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Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.

“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.

“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!

Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.

“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.

“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!

The 2017 Locarno Film Festival recently wrapped its 70th edition, where several aspiring film critics participated in the latest edition of the Locarno Critics Academy, an international workshop to educate promising writers in the craft and discipline of contemporary film criticism. This year’s participants will contribute essays on highlights from the festival. Here’s an overview of their backgrounds and interests.

Name: Jaime Grijalba Gómez

Age: 27

Twitter handle: @jaimegrijalba

Home: Santiago de Chile, Chile.

Cinematic area of expertise: Chilean cinema, film festivals, horror cinema

Best movie you’ve seen in 2017: El mar la mar

Favorite book (or piece of writing) about film: Bresson’s “Notes on the Cinematographer”

I’m taking part in the Locarno Critics Academy because… I want to think that criticism today still has a role that goes beyond those interested in film or in making them. It has a role in society, and I want to find it.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

20th Century Women (Mike Mills)

That emotional profundity most directors try to build to across an entire film? Mike Mills achieves it in every scene of 20th Century Women. There’s such a debilitating warmness to both the vibrant aesthetic and construction of its dynamic characters as Mills quickly soothes one into his story that you’re all the more caught off-guard as the flurry of emotional wallops are presented.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

20th Century Women (Mike Mills)

That emotional profundity most directors try to build to across an entire film? Mike Mills achieves it in every scene of 20th Century Women. There’s such a debilitating warmness to both the vibrant aesthetic and construction of its dynamic characters as Mills quickly soothes one into his story that you’re all the more caught off-guard as the flurry of emotional wallops are presented.

Update:

Winners are now indicated. I correctly guessed 11 out of the 24 categories, which is slightly better than last year, when I guessed 10 out of 24.

Previous 02.26.17:

I’ve now seen as many of the nominated films as I will be able to before tonight’s ceremony, and here finally are my educated guesses about who will take home each award — projected winners are Xed at the lefthand side. Keep in mind: those Xes don’t represent whom I think should win Oscars but whom I think will win, based on what little I can grasp about how the Academy thinks. I’ve also noted which nominees I think should win. Kindly note that this is not necessarily my take on who did the best performance/writing/FX/whatever of the year, but whom I think is best among the nominees.

I have not noted a “should win” for the feature documentary category,...

The 89th Annual Academy Awards kicked off Sunday at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center, and as expected, the A-Listers came dressed to impress.

La La Land star Emma Stone wowed in a classy, custom-created Givenchy gown, while Hidden Figures star Taraji P. Henson opted for a blue velvet Alberta Ferretti dress, which featured a thigh-high slit. The men looked just as handsome, with Stone's co-star, Ryan Gosling, sporting a Gucci suit, and Fifty Shades Darker star Jamie Dornan in a cream-colored tuxedo jacket.

And while the red carpet looks were undoubtedly fabulous, all eyes were on the night's big winners. See the full list of everyone who took home a shiny statuette and check back throughout the night for updates!

Best Picture

Moonlight

La La Land

Lion

Manchester by the Sea

Fences

Arrival

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

Hacksaw Ridge

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea *Winner*

Denzel Washington, [link...

Simon Brew Feb 27, 2017

La La Land, Emma Stone, Hacksaw Ridge and Suicide Squad are all Oscar winners. Here's the full list...

For the 89th time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - that'd be AMPAS, to its mates - has handed out its world-famous collection of gongs.

The full list of winners from this year's awards? Right here. Jason Statham, you'll notice, was callously snubbed again. What's more, his shark-fighting movie, Meg, won't be out in time for the 90th Oscars either. Sigh. Those that did win? Well, Suicide Squad is now an Oscar-winning movie, picking up as many gongs as Arrival. Hacksaw Ridge also snagged a couple of gongs, whilst Moonlight triumphed. And - after a confusing moment when Warren Beatty read out the wrong winner (not his fault, we might add) - it ultimately upset La La Land and took Best Picture too.

Here's what won.

