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The long-awaited fourth season of “The Challenge: All Stars” is finally here. Variety can exclusively announce that the reality competition series will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, April 10, on Paramount+. After the premiere, new episodes will drop on Wednesdays on the streaming service.

Season 4 features “old-school legends, modern power players, redemption-seekers and ex-lovers,” competing for a $300,000 grand prize in Cape Town, South Africa. This season’s cast includes beloved vets who haven’t competed in many years, including Cara Maria Sorbello, Rachel Robinson, Adam Larson, Averey Tressler and Brandon Nelson.

Three cast members return after only one challenge; Kefla Hare, who debuted on “Road Rules: Down Under,” only competed in 1999’s “Real World vs. Road Rules,” while “The Real World: Miami” alum Flora Alekseyeun only played in 2002’s “Battle of the Seasons.” Jay Gotti, from 2014’s “Real World: Ex-Plosion,” only competed in “Battle of the Exes II” in 2015.

As shown in the trailer,...

Exclusive: Filming has wrapped in Europe on The Daily Wire’s adventure series The Pendragon Cycle.

Starring in the series are newcomer Tom Sharp as Merlin, Rose Reid (Finding You) as Charis, Myles Clohessy (Fire Island) as Uther, actress turned conservative commentator and YouTuber Brett Cooper (Heathers) as Merlin’s wife, Ganieda, and Alex Laurence Phillips as Pelleas.

Supporting cast to have joined since our last update include Daniel Fathers (The Witcher: Blood Origin) in the role of the Atlantean king, Avallach; Chick Allan (House Of The Dragon) as Gorlas, and Nicholas Boulton (Shakespeare In Love) as Morcant. Allan is best known as a stuntman on multiple films and TV series. Boulton also appeared in one ep of Game Of Thrones.

Additionally cast in the series are Steve Varnom, Colin Cunningham, David Brooks, Paul Clerkin, Christopher Sciueref, Thor Rosland, Thomas Tidiman, and Travis Mills.

The series is directed by Daily Wire founder Jeremy Boreing,...

"Surprised by Oxford" is a new dramatic feature, directed by Ryan Whitaker, adapting the novel "Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir" by Carolyn Weber, starring Rose Reid, Mark Williams, Phyllis Logan, Ryan Whitaker and Jordan Alexandra releasing December 1, 2023 in digital formats:

"...brilliant but emotionally-guarded 'Caro Drake' arrives in Oxford with the singular goal of attaining her 'PhD'..

"...but through a turbulent friendship with a charming young man she starts to open herself up to mystery, vulnerability and love..."

Click the images to enlarge...

"He's proving to be quite the distraction." Goldwyn Films debuts this indie romance on VOD in December, after its initial small theatrical debut in September in both the UK and US. Surprised by Oxford marks the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Ryan Whitaker, who's adapting the story found in the memoir by Carolyn Weber. Brilliant but emotionally-guarded Caro arrives in Oxford with the singular goal of attaining her PhD, but through a turbulent friendship with a charming young man she begins to open herself up to mystery, vulnerability, and love. Headlined by Rose Reid, the film takes viewers on a transformative and tumultuous journey. The cast includes Ruairi O'Connor as her lover, Phyllis Logan, Mark Williams, Simon Callow, with Emma Naomi, Michael Culkin, and Annabelle Holloway. This doesn't seem all that bad for a romance, featuring a bit less camp than usual, plus strong performances and intense passion. // Continue Reading...

Hull based shoegaze quartet bdrmm return with a new single titled “Mud”. The track arrives hot on the heels of the bands widely lauded second album “I Don’t Know”, which came out earlier this year on Mogwai’s Rock Action label.

The post-shoegaze, dream pop, heavy guitar effects quartet’s latest album arrived in late-June to critical acclaim with the likes of Consequence calling it “one of their most enticing successes yet” and Rolling Stone UK describing it as “a chaotic, thrilling evolution”. The lead single “It’s Just A Bit Of Blood” was also playlisted on BBC Radio 6 Music, and Brooklyn Vegan made the record their Album Of The Week saying that “I Don’t Know” saw them “not only avoid the sophomore slump, but deliver a second album that is miles better their debut.”

