Over 30 years ago, del Toro was a young makeup and special effects artist in Guadalajara, Mexico, preparing to direct his first feature. The project was a wild, stop-motion animated sci-fi story called “Omnivore,” and the premise read like a rough audition for the revisionist genre epics he would make years later. He was inspired by Mexican stop-motion sculptor Marcel Delgado, whose credits include “King Kong,” to make a very different kind of monster movie....

Announced last month, per HBO Max, “the retrospective special invites fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time as it reunites Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and other esteemed cast members and filmmakers across all eight Harry Potter films for the first time to celebrate the anniversary of the franchise’s first film, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’” Additional Harry Potter film alumni joining the memorable tribute include Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Ian Hart, Toby Jones, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, producer David Heyman, and filmmakers Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates....

The comedian who hosted Netflix’s “Patriot Act” calls them “Instagram Hasan” and “iMessage Hasan.” In his new special, “The King’s Jester,” Minhaj describes getting swept up in the former, obsessed with virality and online clout at the cost of what really matters. “There’s Twitter chatter, and there’s IRL chatter,” Minhaj told IndieWire via Zoom ahead of the “King’s Jester” premiere on Netflix. “And I think it’s important for us as performers, artists, and journalists to be able to discern between the two....

“The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci — president of the company for 30 years [played by Al Pacino in the film] — and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them,” the statement said. (Via Variety.) The statement claims that the movie rewrites history in terms of the protagonists and the course of events, in which Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) takes a hit out on her husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) amid their unraveling marriage....

Grab your popcorn because “The Suicide Squad” has landed on HBO Max, and it’s right on time for the weekend. The James Gunn-directed superhero film arrived on the streaming platform on Friday, where it will remain for the next 31 days. The latest addition to the DC Comics Extended Universe assembles a mostly-new crew of formerly imprisoned antiheroes on a top-secret mission for the U.S. government. Margo Robbie returns as the quirky Clown Princess of Crime, Harley Quinn, and she’s joined by new faces to the film franchise....

The Profile Transfer rollout begins on Monday and account owners will receive an email notifying them when the feature is available. “People move. Families grow. Relationships end. But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same,” Netflix’s blog post announcing the feature reads. “Today, we’re launching Profile Transfer, a feature that lets people using your account transfer a profile — keeping the personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings — when they start their own membership....

Here’s an excerpt from PETA’s press release: Regarding the bull charge in the film, PETA noted that such attacks are “often a result of having been taunted, while snakes are naturally reclusive and typically retreat from humans unless provoked. Tarantulas are sensitive to vibrations, which they use to detect danger, a trait that makes loud sounds and foreign environments especially stressful for them.” It’s also worth noting that the foundation’s motto includes, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment....

Deadline reported that Bravo, the writer and director behind the upcoming “Zola” feature, is teaming with Annapurna to write and direct the series adaptation of journalist Ian Parker’s article, which was published in February 2019. The article focused on the life of former book editor Dan Mallory. Per Deadline, the series will center on an unreliable narrator who nurses brain tumors he does not have and mourns family members who are not dead while preying on people’s sympathy to get away with almost anything....

“I remember sitting there once, high on E, writing notes for ‘Terminator,’ and I was struck by Sting’s song, that ‘I hope the Russians love their children too,’” Cameron said. “And I thought, ‘You know what? The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself.’ That’s where the kid came from.” Who knew one of the seminal figures of “The Terminator” franchise was born out of a drug trip?...

But that doesn’t mean that Gray is completely thrilled with the finished product. In a new interview with Vulture, the “Armageddon Time” director explained he believes studio interference prevented the film from reaching its true potential. “It was kind of a perfect storm,” Gray said. “The birthing of it was so screwed up for reasons that had nothing to do with the movie. New Regency made the film, and they were trying to get it through Fox, and we were talking to Fox people, and then Fox got sold to Disney and folded up, basically....

