News

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Across the River and Into the Trees (Paula Ortiz)

Hemingway’s work across novels and short stories has been adapted for film countless times over, yet Across the River and Into the Trees has never properly been rendered onscreen. Until now. Written by Peter Flannery and directed by Paula Ortiz, here is a handsome film that is decidedly modest in its endeavor. The best thing going for it is Liev Schreiber as Colonel Richard Cantwell, the lead of the picture. Schreiber is one of those actors who has somehow always been underrated, despite being capable of playing nearly any kind of part. A kind boyfriend thrust into an impossible familial situation (The Daytrippers)? Check. Tough-but-fractured fixer living on the edge (Ray Donovan)? Check.

November 2024, Criterion Channel is set to deliver an exceptional lineup of films that will excite cinephiles and casual viewers alike. The month promises a rich exploration of genres, featuring a strong selection of Coen Brothers classics such as Blood Simple (1984) and The Big Lebowski (1998), along with their more recent works like A Serious Man (2009) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Noir and crime enthusiasts will revel in an array of titles, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Gilda (1946), and The Big Heat (1953), showcasing the genre’s iconic narratives and stylistic depth. International cinema also shines through with compelling French dramas like Fat Girl (2001) and Dheepan (2015), highlighting diverse storytelling from around the globe.

The lineup doesn’t shy away from classic drama, featuring timeless films like On the Waterfront (1954) and Seven Samurai (1954), which continue to resonate with contemporary audiences. Additionally, viewers can look forward to a variety of documentary and experimental films, including Wild Wheels...

Plex is gearing up for an exciting lineup of films and series in November 2024. Viewers can look forward to a variety of new additions, including Blue Ridge, But I’m A Cheerleader, Call Jane, and Empire State. Cult classics like The Grudge, Hard Candy, House of 1000 Corpses, and The Midnight Meat Train are also hitting the platform, alongside more recent hits like Wind River and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? For fans of horror, thrillers, and emotional dramas, there’s no shortage of options. However, Plex is also bidding farewell to a number of films and shows in November. Among those leaving are 24 Hours to Live, Drive Angry, The Devil’s Rejects, Snowpiercer, and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. If you’ve been meaning to watch these titles, now is the time to catch them before they disappear. For those looking to binge their favorites, many notable titles are still available for streaming.

With its body horror “The Substance” performing well at the box office, a rerelease of Tarsem Singh’s “The Fall” currently underway, and a successful streaming channel offering artful cinema from around the world, you’d think the fine folks at Mubi might slow down and smell the roses, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Returning for its seventh season, Mubi is announcing a new installment of its award-winning audio-documentary series, “Mubi Podcast.” This new batch of episodes is inspired by film critic Tim Robey’s soon-to-be-published book, “Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops.”

Highlighting films such as “Sylvia Scarlett” (1935), “Sorcerer” (1977), and “Speed Racer” (2008), Robey’s book uncovers the history behind some of the entertainment industry’s biggest flops, contrasting their initial failure with the eventual acclaim they’d garner over time. Over six episodes, “Mubi Podcast” host Rico Gagliano will use this material as a guide,...

With Janus possessing the much-needed restorations, Catherine Breillat is getting her biggest-ever spotlight in November’s Criterion Channel series spanning 1976’s A Real Young Girl to 2004’s Anatomy of Hell––just one of numerous retrospectives arriving next month. They’re also spotlighting Ida Lupino, directorial efforts of John Turturro (who also gets an “Adventures In Moviegoing”), the Coen brothers, and Jacques Audiard.

In a slightly more macroscopic view, Columbia Noir and a new edition of “Queersighting” ring in Noirvember. Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse trilogy and Miller’s Crossing get Criterion Editions, while restorations of David Bowie-starrer The Linguini Incident, Med Hondo’s West Indies, and Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue make streaming debuts; and Kevin Jerome Everson’s Tonsler Park arrives just in time for another grim election day.

See the full list of titles arriving in November below:

36 fillette, Catherine Breillat, 1988

Anatomy of Hell, Catherine Breillat,...

For almost 40 years, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – better known as the Coen Brothers – have created a number of quirky, singular titles spanning a variety of genres. They’ve also become industry and academy favorites, picking up four Oscar wins for writing, directing and producing. Celebrate this dynamic duo by taking a look back at all 18 of their films together, ranked worst to best.

The Coens made their feature debut with the Southwestern neo-noir “Blood Simple” (1984). Shot on a shoestring budget with a then largely unknown cast, the film established the brothers’ talent for visually striking, wholly original stories.

