Two new Australian films, both enjoying their world premiere, are among the first titles confirmed to play at the Sydney Film Festival in June.
“In Vitro,” a sci-fi mystery thriller set on a remote cattle farm in the near future, hails from directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith (“Beast”) and stars Ashley Zukerman (“Succession”).
With “The Pool,” director Ian Darling (“The Final Quarter”) paints a cinematic portrait of a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs, the pool and the people who cherish it.
They will be joined by New Zealand actor Rachel House (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”), who makes her feature directorial debut with “The Mountain,” which centers on three children discovering friendship’s healing power through the spirit of adventure as they trek through spectacular New Zealand landscapes. It is executive produced by Taika Waititi and will be eligible for Sydney’s recently announced First Nations Award,...
“In Vitro,” a sci-fi mystery thriller set on a remote cattle farm in the near future, hails from directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith (“Beast”) and stars Ashley Zukerman (“Succession”).
With “The Pool,” director Ian Darling (“The Final Quarter”) paints a cinematic portrait of a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs, the pool and the people who cherish it.
They will be joined by New Zealand actor Rachel House (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”), who makes her feature directorial debut with “The Mountain,” which centers on three children discovering friendship’s healing power through the spirit of adventure as they trek through spectacular New Zealand landscapes. It is executive produced by Taika Waititi and will be eligible for Sydney’s recently announced First Nations Award,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Prepare to feast. Or dance. This week’s streaming debuts include two visually sumptuous films that will whet your Easter-weekend appetite.
The contender to watch this week: “The Taste of Things“
France lost out on an Oscar nomination when the country’s selection committee chose Trần Anh Hùng‘s savory romance about a venerable chef (Benoît Magimel) and a gifted cook (Juliette Binoche) instead of eventual Best Picture nominee “Anatomy of a Fall.” But even if the movie didn’t make the Best International Feature Film category, it earned an immediate spot in the culinary canon. Like the documentary “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros,” last year’s other great food movie, “The Taste of Things” is kitchen porn. In the warmly lit countryside, the gourmands prepare veal loins, roasted vegetables, baked Alaska, and the creamiest omelet you’ve ever seen. Select theaters are still showing the film, but it’s newly available on VOD.
The contender to watch this week: “The Taste of Things“
France lost out on an Oscar nomination when the country’s selection committee chose Trần Anh Hùng‘s savory romance about a venerable chef (Benoît Magimel) and a gifted cook (Juliette Binoche) instead of eventual Best Picture nominee “Anatomy of a Fall.” But even if the movie didn’t make the Best International Feature Film category, it earned an immediate spot in the culinary canon. Like the documentary “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros,” last year’s other great food movie, “The Taste of Things” is kitchen porn. In the warmly lit countryside, the gourmands prepare veal loins, roasted vegetables, baked Alaska, and the creamiest omelet you’ve ever seen. Select theaters are still showing the film, but it’s newly available on VOD.
- 3/30/2024
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
And the Razzie Goes to . . .
As much as we hate to give Razzies any sort of promotion, The Criterion Channel has a new series to show just how wrong the execrable organization has been over the past decades. Launching today, they are spotlighting comedic gems like Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, Elaine May’s Ishtar, and Neil Labute’s The Wicker Man, alongside Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Xanadu, Querelle, Under the Cherry Moon, Cocktail, Showgirls, Barb Wire, The Blair Witch Project, Swept Away and Gigli.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
In BlackBerry, the rise of a blue-chip tech company sets the stage for the dissolution of a longstanding friendship. Sound familiar? Just wait ‘til you hear the score.
And the Razzie Goes to . . .
As much as we hate to give Razzies any sort of promotion, The Criterion Channel has a new series to show just how wrong the execrable organization has been over the past decades. Launching today, they are spotlighting comedic gems like Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, Elaine May’s Ishtar, and Neil Labute’s The Wicker Man, alongside Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Xanadu, Querelle, Under the Cherry Moon, Cocktail, Showgirls, Barb Wire, The Blair Witch Project, Swept Away and Gigli.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
In BlackBerry, the rise of a blue-chip tech company sets the stage for the dissolution of a longstanding friendship. Sound familiar? Just wait ‘til you hear the score.
