News

Even if you’re not a Halloween person, October means spooky season. It feels like every brand, store, — and yes, every streamer, finds ways to incorporate themes of haunting and horror. Disney+ started early, with the September premiere of “Agatha All Along,” which will air new episodes for the next several weeks. In October, the streamer will debut “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” an expansion of the popular Disney Channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place” which aired from 2007 to 2012.

And of course Hulu has “Huluween,” a celebration of the scariest titles either premiering on the streamer for the first time or simply highlighted from its existing library. That includes films like “Late Night with the Devil,” the series “Reginald the Vampire,” FX’s “American Horror Stories”, a Halloween specials from “Family Guy” and “Solar Opposites,” a docuseries on witch hunting, and much more.

Top Pick: “What We Do in the Shadows...

As an avid moviegoer, I have always been fascinated with the life and career of John Malkovich. His versatility as an actor is truly remarkable, having portrayed various characters in both theatre and Hollywood. In this blog post, I will take a closer look at Malkovich’s early years in theatre, his big break in Hollywood, his notable performances in theatre, his contributions to the fashion industry, and the future of his career. Let’s begin.

Malkovich’s Early Years in Theatre

John Malkovich was born in Illinois in 1953 and grew up in a family of conservationists. He attended Eastern Illinois University, where he initially studied environmental science, but later changed his major to theatre. Malkovich moved to Chicago after college and became a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He established himself as a talented stage actor in the 1970s and 1980s, earning critical acclaim for his roles...

Since the 1980s Alberto Iglesias has created beautiful, thrilling music for the screen working broadly throughout his native Spain and Hollywood and with a versatile array of directors and genres—underpinned by his iconic collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar. Iglesias' film suites are fashioned with lucious jazz and emotive orchestral poetry. He beautifully balances the tension of theatrical melodrama with voyages into memory and the vibrancy of inner-city life, with its sophisticated glamour and debauched underbellies. This mix provides a healthy dose of Iglesias collaborations with Almodóvar, from their early years with films such as The Flower of My Secret (1995) and Live Flesh (1997) to this year’s Parallel Mothers and The Human Voice (where Igelsias’s key focus was to riff on his Almodóvar themes of the past). Julio Medem’s Sex and Lucia (2001) defines the 2000s moment of contemporary Spanish cinema’s bursts on the global sphere, soundtracked by that early millenium “Igelsias” sound.

There are only two months left to go in this truly hellish year and relatively new streaming service HBO Max is trying to make the best of them. While most other streamers recover from Halloween and get prepared for Christmas, HBO Max is using November 2020 to fill out its servers.

Things are pretty light not the new original series front this month with only Industry (Nov. 9) and His Dark Materials season 2 (Nov. 16) making a splash. But the streamer has a couple of notable original films to complement them. Between the World and Me, based on the book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, arrives on Nov. 21 and Melissa McCarthy comedy Superintelligence arrives on Nov. 26. That’s not even to mention two intriguing projects that don’t have dates yet: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion Special and The Mystery of Db Cooper.

Thankfully, the real appeal in November 2020 is all the fresh library...

We might be stuck indoors this Halloween weekend, but thankfully, the various major streaming services are on hand to keep us occupied with a monumental mountain of new content heading our way over the next few days. As it’s both the end of the month and the beginning of November, the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu and Prime Video are adding a mix of seasonal movies and TV shows today and tomorrow, and a whole load of freshly licensed titles on Sunday.

First of all, Netflix is dropping five new originals this Friday, October 30th, including a couple of horrors, like The Day of the Lord and His House. Disney Plus, meanwhile, debuts The Mandalorian‘s season 2 premiere today, along with a new episode of The Right Stuff and Nicolas Cage movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Elsewhere, on the 31st, HBO Max adds last year’s Black Christmas...

