that began an association that has lasted a lifetime,” Coppola said. “And he went on and on, making film history,...
Before Lucas received the award, he was greeted in the theater by a several-minute standing ovation, during which he gave the crowd a thumbs-up and got a little teary-eyed. When Coppola came on stage, the two embraced and exchanged some private remarks.
In his speech, Coppola recalled his first meeting with Lucas, who shadowed him on the set of his film “Finian’s Rainbow” in 1968.
“Pleased to have someone in my own generation, I suggested he come every day, but only on one condition: That he come up with a brilliant suggestion every day, which he consistently did. And with that began an association that has lasted a lifetime,” Coppola said. “And he went on and on, making film history,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The 77th Cannes Film Festival has come to a close. As with every year, the festival was host to its share of standing ovations, divisive screenings and debates over just which films and performances would take home awards at the end of the 12-day event, widely considered the most prestigious in the entire world. This year, Sean Baker’s Anora took the Palme d’Or while India’s All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix, generally considered the runner-up.
So, who else won out at this year’s Cannes Film Festival? While below is only a partial list of winners, you can check out the complete and extensive list here.
Palme d’Or: Anora, Sean Baker
Grand Prix: All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia
Best Director: Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour
Best Actor: Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Best Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña,...
So, who else won out at this year’s Cannes Film Festival? While below is only a partial list of winners, you can check out the complete and extensive list here.
Palme d’Or: Anora, Sean Baker
Grand Prix: All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia
Best Director: Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour
Best Actor: Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Best Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Sean Baker’s “Anora” has won the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, a jury headed by Greta Gerwig announced on Saturday.
The win for Baker’s freewheeling film about a stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch becomes the fifth consecutive Palme winner to be distributed by Neon, which previously handled “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Triangle of Sadness,” “Titane” and “Parasite.”
TheWrap’s review said of the film, “It’s one of the most entertaining movies to play in Cannes this year, and also one of the most confounding: part character study of the title character (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brighton Beach who falls for rich Russian playboy Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn); part look into the world of the super-rich, an arena Baker has studiously avoided in films like ‘Tangerine,’ ‘The Florida Project’ and ‘Red Rocket’; part escalating nightmare comedy reminiscent of ’80s gems...
The win for Baker’s freewheeling film about a stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch becomes the fifth consecutive Palme winner to be distributed by Neon, which previously handled “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Triangle of Sadness,” “Titane” and “Parasite.”
TheWrap’s review said of the film, “It’s one of the most entertaining movies to play in Cannes this year, and also one of the most confounding: part character study of the title character (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brighton Beach who falls for rich Russian playboy Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn); part look into the world of the super-rich, an arena Baker has studiously avoided in films like ‘Tangerine,’ ‘The Florida Project’ and ‘Red Rocket’; part escalating nightmare comedy reminiscent of ’80s gems...
- 5/25/2024
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada has one of the warmest scenes in the filmmaker’s storied career—one that his acolytes may find startling. A dying man, Leonard Fife (Richard Gere), is sitting at a stool in a diner that’s bathed in sunlight at magic hour, while people from his past push through the front door to join him. It’s a traditional moment of forgiveness, which is why it’s so shocking to see in a film by a man who brokered his legend on stories of alienation. But there’s a catch even here: Schrader doesn’t hold the moment for long, maybe a few seconds, and so it hits you nearly subliminally among other images and other episodes of Leonard’s life, incidents that are understood to be possibly imagined.
Which is to say that the warmth of Oh, Canada renders it even trickier than many...
Which is to say that the warmth of Oh, Canada renders it even trickier than many...
- 5/25/2024
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
The ever-changing Hollywood has a range of young prodigies whose presence effectively guaranty surefire success. According to a recent list published by The Hollywood Reporter, these Hollywood actors are set to dominate the box office in the upcoming seasons. Here is the roster of the 10 most sought-after young A-listers, whose talents and charisma have captivated audiences in their limited time in the industry.
1. Austin Butler
Austin Butler as Feyd Rautha in Dune 2 | Warner Bros. Pictures
This actor currently has a slew of movies lined up, with scripts pouring in daily, particularly following his successes in Elvis and Dune 2. Most recently, Jeff Nichols has brought him on board for The Bikeriders, set in the ’60s while Darren Aronofsky has selected Austin Butler to star in his next film, Caught Stealing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Everybody wants him to be the lead of everything,” making the actor the everything...
1. Austin Butler
Austin Butler as Feyd Rautha in Dune 2 | Warner Bros. Pictures
This actor currently has a slew of movies lined up, with scripts pouring in daily, particularly following his successes in Elvis and Dune 2. Most recently, Jeff Nichols has brought him on board for The Bikeriders, set in the ’60s while Darren Aronofsky has selected Austin Butler to star in his next film, Caught Stealing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Everybody wants him to be the lead of everything,” making the actor the everything...
