News

At the end of the 2000s, Roger Ebert published his list of the 10 best films of the decade for the Chicago Sun Times. It was the final ranking the beloved critic would assemble before his death in 2013, and it was as eclectic as would be expected. Included in a list that encompassed such heavy hitters as Synecdoche, New York, The Hurt Locker, and 25th Hour, Ebert selected a low-budget drama that probably flew under the radar of most casual moviegoers: Ramin Bahrani's Chop Shop. Ebert called the film, "a vibrant modern equivalent of the Italian Neorealist classics like Shoeshine," and declared Bahrani to be, "the new director of the decade."...

Exclusive: Oscar, BAFTA, WGA and Emmy nominee Ramin Bahrani has signed with Grandview.

Bahrani is the writer, director and producer of such films as Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, 99 Homes and The White Tiger. His films have all premiered at the Venice or Cannes film festivals and additionally screened at Telluride and Toronto. His debut feature documentary, 2nd Chance, premiered at Sundance and was released by Showtime.

Additionally, Bahrani has directed TV pilots for Universal Studios and Apple, and he won the PGA Award in 2019 for his work on the HBO movie Fahrenheit 451.

Bahrani’s films also include Alex Camilleri’s Sundance- and Spirit Award-winning feature Luzzu (2020) and his forthcoming Zejtune; and Alexandre Moratto’s Spirit Award-winning Brazilian debut feature Socrates (2018, and his Venice-winning 7 Prisoners (2021), Saim Sadiq’s Cannes-winning Pakistani debut Joyland (2022), Angus MacLachlan’s Sundance premiere A Little Prayer (2023) and Joshua Oppenheimer’s forthcoming debut feature The End.

GTA 6 is coming next year and GTA Online has just got a Summer update called Bottom Dollar Bounties along with patch 1.69 for Grand Theft Auto 5. To some extent, this update allows players to join Lcpd to complete some off-the-books Dispatch Work.

Players believe that this update is more than just a regular Summer update as Rockstar Games may be testing out some features for Grand Theft Auto 6. In this update, Rockstar Games also added a useful feature but only for GTA+ members.

Players Speculate That The New GTA 5 Update May Be Testing Mechanics For GTA 6 3 new Law Enforcement Vehicles have been added to GTA Online.

A large section of Grand Theft Auto 5‘s fanbase is role-players and Rockstar Games has started to acknowledge them as new Law Enforcement vehicles are available for purchase in the game. In the latest Bottom Dollar Bounties update, players have been introduced to some more...

Golden Globe nominee Christina Ricci, known for her work in Netflixs hit The Adams Family spin-off Wednesday and Showtimes Yellowjackets, is set to star alongside Midnight Mass actor Hamish Linklaterin upcoming true crime series Chop Shop. According to Deadline, the project will be set in a funeral business in 1980s San Fernando Valley. Chop Shop is based on author Kathy Braidhills novel of the same name. Producers attached to the project include Ricci, Laura Rister, known for The Tale and Ferrari, and Untitled Entertainment. Andy Bellin is writing. Bellin is most-known for Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard. Currently, no directors or showrunners are formally attached to the project.

Exclusive: Here’s a buzzy series coming together that should get the attention of networks.

Christina Ricci, recent Golden Globe nominee for Yellowjackets, and Midnight Mass star Hamish Linklater are set to lead true crime series Chop Shop, which is set against the funeral business in 1980s San Fernando Valley.

Inspired by the Kathy Braidhill book of the same name, the series will chart the chilling and twisted tale of the Lamb Funeral Home in 1980s Los Angeles. When David Sconce — the Machiavellian scion of a Bible college football coach and a church organist — takes the reins of the family business, the seemingly All-American clan begins a jaw-dropping descent from saints to sinners. Desperate to keep their funeral home afloat, Sconce engineers a sinister new business strategy, replete with human body harvesting and mass cremation. The script will paint a harrowing portrait of hubris against the neon greed of the era,...

It’s the first documentary feature directed by Ramin Bahrani, who has often brought a real-world edge to his dramas, and the figure at the film’s center could be a true-life character out of Morris land — one of those rational-on-the-surface, only-in-America compartmentalized crackpot geeks whose hidden dark depths just about scream, “Look out, I‘m a walking nonfiction metaphor!”

In “2nd Chance,” that character is one Richard Davis, who invented the bulletproof vest as we know it. He did it in the 1970s, and the way he did it was very ’70s: by putting on a prototype version of his invention, grabbing a gun with both hands, and shooting himself in the chest. He did that (and filmed it) 192 times — as a scientific demonstration, as a publicity stunt, and as a way to hawk his vests to U.S. law enforcement and the military. Each time he did it,...

Who would've thought that a documentary about some bozo that invented a new bulletproof vest would be this fascinating and this unsettling?! But that's exactly why I had to watch this film and find out what it's all about and holy sh*t, it's totally nuts! This guy is nuts! But that is the story, that's the entire point of making this film. Another tale of the "American Dream" gone wrong. Iranian-American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani has cooked up his version "Tiger King" with this documentary called 2nd Chance, which just premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The engrossing documentary tells the story of Richard Davis, a doofus from Michigan that somehow invented some lightweight bulletproof vests as part of a police fanboy fantasy. The way it plays out from there is totally crazy, and it gets even crazier as ...

Showtime Documentary Films has acquired the rights to “2nd Chance” out of Sundance, Ramin Bahrani’s documentary about the inventor of the bulletproof vest.

Bahrani’s film, his documentary feature debut, tracks the life of Richard Davis, who shot himself 192 times in demonstration of his invention’s safety. Showtime is planning a theatrical release of “2nd Chance” followed by a premiere on the network later this year heading into awards season.

Bahrani grapples with the pursuit of the American Dream, as he has done in many of his films, by juxtaposing the complexities of one man’s supposed virtue while speaking to the nature of power and impunity in America.

“2nd Chance” is written, directed and produced by Bahrani. Daniel Turcan and Johnny Galvin of Vespucci, Charles Dorfman and Jacob Grodnik also serve as producers. The film is executive produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, Myles Estey, Bahareh Azimi and Marlon Vogelgesang.

