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Slauson Rec — first-time filmmaker Leo Lewis O’Neil’s explosive documentary about the electric rise and heartbreaking fall of Shia Labeouf’s experimental theater collective of the same name — received a relatively quiet birth into the Cannes Film Festival, announced just seven days before the start of the 2025 edition. Weeks before the news broke, Labeouf confirmed in a statement that he was “fully” supporting the film despite how it captures all of his complicated angles, from talented hustler and charismatic leader to tortured artist and abusive mentor.

He meant it. Labeouf is backing it by fully leaning in and traveling to France for the doc’s world premiere in the Cannes Classics section Sunday night, a screening that will mark the first time he’s seen the finished film, or any of the footage for that matter. In another first, he agreed to talk about the film with The Hollywood Reporter...

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This February, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the return of beloved shows like Invincible and Reacher to the much-anticipated teen romantic drama film My Fault: London. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 10 best films that are coming to Prime Video in February 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

A Fish Called Wanda (February 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Credit – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A Fish Called Wanda is a heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton from a screenplay by John Cleese. The 1988 film revolves around a group of thieves and con artists who team up to pull off the perfect heist, but things go horribly wrong because they all try to double-cross each other.

The 2003 indie drama "Thirteen" was widely acclaimed upon release while elevating the careers of filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke (who was paid just $13 for the job) and actors Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed. "Thirteen" was lauded for its searing, contemporary depiction of the lives of impressionable American teenagers. For those looking for movies tackling similar subject matter and themes, there is no shortage of teen coming-of-age dramas. From triumphs to tragedies, plenty of movies have explored the everyday life of American teenagers, both preceding "Thirteen" and released in the 2003 film's wake.

From dramedies to tonally uncompromising dramas, those pivotal teenage years are ripe for cinematic exploration. Even the comedies on this coming-of-age list don't shy away from the heavier parts of the teenage experience, including illegal drug use, mental health concerns, and teen pregnancy. Simply put, growing up can be a grueling ordeal, and these movies find the heartbreak and humor...

It began with the spark of a candle in 1941 related to the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons. Wait, a comic book genre?! No one was certain what to think about pages coming to life. The comic book genre has been under siege during "Awards Season" since 1978 when Christopher Reeve made the world believe a man could fly.

Recently, a different Bat signal had been emblazoned across Hollywood's sky, and it is solid gold. Can we stop hating on this genre now?

It probably won't happen as long as people like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Roland Emmerich, and David Cronenberg are helming Hollywood. They're so influential and vociferous against the comic book genre that it tends to make the award bureaus reconsider a person acting in spandex really isn't "acting." As if cosplay doesn't involve imagination.

And so, hate continues against any visual entertainment from comic books and graphic novels.

In an era where print magazines continue to shutter (most recently Cinema Scope and Total Film), it’s always a breath of fresh air for the industry of film journalism when a new one enters the game. Metrograph has now unveiled The Metrograph, a new biannual print publication designed by Matt Willey at Pentagram.

Featuring exclusive cover artwork by the renowned cinematographer Ed Lachman, Issue 1 boasts contributions from a remarkable lineup. A sneak peek: novelist Yiyun Li, cartoonist Daniel Clowes, filmmakers Ari Aster, Amalia Ulman, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, critics Hunter Harris and Thora Siemsen, writer Lucy Sante, cult writer/actor Cookie Mueller, actors Steve Martin and Simon Rex, and many more. Readers can also look forward to The Metrograph Interview #1, where Nick Pinkerton engages the 94-year-old pop culture icon Clint Eastwood in a rare, career-spanning conversation.

Metrograph notes, “Led by the editorial team of Senior Editor Annabel Brady-Brown (co-founder Fireflies...

The Metrograph empire is expanding from screen to page.

Metrograph announced a new biannual print publication, titled “The Metrograph,” which will cater to cinephiles and cultural connoisseurs alike. Since its founding in 2016, Metrograph has opened beloved theater Metrograph NYC, which also houses a bookstore and The Commissary restaurant, as well as launched distribution company Metrograph Pictures. Metrograph Pictures is led by former Oscilloscope and A24 executive David Laub, who previously announced that Metrograph should target 10 film releases per year with features like “Good One,” “The Black Sea,” “Santosh,” “The Kingdom,” “Gazer,” “April,” and “Miroirs No. 3” among the upcoming slate. Metrograph additionally has an At Home streaming platform and online Journal.

Now, Metrograph is expanding into print with a star-studded creative team launching “The Metrograph.”

“The Sweet East” screenwriter and former Village Voice writer Nick Pinkerton is the Editor-At-Large, whose interview with “Juror #2” director Clint Eastwood will be the tentpole of the first issue.

Scarlett Johansson has showcased her incredible comedic talents in a variety of films, from quirky black comedies to light-hearted romantic romps. Johansson's ability to blend humor with emotional depth shines through in roles that range from sarcastic social outcasts to heroic mothers. With a diverse filmography that includes animated musicals and satirical WWII comedies, Johansson proves she can excel in any genre.

Over 30 years in show business, Scarlett Johansson has built a reputation as one of the most sought-after actresses working today, although her incredible talent as a comedic performer is sometimes underrated. With so many fantastic roles in dramas, thrillers, and superhero movies, its easy to forget just how much Johansson has excelled in out-and-out comedies and subtly hilarious genre films. Through her ability to lose herself in her roles, Johansson has showcased that she can be truly hilarious in almost any cinematic environment.

The best Johansson movies highlighted...

