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Cinema Tropical, the premier presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States, has announced its annual list of the Best Latin American and U.S. Latinx Films of 2024. This year’s prestigious selection showcases 32 exceptional films—26 from across Latin America and six from U.S. Latinx filmmakers—representing a vibrant spectrum of contemporary storytelling. These films will compete for the 15th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards, with winners to be revealed on January 14, 2025, at a ceremony at Film at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The selected films span diverse genres, themes, and countries, highlighting the creative and cultural richness of Latin American cinema. Festival favorites such as La Cocina by Alonso Ruizpalacios, The Delinquents by Rodrigo Moreno, Pepe by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, and Sujo by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero are among the contenders for top honors. The winners will be recognized in categories including Best Film,...

A hurricane is coming and Atlantic Beach, Florida is directly in its path. The tourists have already left. Most residents remain. Why? Because this is hurricane country. None of this is new. Maybe the storm will hit. Maybe it won’t. Is that chance worth the time and effort of skipping town? Or is the excitement of experiencing it as it washes over you too good to pass up? And what about those who simply can’t be bothered either due to age or complacency? This is home, after all. For some, this is all they’ve ever known.

Alexandra Simpson’s No Sleep Till plays out in a slice-of-life documentarian style. It’s a quiet piece with gorgeous images (kudos to cinematographer Sylvain Froidevaux) and interesting characters engaged in the seemingly wild juxtapositions inherent to maintaining a mundane status quo through the uncertainty of impending chaos. There’s a...

Mexican filmmaker Elisa Miller (“Hurricane Season”) is teaming up with “Roma” producer Nicolás Celis and his Pimienta Films on a legal drama-cum-psychological thriller that the duo is pitching this week at the Venice Production Bridge’s Gap-Financing Market, which runs Aug. 30 – Sept. 1.

“Legítima” is based on the remarkable true story of Yakiri Rubio, a young woman who was kidnapped and raped by two brothers in Mexico City in 2013. After killing one of her attackers in self-defense, Rubio wound up finding herself behind bars and charged with murder in a case that shocked and scandalized the nation.

The film is based on “En legítima defensa,” a book written by Ana Katiria Suárez, the charismatic and unconventional lawyer who took up Rubio’s case, doing battle with Mexico’s corrupt and misogynistic legal system until justice was finally served and the young woman was freed.

Speaking to Variety from Mexico City, Miller...

"Fear not. Despair not. Darkness won't last forever." Netflix has revealed the full trailer for a Mexican film titled Hurricane Season, which will be streaming on Netflix worldwide for anyone to watch in November. Originally known as Temporada de Huracanes in Spanish, it's adapted from the book of the same name by Fernanda Melchor. Hurricane season is coming in strong. Four souls in search of redemption confront the relentless storm of their destiny in a world where violence fills a space that should belong to love. From filmmaker Elisa Miller, starring Paloma Alvamar, Andrés Cordova, Ernesto Meléndez, Kat Rigoni, and Edgar Treviño. The book has an eerie opener: "Hurricane Season takes place in a world filled with mythology and violence - real violence, the kind that seeps into the soil, poisoning everything around: it’s a world that becomes more terrifying and more terrifyingly real the deeper you explore it.

The Writers Lab, supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, has revealed its ninth annual batch of participants.

With a devotion to developing scripted content written by women over the age of 40, the Lab, produced with New York Women in Film & Television, is known for its commitment to elevating the work of women screenwriters through mentorship, advocacy and exposure.

The participants of The Writers Lab 2023 are Louisa Kendrick Burton (“The Charge”), Shari Lynette Carpenter (“Translate”), Helena Cho (“The Last Buddha”), Marya Cohn (“Hurricane Season”), Lesley Fera (“Inconceivable”), Brooke Hemphill (“Apotcalypse”), Justina Ireland (“Bleeding Kansas”), Tricia Lee (“Good Chance”), Betsy Nagler (“Priceless”), Lisa Ramirez and Michele Noble (“Fifty”), Sarah Sinclair (“The Stratford Wife”) and Jill Twiss (“Bee”).

“Women over 40 make up 25% of the world population, and women over 50 control $19 billion, yet this demographic remains ignored by Hollywood and streamers. AI won’t change that — only women will,” said co-founder Elizabeth Kaiden.

