Close on the heels of his performances in the slasher Scream VI and the hit romantic comedy Anyone but You, Dermot Mulroney has just wrapped production on a new horror thriller called Dead and Breakfast. This one is coming our way from the Las Vegas-based production companies Beno Films and Al Bravo Films, but filming took place in Little Rock, Arkansas. Deadline got their hands on a pair of first-look images from Dead and Breakfast, and you can check those out in this article.
Written and directed by Loppo Jp Martinez, Dead and Breakfast follows five petty criminals who rob a pawn shop in Kansas City. Still, on their drive back to Little Rock, an unexpected engine failure forces them to stay in a bed & breakfast in the middle of nowhere where their plan quickly derails into a bloodbath. So no, in case you were wondering, this Dead and Breakfast[/link]...
Written and directed by Loppo Jp Martinez, Dead and Breakfast follows five petty criminals who rob a pawn shop in Kansas City. Still, on their drive back to Little Rock, an unexpected engine failure forces them to stay in a bed & breakfast in the middle of nowhere where their plan quickly derails into a bloodbath. So no, in case you were wondering, this Dead and Breakfast[/link]...
- 6/5/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Summer House is nearing its conclusion, with the final weekend upon us in this new episode airing on Bravo. In “Point of No Return,” airing on Thursday May 30, the housemates throw a unique doomsday-themed party, marking the end of their summer getaway. As the season draws to a close, the housemates decide to […]
Summer House: Point of No Return...
Summer House: Point of No Return...
- 5/30/2024
- by Riley Avery
- MemorableTV
Get ready for another exciting episode of “Summer House” airing this Thursday at 9:00 Pm on Bravo. In Season 8’s Episode 15 titled “Point of No Return,” viewers are in for a wild ride as the group of New Yorkers continue to navigate the ups and downs of their weekend getaway in the luxurious Hamptons.
As tensions rise and relationships are put to the test, the housemates find themselves at a critical juncture where decisions must be made that could change the course of their summer experience. With the promise of sun, fun, and drama, “Summer House” delivers yet another dose of entertainment and intrigue as the cast grapples with the complexities of friendship, romance, and personal growth.
Whether it’s beachside adventures, late-night parties, or heartfelt conversations by the fire, “Summer House” guarantees an unforgettable viewing experience filled with twists and turns. Don’t miss “Point of No Return” this...
As tensions rise and relationships are put to the test, the housemates find themselves at a critical juncture where decisions must be made that could change the course of their summer experience. With the promise of sun, fun, and drama, “Summer House” delivers yet another dose of entertainment and intrigue as the cast grapples with the complexities of friendship, romance, and personal growth.
Whether it’s beachside adventures, late-night parties, or heartfelt conversations by the fire, “Summer House” guarantees an unforgettable viewing experience filled with twists and turns. Don’t miss “Point of No Return” this...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
We’ve only just got Easter out of the way, and here comes the most immersive Christmas movie of the year, an abstract but very much controlled study based in and around a festive party thrown by a very large family from Long Island, New York. Despite the specificity of the setting, however, Tyler Taormina’s third feature film is a surprisingly relatable experience, part anthropological study, part nostalgia kick, lit up (literally) like a Christmas tree in a yuletide riot of red, white and green.
It begins in a car ferrying members of the Balsano family — mother and father, brother and sister — to the home of the family’s matriarch, where four generations of Balsanos have gathered for their annual get-together. This is about as much of a set-up as you’re going to get,...
It begins in a car ferrying members of the Balsano family — mother and father, brother and sister — to the home of the family’s matriarch, where four generations of Balsanos have gathered for their annual get-together. This is about as much of a set-up as you’re going to get,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1990, Luc Besson's famous action film Nikita hit theaters. The movie about a street criminal turned secret agent was a huge success in France and around the world.
There is an opinion that the director has been doing nothing but making different versions of Nikita all his life, distracted from time to time by purely commercial projects.
The central character of his universe is a female fighter, a cold-blooded killer with a tragic personal history. Viewers saw a similar type in Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, Lucy with Scarlett Johansson in the main role, and Anna – another spy drama that recently got a second life thanks to its popularity on Netflix.
However, when talking about Nikita and its imitators, many forget about the cult series that debuted in 1997 and ran for five seasons – La Femme Nikita. And just recently, Redditors remembered the best spy show of the 1990s.
There is an opinion that the director has been doing nothing but making different versions of Nikita all his life, distracted from time to time by purely commercial projects.
The central character of his universe is a female fighter, a cold-blooded killer with a tragic personal history. Viewers saw a similar type in Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, Lucy with Scarlett Johansson in the main role, and Anna – another spy drama that recently got a second life thanks to its popularity on Netflix.
However, when talking about Nikita and its imitators, many forget about the cult series that debuted in 1997 and ran for five seasons – La Femme Nikita. And just recently, Redditors remembered the best spy show of the 1990s.
- 4/28/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
Exclusive: Outlier Society is developing the Amazon MGM Studios action thriller movie, T-Minus, which is being co-scripted by Fall Guy‘s Drew Pearce and Watchmen and Station Eleven scribe Nick Cuse.
Outlier Society’s Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo will produce with Pearce who is producing via his Point of No Return Films and Isa Dick Hackett via Electric Shepherd Productions.
Pearce
The project was initially developed by Pearce’s banner Point of No Return Films. Outlier Society’s Elizabeth Raposo heard the pitch—said to be an action-thriller along the lines of “Top Gun meets Back to the Future, with a Philip K. Dick twist”—and saw the potential for it to be the perfect Outlier project: an elevated piece with major tentpole potential.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, T-Minus will be adapted from the Philip K. Dick sci-fi 1974 short story A Little Something for Us Tempunauts.
Outlier Society’s Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo will produce with Pearce who is producing via his Point of No Return Films and Isa Dick Hackett via Electric Shepherd Productions.
Pearce
The project was initially developed by Pearce’s banner Point of No Return Films. Outlier Society’s Elizabeth Raposo heard the pitch—said to be an action-thriller along the lines of “Top Gun meets Back to the Future, with a Philip K. Dick twist”—and saw the potential for it to be the perfect Outlier project: an elevated piece with major tentpole potential.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, T-Minus will be adapted from the Philip K. Dick sci-fi 1974 short story A Little Something for Us Tempunauts.
- 4/26/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Imperial forces finally catch up to the Batch in their pursuit of Omega, and as the final season of Bad Batch nears its end, the stage gets set up for a grand final conflict between the renegade Clone Troopers and the forces of the tyrant Galactic Empire. Previously, an Imperial covert Clone operative managed to track Omega at Captain Rex’s rebel Clone outpost along with the rest of the batch and almost managed to capture her, destroying much of Rex’s forces in the process. The same operative returns in the latest two episodes of the series, once again causing much headache to the Batch through his machinations.
In the previous episode, the legendary Force user/ bounty hunter Asajj Ventress sought out the Bad Batch in Pabu, as it was revealed that she was Fennec Shand’s contact who had inquired about Omega’s M-count information. Ventress’ past as...
In the previous episode, the legendary Force user/ bounty hunter Asajj Ventress sought out the Bad Batch in Pabu, as it was revealed that she was Fennec Shand’s contact who had inquired about Omega’s M-count information. Ventress’ past as...