The battle lines are drawn: It's La La Land, a musical fantasy about white lovers in Hollywood, versus Moonlight, a searing drama about black youth surviving on the streets of Miami. That contest is symptomatic of how serious Oscar is – or isn't – about diversity. After two years in which not a single black actor showed up among the acting nominees, this year's crop includes seven actors of color: Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga, Dev Patel, Octavia Spencer and Denzel Washington.

"Wow, what a difference a year makes,...

Every year the best and brightest from across the global film industry assemble at the Beverly Hilton for the annual Academy nominees lunch and group photo.

This year, 163 nominees showed up.

First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.

Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...

Every year the best and brightest from across the global film industry assemble at the Beverly Hilton for the annual Academy nominees lunch and group photo.

This year, 165 nominees showed up.

First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.

Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...

The nominations have been set for the 89th Academy Awards airing on February 26th! Who will crush it? Who will slink away awaiting for their chance next time? How many even care? I know that in a world with too much useless digital information and a political climate that seems ready to implode or explode (depending on your political leanings), perhaps we all need the escapism.

And what about the host? Jimmy Kimmel is way too vanilla. Given my political mood, please give me the caustic wit of Ricky Gervais, please!!! Only he can breathe some real life into to this turgid affair. The grandstanding, the political rants, well-meaning for real, but this is a night for pure escapism for the audience, n'cest pas? I mean, does anyone really care unless they really are talking odds?

Having lived and worked in Los Angeles and having attended plenty of award shows...

Given their place on the awards calendar right before the final Oscar voting, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival always packs the lineups for their annual Writers and Producers panel series with Oscar contenders. This year both panels will take place on Saturday, February 4th at the Lobero Theatre.

Among the Best Picture contenders are producers Todd Black (“Fences”), Angie Fielder (“Lion”), Jordan Horowitz (“La La Land”), Theodore Melfi (“Hidden Figures”), David Permut (“Hacksaw Ridge”), Adele Romanski (“Moonlight”), Kimberly Steward (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Julie Yorn (“Hell or High Water”), as well as Arianne Sutner, the producer of the Best Animated Feature nominee “Kobu and the Two Strings.” They will discuss their craft on the “Movers and Shakers” Producers Panel, moderated by the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp.

I always look forward to moderating the “It Starts With the Script” writers panel, which this year includes Oscar-nominated writers Luke Davies...

Given their place on the awards calendar right before the final Oscar voting, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival always packs the lineups for their annual Writers and Producers panel series with Oscar contenders. This year both panels will take place on Saturday, February 4th at the Lobero Theatre.

Among the Best Picture contenders are producers Todd Black (“Fences”), Angie Fielder (“Lion”), Jordan Horowitz (“La La Land”), Theodore Melfi (“Hidden Figures”), David Permut (“Hacksaw Ridge”), Adele Romanski (“Moonlight”), Kimberly Steward (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Julie Yorn (“Hell or High Water”), as well as Arianne Sutner, the producer of the Best Animated Feature nominee “Kobu and the Two Strings.” They will discuss their craft on the “Movers and Shakers” Producers Panel, moderated by the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp.

I always look forward to moderating the “It Starts With the Script” writers panel, which this year includes Oscar-nominated writers Luke Davies...

The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards are in and La La Land leads the pack with 14 nominations! I knew La La Land was going to explode at this event, and it's probably going to end up taking home many of the awards is was nominated for. The 14 nominations ties the record with 1997's Titanic and 1950's All About Eve.

Arrival ended up with eight nominations as did Moonlight, while Hacksaw Ridge, Lion, and Manchester by the Sea all got six. Deadpool ended up with zero nominations. I was hoping to see it somewhere on the list, but it looks like all that hype didn't work.

Every film and actor who was nominated for their work deserves to be on this list, so congratulations to them all! There are so many great films and actors to root for, but there can be only one winner in each category.

Jimmy Kimmel...

