Writer/Director Andrew Haigh on his Quiet, Devastating 45 Years

Writer-director Andrew Haigh jokes that his new film 45 Years is a sequel to Weekend, his 2011, intimate look at a hookup between two young gay men that develops into more. Sure, 45 Years is about a long heterosexual marriage between Kate and Geoff Mercer (Charlotte Rampling, nominated for an Oscar for her performance, and Tom Courtenay) but it’s still about the nuances,

Ice Cube & Kevin Hart Finally End Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Dominance

It was going to happen eventually, but let's give a solid hat tip to Ice Cube and Kevin Hart nonetheless for being the ones who finally slayed Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the box office this past weekend. Cube and Hart's Ride Along 2 took in $34 million, edging out The Force Awakens, which has been, as expected, a one-film Sarlacc pit at the box office,

10 Cloverfield Lane and the Year of J.J. Abrams

Eight years ago, television impresario JJ Abrams triggered the biggest marketing juggernaut since The Blair Witch Project with a short, unassuming teaser for a then-unnamed horror film. Appearing in front of Michael Bay’s highly anticipated Transformers, the trailer featured familiar comedy faces in Lizzy Caplan and T.J Miller and clocked in at less than two minutes long. Despite its minimal length, the teaser didn’t lack in impact as it depicted the devolution of a casual house party into apocalyptic mania,

Alan Rickman: A Generation’s Most Thrilling, Complex Villain

Alan Rickman, who passed away yesterday in London at the age of 69, was an accomplished British stage actor who stood out in any film or production he was a part of. Rickman's presence could make a decent film good and a good film great. His career spanned more than 40 years, and that longevity allowed him to embody characters along the entire spectrum of humanity, from the sweet and humble to the treacherous,

Talking to Carol’s Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy

Phyllis Nagy is a patient writer. The playwright (Disappeared, The Strip, and Never Land) and screenwriter wrote her first draft for Carol, an adaptation of her friend Patricia Highsmith's novel "The Price of Salt," back in 1997. Nagy adapted Highsmith's story of the burgeoning love affair between Therese, a New York City shopgirl,  and Carol (Cate Blanchett), an affluent married woman, in 1950s New York. Nearly 20 years later, after several close calls evaporated and interested parties backed away, Nagy's 

Joy Editors on Playing With Peak Performances

Behind every award-winning performance there is an editor, or editors, who play an integral part in shaping it for the big screen, and Jennifer Lawrence’s Golden Globe-winning performance in David O. Russell’s Joy is no exception. We talk to editors Alan Baumgarten and Jay Cassidy about the role of the editor and when it’s necessary to tell Russell to ‘go away’.

When you are working together are there specific roles that you take on?

Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson Doc Coming to Showtime

Did you know that there are lyrics in Michael Jacskon's seminal "Don't Stop Until You Get Enough" that pertain to…Star Wars? Don't believe us? You can check out the lyrics here, you can hear them in the trailer below, and you can revel in the fact that the chorus for Jackson's first huge hit goes like this: Keep on with the force don't stop/Don't stop 'til you get enough.

Golden Age: Great Performances From Older Actresses Deserving of Oscar Noms

When the Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow, January 14, expect several of Hollywood’s best and brightest young actresses to lead the pack. Brie Larson, 26, and Saoirse Ronan, 21, should be shoo-ins as best actress nominees for their stellar work in Room and Brooklyn, respectively. Jennifer Lawrence, 25, already an Oscar winner, could easily land another nomination for Joy. And even though her film,

Reporters Corner J.J. Abrams After Panel to Talk Star Wars Rumors

At some point, you sort of want to feel bad for J.J. Abrams. Okay, you don't, but the guy has moved the Star Wars franchise into the future admirably, after years of work and the most intense pre-release media scrutiny, possibly in film history, and he's still getting pigeonholed by reporters at events that have nothing to do with Star Wars. Poor guy! (Not really).  

Abrams was at the Television Critics Association for a panel on his upcoming Showtime series 

Composer Paul Englishby on What Luther and Queen Elizabeth Have in Common

If you haven't watched BBC America series Luther, we recommend you put that on your watch list. The show stars a sensational Idris Elba as the titular detective, a near-genuis whose skill at solving crimes is almost undone by his violent passion. The show's a potent mixture of brains and brawn, which Elba carries with ease. We recently had the chance to chat with the artist responsible for the cult series’ hauntingly edgy score, Paul Englishby.

