"Where you compromise is never on the script. It’s ridiculous when people say, 'You have to cut 15 pages.' It doesn’t work like that." Mona Fastvold discusses crafting The Testament of Ann Lee:

The Secret Agent, Magellan, and Familiar Touch are among our latest contributor top 10.

‘Tis the season baby

HAPPY HOLIDAYS BUDS!!!

"We ended up with this medium-length movie, and of course it made it difficult for European festivals because basically, if it’s between, like, 20 minutes and 60 minutes, you can’t be programmed." Nathan Silver talks with Nick Newman about his new short, now on @criterionchannl.bsky.social:

On a new episode of @tfsbside.bsky.social, we discuss the career of America’s everyman and one of its most indelible movie stars: James Stewart! Listen to @djmecca.bsky.social, @codonnell.bsky.social and @mitchellbeaupre.bsky.social explore his most underseen films:

Films from Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Mira Nair, John Woo, Brian De Palma, Powell & Pressburger, the Wachowskis, and more are among our recent recommended discs: amzn.to/4gXDe7q

The creeping paranoia of #ThePlague is at its most affecting when the characters are kept entirely separate from the adult world. Read @yesitsalistair.bsky.social's review:

Looking for a holiday watch? Here's the best films now playing in theaters:

In The Testament of Ann Lee, Amanda Seyfried gives the finest performance of her career. Read @roryseanoc.bsky.social's review as the musical epic arrives in theaters this week:

Park Chan-wook's #NoOtherChoice is a pitch-black, blood-fueled comedy on the perils of unemployment. Read @schobie.bsky.social's Critic's Pick review as the film opens in theaters:

Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother is an anthology of late style that offers three movies for the price of one. Read @roryseanoc.bsky.social's review as the Golden Lion winner opens in theaters:

Films from Bi Gan, Oliver Laxe, and Richard Linklater are among @yesitsalistair.bsky.social's top 10 of 2025:

"The camera needed to become a believer, to be the eyes of a viewer who believed, to participate in the dance." The Testament of Ann Lee cinematographer William Rexer talks to @danieleagan.bsky.social about working on Mona Fastvold's ambitious musical epic:

Our contributor year-end lists kick off with @schobie.bsky.social's top 10 films of 2025, featuring No Other Choice, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, and more:

The new trailer for Christopher Nolan's #TheOdyssey has now officially arrived online.

A new poster for Kleber Mendonça Filho's #TheSecretAgent. We named it one of the best films of 2025: thefilmstage.com/the-film-sta... Read our interview with the director: thefilmstage.com/kleber-mendo...

Kateryna Gornostai’s Timestamp, now available digitally, captures young innocence forever lost. Read @jpraup.bsky.social's review:

Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus' Cover-Up is the most important American documentary of the year, a portrait of the man behind some of the biggest breakthroughs in US political journalism. Read @savinapetkova.bsky.social's review as it opens in theaters ahead of a Netflix release next week:

The entirety of Twin Peaks begins screening and more to see in NYC this weekend: thefilmstage.com/nyc-weekend-...

Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On? establishes a peculiar pace, and it’s one of the film’s greatest pleasures.

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another on HBO Max, Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident on digital, Terrence Malick's Song to Song on Netflix, and more streaming picks of the week.

Annually the most comprehensive roundup of upcoming films. While the studio side looks to be one of the worst years ever, there's a lot of independent films to be excited about in 2026, in particular the new Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Lee Chang-dong, James Gray, and Mike Leigh.

Always a great list compiled by a wide-ranging group of critics. Happy to see five of my preliminary Top Ten are included alongside many titles I still need to catch. I wrote a bit about THE SPARROW IN THE CHIMNEY, which just made the cut at #50. Glad I wasn't the only one who included it.

Before our top 50 films of 2025 arrives, here are the gems mostly left out of the year-end conversation. Highly recommend Who by Fire, Souleymane's Story, The Sparrow in the Chimney, Vulcanizadora, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass & Invention!

