Latest in Commentary

"All we need is one game-changer," Jack Warner used to tell his troops when studio movies hit a bad patch. "One hit can change the town." Warner would be bemused that a series of novels called Game Changers is energizing the streaming sector, one…

Just the other night Joachim Trier was talking all about Elle, as in Elle Fanning, listed as a first-time Academy Award nominee Thursday for her performance in Trier's Sentimental Value, a Norwegian family drama of the kind Henrik Ibsen, and even Arthur Miller, would've approved. The Neon film…

Despite all the ink being spread about snubs and surprises out of Thursday’s nominations for the 98th annual Academy Awards, I was actually only surprised by how few “snubs” and “surprises” there really were. In the new reality of Oscar, it is lots…

Kudos season is upon us with its ever-evolving rules and rituals. The various filmgoing juries are delivering their lists of favorites, while the media weighs in on the star performances: Which actors have pitched most persuasively? Are upsets in the…

The now four-time host for the just concluded 31st annual Critics Choice Awards, Chelsea Handler, might have meant her opening-monologue line as a joke, but it certainly has a ring of truth to it. “This is the first awards show of the season so we…

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. At a holiday party Saturday night celebrating the birthdays of Roadside Attractions co-president Eric d’Arbeloff, who turned 60, and his son Lucas, who turned 21, I had a number…

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. With all the sturm und drang this week about the Oscars moving from ABC to YouTube in 2029, our attention-starved president illegally sticking his name above JFK’s on the John F…

Editors Note: The future ownership of Warner Bros has come down to a battle between Netflix and Paramount. If the government is looking out for the best interest of the entertainment industry, should either be allowed to close the deal? The resounding opinion in town is that, like when Disney swallowe…

The Warner War is only a month or so old with Hollywood fervently trying to compute who will be the true winners or losers. The rhetoric of corporate turf wars always sounds transformative — until it isn't. Highflying Netflix at this moment has…

When I first heard rumblings that YouTube was among the suitors for the Oscar telecast, the first thing I thought was, “Well, that's a waste of time. It doesn't stand a chance.” Guess that was wrong. Now that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and…

As a lifetime baseball fan and Dodgers fanatic, Rob Reiner would appreciate the following statistic more than anyone: He began his career by going seven-for-seven. In his first seven at-bats, he had seven hits. No, not just hits, achievements. Consider the following list: This Is Spin…

I found myself this morning typing the words “Rob Reiner Appreciation” and first, not believing I have to do this on such a sad occasion, but also due to the irony I felt because as a huge fan of this man and his work I have often felt he was never…