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Hollywood has been borderline obsessed with Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal for over half a century. Plenty of presidents or watershed legislative decisions have gotten adaptations, but given the recency of his crimes, Nixon is on another level. There have been 24 feature films centered on Nixon and/or Watergate, and that's not including the recent influx of prestige miniseries like 2023's "The White House Plumbers" about Nixon's political saboteurs, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy or 2022's "Gaslit," the Julia Roberts-starring series about Martha Mitchell, the wife of Nixon's at-the-time United States Attorney General.

I was born in 1990, which means my understanding of Nixon until, say, my junior year of high school, was what I had absorbed from pop culture. My introduction to Nixon's resignation speech was when it played over the radio in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and I learned about all of his specific...

Fox’s The Masked Singer Season 11 Group B singers take the stage for “Wizard of Oz Night,” and fans are excited to see Gumball. An early preview shows Gumball’s ridiculous level of talent, and he’s sure to go far in the competition. So, who could be singing under the mask? Here’s what fans think ahead of the Group B singers.

[Spoiler alert: The Masked Singer Season 11 spoilers ahead regarding Gumball.]

Who is Gumball in ‘The Masked Singer’ Season 11? Fans suspect it’s this ‘Pitch Perfect’ actor

The Masked Singer Season 11 Group B singers perform for the first time on “Wizard of Oz Night,” and fans can’t wait to see who stands out. The Group B singers include Afghan Hound, Gumball, Beets, and Miss Cleocatra, with Seal as the wild card.

An early preview shows Gumball singing “Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson. The singer has a rich, warm voice,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film Forum

“Sapph-o-rama” highlights lesbian cinema with films by Chantal Akerman, Nicholas Ray, Ulrike Ottinger, and more; a 4K restoration of The Pianist and The Third Man on 35mm continue; A Hard Day’s Night plays on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

A retrospective of snubbed performances brings films by Cassavetes, Jonathan Demme, and more; The Gods of Times Square and a print of Prince’s vastly underrated Under the Cherry Moon both play on Sunday.

Metrograph

The series “Dreamlike Visions” puts modern master Alain Gomis front-and-center.

Roxy Cinema

Carpenter’s Christine, Almodóvar’s Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, and Secretary all play on 35mm.

Museum of Modern Art

As the massive run of Luis Buñuel’s Mexican films continues, a retrospective of Finnish filmmaker Ilkka Järvi-Laturi begins.

IFC Center

A Dario Argento series continues; Audition, Basket Case 3,...

Sundance film festival: Netflix forked out $17m for the low-budget, high-concept mystery but while there’s some fun to be had, there’s something missing

With this year’s festival entering its dying days, market news remains unusually slight, a surprise given how strike-impacted buyers were reportedly foaming for schedule-fillers. Big sales so far haven’t been all that big – Jesse Eisenberg comedy A Real Pain at Searchlight, Steven Soderbergh ghost story Presence at Neon – and so there are questions that still need answering going into the last weekend.

But earlier this week, as others umm-ed and ahh-ed, Netflix made a bullish statement with a $17m purchase of low-budget mind-bender It’s What’s Inside, an unusually high number for a genre film without any stars attached. While it may well be trumped over the next week or so given how other, more commercial titles remain unsold, it’s currently stamped with this year’s biggest-of-fest tag.

Hollywood decamps for Park City this week, braving snow drifts and thin air in a quest to find the next indie breakouts, Oscar contenders and buzzy horror hits.

Yes, Sundance has returned in all its mountain-side glory, and with it comes the expectation that with enough tenacity and some big checks, studios and streamers will land the next “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Brooklyn,” “Manchester by the Sea” or “The Big Sick” (to rattle off just a few of the festival films that have sparked all-night bidding wars).

Of course, not every heated battle for the next big Sundance-bred hit leads to commercial success and Oscar glory (“Hamlet 2” or “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” know a bit about that). Even some of the 2023 films that landed major deals, such as John Carney’s “Flora and Son” or the Anne Hathaway-led “Eileen,” received a muted reception when they made...

Set in a sleepaway stage-training program for shy kids and incorrigible natural hams, where attendees get intensive instruction from Broadway burnouts, “Theater Camp” is that rare parody that has viewers laughing from the opening scene till the credits roll. I’m talking about the 18-minute short film that Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman and Ben Platt uploaded to YouTube a month or so into the pandemic, earning a cult following among musical theater geeks and those who survived comparable drama camps in upstate New York.

The feature version is more of the same, minus the laughs.

Truth be told, this new “Theater Camp” probably contains just as many laughs, except that now, nearly all of them are packed into the final half-hour of a gets-old-fast feature in which co-directors Gordon and Lieberman hammer the same joke ad nauseam. The driving concept behind “Theater Camp” — which sold to Searchlight for...

Unpleasant as it is to watch one of the greatest comedy directors of the 21st century grin their way through the kind of leaden and disjointed mess that manages to feel oppressively self-amused even as it swears its making fun of itself, Netflix seems determined to keep cranking them out. At least until “one of the greatest comedy directors of the 21st century grinning their way through the kind of leaden and disjointed mess that manages to feel oppressively self-amused even as it swears its making fun of itself” describes enough movies to become its own category on the streamer’s homepage.

. That element of surprise doesn’t work to Apatow’s advantage. It’s not meant to be a compliment when I say that “The Bubble” is depressing in a way that modern comedies rarely are — that it’s depressing in as novel a way as the coronavirus that inspired it.

David Arquette and Scott Foley are joining Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks in the film “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.” The charming and comical story of redemption, adapted by author Gabrielle Zevin from her own New York Times best-selling novel, begins shooting this month in the U.S. in Cape Cod.

