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My All American tells the remarkable story of college football player Freddie Steinmark, but how much of the movie is real or fake?

After relating in theaters back in 2015, My All American is currently trending on Netflix, leading to speculation about how accurate the story truly is.

The film covers the life of Steinmark (played by actor Finn Wittrock), a determined football player awarded a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin who overcomes tremendous adversity in the late 1960s.

Read full article on The Direct.

One Christmas Warner Bros. release replaced another this week with “Wonka” taking over as #1 from “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” on all VOD charts. However, other late-year releases including “Migration,” “Wish,” and “The Marvels” aren’t having the same luck. While theatrical is the premium marketing tool for home viewing, we’re seeing that it doesn’t always translate to chart placement.

Universal’s “Migration” is weaker than past animated releases, currently #4 at Vudu (which tallies by revenue). Disney’s “Wish,” also in week two, placed only on two charts. In its third week, “The Marvels” only placed on Vudu and is #20 at Apple TV. “Ferrari” (Neon) and “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.) are gone after one week. “The Boys in the Boat” (Amazon MGM) managed just one week on the charts.

“The Beekeeper” (Amazon MGM), which is still performing well in theaters (#3 this weekend), is available at home after 18 days.

With Super Bowl Lvii upon us, we wanted to know what Football (or Football related) movie was your favorite. We compiled a list of scripted movies, so you won’t see the Oscar Winning Documentary Undefeated on the list, but if that is your favorite, please click the other button and let us know why you loved it so much in the comments section.

Favorite Football Film80 For Brady (2023)American Underdog (2021)Paterno (2018)Woodlawn (2015)My All American (2015)Concussion (2015)Balls Out (2014)When The Game Stands Tall (2014)Draft Day (2014)23 Blast (2013)Touchback (2012)The 5th Quarter (2011)The Blind Side (2009)The Longshots (2008)The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008)Leatherheads (2007)The Game Plan (2007)The Comebacks (2007)Gridiron Gang (2006)Facing The Giants (2006)We Are Marshall (2006)Invincible (2006)Two For The Money (2005)The Longest Yard (2005)Friday Night Lights (2004)Radio (2003)Monday Night Mayhem (2002)The Replacements (2000)Remember The Titans (2000)Any Given Sunday (1999)Varsity Blues (1999)Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998)The Waterboy (1998)The Garbage...

Exclusive: Angelo Pizzo, the screenwriter behind such titles as Hoosiers and Rudy, is looking to complete a trifecta of iconic sports films with an upcoming title centered on automotive entrepreneur Carl Graham Fisher and the inaugural 1911 running of the Indianapolis 500, which Justin Escue will direct for Above The Line Productions, Diverse Media Group, T-Minus Productions and his company, My First Bike Productions.

This year’s Indy 500 is scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 29. The race sits alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hour of Le Mans as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport—maintaining a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious motorsport events.

Fisher, the protagonist of the as-yet-untitled feature, is an enigmatic, and until now mostly forgotten, true American anti-hero, responsible for not only the greatest spectacle in racing, but the building and creation of Miami Beach, Montauk Island, America’s first highways and byways,...

The aim is to raise the profile of work by Belarussian filmmakers living in exile or in fear of persecution.

The European Film Market (EFM) has provided a virtual platform for the recently launched, Vilnius-based Belarussian Filmmakers Network (Bfn) to showcase their work and raise awareness about the situation of independent Belarussian filmmakers who are either forced to live in exile or are facing persecution and repression at home.

The market premieres of Vladimir Kozlov’s coming of age tale Summer of 89, Maxim Shved’s documentary The Route Recalculated, and three animation shorts by Nata Korneyeva (Shirey Mara), Yuri Semashko...

For the throngs of Star Trek fans who have signed onto the newest series, Star Trek: Prodigy, Nami Melumad may not be the first name to jump to mind.

However, her contribution to the cinematic feel and sweeping scope of Paramount+ and Nickelodeon's animated family-friendly animated adventure is both integral and inspired.

Nami (pronounced "Nah-mee" like in "tsunami") is the first woman composer for any Star Trek project Ever, and it's the role she was born to play.

Speaking with TV Fanatic over Zoom, Melumad made no bones about her lifelong love for Star Trek.

She is not only a fan of the show and its ethos but even studied at the USC Cinema School with the late Kenny Hall, Jerry Goldsmith's music editor, who edited the scores of many of the Star Trek films.