As we have just about a week left to go of October, let’s take a look at everything that’s due to arrive on HBO Max in November. It’s a big month for the WarnerMedia streaming service, with countless new movies from their legendary library being added and plenty of fresh originals dropping throughout the following weeks. A few upcoming releases have yet to be dated, but otherwise, here’s the full list of what’s coming to HBO Max next month.

Released November Tba

12 Dates Of Christmas, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show, HBO Max Original Special Premiere

Crazy, Not Insane, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reunion Special, HBO Max Original Special Premiere

Full Bloom, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

I Hate Suzie, HBO Max Original Series Premiere

The Mystery Of Db Cooper, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Sesame Street,...

With a new month quickly approaching, it’s time to look ahead and see what’s coming to all your favorite streaming services this November. That’s Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and, of course, HBO Max.

Halloween will soon be behind us and given that Christmas isn’t too far off, we’re beginning to see some holiday titles pop up, with all the major platforms getting into the festive spirit. That’ll continue in December as well, of course, but for November, there’s certainly tons on offer for those looking to start the celebrations early.

There’s a lot of other great stuff on the way, too, though, be it classic films, underrated gems, brand new releases and much more, and you can check out the entire lineup, sorted by date, down below. Ready to dive in?

November 1

Netflix

60 Days In: Season 5

A...

At Miami’s Natpe market, Viacom Intl. Studios (Vis) announced an exclusive development and production first-look agreement with Spanish-American film and TV producer Frida Torresblanco’s production company Braven Films.

Braven films is run by Torresblanco and her partners Eric Laufer and Giovanna Randall and produces feature films, television series and documentaries.

Torresblanco’s resumé is packed with big-name talent and titles, having worked with Guillermo del Toro – on the Oscar-winning “Pan’s Labyrinth,” still reckoned by many to be his best film – and producing on other high-profile movies such as “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” “The Dancer Upstairs,” and “Rudo and Cursi,” starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna and produced by Alfonso Cuarón.

Her most recent production, Sebastian Lelio’s “Disobedience” starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards, the London Critics Circle Film Awards and played in competition at Guadalajara and Göteborg.

With each new month comes the same old lesson about catching all your favorite movies before they leave Netflix. If you haven’t watched The Naked Gun yet, you should do that is what I’m saying. But what do you get in return? A lot actually! We get the original series Fuller House and Judd Apatow’s Love. They’re also adding the final season of Mad Men, the first season of Better Call Saul, and one of the most popular teen movies of all time, Cruel Intentions.

On the Amazon Prime front, check out below to see what you’ll be able to stream for free and what’s going to have a cost. Let’s watch!

All Title Dates are Subject to Change

Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only

Available 2/1/16

A Picture of You (2014)

Armageddon (1998)

Better Call Saul: Season 1

Charlie’s Angels (2000)

Collateral Damage (2002)

Cruel Intentions (1999)

A Faster Horse...

Among the many films leaving Netflix in February 2016 are Oscar Best Picture winners "The Hurt Locker," "Rain Man," and "Terms of Endearment." It's also your last chance to see Cuba Gooding Jr. starring as surgeon-turned-presidential candidate Ben Carson in 2009's "Gifted Hands."

Also disappearing (alas!), Seasons 1-8 of "Doctor Who and seasons 1-18 of "Classic Doctor Who."

Here's the complete list of what's being yanked from Netflix in February. You can also check out all the movies and TV shows new on Netflix in February 2016 over yonder.

Leaving Feb. 1, 2016

"Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein" (1999)

"Asylum" (2005)

"Bad Santa" (2003)

"Benny and Joon" (1993)

"Big Fish" (2003)

"Blue Crush" (2002)

"Classic Doctor Who: Collections 1-18"

"Crocodile Dundee 2" (1988)

"The Dancer Upstairs" (2003)

"Daylight" (1996)

"Doctor Who," Seasons 1-8

"The Firm" (1993)

"Fletch" (1985)

"Gifted Hands" (2009)

"Gothika" (2003)

"The Hurt Locker" (2008)

"The Naked Gun" (1988)

"Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" (1994)

"Rain Man" (1988)

"Ray" (2004)

"Secrets and Lies," Season 1

"Sorority Row" (2009)

"The Terminator" (1984)

"Terms of Endearment" (1983)

Leaving Feb.

