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Gifted children (or prodigy) movies are driven by an intriguing paradox: what if they don’t realize their full potential if not adequately challenged? But what if the pursuit of intense challenges inculcates within them a fear of failure which can adversely impact their childhood and beyond? In a world where individuals can be casually stigmatized for being ‘different’, extraordinary intellect can’t always be a gift. Movies like A Beautiful Mind (2001), Shine (1996), Good Will Hunting (1997), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The End of the Tour (2015), The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016) dealt with super-smart people burdened with mental or emotional problems. The films mentioned below grapple with such problems or quandary (of kids & teens), some with unflinching profundity and some hide its relevant messages beneath saccharine narrative layers.

Honorable Mention: Vitus (2006)

Fredi M. Murer’s light-hearted and leisurely paced Swiss drama tells the eponymous tale of a 12-year-old piano prodigy (Teo Gheorghiu...

A new episode of our What Happened to This Celebrity series just dropped on the JoBlo Originals YouTube channel, and with this one we’re taking a look at the life and career of one of the most beloved actors of his generation: Keanu Reeves. Here’s a guy who has been in the acting world since the 1980s, and just keeps getting more and more popular as the years go by. How is this possible? Well, it helps when you can play a dog-avenging badass like John Wick… and it also helps to have a reputation as being one of the most kind, warmhearted people in Hollywood. To hear all about Keanu Reeves, and to celebrate a very cool dude, check out the video embedded above.

As mentioned in the video, Reeves’ acting skills have been criticized, but he has made some great movies and brought to life some iconic characters.

Ranker is a well-known platform where users can create rankings on a wide variety of topics, based on personal preferences. This fan-driven ranking system operates independently from the creators of the projects being ranked.

Recently, Ranker conducted a large survey aimed at identifying the most popular actors of the moment. While the survey included over 100 names, we’ve chosen to focus on the top ten actors in our report, offering our own insights and commentary to enrich the discussion.

Given the significance of this list, we’re excited to share the results, presenting the top 10 actors ranked from 10th to 1st place. We hope you enjoy it!

10. Tom Holland

It’s easy to see why Tom Holland is featured on this list. As the current Spider-Man in the MCU, his role alone secures him a spot among the top 10 most popular actors right now. His well-known relationship with Zendaya also...

Ranker is a popular place on the Internet where people can rank whatever they want, however, they want, and whenever they want. This is always a fan-focused ranking system, and it is never officially tied to the people behind the projects in question.

Recently, a large survey was organized on Ranker, whose goal was to determine the most popular actors right now. The list includes more than 100 names, but in our report, we have decided to list the top ten actors from the site to provide you with better insight, combined with our original comments and opinions, which will add flavor to the whole report.

Of course, since this is indeed an important list, we have decided to report on it, so we are going to bring you the results by listing the top 10 actors on this list, from 10th to first place. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

10. Tom Holland...

Keanu Reeves has been an absolute favorite of many film critics and audiences. His career has been very interesting since this actor has been open to starring in almost any genre. However, he has been mostly known for his action-driven films. For example, a lot of action movie lovers recognize him for the Matrix films and John Wick series. What they don’t know is how he has struggled in his personal life as well as experimented with other genres.

Reeves was born on September 2nd, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. He was raised in Toronto, Canada. He is of Chinese-Hawaiian descent from his father’s side. His father was a geologist. Reeves had a mother that worked in the industry as a performer and later designed costumes. His parents divorced nonetheless. He ended up residing with his mother and sister. As he got older, he developed a keen interest in acting.

They say a friend in need is a friend indeed, and this couldn’t be truer for Sandra Bullock and Samantha Mathis. Have you ever wondered how deep the roots of friendship can grow in the world of Hollywood, where authenticity is a rare gem?

River Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) | Credit: Paramount Pictures

What these actresses have isn’t just any friendship; it’s an extended family dynamic. When River Phoenix, Mathis’ boyfriend and a beloved star, tragically passed away in 1993, it was undeniably one of the “scariest experiences” in Bullock’s life. Yet during those dark days, the latter’s sympathy and unflagging support provided a silver lining, mirroring her extraordinary empathy and deep bond with Mathis.

The Heartwarming Act by Sandra Bullock for River Phoenix’s Girlfriend

In the early ‘90s, River Phoenix was the darling of Hollywood, a young actor who seemed destined for greatness.