- 4/4/2024
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
4K just got a whole lot sharper, as Sony will release Luc Besson’s 1990 action-thriller La Femme Nikita on the format in June, joining other Besson films like 1994’s The Professional and 1997’s The Fifth Element on the format. This release — which comes in a slick steel book — is restored from the original camera negative, with a 4K image that boasts 2160p Ultra High Definition.
Here is Sony’s official writeup for the movie: “From director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) comes the must-see thriller about a vicious street punk turned sexy, sophisticated and lethally dangerous assassin. Starring Anne Parillaud, Jeanne Moreau and Jean Reno, La Femme Nikita is “slick, stylish and tremendously entertaining” (The New York Times)! Rescued from death row by a top-secret agency, Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is slowly transformed from a cop-killing junkie into a cold-blooded bombshell with a license to kill. But when she begins the deadliest mission of her career,...
Here is Sony’s official writeup for the movie: “From director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) comes the must-see thriller about a vicious street punk turned sexy, sophisticated and lethally dangerous assassin. Starring Anne Parillaud, Jeanne Moreau and Jean Reno, La Femme Nikita is “slick, stylish and tremendously entertaining” (The New York Times)! Rescued from death row by a top-secret agency, Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is slowly transformed from a cop-killing junkie into a cold-blooded bombshell with a license to kill. But when she begins the deadliest mission of her career,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Get ready for an adrenaline-fueled episode of “Extreme Airport Africa” airing on Smithsonian at 9:00 Pm on Sunday, February 25th, 2024. In Season 1 Episode 8 titled “Point Of No Return,” viewers are in for a thrilling ride as they witness the high-stakes action unfolding at some of Africa’s most challenging airports.
The episode kicks off with a heart-pounding scene as a medical helicopter races over rush hour traffic to collect a critically ill patient. Meanwhile, a search ensues for a lost elephant, highlighting the unique challenges faced by airport staff in Africa’s vast wilderness.
As if that weren’t enough excitement, viewers will witness engineers racing against the clock to repair a malfunctioning helicopter, showcasing the dedication and skill required to keep air travel safe and efficient in this demanding environment.
But the adrenaline doesn’t stop there as airline pilots brave one of the world’s most dangerous runways,...
The episode kicks off with a heart-pounding scene as a medical helicopter races over rush hour traffic to collect a critically ill patient. Meanwhile, a search ensues for a lost elephant, highlighting the unique challenges faced by airport staff in Africa’s vast wilderness.
As if that weren’t enough excitement, viewers will witness engineers racing against the clock to repair a malfunctioning helicopter, showcasing the dedication and skill required to keep air travel safe and efficient in this demanding environment.
But the adrenaline doesn’t stop there as airline pilots brave one of the world’s most dangerous runways,...
- 2/18/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch returns for one final season on February 21, 2024 with the release of the first three episodes. With the third and final season’s premiere just a month away, Disney+ has unveiled the official trailer which teases the return of fan-favorite Asajj Ventress to the animated sci-fi series.
The Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff features a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!), Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It’s Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).
“In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab,” reads Disney+’s synopsis. “With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies,...
The Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff features a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!), Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It’s Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).
“In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab,” reads Disney+’s synopsis. “With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
The Bad Batch’s final mission approaches and it’s one for the Star Wars history books! Hold onto your droids, folks, because The Bad Batch Season 3 trailer is action-packed, full of surprises, and sure to excite you about the show’s awaited return. Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 returns to Disney+ for a 15-episode run beginning on February 21!
Courtesy of StarWars.com:
In addition to the Batchers, now scattered following the events of Season 2, the trailer includes some new creatures and familiar faces, including Wanda Sykes’ Phee. It ends with the shocking appearance of fan-favorite Sith apprentice turned free agent Asajj Ventress. “We love Asajj Ventress. She’s a character that we’ve been wanting to tell more stories about,” says Brad Rau, supervising director and one of the series’ executive producers. Rau clarifies that her return will honor prior tales, including the book where the character apparently perished.
Courtesy of StarWars.com:
In addition to the Batchers, now scattered following the events of Season 2, the trailer includes some new creatures and familiar faces, including Wanda Sykes’ Phee. It ends with the shocking appearance of fan-favorite Sith apprentice turned free agent Asajj Ventress. “We love Asajj Ventress. She’s a character that we’ve been wanting to tell more stories about,” says Brad Rau, supervising director and one of the series’ executive producers. Rau clarifies that her return will honor prior tales, including the book where the character apparently perished.
- 1/22/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Lucasfilm Animation has released an action-packed trailer for the final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
The third and final season of the Emmy winning The Clone Wars spinoff gets underway Feb. 21 with three episodes. The finale will air May 1.
The official description: “In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire.”
The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, has a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal...
The third and final season of the Emmy winning The Clone Wars spinoff gets underway Feb. 21 with three episodes. The finale will air May 1.
The official description: “In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab. With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies, embark on dangerous missions and muster everything they have learned to free themselves from the Empire.”
The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, has a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal...
- 1/22/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s sad to say, but death seems to be working overtime as we close out 2023. Following the news that beloved character actor Tom Wilkinson has passed away, come the passing of two more well-loved supporting players in TV and film. Richard Romanus, who played the role of loan shark Michael Longo in Mean Streets, passed away at the age of 80 on December 23rd. Meanwhile, Maurice Hines, the brother of Gregory Hines, has also passed away, also at 80.
Although Richard Romanus had a lengthy career that went back to the early ‘70s, it was his turn in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets that remained his most memorable performance. It was his character who, after a run-in with Robert De Niro’s Johnny Boy (who owed Michael money), manned the car that drove up alongside Johnny Boy and Harvey Keitel’s Charlie, leading to the shooting of the loose cannon.
Richard...
Although Richard Romanus had a lengthy career that went back to the early ‘70s, it was his turn in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets that remained his most memorable performance. It was his character who, after a run-in with Robert De Niro’s Johnny Boy (who owed Michael money), manned the car that drove up alongside Johnny Boy and Harvey Keitel’s Charlie, leading to the shooting of the loose cannon.
Richard...
- 12/30/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Richard Romanus, who built his character acting career with a tough guy persona in film and television, has died at 80 at a hospital in Volos, Greece. No cause was given by his son, Robert.
Romanus had a string of memorable roles during his long career. He was Harry Canyon, the cab driver from Heavy Metal, and Richard Lapenna, the husband of Dr. Melfi, in “The Sopranos.” He was loanshark Michael Longo in Mean Streets.
His TV résumé includes Mission: Impossible, Starsky and Hutch, Hawaii Five-0, The Rockford Files, Kojak, Strike Force, and more across the ’70s.
In films, Romanus appeared in Sitting Ducks (1980), Protocol (1984), The Couch Trip (1988), Oscar (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Cops and Robbersons (1994), Nailed (2001) and The Young Black Stallion (2003).
In his later years, Romanus and his wife moved to the Greek town of Skiathos, and he wrote about the experience in Act III: A Small Island in the Aegean,...