- 5/24/2024
- by Sampurna Banerjee
- FandomWire
“Screen Talk: went live at the American Pavilion in Cannes this year and drew a lively crowd. Anne Thompson raved about one of the big-epic Hollywood titles playing out of competition, George Miller’s prequel “Furiosa” (Warner Bros.), starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, which opens May 14, while both Thompson and cohost Ryan Lattanzio panned Kevin Costner’s old-fashioned three-hour Western “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One” (Warner Bros.).
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
George Lucas got candid about criticism of the first six “Star Wars” films during a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.
When speaking about the success of the franchise ahead of receiving the festival’s honorary Palme d’Or, Lucas reflected on some of the negative comments he’s received over the years.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said of the films’ critics. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
Lucas went on to say that the only beings in the “Star Wars” universe who were discriminated against were the robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
When speaking about the success of the franchise ahead of receiving the festival’s honorary Palme d’Or, Lucas reflected on some of the negative comments he’s received over the years.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said of the films’ critics. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
Lucas went on to say that the only beings in the “Star Wars” universe who were discriminated against were the robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
For the past three years, the American Cinematheque has presented “Bleak Week,” an annual festival devoted to the greatest films ever made about the darkest side of humanity. This year, the festival will not only be unspooling in Los Angeles June 1 – 7 — with special guests including Al Pacino, Lynne Ramsay, Charlie Kaufman, and Karyn Kusama — but will travel to New York for the first time with a week of screenings at the historic Paris Theater starting June 9.
“We are honored to co-present ‘Bleak Week: New York’ in partnership with one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the world,” Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger told IndieWire. “This year, over 10,000 people will attend ‘Bleak Week: Year 3’ in Los Angeles, proving that audiences are hungry for such powerful and confrontational cinema. Many people thought they were alone in their desire to explore films with uncomfortable truths, but the truth is that they are part of a large community,...
“We are honored to co-present ‘Bleak Week: New York’ in partnership with one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the world,” Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger told IndieWire. “This year, over 10,000 people will attend ‘Bleak Week: Year 3’ in Los Angeles, proving that audiences are hungry for such powerful and confrontational cinema. Many people thought they were alone in their desire to explore films with uncomfortable truths, but the truth is that they are part of a large community,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Few periods on the calendar mean more to cinephiles than the two weekends in May occupied by the Cannes Film Festival. Since its founding in 1946, the French festival has been a launchpad for some of the most artistically significant films of all time. The Palme d’Or is one of the most coveted film awards on the planet, and the festival’s ability to balance subversive arthouse work with major Hollywood premieres has led many to view it as the world’s most significant celebration of cinema.
The 2024 lineup featured a mix of buzzy premieres from New Hollywood titans like Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Schrader alongside exciting new works from emerging directors. Between the Main Competition, Un Certain Regard, special screenings, and sidebars like the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week, the onslaught of new films can be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t able to give the festival their 24/7 attention.
The 2024 lineup featured a mix of buzzy premieres from New Hollywood titans like Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Schrader alongside exciting new works from emerging directors. Between the Main Competition, Un Certain Regard, special screenings, and sidebars like the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week, the onslaught of new films can be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t able to give the festival their 24/7 attention.
- 5/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
It’s been 30 years since a film from India has been selected in the main competition at Cannes, but that finally changed this year.
Recent editions of Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto have included riveting and even Oscar-nominated documentaries and features. In fact, Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” won the Golden Lion at Venice more than two decades ago. Granted, Cannes has recently programmed South Asian gems in other sections, such as the Queer Palm-winning “Joyland” from Pakistan in Un Certain Regard in 2022, or Anurag Kashyap’s “Kennedy” in Midnight last year. But would the South Asian drought in the main competition ever end?
Many were ecstatic last month when “All We Imagine as Light”, Mumbai-based Payal Kapadia’s narrative directorial debut, was announced in the competition lineup alongside legendary Cannes regulars: European heavyweights such as Jacques Audiard and Yorgos Lanthimos, American auteurs David Cronenberg and Paul Schrader, and Asian visionary Jia Zhangke.
Recent editions of Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto have included riveting and even Oscar-nominated documentaries and features. In fact, Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” won the Golden Lion at Venice more than two decades ago. Granted, Cannes has recently programmed South Asian gems in other sections, such as the Queer Palm-winning “Joyland” from Pakistan in Un Certain Regard in 2022, or Anurag Kashyap’s “Kennedy” in Midnight last year. But would the South Asian drought in the main competition ever end?
Many were ecstatic last month when “All We Imagine as Light”, Mumbai-based Payal Kapadia’s narrative directorial debut, was announced in the competition lineup alongside legendary Cannes regulars: European heavyweights such as Jacques Audiard and Yorgos Lanthimos, American auteurs David Cronenberg and Paul Schrader, and Asian visionary Jia Zhangke.
