Top Movie News provided by Rolling Stone©

• ‘The Wife’ Review: Glenn Close’s Spouse Is Mad as Hell in High-Lit Relationship Drama
  Adaptation of Meg Wolitzer's novel of long-suffering spouse who hits her breaking point is blessed with a tour-de-force performance
• ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Review: Romcom Is Crazy Representative, Frothy Fun
  Breezy story of a Chinese-American meeting her boyfriend's extravagantly wealthy family is perfect way to end the summer moviegoing season
• How Joe Cole Went From ‘Peaky Blinders’ to Thai-Prison Kickboxer
  Why the 'Prayer Before Dawn' actor went through hell and back to portray a real-life English ex-pat fighting for his life in a Bangkok jailhouse
• Casey Affleck Talks #MeToo, Harassment Allegations in New Interview
  "In this business, women have been underrepresented and underpaid and objectified and diminished and humiliated and belittled in a bazillion ways," actor says
• ‘A Prayer Before Dawn’ Review: Kickboxer’s Prison Memoir Is Punch to the Gut
  Story of British ex-pat literally fighting for survival in Bangkok cellblocks is brutal, beautiful
• Watch Michael Moore Parse Madness of Trump Era in ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ Trailer
  Documentarian's new film opens in September
• ‘The Meg’ Review: Jason Statham’s Man-vs.-Shark Blockbuster Needs a Bigger Boat
  How do you make a blockbuster movie starring a superhuman action star and a giant prehistoric monster that's so deadly dull? Let us count the ways
• ‘Superman’ Actress Margot Kidder’s Death Ruled a Suicide
  "It's a big relief knowing the truth is out there. It's important to be open and honest so there's not a cloud of shame in dealing with this," daughter says
• The ‘Best Popular Movie’ Oscar: WTF Is the Academy Thinking?
  How the Academy Awards stooped to pander to "popularity" in the name of relevance — and proved that they have no clue what the value of an Oscar is at all
• See Jon Lovitz Play Southern Lawyer in ‘Chasing the Blues’ Trailer
  Scott Smith directed dark indie-comedy film, which follows rival record collectors' pursuit of rare blues LP

LA Times©

• Jonah Hill's 'Mid90s,' Joel Edgerton's 'Boy Erased' among Toronto Film Festival premieres
  The lineup for the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival went from full to bursting on Tuesday morning. Several notable world premieres are among the freshly announced four gala presentations, 22 special presentations, 47 contemporary world cinema titles and 11 movies in the masters section....
• Toronto Film Festival to open with Netflix's 'Outlaw King,' close with 'Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy'
  Netflix may have been left out of the Cannes Film Festival this year, but the streaming outlet is dominating the fall festival season — including scoring the opening night slot at the Toronto International Film Festival. David Mackenzie’s “Outlaw King,” starring Chris Pine, will be the festival’s...
• The remote island you're going to want to visit after watching 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'
  She had traveled to Guernsey on a whim, and now she was stuck there. Mary Ann Shaffer had known nothing about the Channel Island before she visited in 1980 — just that the enclave off the northwest coast of France looked like a relaxing place to spend a weekend. Now a thick fog had settled over...
• Playboy Enterprises sues cryptocurrency company, alleging fraud and breach of contract
  Playboy Enterprises, the parent company behind the legendary adult magazine, is suing a cryptocurrency technology company on allegations of fraud and breach of contract, claiming that it failed to live up to an agreement to integrate blockchain technology into Playboy’s online media channels. The...
• Hollywood goes to the dogs — and not just for summer pet projects
  These are the dog days of summer, but in Hollywood, the current infatuation with canine fare has made “pet projects" a year-round pursuit. There have been a dozen canine-centric feature films released since the start of last year, the most recent being “Dog Days,” an ensemble romance about Californians...
• What the star of 'BlacKkKlansman' learned from the real black cop who infiltrated the KKK
  “Now, you’re with the L.A. Times?” Ron Stallworth asked, his eyes narrowing on the voice recorder that had been placed in front of him. “What’s the angle on your story?” Over his 32 years in law enforcement, Stallworth said, he developed a suspicion of journalists. Once, he gave a television reporter...
