News

Another week, another award for Timothée Chalamet.

On Monday, the Palm Springs International Film Festival announced that the 28-year-old American actor will receive the Chairman’s Award at its annual gala on Jan. 3, 2025. This honor specifically recognizes Chalamet’s performance in James Mangold‘s “A Complete Unknown” from Searchlight Pictures, a biopic of music legend Bob Dylan.

This news comes one week after he was announced as the Arlington Artist of the Year Award honoree at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and two weeks after he and Mangold were both named as the Visionary Tribute honorees at the Gotham Awards.

The Palm Springs International Film Awards will take place at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the 11-day festival running between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13. The event will be presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by “Entertainment Tonight.”

Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said, “Timothée Chalamet embodies one of the most...

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Nov 29-Dec 1)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Moana 2(Disney) £12m £12m 1 2. Wicked(Universal) £8.3m £28.5m 2 3. Gladiator II(Paramount) £2.6m £23.4m 3 4. Paddington In Peru(Studiocanal) £1.8m £27.3m 4 5. Conclave(Black Bear) £886,000 £1.1m 1

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27

It was another record-breaking weekend at the UK and Ireland box office as Moana 2 sailed to the top with a £12m debut for Disney.

The sequel had the third-highest opening of the year, behind last week’s Wicked (£13.7m) and Deadpool & Wolverine (£12.6m) but was ahead of fellow Disney animation Inside Out 2 which scored an £11.3m debut back in June.

Marshall Brickman, the writer and director known for co-writing some of Woody Allen‘s earlier works, died November 29 in Manhattan. He was 85.

The Oscar winner’s daughter Sophie Brickman announced that her father died Friday in Manhattan, following more than 50 years of writing, directing and producing for the stage and screen.

A cause of death was not provided, according to The New York Times.

After teaming up with Allen on the 1973 sci-fi comedy Sleeper, they co-wrote the hit satirical romantic-comedy Annie Hall together, earning both men an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The duo also collaborated on Allen’s 1979 followup Manhattan, which earned them another screenplay nomination. They teamed again on the 1993 dark comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery.

Born Aug. 25, 1939 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brickman studied science and music with plans to become a doctor. After joining folk band The Tarriers in 1962, recording a banjo album that would later become...

In The Rule of Jenny Pen, Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) begins his journey in a world of order and power, governing his courtroom with the kind of intellectual precision that only a lifetime of legal experience can hone. The film begins with a striking scene in which Stefan collapses from a stroke in the middle of a vehement condemnation of a child predator.

It’s a tragic and ironic moment, as the man who formerly controlled the lives of others is abruptly deprived of his freedoms. While many films focus on the emotional aftermath of such a life-altering moment, James Ashcroft wastes no time putting Stefan in a new environment that will challenge his sense of control even more deeply.

Royale Pine Mews, Stefan’s assisted living facility, is introduced with the same icy sterility as a courtroom. The monotony of acoustic guitar singalongs and the dreary buzz of...

Red One Box Office (North America): To Beat Killers Of The Flower Moon (Photo Credit – Facebook/Instagram)

Dwayne Johnson is a star and one of the biggest ones in Hollywood. The Rock is proving his star power at the box office, as his film Red One is beating Leonardo DiCaprio and his film Killer of the Flower Moon in the United States. The movie grossed unbelievable numbers on Black Friday, experiencing a hike of almost 50% from last Friday. Keep scrolling for the deets.

Killers of the Flower Moon was released in 2023. It was co-produced and directed by Martin Scorsese and starred one of his favorites, Leonardo DiCaprio, in the leading role. The film also featured Rober De Niro and Lily Gladstone alongside Leo as part of the lead cast. The supporting cast included Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser. It is available on Apple TV+.

Like Red One,...

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’ (Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024)

Oscar-winning director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) believes Conclave comes as close to the truth about what transpires during the selection of a pope as any outsider has ever come. Based on Robert Harris’ bestselling novel, Conclave presents the secretive papal election as a high-stakes thriller, with the Catholic Cardinals manipulated like chess pieces by those who crave ultimate power.

A progressive pope’s death sets the game in motion, with Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the dean of the College of Cardinals, overseeing the conclave to select the next pope. The gurney carrying the pope’s body is barely out of sight when the jockeying for position begins. Alliances are forged, and plans are put in place to secure the required 72 votes to become pope.

The pope’s death comes...