Now, just two months on from release, the band have returned with a...

Adapted from Carolyn Weber’s memoir of the same name, Ryan Whitaker’s drama suggests that finding love and God when you least expect it is a deeply bland affair

This is a film based on a true story, but it doesn’t make this faith-based romantic drama look or feel anything like reality. It is adapted from a memoir by the American author and academic Carolyn Weber about her time at Oxford on a full scholarship writing a PhD on the Romantics. I felt it in the pit of my stomach about 10 minutes in when it dawned on me the “surprise” was that she found God.

Directed by Ryan Whitaker, this is a film very much in keeping with the conventions of Christian drama: blandly inspirational with a glazed-over style of acting, aside from some gobsmackingly unsubtle eccentric professors, hammily performed by actors including Simon Callow. (I half-wondered if...

Even though it’s been two years since the latest live-action ‘Spider-Man’ movie, 2023 is a really good year for web-slinger fans. Last June, we watched ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, which set up the stage for the finale of the ‘Spider-Verse’ trilogy in ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,’ for which we can’t wait to arrive. Also, owners of the PlayStation 5 console will finally play the anticipated ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’ video game, which is set to arrive this October.

There have been countless video games based on Spider-Man on various platforms in history, but Insomniac Games’ ‘Spider-Man,’ which was released in 2018 exclusively on PlayStation 4, is the most successful game of that kind yet. The game was sold in over 20 million copies, making it the most successful PlayStation 4 exclusive game of all time.

The game’s success led to a three-episode Dlc in...

The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is currently underway, both in-person and virtually, unleashing a variety of premieres and events.

Now at the halfway point, the programming still has plenty of horror to come.

Here’s a round-up of some of Popcorn Frights’ feature offerings so far, from musical horror comedies to experimental mindbenders.

Big Easy Queens

Rivalries, betrayal, murder, sisterhood, and musical glamour ensue in the horror-tinged Big Easy Queens from director Erynn Dalton and writer Robert Leleux. Made in Florida but set in New Orleans, the film follows French Quarter mob queen Minnie Bouvèé (Eric Swanson) and her rivalry with nemesis Poodles Makenzie (Jennifer McClain). Their bitter feud for Big Easy domination escalates when Minnie’s estranged sister Mimi (Benajmin Shaevitz) resurfaces, and the body count rises, though Poodles may not be to blame.

What Big Easy Queen lacks in budget, it makes up for in dazzling musical numbers and charming camaraderie between queens.

Exclusive: The Daily Wire’s streaming service DailyWire+ is lining up a September start in Europe for what it is calling its biggest-budget production to date, a fantasy series inspired by Arthurian legend.

Daily Wire Co-CEO Jeremy Boreing will take a temporary leave of absence from the right wing media organization to direct the seven-episode series, which has long been a passion project of his.

Boreing will co-direct with Ryan Whitaker (Surprised By Oxford). The “multinational” cast is being finalized with filming due to take place in Italy and Hungary.

The Daily Wire confirmed to us that it won’t be needing an interim agreement from SAG.

The drama will be inspired by the first two books of the series written by Stephen R. Lawhead. The Pendragon Cycle is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, set not in the high Medieval age of knights in shining armor, but in the wake of a Roman-occupied Britain,...

A captivating and chilling story is about to unfold on your television screens on ABC’s “20/20” with an episode titled “This is Revenge” – a tale of two wealthy doctors, a divorced mother of four, and a twisted love triangle that ends in a brutal murder. Was the killing of prominent doctor Joseph Sonnier a random act of violence, or did a deadly obsession lead to this horrific crime? In the quiet town of northwest Texas, Dr. Sonnier’s life was tragically cut short when he was found murdered in his stately home. As the investigation progresses, authorities are left puzzled until an unexpected tip points them in the direction of the man behind the trigger. With two trials underway, will justice finally prevail?

