[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in January 2024. It has since been updated with new entries.]
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
- 5/3/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for the end of “The Idea of You.”]
Ask any fan about their favorite book, and they are probably a little nervous when Hollywood comes calling with that very question. Streamers are littered with book adaptations that can never live up to the world created in one’s own head.
That’s why it’s such a treat, then, that the Anne Hathaway-starring adaptation of “The Idea of You,” which hit Prime Video on May 2, is such a steamy, fun delight that actually improves upon its source material.
It stays loyal to the book’s fantasy-driven plot: Hathaway portrays Solène, a newly-single mom of a teenager who — after meeting backstage at a concert in a pinch-me moment of serendipity — falls into a whirlwind, sex-forward romance with the lead singer of an international boy band, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine).
But despite the fluffy rom-com premise, in the original 2017 book by Robinne Lee, Solène and...
Ask any fan about their favorite book, and they are probably a little nervous when Hollywood comes calling with that very question. Streamers are littered with book adaptations that can never live up to the world created in one’s own head.
That’s why it’s such a treat, then, that the Anne Hathaway-starring adaptation of “The Idea of You,” which hit Prime Video on May 2, is such a steamy, fun delight that actually improves upon its source material.
It stays loyal to the book’s fantasy-driven plot: Hathaway portrays Solène, a newly-single mom of a teenager who — after meeting backstage at a concert in a pinch-me moment of serendipity — falls into a whirlwind, sex-forward romance with the lead singer of an international boy band, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine).
But despite the fluffy rom-com premise, in the original 2017 book by Robinne Lee, Solène and...
- 5/2/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
Dang, the New York Film Critics Circle is getting old. The group’s 90th-annual ceremony is promising to be a toast each and every one of those nine decades come 2025.
The NYFCC will ring in its 90th anniversary with a Gala Awards dinner on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at Tao Downtown. IndieWire can confirm that a special anniversary program is in the works to celebrate this historic milestone for the NYFCC.
“This has already been an exciting time for moviegoing, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2024 holds before our 90th anniversary dinner,” NYFCC Chair David Sims said. “NYFCC has always been there to recognize and celebrate the best in cinema, and we’ll be sure to put on an especially fun show next January.”
Sims will serve as the 2024 Chair of the NYFCC, Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s General Manager. IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland...
The NYFCC will ring in its 90th anniversary with a Gala Awards dinner on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at Tao Downtown. IndieWire can confirm that a special anniversary program is in the works to celebrate this historic milestone for the NYFCC.
“This has already been an exciting time for moviegoing, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2024 holds before our 90th anniversary dinner,” NYFCC Chair David Sims said. “NYFCC has always been there to recognize and celebrate the best in cinema, and we’ll be sure to put on an especially fun show next January.”
Sims will serve as the 2024 Chair of the NYFCC, Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s General Manager. IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland...
- 4/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Nicole Kidman is the rare actress in the 21st century who, like the stars of Hollywood’s golden years, doesn’t disappear into roles so much as elevate films by her mere presence.
She’s certainly swung big at mainstream blockbusters (think: the “Aquaman” films) that might feel out of her step with her character-driven work elsewhere (like most of the films on the list that follows). But that’s because the Australian icon is unafraid of any role, whether stripping down her post-Oscar, A-lister veneer to film Lars von Trier’s Brechtian “Dogville” in Sweden, slipping into a bathtub with the 10-year-old possible reincarnation of her dead husband in Jonathan Glazer’s “Birth,” or, yes, donning a fake nose to play a suicidal Virginia Woolf for her Oscar-winning turn in “The Hours.”
On April 27 in Los Angeles, Nicole Kidman will receive the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award, joining the ranks of Jane Fonda,...
She’s certainly swung big at mainstream blockbusters (think: the “Aquaman” films) that might feel out of her step with her character-driven work elsewhere (like most of the films on the list that follows). But that’s because the Australian icon is unafraid of any role, whether stripping down her post-Oscar, A-lister veneer to film Lars von Trier’s Brechtian “Dogville” in Sweden, slipping into a bathtub with the 10-year-old possible reincarnation of her dead husband in Jonathan Glazer’s “Birth,” or, yes, donning a fake nose to play a suicidal Virginia Woolf for her Oscar-winning turn in “The Hours.”
On April 27 in Los Angeles, Nicole Kidman will receive the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award, joining the ranks of Jane Fonda,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The following is a spoiler-filled discussion about “Civil War” between IndieWire Film Editor Ryan Lattanzio, Editorial Director Kate Erbland, and Reviews Editor and Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich. IndieWire’s review of the film can be found here.
David Ehrlich: Before Kate, Ryan, and I saw “Civil War” in IMAX on a Thursday morning earlier this month (a very chill way to start the day), I had fully expected to spend the next few weeks chewing on Alex Garland’s still-pinned hand grenade of a movie about an ununited America — a movie that had already been met with an appropriately polarized reaction at every stage of its existence, and would continue to be raved about and read for filth on the internet in the time leading up to its spectacular first weekend at the box office. I expected my brain to be on fire by the time the screening was over,...
David Ehrlich: Before Kate, Ryan, and I saw “Civil War” in IMAX on a Thursday morning earlier this month (a very chill way to start the day), I had fully expected to spend the next few weeks chewing on Alex Garland’s still-pinned hand grenade of a movie about an ununited America — a movie that had already been met with an appropriately polarized reaction at every stage of its existence, and would continue to be raved about and read for filth on the internet in the time leading up to its spectacular first weekend at the box office. I expected my brain to be on fire by the time the screening was over,...
- 4/15/2024
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Rachel Sennott always has her finger on the pulse of indie films, and her latest feature “I Used to Be Funny” is no exception.
The “Shiva Baby,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” and “Bottoms” star leads highly anticipated dark dramedy “I Used To Be Funny,” directed by rising talent Ally Pankiw who has helmed episodes of “Black Mirror” and “The Great,” plus a recent short film titled “Decades of Confusion” for fashion brand Loewe.
Sennott stars as aspiring stand-up comedian Sam Cowell who works as an au pair by day. Yet after the disappearance of Brooke (Olga Petsa), a teen girl she used to nanny, Sam begins to struggle with Ptsd and grapples with whether or not to join the search. The film is split between two timelines as Sam tries to recover from her past trauma and get back on stage while also reliving memories of Brooke.
Writer/director Pankiw marks...
The “Shiva Baby,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” and “Bottoms” star leads highly anticipated dark dramedy “I Used To Be Funny,” directed by rising talent Ally Pankiw who has helmed episodes of “Black Mirror” and “The Great,” plus a recent short film titled “Decades of Confusion” for fashion brand Loewe.
Sennott stars as aspiring stand-up comedian Sam Cowell who works as an au pair by day. Yet after the disappearance of Brooke (Olga Petsa), a teen girl she used to nanny, Sam begins to struggle with Ptsd and grapples with whether or not to join the search. The film is split between two timelines as Sam tries to recover from her past trauma and get back on stage while also reliving memories of Brooke.
