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A few years before she was trying to land a girlfriend via a high school fight club with Ayo Edebiri in Bottoms, Rachel Sennott celebrated one of her breakthrough roles in a hysterically uncomfortable comedy about life, love, and especially death. Making her feature-length directorial debut, writer and helmer, Emma Seligman, delivered one of the best indie films of 2020 with Shiva Baby. Featuring ensemble performances from Molly Gordon (The Bear), Danny Deferrari (Oppenheimer), Dianna Agron (Glee), Jackie Hoffman (Only Murders in the Building), Sondra James (Dating and New York), Rita Gardner (P.S. I Love You), and Deborah Offner (Black Swan), the movie will feel painfully relatable for anyone whos ever felt lost in life with the pressures of those around you crushing your entire being. Next month, Netflix audiences can take part in the awkwardness, as Shiva Baby will join the streamers lineup on December 7.

This heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking, coming-of-age story stars Ben Affleck as streetwise Long Island, New York, bartender Charlie, who becomes a father figure to his young nephew J.R.. In financial straits, the kid and his mom, Dorothy (Lily Rabe) — who split from J.R.’s absentee dad — move in with extended family, including J.R.’s grandparents (Christopher Lloyd and Sondra James) and Uncle Charlie. While pouring booze at the local watering hole, Charlie dispenses no-nonsense advice on women, love, and life to J.R., who’s a fixture there when his uncle is working. Despite his loving and supportive (if scrappy) family, J.R. struggles to find his way: first as a child without a dad, and later at Yale University, where he feels out of his depth. But this relatable 1970s- and ’80s-set ...

Lily Rabe and Ben Affleck shine very brightly against a boring film.

Directed by George Clooney, Rabe stars as a mother forced to move in with her parents and brother (Affleck).

Two actors play her son: Daniel Ranieri (as young J.R.) and Tye Sheridan (as college-age J.R.)

All of the performances in this film are wonderful and elevate the watching experience.

Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) gives a career-best performance, and Affleck gives his second brilliant performance in a year (the first being in The Last Duel).

Daniel Ranieri and Tye Sheridan also provide beautiful performances, making the entire dynamic in the movie quite enjoyable to watch.

Rounding out the main cast are Christopher Lloyd as the Grandfather, Max Martini as "The Voice" Johnny Michaels (J.R.'s Birth father), Sondra James as the Grandmother, and Briana Middleton as J.R.'s love interest, Sydney.

There's nothing special about the film's direction,...

Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Ted Hope.

Executive producers: Barbara A. Hall, J.R. Moehringer.

Director: George Clooney.

Screenplay: William Monahan, based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer.

Camera: Martin Ruhe.

Editor: Tanya M. Swerling.

Music: Dara Taylor.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, Max Martini, Rhenzy Feliz, Briana Middleton, Max Casella, Sondra James, Michael Braun, Daniel Ranieri.

…...

The Tender Bar Review — The Tender Bar (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by George Clooney and starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, Max Martini, Rhenzy Feliz, Briana Middleton, Max Casella, Sondra James, Michael Braun, Matthew Delamater, Ivan Leung, Bill Meleady, Kate Avallone, Mark Boyett and Quincy Tyler [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Tender Bar (2021): George Clooney’s Film Showcases a Nice Turn by Ben Affleck Despite a Generic Plot...

George Clooney’s “The Tender Bar,” set in the working-class neighborhood of Manhasset, Long Island, spans 15 years starting in 1973. In the film, which bows Dec. 17 in theaters, young Jr Maguire, played by Daniel Ranieri, spends his time among family members: his mom (Lily Rabe), grandmother (Sondra James), grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) and uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), the last of whom owns a bar called The Dickens.

The Dickens was a real Long Island establishment, but for the film, based on J.R. Moehringer’s memoir, the period setting was re-created in a number of Massachusetts towns, including Beverly, Braintree, Lowell and Worcester.

Production designer Kalina Ivanov outfitted a bar that reflects its past — not just in the thick hardback books that line its shelves but in the rest of the decor as well. “We decided it should be created in 1928 and rooted it in the history of the town, when it came...

Amazon Studios has set a release date for George Clooney’s latest directorial effort, The Tender Bar, starring Ben Affleck (Argo), Tye Sheridan (The Card Counter), Lily Rabe (The Undoing), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and more.

The coming-of-age drama will hit L.A. and NY theaters in limited release on December 17, opening nationwide on December 22. The film will be available globally for streaming via Amazon Prime Video on January 7.

Clooney’s follow-up to Netflix sci-fi pic The Midnight Sky is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner J.R. Moehringer’s bestselling memoir of the same name, penned by Oscar winner William Monahan.

It tells the story of J.R. (Sheridan), a boy growing up in Long Island who seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle Charlie’s (Affleck) bar. As his mother (Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to...

Sondra James, the veteran character actress who founded and ran the New York-based postproduction loop group Speakeasy, has died. She was 82.

James died Sunday at her home in New York after a five-month battle with lung cancer, her manager, Carolyn Anthony, reported.

