In collaboration with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Paris Theater has announced it will be presenting the New York “Academy Museum Branch Select” screening series starting April 3. Each of the 18 branches of the Academy has selected a film for the series that represents a major milestone in the evolution of filmmaking. Some of the films included are “Fantastic Mr.Fox,” “Showgirls,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Nashville,” “Yi Yi,” “In the Mood for Love” and “Citizen Kane.”
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
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
Clockwise from top left: Lady Bird (A24), True Grit (Paramount Pictures), The Royal Tenenbaums (Touchstone Pictures), The Irishman (Netflix)Graphic: The A.V. Club
If winning an Oscar wasn’t a big deal, why are the year’s biggest snubs and surprises the first topic of discussion following every nomination announcement?...
If winning an Oscar wasn’t a big deal, why are the year’s biggest snubs and surprises the first topic of discussion following every nomination announcement?...
- 3/6/2024
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
[Editor’s note: this story was originally published in January 2024. We updated and recirculated it in advance of the 96th Academy Awards on March 10.]
The Oscars are a cruel, selective beast. With only 10 movies recognized in the Best Picture race, and five entries in every other category, it’s an unfortunate reality that many high quality, deserving films each year will end up with nothing on nomination day.
The 2024 Oscar class is no different, with plenty of cries of snubbery coming out after their January 23 announcement. Most of the discussion has been taken up by the shocking blanks for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, who missed out on Best Actress and Best Director respectively for their work on “Barbie,” the indisputable film juggernaut of the year. Other major surprises included Charles Melton missing out for his breakout turn in “May December,” and Leonardo DiCaprio getting left out of the Best Actor race for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Other surprises proved of the more pleasant sort, with on-the-bubble contenders making it in like Robbie...
The Oscars are a cruel, selective beast. With only 10 movies recognized in the Best Picture race, and five entries in every other category, it’s an unfortunate reality that many high quality, deserving films each year will end up with nothing on nomination day.
The 2024 Oscar class is no different, with plenty of cries of snubbery coming out after their January 23 announcement. Most of the discussion has been taken up by the shocking blanks for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, who missed out on Best Actress and Best Director respectively for their work on “Barbie,” the indisputable film juggernaut of the year. Other major surprises included Charles Melton missing out for his breakout turn in “May December,” and Leonardo DiCaprio getting left out of the Best Actor race for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Other surprises proved of the more pleasant sort, with on-the-bubble contenders making it in like Robbie...
- 3/4/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Oscar winner Will Smith is attached to star in Sugar Bandits, which is one of the buzziest packages at the EFM market this week in Berlin.
The market’s biggest budget project — we hear it’s in the $80M range — is understood to follow a former Special Forces solider who joins an elite, vigilante squad aiming to wipe out the drug trade in Boston, but soon learns things are not what they seem.
Years ago the project was being set up at Universal with Joe Carnahan directing but is now launching in the independent market-place.
The action-crime pic is based on the screenplay and novel Devils In Exile by Chuck Hogan (The Town). Smith and Jon Mone will produce through Westbrook Studios with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing; Stuart Ford will produce for AGC Studios, which is fully financing the film; and Richard Abate (13 Hours) will produce for 3 Arts Entertainment.
The market’s biggest budget project — we hear it’s in the $80M range — is understood to follow a former Special Forces solider who joins an elite, vigilante squad aiming to wipe out the drug trade in Boston, but soon learns things are not what they seem.
Years ago the project was being set up at Universal with Joe Carnahan directing but is now launching in the independent market-place.
The action-crime pic is based on the screenplay and novel Devils In Exile by Chuck Hogan (The Town). Smith and Jon Mone will produce through Westbrook Studios with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing; Stuart Ford will produce for AGC Studios, which is fully financing the film; and Richard Abate (13 Hours) will produce for 3 Arts Entertainment.
- 2/14/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Star-crossed lovers, hopeless romantics, or just unlucky in love. Valentine’s Day films are not just about head-over-heels happy endings. That would be a bit on the boring side. The films that have captivated the romantic genre are the ones about heartache, bad timing, yearning and the strong forces that keep true lovers apart.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Rick and Ilsa, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, from Casablanca, and Chow Mo-wan & Su Li-zhen from In the Mood For Love all have to overcome their hearts’ desire as forces they can’t control keep them apart as time and fate lead to their ultimate betrayal.
Related: Deadline’s 50 Classic Holiday Movies Gallery: From ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ And ‘A Christmas Story’ To ‘Die Hard’ And ‘The Holiday’
As we tangoed and groaned our way out of the 80s with Dirty Dancing and When Harry Met Sally, the...
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Rick and Ilsa, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, from Casablanca, and Chow Mo-wan & Su Li-zhen from In the Mood For Love all have to overcome their hearts’ desire as forces they can’t control keep them apart as time and fate lead to their ultimate betrayal.
Related: Deadline’s 50 Classic Holiday Movies Gallery: From ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ And ‘A Christmas Story’ To ‘Die Hard’ And ‘The Holiday’
As we tangoed and groaned our way out of the 80s with Dirty Dancing and When Harry Met Sally, the...
- 2/14/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
‘In the Belly of a Tiger’, directed and cinematographed by Siddhartha Jatla is poised for its world premiere at the distinguished 74th Berlin International Film Festival. This film promises a captivating human narrative intertwined with visually stunning cinematography, a testament to Jatla’s profound connection with the art of filmmaking since his formative years.
Co-written by Siddhartha and Amanda Mooney, the story unfolds in rural India, delving into the resilience of the human spirit amidst the harsh realities of power dynamics where the vulnerable are exploited by the powerful. The film centres on the fundamental right of human dignity, as a family grapples with economic insecurity. The film contrasts the beauty of the human spirit, and a deeply personal love story, with this harsh reality and calls for human society to bring hope and dignity to families in need.
Siddharth, a cinematography graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India...
Co-written by Siddhartha and Amanda Mooney, the story unfolds in rural India, delving into the resilience of the human spirit amidst the harsh realities of power dynamics where the vulnerable are exploited by the powerful. The film centres on the fundamental right of human dignity, as a family grapples with economic insecurity. The film contrasts the beauty of the human spirit, and a deeply personal love story, with this harsh reality and calls for human society to bring hope and dignity to families in need.
Siddharth, a cinematography graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India...
- 2/13/2024
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
It’s difficult to think of a director as young as Barry Jenkins who seems so clearly destined to be remembered as one of the greats. After dropping his moving, romantic debut feature “Medicine for the Melancholy” in 2008, Jenkins further honed his craft and became a household name (at least among any cinephiles worth their salt) with the release of his sophomore feature “Moonlight.” The tender, beautiful film was the subject of rapturous acclaim, and its groundbreaking and dramatic Best Picture win at the Oscars cemented it as an all-time great work of art.
Since then, Jenkins has only gone from strength to strength. His 2018 follow-up “If Beale Street Could Talk” was a similar critical darling. And his epic limited series adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” which sadly went under the radar for much of the general public in 2021, was nothing short of stunning. Critics, including IndieWire’s Ben Travers,...
Since then, Jenkins has only gone from strength to strength. His 2018 follow-up “If Beale Street Could Talk” was a similar critical darling. And his epic limited series adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” which sadly went under the radar for much of the general public in 2021, was nothing short of stunning. Critics, including IndieWire’s Ben Travers,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Over the course of her career, Gina Prince-Bythewood has proven she can do it all. Across five films and roughly 20 years, she had made an enduring romantic sports story, a southern family drama, a pop star star-crossed romance, a superhero fantasy action film, and a feminist historical epic. And with every new genre the filmmaker has ticked off her list, Prince-Bythewood has shown a mastery for its particularities every time.
Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Pacific Grove, California, Prince-Bythewood attended University of California in Los Angeles, where she studied film and graduated in 1991. After several years as a writer on TV shows like “A Different World” and “South Central,” her first film, 2000’s “Love and Basketball,” was released to critical acclaim. The story of two childhood best friends with a shared love for basketball — and a chronicle of their tumultuous relationship through the years as they both seek...
Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Pacific Grove, California, Prince-Bythewood attended University of California in Los Angeles, where she studied film and graduated in 1991. After several years as a writer on TV shows like “A Different World” and “South Central,” her first film, 2000’s “Love and Basketball,” was released to critical acclaim. The story of two childhood best friends with a shared love for basketball — and a chronicle of their tumultuous relationship through the years as they both seek...
- 2/2/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Mubi have announced two exclusive collections running during the month of February, In The Mood For Love and Cut to Black: Celebrating Black Cinema. In a couple of weeks Valentine's Day will have come and gone and you'd have celebrated it with your loved ones or, like me, you will lament that the two week build-up of jealousy and snarkiness about the day could not go on for the remaining two weeks of the month. For those of you looking to keep that feeling going Mubi will have their film collection In The Mood For Love which will be available to stream starting February 14th. This collection of cinematic romances features Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely & Amazing (2001) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Aki Kaurismäki’s Golden Globe...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/1/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will serve as jury president at the 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Viffac), which runs from February 6-13.
Held in France, this year’s edition will spotlight Taiwanese cinema and Malayalam-language films from India. A total of 92 films from 29 countries will be screened.
Makhmalbaf’s works include A Moment of Innocence (1996), which won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as Kandahar (2001), which won the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Other jury members at Viffac this year include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007, Iranian actress Fatemed Motamed-Arya and Japanese actor Shogen.
There are 17 films across the fiction and documentary competitions, which come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. There are two world premieres, five international premieres, six European premieres and four French premieres.
Held in France, this year’s edition will spotlight Taiwanese cinema and Malayalam-language films from India. A total of 92 films from 29 countries will be screened.
Makhmalbaf’s works include A Moment of Innocence (1996), which won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as Kandahar (2001), which won the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Other jury members at Viffac this year include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007, Iranian actress Fatemed Motamed-Arya and Japanese actor Shogen.
There are 17 films across the fiction and documentary competitions, which come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. There are two world premieres, five international premieres, six European premieres and four French premieres.
- 2/1/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Mubi has unveiled their February 2024 lineup, featuring Roy Andersson’s little-seen 1991 short World of Glory, Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely & Amazing starring Catherine Keener with an early Jake Gyllenhaal performance, and special Black History Month selections: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer, Kasi Lemmon’s Eve’s Bayou, Carl Franklin’s One False Move, and more.
Check out the lineup below, including recently added January titles, and get 30 days free here.
Just-Added
American Movie, directed by Christopher Smith | Festival Focus: Sundance
Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges | Festival Focus: Sundance
The Blair Witch Project, directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Festival Focus: Sundance
But I’m a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit | Festival Focus: Sundance
Secretary, directed by Steven Shainberg | Festival Focus: Sundance
Medicine for Melancholy directed by Barry Jenkins | First Films First
Antiviral, directed by Brandon Cronenberg | First Films First
Shithouse, directed by Cooper Raiff | First Films First
Age of Panic,...
Check out the lineup below, including recently added January titles, and get 30 days free here.
Just-Added
American Movie, directed by Christopher Smith | Festival Focus: Sundance
Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges | Festival Focus: Sundance
The Blair Witch Project, directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Festival Focus: Sundance
But I’m a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit | Festival Focus: Sundance
Secretary, directed by Steven Shainberg | Festival Focus: Sundance
Medicine for Melancholy directed by Barry Jenkins | First Films First
Antiviral, directed by Brandon Cronenberg | First Films First
Shithouse, directed by Cooper Raiff | First Films First
Age of Panic,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The concept of the holiday movie began back in 1898 with G.A. Smith’s pioneering silent film Santa Claus. The first of its kind to show the depiction of Santa that only runs just shy over a minute.
Since then Hollywood has belted out an array of films that have either been true to the genre such as A Christmas Story; The Holiday; Miracle On 34th Street; Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey or films like Die Hard; Brazil, and Gremlins that have teetered on the edge of identifying as a holiday film.
Then there are the anti-holiday movies and the Christmas horrors. Subgenres of their own like the slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas, and Christmas Evil, a John Waters favorite, so you are inclined to know what demented viewing you are in for.
Related: 50 Classic Valentine’s Movies Gallery: From ‘Amelie’ & ‘In The Mood For Love’ To ‘Paris, Texas...
Since then Hollywood has belted out an array of films that have either been true to the genre such as A Christmas Story; The Holiday; Miracle On 34th Street; Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey or films like Die Hard; Brazil, and Gremlins that have teetered on the edge of identifying as a holiday film.
Then there are the anti-holiday movies and the Christmas horrors. Subgenres of their own like the slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas, and Christmas Evil, a John Waters favorite, so you are inclined to know what demented viewing you are in for.
Related: 50 Classic Valentine’s Movies Gallery: From ‘Amelie’ & ‘In The Mood For Love’ To ‘Paris, Texas...
- 12/25/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
“If you really missed not seeing us on screen together, then ‘The Goldfinger’ is your opportunity to do so,” says Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau of his new crime movie where he is again paired with Tony Leung Chiu-wai (“In the Mood for Love”).
The film releases at the end of the month in different parts of Asia and North America (from Dec. 30). Pre-release marketing and promotional efforts make much of the Lau-Leung repairing some twenty years after the “Infernal Affairs” trio of hit movies. The movies were both critical and commercial hits and contained an iconic rooftop scene in Hong Kong’s Wanchai district with the police undercover agent and the mobster’s mole facing off guns drawn.
The pair clearly rate each other highly for their acting skills and for the kind of professionalism that has kept them both a the top of the game for more than two decades.
The film releases at the end of the month in different parts of Asia and North America (from Dec. 30). Pre-release marketing and promotional efforts make much of the Lau-Leung repairing some twenty years after the “Infernal Affairs” trio of hit movies. The movies were both critical and commercial hits and contained an iconic rooftop scene in Hong Kong’s Wanchai district with the police undercover agent and the mobster’s mole facing off guns drawn.
The pair clearly rate each other highly for their acting skills and for the kind of professionalism that has kept them both a the top of the game for more than two decades.
- 12/24/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A decade after The Grandmaster, the wait for Wong Kar-wai’s next project has been lengthy, with his long-gestating Blossoms Shanghai first announced nearly five years ago. Now, after three years of filming, the series launches next week on China’s Tencent Video. Comprising 30 episodes of around 50 minutes each, the first four installments premiere on December 27, followed by two episodes per day.
Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei, Wong Kar-wai is credited as producer and director. The story based on Jin Yucheng’s novel and follows Hu Ge’s A Bao, a businessman in Shanghai in two time periods: the 1960s and 1990s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” Wong previously said. “Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar-wai. “With the series,...
Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei, Wong Kar-wai is credited as producer and director. The story based on Jin Yucheng’s novel and follows Hu Ge’s A Bao, a businessman in Shanghai in two time periods: the 1960s and 1990s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” Wong previously said. “Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar-wai. “With the series,...
- 12/17/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for Netflix’s “May December”
In Netflix’s “May December,” one of the most memorable scenes features Joe Yoo (played by Charles Melton) arriving at the hotel to deliver a letter from his wife Gracie (Julianne Moore) to actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman). Their encounter leads to a brief yet intense sexual liaison on the floor, culminating in a conspicuous silhouette shot of Joe’s penis.
Amid Samy Burch’s narrative brilliance and Todd Haynes’ tantalizing direction, one might imagine Melton — known for his role in The CW’s “Riverdale” — felt immense pressure acting opposite Oscar winner Portman, who also produced the film. This pivotal scene was among the final ones shot in Savannah, Ga.
“It was very professional,” Melton tells Variety. “The whole thing. Natalie, Todd, and I met to discuss the scene, walking through it and ensuring everybody was comfortable. There were...
In Netflix’s “May December,” one of the most memorable scenes features Joe Yoo (played by Charles Melton) arriving at the hotel to deliver a letter from his wife Gracie (Julianne Moore) to actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman). Their encounter leads to a brief yet intense sexual liaison on the floor, culminating in a conspicuous silhouette shot of Joe’s penis.
Amid Samy Burch’s narrative brilliance and Todd Haynes’ tantalizing direction, one might imagine Melton — known for his role in The CW’s “Riverdale” — felt immense pressure acting opposite Oscar winner Portman, who also produced the film. This pivotal scene was among the final ones shot in Savannah, Ga.
“It was very professional,” Melton tells Variety. “The whole thing. Natalie, Todd, and I met to discuss the scene, walking through it and ensuring everybody was comfortable. There were...
- 12/5/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Three years after “Flowers of Shanghai”, Hou Hsiao-hsen released “Millennium Mambo”, a film that signaled another change in his themes, as it deals with the life of youths in contemporary Taiwan. “Millennium Mambo” inaugurated his collaborations with Shu Qi, who played the protagonist roles in most of his later works. The film was screened in more film festivals than any of his previous works and was the first to receive distribution in the US, although limited.
Millennium Mambo is screening at Five Flavours
Vicky has recently moved to Taipei from Keelung and works doing PR in a nightclub. Hao Hao is her jealous boyfriend who checks everything she does, including her bank transactions, her phone calls, and even her body smell. She spends her days working, doing drugs and fighting with Hao Hao, at least when they are not having sex. At some point, Hao Hao starts having trouble with the police.
Millennium Mambo is screening at Five Flavours
Vicky has recently moved to Taipei from Keelung and works doing PR in a nightclub. Hao Hao is her jealous boyfriend who checks everything she does, including her bank transactions, her phone calls, and even her body smell. She spends her days working, doing drugs and fighting with Hao Hao, at least when they are not having sex. At some point, Hao Hao starts having trouble with the police.
- 11/18/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ten years after he attended the Tokyo International Film Festival for the screening of The Grandmaster, Tony Leung returned to the festival on Thursday to conduct a masterclass.
The Hong Kong acting icon, dressed in a black tailored suit and fashion-forward Kolor sneakers, was met with warm applause at a packed house at Tokyo’s Hulic Hall. Festival programmer Shozo Ichiyama began proceedings with Leung’s early years as an actor, namely his work with Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien on the classic A City of Sadness, which Ichiyama considered one of his personal favorites. A City of Sadness was notable as it was set in Taipei, and Leung, at the time, had no experience working outside of Hong Kong and couldn’t speak Mandarin.
“It was the start of my career, and I wanted to challenge myself,” Leung said through an interpreter on why he took on the role, given...
The Hong Kong acting icon, dressed in a black tailored suit and fashion-forward Kolor sneakers, was met with warm applause at a packed house at Tokyo’s Hulic Hall. Festival programmer Shozo Ichiyama began proceedings with Leung’s early years as an actor, namely his work with Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien on the classic A City of Sadness, which Ichiyama considered one of his personal favorites. A City of Sadness was notable as it was set in Taipei, and Leung, at the time, had no experience working outside of Hong Kong and couldn’t speak Mandarin.
“It was the start of my career, and I wanted to challenge myself,” Leung said through an interpreter on why he took on the role, given...
- 10/28/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like Tony Leung at the end of "In the Mood for Love," I have a secret I would prefer to whisper into a hollow and cover up with mud: I don't worship at the shrine of Martin Scorsese.
Wait, come back! If you've read the headline of this article (and I'm assuming you did), then you know this isn't a Scorsese hit piece vying for rage clicks. When I say I don't worship Marty, that just means I'm not what you might call the Scorsese equivalent of a Swiftie. (Scorsie?) I respect the hell out of him as a craftsman and especially his efforts when it comes to film preservation and bringing greater attention to under-seen international cinema. It's just that I don't, per se, find his preoccupations as a storyteller as fascinating as he does, which is really more a matter of personal preference and not a slight against his art.
