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Tokyo International Film Festival has announced its full line-up including its main international and Asian Future competitions, as well as the nine films selected for its Women’s Empowerment Section.

The new female-focused section will screen Iranian drama My Favourite Cake, directed by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who are banned from travelling by the Iranian authorities and were unable to attend the film’s premiere in Berlin.

Other titles in the Women’s Empowerment Section include Turkish director Ceylan Ozgun Ozcelik’s In Ten Seconds; Hong Kong filmmaker Oliver Chan’s Montages Of A Motherhood; Memories Of A Burning Body, from Costa Rica’s Antonella Sudasassi Furniss; and the world premiere of Japanese director Naoki Tamura’s Doctor-x The Movie, among other titles.

Co-hosted with Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Women’s Empowerment Section is programmed by Andrijana Cvetkovikj and focuses on films directed by female filmmakers and/or with female-focused narratives.

Marc Buxton Dec 8, 2017

There's a major casuality in the war between the Falcones and the Penguin in Gotham's satisfying midseason finale. Spoilers...

This review contains spoilers.

See related Kevin Feige on Black Panther, female superhero movie Avengers 4: new set pictures Ant-Man And The Wasp: first look at Evangeline Lilly's hero

4.11 Queen Takes Knight

Ever since Gotham began a few years ago, the Penguin has really been the centrepiece of the drama. Gotham has always been rather chaotic with many diverse storylines competing for plot time, some good, some the opposite of good (I’m looking at you Theo Galvan arc). With all that said, anything involving the Penguin usually equals quality or at least a damn good time, and this week’s winter finale of Gotham was no different.

This week, Gotham features the conclusion of the gang war between Sofia Falcone and Oswald Cobblepot. Early on,...

This week on Comics Corner, we have two new comic series from DC to start things off. The first, called Doomsday Clock #1, is from the masterful Geoff Johns, and we also have a look at The Demon: Hell is Earth #1, followed by Monsters Unleashed #8, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #25, the penultimate issue of Angel Season 11 #11, John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China Old Man Jack #3, Clue #6, four preview pages from Harvey Kurtzman's Marley's Ghost #1, The Hellblazer #16, Redneck #7, and Rick and Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #5.

Doomsday Clock #1: "DC Comics presents to you a 12-issue maxiseries from the critically acclaimed team of writer Geoff Johns, artist Gary Frank, and colorist Brad Anderson. You are not prepared for what lies ahead within these pages, good readers.

Art by: Gary Frank

Cover by: Gary Frank

Variant cover by: Gary Frank

Written by: Geoff Johns

Series: Doomsday Clock 2017

U.S. Price...

Presenting two real-life stories from my days of yore, although names have been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty.

Story The First:

I knew a girl in high school – I wouldn’t say we were friends, but she was someone who had never participated in the Piggy horrors. Sally was an A+ student, on the track to an Ivy League school. Pretty (but not gorgeous) and popular (but quiet about it), she came to me one day and said that she needed to talk to me privately. I was surprised… and a bit suspicious. What did she want? But because Sally had never been overtly mean to me, even though she was part of the clique that instigated most of the callous cruelties upon me, and because I still hoped to be “accepted,” and I wanted to believe for some reason she was about to warn me...

Rob Leane Sep 18, 2017

Rick Gonzalez chats to us about Wild Dog’s journey so far, and what Arrow season 6 has in store...

Rick Gonzalez joined the cast of Arrow for season 5, playing new Team Arrow recruit Rene Ramirez, aka Wild Dog. The gun-toting vigilante character grew into a fan favourite over the course of the season, with Rene’s flashback-stuffed origin episode – Spectre Of The Gun – being a vital point in his development.

See related The Croods 2 has been cancelled

Rene’s unlikely friendship/workplace banter with Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) proved to be a real treat too, with the pair bonding over their family issues. At the end of the season, Rene failed to appear at a custody hearing, which is bound to have major repercussions in Arrow season 6.

Rene was also present on Lian Yu for the season 5 finale, which ended with a giant explosion on Oliver Queen’s purgatory island.

Many elements elevated HBO’s “Big Little Lies” into the top Emmy contender for Best Limited Series. Yes, the saga about an unlikely trio of women who defeat a dangerous predator is hugely popular, and topical — but the main reason it’s a hit with critics, TV fans, and Emmy voters (16 Emmy nominations) is the seven-episode drama broke through the clutter by breaking the rules.

