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Rotten Tomatoes has become an indispensable guide among Hollywood studios and distributors, however independent filmmakers should not attach much significance to the reviews aggregator, an opening day panel at the inaugural American Film Convention (AFC) heard on Tuesday.

“Rotten Tomatoes is a serious metric in some people’s view,” Peter Ambrosio, co-owner of arthouse chain Lumiere Cinema, told the ‘New Era Of Distribution’ panel at The Music Box in Downtown Los Angeles. “If you have [social discovery platform] Letterboxd it’s much more effective as a film conversion metric… People are talking about movies but on different forums. I’m not saying a...

American Film Convention (AFC) organisers have announced further details of the 40-strong panel programme at the inaugural event scheduled for October 15-17 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Distribution expert Peter Broderick of Paradigm Consulting will kick off the AFC Talks sessions at Magic Box on October 15 with the keynote, Supercharge Your Distribution!

That day’s sessions will include an examination of the exhibition space featuring Neil Williams from event cinema company Gathr and Christie Marchese from social cinema platform Kinema, alongside Peter Ambrosio of arthouse chain Lumiere and Evan Saxon of distribution, marketing and rights management specialist Abramorama.

Filmmaker Keith Ochwat...

It’s time to look at the work of one of the greatest directors of our generation: Christopher Nolan. A caveat – our Christopher Nolan movies ranked list is just one person’s opinion, and his work is divisive. Everyone has their favourites (and least favourites), so I’m hoping this ranking will open up some discussion in the comments below. We do not include Following in this list, as it’s only 69 minutes and can’t be put on the same level as his other work – although it’s an interesting black and white curio. Also, note that this list ranks all of his movies from worst to best, so if you don’t see your favourite film of his right off the top, don’t panic!

Insomnia (2002)

In my mind, Christopher Nolan has never made a bad movie. So, when I say one of his movies is his “worst,...

Before he earned widespread recognition for films like Top Gun: Maverick and Hit Man, Glen Powell had a minor role in Christopher Nolan’s superhero film The Dark Knight Rises. The 35-year-old actor played a trader, who has a brief interaction with Tom Hardy’s Bane only to be forcefully slammed onto a keyboard by the formidable Batman villain.

Glen Powell in The Dark Knight Rises | Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Powell recently reflected on his experience working in one of the greatest superhero films of all time, as he revealed that filming that scene with him made him aware of The Bikesiders star’s remarkable strength.

Glen Powell Recalled Being Slammed by Tom Hardy

In a recent conversation with IMDb, Glen Powell recounted his time working on The Dark Knight Rises. He asserted that although he had the minor role of a trader who stands up to Bane, the sequence...

Actor Tom Hardy is currently Sony’s Eddie Brock a.k.a Venom, but his stint with superheroes started with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. The British actor played Bane in the climatic film of Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy and was a formidable foe who broke the Batman. Hardy had previously worked with Nolan on Inception.

Nolan’s films have always featured actors in small roles who would go on to be future stars. Actors like Timothée Chalamet and Barry Keoghan had small roles in films made by the maverick filmmaker. Hit Man star Glen Powell too had a short role in The Dark Knight Rises in a scene where he was hit in the head by Hardy’s Bane.

Tom Hardy’s Strength As Bane Dazed Glen Powell Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures/DC Entertainment/Syncopy

When...

As the Internet is now learning, Glen Powell had a tiny role in 2012’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ playing a trader at the Gotham Stock exchange who ends up a victim of Bane’s (Tom Hardy) wrath. What fans of the film might not know is that Hardy actually slammed Powell’s head into the keyboard on the final take.

Speaking with IMDb, Powell recalled how things went sideways. “He’s supposed to give me a little bit of a tap on the back of the head. So, we did it a few times. We all nail it. It was great. And then this last time … he just slammed my head on the keyboard. And I remember just, like, getting kind of dazed.”

But Powell chalked it up to both actors being immersed in their roles. “I think we all just got kind of caught up in it,” he said.

According to Powell, cinematographer Wally Pfister then joked that he forgot to roll camera, prompting director Christopher Nolan to ask, “You think you can do it again just like that?”

Powell’s response? “Absolutely!”

Nolan then let him off the hook, admitting, “We’re kidding. Go see a medic.”

To celebrate the premiere of Netfix’s ‘Hit Man,’ Powell sat down with IMDb to throw the Ultimate Watch Party by choosing snacks and essentials for screening the film at home.

