The applause at premieres like “Mission: Impossible” or “The History of Sound” is often timed and reported breathlessly. But there’s more to the story. By Kyle Buchanan For decades, the Palme d’Or was ...

Somewhere between a film’s final scene and the exalted audience’s first clap at either the Venice or Cannes film festivals, cinema loses its dignity. We have entered a standing ovation arms race. What ...

Every year we do it, without fail, even though fans and critics moan about it, and it’s quite clearly a reductive way of measuring a movie’s impact. However, we simply just can’t seem to help ...