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Every once in a while, a really special film comes along that you may have a chance to see at a film festival, but that may not have the biggest studio push behind it when it finally gets released. Jeff Grace’s Folk Hero and Funny Guy is one of those great festival movies that really deserves more attention.

The film stars Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street), and Alex Karpovsky (Girls) as two childhood friends whose lives went into very different directions in terms of fame and success. Russell’s Jason Black is a hugely-popular singer and songwriter i.e. the folk her of the title, while Karpovsky’s Paul is the funny guy, a struggling stand-up comic for many years. When Paul’s fiancé dumps him, Jason, feeling bad for his friend, throws out the idea of the two of them going on tour with Paul opening for him. The...

Earlier this month, the full trailer for The Mummy gave us a good look at the forthcoming reboot of the Universal Monsterverse that will bring back classic horror icons like Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man and more. But The Mummy is the first one out of the gate with Tom […]

The post ‘The Mummy’ International Trailer: Tom Cruise’s Treasure Hunt Goes Horribly Wrong appeared first on /Film.

Not so fast Savant — with the help of correspondent input, DVD Savant presents more information on David Swift’s adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — correcting and modifying some assumptions in my first review. Don’t worry — it’s good reading.

A Savant article

This is an odd circumstance. I routinely update, modify, correct and de-stupidify DVD Savant reviews, but this time I’m taking a more radical step. In my March 25 coverage of Twilight Time’s Blu-ray of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, I made a big point of the fact that David Swift’s film adaptation had not made many changes. Several songs were dropped, but that would seem the right thing to do considering that the movie wasn’t planned as a Road Show — it’s only 121 minutes in duration and has no break for an intermission. The much missed...

Katy Perry released a new single “Chained To The Rhythm” on Friday and posted a mysterious video message on her Instagram account. On the video, viewers see Perry’s feet in a high heels chained to a faceted ball with some notes of music. To mark the occasion, the singer has organized a worldwide treasure hunt for […]

Source: uInterview

The post Katy Perry Launches Worldwide Treasure Hunt To Promote Single “Chained To The Rhythm” appeared first on uInterview.

This article original appeared on travelandleisure.com

If “travel more” was at the top of your list for 2017 goals, head to the Qatar Airways website. The airline is giving away free flights to Dubai, the Seychelles, Cape Town, and more—if you can find them.

You’re going to have to do a bit of work, because the airline has hid the free tickets on its website. Starting at 9 a.m. Et on January 12, these tickets will be somewhere, hiding in the depths of the airline’s flight schedule. All you have to do is pick the right destination, the right time,...

Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis and Terry Dougas’ 1821 Media is teaming up with Warner Bros. to develop an untitled Treasure Hunt movie based on an original concept by Dougas and WB executive Jon Berg, it was announced Tuesday. Grant Pierce Myers, who co-wrote “The Maze Runner,” will pen the screenplay, which follows a group of treasure hunters as they steal artifacts from museums around the globe and journey through the criminal underworld in pursuit of the greatest treasure of all time. Kasidokostas-Latsis and Dougas will produce the film alongside Roy Lee and his Vertigo Entertainment banner. 1821 Media recently partnered with Lionsgate to adapt their New.

Breaking: Warner Bros. and 1821 Media have partnered to develop an untitled ‘Treasure Hunt’ project, an original concept by 1821’s Terry Dougas about a group of treasure seekers who steal artifacts from museums around the world and through the criminal underworld set out in pursuit of the greatest treasure of all time. Grant Pierce Myers, who previously co-adapted the Ya novel The Maze Runner for Fox, will pen the screenplay. Roy Lee via his Vertigo Entertainment banner…...

Anyone remember the classic 1950s (’70s and ’80s) game show Treasure Hunt? It’s coming back in yet another new iteration for a new generation of viewers. Electus and Barry Poznick’s Barracuda Television Productions have acquired rights to Treasure Hunt to adapt as a new unscripted series. The new version comes from Barracuda founder Poznick, who just wrapped ABC's update of To Tell The Truth, along with producing partners Wink Martindale (Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers), and…...

Meet Munawar Bijani, an avid gamer and developer of software who happens to be blind.

The scene outside my apartment window has become a familiar vista over the past few mornings. It’s just turned 6:00 am on a Thursday, and a thick haze of dust has quilted the entire city like a music video from the 80s. I half expect Meatloaf to come cruising down the street on a tricked out hog. Then again, I’m not even sure I would notice if he did.

