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The cinema of Hong Kong in the ’80s and ’90s, particularly Jet Li’s martial arts films, is renowned for its thrilling action choreography, unique visual styles, and engaging storytelling. Behold the spectacular Hk action classics from prolific actor, martial artist, and producer Jet Li and early works by celebrated filmmakers Gordon Chan, Woo-Ping Yuen, and Corey Yuen when Fist Of Legend (1994), Tai Chi Master (1993), The Legend (1993), The Legend 2 (1993), and The Bodyguard From Beijing (1994) are set to unleash on Digital in 4K on February 18, 2025 by Shout! Studios, in collaboration with Jet Li.

“Thanks to our new partner Shout! Studios. Movie fans can now easily enjoy these entertaining films in stunning 4K on various digital platforms. I hope a new generation of audiences will be introduced to these action classics that give a glimpse to the talent of directors, writers, actors, stunt people, and crew that come from the rich history of Hong Kong cinema,...

February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.

February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...

Tseng Ying-ting’s thriller opens with pyrotechnics lightning up the New Year Eve’s sky to Yazoo’s 1982 smash hit “Only You”, an uncharacteristically romantic environment for a suicide attempt. This sequence is the introduction into the movie’s key character, police officer Wu Jie (Janine Chun-Ning Chang) whose plans of ending it all are derailed when a teenager appears out of nowhere and starts banging on her window pleading for help. Her car is actually parked close to the popular gathering spot at the river bank, and Wu decides to get out and see what made the teenagers leave the place in panic. It is there she discovers a bloated corpse washed up on shore. Hit by the paradox of a dead person saving her life, Wu chooses to solve the case despite the anguish she is experiencing at work.

The Abandoned is screening at...

Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In The Mood For Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has been named Asian Filmmaker of the Year by the Busan International Film Festival. Leung will collect his award at the festival’s opening ceremony on Oct. 5. 2022.

The festival will open with a screening of “Scent of Wind” by Hagi Mohaghegh. The Iranian director previously won the 2015 New Currents competition in Busan with his second feature “Immortal.”

The festival will close with “A Man,” from Japan’s Ishikawa Kei. The title premiered this week at the Venice film festival in the Orrizonti section.

Busan organizers said that the festival will play a total of 243 films (features and shorts) from 71 countries and territories. These include 89 world premieres and 13 international premieres.

After two years of disruptions the festival will operate largely normally. This includes a red carpet opening ceremony,...

Hong Kong’s Entertaining Power reporting sales prices have returned to pre-Covid levels.

Hong Kong’s Entertaining Power has sold four anticipated star-led features to Taiwan’s Sky Films in a package deal closed during the Cannes market - where prices are understood to be returning to pre-Covid levels.

The titles include Lee Po Cheung’s As It Burns, a suspense thriller involving two fatal explosions that take place 15 years apart but are linked by two women that look alike. The cast is led by Taiwanese actor Jasper Liu, who shot to fame after 2018’s pan-Asian box office hit More Than Blue,...

by Jay Lim Jun Yi

Growing up in a traditional Chinese (and predominantly Mandarin speaking) household and under a father who loved the comedy and action genres, references to Stephen Chow, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Jackie Chan always spring up from time to time. Having inherited my father’s love for comedy, my family would never miss out on a chance to catch a Chinese comedy flick whenever one aired on television. As much as Rowan Atkinson (who has played the characters of Mr. Bean and Johnny English) is recognised as an irreplaceable icon of British comedy, I firmly believe that Stephen Chow is the same for Hong Kong cinema.

on Amazon

Out of the numerous films that Stephen Chow has starred in, Jeffrey Lau’s “A Chinese Odyssey Part 1: Pandora’s Box” continues to be one of the most intriguing and timeless in both its plot and humour.

The Chinese believe that when someone dies, one’s soul returns home on a certain night to say the final goodbye. This movie is about a returning grandma’s soul to an apartment block, where she blames her son and his wife for her death and seeks revenge. Not surprisingly, the Chinese title is rightfully translated as “Night of the Returning Soul”.

Throw in the commotion is Leon (Stephen Chow), an escaped mental patient who lives nearby, who fancies himself as a ghost buster and decides to help the security guards by teaching them ghost busting techniques. However, a half crazy, love torn local resident Kwan (Karen Mok) is also recruited and together they bond into a fearless team and take on the evil spirit which haunts the apartment with hilarious results.

