After a decade and change playing superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sandbox, Robert Downey Jr. wants to remind everyone there's more to him than Tony Stark. In the years since permanently (?) retiring his MCU alter ego in "Avengers: Endgame," the actor has lined up an ambitious slate of projects. Between getting an Oscar for his supporting role in Christopher Nolan's Best Picture-winning "Oppenheimer" and pulling a Peter Sellers by tackling multiple colorful characters in Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar's "The Sympathizer" miniseries, it's fair to say Rdj the character actor is officially back.
As chance would have it, we're now 10 years removed from the last time Downey tried (but failed) to renew his acting bonafides with "The Judge." Directed by David Dobkin, the 2014 drama stars Downey as Hank Palmer, a big-shot lawyer from Chicago who returns to his podunk hometown in Indiana to attend his mother's funeral.
As chance would have it, we're now 10 years removed from the last time Downey tried (but failed) to renew his acting bonafides with "The Judge." Directed by David Dobkin, the 2014 drama stars Downey as Hank Palmer, a big-shot lawyer from Chicago who returns to his podunk hometown in Indiana to attend his mother's funeral.
- 5/6/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Bernard Kira, the manager and producer behind the nine-year-old shingle Bmk-ent, has rebranded the company as Apparent Motion Media, also announcing his signing of International Emmy winner Fernando Rovzar (Hotel Cocaine).
Kira’s move to rebrand comes as he preps Higher Ground, his third film as a producer, and second for an in-house client. Heading into production in March, the film is based on a script discovered by Apparent Motion client Charlie Weber (How to Get Away with Murder), which was developed internally, before being packaged and sold with Weber headlining. Previously, Kira set up client Erlingur Thoroddsen’s film The Piper, a horror pic poised to hit theaters on March 8.
In a statement on the re-launch of his company, Kira made the observation that “artists are becoming more proactive in generating their own opportunities and controlling the trajectory of their careers.” He added that he “started Bmk-ent with...
Kira’s move to rebrand comes as he preps Higher Ground, his third film as a producer, and second for an in-house client. Heading into production in March, the film is based on a script discovered by Apparent Motion client Charlie Weber (How to Get Away with Murder), which was developed internally, before being packaged and sold with Weber headlining. Previously, Kira set up client Erlingur Thoroddsen’s film The Piper, a horror pic poised to hit theaters on March 8.
In a statement on the re-launch of his company, Kira made the observation that “artists are becoming more proactive in generating their own opportunities and controlling the trajectory of their careers.” He added that he “started Bmk-ent with...
- 2/15/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a star-filled weekend in Santa Barbara, with a dozen of A-listers — including numerous Oscar nominees — making their way to the American Riviera for events at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
On Friday night, inside the 2,000-seat Arlington Theater, which was sold out, the fest celebrated Robert Downey Jr. with its Maltin Modern Master Award, which is named after the film critic/historian Leonard Maltin. Maltin moderated a brisk career retrospective conversation with the Oppenheimer best supporting actor Oscar nominee, who charmed the audience with his self-deprecating humor and imitations of everyone from Richard Attenborough to his late father Robert Downey Sr., prior to Downey’s costar Cillian Murphy presenting him with the award itself.
During the interview, the honoree, 58, reflected on growing up as the son of an independent filmmaker who cast him in a movie, 1970’s Pound, when he was just five. “I think...
On Friday night, inside the 2,000-seat Arlington Theater, which was sold out, the fest celebrated Robert Downey Jr. with its Maltin Modern Master Award, which is named after the film critic/historian Leonard Maltin. Maltin moderated a brisk career retrospective conversation with the Oppenheimer best supporting actor Oscar nominee, who charmed the audience with his self-deprecating humor and imitations of everyone from Richard Attenborough to his late father Robert Downey Sr., prior to Downey’s costar Cillian Murphy presenting him with the award itself.
During the interview, the honoree, 58, reflected on growing up as the son of an independent filmmaker who cast him in a movie, 1970’s Pound, when he was just five. “I think...
- 2/11/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man was one of the riskiest moves imaginable. A legal liability and far from being a box office catch, it made no sense to name him the lead of a $140 million production. Until, of course, it did, with the movie launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe into what is now a $30 billion worldwide franchise. And while rumors began swirling that Marvel would try to reunite The Avengers, it seems as if the superhero himself is officially done with the character.
In a new profile on Robert Downey Jr. by Vanity Fair, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said the resurrection of Tony Stark / Iron Man – who died in Avengers: Endgame – is off the table. “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again…We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never...
In a new profile on Robert Downey Jr. by Vanity Fair, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said the resurrection of Tony Stark / Iron Man – who died in Avengers: Endgame – is off the table. “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again…We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never...
- 12/4/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Few actors have enjoyed as much success as Robert Downey Jr. in the last 15 years. The unofficial leader of the Marvel Cinematic Universe played Tony Stark in numerous blockbusters and helped turn the franchise into the one of the most lucrative in the history of Hollywood. But ask Downey if “Iron Man” or “Avengers: Endgame” were the “most important films” he’s made in the last two decades, and the two-time Oscar nominee will say no.
Speaking to the New York Times, Downey said the two projects he’d point to as having an outsized impact on this stage of his career are a pair of poorly reviewed kids’ movies: 2006’s “The Shaggy Dog” and 2020’s flop “Dolittle.”
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle.’ I had some reservations. Me and my...
Speaking to the New York Times, Downey said the two projects he’d point to as having an outsized impact on this stage of his career are a pair of poorly reviewed kids’ movies: 2006’s “The Shaggy Dog” and 2020’s flop “Dolittle.”
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle.’ I had some reservations. Me and my...
- 7/11/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Robert Downey Jr. is reflecting on his film career and, the films he considers most prominent may come as a surprise.
While most may assume that 2008’s “Iron Man” would be at the top of the actor’s list, it surprisingly is not, despite the fact that the superhero flick launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ultimately changing Hollywood’s blockbuster landscape.
During a recent interview with The New York Times, Downey Jr. revealed that he considers 2006’s “The Shaggy Dog” and 2020’s infamous box office bombing, “Dolittle”, as the most important titles he’s done in the last two decades.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle’”, Downey Jr., 58, told the magazine. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited...
While most may assume that 2008’s “Iron Man” would be at the top of the actor’s list, it surprisingly is not, despite the fact that the superhero flick launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ultimately changing Hollywood’s blockbuster landscape.
During a recent interview with The New York Times, Downey Jr. revealed that he considers 2006’s “The Shaggy Dog” and 2020’s infamous box office bombing, “Dolittle”, as the most important titles he’s done in the last two decades.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle’”, Downey Jr., 58, told the magazine. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited...
- 7/11/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about Dolittle, the 2020 film that was ill-reviewed and has a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In a recent interview, Downey said the movie directed by Stephen Gaghan and based on Hugh Lofting’s second Doctor Dolittle book was one of the most important films he’s done in the past two decades.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in Dolittle,” he told The New York Times Magazine. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”
He continued, “Honestly, the two most important films I’ve done in the last 25 years are The Shaggy Dog...
In a recent interview, Downey said the movie directed by Stephen Gaghan and based on Hugh Lofting’s second Doctor Dolittle book was one of the most important films he’s done in the past two decades.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in Dolittle,” he told The New York Times Magazine. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”
He continued, “Honestly, the two most important films I’ve done in the last 25 years are The Shaggy Dog...
