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NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Martin Scorsese has programmed Living, Breathing New York, which continues with a 35mm print of Bringing Out the Dead on Friday and Saturday; The Quiet Man plays on 35mm Saturday and Sunday; David Lynch shorts and Lost Highway screen.

Anthology Film Archives

A new restoration of João César Monteiro’s Snow White plays on Saturday; a Rosemary Hochschild retrospective screens.

Film Forum

A René Clair retrospective has begun; Luis Buñuel’s Él continues screening in a 4K restoration alongside Play It As It Lays and Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman; Modern Times screens on Sunday.

IFC Center

Hideaki Anno’s Love & Pop plays in a new restoration; Stop Making Sense, Mulholland Dr., Lost Highway, Best in Show, Palindromes, and Pink Flamingos show late.

Bam

Heiny Srour’s Leila and the Wolves continues.

Nitehawk Cinema

Paper Moon...

After her tooth falls out, AP, the young woman at the center of Annapurna Sriram’s delightfully audacious feature debut F*cktoys, visits a tarot reader for answers. The cards — an upright Sun, a Five of Cups and the Hanged Man — are not in her favor. The bad news, according to her seer (Big Freedia), is that someone has cursed AP (played by Sriram). The good news? The doomed sex worker can change her luck with one thousand dollars and a sacrificial lamb.

F*cktoys, which won a special jury prize in the narrative feature competition after its SXSW premiere, follows AP as she embarks on a chaotic journey to spiritual freedom. Her adventures through Trashtown, U.S.A, the fictional locale where the film is set, are marked by unexpected reunions, surprise encounters and occasional flirtations with real danger. Sriram takes bold swings in F*cktoys, which adopts John...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Martin Scorsese has programmed Living, Breathing New York, which starts with Shadows and a 35mm print of Heaven Knows What on Sunday; The Rubber Gun (watch our exclusive trailer debut) plays Saturday with a Stephen Lack Q&a; Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and Wild at Heart screen.

Anthology Film Archives

Robina Rose’s Nightshift (watch our exclusive trailer debut) begins playing in a new restoration; Matías Piñeiro-curated series offers Antonioni, Hollis Frampton, and Straub-Huillet.

Film Forum

Luis Buñuel’s Él begins screening in a 4K restoration; Lou Ye’s Suzhou River and Spring Fever screen; Play It As It Lays and Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman continue; Space Jam screens on Sunday.

IFC Center

Hideaki Anno’s Love & Pop plays in a new restoration; eXistenZ, Mulholland Dr., Paprika, Best in Show, Palindromes, and Pink Flamingos show late.

One of Stephen King’s favorite movies in recent years has been released into theaters this week, while one of the most popular theatrical releases of 2025 so far has made its way home. And that’s just the beginning of a week packed with Eleven new horror releases.

Here’s all the new horror that released March 3 – March 7, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

After scaring up $30 million at the box office worldwide, the Valentine’s Day-themed slasher movie Heart Eyes is now available on Digital at home courtesy of Sony.

Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within, Scare Me) directed Heart Eyes, with Mason Gooding (Scream) and Olivia Holt (“Cruel Summer”) starring in the romantic slasher.

You can rent the film on Digital outlets now for $19.99 or purchase it for $24.99. We’ve also learned that Heart Eyes will be slashing into DVD & Blu-ray on April 15.

Exclusively...

Writer/director/producer Michael Varrati goes meta with the upcoming movie There’s a Zombie Outside, and Gravitas Ventures has provided us with the trailer debut today.

Written and directed by Michael Varrati, There’s a Zombie Outside stars Ben Baur, Phylicia Wissa, Danny Plotner, Ty Chen, Francisco Chacin, William Lott, Tiffany Shepis, and Peaches Christ, and will shamble its way onto digital and cable VOD on March 4, 2025.

“Having once found solace in art, a man whose identity is intertwined with cult cinema soon begins to have issues distinguishing fact from fiction when he believes he’s seeing a monster from his movies for real, leading him to question the very foundations of reality…and himself.”

Meagan Navarro wrote in her Popcorn Frights mini review last August, “There’s a Zombie Outside stacks the horror side of the equation full of notable stalwarts, including Tiffany Shepis as Officer Findlay, Peaches Christ,...

The latest in our series of writers choosing their favourite comfort movies is the charmingly filthy John Waters classic

It may seem like a stretch to call a film that features scenes of rape, murder, incest, castration, cannibalism, bestiality and, most famously, shit-eating, a “feelgood” movie, but I can’t think of a film more worthy of the title than Pink Flamingos. To me, it’s like Singin’ in the Rain, but with scat, a thing of pure beauty and joy disguised as the most disgusting thing ever filmed.