They followed their breakout hit with a series of increasingly ambitious, wildly different features: the wacky Southern farce “Raising Arizona” (1987), the moody gangster saga “Millers Crossing” (1990), the bizarre Hollywood satire “Barton Fink” (1991), and the nostalgic screwball comedy “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994).

It wasn’t until “Fargo” (1996), a comedic thriller about a pregnant...

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

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, closes with Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer and Clint Eastwood’s Absolute Power on 35mm, both introduced by myself, Will Menaker, and Hesse Deni this Friday, and with discounted $12 tickets by mentioning our program at the box office.

Museum of the Moving Image

70mm prints of 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Tenet, and Far and Away screen; Sherlock Jr. plays on Saturday and Sunday.

Film at Lincoln Center

A new restoration of Shinji Sōmai’s Moving continues.

Film Forum

Restorations of Seven Samurai and Army of Shadows continue playing.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by James N. Kienitz Wilkins, Clio Barnard, and more screen in “Verbatim.”

Bam

Devil in a Blue Dress, Coming to America, a 35mm print of Sylvia Scarlett, and more screen in “Passing You By.”

Museum of Modern Art...

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

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, begins this Saturday with Eyes Wide Shut on 35mm, which plays again on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

70mm prints of 2001 and Lawrence of Arabia screen.

Film at Lincoln Center

A retrospective of Mexican popular cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s continues and a new restoration of Shinji Sōmai’s Moving opens.

Film Forum

A career-spanning Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective continues, as do restorations of Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams and Seven Samurai.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by James Benning, Robert Bresson, and Jean Eustache screen in “Verbatim“; films by James Broughton play in “Essential Cinema.”

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die and Mapantsula continue screening in new restorations.

Museum of Modern Art

“Silent Movie Week 2024” begins

IFC Center

“Defamed to Acclaimed” brings films by the Wachowskis,...

An old adage reminds us that “character is what you do when no one is watching.” Steve Buscemi, the acclaimed actor, exemplified this maxim on September 11, 2001, when he reported to Ground Zero and worked with his old unit, Engine Company 55, in Manhattan. Without fanfare, press conferences, or public declarations, Buscemi worked alongside other firefighters in the aftermath of the attacks. It was only later, through chance encounters and quiet disclosures, that the public learned of his selfless actions that day. And so, it’s fitting that Buscemi, a man of character, is best known for his work as a character actor – bringing depth, nuance, and complexity to the roles he’s played on screen, just as he brought courage, compassion, and humility to his work on and after that fateful day.

But how was that courage formed? To know that, we must return to where the beginning began, when he was born On His Birthday,...

Who says 1994 was a classic year for cinema? Netflix begins today to make that argument, curating a release of 17 films that turned 30 this year. The streamer has its list below. I have mine, and with the exception of the seminal Farrelly Brothers-directed Dumb & Dumber with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional, the film that stars Jean Reno and a sinister Gary Oldman and introduced the world to the outsized talent Natalie Portman, and maybe Ron Howard’s The Paper, there’s a lot missing. How about Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Clear and Present Danger, Sicario, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Interview With the Vampire, Speed, Ed Wood, and the other two films in a starmaking year for Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask. Speed, Once Were Warriors, and Ang Lee...

American character actor Bill Cobbs, known for his appearances in The Color Of Money, The Bodyguard, Night At The Museum and many other films and TV shows, has died. He was 90.

According to a statement released by his family, Cobbs died on Tuesday (June 25) at his home in California.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Cobbs did not become a professional actor until he moved to New York in his thirties. He made his feature film debut in 1974 thriller The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three and went on to appear in numerous films through the eighties and nineties, including The Cotton Club,...

Bill Cobbs, a prolific film and TV actor with memorable performances in Night At The Museum, Brother From Another Planet, Oz The Great And Powerful, The Sopranos and dozens of others, died surrounded by family Tuesday, June 25, of natural causes at his home in Inland Empire, California. He was 90.

His death was announced by family members on Facebook, and confirmed to Deadline by his publicist Chuck I. Jones.

“We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs,” wrote brother Thomas G. Cobbs. “On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones. As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”

Said Jones, “Bill...

Bill Cobbs, the prolific and versatile actor known for performances in films such as The Brother From Another Planet, Night at the Museum, and The Bodyguard, has died. He was 90.

