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When a single frame can spark this much excitement, you know something special is brewing. Netflix is bringing some of the most iconic faces of the movie industry in its upcoming movie Jay Kelly, and fans can’t keep calm. Here, we have George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern leading the way with Noah Baumbach in the director’s chair.

All three of the actors are known for very different acting genres, so watching their acting chops together would be a dream come true for any cinema lover. So, at a time when people keep asking if “real” cinema still exists, this highly anticipated movie might just be the answer.

Adding more to this good news is that Netflix just announced its release date – and it’s sooner than you think.

The most exciting cast we’ve seen in recent years

Streaming giant Netflix is all set to make...

Science fiction stood strong in the former Eastern Bloc as a genre of literature, but that potency usually failed to materialise in movies. There are notable exceptions to the rule, like Tarkovski’s Solaris, but too few and far apart. The principal reason might be the anticipated cost of such endeavours, with additional concerns regarding the existing “know-how” in the terms of compelling execution along the postulates of the genre. Some new winds are blowing in the society and the economy of former East European countries, and they are replicated in cinema as well, so genre approach is not a taboo any more.

Coming from Estonia, where Tarkovski actually filmed Solaris, The Black Hole serves as a nice example. The second fiction feature by Moonika Siimets “drinks” from the source and lets the “juices” of not just science fiction, but also horror, fantasy and crass satire flow....

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We have tragic news out of Hollywood today, as beloved actor Nicky Katt has passed away unexpectedly.

Over the course of his lengthy career, Katt worked with some of the industry’s most acclaimed directors, including Richard Linklater, Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez, and David Gordon Green.

He is perhaps best known for the role of Clint Bruno, the violent partygoer who pummels Adam Goldberg’s character in the 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused.

Nicky Katt at the premiere of ‘The Way of the Gun’ at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, Ca. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images) A brilliant career cut short

Born in South Dakota in 1970, Katt made his way to Hollywood at a very young age.

After beginning his career as a child star with roles on TV shows like Fantasy Island and Chips, Katt transitioned into more mature projects.

His impressive list of...

In a world increasingly fascinated by existential science fiction, Mickey 17 offers a refreshing yet unsettling look at identity, mortality, and the ethics of cloning. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Robert Pattinson, the film dives deep into what it means to be human when your existence is disposable. If you’ve just watched it and found yourself craving more cerebral, emotionally complex sci-fi, you’re not alone. This list of movies like Mickey 17 explores similarly mind-bending themes—from isolation and artificial intelligence to the haunting fragility of memory and consciousness—each film provides a unique reflection on life beyond the ordinary.

Moon (2009)

Moon is a quiet, haunting film that deals with isolation in a deeply personal way. Set on a lunar base, the story follows Sam Bell, an astronaut nearing the end of his three-year stint mining helium-3. Sam’s only companion is a robot named Gerty, and the...

Steven Soderbergh has spent more than two decades making all kinds of films, and yet he continues to surprise us with something new that changes the norms. His latest film, “Black Bag,” released in March 2025, is a prime example. This sleek and stylish spy thriller, written by David Koepp, has garnered widespread acclaim from critics. It follows a British intelligence officer who must investigate a list of possible traitors, one of whom could be his wife. The film’s unique premise and Soderbergh’s masterful direction showcase his ability to blend complex themes with engaging storytelling. Throughout his career, Soderbergh has always strived to tell stories that are simple in themselves but cater to a collective vision he has about cinema. His specificity stems from his belief that it is the job of a director to carve the path forward for a story wholeheartedly.

A lot of his features are...

Ever tried baking a cake and realized halfway through you’ve run out of eggs? Well, that’s how fans feel when they hear about the latest rumors surrounding James Gunn’s Superman movie. Now, we’re not here to ruin the fun, but as lifelong fans of the Man of Steel, we can’t help but wonder if Gunn’s new take is allegedly going to turn into a half-baked masterpiece.

David Corenswet is set to don the iconic cape, but from what we’re hearing, the rumored plot feels like it’s missing some key ingredients.

David Corenswet as Superman | via jamesgunn/Ig

So, what’s cooking in the new Dcu? The leaked plot suggests a cocktail of sci-fi madness, political drama, and, well… monsters. Call us skeptical, but we have a hard time picturing Corenswet’s Superman fitting in this wild narrative when compared to the grounded...

