News

If you’re missing the heroics of “9-1-1” characters Buck, Bobby, Chim and Hen and the rest of the 118, here are some similar first responder shows that might fill the void until the Sept. 26 premiere of Season 8.

Among them, the spinoff “9-1-1: Lone Star,” great ’90s series “Third Watch” and classic ’70s to-the-rescue show “Emergency!” Here’s why they’re worth your time and where you can stream them.

Rob Lowe, Jim Parrack and Gina Torres on “911: Lone Star” (Credit: Fox) “9-1-1: Lone Star”

If you’re a “9-1-1” fan and haven’t yet taken the trip down south to its Texas-based spinoff, you’re in for a delightfully chaotic treat. “9-1-1: Lone Star” stars TV legend Rob Lowe as fire captain Owen Strand, who moves from New York City to Austin, Texas, with his son Tk (Ronen Rubinstein) to take over command of the firehouse 126. Throughout its first four seasons,...

"This is not your choice, you're not staying here. Not another word. Get your things." A highly-rated short film is now available to watch online after playing on the film festival circuit for the last few years. Safe is an engaging 16-minute short film written and directed by Ian Barling - it originally premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics Week sidebar, and played at many of others including Naples, Nashville, and Rome Independent. On a cold winter night in Atlantic City, the manager of a defunct casino must reckon with his parental failures when his unruly son comes to him in desperate need of help out of an illicit bind. Safe stars acclaimed actors Will Patton and Philip Ettinger, with Noa Fisher, Cindy Katz, and Skipp Sudduth. Patton is one of the most underrated actors in the biz, and it's always fascinating watching him. There's always something...

The dark underbelly of a small town has provided cinematic fodder for generations. It’s just a lucrative source of storytelling. After a debut last year at the Tribeca Film Festival, another effort joins the fray, starting today, in Blow the Man Down, a surprisingly fun drama that slowly turns the screws. The material may sound serious and even grim, but it actually is handled with such a steady tone that it almost resembles something that the Coen Brothers would do, as opposed to a bleak expose. Amazon Studios has this one and will put it out on their service, so expect it to be one of the higher profile VOD options this weekend. The movie is a mix of drama and mystery, with actually a little bit of comedy thrown in for good measure. It’s set in the small Maine town of Easter Cove, a remote coastal fishing village.

In today’s film news roundup, Fathom Events has set a one-night showing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “The Twilight Zone” and “Lazy Susan” and “Liberte” get distribution.

Anniversary Show

Fathom Events and CBS Home Entertainment have scheduled a Nov. 14 showing for “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” at more than 600 North American cinemas.

The shows will combine digitally restored versions of six episodes with an all-new documentary short titled “Remembering Rod Serling” about the life, imagination and creativity of the show’s creator. It’s the first time that original episodes of the series, which ran from 1959 to 1964, have been presented on the big screen.

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said, “‘The Twilight Zone’ has inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, so it is a great honor to be able to bring these classic stories to the big screen, and to offer such an incisive look into the...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has obtained North American theatrical, digital, and home entertainment distribution rights to Lazy Susan, a big-hearted comedy which features an ensemble cast led by Will & Grace star Sean Hayes. Additional cast includes Carrie Aizley, Margo Martindale, Jim Rash, Kiel Kennedy, Danny Johnson, Darlene Hunt, Skipp Sudduth, J.R. Ramirez, and Matty Cardarople as well as Matthew Broderick and Oscar winner Allison Janney.

Shout! Studios aims to launch the movie across all major entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical launch in 2020.

Directed by Nick Peet, the film follows Susan (Hayes), the self-centered oddball in her family who lazily skated through life with their grudging support until one day she wakes up to realize she’s middle-aged with no job, no relationship, and an increasingly estranged family. She finally decides to take charge and turn things around, but never having done anything herself before, the struggle is real as Susan...

It’s hard enough when Mary Margaret Connolly passes away in the sleepy Maine fishing town of Easter Cove, leaving behind two shell-shocked daughters, a house they can no longer afford, a fish shop no one seems to patronize, and enough secrets to keep the Connolly sisters scrambling for the foreseeable future. And then one of them goes and kills a guy.

Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy’s feature directorial debut lays out plenty of familiar beats in their Coen brothers-esque crime comedy, from a bloody murder to a bag of cash, all enlivened by some wonderfully distinct accents, but the pair also find their way to a unique new story that signals their arrival as a filmmaking duo to watch.

Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth Connolly (Morgan Saylor) have long occupied different stations in their small family — “Pris” has always been the stable, grownup one, while Mary...

Spoiler Alert: This article contains details about the season 5 finale of Madam Secretary.

Based on the events leading up to the season finale of CBS’ Madam Secretary, it seems like this episode would be, for the most part, smooth sailing for Tea Leoni’s Elizabeth McCord. It seems like the climate migration treaty is good to go and she is all set to make her announcement to run for President. All is good in the world, right? Not so fast. It wouldn’t be an episode of Madam Secretary without some peril to shake things up.

The episode titled “Better Angels” directed by John Murray and written by Matt Ward starts off with Peter Harriman (Skipp Sudduth) getting ready for the day as he puts his lucky vintage Rfk presidential pin on his lapel. Cut to him walking in the street and — uh oh! — he drops his lucky pin through the sewer grate,...

In today’s film news roundup, Rita Moreno joins the “West Side Story” reboot, “Justified Vengeance” unveils its cast, Zane Holtz’s “Beyond the Night” gets acquired, and Jamie Bell’s “Skin” closes territorial deals.

Castings

Rita Moreno will join the cast of Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story.”

Moreno will also serve as an executive producer of the film. She won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 film version of “West Side Story.” In the new “West Side Story,” Moreno will be playing Valentina, a reconceived version of the character of Doc, the owner of the corner store in which Tony works.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself revisiting this seminal work,” Moreno said. “And to be asked by Steven Spielberg to participate is simply thrilling! Then to work together with the brilliant playwright, Tony Kushner — what a glorious stew!

By Todd Garbarini

I’m a sucker for car chases. Not the perfunctory, last-minute “Hey, this movie needs a car chase!” variety, but the kind that comes as a result of a particular plot point wherein someone or some group has to get away from some other group. While most new car chases such as The Fast and the Furious sort are usually accomplished through CGI, I find that this sleight-of-hand fakery virtually abolishes all tension. The best ones that I have seen all did it for real through innovative and unprecedented filming techniques and excellent editing: Grand Prix (1966), Vanishing Point (1967), Bullitt (1968), The Seven-Ups (1973), The Blues Brothers (1980), The Road Warrior (1981), The Terminator (1984), F/X (1986), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and The Town (2010) all have action sequences that put the full wonder of film editing on display.

There are two major car chases in the late John Frankenheimer’s Ronin, which opened on Friday,...

Robert De Niro picks up a gun once again as a highly paid spy-mercenary-thief hired for a bit of international larceny, the robbing of a courier of some undisclosed secrets of one kind or another. Juicing up a Melville- like stoic crime fantasy with superb car stunt work puts director John Frankenheimer back in the game, with a worthy project.

Ronin

Blu-ray

Arrow Video USA

1998 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video 39.95

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, Skipp Sudduth, Michael Lonsdale, Jan Triska, Jonathan Pryce.

Cinematography: Robert Fraisse

Film Editor: Tony Gibbs

Original Music: Elia Cmiral

Written by J.D. Zeik, David Mamet (as Richard Weisz)

Produced by Frank Mancuso Jr.

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Ronin is something of a last gasp for the Mancuso-era United Artists (MGM), a lavishly appointed all-on-location major action picture directed by a great...

Our pal, Max Allan Collins, has been writing stories about Quarry, the Vietnam veteran turned cold hitman, since 1976. Now Quarry is also a Cinemax series and our friends at the premium channel have given us a copy of Quarry the Complete First Season to give away.

To be considered for the prize, tell us what you find most appealing about the series, its premise and characters. We’re looking for interesting, well-considered commentary about the show not just a dashed off one-liner.

We want your entries no later than 11:59 p.m., Friday, February 10. The contest is open to United States and Canadian residents only and the decision of ComicMix‘s judges is final.

Set in and around Memphis during the early 1970s, Quarry is a thrilling action drama that centers on the character of Mac Conway, a Marine who returns home from a second tour of duty in Vietnam.