A member of Cobbs’ family confirmed his death on Facebook, saying the actor died “peacefully” at his home in California on Tuesday, June 25. “A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones,” the statement read. “As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found...

Bill Cobbs, a prolific character actor who had a 50-year career with almost 200 film and TV credits, died Tuesday at his home in Riverside, Calif., his rep confirmed. He was 90.

Among his most notable roles were on Season 3 of “The West Wing,” where his character Alan Tatum visits the White House with his son. In the Coen brothers “The Hudsucker Proxy,” Cobbs played Moses, the clock man who delivers the prologue at the beginning of the film.

Cobbs played manager Devaney in “The Bodyguard” starring Whitney Houston.

His first television credit was 1975’s “Vegetable Soup,” a New York public television educational series. He went on to appear in shows like “The Sopranos,” “Good Times,” “Sesame Street” and “My Wife and Kids.” He also won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana” in 2020.

In the “West Wing” episode, presidential personal aide...

Sad news to report today as it has been confirmed that legendary character actor Bill Cobbs has died at the age of 90. The actor’s publicist, Chuck I. Jones, told TMZ that Cobbs passed away at his home in Riverside. He recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Cobbs leaves behind an incredible body of work, with memorable roles in movies such as The Hudsucker Proxy, The Bodyguard, That Thing You Do!, Ghosts of Mississippi, Night at the Museum, and so much more.

After serving for eight years in the U.S. Air Force, Cobbs sold cars and worked for Ibm before he decided to give acting a try. After appearing in various theater productions, he made his feature film debut in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. “I came back home to see my mom and dad, and all our friends and neighbors went to see the movie, and everyone was waiting for my appearance,...

Bill Cobbs, the convincing character actor who had pivotal turns in such films as The Hudsucker Proxy, Sunshine State and Night at the Museum, has died. He was 90.

Cobbs died Tuesday night at his home in Riverside, his publicist, Chuck I. Jones, told TMZ.

A native of Cleveland who excelled at comedy as well as drama, Cobbs portrayed Whitney Houston’s manager in The Bodyguard (1992), the older brother of Medgar Evers in Rob Reiner’s Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), a jazz pianist in Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! (1996) and the Master Tinker, builder of the Tin Woodsman, in Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

He also played the wise coach who put a basketball-playing dog into the Timberwolves lineup in Air Bud (1997).

On television, Cobbs stood out as the sardonic bartender The Dutchman on the Dabney Coleman-starring The Slap Maxwell Story, the bus driver Tony on The Drew Carey Show,...

30 years after its release, director Brian Levant's "The Flintstones" remains an incredible-looking movie. The 1994 live-action take on Hanna-Barbera's famous prehistoric cartoon sitcom is littered with astonishingly detailed practical sets bringing the primitive suburbia known as Bedrock to colorful life. Equally remarkable are the practical animatronics used to realize the various critters that function as household items in the "Flintstones" universe, including a "garbage disposal" in the form of a Stone Age pig-like creature known as the Pigosaurus and the sassy "recording device" known as the Dictabird. Tragically, though, the movie's original puppet for the Flintstones' pet dinosaur, a Snorkasaurus named Dino, was replaced with a CGI version during development, as detailed in Patrick (H) Willems' excellent video essay, "The Rise And Fall Of Muppet Cinema."

The problem with "The Flintstones," is, well, everything else. Being rooted in mid-20th-century suburban stereotypes, the characters from the "Flintstones" cartoon aren't substantial...

The release of "Drive-Away Dolls" has been marked by most of the trades as the first solo directorial feature of Ethan Coen, following his brother Joel's 2021 outing with "The Tragedy of Macbeth." And sure, it's a catchy headline to acknowledge that one-half of one of cinema's greatest directorial partnerships is stepping out on his own, but that doesn't tell the full story. For one thing, Ethan Coen already made his solo directorial debut with the documentary "Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind." More importantly, "Drive-Away Dolls" may have Coen listed as the solo director, but if you ask him, this was yet another co-directed project, but this time with his wife and longtime Coen Bros. editor, Tricia Cooke.

Cooke first worked with the Coens as an editor on "Miller's Crossing" fresh out of film school, seeking out the job not because they were the esteemed directors of "Blood Simple" and Raising Arizona" fame,...