The Suicide Squadstar and Hollywood icon Viola Davis pitches her own original character for a potential Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly during the premiere of G20, Davis was asked if she would be interested in taking on a role in the MCU. "Yeah, absolutely," Davis responded. "I don't know what hero I would be, you know. I just, my daughter is a Marvel fanatic, so I've watched, I think almost all of them five, six times." When asked what part she might want to play, Davis answered with "Probably an Iron Man. I would be — maybe Iron Mania? Iron Shaniqua Mania?"

After nearly a decade starring in stage productions and appearing in minor film and television roles, Davis' career exploded with her Tony Award-winning performance as Tonya in August Wilson's 2001 play, King Hedley II. This kicked off a series of roles in films such as Steven Soderbergh...

Sex, lies, and… shock comedy? In a new interview, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh details his outrageous comedy film that never was. The “Presence” and “Black Bag” director told Men’s Health that he had a “frustrating” experience trying to get a script greenlit that was akin to “Team America” and “Blazing Saddles” in terms of being a “completely batshit crazy” story.

“I had this shock comedy that I was trying to get made that nobody wanted to touch. That was frustrating,” Soderbergh said. “It’s hard to describe, but it was deliberately outrageous and provocative. And all the people that read it that could potentially pay for it, whether it be companies or wealthy individuals, said, ‘This is too hot.’ So, that was a bummer.”

He continued, “I was really interested in making something that was like a full-on comedy, like ‘Blazing Saddles.’ Not a subtle comedy. That still appeals to...

A new spy movie starring Michael Fassbender and Pierce Brosnan has pulled off a box office feat. Fassbender is a versatile actor who is perhaps best known for playing the young Magneto in the X-Men prequel movies beginning with 2011's First Class. However, in addition to starring in big-budget genre movies such as the superhero franchise, Assassin's Creed, and Prometheus, he has starred in a variety of dramas such as Shame, A Dangerous Method, Song to Song, Steve Jobs and 12 Years a Slave, the latter two of which earned him Oscar nominations.

While Pierce Brosnan does not have any Oscar nominations under his belt, he does have ample experience in the spy genre, having starred in four James Bond movies between 1995 and 2002. He played the iconic superspy in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day, stepping into the role after the two-movie tenure...

The phrase "style over substance" is usually meant to be pejorative, but it doesn't have to be. It can be used to describe masterpieces like Suspiria, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Branded to Kill, Thx-1138, Playtime, In the Mood for Love, and countless other films, not to mention experimental cinema. There is nothing wrong with that. Ash, the new film by Steven Ellison (aka musician Flying Lotus), epitomizes style over substance, and it's stylish as hell. The only problem is that it tries too hard to have substance, and instead delivers a narrative full of plot holes, recycled ideas, and little emotional investment. Fortunately, the style of Ash and the lead performance by Eiza González are so impressive that it tips the scales heavily in the film's favor.

Space Is the Place for Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus is a visionary of sorts, and it's impressive how he managed to incorporate his...

Science fiction has long provided audiences with a means of escapism into new worlds and civilizations and epic struggles that exist between the forces of good and evil. Among the directors who have been instrumental in the modern age of cinema in bringing new worlds to life has been director Denis Villeneuve. Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 and the newest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune, has been critical of the Star Wars franchise. In particular, the direction and tone the films took following the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983, citing that the franchise became geared toward children.

I find that there is some validity to Villeneuve’s comments about the franchise. After all, the intense battle on Hoth between rebel forces and Imperial walkers in The Empire Strikes Back and the Ewoks bringing down a legion of what Emperor Palpatine refers to as “his best troops...

Science fiction movies built the foundation of the feature film medium at the turn of the century, with Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon being one of the first movies that could be considered to be a blockbuster. The best science fiction films have always been the ones that were capable of merging the pure entertainment of seeing fantastical universes and space-faring adventures with themes that reveal something about the human condition.

As one of the most important and influential film critics of all time, Roger Ebert championed science fiction filmmaking that pushed the boundaries of what was previously thought to be possible in the medium, bringing new thrills and ideas to the big screen. According to him, the best science fiction movies tell stories that are both larger-than-life and relatable to a wide audience of viewers.

Cloud Atlas Is One of the Best Literary Adaptations Ever

The Wachowski...

People tend to overuse the term “mind-blowing” when hyping sci-fi movies, but in the case of Flying Lotus’ visually audacious “Ash,” the word feels apt. Weak on plot but pretty as a sunset (on the whole human race?), “Ash” opens with a shot of the cosmic turmoil swarming inside the brain of an astronaut far, far away from Earth, then pulls back abruptly, zooming out through her pupil to reveal the look of pure panic on the face of sole survivor Riya Ortiz (Eiza González). Cue a shock montage of all her crewmates, each with their head crushed in or blown open.