• Like 'The Happytime Murders,' the InkHole pop-up is all about those profane puppets
  “Don’t you like a girl with some felt?” is not something you’d hear out of Miss Piggy’s mouth. But the InkHole isn’t your mama’s Muppet spot. In a clever attempt to promote the upcoming R-rated puppet movie, “The Happytime Murders,” STX Films and the Jim Henson Co. have created the InkHole, a pop-up...
• 'The Meg' takes a massive bite out of the box office, 'BlacKkKlansman' is Spike Lee's third best opener ever
  Warner Bros.' over-the-top sci-fi thriller "The Meg" took an unexpectedly massive chomp out of the North American box office with $44.5 million in ticket sales, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore. The PG-13 film, about a giant prehistoric shark that terrorizes beachgoers, more...
• Indie Focus: New perspectives in 'BlacKkKlansman,' 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
  Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. Dennis Hopper’s 1971 film, “The Last Movie,” is as much a chronicle of its own creation as anything else. Though it was long thought of as a legendary career wipeout for Hopper following...
• How the team behind 'The Meg' set out to build a better giant-shark movie
  As a filmmaker, Jon Turteltaub has always prided himself on his versatility, and over the years he has tackled everything from romantic comedies (“While You Were Sleeping”) to family films (“The Kid”) to action blockbusters (“National Treasure”) to a movie about the 1988 Jamaican Olympic bobsled...
• Review: 1982 documentary ‘The Atomic Cafe’ is back and kookier than ever
  The kicky 1982 cult classic “The Atomic Cafe,” enjoying a theatrical re-release in a new 4K digital restoration is, well, a blast to watch, particularly at this often head-scratching moment in American history. This documentary curio, directed by Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty,...
• 'Gavagai' and other movie picks for Aug. 10
  Movie recommendations from critics Justin Chang and Kenneth Turan. Ant-Man and the Wasp A bright, cheery distraction from darker, heavier Marvel Studios outings, this Peyton Reed-directed sequel to 2015's "Ant-Man" reunites Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in a superhero caper of deliberately low...
• What does Oscar know about popular? Five films to consider for newest academy accolade
  All hell broke loose when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new category on Wednesday to honor “outstanding achievement in popular film.” The highly criticized move raised far more questions than it answered. When will the category be implemented? What films will be eligible...
• Hollywood editors break with parent union IATSE over new studio contract
  Hollywood editors typically toil far from the limelight, huddled over digital consoles in dark rooms as they meticulously shape movies and TV shows into their final forms. Now they find themselves the unlikely center of attention in an escalating labor dispute that threatens a new three-year contract...
• How misguided is the academy's new 'popular film' Oscar category? Let us count the ways
  Several months ago, shortly before the 90th annual Academy Awards, my Times film colleagues and I were polled about our all-time favorite best picture Oscar winners. One of us said “Amadeus,” two picked “Casablanca,” two flipped for “Titanic,” and two chose “Moonlight.” One gave it up for “The...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Michelle Yeoh has 'waited a very long time' for a movie like this
  When Rachel Chu finds herself at odds with the titular “Crazy Rich Asians,” it’s not boyfriend Nick Young’s high-rolling buddies or mean girl exes who prove her biggest adversaries, but BAFTA-nominated screen legend Michelle Yeoh’s character. How did a dance-loving young girl from Ipoh, Malaysia,...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Nico Santos is here for queer representation
  In “Crazy Rich Asians,” precious few friendly faces greet Rachel Chu as she enters the lavish old money world of boyfriend Nick Young’s Singaporean relatives... with the exception of kindred spirits such as Oliver, a fashion designer cousin of Nick and the self-described “rainbow sheep of the family”...