Speakeasy organized voice work for producers, directors, sound designers and editors, and her voice and her team was heard in more than 500 films, TV shows and animation.

The native New Yorker was in charge of voice casting for such Coen brothers films as O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), A ...

Sondra James, the veteran character actress who founded and ran the New York-based postproduction loop group Speakeasy, has died. She was 82.

James died Sunday at her home in New York after a five-month battle with lung cancer, her manager, Carolyn Anthony, reported.

Speakeasy organized voice work for producers, directors, sound designers and editors, and her voice and her team was heard in more than 500 films, TV shows and animation.

The native New Yorker was in charge of voice casting for such Coen brothers films as O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), A ...

Sondra James, a character actor who has appeared in film, TV and onstage over the past four decades with the likes of Ben Affleck, Robert De Niro, Christopher Lloyd, Mike Birbiglia and Joaquin Phoenix in his Oscar-winning role in 2019’s Joker, died September 12 in her native New York City after a five-month battle with lung cancer. She was 82.

The news was confirmed Monday by her manager Carolyn Anthony of Anthony & Associates Ltd.

James, made her feature film debut in Woody Allen’s 1995 pic Mighty Aphrodite, setting off a string of big-screen acting and voice credits that included Alfie, Taking Woodstock, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Dictator, Robots, Don’t Think Twice, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Climb and as Dr. Sally in Todd Phillips’ Joker.

Her last film credit is a role in the George Clooney-directed The Tender Bar, starring Affleck and Lloyd and due out next year.

On TV, James’ credits included Law & Order,...

Exclusive: Amazon Studios’ forthcoming George Clooney-directed adaptation of The Tender Bar based on the memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J.R. Moehringer has rounded out the cast with Sondra James (Joker), Max Martini (Sgt. Will Garner), Michael Braun (The Affair), Matthew Delamater (Castle Rock), Max Casella (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Rhenzy Feliz (Marvel’s Runaways), Ivan Leung (The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu), Briana Middleton (3:35 To Boston)and newcomer Daniel Ranieri, who was recently seen ranting about people breaking quarantine on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Production has kicked off in Boston for the Amazon Studios feature.

Adapted by Oscar-winning writer William Monahan, The Tender Bar stars Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe and Christopher Lloyd.

The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Sheridan...

Before Sundance gets underway, SXSW has unveiled the first wave of their film lineup. This year’s slate includes Judd Apatow’s Pete Davidson-led comedy The King of Staten Island, a new Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys documentary, an intriguing new film by Amy Seimetz, and more.

There’s also The Lovebirds, directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) and starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, whose comedic stylings coalesce astoundingly well in the first trailer. The duo play Leilani and Jibran, a couple who are accidentally embroiled in a murder mystery as a man claiming to be a cop commits murder with their car and leaves them with the evidence.

Ahead of a release on April 3, see the trailer below, followed by the SXSW 2020 lineup.

Narrative Feature Competition

Ten world premieres, ten unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,305 narrative feature submissions in 2020.

Holler

Director...

The 27th edition of the SXSW Film Festival will feature a romantic caper starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, a documentary about the Beastie Boys directed by Spike Jonze, a “hidden camera” comedy headlined by Tiffany Haddish and an autobiographical studio vehicle from Pete Davidson.

Thousands of moviegoers will flock to Austin, Texas, starting on March 13 for the annual gathering, which is a launching pad for major summer — or spring — studio releases, as well as smaller independent films and buzzy TV shows.

“King of Staten Island,” which stars Davidson, will open the fest. The movie is directed by Judd Apatow, who is no stranger to SXSW, having brought many of his hit projects — from “Knocked Up” to “Bridesmaids” — to screen first at SXSW.

Other high-profile titles that will premiere in Austin include “The Lovebirds,” a comedy from Michael Showalter, with Rae and Nanjiani trying to solve a murder mystery; “Bad Trip,...

“The King of Staten Island,” written by Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson, as well as “Bad Trip” starring Tiffany Haddish and Eric Andre, have been announced as part of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup.

“Pink Skies Ahead,” starring Mary J. Blige and Marcia Gay Hayden, “Violet,” starring Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux, Spike Jonze’s “Beastie Boys Story” documentary, and “The Love Birds,” starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani,” will also be debuting at the festival.

Alex Gibney will be returning with “Crazy, Not Insane,” a documentary about the minds of serial killers. “The King of Staten Island” is also the festival’s Opening Night Film.

Also Read: 'SNL': Pete Davidson's Parody of Michael Avenatti Gets a 'Total Loser' Review From the Attorney

In total, 102 features and episodics were announced on Wednesday — dozens of additional titles will be announced on Feb. 5. The 2020 program was selected from 2,316 feature-length film submissions. The...

Three months after the domestic trailer debut for The Cobbler, an international trailer has arrived with new footage from this upcoming comedic drama. Adam Sandler stars as Max Simkin, who repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man's shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are.

As you can see in the new footage, this enchanted heirloom not only allows Max to literally become his customers, it creates an awkward doppleganger situation when he runs into the man whose shoes he's wearing, Ludlow (Method Man). He is also given the power to bring the dead back to life, turning him into a makeshift zombie,...

