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PodcastOne (Nasdaq: Podc), a leading podcast platform and a subsidiary of LiveOne (Nasdaq: Lvo), which owns ~80% of the Podc outstanding common stock, announced today that is has acquired the exclusive distribution and sales rights to the critically acclaimed and award winning podcast, Was I In A Cult? from hosts Liz Iacuzzi and Tyler Measom who lend their own personal cultic experiences to the pod.

Named Best Podcast by multiple publications including Vulture and Good Housekeeping, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast showcasing individuals who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult. Told first-hand by the experiencer themself, these are raw, riveting and inspirational tales of what it means to be a survivor. Using levity and info-tainment, the show humanized the cultic experience and may leave some of our listeners asking themselves... "Wait... Was I In A Cult?" Guests have included the original male supermodel...

Paramount+’s documentary series I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream delves into the world of heavy metal music and gets up close and personal with Dave ‘Snake’ Sabo from Skid Row, Kip Winger from Winger, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, Janet Gardner from Vixen, and John Corabi from The Scream. Directed by Tyler Meason, the three-part docuseries is set to premiere on July 18, 2023.

Paramount+ offers this description: Hairspray. Spandex. Leather pants. I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream follows five young dreamers chasing stardom in the cutthroat world of ’80s metal. Some will succeed, some will fail, but each will make you see an entirely new side of the metal genre.

Ep 101 – “I Wanna Be Somebody”

As ’80s metal sweeps America, five rockers set out to make it in the world of hair spray and spandex. Ep 102 – “Headed for Heartbreak”

Metal has been taken to new heights. As our rockers become stars,...

Have you ever been mesmerized by a magician on the big screen? Magic has always been a popular topic for movies, and there have been some great ones.

Hollywood has always been fascinated by the world of magic and illusion. From the early days of cinema, magicians have been appearing on the silver screen, performing their tricks for the amusement of moviegoers.

13 Movies About Twins You Can’t Miss

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in magic in movies, with several films exploring the theme of magic and its place in the modern world.

These movies offer a unique perspective on the world of magic and provide audiences with an insight into the fascinating world of magicians.

They are also entertaining and often humorous, providing viewers with an enjoyable way to escape from the everyday world. Whether you are interested in the history of magic or want...

Netflix has released the trailer for Murder Among the Mormons, a new documentary series that investigates the 1985 pipe bombing at Salt Lake City’s Lds Church, which killed two people and severely injured another.

The three-part series explores the history of the Mormon community in Utah and the role that the infamous White Salamander Letter played in the bombings. The injured victim of the bombing, Mark Hofmann, was a renowned collector of rare documents including the letter, worth a collective total of $1.5 million.

“The Salamander Letter gave a far different...

Netflix is adding another true-crime docuseries to its roster with a modern-day exploration on the Mormon murder mystery of 1985.

Murder Among the Mormons, a three-part documentary, will revisit the trio of bombings in Salt Lake City in 1985 that shocked the local Mormon community and threatened the historical foundations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is a BBC Studios Production and releases on the streaming giant March 3.

Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Tyler Measom (An Honest Liar) — who were both raised in the Mormon faith — and executive produced by prolific ...

Netflix is adding another true-crime docuseries to its roster with a modern-day exploration on the Mormon murder mystery of 1985.

Murder Among the Mormons, a three-part documentary, will revisit the trio of bombings in Salt Lake City, 1985 that shocked the local Mormon community and threatened the historical foundations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is a BBC Studios Production and releases on the streaming giant March 3.

Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Tyler Measom (An Honest Liar) — who were each raised in the Mormon faith — and executive produced by prolific true-crime ...

James Randi, the famed magician who was a regular on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show and later formed the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry to investigate and challenge paranormal claims, died on Tuesday. He was 92.

“We are very sad to say that James Randi passed away yesterday, due to age-related causes,” the James Randi Educational Foundation said in a statement. “He had an Amazing life. We will miss him.”

Born in Toronto, Canada, he became interested in magic as a kid. By the 1940s, he launched his career as an illusionist and escape artist.

With the American Film Market less than a week away, the closure of do-it-yourself digital distributor Distribber remains a cautionary tale for the independent film world.

Bankruptcy specialist GlassRatner, which was hired in September to handle claims, recently notified creditors that it would take nine to 12 months before any refunds would be distributed.

Reports began emerging in September that Distribber and parent GoDigital Inc. had closed down without explanation. The website currently says, “At this time, Distribber is not accepting any new orders. For questions, contact support@distribber.com.”

Los Angeles-based Distribber was launched more than a decade ago as a means of allowing filmmakers to access digital distribution platforms and to monitor their earnings in exchange for an upfront flat fee. Filmmakers would keep 100% of all revenue generated.

GoDigital Inc. bought Distribber in 2015 for a low seven-figure price in cash and stock. At that point, Distribber was acting as a go-between for filmmakers,...

The independent film world has been rattled recently by the apparent closure of do-it-yourself digital distributor Distribber and its parent GoDigital Inc.

Los Angeles-based Distribber was launched more than a decade ago as a means of allowing filmmakers to access digital distribution platforms and to monitor their earnings in exchange for an upfront flat fee. Filmmakers would keep 100% of all revenue generated.

