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Had everything gone according to corporate plan, "Magic Mike's Last Dance," the third installment in the male-stripper franchise created by director Steven Soderbergh and star Channing Tatum, would've gone straight to HBO Max. With Tatum's character arc complete, this creative team would've produced spinoff movies and/or series following other characters in this universe. The streaming service was dreaming of a brand. And Soderbergh, who had series experience via "K Street," "Unscripted," and "The Knick," seemed open to the idea of expanding the "Magic Mike" universe.

Behind the scenes, however, Soderbergh spied a way to "eventize" the third installment of "Magic Mike" as a buzzy theatrical release. As Tatum recently told Variety,...

I’ve long been baffled why fashion documentaries don’t get more respect.

Films like Unzipped, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Dior and I, The September Issue, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and McQueen rank among the finest nonfiction films of their time, yet none of them earned an Oscar nomination. Documentaries about visual artists often receive serious attention – the Oscar-nominated Exit Through the Gift Shop being a case in point – but focus on a designer or a fashion magazine editor and good luck to you.

Paying no mind to that, Sofia Coppola makes her documentary directorial debut with Marc by Sofia, a film about her close friend, the American designer Marc Jacobs. It made its world premiere today at the Venice Film Festival.

Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppola attend the ‘Marc By Sofia’ photocall in Venice Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Jacobs, occasionally described at earlier stages of his career as an enfant terrible, here comes across as somewhat mellowed by age (he’s 62 now) yet as engaged with his art as ever. As with many docs about designers, this film is loosely framed around the creation of a collection – in this case, Jacobs’ 2024 spring ready-to-wear collection. Despite the inherent pressure of fashioning a collection that will receive intense scrutiny, Jacobs seems far less angst-ridden than Isaac Mizrahi in Unzipped, who nearly came to pieces on screen during the making of his fall 1994 collection. Jacobs tells Coppola with understated confidence, “I have faith that it will become something.”

There’s good reason for his confidence. It’s been more than 30 years since he climbed into the top ranks of designers when he joined Perry Ellis as head of womenswear. He became creative director of Louis Vuitton in 1997, reinventing the luxury label, and launched his own brands, Marc Jacobs Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs. Press notes for the film describe him as a genius.

Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppola attend the WSJ Magazine 2024 Innovator Awards Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards

The documentary starts off rather slowly but gets moving when it dials back to the early 1990s (the timeframe when Marc and Sofia met in New York). He raised hackles in the fashion world by designing a grunge collection, nodding to street fashion (a bit taboo at that time as it seemed to ignore the class-conscious haute of haute couture). Many reports have said that collection got him fired from Perry Ellis. Coppola asks him whether that’s true, and he replies it isn’t, but he likes the story anyway.

‘Sweet Charity,’ 1969 Everett Collection

Coppola stays off camera for the early part of the film. Fortunately, she gets into the shot later on; we need to understand their relationship for the documentary to go beyond the cosmetic. They’re clearly sympatico and, presumably, one of the chief areas where they bond is over cinema. We discover that Jacobs is deeply inspired by film, particularly The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, the 1972 Rainer Werner Fassbinder film; the “Hey Big Spender” number from Sweet Charity; the louche Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate; and the work of Bob Fosse. Coppola weaves in appropriate clips of Cabaret, All That Jazz and Petra von Kant, as well as Elizabeth Taylor on screen with Montgomery Clift, and Barbra Streisand in Hello Dolly. Coppola asks him why all gay men love Streisand; he answers that he’s fascinated by women who are caricatures of themselves.

Coppola became the face of Jacobs’ Daisy fragrance and she and her dad Francis also appeared together in a Louis Vuitton ad for Jacobs. Given that close relationship, it would be folly to expect a distanced and more cooly analytical documentary about the designer. Jacobs is seen sucking frequently on a vaping device, but there is no discussion of his previous cocaine and alcohol problem.

That’s not to say the documentary isn’t revealing. We learn about a childhood of considerable pain; Jacobs’ father, an agent at William Morris in New York, died when Marc was just 6. His mother suffered from mental illness. Part of his formative years were spent living with his grandparents, and it was his grandmother who taught him how to knit and do needlepoint. He had a bit of a weight problem as a kid and though long since slimmed down, describes himself as “pretty uncomfortable socially.” It’s through the clothes, through the art, that he expresses himself.

What I found most fascinating is to see Jacobs at work, training his attention on details a lesser eye would miss. He asks for micro adjustments to looping sleeves of a dress, for instance, that might seem undetectable and yet once executed, one sees the difference. Carefully examining the shade of nail polish on a model for the spring 2024 show, he declares it needs to be more “dead Barbie.” For that collection, which was inspired by paper dolls, he even instructed his models on how to hold their arms to mimic the opposable limbs of a child’s plaything.

Models walk the runway during the Marc Jacobs Runway 2024 Show in New York City Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs

Jacobs’ inspiration for the set of that runway show featured an enormous table and chairs (possibly inspired by the Robert Therrien sculpture at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles). The models walk under and around the furniture – it’s a stunning visual.