Actor Jim Caviezel has been in the business since the early ‘90s. While he gained notoriety as an able supporting actor, he hit it big with The Thin Red Line and went on to perform in his most famous role to date The Passion of the Christ. The actor’s struggles while filming Mel Gibson’s Biblical epic is nothing short of a pop culture legend.

Caviezel has worked with a host of acclaimed filmmakers over the years. While he had early roles in Lawrence Kasdan’s Wyatt Earp and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, he gained prominence when he worked with the likes of Terrence Mallick, Ang Lee, and Tony Scott. Here are ten of his best roles in film and TV.

1. Person of Interest

Jonathan Nolan’s post-9/11 surveillance drama is one of the best-rated shows in TV history. It follows the story of ex-...

River Phoenix‘s sister Rain Phoenix paid a touching tribute to the late actor on what would have been his 54th birthday.

In an Instagram post made Friday, the singer and actress shared a series of images of and quotes by the Stand By Me star. She captioned the post — set to her song “Immolate,” which features lyrics like “I’m gonna hold onto love / ’cause it’s the only way out” — “Happy Birthday River...

Johnny Depp has had his fair share of success as well as controversies. While his very public battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard got itself a Netflix space, on the other hand, his involvement in another high-profile controversy still casts a dark shadow over his life.

River Phoenix received critical acclaim for his role in My Own Private Idaho

In 1993, the world woke up to the shocking news of actor River Phoenix passing away with an apparent drug overdose. Further, he died just outside Viper Room nightclub, which was partly owned by Johnny Depp at the time.

So, as soon as this news was out in the open, fans came after Depp and linked him with the young actor’s death.

The Dark Link Between Johnny Depp and River Phoenix’s Tragic End

River Phoenix had everything going well for him in the industry. From well-acclaimed movies to his handsome looks,...

The Prime Video romantic comedy “Red, White & Royal Blue” is nominated for Best TV Movie at the Emmys, which is a “very lovely bow on the top of what has already been a very wonderful gift” for co-writer, director and executive producer Matthew López. “It’s just so nice that people thought enough of this movie to nominate it, and it feels a little like ‘the little engine that could’ in some ways. So I’m very happy.” We talked to López for our “Making of ‘Red, White & Royal Blue'” panel along with producer Sarah Schechter and actor Taylor Zakhar Perez. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

“Red, White & Royal Blue” is the story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Perez), the son of the President of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) of the United Kingdom. They start as rivals, but an embarrassing international incident forces them to do damage control together,...

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

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

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

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

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

The stars of the Bill & Ted movies, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, are going to star together again. This time, they will be starring in a Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot directed by Jamie Lloyd, as part of the 2025-26 season of Atg Theatre in the fall of 2025.

Reeves will play Estragon, while Winter will play Vladimir. They announced the roles in a joint statement: “We’re incredibly excited to be on stage together and work with the great Jamie Lloyd in one of our favorite plays.”

The Jamie Lloyd Company, Atg Productions, Bad Robot Live, and Gavin Kalin Productions collaborated on the production of “Waiting for Godot,” with 101 Productions acting as general manager.

Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter On-Screen Chemistry and History

Reeves and Winter’s on-screen collaboration dates back to 1989 with “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” followed by “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey...

Gus Van Sant adds to an increasingly interesting ensemble for Killing Gawker, that already features Matt Damon, plus Ben Affleck as Hulk Hogan.

Just yesterday we covered the story that Artists Equity, the production company run by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, would be adapting the non-fiction book titled Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. Ryan Holiday penned the 2018 book which covers the legal drama that ensued when Hulk Hogan, the iconic former wrestler, sued the gossip website Gawker for publishing a sex tape of him that had come into Gawker’s possession.

The unfolding drama put Gawker out of business but also revealed some conspiratorial plotting behind the scenes. During his wrestling days, Hogan was alleged to be something of an arch-manipulator, using any means to keep himself top of the pile and Holiday’s book suggests that in the Gawker case, there...

Keanu Reeves — monastic, immortal, wild, and intellectual — is an entity unto himself, a creature that has willed a kind of goodness into this world that defies the condition he was born into. Now held to a pedestal, Reeves refuses to be defined by the fame he has accrued through 50 years of his career, but never shrugs away the love and adoration from his fans.

