Unfrosted Launch Heralds Mixed Reactions Jerry Seinfeld’s ambitious project “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tarts Story” attempted to blend humor with a satirical take on the breakfast pastry’s invention during the 1960s cereal brand wars. Despite the creative premise and Netflix backing, the movie has attracted polarizing reviews since its release on May 3rd, 2024. Critics Find Little Sweetness in Unfrosted A majority of critiques suggest that ‘Unfrosted’ missed its expected impact. Notably, David Ehrlich expressed his disdain: The scene prompted a “furious yell” at the TV, adding in his review that the surprise was “not funny enough to escape a feeling of
The post Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted Receives Polarized Reviews and Criticisms first appeared on TVovermind.
The post Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted Receives Polarized Reviews and Criticisms first appeared on TVovermind.
- 5/10/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
The social media embargo just lifted for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and it sounds like filmmaker George Miller has done it again. Given his phenomenal pedigree, we aren't surprised; does the prequel improve on 2015's classic Mad Max: Fury Road, though?
That was always going to be a tall order and, based on what we see below, it doesn't quite match the rights of that gloriously demented ride. In its own right, though, Furiosa's origin story sounds like a worthy addition to the long-running series which kicked off with 1979's Mad Max.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are receiving widespread praise for their work, with the latter's transformation once again making it clear there's more to him than playing the McU's God of Thunder in the Avengers and Thor franchises.
Tickets for Furiosa reportedly go on sale later today, so another trailer could be imminent. At the very least,...
That was always going to be a tall order and, based on what we see below, it doesn't quite match the rights of that gloriously demented ride. In its own right, though, Furiosa's origin story sounds like a worthy addition to the long-running series which kicked off with 1979's Mad Max.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are receiving widespread praise for their work, with the latter's transformation once again making it clear there's more to him than playing the McU's God of Thunder in the Avengers and Thor franchises.
Tickets for Furiosa reportedly go on sale later today, so another trailer could be imminent. At the very least,...
- 5/7/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
George Miller’s “Furiosa” is already riding high with first reactions.
The prequel to 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character warrior in an epic saga that spans 15 years for her origin story. Per the official synopsis, a young Furiosa is kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. As they trek across the Wasteland, the gang come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war over dominance, Furiosa faces many trials to find her way home.
While “Furiosa” is set to premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival May 15, early screening first reactions have already gone viral. Both Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s respective performances are especially highlighted by critics.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote, “[It] brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really,...
The prequel to 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character warrior in an epic saga that spans 15 years for her origin story. Per the official synopsis, a young Furiosa is kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. As they trek across the Wasteland, the gang come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war over dominance, Furiosa faces many trials to find her way home.
While “Furiosa” is set to premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival May 15, early screening first reactions have already gone viral. Both Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s respective performances are especially highlighted by critics.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote, “[It] brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The first reactions are here for George Miller’s latest venture into the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The embargo broke for social media reactions to Furiosa, the eagerly anticipated prequel to the 2015 stunner Mad Max: Fury Road.
This new entry has Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (taking over for Charlize Theron) and Chris Hemsworth as a devious warlord in a story that takes place 15 years before the previous film.
Early social reactions (below) can sometimes be a bit different (typically more enthusiastic) than official critic reviews, and surely there are many more to come soon. But based on the first batch Monday evening, Furiosa is a visual stunner with “ferocious, wild and unrelenting” action and a story that “spans decades” and boosts strong performances from the two leads.
The question going into the movie’s Memorial Day weekend launch is whether Miller’s epic can jump start the Hollywood box office after a sluggish few months,...
The embargo broke for social media reactions to Furiosa, the eagerly anticipated prequel to the 2015 stunner Mad Max: Fury Road.
This new entry has Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (taking over for Charlize Theron) and Chris Hemsworth as a devious warlord in a story that takes place 15 years before the previous film.
Early social reactions (below) can sometimes be a bit different (typically more enthusiastic) than official critic reviews, and surely there are many more to come soon. But based on the first batch Monday evening, Furiosa is a visual stunner with “ferocious, wild and unrelenting” action and a story that “spans decades” and boosts strong performances from the two leads.
The question going into the movie’s Memorial Day weekend launch is whether Miller’s epic can jump start the Hollywood box office after a sluggish few months,...
- 5/7/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The first reactions for George Miller’s “Furiosa” have trickled in on social media ahead of the movie’s world premiere later this month at the Cannes Film Festival, and it appears the “Mad Max: Fury Road” director has another amazing action epic on his hands.
“Brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really, really fucking good,” IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote on X. “Operates in an extremely different gear than ‘Fury Road’ (in ways that i suspect will frustrate some people), but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”
Entertainment writer and New York Film Critics Circle member Esther Zuckerman called the film “great,” while Fandango’s Erik Davis called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best.”
“A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases,...
“Brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really, really fucking good,” IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote on X. “Operates in an extremely different gear than ‘Fury Road’ (in ways that i suspect will frustrate some people), but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”
Entertainment writer and New York Film Critics Circle member Esther Zuckerman called the film “great,” while Fandango’s Erik Davis called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best.”