The will to create a movie for the specific purpose of appalling anyone unaware of its true meaning turned Pink Flamingos into the ultimate litmus test. You either got its sick jokes or you didn’t. But those who did got something far more lasting than a laugh. We got a one-way ticket to an underground populated by parallel dissidents, an...

Van Smith, who worked on all of John Waters’ films for more than 30 years, is headed to the Costume Designers Guild’s Edith Piaf Hall of Fame. Smith will be inducted posthumously by his longtime director at the CDG Awards ceremony on February 6 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

Considered one of the “Dreamlanders,” Waters’ ensemble of regular cast and crew members, Smith first worked with the quirky filmmaker on Pink Flamingos (1972), including the famous and often copied look of the film’s star Divine. Their legacy includes the extreme outfits of the flamboyant criminals and hairdressers in Female Trouble (1974) and the grotesque Mortvillians in Desperate Living (1977) Smith to Polyester (1982) and Hairspray (1988) to more mainstream films such as Cry-Baby (1990) and Serial Mom (1994).

Pink Flamingos and Hairspray were inducted into the National Film Registry in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Related: 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More...

To put it simply, if a movie is kind of gross, explicit, confronting, or just a bit sleazy, then it can proudly call itself a sicko movie. Sicko movies can be good or bad, but they are defined by their extremity and boundary-pushing attitudes, with a classic sicko film being something like Pink Flamingos, and more recent sicko films including the likes of Babylon and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Quentin Tarantino made headlines for defending “Joker: Folie à Deux” earlier this year against the onslaught of critical pans, and now another filmmaker is joining him by naming the maligned sequel one of the best movies of 2024. “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” icon John Waters published his annual top 10 list on Vulture and “Joker: Folie à Deux” is in the sixth spot.

“Finally, a love story I can relate to,” Waters writes. “So insane, so well thought out, so well directed, so much smoking! It’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ meets Busby Berkeley with a 9/11 ‘That’s Entertainment!’ ending that will make you shake your head in cinematic astonishment. Stupid critics. Gaga so good. Joker so right. Die, dumbbells, die!”

Waters’ list is topped by Kristen Stewart’s lesbian thriller “Love Lies Bleeding” and includes several Oscar contenders such as “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Perez,” “Hard Truths” and “Queer.” The “Joker” sequel is easily...

“My films were never mainstream, but they always had an audience.”

From Pink Flamingos and Hairspray to Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, and beyond, John Waters has been shocking viewers with his signature brand of satirical camp that toes the line between arthouse and exploitation for more than half a century.

On November 21, Waters was presented with the 2024 Coolidge Award from Brookline, Massachusetts’ historic Coolidge Corner Theatre, an honor previously bestowed upon the likes of Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Julianne Moore, and Werner Herzog.

Launched in 2004, the Coolidge Award recognizes a film artist whose work advances the spirit of original and challenging cinema; an acknowledgment certainly befitting of Waters. The award’s 20th anniversary also marks the first presentation in the Coolidge’s recently expanded space, which opened last spring.

Following a tribute reel highlighting Waters’ work, Emmy award-winning GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen took the stage to lead a 45-minute...

The 1970s were truly a thrilling time for movies. Theaters offered something for everyone, ranging all the way from acclaimed dramas like The Godfather and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to pop culture phenomenons like Star Wars and Jaws. Filmmakers were using new techniques and presenting new ideas, paving the way for a new generation of cinema pioneers. This revolution in the art of filmmaking allowed for the creation of numerous films that are currently hailed as some of the best of all time.

Of course, this exciting rush brought along its fair share of rather unusual ideas as well. Many filmmakers were venturing into uncharted territory, making movies about unique ideas that had never been put on screen before. Some of these "weird" concepts ended up setting the foundation for hugely successful films. Others, sadly, did not receive quite as much praise. Regardless of their level of success,...

Building on what is already the largest film-related collection in the world, comprised of more than 52 million items, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed some of their most recent acquisitions today, including the Studio Ghibli animation collection, which contains more than 80 pieces of original art by Hayao Miyazaki and Noboru Yoshida, as well as the studio’s Japanese movie posters and animator’s desk. Another hot ticket item, presented at the Academy Museum Gala on October 19 in Los Angeles, is Quentin Tarantino’s personal, handwritten script for “Pulp Fiction,” which won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

Filmmakers Curtis Hanson, Nicole Holofcener, Barbara Kopple, Oliver Stone, and Paul Verhoeven also donated their personal collections to the Academy, which features production records, photographs, scripts, and more from films such as “L.A. Confidential,” “Harlan County, U.S.A,” “Platoon,” “Showgirls,” and “Enough Said.

Why would a talking, singing and dancing cartoon chipmunk ever watch the works of transgressive cult filmmaker John Waters if the rodent himself wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ+ community? More importantly, why does a kids’ movie make us ask these questions?