Wait, come back! If you've read the headline of this article (and I'm assuming you did), then you know this isn't a Scorsese hit piece vying for rage clicks. When I say I don't worship Marty, that just means I'm not what you might call the Scorsese equivalent of a Swiftie. (Scorsie?) I respect the hell out of him as a craftsman and especially his efforts when it comes to film preservation and bringing greater attention to under-seen international cinema. It's just that I don't, per se, find his preoccupations as a storyteller as fascinating as he does, which is really more a matter of personal preference and not a slight against his art.
- 10/17/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Korean-Canadian writer-director Celine Song’s tremendous feature debut tells the poignant tale of childhood sweethearts separated by fate and thousands of miles
This supremely confident feature debut from Korean-Canadian writer-director Celine Song is a spine-tingling gem – a tale of not-so-brief encounters between star-crossed souls, played out over a period of 24 years. Combining the aching yearning of Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love with the casual intimacy of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, it paints a picture of unresolved affection as delicate as it is profound, interweaving timeless themes of fate and providence with more playfully down-to-earth musings on happenstance and shapeshifting identity. The result, which has one foot in South Korea and the other in North America, feels at times like an impossible mashup of Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul and Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle, shot through with a stoical melancholia that recalls the final...
This supremely confident feature debut from Korean-Canadian writer-director Celine Song is a spine-tingling gem – a tale of not-so-brief encounters between star-crossed souls, played out over a period of 24 years. Combining the aching yearning of Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love with the casual intimacy of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, it paints a picture of unresolved affection as delicate as it is profound, interweaving timeless themes of fate and providence with more playfully down-to-earth musings on happenstance and shapeshifting identity. The result, which has one foot in South Korea and the other in North America, feels at times like an impossible mashup of Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul and Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle, shot through with a stoical melancholia that recalls the final...
- 9/10/2023
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Celine Song’s feature debut about two people whose lives intertwine again after years apart is delicate and sophisticated, but also simple and direct
This heart-meltingly romantic and sad movie from Korean-Canadian dramatist and film-maker Celine Song left me wrung out and empty and weirdly euphoric, as if I’d lived through an 18-month affair in the course of an hour and three-quarters. How extraordinary to think that this is Song’s feature debut. It’s delicate, sophisticated and yet also somehow simple, direct, even verging on the cheesy. Past Lives has been compared to the movies of Richard Linklater, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig; all true, but I also found myself remembering the wrenching final moments of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, with Tony Leung murmuring his pain into a stone hollow in Angkor Wat and – yes – the gooey genius of Dean Friedman’s plaintive 1978 chart hit Lucky Stars.
This heart-meltingly romantic and sad movie from Korean-Canadian dramatist and film-maker Celine Song left me wrung out and empty and weirdly euphoric, as if I’d lived through an 18-month affair in the course of an hour and three-quarters. How extraordinary to think that this is Song’s feature debut. It’s delicate, sophisticated and yet also somehow simple, direct, even verging on the cheesy. Past Lives has been compared to the movies of Richard Linklater, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig; all true, but I also found myself remembering the wrenching final moments of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, with Tony Leung murmuring his pain into a stone hollow in Angkor Wat and – yes – the gooey genius of Dean Friedman’s plaintive 1978 chart hit Lucky Stars.
- 9/6/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
[This story contains spoilers from Afterparty season two, episode seven, “Ulysses.”]
Peter Atencio’s Hollywood chops have mainly been planted in the garden of comedy for his more than 20-year career — Key & Peele, the Jean-Claude Van Johnson series and this year’s satirical mobster film The Machine, to name a few.
But when old friends Phil Lord and Christopher Miller invited the 40-year-old helmer to direct what he was told would be one of the most complex and challenging episodes of the second season of The Afterparty — Apple TV+’s whodunnit murder mystery series — he tells The Hollywood Reporter that a more dramatic approach was needed to get to the core of the funny.
How serious can directing comedy get? Atencio breaks it down for The Hollywood Reporter in a recent Zoom interview.
***
How did you find your way to The Afterparty team?
I’ve known [creators] Phil [Lord] and Chris [Miller], for some time. I want...
Peter Atencio’s Hollywood chops have mainly been planted in the garden of comedy for his more than 20-year career — Key & Peele, the Jean-Claude Van Johnson series and this year’s satirical mobster film The Machine, to name a few.
But when old friends Phil Lord and Christopher Miller invited the 40-year-old helmer to direct what he was told would be one of the most complex and challenging episodes of the second season of The Afterparty — Apple TV+’s whodunnit murder mystery series — he tells The Hollywood Reporter that a more dramatic approach was needed to get to the core of the funny.
How serious can directing comedy get? Atencio breaks it down for The Hollywood Reporter in a recent Zoom interview.
***
How did you find your way to The Afterparty team?
I’ve known [creators] Phil [Lord] and Chris [Miller], for some time. I want...
- 9/5/2023
- by Demetrius Patterson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Renowned Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai ditched his quiet, brooding persona on Saturday in Venice, where he is to receive a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award.
Instead, at a press conference in his honor, Leung positively gushed about his upcoming first European movie role and about the strengths of the “golden era” acting training he received in Hong Kong in the 1980s.
Leung has made a speciality of saying little in many of his films. In his first Venice film, “City of Sadness,” Leung pays a mute. In “The Grandmaster” he lets his fists and feet do the talking. In “In the Mood for Love,” Leung’s facial expressions are far more expressive than words.
And on many public occasions, Leung keeps the repartee to a minimum, amps up the soulful glare and goes long on banal gratitude. Awarded the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at Busan in October,...
Instead, at a press conference in his honor, Leung positively gushed about his upcoming first European movie role and about the strengths of the “golden era” acting training he received in Hong Kong in the 1980s.
Leung has made a speciality of saying little in many of his films. In his first Venice film, “City of Sadness,” Leung pays a mute. In “The Grandmaster” he lets his fists and feet do the talking. In “In the Mood for Love,” Leung’s facial expressions are far more expressive than words.
And on many public occasions, Leung keeps the repartee to a minimum, amps up the soulful glare and goes long on banal gratitude. Awarded the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at Busan in October,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Tony Leung Chiu-wai has starred in three movies that have scooped the top prize Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and today he is receiving his very own Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
The 61-year-old Hong Kong actor and singer is one of Asia’s most successful and internationally recognized stars. Among his major global credits are Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 romantic drama In the Mood for Love, for which he won the Best Actor prize in Cannes. His other collaborations with Wong include Chungking Express, Happy Together and The Grandmaster.
Leung also starred in the Academy Award-nominated film Hero by Zhang Yimou, and the box office hits Hard Boiled by John Woo and Infernal Affairs by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. The latter trilogy formed the basis for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning The Departed.