“A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Theaters are in a slump longer than they should be. The last five weekends averaged about $70 million total, while in 2019, the same five weekends with lower ticket prices averaged $190 million. That means success in VOD revenue is all that more important for studios. Even so, on the two top 10 lists from iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), half the slots are taken by companies other than the usual top five.
Results overall reflect the cutback in releases due to last year’s strikes, some longer windows for bigger-grossing studio releases, and, in most cases, a weaker response to other films that made little theatrical impact. All that made it easy for “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), by far the year’s biggest hit, to repeat as #1 on both charts for the third week. And that’s with a higher price than usual.
Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,...
Results overall reflect the cutback in releases due to last year’s strikes, some longer windows for bigger-grossing studio releases, and, in most cases, a weaker response to other films that made little theatrical impact. All that made it easy for “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), by far the year’s biggest hit, to repeat as #1 on both charts for the third week. And that’s with a higher price than usual.
Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- 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
“I Saw the TV Glow” director Jane Schoenbrun finally celebrated their second feature at the film’s New York City premiere on Wednesday, April 24, in partnership with Rooftop Films. But “I Saw the TV Glow” first premiered back in January at Sundance, under the banner of A24, and with Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s production company Fruit Tree.
“I sent it to [Fruit Tree] and a couple other people, and they were like, ‘Hey, we wanna work with you,'” Schoenbrun told IndieWire. “Then I got a call from Emma Stone who was like, ‘Thank you so much for your business,’ and I was like, ‘You’re welcome!'”
The visually striking film follows two teens who are obsessed with a disturbing young adult TV show that, once canceled, starts to bleed into reality for the characters. David Ehrlich wrote in IndieWire’s review that the film “marries the queer radicality...
“I sent it to [Fruit Tree] and a couple other people, and they were like, ‘Hey, we wanna work with you,'” Schoenbrun told IndieWire. “Then I got a call from Emma Stone who was like, ‘Thank you so much for your business,’ and I was like, ‘You’re welcome!'”
The visually striking film follows two teens who are obsessed with a disturbing young adult TV show that, once canceled, starts to bleed into reality for the characters. David Ehrlich wrote in IndieWire’s review that the film “marries the queer radicality...
- 4/29/2024
- by Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
Debating the horror genre’s artistic value is tacky. Measuring its success by the box office can be just as boring. But I’d bet you a head-start in a chase sequence that those metrics still steer how Hollywood talks about its longest-surviving obsession at many prestige events.
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
- 4/27/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
A curious thing happened when the first trailer for “Challengers” came out: People started getting really, really weird online about the suggestion that the three main characters — played by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor — have a threesome. It prompted memes and hand-wringing alike, as if this was the first time any actor in film history had ever pretended to engage in sex onscreen — never mind that the film ultimately doesn’t have an actual sex scene at all, instead withholding from the audience in order to build up the lingering sexual tension that eats away at all sides of its love triangle. The fervor around the possibility of sex in “Challengers” affirmed something that has been obvious for years now: Cinema, especially American cinema, is starved for films that sizzle with genuine sensuality.
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
So thank god that Luca Guadagnino is around. A hit or miss filmmaker, Guadagnino is nonetheless...
- 4/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Is 2024 the year of tennis? At the movies and on our TV screens, the answer might be yes. This spring brings two major releases that both heavily feature racquets, green courts, and sweaty tennis action. The first was Peacock’s “Apples Never Fall,” a limited series based on “Big Little Lies” scribe Liane Moriarty’s novel about the family of two married tennis pros (played by Annette Bening and Sam Neill) who are forced to contend with the mysterious and sudden disappearance of their matriarch. Even more anticipated is “Challengers,” a Luca Guadagnino film that arrives — after strike-related delays — this April to tell the steamy story of a tennis coach (Zendaya) caught between her husband and an old flame as the two men go head to head in a Challenger tennis event.
These two releases mark the biggest Spring for tennis-related media in…possibly ever. Which isn’t necessarily hard...
These two releases mark the biggest Spring for tennis-related media in…possibly ever. Which isn’t necessarily hard...
- 4/24/2024
- by Wilson Chapman and Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” debuted on Netflix on April 19. Critical pans aside (IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called Part Two “almost as disastrous” as Part One and gave it a D. Perhaps David’s the real “Scargiver.”), the sequel to the 2023 “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” became the streamer’s biggest film (in any language) for the week of April 15-21. It was watched for 44.2 million hours; based on its 2:04 runtime, Netflix translates that to 21.4 million views.
On the March 6 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Snyder said “Rebel Moon — Part One” was seen by more people (on Netflix) than the smash-hit “Barbie” (in theaters).
“Say right now, [Part One is] like almost 90 million views… 80 or 90 million accounts turned it on, give or take,” Snyder told Rogan. “They assume two viewers per screen, right? So that’s 160 million people supposedly watching… at $10 a ticket,...