Writer/director Pankiw marks...
- 4/11/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: this list was originally published October 2017. It has since been updated to coincide with the release of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”]
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
- 4/2/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The entire film industry is soon to descend upon the Côte d’Azur this May as the Cannes Film Festival readies for its 77th edition. From May 14 through May 25, the iconic festival event of the year will host much-awaited new works for auteurs and rising directors alike, across sections like the Competition, Directors’ Fortnight, Un Certain Regard (with jury president Xavier Dolan), and Critics’ Week. Major prizes will come at the end of the festival, and will no doubt set the tone for the movie year ahead.
Such was the case last year when Justine Triet’s eventual Oscar winner “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the top award, the Palme d’Or, the fourth consecutive film distributed by Neon to do so. Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 Grand Prize winner “The Zone of Interest” also won two Academy Awards, while Competition entries “Perfect Days” and “May December” earned Oscar nominations, too.
Such was the case last year when Justine Triet’s eventual Oscar winner “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the top award, the Palme d’Or, the fourth consecutive film distributed by Neon to do so. Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 Grand Prize winner “The Zone of Interest” also won two Academy Awards, while Competition entries “Perfect Days” and “May December” earned Oscar nominations, too.
- 3/27/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Kate Erbland and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Yorgos Lanthimos is examining the kinds of cruelty in his latest film “Kinds of Kindness.”
The feature, which was originally titled “And”, marks Lanthimos’ eighth film and reunites the auteur with two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone following her recent “Poor Things” Best Actress win. Stone previously garnered her first Oscar after starring in Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.”
While the plot details for the Searchlight Pictures release remain elusive, we do know that “Kinds of Kindness” is an anthology film with three separate storylines that collide. Stone stars alongside her “Poor Things” co-stars Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, plus Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie.
“It’s great to be working again with Emma,” Lanthimos told The Guardian about the project. “It makes it so much easier to have someone there who trusts you so much, and who you trust so much.” The duo are next set...
The feature, which was originally titled “And”, marks Lanthimos’ eighth film and reunites the auteur with two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone following her recent “Poor Things” Best Actress win. Stone previously garnered her first Oscar after starring in Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.”
While the plot details for the Searchlight Pictures release remain elusive, we do know that “Kinds of Kindness” is an anthology film with three separate storylines that collide. Stone stars alongside her “Poor Things” co-stars Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, plus Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie.
“It’s great to be working again with Emma,” Lanthimos told The Guardian about the project. “It makes it so much easier to have someone there who trusts you so much, and who you trust so much.” The duo are next set...
- 3/27/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
We live in strange times. This young century has been defined by harrowing disasters both natural and man-made, political tribalism, and existential threats to the future of the planet. What better time for documentary filmmaking?
Non-fiction cinema has been evolving since the birth of the medium while capturing a world in motion. From the actualités of the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century to the heavily manipulated ethnographic films of the 1920, from the vérité films of the Maysles brothers to the man-on-the-street agitprop popularized by Michael Moore, documentaries have naturally always been more responsive to their times than any other mode of filmmaking.
Not only do they reveal our world to us, but they shape how we view it, and the early years of the 21st century have proven that to be more true than ever before. On one hand, digital technology has infinitely expanded our range of vision,...
Non-fiction cinema has been evolving since the birth of the medium while capturing a world in motion. From the actualités of the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century to the heavily manipulated ethnographic films of the 1920, from the vérité films of the Maysles brothers to the man-on-the-street agitprop popularized by Michael Moore, documentaries have naturally always been more responsive to their times than any other mode of filmmaking.
Not only do they reveal our world to us, but they shape how we view it, and the early years of the 21st century have proven that to be more true than ever before. On one hand, digital technology has infinitely expanded our range of vision,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated many times.]
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
- 3/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The “Ghostbusters” franchise has had a tumultuous run in the 21st century. Paul Feig’s attempt to retool the series with an all-star cast of female comedians including Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones with 2016’s “Ghostbusters” was a fairly standard studio reboot, but online backlash about the gender-swapped casting launched a culture war fight that arguably exceeded the actual film in terms of influence.
The series was re-launched again when Jason Reitman directed 2019’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” but the “Up in the Air” director quickly found himself in hot water when his comments about planning to “hand the movie back to the fans” were interpreted by many as a sexist dig at the female-led reboot.
The latest entry in the franchise, this weekend’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” serves as a continuation of both the story Reitman launched in “Afterlife” and the original films directed by his father,...
The series was re-launched again when Jason Reitman directed 2019’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” but the “Up in the Air” director quickly found himself in hot water when his comments about planning to “hand the movie back to the fans” were interpreted by many as a sexist dig at the female-led reboot.
The latest entry in the franchise, this weekend’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” serves as a continuation of both the story Reitman launched in “Afterlife” and the original films directed by his father,...
- 3/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
You probably already know what will be number one on this list. The “Ghostbusters” franchise has gone through its ups and downs, reboots and legacyquels. But as the first film approaches its 40th anniversary this June, there’s little doubt in anybody’s mind that it remains the definitive ghost-catching movie of them all.
In the early ’80s, Dan Aykroyd — then just fresh off his stint as an original “Saturday Night Live” cast member — was inspired by his own belief in the supernatural to write a script about a group of eccentric academics who start a pest-control business where the “pests” they’re catching are malevolent spirits. Recruiting former “SNL” castmate Bill Murray to star, comedian Harold Ramis to help rewrite the screenplay, and “Meatballs” and “Stripes” filmmaker Ivan Reitman to direct. The final film, which hit theaters in 1984, starred Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and Ernie Hudson as the four Ghostbusters,...
In the early ’80s, Dan Aykroyd — then just fresh off his stint as an original “Saturday Night Live” cast member — was inspired by his own belief in the supernatural to write a script about a group of eccentric academics who start a pest-control business where the “pests” they’re catching are malevolent spirits. Recruiting former “SNL” castmate Bill Murray to star, comedian Harold Ramis to help rewrite the screenplay, and “Meatballs” and “Stripes” filmmaker Ivan Reitman to direct. The final film, which hit theaters in 1984, starred Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and Ernie Hudson as the four Ghostbusters,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
If curating the Best Action Movies of All Time felt borderline impossible, then ranking just the top entries from this century is Mission Barely Manageable.
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
- 3/22/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
What would movies be about if not for love? Since well before the days of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca,” romance has driven countless classic stories, setting up some of the highest highs in cinematic history to follow. Be it Cary Grant and Grace Kelly seeing stars in “To Catch a Thief” or Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal disturbing diner patrons in “When Harry Met Sally,” the 20th century was chock full of iconic romances that helped humanity fall in love with the movies. Of course, those titles were dominated by white artists telling largely heteronormative tales — meaning many (but not all) of the best and most inclusive romances have arrived this millennium.
Now, the best romance movies of the 21st century both resonate and surprise, showing audiences characters they might recognize from their own lives in new and surprising ways. Yes, finding “the one” is exceedingly well-frequented thematic territory,...