Talking with the press today, Leung beamed of the Lifetime Achievement Lion, “Finally I can have it for myself,...
The 61-year-old Hong Kong actor and singer is one of Asia’s most successful and internationally recognized stars. Among his major global credits are Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 romantic drama In the Mood for Love, for which he won the Best Actor prize in Cannes. His other collaborations with Wong include Chungking Express, Happy Together and The Grandmaster.
Leung also starred in the Academy Award-nominated film Hero by Zhang Yimou, and the box office hits Hard Boiled by John Woo and Infernal Affairs by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. The latter trilogy formed the basis for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning The Departed.
Talking with the press today, Leung beamed of the Lifetime Achievement Lion, “Finally I can have it for myself,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Some might say it’s impossible to craft a best movie list that everyone agrees with, but that doesn’t stop us from reading them and letting everyone know how wrong they are. In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Rotten Tomatoes has created a list of the best movies of the last 25 years. Approved Tomatometer critics (including our own Chris Bumbray) were asked to choose their top five movies in no particular order. The votes were then tallied and narrowed down to the 25 most popular selections.
Related Martin Scorsese calls Rotten Tomatoes a “disgusting spectacle”
You can check out the Rotten Tomatoes list of the best movies of the last 25 years below:
Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Céline Sciamma) In the Mood for Love (Kar-Wai Wong) Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki) Pan’s Labyrinth...
Related Martin Scorsese calls Rotten Tomatoes a “disgusting spectacle”
You can check out the Rotten Tomatoes list of the best movies of the last 25 years below:
Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Céline Sciamma) In the Mood for Love (Kar-Wai Wong) Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki) Pan’s Labyrinth...
- 8/31/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In the Mood for Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has joined the cast of “Silent Friend” by Oscar-nominated Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi (“On Body and Soul”).
Leung will be honored at the Venice Film Festival, where he will receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. He previously starred in three movies that have won the Venice Golden Lion: “A City of Sadness” (1989) by Hou Hsiao-hsien, “Cyclo” (1995) by Tran Anh Hung and “Lust, Caution” (2007) by Ang Lee.
“Silent Friend” is being produced by German banner Pandora Film. It marks Enyedi’s follow up to “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes, and “On Body and Soul,” the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning film that earned an Oscar nomination.
Currently in pre-production, “Silent Friend” is set in the botanical garden of Marburg, a medieval university town in Germany,...
Leung will be honored at the Venice Film Festival, where he will receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. He previously starred in three movies that have won the Venice Golden Lion: “A City of Sadness” (1989) by Hou Hsiao-hsien, “Cyclo” (1995) by Tran Anh Hung and “Lust, Caution” (2007) by Ang Lee.
“Silent Friend” is being produced by German banner Pandora Film. It marks Enyedi’s follow up to “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes, and “On Body and Soul,” the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning film that earned an Oscar nomination.
Currently in pre-production, “Silent Friend” is set in the botanical garden of Marburg, a medieval university town in Germany,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted on July 23, 2017, and has been updated multiple times since.
Few cinematic moments can burn themselves into an audience’s psyche better than a good sex scene. They can shock, arouse, or simply capture human beauty in ways that cinema is uniquely positioned to do. Sex scenes don’t have to define the movies they appear in, but they’re often the parts you remember the most.
The nature of sex scenes are constantly evolving, as the prevalence of intimacy coordinators and increased concern for performers’ safety in Hollywood is hopefully making regrettable sex scenes a thing of the past. That has allowed sexy cinema to flourish, with plenty of tantalizing movies hitting the multiplex in recent years. With that in mind, it felt like the right time to compile some of the best additions to the sexy film canon.
Our list of...
Few cinematic moments can burn themselves into an audience’s psyche better than a good sex scene. They can shock, arouse, or simply capture human beauty in ways that cinema is uniquely positioned to do. Sex scenes don’t have to define the movies they appear in, but they’re often the parts you remember the most.
The nature of sex scenes are constantly evolving, as the prevalence of intimacy coordinators and increased concern for performers’ safety in Hollywood is hopefully making regrettable sex scenes a thing of the past. That has allowed sexy cinema to flourish, with plenty of tantalizing movies hitting the multiplex in recent years. With that in mind, it felt like the right time to compile some of the best additions to the sexy film canon.
Our list of...
- 8/17/2023
- by Christian Zilko, Samantha Bergeson and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Olivia J. Middleton Weaves a Classical Tale of Fleeting Romance in Her Roadside Cafe-Set Drama ‘A90′
Romantic tales of lovers bound by fleeting moments are a major part of cinema history. From David Lean’s Brief Encounter through to Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love, these stories evolve and their settings change but their emotional resonance has always remained the same. Director Olivia J. Middleton brings her imagining of this age-old story to the short film format with A90, which sees a disenfranchised roadside cafe worker come in contact with a customer with whom she forms a deeply intense attraction. Middleton conveys the momentary longing shared between the pair with subtle, withdrawn cinematic language that echoes the classical stories from which she was inspired. Now, as the film begins its journey on the festival circuit, Dn caught up with Middleton for a chat about how it all came together, talking everything from the choice of a roadside cafe setting to the pinpoint precision that...
- 7/19/2023
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
Let’s be honest, it’s a weird time out there in the world of streaming movies. As the major streamers continue to mess around with their apps and libraries, adding ad-tiers or changing their names to nonsense words that have nothing to do with the brand, they’re also charging more for less. As Netflix, Max, and Amazon Prime decrease in value, free streaming services become a better deal.
But just because you’re not shelling out any cash doesn’t mean that you want a terrible experience. If you know where to look, you can find hundreds of movies available online, completely for free. And no, I’m not referring to those sketchy sites you used to visit in college. I’m talking about services that let you watch full-length movies completely for free. Sure, you’ll need to watch a few ads to get the movies, but...
But just because you’re not shelling out any cash doesn’t mean that you want a terrible experience. If you know where to look, you can find hundreds of movies available online, completely for free. And no, I’m not referring to those sketchy sites you used to visit in college. I’m talking about services that let you watch full-length movies completely for free. Sure, you’ll need to watch a few ads to get the movies, but...
- 6/20/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
[Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures will release the film in U.S. theaters April 26.]
“I love that you never do anything for me…it’s like I don’t even exist.”
That’s what Ann, a depressed thirty-something New Yorker, tells her older on-and-off Bdsm lover in the first scene of writer-director Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed,” in which the filmmaker also stars as Ann. Her heroine is an existentially moribund millennial wasting away in an anonymous-feeling corporate job who passes her time with sexual debasement when not quarreling with her nagging Jewish family.