There are five movies in the "Dirty Harry" series, in which Clint Eastwood embodies Inspector Harry Callahan, who emerges as an antihero figure unafraid to bend the rules. Although Callahan's methods are unorthodox, they are incredibly effective. "Go ahead, make my day," he drawls before brandishing a gun to apprehend criminals. When the "Dirty Harry" franchise was still looking for potential scripts, Fred Dekker — who penned the screenplay for 2018's "The Predator" — wrote a spec script that ended up being turned down by Eastwood. What exactly happened here?

Per Dekker himself, this rejected spec script for the "Dirty Harry" franchise was remodeled later into the 1991 crime thriller, "Ricochet," with Denzel Washington playing the lead role originally intended for Eastwood. Dekker told The Flashback Files that he had accidentally mirrored the plot of "Cape Fear" (which he claims to have not seen at the time) for his "Dirty Harry" installment...

Spellbound is not to be confused with the 1945 Alfred Hitchcock film noir of the same name. Nor is it to be confused with the 2002 spelling bee documentary of the same name. Nor the 2011 South Korean film of the same name about a man whose girlfriend can see ghosts. This is, in fact, the second film from Skydance Animation, the new animation outfit headed by former Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, who left his previous company after allegations of sexual misconduct. Skydance seems to have deep pockets and grand ambitions of making moves on its competitors: its first film, the 2022 fantasy Luck, seemed to be an attempt to ape Pixar’s formula. This sophomore effort is going for the big guns: it’s the studio’s take on Walt Disney Animation.

There is much here that feels plucked from the Mouse House. It’s a high-concept high-fantasy, awash with Hans Christian Andersen-ian tropes,...

Exclusive: In a highly competitive situation, 20th looks to have found something to be thankful for as it has landed rights to The Barrier, the hot time-travel package teaming All Quiet on the Western Front helmer Edward Berger and Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler. Based on the short story by MacMillan Hedges, Deadline first reported that package was hitting the market before Thanksgiving holiday last Wednesday and had every major bidder in town chasing.

Insiders say the package had 11 studios chasing it with 20th landing winning bid and while exact details are unknown sources say the sale came in around the seven figure range for the rights as well as for Hedges to adapt.

Disney Live-Action And 20th Century Studio President David Greenbaum was very hands on in the process and insiders say one of the big selling points was a blind script deal for another project for Hedges down the road.

It’s one of the biggest weekends of the year, not just because we’ve all stuffed ourselves with turkey and pie, and not just because we’re all madly dashing to get our shopping done for the holidays. It’s also that rare, long weekend where we have time to actually go to the movies, and possibly bring the whole family. This year there are a lot of great movies at the multiplex, from award-winning international features, Academy Awards contenders with ambition to spare, beautiful movies the whole family can enjoy, and genre flicks aplenty to scare and to thrill you. So to help make the decision of what to see if you want to ditch streaming for a day, we’ve curated a helpful list.

These are the best of the very best movies in theaters this weekend.

A still from “All We Imagine as Light.” All We Imagine As Light...

Directed with precision and flair by Edward Berger (All Quiet On The Western Front) and adapted from Robert Harris’s gripping 2016 novel by Peter Straughan, Conclave is a masterful blend of mystery, political intrigue, and character drama. Anchored by a tour-de-force performance from the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes, the film takes us deep into the corridors of the Vatican, where faith and ambition collide in the wake of a papal death.

The plot centres on Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), a dutiful, introspective leader tasked with overseeing the election of the next pope after the sudden death of the Holy pontiff. What begins as a solemn ritual soon spirals into a taut thriller as Cardinal Lawrence uncovers secrets and scandals surrounding some of the candidates. The arrival of the enigmatic Archbishop Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who claims to have been made a cardinal of Kabul in secret, adds another layer of...

Moana 2 takes to the seas at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as the Disney sequel launches in 630 cinemas.

The sequel opens wider than the 533 venues of its predecessor back in 2016. That title debuted with a mild £2.2m but had a solid run overall, surpassing £20m.

Moana 2sees the eponymous islander, voiced by Auli‘i Cravalho, embark on a journey to find a mythical, lost island. Dwayne Johnson also returns to the voice cast while new additions include comedian Rose Matafeo and Hualalai Chung.

It will have fierce competition from Wicked, fresh from having the UK’s biggest...

Fiennes is broodingly compelling as a potential English pope caught up in murky Vatican intrigue around choosing the next pontiff

Who knew that the laborious process of democracy, of simply voting over and over again, could be so exciting and so amusing? Edward Berger’s drama is adapted with masterly flair by screenwriter Peter Straughan from the Robert Harris pageturner; Ralph Fiennes is on sumptuous form as the deeply troubled Cardinal Lawrence at the centre of a murky Vatican plot. The result is a high-camp gripper, like the world’s most serious Carry On film.

