Lena Waithe, Louis Gossett Jr. Tapped for American Black Film Festival Honors

Pete (Will Ferrell) and Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) are a prosperous American couple who’ve taken their two sons on a ski vacation to the Alps. Are they having fun yet? That’s a question that hovers over the movie, as the family members hit the slopes and make pilgrimages to the alpine-lodge restaurant, or retire to their room, where they always feel guilty about playing games or watching TV, since they could do that anywhere.

Addiction, you could say (and I would), has become the central demon that plagues Americans. We’re addicted to everything: alcohol, illegal drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, psychotropic drugs, sugar-bomb soft drinks, processed food, video screens…you name it.

One of the people who’s made long-form television drama arguably more interesting as a whole than its mainstream big-screen equivalent in recent years, Alan Ball has underlined his superior comfort with that format in the few theatrical features he’s made to date. His screenplay for “American Beauty,” which Sam Mendes directed, was brilliant but glib; as writer-director of 2007’s “Towelhead,” he couldn’t quite make the complicated agenda of Alicia Erian’s novel gel in two-hour form.

In today’s film news roundup, Legion M is launching its Film Scout mobile app, the first round of Oscar presenters are unveiled, Verve is expanding its book-to-screen business, “Gladiator” producer David Franzoni boards an American Indian project, and XYZ announces promotions.

An avalanche isn’t the most desirable image to show packed movie houses at the base of a mountain in Utah, but it’s used to great effect in “Downhill,” an American riff on the Ruben Ostlund film “Force Majeure,” set to light up the Sundance film festival this week.

In some ways, Rob Lowe is a fit for the Ryan Murphy universe. Something about his actorly vanity — so much a part of his star persona that it tends to impact every project he works on — feels lurid and unseemly in exactly the bad-taste way as does much of Murphy’s work. A plotline, for instance, in which a cancer patient has to choose between lifesaving treatments and his hair-regrowth therapy might be a tidy morality tale of the sort that bulk out “American Horror Story” episodes.

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have joined forces to wish their The Proposal co-star Betty White a happy birthday through song.

Lana Condor reprises her starring role as Lara Jean Song Covey in “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” one of two sequels to Netflix’s hit teen rom-com “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which debuted in 2018. But despite her top billing in the series, based on books by Jenny Han, the Vietnamese American actor isn’t immune to insensitive comments in the casting room.

Acclaimed director Spike Lee will serve as the president of the Cannes Film Festival’s 73rd jury, making him the first black person to do so. In a statement released by the organization, the filmmaker said that he “was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time.” 

While Lulu Wang’s emotional family drama “The Farewell” may have broken through last year, and upcoming comic book adaptations “Birds of Prey” (by Cathy Yan) and “The Eternals” (from Chloé Zhao) spell fresh opportunities for filmmakers of Chinese descent in 2020, a rollicking little follow-the-money caper called “Lucky Grandma” from first-time feature director Sasie Sealy and co-writer Angela Cheng proves there are plenty more emerging Chinese American talents just waiting for their shot.

Spike Lee has been named the head of this year's Cannes Film Festival jury, overseeing the official selection competition at the 73rd edition of the event.The 62-year-old American filmmaker has had a long and at times fraught relationship with Cannes.

American director Spike Lee was named president of this year's Cannes film festival jury on Tuesday, becoming the first black head of the panel.

Director Spike Lee has been announced as President of the Jury for this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

In the latest episode of "The Real", Love made the controversial remarks while talking about American broadcaster Joe Budden's comment on actor Kevin Hart's infidelity, reports aceshowbiz.com.