On the March 6 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Snyder said “Rebel Moon — Part One” was seen by more people (on Netflix) than the smash-hit “Barbie” (in theaters).
“Say right now, [Part One is] like almost 90 million views… 80 or 90 million accounts turned it on, give or take,” Snyder told Rogan. “They assume two viewers per screen, right? So that’s 160 million people supposedly watching… at $10 a ticket,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
“Civil War,” the new acclaimed drama from director Alex Garland, is dominating theaters everywhere, and the film’s star Kirsten Dunst gives one of her best performances in her long and varied career. In honor of her latest movie, let’s revisit her many awards races, including her first Oscar nomination for “The Power of the Dog.”
Dunst’s first role that brought the actress lots of awards attention arrived in 1994 in Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire,” starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Dunst’s performance as the young outspoken vampire Claudia earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, up against Sophia Loren in “Prét-à-Porter,” Robin Wright Penn in “Forrest Gump,” Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction” and Dianne Wiest, who won the trophy for “Bullets over Broadway.”
Occasionally the academy will reward a great child performance with an Oscar nomination, the way they did with...
Dunst’s first role that brought the actress lots of awards attention arrived in 1994 in Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire,” starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Dunst’s performance as the young outspoken vampire Claudia earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, up against Sophia Loren in “Prét-à-Porter,” Robin Wright Penn in “Forrest Gump,” Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction” and Dianne Wiest, who won the trophy for “Bullets over Broadway.”
Occasionally the academy will reward a great child performance with an Oscar nomination, the way they did with...
- 4/20/2024
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
Glen Powell and Richard Linklater may be long-time collaborators and friends — and now, with the imminent release of their “Hit Man,” credited co-writers — but these two can still surprise each other.
Case in point: for the fact-based and very fun “Hit Man,” Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a seemingly regular dude who ends up moonlighting for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake assassin, tasked with snagging people who are attempting to employ a hitman to off certain people in their lives. The film, based on a Texas Monthly story, follows Gary as he tries on all sorts of personas — redneck hitman, Russian hitman, the list goes on and on — while also romancing a potential client (Adria Arjona) under the guise of smooth-talking hitman Ron. But all those other personas? Powell-original creations!
During an event held on Wednesday evening in New York City, Powell was on hand for a post-screening chat,...
Case in point: for the fact-based and very fun “Hit Man,” Powell stars as Gary Johnson, a seemingly regular dude who ends up moonlighting for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake assassin, tasked with snagging people who are attempting to employ a hitman to off certain people in their lives. The film, based on a Texas Monthly story, follows Gary as he tries on all sorts of personas — redneck hitman, Russian hitman, the list goes on and on — while also romancing a potential client (Adria Arjona) under the guise of smooth-talking hitman Ron. But all those other personas? Powell-original creations!
During an event held on Wednesday evening in New York City, Powell was on hand for a post-screening chat,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Glen Powell is a triple threat (if you count the producing part) in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man.” Powell co-wrote, produced, and stars in the upcoming feature from Linklater, reuniting the duo after “Everybody Wants Some!!”
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, “who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona),” per the film’s synopsis. “As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.”
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, “who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona),” per the film’s synopsis. “As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.”
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- 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
After a long delay that saw it drop out of the 2023 Venice Film Festival due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the wait for “Challengers” is nearly over. Luca Guadagnino’s erotic thriller, which stars Zendaya as a tennis prodigy who finds herself in a love triangle with two professional players after an injury forces her to retire, seems well-positioned to be one of spring’s biggest hits, thanks to its combination of star power and strong early reviews.
In a new featurette released by MGM, Guadagnino, Zendaya, and her “Challengers” co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist can be seen discussing the film’s use of tennis as an allegory for sexual power dynamics.
“It’s like a tennis movie, but it’s not really about tennis,” Zendaya said. “Tennis is really just the outlet these characters use to express their chaos.”
Guadagnino explained how the main characters are so obsessed with...
In a new featurette released by MGM, Guadagnino, Zendaya, and her “Challengers” co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist can be seen discussing the film’s use of tennis as an allegory for sexual power dynamics.
“It’s like a tennis movie, but it’s not really about tennis,” Zendaya said. “Tennis is really just the outlet these characters use to express their chaos.”
Guadagnino explained how the main characters are so obsessed with...
- 4/13/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Zendaya Led Challengers Receive Positive Reviews Ahead Of Its Theatrical Release. (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Zendaya-led Challengers has received positive reviews from critics, and it will have an amazing impact on its theatrical release, which is still a few days away. The actress recently received much praise for her performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two and now in this Luca Guadagnino directorial. Scroll below to find out what the critics are saying about it.
Cast of Challengers-
Emmy winners Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are featured in the sports drama as Tashi and Patrick. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actress is one of the rising stars in Hollywood, and West Side Story fame Mike Faist will also support her.
About Challengers-
It is a sports romance drama featuring Zendaya as the lead, and the story revolves around her character, Tashi. She is a former tennis player who took her husband Art,...
