Berlinale's best suprise is both a debut and an Ethan Hawke showcase

by Elisa Giudici

Ethan Hawke in THE WEIGHT, which premiered at Sundance and now hits Berlin.

The most galvanizing film of this year’s Berlinale didn’t screen in competition, having opened at Sundance last month. It’s a debut  directed by an Irish editor few outside industry circles could have named a month ago. After The Weight, that anonymity will surely be temporary. Padraic McKinley (previously known for cutting mid-tier commercial fare) announces himself here with a thriller of such muscular clarity that it easily eclipses many of the films vying for the Golden Bear...

Click to read more ...

We Can't Wait: 2026 Cinema. (Part Three: Q-Z)

by Nathaniel R

the great animation studio Laika is back with "WILDWOOD"

ICYMI In Part One: A-F we began our look forward to 2026 movies with legacy sequels, a new Almodovar, and multiple films from a few actresses of note. We continued the anticipation with  Part Two: G-P in which we got excited about French legends, queer cinema, possible all-quadrant blockbusters, and more traditional Oscar fare like a period epic from an favored auteur and a movie chronicling the literal making of a Best Picture winner. 

Let's wrap things up with another twenty films we're hoping give us exactly what we crave in a dark theater. This grouping includes a friendly neighborhood webslinger, campy drag queens, 13th century werewolves, and one last Anne Hathaway (four films this year) who is aiming for "Entertainer of the Year" dominance...

Click to read more ...