New York, N.Y., December 12, 2016 – Season 1 of the “wildly entertaining” (TV Guide) Cinemax® series Quarry, loosely based on the novels of Max Allan Collins set in and around Memphis, is set to make its home entertainment debut on February 14, 2017. Starring Logan Marshall-Green as Mac Conway, this “impressively flawless” (Washington Post) series follows two soldiers’ return home from a second tour of duty in Vietnam. Quarry: The Complete First Season will be available to own on Blu-rayTM ($34.98) and DVD ($24.98), packed with bonus content including more than two dozen deleted scenes and new footage of interviews where Mac and his comrades testify to the events that led up to their discharge from the Marines. DVD and Blu-rayTM will also include a Digital Download copy.

Set in and around Memphis during the early 1970s, Quarry is a thrilling action drama that centers on the character of Mac Conway, a Marine who returns...

Stars: Josh Stewart, Alex Essoe, Bill Engvall, Melissa Bolona, Luke Edwards, Jaqueline Fleming, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Skipp Sudduth, David Kallaway | Written by Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton | Directed by Marcus Dunstan

It’s safe to say I’m a fan of the films of Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. Between them, the duo have written and/or directed some fun fear flicks: Feast and it’s sequels (which I truly adore), Saw 4 – 7 and the fantastic pairing of The Collector and The Collection. It’s been four years since the latter film, their last feature, and now they’re back with The Neighbour – which also marks the Third time the filmmakers have worked with actor Josh Stewart.

Set in Cutter, Mississippi, The Neighbour follows two small-time drug-traffickers, John (Stewart) and Rosie (Essoe), who operate a weigh station next door to their creepy, hunting-obsessed neighbour, Troy. Planning to leave their drug-dealing life behind,...

Marcus Dunstan dribbles out the suspense and generates surprise in this pleasingly tawdry tale with a few deft subplots

This rough and raw thriller is reminiscent of the sort of pleasingly tawdry fare they used to show at drive-in cinemas and grindhouses back in the day, in a good way. It starts out promising to be one thing and turns into a whole other thing, packing a few deft sub-twists along the way. In rural Mississippi, war vet John (Josh Stewart) and his sultry wife Rosie (Alex Essoe) work for John’s drug kingpin uncle Neil (Skipp Sudduth) processing couriers delivering cash and product. They plan to take their cut and get the hell out of Dodge, but their sketchy good ol’ boy neighbour Troy (Bill Engvall) is getting a bit nosy, although admittedly John and Rosie have been using their telescope to spy on him, too. Director Marcus Dunstan,...

[caption id="attachment_51351" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Image via Cinemax./caption]

You have no idea what you're walking into. Below, watch a trailer for the Quarry TV show, premiering on Cinemax Friday, September 9, 2016 at 10:00pm Et/Pt. Set in 1972, the scripted drama series follows Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green), a Marine who comes home to Memphis from Vietnam. Conway finds himself shunned by loved ones and demonized by the public.

Cinemax says, "As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River." The Quarry TV series cast also includes: Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Damon Herriman, Jamie Hector, Edoardo Ballerini, and Skipp Sudduth. Created, written and executive produced by Graham Gordy and Michael D. Fuller, Quarry is executive produced by Banshee's Greg Yaitanes and Mr. Robot's Steve Golin.

Read...

Leftovers‘ standout Ann Dowd is staying in the HBO family with a multi-episode arc on Cinemax’s new drama Quarry, TVLine has learned exclusively.

RelatedThe Leftovers Season 2: Family Matters Alum Among 3 New Additions

The series, based loosely on a series of books by Max Allen Collins, centers on the titular Marine marksman (played by Prometheus‘ Logan Marshall-Green) who returns home from Vietnam in 1972 only to find himself shunned and demonized. Disillusioned, the vet is quickly recruited into a network of contract killers and corruption along the Mississippi River.

Dowd will play loving, accepting southern momma Naomi — a big-hearted...

Queen Sugar

Oprah Winfrey is teaming with "Selma" director Ava DuVernay for a TV series adaptation of Natalie Baszile's novel "Queen Sugar" for Winfrey's Own network. Winfrey will executive produce and appear in a recurring role.

The story follows a "spirited woman" who leaves an upscale Los Angeles life behind to claim an inheritance from her recently deceased dad: an 800-acre sugar cane farm in Louisiana. DuVernay is set to write, direct and executive produce the series with production commencing later this year. [Source: E! Online]

The Casual Vacancy

The BBC has released the first trailer for "The Casual Vacancy," the upcoming mini-series adaptation of J.K. Rowling's first non-"Harry Potter" novel. The three-part tale commences airing on February 15th.