It struck me while watching Marc by Sofia that great fashion designers could be considered the most brilliant artists of all. Painters and sculptors, most of them spend their careers imitating themselves, in a sense. One Giacometti sculpture bears a notable resemblance to another, as incredible as they are, which is not meant as criticism; it’s how we recognize the distinctive character of an artist. But a fashion designer must reinvent themselves with every collection. They must keep pace with and even lead the evolution of culture. A Marc Jacobs collection from the early ’90 vs now bears little in common visually, except perhaps for an affection for knits. It’s astonishing to witness the expanse of his creative output.

Marc by Sofia can seem a bit clubby at times, a touch too cool for school. But perhaps that’s just a familiar gripe of one, like myself, who stands on the other side of the velvet rope from the likes of Jacobs and Coppola. The press notes do refer to the Marc Jacobs woman “as cutting-edge, culturally savvy, insouciant, and effortlessly cool… in essence, Sofia.” Okay! An inevitable degree of self-regard is built into the film, but that can be forgiven as we marvel at what, over a period of decades, Marc Jacobs has made.

Title: Marc by Sofia

Festival: Venice (Out of Competition)

Distributor: A24

Director: Sofia Coppola

Running time: 1 hr 37 mins...

The thriller The Stepdaughter, which was released last year on Tubi, is all set to air on the Lifetime channel this month. The film, which stars Cassidey Fralin, Blue Kimble, and Annie Ngozi Ilonzeh in lead roles, received a 5.3 rating on IMDb.

It is a psychological thriller on the lines of movies like Orphan, which sees a family being haunted by the dad’s stepdaughter. Directed by Chris Stokes, who has directed many thrillers, the movie will be premiering on Lifetime this Saturday, August 30 (via Metacritic).

What Is The Stepdaughter About? A still from The Stepdaughter | Credits: Tubi

Based on the trailer of the movie, The Stepdaughter sees Joanna Lawrence,...

Quentin Tarantino’s recent — and no doubt coveted — appearance on “The Church of Tarantino,” a long-running fan podcast run by Scott K., provided spicy details about the director’s next moves. He’s working on a play he hopes to take to the West End, and during the two-hour episode, he also explained why his purported 10th film “The Movie Critic” derailed. It turns out that Tarantino’s planned limited series, as announced in 2022 for an unspecified network or streamer, began as “The Movie Critic” before he whittled it down to a feature film version.

The Oscar-winning “Pulp Fiction” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” director first announced in 2024 that he would not move forward with “The Movie Critic,” about a film writer in 1970s Los Angeles circa the same time and place as “Once Upon a Time.” There wouldn’t have been, he insists, any overlaps in terms of characters,...

The #MeToo movement and the release of the documentary series "The Secrets of Playboy" pretty much killed the Playboy brand (and rightfully so). For decades, Hugh Hefner dressed up sexual freedom as female empowerment. He supported progressive ideals of racial equality, queer identity, and a woman's right to choose. But his image as a cultural liberator and the suave womanizer every man should envy was just a veneer. Hugh Hefner was a controlling hoarder, and inside his so-called famous luxury mansion, which was dull and musty inside, he allegedly drugged and manipulated women into performing degrading sex acts. He would secretly film some women and use the footage as blackmail (via Variety).

From 2005 to 2010, the reality series "The Girls Next Door" on E! made the Playboy brand more popular than it had ever been. It painted Hef's three live-in girlfriends Holly, Bridget, and Kendra as cartoony, frilly playthings and Hef himself as a harmless,...

Kino Lorber is back with another stunning 4K restoration, this time for obscure, gritty thriller Night of the Juggler, soon available for the first time in 40 years.

We can exclusively debut the new trailer for the restoration, a re-cut of the original that gives a look at the twisty, sleazy intensity ahead and an impressive cast.

The new 4K restoration of Night of the Juggler opens at the IFC Center in NYC on August 1 before rolling out to select cities that currently include Los Angeles, Atlanta, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, and Chicago, with more to follow.

In Night of the Juggler, “Twenty-four hours of nerve-jangling tension and suspense begin when a twisted psychotic kidnaps a teenaged girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer. Her determined father, a hard-hitting ex-cop, doggedly pursues them through New York’s seamy streets, decaying, burned-out Bronx tenements, and the grimy...

Japanese chirashi for La chimera. Designer unknown.Totting up the most-liked posters on my Movie Poster of the Day Instagram over the first six months of 2025, the surprise winner, with over 4,000 likes on one day, was a Japanese chirashi for Alice Rohrwacher's La chimera (2023). I put its popularity down to the Josh O’Connor fan base, or for the film itself, though it is a lovely, colorful design. The second and third places, with over a couple thousand likes each, went to two designs that I posted in tribute to David Lynch upon his passing in January: the original poster for Eraserhead (1977) and a beautiful Japanese poster for The Straight Story (1999). There are actually three Japanese posters in the top four, number three being a zippy design for Charade (1963), which I posted in April in celebration of what would have been its director Stanley Donen’s 101st birthday. And the one-sheet...

On Sunday June 1 2025, OWN broadcasts Caribbean Life!

All That Jazz on St. Croix Season 8 Episode 9 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Caribbean Life,” titled “All That Jazz on St. Croix,” promises to be an exciting journey for viewers. This episode features Pauline and Michael, a couple eager to escape the chilly winters of Colorado. They are ready to embrace the warmth and beauty of St. Croix, a stunning island in the Caribbean.

As the episode unfolds, Pauline and Michael explore the vibrant culture and breathtaking ocean views that St. Croix has to offer. The couple is on a mission to find their dream home, and their adventure takes them through charming neighborhoods and picturesque beaches. The contrast between their cold Colorado surroundings and the sunny Caribbean landscape highlights their desire for a fresh start.

Throughout the episode, viewers can expect to see the couple’s reactions to the island’s lifestyle.

Just about every movie buff knows that Clint Eastwood shot to international fame after starring in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy," but what came next? It's a good pub quiz question because many people might leap straight to the year 1968 when a trio of hits cemented his status as one of Hollywood's top tough guys: "Hang 'Em High," "Coogan's Bluff," and "Where Eagles Dare." But tucked away in his filmography is a forgotten 1967 Italian movie called "The Witches," not to be confused with the Hammer production of the same name from the year before. Originally titled "Le streghe" in Italian, it's an offbeat anthology movie that isn't a horror film at all and has very little to do with witches, unless you squint really hard at its themes.

"The Witches" was the brainchild of legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis, who would later make an impact in Hollywood with the 1976 "King Kong" remake,...

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday following two weeks packed with screenings, stars, press, and parties. With the prizes having been handed out for the festival’s 78th anniversary, awards pundits can now start looking at what contenders might be in the best spot to get into the upcoming Oscar race.

This year's prestigious Palme d’Or was awarded to It Was Just an Accident from the long-persecuted Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. The revenge story centers on five former prisoners who believe they’ve identified and found the person responsible for torturing them. It’s Panahi’s first project since his ban on making films was lifted by the country’s religious leaders who had imprisoned him for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” It marks the second Iranian film to win Cannes' top honor after Taste of Cherry (tied with The Eel from Japan) in 1997 from Abbas Kiarostami, whom...

If you're friendly with a fan of the network television procedural "9-1-1," give them a little extra space this week. The series — created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear — just slammed a couple of torpedoes into the hearts of its viewers by unexpectedly killing off Peter Krause's Lafd Captain Bobby Nash at the end of the season 8 episode "Lab Rats." Nash, along with his wife Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett), has been the series' emotional ballast. He's the steadying influence who keeps the young bucks from faltering in their duty (as much as possible). Also, because it's Krause, a television favorite due to his memorable roles on "Six Feet Under," "Sports Night," and "Parenthood," the shock is particularly profound. How does the show, this hidebound to narrative convention (in a necessary way), go on without its dramatic security blanket?

This question will be addressed over the next two...

FKA twigs takes on the TikTok-obsessed music industry in the video for “Childlike Things,” a track from her recent album Eusexua featuring North West. The eight-minute clip, directed by twigs’s frequent collaborator Jordan Hemingway, puts a 21st-century spin on the “meet the execs” premise of Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted” video, which was inspired by Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz.

In the video, Kevin Smith plays a cynical label head—whom twigs cheekily refers to as simply “executive”—who visits the set of “Childlike Things” with a doting assistant (influencer Jake Shane) in tow. Characteristically mesmerizing choreography and jokes about Spotify, dwindling video budgets, and gratuitous guest rappers abound.

Watch the video below:

If you can, please consider supporting Slant Magazine.

Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant...

Director Bong Joon-ho gained widespread acclaim for his 2019 film Parasite, which became the first non-English-language movie to ever take home the Oscar for Best Picture. The world patiently held its breath to see what he'd do next, and now we have our answer, as Mickey 17 is set to hit theaters next week. Thus far, the sci-fi film has been garnering a lot of praise from critics, and while Joon-ho has dabbled in a lot of genres over the course of his career, he recently shared the hilarious reason why he'll never dip his toes into making musicals.

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss all things Mickey 17, it was pointed out to the South Korean director that he's covered a lot of different themes in his movies, which have stretched a wide breadth of genres. When asked if he'd ever want to do a musical,...

Established horror filmmaker of The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan is a name on every horror film addict's lips—known for his ability to "respect the material in a way that keeps it from getting too cute," as the great Stephen King has said. Knowing this, it makes sense Flanagan's top four movies revealed on Letterboxd explore similar dark, psychological elements like those seen in the likes of All That Jazz, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Shawshank Redemption, with the 4th one being from the legendary Akira Kurosawa.

Filmmaker Zack Snyder is known for his comic book-inspired films that often combine highly stylized visuals with graphic sex and violence. It should come as no surprise, then, that Snyder's personal favorite film is an epic fantasy with its own distinctively expressionistic visuals and more than its fair share of sex and violence: John Boorman's Excalibur (1981).Snyder has described this condensed retelling of the legend of King Arthur as "incredibly poignant" and "the perfect meeting between movies and mythology," and has emulated its style throughout his own filmography.

Excalibur is known for its bloody battle sequences, gorgeous cinematography, and a soundtrack that includes compositions by Richard Wagner and Carl Orff. The film is also known for boosting the careers of several British and Irish actors who would later become household names, including Ciarán Hinds, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne, and even Liam Neeson,who had a small but memorable...

Few actors are more underrated than the late Roy Scheider. He may not have been a celebrity superstar like Harrison Ford, but his films were crucial pieces of cinematic history. After all, The French Connection wouldn't be nearly as riveting without Schieder's magnificent chemistry with Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle. Likewise, his nuanced portrayal of Jaws' Martin Brody cemented Speilberg's creature feature as the definitive summer blockbuster. The performer worked alongside several of his generation's most brilliant filmmakers, proving himself as one of Hollywood's most reliable talents. However, even Roy Scheider's most loyal fans seem to neglect his strongest performance.

