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Talk about turnarounds: Hollywood is getting high marks this week for two timely hits that are being devoured by Gen Z audiences worldwide.

Filmgoers are lauding the game-based A Minecraft Movie and the original thriller Sinners — a veritable feast of video games and vampires.

And memories are short. Two years ago at this moment studio chiefs were running for cover, film releases were canceled, strikes were looming and Warner Bros. announced that all its product would be released as streaming movies. The studio even came up with the perfect counterprogramming for Oppenheimer: It was called Coyote vs Acme, basking in the afterglow of Looney Tunes.

Then came the show-stopper: Emerging from the mist was a concept called Barbenheimer. A few critics threw up their hands until Tom Cruise promised to see Oppenheimer and Barbie back to back. Even Scorsese lent his endorsement. The Coyote had vanished into the pink cloud of Barbiedom.

Exclusive: In a heated bidding battle for a dish that would seem best served cold, Apple Studios prevailed in a 3-streamer auction and will pay $1.6 million against around $3 million for Foster the Snowman. It’s an exceptionally large deal for a holiday pitch by Jono Matt & Peter Huyck for a high concept family film that bidders hope has the makings of a holiday perennial movie in the vein of Elf, Home Alone and It’s A Wonderful Life.

Apple won the deal over rival streamers Netflix and Amazon MGM, after the writers pitched to 12 places over four days, with different elements attached around town. I’ve heard that at least one of the rival streamers might have bid higher on the upfront end, but Apple had an advantage: Huyck is EP of the streamer’s hot Hollywood insider sitcom The Studio, and also producer Kevin Walsh’s The Walsh Company has...

Winner of the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, one of the most reliable Oscar bellwethers, The Life of Chuck now has an official trailer. Based on the 2020 novella by Stephen King collected in If It Bleeds, the film is directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Tom Hiddelston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz, a man who “experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.”

Between the trailer marketing the film, which also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, and Mark Hamill, as originating from the “heart and soul” of Flanigan and using critic quotes that herald it as a “life-affirming masterpiece” and “It’s a Wonderful Life for today,” distributor Neon is nothing if not leaning into the elation of the material.

The Life of Chuck opens in select cities on June 6.

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It's been a few decades since a Stephen King adaptation was designed with our tears in mind, but Mike Flanagan seems determined to break that streak with "The Life of Chuck." The new trailer for Flanagan's upcoming film just dropped from Neon, and while it doesn't reveal too much about the movie's plot, it does promise big emotions and a sweeping, lifetime-spanning story.

"The Life of Chuck" isn't autobiographical, but the sense one comes away with after watching the latest trailer is that it's King and Flanagan's answer to Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans." We see flashes of a life filled with sweet mother figures and grandpa-types; dancing in the street; colorful, starry nights; and general scenes of out-of-context wonder. There's also a sense of unspoken melancholy -- we get the feeling that whatever is being withheld from audiences, it involves a bittersweet experience involving the circle of life.

The trailer,...

From the Oscars to the Golden Globes, Hollywood has no shortage of starry awards shows — but there’s only one at which pop princesses like Lizzo and Katy Perry rub elbows with Nobel Prize laureates, while Paris Hilton takes selfies with scientists developing gene-editing techniques that can cure cancer.

The Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, also known as the “Oscars of Science,” was founded by Silicon Valley titans Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. Now in its 13th year, the show honors scientists, doctors and researchers who have made significant breakthroughs in their respective fields, and sends winners home with $3 million checks.

This year’s ceremony took place at Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger on Saturday, and celebrity attendees — including Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jodie Foster, Alicia Keys, Drew Barrymore, Christina Aguilera, Mr. Beast, Gayle King, Jeremy Strong, Jessica Chastain, Kate Hudson, Olivia Wilde,...

Saturday Night Live paid tribute to Val Kilmer following the Batman Forever star's death last week. The NBC sketch show briefly honored Kilmer during an episode hosted by Jack Black on Saturday (April 5).

A memorial graphic aired before Saturday's final segment, featuring a stylized promo image of Kilmer from his SNL hosting debut on December 9, 2000. One of the most notable moments from that season 26 instalment was an It's a Wonderful Life-themed monologue where Kilmer learned about the disastrous consequences if he'd have turned down hosting the show.

