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Parker Finn’s Smile 2 expands the terrifying universe established in the hit first film, Smile. Smile 2 has plenty of scary scenes and new tricks up its sleeves to truly horrify its audience, but it also cleverly pays homage to one of the most iconic characters in horror history through the character of Paul Hudson. Smile 2's cast is led by pop star protagonist Skye Riley who, among other things, is being haunted by the death of her boyfriend, Paul Hudson. Hudson shows up several times throughout as one of the hallucinatory entities haunting Skye with that now iconic smile.

However, that low-angle, eerie grin that we associate with the Smile franchise has its roots in the films of another master of the craft, Stanley Kubrick, most notably Jack Torrance in The Shining. It comes as no surprise that Parker Finn was paying homage to one of the greats,...

Why Did Ben Affleck Quit Playing Batman ( Photo Credit – Facebook )

After a few caped misadventures and one suit-wearing existential crisis, Ben Affleck officially bid goodbye to Batman in 2022. “That’s part of the pressure that comes with doing it,” he admitted while reflecting on the relentless demands of the superhero world during a 2017 interview with USA Today. In another candid (and colorful) interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck opened up about why he hung up the cowl for good—and let’s just say, it wasn’t all Batmobiles and hero poses.

Affleck first jumped into the Batman gig with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, bringing his gruff charm to Gotham. He even gave the role his signature “world-class Boston finesse”. But in his own words, what started as an exciting chapter quickly became “somewhat repetitive and less interesting.” Affleck had fun working in Batman v Superman, but the...

This article is part of IndieWire’s 2000s Week celebration. Click here for a whole lot more.

In 2002, author Rosalind Wiseman published a self-help book entitled “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” aimed at helping parents of high school-aged girls deal with the vicious effects of bullying on their daughters. Wiseman could not have possibly predicted what came next: that Tina Fey would a) read the book, b) see some of her own high school experience reflected back to her, and c) call up Lorne Michaels and suggest the non-fiction book would make a banger of a high school comedy. Some people have all the luck, don’t they?

What Fey saw in Wiseman’s relatively dry book was timeless — there have always been instances of “girl on girl crime,” and they sure as hell weren’t stopping — but when the comedic icon turned Wiseman’s work into the enduring early aughts offering “Mean Girls,...

In Stephen King's "The Shining," the character of Wendy Torrance is portrayed differently in the book compared to the movie adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick. Here are some key differences between the two versions of Wendy: Wendy's Agency: In the book, Wendy is on the brink of leaving Jack, whereas in the movie, her agency is diminished. Kubrick could have found a way to clearly portray Wendy's desire to leave Jack, making her a more proactive character. Wendy's Hobbies: In the book, Wendy is a more avid reader, enjoying paperbacks such as Victoria Holt and Chaselmara. In the movie, her hobby of reading is only hinted at with a shot of her reading "Catcher In The Rye." This detail is lost in the film adaptation.

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining may just be the most famous Stephen King adaptation of all time, but the film is sorely lacking when it...

From thrilling classics to modern adventures, prison escape movies offer varied genres and unforgettable journeys for fans of the genre. These movies explore desperate escapes, brutal captivity, and enduring friendships that transcend the boundaries of prison walls. Whether it's a daring plan in Alcatraz or a tale of hope in Shawshank, these films captivate audiences with gripping narratives and unforgettable characters.

Prison escape movies are a thrilling subgenre that has been around for decades and continues to be a draw today. Careful planning, coordination, and perfect execution are what it takes to successfully complete this kind of mission and some are not always lucky. Fans will find both among the best movies of this genre. From classics of the Golden Era of Hollywood to more recent adventures, prison escape movies carry a lasting legacy.

There's nothing quite like a character's desperate, determined, and dangerous attempt at freedom, whether they are...

For over a month now, the Internet has been buzzing with rumors that there is trouble in the marriage of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. It got to the extent that it was rumored that the star of “The Mother,” and “The Way Back” actor are living separately.

Although the couple have been spotted separately and on different occasions with their wedding rings intact, it still didn’t quell the divorce rumors hovering around them.