Now, the best romance movies of the 21st century both resonate and surprise, showing audiences characters they might recognize from their own lives in new and surprising ways. Yes, finding “the one” is exceedingly well-frequented thematic territory,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
‘Shirley’ review round-up: Regina King’s performance is ‘filled with power, humor, warmth and grace’
On March 15, 2024 Netflix released “Shirley” in limited theaters before the movie officially launches on the streamer March 22. Oscar winner Regina King stars as Shirley Chisholm, the trailblazing politician who ran for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
The film has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, earning early awards buzz for King. As of this writing it holds fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% rating from critics and an even more impressive 100% score from everyday moviegoers. The ensemble cast includes Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Read our full review round-up below.
See ‘Shirley’ trailer: Oscar winner Regina King stars as historic Black politician Shirley Chisholm [Watch]
Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times praises the film, stating, “Regina King does great justice to the legacy of Shirley Chisholm, delivering a performance filled with power, humor, warmth and grace.” Concluding, “The late...
The film has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, earning early awards buzz for King. As of this writing it holds fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% rating from critics and an even more impressive 100% score from everyday moviegoers. The ensemble cast includes Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Read our full review round-up below.
See ‘Shirley’ trailer: Oscar winner Regina King stars as historic Black politician Shirley Chisholm [Watch]
Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times praises the film, stating, “Regina King does great justice to the legacy of Shirley Chisholm, delivering a performance filled with power, humor, warmth and grace.” Concluding, “The late...
- 3/20/2024
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
The musical sometimes feels like a relic of a long-dead Hollywood studio system, but it remains a genre that captures movies’ ability to create story worlds that move freely between reality and fantasy. The worst examples come from filmmakers who give license to music, color, and movement to run amok; the best transcend artifice and integrate songs that become expressions of pure character emotion. Musicals offer endless possibilities, but success demands a complete mastery of the medium.
The best movie musicals of all time have faced obstacles as varied as their creators’ styles and tastes. That’s in part because its integration of at least two art forms — music and film always, but sometimes also dance — demands an unusually high-caliber of multi-faceted talent from those attempting its complexities.
After Lee De Forest invented the “talky,” the opportunity oozing from that new tech prompted an industry rush on musicals in the last days of the 1920s.
The best movie musicals of all time have faced obstacles as varied as their creators’ styles and tastes. That’s in part because its integration of at least two art forms — music and film always, but sometimes also dance — demands an unusually high-caliber of multi-faceted talent from those attempting its complexities.
After Lee De Forest invented the “talky,” the opportunity oozing from that new tech prompted an industry rush on musicals in the last days of the 1920s.
- 3/20/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Lily Gladstone has already made history. When the Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce actor received an Oscar nomination for their searing performance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” on January 23, she became the first Native American actor to receive a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars, and the second Native American performer to receive an Oscar nomination overall, after Chief Dan George’s Supporting Actor Nomination for 1970’s “Little Big Man.”
Should Gladstone win the award, it would make them the first Native American performer to ever win an acting Oscar — an incredible achievement, albeit not one that erases the Oscars’ troubled history with Indigenous people. But regardless of what happens, Gladstone’s incredible work in the film as Mollie Burkhart, a real life Osage woman in the 1920s whose husband Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a conspirator in a series of mass murders of her people — stands...
Should Gladstone win the award, it would make them the first Native American performer to ever win an acting Oscar — an incredible achievement, albeit not one that erases the Oscars’ troubled history with Indigenous people. But regardless of what happens, Gladstone’s incredible work in the film as Mollie Burkhart, a real life Osage woman in the 1920s whose husband Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a conspirator in a series of mass murders of her people — stands...
- 3/9/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
So much political gamesmanship goes into an Oscar campaign that the notion of a “best” picture at all has been nearly emptied of meaning. Though, with nearly 10,000 voting members, the Academy is the one sampling reflective of the industry to get closest to what its artists and talent believe the best to be. That is, after plenty of other worthy contenders are eliminated in the nominations process.
Seven of this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees showed up in IndieWire’s ranking of the best films of 2023, which suggests that critics and audiences are more aligned than ever in terms of the year’s finest films. Many of which, here, were championed by critics, from “Past Lives” all the way back to Sundance 2023 to “Anatomy of a Fall,” beloved since winning the Palme d’Or (Neon’s fourth consecutively) at Cannes 2023. The teams behind titles like “Past Lives” (though unlikely to...
Seven of this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees showed up in IndieWire’s ranking of the best films of 2023, which suggests that critics and audiences are more aligned than ever in terms of the year’s finest films. Many of which, here, were championed by critics, from “Past Lives” all the way back to Sundance 2023 to “Anatomy of a Fall,” beloved since winning the Palme d’Or (Neon’s fourth consecutively) at Cannes 2023. The teams behind titles like “Past Lives” (though unlikely to...
- 3/8/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Prime Video’s “Ricky Stanicky,” the latest comedy from director Peter Farrelly, is filled with outrageous moments revolving around John Cena as Rod, a down-on-his-luck performer hired by a group of friends to pose as their nonexistent pal. The undeniable highlights, however, are the moments in which we see the Atlantic City lounge act for which Rod dresses as iconic performers, from Peter Frampton and Britney Spears to Billy Idol and Boy George. The musical numbers walk a fine line, presenting Cena with costumes that immediately summon up associations with their sources while remaining just a bit off in order to show that Rod is not exactly one of Atlantic City’s top acts.
Cena credits the costume and hair and makeup departments with creating a wide variety of hilarious looks — and doing it on a ridiculously compressed schedule. “Not only did they transform me to look like Dee Snider,...
Cena credits the costume and hair and makeup departments with creating a wide variety of hilarious looks — and doing it on a ridiculously compressed schedule. “Not only did they transform me to look like Dee Snider,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
“Love Lies Bleeding” director Rose Glass can’t speak to the very online debate over movie sex scenes in the 21st century — whether audiences want to see them, and whether they’re necessary to films at all.
“In terms of speaking to the wider conversations about cinema, sex, and audiences, I don’t feel qualified to know. I know I’ve sort of read that people are saying that younger audiences are more sex-averse or sex-scene-cynical, but I’ve only read that in articles. I don’t know how true it is,” Glass told IndieWire over Zoom.
In her hot and ultraviolent new midnight movie “Love Lies Bleeding” — a sort of lesbian white trash spin on “Drive” set in an excess-addled 1980s Southwestern town — the sex scenes between gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) and ‘roided-up bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) are essential to the character-building. This wildly swinging, often out-of-its-mind thriller...
“In terms of speaking to the wider conversations about cinema, sex, and audiences, I don’t feel qualified to know. I know I’ve sort of read that people are saying that younger audiences are more sex-averse or sex-scene-cynical, but I’ve only read that in articles. I don’t know how true it is,” Glass told IndieWire over Zoom.
