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Robert De Niro, in Cannes to receive an honorary Palme d’Or during Tuesday night’s glitzy opening ceremony, used his time in the spotlight to defend democracy and take aim at America’s commander in chief.

“In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. That affects all of us here, because art is the crucible that brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. That’s why art is a threat. That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists,” he said to applause inside the Grand Lumiére theater with Leonardo DiCaprio standing over his shoulder after an affecting tribute to DiCaprio’s frequent collaborator and acting icon.

“America’s Philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions [the Kennedy Center]. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education.

The last few seasons have seen Doctor Who expanding its internal lore once again. “Lux,” the latest episode, continues that trend. With Ncuti Gatwa delivering another excellent performance, and Alan Cumming guest-starring as a murderous cartoon character, “Lux” takes some massive swings that are sure to be met with some controversy. However, Russell T. Davies pulls off one of his more enjoyable teleplays, acknowledging the greater Who-Verse in the process.

RelatedDoctor Who Season 2 Review — Can the Doctor Replace a Brilliant Companion with Another? Apparently, Yes! Doctor Who — “Lux” — The Recap

In a Miami movie theater, the audience watches a newsreel highlighting the atom bomb tests out west. The projectionist readies a cup of tea while he prepares a new reel for the theater. The projectionist kicks off a cartoon titled “Ring-a-Ding,” featuring a blue cartoon man who sings and dances. The audience seems to enjoy it, when suddenly the light...

Thirty-five years ago, Athens eccentrics the B-52s experienced one of the greatest, if most bittersweet, against-all-odds comebacks in pop music history. After the 1985 death of guitarist Ricky Wilson, they’d done little promotion for their fourth album, Bouncing Off the Satellites, which was recorded while Wilson was secretly battling AIDS and released just 11 months after he tragically succumbed to that disease at age 32. The future of the B-52s at that point seemed in doubt, but then surviving members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, and Cindy Wilson (Ricky’s sister) regrouped. The result was 1989’s Cosmic Thing, a surprise mainstream smash that catapulted the band to MTV superstardom, thanks to effervescent partystarters like “Love Shack” and “Roam.”

Only drummer and composer Strickland — who would later take over guitar duties for the band, teaching himself Ricky’s distinctive, three-string, spy-movie-sonics style — was aware of Ricky’s illness at the time,...

The great Angela Lansbury, winner of five Tony Awards and an honorary Oscar, and nominee for three Oscars and 18 Primetime Emmys besides -- passed away in 2022 at the age of 96, leaving a legacy so large, it cannot be measured by other mortals in the acting sphere. Lansbury was one of the more versatile actresses of her generation, playing innocent girls, scheming villainesses and murderers, heroes, crones, and loving matrons all with equal aplomb. 

Lansbury was already a sizable celebrity by 1984 when she took the role of Jessica Fletcher on the long-running detective series "Murder, She Wrote." Fletcher was a retired English-teacher-turned-mystery-author who became embroiled in a series of murders in her small town of Cabot Cove, Maine. It was a cozy and intelligent series, buoyed by Lansbury's personable performance. The series ran for 247 episodes over 12 seasons. Frustratingly, Lansbury won none of 12 Emmys for which she was nominated for "Murder, She Wrote.

There's something very comforting about curling up with a cozy murder mystery. Easy-going, nostalgic, and usually low on violence after an inciting incident, they can be the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life. Sure, a few people might get killed, but you know that the bad guys will (almost) always get their comeuppance and order in the movie's self-contained world will be restored by the time the credits roll. Little wonder that the format enjoyed a resurgence during the pandemic with millions seeking solace from the likes of "Murder, She Wrote" and "Columbo." These old shows are so relaxing, their modern-day equivalents like "Poker Face" even helped me beat insomnia a few years back.

Although the term "cozy mystery" didn't exist when she was writing, Agatha Christie is now regarded as the mother of the format. After introducing Hercule Poirot in her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at...

Doris Day was the Oscar-nominated actress who passed away in 2019 at the age of 97. She excelled in musicals and romantic comedies, bringing a sense of edge and humor to her squeaky-clean demeanor. Although she made only a handful of movies between 1948 and 1968, several of her titles remain classics. Let's take a look back at 20 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1922, Day got her start as a band singer, making her film debut with the musical comedy "Romance on the High Seas" (1948). He vocal talents benefited her in such films as "Calamity Jane" (1953), "Love Me or Leave Me" (1955), and "The Pajama Game" (1957), and she often sang the title tunes to her films.