Wrote up these two hunks of spunk in Harry Lighton's outstanding Pillion for @thefilmstage.com's Best Performances of 2025.

Ryan Coogler's script for #Sinners and more 2025 screenplays are now available to download for free. thefilmstage.com/download-the...

With #AvatarFireandAsh, James Cameron wrings the most from his environment and its inhabitants, not just for the sake of going-for-broke, but to deliver something thematically resonant, folding the first two films on top of each other. Read @codonnell.bsky.social's review:

Josh Safdie's #MartySupreme carries a propulsive fluidity, making a quasi-Dickensian narrative feel light on its feet. Read @fauxbeatpoet.bsky.social's Critic's Pick review as the film opens in NY and LA: thefilmstage.com/marty-suprem... Poster by Rafa Orrico Díez

Looking for what to watch this holiday? Here's the best films now playing in theaters:

The Voice of Hind Rajab is a film noble in its intentions but filled with questionable choices around its execution. Read @cjprince.bsky.social's review as the Venice winner opens in theaters:

Jessica Chastain reteams with Michel Franco for #Dreams, arriving this February. Watch the first trailer:

See Tom Cruise in the first teaser for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's #Digger, arriving next October.

2026 in cinema: Hamaguchi, Jane Schoenbrun, Lee Chang-dong, Mike Leigh, Albert Serra, James Gray, Annie Baker, Spielberg, Almodóvar, Shyamalan, John Wilson, Stephen Cone, Valeska Grisebach, Cristian Mungiu, Nolan, Fincher, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 Terrence Malick and Frank Ocean, and so much more. Read our preview!

A new poster for Christopher Nolan's #TheOdyssey. We ranked it #23 on our list of the 100 most-anticipated films of 2026: thefilmstage.com/the-100-most...

The first poster for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's #Digger starring Tom Cruise. We named it one of the 100 most-anticipated films of 2026: thefilmstage.com/the-100-most...

In part two of our 2026 movie preview, we count down our 50 most-anticipated films of the year.

Our massive 2026 movie preview is here. What films are you most looking forward to?

Pedro Almodóvar returns to Spain in the first trailer for Bitter Christmas. Watch: thefilmstage.com/pedro-almodo...

As ever, I feel lucky to contribute to a list with so much variety. Incredible recs here:

The Criterion Channel’s January 2026 lineup features Paul Thomas Anderson, Kleber Mendoça Filho, Terence Stamp, Brian De Palma, Hlynur Pálmason, Maya Deren, Albert Brooks, and much more.

Wrote about my beloved Naked Gun for @thefilmstage.com’s Best of 2025 feature

Before @thefilmstage.com's 100 most-anticipated films of 2026 feature drops, here are the films coming next year we can heartily recommend:

My rule every year is that I end my GOTY catch up as soon as Film Stage drops it’s top 50. Now it is movie time. No one ask me to play a video game for like 3 weeks thanks.

YESSSSS More folks need to see Annapurna Sriram's immensely awesome Fucktoys!!

Our 2026 movie preview kicks off with the 35 best films coming to theaters next year that we've already seen, including the latest from Christian Petzold, Nadav Lapid, Sophy Romvari, Gore Verbinski, Hong Sangsoo, Radu Jude, Werner Herzog, Mark Jenkin, and more.

"What Josh got from Timothée is, for me, mind-blowing. I forgot about all his other performances after this." Darius Khondji talks to @jpraup.bsky.social about crafting the cinematography of #MartySupreme, his prolific year, and why cinema will never die:

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH gets freaky and dark and weird. My review for @thefilmstage.com

Steven Spielberg returns to extraterrestrial exploration in the first trailer for #DisclosureDay, starring Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor. Watch: thefilmstage.com/disclosure-d...

Calling all U.S. distributors: please pick up these great films!