Don’t miss this gripping episode, where Richelle Shetina, the woman caught in the center of this love triangle, breaks her silence on the murder and her ex-boyfriend,...

“Rust” has officially restarted production in Montana, a year and a half after the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was killed when a prop gun held by star Alec Baldwin discharged.

According to The New York Times‘ Julia Jacobs, who visited the movie’s set on Yellowstone Film Ranch, the production isn’t taking any chances this time around, as real guns are not allowed on the premises.

“I’ve said it, and I’m going to say it every single time: There are no weapons on set,” first assistant director Gerard Dinardi told the crew, according to the Times. “There is nothing that fires. There are a lot of facsimiles of weapons, from rubber to replicas.”

In the aftermath of the October 2021 shooting — which also injured director Joel Souza, who has returned to the film — both Baldwin and former armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin...

North American deals on ’The Modelizer’, ’Bone Cold’,’ The Brink Of’.

Mind The Gap Productions’ Giulia Prenna has commenced EFM talks on new romance Surprised By Oxford starring Rose Reid and has additionally closed a raft of North American and territory deals on several films led by The Modelizer.

Ryan Whitaker directed the completed Surprised By Oxford for Evolve Studios and Nook Lane Entertainment. It follows a brilliant and emotionally guarded PhD student who learns to show her vulnerability, and the cast includes Phyllis Logan, Ruairi O’Connor, Mark Williams and Simon Callow.

Prenna has been busy licensing territories on her...

The teaser trailer for Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye features Harry Melling as Edgar Allan Poe and Christian Bale as a detective who turns to Poe for help solving a murder. The Pale Blue Eye is based on the book by Louis Bayard and is not inspired by true events, even though the plot seems plausible.

Joining Bale and Melling are Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Simon McBurney, Hadley Robinson, and Timothy Spall. Joey Brooks, Brennan Cook, Gideon Glick, Fred Hechinger, Matt Helm, Jack Irving, Steven Maier, Charlie Tahan, and Robert Duvall also star.

Scott Cooper adapted and directed The Pale Blue Eye which reunites the award-winning filmmaker with his Out of the Furnace and Hostiles star Christian Bale. Cooper, Bale, Tyler Thompson, and John Lesher produce, and Tracey Landon, Dylan Weathered, Louis Bayard, Chris Sharp, Jennifer Lamb, Emily Salveson, and Ryan Smith executive produce.

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for Christian Bale's latest, "The Pale Blue Eye," which also represents another collaboration for him with director Scott Cooper. Bale, who is coming off of this summer's "Thor: Love and Thunder," previously worked with Cooper on movies like "Out of the Furnace" and "Hostiles." This time? They're headed back to the 1800s for a mystery that ties into the king of old-time gothic spookiness, Edgar Allan Poe.

In this case, the legendary author behind "The Raven" and "The Masque of the Red Death" is played by Harry Melling, of "The Queen's Gambit" fame. So, how is it that Poe crosses paths with a man trying to solve a murder? Let's have a look-see.

Bale Meets Poe In The Pale Blue Eye Trailer

This is very much just a teaser in the true sense of the word. We get very little sense of the story at hand,...

Click here to read the full article.

A year after Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of Rust, the producers, still facing civil litigation and under a cloud of potential criminal liability, are looking to finish the film in the next few months. Key to this gambit is a private settlement with Hutchins’ estate, announced Oct. 5, which is pending court approval. The plan both ends the wrongful death action brought by Hutchins’ family on Feb. 15 and makes her widower, Matthew, an executive producer on the movie.

The settlement marks a public about-face for Matthew Hutchins. After filing suit, he told Hoda Kotb on NBC’s Today show that “there were a number of industry standards that were not practiced, and there’s multiple responsible parties,” adding pointedly of Baldwin, “The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge...

