News

Hundreds of war movies exist, designed to thrill audiences, sometimes at the behest of the summer movie season -- we're looking at you "Pearl Harbor." Too often, Hollywood neglects to tell the whole story, resulting in cookie-cutter pictures like John Wayne's "The Green Berets" or generic action extravaganzas like John Woo's "Windtalkers." Sure, they may contain state-of-the-art special effects, A-list stars, and rousing battle scenes, but they too often rely on genre cliches or wrap their historical backdrops around sappy romantic subplots.

What's missing? Well, all great war movies contain a pivotal ingredient: realism. Far too many pictures nix this key element and wind up as shallow cash grabs that exploit history for their own benefit. Luckily, plenty of directors also went to great lengths to achieve optimal realism, ensuring audiences walked away from their pictures with a greater understanding of the strength and sacrifices of those who died on the battlefield.

Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 biographical war movie about Desmond T. Doss - a veteran of WW2 and a conscientious objector who serves as the combat medic for the 77th Infantry Division. Ridiculed for his faith and consigned as the company coward, Doss goes above and beyond when his division becomes trapped on Hacksaw Ridge with only him left to keep the injured men alive.

The movie, directed by Mel Gibson and written by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight, was nominated for six Academy Awards, of which it won two. Hacksaw Ridge is a brilliant and brutal look into the nature of war and worthy of a stream, and given it's coming to a streaming platform soon, Peacock subscribers can take to viewing it as Doss took to saving lives, "Give me one more!" Hacksaw Ridge will start streaming on Peacock on March 31.

Related The Only Star Wars Ripoff Worth Watching...

In 2006, Mel Gibson was just about the most controversial guy in Hollywood. But he was, let’s all admit it, still an icon of the screen. As such, some people still had a lot of faith in him. And that faith would be translated in Hacksaw Ridge. There was the faith of its central figure, Desmond Doss; that which the producers and studio put into Gibson; and that which Gibson himself had in the project, which would tell of a conscientious objector during World War II. A gamble? Absolutely. A success? Unprecedented. So pick up that weapon, soldier – or, better yet, be at ease – as we find out: What Happened to This Movie?!

Hacksaw Ridge centers around the real-life figure of Desmond Doss, who served as a medic during World War II and became famous for his refusal to carry a weapon. Even still, he is credited with saving 75 lives while in action.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Paramount+ is ready with an entertainment-packed November this year. The upcoming month will see the premiere of some of the best Paramount+ original shows including Landman and The Agency. Just like every month, Paramount+ is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 10 best movies and TV shows coming to Paramount+ in November 2024.

Hacksaw Ridge (November 1)

Hacksaw Ridge is a biographical epic war drama film directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay co-written by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight. Based on the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector by Terry Benedict, the 2016 film follows the story of Desmond Doss, who joins the army after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour but refuses to handle weapons and engage in war instead he chooses to serve as a combat medic in the American army.

Tasmania-set crime-drama series “Bay of Fires” is to be reignited for a second season.

The show sees a single mother, portrayed by Marta Dusseldorp, forced into a witness protection program that relocates her and her family to a remote location in Tasmania. There they are surrounded by a community of suspicious and criminally-minded individuals.

The second season gives her a glimmer of hope. After months in which time nobody has tried to kill her, the woman finds herself in a position of influence. But she needs to juggle a host of new problems, some of which are of her own making.

The writing team is headed by Andrew Knight and Max Dann, Romina Accurso, Josephine Dee Barrett and Hannah Samuel (“The Pm’s Daughter”).

The show is an Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia production for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It has major production investment from the ABC and Screen Australia, in...

Hulu’s official trailer for The Artful Dodger shows Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the titular character trying to pass as a doctor and a gentleman before being reluctantly drawn back into a life of crime. The eight-episode Australian original series will premiere on Hulu on November 29, 2023, with all episodes dropping at once.

Brodie-Sangster stars as Jack Dawkins (also known as The Artful Dodger), David Thewlis is Fagin, and Maia Mitchell is Lady Belle Fox. Damon Herriman, Tim Minchin, Miranda Tapsell, Susie Porter, Damien Garvey, Kym Gyngell, Vivienne Awosoga, and Albert Latailakepa also star.

James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor created the series based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, with McNamara writing and executive producing along with Andrew Knight. Executive producer Jeffrey Walker directs and Ross Allsop serves as a producer. Additional executive producers include Curio Pictures’ Jo Porter and Beach Road Pictures’ David Maher and David Taylor.

“The Artful Dodger...

Exclusive: We’re getting an exclusive look at the first footage and key art from Hulu original The Artful Dodger, Disney’s Australian series starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell. It’s set to premiere Wednesday, November 29 on Hulu in the U.S.

