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As often is the case with live action shorts nominated by the Academy, issue-driven narratives tend to take precedence over innovative storytelling and cinematic craft, sometimes to a fault. At its best, the 2025 program of five selected works highlights a range of problems afflicting nations around the world: xenophobia, child labor, extreme poverty, artificial intelligence, endangered species, and the terrors of ethnic warfare. If the shorts themselves aren’t always memorable, the issues, alas, will remain.

In A Lien, directed by David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, a family of three rushes to a green card interview at their local Department of Homeland Security office, only to find themselves snared in a sudden crackdown by Ice. As immigrants are rounded up without warning, an American mother loses track of her Salvadorean husband and their daughter, racing against the clock to save them before they’re carted off.

Shot with a handheld immediacy that recalls the Dardenne brothers,...

Our first roundup of 2025 features some major releases; given the state of things, we should be very thankful for that. Note that our next column will include a lengthy list of new and recent novels and short fiction (one highlight is a short story collection from Burning director Lee Chang-dong) as well as noteworthy Blu-Ray and 4K releases from Criterion and Warner Home Entertainment. In other words, plenty to get lost in––thank goodness for that.

But before then, we have the following terrific texts, starting with an extraordinary biography of one of our greatest living filmmakers.

The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick by John Bleasdale (University Press of Kentucky)

John Bleasdale’s Magic Hours is, remarkably, the first in-depth biography of Terrence Malick. This in itself makes the book a crucially important release. Indeed, this is an essential book on cinema, one written with...

Scarlett Johansson has issued a statement speaking out against a viral AI-created video in which celebrities protest Kanye West’s recent wave of antisemitic posts. An AI version of Scarlett Johansson begins the clip, which features her and the likes of Jack Black, Mila Kunis, Drake, Steven Spielberg and others, all wearing T-shirts with the Star of David inside a hand making a middle finger gesture, and the word ‘Kanye’ written underneath. An AI version of Adam Sandler sticks his middle finger up as the video ends with the messages: “Enough is Enough” and “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.”

Johansson called out the “the misuse of AI” in her statement and wrote: “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any...

Don’t tell that nasty penguin, but Billy Madison is turning 30 today. It’s the movie that taught America that peeing your pants is cool, that shampoo and conditioner have been locked in a battle for the ages and that Adam Sandler was going to be one of the funniest movie stars of all time.

While Billy Madison was written by Sandler and his longtime collaborator Tim Herlihy, it was directed by Tamra Davis, who had previously directed Chris Rock’s CB4 and would go on to direct Half Baked.

Joining me for a Zoom call recently to mark the movie’s 30th anniversary, Davis was happy to recall her time working on Billy Madison, including sharing funny stories about Chris Farley stripping, why Sandler was convinced pelting kids with a dodgeball was comedy gold and how she still doesn’t understand what that penguin was doing there.

Getting Hired...

Chris Pratt’s rise from his TV break-out role as Andy Dwyer in NBC’s hit sitcom Parks and Recreation, to a bankable Hollywood action star is quite inspiring.

With his effortless wit and not-so-effortless weight loss, the actor has now become a Hollywood staple featuring in some of the biggest movies ever.

Chris Pratt in The Magnificent Seven | image: Columbia Pictures

Whether it’s voicing Mario or reprising his role as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Chris Pratt has proven time and again that he’s a huge box office draw. So today, let’s take a look at 7 movies from the star, through genres like comedy, action, and thriller, because Pratt has left no stone unturned.

7. Onward (2020) IMDb rating Genre Character Streaming7.4/10Animation, comedy, family, fantasyBarley LightfootDisney

If you haven’t watched Onward yet, you’re undoubtedly missing out on one of Pixar’s most heartfelt adventures.

This article contains major spoilers for "Companion."

Warner Bros. has delivered perhaps the first truly great conversation piece movie of 2025 with "Companion." Directed by Drew Hancock and produced by the same sickos who brought us "Barbarian," the tale of a woman realizing that she's actually a robot built to serve is not only very entertaining, but leaves viewers with much to think about. It also works as a pretty unexpected companion piece (no pun intended) to Spike Jonze's 2013 sci-fi gem "Her." While the latter maintains at least some optimism regarding our tech-dominated future, the former is not interested in such hopeful concepts. It's amazing how much can change in a decade.

Hancock's film takes place during a weekend getaway with Josh (Jack Quaid) bringing his companion robot Iris (Sophie Thatcher) to get better acquainted with his friends. Things turn bloody when Iris goes haywire. When she is informed that she's a robot,...

