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Exclusive: Ali Afshar’s Esx Entertainment has signed on to develop and produce the musical biopic Wind of Change, about German rock band Scorpions, which will tell the story of three unlikely friends whose passion for rock n’ roll fueled their rise from the ashes of post-World War II Germany to the global stardom in the 1980s as the multi-platinum rock band Scorpions.

With their home soil still divided, and friends and family on the other side of the Berlin Wall, Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine & Matthias Jabs made the bold decision to defy state bans and take a leap of faith behind Soviet lines to fill arenas in the heart of the Ussr. At the height of their revolutionary tour, the band releases what will become the defining theme for the end of the Cold War – a ballad that circles the globe as the Wall comes down and resonates to...

Stars: James Gaudioso, Adam Shippey, Shawnee Smith, Drew Moerlein, Tyrese Gibson, Kresh Novakovic, Taryn Manning, Bruce Dern, Montanna Gillis | Written by James and Anthony Gaudioso | Directed by Ante Novakovic

Bloodline Killer begins on Halloween Eve when Connor sees his father killed by the masked serial killer known as Skulleton. He tries to save him but to no avail, and the only thing that saves him is his mother Moira putting several bullets into the killer. That drops him, but while she isn’t looking, the body vanishes.

At the hospital, Connor and his brother Michael almost get in a fight over Connor not being able to their father. Detective Cypher and his partner Detective Fink find out that someone claiming to be a cop has already interviewed the hospitalized Moira. And we find out that Skulleton is her cousin.

Elsewhere, Samantha, the killer’s sister finds him and drugs him...

Stars: Carl W. Childers, Kasey O’Barr, Derek Evans, Taylor Katsanis, Alexia Bailey, Andrea Vertuca, Johnny Land, Eddie Davenport, Truly Magyar, Ken Jackson | Written and Directed by Taylor Katsanis

For his debut film, Night Shoot, writer/director/actor Taylor Katsanis mixes things up a little by taking a plot that dates back to the original found footage film Cannibal Holocaust, a group of filmmakers finds they’ve gotten themselves into a situation they may not be able to get out of, and filming it conventionally. With found footage still making good use of the plot in films like The Glenarma Tapes, can Night Shoot compete?

Park Ranger Howard is flipping through the radio stations on his way to work. He probably should have stopped and listened to the newscaster talking about the mass escape of psychiatric patients from a local institution. Instead, he and the two rangers sent to look for...

Stars: AnnaLynne McCord, Judd Nelson, Ted Raimi, Tristan Riggs, Brent Bailey, Moon Bloodgood, Kevin Porter | Written by William C. Martell | Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante

If you thought supermarkets rushed the holidays on us, they’ve got nothing on Tubi. For the latest Tubi Original, they’ve skipped right past Christmas to give us Dante’s Hotel, a New Year’s Eve-themed horror film that begins on New Year’s Eve 1975 in the Dontene Hotel. A young Daniel Brayer axe in hand, stands over twelve dead bodies including those of his parents.

Twelve years later it happens again and Daniel is there again. Both times however the bodies vanish before they can be taken to the morgue leaving Daniel a free, if very troubled man who has taken up permanent residence in Room 1224.

For 2023 the hotel has hired Goldie to run their New Year’s Eve bash. It’s an anniversary for her,...

It's easy for Liam Neeson's post-"Taken" movies to start blurring together if you're not paying close attention. Are we talking about the film where he plays a vengeful snowplow driver or the one where he plays a heroic ice road trucker? Does he play a hitman dealing with dementia or a potential terrorist with amnesia? Is he fighting bad guys on a plane or on a train? Has a member of his family been kidnapped or has he himself been kidnapped (or both)? Is he playing a Jesuit priest who has renounced his religion after trying to spread Catholic Christianity across Edo-era Japan, no longer willing to allow others to suffer so that he might cling to his personal faith? 

Okay, you probably won't mix that one up with any other Neeson movies, but the point still stands.

In all seriousness, it's hard to fault Neeson too much...

Photo: ‘American Fighter’/Lionsgate On paper, ‘American Fighter’ appears like any other underdog story. Think ‘Rocky’ or ‘Creed’ where the main character gets overconfident and then gets their butt whooped, ‘American Fighter’ shows the exact same thing but with a twist. ‘American Fighter’ follows Ali (George Kosturos), a college wrestler with big hopes for the future, on his journey to the top. Set in 1980s Iran, the film is rife with themes of morality, tackling anti-Muslim hate, and overcoming one’s fears. Though the fight scenes are undeniably the best part of the film, Kosturos gives a strong performance to keep our attention throughout the movie. Related article: A Tribute to Denis Villeneuve: The Best Fantasy-Thriller Director Today Related article: Daniel Craig’s James Bond: A Comprehensive Review & Ranking of the Latest 007’s Portrayals in Film Action-Filled Brawls The fight scenes in ‘American Fighter’ are completely realistic, to the...

Stars: Bryan Craig, Tommy Flanagan, Sean Patrick Flannery, George Kosturos, Allison Paige | Written by Carl Morris, Shaun Piccinino | Directed by Shaun Piccinino

[Note: With the film finally debuting in the UK next week, here’s a reposting of our review of American Fighter from its screening at last years Fantasia Festival]

A fictional sequel to an semi-autobiographical original, American Fighter is an interesting proposition for a film and, at least in cinematic terms, shares a lot in common with the classic martial arts film Bloodsport – both deal with underground fighting and both have a connection to the real-life tales of their characters. In this case George Kosturos plays the alter-ego of producer Ali Afshar – whose story of moving from Iran to America and fitting in by becoming a top-class athlete was told in the 2016 film American Wrestler.

American Fighter picks up where that film left off, once again following Ali Jahani (George Kosturos) as he tries to raise funds to get his mother out of Tehran after his father...