GoDigital Inc. bought Distribber in 2015 for a low seven-figure price in cash and stock. At that point, Distribber was acting as a go-between for filmmakers, charging a one-time fee of $1,595 for iTunes placement, then $150 per year for account access, collection and sales stats. Its titles included Tribeca Film Festival film “An Honest Liar,” James Colquhon’s “Food Matters” and Kimberly and Foster Gable’s “Thrive.”

Reports began emerging last month that the companies had closed down without explanation. The web site currently says, “At this time, Distribber is not accepting any new orders.

As indie production outlet Part2 Pictures celebrates its first 10 years, the company’s approach to documentary storytelling — premium content with high production values — has moved more into the mainstream.

“We have been doing what people now call ‘premium’ from the beginning,” says Amy Bucher, Part2 senior vice president of programming and content. “It’s as natural to us as air and water. We just think that’s the way you should tell stories.”

Lisa Ling has worked with Part2 for the better part of a decade, first with five seasons of “Our America With Lisa Ling” that aired on Own, and now with “This Is Life With Lisa Ling” for CNN. She believes the audience for such premium content in which Part2 specializes has always been there, but the current real estate between traditional networks and streamers have helped provide a larger platform.

“Netflix and its documentary vertical has opened...

Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away. After releasing the incredible list of new titles it's adding in July - Orange Is the New Black! Jurassic Park! Shameless! - the streaming service also revealed which movies and TV shows will be disappearing before we know it. If your weekends consist of cuddling up and watching rom-coms like Along Came Polly and A Cinderella Story, we have some bad news . . .

July 1

Alive

Along Came Polly

An Honest Liar

Beerfest

Before Midnight

Bring It On

Bring It On Again

Bring It On: All or Nothing

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish

Bring It On: In It to Win It

Cocktail

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 4

Little Women

Michael Clayton

Midnight in Paris

Mixed Signals

More Than a Game

Pandemic

Piglet's Big Movie

Rugrats Go Wild

Scary Movie

Scream 3

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines...

Netflix has confirmed that a slew of new original series will be debuting on the streaming service in July, including the sixth season of the Emmy contender “Orange is the New Black” and more installments of Jerry Seinfeld‘s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”

And there will also be new to Netflix seasons of some of your favorites from other networks, including season 4 of “Madam Secretary” and season 8 of both “Blue Bloods” and “Shameless.” Likewise, there will be plenty of movies making their first Netflix appearances including the first three films in the “Jurassic” franchise and the Oscar-winning “Her.”

Available July 1

Blue Bloods: Season 8

Bo Burnham: what.

Chocolat

Deceived

Finding Neverland

Get Smart

Happy Gilmore

Hawaii Five-o: Season 8

Interview with the Vampire

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park III

Madam Secretary: Season 4

Menace II Society

NCIS: Season 15

Pandorum

Penelope

Queens of Comedy: Season 2

Rica,...

When a new crop of movies and TV shows hits Netflix each month, it’s inevitable that another must head toward the exit.

On July 1, “Tropic Thunder,” the cult-classic comedy spoof of “Apocalypse Now,” will be leaving the streamer alongside “Michael Clayton,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Bring It On,” “Midnight in Paris,” and “Scary Movie.” Later this month, “Wanted,” “A Cinderella Story,” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” will also be hitting the road.

Check out the full list of titles leaving Netflix below:

July 1

Alive

Along Came Polly

An Honest Liar

The Art of War

Beerfest

Before Midnight

Bring It On

Bring It On Again

Bring It On: All or Nothing

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish

Bring It On: In It to Win It

Cocktail

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 4

Little Women

Michael Clayton

Midnight in Paris

Mixed Signals

More Than a...

Investigation Discovery has picked up a second season of Part2 Pictures-produced Scene of the Crime with Tony Harris, with premiere set for June 3.

In Scene of the Crime, Harris explores unbelievable injustices to better understand how horrific crimes came to be and why lives were forever changed.

In the Season 2 premiere episode “Down by the River”, Harris unravels the shocking case of three prostitutes brutally slain by a serial killer in Spokane, Washington. After 22 years and 15 more bodies are uncovered, DNA evidence finally surrenders a suspect – the last person investigators ever imagined. Harris scours police files, actual evidence and raw interrogation footage. He interviews veteran detectives on the case, a journalist and family members compelled to speak for the first time.

Scene of the Crime is produced for Investigation Discovery by Part2 Pictures with David Shadrack Smith, Amy Bucher, Robert Palumbo and Jonathan Grupper as Executive Producers. Lorna Thomas is senior executive producer for ID.

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In 1932’s Chandu The Magician, Edmund Lowe plays the titular wizard. What famous boogie man plays his adversary?

Bela Lugosi Boris Karloff Peter Lorre Correct

Lugosi is a lot of fun but the real star of this movie is director William Cameron Menzies whose distinctive visual style graces every scene.

Incorrect

Question 2 of 10 2. Question

1953’s Houdini...

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

What Happened to Amos?

Logline: A journalist challenges detectives’ theory with new evidence in disappearance of an enigmatic cannabis distributor named Amos Mortier.

Elevator Pitch:

This film about Amos Mortier, who went missing in Wisconsin 12 years ago and was then discovered to be part of one of the midwest’s largest marijuana distribution. After that discovery authorities essentially dropped the case in order to pursue his drug dealer friends. Years later a journalist starts writing about the case and is leaked from an anonymous source over 3,300 court documents and more. He pieced together evidence, including a confession,...