It’s not out of the norm for me to be up before my alarm sounds off, reminding me that I’m just another sucker with a job to go to. What is a little unusual, however, is the reason why?

I’ve been up for a few hours, desperately trying to remember if there was something important to me that I lost when I was four years old.

Treasure hunt! “My kids love to comb through my bag,” says the mother of two (with actor husband Chris Diamantopoulos). “When they find $20, they shout, ‘Money!’ — then put it back and do it again.” The star of Weird Loners (Fox, Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.) lets Us explore her B-Low the Belt tote. Photos: The Us Buzzz-o-meter: What's Hot Right Now Just In Case “I’m always dropping my iPhone 5, so I found the most protective case that exists, the Tech21 Impact. You cannot break it — I’ve [...]...

Gary Owens, best known as the announcer for Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, died Thursday at the age of 80, the Associated Press reports.

Owens appeared on many TV shows during his seven-decade career, including Lucille Ball and Bob Hope specials.

He also lent his voice to hundreds of programs, such as Sesame Street and Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and, more recently, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Wizards of Waverly Place, Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Laboratory.

Owens passed away at his Los Angeles-area home and is survived by his wife of 57 years, Arleta, and their two sons.

Related storiesWriters Guild Awards: True Detective,...

Lower Depths: MacDonald’s Latest a Tense Deep Sea Treasure Hunt

While it’s being treated to a December release in his native UK, director Kevin MacDonald’s latest feature film, Black Sea, gets plopped into Us theaters in January, perhaps signaling a wise move so that it will stand out amidst the litter of debris that constitutes the vein of awards fodder holdovers and studio doldrums flooding the theaters during that season. Fresh from his enjoyable dip into Ya dystopia with How I Live Now, MacDonald returns to a tale bearing a bit more historical baggage, spiriting us away into a homosocial space of mounting tensions and rival cultural attitudes. A likeable lead performance from Jude Law plus a handful of nervy twists and turns helps its claustrophobic narrative chug along to a finale of limited possibilities.

Being informed he’s about to be laid off by his employer,...

Duck Life: Treasure Hunt has already become a very popular online game. The game is also available for App Store and Google Play for the mobile devices. The title of the game strongly hints that the duck character featured in the game has to be helped to go around hunting for treasure. There are so many customizing options made available during the game play and they do add more excitement to the game. The treasure hunting journey will not be very easy as the duck is bound to face a lot of obstacles in its way. Overcoming those obstacles and […]...

Uncharted is a film that's taken a surprisingly long time to make its way into production. Based on the smash hit Sony Playstation franchise, it has an action-packed story that lends itself perfectly to Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. It follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake, his mentor "Sully," and a host of secondary characters, as they travel the world to uncover historical mysteries. The scripts for the games have a balance of humor, mystery, action, and intrigue as Drake tends to get into all kinds of trouble while on his assignments. The franchise could be a hit on the level of the National Treasure films or, in the right hands, could be this generation's Indiana Jones. 

At one point, David O. Russell- the director who's been nominated for five Academy Awards, was set to bring the franchise to the big screen. At the time, he had gotten a commitment from Mark Wahlberg to star as Drake.

TV Picks: Extreme Cheapskates, or a show I like to call Ball-buster hagglers with an ax to grind.Frugal tips? Please. Most all of their “subjects” are ridiculous and downright flirting with biohazard danger when they dumpster dive for crock pot fixings or beat up store owners in relentless haggling techniques not warranted for a retail store (maybe a garage sale or the farmer’s market). Or they are total sample hogs who don’t care about brands or being out of sale-able code, as long as it’s free.This week: A Treasure Hunt of Trash & an Eyelash Emergency …just some of the […]...

On the heels of the 39th edition of the Toronto Int. Film Festival (Sept 4-14), Ifp’s Independent Film Week is where a plethora of fiction, non-fiction and new this year, web-based series from the likes of Desiree Akhavan and Calvin Reeder find future coin. Sectioned off as projects at the very beginning of financing to those that are nearing completion, there happens to be tons of Sundance alumni in the names below. Among those that caught our attention we have Medicine for Melancholy‘s Barry Jenkins’ sophomore feature, produced by Bad Milo!‘s Adele Romanski, Moonlight is about “two Miami boys navigate the temptations of the drug trade and their burgeoning sexuality in this triptych drama about black queer youth”. Concussion‘s Stacie Passon digs into the thriller genre with Strange Things Started Happening. Produced by vet Mary Jane Skalski (Mysterious Skin), this is about “a woman who has...