The Coen brothers broke up four years ago, and it has taken them a while to come out with solo albums that define their identities. In 2021, Joel Coen directed “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which was a dazzling black-and-white pastiche of a Shakespeare drama. It was well-done but felt like a one-off, a decision by Coen to serve the material. One year later, Ethan Coen came out with “Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind,” a small-scale rock ‘n’ roll documentary that he made during the pandemic; it was a YouTube clip job, and on those terms expertly crafted — but even after Jerry Lee died (five months after the film’s Cannes premiere), it took ages for the film to be released.

Now, though, we finally have a Coen movie in which one of the brothers puts his solo stamp on filmmaking. “Drive-Away Dolls,” directed by Ethan Coen, is a crime-speckled road-trip...

You know what's really got me excited for "Superman: Legacy"? Aside from director James Gunn previously delivering the best movies that Marvel Studios has had to offer, Rachel Brosnahan is playing Lois Lane. Just as her soon-to-be co-star David Corenswet looks like Superman in the flesh, Brosnahan looks so much like how Lois is drawn: a gaze that sees through you and yet attracts your own, round and slender face with a strong chin, and brunette.

It's not all looks though, Brosnahan has got the talent and attitude to back it up. Check out her leading performance in the 2020 thriller "I'm Your Woman" as Jean, a housewife caught up in a crime. Jean is more naive than Lois, but they share a proper spine and a good heart. Brosnahan is best known, though, for awards darling series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" — playing a snappy, mid-century New Yorker like Midge Maisel...

Exclusive: Sugar23 has brought in industry vet Sally Ware to serve as a producer and manager on behalf of the company.

Ware joins from Industry Entertainment, where she repped both actors and filmmakers while packaging projects for film and TV. She started her career working for casting director Donna Isaacson on Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Hudsucker Proxy, and then spent three years in the Feature Casting department at 20th Century Fox working on such films as Nicholas Hytner’s The Crucible and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. She then moved to New York and joined Gersh, where she spent the next 13 years as an agent in the talent department representing both emerging and well-established talent across film, television, and theatre.

Clients making the transition with Ware include actors Zosia Mamet (Girls), Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains), Mickey Sumner (Snowpiercer), Will Harrison (Daisy Jones and The Six), Logan Polish...

Joel and Ethan Coen, the Coen brothers, have directed eighteen feature films together over the decades, giving us such classics as Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; No Country for Old Men, True Grit, and more. A while back, they decided to split off in their own directions, with Joel directing The Tragedy of Macbeth and Ethan making the documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind as well as the upcoming crime comedy Drive-Away Dolls (which reaches theatres on February 23rd) and the recently announced Honey Don’t. Last summer, Ethan revealed that he was developing a new project with Joel… and now it looks like the Coen brothers might be reuniting to make a horror movie!

The website Montages reported that, while sitting down for a Q&a at the Tromsø International Film Festival in Norway,...

Fargo Fargo, 9pm, Great Movies, Monday, November 27

Black comedy comes freeze-dried in this Coen Brothers thriller that sees hangdog car salesman Jerry (William H Macy) enlist a couple of thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife in hopes of a ransom payday from his father-in-law. As everything starts to go wrong, on the trail is heavily pregnant police chief Marge (Frances McDormand). Macy had been jobbing for years but this film really put him on the map, although it was McDormand who deservedly took home an Oscar for her role. The Coens also put themselves back in the big-time after The Hudsucker Proxy was a box office flop, combining salt-of-the-earth goodness with quirky humour and a pretty hefty dose of gore with nimble dexterity. The TV series it went on to inspire is also available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Fanny Lye Deliver’d, 11:05pm, Film4,...

Film fans talk about the 1990s as another Golden Age of cinema. Not only is there the jam-packed year of 1999, which gave us classics such as The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but the 90s also saw the rise of new auteurs, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, and Guillermo del Toro. Hollywood turned its attention to indie and foreign films, enriching a moviegoing experience that still featured fan-favorite blockbusters.

But to really see how good the 90s were, we can’t just look at the hits. Rather, the flops tell us the true tale of the decade’s quality – the movies that audiences skipped at the time but have proven their worth in the years that followed. Here are the best flops of the 1990s; films that couldn’t find a wide enough audience upon release, but still deserve attention today.

Mom and Dad Save the World...

All titles below begin streaming for free on October 1 unless otherwise noted:

Originals

Documentary

TMZ Presents:

Tragically Viral

– 10/11-

What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.

Scariest Monsters In The World

-10/18-

Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?

TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars

-10/25-

TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.

Horror

Dante’S Hotel

-10/13-

When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel

The Devil Comes To Kansas City

-...