Here’s how the series broke from conventional TV:

Actress-producers: Nicole Kidman (Blossom Films) and Reese Witherspoon (Pacific Standard) — who are rivals for the mini-series Best Actress Emmy and both executive produced the series — partnered to nail down the rights to the 2014 novel, with Kidman personally approaching writer Liane Moriarty to meet at a coffee shop when she was visiting family in Sydney, Australia. “Let us option it with the promise that we’ll get it made,” she told her.

Witherspoon’s then-partner Bruna Papandrea,...

Many elements elevated HBO’s “Big Little Lies” into the top Emmy contender for Best Limited Series. Yes, the saga about an unlikely trio of women who defeat a dangerous predator is hugely popular, and topical — but the main reason it’s a hit with critics, TV fans, and Emmy voters (16 Emmy nominations) is the seven-episode drama broke through the clutter by breaking the rules.

Here’s how the series broke from conventional TV:

Actress-producers: Nicole Kidman (Blossom Films) and Reese Witherspoon (Pacific Standard) — who are rivals for the mini-series Best Actress Emmy and both executive produced the series — partnered to nail down the rights to the 2014 novel, with Kidman personally approaching writer Liane Moriarty to meet at a coffee shop when she was visiting family in Sydney, Australia. “Let us option it with the promise that we’ll get it made,” she told her.

Witherspoon’s then-partner Bruna Papandrea,...

Theatre moguls launch UK group Trafalgar Entertainment; exclusive interview with distribution CEO.

Fledgling UK distribution outfit Trafalgar Releasing is eyeing growth in the gaming and international distribution markets.

Little has been publicly known about the structure and growth plan of the new player until now but the company is officially launching today after theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire OBE acquired Lyn Goleby’s Picturehouse distribution assets in a multi-million-pound deal earlier this year.

Former Picturehouse MD Goleby had previously bought out Picturehouse’s distribution assets from Cineworld, taking a number of key staff in the process.

Panter and Squire,...

Warning: this post contains spoilers from tonight’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. Read at your own risk!

She’s been a frontrunner and fan favorite all season long, wowing the judges with her high-fashion looks, stunning beauty, and body-ody-ody. But on Friday’s all-new RuPaul’s Drag Race, Valentina found herself sashaying away — in a shocking elimination that had everyone talking.

The 25-year-old Queen (né James Andrew Leyva) is fairly new to drag, having only done it for 10 months before entering the competition. But she excelled well on the show — winning the second week’s challenge and never finding herself in the bottom three before.

Five years after long-lens topless photos of Princess Kate were published in French media, the individuals allegedly involved are finally facing repercussions.

The trial in French court is currently underway against paparazzi and editors at both Closer magazine and newspaper La Provence, with Kate and Prince William‘s lawyer asking for damages up to $1.9 million, in addition to a “very significant fine,” according to The Telegraph.

In a prepared statement read in court this week, William said, “the clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy.”

Here’s everything you...

Image Source: Getty / Neilson Barnard In case you somehow missed it, the Met Gala went down on Monday night. Although it gave us some truly memorable looks (*cough* Rihanna *cough*) and plenty of celebrity Pda (we see you, Kendall Jenner!), the most important thing to come out of the annual high-fashion soirée was the pure abundance of memes. Were they funny enough to out-do the hilarious, savage observations from last year? You be the judge. Related49 Met Gala Photos That Will Make You Feel Like You Were There 1. my inner monologue: "remember, not everything is about you."also me: pic.twitter.com/6C2pqGCCd1 - ChampagnePetty (@__Dutch) May 1, 2017 Image Source: Getty / Neilson Barnard 2. pic.twitter.com/NBZlOaiB7d - Josh (@JellaYonce) May 2, 2017 Image Source: Instagram user beyonce 3. I wasn't able to make it to The #MetGala but here are my outfits for the event!!..These looks took Years to create.

Warning: Spoiler alert! Do not proceed if you haven’t watched this week’s Arrow! If you know Prometheus’ true identity, carry on.

Arrow’s season five big bad was finally unmasked on Wednesday’s episode, revealing the villainous Prometheus to be none other than Star City District Attorney Adrian Chase!

The no-nonsense Da had seemed to be one of Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) closest allies as mayor, but after a battle with another Arrow unknown, Vigilante, Chase (Josh Segarra) removed his Prometheus mask to reveal his true identity as the cold-blooded killer whose only goal is to ruin Oliver’s life after suffering a loss at the hands of his season one persona, The Hood.