Watch the interview here

In addition to his Bane encounter, he talked how he and Sydney Sweeney brought realism to their romantic comedy ‘Anyone But You,’ and shared what it’s like collaborating with frequent collaborator director Richard Linklater.

Learn more about Glen Powell on IMDb, including his first credit in 'Spy Kids 3,' his "CSI: Miami" connection, and his upcoming remake of 'The Running Man.'...

“Full House” and “Fuller House” creator Jeff Franklin is set to produce a new horror film, “Murder with the Stars.” Craig Shoemaker penned the screenplay and will serve as a producer, with Jonathan Silverman set to direct and act in the movie.

“This concept came to me several months ago, and I knew I was onto something unique and fun,” Shoemaker said. “Since then, the creative process has unfolded effortlessly with two old friends signing on, Jonathan Silverman and Jeff Franklin. It’s a killer team. In the case of this horror film, pun intended.”

“Murder with the Stars” will be created in partnership with Jaclyn and Ike Suri of Pelican Point Media, a film finance and production company, that has produced horror and comedy films like the 2016 thriller “Exposed,” starring Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves. Silverman is repped by Authentic Talent and Brave Artists, and Shoemaker is repped by Innovative Artists.

He’s twisted time. He’s reinvented Batman. He’s conquered the box office multiple times over. And he’s always done it entirely his own way. There’s nobody out there like Christopher Nolan – a game-changing filmmaker who makes masterpieces like nobody’s business, deploying cerebral cinematic craft to create big-impact blockbusters. Over the last 25 years, he’s proven himself as one of the all-time greats – and so, in the wake of his landmark Oscar wins for Oppenheimer, Empire presents the ultimate tribute: a one-off collector’s edition dedicated to a director like no other.

In this limited-edition magazine, we take a deep-dive trip through Nolan’s entire filmography, presenting not only the finest archive material from the Empire vault – collected as we’ve followed the man’s career through the years – but brand-new articles. That includes a major conversation with Nolan himself – plus his producing partner and wife Emma Thomas – conducted this April,...

“Oppenheimer” lenser Hoyte van Hoytema took top honors from the American Society of Cinematographers on Sunday. He edged out all four of his Oscar rivals for Best Cinematography: Edward Lachman (“El Conde”), Matthew Libatique (“Maestro”), Rodrigo Prieto (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Robbie Ryan (“Poor Things”).

Over its 38-year history, the ASC has predicted 152 of the 190 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five this year and in both 2018 and 2017. Last year, it previewed three of the Best Cinematography contenders — Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”), Darius Khondji (“Bardo”) and Mandy Walker (“Elvis”). While Walker won over the ASC, she lost the Oscar to “All Quiet on the Western Front” lenser James Friend.

Indeed, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 17 times:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall,...

Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan’s collaboration is one for the history books. Ever since they first met on the set of Batman Begins, they have collaborated on 6 movies with the Oscar-nominated flick Oppenheimer being the latest. Now being friends for over two decades, the actor feels pretty confident working with one of the most prolific directors in the entire film industry.

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer

While he has since grown to love Nolan’s film sets and feels pretty comfortable, there was a time when he felt terribly nervous being on a Nolan set. In an old unearthed interview of the BAFTA-winning actor, he revealed which of Nolan’s brilliant movies made him the most nervous.

Cillian Murphy Felt the Jitters While Working on a Christopher Nolan Movie Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow in Batman Begins

Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan have been working with each other for the past 20 years.

Update 2/9 with IATSE statement: A fundraiser organized on behalf of rigging technician Juan “Spike” Wu Osorio, who died on the set of Marvel’s “Wonder Man” TV series on February 6, has raised over $110,000 in less than 24 hours. At this latest update, the fundraiser surpassed $162,000 and the goal has been increased to $200,000.

Bill Martel, a production sound mixer and president of Impact Av, organized the GoFundMe. He wrote that the incident at Radford Studio Center may have been “due to a potential structural failure.” When reached by IndieWire, Martel declined to comment in more detail about the nature of the accident.

“We are hoping the Production Company, The Facility, Mbs, Marvel Studios handles things properly, but expect a long road,” Martel wrote. “In the mean time, bills will be mounting and the widow, Boom Operator Joanne W., will be left to deal with everything. Help if you’re able, it’s greatly appreciated.

The American Society of Cinematographers nominees announced on January 11 include only four of our five leading Oscar contenders for Best Cinematography: frontrunner Hoyte van Hoytema for “Oppenheimer”plus Matthew Libatique (“Maestro”), Rodrigo Prieto (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Robbie Ryan (“Poor Things”). Our other predicted nominee, Łukasz Zal (“The Zone of Interest”), got bumped by Edward Lachman (“El Conde”).