If the four-year gap between Frank Ocean’s debut studio album Channel Orange and his follow-ups Endless and Blonde felt long, it’s now been over double the wait to see if another album will ever materialize from the wunderkind artist. We now have a major update on Ocean’s creative output, but rather than a new album in the works, he’s started shooting his directorial debut.

Variety reports David Jonsson has landed the lead role of Ocean’s directorial debut, which Ocean also wrote and is now shooting in Mexico City. While no plot details have arrived, a bit more digging reveals the current title is Philly and shooting actually began in mid-December. As seen below, Ocean was also spotted in Mexico City this past summer shooting footage. Earlier rumors suggested A24 and Taylor Russell were involved in the project, but that has yet to be confirmed.

It...

Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers.

In the world of Companion, technologically manufactured romantic partners are so common that “robo-shaming” has entered the lexicon, lest anyone feel judged for the object of their affection. Getting hooked up with one of these mechanical paramours isn’t unlike setting up an iPhone: Upon delivery, you choose its language, adjust its eye color and voice timbre, and even set its intelligence level. Then, beyond mere facial recognition, you establish a Love Link—a relationship history that forms the basis of your partner’s emotional attachment to you.

This is where writer-director Drew Hancock’s film begins, as Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid), playing out their prepackaged “meet cute,” strike up a flirtation in a grocery store, the latter goofily spilling oranges all over the floor, the whole scene feeling like an Albertson’s commercial dreamed up by A.I. The thing is,...

Jim Tauber, a longtime executive and the president of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment for a decade until his retirement in 2015, died Wednesday from complications of multiple myeloma, his family confirmed. He was 74.

Tauber, an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member, grew up in Glencoe, Ill. His time at Ske included overseeing “Hell or High Water,” “The Place Beyond the Pines,” “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Death at a Funeral.”

He spent the earlier part of his career at Columbia TriStar Pictures as executive VP of acquisitions and business/legal affairs, a position that allowed him to oversee production of films including Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies and Videotape.”

After that, he was president and chief operating officer of Propaganda Films, producing David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” and Spike Jonze’s “Being John Malkovich” and contributing to the creation of Gramercy Pictures.

Tauber then became Anonymous Content’s...

From the genre-defining image of Maria and her chrome curves in 1927’s Metropolis, to Jude Law’s Gigolo Joe in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Ana de Armas’ sultry Joi in Blade Runner 2049, hot robots have never been out of style. But with the rise of AI chatbots ready to profess their love, the futurism of Spike Jonze’s Her seems closer than ever before. The next logical step is Companion, in which even your android partner’s intelligence level can be customised by an app on your phone. God help us.

Companion, produced by the team behind Barbarian, opens with a prologue that’s a neat homage to a fembot classic, 1975’s The Stepford Wives, and its famous supermarket sequence. Iris (Heretic’s Sophie Thatcher), incongruously styled throughout as a mid-century doll with a miniature beehive hairdo, walks dreamily through an aisle pushing a shopping trolley. She locks...

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Breakups are one of the most painful and heartbreaking parts of everyday life; most of the time, they are important and inescapable. It still doesn’t mean that it’s easy to get over one, and that’s our main reason behind compiling this list, which consists of some of the most heart-touching or heartbreaking movies that will help you get over your breakup.

Celeste & Jesse Forever (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures Classics

Celeste & Jesse Forever is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lee Toland Krieger from a screenplay co-written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The 2012 film follows Celeste and Jesse, who are ending their marriage but still care about each other and spend much of their time together. However, when Jesse meets someone else, Celeste finds it hard to move on.

Nominations voting is from January 8-12, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 17, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2 and air live on ABC at 7:00 p.m. Et/ 4:00 p.m. Pt. We update our picks through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.

The State of the Race

Once again, the last time the Best Original Screenplay Oscar was won exclusively by someone who did not direct the film was in 2011 for “The King’s Speech.” More specifically, the last time a director won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay who was not also nominated for Best Director that year was when Spike Jonze won for “Her” a decade ago.

So with that in mind, consider Sean Baker (“Anora”), Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”), and Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold (“The Brutalist”) shoo-ins for a...

We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Welcome to 2025. It's the future.