Exclusive: LeToya Luckett (Greenleaf), Romeo Miller (Honey) and Keith David (Greenleaf) have signed on to star in the film A Miracle Before Christmas, from writer-director LazRael Lison (#Unknown).

The love story centers on Mercedes Wright (Luckett), a famous, fast-talking relationship therapist who has the answers to fixing everyone else’s marital issues, but is challenged by problems faced with her own husband (Miller), leaning on help from an angel (David) to get past them. Lison and Tatiana Chekhova are producing the film under their Summer House Pictures banner, with Charles F. Porter of Black Bench Productions, and Jasper Cole (Never and Again). Marlon D. Haynes is serving as exec producer.

Luckett is represented by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Miller by Pantheon Talent; David by Artists & Representatives, Silver J Management and Meyers & Downs; and Lison by Newman-Thomas Management and Kaye & Mills.

***

Exclusive: Rose Reid (Finding You), Ruairi O’Connor...

Rose Reid, Ruairi O’Connor, Phyllis Logan, Mark Williams star.

Production has got underway this week on romance Surprised By Oxford based on author Carolyn Weber’s memoir and starring Rose Reid from Finding You and Ruairi O’Connor of The Morning Show.

Ryan Whitaker wrote and directs the feature which is currently shooting on the grounds of University of Oxford and also stars Phyllis Logan from Downton Abbey and Mark Williams from the Harry Potter franchise.

Reid plays Caro, a headstrong American who lands a coveted scholarship to Oxford for her postgraduate studies. When she strikes up a tempestuous friendship...

Updated With Full List: PBS and CBS were the big winners tonight as the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveiled its 35th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. The pubcaster walked away with a leading 11 trophies, followed by the Eye with 10. ABC picked up three wins, the only other network with more than two. PBS came into the ceremony with a field-leading 43 nominations, one more than CBS.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to William J. Small, who was CBS News Washington Bureau chief from 1962-74 and later President of NBC News, President of United Press International, and Chairman of News & Documentary at NATAS. “Throughout the ’60s and ’70s and into the 1980s, he was a key figure in the dramatic evolution of network news, NATAS Chairman Chuck Dages said of Small. “Recruiting the likes of Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Diane Sawyer, Lesley Stahl, Bill Moyers, and many others, he changed...

Matchbox Films today announced the UK DVD release of Ryan Smith’s sci-fi thriller After (review) starring Karolina Wydra (“True Blood”) and Steven Strait (10,000 Years BC) with a street date of May 26th.

The Canadian release is scheduled for May 13th through Mongrel Media with Us distribution penciled for July.

Synopsis

In this ‘Twilight Zone’-esque tale of the afterlife, two bus crash survivors wake from a coma to discover that they are the only inhabitants of a small American town. Scarier still, a monstrous cloud is swallowing the area, closing in on them slowly but surely. Are they dead, in an alternate dimension, or is it all a dream? As the couple scavenge houses and attempt to find a way out, they soon learn that they are not alone. Inside the mist are ravenous creatures hell-bent on preventing their escape.

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Writer/director Ryan Smith's debut feature 'After' has been snapped up by Mongrel Media for distribution in the Us. The new mystery thriller finds a couple of bus crash survivors alone in the small town of Pearl. But amongst the surrounding darkness it seems they might not be alone after all. The trailer is shown below and it the movie looks to be somewhere between Dean Koontz's 'Phantoms' and Stephen King's 'The Mist'. The project stars 'Magic City's Steven Strait and the gorgeous Karolina Wydra who you'll see later this year in sci-fi thriller 'Europa Report'. Madison Lintz, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Ric Reitz and Jackson Walker all co-star....

So let's see... Karolina Wydra scores a role as a vampire on HBO's "True Blood," and now her flick from the UK entitled After nets Stateside distribution from Mongrel Media. Happy coincidence? Nope! According to Jinga Film's Rosana Coutinho, interest in the movie surged on the back of Wydra’s casting.