The glitz, the glamour, the gift baskets that do as much to sway voters as a slaved-over work of art — it’s the 89th Academy Awards! AMPAS unveiled their take on the year that was 2016, which adds up, expectedly, to many of the names and endeavors we’ve seen fêted over the last few months. (We’ve done our part, too, and think you’ll be much better-served following us than them.)

Due to a conscious choice to avoid awards chatter around these here parts, we’re not going to change things up more or less at the last minute. We instead will just get to the list (via Washington Post), which is topped by La La Land with 14 nominations, and so:

Best picture

“La La Land”

“Moonlight”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“Arrival”

“Fences”

“Lion”

“Hidden Figures”

“Hacksaw Ridge”

“Hell or High Water”

Best director

Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”

Barry Jenkins,...

The 89th Academy Awards nominees were revealed on Tuesday morning, and as expected, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's musical movie, La La Land, earned the most nominations.

La La Land earned 14 nominations, making the film tied with Titanic (1997) and All About Eve (1950) for the most Oscar nods in history.

Previous Oscar-winning and nominated actors -- including Jennifer Hudson, Brie Larson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Jason Reitman and Ken Watanabe -- read off the nominees in the pre-taped Oscars announcement.

Watch: The Most Stunning Beauty Trends of the 2016 Oscars

Here's the full list of nominees:

Best Picture:

Moonlight

La La Land

Lion

Manchester By the Sea

Fences

Arrival

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

Hacksaw Ridge

Best Actor:

Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea

Denzel Washington, Fences

Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Vigo Mortenson, Captain Fantastic

Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

Best Supporting Actor:

Dev Patel, Lion

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

[link...

Author: Scott Davis

Happy 2017 Oscar nominations day! Yes, the award season madness is almost at its conclusion with the biggest awards show of them all just a month away and today sees the long-awaited announcement of just who will be going head-to-head to get their hands on a famed Oscar. And as a special treat, you can watch the live stream of the nominations for the 89th Academy Awards right here. We will be updating the post as the nominations come in, so scroll down for those.

So, just who will walk away with the honours? Will Damien Chazelle’s La La Land follow early predictions (and our five-star review) and “land” a record-breaking number of nominations? Will Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight featured heavily too? Could we see Andrew Garfield and Mel Gibson get nods for the brilliant Hacksaw Ridge? And could Hell or High Water continue its...

Simon Brew Jan 24, 2017

Here's the list of 2017 Oscar nominations, led by La La Land with 14 nods. Amy Adams, bizarrely, has been overlooked...

The nominations have been revealed for the 2017 Academy Awards – the Oscars to their mates – and that means that already, the vast majority of you have scrolled past this bit to get to the names. Once you do that, you’ll see that The Statham has, scandalously, been overlooked once again. As has - for reasons that point out the flaw in democracy - Amy Adams.

Here's who did get a nod...

Best Picture

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

La La Land

Lion

Manchester By The Sea

Moonlight

Best Supporting Actor

Jeff Bridges – Hell Or High Water

Lucas Hedges – Manchester By The Sea

Dev Patel - Lion

Michael Shannon: Nocturnal Animals

Mahershala Ali - Moonlight

Cinematography

Arrival

Lion

La La Land

Silence

Moonlight...

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Galeca), of which I'm a proud voting member, has revealed its nominees for the best in film and television of 2016. Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" led the pack with 7 nods followed by Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" with 6. Winners will be announced on Thursday, January 26.

Complete List Of Galeca 2016/17 Dorian Awards Nominees:

Note: Categories with more than five nominees involved a tie)

Film of the Year

Jackie (Fox Searchlight)

La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)

Manchester by the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)

Moonlight (A24)

20th Century Women (A24)

Director of the Year

(Film or Television)

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (A24)

Pablo Larraín, Jackie (Fox Searchlight)

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)

Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios)

Damien Chazelle, La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)

Film Performance of the Year . Actress

Annette Bening, 20th Century Women (A24)

Viola Davis, Fences (Paramount)

Isabelle Huppert,...

For the second year in a row, the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Galeca) have rallied around an obvious favorite: “Moonlight.” Last year, Todd Haynes’s “Carol” swept Galeca’s Dorian Awards, and from its prominence amongst the nominees announced today, “Moonlight” will likely do the same.