This is definitely the time of year when film critic types (I’m sure you know who I mean) spend an inordinate amount of time leading up to awards season—and it all leads up to awards season, don’t it?—compiling lists and trying to convince anyone who will listen that it was a shitty year at the movies for anyone who liked something other than what they saw and liked. And ‘tis the season, or at least ‘thas (?) been in the recent past, for that most beloved of academic parlor games, bemoaning the death of cinema, which, if the sackcloth-and-ashes-clad among us are to be believed, is an increasingly detached and irrelevant art form in the process of being smothered under the wet, steaming blanket of American blockbuster-it is. And it’s going all malnourished from the siphoning off of all the talent back to TV, which, as everyone knows,...

Sweden’s national broadcaster is lining up a host of docs that could garner international appeal.

Svt, Sweden’s national broadcaster, has documentary slots that would be the envy of many other countries.

The K Special arts and culture prime-time documentary strand alone has 52 slots per year. There are a further 40 music-related documentaries shown on the channel each year.

Emelie Persson, who has worked at Svt for the past 17 years, and as commissioning editor for Svt for the past six years, has worked on releasing films including Oscar-winner Searching For Sugarman, local hit A Thousand Pieces, as well as An Honest Liar and Pixadores.

“As a public service channel, you have to give audiences something else other than entertainment shows,” Persson told ScreenDaily.

Of the 52 K Special projects per year, around six or seven each year are in-house productions, while another 15 tend to be Swedish productions or co-productions, with the rest international acquisition (usually pre-buys).

Searching For Sugarman...

So here we are, smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer (and if you don’t get that little saying, try lying out on the sidewalk in 100-degree heat for 15 minutes or so, like Fido does, and see if a light bulb doesn’t go off). The dogs are often howling in movie theaters too—at times it seems as though August has replaced January in the hearts of moviegoers as the dumping ground for pictures not really worthy of our attention (or a serious investment in the marketing department). Movies like Pixels and Fantastic Four have their perverse fascination—just how bad can they possibly be? Both were greeted with reviews so scathing and unyielding in their acidity that studio heads can only pray nothing in October, November or December will be perceived as worse, and I have to admit a certain curiosity. But that...

An Honest Liar – James ‘The Amazing’ Randi Documentary Materializes June

Since its world premiere at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, An Honest Liar, the documentary on James ‘The Amazing’ Randi, has amassed “best documentary” festival awards and critical acclaim, including being chosen as a New York Times “Critic’s Pick”. After a successful nation-wide theatrical release, the film has been at the top of the iTunes ...

Hnn | Horrornews.net - Official News Site...

It’s almost July and that means Netflix is about to give their content a refresh. Some of the notable titles leaving include: Super Troopers, Descent, and The Muppets take Manhattan. So if you haven’t seen some of these titles, plan your nights accordingly. We of course can look forward more than a few new titles including the premiere of Bojack Horseman’s second season (voiced by Will Arnett) and one of my favorite movies Alive, pictured above.

We also get the return of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp; the eight-episode series is a prequel to Wain’s 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer. The series will launch July 31.

Available July 1

Alive (1993)

An Honest Liar (2014)

Bad Hair Day (2015)

Bionicle: The Legend Reborn (2009)

Bulworth (1998)

Dave Attell: Road Work (2014)

Death in Paradise: Season Three (2014)

Grandma’s Boy (2006)

Hostage (2005)

Invizimals: The Alliance Files (2014)

La Reina del Sur (2011)

Octonauts:...

If you want to see the new horror film, "Creep," about a videographer who answers an ad on Craigslist and soon finds the assignment is not what it seems, it's available only on Netflix. Writer-director Mark Duplass stars in the film, which is available to stream on July 14.

Also new on Netflix in July: The latest Chris Tucker comedy special, the critically panned Jennifer Lawrence period film "Serena," Spike Lee's "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus," and the thriller "The Guest" (starring "Downton Abbey's" Dan Stevens).

You can also catch up with the final seasons of "Glee" and "White Collar."

Below is a full rundown of what's new on Netflix in July 2015, provided by Netflix. As always, all titles and dates are subject to change. We've also got you covered in terms of what's leaving Netflix in July 2015.

Available July 1

"Alive" (1993)

"An Honest Liar" (2014)

"Bad Hair Day" (2015)

"Bionicle: The Legend Reborn...

Chicago – Magician James Randi, or “The Amazing Randi,” has a made a legacy in using his love of magic to show audiences how they’re being tricked by evangelists, spoon-benders, psychics, etc. A ruthlessly charming Houdini-wannabe with instant showman charisma, he exists as the humbling gravity to a world that can convince itself that unattainable answers are to be found in ideas beyond science.

When someone claims that they’re able to talk to spirits from over 35,000 years ago, or can push a pen with extreme focus and the wave of their hand, Randi shows up at the scene, and throws down with logic at his side. It often happens on the stage of talk shows, whether it’s Johnny Carson or Larry King, and it’s glorious. He never loses. In a world where a sucker is indeed born every minute, he’s a hero as much as he is a necessity.