When Armenian-American singer, songwriter and actor Ross Bagdasarian recorded his first novelty single in 1958 on a personal tape recorder with the speed control set high, he had no way of knowing that, almost 70 years later (and 50 years after his passing), his innovations in the field of gimmick music would be the center of a discussion on queer expression in cartoon media.

No, when Bagdasarian recorded the uncomfortably racial smash hit song “Witch Doctor,” he hadn’t even come up with the cartoonish characters to whom he would assign the high-pitched, sped-up vocal parts in his novelty tracks. Then, months later, Bagdasarian dropped the first single to feature the vocal trio of Simon,...

When you hear the name John Waters, Serial Mom probably isn't the first of his films to pop into your head. You might think of one of his earlier cult films like Pink Flamingos and Multiple Maniacs or his musical comedy Hairspray, but his foray into the slasher genre with Serial Mom was ahead of its time in ways even Waters couldn't have imagined. Kathleen Turner gives a pitch-perfect performance as Beverly Sutphin, a devoted housewife who goes on a killing spree in her idyllic suburban neighborhood, turning her into a national celebrity and earning her the titular nickname, Serial Mom. On the surface, Beverly is the last woman you'd expect to see chasing a teenage boy down the street with a kitchen knife, but Beverly is not your average serial killer. She doesn't kill for no reason, but in retaliation against those who break social norms, exhibit bad manners,...

The horror genre might be the only genre where a low budget can have a positive effect on the final product. Horror movie fans are often swayed by the quote-unquote charm of a thriller with mere pennies to its name; and if the finished picture has a certain energy and style to it, the fact that it had no money to work with becomes part of its allure and legacy. We think of movies like Night of the Living Dead, The Blair Witch Project and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to name an obvious few. Perhaps a not-so-obvious choice would be Basket Case (watch it Here), Frank Henenlotter’s deranged tale about a couple of conjoined twins who share an unusual bond. Or at least, they used to… It’s a funky, disorienting little item, and while the lack of money is always apparent on-screen, it’s ends up being to the movie’s benefit.

John Waters is a beyond magnificent director and is a true auteur; let’s take a look at his work and how his “strangeness” has impacted the way we view Cinema itself. Weirdness is my schtick, and it’s my favorite aspect of the human condition. For us to consider something as “weird” is subjective; and even so, what we’re even classifying as such is subjective in itself. When I think of something as “weird” or “strange,” I lean more towards what itches my brain in that particular spot that can’t be quite reached by anything else. More or so, what itches my brain, even more, is when a film or TV show is considered “odd” in some way. There is so much power in the world of creating visual content, and achieving an emotional reaction that causes the audience to feel rather off in an exciting way that keeps us intrigued.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, begins this Saturday with Eyes Wide Shut on 35mm, which plays again on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

70mm prints of 2001 and Lawrence of Arabia screen.

Film at Lincoln Center

A retrospective of Mexican popular cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s continues and a new restoration of Shinji Sōmai’s Moving opens.

Film Forum

A career-spanning Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective continues, as do restorations of Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams and Seven Samurai.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by James Benning, Robert Bresson, and Jean Eustache screen in “Verbatim“; films by James Broughton play in “Essential Cinema.”

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die and Mapantsula continue screening in new restorations.

Museum of Modern Art

“Silent Movie Week 2024” begins

IFC Center

“Defamed to Acclaimed” brings films by the Wachowskis,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film at Lincoln Center

A retrospective of Mexican popular cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s is underway.

Film Forum

A career-spanning Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective has begun; restorations of Ann Hui’s July Rhapsody (watch our exclusive trailer debut), Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams, Fitzcarraldo and Seven Samurai continue.

Museum of the Moving Image

A 70mm print of Playtime screens this weekend; The Color of Pomegranates and Speed Racer play.

Anthology Film Archives

Robert Bresson plays in “Essential Cinema.”

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die continues screening in a new restoration; Mapantsula begins playing.

Museum of Modern Art

A career-spanning Powell and Pressburger retrospective continues.

IFC Center

The Time Masters, Amadeus, and In the Mood for Love play daily; Fritz the Cat, Friday the 13th, The Last House on the Left, and The Matrix play late.

Metrograph...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die begins screening in a new restoration.

Museum of the Moving Image

A new 70mm print of The Searchers plays this weekend.

Japan Society

A restoration of Shinji Sōmai’s Moving and Toshiharu Ikeda’s Mermaid Legend play on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Film Forum

New restorations of Ann Hui’s July Rhapsody (watch our exclusive trailer debut), Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams, and Fitzcarraldo begin screening; Seven Samurai and Powell and Pressburger’s The Small Back Room continue.