“We really did want to, this season, build a villain that would be a dark mirror for Oliver, in the tradition of the comic books,” Arrow Ep Wendy Mericle explained on a conference call with reporters last week. “Really honoring...

We're gonna let you finish Kanye, but Lady Gaga has had some of the best Grammy moments of all time.

The Joanne singer is following up her electrifying Super Bowl Li halftime show performance by collaborating with Metallica this Sunday at the annual music awards show, and if her past appearances are any indication, we should expect her to go bold.

Watch: 10 Times Lady Gaga Blew Our Minds With Her Super Bowl Li Halftime Performance

In the meantime, Gaga's upcoming performance has us thinking of all the times the eccentric artist has totally stolen the show on music's biggest night.

Here now are Lady Gaga's nine best Grammy moments.

1. When she arrived in an egg...

Getty Images

Gaga's red carpet game has certainly toned down a bit over the years, but it's kinda hard to outdo herself when one of her earliest Grammy fashion statements literally involved incubation. The pop star let us all know we...

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards are officially here!

Ahead of music's biggest night, we've rounded up everything you need to know -- from where to watch to who's performing to moments you definitely don't want to miss -- before the awards show on Feb. 12.

Watch: 2017 GRAMMYs: 6 Biggest Snubs and Surprises

Et's Red Carpet Coverage: You can catch all of Et's live coverage right here on ETonline.com, on Twitter (@etnow) and Instagram (@entertainmenttonight). For all the pre-show excitement, tune in to CBS' Grammy Red Carpet Live with Et's Nancy O'Dell and Kevin Frazier starting at 7:30 p.m. Et/4:30 p.m. Pt.

Et's Cameron Mathison and Sophie Schillaci, joined by Denny Directo, will also be reporting live from the red carpet, which you can watch on our official Facebook page at 6:30 p.m. Et/3:30 p.m. Pt ahead of our full post-show coverage airing Monday on Entertainment Tonight.

In-the-Moment GIFs: Et...

If you were one of the more than 50 million viewers who tuned into Lady Gaga’s jaw-dropping halftime show, there’s no way you could keep a “Poker Face” by culmination of her 13-minute serenade — which appropriately ended with the songstress showing off her athletic chops and catching a football pass. And in true Gaga fashion, not only were there split-second fashion switch-ups in the midst of her medley, but a mid-performance makeup change, too. To pull off the first of two near impossibilities of the night (the second being Tom Brady’s come-from-behind win) Gaga relied on her makeup artist since 2009, Sarah Tanno.

Despite the huge hype around her performance, Lady Gaga managed to keep all details around her Super Bowl Li halftime performance and outfits top-secret.

The most we knew going into Sunday’s game was that there sadly wouldn’t be another meat dress moment (although, where better to rock a French Dip-themed dress than at the single biggest eating holiday in America?). The one thing we were sure of? She wouldn’t disappoint, and she proved us right, hitting (or rather, jumping onto) the stage wearing a silver David Bowie-inspired Atelier Versace leotard with matching boots.

She only did...

Like mother, like daughter.

Nicky Hilton Rothschild has extended her love for fashion (and cats!) on to her little girl, if her Instagram account is any indication.

Recently, the heiress shared a photo of herself and 6-month-old daughter Lily Grace Victoria‘s feet — outfitted in a matching pair of feline-faced black flats.

“Solemates,” Hilton Rothschild, 33, captioned the purr-fect snap.

The ladies’ shoes are by designer Charlotte Olympia. Hilton Rothschild wore the ‘Kitty Flat’ ($495) while her mini-me is sporting the aptly named Kitten version ($125).

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those...

While Tommy Hilfiger has said that any any designer should be proud to dress future First Lady Melania Trump, his contemporary — fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford — feels differently.

The Nocturnal Animals director stopped by The View on Tuesday, where he firmly said that he won’t be dressing the 46-year-old former model anytime soon — and in fact hasn’t been for some time.

“I was asked to dress her quite a few years ago and I declined,” Ford said. “She’s not necessarily my image.”

While the 55-year-old American designer identified himself as a Democrat who had voted for...

The Legends of Tomorrow actually have two new missions for Season 2 — one of them being to remind us, “Time travel is supposed to be fun!”

