‘Prima Facie’ Review: Cynthia Erivo Stars as a Lawyer Who Becomes a Rape Victim in This Misfire of an Adaptation

Prima Facie carries a bracing, important, timely lesson about getting justice for victims of rape. Cynthia Erivo plays Tessa Ensler, a rising star among British barristers, who often deals with assault cases, and whose world crumbles along with her belief in the legal system when she herself is assaulted by a colleague she was dating….

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‘Misty Green’ Review: Rosalind Eleazar Is a Revelation in Chris Rock’s Sharply Observed Love-Hate Portrait of the Hollywood Hustle 

The title characer in Chris Rock’s sure-footed fourth feature as director, Misty Green, is having a rough week. An actress still best known for a TV series that ended years back, she’s about to be evicted, her bipolar brother is fresh out of a psych ward and in need of both emotional and financial support, a…

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Almodóvar’s Deep Dive Into … Almodóvar

Bitter Christmas is Pedro Almodóvar’s 24th feature film over the course of 46 years. There’s never been more than a three-year gap between his releases. He won Cannes’ best director prize in the 1990s (All About My Mother), an Oscar for best screenplay in the 2000s (Talk to Her) and the Venice Film Festival’s top prize, the…

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Courteney Cox Says She Decided to Direct ‘Evil Genius’ After Chance Encounter at the Beverly Hills Hotel: “I Made a Lot of Deals There”

Fans may have the Beverly Hills Hotel to thank for Courteney Cox’s newest project.  The Friends alum revealed that she was approached about directing Evil Genius, her first feature film as a director in 12 years, after accidentally running into Barbara Schroeder, who directed the Netflix documentary of the same name, at the iconic hotel…

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‘Being Heumann’ Review: Siân Heder’s Drama About the Fight for Disability Rights Strikes Familiar Notes but Gets the Inspirational Uplift Job Done

In the first and best of many late ‘70s needle drops that punctuate Being Heumann, the punchy guitar groove of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” starts out over a close-up of wheels turning on pavement before the camera pulls back to take in disability rights activist Judy Heumann, maneuvering her wheelchair around crowded city streets and refusing…

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In ‘Love Is the Monster,’ Paulina García Is a Granny Facing Impossible Choices (Exclusive TIFF Trailer)

Love Is the Monster (Amor es el Monstruo). Costa Rican writer-director Neto Villalobos Brenes (All About the Feathers, Helmet Heads) has picked a title for his latest film that will make you sit up straight, deal with questions swirling through your head, or both. The chilling dystopian thriller, starring Paulina García (Gloria) and teeming with fear…

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Zurich Film Fest Galas Set for Award Contenders ‘I Play Rocky,’ ‘Possible Love,’ ‘Josephine’

The Zurich International Film Festival unveiled highlights from its gala program Thursday, with a selection of “auteur cinema for a broader audience” in the words of festival boss Christian Jungen —that should further cement Zurich’s position as a key international stop for awards season. The gala lineup includes several of this year’s buzziest titles, among…

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