Over its 37-year history, the ASC has predicted 147 of the 185 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. Last year, it previewed three of the Best Cinematography contenders — Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”), Darius Khondji (“Bardo”) and Mandy Walker (“Elvis”). While Walker won over the ASC, she lost the Oscar to “All Quiet on the Western Front” lenser James Friend.

Indeed, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 17 times:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll,...

Christopher Nolan has made a career for himself for his unconventional narrative structures of storytelling. His 11 films have ranged from psychological thrillers to science fiction epics to “The Dark Knight” trilogy, and have garnered a total of 36 Academy Award nominations, five of which for Nolan individually. With his latest directed epic “Oppenheimer” breaking box office records and gathering massive awards buzz since its release on July 21 by Universal Pictures, let’s break down Nolan’s five Oscar nominations for three of his movies.

Nolan’s first recognition at the Oscars came for his second feature “Memento,” based on his brother Jonathan Nolan’s short story “Memento Mori,” both released in 2001. The psychological mystery thriller written and directed by Nolan stars Guy Pearce as a man with anterograde amnesia and short-term memory loss as he tries to solve the murder of his wife. The neo-noir was lauded for its original storytelling...

Detective thrillers have always had one foot in the horror genre, often starring morally complex investigators forced to confront the nastiest facets of the human condition while hunting down rogue killers. Naturally, these hard-boiled yarns are as common as they are popular, and it takes a special kind of storyteller to extract a meaningful experience from such familiar tropes.

While he’s mostly known for his multi-million dollar epics, I’d argue that Christopher Nolan is one of these rare talents, with the British director starting out his career with a compelling trio of down-to-earth thrillers that culminated in 2002’s Insomnia – arguably the filmmaker’s most underrated film. And with Nolan back in the spotlight after miraculously turning an R-rated biopic into a bona fide blockbuster event, I thought that this might be a great opportunity to look back on the filmmaker’s first studio-backed project.

A remake of a...

Production designer Nathan Crowley tells us about his first movie with Christopher Nolan – 2002’s Insomnia, and its chilly outdoor filmmaking.

Having broken through with the low-budget thriller Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan made his Hollywood debut with Insomnia in 2002 – a remake of the Norwegian film of the same name. Starring Al Pacino as a quietly guilt-ridden LA cop investigating a murder in an Alaskan fishing town, Insomnia was also lit up by supporting performances from Hilary Swank as a rookie officer and the late Robin Williams as a shifty potential suspect.

Although some filmmakers may have regarded Insomnia as a work-for-hire gig, Nolan brought all his skill and attention to detail to bear on the movie, using his expanded budget (some $46m versus Memento’s $5-ish million) to make a measured, stunning-looking thriller. (Cinematographer Wally Pfister’s early shot of a plane flying over Alaskan wastes is quite a sight on a big screen.

At five of the last 10 Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2024 Oscar predictions for Best Cinematography.)

The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

While the lensers of “Inception” and “Gravity” first prevailed at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards,...

In a couple of months’ time — on September 19, to be exact — the Emmys will be held barring any delays due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Once those awards are out of the way, it will then be time to focus on the Academy Awards. However, some of us can’t wait that long and have already started thinking about potential nominees and contenders across all categories.

That includes below-the-line categories, however, as well as the obvious above-the-line ones. And so many of the below-the-line categories are made up of technical areas — Cinematography, Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects. That is four nominations that any one film could collect all in one go as so many have done before this year, such as “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Gravity,” “The Revenant,” and “Mad Max: Fury Road.” With that in mind, let’s take a look...

In Michael Rabiger’s book “Directing: Film and Aesthetics,” Christopher Nolan provides a quote that speaks to the power of collaboration and his role in serving it as a filmmaker.

“As a director, I’m sort of a human lens through which everyone’s efforts are focused,” Nolan said. “A big part of my job is making decisions about how all the great talent that I’m working with blends into a single consciousness.” If Nolan’s job is to bring together the best talent in the business and have them work effortlessly together, then he’s been succeeding since his start as a feature film director over two decades ago.

Nolan made his debut in 1998 with the low-budget thriller “Following,” which paved the way for his festival breakout “Memento” in 2000. He’d direct Al Pacino and Robin Williams in “Insomnia” (the standalone title in Nolan’s filmography he did...

