Movies

The story of colonialism is the story of what’s been lost, of what’s been taken, of what’s been forgotten. Land. Languages. Entire cosmologies. The process of reclaiming these losses, of doing the work of not undoing but outright naming this kind of violence is hard, not least because the story colonialism tells of itself is

In the bleak omnibus film “Bad Roads,” four tension-filled tales set along the dangerous byways of Ukraine’s Donbass region during wartime illustrate survival strategies practiced by civilians. Although the various episodes don’t quite add up to a strong narrative whole, they do gain extra resonance from current events in this troubled region. Naturalistic in visual

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And bleak times, it seems, call for bleak urban dramas. Not that the Venezuelan film “The Inner Glow” deserves to be reduced to such a moniker. But there is no escaping that the dour sentiment that pervades Andrés Eduardo and Luis Alejandro Rodríguez’s latest feature is very much the

South African cinema is still catching up to the diversity of the population it represents: a congregation of cultures, languages and religions that got ironed out in the popular imagination by the white supremacist politics of the apartheid era. The country’s significant Cape Muslim, or Cape Malay, population is one demographic that has traditionally received

The striking opening shot of Abner Benaim’s plangent drama “Plaza Catedral” induces slight vertigo. The camera rises on an elevator attached to the outside of a partially built skyscraper, looking out across Panama City’s high-rise apartment complexes, and eventually, at the bay beyond. It should be uplifting, but a chilly, murmured voiceover and the opening

As I mention in my cover interview with Bob Iger in this week’s issue, when you look back at his impressive 15-year run as CEO, it’s funny to think about how many people in the industry and the media — myself included — underestimated him. For the decade that Iger worked under then-Disney CEO Michael

After six delays across two years, Disney is finally forging ahead with plans to premiere “Death on the Nile,” the upcoming murder mystery thriller from director Kenneth Branagh. But before the star-studded whodunit lands on the big screen, the studio will have to navigate a potential PR nightmare surrounding Armie Hammer, who faced sexual abuse

As sharply engineered as a reel of razor wire, Shariff Korver’s “Do Not Hesitate” is not the first film to expose the sheer lunacy of sending callow, heavily armed young men, versed in a machismo that sees sensitivity as weakness, into hostile territory and expecting everything to work out fine. But Korver sets his film,

Director Paolo Sorrentino and his wife, Daniela D’Antonio, know how to celebrate his Oscar-buzzy film “The Hand of God.” By throwing parties. They recently hosted two dinners for friends at their Los Angeles Airbnb. And it’s not just any rental. Netflix has put up the couple, along with the movie’s young star Filippo Scotti and

In true Hollywood fashion, omicron delivered the year’s biggest cliffhanger just as the holiday season began kicking into higher gear. With COVID-19 cases surging anew and cancellations piling up, the pandemic reclaimed the spotlight it never fully lost. On most people’s minds in the industry: How big a retrenchment will the variant cause in 2022

Last year, the Critics Choice Association nominated 15 people between its lead actor and actress categories — fully 50 percent more than the Academy does for the Oscars. While there isn’t any overlap between the two, the CCA picks do a respectable job of establishing the field of exceptional performances. As for the Critics Choice

In Disney’s animated film “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” tech CEO Marc Weidell (Justice Smith) unveils his newest invention, the B*Bot, a revolutionary robot designed to become a child’s best friend by learning their interests through social media. What could possibly go wrong? London-based Locksmith Animation teamed with Double Negative (DNEG) to build the machines at the

Saban Films has acquired North American rights to “Shepherd,” a supernatural thriller by writer-director Russell Owen. Following its world premiere at BFI London Film Festival, “Shepherd” was released in theaters in the United Kingdom last month and has generated $19 million to date. It doesn’t yet have a release date domestically. “Shepherd” centers on Eric

Winner of October’s MipJunior Project Pitch for “Princess Anabella,” Dutch studio Phanta Animation has boarded animated music feature “Rock Bottom,” one of Spain’s most singular and ambitious animation projects. Created by multi-prized Spanish animation director Maria Trenor Colomer, winner of a Berlinale Teddy Award for the 2004 short “With What Shall I Wash It?” “Rock