- 7/10/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Downey Jr. is recalling the beast of a “squandered opportunity” behind 2020 film “Dolittle.”
The “Oppenheimer” actor revealed to The New York Times magazine that he views “Dolittle” as one of the most important films of his career because of the lesson it taught him. Downey credited the complicated production behind the Disney box office flop for helping him reset his priorities both on and offscreen.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle,'” Downey said. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”
He continued, “The stress it put on my missus [producer Susan Downey] as she rolled...
The “Oppenheimer” actor revealed to The New York Times magazine that he views “Dolittle” as one of the most important films of his career because of the lesson it taught him. Downey credited the complicated production behind the Disney box office flop for helping him reset his priorities both on and offscreen.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle,'” Downey said. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”
He continued, “The stress it put on my missus [producer Susan Downey] as she rolled...
- 7/10/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
When thinking of the most important movie in Robert Downey Jr.’s filmography over the last 25 years, one might naturally assume the answer is “Iron Man,” the 2008 superhero tentpole that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and changed the blockbuster landscape in Hollywood. But that’s not the movie Downey Jr. himself would pick. In a new interview with The New York Times Magazine, the Oscar nominee cited 2006’s “The Shaggy Dog” and 2020’s infamous “Dolittle” flop as his most important titles.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle,'” Downey Jr. said. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.
“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in ‘Dolittle,'” Downey Jr. said. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.
- 7/10/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
There’s no official starting flag for the Emmy Awards season, but the first day of May is close enough. In advance of hundreds of shows preparing to submit for consideration, the Television Academy has thrown itself into the spring cleaning otherwise known as rule changes.
A persistent and accurate complaint about the Primetime Emmys is voters’ tendencies to choose certain projects and people as the winners over and over (and over) again. While the rules change every year to adapt to the ever-evolving state of television, they often do not disrupt that monotony—until now.
Here’s a rundown of the most interesting changes made for the 2023 Emmy season and why they matter.
Rule change: Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series are replaced with two new categories, Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series.
Why it matters: Since 2003, every Outstanding Variety Talk Series Emmy went...
A persistent and accurate complaint about the Primetime Emmys is voters’ tendencies to choose certain projects and people as the winners over and over (and over) again. While the rules change every year to adapt to the ever-evolving state of television, they often do not disrupt that monotony—until now.
Here’s a rundown of the most interesting changes made for the 2023 Emmy season and why they matter.
Rule change: Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series are replaced with two new categories, Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series.
Why it matters: Since 2003, every Outstanding Variety Talk Series Emmy went...
- 5/1/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
If things had gone as originally planned, director Chris Smith’s Netflix documentary Sr. might have been called Jr. instead. He initially thought of doing a film about Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr., but the star proposed something different.
“We had a meeting at his company and just sort of threw out the idea of doing a documentary on [Robert Downey Jr.],” Smith recalled during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. “And very quickly the word came back that he was not interested, but he thought somebody should do a documentary on his dad.”
Smith took him up on the idea. And while the younger Downey plays a big part in the film, the primary focus is on Robert Downey Sr., the underground filmmaker and actor who made satirical and offbeat films like Putney Swope and Chafed Elbows.
“I knew of Robert Downey Sr. but I didn’t...
“We had a meeting at his company and just sort of threw out the idea of doing a documentary on [Robert Downey Jr.],” Smith recalled during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. “And very quickly the word came back that he was not interested, but he thought somebody should do a documentary on his dad.”
Smith took him up on the idea. And while the younger Downey plays a big part in the film, the primary focus is on Robert Downey Sr., the underground filmmaker and actor who made satirical and offbeat films like Putney Swope and Chafed Elbows.
“I knew of Robert Downey Sr. but I didn’t...
- 4/29/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmys: Netflix Kicks Off Campaign Season with ‘Wednesday’ Stunt, Relocates ‘FYSee Space’ (Exclusive)
Netflix, perennially a key player in the Emmy race, is launching its 2023 Emmy campaigns on Wednesday with a, well, Wednesday-themed stunt.
Indeed, many voters and tastemakers will receive a hump-day visit — and hand-delivery of goodies — from a trio associated with the streamer’s hit comedy series: “Lurch,” the Addams family’s butler, who will be driving a class black 1930s hearse; “Wednesday Addams,” the titular teenager with psychic powers; and “Thing,” the sentient disembodied hand.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, Netflix will — for the fifth year in a row, but for the first year at Red Studios at 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Los Angeles — welcome TV Academy members to an elaborate “FYSee Space” at which it will showcase activations and host star-studded panels and performances in promotion of its numerous Emmy hopefuls. The FYSee Space will be open from Friday, May 5 through Friday, May 26.
Netflix’s top Emmy contenders this season — among them Wednesday,...
Indeed, many voters and tastemakers will receive a hump-day visit — and hand-delivery of goodies — from a trio associated with the streamer’s hit comedy series: “Lurch,” the Addams family’s butler, who will be driving a class black 1930s hearse; “Wednesday Addams,” the titular teenager with psychic powers; and “Thing,” the sentient disembodied hand.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, Netflix will — for the fifth year in a row, but for the first year at Red Studios at 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Los Angeles — welcome TV Academy members to an elaborate “FYSee Space” at which it will showcase activations and host star-studded panels and performances in promotion of its numerous Emmy hopefuls. The FYSee Space will be open from Friday, May 5 through Friday, May 26.
Netflix’s top Emmy contenders this season — among them Wednesday,...
- 4/19/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To the mission tower once more!
Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to remake “Vertigo,” the James Stewart and Kim Novak-led Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller that is considered by many critics to be the greatest film of all time.
The project is being developed by Team Downey, Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, and Steven Knight, the British writer-director-producer behind “Peaky Blinders” is attached to write. Knight also just landed a deal to bring “Star Wars” back to theaters after Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson exited the franchise. Trade reports suggest that this is likely being packaged as a vehicle for Downey to star in.
“Vertigo,” based on a 1954 French novel by the team of Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, was released in 1958 by Paramount and was nominated for two Oscars—sound and production design. On the one hand, it’s a simple crime mystery, but on the other it...
Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to remake “Vertigo,” the James Stewart and Kim Novak-led Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller that is considered by many critics to be the greatest film of all time.
The project is being developed by Team Downey, Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, and Steven Knight, the British writer-director-producer behind “Peaky Blinders” is attached to write. Knight also just landed a deal to bring “Star Wars” back to theaters after Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson exited the franchise. Trade reports suggest that this is likely being packaged as a vehicle for Downey to star in.
“Vertigo,” based on a 1954 French novel by the team of Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, was released in 1958 by Paramount and was nominated for two Oscars—sound and production design. On the one hand, it’s a simple crime mystery, but on the other it...
- 3/24/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
The rights for the late filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 cult classic psychological thriller ‘Vertigo’ have been secured by Paramount Pictures. ‘Iron Man’ star Robert Downey Jr is reportedly in the talks for playing the lead. The actor is producing the project with his wife Susan Downey through their Team Downey production company, along with John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment, reports Variety.
‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight is set to write the script, hot on the heels of his commitment to write an untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie for Lucasfilm, as Variety reported on Wednesday.
Downey has kept a low profile as an actor since the release of 2019’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which is one of the highest grossing movies ever made, and 2020’s ‘Dolittle’. He produced and appeared in the documentary ‘Sr.,’ about his father, and he’s next set to appear this July in Christopher Nolan’s historical epic ‘Oppenheimer’ opposite Cillian Murphy.
‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight is set to write the script, hot on the heels of his commitment to write an untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie for Lucasfilm, as Variety reported on Wednesday.
Downey has kept a low profile as an actor since the release of 2019’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which is one of the highest grossing movies ever made, and 2020’s ‘Dolittle’. He produced and appeared in the documentary ‘Sr.,’ about his father, and he’s next set to appear this July in Christopher Nolan’s historical epic ‘Oppenheimer’ opposite Cillian Murphy.
- 3/24/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
If you’re going to remake a movie, why not remake one of the most acclaimed movies ever made?
Paramount Pictures has preemptively acquired a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic psychological thriller “Vertigo,” as a possible starring vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. The actor is producing the project with his wife Susan Downey through their Team Downey production company, along with John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment.
“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight is set to write the script, hot on the heels of his commitment to write an untitled “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm, as Variety reported on Wednesday.
Downey has kept a low profile as an actor since the release of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which is one of the highest grossing movies ever made, and 2020’s “Dolittle,” which is not. He produced and appears in the documentary “Sr.,” about his father, and he’s next set...
Paramount Pictures has preemptively acquired a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic psychological thriller “Vertigo,” as a possible starring vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. The actor is producing the project with his wife Susan Downey through their Team Downey production company, along with John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment.
“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight is set to write the script, hot on the heels of his commitment to write an untitled “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm, as Variety reported on Wednesday.
Downey has kept a low profile as an actor since the release of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which is one of the highest grossing movies ever made, and 2020’s “Dolittle,” which is not. He produced and appears in the documentary “Sr.,” about his father, and he’s next set...
- 3/23/2023
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
The first-ever fully authorized Devo documentary is currently in production.
Produced by Vice Studios and Library Films in association with Mutato Entertainment, Devo is directed by Chris Smith (“Sr.”, American Movie, Fyre, Tiger King, 100 Foot Wave).
BMG, Freemantle Documentaries (Mrs. Americana), and Warner Music Group are all producers on the project.
In telling Devo’s story, the film will utilize “a mixture of archival footage, interviews from other characters in their orbit, and a range of storytelling techniques.”
Recently, Devo’s Gerald Casale discussed the origins of the band’s seminal synth-rock classic, “Whip It,” in an episode of The Story Behind the Song. You can revisit the episode below.
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | YouTube
Devo Documentary in the Works
Alex Young...
Produced by Vice Studios and Library Films in association with Mutato Entertainment, Devo is directed by Chris Smith (“Sr.”, American Movie, Fyre, Tiger King, 100 Foot Wave).
BMG, Freemantle Documentaries (Mrs. Americana), and Warner Music Group are all producers on the project.
In telling Devo’s story, the film will utilize “a mixture of archival footage, interviews from other characters in their orbit, and a range of storytelling techniques.”
Recently, Devo’s Gerald Casale discussed the origins of the band’s seminal synth-rock classic, “Whip It,” in an episode of The Story Behind the Song. You can revisit the episode below.
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | YouTube
Devo Documentary in the Works
Alex Young...
- 3/22/2023
- by Alex Young
- Consequence - Film News
The first-ever fully authorized Devo documentary is currently in production.
Produced by Vice Studios and Library Films in association with Mutato Entertainment, Devo is directed by Chris Smith (“Sr.”, American Movie, Fyre, Tiger King, 100 Foot Wave).
BMG, Freemantle Documentaries (Mrs. Americana), and Warner Music Group are all producers on the project.
In telling Devo’s story, the film will utilize “a mixture of archival footage, interviews from other characters in their orbit, and a range of storytelling techniques.”
Recently, Devo’s Gerald Casale discussed the origins of the band’s seminal synth-rock classic, “Whip It,” in an episode of The Story Behind the Song. You can revisit the episode below.
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | YouTube
Devo Documentary in the Works
Alex Young...
Produced by Vice Studios and Library Films in association with Mutato Entertainment, Devo is directed by Chris Smith (“Sr.”, American Movie, Fyre, Tiger King, 100 Foot Wave).
BMG, Freemantle Documentaries (Mrs. Americana), and Warner Music Group are all producers on the project.
In telling Devo’s story, the film will utilize “a mixture of archival footage, interviews from other characters in their orbit, and a range of storytelling techniques.”
Recently, Devo’s Gerald Casale discussed the origins of the band’s seminal synth-rock classic, “Whip It,” in an episode of The Story Behind the Song. You can revisit the episode below.
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | YouTube
Devo Documentary in the Works
Alex Young...
- 3/22/2023
- by Alex Young
- Consequence - Music
Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers from the “Poker Face” Season 1 finale, “The Hook,” now streaming on Peacock.
“Poker Face” revealed more about the personal life of protagonist Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) than viewers learned throughout the first nine episode of Rian Johnson’s Peacock howdunit series, with the introduction of her sister Emily Cale (Clea DuVall) when Charlie needs a place to hide out after she’s accused of another murder. This is when we discover that Charlie has had a rough history with her sister, and hasn’t seen her in so long that she’s never even met her young niece, Shasta.
In a show packed with A-list guest stars, filled wi good friends and longtime collaborators of Johnson and Lyonne, DuVall landed the role of the most significant person to Charlie — a person who despises her sister’s lie-detecting talent because of the effect it had...
“Poker Face” revealed more about the personal life of protagonist Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) than viewers learned throughout the first nine episode of Rian Johnson’s Peacock howdunit series, with the introduction of her sister Emily Cale (Clea DuVall) when Charlie needs a place to hide out after she’s accused of another murder. This is when we discover that Charlie has had a rough history with her sister, and hasn’t seen her in so long that she’s never even met her young niece, Shasta.
In a show packed with A-list guest stars, filled wi good friends and longtime collaborators of Johnson and Lyonne, DuVall landed the role of the most significant person to Charlie — a person who despises her sister’s lie-detecting talent because of the effect it had...
- 3/9/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
“All That Breathes” and “Fire of Love” led the 16th Annual Cinema Eye Honors awards ceremony on Thursday night, which took place at the Museum of Moving image in Astoria, N.Y. and honored excellent craftsmanship and artistry in nonfiction films.
Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, won the top honor for outstanding achievement in nonfiction filmmaking as well as the award for cinematography.
Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love” took home the most honors with three, including for editing, visual design (tied with “Moonage Daydream”) and original score. The film documents husband and wife volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Founded in 2007, Cinema Eye Honors recognizes the subjects and entire creative team behind international nonfiction works, with several of its honorees going on to win Oscars for best documentary feature.
Films “Fire of Love” and...
Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites, won the top honor for outstanding achievement in nonfiction filmmaking as well as the award for cinematography.
Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love” took home the most honors with three, including for editing, visual design (tied with “Moonage Daydream”) and original score. The film documents husband and wife volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Founded in 2007, Cinema Eye Honors recognizes the subjects and entire creative team behind international nonfiction works, with several of its honorees going on to win Oscars for best documentary feature.
Films “Fire of Love” and...
- 1/13/2023
- by Julia MacCary and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
If you’re looking for new movies to watch on Netflix this month, you’ve come to the right place. The streaming service is closing out 2022 with a bang, releasing a slew of Oscar-contending features throughout the month in addition to your standard new arrivals. Below you’ll find a mix of those high-profile Netflix new releases as well as worthy library titles that might hit the sweet spot when you’re struggling to figure out what to watch. Whether it’s an action-thriller, comedic murder mystery or emotional documentary, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our list of some of the best new movies on Netflix in December 2022 below.