She is perhaps best remembered for three frothy romantic comedies she made with sly, square-jawed leading man Rock Hudson and sardonic sidekick Tony Randall: "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Lover Come Back" (1961), and "Send Me No Flowers...

Although Stanley Kubrick was well-respected in his time, he didn't win as many Oscars as you'd probably think. Sure, he received Best Director nominations for "Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," and "Barry Lyndon," but he didn't win any of those. One of his most acclaimed movies, "The Shining," didn't even receive any Oscar nods at all.

Kubrick's only Oscar win was for Best Special Visual Effects for his 1968 sci-fi film, "2001: A Space Odyssey." The movie competed against "Ice Station Zebra," an espionage thriller starring Rock Hudson that released to mixed reviews and a middling box office performance. If the Academy had some sort of grudge against Kubrick, as some fans of his suspect, they still couldn't deny that "A Space Odyssey" deserved the win here; even more than half a century later, the movie looks fantastic.

What must've sealed the movie's win in this category...

Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment

by James Cameron-wilson

The career and reputation of Douglas Sirk has undergone many mutations. Famous for directing lush melodramas in the 1950s, he was dismissed and belittled by many contemporary critics, until seeing a revival of sorts in the 1970s sparked by European writers and filmmakers, in particular Jean-Luc Godard and then subsequently by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Later on, many notable directors doffed their hat to Sirk and paid homage to his 1950s’ soap operas, including Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Wong Kar-wai, David Lynch, John Waters, Lars von Trier and in particular Todd Haynes, with his sumptuous imitation Far from Heaven, with Julianne Moore. When the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro accepted his Oscar for The Shape of Water, he even name-checked Douglas Sirk as an inspiration.

Sirk, the son of Danish parents, made his breakthrough as a stage director in 1920s’ Germany and then, when filmmakers...

Pilar Del Rey, the character actress perhaps best remembered for her turn in Giant as the Mexican woman who has a seriously ill newborn who grows up to be the doomed World War II soldier played by Sal Mineo, has died. She was 95.

Del Rey died Sunday in Los Angeles of natural causes, her family announced.

Over four decades, Del Rey appeared in such other films as The Ring (1952), starring Rita Moreno; And Now Miguel (1953), starring Michael Ansara and Pat Cardi; The Siege at Red River (1954), starring Van Johnson and Joanne Dru; and Black Horse Canyon (1954), starring Mari Blanchard and Race Gentry.

In George Stevens’ epic Giant (1956), Del Rey portrays Mrs. Obregón, whose baby, Angel, is cared for thanks to Elizabeth Taylor’s compassionate Leslie Benedict. Leslie’s husband, Bick (Rock Hudson), doesn’t think the family doctor should tend to “those people.” (Mrs. Obregón’s husband, played by Victor Millan,...

When science-fiction and horror overlap, there is running and screaming, the towns people grab pitchforks and torches and the very idea of what it means to be human is called into question. At least, that’s what happens in some of the best movies that dip into both genres.

The age-old question of where the ethical line is in science and whether it should be crossed never ceases to generate new terrors as technology continues to develop. Killer cyborgs and androids? Out-of-control genetic mutation? Radiation-spawned monsters? All of these have have fueled some of our favorite sci-fi horror films.

If you’re new to this subgenre, here are some great movies to start with:

Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (Credit: Universal Pictures) Frankenstein (1931)

The original mad scientist’s experiment gone wrong, with a career-making — and wordless — performance from lead Boris Karloff as the monster. With this and the horror hit “Dracula,...

As the Hollywood royal turns 80, we remember her greatest film roles that include an acting masterclass in Full Circle and a heartbreaking turn in The Purple Rose of Cairo

Like many a Hollywood star, Farrow took part in a 1970s disaster movie. In this Roger Corman production she’s in a love triangle with Rock Hudson, whose ski resort lies under an avalanche-prone mountain, and environmentalist Robert Forster, whose warnings are ignored. What happens next won’t surprise you.

Timothée Chalamet and the late James Dean are the only men who have earned two Best Actor Oscar nominations before the age of 30, according to film historian Mark Harris (per Bluesky). Chalamet was first nominated for the prestigious acting Academy Award thanks to his work in the coming-of-age romance, Call Me by Your Name (2017), and then he picked up another nod back on Jan. 23 for portraying legendary musician Bob Dylan in the must-see biopic, A Complete Unknown.

Hollywood icon James Dean tragically died at the age of 24 on Sept. 30, 1955, during a head-on collision in the rural California community of Cholame. Dean’s death came less than a month before his unforgettable feature film, Rebel Without a Cause, began its theatrical run in October 1955. The following year, the once up-and-coming phenom was nominated posthumously for his first Best Actor Academy Award thanks to his indelible work in the classic East of Eden,...