Legendary director and producer Barry Sonnenfeld – whose body of work includes The Addams Family films, Get Shorty, and the Men In Black franchise – has set his sights on making a feature film about Project Alpha. The elaborate hoax perpetrated by James Randi over thirty years ago is the focus of the feature length documentary, An Honest Liar, which numbers Sonnenfeld among its executive producers. The factual movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, and now, the director has seen the potential for further storytelling.

“I sought out Justin and Tyler immediately after I watched An Honest Liar at Telluride Mountainfilm,” he said. “Not only did I love An Honest Liar, but I knew there was an excellent narrative film to be made out of this story, with James Randi playing the ‘behind the curtain’ puppeteer.”

James Randi – also known as The Amazing Randi – is a retired magician and...

Jurassic World

The official Twitter account for Universal Pictures' "Jurassic World" has released two new photos featuring Chris Pratt as dinosaur trainer Owen Grady in the film to celebrate its release approximately three months from now on June 12th. Check out the first photo here and the second photo here.

Emmys

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star Andy Samberg has been announced as host of this year's Emmy awards, his first time hosting a major television event. Said awards are slated to air on September 20th. [Source: The Live Feed]

Disney

During yesterday's Disney annual shareholders meeting, the company's CEO Bob Iger not only made those big "Frozen 2" and "Star Wars" announcements, he also confirmed a new policy the studio has put in place.

That policy? Unless the film needs to be historically accurate, Disney has "absolutely prohibited" smoking in all films aimed at kids. Iger said the decision was made this week and that "I...

Film is based on James ‘The Amazing’ Randi’s real-life hoax orchestrated with two fake psychics.

Barry Sonnenfeld will direct a film based on real-life hoax Project Alpha.

Orchestrated by James ‘The Amazing’ Randi and two fake psychics, Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, Project Alpha lasted over two years and saw them participate in a paranormal research project led by researchers who thought the fake psychics had genuine powers.

The hoax is explored in current documentary An Honest Liar directed by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, distributed in the Us through Abramorama. The directing duo will serve as producers on the new film.

Sonnenfeld commented: “Not only did I love An Honest Liar, but I knew there was an excellent narrative film to be made out of this story, with James Randi playing the ‘behind the curtain’ puppeteer.”...

Barry Sonnenfeld will direct a movie based on a story from the new documentary 'An Honest Liar,' which he executive produced

"Men in Black Director to Remake Hugely Successful Kickstarter-Funded Movie" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.

Barry Sonnenfeld has signed on to direct a feature adaptation based on James “The Amazing' Randi's” Project Alpha, a real-life story that appeared in the feature documentary An Honest Liar. The project is currently in development. Justin Weinstein's and Tyler Measom's An Honest Liar is based on the life of psychic fake and debunker The Amazing Randi. Project Alpha was a ruse done by “Randi” along with Steve Shaw (known as Banachek) and Michael Edwards who auditioned for…...

After jumping back into the fantastical world of the Men In Black series and pondering making Kevin Spacey swap bodies with a family cat in the still-developing Nine Lives, Barry Sonnenfeld is looking for a little dose of reality. Well, we say reality, because a potential future film is based on a hoax. Sonnenfeld is aboard to direct a film based on magician James “The Amazing” Randi’s Project Alpha idea, which ran in the late 1970s and early ‘80s and saw him and two fake psychics pull a fast one on paranormal researchers. The hoaxers, including Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, made the scientific team believe they had legitimate psychic powers not for an hour or an afternoon, but for two bloomin’ years. The fraud was eventually revealed publicly in Discover magazine.The hoax is also covered in Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom’s documentary of Randi, An Honest Liar,...

Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp had his film win the opening weekend box office for the third time in his career, as Chappie finished in the top spot with $13.3 million. The victory, however, is bittersweet, as the total is a marked decrease from Blomkamp’s prior features, as Elysium opened with nearly $30 million on its first weekend, and District 9 took in over $37 million. Chappie star Dev Patel, however, made two appearances in the top three, as The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which sees him starring alongside the likes of Dame Judi Dench and Richard Gere, finished in third place with $8.6 million.

The other new entry in the top ten was Unfinished Business, as the Vince Vaughn-starring vehicle came in at tenth place with a total of $4.8 million. The total marks one of the lowest opening weekend grosses of Vaughn’s career, and marks a continuing downward trend in the performer’s box office success.

In what is something of a loss to core specialized big city theaters, Fox Searchlight opted to releases its sequel "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" wide this week. Its playdates include many of the top theaters, but with grosses not as strong as they'd likely have been with more limited play. All documentaries, the leading new entries this week include a 40-year-old film, "Grey Gardens" (Janus Films), co-directed by Albert Maysles, one of the founders of modern nonfiction film who died on Thursday at the age of 88. Two other docs also opened, with Abramorama's "An Honest Liar" besting the much higher profile "Merchants of Doubt." Opening "Grey Gardens" (Janus)  (reissue) $12,300 in 1 theater; PSA: $12,300 This classic documentary about two women - mother and daughter, relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy and eccentric East Hampton denizens - is along with "Gimme Shelter" the best known of the many top films of...

A day after its co-creator died, the restored version of landmark 1975 documentary Grey Gardens enjoyed one of the few strong outings among specialty box office debuts. Fellow docs An Honest Liar and Merchants Of Doubt weren’t so fortunate, opening to considerably less moviegoer zeal. A beautifully restored version of the Maysles brothers’ Grey Gardens opened at Film Forum in New York a day after the film’s great co-director Albert Maysles died at age 88, grossing $12K in…...

