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In the half-century since the “adult” film industry emerged as an above-boards legal activity, precious few legit feature films set in that world have emerged that a wider public has found edifying; the great Boogie Nights and not much else. The new Swedish drama Pleasure, a first film from young Swedish director Ninja Thyberg that was selected for last year’s ultimately canceled Cannes Film Festival and has now finally premiered, albeit virtually, at Sundance, now joins the short list of looks at the inner workings of the busy industry that are actually worth seeing.

“Are you here for business or pleasure?,” the U.S. customers officer asks the arriving young Swedish blonde (Sofia Kappel) as she clears customs. Chewing gum in a bored manner, she indicates the latter, although a year later that would by no means be the case. Next we see her, the 19-year-old is madly shaving...

You’ve heard this tale of superstar dreams many times before. A young talent comes to Hollywood to make it in the entertainment business. Along the way, they are faced with tough choices and question whether it’s really all worth it in the long run. It’s a story that’s been told from the perspective of actors, pop stars, and models, but the over-the-top exploits of “Boogie Nights” notwithstanding, the narrative depiction of a porn star’s rise has been few and far between.

Continue reading Sofia Kappel Is Simply Phenomenal In The Thought-Provoking ‘Pleasure’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Paul Thomas Anderson has directed six music videos for the Haim sisters, whose 2020 rock album “Women in Music Pt. III” is nominated at the Grammys for Album of the Year later this year. But it turns out the “Phantom Thread” and “Boogie Nights” director has impacted Haim’s music far more than just from behind the camera. On this week’s episode of the “Song Exploder” podcast, the band and their collaborators revealed that Anderson played a key role in writing the bridge of the song “Summer Girl” after he sent over unused movie dialogue for the Haim members to use however they wanted.

The story begins when Anderson told the band they should all get together and film a music video for “Summer Girl,” but the problem was the song was not finished yet. As band member Este Haim said, “We were like to Paul, ‘Wait, pump the breaks.

The Full Monty’s SAG Awards upset for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture at the 1998 ceremony — beating a murderers’ row that included Good Will Hunting, Titanic, Boogie Nights and L.A. Confidential — capped an unlikely journey from low-budget British comedy to one of the most beloved properties of the 1990s.

1997’s Monty launched a Broadway musical and a hit play that ran in London’s West End from 2014 until the novel coronavirus pandemic forced its theater to shutter last year. It all began when Italian producer Uberto Pasolini approached screenwriter Simon Beaufoy with an idea. “...

The Full Monty’s SAG Awards upset for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture at the 1998 ceremony — beating a murderers’ row that included Good Will Hunting, Titanic, Boogie Nights and L.A. Confidential — capped an unlikely journey from low-budget British comedy to one of the most beloved properties of the 1990s.

1997’s Monty launched a Broadway musical and a hit play that ran in London’s West End from 2014 until the novel coronavirus pandemic forced its theater to shutter last year. It all began when Italian producer Uberto Pasolini approached screenwriter Simon Beaufoy with an idea. “...

A new year means a new start. But in its list of new year releases for January 2021, Hulu is sending a message of…eh, we’ll get the year started in February. Not to be overly rude to the usually sturdy streaming service, but there’s not much going on for Hulu in 2021’s first month.

Perhaps the biggest release of note is something that already enjoyed a successful release for ITV in the U.K. The Sister is the lates thriller from Neil Cross (Luther) and it makes its U.S. debut on Hulu on Jan. 22. 2020 comedies Save Yourselves and Like a Boss both arrive on Jan. 1. Hulu original film The Ultimate Playlist of Noise premieres on Jan. 15 and TV series Everyone is Doing Great arrives on Jan. 13.

Thankfully Hulu’s library titles are a bit livelier this month. Jan. 1 sees the arrival of Blade Runner: The Final Cut,...

It’s December 31st, and I’m sure you know what that means, dear reader… that’s right, it’s Val Kilmer’s birthday! Today we celebrate by examining the John Holmes crime pic Wonderland (2003), starring Kilmer as the fallen star.

I went into the proceedings expecting a more sweeping Boogie Nights-esque tale of an ill-fated career in the porn industry during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Boogie Nights, after all, was inspired by Holmes’s life. Instead, Wonderland is more focused on the days, weeks and months immediately on either side of the gruesome 8763 Wonderland Avenue murders in Laurel Canyon on July 1st, 1981. It is more of a microcosmic crime study than a sweeping cautionary tale. The “Four on the Floor Murders” quickly joined the ranks of the Manson family killings and the Black Dahlia murder as some of the most infamous crimes in 20th century Hollywood lore.

