Warner Bros. accepted the request from China to remove the dialogue, which included the lines “because I was in with love with you,” spoken by Dumbledore, as well as “the summer Gellert [Mikkelsen] and I fell in love.” (Via News.com.au.) Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s bond remains intact albeit implicit. “Harry Potter” author and mogul J.K. Rowling first announced Dumbledore was gay in 2009, but the films have yet to fully address the character’s sexuality until this most recent entry....

Shot on location in Colombo, Sri Lanka, “Funny Boy” centers on the “awakening of sexual identity by a young boy named Arjie. As political tensions escalate to a boiling point between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese, a young boy comes of age in a society and family that doesn’t embrace difference outside of societal norms. The film chronicles Arjie’s struggle to find balance and self-love despite the absence of empathy and understanding....

The premise of “God’s Country” paints the proverbial “two Americas” with the broadest possible brushstrokes, pitting a Black, female humanities professor against two white guys in a red pickup truck. Nobody mentions who they voted for, but the preconceived notions write themselves. Yet the film digs deeper with each passing scene, subverting our first impressions of each character before letting them prove they are exactly who we thought they were. Julian Higgins’ excellent film constantly dangles redemption in front of our faces, begging us to imagine a better world, but ultimately delivers a stark reminder of how bitterly divided the country is....

Submissions were not required for award consideration this year, however, the HFPA accommodated filmmakers/studios who requested their content to be considered only for specific categories. The HFPA will recognize its winners on Sunday, January 9, 2022 in a yet-to-be-disclosed formal ceremony of some kind. Additional details will be forthcoming. Per the organization, “Over the last eight months, the HFPA has completely overhauled its bylaws, implementing sweeping changes from top to bottom that address ethics and code of conduct, diversity, equity and inclusion, governance, membership, and more....

Much of the chatter around these nominations comes part and parcel with Oscar season, with analysis interpreting precisely what each new batch of nominees means for the Academy Award nominations, due to be announced on March 15. For television, the Emmy Awards non-adherence to a January-December eligibility calendar means that all guild awards are consequently a mishmash between episodes and series already recognized by the Emmys last year and competitors whose Emmy eligibility is still outstanding....

As reported by io9: “The Oscar-winning composer of ‘Dune’ was so inspired when he looked at the upcoming behind-the-scenes book from Insight Editions, he decided to write some musical accompaniment. ‘The Art and Soul of Dune,’ written by the film’s executive producer Tanya Lapointe, will have a dedicated Zimmer score available to download and stream upon release on October 22—the same date as the film’s debut—and the book will be available both in standard and limited editions....

Halfway through the episode, Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) goes into labor, a cautiously optimistic moment for the kingdom as husband King Viserys (Paddy Considine) prays for a long-awaited son. When the baby breaches, a maester tells Viserys that they can save either mother or child, the latter by cutting into Aemma’s belly. He hedges his bets on that coveted baby boy, leading to a harrowing scene of Aemma shrieking while multiple nurses hold her down and the maester cuts her open....