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are Britain’s answer to Dr. Seuss. Ever since publishing “The Gruffalo” — written by Donaldson and illustrated by Scheffler — in 1999, the duo have delighted millions of children with their stories of robber rats, wandering whales and fantastical fish. In 2009, U.K. production company Magic Light Pictures turned “The

Rémi Chayé’s “Fleur,” Claude Barras’ “You’re Not the One I Expected” and Alberto Vázquez’s  “Unicorn Wars” are some of the multiple potential standouts at the 24th edition of Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event. Scheduled to take place in Bordeaux, France, over March 8-10, the 2022 Cartoon Movie lineup features 57 projects, 15

“Too much too soon” is a scenario that plays out in many life arenas, and it certainly does for the teenage protagonist swept into the professional sports world of “Tigers.” This year’s Swedish Oscar submission feature dramatizes Martin Bengtsson’s memoir of his brief, overwhelming stint in a leading Italian soccer club, whose pressures triggered a

Despite the cancellation of several major Hollywood events, the Critics Choice Association says the show must go on (for now). The Critics Choice Awards will proceed as an in-person ceremony on Jan. 9 at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel with strict COVID protocols in place as cases continue to surge in the nation. “The Critics

Australia’s Cumulus VFX has received a state government grant of A$1 million ($710,000) to relocate within New South Wales from Byron Bay to Ballina, where it will be linked to the Byron Studios that are now in development. The move is just the latest in a succession of developments that are intended to keep Australia’s

“Girls Will Be Girls,” a female-led drama written and to be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati, has received a production grant from France’s Aide aux cinémas du monde. The grant will cover approximately 25% of the film’s production budget. The film is produced by Pushing Buttons Studios, an outfit founded by Indian actors Ali Fazal

Director Matthew Mishory and producer and financier Bradford L. Schlei announced the start of production for Rubber Ring Films’ and Schlei’s Stone Canyon Entertainment’s “Finding Fioretta,” which will start early next year. The feature documentary chronicles the life of genealogist Randol Schoenberg who is on a quest to find the centuries-old gravestone of his oldest

The 2022 AFI Awards luncheon is the latest Hollywood event to be postponed due to a surge of positive COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads. The awards ceremony was planned for Friday, Jan. 7, but, in a release late Monday, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced plans to reschedule the event for a later

Misery loves company — that old adage rings true in the first trailer for “I Want You Back,” a new romantic comedy starring Jenny Slate and Charlie Day. On Monday, Amazon Studios debuted first-look footage — naturally scored to the Jackson 5 song that inspired the movie’s title — which begins as Slate and Day’s

For the second consecutive year, the Palm Springs International Film Festival has canceled its star-studded, in-person awards gala amid rising concerns around COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. The annual awards were planned to be presented at a black-tie ceremony held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 6, but the Palm Springs International Film

BAFTA Los Angeles’ annual awards season tea party, set for Jan. 8, has been canceled. In a letter to studio executives, BAFTA wrote, “In an abundance of caution, we have taken the difficult decision to halt our plans to host the BAFTA Tea Party on January 8 in Los Angeles. We were anticipating gathering together

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” annihilated expectations in its box office debut, capturing a towering $260 million over the weekend. How mighty were initial ticket sales? The comic book adventure, featuring Tom Holland as Marvel’s web-slinging hero, has generated more money in a single weekend than any other pandemic-era movie has managed to earn in its

The United Arab Emirates has announced the addition of a new over-21 age classification to its motion picture rating system that could become a milestone in moving the needle against censorship across West Asia.  The new rating will allow uncut versions of international movies to be shown in UAE cinemas, though details remain vague. The

Since Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year-old religion-related ban on cinema in 2017, the kingdom has experienced a boom in all aspects of film industry activity, recently becoming West Asia’s top-grossing territory in terms of theatrical box office returns. Attracting international film and TV productions is clearly a key part of this government-driven effort. The recent

Jordan’s Royal Film Commission was set up in 2013 with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, brother of the country’s King Abdullah II, heading its board. It has since been working to build the local film industry and stepping up efforts to attract international shoots such as Ridley Scott’s “The Martian,” and more recently “Aladdin,” “Star

Accio, trailer! At long last, HBO Max has released the much-anticipated preview of “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,” its upcoming special that will reunite the actors and filmmakers from the eight-movie series, which will stream on Jan. 1. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which kicked off the film arm of the Wizarding World,