Shot in two parts over three years (and unexpectedly broken up by a pandemic), Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" movies stand as an impressive, if grueling, achievement. The second film, which covers the second half of Frank Herbert's celebrated sci-fi novel, wasn't even guaranteed; indeed, there is an alternate universe where the first movie failed to make enough money to justify Warner Bros. adding $190 million to their already risky $165 million investment. The books' popularity had peaked decades ago, so there was a good deal of uncertainty as to whether this sweeping interplanetary epic could capture the imaginations of Millennials and Zoomers, who were barely a notion when David Lynch's "Dune" opened — and flopped — in 1984.
Aside from managing a challenging a massive physical production, Villeneuve had to tend to an enormous acting ensemble chock full of bonafide stars, stars on the rise and Oscar-winning legends. This could not be your...
Aside from managing a challenging a massive physical production, Villeneuve had to tend to an enormous acting ensemble chock full of bonafide stars, stars on the rise and Oscar-winning legends. This could not be your...
- 3/24/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
American Cinematheque Launches Major New L.A. Documentary Festival This Is Not a Fiction (Exclusive)
The American Cinematheque is kicking off a robust new Los Angeles nonfiction film festival dubbed This Is Not a Fiction, running from April 10-18. The festival opens with docuseries “Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story,” with Jon Bon Jovi in-person at the Aero Theatre for the L.A. premiere screening.
The event will include in-person tributes to distinguished documentary filmmakers including Barbara Kopple, Joe Berlinger, Brett Morgen, Bill Morrison, Kirsten Johnson, Terry Zwigoff, Jeff Tremaine and Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, as well as a virtual Q&a with Frederick Wiseman.
Other premieres will include “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” “Power,” “Strong Island,” “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” a restoration of “Lumumba: Death of a Prophet” and “Incident,” plus special presentations of Morgan Neville’s “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces” and “Girls State.” A celebration of the 15th anniversary of “30 for 30” will feature a panel...
The event will include in-person tributes to distinguished documentary filmmakers including Barbara Kopple, Joe Berlinger, Brett Morgen, Bill Morrison, Kirsten Johnson, Terry Zwigoff, Jeff Tremaine and Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, as well as a virtual Q&a with Frederick Wiseman.
Other premieres will include “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” “Power,” “Strong Island,” “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” a restoration of “Lumumba: Death of a Prophet” and “Incident,” plus special presentations of Morgan Neville’s “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces” and “Girls State.” A celebration of the 15th anniversary of “30 for 30” will feature a panel...
- 3/19/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
There is no such thing as a perfect movie.
No matter how integral a certain film may be to the history of cinema, no matter how widely beloved it might be by a mass audience, and no matter how politically and sociologically relevant it may have been to the modern world, there is always an error, a nitpick, an omission, or a production problem that can be included. No work of art is going to be 100% unassailable, largely because a wide swath of humanity will be able to see it, and no two people are going to feel exactly the same way about it.
In modern parlance, the closest critics and audiences may be able to come to a measurable consensus is the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The way Rotten Tomatoes works: professional critics, writing for a broad gallery of approved outlets, submit a review to Rt, selecting it to be "fresh" or "rotten.
No matter how integral a certain film may be to the history of cinema, no matter how widely beloved it might be by a mass audience, and no matter how politically and sociologically relevant it may have been to the modern world, there is always an error, a nitpick, an omission, or a production problem that can be included. No work of art is going to be 100% unassailable, largely because a wide swath of humanity will be able to see it, and no two people are going to feel exactly the same way about it.
In modern parlance, the closest critics and audiences may be able to come to a measurable consensus is the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The way Rotten Tomatoes works: professional critics, writing for a broad gallery of approved outlets, submit a review to Rt, selecting it to be "fresh" or "rotten.
- 3/19/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The biopic “Oppenheimer” was meant to take the award season by storm ever since its release. With a powerhouse cast and a director known for meticulous attention to detail, the film seemed destined for critical acclaim.
A still from Oppenheimer (2023)
However, a recent observation by industry expert Amy Nicholson has thrown a wrench into “Oppenheimer’s” awards trajectory. Known for catching historical goofs and picking movies apart, she spotted a small detail that feels illegal for a Christopher Nolan movie. This could either just be a harmless oversight or maybe a potentially award-sinking misstep.
SUGGESTEDCillian Murphy Had Robert Downey Jr. Wheezing After He Made 1 ‘Oppenheimer’ Compliment Sound Like a Cry For Help
Oppenheimer Features a 50-Star USA Flag, Years Before It Was First Hoisted
A still from Oppenheimer (2023)
Oppenheimer is one of the most well-received movies of all time, being praised by fans and critics alike. Since its release, fans...