Hans Canosa is directing from Zevin’s novel, which has sold over five million copies and been translated into 38 languages. Bcdf Pictures’ Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady are producing alongside Kelsey Law, Canosa and Zevin. Bcdf’s Brice Dal Farra, Nayyar, Hale and Hendricks are executive producers. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling sales on the film.

The life of A.J. Fikry (Nayyar) is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems,...

Aaron Ryder, the Oscar-nominated producer of “Arrival,” is launching a new production company, Ryder Picture Company. In addition, the Ryder Picture Company has entered into a first-look feature film deal with MGM.

In an interview with Variety, Ryder said the deal with MGM came about because of his friendship with the film group’s chairman, Michael De Luca. The two worked together on Lisa Joy’s “Reminiscence,” an upcoming science-fiction thriller that will star Hugh Jackman and that is now in post-production for Warner Bros.

“They reached out to me because MGM is ramping up and bringing in a lot of creative people and wants to be a home for filmmakers,” said Ryder.

Under De Luca, MGM has signed a number of high-profile talent deals with the likes of Killer Films, while also nabbing big projects such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” which will be directed by “Hamilton” wunderkind Thomas Kail,...

When The CW's reboot of the cult favorite TV series Charmed was announced, the first question on everyone's minds was who would be playing the "Charmed Ones," the trio of supernaturally chosen sister witches. Instead of casting big-name actresses, the network chose instead to select three actresses who have worked steadily but haven't had breakout roles just yet. The middle sister, Mel Vera, is played by Melonie Diaz, a longtime staple of the indie film world.

Diaz began her career in the New York theater scene, appearing in off-Broadway plays and fringe festivals. This work led to her entry into the film world, with supporting roles in small and independent films. Her early-career credits include the direct-to-video dramedy Double Whammy and 2002's Raising Victor Vargas, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival.

Although she briefly appeared on TV (in an episode of Law & Order and in a...

Three decades into a diverse career across TV and film, director Andrew Fleming (he of The Craft and Hamlet 2 fame) has finally finished his ten-years-in-the-making passion project, something he calls “a gay romantic comedy about two men who are drinking and arguing.”

TV celebrity chef Erasmus (Coogan) is an insufferable snob and the face of his own TV show, directed by his long-suffering boyfriend, Paul (Rudd). The pair live in a sprawling ranch in Santa Fe, entertaining friends with lavish parties and celebrating their own freedom with abandon.

That is until Angel (Gore) comes along. The troubled ten-year-old grandson Erasmus didn’t know existed, Angel has seen his loser father Beau (Mcdorman) end up in jail one too many times, and has sought shelter with the only family he has left.

Shocked, Erasmus is reluctant to let a child spoil his idyllic, borderline hedonistic lifestyle, while his lover Paul,...

Stars: Steve Coogan, Paul Rudd, Jack Gore, Kate Walsh, Alison Pill, Jake McDorman, Lora Martinez-Cunningham, Frances Lee McCain | Written and Directed by Andrew Fleming

Flamboyant TV chef Erasmus Brumble (Coogan) along with his director and long-term partner Paul (Rudd), are happy going through life playing as hard as they work. But suddenly they have to decide whether to grow-up or continue down their well-trodden path, when Erasmus’s estranged grandson, Bill (played by Jack Gore), unexpectedly turns up at their door, after his father is taken away to serve time in prison. Having another mouth to feed can always come with its strains, but the couple’s fears that they are not yet cut out to be devoted parents become apparent very quickly, with their lavish social lifestyle getting in the way of their duties as responsible guardians. As unsuited as this small family may initially seem, the loving bond...

Plot: A flamboyantly gay couple, made up of a small-time TV foodie (Steve Coogan) and his producer (Paul Rudd) inherit a young boy, and do their best to raise him, while the specter of their losing custody hovers over them. Review: Andrew Fleming gets my vote as one of the most underrated comedy writer-directors of his time. His Hamlet 2, to me anyways, ranks as one of the best comedies of the last decade, while his... Read More...

A lot can happen in 10 years. That’s how long it’s been since writer-director Andrew Fleming first hatched the concept for “Ideal Home,” the idea coming to him when he was on the set of his arid Sundance hit, “Hamlet 2.” The world has come pretty damn far since then, if not quite far enough.

Back in 2008, a casually disposable comedy about the virtues of queer parenthood might have seemed progressive, even if it starred two straight actors and made their characters into human cartoons whose sexuality is used as the punchline of almost every joke. In 2018, that same comedy feels like a time capsule that someone forgot to bury — you can still get a laugh or two from looking at the stuff inside, but it’s hard to know what we’re supposed to do with it now that the future that “Ideal Home” wants is already behind us.

Writer-director Andrew Fleming is one of the best and most underrated makers of comedies today, and his new film “Ideal Home” is delightful in spite of a premise that sounds un-promising.

Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd play Erasmus and Paul, a gay couple who are saddled with Erasmus’s grandson after Erasmus’ ne’er-do-well son Beau is arrested. Trying to evade the police in the first scene, Beau gets stuck in a window, and Fleming lingers on a shot of his behind in tighty-whities in a way that somehow feels more kindly than lecherous; certainly there are worse ways to enliven a basically expository sequence.

Erasmus is a popular and snobby TV food show host based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Paul is his producer; they have been together for ten years and they bicker near-constantly. “Part of me wants to stick around just to watch him die,” Paul tells one of their crew,...