Read More: The 20 Best Queer Films on Netflix Right Now

Not restricted to films with explicit queer themes, the films nominated for film of the year are “Jackie,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “La La Land, “20th Century Women,” and “Moonlight.” The nominees for Lgbtq Film of the Year are “Being 17,” “Closet Monster,” “Moonlight,” “Other People,” and “The Handmaiden.”

Judging by its very strong Oscar chances, the enthusiasm for “Moonlight” has overshadowed all other worthy queer films. “The Handmaiden” was notably absent from the Oscar short list for Best Foreign Language Film, and the other three Dorian nominees are not in contention at all.

With a cluster of frontrunners and a wide-open field of potential Oscar entrants, the 2017 Writers Guild nominations provide more intelligence about where the Oscars could be heading.

The trio at the head of the pack continue to be “La La Land,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “Moonlight.” Getting a much-needed late-inning boost are modern western “Hell or High Water” and biracial romance “Loving.” Both are critics’ faves that opened earlier in the year.

However, the WGA and the Academy differ on their categories this year. The WGA says “Moonlight” and “Loving” are original screenplays; for the Oscars, they would compete as adapted. That means that Noah Oppenheim’s “Jackie,” and scripts by writer-director Mike Mills (“20th Century Women”) and two non-signatory films that aren’t WGA-eligible, “The Lobster” and “Toni Erdmann,” might have a shot at landing an Oscar nod.

Conversely, that means some of the WGA’s Adapted Screenplay...

With a cluster of frontrunners and a wide-open field of potential Oscar entrants, the 2017 Writers Guild nominations provide more intelligence about where the Oscars could be heading.

The trio at the head of the pack continue to be “La La Land,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “Moonlight.” Getting a much-needed late-inning boost are modern western “Hell or High Water” and biracial romance “Loving.” Both are critics’ faves that opened earlier in the year.

However, the WGA and the Academy differ on their categories this year. The WGA says “Moonlight” and “Loving” are original screenplays; for the Oscars, they would compete as adapted. That means that Noah Oppenheim’s “Jackie,” and scripts by writer-director Mike Mills (“20th Century Women”) and two non-signatory films that aren’t WGA-eligible, “The Lobster” and “Toni Erdmann,” might have a shot at landing an Oscar nod.

Conversely, that means some of the WGA’s Adapted Screenplay...

Welcome back to the first Weekend Warrior of 2017, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out (when applicable).

We’ll bypass the past couple holiday weekends cause that was so 2016, and we’ll instead get right into the new movies opening on Friday including two that opened in select cities and are expanding nationwide.

Underworld: Blood Wars (Sony/Screen Gems)

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Peter Andersson, Clementine Nicholson, Bradley James, Daisy Head

Director: Anna Foerster (debut feature from director of TV shows Outlander & Criminal Minds)

Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller

Rated R

Plot: The vampire death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) finds herself facing both Lycans and vampires, both of them trying to use the blood of her daughter to create new hybrids, so she and David (Theo James...

And the winners are…

Awfj Best Of Awards

These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.

Best Film: Moonlight

Best Director: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

Best Screenplay, Original: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Best Screenplay, Adapted: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Best Documentary: 13th – Ava DuVernay

Best Animated Film: Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Best Actress: Ruth Negga – Loving

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis – Fences

Best Actor: Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director: Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez

Best Cinematography: Moonlight – James Laxton

Best Editing: Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders

Best Non-English-Language Film: The Handmaiden – Chan-Wook Park, South Korea

Eda Female Focus Awards

These awards honor women only.

Best Woman Director: Ava DuVernay – 13th

Best Woman Screenwriter: Kelly Reichardt – Certain Women

Best Animated Female: Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin And...

Last year IndieWire shared free scripts available to download from 2016 Oscar Contenders such as “Carol,” “Spotlight,” and “Room,” among others. Now, we have a new list full of screenplays that you can skim over, read how the writer envisioned the film, and then go see how the director interpreted it on the big screen. These scripts are also great for aspiring writers to get ideas for their own stories, as well as see how a Hollywood film screenplay really looks like.

