I saw this Richard Stanley-directed sci-fi/horror vehicle last month at Montreal’s FNC film festival and it was nowhere in the same batshit-crazy level as “Mandy.” There are a few interesting moments here and there, but nothing to write home about. You can see, based on the just-released first trailer, that this HP Lovecraft adaptation is about a family man (Cage) who finds a crashed meteorite in his front yard. The rock is of unknown origins, but then it mysteriously disappears....

On a personal note, I lived through the Montreal film scene when Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Vallee, and an 18-year-old Xavier Dolan, among others, revolutionized French-Canadian cinema, and in the process gave themselves a shot at the Hollywood studio system. It was a very exciting time, but it was always Villeneuve that I kept a close eye on. The fact that he has become such a hot commodity is not surprising. Hollywood and audiences alike have clearly been impressed by the man....

UPDATE: Jeff Sneider just tweeted the early December date as well. He could just be rehashing what the Deadline piece revealed, but Jeff is always reliable. As I mentioned a few days ago, Will Smith will have to amp up that apology tour this fall. Maybe a one-hour special with Oprah, add in a televised therapy session with Dr. Phil and then an Oscar campaign can commence. I saw Sunday’s New York Times report, on Apple’s indecision with “Emancipation,” as a peculiarly timed one....

His latest non-fiction venture, “The Devil and Father Amortha,” had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival two years ago. The documentary told the story of Father Gabriele Amortha’s and picked up as he was about to perform his ninth exorcism. The connection between Friedkin and the exorcism genre is unsurpassed, after all he brought it to the mainstream with his 1973 classic “The Exorcist.” However, it is surprising to hear the harsh words he has for its sequel “Exorcist II: The Heretic": “I tell you, I did see a great deal of Exorcist II, under the following circumstances,” Friedkin told hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante on an episode of The Movies That Made Me podcast....

“Fire of Love” is being released in theaters next Friday, July 8th. Contribute Hire me Advertise Donate Team Contact Privacy Policy

Set 21 years ago in Masshad, Iran, Ali Abassi’s “Holy Spider” shocked quite a few people at Cannes for its depiction of violence towards women. The film, produced by Danish money, is set in Tehran and tells the true story of serial killer Saeed Hanaei (Mehdi Bajestani) who in 2001 specifically targeted prostitutes in his reign of terror. This God-fearing man went on to kill 17 women, but not without becoming a folk hero with religious fanatics in his home country....

What an astronomical and risk-taking length. One look at the newly released trailer and the first thing you think is pure CAMP. This is a film that will be deliberate in its excess and theatricality. I want to see Pacino hamming it up. Leto is clearly going to deliver a ridiculous performance with that bald wig and fat suit. Gaga sounds like the real Patricia Gucci, which means she’s going to have a ball playing this ridiculous real-life character....

Set in Mexico and New York City, Wing tells the true story of aspiring chef Iván, hoping to land a spot in the chef’s kitchen while supporting the mother of his child, and Gerardo, a teacher who, unlike Iván, is not closeted about his homosexuality. However, once they are discovered as lovers and he is no longer able to see his son, Iván makes the arduous trek to cross the border with the promise of the American dream at his side....

Natalie (Wilson) is an Aussie architect working in Manhattan, she hates rom-coms, allergic to all the clichés that come with the genre. It’s not her fault, she was raised by her single mom (Jennifer Saunders), to disregard Hollywood’s fantasy of romance, especially anything involving Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock because, in her words, they are “not for girls like us.” One can only imagine the type of pessimist Natalie has become as an adult, she’s, unsurprisingly, single, and looks down on her media company’s new client, a stud by the name of Blake (Liam Hemsworth)....

With “Knives Out,” Johnson doesn’t necessarily re-invent the whodunnit, but he does re-energize it, paying tribute to the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ms. Christie herself. After tackling “Star Wars” with “The Last Jedi,” Johnson’s creative mojo now feels unchained, unbounded by the creative restrictions of Star Wars and Disney; And yet, he is also no stranger to the whodunnit genre either — his 2005 debut, “Brick” was a mystery set in high school and infused with film noir fervor....

Then again, if “Licorice Pizza” ends up winning the New York Film Critics Circle tomorrow then you can bet all the buzzy momentum will be on its side. NBR, who also gave the Best Director award to PTA, completely snubbed Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” and that, to me, is incredibly disappointing. This was probably their attempt to sabotage Campion’s film with other voting groups, but I don’t think it’s going to work — Campion is the current frontrunner to win New York and L....

The film clearly wants to show the parallels Mankiewicz saw between media mogul Randolph William Hearst (an excellent Charles Dance) and Charles Foster Kane. Not to mention Hearst’s consigliere, and MGM head honcho, Louis B. Meyer, and Kane’s similarly dutiful “helper,” Everett Sloane Bernstein. There’s also Amanda Seyfried, playing Hearst’s younger lover Marion Davies, who befriended Mank, the Hollywood screenwriter, in the 1930s as she was getting closer to the inner circle of media mogul Hearst....

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This abortion drama had a 17-year-old girl who finds out she’s 18 weeks pregnant, but cannot get an abortion in conservative-minded small-town Pennsylvania, and decides to travel to New York City to get the procedure done. There, alongside her teenage cousin, she goes through the frustratingly elaborate and complicated system of getting an abortion. Hittman’s film, which will compete at the Berlin Film Festival this month, is highly influenced by euro-cinema but brings a fresh new vision to the game....

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What unfolded this past weekend is very concerning regarding smartly executed mature dramas. “She Said” just made $2.2M in over 2,000 theaters — the worst performance from a major studio release this year. It’s not fun to witness this. Almost every Oscar contender this fall has underwhelmed at the box-office. Studios are taking note of this post-pandemic phenomenon, and all these great movies not making any money at the box-office....

Maria Schrader’s “She Said” just released its trailer and … TV movie vibes? I’m sure it’s better than that, but it all feels rather familiar, at least the way the trailer delivers the drama. What did you all think? It does take the “Spotlight” blueprint and runs with it, so general reaction might depend on how much you like the investigative journalism genre. No word yet on whether Telluride or Venice have chosen it for their respective lineups, but you can bet TIFF will be screening this one in September....

Much like his other films (“Petrov’s Flu,” “The Student”) this is, thematically-speaking, very heavy-handed stuff. Tackling Antonina Miliukova‘s obsession with the composer (an astounding Alena Mikhailova as the wife), Serebnikkov’s film is overstuffed yet never dull. As rumors swirled around Moscow of his homosexuality, Tchaikovsky decided to marry the eerily persistent Antonina In what would amount to be a loveless marriage. Her clingy nature finally interfered with his art and that’s when he started to ghost Antonina, opting to pay her 1000 roubles a month to keep her distance....

If you remember, the R-rated “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” opened with an impressive ith $44M. This spells trouble for not just the movie, but the franchise as a whole. Earlier in the month, box office projections had the film opening at above $40 million, but that ain’t happening anymore. Why? Well, the reviews are mediocre and audiences are rejecting its politically correct repackaging. “Fans and action sci-fi moviegoers who have seen the film are up in arms about major changes to the film series’ plot lines....

Production on “The Batman” in London was suspended twice this year. The first time was in March when the COVID-19 shutdown came into effect. The second shutdown was after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for the coronavirus shortly before Labor Day weekend. Filming on “The Batman” was back on track a few weeks later. Safe for Pattinson, “The Batman” cast also includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle aka The Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton aka The Riddler, and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin....