GREAT PERFORMANCES: LIGHTS CAMERA FFELINGS!

Acting involves a performer adopting a character in order to illustrate a story through various potential mediums. And great actors are able to express specific emotions on cue with astounding skill and impressive endurance.

For this year's New York Times celebration of Great Performances, the focus is on how these ten actors, who each gave brilliantly heartfelt and deeply moving film performances in 2025, were able to tap into such big feelings.

With photographs and video by Paul Kooiker and interviews by Amy X. Wang, the actors spotlighted are Jessie Buckley ("Hamnet"), Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"), Kathleen Chalfant ("Familiar Touch"), Kirsten Dunst ("Roofman"), Jacob Elordi ("Frankenstein"), Lee Byung Hun ("No Other Choice"), Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners"), Wagner Moura ("The Secret Agent"), Liam Neeson ("The Naked Gun"), and Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another").

Please click below to read the article:

NYTimes: An Actor's Guide To Big Feelings

KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR (2025)

Written & directed by Quentin Tarantino



Where & When: Vista Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. December 5, 2025 11:30 AM



When Quentin Tarantino completed what would be his fourth feature film, "Kill Bill" back in 2003, this homage to his love of the martial arts films he watched as a kid clocked in at four hours in completed length. Harvey Weinstein, the then-head of production at Miramax that financed the film, strongly favors to have his films released at manageable runtimes. The mercurial Weinstein suggested that Tarantino split the film into two parts which the filmmaker certainly preferred instead of being forced to make extensive cuts. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" reached theaters on October 10th with "Volume 2" coming out six months later. And this proved to be a far more practical solution. I mean, what in the world could actually be cut out of the film that wouldn't leave this breathtaking revenge thriller narratively neutered. 

Now, the two separate films have been properly joined together as one, entitled, "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" and released for a theatrical run. I was at the first showing of the film on the first day of it's official release at the theater that Tarantino owns, the Vista in Los Angeles. The energy in that room was electrified and everyone was ready to settle in for the four and a half hours (including one intermission) of this cinematic thrill ride. And the film in many ways has actually been improved, now without any extensive interruption to distract from the wildly clever, brutally violent and absolutely bonkers experience that is tightly packed inside of Tarantino's ferocious, blood-splattered extravaganza.

Even with the film's current reconnection and enhancements, the story remains the same: Without a word, the Bride (Uma Thurman) suddenly left behind her life as a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad lead by her lover, Bill (David Carradine). Tracked down during the rehearsal for her upcoming marriage at a small chapel in El Paso, Bill (codename: Snake Charmer) along with his crew, Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah), Sidewinder (Michael Madsen) and Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu) guns down the entire wedding party, killing everyone inside. As a pregnant Bride (codename: Black Mamba) lies wounded, she tries to inform Bill that he's the father but he shoots her in the head.

Left in a coma with a merciful Bill deciding it would be dishonorable to kill her while she's defenseless in the hospital, the Bride comes out of the mental hibernation four years later. Distraught over the loss of her child, she vows bloody revenge to kill Bill and the rest of the Deadly Vipers involved.

"Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" had originally premiered during the Cannes Film Festival back in 2006. Tarantino later screened "The Whole Bloody Affair" a few years later in the first movie theater he would own, the New Beverly Cinema, a revival house in Los Angeles. There are some subtle changes found in this version with the use of alternate takes and the animated sequence that reveals the backstory of O-Ren (Cottonmouth) has been expanded to include the entire scene which was cut for time.

By the time he made "Kill Bill", Tarantino was even more confident and comfortable in his abilities as a filmmaker having achieved great success with his previous works, "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown". Bestowed with plenty of accolades and prizes, he felt he could really begin to challenge some rules of conventional narratives, tackle subjects that are a bit more controversial and create his own thematic order. With "Kill Bill", Tarantino decided to go buck wild. Starting with an enjoyably farfetched plot, he pushed a non-linear story structure further, created some remarkable, memorable characters, incorporated elegantly rendered samurai sword fighting battles and pushed the blood and gore to unbelievable heights.

