This year’s nominees for the 66th Southern California Journalism Awards were released today by the Los Angeles Press Club and IndieWire received a site-record nine nominations. Coming on the heels of our wins last year for Criticism of TV and Entertainment Reporting and following our 2022 win for Best Website, Traditional News Organization, the entire IndieWire staff has been nominated for Best Website, News Organization Exclusive to the Internet. IndieWire writers also earned nominations for individual accolades in eight categories.
“The nominated work illustrates the scope, insight, and unparalleled quality of our team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, Senior VP and Editor-in-Chief at IndieWire. “We are thrilled and sincerely appreciate the Los Angeles Press Club for the Southern California Journalism Award nods.”
After winning the award for Best Criticism of TV last year, IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers is a finalist in the category again for a number of his reviews,...
“The nominated work illustrates the scope, insight, and unparalleled quality of our team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, Senior VP and Editor-in-Chief at IndieWire. “We are thrilled and sincerely appreciate the Los Angeles Press Club for the Southern California Journalism Award nods.”
After winning the award for Best Criticism of TV last year, IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers is a finalist in the category again for a number of his reviews,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
As Netflix’s library of films ebbs and flows, finding the right movie to watch can feel like bailing out an ocean with a spoon. And if you’re looking for a quality horror movie in particular, the search only gets harder. With the reality that Horror is one of the cheapest genres to produce, streamers like Netflix are cluttered with a veritable tsunami of bloody titles that sometimes seem indistinguishable from one another.
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
- 5/7/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The intricacies of a green card marriage are uncovered in romantic dramedy “Paper Marriage,” executive produced by the Duplass Brothers.
The indie feature is written and directed by Jeff Man, a longtime mentee of Jay Duplass. Man also leads the film as an unemployed man who agrees to marry a Chinese immigrant (Effy Han) facing deportation so she can stay in the U.S. Per the official synopsis, during the couples’ year-long charade, they tiptoe around each other’s differences. As quiet moments turn into clashes, they navigate through their awkwardness and are forced to learn to work together. This is Man’s feature directorial debut.
“I’ve been working closely with Jeff Man for 13 years on everything I’ve created, and I’m so thrilled to now be a part of his feature film debut,” Jay Duplass said.
“Paper Marriage” will have its world premiere May 5 at the Vc...
The indie feature is written and directed by Jeff Man, a longtime mentee of Jay Duplass. Man also leads the film as an unemployed man who agrees to marry a Chinese immigrant (Effy Han) facing deportation so she can stay in the U.S. Per the official synopsis, during the couples’ year-long charade, they tiptoe around each other’s differences. As quiet moments turn into clashes, they navigate through their awkwardness and are forced to learn to work together. This is Man’s feature directorial debut.
“I’ve been working closely with Jeff Man for 13 years on everything I’ve created, and I’m so thrilled to now be a part of his feature film debut,” Jay Duplass said.
“Paper Marriage” will have its world premiere May 5 at the Vc...
- 5/2/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Who says this summer is light on blockbuster fare, despite the strikes holding productions and release dates up?
Big movies coming to theaters in the next hot few months include favorite IP getting a 2024 burnish, from “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” to “Alien: Romulus” and “Twisters”. Oh, and a little movie called “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (May 24), which George Miller will first bring to the Cannes Film Festival before opening it in theaters later that month. Plus, poised to be a Netflix hit this summer is Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” (May 24 in theaters), playing for a couple of weeks in select cities before the crime comedy starring Glen Powell hits the streaming platform.
But those bigger-ticket titles aside, summer 2024 is a time for indies to shine, from Annie Baker’s long-awaited festival hit “Janet Planet” (June 14) to India Donaldson’s wonderful Sundance premiere “Good One” (August...
Big movies coming to theaters in the next hot few months include favorite IP getting a 2024 burnish, from “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” to “Alien: Romulus” and “Twisters”. Oh, and a little movie called “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (May 24), which George Miller will first bring to the Cannes Film Festival before opening it in theaters later that month. Plus, poised to be a Netflix hit this summer is Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” (May 24 in theaters), playing for a couple of weeks in select cities before the crime comedy starring Glen Powell hits the streaming platform.
But those bigger-ticket titles aside, summer 2024 is a time for indies to shine, from Annie Baker’s long-awaited festival hit “Janet Planet” (June 14) to India Donaldson’s wonderful Sundance premiere “Good One” (August...
- 4/23/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio, David Ehrlich and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: this list was originally published October 2017. It has since been updated to coincide with the release of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”]
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
From a certain perspective, monster movies might not seem to be as relevant during monstrous times. But in an age when our fears seem larger than life and the world constantly seems as though it’s on the brink of collapse, the best examples of the genre can almost assume a documentary-like authenticity, reflecting our reality as vividly as vérité ever could.
“The Babadook” might be about a demon that pops out of a children’s book, but no recent film does a better job of capturing the acute reality of living with grief. “Cloverfield” follows a gaggle of pre-Instagram model millennials as they’re chased around Manhattan by a bug-eyed colossus, but few of the somber post-9/11 dramas do a better job of distilling the heartsick chaos of watching your hometown try to make sense of a senseless attack. “The Village” is...
- 4/2/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated many times.]
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced a slew of spectacular, silly, snarky, and cynical comedies: ready to fire up whenever you need a serotonin burst or distraction thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services.
The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time.
- 3/26/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
If curating the Best Action Movies of All Time felt borderline impossible, then ranking just the top entries from this century is Mission Barely Manageable.
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
Most franchise IP blockbusters released to big box office hauls in recent years could qualify as “action movies” in one way or another. That’s particularly true when it comes to the omnipresent cultural phenomenon we call superhero films. It can be tempting to write off the entire action genre when all you see is the over-pixelated epics about super-somethings stopping intergalactic injustice that make up an increasingly large chunk of modern Hollywood. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget workaround. When done well, action movies can tell great character-driven stories through movement. Action — acted or animated — is simply drama made dynamic.
That principle is what separates so many of the movies on...
- 3/22/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in July 2023 and has since been updated].
America. The land of the free, and the home of buck wild political thrillers. That’s not to take anything away from the ample international political thrillers in existence. But there is something about the United States that seems to make it an ideal setting for suspense built around corruption and conspiracy. Maybe it’s the country’s (misguided) sense of triumph and greatness: when a country is founded on ideals of democracy and liberty, a great yarn about the darkness behind its government is harder to resist. Whatever the case, the country has a great history of political thrillers, some of which stand as all time greats.
As a genre, political thrillers unquestionably hit their peak in the mid-‘70s, thanks to a combination of the JFK assassination, renewed cynicism against the federal government against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, and an honest-to-god conspiracy theory in the form of Watergate.