The “Shot Gun Wedding” actress recently attended a press conference to promote her new film “Atlas” with her co-stars in Mexico City when a reporter thought it wise to ask Lopez how her relationship with her husband is. Apparently, the reporter was hoping to score some quick points for her outlet unfortunately, Lopez and her colleagues were having none of it.

Just when Lopez was about to give her response, co-star Simu Liu cut in,...

The Way Back started a trend of basketball movies for Ben Affleck, showcasing his talent beyond superhero roles. Both The Way Back and Air were critically acclaimed, proving basketball can set the stage for powerful storytelling. Despite box office challenges, Affleck's love for basketball should inspire more projects like The Way Back and Air.

The Way Back started a modern awesome Ben Affleck trend that should definitely be continued. After starring as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), Affleck has returned to more traditional roles in dramas such as Jack in The Way Back, Pierre d'Alenon in The Last Duel (2021), and Vic in Deep Water (2022). His most recent role was Rex Stone in This Is Me... Now (2024), an Amazon Prime Video original film starring Affleck's wife, pop singer Jennifer Lopez.

Although The Way Back is not based on a true story, the film featured real-life...

Australian filmmaker Peter Weir will receive the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 81st Venice Film Festival (August 28-September 7).

The director and screenwriter is a six-time Oscar nominee for films including Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show, both of which premiered at Venice in 1989 and 1998 respectively.

“The Venice Film Festival and its Golden Lion are part of the folklore of our craft. To be singled out as a recipient for a lifetimes work as a director is a considerable honour,” said Weir.

The filmmaker first rose to prominence in 1975 with Picnic At Hanging Rock, followed by The Last Wave...

The Venice Film Festival will fete Australian director and screenwriter Peter Weir with its honorary Golden Lion at its forthcoming 80th edition.

Accepting the honor, Weir said: “The Venice Film Festival and its Golden Lion are part of the folklore of our craft. To be singled out as a recipient for a lifetime’s work as a director is a considerable honor.”

Born in August 1944, Weir was one of the pivotal figures in the Australian New Wave cinema of the 70s. He began his career in 1969 when he took a job with the government-funded Commonwealth Film Unit as a director. Weir struck out on his own in 1973 and directed his first feature film, the comic-horror The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), which he also wrote. He won an international audience with Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), followed by The Last Wave (1977), for which he also co-wrote the screenplay.

The numbers are crunching for the sequel to Ben Affleck’s 2016 film The Accountant. The film, which is on the Amazon MGM slate, has announced some new actors that have been added to the cast. Among them is Allison Robertson, Robert Morgann and Grant Harvey. According to Deadline, Daniella Pineda, known for her roles on Cowboy Bebop, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion. She was also seen recently in the Gerard Butler/Mike Colter action film Plane. It is not yet known what role that Pineda or the other new actors will be taking.

As for the plot of The Accountant 2, “The film follows Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson), who after her boss is murdered by unknown assassins is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but lethal brother Brax (Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal...

Paramount Pictures hosted a ‘Friends & Family’ screening for its new Johnny Knoxville-starrer Sweet Dreams at L.A.’s Laemmle Royal on April 1. Even with a handful of comedians in the building and a date that coincided with April Fool’s Day, the world premiere of filmmaker Lije Sarki’s recovery-centered softball dramedy was no joke.

The scene mirrored much larger Hollywood premieres as members of the starry cast and their friends (Anderson .Paak, Bobby Lee, Lil Dicky) mingled with movie stars (Josh Brolin, Shia Labeouf). Guests took advantage of a red carpet complete with a veteran Tinseltown photographer (Todd Williamson) while others waited in long lines simply to get into the Laemmle (an overflow theater was added to accommodate the number of RSVPs).

Three days later, Sarki was still soaking it in. “It’s wild to me to have that much support,” said the filmmaker over coffee on the...

Peter Weir is easily regarded as one of the most legendary filmmakers in Hollywood, with masterpieces that have garnered several nods of major accolades. Also the mastermind behind Robin Williams’ critically acclaimed 1989 comedy thriller Dead Poets Society, he has led an unparalleled career in the entertainment industry.

Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar Award | Photo: Screengrab/Oscars/YouTube

However, that very unparalleled career of his just may have ended a lot before the genius director announced it out loud. Yes, as heartbreaking as this would sound to many of his fans, Weir retired a long time ago from his star-studded directing profession, and fans wouldn’t have known about this had he not addressed this issue publicly.

Peter Weir has put an end to his Legendary Filmmaking Career

Even though the last movie he made was almost a decade and a half ago back in 2010, fans were still awaiting Peter...

It has been 14 years since his last movie, The Way Back, was released. That was his 14th movie and from how things stand now, it will be his last. Namely, legendary Australian filmmaker and director, Peter Weir, has confirmed that he has definitely retired from filmmaking as he has no more energy to make movies. This shouldn’t come as a major shock, as the director is turning 80 in August this year, and with what he has done so far, he has earned the right to rest.

This was confirmed during a discussion with the audience in Paris, as part of the Festival de la Cinémathèque, where he said:

“Why did I stop directing? Because, quite simply, I have no more energy. I’ve stopped filmmaking in 2020. It was time for me. I felt I want to leave the gambling table, so I no longer direct. But before that, occasionally...

Peter Weir, who has not released a movie since 2010’s The Way Back, is likely never going to make another one again. The Australian director, who is known for giving some of the most acclaimed films of all time, talked recently about his long 14-years-absence from filmmaking.

Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar Award | Photo: Screengrab/Oscars/YouTube

The four-time Best Director Oscar nominee, while attending the Festival de la Cinémathèque in Paris, said that he is retired now, which is shocking to the admirers of his works.

SUGGESTED5 Worst ‘Best Picture’ Wins in History That Made Fans Doubt The Oscars’ Credibility

Let’s have a look at two of his movies that deserved an Oscar win for sure, but they could not despite high critical applause.

The Truman Show (1998)

Peter Weir has been nominated six times for Oscars, including four times for best director, without any win. One of...

While each year brings a few films here and there to make one long for Hollywood’s return to an era of producing quality mid-budget movies not strictly for a four-quadrant demographic, it seemed the last gasp of such a time came when Peter Weir stepped away from filmmaking. The Master and Commander, The Truman Show, and Dead Poets Society director last released a film in 2010 with The Way Back and now has confirmed rumors he’s retired from filmmaking

“Why did I stop directing? Because, quite simply, I have no more energy,” the 79-year-old Australian director told the audience as part of a recent Paris retrospective at Festival de la Cinémathèque. “I’ve stopped filmmaking in 2020. It was time for me. I felt I want to leave the gambling table, so I no longer direct,” he added, although also touched on some potential reunions that were in discussions. “But before that,...

Last year, Australian filmmaker Peter Weir was given an honorary Oscar for having “illuminated the human experience with his unique and expansive body of work.” Sadly, it’s now official that his filmography is complete, as Weir confirmed during an appearance at the Festival de la Cinémathèque in Paris that he has retired from directing.

Télérama reported (and IndieWire was kind enough to translate their report) that Weir was asked why 14 years have gone by since his last movie. Weir replied, “I am retired. Why did I stop cinema? Because, quite simply, I have no more energy.“

Born in 1944, Weir got his career started in television back in the 1960s, working on the TV projects The Life and Times of the Reverend Buck Shotte and Man on a Green Bike. After contributing a segment to the anthology film Three to Go, he made the 50 minute movie Homesdale and the documentary Whatever Happened to Green Valley?...

After movies such as Dead Poets Society, Master And Commander and The Truman Show, Peter Weir won’t be making another film.

This year marks the 21st birthday of a flat-out masterpiece of a blockbuster, 2003’s Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. Not just because it has a great telling of the weevils joke in it, the Russell Crowe-headlined film is genuinely wonderful and deserves a 4K re-release.

It’s also just one of the many terrific movies from Australian director Peter Weir who, across a career that’s spanned decades, has given us features such as Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Truman Show, Fearless, Dead Poets Society and Witness.

His last movie was back in 2010, the Jim Sturgess-headlined The Way Back. Since then, Weir has been linked with a film called The Keep that obviously didn’t happen. Peter Weir was also set to direct Shantaram,...