Lionsgate gave director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th – but if you didn’t catch the movie on the big screen or if you did and want to watch it again in the comfort of your home as soon as possible, we have some good news. The Blackening is set to receive a Premium VOD release on July 7th. Yes, tomorrow!

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually the earliest victims in horror films,...

Lionsgate will be giving director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th – and with two weeks to go until that date arrives, a clip from the film has shown up online. This clip shows a run-in with the character Ranger White, played by Diedrich Bader of Office Space and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, and you can check it out in the embed above.

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually the earliest victims in horror films,...

Coming June 8 to Peacock is “Based on a True Story,” a true-crime comedy thriller about a couple (Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina) who decide that getting involved in a murder will somehow save their marriage. All eight episodes will be released at once. This comical look at true crime is sure to entertain audiences, whether they are fans of the genre or not.

Check out the trailer for “Based on a True Story”:

On June 2, Peacock will premiere the new film “Shooting Stars.” The sports movie tells the story of LeBron James and how his high-school team at Akron’s St. Vincent/St. Mary High School became the No. 1 basketball team in the country. Also, how the friendships forged on the court have remained in place throughout the decades that followed.

Watch the “Shooting Stars” trailer:

Four of the five “Bourne” films are set to arrive on the service...

Lionsgate will be giving director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th – which happens to be Juneteenth weekend, so it’s the perfect date for a movie that’s said to take place during a Juneteenth weekend getaway. Now that we’re a month out from the release, the final trailer for the film has been unveiled, and you can check it out in the embed above.

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually...

“Abbott Elementary” will finally reveal Janine’s mother on the ABC comedy’s April 12 episode, and even though it’s April Fool’s Day, we’re not (Cookie) Lyon: It’s “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson, who will play Vanetta on the hit comedy series.

The casting of Henson was revealed Saturday at the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest LA event, where an “Abbott Elementary” panel featured stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Wiliams and William Stanford Davis in person, as well as Janelle James and Chris Perfetti via Zoom from New York. Pre-taping a message was star and executive producer Quinta Brunson, who wasn’t able to attend — as she’s hosting tonight’s installment of “Saturday Night Live.”

In the “Abbott Elementary” episode “Mom,” Janine (played by Brunson) is planning a Memorial Day weekend solo trip. But that’s derailed when her mother Vanetta,...

Yesterday, we heard that the trailer for director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening would be arriving online today – and the trailer can now be seen in the embed above! The film is said to take place during a Juneteenth weekend getaway, and Lionsgate is going to give the film a wide theatrical release on June 16th – which happens to be Juneteenth weekend. So take a look at the trailer and see if this looks like a movie you’d like to go see on the big screen in June.

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences.

Director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening is said to take place during a Juneteenth weekend getaway, and Lionsgate is going to give the film a wide theatrical release on June 16, 2023 – which happens to be Juneteenth weekend. With the release date just three and a half months away, a poster for The Blackening has arrived online – and it came with the promise that a trailer is going to be released tomorrow! So while we wait to see the trailer, you can take a look at the poster at the bottom of this article.

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to...

#QueMéxicoSeVea designed to showcase work of local industry.

Netflix has announced the latest film from Fernando Frias and the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto as it launches an initiative to raise the profile of local filmmakers in the run-up to Mexico’s national cinema day on Monday (August 15).

Under #QueMéxicoSeVea, which translates as Let Mexico Be Seen, Netflix will present the latest from Frias – I Don’t Expect Anyone To Believe Me (No Voy A Pedirle A Nadie Que Me Crea) – whose I’m No Longer Here was acquired by the streamer and represented Mexico in the international feature...

Netflix has reaffirmed its 300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series, announcing a slew of new movie projects to celebrate the country’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 and as part of its #QueMéxicoSeVea initiative.

The year-old initiative, which can be roughly translated to “Let Mexico Be Seen” has the mission “to make visible the work of Mexican creators, screenwriters, writers, directors, actors and people who make national cinema possible,” as well as its wealth of original stories.

Leading the pack is the widely anticipated directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who is helming an adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s seminal novel, “Pedro Paramo.” Produced by Redrum, the film’s crew includes Oscar-nominated production designer Eugenio Caballero and costume designer Anna Terrazas, whose notable credits include “Roma,” “Spectre” and “Bardo.”

“Our commitment to Mexican culture also includes adapting great Mexican works to the cinema, and ‘Pedro Páramo’ will...

