Paul Schrader Thinks It’s A “Slippery Slope” Revisiting Finished Films, Doesn’t Like Making Movies With”Big Toys,” & Hates Whimsy

Brent Lang Executive Editor It makes sense that Martin Scorsese would demand and receive final cut. That’s the perk of directing some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history. But even the most exhaustively realized lowlife saga could use a snip here and there. And as Scorsese’s stature has grown, his movies have gotten longer and longer, making one wonder if he needs to be more merciless in the editing bay. It’s gotten so bad that ahead of the Cannes premiere of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the maestro’s team had to deny reports that his latest movie was nearly 4 hours. Turns out it’s a fleet 3 hours, 20 minutes and change. In honor of that film’s debut, we break down some selections from Scorsese’s canon — with an emphasis on the clock to see if length correlates to quality.

Zack Sharf Digital News DirectorA man being bludgeoned to death by a fire extinguisher. A yacht full of rich socialites vomiting and pooping. An un-simulated oral sex scene.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The 2023 Cannes Film Festival is jam-packed with buzzy world premieres, from Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” Todd Haynes is also back to unveil “May December,” featuring the A-list pairing of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, while Disney is bringing Harrison Ford to the Croisette for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” New films from Pedro Almodovar, Jessica Hautner, Jonathan Glazer, Catherine Corsini, Hirokazu Kore-eda and more are also set to make their debuts at Cannes this year. Cannes is often seen as a launching pad for Oscar season. Warner Bros. in 2022 kicked off its lengthy awards run for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” on the French Riviera, with the film going on to land eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture. Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” also picked up Oscar nods for best picture, director and original screenplay. Two international film nominees, “Close” and “EO,” launched at last year’s festival, while “Aftersun” best actor nominee Paul Mescal got his awards start in the Directors Fortnight sidebar. All of this is to say the industry will be closely watching the buzz on all of this year’s world premieres.

Martin Scorsese is looking back at his longtime friendship with Robert De Niro.

When people think of classic Martin Scorsese films, many are reminded of “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and even “The Departed.” The filmmaker has really become the iconic crime drama storyteller. So, you could definitely understand why film fans would be intrigued to see Scorsese’s take on the legendary “Godfather” franchise, but when the opportunity came for him to take a shot at it, he didn’t think he was right for it.

Mubi has acquired 11 films by Lars von Trier for North America, including the director’s Dogme 95 entry The Idiots. It will release a new uncut 4K restoration of the film June 16 theatrically timed to its 25th anniversary, followed by an exclusive streaming release.

Pedro Pascal continues to line up buzzworthy projects. He’s signed on to star in “Weapons,” the new film written and directed by Zach Cregger, who previously worked on “Barbarian,” one of the biggest hits of last year.

Kerry Condon, recently Oscar-nominated for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” will join Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in Apple Original Films’ Formula One racing flick. The yet-untitled film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tron: Legacy”).Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films will join Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment in producing the film alongside Kosininski and seven-time Formula One champion Sir Lewis Hamilton under his Dawn Apollo Films banner.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S. actor John C. Reilly will serve as president of the jury of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival. “Salem,” directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin, has been added to the lineup. The other members of the jury will be French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actor Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou, and Belgian actor Émilie Dequenne. The Un Certain Regard section showcases art and discovery films by young auteurs. In a statement, Reilly said: “I have had so many life changing moments at the Festival de Cannes (from my miraculous first trip with Paul Thomas Anderson to celebrating my 50th birthday from the Palais stage!) so to be chosen as the president of Un Certain Regard jury is truly such an incredible honor.”

