LeVar Burton has been a staple of television for generations of fans, whether that was as the blind Geordi La Forge in the “Star Trek” series, Kunta Kinte in the groundbreaking adaptation of “Roots,” or inspiring a love of reading on “Reading Rainbow.” Burton has been there for viewers as a staple of TV history, and as a result people want him to take on full-time hosting duties for one of the biggest icons of American television: the host of “Jeopardy....

It’s odd, then, that “Lupin” Part 2 tries its hardest to sideline so much of that Sy playfulness that made up the bulk of what got people hooked back in January. Instead, the show doubles down on its conspiracy side, threads through even more of its time-hopping setups, and makes its way to a finale that seems as stuck in the middle as the episodes that come right before it....

“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films, but across the board....

The Internet is always a tough crowd, but in this case it’s right. The Meta CEO released a digital selfie from Horizon Worlds, his company’s metaverse social platform, to announce its launch in Spain and France and the results were painful. A few days later, he acknowledged that the graphics looked “pretty basic” and promised an update soon, but the damage was done: The billionaire’s robotic avatar against the backdrop of what looked like Eiffel Tower clip art contributed to the mounting sense that this metaverse thing is teed up to become a business snafu of even greater proportans than Qwikster and Quibi combined....

The star of Showtime’s freshman hit “Yellowjackets,” nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, hopped on the phone with IndieWire to talk about what set the role of Shauna apart from other works she’s done, what she’s excited to explore in Season 2, and all the love she has for co-stars Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci (who’s also a nominee this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series)....

It’s not out of the question. Hitting Netflix during the early weeks of stay-at-home orders, “Circus of Books” is a wildly entertaining documentary that charts the improbable story of Mason’s straight Jewish parents, Barry and Karen. For thirty years they owned a popular gay porn store and cruising spot in Los Angeles, at one point becoming the largest distributors of gay porn on the West Coast. Their fascinating story — which encompasses the AIDS crisis, the death of retail, and obscenity laws, among other things — could have filled a straightforward documentary treatment many times over....

Tickets are now on sale for that one-week debut, which (at this writing) will be followed by a month of no public availability before the film starts its streaming life December 30. As release strategies go, this one is specific and nuanced; it’s also very odd. Film festivals often premiere titles months before release, but to start a nationwide theatrical play and then nothing for a month? That’s unprecedented....

Gorgeously mounted period western “News of the World,” on the other hand, not only boasts sumptuous production values, but Paul Greengrass also turned it into a timely political drama. The London filmmaker likes to embed politics in his films. His 2002 breakout “Bloody Sunday,” about The Troubles in Northern Ireland, showcased his ability to ratchet tension (a skill he aced in three “Bourne” installments). He places audiences inside real-life traumas, from ocean kidnapping thriller “Captain Phillips,” his first outing with Tom Hanks, to true terrorist stories “22 July and “United 93,” the latter of which earned him his first directing Oscar nomination....

“Nicole Kidman has enchanted audiences for decades with the daring of her artistry and the glamour of a screen icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, in a statement. “She is a force both brave in her choices and bold in each performance. AFI is honored to present her with the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award.” Kidman is a five-time Oscar nominee and winner for Best Actress for 2002’s “The Hours,” in which she gave a powerhouse performance as Virginia Woolf....

Lloyd was born Norman Perlmutter in Jersey City, New Jersey on November 8, 1914. Lloyd started working the vaudeville circuit in New York at age nine. When he graduated high school, he started attending classes at NYU but dropped out quickly. He worked his way up through repertory theater companies before starring on Broadway in 1935. The budding star soon met Orson Welles, and when Welles launched his famed Mercury Theatre troupe, Lloyd was one of the first members....

The news arrives more than five months since theaters around the rest of New York State were allowed to reopen in October. New York City movie theaters have been shuttered since March 2020 at the start of the pandemic in the United States. Enhanced air filtration systems will also be required for theaters planning to reopen in New York City, according to The New York Times. Assigned seating for patrons will also be required, as has been the case in other theaters open throughout the United States....