- 5/23/2024
- by Ritesh Mehta
- Indiewire
One of the most gripping elements of 1976’s Taxi Driver — which we still debate nearly 50 years later — is the ending. The ambiguity for many has left a number of questions: Did Travis survive the shootout? Was the final scene with him and Betsy just a fantasy? According to Robert De Niro, not only did Travis survive (and perhaps his encounter with Betsy real), but the character still had a number of moments worth exploring in a sequel to Taxi Driver.
According to Taxi Driver scribe Paul Schrader (via IndieWire), he never once wanted to expand on that world, saying it was all the doing of De Niro. “Now, I don’t want to slag De Niro, but a lot of his decisions sometimes have financial motivations. I’m sure someone had said to him, ‘You know, if you do ‘Taxi Driver 2,’ they can pay.’” Apparently, director Martin Scorsese — of course...
According to Taxi Driver scribe Paul Schrader (via IndieWire), he never once wanted to expand on that world, saying it was all the doing of De Niro. “Now, I don’t want to slag De Niro, but a lot of his decisions sometimes have financial motivations. I’m sure someone had said to him, ‘You know, if you do ‘Taxi Driver 2,’ they can pay.’” Apparently, director Martin Scorsese — of course...
- 5/22/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Mike Figgis has been shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary for the past 18 months about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. It’s called Megadoc.
Figgis told me Monday that it’s been edited but there’s allowance for the fact that the film played in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival. He recorded an interview with the cinema titan the other day.
Figgis, who was introduced into the Coppola clan back in the mid 1990s after directing Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, told me that the documentary is “very much a fly-on-the-wall” and also features conversations with various cast members — Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Shia Labeouf — and Coppola’s wife Eleanor Coppola, who shot the footage and directed her own study of her husband’s work for the acclaimed Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, about the making of 1979s Apocalypse Now.
He will go...
Figgis told me Monday that it’s been edited but there’s allowance for the fact that the film played in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival. He recorded an interview with the cinema titan the other day.
Figgis, who was introduced into the Coppola clan back in the mid 1990s after directing Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, told me that the documentary is “very much a fly-on-the-wall” and also features conversations with various cast members — Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Shia Labeouf — and Coppola’s wife Eleanor Coppola, who shot the footage and directed her own study of her husband’s work for the acclaimed Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, about the making of 1979s Apocalypse Now.
He will go...
- 5/21/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession”
Despite many of his generation taking time between films, Paul Schrader is a filmmaker who has kept working quite prolifically over the decades. Since 2002, he’s directed no fewer than 11 features. That’s the kind of output that filmmakers half his age would love to match. And even though he’s just now premiering his most recent film, “Oh Canada,” at the Cannes Film Festival, he’s already got his next one lined up.
Continue reading Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession” at The Playlist.
Continue reading Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession” at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Jacob Elordi in Oh, CanadaImage: Oh Canada LLC
It is said that the grand metaphor to describe the United States is a melting pot, where cultures from all over the world that have gathered in a shared space form a gumbo where their flavors merge, the whole supplanting the constituent parts.
It is said that the grand metaphor to describe the United States is a melting pot, where cultures from all over the world that have gathered in a shared space form a gumbo where their flavors merge, the whole supplanting the constituent parts.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jason Gorber
- avclub.com
Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice has failed to impress the critics on Screen’s Cannes jury grid, recording the lowest score so far this year of 1.7.
The film tells Donald Trump’s origin story, with Sebastian Stan playing the future president and Jeremy Strong his ruthless lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn.
It earned eight scores of two (average), plus two ones (poor) and a zero (bad) from Mathieu Macharet at France’s Le Monde.
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
With a 1.7, it is just below Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada, which previously occupied the...
The film tells Donald Trump’s origin story, with Sebastian Stan playing the future president and Jeremy Strong his ruthless lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn.
It earned eight scores of two (average), plus two ones (poor) and a zero (bad) from Mathieu Macharet at France’s Le Monde.
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
With a 1.7, it is just below Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada, which previously occupied the...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: ITN Distribution has picked up the holiday rom-com Christmas Overtime starring Meghan Carrasquillo, Adam Brudnicki, and Jadon Cal for North America.
The deal was hashed out here in Cannes. Premiere Entertainment CEO Elias Axume negotiated on behalf of the production with Stuart Alson of ITN.
The film follows an unemployed actress (Carrasquillo), who is offered a commercial by a lonely advertising executive (Brudnicki) on the condition that she convinces his staff to work on Christmas Eve to meet an important deadline.
Ann Deborah Fishman directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Simon K. Parker. Fishman produced the film for Night Dove Pictures. Also starring are Chris Moss, Christine Allocca, Laura Ault, and Osmara Rojas. Producers are Fishman and Sommer. Premiere is selling the remaining international territories at the Cannes Market, which ends today.