Saturday Night Live Honors the Late Val Kilmer

Kilmer also reprized his role as Jim Morrison from 1991's The Doors for a Behind the Music parody where Morrison formed a psychedelic band in heaven, called The Great Frog Society, with fellow deceased musicians Janis Joplin (Molly Shannon), Jimi Hendrix (Jerry Minor), Keith Moon (Horatio Sanz), Buddy Holly (Jimmy Fallon) and Louis Armstrong...

Mariah Carey’s festive song All I Want For Christmas Is You is one of the bestselling Yuletide tracks of the last 30 years.

Now she has been cleared of any copyright infringement in a U.S. court ruling made Wednesday.

BBC News reports that songwriter Adam Stone alleged that Carey, who released her song in 1994, “exploited his popularity and style” after his song with the same name was released five years before, recorded under his performing name of Vince Vance (and the Valiants). He claimed at least $20 million in damages.

Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani accepted expert testimony that the two songs shared “Christmas song cliches,” and that Stone and his team had not met their burden “of showing the songs were substantially similar.”

In rejecting Stone’s case, the judge also imposed sanctions for filing “frivolous” arguments and ordered that Stone and his lawyers pay Carey’s legal bills.

The BBC reports that,...

Movies are a love language. When you stop to think about it, it’s a grand gesture for hundreds of people to put years of effort, time, and sacrifice into making something for you. On a tangential level, to crib from Roger Ebert’s wise words, movies are an “empathy machine.” We’re allowed to feel some sense of, if not love, then at least compassionate understanding. I’d argue this ability to feel empathy is not limited by genre or subgenre. This is not to say that every movie invites empathy, but rather that it can be found regardless of the aspects that make up the genre.

And yes, that even includes what Ebert called “Dead Teenager Movies,” more commonly known as the slasher film. As recent entries in the subgenre have proven, there’s plenty of compassion to be squeezed from the slasher genre as well. You may...

The Academy Awards may not always possess the best track record of commemorating the best films of any given year, but there's no doubt that winning an Oscar is a big deal. It's essentially a canonization in the annals of film history that provides insight into the cultural sphere at the time. But while tastes have certainly changed since the ceremony's inaugural banquet in 1929, most award recipients have received the same golden statue that just about everyone is familiar with.

The Oscar, weighing 8 ½ pounds and standing 13 ½ inches tall, has largely stuck to the design of a sword-wielding knight. According to The Academy, the gold-plated bronze bastion of cinematic excellence settles atop a reel of film, with each spoke representing the institution's five original branches. Its form is the result of MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and LA sculptor George Stanley. The award's simplicity is only matched by its iconographic symbol...

Hollywood has a long history of producing movies that, despite being great, fail to succeed at the box office, from classics like It's A Wonderful Life to modern cult gems like Dredd. While not every flop goes on to find success, some do earn praise from a dedicated fan base, earning them the status of cult classic. Where some of these films can garner a following soon after release, others can take years, even more than a decade for people to resonate with them.

Cult classics may not be box office gold, and even their sequels often fail to turn a profit, but they've maintained the appreciation of fans and critics alike. The reality is even if a movie is excellent, the studios don't always believe in them enough to market them, while others can face tough competition upon release. From treasured animated movies to stylish science fiction stories, all...

Quick! Who directed the 1950 animated version of "Cinderella?" Did they direct any other movies? Who played the voice of Peter Pan in Disney's 1953 film version? Who played Alice in "Alice in Wonderland?" Or Prince Philip in "Sleeping Beauty?" Who wrote "One Hundred and One Dalmatians?" 

Some readers may have been able to recall that famed children's book author Bill Peet wrote "Dalmatians," and other hardcore Disney Nerds might know that famed child star Bobby Driscoll played Peter Pan, but many of the actual filmmakers of early Disney-released animated features have remained obscure. One would have to look up that Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske served as the supervising directors of "Cinderella," and that they also helmed "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan," and "Lady and the Tramp." Heck, they should be better known, as "Cinderella" kind of saved the company.

These people are, of course, all celebrities in the animation world,...

Fans are excited to see the Oscars ceremony unfold this year. After seeing Jimmy Kimmel for the last two years at the center stage, fans look forward to seeing a new host. Conan O’Brien will be hosting the 97th Academy Awards on March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Besides its ABC broadcast, this year’s event will stream on Hulu, a first in the history of the Oscars.