First films of important directors usually feel like warm-ups, but not so this suspenseful story of ‘twilight’ people living in and around casinos. Paul Thomas Anderson writes and directs in a style that guarantees our full attention at all times. Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson assay riveting main characters, with Philip Seymour Hoffman in for a brief turn at the crap tables. It’s all behavior and relationship detail — are we reading each individual correctly? Are we going to learn more about them? When the surprises come, the story takes shape in its own unique way.

Hard Eight

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 14

1996 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 102 min. / Street Date October 28, 2020 / Sydney / Available from ViaVision

Starring: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters.

Cinematography: Robert Elswit

Film Editor: Barbara Tulliver

Original Music: Jon Brion, Michael Penn

Produced by Robert Jones,...

Hulu is kicking off the new year in style next month, with January set to deliver a ton of fresh titles to the Disney-owned streaming service. There’s a bunch of original content landing throughout the first few weeks of 2021, but probably the highlight is the incredible number of classic movies that are going up on the site on New Year’s Day. Whether you’re in the mood for iconic comedies, dramas, animated efforts or sci-fi flicks, there’s something for you on the way.

There are well over 100 films being added to Hulu’s library on January 1st, so let’s just pick out a few notable titles. The full Austin Powers trilogy is among them, and if you can’t get enough of Mike Myers, the first Shrek likewise becomes available. For dramas, there’s Robert Downey Jr. biopic Chaplin, Johnny Depp vehicle Donnie Brasco and Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show.

Everything you need to appreciate the sanguine jazz of Steven Soderbergh’s “Let Them All Talk” — — can be gleaned from a passage in the New York Times’ recent profile of David Fincher in which Soderbergh remembers how suffocating it was to watch his notoriously obsessive friend do some post-production work on the 2002 thriller “Panic Room”:

“‘David had a laser pointer out,’” Soderbergh winces, “‘and he was circling this one section of a wall in the upper part of the frame, saying that’s a quarter of a stop too bright.’ I had to leave the room. I had to go outside and take some deep breaths, because I thought, ‘Oh, my God — to see like that? All the time? Everywhere? I wouldn’t be able to do it.’”

It’s amusing to picture Soderbergh and Fincher hanging out together for the same reason it was funny to watch Homer...

You can usually tell based on nothing more than a synopsis what kind of Mark Wahlberg you’re going to get, such is the actor’s reliance on the two very different approaches to his career. There’s the underrated comedic star and unappreciated dramatic talent that’s done great work over the last two decades in projects as diverse as Boogie Nights, Three Kings, The Departed and The Fighter, while there’s also the action hero seen in such forgettable B-movies as Contraband, Shooter, Max Payne and his regular collaborations with Peter Berg.

The 49 year-old’s upcoming schedule illustrates this point perfectly. His next effort is low budget drama Joe Bell, which hails from rising directorial star Reinaldo Marcus Green, who won the Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award for Outstanding First Feature thanks to his acclaimed debut Monsters and Men.

Tom Holland And Mark Wahlberg Suit Up...

It is holiday time, and to that end, this latest look at recent books touching on the world of cinema features some gift ideas, quarantine reading—and even literary treats for little ones. This promises to be a strange holiday season. Thankfully, though, it is a strong one for bookworm film lovers.

Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks by Adam Nayman (Abrams)

Few film writers balance deep insight and cogent prose as effortlessly as Torontonian Adam Nayman. The latest from the author of Showgirls: It Doesn’t Suck and The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together is his best yet—a gorgeous, photo-packed study of the films of Paul Thomas Anderson. Masterworks is one of the most noteworthy cinema-themed books of 2020 and, without question, the deep dive Anderson and his films deserve. Opening with There Will Be Blood and moving through all of PTA’s features and music-video work,...

Paul Thomas Anderson wrote his 2002 romance “Punch-Drunk Love” as a star vehicle for Adam Sandler, who at that point was best known for broad comedies like “The Waterboy,” “Big Daddy,” and “Little Nicky.” Anderson was confident Sandler could pull off the more dramatic overtones of the “Punch-Drunk Love” script, but the filmmaker’s longtime producer JoAnne Sellar was less sure at first. Sellar admits in Adam Nayman’s book “Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks” that casting Sandler originally confused her.