Or rather, it's the present, but 2025 is a nice round number for writers of sci-fi screenplays. It's fun to speculate, and sci-fi writers typically take a version of the present, extrapolate it forward, and present a high-tech utopia or dystopia based directly on what we're going through right now. For writers in the 1950s, sci-fi futures were drawn from present-day booms in travel technology, predicting leaps forward in the development of rockets and space vehicles. For writers in the 1980s, sci-fi futures tended to be nuclear post-apocalyptic wastelands, extrapolated forward from the lingering threat of nuclear annihilation hovering over the Reagan administration. For writers in the 2010s, sci-fi futures were more cell-phone-based, positing worlds where microtechnology telecommunications would invade every aspect of our lives.

This weekend, Apple TV+ is free.

It’s a brilliant marketing move and reminds us of the time when, back when Disney Channel was a premium cable channel, they would do special free weekends, complete with cutaways to a fake call center to see people signing up in real time.

And while there might not be hosted segments previewing the channel’s upcoming programs, you have free reign over all of Apple TV+ – including their original film library.

To that end, we chose nine movies that you should definitely check out during the free preview weekend, everything from documentaries about the Beastie Boys to new classics from Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott to a movie about the formation of “Tetris” (yes really).

Apple “Beastie Boys Story”

Apple TV+ has a robust lineup of music documentaries, with Todd Haynes’ “The Velvet Underground,” plus docs dedicated to Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Louis Armstrong and Selena Gomez.

Henry Cavill's serial killer thriller Night Hunter is not as bad as its abysmal 14% Rotten Tomatoes score makes it out to be. Also known by the title Nomis, Night Hunter has an outstanding cast led by Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci, and Nathan Fillion. Night Hunter follows Cavill's protagonist Detective Walter Marshall, who searches for a serial killer in rural Minnesota. Night Hunter, which was written and directed by David Raymond, was released in theaters on September 6, 2019.

As the previous face of two franchises, Superman and The Witcher, Cavill seemingly has more freedom than ever in deciding which roles he will play throughout the 2020s and beyond. It's plausible that Cavill, who has previously attached himself to many franchises such as Netflix's Enola Holmes and even Mission: Impossible, is determined to keep his options open for more independent, standalone projects. He is set to star in...

Did Joaquin Phoenix Receive Oscar Nomination For Her? ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )

Joaquin Phoenix was after something real. In Her, Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi love story, Phoenix fell for an unexpected love interest: a voice-controlled AI named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Yep, a computer operating system. It sounds weird, but it led to one of Phoenix’s most raw and emotionally charged performances ever.

Phoenix saw something special in Her. In an interview with Reuters, he admitted, “I thought it was really interesting and unique, that there was this great emotional center you could grab onto, that it wasn’t too esoteric.” Basically, he saw a love story stripped of clichés, something real and raw. It was a chance to explore intimacy and isolation through a futuristic lens—and Phoenix was all in.

Before Her, Joaquin Phoenix had Oscar nominations for Gladiator, The Master, and Walk the Line. But Her...

Reason Why Scarlett Johansson Replaced Samantha Morton In Her (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Sometimes, even the best creative visions need a do-over. In the case of Spike Jonze’s Her—Samantha, the ultra-intelligent Os—was recast after the entire movie had already been filmed. According to Uproxx, Samantha Morton, who originally brought the character to life during filming, was replaced by Scarlett Johansson in post-production. And it worked.

The decision wasn’t due to drama, health issues, or scheduling conflicts—Morton had nailed her on-set performance, working closely with Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore Twombly) to bring the nuanced connection between man and machine to life. But Jonze revealed during a Q&a that things just didn’t feel right once they got into the editing room.

“What Samantha and I had done together wasn’t working for what the character needed,” Jonze explained. It wasn’t an easy call, but it became...

“A Complete Unknown” is a departure for Edward Norton, even though he’s quick to point out he’s played kind-hearted souls before — including, surprisingly, referencing Smoochy the Rhino from “Death to Smoochy,” an early, unexpected, comedic zag in this interview from Norton while discussing his buzzed-about performance as folk legend Pete Seeger.

And he’s right. He has played, as he puts it, “decent people” — he’s most definitely not always in that wiseacre vibe of Worm in “Rounders” or flirting with the emotional rage and misery of Monty in Spike Lee’s “25th Hour.” But his interpretation of Pete Seeger is unique in that he plays him with this true north earnestness … but with an undercut of passive aggressiveness that comes biting through when Timotheé Chalamet’s Bob Dylan does something Pete doesn’t see eye to eye with. This happens quite often during the events of “A Complete Unknown.