Anthology Film Archives

Enrique Gómez Vadillo’s rarely screened Death on the Beach shows in a new restoration this Friday; Stan Brakhage plays in “Essential Cinema.”

Museum of Modern Art

A career-spanning Powell and Pressburger retrospective continues, including A Matter of Life and Death and The Tales of Hoffmann.

Nitehawk Cinema

Lucio Fulci...

Back in October of 2022, it was announced that legendary filmmaker John Waters, who has brought us such films as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Cecil B. Demented, and Pecker (among others), was teaming up with Village Roadshow Pictures for an adaptation of his “craziest” novel, Liarmouth. We’ve since heard that Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) is up for the lead role in the film, which would mark Waters’ first time directing since 2004’s A Dirty Shame… but if you’ve been wondering why Liarmouth still hasn’t made it into production a year and a half after it was announced, Waters gives an answer in a new interview with IndieWire: he hasn’t been able to get funding for it.

When asked for a Liarmouth status update, Waters said, “I’m not going to… [Starts to laugh.] Every time I comment on that, some article comes out that causes me hell,...

The Chucky Season 3 finale introduces Wendell Wilkins, the creator of Good Guy dolls, with an unexpected twist involving the Terror Trio. John Waters, known for cult films like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, was an inspired casting choice for the campy character of Wilkins. Waters' history in campy and queer art aligns perfectly with the tone of Chucky and adds depth to the show's already great season finale.

Syfy and USA Network's Chucky has been a true gift for fans of the Child's Play franchise. From complex characters to hilarious moments to bonkers (in a fun way!) plot lines to some of the franchise's most brutal and creative kills, every episode has been full of the unexpected. However, the Season 3 finale ramped up the unexpected treats by finally introducing an integral character: Wendell Wilkins, the creator of the Good Guy dolls.

It wasn't just the introduction of the character that was special.

Baltimore native John Waters is filmdom’s pencil-mustached titan of trash who has spent a lifetime of dumpster-diving into a vat of bad taste, sleaze, kinky gross-outs, over-the-top camp, maudlin melodramatics, sick jokes, taboo sexuality, vulgarity and bizarre personalities. At least he has a fabulous sense of humor. The director is a New York University film school dropout who instead became a scholar of transgressive, envelope-shredding cinema, influenced by the directorial likes of Herschell Gordon Lewis, Federico Fellini, William Castle, Douglas Sirk and Ingmar Bergman. Early on, Waters assembled a stock company of players from suburban Baltimore who he would the Dreamlanders, including Mink Stole and Edith Massey.

But Waters would find his true muse and favorite leading lady in his childhood friend, Glenn Milstead, a drag queen whose alter-ego was known as Divine. When Milstead died at age 42 from an enlarged heart in 1988, Waters’ output went more mainstream, with...

It’s a little shocking to realize that filmmaker and King of smut, John Waters (“Pink Flamingos”), hasn’t made a feature film effort since 2004’s “A Dirty Shame.” That said, things appear to be on the upswing, and the filmmaker seems optimistic about getting his next two movies made in the near future after a twenty-year hiatus.

Over the weekend in Los Angeles, Waters hosted a candid commentary for his first two short films (“Hag In A Black Leather Jacket” and “Roman Candles”) at the Academy Museum.

Continue reading John Waters Confirms Aubrey Plaza Will Star In ‘Liarmouth’ But Still Needs Funding To Make It at The Playlist.

Well, after a flurry of rumors, Aubrey Plaza is officially cast in John Waters’ first film in 20 years: “Liarmouth.”

Waters will write and direct the “feel-bad romance” adapted from his novel of the same name. “Liarmouth” will be Waters’ first film since 2004’s “A Dirty Shame.” Plaza is set to play con artist Marsha Sprinkle, who is described as “a suitcase thief, scammer, and master of disguise. Dogs and children hate her. Her own family wants her dead. She’s smart, she’s desperate, she’s disturbed, and she’s on the run with a big chip on her shoulder. They call her Liarmouth ― until one insane man makes her tell the truth.”

The feature was first announced in December 2022 with Village Roadshow Pictures has optioned the novel and Steve Rabineau producing. Waters recently provided an update to the project.

“The book was optioned. I turned in the script. They like the script,...

It’s not easy to shock John Waters. The “Pink Flamingos” director spent his career pushing, prodding and profaning the envelope in every way imaginable. But one thing the self-proclaimed “pope of trash” never thought he’d see was a career-spanning show at the Academy Museum.

The exhibition — which features everything from a full-scale trailer home to Ricki Lake’s cockroach-covered dress from the movie “Hairspray” — opened last September and runs through the end of August. Waters spoke to Variety ahead of the opening, but because of the writers’ strike last summer, he wasn’t able to discuss current or upcoming projects.