Showtime Documentary Films has acquired “2nd Chance,” about the life and legacy of Richard Davis, from director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ramin Bahrani.

The feature length-documentary centers on Davis, the charming and brash inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest, who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked.

“Richard Davis is a fascinating documentary subject whose character reveals a deeper metaphor for America today,” said Bahrani. “I am very thankful to the producers and entire filmmaking team for being part of such a thought provoking and timely film. We are thrilled to partner with Showtime and look forward to bringing ‘2nd Chance’ to audiences.”

Written, directed, and produced by Bahrani, “2nd Chance” is produced by Daniel Turcan & Johnny Galvin of Vespucci, Charles Dorfman and Jacob Grodnik. The film is executive produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, Myles Estey, Bahareh Azimi and Marlon Vogelgesang. Endeavor Content and Samuel Marshall Films produced and financed the film.

Showtime Documentary Films has acquired North American rights to the Sundance Film Festival documentary 2nd Chance, from director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ramin Bahrani.

Bahrani’s feature-length documentary debut, is an exploration of the life and legacy of Richard Davis, the charming and brash inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked. The film juxtaposes Davis’ actions with those of his righteous right-hand man, Aaron Westrick. Unwilling to passively present questionable truths, Bahrani instead lays bare the complexities of one man’s supposed virtue while speaking to the nature of power and impunity in America.

The pay cable channel is planning a theatrical release ahead of a network premiere later his year, leading into awards season.

Pic is written, directed, and produced by Bahrani. Daniel Turcan & Johnny Galvin of Vespucci, Charles Dorfman and Jacob Grodnik also serve as producers. The film is executive produced...

From producer Ramin Bahrani, the directorial debut of Alex Camilleri is a heart-wrenching and naturalistic look at a Maltese fisherman. Kino Lorber has now unveiled the first trailer for Luzzu, the Sundance award winner in anticipation of its release in theaters on October 15.

In an award-winning performance, Jesmark (Jesmark Scicluna) is a hardened Maltese fisherman, struggling to repair his family’s Luzzu (a multi-colored traditional fishing boat), to continue his family legacy of making a meager living fishing. His world is upended by his newborn son’s health issues, forcing his to choice whether he has to decommission his Luzzu in exchange for a payout that could provide for his family or preserve his prized Luzzu and continue to struggle to provide for his wife and newborn son.

Michael Frank in our review praised aspects of the film, “A simple, yet beautiful film due to this sense of place, Luzzu...

Strike first, strike hard and show no mercy. Mondo does just that with the announcement of their exclusive new Cobra Kai soundtrack box set that also comes with an exclusive cassette featuring curated tracks specifically for Johnny Lawrence and Daniel Larusso to jam out to when they partner up for a road trip. Containing 3 LPs of music from the hit Netflix series, this is one gorgeous looking stack of vinyl.

Mondo and Madison Gate Records are proud to present the premiere vinyl release of Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson's incredible score to the Netflix streaming phenomenon Cobra Kai. Available for pre-order at MondoShop.com on Wednesday, May 12, the 3 disc vinyl set features music from the first 3 seasons of the hit series, curated by the composers into themed collections of music: Disc 1: Cobra Kai - a mix of music scoring the most badass dojo in the Valley, Disc 2:...

Ramin Bahrani, Oscar-nominated writer/director of The White Tiger, discusses a few of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The White Tiger (2021)

Man Push Cart (2005)

Chop Shop (2007)

99 Homes (2015)

The Boys From Fengkuei (1983)

The Time To Live And The Time To Die (1985)

The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976)

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

La Terra Trema (1948)

Umberto D (1952)

Where Is The Friend’s Home? (1987)

Nomadland (2020)

The Runner (1984)

Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)

A Moment Of Innocence a.k.a. Bread And Flower Pot (1996)

The House Is Black (1963)

The Conversation (1974)

Mean Streets (1973)

Nashville (1975)

Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972)

The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)

Paris, Texas (1984)

Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Vagabond (1985)

Luzzu (2021)

Bait (2019)

Sweet Sixteen (2002)

Abigail’s Party (1977)

Meantime (1983)

Fish Tank (2009)

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Malcolm X (1992)

Nothing But A Man (1964)

Goodbye Solo (2008)

The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973)

Dekalog (1989)

The Double Life Of Veronique...

The reminders from the Motion Picture Academy and the distributors arrive daily: See the movies! Judge the work! Choose your favorite!

Reminders are relevant because there’s an absence of passion about this year’s awards season (Oscar nominations are due by 5 p.m. today). The reasons are obvious: We all miss the festivals, the premieres, the buzz. We miss the movies.

I have my own “best picture” favorite, but I’m hesitant about revealing it; voters seem wary this season.

In that context I find myself missing Green Book, a movie that at least got everyone talking (or arguing). Critics checked in to anger-management clinics when it collected its Oscars and Globes in 2019. The movie became the accidental prototype for the Academy’s’ “most popular” category – the idea that was shouted down a couple of years ago. Still, it ignited passion.

This season several films have collected strong reviews...

Editors note: Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize in 2008 for his debut novel The White Tiger, which his old Columbia University classmate Ramin Bahrani turned into the movie that has been generating awards buzz since its Netflix release in January. Adiga penned a guest column for Deadline about how the pair became fast friends by bonding over Scorsese films in Bahrani’s dorm room, a kinship that has lasted ever since.

Back in 1993, the idea that any living writer could come near the Russian novelist Dostoevsky in greatness would have struck me and my undergraduate friends at Columbia University as blasphemy. But this was precisely the claim that a fellow student was making one night as we were studying at the library. Even more shockingly, he was claiming that a living American filmmaker named Scorsese was as good as Dostoevsky. He had a video back in his dorm room that would prove it.

By most accounts, the story behind “The White Tiger” has been festering for almost 15 years. The Netflix project is based on Aravand Adiga’s award-winning 2008 novel that tracks the rags-to-riches saga of a young chauffeur who follows a criminal path to success in modern-day India. The roots of the project, however, stretch back to a Columbia University dorm room and a DVD of “Mean Streets.”