Directed by Bob Fosse, All That Jazz is about a life wasted in pursuit of greatness. Scheider stars as Joe Gideon, a self-destructive perfectionist utterly consumed by his artistry. He works every second of every day, choreographing an ambitious Broadway musical while editing his directorial debut for the big screen.

For any filmmaker, receiving a stamp of approval from Stanley Kubrick, widely considered one of the finest American directors to ever live, would be quite an honor, to say the least. It would be like being praised by Michael Jordan for your jump shot. Being the quintessential tortured and self-destructive artist, Bob Fosse would likely be unbothered by a parade of celebration. The Academy Award-winning director and Tony-winning choreographer earned the respect of Kubrick, who once claimed that Fosse's uber-personal meditation on life and death, All That Jazz, was the best film he had ever seen. It might come as a surprise that the cynical and bleak Kubrick would latch on to a musical, but Fosse, whose musicals were both sordid and intensely cerebral, operated like a song-and-dance version of Kubrick. All That Jazz, with its dreamlike formalism, pitch-black sense of humor, and a scintillating portrait of humanity on the brink of death,...

With its fractured narrative, complete with a gimmicky spectral figure guiding us through the proceedings, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is Richard Pryor’s All That Jazz. Playing like a greatest hits collection of Pryor’s stand-up routines, it begins with the titular character freebasing his way into a hospital burn unit, features him pulling a starter pistol on the mafia, and shows him destroying his wife’s car when she threatens to leave him.

Jo Jo Dancer’s profession mirrors Pryor’s own, as does his backstory: The film was shot in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor’s hometown and the location of the brothel where both he and Jo Jo grew up. Columbia Pictures wouldn’t grant Bob Fosse’s wish to play All That Jazz’s Joe Gideon, but they let Pryor play himself, or “himself” as it were, creating a meta experience before meta was cool.

Australian writer-director Michael Gracey was already several years into developing “The Greatest Showman,” his grand and ambitious musical biopic that took the filmmaker eight years to realize, when his star Hugh Jackman started having cold feet.

“Hugh was losing a bit of confidence in the music,” Gracey recalled in a recent conversation with IndieWire. “When we were really close to going into production, other people started getting in Hugh’s ear about the music not being good enough.” At the time, Gracey was a respected and prolific director of music videos, with deep roots in VFX and animation, as well as music. But he had not yet made his feature filmmaking debut. Feeling like he was losing the power of his voice with Jackman, he thought, “What if it wasn’t just me telling him the songs are actually good? What if someone like Robbie Williams told him that?”

The former “Take That” superstar,...

As of recent years, there has been a correlation with musical performances being recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category at the Oscars, with eight nominated since 2002, and half emerging victorious. This year, we have potentially three actresses from two movie musicals competing for the five slots: Ariana Grande for Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” and Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez for Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez.” Let’s take a look back at the many scenarios where song-and-dance performers were cited for Best Supporting Actress and what that could mean for this year’s contenders.

There have been a myriad of supporting actresses recognized for film musicals at the Oscars predominantly during the inception of the genre, which include Jean Hagen for “Singin’ In The Rain” (1952), Peggy Wood for “The Sound of Music” (1965), and Kay Medford for “Funny Girl” (1968). But the first victory came for Rita Moreno for “West Side Story” (1961), who...

It’s Musicals Week at IndieWire. With “Wicked” about to sparkle over theaters, we’re celebrating the best of the movie-musical genre.

Bob Fosse only directed five features — “Sweet Charity,” “Cabaret,” “Lenny,” “All That Jazz,” and “Star 80” — but among filmmakers and cinephiles, his legend looms large in proportion to the abundance of his output. David Fincher, for example, frequently references Fosse as an influence alongside and equal to far more prolific directors like Steven Spielberg, William Friedkin, and John Carpenter. In “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” Fosse is one of only a few post-classical studio era auteurs (alongside Stanley Kubrick and Clint Eastwood) that Scorsese deems worthy of inclusion alongside old masters like Orson Welles and Sam Fuller.

By only making a handful of movies in between stints revolutionizing American musical theater on Broadway, Fosse maintained a consistency any director would envy — he’s five...

Zack Snyder is most decidedly a divisive filmmaker, but a very popular one at that. From his feature directorial debut, a remake of George A. Romero's zombie classic "Dawn of the Dead," to the complicated DC epic that was "Justice League," he's never been afraid to do the unsafe thing, for better or worse. So, what does a director like that enjoy watching? What are the movies Snyder looks to for inspiration?

Around the time that "Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire" was debuting on Netflix in late 20223, Snyder spoke with Letterboxd and shared his four favorite movies of all time. First and foremost, without hesitation, Snyder listed George Lucas' seminal sci-fi classic "Star Wars: A New Hope" as his favorite movie. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I'm going to have to say 'Star Wars,' just because I have to. 1977. You don't...

Over the past ten years, Greta Gerwig has cemented herself as one of the great directors of her generation, having made three of the best movies of the 2010s and 2020s. Her directing style, cinematography choices, and eye for framing interesting shots have made her one of the most visually compelling filmmakers in years, which is why understanding her influences and favorite movies is so key to appreciating her films.