Melumad's first chance to compose for the franchise came with Star Trek: Short...

Three veteran actors of television and film, known for shows such as Hill Street Blues, Hawaii Five-0, and Emergency!, have sadly passed away in recent days. Basil Hoffman, a prolific character actor who had more than 100 roles across film and TV, died on September 17, according to his manager Brad Lemack. He was 83. Hoffman was perhaps best known for his recurring role as Ed Greenglass on the NBC police procedural Hill Street Blues and Principal Dingleman on the CBS sitcom Square Pegs. He also had roles in Santa Barbara, Courage, New Hampshire, Seinfeld, The Waltons, Murder, She Wrote, The West Wing, and many more. Al Harrington, the Samoan-American actor most known for his portrayal of Detective Ben Kokua on the original Hawaii Five-0, passed away on September 21 following a stroke earlier in the month. He was 85. Harrington, who was one of the last surviving cast members from the original series, also...

Basil Hoffman, whose long career in film and television is best remembered for his portrayal of Ed Greenglass on Hill Street Blues, died Sept. 17. No details on where or cause of death were given by his manager, Brad Lemack.

Hoffman appeared in more than 200 roles in TV and films. The veteran character actor was a recurring player in several series, including Hill Street Blues, Santa Barbara, Square Pegs and Courage, New Hampshire.

Born in Houston, Hoffman graduated Tulane University with an economics degree, then headed to New York. He studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and scored several commercials and bit parts before heading to Hollywood.

His acting resume includes roles in the Academy Award-winning films Ordinary People and The Artist, as well as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Hail Caesar!, All the President’s Men, Comes a Horseman, The Milagro Beanfield War and Down With Love,...

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary “Flee” – already awarded at Sundance and Annecy – was granted the Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award at the 18th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity, which will continue online from September 16 until October 3. Jurors Agnieszka Holland, Christian Frei and Tomasz Wolski were taken by the story of a man who, about to marry his husband, decides to finally open up about his refugee past. The film also picked up the “Zwierciadło” award for the Best Film on Psychology.

“This film speaks about a real, extremely important subject in an artistically powerful, compelling, and complex way,” it was argued. “The original form, the sincerity of the main character, the lack of sentimentality and its strong emotional content make it not only an attractive movie for the wider audience, but also an important statement about the real situation of today’s refugees, helping us to understand their...

Poland’s documentary festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity is set to finally come of age after postponing its 18th edition due to Covid-19 restrictions, originally slated to take place in May. Once again unspooling in seven different cities between Sept. 3-12, with local authorities sponsoring their own respective awards, the event will then continue online, wrapping on Oct. 3.

“The government’s decision to, so to speak, ‘liberate cinemas’ came too late,” says founder Artur Liebhart, explaining the change. “But we have not given up on our audience, not even for a moment. Most documentary festivals cater to the needs of the industry but to us, the audience and their willingness to participate is the absolute priority.”

The festival’s collaboration with cinemas all over Poland is “based on mutual respect,” says Liebhart, which is why it forgoes the usual hybrid model. “First, we will watch films on 42 screens and only then will we move online,...

Spain’s Mago Production will produce the animated TV series “Polinopolis” in co-production with France’s Godo Films and Mexico’s Apapacho Films. Barcelona-based Goldbee will handle international sales.

Also co-producing are public broadcasters Tve and Tvc in Spain, as well as Argentine state kids channel Pakapaka, and the Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies (Icec). The series is written and directed by Martín Guido.

“Polinopolis” is a 52-part series about family, friendship and diversity, in which each episode centers on five friends sharing a first-time experience. It “has a blend of unique characters who, despite their differences, learn to deal with their first-time experiences together, supporting each other,” Goldbee sales head Christophe Goldberg told Variety. The series has a “strong message for today’s youth, at a time where inclusion is on everyone’s mind,” he added.

The series tells the story of Yuca, an overgrown furry monster, and her very best friend Milo,...

Angelo Pizzo, screenwriter of “Hoosiers” and “Rudy” has been tapped to adapt Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins’ highly-acclaimed and rated book “The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, A People, A Nation.” It is the first film property that has been optioned by Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative, CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises and trustee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum, for his Standing Arrow Productions banner. The company was launched earlier this past February.