Romanus had a string of memorable roles during his long career. He was Harry Canyon, the cab driver from Heavy Metal, and Richard Lapenna, the husband of Dr. Melfi, in “The Sopranos.” He was loanshark Michael Longo in Mean Streets.
His TV résumé includes Mission: Impossible, Starsky and Hutch, Hawaii Five-0, The Rockford Files, Kojak, Strike Force, and more across the ’70s.
In films, Romanus appeared in Sitting Ducks (1980), Protocol (1984), The Couch Trip (1988), Oscar (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Cops and Robbersons (1994), Nailed (2001) and The Young Black Stallion (2003).
In his later years, Romanus and his wife moved to the Greek town of Skiathos, and he wrote about the experience in Act III: A Small Island in the Aegean,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Richard Romanus, the tough-guy character actor best known for his turn as Michael Longo, the Little Italy loan shark who gets into it with Robert De Niro’s Johnny Civello in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, has died. He was 80.
Romanus died Dec. 23 in a private hospital in Volos, Greece, his son, Robert Romanus, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Romanus handled prominent voice roles for Ralph Bakshi in 1977’s Wizards (as the elf warrior Weehawk) and 1982’s Hey Good Lookin’ (as the leader of a 1950s greaser gang), and in between, he played the cab driver Harry Canyon in another animated film, Heavy Metal (1981).
He also appeared on four episodes of The Sopranos as Richard Lapenna, the on-again, off-again husband of Lorraine Bracco’s Jennifer Melfi, from 1999-2002.
In Mean Streets (1973), Romanus’ character is famously disrespected by Johnny when he leans on him for his money.
“You know, Michael, you make me laugh,...
Romanus died Dec. 23 in a private hospital in Volos, Greece, his son, Robert Romanus, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Romanus handled prominent voice roles for Ralph Bakshi in 1977’s Wizards (as the elf warrior Weehawk) and 1982’s Hey Good Lookin’ (as the leader of a 1950s greaser gang), and in between, he played the cab driver Harry Canyon in another animated film, Heavy Metal (1981).
He also appeared on four episodes of The Sopranos as Richard Lapenna, the on-again, off-again husband of Lorraine Bracco’s Jennifer Melfi, from 1999-2002.
In Mean Streets (1973), Romanus’ character is famously disrespected by Johnny when he leans on him for his money.
“You know, Michael, you make me laugh,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At a time when syndicated science fiction was just Star Trek series, it took some guts on Warner Bros’ part to try something darker and more experimental with J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5, designed to tell a sprawling epic that was more political than it was space opera. The show arrived thirty years ago and was successful enough to spawn spin-off five telefilms and a short-lived spinoff, spanning 1993-2007.
The core of it, the 110 episodes from the original five-season series, have been remastered and collected on a nice Blu-ray box set from Warner Home Entertainment. Also included is the original pilot film.
Set in the 23rd century, the Earth Alliance has found its place among star-faring races, notably the Minbari and the Centauri. Some of these races are fine with humans; others wish them gone. Then there are the Vorlons, and no one knows what they want.
Babylon 5 is a gigantic,...
The core of it, the 110 episodes from the original five-season series, have been remastered and collected on a nice Blu-ray box set from Warner Home Entertainment. Also included is the original pilot film.
Set in the 23rd century, the Earth Alliance has found its place among star-faring races, notably the Minbari and the Centauri. Some of these races are fine with humans; others wish them gone. Then there are the Vorlons, and no one knows what they want.
Babylon 5 is a gigantic,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
This Babylon 5 article contains spoilers.
Like Billy Pilgrim before him, John Sheridan has become unstuck in time. Again!
On May 13, 1996, Babylon 5 aired the first part of a two-parter epic called “War Without End.” In it, the crew of the White Star are tasked with stealing the space station Babylon 4 and sending it back in time 1,000 years to defeat the Shadows in a previous war, all so the Shadows are weaker in the present. But, if they fail, another, much darker parallel universe will unfold. And while we’ve only seen glimpses of that universe before, in the new Babylon 5 animated movie, The Road Home, this specific alternate timeline is explored in a way that calls back not just to “War Without End,” but to the season 1 banger, “Babylon Squared,” too.
In The Road Home, John Sheridan leaves Babylon 5 in 2262, but finds himself slipping between timeframes and...
Like Billy Pilgrim before him, John Sheridan has become unstuck in time. Again!
On May 13, 1996, Babylon 5 aired the first part of a two-parter epic called “War Without End.” In it, the crew of the White Star are tasked with stealing the space station Babylon 4 and sending it back in time 1,000 years to defeat the Shadows in a previous war, all so the Shadows are weaker in the present. But, if they fail, another, much darker parallel universe will unfold. And while we’ve only seen glimpses of that universe before, in the new Babylon 5 animated movie, The Road Home, this specific alternate timeline is explored in a way that calls back not just to “War Without End,” but to the season 1 banger, “Babylon Squared,” too.
In The Road Home, John Sheridan leaves Babylon 5 in 2262, but finds himself slipping between timeframes and...
- 8/16/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Bridget Fonda is happy out of the spotlight.
On Monday, the 59-year-old “Jackie Brown” star was spotted getting into a car with her son outside Lax airport, and she said she has no interest in getting back into Hollywood.
Read More: Jane Fonda Opens Up About Her Decades-Long Struggle With Bulimia: ‘I Assumed I Wouldn’t Live Past 30’
“No,” when asked, in a paparazzi video obtained by the Daily Mail, “It’s too nice being a civilian.”
Asked if there was any director who could convince her otherwise, Fonda answered, “Nope.”
The daughter of late actor Peter Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, the actress made a name for herself in a string of ’90s films like “Single White Female” and “Point of No Return”.
In the early ’00s, Fonda retired from acting, making her final big screen appearance in the 2001 film “The Whole Shebang”, and her final on-screen appearance...
On Monday, the 59-year-old “Jackie Brown” star was spotted getting into a car with her son outside Lax airport, and she said she has no interest in getting back into Hollywood.
Read More: Jane Fonda Opens Up About Her Decades-Long Struggle With Bulimia: ‘I Assumed I Wouldn’t Live Past 30’
“No,” when asked, in a paparazzi video obtained by the Daily Mail, “It’s too nice being a civilian.”
Asked if there was any director who could convince her otherwise, Fonda answered, “Nope.”
The daughter of late actor Peter Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, the actress made a name for herself in a string of ’90s films like “Single White Female” and “Point of No Return”.
In the early ’00s, Fonda retired from acting, making her final big screen appearance in the 2001 film “The Whole Shebang”, and her final on-screen appearance...
- 4/19/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
1993 was a banner year for Sylvester Stallone. While he had started the nineties on shaky ground due to the failure of Rocky V and his two comedies, Oscar and Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, the back-to-back success of Cliffhanger and Demolition Man reestablished Sly as one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes. For his follow-up, he would pick another action flick, albeit one that embraced elements of another genre quickly gaining popularity in Hollywood: The erotic thriller.
Flashback to 1992. The movie Basic Instinct was a worldwide smash and established Sharon Stone as the biggest sex symbol of the day. A veteran actress with a career going back a decade, her performance as the murderous but insanely alluring Catherine Trammel made her a cultural icon. She followed it up with another steamy thriller, 1993’s Sliver, also a hit, and The Specialist would be her last entry into the cycle of erotic thrillers,...