A still from Oppenheimer (2023)
However, a recent observation by industry expert Amy Nicholson has thrown a wrench into “Oppenheimer’s” awards trajectory. Known for catching historical goofs and picking movies apart, she spotted a small detail that feels illegal for a Christopher Nolan movie. This could either just be a harmless oversight or maybe a potentially award-sinking misstep.
SUGGESTEDCillian Murphy Had Robert Downey Jr. Wheezing After He Made 1 ‘Oppenheimer’ Compliment Sound Like a Cry For Help
Oppenheimer Features a 50-Star USA Flag, Years Before It Was First Hoisted
A still from Oppenheimer (2023)
Oppenheimer is one of the most well-received movies of all time, being praised by fans and critics alike. Since its release, fans...
- 3/8/2024
- by Piyush Yadav
- FandomWire
Peter Bart: In A Buzz-Less Market, Smart New Movies Must Overcome Critics’ Disdain & Audience Torpor
“Uninspired.” “Never catches fire.” “Non-memorable.”
I was sifting through reviews last weekend as the first step in my mission to re-discover the habit of moviegoing. With Barbenheimer finally behind us, I decided to see three new movies on successive days – yes, buying tickets and going to theaters.
But first come the critics: Their reviews, I assumed, would be tepid (excerpts above.) Box office results over the Presidents Day weekend were the lowest in 23 years, down 17% from a year ago — not a good portent. If there are some promising new movies out there, why are they hitting the wall?
Here’s a clue: Remember wide openings and buzz? Well, welcome to the new age of nonbuzz – new releases are greeted by the sounds of silence.
I decided to be resolute, anyway. I’m buying tickets.
Spoiler alert: I thoroughly enjoyed my filmgoing adventure. But there seems to be a...
I was sifting through reviews last weekend as the first step in my mission to re-discover the habit of moviegoing. With Barbenheimer finally behind us, I decided to see three new movies on successive days – yes, buying tickets and going to theaters.
But first come the critics: Their reviews, I assumed, would be tepid (excerpts above.) Box office results over the Presidents Day weekend were the lowest in 23 years, down 17% from a year ago — not a good portent. If there are some promising new movies out there, why are they hitting the wall?
Here’s a clue: Remember wide openings and buzz? Well, welcome to the new age of nonbuzz – new releases are greeted by the sounds of silence.
I decided to be resolute, anyway. I’m buying tickets.
Spoiler alert: I thoroughly enjoyed my filmgoing adventure. But there seems to be a...
- 2/22/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Happy Campers director Amy Nicholson with Anne-Katrin Titze: “There are times when you get lucky and you get magic.”
I first met Amy Nicholson in 2013 when I was on the jury of the inaugural First Time Fest with Gay Talese, the B-52’s Fred Schneider, and Killer Films’ Christine Vachon. Amy’s documentary, Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride, won our Outstanding Achievement in Editing Award (by John Young and Jonah Moran): “Fast-paced editing that captures, in a balanced way, a story about humanity in an age of greed. The editing works like the Zipper itself, connecting the ride with the story of Coney Island.”
Amy Nicholson often places the people side-by-side, Wes Anderson style.
In Happy Campers, a highlight of the 14th edition of Doc NYC, we are taken to the Inlet View Rv Park campground on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. Nicholson often places the people side-by-side, Wes Anderson style,...
I first met Amy Nicholson in 2013 when I was on the jury of the inaugural First Time Fest with Gay Talese, the B-52’s Fred Schneider, and Killer Films’ Christine Vachon. Amy’s documentary, Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride, won our Outstanding Achievement in Editing Award (by John Young and Jonah Moran): “Fast-paced editing that captures, in a balanced way, a story about humanity in an age of greed. The editing works like the Zipper itself, connecting the ride with the story of Coney Island.”
Amy Nicholson often places the people side-by-side, Wes Anderson style.
In Happy Campers, a highlight of the 14th edition of Doc NYC, we are taken to the Inlet View Rv Park campground on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. Nicholson often places the people side-by-side, Wes Anderson style,...
- 11/25/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
An Rv park on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, faces extinction in Amy Nicholson’s lyrical, if somewhat slight, documentary “Happy Campers.” A portrait of a community in flux, Nicholson trains her camera on the inhabitants and seasonal tourists of Inlet View, a rundown park with ocean views that houses lower to middle-class residents. After the property is sold off to developers, who hope to capitalize on the waterfront location and build luxury vacation spots, the residents are forced to leave a place that many have called home for decades.