Exclusive: Chris Mulkey (On the Basis of Sex, Captain Phillips) has signed on to a starring role in The Redeemer, the indie Western from writer-director Myles Clohessy, which is heading into production in Montana later this month.

The two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee joins a cast that includes Titus Welliver, Brandon Routh, SAG Award winner Robert Clohessy, Mo Brings Plenty, Eddie Spears, Golden Globe nominee Irene Bedard, Timothy V. Murphy and newcomer Baylee Toney, as previously announced.

The Redeemer tells the story of Butch (Mulkey), a washed up war hero in 1880s Montana who embark on a life-or-death rescue mission into the frontier, alongside his estranged son Garrett (Routh), to save his Indigenous wife Aponi (Bedard) and daughter-in-law (Toney), after they’re kidnapped by a gang of violent outlaws led by the formidable former Calvary Captain Randall Ferguson (Murphy). But a harsh winter, the horrors and dangers of the frontier,...

Wscripted has unveiled its inaugural Cannes Screenplay List of scripts in the English language to option at Cannes.

Wscripted is the first online marketplace for sourcing and curating excellent work written by women and women-identifying writers in film TV, and publishing. Among the screenplays on the list are works by Lucy Powers (“The Road to Hebron”), Nathalie Marchak (“A Beautiful Journey”), Caitlin Gallo and Brittany Harris (“People Like Us”) and Sundance Institute fellow Deborah S. Esquenazi (“A Killing on Park”).

The Inaugural List is designed to offer a resource for producers and executives to discover new female talent by highlighting excellent projects by international women writers during the Cannes Film Market. Its mission is to help speed up opportunities for female writers on the list and drive the development of female content.

Ellie Jamen, founder and CEO of Wscripted, was invited as a Guest of Honor to the 2021 Cannes Film...

Former Focus Features CEO James Schamus, best known for producing Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning “Brokeback Mountain” and Lee’s other stellar projects, is debuting “Somos,” his first television outing, on June 30. The six-episode Netflix series is based on the ProPublica report “How the U.S. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Ginger Thompson.

Presenting a fictional mosaic of characters in the events leading up to the massacre that took place in the border town of Allende, Coahuila, in 2011, the series gives the point of view of the victims whose lives were forever altered in a tragedy that was sparked by a DEA operation gone awry.

The trailer shows a montage of characters and scenes in the lead up to the unspeakable event where the Los Zetas drug cartel torched and killed hundreds of innocent people related (or not) to an alleged snitch.

Schamus made it a...

James Schamus (pictured, left), the former co-president of Focus Features who is best known for his laureled producing partnership with multi Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, is creating his first TV series for Netflix Mexico.

Schamus will serve as executive producer and showrunner for the series, which he co-wrote with Monika Revilla and author Fernanda Melchor (“Hurricane Season”).

The series, whose storyline is under wraps, will shoot in Spanish with local crew and talent in Mexico and is set to debut later this year. Francisco Ramos, VP of Spanish-language originals for Netflix in Latin America, told Variety that Schamus is learning Spanish. Ramos also expressed his delight at the “complete and diverse slate” that Netflix Mexico has put together in recent years.

This is the first major Latino collaboration for Schamus — producer of Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” as well as “The Ice Storm,” which he also co-wrote — since his 1990 producing debut,...

Los Cabos — “The Twentieth Century,” Matthew Rankin’s crazed retelling of Canadian history, won the main Los Cabos Competition this Saturday, beating out a prestige lineup of some of the most notable festival standouts of the year.

The win at Los Cabos, whose competition is focused on movies from the U.S., Mexico and Canada, adds to “The Twentieth Century’s” Toronto Best Canadian First Feature prize for a feature made with high style, shot like 1940s melodrama, with a box-like Academy ratio.

Mexico Primero, a showcase of first or second-time Mexican features, was won by “The Dove and the Wolf,” the feature debut of Carlos Lenin, which world premiered at this year’s Locarno Film Festival in Filmmakers of the Present. A young couple love story, “The Dove and the Wolf” is distinguished by its context, a grimy small town assailed by cartel violence, and its unyielding use of...

Annette Bening has signed on to star in “Katrina: American Crime Story,” the next installment in Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series.

Bening will play Kathleen Blanco, who was Governor of Louisiana during and after Hurricane Katrina, in the limited-run series from Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.