There's a scene in "22 Jump Street" where the blundering cops Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) meet with their boss, Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman), to explain their latest bungled investigation. Informing them he's putting them back in the rebooted undercover Jump Street program, Hardy comments on the shocking success of the revived police operation, which has recently seen its budget doubled. "As if spending twice the money guaranteed twice the profit," he chuckles.

This meta-nod to the first "21 Jump Street" film -- which refashioned the original dramatic '80s TV procedural of the same name as a raunchy, self-reflexive action-comedy -- becoming an unexpected critical and commercial hit is not even remotely subtle, nor is it intended to be. It's also clearly assumed viewers will innately understand the sly reference to recent Hollywood spending habits -- namely, that studios tend to pour way more...

Clockwise from top left: The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.), Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.), Barbie (Warner Bros.), Oppenheimer (Universal), Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal), Mamma Mia! (Universal)Graphic: AVClub

July 21, 2023 will go down in history as the day of Barbenheimer–and we’re here for it. In short, the date...

“This may say a lot about our current culture of celebrity and media these days: all the major cable news networks switched over to non-stop live coverage this afternoon when word arrived that Anna Nicole Smith had died,” we hear an archival Brian Williams report in the opening segment of Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me. The tabloid sensation died at age 39 on Feb. 8, 2007. Williams’ implication persists 15 years later, evolving still as new players enter the scene. All the same, Anna Nicole Smith remains a modern icon. She weaved a life’s tapestry that became a blueprint for celebrity fame in the early 21st century. She was also one of the first superstar casualties of the 24-hour news cycle.

It was Anna Nicole’s job to be iconic. That’s why her Guess? Jeans image persists to this day. Smith captured the mood of the 1990s. That 1993 Miami photoshoot...

The story goes that Belgian bartender Gustave Tops invented the Black Russian cocktail back in 1949 to honor the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, who was visiting Brussels at the time. Sources vary, but it is estimated that sometime in the '50s or early '60s Tops, or some other mixologist, later added cream to the blend and gave birth to the White Russian. The drink never made the A-grade of cocktails and might have died out altogether if it hadn't found its moment in the spotlight as the preferred tipple of Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) in "The Big Lebowski."

Nowadays the White Russian is synonymous with the film and you can get it in just about any cocktail bar. Has anyone ever ordered one without seeing the movie first? Only a handful of movie characters are so well-known for their choice of alcoholic beverage. Of course, there's...

Comedian Jonah Ray discusses his favorite year in cinema (1994) with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Airport (1970)

Airport 1975 (1975)

Airport ’77 (1977)

Airplane! (1980)

Basket Case (1982)

Destroy All Neighbors (Tbd)

Satanic Hispanics (2022)

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s franchise power rankings

Tales From The Crypt (1972)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Pooka! (2018)

Pooka Lives! (2020)

Harvey (1950) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

Ed Wood (1994)

Black Dynamite (2009)

Bride Of The Monster (1955) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Glen Or Glenda (1953)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Frankenweenie (2012)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Dumb And Dumber (1994)

Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

The Mask (1994)

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Scream (1996)

Evil Laugh (1986)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Forrest Gump (1994)

Clerks (1994)

The Search For One-Eye Jimmy (1994)

Cabin Boy (1994)

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Scary Movie 4...

Animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky joins Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his favorite silent sequences from great movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Infested (2002)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) – John Badham’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

The Birds (1963) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Conan The Destroyer (1984)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

The Party (1968) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary

The Pink Panther...

Filmmakers Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley discuss the movies that inspired their latest film, Strawberry Mansion.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Strawberry Mansion (2022)

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Neverending Story (1984)

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Pretty Woman (1990) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Barton Fink (1991)

Being There (1979) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Salesman (1969)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Eraserhead (1977) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary

The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Bottle Rocket (1996)

Rushmore (1998)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Axelle Carolyn’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s trailer commentary

Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)

Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review...

A biopic on the final days in the life of actress, model and Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith called “Hurricanna” is in the works and being presented to buyers at the European Film Market.

Francesca Gregorini, a director on “Killing Eve,” is set to direct the feature based on a script by Rachel and Matt Sarnoff. The film will focus on Smith’s final days as she embarks on a 36-hour odyssey with her therapist, leading up to the model’s death.

Earlier on Monday, TheWrap reported that “Glow” actress Betty Gilpin was in talks to star as Smith in the film, but an individual close to the actress says she’s now no longer in discussions, citing scheduling issues. Holly Hunter remains in discussions to portray Smith’s therapist Khristine.