Zendaya-led Challengers has received positive reviews from critics, and it will have an amazing impact on its theatrical release, which is still a few days away. The actress recently received much praise for her performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two and now in this Luca Guadagnino directorial. Scroll below to find out what the critics are saying about it.
Cast of Challengers-
Emmy winners Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are featured in the sports drama as Tashi and Patrick. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actress is one of the rising stars in Hollywood, and West Side Story fame Mike Faist will also support her.
About Challengers-
It is a sports romance drama featuring Zendaya as the lead, and the story revolves around her character, Tashi. She is a former tennis player who took her husband Art,...
- 4/13/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Walt Disney Pictures brought the Pride Lands to Sin City. The studio unveiled footage of “Mufasa: The Lion King” at their CinemaCon panel this Monday, showcasing Barry Jenkins’ prequel of the 2019 “Lion King” remake.
Jenkins accompanied the film to Las Vegas at CinemaCon, and he explained to the crowd, “what the director of ‘Moonlight’ is doing here to tell me about an 8-quadrant legacy film.” Well, he said making it was “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.”
A photorealistic CGI film in the vein of the 2019 film, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will focus on the ascension of Mufasa (voiced in the prequel by “The Underground Railroad” star Aaron Pierre) to the ruler of the Pride Lands. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will also star as Scar, along with Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, and John Kani all reprising their roles from the 2019 “Lion King” as Pumbaa, Timon, and Raifiki,...
Jenkins accompanied the film to Las Vegas at CinemaCon, and he explained to the crowd, “what the director of ‘Moonlight’ is doing here to tell me about an 8-quadrant legacy film.” Well, he said making it was “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.”
A photorealistic CGI film in the vein of the 2019 film, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will focus on the ascension of Mufasa (voiced in the prequel by “The Underground Railroad” star Aaron Pierre) to the ruler of the Pride Lands. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will also star as Scar, along with Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, and John Kani all reprising their roles from the 2019 “Lion King” as Pumbaa, Timon, and Raifiki,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Brian Welk and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Update: More than 300 Jewish creatives — including eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, “SNL” star Sarah Sherman, actor and documentarian Alex Winter and “Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles — have added their names to the list of signatories of an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Mardi Gras is long over, and Halloween is still months away. But over the next four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Overlook Film Festival will celebrate the strange and unusual with a salute to horror that couldn’t be timelier.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
- 4/4/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- 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
Looking for bold new work from first- and second-time feature filmmakers? Look no further than New Directors/New Films, the premier New York City festival that annually highlights them.
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The highest grossing director of all time, Steven Spielberg enjoys high-brow classics as much as crowd-pleasing blockbusters. Known for “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jaws,” “West Side Story” (2021), and more favorites, the beloved American filmmaker premiered his semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” in theaters last November.
The movie, nominated for seven Oscars (winning none), tells the story of how Spielberg came to be Spielberg — chiefly through the lens of his parents’ traumatic divorce. Boasting a cast that includes not just Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Spielberg’s mom and dad, but also David Lynch in a rare acting opportunity, “The Fabelmans” was described by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as an epic rendering of “the breakup that launched a million blockbusters.”
Following the contemplative mood of two-ish years in Covid-19 lockdown, the 2022 fall film season was chockfull of projects meditating on the role — and, in the case of “TÁR,” responsibility — of artists. How...
The movie, nominated for seven Oscars (winning none), tells the story of how Spielberg came to be Spielberg — chiefly through the lens of his parents’ traumatic divorce. Boasting a cast that includes not just Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Spielberg’s mom and dad, but also David Lynch in a rare acting opportunity, “The Fabelmans” was described by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich as an epic rendering of “the breakup that launched a million blockbusters.”
Following the contemplative mood of two-ish years in Covid-19 lockdown, the 2022 fall film season was chockfull of projects meditating on the role — and, in the case of “TÁR,” responsibility — of artists. How...
- 3/27/2024
- 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
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
Turns out the real demon in indie horror film “Late Night With the Devil” is its use of AI.
The IFC Films/Shudder release utilized artificial intelligence for a trio of still images — title cards, specifically — intended to enhance the ’70s aesthetic, according to the film’s directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. That has not gone over well within the creative community on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” the Cairnes brothers told Variety. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We...
The IFC Films/Shudder release utilized artificial intelligence for a trio of still images — title cards, specifically — intended to enhance the ’70s aesthetic, according to the film’s directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. That has not gone over well within the creative community on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” the Cairnes brothers told Variety. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We...
- 3/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- 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
What if “Friday the 13th” was told through Jason Voorhees’ point of view?
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
- 3/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech after Zone of Interest won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film has drawn condemnation from more than a thousand Hollywood actors, creatives and executives over the past few days, but there are also some in the entertainment industry who have spoken in support of Glazer and his speech.
For context, here is the entirety of Glazer’s speech:
Thank you so much. I’m going to read, I’m afraid.
Thank you to the Academy for this honor and to our partners A24 Films for access and Polish Film Institute, to the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, to my producers, actors, collaborators.
All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, but rather look what we do now.