Film at Lincoln Center President Lesli Klainberg revealed that Hernandez will be promoted to Executive Director of the New York Film Festival and Senior Vice President of Film at Lincoln Center. He will also continue to lead the organization’s strategic initiatives, including his role as publisher of Film Comment. Hernandez was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of IndieWire, building this site over nearly 15 years as it became the leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences....

“Like everyone else, we were stuck inside a lot this year, and with streaming further blurring the lines between theatrical movies and television features, I’ve expanded the list to include visual storytelling that I’ve enjoyed this year, regardless of format,” Obama tweeted. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 18, 2020 His list included one project from Higher Ground, the production company started by Barack and Michelle Obama in 2018. That was James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp,” a moving documentary about a summer camp for teens with disabilities, which appeared with an asterisk lest he be accused of favoritism....

Comcast’s Q2 results stated that Peacock’s paid subscribers “stayed relatively flat” from the previous quarter. When IndieWire attempted to get a bit more granular with a Comcast corporate spokesperson, he would not elaborate. Executives at NBCU’s parent company are doing their best to spin those results as a good thing. “Going from zero to 13 million paid subs in a couple of years at Peacock is a great achievement,” said Comcast chairman Brian L....

The survey polled over 100 filmmakers, some 50 festival representatives, and over 25 distributors with varying questions. The effort was undertaken by indie film and Slamdance co-founder Jon Fitzgerald, film consultant Brian Newman, and Film Festival Alliance co-director Lela Meadow-Conner. Read the full report here. Fitzgerald told IndieWire he hopes filmmakers, festivals, and distributors look at the survey results as a starting point to help them navigate the industry’s current volatility....

And at Telluride opening night, writer/director Kenneth Branagh’s 1969 time capsule “Belfast” played well — at the near-empty Werner Herzog Theatre during a driving rainstorm. Most everyone else was checking out either buzzy Will Smith-starrer “King Richard” or Joe Wright’s period musical “Cyrano,” complete with a tribute to “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage. By the end of the weekend, though, word of mouth caught up to “Belfast,” which was clearly heading for the Oscar Best Picture race, along with “King Richard” and Jane Campion’s Venice entry “The Power of the Dog....

But Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” in which Riz Ahmed portrays Ruben, a heavy-metal drummer losing his hearing, is the favorite to win the Oscar for its complexity and detail. Although the film was snubbed at the MPSE Golden Reel Awards, it rebounded to take the CAS sound mixing prize. This is a film about sound because of the way it explores deafness as a way of experiencing sound and vibration....

Yet, Hollywood’s pace of change is slow. The diversity across major categories among this year’s awards contenders, compared to previous seasons, is emblematic. Even the voters in the International Film category, where diversity might seem most intrinsic, came up short this year: despite as many as 10 legitimate contenders from the continent this year, yet again, Africa was shut out of the shortlist of 15. To be sure, in the throes of a pandemic, uncertainty continues to weigh on industry decision-makers....

The move is one that the Academy had hoped would quell irritation from fans and filmmakers about the lack of popular films being recognized at the Oscars, most notably last year’s Spider-Man feature, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Earlier this month director Kevin Smith slammed the Oscars for failing to nominate the Marvel film for Best Picture. Smith said, “What the fuck? They got ten slots, they can’t give one to the biggest fucking movie of like the last three years?...

“She gave us an interesting point-of-view for several of the characters,” Wilson said. “It’s unfair to think of her as a female writer…she contributed to the whole plot of the film.” “[I was asked to do] dialogue polishes and to offer things really,” Waller-Bridge said last year about her involvement with Bond. “It’s about just offering different alternatives. They did give me some scenes and then be like, can you write some alternatives for this or have another idea about where it could go in the middle or how it would end....