“I have been a long-time admirer of Angelo Pizzo’s brilliant and iconic work,” says Halbritter said in a statement. “’Hoosiers’ and ‘Rudy’ melded sports with human drama to inspire millions…and that is our intent with The Real All Americans. Standing Arrow Productions has found the perfect writer to begin our cinematic journey.”

Jenkins’ book chronicles the true-life exploits of the Carlisle Indian School football team, which...

Documentary festival aims to host physical as well as online events.

Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel (VdR) has revealed the line-up of competition titles for its 2021 edition, which it aims to host as a hybrid event from April 15-25.

A total of 142 films from 58 countries have been selected, including 82 world premieres.

Scroll down for competition titles

The 13-strong international feature film competition includes the world premiere of Tomasz Wolski’s documentary 1970, which uses stop motion animation and archive footage to recount what happened when striking workers in communist Poland demonstrated against price increases. Poland’s Wolski won the jury...

Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel (VdR) has revealed the full lineup for its 52nd edition, which, for the second year running, will screen as a online event, this round round over April 15-25.

The program, which comprises of 142 films originating from 58 countries, was revealed live in a Zoom press conference this morning, broadcast from the Cinéma Capitole in the festival’s host town of Nyon, Switzerland.

Among the 13 titles competing in VdR’s main, a doc feature exploring a health system in the throes of change. The zeigeisty debut feature of Swiss filmmaker Marie-Eve Hildbrand will also open the festival on 15 April.

The festival also announced 37 medium-to-short films from first-time directors. In a statement Emilie Bujès, artistic director of Visions du Réel praised this year’s “powerful and eclectic” selection.

“It will once again enable us to take into account the independence and the emancipation of contemporary documentary filmmaking,...

For their exquisitely executed pitch of their animation project, producer Valérie Montmartin and director Sarah Van Den Boom were handsomely rewarded. At the M:brane financing forum for youth media in Malmö, Sweden, pitching is not only a centrepiece, but is also regarded as an art form in itself and rewarded as such by an expert jury. The forum’s Noble Art of Pitching initiative was introduced at the 2020 edition, when the accolade went to Danish animator-director Karsten Mungo Madsen for his calm and graceful presentation of the complex themes of his Tiny Films About Sorrow and Courage project. While weighing up this year's 26 entries (see the news), the jury – comprising producer Nicholas Sando, of Filmbin, Norway; Mette-Ann Schepelern, CEO of Magma Film & TV, Denmark; and Peter Hiltunen, director of Kulturakademin, Sweden – was “blown away” by a pitch from France with “amazing visuals and a clear and...

The stymied popular uprising in Belarus that began in August 2020 is yet to completely play out, but it’s important to have Aliaksei Paluyan’s polished on-the-ground documentary now as a record of what happened last summer. “Courage” follows three members of the underground Belarus Free Theater as they participate in the resistance to Alexander Lukashenko’s 26 years of dictatorship, at first through dissident performances and then on the streets when protesters amassed, demanding the end of the regime. Given ongoing developments, it’s no surprise the film concludes abruptly, and knowing that there’s been no power change in the country so far adds an inherent level of bleakness, yet

In view of the political uncertainty, buyers and distributors will need to jump quickly to ensure “Courage” doesn’t feel like old news, especially given the geopolitical reality that until the demonstrations in August, Belarus wasn’t very much on the general global radar.

Carolina Astudillo’s “Song to a Lady in the Shadow,” Fabrizio Ferraro’s “The Luminous View,” Jo Sol’s “Armugan,” and Miguel Angel Blanca’s “Magaluf Ghost Town” feature among a 31-title lineup hosted by promotion board Catalan Films at an European Film Market virtual screening room.

Produced by Cornelius Films, “Song” marks the third feature outing of director Carolina Astudillo. A doc-fiction hybrid, it turns on a family whose father is exiled in France after fighting for the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War. Echoing Homer’s Penelope, his wife stays behind with their children in a Catalan village suffering hunger, deprivation, economic crisis and unemployment.

Another awaited documentary, “Magaluf,” is produced by Boogaloo Films in co-production with France’s Les Films d’Ici. Director Blanca depicts the consequences of unbridled tourism in a popular destination in the Balearic Islands, with a touch of comedy.

Selected at this year’s Forum showcase,...