Also Read:
The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Sr. Robert Downey Sr. in “Sr.” (Netflix)
Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t appeared onscreen much since his final goodbye as Iron Man in “Avengers: Endgame,” but the new Netflix documentary...
Check out our list of some of the best new movies on Netflix in December 2022 below.
Also Read:
The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Sr. Robert Downey Sr. in “Sr.” (Netflix)
Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t appeared onscreen much since his final goodbye as Iron Man in “Avengers: Endgame,” but the new Netflix documentary...
- 12/31/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on December 8th, 2022, reviewing “Sr.,” a documentary about Robert Downey “Sr,” produced by Robert Downey Jr. Currently streaming on Netflix.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is about Downey Senior’s film career and contributions, as well as the final days of his life, as he passed due to Parkinson’s Disease in 2021, with his son by his side. What is interesting about this document, of course, is that it’s both a son doing a story about his father and both the father and son are famous for being involved in film. Thus their lives are totally chronicled, including Downey Junior’s first appearance in his Dad’s film Pound, about a group of dogs portrayed by humans in captivity.
”Sr.” is currently streaming on Netflix. Featuring interviews and appearances by Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is about Downey Senior’s film career and contributions, as well as the final days of his life, as he passed due to Parkinson’s Disease in 2021, with his son by his side. What is interesting about this document, of course, is that it’s both a son doing a story about his father and both the father and son are famous for being involved in film. Thus their lives are totally chronicled, including Downey Junior’s first appearance in his Dad’s film Pound, about a group of dogs portrayed by humans in captivity.
”Sr.” is currently streaming on Netflix. Featuring interviews and appearances by Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr.
- 12/27/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“All The Beauty and the Bloodshed,” “All That Breathes,” “Navalny” and “Fire of Love” are among the 15 films that have made the shortlist in the Oscars’ Best Documentary Feature category, one of 10 shortlists announced by the Academy on Wednesday.
Notably missing from the list: “Good Night Oppy,” the playful documentary about the Mars rover that had been considered a favorite to be nominated and a contender to potentially win the Oscar. But a branch that is sometimes wary of crowd-pleasing movies left it off a slate of films that deals with addiction, the environment, racism, war and abortion, among other subjects.
The other films on the shortlist included “Bad Axe,” “Children of the Mist,” “Descendant,” “Hidden Letters,” “A House Made of Splinters,” “The Janes,” “Last Flight Home,” “Retrograde” and “The Territory.” Two music-related films, “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” and the immersive David Bowie film “Moonage Daydream,” made the list.
Notably missing from the list: “Good Night Oppy,” the playful documentary about the Mars rover that had been considered a favorite to be nominated and a contender to potentially win the Oscar. But a branch that is sometimes wary of crowd-pleasing movies left it off a slate of films that deals with addiction, the environment, racism, war and abortion, among other subjects.
The other films on the shortlist included “Bad Axe,” “Children of the Mist,” “Descendant,” “Hidden Letters,” “A House Made of Splinters,” “The Janes,” “Last Flight Home,” “Retrograde” and “The Territory.” Two music-related films, “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” and the immersive David Bowie film “Moonage Daydream,” made the list.
- 12/21/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The National Board of Review has named Top Gun: Maverick as its best film of 2022.
The Tom Cruise-starring sequel also won outstanding achievement in cinematography.
The Banshees of Inisherin won a leading three awards, including best actor (Colin Farrell), best supporting actor (Brendan Gleeson) and best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh.
Steven Spielberg won best director for The Fabelmans, with the film’s Gabriel Labelle winning breakthrough performance alongside Till star Danielle Deadwyler.
Michelle Yeoh was named best actress for her starring role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Janelle Monáe won best supporting actress for her role in Knives Out sequel Glass Onion.
The award for best adapted screenplay went to All Quiet on the Western Front‘s Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On was named best animated feature, with Close taking best international film; Sr.,...
The National Board of Review has named Top Gun: Maverick as its best film of 2022.
The Tom Cruise-starring sequel also won outstanding achievement in cinematography.
The Banshees of Inisherin won a leading three awards, including best actor (Colin Farrell), best supporting actor (Brendan Gleeson) and best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh.
Steven Spielberg won best director for The Fabelmans, with the film’s Gabriel Labelle winning breakthrough performance alongside Till star Danielle Deadwyler.
Michelle Yeoh was named best actress for her starring role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Janelle Monáe won best supporting actress for her role in Knives Out sequel Glass Onion.
The award for best adapted screenplay went to All Quiet on the Western Front‘s Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On was named best animated feature, with Close taking best international film; Sr.,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Top Gun: Maverick” has been named best picture by the National Board of Review, the organization announced Thursday.
The big acting winners included Colin Farrell taking the best actor prize for “The Banshees of Inisherin” after coming off the New York Film Critics Circle win earlier this month. Two NBR winners in the last 12 years have translated to Oscar winners — Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea” (2016) and Will Smith for “King Richard” (2021). For winners becoming eventual nominees, only three men were snubbed by the Academy in the end — Oscar Isaac for “A Most Violent Year” (2014), Tom Hanks for “The Post” (2017) and Adam Sandler for “Uncut Gems” (2019).
Michelle Yeoh gets a huge boost after being announced as Madame Morrible in the upcoming “Wicked” movies and featured on Variety’s Actors on Actors. She can now add NBR best actress winner to her golden day for her turn as laundromat owner...
The big acting winners included Colin Farrell taking the best actor prize for “The Banshees of Inisherin” after coming off the New York Film Critics Circle win earlier this month. Two NBR winners in the last 12 years have translated to Oscar winners — Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea” (2016) and Will Smith for “King Richard” (2021). For winners becoming eventual nominees, only three men were snubbed by the Academy in the end — Oscar Isaac for “A Most Violent Year” (2014), Tom Hanks for “The Post” (2017) and Adam Sandler for “Uncut Gems” (2019).
Michelle Yeoh gets a huge boost after being announced as Madame Morrible in the upcoming “Wicked” movies and featured on Variety’s Actors on Actors. She can now add NBR best actress winner to her golden day for her turn as laundromat owner...
- 12/8/2022
- by Clayton Davis and Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. had a close relationship with his father, Robert Downey Sr. However, he was unfortunately a bad influence on his son from his childhood. In a new documentary titled ‘Sr.’, the Golden Globe-winning actor puts the spotlight on his filmmaker father and his father’s role in his dismal upbringing, reports aceshowbiz.com.
According to Daily Mail, Downey Jr. says: “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me,” as he refers to his father’s unorthodox approach to childcare. Embarrassed, his father mumbles back, “Boy, I would sure love to miss that discussion.”
The film includes a clip from an old interview, thought to have taken place in the 1990s, in which Downey Sr. realized he made “a terrible, stupid mistake” by introducing his son to drugs at age six.
The filmmaker, who himself was a drug addict, admits in the chat,...
According to Daily Mail, Downey Jr. says: “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me,” as he refers to his father’s unorthodox approach to childcare. Embarrassed, his father mumbles back, “Boy, I would sure love to miss that discussion.”