“Ideal Home,” a featherweight big-screen sitcom in which Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd play testy romantic partners who wind up as parental caretakers of a 10-year-old boy, is the perfect example of how a movie can be progressive and retrograde at the same time. It’s supposed to feel cutting edge that Coogan and Rudd, who are both terrific actors, adopt a no-big-deal posture toward portraying a gay couple. If only the movie itself were as nonchalant about it! Written and directed by Andrew Fleming, who has had a fluky, hit-or-miss career but built a good comic pedestal for Coogan a decade ago with the dementedly funny “Hamlet 2,” “Ideal Home” is never not painfully aware that its two main characters are gay. It’s a cozy duet of tit-for-tat bitchery that, at times, carries the nagging whisper of a liberal minstrel show.

Instead of treating Erasmus (Coogan), a grandiose...

UK distributor Signature Entertainment has finalized deals for three movies, including Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike thriller Beirut and Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd comedy Ideal Home, I can reveal.

In Beirut, which Signature picked up from Trumbo and Captain Fantastic production outfit ShivHans Pictures, a U.S. diplomat flees Lebanon in 1972 after a tragic incident at his home. Ten years later, he is called back to war-torn Beirut by a CIA operative to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind. Brad Anderson (The Machinist) directs the spy-thriller starring Baby Driver actor Hamm and Gone Girl star Pike. Script comes from Bourne scribe Tony Gilroy. Good Universe handles international sales on the Sundance 2018 title which was picked up by Bleecker Street for the U.S.

Separately, Signature has struck a deal with Fortitude International for comedy Ideal Home in which Philomena and Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan...

"You have the biggest heart of any man I know." An international trailer has debuted for the indie comedy Ideal Home, the latest feature made by Hamlet 2 (remember that one?) director Andrew Fleming. Ideal Home is both written and directed by Fleming, and is about a wealthy, bickering gay couple whose life is turned inside out when a ten-year old boy shows up at their door claiming to be Erasmus' grandson. This is a familiar story, but the twist is the two dads aspect. Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd star as Erasmus and Paul, and the cast also includes Jake McDorman, Jesse Luken, Jack Gore, and Alison Pill. This looks surprisingly warm-hearted, not as overtly comedic as I was expecting from that description. Give it a watch. Here's the first international trailer for Andrew Fleming's Ideal Home, direct from YouTube:...

This summer, the fine folks over at Chiller Films will release Aaron B. Koontz's feature directorial debut, Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital on June 13th. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have release details for The Bigfoot Project, Justice Served, and Black Rose, as well as information on Splathouse Productions' Blue Caveman Indiegogo campaign.

Camera Obscura Release Details: Press Release: "New York, NY – April 11, 2017 – Chiller Films is pleased to announce the release of the anticipated horror thriller Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9 and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13. The film is written by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns and marks the theatrical directing debut of Koontz. The cast includes Christopher Denham (“Billions,” “Argo”), Nadja Bobyleva (“Bridge of Spies”), Catherine Curtin (“Stranger Things,” “Orange is the New Black”), Chase Williamson (Siren, “Beyond the Gates”) and Noah Segan (“The Mind’s Eye,...

Amazon Studios has acquired “Long Strange Trip,” the four hour documentary about the Grateful Dead playing in the Documentary Premieres section of the Sundance Film Festival. The film is directed by Amir Bar-Lev (“The Tillman Story”) and executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

Read More: Sundance 2017: Netflix, Vertical Acquire ‘Berlin Syndrome’

“I’ve always admired the spirit and creativity of the Grateful Dead,” Scorsese said in a statement. “They are revolutionary artists who forever changed the world of touring and recording live music. They were a cultural force—a lifestyle, that continue to influence new generations of fans. This film will entertain and educate audiences about one of the most innovative and groundbreaking American bands of the 20th century.”

Amazon will release the movie on May 26 on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and UK as a six-part documentary. Band members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir, as...

Ideal Home, the comedy in which British comic actor Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd play a bickering gay couple whose extravagant lives are turned upside down by a new addition to the family, has been snapped up by international buyers, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. The film, being offered at Afm by Fortitude Films, has attracted sales from Icon (Australia/New Zealand), Remstar (Canada), Scanbox (Scandinavia), Crystal Sky (Philippines), Lusomundo (Portugal), Forum (Israel), Tanweer (Greece/Cyprus), Pictureworks (India), Falcon (Middle East) and Cinesky (airlines). Written and directed by Andrew Fleming (Hamlet 2, The Craft), Ideal Home is produced by Aaron Ryder,

read more...

The distributor has acquired all Canadian rights from Fortitude International to the comedy Ideal Home starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan.

Andrew Fleming, who reunites with his Hamlet 2 star Coogan, directs what is the first project co-financed by Remstar Films’ sister company Remstar Studios alongside the National Bank Of Canada.

Principal photography began on May 11 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The story centres on a bickering gay couple who are left with no choice but to take in a young man who claims one of them is his grandfather.

Gabriella Tana, Maria Theresa Arida, Aaron Ryder, and Remstar Studio’s Clark Peterson and Maxime Remillard produce, while Lisa Wolofsky of the National Bank Of Canada serves as executive producer.

Fortitude International is in talks with international buyers in Cannes. UTA Independent Film Group and Wme Global represents Us rights.

Ant-Man and Alan Partridge are set to join forces for a second time in An Ideal Home – a new comedy drama, written and directed by Andrew Fleming (Hamlet 2, Dick). Marvel’s newest star, Paul Rudd, and British star Steve Coogan already starred opposite each other in 2011’s Our Idiot Brother, but this latest collaboration will see the pair united in marriage.