That was where aspiring filmmaker Ramin Bahrani met Adiga in 1993 through a group of largely Middle Eastern friends on campus. “We were all reading things like Dostoyevsky and Camus,” said Adiga, who was an English lit major raised in India. “One day, Ramin came up to the group in the library and said there was a film we ought to see that was as good as the books we were reading.”

Back in his room, Bahrani started the DVD player and made an impromptu case...

Writer and director Ramin Bahrani returns to the Independent Spirit Awards with “The White Tiger,.” This Netflix film just earned a Best Actor nomination for Adarsh Gourav. The multi-hyphenate Bahrani also adapted Aravind Adiga‘s Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name.

“The White Tiger” tells the story of Balram Halwai (Gourav), a young boy from a low Indian caste whose wit and intellect gives promise to a future of upward mobility. After his father’s death he’s forced to remain in his village and take a job in the tea house just to help ends meet for his family. But, determined to escape the trappings of life at the bottom of Indian society, Balram, called a “once in a lifetime white tiger” by a teacher, sets off to Delhi with a plan to be a driver for a wealthy man’s son. When life in the big city...

Following the successful launch of “The White Tiger,” filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, author Aravind Adiga and Netflix have set their next collaboration. Bahrani will again write, direct and produce the film adaptation of Adiga’s work — this time bringing the author’s 2020 novel, “Amnesty,” to the screen.

“I am thrilled to adapt Aravind’s great new novel, ‘Amnesty.” And very grateful to partner with Netflix and my lead creative producer Bahareh Azimi once again,” Bahrani said in a statement. Bahrani and Azimi both served as producers on “The White Tiger,” Adiga’s New York Times bestseller and Man Booker Prize-winning novel, which was released by the streamer on Jan. 22.

Bahrani continued: “This novel gripped me from the first time Aravind shared a rough draft with me five years ago. I can’t wait to bring it to the screen.”

Set in Australia, the story centers on Danny, an undocumented immigrant who cleans houses.

After directing an adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s book “The White Tiger” for Netflix, director Ramin Bahrani will next take on the author’s book “Amnesty” that’s also set up at the streamer.

Bahrani will write, direct and produce an adaptation of “Amnesty,” which was published in 2020 and is the story of an illegal immigrant in Australia, who realizes that he has information about the sudden murder of one of his employers. The book takes place over the course of one tense summer day as the man plays a game of cat and mouse with the suspected murderer, all while fearing that he will be deported if he speaks up.

Bahrani will produce “Amnesty” for Noruz Films alongside Ashok Amritraj for Hyde Park Entertainment and Bahareh Azimi.

The novel “The White Tiger” was a New York Times bestseller and won the Man Booker Prize; Bahrani’s film adaptation debuted...

When do today’s top directors know that they have gotten the perfect shot? What do they wish they knew when they first started out as filmmakers about the ups and downs of directing a film that they know now? And which classic films do they revisit and love the most?

These were just some of the questions answered by four top helmers during Gold Derby’s Meet the Experts directors Q&a panel. Watch our full group chat with Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (“Cherry”), Rod Lurie (“The Outpost”), Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger”) and Robert Jury (“Working Man”) above. Click on each name above to view each person’s individual interview.

See Meet the Experts Directors panel: ‘The Father,’ ‘Greyhound,’ ‘I’m No Longer Here,’ ‘Sound of Metal’

“I miss those moments from my first films where I knew nothing,” admits Bahrani when asked what advice he would give his younger self.

“It’s a story about a man who wants to be free,” declares “The White Tiger” writer/director Ramin Bahrani about what ultimately underpins the narrative of his sprawling epic. “He wants to be free to reach his full potential as a human being and society is not giving him that chance. It’s been rigged against him because of where he was born and what lot in life he was born into.” We talked with Bahrani as part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Oscar contenders. Watch our interview above.

“The White Tiger,” which Bahrani adapted from Aravind Adiga‘s acclaimed novel of the same name, follows Balram, a poor Indian driver (Adarsh Gourav), who embarks on an epic journey to break free from the shackles of servitude to his rich masters to forge hi sown destiny and rise to...

By Sugandha Rawal

New Delhi, Jan 31 (Ians) American-Iranian director Ramin Bahrani was struck by the realism and humanism in the works of Satyajit Ray, and says he continues to reflect upon the Maestros cinematic craft and imbibe some of the hues on his canvas.

The director also appreciates the current wave of Independent cinema in India, and feels it reflects something that was missing from cinema in our country for a long time.

"I have a vivid memory. In college in the 1990s, (author) Aravind (Adiga), I and one of our friends, we would walk to the Lincoln Plaza Cinema. Because that summer, Martin Scorsese had restored and was releasing nine of Satyajit Ray's films. So, every two weeks we would walk all the way and see the film, and then we would walk all the way back talking about it," Bahrani told Ians, while opening up about the influence of Ray on his work.

Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger, newly streaming on Netflix, has two openings, both of them startling. In Delhi, in 2007, a truck whose driver, Pinky (Priyanka Chopra), is drunk, speeds down a dangerously foggy road, swinging and swerving its way amid the night’s hidden dangers — a vehicle here, a cow there. Then the truck hits a child.

And we get thrown into opening number two, in Bangalore, circa 2010, and into the world of the man who should have been driving that truck: Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav), who in 2007 was...

Caste Him If You Can: Bahrani Returns with Genre-Tinged Social Issue Saga

American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani remains an unpredictable cinematic master, a signature of his output ever since his arrival on the festival circuit in the late 2000s, when Roger Ebert hailed his 2007 sophomore film Chop Shop as one of the best films of the decade, all the way through his last offering, the HBO produced remake of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (2018). Over a decade later, Bahrani’s interests may seem to fluctuate in a superficial sense but are also intriguingly linked.

His latest film The White Tiger, an adaptation of the 2008 novel by Aravind Adiga, brings the director to India, a country whose cinematic output remains associated with Bollywood productions.…...

Four top film directors will reveal details behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Oscar contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to be published on Thursday, January 28, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Rob Licuria and a group chat with Rob and all of the group together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Oscar contenders:

“Cherry” (Apple TV+): Joe and Anthony Russo

The Russo brothers are Emmy winners for “Arrested Development.” Other projects have included “Avengers: Endgame,...