Max Simkin isn't the man he thought he'd be in the first trailer for The Cobbler, but this year he'll get the chance to become someone else.

Adam Sandler stars in this magical comedy, which follows a downtrodden shoe repairman who discovers he has the ability to step into other people's lives when he puts on their well-worn shoes. He decides to use his new-found power to change his own life, discovering more about himself in the process and winning the heart of a local neighborhood beauty. Complications ensue when he decides to bring his deceased father's (Dustin Hoffman) shoes out of the closet for a long-overdue visit.

Some of it is funny, some of it is heartbreaking, and some of it is down right creepy. Take a look at the first footage from The Cobbler, directed by Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent).

The Cobbler: Movie Pictures Gallery

The Cobbler...

The first official photo has been released from The Cobbler, which recently wrapped production in New York City, under the direction of Thomas McCarthy (Win Win). Adam Sandler stars as the title character, a shoe repairman who is given a family heirloom that allows him to see the world through his customers' perspective, literally giving him the ability to walk in another man's shoes. Take a look at the photo, then read on for more details about the production from director Thomas McCarthy.

Thomas McCarthy praised his star Adam Sandler for his balanced approach to both comedy and drama.

"For a guy who's known as a funny guy, Adam has a very soulful quality to him. One of the things that makes Adam right for [the role] is that he does handle the various levels of comedy very well. And he transitions really well from comedy to drama. He can make even the smallest,...

Dustin Hoffman and Steve Buscemi have joined the cast of The Cobbler, which is currently shooting in New York City.

Adam Sandler stars as the title character, a shoe repairman blessed with the meta-physical ability to enter the lives of his customers. No details were given for Dustin Hoffman's role, although Steve Buscemi plays a character named Manny. They join a cast which also includes Dan Stevens, Sondra James and Method Man.

Thomas McCarthy is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Paul Sado, with Mary Jane Skalski producing.

Dustin Hoffman will next be seen in Very Good Girls and Chef. Steve Buscemi most recently starred in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Grown Ups 2 with Adam Sandler.

The Cobbler is in development and stars Adam Sandler, Dan Stevens, Sondra James, Method Man, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi. The film is directed by Thomas McCarthy.

Winner of a 2012 Audience Award at Sundance, comedian Mike Birbiglia wrote, directed and stars in this sincere and hilarious film, based on his off-Broadway show and bestselling book. It’s also the first movie co-written by Ira Glass and co-produced by “This American Life.” The story: when an aspiring stand-up fails to express his true feelings about his girlfriend and his stalled career, his anxiety comes out in increasingly funny and dangerous sleepwalking incidents.

Sleepwalk With Me features Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Carol Kane (“Taxi”), James Rebhorn (“Meet the Parents”), Cristin Milioti (star of Broadway’s “Once”), plus comedians Marc Maron, Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Jesse Klein, Henry Phillips and David Wain.

“A funny and insightful movie. I could have watched it for ten hours.”

- Judd Apatow

IFC Films and Wamg invite you to enter to win passes to the advance screening of Sleepwalk With Me in St.

Many already know Mike Birbiglia from his stand-up specials and comedy tours, but his first feature, Sleepwalk With Me, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Stepping into the acting spotlight, while also writing and directing the film, Birbiglia makes first-time filmmaking look seamless and easy. Sleepwalk With Me also debuted at South By Southwest where Birbiglia and the producer of the film, Brian Bedol, were kind enough to sit down with me to discuss this very endearing and funny film. Check out our conversation below.

Can you tell us more about the script writing process?

Mike Birbiglia: The script process was about two years. There was a bunch of shifts. My brother Joe Birbiglia, Seth Barrish, who directed the one man show, and Ira Glass, who I developed a lot of stories with over the years for This American Life. Yeah, it was interesting because as...

Director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain," "Lust, Caution") returns with "Taking Woodstock," an adaptation of Elliot Tiber's autobiography "Taking Woodstock: A true story of a riot, a concert and a life."

Adapted by James Schamus for the big screen, I suggest you take a far out trip with "Taking Woodstock." Peace!

(For a full written movie review of "Taking Woodstock," click here. For interviews with the cast including Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Demetri Martin, and Jonathan Groff, click here)

Persons of interest

* Demetri Martin .... Elliot Tiber aka Eliyahu Teichberg

* Liev Schreiber .... Vilma

* Emile Hirsch .... Billy

* Eugene Levy .... Yasgur

* Imelda Staunton .... Mrs Tiber

* Katherine Waterston .... Penny

* Kevin Sussman .... Stan

* Skylar Astin .... John Roberts

* Kevin Chamberlin .... Jackson Spiers

* Gabriel Sunday .... Steve

* Jason Antoon .... Abbie Hoffman

* Henry Goodman .... Mr Tiber

* Jonathan Groff .... Michael Lang

* Boris McGiver .... Doug

* Michael Zegen .... Bernie

* Will Janowitz .... Chip Monck

* Clark Middleton .... Frank

* Adam Pally .... Artie Kornfeld

* Andy Prosky...