America. The land of the free, and the home of buck wild political thrillers. That’s not to take anything away from the ample international political thrillers in existence. But there is something about the United States that seems to make it an ideal setting for suspense built around corruption and conspiracy. Maybe it’s the country’s (misguided) sense of triumph and greatness: when a country is founded on ideals of democracy and liberty, a great yarn about the darkness behind its government is harder to resist. Whatever the case, the country has a great history of political thrillers, some of which stand as all time greats.
As a genre, political thrillers unquestionably hit their peak in the mid-‘70s, thanks to a combination of the JFK assassination, renewed cynicism against the federal government against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, and an honest-to-god conspiracy theory in the form of Watergate.
- 3/15/2024
- by Wilson Chapman, Alison Foreman and Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: This list was originally published in May 2016 and has since been updated.]
So…what is sci-fi? It’s not the easiest question to answer when “sci-fi elements” permeate so many of the biggest blockbusters: thought-provoking genre concepts flattened into one-size-fits-all franchise fodder that make countless titles “feel” and, on occasion, even look the same.
Yes, science fiction is rooted in profound origins, examining humanity’s deep-seated fear of itself and the intimidating possibility of worlds unknown. But the last two decades have seen a metaphoric rush on sci-fi storytelling that’s left the once niche subgenre a supersaturated movie market. On the one hand, that’s produced an onslaught of sci-fi(ish) titles that aren’t always up to snuff. But on the other, it’s prompted some of the best sci-fi films ever made. Masterworks like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Nope” both arrived in the past two years, and top our list at number five and number eight respectively.
So…what is sci-fi? It’s not the easiest question to answer when “sci-fi elements” permeate so many of the biggest blockbusters: thought-provoking genre concepts flattened into one-size-fits-all franchise fodder that make countless titles “feel” and, on occasion, even look the same.
Yes, science fiction is rooted in profound origins, examining humanity’s deep-seated fear of itself and the intimidating possibility of worlds unknown. But the last two decades have seen a metaphoric rush on sci-fi storytelling that’s left the once niche subgenre a supersaturated movie market. On the one hand, that’s produced an onslaught of sci-fi(ish) titles that aren’t always up to snuff. But on the other, it’s prompted some of the best sci-fi films ever made. Masterworks like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Nope” both arrived in the past two years, and top our list at number five and number eight respectively.
- 3/5/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
This year’s SXSW Film and TV Festival (running March 8 through March 16) continues the Austin-based multimedia showcases expansion beyond typical-screen movies and into the realms of TV and Xr experiences.
The festival’s opening night premiere, Doug Liman’s “Road House,” falls somewhere in the cracks between film and TV, as controversially the Jake Gyllenhaal-led ’80s throwback reimagining will not play theaters from Amazon MGM Studios and will instead plop on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. (“Road House” and Amazon MGM are meanwhile in the thick of a copyright lawsuit filed by the 1989 original’s screenwriter R. Lance Hill that also messily involves the studio’s alleged AI usage to rush completion on the movie.)
Similarly, the deep-pocketed but theatrically stingy streamer’s “The Idea of You,” a Coachella-set romantic dramedy from director Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, will also be a Prime Video exclusive this May after playing SXSW.
The festival’s opening night premiere, Doug Liman’s “Road House,” falls somewhere in the cracks between film and TV, as controversially the Jake Gyllenhaal-led ’80s throwback reimagining will not play theaters from Amazon MGM Studios and will instead plop on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. (“Road House” and Amazon MGM are meanwhile in the thick of a copyright lawsuit filed by the 1989 original’s screenwriter R. Lance Hill that also messily involves the studio’s alleged AI usage to rush completion on the movie.)
Similarly, the deep-pocketed but theatrically stingy streamer’s “The Idea of You,” a Coachella-set romantic dramedy from director Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, will also be a Prime Video exclusive this May after playing SXSW.
- 3/4/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
There’s something uniquely cinematic about romantic comedies — something that makes them a natural fit for the movies and vice-versa. There’s an intoxicating alchemy that allows us to believe in the magic of meet-cutes, happily-ever-afters, and all the agonizing contrivances that tend to pop up between the two. Love it seems gives storytellers permission to transpose the stuff of operas and fables into the fabric of real (or at least overly glossed but still recognizable) life.
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
That’s almost a wrap, folks, as this year’s Sundance Film Festival concludes its eleven-day run tomorrow. While Team IndieWire has already decamped back to their various home bases (eleven is a lot of days), we’re all still enjoying what this year’s festival has to offer through both its virtual screening platform and our already-fond memories of the best films we saw at this year’s festival.
And what films are those, you might ask? We’re all too happy to share, care of the following list of 17 standout features from this year’s festival, hereby termed the best of the fest. The following list includes over a dozen films one IndieWire staffer really wanted to highlight. Narratives and documentaries, first-time filmmakers and old favorites, comedies, dramas, horror films, and so much more, this list also captures the breadth of filmmaking prowess put on display at this year’s festival.
And what films are those, you might ask? We’re all too happy to share, care of the following list of 17 standout features from this year’s festival, hereby termed the best of the fest. The following list includes over a dozen films one IndieWire staffer really wanted to highlight. Narratives and documentaries, first-time filmmakers and old favorites, comedies, dramas, horror films, and so much more, this list also captures the breadth of filmmaking prowess put on display at this year’s festival.
- 1/27/2024
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the IndieWire team is endeavoring to take you into the heart of the festival experience, thanks to a series of rolling roundups that aim to synthesize each day, all the action, most of the drama, and the stuff everyone is talking about, in Park City and beyond.
Day Five
We’ll admit it: Day 5 at Sundance started on a bit of a slower note, at least over at IndieWire Editorial Condo No. 2, whose inhabitants were still processing both our (In)Famous Chili Party and/or Aaron Schimberg’s wild “A Different Man.” The first day after the festival’s opening weekend tends to spell a slower vibe, with many leaving after the first flush of premieres and parties, and Park City easing, ever so slowly, back into a more normal pace.
Though I’d already seen Richard Linklater’s sexy action comedy “Hit Man...
Day Five
We’ll admit it: Day 5 at Sundance started on a bit of a slower note, at least over at IndieWire Editorial Condo No. 2, whose inhabitants were still processing both our (In)Famous Chili Party and/or Aaron Schimberg’s wild “A Different Man.” The first day after the festival’s opening weekend tends to spell a slower vibe, with many leaving after the first flush of premieres and parties, and Park City easing, ever so slowly, back into a more normal pace.
Though I’d already seen Richard Linklater’s sexy action comedy “Hit Man...
