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John Mulaney's "Baby J" is a painfully honest and hilarious exploration of his drug problems and rehab stint, proving he's still one of the funniest comedians today. Norm MacDonald's "Nothing Special" is a unique and poignant special recorded from his home without an audience, showcasing his comedic genius and earning three Emmy nominations. Paula Poundstone's "Cats, Cops, And Stuff" demonstrates her mastery of crowd work and storytelling, making her a standup legend and a joy to watch.

The best comedy specials of all time highlight the true art form of standup comedy and the many talents in the industry. Determining the best standup special is a question that has never failed to elicit debate among long-time audiences. A lot of them come from what many consider to be comedy's Golden Age, the '70s - dominated by the likes of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis,...

The following article contains minor spoilers for “Blade Runner 2049.”

In addition to a pair of memorable performances from Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, cinematographer Roger Deakins’ stunning visual work, and director Denis Villeneuve’s dystopian vision, “Blade Runner 2049” has one more element worthy of excitement: a supporting cast of new and rising stars. Many of them have already made their mark on indie cinema, like the perpetually working David Dastmalchian or the irreverent Carla Juri, while others will likely use Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic as a springboard for even bigger careers (like Ana de Armas, the film’s biggest find).

Read More:‘Blade Runner 2049’ Review: Denis Villeneuve’s Neo-Noir Sequel Is Mind-Blowing Sci-Fi Storytelling

It’s only appropriate that a future-oriented world like the one on display in the “Blade Runner” franchise would spawn new stars, but they’ve shined quite brightly before. Here’s where you...

Maren Ade named best director as female filmmakers flourish.

Toni Erdmann continued its triumphant run at the German Film Awards on Friday night, taking home six coveted Lola statuettes in an evening dominated by strong women filmmakers.

Maren Ade’s tragicomedy received the Golden Lola for Best Feature Film as well as double honours for Ade (pictured at left) herself as director and screenwriter, plus statuettes for her lead actors Sandra Hueller (pictured at right) and Peter Simonischek, and a Lola for the film’s editor Heike Parplies.

Handled internationally by The Match Factory, Toni Erdmann began winning the hearts of critics and audiences around the globe following its premiere in Cannes’ Official Competition last year.

It picked up five European Film Awards in Poland’s Wroclaw last December – in the same categories as the Lolas except for editing – as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.

Hours before Friday night’s ceremony in Berlin, the film’s...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

Two Very Different Movies Look to Divide Up the Weekend Box Office Business

With Disney’s Beauty and the Beast continuing to dominate at the box office with $90 million this past weekend, and Saban’s Power Rangers (Lionsgate) also doing exceedingly well with $40 million in second place, you wouldn’t think anyone would try to release a movie that might get overshadowed by those two blockbusters.

That said, what’s interesting about this weekend is the fact there are two very different movies that are competing very heavily for second place with DreamWorks Animation’s latest animated family film, The Boss Baby (20th Century Fox), taking on the live action English remake of Ghost In The Shell (Paramount), starring Scarlett Johansson. In most cases,...

Energy company Aet has been one of the festival’s four primary sponsors for 15 years.

The decision by the local energy concern Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (Aet) to pull the plug on its sponsorship after this year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival (Aug 3-13) is “a disaster”, according to festival president Marco Solari.

A report by local news outlet Ticinonews suggested that, although the sponsors’ contributions are not made public, “a rapid calculation” would translate into a “weighty particpation” in the six digit range.

In a statement, Aet’s CEO Roberto Pronini explained that “the deep structural changes affecting Europe’s electric energy market and the ensuing difficulties based in Switzerland” had forced Aet into “a drastic downsizing“ of its sponsorship policy.

Aet had been one of Locarno’s four main sponsors for 15 consecutive editions since 2002.

The energy concern is also pulling out of sponsoring hockey clubs in Lugano and Ambri-Piotta and the annual JazzAscona festival...

For the fifth year, IndieWire is co-hosting the Locarno Critics Academy, giving a group of talented up-and-coming critics a chance to help their role in the current climate for film criticism and journalism at the Locarno International Film Festival. With assistance from Penske Media, the Swiss Alliance of Film Journalists and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, participants will engage in a series of activities and then get to work. They will spend the first half of the festival which begins today, in roundtable discussions with working critics and industry figures; beginning next week, they’ll write about films at this year’s festival, as well as topics ranging from television to digital media.

Before then, take a minute to get to know them, and find out what they’re looking forward to checking out. Keep up with their dispatches from this year’s festival here and follow them on Twitter.