Jamie Foxx opens up about obscene prank at his birthday dinner ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The shocking details behind Jamie Foxx’s serious injury at his birthday party have finally been revealed.

On Saturday, it was reported that the Hollywood star has been struck in the mouth with a glass during his birthday celebration.

“Jamie Foxx was at his birthday dinner when someone from another table threw a glass that hit him in the mouth,” a spokesperson for Foxx said at the time. “He had to get stitches and is recovering. The police were called, and the matter is now in law enforcement’s hands.”

Trending Mufasa vs The Lion King On Rotten Tomatoes: Shah Rukh Khan’s Son AbRam Turns The Lucky Charm? Earns Better Ratings Than The Predecessor! Wicked Box Office (North America): Zooms Past Despicable Me 4’s $361M Domestic Haul & Becomes The 3rd Highest-Grossing Film Of The Year!

In 2003 came out what can only be described as an unidentifiable grooving object from another music galaxy, the fascinating outcome of the collaboration between French electro duo Daft Punk and manga and anime master Leiji Matsumoto. The resulting musical science fiction anime, “Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem”, is now primed for rediscovery by a new generation of electro and anime fans in a new 4K remastering.

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The film, directed mainly by Kazuhisa Takenouchi for Toei Animation but supervised by Matsumoto, is essentially a visual companion piece to Daft Punk’s 2001 album, “Discovery”, with no dialogues and few sound effects. For many years since its release. the movie was mainly available as a series of music video clips set to such world-famous tracks as “One More Time” (the opening act in the film) or “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger...

Coldplay have revealed a new video for their song “All My Love” directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore and starring the legendary actor Dick Van Dyke.

The official video arrives today, December 13th — Van Dyke’s 99th(!) birthday — but a special extended directors’ cut of the video premiered last Friday, December 6th. The directors’ cut features special documentary footage of Van Dyke at his Malibu home surrounded by friends and family, as well as archival footage of Van Dyke’s various Hollywood projects, like Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and more.

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Throughout, Van Dyke dances barefoot, embraces his family, and reflects on his mortality: “I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now, but I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me,” Van Dyke says. “I’m not afraid of it. I have that feeling,...

On Friday December 13 2024, ESPN broadcasts 30 for 30!

The New York Sack Exchange Season 4 Episode 22 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “30 for 30,” titled “The New York Sack Exchange,” promises to dive deep into a fascinating chapter of sports history. This episode will explore the legendary defensive line of the New York Jets during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Known for their fierce play and unique personalities, this group changed the way football was played and viewed.

Viewers can expect to see interviews with former players, coaches, and sports analysts who will share their insights and memories of this iconic team. The episode will highlight the tactics and strategies that made the Sack Exchange famous, showcasing their dominant performances on the field. It will also touch on the rivalries and challenges they faced, both within the league and as a unit.

In addition to the on-field action, “The New York Sack Exchange...

War films continue to be one of the most popular genres in cinematic history, producing epic films that capture the very best and worst of humanity. Many films about war focus on the most significant conflicts, like World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War, but some of the best war films of all time shed a spotlight on some lesser-known wars that are just as impactful and compelling. These films show the harrowing atrocities committed around the globe and educate viewers on battles and wars they may know very little about.

Films such as The Killing Fields showcase the brutal realities of the Cambodian Civil War and genocide, offering an unflinching look into one of Asia's most gruesome conflicts in a war film that is still as impressive today. Classics like Waltz with Bashir examine the Lebanon War that started in 1982 in a unique format, with a graphic...

Even at 98 (with his 99th birthday next week), Dick Van Dyke is embodying “viva la vida” – that is, he is living his life like no other. And he has been demonstrating this quite a bit as of late, most recently doing so in a new Coldplay music video. But before you take any easy shots at Coldplay, remember just how much appreciation they have for our living legends. And you may as well get some tissues ready because this one goes for the heart.

Shot at Dick Van Dyke’s Malibu home in October, we first see the actor moseying to the backyard where Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin awaits. As the new song, “All My Love”, plays, we’re guided through a nostalgic tour through the history of pretty much everything we love about Dick Van Dyke, with footage that shows various photos, pieces of memorabilia and awards throughout his life and career.

He’s famed for grumpy roles and outspoken views, but don’t be fooled – the Succession star is a pussycat at heart. He talks about growing up in poverty, falling in love with his wife – and out of love with Labour

As I leave the office, my editor wishes me luck. “Hope he’s not too grumpy!” she says. A moment later, the deputy editor asks where I’m off to. To see Brian Cox, the actor, I say. “Oh!” she says, with a rather-you-than-me look. “Hope he’s not too grumpy!”