Online, the memes are about guillotines, and at the movies, the stories are about why rich people should care about income inequality, if only for their own continued survival. Alongside Michel Franco’s blistering “New Order,” coming later this year, we get “The White Tiger,” Ramin Bahrani’s caustic adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s acclaimed novel about the lengths to which one man will go to climb out of his caste.

For as long as there has been literature, there have been tales of penniless men who advance by diligent hard work, cleverness, love, and perhaps a little larceny, but those narratives rarely address why the hero was penniless in the first place. “The White Tiger” illustrates the extremes to which the poor are driven to violate the rigid class structure of India, with the implication that our hero and his methodology is perhaps the face of post-superpower capitalism itself.

The affinity for urban street culture that informed Ramin Bahrani’s early New York indies, Man Push Cart and Chop Shop, is all over the writer-director’s mordant adaptation for Netflix of Aravind Adiga’s 2008 Booker Prize winner, The White Tiger. An immersive plunge into the chasm separating the servant class from the rich in contemporary India, the drama observes corruption at the highest and lowest levels with its tale of innocence lost and tables turned. If there’s simply too much novelistic incident stuffed into the overlong film’s Dickensian sprawl, the three leads’ magnetic performances and the surprising twists of ...

The affinity for urban street culture that informed Ramin Bahrani’s early New York indies, Man Push Cart and Chop Shop, is all over the writer-director’s mordant adaptation for Netflix of Aravind Adiga’s 2008 Booker Prize winner, The White Tiger. An immersive plunge into the chasm separating the servant class from the rich in contemporary India, the drama observes corruption at the highest and lowest levels with its tale of innocence lost and tables turned. If there’s simply too much novelistic incident stuffed into the overlong film’s Dickensian sprawl, the three leads’ magnetic performances and the surprising twists of ...

We’ve now entered a new year, and one that will hopefully go better than the prior one. As we look towards the cinematic offerings of 2021, we’ll soon be publishing our comprehensive previews of the best films we’ve already seen on the festival circuit as well as most-anticipated new films, but first today brings a look at January.

While some high-profile December theatrical releases will make their digital debuts, such as Promising Young Woman, News of the World, One Night in Miami…, Pieces of a Woman, and more, this month also brings notable festival favorites finally arriving. Check out our roundup below.

11. Identifying Features (Fernanda Valadez; Jan. 22)

The winner of the Audience Award and Best Screenplay in the World Cinema (Dramatic) section at Sundance Film Festival last year, we recently caught up with Identifying Features at New Directors/New Films last month. Mark Asch said in our review,...

"They had plans... I had plans, too... I would have to become the creature that gets born only once every generation." Netflix has revealed the full-length official trailer for The White Tiger, the new film made by Ramin Bahrani. The film tells the epic and empowering journey of a poor Indian driver (Adarsh Gourav) who uses his wit and cunning to break free from servitude to his rich masters (Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and rise to the top of the heap - in his own way. The White Tiger is based on the New York Times bestseller and 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. The book is praised for having: "this is the authentic voice of the Third World, like you've never heard it before." I almost got the chills when Queen's "I Want to Break Free" comes in to make the trailer ...

It’s a tough time to be a journalist.

Digital upstarts are faltering and newspapers are running on fumes. The freelance market for glossy magazines has dried up along with their ad sales. That’s left many top reporters looking for a way to support their work.

Enter the Vespucci Group. Founded by producers Daniel Turcan and Johnny Galvin, the three-year-old production company and incubator is helping to fill that gap by getting in on buzzy stories and penetrating investigative reports from their inception. In return for supporting journalists’ projects, the company gets the rights to develop their finished work as podcasts, television shows, streaming series or feature films.

“It’s a harmonious relationship,” says Galvin. “It’s no secret that journalism is under threat and reporters are underfunded. The core of our company is the relationships we have established with about 150 working journalists around the world.”

Since it was...

Director Ramin Bahrani has had quite an interesting career since his early films Man Push Cart and Chop Shop became some of the most critically acclaimed movies of their respective years (2005 and 2007). Following his most recent ventures, including 2014’s 99 Homes and his re-teaming with Shannon in HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 adaptation, he’s now teamed with Netflix.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, The White Tiger is a humorous and heartfelt look at class, power, and corruption in India. Adarsh Gourav plays Balram, a driver who finds a job working for a rich couple Ashok and Pinky (played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas). Here, he must figure out how to break free from his servants and move up in the Indian caste system. The White Tiger will be in theaters in December and available to stream on January 22nd on Netflix. The novel was written by Aravind Adiga...

"I'm just one who has woken up, when the rest of you are still sleeping." Netflix has revealed the first teaser trailer for the new film by Ramin Bahrani titled The White Tiger, heading to India to make a film about a poor servant who breaks free from working for rich masters. From acclaimed writer-director Ramin Bahrani comes the epic journey of a poor Indian driver (Adarsh Gourav) who uses his wit and cunning to break free from servitude to his rich masters (Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and rise to the top of the heap - in his own way. The White Tiger is based on the New York Times bestseller and 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. The book is praised for having: "this is the authentic voice of the Third World, like you've never heard it before." This looks awesome! Really ...

Netflix has released the first trailer for “The White Tiger,” starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas that is based on the New York Times-bestselling novel of the same name.

Earlier this month, Chopra Jonas shared the first image from the film, in which she’ll play Pinky Madam, a first-generation immigrant in the United States who travels to India with her husband Ashok, played by Rajkummar Rao.

“This is a story about a family and the plight of one man — Balram Halwai played by Adarsh Gourav, one of the most talented newcomers I’ve ever worked with, and one of the most remarkable performances I’ve seen in a long time. Balram’s rise from a poor villager to successful entrepreneur in modern India showcases how hunger and the lack of opportunity can build and drive a human being’s animal instinct of survival,” Chopra Jonas wrote on Instagram earlier in October.

The soundtrack albums to Chad Stahelski's John Wick trilogy with scores by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, have been released for the first time as 2Lp sets in gatefold jackets, exclusively from Var&#232se Sarabande Records and Music.Film Recordings. The vinyl editions are available at VareseSarabande.com and other retailers.