Fiennes’ character is Italian in Harris’s book, but Straughan makes him an Englishman: an unquiet soul who is theoretically on the verge of becoming the first English pope since Adrian IV, although no one is so vulgar or nationalistic as to point that out. With the ailing pope in extremis, Cardinal Lawrence arrives at...

Ralph Fiennes impresses as a doubtful cardinal tasked to find a new Pope in Edward Berger’s thriller. Here’s our Conclave review.

Filmmakers have a habit of telling stories about men of God having doubts. Films like Signs, Silence and The Exorcist have certainly engaged audiences through the years, but director Edward Berger takes a different approach to religion and the Catholic church with Conclave. Based on Richard Harris’ novel of the same name, Conclave exhibits doubt over the entire institution, which is a risky, bold stand to take for a big screen wide release feature.

Plot-wise, after the current pope suddenly dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked to arrange the eponymous conclave to choose a replacement. Several cardinals from all over the world shut themselves into a building to debate and vote for a new pope, but as it turns out, this lot of men are just...

Ralph Fiennes, Stanly Tucci, and John Lithgow have all had very storied careers, and Conclave brings these three legends together like never before. Among many of the things that the trio talked about with The Guardian, Fiennes gave his two cents about the election of Donald Trump to the President’s Office.

Conclave || Credit: Indian Paintbrush

Donald Trump’s election was a major upset for a lot of Hollywood institutions, a slew of which had endorsed his opponent, the Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Fiennes’s thesis about the President-elect winning took a deeper look into what his campaign said to the people.

Ralph Fiennes believes Trump is a great storyteller Donal Trump || Credit: Joe Rogan Podacast (via YouTube)

Speaking with The Guardian about why he believes Donald Trump won the election, Fiennes had a very interesting thought about the whole situation. According to the actor:

I think it comes back...

Shrek is one of the most beloved franchises in film history.

Based on the 1990 children’s book of the same name by William Steig, the 2001 film became a hit, spawning multiple sequels and spinoff series.

The movie centers around Shrek (Mike Myers), who lives in a swamp. When his home is taken over by fairy tale creatures banished by Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), he teams up with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and makes a deal with Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in exchange for taking back control of his swamp.

We’ve put together all of the movies in the Shrek universe, including the spinoffs, and ranked them from lowest to highest, based on aggregate reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.

Click through to see what is the best movie in the Shrek series…...

Conclave Box Office (North America): 5th Weekend Update (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Indie or arthouse films really ruled the theatres these past few months. From Terrifier 3 to Civil War, and more emerged as winners at the domestic box office and worldwide, too. Conclave is a significant film that has been in the domestic top 5 list for weeks. It held its ground at the US box office despite other releases. Scroll below for the deets.

It was released at the same time as Venom: The Last Dance in the US. It was released in 1,753 theatres and collected $6.60 million on its opening weekend. It is also raking in winning numbers on its fifth weekend. The mystery thriller film was directed by Edward Berger and features Ralph Fiennes in the lead role, alongside Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. The film’s estimated budget was $20 million.

According to BoxOfficeReport.

Universal’s screen adaptation of “Wicked” dominated the U.K. and Ireland box office with a commanding £13.7 million ($17.2 million) debut, according to numbers from Comscore.

The musical fantasy leads a robust frame that saw Paramount’s “Gladiator II” maintain strong momentum in its sophomore session with £4.7 million, pushing its cumulative total to £18.4 million.

Studiocanal’s “Paddington in Peru” continues to demonstrate impressive holds in its third weekend, collecting £4.2 million for a running total of £24.5 million. Warner Bros.’ “Red One” secured fourth position with £866,764, bringing its three-week total to £5.9 million.

Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Heretic” rounded out the top five with £205,457, accumulating £5.4 million over four weeks. Universal’s “The Wild Robot” placed sixth with £183,578 (£13.5 million total), while Lionsgate U.K.’s “Small Things Like These” ranked seventh with £166,803 (£3.5 million total).

Trafalgar Releasing’s Metropolitan Opera presentation of “Tosca” debuted in eighth place with £129,206, followed by Polish holiday entry “Listy Do M. 6” from Magnetes Pictures,...

Veteran director Vicky Jenson, best known as one of two helmers of Oscar winning “Shrek,” returned to the storybook world for her latest project: Skydance Animation’s sophomore feature, the musical “Spellbound,” which is now available on Netflix. But it was its contemporary theme that attracted her to the project.