Read More: ‘American Crime Story,’ ‘Atlanta’ Delays: Why FX Hits Sometimes Go On Long Hiatuses

FX announced last month that “Katrina,” which is the follow-up to “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” won’t be ready until 2018. That’s to allow producers more time to craft the story; but the delay was also attributed to Hurricane season-related insurance issues.

Production on the series’ third installment, about the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace, will actually take place before “Katrina.” That will allow FX to air both editions within six months of each other in 2018, and perhaps put the...

Hurricane season will be in full swing when New Line Cinema releases Into the Storm, and here's hoping our real weather doesn't affect the film's box office numbers when it arrives in theatres on August 8th! Here's the flick's first TV spot.

From New Line Cinema, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, comes the tornado disaster film Into the Storm. Steven Quale (Final Destination 5) directs the film, which is produced by Todd Garner (Zookeeper, Knight and Day).

The screenplay is by John Swetnam. The executive producers are Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, Dave Neustadter, Mark McNair, Jeremy Stein, and Bruce Berman.

The film stars Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Sarah Wayne Callies (TV’s “The Walking Dead”), Matt Walsh (Ted), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Where the Devil Hides), Arlen Escarpeta (Final Destination 5), Nathan Kress (TV’s “iCarly”), Jon Reep (Harold & Kumar Escape from...

To mark the release of Ride along on 30th June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray, along with 3 goody bags.

Ride Along is the uproarious laugh out loud action comedy about a fast talking security guard, Ben, (Kevin Hart) who joins his cop brother-in-law, James, (Ice Cube) on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James’ sister.

Ben sees himself as a crime fighting police man and isn’t going to let anyone stop him from achieving his dreams in love and career. What could possibly go wrong?

Directed by Black Reel Award nominee Tim Story (Think Like A Man, Hurricane Season, Fantastic 4);Ride Along stars comedy gold and Black Entertainment Television (Bet) Award winner Kevin Hart (About Last Night Grudge Match, This Is The End), as Ben Barber the larger than life underdog; Bet Comedy Award nominee Ice Cube (21 Jump Street,...

Tina: I'm slow, she's fast. Stephanie: You're kinda Country Mouse. Tina: I'm total Country Mouse. This is how it goes. Even if we're getting it done, my demeanor is slower and yours is faster. So goes the banter between writer-director Tina Gordon Chism and producer Stephanie Allain, who were gracious enough to grant an in-depth chat about their new film Peeples (which opens today), as well as their careers and views on the film and television industry. It was an effortless conversation, as you might expect. The two witty creatives who have a string of noted films to their credit (Drumline, Atl, Hustle & Flow, Something New, Hurricane Season, and...

An explosive romance about forbidden desires, Tyler Perry’S Temptation tells the provocative story of Judith, an ambitious married woman whose temptation by a handsome billionaire leads to betrayal, recklessness and forever alters the course of her life. This past week, Wamg participated in a press conference for the film with Tyler Perry, and stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross, Robbie Jones, Renée Taylor, Ella Joyce, and Brandy Norwood . Check it out below.

So, Tyler we’ve got obsession and passion for the lord vs obsession and passion of flesh. Can you talk about how you developed those thematic elements found in the film

Tyler Perry: Well what was more important to me in this film was that I knew there were a lot of people going through things in relationships and I wanted to just raise a flag and say “what happens when you’re tempted?” One choice, ne...

It's been over six months since Tyler Perry "presented" a new movie to us and surely his fans are anxious for a new feature. Well, they're in luck as Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is set to arrive on Easter weekend next year. The film has made headlines as it marks the feature film debut of Kim Kardashian (we'll let you be the judge on her performance), though the film centers on a marriage counselor played by Jurnee Smollet-Bell, whose probably best known for her excellent turn in the last three seasons of Friday Night Lights. As per usual in Perry films, there are plenty of familiar faces here, including Vanessa Williams, Robbie Jones (Hurricane Season, One Tree Hill), singer Brandy Norwood and Perry regular Lance...

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The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift star had been with UTA. Bow Wow, whose real name is Shad Moss, also starred in Tyler Perry’s 2011 film Madea’s Big Happy Family, 2010’s The Lottery Season and 2009’s Hurricane Season with Ice Cube. After first gaining fame as a rapper, he debuted on the big screen with a cameo in 2001′s All About The Benjamins, followed by his first lead role in 2002′s Like Mike. Bow Wow also had a recurring role in Season 6 of HBO’s Entourage. His next film, the thriller Recalled, premiered this summer at the Seattle Film Festival. In addition to Apa, Bow Wow is also repped by manager Teresa Caldwell and attorney Greenburg Traurig.