How’d they all die? Most unpleasantly. Fast-forward 90 minutes, and the final image is another head-spinner. Between those extremes, “Ash” is surprisingly conventional, especially coming from the maniac who conceived 2017 Sundance disrupter “Kuso” and the scatological game-show segment “Ozzy’s Dungeon” from “V/H/S/99”: a colorful, giallo-style homage...

Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel is heading up The Inquest Of Pilot Pirx – a new film adaptation of a Stanislaw Lem story.

Perhaps best known for his World War II drama Downfall, director Oliver Hirschbiegel is set to make a new sci-fi film based on a short story by Polish author Stanislaw Lem.

First announced last year, The Inquest Of Pilot Pirx is based on Lem’s short story The Inquest, originally published in 1968. Its lengthier title comes from an earlier 1979 Polish adaptation (pictured), also based on the same tale. It tells the story of a routine repair mission to one of Saturn’s rings that has a fascinating additional purpose.

The ship’s crew, led by one Commander Pirx, is a mixture of humans and androids. What follows is essentially a Turing Test in space – if the androids prove to be indistinguishable from humans, then the company that makes them will put them into production.

The Berlinale has always been a festival of discoveries. It is a stage where cinema reinvents itself. As the 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival looms, cinephiles and critics alike are bracing for a lineup brimming with audacity, artistry, and social reflection. With Tricia Tuttle taking the helm, the programming seems to be bolder than ever, mixing celebrated auteurs with breakthrough voices from across the globe.

This year, the selection promises a fascinating cross-section of narratives: from historical epics to surreal dystopias, intimate character studies to socio-political thrillers. Below, we take a deep dive into the ten most anticipated films of Berlinale 2025, breaking down why each film deserves a spot on your radar.

1. Baksho Bondi

Set against the vivid backdrop of a dusty Kolkata suburb, “Baksho Bondi” follows Maya—a resilient working-class woman who juggles multiple jobs while caring for her Ptsd-afflicted husband, Sundar. When Sundar mysteriously vanishes...

If anyone can dethrone Tom Cruise from the top of the streaming charts, it's going to be Laurence Fishburne. His 2024 sci-fi film, Slingshot, knocked Top Gun: Maverick from the top spot on the Paramount+ streaming chart.

The film stars Casey Affleck as ambitious John, joining Fishburne as Captain Franks, Tomer Capone as Nash, and Emily Beecham as John's girlfriend, Zoe. Directed by Mikael Håfström (1408), Slingshot is about a team of astronauts heading on a multi-year mission to one of Saturn's moons, Titan, to gather different natural materials to help Earth.

They use a technique called the slingshot, where the ship takes advantage of the gravitational field of a planet to travel, which also saves fuel. The crew must go through 90-day hibernation cycles for the long journey. When John wakes up from one of many hibernation cycles, he begins to suffer from paranoia and loses touch with reality.

You'd be...

Christopher Nolan's movies have a very particular aesthetic. Though he works in genres where loads of computer-generated imagery are the norm, he values location shooting, practically staged action, and, of course, the kind of rich, tactile visuals that only film — not digital — can give you (at a reel length of 11 miles). There's a reason many cinephiles travel great distances to see his movies projected on 70mm IMAX, and never walk away disappointed.

Nolan's aesthetic preferences were challenged like never before when he took on "Interstellar." The deep space exploration film, based on the brilliant work of astrophysicist Kip Thorne, promised to be a brainy piece of science fiction in the vein of classics like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Solaris" (Tarkovsky's or Soderbergh's). "Interstellar" wound up calling those films to mind here and there, but, really, it was singularly Nolan in its attempt to realistically depict what getting stuck...

Andrei Tarkovsky classics Solaris, Stalker, The Mirror and more besides are now available in full (and legally) on YouTube.

Celebrating its centenary in January 2024, Russian production company Mosfilm has spent the past few months quietly uploading many of its classic films to YouTube.

Among the additions are several works by Andrei Tarkovsky, including perhaps his most famous films, Solaris (1972) and Stalker (1979). Solaris, adapted from Stanislaw Lem’s 1961 novel, is a simmering masterpiece – the story of psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatis Banionis), who’s sent to a distant space station to investigate some strange behaviour among its crew. Once there, he’s told that the planet the station orbits, the titular Solaris, may be sentient – and capable of somehow turning memories into physical reality…

Stalker’s a sci-fi piece of a very different sort. It’s loosely adapted from Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic, and sees a group of scavenger,...