In just a couple months, Olivia Rodrigo has shattered multiple records with her breakout hit, “Driver’s License,” from scoring the biggest debut in Rolling Stone 100 chart history to netting the greatest first-day streams of any artist.

So it’s fitting that “Driver’s License,” whose Canvas art on Spotify also garnered the most views of its kind, is ushering Spotify’s Canvas tool out of beta. On Monday, Canvas got a wide launch, meaning that anyone with a Spotify for Artists account can get involved.

Spotify first introduced Canvas...

This year’s Berlin International Film Festival will look a bit different this year, with a virtual edition taking place March 1-5 for industry and press, then a public, in-person edition kicking off in June.

The complete lineup has now been unveiled, including Céline Sciamma’s highly-anticipated Portrait of a Lady on Fire follow-up Petite Maman, a surprise new Hong Sang-soo feature, the latest work from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, along with new projects by Radu Jude, Xavier Beauvois, Dominik Graf, Pietro Marcello, Ramon Zürcher & Silvan Zürcher, and more.

Check out each section below.

Competition Tiles

“Albatros” (Drift Away)

France

by Xavier Beauvois

with Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo

“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)

Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic

by Radu Jude

with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai

“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)

Germany

by Dominik Graf

with Tom Schilling,...

The Berlin International Film Festival has set its full slate for the upcoming 2021 edition. Berlinale usually follows Sundance with a February festival, but the pandemic has forced organizers to develop a new festival format for 2021. The 71st Berlin International Film Festival is set to take place with the “Industry Event” from March 1 to 5, which will include the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund in online forms. From June 9 to 20, 2021 the Berlinale will launch a “Summer Special” with numerous film presentations in Berlin, both at indoor and outdoor cinemas.

Included in the March event is the traditional film festival slate, which includes the main Berlinale Competition lineup as well as sidebar sections such as Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and Retrospective. With the exception of the Retrospective, the films will be shown at the March event.

Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian also unveiled Berlinale Special features.

A 15-title Competition line-up including new films from Céline Sciamma and Radu Jude has been unveiled for the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.

The festival’s executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the complete Competition strand along with Berlinale Special titles at a virtual press conference today (February 11), from an empty cinema.

Scroll down for the full list of titles

This year’s edition will take place in two parts; an industry-focused, online-only event running March 1-5, and a Summer Special event featuring physical screenings, planned for June 9-20.

The Panorama,...

Netflix’s love affair with video game adaptations shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Castlevania, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and The Witcher have either already made their way to the streaming service or soon will, as too, it seems, will Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series. For some time now, we’ve been hearing rumors of the Big N’s intention to move forward with various film and TV projects starring characters from its nearly endless parade of iconic creations, with the aforementioned one, in particular, looking likely to be a live-action movie.

According to sources close to Wgtc – the same ones who told us Ben Affleck is returning for The Flash and a Witcher prequel is in development – Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland is being eyed to play the lead role of Link, though it’s unclear whether the actor has actually been approached to...

The winners included Shut the Fuck Up! by Taisiia Kutuzova, Courage by Aliaksei Paluyan and The Trans Syrian Express by Alina Rudnitskaya. After nine days, the hybrid version of the 24th Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries (29 August-6 September) came to a close on Sunday. Two days earlier, the winners of the forum were announced. A total of 24 film-project teams (see the news) took part this year, and the pitching session was held on 3 and 4 September. A total of four awards were handed out at this edition. The Baltic Sea Docs Award, which offers editing consultancy, was handed to Shut the Fuck Up!, directed by Taisiia Kutuzova, produced by Olga Beskhmelnytsina (Digital Religion) and co-produced by Stephane Siohan (East Roads Films), which follows a young activist, Serhiy, who investigates corruption in his small town near Kyiv and runs for office against the deputy who tried to silence...

Cesc Gay’s “The People Upstairs,” David Victori’s “Cross the Line,” Kike Maíllo’s “A Perfect Enemy” and David Matamoros and Ángeles Hernández’s “Isaac” are among a robust 11-feature pack offered by Upcoming Catalan Films at Cannes’ online Marché du Film.

An acclaimed Catalan director of dramedy focused on middle-aged, urban, often lost characters, in “The People Upstairs” Gay (“Truman”) depicts an ordinary situation— a couple having dinner with neighbors — in which a friendly time together gradually slips towards emotional upheaval.