"While his fight, stunt, and weapon work is second to none, Chad [Stahelski] embraces original music with equal passion - setting the table for Joel Richard and I to experiment and create a distinct "sound" for the John Wick world. Five years ago, we cranked "Killing Strangers" at concert volume in my studio. And now John Wick is a trilogy. Working with Chad has been a truly amazing experience." - Tyler Bates.

The John Wick trilogy is a neo-noir action thriller film series that follows a former assassin, Jonathan 'John' Wick who comes out of retirement seeking vengeance...

Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” published in 1953, describes a dystopian future in which books have become illegal artifacts, and where a fireman’s job is not to put out fires but rather to start them, torching contraband novels wherever they might be hidden.

To read “Fahrenheit 451” the old-fashioned way — in its (flammable) paper form versus an online reader — is to feel as rebellious as its heroes, who break the rules simply by owning a book. But to watch it on television, as in Ramin Bahrani’s new adaptation for HBO, is a curious kind of paradox, and one that its director didn’t shy away from embracing.

“It seemed that technology not only caught up to what Bradbury was talking about but went past it,” says Bahrani of our post-print world, where Borders has gone out of business and old-school libraries have scaled back their hours of operation. After taking on the U.

Most people who see Ramin Bahrani’s “Fahrenheit 451,” which had a midnight screening at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday and comes to HBO on May 19, will probably think of it as a new adaptation of the classic science-fiction novel by Ray Bradbury, who posited a future in which books were outlawed and the job of a fireman was to burn them.

But in Cannes, there’s another strong association, because an earlier film based on Bradbury’s book was directed by legendary French director Francois Truffaut, whose only English-language film was a 1966 version starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.

So Bahrani, the director of “99 Homes” and “Chop Shop,” comes to the Croisette having to measure up to two formidable artists — a task he approaches by doing his best to ignore Truffaut and give glancing service to Bradbury.

Also Read: 'Cold War' Film Review: Romance in Postwar Europe Is Ravishing and Haunted

Bahrani’s “Fahrenheit 451” is more high-tech than Truffaut’s, of course, and far more violent. It jettisons big portions of Bradbury’s story to zero in on one relationship, and adds a shoot-‘em-out finale miles away in tone from the novelist’s more contemplative coda. (To be fair, that coda followed the nuking of a city, so the author hardly eschewed violence.)

It works, to a degree, though largely as a showcase for a battle between Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon. The former plays Guy Montag, a gung-ho fireman primed for a promotion and seemingly eager to be the brash hero of every book-burning for the mindless masses who watch his exploits on 24-hour-a-day reality TV (or is it fake news?) projected on the side of the skyscrapers in the unnamed future metropolis.

Shannon is Captain Beatty, Montag’s boss, whose quintessential Shannonesque villainy is slightly undercut by the fact that he seems to have read a lot of the books he burns, and can eloquently explain that they contradict each other and would just confuse regular people.

Those people are kept in a state of perpetual vacuity by state news and by “The 9,” this film’s version of the internet, albeit an internet designed to dumb down everybody who uses it — which is to say, everybody.

Also Read: Jessica Chastain Spy Thriller '355' Lands at Universal After Bidding War

In Bradbury’s book and Truffaut’s film, the misguided masses were epitomized by Montag’s wife, Millie, who’s been so techno-lobotomized that she can’t even remember her suicide attempt the morning after. Bahrani filmed Millie’s scenes, with actress Laura Harrier in the role, but they wound up on the cutting-room floor; in this “Fahrenheit 451,” the mindless masses are barely seen and Montag is a bachelor, all the better to hasten his showdown with Captain Beatty.

That showdown comes when Montag, spurred by a few conversations with a mysterious young woman who informs for Beatty but also has ties to the resistance, and shaken by an old woman who incinerates herself rather than watch her illicit library burn, begins to think that books just might be better for, you know, reading instead of burning.

He swipes a copy of Dostoyevsky’s “Notes From the Underground” (in Bradbury’s telling, it was the Bible) and starts having the kind of doubts we knew were inevitable from the moment Jordan strutted and grinned like the world’s most enthusiastic fireman in his early scenes.

Also Read: 'Ash Is Purest White' Film Review: The Characters Have Growing Pains, and So Does China

Bahrani’s “Fahrenheit” has its topical touches, with clear nods to today’s anti-immigrant crusades in the way people are separated into “natives” and “eels” — i.e., good citizens who do what the government tells them and outsiders who don’t. But despite the timeliness, and the spectacle of all those gleaming high-rise towers serving as giant TV screens, the film sometimes seems as besotted with the shiny images as Montag initially is with the flames he unleashes.

Bradbury and Truffaut both had more humane, more human takes on the material, and maybe more love for the power of the words that Montag ends up trying to save rather than burn.

This version of the story turns into a chase of sorts, and places the real key to humanity’s future not in the memories of a colony of people who’ve memorized entire books, but the DNA of a bird who’s been programmed with all human knowledge. (The book people are here, but they’re expendable; it’s the bird who’s got to be saved at all costs.)

Jordan and Shannon, though, make suitably fierce competitors. And in an era where inconvenient truths are branded as fake, any take on Bradbury’s cautionary tale can’t help but be resonant, and worth seeing.

Read original story ‘Fahrenheit 451’ Film Review: Michael B. Jordan Remakes Ray Bradbury for the Age of Fake News At TheWrap...

Missouri-based filmmaker Kamau Bilal chronicles his brother’s move back home to his parents’ house in Baby Brother, a documentary short that premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. A documentary Dp, editor and director, Bilal’s recent work includes shooting Abortion: Stories Women Tell for HBO. Below, Bilal discusses the traits of a “cinematic film,” the influence of Ramin Bahrani’s Chop Shop and his concerns on exploiting a documentary subject. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Bilal: For this film I operated […]...

Following up on a landscape previously documented in Ramin Bahrani’s brilliant narrative feature Chop Shop, directors Prudence Katze and William Lehman chronicle the multiyear eviction process in The Iron Triangle as small business owners in Willets Point are forced out in the name of urban renewal. From the outside, Willets Point looks like a third world country sitting next to Citi Field, a network of deteriorating roads, auto body shops, and junkyards; it’s certainly not pretty, even if it’s functional.