Flashback to 1992. The movie Basic Instinct was a worldwide smash and established Sharon Stone as the biggest sex symbol of the day. A veteran actress with a career going back a decade, her performance as the murderous but insanely alluring Catherine Trammel made her a cultural icon. She followed it up with another steamy thriller, 1993’s Sliver, also a hit, and The Specialist would be her last entry into the cycle of erotic thrillers,...
- 3/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
John Wick Chapter 4 is coming to theaters soon, and everyone expects another fast-paced action film. The series has brought the use of crazy action and gunplay to the big screen. While this franchise may have perfected it, other films have used such techniques to give their stories a kinetic energy that fans love. What are some of the best to watch to prepare for the newest John Wick entry?
The Bourne Identity (2002)
This film may have started the modern trend of high-energy action scenes. When a man is found floating in the ocean with bullet holes in his back, he is brought aboard a fishing boat. He wakes up but finds he has no memory of who he is. The only clue he has is a Swiss bank account number. He tries to discover who he really is but soon finds that others are following him. When confronted,...
The Bourne Identity (2002)
This film may have started the modern trend of high-energy action scenes. When a man is found floating in the ocean with bullet holes in his back, he is brought aboard a fishing boat. He wakes up but finds he has no memory of who he is. The only clue he has is a Swiss bank account number. He tries to discover who he really is but soon finds that others are following him. When confronted,...
- 3/11/2023
- by Bryan Wolford
- JoBlo.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSKristen Stewart in Olivier Assayas's Personal Shopper (2016).The next film directed by Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson and Dick Johnson is Dead) will star Kristen Stewart as…Susan Sontag. Based on Ben Moser’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Sontag: Her Life, the project will have some hybrid-doc elements, as we might expect from Johnson: according to Screen Daily, Johnson will film an interview with the actress about her preparation for the role at the Berlinale, where Stewart is jury president.Richard Ayoade will direct and star in an adaptation of George Saunders’s The Semplica Girl Diaries, with casting currently underway.New Spanish Cinema luminary Carlos Saura died last week aged 91. His best-known films depicted and critiqued life under the Franco dictatorship, like La Caza...
- 2/15/2023
- MUBI
‘Chopin’
“Kung Fu” and “Never Have I Ever” star Eddie Liu and Leon Dai will head the cast of “Chopin,” an upcoming Taiwan American immigrant story set in suburban U.S. They are joined by Taiwanese veteran actress Chen Shu-Fang.
“Chopin” tells the story of Chopin Wu (played by Liu), who returns home to small-town America where he grew up to amend an estranged relationship with his workaholic father (Dai). With a sudden appearance from his ailing grandmother (Chen), he is confronted by a past he had left behind. In the midst of a health crisis and a broken family, Wu is forced to re-examine old relationships, embrace a heritage he once denied and discover the importance of family and identity.
The film is the feature directorial debut from decorated commercial director Vincent Lin of New York-based Valiant Pictures. Valiant co-founder Matthew D’Amato is set as executive producer, with Hui...
“Kung Fu” and “Never Have I Ever” star Eddie Liu and Leon Dai will head the cast of “Chopin,” an upcoming Taiwan American immigrant story set in suburban U.S. They are joined by Taiwanese veteran actress Chen Shu-Fang.
“Chopin” tells the story of Chopin Wu (played by Liu), who returns home to small-town America where he grew up to amend an estranged relationship with his workaholic father (Dai). With a sudden appearance from his ailing grandmother (Chen), he is confronted by a past he had left behind. In the midst of a health crisis and a broken family, Wu is forced to re-examine old relationships, embrace a heritage he once denied and discover the importance of family and identity.
The film is the feature directorial debut from decorated commercial director Vincent Lin of New York-based Valiant Pictures. Valiant co-founder Matthew D’Amato is set as executive producer, with Hui...
- 8/25/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Film
On first hearing the title, you might guess that this is a Hong Kong adaptation of the much-filmed Edgar Allan Poe story. It is, largely, an adaptation, but not of that. Writer/Director Stephen Shin apparently wanted to do a straight remake of Luc Besson’s Nikita, but the rights weren’t available (because they had already been sold in preparation for John Badham’s Bridget Fonda starring Point of No Return [Aka: The Assassin]). Shin made this instead. He makes some cosmetic changes, but in structure and many specifics, it remains very recognisable. You could say that Shin went from remake to ripoff in his concept of the film. Which isn’t to say it’s bad.
Former model Jade Leung debuts as Catherine, who kills a truck driver who tries to molest her, then the cop who comes to arrest her. As she’s taken to her trial,...
On first hearing the title, you might guess that this is a Hong Kong adaptation of the much-filmed Edgar Allan Poe story. It is, largely, an adaptation, but not of that. Writer/Director Stephen Shin apparently wanted to do a straight remake of Luc Besson’s Nikita, but the rights weren’t available (because they had already been sold in preparation for John Badham’s Bridget Fonda starring Point of No Return [Aka: The Assassin]). Shin made this instead. He makes some cosmetic changes, but in structure and many specifics, it remains very recognisable. You could say that Shin went from remake to ripoff in his concept of the film. Which isn’t to say it’s bad.
Former model Jade Leung debuts as Catherine, who kills a truck driver who tries to molest her, then the cop who comes to arrest her. As she’s taken to her trial,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Volume one of "Stranger Things" season four has one of the show's most complex story arcs to date. From an impressive new cast to the return of beloved characters we thought we'd lost, there's hardly a moment to marvel at all of the hidden '80s Easter eggs before another character is swept under Vecna's spell. At times, the plot is confusing, but it also provides answers for some of our most pressing questions.
Most notably, during the midseason finale, Peter Ballard (Jamie Campbell Bower), who's been helping Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) as she navigates the Nina simulation, reveals that he's actually One, the first test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory. After a lengthy explanation that sheds light on the origins of Dr. Brenner's (Matthew Modine) research program, One also reveals he's Henry Creel and the true face behind Vecna.
While One's explanation is a lot to digest, he briefly...
Most notably, during the midseason finale, Peter Ballard (Jamie Campbell Bower), who's been helping Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) as she navigates the Nina simulation, reveals that he's actually One, the first test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory. After a lengthy explanation that sheds light on the origins of Dr. Brenner's (Matthew Modine) research program, One also reveals he's Henry Creel and the true face behind Vecna.
While One's explanation is a lot to digest, he briefly...
- 6/3/2022
- by Chanel Vargas
- Popsugar.com
British helmer Kibwe Tavares is finally gearing up for his feature film debut reteaming with actor (and here co-writer) Daniel Kaluuya on the London set dystopian drama The Kitchen. The Netflix backed project (they pegged this as a 2023 release) sees Kaluuya topline with Kane Robinson and newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman is set to play co-lead Benji. The project was part of the 2016 January Screenwriters Lab and is based on an idea from Kaluuya (who produces) — it was co-written along with Joe Murtagh and Daniel Emmerson (who also produces).…...