It’s time to save Greendale… again. When we left off at the end of the first part of “Community”‘s season 5 finale, the school was on the verge of being sold to Subway, until a lucky discovery sent Abed (Danny Pudi), Annie (Alison Brie) and the Dean (Jim Rash) chasing the possibility of buried treasure right on campus that could save them all. And they rushed in just in time to save Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) from making the biggest mistake of their lives – a quickie marriage out of desperation – as the whole gang is [...]

The post TV: First Clip from ‘Community’ Season 5 Finale Kicks Off a Treasure Hunt appeared first on Up and Comers.

Pre-credit sequence. "That was a cool Tribal Council," Spencer announces to his fellow castaways as they return to Solarrion after Sarah's blindside. "I expect everybody to be mad," Kass says, but Spencer claims he's not mad, just not appreciative of the move on a qualitative level. Somewhat stupidly, Spencer blames Kass' decision on being steered by "her estrogen." "The No.1 rule of "Survivor" isn't 'Cater the person on top,' it's 'Wonder about the person on the bottom,'" Kass explains. She takes shelter with her new alliance, as her old alliance keeps peppering her with frustrated insults. "You talking strategy, just stop please," Spencer tells Kass. "So, I pissed off five people, but I gained five friends," Kass says, calling herself a free agent. I'm really not sure Kass understands "Survivor" at all. Or maybe Kass understands "Survivor" flawlessly and it's friendship she doesn't get? Dunno. She's Lump,...

To celebrate the release of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download (out now!), we’re giving you the chance to win a phenomenal home entertainment prize package, plus take the next step in the film’s Treasure Hunt! One lucky winner will get their hands on a 42” 3D Premium Smart Led TV with 4 pairs of 3D glasses, Smart 3D Blu-ray player, and a Soundbar with wireless subwoofer, plus a copy of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition’ and ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ on...

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As jaunty as Jean Dujardin’s beret, but in a sincere, old-fashioned kind of way. It could almost have been rediscovered from the 1940s… I’m “biast” (pro): love Clooney as an actor and a filmmaker; love the cast

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

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

I try to avoid hearing too much of other critics’ reactions to a film before I’ve seen it, but there was no avoiding the barrage of disappointment that came hurling over Twitter last week, as so many of my North American colleagues responded to The Monuments Men with a resounding “meh.” This was a disappointment to me, because I’d been so looking forward to this movie.

Well, now that I’ve seen it, I don’t know what the hell they’re all talking about, because this movie is fantastic.

According to the latest aggregation of opinions on Rotten Tomatoes, George Cloone's "The Monuments Men" hasn’t fared very well with most of my critical brethren. But I find myself inclined to give it an appreciative thumb’s up, if not a full-throated roar of approval. And not just because, as a minor-league history buff, I am reflexively fascinated by accounts of efforts to retrieve art masterpieces plundered by Adolf Hitler's minions during World War II.Clooney's movie -- which really makes me want to take another look at the documentaries "The Rape of Europa" and "The Architecture of Doom" -- is an intelligent and entertaining mix of stranger-than-fiction fact and respectfully plausible invention, adapted by Clooney and co-scriptwriter Grant Heslov from Robert M. Edsel’s "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, And the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History." It’s a tale of unlikely heroes -- art experts,...

During the junket for the new film The Monuments Men, we had the rare treat to speak to the author of the book on which the film is based. Robert M. Edsel has written a number of fascinating non-fiction books including “Rescuing Da Vinci”, “Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” and of course “The Monuments Men.” During our discussion, he talked about the search for the missing art and how we are still making...

If you've read Robert M. Edsel's nonfiction novel The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, then you're sure to be looking forward to the movie version out this Friday. The adaptation, simply titled The Monuments Men, is cowritten and directed by and stars George Clooney along with Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban. That's some cast for the true WWII tale of a special mission to save priceless art from Hitler and the Third Reich.  On the occasion of this book-to-movie release, I'd like to share my own five favorite adaptations and then hear from you about your own picks.  1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Also my favorite book, Harper...

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George Clooney’s anticipated The Monuments Men will finally be heading into cinemas this month, arriving in cinemas stateside this coming Friday.

The film, which was pushed from its original Oscar-primed release slot last year, has one of Clooney’s greatest ensemble casts yet, and promises to be a lot of fun amongst the dramatic nature of the true story.