From actors to performers to comedy greats, the Oscars have seen several celebrities take over the hosting duties over the years. The first-ever Academy Awards took place as a private dinner, without a formal host. Douglas Fairbanks, Academy President at the time, hosted the dinner alongside Vice-President William C. deMille.

Conan O’Brien is the host for the upcoming Oscars ceremony | Credits: Conan/TBS

Bob Hope holds the record for hosting the most number of ceremonies. He hosted the Oscars...

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Briarcliff Entertainment releases “My Dead Friend Zoe” in theaters Friday, February 28, 2025.

Grief is a funny thing — sometimes literally. Much of the best film and TV on the subject has been told through the lens of comedy; from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “Fleabag” and everything in between, there is a secret society among the grieving, who know the power of laughing at or through the pain.

In fairness, that’s not the only lens through which debut feature director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes frames “My Dead Friend Zoe,” the story of a shattered veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) haunted by the ongoing presence of her deceased platoon mate (Natalie Morales). Hausmann-Stokes, who co-wrote the film with Aj Bermudez, has been vocal about the personal nature of this story — including in the film’s post-credits — but even if he hadn’t,...

Quick LinksJimmy Stewart Had an Exceptional CareerShenandoah Was His Best WorkShenandoah Still Has a 100% Rating

After a period of relative dormancy in the 21st century, the Western genre has exploded in recent years. Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone helped to reignite a passion for a genre that has fallen short of matching the superhero blockbusters and fantasy TV shows that ruled the 2010s. Aside from Django Unchained (2012), True Grit (2010), The Hateful Eight (2015), and a few odd others, Westerns simply failed to break into the public consciousness. Yellowstone broke that trend, as its 2018 premiere helped to launch the show into an empire. There are now several spin-offs airing and several more in development.

Yet, as beloved as the Yellowstone universe is, it comes nowhere close to matching previous genre greats. The Golden Age of Hollywood produced thrilling Westerns that were popular enough to dominate the industry as a whole. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...

Movies are meant to evoke something in the audience. Whether it's laughter, pain, melancholy, or any of the many emotions on the spectrum, film as a medium is meant to convey the intricacies of the ever-changing human existence. In many cases, movies can be very enjoyable experiences, whether they're uplifting dramas like Rocky or It's a Wonderful Life, hilarious comedies like Airplane! or Bridesmaids, or ambitious sci-fi adventures like Back to the Future or Inception.

As a director, Ben Stiller is a wily one. After skimming the surface of Gen-x disillusionment with his debut feature "Reality Bites," the son of comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara made his name helming silly-smart films whose zany exteriors belie their depth. Take his 1996 comedy "The Cable Guy." Though it initially proved to be something of a divisively dark curiosity (Roger Ebert actually listed it among his picks for the worst movies of its year), it's since undergone a reevaluation and is now regarded as being prescient in its satirization of the public's true crime obsession. Stiller's 2001 fashion industry burlesque "Zoolander" has likewise become a full-fledged cult classic, while his edgy takedown of Hollywood ego and excess, "Tropic Thunder," is just as audacious now as it was when it first arrived in 2008.

In contrast to their barbed social commentary, these films are pretty broad when it comes to their humor and characterization.

Quick LinksThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Was Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s Own 1934 FilmJimmy Stewart Worked On Four Films Total With Alfred HitchcockOne of Doris Day’s Biggest Hits Made Its Premiere in the Man Who Knew Too Much

Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) is a film with an interesting history. The concept started off as a book of short stories by author G.K. Chesterton and morphed into a movie in 1934 directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. It was a prime example of spy fiction before it was being churned out en masse. Most modern audiences will probably remember Hitchcock's later version starring Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. In an unconventional move, Hitchcock chose to revisit his own film 22 years after the release of the first.

The remake of The Man That Knew Too Much shares few similarities with its predecessor. Much in the same way,...

Since its release in 1946, Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life has justly gained a reputation as one of the finest fantasy films ever made. George Bailey’s redemption – the work of a novice angel who shows him what life would have been like had he never been born – may be overly sentimental, but its rhetorical power is undeniable. It’s no wonder it frequently appears on “best ever” lists.

Since its advent, cinema has occasionally treated us to masterpieces that tanked at the box office because box office success is not a measure of quality. Some of those that flopped are essential movies such as It’s A Wonderful Life andhave since aged gracefully.Others are, well, let's just say everyone saw them nosediving from afar, like Timur Bekmambetov'sBen-Hur with its spectacular failure to fill the large shoes of its 1959 original. The 2016 remake was unrealistically ambitious to unseat William Wyler's Ben-Hur, whichreceived overwhelming critical acclaim and positive audience reception that made it just one of only three movies to receive 11 Oscars to date (the others being Titanicand The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

Drew Barrymore is a child of Hollywood royalty and a Golden Globe winning actress whose career has spanned nearly her entire life, making her first credited screen performance at the age of three. But how many of her titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Barrymore was born to a celebrated acting family though she never really knew her famous ancestors. Her grandfather was John Barrymore, star of “Grand Hotel”, “Twentieth Century” and “Dinner at Eight” among others. She is also the great grand niece of Oscar winners Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore. Lionel won one of the earliest Oscars as Best Actor for “A Free Soul” in 1931 but is probably best remembered as the villainous Mr. Potter of the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” His sister Ethel won the 1945 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “None but the Lonely Heart...

Smallvillewas one of the longest running shows in superhero history - and on its parent network, the CW, amassing a whopping 217 episodes over 10 seasons. While the show managed to bring its own unique take on Clark Kent's early days, it led to some episodes that were downright weird. Season 4's "Spell" saw Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) possessed by the spirit of a witch. The Season 5 episode "Lexmas" not only doubles as a Smallville-style take on It's a Wonderful Life, but it also pushed Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) fully onto the path to becoming Superman's archenemy. There's also an entire episode that served as a stealth advertisement for gum. That's not a joke, by the way — an actual episode had someone getting superpowers from gum. But there's one idea that Smallville never touched...mainly because Tom Welling, who played Clark Kent, said that he refused to do it. What exactly...

Whatever you think about the idea of there being no more movie stars, one thing I think we can all agree on is they don't make 'em like James Stewart any more. One of the rare Hollywood stars whose off-screen persona lived up to his on-screen pedigree, Stewart has so many great movie moments that it would be incredibly difficult to pick a definitive best-of list. We can, of course, list our favorite Stewart roles, moments, and movies, but the actor had such an esteemed, diverse, and prolific career that everybody's list would surely be strikingly different.

Whether you prefer early-career "aw, shucks" Stewart or complex, conflicted, late-career Stewart, the actor essentially made something for everyone during his time in the spotlight, which, as it happens, spanned World War II in which Stewart served as a pilot and commanding officer. From celebrated romantic comedies to celebrated Alfred Hitchcock films and...

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The very first "Our Gang" short film, "One Terrible Day," was released on September 10, 1922, kicking off a long, long, long cinematic tradition that has continued for nearly a century. Producer Hal Roach first created "Our Gang" as an antidote to children's entertainment of the era, which tended to be magical and fantastical. He wanted to depict kids as they were, complete with their misunderstandings of adult language, innocent concerns, and petty rivalries. All told, there were 220 "Our Gang" shorts released from 1922 to 1944, and the films featured a rotating bevy of young actors.

While "One Terrible Day" was the first film released, the third film, called "Our Gang," was the first one filmed. Roach distributed the shorts through Pathé Exchange from 1922 to 1927, but then shifted over to MGM through to 1936. The studios each distributed over a dozen shorts per year, and...

Craig T. Nelson is an extremely fine and too often underappreciated actor, and it’s difficult not to be at least mildly impressed by his absolutely fearless lead performance in “Green and Gold.” In director Anders Lindwall’s ponderous and predictable drama, he plays Buck, a debt-ridden Wisconsin dairy farmer who’s way too proud and tradition-bound to change his ways, and ultimately so desperate that he literally agrees to bet the farm in order to save it. To put it bluntly, Nelson gives this clichéd indie a lot more than it ever gives him.

Buck is not always an easy man to like, and it’s obvious that neither Nelson nor Lindwall wants to make him any more likable than he has to be. Lean and leathery, with a stoic grimace as his facial expression of choice, Buck is a salt-of-the-earth guy who loves Margaret (Annabel Armour), his supportive...

Before World War II, Jimmy Stewart embodied the idyllic American in classics like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Philadelphia Story. After the war, when the legendary actor served as a combat pilot, Stewart's films began to reflect the authentic, downbeat portrait of America following the global conflict. While It's a Wonderful Life was the first film to subvert his wholehearted screen persona in a brooding morality fable, it wasn't until Stewart went to the Old West that audiences realized how mean and unscrupulous Stewart could be.