New Netflix movies and TV shows are plentiful in February. 

Highlights include:

"Breaking Bad's" final eight episodes (on February 24)"House of Cards" Season 2 (February 14)Showtime's "Queer as Folk" which has been off air since 2005. 

On the movie side of things, new additions to Netflix include:"Mash""The Naked Gun""Sunset Boulevard""Star Trek V: The Final Frontier""Crocodile Dundee 2""Airplane!" 

The full list of everything added:

"Airheads""Airplane!""Airplane 2: The Sequel""Bubba Ho-Tep""City of Men""Cocoon: The Return""The Dancer Upstairs""Death Wish 2""Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry""Down Periscope""Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007""Failure to Launch""Flashdance""From the Terrace""The Good, the Bad and the Ugly""The Hard Way""Harold and Maude""Heartbreakers""Home of the Brave""Intersection""Leap of Faith""A Life Less Ordinary""Marathon Man""Mash""The Naked Gun""North Dallas Forty""Patriot Games""Queer as Folk""Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...

The winners of the 3rd Annual Cinema Tropical Awards were announced at a special event at the New York Times headquarters in New York City,celebrating the best of the Latin American film production of the year in five different categories:

- Best Feature Film

- Best Documentary Film

- Best Director, Feature Film

- Best Director, Documentary Film

- Best First Film

The Cinema Tropical Awards are presented in partnership with Voces, Latino Heritage Network of The New York Times and 92YTribeca, with the support of the Mexican Cultural Institute. Special thanks to Lucila Moctezuma and Mario Díaz.

Best Feature Film

- O Som Ao Redor / Neighboring Sounds (Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil, 2012)

Best Director, Feature Film

- MatÍAs Meyer, Los ÚLtimos Cristeros / The Last Christeros (Mexico, 2011)

Best Documentary Film

- El Salvavidas / The Lifeguard (Maite Alberdi, Chile, 2011)

Best Director, Documentary Film

- JosÉ ÁLvarez, CanÍCula (Mexico, 2011)

Best First Film

- El Estudiante / The Student (Santiago Mitre, Argentina, 2011)

The films were selected from a list of Latin American feature films with a minimum of 60 minutes in length that were premiered between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. The winners and final nominees were selected by a six-member jury panel from a list of fiction and documentary films compiled from the selections of a nominating committee composed of 14 film professionals from Latin America, the U.S. and Europe (see list below).

Fiction Jury

Dennis Lim writes about film and popular culture for various publications including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. He is the founding editor of Moving Image Source, the online publication and research resource of the Museum of the Moving Image and was formerly the film editor of The Village Voice. His work has also appeared in The Believer, The Oxford American, Blender, Spin, Espous, Indiewire, New York Daily News, The Independent on Sunday, The Guardian, and the film quarterly Cinema Scope, where he is a contributing editor. A member of the National Society of Film Critics and the editor of The Village Voice Film Guide (2006), he has served as a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee and he teaches in the Cultural Reporting and Criticism graduate program a New York University.

Matías Piñeiro is a filmmaker and professor at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires. His first feature-length work, El hombre robado / The Stolen Man (2007), won awards at the Jeonju International Film Festival and at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival. In 2009, his second feature, Todos mienten / They All Lie, premiered at Bafici (Buenos Aires Festival International de Cine Independiente), where it won two awards. It also won a prize at the Santiago Festival Internacional de Cine. In 2010, he was selected—along with James Benning and Denis Côté—to screen his third film, Rosalinda at the 11th Jeonju Digital Project. Piñeiro recently premiered his most recent film, Viola, at the Toronto Film Festival, and it's slated for a Us release in 2013. He earned a filmmaking degree from Universidad del Cine. His award-winning films have been screened around the world, including at Anthology Film Archives, Festival des 3 Continents, the Festival del film Locarno, the London Film Festival, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, the Museum of Modern Art, Rencontré Cinémas d’Amerique Latine de Toulouse, and the Viennale.