Keanu Reeves in The Matrix [Credit: Warner Bros./Roadshow Entertainment]

In a generation defined by box office hitmakers and an era where profitability equates to survival in the movie business, Keanu Reeves hits the ground running with one franchise blockbuster after another. And yet, the actor remains honest about his roots, leaning more toward the Sad Keanu lifestyle than an actor pandering to red-carpet fan attractions.

Keanu Reeves Defines Himself By His Work

Keanu Reeves’ temperament has been a mythical subject, although his fame has held a...

Keanu Reeves had to briefly pause an interview with Stephen Colbert during an appearance on “The Late Show” when the host brought up that “The Matrix” is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The realization hit Reeves, as he went silent for 20 seconds while trying to find the right words to remember the film by.

“’The Matrix’ changed my life, and then over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives in really positive and great ways,” Reeves said as he gathered himself. “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story.”

Reeves appeared to choke up while adding, “So when you say these years, the amount of people that I have met who have said to me and been touched by ‘The Matrix’ in such a positive way… It’s the best.”

While Reeves was already an...

Gus Van Sant is a fiercely individual voice with one foot in the independent world and another in the studio system, Van Sant’s filmography varies wildly from mainstream entertainments to peculiar experiments, from sublime highs to extreme lows. Let’s take a look at all 17 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1952 in Louisville, Kentucky, Van Sant kicked off his filmmaking career with the micro-budget, black-and-white “Mala Noche” (1985), a major preamble to the New Queer Cinema. His next feature, “Drugstore Cowboy” (1989), firmly established him as an indie maverick, a reputation he would fulfill with his followup, the River Phoenix/Keanu Reeves road movie “My Own Private Idaho” (1991). He dipped his toes into studio filmmaking with the gleefully dark satire “To Die For” (1995), which won Nicole Kidman a Golden Globe as Best Comedy/Musical Actress.

He hit the Oscar jackpot for the first time with the inspirational drama...

The 1997 movie awards season was shaping up to be surprisingly competitive in the early fall of that year. "L.A. Confidential," "Boogie Nights," and "The Sweet After" were making serious noise, while summer sleepers "The Full Monty" and "Ulee's Gold" appeared likely to stay in the picture as everyone awaited the arrival of presumed heavy hitters like Steven Spielberg's "Amistad," James L. Brooks' "As Good as It Gets," and Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown." But when James Cameron's "Titanic," a wildly expensive coin flip from a director best known for popcorn flicks, began screening for critics and guilds in early November, everything clicked into place. The boat movie was an Oscar lock for Best Picture and Director, "As Good as It Gets" had Best Actor and Actress sewn up, and everyone else was playing for the honor to be nominated.

The one no one saw coming, at least...

Brad Pitt Passed On Brokeback Mountain Script. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

“Brad Pitt in Brokeback Mountain?” The star reportedly passed on the role alongside several other A-listers due to the “controversial” storyline. Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” is one of the pivotal films in queer cinema. The 2005 romantic drama featuring Jake Gyllenhall and the late Heath Ledger as two closeted gay cowboys in the lead was a belle of the award season, snagging multiple coveted golden statues.

However, fans would be surprised to find that several Academy Award-winning directors also passed on the film after they had trouble getting the project off the ground, as multiple A-list actors, including Brad Pitt, turned down the lead role.

Before Ang Lee took on the script Oscar-winning auteur behind the New Queer Cinema classic “My Own Private Idaho”, Gus Van Sant was tapped to direct the film.

Trending Brad Pitt Is “Sorry For Everything...

“In the next 45 minutes, we’re about to hear Gus speak more than he has in the last 40 years,” Vito Schnabel, the art world scion who is increasingly turning his head toward Hollywood, told a crowd at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival last week.

He was there to moderate a conversation with American heavyweight filmmaker Gus Van Sant, who just directed Schnabel (and a pack of actors barreling toward Emmy nominations) in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” That history, of a glittery New York whose underbelly was found in the bedrooms and hallways of the ruling class, took a back seat to Van Sant’s impactful career.

He has directed some of the stickiest and profound films of the past four decades, including “Drugstore Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho,” the Columbine shooting-inspired “Elephant,” Nicole Kidman’s “To Die For,” the Oscar winner “Milk,” and “Good Will Hunting,” which launched...