Among the screenplays included in this year’s list include “Captain Fantastic” written by Matt Ross and starring Viggo Mortensen, “The Girl on the Train” penned by Erin Cressida Wilson” and “Hail, Caesar!” written by Joel and Ethan Coen.

Read More: Free Scripts! Download 2016 Oscar Contenders ‘Inside Out,’ ‘Carol,’ ‘Spotlight’ and More

We’ll continue to update this list throughout awards season, so keep checking back for more free scripts.

The Austin Film Critics Association (Afca) has announced the nominees for its yearly awards. Winners will be revealed on Dec. 28. Here's the complete list of nominees:

Best Film:

Arrival

The Handmaiden

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Director:

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden

Best Actor:

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Colin Farrell, The Lobster

Denzel Washington, Fences

Joel Edgerton, Loving

Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Best Actress:

Amy Adams, Arrival

Annette Bening, 20th Century Women

Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Natalie Portman, Jackie

Ruth Negga, Loving

Best Supporting Actor:

Ben Foster, Hell or High Water

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress:

Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women

Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Min-hee Kim, The Handmaiden

Naomie Harris, Moonlight

Viola Davis,...

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists have announced the nominees for the 2016 Awfj Eda Awards.

In their 10th annual awards season, the 25 categories are divided into three sections, the Best Of Awards, Female Focus Awards and Eda Special Mention Awards.

Andrea Arnold, Ava DuVernay, Rebecca Miller, Mira Nair and Lorene Scafaria were among the filmmakers nominated in this year’s awards.

Nominees in each category are determined by Awfj members who submit nominating ballots. There are currently 76 voting Awfj members.

The winners will be announced on December 21.

2016 Awfj Eda Awards Nominees

Awfj Best Of Awards

These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.

Best Film

Arrival

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Director

Damien Chazelle – La La Land

Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea

David Mackenzie – Hell or High Water

Denis Villeneuve – Arrival

Best Screenplay, Original...

“Moonlight” and “Loving”‘s moves to Adapted Screenplay open up two valuable slots in the Original category, allowing Kenneth Lonergan’s New England family saga “Manchester by the Sea” and Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood musical reboot “La La Land” more room to breathe against competitors from writer-director Mike Mills (“20th Century Women”), Taylor Sheridan’s Texas western “Hell or High Water,” writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou’s comedy “The Lobster” and Maren Ade’s hilarious German oscar entry “Toni Erdmann,” among others.

The films are listed alphabetically.

Frontrunners

“20th Century Women” (Mike Mills)

“Hell or High Water” (Taylor Sheridan)

“La La Land” (Damien Chazelle)

“Manchester by the Sea” (Kenneth Lonergan)

“Toni Erdmann” (Maren Ade)

Contenders

“Jackie” (Noah Oppenheim)

“The Lobster” (Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos)

“Zootopia” (Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Phil Johnson, Jennifer Lee, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad)

Long Shots

“Captain Fantastic” (Matt Ross)

“Florence Foster Jenkins” (Nicholas Martin)

Related storiesFilm Lives,...

“Moonlight” and “Loving”‘s moves to Adapted Screenplay open up two valuable slots in the Original category, allowing Kenneth Lonergan’s New England family saga “Manchester by the Sea” and Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood musical reboot “La La Land” more room to breathe against competitors from writer-director Mike Mills (“20th Century Women”), Taylor Sheridan’s Texas western “Hell or High Water,” writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou’s comedy “The Lobster” and Maren Ade’s hilarious German oscar entry “Toni Erdmann,” among others.

The films are listed alphabetically.