Coogan will play a famous celebrity, while Rudd will play his more reclusive, shy spouse. Their extravagant, public lifestyle places their relationship under considerable strain, which is amplified by the unexpected arrival of a young man claiming to be the grandson Coogan never realized he had. With his grandson in dire straits, with nowhere else to go, the couple agree to welcome him into their home, in the secret hope that his presence will heal the rifts forming in their marriage.

The film is currently being packaged for sale by Fortitude International,...

BAFTA Winners: The Revenant won five British Academy Film Awards last night, including best film and leading actor for Leonardo DiCaprio. Brie Larson took home the leading actress award for Room, while Mad Max: Fury Road received four awards. Supporting performance awards went to Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies). Fourteen films received at least one award. [Movie City News]   An Ideal Home: Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan will star as a married couple in An Ideal Home, to be directed by Andrew Fleming. The comedy/drama follows what happens when the grandson of a celebrity (Coogan) unexpectedly shows up. Rudd and Coogan appeared together in Our Idiot Brother (2011, above), while Coogan and Fleming previously worked together on 2008's Hamlet 2...

Read More...

Paul Rudd (Ant-man, Anchorman 1 & 2) and Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (Philomena) are set to star in drama/comedy An Ideal Home written and directed by Andrew Fleming (Hamlet 2, The Craft).

In pre-production, Remstar Studios and National Bank of Canada are co- financing the film, which is being produced by Gabriella Tana (Philomena, The Duchess), Maria Theresa Arida (Arbitrage, City Island), Maxime Remillard and Aaron Ryder (Founder, Mud). Clark Peterson and Lisa Wolofsky are executive producing the film.

Fortitude International is handling foreign rights and sales at the European Film Market. UTA Independent Film Group and Wme are repping Us rights.

Paul (Rudd) and Erasmus (Coogan) are a bickering couple with an extravagant life. Erasmus is a demanding, popular celebrity, and Paul is his more hesitant partner and sidekick. But when Bill, the grandson Erasmus never knew he had, shows up at their high class dinner party with nowhere else to go,...

Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd will play a bickering couple in the drama-comedy that Fortitude International has introduced to Efm buyers.

Coogan’s Hamlet 2 director Andrew Fleming will helm the story about a celebrity and his more reserved partner who are hosting a dinner party when a youngster turns up claiming to be the grandson the celebrity never knew he had.

UTA Independent Film Group and Wme Global jointly represent Us rights.

Remstar Studios and National Bank Of Canada are co- financing the film, which Gabriella Tana, Maria Theresa Arida, Maxime Remillard, and Aaron Ryder are producing.

Clark Peterson and Lisa Wolofsky serve as executive producers.

Coogan stars in Panorama selection Shepherds And Butchers. Rudd will next be seen in Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War that opens worldwide around the May 6 Us release date.

Ant-Man and Alan Partridge are moving in together, sort of. Fortitude International has added dramedy An Ideal Home to its Efm slate with Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan starring. Andrew Fleming (Hamlet 2, The Craft) wrote and is directing. Pre-production is currently underway with Remstar Studios and National Bank of Canada co-financing. UTA Independent Film Group and Wme are repping U.S. rights. Rudd and Coogan play a bickering couple leading an extravagant life. Coogan’s…...

Park City may be icy cold, but the film acquisitions are piping hot at this year Sundance Film Festival. Fox Searchlight secured world rights to “The Birth of a Nation” in a record-breaking deal totaling $17.5 million. Actor-writer Nate Parker’s (“Beyond the Lights”) directorial debut is one of the festival’s most acclaimed films to play the fest this year. This purchase rivals the $10.5 million paid out for “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006 and the $10 million sum for “Hamlet 2” in 2008. Parker portrays former slave Nat Turner, who led one of the biggest slave rebellions in United States history. The film also stars Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Penelope Ann Miller, and Gabrielle Union. Kenneth Lonergan’s third feature, “Manchester by the Sea,” also lit Park City up this week. Amazon acquired the drama for $10 million. The pic stars Casey Affleck as a man who returns to his...

Hollywood went hunting for lots of British comedy talent in the 1990s - and lured the likes of Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson...

For some reason, Hollywood fell in love with British actors again in the 1990s. Sparked by Alan Rickman's turn as Hans Gruber in Die Hard at the back end of the 1980s, many movie villains were either Brits, or in the case of Cliffhanger, John Lithgow taking on the mannerisms of a British antagonist.

Yet in particular, Hollywood went recruiting British comedy talent, with faces then mainly - but not exclusively - known for their small screen work getting roles of various sizes in Hollywood productions. Here are some who racked up the air miles - starting with the man who arguably became one of the most successful...

Hugh Laurie - 101 Dalmatians

Laurie is a man of many talents, who ultimately cracked America with...

The untimely death of Philip Seymour Hoffman last year left many projects in limbo, most notably the Hunger Games movie franchise, where he was in the midst of shooting for a pivotal role in the series. However, Hoffman’s demise also put to an end the actor’s transition to television, as he was set to take on the lead role in the Showtime series Happyish, following in the footsteps of numerous performers who had made the transition to the small screen. While Hoffman’s demise put the show in jeopardy, it soon righted itself, going in a different direction by having Steve Coogan step into the lead. Coogan, who has previously found success in television with the Alan Partridge character across numerous shows, as well as movies such as Hamlet 2 and The Other Guys, plays the role of Thom Payne. The show’s synopsis is as follows:

On his birthday,...

