While it might be somewhat quiet on the Oscar front at the moment, the buzz surrounding films, specifically that of original works by up-and-coming filmmakers, and the discourse surrounding such successes, has been anything but silent. Curry Barker’s Obsession and Kane Parsons’s Backrooms, two fairly popular YouTubers (you can find Barker’s account here and Kane Parsons’s here) are defining the box office, both in polar opposite ways that are united by one common tool of success: WORD OF MOUTH Barker’s Obsession premiered...

Uwe Boll's new film, Citizen Vigilante, has been banned in Germany for promoting vigilantism. Germany has the strictest free speech laws in Europe and has decided to ban this film, which stars Armie Hammer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ww8snVKe0A There is no better time than now for a movie like this as we wade through safe and inoffensive films for like what, years by now? I grew up with hard-hitting thrillers like this so I'm excited to see it. Also great to see Armie Hammer back...

Two films at theaters this weekend have once again excited audiences and brought people back to the theater, especially young people. All thanks to two directors, Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession). Like Bo Burnham, Kane Parsons got his start in new media in online spaces like 4-Chan and YouTube. Says Anthony D'Alessandro over at Deadline: For rabid fans of Parsons (online handle: Kane Pixel), who originally launched the IP on 4chan and spread on Reddit, Backrooms is a dream come...

Confession: I love TV more than I love movies. Now before anyone comes at me, allow me to explain. I still love a good movie, and I always will. But over the past few years, where American cinema has occasionally left me wanting more, the TV side has really stepped up and impressed me. The landscape of television has expanded so much that I think many shows rival, and sometimes even surpass, what is currently being offered in cinema. What I love...

Congratulations to the Astra Awards for recognizing Paramount+ offerings, with Landman and the great central performance of Billy Bob Thornton, along with Michelle Pfeiffer for The Madison. Paramount+ is being unfairly punished, I think, by being exiled from the hive mind and it's a shame. These are two of the best performances on TV right now. The full list of nominations for the 2026 Astra TV Awards can be found below: Comedy Series Abbott Elementary (ABC) Elsbeth (CBS) Hacks (HBO Max) I...

To many, this year’s addition of the Cannes Film Festival (79th to be exact) was one that was difficult to articulate, even to those who were involved in the entire process. It started with a few major works by Hamaguchi and Pawlikowski, and as the two weeks unfolded, films by Mungiu, Calvo, and Ambrossi, as well as a few others, began to define what the festival was all about. Having not been there myself and having not seen any of the films,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-mepy-OfA   According to Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere there has been some grumbling over Fjord and whether it's MAGA or not. This was also explored in a Hollywood Reporter interview with the director, Cristian Mungiu, who accurately says: First of all, it’s important for me to underline that this film is not about the conflict between Romania and Norway. It’s way more than this. It’s the conflict between a layer of society which had access to privilege, education and wealth, access...

.......And now the Oscar race has begun. Here are your Cannes winners 2026: Palme d'Or: Fjord — Cristian Mungiu Grand Prix: Minotaur — Andrey Zvyagintsev Jury Prize: The Dreamed Adventure — Valeska Grisebach Best Director: Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo — The Black Ball & Paweł Pawlikowski — Fatherland Best Actress: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto — All of a Sudden Best Actor: Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne — Coward Best Screenplay: Emmanuel Marre — A Man of His Time

I'm not as crazy as most people think. I know that what I write here doesn't make a difference. I know what the Oscars were when I started and what they are now. I know that I helped turn the race back into what it was when I first started: completely micromanaged by the studios and the media outlets that depend on them. There is no fix for this. The problem with the Oscars now isn't what people on Film Twitter say....

The reviews ain't great but Jolie's performance is a standout. Heck, women have won Oscars for giving great performances in terrible films. This looks to be personal for her, which doubles the impact. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPotPjMAys Written and directed by Alice Winocour.