- 3/1/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
The world came back in 2023. The box office, the labor strikes, the raging wars, the Who-declared end of official global emergency, the AI explosion. People were stir-crazy, anxious to act, be it in the name of violence or peace or productivity. It’s been a sobering reminder that life fully lived is defined by bedrock tragedy as much as triumph––that to enter back into open community with the rest of the world is to feel the effervescence of life flowing naturally again while simultaneously laying oneself bare to fresh devastation. It’s been a reminder of the duality of being: that real life is much wilder than the movies and yet the day-to-day is still defined by mundanity and monotony––the amassed in-between moments.
In those in-betweens,...
The world came back in 2023. The box office, the labor strikes, the raging wars, the Who-declared end of official global emergency, the AI explosion. People were stir-crazy, anxious to act, be it in the name of violence or peace or productivity. It’s been a sobering reminder that life fully lived is defined by bedrock tragedy as much as triumph––that to enter back into open community with the rest of the world is to feel the effervescence of life flowing naturally again while simultaneously laying oneself bare to fresh devastation. It’s been a reminder of the duality of being: that real life is much wilder than the movies and yet the day-to-day is still defined by mundanity and monotony––the amassed in-between moments.
In those in-betweens,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
The Taste of Things.How do you solve a riddle like Trần Anh Hùng’s The Taste of Things? Revolving around the professional and romantic companionship between a master chef and his faithful cook, the feature, which won the Vietnamese-French filmmaker the Best Director award at Cannes, enjoys largely rapturous reviews in international press, yet its critical reception in France is much more divisive. Dismissed by publications such as Le Monde, Libération, and Cahiers du cinéma as a “bourgeois” and “old-fashioned” effort, Taste was simultaneously embraced by the right-wing outlet Causeur, which exalts the meat-centric feature as a return to tradition, and a slap in the face to the quinoa-eating, so-called “woke” crowd. To be selected over Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall and other shortlisted nominees as France’s official submission to the Oscars was yet another sin. Months before its cinema release, Taste received an extraordinary amount...
- 1/3/2024
- MUBI
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
The greatest year in cinema since the monumental offerings of 2007––a transformative year that set the seeds for this very site to come into existence––2023 offered a resounding affirmative that indeed the medium is alive and well: auteurs flexing what they do best, newcomers providing a hopeful voice for the future of filmmaking, along with a plethora of worthwhile offers. Along with my personal favorites when it came to U.S. releases, two films also premiered that would’ve topped this list had they come out in 2023: Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast and Víctor Erice’s still-shockingly-undistributed Close Your Eyes.
While they didn’t make the top 15 cut below, I must make mention for the most essential, one-and-done viewing of the year with De Humani Corporis...
The greatest year in cinema since the monumental offerings of 2007––a transformative year that set the seeds for this very site to come into existence––2023 offered a resounding affirmative that indeed the medium is alive and well: auteurs flexing what they do best, newcomers providing a hopeful voice for the future of filmmaking, along with a plethora of worthwhile offers. Along with my personal favorites when it came to U.S. releases, two films also premiered that would’ve topped this list had they come out in 2023: Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast and Víctor Erice’s still-shockingly-undistributed Close Your Eyes.
While they didn’t make the top 15 cut below, I must make mention for the most essential, one-and-done viewing of the year with De Humani Corporis...
- 12/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Updated 12/22/2023 with details on shortlisted A Still Small Voice. Updated with quotes, 1:37 Pm: American Symphony, the Obamas-executive produced documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, scored a remarkable hat trick today as the Oscar shortlists were revealed, but a couple of documentary icons were left on the bench.
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
- 12/21/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Oscars shortlist voting period has closed as of 5:00 p.m. Pt.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the finalists in 10 categories — documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10) — on Thursday, Dec. 21.
We expect to see multiple best picture contenders in various races, including Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic “Oppenheimer.” When it comes to “Barbie,” we are forecasting six mentions for the movie, including three of its songs — “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For,” which feels like it sealed the deal with Billie Eilish’s moving musical performance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Varying mediums and genres could find representation throughout the lists.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the finalists in 10 categories — documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10) — on Thursday, Dec. 21.
We expect to see multiple best picture contenders in various races, including Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic “Oppenheimer.” When it comes to “Barbie,” we are forecasting six mentions for the movie, including three of its songs — “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For,” which feels like it sealed the deal with Billie Eilish’s moving musical performance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Varying mediums and genres could find representation throughout the lists.
- 12/19/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca) announced the winners of their 49th annual awards on Sunday, December 10. These California-based reviewers are the second major critics group to reveal their list of 2023 honorees, as their New York counterparts went first on November 30. While the East Coast critics chose “Killers of the Flower Moon” as Best Picture, the Westerners totally shut out Martin Scorsese’s film in favor of Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.”
