Today’s announcement was particularly highlighted, at least for me, by the inclusion of Xavier Beauvois’ “Albatross,” Hong Sangsoo’s “Introduction,” Radu Jude’s “Bad Luck Banging or Looney Porn,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Wheel of Fortune” and Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman.” The films being presented at the digital event will be shown at both indoor and outdoor cinemas from June 9 to 20, 2021 as part of the festival’s newly announced “Summer Special.” Red-carpet screenings and gala events are planned for the event....

A recent WGA filing—since taken down— has this “Borat” sequel nonchalantly titled “Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan.” Got that? The original 2006 comedy classic, a scathingly comic indictment of racist attitudes in the U.S, went by the equally lengthy “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” The original ‘Borat’ was directed by Larry Charles, with a story co-written by Todd Phillips....

I’m talking about the trifecta trifles of “Ismael’s Ghosts,” “Deception,” “Oh Mercy,” and now “”Brother and Sister”. That’s makes it four god-awful movies in a row for the once reputable auteur. Melodrama has gotten the best of Desplechin. It’s one thing for Almodovar to tackle melodrama in every movie, but the Spanish master’s films have intrigue and mystery to them. Desplechin has sucked out all the tension, joy and realism that used to make his films so enjoyable....

The film does start off well enough as we meet a former-rapper-turned-teacher hailing from the mean streets of Casablanca. He’s just landed a gig at a community arts center where he will teach a ragtag ensemble of desolate teenagers how to rap. They all have issues back at home — whether it’d be abusive parents, poverty, hunger and all the misery porn that usually comes with such circular cliches. The kids eventually start to come on their own, quite quickly, actually, perfecting the hip-hop game and that’s when the film begins to fall apart....

The film, whose final version I caught this past week, is a skillfully setup, but bungled multi-character drama. Comparisons to Steven Soderbergh intermittently better “Traffic” will be made. If Soderbergh’s sprawling mosaic dealt with the drug crisis in America in ways both intimate and wide, Jarecki’s film, which tackles the current opioid epidemic ravaging through white america, is a throwaway drama with a very predictable connect between its half a dozen or so lead characters....

And so, did we really need a 3-hour director’s cut, which Flanagan is now hinting at a possible Blu-Ray release of? Of course not. The film’s 152-minute runtime was already more than a half an hour too long. The whole film felt laborious, directionless and had none of the intrigue that Kubrick had brought to his 1980 horror classic. As I wrote in my review on 11.07.19: Does this sound like the type of movie that needed a lengthier cut?...

There have been numerous fan petitions over the years calling for a sequel, most notably “Bring Back Dredd,” which gathered more than 300,000 signatures. Now rumors are pointing to a sequel actually being greenlit and ready for release in 2024. Let us not forget that the screenplay was written by Alex Garland, a screenwriter who burst into the directorial scene in 2015 with “Ex-Machina.” I also can’t fail to mention Karl Urban (“Star Trek Beyond) who played a great, nasty hero as the titular character....

Due to COVID, Sundance switched from in-person to virtual screenings. So far all the films invited have gone along with the new plan. Except for Michel Hazanavicius‘ “Final Cut.” It turns out that Hazanavicius wants his film shown on the big screen. The weird part is that “Final Cut,” along with in-person screenings, was supposed to screen virtually as well before COVID messed up Sundance’s plans. Did he not know that?...

The actor plays a conman father, a double life counterfeiter/bank robber, who also tries to take care of his parent-hopping daughter, Jen (Dylan Penn). Much like his Cannes-premiered fiasco “The Last Face,” there’s a self-importance here that really bogs the whole thing down, not to mention Malick-like narration from Jen about family that had me cringing in my seat. Dylan and Penn do share a few lovely scenes together. After all, father-daughter chemistry is not something you can just invent out of thin air, and in such moments, the film does have its charms....

Here’s the official synopsis: “House of Gucci” is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control. The cast includes Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci, Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci, Jeremy Irons as Rodolfo Gucci, Jack Huston as Domenico De Sole, Salma Hayek as Pina Auriemma, and Al Pacino as Aldo Gucci....

Another screening of “Little Women” seems to have happened this week. A World of Reel reader attended that screening and had this to say about the movie: “Had the chance to catch Greta Gerwig’s very feminist take on “Little Women.” It was a blast from beginning to end. I do have to admit I am a big fan of Greta Gerwig’s acting and, of course, “Lady Bird.” Even though this is very different movie territory for Gerwig, the film slowly but surely reveals itself as very much a by-product of the acting and directing style she has given us in the past....

Director George C. Wolfe sets his sights during a single day’s recording session in Chicago, as a young trumpet player (Chadwick Boseman) sneakily attempts to modernize the blues music of his boss, singer extraordinaire Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), much to her dismissal. And yet, should he be trusted? Is he in it for his own gain of fame? Those are the questions being asked in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Viola Davis’s Ma shares screentime with Boseman and, much like the rest of her career’s work, this is an exemplary and emotionally rich depiction of the famous blues singer....

The sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” failed to muster up enough excitement on its opening day, racking up only $6.6 million. The 2 and a half hour runtime may have also played a part in dissuading audiences to go see it, but word-of-mouth, which hasn’t been very good, no doubt played a crucial role in its failure to attract moviegoers. The R-rated movie, which has a budget of $50 million, was supposed to finish first at the box-office this weekend....

Director Peter Cattaneo tries to use the same audience-friendly formula he concocted with 1997’s Oscar-nominated “The Full Monty,” meaning unoriginal, safe direction and a nack for just letting the story do the talking. Too bad the conventional screenplay by Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard loves schmaltz, it’s a good thing then that Kristen Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan practically save the stakes here and make this film as watchably comforting as one possibly could with such a weak script....

This is not a crowd-pleaser by any stretch of the imagination. Bradley Cooper’s Stanton Carlisle is despicable in his attempt to climb to the top by any means necessary. There are no likable characters aside from Rooney Mara’s Molly, who is at first Cooper’s love interest and accomplice in the swindle, only to eventually grow a pair of morals and defy his authority. Stanton learns the tricks of the trade via the carnival setting and manages to swindle his way to becoming a one-act sensation in the big city, faking his supernatural abilities....

It looks great and very much plays like a character study, but the IMAX footage was much better and felt more tense. That one featured Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and especially Matt Damon. Plus, Tom Conti as Albert Einstein ll. It’s very odd that Universal decided to release this trailer online very late on a Sunday night, and right after the World Cup Finals. I‘m left wondering why such a decision was made....

If there’s one film that has received a surprising push from the latest critics group awards, it’s definitely SS Rajamouli’s “RRR.” What success a story this film has become. “RRR” has turned into a dark horse contender this awards season and it feels as though its momentum will keep growing in the weeks to come. There is a massive campaign currently going for it, and the film has also appeared on many critics’ ten best lists....

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“If you’re at all enlightened, she’ll play like gangbusters. If you’re a closet misogynist, she’ll scare the fuck out of you, because she’s tough and strong but very feminine,” Miller said. “We did not trade certain gender traits for others; she’s just very strong, and that frightens some dudes. You can see online the responses to some of the early shit that’s out there, trolls on the internet. I don’t give a fuck....

Reeves is a filmmaker I’ve admired ever since 2008’s “Cloverfield.” His Planet of the Apes trilogy was also incredibly well-crafted. However, does a Batman movie really need this much CGI? The overusage of effects here is rather numbing and distracts from the grounded reality a Batman movie is supposed to exude in its atmosphere. Uproxx’s Mike Ryan loved the film and has this to say about Reeves’s “The Batman”: “[It] both somehow feels old and new at the same time....