The film includes a clip from an old interview, thought to have taken place in the 1990s, in which Downey Sr. realized he made “a terrible, stupid mistake” by introducing his son to drugs at age six.
The filmmaker, who himself was a drug addict, admits in the chat,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Deadline on Wednesday launched its streaming site for Contenders Film: Documentary, the award-season showcase that took place Sunday with creatives from 20 of the year’s buzziest non-fiction movies.
Click here to launch the streaming site.
Top filmmakers including Brett Morgen, Sacha Jenkins, Kathlyn Horan, Alek Keshishian, Reginald Hudlin, Ryan White, Dror Moreh, Margaret Brown and Chris Smith joined the annual panel-fest, in which Deadline’s Documentary Editor, Awards Matthew Carey guided discussions about the films, their inspiration and their impact.
This year’s lineup spanned the globe and at least two planets, with a lineup that included Sony Pictures Classics’ Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, Turn Every Page and The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile; HBO Documentary Films’ All That Breathes, 38 at the Garden, The Janes and Moonage Daydream; Netflix’s Sr. and Descendant; Apple Original Films’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, Selena Gomez: My Mind...
Click here to launch the streaming site.
Top filmmakers including Brett Morgen, Sacha Jenkins, Kathlyn Horan, Alek Keshishian, Reginald Hudlin, Ryan White, Dror Moreh, Margaret Brown and Chris Smith joined the annual panel-fest, in which Deadline’s Documentary Editor, Awards Matthew Carey guided discussions about the films, their inspiration and their impact.
This year’s lineup spanned the globe and at least two planets, with a lineup that included Sony Pictures Classics’ Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, Turn Every Page and The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile; HBO Documentary Films’ All That Breathes, 38 at the Garden, The Janes and Moonage Daydream; Netflix’s Sr. and Descendant; Apple Original Films’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, Selena Gomez: My Mind...
- 12/7/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Downey Jr. is weighing in on the infamous Marvel debate.
Downey, who played Iron Man for over a decade in the MCU, addressed Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments that Marvel actors are not movie stars and that, rather, the characters they play are the theatrical draw. Now, Downey responded to Tarantino’s “Marvel-ization of Hollywood” statements.
“I think our opinions on these matters say a lot about us,” Downey told Deadline. “I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it’s a double-edged sword. A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it’s coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don’t have the right kind of artist playing that role,...
Downey, who played Iron Man for over a decade in the MCU, addressed Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments that Marvel actors are not movie stars and that, rather, the characters they play are the theatrical draw. Now, Downey responded to Tarantino’s “Marvel-ization of Hollywood” statements.
“I think our opinions on these matters say a lot about us,” Downey told Deadline. “I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it’s a double-edged sword. A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it’s coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don’t have the right kind of artist playing that role,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Robert Downey Jr has hit back at Quentin Tarantino’s criticism of Marvel movies.
The Pulp Fiction filmmaker spoke out against the “Marvel-isation of Hollywood” in an interview last month, claiming that there weren’t any “movie stars” coming through anymore.
“Part of the Marvel-isation of Hollywood is… you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” he said. “But they’re not movie stars. Right?
“Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times, you know, but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
Tarantino’s comments were disputed by Marvel stars including Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu and his frequent collaborator Samuel L Jackson.
Now, Iron Man star Downey has addressed the comments in an interview with Deadline.
The Pulp Fiction filmmaker spoke out against the “Marvel-isation of Hollywood” in an interview last month, claiming that there weren’t any “movie stars” coming through anymore.
“Part of the Marvel-isation of Hollywood is… you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” he said. “But they’re not movie stars. Right?
“Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times, you know, but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
Tarantino’s comments were disputed by Marvel stars including Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu and his frequent collaborator Samuel L Jackson.
Now, Iron Man star Downey has addressed the comments in an interview with Deadline.
- 12/6/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
To watch “‘Sr.’” on Netflix is to know Robert Downey Jr. and director Chris Smith were, in a sense, winging it by the time production started on the documentary portrait of the star/producer’s late filmmaker father. But Downey told IndieWire over Zoom that the seed of the idea was there a decade before he ever met the “Fyre” filmmaker. “‘We should do a documentary about fathers and sons.’ ‘All right. Would we be in it?’ ‘Maybe. Who knows,’” said the actor, mimicking a conversation he had with the New York-accented Sr., still tickled by the eccentric director’s pitch.
“My dad went down to North Carolina and was following George Hamilton on a tour he was doing for ‘La Cage aux Folles.’ Then he started interviewing him and [his son] Ashley,” said Downey. “Anyway, there’s a super long answer to this. I’ll just stop myself short. There’s...
“My dad went down to North Carolina and was following George Hamilton on a tour he was doing for ‘La Cage aux Folles.’ Then he started interviewing him and [his son] Ashley,” said Downey. “Anyway, there’s a super long answer to this. I’ll just stop myself short. There’s...
- 12/5/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Exclusive: After festival premieres in Telluride, AFI and New York, the Chris Smith-directed documentary Sr. just started its run on Netflix. What began as a docu about Robert Downey Sr, the ’60s counterculture director of avant-garde films including Putney Swope and Greaser’s Palace, Sr. evolved into much more as the process stretched over three years due to the pandemic and the decline of the subject’s health.
Robert Downey Jr., who spurned Smith’s offer to make a docu about his life and career, became more of a central figure onscreen, along with producing with wife and Team Downey partner Susan Downey. On full display is all the mad wit that informed Downey Sr’s films (Paul Thomas Anderson considered him a formative influence and put Downey Sr. in Boogie Nights and Magnolia). Sr. became something you don’t see often: candor from two generations of a film...
Robert Downey Jr., who spurned Smith’s offer to make a docu about his life and career, became more of a central figure onscreen, along with producing with wife and Team Downey partner Susan Downey. On full display is all the mad wit that informed Downey Sr’s films (Paul Thomas Anderson considered him a formative influence and put Downey Sr. in Boogie Nights and Magnolia). Sr. became something you don’t see often: candor from two generations of a film...
- 12/5/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Downey Jr. opens up about his turbulent relationship with his late father, Robert Downey Sr., in his new Netflix documentary “Sr.”
Downey Sr. passed away at age 85 in July 2021 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
In the harrowing doc, which was produced by the actor and his wife Susan, Downey Jr. talks about becoming addicted to drugs at age just 8 after his father gave him cannabis for the first time two years prior to that, the Daily Mail reports.
Read More: Robert Downey Jr. On One Last Film With His Dad, ‘Sr.’
Downey Jr. shares of his upbringing, “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me,” as his father says in the doc, “Boy, I would sure love to miss that discussion.”
The new documentary includes a clip from an old interview, thought to have taken place in the ’90s.
Downey Sr. admits in the chat,...
Downey Sr. passed away at age 85 in July 2021 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
In the harrowing doc, which was produced by the actor and his wife Susan, Downey Jr. talks about becoming addicted to drugs at age just 8 after his father gave him cannabis for the first time two years prior to that, the Daily Mail reports.
Read More: Robert Downey Jr. On One Last Film With His Dad, ‘Sr.’
Downey Jr. shares of his upbringing, “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me,” as his father says in the doc, “Boy, I would sure love to miss that discussion.”
The new documentary includes a clip from an old interview, thought to have taken place in the ’90s.
Downey Sr. admits in the chat,...