Director Jeffrey Lau and Stephen Chow worked on a few films before but this is...

A trio of Hollywood titles previously approved for China announced Thursday that they are set to hit the big screen now that cinemas are kicking back into gear.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” in 3D and 4K restorations, will screen in China starting Aug. 14 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise. “We invite you to re-experience the infinite magic of Hogwarts and bizarre and motley Wizarding World,” Warner Brothers said in a Chinese statement.

That film, and the seven others in the series, anchor an eclectic line-up at the Shanghai Int. Film Festival, where they are set to screen over the course of the event’s July 25 to Aug. 2 run, giving audiences an early taste of the magic.

“Harry Potter” will go up against the Will Smith-starring “Bad Boys For Life,” which will also premiere Aug. 14. The film announced it would release in China back in January, but...

Beijing is set to reopen cinemas again in its “low-risk areas” on Friday, July 24, officials said, but attendance will be capped at 30% and no concessions sold.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there had been no new local confirmed cases in the capital for 15 consecutive days, meaning that all parts of the capital are currently classified as low-risk, the official Xinhua news agency cited local health officials as saying.

Beijing is home to 262 cinemas, all of which have been shut due to Covid-19 since the Chinese new year holiday in late January. The announcement that they could resume business “in an orderly manner” was made at a press conference Tuesday afternoon by Wang Jiequn, deputy director of the municipal Propaganda Department and director of the municipal film bureau.

Those venues wishing to resume operations on Friday must report their intentions to the Beijing Film Bureau before noon on Thursday. “Each cinema can...

If there's one thing I know about Hong Kong action comedies, it's that I know nothing about Hong Kong action comedies. Case in point: Kung Fu League. Directed by Jeffrey Lau, known for The Eagle Shooting Heroes, the Chinese Odyssey films, and Treasure Hunt, the new film is described as an action-adventure / comedy. Judging by its first trailer, it more than lives up to its billing. Here's the official synopsis: "When his manager prevents Fei Ying Xiong from getting the girl he loves, he summons the help from four legendary Kung Fu masters to learn the highest level of martial arts from the best in history and to defeat his enemies who stand in the way of the things he wants most." Vincent Zhao,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Can this Kung Fu League help save the day? Chinese distributor United Entertainment Partners released this Hong Kong action comedy last fall. This is not a new trailer, but we never featured it whenever it first appeared last year. So why not now...! (Thanks to a tip from Rob.) It looks crazy fun, and super cheesy, and perhaps some renewed interest in this will help it get an international release. Kung Fu League is a big-hearted comedy about a comic book artist nerd who "summons four legendary Kung Fu masters to learn the highest level of martial arts" so he can win the heart of a girl at his office. It's the latest film from Kung Fu Hustle director Jeffrey Lau, and already opened in theaters in China last year. Starring Ashin as Fei Ying Xiong, Kwok-Kwan Chan, Jay Chou, Madina Memet, Andy On, Yu-Hang To, and Vincent Zhao. The...

Jeffrey Lau's A Chinese Odyssey - Part One: Pandora's Box and A Chinese Odyssey - Part Two: Cinderella (2015) are showing August and September on Mubi in the United States.During the last Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema, the period between the 1984 Joint Declaration and the 1997 Handover, generic cycles moved with lightning rapidity. The speed and sheer volume of production, combined with the relatively small group of creative professionals, meant that a genre could be born, reach its peak, and die out within a few short years. The Heroic Bloodshed cycle, for example, can be said to have started in 1986 with A Better Tomorrow, reached its peak with The Killer and A Better Tomorrow III in 1989, and had its last gonzo gasps in 1992 with Hard-Boiled and Full Contact. By the time of the genre’s decline, Chow Yun-fat’s stardom in the colony had been eclipsed by Stephen Chow,...

Ever since it lurched onto the silver screen in 1932, the zombie has become one of the most prominent horror figures in the genre. As they are responsible for numerous adaptations, retooling and reboots over the years, the popularity of the genre has waned over the years here in America which is pretty much barely an issue in Asia. With plenty of incredibly enjoyable titles in their long history that simply don’t get the publicity in America due to way too much coming out here already, it’s time to offer a spotlight on some of these under-appreciated and overlooked gems from Asia.