For context, here is the entirety of Glazer’s speech:
Thank you so much. I’m going to read, I’m afraid.
Thank you to the Academy for this honor and to our partners A24 Films for access and Polish Film Institute, to the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, to my producers, actors, collaborators.
All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, but rather look what we do now.
- 3/20/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
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
The renowned filmmaker and enthusiast has been absent at the awards for a second time. Miyazaki, known for his work with his production company Studio Ghibli, has not attended the Academy Awards twice this time, even after winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
With numerous nominations and two Oscars, Miyazaki is undoubtedly one of the best animated filmmakers of his era. He is known for directing movies with subtlety and a plot that fills viewers with joy and anticipation. He is known for The Wind Rises, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and his latest work, The Boy and the Heron.
Miyazaki and The Oscars
The Boy and the Heron
In the 2003 Academy Awards, for his film Spirited Away, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. But he didn’t show up to the award function.
A few years later,...
With numerous nominations and two Oscars, Miyazaki is undoubtedly one of the best animated filmmakers of his era. He is known for directing movies with subtlety and a plot that fills viewers with joy and anticipation. He is known for The Wind Rises, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and his latest work, The Boy and the Heron.
Miyazaki and The Oscars
The Boy and the Heron
In the 2003 Academy Awards, for his film Spirited Away, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. But he didn’t show up to the award function.
A few years later,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Archak
- FandomWire
Hans Zimmer, the two time Oscar winner and four time Grammy winner, is one of the most prolific film score composers of all time. With a career spanning over 40 years, from “The Lion King” to “The Dark Knight” trilogy to the “Dune” movies, he shows no signs of slowing down. As for retirement, don’t expect it any time soon.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve played all my life. Why would I stop playing? Why would I stop living a playful life? Why would I stop trying to, you know, invent things? Why would I? I mean, there are good reasons because, as soon as I sit down and there is the blank page and I’m supposed to write something, I’m like ‘Oh my god, I have no idea how to do this,” Zimmer told IndieWire. “After two weeks I want to phone the director and give...
“Are you kidding me? I’ve played all my life. Why would I stop playing? Why would I stop living a playful life? Why would I stop trying to, you know, invent things? Why would I? I mean, there are good reasons because, as soon as I sit down and there is the blank page and I’m supposed to write something, I’m like ‘Oh my god, I have no idea how to do this,” Zimmer told IndieWire. “After two weeks I want to phone the director and give...
- 3/15/2024
- by Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in November 2022. We’re recirculating it to coincide with the release of “The Girls on the Bus.”]
It’s an election year in the United States. So, uh, how you doing, buddy?
Even in a world as spectacularly screwed up as ours [insert long list of alarming, urgent problems we have no practical solutions for, ending with some half-assed joke about the planet being on fire that you’ve definitely heard before!], the American political landscape is especially rocky terrain. In a post-Trump-presidency U.S., democracy is on the ballot and faith in both our electoral system and fellow humans is at an all-time low.
But, you knew that. And as we gear up for a 2020 election repeat showdown between Trump and Biden, it’s difficult not to feel fatigued by the circular nature of our political landscape and the lack of real progress made on a number of major crises boiling over at this very moment. Even international bystanders are probably dreading the death march to Election Day this year, and the sea to shining shit storm it will likely be. So to keep your head above water as we head into election season,...
It’s an election year in the United States. So, uh, how you doing, buddy?
Even in a world as spectacularly screwed up as ours [insert long list of alarming, urgent problems we have no practical solutions for, ending with some half-assed joke about the planet being on fire that you’ve definitely heard before!], the American political landscape is especially rocky terrain. In a post-Trump-presidency U.S., democracy is on the ballot and faith in both our electoral system and fellow humans is at an all-time low.
But, you knew that. And as we gear up for a 2020 election repeat showdown between Trump and Biden, it’s difficult not to feel fatigued by the circular nature of our political landscape and the lack of real progress made on a number of major crises boiling over at this very moment. Even international bystanders are probably dreading the death march to Election Day this year, and the sea to shining shit storm it will likely be. So to keep your head above water as we head into election season,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in December 2017. It has since been updated with new entries.]
The 21st Century is only two decades old, but its first batch of Best Picture winners already paints an extraordinary portrait of a world in flux. From historical epics to intimate digital indies, from a musical that riffs on showbiz standards to period drama that reflects on present crises, from a sparse modern western to an overstimulating multiverse martial arts story, these 24 films range from “problematic” to “perfect” and hit all points in between. More than that, they illustrate Hollywood’s evolving definition of greatness and the relationship between the film industry and the times that forge it.
Here are the 24 Best Picture winners of the 21st century, ranked from worst to best.
With editorial contributions from David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn.
24. “Crash” “Crash” ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
“Brokeback Mountain” deserved better, but the Academy didn’t know it. Paul Haggis’ painfully obvious ensemble drama about racial prejudices in Los Angeles was a smug,...