I’ve been a fan of Tyler Measom’s work ever since I wandered into a screening of his and Jennilyn Merten’s nail-biting portrait of teen exiles from the Flds Church, Sons of Perdition, at Tribeca five years back. (The doc ultimately went on to be picked up by the Oprah Winfrey Network for broadcast the following year.) Now Measom has teamed up with producer Justin Weinstein (a scientist turned filmmaker and both executive producer of Ryan Murdoch’s Bronx Obama and writer/editor of Constance Marks’s Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey) to craft another festival success story. An Honest Liar is an up […]...

I’ve been a fan of Tyler Measom’s work ever since I wandered into a screening of his and Jennilyn Merten’s nail-biting portrait of teen exiles from the Flds Church, Sons of Perdition, at Tribeca five years back. (The doc ultimately went on to be picked up by the Oprah Winfrey Network for broadcast the following year.) Now Measom has teamed up with producer Justin Weinstein (a scientist turned filmmaker and both executive producer of Ryan Murdoch’s Bronx Obama and writer/editor of Constance Marks’s Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey) to craft another festival success story. An Honest Liar is an up […]...

At the risk of sounding fogeyish, I’m soul-sick from living in a culture that worships vacuous youth, which is reason enough to embrace the documentary subgenre I call “Young Whippersnappers Canonize the Aged” — Ywca being easy to remember. Two especially inspiring new specimens are Seymour: An Introduction and An Honest Liar, which celebrate not just remarkable old men but vital ways of seeing beyond the material world. Both movies make you feel, in the deepest sense, young.Ethan Hawke directed Seymour, and at first I groaned when he inserted himself into the film to explain how he met the 87-year-old former concert pianist and ongoing teacher Seymour Bernstein. Even striving for humility, Hawke is an ac-tor. But his self-consciousness turns out to be a touching lens through which to view his subject, who gave up performing at age 50 to enter into a “translucent dome” in which the self could...

Hot projects new to Screenbase include Nicolas Winding Refn feature The Neon Demon, Pope Francis biopic Francisco, Brady Corbet’s directorial debut The Childhood Of A Leader and a new adaptation by Wim Wenders.Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon

Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote and Jena Malone have signed on to co-star in Nicolas Winding Refn’s next feature.

“After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon,” Winding Refn said.

Principal photography will begin in Los Angeles on March 30. Gaumont and Wild Bunch are co-selling the title.

Wim Wenders’ Les Beaux Jours D’Aranjuez

This adaptation of the play by Peter Handke was announced by Alfama’s Paulo Branco during the Efm. It will star Reda Kateb and Sophie Semin. Wenders is expected to shoot in June.

Brady Corbet’s [link...

Richard Abramowitz will guide the nationwide release of the documentary through his company.

Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom’s documentary trains its sights on James ‘The Amazing’ Randi, the magician, escapologist and debunker of the paranormal.

Barry Sonnenfeld and Nick Fraser of BBC Storyville are among the executive producers.

Abramowitz is partnering with the film team using his film-makers’ participation model that provides for equitable participation without a transfer of rights.

In keeping with the business plan Abramowitz established under his Abramorama banner more than 15 years ago, the film-makers will maintain active involvement in the marketing and distribution.

“A big part of what I’ve done all these years is to empower the film-makers and work side-by-side with them so that they have a real voice in the way their films are presented,” said Abramowitz.

“An Honest Liar is a smart, insightful film and I feel privileged to be able to help Justin, Tyler and executive...

Following the Ida Awards nominations last month, the year’s top documentary contenders come into crisper focus with Thursday’s announcement of Cinema Eye’s 8th Annual Nonfiction Film Awards nominations. Laura Poitras’ "Citizenfour" leads the pack with six nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. The inside look at Edward Snowden’s Nsa leak also earned praise in Directing, Editing, Production, Cinematography, and the Audience Choice category. Poitras is no stranger to Cinema Eye’s awards — she won the 2011 Directing Award for "The Oath." Familiar faces rounded out the Oustanding Feature category, including Steve James’ Roger Ebert portrait "Life Itself," Jesse Moss’ tale of a North Dakota oil boom town, "The Overnighters," Iain Forsythe & Jane Pollard’s "20,000 Days on Earth," a look musician Nick Cave, and Orlando von Einsiedel’s environment-minded "Virunga." Thirty-six feature films and six shorts will vie for this year’s Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. Other...

Further reminding us that the Academy Awards are irrelevant in year-end discussions for the best in documentary film, according to the experts at the Cinema Eye Honors’ voting committee, Laura Poitras’ Citizenfour, Steve James’ Life Itself and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth would be among the best docu films of the year, leading the pack in almost all categories. Not to be overlooked, Jesse Moss’ The Overnighters and Robert Greene’s Actress received kudos in Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking and Outstanding Achievement in Direction while the major surprise of the noms belongs to Orlando von Einsiedel’s Virunga (presented at the Tribeca and Hot Docs Film Fests) grabbing a total of three. Left completely off the scorecard, Manakamana failed to produce a single nom. The Cinema Eye Honors winners will be announced on Wednesday, January 7 at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image.