The story is set in a seemingly idyllic English village where the townspeople fight for the spot on the parish council after one member dies. In the process, nasty secrets come to light.

Cinemax today officially announced an eight-episode series order to drama pilot Quarry. Production will begin March 30 on location in New Orleans and Tennessee. Created and executive produced by Graham Gordy & Michael D. Fuller. Based on the novels of Max Allan Collins, the show will be directed and executive produced by Greg Yaitanes (Banshee), along with executive producer Steve Golin (True Detective).

Quarry tells the story of Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green), a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River. Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Damon Herriman co-star, along with Jamie Hector, Edoardo Ballerini and Skipp Sudduth. “This nuanced and dynamic show marks an exciting moment in the evolution of Cinemax programming,...

Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming " Elementary" episode 6 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Terra Pericolosa," and it turns out that we're going to see a murdering map stealing criminal, prompt the investigative attention of Holmes and Watson, and more. In the new, 6th episode press release: Holmes and Watson are going to search for a thief who commits murder to procure a rare map. Press release number 2: Holmes and Watson will search for a thief who committed murder to steal a rare map. In the meantime, Watson is going to become concerned with Sherlock’s escalating interference into Kitty’s burgeoning personal life. Mamie Gummer guest stars as wealthy New York heiress, Margaret Bray. Guest stars feature: Ophelia Lovibond (Kitty Winter), Mamie Gummer (Margaret Bray), Eric Schweig (Leon Moody), Skipp Sudduth (William Ziff), K.Todd Freeman (Rafael) and Liv Rooth (Sharon Tavener). The...

Recently, CBS served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" episode 4 of season 15. The episode is entitled, "The Book Of Shadows," and it sounds like things will get pretty serious as a science experiment takes a drastic turn for the extreme worse, and more! In the new, 4th episode press release: The CSI team is going to suspect foul play when a chemistry teacher's science experiment goes horribly wrong. Press release number 2: The CSI team will suspect foul play when a chemistry teacher’s science experiment goes horribly wrong. Guest stars will feature: Larry Mitchell (Officer Mitchell), Nathan Gamble (Mason Brewer), Mark Chadwick (Chet Messner), Annabella Avery Thorne (Hannah Hunt), Alimi Ballard (Det. Kevin Crawford), Myndy Crist (Rebecca Brewer / Witch), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Principal Dawn Meadows), Taylor John Smith (Rob “Turk” Turkla) and Skipp Sudduth (Ed Lusk). The episode was written by Gavin Harris,...

Horror fans know Josh Stewart from The Collector and The Collection, in which he played a man hunted by a serial killer. Now Stewart plays a character stalked by a different threat in The Hunted, a film he stars in, wrote, and directed. The film follows two buddies making a hunting show pilot in the woods, only to become targets themselves, and we have an exclusive clip that might make your skin prickle.

The Hunted is now available on DVD and VOD platforms. We have the film’s official details and bonus features below, as well as the exclusive clip and the movie’s trailer:

Press Release - “The Hunted follows family-man, hunter, Jake, played by Josh Stewart, alongside his best friend Stevie (Ronnie Gene Blevins) as they journey deep into the Appalachians of West Virginia on the hunt for a legendary buck. Chasing their dream of landing a television hunting show,...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes release details for Out of the Dark, Travelogue of Horror, and The Hunted, a trailer for The Scribbler and The Pyramid, a look at The Walker Stalkers’s music video Talk Dead to Me, advanced screening details for L.A. Slasher, and much more:

Out of the Dark Release Details and Photos: “Vertical Entertainment and Participant Media today announced that Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to Participant’s supernatural thriller Out of the Dark, and slated the film for an early 2015 theatrical release.

Starring Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman, and Stephen Rea, Out of the Dark is a ghost story set in South America, where a young family’s new life turns from promising to terrifying when they are forced to confront ancient legends, ghosts, and a haunting family secret.

We've come to the end of this trip through "Orange Is the New Black" season 2. Thoughts on the final three episodes, and season 2 as a whole, coming up just as soon as I buy a banjolele on Craigslist... "Feeling our feelings might actually make it impossible to survive in here." -Poussey For the sake of this experiment of trying to review a Netflix show as if it were distributed more traditionally, I tried not to get too far ahead of what I was reviewing. And watching at that two at a time pace, I was still enjoying the season a lot, but not feeling quite as bewitched by it as I was in season 1. Then I got to the end of episode 10, with Pornstache's arrest, and decided I just wanted to keep going, unwritten rules of the project be damned, and I wound up watching the season's final five episodes within 24 hours of each other.