Gerwig has been on the record many times to discuss the movies that have had a significant impact on her. By watching the films that have inspired her over the years, audiences can get an even better understanding of what makes Greta Gerwig one of the most influential voices in movie-making today.

This Classic From a Musical Legend Is Important to Gerwig's Style All That Jazz (1979)

Directed by:

Bob Fosse

Starring:

Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking

Rotten Tomatoes Score:...

"It feels like everything is just out of my control..." Electric Ent. has revealed an official trailer for an indie romantic sci-fi film called Futra Days, created by filmmaker Ryan David. This initially premiered in 2022 at Cinquest and is finally on VOD to watch now if anyone is interested in giving it a time travel spin. After undergoing an experimental time travel "process" that sends a man into his future, he investigates the man that he has become, by engaging in a romance with his future self's girlfriend in a mind-bending reality. The movie is about Sean's yearning for escape, about being trapped, and about the price he paid in relinquishing grand ambitions. Sounds like a tragedy. Futra Days stars Brandon Sklenar, Tania Raymonde, Jordan Hearn, Emily McEnroe, and Rosanna Arquette. Director Ryan David lists the films that inspired this one: Certified Copy, Altered States, La Notte, Primer, The Rain People,...

“I thought I would have a strategy,” said Anna Kendrick as she peered around thousands of classic cinematic treasures. “And now that I’m here, I don’t. But that’s okay. Sometimes great things happen when you don’t have a great plan.”

So begins Kendrick’s venture into the beloved Criterion Closet. The Academy-Award nominated actress and now director took a stop by Criterion’s offices in New York while promoting her recently released Netflix film, “Woman of the Hour,” and found herself throwing plans out the window, instead letting her experience be driven by chance. Having a musical background herself, Kendrick started with a classic in the genre, Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical “All That Jazz.”

“You always want to say that you saw all these movies, like, at least a decade ago, right? But I just saw this a few years ago,” said Kendrick. “‘All That Jazz.

When writer/director Parker Finn made the inventive and terrifying horror film “Smile” in 2022, he never intended it as the beginning of a franchise. “I wrote that film to be self-contained and its own cathartic story,” Finn told IndieWire. “Also, I’m not nearly a big enough egotist to think that people were going to want a sequel.” Finn says he never thought of himself as a “sequel guy” anyway. “I think a lot of sequels get made for the wrong reasons and are incredibly cynical.”

Yet now Finn has made not only one of the best sequels in recent memory but one of the best horror films period, a rare follow-up that expands upon and deepens the mythology of its predecessor — think “Aliens” or “Terminator 2.” “Smile 2” retains the core concept of the original film, in which an unstoppable supernatural force travels from person to person and ultimately...

Quick Links Blue Thunder Is Perfectly Out-of-Date Roy Scheider Gave a Classic Performance as Frank Murphy John Badham Was Ahead of His Time with Blue Thunder's Themes

Ah, the '80s. It was a time when disbelief was much more easily suspended in movie theaters across America. That led to the Roy Scheider vehicle, Blue Thunder, making an impressive $42 million in 1983, doubling its budget thanks to a helicopter-based action plot that presaged Top Gun by combining a fighter pilot film with new helicopter and computer technology being developed in the early '80s. It was a weird, in-between time when many neo-noir films like 8 Million Ways to Die and To Live and Die in LA were romanticizing the ex-military LAPD officers who dominated Hollywood-adjacent crime films of the rugged '80s. Directors like Hal Ashby and William Friedkin and Blue Thunder director John Badham were trying out a style...

Kubrick's admiration for All That Jazz as the best movie is unusual, but actually makes a lot of sense. All That Jazz's legacy stems from its chaotic yet emotionally compelling narrative, mirroring the turbulent life of Bob Fosse. Despite being a departure from Kubrick's usual style, the dark and introspective nature of All That Jazz resonated with the filmmaker.

Throughout his career, Stanley Kubrick became known for his intense and often dark films, so at first glance, the movie he deemed to be the best may come as a surprise. Considered one of the greatest film directors of all time, Kubrick made movies from 1952 until his death in 1999. Stanley Kubrick's best movies are all lauded as classics, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Shining. The director's unique style and innovative filmmaking have had long-lasting effects on Hollywood. Not only did Stanley Kubrick make stand-out movies, but his influences were also rather distinct.

Charlie Sheen’s career took some crazy turns after his epic exit from Two and a Half Men, leaving many thinking his TV days were done. But guess what? He’s back, and it’s a total shocker. What’s even wilder? The very person he once dissed publicly, a true legend from the Two and a Half Men crew, gave him some unexpected kindness.

Charlie Sheen and Angus T. Jones in Two and a Half Men. | Credit: Chuck Lorre Productions

It’s wild to see that even in the Hollywood jungle, a bit of forgiveness can steal the spotlight as much as a major return.

Charlie Sheen’s Epic Comeback: Reuniting with Chuck Lorre for a Wild TV Revival Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer in Two and a Half Men | Credits: Chuck Lorre Productions

Charlie Sheen‘s back and better than ever, and this comeback is a straight-up epic.