- 3/31/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Spotlight on how and why Taiwanese drama series are gaining increasing prominence on the world stage.
Taiwanese drama series are gaining increasing prominence on the world stage, in line with the rapid growth of global Ott platforms.
Stirrings of new interest in drama from Taiwan were seen in 2017 with The Teenage Psychic and 2018 with On Children. But it is the events of the past two years, when audiences found themselves craving more content during pandemic lockdowns, that has seen a sizeable number of made-in-Taiwan series make their way to fresh audiences around the world.
High-profile titles such as The World Between Us,...
Taiwanese drama series are gaining increasing prominence on the world stage, in line with the rapid growth of global Ott platforms.
Stirrings of new interest in drama from Taiwan were seen in 2017 with The Teenage Psychic and 2018 with On Children. But it is the events of the past two years, when audiences found themselves craving more content during pandemic lockdowns, that has seen a sizeable number of made-in-Taiwan series make their way to fresh audiences around the world.
High-profile titles such as The World Between Us,...
- 3/16/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
After a prolific first two decades of his career (with many films we hope will get new restorations), Chinese-born Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien has been taking his time for the last 15 years. Since 2007’s Flight of the Red Balloon, we were grateful to get the stunning wuxia epic The Assassin in 2015 but haven’t heard many updates on Shulan River, a long-developing drama.
Now, the director has finally provided an update on his adaptation of the Hsieh Hai-meng novel, courtesy of Hang Lu (via Ioncinema). While speaking at an event this week, he revealed he’ll begin to scout locations for the Shu Qi-led project starting next month when “spring is blooming.” Intriguingly, he also revealed he’s developing a project with another past collaborator, Chang Chen. Local media reports this new film will focus on an elderly father and his son.
“It’s a movie about a river goddess set in the modern era,...
Now, the director has finally provided an update on his adaptation of the Hsieh Hai-meng novel, courtesy of Hang Lu (via Ioncinema). While speaking at an event this week, he revealed he’ll begin to scout locations for the Shu Qi-led project starting next month when “spring is blooming.” Intriguingly, he also revealed he’s developing a project with another past collaborator, Chang Chen. Local media reports this new film will focus on an elderly father and his son.
“It’s a movie about a river goddess set in the modern era,...
- 2/25/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
When “Drive My Car” received four Oscar nominations this week, it represented a triumph of arthouse cinema at a moment when it could really use the boost. The Academy might have wished that one of the 10 Best Picture slots went to James Bond or Spider-Man, but Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story has become a better case study for what it takes to keep the movie business alive.
Daring, non-English language cinema challenges even the bravest distributors. That was certainly the situation at Cannes last July, when more than one buyer told me they were having a hard time parsing the marketplace potential for several of the festival’s critical darlings. One of these was “Drive My Car,” which took 30 minutes to roll its opening credits and used a quiet, enigmatic approach to craft the world of a widowed theater director rediscovering his creative passion...
Daring, non-English language cinema challenges even the bravest distributors. That was certainly the situation at Cannes last July, when more than one buyer told me they were having a hard time parsing the marketplace potential for several of the festival’s critical darlings. One of these was “Drive My Car,” which took 30 minutes to roll its opening credits and used a quiet, enigmatic approach to craft the world of a widowed theater director rediscovering his creative passion...
- 2/13/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
‘Air Doll’ Film Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda and Bae Doona Take on the Inner Life of a Sentient Sex Toy
Middle-aged service worker Hideo (Itsuji Itao) shares his tiny apartment with an inflatable sex doll in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Air Doll,” a contemplative, melancholy — if minor — study of loneliness. (This 2009 film from the director who would go on to make “Shoplifters” and “The Truth” is getting its first U.S. release.)
And though the label on the box reads “Lovely Girl Candy,” and Hideo finds real human interaction “annoying,” he gives the doll the name “Nozomi,” after a former girlfriend. She’s as close to being real as he wants, and she silently absorbs his minor monologues and grievances about his work day before he has sex with her.
There are other inanimate, less functional dolls in Hideo’s home: small figures on shelves, a bedside “Paddington”-style teddy bear, and linens decorated with nesting dolls. But it’s Nozomi who, one day while Hideo is at work, gains consciousness and living,...
And though the label on the box reads “Lovely Girl Candy,” and Hideo finds real human interaction “annoying,” he gives the doll the name “Nozomi,” after a former girlfriend. She’s as close to being real as he wants, and she silently absorbs his minor monologues and grievances about his work day before he has sex with her.
There are other inanimate, less functional dolls in Hideo’s home: small figures on shelves, a bedside “Paddington”-style teddy bear, and linens decorated with nesting dolls. But it’s Nozomi who, one day while Hideo is at work, gains consciousness and living,...
- 2/3/2022
- by Dave White
- The Wrap
Are you ready to enter the world of Halo?
Paramount+ on Sunday unveiled the premiere date for the highly anticipated adaptation of the videogame series.
The series will get underway Thursday, March 24.
It will be a weekly rollout like other original series on the streaming service.
What's more, the streamer also dropped our most extensive look at the show to date, introducing us to the expansive cast and conflicts.
The series stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as the Master Chief, Spartan-117.
Natascha McElhone (Californication) is on board as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted, and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super-soldiers, and Jen Taylor as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.
Additional stars include Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), and Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron...
Paramount+ on Sunday unveiled the premiere date for the highly anticipated adaptation of the videogame series.
The series will get underway Thursday, March 24.
It will be a weekly rollout like other original series on the streaming service.
What's more, the streamer also dropped our most extensive look at the show to date, introducing us to the expansive cast and conflicts.
The series stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as the Master Chief, Spartan-117.
Natascha McElhone (Californication) is on board as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted, and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super-soldiers, and Jen Taylor as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.
Additional stars include Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), and Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron...
- 1/31/2022
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
As SNL‘s Stefon might say, the new trailer for Paramount+’s live-action Halo TV series has everything — and what’s more, the video game adaptation now has a premiere date.
Based on the Xbox franchise, Halo will launch on Paramount+ in the U.S. (and in international markets where the streaming service is available) on Thursday, March 24, it has been announced.
More from TVLineGrease Prequel Series Sets Cast, With Jackie Hoffman as Vice Principal1883's Gratiela Brancusi Teases Noemi/Thomas Romance Ahead, Offers Hidden Meaning of That Mirror1883 Recap: Elsa Lets It Go
The new trailer, released Sunday during...
Based on the Xbox franchise, Halo will launch on Paramount+ in the U.S. (and in international markets where the streaming service is available) on Thursday, March 24, it has been announced.
More from TVLineGrease Prequel Series Sets Cast, With Jackie Hoffman as Vice Principal1883's Gratiela Brancusi Teases Noemi/Thomas Romance Ahead, Offers Hidden Meaning of That Mirror1883 Recap: Elsa Lets It Go
The new trailer, released Sunday during...
- 1/30/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Keyshia Cole — singer-songwriter, actress and television producer — has signed a global deal with CAA in all areas, the company announced Tuesday.
Her 2005 debut album, “The Way It Is,” sold more than 1.6 million copies and spawned the singles “I Changed My Mind,” “I Should Have Cheated,” and “Love.” Her second and third albums, “Just Like You” (2007) and “A Different Me” (2008) also went platinum and spawned seven top 10 R&b/hip-hop singles, as well as four Grammy nominations for “Just Like You.”