Billed as an irreverent follow-up to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist exploring the adult double life of the famous prince of thieves, the series is set in 1850s Australia where Jack Dawkins, aka young rogue The Artful Dodger (Brodie-Sangster), is now all grown up and has transferred his skills as a pickpocket to the nimble fingers of a surgeon.

His past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin (Thewlis), luring him back into a world of crime, while the local governor’s daughter (Mitchell), who is determined to become the colony’s first female surgeon, appears to be a greater threat, at least to his heart.

Disney+ has revealed first look images for its Australian original series The Artful Dodger, starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell, along with a premiere date of November 29.

Described as an irreverent follow-up to Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’, the series is set in 1850s Australia where Jack Dawkins, aka young rogue The Artful Dodger (Brodie-Sangster), is now all grown up and has transferred his skills as a pickpocket to the nimble fingers of a surgeon.

His past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin (Thewlis), luring him back into a world of crime, while the local governor’s daughter (Maia Mitchell), who is determined to become the colony’s first female surgeon, appears to be a greater threat, at least to his heart.

David Thewlis as Fagin

“From heists and life-and-death surgeries to the harsh realities of the criminal world mingling with the middle ground and gentry,...

Disney+ has announced the cast of the Disney+ Australian original series ‘The Artful Dodger,’ which includes Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis (“Landscapers,” “Fargo”) and Maia Mitchell lead the stellar cast, with Brodie-Sangster taking on the role of “Jack Dawkins” aka “The Artful Dodger,” Thewlis as “Fagin” and Mitchell as “Lady Belle Fox.”

The series is a character drama set in 1850s Australia and is a much-loved story with a twist. Across eight episodes the scripted series explores the adult double life of Charles Dickens’ famous prince of thieves – Dodger – now a surgeon, but who can’t shake his predilection for crime. From high-octane heists to life-and-death surgeries, glittering parties to colourful streets, this series is a rock’n’roll tale with an Aussie connection.

Also in news – Scarlett Johansson set to star in Amazon limited series ‘Just Cause’

The cast includes an incredible line-up of Australian talent, featuring Damon Herriman), Miranda Tapsell,...

Click here to read the full article.

Disney+ unveiled the starring cast of its upcoming Australian period drama The Artful Dodger Wednesday at its Asia-Pacific content showcase event in Singapore. Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Pistol, The Queen’s Gambit), David Thewlis (Landscapers, Fargo) and Australian actress Maia Mitchell (Good Trouble, The Fosters) will lead the cast, with Brodie-Sangster taking on the role of Jack Dawkins, aka “The Artful Dodger” himself, Thewlis playing Fagin and Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox.

The Artful Dodger, which was first announced in May, is described as an international character-driven drama set in 1850s Australia, which gives a twist to the classic Charles Dickens character, Dodger. The eight-episode series finds Dodger living a double life as a surgeon who still can’t shake his predilection for crime.

“From high-octane heists to life-and-death surgeries, glittering parties to colorful streets, this series is a rock’n’roll tale with an Aussie connection,...

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Australia’s Maia Mitchell head the cast of “The Artful Dodger,” an Australian series for Disney+ that is now beginning production. The series explores the adult double life of Charles Dickens’ famous prince of thieves, Dodger, who has become a surgeon, but retains criminal tendencies.

Disney unveiled the eight-part show at its Content Showcase in Singapore on Wednesday. It was pitched as “a premium character drama set in 1850s Australia and as “a rock’n’roll tale with an Aussie connection,” spanning “high-octane heists to life-and-death surgeries [and] glittering parties to colorful streets.”

Jeffrey Walker is the set-up director and co-executive producer, with directors Corrie Chen and Gracie Otto. The series is written by James McNamara, Andrew Knight, Vivienne Walshe and Dan Knight, with Miranda Tapsell.

It will be filmed in New South Wales, Australia, with financial support provided by the state government through Screen Nsw’s Made in Nsw fund.

Likable debut feature casts Sally Phillips as the mother of two tearaways, one of whom turns crimefighter when his motorbike is pinched

An expanded version of a well-received short of the same name made in 2018, this represents a sparky if a smidge predictable feature debut for writer-director William Stone, fronted by a mix of fresh and familiar onscreen faces. The redoubtable Sally Phillips probably worked three or four days max to play put-upon working-class Sharon, mother to two variously dodgy young men, all of them living on a Bristol council estate in the 1980s. The younger brother Steve has a steady job working at the local butcher and boosts his income with illegal fishing, selling the catch to a local restaurant. As the film starts, he’s finally saved enough scratch to buy a small Honda Xl 125 motorbike, which promptly gets nicked five minutes after he drives it home and...

Hounds of Love..