“After ‘Magnolia’ [Paul] wanted to make a really short movie,” Sellar said. “That was the first thing I remember him saying. But yeah, he wrote it for Sandler. He was a huge Sandler fan, and I was just befuddled. I just didn’t get the whole Adam Sandler thing at that stage. I mean, the ‘Saturday Night Live’ stuff, yes, but the movies that Adam had done weren’t for me. As...

Since the birth of motion pictures, Hollywood has often glorified the god-like act of filmmaking over the years. It’s clear that Tinseltown types love to hold a mirror up to act of creating cinema. During this unusual awards season, one of the most highly anticipated contenders is “Mank,” David Fincher’s bio-drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s ongoing fight with director Orson Welles over the screenplay credit for “Citizen Kane,” considered one of the greatest films ever made.

SEEDavid Fincher returns with red-hot awards contender ‘Mank’ starring Oscar winner Gary Oldman

It’s been six years since Fincher’s last movie, the thriller “Gone Girl,” and his fans are psyched to witness how this visual whiz re-creates the look of ‘40s-style black and white features. It’s also a personal project, given that it is based on a screenplay by his late father Jack Fincher, who once served...

Since the birth of motion pictures, Hollywood has often glorified the god-like act of filmmaking over the years. It’s clear that Tinseltown types love to hold a mirror up to act of creating cinema. During this unusual awards season, one of the most highly anticipated contenders is “Mank,” David Fincher’s bio-drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s ongoing fight with director Orson Welles over the screenplay credit for “Citizen Kane,” considered one of the greatest films ever made.

It’s been six years since Fincher’s last movie, the thriller “Gone Girl,” and his fans are psyched to witness how this visual whiz re-creates the look of ‘40s-style black and white features. It’s also a personal project, given that it is based on a screenplay by his late father Jack Fincher, who once served as the chief editor of Life magazine. As for its ensemble cast, Gary Oldman stars as Mankiewicz,...

Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Elswit made a name for themselves as one of cinema’s strongest director-cinematographer duos with a run of acclaimed films that included “Hard Eight,” “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” and “There Will Be Blood.” The latter won Elswit his first and only Oscar for Best Cinematography. The two artists took a break for “The Master,” shot by Mihai Mălaimare Jr., and their reunion on “Inherent Vice” left Elswit thinking their partnership was over.

“God, I don’t know what it is anymore,” Elswit said last year about the state of his collaboration with Anderson. “It’s like a bad married couple. Unpleasant. I don’t know [if we’ll work together again]. Probably not. You know, it depends on how he feels. I would do it again…I didn’t enjoy myself on ‘Inherent Vice’…It was a combination of me and Paul just not getting along, and I can be as immature as him.

Jonny Greenwood has composed the original scores for four Paul Thomas Anderson features and counting, nabbing his first Oscar nomination for his celebrated work on “Phantom Thread.” But which track does the “Radiohead” lead guitarist consider his favorite Paul Thomas Anderson music cue? The answer should please fans of “The Master,” Anderson’s 2012 cult drama starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. Greenwood’s pick is the unsettling and dreamlike “Alethia,” a revelation he makes in a brand new interview featured in Adam Nayman’s book, “Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks.”

Publisher Abrams Books touts “Masterworks” as “an illustrated mid-career monograph exploring the 30-year creative journey” of Paul Thomas Anderson. The book features essays on each Anderson feature written by Nayman, a contributing editor to Cinema Scope and the author of “Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together.” Greenwood is one of several Anderson collaborators who took...

Adam Nayman, discussing his long and detailed book on Paul Thomas Anderson, will be the first person to tell you there is no small resource of writing on Paul Thomas Anderson. Being one of his generation’s 3-4 most popular American filmmakers (which is to say one of the 3-4 most popular filmmakers) has made him an endless, more-than-occasionally exhausted source of discourse—but if Nayman is, to my mind, one of his generations great film critics (Canadian or otherwise), the prospect of this compendium looms larger than Daniel Plainview’s oil rig.

I spoke to Nayman about said book, Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, which Abrams publishes this Tuesday. Graced by a foreword from the Safdie brothers (a collaboration that proved more meaningful than anyone could’ve guessed), filled with original designs from Little White Lies‘ Fabrizio Festa, Tertia Nash, and Sophie Mo, and boasting interviews with numerous of Anderson’s collaborators,...

HBO Max is out with its list of everything new coming to the streaming service in October and everything leaving at the end of the month.