Her following albums, “Calling All Hearts” (2010), “Woman to Woman” (2012), and “Point of No Return” (2014) all reached the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and she released her seventh album, “11:11 Reset” in 2017. Her most recent music is a single from last year, “I Don’t Wanna Be in Love”; early last year she also faced off against Ashanti in a Verzuz battle that drew a reported 1.1 million viewers despite being postponed twice due to the pandemic.
Her 2005 debut album, “The Way It Is,” sold more than 1.6 million copies and spawned the singles “I Changed My Mind,” “I Should Have Cheated,” and “Love.” Her second and third albums, “Just Like You” (2007) and “A Different Me” (2008) also went platinum and spawned seven top 10 R&b/hip-hop singles, as well as four Grammy nominations for “Just Like You.”
Her following albums, “Calling All Hearts” (2010), “Woman to Woman” (2012), and “Point of No Return” (2014) all reached the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and she released her seventh album, “11:11 Reset” in 2017. Her most recent music is a single from last year, “I Don’t Wanna Be in Love”; early last year she also faced off against Ashanti in a Verzuz battle that drew a reported 1.1 million viewers despite being postponed twice due to the pandemic.
- 1/11/2022
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. And sometimes, we get to talk to movie stars about some of their own B-Sides!
Conor and I were honored to speak with screen legend Harvey Keitel, star of Lansky, written and directed by Eytan Rockaway. In the crime drama, which is now available digitally, Keitel plays the real-life gangster Meyer Lansky, recounting his complicated life to a down-on-his-luck writer (Sam Worthington).
We chat with Keitel about some B-Sides from the early ‘90s: The Two Jakes, Point of No Return, and Dangerous Game. There’s also a bit about The Border from 1982, a Tony Richardson crime thriller well worth your time.
For more from The B-Side, you can find every actor/director and the films discussed in one place here.
Conor and I were honored to speak with screen legend Harvey Keitel, star of Lansky, written and directed by Eytan Rockaway. In the crime drama, which is now available digitally, Keitel plays the real-life gangster Meyer Lansky, recounting his complicated life to a down-on-his-luck writer (Sam Worthington).
We chat with Keitel about some B-Sides from the early ‘90s: The Two Jakes, Point of No Return, and Dangerous Game. There’s also a bit about The Border from 1982, a Tony Richardson crime thriller well worth your time.
For more from The B-Side, you can find every actor/director and the films discussed in one place here.
- 11/4/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Last week, three studios made major announcements that suggest Premium VOD income isn’t enough to prioritize it over other platforms; this week, the VOD charts suggests a drop in the momentum toward home viewing options. This may be temporary, with “Candyman” (Universal/$19.99) scheduled for release September 16, but Disney will present the rest of its 2021 movie slate as initial theatrical exclusives. Universal placed “Halloween Kills” day-and-date on Peacock October 15, and Paramount announced that it would replace chairman and and CEO Jim Gianopulos with the more Paramount+-friendly Brian Robbins, currently head of Nickelodeon.
Warner Bros. provides same-day HBO Max access for its theatrical releases, but James Wan’s “Malignant,” a $40 million-budgeted horror film, mustered only 735,000 viewings (per Samba TV’s estimate). Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” this weekend and next month’s “Dune” should do much better. Disney’s “Free Guy,” just announced for September 28 PVOD, should also find high interest.
Warner Bros. provides same-day HBO Max access for its theatrical releases, but James Wan’s “Malignant,” a $40 million-budgeted horror film, mustered only 735,000 viewings (per Samba TV’s estimate). Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” this weekend and next month’s “Dune” should do much better. Disney’s “Free Guy,” just announced for September 28 PVOD, should also find high interest.
- 9/13/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Hou Hsiao-hsien is executive producing the seven-part anthology, directed by Huang Xi and starring Lee Kang-sheng.
WarnerMedia and Taiwan’s Catchplay are co-producing an original drama series Twisted Strings, which is executive produced by leading Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien.
Currently in post-production, the seven-part anthology series is produced by Catchplay’s newly established production arm, Screenworks Asia, in partnerships with Taiwan’s Bossdom and Singapore’s MediaCorp.
The series is written and directed by Golden Horse-nominated director, Huang Xi, who has worked with Hou on films including The Assassin (2015). Huang’s debut film Missing Johnny was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2017 Taipei Film Awards.
WarnerMedia and Taiwan’s Catchplay are co-producing an original drama series Twisted Strings, which is executive produced by leading Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien.
Currently in post-production, the seven-part anthology series is produced by Catchplay’s newly established production arm, Screenworks Asia, in partnerships with Taiwan’s Bossdom and Singapore’s MediaCorp.
The series is written and directed by Golden Horse-nominated director, Huang Xi, who has worked with Hou on films including The Assassin (2015). Huang’s debut film Missing Johnny was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2017 Taipei Film Awards.
- 8/30/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
This article contains minor spoilers for The Protégé and Nikita.
The TV landscape has always been ahead of movies when it comes to giving women—and other underrepresented identities—a shot. This is probably because there has traditionally been less money to be made on TV, so the rich, mostly white men who rule Hollywood have left TV to a slightly more diverse crowd of behind-the-scenes talent to tell slightly more diverse—especially on less “important” platforms like The CW.
Action flick The Protégé, released in theaters last weekend, tells this story too well. The film pairs Casino Royale director Martin Campbell with proven action hero Maggie Q, and it should be a shoe-in for a good time. Unfortunately, a terrible script results in a 109-minute reminder of just how good Q’s underrated action TV series Nikita truly was, and just how much kinder action TV has been to...
The TV landscape has always been ahead of movies when it comes to giving women—and other underrepresented identities—a shot. This is probably because there has traditionally been less money to be made on TV, so the rich, mostly white men who rule Hollywood have left TV to a slightly more diverse crowd of behind-the-scenes talent to tell slightly more diverse—especially on less “important” platforms like The CW.
Action flick The Protégé, released in theaters last weekend, tells this story too well. The film pairs Casino Royale director Martin Campbell with proven action hero Maggie Q, and it should be a shoe-in for a good time. Unfortunately, a terrible script results in a 109-minute reminder of just how good Q’s underrated action TV series Nikita truly was, and just how much kinder action TV has been to...
- 8/26/2021
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
No, really, we’re asking: Which queen is returning to RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6? Even after this week’s episode, we still don’t know.
The long-awaited “game within a game” finally arrived in Episode 10, and it turned out to be pretty much exactly what fans expected: an all-out lip sync smackdown — in fact, it was literally called RuPaul’s Secret Rudemption Lip Sync Smackdown — that would end with one of the eliminated queens returning to the competition. It was a real treat for those viewers who love watching queens they’ve already forgotten about competing for a...
The long-awaited “game within a game” finally arrived in Episode 10, and it turned out to be pretty much exactly what fans expected: an all-out lip sync smackdown — in fact, it was literally called RuPaul’s Secret Rudemption Lip Sync Smackdown — that would end with one of the eliminated queens returning to the competition. It was a real treat for those viewers who love watching queens they’ve already forgotten about competing for a...