- 12/5/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
It’s almost weird that there aren’t more documentaries about Robert Downey Jr. There’s a very good case for the Iron Man actor being the biggest movie star on the planet for the past decade. For all the opinion pieces you see about the “death of the A-lister”, Downey Jr is just about as big-time as it gets: a performer whose seemingly effortless onscreen charm made him a star twice over. By 2018, he was reportedly making as much as 75m (£61m) for a single Marvel movie. But dive into his past, and it’s not so rosy: pain; addiction; a career on the brink of total annihilation. So when filmmaker Chris Smith approached him about making him the focus of a new documentary, it surely seemed like a slam dunk. “Word came back, around two weeks later – ‘Absolutely not’. No interest,” Smith recalls. “But he thought somebody should film his dad.
- 12/5/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
While crafting the documentary Sr. chronicling the life of writer, director and actor Robert Downey Sr., filmmaker Chris Smith found himself, much like Downey’s films themselves, setting aside advance notions and following where the story took him.
“It started as a portrait of an artist, and it changed into a look at a relationship between a father and a son, and evolved into a meditation on life,” Smith said during a panel for the Netflix movie at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event. “The thing that we returned to was, ‘Let’s try to abandon any preconceived notions or thoughts about what this should be and try to let the process inform what the movie is,’ which I think was very much in the spirit of of the way that Sr. operated.”
Related: Contenders Documentary — Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Smith noted that Downey’s son Robert Downey Jr. – who steered...
“It started as a portrait of an artist, and it changed into a look at a relationship between a father and a son, and evolved into a meditation on life,” Smith said during a panel for the Netflix movie at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event. “The thing that we returned to was, ‘Let’s try to abandon any preconceived notions or thoughts about what this should be and try to let the process inform what the movie is,’ which I think was very much in the spirit of of the way that Sr. operated.”
Related: Contenders Documentary — Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Smith noted that Downey’s son Robert Downey Jr. – who steered...
- 12/4/2022
- by Scott Huver
- Deadline Film + TV
This review originally ran September 6, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.
An atmospheric labyrinth of reflections and projections, “The Eternal Daughter” expands on British director Joanna Hogg’s recent excavations into memory, both as torturous malaise and gratifying human virtue crucial to deciphering interpersonal relationships.
A master of meta storytelling, Hogg once again transmutes intimate biographical material into the dramatic foundation of her intricate cinematic monuments for this ghostly saga following a middle-aged woman and her elderly mother on a birthday holiday. They are, however, not just any progenitor-offspring duo, but characters from her last brainchildren.
Tilda Swinton, the director’s most loyal onscreen collaborator, incarnates Julie Hart, the burgeoning filmmaker and Hogg surrogate in “The Souvenir” films, but now at a more mature age. Miraculously, the actress also reprises her role as Julie’s mother, Rosalind, from the previous installments, effectively...
An atmospheric labyrinth of reflections and projections, “The Eternal Daughter” expands on British director Joanna Hogg’s recent excavations into memory, both as torturous malaise and gratifying human virtue crucial to deciphering interpersonal relationships.
A master of meta storytelling, Hogg once again transmutes intimate biographical material into the dramatic foundation of her intricate cinematic monuments for this ghostly saga following a middle-aged woman and her elderly mother on a birthday holiday. They are, however, not just any progenitor-offspring duo, but characters from her last brainchildren.
Tilda Swinton, the director’s most loyal onscreen collaborator, incarnates Julie Hart, the burgeoning filmmaker and Hogg surrogate in “The Souvenir” films, but now at a more mature age. Miraculously, the actress also reprises her role as Julie’s mother, Rosalind, from the previous installments, effectively...
- 12/2/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Robert Downey Jr. set out to make an objective portrait, a tribute to his father, the underground filmmaking maverick Robert Downey Sr. His dad had other plans.
“The key point in this is when he goes, ‘Ok, I think we should split into two camps: The (expletive) movie and the one I’m gonna make,’” recalls Downey Jr., laughing. “I just go, ’Man, hats off to you, Pops.”
“Sr.,” directed by Chris Smith, is a work of father-son harmony more than might be suggested by Downey Sr.’s typically brusque assertion of filmmaking independence. It’s a kind of home movie, mostly made by Downey Jr. but with his father’s own insertions peppered throughout. It’s a son’s loving reckoning with his iconoclast father, a freewheeling cult filmmaker whose experimental films gave Downey Jr. his entry into moviemaking and whose outsized personality did much to inform his son,...
“The key point in this is when he goes, ‘Ok, I think we should split into two camps: The (expletive) movie and the one I’m gonna make,’” recalls Downey Jr., laughing. “I just go, ’Man, hats off to you, Pops.”
“Sr.,” directed by Chris Smith, is a work of father-son harmony more than might be suggested by Downey Sr.’s typically brusque assertion of filmmaking independence. It’s a kind of home movie, mostly made by Downey Jr. but with his father’s own insertions peppered throughout. It’s a son’s loving reckoning with his iconoclast father, a freewheeling cult filmmaker whose experimental films gave Downey Jr. his entry into moviemaking and whose outsized personality did much to inform his son,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Described in press materials as a “lovingly irreverent portrait of the life and career of maverick filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that evolves into a larger meditation on art, mortality and healing generational dysfunction,” the new Netflix documentary feature “Sr.” that premieres December 2 on the streamer is all of that and more. In fact, it is also a primer on making amends and achieving forgiveness, finding both Robert Downey Jr. and his dad copping to and elaborating on their life-altering drug addictions and considerable demons and — in so many words — apologizing to one another. It’s also an opportunity for Junior to give his dad the farewell he deserves. Thus, viewers are left with the feeling that the biographical aspect of the somewhat surreal film was ostensibly a pretext designed to lead to the bonding and mutual absolution at the film’s heart. The effect is rather magical.
Indeed, Downey Sr.
Indeed, Downey Sr.
- 12/2/2022
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Sr. is a documentary about Robert Downey, the actor’s father, a director who set the standard for the comedy for two decades. It is directed by Chris Smith.
A faithful homage.
About the Documentary
Setting out to spend time with his father, Robert Downey Jr. has produced this documentary. We are given an up and close look at the comedy director’s work, and Jr.’s take on it.
Full of humor yet melancholy, we are given accounts by father and son.
Reviews
“Offers touching father-son scenes predicated on forgiveness and love.”
Dan Callahan: The Wrap
… A noble and consistently entertaining failure.
Kevin Maher: Times (UK) Release Date
December 2, 2022
Where to Watch Sr.
Netflix
With:
Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Chris Smith
Paul Thomas Anderson
Alan Arkin
Sean Hayes
Norman LearLawrence Wolf
See full credits >>...
A faithful homage.
About the Documentary
Setting out to spend time with his father, Robert Downey Jr. has produced this documentary. We are given an up and close look at the comedy director’s work, and Jr.’s take on it.
Full of humor yet melancholy, we are given accounts by father and son.
Reviews
“Offers touching father-son scenes predicated on forgiveness and love.”
Dan Callahan: The Wrap
… A noble and consistently entertaining failure.
Kevin Maher: Times (UK) Release Date
December 2, 2022
Where to Watch Sr.
Netflix
With:
Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Chris Smith
Paul Thomas Anderson
Alan Arkin
Sean Hayes
Norman LearLawrence Wolf
See full credits >>...
- 12/2/2022
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
What remains unsaid is often as important as what is said in “Sr.,” an emotional documentary directed by Chris Smith about the relationship between Robert Downey Jr. and his namesake father, a director of counterculture movies of the late 1960s and the 1970s.