The list includes HBO Originals like the limited series “The Undoing” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, out Oct. 25, and David Byrne’s “American Utopia” special event about Byrne’s Broadway show that electrified audiences, out Oct. 17.

There is also Nathan Fielder’s comedic docuseries “How To With John Wilson,” out Oct. 23, and the first season finale of “Lovecraft Country” on Oct. 18.

Among the things leaving at the end of the month are “Amelie,” “Ocean’s 11,” “V For Vendetta,” “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.”

Read the full list here:

Oct. 1

A World of Calm, Documentary Series Premiere

Akeelah And The Bee, 2006 (HBO)

All-Star Superman, 2011

American Dynasties: The Kennedys, 2018

American Reunion, 2012 (HBO)

Analyze That,...

With Lovecraft Country still providing HBO and HBO Max with its horror content through October, the streamer is looking elsewhere for its spooky season offerings. HBO Max’s new releases for October 2020 feature some truly awesome horror library titles.

Jordan Peele’s Us, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and David Fincher’s Se7en all arrive on Oct. 1. That alone should be enough to last you through spooky season. And if it doesn’t, It: Chapter Two is right there as well. October is also a big month for Batman and Superman with Man of Steel arriving on Oct. 1 along with a whole of animated specials dropping that same day.

In relation to the library titles, this isn’t HBO Max’s strongest month from an original perspective. But there is still plenty to like here. The West Wing election special arrives on Oct. 15. That will be followed by David Byrne...

It’s almost spooky season, and the various streaming services are making sure that subscribers have got plenty of great horror content for all ages available to watch this Halloween. Given the current state of the world, this All Hallow’s Eve will see more folks staying in than ever before, so we’ll need as much choice when it comes to finding a perfect movie or TV show to dive into as possible. Thankfully, Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video have got us covered.

Of course, there’s much more beyond just horror content arriving across the streaming world this October, with the first day of the month launching hundreds of new titles on all the various sites. There are also a few key highlights scattered throughout the month. Arguably the biggest is Aaron Sorkin’s much-anticipated all-star drama based on real events, The Trial of the Chicago 7,...

HBO Max is serving up a lot of great new movies this October. Fittingly for the spooky season, the Warner Bros. streaming service is adding a fair few classic horrors to its library next month, but there’s really something for everyone going up – from comedies to romances to sci-fi to superhero films.

Speaking of that last genre, DC lovers will be pleased to note that 2013’s Man of Steel, the movie that kicked off the Dceu, is among the titles arriving on October 1st. Besides that, there’s a bunch of animated DC pics dropping the same day, including Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and All-Star Superman. 2005’s Constantine featuring Keanu Reeves, meanwhile, also debuts on the service from the 1st.

That’s not the only film starring the beloved actor headed to the platform, though, as probably the highlight of October’s haul is the addition of the...

There are very much two completely different sides to the career of Mark Wahlberg, and they’ve combined hugely effectively to see him become one of the biggest and highest-paid movie stars in the industry over the last two decades. The 49 year-old is often accused of being a very limited actor, but with the right material in the right project, he’s dispelled those doubts on countless occasions.

One side of Wahlberg’s established screen persona is as the star of a series of mediocre and forgettable action thrillers that includes the likes of Shooter, Max Payne, Contraband, Mile 22, Spenser Confidential and the fourth and fifth installments of Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise. As a general rule, his mid-budget genre output tends to be mediocre at best.

On the other hand, there’s also a dedicated and committed talent, not to mention a hugely underrated comedian, that we’ve...

German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus — who passed away at 81 in 2017 — was nominated for three Academy Awards for “Broadcast News,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “Gangs of New York.” He never won, but the shot that defined his career didn’t even earn him a nomination: He’ll forever be best remembered for his legendary tracking shot in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob classic “Goodfellas.”

Known as the “Copa Shot,” the take is one of the few shots in the history of cinema readily identifiable by name. The three-minute scene boasts no memorable dialogue in one of the most quotable films of all time — yet it’s still regarded as the signature scene of “Goodfellas.”

In it, gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) leads his wife, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), through the back entrance of New York’s Copacabana nightclub, as the pair walk through the kitchen to the their table for two. With the...

A funny thing happens during Season Two of Hulu’s middle school comedy Pen15. Or, rather, it’s a not-so-funny thing, but a very interesting one.

