A single careless COVID moment can knock a film production out of action for weeks, it already happened on the set of numerous films including Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” and the Olivia Wilde-directed film “Don’t Worry Darling”, both of which are now back in production.
Read moreThe 35 Most Anticipated Movies of 2021
With 2020 firmly in the rear-view mirror, thank the heavens for that, we now shift our attention to 2020, where some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters return. From Paul Thomas Anderson to Martin Scorsese, and even the return of Joel Coen, solo, stepping behind the camera for the first time without his brother Ethan. We’ve expanded our list to 35 titles this year because, quite frankly, with all the big 2020 movies postponed to 2021, this coming cinematic year looks completely packed to the rafters, that is if studios are willing to embrace streaming or, at the very least, have patience until things back to normal, that is, if they ever do, by year’s end. So let’s roll through some of the possible must-sees of the year.
Read moreRemember When the Trailer for ‘Cast Away' Gave Away the Ending?
Robert Zemeckis' "Cast Away" was a diverting affair, but it really hit its stride once Tom Hanks' FedEx executive Chuck Noland crashes his plane on the deserted island and the film turns into a near-wordless ode to loneliness. It really might be the boldest artistic move Zemeckis ever pulled off in his impressive 40 years career as a filmmaker.
Read moreThe 10 Best Shots of Roger Deakins' Career
Roger Deakins. A legendary cinematographer who finally won an Oscar in 2018, After nominated 14 times. Absurd. Blasphemous. He recently nabbed his 15th nomination for his stunning work in “1917,” a WWI movie from Sam Mendes.
Read moreThe 10 Greatest Movie Sequels of All-Time
Making a sequel in Hollywood might be the single most stress-inducing task for cast, crew, director and producer. Why? Because expectations are that the first film was, in all likelihood, well-liked and popular and thus by making a sequel you stand a chance to tarnish its legacy if not done right. You also run the risk of pissing off a considerably well-built fanbase that will ask for someone's head if the film fails to meet expectations. That's Hollywood for you. Most of the time the sequel doesn't come remotedly close to the original's freshness, but sometimes, in the case of these 10 classics, it turns out to be a landmark moment.
Read more14 Great Movies with “Rotten” Scores
For a film to be "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes it has to have a score of under 60%. Even films that were at first critically reviled, but have aged like fine wine, have (for the most part) had their scores boosted above 60% by present-day reviews and reconsideration. Because of that, it was actually tough to find 10 “classic” movies which are still rotten. These are all still below 60%, but as time passes they will more than likely move towards that 60 percent fresh spot. For now, they belong on this list.
Read moreJoel Coen: Movies Have Beginning/Middle/End; TV Shows Have Beginning, Middle & Then Are Beaten to Death
The 2010s: A Decade When Comedy Lost Its Mojo
Starting in 2003, with the release of “Old School” then “Anchorman,” a comedy renaissance started with the boom of the Will Ferrell/Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen era (“The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Superbad,” “Step Brothers” and “Walk Hard.”) Then, the immense success of 2009’s “The Hangover” and 2011’s “Bridesmaids,” which led us to where we are now, which, while despite a few great chucklers having been released, most of the recent comedy releases this past decade have been safe “star-based” movies (think Kevin Hart or Melissa McCarthy).
Read moreDirector Jonathan Glazer's Next Film Will Be Holocaust Movie Produced by A24
Director Jonathan Glazer is one of the true visionaries to have emerged in cinema since 2000. After all, his ultra-stylized 2000 gangster film “Sexy Beast” turned heads for its visual palette and a now-legendary Ben Kingsley performance which could only be described as "savage." However, since then, Glazer has only given us two more films, the highly underrated “Birth,” starring Nicole Kidman, which has aged like fine wine over time, and his masterpiece: “Under the Skin,” starring Scarlett Johansson as a roaming alien sent to London to feed off of innocent and pathetic male pedestrians. That film is one of the great achievements of this last decade, even being named just this year in our critics poll as the 12th best movie of the last 10 years.