1. Zombie in a Haunted House

There’s not much to say about this one, as it is incredibly rare and might even be lost, so information about it is quite hard to come-by. However, that is not to say the film isn’t worth bringing up as...

Chinese box office sees 3% drop week-on-week for October 22-28.

The Predator, the first mainstream Hollywood release since Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s opening two months ago, failed to provide a much-needed boost to the lacklustre Chinese box office, which fell further by 3% week-on-week in the period of Oct 22-28 to become the second quietest week of 2018.

Despite the strong summer months, the Chinese box office has been in decline every week in October and almost every week in September. The month of October will record negative growth compared to the same period last year.

Fox’s sci-fi action reboot The Predator...

Assassins and the Missing Gold 

Veteran producer Jeffrey Lau (Kung Fu Hustle, ChungKing Express) takes directing duties on this period suspense actioner from Hong Kong-based Entertaining Power. The film features Max Zhang (Ip Man 3) and his real-life wife Ada Choi as an estranged couple who reunites to expose a conspiracy, foil an assassination and search for a fortune.

Drug Lords

Drug Lords, Universe Entertainment's sequel to the 2013 crime thriller The White Storm, which took in $45 million at the international office, sees Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau joining Louis Koo and prolific helmer Herman Yau (Shock Wave) taking over directing...

Few stars inspire #husbandgoals like John Legend. From the platinum-selling sweet ballads he sings as odes to wife Chrissy Teigen, to the countless adorable selfies of him doting on their 16-month-old daughter Luna Simone, fans agree he’s the quintessential catch.

It’s no wonder Axe tapped him as the face of their new Find Your Magic Initiative and Senior Orientation program, which aims to teach and promote inclusive masculinity amongst high schoolers. Legend, 38, who’ll soon be mentoring teens back in his home state of Ohio, tells People in this week’s issue that the topic strikes a chord with him.

This article originally appeared on NME.com.

Kanye West has left Jay-Z‘s streaming service Tidal due to a dispute over money, it has been confirmed.

TMZ first reported that sources close to Tidal revealed that West is unhappy with the service, claiming they owe him over $3 million. A letter was reportedly sent by West’s lawyers to Tidal a month ago, stating that the company was in breach of their contract, and that it would be terminated. After a two-week back-and-forth, no resolution was found.

A source close to West has now confirmed the news to Billboard, who report...

Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This July will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.

To sign up for a free two-week trial here.

Saturday, July 1 Changing Faces

What does a face tell us even when it’s disguised or disfigured? And what does it conceal? Guest curator Imogen Sara Smith, a critic and author of the book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, assembles a series of films that revolve around enigmatic faces transformed by masks, scars, and surgery, including Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966).

Tuesday, July 4 Tuesday’s Short + Feature: Premature* and Ten*

Come hitch a ride with Norwegian director Gunhild Enger and the late Iranian master...

Dr. Charles has got some hard work ahead of him after his actions on Chicago Med Season 2 Episode 21. Not only will it take a miracle (and presumably some heavy drugs) for Robin to forgive him, but he betrayed Sarah in the worse way a mentor can.

Maybe she'll be want to transfer to the Ed for the residency position after all. 

So Robin finally consented to come in for an evaluation, but her dad may have just blown everything to hell. Honestly, Daniel probably should have spent the day with his own shrink. And why the hell did he have access to that file?

I feel bad that not only did he go through having Robin committed, but then he got (rightly) yelled at by his work daughter. Of course, I also felt really proud of Sarah for standing up for herself and her skills, even it was completely unrealistic...

Killer Frost is back, and she's going to be a problem.

While The Flash Season 3 Episode 18 laid the groundwork throughout the hour, my jaw still hit the floor during the final scene.

Like Caitlin, I'd been lulled into a false sense of security. When Julian completed the surgery and the two made up, it seemed like the danger had passed.

But the hints were there. Cisco teasing her about being frosty. Caitlin saying she'd rather die than use her meta healing. The close-up of the Killer Frost headline on the board.

