The Film Stage

The sweet spot for many of the best films of the year, arriving before the final month of 2024, November is packed with robust offerings of Cannes, Berlinale, and fall festival highlights, along with must-see documentaries, and even a major studio movie or two. 17. Dream Team (Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn; Nov. 15) Following […]

The post 17 Films to See in November first appeared on The Film Stage.

In Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2, Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself in an unenviable position: not only was he selected for jury duty, but something odd occurs during the murder trial’s opening statements. Details surrounding the night of the murder begin to trigger memories for him. First, he realizes he was in the same bar […]

The post Juror #2 Review: Courtroom Thriller Represents the Best from Clint Eastwood’s Late Era first appeared on The Film Stage.

Kicking off November 8 in Estonia, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (aka PÖFF) is a strong showcase for independent voices in international cinema. One premiere on our radar is Lina Lužytė and Nerijus Milerius’ Jōhatsu, which explores the Japanese phenomenon of deliberate disappearance, making for a chilling Lithuanian thriller featuring cinematography by Vytautas Katkus […]

The post Exclusive Trailer for Jōhatsu, a Lithuanian Thriller Exploring a Japanese Phenomenon first appeared on The Film Stage.

Among the most inspired choices for a 4K restoration this year would have to be Alan Rudolph’s Breakfast of Champions. Despite coming out in the middle of Bruce Willis’ Armageddon/The Sixth Sense heyday, the 1999 Kurt Vonnegut adaptation died a quick death at the box office, which certainly wasn’t aided by the critic class who […]

The post “Nobody Ever Gave Me Anything”: Alan Rudolph on Robert Altman, Bruce Willis, Kurt Vonnegut, and Resurrecting Breakfast of Champions first appeared on The Film Stage.

Following up Sasquatch Sunset, it was announced the Zellner Brothers would embark on the alien invasion comedy Alpha Gang led by Cate Blanchett. They’ve now amassed quite an ensemble, with Dave Bautista, Steven Yeun, Zoë Kravitz, Léa Seydoux, Riley Keough, and Channing Tatum all coming aboard the project, Deadline reports. Here’s the synopsis: Alpha Gang centers […]

The post Léa Seydoux, Lee Kang-sheng, Margaret Qualley, Steven Yeun, Natalie Portman, Armie Hammer & More Set Next Roles first appeared on The Film Stage.

The Graduates is a quiet film. Written and directed by Hannah Peterson, it tells the story of a high school one year after a deadly shooting. Genevieve (Mina Sundwall)––whose boyfriend Tyler was one of the victims––has been struggling to get through her final year, anxious to graduate and hopefully start anew at college. Her mother […]

The post The Graduates Review: A Melancholic Look at a Community Bonded by Tragedy first appeared on The Film Stage.

Robert Zemeckis’ Here arrives with an ambitious framing device in that the entire story is told through one static camera placement. Through this fixed position we witness the early days of Earth when dinosaurs roamed freely. But like his fellow filmmakers from the Baby Boomer generation, Zemeckis’ primary interest lay not in the Mesozoic Era, […]

The post AFI Fest Review: Robert Zemeckis’ Here Plays Like the Anti-Boyhood first appeared on The Film Stage.

Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada premiered at Cannes this past spring, and although the subject matter, surrounding a dying filmmaker grappling with his own mortality, led to speculation that this was the final film from the aging filmmaker, Schrader is wasting little time setting up his next projects. Schrader has just begun writing a script that […]

The post Exclusive: Paul Schrader’s Next Films Involve a Pederast Professor and a Wall Street-Set Erotic Thriller first appeared on The Film Stage.

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the nominations for the 34th edition of The Gothams, including 39 feature films and 25 performances in nine award categories. Leading the Best Feature nominees are Anora, Babygirl, Challengers, A Different Man, and Nickel Boys. “We are proud to announce the nominees for The Gothams, selected by […]

The post 2024 Gotham Awards Nominations Unveiled first appeared on The Film Stage.

I was so delighted by one of my favorite films getting restored that I simply had to secure its American debut. With Yokohama BJ Blues‘ forthcoming Blu-ray release from Radiance, my screening series Amnesiascope will show the film on Monday, November 11––just under two weeks from today––at the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research, constituting what […]

The post Yokohama BJ Blues Makes U.S. Theatrical Premiere on November 11 from Amnesiascope first appeared on The Film Stage.