“The story was about a family going through a very difficult time and coming out on the other end with love and better understanding — even in a hard situation, the family itself, it’s bound by love, regardless of whether they end up together or not by the end of the movie,” she says.

In the story, a spell transforms the King and Queen of Lumbria (Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman) into monsters, and their tenacious daughter Ellian, voiced by Rachel Zegler, take on the responsibly to save her family.

“She is the hero,” Jenson says of her young protagonist.

Tom Wolfe's social satire "The Bonfire of the Vanities" was published in 1987 and was constructed as a wry, readable send-up of New York's high society at the time. Its story follows a callow yuppie named Sherman McCoy who, while out on a drive with his mistress Maria, accidentally head into the Bronx. A series of small misunderstandings results in Maria taking the wheel and accidentally running over a Black teenager, Henry Lamb, then fleeing the scene. The accident is covered by a burned-out tabloid reporter named Peter Fallow, whose reporting leads to McCoy's arrest. The bulk of the narrative then focuses on McCoy's trial. No one is wholly good in "Bonfire," and most of the characters are largely bad.

The book was infamously adapted into a feature film by Brian De Palma in 1990, and, boy howdy, is it bad. Every character is miscast, with Tom Hanks playing Sherman...

Spellbound is a beautiful story about transformation and resilience. The film follows Princess Ellian, a vibrant and determined young royal, as she sets out on a perilous journey to save her family and her kingdom. Vicky Jenson, known for her work on Shrek, directed it, and Skydance Animation produced it. Ellian must carry the burden of royal duty while keeping her parents, the king and queen, secret because a curse has transformed them into monstrous creatures.

With its heartwarming storytelling, stunning visuals, and memorable music by Alan Menken, the famous Egot-winning composer behind Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, this animated musical fantasy is sure to captivate audiences.

Thanks to its stellar voice cast, which includes Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and John Lithgow, Spellbound is sure to captivate audiences of all ages. The film was released on Netflix and in a few theaters in the U.S. on...

With the Governors Awards just behind us, the Thanksgiving break right in front of us, every major awards hopeful having finally screened for pundits (the last one was unveiled on Wednesday evening) and the 97th Oscars exactly 100 days away, now seems as good a time as any to do a thorough temperature-check of the Oscar race.

Best picture

The main headline, at this point, is that there is no clear frontrunner, unlike a year ago when Oppenheimer was clearly ahead of the pack. Rather, there are, in my estimation, six films that look all but assured of landing one of the category’s 10 slots. Alphabetically, they are: Neon’s Anora, A24’s The Brutalist, Focus’ Conclave, Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, Paramount’s September 5 and Universal’s Wicked. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Anora, which won Cannes’ Palme d’Or, is Sean Baker’s portrait of a stripper-turned-sex worker...

When it comes to princess songs, there’s no bigger name in the game than Alan Menken. That’s why Skydance Animation turned to the legendary eight-time Oscar winner to write music for and score its sweeping new animated musical “Spellbound.”

In the film, streaming now on Netflix, Rachel Zegler stars as Princess Ellian, a teenager who seeks to break a spell that’s turned her royal parents (Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem) into monsters. John Lithgow, Jennifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess and Nathan Lane also lend their voices to the whimsical fairytale epic.

“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast” composer Menken was joined by frequent collaborator Glenn Slater (“Tangled”), who served as the project’s lyricist. “Glenn Slater really captures the feeling that goes along with Alan’s music in such a beautiful way,” Zegler says in an exclusive new featurette about the making of the film’s music.

Spellbound (2024) is a captivating musical adventure drama set in the enchanting kingdom of Lumbria. The story follows Princess Ellian, a spirited fifteen-year-old who dreams of living a normal life. However, her wish is far from reality, as her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, have been cursed and transformed into monstrous beings.

Ellian must hide their condition to protect the royal secret, fearing the kingdom’s reaction, where the cursed monarchs might face capture or destruction. Determined to save her parents, Ellian enlists the help of the wise advisors Bolinar and Nazara. Despite their efforts, the solution remains elusive—until Ellian is guided by the Oracles of the Sun and Moon.

The Oracles reveal that the King and Queen can only regain their human forms if they have the will to change. They must journey to the mystical Lake of Light, where their transformation hinges on their own desire to break the curse.

With all the behind-the-scenes makings of an animated classic, Spellbound features a talented voice cast and a can’t-miss creative team for a family movie with a whole lot of heart.

