It is widely accepted among enthusiasts that filmmaking is an inherently collaborative art form. This belief is vividly illustrated by the mesmerizing films of the English director Michael Powell and his Hungarian counterpart Emeric Pressburger. Their cinema masterpieces from the 1940s, such as “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “Black Narcissus” and “The Red … Read more
Harvey Weinstein, the once-powerful Hollywood producer currently facing a rape retrial in New York, has once again been admitted to the hospital. According to records from the New York Corrections Department, the 72-year-old Weinstein was moved from the Rikers Island jail complex to a secure ward at Bellevue Hospital. Weinstein is receiving treatment at Bellevue … Read more
Welcome! This is Mark Olsen bringing you your regular guide to the world of Exceptional Movies. We have been experiencing a remarkable period for movie lovers in Los Angeles. However, this week marks a setback with the closing of the Westwood Village and Bruin theaters. The Westwood Village has been a long-standing venue for glamorous … Read more
Welcome to Screen Banter, the newsletter for those feeling the intensity right now. That is, the intensity of “Love Island USA.” This series, a spin-off from the original UK version, which we analyzed in depth in 2022, has monopolized the discussion among reality TV enthusiasts this summer like never before. This week’s “Guest Appearance” subject, … Read more
In the era of Y2K, a memorable line was sung by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182: “Well, I guess this is growing up.” The band’s popular track “Dammit” came out in 1997, a decade before the timeline of Sean Wang’s first narrative feature, “Dìdi”, which is set in 2008 Fremont, California. Still, the touching pop-punk sentiment … Read more
The Monterey County Health Department has confirmed that Christina Sandera, Clint Eastwood’s longtime partner, passed away due to a heart attack. The immediate cause of her death was cited as cardiac arrhythmia, a condition characterized by irregular heartbeats due to malfunctioning electrical impulses in the heart, as defined by the Mayo Clinic. A secondary contributing … Read more
Following months of on-set snaps and interviews from red-carpet events, Searchlight Pictures unveiled the teaser trailer for director James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biographical film “A Complete Unknown” on Wednesday morning. Along with showcasing his physical metamorphosis into the legendary musician, the teaser provided a brief glimpse of his singing ability. The actor performs Dylan’s 1963 … Read more
“Time Bandits,” an upcoming series on Apple TV+, is a delightful adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s incredible 1981 comedic fantasy adventure. The show, developed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, and Iain Morris, is engaging, amusing, and entertaining, stretching the original film’s concepts into a TV series without losing its essence. However, it’s advisable to separate the … Read more
There was an era, not too distant in the past or in a remote universe, when the summer cinema scene wasn’t overpopulated with forgettable fantasy and science-fiction tentpoles. During this time, studios and distributors hadn’t yet learned to place all their bets on a decreasing number of worn-out franchises. As Chris Nashawaty points out in … Read more
The last time Deadpool graced the big screen was before a global pandemic and a new presidential reign. It’s been six long years since Ryan Reynolds’ iconic character, the fast-talking anti-hero known as the “merc with a mouth”, appeared in “Deadpool 2” in 2018. A lot has happened since then, including corporate mergers and acquisitions … Read more