What this re-release of "Kill Bill" now brings into even sharper focus is the astonishing performance by Thurman and how she elevates the film through the sheer force of her radiant charisma and formidable physicality. As the Bride (aka Beatrix Kiddo), the statuesque actress is on screen for almost the entirety of the film as we watch her shrewdly plotting each step of her plan before rapidly and seemingly effortlessly putting her merciless scheme into motion. Taking on one combatant after the other, the Bride is raw, feral and deadly when facing an enemy (or an endless army of adversaries), using her razor sharp instincts to ultimately conquer and destroy. Yet she's still capable of letting down her guard to be soft, tender and even maternal when given the opportunity. It's by no means an exaggeration to state this is Thurman's greatest screen appearance, masterfully going above and beyond for this role of a lifetime.

I will admit that I tend not to be a big fan of films with excessive time lengths. My personal ideal of a perfect running time for a movie is, give or take, about two hours. My gripe is that often times when movies run well past this point (pushing thirty minutes and beyond) they tend to feel bloated, usually doing nothing more than simply making the film unnecessarily longer instead of enhancing the narrative. Now having stated this, "The Whole Bloody Affair" is certainly a film that earns every single second of its 270 minute runtime.

There is no question in my mind that Tarantino is an amazing talent and one of the most important filmmakers of all time. But this highly praised artist also has a narcissistic personality disorder and very large ego leaving him to believe that he can freely express his opinions no matter how wrong, offensive or downright cruel they might be. His recent personal attack on the talents of actor, Paul Dano is still shocking to me for it's lack of common courtesy and basic decency, especially considering Tarantino's position in the industry.

But none of this changes my opinion of Tarantino as a writer and director. His gift for taking the silly excesses of B-movies and adding his own singular spin on plot and characters is now legendary. There have been several misguided filmmakers who have attempted to duplicate the "Tarantino Effect". Yet they all fail to understand that their brains simply have to be wired a certain way in order to even remotely come close to his extraordinarily profound cinematic style.

2025 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

The 2025 Golden Globes were announced today and "One Battle After Another" continues it's domination of recognition, receiving the most nominations with nine including Best Picture (Drama). The horror-drama, "Sinners' also did well with seven nominations. But it was indie and international cinema that really made an impact this year. Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value", a moving drama from Norway, receiving the second most nominations with eight that included Best Picture (Drama) and Best International Film. Also receiving nominations in both of those categories was Jafar Panahi's drama based in Iran, "It Was Just an Accident" with a strong showing of a total of four nominations . "No Other Choice" from South Korea and the drama from Brazil, "The Secret Agent" each received three. 

Independent cinema was recognized in the major categories with "Hamnet", "Marty Supreme", "Bugonia", "Train Dreams", "Blue Moon" and "Nouvelle Vague" (both from director, Richard Linklater) all receiving multiple nominations. The more traditional studio fare was not ignored with the musical, "Wicked: For Good", Guillermo del Toro's reimaging of "Frankenstein" and the upcoming sequel, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" received several nominations. 

The 83rd annual Golden Globes will be presented on January 11, 2026 on CBS and Paramount+ with host, Nikki Glaser returning for a second consecutive time.

Here are the nominations of the 2025 Golden Globes (Film):

Best Picture (Drama):

"Frankenstein"
"Hamnet"
"It Was Just an Accident"
"The Secret Agent"
"Sentimental Value"
"Sinners"

Best Picture (Comedy Or Musical):

"Blue Moon"
"Bugonia" 

"Marty Supreme"
"No Other Choice"
"Nouvelle Vague" 

"One Battle After Another"

Best Director (Motion Picture):

Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"
Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"
Guillermo del Toro, "Frankenstein"
Jafar Panahi, "It Was Just an Accident"
Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value"
Chloé Zhao, "Hamnet"

Best Screenplay (Motion Picture):

Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, "Marty Supreme"
Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"
Jafar Panahi, "It Was Just an Accident"
Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value"
Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, "Hamnet"

Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Die My Love"
Renate Reinsve, "Sentimental Value"
Julia Roberts, "After the Hunt"
Tessa Thompson, "Hedda"
Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"

Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You"
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked: For Good"
Kate Hudson, "Song Sung Blue"
Chase Infiniti, "One Battle After Another"
Amanda Seyfried, "The Testament of Ann Lee"
Emma Stone, "Bugonia"

Best Performance By a Male Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Joel Edgerton, "Train Dreams"
Oscar Isaac, "Frankenstein"
Dwayne Johnson, "The Smashing Machine"
Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"
Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"
Jeremy Allen White, "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere"

Best Performance By a Male Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Timothée Chalamet, "Marty Supreme"
George Clooney, "Jay Kelly"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "One Battle After Another"
Ethan Hawke, "Blue Moon"
Lee Byung-Hun, "No Other Choice"
Jesse Plemons, "Bugonia"

Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Emily Blunt, "The Smashing Machine"
Elle Fanning, "Sentimental Value"
Ariana Grande, "Wicked: For Good"
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Sentimental Value"
Amy Madigan, "Weapons"
Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another"

Best Performance By a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture:

Benicio Del Toro, "One Battle After Another"
Jacob Elordi, "Frankenstein"
Paul Mescal, "Hamnet"
Sean Penn, "One Battle After Another"
Adam Sandler, "Jay Kelly"
Stellan Skarsgård, "Sentimental Value"

Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language):

"It Was Just an Accident" (France)
"No Other Choice" (South Korea)
"The Secret Agent" (Brazil)
"Sentimental Value" (Norway)
"Sirāt" (Spain)
"The Voice Of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia)

Best Picture (Animated):

"Arco"
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle"
"Elio"
"KPop Demon Hunters"
"Little Amélie or the Character of Rain"
"Zootopia 2"

Best Original Score (Motion Picture):

Alexandre Desplat, "Frankenstein"
Ludwig Göransson, "Sinners"
Jonny Greenwood, "One Battle After Another"
Kangding Ray, "Sirāt"
Max Richter, "Hamnet"
Hans Zimmer, "F1"

Best Original Song (Motion Picture):

"Dream as One" from "Avatar: Fire and Ash" (Music & Lyrics by: Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson, Simon Franglen)
"Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" (Music by: Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, Park Hong Jun Lyrics by: Kim Eun-jae (EJAE), Mark Sonnenblick)
"I Lied to You" from "Sinners" (Music & Lyrics by: Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson)
"No Place Like Home" from "Wicked: For Good" (Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Schwartz)
"The Girl in the Bubble" from "Wicked: For Good" (Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Schwartz)
"Train Dreams" from "Train Dreams" (Music by: Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner Lyrics by: Nick Cave)

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement:

"Avatar: Fire and Ash"
"F1"
"KPop Demon Hunters"
"Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning"
"Sinners"
"Weapons"
"Wicked: For Good"
"Zootopia 2"

2025 AWARD SEASON BEGINS

It's December which means that award season is now in full effect. The prizes are coming fast and furious with several critics groups have selected their winners or nominees for the best in cinema of this year. Here is a round-up of the early picks from various groups:

"One Battle After Another" took the top prize of Best Film from the 91st New York Film Critics Circle on December 2nd. The over fifty member, New York-based critics organization also selected Benicio Del Toro's performance for Best Supporting Actor from this film. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s "The Secret Agent" received Best International Film and star, Wagner Moura won Best Actor. Best Director went to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for his Cannes Palme d’Or-winning drama, "It Was Just an Accident" and Amy Madigan received Best Supporting Actress for her wild turn in the horror-drama, "Weapons".
Here are the winners of the 2025 New York Film Critics Circle:

Best Film: "One Battle After Another"
Best Director: Jafar Panahi, "It Was Just an Accident"
Best Screenplay: Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein, "Marty Supreme"
Best Actor: Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"
Best Actress: Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You"
Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro, "One Battle After Another"
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, "Weapons"
Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, "Sinners"
Best Animated Film: "KPop Demon Hunters"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow"
Best International Film: "The Secret Agent"
Best First Film: "Eephus"
Special Prizes: Museum of Moving Image; Screen Slate

The National Board of Review also selected "One Battle After Another" as their Best Film on December 3rd. This group of filmmakers, academics and fans gave Paul Thomas Anderson's crime-drama five awards including Best Director, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro as Best Supporting Actor and Chase Infiniti for Breakthrough Performer Award. Other winners include Rose Byrne taking Best Actress for "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You" and Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" was named Best International Film with both receiving these awards from NYFCC. Here are the winners of the 2025 National Board of Review:

