NuMainstream

Documentaries are often the ideal way to dig beneath the surface of widely-publicized events, which is what has made the genre of sports documentaries so appealing: One game, one moment, even one split-second decision can define an entire career — or an entire life. However, some of the best sports documentaries cut against the idea that a person needs to be measured against a single choice in the heat of athletic competition. “Losers” is a perfect example.

The new Netflix documentary series features…

An artful fable that examines what it really means to save the world, Benedikt Erlingsson’s “Woman at War” is the rarest of things: A crowd-pleaser about climate change. Combining Paul Schrader’s dire urgency with Roy Andersson’s droll brand of despair — to cite two other filmmakers whose work has wrestled with the maddening, quixotic idea of a single person trying to redeem an entire planet — Erlingsson has created a winsome knickknack of a movie that manages to reframe the 21st century’s signature crisis…

Spike Jonze has still not announced any new feature filmmaking efforts since the release of his Oscar winner “Her” in 2013, so fans will just have to settle for this surprise two-minute short film at the moment. Jonze released his new short, “The New Normal,” earlier this week in partnership with the cannabis company MedMen. The short finds Jonze advocating for marijuana legalization by retelling American history through the progression of cannabis in the country.

Per the synopsis from MedMen: “The…

We’re getting dangerously close to getting to the point where it’ll be quicker to list all the intriguing names who aren’t a part of CBS All Access’ upcoming reboot of “The Twilight Zone.” Add to that ever-growing list Seth Rogen, who’ll appear in one episode of the series, which premieres April 1.

The unnamed episode will be scripted by “Key & Peele” alum Alex Rubens, who is writing for the new series that features Jordan Peele stepping into the Rod Serling roles as both narrator and executive producer.

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Warner Bros. is officially moving forward with a sequel to Doug Liman’s “Edge of Tomorrow.” A follow-up to the Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt-starring time travel action movie has been talked about by fans and the creative team since the film’s release in summer 2014, and now it appears the sequel is finally taking shape at Warner Bros.

As confirmed by Deadline, Warner Bros. has hired “The Invention of Lying” co-director and co-writer Matthew Robinson to pen the screenplay after falling in love with his pitch…

Wise Oscarologists make careful study of awards consultants, those highly skilled campaign managers who orchestrate a film’s awards-season life from the fall festival circuit to the final envelope. However, there also is a shadow world that can make or break a film’s chances, one that lies in the offices of distribution and marketing executives. To understand its power, consider the Best Picture win for “Green Book.”

Green Book (Universal) Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay

This time last…

Ian McKellen shared some controversial opinions about Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer during a recent appearance on the #QueerAF podcast (via USA Today). McKellen has worked with both Spacey and Singer throughout his career but had yet to comment publicly on the sexual abuse allegations against them. When asked about the allegations, McKellen argued both men turned to abuse because they were not out as gay men at the time.

“Most of them were in the closet,” McKellen said. “Hence, all their problems as people…

In Gaspar Noé’s “Climax,” a dance troupe gathers in a remote building to practice their moves, initially making it seem as if Noé has opted to create dazzling non-fiction portrait of the art form. But the director of “Enter the Void” and “Love,” whose unnerving subjective camerawork and outré subject matter has enhanced his bad boy clout with each outing, has another disturbing story in store. Once the dancers — all professionals and non-actors, aside from “Kingsman” actress Sofia Boutella — inadvertently…

March 1

– Now in its fourth year, the Doc10 film festival is proud to announce their official 2019 film slate. Presented by Chicago Media Project, Doc10 will open with the critically acclaimed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez documentary “Knock Down the House” and close with Emmy Award-winning director John Chester’s “The Biggest Little Farm.” In celebration of the highly curated event, filmmakers from this year’s ten best documentaries will be descending on Chicago for screenings and Q&A’s. Doc10 will also…

Olivia Colman’s Best Actress win over frontrunner Glenn Close was the biggest shock at the 2019 Oscars. Close had won nearly every precursor award on the circuit, including the Golden Globe and SAG Award, and with seven nominations to her name and no wins it became a no-brainer among Oscar pundits that now was Close’s time. Alas, the legend lost to Colman and continued to assume the title of the most Oscar-nominated living performer without an Oscar win.

Fortunately, Close is getting right back to work with…