In a David and Goliath battle, the screenplays for Ben Young.s debut feature Hounds of Love and Mel Gibson.s Hacksaw Ridge will compete for the original feature film prize at this year.s Awgie Awards.

That pits a low-budgeted film scripted by Young, which has grossed $125,000 in three weeks at six Australian cinemas, against the $US40 million WW2 drama written by Andrew Knight with Robert Schenkkan, which has amassed $US175.3 million worldwide.

There is only one nomination for the feature film adaptation category so the winner almost certainly will be Luke Davies for Lion, based on Saroo Brierley.s memoir.

The 50th Annual Awgie Awards presented by the Australian Writers. Guild will be handed out in Sydney on Friday August 25.

Individual category winners will be eligible for the Major Award, given to the most outstanding script of the year. Past winners have included the writers...

All hell breaks loose when the son of a Muslim cleric lies about his medical entrance exam scores in Ali's Wedding, a wholesale charmer based on the real-life experiences of its leading man, Osamah Sami. Directed with a glossy commercial sheen and expert comic timing by Jeffrey Walker, the tyro Australian director whose credits include episodes of Modern Family and Difficult People, this sure-fire crowd-pleaser could well find a receptive audience abroad after its August bow in local cinemas. Powered by a winning lead performance from Sami, who wrote the script with veteran scribe Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge), and vividly...

Dual campaigns to fight online piracy worldwide and to withstand any weakening of copyright protection in Australia are stepping up.

Village Roadshow and Foxtel have joined a newly-formed global coalition of 30 content creators and on-demand entertainment companies dedicated to reducing online piracy.

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (Ace) will draw on the worldwide anti-piracy resources of the Motion Picture Association of America, in concert with the efforts of coalition members.

Ace.s membership includes the Hollywood majors, Amazon, Netflix, BBC Worldwide, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, CBS, Canal+ Group, Constantin Film, Millennium Media, Sky, Star India, Studio Babelsberg, Stx Entertainment and Telemundo.

Its mandate is to conduct research; work closely with law enforcement to curtail illegal pirate enterprises; file civil litigation; forge cooperative relationships with national content protection organisations; and pursue voluntary agreements with responsible parties across the internet.

Village Roadshow co-chairman/co-ceo Graham Burke said, .Nothing is more important or...

(l-r) James Mackay, Sarah Snook and Jocelyn Moorhouse on the set of 'The Dressmaker' (photo credit: Ben King).

Screen Australia has announced development funding for seven feature films and one high-end television project, plus production funding for three digital series and one Vr project..

Among the slate of features is The Wedding Officer, a WWII drama adapted by Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge, Jack Irish) from a novel by Anthony Capella.

Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) is attached to direct with Revlover Films' Martha Coleman producing. The feature has secured matched funding from eOne, who produced Knight's The Water Diviner.

The film revolves around a young British officer sent to allied occupied Naples to clean up corruption and curb the run of British soldiers marrying Neapolitan girls. The locals decide to corrupt him the best way they know how: with food. .

Other films include Relic, a Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories...

BAFTA wins for Dev Patel and Luke Davies - Lion at The Paris Theatre Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Luke Davies, the screenwriter of Lion (based on Saroo Brierley's memoir A Long Way Home) was a BAFTA Adapted Screenplay nominee along with Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals) Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures); Eric Heisserer (Arrival); and Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge). On Sunday night, it was announced that he and Dev Patel (Best Supporting Actor) for his portrayal of Saroo Brierley were honoured with BAFTAs.

During our conversation, Luke Davies gave me some insight on Sue Brierley and Nicole Kidman, Burt Lancaster in John Frankenheimer's The Train, Anton Corbijn, looking forward to Gianfranco Rosi's Boatman, his work on Felix Van Groeningen's upcoming Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell for Jeremy Kleiner of Brad Pitt's Plan B, and what he learned at the World Premiere of Lion in New York.

Hacksaw Ridge

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD

Summit Entertainment

2016 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 139 min. / Street Date February 21, 2017 / 39.99

Starring – Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths, Luke Pegler.

Cinematography – Simon Duggan

Film Editor – John Gilbert

Original Music – Rupert Gregson-Williams

Written by – Robert Schenkkan, Andrew Knight

Produced by – Paul Currie, Bruce Davey, William D. Johnson, Bill Mechanic,

Directed by – Mel Gibson

Combat movies fascinate this reviewer — if you look at the Savant review index you’ll see that I review practically every war picture of note that I can get my hands on. But brace yourself — I become huffy when I see themes of patriotism and faith used to deliver dicey messages.

Mel Gibson’s big, slick WW2 combat film Hacksaw Ridge tells the truly inspiring story of combat medic Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor and the only one to...

Screenwriter Shelley Birse won the top prize at last year's Awgie Awards for her work on 'The Code'..