Peter Weir has directed some of the most acclaimed blockbusters of the last half century, often straddling the line between art and commerce with studio hits like “The Truman Show” and “Dead Poets Society.” But while the Australian director has not made a movie since the 2010 drama “The Way Back,” fans have held out hope that Weir might find his way back into the director’s chair — perhaps on the “Master and Commander” sequel that Russell Crowe has openly lobbied to make. But it now appears that Weir has officially walked away from filmmaking for good.

Appearing at the Festival de la Cinémathèque in Paris (via Télérama), Weir gave a blunt update on his filmmaking career that should squash any hopes that the 79-year-old director has another movie in him.

“I am retired,” Weir said when asked about his 14 year hiatus from filmmaking. “Why did I stop cinema? Because, quite simply,...

HBO‘s acclaimed crime series “Mare of Easttown” has established writer/creator Brad Ingelsby as a major talent to keep an eye on. And while a follow-up to that fantastic first season remains a big question mark, Ingelsby will continue his relationship with the network with a new overall deal with HBO. And according to HBO, Ingelsby will write a new untitled police task force series that stars Mark Ruffalo (“Zodiac“), with Jeremiah Zagar (“Hustle“) set to direct episodes.

Continue reading HBO Teaming Up With Mark Ruffalo & ‘Mare Of Easttown’ Creator Brad Ingelsby For New Police Task Force Series at The Playlist.

Mark Ruffalo is set for a lead role in a new HBO limited series that hails from Brad Ingelsby, Variety has learned.

The untitled series is based on an original idea and is said to follow “a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend.” According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, casting decisions were made prior to the onset of the writers’ strike. Furthermore, production on the series does not yet have a start date.

The show marks a return to HBO for both Ingelsby and Ruffalo. Ingelsby previously created the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series “Mare of Easttown” starring Kate Winslet. The show received 16 Emmy nominations upon its release, ultimately winning four. “Mare of Easttown” was produced by wiip, which will also produce the task force series.

For Ruffalo, he previously starred in the HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True...

Sports have been a big part of human life. Most people worldwide watch sports events and wager on different aspects of the games. Technological innovations have also made the fan experience more immersive. For instance, digital media has brought players closer to the fans as they can interact on social media platforms like Instagram. Additionally, fans can play sports simulation games like FIFA, Fantasy Football, and Football Manager.

However, nothing beats the thrill of watching a sports movie. Sports movies offer everything a sports fan would dream of; for example, they showcase teamwork, offer inspirational examples, or other aspects of sports such as betting. Therefore, there is a sports movie for everyone, including those eager to place a Sportsbet on top platforms like Betway. Here are the top sports movies we bet you’ll love!

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

This sports movie inspired an entire generation. The movie tells the...

Lionsgate will be giving director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th – which happens to be Juneteenth weekend, so it’s the perfect date for a movie that’s said to take place during a Juneteenth weekend getaway. Now that we’re a month out from the release, the final trailer for the film has been unveiled, and you can check it out in the embed above.

Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually...

Ben Affleck was on a hot streak in Rotten Tomatoes, but his new movie, Hypnotic, ruined the trend. Ben Affleck has acted in 53 movies since 1992 earning Rotten Tomatoes scores across the entire spectrum from "Rotten" to "Fresh," and the 2020s were shaping up to be a new career high point until Hypnotic's poor reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score brought his average score back down.

After decades of ups and down, Affleck's newest movie, Air, earned a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, giving him a 61 percent average for every movie released since 2020, just one point lower than his career-best 62 percent average for every Ben Affleck movie released in the 1990s. A score of 66-73 percent would have made his 2020s Rotten Tomatoes average tied with his 1990s average, and 73 percent or higher would have bumped him to a career-high 63 percent. Unfortunately, Hypnotic's Rotten review score brought his average down, although...

Ben Affleck’s new movie Hypnotic will have a difficult time succeeding at the box office, which could make Affleck the first movie star so far to have two big flops in 2023. While Affleck has primarily starred in streaming movies like The Tender Bar and Deep Water since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Oscar-winning actor-director has still appeared in a few notable theatrical releases. However, despite great reviews, Affleck’s theatrical releases in the 2020s like The Last Duel haven’t performed well at the box office, with his first two movies of 2023 being slated to follow this disappointing trend.