With just days to go before heads into theatres, Sony will be giving their ad campaign a big push by launching a promo in tonight’s Super Bowl, releasing the Big Game Spot a little early online.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines,...

George Clooney’s The Monuments Men was long pegged as a frontrunner for the awards season we’re currently in the midst of, and whilst its delayed release puts it out of the running for the time being, the anticipation surrounding it hasn’t changed a bit.

Clooney was last seen behind the camera back in 2011 with the brilliant The Ides of March, and we’re all looking forward to his follow-up. With just under a month to go before its stateside release, Fox has released a new featurette, in which Clooney describes the task these men undertook as the biggest treasure hunt of all time.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners.

History Channel this morning made it official, announcing one more person “must die” if there’s to be happy resolution to its new docu-series The Curse Of Oak Island, premiering on January 5 at 10 Pm. “7 Must Die Before The Secret Is Revealed…Two Brothers Take On A Legendary Treasure Hunt,” History said giddily in its announcement. It’s an unusual marketing campaign. The maybe booby-trapped island on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is possibly hiding what might be “the greatest treasure in history,” as History calls the loot. Later in today’s announcement History clarified that when it says “seven must die,” it actually means there’s this “prophecy” that says seven people will die before the treasure is found, and that six have died in various accidents already.” History cannot tell viewers what, if anything, is buried on the island, but is no doubt hoping it’s not Shakespeare’s Lost Folios,...

Growing up in the eighties and early nineties, I genuinely believe that my generation and the generations before me had some of the best cartoons the world will ever see. Kids growing up today probably don’t even know what ‘Saturday morning cartoons’ are. Much of the current lineup for youngsters consists of CG, reboots of shows from years past, and straight-up nonsense. I used to spend all week looking forward to Saturday; even the commercials were amusing. As young horror fans, many of us found ourselves rooting as much for the villain as we were for the good guy. In some cases, the villain was much more debonair, interesting, and relatable than the hero, so it wasn’t all that unreasonable to cheer for them. So with that said, we've prepared a list of memorable villains from those beloved cartoons... villains we sometimes liked just as much, or even more,...

In 100 years of cinema, no American woman director has ever been invited to join the pantheon of international auteur directors. Non-American women directors like Andrea Arnold, Jane Campion, Liliana Cavani, Claire Denis, Marleen Gorris, Agnieszka Holland, Lynne Ramsay, Agnes Varda, Lina Wertmuller among others-- directors with bodies of work that match those of their male counterparts-- hardly exist in America, with the possible exceptions of masterful experimental directors, Maya Daren and Nina Menkes.

Kathryn Bigelow, who could be a top contender for American auteur director, had to leave America, after six years of unemployment, to seek financing in Europe, and is still not included with men among auteur directors. Other successful women directors who have made both commercially and critically successful features in America are mostly film and TV stars: Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster, Penny Marshall, Barbra Streisand, Betty Thomas, to name a few. These directors have done fine work, but mostly within the confines of the studio system where, just once in a blue moon, a director like Nora Ephron, Catherina Hardwicke, Mimi Leder or Nancy Meyers can carve a niche.

The question arises, who are the American women directors whose films reveal the work of an auteur director? One could jump in with dozens of directors, from Anders, Arzner, Bigelow, Cholondenko, Coppola, Coolidge, Dash, Dunham, Hardwicke & Holofcener— just to start through the alphabet, but like Bigelow, none of these excellent directors is embraced as an auteur by the paternalist American film establishment.

In the United States less than 5% of feature films are directed by women, so for a director to emerge who is not already a women celebrity, is virtually impossible. Women directors usually make just one film before getting taken down early in the pipeline: if it’s not the misogynistic Hollywood studio system that expels them, their films are given paltry distribution and P&A budgets, or sometimes gender-biased critics comprised of over 80% males will likely taint their reviews.

One perfect example of a very fine American woman director whose body of work clearly distinguishes her as an auteur director is Jane Spencer. Jane Spencer is the director of the beloved low-budget indie feature Little Noises that premiered at Sundance some years ago to ecstatic reviews— and enamored audiences, and of Faces On Mars, which premiered in Europe at Solothurn. Her new film, The Ninth Cloud, which is being repped for distribution by Shoreline Entertainment is a dreamy, surreal marvel, which could do very well on the 2014 international festival circuit.

For Spencer, who dreams big, but must keep her budget small, ingenuity is the name of the game. As she says, “My dream as a kid was to direct big David Lean-style epics, so working within the framework I can create, I try to imbue my indie films with giant, epic themes.” Imagine if women directors like Spencer were afforded the budgets and opportunities to realize their immense talents for creating epic, visionary films.

