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Kathryn Bernardo is a very good girl gone bad in Petersen Vargas‘ easy-to-digest revenge thriller shown on Netflix. The Filipino actress who has been dominating the country’s TV- and cinema screens since her childhood delivers her standardly good performance in a role that carries the film. Her very presence already guarantees a large viewership, and so does Dolly De Leon‘s which is something Vargas had most probably calculated on from the beginning. Both women are audience magnets and although their full potential isn’t even required for the two roles, they do shine. It is the clash of these two screen titans that brings back the spirit of the 1980s and briefly resurrects the memories of epic wars between Alexis (Joan Collins) & Cristal (Linda Evans) in “Dynasty”. But for that candle to burn longer, we would need more finely developed dramatic moments and less dramatic tears.

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Carol Kane received her first awards nomination 50 years ago next year. It was a big one, too; after just five years in film, working with directors of the caliber of Mike Nichols and Hal Ashby, Kane was feted by the Academy for her starring role in Joan Micklin Silver’s period drama Hester Street, a film she made in 1975 alongside Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon. Primetime Emmy awards followed in the early ’80s, for James L. Brooks’ hit show Taxi, in which she played the wife of Andy Kaufman’s character Latka Gravas.

Awards-wise, Kane has simmered throughout her career while never quite boiling over. Instead, she focused on the work—as a young actress, she caught the tail end of the New Hollywood of the ’60s, and then quite effortlessly segued into the commercial studio mainstream of the ’80s, making Scrooged in 1988 with Bill Murray. In the ’90s,...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2024, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

When reflecting on any year in movies, the theatrical experience rings most memorable. From driving across the border to Ohio with friends to watch No Country for Old Men in 2007, to a 35mm screening of Stalker at the Wexner Center for the Arts in 2011, with so rapt an audience I was terrified to swallow for fear it would disrupt their experience—each year holds it own special memories and 2024 was no different. There was a lively afternoon matinee of Between the Temples in which I was the youngest present by about 25 years, and a sold-out Wednesday screening of Showgirls at the Academy Museum with Elizabeth Berkley in person. But judging from reactions on X.com, I’m not alone in my favorite 2024 theatrical screening being witnessing Interstellar in 70mm IMAX.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Between the Temples (Nathan Silver)

In a state of arrested development after his wife unexpectedly died from a freak accident, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is suicidal, pleading to a truck to just run him over and begging that he be fired from his job as cantor at the local Jewish temple in upstate New York. While this set-up may not scream comedy, Between the Temples is in fact hilarious, packed with endless jokes and adoration for physical gags while we witness Ben find new meaning in life through an unexpected acquaintance. Above all, Nathan Silver’s feature, from a script he co-wrote with C. Mason Wells,is a thrillingly alive, nimble piece of filmmaking: shot on 16mm by Sean Price Williams with...

A year where the most celebrated films are as diverse as “Wicked,” “The Brutalist” and “Smile 2” is a year movie-lovers are going to remember for a long time. The industry’s and the audience’s acceptance of wildly disparate films allowed for a host of memorable, unique performances in 2024 that challenged the norms of motion picture performance and gave many actors their most iconic roles to date.

It’s hard to narrow down all the greats; by the time this retrospective was already getting out of hand, it became clear that some wonderful turns were somehow, despite their brilliance, not going to make the cut. But these are the performances that stood out amongst the standouts, in some of the best — and arguably one or two of the worst — movies of the 2024.

Mikey Madison in “Anora” (Neon) Mikey Madison, “Anora”

It’s a cliché to call actors a “force of nature,...

There is something foundational about Carol Kane. She was part of the fabric of late 20th Century arts and entertainment, whether it be in films like “Dog Day Afternoon” and “The Princess Bride” or on television in her Emmy-winning performance on “Taxi” as wife to Andy Kaufman’s Latke. In transitioning into the 21st century, not only did her strengths become more amplified — her trademark quirkiness adding dynamism to movies such as “The Pacifier” and shows like “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” — but her range continues to become more pronounced. In the last decade alone she’s taken part in a western from Jacques Audiard (“The Sisters Brothers”), a zombie comedy from Jim Jarmusch (“The Dead Don’t Die”), and will soon be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s ’90s-set crime thriller “Caught Stealing” as a character she recently told IndieWire “only spoke Yiddish.”

The role garnering her the most attention nowadays, however,...