Cox has played grumpy for going on 60 years. All sorts of grumpiness – idiot grumpy (independent candidate Bob Servant in the TV comedy of the same name), world-weary grumpy (school principal Dr Nelson Guggenheim in Wes Anderson’s film Rushmore), psychopathic grumpy (the first movie incarnation of Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter), egomaniacal grumpy (Robert McKee in Spike Jonze’s Adaptation) and,...

"I'm one of those lucky people who got to do for a living what I would've done anyway!" This is wonderful! Coldplay has released a brand new music video for the single "All My Love" off their brand new album called "Moon Music". But it's nothing like any usual music video. Coldplay's Chris Martin hangs out with the legendary Dick Van Dyke, who is turning 99 years old (!!) and plays on his piano while Dick dances around his home. All of it is filmed & edited into a lovely tribute to the iconic performer / comedian / actor Dick Van Dyke, cut with footage & photographs from his illustrious career in show business. It's co-directed by the filmmakers Spike Jonze & Mary Wigmore, which actually makes it the first real Spike Jonze-directed project we've seen in a while. And it's just so delightful. Shot in location at his home in Malibu, it's a lovely, heartfelt look...

In a charming new Coldplay video for the band’s song “All My Love,” comedy legend Dick Van Dyke takes center stage – on his Malibu patio – and shares his thoughts on his long life (he turns 99 on December 13) and mortality.

“I’m acutely aware that I, you know, could go any day now,” Van Dyke says in the video directed by Spike Jonze & Mary Wigmore, “but I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it. I have that feeling, totally against anything intellectual that I’m gonna be alright.”

Watch the music video above.

In addition to recent footage of Van Dyke chatting with the piano-playing Coldplay singer Chris Martin – it was shot in October – the “All My Love” video makes copious use of brief clips from throughout the comic’s career, with quick glimpses of his classic ’60s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show,...

Dick Van Dyke is looking back at his illustrious Hollywood career and life while starring in a music video for Coldplay’s song “All My Love.”

In the directors’ cut of the new video, helmed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore, Van Dyke is filmed at his Malibu home as he shares memorabilia he has collected over the years from his career, family, life and love. The video begins with the icon walking out into his backyard, where Coldplay’s Chris Martin sits at a piano and begins performing the song.

During one moment of the video, the Mary Poppins alum reflects on growing older ahead of his 99th birthday on Dec. 13 and why he isn’t afraid of dying.

“I’m acutely aware that I, you know, could go any day now, but I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me,” he says in the video. “I’m not afraid of it.

Dick Van Dyke is the star of Coldplay’s music video for the band’s latest single, “All My Love,” which sees the 98-year-old Hollywood legend dancing barefoot and duetting with frontman Chris Martin.

Directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore, the seven-minute video is more like a short film as Van Dyke — who turns 99 on Dec. 13 — reflects on his nearly eight-decade career. The Golden Globe, Tony and Emmy winner is best known for starring in the movie musicals “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” — and he proves in the “All My Love” music video that he still has the moves that made him famous. At one point, he even breaks out his signature bowler hat.

Shot at Van Dyke’s Malibu home, the video interweaves footage of Van Dyke, his family and Martin in his backyard with archival photographs and interview clips. “I’m acutely...

Coldplay has released a video for their recent song, “All My Love,” starring 98-year-old actor Dick Van Dyke. The special, extended “Directors’ Cut” edition of the clip, co-directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore, arrives ahead of the official music video, set for release on Dec. 13, Van Dyke’s 99th birthday.

The video was filmed at Van Dyke’s Malibu home and features the actor, known for his roles in classic movies Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ruminating about age, family, and love.

Van Dyke and Coldplay frontman...

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This December, Paramount+ is bringing you a ton of entertainment with the highly anticipated new series in the Dexter universe alongside a ton of great shows and movies. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Paramount+ this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 13 best films coming to Paramount+ in December 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Boogie Nights (December 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Credit – New Line Cinema

Boogie Nights is a period coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The 1997 film is set in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, and it follows Eddie Adams, a young nightclub dishwasher who became a big name in the adult film industry in the 1970s. Boogie Nights stars Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore,...