Mario Casas-starrer “Cross the Line” is director David Victori’s (“The Pact”) second feature. A one-night thriller, it follows a more or less good guy dedicated to taking care of his sick father who, after his dad passes, decides to get his life back on track. In the process, he “asks questions of himself he never imagined he would,” Victori explains.

“A Perfect Enemy” is the newest thriller from Kike Maíllo.

“The Sopranos” premiered in 1999, promising a new era in which television would supplant film as not just the dominant mode of entertainment in the English-speaking world, but also the most rich and engaging form of cultural expression.

Twenty years later, ABC debuted “Holey Moley.”

Which of the two shows proves to be a more legitimate claimant to the title of Goat is long to be determined. Critics and academics, after all, have had many years to parse the legacy of the former show — while the second season of the latter is set to premiere Thursday night on the Alphabet.

“Holey Moley II: The Sequel,” as Season 2 is being called, takes the premise of the original and amplifies it. Season 1 featured contestants battling their way through an extreme miniature-golf course that owes a debt of gratitude to obstacle-run shows such as “Wipeout.” Season 2 also features that, but more.

“It’s bigger and there are more holes,...

The latest gaming creator to sign on the dotted line for platform exclusivity is Andre ‘Typical Gamer’ Rebelo, who has pledged his allegiance to YouTube.

The 27-year-old Toronto-born vlogger, who has been on YouTube since 2015 and counts 9 million subscribers, joins other YouTube-exclusive streamers including CouRage, Lachlan, LazarBeam, Muselk, and Valkyrae. All told, YouTube notes that its exclusive streamers count over 36 million collective subscribers. The platform also says that it has 200 million gaming viewers daily, who consume more than 50 billion hours of gaming content every day.

Rebelo rose to renown on YouTube for his Red Dead Redemption videos, and has since become beloved for his amusing roleplay videos as well as his creative gameplay in Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, and Fortnite.

Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.

Celine Dion is the latest artist to participate in a Spotify Singles release, where artists share a new version of one of their signature tracks along with a cover of a song by another artist.

For her track, Dion chose “Imperfections,” one of the singles from her November 2019 album Courage. But way more exciting, the cover she chose is Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” and Isaak himself hopped on the track to perform backing vocals for the Canadian singer.

Recorded at New York’s Electric Lady Studios, Dion’s “Wicked...

The Jonas Brothers will perform at the Women’s Cancer Research Fund An Unforgettable Evening event.

On Thursday, February 27, 2020, the Women's Cancer Research Fund (Wcrf) Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, along with Gala Chairs Quinn Ezralow and Jamie Tisch, and Co-Chairs Wallis Annenberg & Kris Levine, NJ Falk, Tom Ford & Richard Buckley, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Marion Laurie, and Lori Kanter Tritsch & William P. Lauder, will welcome guests to An Unforgettable Evening. This year, chart-topping powerhouse trio Jonas Brothers will take the stage for a performance of some of their biggest hits! They join previously announced Courage Award recipient Renee Zellweger and host Ken Jeong.

The event will take place at the Beverly Wilshire, and benefit the Wcrf, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Bcrf).

Jonas Brothers celebrated their return to music together in a major way in 2019, with the smash album Happiness Begins debuting at No.

Céline Dion paid tribute to her mother Therese Dion during a concert in Miami over the weekend, performing a cover of “Over the Rainbow” with an image of her mother projected onto the stage’s backdrop. Dion’s mother died on Friday at age 92 and the singer assured fans that the scheduled concert that evening would still take place.

“Maman, we love you so much,” Dion wrote on Instagram following her mother’s passing. “We dedicate tonight’s show to you and I’ll sing to you with all my heart.

Funko’s second batch of Preacher Pop! vinyl figures are coming this August. The Tulip figure is a Previews exclusive, Jesse is a GameStop exclusive, and Cassidy the Irish Vampire will be sold exclusively at Hot Topic stores. Also: a trailer for Rooster Teeth’s Day 5 and the Penny Dreadful Spell Book Journal that will be an Entertainment Earth San Diego Comic-Con exclusive.

Funko’s Second Batch of Preacher Pop! Vinyl Figures: From Funko: “The beginning is nigh!

Preacher transforms the beloved comic into an action-packed television series only on AMC!

Check out our Preacher Pop! exclusives!

Previews Exclusive

Let your local comic shop know to order the Previews exclusive Tulip Pop!

GameStop Exclusive

The GameStop exclusive Jesse Custer calls upon a greater power!