The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) network unveiled themes, spotlights, and stars it will feature in 2025, as well as the year’s tentpole events and returning podcasts. Last year the network celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Among offerings this year will be 31 Days of Oscar, the second iteration of Two-for-One films, Summer Under the Stars and monthly birthday celebrations of the legends who made their mark on the industry. Also announced during the festival was the renewal of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson’s stewardship to TCM through 2025.

TCM will celebrate a different star every month, including Elvis Presley on what would have been his 90th birthday, Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Tony Curtis and Donald O’Connor on what would be their 100th birthdays, as well as Dick Van Dyke, on his 100th birthday in December. Other stars featured throughout the year include George Raft, Barbara Stanwyck,...

Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson have renewed their commitment to Turner Classic Movies, and George Stevens Jr. and Michael Schultz will be honored at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April, it was announced Saturday.

TCM also noted that new episodes of Two for One will return to the channel in April, with filmmakers and Ben Mankiewicz co-hosting a double feature on Saturday nights. Joe Dante, Kathy Bates and Jamie Lee Curtis will be among the guests.

TCM will continue to celebrate a different star every month, like Elvis Presley on what would have been his 90th birthday; Peter Sellers, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Tony Curtis and Donald O’Connor on what would have been their 100th birthdays; and Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday in December.

George Raft, Barbara Stanwyck, Red Skelton, Mae West, Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon will also be featured throughout 2025.

During its 31st year,...

Jack De Mave, who portrayed a U.S. forest ranger on Lassie and an unconventional date for Valerie Harper’s Rhoda Morgenstern on the second episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died. He was 91.

De Mave died Jan. 16 in hospice care in Macon, Georgia, his friend Vickie Lovett told The Hollywood Reporter. He had suffered a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day, she said.

The hunky De Mave also appeared in such films as the Rock Hudson-starring Blindfold (1966), 1776 (1972) — as John Penn — and Mel Gibson’s The Man Without a Face (1993), and in the 1970s, he played The Lone Ranger in a series of Frito-Lay commercials that led to appearances in parades and in front of kids as the wholesome lawman.

The stage-trained actor joined the cast of the enduring CBS drama Lassie at the start of its 15th season as Forest Ranger Bob Erickson in 1968 and worked on 23 episodes over two years.

Since James Dean's life was tragically cut short in a car accident when he was only 24 years old, he only ended up starring in three movies. Be that as it may, all three films has left an indelible mark on popular culture. With his narrow eyes and a cigarette dangling from his pursed lips, combined with the tight jeans and white shirts bursting from his wiry frame, Dean quickly created a brooding mystique that always seemed destined for Hollywood infamy.

Dean himself was a Method actor bad boy in the vein of Marlon Brando, though less brutish and more melancholic and sensitive. Beneath his tough-guy exterior, Dean also carried an inner weight that made his performances so achingly vulnerable. He was a handsome, tragic hero with a world-weary maturity who not only captivated 1950s audiences, but generations of moviegoers that followed as well. Let's rank the three movies that made him such a star.

In Cult Of Criterion, The A.V. Club highlights a new release from The Criterion Collection each month, examining the films entering an increasingly accessible film canon.

Winchester '73, the 1950 Western that helped hone Jimmy Stewart’s post-war edge, can be summed up by a quote from its female lead, Shelley Winters.

Jennifer Jason Leigh came from a showbiz family. Her father was Vic Morrow, a prolific film and TV actor who starred in the series "Combat!" Her mother was Barbara Turner who acted in many TV shows throughout the '50s and '60s, and who wrote the screenplays for "Petulia," "Cujo," "Georgia," and "Pollock." Leigh started attending acting workshops when she was still a teenager, studying with Lee Strasberg. At age 16, she started to land her first professional acting gigs, appearing in an episode of "Baretta," and in the film "The Young Runaways." In 1981, she caught the public's eye playing a young woman battling anorexia in the TV movie "The Best Little Girl in the World," but it wasn't until her role in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" that the world took proper notice.

After that, Leigh was an actress to look out for. Her intense performances always lend...

This year, for the first time in a while, a movie gave me the boost of serotonin that only hits my brain when I’m watching a great rom-com. It happened near the end of the Netflix film Hit Man, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Powell plays Gary Johnson, a college professor moonlighting as a fake hit man to help cops catch people who are trying to hire a contract killer. At this point, Gary has fallen in love with Arjona’s Madison, whom...

