Such is the fascinating conceit of “Stowaway,” a nerve-shredding space thriller that starts strong before falling prey to blunter dramatic twists, few of which are as thrilling as the original idea that sets everything in motion. The film’s opening act is an impressive one, with Penna only improving upon the skills that made his last feature, the similarly chilling adventure drama “Arctic,” such a riveting watch. Penna, who wrote the film’s screenplay alongside his “Arctic” collaborator Ryan Morrison, has a real knack for marrying the mundane (want to learn how to open up a space station for business?...

Streamers’ deep pockets and the fact that they’re operating with a completely different set of equations means that a movie priced for streaming is becoming tougher and tougher for theatrical distributors to afford. It’s a scenario that’s led to the emergence of partnerships between the likes of Hulu and Neon, and Apple and A24 — the streamers get the prestige bump and marketing budget that comes with a theatrical release, and the theatrical distributors get a chance to show a very expensive movie in theaters, with less pressure to break even with ticket sales....

The awards, which recognize standout artistic and cinematic achievement, are decided upon by six section juries. As in years past, festival audiences have a role in deciding the 2021 Audience Awards, open to films in the U.S. Competition, World Competition, and NEXT categories. As previously announced, the juried Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize was awarded to “Son of Monarchs.” Below are all this year’s jury members, with bios courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival....

The characters in Michel Franco’s “Sundown” are on a luxurious Mexican holiday in which they swim in the clear sea and their private infinity pool, take a regal interest in the local singers and cliff divers, and lie flat out on sun loungers on their hotel suite’s terrace while a waiter brings them their morning margaritas. It’s relaxing for them, but absolutely nerve-frazzling for anyone who saw Franco’s last film, “New Order,” a traumatizingly gory drama in which a high-society wedding turned into a bloodbath, and things got more stressful from there....

“We have always [believed] and continue to believe in the ability of the HFPA to positively transform and hope that change inspires Hollywood as a whole,” a letter from Sunshine Sachs officially announcing the end of their services reads in part. “We will always cheer for reform and commitment to diversity and look forward to seeing your continued growth as an organization.” The bicoastal PR firm is helmed by publicists Ken Sunshine and Shawn Sachs....

The blockchain devoted have reimagined SXSW as a kind of IRL coming-out party, targeting the diverse group of attendees at one of the largest in-person U.S. events in the last two years. Everyone from tech CEOs to TikTok influencers have participated in panels and descended on lavish brand activations to hear the unified message that blockchain is the future. Then there’s a smaller group: The naysayers who articulate a position similar to the leader of India’s central bank, which labeled crypto a Ponzi scheme....

Where to Watch “Tear Along the Dotted Line”: Netflix “Tear Along the Dotted Line” fits more into its first 15 minutes than pretty much any other animated TV series could. For a show with the overall feel of a memoir, it’s one of the clearest examples of how tapping directly into someone’s brain can work. The whole six-episode season is narrated by Zero, an illustrator filled with angst about…pretty much everything....

1. “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) Though the pilot premiered in December of 2021, “Abbott Elementary” became 2022’s instant network TV darling, now settling into its second season. Creator Quinta Brunson stars as second-grade teacher Janine Teagues, whose unyieldingly cheery perspective on education can’t help endear her to beleaguered colleagues at a”n underfunded Philadelphia public school. Abbott’s students may not have the latest technology or prestigious education opportunities immediately queued up, but they’ve got Janine — and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams)....

The Oscar-winning Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”) humanized the stylish Lupin in “Cagliostro” by making him a gallant hero as well, rescuing a princess in distress on the way to seizing his treasure. Fittingly, Yamazaki borrowed the theme for “Lupin III: The First” by having Lupin rescue a brilliant archaeologist, Laetitia, in search of a mysterious supernatural artifact that connects both of their ancestries. “At the core, my movie is about saving a girl to be free and that is very much the same as ‘Caliostro,’” Yamazaki said via a translator....

The HFPA is slowly making strides towards realizing its diversity plan goals, but they are still encountering resistance from publicists who refuse to deliver clients. In the old days, distributors submitted their films, suggesting the categories they preferred (“The Martian” was laughably deemed a comedy) and supplied talent for press conferences exclusive to the Golden Globes. With the live show canceled by NBC and few publicists contributing talent, this year the HFPA is going ahead and announcing their awards anyway, with no TV show or submission requirements....