Hot Topic Exclusive

Cassidy the Irish vampire arrives exclusively at Hot Topic as a bloody mess!

Coming in August!”

To visit our story on the first three Preacher Pop!

Exclusive: Founder and CEO Matt McCombs and his sales team at Spotlight Pictures head into Cannes with a roster led by Aaron Eckhart starrer Courage.

The film gets its market premiere screening today [May 11] and is based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story.

Angelo Pizzo, a sports specialist whose screenwriting credits include Hoosiers and Rudy, directed from his adapted screenplay.

Eckhart stars as the coach of the University Of Texas American Football team whose star player is diagnosed with bone cancer.

The film opened in the Us last November through Clarius Entertainment under the title My All American and Universal handles ancillary rights.

Spotlight is also talking up Bitter Harvest, an epic romance set against the backdrop of the Holodomor – Stalin’s persecution of Ukrainians during the 1930s – that stars Max Irons and Samantha Barks.

The film screens today [May 11] and on Tuesday [16] in Cannes and the producers are in talks for a Us...

A Nuremberg rally for 21st-century America. Pure terror porn: racist, jingoistic, thoroughly obnoxious. Donald Trump voters will love it. *sob* I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): hated the first movie

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

If only all those other stupid countries — you know, like Germany and the U.K. — could be as awesome as America. After the British prime minister dies suddenly and mysteriously, world leaders summoned to London for the funeral, allegedly “the most protected event on Earth,” come under terrorist attack. The only survivor among them is U.S. president Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart: My All American, I, Frankenstein), thanks to impossibly badass Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler: How to Train Your Dragon 2, Chasing Mavericks), even though Banning concedes that he is made of nothing more than “bourbon and poor choices.” (One wonders...

What's new or newish for home viewing? Let's see... It's been two release weeks for Oscar contenders. Several of them now available for rentals and sales hot off their Oscar wins.

• Creed. See why we all fussed about it and why so many were rooting for Sly (who lost in one of many surprises Sunday night) despite an unspectacular career. That's the German cover to the left. I include it because it's intereting to note that overseas they have to mention Rocky in the title somehow "Rocky's Legacy," not trusting that just Creed would do it.

• The Danish Girl. See why Vikander won the Oscar. (Hint: Huge leading role and she's playing a Long Suffering Wife, in short Oscar's two favorite things in the Supporting Actress category)

• Fargo Year Two - I hear it's good. Why am I still resisting?

• The Good Dinosaur - Tim was relatively kind in his review.

Not an inspirational football movie but the highlights reel from one, with a golden boy who is his own manic pixie dreamboat. The worst sort of hagiography. I’m “biast” (pro): I enjoyed a good sports movie…

I’m “biast” (con): …but I’m not into sports, and especially not American football

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

This isn’t an inspirational football movie so much as it’s the highlights reel from one. It’s got all the rah-rah moments — literally: there are girls in cheerleaders’ costumes tossing pompoms — but none of the mountains to climb or tough rows to hoe or any of the hard stuff. Whatever actual drama there was in the life of the real University of Texas football player Freddie Steinmark — this is based on the nonfiction book Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story,...

Spotlight Pictures has acquired the international sales rights for Aaron Eckhart‘s sports drama, ‘Courage.’ The film is based on an inspirational true story and the novel ‘Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story’ by Jim Dent. The film was written and directed by first-time feature film helmer, Angelo Pizzo, who also wrote and produced the iconic sports films ‘Hoosiers’ and ‘Rudy.’ Besides Eckhart, ‘Courage’ also stars Finn Wittrock, Robin Tunney and Sarah Bolger. The film was produced by Paul Schiff and executive produced by Bud Brigham. The drama received a wide U.S. theatrical release last November, under the title ‘My All American.’ Of acquiring the international rights for ‘Courage,’ [ Read More ]

The post Spotlight Pictures Secures International Sales Rights For Aaron Eckhart’s Sports Drama Courage appeared first on Shockya.com.

Plus: Production begins on The Last Word; Keira Knightley circles Collateral Beauty; Music Box acquires Sundance entry The Innocents; and more…

Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.

Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.

Production is underway in the Los Angeles area on Mark Pellington’s The Last Word starring Shirley Maclaine and Amanda Seyfried. Bleecker Street will distribute the drama in the Us and Myriad Pictures handles international sales at the Efm. Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall and Scott Speedman and Tom Everett Scott round out the key cast.Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about...