- 8/20/2021
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
The time has come! It's been 84 years, but the game-within-a-game was revealed to the remaining queens on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Episode 10.
After weeks of speculation, the lip-sync smackdown confirmed the theories burning through the internet. Of course, the queens would need to lip-sync to come back to the competition. Lip-syncing is the essence of Drag Race.
Nine queens entered, but only one would return. This is a Lip Sync For Your Life bloodbath!
The rudemption lip-sync smackdown had a great format to it.
Doing a sudden-death elimination order based on the most recent eliminated queen provided a fair and even set-up. Each queen had to work their way up and put in the effort to make it past the next round.
This tower model is better for this rudemption than the bracket-style in the Lip-Sync For The Crown. It wouldn't be fair to a queen like Pandora Boxx or Eureka!
After weeks of speculation, the lip-sync smackdown confirmed the theories burning through the internet. Of course, the queens would need to lip-sync to come back to the competition. Lip-syncing is the essence of Drag Race.
Nine queens entered, but only one would return. This is a Lip Sync For Your Life bloodbath!
The rudemption lip-sync smackdown had a great format to it.
Doing a sudden-death elimination order based on the most recent eliminated queen provided a fair and even set-up. Each queen had to work their way up and put in the effort to make it past the next round.
This tower model is better for this rudemption than the bracket-style in the Lip-Sync For The Crown. It wouldn't be fair to a queen like Pandora Boxx or Eureka!
- 8/19/2021
- by Justin Carreiro
- TVfanatic
Chinese censors have approved Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi spectacular “Dune” for release in the world’s largest film market. The film has officially announced that it will hit local screens this year, although it has not yet set a release date.
In late June, Warner Bros. shifted the film’s U.S. release date back from Oct. 1 to Oct. 22 amidst a larger scheduling reshuffle by the company. In China, the film is distributed by Wanda subsidiary Legendary Pictures.
A big consideration for the timing change may have been that the planned Oct. 1 release would have coincided with China’s Oct. 1 National Day holiday and the subsequent weeks-long protectionist period during which there is an unofficial blackout on foreign titles to boost sales for local propaganda films. Other types of blockbusters, local and imported alike, should be returning to theaters around the Oct. 22 date.
The later date also bolsters its Chinese box office prospects.
In late June, Warner Bros. shifted the film’s U.S. release date back from Oct. 1 to Oct. 22 amidst a larger scheduling reshuffle by the company. In China, the film is distributed by Wanda subsidiary Legendary Pictures.
A big consideration for the timing change may have been that the planned Oct. 1 release would have coincided with China’s Oct. 1 National Day holiday and the subsequent weeks-long protectionist period during which there is an unofficial blackout on foreign titles to boost sales for local propaganda films. Other types of blockbusters, local and imported alike, should be returning to theaters around the Oct. 22 date.
The later date also bolsters its Chinese box office prospects.
- 7/14/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Though Marvel has decided to consolidate all of its cinematic universe offerings onto Disney+, some outliers still live on for other streaming services. In May 2021, Hulu is set to premiere the latest non-canon Marvel series.
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
- 5/1/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Following competitive bidding war, Apple Studios has landed Dolly, a new feature film with Academy Award-nominee Florence Pugh attached to star with Vanessa Taylor and Drew Pearce Penning the script. Insiders close to the project stress the project is not greenlit at this time as the script still needs to penned and a director still needs to be attached. Insiders go on to add that the package caught the interest of a total of four bidders that included multiple studios and another streamer with Apple TV+ emerging as the winner earlier this week.
The film is a sci-fi courtroom drama in which a robotic “companion doll” kills its owner and then shocks the world by claiming that she is not guilty and asking for a lawyer. The film, which is inspired by Elizabeth Bear’s short story of the same name, has elements of both classic courtroom drama and sci-fi.
The film is a sci-fi courtroom drama in which a robotic “companion doll” kills its owner and then shocks the world by claiming that she is not guilty and asking for a lawyer. The film, which is inspired by Elizabeth Bear’s short story of the same name, has elements of both classic courtroom drama and sci-fi.
- 2/10/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Considering the way Asian cinema has impacted the international movie industry the last few years, it is easy to say that this was one of the best decades in the history of the cinema of the continent. The success of most of the film that feature in the top 10 of this list is undeniable, while the ripples sent were felt quite significantly this year also, with Asian films getting recognition all over the world
In an effort to winnow some of the best Asian movies of the decade (2011-2020) we came up with 60 we felt were the ones that truly stand out in terms of quality, impact and sheer entertainment they offered. The order of this list could be different of course and the number much bigger, but our effort was towards presenting great films and not cataloguing all of them, always with a focus on diversity in style, themes and country of origin,...
In an effort to winnow some of the best Asian movies of the decade (2011-2020) we came up with 60 we felt were the ones that truly stand out in terms of quality, impact and sheer entertainment they offered. The order of this list could be different of course and the number much bigger, but our effort was towards presenting great films and not cataloguing all of them, always with a focus on diversity in style, themes and country of origin,...
- 1/20/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Although contemplative in spirit, “Anima” gives this sense of urgency that comes with the awareness of how inevitable and grave are the implications of its matter. The action may be set in the 80s, but the environmental issues the movie addresses grow bigger by the day in the contemporary world. And Cao Jinling makes our relationship with nature the focal point of her impressive debut. With an academic background in literature and a previous experience in scriptwriting, the director envisions this relevant subject through immensely symbolic reflection. Thus, it is not a documentary-like tale, but a story with a heart and soul, in which the “deforestation process” isn’t just a clinical fact, but something indissolubly bound with the lives and fates of certain people.
Anima is available from Fortissimo Films
The tale is set in the 80’s, when China initiated its economic development programs resulting in grievous logging, especially...
Anima is available from Fortissimo Films
The tale is set in the 80’s, when China initiated its economic development programs resulting in grievous logging, especially...
- 1/13/2021
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
The directing debut of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling, the film is premiering at Cairo film festival next week.
Fortissimo Films has picked up worldwide rights, excluding China, to Anima (Moerdaoga), the debut feature of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling.
The film, which stars Wang Chuanjun and Qi Xi, is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival on December 8, with the director in attendance.
Filmed on location in the Moerdaoga National Forest in Inner Mongolia, the film is set in the 1980s when China had just launched its programme of economic opening and development.
The coming-of-age story follows a young man,...
Fortissimo Films has picked up worldwide rights, excluding China, to Anima (Moerdaoga), the debut feature of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling.
The film, which stars Wang Chuanjun and Qi Xi, is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival on December 8, with the director in attendance.
Filmed on location in the Moerdaoga National Forest in Inner Mongolia, the film is set in the 1980s when China had just launched its programme of economic opening and development.
The coming-of-age story follows a young man,...
- 12/2/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien is arguably one of the greatest filmmakers in the world (he was voted “Director of the Decade” for the 1990s in a poll of American and international critics by The Village Voice and Film Comment). But his output of late has been so incredibly slow and sparse; it’s arguably put a damper on his global acclaim outside the world of cinephiles. While he received arguably his highest mark of international acclaim when he won the Best Director prize in Cannes for “The Assassin” in 2015, the film before that “Flight of the Red Balloon” (2007) was eight years prior.