The technology of cinematography has undergone some of the most seismic shifts in film history this century, with what began in the 2000s as an almost entirely photochemical process transforming into the digitally captured, manipulated, and projected images of today. The art of cinematography, however — using light, color, and texture to express ideas and elicit emotional reactions from the audience — remains intact.

In 2017, IndieWire made a list of the best shot feature films of the century thus far; the list was updated in 2020, and what follows is the third and most extensive version of the list. It’s also the first to be spearheaded by the IndieWire Craft team, which has grown considerably since this list was first published. Ranking cinematography is, in some ways, a fool’s errand given the broad variety of genres, resources, and intentions encompassed by the films below, but these are 60 titles that IndieWire believes...

“Elvis” lenser Mandy Walker became the first woman to take top honors from the American Society of Cinematographers on Sunday. She edged out two of her Oscar rivals for Best Cinematography — Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”) who reaped his 17th bid, and Darius Khondji (“Bardo”) — plus last year’s winner with both the guild and the Oscars Greig Fraser (“The Batman”) and Claudio Miranda (“Top Gun: Maverick”). The other Oscar nominees are James Friend (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) and Florian Hoffmeister (“Tar”).

Over its 37-year history, the ASC has predicted 147 of the 185 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 17 times:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall, “American Beauty” (2000)

Conrad L. Hall,...

At six of the last 10 Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Claudio Miranda and Ang Lee for “Life of Pi” (2013); Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2023 Oscars Best Cinematography predictions.)

The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

While the lensers of “Inception” and “Gravity...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Last editorial, I pondered if the best films in the Amityville Horror franchise are the paired entries. As we cross off the seventh entry, that suspicion holds true. Amityville: A New Generation has decent ambition for a franchise creeping towards double digits; it simply needed a few tweaks in its execution. At the end of the day, the film feels aggressively early 90s direct-to-video horror, slightly better than something like a mid-range Candyman or Hellraiser.

The 1993 film is set in an apartment complex whose residents are an artist collective. The film uses the same formula as The Amityville Curse for its characters (a combination of lovers and friends), as well as It’s About Time and 3-D (a new haunted object). In this case,...

Many were pleased to learn of Greig Fraser’s (“The Batman”) inclusion among the American Society of Cinematographers’ five nominees for the 37th annual ASC Awards. The reigning Oscar and ASC champ for “Dune” is the fourth Dp nominated by the guild for lensing Gotham City. Stephen Goldblatt (1995’s “Batman Forever), Wally Pfister (2005’s “Batman Begins” and 2008’s “The Dark Knight”) and Lawrence Sher (2019’s “Joker”) also received bids for their work on the most awarded comic book franchise in history. Perhaps what has always distinguished the DC property for voters are the undertones of classic noir that this iteration in particular emphasizes.

See over 200 interviews with 2023 awards contenders

From the apparent seams and stitch work on the title character’s mask to director Matt Reeves’ haunting vision of urban decay, this is a rough, grimy take on the Caped Crusader, whose pulp origins Fraser evokes through rusty hues of...

The American Society of Cinematographers nominees announced on January 9 include only one of our five leading Oscar contenders for Best Cinematography: frontrunner Claudio Miranda for “Top Gun: Maverick.” The other four contenders are ASC stalwart Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”) who reaped his 17th bid; last year’s winner with both the guild and the Oscars Greig Fraser (“The Batman”); Darius Khondji (“Bardo”) and Mandy Walker (“Elvis”).

This quartet figures in our top 10 but we are predicting that joining Miranda in the Oscar line-up will be Russell Carpenter (“Avatar: The Way of Water”); James Friend (“All Quiet on the Western Front”); Janusz Kaminski (“The Fabelmens”); and Linus Sandgren (“Babylon”).

Over its 36-year history, the ASC has predicted 144 of the 180 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five in both 2018 and 2017.

However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 17 times:

Dean Semler,...

New images have resurfaced for the anticipated drama from Christopher Nolan that tells the story of the inventor of the atomic bomb. The film, Oppenheimer, is Nolan’s follow-up feature after the mixed reception of his high-concept sci-fi 2020’s Tenet. This will also be Nolan’s first film since leaving Warner Bros. over his displeasure with their temporary business model of releasing films simultaneously through theatrical and streaming venues.

Total Film has exclusive new images from Oppenheimer that have recently been revealed. These pictures showcase Cillian Murphy in his role as the titular character, J. Robert Oppenheimer. We also get a peek at his fellow cast members, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr, as well as behind-the-scenes photos with Nolan directing. The rest of the cast includes actors such as Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was “the theoretical physicist who oversaw...