Often, the first taste of an upcoming film or television show is by way of its poster. For some films, such as “Jaws” or “The Silence of the Lambs,” a poster can in fact become entwined with its legacy and pave the way for an entire brand to be built. Making a strong first impression with an audience can be tantamount to a project’s success, but how does one capture the essence of an entire story in just one image?

For some, like Nathan Silver’s religious dramedy “Between the Temples,” the key is all in the title. Highlighting the film’s central duo, played by Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, the two posters for the film feature the heads of both stars mirrored against one another. In this simple, yet unique positioning, the offbeat nature of the entire film, as well as the connection between the two main characters is communicated effortlessly,...

For our most comprehensive year-end feature, we’re providing a cumulative look at The Film Stage’s favorite films of 2024. We’ve asked contributors to compile ten-best lists with five honorable mentions––many of those personal selections will be shared in coming weeks in separate features––and from tallied votes has this top 50 been assembled.

Without further ado, check out out the best in 2024 cinema below, our ongoing year-end coverage here, and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2025.

50. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller)

While Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned less than its predecessor at the box office, it was no less creatively satisfying. There should be little hesitation in calling Fury Road one of the greatest action films of all time (if not the greatest); all the more impressive that George Miller had it in him to make Furiosa even more epic.

“I have to say I’m stunned. I haven’t been able to make it real in my mind yet,” reflects Carol Kane on her recent awards nominations and wins for the film “Between the Temples.” The veteran star received the Supporting Actress prize from the New York Film Critics Circle and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Supporting Performance for her turn in the Nathan Silver movie, on which she also serves as executive producer. The recognition comes as a welcome surprise because, as she says, “It’s a unique experience at my age to get re-noticed, as it were.” Though she would prefer that she and her co-star Jason Schwartzman “were nominated for things together,” she remains “extremely grateful” and thinks the citations are “like a miracle.” Watch our complete video interview above.

Kane stars in “Between the Temples” as Carla, a woman who, following the death of her husband,...

After close to three hours of deliberation, the New York Film Critics Circle named Brady Corbet’s three-hour-plus epic The Brutalist as Best Film. The group also named the pic’s star Adrien Brody as Best Actor.

A24 snapped up the movie after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it earned a 13-minute ovation. The Brutalist stars Brody as László Tóth, a World War II Hungarian refugee architect in the U.S. and Guy Pearce as the complex real estate tycoon who enlists Tóth’s talents of Brody’s character. Corbet, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice, shot The Brutalist in Hungary with tax credits for under $10M. It opens on December 20. A24 also will be showing the epic, which also stars Felicity Jones and Alessandro Nivola, in 70Mm.

The NYFCC handed its Best Director award to RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys director RaMell Ross,...

Brady Corbet’s historical epic “The Brutalist” was the big favorite at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, taking home two major prizes for best film and actor for Adrien Brody.

As the oldest critics’ group in the United States, the NYFCC is seen as a bellwether for awards season, with its best film winner often correlating with an Academy Award nomination for best picture. Since the Oscars expanded to 10 best picture nominees in 2009, only two NYFCC winners — “Carol” (2015) and “First Cow” (2020) — have failed to secure Oscar nominations in the category.

Brody’s win reignites his Oscar prospects surrounding his performance in Corbet’s historical epic, which has already been described as a towering achievement. The actor, who made history in 2002 as the youngest-ever best actor Oscar winner for “The Pianist” at age 29, could now become the youngest two-time winner at 51. However, he faces stiff competition from a strong...

The first major awards show of the season has spoken, and the future looks bright for A24 as A Different Man took best feature and Sing Sing top acting honours for Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin at the 34th Gotham Awards on Monday night.

Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora, which began the night at Cipriani Wall Street in New York with the most nominations on four, went home empty-handed. However Sean Baker’s madcap romantic comedy is expected to figure prominently as awards season continues.

Aaron Schimberg’s dark comedy A Different Man premiered in Sundance and stars Sebastian Stan...

“A Different Man” was named the best independent film of the year at the 2024 Gotham Awards, which took place on Monday night in New York City.

The win for the drama starring Sebastian Stan came as a surprise at the end of a show in which “Nickel Boys” and “Sing Sing” had been the big winners, and in which “Anora” came in with the most nominations but left empty-handed.