Last year, the Empire State crew gave their highest honor to “Tár.” While the L.A. gang concurred, they also decided to award “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in a rare tie. In 2021, both organizations went with Japanese import “Drive My Car” as their pick for best pic.
Like the New York Film Critics Circle, the 60 Lafca members met for a marathon voting session involving multiple ballots for each race. Below is the full list of...
Last year, the Empire State crew gave their highest honor to “Tár.” While the L.A. gang concurred, they also decided to award “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in a rare tie. In 2021, both organizations went with Japanese import “Drive My Car” as their pick for best pic.
Like the New York Film Critics Circle, the 60 Lafca members met for a marathon voting session involving multiple ballots for each race. Below is the full list of...
- 12/11/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted on the best films of 2023 on Sunday, announcing the winners of the annual LA Film Critics Awards on the organization’s official social media channels. In keeping with tradition, the winners were selected by members of the Lafca via an online voting process with winners and runners up being announced one at a time.
This year’s wide open Oscar race means that an eclectic group of films competed for the top prizes. Major blockbusters like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” established themselves as early frontrunners by delighting critics on their way to becoming cultural phenomena, but they quickly faced stiff competition from the traditional slate of buzzy arthouse premieres that emerged from the festival circuit. Films like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” could just as easily follow their Golden Lion and Palme d’Or wins with a strong American award season showing.
This year’s wide open Oscar race means that an eclectic group of films competed for the top prizes. Major blockbusters like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” established themselves as early frontrunners by delighting critics on their way to becoming cultural phenomena, but they quickly faced stiff competition from the traditional slate of buzzy arthouse premieres that emerged from the festival circuit. Films like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” could just as easily follow their Golden Lion and Palme d’Or wins with a strong American award season showing.
- 12/10/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
“Killers of the Flower Moon” not only was just voted Best Picture by the New York Film Critics Circle, but the movie’s breakout star Lily Gladstone earned much-welcome validation for her brave decision to compete in the lead actress race this awards season.
Not too long ago most Oscar pundits assumed that Gladstone would aim for the supporting category, which she’d probably win. They didn’t think she’d give up a sure bet to take on Emma Stone (“Poor Things”), Carrie Mulligan (“Maestro”) and Margot Robbie (“Barbie”) in the lead race, but she took the chance and reaped her award.
Here’s the full list of the NYFCC winners:
Best Film: “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actor: Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, “May December”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph,...
Not too long ago most Oscar pundits assumed that Gladstone would aim for the supporting category, which she’d probably win. They didn’t think she’d give up a sure bet to take on Emma Stone (“Poor Things”), Carrie Mulligan (“Maestro”) and Margot Robbie (“Barbie”) in the lead race, but she took the chance and reaped her award.
Here’s the full list of the NYFCC winners:
Best Film: “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actor: Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, “May December”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph,...
- 12/1/2023
- by Tom O'Neil
- Gold Derby
Scorsese’s crime epic, Oppenheimer, May December win two awards each.
New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) has announced its winners and named Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon best film and Christopher Nolan best director for Oppenheimer.
Both films earned two awards on Thursday as Lily Gladstone was named best actress for Killers Of The Flower Moon and Hoyte van Hoytema triumphed for cinematography on Oppenheimer.
NYFCC announced its winners via X (formerly Twitter) and is the first major critics group to unveil its selections. It is, however, not a particularly reliable bellwether of the Oscar winner...
New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) has announced its winners and named Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon best film and Christopher Nolan best director for Oppenheimer.
Both films earned two awards on Thursday as Lily Gladstone was named best actress for Killers Of The Flower Moon and Hoyte van Hoytema triumphed for cinematography on Oppenheimer.
NYFCC announced its winners via X (formerly Twitter) and is the first major critics group to unveil its selections. It is, however, not a particularly reliable bellwether of the Oscar winner...
- 11/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Voting for the 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards has ended and the awards have been announced. The NYFCC winners list is one of the most anticipated in the awards season leading up to the Oscars, partly due to it being the first major critics group to issue awards each year, partly due to the exceptional caliber of its members (among whom IndieWire’s Kate Erbland and David Ehrlich are counted) and partly due to their inclination to embrace true cinephilia rather than awards season narratives. Check out the full winners list below.