Viola Davis will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in January. She will be honored during the group’s 2025 gala hosted by Nikki Glaser on Friday, January 3, at the Beverly Hilton.

Davis won a Supporting Actress Oscar and a Golden Globe for 2016’s Fences and has three other career nominations: Best Actress for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) and The Help (2011) and Supporting Actress for Doubt (2009). She also has six other Golden Globe noms, most recently for 2022’s The Woman King.

Davis’ long list of big-screen credits also include The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Air, The Suicide Squad, Widows, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby films and Solaris. She also has done plenty of TV work including the lead in How to Get Away with Murder along with Live in Front of a Studio Audience, The First Lady, Peacemaker, United States of Tara...

Viola Davis will receive the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd annual Golden Globes.

The actress, activist, producer, philanthropist, and best-selling author, is part of the select group of creatives to have achieved Egot status, having won an Emmy, a Grammy, Oscar and two Tony Awards. Davis won a best supporting actress Golden Globe in 2017, her first such award, for her performance in Fences, opposite fellow Cecil B. DeMille winner Denzel Washington.

A Juilliard graduate, Davis first made her name in theater, and made her Broadway debut in 1996, in the original Broadway production of August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. She transitioned successfully to feature films in the 2000s, starring in Antwone Fisher, Solaris, Traffic, The Help, Prisoners, Widows, Air and The Woman King. In all, she’s been nominated for an Oscar four times, winning in 2017 for Fences.

Davis has also found huge success on television, starring in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,...

Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has tackled every genre under the sun: the heist thriller with the “Ocean’s” franchise, sci-fi with “Solaris,” WWII films (“The Good German”), the action genre (“Haywire”), thrillers of all sorts, comedies (“The Informant!”) and more. But aside from “Unsane,” which flirted with the psychological horror genre, Soderbergh has never really done traditional horror.

Continue reading ‘Presence’ Trailer: Steven Soderbergh’s Spooky Ghost Story Thriller Arrives in January at The Playlist.

Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Ingmar Bergman are three of the most celebrated filmmakers of the 20th Century, but far too often, cinephiles forget to include a fourth name on that list: Andrei Tarkovsky. This Russian filmmaker's one-of-a-kind vision frequently melds gorgeous, sparse, and static images with a philosophical undercurrent that has kept critics and scholars engaged in commentary for decades. And while films like Andrei Rublev and Stalker are typically heralded as his best, that's doing a disservice to perhaps the greatest science-fiction epic ever made, Solaris.

No other film in history is as singular a work of art as Solaris. It manages to pack in all of Andrei Trakvosky's trademarked existential musings with some jaw-dropping visuals and a meditative pace that makes watching it feel like a religious experience. As the film's central character hurtles towards the great unknown, so too does the audience, and by the time Solaris is over,...

In 2012, filmmaker Andrew Dominik released the follow-up to his critically acclaimed film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; its name, Killing Them Softly. Unfolding during the 2008 Presidential election, this film tells the story of a hitman hired to tie up loose ends following the robbery of a high-stakes Mafia poker game.

Related 10 Underrated Gangster Movies That Are Flawless From Beginning to End

There are plenty of underrated gangster films that are just as good as many of the iconic staples in the genre.

At the time of its release, Killing Them Softly became a misunderstood failure in nearly every sense of the word, one that earned the rarest of cinematic audience scores and almost burnt down all the goodwill its relatively novice filmmaker had made for himself. If Killing Them Softly is remembered for anything today, it's for being one of the final movies to feature...

With a tagline of "Imagination is not always perfect," Darío Autrán's Entelequias, if judged by its desaturated, asymmetrical, vertically distorted key art, looks to be playing in the narrow liminal space between Solaris and eXistenZ.  This poster eschews a standard credit block, instead placing actor, director and writer in one corner, its tagline blocked in the middle, and varying width bands off to the right, where the characters are repeated, but all seem to be glancing at a burning book, the only source of real colour here. Perhaps a text by Aristotle? The film's title, Entelequias, was coined by Aristotle back in the day, and can be translated as "having the end in itself," but in Spanish it has come to colloquially mean, "an unreal thing." Argentinian designer...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Multiverse of Sadness: Kroger Captivates with Cryptic Cold War Sci-Fi Exploit

Although it will invariably be confused with the 2014 Stephen Hawking biopic, Timm Kröger’s fascinating sophomore feature The Universal Theory (Die Theorie Von Allem) blends modern cinema’s excessive obsession with the notion of the multiverse into a gloomy, sci-fi neo noir. It’s also a fatalistic, overcast love story, reminiscent of everything from Solaris (1972) to Alain Resnais’ Je t’aime Je T’aime (1968), utilizing contemporary fascinations folded into vintage aesthetics. In the wake of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), Kröger’s film arrives as if from some fortuitous concentric time loop to revel in the ripple effects of the atomic bomb.…...