In the gender-neutral acting categories, Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin won the lead and supporting awards for “Sing Sing.” Domingo’s category also included Pamela Anderson for “The Last Showgirl,” Nicole Kidman for “Babygirl,” Marianne Jean-Baptiste for “Hard Truths” and Mikey Madison for “Anora,” while Maclin’s included Yura Borisov for “Anora,” Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist,” Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain” and Danielle Deadwyler for “Nickel Boys.”

“Nickel Boys” star Brandon Wilson won the award for breakthrough actor, while that film’s director,...

A24’s “A Different Man” won best feature at the 2024 Gotham Awards Monday night at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Meanwhile, “Sing Sing” swept the acting categories, with Colman Domingo winning for best lead performance and Clarence Maclin for best supporting performance.

Each category for nominations is decided by a different jury of critics, journalists and other industry professionals, and screening links must be provided to all its jury members. An entirely different group determines the winners. That’s in contrast with the Oscars or the BAFTAs, which are determined by actors, filmmakers and other artists who are in the entertainment industry.

In addition to the nominees, the Gothams bestowed special tributes to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (Performer Tribute) for “Maria,” Emmy winner Zendaya (Spotlight Tribute) for “Challengers,” Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold (Visionary Tribute) for “A Complete Unknown,” and the...

When the 34th annual Gotham Awards took place in Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Monday, December 2, the Oscar race officially began. The Gothams traditionally occupy a spot on the awards calendar as the first major film-centric ceremony of the season, giving fans their first opportunity to see the year’s biggest stars on the red carpet. The event also marks awards watchers’ first chance to gauge the state of the race.

The night’s top prize went to “A Different Man,” Aaron Schimberg’s A24 body transformation comedy that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film, which stars Sebastian Stan as a facially disfigured actor who undergoes an experimental surgery to boost his career, beat out Oscar frontrunners such as Sean Baker’s “Anora” and Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” The win could boost the award chances of both Schimberg and his stars Stan and Adam Pearson.

The Gotham Awards, honoring the best in American independent films, held their 34th annual event on Monday night, Dec. 2, launching the fall and winter awards season. So who were the big winners? Scroll down for the complete list of 2024 Gotham Awards champs in all categories, updating live throughout the night.

Nominees were decided by panels of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. The winners were then selected by juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors, and others directly involved in filmmaking. Those small juries change from year to year and from category to category, so these awards can produce surprising results.

Telling the story of a young sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, “Anora” led the nominations with four bids including Best Feature, as well Sean Baker for Best Director, actress Mikey Madison for Best Lead Performance and actor...

Tonight, New York City celebrated the finest in entertainment with the 2024 Gotham Awards. It’s the first step on the long road to the Oscars and finally giving awards watchers something to live for. Though the Gothams focus on independent movies, the Gotham Awards give us some sense of what...

Between the Temples.On a cold day in Rhinebeck, New York, Ben Gottlieb, the cantor of the local synagogue, walks into a Catholic church. Anxious, and recently widowed, Ben has come to talk about the afterlife. “Yeah, we don’t have Heaven or Hell,” he explains to the priest, pausing sheepishly, “we just have, you know, Upstate New York.” Ben is wondering whether, if he starts believing in heaven, he might be able to “grandfather” his late wife in. “I think that’s more of a Mormon thing,” the priest replies.On a mild day in Eastern Poland, David chases his cousin Benji through a Pkp Intercity train—they haven’t bought tickets. Anxious, and recently bereaved, they have come to Poland on a Holocaust memorial tour, paid for by an allotted sum in their grandmother’s will. “We shouldn’t have to pay for train tickets in Poland—this is our country,...

Exclusive: Spain’s Movistar Plus+ has gone shopping at Sony Pictures Television.

The streamer has acquired medical drama Doc, British crime drama Dope Girls, police thriller Long Bright River, the Jacob Elordi-starring Narrow Road to the Deep North and Outlander prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

Each show will premiere in Spain in 2025, with launch date due to be announced in due course. They were all introduced to buyers at May’s LA Screenings, where they began to create buzz.

Given this deal also includes library film titles, it something of a throwback to the former days of output deals — albeit in a 2024 manner. As such, Movistar Plus+ will premiere six features from the Sony Pictures library, namely Sundance title I Saw the TV Glow; Diana O. Pusić’s Julia Louis-Dreyfuss debut Tuesday; Saoirse Ronan film The Outrun; Daddio, starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn; Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples; and Summer Camp,...