The Iron Triangle is a largely political documentary focusing on the forces that threaten the way of life in a community founded largely by Italian and Greek immigrants to provide cheap, efficient automobile service at a fair price. Transactional in nature, Katze and Lehamn miss an opportunity to dive into the personal lives of the workers impacted by the move, utilizing talking heads–including academics and the...

Ramin Bahrani has become an indie staple after acclaimed efforts such as “Chop Shop,” “Man Push Cart,” and “99 Homes,” but his most high profile release might just be the upcoming HBO film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.”

Read More: Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler Reuniting (Again) For Cheating Scandal Drama ‘Wrong Answer’

The television film marks the second collaboration between the director and Michael Shannon. The actor earned rave reviews for his supporting turn in “99 Homes” and was even a dark horse for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Michael B. Jordan plays the lead Montag, a young fireman in a dystopian future where media is an opiate and books are banned and burned. Montag battles his mentor Beatty (Shannon) in a fight to regain his humanity. Laura Harrier, Sophia Boutella and Lilly Singh co-star.

“Fahrenheit 451” was first published in 1953. Previous adaptations include François Truffaut’s 1966 film adaptation.

At this year's SXSW Film Festival, first-time feature filmmaker Michael O'Shea's coming-of-age vampire film, The Transfiguration, made quite a well-received splash. For our latest Q&A feature, Daily Dead caught up with the film's cinematographer, Sung Rae Cho, aka Soichi (who used Canon Cinema Eos C500 and Eos 1D C, as well as Canon cinema zooms and primes on the project), to discuss what went into the making of the independent horror film.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Shoichi. How did you initially get involved as the cinematographer on The Transfiguration?

Shoichi: Thank you! Susan Leber (the producer) contacted me about two years before we actually shot the film and asked me if I’d be interested. I’m not usually too keen on shooting horror/slasher type of films, but knowing her filmography, and taking into account that someone as established as...

In 2015, when Vikram Gandhi was making a movie about Barack Obama’s college years in New York, the filmmaker knew the finished product would arrive at a bigger sweet moment. “We didn’t have the same optimism that much of the country had when he was running,” said Gandhi.

Yet the result, a lively take on the actor’s experiences at Colombia in the early eighties now available on Netflix, speaks to the zeitgeist even more than Gandhi could have anticipated. In “Barry,” a disillusioned Obama (Devon Terrell) grapples with his racial identity while dating a white classmate (Anya Taylor-Joy) and examining the country’s economic disparities at the height of Ronald Reagan’s conservative government.

With Terrell’s subtle performance as its guide, “Barry” provides a keen window into the national mood among many young progressive Americans some 30 years ago, but it also picks up on echoes of those...

Editor’s note: Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani has been a major presence in American independent film since his 2005 debut, “Man Push Cart.” His most recent film, “99 Homes,” was released last year. The filmmaker’s style in his early work is heavily influenced by the late Abbas Kiarostami, with whom Bahrani formed a relationship over the course of his career. With the news of Kiarostami’s death at the age of 76, Bahrani shared the following tribute to his longtime mentor.

When I saw “Where is the Friend’s House?” as a teenager, my path as a burgeoning filmmaker was irrevocably altered. I immediately tracked down VHS copies (badly dubbed, pirated) of “Close Up” and “Life and Nothing Else…” and watched them in my hometown of Winston-Salem, Nc, wondering how the prosaic can be revealed with such a profound depth of poetry. Can cinema be like this?

See MoreAbbas Kiarostami Remembered: Why He...

This month, Brooklyn plays home to the annual BAMCinemaFest, featuring both some tried and true festival favorites (imagine if Sundance just happened to take place in New York City in the summer) and some brand-new standouts. Here’s the best of what’s on offer, as curated and culled by the IndieWire film team.

“Little Men” New York City-centric filmmaker Ira Sachs has long used his keen observational eye to track the worlds of the city’s adult denizens with features like “Love is Strange” and “Keep the Lights On,” but he’s going for a younger set of stars (and troubles) in his moving new feature, “Little Men.” The new film debuted at Sundance earlier this year, where it pulled plenty of heartstrings (including mine) with its gentle, deeply human story of two seemingly different young teens (Theo Taplitz as the worldly Jake, Michael Barbieri as the more rough and tumble Tony) who quickly bond when one of them moves into the other’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Jake and Tony become fast friends, but their relationship is threatened by drama brewing between their parents, as Jake’s parents own the small store that Tony’s mom operates below the family’s apartment.When Jake’s parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle) are bothered by looming money troubles, they turn to Tony’s mom (Paulina García) and ask her to pay a higher rent, a seemingly reasonable query that has heart-breaking consequences for both families and both boys. It’s a small story that hits hard, thanks to wonderful performances and the kind of emotion that’s hard to fake. – Kate Erbland “Kate Plays Christine”

It’s usually easy enough to find common themes cropping up at various film festivals, but few people could have anticipated that this year’s Sundance would play home to two stories about Christine Chubbuck, a tragic tale that had been previously unknown by most of the population (the other Chubbuck story to crop up at Sundance was Antonio Campos’ closely observed narrative “Christine,” a winner in its own right). In 1974, Chubbuck — a television reporter for a local Sarasota, Florida TV station — killed herself live on air after a series of disappointing events and a lifetime of mental unhappiness. Robert Greene’s “Kate Plays Christine” takes an ambitious angle on Chubbuck’s story, mixing fact and fiction to present a story of an actress (Kate Lyn Sheil) grappling with her preparations to play Chubbuck in a narrative feature that doesn’t exist. Sheil is tasked with playing a mostly real version of herself, a heightened version of herself as the story winds on and even Chubbuck in a series of re-enactments. The concept is complex, but it pays off, and “Kate Plays Christine” is easily one of the year’s most ambitious and fascinating documentaries. – Ke

“Suited”