Directed by DreamWorks alum Vicky Jenson, Spellbound marks John Lasseter and Skydance Animation’s follow-up to Luck (2022), after he was ousted from Disney/Pixar following an impressive filmography that included Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Tangled (2010) and many more. His latest feature, now streaming on Netflix, certainly lives up to that tenure.

In Spellbound, teen princess Ellian of Lumbria wants to spend her days flying griffins around the kingdom with her friends, but for the past year, she’s had to cover for the king (Javier Bardem) and queen (Nicole Kidman) after they were magically transformed into monsters in the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness. When the kingdom learns their secret, Ellian escapes with her...

Plot: One year after her parents are cursed and become literal monsters, Princess Eilian ventures into the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness to find a cure that brings her parents back to their rightful forms before the kingdom discovers their secret.

Review: Princess-led animated films are a dime-a-dozen. Since 1937, when Snow White shacked up with seven dwarves and introduced the concept of a spell-breaking “true love kiss” to the masses, we’ve met many beauties in various states of distress and self-discovery. As Father Time has marched through ticks and tocks, his aging bones quivering inside his loosening skin, princesses evolved, gaining grace and agency in the face of mediocre princes and opportunistic father figures. Today, the Elsas, Meridas, Tianas, and Mulans of the world help redefine the princess in fiction and the eyes of adoring young women. We’ve reached a point when a princess can be a conduit...

Edward Berger’s follow-up to All Quiet On The Western Front is a slickly enjoyable papal popcorn piece about faith in institutions. Conclave may be set in the Vatican, but it’s practically modelled on American politics: one character even compares one of the movie’s many backroom meetings to a US political convention. And yet, Berger’s rich detail is specific, nicely combining the worlds of political and religious power play.

The movie opens on a distraught Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) making his way to the Holy Father’s chambers to confirm the Pope’s demise and prepare to elect his successor. Soon, all the pieces are in play, as Peter Straughan’s clockwork screenplay (adapted from the novel by Robert Harris) swiftly establishes each character and plot point like dominoes to be knocked down by hubris, interpersonal tensions hidden by smiling faces. The result is a wildly entertaining balancing act of egos,...

Musical Wicked is hoping to bewitch audiences this weekend, coming out in 698 sites for Universal.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the stage musical stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, with Jon M Chu directing.

Elphaba (Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda (Grande), a more conventional and popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. Their friendship is taken in a new direction after they cross paths with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Wicked is the third in a trio of blockbuster November...

As the Thanksgiving holiday and the end of the year quickly approach, there's going to be much more down time from school and work. That means it's time catch up on Netflix new releases and have lots of movie marathons and binge-watches. Thankfully, there's lots coming to our watch lists soon.

Going into the weekend before the week of Thanksgiving, the Netflix top 10 most popular TV shows ranking includes recent releases such as Cobra Kai, which dropped the second part of its final season ahead of its series finale next year, and animated series Arcane.

As for the most popular movies on Netflix right, the sexy Netflix original holiday rom-coms The Merry Gentlemen and Hot Frosty are still bringing in viewers, but there's still plenty more movies to discover on the top 10 ranking and in the weekend's new release lineup.

Looking for exciting new titles to watch with with family for movie night?...

The kid’s gonna be fine. It’s the parents who are not all right in “Spellbound,” a straight-to-Netflix computer-animated fairy tale with a smart concept (what’s a girl to do when her home life is shattered?) and its heart in the right place. If only the movie were transparent about its premise from the outset, as opposed to burying the explanation — as a real-world relevant twist — till nearly the end.

The film takes place in the fantasy kingdom of Lumbria, where the royal couple have been cursed. Once a reasonable ruler, King Solon (Javier Bardem) is now a speechless blue beast — albeit the cartoon-cute version of a rhinoceros-size creature, sporting an endearing underbite and an easily distractable, dog-like personality. His wife, Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman), suffers from an equivalent affliction. Gone is the fair-featured matriarch, replaced by a puffy green dragon with flamingo-pink feathers, gold horns and ridiculously small wings.

It’s clear from the start that Spellbound wants to be seen in the same light as the animated greats. You can draw many similarities between this and many of your favorite animated movies, Disney movies in particular. And while it has the framework to reach those heights, the inner workings aren’t entirely there.

Related Wicked Review — Wonderful Movie Musical Is Absolutely Magical Spellbound plot

Set in the magical world of Lumbria, Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler) has had a rough year. Her parents, King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman), were afflicted by a mysterious curse that turned them both into monsters.