The Australian Writers. Guild has opened up entries for the 50th annual Awgie Awards.

The awards recognise and reward the outstanding achievements of Aussie storytellers and their contribution to our cultural landscape.

Shelley Birse, who won last year.s Major Award for penning the second season of the ABC's cyber thriller The Code, said the Awgie Awards had ruined her life.

.I can't get more than three words of crippling self-doubt out before someone in my family walks to the bookshelf and brandishes the bronze statue my way," she said.

.To be given the nod from the writers I respect most in the world? I wish this kind of ruination for everyone..

Other winners at last year.s awards included Angus Cerini for his Helpmann Award-winning play The Bleeding Tree...

(l-r) Luke Bracey with Mel Gibson. (Photo credit: Mark Rogers).

It was third time lucky when Mel Gibson signed on to Hacksaw Ridge in 2014, having been offered the film by producer Bill Mechanic twice before.

.I approached Mel in 2002, in 2010, and then again in 2014, which is the first time he said yes,. says Mechanic..

.He's the only one I approached twice. I guess in my mind he was always the perfect director for it. I just had to get it in his mind that he was the perfect director for it..

Before his third attempt, Mechanic brought on Randall Wallace, who wrote Braveheart, to take a pass at the script.

.Randall's changes were not earth shattering,. says Mechanic. .He won't be credited in the final screenplay. But I think it might have made it more appealing to Mel to read [that] Randy was working on it..

The WWII action drama is...

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughan, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington | Written by Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan | Directed by Mel Gibson

Andrew Garfield goes to Japan to face a powerful enemy, and finds his Christian faith and pacifist opposition tested to the limit in a realm of violent conflict. But enough about Martin Scorsese’s Silence. This is Hacksaw Ridge, the directorial resurrection of the notorious Mel Gibson. It’s a safe and solid return, one which hits the standard war movie beats and only really distinguishes itself as a result of the incredible true story at its core.

Garfield is Desmond Doss, a Virginia boy whose father Tom (Hugo Weaving) is an alcoholic brute, lost in the mire of Ptsd following his service in the Great War. Tom doesn’t want his sons to go to war. Especially not the smart, gentle one. But Des is drawn by duty, so he ships off to Fort Jackson,...

Mel Gibson returns to the director's chair with the true-life war film, Hacksaw Ridge. Here's our review...

From Greek myths to modern comic book movies, heroes are often required to cross a threshold where the laws of the ordinary world are suspended. In Mel Gibson’s war film Hacksaw Ridge, it’s the landmark named in the title: a sheer cliff face on the island of Okinawa where, in the midst of WWII, Japanese forces are tenaciously dug in. When fresh-faced soldier Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) crosses the threshold into that territory, Gibson depicts the moment as a step into a purgatorial dimension of death and cruelty. It's nothing short of terrifying.

See related Donnie Darko's perfect study of teenage isolation Looking back at Richard Kelly's Southland Tales

Doss was a real-life Us soldier, a devout Christian who flatly refused to pick up a gun even in bootcamp,...

Mel Gibson on the set of ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ (Courtesy: Lionsgate)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

Mel Gibson has a chance at being nominated in the best director category at the 2017 Oscars for Hacksaw Ridge — but there is definitely some competition. While the 61-year-old multihyphenate has already received nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, snagging one from the Academy is not certain. How often have directors been gotten those two precursor nominations only to fall short of the all-important Oscar nomination?

Over the course of his lengthy career, Gibson has primarily been an actor. That being said, the New York native has stepped behind the camera and directed five feature films to date: 1993’s The Man Without a Face, 1995’s Braveheart, 2004’s The Passion of the Christ, 2006’s Apocalypto, and 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge — with the announcement of another, Berserker, on the horizon. The most successful of the bunch,...

Arrival and La La Land lead the 2017 BAFTA nominationsArrival and La La Land lead the 2017 BAFTA nominationsAdriana Floridia1/10/2017 11:22:00 Am

The BAFTAs are the British equivalent of the Oscars, and although the awards are given overseas, they still factor into the American awards race.

Yet again, we see the same three films having a strong presence here: La La Land, Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight. However, BAFTA is also spreading the love to other awards favourites like Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, and Lion.

Some interesting omissions here include Denzel Washington for Fences. His co-star Viola Davis is nominated in the supporting category, but it looks as though BAFTA went for other potential Oscar contenders Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge and Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic. They're also the first major awards body to nominate Jake Gyllenhaal's leading performance in Nocturnal Animals.

The British film and Palm D'Or winner I,...