How now, what news: the Criterion Channel’s July lineup is here. Eight pop renditions of Shakespeare are on the docket: from movies you forgot were inspired by the Bard (Abel Ferrara’s China Girl) to ones you’d wish to forget altogether (Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing), with maybe my single favorite interpretation (Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet) alongside Paul Mazursky, Gus Van Sant, Baz Luhrmann, Derek Jarman, and (of course) Kenneth Branagh. A neonoir collection arrives four months ahead of Noirvember: two Ellroy adaptations, two from De Palma that are not his neonoir Ellroy adaptation, two from the Coen brothers (i.e. the chance to see a DVD-stranded The Man Who Wasn’t There in HD), and––finally––a Michael Winner picture given Criterion’s seal of approval.

Columbia screwballs run between classics to lesser-seens while Nicolas Roeg and Heisei-era Godzilla face off. A Times Square collection brings The Gods of Times Square,...

Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., and Keanu Reeves are three of the most prominent stars in Hollywood. Pitt was at the beginning of his career giving fans acclaimed movies like Thelma & Louise in 1991 but the actor lost a movie role he wanted in the same year and it also happened to Downey Jr. and Reeves.

William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland in Backdraft. Credit: Universal Pictures

The impact of losing the role upon all three stars may seem insignificant considering their remarkable cinematic career but the loss of a movie may hit hard. After their horrible auditions for Ron Howard’s Backdraft, the trio lost the role to William Baldwin. The movie could have been in the resume of one of the actors.

Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr. And Keanu Reeves Lost A Role To William Baldwin Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., and Keanu Reeves. Credit: MGM, Fine Line Features, and...

Keanu Reeves is one actor who is loved unanimously throughout the Hollywood industry. His range in films has forever been appreciated, but it is also his relationship with other co-stars that makes him even more liked. No matter who gets an opportunity to work with the actor, they are all left with an immense amount of praise for Reeves.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick | Credit: Lionsgate

There are times when some films are a risk worth taking, while others that aren’t. One such film that the actor came across convinced him to bring along his late best friend, River Phoenix. There are also times when certain scripts and roles are written with specific actors in mind. My Own Private Idaho was a film where both these cases coincided. However, the former’s manager wasn’t too keen on the idea.

Keanu Reeves Traveled Far and Wide to Bring River...

Horace Ové’s masterpiece “Pressure” is getting the spotlight treatment courtesy of Janus Films and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam).

“Pressure” will screen for two weeks as part of the museum’s ode to Black British cinema. The program, titled “Uncharted Territories: Black Britain on Film, 1963-1986” will take place from May 3 through 7, leading up to the new 4K restoration of “Pressure,” widely regarded as the first Black British narrative feature film.

“Uncharted Territories” features rarely screened work from filmmakers of African and Caribbean heritage based in Britain. The series includes “Burning an Illusion,” directed by Menelik Shabazz (1981), John Akomfrah’s “Handsworth Songs” (1986), “Territories” directed by Isaac Julien (1984), and more. The festival is programmed by Ashley Clark.

Screenings of “Pressure” begin May 10 and will continue through May 23. Herbert Norville, Oscar James, and Frank Singuineau star in the feature that follows a London-born teen (Norville), who is the son of Trinidadian parents.

Muppeteer Jim Henson’s rarities, late quilt artist Faith Ringgold’s earliest interview, and an ad for Jacuzzi rival Vibrabath saw the light of day at the 14th Orphan Film Symposium.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary earlier this week, the NYU-produced Orphans (first founded by University of South Carolina turned NYU professor Dan Streible in 1999) gathered scholars, archivists, and preservationists for a range of media obscurities: including home videos, newsreels, and medical films abandoned by their copyright holders at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI). Blame low commercial value, the deterioration of VHS/celluloid copies in the Dcp era, or the shrouding of sociopolitical messages from the masses for their loss.

This year’s theme was the broadly named “Work and Play.” According to the convening’s open call, “Work” alludes to labor, occupations, and machines. Conversely, “Play” implies joy, games, entertainment, and sex. Yet, the two realms intersect...

After breaking bones and stabbing people with just a pencil in the ‘John Wick’ franchise, Hollywood star Keanu Reeves has a new task waiting in the wings. The actor will voice the character of Shadow in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’. He joins a cast that includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic, as well as Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr Robotnik, reports Variety.