- 1/23/2024
- by Kate Erbland, Ryan Lattanzio and Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Mark Duplass and producing partner Mel Eslyn are continuing their Sundance reign with the debut of series “Penelope.”
The entirely independently financed and produced series follows the titular Penelope (Megan Stott), a teen who feels more connected with nature than she does her own family. As Penelope escapes into the wilderness, she seeks to find herself in the coming-of-age indie drama.
Duplass and Eslyn co-created and co-wrote the series, which is seeking a distributor at the festival. CAA is handling sales. The Duplass Brothers formerly debuted adult animated series “Animals,” which premiered at 2016 Sundance in the early days of the festival expanding to include episodics.
The official synopsis reads: Feeling out of place in the modern world, 16-year-old Penelope (Stott) finds herself almost cosmically drawn to nature. With no plan in place, she leaves her family behind for the beguiling wilderness where she begins to establish a different kind of life for herself.
The entirely independently financed and produced series follows the titular Penelope (Megan Stott), a teen who feels more connected with nature than she does her own family. As Penelope escapes into the wilderness, she seeks to find herself in the coming-of-age indie drama.
Duplass and Eslyn co-created and co-wrote the series, which is seeking a distributor at the festival. CAA is handling sales. The Duplass Brothers formerly debuted adult animated series “Animals,” which premiered at 2016 Sundance in the early days of the festival expanding to include episodics.
The official synopsis reads: Feeling out of place in the modern world, 16-year-old Penelope (Stott) finds herself almost cosmically drawn to nature. With no plan in place, she leaves her family behind for the beguiling wilderness where she begins to establish a different kind of life for herself.
- 1/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
IndieWire has partnered with Sundance Film Festival presenting sponsor Adobe to host several panels at the Adobe on Main space. The last of these will take place today, January 21, at 11 a.m. Mt. It’s called New Voices in Film: Sundance x Adobe Fellows Spotlight, and it’s moderated by IndieWire Executive Editor, Craft and Special Projects, Chris O’Falt. Speakers Gerardo Coello, Gabriela Ortega, Iliana Sosa, and Sean Wang will discuss their latest projects, creative processes, and their unique stories shaping the future of film.
If you can’t make it in person, IndieWire will be live streaming the panel right here.
Coello is a 2018 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow director/screenwriter whose short film “Viaje de Negocios” is debuting at 2024 Sundance. Ortega, one of the 2023 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellows, is the producer and actor behind short film “Border Hopper.” Sosa, a 2020 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellow,...
If you can’t make it in person, IndieWire will be live streaming the panel right here.
Coello is a 2018 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow director/screenwriter whose short film “Viaje de Negocios” is debuting at 2024 Sundance. Ortega, one of the 2023 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellows, is the producer and actor behind short film “Border Hopper.” Sosa, a 2020 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellow,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
IndieWire’s 2024 Sundance lineup of events is officially being revealed.
In addition to IndieWire’s annual Sundance Studio, the publication is partnering with Adobe for three panel discussions taking place at Adobe’s 558 Main Street location in Park City. Sign up to gain access to the space here.
The first, taking place January 20 at 3 p.m. Mt, is titled IndieWire: Creative Collaborations in Filmmaking, presented by Adobe.
Join the guest list here.
IndieWire’s Crafts editor Chris O’Falt will moderate a discussion with Duplass Brothers Productions president Mel Eslyn and producer/director/actor Mark Duplass. The conversation will focus on the longtime partnership behind the production company behind projects such as HBO’s “Room 104,” “Somebody Somewhere,” Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” and new release “Penelope,” which is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The second conversation, at 3:30 p.m. Mt, January 20, will have O’Falt moderate a discussion with the...
In addition to IndieWire’s annual Sundance Studio, the publication is partnering with Adobe for three panel discussions taking place at Adobe’s 558 Main Street location in Park City. Sign up to gain access to the space here.
The first, taking place January 20 at 3 p.m. Mt, is titled IndieWire: Creative Collaborations in Filmmaking, presented by Adobe.
Join the guest list here.
IndieWire’s Crafts editor Chris O’Falt will moderate a discussion with Duplass Brothers Productions president Mel Eslyn and producer/director/actor Mark Duplass. The conversation will focus on the longtime partnership behind the production company behind projects such as HBO’s “Room 104,” “Somebody Somewhere,” Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” and new release “Penelope,” which is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The second conversation, at 3:30 p.m. Mt, January 20, will have O’Falt moderate a discussion with the...
- 1/19/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
IndieWire’s Sundance partner Adobe has big news for rising filmmakers: Today, January 16, Adobe and the Adobe Foundation announced the inaugural Adobe Film & TV Fund, aimed to support underrepresented creatives within the film industry.
Adobe has committed $6 million in grants, contributions, and Adobe Creative Cloud product donations to help creators and filmmakers find career opportunities in the film and TV industry. The initiative seeks to address the inequity in funding, career, and training opportunities across multiple communities in the industry with grants, contributions, and fellowships. The fund marks an ongoing collaboration between Adobe, the Adobe Foundation, and a slew of global organizations, including Easterseals, Gold House, The Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute, and Yuvaa, to support representation in film and TV.
The fund will focus on providing fellowships and apprenticeships that offer direct, hands-on industry access through mentorships and networking with production houses, studios, and distributors to support filmmaking. The...
Adobe has committed $6 million in grants, contributions, and Adobe Creative Cloud product donations to help creators and filmmakers find career opportunities in the film and TV industry. The initiative seeks to address the inequity in funding, career, and training opportunities across multiple communities in the industry with grants, contributions, and fellowships. The fund marks an ongoing collaboration between Adobe, the Adobe Foundation, and a slew of global organizations, including Easterseals, Gold House, The Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute, and Yuvaa, to support representation in film and TV.
The fund will focus on providing fellowships and apprenticeships that offer direct, hands-on industry access through mentorships and networking with production houses, studios, and distributors to support filmmaking. The...
- 1/16/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
After three years of virtual and hybrid event offerings, the Sundance Film Festival is set to celebrate its fortieth anniversary with its most robust in-person edition of the festival since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. While online offerings will still be available to those who wish to participate from home, with the official online viewing window opening on Thursday, January 25. That lineup will include at-home screenings of the five competition sections (including Next).
On the ground, however, seems like the place to be. As ever, this year’s festival boasts a wide variety of new films from some of our favorite filmmakers, plus an assortment of rising stars, new talents to keep an eye on, and perhaps a few surprises.
This year’s program includes new films from Steven Soderbergh, Debra Granik, David and Nathan Zellner, Richard Linklater, Lana Wilson, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, Dawn Porter, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden,...