I have been wondering when and how the transformation would happen. But the fact that I didn't see it coming made the final scene that much more powerful.

Obviously, Caitlin wasn't going to die. As soon as she crashed, I connected the dots. Even so, my heart sped up with nerves as Julian, Cisco, and H.R. scrambled to save her.

Stars: Jet Li, Michelle Reis, Jospehine Siao, Chan Chun Yung, Sibelle Hu, Paul Chu, Peter Chan, Vincent Zhaob | Written by Jeff Lau | Directed by Corey Yuen

Review by Baron Fortnightly

As a long time Jet Li fan, and a huge fan of his Fong Sai-yuk series of films, I jumped at the chance to review this release from Cine Asia. First, let’s get the specs out of the way. The 126 minute, 1993 film is presented in 16:9 widescreen, with both a 2.0 Cantonese and 5.1 English soundtrack, and optional English subtitles. Special features consist of an audio commentary from Hong Kong cinema expert Bay Logan, and interviews with director and fight choreographer Corey Yuen, and writer Jeff Lau.

The video quality is not brilliant, but about what you’d expect due to the nature of the movie, its age and original country of origin. The version presented is the Dimension re-scored and re-edited version,...

While we might've thought that Chad Radwell's shocking death on Scream Queens Season 2 Episode 3 was the one major character death we'd get this season, Scream Queens Season 2 Episode 4 let us know that we weren't getting off that easy.

Join TV Fanatics Jay, Paul, and Yana as they discuss all of the craziest twists and turns on "Halloween Blues"!

Who had the best Halloween costume, and why?

Jay: Hester. Ivanka Trump killed me. It was a killer costume (see what I did there? I'm not funny, I know.) The costume was just as creepy as Hester is.

Paul: I'm with Jay on this one. It was a scary costume, and it showed us just how far Hester is willing to go in order to get what she wants.

Yana: I laughed a little too much at Dr. Brock Holt and Zayday's costumes, so either of those. They weren't literal but still hilarious.

The husband of a Texas flood victim carried his wife's lifeless body through a mile of sunken terrain to save it from being washed away in murky floodwaters on Monday. Darrell Smith, 48, says he escaped his Breckenridge home with his wife, Kay, and his son, Darrell Jr., just as water began seeping in through their front door. Darrell loaded his family in his pickup truck, driving them to safety, but a surge of water quickly submerged the vehicle. Darrell and Darrell Jr., 27, managed to free their car doors open, but Kay, 61, couldn't escape. "I just wish I could have gotten my wife out in time,...

The husband of a Texas flood victim carried his wife's lifeless body through a mile of sunken terrain to save it from being washed away in murky floodwaters on Monday. Darrell Smith, 48, says he escaped his Breckenridge home with his wife, Kay, and his son, Darrell Jr., just as water began seeping in through their front door. Darrell loaded his family in his pickup truck, driving them to safety, but a surge of water quickly submerged the vehicle. Darrell and Darrell Jr., 27, managed to free their car doors open, but Kay, 61, couldn't escape. "I just wish I could have gotten my wife out in time,...

Former Disney chairman Dick Cook’s new venture is in talks with further Chinese investors, including Film Carnival, and Malaysian fund Khazanah, it emerged during the China-us Motion Picture Summit, hosted by Cook’s lead investor Citic Guoan.

According to senior executives of La-based Dick Cook Studios (Dcs), the involvement of heavyweight state-owned enterprise Citic Guoan has attracted interest from several other Chinese investors.

Film Carnival is a Hangzhou-based producer/investor that is working with Hong Kong directors Wingo Siu, Jeffrey Lau and Ching Siu-tung and Korea’s Kim Ki-duk.

Dcs was expected to formally announce a financing deal with Film Carnival on the day following the summit, but talks are still ongoing and expected to continue this weekend in Hangzhou.

Citic Guoan, which is investing $150m in Dcs, is a subsidiary of state-owned investment giant Citic that focuses on computer systems, cable TV networks, real estate, tourism and wine.

The China-us...

Exclusive: Hong Kong-based start-up Young Live Entertainment (Yle) is introducing its debut slate at Filmart, including action titles The Game Changer, starring Huang Zitao and Peter Ho, and Kungfu Is Not Fighting, directed by Marco Mak.