Jim Rugg's newest anthology, Conspiracy Comics #1, features a trio of true crime, local conspiracies, and wrestling stories. The anthology includes three short stories based on real events, each depicted with unique visual identities. Rugg's mastery of the comic book medium showcases his experimentation with form and pays homage to comic book history.

Conspiracy Comics #1 is the latest project by acclaimed cartoonist Jim Rugg, a collection of comics stories covering true crime, local conspiracies and pro-wrestling rivalries. Continuing Ruggs experimentation with the form, Conspiracy Comics #1 shows off the cartoonists chameleonic ability to shift between artistic styles to suit the various stories found in this anthology special.

Following up on last years similar True Crime Funnies #1, Conspiracy Comics #1 is written, drawn, colored and lettered by Jim Rugg. Containing three short stories, the anthology is self-published and sold exclusively through Jim Ruggs website.

The three stories contained within cover a wide variety of subjects,...

My standard complaint about the Black Hammer comics is that they’re mostly static, locked into an initial premise that wasn’t all that exciting to begin with. I suppose that’s in distinction to “real” superhero comics, which rely on the façade of change – someone is always dying, someone’s costume is always changing, someone is always making a heel-face turn, and worlds are inevitably always living and dying so that nothing will ever be the same – but it’s not self-reflective enough to count as irony.

But some kinds of stories aren’t supposed to change anything – the whole point is that they don’t, and can’t, change the things we already know. Jam comics by entirely different creators tend to fall into that bucket: they’re sometimes “real” and sometimes not, but even if they’re canonical, they don’t push the canon in any direction.

Following her Palme d’Or winning legal drama, “Anatomy Of A Fall,” French filmmaker Justine Triet quickly went from admired writer/director to much-coveted Academy Award nominee. ‘Anatomy’ was only her second feature-length film in competition at Cannes, following 2019’s “Sibyl,” but it launched her into the stratosphere afterward, earning five Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Continue reading Justine Triet Reportedly Offered Dan Clowes Adaptation Starring Cate Blanchett & Wants To Work With Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.

When programming short films for online, there are a couple of things we look for in our selections. Firstly, they need to grab an audience’s attention from the get-go, and secondly, they need to leave a lasting impression. The Flute from Nick Roney (last seen on Dn here) fits both of these criteria perfectly. Opening with an eye-catching sequence where an erotic photoshoot seamlessly transforms into a framed picture in the cardboard box of a heartbroken man’s possession, this is then followed with a perfectly choreographed long take of the aforementioned jilted lover moving into his new house with his friends. It’s the expert craft that first draws you in, but it’s the bat-sh*t crazy concept that you’ll be discussing with all your friends after watching. Ever since I first saw The Flute, as part of this year’s SXSW line-up, I’ve been...

Over at Reverse Shot, during a candid and illuminating chat about his latest, Beau is Afraid, Ari Aster tells Michael Koresky about his fastidious approach to production design. Several of the film’s locations were built on a stage, and countless little details—“every poster, every sign, every product”—were created from scratch. Aster cites his obsession for such persnickety world-building as one reason the film was eventually converted to IMAX. Only a wider aspect ratio can do justice to all of the sight gags he’s disseminated over Beau’s three-hour sprawl; the format “encourages the viewer to search the frame,” and “promotes a different kind of engagement with the film.” He goes on to add:There’s this thing that in comics is called “chicken fat,” which are just the details that litter a frame. I got that term from Dan Clowes. I did not know it beforehand, but...

Celebrated cartoonist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes discusses his favorite formative films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Baxter (1989)

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Art School Confidential (2006)

Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)

Common Law Cabin (1967)

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Seven Minutes (1971)

Black Snake (1973)

An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews

Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

The Wild One (1953)

Hush…...

“Funny Pages,” a scruffy, grungy, likably tossed-together sketchbook of a low-budget indie comedy, typifies a paradox that now runs through a great deal of independent cinema. The movie, set in a humdrum New Jersey suburbia, unfolds on the moldy bottom rung of the comic-book ladder. It centers on two friends who are obsessed with drawing their own comics, and it’s about the insular world of geeks and creeps and pervs and weirdos that this brings them into contact with.

Robert (Daniel Zolghadri), at 17, has left the posh home of his parents in Princeton and set up residence in downscale Trenton, where he hangs out at the local comic-book store along with his friend, the sweetly passive, long-haired, acne-ridden Miles (Miles Emanuel), who has a secret crush on him. These two eat, breathe, and sleep comic books. But they’re not into superheroes. To them the comic-book world is all...

It’s never a good thing to realize, halfway through, that you’ve read a book before. Especially when you’ve just bought a shiny new copy, and the realization includes the fact that another copy – just as shiny, also bought new – is probably on a shelf upstairs in your house. (I haven’t looked yet; maybe it isn’t. Maybe I read it from a library the first time?)

You see, if you read a book again on purpose, that’s fine: it means you remember it, and want to experience it again. And reading a new book is obviously normal. But thinking it’s new to you when it isn’t – that’s not a good experience.

So I re-read Patience yesterday (as I write this). It was the 2016 graphic novel from Daniel Clowes, and is still his most recent book. I read it for the first time...

Legendary artist Richard Sala may have passed away last year, but his work continues to inspire generations of readers and illustrators, including the four graphic novellas in his final comics collection, Poison Flowers & Pandemonium. To celebrate today's release of Poison Flowers & Pandemonium via Fantagraphics, we've been provided with exclusive preview pages to share with Daily Dead readers!

You can check out our exclusive preview pages below, and to learn more, visit Fantagraphics' official website.