On the ground, however, seems like the place to be. As ever, this year’s festival boasts a wide variety of new films from some of our favorite filmmakers, plus an assortment of rising stars, new talents to keep an eye on, and perhaps a few surprises.
This year’s program includes new films from Steven Soderbergh, Debra Granik, David and Nathan Zellner, Richard Linklater, Lana Wilson, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, Dawn Porter, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
January is one of the biggest months of the year for independent film, with hundreds of film critics descending upon the Sundance Film Festival to discover the works of up-and-coming directors. But for those of us who can’t make the trek to Park City, Utah, there are plenty of independent movies to enjoy from the comfort of our homes.
This month, there’s a particularly big selection of independent classics to choose from on streaming, particularly if you’re subscribed to the Criterion Channel. In celebration of the approaching festival, Criterion is hosting a massive selection of past Sundance favorites, including the 1968 experimental documentary “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One.” Other favorites in the selection include “Blood Simple,” “Stranger Than Paradise,” “The Times of Harvey Milk,” “Desert Hearts,” “Working Girls,” “Paris Is Burning,” “Mississippi Masala,” “Slacker,” “Hoop Dreams,” and “The Doom Generation.” Other major indie favorites on the streamer this January include...
This month, there’s a particularly big selection of independent classics to choose from on streaming, particularly if you’re subscribed to the Criterion Channel. In celebration of the approaching festival, Criterion is hosting a massive selection of past Sundance favorites, including the 1968 experimental documentary “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One.” Other favorites in the selection include “Blood Simple,” “Stranger Than Paradise,” “The Times of Harvey Milk,” “Desert Hearts,” “Working Girls,” “Paris Is Burning,” “Mississippi Masala,” “Slacker,” “Hoop Dreams,” and “The Doom Generation.” Other major indie favorites on the streamer this January include...
- 1/6/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The Los Angeles Press Club held the 16th annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards on Sunday night, honoring the best reporting, criticism, and analysis from across the digital, print, and broadcast media industries. IndieWire received nine nominations and ultimately won seven awards.
Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt won first place in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”
IndieWire’s entire staff was honored with third place in the Entertainment Website category. TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was also awarded third place in the TV Critic category for his overarching body of work at the site. Additionally, four other individual stories were honored with second or third place finishes.
“I’m really proud of the IndieWire team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and Editor-In-Chief at IndieWire. “We’re a small but mighty crew and I’m...
Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt won first place in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”
IndieWire’s entire staff was honored with third place in the Entertainment Website category. TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was also awarded third place in the TV Critic category for his overarching body of work at the site. Additionally, four other individual stories were honored with second or third place finishes.
“I’m really proud of the IndieWire team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and Editor-In-Chief at IndieWire. “We’re a small but mighty crew and I’m...
- 12/4/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
“One more time: animation is a medium, not a genre. Animation is film,” Guillermo del Toro said last year. IndieWire couldn’t agree more, and yet animation — an art form that requires the most precise control of the cinematic medium — is continually disrespected.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
- 11/23/2023
- by Bill Desowitz and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Every year, we here at IndieWire take on the daunting and potentially insane task of plowing through seemingly endless lists of potential Sundance entrants to pick out the films that not only could make their way onto the annual festival’s slate, but the ones we’d most like to actually land in Park City in January. As ever, there’s no shortage of possibilities for the upcoming festival, including a wide variety of films shot under various Covid protocols, a slew of holdovers from the before times, and some long-gestating films we’ve been expecting and hoping to see for entire years.
And while we don’t yet know how the twin strikes will have impacted the overall lineup — as this article is published, the SAG-AFTRA strike has been over for barely 12 hours — and who will be on hand to attend this year to tout their work, we do know that,...
And while we don’t yet know how the twin strikes will have impacted the overall lineup — as this article is published, the SAG-AFTRA strike has been over for barely 12 hours — and who will be on hand to attend this year to tout their work, we do know that,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Los Angeles Press Club unveiled the nominations for the 16th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, and IndieWire earned nine nominations. After 1,600 entries were evaluated by the committee, IndieWire’s entire staff was honored with a nomination for Best Entertainment Website, and eight staffers received additional nominations for their individual works.
IndieWire’s TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was nominated in the TV Critic category for his entire body of work over the past year.
IndieWire’s Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt earned a nomination in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”
IndieWire’s Executive Editor, Business Tony Maglio received a nomination for Humor Writing for his essay “I Took My Daughters, 3 and 6, to See ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Here’s Who Slept and Who Danced in the Aisles.”
IndieWire’s Senior Reporter Brian Welk was also nominated in the Business,...
IndieWire’s TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was nominated in the TV Critic category for his entire body of work over the past year.
IndieWire’s Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt earned a nomination in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”
IndieWire’s Executive Editor, Business Tony Maglio received a nomination for Humor Writing for his essay “I Took My Daughters, 3 and 6, to See ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Here’s Who Slept and Who Danced in the Aisles.”
IndieWire’s Senior Reporter Brian Welk was also nominated in the Business,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
It’s not often prestigious organizations invite damnation, misfortune, or any kind of bad luck onto themselves — let alone their renowned festival and its thousands of guests — but for Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, exceptions will be made.
“The Curse” held its world premiere at the New York Film Festival Thursday night, with both co-creators in attendance for the first TV series to ever premiere at NYFF. Fielder, Safdie, and Emma Stone (who did not attend) executive produce and co-star in Showtime’s upcoming black comedy — about a trio of creatives behind an aspiring HGTV home-renovation series — which had audiences laughing and gasping throughout the three-hour screening.
Dennis Lim, the festival’s artistic director, did warn the crowd (as best he could) during his opening remarks.
“[‘The Curse’] is as brilliant, wild, perverse, hilarious, uncomfortable, and anxiety-inducing as you’d expect,” he said, alluding to Fielder and Safdie’s previous works.
“The Curse” held its world premiere at the New York Film Festival Thursday night, with both co-creators in attendance for the first TV series to ever premiere at NYFF. Fielder, Safdie, and Emma Stone (who did not attend) executive produce and co-star in Showtime’s upcoming black comedy — about a trio of creatives behind an aspiring HGTV home-renovation series — which had audiences laughing and gasping throughout the three-hour screening.
Dennis Lim, the festival’s artistic director, did warn the crowd (as best he could) during his opening remarks.
“[‘The Curse’] is as brilliant, wild, perverse, hilarious, uncomfortable, and anxiety-inducing as you’d expect,” he said, alluding to Fielder and Safdie’s previous works.