Our “Hidden Treats” series continues with a chat with Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, whose documentary An Honest Liar examines influential – and controversial – magician and activist skeptic James “The Amazing” Randi. Randi himself was also in attendance at… Continue Reading →

The post Hidden Treats Day 2: The Amazing Randi, Justin Weinstein & Tyler Measom Talk An Honest Liar appeared first on Dread Central.

The 4th annual Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff), scheduled for November 12-16, 2014, announced its Narrative and Documentary feature film competition lineups as well as Jury members. The 2014 Festival will screen 22 feature films in competition. The full film program line-up, including out-of-competition special presentations, sneak previews of awards season contenders, and narrative, documentary and animated shorts, will be announced in September.

“Our thoughts are with everyone in the Napa Valley who have suffered losses from the recent earthquake,” said Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “We are proud to be part of a community that rallies in support of each other in such a generous and big hearted way. As they say in the business, the show must go on.”

“This is an exceptionally strong year for both the Narrative and Documentary competition programs,” said Program Director Herb Stratford. “These filmmakers have created new works that provoke, inspire, educate and entertain. They are the heart of our program each year, which includes more than 100 new independent films and advance studio screenings, and we are excited to announce their participation in the festival.”

Directors of the Narrative and Documentary films in competition participate in Nvff’s unique Artists-in-Residence Program presented in partnership with the incomparable Meadowood Napa Valley. Directors stay at the luxury resort for six nights during the festival and are treated to special events and workshops with their competition group and industry mentors. Serving as faculty for a set of Master Classes at Nvff 2014 are producer Ted Hope ( Adventureland, 21 Grams); writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (Jobs, Swing Vote) writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist; The Grey, Smokin’ Aces); producer Pam Koffler (Killer Films); and producer J. Todd Harris ( The Kids are All Right; Bottle Shock); Ryan Harrington (Tribeca Film Institute); producer Jason Berman (Struck by Lightning, Luv); producer Anne Carey (Archer Gray Productions); executives Tom Quinn (RADiUS) and David Glasser (The Weinstein Company). Meadowood Napa Valley will also award $10,000 to the winning filmmakers in both the Narrative and Documentary competition categories at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 16.

Narrative Competition Section

Films in the Narrative competition section feature actors Anne Hathaway, Billie Joe Armstrong, Elizabeth Banks, Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Stephen Lang, Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Dev Patel, Kyra Sedgwick, Chloe Sevigny and Paul Wesley, among others. The 12 films selected include:

"Thank You A Lot"- Music agent and manager Jack Hand has a bad reputation and an even worse track record. He has only two clients left: an indie band on the verge of a breakup and a part-time hip-hop artist. Jack’s future hinges on signing the one person he is barely on speaking terms with — his estranged father, a respected and reclusive country singer/songwriter. "East Side Sushi"- Juana‘s work – preparing fruit for the family’s sidewalk cart – is steady, but hardly her life’s calling. Despite the objections and concerns of her family, Juana decides to pursue her dream of becoming an expert sushi chef, to go where her heart tells her, not where she is expected to be. "Fall To Rise" - Principal dancer Lauren Drake is beautiful, talented and famous. When Lauren is released from her company after being sidelined by an injury, she quickly becomes frustrated with her new domestic lifestyle. At a performance by another dance company, she meets and teams up with Des, a former dancer who is also eager to have a second chance in the dance world. "Little Accidents" (Isa: William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) - In a small West Virginia town reeling from a recent tragic accident in the local mine, a fresh unfortunate incident in the woods leaves a young boy dead. Meanwhile Owen, an injured miner struggling to adjust to his new life aboveground, joins the search for the first boy who is presumed lost in the woods. "Like Sunday, Like Rain" - Reggie Kipper is a sweet, awkward cello prodigy, a composer and overall genius. He’s about to graduate from high school and enroll at MIT — and he’s is only twelve years old. Eleanor Fallon is a 23-year old struggling musician who meets Reggie when she is hired to be his au pair, and the unlikely duo embarks on a summer adventure that neither of them ever expected. "Sun Belt Express"- Allen King, a man living on the Arizona/Mexico border, finds out what his breaking point is when his ex-wife demands money, and his job teaching at a college south of the border evaporates. Allen then finds a unique way to supplant his income by transporting illegal aliens in the trunk of his car. "Sam & Amira" (Isa: Preferred Entertainment) - Sam is an army veteran struggling to assimilate into normal life stateside. He works a variety of odd jobs, tries his hand at stand-up comedy, and is recruited by his cousin into some shady investment dealings. Sam’s already complicated life is made more so by Amira, an Iraqi woman dealing with her own issues who is the daughter of an old army colleague. "Song One" (Isa: Lotus Entertainment) - Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring singer-songwriter, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. "The Road Within" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Vincent has Tourette Syndrome. When his mother dies, he becomes obsessed with scattering her ashes by the ocean. Too much for his father to handle, Vincent is sent to a residential treatment center in Nevada where he befriends two other “inmates” struggling with their own personal issues. "Kinderwald" - Pennsylvania wilderness, 1885. John Linden, a hard-working German immigrant, is making a go of homesteading with his brother’s widow and her two young sons. John’s visually and spiritually idyllic world is thrown into utter chaos when the two boys go missing while off playing in the woods. "Wildlike" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Mackenzie is a fourteen-year-old girl whose father died last year. When her struggling mother checks herself into a recovery center, Mackenzie is sent from their Seattle home to live with her uncle in Alaska. At first he seems a supportive caretaker, but when his infatuation crosses a sexual line, Mackenzie runs away. With no one else to turn to, she shadows a solitary backpacker, Bartlett, a widowed man with scars of his own, into the beauty and danger of America’s last frontier.

