There’s a scene in the third episode of I May Destroy You,Michaela Coel’s dizzying exploration of sex and consent, where Arabella (played by Coel) is fooling around with Biaggio (Marouane Zotti), a ne’er-do-well Italian drug dealer. Just before they’re about to hook up, she warns him that she’s on her …
Read More »'I Have to Pinch Myself': Sarah Cooper's Rapid Rise From Trump TikToker to Netflix Star
As a product designer at Google, Sarah Cooper was used to being pulled into business meetings because, she says, they “needed another woman” in the room. There, she saw male coworkers lavished with praise for contributions as inane as drawing a Venn diagram on a whiteboard. She started taking notes. …
Read More »10 Essential Ennio Morricone Soundtracks
It’s one of the single most recognizable musical motifs in film history: a keening wail over a heavy bass drum beat, followed by low, staccato horn blasts. Ay-ya-yahhh. Wah-wah-wah. Then a reverb-heavy guitar kicks in, along with a chorus of background voices and a martial beat, and you immediately feel …
Read More »'Parasite': Bong Joon Ho on Making the Movie of the Year
“Who directed Rififi? It was Jules Dassin, right? That was the first-place winner. Such a great movie.” For the past half hour or so, Bong Joon Ho has been turning to his translator for help with his responses; when it comes to talking about his own work, the South Korean …
Read More »'I Was Proud to Do This Work With Him': David Simon on James Franco Controversy
As a show about pornography, at various points in its three-season run HBO’s The Deuce naturally dramatized incidents where men on film sets coerced actresses into doing things on camera that made the women uncomfortable. The series also employed — as its leading man (playing two different roles), a producer, …
Read More »Best Movies to See In Nov.: 'The Irishman,' 'Knives Out,' 'Frozen 2'
It’s arguably the busiest month in the movie year, jam-packed with awards contenders, well-feted indies, and the occasional sequel to huge hits and/or iconic flicks. You want new works by Todd Haynes, Rian Johnson, and one Martin “Saint Marty” Scorsese? You got ’em. How about some more Stephen King horrorshows, …
Read More »Trailers of the Week: 'Cats,' 'Hustlers,' 'Top Gun: Maverick'
This week in the wide, wide world of trailers: Our first looks at a feline T-Swift, a poledancing J-Lo and Tom Cruise back in the cockpit; clips of the upcoming doc on Motown and HBO’s next big blockbuster-TV fantasy bet; Brad Pitt gives us his best pensive face, Kirsten Dunst …
Read More »Best Movies to See in July: 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' 'Lion King,' Spider-Man
No summer doldrums this month — not when there’s a Sundance breakout drama, a new Pagan horror movie from the guy who gave you Hereditary and Quentin Tarantino‘s valentine to old-school Sixties Tinseltown on the horizon. All that, plus you get a pair of strong music documentaries and none other …
Read More »SXSW 2019: Lil Peep, Johnny Cash and The Man Who Would Be Jimmy Page
Most film festivals will dot their documentary lineups with the occasional music-focused title or two; SXSW has an entire sidebar devoted to them. It makes perfect sense that, having sprung from the Austin-based event’s origins as a showcase for bands and the chance for college-radio D.J.s and rock journalists to …
Read More »SXSW 2019: Jordan Peele's 'Us' Is Terrifying
“What if I just showed you four episodes of This Is Us, without explanation?” Jordan Peele asked, and most of the crowd in Austin’s Paramount Theatre cracked up. As for the rest of the patrons, you could almost feel them shudder — this portion of the audience wasn’t just here …
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