This clever and disquieting indie unfolds at a clip somnambulant enough to match its lead’s spiritual stupor, whether she’s spreading her ass for her partners (clients?) or on the phone with her needling mother insisting that, no, she isn’t running out of breath despite trudging up and down the Manhattan streets.
“I love that you never do anything for me…it’s like I don’t even exist.”
That’s what Ann, a depressed thirty-something New Yorker, tells her older on-and-off Bdsm lover in the first scene of writer-director Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed,” in which the filmmaker also stars as Ann. Her heroine is an existentially moribund millennial wasting away in an anonymous-feeling corporate job who passes her time with sexual debasement when not quarreling with her nagging Jewish family.
This clever and disquieting indie unfolds at a clip somnambulant enough to match its lead’s spiritual stupor, whether she’s spreading her ass for her partners (clients?) or on the phone with her needling mother insisting that, no, she isn’t running out of breath despite trudging up and down the Manhattan streets.
- 5/24/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It’s not everyday that a director becomes a CEO, but James Gunn has somehow become the dark avenger that DC needs. Along with his producing partner Peter Safran, Gunn was appointed to the co-ceo position at Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Studios in October 2022, with the objective of crafting a new strategy for films based on the company’s stable of comic book icons like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
That’s a massive shift of Hollywood power players and a career boost for anyone, although Gunn evidently doesn’t plan to leave the director’s chair anytime soon. He’s all hands on deck for writing and directing the first film under his and Safran’s regime, “Superman: Legacy.” The forthcoming blockbuster — a reboot for the Superman franchise focusing on the early days of the Kyrptonian’s career — is set for release on June 11, 2025.
Considering Gunn’s career trajectory,...
That’s a massive shift of Hollywood power players and a career boost for anyone, although Gunn evidently doesn’t plan to leave the director’s chair anytime soon. He’s all hands on deck for writing and directing the first film under his and Safran’s regime, “Superman: Legacy.” The forthcoming blockbuster — a reboot for the Superman franchise focusing on the early days of the Kyrptonian’s career — is set for release on June 11, 2025.
Considering Gunn’s career trajectory,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
A new Cristian Mungiu film is always cause for celebration. “R.M.N.,” his first film since 2016’s “Graduation” won Best Director at Cannes, once again immerses us in the casual brutalities of Eastern Europe.
Here, the Romanian “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” filmmaker turns his camera back on Transylvania, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla (Judith State). Csilla, meanwhile, is met by town-wide derision after hiring three Sri Lankan men to work at the bread factory she’s second-in-command of, setting off a tripwire of prejudices throughout the village.
“Xenophobia is everywhere, but this was interesting because it was in a community of people living as a small minority in the middle of a majority, having a different language, traditions, culture and religions, and normally you would...
Here, the Romanian “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” filmmaker turns his camera back on Transylvania, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla (Judith State). Csilla, meanwhile, is met by town-wide derision after hiring three Sri Lankan men to work at the bread factory she’s second-in-command of, setting off a tripwire of prejudices throughout the village.
“Xenophobia is everywhere, but this was interesting because it was in a community of people living as a small minority in the middle of a majority, having a different language, traditions, culture and religions, and normally you would...
- 4/28/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Over the course of four films, the “John Wick” franchise has established itself as the most gorgeous series in the history of action cinema, with vibrant colors and gliding camera moves that provide a counterpoint to the gritty, handheld camerawork of the “Bourne” movies. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen, who came on board for “John Wick: Chapter Two” and has shot every “Wick” film since, had a clear mandate from director Chad Stahelski upon their first meeting. “He said, ‘I want to shoot “John Wick” like a Bertolucci movie,'” Laustsen told IndieWire. “That was his briefing for me, and I thought, ‘That doesn’t sound bad at all.'”
“John Wick: Chapter Four” represents the peak of Laustsen and Stahelski’s collaboration, with set piece after set piece shot in long takes that showcase the elegant choreography of the action and a color palette that Stahelski acknowledges owes more than a...
“John Wick: Chapter Four” represents the peak of Laustsen and Stahelski’s collaboration, with set piece after set piece shot in long takes that showcase the elegant choreography of the action and a color palette that Stahelski acknowledges owes more than a...
- 4/5/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
’The Night Porter’ director and ’In The Mood For Love’ actor to receive awards at this year’s festival.
The Venice Film Festival will present Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to Liliana Cavani, the Italian director of The Night Porter and Ripley’s Game; and to Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, whose credits include In The Mood For Love and Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Cavani’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary at Venice in 1965. Her films Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), The Year of the Cannibals,...
The Venice Film Festival will present Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to Liliana Cavani, the Italian director of The Night Porter and Ripley’s Game; and to Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, whose credits include In The Mood For Love and Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Cavani’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary at Venice in 1965. Her films Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), The Year of the Cannibals,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Liliana Cavani, one of the key directors of the New Italian Cinema movement and recognized internationally for The Night Porter, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the acclaimed Hong Kong actor known for his numerous collaborations with Wong Kar-wai, are set to receive Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise”, said Cavani, who first made a name for herself in Venice in 1965 with with Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, followed by Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (The Year of the Cannibals, 1970), Il gioco di Ripley (Ripley’s Game, 2002) and Clarisse (2012).
“I am overwhelmed and honoured with the news from the Biennale di Venezia. I hope to celebrate this award with all the filmmakers I have worked with. This award is a tribute to all of them as well,” said Leung Chiu-wai, who...
“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise”, said Cavani, who first made a name for herself in Venice in 1965 with with Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, followed by Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (The Year of the Cannibals, 1970), Il gioco di Ripley (Ripley’s Game, 2002) and Clarisse (2012).
“I am overwhelmed and honoured with the news from the Biennale di Venezia. I hope to celebrate this award with all the filmmakers I have worked with. This award is a tribute to all of them as well,” said Leung Chiu-wai, who...
- 3/27/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Venice Film Festival has set filmmaker Liliana Cavani and actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai to receive this year’s Golden Lions for lifetime achievement. The 80th Venice fest runs from August 30-September 9 on the Lido.
Cavani, whose credits include 1974 classic The Night Porter, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling, and 1985’s The Berlin Affair, has had several films at the festival, beginning with 1965’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. It was followed by Francesco d’Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (1970), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) — for which Anna Bonaiuto won the Coppa Volpi for best actress — Ripley’s Game with John Malkovich (2002) and Clarisse (2012).
As for Leung, whose credits include Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Infernal Affairs and recent Marvel title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,...
Cavani, whose credits include 1974 classic The Night Porter, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling, and 1985’s The Berlin Affair, has had several films at the festival, beginning with 1965’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. It was followed by Francesco d’Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (1970), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) — for which Anna Bonaiuto won the Coppa Volpi for best actress — Ripley’s Game with John Malkovich (2002) and Clarisse (2012).