Best Film: "One Battle After Another"
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"
Best Directorial Debut: Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"
Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, "Train Dreams"
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, "One Battle After Another"
Best Actress: Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You"
Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro, "One Battle After Another"
Best Supporting Actress: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Sentimental Value"
Breakthrough Performance: Chase Infiniti, "One Battle After Another"
Best Animated Feature: "Arco"
Best International Film: "It Was Just an Accident"
Best Documentary: "Cover-Up"
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, "Sinners"
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: "Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning"
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk"

The nominations for the 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards were revealed also on December 3rd with "Peter Hujar’s Day" receiving the most noms with five, followed by "Train Dreams", "Blue Sun Place", "One of Them Days", "Lurker" and "Sorry, Baby" each getting four apiece. This organization focuses only on indie film productions that cost under $30 million, leaving some films that were slightly above that figure like "Weapons", "Marty Supreme", "The Smashing Machine" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" out of consideration. The Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Here are the nominations of the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards (Film):

Best Feature:

"Peter Hujar’s Day"
"The Plague"
"Sorry, Baby"
"Train Dreams"
"Twinless"

Best First Feature:

"Blue Sun Palace"
"Dust Bunny"
"East of Wall"
"Lurker"
"One of Them Days"

Best Director:

Clint Bentley, "Train Dreams"
Mary Bronstein, "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You"
Lloyd Lee Choi, "Lucky Lu"
Ira Sachs, "Peter Hujar’s Day"
Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"

Best Screenplay:

Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, "Splitsville"
Angus MacLachlan, "A Little Prayer"
James Sweeney, "Twinless"
Christian Swegal, "Sovereign"
Eva Victor, "Sorry, Baby"

Best First Screenplay:

Andrew DeYoung, "Friendship"
Elena Oxman, "Outerlands"
Alex Russell, "Lurker"
Syreeta Singleton, "One of Them Days"
Constance Tsang, "Blue Sun Palace"

Best Lead Performance:

Everett Blunck, "The Plague"
Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You"
Kathleen Chalfant, "Familiar Touch"
Chang Chen, "Lucky Lu"
Joel Edgerton, "Train Dreams"
Dylan O’Brien, "Twinless"
Keke Palmer, "One of Them Days"
Théodore Pellerin, "Lurker"
Tessa Thompson, "Hedda"
Ben Whishaw, "Peter Hujar’s Day"

Best Supporting Performance:

Naomi Ackie, "Sorry, Baby"
Zoey Deutch, "Nouvelle Vague"
Kirsten Dunst, "Roofman"
Rebecca Hall, "Peter Hujar’s Day"
Nina Hoss, "Hedda"
Jane Levy, "A Little Prayer"
Archie Madekwe, "Lurker"
Kali Reis, "Rebuilding"
Jacob Tremblay, "Sovereign"
Haipeng Xu, "Blue Sun Palace"

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Liz Larsen, "The Baltimorons"
Misha Osherovich, "She’s the He"
Kayo Martin, "The Plague"
SZA, "One of Them Days"
Tabatha Zimiga, "East of Wall"

Best Cinematography:

Alex Ashe, "Peter Hujar’s Day"
Norm Li, "Blue Sun Palace"
David J. Thompson, "Warfare"
Adolpho Veloso, "Train Dreams"
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, "Dust Bunny"

Best Editing:

Ben Leonberg, "Good Boy"
Carson Lund, "Eephus"
Fin Oates, "Warfare"
Sara Shaw, "Splitsville"
Sofía Subercaseaux, "The Testament of Ann Lee"

Best Documentary:

"Come See Me in the Good Light"
"Endless Cookie"
"My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow"
"The Perfect Neighbor"
"The Tale of Silyan"

Best International Film:

"All That’s Left of You" (Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus)
"On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" (Zambia, UK, Ireland)
"A Poet" (Colombia)
"The Secret Agent" (Brazil)
"Sirāt" (Spain)

John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000):

"The Baltimorons"
"Boys Go to Jupiter"
"Eephus"
"Esta Isla (This Island)"
"Familiar Touch"

Someone to Watch Award (recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition):

Tatti Ribeiro, "Valentina"
Neo Sora, "Happyend"
Annapurna Sriram, "Fucktoys"

Truer Than Fiction Award (presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition):

Tony Benna, "André is an Idiot"
Rajee Samarasinghe, "Your Touch Makes Others Invisible"
Brittany Shyne, "Seeds"

Robert Altman Award (given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast):

"The Long Walk"

The American Film Institute announced their annual picks of the top-ten films of the year on December 4th. These selections tend to be a fairly accurate indicator of which films will probably land Oscar nominations with eight of the AFI picks from the last two years also received Best Picture noms. The annual AFI Awards will be presented during a private luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles on January 9, 2026.

