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Yesterday was an exhausting day, especially in the evening. One of the secret reasons I have for being in Los Angeles (as well as going hand in hand with Penélope to the Dolby Theatre and experiencing in situ if her nomination still has a road to travel or if the prize was the nomination) is to meet with some actors as I think about the cast for my next film, which is starring Cate Blanchett and based on five stories by Lucia Berlin from her book “A Manual for Cleaning Women....

But is it getting better? The show is a guilty pleasure, and being a guilty pleasure is perfectly OK. But if it’s going to compete for Emmys, showrunner Courtney Kemp and company will need to give the franchise a makeover to become more than just screen candy. For now, sadly, “Power Book IV: Force” is strictly for loyalists. But if anything, they are consistent. It’s been a while since Egan was last on our TV screens....

The film dramatizes the horrific events of the Srebrenica massacre, otherwise known as the Srebrenica genocide, during which Serbian troops sent 8,372 Bosniak men and boys to their deaths in July 1995. Named for its fearless protagonist, “Quo Vadis, Aida?” exposes the events through the eyes of a mother named Aida (Jasna Ðuričić), a schoolteacher who works with the United Nations as a translator. After three and a half years under siege, the town of Srebrenica, close to the northeastern Serbian border, was declared a UN “safety zone” in 1993 and put under the protection of a Dutch battalion working for the UN....

Which isn’t to suggest that Chin and Vasarhelyi wouldn’t be compelled to Musk on their own accord, or to the astronauts who risked their lives in order to lead SpaceX’s first crewed launch into orbit. The filmmakers’ previous work has been galvanized by a high-intensity approach to Herzogian characters — by a rich affinity for cave divers, free climbers, and anyone else who refuses to settle for the simple comforts of terra firma — and a neurodivergent kajillionaire who dreams of dying on Mars seems like such a natural subject for Chin and Vasarhelyi that Herzog, no stranger to the idea of disguising sponsored content as a more organic form of documentary), is probably kicking himself for not getting to Musk first....

Eyes are on the label Disney acquired from Twentieth Century Fox in 2019; since then, Searchlight has not only dropped the Fox but also said farewell to veteran co-chairs Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula, who shepherded the specialty distributor to most of its 164 Oscar nominations and 43 wins (including five Best Picture winners). When they handed the co-presidency to production heads Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum (known in Hollywood as “The Greens”), it was already clear that the company would add television and Hulu content to their prior mandate of about six theatrical movies a year....

While the festival features a variety of world and North American premieres, it will also serve as a Bay Area launchpad for a number of festival favorites, like Sundance darling “Cha Cha Real Smooth” (which Apple TV+ will roll out later this year), John Boyega–starrer “892,” NatGeo volcanologist documentary “Fire of Love,” Terence Davies’ “Benediction,” Claire Denis’ “Both Sides of the Blade,” Venice Golden Lion winner “Happening,” Sundance Best Director winner “Palm Trees and Power Lines” from Jamie Dack, and much more....

Here’s the synopsis from Focus: “How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? ‘The Sparks Brothers,’ which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of your favorite band’s favorite band.”...