A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, declined to comment.

Aa per Variety, in the games, Shadow, an anthropomorphic hedgehog, is an antihero of sorts. He’s also often an antagonist to Sonic.

Keanu’s credits include ‘Speed’, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ and ‘My Own Private Idaho’, as well as the ‘Matrix’ franchise. He will next appear in the ‘John Wick’ spinoff, ‘Ballerina’, opposite Ana de Armas.

Reeves is also set to co-star in ‘Good Fortune’ alongside Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.

From hit man to hedgehog.

“John Wick” leading man Keanu Reeves will voice Shadow in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” a source confirmed to Variety. He joins a cast that includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic, as well as Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr. Robotnik. A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, declined to comment.

In the games, Shadow, an anthropomorphic hedgehog, is an antihero of sorts. He’s also often an antagonist to Sonic.

Reeves’ credits include “Speed,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “My Own Private Idaho,” as well as the “Matrix” franchise. He will next appear in the “John Wick” spinoff, “Ballerina,” opposite Ana de Armas. Reeves is also set to co-star in “Good Fortune” alongside Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.

Jeff Fowler, who oversaw the first two “Sonic” movies, is returning as the director on the latest sequel. Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research

The latest installment of my secret-screening series Amnesiascope is tonight. Details here and tickets here. If you attend I’ll tell you a personal secret as thanks.

Film Forum

As Le Samouraï and the Belmondo-led Classe tous risques continue playing in new 4K restorations, an Alain Delon retrospective begins; His Girl Friday screens this Sunday.

Roxy Cinema

Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, and Julie Klausner present a print of I Love You to Death; the James Dean-led Giant shows on 35mm this Saturday; a 16mm puppet program plays this Sunday.

Bam

“Queering the Canon” brings My Own Private Idaho, Set It Off, and Summer Vacation 1999 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.

Paris Theater

A 1984 retrospective includes Freddie Kruger, the Muppets, Tom Hanks, and Eddie Murphy; King Kong plays on Sunday.

Anthology Film Archives

“Essential Cinema...

Gone are the days. Several Hollywood celebrities have walked a long road to get where they are now. But they have been sensational even at the beginning of their career. A recent video compiling the faces of celebrities created a vibe that will take fans on a nostalgic ride.

Angelina Jolie in 1996 movie Mojave Moon

Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves, and Angelina Jolie alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carrey, and several others have looked naturally unique if we go back to the old videos of the stars. Of course, their charm is still intact, but the innocence and free young spirit in their faces exhibit how time flies.

Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie, and Several Star Shines From The Past

Keanu Reeves in My Own Private Idaho (1991)

In a recent post, a compilation video by the popular X handle, Historic Vids, which Dwayne Johnson also follows, takes fans on a ride to nostalgia.

Gus Van Sant’s 1995 satirical black comedy To Die For begins in the midst of a news frenzy: Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon), a well-liked man who helped his family run their small-town Italian restaurant, has been murdered and his wife, Suzanne (Nicole Kidman), has been arrested as a suspect. The rest of the film, which blends mockumentary talking heads and flashbacks of the characters’ lives, sends up the contemporaneous sensationalism of high-profile criminal trials like those of O.J. Simpson and the Menendez brothers. By showing the murder upfront, the film, written by the late Buck Henry, proceeds as a rebuke to the public’s fascination with whodunit by psychoanalyzing an already apprehended party.

Yet from the moment we first see Suzanne speaking directly into the camera in an interview, we need not spend too much time unpacking her psychological state. Perfectly coiffed and dressed in tones not quite bright enough to outshine her wide,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook.NEWSThe Delinquents.The start of the Academy Awards ceremony was delayed by hundreds of protestors obstructing the red carpet to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.Asghar Farhadi has been cleared of plagiarism charges by an Iranian court after allegations were leveled by a former student, who accused him of stealing the idea for A Hero (2021) from her documentary on the same subject, produced in his 2014 filmmaking workshop.Meanwhile, Alexander Payne has been accused of plagiarizing The Holdovers (2023) “line-by-line” from a screenplay by Simon Stephenson he appears to have read on spec.Thailand is planning to reform its national film industry as part of a “soft power” program, which may include increased production funding, more rebates for foreign productions, and a reduction of state censorship domestically.

NewFest and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) have announced the fourth annual lineup for their “Queering the Canon” retrospective film series, this year subtitled “Besties.”