A quick perusal of social media shows some fans are still processing the idea that Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar-grossing favorite of edgelords everywhere, is going to be a musical. The marketing is being a little coy about it, too, with only snippets of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck humming a few bars of Burt Bacharach to himself, or Lady Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel playfully quoting Judy Garland’s “Get Happy.” But yes: Joker 2 is expected to be a full-throated, song-in-its-heart, toe-tapper.

That departure from the first film is one of the most curious and appealing things about Phillips and Phoenix returning to the well of a project that seemed fairly insular five years ago. However, we now have confirmation that isn’t the only tip of the hat to Hollywood’s Golden Age, and specifically toward Warner Bros. at that. Indeed, according to a new report in Variety,...

Anybody who has watched even one Zack Snyder film will tell you that the director approaches his work in a very particular and, to put it mildly, unusual way. Snyder leaves you with mixed feelings; some see him as a visionary, while others see him as a failure. Although he has directed some of the most famous comic book films ever, he has also produced a number of absolute failures.

Snyder has a very personal approach to his movies. It is gritty and dark, but it can also be campy and exaggerated, which is difficult to achieve given that campy and gritty are rarely compatible. While some of his works are well-received, others are panned, as the recent example of Rebel Moon illustrates.

But, aside from Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder has another epic failure in his filmography, a film that he himself views as a misunderstood masterpiece, while almost everyone...

In its first two seasons, Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” became one of television’s most beloved comedies. The chemistry between mystery-solving neighbors Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez yielded not only big laughs but suspense, poignancy, and sweet (if often thwarted) romance. For Season 3, a whole new element was introduced into the mix as “Only Murders in the Building” added another genre to its story and became, at times, a musical.

“My all time favorite project of the season was creating the look and scenery for the Broadway show from scratch,” production designer Patrick Howe told IndieWire, noting that the key was to tie not only the backstage areas to what was happening on stage but to connect the show-within-a-show to the larger narrative. “I chose to make all those spaces tie together and tie the whole season up nicely by the way we’re presenting...

The iconic Criterion Collection has expanded into viral Closet trips, its streaming channel, and of course its staple 4k restorations on Blu-ray. Now, the Criterion Collection celebrates 40 years since its founding with a monumental 40-film box set including works from auteurs Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard, and Federico Fellini.

The box set, titled CC40, spans an eclectic selection of curated classic films that includes special features and essays. The collection encompasses the works “frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series,” per the official press release. “Neither a historical survey nor a top-40 compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology reflects the cinematic joys and inspirations of the creative community that makes the Criterion Collection possible.”

The 40th anniversary Blu-ray box set includes films like “8½” (1963), “All That Jazz...

With nearly 1,700 titles in their catalog, it’s hard to discern where exactly to start when exploring the Criterion Collection. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the company has now made it a bit easier as they’ve unveiled CC40, a 40-film, 49-disc collection retailing for around $640 that is now the new go-to gift for that budding cinephile in your life.

“This monumental forty-film box set celebrates forty years of the Criterion Collection by gathering an electrifying mix of classic and contemporary films, and presenting them with all their special features and essays in a deluxe clothbound, slipcased edition,” they note. “CC40’s eclectic selection includes the releases most frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series. Neither a historical survey nor a top-forty compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology...

Exclusive: Audra McDonald (The Gilded Age), K. Todd Freeman (The Horror of Dolores Roach), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Richard Kind (Only Murders in the Building) and Ben Vereen (All That Jazz) have been set to topline The Auction, a new indie from writer-director William Atticus Parker.

Described by the filmmaker as “a workplace drama with elements of fantasy and horror,” the film is a loose adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Further plot details are being kept under wraps.

The son of Mary-Louise Parker, William will also make his feature acting debut in The Auction and produce alongside Sabina Friedman-Seitz (Atrabilious) and Cory Asinofsky. William’s sister, Ash Parker, will write and compose an original song for the pic, with production to kick off in New York this summer.

Currently starring on HBO’s The Gilded Age, which has been renewed for a third season, McDonald is...

In a nod to the iconic Batman universe, pop sensation Ariana Grande has unveiled the music video for her latest single, "The Boy Is Mine." Halle Berry, who played the character in the ill-fated 2004 movie Catwoman, reacted to the video.

The visually stunning six-minute video features Grande channeling the infamous Catwoman, complete with a homemade costume inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. Berry reacted enthusiastically to the video on X with a fellow Catwoman endorsement, writing, "Get it, Ari! Living."

Get it, Ari! Living. https://t.co/T41gHVaV0Z Halle Berry (@halleberry) June 7, 2024

Related Wicked Fans Debate If Ariana Grande Is Actually Singing in New Clip

Fans are divided on whether Glinda actor Ariana Grande is singing or lipsyncing in new Wicked: Part One behind-the-scenes footage.

The plot centers around You star Penn Badgley, who plays the mayor of an unnamed city, reminiscent of Gotham.

Following the All That Jazz-influenced “Yes, And?” and the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-inspired “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” Ariana Grande continues her streak of cinematic homages with the music video for “The Boy Is Mine,” the latest single from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine.

Directed by Christian Breslauer (who also helmed the previous two clips), the widescreen visual finds Grande taking on Michelle Pfeiffer’s iconic role as Catwoman from Tim Burton’s 1992 blockbuster Batman Returns. The singer slinks around her apartment and along the city’s skyline with aplomb.