Hannibal, “Mizumono”

Written by Steve Lightfoot and Bryan Fuller

Directed by David Slade

Aired May 23rd, 2014

“I let you know me… see me. I gave you a rare gift, but you didn’t want it.” – Hannibal Lecter

If there’s such thing as arthouse television, Hannibal‘s second season is it, a thirteen-hour fever dream of blood, orchestral music, and psychological mind games. Above all, it was a cinematic tragedy, a symbolically-rich tale of a man courting the devil and (most likely) living to tell about it, set against the backdrop of television’s most arresting visual palette.

“Mizumono” is the sweet, sweet cherry on the top of Hannibal‘s breathtaking sophomore effort, a dramatic crescendo catalyzed by one small mistake made on Will’s part: leaving the scent of Freddie Lounds on himself before visiting Hannibal. When Lecter realizes what Will has done, his heart breaks and Hannibal dares...

How our relationship with movies evolves is intricately bound to our own changing perspectives, and to the medium's ever shifting context, forming a perpetually shifting dynamic. This new column borrows the namesake of one of my favorite films for that reason. Cinephilia itself is a sort of journey, and I’m no longer naïve enough (but still hopefully naïve!) to think that it’s one with a conclusion, or even a safe plateau one can reach. Likewise, life is some sort of movement homeward, where home is not a 'place,' but a pursuit of 'something.' For me these two odysseys run in parallel—hence, a long voyage home.

This column, for which I hope to prepare an entry every two weeks, ultimately has no unifying theme or format. One piece may be a review, the next a single observation, an image piece, a video essay...and hopefully things...

Louie Season 4, Episodes 11 & 12 “Into the Woods (Parts 1 & 2)”

Written by Louis C.K.

Directed by Louis C.K.

Season finale airs Monday, 6/16 at 10pm Et on FX

Louie isn’t really a “comedy” any more, is it? Sure, it’s still peppered with hilarious moments (like in tonight’s episode, where a simple camera pan gives us the hilarious image of a teenager taking a pot-addled nap), but this fourth season of Louie has aspirations far beyond the show’s first three, where the lines between comedy, indie film, and surrealist drama were already greatly blurred. In many ways, “Into the Woods” is the culmination of that new direction in season four – and although it only retains the slightest of connections to most of the season’s overall themes, stands as a climatic moment for the season, and the series as a whole.

In simple terms, “Into the Woods” is: a short film,...

Monday night’s feature film-length Louie, dubbed “Into the Woods,” was experimental – but the part about how young Louis got his trees was true.

The comedian has previously developed and performed stand-up about the time when, as a pot-obsessed teenager, he found a dealer who promised to give him an ounce of pot in exchange for stealing a scale from one of his science classes. When C.K. obliged, the dealer then promised him more pot — if he stole more. The 13-year-old ended up stealing 14 scales, then smoking all the pot himself.

Monday’s episode revolved around the same anecdote,...

A review of tonight's "Louie" coming up just as soon as I fart for science... "In the Woods" puts the various arcs of season 4 on hold for an epic-length (without commercials, the "episode" runs 66-plus minutes) flashback to Louie's adolescence, as catching Lily smoking pot reminds him of one of the dumbest episodes of his life. Louis C.K. grew up in the era of the "After School Special," well-meaning but often unintentionally hilarious stories trying to warn kids away from drugs, drinking and all the other tomfoolery teenagers get up to. (Here's an excerpt from "Stoned," produced the year before "In the Woods" is set, starring Scott Baio as a straight-laced student whose life falls apart after he experiments with the marijuana.) And though C.K. has much greater command of tone — and respect for his audience's intelligence — than the makers of those specials did, there's always a danger...

Josh Stewart's The Hunted will, if nothing else, provide you with a sure answer to this question: "Do I actually like found footage horror movies?" Oh sure, you've seen the "studio" examples like Cloverfield, Quarantine, and the various Paranormal Activity films -- and since you're reading FEARnet it's a safe bet you've seen some of the foreign-language goodies like [Rec] and the original Silent House... but what of the decent if unspectacular indies that look, sound, and feel a whole lot like The Hunted? 