There’s something about a well-thought-out mobile strategy game that gets you so immersed, you’re planning your next move even without your phone in hand.

If you’re itching to play a game so good it’ll have you feeling like this, look no further than this list of the 9 best mobile strategy games. They’ll completely hook you with their intricate and engaging mechanics that’ll make you feel like you’re on top of the world, once you master them.

Play these titles alongside one of the nine addicting mobile puzzle games we recommend, and your brain will definitely get a good workout.

9) Xcom 2 Aliens have taken over, and it’s your chance to fight back. | Credit: Feral Interactive

If you like your tactical strategy games to have a heavy dose of sci-fi, then this one is going to suck you in fast. Earth has fallen victim to an alien invasion,...

Nafta Films, led by Esko Rips, and Film and Music Entertainment, headed by Sam Taylor, have teamed to adapt Stanislaw Lem’s novella “The Inquest of Pilot Pirx.” Previous films based on Lem’s work include Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris,” starring George Clooney, and György Pálfi’s “His Master’s Voice.”

British sci-fi novelist Adrian Tchaikovsky has adapted Lem’s story for the screen. Tchaikovsky’s series “Children of Time” won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Hugo Award and British Science Fiction Assn. Award. He recently spoke at the Worldcon in Glasgow on the topic of “AI and the End Times – Do Androids Dream of Killing Us All” and has previously been a guest speaker at the Turing Institute’s AI U.K. conference.

The English-language film tells the story of Commander Pirx who leads a small crew of half androids and half humans on a rescue mission into space.

In a career spanning several decades, George Clooney has appeared in plenty of massive blockbusters, but he also has some underrated gems. Clooney's most popular movies include the Ocean's trilogy, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Gravity and many more. His good looks and charisma have made him a bankable leading man in a variety of genres, but not all his movies get the love they deserve.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are set to team up once more for Apple TV's new action-comedy Wolfs, in which they play two combative fixers forced to work together. While Wolfs is already generating plenty of excitement, some of Clooney's movies have managed to fly under the radar in his career. Looking back at Clooney's career, there are plenty of underrated comedies, sci-fi movies and actioners which deserve a second chance.

Solaris (2002) Kelvin

Solaris

Director Steven SoderberghRelease Date November 27, 2002Cast Ulrich Tukur, Jeremy Davies,...

All astronaut movies about losing your mind in the lonely, alienating depths of space essentially harken back, more or less, to Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” in 1972. The premise, adopted in dozens of films since Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris” remake, James Gray’s “Ad Astra,” and the recent Adam Sandler vehicle “Spaceman,” is practically its own sub-genre at this point.

Continue reading ‘Slingshot’ Review: Casey Affleck Loses His Mind In Reality-Warping Paranoia Space Thriller at The Playlist.

The Visual Effects Society has named the first honorees who will be feted at a special event in October.

Avatar co-producer Brooke Breton, a former SVP Production at James Cameron’s effects house Digital Domain who also worked on three Star Trek movies from 1986-91, will receive the 2024 Ves Founders Award. The group also named Reid Paul and Ronald B. Moore as Lifetime Ves Members and posthumously will induct Tim McGovern, Thad Beier, Maya Deren and Dorothy Davenport into the Ves Hall of Fame.

Read more about them all below.

“Our honorees represent a group of exemplary and pioneering artists and innovators who have had a profound impact on the field of visual effects,” Ves Board Chair Kim Davidson said. “We are proud to recognize those who helped shape our shared legacy and continue to inspire future generations of VFX practitioners.”

The 23rd annual Ves Awards will be handed out Tuesday,...

Swiss director Simon Jaquemet – fresh off the world premiere of “Electric Child” at Locarno – is considering an adaptation of “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” by U.S. science fiction writer Ted Chiang. His “Story of Your Life” already inspired Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival.”

“It’s very clever and complex,” Jaquemet said about the novella, published in 2010, which could serve as an inspiration for his future work. He is also thinking about a move into series, one that would take place after events shown in “Electric Child,” albeit still within the same universe.

“The story could take place after some catastrophic AI event. With series, you have more time – you can make it more complex. Some shows are even more daring than films [these days],” he stated.

In the meantime, Jaquemet is bound to provoke heated discussions with his new film, “Electric Child.” Echoing many AI-related conversations taking place at the festival, he...