Sierra/Affinity is handling international sales and will make the movie available to buyers for the first time at...

Today marks the 60th birthday of one of the finest and most underrated actors working: the great Jennifer Jason Leigh. Aside from a brief dalliance with the mainstream in the early 90s, her 40+ year career has been spent largely in independent cinema, from her beginnings elevating schlock like Eyes of a Stranger to her most recent role in Lena Dunham’s Sundance 2022 entry, Sharp Stick.

Leigh has never shown any interest in airing any part of her life offscreen in public. This is likely one of the reasons she has gone under the radar throughout her career. She has amassed huge respect in the industry, but her lack of interest in trophy chasing has meant she has just one Oscar nomination to her name and her pursuit of privacy and choice of roles that she’s never been a huge star. I get the feeling that’s exactly how she wants it.

Tim Robbins has signed onto the series adaptation of Hugh Howey’s “Wool” at Apple, Variety has learned.

Robbins will star alongside previously announced cast member Rebecca Ferguson. “Wool” is a set in a ruined and toxic future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Robbins will play Bernard, the head of It for the Silo. “Wool” represents one of several regular television roles that Robbins has had in the past few years. Most recently, he appeared in Season 2 of the Stephen King Hulu series “Castle Rock.” He also recently starred in the HBO shows “Here and Now” and “The Brink.”

Robbins is best known for his feature work, having won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for “Mystic River” in 2004. He was previously nominated...

Anders Thomas Jensen takes us through some of his most formative cinematic experiences.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Election Night (1998)

Mifune (1999)

Riders of Justice (2020)

Star Wars (1977)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Reptilicus (1961)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

Innerspace (1987)

Amazon Women On The Moon (1987)

Airplane! (1980)

The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Das Boot (1982)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Ryan’s Daughter (1970)

The Apartment (1960)

The Producers (1967)

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (1975)

Key Largo (1948)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Blood Simple (1984)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Boss Level (2021?)

Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Palm Springs (2020)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Amadeus (1984)

Ed Wood (1994)

The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

A Prophet (2009)

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Unforgiven (1992)

Joe Kidd (1972)

Dirty Harry (1971)

Other Notable Items

Our friends at Movies Unlimited!

Nobody director Ilya Naishuller joins Josh and Joe to talk about his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Nobody (2021)

Hardcore Henry (2016)

Billy Jack (1971)

My Winnipeg (2007)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Top Gun (1986)

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Seven (1995)

Bill Hicks: Revelations (1993)

The Mission (1986)

The Killing Fields (1984)

Captivity (2007)

The Killing (1956)

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

You And I (2008)

Infested (2002)

No Country For Old Men (2007)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Goodfellas (1990)

Goldfinger (1964)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Papillon (1973)

Papillon (2017)

Midnight Run (1988)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Oldboy (2003)

Parasite (2019)

Assassins (1995)

Ladder 49 (2004)

Waterworld (1995)

Heathers (1989)

Mad Max (1979)

A History Of Violence (2005)

The ’Burbs (1989)

Punishment Park (1971)

The War Game (1966)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Uncut Gems (2019)

Culloden (1964)

Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Fail Safe (1964)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Let The Right One In (2008)

Patton (1970)

Hardcore (1979)

Mr. Nobody (2009)

District 9 (2009)

Paths of Glory (1957)

A Clockwork Orange...

Steve Buscemi is one of the most recognizable and versatile character actors in the business, and over the course of a distinguished career, he’s won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild award from a combined total of 23 nominations. Not only that, but he’s also one of the most prolific talents in the industry, racking up well over 150 credits.

Despite frequently working with the Coen brothers in Miller’s Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy, Barton Fink, Fargo and The Big Lebowski, as well as appearing in Reservoir Dogs, Desperado, Con Air, Armageddon and many more, a lot of people will know Buscemi best from his collaborations with Adam Sandler. The duo first starred together in 1994’s Airheads, and this week’s release of Netflix exclusive Hubie Halloween marks their sixteenth movie as part of the same cast.

Netflix Reveals First Look At Adam Sandler's New Halloween Movie...

TV and film development executive and producer Jennifer Gwartz has been appointed Evp of Development, Comedy and Drama of 20th Century Fox Television, part of Disney Television Studios.