"She likes men that have quiet confidence," my mom declared as she and my pajama-clad sisters discussed what seems to be the biggest even in life next to the birth of my niece and the Oscars. "I think she's gonna pick Jeff. But I love Arie."

Most people know that they're talking about The Bachelorette. Some people, like me, need a little explanation when their loved ones gossip about these random people's love lives with such passionate interest. First, I second-guess myself. "Wait, is Arie some distant cousin I forgot about?" No. He's just a dude on a reality show. When I'm in Los Angeles, I stay blissfully ignorant of Bachelor and Bachelorette finales. My only contact with rose ceremonies and "Men Tell All" episodes are cursory glances at my Facebook feed on Sundays, which is clogged with shrewd updates like: "Omg Kalen is such a douche!" or "I can't...

We’ve been telling you about Rewind, a pilot being developed for Syfy. Most recently we told you about casting Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jennifer Ferrin (The Cape), Keon Mohajeri, and Robbie Jones (Hellcats), joining star Shane McRae. Now, Syfy has issued a press release about not only the casting that we already know, but also a particularly great guest star: Jeff Fahey, also known as Lost fans’ favorite pilot Frank Lapidus.

He’ll be playing Ellis, a former Nasa aerospace engineer and now part of the time travel team around whom the show revolves. He is the spiritual backbone of the team; strong with a Zen-like wisdom and intensely loyal to team leader Bryce (McRae).

Ooo I can totally see him playing that, can’t you? And I am Really looking forward to it! Here’s the full press release; there’s some good info there, make sure to...

HollywoodNews.com: Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards, announced the selection of accomplished film producer Stephanie Allain as its new Los Angeles Film Festival Director, starting immediately. She succeeds Rebecca Yeldham, who recently elected to step down for personal reasons.

Stephanie will be working closely with Festival Managing Director Gloria Campbell and Festival Artistic Director David Ansen, as well as Associate Director of Programming Doug Jones, Senior Programmer Maggie Mackay and Programming Coordinator Jenn Wilson. “Stephanie has served on the Film Independent Board of Directors since 2007 and been involved in many aspects of the organization. She’s chaired the Spirit Awards Nominating Committee and been a huge supporter of Project Involve, as well as our year-round educational programs,” said Co-President Sean Mc Manus. “Stephanie has a clear vision for the Festival, a stellar track record as a producer and...

Film Independent has selected 30 filmmakers for Project Involve, their program designed to foster the careers of emerging filmmakers from communities underrepresented within the film industry.  The program's guest speakers include producer director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper (Pariah), Stephanie Allain (Hurricane Season, Hustle & Flow), and others yet to be announced. Cooper is an alumni of Project Involve, as is Circumstance producer Melissa Lee. La Film Fest's artistic director David Ansenand Zhiv Productions' Joyce San Pedro will serve as mentors. New this year is Sony Pictures' Diversity Fellowship, which is granted to one participating filmmaker and offers year-round support (complete with a cash production grant and professional development). Film Independent's Josh Welsh says the filmmakers coming out of Project Involve "continue to inspire us, and we remain committed to giving them the opportunity to further their careers." More on the program and this year's participants below:...

Film Independent has selected 30 filmmakers for Project Involve, their program designed to foster the careers of emerging filmmakers from communities underrepresented within the film industry.  The program's guest speakers include producer director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper (Pariah), Stephanie Allain (Hurricane Season, Hustle & Flow), and others yet to be announced. Cooper is an alumni of Project Involve, as is Circumstance producer Melissa Lee. La Film Fest's artistic director David Ansenand Zhiv Productions' Joyce San Pedro will serve as mentors. New this year is Sony Pictures' Diversity Fellowship, which is granted to one participating filmmaker...

Sanaa Lathan & Mike Epps Also On Board

In theory, winning an Oscar is meant to provide a boost to your career. In theory. But somehow, the four and a half years since Forest Whitaker took home a golden man for his portrayal of Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland" have provided a series of diminishing returns. Aside from a handful of exceptions, both his Oscar-bait films like "Hurricane Season" and "The Great Debaters" and would-be commercial properties like "Street Kings" and "Repo Men" tanked, while an alarming number of his pictures seem to be skipping theatrical release…...