Continue reading ‘Flowers of Shanghai’: Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Masterpiece Gets A 4K Restoration Trailer at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Flowers of Shanghai’: Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Masterpiece Gets A 4K Restoration Trailer at The Playlist.
- 11/20/2020
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Local film project “SARSTorm” dominated the 2020 edition of the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, winning three prizes including the Nt$1 million Grand Prize. Lee Sinje, a previous winner of the best actress prize at the Golden Horse Awards, picked up two further prizes with her executive producing debut, “ABang ADik,” featuring producer-turned-director Jin Ong.
The project market, which ran Nov. 16-18, focuses on Chinese-language film-making and consists of three parts: one-on-one private meetings between producers and potential financiers, distributors and sales agents; professional workshops; and industry panels. It also includes a work-in-progress section and for the first time this year opened to projects to be made as TV or streaming series.
Organizers claimed to have facilitated 992 meetings between financiers from around the world and representatives of the 40 selected projects across the three sections.
Past winners have included “Nina Wu,” Lina Yang’s “Spring Tide,” ”Heavy Craving,” “Changfeng Town” and ”Back to the Wharf,...
The project market, which ran Nov. 16-18, focuses on Chinese-language film-making and consists of three parts: one-on-one private meetings between producers and potential financiers, distributors and sales agents; professional workshops; and industry panels. It also includes a work-in-progress section and for the first time this year opened to projects to be made as TV or streaming series.
Organizers claimed to have facilitated 992 meetings between financiers from around the world and representatives of the 40 selected projects across the three sections.
Past winners have included “Nina Wu,” Lina Yang’s “Spring Tide,” ”Heavy Craving,” “Changfeng Town” and ”Back to the Wharf,...
- 11/18/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”) returned for a second evening at the Tokyo International Film festival’s Asia Lounge talk series, which features dialogues between leading Asian film directors and their Japanese peers.
On a video link from Taiwan, Kore-eda’s onscreen guest was award-winning filmmaker Huang Xi. Her debut feature, “Missing Johnny” won the Taipei Film Festival best screenplay award in 2017.
The two shared far-reaching connections with Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien,” with whom Huang had worked on such films as “Goodbye South Goodbye,” and “The Assassin.”
Kore-eda praised “Missing Johnny” for scenes including one with actress Rima Zeidan and a parrot, which the camera catches in the street, among greenery, and from a distance, rather than in close-up. “The area was good for portraying just how small human beings can be against the height of the trees,” said Huang.
“I had many long takes because I became interested in certain scenes,...
On a video link from Taiwan, Kore-eda’s onscreen guest was award-winning filmmaker Huang Xi. Her debut feature, “Missing Johnny” won the Taipei Film Festival best screenplay award in 2017.
The two shared far-reaching connections with Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien,” with whom Huang had worked on such films as “Goodbye South Goodbye,” and “The Assassin.”
Kore-eda praised “Missing Johnny” for scenes including one with actress Rima Zeidan and a parrot, which the camera catches in the street, among greenery, and from a distance, rather than in close-up. “The area was good for portraying just how small human beings can be against the height of the trees,” said Huang.
“I had many long takes because I became interested in certain scenes,...
- 11/3/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Wild Swords” is not your usual wuxia. For starters, it is an independent production (Feng Xiaogang is credited as producer) that fulfilled its budget through crowdfunding, and not a blockbuster in the style of “Shadow” or the older “Hero”. Furthermore, its aesthetics linger somewhere between Zhang Yimou‘s masterpieces and Hou Hsiao-hsen‘s “The Assassin“, while Li Yunbo also seems to have loaned elements from the anime “Shigurui” and from “Rashomon” regarding the different version of the events. Let us see how this amalgam worked out.
“Wild Swords” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The rather labyrinthal case revolves around the Nameless Sect, a renowned syndicate of assassins, whose members are considered to have been butchered by the rival Tang-men Sect, with the exception of the latest pupil, Chang Weiran, who is nowhere to be found. Ten years later, and as the story actually begins, Guo, a thief,...
“Wild Swords” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The rather labyrinthal case revolves around the Nameless Sect, a renowned syndicate of assassins, whose members are considered to have been butchered by the rival Tang-men Sect, with the exception of the latest pupil, Chang Weiran, who is nowhere to be found. Ten years later, and as the story actually begins, Guo, a thief,...
- 10/29/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has announced director-screenwriter Hou Hsiao-Hsien and songwriter Harry Belafonte as recipients of this year’s career achievement awards, and Norman Lloyd as the recipient of its legacy award.
“In light of the challenges that 2020 has presented, we are particularly thrilled to be expressing our profound admiration this year for our esteemed honorees,” said Lafca president Claudia Puig. “In addition to our two brilliant career achievement winners, it’s an honor to create an award worthy of an inspirational figure in time for his 106th birthday.”
A leading figure in Taiwanese cinema, Hsiao-Hsien has received several international prizes, including the Golden Lion at 1989’s Venice International Film Festival for “A City of Sadness,” and selected best director for “The Assassin” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. He has written and directed a slew of films, including “A Time to Live and a Time to Die,...
“In light of the challenges that 2020 has presented, we are particularly thrilled to be expressing our profound admiration this year for our esteemed honorees,” said Lafca president Claudia Puig. “In addition to our two brilliant career achievement winners, it’s an honor to create an award worthy of an inspirational figure in time for his 106th birthday.”
A leading figure in Taiwanese cinema, Hsiao-Hsien has received several international prizes, including the Golden Lion at 1989’s Venice International Film Festival for “A City of Sadness,” and selected best director for “The Assassin” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. He has written and directed a slew of films, including “A Time to Live and a Time to Die,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Janet W. Lee
- Variety Film + TV
By Cai Ross
“Directing is so much more than staging scenes or moving the camera,” explains John Badham in the new edition of his last book. “It is how to make the impossible possible. It is storytelling, imagination, people managing, resource skills, physical stamina, so many things a director is called upon to be good at. Including accepting the blame for everything: the script, the performances, the camerawork etc., etc., etc. And yet, in spite of all those limitations, obstacles, and endless politics, we charge forward trying to make the very best of what we have to work with. Who else would do such a crazy thing? But how can we not?”
In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, John Badham enjoyed something of the Midas Touch. A former actor - and brother of To Kill a Mockingbird actress Mary Badham - he had graduated at the same movie...
“Directing is so much more than staging scenes or moving the camera,” explains John Badham in the new edition of his last book. “It is how to make the impossible possible. It is storytelling, imagination, people managing, resource skills, physical stamina, so many things a director is called upon to be good at. Including accepting the blame for everything: the script, the performances, the camerawork etc., etc., etc. And yet, in spite of all those limitations, obstacles, and endless politics, we charge forward trying to make the very best of what we have to work with. Who else would do such a crazy thing? But how can we not?”
In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, John Badham enjoyed something of the Midas Touch. A former actor - and brother of To Kill a Mockingbird actress Mary Badham - he had graduated at the same movie...
- 10/23/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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