Frida Torresblanco served as a producer in Spain working on film including The Dancer Upstairs, directed by John Malkovich and starring Javier Bardem, as well as Susan Seidelman’s Gaudi Afternoon. She moved to New York City in 2002 to launch and lead Alfonso Cuaron’s film production company, Esperanto, where she served as Executive Producer and Creative On-Set Producer for The Assassination of Richard Nixon (directed by Niels Mueller, starring Sean Penn), among others. In 2006, Frida joined Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro to produce El laberinto del Fauno / Pan’s Labyrinth (Three Oscars & another three Oscar nominations; three wins & five BAFTA nominations; a nomination for the Palm d’Or and a Golden Globe). The Hollywood Reporter named Frida one of the 50 most powerful Latinos in Hollywood. She also produced Rudo y Cursi (directed by Carlos Cuarón, starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna). In 2010, Frida launched her new film production company, Braven Films, with partners Eric Laufer and Giovanna Randall. Her next project, Magic Magic, produced through Braven Films, will star Michael Cera, Juno Temple and Emily Browning.

DocuMentary Jury

Ryan Harrington is the Director of Documentary Programs at the Tribeca Film Institute where he oversees the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, the Tfi Documentary Fund, Tribeca All Access documentary program and the Latin America Media Arts Fund while developing other initiatives and programs that support non-fiction filmmaking. Recent Tfi successes include Give Up Tomorrow, If a Tree Falls, The Redemption of General Butt Naked, The Oath, Enemies of the People, Marathon Boy and Donor Unknown. Independently he is currently working on the feature doc Hungry in America, with filmmakers Kristi Jacobson & Lori Silverbush and Participant Media, that explores why so many people in the USA go without food, and what can be done about it. Harrington managed production for A&E IndieFilms, the theatrical documentary arm of the A&E Network, for four years. Throughout his time there he championed the Oscar-nominated films Murderball and Jesus Camp, and the Sundance hits My Kid Could Paint That and American Teen.

Paula Heredia is a director and editor based in New York. She was awarded an Emmy for the HBO documentary In Memoriam, NYC 9/11/01, and an Ace Eddie Award for the acclaimed documentary Unzipped. Her directorial work includes the documentaries George Plimpton and the Paris Review, Ralph Gibson, and The Couple in the Cage. Her dramatic work includes Having a Baby, Tras La Ventana, Slings and Arrows, and La Cena de Matrimonio. Her short film La Pájara Pinta premiered at the Lincoln Center Film Society LatinBeat Film Festival. Heredia’s editorial work can be seen in the HBO feature-length documentary Addiction, which received the 2007 Emmy Governors Award, and Alive Day Memories—Home from Iraq, executive produced by James Gandolfini for HBO. Her new edit, The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale and Jacques D'Ambois in China, will air on HBO this summer. Other editorial credits include: Modulations Cinema for the Ear, The Vagina Monologues, Finding Christa and Free Tibet. Paula’s work and creative process is featured in the book: The Art of the Documentary by Megan Cunningham. With partner Larry Garvin, she co-founded Heredia Pictures, heads the international committee of New York Women in Film and Television and serves on the board of advisors of Tribeca All Access and Clementina, Inc.

Chi-hui Yang is a film programmer, lecturer and writer based in New York. As a guest curator, Yang has presented film and video series at film festivals and events internationally, including MoMA's Documentary Fortnight, Robert Flaherty Film Seminar (“The Age of Migration”), Seattle International Film Festival, Washington D.C. International Film Festival and Barcelona Asian Film Festival. From 2000-2010 he was the Director and Programmer of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the largest showcase of its kind in the Us. Yang is also the programmer of “Cinema Asian America,” a new On-Demand service offered by Comcast and currently a Visiting Scholar at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute.