Back in Los Angeles this weekend, Waters provided a candid live commentary for his first two short films, “Hag in a Black Leather Jacket” and “Roman Candles,” and fielded questions from the audience. When asked how he feels to be paid such respect by the same organization that bestows Oscars,...

John Waters is taking issue with Canada’s moniker of being full of the friendliest citizens — at least not when it comes to cinema ratings.

Waters told the Toronto Star that in 1970, the Ontario censor board allegedly burned a print of his film “Multiple Maniacs,” which had been sent for a rating. Waters didn’t hold back his half-century-long disdain for the offense: “Tell them I spit on their grave,” the “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” filmmaker said.

“I am pro-Canada, even though I sent ‘Multiple Maniacs’ to the distributor [in 1970], which had to go through the Ontario censor board, and they sent me a receipt that just said ‘destroyed.’ They burned the print!” Water said. “Tell them I spit on their grave.”

He added that since that experience, he’s worked in Canada multiple times.

“I’ve been to Toronto many times with my films and my books. It’s a...

A low-budget romp set in contemporary London against a curdled cultural backdrop of racist politics, Bruce Labruce’s “The Visitor” pays explicit homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s sexually provocative last feature, “Teorema.” The cheeky Canadian director’s graphic reimagining sees various mysterious suitcases appearing here and there, each of which turns out to contain an identical naked man, all played by performance artist Bishop Black.

The rest of the film follows one of these guys, the “Visitor” of the film’s title, as he inveigles his way into the home of a wealthy family, proceeding to seduce each family member in turn. The production has managed to wangle an imposing location for the Visitor’s antics to unfold: one of those huge London statement homes made almost entirely of glass, like a sort of gigantic Cubist fishbowl. In other respects, the production values are somewhat DIY. This is Pasolini via early John Waters,...

American Cinemas Editors has cut together the nominees for its 74rd annual Ace Eddie Awards, which will be handed out next month. See the list of all 13 film and TV categories below.

The group also said today that Nina West, who played Divine in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and Edna Turnblad in the touring production of Hairspray, will host the March 3 ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Westwood.

Vying for the marquee prize of Best Edited Feature Film are the editors behind Anatomy of a Fall, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer and Past Lives. The Comedy Theatrical race will be among Air, American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers and Poor Things.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has gone on to score the Academy Award for Best Editing 13 of 23 times — but none of the past four years. In a twist,...

Divine's versatile talent and daring creativity made him an iconic figure in American counterculture. Divine's flamboyant and commanding presence inspired Disney's Ursula the sea witch in The Little Mermaid. Divine's impact on drag and LGBTQ+ communities led to his recognition as the "Drag Queen of the Century."

Harris Glenn Milstead, known by his stage name Divine, was an American actor, drag queen, and singer best known for his role in Hairspray. He rose to fame through his work with independent filmmaker John Waters, performing primarily female roles in both cinematic and theatrical productions. Divine's early interest in drag developed while working as a women's hairdresser, leading him to the countercultural scene of Baltimore where he met Waters. His portrayal of bold, often controversial characters, alongside his unique drag persona in his music career, made him an iconic figure in American counterculture. His career was still thriving when he passed...

A cosplay video shows an impressive transformation into Ursula, the iconic villain from The Little Mermaid. Ursula is influenced by drag culture, and this cosplay pays homage to her drag queen ties. Melissa McCarthy's experience as a drag queen influenced her portrayal of Ursula in the live-action remake.

A cosplay video shows a shocking transformation into The Little Mermaid’s Ursula. The main villain of the story, Ursula’s introduction to Disney was through the 1989 animated film, in which she was voiced by Pat Carroll. 2023’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid saw Melissa McCarthy in the classic antagonist role.

A video from @ronclark_ shows his impressive transformation into the humanoid octopus.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ron Clark (@ronclark__)

As the video begins, Clark sports a bulbous periwinkle chin extension that forms the bottom of Ursula’s plump face. As the video continues, more elements are added,...

20 years after the release of his last film “A Dirty Shame,” shock film icon John Waters might be returning to the director’s chair very soon.

In an interview with The Baltimore Fishbowl on December 22 about his famous annual Christmas parties, the “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” filmmaker revealed that he has finished the script for “Liarmouth,” a film adaptation of his own 2022 novel of the same name. Waters further said that he turned the script over to the producers — it’s set up at Village Roadshow Pictures, which optioned the novel — and that he is currently waiting on the budget for the project.

“I’ve written the script and I turned it in and they like it and we’re doing a budget,” Waters told the Baltimore Fishbowl. “Who knows? We’ll see. We’ll see.”

“Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance” focuses on con artist Martha Sprinkles, nicknamed Liarmouth, and her romance with fellow scammer Daryl.

John Waters' films often push boundaries and tackle taboo subjects, gaining controversy but also creating a safe space for marginalized communities. While some of Waters' films may feel disjointed or unmemorable, they still showcase his unique and provocative sense of humor. Waters' legacy extends beyond filmmaking, as he has had an impact on LGBTQ+ cinema and recently published his first novel.

American filmmaker John Waters is famously known for his controversial films, many of which are just as taboo today as they were in the '70s. A pioneer of provocative media, Waters specializes in counterculture as a subgenre and ideology for the films he directs. He's gained a significant cult following due to his outrageous yet uniquely reformative black comedy. While John Waters' icon status began for his purposefully objectionable film Pink Flamingos, he truly became known for his 1988 movie Hairspray. According to Waters, Tracy Turnblad's Hairspray narrative...

Filmmaker John Waters picks his Top-10 films from 2023. The only big-budget blockbuster to be found on Waters' list is Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Beau Is Afraid and a number of other intriguing titles populate Waters' eclectic selection of movies.

There are many amazing auteurs in the annals of Hollywood history… and then there’s John Waters. The world-renowned filmmaker, aka the "Pope of Trash," is arguably best known for his work in Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. But It's hard to reminisce about the 1990s and not think of Johnny Depp’s wildly underrated performance in Cry-Baby or Kathleen Turner’s killer — pun most definitely intended — portrayal of the titular character in Serial Mom. And as 2023 fades away, and cinephiles prepare to welcome 2024, Waters has composed his Top-10 list of this year’s best movies. Waters said in a story he wrote for Vulture:

“When most people hear my name, they...

Tom Holland's 1988 film "Child's Play" was about a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) who was fatally wounded by a cop (Chris Sarandon) during a shootout in a toy warehouse. As he lay dying, Charles, a.k.a. Chucky, used voodoo magic to shunt his consciousness into a nearby Good Guy doll, a talking plastic child about a foot tall. In the body of the doll, Chucky continues his reign of terror. "Child's Play" was clearly a spoof of the Cabbage Patch Kids phenomenon a few years previous, positing that the year's difficult-to-obtain ultra-hot Christmas toy could possibly contain the soul of a murderer. 

To date, there have been six sequels to "Child's Play," a remake, and a spinoff series called "Chucky," which concluded part one of its third season in October of 2023. The series became increasingly wild as it went on, tilting heavily into camp and comedy.

John Waters joins the cast of Chucky for season 3 as Wendell Wilkins, the creator of the Good Guy doll line. Waters previously appeared in the 2005 movie Seed of Chucky as a different character. Chucky has previously cast Devon Sawa in multiple roles throughout the show.

Chucky has added another returning franchise cast member. The show, which is the latest entry in the long-running killer doll franchise that began with the 1988 horror movie Child's Play, is in full continuity with the previous movies (except the unrelated 2019 remake starring Mark Hamill as Chucky) and includes returning cast members Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, and Christine Elise. The show has also made a habit of bringing back star Devon Sawa as a new character every season after he made his debut on the show playing ill-fated twin brothers in season 1.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Hairspray and Pink Flamingos director John...

John Waters isn’t afraid to name Ari Aster’s existential dark comedy “Beau Is Afraid” as the best film of 2023.

The “Pink Flamingos” director shared his annual list of favorite movies of the year with Vulture, crowning the A24 film as his number one pick.

“A superlong, super-crazy, super-funny movie about one man’s mental breakdown with a cast better than ‘Around the World in 80 Days’: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, and Amy Ryan,” Waters wrote. “It’s a laugh riot from hell you’ll never forget, even if you want to.”

Pierre Croton’s “A Prince,” Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener,” “Fallen Leaves,” “Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World,” “Last Summer,” and “Strange Way of Life,” the short film directed by Pedro Almodóvar, were all included in Waters’ list. The director additionally included Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which Waters...

In December 1973, Variety magazine published a review of the latest film by Baltimore native John Waters. The evaluation lasted for three paragraphs, but it was the end of paragraph two that left the biggest impression: “One of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.” Jump forward to December 2022, and the same publication was ranking it as one of the 100 greatest movies ever made, lauding it as “one of the funniest, most audacious and scandalously compelling films ever made.” The work in question is Pink Flamingos, and such polarizing responses have followed it its entire life. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce why. There are few films quite as distinct as Pink Flamingos — a 90-minute celebration of individuality that was primed to become a cult favorite from the moment it was conceived. In certain communities, this renegade energy cements Pink Flamingos as one of the supreme works of outsider art,...

Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins discussed what went into the series' drag show.