- 10/13/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Like witches, vampires, and zombies, ghosts can be scary as hell. But there is something about the stories of lingering dead spirits that can be both awe-inspiring and spooky at once. The often invisible presence of ghosts allows filmmakers to explore the unsettling aspects of character psychology through the use of sound and space. Some of the best ghost stories aren’t scary at all; instead, they liberate directors from the restrictions of space and time to mine spiritual and existential depths. It’s a genre that has attracted some of the medium’s greatest artists to create some of their finest work.
One of the great aspects of ghost stories are their ambiguity, how their presence reflects more on the humans who see them then the spectral beings themselves. Maybe the great, definitive ghost story in the literary world is Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” his 1898 novella...
One of the great aspects of ghost stories are their ambiguity, how their presence reflects more on the humans who see them then the spectral beings themselves. Maybe the great, definitive ghost story in the literary world is Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” his 1898 novella...
- 9/30/2023
- by David Ehrlich, Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The size and scope of producing a single season of “Deadliest Catch” is hard to fully fathom. There are seven different producing-camera teams on seven different boats, rolling cameras around the clock, producing 25,000 hours of footage over the course of a fishing season.
To ensure visual and narrative cohesion and quality, series editor Rob Butler and cinematographer David Reichert — both 2023 Emmy nominees — must stay across an enormous team and complicated workflow. It’s a task complicated by their limited ability to shape what is being shot as the stories unfold. This is because it takes weeks to get the footage off the boats (they often have to wait until the fishermen come ashore to offload their catch) and FedEx hard drives to Los Angeles, where a team of seven assistant editors load and log hundreds of hours of footage every week.
“It takes weeks and weeks before it gets in...
To ensure visual and narrative cohesion and quality, series editor Rob Butler and cinematographer David Reichert — both 2023 Emmy nominees — must stay across an enormous team and complicated workflow. It’s a task complicated by their limited ability to shape what is being shot as the stories unfold. This is because it takes weeks to get the footage off the boats (they often have to wait until the fishermen come ashore to offload their catch) and FedEx hard drives to Los Angeles, where a team of seven assistant editors load and log hundreds of hours of footage every week.
“It takes weeks and weeks before it gets in...
- 8/18/2023
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
If watching a movie can be compared to taking your emotions for a walk, then sad films challenge audiences with a full-on sprint. Since before Rose said goodbye to Jack or even Bambi lost his mother, tragedy has played a vital role in cinema’s most well-loved stories of every ilk.
For romance, the possibility of heartbreak raises the stakes, pitting lover against lover or, worse still, lovers against time in dazzling depictions of humanity’s enduring quest for security and acceptance. “Titanic,” “A Star is Born,” “Moonlight,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Up,” and countless other legendary titles have crafted couples so heart-rendingly believable that their joyous reunions and painful partings have provided powerful parallels to our own.
Epic tales of war and survival position total devastation similarly, dangling all-consuming grief and loss like narratively juicy carrots motivating the plodding agony of movies from “War Horse” to “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
For romance, the possibility of heartbreak raises the stakes, pitting lover against lover or, worse still, lovers against time in dazzling depictions of humanity’s enduring quest for security and acceptance. “Titanic,” “A Star is Born,” “Moonlight,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Up,” and countless other legendary titles have crafted couples so heart-rendingly believable that their joyous reunions and painful partings have provided powerful parallels to our own.
Epic tales of war and survival position total devastation similarly, dangling all-consuming grief and loss like narratively juicy carrots motivating the plodding agony of movies from “War Horse” to “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
- 8/18/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
In this time of geekery and craft reigning supreme, film critics and academics no longer reject horror movies with the knee-jerk certainty some once did. But even now the specter of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Scream 5”) looms over discussions of artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The general gist is that these exceptions to the “horror is bad” rule engage your brain more than just showing brains: eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
- 8/10/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
With his latest film “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan has returned to war; World War II, specifically. Although the J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic doesn’t feature any scenes of soldiers heading into battle, it’s a war movie at its heart, with the conflict in Europe and Asia motivating the morally reprehensible actions of the Manhattan Project in the States. “Oppenheimer” makes, in some ways, a good companion piece to Nolan’s 2016 hit “Dunkirk”: a more conventional (relatively speaking) depiction of the war, from the perspectives of the ordinary soldiers during the Dunkirk evacuation.
From the moment it ended, World War II has proven fertile ground for hundreds of directors, as Hollywood stars have geared up to fight some Nazis. But, perhaps due to the relative recency and large scope of the conflict, the war has also invited an unexpected level of nuance and diversity of perspectives. One of the earliest...
From the moment it ended, World War II has proven fertile ground for hundreds of directors, as Hollywood stars have geared up to fight some Nazis. But, perhaps due to the relative recency and large scope of the conflict, the war has also invited an unexpected level of nuance and diversity of perspectives. One of the earliest...
- 8/3/2023
- by Kate Erbland and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
It’s the shock of seeing Norman Bates, knife in hand, clad in his mother’s clothes, grinning maniacally in the swinging lamplight. It’s a supposedly dead husband rising from a bathtub with terrifying saucer contact-lenses. It’s finally connecting “I see dead people” with Bruce Willis being shot at the beginning of “The Sixth Sense.” When movies pull the rug out from under us, it’s one of the greatest thrills that cinema can provide.
As Hollywood continues to reboot countless old properties, it’s easy to think that the days of original and surprising storytelling are long behind us. But these films prove that Hollywood still has a few tricks up its sleeve, ones that have kept us talking for years, and have cemented their place in film history.
Beware of spoilers! Here are the best plot twists of the 21st century.
Samantha Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry,...
As Hollywood continues to reboot countless old properties, it’s easy to think that the days of original and surprising storytelling are long behind us. But these films prove that Hollywood still has a few tricks up its sleeve, ones that have kept us talking for years, and have cemented their place in film history.
Beware of spoilers! Here are the best plot twists of the 21st century.
Samantha Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Wilson Chapman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
For as long as there have been horror movies, there has been body horror — and it’s not hard to see why the subgenre is unlikely to ever go out of style. Great horror movies tap into the darkest corners of our subconscious minds to poke at our deepest fears, and few emotions are more human than the fear of bodily harm. The human tendency to identify with our own bodies is so strong that watching transformations and mutilations can evoke the feeling that characters are being stripped of their very humanity.
While early filmmakers explored these themes in projects like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” the second half of the 20th century saw body horror elevated to the level of high art. Nobody deserves more credit for that shift in public perception than David Cronenberg, whose films like “Videodrome” and “The Fly” contained as much scientific and social commentary as blood and guts.