The video opens with a dig at New York’s history of mayoral misfits, with Gotham’s top official (You star Penn Badgley) getting dragged by local newscasters (Brandy and Monica) for the city’s rat infestation. Understandably obsessed with the fetching mayor, Grande’s nerdy chemist and feline aficionado concocts a...

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday, May 25 following two weeks packed with screenings, stars, press and parties. With the prizes having been handed out for the festival’s 77th anniversary, we can now start looking at what contenders might be in the best spot to get into the upcoming Oscar race. Let’s examine the winners from this year’s festival and see the history that each category has when it comes to the Oscars.

In recent years, we’ve seen the festival serve as a huge springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. Three of the last four winners of the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, have nabbed Best Picture nominations: “Parasite” (2019), “Triangle of Sadness” (2022) and “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Other big winners at recent festivals that became big Oscar players include “Drive My Car,” “The Zone of Interest” and “BlacKkKlansman.” This year’s...

Welcome to My Favorite Scene! In this series, IndieWire speaks to actors behind a few of our favorite television performances about their personal-best onscreen moment and how it came together.

Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers for Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Much like her character in Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Carla Gugino is an actor who feels like she’s everywhere.

From her film work in “Gerald’s Game,” “Spy Kids,” “Watchmen,” and more, to TV roles dating back to “Saved by the Bell” through “Entourage” and as recent as “The Girls on the Bus” on Max (I had to spare a few moments of our interview to bring up Greg Berlanti’s “Political Animals”), Gugino feels as powerful, versatile, and ubiquitous as Verna, the shape-shifting devil puppeteering the eponymous fall.

But even with more than 20 years in the...

Exclusive: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, the municipality of Cannes will present a free photographic exhibition titled “Lighting the Way: From the Torch Lady to Leading Ladies.” The photos will be on display for the general public on Cours Félix Faure in Cannes from May 13 to June 10.

Led by Columbia Pictures’ iconic Lady with the Torch, the exhibition will consist of over 30 rare photographs from Columbia’s archive and highlighting legendary actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond, including Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Claudette Colbert, Ann-Margret, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Michelle Yeoh and Rita Hayworth. A restored version of Hayworth’s Gilda is screening as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Classics program this year.

Said Tom Rothman, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, “Columbia Pictures may have been founded by men, but women have always been vital to its growth and impact.

Jessica Lange criticizes Hollywood for prioritizing corporate profits over creativity, expressing dismay at the industry's shift. Lange praises foreign films for their artistic depth, highlighting the French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall as a favorite. Jessica Lange reflects on her career experiences with filmmakers like Sydney Pollack and Costa-Gavras, expressing concerns about industry changes.

Jessica Lange is not pleased with the Hollywood film industry's prioritization of profit over creative expression. During a recent interview with Vulture, the award-winning actress, whose acclaimed career spans back over four decades, slammed the industry's shift towards a "corporate world." She told the publication:

"Were living in a corporate world, and it certainly has rolled over into the film industry. So much of the industry now is not about the creative process. I mean, obviously this is not across the board, but there are many instances where I feel like the artistic impulse is...

Rebel Moon franchise to expand with a unique split-trilogy format for more immersive storytelling, according to co-writer Kurt Johnstad. Writing team already prepared for six films, with ongoing scripting for future installments. Zack Snyder's clear vision and pre-planning are driving the safe and efficient development process.

Zack Snyder, along with co-writer Kurt Johnstad, plans to broaden the scope of the Rebel Moon franchise to encompass a total of six films. This split-trilogy format deviates from traditional trilogy structures, where each installment will consist of two parts.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Johnstad discussed the creative process behind the franchise’s expansion. The team has meticulously planned out the story to extend well beyond the initial trilogy, with treatments ready for the fourth and fifth films and preliminary scripting already underway for the third.

"So, basically, we have everything mapped out for many, many movies. Beyond Three. Beyond four.

Ethan Hawke is flexing his cinephile status as the latest curator for film club platform Galerie, just in time for the collection to launch on streaming apps Apple TV and Roku.

Galerie was founded in November 2023 by production company Indian Paintbrush. Galerie is led by Andy Shapiro, chief innovation officer, who has been with Indian Paintbrush since 2018. The program has subscriptions for $10 per month, with filmmakers and artists like Wes Anderson, Mike Mills, Taylor Russell, Karyn Kusama, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, James Gray, Lukas Dhont, Reinaldo Marcus Green, and Kim Gordon serving as curators and film conversation panelists.

Hawke’s tenure as this month’s curator coincides with Galerie being unveiled on streaming platforms to host a variety of new interactive experiences for film lovers. With the release of its Apple TV and Roku apps (to be followed by Amazon Fire and Android TV), members can watch films and...

GKids is definitely back: After winning its first Oscar for Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” the prestigious indie distributor has another animated contender this season with “Chicken for Linda.” The delightful hand-painted French-Italian musical comedy took the 2023 Annecy Cristal Award and the Animation Is Film Grand Jury Prize.

Directed by the married duo Chiara Malta (the live-action “Simple Women”) and Sébastien Laudenbach (the animated “The Girl Without Hands”), the film is about memory and mother-daughter bonding. After Paulette (voiced by Clotilde Hesme) wrongly punishes 8-year-old Linda (Melinée Leclerc), she tries to make it up to her by cooking her late husband’s signature dish: chicken and peppers. It’s the only memory Linda has of her father, who returns as narrator to help fill the void through magical realism. What ensues is a wild chase to catch a chicken during a supermarket strike.