In her hot and ultraviolent new midnight movie “Love Lies Bleeding” — a sort of lesbian white trash spin on “Drive” set in an excess-addled 1980s Southwestern town — the sex scenes between gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) and ‘roided-up bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) are essential to the character-building. This wildly swinging, often out-of-its-mind thriller...
- 3/6/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: This list was originally published in May 2016 and has since been updated.]
So…what is sci-fi? It’s not the easiest question to answer when “sci-fi elements” permeate so many of the biggest blockbusters: thought-provoking genre concepts flattened into one-size-fits-all franchise fodder that make countless titles “feel” and, on occasion, even look the same.
Yes, science fiction is rooted in profound origins, examining humanity’s deep-seated fear of itself and the intimidating possibility of worlds unknown. But the last two decades have seen a metaphoric rush on sci-fi storytelling that’s left the once niche subgenre a supersaturated movie market. On the one hand, that’s produced an onslaught of sci-fi(ish) titles that aren’t always up to snuff. But on the other, it’s prompted some of the best sci-fi films ever made. Masterworks like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Nope” both arrived in the past two years, and top our list at number five and number eight respectively.
So…what is sci-fi? It’s not the easiest question to answer when “sci-fi elements” permeate so many of the biggest blockbusters: thought-provoking genre concepts flattened into one-size-fits-all franchise fodder that make countless titles “feel” and, on occasion, even look the same.
Yes, science fiction is rooted in profound origins, examining humanity’s deep-seated fear of itself and the intimidating possibility of worlds unknown. But the last two decades have seen a metaphoric rush on sci-fi storytelling that’s left the once niche subgenre a supersaturated movie market. On the one hand, that’s produced an onslaught of sci-fi(ish) titles that aren’t always up to snuff. But on the other, it’s prompted some of the best sci-fi films ever made. Masterworks like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Nope” both arrived in the past two years, and top our list at number five and number eight respectively.
- 3/5/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
This year’s SXSW Film and TV Festival (running March 8 through March 16) continues the Austin-based multimedia showcases expansion beyond typical-screen movies and into the realms of TV and Xr experiences.
The festival’s opening night premiere, Doug Liman’s “Road House,” falls somewhere in the cracks between film and TV, as controversially the Jake Gyllenhaal-led ’80s throwback reimagining will not play theaters from Amazon MGM Studios and will instead plop on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. (“Road House” and Amazon MGM are meanwhile in the thick of a copyright lawsuit filed by the 1989 original’s screenwriter R. Lance Hill that also messily involves the studio’s alleged AI usage to rush completion on the movie.)
Similarly, the deep-pocketed but theatrically stingy streamer’s “The Idea of You,” a Coachella-set romantic dramedy from director Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, will also be a Prime Video exclusive this May after playing SXSW.
The festival’s opening night premiere, Doug Liman’s “Road House,” falls somewhere in the cracks between film and TV, as controversially the Jake Gyllenhaal-led ’80s throwback reimagining will not play theaters from Amazon MGM Studios and will instead plop on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. (“Road House” and Amazon MGM are meanwhile in the thick of a copyright lawsuit filed by the 1989 original’s screenwriter R. Lance Hill that also messily involves the studio’s alleged AI usage to rush completion on the movie.)
Similarly, the deep-pocketed but theatrically stingy streamer’s “The Idea of You,” a Coachella-set romantic dramedy from director Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, will also be a Prime Video exclusive this May after playing SXSW.
- 3/4/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
In 2018, the film world unknowingly received a major swan song: the last Coen Brothers movie. That November, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Western anthology film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” released on Netflix, marking the 18th feature from the Minnesota-born filmmakers.
In the years that followed, the two did something they never did across the first three decades of their career: go solo. Elder brother Joel was the first to branch out with 2021’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” an expressionist, gorgeous staging of William Shakespeare’s iconic play with Denzel Washington and Coen’s own wife Frances McDormand in the lead roles. Ethan followed shortly with the “Drive-Away Dolls,” a raucous comedy co-written with his wife Tricia Cooke (an underrated constant in the duo’s career is their wife-guy natures) and styled as a lesbian-slanted version of classic Coen Brothers comedies like “The Big Lebowski” and “Raising Arizona,” with Margaret Qualley...
In the years that followed, the two did something they never did across the first three decades of their career: go solo. Elder brother Joel was the first to branch out with 2021’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” an expressionist, gorgeous staging of William Shakespeare’s iconic play with Denzel Washington and Coen’s own wife Frances McDormand in the lead roles. Ethan followed shortly with the “Drive-Away Dolls,” a raucous comedy co-written with his wife Tricia Cooke (an underrated constant in the duo’s career is their wife-guy natures) and styled as a lesbian-slanted version of classic Coen Brothers comedies like “The Big Lebowski” and “Raising Arizona,” with Margaret Qualley...
- 2/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
There’s something uniquely cinematic about romantic comedies — something that makes them a natural fit for the movies and vice-versa. There’s an intoxicating alchemy that allows us to believe in the magic of meet-cutes, happily-ever-afters, and all the agonizing contrivances that tend to pop up between the two. Love it seems gives storytellers permission to transpose the stuff of operas and fables into the fabric of real (or at least overly glossed but still recognizable) life.
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
It’s the end of an era for the Berlin International Film Festival, as Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian and his co-head Mariette Rissenbeek — a pair of fearless cineastes and programmers who came onboard together in the summer of 2019, and helped steer the world’s largest film festival through the crisis of the pandemic years — are being unceremoniously shoved out to sea after the 2024 edition as a part of cost-cutting measures instituted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth.
It’s too soon to say how the Berlinale will shrink and suffer in the absence of the leadership that has allowed the festival to remain such a vital arena for world cinema at a time of industry-wide constriction, but even a quick overview of this year’s program suggests that Chatrian and Rissenbeek will be going out with a bang.
As usual, the Berlinale will play...
It’s too soon to say how the Berlinale will shrink and suffer in the absence of the leadership that has allowed the festival to remain such a vital arena for world cinema at a time of industry-wide constriction, but even a quick overview of this year’s program suggests that Chatrian and Rissenbeek will be going out with a bang.
As usual, the Berlinale will play...
- 2/14/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Following the success of “Predator” prequel “Prey,” writer/director Dan Trachtenberg is rolling out a whole new “Predator” franchise at 20th Century Studios.
As first announced by The Hollywood Reporter, Trachtenberg is set to helm “Badlands,” a new “Predator” storyline set in the future and featuring a female lead. Additionally, 20th Century Studios is reportedly planning a slew of “Predator” projects with Trachtenberg overseeing.
Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison were behind the story for “Badlands,” with Aison penning the screenplay. Trachtenberg will direct.
“Prey” was set in 1719 and followed an Indigenous woman (Amber Midthunder) who fought for survival against alien invaders. The film made history on Hulu as the streamer’s biggest premiere ever and was nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie. The IndieWire review praised the film for being a “thrilling journey” that helped revive the franchise.
“The key to ‘Prey’ is screenwriter Patrick Aison’s smart interpretation...