While early filmmakers explored these themes in projects like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” the second half of the 20th century saw body horror elevated to the level of high art. Nobody deserves more credit for that shift in public perception than David Cronenberg, whose films like “Videodrome” and “The Fly” contained as much scientific and social commentary as blood and guts.
- 7/23/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
What makes a sex scene sexy? More to the point, what makes a sex scene good? That’s become an especially thorny question in recent years, with detailed accounts of what goes on behind the scenes of movies we love complicating our relationship with their most memorable moments. And though we’re ever so slowly moving away from the male gaze serving as the default perspective on love, sex, and everything between, there’s still a long way to go.
That is, if sex scenes still appear in movies at all. They do, but with greater infrequency, certainly in Hollywood studio productions. Though many think-pieces have been written about “the death of the sex scene” there’s still been a lot to celebrate over the last 23 years. A number of sex-positive, LGBTQ-friendly, and otherwise forward-thinking filmmakers have directed scenes that are as steamy as they are moving. There’s nothing...
That is, if sex scenes still appear in movies at all. They do, but with greater infrequency, certainly in Hollywood studio productions. Though many think-pieces have been written about “the death of the sex scene” there’s still been a lot to celebrate over the last 23 years. A number of sex-positive, LGBTQ-friendly, and otherwise forward-thinking filmmakers have directed scenes that are as steamy as they are moving. There’s nothing...
- 7/20/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Christian Zilko and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The annual Los Angeles Press Club Awards honored multiple IndieWire staffers Sunday night.
Among the honorees, IndieWire Deputy TV Editor and chief TV critic Ben Travers was recognized as TV Critic of the Year at the ceremony, which took place June 25 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The official comment for Travers’ honor reads, “The reporter’s writing style includes his personal tele-visual hang-ups, much to the benefit of the reviews!”
Travers’ reviews for the series finale of “Atlanta,” the Season 1 “Yellowjackets” finale, and “Tuca & Bertie” were among the selected pieces recognized by the LA Press Club.
Also taking first place in the Audio Journalism category for Best Entertainment Reporting were Sarah Shachat, Chris O’Falt, and Zach Valenti with podcast episode “Filmmaker Toolkit: Station Eleven Deep Dive Podcast.” Said the LA Press Club: “This ‘deep dive’ skillfully uses multiple interviews and clips to learn the backstory of a single TV episode.
Among the honorees, IndieWire Deputy TV Editor and chief TV critic Ben Travers was recognized as TV Critic of the Year at the ceremony, which took place June 25 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The official comment for Travers’ honor reads, “The reporter’s writing style includes his personal tele-visual hang-ups, much to the benefit of the reviews!”
Travers’ reviews for the series finale of “Atlanta,” the Season 1 “Yellowjackets” finale, and “Tuca & Bertie” were among the selected pieces recognized by the LA Press Club.
Also taking first place in the Audio Journalism category for Best Entertainment Reporting were Sarah Shachat, Chris O’Falt, and Zach Valenti with podcast episode “Filmmaker Toolkit: Station Eleven Deep Dive Podcast.” Said the LA Press Club: “This ‘deep dive’ skillfully uses multiple interviews and clips to learn the backstory of a single TV episode.
- 6/26/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Like its genre cousin, science fiction, horror films have long used supernatural terrors as stand-ins for real-life fears. When Jordan Peele used the genre to show white supremacy as the ultimate terror in “Get Out,” he was inspired by years of socio-political readings of his favorite horror films. Even though openly LGBTQ characters in horror were rare until recently, when it comes to queer subtext, the genre is ripe for exploring themes such as possession, body transformation, fear of the other, uncontrollable desire, and hidden identities.
As explored in Shudder’s exhaustive docuseries “Queer For Fear: The History of Queer Horror,” the history of horror aligns pretty significantly with the history of queer film. The series traces the genre’s origins, beginning with a reclamation of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker as queer writers, through Alfred Hitchcock’s many queer-coded films, and runs all the way to Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” empire.
As explored in Shudder’s exhaustive docuseries “Queer For Fear: The History of Queer Horror,” the history of horror aligns pretty significantly with the history of queer film. The series traces the genre’s origins, beginning with a reclamation of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker as queer writers, through Alfred Hitchcock’s many queer-coded films, and runs all the way to Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” empire.
- 6/22/2023
- by Jude Dry and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
“Deep Dive” is an in-depth podcast and video essay series featuring interviews with the stars and creative team behind an exceptional piece of filmmaking. For this edition, the IndieWire Crafts and Special Projects team partnered with Disney+ to take a closer look at the “Andor” Season 1 finale, Episode 12 (“Rix Road”), with costume designer Michael Wilkinson, production designer Luke Hull, composer Nicholas Britell, editor Yan Miles, executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg, and executive producer/actor Diego Luna.
Related Stories ‘Hijack’ Ends Not with a Whimper but with a Bang — Here’s How They Created That Tense Landing ‘Oppenheimer’ Isn’t the Only Christopher Nolan Film Playing in 70mm This Summer
It’s one of the most stirring and beautifully crafted season finales in recent memory. With the death of Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), her son, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) — followed by the Isb and rebellion forces hunting him — returns to the planet Ferrix,...
Related Stories ‘Hijack’ Ends Not with a Whimper but with a Bang — Here’s How They Created That Tense Landing ‘Oppenheimer’ Isn’t the Only Christopher Nolan Film Playing in 70mm This Summer
It’s one of the most stirring and beautifully crafted season finales in recent memory. With the death of Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), her son, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) — followed by the Isb and rebellion forces hunting him — returns to the planet Ferrix,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Chris O'Falt and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer movies have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places.
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Jude Dry and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
The Los Angeles Press Club released the nominees for its 60th annual award Southern California Journalism Awards on Friday, and IndieWire earned six nominations. Following its 2022 win for Best Website, Traditional News Organization, IndieWire’s entire staff was once again honored with a nomination for Website, News Organization Exclusive to the Internet. IndieWire writers also earned nominations for individual accolades in five categories.
“I’m so proud of our team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and editor in chief at IndieWire. “The nominations demonstrate the range, depth, and quality of the thoughtful work we produce across film and TV every day and we’re grateful for the honor.”
IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers — who won in the Entertainment Commentary category last year — picked up a Criticism of TV nomination for his pieces “‘Atlanta’ Ends as Whatever Dream You Want It to Be,” “‘Yellowjackets Caps Off...
“I’m so proud of our team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and editor in chief at IndieWire. “The nominations demonstrate the range, depth, and quality of the thoughtful work we produce across film and TV every day and we’re grateful for the honor.”
IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers — who won in the Entertainment Commentary category last year — picked up a Criticism of TV nomination for his pieces “‘Atlanta’ Ends as Whatever Dream You Want It to Be,” “‘Yellowjackets Caps Off...