As for Leung, whose credits include Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Infernal Affairs and recent Marvel title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival will honor “The Night Porter” director Liliana Cavani and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In the Mood for Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” with its 2023 Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement.
Cavani first attended Venice in 1965 with the historical doc “Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy,” which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. She was back the Lido in 1966 with her TV movie “Saint Francis of Assisi,” and, again, in 1968, with “Galileo,” followed by Patricia Highsmith adaptation “Ripley’s Game,” starring John Malkovich, in 2002 and “Clarisse,” a doc about an order of cloistered nuns in 2012.
“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise,” Cavani, who is 90, said in a statement.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Cavani as “One of the most emblematic protagonists of the New Italian Cinema of the 1960s,...
Cavani first attended Venice in 1965 with the historical doc “Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy,” which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. She was back the Lido in 1966 with her TV movie “Saint Francis of Assisi,” and, again, in 1968, with “Galileo,” followed by Patricia Highsmith adaptation “Ripley’s Game,” starring John Malkovich, in 2002 and “Clarisse,” a doc about an order of cloistered nuns in 2012.
“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise,” Cavani, who is 90, said in a statement.
Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Cavani as “One of the most emblematic protagonists of the New Italian Cinema of the 1960s,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Xenophobia is a contagion in Cristian Mungiu’s tense and often mind-blowing “R.M.N.,” the Cannes-anointed Romanian filmmaker’s latest social thriller. His first film in the eight years since “Graduation,” “R.M.N.” premiered on the Croisette in competition last year but finally makes its way to U.S. theaters via IFC Films on April 28. Watch the trailer below.
“R.M.N.” takes us back to “Beyond the Hills” territory in immersing us in the casual brutalities of a remote corner of Eastern Europe, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla. Played by Judith State, she’s the second in command at the town’s local bread factory, which is already struggling to feed mouths that outnumber the supply. When she’s not toiling by day, by night she’s downing wine in...
“R.M.N.” takes us back to “Beyond the Hills” territory in immersing us in the casual brutalities of a remote corner of Eastern Europe, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla. Played by Judith State, she’s the second in command at the town’s local bread factory, which is already struggling to feed mouths that outnumber the supply. When she’s not toiling by day, by night she’s downing wine in...
- 3/22/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at DJ Shadow's Six Days, directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Nobody films yearning like Wong Kar-wai. The director of In the Mood for Love, Chung-king Express, Happy Together and 2046 is a romantic at heart, even if his characters dally around each other and might miss their chance. It is the longing and the idea of things lost and never found that is the foundation of his movies. It's the panache and style with which he pulls those stories about lovelorn lovebirds off that make them memorable, though. Helped with the lensing of D.O.P. Christopher Doyle, often one of the Mvp's of his work, love...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/13/2023
- Screen Anarchy
“Emily in Paris” star Lucas Bravo is thankful to George Clooney and Julia Roberts, who starred with him in hit 2022 romcom “Ticket to Paradise.”
The dashing French star, who is also known for “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” was speaking at a press meet for the 16th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, where he is a presenter.
“George and Julia happen to be the most generous, kind and protective people I’ve ever worked with — they go out of their way to make the set a safe place,” Bravo said. “They gave me an opportunity to improvise, they made me feel loved and accepted. And I’ve learned with them that the bigger the star, the nicer the person, so it gives me a lot of fuel for the rest of my career.”
Bravo also revealed his admiration for Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, stemming from the time he...
The dashing French star, who is also known for “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” was speaking at a press meet for the 16th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, where he is a presenter.
“George and Julia happen to be the most generous, kind and protective people I’ve ever worked with — they go out of their way to make the set a safe place,” Bravo said. “They gave me an opportunity to improvise, they made me feel loved and accepted. And I’ve learned with them that the bigger the star, the nicer the person, so it gives me a lot of fuel for the rest of my career.”
Bravo also revealed his admiration for Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, stemming from the time he...
- 3/12/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
While we’ve known the results of Jeanne Dielman Tops Sight and Sound‘s 2022 Greatest Films of All-Time List”>Sight & Sound’s once-in-a-decade greatest films of all-time poll for a few months now, the recent release of the individual ballots has given data-crunching cinephiles a new opportunity to dive deeper. We have Letterboxd lists detailing all 4,400+ films that received at least one vote and another expanding the directors poll, spreadsheets calculating every entry, and now a list ranking how many votes individual directors received for their films.
Tabulated by Genjuro, the list of 35 directors, with two pairs, puts Alfred Hitchcock back on top, while Chantal Akerman is at number two. Elsewhere in the top ten are David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Orson Welles, Yasujirō Ozu, and Stanley Kubrick, and tied for the tenth spot is Wong Kar Wai and Ingmar Bergman.
Check out the list below,...
Tabulated by Genjuro, the list of 35 directors, with two pairs, puts Alfred Hitchcock back on top, while Chantal Akerman is at number two. Elsewhere in the top ten are David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Orson Welles, Yasujirō Ozu, and Stanley Kubrick, and tied for the tenth spot is Wong Kar Wai and Ingmar Bergman.
Check out the list below,...
- 3/5/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It might be obvious to say, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.
In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.
It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.
For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.
This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).
This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...
In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.
It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.
For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.
This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).
This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...
- 3/3/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
It might be obvious to say, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.
In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.
It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.
For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.
This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).
This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...
In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.
It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.
For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.
This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).
This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...
- 3/3/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
International exhibitors gathered at Berlin’s majestic Kino International on the eve of the Berlin Film Festival on Wednesday to discuss challenges and innovative concepts that are pulling audiences back into theaters.
Opening the Berlinale edition of Cinema Vision 2030 conference, Christian Bräuer, chairman of Germany’s Ag Kino – Gilde e.V. cinema association, which organized the event, said the country’s cinemas were “still suffering from the effects of the pandemic and we still find ourselves in a world in crisis, we feel the consequences of the war, such as the massive increase in energy prices.”
He therefore welcomed the opportunity to hear about new ideas and business models that could bolster the sector.
“You are here today to tell us German exhibitors about your experiences and thoughts about the cinema of tomorrow,” he said, noting that the market was in a state of “rapid change.”
Guest speakers Claire Binns,...
Opening the Berlinale edition of Cinema Vision 2030 conference, Christian Bräuer, chairman of Germany’s Ag Kino – Gilde e.V. cinema association, which organized the event, said the country’s cinemas were “still suffering from the effects of the pandemic and we still find ourselves in a world in crisis, we feel the consequences of the war, such as the massive increase in energy prices.”
He therefore welcomed the opportunity to hear about new ideas and business models that could bolster the sector.