The 21st Century is only two decades old, but its first batch of Best Picture winners already paints an extraordinary portrait of a world in flux. From historical epics to intimate digital indies, from a musical that riffs on showbiz standards to period drama that reflects on present crises, from a sparse modern western to an overstimulating multiverse martial arts story, these 24 films range from “problematic” to “perfect” and hit all points in between. More than that, they illustrate Hollywood’s evolving definition of greatness and the relationship between the film industry and the times that forge it.
Here are the 24 Best Picture winners of the 21st century, ranked from worst to best.
With editorial contributions from David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn.
24. “Crash” “Crash” ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
“Brokeback Mountain” deserved better, but the Academy didn’t know it. Paul Haggis’ painfully obvious ensemble drama about racial prejudices in Los Angeles was a smug,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“Oppenheimer” wins Best Picture at the Oscars, ending an Academy Awards season that gave many hope that blockbusters for adults were actually back.
The Christopher Nolan epic about the creation of the atomic bomb took seven Oscars March 10 at the Dolby Theatre, the most of any film in contention. It also ended its theatrical run with $957 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Best Picture winner since “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and its $1.1 billion, claimed the top prize exactly 20 years ago.
“Oppenheimer” won Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Director for Nolan, and Best Picture.
“Oppenheimer” represents the biggest success Nolan has ever had at the Academy Awards. Its 13 nominations outclasses the three films of his that previously tied for the most noms in his filmography: “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,...
The Christopher Nolan epic about the creation of the atomic bomb took seven Oscars March 10 at the Dolby Theatre, the most of any film in contention. It also ended its theatrical run with $957 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Best Picture winner since “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and its $1.1 billion, claimed the top prize exactly 20 years ago.
“Oppenheimer” won Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Director for Nolan, and Best Picture.
“Oppenheimer” represents the biggest success Nolan has ever had at the Academy Awards. Its 13 nominations outclasses the three films of his that previously tied for the most noms in his filmography: “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
He’s the director most associated with 21st century cinematic spectacle and, finally, he has an Oscar. Christopher Nolan has won the Best Director Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards for “Oppenheimer.”
This is only the second time Nolan’s ever been nominated for Best Director. His first came for 2017’s “Dunkirk.” He has received a total of eight Oscar nominations in his entire career, however, including those two Best Director nods: also, for Best Original Screenplay for 2000’s “Memento,” Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for 2010’s “Inception,” Best Picture for “Dunkirk,” and Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture for “Oppenheimer.” With the film also winning Best Picture that means he actually now has two Oscars.
“Oppenheimer” itself won seven Oscars: in addition to Best Director and Best Picture, it won Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy.
This is only the second time Nolan’s ever been nominated for Best Director. His first came for 2017’s “Dunkirk.” He has received a total of eight Oscar nominations in his entire career, however, including those two Best Director nods: also, for Best Original Screenplay for 2000’s “Memento,” Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for 2010’s “Inception,” Best Picture for “Dunkirk,” and Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture for “Oppenheimer.” With the film also winning Best Picture that means he actually now has two Oscars.
“Oppenheimer” itself won seven Oscars: in addition to Best Director and Best Picture, it won Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy.
- 3/11/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
After eight nominations for six different films he has made, director Wes Anderson has finally won his first Oscar.
Receiving the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” seems unconventional for both the category, which normally awards emerging filmmakers, and Anderson himself, who was best known till this point for directing features such as “Asteroid City” (which happened to also be in awards contention this season.)
His win was over fellow nominees “The After,” from director Misan Harriman, “Invincible,” from director Vincent René-Lortie, “Knight of Fortune,” from director Lasse Lyskjær Noer, and “Red, White and Blue” from director Nazrin Choudhury.
Anderson’s Oscar achievement comes as a bit of a full circle moment for the auteur, coming just over two decades since his career as a professional filmmaker kicked off with the premiere of his short “Bottle Rocket...
Receiving the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” seems unconventional for both the category, which normally awards emerging filmmakers, and Anderson himself, who was best known till this point for directing features such as “Asteroid City” (which happened to also be in awards contention this season.)
His win was over fellow nominees “The After,” from director Misan Harriman, “Invincible,” from director Vincent René-Lortie, “Knight of Fortune,” from director Lasse Lyskjær Noer, and “Red, White and Blue” from director Nazrin Choudhury.
Anderson’s Oscar achievement comes as a bit of a full circle moment for the auteur, coming just over two decades since his career as a professional filmmaker kicked off with the premiere of his short “Bottle Rocket...
- 3/11/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” likely his final film, has won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
It’s Miyazaki’s second Oscar after the Japanese animation master won for “Spirited Away” in 2002. Miyazaki is the most nominated director in the Best Animated Feature category (tied with Pete Docter) with four nominations, including for “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “The Wind Rises.” Miyazaki is now also the oldest winner in the category ever, at 83, with the previous record holder being Mark Gustafson for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.”
“The Boy and the Heron” beat out an impressive field that included Pixar entry “Elemental,” Neon’s “Robot Dreams,” Netflix’s “Nimona,” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” from 2018.
Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki were not present at the Academy Awards ceremony to accept the prize. Their Oscar was accepted on...