Directed by Xixi Gao, The Game Changer is a period action title about gang wars in Shanghai.

Currently in pre-production, the film also stars Wang Xueqi (Helios, Iron Man 3). Gao previously directed top-rating TV dramas including Legend Of Chu And Han, Three Kingdoms and Shanghai Bund.

Also in pre-production, Kungfu Is Not Fighting is produced by veteran director-producer Jeffrey Lau. Mak’s directing credits include Naked Soldier and Colour Of The Truth.

A subsidiary of China’s Yongle Group, Yle aims to develop and finance Hong Kong stories as well as cherry-pick mainland Chinese titles for international distribution.

Former Star Alliance executive Angus Chan heads the Hong Kong-based operation.

Hong Kong titles on the company’s slate include action thriller...

All this month, Mubi is presenting the exclusive worldwide online debut of L.M. Kit Carson and Lawrence Schiller’s 1971 documentary The American Dreamer, a fascinating and revelatory portrait of Dennis Hopper during the making of his legendary folly The Last Movie.For the film’s theatrical screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco and Austin, Mondo creative director Jay Shaw designed a new poster for the film:When we were asked to create a poster for The American Dreamer I was instantly overwhelmed. I’ve seen the film several times and absolutely love it. It’s a candid and endearing portrait of Dennis Hopper’s maniacal creative process. Lawrence Schiller, the film’s [co-] director and acclaimed photojournalist, sent a collection of photographs he’d taken during production back in 1971. When I saw these wonderful photos I realized there was nothing we’d be able to illustrate that would capture the...

Of course Tina Knowles didn't forget her son-in-law's special day! "Happy Birthday to my handsome, brilliant, loving son. The son I never had, but I have now. I love you Mama," Beyoncé's mom wrote to Jay Z on Instagram for his 46th birthday Friday. The businesswoman, designer and grandmother to Blue Ivy shared a pic of her alongside Bey and Jay on the red carpet, the family all smiles as they hugged each other and posed for the camera. Tina wasn't the only one sending the music mogul lots of love today. Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Skip Bayless, and Lance Briggs all reached out to the singer on his b-day, sending him warm wishes (although Ellen was a little off on his...

Strictly Come Dancing is already three celebrities down... and we're going to lose another this week! The remaining stars will be doing everything to make sure it's not them, so we should be in for some pretty spectacular moves this evening.

As we saw last week with Jay's quickstep, anything could happen, so join us from 6.35pm when the show kicks off on BBC One and we'll bring you all the action...

20:20That's your lot for tonight though? Do keep hitting the comments to let us know what you made of tonight's action. Who was the best? Who was the worst? And who do you think will be going home? And stick with DS for all the Strictly coverage you need!

20:17Right, so Kellie and Helen are at the top of the leaderboard... while Jeremy is down at the bottom. But will that stay the same after you've cast your votes?...

Nick Jonas has the world at his fingertips these days. He's starring on two hit TV shows – Kingdom and Scream Queens. He's got a new album set to release early next year, and he may or may not be dating Kate Hudson. But according to his Kingdom co-star Jonathan Tucker, it's all par for the course for Nick Jonas.

"I call Nick the 'boy king,' and I mean that in a complimentary sense because of the sheer amount of experiences that he has had," Tucker, 33, told People at the Paley Center's panel for Kingdom in Beverly Hills on Monday night.

I am the happiest TV fan in the world. Over the next year or so, we'll be getting a new season of "Twin Peaks," with David Lynch allegedly directing every single episode. And we'll be getting an "X-Files" sequel miniseries, which may well feature both an episode written by the reclusive-but-brilliant Darin Morgan, and a rumored sequel to one of the sickest hours of network television ever, "Home." I am the most annoyed TV fan in the world. Over the next year or so, we'll be getting a "Heroes" sequel series run by the same guy who very quickly ran out of ideas on the original. We'll be getting a "Coach" sequel series that will give Craig T. Nelson the sitcom comeback he didn't get when he passed on the role of Jay on "Modern Family." We'll be getting DJ Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler living together in a "Fuller House,...