While some actors have gone out on a high note with extremely memorable final films, there are other performers whose final roles may surprise viewers. Whether they passed away or retired, it’s always sad to say goodbye to icons of Hollywood, although sometimes their final roles were overshadowed by other work in their acclaimed careers. In some cases, a late-career performance was so popular that many viewers wrongly think it was their final swansong, or other times, a lackluster final movie tarnished an actor's legacy so much that it was best just forgotten about entirely.

Even though some of these actors’ final movies weren’t their most memorable or acclaimed, it’s important to note that a great Hollywood career is based on the cumulative works of a performer, and no actor should be judged on their last performance alone. With this in mind, it’s also essential to...

Earl Holliman, the actor best known for playing Angie Dickinson’s boss on the 1970s NBC cop drama Police Woman, has died. He was 96.

Holliman died Monday in hospice care at his home in Studio City, his spouse, Craig Curtis, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Holliman won a best supporting actor Golden Globe for portraying Katharine Hepburn’s girl-crazy kid brother in The Rainmaker (1956) — he beat out Elvis Presley for the role — and then appeared in another Burt Lancaster film, as Wyatt Earp’s assistant in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957).

In the George Stevens epic Giant (1956), the Louisiana native played the son-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson’s characters, was the cook in Forbidden Planet (1956) and appeared as the brother of John Wayne, Dean Martin and Michael Anderson Jr. in Henry Hathaway’s The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).

Holliman also portrayed a man with amnesia in a deserted town...

There have been many stories about Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean bonding during the production of George Stevens’ epic “Giant” in Marfa, Texas, in 1955. Though not exactly a “Harold & Maude” scenario, the 24-year-old Dean also developed a strong friendship with Edna Ferber, the diminutive Pulitzer Prize-winning author of such classic novels as “So Big,” “Showboat,” “Cimarron,” and “Giant,” who turned 70 that summer in Marfa. Ferber, who never married, was seen sitting on the back of Dean’s motorcycle as they would take rides during breaks. And she even tried her hand at twirling the lasso.

Author Julie Gilbert, Ferber’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated grand nice and biographer (“Ferber: The Biography of Edna Ferber and Her Circle”), doesn’t think the two were in love. “He was very young,” said Gilbert, who writes about her great aunt and the making of the Oscar-winning film in her latest book “Giant Love” set for a Dec.

Billy Bob Thornton is getting on the Taylor Sheridan train and ready to ride it all the way to the bank.

This Sunday marks the premiere of Sheridan’s latest everyman drama, “Landman,” which follows Thornton as Tommy Norris, a crisis executive working in the West Texas oil fields brought in to handle fires and other catastrophes. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter recently at the show’s Los Angeles premiere, Thornton told the publication that Sheridan’s grounded storytelling was his main reason for getting involved in the project.

“People are hungry for human stories,” said Thornton. “These days in the theaters, it’s mainly event movies and superhero things and animated stuff and all that; there are a few human stories to come through. But these things are like a 10-hour movie that explore human beings. And I think people are hungry for that and I think that...

“I’m politically incorrect sometimes,” Billy Bob Thornton said during a Q&a after the first episode of new Paramount+ series “Landman.” “I think you should always show two episodes to an audience. That’s the first thing. The other thing I think you ought to do is open up questions for the audience.” He paused. “We’re not able to do that tonight, and we did not show two episodes.”

The crowd and Thornton’s fellow cast members roared. The moment was in keeping with Thornton’s persona but also his starring role in Taylor Sheridan’s new series, set in the contemporary Texas oil fields.

After Thornton made a cameo in Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” prequel “1883,” the prolific producer told him, “I’m writing a show around you. It’s called ‘Landman.’ I’m gonna write it with your voice.” And when Thornton got the first script, he recalled,...

David O. Selznick was a demanding producer who often interrupted pitches and then bullied filmmakers once their movies started shooting. I wonder how impresarios of his era — Selznick, Sam Goldwyn or Darryl F. Zanuck — would have coped with the unruly YouTubers, TikTokers, Instagrammers or superstar influencers crowding today’s marketplace.

Or how they’d deal with esteemed filmmakers like Alfonso Cuarón, who today are re-inventing and re-structuring their craft to fit the ecocentrics of streamerville?

In a maze of memos, Selznick told George Cukor, then King Vidor, that they lacked the pizzazz to turn Gone With The Wind into a hit. Would he have instructed Passthatpuss to trim his act or Todd Phillips to pull the tunes from Joker 2?

The bottom line, I suppose, is that pop culture has moved to a new rhythm and only sentimentalists worry about the creative debris along the way.