LA-based Premiere is a production, financing, and sales company. Premiere most recently acquired the family...
The deal was hashed out here in Cannes. Premiere Entertainment CEO Elias Axume negotiated on behalf of the production with Stuart Alson of ITN.
The film follows an unemployed actress (Carrasquillo), who is offered a commercial by a lonely advertising executive (Brudnicki) on the condition that she convinces his staff to work on Christmas Eve to meet an important deadline.
Ann Deborah Fishman directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Simon K. Parker. Fishman produced the film for Night Dove Pictures. Also starring are Chris Moss, Christine Allocca, Laura Ault, and Osmara Rojas. Producers are Fishman and Sommer. Premiere is selling the remaining international territories at the Cannes Market, which ends today.
LA-based Premiere is a production, financing, and sales company. Premiere most recently acquired the family...
- 5/21/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The pop culture nostalgia cycle might have moved on to the early 2000s, but for many filmmakers and movie fans, the '80s will never go out of style. That's certainly true for director Ti West, who returns this year with the third chapter of his horror trilogy that started with 2022's "X" and was shortly followed by a surprise prequel, "Pearl." Star Mia Goth will return for this summer's bloody conclusion, "MaXXXine," in which aspiring adult film star (and massacre survivor) Maxine Minx is now trying to break into mainstream movies with a role in horror movie "The Puritan II."
"MaXXXine" is set in 1985 Los Angeles, six years after the events of "X." West recently told Empire magazine that "the '80s aspect of it was a natural, chronological thing" -- but that it was also a great opportunity to draw inspiration from '80s movies. For many people,...
"MaXXXine" is set in 1985 Los Angeles, six years after the events of "X." West recently told Empire magazine that "the '80s aspect of it was a natural, chronological thing" -- but that it was also a great opportunity to draw inspiration from '80s movies. For many people,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
We are less than two months away from the most anticipated horror film of the year, “MaXXXine.” Coming off of the surprising (and massive) success of both “X” and “Pearl,” the trilogy-capper looks like it could become the biggest in the franchise yet. But there are still many trying to pinpoint exactly what style filmmaker Ti West is bringing to this film.
Continue reading ‘MaXXXine’: Ti West Explains How Paul Schrader, ‘Terminator,’ ‘Vice Squad’ & Giallo All Mix To Bring His Next Slasher To Life at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘MaXXXine’: Ti West Explains How Paul Schrader, ‘Terminator,’ ‘Vice Squad’ & Giallo All Mix To Bring His Next Slasher To Life at The Playlist.
- 5/20/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Ti West is channeling Paul Schrader for his trilogy ender “MaXXXine.” Oh, and “The Terminator.”
Writer/director West told Total Film that the 1985 Hollywood-set horror film is just as “hardcore” as Schrader’s filmography, with high concept tie-ins of “The Terminator” and “Vice Squad.” Plus, of course, what “X” film is complete without a hint of giallo?
“It’s poppy, but still grounded in more of a grittier ’80s than a shopping-mall ’80s,” West described his film. “You’re seeing the glamorous side of the movie business and the seedy side of Hollywood.”
West said “MaXXXine” has “a ‘Terminator’-like aesthetic to a Paul Schrader hardcore thing to ‘Vice Squad’ to giallo,” all mixed together.
“MaXXXine” is one of IndieWire’s most anticipated films of 2024, with Mia Goth reprising the role of adult-film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx for the latest franchise installment. Goth previously played Maxine in “X...
Writer/director West told Total Film that the 1985 Hollywood-set horror film is just as “hardcore” as Schrader’s filmography, with high concept tie-ins of “The Terminator” and “Vice Squad.” Plus, of course, what “X” film is complete without a hint of giallo?
“It’s poppy, but still grounded in more of a grittier ’80s than a shopping-mall ’80s,” West described his film. “You’re seeing the glamorous side of the movie business and the seedy side of Hollywood.”
West said “MaXXXine” has “a ‘Terminator’-like aesthetic to a Paul Schrader hardcore thing to ‘Vice Squad’ to giallo,” all mixed together.
“MaXXXine” is one of IndieWire’s most anticipated films of 2024, with Mia Goth reprising the role of adult-film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx for the latest franchise installment. Goth previously played Maxine in “X...
- 5/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
As the 77th Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) arrives at its halfway point, here is THR executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg’s assessment of the awards prospects — at the Cannes closing ceremony and later in the fall — of the films that have screened at the fest so far.
The Two That Popped
One cannot know what the specific preferences and priorities of the Greta Gerwig-led main competition jury are, but one can categorically state that two competition films — both of which are so original and out-there that they have to be seen to be believed — have been particularly well received. Both garnered nine-minute standing ovations and rave reviews, including particular praise for their leading lady.
