Dune in overwhelming 4DX, our Oscars predictions, and more from this week in film

10 great films from this century that didn’t win a single Oscar

If winning an Oscar wasn’t a big deal, why are the year’s biggest snubs and surprises the first topic of discussion following every nomination announcement? What would the discourse be this year if we weren’t talking about Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie not making the cut in the tight categories of Best Actress and Best Director for Barbie? We’re all armchair Academy voters when it comes to the question of which films, stars, and directors are worthy of recognition, and no one really knows the strange alchemy that goes into picking the winners. Sometimes their choices age well, sometimes not so much. It’s still hard to fathom that there was no Oscar love for outstanding movies like Psycho, A Clockwork Orange, The Shawshank Redemption, Heat, or Fight Club. Read More

Too much desert power? Reckoning with Dune: Part Two in 4DX

Dune: Part Two is really, really popular right now, and for good reason. The worms are really big and Austin Butler is really bald, among other things. But while people scramble for 70mm IMAX tickets like warring factions on the planet Arrakis, there is an alternate route for those who don’t want to see Denis Villeneuve’s sweeping epic for the first time in regular old digital. The film is also offered in 4DX, a technology-rich new experience from Regal Cinemas featuring “more than 20 effects” that range from dramatic chair motion to fog machines, strobe lights, squirting water, and more. It’s… a lot. Read More

10 films we can’t wait to see at SXSW 2024

The South by Southwest film and TV festival, commonly known (at least in print) as SXSW, is upon us once again, promising another star-packed week of blockbuster premieres, indie gems, and everything in between. Whether you’re actually attending the Austin, TX-based festival hoping to pick up a single ticket or two, or just observing from afar, you might be wondering which films are going to grab the most attention this year. The festival is a prime opportunity for upcoming releases to build momentum that they can ride into eventual theatrical releases. So, let’s take a closer look at 10 movies poised to get people talking at this year’s festival. Read More

Our 2024 Oscars predictions for every category

Here we are at the end of another awards season, with frontrunners in some categories and others that are too close to call. As we get ready for the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, we think it’s safe to say it’s going to be a big night for Christopher Nolan and Oppenheimer. But with such a strong field of contenders, it’s tougher than usual to predict the categories where Oppenheimer isn’t nominated. And there are even some categories we’re actually expecting it to lose. Gasp. Read More

Ricky Stanicky review: Peter Farrelly can’t recapture his old comedy magic

From the director of Green Book, your Boomer dad’s favorite movie ever, and the star of The Iron Claw, which made art-house cinephiles realize pro-wrestling can’t simply be dismissed as “fake,” comes Ricky Stanicky, a direct-to-streaming product about a faker, played by a wrestler, that’s likely to be absolutely nobody’s favorite. Following his huge Oscar hit, Peter Farrelly got less respect than he may have expected for his dramedy follow-up, The Greatest Beer Run Ever. As such, he’s back in what’s ostensibly his comfort zone, attempting to recapture the charmingly dumb, high-concept comedy vibe that made him and his brother Bobby famous. Read More

Harry Styles fanfic doesn’t die, it just changes forms in first The Idea Of You trailer

If you’re anything like this writer and you used to spend hours staying up to read fan fiction likely written by other lovesick 14-year-olds, wondering why the great powers that be hadn’t tapped Wattpad or Archive Of Our Own for the big screen yet, your childhood dream is about to be realized. Especially if you were at all involved in the world of “bandom” fic and especially if the band you were most interested in happens to rhyme with “schun schmirection.” Read More

How might Dune: Part Two have shifted this year’s Oscar race?

Unlike Dune prophet Paul Atreides, we don’t have the opportunity to drink the Water of Life and visualize every possible path our world could take in the past, present, or future. But also unlike Paul, we do have the technology to analyze historical data as well as a vested interest in the outcome of this year’s Oscar race, which will finally reach its conclusion this Sunday, March 10. Would that finale look different if the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes hadn’t bumped Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune: Part Two back four months from its originally planned November 2023 release date? We’ll never know for sure, but let’s take some inspiration from Muad’dib himself and try to see the way. Read More

Parker Posey read poetry to Scott Foley on the Scream 3 set

“Parker used to take me by the hand, walk me to the lawn of whatever location we were on, and read poetry to me,” he said. And everyone else on set wished they were him, right? Foley also said he had been a huge fan of the first two movies and the leading trio of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox. “I watched Neve on Party Of Five for years. I don’t think I’ve ever said this but I had a little crush on her. She was great to work with.” Read More

Kung Fu Panda 4 review: Jack Black’s panda power remains strong, but this outing is weak

Throughout the course of the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, we’ve seen dim-witted, dumpling-obsessed panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) transform from a bumbling, underestimated rube into an insightful, self-confident warrior—a Dragon Master, to be exact. He’s found his chi, taken a journey of self-discovery, learned selflessness, and harnessed the power to kick butt using kung fu to defeat a legion of ruthless villains. He’s also broken a few ancient artifacts in his process towards enlightenment. Over the past 16 years, his saga has spun off additional adventures for Po and his pals in direct-to-DVD shorts, a few animated series, and a holiday TV special. It seems Po’s greatest power has been the ability to become a massive, money-making franchise. Read More