It’s Miyazaki’s second Oscar after the Japanese animation master won for “Spirited Away” in 2002. Miyazaki is the most nominated director in the Best Animated Feature category (tied with Pete Docter) with four nominations, including for “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “The Wind Rises.” Miyazaki is now also the oldest winner in the category ever, at 83, with the previous record holder being Mark Gustafson for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.”
“The Boy and the Heron” beat out an impressive field that included Pixar entry “Elemental,” Neon’s “Robot Dreams,” Netflix’s “Nimona,” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” from 2018.
Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki were not present at the Academy Awards ceremony to accept the prize. Their Oscar was accepted on...
- 3/10/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Backstage at the Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, Da’Vine Joy Randolph told reporters she wasn’t counting on anything major this Oscars weekend: “I’m not expecting anything,” Randolph said when asked about her Oscar chances. “I’m not betting on anything. I’m just happy to be invited into the building. To me, I’ve already won, because I’ve gained the respect of you guys. That’s what matters to me the most.”
A lovely sentiment, but it became Oscar official on Sunday evening when Randolph won the 2024 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers,” a cook at a private school in the 1970s dealing with the recent death of her son in Vietnam.
Co-starring Paul Giamatti (who is also nominated tonight) and Dominic Sessa, the true three-hander from Alexander Payne is nominated for a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture,...
A lovely sentiment, but it became Oscar official on Sunday evening when Randolph won the 2024 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers,” a cook at a private school in the 1970s dealing with the recent death of her son in Vietnam.
Co-starring Paul Giamatti (who is also nominated tonight) and Dominic Sessa, the true three-hander from Alexander Payne is nominated for a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
As the great Renata Klein, played by Laura Dern on HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” once said, “I will not, not be rich!” And very soon, we may be rich in more content from the Emmy award-winning series.
Regarding a third season of the hit HBO drama, Reese Witherspoon told Variety on the carpet of the 81st Golden Globes in January, “We are working on it. [Nicole Kidman] and I have been working on it a lot.”
Well, IndieWire caught up with star Kathryn Newton at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party on Friday, March 8 at Catch Steak LA. Newton, of course, plays Abigail Carson, the daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Adam Scott’s characters Madeline Martha Mackenzie and Ed Mackenzie. We could not help but ask her if she has been hearing anything in her orbit about a third installment.
“I had no idea! Someone should let a girl know,...
Regarding a third season of the hit HBO drama, Reese Witherspoon told Variety on the carpet of the 81st Golden Globes in January, “We are working on it. [Nicole Kidman] and I have been working on it a lot.”
Well, IndieWire caught up with star Kathryn Newton at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party on Friday, March 8 at Catch Steak LA. Newton, of course, plays Abigail Carson, the daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Adam Scott’s characters Madeline Martha Mackenzie and Ed Mackenzie. We could not help but ask her if she has been hearing anything in her orbit about a third installment.
“I had no idea! Someone should let a girl know,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
First, there was “Sound of Freedom.” Now, it’s the sound of a cash register that has streamers wading into Christian programming.
Fox Nation, the streaming sister of Fox News Channels, seems as good a place as any for that sort of thing. IndieWire can confirm that “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Chosen” are both headed to Fox Nation in the next few days — just in time for Easter! Hallelujah.
“Passion of the Christ” will be available on Fox Nation ($5.99 per month) tomorrow, March 8, 2024, and Seasons 1-3 of “The Chosen” will debut two days later. Deadline first reported the news of the acquisitions.
Scripture stuff is all the rage these days. On Tuesday, Netflix revealed the trailer for “Testament: The Story of Moses,” a three-part documentary series premiering on March 27, 2024. Easter 2024 is March 31. As the title states, that one is all about God’s voice on Earth. Not you,...
Fox Nation, the streaming sister of Fox News Channels, seems as good a place as any for that sort of thing. IndieWire can confirm that “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Chosen” are both headed to Fox Nation in the next few days — just in time for Easter! Hallelujah.
“Passion of the Christ” will be available on Fox Nation ($5.99 per month) tomorrow, March 8, 2024, and Seasons 1-3 of “The Chosen” will debut two days later. Deadline first reported the news of the acquisitions.
Scripture stuff is all the rage these days. On Tuesday, Netflix revealed the trailer for “Testament: The Story of Moses,” a three-part documentary series premiering on March 27, 2024. Easter 2024 is March 31. As the title states, that one is all about God’s voice on Earth. Not you,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- 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
Sydney Sweeney’s “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut was ostensibly about promoting her role in the upcoming Neon horror film “Immaculate,” which is set to premiere at SXSW. But while the “Anyone But You” star was eager to focus on the future, she couldn’t resist making a joke about her most recent failure.
Sweeney recently starred alongside Dakota Johnson in the Spider-Man spin-off “Madame Web,” which hit theaters on Valentines Day and became one of the biggest box office flops in recent memory. As she introduced herself to the crowd in Studio 8H, she made it clear that she’s able to have a laugh at the film’s expense.