Press Release: Considered a cartooning master of the macabre, Richard Sala’s comics feature eerie, atmospheric settings, creepy characters, over-the-top slasher violence, and dark-humored camp — all rendered in his lush watercolor and pen & ink style. Sala passed away on May 7, 2020, leaving behind a substantial oeuvre of comics and graphic novels. Fantagraphics will release his final comics collection, Poison Flowers & Pandemonium, on May 4, 2021.

Poison Flowers & Pandemonium comprises four separate graphic novellas that showcase Sala’s love of B-movie horror,...

Exclusive: Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen have made a two-year first-look television deal at A24 for their Square Peg banner. The duo formed their company in 2019 after teaming on Hereditary, which Aster wrote and directed and Knudsen produced, and then Midsommar, on which they served the same roles. A24 released both films.

Emily Hildner has joined Square Peg as Head of TV, and will spearhead the effort to develop and produce projects across scripted, documentary and unscripted formats. Before joining Square Peg, Hildner served as Head of Television at Animal Kingdom, setting up projects with HBO, Hulu, FX, and A24. Square Peg has firmed up a new logo for the company, created by cartoonist Daniel Clowes.

On the film side, Square Peg is gearing up for a summer shoot on Aster’s next film, Disappointment Blvd., with Joaquin Phoenix starring, as well as two percolating other projects that will shoot...

Peter Bagge is a world-class grump, and I have to respect that. I tend to connect that to his libertarianism, but the direction of influence is unclear and it’s not as if comics isn’t full of grumpy loners outside of libertarians, either. But Bagge has had a long career both making comics about fictional grumpy, obnoxious people and making comics about how he is libertarian and so entitled to be grumpy personally about such-and-such, so he’s been leaning into it for some time now.

Although, come to think of it, the last decade of his work, focusing mostly on biographies of strong-willed but not necessarily libertarian people of the past, might show him starting to walk down a path of slightly less grumpiness — and I emphasize slightly.

But here I am looking at Classic Bagge, the man who spent more than a decade making a comic book...

With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.

In “Ghost World,” everybody wants out, yet no one knows how to work the door. Nor do they want to. They’re more content to study the padding in the cell than to even consider an exit. That includes unapologetic and misunderstood loner Enid (Thora Birch) and her less tortured but still moody best friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). Two characters in search of an exit. And then there’s Norman, the man sitting on a bench waiting for the bus that doesn’t come. Until it does, pulling Enid’s world out from under her.

More from IndieWireWhat's New on Disney+: 'The Straight Story' Is David Lynch's Healing of America's DividesStreaming Wars: Indie Streamers Are Getting Nimble in...

At some point over the past few years, you’ve probably rolled your eyes at something Shia Labeouf has said or done. Whether it was attention-grabbing art projects like #Iamsorry or the live-streamed marathon of him watching his own movies that spun out of him getting caught plagiarizing artist Daniel Clowes, or the off-screen drunken escapades […]

The post ‘Honey Boy’ Trailer: Shia Labeouf’s Powerful, Cinematic Therapy Session appeared first on /Film.

Stars: Constance Towers, Antony Eisley, Michael Dante, Virginia Grey, Patsy Kelly | Written and Directed by Samuel Fuller

The Naked Kiss opens with a fight. And Kelly (Constance Towers) – an experienced escort reclaiming her money from a punter – will never stop fighting. Just for one night it looks like she’s left her worst times behind, as she arrives in Grantville, a small town where no one knows her name. But then she discovers her first customer, Griff (Antony Eisley), is a local policeman. He offers a deal: she can’t operate within the town itself, but he’ll set her up in a brothel outside the limits.

But Kelly is looking for a life more meaningful. So, she finds herself in a hospital for disabled children. She’s a natural. The kids love her. Her colleagues love her. But Griff still can’t trust her – especially when she falls for his enormously wealthy best bud,...

Starring: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Larry Tucker, Gene Evans, Hari Rhodes, James Best | Written and Directed by Samuel Fuller

The prolific Samuel Fuller carved a niche – or perhaps a gutter – in making exploitation shockers just outside the Hollywood studio system. His had an ability to elevate trash material to something approaching art. Writer and producer on most of his movies, he undoubtedly wielded enough control to be regarded as an auteur.

He also had high-minded ideas. Shock Corridor opens and closes with a quote from the controversial Greek tragedian Euripides: “Whom God wishes to destroy He first makes mad.” Sandwiched between is an absurd thriller, nonsensical and enjoyable and almost certainly allegorical.

Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island saw a detective enter a mental asylum to solve a case. Here, the guy going deep is a Pulitzer-pursuing journalist named Johnny (Peter Breck), who’s there to solve the murder of a man named Sloan.

Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures

by Daniel Zimmer and David J. Hornung

2009, The Illustrated Press, Hardcover, 224pp. ,$39.95 – 2017, Expanded version

With the publication of an expanded edition of Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures, it’s official… Brown was responsible for illustrating every movie poster ever made. Ok, not really but it will seem like it to anyone poring through page after page of some of the most potent propaganda in Hollywood history. An update on the update appears at the end of this review of the 2009 edition.

The era of the illustrated movie poster, that ideal marriage of art and commerce, has long since faded along with the posters themselves. From the big-top colors of Al Hirschfeld’s caricatures for A Night at the Opera to the orange whirlpool of Saul Bass’ Vertigo one-sheet, these were advertisements that excited the senses as much as the films they were designed...