"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of the best Christmas movies of all time -- a fantastic, poignant movie that doubles as a great indictment of rampant capitalism. Though Frank Capra never expected this movie to be that popular, it has become an integral part of the holiday season for many American homes throughout December, as well as a staple of classic cinema in general.

The movie follows James Stewart's idealistic George Bailey, a man who hates the idea of living in his small hometown doing nothing but serving the community ... and yet, at every turn, he puts his own ambitions on the back burner in favor of helping others, his dreams constantly winding up on hold as incident after incident sends him on a different path than he imagined. But when he falls on hard times and the crushing fist of capitalism threatens to destroy his life's work,...

9-1-1 season 8 has seen firefighter Eddie Diaz struggle to adjust to life without his son, Christopher, but his heartbreak was actually foreshadowed two seasons earlier. For years, his relationship with Christopher has been crucial to Eddie's story, as well as his happiness. Unfortunately, numerous events that have unfolded in recent times have greatly upset Eddie's way of life, leaving him without custody of Christopher.

Eddie's current drama officially started in 911's season 7 finale, when his choices came to a head. Long grieving his deceased wife, Eddie embarked on an emotional affair with somebody who looked just like her. Unfortunately for him, both his parents and his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), found them together after a cathartic exchange. This understandably led to confusion and Eddie's parents suggested that Christopher come and live with them for a while, an offer which the teenager quickly opted to take them up on. Seeds of this turn,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.Dear readers: We are pleased to share the first Rushes roundup of 2025, with big plans for how this feature will develop throughout the year. Among our ambitions is to better represent the film culture everywhere our readers live. Please help us do so by submitting screenings, series, talks, and other events for our listings consideration. Many thanks! –Ed.NEWSIt’s a Wonderful Life.This holiday season, fans of Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) were outraged to discover that Amazon Prime streams an abridged version of the film that cuts almost 25 minutes from the original, including the entire “Pottersville” sequence: what Bedford Falls would look like if George Bailey had never been born. Prime also...

Mash's Wayne Rogers exited the show early and went on to front his own medical comedy - a hit show that was quickly ruined by a disastrous firing. Wayne Rogers left Mash after season three, largely due to his role being gradually reduced. When the star signed on, the sitcom was intended as a two-hander focused on Rogers' Trapper John and Alan Alda's Hawkeye. When it became clear Alda was the breakout star, the writers focused their attention on him, while Trapper increasingly became the sidekick.

Following the shock death of Henry Blake in Mash's season 3 finale, Rogers decided to leave before the fourth series. Compared to many of the actors who exited Mash during its run, Rogers did quite well in the years that followed, including fronting the detective series City of Angels and appearing in gender-flipped It's a Wonderful Life remake It Happened One Christmas in...

The holiday season is now coming to an end, and for anyone missing the festivities, there are several K-drama shows that can help make the transition to the new year a little smoother. Not only do K-dramas like Winter Sonata and That Winter, the Wind Blows take place over winter, but many also include little holiday moments or decorations. Many of these are also feel-good K-dramas, even leaning into the romance element of the series when that is the focus of the show.

Romances are not the only K-dramas that can help if viewers miss the holidays. Family-focused K-dramas are also great places to start to keep the season going. If someone is looking for a show to fill the void of the passing holiday season, these cozy K-dramas are the perfect place to start.

The One And Only (2021) This Murder Mystery Takes Place In The Winter

Following the stories of three separate women,...

This past holiday season, we shared some unconventional Christmas movie recommendations, like The Silent Partner, Anna and the Apocalypse, The Ref, and my own recommendation, Trancers. But even though I love Trancers and also watch Anna and the Apocalypse every December, my two favorite Christmas movies are not unconventional choices at all: every December 25th, I watch A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation. Very common choices. Someone else with very common choice for their favorite Christmas movie is filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who revealed to BFI that his holiday favorite is It’s a Wonderful Life.

Directed by Frank Capra, who crafted the screenplay with Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, and Jo Swerling, the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life was based on the short story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern (which was loosely based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) . Here’s the synopsis: George Bailey has so many...

Tim Allen returns to the world of sitcoms with Shifting Gears, a new show from creators Mike and Julie Thacker Scully and showrunner Michelle Nader. In the series, a widower and car workshop owner named Matt (Allen) takes in his estranged daughter Riley (Kay Dennings) and her two kids (Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis). The show also features Sean William Scott and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as workers at Matt’s auto shop.