Christopher Nolan has emerged over the last two-plus decades as one of Hollywood’s most intrepid filmmakers working at the studio level. That has a lot to do with his technically accomplished collaborators, from cinematographers Wally Pfister and Hoyte van Hoytema to editor Jennifer Lame. Pfister is a four-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner thanks to his work with Nolan, while van Hoytema picked up an Oscar nomination for his work on “Dunkirk” and since shot “Tenet” and, next up, he serves as cinematographer on Nolan’s atomic bomb epic “Oppenheimer.” Nolan, Pfister, van Hoytema, and all their collaborators have collectively crafted some of the most memorable images in 21st-century filmmaking.

“Oppenheimer” centers on Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, and his role in the Manhattan Project. This time around, for the movie opening July 21, 2023, Nolan is now under the stewardship of Universal Pictures, whom...

Matt Damon has once again been targeted by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The new film “South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2,” which launched July 13 exclusively on Paramount+, includes an extended takedown of Damon due to his involvement promoting Crypto. The actor has been widely mocked on social media in recent months for shilling Crypto, most notably in a Crypto.com commercial that included the tagline “Fortune Favors the Brave.”

A fake commercial in “South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2” features Damon in a “Fortune Favors Matt Damon” T-shirt explaining all the ways people can cut down on water usage by replacing water with their own urine. Damon is seen using pee to water his lawn as well as showering in pee, cooking pasta with pee and attempting to lick a frozen pee popsicle. Damon violently gags whenever the pee gets too close to his face. The...

A Batman movie will always have stunts, but one in "Batman Begins" frightened its stars. During the first act, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) trains under Henri Ducard aka Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson). These opening scenes, set in the Himalayas, are some of the most beautiful in the film. Dp Wally Pfister's blue-tinged cinematography is suitably cold, and an atypical setting shows how this isn't your typical Batman movie.

This isn't just where the movie begins, but where the shoot did too; the very first scene to be shot was a mock sword fight between Bruce and Ducard on top...

The post Teaching Batman To Fight On A Frozen Lake Was A Frightening Time For Liam Neeson appeared first on /Film.

Matt Damon made the questionable decision last fall to become the face of Crypto.com.

Along with that came a flashy commercial starring Damon and directed by former Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister, in which Damon walks around what appears to be a spaceship, greeted by holographic adventurers, before encouraging crypto investment and reminding viewers that “Fortune favors the brave.”

Well, with crypto currency reaching 16-month lows this week, those who have lost money are coming after one person – Matt Damon.

The ad had already been widely ridiculed – it was even sent up on an episode of “South Park” – and makes very little sense if you watch it again.

But now the ad has returned to life and Matt Damon was even trending on Twitter, so many folks are angry about it.

And while most of it seems to be in jest, considering Damon could have just as easily been...

The American Society of Cinematographers awarded Greig Fraser its top prize for his work on “Dune” at its annual awards on Sunday. He edged out three of his Oscar rivals for Best Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel for “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Dan Laustsen for “Nightmare Alley” and Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog.” The fifth ASC contender was Haris Zamberloukos for “Belfast” who bumped Oscar nominee Janusz Kamiński for “West Side Story.”

Over its 36-year history, the ASC has predicted 144 of the 180 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 16 times:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall, “American Beauty” (2000)

Conrad L. Hall, “Road to Perdition” (2003)

Dion Beebe, “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2006)

Robert Elswit,...

As one Oscar season comes to a close, another opens (at least to speculation) with Matt Reeves’ newest take on the Batman franchise starring Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell.

The director and co-writer (along with Peter Craig) delivers a dark take on the world’s greatest detective as he battles villains the Riddler, the Penguin and Catwoman. Receiving positive reviews from critics, will this new take on the Caped Crusader land major Oscar attention — including best picture — following in the footsteps of “Black Panther” (2017) and “Joker” (2019)?

But with a limited sense of what the rest of 2022 will have to offer the cinematic landscape, there are certainly two spots well worth considering “The Batman” for recognition: cinematography and original score.

The camerawork, executed by two-time nominee Greig Fraser, is divine, framing an intimate and tension-filled experience that only a master of his caliber can achieve.

The American Society of Cinematographers nominations announced on January 25 include four of our five leading Oscar contenders for Best Cinematography including the frontrunner to win — Greig Fraser for “Dune” — as well as Bruno Delbonnel for “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog” and Haris Zamberloukos for “Belfast.”

Our fifth predicted Oscar nominee, Janusz Kaminski for “West Side Story,” was snubbed in favor of our sixth-ranked contender, Dan Laustsen for “Nightmare Alley.”

Over its 35-year history, the ASC has predicted 140 of the 175 Oscar nominees, including four in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 16 times in 35 years:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall, “American Beauty” (2000)

Conrad L. Hall, “Road to Perdition” (2003)

Dion Beebe, “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2006)

Robert Elswit,...

At six of the last nine Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Claudio Miranda and Ang Lee for “Life of Pi” (2013); Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2022 Oscars predictions for Best Cinematography.)

The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

While the lensers of “Inception...

Good news, Jordan Peele fans. The acclaimed helmer of "Get Out" and "Us" has officially wrapped production on his third directorial feature, "Nope."

There's still not much word on any plot specifics, but Indiewire (by way of Variety) reports that Hoyte van Hoytema served as the film's cinematographer and that he and Peele shot "Nope" on Kodak film, including 65mm in IMAX. Hoytema has an impressive list of credits that includes "Let the Right One In," "The Fighter," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "Her," "Spectre," and "Ad Astra." In recent years, he has become more well-known as Christopher Nolan's regular director of photography, stepping in after Nolan and longtime collaborator Wally Pfister parted...

The post Jordan Peele's Nope Has Wrapped Production appeared first on /Film.

Update: An initial press release misidentified David Fincher as a producer on the commercial. Variety has since confirmed that while Fincher’s production company Reset produced the project, he was not personally a producer on it.

Previously: Matt Damon is the new face of … cryptocurrency.

The Oscar winner will star in Crypto.com’s new global ad campaign “Fortune Favors the Brave,” which begins airing in the U.S. on Thursday night.

Directed by Wally Pfister, the 60-second commercial features Damon taking viewers on a historical journey of brave men and women who’ve made a difference in the world, in the hopes of inspiring people to “be their bravest selves.” This campaign intends to formally introduce the platform — aimed to accelerate the world’s transition to cryptocurrency — to consumers around the world and will launch on TV during “Thursday Night Football” on Fox Sports, eventually running in more than 20 countries.

As the Los Angeles Rams take the field at SoFi Stadium on Sunday — marking the team’s first game in the new $5.5 billion venue with fans in the seats — players will come out a 90-second hype video flashing across the Jumbotron, showing Angelenos being drawn to the stadium by an almost supernatural force.

The video comes from the mind of Wally Pfister, the Oscar-winning cinematographer and Christopher Nolan-collaborator behind Inception, The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Today he works largely in commercials and directed the Rams project after seeing “the canvas I was going to be able to create onto”: SoFi’s 70,...

As the Los Angeles Rams take the field at SoFi Stadium on Sunday — marking the team’s first game in the new $5.5 billion venue with fans in the seats — players will come out a 90-second hype video flashing across the Jumbotron, showing Angelenos being drawn to the stadium by an almost supernatural force.

The video comes from the mind of Wally Pfister, the Oscar-winning cinematographer and Christopher Nolan-collaborator behind Inception, The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Today he works largely in commercials and directed the Rams project after seeing “the canvas I was going to be able to create onto”: SoFi’s 70,...

What fresh hell is this? If you loved the films of Christopher Nolan (and the Wachowskis), but perhaps only had the [almost] total recall talent of Wally Pfister and you came across an “Inception”-esque high-concept script—reincarnation past lives, fuzzy memory, James Bond action, and slick cars—maybe you have to supercharge the idea. Maybe a fantastical sci-fi-ish conception of a world where Infinites— Believers vs.

Continue reading ‘Infinite’: Antoine Fuqua & Mark Wahlberg’s Incept Themselves Into The Mountain Dew Matrix Of Third-Rate Sci-Fi [Review] at The Playlist.

The American Society of Cinematographers were so impressed by the black-and-white lensing of “Mank” that it awarded Erik Messerschmidt the Best Cinematography prize at its annual awards on Sunday. He edged out three of his Oscar rivals — Phedon Papamichael for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Joshua James Richards for “Nomadland” and Dariusz Wolski for “News of the World — as well Newton Thomas Sigel for “Cherry. The fifth Oscar contender, Sean Bobbitt for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” was snubbed by the ASC.

Over its 35-year history, the ASC has predicted 140 of the 175 Oscar nominees, including four in both 2019 and 2020 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 15 times in 34 years:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall, “American Beauty” (2000)

Conrad L.