Plus: Keira Knightley circles Collateral Beauty; Music Box acquires Sundance entry The Innocents; Alcon sets writer for The Ice Twins; and more…

Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.

Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.

Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about the hoax female blogger who passed herself off as a transgender male. Lbi Entertainment /Aquarius / Rabbit Bandini Productions produce and Fortitude International represents international rights.Keira Knightley is reportedly in talks to star opposite Will Smith in New Line/Village Roadshow’s drama Collateral Beauty. Warner Bros will distribute in the Us on March...

'The Peanuts Movie': 2016 Best Original Score Oscar contender along with 111 other titles. Oscar 2016: Best Original Score contenders range from 'Mad Max: Fury Road' to 'The Peanuts Movie' Earlier this month (Dec. '15), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made public the list of 112 film scores eligible for the 2016 Oscar in the Best Original Score category. As found in the Academy's press release, “a Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.” The release adds that “to be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

“Adult Beginners,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer

“The Age of Adaline,” Rob Simonsen, composer

“Altered Minds,” Edmund Choi, composer

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer

“Anomalisa,” Carter Burwell, composer

“Ant-Man,” Christophe Beck, composer

“Beasts of No Nation,” Dan Romer, composer

“The Big Short,” Nicholas Britell, composer

“Black Mass,” Tom Holkenborg, composer

“Bridge of Spies,” Thomas Newman, composer

“Brooklyn,” Michael Brook, composer

“Burnt,” Rob Simonsen, composer

“By the Sea,” Gabriel Yared, composer

“Carol,” Carter Burwell, composer

“Cartel Land,” H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg, composers

“Chi-Raq,” Terence Blanchard, composer

“Cinderella,” Patrick Doyle, composer

“Coming Home,” Qigang Chen, composer

“Concussion,...

College football gets yet another queasy workout from faith based film-makers, in the story of University of Texas battler Freddie Steinmark and the “Game of the Century”

American football is played on a rectangle, but movies about it can sure be square. My All American is the fourth low-budget wide-release faith-based picture set on the gridiron since Where the Game Stands Tall in August 2014. For sheer audacity, nothing beats 23 Blast, in which tenacity overcomes the slight obstacle of a blind teammate, but based-on-a-true-story My All American has to win some sort of trophy for its dedication to playing by-the-book. Every step of this motion picture is 100% predictable and yet, like a determined running back, it simply lowers its head and rams forth. The momentum of sheer will carries its saccharine story into the end zone.

We open with Aaron Eckhart as legendary University of Texas football honcho Darrell Royal in...

Even those who love inspirational sports films might have to flinch from “My All American,” a movie so square, conservative and humorless that it winds up playing like a brutally straight-faced “South Park” parody of gridiron schmaltz, particularly in its last half hour, when the male weepie plot finally kicks in. Based on a true story, “My All American” was written and directed by Angelo Pizzo, who wrote the screenplays for two beloved sports pictures, “Hoosiers” (1986) and “Rudy” (1993). In the latter, Sean Astin‘s Rudy was too small to play football but was determined to get on the field through.

Well, the temps are dropping, and the leaves are changing. That can only mean one thing: better check on furnace. Or get the old rake out. Of course, that’s unless you’re a sports fan. Then, for the most part, it’s football all the time (just seems like it to the rest of us). And what better way to lure those fans away from their TVs and bars? Why Hollywood has been passing the ole’ pigskin for decades, even before sound (Harold Lloyd in The Freshman has quite a spectacular final game). There are comedies and dramas, the latter has mostly been the province of the true story. Jim Thorpe, All American (as was coach Knute Rockne) and Invincible to name a few. And, of course, there’s that much beloved crowd-pleaser Rudy. Well, all you gridiron movie lovers, here’s a new flick from the same fellow that penned that underdog story.

Spectre's $70.4 million opening last weekend was the seventh largest of 2015 and this weekend it faces little to no incoming competition. The week's new wide releases include the Chilean miner drama The 33, the Christmas-themed family feature Love the Coopers and the period, football drama My All American. Not one of these three new wide releases will be threatening the top two spots at the box office, which means the second weekend of Spectre and The Peanuts Movie draw the majority of our attention. Starting with Spectre, the first instinct is to look to Skyfall's second weekend back in 2012. After a monster opening, Skyfall dropped 53.5% in the face of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2's $141 million opening weekend. Quantum of Solace dropped 60% when it faced off, and took second to, the first Twilight film back in 2008. Twilight, however, isn't exactly direct competition. Taking that into consideration, it would suggest those weekend...