‘Anora’, del director Sean Baker, encabeza las nominaciones. © Gotham| Universal Pictures | A24

Ya se conocen los nominados a los Gotham, unos galardones que premian lo mejor del cine independiente estadounidense y que dan el pistoletazo de salida oficial (como cada año) a la temporada de premios.

Este año, Anora, de Sean Baker – que, por cierto, acaba de estrenarse en cines españoles –, es la película con más nominaciones, con un total de cuatro. Muy de cerca le siguen Nickel Boys, de RaMell Ross, y I Saw the TV Glow, de Jane Schoenbrun, ambas con tres nominaciones cada una.

La 34 edición de los Premios Gotham se celebrará el 2 de diciembre. A continuación, os dejamos la lista completa de nominados:

Mejor PELÍCULA

Anora

Babygirl

Challengers

A Different Man

Nickel Boys

Mejor PELÍCULA Internacional

All We Imagine As Light

Green Border

Hard Truths

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

Vermiglio

Mejor INTERPRETACIÓN Principal

Pamela Anderson,...

“Between the Temples” is in many ways a coming-of-age story, but it is also a meditation on faith, an examination of the aging process, and reconnecting with the past. How are all these things possible at once? As “Between the Temples” so beautifully explores, identity is fungible, and there is never any definitive moment in which someone definitively passes from one stage of life to another.

The possibility of finding either maturity or regression later in life is what makes it so exciting, but it can also be a challenge for those who don’t feel their experiences are worth consideration. There are a lot of touchy subjects that get a spotlight in “Between the Temples,” but at its best, Nathan Silver’s gut-busting dramedy explores all the specific chaos that comes with being human.

At the center of “Between the Temples” is another charming man-child performance by Jason Schwartzman as Ben Gottlieb,...

The first nominations of the season are in as contenders for the 34th Gotham Awards were unveiled on Tuesday, with Anora, Hard Truths, and The Last Showgirl among 39 features and 25 performances in the running for nine awards.

Nominees were announced via X and seesAnora, whichleads the way on four nods,Babygirl, Challengers, A Different Man, and Nickel Boys up for the best feature prize, while Pamela Anderson, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Mikey Madison, and Demi Moore are in the running for best lead performance.

Nickel Boys and I Saw The TV Glow each earned three nominations, while Hard Truths garnered two.

The nominations for the 34th Gothams Awards were unveiled on Tuesday, with Anora, Hard Truths, and The Last Showgirl among 39 features and 25 performances in the running for nine awards.

Nominees were announced via X and seesAnora, whichleads the way on four nods,Babygirl, Challengers, A Different Man, and Nickel Boys up for the best feature prize, while Pamela Anderson, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Mikey Madison, and Demi Moore are in the running for best lead performance.

International feature film nominees are All We Imagine As Light, Green Border, Hard Truths, Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, and Vermiglio.

The inaugural best...

Awards season is officially underway, according to the Gotham Film & Media Institute, and “Anora,” “Babygirl,” “Challengers,” “A Different Man,” and “Nickel Boys” are among the films in competition at this year’s Gotham Awards.

On Tuesday, the membership-based, non-profit independent film group announced its nominees for the 2024 Gotham Awards, the “start of the annual awards season” according to press materials. “Anora” led with four nominations, including Best Feature, Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison, Best Supporting Performance for Yura Borisov, and Best Director for Sean Baker.

The other Best Feature nominees included “Babygirl” (which landed Nicole Kidman a nomination for Best Lead Performance), “Challengers,” “A Different Man” (which also received recognition for Adam Pearson in Best Supporting Performance), and “Nickel Boys” (which had two other nominations – Best Director for RaMell Ross and Breakthrough Performance for Brandon Wilson).

Other highlights among the nominees include Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson in the Best Lead Performance category,...

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the nominations for the 34th edition of The Gothams, including 39 feature films and 25 performances in nine award categories. Leading the Best Feature nominees are Anora, Babygirl, Challengers, A Different Man, and Nickel Boys.

“We are proud to announce the nominees for The Gothams, selected by nominating committees who bring their independent perspective to the selection process. This year’s nominations celebrate voices from across the globe, embodying the growing embrace of international cinema by audiences everywhere. We look forward to celebrating our nominees and our Gotham tributes in a few weeks,” said Sharp.

The 2024 Gothams will be held live and in person at 7 pm on Monday, December 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Best Feature

Anora

Sean Baker, director; Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, producers (Neon)

Babygirl

Halina Reijn, director; David Hinojosa, Julia Oh, Halina Reijn, producers (A24)

Challengers

Luca Guadagnino,...

Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning Anora from Neon has nabbed four Gotham Award nominations today including Best Feature, Best Director, Outstanding Lead Performance for Mikey Madison and Outstanding Supporting Performance for Yura Borisov.

Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers from Orion/Amazon MGM was nominated for Best Feature. The studio’s Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross had noms for Best Feature and Best Director.

The indie-centric awards last year removed a longstanding budget cap on eligibility, an opening for bigger budget studio and streamer fare to submit for consideration.

A24 films were everywhere with multiple nominations for Babygirl, I Saw The TV Glow, Sing Sing and A Different Man. The Brutalist, Janet Planet and Love Lies Bleeding had noms as well.

The October noms and early December ceremony are industry bellwethers, coming at the start of awards season in the crush of fall festival buzz.

“We are proud to announce the nominees for The Gothams,...

“Anora,” “Babygirl,” “Challengers,” “A Different Man” and “Nickel Boys” have been nominated as the best films of 2024 by the 2024 Gotham Awards, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced on Tuesday.

Sean Baker’s “Anora” led all films with four nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director and Outstanding Lead and Supporting Performances for Mikey Madison and Yuri Borisov.

In the gender-neutral Gotham acting categories, other nominees included Pamela Anderson for “The Last Showgirl,” Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist,” Nicole Kidman for “Babygirl,” Marianne Jean-Baptiste for “Hard Truths,” Demi Moore for “The Substance” and Saoirse Ronan for “The Outrun.”

Eligibility for the Gotham Awards used to be restricted to films that came in under a $35 million budget cap, but the awards did away with that rule last year. Currently, the definition of a film eligible for the Gothams is “filmmaking with a point of view … where the vision of an individual director,...

The Gotham Film and Media Institute announced Tuesday the nominations for the 34th annual Gothams, honoring 39 features and 25 performances across nine award categories. Nominees were chosen by a group of journalist- and programmer-led committees. This is the first major awards body to share nominations for the year in film, and here, the Gothams are led by “Anora,” “Babygirl,” “Challengers,” “A Different Man,” and “Nickel Boys” in the Best Feature category.

“We are proud to announce the nominees for The Gothams, selected by nominating committees who bring their independent perspective to the selection process. This year’s nominations celebrate voices from across the globe, embodying the growing embrace of international cinema by audiences everywhere. We look forward to celebrating our nominees and our Gotham tributes in a few weeks,” said Gotham Film and Media Institute executive director Jeffrey Sharp.

Per the Institute, nominees are chosen by committees of film critics, journalists,...

It’s officially awards season, baby. While there are still more than four months to go before we cross the finish line at the Academy Awards, this afternoon the Gotham Awards—honoring independent film—announced their crop of 2024 nominees, officially kickstarting campaign season and offering the first clues about which...

As 2024 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our eyes on titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen, so—as we do each year—we’re sharing a rundown of the best titles available to watch at home.

Curated from the Best Films of 2024 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some with which we’ve recently caught up. While our year-end coverage is still to come, including our staff’s top 50 films of 2024, this streaming guide will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to find notable – perhaps underseen – titles of late.

Note that we’re going by U.S. releases and that streaming services are limited solely to the territory as well. If you want to stay up-to-date...

The Valladolid International Film Festival celebrates its 69th edition from Nov. 18, and according to fest director José Luis Cienfuegos, it’s one of the most modern and international editions the festival, known locally as Seminci, has ever hosted.

Nestled snuggly into an autumn lull after the breakneck run from Venice through Toronto and into San Sebastian, Seminci has long stood out as a bastion for independent cinema in Spain, while San Sebastian has often catered to more big-name, big-budget fare, especially in recent years.

Set in the capital city of the Spanish region Castilla-Leon, Valladolid’s 69th edition is the second under director Cienfuegos, who boasts an illustrious nearly 30-year career as a festival director at the Seville European Film Festival (2012-2023) and Gijon Intl. Film Festival (1995-2011).

“Valladolid is a city absolutely dedicated to the festival that demands and needs to open the doors to a new generation of filmmakers,...

Festival hits Anora, Emilia Perez and Maria, a new Stockholm Series strand for TV works, and a theme of ‘Men in Crisis’ are among the highlights of this year’s Stockholm International Film Festival (November 6-17), the programme of which has been announced today (October 9).