Continue reading ‘Happy Campers’ Review: A Lyrical, If Slight, Portrait Of An Odd Community Facing Extinction [Doc NYC] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Happy Campers’ Review: A Lyrical, If Slight, Portrait Of An Odd Community Facing Extinction [Doc NYC] at The Playlist.
- 11/17/2023
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Comedic multi-hyphenate Paul Scheer has signed with Sugar23 for management.
An actor, comedian, writer, director and podcast host, Scheer will next be seen in McG’s film Family Switch starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, which debuts on Netflix November 30th. He’ll then appear in Paramount+’s miniseries Knuckles, based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise from Sega, which is out early next year.
Other film credits include the dark rom-com Happily with Joel McHale, Lionsgate’s Long Shot starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, the SXSW coming-of-age drama Summer ’03, and the Oscar-nominated A24 pic The Disaster Artist. Scheer has also been seen on shows like Black Monday, Veep, The Good Place, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fresh Off the Boat, Future Man, The League, and Human Discoveries, among others.
In addition to his acting work, Scheer can be seen dissecting generally bad films as the co-host,...
An actor, comedian, writer, director and podcast host, Scheer will next be seen in McG’s film Family Switch starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, which debuts on Netflix November 30th. He’ll then appear in Paramount+’s miniseries Knuckles, based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise from Sega, which is out early next year.
Other film credits include the dark rom-com Happily with Joel McHale, Lionsgate’s Long Shot starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, the SXSW coming-of-age drama Summer ’03, and the Oscar-nominated A24 pic The Disaster Artist. Scheer has also been seen on shows like Black Monday, Veep, The Good Place, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fresh Off the Boat, Future Man, The League, and Human Discoveries, among others.
In addition to his acting work, Scheer can be seen dissecting generally bad films as the co-host,...
- 11/16/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Red, White & Royal Blue is a romantic comedy film directed by Matthew Lopez from a screenplay by Lopez and Ted Malawer. The rom-com film is based on a book of the same name by Casey McQuiston and it follows the love story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female President of the United States Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a British Prince. The romantic comedy film sees our protagonists pulled between love and duty while having carefree fun.
The YA rom-com film also stars Sarah Shahi (The L Word) as Zahra Bankston, Stephen Fry (Blackadder) as King James III, Rachel Hilson as Nora Holleran, Polo Morin (Who Killed Sara?) as Rafael Luna, and Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) as Princess Beatrice).
So let’s find what the critics are saying about the YA rom-com film. Check out the review quotes from...
The YA rom-com film also stars Sarah Shahi (The L Word) as Zahra Bankston, Stephen Fry (Blackadder) as King James III, Rachel Hilson as Nora Holleran, Polo Morin (Who Killed Sara?) as Rafael Luna, and Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) as Princess Beatrice).
So let’s find what the critics are saying about the YA rom-com film. Check out the review quotes from...
- 8/11/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
David Lynch does not like talking about his movies. He’d prefer the work speak for itself, thank you very much. But in bending over backwards to avoid discussing what something might “mean,” or deflecting questions with humor and/or cryptic pronunciations, the Blue Velvet filmmaker occasionally drops a breadcrumb hint about what makes him creatively tick. An audience member at a Q&a once asked Lynch whether there was a connection between The Wizard of Oz and the movie he’d just screened, Mullholland Drive. His reply: “There’s...
- 6/3/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
“The Wizard of Oz is a film with very great power… And it’s to be expected that it has stayed with us for the past several years and that we find its echoes in our films for such a long time after. The Wizard of Oz is like a dream and it has immense emotional power,” David Lynch once said. “There’s a certain amount of fear in that picture, as well as things to dream about. So it seems truthful in some way.”
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
Indeed, from the overt references (Wild at Heart) to the more subtextual (see: every other David Lynch movie), Victor Fleming’s 1939 landmark has been a constant wellspring of influence for the legendary director. Yet even with such source of inspiration, Lynch’s films play as singular creations, every frame infused with a thrillingly unique voice. With his new essay documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe entertainingly explores...
- 5/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Is that an Oz narrative?” asks director Rodney Ascher in the second chapter of Alexandre O. Philippe’s trippy, tricky, and obsessive cine-essay Lynch/Oz. Ascher is clearly being a touch dishonest with the question because he’s at that moment referring to Beverly Hills Cop. He follows up that query by wondering in tongue-in-cheek fashion, “Is everything?”