Axes of Fulfillment: Williams Explores the Lives of Malcontented Young Adults

There’s a certain way to make multiple, intersecting storylines breathe life into a narrative structure, though it’s a rather abused formula of narrative free form often masking the lack of substance at hand. To be certain, director Ryan Piers Williams makes better use of this structure than a variety of recent examples, giving us a quiet, simplistic approach of four interrelated early thirtysomethings in Manhattan instead of bludgeoning with caustic twists a la Paul Haggis. If the material isn’t innately virginal, Williams takes some unexpected turns (not to mention the added attraction of having his wife, actress America Ferrera starring as one of the main characters). At the end of the day, some of their stories in X/Y are stronger than others, but even throughout the more familiar tics, it’s a well-acted quartet, divided...

Judd Apatow and Laura Dern diving into "the world of obsessive female football fans." The two are joining forces for a female-driven comedy about that world for Universal, the studio confirmed to EW. Dern came up with the concept for the ensemble piece, and screenplay duties are going to Pam Brady, who collaborated with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut and co-wrote Hamlet 2. Apatow and Dern are producing with Barry Mendel. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news. Apatow directed Trainwreck, written by and starring Amy Schumer, which will be released in summer 2015. Dern,...

Seemingly in the vein of Steve Coogan's 2008 comedy, "Hamlet 2," Jeff Rosenberg's feature directorial debut, "Oj: The Musical" is a mockumentary centered on Eugene, a writer attempting to stage a production of "Orenthal: The Musical" with the help of his friends. "Orenthal: The Musical" is a modern-day adaptation of the Shakespearean drama, "Othello" and takes place during the infamous double murder trial of ex-nfl star Orenthal James Simpson a.k.a. O.J. Simpson. As seen in this exclusive clip, in Eugene's modern-day version of "Othello," O.J. Simpson is to Othello as Nicole Brown Simpson is to Desdemona. Over the past year, "Oj: The Musical" has screened at the Woodstock Film Festival, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival. Watch the full exclusive clip below. "Oj: The Musical" will be available for download on iTunes and VOD on June 17.

The USA Network is on the search for its next hit, with the announcement today of it’s 2014-15 development slate.

An alien drama from Lost creator Carlton Cuse, a comedy from Amy Poehler, and a single-cam comedy about a ski resort from Jessica Biel’s Iron Ocean Films are among the development projects touted by the network, who released descriptions for more than a dozen in-the-works possible series.

The network — home to Suits and White Collar — also announced the cast-contingent pilot pick-up of hour-long original drama Stanistan. Set in a fictional Middle Eastern country, the show follows the staff...

Over the course of his career, actor and comedian Steve Coogan has garnered fans for a wide variety of projects, from his various tv and movie appearances as Alan Partridge, to his performances in films such as Hamlet 2 and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. One such project was The Trip, in which he co-starred with fellow performer Rob Brydon. The announcement that the two of them would reunite on a sequel was met with excitement from many, with was increased with news that director Michael Winterbottom would also be returning to the project. A new trailer has now been released, and can be seen below.

(Source: The Playlist)

The post ‘The Trip To Italy’, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, releases a new trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.

Sterile Cuckoo: Fleming’s Latest a Series of Rotund Clichés

Director Andrew Fleming returns with his first film since 2008’s neglected Hamlet 2, a road trip/mental illness comedy romance called Barefoot, which happens to be a remake of a 2005 German film directed by and starring Til Schweiger. Odd, cumbersome, and chock full of awkward moments that will have you cringing in embarrassment for certain cast members, Fleming seems to be aiming to hit too many marks, tethering a painfully earnest look at vague mental illness tropes with romantic quirk.

Jay Wheeler (Scott Speedman), is a playboy on the skids. He’s about $40,000 in gambling debt and has just been arrested once again, this time for aggravated assault. A janitor in a Los Angeles mental hospital, Jay is seemingly on his last leg and is forced to reconcile with his rich and estranged parents (Treat Williams and Kate Burton) in New Orleans.

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 13 Feb 2014 - 06:39

Our voyage through history's underappreciated films arrives at the year 2008 - another great year for lesser-seen gems...

For some, 2008 will be memorable as the year of The Dark Knight, with its astonishingly unhinged turn from the late Heath Ledger. Alternatively, it could be remembered as the year a legion Indiana Jones fans left cinemas glum-faced, having sat through Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

Elsewhere, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced on a Greek island in Mamma Mia!, while Will Smith played an alcoholic superhero in Hancock. But as usual, 2008 offered plenty of watchable movies outside the top 10, which is where we swoop in - like Hancock after a bottle of gin.

So as usual, here's our selection of 25 underappreciated films from the year 2008 - starting with a British horror film starring Michael Fassbender...

25. Eden Lake

James Watkins had written...

Today’s film is the 2007 short For the Love of God. The film is directed by Joe Tucker, who co-wrote the script with Raphael Warner, and stars Julia Davis, Ian McKellan, and Steve Coogan. Coogan is perhaps best known for his character Alan Partridge, who has appeared in numerous tv shows and movies such as The Day Today, I’m Alan Partridge, and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. He has also appeared in movies such as Hamlet 2, Night at the Museum, and The Trip. His newest feature, Philomena, opens in wide release in American theatres this weekend.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ‘For the Love of God’, featuring the voice of Steve Coogan appeared first on Sound On Sight.

Thursday nights on Fox will be all about Demi.

Demi Lovato will be joining the cast of Glee this season, according to star Lea Michele, who just tweeted, “Such amazing news that two of my very best friends are going to be on #Glee this year! @ddlovato & @PhoebeStrole! Thank you @MrRPMurphy!”