The international feature competition includes Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlin title La Cocina; RaMell Ross’ Telluride premiere Nickel Boys; and Gustav Moller’s Denmark-Sweden-France co-production Sons. It has an even split of 10 titles directed by women, and 10 by men.

Scroll down for the full list of Stockholm Competition titles

The 16-title documentary competition includes the world premiere of Garbo: Leave Me Alone,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Between the Temples (Nathan Silver)

In a state of arrested development after his wife unexpectedly died from a freak accident, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is suicidal, pleading to a truck to just run him over and begging that he be fired from his job as cantor at the local Jewish temple in upstate New York. While this set-up may not scream comedy, Between the Temples is in fact hilarious, packed with endless jokes and adoration for physical gags while we witness Ben find new meaning in life through an unexpected acquaintance. Above all, Nathan Silver’s feature, from a script he co-wrote with C. Mason Wells,is a thrillingly alive, nimble piece of filmmaking: shot on 16mm by Sean Price Williams with...

Serial killer thriller Strange Darling and poignant comedy Between The Temples had nice debuts as Coraline’s re-release continued to kick this weekend along with a handful of holdovers from Didi to Sing Sing.

Magenta Light Studios’ Strange Darling — where nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree — debuted to $1.14 million at 1,135 theaters, according to Comscore. Jt Mollner’s slasher stars Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey. Giovanni Ribisi makes his big screen debut a as cinematographer.

Veteran producer Bob Yari (Crash) formed production and distribution outfit Magenta Light Studios earlier this year.

Sony Pictures Classics’ Between The Temples saw a nice $677.9k opening on 576 screens for the film by Nathan Silver. Jason Schwartzman stars as a cantor losing...

Two new movies just barely cracked the top 5 in one of the worst weekends of the summer with no movie making more than $19 million. Read on for the weekend box office report.

“Deadpool and Wolverine” returned to #1 with an estimated $18.3 million, down just 39% in its fifth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $577.2 million. That’s not only the second-best showing for the year after Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” but it’s also passed last year’s #2 movie, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” to become the 16th highest-grossing domestic blockbuster ever. Marvel Studios’ only 2024 release has passed $1.2 billion worldwide with another $20.2 million made overseas this weekend.

Disney’s other current release, “Alien: Romulus,” took a massive second weekend plunge, dropping to second place with $16.2 million (down 61%) to bring its North American total to $72.6 million. It’s closing in on 2017’s “Alien: Covenant” to become the fourth-highest movie in the “Alien” franchise,...

Playing a bereaved synagogue cantor and his former primary school music teacher, Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane light up Nathan Silver’s endearing odd couple tale

Voices – the loss of them, the way they can be trampled and flattened by people who feel they know best – are at the heart of Nathan Silver’s abrasively heartfelt comedy drama Between the Temples, an idiosyncratic and bittersweet American indie set in upstate New York. Benjamin Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) has lost his voice, or at least the ability to sing. And this is a problem: fortysomething Ben is a cantor; he chants the prayers and passages from the Torah to the congregation in an inclusive, liberal reform synagogue. The loss of his voice cuts deep into his identity, a physical manifestation of a looming crisis of faith triggered by the death of his wife the previous year.

And then there’s the voice of Carol Kane,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 22nd, reviewing the new film “Between the Temples,” featuring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. In theaters beginning August 23rd.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Jason Schwartzman is Benjamin, a Jewish cantor at his temple that had recently lost his novelist wife, who had passed away, and as a result of that event has lost his singing voice. He re-connects in a surprising way with his once-influential grade school music teacher, Carla (Carol Kane), who at the same time – even in her older age – happens to want to complete her Bat Mitzvah, and Benjamin happens to tutor candidates. In their journey together with the religious texts, they find a deeper connection. The “temple” on the other side also has Benjamin leaning into a connection with twentysomething Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), daughter of Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel). Everyone is...

Two very different indies circling a cantor and slasher debut in moderate to wide release along with a handful of limited openings from Close Your Eyes to Paradise Is Burning on this late summer weekend with the fall festival season about to kick off.

Sony Pictures Classics launches Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane-starring Between The Temples on 576 screens. Directed by Nathan Silver, written by Silver and C. Mason Wells with Schwartzman as a cantor losing his voice, and maybe his faith. His world turns upside down when his grade school music teacher (Kane) re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student. SPC acquired the thoughtful comedy out of Sundance. Also stars Robert Smigel (Leo), Madeline Weinstein (Beach Rats), and Matthew Shear (Mistress America). It played Sundance and Berlin to strong reviews (sits at 87% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes) and made its New York debut at Tribeca.