American Fighter is a high-octane, edge-of-your-seat sport thriller based on a true story of illicit wrestling in 1980’s California. Packed with charismatic performances, American Fighter has gritty, excellently choreographed fight scenes reminiscent of action classics Rocky, Lionheart and The Karate Kid.

We follow desperate teenager Ali Jahani who escapes Iran after the hostage crisis and fights his way through the dangerous world of underground fighting to win money to save his ailing mother. He finds out what he’s made of in the face of these violent hungry competitors.

The tense fight thriller stars Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy), Sean Patrick Flanery (Powder, Dexter), Christina Moore (True Blood) and introducing newcomer George Kosturos as Ali Jahani.

Signature Entertainment presents American Fighter on Digital HD from July 20th.

The CW has put in development American Fighter, a drama from writer Tory Walker (I Am Elizabeth Smart), Jeffrey Kramer’s Juniper Place Productions and CBS Television Studios, where Juniper Place is under a deal.

Written by Walker, American Fighter revolves around JoJo Raines, who has a dead end life in a dead end town, hanging out with her friends because there’s nothing else to do and venting her frustrations with her fists in stupid fights of her own making. Until she gets into it with the wrong people and is assigned community service at the veteran’s rehabilitation hospital. There she meets a wounded warrior who teaches her how to hone her aggression in the form of Mma fighting. Through her training, she begins to find a sense of purpose and even a possible future, as long as the rest of the problems in her life, and her own self-destructive behavior,...

The CW is getting into the mixed martial arts ring.

Variety has learned that the broadcaster is developing a one-hour drama about a young woman who begins training in Mma. Titled “American Fighter,” the series follows JoJo Raines, who has a dead end life in a dead end town, hanging out with her friends because there’s nothing else to do and venting her frustrations with her fists in fights of her own making.

That is until she gets into it with the wrong people and is assigned community service at the veteran’s rehabilitation hospital. There she meets a wounded vet who teaches her how to hone her aggression in the form of Mma fighting. Through her training, she begins to find a sense of purpose and even a possible future, as long as the rest of the problems in her life, and her own self-destructive behavior, don’t take her down first.

The year is 1981. Ali is a student from Iran attending university on a foreign scholarship. The war between Iran and Iraq is early into their years long conflict and Ali's parents are try to flee Iran and get his mom to America for medical treatment. They are pulled from the plane at the last minute and Ali has to find a large sum of money quickly or she will not survive the war-torn conditions. Ali enters into the dangerous world of underground fighting to win enough fast money to save her. Fast money may come easy but it comes at a cost.    American Fighter follows the tropes of the 80s fighting genre. Watch as Ali finds immediate success in fighting, the money starts...

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

The year is 1981. Ali is a student from Iran attending university on a foreign scholarship. The war between Iran and Iraq is early into their years long conflict and Ali's parents are try to flee Iran and get his mom to America for medical treatment. They are pulled from the plane at the last minute and Ali has to find a large sum of money quickly or she will not survive the war-torn conditions. Ali enters into the dangerous world of underground fighting to win enough fast money to save her. Fast money may come easy but it comes at a cost.    American Fighter follows the tropes of the 80s fighting genre. Watch as Ali finds immediate success in fighting, the money starts...

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

Stars: Bryan Craig, Tommy Flanagan, Sean Patrick Flannery, George Kosturos, Allison Paige | Written by Carl Morris, Shaun Piccinino | Directed by Shaun Piccinino

A fictional sequel to an semi-autobiographical original, American Fighter is an interesting proposition for a film and, at least in cinematic terms, shares a lot in common with the classic martial arts film Bloodsport – both deal with underground fighting and both have a connection to the real-life tales of their characters. In this case George Kosturos plays the alter-ego of producer Ali Afshar – whose story of moving from Iran to America and fitting in by becoming a top-class athlete was told in the 2016 film American Wrestler.

American Fighter picks up where that film left off, once again following Ali Jahani (George Kosturos) as he tries to raise funds to get his mother out of Tehran after his father is pulled of their flight to the Us and assassinated,...

Exclusive: Fledgling La film production and distribution outfit Forrest Films is gearing up on mixed martial arts movie drama Mickey Kelley, which will star Sean Patrick Flanery (Powder), Katrina Bowden (30 Rock) and Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow) alongside Mma fighters Renzo Gracie, Edson Barboza, and Mickey Gall.

Set in 1990, the film follows Mickey Kelley (Flanery), one of the first American black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, who gets pulled away from everything he loves and into an unsanctioned Mma tournament, where his dreams of providing for his family come to a halt with a split-second decision. His life goes off the rails until years later he gets a shot at redemption.

Alex Ranarivelo (American Wrestler) will direct the pic, currently in pre-production. Flanery and Alex Ranarivelo teamed to co-write the screenplay, from a story Flanery created.

Supporting cast includes Maurice Compte (Narcos), Reno Wilson (Transformers) and Currie Graham (Pompeii). Ali Afshar...

Exclusive: Bryan Craig has joined Bowery Hill Entertainment’s feature Women Is Losers from Tribeca Institute and NYU Alum, Lissette Feliciano.

Craig will star opposite Lorenza Izzo. She plays a young Latina whose promising future is cut short with an unexpected pregnancy during the mid 1970s in San Francisco and against all odds fights her way to become a successful landowner.

Craig stars on the ABC series Grand Hotel opposite Demian Bichir and Roselyn Sanchez. His film credits include Ride and American Fighter both scheduled for release this year. Craig recurred on the CW series Valor and won his second Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series in 2017 for his portrayal as Morgan Corinthos on ABC’s General Hospital after previous nominations. Prior to this, Craig recurred on the award winning web series Youthful Daze. He is repped by Innovative Artists and Rkm management.