The Capri Hollywood International Film Festival is honoring Mel Gibson with its Director Of The Year Award, in recognition of his pacifist WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge. Producer Bill Mechanic, who was already named by the festival as its Producer Of The Year, is accepting the prize on Gibson’s behalf. Hacksaw had its world premiere to great acclaim at the Venice Film Festival this past September and has become a force during awards season.

The story of real-life conscientious objector Desmond T Doss (Andrew Garfield), who saved the lives of 75 men during the battle of Okinawa without ever carrying a gun, the movie crossed the $100M mark at the global box office in mid-December. It is also experiencing a very strong run in China where it’s at nearly $50M through this past weekend.

Among its accolades, Hacksaw won the AFI Movie of the Year Award; swept the Australian Film Academy...

‘Nocturnal Animals’ (Courtesy: Merrick Morton/Focus Features)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

This year’s contenders for best adapted screenplay are quite the eclectic group based on their sources — something that can never be said for those competing for best original screenplay. When looking at this category’s past since the year 2000, can history dictate which type of adapted screenplays the Academy might be leaning toward at the 2017 Oscars?

This site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, honed in on nine films considered either frontrunners (the first five) or major threats (the last four) in his latest check-in on the Oscar race: Moonlight, Lion, Fences, Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Nocturnal Animals, Sully, Silence, and Loving. The original sources for these films are as varied as the subject matter in the works they inspired, so let’s break them down.

As for frontrunners: Moonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkins,...

Hacksaw Ridge introduces us to Desmond Doss, the unlikely hero who entered the Asian-Pacific theater during World War II unarmed. Doss was a medic who saved thousands of lives on...

“Lord, help me find just one more!”

From director Mel Gibson, the Golden Globe-nominated Hacksaw Ridge arrives on Digital HD on February 7 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand February 21 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

ased in the incredible true story of one man’s faith, strength and courage during one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, theGolden Globe®-nominated Hacksaw Ridge arrives on Digital HD on February 7 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand February 21 from Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate Company. From Academy Award®-winning director Mel Gibson (Best Picture, Braveheart, 1995), with screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (The Quiet American) and Andrew Knight (The Water Diviner), Hacksaw Ridge features breathtaking visual effects and...

Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

– Director Juan Antonio Bayona’s “A Monster Calls” will enter Spain’s annual Goya Awards on February 4, 2017 with more nominations than any other film. The fantasy-drama is nominated in 12 of the 28 categories, beating out Alberto Rodriguez’s “Smoke and Mirrors” and Raul Arevalo’s “The Fury of a Patient Man,” each of which received 11 nominations. Both films will compete with “A Monster Calls” in the best film category, as will Pedro Almodovar’s “Julieta.”

Read More: Awards Roundup: Megan Ellison to Receive PGA Visionary Award, Guillermo del Toro Honored and More

“A Monster Calls” is “a visually spectacular drama based on the award-winning children’s fantasy novel. 12-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall) attempts to deal with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness and the bullying of his classmates by escaping into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales that explore courage,...

Manchester by the Sea..

Kenneth Lonergan.s Manchester by the Sea leads the nominees for the 6th Aacta International Awards, nominated in six categories — Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, and Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor..

The film is closely followed by romantic musical La La Land and Aussie films Lion and Hacksaw Ridge (fresh from nine wins at the Aacta Awards last week). Each received five nominations, and will duke it for Best Film alongside Manchester.and Denis Villeneuve.s Arrival.

The Best Direction awards mirror that of Best Film; Mel Gibson up for Best Direction for Hacksaw Ridge, fellow Aussie Garth Davis for Lion, Lonergan for Manchester,..Damien Chazelle for La La Land and Villenvue for Arrival.

Following on from their Golden Globe nominations yesterday, Joel Edgerton is up for Best Lead Actor for Loving, and Nicole Kidman is nominated for Best Supporting...

Monday’s nominees for the upcoming 74th Golden Globe Awards express surprise, gratitude – and a love for tickle fights.Motion Picture, Drama

“It was a privilege and honour to work with one of the finest directors in the world, Mel Gibson. Meeting Andrew Garfield before principal photography and working with him throughout, he morphed into the character with astonishing accuracy. The legacy of Desmond Doss is immortalized on screen forever; he will no longer be the forgotten hero.”

– Producer David Permut, Hacksaw Ridge

“This has been a passion project, more than 15 years in the making, and I greatly appreciate the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s nomination of Hacksaw Ridge as best picture, drama. This honour is a testament to the work of our brilliant director Mel Gibson, Andrew Garfield’s indelible performance, our screenwriters Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight, our entire cast and crew, my fellow producers, the brave soldiers who fought in World War II and...