A 16-year-old boy and a world-weary man make their way through a dense forest on horseback. "That's just a shame," the boy says to his older counterpart as the two discover a felled tree, a man crushed beneath it, the hand of his rotted corpse still clenching the axe he used to chop it down. "Is itc" the man asks, chortling. The boy responds with a smirk, "No, no it isn't." His once-naive mind, now all but tainted by his companion's cynicism. The scene described above is one you might find in a Coen brothers film, or perhaps a Quentin Tarantino joint -- though devoid of the popular music Tarantino would use to contrast the 1870s American frontier backdrop. Yet here it is smack dab in the middle of Slow West, the feature directorial debut of John Maclean, and while the film is clearly inspired by Maclean's predecessors both classic and contemporary,...

Will David Letterman's longtime rival, Jay Leno, appear on his final episode of The Late Show With David Letterman? Don't hold your breath. Executive Producer Rob Burnett told CNNMoney in an interview posted on Tuesday that he was invited but expressed doubt that he would make an appearance. He made his comments amid much fan speculation of such a reunion, as well as recent questioning on the air by Howard Stern, who is not a fan of Leno. "Um, I don't think so, I don't think so," he said. "We invited Jay and all I heard was that he was in Chuckles in Boulder, Colorado for three weeks. It must be a long gig. I don't know. I would've loved to have Jay on the show. I think we all...

Jay Z's support for the #BlackLivesMatter protests isn't just limited to freestyle shout-outs: According to a string of since-deleted tweets from Source editor turned activist dream hampton, who collaborated with Jay on his 2010 book Decoded, Jay Z and Beyoncé have been quietly donating thousands of dollars in aid to the movement. "When we needed money for bail for Baltimore protesters, I ... hit Jay up, as I had for Ferguson," hampton wrote. He delivered, wiring "tens of thousands" in a matter of minutes. And he didn't just send bail money: "When Blm needed infrastructure money for the many chapters we're growing like beautiful dandelions, Carters wrote a huge check." This squares with other rumors that have come out in recent months, as well as Jay's own boast on "Nickels and Dimes": "The purest form of giving is anonymous to anonymous ... You don't know all the shit I do...

If there are two things ol’ Xiii digs, it’s a good ol’ fashioned creature feature and a film with a ton o’ heart made by some folks that actually give a damn about our beloved horror biz! Well creeps, it looks like I have found an upcomin’ flick entitled The Last Frankenstein that promises to contain a heapin’ helpin’ of both o’ those ingredients, and wouldn’t ya know it, the film’s die-rector David Weaver has just strolled on in to the Crypt o’ Xiii!

Famous Monsters. As we dive into the deep end and begin discussin’ your upcomin’ fright flick The Last Frankenstein, let’s hop in the Delorean and chat about how ya got started and how the seeds of Tlf were planted.

David Weaver. I started at [upstate New York college] Fulton Montgomery Community College, and when I left there I studied at the New York Film Academy and did some short films there.

Sure, David Letterman is retiring later this month after decades of ruling late-night television. But, as Howard Stern proved, he's not ready to get all mushy about it.

The shock jock appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman Monday and tried to plant a kiss on his old friend – but the crusty Indiana native was having none of it.

"Is this goodbye? Is this our final time together?" Stern, 61, said as he stood up and inched closer to Letterman, 68, who did his best to slink away.

In a gesture of compromise, Letterman, who ends his late-night run next week,...

"The cavalry isn't coming." With those words, actor-director-producer Mark Duplass launched into a rousing keynote at the SXSW Film Festival on Sunday. Currently writing a second season of HBO's "Togetherness" with his brother Jay, Mark continues to act in a wide variety of projects, while he and his brother produce several movies a year and recently signed a four-picture deal with Netflix. A decade ago, their feature-length debut "The Puffy Chair" became a sleeper hit on the festival circuit, which led the pair to Los Angeles, direct two studio projects ("Cyrus" and "Jeff, Who Lives at Home") and continue building momentum. These days, both brothers also act on television (Mark on "The League" and Jay on "Transparent"). The Duplass brothers' brand has never been stronger — but it hasn't always been that way. Read More: This Is How You Do It: 10 Filmmaking Tips from Mark and Jay Duplass Despite all their.