As his fifth directed movie, Ben Affleck’s Air debuted in theaters on April 5 to stellar reviews from critics and audiences alike. While originally slated for a streaming release, the Amazon-backed movie about Nike’s courting of Michael Jordan for a shoeline received a wide theatrical premiere, ultimately amassing $84.9 million at the worldwide box office.

Along with well-timed twists and gripping mysteries, Robert Rodriguez's Hypnotic features a roster of intriguing characters, played by talented cast members. Conceptualized around the same time Rodriguez was filming Spy Kids 2, Hypnotic has reportedly been in development for nearly two decades. Its lengthy development period and the director's steadfast passion for the project are not surprising, given how its early reviews are lauding it for its meticulously crafted blend of espionage and science fiction.

Hypnotic's espionage-centric narrative revolves around detective Danny Rourke's hunt for a bank robber. Meanwhile, its science fiction kicks when it turns out that the bank robber has the ability to hypnotize people and bend their realities at his will. As Rourke races against time to catch the robber, mysteries of his past begin surfacing, raising the stakes of his mission even higher than he had initially anticipated. Driven by Robert Rodriguez's eye for detail and gripping character beats,...

Take a look at new images of actress Saoirse Ronan, posing for the April 2023 issue of "Document Journal", photographed by Malick Bodian:

Ronan is a two-time 'Academy Award' nominee, receiving a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her breakthrough role as 'Briony Tallis' in "Atonement" (2007) and a 'Best Actress' nomination for her role as 'Eilis Lacey' in "Brooklyn" (2015). 

Ronan has also received three 'BAFTA Award' nominations, two 'Golden Globe' nominations, two 'Screen Actors Guild' nominations and a 'Satellite Award'.

Her feature film debut was in the romantic comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), followed by roles in "City of Ember" (2008), "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "Hanna" (2011), "The Way Back" (2010), "Byzantium" (2012), "The Host" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Lady Bird (2017).

March 2016, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of "The Crucible", playing 'Abigail Williams'.

Ronan played 'Jo March' in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" (2019), followed by 'Charlotte Murchison' in...

There are a ton of uplifting feel-good movies like The Blind Side for fans of the Oscar-winning sports drama to enjoy. Inspired by the heartwarming true story chronicled in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, the movie was written and directed by John Lee Hancock. The Blind Side stars Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who – with the help of his adoptive parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw respectively – rose from humble beginnings to become a star football player in the NFL.

When it was released in 2009, The Blind Side was a huge box office hit that grossed more than $300 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture. The Blind Side touched audiences with its inspirational tale of parenthood, athleticism, and overcoming adversity.

Ben Affleck is back in the director's chair again with Air, and it's already the highest-scoring Affleck-directed movie on Rotten Tomatoes and one of his highest-scoring movies as an actor as well. Affleck has been acting for over 30 years with over 52 movies in his filmography, but he's only been directing movies since 2007, and Air is just his fifth credit as a director. Most of the movies he's directed are very well reviewed, but his last movie, Live By Night earned his only Rotten score in 2016, after which he took some time off from directing, so Air also represents Affleck's return to the director's chair after a short absence.

Affleck is seeing an overall career resurgence after all the drama surrounding his time as Batman in the Dceu and well-publicized issues in his personal life, but thanks to his highly praised performance in The Way Back and his return to directing with Air,...

The drama of addiction and recovery, as it takes place in the movies, tends to come at us like a series of rituals. There’s the rule-by-rule, day-by-day protocol of 12-step programs; a lot of us may feel we know it well from movies, even if we’ve never personally undergone the experience. There are the deeply engraved patterns of addiction itself: the highs, the lows, the cravings, the exploitation of friends and family members, the descent to the bottom, the grasping for the drink or the pill or the fix (or the one that isn’t there) and, in some cases, the criminal behavior. The reaching out to save oneself is also a kind of ritual — one that some addicts would say God built into us.

The ritual, in the case of this subject, extends to the audience. We live in a profoundly addictive society; whether or not you,...