Allen is, of course, a sitcom legend. The actor and comedian led Home Improvement, a sitcom based on his own stand-up comedy material, from 1991 to 1999. The role even won Allen a Golden Globe award. Allen’s next sitcom, Last Man Standing, ran for even longer, beginning in 2011 and ending in 2021 after 194 episodes. In addition to his TV roles, Allen has starred in truly beloved movies and franchises including Toy Story (Allen recently gave an optimistic Toy Story 5 update) and The Santa Clause.

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2024, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

I’ve often measured the progress of my year by the movies I’ve seen. From the trashy B-movies in ‘dumpuary’ to the summer blockbuster and, eventually, the onslaught of ‘prestige fare’ and an overwhelming amount of screeners in December, movies have been a marker of time. I know, for example, that Halloween is coming up when my wife puts on Practical Magic or that Christmas is close when I make my yearly trip to Boston to see It’s a Wonderful Life with close friends. The same goes for my yearly panic when top-tens are due and I realize I have a pile of screeners begging for my attention.

This year was different. My time was less measured by the things I watched than what happened in...

Clint Eastwood's 2024 movie with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, but was buried in theaters, has become a streaming success. Eastwood made his acting debut back in 1955, but broke through with a lead role in the Western series Rawhide and rose to fame in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s. Eastwood became known for much more than Westerns during the 1970s and 1980s, starring as the antihero cop Harry Callahan in five Dirty Harry movies and playing against type in the comedies Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can.

In addition to his iconic onscreen roles, Eastwood is just as famous as a filmmaker, making his directorial debut in 1971 with the indie film, Play Misty For Me. Over the years, while a two-time Oscar nominee for acting, Eastwood won Best Director for his 1992 Western Unforgiven and his 2004 boxing drama Million Dollar Baby,...

The 1980s were a strange time for American cinema. The bleakness of 1970s cinema was falling out of vogue, and several members of the "film school generation" of filmmakers — the ones that broke out in the '70s — began turning to more complex, effects-based pictures that received giant studio budgets. Fantasy and sci-fi were big business in the '80s (largely thanks to the success of "Star Wars" in 1977), and the decade's most popular movies tended to be kid-friendly adventure films. The fantasy films of the 1980s left a deep mark on the Gen-x kids that saw them and, to this day, lists of the Best Films of the '80s tend to boast genre films like "Back to the Future," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "The Terminator," "Die Hard," "The Thing," et al.

Coming hand-in-hand with the rising tide of commercial fantasy, however, was a powerful, punk-rock, anti-conservative streak.

New Year’s Eve is finally here, and there’s no better way to kick it off than to watch a feel-good movie with your loved ones. Entering 2025, you want to feel hopeful, warm, and inspired, so whether you intend to have some quiet time or a blast with your friends and family, a great movie can really elevate the experience.

Wil and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness | Columbia Pictures

But it’s such a drag to go on Netflix and browse through thousands of options for God knows how long. So, save yourself some time and go through this curated list of movies that would be perfect to stream this New Year, trust us!

5. Klaus: a heartwarming animation for the holidays Klaus | Netflix

Klaus is a stunning animated film that chronicles the origins of Santa Claus. Even though Christmas is gone, the spirit of the festival...

Over the years, some great movies have been made against the backdrop of Christmas that fans love to revisit year after year. While most of these movies are either critically acclaimed or box office blockbusters, some failed to resonate with audiences and critics when they were released but have since gone on to become cult classics. Will Smith’s Collateral Beauty is one such film.

Collateral Beauty (2016) | Credit: Warner Bros.

The film is based on Will Smith’s character, Howard Inlet. A pretty successful advertising executive, Howard ends up being seriously depressed after his daughter’s death, feeling as if there was no life left in him. Retreating from life, putting his and his company’s life in jeopardy, he ends up writing letters to Love, Time, and Death.

However, one thing leads to another, and he ends up meeting the three entities, ultimately realizing life is worth living despite the loss and heartbreak.

These child actors starred in iconic films – here's what they're up to now.Iniversal Studios, 20th Century Fox;new Line CinemaDaniel Tay – 'Elf'Daniel Tay starred in 2003's 'Elf' alongside Will Ferrell.Warner Bros. Entertainment; Mega

Daniel Tay was 11 when he acted opposite Will Ferrell in 2003's Elf as Buddy's half-brother, Michael Hobbs. But after making American Splendor (2003) and Doogal (2006), he quit acting to take a drastically different path.

