“We have been hard at work preparing the Academy Museum and are ready to welcome visitors first virtually and then in person in September,” said Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer of the Academy Museum. “The programs we are rolling out for our opening are dynamic, diverse, and deeply grounded in the history and artistry of filmmaking. Whether they are recognizing Hollywood legends, delving into the working process of film professionals, or addressing issues of race, gender, sexuality, and inequity that run through film history, these programs will use the power of movies and stories of filmmakers to open eyes and minds....

An official release on “Bardo” reads: “Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Nicolás Giacobone, ‘Bardo’ is a nostalgic comedy set against an epic journey. A chronicle of uncertainties where the main character, a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker, returns to his native country facing his identity, familial relationships, the folly of his memories as well as the past and new reality of his country.” Bardo stars “Zama” actor Daniel Jimenez Cacho and Griselda Siciliani in the leading roles....

The Nielsen-only tally is 47 percent better than last year’s Week 2 “Thursday Night Football” game, which aired solely on the NFL Network outside of local markets. It helped, of course, that Prime Video’s exclusive debut was a tight game with the Kansas City Chiefs outlasti ng the Los Angeles Chargers 27-24. The AFC West matchup averaged a 5.0 rating among adults 18-49, which was 9 percent better than last year’s full-season average across numerous networks....

That’s about as close to making a salient point as this movie gets. For those watching who consider anything other than reverence of the Founders to be insufficient, this will not be their cup of Boston Lager. For others looking for an insightful takedown of the mythologizing of American history, there’s not much for them to find, either. “America: The Motion Picture” is a goofy mishmash of riffs on prominent historical figures, often only slightly more ambitious than that commercial where ol’ GW drives a Dodge Challenger with a Hemi engine....

Where to Watch ‘American Auto’: NBC, Hulu, Peacock The first episode of “American Auto” has a classic sitcom pilot element: a bunch of new acquaintances banding together to solve a problem. Incoming car company CEO Katherine Hastings (Ana Gasteyer), in a bid to make a splash in her new role, overpromises on a flashy new car prototype. The resulting havoc caused in the boardroom and at the announcement venue forces a team including product designer Cyrus (Michael Benjamin Washington), comms director Sadie (Harriet Dyer), and factory employee Jack (Tye White) to all cobble together some sort of workable, presentable solution....

The official synopsis for “The Amusement Park” from Shudder reads: “An elderly gentleman goes for what he assumes will be an ordinary day at the amusement park, only to find himself in the middle of a hellish nightmare instead. Shot by George A. Romero between ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead,’ ‘The Amusement Park’ is a bleak, haunting allegory where the attractions and distractions of an amusement park stand in for the many abuses that the elderly face in society....

“Just when I started batting ideas around with the producer [Brigham Taylor], I really tried to rethink, I tried to kind of take it from scratch,” he said. “There [were] never any illusions that like this was going to be my movie and, by the way, at no point was I attached as a director. It was always very clearly this was going to be a writing job, where I tried to just take the existing thing and do a kind of update on it....

However, all “Avatar” needs $7,361,472. That would be enough for James Cameron’s 2009 3D science-fiction epic to earn $2,797,800,565 — a sum that would allow it to reclaim the title of history’s #1 film in worldwide box office. “Avengers: Endgame” overcame “Avatar” in 2019, when it grossed $2,797,800,564. For the sticklers among us (this writer included), all of these records are academic when “biggest-ever” calculations take no notice of inflation, ticket prices, international rates of exchange, and the uncertainty that overseas calculations are as accurate as they are in North America....

OKPicture this: You’re curled up with your favorite book that also happens to be your favorite movie. Spending more time at home last year resulted in an uptick in book sales, and film screenplays are a unique way for cinephiles to dive deep into their favorite films. “The Matrix: Shooting Script” Before “The Matrix 4” debuts later this month, read the screenplay that launched a franchise. The 1999 sci-fi film revolves around Thomas Anderson, a....