The American Society of Cinematographers nominees announced on March 10 include four of the five leading Oscar contenders for Best Cinematography including Erik Messerschmidt for “Mank” as well as Phedon Papamichael for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Joshua James Richards for “Nomadland” and Dariusz Wolski for “News of the World. Also in contention is Newton Thomas Sigel for “Cherry. The fifth Oscar contender, Sean Bobbitt for “Judas and the Black Messiah” was snubbed by the guild.

Over its 35-year history, the ASC has predicted 140 of the 175 Oscar nominees, including four in both 2019 and 2020 and all five in both 2018 and 2017. However, the ASC choice for the best in the business has presaged the eventual winner at the Oscars only 15 times in 34 years:

Dean Semler, “Dances with Wolves” (1991)

John Toll, “Braveheart” (1996)

John Seale, “The English Patient” (1997)

Russell Carpenter, “Titanic” (1998)

Conrad L. Hall, “American Beauty” (2000)

Conrad L. Hall, “Road to Perdition” (2003)

Dion Beebe,...

The American Society of Cinematographers nominees announced on March 10 include three of our five leading Oscar contenders for Best Cinematography including the frontrunner to win — Erik Messerschmidt for “Mank” — as well as Joshua James Richards for “Nomadland” and Dariusz Wolski for “News of the World. Also in contention are Phedon Papamichael for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Newton Thomas Sigel for “Cherry. We are predicting Sigel will reap an Oscar bid for “Da 5 Bloods” instead.

Papamichael is a favorite of the ASC; he was nominated here last year for “Ford v Ferrari” but was bumped out at the Oscars by “The Lighthouse” lenser Jarin Blaschke. We don’t expect him to contend at the Academy Awards this year either with Hoyte van Hoytema likely to land the fifth slot for “Tenet.”

Over its 34-year history, the ASC has predicted 136 of the 170 Oscar nominees, including four in both...

The American Society of Cinematographers (Asc) has weighed in with picks for the best cinematography in film and television over the last year. Like other major guild ceremonies including the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, the Asc nominees are looked at closely by Oscar pundits considering the overlap between guild members and the Academy. Over the last decade, the eventual Oscar winner for Best Cinematography has at least been nominated for the Asc prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases.

Last year’s ASC winner was Roger Deakins for “1917.” Deakins also won the ASC prize for “Blade Runner 2049.” In both cases, the legendary Dp went on to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Wally Pfister for “Inception” and Emmanuel Lubezki for “Gravity,” “Birdman,” and “The Revenant” are other recent examples of Asc winners who also prevailed at the Academy Awards. The Asc...

At six of the last eight Oscars, Best Cinematography has gone hand-in-hand with Best Director: Claudio Miranda and Ang Lee for “Life of Pi” (2013); Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” (2014); Lubezki and Alejandro G. Inarritu for both “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016); Linus Sandgren and Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2017); and Cuaron doing double duty on “Roma” (2019). Will that trend hold true this year? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Cinematography.)

The academy usually regards award-winning cinematography as pretty pictures within an epic technical feat of filmmaking. While great lighting and framing are laudable on their own, having a movie that looks like it was difficult to shoot goes a long way to snagging an Oscar. Recent lensing winners “Avatar” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Hugo” (2011), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Gravity” (2013), “Blade Runner 2049” (2018) and “1917” (2020) also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

While the lensers of “Inception...

The American Film Institute has received a $5 million gift from the Perenchio Foundation, established to fulfill the charitable wishes of Andrew Jerrold “Jerry” Perenchio, who died in 2017.

The gift will fund the Perenchio Family Endowed Scholarship to support diverse voices at the AFI Conservatory.

“Though he was famously anonymous in his philanthropy, Jerry’s generosity knew no bounds,” said Bob Daly, chair of the AFI Board of Directors. “Through this endowed scholarship at the AFI Conservatory, his legacy will continue to echo across generations in tomorrow’s storytellers.”

AFI said the first AFI Conservatory Perenchio Fellows will be announced in the coming months.

Perenchio amassed a fortune by building a powerhouse TV production company and later the Spanish-language network Univision. He was among California’s most prolific philanthropists and political donors.