• Why 'Crazy Rich Asians' marks an emotional moment — and a movement — for underrepresented voices in Hollywood
  Jon M. Chu couldn’t contain the emotion as he strolled victoriously out in front of a packed house at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday night. With author Kevin Kwan by his side, he took the microphone to introduce the premiere of “Crazy Rich Asians,” a film unlike any other...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Adele Lim brought experience, authenticity to the script
  For more than a decade and a half, screenwriter Adele Lim had worked her way up through an impressive résumé in television, writing on shows including “One Tree Hill,” “Life Unexpected,” “Reign” and “Star-Crossed.” But she never imagined she’d get to write a movie for Asian talent in Hollywood,...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Henry Golding on his serendipitous debut and desire 'to be a colorblind leading man'
  Henry Golding was working as a globe-trotting travel show presenter in Asia when the international search for the right actor to play “Crazy Rich Asians” lead Nick Young, Rachel Chu’s [Constance Wu] longtime boyfriend and Singapore’s most eligible bachelor, led director Jon M. Chu to him. He’d...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Awkwafina on the power of representation and the female comedian who inspired her
  After spicing up “Ocean’s 8” this summer, 2018 breakout Awkwafina (a.k.a. Nora Lum) is back on-screen as Rachel Chu’s scene-stealing fashionista college pal, Peik Lin, in “Crazy Rich Asians.” Born in New York City to a South Korean mother and a Chinese dad, the musician-actress was raised in Queens...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Aussie Chris Pang's unlikely journey to one of the most buzzed-about films of 2018
  Born to Australian-raised parents of Chinese and Taiwanese descent, Chris Pang grew up in Melbourne and trained in martial arts but never saw a clear path into an acting career until he stumbled into a casting agency and booked his first jobs. Even after starring in the dystopian 2010 Australian...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Director Jon M. Chu hopes to inspire other storytellers, open Hollywood's doors
  Director Jon M. Chu brings the vibrant world of “Crazy Rich Asians” to life with all the style and glamour of a big-budget Hollywood movie — but early on in the project he had a big choice to make, joining author Kevin Kwan in turning down a massive Netflix payday to ensure the groundbreaking project...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Ken Jeong credits 'The Hangover' for putting him on the map
  Ken Jeong began his career as a doctor — a real life, practicing physician — before answering Hollywood’s call in comedy smash films like “Knocked Up,” “The Hangover” and on NBC’s “Community.” “I got Koreaned into being pre-med and I got Americaned into being an actor,” he jokes. Born in Detroit...
• 'Crazy Rich Asians': Sonoya Mizuno left the ballerina life for a shot at Hollywood stardom
  Before embarking on her first-ever acting audition, English actress Sonoya Mizuno had to make a life-changing decision: Should she leave behind a successful career in ballet in order to take a shot at her own Hollywood dream? She leapt, quit her old job and made her acting debut as Kyoko in 2015’s...

NY Times©

• Review: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Is a Party With a First-Rate Guest List
  Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the best-selling novel is a lavish, slyly old-fashioned romantic comedy.
• After a Quick Breather, Chloë Grace Moretz Comes Out Fighting
  Ms. Moretz talks about “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” her new film about gay conversion therapy, and why her Louis C.K. movie should never be released.
• JT Leroy Film With Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart to Close Toronto Film Fest
  The festival also announced a period drama with Chris Pine as its opening night film.
• ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Is the Movie Everyone’s Talking About. Here’s What to Read About It.
  We rounded up some of the best reviews, reports, essays and interviews about Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.”
• They All Love a ‘Yellow Submarine’: Very Young Beatles Fans Sing Along
  Families, most with small children, gathered at Film Forum for a special screening of the 1968 movie that let them share their love of the group.
• ‘The Meg’ Is a Surprise Box-Office Monster
  The shark movie was expected to take in $20 million. Instead, “The Meg” collected $44.5 million. Among highbrow films, “BlacKkKlansman” posted solid results.
• Review: Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Journeys Into White America’s Heart of Darkness
  John David Washington and Adam Driver star in a movie based on a crazy true story from the 1970s, pitched to the crazy realities of right now.
• ‘Crazy Rich Asians’: Why Did It Take So Long to See a Cast Like This?
