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Clint Eastwood just made a pretty bold and interesting decision for his next movie. Instead of casting actors to play real-life heroes, he simply decided to cast the actual real-life heroes. The 15:17 to Paris, which is based on the Isis terrorist attack that was prevented by three friends in August of 2015, is going to star Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone as themselves in the big screen retelling of their heroic tale that saved the lives of hundreds of people on a train from Brussels to Paris. The movie has already begun production this week.

According to Variety, Clint Eastwood had been looking at actors to play the three heroes in 15:17 to Paris and he and Warner Bros. had reportedly settled on actors to take on the roles. However, at the last minute, they decided to bring in Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone to do it themselves. This is pretty non-traditional,...

We cannot remember a point in cinematic history at which witches were as prevalent as they are now. The 70s maybe? In any event these magical antagonists have never been hotter... even when burning at the stake. Next up is one from our friends across the pond.

From the Press Release

Principal photography has been completed on the British independent horror film Valley Of The Witch. The film, based on real events, follows the story of Kristen Matthews, who moves from London to the Welsh village of Cwmgwrach in search of a fresh start. She settles into her new surroundings, makes friends with her neighbours, and all appears well. But a series of unexplained suicides occur in the village, leaving the local police baffled. Kristen begins to experience vivid nightmares, and the local priest suffers supernatural attacks at church. Dormant spirits have been re-awakened. Can anyone stop the manifestation of ancient evil?...

Last year, Ben Solovey discovered a workprint of Manos: The Hands of Fate and set out to complete a high definition restoration of the film. After a successful crowd funding project and months of hard work, the restoration is complete and will be screening tomorrow at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. We recently had a chance to catch up with Ben Solovey and ask him all about the restoration project and his love of Manos:

When did you first become aware of Manos: The Hands of Fate? What was your initial impression of it?

Ben Solovey: Like most people, I first saw “Manos” on Mystery Science Theater 3000, more specifically on a VHS release of that episode. It’s one of the few episodes that has consistently been available in stores thanks to the public domain. My first impressions were of the griminess of the film, but also...

Filmed over a decade ago, writer/director William Jennings’ Harlem Aria is advertised as a tale about dreams, self-destruction, redemption and opera. However, after seeing it, you realize that the film is mostly a showcase for Executive Producer Damon Wayans to chew the scenery and showcase his talents. This would be fine if his performance wasn’t to the detriment of the rest of the cast. However it is, and even the main character seems to get lost in the wake of Wayans’ greedy portrayal of a homeless hustler. The only thing that survives his incessant scene stealing is the wonderful opera tunes.

Anton (Gabriel Casseus) is a sweet but simple savant in the mold of Forrest Gump. He has the habit of believing the best in everyone and trusts what everyone tells him. Anton lives with his caring but unintentionally smothering Aunt (Eyde Byrde) who treats him like a child.

Harlem Aria is the story of Anton, a young man with a gift, sheltered all his life; an easy target.

Harlem Aria is the story of Matthew, a young man who finally got lucky; a helping hand.

Harlem Aria is the story of Wes, a young man who no longer believes in luck.

Movies like Harlem Aria succeed when we become afraid for its players; when we find ourselves anticipating the worst, even through our half-hearted understanding of the people involved. I’ve now seen Harlem Aria twice, months apart, and in both instances, the initially hesitant crowd has been worked into a frenzy of laughter, gasps, and tears. Its greatest strength, though, is how seamlessly director William Jennings intertwines these emotional responses. A quarter of the way through, you may feel like you know every bit of who these people are, what they have been through, and what they are capable of.

The desire to be an opera singer is a career path that the broad majority of Americans would probably treat with some skepticism. If you come from Harlem, that skepticism is probably more palpable than most places. Yet the protagonist of Bill Jennings’ winning first feature Harlem Aria finds himself in just such a predicament. Anton (Gabriel Casseus), a dim-witted, twentysomething Harlemite who launders clothes for a living and resides with his overbearing grandmother, is determined to do just that. Despite the bullying of local teens and the entreaties from a local drug dealer (Malik Yoba) to work for him, Anton pursues his dream with aplomb and in the process gains a pair of unlikely allies: Wes (a terrific Damon Wayons), an...

We have new images in from Magnolia Pictures "Harlem Aria,."The film is helmed and written by William Jennings. Starring are Damon Wayans (Wes), Gabriel Casseus (Anton), Christian Camargo (Matthew), Edye Byrde (Auntie), Malik Yoba (Luke), Kristen Wilson (Julia), Paul Sorvino (Fabiano Grazzi), Nicole Ari Parker (Clarise) and Richard Edson (Jimmy). Deepak Nayar and Philip von Alvensleben produce. Anton (Gabriel Casseus) isn’t like the other guys in Harlem. He is 28 years old and a little slow, but has a heart of gold and an extraordinary singing voice. Because of his deficit, Anton’s never had a chance to realize the dream that sets him apart in his working class neighborhood: to become a world class opera singer...

There’s an ad in the latest issue of Home Media Magazine for that the indie film Harlem Aria starring Damon Wayans and Gabriel Casseus coming on on Magnolia DVD April 6. Now lest anyone may think this is a new film think again. The film was actually made back in 1999, and only now is it getting some kind of release. I’m sure anybody who sees the film will quickly figure out that it’s been in the can for a while from the sight of the World Trade Center in the background in a couple of scenes. I remember seeing it in 2001 at the Chicago International Film Festival and that was at least two years even after I first heard about the film in the first place. As for why it’s taken so long to get any kind of release, well I think I can provide that answer for that…...

The Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (Sodec), Quebec's cultural sponsor for the film industry, announced the 12 lucky feature films that will be subsidized. Speaking of homegrown films, eight will be in French and one will be in English. The rest of the films are co-productions.

Homegrown films in French:

Bo$$É: Directed by Claude Desrosiers, this film is a satirical comedy about financial scandals seen through the eyes of a corrupt man, Bernard Bossé. The film will be scripted by André Ducharme, Luc Déry and Yves Lapierre. The film is produced by Les productions Équinoxe and will be distributed by Alliance Atlantis.

Décharge: A criminal who found redemption randomly meets a prostitute. However, the meeting, brings back in the criminal things from his past. Written by Benoît Pilon and Pierre Szalowski. Directed by Benoît Pilon (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre). Produced by Forum Films and distributed by Remstar Distribution.