Cuarón’s confounding seven-part...

Those who were driving through the intersection of Highland and Fountain in Los Angeles in the early 2000s got to know Tommy Wiseau very, very well. It was at that intersection that Wiseau chose to buy a billboard for his then-new film "The Room," and it featured a rather unflattering closeup of the man, staring directly into the camera, one of his eyes half-closed. The billboard stayed up for five straight years, costing Wiseau $5,000 a month.

It worked, though. Enough Angelenos drove past the billboard to become curious about "The Room" and seek out a screening at the Sunset 5 theater nearby. Those who saw it in those early days were utterly baffled. "The Room" is an intense infidelity drama about an all-around good guy named Johnny (Wiseau) whose fiancée Lisa (Juliette Danielle) instigates an affair with Johnny's best friend Mark (Greg Sestero). The film, however, is so weirdly scripted and...

If there is anything we love more than watching our favorite actors in a movie, it has to be watching them be totally unhinged in an interview. Throw a little bromance into the mix and you have an unforgettable moment in your hands. And when we talk about bromance, how could we possibly leave out Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the duo that is the literal personification of the term?

Ben Affleck on Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Credits: ABC

Their love for each other was once again highlighted in 2016 when Ben Affleck shared his spotlight with Matt Damon by sneaking him onto the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! What ensued was a hilarious moment between the three men as Jimmy Kimmel repeatedly tried to kick Matt Damon out.

Matt Damon Clings to Ben Affleck for Dear Life Matt Damon sneaks into Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Ben Affleck | Credits: ABC

When Ben...

If you've ever wanted to be able to yell "Luuuucy, I'm home!" to your own "I Love Lucy" box set, then you're in luck. The classic 1950s sitcom that followed real-life spouses Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as their fictional counterparts, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, is coming to home media in a whole new way, courtesy of Paramount. The series was wildly popular during its era and has left its stamp on pop culture ever since — it's honestly hard to find a comedy series that hasn't referenced "I Love Lucy" or been influenced by it in some way. The series is deeply beloved and made a massive impact on television history, and this new box set is sure to delight fans both new and old.

"I Love Lucy" ran for six seasons, starring Ball and Arnaz alongside the Ricardos' neighbors, Ethel and Fred Mertz (played by Vivian Vance and William Frawley...

Kevin Costner doesnt make short movies, and the actor probably knows the reason for this. During an appearance at the History Channels History Talks event, the Horizon director recalled one of the very first movies he remembers watching being the Western epic How the West Was Won at the age of around 7. It was also one of the movies that began his obsession with the American West, something that has remained with him across many of his movies.

Costner is currently in the middle of his ambitious and very costly passion project, Horizon. Envisioned as a four-part saga, Chapter 1 was released in cinemas earlier in the summer, but failed to make its mark at the box office thanks to a combined general lack of audience interest and some very mixed reviews from critics. This forced Warner Bros. who are distributing but not financing the movie to push back the release...

Kate Winslet is in her “life is too short” era, and we all here for it. Known for speaking her truth, the Oscar-winning actor has been making headlines while promoting her upcoming biopic Lee, in which she portrays renowned photojournalist Lee Miller. Winslet’s viral comments have included pushing back when a crew member had advised her to suck in her stomach to hide her “belly rolls” during a topless scene and subsequently dismissing her reaction being hailed as “bravery.”

In an interview during History Channel’s History Talks at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Saturday, Winslet continued speaking her mind on the topic.

“I quite like making statements. And actually, I have to say, I’m at the point where I’m just like, You know what? Life is too short,” she said onstage. “But it is one thing that’s been happening to me quite a lot recently,...

Quick Links The Story of The Big Trail The Big Trail Could Have Kicked Off Wayne's Career The Big Trail Earned Acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes Where To Watch The Big Trail

Nearly a century after its release, John Wayne's The Big Trail has achieved yet another milestone. There are few names more synonymous with Westerns in the Golden Age of Hollywood than Wayne. Having led the industry alongside the likes of Marlon Brando, Rock Hudson, and Gary Cooper, the star burned brighter than even the marks embedded in the streets on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Yet, before he was considered one of Hollywood's most influential actors, Wayne was taking up smaller parts that hardly let him showcase his talents. The Big Trail was the first movie that saw Wayne as a leading man, and it launched a legendary career. It was even influential outside of that legacy, as it...

The upcoming episode of *Scene by Scene*, airing at 10:30 Pm on Thursday, September 12, 2024, on BBC Four, promises an intimate look into the life of Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall. In a rare interview, Bacall sits down with filmmaker Mark Cousins to discuss her illustrious career, offering insights that fans and film lovers will cherish.