The first is The Substance, a body-horror flick from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat that might be described as Sunset Blvd. meets Freaks, and an instant classic. Demi Moore, in a gutsy career-best turn...
The Two That Popped
One cannot know what the specific preferences and priorities of the Greta Gerwig-led main competition jury are, but one can categorically state that two competition films — both of which are so original and out-there that they have to be seen to be believed — have been particularly well received. Both garnered nine-minute standing ovations and rave reviews, including particular praise for their leading lady.
The first is The Substance, a body-horror flick from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat that might be described as Sunset Blvd. meets Freaks, and an instant classic. Demi Moore, in a gutsy career-best turn...
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Richard Gere and Uma Thurman in Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada. Gere said: 'When actors look at their films you see your face and your energy at that particular time' Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival They first worked together some 45 years ago but now directors Richard Schrader and an actor who defined the Eighties Richard Gere have resurrected their collaboration.
Richard Gere: 'As the make-up was put on I saw myself a few years from now, assuming I live to the same ripe age as my father' Photo: Richard Mowe In Oh, Canada, presented in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Schrader pays tribute to his late friend, the novelist Russell Banks with Gere almost unrecognisable as a dying documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife setting the record straight at his home in Montreal, filmed by two of his former students and watched over by his wife (play by Uma Thurman...
Richard Gere: 'As the make-up was put on I saw myself a few years from now, assuming I live to the same ripe age as my father' Photo: Richard Mowe In Oh, Canada, presented in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Schrader pays tribute to his late friend, the novelist Russell Banks with Gere almost unrecognisable as a dying documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife setting the record straight at his home in Montreal, filmed by two of his former students and watched over by his wife (play by Uma Thurman...
- 5/19/2024
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
If you've ever watched any behind-the-scenes footage from "The Shining," you might remember Jack Nicholson working himself up into a frenzy prior to shooting the famous "Here's Johnny" scene. As poor Shelly Duvall quietly finds her way into the bathroom, Jack can be seen seething as he descends into the deranged mental space required for the scene. No wonder "The Shining" changed Shelly Duvall forever.
But while Nicholson's process for journeying to the outer edges of sanity involved jumping in place, repeating the words, "Come on!," and almost accidentally giving the Pa a concussion with a prop axe, not all actors follow that same method. We all know the punishing physical lengths to which Christian Bale goes in order to truly feel like the characters he portrays. As the actor told The Guardian, "I try to get as distant as possible. Otherwise, I can't do it. It's helpful not to look like yourself.
But while Nicholson's process for journeying to the outer edges of sanity involved jumping in place, repeating the words, "Come on!," and almost accidentally giving the Pa a concussion with a prop axe, not all actors follow that same method. We all know the punishing physical lengths to which Christian Bale goes in order to truly feel like the characters he portrays. As the actor told The Guardian, "I try to get as distant as possible. Otherwise, I can't do it. It's helpful not to look like yourself.
- 5/19/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Paul Schrader is having a great time at Cannes, where the screenwriter/director is showcasing his latest film, ‘Oh, Canada‘. Speaking with IndieWire, Schrader revisited the pitch for a sequel to his seminal film with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver.
Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver/ Columbia Pictures
Robert De Niro had pitched an idea to Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, one that was immediately shot down. Schrader talked about how De Niro’s decisions were sometimes colored with the prospect of financial gains, which he opined could have also been the reason that De Niro wanted to make a sequel to the film.
Robert De Niro’s pitch for Taxi Driver 2 was the ‘worst f*cking idea’ Paul Schrader had ever heard Robert De Nero in The Irishman/ Netflix
Paul Schrader talked to IndieWire about how the pitch for the sequel came about, and what his ideas for the sequel were.
Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver/ Columbia Pictures
Robert De Niro had pitched an idea to Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, one that was immediately shot down. Schrader talked about how De Niro’s decisions were sometimes colored with the prospect of financial gains, which he opined could have also been the reason that De Niro wanted to make a sequel to the film.
Robert De Niro’s pitch for Taxi Driver 2 was the ‘worst f*cking idea’ Paul Schrader had ever heard Robert De Nero in The Irishman/ Netflix
Paul Schrader talked to IndieWire about how the pitch for the sequel came about, and what his ideas for the sequel were.
- 5/19/2024
- by Anuraag Chatterjee
- FandomWire
Writer of the 1976 Palme d’Or winner Taxi Driver, and having been in comp with Mishima (1985) and Patty Hearst (1988), this is Paul Schrader’s long-awaited return with might be the final film of his career in Oh, Canada.
This stars Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Victoria Hill and Michael Imperioli.
