Girls aren’t the only ones weeping over Jacob Elordi. The Australian actor found himself in tears following the premiere of his new film Frankenstein, which received a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. Both Elordi and his director, Guillermo del Toro, were so moved by the …
Read More »'The Brutalist' Is a New Great American Masterpiece
Imagine a film archivist scouring an underground vault in Burbank or a cave in Butte, Montana, and discovering a few dozen dusty film canisters tucked away in a corner. Reels of some long-lost project from Francis Ford Coppola, or Bernardo Bertolucci, or Michael Cimino circa the mid-1970s reside in these …
Read More »How a Controversial New Movie Puts a Human Face to the Refugee Crisis
As the international refugee crisis was wobbling past its tipping point in late 2021, a small patch of no-man’s-land between two Eastern European nations was turning into a hot spot. Migrants who were fleeing turmoil in the Middle East and parts of Africa had been told that they could find …
Read More »'Lost in Translation': Sofia Coppola on the Movie's 20th Anniversary
One of the most talked-about movies at this year’s Venice Film Festival was Priscilla, Sofia Coppola’s vividly realized portrait of how 14-year-old Priscilla Presley fell under the spell of Elvis Presley, the rock & roll icon who was 24 when they first met. The filmmaker has earned her best reviews …
Read More »Ava DuVernay Talks Breaking Color Barrier at the Venice Film Festival
While much of the talk surrounding this year’s Venice Film Festival has been about three men who stand accused of heinous offenses, the 80th edition of the fest also made history: Ava DuVernay, whose film Origin is premiering at the fest, became the first African American woman to have a …
Read More »Richard Linklater Says Muse Glen Powell Has 'A McConaughey Quality'
It makes perfect sense that filmmaker Richard Linklater and actor Glen Powell found each other. Powell hails from Linklater country — Austin, Texas — and has the movie-star looks and Texan swagger that the director’s always been drawn to (see: Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke). In the new film Hit Man, …
Read More »Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson Cast Dark Cloud Over Venice
“Judge the art, not the artist.” That is the mantra we hear each and every time someone in the entertainment world is accused of heinous behavior, and it’s one that was repeated by artistic director Alberto Barbera prior to this year’s Venice Film Festival. In an interview with The Guardian, …
Read More »David Fincher's 'The Killer' Misses the Mark
Ten years ago, The Criterion Collection dropped a dual-format edition of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Included amongst its special features is behind-the-scenes footage of Chaplin forcing his co-star, Virginia Cherrill — a socialite the filmmaker spotted at a boxing match — to act out the scene of her blind flower …
Read More »Woody Allen Given Standing Ovation by the Media in Venice
As Woody Allen took the press conference stage for his recent film Coup de Chance, the disgraced filmmaker was given a lengthy standing ovation by the (largely European) media assembled in the room — arguably the most rapturous reception any filmmaker received. It was difficult to watch. During the press …
Read More »Priscilla Presley Clears Air About Dating Elvis at 14: 'I Never Had Sex With Him'
One of the most anticipated movies at this year’s Venice Film Festival is Priscilla, Sofia Coppola’s latest about the relationship between Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) and rock and roll legend Elvis Presley (Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi), who met when she was 14 and he was 24 while he was serving in …
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