This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.

The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.

The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...

Rooney Mara is pregnant!

The 38-year-old La Cocina star is expecting her second baby with fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, People reports.

The actress attended the premiere of La Cocina at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany on Friday evening (February 16), where she cradled her growing baby bump under a long black dress.

Keep reading to find out more…

The couple quietly got engaged in 2019 after first meeting in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi drama Her. The two have a son River, who was born in 2020.

Their son’s name honors Phoenix‘s older brother, who died at age 23 in 1993, and starred in movies like Stand By Me, Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho.

Congratulations to the happy family! Find out who else is expecting in 2024.

Noted Hollywood publicist Mickey Cottrell passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 79. He was known throughout the 1990s for his advocacy of independent film, his knowledge of queer history, and his wild blowout parties. He promoted films like Jonatha Couette's "Tarnation," Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire," and Philip Noyce's "Dead Calm," as well as "Weekend," "Querelle," and "Earth Girls Are Easy." 

Cottrell was so well-liked in the industry, and such an outsize character, that he would occasionally appear in films. In fact, he has several dozen acting credits to his name, many of them in indie queer films. He played a corpse in John Cameron Mitchell's "Shortbus," a barfly in "The Fluffer," and a mincing French aristocrat in league with demons in "Hellraiser: Bloodline." He was also the one who got to say "Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!" in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." His first acting...

Gus Van Sant has taken on a few superlatives over the course of his 40-year career: indie provocateur, Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker and, per the late Robin Williams, “mellowest man in Hollywood.”

A label that long eluded the 71-year-old director, despite his line of work, was Angeleno. Van Sant built one of the more eclectic résumés in modern cinema while living in Oregon, his chosen home until just a few years ago. “There were a lot of water issues near the end — tsunami years at the beach house, flooding on the river in Portland,” he says, now safely 700-plus feet above sea level in the unassuming Hollywood Hills mid-century home that he now calls his primary residence. “Finally, I just sold it all and kind of never went back.”

Van Sant’s artistic choices, not unlike his decades as a Hollywood outsider, defy most traditional paths. After gaining attention from...

Mickey Cottrell, the beloved indie film publicist and producer who long championed independent cinema dating back to the early days of Sundance, has died at 79. He passed away Monday, January 1, 2024 at Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. The news was confirmed by his sister, Suzy Cottrell-Smith, who shared on Facebook, “My adorable, fun, critical, foodie, particular, brilliant, loving brother passed on to the next life early on New Year’s Day. He was smiling when he died. Mickey Cottrell will be missed by many.”

Many of Cottrell’s friends and colleagues shared memories of the veteran PR whiz — who also had many credits as an actor — on Facebook. Cottrell suffered a stroke in 2016, with friends and loved ones raising more than $57,000 to help with medical bills on GoFundMe. He relocated back to Los Angeles in 2019 after recovering from the stroke with his sister in Arkansas.

Cottrell was never afraid to pick up the phone,...

Mickey Cottrell, the PR executive who specialized in the indie film business and worked both as an actor and a producer, died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Fund in Woodland Hills. He was 79.

His death was confirmed by his sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith, who told Deadline he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Cottrell experienced a stroke in 2016 and had gone to live with his sister in Arkansas before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.

Cottrell was born September 4, 1944, in Springfield, Il, and spent part of his childhood in Monroe, LA. At age 8, he moved with his family to Little Rock, Ar, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas and spent more than 30 years in the film and PR industries, co-owning multiple firms including most recently Inclusive PR, repping pics including Bill Cunningham: New York, Stones in Exile, Ballets Russes, Down to the Bone,...

Mickey Cottrell, the dependable Hollywood publicist who went to bat for independent films for decades while also dabbling in acting and producing, has died. He was 79.

Cottrell died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his friend Ian Birnie, former Lacma film curator, told The Hollywood Reporter. He suffered a major stroke in 2016.

Cottrell did PR for three Gus Van Sant-directed films: Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), where he also played the clean freak Daddy Carroll in the movie, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993).

He also repped Bagdad Cafe (1987), Earth Girls Are Easy (1987), Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm (1989), Tarnation (2003), Ballets Russes (2005), The Price of Sugar (2007), Skin (2008), Bill Cunningham New York (2010), Salt (2010) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015), among many other films.