“It had a very unusual environment at that time,” Mangold said. “[It was] this place that seemed golden, in Hollywood’s eyes, and in the zeitgeist. You felt honored to be included, but you also felt like you were a cog in a system that was dark and corrupt. It seemed like everyone was reading their own clippings and feeling thrilled to be part of this club that was the hottest little studio in the world....

FX announced on Wednesday that Janicza Bravo, who recently directed the heralded 2020 film “Zola,” will direct the FX show’s pilot episode. “Kindred” will be executive produced by Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields (showrunners on “The Americans”), as well as Darren Aronofsky, the director of “Black Swan” and “Mother!” Additional executive producers include Bravo, series writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (“Watchmen”), Courtney Lee-Mitchell, Ari Handel, Ernestine Walker, and Merrilee Heifetz. The series’ cast includes Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and David Alexander Kaplan, who will join the previously announced Mallori Johnson as regulars on “Kindred....

Warner Bros. shocked the industry by moving its entire 2021 film slate to the theatrical-HBO Max release model, a decision that has been scorned by the studio’s own filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Villeneuve. Directors working outside of Warner Bros. have also condemned the studio. Judd Apatow, who has long made films for Universal, said the Warner Bros’ decision is “disrespectful” to filmmakers who had no idea their films would be moving to a hybrid release model....

“The Morning Show” has come a long way in two seasons. The Apple TV+ series begins by exposing Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) as a sexual predator, ousting the longtime anchor from his position next to co-host Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and sending the show’s parent company into a tailspin. Investigations are launched. A toxic culture is uncovered. Replacement anchor Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) helps Alex divulge their findings live, on-air, in order to kickstart the rebuild by any means necessary....

Oscar winner Lawrence revealed during The Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable panel alongside Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Danielle Deadwyler, Emma Corrin, and Claire Foy that working with director Singer was a more clichéd “emotional” experience on set compared to female directors. “It did always just make us laugh about how we ended up with, ‘Women shouldn’t be in roles like this because we’re so emotional,’” Lawrence said. “I mean, I’ve worked with Bryan Singer....

“Dave said something in the ‘SNL’ monologue that I thought was constructive, which he says, ‘It shouldn’t be this hard to talk about things,’” Stewart said during an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” Tuesday night. “I’m called antisemitic because I’m against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. I’m called other things from other people based on other opinions that I have, but those shut down debate… Whether it be comedy or discussion or anything else, if we don’t have the wherewithal to meet each other with what’s reality then how do we move forward?...

Having enjoyed Campion’s moody and unpredictable “Top of the Lake” series, Greenwood was drawn to “The Power of the Dog” for her deconstruction of the western, set against the 1925 backdrop of a beautiful, inviting Montana landscape and a dark, oppressive ranch house. “I fancied working on something with the same complexity of tone, and the script for ‘Power of the Dog’ certainly promised that,” he told IndieWire via email....

Where to Watch ‘Last Chance U: Basketball’: Netflix I would never endorse skipping to the end of a show (or even the middle), but if for some reason you started “Last Chance U: Basketball” at the fifth of its eight episodes, you’d be diving into something unexpected. You won’t find the last-second dramatics of pulse-pounding free throws or prayers at the buzzer. You’ll see the 2019-2020 East Los Angeles College Huskies men’s basketball team dealing with what head coach John Mosley calls “friction....

DiCaprio and Lawrence star in “Don’t Look Up” as two low-level astronomers forced to travel around the U.S. to warn the population that a giant meteor is heading straight toward the planet and will destroy it. The two Oscar winners are joined in the movie by Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Mark Rylance, and Cate Blanchett. When the film first came together, THR reported the package included a $75 million budget....

While the U.S. has fewer avenues for short films to gain attention than say Europe or Asia, there will always be cinephiles who enjoy the unique pleasures of a well-made short. The best short films don’t use the form as a mere stepping stone to a feature, but as a unique and valuable medium unto itself. Recognizing that barriers to entry remain higher for all marginalized filmmakers of all stripes, it’s vitally important to highlight up and coming queer filmmakers at the shorts level....