Demi Lovato is rumored to play Dani, a NYC-based struggling artist friend of Rachel and Santana’s who will regularly appear with Adam Lambert’s incoming character, according to TVLine, who reported Lovato was in talks. The current X Factor judge — now known mostly for her music — was an...

Though Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, Hamlet 2) has clearly shown that he's more accustomed to comedy on the big screen, supporting turns in films like Our Idiot Brother and The Look of Love show that he has some solid dramatic chops waiting to be stretched as well. Now he gets his chance with some good company in Judi Dench. In the first trailer for Philomena, a woman goes searching for the son she was forced to give up as a young girl, and navigates America to find him with the help of a former journalist. Coogan also co-wrote the screenplay based on Martin Sixsmith's book on this tragic real-life story. Watch! Here's the UK trailer for Stephen Frears' Philomena from Pathe (via Empire): Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) was sent away to a convent to be looked after as a "fallen woman". Taken from her at the age...

Review Andrew Blair 8 Aug 2013 - 07:10

Andrew checks out a fun, clever, and ambitious Doctor Who-themed musical at the Edinburgh Fringe...

There is a certain preconception of Fringe shows in general. Then there are preconceptions about musicals, and then there are preconceptions about Doctor Who themed shows. Small, low-budget, amateur productions to a dwindling audience who aren't in the mood for recent drama school graduates being earnest, silly and dabbling with the meta-fictional. 

It's basically the McCoy era. Live. With less money. 

Fortunately, I like the McCoy era. And if there's one thing Doctor Who fans should understand, it's that you can overcome a lack of budget with imagination. Thus we have I Need a Doctor. 

I Need a Doctor is advertised as a Doctor Who musical, because its creators aren't stupid. However, it isn't just a loose collection of songs that reference Timeflight and Planet of the Ood. It's cleverer than that.

Notes on the Banal: Zisk’s Debut a Toothless Version of Familiar Material

After working exclusively in the realm of television since the 1990s, director Craig Zisk lands a high profile cast for his feature film debut, The English Teacher, which looks on paper like something of a cross between Notes on a Scandal and Hamlet 2. But even though its glossy pedigree hints at potentially subversive elements laced with acerbic comedic flare, Zisk, with a screenplay from Dan and Stacy Chariton, plays with its controversial elements apprehensively, awkwardly unraveling like a neutered version of similarly themed films. While at its core it does happen to sport a watchable lead performance from its star, the film ultimately does her no favors, crushing its own titular protagonist beneath the wheels of a predictable finale.

Linda Sinclair (Julianne Moore) is an uptight 40-something high school English teacher, living out a rather isolated spinsterhood,...

Exclusive: Beatrice Springborn has joined Craig Zadan and Neil Meron’s Storyline Entertainment as President of television development and production. Springborn, who starts today and reports to Zadan and Meron, has been hired under Storyline’s first-look deal with Universal TV and NBCUniversal’s international TV production division to produce series and specials for both the U.S. and international markets. Springborn also has been tasked with expanding the company’s footprint into genre and book-based series. Additionally, she will shepherd Storyline’s current series, which currently include Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime and Smash on NBC. For the past two and a half years, Springborn was Svp for Caryn Mandabach Prods. where she oversaw development genre- and book-based series for the worldwide marketplace. She previously was Evp of TV and film production and development at Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Motion Pictures (The Walking Dead). Springborn started her executive career is features,...

0:00 - Intro 7:15 - Review: Bullet to the Head 36:45 - Headlines: Fast & Furious 6 Trailer, Chris Pratt to Star in Guardians of the Galaxy, Paul Giamatti is Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Duncan Jones to Direct Warcraft, Judd Apatow to Make Knocked Up a Trilogy 1:03:00 - Other Stuff We Watched: Groundhog Day, Demolition Man, Hamlet 2, Billy Madison, Knocked Up, Girls, Mister Lonely, The Lost Weekend, Some Like it Hot, The Duellists, The Woman in Black, White Zombie, Fear and Desire, Searching for Sugar Man 1:30:10 - Junk Mail: Japanese Kit-Kats, Best Movies That Arnold Didn't Make, Sean's Doppelganger and Wii-u, Mario Bava and Recommended Horror Directors, Film Junk is a Marketing Nightmare, Errol Flynn and Film Snobbery, Jay and Frank's Hatred of DVDs, Friendships Lost Over Movie Disagreements 2:13:10 - This Week on DVD and Blu-ray 2:16:55 - Outro

Film Junk...

Ha, we had almost forgotten about Bruce Springsteen in "High Fidelity" and David Bowie in "Zoolander" (we default to Billy Zane on that one). And you can't beat Bill Murray in "Zombieland." And even though we would've picked Bruce Willis in "Ocean's Twelve" over Bruce Willis in "What Just Happened?," this is a pretty damn good collection (courtesy of AnimalNY) of the celebrity world self-congratulating itself by breaking its own fourth wall. Or ... something.

Anyway, we agree with FilmDrunk in that the meta-levels may one day reach such an extreme that movies will nothing more than celebrities playing us pretending to be them and everything will be a sequel to "The Human Centipede."

Here is the full list of cameos, in order of appearance ...