Fantastic Four and Barbershop director Tim Story is going back to work after not having a film on big screens since the 2009 picture Hurricane Season. He'll direct Kevin Hart in Think Like a Man, which is based on Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment. Mr. Hart will be "a self-professed relationship expert who is quick to give advice to his crew of friends, even as his own marriage heads toward divorce." The book has sold well, but I expect this will draw a different crowd from either Tim Story's Fantastic Four films or Hurricane Season. [Deadline [1]] After the break, a man has been hired to make Zac Efron Die in a Gunfight. Who will rejoice? We've heard a bit about Die in a Gunfight, to which Zac Efron has been attached for a little while.

With holidays now becoming movies like "Valentine's Day" and "New Year's Eve," and with board games now being turned into expensive blockbusters, it looks like the next Hollywood gold rush is going to center around things people watch on TV when they are stuffed with food and/or jet-lagged from traveling to see relatives they don't really like anyway. THR reports that producers Scott Glassgold and Raymond Brothers (both behind the direct-to-dvd Forest Whitaker basketball movie "Hurricane Season") have secured the rights from the department store to turn the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade into a movie. And they've got big plans.…...

Sometimes things aren’t special enough. Take the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, for example. Sure, it happens but once a year, has major network coverage, takes a full year to coordinate and execute and is a destination for families all around the country. That’s all well and good, with the giant balloons of copy-written characters and the like, but wouldn’t it be more special after you watch a fictional narrative film based around the parade?

Iam Entertainment is banking on it. THR’s Heat Vision reports that the production company, responsible for the film Hurricane Season, has teamed up with the famous department store to make a film out of their famous parade. Ideas are still being bandied about, but after the success of the The Night At The Museum franchise (and to some extent, the Toy Story films) one has to assume that the giant inflatable...

A look at what's new on DVD today:

"Let Me In" (2010)

Directed by Matt Reeves

Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment

"Never Let Me Go" (2010)

Directed by Mark Romanek

Released by Fox Home Entertainment

Two of 2010's most underrated films that approach their respective genres from radically different perspectives than most, "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves' "Let Me In" and Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" will finally have the opportunity to stand out on home video. In "Let Me In," Reeves applies some of his own biographical touchstones for this remake of Tomas Alfredson's horror film about the unlikely friendship between a vampire (Chloe Moretz) and a lonely young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Romanek's adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's much-beloved sci-fi novel about a group of children raised apart from the rest of society for purposes that are unknown to them. (Alison Willmore's reviews for "Let Me In" and...

I once completed Halo (the original reason to buy an Xbox) on all levels, including "ridiculously impossible" with a gamer flatmate in a couple of days. Halo Reach is due tomorrow, the final installment, and it's got excellent reviews. So you too can attempt to recreate my feat. After a hard day's work, of course.

1. There's trouble at Nokia HQ, or so you might be tempted to think: After last week ousting its CEO, Nokia's is soon to see another big figure leave. This time it's Anssi Vanjoki, the former head of the firm's smartphone division. Yes--the bit of the company that many commenters are blaming for Nokia's woes, Aka the division that was blind-sided by the iPhone's revolution. His departure won't happen instantly, as Vanjoki has a six-month notice period to work through: He's noted he's "100%" committed to delivering for Nokia in this time, so can we expect more poorly thought-out,...

New Orleans Times-Picayune film critic Mike Scott asked an excellent question over the weekend: Where are all the movies about Hurricane Katrina? From Nola.com: [F]ive years after the storm dumped a tragedy on New Orleans, and nine months after The Weinstein Co. dumped "Hurricane Season" [which would have been the first Katrina-centered Hollywood film] unceremoniously as a direct-to-dvd release -- New Orleans still is waiting for that first major Katrina movie. There have been a number of narrative films that have referenced the storm -- movies such as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans." But the storm in those films and others like them is only a peripheral element, tacked onto an existing script as an afterthought. Why is a Katrina film necessary? Scott continues:...

My first reaction on hearing that 16-year-old sailor Abby Sunderland may have been lost at sea, was to blame her irresponsible parents!

Were they lunatics for allowing their daughter to put herself into enormous danger? Was there any difference really between sending her alone across a 6000 mile stretch of Indian Ocean at 16, versus leaving a 5-year-old home alone? Lock them up!