I have always thought that film directors are like alchemists and magicians, but women directors have to be able to master another kind of magic as well: film financing in a void. Most women directors must cobble their production budgets together in any number of mysterious ways, and I wanted to know how Spencer had done it again. How did she succeed in making yet another wonderful feature film? How had she found the money?

Spencer answered the question with a question: “In an industry so difficult for women directors, how can any women director raise the money to make a film? You are basically forced to think outside the box. You just can’t give up. You try all the traditional methods: submit your script to actors, agents, studios, production companies, get it to friends in the business. They almost always lead to dead ends.

“So, finally, you go out and find it dollar-by-dollar— private equity from investors who like the project obviously, private loans you— yourself— take out. You get everything on the cheap, but keep the quality; get everyone to do you favors, but make sure they ‘get it’ and believe in the film. That’s the only way an American woman can make an indie feature film.”

Spencer shot The Ninth Cloud on super 16mm. Having a film camera instead of shooting digitally gives The Ninth Cloud a look that is simultaneously both very modern and nostalgic. As Spencer says, “It allows for the documentary, free-camera look I wanted to capture inspired by films like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Darling, and Billy Liar. These low-budget 1960’s British kitchen sink films were an inspiration for Spencer, her Production Designer/Producer Richard Hudson and her Dp, Sam Mitchell. She goes on, “I wanted the film to express an impressionistic vision of Zena’s (the main character) world.”

In the film, in which we follow the dreamy, strange Zena, through what turn out to be her final days....Spencer glorifies the vulnerable Zena through a nuanced appreciation for her ability to “see.” Keeping her indie budget low, Spencer uses inexpensive, old film technology to record her character’s fleeting, childlike, and magical perception of the world around her—and it works beautifully. The film captures the elusive, dream-like moments, as fleeting as a painter’s sudden awareness of reflected sunlight glancing off rippling water-- impressionism-- that gets at the essence of art, and is the very reason we revere our great male “Masters of Cinema.”

As Spencer puts it: “I wanted to depict, from a women’s perspective for once, the victorious dreamer. One doesn’t have to accept ‘reality’ to live a meaningful life. Whatever your journey is—stay with your dream. You cannot be dissuaded by pressure to conform to social norms, systems, or institutions that tell you ‘cannot' because it’s 'unrealistic' or 'impossible.'"

We all know that numerically, becoming a female film director in America is virtually impossible— as former DGA president, Martha Coolidge says: “like winning the lottery.” It’s a bizarre anomaly that America, the leader of the free world, virtually excludes women from its most culturally influential global export—media. Hollywood’s level of support of women film directors is among the worst in the world, something that is now accentuated by the recent drafting of international charters that promote the gender equity among women directors in many countries outside the United States.

However, making feature films that move and inspire audiences is Spencer’s quest and she has not been dissuaded by statistics. She says: “This was a very, very difficult film to finance. We had some wonderful equity investors, our own company invested a lot of the money-- especially for post, and there turned out to be not many pre-sales. It was very much patchwork financing, very hard, and we filmed it over the space of a year, in sections, because budget-wise, we had to.”

Even after her critical success at Sundance her studio meetings were difficult. After years of struggling to get financed out of L.A., Spencer happened to move to Europe for personal reasons, and immediately had much better luck.

"We got it done-- though at times we didn’t think we would. We started financing in 2008 when the financial crisis happened, so some of our financiers fell out. Our wonderful male lead at the time, Guillaume Depardieu, whom I adored, died of pneumonia on a set in Romania. I really wondered if this film would happen - for a moment. But then the producers and I got right back up on our feet and started financing it again. We found the amazing lead actress Megan Maczko in a play on London’s West End....Michael Madsen, who is great in the film—so sympathetic -- playing a dishwasher/poet (instead of a guy with a gun) - was lovely and stayed with the project....and we got the great French actor Jean Hugues Anglade onboard - We got right back up on our feet and started financing it again. By 2011 we had finished shooting. We’ve been in post for two years: all of 2012 and much of 2013.”

All the hard work has been well worth the effort. Spencer’s multi-layered film is woven with themes of Djuna Barnes and Baudelaire and traverses the landscapes of Marcel Carne and Antonioni. What makes the film so exceptional is how freshly these motifs have been re-imagined through this director’s effortless lens. The Ninth Cloud is at once tender and deeply moving, yet it manages to reject sentimentalities while glorifying its heroine and uplifting the audience.