“You might have seen me in ‘Anyone But You’ or ‘Euphoria,’” Sweeney said. “You definitely did not see me in ‘Madame Web.’ But I do have a new film coming out called ‘Immaculate.’ I play a nun, so it’s perfect casting.
Sweeney recently starred alongside Dakota Johnson in the Spider-Man spin-off “Madame Web,” which hit theaters on Valentines Day and became one of the biggest box office flops in recent memory. As she introduced herself to the crowd in Studio 8H, she made it clear that she’s able to have a laugh at the film’s expense.
“You might have seen me in ‘Anyone But You’ or ‘Euphoria,’” Sweeney said. “You definitely did not see me in ‘Madame Web.’ But I do have a new film coming out called ‘Immaculate.’ I play a nun, so it’s perfect casting.
- 3/3/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in December 2024, and has since been updated with new entries.]
There are few stars of his age who generate as much foaming at the mouth celebrity obsession as Timothée Chalamet. Ever since the one-two punch of “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name” arrived in 2017, the young actor has been the darling of social media fan accounts fawning over his signature long black hair and delicate, porcelain features. It’s made him the archetypal onscreen heartthrob of his generation and garnered him those pesky Leonardo DiCaprio comparisons that have lingered over the course of his career.
Does that online thirst translate into being a movie star? That’s a question that various outlets have tried to unpack over the course of Chalamet’s career with varying degrees of success. He certainly has the chops for it: beyond his pretty, pretty face, Chalamet has a sensitive onscreen presence that can be played straight — as in “Call Me By Your Name,...
There are few stars of his age who generate as much foaming at the mouth celebrity obsession as Timothée Chalamet. Ever since the one-two punch of “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name” arrived in 2017, the young actor has been the darling of social media fan accounts fawning over his signature long black hair and delicate, porcelain features. It’s made him the archetypal onscreen heartthrob of his generation and garnered him those pesky Leonardo DiCaprio comparisons that have lingered over the course of his career.
Does that online thirst translate into being a movie star? That’s a question that various outlets have tried to unpack over the course of Chalamet’s career with varying degrees of success. He certainly has the chops for it: beyond his pretty, pretty face, Chalamet has a sensitive onscreen presence that can be played straight — as in “Call Me By Your Name,...
- 3/1/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The urban legend of a woman who died trying to find the fictional “Fargo” suitcase full of cash became an indie drama breakout hit for filmmakers the Zellner Brothers.
The Zellners debuted “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, capturing the tale of a Tokyo-based office worker, played by Oscar-nominated “Babel” star Rinko Kikuchi, who trekked to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in search of the money that Steve Buscemi’s character buries in the snow at the end of the Coens’ “Fargo.” The blurring of fact and fiction, reality and film, turned “Kumiko” into a cult classic in the making. And the film has since been notoriously hard to find, as it’s not currently available on streaming platforms.
Now, in honor of the film’s 10-year anniversary, Bleecker Street is re-releasing the feature in theaters and on demand. “Kumiko” is directed by David Zellner from a script he co-wrote with his brother Nathan Zellner.
The Zellners debuted “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, capturing the tale of a Tokyo-based office worker, played by Oscar-nominated “Babel” star Rinko Kikuchi, who trekked to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in search of the money that Steve Buscemi’s character buries in the snow at the end of the Coens’ “Fargo.” The blurring of fact and fiction, reality and film, turned “Kumiko” into a cult classic in the making. And the film has since been notoriously hard to find, as it’s not currently available on streaming platforms.
Now, in honor of the film’s 10-year anniversary, Bleecker Street is re-releasing the feature in theaters and on demand. “Kumiko” is directed by David Zellner from a script he co-wrote with his brother Nathan Zellner.
- 2/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
What happens when the line between reality and TV becomes a little too blurred?
For two outcast teens played by Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine in “I Saw the TV Glow,” a cult favorite horror series comes to life with haunting consequences. Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s A24 feature was one of IndieWire’s must-see films at Sundance 2024 and landed a coveted “A” rating from IndieWire critic David Ehrlich.
The film, which homages everything from the eerie vibes of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” to late-night Nickelodeon ’90s television, follows teens who “bond over their shared love of a scary television show, but the boundary between TV and reality begins to blur after it is mysteriously canceled,” per the official synopsis.
Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, and Sloppy Jane round out the cast.
Writer/director Schoenbrun’s feature debut “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair...
For two outcast teens played by Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine in “I Saw the TV Glow,” a cult favorite horror series comes to life with haunting consequences. Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s A24 feature was one of IndieWire’s must-see films at Sundance 2024 and landed a coveted “A” rating from IndieWire critic David Ehrlich.
The film, which homages everything from the eerie vibes of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” to late-night Nickelodeon ’90s television, follows teens who “bond over their shared love of a scary television show, but the boundary between TV and reality begins to blur after it is mysteriously canceled,” per the official synopsis.
Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, and Sloppy Jane round out the cast.
Writer/director Schoenbrun’s feature debut “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair...
- 2/28/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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