As first announced by The Hollywood Reporter, Trachtenberg is set to helm “Badlands,” a new “Predator” storyline set in the future and featuring a female lead. Additionally, 20th Century Studios is reportedly planning a slew of “Predator” projects with Trachtenberg overseeing.
Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison were behind the story for “Badlands,” with Aison penning the screenplay. Trachtenberg will direct.
“Prey” was set in 1719 and followed an Indigenous woman (Amber Midthunder) who fought for survival against alien invaders. The film made history on Hulu as the streamer’s biggest premiere ever and was nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie. The IndieWire review praised the film for being a “thrilling journey” that helped revive the franchise.
“The key to ‘Prey’ is screenwriter Patrick Aison’s smart interpretation...
- 2/9/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian are delivering a gut punch of a crime film.
The duo are at the center of Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding,” which was one of IndieWire’s must-see films from Sundance 2024. “Saint Maud” writer/director Glass helms the drama about reclusive gym manager Lou (Stewart), who falls in love with bodybuilder Jackie (O’Brian). The hitch? Their romance comes in the wake of Lou’s criminal family and unleashes a murderous rampage.
Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, and Ed Harris also star in the film, which is co-written by Weronika Tofilska.
Per A24, “Love Lies Bleeding” is billed as an “off-the-wall, rambunctious lesbian love story” set in a suburban small town that has a “heightened Americana sensibility.”
The feature is a co-production between A24 and Film4. A24 produced alongside Andrea Cornwell for Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions.
Glass previously won...
The duo are at the center of Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding,” which was one of IndieWire’s must-see films from Sundance 2024. “Saint Maud” writer/director Glass helms the drama about reclusive gym manager Lou (Stewart), who falls in love with bodybuilder Jackie (O’Brian). The hitch? Their romance comes in the wake of Lou’s criminal family and unleashes a murderous rampage.
Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, and Ed Harris also star in the film, which is co-written by Weronika Tofilska.
Per A24, “Love Lies Bleeding” is billed as an “off-the-wall, rambunctious lesbian love story” set in a suburban small town that has a “heightened Americana sensibility.”
The feature is a co-production between A24 and Film4. A24 produced alongside Andrea Cornwell for Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions.
Glass previously won...
- 2/7/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s been two years since “Minions: The Rise of Gru” took the summer box office by storm in 2022, but families won’t have to wait much longer for another adventure with everyone’s favorite pill-shaped heroes. “Despicable Me 4” is set to hit theaters this July, and the new trailer suggests that it’ll be another star-studded adventure featuring Gru and his Minion friends.
“Despicable Me 4” picks up after the events of “Despicable Me 3”, following Steve Carrell’s Gru and Kristen Wiig’s Lucy as their family grows with the arrival of Gru Jr. In addition to the familiar faces, the film sees Gru and his Minions face off against two new evil nemeses: Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale partner Valentina (Sofia Vergara).
Universal’s Illumination Entertainment division has established itself as one of Hollywood’s most profitable animation companies with hits like...
“Despicable Me 4” picks up after the events of “Despicable Me 3”, following Steve Carrell’s Gru and Kristen Wiig’s Lucy as their family grows with the arrival of Gru Jr. In addition to the familiar faces, the film sees Gru and his Minions face off against two new evil nemeses: Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale partner Valentina (Sofia Vergara).
Universal’s Illumination Entertainment division has established itself as one of Hollywood’s most profitable animation companies with hits like...
- 1/28/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Is there a single director working today with a better track record than Martin Scorsese? Ever since breaking through with his gritty, scrappy crime drama “Mean Streets,” the Italian-American’s name has been synonymous with quality, and he’s kept that train going for several years. Some films were more acclaimed than others, but from the ’70s all the way to the 2020s, Scorsese has remained a consistent top-tier filmmaker, pumping out at least one or two stone-cold classics per decade.
What’s even more impressive is how adaptable and varied the man has proven himself to be. A refrain popular among internet contrarians is that Scorsese is just a dude who makes gangster movies, but one look at the films he’s made over the years shows that only scratches the surface of his capabilities and tastes. While his mafia films like “Goodfellas” and “The Irishman” are obvious greats,...
What’s even more impressive is how adaptable and varied the man has proven himself to be. A refrain popular among internet contrarians is that Scorsese is just a dude who makes gangster movies, but one look at the films he’s made over the years shows that only scratches the surface of his capabilities and tastes. While his mafia films like “Goodfellas” and “The Irishman” are obvious greats,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
January is a transitional time for film, with focus shifting to the Oscars just as new offerings in theaters enter an annual dreaded slump. It’s also, paradoxically, one of the best months for new movies — if you’re lucky enough to head to Park City, Utah for Sundance Film Festival.
The single biggest film festival in the country, with almost 50,000 attendees each year, Sundance Film Festival was founded back in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival, before rebranding in 1984 to its current name. Operated by the Sundance Institute, the annual fest hosts hundreds of films each year, showcasing the brightest in independent filmmaking, along with a variety of foreign, documentary, and midnight films. Over the years the festival has hosted some of the most beloved indie films ever, and helped launch the careers of major filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay, and many, many more.
The single biggest film festival in the country, with almost 50,000 attendees each year, Sundance Film Festival was founded back in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival, before rebranding in 1984 to its current name. Operated by the Sundance Institute, the annual fest hosts hundreds of films each year, showcasing the brightest in independent filmmaking, along with a variety of foreign, documentary, and midnight films. Over the years the festival has hosted some of the most beloved indie films ever, and helped launch the careers of major filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay, and many, many more.
- 1/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Charlie Kaufman is bringing more neuroses to Netflix, this time with an animated twist.
The “Adaptation” screenwriter penned the adaptation of YA novel “Orion and the Dark” for the streaming platform. Jacob Tremblay voices the title character Orion, who is an anxiety-ridden elementary schooler trying to get over his fear of the dark. Turns out, the Dark is actually a physical entity (Paul Walter Hauser) who brings Orion on an adventure to confront his fears, ranging from clowns, fireworks, and ghouls.
“Orion, I’m going to get you to overcome your fears if it kills me,” the Dark says in the trailer.
Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Natasia Demetriou, Golda Rosheuvel, Nat Faxon, Aparna Nancherla, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, Nick Kishiyama, Mia Akemi Brown, Shannon Chan-Kent, and Jack Fisher also star. Werner Herzog narrates the film.
Animator Sean Charmatz marks his feature directorial debut with the DreamWorks and Netflix film.
The “Adaptation” screenwriter penned the adaptation of YA novel “Orion and the Dark” for the streaming platform. Jacob Tremblay voices the title character Orion, who is an anxiety-ridden elementary schooler trying to get over his fear of the dark. Turns out, the Dark is actually a physical entity (Paul Walter Hauser) who brings Orion on an adventure to confront his fears, ranging from clowns, fireworks, and ghouls.