Will women directors like Spencer ever join the pantheon of international male auteur directors? That depends upon the whether or not the U.S. cultural consciousness evolves to finally embrace gender equity in our nation’s most influential global export—media. Only then will women directors get the budgets and opportunities to test their metal and take their rightful places in the annals of American cinema.

The Ninth Cloud will be opening in select theaters internationally starting 2014.

Please visit The Int’l List of Living Women Directors: http://www.womendirectorsinhollywood.com/

Marie Giese is American feature film director, a writer, a member & elected Director Category Representative for women at the DGA. She graduated from Wellesley College and UCLA graduate film schooland co-founded the foremost international web forum for political action for women directors (Visit Here). An activist for parity for women directors in Hollywood, she is in development to direct two feature films Rain and Treasure Hunt...

To celebrate the release of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ on December 13th, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, New Line Cinema and Total Film are giving you the chance to win an amazing prize package here, plus take the next step in the film’s Treasure Hunt! One lucky winner will get their hands on a 40” 3D Smart Led TV with 4 pairs of 3D glasses, a Sound bar with wireless subwoofer and a copy of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition’ on Blu-ray 3D™ to enjoy on it. Plus, you’ll also get Sky TV free for...

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It's immensely difficult to strike the balance between earnest and funny when it comes to movies about World War II, but if anyone can, it's probably our man George Clooney.

Clooney, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, creates a funny "Ocean's Eleven"-style heist vibe as an art conservationist who enlists a group of international experts to save art from Hitler's clutches. Roosevelt himself has given the marching orders for the platoon to seek out the irreplaceable artworks stolen by Nazi goons from museums across Europe.

This gang includes Matt Damon (naturally), John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Cate Blanchett, who each have their own specialty and stake in getting to the most precious works of art before they go into Hitler's archives or are destroyed.

Of course, there are some kooky moments, like when Damon's character finds himself standing on an unexploded land mine, or when...

When the second trailer for George Clooney’s anticipated The Monuments Men landed last month, the film was still poised to be a big contender in the upcoming Oscar race.

A lot has changed in the past few weeks, however, with Clooney and Sony opting to push the film’s release date out of Academy eligibility, and into February next year. And whilst it doesn’t reveal much more than the original domestic poster across the Atlantic, Fox – the film’s UK distributor – have launched the new UK Quad, which gives a little more visibility to Cate Blanchett and her rather stunning blue dress.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a call for entries for Scream Factory’s 2013 Mini-Movie Massacre, a trailer for Alice D with Kane Hodder, details on a horror-based game show called Release the Hounds, video highlights of The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus’s interview with Conan O’Brien, and much more:

Scream Factory’s 2013 Mini-Movie Massacre Call for Entries: “Scream Factory, the premiere horror genre home entertainment provider, announced today the launch of its Mini-movie Massacre horror short film & video contest to be held on Scream Factory’s official YouTube channel Scream Factory TV. The call for entries is now open starting, October 31 through the deadline of November 17.

Presented by Scream Factory, the 2013 Mini-movie Massacre was created to shine the spotlights on some of today’s best independent horror short films and videos,...

Warning: If the sight of bare breasts - many, many bare breasts - offends you, then stay away from these images from the latest Full Moon mash-up, Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong. To go with them are details of a "Ganja" Version of the film available Today!

From the Press Release

Full Moon Features is proud to announce the world premiere of Gingerdead Man Vs. Evil Bong on their new subscription-based video streaming service, Full Moon Streaming. For the first time ever, fans can have the option to have a fully interactive and immersive experience by watching the “Ganja” Version, which is packed with interactive special features that happen in real time while the movie is playing. At key points in the film, viewers can unlock extra scenes, find easter eggs, and learn hilarious trivia. They can even purchase exclusive gonzo merchandise like Evil Bong lighters and ashtrays, the double-sided Nookie Crisp/Weedies satire cereal,...

Way back in 2009, probably before most of you were born, there was a film called Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. It was being looked at as a potential Oscar vehicle, but only a couple months before its expected October 2009 release, it was bumped to February 19. It would ultimately go on to be nominated for zero Oscars, but at the same time it became Scorsese's second highest grossing film ever, second only to The Departed, which did pretty well at the Oscars. I mention this only because we have a similar scenario playing out this year as Sony bumped George Clooney's The Monuments Men as it wasn't quite ready in terms of finishing touches such as score and visual effects, from a December release date now to a confirmed February 7, 2014 release. The move positions the film opposite Warner's The Lego Movie and the bomb-waiting-to-happen remake of RoboCop.