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
Even though Philippe’s film is ostensibly about the many ways that The Wizard of Oz permeates the work of David Lynch, Ascher’s half-serious digression into the expansively universal nature of Victor Fleming’s Technicolor musical fantasy, calling its fish-out-water plot a “sturdy template” for just about any kind of film you could imagine, is typical of the filmed essays collected by Philippe. It’s both dead-serious about its subjects and playfully exploratory.
That dual nature is present in Lynch/Oz from the start. In the first chapter, film critic Amy Nicholson,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
“Twenty-seven percent of the movie is actually true,” confirmed “Weird Al” Yankovic when discussing his Roku Channel biopic satire “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” during a television academy-sponsored FYC screening and panel on Sunday at The London West Hollywood hotel. “The idea was to have the first third or so of the movie leave people thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe it’s true.’ But then from there, it goes totally off the rails.” Watch the Q&a with Yankovic and his co-writer and director Eric Appel (moderated by TV critic and blogger Amy Nicholson) above.
Indeed, Yankovic – the musical satirist who has a supporting role in the movie himself as real-life record executive Tony Scotti – explained during his panel with Appel that the “big meta concept that Eric had” for the film was to do a parody movie about the guy who does song parodies. “We totally wanted this to feel dramatic like a real biopic.
Indeed, Yankovic – the musical satirist who has a supporting role in the movie himself as real-life record executive Tony Scotti – explained during his panel with Appel that the “big meta concept that Eric had” for the film was to do a parody movie about the guy who does song parodies. “We totally wanted this to feel dramatic like a real biopic.
- 4/17/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
The official trailer has been released for Zachary Wigon’s dark thriller “Sanctuary,” starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott. The film follows a dominatrix named Rebecca (Qualley) and her rich client Hal (Abbott) as disaster unfolds over the course of a single night in a hotel room.
The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022 and will open in theaters in the U.S. on May 25.
In “Sancutary,” Abbott plays the son of luxe hotel chain owner who is the successor of the hotel and the rest of his father’s billion-dollar enterprise. Rebecca sees the opportunity to cash in on Hal’s soon-to-be fortune.
As Amy Nicholson wrote in Variety‘s review of the film, “What comes next is a showdown between her force and his financial clout, between labor and the lordly class.”
“But who is he under the bluster?” Nicholson continued. “The dweeb...
The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022 and will open in theaters in the U.S. on May 25.
In “Sancutary,” Abbott plays the son of luxe hotel chain owner who is the successor of the hotel and the rest of his father’s billion-dollar enterprise. Rebecca sees the opportunity to cash in on Hal’s soon-to-be fortune.
As Amy Nicholson wrote in Variety‘s review of the film, “What comes next is a showdown between her force and his financial clout, between labor and the lordly class.”
“But who is he under the bluster?” Nicholson continued. “The dweeb...
- 4/12/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Before Stanley Kubrick died in 1999, he was seemingly determined to take his famously perfectionist practices to a new level. His final film, "Eyes Wide Shut," took an incredible 15 months of production, including an unbroken 46-week run, making it the world record holder for the longest continuous film shoot. From the fall of 1996 to January 1998, Kubrick subjected the film's two married stars, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, to his often grueling approach, even recalling the actors back for reshoots in May of '98.
The auteur's singular method, which involved demanding multiple takes of single scenes and an extreme level of control over his projects, seemingly worked in his favor throughout his career — even if it had almost given Shelley Duvall an anxiety attack on "The Shining" back in 1978. Some 20 years before shooting "Eyes Wide Shut," Kubrick had unleashed a particularly exacting form of perfectionist control on Duvall, infamously showcased in his daughter,...
The auteur's singular method, which involved demanding multiple takes of single scenes and an extreme level of control over his projects, seemingly worked in his favor throughout his career — even if it had almost given Shelley Duvall an anxiety attack on "The Shining" back in 1978. Some 20 years before shooting "Eyes Wide Shut," Kubrick had unleashed a particularly exacting form of perfectionist control on Duvall, infamously showcased in his daughter,...
- 1/4/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Stanley Kubrick's 1999 film "Eyes Wide Shut" was based on a 1926 novella by Arthur Schnitzler called "Traumnovelle" or "Dream Story." True to the title, Kubrick's film plays out like a dream. Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise), upon learning that his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) had an aggressively detailed sexual fantasy about a soldier she saw in a hotel, drifts out into the world in a sexual haze. He experiences an episodic phantasmagoria seemingly constructed of half-memories and surreal, self-contained scenarios, each of which is marked by a sexual element. Bill is tempted to have sex with other women, but doesn't ever complete an affair. In dream-like fashion, sexual encounters are persistently denied.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is about, among many other things, an adult coming to realize that he lives in a sexual world. Bill has sexual desires -- he and Alice are intimate early in the movie -- but his sexuality seems weirdly tamped down,...