PhotosSupergirl / Flash / Arrow / Legends of Tomorrow Crossover

Coming off of a heavily serialized, sci-fi-heavy freshman run, The CW’s Arrow/Flash offshoot reboots things a bit when it returns Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8/7c, as evidenced from the very first scene, in which someone we’ve never met before barges into Mayor Oliver Queen’s office with a wild theory about Green Arrow’s time-traveling friends having gone “missing” — in the past. Over time, the series...

Ever since Oliver Queen left the island (and went back to it for some reason), Arrow has been struggling when it comes to making those flashbacks compelling. Thankfully, they’re coming to an end during the show’s fifth season, and while it’s thought we’ll still get the occasional look into the hero’s past, the story of his journey from playboy to vigilante is close to wrapping up.

Just how much will that change Arrow? Well, according to executive producer Wendy Mericle, the end of that five year story is going to drastically alter The CW series.

“What’s interesting about Season 5, just having been there from the beginning and knowing Marc [Guggenheim] and Andrew [Kreisberg] and Greg [Berlanti] as well as I do, the show was conceived in many ways as a five-year thing. Those flashbacks will be gone after this season. I think it is going to be a different…...

The CW's Arrow will be seeking redemption in the eyes of fans tonight with its fifth season premiere. The show has promised a back-to-basics approach, dimming the previous focus on supernatural elements that seasons 3 and 4 revolved around and bringing the story back to Oliver Queen's mission. The writers and producers have also promised an end to the five-year island flashbacks that many fans have been annoyed with, and executive producer Wendy Mericle has teased that when the show returns for a sixth season next year, there will be an even bigger creative shake-up after closing what was originally planned as a five season story. “What’s interesting about Season 5, just having been there from the beginning and knowing Marc [Guggenheim] and Andrew [Kreisberg] and Greg [Berlanti] as well as I do, the show was conceived in many ways as a five-year thing,” Mericle said in an interview with Cbr. “Those flashbacks will be gone after this season.

White Girl – the new film from writer/director Elizabeth Wood, making her feature debut – is the kind of movie that is so inextricably indie in its scope, subject matter and sensibility that it will almost certainly inspire divisive reactions among moviegoers. Sure, the more “high-minded” members of the critical community may label it as provocative and brimming with incisive social commentary, but more mainstream individuals who choose to spend their 88 minutes checking out this new film may emerge from the theater wondering what all the fuss is about.

Loosely based on Wood’s own experiences, White Girl centers on a college student name Leah (Morgan Saylor) who quickly gets involved with local drug dealer Blue (Brian Marc) upon moving into a new neighborhood with her friend Katie (India Menuez). However, when a night of hard partying catches up with the group, Leah finds herself in way over her head and...

IndieWire’s Springboard column profiles up-and-comers in the film industry worthy of your attention.

Elizabeth Wood’s feature directorial debut, the riveting and often shocking “White Girl,” doesn’t back down for even a minute. Loosely based on Wood’s own experiences attending college in New York City, the film follows Leah (Morgan Saylor), a privileged white girl who has never had to think too much about her place in the world, as she’s suddenly forced to do just that amidst unsettling circumstances. Initially fueled by the excitement of moving to a new neighborhood that comes complete with a sexy neighbor (Brian “Sene” Marc) who just so happens to also be a drug dealer, “White Girl” follows Leah as she gets in way (way) over her head when Marc’s character, the intriguing Blue, is arrested for his illegal activities.

What was once and exciting (and, yes, very sexy...

Just like that, it’s fall already. The first round of films fresh out of Tiff and Venice and Telluride are making their ways to theaters and living rooms nationwide. And now, we enter the last third of the year, with plenty of titles to be excited about. Below, you’ll see every planned theatrical release for the month of September, separated out into films with wide runs and limited ones. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)

Each week, we’ll give you an update with more specific information on where these films are playing. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!

Week of September 2 Wide

Morgan

Director: Luke Scott

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Boyd Holbrook, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kate Mara, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Giamatti, Rose Leslie, Toby Jones

Synopsis: A corporate troubleshooter is sent to a remote,...

Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.

Filmmaker Elizabeth Wood is into excess. “I’m an over-talker, over-writer, over-shooter,” the “White Girl” writer and director recently explained to IndieWire. “I’m just an excessive person. More, more, more, more, give me more anything.”

But for Wood’s first feature, the daring “White Girl,” the filmmaker had to work against her own nature and strip down a hefty story – one based on her own experiences – to craft a tightly wound story that addresses issues as wide-ranging as white privilege, illegal drugs and sexual assault. Initially imagined as 200-page script that culminated in “a mass orgy,” Wood had to pare down her story to a slim 88 minutes, all in the name of maximum impact and minimum superfluity.

“The exercise of writing ‘White Girl’ was how to strip it down, how to tell this story with...

Is there anything less shocking than a movie that thinks it's shocking? See White Girl and discuss — and you should see it, if only for the all-stops-out performance of Morgan Saylor. She plays Leah, a New York college student on the yellow brick road to cocaine and near-constant debasement. The character is based partly on the exploits of Elizabeth Wood, the film's writer and director, so art really is imitating life — though neither is immediately recognizable as such.

The "white girl" of the title isn't Leah or Elizabeth, however, but...

“I always figure it out.” Could any other five-word phrase better express the brash, privileged spirit of Elizabeth Wood’s “White Girl”? The speaker is Leah (Morgan Saylor), a Midwestern transplant attending college in New York City; her audience is Blue (Brian “Sene” Marc), her low level drug dealer boyfriend. Their conversation takes place in jail […]

The post Elizabeth Wood’s ‘White Girl’ Mixes Vibrant Filmmaking With The Grimy Realism Of ‘Kids’ [Review] appeared first on The Playlist.

Essentially “White Privilege: The Movie,” Elizabeth Wood’s fire-breathing debut is an adrenalized shot of ecstasy and entitlement, a fully committed cautionary tale that’s able to follow through on its premise because — like the remarkable young actress who plays its heroine — the film is unafraid of being utterly loathsome. And make no mistake, while the madness of her misadventures is captivating from start to finish, you will hate the titular “white girl.” But it’s what Wood and her star do with that hate that makes their collaboration special, these two rising super talents manipulating your vitriol with the grace of a contortionist and the recklessness of a tornado.

A cherub-faced college kid who sublets a Ridgewood apartment with her best friend (India Menuez) for the summer, Leah (21-year-old “Homeland” alum Morgan Saylor) slinks around a mangy fizz of yellow-white hair, floating through the heat with the breezy confidence...

All this week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Fall Preview, including offerings that span genres, a close examination of some of the year’s biggest breakouts, all the awards contenders you need to know about now and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed fall movie-going season. Check back every day for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.

“The Light Between Oceans,” September 2

Derek Cianfrance’s sweet spot is relationship dramas that don’t balk at showing just how damn hard it can be to love someone and to sustain that love (hi, “Blue Valentine”), and with his big screen adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, he takes those interests and skills right to a post-World War I landscape tailormade for a sweeping,...

“White Girl” follows Leah (Morgan Saylor), a bored, thrill-seeking college student who’s struggling in New York City while holding onto a magazine internship. After trying to buy some pot from neighborhood bad boy dealer Blue (Brian “Sene” Marc), they hit it off and end up selling together. But when Blue gets arrested before her very eyes, she plans to sell his entire supply of cocaine to pay for his release. The film also stars Justin Bartha (“The Hangover”), Chris Noth (“Sex and the City”), Adrian Martinez (“Focus”), India Menuez (“Something in the Air”), Annabelle-Dexter Jones (“Holy Motors”), Ralph Rodriguez (“Compliance”), and more. Watch the Nsfw trailer below.

Read More: Sundance Review: ‘White Girl’ Goes On A Wild Ride Through New York City

The film is the feature-length directorial debut from Elizabeth Wood, who says that the film is based on a true story. Meanwhile, star Morgan Saylor is...

Let us not speak of the church bake sale on this week’s Mistresses.

It’s not that we don’t care about snotty teenager Lucy and her immortal soul — Hey, now! I can hear you hissing “speak for yourself” from the comfort of your laptop — but April’s parenting struggles and the strain they’re putting on her relationship with long-suffering Marc are nothing more than the decorative kale taking up space in the haute-(mess) cuisine being whipped up by Joss, Karen and Kate.

RelatedNCIS: Jennifer Esposito Set as New Series Regular as [Spoiler] Exits

Bone-crushing takedowns...

Elizabeth Wood’s feature directorial debut “White Girl” dropped more than a few jaws when it premiered earlier this year at Sundance, where its unflinching look at female sexuality, life in the big city and raw human desire shocked audiences.