Here are AFI’s Top 10 Movies of 2025:

"Avatar: Fire and Ash"
"Bugonia"
"Frankenstein"
"Hamnet"
"Jay Kelly"
"Marty Supreme"
"One Battle After Another"
"Sinners"
"Train Dreams"
"Wicked: For Good"

And the Los Angeles Film Critics Association also awarded "One Battle After Another" as their selection for Best Film. Paul Thomas Anderson received Best Director and Teyana Taylor took the Best Supporting Performance for this film. Taylor shared this prize, which the acting awards here are gender neutral categories, with Stellan Skarsgård, who was honored for his work in “Sentimental Value". The Lead Performance Award went to Rose Byrne, who has been sweeping up prizes for her riveting turn in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Ethan Hawke, who was quite impressive in the period biopic, “Blue Moon”.

Here are the winners of 2025 Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best Film: "One Battle After Another"
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Best Screenplay: Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident”
Best Lead Performance: Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Best Supporting Performance: Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” and Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
Best Documentary/Nonfiction: “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow”
Best Animation: "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
Best Cinematography: Adolpho Veloso, “Train Dreams”
Best Film Editing: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler, “Sinners”
Best Music Score: Kangding Ray, “Sirât”

COMING SOON

"Crime 101" is an upcoming film adaptation of the Don Winslow novella about an evasive thief with a thrill for high-stakes heists along the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. And this crime-thriller stars two of the most beautiful people to ever grace the movie screen: Chris Hemsworth playing the suave burglar looking to do one final job before calling it a day and Halle Berry as a disgruntled insurance broker that he lures into helping him commit this crime. But Mark Ruffalo is a determined detective working relentlessly on the case and closing in on capturing this thief. Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte also star.

The writer and director, Bart Layton continues his fascination with stories involving crime, following his debut with the 2012 documentary, "The Imposter" about the French scam artist, Frédéric Bourdin and "American Animals", a docudrama recounting the Transylvania University book heist in Lexington, KY.

"Crime 101" will be in US theaters on February 13, 2026

GUS VAN SANT: AN AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE RETROSPECTIVE

The American Cinematheque will honor Gus Van Sant with a career retrospective beginning on December 4th through December 13th with screenings held at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and Los Feliz 3 Theatres in Los Angeles. This master filmmaker of independent and mainstream cinema will have screened some of his best known and critically acclaimed works made early in his extraordinary career. The fest will end with an advance screening of his newest film, "Dead Man's Wire", a crime caper based on a true story set in the '70's involving a disgruntled customer who kidnaps his bank mortgager, then demands hostage money and an apology. Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodney will be in person for a Q&A at the Aero, followed by a screening of the director's acclaimed 1989 dark comedy, "Drugstore Cowboy" that starred Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch.

With an interest in the visual arts as a young man, Van Sant attended the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied various avant-garde directors and began making Super-8 short films. Moving to Los Angeles in 1976, Van Sant found work as a production assistant while trying to break into the film business. During this period, he began to observe the colorful denizens living in the rougher sections of Hollywood. 

After moving to Portland, this experience helped inspire him to adapt Walt Curtis' autobiographical novel, "Mala Noche" as his feature film debut in 1986. Shot in 16mm black & white film and a budget of $25,000, the story follows the relationship between Walt, a gay store clerk, and two younger Mexican boys. "Mala Noche" was well received in the film festival circuit, helping to kick off the new queer cinema movement, and Hollywood took interest in the young filmmaker. But the studios were not receptive to his non-mainstream ideas, so Van Sant went back to develop his own indie projects. "Drugstore Cowboy" became a critical hit and would be followed by "My Own Private Idaho", loosely based on Shakespeare's "Henry V" that featured stars, River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, receiving wide praise, awards and moderate financial success.

Now the studios were more interested in what Van Sant had to offer. But his next film, a 1993 adaptation of Tom Robbins' "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" was considered a flop but his follow-up, the 1995 black comedy, "To Die For" was received as a great achievement and was the first film to properly showcase what Nicole Kidman, a rising performer at the time, could really do as an actor. 