Gwartz, who has been partnered with Jon Harmon Feldman in ABC Studios-based Random Hill Productions, will oversee the scripted development of the label’s live-action comedies and dramas as well as the teams of executives in the studio’s comedy and drama developments. Starting on Nov. 4, she will report to 20th TV’s President of Creative Affairs Carolyn Cassidy. Gwartz succeeds Terence Carter who departed last month to head TV for Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios.

“Jen is a smart, thoughtful leader and a champion of ideas and talent, which makes her the perfect person to lead our development,” said Cassidy. “I also value her ability to look at the process and possibilities of television from multiple perspectives...

Development exec and producer Jennifer Gwartz has been tapped to become 20th Century Fox Television’s executive vice president of development, comedy and drama.

At the Disney-owned studio, she will oversee scripted development of live-action comedies and dramas, identifying writing talent, guiding ideas from pitch to pilot, overseeing teams of execs in comedy development and drama development, and leading live-action scripted strategy.

“Jen is a smart, thoughtful leader and a champion of ideas and talent, which makes her the perfect person to lead our development,” said 20th’s president of creative affairs Carolyn Cassidy, to whom Gwartz will report. “I also value her ability to look at the process and possibilities of television from multiple perspectives as a result of her background as a studio executive and hands on producer. I know she will be an extraordinary asset as we seek to create quality television and bring both new and accomplished voices,...

20th Century Fox Television has hired Jennifer Gwartz as executive vice president of comedy and drama development.

Starting Nov. 4, she will report to Carolyn Cassidy, president of creative affairs at Twentieth Century Fox Television, which is a label of Disney Television Studios. In her new role, Gwartz will oversee the scripted development of the label’s live action comedies and dramas, from identifying writers to steering ideas from pitch to pilot order. She will also oversee the drama and comedy development executive teams and lead the label’s live action scripted strategy.

“Jen is a smart, thoughtful leader and a champion of ideas and talent, which makes her the perfect person to lead our development,” Cassidy said. “I also value her ability to look at the process and possibilities of television from multiple perspectives as a result of her background as a studio executive and hands on producer. I know...

by Mark Brinkerhoff

The Coen Brothers have no shortage of veritable classics on their résumé, but somewhat overlooked within their filmography are the quirky, sweet little diversions into optimism, vs. their patented nihilism. And so, sandwiched between the critical and commercial triumphs Barton Fink and Fargo, arrived The Hudsucker Proxy, the Coens’ mid-‘90s ode to the zany, screwball comedies of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

They had me at "You know, for kids.”

I was one of the few who saw The Hudsucker Proxy in theaters—it bombed…hard—at the mall where I worked as a teen. In fact, it wasn’t by chance that I saw The Hudsucker Proxy; I actually sought it out, for reasons I can’t totally recall. But loved it I did, from the very first watch...

Before “The Angry Birds Movie 2” first screened in London, Sony proudly showed off the trailer for the new “Jumanji” movie (“The Next Level”) which the studio is obviously hoping will be its big Christmas hit. That film’s very existence, re-animated by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart et al, proves you can never write off an old franchise or an even older video game — and there’s every chance that the further adventures of the flightless cartoon birds and their green pig adversaries can feather the nest for Sony this summer.

Not that “Angry Birds 2” is a very good film. Let’s not go crazy here. Compared to Disney/Pixar, the work here is rudimentary in terms of artistry, character and script. There are hardly any gags in the dialogue, not even terrible bird-based puns. And as for any wholesome or heart-warming family message, forget it. But that in itself may prove somewhat refreshing,...

Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington are teaming up for what is now one of the hottest projects in the industry: “Macbeth.” The latest screen adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play will be written and directed by Joel Coen, making it a rare endeavor without his filmmaking brother Ethan. The project is being set up at A24 with the backing of producer Scott Rudin, who has partnered with the studio before on Oscar-nominated hits like “Lady Bird.”

“Macbeth” was first adapted for the big screen in 1948 by Orson Welles and was most recently done in 2015 with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard starring as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, respectively. Justin Kurzel directed the 2015 adaptation. Coen’s take on the material will have Washington star as the Scottish lord who discovers in a prophecy from three witches that he’s to become the king of Scotland. Macbeth works with his quietly mischievous wife to assume the title.

Joel Coen celebrates his 64th birthday on November 29, 2018. Alongside his younger sibling Ethan Coen, the four-time Oscar winner has created a number of quirky, singular titles spanning a variety of genres. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 18 of the Coen Brothers films, ranked worst to best.