Some big-name movie directors have tried their hand at music videos in between directing movies, including Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese. Music videos offer directors a chance to try out some ideas in a shorter format. Rather than directing just one movie, a director could decide to shoot several music videos with different styles and different artists, just to keep things feeling fresh.

In some cases, Hollywood directors have helped create iconic music videos. The Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson and Madonna can all thank movie directors for some of their biggest hits, even if these directors have only tried out one or two music videos. For some directors, a music video can act as a warm-up for a movie, while others are just as involved in music videos as they are in movies.

Blue Song - Mint Royale Edgar Wright

14 whole years before directing Baby Driver, Edgar...

Acclaimed cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema can now add a viral short film to his résumé.

The “Oppenheimer” Oscar winner, who is known for his Christopher Nolan collaborations with additional features “Interstellar,” “Tenet,” and “Dunkirk,” has shot a Volvo commercial for the brand with director Marcus Ibanez. Van Hoytema has also previously collaborated with Spike Jonze, James Gray, and Jordan Peele.

In the ad titled “Meet the new Volvo EX90,” the Dutch-Swedish cinematographer captures a woman whose life flashes before her eyes as she’s crossing the street and a Volvo driver narrowly misses running her over.

The tagline reads, “Sometimes the moments that never happen matter the most.”

Van Hoytema previously told IndieWire that he constantly is trying to reinvigorate the language of cinema.

“To a certain extent, I am always trying to come up with something new in my own eyes, but work methods are like tics,” Van Hoytema said.

We’ve talked before about Criterion, the home video company that celebrates the medium of film with prestige releases of great works of cinema, which they then use as bait to trap celebrities in their closet. Does someone want to check on Jude Law real quick and make sure that he got out okay?

Criterion also has its very own streaming app, the Criterion Channel, which allows subscribers to pay $10.99 a month in order to feel extra guilty for binging the entirety of Riverdale while the complete films of Ingmar Bergman remain untouched.

But the Criterion Channel doesn’t just contain foreign and arthouse classics, they’ve also expanded to include some less-obvious choices. Like how they included Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered in their Razzie-themed program earlier this year.

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Well, next month they’ll be streaming a whole new collection, one that showcases movies that were all...

In April, Nicole Kidman delivered a killer speech when accepting the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award that included a list of directors who “took a bet” on her throughout her prolific career. The lineup included the likes of Susanne Bier, Stanley Kubrick, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion, Gus Van Sant, and more.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actress was asked if there was anyone she hasn’t worked with yet and would want to. “I’ve always said I want to work with [Martin] Scorsese,” replied Kidman, before adding,...

If you’re able to get to London by January 25th, or to Dublin in February, you can still get yourself a seat to see Dr. Strangelove, adapted for the stage by The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci and starring Iannucci’s frequent star, Steve Coogan. If you’re not? All you need is a Hulu login to see Coogan’s next most recent performance.

In this week’s episode of What We Do in the Shadows, Coogan débuts as Roderick Cravensworth, father to Matt Berry’s Laszlo — or, to be more precise, his ghost, Roderick having died more than a century ago. It’s reductive to say Roderick is the kind of father who would drive his son to rebel by embracing vampirism, but it might also be true: He’s pompous, he weasels his way into relationships far too quickly and he’s lightly emotionally abusive to...

Cameron Diaz burst into the scene as Tina Carlyle in 1994's "The Mask," which quickly became one of the highest-grossing films of the year, thanks to pitch-perfect performances by the leads. Diaz's ability to hold her own opposite Jim Carrey emerged as a testimony in favor of her talents, which she channeled into the string of roles that succeeded her promising debut. Comedy and drama are undoubtedly Diaz's strongest suits: the actor knows exactly how to make a joke land while grounding the narrative with her innate charm, as exemplified by her performance in "There's Something About Mary," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

This, of course, doesn't mean that Diaz did not excel in roles that demand a more nuanced approach to a character. Cameron Crowe's divisive, yet intriguing "Vanilla Sky" puts the actor in a unique position to play someone deeply hurt and obsessed, who...

If the comedy scene in 2024 is the new indie music explosion, does that mean that Joe Rogan is the new Radiohead?

Back in the 1990s, the mainstream success of post-punk and grunge music inspired listeners to dive deeper into bands outside the major, multi-billion-dollar, industry-defining record companies that controlled the airwaves as a new kind of music fan began to seriously explore independent labels, bands and scenes. Clad in flannel and sporting anti-skip Discmen, the indie music lover quickly became an integral part of American culture, shaping the sound and style of popular music for decades to come. Meanwhile, the entire indie music movement was a constant source of material for the stand-up comedians at the time, most of whom got a lot of mileage simply out of mocking the kinds of hairstyles that were typical of these proto-hipsters.