Documentary Competition Section

"American Native" - For years, the legend of the Jackson Whites tribe has been told, passed down from generation to generation of New Jersey suburbanites. While the garish stories and tall tales have never been hard to find, the truth behind them has. Accessing the community is not easy; few outsiders have been able to penetrate the insular walls formed from centuries of discrimination. "Botso" - Dr. Botso Korisheli, 91 and still teaching music along with his unique philosophy, has a fascinating and unforgettable life story. Born in the former Soviet State of Georgia, Botso witnessed his father imprisoned under orders from Josef Stalin while his home was taken over by the Kgb. Forced to dig ditches for the Soviet army, Botso was then captured by the Germans. "Flying The Feathered Edge" - Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, age 92, is considered by many to be our greatest living aviator. Nicknamed “The Pilot’s Pilot” by his peers, Bob is largely unknown outside aviation circles despite his staggering array of accomplishments. Following a storied career during WWII as a fighter pilot, Bob continued to serve for years as one of our best test pilots. Mr. Hoover will be in attendance for screenings and Q&As. "Happy Valley" (Isa: Submarine Entertainment) - Few sports dynasties in the modern era have had a larger and longer-lasting profile than college football’s Penn State and its legendary coach Joe Paterno. State College, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of an area known as Happy Valley, ground zero of a proud football tradition for decades. When the shocking sex abuse scandal of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky rocked that town and college in 2011, the impact was unprecedented. "Havana Curveball" - At age 13 and preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Mica takes to heart his rabbi’s injunction to help “heal the world.” Mica imagines himself a hero for other kids, and hatches a grand plan to send baseballs, bats and gloves to Cuba. Mica knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball, and that Cuba “saved” his grandpa’s life when he was escaping from Nazi Germany. "States of Grace" - Dr. Grace Dammann’s life was forever altered when a driver crashed head-on into her car on the Golden Gate Bridge. After a seven-week coma and numerous surgeries, Grace miraculously regained consciousness, with her cognitive abilities almost entirely intact, but her body left shattered and severely disabled. "Underwater Dreams" - The epic story of four teenage boys from the Arizona desert who dare to go up against college engineering students from MIT. Inspired by two energetic high school science teachers, the boys build a robot from hardware store parts and enter an underwater robotics competition sponsored by Nasa. "An Honest Liar" - For as long as there have been magicians and illusionists, there have been doubters and debunkers making sure that the general public doesn’t get taken for a ride. One of the greatest illusionists of his era was “The Amazing Randi,” who made the shift from magic and escape acts to exposing the frauds who prey on unsuspecting victims. "Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank" (Isa: Preferred Content) - Few members of the U.S. Congress have ever been as polarizing and revolutionary as Barney Frank has been over the past 40 years. Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank examines the career, passions and legacy of our first openly gay Congressman. This rare and intimate documentary is entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking. "#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes On A Dictator" (Isa: Preferred Content) - In #chicagoGirl, we meet freedom fighters in the streets of Homs and Damascus along with the stateside collection of exiles working to return Syria to a stable and human rights-respecting country. Will 21st century tools of change stand up to guns and violence and terror in the streets? Narrative Features Jury

Christine Vachon , (Producer, "Boys Don’t Cry," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Far From Heaven")

Peter Baxter ( Co-founder/Director Slamdance Film Festival)

Dierk Sinderman (Hollywood Foreign Press Association)

Lisa Truitt ( Producer, James Cameron’s "Deepsea Challenge 3D,""Mysteries of Egypt")

Don Lewis (Producer; Editor Film Threat)

Documentary Features and Shorts Jury

Morgan Neville ("Twenty Feet From Stardom")

Tiffany Shlain ("The Tribe; Connected: An Autobiography About Love," "Death & Technology")

Freida Lee Mock ("Anita. G-Dog,""Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," "Return with Honor")

Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine ("Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,""Ballets Russes").

Narrative Shorts Jury

Joshua Michael Stern ("Jobs,""Swing Vote," "Neverwas")

Ralph Macchio (Actor, "The Karate Kid;" Director, "Across Grace Alley")

Neil Berkeley ("Beauty in Embarrassing;" Founder Brkl)

Animated Shorts

Bill Plympton (The King of Indie Animation)

Adam Glick (Amazon Web Services)

Ryan Tudhope (Atomic Fiction)

About The Napa Valley Film Festival

The Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, Nvff lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. Nvff features over 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout four walkable villages, as 300 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, and an array of parties, VIP receptions and winemaker dinners and more. For information or to buy passes, visit NapaValleyFilmFest.org...