“Orion, I’m going to get you to overcome your fears if it kills me,” the Dark says in the trailer.
Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Natasia Demetriou, Golda Rosheuvel, Nat Faxon, Aparna Nancherla, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, Nick Kishiyama, Mia Akemi Brown, Shannon Chan-Kent, and Jack Fisher also star. Werner Herzog narrates the film.
Animator Sean Charmatz marks his feature directorial debut with the DreamWorks and Netflix film.
- 1/11/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Willem Dafoe has a face made for film. When the sixty-something actor appears on screen, his prominent cheekbones, wide eyes, and toothy grin are difficult to take your gaze off. Combined with his slender frame and his raspy, gravely, deep voice, the actor’s portrayal of Jesus Christ allegedly prompted Sergio Leone to opine “This is not the face of our Lord, this is the face of Satan!”
Dafoe hasn’t played Satan at all over the course of his career, but he’s certainly played his share of villains, bringing his signature menace to dozens of cinematic crooks and psychopaths. After his first lead role, in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1982 biker drama “The Loveless,” his early parts were largely antagonists to the lead heroes, such as the alluring but frightening criminals in “Streets of Fire” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” The part that arguably brought him the most widespread,...
Dafoe hasn’t played Satan at all over the course of his career, but he’s certainly played his share of villains, bringing his signature menace to dozens of cinematic crooks and psychopaths. After his first lead role, in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1982 biker drama “The Loveless,” his early parts were largely antagonists to the lead heroes, such as the alluring but frightening criminals in “Streets of Fire” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” The part that arguably brought him the most widespread,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“Barbie” has won the inaugural Outstanding Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award at the Golden Globes. The Warner Bros. smash, the number one box office hit of 2023 ($1.44 billion in worldwide grosses), was a natural fit to win the award. With its creative, auteurist take on an existing property, the film has been credited as helping to revitalize a Hollywood still struggling post-Covid, and it’s been welcomed as a rare non-superhero-centric blockbuster.
“Barbie” also received the most nominations at the 81st Golden Globes overall this year, with nine total: in addition to Outstanding Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, it scored nods for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Margot Robbie, Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Director for Greta Gerwig, Best Screenplay for Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and three Best Original Song nods: “Dance the Night” for Mark Ronson, Andrew Watt,...
“Barbie” also received the most nominations at the 81st Golden Globes overall this year, with nine total: in addition to Outstanding Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, it scored nods for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Margot Robbie, Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Director for Greta Gerwig, Best Screenplay for Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and three Best Original Song nods: “Dance the Night” for Mark Ronson, Andrew Watt,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film is kind of three movies in one, according to the auteur.
Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” (originally titled “And”) was filmed in New Orleans while “Poor Things” was in VFX post-production in October 2022, and in case it wasn’t enough having two films back-to-back, the “Favourite” filmmaker revealed to The Guardian that “Kind of Kindness” is a trio of storylines.
“It’s a contemporary film, set in the U.S. — three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts. It was almost like making three films, really,” Lanthimos said. “It’s all shot and we have started editing.”
“Kinds of Kindness” reunites Lanthimos with “Poor Things” stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, plus “The Favourite” actor Joe Alwyn. Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schafer mark their respective first films with Lanthimos as part of the cast.
Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” (originally titled “And”) was filmed in New Orleans while “Poor Things” was in VFX post-production in October 2022, and in case it wasn’t enough having two films back-to-back, the “Favourite” filmmaker revealed to The Guardian that “Kind of Kindness” is a trio of storylines.
“It’s a contemporary film, set in the U.S. — three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts. It was almost like making three films, really,” Lanthimos said. “It’s all shot and we have started editing.”
“Kinds of Kindness” reunites Lanthimos with “Poor Things” stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, plus “The Favourite” actor Joe Alwyn. Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schafer mark their respective first films with Lanthimos as part of the cast.
- 1/3/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
2023 may not have been an excellent year for movies, but in spite of everything stacked against it (read: greedy conglomerates run amok), it turned out to be an excellent year of movies. While the fallout of the recent work stoppages will be felt for time to come, some of 2023’s losses will prove to be 2024’s gains, as much-anticipated but strike-delayed films like “Dune: Part Two,” “Drive-Away Dolls,” and Luca Guadagnino’s horny tennis drama “Challengers” have all secured fresh release dates in the first half of the new year.
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
- 12/29/2023
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
Art rises to a challenge, and 2023 saw plenty of documentaries do exactly that. Amid a swarm of vanity projects and puff pieces, brand extensions and overstretched stories, the best documentaries of the year stood out for their scrutiny and decisiveness; their unique perspectives and razor-sharp editing. Rather than be dragged down by industry forces, be it the lingering effects of streaming or resurgent demand for star vehicles masked as docs, these 20 nonfiction works rose above — and, as audience members, we thank them for it.
There were some heavy hitters working in 2023. Matthew Heineman, Maite Alberdi, Steve James, and Errol Morris all delivered impressive new pieces. Breakthroughs came screaming to the forefront as well, many aided by festival or critical support (or both). Films like “Kokomo City,” “Beyond Utopia,” and “A Still Small Voice” managed to crack the zeitgeist and pique cinephiles’ interest. While over in television, genre hybrids like “Paul T. Goldman...
There were some heavy hitters working in 2023. Matthew Heineman, Maite Alberdi, Steve James, and Errol Morris all delivered impressive new pieces. Breakthroughs came screaming to the forefront as well, many aided by festival or critical support (or both). Films like “Kokomo City,” “Beyond Utopia,” and “A Still Small Voice” managed to crack the zeitgeist and pique cinephiles’ interest. While over in television, genre hybrids like “Paul T. Goldman...
- 12/12/2023
- by Ben Travers and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
From stories about harrowing queer experiences (“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”) to films that are themselves harrowing queer experiences, Peacock has a decent LGBTQ but with more queer storylines than queer shows.
Peacock’s selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer-inclusive movies and TV shows is not nearly as robust as the other catalogues on competing services, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video. And it’s an even further cry from the plethora of original gay content at HBO, which is still the only competitor in the streaming wars brandishing a critically acclaimed comedy about gay pirates.
But at least a handful of the LGBTQ stories currently available on Peacock are good enough to consider visiting the service for that purpose, even if you’re not usually there perusing its stockpile of middling NBC sitcoms. On the TV side, “We Are Lady Parts” stands out as a must-watch series about...
Peacock’s selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer-inclusive movies and TV shows is not nearly as robust as the other catalogues on competing services, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video. And it’s an even further cry from the plethora of original gay content at HBO, which is still the only competitor in the streaming wars brandishing a critically acclaimed comedy about gay pirates.
But at least a handful of the LGBTQ stories currently available on Peacock are good enough to consider visiting the service for that purpose, even if you’re not usually there perusing its stockpile of middling NBC sitcoms. On the TV side, “We Are Lady Parts” stands out as a must-watch series about...
- 12/8/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
It was a full circle moment for Greta Gerwig at the 2023 IndieWire Honors, where the “Barbie” writer/director received the Auteur Award and looked back on a career spent making indies.
