Tom Cruise, in Bit Role, Nips Studio’s Top Gun

At an industry screening of the forthcoming comedy “Tropic Thunder,” Tom Cruise brought down the house with his portrayal of a dirty-dancing movie mogul.

Actors Set Date for Formal Contract Talks With Studios

Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have agreed to open formal contract talks with representatives of Hollywood’s movie and television companies on April 15.

Offer of a Murder Surfaces at Wiretap Trial

A hedge fund manager testified that Anthony Pellicano, the Hollywood private detective accused of wiretapping, had once offered to have a movie producer killed for him.

Tough Marketing Calls for a Film Linked to War

After a poor box-office showing for war-related movies, how could a Hollywood studio possibly entice audiences into seeing the next one?

Critic’s Choice: New DVDs

New this week is a box set of films featuring the French megastar Alain Delon, captured at the height of his popularity in the 1960s and ’70s.

Now on the Endangered Species List: Movie Critics in Print

The reviews are in: “A dire situation” for serious film.

Spat Between Actors’ Unions Snarls Negotiations With Studios

The sudden split between two actors unions this weekend appeared to weaken labor organizations without making life easier for the studios they bargain with.

Voice, Eyes and Camera of Katrina Survivors

The main reason to check out the final week of this year’s edition of New Directors/New Films is the superb documentary “Trouble the Water,” about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Movie Review | 'Superhero Movie': Up, Up and a Ways Off the Track

To call “Superhero Movie” a satire, or even a parody, of the genre specified in its title would be misleading, since those terms imply at least an attempt at wit.

An Appraisal: A Star Who Mastered a New Moral Ambiguity

Richard Widmark never quite shook the dark associations of his early roles, even after his studio, 20th Century Fox, rehabilitated him as a leading man.

Creator’s Family Reclaims the Rights to Superman

A judge ruled that the heirs of the co-creator of Superman were entitled to reclaim their share of the U.S. copyright, 70 years after their ancestor sold rights to the character for $130.

Movie Guide and Film Series

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Film: Four Stars’ Bright Idea Still Shines 90 Years On

United Artists will turn 90 next year, and Film Forum celebrates with a five-week tribute.

In Potential Studio Split, Who Keeps the Movies?

After a $1.6 billion marriage in 2005, DreamWorks and Paramount may be headed for divorce.

A British Dynasty for All Seasons

Among the many things for which he will be remembered, Paul Scofield helped to usher in a whole era of classy, lushly produced costume films set in the Tudor period.

Movie Guide and Film Series

MOVIES.

Anthony Minghella, Director, Dies

The British filmmaker, who won an Academy Award for his direction of “The English Patient,” was 54.

Anthony Minghella, Director, Dies at 54

The Oscar-winning director, who turned such literary works as “The English Patient” and and “Cold Mountain” into acclaimed movies, was 54.

Critic’s Choice: New DVDs: Georges Méliès

“Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)” is a major act of scholarship that brings together surviving Méliès films from eight countries.

Animated Repatriation: Disney Art Returns

A Japanese university plans to return about 250 pieces of original animation art to the Walt Disney Company that were mis-laid in storage after traveling to Japan nearly five decades ago.