Read moreThese Are the 10 Movies Quentin Tarantino Believes to be the ‘Greatest Ever Made'
‘Zombieland 2: Double Tap’ Trailer: A Sequel to the Cult-Classic
Ruben Fleischer‘s “Zombieland” was not really on the mainstream radar by the time it was released in the fall of 2009, but the horror comedy road movie was a huge sleeper hit that year, grossing a respectable $75 million domestically and $102.3 million worldwide off a then-scant $24 million budget.
Read morePaolo Sorrentino’s ‘Loro' Finally Being Released in the U.S.
I can't really say I am a fan of Paolo Sorrentino's cinema, I mean, I do respect it, there's a picturesque quality to his films that is undeniable, but "Il Divo," "The Great Beauty," and "Youth" felt like empty Fellinni-esque exercises. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to his Silvio Berlusconi biopic, starring Toni Servillo as the formerly disgraced Italian Prime Minster.
Read moreSpike Lee's ‘Do The Right Thing' Is 30
"My people, my people, what can I say, say what I can. I saw it but didn't believe it, I didn't believe what I saw. Are we gonna live together, together are we gonna live?" — Mister Señor Love Daddy, “Do the Right Thing”
Read more‘Our Time’: Carlos Reygadas Offers A Beautiful, But Deeply Distancing Meta-Experience
‘American Woman’: Sienna Miller Wastes A Career-Best Performance On An Uninteresting Story
I wasn't too keen on Jake Scott's "American Woman," but I did think Sienna Miller was fantastic. Ditto Christina Hendricks, but when is the latter not? She's such a bombshell. We need more Hendricks on-screen. Anyway both Miller and herself have their talents wasted in an endless barrage of cliches and trailer trash stereotypes. [Review]
Cannes-Winning ‘Diamantino’ Is A Surreal Hybrid of Sci-fi, Comedy, Fantasy and Satire [Review]
Sometimes a film cannot be pinned down to a specific genre. "Diamantino," now screening at the New York Film Festival, is that perfect example. A hybrid of sci-fi, comedy, fantasy, romance, and surrealism, it defies explanation and follows its own beautifully dark and twisted creative freedom.
Read more‘Meeting Gorbachev’: Werner Herzog's Fascinating Doc on Former Soviet Leader [Review]
Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy is that of being the eighth and final President of the Soviet Union, but this often misunderstood leader had a much more significant role in the world stage. Prolific director Werner Herzog‘s powerful documentary “Meeting Gorbachev” tries to paint a picture of a leader haunted by a never fully completed vision of a utopian, capitalist-driven USSR, one which, the director shows, had incredible similarities to today’s European Union.
Read moreOlivier Assayas’ ‘Non-Fiction' is an Amiably Intellectual Exercise on Social Media [TIFF Review]
Leave it to the French to philosophize about Twitter and E-books. That's exactly what Olivier Assayas' "Non-Fiction" dares to do and, for the most part, this small little trifle of a film actually works. Coming off his brilliant "Personal Shopper," Assayas decides to make a more relaxing film this time around. This intermingling of relationships and friendships, set in the publishing world, is just an excuse for Assayas to update Rohmer for the 21st century, but in a minor key.
Read more‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ Trailer: Because, Why Not?
The "John Wick" series has turned into a visceral, 21st century homage to the B-movie. It is very hard not to enjoy what Keanu Reeves and the directing duo of Chad Stahelski/David Leich have done with the first two installments . The story itself was simple: A low-key, but lethal hitman gets brutally beaten up by gangsters and, more importantly, his dog gets killed, which flicks off a switch in his head to exact the ultimate revenge. On a $20 Million budget the first filmmade $86 Million at the box-office, but, more importantly, it became an enormous hit on streaming services and home video. "John Wick: Chapter Two" made $92 Million at the domestic box-office.
Read moreDavid Robert Mitchell's “It Follows" is one of the best and most influential horror movie of the decade.
Any horror movie fan you speak to will tell you that the last decade has been incredible for the genre. And so, what’s the deal? Well firstly, everything that’s coming out seems to be directed by filmmakers that know their horror, cinephiles in fact. These are filmmakers that are allergic to clichés. The genre was in dire need of new blood, and we found it with new talented directors that seemed to be inspired by the works of John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, and David Cronenberg.
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