Sci-fi romances that involve some kind of interplanetary expedition don’t really have happy endings, do they? Star Wars, as a franchise, is one of the biggest space operas in existence and it is plagued with doomed romances. Solaris is responsible for the “sad men in space” template. For the most part, the two Dune movies by Denis Villeneuve focused on the love story forming between Paul Atreides and Chani, and by the end of the second film, it seemed like Chani will try to kill Paul. Jupiter Ascending (which is a movie I like!), Passengers, and the Avatar movies are kind of the outliers here, I guess. But the exception proves the rule, i.e. if your romantic couple is in a sci-fi movie (even if it’s a short film), then it won’t last. So, let’s talk about Alpha 27.

Written and directed by Nick Azzaro, Alpha...

Tarkovsky's Solaris is a groundbreaking sci-fi film that delves deep into human emotions and moral dilemmas, straying from typical genre tropes. Despite receiving critical acclaim and accolades, Tarkovsky considered Solaris an artistic failure for not breaking free from traditional sci-fi constraints. The film transcends time, focusing on inner turmoil and relationships, emphasizing human values over technology and special effects commonly found in the genre.

In 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in theaters. Directed by American film director Stanley Kubrick, the film was not only an epic science fiction journey full of futuristic detail but also dominated the box office, leading to various awards, including the best story, cinematography, soundtrack, and so forth. But soon, another name in the filmmaking world (on the other side of the globe) turned this much-beloved movie onto its head, citing that it was cold, sterile, and focused too much on a fancy kind of futurism.

Steven Soderbergh's 2002 film "Solaris," based on the 1961 novel by Stanislav Lem, was an interesting experiment as sci-fi blockbusters go. Starring George Clooney and made for a not-immodest budget of $47 million, "Solaris" tells the tale of an astronaut Dr. Kelvin (Clooney), who is sent to a distant space station to investigate the curious psychic properties a nearby planet seems to emanate. The space station is nearly uninhabited, as the crew have almost all taken their own lives. Dr. Kelvin soon finds that the nearby planet Solaris has the ability to reach into a person's mind and physically manifest memories. Kelvin's dead wife Rheya (Natasha McElhone) appears to him, much to his consternation. Because the real Rheya took her own life, the artificial Rheya begins sharing the same bleak thoughts. 

"Solaris" is emotionally intense and filmed in a contemplative, psychedelic fashion. Lem's novel had previously been adapted to film in 1972 by Andrei Tarkovsky,...

Co-written by the screenwriter of Moon, Slingshot stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Tomer Capone as fractious astronauts. Here’s a trailer:

To the ever-growing ‘unhappy men in space’ sci-fi subgenre we can now add Slingshot – a psychological thriller starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and The Boys’ Tomer Capone as a trio of stressed-out astronauts.

The explorers are on a mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan, when something goes awry and they’re forced to attempt a risky slingshot manoeuvre in order to reach their destination. Meanwhile, Affleck’s character begins to hallucinate. Oh, and Fishburne’s brought a revolver with him for some reason.

Aside from a cracking cast, Slingshot has a good pedigree behind the camera. Its director is Sweden’s Mikael Håfström, director of such genre pieces as 1408, based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, The Rite, an enjoyably daft exorcism horror from 2011, and Escape Plan,...

These days, it feels like George Clooney is known more for his political opinions than his acting career. Billions earned at the box office? Meh. Billions more raised in advocacy, humanitarian efforts, and charity? Yawn. Two-time People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive? Getting closer, but nah. Donald Trump calls you a “rat” on Truth Social? That’s when you know you’ve made it.

Believe it or not, George Clooney used to be famous for something other than his political flip-flops. Well, hold onto your hats because there was actually a time before Clooney’s latest head-scratcher: penning a New York Times op-ed calling Joe Biden unfit for office mere weeks after throwing him the mother of all fundraisers. Yes, you heard that right – he hosted a record-breaking cash bash for Biden, the biggest ever for a Democrat candidate, then declared to the world that the guy shouldn’t run.

Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer of Titanic and Avatar, has died aged 63.

Landau reportedly died on Friday (July 5) of cancer. It was confirmed by Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman in a statement on Saturday.

“Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the big screen,” said Bergman. “His remarkable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark, and he will be profoundly missed. He was an iconic and successful producer yet an even better person and a true force of nature who inspired all around him.”

Landau...

Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer of the Avatar films and Titanic, has died after a battle with cancer. He was just 63.

Some thoroughly rubbish news that came in over the weekend. Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer of films such as Titanic, Avatar and Avatar: The Way Of Water has died. He was just 63 years old. This follows a prolonged battle with cancer.