But it works the other way, too. It’s easily as possible for a track that may not have clicked the first few listens to suddenly come alive with the right visual pairing. Some of these will be easier to match to this calendar year than others, but each of them take a distinct stylistic approach to the songs they complement. Whether simple, elaborate, or in that area in between, these are all reminders that — at least when it comes to music — 2020 still had plenty to offer:...

“Breaking previous seasons, most of the seasons ended with some kind of big change in the show,” said Gould. “You’d see what happened with Chuck or what happened with Lalo surviving the hail of bullets in Season 5. We’re always saying, ‘Hey, keep watching what’s gonna happen next here.’ We have to do something a little bit different. While on the podcast, Gould and Gilligan discussed how their process was, in part, grounded in the lessons taken from Gilligan’s successful landing of “Breaking Bad,” which Gould helped write and produce....

“I thought that the only reason anyone would want another one was just to make money,” Murray said. “And I was probably the most reluctant. Someone outfoxed me anyway. I don’t know if Ivan set it up, but they got us all back together in a room, and really, we hadn’t been together in a room since the movie came out and it was just really, really fun to be together....

Black Friday is just a few days away. Not to worry, though, you still have plenty of time to outline your game plan for tackling one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Shoppers will likely be returning to storefronts after the pandemic forced them away last year, but for those of you who would rather shop online (or at least order online and pick up later), we’re answering some of the questions that you might have about Black Friday 2021....

The official synopsis for “Bones and All” reads: “The film is a story of first love between Maren (Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages, and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand which will determine whether their love can survive their otherness....

The abuse of Spears’ conservatorship, which rendered her the legal equivalent of a child, also speaks to an abuse that threatens many child performers — kidfluencers, TikTok and reality stars, and anyone who lives in the 44 states that don’t embrace the Coogan Act. Child labor laws have not kept up with the entertainment landscape, and it’s the kids who stand to suffer from it As a former child actor who later became a homeless teenager, I think about stage parents and our inadequate child labor laws a lot....

Filmmakers are not the only ones who feel the pinch of Hollywood’s gears. With the Tony Awards on Sunday, it’s worth looking at how the film and TV industries can benefit from investing in playwrights, and avoid the pratfalls of absorbing their talent instead of giving it room to grow. The entertainment industry needs originality to survive, and the theater community has a talent pool that’s a de facto pipeline, so long as the industry puts resources behind it....

At a sunset dinner in Antibes ahead of the Thursday night premiere, Focus chairman Peter Kujawski told the “Armageddon Time” team, “This is the last night the movie is yours.” The movie played like gangbusters at the Palais and is generating upbeat reviews. Filmgoers beyond Cannes could embrace this likely Focus fall release (it’s a natural for the New York Film Festival), which like most Universal movies these days, from “The Northman” to “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” will hit PVOD three weeks after theaters, followed by Peacock....

Strong has been a fixture of the late night sketch show during her 11 years as a cast member, memorably creating characters such as the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party and the endlessly horny drug addict Cathy Anne. She also briefly hosted Weekend Update, sharing the news desk with Seth Meyers during his final run at the show and co-hosting with Colin Jost at the beginning of the next season, though she was soon replaced with Michael Che....

Produced by Field of Vision, the agit-prop non-fiction film company co-founded by “Citizenfour” director Laura Poitras, “Do Not Split” captures the Hong Kong demonstrations from 2019 through the developments of 2020 with terrifying immediacy. It’s impossible to look away as protestors face beatings, surveillance, and arrests for exercising the right to assembly and free speech. It’s no wonder the film’s Oscar nomination has Beijing on high alert. Days after the Oscar nominations were announced on March 15, reports surfaced that the Chinese Central Government had instructed local media “not to transmit live coverage and to downplay the awards coverage....

While the standard-issue escapist costume drama grows a tad long in the tooth (see “Downton Abbey”), one recent romp in the lives of the entitled rich still feels fresh and smart. Credit for the continued success of “Bridgerton” Season 2 (Netflix) goes to Shondaland vet showrunner Chris Van Dusen, who shoved aside his anxiety about meeting expectations set by Season 1 and forged ahead with his diverse writers room to follow the second Julia Quinn marital romance, “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” focused on the eldest son, Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey)....