Nominating Committee

- Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Idfa, The Netherlands

- Hugo Chaparro, film critic, Colombia

- Lucile De Calan, programmer, Biarritz Latin American Film Festival, France

- Denis de la Roca, programmer, Abu Dhabi Film Festival

- Mara Fortes, programmer, Morelia Film Festival

- Erick Gonzalez, programmer, Valdivia Film Festival, Chile

- Elías Jiménez, director, Festival Ícaro, Guatemala

- Roger Alan Koza, film critic and programmer, Filmfest Hamburg, Ficunam, Mexico

- Janneke Langelaan, Hubert Bals Fund, The Netherlands

- Diego Lerer, film critic, Argentina

- Rosa Martinez Rivero, film producer, Argentina

- Christian Sida-Valenzuela, director, Vancouver Latin American Film Festival

- Hebe Tabachnik, programmer, Los Angeles and Palm Springs Film Festivals

- Sergio Wolf, film programmer, Argentina...

While Daniel Craig wins all the attention, the Spanish actor's performance in Skyfall has seen him acclaimed as the best Bond villain yet. But his stunning range makes him as much aesthete as action man

Hoopla is only to be expected when there is a new James Bond movie in the offing and Skyfall has attracted more than its fair share for several reasons. It's the 50th anniversary of Bond on film, as well as make-or-break time for Daniel Craig after the poorly received Quantum of Solace. It has at its helm Sam Mendes, a director as respected in drama as he is untested in the action genre; and it arrives after the greatest promotional coup in British cinema –a prime spot for Bond in the London Olympics opening ceremony.

But the moments that elevate Skyfall from the efficient to the inspired can be attributed to one man: Javier Bardem,...

Ahead of its 55th outing, Alastair Dant goes back to 1995 to work out what first got him hooked on the BFI London film festival

As per much of our second year at Ucl, Phil and I sat cross-legged beneath the Japanese table in our Camden flat, scheming. The table was heated; a luxury that suited our mode of repose. Conversation typically ranged between which half-cocked Britpop band had been lurking in our local or who'd won most games of pool. On this occasion, a more important matter was at hand: the table bore the programme for the 1995 BFI London film festival.

It's not clear where we got it. It could have been a record shop counter or a Soho cafe. What mattered was how neatly this event celebrated student life. It slipped easily into a schedule of late lectures and misspent afternoons. It coaxed us with the promise of world cinema and cheap matinee tickets.

Sales Vet Lars Bjorck has changed companies and will be in Cannes with Tayrona Entertainment Group which has been acting as a production services group for films such as The Mission and The Dancer Upstairs and developing, producing, co-financing as well as distributing commercial feature films in all of the Latin American territories. His duties will be assisting the team in finding theatrical feature films to distribute in Latin America. Tayrona is also starting its very own in-house sales and distribution company where I will be engaged in the selling and marketing to the worldwide marketplace of Tayrona produced and…...

Beverly Hills, CA – Academy Award®-winning actor Javier Bardem will be a presenter for the 83rd Academy Awards®, telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Bardem, who took home the Oscar in 2007 for his supporting performance in “No Country for Old Men,” received his third Academy Award nomination this year for his leading role in “Biutiful.” He received his first nomination in 2000 for his lead performance in “Before Night Falls.” His other film credits include “The Dancer Upstairs,” “The Sea Inside,” “Love in the Time of Cholera,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Eat Pray Love.” Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

A brilliant actor with piercing eyes, Javier Bardem received his third Academy Award nomination for "Biutiful," in recognition of his role as Uxbal, a single, struggling father with cancer who decides to take the path to redemption before he dies.