You may recall that Pen15 stars thirtysomething actresses Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle (who created the show with Sam Zvibleman) as 13-year-old versions of themselves, opposite genuine middle schoolers. It’s a familiar sketch-comedy device — on SNL alone, everyone from Gilda Radner to Mike Myers to Amy Poehler played recurring kid characters — and the show’s first season leaned into the absurdity of two...

You might not expect Cinestate — the right-leaning Dallas production company responsible for “Dragged Across Concrete,” “Brawl in Cell Block 99,” and allegedly enabling a pattern of sexual abuse by producer Adam Donaghey — to create a sensitive and thought-provoking film about America’s epidemic of school shootings, but even if you lowered the bar down to the ninth layer of hell the company’s latest and least defensible effort would still manage to slink under it. An unholy cross between “Elephant” and “Die Hard” that depicts an armed attack on a Texas high school with all the realism of Dana Loesch’s wet dreams, “Run Hide Fight” is . It’s a movie made by someone who’s seen too many movies, and now made at least one too many as well.

Poor Thomas Jane. No one who brought us “The Mist” and that one scene at the end of “Boogie Nights...

Cooper Hoffman is set to make his film acting debut in one of the biggest ways possible. According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman has been cast as the lead in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film.

The younger Hoffman will reportedly be the main character in the untitled ensemble film centered around a fictional child actor, as has been reported in previous casting news about the film. As with the extent of the director’s prior filmography, Anderson wrote the script. Production is currently under way at various locations in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley (where his previous films “Inherent Vice” and “Boogie Nights” also took place), with Bradley Cooper also playing a role in the film. “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time” director Benny Safdie is also reportedly a member of the film’s ensemble.

This latest bit of casting...

In a beautiful, bittersweet passing of the torch, Paul Thomas Anderson has cast Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, Cooper Hoffman, in what will be the lead role of his new 1970s-set film. Currently shooting under the working title Soggy Bottom, set photos surfaced recently featuring Alana Haim, also making her screen debut, next to the newcomer, who is now confirmed to be Cooper Hoffman, THR reports.

Is that…Philip Seymour Hoffman's son in the new PTA? pic.twitter.com/lZoj0UtGk9

— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) August 30, 2020

In a career full of incredible accomplishments, among Philip Seymour Hoffman’s finest work was his collaborations with PTA, including Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and The Master. The son of Mimi O’Donnell and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the 17-year-old Cooper Hoffman will play a high school student and child actor in the film, marking his debut performance.

It’s also been confirmed...

Cooper Hoffman, the son of late Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, and singer-songwriter Alana Haim will make their feature acting debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1970s San Fernando Valley feature which is set at MGM.

They join eight-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper and Bennie Safdie. Cooper Hoffman will play the child actor protagonist of the multiple storyline feature. His dad worked with Anderson on several movies including Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love and The Master.

Haim is a vet of Anderson’s directed music videos, “Summer Girl” and “Little of Your Love”.

Deadline first told you about Anderson’s latest feature jumping from Focus Features to MGM. There is a chance that Universal will continue to be involved in the overseas distribution of the film.

MGM provided no comment.

Julianne Moore has joined the cast of Universal Pictures’ “Dear Evan Hansen” and will portray Heidi Hansen, the mother of Evan Hansen.

“Dear Evan Hansen,” a Tony-winning musical, opened on Broadway in 2016. The story follows a high schooler with social anxiety who gets caught up in a lie after a classmate’s family mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their son’s suicide note.

Universal acquired the feature film rights in late 2018. Stephen Chbosky (“Wonder”) will direct from a script by Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the stage musical. Marc Platt (“La La Land”) and Adam Siegel will produce for their Universal-based Marc Platt Productions. Ben Platt, who originated the part and won a Tony for his performance, is expected to reprise the title role. He’s the son of Marc Platt.

Universal announced last week that Amy Adams will portray Cynthia Murphy, mother of the characters Connor and Zoe Murphy.

Bradley Cooper is back to work as filming for Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming 1970s-set ensemble drama began amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The actor, 45, was spotted donning an era-appropriate wig, beard, and all-white outfit over the weekend while he was filming for the forthcoming untitled story on location in LA's San Fernando Valley.

Also read: Sheridan Smith admits having five seizures after Graham Norton’s Baftas jab

Bradley Cooper spotted on location in LA's San Fernando Valley (Pic Courtesy: Dailymail)

According to reports, the crew is said to be the first to return at such close proximity as they began shooting for the film over the weekend with safety measures put in place due to the global crisis.

The yet-to-be-titled film is reported to be a coming-of-age story set in the 1970s LA’s San Fernando Valley and is reportedly being created under the codename Soggy Bottom.