Just how ridiculous are these growing quests for “youngest” records anyway? Abby Sunderland was on a mission to set a record as the world’s youngest person to sail around the globe non-stop. Her older brother Zac, had successfully navigated the globe in 2009 and became the first person under 18 to achieve this.

His trip ended safely. So did Jordan Romeo’s, the 13-year-old who was the youngest person ever to scale Mr. Everest, just last month in May.

However, quests to set records of being the “youngest” have ended...

Model, TV host Toccara Jones is 29 years old today. The former America’s Next Top Model contestant has done a little acting for television, with bit parts in Girlfriends and All Of Us. But much of her work since her appearance on Antm 6 years ago, in 2004, has comprised of mostly reality TV shows, and hosting duties for various Bet events and programs. She also continues to model.

Rapper/actor Common aka Lonnie Rashid Lynn, is 38 years old today. Rashid was last seen in 2009’s Terminator Salvation, and will next be seen alongside Queen Latifah, and Paula Patton in the romcom Just Wright, which will be in theatres later this year, and in the ensemble comedy, Date Night, out next month.

Fantastic Four director Tim Story is 40 years old today. Story’s breakthrough directorial effort (although not his first film) was 2002’s controversial hit Barbershop. Since then, he’s helmed 2 Fantastic Four movies,...

Bow Wow (he’s not so L’il anymore) aka Shad Gregory Moss, is 23 today. The rapper turned actor was last seen in the Forest Whitaker straight-to-dvd post-Katrina basketball drama, Hurricane Season. You can see him next in Lottery Ticket and The Family Tree, both scheduled to be out some time this year.

Emmanuel Lewis, star of 80s sitcom Webster, is 39 years old today. Since Webster, which ended its 6 season run in 1989, Lewis has appeared as himself in several TV shows, sitcomes, TV docs, and reality TV shows like The Surreal Life in 2007. He can next be seen in a likely straight-to-dvd feature film titled Doesn’t Texas Ever End, in which he plays a doctor.

That’s it for today. To take us out, here’s an old video with Emmanuel Lewis jamming with Michael Jackson:...

Forest Whitaker has opened up about his film Hurricane Season being released directly to DVD. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Oscar-winning actor admitted that he was upset that the Weinsteins opted to skip the film's theatrical release. Whitaker said: "I think that was a travesty. It's not just about me, the fact that they didn't do what they said they were going to do is amazing (more)...

Film, also featuring Lil Wayne and Taraji P. Henson, went straight to DVD.

By Shaheem Reid

Bow Wow

Photo: Jerritt Clark/ Getty Images

Bow Wow and Forest Whitaker have both said they're upset about the way the straight-to-dvd film, "Hurricane Season," also featuring Lil Wayne, was handled.

Shot in New Orleans in 2008, the movie focused on a local high school basketball team shortly after Hurricane Katrina. The picture, also featuring Isaiah Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Courtney B. Vance and Jackie Long, had a strong initial buzz, and the song Lil Wayne performed at the 2009 Grammy Awards, "Tie My Hands," was slated to be featured in the drama.

"My character's name is Lamont," Lil Wayne explained while sitting on the set in the middle of a gymnasium back in 2008. "The character is, I would say, a hustler. He goes to the school. He always bets against the school. He's trying to make the best bet.

The high altitudes of Park City, Ut -- home to the Sundance Film Festival -- have been known to cause dehydration, insomnia and an overappreciation of certain independent movies. What sparks standing ovations and multi-million dollar acquisitions in the rarefied confines of the snowbound town doesn't always carry over into the outside world. For every "The Blair Witch Project," "Super Size Me" or "Precious," there's a "Hustle and Flow," "Hounddog" or "Hamlet 2." Where do you draw the line between hype and reality, sleep deprivation-induced passing crush or bona fide true love? A really great film that will resonate with niche (or even mainstream) audiences, or one that happens to provide the weary festivalgoer adequate satisfaction when compared with all the muck? Here's a little Sundance soothsaying about how four festival hits might fare when they arrive at a theater near you.

"The Kids Are All Right"

A late selection at the festival,...

Previously profiled on this blog; Made in 2008; sat in distribution limbo for the last roughly 2 years; now finally being released on DVD this week.

Hurricane Season is an upcoming sports drama film starring Lil Wayne, Bow Wow, Forest Whitaker, and Taraji P Henson, about a Louisiana high school basketball coach, Al Collins (Whitaker), who assembles a team of players from five separate schools that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and leads them on the path to a championship!