Writer/Director Michael J. Larnell on Cronies, His Inspirations & More

The NYU Production Lab helps finance a handful of student and alumni films every year. This past year, one of those films was the Spike Lee executive produced Cronies, which was a 2015 Sundance hit, and a first feature from NYU graduate Michael J. Larnell, who was one of Spike's students. Larnell wrote, directed, produced and edited it while earning his MFA at Tisch. Not too shabby a start for the young man.

Cronies is set in Larnell's hometown of St.

Composer Keegan DeWitt on Blythe Danner’s Magic in I’ll See You in My Dreams

We spoke with composer Keegan DeWitt, whose work has influenced a slew of very well respected films in recent years, including two very fine features by writer/director Alex Ross Perry; Listen Up, Phillip (one of 2014's surprise comedies) and Queen of Earth. DeWitt's latest work was on Brett Haley's I'll See You In My Dreams, a critically acclaimed film centered on a widow and former songstress (a great Blythe Danner) who re-embraces the world,

Deadpool Teaser, Revisiting David Bowie’s Underappreciated Roles & More

Here's what we're reading on Tuesday, January 12, 2016:

The world continues to mourn the passing of David Bowie. We suggest listening to his last album, "Blackstar," all the way through. It's devastating. Here's Variety's Steven Gaydos deconstructing Bowie's filmography. One of those films is Labyrinth, a collaboration between three singular talents; The Muppets creator Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Bowie.

Speaking of Bowie's filmography,

Marvel Nabs Ryan Coogler to Direct Black Panther

The Motion Picture Association of American hosted an evening with director Ryan Coogler after his breakout directorial debut, Fruitvale Station. Coogler was still fresh out of film school, and Fruitvale Station, which he wrote and directed, had recently won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature and Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and, a few months later,

David Bowie, the Golden Globes, Aziz Ansari’s Incredible Gag & More

Here’s what we’re reading (and weeping about) on Monday, January 11, 2016.

As we wrote earlier, the world is reacting to the death of legendary shape shifter and artist nonpareil David Bowie. Read his New York Times obit, revel in this incredible animated illustration by a young illustrator named Helen Green that honors the greatest chameleon of the modern era, and check out this video for his last release,

David Bowie, 1947 – 2016

The world is responding to the news that legendary musician, performer, and unclassifiable chameleon David Bowie has died. Bowie passed away two days after his 69th birthday from complications from cancer. A Facebook ad on his page read; “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family.” 

Bowie had just released an album on his birthday this past Friday, "Blackstar," which is a collaboration with a jazz quintet, very much in keeping with his relentless push towards new sounds,

Your Golden Globes Video Highlights

Tales of revenge and survival were your two big best picture winners, while an old favorite, 40-years his past his prime (in boxing terms, that is) won for best supporting actor. It was a night filled with some genuinely earnest (and wonderful) acceptance speeches, sprinkled amid the usual louche behavior of an irreverent host and some tippled guests. Let's take a look at the highlights.

The night began with host Ricky Gervais opening the show by thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press for the opportunity to host again,

Your Full List of Golden Globe Winners

That's a wrap for the Golden Globes. We'll be taking a look at the highlights from the show, but for now, here's a list of every winner in every category. 

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Winner: The Revenant

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

Room

Spotlight

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Winner: The Martian

The Big Short

Joy

Spy

Trainwreck

Best Director,

Get to Know Your Golden Globes Nominees for Best Motion Picture, Animated

Yesterday we delighted and thrilled you with two Golden Globe primers to make you the toast/scourge of your friends and/or family. Our primer for the Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy categories were designed to give you the tools (in the form of interviews we've done with the below-the-line artists who helped make those films great) to sound like a cinematic savant. "Harold, did you know Carol 

The Mechanics Behind the Magic of Anomalisa

Watching Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman’s first theatrical effort since Synecdoche, New York seven years ago, it’s hard to shake the impression that you’re watching something wholly unique. Built around a simple enough concept: the exploration of a man’s midlife crisis and extra-marital affair, Anomalisa’s stop-motion puppet animation and meticulously built approach makes the film far more astonishing than it might look on paper. The world of the film is surprisingly banal: a plush but generally pedestrian hotel serves as the center for the majority of the film’s action,