One of the best literary adaptions in many a moon, director Terry Zwigoff finds just the right tone for Daniel Clowes’s sweet and sour graphic novel about two teenage misfits (deftly inhabited by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) and their oddball friendship with a misanthropic record collector played to a T by Steve Buscemi. The parade of oddballs who flesh out the story are a memorable lot including Bob Balaban and Illeana Douglas as a moonstruck art teacher.

By Todd Garbarini

High school friends Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch) and Rebecca Doppelmeyer (Scarlett Johansson) absolutely cannot wait to be free of the prison of school, defiantly flipping the bird and squashing their mortarboards following their graduation. Enid isn’t off the hook just yet: her “diploma” is instead a note informing her that she must “take some stupid art class” (her words) if she hopes to graduate. Their fellow classmates are caricatures of everyone we all knew during our adolescence. Melora (Debra Azar) is inhumanly happy all the time and oblivious to Enid and Rebecca’s sense of ennui and contempt. Todd (T.J. Thyne) is ultra-nervous to talk with the insouciant Rebecca at the punchbowl. Another bespectacled student sits off by himself. Enid and Rebecca are at both an intellectual and emotional crossroads. They want to share an apartment; however, they seem unaware of the amount of money they...

For their screen adaptation of Ghost World, Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff invented a fake arthouse movie with a hilariously ludicrous title: The Flower That Drank The Moon. Maybe that was rattling around in the subconscious of whoever was charged with coming up with an English-language title for Mal De Pierres, a new French melodrama starring Marion Cotillard. The original title is the French phrase for kidney stones, which play a role in the narrative, but which someone apparently deemed insufficiently alluring for U.S. audiences. (To be fair, the French don’t include the word “kidney” in their phrase, which means “evil of stones.”) Instead, we’re getting this film as From The Land Of The Moon—a title that’s somehow at once generic and nonsensical, and seems vaguely meant to suggest a flight of fancy, or something. Fair enough, as the target audience is people who believe...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour)

Ana Lily Amirpour’s second feature shoots for Harmony Korine meets Mad Max and would have nearly almost hit the mark were it not for the gratingly aloof attitude and the swaths of directorial license being taken. The Bad Batch — an ambitious, expansive dystopian sci-fi western which features partying, drugs, and cannibals — might come as music to the ears of diehard fans of films like Spring Breakers and Gummo (a kid doesn’t quite eat spaghetti in a bathtub, but a kid does eat spaghetti after being in a bathtub). However, beneath its dazzlingly hip surface the script and characters leave much to be desired. It’s like taking a trip to Burning Man: a pseudo-spiritual, uniquely punky experience perhaps, but one that’s full of annoying rich kids and ultimately emotionally shallow. – Rory O. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes

Kong: Skull Island (Jordan Vogt-Roberts)

Though it may not feel fully inspired so much as competently pre-visualized, Kong: Skull Island fits snugly into the growing canon of reboots that exist within ever-expanding movie universes. That’s a first sentence to a positive review that perhaps reads a bit more cynically than intended. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by a bunch of dudes (Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly with a story credited to John Gatins), this umpteenth version of the King Kong story pulls from every available pop-culture source in building a fun creature feature. Much of the credit goes to the breathtaking effects and brisk pace, which distract from some lofty line readings and silly plot devices. – Dan M. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google

Le Trou (Jacques Becker)

One of the greatest prison escape dramas of all-time, Jacques Becker’s recently-restored Le Trou is a masterclass in tension. By putting us both in the physical and psychological headspace of our protagonists, it’s an enveloping experience as we see a number of close calls, leading up to one of the most unforgettable endings in cinema. – Jordan r.

Where to Stream: Mubi (free 30-day trial)

Moana (John Musker and Ron Clements)

It’s time for another Disney Princess movie, and you know how it goes. Disney knows too, and wants you to know that it knows. When the title character of Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) denies that she’s a princess, claiming that she’s merely the daughter of her island’s chief and the next chieftain, her adventuring partner Maui (Dwayne Johnson) asserts, “Same difference,” and that, “You wear a dress and have an animal sidekick. You’re a princess.” But Disney is doing its best to make the culture rethink cinematic fantasy princesses, countering the stereotypes of helpless femininity (which the studio largely put in place) with a new roster of highly capable action heroines. And Moana is, as they call it, a good role model. And the movie around her is fine. – Dan S. (full review)

Where to Stream: Netflix

Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (Brian Knappenberger)

Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press uses a salacious story and website as the launching pad to discuss where we currently are, so much so that I imagine director Brian Knappenberger — who uses footage from President Trump’s infamous press conference only a few days before the film’s Sundance premiere — may wish to stay on the story. Gawker, a site spun out of Gizmodo, was founded to share the types of stories mainstream news outlets would often shy away from, including celebrity sex tapes, outings, drug use, and allegations that have swirled but not picked up traction. They’ve featured Rob Ford smoking crack, Bill Cosby’s multiple accusers, Hillary Clinton’s emails, Tom Cruise’s prominent role in Scientology, and the one that brought them down: the infamous Hulk Hogan sex tape recorded for private use by Hogan pal and infamous Tampa shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, best known nationally for his stint on Howard Stern’s satellite channel. Bubba’s antics will no doubt some day be the subject of a documentary of their own, from his role in both the Hogan affair to his odd appearance in the David Petraeus saga. – John F. (full review)

Where to Stream: Netflix

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)