The film, which was directed by Tim Story (Barbershop, The Fantastic Four) was originally slated for a theatrical release on last Chrismas, 2008, but that never happened.

So why is it just now hitting the streets? According to Bv On Movies…

Weinstein Company senior executive David Glasser claims that the movie’s well-publicized financial issues had nothing to do with the decision regarding the release of the film. “It’s a very tough...

Thanks mainly to Louisiana's huge tax breaks, The Big Easy is back on the celluloid map in a big way

Late August 2005. One event – ­Hurricane Katrina – dominates Us TV news networks. And one song is played, almost on a loop, over footage of the devastation: Randy Newman's Louisiana 1927, a sad attack on the government's handling of a flood some eight decades earlier. Its mordant chorus – "The river rose all day/ The river rose all night/ Some people got lost in the flood/ Some people got away alright" – became an unofficial anthem of the tragedy.

Four years on, and Newman has cooked up a fresh batch of numbers about the Big Easy, designed to erase all association of the city with large-scale calamity – for 90 minutes, at least. Like the film they soundtrack, The ­Princess and the Frog, a Disney fairytale set in jazz age New Orleans, the tunes are determinedly upbeat – rowdy,...

Via a Tweet from Taraji P Henson on Twitter (try saying that fast, 10 times)…

Hurricane Season is an upcoming sports drama film starring Lil Wayne, Bow Wow, Forest Whitaker, and Taraji P Henson, about a Louisiana high school basketball coach, Al Collins (Whitaker), who assembles a team of players from five separate schools that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and leads them on the path to a championship!

The film, which was directed by Tim Story (Barbershop, The Fantastic Four) was originally slated for a theatrical release on last Chrismas, 2008, but that never happened – certainly not according to my web-based sources (IMDb, et al). It’s apparently coming to DVD this week.

Anybody familiar? I hadn’t heard about it until I read Taraji’s Tweet

I couldn’t find a full trailer, oddly enough; however, I did find the below clip from the film; or if you prefer, watch...

Ice Cube and Bow Wow will star in "Lottery Ticket," an urban comedy from Alcon Entertainment.

Music video director Erik White will make his feature directorial debut on the Abdul Williams-penned "Ticket," which Alcon picked up in turnaround from Rogue Pictures.

The film tells the story of a young man (Bow Wow) living in the projects who has to survive a three-day weekend after his opportunistic neighbors find out he's holding a winning lottery ticket worth $350 million.

Ice Cube plays a reclusive former boxer who lives in the basement of the project where the young man lives.

Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove of Alcon will produce, along with Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Evolution. Matt Alvarez of Ice Cube's production company, Cube Vision, will also produce.

Evolution's Brad Kaplan and Andrew Wilson will co-produce. Evolution is the management company for White and Williams.

The film is scheduled...

Young Buck shows 'respect' to the G-Unit but still wants out, in Mixtape Daily.

By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Tim Kash

Lil Wayne

Photo: Getty Images

Main Pick Preview: Young Buck's Back on My Buck Sh--

Nuh-uh — you can't get the whole thing this week. We're gonna give you a quick taste of the product, and we'll see you with the main pick in its entirety next week. We got a nice sneak peek, though.

Young Buck just dropped his mixtape Back on My Buck Sh--, and his stance on his affiliation with the G-Unit (at least in this interview) has softened a bit. "Much respect to them dudes, but I'm doing my thing right now," Buck said.

Like Lloyd Banks, Buck said he's officially off Interscope but still signed to the G-Unit.

"To be honest, I'm trying to get away from that situation,...

Young Buck shows 'respect' to the G-Unit but still wants out, in Mixtape Daily.

By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Tim Kash

Lil Wayne

Photo: Getty Images

Main Pick Preview: Young Buck's Back on My Buck Sh--

Nuh-uh — you can't get the whole thing this week. We're gonna give you a quick taste of the product, and we'll see you with the main pick in its entirety next week. We got a nice sneak peek, though.

Young Buck just dropped his mixtape Back on My Buck Sh--, and his stance on his affiliation with the G-Unit (at least in this interview) has softened a bit. "Much respect to them dudes, but I'm doing my thing right now," Buck said.

Like Lloyd Banks, Buck said he's officially off Interscope but still signed to the G-Unit.

"To be honest, I'm trying to get away from that situation,...