“You are here today to tell us German exhibitors about your experiences and thoughts about the cinema of tomorrow,” he said, noting that the market was in a state of “rapid change.”
Guest speakers Claire Binns,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Two Octobers ago, freshly heartbroken, I saw In the Mood for Love for the third time. Honestly, I was in pretty bad shape. My first real relationship had just ended with a whimper. There hadn’t been any thrown dishes or fuck yous. Love had simply been there, constant, and then I looked again and it was gone. Or that’s how it felt. Presence, then whoosh.I’d run away to England for the fall, officially to get some writing done, but mostly I was just sad and wanting to be sad anywhere but at home. My focus, care, and energy had dissolved into a soup of loneliness. My stomach was tight, my head was fuzzy, I was crying in bed most nights; it was ordinary grief, but it was mine.That week, though, at the beginning of my trip, visiting with new friends, I would be myself again,...
- 2/15/2023
- MUBI
Dn last caught up with Director Beck Kitsis for her brilliant horror short The Three Men You Meet at Night, which took a subversive look at male abuse and how intentions can be just as deadly as actions. She returns to our pages today alongside partner Chris McNabb to premiere Valentine, a new short they’ve co-directed that also explores the intimate difficulty of human relationships, this time on a personal level between a couple. Valentine follows partners Corey and Mia who find themselves re-evaluating the state of their relationship when Corey begins to explore their gender and identity. It’s a tender, honest and important look at the value of their exchanges and is performed beautifully by Jacob Tobia and Sadie Scott. Watch it below, after which we speak with the filmmakers about the personal nature of their short, how they sought to portray trans experiences in a new light,...
- 2/14/2023
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
Taipei- and Hong Kong-based sales agency Distribution Workshop heads to Berlin with a rich slate that includes one of the mainland Chinese hits from the recent Lunar New Year season and an anticipated supernatural horror film from Taiwan. The company will present to buyers in person at Berlin’s European Film Market next week.
Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and pop star turned actor Wang Yibo, Huang Lei and Zhou Xun, “Hidden Blade” is a lusciously presented espionage story that runs from the 1920s to the period Second Sino-Chinese War. It is directed by Cheng Er, who previously directed 2017’s “The Wasted Times.”
(Wang and Zhou also both appear in “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” a Chinese short film by Zhang Dalei that plays in next week’s Berlin short film competition.)
As nationalist, Communist and Japanese factions fan out across China and Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the narrative sees espionage agencies operating behind enemy lines,...
Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and pop star turned actor Wang Yibo, Huang Lei and Zhou Xun, “Hidden Blade” is a lusciously presented espionage story that runs from the 1920s to the period Second Sino-Chinese War. It is directed by Cheng Er, who previously directed 2017’s “The Wasted Times.”
(Wang and Zhou also both appear in “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” a Chinese short film by Zhang Dalei that plays in next week’s Berlin short film competition.)
As nationalist, Communist and Japanese factions fan out across China and Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the narrative sees espionage agencies operating behind enemy lines,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted on July 23, 2017, and has been updated multiple times since.
Few cinematic moments can burn themselves into an audience’s psyche better than a good sex scene. They can shock, arouse, or simply capture human beauty in ways that cinema is uniquely positioned to do. Sex scenes don’t have to define the movies they appear in, but they’re often the parts you remember the most.
The nature of sex scenes are constantly evolving, as the prevalence of intimacy coordinators and increased concern for performers’ safety in Hollywood is hopefully making regrettable sex scenes a thing of the past. That has allowed sexy cinema to flourish, with plenty of tantalizing movies hitting the multiplex in recent years. With that in mind, it felt like the right time to compile some of the best additions to the sexy film canon.
Our list of...
Few cinematic moments can burn themselves into an audience’s psyche better than a good sex scene. They can shock, arouse, or simply capture human beauty in ways that cinema is uniquely positioned to do. Sex scenes don’t have to define the movies they appear in, but they’re often the parts you remember the most.
The nature of sex scenes are constantly evolving, as the prevalence of intimacy coordinators and increased concern for performers’ safety in Hollywood is hopefully making regrettable sex scenes a thing of the past. That has allowed sexy cinema to flourish, with plenty of tantalizing movies hitting the multiplex in recent years. With that in mind, it felt like the right time to compile some of the best additions to the sexy film canon.
Our list of...
- 2/4/2023
- by Christian Zilko, Samantha Bergeson and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
From an emotional standpoint, romantic movies can have several different functions. On the happier end of the spectrum, they can produce feelings of joy, hope, and gratification. Then there are romances that are best described as tearjerkers, with endings that devastate more than delight. But there are also films that fall somewhere in between these two extremes, movies that feel both melancholic and joyful at the same time.
When picking a romantic film to watch, it's important to know what mood you're in -- or what mood you want to be in. With this list, I've compiled a group of films that fall somewhere on the spectrum between bittersweet and tragic. A few of these films have decidedly sad endings where no one ends up happy (or even alive), while others depict a romance that changed an individual's life for the better, regardless of its outcome. What's great about romance...
When picking a romantic film to watch, it's important to know what mood you're in -- or what mood you want to be in. With this list, I've compiled a group of films that fall somewhere on the spectrum between bittersweet and tragic. A few of these films have decidedly sad endings where no one ends up happy (or even alive), while others depict a romance that changed an individual's life for the better, regardless of its outcome. What's great about romance...
- 2/2/2023
- by Kira Deshler
- Slash Film
Three years after “Flowers of Shanghai”, Hou Hsiao-hsen released “Millennium Mambo”, a film that signaled another change in his themes, as it deals with the life of youths in contemporary Taiwan. “Millenium Mambo” inaugurated his collaborations with Shu Qi, who played the protagonist roles in most of his later works. The film was screened in more film festivals than any of his previous works and was the first to receive distribution in the US, although limited.
A 4K restoration release of “Millennium Mambo” is screening exclusively at Metrograph theater in Manhattan and online on Metrograph At Home.
Vicky has recently moved to Taipei from Keelung and works doing PR in a nightclub. Hao Hao is her jealous boyfriend who checks everything she does, including her bank transactions, her phone calls, and even her body smell. She spends her days working, doing drugs and fighting with Hao Hao, at least when they are not having sex.
A 4K restoration release of “Millennium Mambo” is screening exclusively at Metrograph theater in Manhattan and online on Metrograph At Home.
Vicky has recently moved to Taipei from Keelung and works doing PR in a nightclub. Hao Hao is her jealous boyfriend who checks everything she does, including her bank transactions, her phone calls, and even her body smell. She spends her days working, doing drugs and fighting with Hao Hao, at least when they are not having sex.
- 1/16/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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