Gist: Based on the 2021 novel Foregone by Russell Banks, this delves into the life of a tormented writer on the brink of death, a Canadian-American leftist who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft. Leonard Fife is a terminally ill writer and filmmaker who has agreed to have his final testament of his life filmed by documentary filmmakers Malcolm (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill), but proves to be an unreliable narrator due to his failing and distorted memory.…...
This stars Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Victoria Hill and Michael Imperioli.
Gist: Based on the 2021 novel Foregone by Russell Banks, this delves into the life of a tormented writer on the brink of death, a Canadian-American leftist who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft. Leonard Fife is a terminally ill writer and filmmaker who has agreed to have his final testament of his life filmed by documentary filmmakers Malcolm (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill), but proves to be an unreliable narrator due to his failing and distorted memory.…...
- 5/18/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Paul Schrader hit Cannes this weekend with Competition title Oh, Canada, reuniting him with American Gigolo star Richard Gere in the role of a terminally ill documentarian who reveals secrets as his life nears its end.
Lead producer David Gonzales says the fact that the film was ready for a Cannes splash was a miracle on a number of fronts.
Development began just 18 months ago after Schrader learned that his good friend, writer Russell Banks, was suffering from cancer.
Schrader, who previously adapted Banks’ novel Affliction to the big screen, felt compelled to make a new film based on Banks’ penultimate 2021 book Foregone, which the writer had originally wanted to title ‘Oh, Canada.’
“He said, ‘This is my next film, I can see the film in my head.’ We’re going back to the end of 2022,” says Gonzales, who secured the rights.
Banks died in January 2023 as Schrader was mid-screenplay.
Lead producer David Gonzales says the fact that the film was ready for a Cannes splash was a miracle on a number of fronts.
Development began just 18 months ago after Schrader learned that his good friend, writer Russell Banks, was suffering from cancer.
Schrader, who previously adapted Banks’ novel Affliction to the big screen, felt compelled to make a new film based on Banks’ penultimate 2021 book Foregone, which the writer had originally wanted to title ‘Oh, Canada.’
“He said, ‘This is my next film, I can see the film in my head.’ We’re going back to the end of 2022,” says Gonzales, who secured the rights.
Banks died in January 2023 as Schrader was mid-screenplay.
- 5/18/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The cinema of Paul Schrader has always felt like a confessional, all those dark rooms and troubled men, the registered Swiftie’s own tortured poets department. The confessional edges closer to the form in his latest film Oh, Canada, an august adaptation of Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Foregone that tells of a famous documentary filmmaker at the end of his days, divulging secrets of his past to an interviewer’s head-on camera. Might the old Calvinist be looking for a little more absolution? When Banks, a friend since the director’s adaptation of Affliction, died in 2023, Schrader was coming to the tail end of his own series of health scares––these included everything from hospitalizations for long Covid to the retina detaching from his right eye during the filming of Master Gardener. “If I’m going to make a film about death,” he recently admitted thinking to himself at the time,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The Paul Schrader Renaissance began the moment “First Reformed” debuted to the director’s best reviews in at least 15 years, back in 2017. The spiritual trilogy formed around it — “The Card Counter” and “Master Gardener” — have fostered in a new generation’s mind this frankly narrow vision of what constitutes a Paul Schrader movie: men in rooms, pens across diaries, peculiar revenge plots.
It’s likely that audiences anticipating another drama in which a man’s profession comes dressed as the sick soul of America will be baffled by “Oh, Canada,” his newest feature now in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s based on Russell Banks’ 2021 novel “Foregone.” Those well-acquainted with Schrader’s half-century of cinema may find themselves on the edge of bafflement with this film, which uses the last will and testament of documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife (Richard Gere) as a trickle-down device for 55 years of guilt,...
It’s likely that audiences anticipating another drama in which a man’s profession comes dressed as the sick soul of America will be baffled by “Oh, Canada,” his newest feature now in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s based on Russell Banks’ 2021 novel “Foregone.” Those well-acquainted with Schrader’s half-century of cinema may find themselves on the edge of bafflement with this film, which uses the last will and testament of documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife (Richard Gere) as a trickle-down device for 55 years of guilt,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Nick Newman
- Indiewire
Diaries are written in secrecy, free-flowing thoughts anchored to the page as if the ink could stop memories from vanishing through the hands of time. Filmmaker Paul Schrader understands the lingering, often quiet desperation of journaling like few filmmakers do. From “Taxi Driver” to “Master Gardener,” the director’s work returns time and time to a man sitting by a desk with only an open journal, his words, and a small lamp for company.