Jim Jarmusch proved he was back in a major way with Only Lovers Left Alive a few years ago, and the streak continues with Paterson, a calm, introspective drama with such positive views on marriage and creativity that I was left floored. In following the cyclical life of Adam Driver‘s Paterson, a bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey, who also has dreams of being a poet, Jarmusch superbly shows that one’s own life experience — however seemingly insubstantial — is the only requirement to produce something beautiful. Moreso than any other film in 2016, this is the kind of world I want to live in. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: Amazon Prime

Star Trek Beyond (Justin Lin)

After the pleasant fluff of its kick-off installment and the frog march of unpleasantness that was Into Darkness, the rebooted Star Trek film series finally hits a fun median between big-budget bombast and classic Trek bigheartedness with Star Trek Beyond. Does the franchise’s full descent into action, with only the barest lip service paid to big ideas, cause Gene Roddenberry’s ashes to spin in their space capsule? Probably, but in the barren desert of summer 2016 blockbusters, this is a lovely oasis. – Dan S. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon Prime

Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas)

Perhaps a point of contention on New York Times’ top 25 films of the 21st century list, Olivier Assayas’ Summer Hours is a commendable top 10 pick. Led by Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Renier, and Kyle Eastwood, this drama follows a family reuniting following the death of their mother. Like the best of Assayas’ films, it’s an impeccably-crafted, subtly-moving experience, one that wades in the ideas of the value of what we hold on to and a graceful reflection on the passage of time. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: FilmStruck

Wilson (Craig Johnson)

The world of Daniel Clowes is one without manners, glamour, and tact, but it is also one of uncomfortable truth, as scathing as it might be. One may have never verbally conveyed the discourteous musings of his characters to the extent to which it is their everyday vernacular, but we’ve all had similar thoughts when life isn’t going our way. The latest adaptation of his work comes with Wilson, directed by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins), featuring a role Woody Harrelson is clearly having the time of his life with. Despite his commitment to a lack of civility, there’s a darker film lying in the cynical heart of Wilson, one that gets squandered by its mawkish aesthetic and lack of interest in exploring these characters beyond their crudeness. – Jordan R. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google

The Zookeeper’s Wife (Niki Caro)

The Zookeeper’s Wife begins with those five famous words that hold the power to either become a film’s dependency (and therefore downfall) or its empowering catalyst, laying the foundation to convey a poignant tale: “Based on a true story.” Fortunately, The Zookeeper’s Wife sticks with the latter, and the true tale being told is one for the ages. Niki Caro‘s drama follows a couple who hide Jews in their zoo and use it as a point of passage and escape during the Nazi takeover of Warsaw. The narrative is a simple one, allowing The Zookeeper’s Wife to shine in its performances, imagery, and storytelling, which it pristinely accomplishes. – Chelsey G. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google

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Night School (review)

FilmStruck

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Her Brother

Conflagration

The Woman in Question

The Importance of Being Earnest

Mubi (free 30-day trial)

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The Train to Moscow: A Journey to Utopia

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We all like to root for the underdog, especially if it is someone we, the audience, feel is being unjustly treated by a cruel, uncaring world. So, sitting down to Wilson, the film adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel, we’re predisposed to cheer for the title character, especially as portrayed by Woody Harrelson.

Unfortunately, we get a soft, gooey portrayal of a misanthrope who brings much of the misery upon himself, surrounding himself with ill-defined characters. The 94 minute experience is at times uncomfortable and other times you shake your head at the missed opportunities.

The 2010 graphic novel is comprised of 70 single page gag strips about Wilson, inspired in part by his own father’s death as well as the relationship between Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and his father. Days and years pass in Wilson’s life between these vignettes forcing you to guess what has happened. In some ways, the film works in the same frustrating manner.

The film, out now from 20th Century Home Entertainment, focuses on Wilson, a down on his luck guy who loses his father to cancer then goes in search of his past by tracking his ex-wife where he learns the abortion that ended their marriage never happened. Instead, she gave away the child, now a teen, and they go in search of her.

Laura Dern looks appropriately strung out as Pippi, his ex, who is variously described as a crack whore and lunatic. She left Wilson, gave up her daughter, and tried to stay straight as a waitress. When Wilson finds her, she crumbles around whatever she originally found in him to love. As a result, she gives in all too readily and all too often, when he wants to love her or find their daughter and then pursue a relationship with her. Later, time passes and her situation changes with no real explanation, undercutting our appreciation for her struggles.

Harrelson gives the part his all, but is ill served by Clowes script. The story is fine but there’s little to like about Wilson, who is rude, arrogant, befuddled, and stressed out depending upon the scene. After being arrested for allegedly kidnapping Claire (Isabella Amara), he transitions to a three year stint at prison. There, he seems to find God or bond with every sub-culture in the prison population, softening his edges at last, so in the final act, he can find some solace. There’s a better story hidden under all this but Clowes won’t show us. His adaptations of Ghost World and Art School Confidential are far superior.

Had this been in the hands of a surer director, such as the originally-planned Alexander Payne, we might have been given that better movie. Instead, we get relative novice Craig Johnson, making just his third feature. Therefore, performances by Judy Greer, Cheryl Hines, and Margo Martindale are wasted.

We veer from slapstick to sentimental and the entire final portion of the film shifts tone into something sappy. The entire production lacks focus, direction, and even a point. As a portrait of a middle-aged man lost in the world, it has more promise than actual delivery.

Overall, the film looks and sounds fine on Blu-ray, coming as part of a Combo Pack that also includes a DVD and Digital HD code.

Given that the film was a box office and critical disappointment, it’s no surprise that there is a paucity of special features. We do get 15 Deleted Scenes, some of which would have helped the overall story but none are entirely missed. There are also a photo gallery and trailers.