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “May December” were the only films to win two awards each. “Flower Moon” won the top prize, Best Film, along with Best Actress for Lily Gladstone. Christopher Nolan won Best Director for “Oppenheimer,” which also took Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema. The two films, from Apple and Universal respectively,...
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “May December” were the only films to win two awards each. “Flower Moon” won the top prize, Best Film, along with Best Actress for Lily Gladstone. Christopher Nolan won Best Director for “Oppenheimer,” which also took Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema. The two films, from Apple and Universal respectively,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
The New York Film Critics’ Circle announced the winners of their 89th annual awards on Thursday (Nov. 30). These Gotham-based reviewers are the first critics group to weigh in with their picks for the top pic with their West Coast counterparts (Lafca) due to chime in on Dec 10. The last time that the NYFCC previewed the Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards was in 2012 with “The Artist.”
The members of the NYFCC meet in Manhattan and cast their votes in a complicated system that can result in multiple ballots for each race. Not surprisingly, this can result in a marathon session that lasts all day, with an extended break for lunch.
Best Picture
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Director
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Actor
Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton,...
The members of the NYFCC meet in Manhattan and cast their votes in a complicated system that can result in multiple ballots for each race. Not surprisingly, this can result in a marathon session that lasts all day, with an extended break for lunch.
Best Picture
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Director
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Actor
Franz Rogowski, “Passages”
Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Voting is under way by the New York Film Critics Circle for its annual awards.
Last year, the NYFCC selected Tár as the best picture of 2022.
The Hollywood Reporter will be updating the list of the NYFCC’s 2022 winners live as they are announced. Refresh for the latest.
Best Film: Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Actor: Franz Rogowski, Passages
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Screenplay: May December
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, May December
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
Best First Film: Past Lives
Best International Film: Anatomy of a Fall
Best Nonfiction Film: Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros
Founded in 1935, the organization’s membership includes critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines and qualifying online general-interest publications. Every year in December, the group meets in New York to vote on awards for the previous calendar year’s films.
In addition to the regular categories,...
Last year, the NYFCC selected Tár as the best picture of 2022.
The Hollywood Reporter will be updating the list of the NYFCC’s 2022 winners live as they are announced. Refresh for the latest.
Best Film: Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Actor: Franz Rogowski, Passages
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Screenplay: May December
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, May December
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Animated Film: The Boy and the Heron
Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
Best First Film: Past Lives
Best International Film: Anatomy of a Fall
Best Nonfiction Film: Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros
Founded in 1935, the organization’s membership includes critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines and qualifying online general-interest publications. Every year in December, the group meets in New York to vote on awards for the previous calendar year’s films.
In addition to the regular categories,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The New York Film Critics Circle has significantly boosted the Oscar prospects for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” by anointing the Western epic best film and naming Lily Gladstone best actress.
The film, distributed by Apple Original Films in partnership with Paramount Pictures (overseeing theatrical distribution), marks the streaming service’s inaugural win from the NYFCC.
NYFCC’s winner for best film has typically had a strong correlation with the Academy Awards’ best picture prize. Since the expansion to 10 nominees in 2009, only “Carol” (2015) and “First Cow” (2020) have missed out on a best picture nom. The latter was the first film in the organization’s long history to fail to garner a single Oscar nom. Since 1935, NYFCC and the Academy have matched 43% of the time.
Scorsese claimed his third top prize from the NYFCC, following “Goodfellas” (1990) and “The Irishman” (2019). His achievement places him among a select few directors...
The film, distributed by Apple Original Films in partnership with Paramount Pictures (overseeing theatrical distribution), marks the streaming service’s inaugural win from the NYFCC.
NYFCC’s winner for best film has typically had a strong correlation with the Academy Awards’ best picture prize. Since the expansion to 10 nominees in 2009, only “Carol” (2015) and “First Cow” (2020) have missed out on a best picture nom. The latter was the first film in the organization’s long history to fail to garner a single Oscar nom. Since 1935, NYFCC and the Academy have matched 43% of the time.
Scorsese claimed his third top prize from the NYFCC, following “Goodfellas” (1990) and “The Irishman” (2019). His achievement places him among a select few directors...
- 11/30/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman has filmed a lot of things — dismissive budget negotiations among Uc Berkeley administrators, dead end conversations inside a New York welfare center, a live capuchin monkey being decapitated by scientists. But before he saw any of that, the Boston native saw Bill Russell win the NBA Finals.