Van Sant would continue on making films his way, encountering major triumphs ("Good Will Hunting", "Milk". "Elephant", "Last Days") or less than stellar receptions ("Gerry", "Restless", "The Sea of Trees" and the still puzzling shot-for-shot remake of "Psycho") in the process.

Please click below for additional information and to purchase tickets:

Gus Van Sant: An American Cinematheque Retrospective

THE RUNNING MAN (2025)

Written by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright



Directed by Edgar Wright




Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. November 17, 2025 4:15 PM



When "The Running Man", based on a story written by Steven King under the pseudonym "Richard Bachman", was first brought to the screen in 1987, it was a dystopian thriller that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a convicted criminal who must try to outrun gladiator-styled assassins on a depraved game show. But this movie (directed by actor, Paul Michael Glaser, best known for playing Detective Starsky in the 1970s television cop series, "Starsky & Hutch") was far removed from the novel which featured a dark, societal commentary theme, instead offering a more campy humor, action-adventure to further accommodate the popular star's screen persona. "The Running Man" was met with an indifferent reception from audiences and critics with King less than thrilled with this adaptation.

As a teenager, Edgar Wright had read the book and after seeing the movie, he was aware of how much was changed in style and tone. Now as a filmmaker, Wright has gotten the opportunity to put his own stamp on "The Running Man" and even has King's blessing who is a producer of this remake. With this updated version, he has approached the story to align closer to the source material while still putting his own distinctive spin to the movie. Far more adventurous and inventive than the original film, this visually pumped-up, "Running Man" still doesn't do enough to offer a compelling reason to take on this story again and the newly imagined conclusion is muddled and relentlessly excessive.

In a future America under totalitarian rule, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) and his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson) are living in Co-Op City, struggling to survive. Their baby daughter has become ill and since he has recently been fired from his job and effectively blacklisted, they cannot afford medicine for her. With very few options available, Ben decides to audition for a part on one of the violent game shows, despite his wife's objections. Run by the Government Network, the most popular program is "The Running Man", where a contestant can win one billion dollars if they survive for thirty days while being tracked down by the show's hunters who are to make sure they don't succeed. Even members of the viewing audience can participate in taking down a contestant and winning a cash prize for their efforts.

Ben, along with Tim (Martin Herlihy) and Jenni (Katy O'Brian), are selected to race for the prize while trying to stay alive for a month. Using his street smarts, plenty of disguises and the helpfulness of strangers, Ben covertly travels across New England, laying low and avoiding the trackers as best as he can. But it shouldn't be a real surprise that the show's producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) is not exactly playing fair, taking steps to make sure he's in full control of the outcome of this game.

Reality television had not yet entered into our culture at the time of the first film, now an unavoidable genre that has not reached the point of gladiator-styled entertainment (for the moment). King's story was set in 2025 (which was written in 1982) so the future world Wright has created doesn't have to stray too far from our current times. But the director has not added anything particularly innovative to the film, relying on the tried and true elements of a Hollywood action-adventure flick. I don't think this was entirely up to Wright, as he mangaed to get a few oddball, comic situations in there but not enough to help this film stand out from the standard studio action fare.

Ben Richards is described by the people who encounter him as a very angry man, meaning, I guess, that he's dangerous and hostile. Managing to deliver the occasional scowl and raised voice, Powell just isn't able to convincingly maintain this hothead demeanor. The actor's good ole boy charm shines through, with him coming across more frustrated than angered. Powell does what he can but the tough guy persona really doesn't fit him well. There are fine turns by the supporting cast that include Coleman Domingo as the show's flashy host, Bobby T, Michael Cera as an isolated survivalist, Emilia Jones who becomes Ben's hostage and Lee Pace as the leader of the hunters.

Wright does manage to create some fun, thrilling moments that are expected involving heart-pounding chases, bone-crushing battles and massive explosions. But the outcome is much like his last film, "Last Night in Soho", a psychological thriller that begins promising with style and great momentum yet ultimately collapses under the weight of a convoluted ending. Unfortunately, this modern take on "The Running Man" is unable to get up to proper speed, only going so far before wheezing and running out of breath.