"Togetherness" finished up a terrific first season last night, with an episode that left several core relationships in uncertain places, and with a final scene that featured dynamite work from Melanie Lynskey and John Ortiz. Last week, I had a chance to speak with two of the show's three creators, brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, about the season. (I spoke with the other creator and co-star, Steve Zissis, back in February.) Various thoughts from them on the season, the experience of the longtime indie filmmakers producing their first TV show (after stints acting in other people's shows), plans for the future, and more, coming up just as soon as the movers are not a taxi service... You ended the season on several cliffhangers, including Michelle and David kissing while Brett is still driving up to see her. Why did you want to do that instead of bringing various stories to a temporary stopping place?...

The 2015 Sundance Film Festival kicks off Thursday and with it come some of the most groundbreaking, experimental, and challenging independent films from Hollywood and around the world.

From films about infamous psychological experiments to degenerate gamblers, and the post-apocalyptic worlds to ill-fated emotional journeys, these are the nine films from this year's Sundance Film Fest that we can't wait to watch.

1. The Stanford Prison Experiment

Sundance Film Festival

Starring: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Kyle Patrick, Tye Sheridan. (Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez)

What It's About: The Stanford Prison Experiment tells the real life story of an infamous psychological study examining the effects of imprisonment. Two dozen student volunteers are randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners in this mock jail and, as the experiment unfolds, the students begin to disturbingly fall into their roles.

Why We Want To See It: The real experiment was a frightening yet fascinating examination of psychological conditioning and the man who ran the...

Universal Pictures

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (again), and as usual it’s getting to those last few weeks before the big day when creative ideas and planning make way for frantic grabs at whatever is left on the shelves after the Black Friday zombie hordes have cleared everything out.

But fear not: because the best of Christmas is watching movies, re-watching old TV specials and trying hard to forget that George Lucas ever decided that anyone wanted a Star Wars Christmas show, there’ll always be a helping hand round these parts for those who want it.

So if you’re buying for a difficult brother, a picky sister or just for the film, gaming or TV fan in your life, what follows is a compendium of the finest gift ideas for this year’s festivities, as usual there are massive opportunities to win most of what has been included…...

Channel 4 DVD

The Inbetweeners 2 rocketed to the top of the UK Box Office earlier this year, enjoying the biggest opening weekend of the year and achieved the biggest ever opening day for a comedy. To celebrate the film’s release on Steelbook, Blu-ray, DVD and VOD ahead of Christmas we’ve teamed up with Channel 4 to give three lucky WhatCulture.com readers the chance to win a copy of both movies on blu-ray.

In this critically acclaimed and award winning duo of films, The Inbetweeners boys Will, Simon, Jay & Neil go on a ‘lads’ holiday to Malia for two weeks of sun, sea and, who knows, maybe even some sex. Then the guys travel to Australia to meet up with Jay on his mental gap year where there’s singing round the camp fire, disgrace at a water park and a trip into the outback… will they survive?...

The Inbetweeners 2 has scored the UK's biggest opening weekend box office of 2014.

The comedy sequel earned more than £12.5 million across the country during its first weekend.

It also enjoyed the biggest ever opening day for comedy in the UK when it debuted last Wednesday (August 6).

Its predecessor took £45m at the UK box office when it launched in 2011, and went on to earn approximately £58 million in total.

The Inbetweeners 2 follows Will, Neil and Simon as they join Jay on his gap year in Australia.

Three years after the runaway success of The Inbetweeners on the big screen, the sequel is finally with us and already breaking box office records.

This time around Will, Simon and Neil jet off to Australia to visit Jay on his gap year Down Under - debauched hijinks and crippling personal embarrassment naturally ensue.

Inbetweeners 2 sets opening day record for comedy at UK box office

The Inbetweeners 2 review: It's knee-deep in hilarity

Now we want to know what you thought of the film. Did you like it as much as the first movie? Did your favourite Inbetweener get enough screentime? And would you like to see a third movie?

Give The Inbetweeners 2 a rating out of five in our poll, and leave your comments in the space below. Please note that this will be DS's spoiler thread for the movie so if you want to go into the...

The Inbetweeners 2 has scored the biggest ever opening day for a comedy at the UK box office.

The sequel - which sees Will, Neil and Simon join Jay on his gap year in Australia - took £2.75m at the domestic box office on Wednesday (August 6).