Read More: ‘Captain Marvel’ Rumored To Be Directed By ‘White Girl’ Helmer Elizabeth Wood

The bold film follows Morgan Saylor as Leah, a college kid who unexpectedly falls for Blue, played by Brian “Sene” Marc, a bad boy who is hardly her typical love interest. When a wild night of partying pulls them apart, Leah sets out to win him back, no matter what the price or the consequences.

The film has been hailed as being “explosive,” “shocking” and “sexy as hell,” all adjectives and descriptors that are front and center on the film’s first poster which is, dare we say it, perhaps a bit Nsfw? It’s also bold,...

Fashion’s hottest names gathered at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City for the 2016 Cfda Fashion Awards on Monday evening (June 6).

Hosted by Joel McHale, the star-studded shindig honored individuals who have shaped American fashion “from all areas of the industry and related arts, with awards being given for design excellence in womenswear, menswear and accessories as well as extraordinary accomplishments in journalism, creative vision and lifetime achievement.

And of course, top models like Doutzen Kroes, Emily Ratajkowski, Adriana Lima, Naomi Campbell, Olivia Palermo, Alessandra Ambrosio, Joan Smalls, Irina Shayk, Josephine Skriver, Elsa Hosk, Ashley Graham, Martha Hunt, Karlie Kloss and Shanina Shaik all made sure to stop for the paparazzi in the arrivals area before going inside.

Meanwhile, Claire Danes, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Paulson, Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Chastain, Mary Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Elizabeth Olsen, Kirsten Dunst, Julianne Hough and Ciara represented Tinseltown with plenty of designer-label eye candy.

Nominations have just been announced for the fashion industry's biggest awards night of the year! Marc Jacobs, Altuzarra, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Rag & Bone, Public School, Thom Browne, Mansur Gavriel, The Row, and many, many more designers are all in the running to win big at the 2016 Cfda Awards on June 6 for their contributions to the fashion world. The late David Bowie will posthumously be given the Board of Directors' Tribute, while Gucci's Alessandro Michele will be honored with the International Award. Donna Karan will receive the Founder's Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert and Norma Kamali will be given the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. The star-studded...

Elizabeth Wood's "White Girl" shocked the Sundance Film Festival last month with its extreme coming-of-age storyline, and now the well-reviewed drama has been picked up by Netflix. The company has acquired worldwide streaming rights to the film, which stars Morgan Saylor, Brian "Sene" Marc, Justin Bartha, Chris Noth, India Menuez and Adrian Martinez. No theatrical distributor has been announced yet. Read More: White Female Gaze: How This Year's Sundance Confronted Racial Tensions in America (and Beyond) The official Sundance synopsis: "Equipped with platinum blonde hair and a winning smile, college girl Leah (Saylor) seeks out pleasure in any form. She has two weeks before fall semester, and in between getting high with her roommate and snorting lines with her boss, she finds time to hit it off with a handsome, young Puerto Rican drug dealer named Blue. Within days, the two are selling dime bags to her affluent white colleagues,...

No question, one of the most anticipated moments of the 2016 Grammy Awards last night was Lady Gaga's tribute to David Bowie, one of her—and so many other artists'—biggest inspirations. The specifics of the performance were kept under tight wraps until she actually took the stage. The only clue of just how much of a literal homage it would be was given when Gaga herself hit the red carpet, dressed in a custom gown by Marc Jacobs that played with the intergalactic theme of some of Bowie's best-known work and sporting a shock of red hair and makeup straight from the cover of Aladdin Sane. But still, the big question was: What would she do?! So when she finally did perform during the second half...

Powerhouse singer and ultimate fashion risk-taker Lady Gaga was a natural choice for a Grammys tribute to the late David Bowie. Take a look below at how Gaga transformed into the glam rock icon for the medley she sang at Monday’s awards show. Some lighting effects supplied the lightning bolt a la Aladdin Sane. She channeled Ziggy Stardust with flame-orange hair and a white sequined jumpsuit. And here’s the sketch from Marc Jacobs for the custom look she wore on the Grammys carpet. The behind-the-scenes sketch of @LadyGaga’s custom Marc Jacobs red carpet look at the 2016 #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/Ad0pMab6mE — Marc Jacobs (@marcjacobs) February 16, 2016 That’s two shows down, one to go — with Oscars around the corner, Lady Gaga will become the first artist to perform at the Grammys, Super Bowl, and Oscars the same year.