An enjoyable comedy, “Wilson” served as a vehicle for its star Woody Harrelson with our critic saying, “…Harrelson appears to be having a blast in a role that he really does make his own, playing Wilson as a mostly benign weirdo who has a certain zestful spirit, and may even be right about the alienation of today’s wired-up, over-connected society.”

Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, the story follows a lonely, neurotic and honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) and gets a shot at happiness when he learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amara) he has never met.

Continue reading Exclusive: Woody Harrelson Stalks His Daughter In Deleted Scene From ‘Wilson’ at The Playlist.

Based on Daniel Clowes’ iconic graphic novel, Wilson looks at life, love, family…and one man’s wildly ambitious search for happiness. Starring Woody Harrelson, as a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) when he learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amara) he has never met and sets out to connect with her.

Our friends at 209th Century Home Entertainment have provided us with one Wilson bundle to giveaway. The prize includes:

The Blu-ray Combo Pack Graphic novel: Wilson

To win, all you have to do is tell us which actor has given you a memorable performance as a misanthrope and why. We need the name of the actor, character, and film. Entries have to be posted no later than 11:59 p.m., Friday, June 23., The decision of ComicMix‘s judges will be final. The contest is open only to readers in North America.

Daniel Clowes’s graphic novel does not translate well to the big screen, despite the star’s high-energy performance

The lovechild of director Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) and screenwriter and comic book artist Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) was always going to be an abrasive, maladroit loner with the social subtlety of a headbutt. And in this, the misanthropic, gleefully luddite Wilson (Woody Harrelson) doesn’t disappoint. Wilson delights in peeling people away from their electronic devices and engaging them in conversations which invariably feel more like an assault than an exchange of ideas. When he reconnects with his troubled ex-wife (Laura Dern), Wilson learns he has a teenage daughter who was adopted and, for a while at least, he feels part of a dysfunctional family unit. A structure that perhaps worked better in its original graphic novel form feels a little episodic as a movie. Despite the mordant humour...

Yasujirō Ozu tends to be known by reputation as a restrained, despondent dramatist — and not, regrettably, as one of the rare artists immaculately in tune with the psychology, behavior and energy of children. His 1932 silent comedy I Was Born, But... is a delectable slice of humor, humanism, and social satire, grounded by an exceptional insight into the verbal and physical language of grade-school boys and brought to life by pitch-perfect performances a cast of young actors. In Good Morning, his characteristically sedate, loose remake of the aforementioned silent film, Ozu revisits similar thematic territory from the wizened perspective of his postwar films. Now with the tools of full audio and Technicolor at his disposal, Ozu spins a social and emotional tapestry from a 1950s Tokyo suburb in which two young brothers, desperate for their own TV set, take a vow of silence in protest against the frivolous speech of adult society.

Daniel Clowes’ comics creation receives an A-Plus film adaptation through the directorial filter of Terry Zwigoff. The show has more going for it than the bleak alienation of disaffected quasi- gen-Xers — the script offers a depth of character revealing the insecure, hopes and fears behind all the insulting attitudes and behaviors. It’s caustic, funny and also strongly affecting.

Ghost World

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 872

2001 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 30, 2017 / 39.95

Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis, Teri Garr.

Cinematography: Affonso Beato

Production Designer: Edward T. McAvoy

Art Direction: Alan E. Muraoka

Film Editors: Carole Kravetz, Michael R. Miller

Original Music: David Kitay

Writing credits: Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff from the comics by Daniel Clowes

Produced by Pippa Cross, Janette Day, Lianne Halfon, Barbara A. Hall,

John Malkovich, Russell Smith

Directed by Terry Zwigoff

Enid:...

Woody Harrelson stars as Wilson, a lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) when he learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amara) he has never met. In his uniquely outrageous and slightly twisted way, he sets out to connect with her. Based on Daniel Clowes’ iconic graphic novel of the same name, Wilson is a “riotously funny” (Noel Murray, ThePlaylist.net) look at life, love, family…and one man’s wildly ambitious search for happiness.

Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD Special Features Include:

• 15 Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes

• 3 Promotional Featurettes

• Gallery

• Trailers (Red Band Trailer, Theatrical Trailer)

Wilson Digital HD:

Street Date: June 30, 2017

Screen Format: 16:9 (1.85:1)

Audio: English DTS-hd-ma 5.1, English Ad Dd 5.1, Spanish (Latin Spanish) Dd 5.1, Quebecois (Canadian French) Dd 5.1

Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish (Latin Spanish), Quebecois (Canadian French)

Total Run Time: 94 Minutes

U.S. Rating: R...

Hungry for fresh nourishment, specialty audiences flocked to new World War II drama “The Zookeeper’s Wife” (Focus Features), directed by Niki Caro and starring Jessica Chastain.

While smart-house moviegoers can be discerning — see Fox Searchlight’s “Wilson” — the holocaust drama overcame modest reviews to score in wider initial release. The dearth of other product should help Focus to find bigger success ahead.

Read More: ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ Director Niki Caro Has a Plan for Fighting Hollywood’s Gender Gap

New openings finding niche interest were led by “David Lynch – The Art Life” (Janus) as smaller films continue to struggle.

At a time of dwindling movie ad revenue, streaming service Netflix took out two full-page ads for five films in both the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. They touted four Sundance debuts: “The Discovery” starring Robert Redford and Rooney Mara, which played limited theatrical dates with no grosses reported,...