Ellian and the royal staff are growing short of excuses for why the King and Queen have not been seen in public for the last year. With time running out before the curse cannot be reversed, Ellian must take on a daring and dangerous quest...

Director Edward Berger, known for All Quiet on the Western Front, and Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler are teaming up for The Barrier, a time-travel film that’s creating a lot of excitement in the industry.

Based on a short story by MacMillan Hedges, details about the plot are being kept secret, but insiders are comparing it to Interstellar mixed with Top Gun. Berger will direct and produce, working from a script by Hedges, who is also producing.

Butler is set to star and will executive produce. The project hit the market on Wednesday, sparking interest from top executives just ahead of Thanksgiving.

Berger, who won four Oscars for All Quiet on the Western Front (including Best International Feature Film), is now one of the most sought-after directors. His latest movie, Conclave, a thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, debuted in U.S. theaters in October after premiering at Telluride.

In Edward Berger’s Oscar-tipped drama, the three actors play cardinals vying to become pope. Ahead of the film’s UK release, they form a huddle to discuss fame, food – and why Trump won

Faith, death and vengeful vaping: of all the Oscar contenders this year, Conclave is the one that best combines chewy religious inquiry and lavish side-eye. Adapted by Wolf Hall screenwriter Peter Straughan from the Robert Harris novel, Conclave has been directed by All Quiet on the Western Front’s Edward Berger as a heavy-breathing battle for hearts, minds and power.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who, after the sudden death of the pope, must park his own religious doubts to wrangle the 113 cardinals who have descended on the Vatican. These men will be sequestered until they can elect one of their number as the new pontiff. Among them are the gentle progressive Bellini (Stanley Tucci...

Not all magic works as it should, and not all fairy tales have tidy endings. Families aren’t much different. While not the most consistently enchanting film, Skydance Animation’s Netflix offering Spellbound attempts to bring magic and family together in order to conjure a story about healing that fits our current moment.

Exclusive: All Quiet on the Western Front helmer Edward Berger and Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler are out to the town with The Barrier, a hot time-travel package that is expected to spur competitive bidding, sources tell Deadline.

Plot details for the film, based on a short story by MacMillan Hedges, are under wraps, though we hear it’s been discussed as Interstellar meets Top Gun. Berger will direct from a script by Hedges and produce alongside the scribe, with Butler to star and executive produce. The package hit the market Wednesday, as a big buzz title heading into Thanksgiving, with top executives around town asking to meet and hear the take.

After seeing his Netflix WWI epic All Quiet on the Western Front snap up four Oscars, including Best International Feature Film, the German-born Berger has emerged as one of the most sought-after directors around town. He’s in...

“Spellbound” is a new animated musical comedy feature, directed by Vicky Jenson, starring Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman, streaming November 22, 2024 on Netflix:

“…set in a world of magic known as ‘Lumbria’…

“… a young girl, ‘Ellian’ must break the spell that has transformed her parents into monsters and split her kingdom…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

How do the 2025 Oscars Best Picture contenders stack up on Rotten Tomatoes? And does the film with the highest freshness rating have a better shot at winning the big prize?

While critics’ scores don’t determine the Best Picture lineup (there are thousands of highly-rated movies each year), once the lineup is selected by AMPAS, there are at least a few tea leaves worth noting. For instance, the only film to win Best Picture in the last 10 years with a freshness rating lower than 90% is “Green Book,” which has a Tomatometer score of just 77%.

Last year’s winner, “Oppenheimer,” holds a formidable 93%, but it didn’t rank first among it’s competitors. That distinction went to “The Holdovers,” which has a rating of 97%. So, a movie doesn’t have to have the highest score, but it certainly helps its chances. And falling below 90% would put any movie at an extreme disadvantage,...

In her nearly 50-year film career, Isabella Rossellini has played everything from a tortured nightclub singer to Beethoven’s lover to a mysteriously young 71-year-old doctor. Most recently, Rossellini received acclaim for her role as a nun in “Conclave,” and so it’s the perfect time to take a look back at her life and eclectic film career. Scroll through our photo gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see the 10 best Isabella Rossellini movies, ranked.

Rossellini and her twin sister Isotta were born in Rome on June 18, 1952, to Golden Era legend Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini. As a child, Rossellini underwent 18 months of grueling procedures to correct scoliosis. In 1976, she made her film debut with a small role as a nun caring for a dying countess played by her mother in the Vincente Minnelli fantasy film “A Matter of Time.” However, it was a few...