"Let's Dance" - and then some! Lady Gaga showed off a lot more than her moves while honoring David Bowie at the Grammy Awards in L.A. Monday. Taking the Staples Center stage in a flaming red wig and a flashy ensemble, Gaga belted out a medley of the late icon's hits with legendary guitarist and Bowie collaborator Nile Rodgers, wailing her way through "Space Oddity," "Changes," "Ziggy Stardust," "Suffragette City," "Rebel Rebel," "Fashion," "Fame" and "Let's Dance" before closing the electric set with the triumphant "Heroes." True to form, the 29-year-old superstar's tribute to her avant-garde forefather was filled with energy,...

David Bowie's spirit lived on at the 2016 Grammys Monday. Lady Gaga performed a moving tribute to the rock icon, one of the most celebrated musicians of all time, who died at age 69 on Jan. 10. Channeling Bowie's glam rock alter ego Ziggy Stardust with red-orange hair, sparkling makeup, a white embellished suit, white shoes and a light pink feathered boa, Gaga sang a medley of his songs, opening with "Space Oddity." She also performed tracks such as "Suffragette City," "Fashion," "Let's Dance" and "Heroes." Gaga, 29, walked the red carpet channeling Stardust as well, wearing, a custom Marc Jacobs blue embellished...

Lady Gaga's tribute to David Bowie started on the 2016 Grammys red carpet. The 29-year-old pop star channeled the late singer by wearing an orange wig, a leotard, a bedazzled Marc Jacobs blazer and platform heels, a nod to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era. Prior to her arrival at L.A.'s Staples Center, Gaga shared two Snapchat videos of herself crying in the makeup chair while listening to Bowie's "Backstar" and "Church." On Saturday, Gaga commissioned celebrity tattoo artist Mark Mahoney to ink Bowie's likeness (from the cover of his Aladdin Sane album) on the left side of her torso. She Snapchatted the inking in progress, captioning one shot, "This was the image that changed my life,"...

Testing the patience and sanity of its audience, White Girl plays like one of those nights where a friend lets their freak flag fly while you’re the sober one explaining why what they are about to suggest is not a great idea and will probably get you arrested. We’ve all been there before, usually around sophomore year of college, which is where Leah (Morgan Saylor) finds herself.

White Girl is a more than simple voyeurism, watching a pretty junky’s downfall as she does things the patriarchy would loudly object to. The lessons along the way are not quite learned as Leah adapts to street life using her sexuality and drug stash to get herself in and out of trouble. White Girl presents a bleak picture even if it offers some liveliness along the way; it’s not all doom and gloom, rather there’s a real love story at its core.

Istanbul event will host a total of 23 gala screenings, including the latest films from Charlie Kaufman and Jean-Marc Vallee, as well as a David Bowie tribute programme.Scroll down for the full line-up

!f Istanbul Independent Film Festival has revealed its programme for the 2016 edition (February 18-28).

Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa, which premiered at Telluride last year, and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Demolition, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, will open and close the festival respectively.

!f Istanbul - in its 15th edition - will host screenings, competitions and events dedicated to bringing the best of independent film to the Turkish city.

Other gala presentations will include Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash, Gaspar Noé’s Love 3D, Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room and Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s BAFTA-nominated The Assassin.

In memory of the late musician David Bowie, the festival will show remastered versions of his films The Man Who Fell To Earth and The Hunger...

“White Girl” is a movie you can’t easily shake off, not even days after you’ve seen it. It’s beyond brash, playing like “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” gone off to college and hooked on coke. The film is not a self-reflective melodrama, choosing instead to follow its lead character through a series of horrific crashes and burns on the unsympathetic streets of New York City. Leah (Morgan Saylor) is an easy-going, thrill-seeking sophomore in college. Like many newcomers to NYC, she's barely getting by, holding down a magazine internship and little else. Outside of routine work and thinly-veiled sexual harassment from her editor (Justin Bartha), Leah spends much of her free time in search of her next high. This leads her to an unlikely romance with Blue (Brian 'Sene' Marc), her corner dealer in Queens. The sensitive Puerto Rican pusher with a heart of gold is...

The Sundance Film institute has released the line-up of film for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Going to Sundance is one of my favorite events of the year. I love going because you never know what kind of movies you're going to see. Sometimes they are great films that amaze and entertain, other times they completely suck ass, but that's all part of the fun of going to the festival. It's an awesome experience for any hardcore movie geek, and if you ever get a chance to go, you need to.

The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.

Some of...

