David Fincher bristles at being labeled a perfectionist.   He makes an unconvincing case in the shadow of his filmography, which includes “Fight Club,” “Zodiac” and “The Social Network” among several other films marked by a meticulous and unerring technical precision. But Fincher’s objections ring especially hollow when it comes in the midst of an explanation […]

Since announcing Variety’s 2025 Directors to Watch on Nov. 19, the ten honorees on our list have received a flurry of accolades: among others, three Golden Globe nominations, two Independent Spirit nods and for one, a spot on the National Board of Review’s list of best international films of the year. Those honors compound the […]

Spotlighting Oscar hopefuls and international heavy hitters, the Palm Springs Intl. Film Festival kicks off its 36th edition with “Better Man,” an audacious crowd-pleaser in which the character of Brit pop star Robbie Williams appears in the movie as a CG chimp, narrating his life story. “It’s touching and has a unique and personal perspective […]

Over his more than 35-year career as a filmmaker, director David Fincher’s name has been attached to many projects that later changed hands or otherwise never came to fruition. The list, which includes two sequels to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s “Rendezvous With Rama” and a sequel to […]

When can you rightly say a film has been “overlooked”? The measure of that isn’t nearly as objective as the box office — or as clearly defined as the rushing river of opinion that’s poured into a 10 Best list. Overlooked means a movie that got out there…but not enough. A movie that wasn’t praised […]

To many audiences across the globe, the plot of the Hindi-language drama “Santosh” — in which a widow takes over her husband’s job as a constable — sounds made up. But for her debut narrative feature, which competed for the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes earlier this year before earning accolades at festivals like […]

Just in time for Hannukah, Jewish American rapper Your Old Droog has released “Suspects,” the first single from his next album after 2024’s “Movie.” Produced by Edan, the song skillfully merges Droog’s skill as a storyteller with a sample from the rapper, producer and DJ’s bottomless library of 1960s and ‘70s pop obscurities. Though the […]

As the year comes to a close, it’s a time for reflection. And that includes many magical moments inside the cinema that made us laugh, cry and cheer — sometimes all at once. Variety writers took a moment to highlight some of their favorite scenes from the year’s best picture contenders. Obviously, spoilers to follow! […]

The news is full of stories about people fighting back at attempted restrictions and limitations to women’s bodies. In Hollywood, the same can be said for some of the films in this year’s awards race. Director and co-writer Pedro Almodóvar’s brilliantly colored “The Room Next Door” stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as estranged friends […]

Inspiring or irritating, empowering or exploitative, maternal or manipulative — with many shades of gray in between — female mentorship is a common dynamic in many of 2024’s most affecting stories. In films as diverse as “All We Imagine as Light,” “Babygirl,” “Emilia Pérez,” “The Girl With the Needle,” “Inside Out 2” “The Last Showgirl,” […]

The Audience Award winner and recipient of a special jury prize for best ensemble at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, “Dìdi,” Sean Wang’s debut feature, chronicles the life of a Taiwanese-American teenager named Chris (Izaac Wang) coming to terms with his identity as a child of immigrants. Engulfed by hormones and vulnerable to the pressures […]

In 1999, there was a film released about a child who sees ghosts that was a massive hit. Five weeks after it came out, “Stir of Echoes” was released. “There’s no way that ‘The Sixth Sense’ wasn’t going to be a massive hit,” remembers Kevin Bacon. “Both myself and [writer-director David Koepp] — and probably […]