“I feel like, ‘Oh, this is ‘Barbie’ and this is IndieWire; does this go together?’ But IndieWire is one of the places that first made me believe I could be a director,” Gerwig said at the event taking place at NeueHouse Hollywood on December 6. “I truly really would have never directed if it weren’t for journalists, and especially journalists at IndieWire, who saw me as someone who had something to say before I really knew I had something to say at all.”
The visionary creative behind the highest-grossing film ever helmed by a woman first broke onto the low budget scene as a performer in the early aughts. Gerwig described seeing fellow honoree Benny Safdie at festivals — “Dude,...
“I feel like, ‘Oh, this is ‘Barbie’ and this is IndieWire; does this go together?’ But IndieWire is one of the places that first made me believe I could be a director,” Gerwig said at the event taking place at NeueHouse Hollywood on December 6. “I truly really would have never directed if it weren’t for journalists, and especially journalists at IndieWire, who saw me as someone who had something to say before I really knew I had something to say at all.”
The visionary creative behind the highest-grossing film ever helmed by a woman first broke onto the low budget scene as a performer in the early aughts. Gerwig described seeing fellow honoree Benny Safdie at festivals — “Dude,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
The great Joni Mitchell once wrote, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” which certainly applied to acting in 2023. Of course, actors didn’t disappear this year. They were just far less visible for a while. The SAG strike — lasting from mid-July to early November — was an eye-opening necessity, protecting the guild from the studios’ ghastly attempts to implement artificial intelligence and correcting issues like lost wages and residuals that stemmed from the “great” streaming disruption.
But if you would’ve told me a year ago I’d be lamenting the loss of all those red carpets, publicity junkets, and various press appearances actors bravely embark upon for their art, I would’ve laughed in your face — and then I would have apologized for laughing in your face, and explained, slowly and assuredly, that “No, I would never miss the scourge of half-formed quotes and...
But if you would’ve told me a year ago I’d be lamenting the loss of all those red carpets, publicity junkets, and various press appearances actors bravely embark upon for their art, I would’ve laughed in your face — and then I would have apologized for laughing in your face, and explained, slowly and assuredly, that “No, I would never miss the scourge of half-formed quotes and...
- 12/5/2023
- by Ben Travers and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
With five Academy Award nominations and a win for “The Revenant,” Leonardo DiCaprio has established himself as a Hollywood icon — vaulting from his first starring role in the sci-fi horror “Critters III” to challenging parts with major auteurs, including Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, while championing humanitarian issues through his prolific environmental activism.
In “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” DiCaprio played a washed-up movie star at the end of his tether, which is perhaps the biggest stretch of the actor’s filmography considering his esteemed pedigree and enviable body of work. With nearly $7 billion dollars of global box office to his name and a list of roles that prove his selective instincts each time out, DiCaprio is one of the few movie stars working today who always delivers something worth seeing.
That even includes Adam McKay’s 2021 end-times satire for Netflix “Don’t Look Up,...
In “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” DiCaprio played a washed-up movie star at the end of his tether, which is perhaps the biggest stretch of the actor’s filmography considering his esteemed pedigree and enviable body of work. With nearly $7 billion dollars of global box office to his name and a list of roles that prove his selective instincts each time out, DiCaprio is one of the few movie stars working today who always delivers something worth seeing.
That even includes Adam McKay’s 2021 end-times satire for Netflix “Don’t Look Up,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
It’s the ingénue performers, the newbies, and the surprise turns that gave us hope for the future of screen storytelling in 2023. Especially in a marketplace — ew — driven by repeats, volume, and content-feeding, the unexpected can hit with a sharper shock than ever nowadays in theaters and on TV.
In the last year, we’ve seen some known or known-enough actors deliver unpredictable, accomplished work, along with fresh faces out of the clear blue that took us aback or pulled us in with their acting debuts. What is a breakthrough performance? We’ve turned that definition over and over to round up performances that stood out from the content morass, that broke through their stories to elevate and transcend the film or series around them. Or to sharpen its point in yet another year of innumerable offerings.
Some of these shows or movies didn’t quite reach the audience they should have,...
In the last year, we’ve seen some known or known-enough actors deliver unpredictable, accomplished work, along with fresh faces out of the clear blue that took us aback or pulled us in with their acting debuts. What is a breakthrough performance? We’ve turned that definition over and over to round up performances that stood out from the content morass, that broke through their stories to elevate and transcend the film or series around them. Or to sharpen its point in yet another year of innumerable offerings.
Some of these shows or movies didn’t quite reach the audience they should have,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
When LGBTQ community-gathering spaces were largely put on pause by the pandemic, those once-in-person safe havens became our streaming platforms and technical devices at home. Hyper-specific pop subcultures emerged — here’s looking at you, queer readers of the generally awful “Friends” — and reputations for streamers’ philosophies toward and commitment to LGBTQ content were widely discussed online. (Shout out to Showtime: the premium cable network still servicing lesbians everywhere.)
Even as the world has opened back up, in Hollywood, it feels like queer storytelling and community are more galvanized than ever. Nowhere is that more tidily displayed than on the carousels of “LGBTQ” offerings found across entertainment platforms. Netflix, a heavyweight in any streaming conversation (regardless of its rocky 2022), has played a significant role in green-lighting major queer-inclusive projects across television and film. Not only has the platform championed many shows that were queer in premise — see “Grace and Frankie” or...
Even as the world has opened back up, in Hollywood, it feels like queer storytelling and community are more galvanized than ever. Nowhere is that more tidily displayed than on the carousels of “LGBTQ” offerings found across entertainment platforms. Netflix, a heavyweight in any streaming conversation (regardless of its rocky 2022), has played a significant role in green-lighting major queer-inclusive projects across television and film. Not only has the platform championed many shows that were queer in premise — see “Grace and Frankie” or...
- 12/2/2023
- by Wilson Chapman, Alison Foreman and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Voting for the 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards has ended and the awards have been announced. The NYFCC winners list is one of the most anticipated in the awards season leading up to the Oscars, partly due to it being the first major critics group to issue awards each year, partly due to the exceptional caliber of its members (among whom IndieWire’s Kate Erbland and David Ehrlich are counted) and partly due to their inclination to embrace true cinephilia rather than awards season narratives. Check out the full winners list below.
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “May December” were the only films to win two awards each. “Flower Moon” won the top prize, Best Film, along with Best Actress for Lily Gladstone. Christopher Nolan won Best Director for “Oppenheimer,” which also took Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema. The two films, from Apple and Universal respectively,...
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “May December” were the only films to win two awards each. “Flower Moon” won the top prize, Best Film, along with Best Actress for Lily Gladstone. Christopher Nolan won Best Director for “Oppenheimer,” which also took Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema. The two films, from Apple and Universal respectively,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
An enterprising surveyor of genre and tone, Ridley Scott has earned the admiration of audiences and critics alike with a seemingly unending interest in exploring the outermost limits of his art form. The British director broke onto the scene in 1977 with “The Duellists,” a French period drama starring Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine set during the Napoleonic Wars. He returns to the early 19th century with Joaquin Phoenix as its namesake historical figure with the epic “Napoleon,” in theaters November 22.