Sr., who begins to physically decline due to Parkinson’s disease as this documentary progresses, is a quietly controlling sort of guy who deflects personal questions. When his son asks him about the title of this movie, Sr. says, “I like it, but we can do better,” in an offhand tone of voice that sounds a lot like Alan Arkin, who was a friend of Sr. and is interviewed here.
In Sr.’s office, there is a poster of Jean Renoir’s “La Grande Illusion” next to a poster of Charles Busch in “The Lady in Question,” and this reveals Sr.’s dedication to the spirit of downtown New York theater,...
Sr., who begins to physically decline due to Parkinson’s disease as this documentary progresses, is a quietly controlling sort of guy who deflects personal questions. When his son asks him about the title of this movie, Sr. says, “I like it, but we can do better,” in an offhand tone of voice that sounds a lot like Alan Arkin, who was a friend of Sr. and is interviewed here.
In Sr.’s office, there is a poster of Jean Renoir’s “La Grande Illusion” next to a poster of Charles Busch in “The Lady in Question,” and this reveals Sr.’s dedication to the spirit of downtown New York theater,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
Robert Downey Sr put his son in wild underground movies and gave him access to drugs. So what happened when Downey Jr finally turned the cameras on his dad?
In his father’s underground western Greaser’s Palace, a seven-year-old Robert Downey Jr plays, in his own words, “a boy who got his neck slit by God”. This, perhaps, explains a lot. Downey Jr grew up on Robert Downey Sr’s film sets in the 70s and 80s, amid what he calls “a cacophony of creativity”, at the heart of the counterculture cinema scene fuelled by “cigarettes and weed and booze”. He slept in a cot wedged against an editing desk, got taken to see X-rated films such as La Grande Bouffe at an absurdly young age, and went on a cross-country road trip as a kid where he “was in charge of the hash pipe”.
In the twilight of his father’s years,...
In his father’s underground western Greaser’s Palace, a seven-year-old Robert Downey Jr plays, in his own words, “a boy who got his neck slit by God”. This, perhaps, explains a lot. Downey Jr grew up on Robert Downey Sr’s film sets in the 70s and 80s, amid what he calls “a cacophony of creativity”, at the heart of the counterculture cinema scene fuelled by “cigarettes and weed and booze”. He slept in a cot wedged against an editing desk, got taken to see X-rated films such as La Grande Bouffe at an absurdly young age, and went on a cross-country road trip as a kid where he “was in charge of the hash pipe”.
In the twilight of his father’s years,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s not just about the best when it comes to the Oscars. It’s about the most watched. The voters are made up of working industry folks who don’t have the luxury of dedicating infinite hours to watching hundreds of films in the calendar year. That’s where awards strategists come in: They help create and build upon the narratives around the movies you “need” to watch before filling out your ballot. This strategy has benefited studios with hefty marketing budgets, such as streamers Apple and Netflix, and box office titans like “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Each year, after multiple conversations with voters during varying times in the season about which movies they are favoring, I’m still surprised not to hear them mention some of the critically lauded features, even high-profile ones pundits have been touting. One member of the actors branch says they’ve seen three movies this year — “The Batman,...
Each year, after multiple conversations with voters during varying times in the season about which movies they are favoring, I’m still surprised not to hear them mention some of the critically lauded features, even high-profile ones pundits have been touting. One member of the actors branch says they’ve seen three movies this year — “The Batman,...
- 11/22/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The winter holidays are rapidly bearing down upon us, so what better way to get into the festive spirit than by streaming, er, Denis Villeneuve's dramatic thriller "Prisoners"? Luckily, for those who are not in the mood to watch Hugh Jackman brutalize Paul Dano for two-and-a-half hours, there are plenty of alternate options to choose from on Netflix this December.
In keeping with tradition, the final month of 2022 will see an eclectic mix of genre films and TV series make their way onto the streamer, along with more than a few awards season hopefuls. The latter group's ranks include a new screen take on D.H. Lawrence's classic erotic novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and a movie adaptation of "Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical." Then there are the latest films from multi-hyphenates Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Noah Baumbach ("White Noise"), on top of a pair of much-buzzed-about director-driven features that we will get to later.
In keeping with tradition, the final month of 2022 will see an eclectic mix of genre films and TV series make their way onto the streamer, along with more than a few awards season hopefuls. The latter group's ranks include a new screen take on D.H. Lawrence's classic erotic novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and a movie adaptation of "Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical." Then there are the latest films from multi-hyphenates Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Noah Baumbach ("White Noise"), on top of a pair of much-buzzed-about director-driven features that we will get to later.
- 11/22/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Robert Downey Jr. is sporting a whole new look, and people are losing it.
On Saturday, the “Iron Man” star attended the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards in L.A., showing off a shaved bald head.
Read More: Robert Downey Jr. Pays Tribute To His Dad With ‘Sr.’ Documentary Trailer
Pictures of the actor at the event soon began going viral on Twitter, as fans expressed their shock at the style.
Now that Robert Downey Jr is bald he looks like he could play Lex Luther from DC! Give him a call @wbd pic.twitter.com/O3yxwnPEgs
— insomniac (@LouWay_mF) November 21, 2022
Along with suggesting Downey could play Superman’s arch nemesis Lex Luthor, others simply showed their support for the style.
Stop scrolling and look at him pic.twitter.com/k9DoVYVe3d
— Kaoru (@rdjxduckling) November 20, 2022
im game to defend Robert Downey jr's...
On Saturday, the “Iron Man” star attended the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards in L.A., showing off a shaved bald head.
Read More: Robert Downey Jr. Pays Tribute To His Dad With ‘Sr.’ Documentary Trailer
Pictures of the actor at the event soon began going viral on Twitter, as fans expressed their shock at the style.
Now that Robert Downey Jr is bald he looks like he could play Lex Luther from DC! Give him a call @wbd pic.twitter.com/O3yxwnPEgs
— insomniac (@LouWay_mF) November 21, 2022
Along with suggesting Downey could play Superman’s arch nemesis Lex Luthor, others simply showed their support for the style.
Stop scrolling and look at him pic.twitter.com/k9DoVYVe3d
— Kaoru (@rdjxduckling) November 20, 2022
im game to defend Robert Downey jr's...
- 11/22/2022
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
One year after Robert Downey Sr.’s death, a celebration of his life is coming to Netflix. The streamer released the official trailer for “Sr.,” a documentary about the final days of the director.
A prominent figure in the independent and counterculture film scene of the ’60s and ’70s, Downey Sr. is best known for his 1969 film “Putney Swope,” a vicious satire of the New York advertising world that has been cited as an influence from acclaimed directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. Of course, today, many probably know Downey Sr. better as the father of his son, Robert Downey Jr., who developed a much more mainstream level of fame through acting, particularly as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Filmed across the last three years of Downey Sr.’s life, “Sr.” profiles the filmmaker’s career and features extensive interviews between him and his son about...
A prominent figure in the independent and counterculture film scene of the ’60s and ’70s, Downey Sr. is best known for his 1969 film “Putney Swope,” a vicious satire of the New York advertising world that has been cited as an influence from acclaimed directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. Of course, today, many probably know Downey Sr. better as the father of his son, Robert Downey Jr., who developed a much more mainstream level of fame through acting, particularly as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Filmed across the last three years of Downey Sr.’s life, “Sr.” profiles the filmmaker’s career and features extensive interviews between him and his son about...