Perenchio made a fortune on megahits of the 1970s, particularly from the sale of the shows into syndication. With Norman Lear,...

by Cláudio Alves

Before saying goodbye to our celebration of 2005, we must finish our look back at that year's Best Cinematography nominees. First up, we talked about the chromatic madness of Dion Beebe. Then, there were Rodrigo Prieto's cinematic elegance, the steely coldness of Wally Pfister's movies, and Robert Elswit's wide-angled wonders. Finally, we arrive at Emmanuel Lubezki, one of the past decades' most influential directors of photography. His free-flying camera movements, the masterful of natural lighting, and control of color are beyond description, so great is their beauty. No wonder AMPAS has fallen in love with the cinema of Emmanuel Lubezki, giving him eight nominations overall and three consecutive wins…...

by Cláudio Alves

Our odyssey through the 2005 Best Cinematography Oscar nominees is reaching its end. After Dion Beebe, Rodrigo Prieto, and Wally Pfister, we've arrived at the filmography of Robert Elswit.

Mostly known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Elswit is a master craftsman whose control of the camera is virtually unparalleled. Whether in choreographed motion or stately stillness, his images sing with meaning and ravishing beauty. More specifically, he's got a penchant for expressive dolly shots, wide-angle lenses, and shoots sunlight in ways that make it bleed white while his shadows, especially at night, glow in hues of blue and even purple. Usually, when you see Elswits name on the credits, you can expect a handsome movie regardless of the rest of the project's quality.

Here are 10 highlights from Robert Elswit's filmography…...

by Cláudio Alves

After looking at Dion Beebe and Rodrigo Prieto's filmographies, it's time to consider another of 2005's Best Cinematographer nominees. Our subject today shall be the man whose gloomy visual idioms helped redefine the superhero genre and its aesthetic possibilities – Wally Pfister.

The Chicago-born cinematographer was, for some years, synonymous with Christopher Nolan's cinema and, more specifically, The Dark Knight trilogy. Weirdly enough, Wally Pfister never considered himself a big fan of Gotham's brooding protector. His favorite iteration of the character wasn't even the comics, but the campy 60s TV show whose visuals are at complete odds with what Pfister would devise for the 21st century Batman. Still, his career is not all caped crusaders, and the director of photography has established a personal style that transcends genres. Wide lenses, low angles, steely palettes, horizontal motion, and visible light sources are his calling card. At least,...

Just how committed is Christopher Nolan to using practical effects? Fans already know the director purchased a real Boeing 747 airplane so that he could blow it up on camera in “Tenet,” but it appears Nolan’s commitment to practical effects hits a new high in his upcoming tentpole. Speaking to Icg Magazine this month, “Tenet” editor Jennifer Lame estimated the final cut of “Tenet” has under 300 visual effects shots. Nolan told Icg, “The visual side of the film is huge in scale, but our VFX shot count is probably lower than most romantic comedies.”

By comparison, “Avengers: Endgame” had reportedly over 2,000 VFX shots. The under-300 number is also low for Nolan himself. “The Dark Knight Rises” had 450 VFX shots according to VFX supervisor Paul Franklin, while Wired reports “Batman Begins” had 620 VFX shots and “Inception” had around 500.

“Visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson was responsible for coming up with our safety net,...

With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.

Christopher Nolan earned widespread acclaim for “Batman Begins,” his 2005 comic book drama that stripped the Dark Knight of Tim Burton’s Gothic overtones and Joel Schumacher’s camp in favor of Nolan’s preferred brand of psychological realism. Rarely before had a superhero film been subjected to the weight of an intimate, existential character drama. In burrowing deep into Bruce Wayne’s subconscious and exploring the trauma and fear that drives Batman, Nolan proved with great success how he could re-contextualize pre-existing material to fit the psychological quandaries that most interest him. The end result redefined comic book films, and yet what Nolan achieved in “Batman Begins” he had already perfected three years earlier in “Insomnia.”

Released theatrically in May 2002, “Insomnia” is...

Most moviegoers pinpoint Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” as the film that changed the superhero genre, but it was Nolan’s “Batman Begins” that laid the groundwork three years earlier for the genre’s move toward “dark and gritty” realism. Released on June 15, 2005, “Batman Begins” jumpstarted Nolan’s superhero trilogy by adding layers of psychological character drama onto a genre that had been largely defined at that point by the eye-popping spectacle of the “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” movies. “Batman Begins” was Nolan’s first major Hollywood tentpole and to pull it off he looked to two of his favorite films of all time for inspiration: Richard Donner’s “Superman” and Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.”

“I wanted to try to do it in a more realistic fashion than anyone had ever tried to a superhero film before,” Nolan told The Guardian in 2005 on the eve of “Batman Begins'” theatrical release.