He graduated from Yale in 2014 with a degree in economics and became an Sat tutor and bilingual editor. Now 32, Tay volunteers at a New York hospital and still has an agent in case he's called on to make a comeback.

Eric Lloyd – 'The Santa Clause'Eric Lloyd portrayed Charlie Calvin's role in the 1994 hit 'The Santa Claus' and its two sequels.Youtube;Mega

From age eight to 20, Eric Lloyd played Charlie Calvin in 1994's The Santa Clause and its two sequels.

Adam McKay got candid about where he thinks Wicked will be in a few years.

The director and producer took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week to share his thoughts about Jon M. Chu’s record-breaking musical adaptation and how he doesn’t think it’ll be received as well down the line.

“On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” he wrote in his first post, adding, “I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.”

He noted a few other movies that come to mind when he thinks of “radical” projects: Bridge on the River Kwai, The Sound of Music, the Searchers, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Hunger Games and Citizen Kane. He also mentioned The Best Years of Our Lives,...

On Friday nights (and holidays!), IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

For December 2024, we’re celebrating the end of the year with a stocking full of Strange Holiday TV Specials and Seasonal Midnight Movies.

First, read the Bait: a weird and wonderful pick from any time in film. Then, try the Bite: a breakdown of the movie’s ending, impact, and any other spoilers you’d want.

The Bait: This Christmas, Give Yourself the Gift of Zero Irony

When “Last Christmas” hit theaters shortly before the pandemic, critics roasted the holiday rom com at such high heat they made “chestnuts on an open fire” sound chilly. That’s a shame, but maybe the best thing that could have happened to Universal’s all-time ode to cinematic whiplash. Five years later, it’s a new cult classic in the making — perfect for midnight,...

Wicked is a fantasy musical based on the popular Broadway musical, but it deals with modern and complex themes. As the movie is getting more praise and awards nominations, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker addressed the ongoing censorship that might lead to politicians banning Wicked.

On Dec. 23, Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam McKay addressed the U.S. banning art, including music, books, and films. In a lengthy X trend, the Don't Look Up director explained that the hit musical might be extremely "Popular" with the audience, but it might lead to politicians disliking its message. Considering the current political climate, he made a bold bet that he wouldn't be surprised if it were banned in the near future.

On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made.I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part...

In many ways, an ending can make or break a movie. Think about a film like 2000’s “Pay it Forward,” a schmaltzy, sentimental drama about a child who inspires others to put good deeds out into the world with no expectation of anything coming back their way. In the hands of director Mimi Leder and led by strong performances from Haley Joel Osmont and Helen Hunt, the film manages to serve its purpose and tell a compelling story about being of service to others, all of which is undercut in its conclusion when Osmont’s 12 year-old character is stabbed to death at school. It’s a horrible, traumatic wrap-up for a film that otherwise preaches goodness, like having George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” fall into a manhole as he was running through Bedford Falls to reunite with his family.

For some films, their entire structure is built around the ending,...

Guillermo del Toro has given an insightful explanation as to why the 1946 classic is his favorite Christmas movie. With the holidays coming to a crescendo, there’s no better companion than the holiday flicks that capture the essence of this time of year. Christmas films have become their own genre, providing audiences with movies set during the holidays, whether it’s a rom-com, a coming-of-age story, a simple drama, or even a horror flick. Throughout the years, there hasn't been any genre touched by Christmas, resulting in some truly imaginative and ultimately iconic stories.

The Home Alone franchise lectured audiences on the importance of family during Christmas, sugarcoating the lesson with hilarious hijinks and booby traps set up by a boy who’s been accidentally left behind by his family on the holiday. For those who craved an intimate, more emotionally complex affair, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara provide powerful...

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” roared to the top of the U.K.-Ireland box office in its debut weekend with £4.4 million ($5.5 million), according to numbers from Comscore through Dec. 23.

As the holiday season reaches its peak, Universal’s “Wicked” continues to enchant in its fifth frame, conjuring £2.5 million for a robust £48.2 million running total. Disney’s “Moana 2” sailed to third place with £2 million, pushing its four-week cume to £29.7 million.