"Eyes Wide Shut" is about, among many other things, an adult coming to realize that he lives in a sexual world. Bill has sexual desires -- he and Alice are intimate early in the movie -- but his sexuality seems weirdly tamped down,...
- 12/31/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Conor O’Donnell joins Bill Graham and Robyn Bahr with special guest Amy Nicholson to discuss Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, which is now in theaters and on VOD.
Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, or stream below.
The Film Stage Show is supported by Mubi, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, Mubi premieres a new film. Whether it’s a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying...
Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, or stream below.
The Film Stage Show is supported by Mubi, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, Mubi premieres a new film. Whether it’s a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying...
- 12/15/2022
- by Conor O'Donnell
- The Film Stage
SiriusXM today announced multi-year extensions with two of its most beloved film podcasts: How Did This Get Made?, the award-winning and top-ranking comedy show hosted by Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas; and Unspooled, the fan-favorite companion series co-hosted by Paul and film critic Amy Nicholson.
The new agreements keep both shows at Earwolf, SiriusXM’s comedy podcast studio, where they will continue to be produced and distributed. Sxm Media, the combined advertising sales group of Sirius Xm Holdings Inc., will maintain exclusive global ad sales rights to How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled.
On each episode of How Did This Get Made?, Paul, June, and Jason watch and deconstruct some of the best worst films ever made in what Vulture calls “a true celebration of cinema.”
Since launching in 2010, How Did This Get Made? has grown to 40 million downloads per year, garnering praise as one of...
The new agreements keep both shows at Earwolf, SiriusXM’s comedy podcast studio, where they will continue to be produced and distributed. Sxm Media, the combined advertising sales group of Sirius Xm Holdings Inc., will maintain exclusive global ad sales rights to How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled.
On each episode of How Did This Get Made?, Paul, June, and Jason watch and deconstruct some of the best worst films ever made in what Vulture calls “a true celebration of cinema.”
Since launching in 2010, How Did This Get Made? has grown to 40 million downloads per year, garnering praise as one of...
- 12/13/2022
- Podnews.net
How the auteur was influenced by 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz is examined in witty and insightful expert contributions curated by Alexandre O Philippe
Here is a portmanteau movie: a collection of cine-essays, curated by documentarist Alexandre O Philippe, on the question of how director David Lynch was influenced by The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. There are witty, insightful, dreamily cinephile contributions from a number of expert witnesses: film-makers David Lowery, Karyn Kusama, John Waters, Rodney Ascher, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and critic Amy Nicholson.
Evidently they are all in love with The Wizard of Oz, and in love with David Lynch, and in love with what their interaction tells us: the juxtaposition of waking reality and another reality, a hidden reality, or buried reality, or transcendent reality which is nonetheless as real, or more real, than anything else. All this is punctiliously laid out, with some...
Here is a portmanteau movie: a collection of cine-essays, curated by documentarist Alexandre O Philippe, on the question of how director David Lynch was influenced by The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. There are witty, insightful, dreamily cinephile contributions from a number of expert witnesses: film-makers David Lowery, Karyn Kusama, John Waters, Rodney Ascher, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and critic Amy Nicholson.
Evidently they are all in love with The Wizard of Oz, and in love with David Lynch, and in love with what their interaction tells us: the juxtaposition of waking reality and another reality, a hidden reality, or buried reality, or transcendent reality which is nonetheless as real, or more real, than anything else. All this is punctiliously laid out, with some...
- 11/30/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Did Michelle Yeoh ever tell you about the time she broke her back and some upstart director gave her encouragement to get back on the cinematic saddle?
If you know martial arts action movies, you know Yeoh. In her earliest works, she went as Michelle Khan, but as she racked up credits in Hong Kong action movies during the '90s and starred as James Bond ally Wai Lin in the '97 spy flick "Tomorrow Never Dies" she would be credited with her proper surname. From 1984 onward, including notable works like Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Supercop" (a.k.a. "Police Story 3"), Yeoh continued to play characters with a staunch spirit and meticulous discipline, whether the role was that of a geisha or a crazy-rich Asian.
It was during the filming of Ann Hui's 1996 action picture "The Stunt Woman" that Yeoh, understandably doing her own stunts,...