Throughout the conversation, Bacall reflects on her iconic roles and the impact she made in the film industry. Viewers will also get a glimpse into her personal life, including her marriage to the legendary Humphrey Bogart, which has captivated audiences for decades. Bacall shares anecdotes about their life together, revealing the depth of their relationship and the challenges they faced in the spotlight.

Additionally, the episode touches on her friendships with fellow icons such as Katharine Hepburn and Rock Hudson, showcasing the bonds that shaped her career. This episode of *Scene by Scene* is a heartfelt tribute to Bacall’s legacy,...

Cinema isn’t a beauty contest, but if it were, Alain Delon surely would have won the title of the 1960s’ most handsome actor.

That’s a subjective call, of course, and as such, Delon is the kind of figure about whom writers tend to fall back on the word “arguably” — as in, “arguably the most handsome” — which is kind of a cop-out, as it leaves the argument to somebody else. When it comes to Delon, plenty have made the case. I loved Anthony Lane’s longform analysis of Delon’s allure in The New Yorker earlier this year. And none other than Jane Fonda, who co-starred with Delon in 1964’s “Joy House,” described him as “the most beautiful human being.”

The French star, who died Sunday, made more than 100 movies in a career that spanned 50 years, but for that one transformative decade in film history — beginning with the Patricia Highsmith...

In the history of American movies, and, arguably, of movies in general, there has never been a partnership between a husband and wife as consequential as that of director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands.

Not only did the two make several masterpieces together, among them Faces, A Woman Under the Influence and Opening Night. They managed to create a whole body of deeply personal features — shot completely outside of the studio system and often inside their own family home in the Hollywood Hills — that would usher in the era of what we now call “independent film.”

Surely, there had been some memorable director-actress duos before them, mostly in Europe: Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman, Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina, Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina, Michelangelo Antonioni and Monica Vitti. But in those cases, which definitely yielded their share of masterpieces as well, the director was the auteur and the actress his muse.

Composer Laura Karpman is coming off perhaps her most prolific and celebrated year to date. In 2023, she not only boasted more than a half-dozen projects but converted two of them into major award nominations. Her musical score for the Cord Jefferson feature “American Fiction” starring Jeffrey Wright landed Karpman her first Academy Award nomination. And her score for the documentary feature from director Stephen Kijak, “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” produced her eighth Emmy nomination (she’s won once). “I’m really, really busy right now,” she says with a knock-on-wood smile. “It’s a very good time.” Watch the exclusive video interview with Karpman above.

It’s worthy of note that both “American Fiction” and the Rock Hudson doc feature jazzy scores to help the filmmakers tell their stories. “All That Heaven Allowed” paints a fascinating but bittersweet portrait of the film icon’s life as a closeted...

She was the most famous woman in the world. Her marriages (there were eight), affairs, jewelry and medical disasters were all exhaustively chronicled by the tabloids and paparazzi. But away from the klieg lights, a different side of Elizabeth Taylor — witty, wounded, desperate to prove herself — was shared with the tight circle of confidants who surrounded her during her tumultuous life.

And it’s one that Nanette Burstein, director of the new HBO documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes,” was able to highlight after the Taylor Estate contacted her and allowed her to sort through 40 hours of unreleased audio from interviews the screen legend conducted in the 1960s with journalist Richard Meryman.

“It’s extremely rare to have a legendary movie star be so candid about their inner life,” Burstein says. “It was an opportunity to not only understand this revered person in cinema history, but also to chart the...

In 1953, Elizabeth Taylor made the forgettable melodrama “The Girl Who Had Everything,” which also is an apt description of her life and her career. Over her 79 years, she segued from a stunningly beautiful child star to a va-va-va-voon sex symbol to a two-time Oscar-winner to a pioneering AIDs activist. Taylor was more than a star. More than an icon. Even a dozen years after her death, cinephiles are still obsessed with the violet-eye actress.

But a new HBO/Max documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” illustrates she didn’t have “everything.” In the 1960s, Taylor gave interviews to celebrity journalist Richard Meryman who died in 2015. Forty hours of their interviews were recently discovered in his archive and are the anchor for this compelling piece. (There is also an interview from the 1980s with Dominick Dunne).

Wrote the New York Times: “For the Taylor enthusiast, the film is unlikely to reveal much new information.

If you had to pinpoint the start of the 1960s — that is, the counterculture revolution — two events are almost universally agreed on as the era’s formative earthquakes. One was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The other (the real spark to the tinderbox) was the first appearance of the Beatles on “Ed Sullivan,” which happened only 11 weeks later, and which all but answered the assassination by saying, “Here is joy. Here is hope. Here’s a new way to be.”