A popular figure – not least for being a joy when chatting to people on our side of the fence – the news of his death has come, inevitably, as a huge shock. Long-time creative partner James Cameron led the numerous tributes over the weekend, telling The Hollywood Reporter that “a great producer and a great human being has left us.”

Cameron added to the outlet that “Jon Landau believed in the dream of cinema. He believed that film is the ultimate human art form, and to make films you...

James Cameron and the cast of Avatar give heartfelt tributes to Oscar-winning producer, Jon Landau, who passed away after a battle with cancer on July 5.

Following his passing, Cameron issued a statement to Variety remembering his longtime collaborator and friend. "His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique. He produced great films, not by wielding power but by spreading warmth and the joy of making cinema. He inspired us all to be and to bring our best, every day," Cameron said. "I have lost a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years. A part of myself has been torn away." Landau was a producer on both Avatar films and Titanic, all three of which were record-setting box office hits.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Zoe Saldaa (@zoesaldana)

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Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington and more have paid tribute to Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer behind the “Avatar” movies and “Titanic,” who died of cancer July 5 at age 63.

“Avatar” star Saldaña remembered Landau in an Instagram post, writing, “Words are hard to put together right now, your passing is hitting really hard. You are leaving us too soon, my thoughts are with you and your family right now. Your wisdom and support shaped so many of us in ways we will always be grateful for. The memories we shared together will always hold a special place in my heart. Your legacy will continue to inspire us and guide us in our journey. Rest in peace, dear Jon. You will be deeply missed.”

Worthington, who plays Jake Sully in the “Avatar” film series, referenced the Na’vi (The People) from the sci-fi franchise in his tribute to Landau.

“Jon was all heart.

It is a sad day for fans of James Cameron’s work as one of his long-time collaborators, producer Jon Landau, has passed away at the age of 63. Landau had apparently been battling cancer for some time and finally succumbed to the illness.

James Cameron himself took to the official Avatar Twitter/X account and made the following statement:

“The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades. His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique.“

“He produced great films, not by wielding power but by spreading warmth and the joy of making cinema. He inspired us all to be and to bring our best, every day.

Oscar-winning film producer Jon Landau, renowned for his collaboration with director James Cameron, passed away on Friday, July 5, at the age of 63.

As previously reported on Monsters & Critics, Landau succumbed to cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Julie, and their two sons, Jamie and Jodie, as well as his siblings, Tina, Kathy, and Les Landau.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Landau was instrumental in producing some of the highest-grossing films in cinematic history.

His partnership with James Cameron led to the creation of iconic movies such as Titanic, Avatar, and its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.

Landau also served as the chief operating officer for Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, which produced other notable films, such as Solaris and Alita: Battle Angel.

The duo was actively planning the future of the Avatar franchise at the time of his passing.

Who is Jon Landau’s wife Julie?...

Oscar-winning film producer Jon Landau, who was famously known for his collaboration with James Cameron, passed away on Friday at the age of 63. Bidding adieu to his legacy after losing his battle against cancer, the Titanic and Avatar franchise producer was mourned over by his colleague Kate Winslet.

Acclaimed film producer Jon Landau | image: Boungawa, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

According to Deadline, Kate Winslet recalled her collaboration on Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water with producer Jon Landau, and claimed to be deeply saddened by his demise. Reminiscing about how Landau’s association with Titanic skyrocketed her to stardom as the leading lady, Winslet expressed her gratitude towards the late producer.

Kate Winslet Paid Tribute to Titanic’s Late Producer Jon Landau

Renowned film producer, Jon Landau, who played a pivotal role in offering the world cinematic milestones like Titanic and both Avatar movies,...

The passing of Jon Landau at 63 has sparked a renewed appreciation for his remarkable career as a film producer.

Collaborating closely with James Cameron, Landau achieved immense success, notably winning an Academy Award for producing the iconic 1997 movie Titanic.

He further solidified his legacy by producing Avatar and the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which have amassed a staggering $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively, at the box office.

As of 2024, three of his films, including Titanic, are among the four highest-grossing films in cinematic history.

Jon Landau has an impressive portfolio of movies that have resonated with audiences and critics alike.

His works span various genres, and many have achieved critical and commercial success.

Jon Landau: Must-Watch movies based on Rotten Tomatoes scores

Landau’s list of must-watch movies is small, but many have had a cultural image in Hollywood and have had mega box office success. Based on their Rotten Tomatoes critics scores,...