Veteran...

When Nathan Silver sat down for an interview with Slant over a decade ago, Mackenzie Lukenbill noted that the director was “predominantly preoccupied with chaos.” The scope of his productions might have grown since then, but Silver’s core sensibility has stayed largely the same. His latest feature, Between the Temples, fulfills all the playfulness with both narrative and form on display in his early-career run of microbudget works.

The stars and scope might make Silver’s biggest production to date feel different than those before it, but the process to achieve his distinctive vision remains deeply collaborative. While Silver shares official screenwriting credit with C. Mason Wells on Between the Temples, the finer shadings of dialogue and character come about through workshopping their “scriptment” with their cast. Cameras roll before the actors have time to memorize their lines, lending scenes the paradoxical sensation of structured improvisation.

That style proves...

Jason Schwartzman as Ben and Carol Kane as Carla, in Nathan Silver’s dark humor yet sweet Jewish comedy Between The Temples. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Jason Schwartzman plays a cantor who has lost his singing voice, his wife and maybe even hope, whose life is changed when his grade-school music teacher, played by Carol Kane, becomes his adult bat mitzvah student, in Nathan Silver’s offbeat, darkly funny but sweet Jewish comedy Between The Temples.

After the sudden death of his wife, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) has lost his singing voice, his enjoyment of life, and even, maybe, his faith. Unable to bear living in the house he shared with his late wife Ruth, Ben now lives with his doting artist mother Meira (Caroline Aaron) and his overeager, real estate agent stepmother Judith (Dolly de Leon) in the basement of their big home. Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel), still...

Those who’ve followed Nathan Silver and Chris “C. Mason” Wells’ careers might find themselves bewildered in recent months. Compelling enough that their latest collaboration, Between the Temples, premiered at Sundance with at least three major figures aboard; more notable that a filmmaker long associated with smaller distribution would become a Sony Pictures Classics player; and now names are being dropped on The Tonight Show to applause. (Does Jimmy Fallon actually know Silver’s work? Let’s print the legend.)

Wells’ cinephile record (inasmuch as such a record could exist) is inveterate: currently director of distribution at Mubi, he brings decades of experience as a viewer and industry figure to Temples, one of the most sharply and distinctly written films in recent memory. We discussed Temples‘ creation over Zoom and voice memos (which you hopefully can’t distinguish), distilling a complex project into intention and inspiration.

The Film Stage: You’ve been doing other interviews?...

Nathan Silver, a director known for his character-driven stories and offbeat narratives, returns with Between the Temples, a comedy-drama that explores the intersection of faith, personal crisis, and unexpected connections.

Silver, who has previously directed films such as Thirst Street (2017) and The Great Pretender (2018), collaborates with co-writer C. Mason Wells to deliver a story that balances humour with poignant moments. The film boasts an impressive cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane with Dolly de Leon, and Caroline Aaron, each bringing their unique talents to this masterfully executed and emotionally resonant tale.

The story centres on Ben Gottlieb, played by Jason Schwartzman, a synagogue cantor a who finds himself grappling with a crisis of faith. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is assigned to teach an adult bat mitzvah class, only to discover that one of his students is Carla O’Connor (Carol Kane), his former grade school music teacher.

Rich Peppiatt’s comedy-drama Kneecap opens in 237 cinemas across England, Wales and Scotland through Curzon this weekend, following a strong two weeks in its native Ireland.

The film opened in Ireland and Northern Ireland on August 8 through Wildcard Distribution and held a top five spot for its first two weekends amid summer box office competition, reaching £557,610 as of Sunday, August 18.

Kneecap is a semi-fictionalised story of the eponymous Belfast-based hip-hop trio, and charts their rise from the Gaeltacht Quarter of West Belfast to becoming popular music artists.

Group members Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh all star as themselves.

Carol Kane probably deserves her own closet filled with classic films she’s been a part of, from “Dog Day Afternoon” to “The Princess Bride,” but for now, the Criterion Closet will have to do. In Criterion’s latest closet video, Kane reflects on influences like Bette Davis, as well as past collaborators like John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands, who she describes as a “queen and a goddess.”