  All of this is one "found footage" fan's way of saying that a whole lot of The Hunted is slow-paced, familiar, and sometimes even a little too deliberate for its own good -- and yet there's still a lot to like here. There's a big difference between hopping on a current trend and producing a straight-faced, simple horror story, and one gets the impression that The Hunted...

With writer/director Josh Stewart’s horror survival feature The Hunted set for its Los Angeles premiere Thursday, October 10, at 9:30pm at the Screamfest Film Festival, read on for our exclusive chat with the filmmaker along with the film's trailer and some stills!

Produced by Brett Forbes, Patrick Rizzotti and Josh Stewart from a script by the latter, The Hunted stars Stewart, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Nikki Deloach and Skipp Sudduth. It revolves around the characters of Jake (Stewart) and Stevie (Blevins), a duo who, in chasing their dream of landing on a television hunting show, head to the dense, secluded mountains of West Virginia. Equipped with only their bow and camera, they have just three days to kill a monster buck big enough to grab the attention of the producers, and they've found him. But the sun has set, and they realize they’re not alone. Have the hunters become the hunted?...

The Hunted is a film from first time director Josh Stewart (The Collector). This indie horror film has been shot found footage style and The Hunted is slated to show at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of 2013. The film involves two hunters, in search of big game. Hoping to score a television show, Jake (Stewart) and Stevie (Ronnie Gene Levins) delve deep into the Appalachians of West Virginia. They find a supernatural entity in the woods. And soon, Jake and Stevie are being hunted by this terror. Promising to scare horror fans away from the woods: "will do to the woods what Jaws did to the ocean (tagline)," The Hunted will be showing in Toronto, Ontario September 6 and 9. The official trailer for the film is below. Release Date: September 6 and 9 (limited theatrical). Director: Josh Stewart. Cast: Josh Stewart, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Skipp Sudduth, and Nikki Deloach. *the trailer has been removed by request.

Erstwhile Wire gang leader Jamie Hector has joined Cinemax’s drama pilot Quarry, TVLine has learned.

The prospective series, based loosely on a series of books by Max Allen Collins, centers on the titular Marine marksman (played by Prometheus‘ Logan Marshall-Green) who returns home from Vietnam in 1973 only to find himself shunned and demonized.

Disillusioned, the vet is quickly recruited into a network of contract killers and corruption along the Mississippi River.

Related | 2013 Cable Renewal Scorecard — Renewed or Cancelled TV Shows?

Hector — who’ll co-star alongside the previously cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Stellan Skarsgård (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...

Here at PopWatch, we’re reminiscing about the pop culture moments that we still can’t get over — no matter how much time has passed.

In its six seasons on the air, Third Watch had some pretty epic and heartwrenching character exits — paramedic Bobby Caffey (Bobby Cannavale) was shot and killed while on a call, firefighter Alex Taylor (Amy Carlson) was blown up in a freak accident, and Bosco’s brother Mikey (Charlie Day) was beheaded (off-screen) by a drug lord. But among all that bloodshed, the farewell that actually sticks out in my mind is that of beloved noble...

Big-screen staple Stellan Skarsgård has boarded Cinemax’s drama pilot Quarry, TVLine has learned.

Loosely based on a series of books by Max Allen Collins, the project centers on a Marine marksman (played by Prometheus‘ Logan Marshall-Green) who returns home from Vietnam in 1973 only to find himself shunned and demonized. The disillusioned vet is quickly recruited into a network of contract killers and immersed in corruption along the Mississippi River.

Skarsgård (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) will play The Broker, a shadowy figure who lures Green’s title character into his criminal ranks.

Related | 2013 Cable Renewal Scorecard — Renewed or Cancelled TV Shows?...

Arrested Development scene-stealer Judy Greer has nabbed the lead role in an untitled FX comedy pilot.

From filmmaker Andrew Gurland, the prospective series stars Ben and Kate‘s Nat Faxon as a happily married man who, as a way to fix the one, bedroom-based problem in his relationship, is given permission by his wife (Greer) to get a mistress.

Related | FX Greenlights Tracy Morgan Pilot

Greer currently lends her voice to several characters on FX’s animated series Archer.

Production on the new comedy project begins this summer.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• The Good Wife...