Films and filmmakers he represented were honored with eight Sundance jury prizes and three Oscars, he once noted.

Mickey Cottrell, a veteran publicist for independent films known as a champion of filmmakers and actors, died Monday at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, his sister Suzy Cottrell confirmed. He was 79.

Cottrell had returned to Los Angeles in 2019 after living with his sister in Arkansas while he recovered from a stroke he suffered in 2016.

His sister remembered him on Facebook, writing, “My adorable, fun, critical, foodie, particular, brilliant, loving brother passed on to the next life early on New Year’s Day. He was smiling when he died. Mickey Cottrell will be missed by many.”

A fixture at film festivals, he was remembered by friends on Facebook as a generous and sassy raconteur, a devoted mentor, the “life of the party” who threw star-studded Sundance parties in the 1990s and an expert on gay Hollywood history.

Cottrell also acted in numerous small roles over the years, including turns...

Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard have both officially entered the Oscar race for their extraordinary performances in Michel Franco’s “Memory.” However, the awards campaign has announced that Sarsgaard’s riveting turn as a man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will be submitted for supporting actor consideration at the major ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, SAG and Academy Awards. His Oscar-winning co-star Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) will vie for lead actress.

Written and directed by Franco, the film was recently acquired by Ketchup Entertainment for North American distribution and will receive an Oscar-qualifying run in December. It premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where Sarsgaard received the Volpi Cup for best actor from the Jury, joining the ranks of past honorees such as Brad Pitt (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) and River Phoenix (“My Own Private Idaho”). It was later screened at the Toronto,...

Arguably the most accomplished and enjoyable film so far for filmmaking brothers Bill and Turner Ross (the siblings behind Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets and Western), Gasoline Rainbow pays homage to all the road movies that ever were but is still its own quirky thing, uniquely of its time.

Five photogenic but regular-looking non-professional teens star as people much like themselves, i.e. kids just out of high school, who decide on a whim one night to drive 500 miles west toward the Pacific, away from the small podunk Oregon town they grew up in. Some of the friends they make along the way aren’t entirely nice, but our heroes bounce back, party on and peace out with the blithe insouciance only the young can get away with. As such, this jaunty work will appeal to viewers from the same demographic as well as those who love freewheeling low-budget cinema and...

It’s time for Peter Sarsgaard to finally shatter the Oscar glass.

Once upon a time, actor Peter Sarsgaard won the most precursors prizes during the 2003-2004 awards season for his supporting turn in Billy Ray’s “Shattered Glass.” In the film, he plays Charles Lane, a newly promoted editor who suspects one of his revered writers (played by Hayden Christensen) could have fabricated some of his stories. It was a breakout performance in the early days of online Oscar punditry that had everyone buzzing. However, when it came time for the major televised ceremonies, he was only able to muster a Golden Globe nod, then to be followed by shocking snubs from SAG, BAFTA and eventually the Academy Awards.

It was one of the few times in recent awards history where the leader of critics’ acting prizes failed to nab Oscar recognition (others include Ethan Hawke for “First Reformed...

Keanu Reeves may have just let the guns cool for John Wick, but he’s picking up the bass once again as his band Dogstar is headed out on tour, marking a happy ending for the band after all. To support their upcoming album “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees”, Dogstar will hit the road starting in August, hot off of the band performing at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

The 30-date tour kicks off in Hermosa Beach, California on August 10th before bouncing around Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, more of the Golden State, and Japan, concluding its first leg in Yokohama. Following the album’s release on October 6th, Dogstar will return in November for shows across the U.S. (and one in Canada), wrapping up in December in Nashville. Tickets go on sale this Friday. Dogstar also released a music video for the single...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Museum of the Moving Image

An Asteroid City-themed series programmed by Wes Anderson and Jake Perlin includes 35mm prints of Some Came Running and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Blow Out shows on 35mm this Sunday, while Rope plays in a queer cinema series.

Bam

A retrospective of the great Juliet Berto brings Celine and Julie, Godard’s Weekend, and more.

Museum of Modern Art

A tribute to casting directors Ellen Lewis and Laura Rosenthal brings prints of Goodfellas and I’m Not There, as well as Dead Man.

Roxy Cinema

35mm prints of The Fifth Element and Eastwood’s The Gauntlet screen this weekend, while J. Hoberman and Ken Jacobs present a tribute to Jack Smith; 4K restorations of The Trial, The Doom Generation, and Dogville play.