- 5/12/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The technology of cinematography has undergone some of the most seismic shifts in film history this century, with what began in the 2000s as an almost entirely photochemical process transforming into the digitally captured, manipulated, and projected images of today. The art of cinematography, however — using light, color, and texture to express ideas and elicit emotional reactions from the audience — remains intact.
In 2017, IndieWire made a list of the best shot feature films of the century thus far; the list was updated in 2020, and what follows is the third and most extensive version of the list. It’s also the first to be spearheaded by the IndieWire Craft team, which has grown considerably since this list was first published. Ranking cinematography is, in some ways, a fool’s errand given the broad variety of genres, resources, and intentions encompassed by the films below, but these are 60 titles that IndieWire believes...
In 2017, IndieWire made a list of the best shot feature films of the century thus far; the list was updated in 2020, and what follows is the third and most extensive version of the list. It’s also the first to be spearheaded by the IndieWire Craft team, which has grown considerably since this list was first published. Ranking cinematography is, in some ways, a fool’s errand given the broad variety of genres, resources, and intentions encompassed by the films below, but these are 60 titles that IndieWire believes...
- 5/3/2023
- by Jim Hemphill, Chris O'Falt, Bill Desowitz and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
When people talk about the magic of cinema, they’re usually not referring to monologues. More often than not, it’s the awe-inspiring visuals and imaginary worlds brought to life that give the phrase “movie magic” the ring of truth. None of that would be possible without visual effects, an ever-evolving field that pushes filmmakers like James Cameron and Peter Jackson further and further in their quest to create that special spark.
The films that won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects this century represent the most innovative visual storytelling of the last two decades. Using motion capture technology, computer-generated imagery, miniatures, and giant puppets, these films create fantasy worlds and creatures beyond our wildest imaginations.
Here are the winners of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects of the 21st century, ranked by their visual storytelling. Note: Weta Digital changed its name to Wētā FX in 2022. IndieWire retained the original...
The films that won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects this century represent the most innovative visual storytelling of the last two decades. Using motion capture technology, computer-generated imagery, miniatures, and giant puppets, these films create fantasy worlds and creatures beyond our wildest imaginations.
Here are the winners of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects of the 21st century, ranked by their visual storytelling. Note: Weta Digital changed its name to Wētā FX in 2022. IndieWire retained the original...
- 3/17/2023
- by Chris O'Falt, Bill Desowitz, Sarah Shachat and Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Of all our craft Best of 2022 lists, film scores was the one where there was the widest list of nominees and least amount of consensus about a top 10. There was just such a wide variety of great work done that delineating what was best wasn’t always clear.
What was clear from our picks, however, was that a number of the best composers working today — from Michael Giacchino to Michael Abels — were on their game in 2022; it was also apparent that this was a year of innovative uses of film music that played a subtle and almost sound design-like role. And by no surprise, so much of that best work came from director-composer collaborations that started early and stretched over many months, sometimes over year, and evolved to find the best way for the music sit in the film.
Chris O’Falt, Steve Greene, David Ehrlich, and Erik Adams also contributed to this article.
What was clear from our picks, however, was that a number of the best composers working today — from Michael Giacchino to Michael Abels — were on their game in 2022; it was also apparent that this was a year of innovative uses of film music that played a subtle and almost sound design-like role. And by no surprise, so much of that best work came from director-composer collaborations that started early and stretched over many months, sometimes over year, and evolved to find the best way for the music sit in the film.
Chris O’Falt, Steve Greene, David Ehrlich, and Erik Adams also contributed to this article.
- 12/20/2022
- by Sarah Shachat, Jim Hemphill and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With everything going the way it is in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep less cheery emotions at bay. At least this bizarre, still-very-much-in-progress century has already produced any number of great comedies that you can fire up any time you need a serotonin burst, thanks to the ever-growing cadre of streaming services. The pandemic may be starting to recede but the specter of war and a tortured economy have occupied our minds instead: so, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017 (and last updated in August 2021), a rethink.
We’ve added 25 new films to the Top 50 list we unveiled in August. At that time, we dropped a number of titles from the original list that are funny, but not necessarily comedies. And we’ve added some...
We’ve added 25 new films to the Top 50 list we unveiled in August. At that time, we dropped a number of titles from the original list that are funny, but not necessarily comedies. And we’ve added some...
- 11/13/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson, Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Why do horror movies still feel undervalued? One thing’s for certain: In this age of geekery and craft reigning supreme, critics and academics no longer dismiss the genre as disreputable with the kneejerk regularity some once did. But even now there’s talk of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in “Scream 5″) appearing in artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The idea being that they engage your brain more than just showing brains…eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson, Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in April 2021 and has since been updated.
World cinema has given us plenty of auteurs hell-bent on creating the most disturbing experience possible, from Pier Paolo Pasolini to Catherine Breillat, Gaspar Noe, and Takashi Miike. Below, IndieWire highlights a selection of foreign-language films likely to keep you up at night terrified, or thinking, or both.
Leave it to any country except the U.S. to render the worst possible horrors, psychological, physical, and otherwise, onscreen in unflinching detail. While some of these films listed below are, in fact, outright horror films, others take a more psychic or spiritual approach to peeling back on society’s, and humankind’s, worst tendencies — or while querying war, faith, or sexuality.
While many of the directors highlighted here made a personal brand out of pushing the limits of extreme storytelling, consider the below just a selection...
World cinema has given us plenty of auteurs hell-bent on creating the most disturbing experience possible, from Pier Paolo Pasolini to Catherine Breillat, Gaspar Noe, and Takashi Miike. Below, IndieWire highlights a selection of foreign-language films likely to keep you up at night terrified, or thinking, or both.
Leave it to any country except the U.S. to render the worst possible horrors, psychological, physical, and otherwise, onscreen in unflinching detail. While some of these films listed below are, in fact, outright horror films, others take a more psychic or spiritual approach to peeling back on society’s, and humankind’s, worst tendencies — or while querying war, faith, or sexuality.
While many of the directors highlighted here made a personal brand out of pushing the limits of extreme storytelling, consider the below just a selection...
- 8/27/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
When the ’90s began, every major theatrical release was shot on celluloid, films were edited on flatbeds rather than computer screens, animation was still a hand-drawn art, and analog sound was the norm for both mixing and exhibition. By the end of the decade all of this would change thanks to some of the biggest technological revolutions since the conversion to sound over 60 years earlier. The 1990s transformed the ways that we make, watch, and listen to movies like no decade before or since, and its innovations continue to reverberate today. Here are nine films without which film history and the cinematic landscape today would be very, very different.