In the episode "Calypso's Birthday," the crew of the Revenge celebrate the titular holiday, which they all acknowledge is completely fictitious and just an excuse to throw a party. Among the highlights is Wee John Feeny (Kristian Nairn) debuting his look as the goddess herself, with a sparkling blue dress and matching eyeliner. In an interview with Mashable, Jenkins said the scene was partially inspired by Nairn's own history of performing in drag, saying, "You learn more about your actors as you're making the show, and it's nice to take some things from their wheelhouses."

Related: Our Flag Means Death Recap: Season 2, Episodes 1-7

Inspiration Was Taken From Divine

Costume designer Gypsy Taylor -- "a huge fan of drag" according to Jenkins -- based Wee John's look on iconic drag queen Divine, particularly from the 1972 black comedy Pink Flamingos.

John Waters has had some pretty outrageous moments on the big screen. From the umbilical cord scene in Female Trouble and the singing anus in Pink Flamingos to the fart-soaked Odorama cards of Polyester and a semen-shooting Johnny Knoxville in A Dirty Shame, he has easily earned the nickname the Pope of Trash. But as far as John Waters figures, he’s immune to being a victim of cancel culture.

Citing his classic 1972 midnight movie Pink Flamingos — you know, the movie where Divine eats fresh dog crap — John Waters told MovieWeb that even 50+ years on, “It’s more politically incorrect than it ever was, but I never get canceled. I think the reason is because I’m not mean-spirited. I make fun of things I love, and I direct a movie, I think, with love for the characters and with love to the audience.”

Such words came ahead of John...

John Waters has earned a variety of nicknames and monikers over the past five decades — the Prince of Puke, the Duke of Dirt, the Pope of Trash. He's a radically subversive filmmaker, so it's kind of ironic to see Waters embraced by the heights of cinephilia in the mainstream, Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection. The dangerous satirist is almost popular, and it's kind of like watching Minor Threat play Moma — it's a bit incongruous.

Of course, he deserves the accolades, but it hasn't gone to his head whatsoever. He's still extremely generous with his time and more engaged with his fans than pretty much any director alive. In fact, when Exhumed Films and The Mahoning Drive-In decided to host a John Waters film festival, Waters himself was happy to team up and work with them, and is heading to Lehighton, Pennsylvania to attend and spend some time with the audience.

John Waters was delighted that he’s “closer to the gutter than ever” as his name was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday.

In his acceptance speech, Waters said that the Walk of Fame was the first landmark he saw when he got to Los Angeles.

“After driving across the country with David Locke, I got out of my vehicle in 1970 at Hollywood and Vine, darted across the street and got a jaywalking ticket,” he recalled. “The first one — and I never looked back.”

Waters’ star is located outside of the Larry Edmunds Bookshop on Hollywood Blvd. and N. Cherokee Ave. Waters said bookstore, which specializes in literature about film and showbiz history, is his favorite spot on the famous street.

The Walk of Fame event, which was sponsored by Outfest, came alongside the newly opened Academy Museum exhibit “John Waters: Pope of Trash,” which looks back...

When John Waters touched down in Hollywood decades ago, he immediately had a run-in with authorities. “I got out of my vehicle in 1970 at Hollywood and Vine and darted across the street and got a jaywalking ticket, the first one, and I never looked back,” recalled the filmmaker while standing at the podium Monday to receive a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Waters, surrounded by throngs of fans and well-wishers, found himself not far from that famous intersection, but on the other side of a Hollywood career that has produced such films as Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Hairspray, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Pecker, Cecil B. Demented and others. And he couldn’t be happier with the gritty Hollywood setting. “God, here I am, closer to the gutter than ever,” quipped the 77-year-old, who has long been referred to as a maestro of “trash” films or the “king of filth.

A new exhibition at the Academy of Motion Pictures celebrates the director - and Waters is taking the elevation in stride

For a man who made his name with gleefully hilarious guerrilla films populated by drag queens, provocateurs, foot fetishists, misguided egomaniacs, furtive suburban psychos and assorted criminal lowlifes, John Waters is taking his elevation to the Hollywood stratosphere in stride.

The 77-year-old director of Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Serial Mom has never come close to winning an Oscar – Oscars are not what you get when you delight in bad taste and write that someone vomiting during one of your films is “like getting a standing ovation”. Yet this weekend in Los Angeles, the museum run by the Academy of Motion Pictures is opening a lavish, lovingly curated exhibit that chronicles Waters’ extraordinary life and work.

When John Waters shocked audiences with “Pink Flamingos” more than 50 years ago, he probably didn’t foresee major museum exhibitions of his trashy aesthetic and irreverent filmmaking. But half a century later, he’s become the elder statesman of rebellion, and the Academy Museum is celebrating Baltimore’s treasure with a career-spanning exhibit and accompanying film retrospective.