It’s not every year that voters are confronted with a glossy romantic melodrama that leverages the Syrian refugee crisis into the smirking kind of art world satire that Ruben Östlund made with “The Square,” and yet Ben Hania’s genre-defying film would seem even more unprecedented if not for the context provided by a smattering of recent Oscar winners and also-rans: “The Lives of Others,” Denis Vileneuve’s “Incendies,” and before that, cultural phenomena like “Life Is Beautiful....

Alas, none of Campbell’s previous misfires have promised more or delivered less than the newest film in the director’s career-extending Eastern Europe period, a late summer dud that stars Maggie Q as a sexy assassin, Samuel L. Jackson as her ailing mentor, and Romania as several different parts of Vietnam (a fully committed performance worthy of Daniel Day-Lewis, or at least Jared Leto). In other words, “The Protégé” is exactly the kind of junk that’s tempting to dismiss as a tax write-off — or at least it would be if not for the pedigree of the talent involved and the palpable effort that people on both sides of the camera so clearly put into their parts....

Yes, magic is part of Burnett’s world, but the story’s latest big-screen adaptation stretches that concept to strange ends, and not all of them benefit the film. Marc Munden’s film, scripted by Jack Thorne (who is suddenly everywhere with “Radioactive,” “The Aeronauts,” “Dirt Music,” and the upcoming “Enola Holmes”), is vested in the idea that “The Secret Garden” could use a little imaginative freshening; it’s also interested in exploring its darker edges....

Still, cautionary tales abound. This week, news broke that Amy Seimetz “exited” as the director of “The Idol,” the new HBO series co-produced and starring Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd. As usual, there’s more to this story, and it speaks volumes about how the layers of creative control differ in TV. I’m told that Seimetz had already directed about four episodes of the six-episode series and adapted the show to her loose, exploratory approach....

To be fair, Jack was introduced to Tanya and her assistant, Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), as naughty, but this new devilry is very much in the details. So is the show’s artistry, and it took a team effort on the part of the show’s camera, sound, and music to accentuate the horror of what Tanya finds and cinematically set the stage for the final two episodes of the season, where things will really go off the rails....

This year, the upfronts accommodated the (ad-supported) streamers and all that they contain — including movies, both ones original to the platforms as well as those that receive a theatrical release. Every major streamer has announced its intention (if not the reality) of lower-priced AVOD tiers, all but promising Wall Street that advertising will become a primary revenue stream. That means Disney, NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global had a lot more to talk about — and that advertisers will be keeping a much closer eye on their movie slates....

News of Bailey’s appointment by the TIFF board comes after the board on Monday announced that Jeffrey Remedios, the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Canada, has replaced Jennifer Tory as TIFF board chair. TIFF leaders bill Remedios, who has served on the board for five years, as a business leader skilled at navigating digital transformations while promoting independent thinkers. Bailey leads with his passion for cinema and deep institutional knowledge, but he told IndieWire’s Anne Thompson he plans to guide the organization into its fifth decade with his mind open to the possibilities brought by a rapidly changing industry....

“I know people have a bunch of questions,” Haddish said in a statement posted to social media on Monday morning. “I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now. But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all — and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it....

The film has become legendary in certain film circles, but few have seen it due to legal restrictions. Haynes used many of Carpenter’s songs in the film without obtaining permission, prompting a lawsuit from Carpenter’s brother that led to a cease and desist. But while cinephiles have not been able to legally watch the film for years, that could all be changing soon. In a new interview with EW commemorating 30 years of the New Queer Cinema movement, Haynes spoke about the controversial short that helped launch his career....

While filming the 2014 sci-fi action film, Cruise told Blunt to “stop being such a pussy” when it came to donning an 85-pound costume, causing a panicked Blunt to laugh and calm down. “We had to wear these enormous suits, which I think would’ve been great if we had CGI’d them, but we wanted to do it in a tactile way,” Blunt recalled during the “SmartLess” podcast, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett....