AIR had its premiere at SXSW, where I recently reported on the beefed-up selection of films. The new Ben Affleck directed film, in which he stars with his Boston buddy Matt Damon, was a three pointer from center court in Austin.
It's Sundance film festival time, and this year’s edition, which closes this weekend by announcing winners in both feature and documentary competitions in the US and internationally, showed better than 100 feature length films from 23 countries, of which nearly 95% are world premieres. 32 films are by first time directors, and 17 were developed by Sundance in its own workshop labs.
The 37th SXSW Music, Film, Interactive Media festival and trade show Conferences wrapped up this past week in Austin, Tx. That’s after plowing through 110 feature films, including some 75 world premieres, a dozen or more new TV pilots and series episodes, XR—extended reality—experiences, and real film makers come to Texas.
We're in the final hours of Oscar chatter which began about a year ago and ends with the 95th Academy Awards this Sunday night. Oscar handicapping usually starts just after the last one ends, but last year, we were consumed for weeks afterwards by The Slap.
Getting Ready for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival
By Harlan Jacobson
Sep 2, 2023 --
Reporting from the 2023 New York Film Festival
By Harlan Jacobson
Oct 15, 2023 --
Reporting from the 48th Toronto International Film Festival
By Harlan Jacobson
Sep 24, 2023 --
May 25, 2023 Cannes - The most anticipated film this year at the 76th Cannes Film Festival was Killers of the Flower Moon directed by one of just about every cinema lover’s modern heroes, Martin Scorsese, adapted from New Yorker writer David Grann’s 2017 historical account. I don’t begrudge Marty another Mob movie, it’s what he does and what often needs being done.
By Harlan Jacobson
November 21, 2023 --
There’s an old maxim that you don’t go to the movies to learn history.