As Ben Affleck gears up for the release of his new film, Air, the actor/director sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and got very candid about his experience playing Batman for Zack Snyder’s DC universe as well as his future with the company after the change in regime. Affleck describes smaller movies, like Air and his previously released drama, The Way Back, as movies that aren’t working for audiences anymore, although those are the types of films he’s most interested in. The interviewer then asks, “As opposed to…?” and Affleck answers, “The Justice League experience.”

Affleck states that the stories became repetitive for him, and he found himself losing interest creatively. However, he also feels he finally nailed the character of Batman in the upcoming The Flash. “Yeah, I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman], and I nailed it in The Flash. For...

Stephen King has shared a variety of horror stories with generations of readers for decades, but there’s one novel that has gone through a lot and hasn’t been published. Stephen King has rightfully earned the nickname of King of Horror as he has allowed readers to explore different types of fears and meet a variety of monsters (both human and supernatural) for years, beginning in 1974 with Carrie. Since then, readers have an idea of the type of stories and characters that they will find in King’s novels, but he always saves a couple of surprises to keep them entertained from beginning to end.

Many of Stephen King’s characters and stories have become part of pop culture, as are villains like It’s Pennywise, The Shinning’s Jack Torrance, and Randall Flagg, and his stories have formed an interesting universe, but there are a couple of novels...

Stephen King has chosen winter as the main setting for various stories, and here’s every one of them and why he has chosen this specific season. After writing short stories, Stephen King became widely known when Carrie was published in 1974, introducing readers to his narrative style and the horror and social themes he likes to address. Since then, King has terrorized generations of readers with his novels and short stories, allowing them to safely explore different fears and places, and meet a variety of monsters, both human and supernatural.

Many of Stephen King’s stories and characters have now become part of pop culture, such as It and Pennywise, Misery and Annie Wilkes, and The Shining and Jack Torrance. As more and more stories by King are published, readers point out similarities and links between them, including that some of them are set during winter. The season of cold...

Over two decades ago, "Bring It On" debuted in theaters, gifting us with the movie that Roger Ebert famously called the "Citizen Kane of cheerleader movies." Sure enough, that film has earned its place in the high school comedy hall of fame, becoming a beloved cult classic, inspiring a successful stage musical (which includes music by Lin-Manuel Miranda), spawning six direct-to-video sequels, and launching the careers of Kirsten Dust and Gabrielle Union. Nothing equals the high of that very first movie, in large part because Dunst and Union never returned to reprise their roles. But that might just be on the verge of changing.

Gabrielle Union has been trying to manifest a "Bring It On" sequel for the better part of a year, and even though it's slow goings, she doesn't plan on giving up anytime soon. "We've been developing a sequel forever," Union recently told Variety. "But for folks...

You can imagine the committee meetings devoted to finding just the right title for primo action star Gerard Butler’s latest, in which he plays an airline pilot encountering lightning strikes that force him to crash-land on a rebel-infested remote island in the Philippines. As it criss-crosses the airline disaster genre and frightening jungle thriller, why not just tell the public what it really is. While it could be called Terror Island, or maybe Pirates Jungle, or Flight to the Death, the producers came up with the inspired plain Plane. That works well enough for anyone expecting Airport meets The High and the Mighty, but really it is just the first half that fits snugly into that category, nail-biting as it is.

Most of the action comes when the plane somehow survives a fierce lightning storm (nice FX here) by crash-landing in the largely uninhabited Jolo Island Cluster in the...

Don’t count on any Ethan Hawke collabs with Russell Crowe or Johnny Depp after the “Dead Poets Society” star chalked up director Peter Weir’s 12-year absence from Hollywood to two leading men who “gave him a hard time.”

While speaking to IndieWire about his new six-part Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward HBO Max documentary, “The Last Movie Stars,” Hawke was asked about his “Dead Poets Society” director, who is receiving an honorary Oscar. Why hasn’t the director of “Witness,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” and “The Truman Show” made a movie since 2010’s “The Way Back”?

“I think he lost interest in movies. He really enjoyed that work when he didn’t have actors giving him a hard time. Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp broke him,” Hawke said.

Also Read:

‘The Last Movie Stars': Ethan Hawke’s Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Docuseries Gets HBO Max Premiere Date...