After (review) comes to us from writer/director Ryan Smith and stars Steven Strait (10 Million Years BC), Karolina Wydra (“House”), and Sandra Lafferty (The Hunger Games).

Synopsis

Two bus crash survivors awake in hospital to discover they are the only people left alive. As a dark fog advances toward their town, they form an unlikely alliance to unravel the truth behind their isolation and escape the ravenous creatures concealed within the mist.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Survive in the comments section below!

After

Directed by Ryan Smith

Written by Ryan Smith and Jason Parish

USA, 2012

After is a unique kind of horror picture. There are no zombies, possessed children, murderous hillbillies, or deranged sharp-object-wielding maniacs. There are no jump scares, torture porn, or unneeded found footage shaky cam. No, After is a horror picture with a more frightening premise, a more palpable reason to be afraid. In Ryan Smith’s After, there’s nothing to fear but fear itself.

The story follows Freddy and Ana (Steven Strait and Karolina Wydra), two strangers who meet one night on an otherwise empty bus ride home. After a few awkward and clumsy attempts to hold a meaningful conversation, the bus is abruptly involved in a horrific accident. Ana wakes up a couple months later and finds the town abandoned, except for Freddy, who lives a few houses down the street. As they venture around town looking for clues,...

The trailer for After is mystifying. The film's first trailer shows a black fog that threatens two characters: Freddy (Steven Strait) and Ana (Karolina Wydra). The darkness encroaches on the small town in which they are now trapped. What is the mist? And, is the narrative something from one of the character's nightmares? It is too early to tell, but fans of mystery will want to take a look at the reel below. In the clip, Freddy and Ana look for a way out of township of Pearl. The enclosing mist is moving so fast that they only have a matter of hours to find escape. As well, something is stalking these characters. Booms from behind a door are definitely created by a monstrous being, of some sort. Have a look at the film's first official trailer below. Release Date: September 12th (Theatres). Director: Ryan Smith. Writers: Jason Parish, and Ryan Smith.

According to a couple of commenters in our last “After” post, the twist of “After” is nothing I will see coming. I will have to take their word for it, because frankly, I’m not so sure. I’ve seen a Lot of movies with this exact same premise, and without sounding too proud of myself, it’s going to take director Ryan Smith and company something pretty novel and unique and never been done before to surprise me. I’m just saying, guys, you have my interest, but I’m throwing down the gauntlet. Surprise me, if you can. Until then, here are two clips and a new, longer trailer for “After” to chew on. When two bus crash survivors (Steven Strait, Karolina Wydra) awake to discover that they are the only people left in their small town, they must form an unlikely alliance in a race to unravel the truth behind their isolation.

While watching this teaser trailer for Ryan Smith’s intriguing looking “After”, all I could say to myself was, “Man, I hope this movie isn’t going where I think it’s going.” Given the title, the dialogue, and the visuals in just the minute long teaser, I already suspect I know where all of this is going, and I really hope it doesn’t go there, because it’s such an obvious and predictable “twist”. Hopefully I’m wrong, and I get a much better movie than the pessimist in me is expecting. Until then, check out the first teaser trailer for Ryan Smith’s “After”. When two bus crash survivors awake to discover that they are the only people left in their small town, they must form an unlikely alliance in a race to unravel the truth behind their isolation. As strange events begin to unfold, they start...

Sometimes surviving a horrific accident can be just the beginning of the horrors that are waiting for you later. The latest indie flick shopping around Cannes, After, illustrates that terrifying fact perfectly. Check out some art, stills, and a trailer!

After comes to us from writer/director Ryan Smith and stars Steven Strait (10 Million Years BC), Karolina Wydra (“House”) and Sandra Lafferty (The Hunger Games).

Synopsis

Two bus crash survivors awake in hospital to discover they are the only people left alive. As a dark fog advances towards their town they form an unlikely alliance to unravel the truth behind their isolation and escape the ravenous creatures concealed within the mist.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Survive in the comments section below!