Monday’s nominees for the upcoming 74th Golden Globe Awards express surprise, gratitude – and a love for tickle fights.Motion Picture, Drama

“It was a privilege and honour to work with one of the finest directors in the world, Mel Gibson. Meeting Andrew Garfield before principal photography and working with him throughout, he morphed into the character with astonishing accuracy. The legacy of Desmond Doss is immortalized on screen forever; he will no longer be the forgotten hero.”

– Producer David Permut, Hacksaw Ridge

“This has been a passion project, more than 15 years in the making, and I greatly appreciate the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s nomination of Hacksaw Ridge as best picture, drama. This honour is a testament to the work of our brilliant director Mel Gibson, Andrew Garfield’s indelible performance, our screenwriters Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight, our entire cast and crew, my fellow producers, the brave soldiers who fought in World War II and...

If 2015 was the year of Mad Max at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) Awards, 2016 belongs to the original Mad Max Rockatansky, actor-director Mel Gibson after his WWII epic Hacksaw Ridge swept the awards with nine wins from 13 nominations, including best film and best director.

Gibson’s visceral tale of conscientious objector Desmond T. Doss was triumphant at the 6th annual AACTAs, with stars Andrew Garfield and Hugo Weaving also picking up best actor and best supporting actor awards respectively. Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan also won for best original screenplay for the film.

The...

Mel Gibson on the set of Hacksaw Ridge.. . Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge cleaned up at the 6th Aacta Awards ceremony last night, taking home five awards, including Best Film and Best Original Screenplay. . Gibson was honoured for Best Direction, while Andrew Garfield won Best Lead Actor and Hugo Weaving nabbed Best Supporting Actor. . .I need to thank Australia for making this film,. said Gibson in his acceptance speech. . He praised the "homegrown" film.s cast and crew, .the calibre of which is as good or better than anywhere in the world.. . .I.m not the only one who wants to make films here all the time, Ridley Scott said the same thing,. Gibson said. .I.m honoured to receive this.. . . The five awards add to the four Hacksaw Ridge already picked up earlier this week at the Aacta Industry Luncheon. The film was nominated in 13 categories overall. . Odessa Young...

Mel Gibson on the set of Hacksaw Ridge.. . Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge cleaned up at the 6th Aacta Awards ceremony last night, taking home five awards, including Best Film and Best Original Screenplay. . Gibson was honoured for Best Direction, while Andrew Garfield won Best Lead Actor and Hugo Weaving nabbed Best Supporting Actor. . .I need to thank Australia for making this film,. said Gibson in his acceptance speech. . He praised the "homegrown" film.s cast and crew, .the calibre of which is as good or better than anywhere in the world.. . .I.m not the only one who wants to make films here all the time, Ridley Scott said the same thing,. Gibson said. .I.m honoured to receive this.. . . The five awards add to the four Hacksaw Ridge already picked up earlier this week at the Aacta Industry Luncheon. The film was nominated in 13 categories overall. . Odessa Young...

Female film-makers donned sausage costumes to protest gender disparity in the Australian industry.Scroll down for full list of winners:

Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge was named best film of the year at the 2016 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards, with the wartime drama taking nine of its 13 nominated awards, at an event that was also marked by activism on and off the stage.

Hacksaw Ridge was produced in New South Wales and financed through the Producer Offset and other state and federal government subsidies.

The film’s star Andrew Garfield was named best actor for his portrayal of conscientious objector Desmond Dawes, and Hugo Weaving won best supporting actor (again, after winning in 2015 for The Dressmaker) for his role as Dawes’ battle-scarred father.

Garfield accepted his award via video message from Los Angeles, and expressed “pure joy” at the win. He also singled out “Mel’s brilliant ability to make everyone feel valuable...

Kenneth Lonergan (Courtesy: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

While some of the biggest writers in Hollywood typically populate the best original screenplay and best adapted screenplay categories, it’s not uncommon for Broadway vets to pop up as well. This year is no different as some folks from the Great White Way are up for the biggest honor in Tinseltown: a golden Oscar statuette. Let’s take a closer look at these great talents, shall we?

All of the playwrights we’ll be looking at in this story are considered frontrunners in the 2017 Oscars race by this site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, in his most recent evaluation of the landscape. The first is Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) in the best original screenplay category with August Wilson (Fences) and Robert Schenkkan (Hacksaw Ridge) sitting atop the best adapted screenplay category.

Industry veteran Bill Mechanic will be feted at the Capri Hollywood Film Festival this year, along with a screening of his latest film, Hacksaw Ridge.

Directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor in the U.S. military. The film stars Andrew Garfield, who was honored in 2007 with Capri’s breakout actor of the year, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn and Teresa Palmer. Andrew Knight and Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Schenkkan penned the script.

Hacksaw Ridge had a unanimously positive premiere at Venice Film Fest before...