Frontrunners

“20th Century Women” (Mike Mills)

“Hell or High Water” (Taylor Sheridan)

“La La Land” (Damien Chazelle)

“Manchester by the Sea” (Kenneth Lonergan)

“Toni Erdmann” (Maren Ade)

Contenders

“Jackie” (Noah Oppenheim)

“The Lobster” (Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos)

“Zootopia” (Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Phil Johnson, Jennifer Lee, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad)

Long Shots

“Captain Fantastic” (Matt Ross)

“Florence Foster Jenkins” (Nicholas Martin...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Full Lineup Announcements

– The Chicago International Film Festival today announces the complete film and event lineup, including the International Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Special Presentations. The festival will include Special Presentations of “Lion,” “Paterson” and the re-release of “Daughters of the Dust.” Other highlights include “After the Storm,” “Neruda” and “The Salesman.” The festival’s documentary lineup is also a typically robust one, including titles like “Among Wolves,” “Karl Marx City” and “A Mere Breath.”

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 21 for Cinema/Chicago members and September 23 for the general public.

– The Hamptons International Film Festival (Hiff) has announced its Spotlight Films, World Cinema, Shorts programs, Views from Long Island, and Special Screenings, as part of the 2016 festival lineup. The 24th edition will take place October 6 – 10, Columbus Day Weekend,...

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for the Revivals section, taking place during the 54th New York Film Festival (Nyff). The Revivals section showcases masterpieces from renowned filmmakers whose diverse and eclectic works have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.

Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival

Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”

The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...

When former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe watched the documentary R.E.M. by MTV, which is coming to movie theaters next week, one thing stood out to him about himself. "I realized [that] part of who I am now is that I came from a place of being paralyzingly shy," the singer said in a video interview taken after a New York screening last year. "I've already subtitled this piece 'Watch Michael Learn How to Talk.'"

The doc chronicles the history of the band by using footage from the vast archives of MTV,...

After the taping of last night's The Daily Show, news began trickling out over social media and a subsequent Comedy Central statement that the program's longtime host Jon Stewart had announced he was leaving The Daily Show. We can now watch as Stewart delivers the news to an unsuspecting audience with an emotional, thankful monologue. "I would imagine that as this show is airing, there may be information out there that the audience might not be aware of," Stewart warns before dropping his bombshell.

The first sign that something was...

Less than a week after David Letterman announced his retirement from The Late Show, CBS has announced his successor: Stephen Colbert. The Colbert Report host has signed a five-year agreement with the network and will step into the role following Letterman's departure in 2015, but the current Late Show host has not yet decided on a timetable with the network for when he will say good night.

6 Iconic David Letterman Interviews

"Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career," Colbert said in a statement.

End of an era: David Letterman announced he’s retiring next year.

The iconic CBS late-night host revealed the news during the taping of his Late Show on Thursday. He said he informed CBS president and CEO Les Moonves that he will step down as the host of the show in 2015, which is when his current contract expires.

“The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance.

After more than three decades in late-night television, David Letterman will say his final goodnights next year. He discussed his decision to retire at Thursday's taping of The Late Show and will reportedly issue a statement sometime before the episode airs. Former R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, who was a guest on Letterman's Thursday show, broke the news via Twitter. CBS Evening News anchor Jeff Glor confirmed the news.

How David Letterman Reinvented TV

Letterman told the audience during the taping that he had informed CBS CEO Les Moonves of his decision,...

David Letterman announced that he will retire from his late night talk show in 2015.

Letterman, 66, made his announcement while taping Thursday night’s Late Show With David Letterman in New York City, reported TMZ. He informed the audience that he will tape his last show in the studio sometime in 2015.

Musician Mike Mills, who will be featured on Thursday night's airing, confirmed Letterman’s retirement on Twitter.

Dave just announced his retirement #2015 #muchlovedave

— Mike Mills (@m_millsey) April 3, 2014

Letterman is the longest-running late-night talk show host in TV history. After gaining steam as a stand-up comedian in the 70s, in which he often appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he eventually landed his own late-night show in 1982 – Late Night with David Letterman.

When Letterman lost out to Jay Leno to replace Johnny Carson as the Tonight Show host, he moved over to CBS, where he began hosting his...

In addition to his role as a rapper, Yauch was also involved in film and human rights efforts.