One goes in and another is on its way out. Today we received word Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street would hit theaters on Christmas Day, delayed slightly from its previous November 15 date and now, tonight, a bit of a bombshell has dropped as the Los Angeles Times reports George Clooney's The Monuments Men won't be able to make its December 18 release date and will be delayed to 2014. The reasons given include the visual effects and it seems Alexandre Desplat has not yet recorded the score. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times Clooney said, "We just didn't have enough time. If any of the effects looked cheesy, the whole movie would look cheesy. We simply don't have enough people to work enough hours to finish it." For anyone wondering about the film's lost potential in the Oscar race, Clooney added, "Oscar attention was never his goal for the film.

This year's Oscar race just got smaller, but not in the way we thought it would: Just a day after confirming that the film everyone thought would move to 2014 -- Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" -- would indeed be out by Christmas, The Los Angeles Times has broke the news that George Clooney's "Monuments Men" will not be ready by year's end. The story says that the film -- which was scheduled to open December 18th — will now will be released by Sony Pictures in early 2014. Starring an incredibly all-star cast including Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, Cate Blanchett and Clooney himself, "Monuments Men" based on the book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," by Robert M. Edsel. It follows the story of an Allied group,tasked with saving pieces...

At long last, this Friday sees the American release of The World’s End, my last must-see film of the summer. And with the end of August less than two weeks away, it’s high time we start looking ahead to the movies coming our way in the fall and winter. In that spirit, this week’s Trailer Trashin’ column looks at what could be one of the big films of the Christmas season, George Clooney’s World War II drama The Monuments Men.

Premise: In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renowned works of art stolen by the Nazis before Hitler’s forces destroy them.

My take: If you added up the running times of all the films that have been made about World War II, I think it would end up being longer than the amount of the actual war lasted.

When the endless stream of awards-show talk begins its yearly smothering of the movie industry, expect the words The Monuments Men to come up. The film’s got all the necessary pieces: It’s based both on real-life events and on a book (Robert M. Edsel‘s “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History”) and will have George Clooney wearing both his director and lead actor hats. Presumably, if the film’s actually a good one, it’ll be racking up all kinds of neat little statuettes. And thanks to Entertainment Weekly (via Facebook), you can see the first still from The Monuments Men above. You can also read more about the film below. The film tells the true story of WWII’s Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Program, an unlikely crew whose mission was to stop the Nazis from stealing and destroying priceless works of art. And...

Coming hot on the heels of the first official images surfacing from the movie, the first trailer for George Clooney’s highly anticipated The Monuments Men has now landed online.

The film has been prominent on the Oscar radar ever since it was first announced, seeing Clooney return behind the helm following 2011’s The Ides of March. And with this first trailer, via Apple, comes the first good look at what is sure to be one of the most talked-about films of the year come December.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders...

Matt Damon and George Clooney in Monuments MenPhoto: Columbia Pictures Sony has premiered the first The Monuments Men trailer offering up the first glimpse at one of the more anticipated Oscar contenders of the year, a film assumed to be an Oscar contender due to the talent in front of and behind the camera along with its subject matter. Th film is directed by George Clooney who also co-wrote the film with Grant Heslov and will star in the feature alongside Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and John Goodman. Based on a true story and adapted from Robert M. Edsel's novel, "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History", The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and...

Long touted as a strong contender in the upcoming Oscar race, George Clooney’s The Monuments Men sees the multi-hyphenate returning behind the camera for his fifth film, following 2011’s brilliant The Ides of March.

Clooney has assembled yet another stellar cast, and now the first official images of him alongside that cast has landed online, courtesy of EW and USA Today.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than...

George Clooney's latest film The Monuments Men is currently filming and some new images of the film's awesome cast have made their way to Daily Mail and Tumblr. The film is based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History and is about an Allied group whose job was to save pieces of art, literature and other culturally significant items that were at risk of being destroyed by Hitler during World War II. The pictures...

George Clooney has always been regarded as an enjoyable actor to watch, but it wasn’t until 2011′s The Ides Of March that people realized he was more than just an actor who wanted to try his hand at directing, he’s a phenomenal writer and director who has the ability to deliver an excellent film. So naturally, the hype surrounding his next project, The Monuments Men, is pretty high.