“I shared season tickets to the Celtics with a friend, so every other game I went and the others I watched on the telly. As the expression goes, I go way back with the Celtics,” Wiseman tells Variety over the phone. “I happened to be at the game where Russell scored with five seconds left that gave them the championship. And I used to take my sons to the game.”
In previous interviews, the 93-year-old filmmaker has expressed that he doesn’t watch much TV beyond basketball and tennis. Now spending his golden years in France, he confesses that...
“I shared season tickets to the Celtics with a friend, so every other game I went and the others I watched on the telly. As the expression goes, I go way back with the Celtics,” Wiseman tells Variety over the phone. “I happened to be at the game where Russell scored with five seconds left that gave them the championship. And I used to take my sons to the game.”
In previous interviews, the 93-year-old filmmaker has expressed that he doesn’t watch much TV beyond basketball and tennis. Now spending his golden years in France, he confesses that...
- 11/22/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Haute cuisine as a form of artistic creation—one both time-intensive in its preparation and ephemeral in its shelf-life—and how to keep such a tradition alive is at the center of Frederick Wiseman’s Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros. Whittled down from 150 hours of footage, the four-hour documentary takes on a leisurely pace matching both the unhurried unfolding of the dining experience at the titular restaurant and the elaborate process of crafting a meal. Beyond showing us the preparation of the food and every conceivable method of cookery, Wiseman brings us the source of it, too, following the Troisgois chefs as they visit […]
The post “I Have Never Seen Any Restaurant Movies”: Frederick Wiseman on Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Have Never Seen Any Restaurant Movies”: Frederick Wiseman on Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/22/2023
- by Elissa Suh
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Haute cuisine as a form of artistic creation—one both time-intensive in its preparation and ephemeral in its shelf-life—and how to keep such a tradition alive is at the center of Frederick Wiseman’s Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros. Whittled down from 150 hours of footage, the four-hour documentary takes on a leisurely pace matching both the unhurried unfolding of the dining experience at the titular restaurant and the elaborate process of crafting a meal. Beyond showing us the preparation of the food and every conceivable method of cookery, Wiseman brings us the source of it, too, following the Troisgois chefs as they visit […]
The post “I Have Never Seen Any Restaurant Movies”: Frederick Wiseman on Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Have Never Seen Any Restaurant Movies”: Frederick Wiseman on Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/22/2023
- by Elissa Suh
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Frederick Wiseman’s new film, Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros, a four-hour documentary on the Troisgros family and their three restaurants located in central France, primarily focuses on the three-Michelin-starred La Maison Troisgros. Menus-Plaisirs translates to “small pleasures,” and the film details much of the hard work it takes to create the many found at the Troisgros family restaurants.
This is Wiseman’s sixth feature made in France, the country he now calls home. Not only does Menus-Plaisirs fit within that subcategory, but the filmmaker also clearly approaches the subject as an institution practicing or exhibiting art on the same plane as National Gallery, La Comedie-Francaise, Crazy Horse, Boxing Gym, and Ballet.
Bridging all subcategorization of Wiseman’s work, at least since the mid-90s, has been an arc exhibiting the slow decline of resources for the arts, public spaces, small-business opportunities, and handmade goods in favor of capitalism’s industrial streamlining of contemporary life.
This is Wiseman’s sixth feature made in France, the country he now calls home. Not only does Menus-Plaisirs fit within that subcategory, but the filmmaker also clearly approaches the subject as an institution practicing or exhibiting art on the same plane as National Gallery, La Comedie-Francaise, Crazy Horse, Boxing Gym, and Ballet.
Bridging all subcategorization of Wiseman’s work, at least since the mid-90s, has been an arc exhibiting the slow decline of resources for the arts, public spaces, small-business opportunities, and handmade goods in favor of capitalism’s industrial streamlining of contemporary life.
- 11/20/2023
- by Shawn Glinis
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWe’re thrilled to introduce Notebook’s email newsletter, the Weekly Edit: a mix of our latest essays, interviews, and festival coverage, with a few archival gems to boot. Learn more and sign up here.REMEMBERINGThe Cow.This weekend brought devastating news that Dariush Mehrjui, the landmark Iranian filmmaker, and his wife and screenwriting partner Vahideh Mohammadifar were found murdered in their home. A lifelong enemy of state censorship, Mehrjui helped kick off the Iranian New Wave with his second feature, The Cow (1969), which was denied an export permit when it was originally completed. “Despite the fact that the film was funded by the Ministry of Culture and Arts, the Pahlavi regime preferred not to have the film’s portrayal of rural Iranian village life color the nation’s desired image of modernity on the world stage,...