Yet there was another global media phenomenon that took place over a slightly longer period of time, and it was one that was just as defining of the era’s new energy. That was the scandalous romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. We tend to think of that saga as, simply, the apotheosis of celebrity gossip. Yet as it plays out in Nanette Burstein’s luscious and enveloping...

The HBO Original documentary Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nanette Burstein, debuted on Saturday, August 3rd on HBO and streaming on Max. An official selection of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, the film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes allows Elizabeth Taylor’s own voice to narrate her story, inviting audiences to rediscover not just a mega star of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a complex woman who navigated lifelong fame, personal identity, and public scrutiny on a global stage from early childhood. Through newly recovered interviews with Taylor and unprecedented access to the movie star’s personal archive, the film reveals the complex inner life and vulnerability of the Hollywood legend while also challenging audiences to recontextualize her achievements and her legacy.

In 1964, at the height of her fame, Elizabeth Taylor sat down with journalist Richard Meryman for a candid,...

In 1964, at the height of her career, megastar Elizabeth Taylor sat down with journalist Richard Meryman for a combined 40 hours of audio interviews discussing the highs and lows of her work and life. Now, 60 years later, award-winning “Hillary” filmmaker Nanette Burstein offers “the most intimate portrait of the actress to date” with a new feature-length documentary with Taylor in her own words, in addition to personal photos, home movies, news footage, film clips, and more. “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” premieres on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. Et on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. You can watch with Subscription to Max.

How to Watch “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” When: Saturday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. Et Where: HBO, Max Stream: Watch with a Subscription to Max. Sign Up $9.99+ / month Max.com About “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Nanette Burstein, “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes...

The HBO Original documentary Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nanette Burstein, debuts Saturday, August 3 (8:00 p.m.–9:45 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. An official selection of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, the film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes allows Elizabeth Taylor’s own voice to narrate her story, inviting audiences to rediscover not just a megastar of Hollywood’s Golden Age but a complex woman who navigated lifelong fame, personal identity, and public scrutiny on a global stage from early childhood.

Photo Courtesy of HBO

Through newly recovered interviews with Taylor and unprecedented access to the movie star’s personal archive, the film reveals the complex inner life and vulnerability of the Hollywood legend while also challenging audiences to recontextualize her achievements and her legacy.

In 1964, at the height of her fame,...

Any Trekkie will be able to tell you that "Star Trek" wasn't a big hit in its initial run in 1966. Indeed, the show was all set to be canceled after its second season, and only a well-organized letter-writing campaign rescued "Star Trek" for a third year. Thanks to the gods of syndication, however, "Star Trek" continued to air in reruns for years, and it wasn't until the early 1970s that the series really started to accrue a massive audience. Prior to 1972, "Star Trek" was more or less a scrap of cult television, deeply beloved only by a small (but passionate) audience of science nerds and free-love enthusiasts. 

The first large-scale "Star Trek" convention was held in New York at the end of January in 1972, and by then, it was clear that the series had become a phenomenon. Fans gathered to meet actors, discuss technology, and swap merch. "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry frequented large-scale conventions,...

Italian filmmaker Nicola Bellucci’s documentary “Quir” – a phonetic spelling of queer – tells the story of a gay couple, Massimo Milani and Gino Campanella, living and making handbags in the Sicilian city of Palermo, who have become icons of the Italian gay movement. The film had its premiere this week at the Taormina Film Festival.

Bellucci met his subjects during Covid by pure chance. “I got to know Massimo and Gino as I was walking through Balarò, this unique neighborhood of Palermo, which is very well known and multi-ethnic, and I came across this small shop, full of color and materials, and different spellings of the word ‘Quir,’ and I thought to myself, what is this?,” he tells Variety.

“I went in and I saw Massimo with this beautiful miniskirt and blonde wig and I got talking to him and how he and Gino were getting married. How they’d...

Shōgun, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building lead the way at the 2024 Emmy nominations, which were revealed this morning.

Below is a list of the programs with five or more noms, following by a full list of nominees and the number they received.