It also helps when you bring in one of the greatest ensemble casts since Ocean’s Eleven. With Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban all on board, it seems like Clooney’s upcoming film is destined for greatness.

Filming is underway in England, and some photographers were able to snap some shots of the cast in full World War II regalia. We’ve got Damon and Clooney in officer’s uniforms behind lower ranking men,...

The Monuments Men, remember this title? Yeah, yeah, we’re talking about George Clooney‘s upcoming World War II drama (in theaters this December), you already saw the first set photos from the whole thing, and now… time for even more! Straight from the Pontins Resort come these new pics with Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville and Jean Dujardin. Huh, what a cast… Co-written, produced and directed by Clooney, the upcoming wartime epic is based on Robert M. Edsel‘s book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. The movie focuses on an unlikely World War...

Coronado High, about teen drug smugglers in San Diego, to be based on another article by same journalist who inspired Argo

Argo producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov are planning to reunite with the journalist whose story inspired their Oscar-winning film, according to the Wrap.

Clooney and Heslov's new project is said to be based on an as-yet-unpublished piece by Joshuah Bearman, whose 2007 Wired article "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" inspired their Iran hostage crisis thriller. The new film, called Coronado High, will apparently focus on a group of teenage drug smugglers operating in the small town of Coronado, San Diego, near the Mexican border. Clooney, Heslov and Bearman have yet to comment on the production.

In the meantime, the two producers are following their Argo success with The Monuments Men – another historical thriller, this time about the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme,...

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet download on 8 April 2013, and to mark the occasion, we’ve got an awesome prize to give away. One lucky winner will take home a 42” 3D TV, as well as a Blu-ray player and surround sound speakers. The winner will also get a copy of The Hobbit: Auj on 3D Blu-ray to watch on their new system. And that’s not all. Our competition page also kicks off a new Treasure Hunt with the film’s official UK Facebook page, which gives you the chance to win an amazing family trip to...

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Obviously predicting the Oscars this early in the year is virtually impossible, but you have to start somewhere and one of my goals in redesigning the site last year was to make it possible to create an admin where I could predict the Oscars virtually year round rather than waiting. Certainly, it makes for longer lists and a little more work, but considering this is all about the fun of predicting I felt it was worth it. So, today we take our first look at the Best Picture category at the 2014 Oscars where I have 40 films currently competing for up to ten slots in the Best Picture race. As the year goes on, we all know these 40 films will likely whittle down to about 15-20 if not fewer, but for now it's early enough where we can count on a lot more than that and also count on a few...

Hopefully each of these preview pieces are not only introducing you to the year's most likely 2014 Oscar contenders, but perhaps introducing a few films you may have not already known about or had on your radar, giving you a little something more to look forward to. Today I offer up ten more films and we are talking movies from the likes of George Clooney, Alexander Payne, Scott Cooper and Spike Lee to name a few. Today's installment includes James Gray's Lowlife starring Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Renner and Joaquin Phoenix, then Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom featuring Idris Elba in the title role, George Clooney's The Monuments Men which just began filming in Berlin, Anton Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man, Mud from Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols and starring Matthew McConaughey, Alexander Payne's Nebraska, Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy, Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper's follow-up...

Well, duh. A WWII story with a cast that includes Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Matt Damon Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban, George Clooney's "Monuments Men" (which he'll also take a role in) is now slated for a "Hey-pay-attention-to-me-awards-season" date of December 20, 2013. The picture is a big-budget adaptation of Robert M. Edsel's "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," that tells the true story of a hand-picked group of American and British art experts chosen by the U.S. government to try to retrieve artwork stolen by the Nazis. So file it under the "Argo" slot of highly entertaining, thrilling true history and then wonder why we always have to cram these movies together in December as the picture will be opening against another awards heavyweight on the same weekend, "Saving Mr. Banks," with Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.

George Clooney's adaptation of "Monuments Men" may add Matt Damon to it's already star-packed cast. The film is based on the true story as documented in Robert M. Edsel's book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," which follows a special force of art lovers who help countries to steal the world's best art back from the Nazis. Such paintings as the Mona Lisa and Nightwatch were at stake. Clooney will star and direct and is producing with Grant Heslov. Damon would join Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban. Here's our earlier story on Clooney and the project details. Damon also co-wrote, produced and stars in Gus Van Sant's "Promised Land" (limited release December 28), has completed shooting for Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium" (August 9) and has a small role in Terry Gilliam's.