The Throne of Loneliness: Kaurismaki Cartoons Christina

Considering it’s been forty years since her last notable on screen incarnation, the time has come for a new biopic on that other famous ‘virgin’ queen, Christina of Sweden. Iconically portrayed by Great Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina, and then again in 1974 by Liv Ullmann in The Abdication, these are significant footsteps to follow, especially considering these productions are best remembered for their female leads and not their directors (Rouben Mamoulian and Anthony Harvey, respectively). Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki, the brother to world renowned auteur Aki Kaurismaki, aims to resuscitate her provocative legacy with The Girl King, though its use of archaic language concepts (such as ‘girl’ and ‘virgin’) hint at a certain ignorance of both femininity and lesbianism despite a screenplay penned by Michel Marc Brousard (Lilies; Tom at the Farm). A handsome costume drama, this international co-production is more often distracting than relevant,...

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode of Arrow.

The paternity results are in on Arrow, and Oliver Queen, you are the father.

During the conclusion of the superhero series’ crossover with The Flash on Wednesday night, Oliver confronted his former fling after running a DNA test to confirm that her kid is, indeed, his child.

PhotosArrow Fall Finale First Look: A Grave Turn? Plus: Lance and Mama Smoak Heat Up

But the mother-son duo aren’t Sandra and Connor Hawke — as some fans have speculated since the baby mama’s first appearance in Season 2. Instead, the...

Titles include Tallulah starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney, and Chad Hartigan’s Morris From America (pictured); Next strand also announced.Scroll down for full list

Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next categories set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31) in Park City.

Us Dramatic Competition selections include Sian Heder’s Tallulah with Ellen Page and Allison Janney; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Clea DuVall’s feature directorial debut The Intervention; and Richard Tanne’s Southside With You, about Barack Obama’s first date with the First Lady.

Among the Us Documentary Competition selections are: Holy Hell by undisclosed; Jeff Feuerzeig’s Author: The Jt LeRoy Story; and Sara Jordenö’s Kiki.

The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entries include: Belgica (Belgium-France-Netherlands), Felix van Groeningen’s follow-up to The Broken Circle Breakdown; Manolo Cruz and Carlos del Castillo’s Between Sea And Land (Colombia); and Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild...

Out of all the powerful women in Hollywood Vogue could have chosen for its biggest issue of the year - the September issue - the magazine chose the one woman who can't seem to stop taking over the world - Beyoncé. The singer, dancer, and designer looks stunning on the cover, wearing a lace dress and sequined purple blazer. The image, shot by famed photographer Mario Testino, shows Beyoncé sporting a wet hairstyle as she stares down the lens with her usual fierceness. "Just B," the cover line reads. "Beyoncé and the art of global domination." In other photos, the mom of Blue Ivy is seen wearing a low-cut black dress and going commando in a lace gown. The cover, which is Beyoncé's third for the fashion magazine, is also particularly monumental. It is the third time a black woman has been featured on her own, after Naomi Campbell in...

Premiering at the 2014 Venice Film Festival with little fanfare, and received a limited theatrical release in March, 2015 in the Us, Benoit Jacquot’s latest somehow feels as if its been neglected. Despite its high pedigree cast, including names familiar to the American public, like Charlotte Gainsbourg and Catherine Deneuve, it didn’t receive much attention, though will assuredly be the type of sought after gem for fans of either the director or the cast member in decades overcoming its initial frostiness.

The follow-up to his most internationally renowned title to date, Farewell, My Queen, Jacquot’s underwhelming love story uses a contrivance often seen in romantic comedies, only he replaces the comedy with a somber indifference that seems to work against the believability of the film.

3 Hearts seems as if it belongs to an earlier era of filmmaking, a time where repressed feelings would roil just beneath the surface until...

Scattered throughout the most recent seasons of Arrow and The Flash were some serious hints about Hal Jordan joining The CW corner of the DC Universe. Between mentions of a missing test pilot and lots of nods to Ferris Air (not to mention Oliver Queen heading off to Coast City at the end of season three, an indication perhaps that the character would show up in flashbacks), it seemed like it was on the cards, but not so according to Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenhiem. "They announced the 'Green Lantern Corps' movie, and I’d be surprised if it didn’t include Hal Jordan," he told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the chances of Hal making an appearance in season four. "It would be great but I doubt it very much." Well, that's that then! This feels like a missed opportunity, especially as Green Lantern Corps is actually still five years away.