Flash forward to 2024, and an independent music artist becoming a worldwide...

What are the 100 greatest movies of all time? Well, that’s an incredibly difficult question to answer. After all, art is subjective and tastes vary incredibly across the globe. But, I’ve taken on the impossible task and gathered the 100 movies that I think constitute the 100 greatest movies of all time! Take a look below.

Related “I look forward to making great movies together”: Tom Cruise Might Have Hinted Mission Impossible Retirement After Latest Deal With WB for New Franchise The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time 100. Being John Malkovich (1999) A scene from Being John Malkovich (1999) Directed by Spike Jonze

In 1999 acclaimed actor John Malkovich took on the difficult task of playing himself in Spike Jonze’s incredibly bizarre, self-referential comedy. With John Cusack and Cameron Diaz playing against type as bumbling losers who find a doorway into the consciousness of Malkovich, this ground-breaking comedic effort feels fresh and hilarious upon repeated viewings.

Nicolas Cage’s status as a national treasure is being cemented by the Metrograph.

The New York City-based theater has announced a “Nicolas Uncaged” festival to honor the acclaimed star. The 10-film retrospective opens November 8 at Metrograph In Theater, and will feature 35mm showings of “Con Air,” “Moonstruck,” “The Wicker Man,” and “Wild at Heart.”

“Heaped with praise and panegyrics as one of the finest screen actors of his generation, pilloried and parodied as an anything-for-a-paycheck hambone with a weakness for weird wigs and prostheses, Nicolas Cage is a one-man sideshow, a mixture of Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum, Lon Chaney, and a stick of TNT who takes back ‘serious thespian’ prestige whenever he wants to, dives into grindhouse material and Academy Award hopefuls with the same mad enthusiasm, and never seems to be having anything less than a total blast in front of the camera,” the Metrograph press statement reads.

Back in 2003, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem saw electronic duo Daft Punk teaming up with late manga and anime legend Leiji Matsumoto for an anime visual album like no other. Now the feature—which had Kazuhisa Takenouchi directing and Toei Animation producing—is coming back to cinemas around the world in a 4K remaster. A curated selection of Daft Punk music videos—from the likes of directors Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Seb Janiak, Roman Coppola and Warren Fu—will play after the film. Check out the poster and screening details: Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem Screening Date: December 12, 2024 Tickets for the global showing from Trafalgar Releasing will be available starting November 13 at the official website . Description: Interstella 5555 tells the story of the abduction of an alien music band by an evil human character who has dark plans. The hour-long...

Well, this is unfortunate: Deadline reports that Spike Jonze‘s project over at Netflix, his first foray into scripted television, has been scrapped by the streamer. It’s unclear what made Netflix scuttle the limited series after a couple of years of development, but sources indicate it’s due to Jonze deciding to exit, although there’s a slim chance he may come back.

Read More: Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch

Still, the news comes as a bit of shock as Netflix has a strong reputation of catering to auteurs with singular visions like Jonze.

Continue reading Spike Jonze Exits His Netflix Project As Series Falls Apart After Two-Plus Years Of Development at The Playlist.

Exclusive: A high-profile Spike Jonze series at Netflix that has been shrouded in secrecy is not going forward at the streamer — at least for the foreseeable future, sources tell Deadline.

No information about the ambitious project was ever officially released, but the limited series is believed to be produced by Sister and had been in the works at Netflix for more than two years, with the streamer commissioning a writers room and exploring castings over that period. It is unclear whether anyone else besides Jonze was ever formally attached to the show; various names rumored for possible involvement over the past year or so include actors Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt as well as director Halina Reijn.

As of this past summer, the series was said to be eyeing a casting director and a potential 2025 start.

Nobody is commenting on the circumstances surrounding the U-turn. I hear Jonze may be...

Elizabeth Woodward saw an opportunity in the indie film market and ran with it. The founder and CEO of production shingle and distributor Willa is poised to break into bigger endeavors with Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina,” which it will release Oct. 25 in New York and Nov. 1 in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The film then rolls out nationwide Nov. 8 in over 75 markets.