1. John Malkovich, "Being John Malkovich"

2. David Hasselhoff, "SpongeBob SquarePants"

3. Neil Patrick Harris, "Harold and Kumar Go to While Castle"

4. Dr. Phil and Shaquille O’Neal, "Scary Movie 4"

5. Kurt Vonnegut,...

Glad you asked. Now that the entire programming slate has been announced for the 2013 edition of the Sundance Film Festival, let’s take a look at the representation of Latinos in the broadest, most diverse sense, because that is what that ill-defined lump category encompasses. {Full disclosure: I work as a Programming Associate for the Festival. These are not reviews but an insider breaking-it-down preview}

At first glance the Latino representation may not seem obvious. Nor may it seem as strong as the films and filmmakers from the African-American and Lgbt community representing, or the record breaking number of female directors’ – each group highly visible by their nature. We may not have a Mosquita y Mari or Filly Brown, two fiction films, which broke out of the festival this past year, but we do have two hugely relevant and urgent documentaries, Narco Cultura which explores the phenomenal music and social culture being shaped and perpetuated by the influence of Mexico’s violent drug cartels, and Who Is Dayani Cristal? an innovative doc-fiction hybrid produced by Gael Garcia Bernal that will hopefully re-divert much needed attention back to the Us/Mexico border. By the way, Who is Dayani Cristal? screens in the high profile Day One slot.

What’s Latino anyway?

I personally embrace the responsibility of changing the conversation as to what constitutes representing American Latinos. First, by focusing on both the above-the- line-talent (filmmaker or actor) And storyline/subject. The second part is highlighting the second, third, fourth and so-on generations of filmmakers. What about the filmmakers in the festival like Kyle Patrick Alvarez (C.O.G), Liz W. Garcia (The Lifeguard) and Eduardo Sanchez (S-vhs horror anthology and co-director of the infamous Blair Witch Project)? I don’t know these filmmakers personally so I can’t speak to how they might view their cultural identities and how it informs their work, if at all. But I do believe it is worth pointing out and feeling good about these last names being out there as part of the mainstream fabric. It is similar to how Robert Rodriguez does not identify himself as a Mexican-American yet his last name has been key to driving the younger Latino generation in feeling a proud connection as an American and not just “dash” American.

Chile is still hot

There are three films from Chilean filmmakers. In unprecedented fashion – because that’s how Sundance likes to roll- there is a repeat of last year with two in competition, El Futuro by Alicia Scherson (mostly taking place in Italy) and Magic Fairy by Sebastian Silva, an alumnus who broke out in 2009 with La Nana. In the section Spotlight aka “Movies we love and don’t care if they’ve traveled the festival circuit”, is Pablo Larrain’s No starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Chilean cinema is hot and king of engrossing character-driven fare. What we are seeing is a boom on two fronts; an invigorating new generation of provocateurs (Marialy Rivas’s Young & Wild comes to mind) and a slightly older generation of equally exciting filmmakers who continue to sustain their careers with their distinct voice (like Pablo Larrain along with Andres Wood).

So now lets dive in and look at the list. Loglines copied from official press release – Bold Italics are my comments.

Us Dramatic Competition

Fruitvale / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray.

Puerto-Rican Diaz delivers a fiercely moving performance embodying the girlfriend of Oscar Grant who was with him that fateful day. Diaz is no stranger to the festival. She’s previously been at the festival with four films including seminal indie American Latino story, Raising Victor Vargas 2002 and comedies like Hamlet 2 20008. Why homegirl hasn’t gotten more props for her mad acting skills I don’t know, but this girl is wildly talented and Fruitvale showcases her dramatic chops.

Us Documentary Competition

Narco Cultura / U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.

Absolutely arresting photography that works in giving weight to the violent images the public has become numb from seeing. I predict some of my hard core brown and proud friends might focus and hence diminish this film based on the fact that this bi-cultural, Mexican-American subject is made by non-Latino filmmakers. It could be argued as a valid point. When it comes to documentaries a legit question to make when evaluating is “What makes This person the right one to tackle This subject? What is their connection?” Let’s watch it to find out, then give consideration to what other docs are currently out there on this same timely topic made by Latinos, and without bias regard their depth and artistic merit.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Crystal Fairy / Chile (Director and screenwriter: Sebastián Silva) — Jamie invites a stranger to join a road trip to Chile. The woman’s free and esoteric nature clashes with Jamie’s acidic, self-absorbed personality as they head into the desert for a Mescaline-fueled psychedelic trip. Cast: Michael Cera, Gabby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, Agustín Silva. World Premiere. Day One Film

This marks Sebastian’s third appearance at the festival following La Nana and Gatos Viejos. Remember what I said about character driven? Silva excels at getting at spilling out the insides of his protagonists.

The Future / Chile, Germany, Italy, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Alicia Scherson) — When their parents die, Bianca starts to smoke and Tomas is still a virgin. The orphans explore the dangerous streets of adulthood until Bianca finds Maciste, a retired Mr. Universe, and enters his dark mansion in search of a future. Cast: Manuela Martelli, Rutger Hauer, Luigi Ciardo, Nicolas Vaporidis, Alessandro Giallocosta. World Premiere

Scherson’s last film, Turistas screened at various film festivals including the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2009. Shot in another country and in a different language, The Future continues the filmmaker’s incisive capturing of the strong female led journey.

World Cinema Documentary Competition

Who is Dayani Cristal? / United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film

An extraordinary cinematic and symbolic approach to the border crossing genre, this meta reflexive journey retraced by none other than Gael Garcia Bernal imagines the grueling experience of a migrant and who he might have been. Bernal has been lending his star power to the social justice causes that move him and you can tell its genuine.

New Frontier

Halley / Mexico (Director: Sebastian Hofmann, Screenwriters: Sebastian Hofmann, Julio Chavezmontes) — Alberto is dead and can no longer hide it. Before surrendering to his living death, he forms an unusual friendship with Luly, the manager of the 24-hour gym where he works as a night guard. Cast: Alberto Trujillo, Lourdes Trueba, Hugo Albores

As unsettling it is watch, its as deep to ponder, this incredibly-shot first feature had its world premiere at the Morelia Film Festival and its inclusion in the most daring section of the festival speaks to the highly diverse and radical new cinema coming from Mexico.