Those who are considered to be esteemed veterans in their respective careers by their admirers, who wish to emulate their accomplishments, often provide profound contributions to their line of work. That’s certainly the case with not only Golden Globe Award-nominated actor Aaron Eckhart, but also Darrell Royal, the former head football coach at the University of Texas (Ut) at Austin. The performer did such extensive research into what the iconic coach meant to the city, Ut football and his players that Royals’ family, players, fans and movie audiences in general will surely appreciate his powerful portrayal of the three national championship winner on screen. Eckhart stars as Royal in the [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Aaron Eckhart Talks My All American appeared first on Shockya.com.

Witnessing the powerful evolution of a true and pure love for others in a society that’s driven by increasingly egotistical desires is a humbling and rare situation. The all-important experience emphasizes the significance of embracing selfless people who are determined to serve the greater good of their community, and not continuously cater to their own needs. That noteworthy chronicling of the motivations of such remarkable people who are completely devoted to their true love, and effortlessly affect everyone they know, is grippingly presented in the sports drama, ‘My All American,’ which Clarius Entertainment is set to distribute in theaters this Friday, November 13. The biographical film, which was written and [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Finn Wittrock and Sarah Bolger Talk My All American appeared first on Shockya.com.

Coming off the worst October since 2007, the industry was looking to this weekend to turn the tide and that it did. With the release of Spectre and The Peanuts Movie, the weekend showed a 148% increase over last weekend and a 6% improvement over the same weekend last year with the top twelve making over $155 million. Of that total, 007, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang accounted for 76% as November 2015 is off to a good start. Taking the number one slot is Spectre, the 24th James Bond movie and already the eighth highest grossing Bond film domestically as it brought in an estimated $73 million from 3,929 theaters. It's the second highest opening for a Bond film, $15.3 million behind the overwhelming performance of 2012's Skyfall. Internationally the film brought in $117.8 million from 77 total markets, bringing its worldwide cume to an estimated $296.1 million after ten days. There is some question as to just how well Spectre...

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new sports biography “My All American” starring Aaron Eckhart and Finn Wittrock!

The film is based on the true story of University of Texas’ 1969 championship-winning football heroes coach Darrell Royal and defensive back Freddie Steinmark.

“My All American,” which opens on Nov. 13, 2015 and is rated “PG,” also stars Sarah Bolger, Robin Tunney, Kristin McKenzie, Mackenzie Meehan, Richard Kohnke and Michael Reilly Burke from writer and director Angelo Pizzo.

To win your free passes to “My All American” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your...

From the writer of Hoosiers and Rudy comes a sports drama based on the true story of Ut Austin college football star Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) who, in 1969, after winning the national title, was faced with the biggest challenge of his life. In this heartwarming tale of grit and faith, Coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) reflects back on Freddie’s journey from being determined underdog – supported at times only by the love of his parents (Robin Tunney and Michael Reilly Burke) and his high school sweetheart (Sarah Bolger) – to a hero both on and off the field.

My All American is directed by Angelo Pizzo, and the executive producers are Ben “Bud” Brigham, Rusty Walter, Paula Walter, Tony Jones, Carl Mazzocone, and Michael Bruegg. The film is produced by Paul Schiff. The screenplay is written by Angelo Pizzo, based upon the book Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story by Jim Dent.

Spectre – November 6

Director: Sam Mendes

Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux

Synopsis: A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.

Analysis: The question on a lot of people’s minds going into Spectre will no doubt be “is it going to be as good as or better than Skyfall?” Skyfall was certainly an awesome Bond movie, but if there is one thing we can take away from oh say Quantum of Solace, it’s that we should take each Bond movie as a single experience and try not to compare them with each other. That’s what I do anyway and it really takes away from the expectations and makes for a more enjoyable time.

 

Every actor has to have at least one sports movie on their credits, and Aaron Eckhart is the latest to star in another inspiring true story of an underdog team coming up on top. That movie is My All American, the true story of legendary Ut Austin football Coach Darrell Royal's (Eckhart) who led his team to a championship season and was an inspiration both on and off the field.