Not much...

We told you. Remember the rules. You didn’t listen. Now we’re Back with an all new batch of guest recommendations featuring Blake Masters, Julien Nitzberg, Floyd Norman, Tuppence Middleton and Blaire Bercy.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Wild Angels (1966)

Spirits of the Dead (1966)

The Trip (1967)

Mooch Goes To Hollywood (1971)

Stalker (1979)

The Candidate (1972)

The Parallax View (1974)

Network (1976)

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Ace In The Hole (1951)

Margin Call (2011)

Death Wish (1974)

Death Wish (2018)

Seconds (1966)

Soylent Green (1973)

Rage (1972)

Assault on Wall Street (2013)

Repo Man (1984)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

The Train (1965)

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

Strange Brew (1983)

To Have And Have Not (1944)

Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

Easter Parade (1948)

The Band Wagon (1953)

Guys And Dolls (1955)

On The Town (1949)

Casablanca (1942)

The Dirt Gang (1972)

Back To The Future (1985)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Big Sleep (1946)

Bomba, the Jungle Boy (1949)

My Man Godfrey...

by Nathaniel R

We were wondering when we'd get casting news for Paul Thomas Anderson's next film and it's finally starting to trickle in. Though the untitled movie revoles around a famous teenage actor attending high school in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s the buzz is that it's actually an ensemble piece. And there are supposedly at least three prominent adult roles. Bradley Cooper is in talks for one of them but we don't know which. The juiciest adult roles are rumored to be a film director, an agressive agent, and a closeted politician.

Cooper is one of the best actors of his generation so we can't wait to see what Anderson can pull from him since the auteur is just amazing with  actors...

Bradley Cooper is poised to team up with Paul Thomas Anderson, a meeting of the mega-talents that should please film lovers.

The “American Sniper” star is in talks to appear in Anderson’s next, deeply secretive venture, which is being described as a coming-of-age story set in 1970s San Fernando Valley. That’s a geographic terrain that Anderson previously mined in the likes of “Magnolia” and “Boogie Nights,” and also happens to be the section of greater Los Angeles where he grew up. No word yet on what role Cooper will play.

The actor is next slated to appear in Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,” taking a role that was originally targeted for Leonardo DiCaprio. Cooper has earned eight Oscar nominations in his career, including nods for “American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “A Star Is Born.”

The Anderson film still doesn’t have a title. It...

Bradley Cooper is in talks to star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s next film, a currently untitled coming-of-age drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Set in a San Fernando Valley high school in the 1970s, Anderson hopes to shoot the film this year, subject to Covid-19 shooting protocols.

This film was one of the 13 titles eligible for the California tax credit from the Film Commission of California, which reports that it will shoot in Ventura County and is an indie being developed by Anderson’s Ghoulardi Film Company.

Also Read: Paul Thomas Anderson to Return to High School in 1970s for Next Film

Some of Anderson’s breakout films, including “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Punch-Drunk Love,” were all also set in the San Fernando Valley, with “Boogie Nights” playing on ’70s nostalgia and the burgeoning pornography industry in the 260 square miles just north of Los Angeles.

Anderson’s last feature,...

Bradley Cooper is the first A-list actor to be in serious contention for Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, described as a coming-of-age drama set in the San Fernando Valley during the 1970s. The Hollywood Reporter confirms Cooper is in talks to join the project in an unspecified role. Anderson is teaming up with MGM for the film after initially developing the untitled drama at Focus Features, which released “Phantom Thread” in 2017. IndieWire has reached out to MGM for further comment.

Production on Anderson’s new film was set to take place this spring and summer, until the pandemic delayed filming indefinitely. The script is reportedly about a high school student in the San Fernando Valley who is also a child actor. Anderson is a Valley native and has set three previous features in his hometown: “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” and “Punch-Drunk Love.” The new film is rumored to combine the...

Eight-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is in talks for MGM’s untitled Paul Thomas Anderson movie. Deadline first told you that the movie’s domestic release was heading from Focus Features to MGM. There is a chance still that Universal could be involved with the pic’s foreign release, which is being determined.

While Anderson’s latest is under wraps, it reportedly will center around a high school student who is also a successful child actor, but with intersecting storylines. It’s the fourth time that Anderson has set a film in the San Fernando Valley, the last titles being Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. The filmmaker’s Ghoulardi Film Company has already received a $2.5M California film tax credit. Anderson directed, wrote and is producing the movie.