By Gil Kaufman

Adam Yauch

Photo: Getty Images

Like an intertwined set of fat laces on an old-school Adidas shell toe shoe, the verbal flow of the Beastie Boys was always seamless. McA, Ad-Rock and Mike D dipped in and out of each others lines and traded off verses like a three-headed hip-hop hydra, their flows unique, but always tightly packed.

With the death of Adam Yauch (aka McA) on Friday (may 4) at the age of 47, that flow is forever interrupted, but the New York-born rapper's legacy lives on not just in his rhymes but in his many efforts outside the scope of his Mc role. While the B-Boys always presented a united front in the studio and on stage, McA was a renaissance man whose many interests ranged from direction videos...

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

On 21st September 2011, one of the best, and most popular American rock bands of all time announced they will no longer be making music that has went some way to defining the ‘American Rock’ genre. After over twenty years and countless classics, R.E.M. made the announcement that many had feared, but alas was all but expected. Having failed to reach the heights of their 80s and 90s material, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry called it quits.

Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 aside from being an epically long title verging on the philosophical, combines all of the hits from their early days on IRS Records to their timeless classics on Warner Bros. They have, as expected taken three or four of the best songs from each of their albums and formed almost like a jigsaw puzzle of where R.E.M began,...

"Twenty years ago," blogs the New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones today, "I spent an afternoon shuffling around Rocks In Your Head, a record store that once did business on Prince Street. (It closed in 2006.) My friend Jim worked the counter, and we were listening to a new album, over and over: Nirvana's Nevermind. At some point, Vernon Reid — the guitar player and founder of Living Colour — came in. He listened to four songs, nodded approvingly, and approached the counter. 'Metallica plus R.E.M. That's really smart.' He bought a copy and left."

Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, who formally announced the amicable dissolution of R.E.M. yesterday, will surely be hoping their band will be remembered as more than half the formula for another band ten years their junior (and, for what it's worth, I personally believe they will be), but if this anecdote is the first...

R.E.M.'s Wednesday break-up announcement placed a bookend after 2011's "Collapse Into Now," officially making it the group's final studio album (barring any unforeseen reunions). Their sound has floated and meandered since original drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997. Left to their own devices, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills stayed productive, but never managed to hoist a true new classic up into their discography.

"Up" and "Around the Sun" delivered a few memorable tracks and collaborations, but none of R.E.M.'s post-1997 albums matched the levels of indie rock invention and lyrical inspiration that they achieved in the following five classics.

In fact, if you ever need to get acquainted with R.E.M. at its best, put these albums on your playlist, and prepare to understand what made them great.

"Murmur" (1983)

R.E.M.'s first studio album features a band in the process of honing its sound, and you...

R.E.M. have split up

The legendary 'Man on the Moon' rockers have announced they are to part ways after 31 years and 15 albums together. A statement on their website reads: "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band.

"We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."

Each member of the group – singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills – also wrote their individual feelings about the end of the band.

Michael wrote: "A wise man once said - 'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did ...

'We walk away with a great sense of gratitude,' band says Wednesday, bringing to close a 30-year career.

By James Montgomery

R.E.M.

Photo: Anton Corbijn

After 30 years, 15 studio albums, dozens of iconic music videos and boundary-pushing tours (and just four core members) — not to mention a sphere of influence that extends from the nascent days of college radio to the buzzy blogosphere of today — R.E.M. are calling it quits.

The band made the announcement Wednesday (September 21) on their website, posting a message that, like most things they did, was almost unyieldingly humble:

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band," their statement reads. "We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.

The 2011 MTV Movie Awards aren't just an excuse to hand out buckets of golden popcorn (though, make no mistake about it, we'll be on the edge of our seat when they announce the winner of "Best Scared-As-s--- Performance,") they're also the go-to source for some thoroughly kick-ass musical performances, courtesy of the Foo Fighters, Lupe Fiasco and Trey Songz.