This eye-opening documentary focuses on Brooklyn-based tailoring company Bindle & Keep, which designs clothes for transgender and gender fluid clients. Produced by Lena Dunham and her “Girls” producer Jenni Konner, the HBO Documentary looks at fashion through the eyes of several people across the gender identity spectrum, including a transitioning teen in need of a suit for his Bar Mitzvah and a transgender man buying a tuxedo for his wedding. The film has a deep personal connection to Dunham, whose gender nonconforming sister Grace has been a vocal activist within the transgender community. “Suited” is the first solo-directing effort from Jason Benjamin, who previously co-directed the 2002 documentary “Carnival Roots,” about Trinidad & Tobago’s annual music festival. – Graham Winfrey

“Wiener-Dog”

Todd Solondz’s first directorial effort since 2011’s “Dark Horse” is literally about an animal this time. “Wiener-Dog” follows a dachshund that goes from one strange owner to the next, serving as a central character in four stories that bring out the pointlessness of human existence. The offbeat comedy’s stellar cast includes Greta Gerwig, Danny DeVito, Julie Delpy and “Girls’” Zosia Mamet. Amazon nabbed all domestic media rights to the film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, while IFC Films is handling the theatrical release. Financed by Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures and produced by Christine Vachon’s Killer Films, the film marked Solondz’s first movie to play at Sundance since 1995’s “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” – Gw

“Last Night at the Alamo”

Eagle Pennell has become lost to film history, despite making two of the most important films of the modern indie era. His 1978 film “The Whole Shootin’ Match” inspired Robert Redford to start Sundance and his 1984 classic “Last Night at the Alamo” has been championed by Tarantino and Linklater, who along with IFC Films and SXSW founder Louis Black is responsible for the restoration that will be playing at Bam. “Alamo,” which tells the story of a cowboy’s last ditch effort to save a local watering hole, is credited for having given birth to the Austin film scene and for laying the groundwork for the rebirth of the American indie that came later in the decade. Pennell’s career was cut short by alcoholism, but “Alamo” stands tribute to his incredible talent, pioneering spirit and the influence he’s had on so many great filmmakers. – Chris O’Falt

Read More: Indie Legend Who Inspired Sundance, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ And More Will Have Classic Films Restored

“Author: The J.T. LeRoy Story”

J.T. Leroy was an literary and pop culture sensation, until it was revealed that the HIV-positive, ex-male-prostitute teenage author was actually the creation of a 40 year old mother by the name Laura Albert. Jeff Feuerzeig’s documentary, starring Albert and featuring her recorded phone calls from the hoax, is the best yarn of 2016. You will not believe the twist-and-turns of the behind the scenes story of how Albert pulled off the hoax and cultivated close relationships (with her sister-in-law posing at Jt) with celebrities like filmmaker Gus Van Sant and Smashing Pumpkins’ Bill Corgan, both of whom play key supporting roles in this stranger-than-fiction film. Trust us, “Author” will be one of the most entertaining films you see this summer. – Co

“Dark Night”

Loosely based on the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado during a multiplex screening of “The Dark Knight,” Tim Sutton’s elegantly designed “Dark Night” contains a fascinating, enigmatic agenda. In its opening moments, Maica Armata’s mournful score plays out as we watch a traumatized face lit up by the red-blue glow of a nearby police car. Mirroring the media image of tragedy divorced from the lives affected by it, the ensuing movie fills in those details. Like Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant,” Sutton’s ambitious project dissects the moments surrounding the infamous event with a perceptive eye that avoids passing judgement. While some viewers may find this disaffected approach infuriating — the divisive Sundance reaction suggested as much — there’s no doubting the topicality of Sutton’s technique, which delves into the malaise of daily lives that surrounds every horrific event of this type with a keen eye. It may not change the gun control debate, but it adds a gorgeous and provocative footnote to the conversation. – Eric Kohn

“A Stray”

Musa Syeed’s tender look at a Somali refugee community in Minneapolis puts a human face on the immigration crisis through the exploits of Adan (Barkhad Abdirahman), a young man adrift in his solitary world. Kicked out by his mother and unwelcome at the local mosque where he tries to crash, Adan meets his only source of companionship in a stray dog he finds wandering the streets. Alternating between social outings and job prospects, Adan’s struggles never strain credibility, even when an FBI agent tries to wrestle control of his situation to turn him into a spy. Shot with near-documentary realism, Syed’s insightful portrait of his forlorn character’s life recalls the earlier films of Ramin Bahrani (“Man Push Cart,” “Chop Shop”), which also capture an oft-ignored side of modern America. With immigration stories all too frequently coopted for political fuel, “A Stray” provides a refreshingly intimate alternative, which should appeal to audiences curious about the bigger picture — or those who can relate to it. – Ek

“Goat”

After making a blistering impression at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Andrew Neel’s fraternity psychodrama “Goat” comes to Bam with great acclaim and sky high anticipation. Starring breakout Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jonas, the film centers around a 19-year-old college student who pledges the same fraternity as his older brother, only to realize the world of hazing and endless parties is darker than he could ever imagine. In lesser hands, “Goat” would be a one-note takedown of hedonistic bro culture, but Neel’s slick direction brings you to the core of animalistic behavior and forces you to weigh the clashing egos of masculinity. By cutting underneath the layers of machismo, Neel creates a drama of insecurities buried beneath the war between predator and prey. It’s an intense and intelligent study of a world the movies have always been obsessed with. – Zack Sharf

Read More: Sundance: How Robert Greene and Kate Lyn Sheil Made the Festival’s Most Fascinating Documentary

“The Childhood of a Leader”

Brady Corbet has been one of the most reliable supporting actors in films like “Funny Games,” “Force Majeure,” “Clouds of Sils Maria” and more, and he even broke through as a lead in the great indie “Simon Killer,” but it turns out Corbet’s real skills are behind the camera. In his directorial debut, “The Childhood of a Leader,” the actor creates an unnerving period psychodrama that evokes shades of “The Omen” by way of Hitchcock. Set in Europe after Wwi, the movie follows a young boy as he develops a terrifying ego after witnessing the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. Cast members Robert Pattinson and Berenice Bejo deliver reliably strong turns, but it’s Corbet’s impressive control that makes the film a tightly-wound skin-crawler. His ambition is alive in every frame and detail, resulting in a commanding debut that announces him as a major filmmaker to watch. – Zs