Related: Emmy Winners For Best Drama Since 1960: A Photo Gallery

Related: Here Are The Actors Who Have Won The Most Emmys: Photo Gallery

Related: Emmy Winners For Best Comedy Since 1952

Here is the full list of 2024 Emmy nominations by program:

25 Nominations

Shogun

23 Nominations

The Bear

21 Nominations

Only Murders In The Building

19 Nominations

True Detective: Night Country

18 Nominations

The Crown

17 Nominations

Saturday Night Live

16 Nominations

Fallout

Hacks

The Morning Show

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

15 Nominations

Fargo

13 Nominations

Ripley

11 Nominations

Baby Reindeer

Palm Royale

10 Nominations

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Lessons In Chemistry

9 Nominations

Abbott Elementary

Slow Horses

8 Nominations

Jim Henson Idea Man

RuPaul’s Drag Race...

Quick Links Plot and Cast of Winchester '73 Winchester '73 Saw Jimmy Stewart In a Surprising Role Critical Praise for Anthony Mann's Winchester '73 Should You Watch Winchester '73?

Anthony Mann would cement himself in the annals of film history by helping to reinvent the Western genre with Winchester '73. However, for audiences at the time, the landmark movie also had another surprise that many did not see coming, with the beloved actor, James Stewart, known for his wholesome comedic and dramatic roles, stepping into the boots of skilled marksmen in a mature Western.

We will examine Winchester '73's legacy, including how it helped revitalize the career of one of America's most beloved actors. We will also outline how the Western film noir remains notable decades after its release and why you should watch it.

Plot and Cast of Winchester '73

Lin McAdam and Frankie Wilson end up in Dodge City,...

Norman Jewison was the Oscar-nominated filmmaker who has tackled a number of controversial topics and social issues in his work, crafting mainstream entertainments with a political point of view. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1926 in Toronto, Jewison cut his teeth in television before moving into directing with a number of light farces, including the Doris Day vehicles “The Thrill of It All” (1963) and “Send Me No Flowers” (1964), her last collaboration with Rock Hudson. His career took a turning point with his first drama, “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965), which also kicked off his collaborations with film editor Hal Ashby, himself a future director. His next film, the darkly comedic “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!” (1966), earned him his first Oscar nomination in Best Picture.

He hit the Oscar jackpot the...

America is in crisis. It’s the late 1960s, and President John F. Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade has yet to be fulfilled. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA, for short — has experienced a major setback when a launch rehearsal test for the Apollo 1 goes awry and all three crew members perish. The Russkies appear to have the lead in the Space Race, the public interest in conquering the stars is waning, and the organization’s funding is on the chopping block.

Exclusive: At the height of Peak TV, Greg Berlanti’s career took off like a rocket. His Berlanti Productions had a record-breaking 15 shows on the air simultaneously, from DC properties like The Flash, Supergirl and Arrow to Riverdale and Blindspot. Berlanti will have six shows on air this fall, which gave him time to launch Fly Me to the Moon, starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano. The rom-com pairs Johansson as a gifted but shady sales person trying to outrun her past, and Tatum as a fighter pilot-turned-NASA leader trying to help beat the Russians to the moon. She comes to Cape Canaveral at the behest of a Nixon fixer (Harrelson), hired to stage the moon landing for a telecast to run on global TV if things go awry. It’s the first film Berlanti has directed since 2018’s Love, Simon, a crowd pleasing theatrical release.

Chemistry has always been Hollywood’s secret sauce, and, for rom-coms at least, the high-water mark remains the pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Most cineastes can name their first collaboration (Pillow Talk in 1959), but the others — Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964) — don’t come to mind so quickly. As a brand, though, these two have more than endured in pop culture, and writers and directors have had to work harder and harder to find a way to recapture that magic, since we now know very well that it requires a great deal more than just putting a couple of good-looking famous people together.

Peyton Reed came close in 2003’s with his stylish, early-’60s period pastiche Down with Love, casting Renee Zellweger alongside Ewan McGregor, and Olivia Wilde certainly did not with 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling, lumbering Florence Pugh with Harry Styles in a risible ’50s-themed sci-fi.

Trailers make “Fly Me to the Moon” look cute at best, when in fact it’s quite clever: a smarter-than-it-sounds, space-age sparring match of the Rock Hudson/Doris Day variety, in which the honest-to-a-fault NASA launch director responsible for sending Apollo 11 into orbit (a straight-faced Channing Tatum) goes head-to-head with a mendacious Madison Avenue spin doctor. Set during the first half of 1969, director Greg Berlanti’s high-concept screwball comedy values chemistry over history, bending the facts to suggest a fresh set of stakes for the operation, where romance fuels a rocket to the moon.

For decades, questions have dogged the Apollo 11 project. Who really won the space race? Did NASA fake the moon landing? Story credit goes to Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein, as screenwriter Rose Gilroy takes these doubts and extrapolates them into what the film itself might call an “alternative version” of events — one that puts authenticity itself on the line.