Film at Lincoln Center

Béla Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies continues showing in a long-overdue restoration.

(Welcome to Movies Are Gay, a Pride Month series where we explore the intentional, or accidental, ways Lgbtqia+ themes, characters, and creatives have shaped cinema.)

I knew "Point Break" was gay before I ever saw it. I came to Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 action flick decades late, after stumbling across a Twitter thread in which someone posed a thrilling question to bisexual men specifically: what movie do you consider your queer awakening? I clicked through the replies expecting a variety of answers, but was surprised to see one title again and again: "Point Break."

To be fair, even if I hadn't had the heads up, I would've caught onto the simmering homoeroticism of "Point Break" pretty quickly. The movie, which is currently streaming on Pluto TV, walks the fine line between camp and serious action, drama, and romance, and does so beautifully. It stars a young Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze,...

Our latest roundup of new books related to the world of cinema is full of indelible imagery––the pale face of Lost Highway’s Mystery Man, John Ford’s craggy visage, and, of course, the Neverland sets from Hook.

Lost Highway: The Fist of Love by Scott Ryan (Tucker DS Press)

Last year, Scott Ryan covered David Lynch’s Twin Peaks prequel in Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared. (We featured it here.) In 2023, Ryan studies what he calls “the lowest-grossing, most forgotten film of [Lynch’s] career.” Ryan’s Lost Highway: The Fist of Love is every bit as enthralling and insightful as Your Laura Disappeared. The author zeroes in on the elements of Lost Highway that turned off most (but not all) audiences in 1997 but are titillating new (and revisiting) viewers today. Ryan should know; he was one of those who looked away in the nineties: “The first time I saw it,...

Arlo Parks frolics in the desert, picks up hitchhikers and even keeps her cool when her car overheats in the video for “Pegasus,” a duet with Phoebe Bridgers (who sings on the chorus but doesn’t appear in the clip). By the end of the video, Parks’ retinue includes five people who are also pretty chill about Parks vibing out with headphones on. They even sit in a field and write, with Parks’ love interest giving her a note at the end.

The upbeat track — which finds Parks and Bridgers harmonizing on the chorus,...

Arlo Parks has released the new single “Pegasus,” a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers. It’s the fourth track to come off the London singer-songwriter’s upcoming sophomore album My Soft Machine.

On “Pegasus,” Parks and Bridgers cooly harmonize during the chorus, with Parks delicately declaring statements of love and joy during the verses. Its hazy, ethereal nature fits the desert setting of its accompanying music video, which in itself was inspired by films like Gerry, My Own Private Idaho, and Paris, Texas.

“‘Pegasus’ is about experiencing the warmth and lightness of good love for the first time,” Parks shared in a press release. “It also explores how the absence of chaos and the presence of real connection can be a little bit terrifying after a long time of not having it.” Listen to the song below.

My Soft Machine is due out May 26th, and Parks has also teased the record with the singles “Weightless,...

Matthew Perry is continuing to make amends for the shot he took at Keanu Reeves.

The “Friends” star attracted controversy last year when he mentioned Reeves while paying tribute to the late River Phoenix in a passage of his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”

“River was a beautiful man, inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out,” Perry wrote in the book. “It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us? River was a better actor than me; I was funnier. But I certainly held my own in our scenes — no small feat, when I look back decades later.”

Reeves’ persona as one of the nicest actors in Hollywood — and the friendship that he forged with Phoenix while filming “My Own Private Idaho...

Joaquin Phoenix has lived through a lot. Perhaps that's part of what makes him so adept at embodying characters in bizarre situations and in moments of crisis - and few onscreen characters have ever suffered through so many crises, so quickly, as Joaquin's character in Ari Aster's "Beau Is Afraid," which premieres on April 21.

In the film, Joaquin plays the title character, Beau, a middle-aged man seemingly trapped in a perpetual adolescence. We immediately learn he has a complex relationship with his mother and that he lives in a horrifically derelict apartment building. But after he misses a flight to see his mother because someone stole his keys and suitcase, the world as he knows it begins to collapse. First his building is overtaken by criminals, and then he learns his mother's head was crushed by a lamp - and the horror only escalates from there.

Joaquin's performance ties the whole madcap trip together,...