Studiocanal’s “Paddington in Peru” remained steady in fourth, adding £653,489 in its seventh weekend for a £31.3 million total. Paramount’s “Gladiator II” rounded out the top five with £497,569, reaching £29.6 million after six weeks.

In sixth place, Black Bear’s “Conclave” collected £331,308 for a £4.9 million total, while Trafalgar Releasing’s “Ivanov/Wright The Nutcracker” Royal Opera House ballet presentation earned £227,082 in seventh. Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” collected £171,942 in eighth position for a total of £1.2 million, while Park Circus...

There's a lot of debate about what makes a movie a "Christmas movie." Must a film simply take place on or around Christmas? If so, we wouldn't have the yearly Die Hard debate. Is it a matter of tone? Does a "Christmas movie" have to be light-hearted and induce fuzzy feelings? Many people make a yearly tradition of watching It's A Wonderful Life, a film that might turn itself around in the end but is still quite depressing.

There’s still plenty of time to fully get in the Christmas spirit. Whether this be through holiday favorite films like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas or with newer hits like The Holiday and Last Christmas, many options — cable and streaming — exist to watch festive films and TV shows.

Below find a list of classic Christmas movie titles by alphabetical order and where they are streaming or airing on cable this season. Further down, a list of holiday-themed television show episodes is outlined, and various networks’ offerings for Christmas will be sprinkled throughout.

Where To Watch Christmas Movies:

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas is available to stream via Apple TV+.

Related: Deadline’s 50 Classic Holiday Movies Gallery: From ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ And ‘A Christmas Story’ To ‘Die Hard’ And ‘The Holiday’

A Christmas Story & A Christmas Story Christmas

Bob Clark’s hit film starring Peter Billingsley,...

The holiday season means it’s time for essential holiday movie viewing. Over the years, favorites have included such beloved classics as A Christmas Story, Elf, Home Alone, and It’s a Wonderful Life, to name a few. Many of these titles have stood the test of time and are regularly viewed every year during the holiday season, but a few other Christmas movies have often fallen under the radar.

For most of each year, Karolyn Grimes leads the sort of quiet, family-centric life that one might expect any retired 84-year-old grandmother to lead — but come December, that all changes. Indeed, when The Hollywood Reporter connected with her by telephone last week, the Seattle resident was, for the 22nd time, being celebrated at a festival in Seneca Falls, New York, and she would soon be rushing off to Detroit, where she would be a guest of honor at a similar gathering. Christmas was coming, and like Santa Claus, she had many places to go and people to see before the 25th.

That’s because 78 years ago, at the age of six, Grimes spent two weeks on the set of Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life playing Zuzu Bailey, the daughter of Jimmy Stewart’s George and Donna Reed’s Mary — and in so doing, totally unbeknownst to her,...

While it might not seem very Christmas-y, Robert Eggers’ horror remake “Nosferatu” does partly take place at Christmas, which is a very unhappy holiday for all involved. And since the movie opened on Dec. 25, you can also spend your own Christmas break watching it.

Naturally, horror and holidays go together like, well… The Grinch and the town of Whoville. Here’s a few of the better genre offerings with maximum — and frightfully merry — mayhem.

Plus, there’s no end of killer Santa movies, including “Violent Night” with David Harbour and one where a robotic Santa run amok, if those are more to your liking. But for now, check out our list, below:

Olivia Hussey in “Black Christmas” (Credit: Warner Bros.) Black Christmas (1974)

Bob Clark’s still-shocking slasher takes place at a sorority house over the holidays where a creepy guy keeps calling… before he begins killing. Olivia Hussey, Karen Allen...

Merry Christmas Eve!

There will be a Christmas Eve Midnight Mass led by Pope Francis airing on NBC tonight starting at 11:30 p.m. Et until 1 a.m. Et.

NBC News will air the special broadcast from Vatican City in Italy. There will be an English translation voiceover as well. In 2023, Father Manuel Dorantes from St. Mary of the Lake-Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago provided English commentary for viewers.

Keep reading to find out more…

You can also stream the ceremony on the Vatican’s YouTube channel.

The Sistine Chapel Choir will provide the music for the mass, which traditionally begins with “Noel.”

The Vatican’s Christmas tree in front of St. Peter’s Basilica will also be on display for the Midnight Mass, as has been tradition since 1982, begun by Pope John Paul II.

On Christmas Day (December 25), the Pope will deliver his traditional “Urbi et Orbi...