Mel Gibson is back, directing the bloody hell out of a war movie about ... peace. You may have issues with the star's past history of anger and intolerance. But you'll have no issue with Hacksaw Ridge, a movie about a different kind of brave heart. It's the fact-based, World War II story of Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Andrew Garfield, in the best performance of his career to date, plays Desmond, a feisty kid out of Virginia's Blue...

Hacksaw Ridge Summit Entertainment (A Lionsgate company) Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: A- Director: Mel Gibson Written by: Robert Schenkkan, Andrew Knight Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn Screened at: Park Ave., NYC, 10/27/16 Opens: November 4, 2016 Of all the hideous quotes from Donald Trump during the overlong campaign for the presidency, his statement about Senator McCain is arguably the vilest. “He’s not a war hero,” said Trump in July of 2015. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” Trump, who avoided the military draft because of a “heel spur” and [ Read More ]

The post Hacksaw Ridge Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

George Miller and David Stratton pore over 'Fury Road' storyboards in Stratton's new ABC series.

Fred Schepisi will host David Stratton in a special in-conversation event at the Adelaide Film Festival this Saturday October 29.

Stratton is in Adelaide to present a work-in-progress screening of his series David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema, set to premiere on the ABC next year.

Featured in the three-part series are George Miller, Schepisi himself, Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and many, many others. Transmission Films are planning a theatrical release (at feature doc length) prior to the series going to air.

Stratton and Schepisi will be joined on the red carpet by series producer Jo Anne McGowan and director Sally Aitken..

Also world premiering in Adelaide is Jeffrey Walker's Ali's Wedding, written by and starring Osamah Sami. Sami co-wrote the script with Hacksaw Ridge's Andrew Knight.—.the pair won an Awgie Award for the film on Friday.

George Miller and David Stratton pore over 'Fury Road' storyboards in Stratton's new ABC series.

Fred Schepisi will host David Stratton in a special in-conversation event at the Adelaide Film Festival this Saturday October 29.

Stratton is in Adelaide to present a work-in-progress screening of his series David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema, set to premiere on the ABC next year.

Featured in the three-part series are George Miller, Schepisi himself, Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and many, many others.

Stratton and Schepisi will be joined on the red carpet by series producer Jo Anne McGowan and director Sally Aitken.

Also world premiering in Adelaide is Jeffrey Walker's Ali's Wedding, written by and starring Osamah Sami. Sami co-wrote the script with Hacksaw Ridge's Andrew Knight.—.the pair won an Awgie Award for the film on Friday..

Knight will also appear in conversation, discussing his long list of credits. They include.Seachange,...

Hollywood is rarely in search of the new, so each year brings a longer list of adapted screenplays and a shorter list of originals.

Sundance launched American indie-in-Paris Whit Stillman’s witty adaptation of an early epistolary Jane Austen novella, “Love & Friendship,” which boasted rave reviews for Kate Beckinsale as a bitchy gold-digging mom, and long legs at the arthouse box office ($14 million).

Veteran indie distributor James Schamus returned to his first love, screenwriting, for his well-reviewed directorial debut “Indignation,” adapting the Philip Roth novel about college love, which performed modestly at domestic arthouses ($3.3 million). Lesser-known “Indignation” fared better with Roth than rookie director-star Ewan McGregor and writer John Romano’s film version of the better-known novel “American Pastoral.”

Writer-director Rebecca Miller’s sixth feature, sophisticated New York comedy of manners “Maggie’s Plan,” earned strong kudos at Toronto and Sundance but scored modestly on the specialty circuit ($3.5 million). Woody Allen aside,...

Hollywood is rarely in search of the new, so each year brings a longer list of adapted screenplays and a shorter list of originals.

Sundance launched American indie-in-Paris Whit Stillman’s witty adaptation of an early epistolary Jane Austen novella, “Love & Friendship,” which boasted rave reviews for Kate Beckinsale as a bitchy gold-digging mom, and long legs at the arthouse box office ($14 million).

Veteran indie distributor James Schamus returned to his first love, screenwriting, for his well-reviewed directorial debut “Indignation,” adapting the Philip Roth novel about college love, which performed modestly at domestic arthouses ($3.3 million). Lesser-known “Indignation” fared better with Roth than rookie director-star Ewan McGregor and writer John Romano’s film version of the better-known novel “American Pastoral.”

Global juggernauts were two Disney movies that both seem animated, but only one will vie for Best Animated Feature. That’s Andrew Stanton’s Pixar sequel “Finding Dory,” an ingenious extension...

The Code. . Shelley Birse has taken out the top prize at this year.s Awgie Awards, winning the Major Award for the second season of ABC cyber-thriller The Code..

The first season of The Code also took out the Australian Writers. Guild Major Award in 2014. This year.s award makes it the only series to have been recognised by two Major Awards for both of its seasons. The Code also received the Awgie Award for the Television: Miniseries — Original category.