“I first became aware of Ridley Scott with his film ‘The Duellists,'” Francis Ford Coppola recently said of Scott’s debut in an Instagram post. “I was impressed, and realizing he was my contemporary began following his work, which was prodigious to say the least. One after the other, different styles, themes — all ambitious and never stopping, absolutely great films like ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Thelma & Louise,’ ‘Alien,’ and ‘Black Hawk Down....
“I first became aware of Ridley Scott with his film ‘The Duellists,'” Francis Ford Coppola recently said of Scott’s debut in an Instagram post. “I was impressed, and realizing he was my contemporary began following his work, which was prodigious to say the least. One after the other, different styles, themes — all ambitious and never stopping, absolutely great films like ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Thelma & Louise,’ ‘Alien,’ and ‘Black Hawk Down....
- 11/23/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
“One more time: animation is a medium, not a genre. Animation is film,” Guillermo del Toro said last year. IndieWire couldn’t agree more, and yet animation — an art form that requires the most precise control of the cinematic medium — is continually disrespected.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
- 11/23/2023
- by Bill Desowitz and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Daisy Ridley is contemplating death. Well, not actual death — but the escape from the mundanities of corporate office culture because, really, aren’t we all?
The “Star Wars” actress leads the indie “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” which debuted at Sundance 2023. In the film, Ridley plays Fran, a woman who daydreams while at work and thinks about interesting ways to die. When a new coworker (Dave Merheje) tries to connect with her, though, Fran realizes there is more to life than its inevitable fatal end. Meg Stalter, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis, and Brittany O’Grady round out the cast.
Director Rachel Lambert helms her sophomore feature, following her debut film “In the Radiant City,” which was produced by Jeff Nichols. Lead actress Ridley also serves as a producer on “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” along with fellow producers Alex Saks, Dori Rath, Lauren Beveridge, and Brett Beveridge. The film was written by Kevin Armento,...
The “Star Wars” actress leads the indie “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” which debuted at Sundance 2023. In the film, Ridley plays Fran, a woman who daydreams while at work and thinks about interesting ways to die. When a new coworker (Dave Merheje) tries to connect with her, though, Fran realizes there is more to life than its inevitable fatal end. Meg Stalter, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis, and Brittany O’Grady round out the cast.
Director Rachel Lambert helms her sophomore feature, following her debut film “In the Radiant City,” which was produced by Jeff Nichols. Lead actress Ridley also serves as a producer on “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” along with fellow producers Alex Saks, Dori Rath, Lauren Beveridge, and Brett Beveridge. The film was written by Kevin Armento,...
- 11/20/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Love it or hate it, nobody who wants to participate in pop culture can ignore the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the internet and the streaming boom continue to divide the entertainment industry into smaller niche fragments, superhero tentpole movies are the closest thing we still have to a monoculture. That cultural dominance has allowed Marvel Studios to rope an increasingly large percentage of Hollywood’s A-list actors (and quite a few of its best directors) into its ever-expanding universe.
Years of billion dollar box office receipts and endless discourse about its stranglehold on the film industry make it easy to forget what a risky proposition the MCU was when it launched with “Iron Man” in 2008. Superhero movies without Batman, Superman, or Spider-Man were considered box office gambles at the time, and many entertainment industry observers doubted that audiences would continue to show up for so many interlocking films without getting fatigued.
Years of billion dollar box office receipts and endless discourse about its stranglehold on the film industry make it easy to forget what a risky proposition the MCU was when it launched with “Iron Man” in 2008. Superhero movies without Batman, Superman, or Spider-Man were considered box office gambles at the time, and many entertainment industry observers doubted that audiences would continue to show up for so many interlocking films without getting fatigued.
- 11/14/2023
- by Proma Khosla, Christian Zilko and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, plus “The Marvels” and its post-credits scene.]
It was a bad weekend at the box office — certainly not a “marvels-ous” one — as the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels,” arrived in theaters and promptly walked away with a dismal $47 million domestic, $110 million worldwide opening, the worst opening for an MCU film ever. Also not helping: a B CinemaScore, which places the film in the bottom tier of MCU films by that metric as well (only two other MCU films have received that same grade: “Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”).
It’s unfortunate that DaCosta’s film — directed by a woman of color, featuring a female-centric story with a “diverse” cast of superheroes, and finding its best beats in humor and heart — will become inextricably linked with the “fall” of the MCU, because this kind of box office bust has long seemed inevitable for the ailing franchise.
It was a bad weekend at the box office — certainly not a “marvels-ous” one — as the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels,” arrived in theaters and promptly walked away with a dismal $47 million domestic, $110 million worldwide opening, the worst opening for an MCU film ever. Also not helping: a B CinemaScore, which places the film in the bottom tier of MCU films by that metric as well (only two other MCU films have received that same grade: “Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”).
It’s unfortunate that DaCosta’s film — directed by a woman of color, featuring a female-centric story with a “diverse” cast of superheroes, and finding its best beats in humor and heart — will become inextricably linked with the “fall” of the MCU, because this kind of box office bust has long seemed inevitable for the ailing franchise.
- 11/13/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Proma Khosla, Marcus Jones, Alison Foreman and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “The Marvels.”]
“The Goose is loose!” That’s something I’d like to think was said by one or more of Nick Fury’s crew members upon discovering that Captain Marvel’s frisky feline companion had been furiously birthing up a storm while aboard their ship in “The Marvels.”
The film unofficially known as “Captain Marvel 2” will go down in history as “the one with all the kittens in space.” IndieWire’s Kate Erbland gave the film a “C-“ in her review, accurately citing the surprise arrival of Goose’s dozens of babies in the fourth act as “the single most bonkers set piece the MCU has ever churned out,” but still not enough to save the movie from being, at best, mid.
For Marvel’s undying fanbase, and they are legion, the scene is ostensibly a slam-dunk explosion of cute capitalizing on centuries of humanity’s unrelenting obsession with cats.
“The Goose is loose!” That’s something I’d like to think was said by one or more of Nick Fury’s crew members upon discovering that Captain Marvel’s frisky feline companion had been furiously birthing up a storm while aboard their ship in “The Marvels.”
The film unofficially known as “Captain Marvel 2” will go down in history as “the one with all the kittens in space.” IndieWire’s Kate Erbland gave the film a “C-“ in her review, accurately citing the surprise arrival of Goose’s dozens of babies in the fourth act as “the single most bonkers set piece the MCU has ever churned out,” but still not enough to save the movie from being, at best, mid.
For Marvel’s undying fanbase, and they are legion, the scene is ostensibly a slam-dunk explosion of cute capitalizing on centuries of humanity’s unrelenting obsession with cats.
- 11/12/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
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