The film embodies Willa’s mission of finding great material with a social conscience and tailoring the release strategy to not only bring in audiences but really reach them through events around the film. With “La Cocina,” which played in the Berlinale competition, that strategy entails an urgency spurred by the current election campaigns, from the presidential race to races on local levels.

Woodward strives to make films that move audiences, and because she came into the industry during a time of change and transition, “I’ve...

Following the astronomical success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Mattel and Sony are eyeing their next toy-related project: a film bringing the classic View-Master into the spotlight.

According to a statement from Mattel Films, the View-Master movie will be a live-action family adventure story. Escape Artists, the production company behind movies like The Pursuit of Happyness and Fences, is set to produce.

“View-Master has long been a window to the wonders of the world, sparking imagination in kids and adults alike,” said Todd Black, one of the Escape Artists producers on board. “Teaming up with Mattel Films gives us the chance to honor that legacy while creating an entirely new adventure for today’s audience. We can’t wait to bring this treasured toy’s sense of exploration to the big screen.”

2023’s Barbie, which starred Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, made over a billion dollars at the box office...

If you haven’t heard the name Isaiah Saxon, you likely will soon. An American film and music video director, Saxon co-founded the animation studio Encyclopedia Pictura and the online community DIY.org. He’s co-directed incredibly imaginative, surreal music videos for Grizzly Bear, Björk, and Panda Bear that all feel like a whimsical, creative mix of Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, and it should be no surprise his inventive work has inspired a forward-looking company like A24 to back his first feature-length film.

Continue reading ‘The Legend Of Ochi’ Trailer: Helena Zengel & Willem Dafoe Star In A24’s Fantasy Adventure About Magical Forest Creatures at The Playlist.

It is imperative that the dynamics between a director and actor are harmonious. After all, the last thing you want on set is a conflict between the two. No wonder having a director with whom you share a chemistry would work wonders.

Rita Ora thought the same. The Your Song singer’s single, Praising You, paid homage to the 1999 classic, Praise You by Fatboy Slim. And working with her behind the sets was Oscar winning director, and her husband, Taika Waititi. And that is when she found out that working with your spouse might not be the best idea.

Rita Ora was delighted with the idea of working Taika Waititi Rita Ora dropped her tribute to Fatboy Slim last year || Image by Michalsky, licensed under Cc By 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In her rendition, Rita Ora can be seen dancing along with her dance troupe before Fatboy Slim, with the 61-year-old...

Daniel Kaluuya discussed the early days of his career in a Screen Talk on the opening day of the BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday.

Speaking to fellow actor and close friend Ashley Walters, the Oscar winner took time to salute his Screen Talk host, someone he said had provided major inspiration when he was just starting out in the mid-2000s.

Kaluuya said seeing Walters’ face on the cover of a magazine while shopping in a supermarket was the “moment I believed it could happen… I was like, ‘Oh, he looks like me.'”

While Kaluuya may be one of the best known British actors working today — and one with a statue recently unveiled in his honor in central London — he said it was Walters’ work on screen that “really gave me the kind of belief” that a career as an actor was a possibility. He also suggested that Walters,...

Back in 2013, Spike Jonze’s Her, I really didn’t believe that someone could fall madly in love with an AI. But it was indeed a different time and things have changed pretty drastically. Today, technology has become an essential part of our daily lives and if I am not wrong to say this out loud, most of us won’t be able to survive without it. It is because of this particular reason why Vikramaditya Motwane’s cyber-thriller Ctrl, hits so hard. He’s easily one of the best directors in India, if not the best (at least in my opinion), and he’s nailed the portrayal of how technology, AI, and social media have taken control of our lives. The story revolves around a couple, Nella Awasthi and Joe Mascarenhas, a super popular influencer pair who have been together for five years. But on their fifth anniversary, something goes wrong,...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “It’s What’s Inside,” now streaming on Netflix.

Writer and director Greg Jardin’s debut feature, “It’s What’s Inside,” is a body-swapping mystery. Yet Jardin had his own out-of-body experience the day the movie started an intense bidding war at Sundance in January.

“It’s still surreal now,” he says. “We made the movie in a bit of a bubble, $2.5 million independent, just with hopes that someone would buy it at a festival. Getting into Sundance alone was awesome. And then our first offer came in 24 hours after our premiere, and the offer started at $5 million, which was double our budget. I was like, ‘Man, this is incredible.'”

But the buzz around Park City kept growing.

“It was my first experience,” he says. “With any of that stuff, there’s essentially a bidding war that lasted about 36 hours. I was in meetings with our financiers and sales agent.