In her nearly 50-year film career, Isabella Rossellini has played everything from a tortured nightclub singer to Beethoven’s lover to a mysteriously young 71-year-old doctor. Most recently, Rossellini received acclaim for her role as a nun in “Conclave,” and so it’s the perfect time to take a look back at her life and eclectic film career. Scroll through our photo gallery below to see the 10 best Isabella Rossellini movies, ranked.

Rossellini and her twin sister Isotta were born in Rome on June 18, 1952, to Golden Era legend Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini. As a child, Rossellini underwent 18 months of grueling procedures to correct scoliosis. In 1976, she made her film debut with a small role as a nun caring for a dying countess played by her mother in the Vincente Minnelli fantasy film “A Matter of Time.” However, it was a few more years before her acting career took off,...

Updated with latest: Angelina Jolie will receive the Palm Springs Film Festival’s 2025 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, for her “extraordinary portrayal” of Maria Callas in Maria.

“Maria presents the iconic Angelina Jolie in the role of a lifetime as she embodies Maria Callas, the world-renowned opera legend. Jolie’s extraordinary portrayal captures the heart and complexity of an artist whose life was as captivating as her music,” said festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “In honor of her mesmerizing transformation into this groundbreaking yet tragic figure, we are thrilled to present Angelina Jolie with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress.”

The festival runs January 2-13 in the desert city east of Los Angeles, and its film awards will be handed out January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. See the other announced honorees below.

Updates, November 15: Nicole Kidman will receive Palm Springs Film Festival’s International Star Award for...

After four weeks on the big screen, “Conclave” has managed to do something that few other adult-skewing films have achieved in the post-pandemic era: Sell some tickets.

Director Edward Berger’s mystery thriller about the politicking and backstabbing behind the selection of a new pope has generated $26.5 million at the domestic box office since late October. Ticket sales are projected to surpass $30 million and counting — and that’s thanks to its atypical release strategy, stellar reviews and even stronger word-of-mouth.

This year, only a handful of arthouse films have exceeded $20 million, and most of those breakouts — including Neon’s occult-tilted thriller “Longlegs”, A24’s dystopian “Civil War”, Cineverse’s ultra-gory slasher “Terrifier 3” and A24’s tear-jerker “We Live in Time” — were geared toward younger or horror-loving crowds.

“It’s been a tough road of late for adult-skewing films in the theatrical marketplace,” says box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations.

Isabella Rossellini knows why Edward Berger’s papal thriller “Conclave” inspires fervor. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the actress said she initially found the script “very interesting and very intellectual.” However, she said it was never claustrophobic thanks to the drama of “the Catholic Church and the church is so theatrical.”

Rossellini grew up in Rome and said while the church has always had its controversies, she still sees it as a place where people from all over the world can come together.

“Rome was a big capital, but very provincial at the time,” said Rossellini. “The Vatican was where you found bishops and nuns from the Philippines, from South America, from Africa. The universities and the Catholic schools were the ones that offered foreign languages and diversity. You had many different backgrounds, many different races, many different cultures. As a Roman, you always looked at the Vatican as...

Conclave Box Office (North America): Hits $25M ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Ralph Fiennes starrer mystery thriller, Conclave scored winning numbers after the exhibitors added significant number of theatres on Friday. It has once again earned decent numbers on its 4th weekend and has hit a minor milestone at the US box office. Keep scrolling for the deets.

It had been in the domestic top five for some time, and despite losing its spot, it is still there in the top ten. It has been awarded a B+ on CinemaScore, and its Rotten Tomatoes ratings are impressive. Despite a limited release, the movie has generated copious Oscar buzz and recovered its $20 million production budget. Big-budget films like Red One and Venom: The Last Dance are not taking away its audience, but the film’s breakeven point is around $50 million or more. It will become harder now with the holiday movies making their way to the cinemas.

The original "Twilight Zone" is one of those rare shows that serve as the yardstick for the entire medium of television, which is especially impressive when you remember how all over the place its stories can be. The most notable episodes of "The Twilight Zone" alone range from "Time Enough at Last" to "Eye of the Beholder" (a legendary take on body horror). The only reliable throughlines here are the inventive speculative premises, wild plot twists, and clever parables. Apart from them, anything and everything is possible in the "Zone."

Because of the original show's sheer impact on popular culture, it's no surprise that "The Twilight Zone" at large has grown into a loose franchise that spans over six decades and numerous movies and TV shows. Academy Award winners and visionaries have given their best shot at the property over the years, but how have they succeeded? Let's find out...