If you know martial arts action movies, you know Yeoh. In her earliest works, she went as Michelle Khan, but as she racked up credits in Hong Kong action movies during the '90s and starred as James Bond ally Wai Lin in the '97 spy flick "Tomorrow Never Dies" she would be credited with her proper surname. From 1984 onward, including notable works like Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Supercop" (a.k.a. "Police Story 3"), Yeoh continued to play characters with a staunch spirit and meticulous discipline, whether the role was that of a geisha or a crazy-rich Asian.
It was during the filming of Ann Hui's 1996 action picture "The Stunt Woman" that Yeoh, understandably doing her own stunts,...
- 11/8/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
For 10 American docu teams, this year’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival will be opening new doors for collaboration and support that are completely unknown to most indie filmmakers in the West.
The New Visions Forum: U.S. Docs section, building on a successful launch last year, is a financing, co-production and networking event dedicated to “supporting documentary production in its diversity and creativity.”
It features U.S. projects in development as well as in production and post-production, with selected projects spanning diverse genres and audiovisual formats – from fiction films with documentary aspects, to hybrid, “cinema expanded,” experimental and short films. The platform connects American filmmakers with the potential co-producers, distributors, sales representatives and film festivals from Europe.
Each project is pitched and presented by a director-producer pair, who screen a preview of the upcoming film at Ji.hlava on Oct. 27.
The U.S. projects feature a diversity of approaches and subjects,...
The New Visions Forum: U.S. Docs section, building on a successful launch last year, is a financing, co-production and networking event dedicated to “supporting documentary production in its diversity and creativity.”
It features U.S. projects in development as well as in production and post-production, with selected projects spanning diverse genres and audiovisual formats – from fiction films with documentary aspects, to hybrid, “cinema expanded,” experimental and short films. The platform connects American filmmakers with the potential co-producers, distributors, sales representatives and film festivals from Europe.
Each project is pitched and presented by a director-producer pair, who screen a preview of the upcoming film at Ji.hlava on Oct. 27.
The U.S. projects feature a diversity of approaches and subjects,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
David Lynch is the man behind the curtain, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the surreal construct we call cinema. Or so documentary “Lynch/Oz” makes it out to be.
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the film was born out of auteur Lynch’s response during a Q&a panel at the 2001 New York Film Festival following the screening of “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch said more than 20 years ago that “there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘The Wizard of Oz'” when asked about the classic film’s impact on his own work.
“Lynch/Oz” reframes Lynch’s filmography within the context of the technicolor fantasy dream sequence that propelled innocent Dorothy (Judy Garland) into a storybook world. The documentary will make its U.K. premiere during the BFI London Film Festival and Film 4 will release the feature in U.K. theaters and...
- 10/4/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Fantastic Fest 2022 has a great selection of film docs, and one of the most interesting ones is the latest from Alexandre O. Philippe. His resume includes some fascinating examinations of classic films, including 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene and Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist. His films always focus on an interesting corner of film and when I heard that he had a new one examining the work of David Lynch, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
This film takes on a bit of a different format from his previous works. It is divided into six chapters and essentially takes on the format of a series of video essays diving into various aspects of Lynch's oeuvre. The common theme is how those works relate or overlap to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
With participation from Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, Aaron Moorehead, Justin Benson, Karyn Kusama,...
This film takes on a bit of a different format from his previous works. It is divided into six chapters and essentially takes on the format of a series of video essays diving into various aspects of Lynch's oeuvre. The common theme is how those works relate or overlap to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
With participation from Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, Aaron Moorehead, Justin Benson, Karyn Kusama,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Emily von Seele
- DailyDead
Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971) debuted to generally poor reviews, and worse box office. But in suburban Minneapolis, a humble second-run neighborhood theater called the Westgate found the film an audience...and helped turn it into one of the biggest cult hits of all time.Host Rico Gagliano gets the story from Harold and Maude producer Charles Mulvehill—one of the few living members of the film's creative team—and an endearing cast of local characters who, back in 1972, found themselves part of a one-in-a-million phenomenon.The second season of the Mubi Podcast titled “Only in Theaters” tells surprising stories of individual cinemas that had huge impacts on film history, and in some cases, history in general.Listen to episode 3 below or wherever you get your podcasts:Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyGoogle PodcastsMoreTo celebrate our new season of the podcast, we’re partnering with the American Cinematheque to present a screening of...
- 7/18/2022
- MUBI
The documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, who was born in Switzerland and is based in Denver, has carved out a neat niche for himself. He makes movies about movies — that is, movies about our obsession with movies. He shares the obsession, and as a filmmaker that allows him to overlap the role of superfan, critic, and historian in a way that’s candy for a certain breed of film freak. In “Document of the Dead,” Philippe made a grounded but heady exploration of “Night of the Living Dead” and what the rise of the zombie movie in the late ’60s was all about. In “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene” (his best film), he penetrated the metaphysics of “Psycho,” starting with the shower scene but extending to the entire film, taking a movie that’s famous for its fear and showing you how its true pleasure and mystique lies in the intricacy with which we watch it.