Overall, more than 25 Australian writers —.from radio, television, film, theatre and interactive media — were honoured at this year.s Awgie Awards, held in Sydney on Friday evening.

Andrew Knight and Osamah Sami.s Ali.s Wedding took out the award for most outstanding script for an original feature, while Shaun Grant and Craig Silvey received the award for most outstanding feature adaptation for Jasper Jones.

Samantha Strauss was honoured for her original telemovie,...

Usually the more competitive of the two screenplay categories the Adapted Screenplay race is seemingly wide open. The biggest disappointment, however, is the lack of female writers who could make the cut after Phyllis Nagy (“Carol”) and Emma Donohuge (“Room”) earned nominations last season. [Updated as of Sept. 28]

These predictions will be updated when events dictate throughout the 2017 Oscar season. Contenders are listed alphabetically in each category.

Top Five

Jay Cocks, “Silence”

Luke Davies, “Lion”

August Wilson, “Fences”

James Schamus, “Indignation”

Whit Stillman, “Love & Friendship”

Almost There

Ben Affleck, “Live By Night”

Simon Beaufoy, Jean-Christophe Castelli, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”

David Birke, “Elle”

Patrick Ness, “A Monster Calls”

Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”

Todd Kormarnicki, “Sully”

Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder, “Hidden Figures”

Longshots

Seo-Kyung Chung, Chan-wook Park, “The Handmaiden”

Asghar Farhadi, “The Salesman”

David Hare, “Denial”

David Kajganich, “A Bigger Splash”

Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Justin Marks, “The Jungle Book”

Gregory Ellwood...

Ian Collie on the Doctor Doctor set.

The second episode of Essential Media.s Doctor Doctor, broadcast on Wednesday night, avoided the second ep dip, growing the show.s week-on-week to an average audience of.821,000.viewers.and a peak of.1.024 million.across the 5 City Metro, according to Nine.

The show.s producer, Essential Media.s Ian Collie, initially thought the series would bow next year, closer to the start of the ratings season, but the scheduling move made perfect sense once Nine explained it, he told If.

"They love it, which is the main thing. They know their audience and their schedule. Programs like My Kitchen Rules, which is on four or five nights a week from February onwards, tend to dominate the schedule..

If spoke to Collie about the project.s inception, bringing Claudia Karvan on board, and what else is on Essential Media.s slate.

Was Doctor Doctor...

Kriv Stenders on a recce for Wake In Fright in Broken Hill.

The Nsw Government has invested over $2 million to secure four new feature films, four television drama series and four factual TV series, as well as several one-off documentaries, a web series and a multiplatform project. The productions are predicted to create 1080 new screen jobs and generate a direct production spend of almost $35 million in Nsw. Included among them is Ten.s recently announced mini-series Wake In Fright, the first local production to be supported under the Screen Nsw.s $20 million Made in Nsw Fund. The other 15 productions are being supported through the Film Production Finance Fund. According to Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant the fund can now support many more local film and television productions because funds have been freed-up by the Made in Nsw Fund. The full list of funding recipients: Project: Ali's Wedding...

A blood-soaked, bone-crunching hymn to religious devotion and faith, “Hacksaw Ridge” doesn’t hum Mel Gibson’s favorite themes; it shouts them. Coming 10 long and eventful years since his last directorial effort, Gibson returns with a film that is on the surface about a real-life World War II hero – Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor – but is really about all the denigrated true believers who held their head high through the carnage and chaos and came out the other side a hero – be they named Wallace, or Jesus, or Mel.

As he’s proven with “Apocalypto” and “Braveheart,” Gibson has an incisive eye for action, knowing what to block, where to shoot, and when to get out of the way. He puts those skills to full use in the outrageous war scenes that make up the second half of “Hacksaw Ridge.” But you’ve...

Elizabeth Debicki in The Kettering Incident.

Amazon Prime has snapped up North American rights to The Kettering Incident, which looks set to capitalise on the rising star of Elizabeth Debicki after The Night Manager, in which she starred with Tom Hiddleston,.took U.S. audiences by storm earlier in the year..

The Tasmania-shot Kettering was created by Vicki Madden and producer Vincent Sheehan, and will premiere on Prime September 30. Amazon nabbed the rights from BBC Worldwide North America.

.Following the successful launch of The Kettering Incident in Australia, we are now bringing the mystery drama exclusively to Amazon Prime Video for U.S. audiences to enjoy,. said Matt Forde, BBC Worldwide North America's Evp, content production, sales and distribution..

.Amazon is already home to two of our most beloved programs, Doctor Who and Orphan Black, and we believe it is the perfect place for this rarefied story as it ventures into American homes.