  With much riding on the first major Hollywood film with a majority Asian cast and crew since 1993, the makers faced questions about identity.
• Anatomy of a Scene: How Jason Statham Proves to Be a Strong Swimmer in ‘The Meg’
  The director Jon Turteltaub narrates a sequence on the water with Statham going up against one very big shark.
• Review: Looking to the Stars, ‘Cielo’ Can’t Quite Form a Constellation
  Alison McAlpine’s experimental feature tries to film an essentially unfilmable subject: the night sky above the Atacama Desert in Chile.
• at home with …: Andie MacDowell, Still Worth It
  One of the original 1980s model-actresses on her very modern maturity.
• Matthew Newton, Director With Domestic Violence Record, Departs Jessica Chastain Film
  The director stepped away from “Eve,” a movie being co-produced by a company founded by Ms. Chastain, a vocal supporter of the Time’s Up movement.
• Eighth Graders Watch ‘Eighth Grade’ and Relate (and Also Cringe)
  Teenagers turned out in droves for free all-ages screenings of Bo Burnham’s drama about being 13. The movie reminded them of their own middle-school hell.
• Patrick Williams, 79, Composer as Heard on TV (and Beyond), Is Dead
  Mr. Williams, whose approach blended jazz, classical and pop elements, provided music for film, television and his own award-winning records.
• 3 Film Series to Catch in N.Y.C. This Weekend
  Our guide to film series and special screenings.
• Streaming: ‘How It Ends’ and ‘No Blade of Grass’: Grim Visions of Tomorrow
  Two end-of-the-world films worth comparing and contrasting: “How It Ends,” on Netflix, and the 1970 movie “No Blade of Grass,” on Amazon Prime.
• Review: In ‘The Swan,’ Ennui Permeates Rural Iceland
  A young girl moves from the city to the country and gets her first glimpses of birth, death, sex and betrayal, but boredom is the overriding theme.
• Review: In ‘Slender Man,’ Horror Emerges From the Internet
  A digital urban myth becomes an evil force in Sylvain White’s film.
• Anatomy of a Scene | ‘The Meg’
  Jon Turteltaub narrates a sequence from his film.
• Review: In ‘Madeline’s Madeline,’ Hazy Boundaries Between Life and Art
  Josephine Decker delivers an impressionistic portrait of a young woman’s volatile moods and divided loyalties.
• Review: In ‘Skate Kitchen,’ a Tight-Knit Group of Girls Takes In a Newcomer
  A fictional feature that is more of a doc-narrative hybrid, the film directed by Crystal Moselle dives deep into a kind of hangout freedom.
• Review: The Vietnam War, as Fought by the French, in ‘The 317th Platoon’
  This revelatory French-made film, shot in the 1960s and directed by the former war photographer Pierre Schoendoerffer, gets a New York premiere.
• Review: ‘BuyBust’ Delivers a Thriller in Manila
  An elite narcotics squad has a very bad night in Erik Matti’s violent thriller.
• Review: In ‘Dog Days,’ Finding Each Other Through Canine Fandom
  In Ken Marino’s comedy, a love of dogs brings people together.
• Review: ‘A Prayer Before Dawn’ Drops a British Boxer Into a Thai Prison
  Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s thrillingly impressionistic drama is based on the true story of Billy Moore.
• Review: In ‘Elizabeth Harvest,’ Forbidden Rooms and Stylized Mystery
  Sebastian Gutierrez’s thriller is filled with surprises, but each one, paradoxically, makes the movie less and less surprising.
• Margot Kidder’s Death Was a Suicide, Coroner Says
  The actor’s daughter told The Associated Press, “It’s important to be open and honest so there’s not a cloud of shame in dealing with this.”
• Letter 67: 5 Indigenous Australian Films (and One TV Series) Everyone Should See
  Penny Smallacombe, head of the Indigenous Department at Screen Australia, shares her picks in this week’s Australia Letter.
• Review: ‘The Meg’ Goes on the Rampage, but Barely Makes a Splash
  Jason Statham battles bite-sized dialogue and finger-puppet characters in this nonsensical monster-shark movie.