The Coens made their feature debut with the Southwestern neo-noir “Blood Simple” (1984). Shot on a shoestring budget with a then largely unknown cast, the film established the brothers’ talent for visually striking, wholly original stories.

SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History

They followed their breakout hit with a series of increasingly ambitious, wildly different features: the wacky Southern farce “Raising Arizona” (1987), the moody gangster saga “Millers Crossing” (1990), the bizarre Hollywood satire “Barton Fink” (1991), and the nostalgic screwball comedy “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994).

It wasn’t until “Fargo” (1996), a comedic thriller about a pregnant police...

The holidays are upon us, so whether you looking for film-related gift ideas or simply want to pick up some of the finest the year had to offer in the category for yourself, we have a gift guide for you. Including must-have subscriptions, the best from The Criterion Collection and more home video picks, apparel, music, book picks, and more, dive in below.

Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

With her commanding screen presence, Marlene Dietrich was an early cinema force to be reckoned with. Taking far more control over her image that her colleagues, the German actress found a fruitful relationship with Josef von Sternberg in Hollywood. The handful of Paramount films they made together were feats of immaculate production design and powerful onscreen charisma, courtesy of Dietrich. The Criterion Collection’s beautiful box set is a gem, complete not only with sparkling restorations and special features, but a selection...

It’s only appropriate that the newest film from the Coen brothers, the six-part Western anthology feature “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” includes a wealth of new songs and tracks from some of their frequent collaborators. While the film, which stars Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, and Bill Heck, includes some rollicking jams from a motley crew of villains and heroes from the American West, the soundtrack also includes some more gentle offerings from composer Carter Burwell.

Burwell and the Coens have worked together frequently throughout the years, and “Buster Scruggs” continues to build on a creative relationship that has spanned Coen films as classic and defining as “Blood Simple,” “Raising Arizona,” “Miller’s Crossing,” “Barton Fink,” “The Hudsucker Proxy,” and “Fargo.”

In addition to the film’s score, the soundtrack features the original song “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” written...

Fall is a fine time to submerge oneself under an afghan with a good book, and there are many new treats centered on cinema. From a Hollywood super agent’s tell-all to a comprehensive look at the Coen brothers, there’s plenty here to enjoy in between diving into leaf piles and clutching a pumpkin latte. The autumn cliches are now complete, so let’s move on.

The Endings: Photographic Stories of Love, Loss, Heartbreak, and Beginning Again by Caitlin Cronenberg and Jessica Ennis (Chronicle Books)

One of the most thrilling photographers on the planet is Caitlin Cronenberg, the marvelous shooter of Drake’s Views From the Six album cover (the memorable shot featured the Canadian artist perched atop Toronto’s Cn Tower), among other gems. Cronenberg’s latest project, a collaboration with art director Jessica Ennis titled The Endings, is her most stunning achievement to date. A series of...

Ranking the Coen Brothers’ movies is nothing new, but using emoji to do it is. Actor Paul Rust has done just that on Twitter, and it’s a testament to both the cinematic siblings’ singular body of work and Rust’s emoji-choosing abilities that it’s surprisingly easy to decipher his choices. When #1 is signified by a pregnant woman and a female cop, for instance, it’s clear he’s chosen “Fargo” as his top choice; a bowling ball and pins can only mean that “The Big Lebowski” has come in at #5.

Here are all of his choices:

Coen Bros ranked

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17. The Ladykillers

— Paul Rust (@paulrust) October 20, 2018

And here they are decoded (#9 wasn’t so easy to figure out):

“Fargo” “The Man Who Wasn’t There” “Barton Fink” “No Country for Old Men” “The Big Lebowski” “Blood Simple” “Raising Arizona” “The Hudsucker Proxy” “Hail, Caesar!” “A Serious Man” “Burn After Reading...

Bill Heck, Tim Blake Nelson, Zoe Kazan, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen with 56th New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Leave it to Joel and Ethan Coen to assemble a cast that includes Tim Blake Nelson, Zoe Kazan (who co-wrote Paul Dano's Wildlife a highlight of the festival), Tyne Daly, Tom Waits, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Bill Heck, and Brendan Gleeson for their latest feature The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs which is screening in the Main Slate of the 56th New York Film Festival.

Ethan Coen with Joel Coen: "We had an oxen wrangler, because we wanted the oxen to do something specific in a take." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

The Coen brothers worked again with longtime collaborators. This is the 16th time with composer Carter Burwell, who started out with Blood Simple, then Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, and The Hudsucker Proxy,...