Today's Movies Pulse
Anya Taylor‑Joy joins ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ cast
Anya Taylor‑Joy has been added to the cast of New Line’s upcoming film *The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum*, playing Seren, a Sindar elf loyal to King Thranduil. The movie is directed by Andy Serkis, who also returns as Gollum, and Warner Bros. Pictures has set a worldwide release for December 17 2027.
Review: Pompei: Below the Clouds
Gianfranco Rosi’s new black‑and‑white documentary *Pompei: Below the Clouds* offers a poetic, narration‑free portrait of life in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The film juxtaposes serene daily routines with the ever‑present threat of volcanic eruption, using stark imagery and ambient sound to convey tension. Released in limited theaters and slated for streaming on MUBI on March 27, the work follows Rosi’s acclaimed *Fire at Sea* and echoes the visual intensity of *Fire of Love*. Critics praise its visual mastery while noting the slow pace may challenge mainstream viewers.
Triumph of the Toons: How Animation Came to Rule the Box Office
Animation has become the dominant force at the global box office, eclipsing many live‑action franchises. Disney‑Pixar’s latest release, “Hoppers,” showcases a breakthrough technology that lets a teen’s consciousness inhabit a robotic beaver, merging sci‑fi concepts with environmental storytelling. The film’s...
Project Hail Mary: Visually Spectacular, Hopeful IMAX Must‑See
#ProjectHailMary is a beacon of happy, feel-good hope when we all need it the most. Might be the most visually spectacular film this year. A towering achievement & a must see in IMAX. Greig Fraser’s cinematography & Daniel Pemberton’s score...
Plague and Panic in 1870s Wisconsin: Inside the Apocalyptic Western A Prayer for the Dying
"A Prayer for the Dying" is a 2026 apocalyptic western set in 1870 Wisconsin, adapted from Stewart O’Nan’s 1999 novel by writer‑director Dara Van Dusen. The film follows a physician (John C. Reilly) and a pastor‑veteran (Johnny Flynn) as diphtheria...
Evan Mascagni & Joe Keith Bickett on the Myth, Injustice, and Legacy of The Cornbread Mafia: Podcast
Evan Mascagni’s documentary, debuting at SXSW, chronicles the Cornbread Mafia—a group of Kentucky farmers who turned to marijuana cultivation in the late 1970s. The film relies on extensive interviews with co‑founder Joe Keith Bickett to separate myth from reality, revealing a profit‑driven...
Release Rundown: What to Watch in March, From “Undertone” To “André Is an Idiot”
Sundance’s March slate blends horror, documentary, and speculative fiction, featuring titles like the sound‑driven thriller *undertone*, the darkly comic end‑of‑life documentary *André is an Idiot*, and the post‑apocalyptic podcast drama *Didn’t Die*. The lineup also includes the macabre romance *Dead...
Damon Albarn Confirms He’s Scoring Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI Movie Artificial
Damon Albarn confirmed he is scoring Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film Artificial, a dramatization of OpenAI’s 2023 leadership crisis. In a Needle Drop interview Albarn argued that AI cannot replicate the soulful intuition behind artistic creation. The movie stars Andrew Garfield...
How The Secret Agent Became Brazil’s Reluctant Political Rorschach Test
Brazil’s period drama *The Secret Agent* has emerged as a surprise Oscar contender, leading the domestic box office among Best Picture nominees. The film’s success coincides with Brazil’s October presidential election, where incumbent Lula seeks a historic fourth term against...
SXSW Vice President of Film & TV Claudette Godfrey Talks 2026 Festival Line-Up
SXSW 2026 will run film, TV, music and comedy programming concurrently for the first time, thanks to expanded hotel capacity in Austin. Vice‑President Claudette Godfrey explains the tighter ten‑day schedule forced a more deliberate curation process, emphasizing discovery and diverse...
HLYNUR PÁLMASON - Writer / Director
In this episode of the Team Deacons Podcast, writer‑director Hlynur Pálmason discusses his unconventional path from childhood fascination with images and sound to studying photography, working odd jobs, and ultimately graduating from the Danish film school. He explains how collaborative...
Watch a Haunting Theatrical Scene From ‘Hamnet’
Chloé Zhao’s film “Hamnet,” starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In a newly released “Anatomy of a Scene” video, Zhao narrates a pivotal moment where Agnes (Buckley) watches her husband...
Did You Know These Oscar-Nominated Actresses Started in Reality TV?
Hollywood’s newest Oscar nominees—Jessie Buckley, Teyana Taylor and Emma Stone—all began their careers on reality‑TV competitions. The article traces Buckley’s 2008 debut on the talent show I’ll Do Anything and notes similar origins for Taylor and Stone, echoing earlier Oscar...
BFI Innovation Challenge Fund Invests £350k to Support Equitable Futures in Screen Through ‘ACES: AI, Carbon, Equity, Skills’ Led by...
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund has awarded £350,000 to Goldsmiths, University of London to launch the ACES programme – AI, Carbon, Equity, Skills. ACES will unite academic partners, industry leaders and NGOs to explore AI’s workforce impact, carbon...
The Dummy Detective: Here’s Looking at You, Doll
The Dummy Detective is a low‑budget indie film that blends classic film‑noir tropes with a ventriloquist‑detective premise, positioning itself as both homage and satire. Written and headlined by professional ventriloquist Jonathan Geffner, the movie leans on Sean Young’s quirky innkeeper...
Pixar Still Delivers Films on Par with Classics
Not every Pixar flick has risen to the level of ‘Finding Nemo’ or ‘Up,’ but that doesn’t mean the studio hasn’t semi-regularly produced new toons on par with its 2000s-era classics. @scott_alan_mendelson’s early review of Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’)
How To Make A Killing – The BRWC Review
John Patton Ford’s second feature *How to Make a Killing* attempts a satirical, class‑based thriller but delivers a bland, undercooked narrative. The film follows Beckett Redfellow, a low‑level salesman who murders his billionaire relatives to claim a $10 billion inheritance, yet it...
For Once, the Oscars Are Unpredictable
The Oscar race has become unusually fluid, with the usual frontrunners reduced to maybes as final voting approaches. Michael B. Jordan’s surprise best‑actor win for *Sinners* at the SAG Awards rattled the field, while Sean Penn’s supporting win and Amy Madigan’s horror‑genre...
Game of Thrones Franchise Continues to Evolve With Movie in Production
Warner Bros. and HBO have moved a Game of Thrones movie into production, with former House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon attached to pen the screenplay. The film aims to extend the franchise beyond television, potentially focusing on the legendary...
A Matter of Time: L.A. Confidential and the Art of Aging Well
L.A. Confidential, Curtis Hanson’s 1997 neo‑noir thriller, earned nine Oscar nominations but only two wins, losing Best Picture to Titanic. While critics’ groups crowned it Best Picture across major cities, the film has outlasted many contemporaries, becoming a benchmark for...
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...
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...