• Oscars to Add ‘Popular Film’ Category, Creating Questions
  By adding a new category, the Academy Awards risk signaling that blockbuster films are not worthy of consideration for the best overall picture honor.
• What Being in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Means to the Movie’s Stars
  Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina and others recall the casting process and what it was like to finally work on an all-Asian Hollywood film.
• Disney Reports Earnings, but Focus Is on Its Streaming Service
  Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, offered up few specifics about the service, but said its successful introduction would be the company’s “biggest priority” in 2019.

NPR©

• Opinion: Don't Sweat The #Repsweats And Let 'Crazy Rich Asians' Be What It Is
  NPR Code Switch reporter Kat Chow writes about the burdens imposed on representations of Asians and Asian-Americans in pop culture — even on a fun, frothy rom-com.
• 'BlacKkKlansman' Entertains, But Falls Short Of Lee's Best
  It's being hailed as Spike Lee's best film in years, but NPR's Justin Richmond says BlacKkKlansman breezes over its main character's inner conflicts and lets polemics get in the way of storytelling.
• 'Skate Kitchen' Follows Teenage Girls Skateboarding Their Way Through NYC
  Director Crystal Moselle's new film explores New York City through the eyes of a group of teen female skateboarders that she met on the subway. NPR's Lakshmi Singh talks with Moselle about the movie.
• 'I Wasn't Sure If It Was True': John David Washington On The 'BlacKkKlansman' Story
  In director Spike Lee's latest film, BlacKkKlansman, John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, a black police detective who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s.
• Opinion: Critics Nix Pop Flicks Pick For Oscar Fix
  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being criticized for changes to the annual awards. Do we really need a category for "Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film"?
• 'Madeline's Madeline' Toys With Viewer's Perception Every Step Of The Way
  In the film Madeline's Madeline, a teen acting student finds herself living the part she thought she was playing.
• 'BlacKkKlansman' Is A Blisteringly Funny, Urgent Story Of Race And Identity
  In 1979, a black police officer named Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Director Spike Lee presents his story with humor and honesty in BlacKkKlansman.
• 'BlacKkKlansman' Sounds Like It's Made Up But It's A True Story
  Spike Lee's new movie is about an African-American police officer who went undercover in the 70s to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan by joining it. How did he pull that off?
• 'Madeline's Madeline': In This Acting Class, Dreams, Darkness and Dance Come Together
  A teenaged girl's acting class intersects with her home life in bracing, and not entirely healthy ways, in Josephine Decker's intimate, audacious and wildly experimental film.
• Shark, Weak: Toothless 'The Meg' Snatches Mediocrity From The Jaws Of Defeat
  It's a "somewhat self-aware, mildly sci-fi tinged, numbingly unimaginative watering down ... of a genre landmark, relocated to Asia and aimed squarely at the world's largest movie market: China."
• 'Dog Days' Is Shaggy But Lovable
  Ken Marino directs this conventional if disjointed ensemble rom-com about disparate Los Angeles dog owners. The film finds its legs whenever it leans into its alt-comedy cast and cameos.
• Spike Lee Checks Under The Hood In The Blistering 'BlacKkKlansman'
  Critic Bob Mondello calls Spike Lee's latest, about a black cop who infiltrates the Klan in the '70s, "his most ferociously entertaining (and just plain ferocious) film in years."
• Changes Are Coming To The Oscars
  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making three major changes, a move that on its face looks like a tie to weak ratings.
• Nico Biopic Sheds Light On Her Life Before And After The Velvet Underground
  Nico, 1988 tells the story of the Velvet Underground singer who left for a solo career — one weighed down by her addiction to heroin — and depicts the last, tumultuous year of her life.
• Charlotte Rae, Who Played Mrs. Garrett On '80s Sitcom 'Facts Of Life,' Dies At 92
  The Emmy- and Tony-nominated actor was most famous for her sitcom roles, which also included Diff'rent Strokes and Car 54, Where Are You? Rae was diagnosed with bone cancer last year.