This article contains contributions from Bill Desowitz, Jim Hemphill, Chris O’Falt, and Sarah Shachat.
This article was published as part of IndieWire’s ’90s Week spectacular. Visit our ’90s Week page for more.
This article contains contributions from Bill Desowitz, Jim Hemphill, Chris O’Falt, and Sarah Shachat.
This article was published as part of IndieWire’s ’90s Week spectacular. Visit our ’90s Week page for more.
- 8/18/2022
- by Bill Desowitz, Jim Hemphill, Sarah Shachat and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
As if. While the ‘90s may still be linked with a wide variety of dubious holdovers — including curious slang, questionable fashion choices, and sinister political agendas — many of the decade’s cultural contributions have cast an outsized shadow on the first stretch of the 21st century. Nowhere is that phenomenon more obvious or explicable than it is at the movies.
The ’90s began with a revolt against the kind of bland Hollywood product that people might kill to see in theaters today, creaking open a small window of time in which a more commercially viable American independent cinema began seeping into mainstream fare. Young and exciting directors, many of whom are now major auteurs and perennial IndieWire favorites, were given the resources to make multiple films — some of them on massive scales. Meanwhile, the industry establishment responded to the sudden influx of new talent by entrusting its biggest tentpoles to...
The ’90s began with a revolt against the kind of bland Hollywood product that people might kill to see in theaters today, creaking open a small window of time in which a more commercially viable American independent cinema began seeping into mainstream fare. Young and exciting directors, many of whom are now major auteurs and perennial IndieWire favorites, were given the resources to make multiple films — some of them on massive scales. Meanwhile, the industry establishment responded to the sudden influx of new talent by entrusting its biggest tentpoles to...
- 8/15/2022
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Nope,” the latest horror film from director Jordan Peele, is the ultimate spectacle about our addictive, thrill-seeking gaze. It’s been roundly praised for its visual ingenuity, with early reactions encouraging moviegoers to see the film on “the biggest screen you can find.” That’s an easily manageable task, considering that “Nope” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot much of the extraterrestrial mayhem in IMAX.
Yet the most innovative aspect of the film’s cinematography is the unique way van Hoytema shot night scenes in bright sunlight, resulting in onscreen skies that IndieWire’s David Ehrlich describes as “an eerily magical stretch of air that Crayola might call ‘Day-for-Night Periwinkle.'” “I literally don’t know how he did it. Well, I’m not gonna tell you,” Peele coyly told IndieWire. “In a lot of ways, we stood on the backs of some of the work that he’s done in...
Yet the most innovative aspect of the film’s cinematography is the unique way van Hoytema shot night scenes in bright sunlight, resulting in onscreen skies that IndieWire’s David Ehrlich describes as “an eerily magical stretch of air that Crayola might call ‘Day-for-Night Periwinkle.'” “I literally don’t know how he did it. Well, I’m not gonna tell you,” Peele coyly told IndieWire. “In a lot of ways, we stood on the backs of some of the work that he’s done in...
- 7/24/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This list was updated on June 7, 2022 in celebration of this year’s Pride month. It was first published on August 25, 2017.
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
- 6/7/2022
- by Jude Dry and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Netflix may get most of the attention, but it’s hardly a one-stop shop for cinephiles looking to stream essential classic and contemporary films. Each of the prominent streaming platforms caters to its own niche of film obsessives.
From the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel to the new frontiers of streaming offered by the likes of Disney+ and HBO Max, IndieWire’s monthly guide highlights the best of what’s coming to every major streamer, with an eye toward exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here is your guide for May 2022.
Siddhant Adlakha, Kate Erbland, and Chris O’Falt contributed to this article.
From the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel to the new frontiers of streaming offered by the likes of Disney+ and HBO Max, IndieWire’s monthly guide highlights the best of what’s coming to every major streamer, with an eye toward exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here is your guide for May 2022.
Siddhant Adlakha, Kate Erbland, and Chris O’Falt contributed to this article.
- 5/13/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
IndieWire is pleased to announce three hires joining our Special Projects team, which produces premium editorial and video franchises and bolsters daily editorial coverage of film and television craft.
Kuwilileni Hauwanga joins IndieWire as Director of Video Production and will oversee IndieWire’s video production and support evolving video needs across sales, marketing, and editorial. Formerly with Insider and BuzzFeed, Hauwanga is based in Los Angeles and reports to Publisher James Israel.
Erik Adams, formerly of The A.V. Club, has joined the team as Deputy Editor, Craft & Special Projects. Adams will oversee daily coverage of craft and animation along with long-lead franchise profiles of top creators and filmmakers in the film and TV worlds. Adams is based in Chicago and reports to Executive Editor, Craft & Special Projects Chris O’Falt.
Katie Hay, formerly of NY Magazine/Vulture, has joined the team as Senior Manager, Marketing to create custom partnership solutions...
Kuwilileni Hauwanga joins IndieWire as Director of Video Production and will oversee IndieWire’s video production and support evolving video needs across sales, marketing, and editorial. Formerly with Insider and BuzzFeed, Hauwanga is based in Los Angeles and reports to Publisher James Israel.
Erik Adams, formerly of The A.V. Club, has joined the team as Deputy Editor, Craft & Special Projects. Adams will oversee daily coverage of craft and animation along with long-lead franchise profiles of top creators and filmmakers in the film and TV worlds. Adams is based in Chicago and reports to Executive Editor, Craft & Special Projects Chris O’Falt.
Katie Hay, formerly of NY Magazine/Vulture, has joined the team as Senior Manager, Marketing to create custom partnership solutions...
- 4/5/2022
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
When thinking about our list of the 50 Best Action Movies of the 21st century so far, it became clear that action movies have taken two paths in the past couple of decades. On the one hand, most of the franchise IP blockbusters — especially superhero films — released to massive box-office hauls could qualify as action movies in one way or another, even if they’re less kinetic than pixelated. However, the action movies that depend less on fetishized source material have yielded some of the most personal higher-budget work around. When done well, an action movie can tell great character-driven stories through movement: drama made dynamic.
And that’s what defines so many of the movies on IndieWire’s list: Some are self-consciously quirky character pieces, from Jason Statham needing to keep his heart rate up at adrenalized extremes in “Crank: High Voltage” to Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci having sex...
And that’s what defines so many of the movies on IndieWire’s list: Some are self-consciously quirky character pieces, from Jason Statham needing to keep his heart rate up at adrenalized extremes in “Crank: High Voltage” to Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci having sex...
- 3/18/2022
- by Christian Zilko, Samantha Bergeson and Noel Murray
- Indiewire
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