Bradley Cooper and Paul Thomas Anderson, each eight-time Oscar nominees, are teaming up.

Cooper is in talks to star in Anderson's next feature, an untitled coming-of-age drama set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Plot details are being kept secret, but the movie involves multiple storylines revolving around a kid actor attending high school in the Valley, which is the setting of some of Anderson’s best-known titles including Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. It is unclear what role Cooper would play in the movie.

Anderson wrote and will produce the movie via his Ghoulardi ...

Bradley Cooper and Paul Thomas Anderson, each eight-time Oscar nominees, are teaming up.

Cooper is in talks to star in Anderson's next feature, an untitled coming-of-age drama set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Plot details are being kept secret, but the movie involves multiple storylines revolving around a kid actor attending high school in the Valley, which is the setting of some of Anderson’s best-known titles including Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. It is unclear what role Cooper would play in the movie.

Anderson wrote and will produce the movie via his Ghoulardi ...

Reports have emerged that Paul Thomas Anderson’s ninth movie, a comedy-drama set in the 1970s in the San Fernando Valley, is moving from Focus Features to MGM. While MGM declined to comment to IndieWire on the report that first emerged in Deadline, the production is said to be leaving Universal-owned specialty label Focus Features, which propelled Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 romantic drama “Phantom Thread” to six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. The move is said to be a part of rebranded MGM’s interest in auteur-driven films.

The untitled upcoming project is still in pre-production, though Anderson is said to have finished writing the movie, which revolves around a high school student who is also an exchange student. It will be the fourth film that Paul Thomas Anderson has set in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles area where “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” and “Punch-Drunk Love” unfolded in glorious color.

Exclusive: We hear that Paul Thomas Anderson’s new 1970s San Fernando Valley movie is jumping from Focus Features to MGM. Neither studio would confirm, but we know it’s a deal that’s going down, according to sources. The production is leaving the Universal specialty label that made his Best Picture Oscar-nominated period feature Phantom Thread, which grossed nearly $48M worldwide. CAA Media Finance represents the new film.

The Valley movie did not go into production prior to the shutdown of feature productions during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s unclear at this time whether Anderson was on a timeline and therefore needed to get this movie done and filming, or if the production was too costly for Focus. Phantom Thread was made for an estimated $35M.

Focus Features originally was set to distribute the movie domestically with Universal handling foreign distribution. Focus in 2017 released Anderson’s London fashion designer movie Phantom Thread,...

In our 100th episode, Edgar Wright takes us on a musical journey through some of his favorite cinematic needle drops.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)

Baby Driver (2017)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Vanishing Point (1971)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Deja Vu (2006)

Man On Fire (2004)

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Alien (1979)

The Mexican (2001)

Gremlins (1984)

American Graffiti (1973)

Star Wars (1977)

Jaws (1975)

The Exorcist (1973)

Halloween (1978)

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Deep Red (1976)

Suspiria (1977)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

The Evil Dead (1983)

Face/Off (1997)

The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

Mandy (2018)

The Hallow (2015)

The Nun (2018)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Christine (1983)

Blue Collar (1978)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Mauvais Sang (1986)

Frances Ha (2012)

The Lovers On The Bridge (1991)

Holy Motors (2012)

Annette (Tbd)

Goodfellas (1990)

Mean Streets (1973)

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

Raging Bull (1980)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max (1979)

Babe (1995)

Happy Feet (2006)

Dr. Strangelove...

by Cláudio Alves

Paul Thomas Anderson turns 50 today, making this a good time to remember how his film career began. Weirdly enough, despite being a longtime fan of the director, I had never seen his first feature, a little indie by the name of Hard Eight, which hit Sundance and Cannes in 1996 but would only get a commercial release the next year. That made 1997 quite the occasion for Anderson. In February, he opened Hard Eight to good reviews and, in October, Boogie Nights made him one of the most critically acclaimed directors of the moment. The latter movie went on to conquer him his first Academy Award nomination, for Best Original Screenplay. What's fascinating and what most surprised me about the pair is how distinct they are, showing two very different sides of their director's craft…...

With eight Oscar nominations to his name Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most celebrated filmmakers currently working. However, he has yet to actually win one of those little golden statues. The iconoclastic filmmaker celebrates his 50th birthday on June 25, 2020. To celebrate, tour through our photo gallery of all eight of Anderson’s films ranked from worst to best.