The Inbetweeners 2 review: It's knee-deep in hilarity

The Inbetweeners Movie, which was released in August 2011, previously held the record, after taking £2.61m in its first 24 hours. The film went on to take £45m in the UK.

Earlier this week, actor James Buckley said he is "paranoid" that the sequel may disappoint fans.

Daisy Ridley has had her scenes in the comedy cut and reshot using a different actress, because of her busy schedule with Star Wars Episode VII.

The Inbetweeners will return to the big screen tomorrow (August 6) with a follow-up to their 2011 movie hit, but this time the gang are heading out to Australia to join Jay on his gap year.

To mark the comedy sequel's release, Digital Spy got Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley to ask your questions to stars Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas.

What did the boys enjoy the most about filming Down Under? Who would be at Neil's dream dinner party? And what compelled Joe to once jump on a Megabus to Leeds? Find out this and more in our video Q&A above.

Blue Ivy has gotten so big! Beyonce posted two new photos of her daughter on her website on Friday. In one shot, little Blue poses in a white dress, wearing silver jewerly and pink little heels. In another candid snap, Bey's pictured napping with her little girl, who's wrapped up in a blanket. Beyonce Shares Video of Blue Ivy. The "Drunk in Love" singer and Jay Z have been dealing with split rumors all week, but the 32-year-old tried to put any speculation to rest when she posted another cute pic of her little girl and Jay on the beach. "My favorite hue is JayZ Blue," she captioned the cute candid. The pair also packed on the Pda Wednesday during their "On The Run" show in Seattle. Yeah, it's pretty clear the cute family's trying to dispel any rumors that they're headed for a breakup. What do you think about Beyonce's latest pics?...

Undeclared‘s Jay Baruchel will see him returning to the small screen next year. Fxx just confirmed a new series called Man Seeking Woman is his new project. It will be a half-hour show that follows Jay’s character as he seeks to find his special someone in this crazy world. The show is another attempt by Fxx to win over younger audiences with fun and quirky shows. Britt Lower, Maya Erskine and Eric Andre will be joining Jay on his 10 episode first season next year.

This type of show is clearly not new. Fxx could be hoping to win over fans of How I Met Your Mother, but with a more unstructured story. While we are sure fans may not be jumping for joy, it does hold a lot of promise. Jay has made a name for himself on comedies and we can expect his fans will enjoy it.

It's not often that a film based on a beloved TV comedy manages to live up to its small-screen roots, but The Inbetweeners Movie proved to be an exception when it hit big at the box office the summer of 2011.

Fast-forward three years and the boys are back - Will, Simon and Neil are heading off to meet Jay on his Australian adventure and debauched antics naturally will ensue. A pair of trailers have already been unveiled for the sequel, and Digital Spy managed to catch up with James Buckley to take us through last week's hilarious promo.

Bring your wellies, because we wade through Jay's custom paint job, the "muff before mates" rule and what it was like heading to a warmer climate with Buckley in the video above.

The Inbetweeners 2 will open in UK cinemas on August 6.

James Buckley has celebrated Bing's 5th birthday with an epic...

It's not often that a film based on a beloved TV comedy manages to live up to its small-screen roots, but The Inbetweeners Movie proved to be an exception when it hit big at the box office the summer of 2011.

Fast-forward three years and the boys are back - Will, Simon and Neil are heading off to meet Jay on his Australian adventure and debauched antics naturally will ensue. A pair of trailers have already been unveiled for the sequel, and Digital Spy managed to catch up with James Buckley to take us through last week's hilarious promo.

Bring your wellies, because we wade through Jay's custom paint job, the "muff before mates" rule and what it was like heading to a warmer climate with Buckley in the video above.

The Inbetweeners 2 will open in UK cinemas on August 6.

James Buckley has celebrated Bing's 5th birthday with an epic...

Jay Leno will be back on television next week, guest starring on Disney Xd's "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer," and AccessHollywood.com has your exclusive sneak peek at the show.

"The character really was a perfect match and so you throw it out there and you think he might say yes," series co-creator and Executive Producer Jeff "Swampy" Marsh said of working to get Jay on board.

The late night legend voices Colonel Contraction on the show, a character who was altered from his original incarnation when Jay accepted the part. ...

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