Continue reading ‘Oh, Canada’ Review: Richard Gere & Jacob Elordi Are Brilliant In Paul Schrader’s Moving Contemplation Of Legacy [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Oh, Canada’ Review: Richard Gere & Jacob Elordi Are Brilliant In Paul Schrader’s Moving Contemplation Of Legacy [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/18/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- The Playlist
Pieces of a Man: Schrader Explores Atonement in Toned Down Adaptation
Throughout his illustrious career as a director and screenwriter, Paul Schrader has specialized in crafting characters, most often men, wracked with guilt and anxiety, searching for forgiveness. His twenty-fourth feature, Oh, Canada seems a perfect fit, seeing as it’s all about a filmmaker on his deathbed getting one last desperate shot at expiation. The second novel by Russell Banks (who passed away in 2023) adapted by Schrader following 1997’s much darker Affliction, Schrader simplifies the book’s parameters to focus on the slippery, shifting landmines of memory. As its distressed subject pronounces, those with no future only have their past.…...
Throughout his illustrious career as a director and screenwriter, Paul Schrader has specialized in crafting characters, most often men, wracked with guilt and anxiety, searching for forgiveness. His twenty-fourth feature, Oh, Canada seems a perfect fit, seeing as it’s all about a filmmaker on his deathbed getting one last desperate shot at expiation. The second novel by Russell Banks (who passed away in 2023) adapted by Schrader following 1997’s much darker Affliction, Schrader simplifies the book’s parameters to focus on the slippery, shifting landmines of memory. As its distressed subject pronounces, those with no future only have their past.…...
- 5/18/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Paul Schrader will shoot his next feature Non Compos Mentis in the autumn.
The veteran director revealed the details of the project while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest film Oh, Canada.
”I’ve written a noir, [about] a kind of sexual obsession, called Non Compos Mentis,” he said, with the producer David Gonzales clarifying the title is Latin for ’An Unsound Mind’.
”[Gonzales] has most of the money for the next one already and we’re not even cast, we’re just down to the actors right now.”
Cinema is “up in the air”
The...
The veteran director revealed the details of the project while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest film Oh, Canada.
”I’ve written a noir, [about] a kind of sexual obsession, called Non Compos Mentis,” he said, with the producer David Gonzales clarifying the title is Latin for ’An Unsound Mind’.
”[Gonzales] has most of the money for the next one already and we’re not even cast, we’re just down to the actors right now.”
Cinema is “up in the air”
The...
- 5/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paul Schrader revealed first details about his next feature project entitled Non Compos Mentis during a press conference Saturday for his Cannes Competition title Oh, Canada.
“I’ve written a noir, as a kind of a sexual obsession, called Non Compos Mentis about the stupid things men do for love,” he said.
The project will reunite him with Oh, Canada producer David Gonzales at Northern Lights, who said the project will shoot this fall.
“David has most money for the next one already and we’re not even cast, we just out to actors right now. So on this one we couldn’t get the money until we were cast, but now we’re getting it before we cast.”
Adapted from Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Foregone, Schrader’s Cannes Palme d’Or contender Oh, Canada stars Richard Gere as a famed, terminally ill documentary maker who reveals secrets from...
“I’ve written a noir, as a kind of a sexual obsession, called Non Compos Mentis about the stupid things men do for love,” he said.
The project will reunite him with Oh, Canada producer David Gonzales at Northern Lights, who said the project will shoot this fall.
“David has most money for the next one already and we’re not even cast, we just out to actors right now. So on this one we couldn’t get the money until we were cast, but now we’re getting it before we cast.”
Adapted from Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Foregone, Schrader’s Cannes Palme d’Or contender Oh, Canada stars Richard Gere as a famed, terminally ill documentary maker who reveals secrets from...
- 5/18/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Schrader has long been known for his gruff personality, but he was in good spirits and slightly nostalgic during the Saturday press conference at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film, Oh, Canada, where he also revealed his next film.
Schrader’s iconic team-up with Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver, premiered at the festival, and the filmmaker has had several runs at the French fest since. This year’s Cannes sees the return of not only Schrader, but Francis Ford Coppola with Megalopolis and George Lucas, who will be on hand to receive an honorary Palme d’Or.
When asked if, at the time, he knew that he and the other directors that were dubbed “New Hollywood” were changing film forever, Schrader said bluntly: “Yes.”
He addressed that time of anxiety in the industry that saw many films failing at the box office. “When the late ’60s hit, studios...
Schrader’s iconic team-up with Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver, premiered at the festival, and the filmmaker has had several runs at the French fest since. This year’s Cannes sees the return of not only Schrader, but Francis Ford Coppola with Megalopolis and George Lucas, who will be on hand to receive an honorary Palme d’Or.
When asked if, at the time, he knew that he and the other directors that were dubbed “New Hollywood” were changing film forever, Schrader said bluntly: “Yes.”
He addressed that time of anxiety in the industry that saw many films failing at the box office. “When the late ’60s hit, studios...
- 5/18/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The unstoppable Paul Schrader, the 77-year-old auteur who just brought his latest movie “Oh, Canada” to Cannes, has announced his next project.