- 11/14/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Any best picture lineup of any industry organization that does not include A24’s “Close,” Utopia’s “Holy Spider” and the doc “Sr.,” which is still seeking a distributor, shall be declared null and void…at least in my mind.
In Telluride, all three films played like gangbusters. “Holy Spider,” which premiered at Cannes and won best actress for Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is looking likely to be Denmark’s submission for international feature. Based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targeted sex workers and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran, the film tells a fictional account of a female journalist (Ebrahimi) who investigates the case.
The suspense thriller evokes “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “Dexter,” particularly the show’s sublime fourth, Trinity Killer-focused season. Both lead actors are worthy of Academy attention, and writer and director Ali Abbasi, who helmed the 2018 hit “Border,...
In Telluride, all three films played like gangbusters. “Holy Spider,” which premiered at Cannes and won best actress for Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is looking likely to be Denmark’s submission for international feature. Based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targeted sex workers and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran, the film tells a fictional account of a female journalist (Ebrahimi) who investigates the case.
The suspense thriller evokes “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “Dexter,” particularly the show’s sublime fourth, Trinity Killer-focused season. Both lead actors are worthy of Academy attention, and writer and director Ali Abbasi, who helmed the 2018 hit “Border,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Among all the diverse documentaries that had their premieres at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, Chris Smith’s Sr. stands as one of the most unique and affecting. The film is on one level a portrait of indie film pioneer Robert Downey Sr., who was part of the American New Wave that energized cinema in the late 1960s. But the film is also a loving tribute to a father by his very famous son, Robert Downey Jr., who participated in the filming with his wife and fellow producer, Susan Downey.
While the film chronicles Downey Sr.’s career and sometimes tumultuous personal life, it is also a poignant — if inevitably incomplete — father-son chronicle. Downey died last year from Parkinson’s Disease, and he was ill during much of the filming, so that adds an element of pathos that is never overstated.
It...
Among all the diverse documentaries that had their premieres at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, Chris Smith’s Sr. stands as one of the most unique and affecting. The film is on one level a portrait of indie film pioneer Robert Downey Sr., who was part of the American New Wave that energized cinema in the late 1960s. But the film is also a loving tribute to a father by his very famous son, Robert Downey Jr., who participated in the filming with his wife and fellow producer, Susan Downey.
While the film chronicles Downey Sr.’s career and sometimes tumultuous personal life, it is also a poignant — if inevitably incomplete — father-son chronicle. Downey died last year from Parkinson’s Disease, and he was ill during much of the filming, so that adds an element of pathos that is never overstated.
It...
- 9/7/2022
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Although Robert Downey Jr. is currently one of the most famous actors on the planet, he reminds the audience early in the new documentary “Sr.”— about his late father Robert Downey Sr.— that for many years, he was simply just known as “Bob Downey’s kid.” Which is ostensibly the impetus of “Sr.,” directed by celebrated documentarian Chris Smith (“American Movie”), yet, essentially hosted and presented by Rdj, to put his father in proper cinematic and historical context.
Continue reading ‘Sr.’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Playfully & Lovingly Celebrates His Trailblazing & Irreverent Filmmaking Father [Telluride] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Sr.’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Playfully & Lovingly Celebrates His Trailblazing & Irreverent Filmmaking Father [Telluride] at The Playlist.
- 9/6/2022
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Hollywood, an industry replete with dynasties, might never produce a more delightful, oddball familial pairing than Robert Downey Sr. and Jr. The two superficially represent something of an ironic ideological divide: the father, a legendary underground filmmaker whose countercultural works like “Putney Swope” and “Greaser’s Palace” functioned as middle fingers to the Hollywood establishment; and the son, the former face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the highest-paid actors of all time. A perma-cult figure vs. one of the most recognized visages in the world. An infamously irreverent auteur vs. the symbol of cultural hegemony. Despite their differences in artistic practices, however, the obvious remains true—they are still father and son, and have remained refreshingly close over the years.
Director Chris Smith (“American Movie”) acutely understands that the image of Sr. and Jr. palling around together has an amusing spark to it. His film, “Sr.,” a portrait of Robert Downey Sr.
Director Chris Smith (“American Movie”) acutely understands that the image of Sr. and Jr. palling around together has an amusing spark to it. His film, “Sr.,” a portrait of Robert Downey Sr.
- 9/3/2022
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Telluride 2022 Begins with Buzz About ‘Women Talking,’ a Rare Robert Downey Jr. Appearance, and More
One week after the box office experienced decade lows, the fall film festivals have come to save the day, premiering dozens of new movies that hope to bring audiences back to theaters and maybe even win some awards.
At the opening day brunch, Telluride attendees were already chatting about what they have heard of the films that premiered out of Venice, which had kicked off two days ago. Naturally, the conversation turned to a couple of projects that also happen to be at Telluride as well.
While there is still much excitement for “TÁR,” which will close the Cate Blanchett tribute on Saturday night, the previous day’s wave of divisive reviews for “Bardo” had brunch goers wondering whether or not they can power through its ever-evolving runtime (there were whispers that even sure exceeds the 174 minutes listed on the program guide).
One person who is powering through the experience is director Alejandro González Iñárritu,...
At the opening day brunch, Telluride attendees were already chatting about what they have heard of the films that premiered out of Venice, which had kicked off two days ago. Naturally, the conversation turned to a couple of projects that also happen to be at Telluride as well.
While there is still much excitement for “TÁR,” which will close the Cate Blanchett tribute on Saturday night, the previous day’s wave of divisive reviews for “Bardo” had brunch goers wondering whether or not they can power through its ever-evolving runtime (there were whispers that even sure exceeds the 174 minutes listed on the program guide).
One person who is powering through the experience is director Alejandro González Iñárritu,...
- 9/3/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The Telluride Film Festival’s emphasis on documentary has not wavered in recent years. But the prominence of nonfiction fare at the 49th edition has arguably made this year’s Telluride the autumn Sundance, where some of the biggest buzz is for docs.
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A tribute to Cate Blanchett, a Sam Mendes romance set in a cinema house and a bumper crop of documentaries are on the agenda at the 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which kicks off Friday in the Rockies and runs through Monday.
The intimate Colorado event serves as the unofficial stateside kickoff of awards season, but Telluride may be most notable this year for the arguments its movies start, says festival executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“There’s so many more divisive films,” says Huntsinger, who programs Telluride together with the festival’s sr. consultant, Tom Luddy. “There’s so much more angst. There’s just tumult and upheaval in the world, and it’s reflected in the films. People will fight about movies this year more than they ever have.”
Among the movies screening at Telluride that may spark furious debates...
A tribute to Cate Blanchett, a Sam Mendes romance set in a cinema house and a bumper crop of documentaries are on the agenda at the 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which kicks off Friday in the Rockies and runs through Monday.
The intimate Colorado event serves as the unofficial stateside kickoff of awards season, but Telluride may be most notable this year for the arguments its movies start, says festival executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“There’s so many more divisive films,” says Huntsinger, who programs Telluride together with the festival’s sr. consultant, Tom Luddy. “There’s so much more angst. There’s just tumult and upheaval in the world, and it’s reflected in the films. People will fight about movies this year more than they ever have.”
Among the movies screening at Telluride that may spark furious debates...
- 9/1/2022
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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