Movies

January 31, 2020 12:41PM PT In celebration of Black History Month, Focus Features and Regal have partnered to offer free screenings of Cynthia Erivo’s “Harriet” in 50 theaters on Feb. 4 and Feb. 11. The film depicts the life of African American hero Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery in 1822 in Maryland. She

It’s been said time and again that the Academy’s documentary branch is a consistently unpredictable bunch. But are they? Given their Oscar nomination track record, it certainly doesn’t seem like it. The group has made their likes and dislikes perfectly clear in recent years. They enjoy recognizing international productions as well as newcomers. In the

Lana Wilson was taking a risk — albeit a pretty good bet — when she set out to make what turned out to be “Miss Americana,” her new Netflix documentary. As Taylor Swift told Variety: “When I began thinking about maybe possibly having a documentary-type thing happen, it was really just because I felt like I would

“The Nowhere Inn,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is a music mockumentary that stars Carrie Brownstein, one of the founding members of the rock band Sleater-Kinney. In the film, Brownstein plays the director of a documentary chronicling Annie Clark’s music persona St. Vincent on a fictionalized version of her Masseduction tour, but to

GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Home to the most dynamic streaming markets in Western Europe, the Nordic region still posted solid box office returns in 2019, especially from Hollywood tentpoles “The Lion King,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Joker,” which ruled on all top ten charts, except in Denmark. Local fare, however, lost ground in all five territories. DENMARK

“Kajillionaire,” the third feature by the artist Miranda July, is about a family of grifters who deliberately lives on the margins in Los Angeles. The father, Robert (Richard Jenkins), is full of conspiracy theories and other nonsense; the mother, Theresa (Debra Winger), is mostly silent as she goes along with him; and their adult daughter,

China’s streaming and online games companies have received a boost from the cancelation of seven major film releases that were expected to have dominated the Chinese New Year holidays, and the enforced closure of the country’s cinemas. Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and a dozen other Chinese cities are under government-mandated lockdown, causing

The Japanese film “37 Seconds” is deceptively delicate and quietly tough. Not unlike its protagonist. We first glimpse Yuma as she rides a crowded commuter train in Tokyo. From the camera’s angle, you might think she’s a kid. Her face is tentative, youthful. She’s shorter than the people around her because she’s in a wheelchair.

“Do we actually need another recording of the Goldberg Variations?” The question, at once impudently cheeky and playfully taunting, is posed in “Coda” by the long-time manager and friend of a world-famous classical pianist during an intimate outdoor lunch with, among others, his bemused client. Ironically, a similar question could be asked about the movie

January 30, 2020 10:21PM PT A residential ‘Disneyland for seniors’ in Central Florida is the subject of Lance Oppenheim’s delightful feature documentary debut. Those nostalgic for the fond portraits of eccentric Americana in Errol Morris’ early work — and pretty much everyone else — will be delighted by “Some Kind of Heaven.” Lance Oppenheim’s first

Since 2000, slightly more than half the lead actor and actress Oscars (21 out of 38) have gone to portrayals of real-life individuals. It’s a bias that dates back to George Arliss and “Disraeli” (1929), although award-winning impersonations have become increasingly stark, even critical, in the latter years. Notwithstanding Oliver Cromwell’s plea to “Paint me

January 30, 2020 9:40PM PT Predation of would-be illegal immigrants is the subject of Fernanda Valadez’s intriguing but cryptic drama. While U.S. attention in recent years has focused on the supposed hordes of “invading” illegal immigrants seeking to cross the southern border, “Identifying Features” is about a separate but related concern: The alarming if unknowable

Laika’s latest stop-motion feature, “Missing Link,” recently won a Golden Globe for animated film, and picked up an Oscar nomination as well. It’s the story of late Victorian-era Sir Lionel (voiced by Hugh Jackman), who discovers a creature resembling a yeti in the Pacific Northwest (Zach Galifianakis). They travel to the Himalayas with Adelina Fortnight

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Game of Thrones” have taken home two of the major Artios Awards from the Casting Society of America. The trophies, which honor excellence in casting, were unveiled at the 35th Annual Artios Awards held on Thursday in ceremonies in New York, Los Angeles and London. The New York

Heather Young’s drama “Murmur” has been selected as the winner of the narrative feature  grand jury prize at the Slamdance Film festival. The movie, which won the Fipresci Discovery Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Shan MacDonald as an older woman who, while performing community service at an animal shelter, begins compulsively adopting