- 10/18/2023
- MUBI
Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival has unveiled the program for its 27th edition, which will take place in the Czech city of Jihlava between Oct. 24-29. The festival will showcase 357 films in both competitive and non-competitive sections, with 115 world premieres, 22 international premieres and 17 European premieres.
This year’s program touches on themes of artificial intelligence and new technologies, the changing planetary climate, migration, transformation of the democratic system and society, as well as the search for new paths to freedom and happiness.
Festival director Marek Hovorka says of the concept of this year’s edition: “The world in which we live is rapidly changing, and this year’s Ji.hlava brings images of these transformations. The films in the program are thematically and formally very diverse, allowing us to recognize and contemplate the world’s transformation.”
Works related to the theme of this year’s Ji.hlava include Sophie Compton...
This year’s program touches on themes of artificial intelligence and new technologies, the changing planetary climate, migration, transformation of the democratic system and society, as well as the search for new paths to freedom and happiness.
Festival director Marek Hovorka says of the concept of this year’s edition: “The world in which we live is rapidly changing, and this year’s Ji.hlava brings images of these transformations. The films in the program are thematically and formally very diverse, allowing us to recognize and contemplate the world’s transformation.”
Works related to the theme of this year’s Ji.hlava include Sophie Compton...
- 10/13/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros.Industry nerves were jangling back in July when the ongoing strikes by the actors’ and writers’ guilds saw Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers pulled from its opening night slot at the 80th Venice Film Festival. The loss of a high-profile premiere with the film’s star Zendaya in attendance must have flustered red carpet reporters and festival bosses alike: those for whom newsworthiness and movie-star magic are inextricably linked. As the festival itself drew near, it began to look like the spotlight was turning towards the filmmakers—and perhaps even the films themselves.It was hard to keep track, in the weeks leading up to the festival, of which films had received the exemptions from their respective guilds that would allow talent to attend, but for my first full day on the Lido, it certainly looked like business as usual. Over there was Adam Driver, who, from the right vantage point,...
- 10/10/2023
- MUBI
Who's hungry?? Zipporah Films has revealed an official trailer for the documentary film Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros, the latest film from award-winning, beloved doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. This new one is another 4 hour long film from Wiseman, taking us inside a world famous Parisian restaurant. It premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Fstival, though not many had a chance to see it because it's so long. "A 93-year-old director embeds inside a French restaurant that's held three Michelin stars for more than 50 years." The Troisgros family restaurant has been holding 3 Michelin stars over four generations. This is an immersive experience, showing the artistry, ingenuity, and imagination of the staff, creating and presenting meals of highest quality as Michel Troisros turns over responsibility to his son, César. It also reveals their day-to-day operations involving the purchase of the finest ingredients, all the preparation, and service at this restaurant. Additionally, the collaboration...
- 10/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Ninety-three-year-old documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman has taken his camera from a correctional institution in “Titicut Follies” to East Bay university halls in “At Berkeley” and the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris in “La Danse.” Now, with his latest (and four-hour) nonfiction foray, he takes his camera inside a three-star Michelin restaurant in rural France for “Menus Plaisirs — Les Troisgrois.” The epic documentary portrait world premiered at the Venice Film Festival before heading to NYFF and will open theatrically next month. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
Wiseman’s 44th doc takes us to Central France and Troisgros, which has been owned and operated by the same family for four generations. Troisgros has been a destination for global gastronomes for decades, and it’s here that a passionate family of head chefs take us on a sprawling tour of the menu’s ingredients, textures, colors, and flavors. We observe the culinary trio with their waitstaff,...
Wiseman’s 44th doc takes us to Central France and Troisgros, which has been owned and operated by the same family for four generations. Troisgros has been a destination for global gastronomes for decades, and it’s here that a passionate family of head chefs take us on a sprawling tour of the menu’s ingredients, textures, colors, and flavors. We observe the culinary trio with their waitstaff,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam has revealed its lineups for the competitions for short documentary and youth documentary, as well as the rosters for its Best of Fests section and its newly minted Signed section. In total, 100 films have been included in the IDFA program to date.
In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers.
The 36th edition of IDFA runs from Nov. 8 to 19 in Amsterdam.
The competition for short documentary showcases a healthy boom for the short film form. A mosaic of styles and themes defines this selection of 15 films, exploring everything a short documentary can be. An international jury of three jurors will award the best film.