It's hard to write a teaser preview for the "Good Wife" Season 4 finale -- it's so, so good and yet saying just about anything is spoiler-y. But trust us, from start to finish, it is an A+ episode and easily our favorite season finale the show has done yet.

Here are some things to look forward to:

Martha Plimpton, Denis O'Hare and Ana Gasteyer are all back and involved in a potential vote-tampering case that must be decided the night before the election, for which Zach Florrick (and "Roseanne's" mom) are key witnesses. Is Plimpton's Patti Nyholm working with or against Will, Diane and Alicia? Little of column A, little of column B.Colin Sweeney (Dylan Baker) plays an interesting catalyst for some of the bigger goings-on of the episode. Hope to see more of him in Season 5.During the night's proceedings, Will and Alicia spend a lot of time together in a confined space,...

This Wednesday on Criminal Minds (CBS, 9/8c), the crime drama will reach back six years into its past to revisit Bau Agent Derek Morgan’s backstory, which originally surfaced in the Season 2 episode “Profiler, Profiled.”

The storyline — which brings back Carl Buford (played by Julius Tennon, Loneseome Dove) as Morgan’s childhood mentor-turned-pedophilic serial killer — resonates deeply with Shemar Moore, and for multiple reasons.

Related | CBS Renews 14 Shows, Including Good Wife, Mentalist and Five-0 — Which Are Missing?

Reflecting on his start with the CBS series, “On the surface, I was the tough guy and kicking down the doors and beating...

New Criminal Minds season 8,episode 18 official spoilers,plotline revealed by CBS. Recently,CBS dished out the new,official,synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Criminal Minds" episode 18 of season 8, and it sounds quite interesting as the Bau investigates a situation connected to Morgan's unfortunate past,and more. The episode is called, "Restoration." In the new,18th episode press release, The Bau will go to Morgan’s old neighborhood in urban Chicago in search of an UnSub ,targeting middle-aged men, and a clue is going to lead Morgan to believe that they are after someone connected to the man who molested him as a child. Also, Skipp Sudduth will return as Captain Stan Gordinski, who helps the team with the investigation. Julius Tennon is going to reprise his role as Carl Buford, the man who abused Morgan as a child. Episode 18 is scheduled to hit the airwaves on Wednesday night,April 3rd...

Approximately a week and a half before last weekend’s release of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Glenn Greenwald, a lawyer and blogger for the Guardian newspaper, wrote this piece about the film’s approach to torture. Greenwald freely admitted that he was writing that piece of criticism which film critics hate most: social commentary from a person who had not yet seen the film (Greenwald later wrote this piece after seeing the film). He was later joined by director Alex Gibney, whose film Taxi to the Dark Side was about an innocent man who was tortured and killed at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, and a trio of U.S. Senators including John McCain, who was himself tortured by the Viet Cong as a prisoner of war.

If the positions of all of those letters and blog posts could be summed up in one word, it would be Greenwald’s “propaganda.

Here’s a list of some of the new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week. Plus, some old favorites coming out this week on Blu-Ray.

New Movies:

• Knowing ~ Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne (DVD and Blu-ray)

• Push ~ Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning (DVD and Blu-ray)

• The Unborn ~ Odette Yustman (DVD and Blu-Ray)

• Night Train ~ Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski, Steve Zahn (DVD and Blu-ray)

• Five Fingers ~ Laurence Fishburne, Colm Meaney, Antonie Kamerling, Saïd Taghmaoui (DVD and Blu-ray)

• A Day in the Life ~ Omar Epps, Faizon Love, Michael Rapaport, Tyrin Turner (DVD)

• Flying By ~ Billy Ray Cyrus, Heather Locklear, Olesya Rulin, Patricia Neal (DVD)

• Applause for Miss E ~ Vanessa Bell Calloway, Roger Guenveur Smith, Gina Torres (DVD)

• Power Rangers Rpm, Vol. 1: Start Your Engines ~ Eka Darville, Ari Boyland, Rose McIver, Milo Cawthorne (DVD)

• Flight 666 ~ Iron Maiden (Blu-ray)

Previously Released and Classic Movies:

• Lonely are the Brave ~ Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy...

The end of the Cold War has frozen a lot of old-time covert operatives -- ours and theirs -- out of a job. Times are tough for these grizzled warriors, as we see in "Ronin", a hard-edged, bullet-paced thriller directed with savvy and skill by John Frankenheimer.