- 7/17/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The Wizard of Oz has become a tradition. Synonymous with the wonder of childhood and the wonder of movies, Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic plays in homes across America every year—often cited as the most-watched film in movie history. A portion of those watches come from filmmakers who think it a sacred text, traditional source material for any story they might want to tell. One of those filmmakers is David Lynch, populist surrealist actor, writer, artist, musician, and director.
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
Lynch/Oz explores the connection between the famous film and dream-focused director. From documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, this six-chapter inquiry acts as a video essay on that link, each section narrated by a critic or filmmaker, from Amy Nicholson to David Lowery. A mixture of archival footage, interview snippets, and a vast collection of movie scenes, the segments traverse the landscape of Lynch’s directorial efforts and clear parallels to aspects of The Wizard of Oz,...
- 7/5/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
Distributor and streaming platform Mubi’s award-winning audio-documentary series “Mubi Podcast” kicks off Season 2 today.
IndieWire can exclusively announce that the “Mubi Podcast,” hosted by Wall Street Journal journalist Rico Gagliano, returns today, Thursday, June 30 with its first episode of the second season, “Only in Theaters.” The podcast will focus on the surprising stories of individual cinemas that had a huge impact on film history, ranging from the Cinémathèque Française to the Westgate in Minneapolis.
Guests for Season 2 include filmmakers Mary Harron (“American Psycho”), Barbet Schroeder, Peter Strickland (“The Duke of Burgundy”), Nick Broomfield (“Kurt & Courtney”), and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Film writers J. Hoberman, Amy Nicholson, Louis Menand, Danny Leigh and more also add insights and commentary. Episodes are released every Thursday.
The first episode, available now on all major podcast platforms and via Mubi’s Notebook, centers on the Cinémathèque Française and the public uproar for the brief firing of...
IndieWire can exclusively announce that the “Mubi Podcast,” hosted by Wall Street Journal journalist Rico Gagliano, returns today, Thursday, June 30 with its first episode of the second season, “Only in Theaters.” The podcast will focus on the surprising stories of individual cinemas that had a huge impact on film history, ranging from the Cinémathèque Française to the Westgate in Minneapolis.
Guests for Season 2 include filmmakers Mary Harron (“American Psycho”), Barbet Schroeder, Peter Strickland (“The Duke of Burgundy”), Nick Broomfield (“Kurt & Courtney”), and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Film writers J. Hoberman, Amy Nicholson, Louis Menand, Danny Leigh and more also add insights and commentary. Episodes are released every Thursday.
The first episode, available now on all major podcast platforms and via Mubi’s Notebook, centers on the Cinémathèque Française and the public uproar for the brief firing of...
- 6/30/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In 1940s France, a little 50-seat cinema opened that would launch one revolution on international movie screens...and arguably a second one in the streets of Paris. Host Rico Gagliano delves into the wild history of the Cinémathèque Française and its legendary founder, Henri Langlois.Featuring interviews with directors Barbet Schroeder and Luc Moullet (Brigitte et Brigitte), plus New Yorker writer Louis Menand, Amy Nicholson of the podcast "Unspooled," and many more.The second season of the Mubi Podcast, titled “Only in Theaters,” tells surprising stories of individual cinemas that had huge impacts on film history, and in some cases, history in general.Listen to episode 1 below or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyGoogle PodcastsMoreAfter listening, check out an extended interview with Barbet Schroeder in the latest “Mubi Podcast: Expanded” piece. The filmmaker dives deeper into memories of the French New Wave, talks about his Oscar-winning film "Reversal of Fortune,...
- 6/29/2022
- MUBI
Let’s get this out of the way: Top Gun was one of the most toxic blockbusters of the 1980s.
A project midwifed into existence when producer Jerry Bruckheimer spied a magazine photo spread of fighter jets and pitched a high-concept idea — “Star Wars on Earth” — to his even-higher producing partner Don Simpson, the No. 1 hit movie of 1986 was a lot of things. It’s a classic story of a hero’s journey, from arrogant young punk who doesn’t play by the the rules to older, slightly wiser but still-pissing-on-the-rulebook adult.
