Matt writes: The official lineup for Ebertfest 2023, which runs from Wednesday, April 19th, through Saturday, April 22nd, at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, Illinois, has been announced. You can find all the films scheduled to screen here, along with special guests who will be in attendance, including Frank Oz (“What About Bob?”), Lawrence Bender (“Pulp Fiction”), Michael Morris (“To Leslie”), Mykelti Williamson (“Forrest Gump”) and many more. We look forward to seeing you there!
Trailers
Asteroid City (2023). Written and directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton. Synopsis: The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events. Debuts in the US on June 23rd, 2023.
Master Gardener (2023). Written and directed by Paul Schrader. Starring Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Quintessa Swindell. Synopsis: A meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager. Debuts in the US on May 19th, 2023.
R.M.N. (2023). Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu. Starring Marin Grigore, Judith State, Maria Dragus. Synopsis: A non-judgmental analysis of the driving forces of human behavior when confronted with the unknown, of the way we perceive the other and on how we relate to an unsettling future. Debuts in the US on April 7th, 2023.
White House Plumbers (2023). Directed by David Mandel. Written by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck. Starring Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Kiernan Shipka. Synopsis: A five-part series that tells the true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect. Debuts on HBO on May 1st, 2023.
Love & Death (2023). Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. Written by Jim Atkinson, John Bloom, Joe Bob Briggs and David E. Kelley. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Patrick Fugit. Synopsis: Two churchgoing couples enjoy small town family life in Texas – until somebody picks up an axe. Debuts on HBO Max on April 27th, 2023.
From Black (2023). Directed by Thomas Marchese. Written by Thomas Marchese and Jessub Flower. Starring Anna Camp, John Ales, Jennifer Lafleur. Synopsis: A recovering drug addict, desperate for closure and saddled by crushing guilt after the disappearance of her young son, is presented with a bizarre offer to learn the truth about what happened and set things right – if she is willing to pay a terrifying price. Debuts on Shudder on April 14th, 2023.
Nuclear Now (2023). Directed by Oliver Stone. Synopsis: As fossil fuels cook the planet, the world is finally forced to confront a massive disinformation campaign about humanity’s cleanest, safest, and fastest energy source – nuclear energy. Debuts in the US on May 1st, 2023.
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023). Directed by Lisa Cortes. Synopsis: One of a kind rock ‘n’ roll icon who shaped the world of music. Debuts in the US on April 21st, 2023.
De Humanis Corporis Fabrica (2023). Directed by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel. Synopsis: Focuses on five hospitals in northern Paris neighborhoods. It reveals that human flesh is an extraordinary landscape that exists only through the gaze and attention of others. US release date is TBA.
Biosphere (2023). Directed by Mel Eslyn. Written by Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass. Starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown. Synopsis: In the not-too-distant future, the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity. US release date is TBA.
Bait (2023). Written and directed by Mark Jenkin. Starring Edward Rowe, Giles King, Chloe Endean. Synopsis: Martin is a fisherman without a boat, his brother Steven having re-purposed it as a tourist tripper. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the harbour. US release date is TBA.
Clock (2023). Written and directed by Alexis Jacknow. Starring Dianna Agron, Melora Hardin, Saul Rubinek. Synopsis: A woman desperately attempts to fix her broken biological clock. Debuts on Hulu on April 28th, 2023.
Sakra (2023). Directed by Ka-Wai Kam and Donnie Yen. Written by He Ben, Chen Li, Sheng Lingzhi, Lejing Shen, Xu Yifan and Wei Zhu (based on the novel by Louis Cha). Starring Donnie Yen, Eddie Cheung, Yuqi Chen. Synopsis: When a respected martial artist is accused of killing, he goes around in search of answers about his own mysterious origin story and the unknown enemies working to destroy him. US release date is TBA.
Monica (2023). Directed by Andrea Pallaoro. Written by Andrea Pallaoro and Orlando Tirado. Starring Emily Browning, Patricia Clarkson, Trace Lysette. Synopsis: The intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A delicate and nuanced story of a fractured family, the story explores universal themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption. US release date is TBA.
Chevalier (2023). Written and directed by Stephen Williams. Starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Samara Weaving, Minnie Driver. Synopsis: Based on the true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, who rises to heights in French society as a composer before an ill-fated love affair. Debuts in the US on April 21st, 2023.
Elemental (2023). Directed by Peter Sohn. Written by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh. Starring Wendi McLendon-Covey, Mamoudou Athie, Catherine O’Hara. Synopsis: Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. Debuts in the US on June 16th, 2023.
Troll Band Together (2023). Directed by Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz. Starring Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Daveed Diggs. Synopsis: Poppy discovers that Branch was once part of a boy band, BroZone, with his brothers: Floyd, John Dory, Spruce and Clay. But when Floyd is kidnapped, Branch and Poppy embark on a journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd. Debuts in the US on November 17th, 2023.
Big Shark (2023). Written and directed by Tommy Wiseau. Starring Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero, Erica Mary Gillheeney. Synopsis: Three firefighters must save New Orleans from a shark attack. Debuts in the US on May 26th, 2023.
Raine Allen-Miller on “Rye Lane”
Matt writes: Director Raine Allen-Miller spoke with Rendy Jones about her acclaimed debut feature, “Rye Lane,” which was praised by our critic Peyton Robinson. You can read their full conversation here.
Lost Highway: The Fist of Love
Matt writes: I had the pleasure of recently speaking with author Scott Ryan about his excellent new book, Lost Highway: The Fist of Love, which explores the titular 1997 film directed by David Lynch. Read our chat here.
Free Movies
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). Directed by John Cromwell. Written by Hugh Walpole (based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett). Starring Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, C. Aubrey Smith. Synopsis: An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
Watch “Little Lord Fauntleroy”
My Man Godfrey (1936). Directed by Gregory La Cava. Written by Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatch. Starring William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady. Synopsis: A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler – but there’s more to Godfrey than meets the eye.
Watch “My Man Godfrey”
Ice Cream Man (1995). Directed by Norman Apstein. Written by David Dobkin and Sven Davison. Starring Clint Howard, Justin Isfeld, Anndi McAfee. Synopsis: Poor Gregory. After being released from the Wishing Well Sanatorium, all he wants to do is make the children happy. So Gregory reopens the old ice cream factory, and all the unappreciative brats are reprocessed into the flavor of the day.