“I’m Carol Kane, I’m an ac-tor, and I am so moved to be in this room — this closet — with all these extraordinary films, movies — I don’t know what you’re supposed to call them — but all the creativity. It’s breaking my heart in a good way,” said Kane at the beginning of the video.

As her first pick off the shelf, Kane grabbed “All About Eve” and discussed the effect the lead of the film, Bette Davis, had...

Jason Schwartzman’s been a totemic figure so long it can be hard to separate player from part. Beginning as idol of teenage rebellion Max Fischer in Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore,” the actor’s spent a quarter-century inhabiting numerous types — stuffy writers, disgruntled husbands, mourning widows, drug addicts, a bumping Pi on HBO’s perpetually ill-appreciated “Bored to Death” — that have doubled as progressions of professional versatility and real-life aging.

Like Jean-Pierre Léaud before him, Schwartzman is seemingly now cast for the weight his name and visage can carry. This sequence continues with “Between the Temples,” which finds him playing Benjamin, a cantor whose mourning for his deceased wife finds focus in sessions with Carla (Carol Kane), a fellow widow who decides now’s high time to receive the Bat Mitzvah she missed 60-or-so years prior. A brilliantly shaped scriptment from Nathan Silver and C. Mason Wells makes ideal scene...

Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples takes a stock story––a lonely middle-aged man finds unexpected love––and places it in an unfamiliar context. For one thing, it’s set in the upstate New York town Rhinebeck, depicted as a place where social life revolves around a bar and golf course. Cantor Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) can barely bring himself do his job, suffering a crisis of faith following his wife’s death. He’s lost his voice, literally and figuratively. Driven to suicidal ideation, he lays down in the street at night and hopes to get run over by a truck. He visits a priest for a discussion about his shaky faith. Although he’s on friendly terms with his boss, the temple’s rabbi (Robert Smigel), and his two lesbian mothers, he drinks to cover up his sorrow.

Carla (Carol Kane) comes into his life when she decides,...

A prolific presence on the 2010s ultra-low-budget indie scene, Nathan Silver has always had a fascination with communal relations, delusions, and make-believe—themes that get a rewarding, sympathetic arrangement in the offbeat comedy Between The Temples, his first feature in six years and most accessible work to date. Jason Schwartzman stars as Ben Gottlieb,...

Joanna Sternberg has returned with “A Country Dance” for the upcoming film Between the Temples.

The track — dedicated to Sternberg’s friend, Sami Bronowski — is a charming acoustic ditty packed with dazzling lyrics about drinking wine and dancing beneath the stars. “The joke of the song is: I don’t dance, I don’t drink wine, I don’t go outside, and I Definitely do not go out in nature (allergies and insect phobias),” Sternberg said in a hilarious statement. “But I wanted a playful nonsensical song to sing and...

Actors sell an unusual, compelling friendship as a widower reconnects with an old teacher in this thoughtful film

In a sleepy town in upstate New York, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman), the subject of writer-director Nathan Silver’s off-kilter Jewish comedy Between the Temples, isn’t doing very well. His wife, an alcoholic novelist, died a year earlier after slipping on an icy sidewalk. He’s a cantor at the local temple, but lost his singing voice. Schlubby, unshaven, eyes downcast, Ben shuffles through life in a daze, disillusioned with his faith and uninterested in the overt romantic set-ups by his overbearing Jewish moms (Caroline Aaron and Dolly De Leon). “Even my name is in the past tense,” he laments, an incisive complaint-joke in a film full of them. At one point early in the film, co-written by C Mason Wells, Ben lays in front of a truck and asks it to keep going.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film at Lincoln Center

An essential series of Jacques Rozier restorations begins.

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, has an encore with Eyes Wide Shut on a spectacular 35mm print this Friday and Saturday, the latter day also bringing The Ghost Writer on 35mm; Nathan Silver presents Crossing Delancey on 35mm and Mike Leigh’s Meantime; “City Dudes” returns on Saturday.

Bam

Films by Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, Lucrecia Martel, and more play in “Sweat!“; recent restorations are given a showcase, including a special premiere of The Spook Who Sat By the Door.

Museum of the Moving Image

70mm prints of 2001, Tenet, and Far and Away screen.

Film Forum

A Blaxploitation series, featuring classics and discoveries alike, begins; Army of Shadows continues.

Anthology Film Archives

Buñuel and Dalí play in “Essential Cinema.”

Museum of Modern Art...