A project midwifed into existence when producer Jerry Bruckheimer spied a magazine photo spread of fighter jets and pitched a high-concept idea — “Star Wars on Earth” — to his even-higher producing partner Don Simpson, the No. 1 hit movie of 1986 was a lot of things. It’s a classic story of a hero’s journey, from arrogant young punk who doesn’t play by the the rules to older, slightly wiser but still-pissing-on-the-rulebook adult.
- 5/29/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
When “Top Gun: Maverick” takes flight in North American theaters on Friday, ticket sales for the oft-delayed tentpole may break through the stratosphere.
Thanks to stellar reviews and a healthy dose of nostalgia, Paramount and Skydance’s star-spangled action film — starring Tom Cruise as a fighter pilot who feels the need for speed — is expected to generate a blockbuster 85 million to 100 million over the weekend. Through Memorial Day on Monday, domestic box office receipts could fly as high as 130 million. “Maverick” is playing in 4,732 North American cinemas, the widest theater count in history.
The follow-up to 1986’s “Top Gun” was scheduled to open in the summer of 2020 until Covid-19 scrambled those plans. But Paramount and Cruise were adamant about keeping the film in theaters rather than sending the sequel straight to a streaming service. When Cruise was recently asked at Cannes Film Festival if the sequel would skip the big screen,...
Thanks to stellar reviews and a healthy dose of nostalgia, Paramount and Skydance’s star-spangled action film — starring Tom Cruise as a fighter pilot who feels the need for speed — is expected to generate a blockbuster 85 million to 100 million over the weekend. Through Memorial Day on Monday, domestic box office receipts could fly as high as 130 million. “Maverick” is playing in 4,732 North American cinemas, the widest theater count in history.
The follow-up to 1986’s “Top Gun” was scheduled to open in the summer of 2020 until Covid-19 scrambled those plans. But Paramount and Cruise were adamant about keeping the film in theaters rather than sending the sequel straight to a streaming service. When Cruise was recently asked at Cannes Film Festival if the sequel would skip the big screen,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Warner Bros. and HBO Max has nabbed “Am I Ok?,” a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson as a woman grappling with her sexuality. The movie premiered this week to mostly positive reviews at the virtual Sundance Film Festival.
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne co-directed “Am I Ok?,” which was written by Lauren Pomerantz and produced by Picturestart, Gloria Sanchez Productions and Johnson’s TeaTime Pictures.
It will premiere on HBO Max at a yet-to-be-determined date.
“Am I Ok?” follows 32-year-old Lucy (Johnson), who lives in Los Angeles and figures out later in life that the reason her dates with the opposite gender never end with anything more than a handshake is because, well, she’s not attracted to men. With the help of her life-long friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), Lucy attempts to navigate coming out in her 30s. The story is loosely based on Pomerantz’s own life.
The cast also includes Jermaine Fowler,...
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne co-directed “Am I Ok?,” which was written by Lauren Pomerantz and produced by Picturestart, Gloria Sanchez Productions and Johnson’s TeaTime Pictures.
It will premiere on HBO Max at a yet-to-be-determined date.
“Am I Ok?” follows 32-year-old Lucy (Johnson), who lives in Los Angeles and figures out later in life that the reason her dates with the opposite gender never end with anything more than a handshake is because, well, she’s not attracted to men. With the help of her life-long friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), Lucy attempts to navigate coming out in her 30s. The story is loosely based on Pomerantz’s own life.
The cast also includes Jermaine Fowler,...
- 1/29/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Searchlight Studios has nabbed U.S. rights to “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” a comedy about a widow who hires a sex worker that premiered at this year’s virtual edition of Sundance. The indie label is looking to push Oscar-winner Emma Thompson into the awards race and will debut the film exclusively on Hulu, its corporate cousin post-Fox’s sale to Disney.
The sale, which was for $7.5 million, comes in the middle of a lackluster sales market for Sundance movies. Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” does have several potential buyers circling, including streamers, and other films are generating some interest. Sony Pictures Classics purchased “Living,” an awards-y film with Bill Nighy, and Nat Geo has been active, buying “Fire of Love.” Aside from that…glacially slowwwwwww-going. No wonder sales agents were bent out of shape when Sundance went virtual. It makes their job so much harder...
The sale, which was for $7.5 million, comes in the middle of a lackluster sales market for Sundance movies. Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” does have several potential buyers circling, including streamers, and other films are generating some interest. Sony Pictures Classics purchased “Living,” an awards-y film with Bill Nighy, and Nat Geo has been active, buying “Fire of Love.” Aside from that…glacially slowwwwwww-going. No wonder sales agents were bent out of shape when Sundance went virtual. It makes their job so much harder...
- 1/26/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.