In fact, since they first started in 1992, the Movie Awards have made it a point to feature music, too, and over the years, everyone from D'Angelo to Weezer have graced its stage. So with the 2011 show looming on the horizon (it airs live, Sunday, June 5 at 9 p.m. Et/8 p.m. Ct on MTV,) we decided to take a look back at the Movie Awards' long musical history, and choose the 10 best performances of all time. Sadly, neither Ken Jeong's interpretive dancing or the Les Grossman/Jennifer Lopez booty workout...

Tonight's the season finale of "Glee" which I suspect more of you are watching than admit it. I get that, while I've given up any hope of appearing cool or like I have good taste in television, I understand the instinct to protect oneself from the slings and arrows that come when you admit that you're still into (or at least regularly watching) a show that is widely regarded as terrible. It's a strange phenomena, there's shows I've been able to quit after a single bad episode, and there's shows that I stick with even though watching them gives me no real enjoyment anymore not even as train wrecks go (looking at you, "Grey's Anatomy"). And then there's the people who watch so that every so-so episode they can hop online and type as fast as their little fingers can manage that the show has obviously "jumped the shark" (a...

Linkin Park, Panic! at the Disco, Disturbed and Sum 41 are also still in the running!

By James Montgomery

My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way

Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/ WireImage

Two weeks ago, when we tipped off the 2011 Musical March Madness tournament, sixty-four bands entered the fray with championship dreams on their minds. For 32 of those bands, that dream died after one round. And for half of the remaining 32, the dream is over today.

Because we've reached the Sweet 16, the midway point on the quest for the 2011 Mmm title. And while the bands still left standing would no doubt like a moment to recover from their epic battles, as any tournament vet will tell you, there's no rest for the weary. From here on out, the challenges only get tougher, and the cost of defeat is high: To come so close and leave empty-handed would be a heartbreaker, indeed.

Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco also advance; second-round voting opens Tuesday on the Newsroom blog.

By James Montgomery

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington

Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty

The first round of MTV's Musical March Madness 2011 tournament is in the books, and, unlike the actual Ncaa bracket, ours has been relatively free of upsets so far. In fact, about the closest thing we've got to a Vcu is Sum 41, who shocked the world by knocking off #1 seed Arcade Fire in the battle of Canada.

Check out our updated Mmm Bracket right here!

There were, of course, other eye-opening results: #11 Adele nipping #6 Kid Rock, #12 Patrick Stump getting by #5 Neon Trees (who couldn't muster the bluster of Gene Hackman to advance), and #9 Disturbed ripping #8 Dave Matthews Band. But overall, the first round played out about how you would expect it. And while that may have been a bummer for fans of underdogs,...

Happy New Year, Afterelton Music Mix Readers!

I hope everyone had a kick ass New Year's and a great time with family and friends during the holiday season.

To start the year off right, we’re going to take a look at five of the most anticipated albums of 2011 and then get into our usual round-up of the highlights in music news, artist interviews, single releases and videos.

Exciting 2011 Releases

Some of the most hotly anticipated albums of 2011 are as follows:

Hercules & Love Affair – Blue Songs

Release Date: January 31

Blue Songs is the sophomore release from American house music group Hercules & Love Affair. The group consisting of DJ Andy Butler and out lesbian Kim Ann Foxman, have teamed up with Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke on the song “Step Up.” Wonder if another hit like “Blind” will come from this one? No word yet on whether Antony Hegarty will appear on this album.

If the twelfth season of The Simpsons had one redeeming episode in every four, you’ll realize just how good we had it that season. At least then we had about six solid episodes in the season, with the thirteenth season, we should count ourselves lucky if even 3 are watchable. The rest is pure schlock masquerading as the show we once knew and loved. Rarely, if ever, is there a clever joke or piece of worthwhile social commentary mixed in to the weakly constructed episodes where in seasons past we had genius concepts confronting the hypocrisy of banning brothels, religion, and family values as a whole. The Simpsons earned a name as the ultimate lampoon of social tropes for a solid ten seasons, and then, almost overnight (in this case, in the span of three seasons) it lost it all.

The gimmicks employed as each episode’s plot in this...