Opening Sunday in Los Angeles, the extensive exhibit includes 400 pieces over 12 galleries. At the preview, Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said, “John Waters: Pope of Trash is a salute to an individual creative voice and the distinctive contributions he has made over the past six decades, not only to the art of film but to American pop culture.”

Among the many must-see props and costumes on display were the jackets Johnny Depp wore in the 1990 film “Cry Baby” and the prop electric chair from “Female Trouble.

John Waters is no longer a cult filmmaker. The filmmaker, author, artist, actor, and spoken-word performer has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1990 (David Lynch was his sponsor). He’s screened “Hairspray” in the museum’s theater (with a Q&a moderated by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins). The Academy Film Archive preserved his PSA, “John Waters Doesn’t Want You to Smoke.” He’s even getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As Waters likes to note, he’s so respectable he could puke.

At this point, everyone loves John Waters. John Waters should be hosting the Oscars, an idea so commonly held that if you ask the upbeat and unerringly polite Academy CEO Bill Kramer the odds of making that happen, you can hear him doing his best not to roll his eyes. “If I had a dime for every time that question’s been asked,...

John Waters looks positive giddy as he perches on the edge of his chair at the Provincetown Film Festival, chuckling as he recalls the bad reviews Variety gave him back in the day.

I recall one from the 1974 write-up for “Female Trouble” — “‘Camp’ is too elegant a word to describe it all” — and he rolls his eyes at the word “camp.” “No one says that word anymore,” he laughs. “To me, ‘camp’ is like two older gay gentlemen talking about Tiffany lampshades in an antique shop. We were never that. We used ‘trash’ or ‘filth,’ which was more punk, to describe our style.”

Trade reviews offered a strange sort of validation for the budding “smut-eur,” who would take the put-downs and twist them to his advantage back in the early ’70s, turning bad blurbs into good publicity for his gonzo stunts. When Fine Line rereleased Waters’ most notorious film, 1972’s “Pink Flamingos,...

Multiple Maniacs. Photographs by Lawrence Irvine courtesy and copyright Dreamland Studios.John Waters still shocks. While the Pope of Trash may now be something of a respectable elder to queer cinema, appearing on talk shows and making annual movie recommendations for Artforum, his films have retained their ability to surprise and challenge the status quo. Works like Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970) have kept audiences squirming in their seats (and reaching for the barf bags), but they’ve also gained their long-denied critical understanding. They’re now taken seriously, viewed as earnestly as any kind of “respectable” film that doesn’t feature singing anuses, mother-son incest, or rape via giant lobster. Pink Flamingos (1972) is almost certainly the only film in Sight and Sound’s Top 250 greatest films of all-time list that features its lead eating dog feces from the sidewalk.Yet not every aspect of the Waters canon has been given its rightful due.

Director John Waters will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 18th, honoring his iconic contributions to film and pop culture. Waters is best known for directing cult classics like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, and his star will be placed in the Motion Pictures category. The event will be live-streamed and feature guest speakers Ricki Lake, Mink Stole, and photographer Greg Gorman, celebrating Waters' well-deserved tribute.

Director John Waters will receive his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this month on September 18th.

The American filmmaker is best known for directing 70s and 80s cult classics like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. Waters name will appear on the 2,763rd star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California in the Motion Pictures category. According to the Walk of Fame, the event (which will be live-streamed on their official site) will feature Waters and guest speakers Ricki Lake,...

The Pope of Trash is about to be the Trash of Tinseltown, as John Waters is slated to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 77-year-old John Waters will receive his star – designated as the 2,763rd – on September 18th as he is surrounded by frequent collaborators Ricki Lake, Mink Stole and Greg Gorman. As part of Waters’ Dreamlanders troupe, Lake has appeared in five films for Waters, most notably Hairspray, while Stole has appeared in every single one, beginning with 1969’s Mondo Trasho. Meanwhile, Gorman has photographed Waters numerous times, capturing some famous images of the director’s trademark pencil mustache.

As per Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, “John Waters has been a huge part of pop culture for many years…As a director, he has created some of our historic and favorite film moments and we’re thrilled to welcome him to...

Renowned director John Waters is set to receive his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this month.

The director, known for his work on cult classic films from the 1970s and 80s such as Pink Flamingos or Hairspray will see his name on the 2,763rd star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California in the Motion Pictures category. Waters' induction into the Walk of Fame will be commemorated with a live event in which Waters and several guest speakers will appear to officially place the star. Ana Martinez, the Producer for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, spoke highly of Waters, noting, "As a director, he has created some of our historic and favorite film moments, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to our landmark location for this well-deserved and permanent tribute."

Related: The Mind Behind Hairspray Also Made This Underrated Cult Classic Musical

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