The director revealed he intends to start production this fall on “Non Compos Mentis,” a noir film he is currently writing. The title is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “unsound mind.” That’s not all the film is about, as Schrader say the project deals with “sexual obsession.”
“It’s about the stupid things men do for love,” Schrader elaborated on stage at the festival press conference for “Oh, Canada.” He and producer Daniel Gonzalez have already secured financing and are in the process of casting.
More to come…...
The director revealed he intends to start production this fall on “Non Compos Mentis,” a noir film he is currently writing. The title is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “unsound mind.” That’s not all the film is about, as Schrader say the project deals with “sexual obsession.”
“It’s about the stupid things men do for love,” Schrader elaborated on stage at the festival press conference for “Oh, Canada.” He and producer Daniel Gonzalez have already secured financing and are in the process of casting.
More to come…...
- 5/18/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Schrader had a special job on the set of his latest film, “Oh, Canada”: drawing on the jockstrap that Jacob Elordi wears in one of the Vietnam War drama’s pivotal scenes.
There’s a choice at the heart of “Oh, Canada,” when the fictional filmmaker Leonard Fife dodges the Vietnam draft and escapes to Canada. The script leaves breadcrumbs as to what exactly happens until very late in the film, but finally Elordi is seen reporting for an Army physical. He shows up in a jockstrap with “peace and love” written on the jock, surrounded by tiny flowers. He jitters and shakes and waves his arms flamboyantly. In character, Elordi is attempting to look as unstable as possible to avoid enlisting into military service.
At the Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film, Schrader revealed that he added a finishing touch to the jockstrap that Elordi...
There’s a choice at the heart of “Oh, Canada,” when the fictional filmmaker Leonard Fife dodges the Vietnam draft and escapes to Canada. The script leaves breadcrumbs as to what exactly happens until very late in the film, but finally Elordi is seen reporting for an Army physical. He shows up in a jockstrap with “peace and love” written on the jock, surrounded by tiny flowers. He jitters and shakes and waves his arms flamboyantly. In character, Elordi is attempting to look as unstable as possible to avoid enlisting into military service.
At the Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film, Schrader revealed that he added a finishing touch to the jockstrap that Elordi...
- 5/18/2024
- by Matt Donnelly and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds Of Kindness has landed top of Screen International’s Cannes jury grid with an average score of 2.4.
The triptych drama is the first film so far to receive a four (excellent), both from Le Meduza’s Anton Dolin and Screen’s own critic. Others were less convinced with Mathieu Macharet (France’s Le Monde) and Stephanie Zacharek (US Time) both giving it just one (poor).
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
Lanthimos has proved divisive on the jury grid before, in 2017 with The Killing Of A Sacred Deer which scored a 1.9 overall...
The triptych drama is the first film so far to receive a four (excellent), both from Le Meduza’s Anton Dolin and Screen’s own critic. Others were less convinced with Mathieu Macharet (France’s Le Monde) and Stephanie Zacharek (US Time) both giving it just one (poor).
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
Lanthimos has proved divisive on the jury grid before, in 2017 with The Killing Of A Sacred Deer which scored a 1.9 overall...
- 5/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Johnny Depp-directed film “Modì,” about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, has secured a distribution deal in Italy, where it will be released by emerging production/distribution player Be Water.
Above is a first-look image from the set of the film, which is now in post.
“Modì” stars Italy’s Riccardo Scamarcio as the bad boy painter and sculptor, who worked mainly in France and became famous for the groundbreaking modern style of his portraits and nudes. Al Pacino plays international art collector Maurice Gangnat. The “Modì” cast also comprises Antonia Desplat, Stephen Graham (“The Irishman”), Bruno Gouery (“The White Lotus”), Ryan McParland (“Halo”), and Sally Phillips (“Bridget Jones” trilogy).
“Modì” takes place in war-torn Paris during World War I over the course of 72 turbulent hours “that will become a turning point in his life, ultimately solidifying his reputation as an artistic legend,” according to the film’s provided synopsis.
Above is a first-look image from the set of the film, which is now in post.
“Modì” stars Italy’s Riccardo Scamarcio as the bad boy painter and sculptor, who worked mainly in France and became famous for the groundbreaking modern style of his portraits and nudes. Al Pacino plays international art collector Maurice Gangnat. The “Modì” cast also comprises Antonia Desplat, Stephen Graham (“The Irishman”), Bruno Gouery (“The White Lotus”), Ryan McParland (“Halo”), and Sally Phillips (“Bridget Jones” trilogy).
“Modì” takes place in war-torn Paris during World War I over the course of 72 turbulent hours “that will become a turning point in his life, ultimately solidifying his reputation as an artistic legend,” according to the film’s provided synopsis.
- 5/18/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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