It just doesn’t get any easier for the Pied Piper team. After innovating the middle-out algorithm and surviving Hooli’s latest attempt to destroy them, it appears the “Silicon Valley” crew are turning against one another in the upcoming season of HBO’s essential comedy. Daniel Clowes (“Ghost World”) has designed a poster for the show, and a new trailer is available. Both can be found below.

Read More: ‘Silicon Valley’: Mike Judge and Cast Tease Next Season at Comic-Con

Season four appears to begin with the revelation that Richard (Thomas Middleditch) is quitting Pied Piper, the company he founded. Among the highlights of the trailer: Erlich (T.J. Miller) mansplaining the concept of mansplaining to two women, a surprise appearance by Haley Joel Osment and literally everything Jared (Zach Woods) says and does. The entire main cast is returning for season four: Middleditch, Miller, Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr,...

Daniel Clowes’ Wilson is now playing in theaters across the country and hopefully, those who’ve had a chance to see it still have some questions about how the filmmakers and cast captured the tone of Clowes’ graphic novel so well. (It didn’t hurt that Clowes adapted it into a movie himself.)

It is director Craig Johnson’s third film, following 2009’s True Adolescents and 2014’s The Skeleton Twins, starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, which won a screenplay at Sundance that year.

In the movie, Woody Harrelson plays the title character, a cantankerous and unfiltered loner who tries hard to be social but ends up putting those he interacts with off. When he tries to reconnect with his ex-wife Pippy (Laura Dern), he finds out that he had a baby daughter she gave up for adoption. The two of them go look for their now teen daughter Claire...

If you are a fan of history or film (or even history of film), then you should know the name Eliot Ness. Ness was an American Prohibition Agent who famously took down Al Capone with his team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables. Yes, like the 1987 classic film The Untouchables, starring Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness and directed by Brian De Palma. There was also a show in the late '50s, early '60s of the same name, but that might not be as fresh in your memory.

Ness' story hardly ended with the prosecution of Capone, as he went on the be the Public Safety Director of Cleveland when a series of grisly murders took place between 1935 and 1938. Twelve victims were confirmed over these three years, all beheaded and often dismembered, some with their torso cut clean in half. The heads were almost never found. The...

It might not be surprising that Jessica Chastaine’s upcoming Holocaust drama The Zookeeper’s Wife was directed by a woman as much as it was directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro, who once again proves herself capable of working with an international cast on a scale that’s far bigger than her earlier films, including Whale Rider.

Adapted from the novel by Diane Ackerman, it stars Chastaine as Antonina Zabinska, wife of the zoologist and owner of the biggest zoo in Warsaw, Poland, which is devastated when the Nazis invade in 1939. Trying to make lemonade out of the lemons delivered to them by the Nazis liquidating their zoo, Antonina and her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) come up with a plan to save the Jews from Warsaw who are being herded into ghettos, and being treated horribly. Turning the zoo into a pig farm, the couple begin to sneak...

Guillaume Gallienne: "The script had all the elements, the love and trust of Danièle." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Danièle Thompson's Cézanne Et Moi, starring Guillaume Gallienne as Paul Cézanne and Guillaume Canet as Émile Zola, had its New York premiere on Wednesday, hosted by Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller at The Whitby Hotel, where I had spoken to Wilson director Craig Johnson, screenwriter Daniel Clowes, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Judy Greer and Isabella Amara.

The women in Cézanne's life were his mother Anne-Elisabeth (Sabine Azéma) and wife Hortense (Déborah François also in Claude Lelouch's latest Chacun sa vie). For Zola, his mother Émilie (Isabelle Candelier), wife Alexandrine (Alice Pol -Lelouch's Un + une), and mistress Jeanne (Freya Mavor). Guillaume Gallienne, who played Pierre Bergé in Jalil Lespert's Yves Saint Laurent gave some clarity into his vision of Cézanne, his relationship to Zola, and the women around them.

Déborah François...

Fox Searchlight’s “Wilson” was among the new releases in a slow weekend at the indie box office, as it made $330,000 from 310 screens for a per screen average of just $1,065. “Wilson” stars Woody Harrelson as a neurotic and tactlessly honest middle-aged man who attempts to reconcile with his estranged wife (Laura Dern) and connect with his daughter (Isabella Amara), whom he is meeting for the first time. Directed by Craig Johnson and written by Daniel Clowes, who adapted the screenplay from his own graphic novel of the same name, the film was produced by Alexander Payne, Jim Burke,...

This weekend, strong holdover “T2 Trainspotting” outperformed Fox Searchlight disappointment “Wilson” at the specialty box office. Jazz documentary “I Called Him Morgan” is the bright spot among new specialty entries — at just one theater. This year, there are so many well-reviewed wide releases enjoying huge success with smart adults that the indies need a strong critical response to compete for moviegoers.

Opening

Wilson (Fox Searchlight) Metacritic: 50; Festivals include: Sundance 2017

$330,000 in 310 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $1,065

“Wilson” did not make a splash at Sundance, and even a top-flight specialized distributor like Fox Searchlight can’t transform a film with mediocre reviews into a success. It’s got a great pedigree — directed by Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”), Daniel Clowes adapted it from his own graphic novel and its includes Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern. Searchlight went with a non-platform wider initial release of 330 theaters. For all that, however, the results...

by Spencer Coile

Daniel Clowes struck gold in 2001 when he wrote the screenpay for Ghost World, an adaptation of his graphic novel of the same name. Telling the story of self-identified outcast Enid (Thora Birch), his first screenplay toyed with themes pertaining to isolation, the dissolution of friendships, and lots and lots of teen angst. It was relatable and altogether melancholic, but importantly-- it all worked. Drawing from his own work (no pun intended), Clowes pulled together some all-too-familiar film tropes, and managed to subvert them in thoughtful and oftentimes amusing ways. After a return to the screen with another adaptation of his own work, Art School Confidential in 2006, Clowes layed low, working primarily on writing/drawing and short films. He's back with Wilson, now in theaters, pairing with The Skeleton Twins director Craig Johnson, for another foray into the hilariously damaged human spirit...

Wilson actress Judy Greer has been consistently working in Hollywood for two decades now. Just like her character Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development who keeps flashing her boobs “for the last time,” you always know you’ll be seeing her again soon. An unsung hero on the big and small screen, she’s been turning up in huge blockbusters recently such as Ant-Man, Jurassic World and the Planet of the Apes franchise. When she’s not in motion capture playing wife to Andy Serkis’ Caesar, you can find her delivering memorable turns in independent cinema like the bitter ex-girlfriend Olivia in Grandma.

In Craig Johnson’s Wilson, Greer plays dog sitter turned love interest Shelly. The rock in her relationship with Woody Harrelson’s titular character, Shelly’s nurturing and supportive nature help pull him out of his misery. Greer is a delight as the more straight laced character, who...

David Ellison first created Skydance Productions for his own 2005 directorial debut When All Else Fails, but Skydance Media really started making waves in 2010 when it teamed up with Paramount Pictures for the Coen Brothers Western True Grit.

It went on to become the highest grossing Western ever and cemented the relationship between Skydance Media with Paramount who teamed-up for World War Z, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and other franchises like Star Trek and 2014’s Terminator: Genisys. (Obviously, some of those movies did better than others.)

For his new science fiction movie Life, based on an idea that Ellison came up with, he’s teamed with Sony Pictures, bringing together a cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Ferguson as part of the crew of the International Space Station who must examine a sample of life that’s been brought back from Mars.

Lrm got on the phone with...

This week sees another comic book adaptation arrive at movie theatres, while the Lego Batman and Logan are still pulling audiences in at the multiplex. Ah, but this film is not another superhero slugfest (we’ll have three more of those from Marvel Studios, and two from Warner/DC by the year’s end). No this comes from the “upper classes” of illustrated narratives, those “serious and somber” graphic novels (kind of a “highfalutin'” moniker). Several prestige flicks have been based on such books, like The History Of Violence and The Road To Perdition (both earned Oscar noms). The “graphic artist” (hey, I’ll bet he’d prefer cartoonist) behind this new film is no stranger to cinema. Matter of fact, this is his third feature-length movie adaptation. The first was my personal favorite flick of 2001, the quirky Ghost World (no ectoplasmic apparitions, but a teenage Scarlett Johansson). Five years...

Loneliness looms over “Wilson,” adapted from the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes (“Ghost World”) by Clowes and director Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”). In an early scene, it literally hangs over Wilson’s (Woody Harrelson) head as he walks past a movie theater showing Vittorio De Sica’s 1952 classic, “Umberto D.” In that sorrowful, Italian neo-realist masterpiece, the elderly Umberto is the embodiment of loneliness, and suffers a near thorough destitution, his only salve the companionship of a pet dog. Wilson, Umberto’s toxic heir, has a dog, too, but his loneliness is self-imposed: Wilson is an obnoxious jerk. Not that you’d know.

How big will Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” be?

Continuing to forge ahead after its record-breaking opening gross last weekend, the live-action remake should outgross three new releases by about 150 percent. It’s unfair to judge any of the new titles against juggernaut “Beauty,” which has already amassed $206 million (unprecedented for pre-May) in its first five days domestic, $428 million worldwide. This weekend “Beauty and the Beast” looks to fall somewhere in the $80-100 million range and should hit a staggering $300 million in its first ten days.

This makes it hard for any newcomers to make much impact.

Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Is a Technological Marvel, But for Its Actors, the Challenge Was Daunting

Lionsgate’s $100 million reboot of “Power Rangers” will easily outpace Sony’s latest outer space adventure “Life” as well as Warner Bros.’ remake of 1970s California Highway Patrol TV hit “Chips.”

After three straight...

Last month, Shia Labeouf was forced to relocate his anti-Trump art installation He Will Not Divide Us from New York’s Museum of the Moving Image to the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Then, on March 8, the actor was forced to relocate again, this time placing a flag in an “unknown location.” Now, the actor and the art’s co-creators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner have moved the 24/7/365 live-stream to the UK-based Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (Fact). The museum plans to host a flagpole flying a “He will not divide us” flag and stream it live on hewillnotdivide.us for the duration of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Read More: Daniel Clowes Says He’s Forgiven Shia Labeouf, and Donald Trump Is the Reason Why

“Events have shown that America is simply not safe enough for this artwork to exist,” Labeouf, Rönkkö, and Turner said in...

Ever since Wilson’s father passed away, he’s been feeling more lost than usual. The strangers he attempts to befriend, scene after scene, are no consolation as most people are suspicious of talkative types who behave too friendly too quickly. It’s easy to confuse an over-sharer, inept at picking up social cues, with a patient of mental illness, and yet for all the conversational rejection Wilson endures, he optimistically presses on, oblivious to any sense of character flaw. The hilarious character, conceived by graphic-novelist Daniel Clowes, came from a very dark place. During the unfathomably dark occasion of his own father’s slow passing, Clowes found himself drawing to escape the pain. At the Sundance premiere of his novel’s adaptation, which he also penned, Clowes confided that...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...