One of the more anticipated films of the upcoming holiday season, Ridley Scott's House of Gucci dropped a trailer today in addition to several buzz-inducing character posters. Right off the bat, the film is already getting recognition for its hair and makeup work, thanks to the shocking transformation of Jared Leto -- unrecognizable in his character poster and in the just-released trailer. What to make of the film itself? It certainly looks visually stunning. It's a well cut trailer that gets tons of mileage out of the costumes, production design, famous faces, and a brilliantly chosen "Heart of Glass." But...

I was sent an anonymous DM today that I would like to answer publicly - I have no idea who this person is. It's an "alt account" by someone who is like so many others - living with the growing dread that we just moved through something that has forever altered how we evaluate film: The left has won. Like is there any coming back from this? All of Gen z is on board as is the entire media. How do you beat that? It seems insurmountable. Is it insurmountable? Maybe. Maybe this is the new normal or maybe it...

Will Smith looks to be headed for the Best Actor race, and if trailers are any indication, this looks great all the way around. https://youtu.be/BKP_0z52ZAw “All my life I’ve been waiting for this…a Williams is going to win.” Will Smith is #KingRichard in the inspiring true story of the coach/mentor/father that brought us Venus & Serena Williams. In Theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max November 19. Based on the true story that will inspire the world, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “King Richard follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted...

Here's your first look at Netflix / Sony Pictures Animation's Vivo, which features the vocal and songwriting talents of Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda. The animated feature drops Friday, August 6, only on Netflix. Director: Kirk DeMicco Writers: Kirk DeMicco, Quiara Alegría Hudes Story By: Peter Barsocchini and Quiara Alegría Hudes Producers: Lisa Stewart, p.g.a.; Michelle L.M. Wong, p.g.a.; Rich Moore Original Songs By: Lin-Manuel Miranda Executive Producers: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Laurence Mark, Louis Koo Tin Lok, Alex Lacamoire Score By: Alex Lacamoire Voice Cast: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Vivo), Zoe Saldaña (Rosa), Juan de Marcos (Andrés), Brian Tyree Henry (Dancarino), Michael Rooker (Lutador), Nicole...

A while back Matt Damon did something no one else in Hollywood, or those that cover Hollywood, films or the Oscar race would ever do. He showed compassion for Trump supporters. This didn't turn out to be a big deal as one might assume. That's maybe because the movie he was in Cannes to represent, Tom McCarthy's Stillwater, has yet to hit theaters. Perhaps the hive mind has not awakened to this aspect of the movie, in which he portrays a rural oil worker from Oklahoma. Or maybe they just couldn't bring themselves to summon hatred with such a kind...

Paul Schrader's hotly anticipated upcoming film THE CARD COUNTER dropped a new trailer today. Starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish, this revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler who gives guidance to a young man (Tye Sheridan) out for revenge against a mutual enemy. The film also features Willem Dafoe. Take a look at the full trailer below. Will we see Schrader's film at Telluride?

The thrilling, emotionally-charged climbing documentary, THE ALPINIST, will hit U.S. theaters on Sept. 10, 2021, following a Sept. 7 nationwide Fathom Events premiere featuring exclusive bonus content including an interview with Directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen. An intimate portrait of Marc-André Leclerc, a visionary solo climber driven by a simple love of the mountains, THE ALPINIST is produced by Red Bull Media House in association with Sender Films (THE DAWN WALL) and was an official selection of 2020 Telluride and SXSW Film Festivals. Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old Canadian...

Venice has revealed its final lineup - looking at The Power of the Dog, the Card Counter, and perhaps Spencer to make it to Telluride. VENEZIA 78 – COMPETITION Madres Paralelas, dir: Pedro Almodovar Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, dir: Ana Lily Amirpour Un Autre Monde, dir: Stéphane Brizé The Power Of The Dog, dir: Jane Campion America Latina, dir: Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo L’Evénement, dir: Audrey Diwan Competencia Oficial, dirs: Gaston Duprat, Mariano Cohn Il Buco, dir: Michelangelo Frammartino Sundown, dir: Michel Franco Illusions Perdues, dir: Xavier Giannoli The Lost Daughter, dir: Maggie Gyllenhaal Spencer, dir: Pablo Larrain...

There is a version of Ali that would have pleased almost everyone. A safe version that played like a ‘greatest hits’ record and gave you all of the swells and swoons the average moviegoer could have hoped for. It’s clear from the first moments of the film that Michael Mann did not make that version.  The first nine minutes of Mann’s Ali is one of the most remarkable intros to any film I’ve ever seen. In that short span of time, Mann shows us a young Ali reading the Emmet Till headline and also a mature Ali witnessing a speech...

In a surprise twist, a new poll released indicates that Generation Z does not approve of "cancel culture." If that is true, and if the lurch towards social justice by Big Corporate and Hollywood is designed to appeal to the future generation, something has quietly and silently flown off the rails. The corporations, Hollywood, and the media tend to draw its information from Twitter. But Twitter is comprised of 15% of users who dominate 80% of its content.  That is not representative of the majority. It could very well be that the industry that seeks to appeal to Gen-Z is,...

Every year, our good friend Michael Patterson keeps tracks of movies that may or may not be going to Telluride. It is a bit of a game of cat and mouse since Telluride doesn't release their lineup until the day before the festival. Patterson has surprisingly not been given press accreditation to the festival again this year. He does cover the festival probably better than anyone else online for my money. Anyway, he writes about this week's potential lineup compared to last week's: Well, this is weird.  Normally. the first Ten bets after Toronto's first announcement of titles causes a...

AppleTV+'s Ted Lasso feels set to dominate this year's Emmy Awards. It's no coincidence that AppleTV+ released its second season just before the start of final round Emmy voting. Will that strategy work in the end? How does season two of Ted Lasso stack up against its award-winning freshman outing? We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!     Music from https://filmmusic.io “Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY...

The Water Cooler Gang reveals their favorite TV shows of 2021 (so far). We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!     Music from https://filmmusic.io “Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Just days after Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso overperformed at this year's Emmy Awards, the show picked up nods for Individual Achievement in Comedy for Jason Sudeikis, New Program, and Achievement in Comedy. Emmy snub, Girls5Eva, picked up a nomination for Achievement in Comedy while Thuso Mbedu received notice for her subtle, powerful work on The Underground Railroad--also unjustly snubbed by the Television Academy. Recent Comedy winners include Schitt's Creek and Fleabag. Will Ted Lasso easily walk away with honors at TCA and then the Emmys? Individual Achievement in Drama Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You” (HBO) Ethan Hawke, “The Good...