Some of the biggest names of Broadway (and Hollywood) won’t be receiving those phone calls of congratulations today, as this morning’s Tony Awards nominations included more than a few surprising (or, in some cases, not surprising) omissions.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Martin Scorsese has urged for theatres to screen “really independent films” to safeguard the future of cinema.The award-winning director attended a luncheon with Leonardo DiCaprio at this year’s CinemaCon to talk about their latest collaboration, Killers Of The Flower Moon.Scorsese spoke about the importance of the cinematic experience and how independent films shaped his tastes and inspired him to become a filmmaker.“If I’m to be a legend, I understand that the goal of the people should be to infuse excitement and enthusiasm to the next generation of artists, to inspire, and ultimately really to be a good teacher,” Scorsese said [via Collider].

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The New York Dolls’ wildly original debut album got Martin Scorsese through the making of “Mean Streets” in 1973. Years later, Dolls frontman David Johansen enlivened the soundtrack of Scorsese’s HBO series productions “Boardwalk Empire” and “Vinyl.” Scorsese is also a regular listener of Johansen’s Sirius XM series “Mansion of Fun.” Finally, after Scorsese caught Johansen’s career-spanning cabaret set at the Café Carlyle, the director-producer – a storied teller of New York stories – decided that the time was ripe for a documentary on the proto-punk scion of Staten Island. “Personality Crisis: One Night Only,” which debuted April 14 on Showtime, chronicles Johansen’s evolution from the Dolls to the lounge-y pop of his Buster Poindexter period through his present day life as a husband, stepfather and eminence grise of New York’s music scene.

Martin Scorsese sat down one-on-one at CinemaCon with Leonardo DiCaprio, the star of his new film “Killers of the Flower Moon” about the past and future of cinema.The new film, which tells the story of the murder of Osage natives in the 1920s by oil tycoons looking to take over their resource-heavy land, is the first Scorsese film since 2016’s “Silence” to get a full theatrical release. It comes out at a time when escapist films have been making money as much as ever at the box office while smaller, independent films have largely struggled to find their way back.

CinemaCon attendees got a big surprise on Thursday (April 27) when Leonardo DiCaprio made an expected appearance!

Martin Scorsese was front and center at Paramount’s CinemaCon session Thursday to show off the teaser for his Killers of the Flower Moon. Caesars Palace Colosseum Theatre gave him a huge cheer.

Imagine a New York where construction workers tap dance on steel girders high above the city, sorta like that famous photograph you’ve seen a million times, and where kindly landladies who once played Carnegie Hall might tutor a young Holocaust refugee to a Julliard scholarship, and breezy jam sessions do away with generations of friction between races, genders and sexual identities. You’d go there, right?

Naveen Kumar If there is a megawatt star in “New York, New York,” the new musical from Broadway titans John Kander and the late Fred Ebb (with additional lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda), it’s right there in the title. Aside from the occasional f-bomb and pantomimed scurry of rats, the show that opened at Broadway’s St. James Theatre is a love letter to Manhattan so unabashed that its vibe might be best expressed in cityscape and heart-eye emojis. Cynical? These New Yorkers? Fuhgeddaboudit! Though inspired by the 1977 film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli, “New York, New York” is more accurately described as a musical-length rhapsody on the dreams crooned out in its title song, made famous by Frank Sinatra and naturally performed here as a big-band finale turned audience singalong. A crowded cast of characters has come to chase their dreams, and most of them want to be musicians. 

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Steven Spielberg has seen “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the fifth installment in the long-running adventure franchise and, notably, the first entry not to be directed by Spielberg himself. “The Wolverine” and “Ford v Ferrari” director James Mangold took over filmmaking duties on “Dial of Destiny.” Anyone worried a Spielberg-less “Indiana Jones” movie might not deliver the goods can now rest easy, as Spielberg himself loved the latest sequel. “I just had that experience two nights ago,” Spielberg said at the Time 100 Summit when asked what it’s like watching an “Indiana Jones” movie he didn’t direct. “Bob Iger had a screening for a lot of the Disney executives and I came to the screening along with the director James Mangold. Everybody loved the movie. It’s really, really a good Indiana Jones film. I’m really proud of what Jim has done with it.”

The Cannes Film Festival has announced a raft of new additions to the Official Selection of its 76th edition running May 16 to 27.