Starring Robert De Niro and featuring a well-chosen, talented international cast -- including Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean and Jonathan Pryce -- the United Artists entrant, playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, should flush out a solid domestic showing and go on to international ascendancy, appealing to fans of the spy-thriller genre as well as mainstreamers who will need a seat belt to survive Frankenheimer's hypercharged car chases.

The title itself refers to a warrior class of samurai in feudal Japan who were sworn to protect their liege lords with their lives but failed in that hallowed capacity. These ronin, whose lords were killed, were greatly shamed and ultimately ostracized, surviving as mercenary swords or bandits.

Although the former spies and operatives in this film have not failed in any way in protecting and enforcing their duties, the present-day, post-glasnost folks here are, similarly, warriors without a leader -- reduced to scavenging missions for their very survival, economic as well as psychological.

In this contemporary spin, De Niro stars as Sam, a wise American operative whose formidable, specialized skills have little place in today's downsized world of covert activities. Sam's at the peak of his professionalism but, maddeningly, has no mission worthy of his prowess. Worse, he's strapped for cash. That's roughly the same fate as his peers, friend and foe alike, who come together at the behest of a mysterious employer who has cases of cash in exchange for a deadly, dangerous mission.

In addition to Sam, these post-Cold War warriors include Vincent (Reno), the French coordinator; Larry (Skipp Sudduth), the driver; Gregor (Skarsgard), the electronics specialist; Spence (Bean), a weapons specialist; Deidre (Natascha McElhone), the client contact and the woman with the cash; and Seamus (Pryce), Deidre's mysterious partner. Their mission: to recover a well-guarded suitcase and turn it over to Deidre. What's in the suitcase is none of their business.

Narratively, this escapade is tightly wired with all the right generic components as Sam and company attempt to carry out their suitcase-retrieval mission. In turn, each warrior unsheathes his or her professional expertise in fascinating and tantalizing order; quite niftily, screenwriters J.D. Zeik and Richard Wiesz complicate and heighten the danger at every juncture.

While the hardware gadgetry and insider spy stuff is fascinating, "Ronin"'s edge is sharpest in its murkier moments -- the cafe-noir philosophizing between De Niro and Reno. There's a weary angst and nostalgia for the older, more defined times between these two modern-day mercenaries, and we get a sense of the moral ambiguity attendant in this new world disorder. At least in the old days, you knew with whom to cast your allegiance.

While we get a sense of this professional and personal turpitude, mainly through De Niro and Reno's grizzled and steely performances and Frankenheimer's stirring use of locale and atmosphere, the screenplay itself is a mere rapier rather than a full-edged sword, sharp but too thin to penetrate the flesh. Other than their beards' stubble, there's not much on these characters' bones, even considering the tight strictures and demands of this type of wide-canvass scenario.

Essentially, we don't particularly care much about the characters, though, owing to Frankenheimer's torqued direction and the skilled performances, we're thrust fast-forward along the winding, deep-drop story road. Genre aficionados will be further disappointed by the narrative's predictability and numbed by the astounding, simplistic soupiness of the suitcase's contents.

Despite the script, the performances -- especially from De Niro and Reno -- are engaging and overall charged.

Visually, "Ronin" is no mere attendant lord, owing to Frankenheimer's sharp and grainy eye. The director, who lived in France in the late '60s, has succinctly conveyed a moral/political world as if visualized through a dirty glass in a corner bistro. The atmospherics are so dense that one almost smells the stale odor of Gallois smoke, a credit to Frankenheimer and his skilled technical crew for capturing the flavor and worldview of this genre.

RONIN

MGM Distribution Co.

United Artists Pictures presents

an FGM Entertainment production

A John Frankenheimer Film

Director: John Frankenheimer

Screenwriters: J.D. Zeik, Richard Weisz

Producer: Frank Mancuso Jr.

Executive producer: Paul Kelmenson

Costume designer: May Routh

Director of photography: Robert Fraisse

Production designer: Michael Z. Hanan

Editor: Tony Gibbs

Music: Elia Cimiarl

Color/stereo

Cast:

Sam:: Robert De Niro

Vincent: Jean Reno

Deidre: Natascha McElhone

Seamus: Jonathan Pryce

Gregor: Stellan Skarsgard

Spence: Sean Bean

Running time --122 minutes

MPAA rating: R...