“The Diplomat” fans are surely eager for Season 3 of the Netflix series after the cliffhanger ending of the shortened Season 2, but while we wait, there are a number of other great, thrilling shows to watch that scratch that “Diplomat” itch. From series that the writers, producers and directors of “The Diplomat” made before to other shows that left our jaws on the floor with their shocking twists, this list has something for everybody.

Keep on reading for the lowdown on seven shows you should watch that will fill that “Diplomat”-shaped hole in your life.

Bradley Whitford, “The West Wing” “The West Wing”

The writing, producing and directing staff of “The Diplomat” is full of veterans from “The West Wing,” so the Emmy-dominating political drama series is a must-watch for fans of the Netflix show. While a bit dated in its romanticization of American politics given, well, the last decade,...

Netflix is well known for its original content, and many of those titles are geared toward families. In November 2024, the streamer has a massive list of new releases, including several family favorites, including a new fantasy Spellbound, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, Pokémon Horizons: The Series part 4, and more.

Check out some of the best family movies to watch on Netflix this month as the holiday season nears, beginning below with the new animated fantasy film Spellbound.

Spellbound

Spellbound is a new Netflix original family adventure fantasy film with the voice talents of Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman.

The movie comes from the creators of Toy Story, the co-director of Shrek, Vicky Jenson, and The Little Mermaid Egot-winning composer Alan Menken. Set in the magic world of Lumbria, where a magical spell has been cast over a kingdom, Princess...

Emma Stone Revealed Why She Couldn’t Watch Crazy, Stupid, Love Despite Starring. (Photo Credit – Facebook)

You read that right: Emma Stone hasn’t watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. While the rest of us have replayed her swoon-worthy scenes with Ryan Gosling a million times, the actress has never sat through the rom-com that made her a fan favorite.

Why? Anxiety, plain and simple. In a throwback chat with Timothée Chalamet for Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” Stone spilled the tea. “I was really in love with that script, but I put so much pressure on myself,” she admitted. “I was 20, and while we were shooting it, I was just going nuts. This whole thing could fail.”

For Stone, the stakes felt sky-high. It was her first time headlining a movie, and that weight was accurate. “It felt like it had to be well-calibrated throughout,” she shared, and the pressure kept...

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman will be honored by the Palm Springs International Film Festival with its 2025 International Star Award, the festival announced on Friday.

The prize is in recognition of Kidman’s acclaimed performance in the daring “Babygirl,” for which she won the Venice Film Festival’s best actress award.

“Nicole Kidman once again showcases her unmatched talent for embracing bold and unexpected roles with remarkable ease,” said festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “In ‘Babygirl,’ she portrays a high-powered CEO whose life begins to unravel as she embarks on a dark, risky affair that threatens to shatter her carefully constructed world. For this tour de force performance, we are honored to present her with the International Star Award, an accolade that truly embodies Nicole Kidman.”

In addition to her Oscar-winning performance as Virginia Woolf in “The Hours,” Kidman has also been nominated for “Moulin Rouge,” “Rabbit Hole,” Lion” and “Being the Ricardos.

The Academy Awards are still months away but the best picture landscape is already taking shape. Some question marks remain — for example, both “Nosferatu” and the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” have yet to be widely seen. And the staying power of smaller indies like “A Real Pain” and “Nickel Boys” has yet to be tested. Critical attention could boost films like “I’m Still Here” and “Hard Truths.” And it’s been a great year for animation with films like “Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot” — can they break the bias into the lead race?

While we’ll have to wait a bit longer for answers, here’s a look at some of the films that are generating the most discussion to take home the top prize in March.

Anora

Neon

Anchored by Mikey Madison’s force-of-nature performance in the title role, Sean Baker’s tale of a...

On Friday, the Palm Springs International Film Festival announced that Nicole Kidman will receive the International Star Award at their upcoming awards show. The special honor comes for her performance in A24’s “Babygirl,” in which she plays a powerful CEO who has an affair with a young intern (Harris Dickinson). The Australian actress is also receiving Oscar buzz for the role.

The Palm Springs International Film Awards will take place at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2025, with the film festival itself running between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13.

Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said, “Nicole Kidman once again showcases her unmatched talent for embracing bold and unexpected roles with remarkable ease. In ‘Babygirl,’ she portrays a high-powered CEO whose life begins to unravel as she embarks on a dark, risky affair that threatens to shatter her carefully constructed world. For this tour de force performance, we are honored to...