The relaxation of a long holiday weekend was shattered today for many, as news spread of the death at 63 of producer Jon Landau.

Landau collaborated with James Cameron on such blockbuster films as Titanic and the Avatar franchise. Other credits included Solaris, Alita: Battle Angel directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy.

“Words are hard to put together right now, your passing is hitting really hard,” Avatar franchise star Zoe Saldaña wrote on Instagram next to photos with Landau. “Your wisdom and support shaped so many of us in ways we will always be grateful for…Your legacy will continue to inspire us and guide us in our journey. Rest in peace, dear Jon. You will be deeply missed.”

Avatar’s Sigourney Weaver said: “There were two poles in our Avatar world that kept it spinning. Jim Cameron was one pole, and the other was Jon Landau.

Jon Landau, legendary producer of Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water, passed away at 63 after battling cancer. Landau's career included collaborations with James Cameron and overseeing high-profile films at 20th Century Fox. He was set to produce the remaining three Avatar sequels and leaves a lasting legacy in the film industry.

Legendary producer Jon Landau, best known for his collaboration with director James Cameron on Titanic and the Avatar films, passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 63. Sources close to Landau's family (via The Wrap) confirmed the news of his passing on July 6, 2024. Landau's work as a producer on Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water makes him the producer on three of the four highest-grossing movies of all time and one of the most successful in Hollywood history.

Landau was born on July 23, 1960, and attended USCs School of Cinematic Arts. Landau was Hollywood royalty,...

Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer behind “Titanic” and “Avatar” and a longtime collaborator of director James Cameron, is dead at 63.

Landau’s sister, Tina, confirmed his death. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, she said, “The best brother a girl could ever dream of — my brother Jon — has passed away. My heart is broken but also bursting with pride & gratitude for his most extraordinary life, and the love and gifts he gave me — and all who knew him or his films.”

Some of Landau’s other credits include Steven Soderbergh’s 2002 remake of “Solaris” and Robert Rodriguez’s “Alita: Battle Angel” from 2019. Landau, who was COO of Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment production banner, was also at work on producing the upcoming three “Avatar” sequels, the next of which is scheduled to arrive in 2025.

Landau was born in New York City in 1960 to Edythe and Ely Landau, film and TV...

Jon Landau, who produced several of Hollywood’s biggest films including Titanic and Avatar, has died at the age of 63.

Landau passed away on Friday, July 5th, following a battle with cancer, according to TheWrap.

A former executive vice president of feature film production at Twentieth Century Fox, Landau later made producing his primary focus through high-profile collaborations with director James Cameron. As a producer on Titanic, Landau helped shepherd the first film to gross $1 billion at the box office and later won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Landau also worked closely with Cameron on 2009’s Avatar and its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water. As of present day, Avatar, The Way of the Water, and Titanic rank as three of the four highest-grossing films of all time.

In a statement in response to Landau’s passing, Cameron said, “A great producer and a great human being has left us.

Jon Landau, the illustrious producer and COO of James Cameron‘s Lightstorm Entertainment, died July 5 in Los Angeles after a 16-month-long battle with cancer. He was 63.

Landau produced films generated by Cameron that include 1997’s Best Picture Oscar winner Titanic, which tied Ben-Hur for most Academy Awards, 11. That film for a time was the largest grossing film of all time until it was surpassed by another Cameron blockbuster, the 2009 Avatar, which Landau also produced. Other credits included Avatar: The Way of Water, Solaris, Alita: Battle Angel directed by Robert Rodriguez, and he co-produced Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy.

During his 27-year partnership with Cameron, having joined the director in the making of Titanic in 1995, Landau produced three of the five highest-grossing films of all time, Avatar, Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water. His death was first divulged by Titanic actress Frances Fisher. Late last night she posted of his passing,...

Hayakawa Publishing launches HayaComi, a manga service adapting popular literary works. Titles like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Stanislaw Lem's Solaris will be adapted. HayaComi aims to create a platform for readers and artists worldwide, with more adaptations to follow.

Hayakawa Publishing, a prominent Japanese publishing company plans to introduce a new manga service that will be adapting major literary works into manga. Hayakawa Publishing is celebrating its 79th anniversary with the launch of HayaComi, a new manga service that will host exclusive manga adaptations of popular works by authors like Agatha Christie, Stanislaw Lem, and Touma Osaka.

According to a post on X by MangaMoguraRE, popular novels such as Agatha Christies's mystery series And Then There Were None and Stanisaw Lem's hit science fiction series Solaris will be receiving manga adaptations which will be available on the new manga service HayaComi from July 23, 2024.

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