Bardem took home an Oscar in 2007 as Best Supporting Actor in "No Country for Old Men" and was nominated for Best Actor in 2000 for "Before Night Falls." Javier is also a five-time Goya winner, Spain's version of the Academy Award.

The slums of Lima are the setting for an exploration of women's woe

This movie, directed by the Barcelona-based niece of the Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, deals with the aftermath of the appalling civil war in the 1980s between Peru's repressive rightwing government and the mad Maoist revolutionaries of the Shining Path, the subject of John Malkovich's directorial debut, The Dancer Upstairs. The traumatised heroine Fausta was conceived during the multiple rape of her peasant mother. Nearly two decades later, living in the slums of Lima, she wants to take her mother's body back to her native village. But no one talks of the war and everything conspires against her. The picture is inspired by a study of the effects of the war on Peruvian women by a Harvard anthropologist, which apparently deals with the mythology of grief and suffering from a feminist perspective. While it paints a...

John Malkovich is known for a lot of things (good acting, his self-effacing sense of humor, baldness) but less so as an activist or film director. Still, he's done his fair share of both, being a longtime outspoken Libertarian and directing the 2002 feature The Dancer Upstairs. So the announcement in Variety that he plans to fim a documentary on the plight of migrant children wasn't totally out of the blue...but it was pretty close.

• Benicio Del Torro (21 Grams) has been spotted in his Che Guevara outfit on the set of his new Steven Soderbergh-directed epic about the Argentinean revolutionary simply titled Che. The flic will also star Javier Bardem (The Dancer Upstairs, who is rumored to portray Fidel Castro), Ryan Gosling (The Notebook), Benjamin Bratt (The Woodsman) and Franka Potente (Run, Lola, Run). Great, pretty soon we can expect to be bombarded by even more little punk/ska jerk-offs who haven’t hit puberty yet and know absolutely nothing about this guy (and I’m the first to admit I don’t know much past “Argentinean revolutionary who fought for the people”) adorning shirts featuring Che’s iconic image probably replaced by Del Torro’s visage. I can’t wait to pass one of these kids on the street and clothesline him across the thorax. Check it out in all its glory here.

...

Steve Buscemi will appear in an uncredited cameo in Terry Zwigoff's upcoming feature Art School Confidential, set to star John Malkovich. In addition, Anjelica Huston is being sought for a leading role. Mr. Mudd, the production company run by Malkovich, Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith, is producing through its first-look deal with United Artists. Chase Bailey also will produce. UA's Sara Rose and Danny Rosett will oversee for the studio. Art School reunites Zwigoff, who directed Ghost World, with Ghost's producers as well as its writer, Dan Clowes. Art School is based on Clowes' satirical novel of the same name. The book, which takes a poke at the cult of celebrity, follows an undercover cop who poses as an artist until he realizes that being a pretend felon or, better still, a supposed killer, will get him even more acclaim. Mr. Mudd's credits include Alan Taylor's Kill the Poor, the documentary How to Draw a Bunny, the Malkovich-directed The Dancer Upstairs and the Thora Birch-Scarlett Johansson Ghost World, released by UA. Buscemi is repped by Endeavor. Malkovich is repped by CAA. Huston is repped by ICM.

MOSCOW -- Fear of flying close to a war zone has caused some invited celebrities to pull out of commitments to attend the 22nd Istanbul International Film Festival, which opens today, organizers said. John Malkovich, director of The Dancer Upstairs, and filmmaker-actor Paul Morrissey, with "Andy Warhol Presents: Paul Morrissey's Trilogy," are among the guests who are still scheduled to attend. Turkey, which borders northern Iraq, was the focus last month of White House pressure to allow American troops to use it as a land corridor to open a second front in the war against Saddam Hussein's regime. Although Turkey's Parliament voted to deny U.S. troops access, the proximity of Turkish airspace to a war zone where frequent "friendly fire" incidents have been reported has scared away some invited guests.