Anderson made his feature directing debut with “Hard Eight” (1996), made when he was just 26-years-old. He earned his first Oscar nomination the very next year: Best Original Screenplay for “Boogie Nights” (1997). Another Best Original Screenplay bid followed just two years after that for “Magnolia” (1999). Then he hit the Oscar jackpot with Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations for “There Will Be Blood” (2007) — well, almost hit the jackpot as none of those noms resulted in a win. It took another seven years for him to return to the...

Paramount was worried.

The budget for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical epic about a conspiracy to steal oil rights from Osage Native Americans, had ballooned to $200 million. The film was set to star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and was to be directed by Martin Scorsese, but period pieces, even those with A-list talent, are dicey commercial propositions. The studio let it be known that it was interested in finding a co-financier. Along with heavy-hitters such as Netflix and Universal, there was a surprising bidder in the mix — MGM. And though the studio ultimately lost out to Apple on rights to the movie, MGM’s hot pursuit of the Scorsese picture was a statement-making moment.

“In the industry, we certainly felt it conveyed it was a new day at MGM and we were going to stretch ourselves for certain filmmakers,” says Michael De Luca, chairman of MGM’s film group.

Apple has landed “Sharper,” an upcoming film about a con artist operating in the world of billionaires and one-percenters that is set to star Oscar-winner Julianne Moore.

The project is derived from a spec script by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, who previously collaborated on “The Sitter” and “Superstore.” Apple says it purchased the script in a highly competitive situation.

Moore will produce “Sharper” with Bart Freundlich, Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka and Erik Feig of Picturestart. A24 will serve as the studio, with Picturestart attached as the production company.

“Sharper” is Moore’s second time working with Apple. She also stars in the upcoming limited series “Lisey’s Story,” a deeply personal thriller from writer Stephen King and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Moore will executive produce the project, which is set to premiere exclusively on Apple TV Plus. She is earned an Academy Award for...

Review by Stephen Tronicek

Lucas Heyne’s Mope starts with a familiar phrase: “The film you are about to see is based on actual events. Out of respect to the deceased, every effort has been made to adhere to the facts.” Those familiar with the history of cinema will recognize this as similar to the opening credits to the Coen Brothers’ Fargo. It is also a fair sign that Mope won’t really ever have an identity of its own, even as it tries to tell a true story.

That true story is that of Stephen Clancy Hill, alias Steve Driver (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Herbert Wong, alias Tom Dong (Kelly Sry), two low-level pornstars (Mopes), who tried to break into the industry. After being subjected to the horrible conditions of this side of the porn industry (there is after all good sex-work around) and facing his own mental illness, Driver...

There aren’t many stories as grody as the one being told in Mope. For those who don’t know the true tale, I’ll keep the salacious details to be discovered, but for those who know what this film is about, it isn’t hard to imagine the avenues being taken here. While the flick is pretty grimy, there’s an undercurrent of trying for something more. Mope doesn’t pull it off, despite its Boogie Nights ambitions, but it is somewhat encouraging to see the concept not executed with a lowest common denominator feel. You’ll need a shower after watching this, but you’ll also be left with a bit to think about. It’s a missed opportunity, but one not without some redeeming qualities. The movie is a mix of comedy and drama, leading up to tragedy. For those aware of the true story, this is...

Judd Apatow makes big commercial comedies, and “The King of Staten Island” is no exception. However, while developing the project with Pete Davidson and drawing on the comic actor’s personal life, Apatow decided he needed to capture the rough-and-tumble nature of the character’s experiences. As a result, the movie has a more naturalistic quality than Apatow’s other work, with a restless camera that hovers alongside the jaded twentysomething with documentary-like finesse.

To develop that quality, Apatow turned to one of the most respected cinematographers in the industry. Robert Elswit, the Paul Thomas Anderson Dp revered for his work on “There Will Be Blood” and “Boogie Nights” among many others, played a key role in developing the new direction that “The King of Staten Island” represents in Apatow’s filmography.

“I had wanted to work with him for a very long time,” Apatow said in a recent phone interview with IndieWire,...

As people continue to stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Showtime will add a myriad of television shows and films in June to keep house-bound subscribers entertained.

On the film side, a number of high-profile movies will debut at the start of the month, including, 3:10 to Yuma, 50/50, Boogie Nights, Casino, A Clockwork Orange, Don't Look Now, Ghost, Leap Year, The Stepford Wives, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Terminator. Ode to Joy, starring Martin Freeman, will be available to stream June 3; Keira Knightley ...