The project grew out...

Alex Garland's film selections for Guest Selects series reflect his diverse tastes & artistic influences. The moral complexity of The Third Man and bravery of All That Jazz resonate with Garland. Kes influenced Garland's upcoming film 28 Years Later, showcasing his respect for cinematic influences.

Civil War director Alex Garland has taken on the role of curator for the theater chain's Guest Selects series, in collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse. He named 5 films that have inspired him, and explained how he 'ripped off' one of them for his upcoming movie, 28 Years Later.

Civil War RActionDrama Release DateApril 26, 2024DirectorAlex GarlandCastJesse Plemons, Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner MouraWritersAlex GarlandStudioA24, DNA Films

Per Screen Rant, Garland's selection is a mix of classic and contemporary cinema (Anatomy of a Fall), with titles that reflect his diverse tastes and artistic influences. Among his picks, The Third Man stands out for its moral complexity, a...

Directors are lining up left and right each month to share their favorite films from the TCM lineup, and the latest is Jason Reitman. He follows Steven Spielberg going deep on “Meet Me in St. Louis,” Martin Scorsese praising “Madonna of the Seven Moons,” Guillermo del Toro making the case why overlooked “Suspicion” is top-tier Hitchcock, and so many more.

IndieWire simply loves directors sharing their favorite films and paying tribute to the directors and screenwriters behind them. And that enthusiasm comes across loud and clear in “SNL 1975” director Reitman’s picks. First up, Reitman, whose always had an ear for dialogue himself, talks about what’s so great about the patter in Barry Levinson’s “Diner.”

“[‘Diner’] is probably one of the best first movies for a filmmaker of all time,” Reitman said. “And the dialogue is delicious. You can’t look at a Quentin Tarantino movie and...

Neha Dhupia and Konkona Sen Sharma joined designer Sohaya Mishra for a tea party while showcasing her latest collection in collaboration with Tea Culture of The World on the second day of Lakme Fashion Week x Fdci.

Konkana opened the show that featured structured silhouettes such as jumpsuits, anti-fit dresses and pantsuits.

An array of shades, from black and grey to salmon, mauve, pink, olive and olive green, livened the colour palette of the collection made from linen, cotton, denim and ikkat.

Though it was a tea party, keeping in mind the collaboration, the music picked for the models to walk on was carefully curated.

Jazz numbers such as ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘I Want to Make Love to You’ and ‘All That Jazz’ played as models and the Bollywood personalities sashayed down the runway.

Neha was chosen to close the show for Chola. Before she made her way, though,...

Mumbai, March 14 (Ians) Neha Dhupia and Konkona Sen Sharma joined designer Sohaya Mishra for a tea party while showcasing her latest collection in collaboration with Tea Culture of The World on the second day of Lakme Fashion Week x Fdci.

Konkana opened the show that featured structured silhouettes such as jumpsuits, anti-fit dresses and pantsuits.

An array of shades, from black and grey to salmon, mauve, pink, olive and olive green, livened the colour palette of the collection made from linen, cotton, denim and ikkat.

Though it was a tea party, keeping in mind the collaboration, the music picked for the models to walk on was carefully curated.

Jazz numbers such as ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘I Want to Make Love to You’ and ‘All That Jazz’ played as models and the Bollywood personalities sashayed down the runway.

Neha was chosen to close the show for Chola. Before she made her way,...

The official jury for the New York International Children’s Film Festival (Nyicff) has been unveiled, with “Passages” director Ira Sachs, “Broad City” co-creator Ilana Glazer, “Into the Spider-Verse” producer Peter Ramsey, and actress Uma Thurman among the A-listers presiding over the 2024 festival.

IndieWire exclusively reveals the full jury lineup, as well as the jurors’ personal favorite films from growing up. The 2024 installment of Nyicff boasts Cannes-premiered animated film “Chicken for Linda!” and buzzy Neon release “Robot Dreams” among its program, as well as anime film “The Concierge” and sequel “Dounia – The Great White North.” The Oscar-qualifying festival will take place March 2 through 17. See the full lineup here.

The full jury committee includes Ilana Glazer, Uma Thurman, Sony Pictures Animation head of story Guillermo Martinez, Matthew Modine, “Doc McStuffins” creator Chris Nee, “Migration” director Benjamin Renner, filmmaker Ira Sachs, Phillipa Soo, head of artistic recruiting at Titmouse Animation Ellen Su,...

Mark Johnson is a veteran producer who won a best picture Oscar in 1989 for Rain Man, one of many collaborations with director Barry Levinson (the pair earned a second best picture nom in 1992 for Bugsy). Just over three decades later, Johnson earned his third Oscar nomination for Focus Features’ The Holdovers, his second film with director Alexander Payne following 2017’s Downsizing.

Set in 1970 over Christmas break at a tony New England boarding school, The Holdovers stars Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti as history teacher Paul Hunnam, who must look after the angsty Angus (newcomer Dominic Sessa) as he cannot travel home to be with family for the holiday. Added to the lonely trio is Oscar nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Mary Lamb, the school’s grieving cook who recently lost her son in Vietnam.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had anything have the same reverberations as this,” says Johnson,...