“The Love Witch”

Meet your new obsession: A spellbinding homage to old pulp paperbacks and the Technicolor melodramas of the 1960s, Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” is a throwback that’s told with the kind of perverse conviction and studied expertise that would make Quentin Tarantino blush. Shot in velvety 35mm, the film follows a beautiful, sociopathic, love-starved young witch named Elaine (Samantha Robinson, absolutely unforgettable in a demented breakthrough performance) as she blows into a coastal Californian town in desperate search of a replacement for her dead husband. Sex, death, Satanic rituals, God-level costume design, and cinema’s greatest tampon joke ensue, as Biller spins an arch but hyper-sincere story about the true price of patriarchy. – David Ehrlich

“Morris From America”

Coming-of-age movies are a dime a dozen (and the going rate is even cheaper at Sundance), but Chad Hartigan’s absurdly charming follow-up to “This Is Martin Bonner” puts a fresh spin on a tired genre. Played by lovable newcomer Markees Christmas, Morris is a 13-year-old New Yorker who’s forced to move to the suburbs of Germany when his widower dad (a note-perfect Craig Robinson) accepts a job as the coach of a Heidelberg soccer team. It’s tough being a teen, but Morris — as the only black kid in a foreign town that still has one foot stuck in the old world — has it way harder than most. But there’s a whole lot of joy here, as Hartigan’s sweet and sensitive fish out of water story leverages a handful of killer performances into a great little movie about becoming your own man. – De

BAMCinemaFest 2016 runs from June 15 – 26.

Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Festivals newsletter here.

Related storiesChristine Chubbuck: Video Exists of Reporter's On-Air Suicide That Inspired Two Sundance Films'Wiener-Dog' Trailer: Greta Gerwig Befriends a Dachshund in Todd Solondz's Dark Sundance Comedy'Little Men,' 'Wiener-Dog' and More Set for BAMcinemaFest 2016 -- Indiewire's Tuesday Rundown...

The last few days of 2015 are spent in reflection about the year that's just wrapping up and in anticipation of the year just ahead, at least for me, and since we had our ten best list last week, this week it's time for the runners-up, the fifteen films that also filled out our year. As always, I look at this list and I think it would make a perfectly spiffy top ten if that's how things had shaken out, which is to say that the only real purpose of any of these lists is to remind you of more of the experiences that were worth having in a theater. There are plenty of good films that aren't on either of my lists this year. That doesn't mean I didn't like them or they're not good. It just means that these films meant more to me for some reason. For now,...

One of the most subtle details of Black-ish is how carefully it depicts black hair-care. We often see Bow, Zoey, and Diane with their hair wrapped at night, and they wear a range of styles from straight to curly to braided. This week's episode, however, focuses on the ways black men take their hair seriously. "Chop Shop" takes a trip to an especially sacred space: the men's barbershop.Dre is proud of his long-term relationship with his barber, T. Jackson (Barry Shabaka Henley), and hopes to instill the same haircut loyalty in his sons. However, Junior decides to take a chance on another barber, Smoke (Keraun Harris), who talks to him like he's one of the boys. Dre, upset with Junior's lack of integrity, says that he's violating one of the most important rules of the barbershop: You never switch chairs. A man always stays with the same barber, no...

Andrew Garfield stars in Ramin Bahrani’s gripping drama of greed and foreclosures in post-economic crisis Florida

In the palm-sweating opening movement of this gripping economic drama set in foreclosure-stricken 2010, Andrew Garfield’s single father Dennis Nash is summarily evicted from his Florida home by Michael Shannon’s vulpine Rick Carver, his belongings cast on to the street, his family dispatched to a seedy motel. Worse still, desperate Dennis soon finds himself working for Carver, evicting others as he learns that “America doesn’t bail out losers”. Like a modern day Wall Street, Chop Shop-director Ramin Bahrani’s terrifically taut thriller finds a young man being taught that “greed is good” by a reptilian father figure – roles that Garfield and Shannon play to the hilt, the former convincingly conflicted and anguished, the latter alternately repellent and spellbinding, like the high rollers from Jc Chandor’s Margin Call. “Don’t get emotional about real estate,...

Andrew Garfield stars in Ramin Bahrani’s gripping drama of greed and foreclosures in post-economic crisis Florida

In the palm-sweating opening movement of this gripping economic drama set in foreclosure-stricken 2010, Andrew Garfield’s single father Dennis Nash is summarily evicted from his Florida home by Michael Shannon’s vulpine Rick Carver, his belongings cast on to the street, his family dispatched to a seedy motel. Worse still, desperate Dennis soon finds himself working for Carver, evicting others as he learns that “America doesn’t bail out losers”. Like a modern day Wall Street, Chop Shop-director Ramin Bahrani’s terrifically taut thriller finds a young man being taught that “greed is good” by a reptilian father figure – roles that Garfield and Shannon play to the hilt, the former convincingly conflicted and anguished, the latter alternately repellent and spellbinding, like the high rollers from Jc Chandor’s Margin Call. “Don’t get emotional about real estate,...

“America doesn’t bail out losers,” real-estate-loophole master practitioner Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) tells victim-turned-protégé Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield). “This nation is rigged for winners.” He proceeds to milk Noah’s ark for a metaphor. “I’m not going to drown.” With rapid visuals, pounding music, characters constantly in motion, montages of exploiters in action, and his usual astute observations of processes that enable the marring of innocents, Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop, Man Push Cart) impeccably dramatizes the reality behind this cynical point of view. One that, as the the chasm between the 99% and the 1% widens, is especially valid […]...

“America doesn’t bail out losers,” real-estate-loophole master practitioner Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) tells victim-turned-protégé Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield). “This nation is rigged for winners.” He proceeds to milk Noah’s ark for a metaphor. “I’m not going to drown.” With rapid visuals, pounding music, characters constantly in motion, montages of exploiters in action, and his usual astute observations of processes that enable the marring of innocents, Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop, Man Push Cart) impeccably dramatizes the reality behind this cynical point of view. One that, as the the chasm between the 99% and the 1% widens, is especially valid […]...