Pegah Ahangarani returns to IDFA with a personal telling of family history and their experience of the Iranian revolution in “My Father,” and Nastia Korkia...
In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers.
The 36th edition of IDFA runs from Nov. 8 to 19 in Amsterdam.
The competition for short documentary showcases a healthy boom for the short film form. A mosaic of styles and themes defines this selection of 15 films, exploring everything a short documentary can be. An international jury of three jurors will award the best film.
Pegah Ahangarani returns to IDFA with a personal telling of family history and their experience of the Iranian revolution in “My Father,” and Nastia Korkia...
- 10/5/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
It’s the quiet that strikes you in “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros,” a documentary rejoinder to every image of cacophonous haute cuisine environments — complete with clattering pans, hissing steam and chefs screaming invective — that has been fed to us by “Hell’s Kitchen”-style reality shows and the propulsive drama of “The Bear.” Serenity reigns in Frederick Wiseman’s languidly mesmerising 240-minute anatomy of one of the world’s greatest restaurants: The masters and staff of Le Bois Sans Feuilles, a three Michelin-star establishment in France’s Loire region, work with a hushed intensity of concentration that recalls a science lab, or a surgery table, more than any standard kitchen.
That suits Wiseman, a patient, rigorous examiner of institutional structure and process, who observes this culinary cathedral as seriously and methodically as he has such comparatively vast cultural hives as London’s National Gallery or the New York Public Library.
That suits Wiseman, a patient, rigorous examiner of institutional structure and process, who observes this culinary cathedral as seriously and methodically as he has such comparatively vast cultural hives as London’s National Gallery or the New York Public Library.
- 10/5/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is beginning to fill out its lineup leading up to IDFA’s 36th edition next month. The largest all-documentary festival in the world today announced selections for the Competition for Short Documentary and the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary, along with the films selected for the Best of Fests section and the “Signed” section, a new addition to the IDFA program.
One hundred films so far have now announced as part of the 2023 festival, which runs from Nov. 8-19 in the Dutch capital. “In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s iconic co-production and co-financing market has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers,” the festival announced. Full details on all the announced films are below.
The newly created “Signed” section is described as inviting audiences “to discover the new cinematic adventures of the most interesting contemporary filmmakers. The first selection...
One hundred films so far have now announced as part of the 2023 festival, which runs from Nov. 8-19 in the Dutch capital. “In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s iconic co-production and co-financing market has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers,” the festival announced. Full details on all the announced films are below.
The newly created “Signed” section is described as inviting audiences “to discover the new cinematic adventures of the most interesting contemporary filmmakers. The first selection...
- 10/5/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Portuguese festival showcases documentaries from around the world.
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Equal numbers of Chinese and Japanese titles adorn the main competition section of the Toyo International Film Festival, which was announced on Wednesday – three each.
Among the Chinese films is “Snow Leopard,” the last feature by the late Pema Tseden, and “Dwelling by the West Lake,” directed by Gu Xiaogang, the surprisingly inexperienced joint recipient of this year’s Kurosawa Award.
The full competition with 15 titles, set to play between Oct. 23 and Nov. 1, includes the world premiere of Russian director Alexei German Jr.’s “Air” and Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s “The Gospel of the Beast.”
The trio from Japan are: “(Ab)Normal Desire,” by Kishi Yoshiyuki; “A Foggy Paradise,” by Kotsijui Yohei; and “Who Were We,” by Tomina Tetsuya.
The festival’s gala selection appears designed for entertainment pleasure. In addition to the previously-announced “Perfect Days” and “Godzilla Minus One,” set as the festival’s opening and closing films,...
Among the Chinese films is “Snow Leopard,” the last feature by the late Pema Tseden, and “Dwelling by the West Lake,” directed by Gu Xiaogang, the surprisingly inexperienced joint recipient of this year’s Kurosawa Award.
The full competition with 15 titles, set to play between Oct. 23 and Nov. 1, includes the world premiere of Russian director Alexei German Jr.’s “Air” and Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s “The Gospel of the Beast.”
The trio from Japan are: “(Ab)Normal Desire,” by Kishi Yoshiyuki; “A Foggy Paradise,” by Kotsijui Yohei; and “Who Were We,” by Tomina Tetsuya.