One of the unofficial costars of the Taylor Swift documentary “Miss Americana” is Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, whose name and image come up in a crucial section of the film, and not in a complimentary fashion. Having apparently gotten wind of her unflattering appearance in the film, Blackburn took time out from the president’s impeachment

In today’s film news roundup, “Birds of Prey” is seeing impressive presales, Guillermo del Toro has started shooting “Nightmare Alley” and Billy Zane’s “Final Kill” finds a home. PRESALES Mobile ticket app Atom Tickets is reporting strong first-day presales for Margot Robbie’s superhero team-up “Birds of Prey.” “Birds of Prey” sold more tickets on Wednesday,

“We were really hoping that they would invite us to be here. We thought it was a great way for the film to launch,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus said, reflecting on why she was excited for her latest film, “Downhill,” to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival — though the setting of the film (a ski resort)

During an interview at the Variety Studio at the Sundance Film Festival, a panel of transgender activists — who appear in director Sam Feder’s documentary “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen,” which premiered at the festival — scoffed at the idea of voting for Pete Buttigieg. When asked whom they’ll vote for as the primaries approach,

More presenters have been announced for the 92nd Academy Awards. Among those added to the list are James Corden, Penélope Cruz, Beanie Feldstein, Zack Gottsagen, Diane Keaton, Shia LaBeouf, George MacKay, Steve Martin, Keanu Reeves, Maya Rudolph and Sigourney Weaver Some actors on the list are connected to the night’s nominees. MacKay stars in Sam

Jim Carrey, clad in a handlebar mustache and aviator goggles, goes head-to-head with Sega character Sonic as Dr. Robotnik in the latest trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog.” With his animated acting style and comedic chops, the actor breathes life into the super-villain as he wreaks havoc on the town, the hedgehog and his own henchmen.

Three aspiring filmmakers couldn’t contain their enthusiasm when Queen Latifah entered Tribeca Studios in lower Manhattan on Wednesday to mark the kickoff of talent development initiative The Queen Collective. When Latifah greeted the trio, they jumped from their seats to give her hugs. Queen Collective is Latifah’s effort to open doors for new talent in

Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” continued its run of top critics’ honors this season, scooping the Film of the Year and Director of the Year awards at the London Film Critics’ Circle kudos ceremony this evening. The victory puts extra wind in the sails of the South Korean phenomenon as it heads into the final stretch of

MADRID — Spain’s two most recognizable cinematic faces, Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, will co-star in a new film from Madrid’s The Mediapro Studio, titled “Competencia Oficial” (Official Competition), directed by Argentine filmmakers Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat (“The Distinguished Citizen,” “The Man Next Door”). The pair recently both starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and

January 30, 2020 12:32PM PT Voltage Pictures unveiled the first look at its political-action drama “Redemption Day,” starring Andy Garcia, Gary Dourdan and Serinda Swan and set in Morocco. In the Moroccan-set film, Dourda portrays a US. Marine Captain on a rescue mission to save his wife (Swan) when she is kidnapped by a terrorist

Bob Shaw has scored his first Oscar nomination, as production designer for “The Irishman,” one of 10 nominations for the Netflix film. “Irishman” looks at U.S. history through the eyes mafia hitman Frank Sheeran and his relationship with Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. The epic entailed 108 shooting days, with several locations each day. How did

Ever since Universal-DreamWorks’ “1917” debuted, reporters have seemed fascinated with the fact that women played key creative roles in the film. The list included Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who co-wrote it with director Sam Mendes, and producers Pippa Harris and Jayne-Ann Tenggren. The surprise is surprising. Neal Street Prods., which Harris, Mendes and Caro Newling formed in

Amy Schumer, Greg Berlanti, Ben Platt, Rosie O’Donnell, Julianne Moore and Issa Rae are among the A-listers calling out major studios for donating to NRA-backed politicians. Over 100 actors, producers and industry creatives signed an open letter, urging Hollywood companies to end political contributions to candidates who take money from the NRA and vote against

They’re the scenes that get us talking. They’re the moving moments in which a film comes into focus not only for the audience, but also for the actors. While they may not necessarily be the clips chosen by the Academy to showcase their nominees, these sequences hold something special within. This year’s moments that made

To say Cynthia Erivo’s last few months have been nothing like she has ever experienced before would be an understatement. Let’s just get to the obvious: the British actor and singer is not only a first-time Oscar nominee, but she’s up for two Academy Awards, one for best actress for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman