Today's Movies Pulse
Netflix’s ‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ draws 17 M views in first week
The three‑part documentary logged more than 17 million views in its first week, making it one of Netflix’s biggest non‑fiction hits of 2026 and debuting near the top of the platform’s global English‑language TV rankings. Directed by Nick Green, the series taps the enduring public fascination with the pop star’s 2005 trial.
Your Movie Rocks: Super Mario Bros.
The 1995 Super Mario Bros. film arrived with a $48 million budget, promising a live‑action translation of Nintendo’s iconic platformer, but its gritty, cyber‑punk reinterpretation clashed with the franchise’s family‑friendly image. Critical backlash and a domestic box‑office of only $20 million signaled a major misstep, effectively halting big‑budget video‑game adaptations for years. Over time the movie cultivated a cult following, influencing how studios approach game‑to‑film projects today. Modern successes show that respecting source‑material tone can revive the genre.
The Martini Shot (2025)
Stephen Wallis’s new existential comedy‑drama *The Martini Shot* debuts on UK digital platforms via Miracle Media. The film stars a veteran ensemble—including John Cleese, Derek Jacobi and Morgana Robinson—centered on a terminally ill director who stages a final, surreal shoot. While the cast...
Sound of Falling: There’s No Escape From Patriarchy in This Exquisitely Crafted Tale of German Women Through Time
Sound of Falling is a fragmented German arthouse film that follows four women across a century of patriarchal oppression. Director Mascha Schilinski and editor Evelyn Rack employ handheld, pinhole cinematography and abrupt cuts to dissolve linear narrative. Minimal dialogue is...
The Trap's Plot Holes Expose Unrealistic Law Enforcement Logic
I just watched The Trap on Netflix. What a garbage movie. 1. Why is the FBI Profiler in charge of the entire operation? 2. Why set up a trap/fake concert for a serial killer at a concert for kids? 3. Why have...
The Tasters (2025)
The Tasters, directed by Silvio Soldini, dramatizes the true‑story of seven German women forced to sample Adolf Hitler’s meals to guard against poison. Elisa Schlott leads as Rosa Sauer, a Berlin refugee who balances loyalty, love for an SS officer,...
Peaky Blinders Immortal Man Junket Highlights Cast and Cap
Hello from London and the @peakyblinders The Immortal Man junket. Just interviewed #cillianmurphy, #barrykeoghan, @rebecca_ferguson, tim_roth__ , #stevenknight and Tom Harper. Mixed in fun things with questions about the movie. Under embargo so can’t talk about the film. I can...
Dead Souls (2026) Rotterdam Film Festival 2026
Alex Cox’s 2026 film Dead Souls, debuting at the Rotterdam Film Festival, is the first Western‑made adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s surreal poem. The director blends classic frontier imagery with hallucinatory sequences, supported by striking cinematography from Ignacio Aguilar and Chance...
PODCAST: Getting a $75K Feature On HBO & Selling a Video Agency For $17MM With Stefan Van De Graaff
Filmmaker Stefan van de Graaff turned a $75,000 micro‑budget feature, *Simmer*, into an HBO title after the short went viral on Facebook, amassing one million views. He leveraged that success to finance a $1 million international production using tax incentives, grants,...
Desert Power: Óliver Laxe on the Spirituality and Unpredictability of His Desert Odyssey Sirāt
In 2025 the Louis Lumière theatre at Cannes was upgraded to Europe’s largest permanent Dolby Atmos system, unlocking height‑channel and object‑based audio. The first film screened in the new venue was Oliver Laxe’s desert odyssey Sirāt, which has earned a...
The Sommelier’s Amulet: Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman on The Napa Boys
Comedians Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman have written, co‑directed and starred in “The Napa Boys,” a self‑referential comedy that imagines a fourth installment of a fictional wine‑centric franchise. The film debuted in TIFF’s Midnight Madness program, screened in IMAX, and...
Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions Opens The Underground Cinema at 180 Studios
180 Studios has launched The Underground Cinema, a dedicated film venue, with a month‑long theatrical residency of Kahlil Joseph’s feature‑length work BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions. The film, adapted from Joseph’s acclaimed video‑art installation, blends fictionalized versions of W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus...
Legendary Star Shines in Project Hail Mary Preview
This week, I spoke to the cast and crew of the incredible new film Project Hail Mary. We’ll be slowly rolling out quotes, stories and clips as we head toward the March 20 release. But I had to drop this one...
Get Rich or Die Trying: John Patton Ford Shows Us How to Make a Killing While Balling on a Budget
John Patton Ford’s new film How to Make a Killing, released by A24, reworks his 2014 Black List script “Rothchild” into a modern American take on Kind Hearts and Coronets. The story follows anti‑hero Becket Redfellow, who murders seven heirs to...
Review: Scream 7
*Scream 7* returns with original creator Kevin Williamson at the helm, yet critics say it lacks the sharp wit of earlier installments. The film leans on new cast members and forced references to past characters, but delivers weak kills and overused...
The Film Comment Podcast: Akinola Davies Jr. On My Father’s Shadow
Filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. discusses his debut feature My Father’s Shadow on the Film Comment Podcast. The film, set in Lagos in 1993, follows two boys spending a day with their often‑absent father amid looming political unrest. Davies, who recently...
Sequels Dominate Box Office; Originals Become Long‑term Bets
As long as sequels like 'Zootopia 2' (which just passed 'Minecraft' to become 2025's top domestic grosser) are nabbing sky-high box office, the likes of 'Hoppers' and 'Encanto' can be viewed as long-term investments.
“I Wanted the Film to Have the Vignetted Existence of a Fable”: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat on His Genre-Bending Berlinale Premiere...
Pakistani director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s supernatural horror‑musical Lali debuted in Berlin’s Panorama, marking Pakistan’s first all‑local film at the Berlinale. Inspired by a family short story, the film fuses horror, black comedy, folk songs and a vivid red‑purple palette to explore...
What Does AI Mean for Filmmakers
The article frames artificial intelligence as the latest disruptive wave in filmmaking, comparable to the shifts from celluloid to video and then to digital. AI is portrayed not merely as a faster tool but as a structural change affecting creation,...
Mummy Teaser Leans on Cryptic Question, Not Visuals
Save for one spoiler-y (and unconvincing) image, the second tease for the latest 'Mummy' hopes a tantalizing question will entice audiences for an otherwise cryptic concoction.
Comrade X (1940)
Comrade X, a 1940 King Vidor comedy starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr, was produced during the brief Nazi‑Soviet non‑aggression pact. The film satirizes the uneasy alliance, featuring a Soviet heroine who ends the story driving a tank, and includes...
Turner and Constable (2026)
The new documentary "Turner and Constable" (2026) commemorates the 250th birthdays of J.M.W. Turner and John Constable, pairing their rival yet complementary landscapes with the current Tate Gallery exhibition. Director David Bickerstaff eschews a conventional narrative, using curators, sketchbooks and...
Baz Luhrmann Found Lost Elvis Footage and Turned It Into a Dreamscape
In this episode, Jim Hempill interviews director Baz Luhrmann about his new Elvis project, Epic Elvis Presley in Concert, which stitches together rare, unseen concert and behind‑the‑scenes footage into a dream‑like narrative told from Elvis’s own voice. Luhrmann explains how the lost...
Simeon Halligan’s ‘Past Life’ Gets a Limited Theatrical Release
British psychological thriller “Past Life”, directed by Simeon Halligan, opens a limited theatrical run on 20 March 2026 before a digital release on 6 April via Miracle Media. The film features an ensemble cast including Aneurin Barnard, Jeremy Piven, Pixie...