The festival’s gala selection appears designed for entertainment pleasure. In addition to the previously-announced “Perfect Days” and “Godzilla Minus One,” set as the festival’s opening and closing films,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The first of Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros‘ four hours moves as quick as a glacier. Herbs are inspected at a farmer’s market. Two chefs weigh up the benifits of pike and zander. Fans of Frederick Wiseman, immediately recognizing these rhythms, know to sit back and relax: his cinema is usually as taxing as a breath of air––probably as good for the system. Plaisirs is Wiseman at his most indulgent. There is a section that goes in deep on how cheese is aged. There is a visit to a beekeeper and another to a vineyard. But Plaisirs‘ 240 minutes are mostly spent charting a day in the life at Troisgros, one of the oldest three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Suffice it to say: do not enter on an empty stomach.
Plaisirs is among a handful of the director’s 50-odd films set in France. Crazy Horse (2011), Le Danse (2009), and La Comédie...
Plaisirs is among a handful of the director’s 50-odd films set in France. Crazy Horse (2011), Le Danse (2009), and La Comédie...
- 9/22/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The film goes behind the scenes at renowned French restaurant La Maison Troisgros that has held three Michelin stars for the past five decades
Paris-based The Party Film Sales has reteamed with Frederick Wiseman for his French food and family-focused documentary Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, ahead of the film’s global premiere in Venice and North American debut in Toronto.
Wiseman will be back on the Lido just one year after his previous feature A Couple screened in competition, this time with a return to his traditional documentary form. The film is the 93-year-old director’s behind-the-scenes excursion into...
Paris-based The Party Film Sales has reteamed with Frederick Wiseman for his French food and family-focused documentary Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, ahead of the film’s global premiere in Venice and North American debut in Toronto.
Wiseman will be back on the Lido just one year after his previous feature A Couple screened in competition, this time with a return to his traditional documentary form. The film is the 93-year-old director’s behind-the-scenes excursion into...
- 7/31/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
A documentary about women who accused Louis C.K. of sexual harassment and the consequences those accusations had on their careers is one of 22 documentaries from 12 countries heading to the 2023 Toronto Intl. Film Festival.
The docu titled “Sorry/Not Sorry,” previously intended for Showtime, is one of several films in TIFF’s nonfiction program that focus on women who have been unjustly ignored for their achievements. TIFF Docs opening night film, “Copa 71,” tells the story of the lost legacy of a 1971 international women’s soccer tournament that had record setting crowds in Mexico City but was largely erased from sports history. The film’s producers include Venus and Serena Williams as well as soccer super star Alex Morgan. Lucy Walker, a two-time Oscar nominee, is bringing “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” about a single mother working as a dishwasher at a Connecticut Whole Foods, who has another life as a record-breaking mountain climber.
The docu titled “Sorry/Not Sorry,” previously intended for Showtime, is one of several films in TIFF’s nonfiction program that focus on women who have been unjustly ignored for their achievements. TIFF Docs opening night film, “Copa 71,” tells the story of the lost legacy of a 1971 international women’s soccer tournament that had record setting crowds in Mexico City but was largely erased from sports history. The film’s producers include Venus and Serena Williams as well as soccer super star Alex Morgan. Lucy Walker, a two-time Oscar nominee, is bringing “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” about a single mother working as a dishwasher at a Connecticut Whole Foods, who has another life as a record-breaking mountain climber.
- 7/26/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
This year, non-fiction titles will be front and center at the Toronto International Film Festival, as many writers and actors will not be on hand due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Opening night at the 2023 festival brings a documentary world premiere, Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s “Copa 71” (seller: Dogwoof), about an historic international women’s soccer tournament lost to sports history. The filmmakers bring us back to the record-setting crowds assembled in Mexico City in 1971. U.S. soccer star Alice Morgan and athletes Venus and Serena Williams are among the film’s executive producers.
That’s the sort of unexpected story that veteran TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers sought for this year’s documentary program of 22 titles from 12 countries. While it’s always painful to whittle down the selection from 800 feature submissions (the post-pandemic production boom continues), Powers looked at giving a boost to sales titles...
Opening night at the 2023 festival brings a documentary world premiere, Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s “Copa 71” (seller: Dogwoof), about an historic international women’s soccer tournament lost to sports history. The filmmakers bring us back to the record-setting crowds assembled in Mexico City in 1971. U.S. soccer star Alice Morgan and athletes Venus and Serena Williams are among the film’s executive producers.
That’s the sort of unexpected story that veteran TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers sought for this year’s documentary program of 22 titles from 12 countries. While it’s always painful to whittle down the selection from 800 feature submissions (the post-pandemic production boom continues), Powers looked at giving a boost to sales titles...
- 7/26/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
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