As aftershocks continue to rock California’s wine country, the Napa Valley Film Festival unveiled its competition lineup today. “Our thoughts are with everyone in the Napa Valley who has suffered losses from the recent earthquake,” said fest Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer of Sunday’s temblor, the Bay Area’s biggest in a quarter-century. “We are proud to be part of a community that rallies in support of each other in such a generous and big hearted way. As they say in the business, the show must go on.” Here is the schedule of narrative and docu features vying for awards at the fourth annual event, which runs November 12-16 in Napa:

Narrative Competition Section

Thank You A Lot – Music agent and manager Jack Hand has a bad reputation and an even worse track record. He has only two clients left: an indie band on the verge of a...

The audience awards at this year's AFI Docs went to two films that cover vastly different subjects, yet, at the the same time share the same, core premise. Both "An Honest Liar" and "Beyond Recognition: The Incredible Story of a Face Transplant" -- this year's audience award winners for Best Feature and Best Short, respectively -- share a contemplative concern for notions of appearance. "An Honest Liar" follows a passionate illusionist names James "The Amazing" Randi. As a magician, Randi not only performs, but also has made it his life's mission to expose fraudulent healers and psychics who use magic tricks to con people out of money. "Beyond Recognition," on the other hand, chronicles the journey of a burn victim who elects to undergo experimental face transplant surgery. Co-directed by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, "An Honest Liar" premiered at Tribeca earlier this year. Sam Thonis' "Beyond...

Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom’s film earned the festival’s audience award for best feature at the weekend.

The audience award for best short went To Beyond Recoginition: The Incredible Story Of A Face Transplant by Sam Thonis.

“Congratulations to An Honest Liar [pictured] and Beyond Recognition for winning over audiences with their remarkable stories,” said festival director Christine O’Malley. “We would like to thank all of the filmmakers who traveled from far and wide for making this year’s AFI Docs an extraordinary one.”

Several policymakers participated in festival events including Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senator Barbara Boxer of California, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

They were joined by South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and Francois Rivasseau, deputy-head of the EU Delegation to the Us.

More than 100 filmmakers from 29 countries attended including Alex Gibney, Ross Kauffman, Joe Berlinger, Marshall Curry and Steve...

Skeptic and former stage magician James "The Amazing" Randi has been challenging pseudoscience and supernatural claims for decades. He's a professional debunker, but many people have actually accused Randi of concealing perceived psychic powers during his debunking demonstrations. Randi has re-created the spoon-bending antics of famed psychokinesis guru Uri Geller using simple magic tricks, which led to a major lawsuit. And that wasn't his first legal battle. Randi's story is revealed in the documentary An Honest Liar, which refers to his work as a magician, but also a secret he kept hidden for years. Randi also happens to be gay (he didn't come out until the age of 81). The documentary explores his internal struggle as a man who is in the business of...

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Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This […]

The post This Week In Trailers: Kung Fu Elliot, An Honest Liar, Under The Electric Sky, Citizen Koch, Égoïste appeared first on /Film.

Randall James Hamilton Zwinge left home at the age of 17 to join a circus. He started his career as an escape artist and went on to become a stage-magician popularly known as “The Amazing Randy”. In his late fifties,he suffered a vertebral fracture and had to retire from stage. Since then he has made it his life’s mission to expose the likes of psychics, God-men and mystics. He has also authored various books which challenge the claims of theparanormal. These days he is better known as James Randi- the scientific skeptic.

At the center of the film’s narrative is a dichotomy of lies. Is there such a thing as honest lies and dishonest lies? Are some lies justified but not the others?

It is this master- showman that An Honest Liar profiles. Randi has been in the limelight and appeared on many TV shows over his career.

And Tribeca Film Festival 2014 is a wrap! While we put together our interview footage and write up some full reviews, let's dive back into our mini reviews so you'll know what movies to watch for as they nab distribution.

Preservation - directed by Christopher Denham (USA)

A disgruntled vet, his work-obsessed brother and his somewhat timid wife trek into an off limits nature preserve to live off the land, hunt with their dog... and fight for their lives!! And that's pretty much the whole plot.

The film takes a great deal of time at the front end setting up every little thing that unfolds in the back end but fails to flesh out likable characters you'll not want to see killed or present villains that elicit any emotion from the viewer whatsoever. Offering nothing new to a sub-genre that has plenty of titles to choose from, Preservation should be left out to rot.

Nowadays, it's not surprising for the bulk of films screening at top film festivals to have turned to crowdfunding for at least part of their budget. Of course, some films used crowdfunding for finishing funds while others used the platforms to raise the entire budget -- and projects' goals varied dramatically (in the case of Tribeca films, they ranged from just above $15,000 to nearly $250,000). Below we break down which films at Tribeca used which crowdfunding platforms (and include links to the original campaign pages), as well as how much they raised. The experience of crowdfunding was "Wonderful, loads of work, love our supporters for helping us get the film made," said "An Honest Liar" director Justin Weinstein. "I would like to have a big party just to thank them, but I don't think that's how they want us to spend their money." Meanwhile, Kickstarter has published a blog post which...

With a life and occupation not unlike Harry Houdini's, "The Amazing" Randi set out to shame fakers and sub-par psychics with his performances. But going beyond his bewitching story, the investigative documentary, "An Honest Liar," takes a closer look at the deceptive escapade that became his life-long career. Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom's documentary is coming to 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. Watch the trailer to see footage of real tricks, escape artistry, bending spoons, and bits of interviews with Alice Cooper, Richard Dawkins, Bill Nye, Penn & Teller, and Adam Savage weighing in on the hoodwinking wonder. The film world premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18.