Spotlight

No / Chile, U.S.A. (Director: Pablo Larraín, Screenwriter: Pedro Peirano) — When Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power, the opposition persuades a young advertising executive to head its campaign. With limited resources and under scrutiny, he conceives a plan to win the election. Cast: Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Luis Gnecco, Marcial Tagle, Néstor Cantillana.

There have been many films about the Pinochet regime and its wide-reaching after effects. But none have had as unique an entry point as No. Trust.

Midnight

We Are What We Are / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle) — A devastating storm washes up clues that lead authorities closer and closer to the cannibalistic Parker family. Cast: Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Michael Parks, Wyatt Russell, Kelly McGillis.

Okay, I only include this because this is based on the Mexican cult hit, Somos Lo que Hay by Jorge Michel Grau. Jim Mickle of Stakeland has promised to “Not Fuck it Up per Twitch interview

To cap off the features; Stalwart Spanish actor Alfred Molina is in Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes by Francesca Gregorini in Us Dramatic Competition, and we have a strong acting splash by Marcus DeAnda, a co-lead in Pit Stop directed by Yen Tan and co-written by David Lowery. The film about two gay working class lovers in small town Texas is in the Next section.

And lets not forget about shorts!

Short Film Competition

Broken Night / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga) — A young woman and her four-year-old daughter drive across desolated hills. Everything looks fine and they seem to enjoy the ride, until an accident sends them into the nightmare of darkness.

Ever since writing and directing team Arriga and Innaritu broke up (Amores Perros, Babel) Arriaga has been trying to make his stamp directing his own material.

The Companion / Peru (Director and screenwriter: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio) — On the outskirts of Lima, a young prostitute tends to his father, a fallen-from-grace artisan. However, the young man feels that his efforts are never enough. He tries to break free, but his father’s dependence is stronger than his son’s will.

Intriguing and highly atmospheric gem from Peru!

Chicago? Check. Mexicans check! No, but really this intimate glimpse is poetic and moving.

A Story for the Modlins / Spain (Director: Sergio Oksman, Screenwriter: Sergio Oksman) —The tale of Elmer Modlin, who, after appearing in Rosemary’s Baby, fled with his family to a far-off country and shut himself away in a dark apartment for 30 years.

Must see. Fascinating and inventive ‘Found family photos’ yarn.

#PostModem / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva) — A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.

My favorite locos from Miami. After making the rounds with Life & Freaky Times of Uncle Luke, which played last year, these rump-shakers have been busy with their work in and out of their funky audiovisual collective Borscht Corp.

If you are heading to Park City I highly recommend you register to purchase Advance tickets here. See you on the mountain!

As the independent film festival’s lineup is announced, we look back at some of the most notoriously buzzed about flicks — which were Doa at the box office everywhere else

Buried (2010)

Buried seemed like some film-school experiment. When an American truck driver stationed in Iraq wakes up to find himself buried alive inside a coffin, he has only a lighter and a cell phone to meet his captors’ $5 million ransom before he runs out of oxygen. Sundance audiences swooned, and not only because the truck driver in question was soon-to-be Sexiest Man Alive Ryan Reynolds. Lionsgate forked over approximately $3.2 million...

A Late Quartet

Directed by: Yaron Zilberman

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots

Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: November 2, 2012 (Chicago)

Plot: A musical team (Hoffman, Walken, Keener, Ivanir) struggles to keep their focus while preparing their performance of Beethoven’s Opus 131 string quartet in C# Minor.

Who’S It For? Classical music knowledge is not necessary to engage in the drama of this movie. Most of all, A Late Quartet requires patience, both for its glaring flaws and for its smaller concept.

Overall

Like the Jamaican bobsled team in Cool Runnings or a group of acrobats, a string quartet is a concise team that requires focus from all involved performers working at their full potential in order to achieve their complicated goal. Such a harmony can be challenged by natural elements, or in the case of this movie’s professional group,...

A couple of release date updates, so get out your day planner and find out why you might have to cancel on your Mom's birthday party... First up, Focus Features has slotted the Rebecca Hall- and Eric Bana-starring "Closed Circuit" for an August 28, 2013 release date, which isn't all that inspiring. Coming right at the end of the summer, it has always been a weird dumping ground for the studio. And for every movie like "The American" or "The Constant Gardener" that has done well in the slot, there are just as many like this year's "For A Good Time, Call..." and "Hamlet 2" that floundered. And generally speaking, the weekend isn't a great one for box office. But nevertheless, we're keeping optimistic about this one. Penned by "Eastern Promises" scribe Steve Knight, Bana and Hall will play Martin and Claudia, lawyers and former lovers, who find their lives...

This week American Horror Story returned (to record-shattering numbers) for a new season of insanity - set, appropriately enough, in a sanitarium for the criminally insane. Insane asylums have been hotbeds of movie drama for decades, and bring with them their own set of tropes, cliches, and plot devices. We've compiled a few of our favorite asylum fixtures here, and the film that we feel did each the best.

Best Hallucinations: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

You gotta give it to Freddy and Co. for pulling out all the stops in this truly twisted and beloved postmodern slasher classic. Philip's puppet death and the Zha Zha Gabor and Dick Cavett cameos make this one tops for pure Wtf? hallucinatory imagery.

Best "Welcome to the Asylum" Speech: Twelve Monkeys

If I ever get committed to a mental institution, I want Brad Pitt to be my orientation advisor. This...