Exclusive: Joel Gretsch (All Rise) and Gustaf Skarsgård (Oppenheimer) are the latest additions to the cast of Ben Affleck’s Nike film for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. They join a star-studded ensemble led by Matt Damon and Affleck in the as-yet-untitled sports marketing pic, which will ultimately premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The drama has Damon playing maverick sneaker salesman and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, with Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, in a story about Nike’s long-shot effort to sign Michael Jordan to its shoe company in the mid-’80s. It was an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time, but would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete ever, and launched the global, multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry. Pic’s ensemble will also include Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan,...

(Welcome to On Your Radar, a series where we take a look at what's next for the biggest actors and filmmakers, and why you should be excited...or not.)

The popularity of all genre movies ebbs and flows, and sports films are no different. Oh sure, there are the "Creed" movies, and you still get dramas like "The Way Back" every so often. However, family-oriented sports comedies are rarely made these days, and it's been a while since there were any major prestigious true-story sports films in the vein of "Seabiscuit" or "Invictus." Instead, like the rom-com and other typically mid-budget genre fare, sports stories have been more or...

The post Upcoming Sports Movies to Keep On Your Radar appeared first on /Film.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in Pulitzer-winning journalist J.R. Moehringer’s case, a Long Island pub will do. A broadly appealing, only slightly sentimental personal history adapted from Moehringer’s memoir by director George Clooney and “The Departed” screenwriter Bill Monahan, “The Tender Bar” acknowledges how, growing up without a father, the young J.R. found the next best thing, if not better, in his blue-collar uncle Charlie.

It was Charlie — bartender at a spot called The Dickens, where rows of thick hardback books lined the shelves behind the bar — who encouraged J.R.’s early attempts at writing, and who taught the boy what it meant to be a man and how to respect women. When the time came, Charlie showed J.R. how to drive and served the young man his first drink. Where was J.R.’s dad in all of this,...

Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman and Audra McDonald will star in “Rustin,” an upcoming biopic about gay, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. The film is the first narrative feature to be produced by Higher Ground, Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company.

George C. Wolfe, who previously oversaw “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with “Milk’s” Dustin Lance Black. Netflix will release the film under their deal with Higher Ground.

The film will look at the onslaught of obstacles that Rustin had to overcome to organize the 1963 March on Washington, which was where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Rock will play NAACP leader Roy Wilkins; Turman will portray activist and March on Washington co-organizer A. Philip Randolph; and McDonald, will play civil rights icon Ella Baker.

Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen (“American Beauty”) and Higher Ground...

The good news? Despite getting shot in the Season 1 finale, Big Sky‘s Jenny Hoyt is alive and well at the start of Season 2, which kicks off tonight (ABC, 10/9c). The maybe-not-amazing news, which we learn in this exclusive clip from the season premiere? She’s breaking up the band.

In the video above, Cassie and Jenny meet at a bar — no punches thrown, this time — to discuss why Jenny feels that it’s time for her to leave the private investigations firm. Press Play on that to get a glimpse at tonight’s episode, then keep reading to hear...

Exclusive: Jake Picking (Top Gun: Maverick), Will Ropp (The Way Back), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone) and Kyle Allen (West Side Story) are the latest additions to The Greatest Beer Run Ever, the Apple Original Film from director Peter Farrelly and Skydance Media.

The four actors will star alongside previously announced cast members Zac Efron and Russell Crowe.

Pic is based on Joanna Molloy and John “Chickie” Donohue’s book The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty and War, which became a New York Times bestseller upon its publication last year. It tells the true story of Donohue, who left New York for Vietnam in 1967 to track down and share a few beers with his childhood friends while they were serving in combat.

Picking, Allen and Renaux will play Rick Duggan, Bobby Pappas and Tommy Collins, the three childhood friends of Efron’s Chickie who are serving in the Army,...

LisaGay Hamilton (To Kill A Mockingbird), Michaela Watkins (Werewolves Within), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (NOS4A2), Kevin Sussman (The Big Bang Theory), Sam Straley (Hala) and Shaun J. Brown are set for recurring roles opposite Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout, Hulu’s limited series about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. The series hails from Liz Meriwether, Searchlight Television and Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television.

Created and executive produced by Meriwether, who also serves as showrunner, The Dropout is based on the ABC News/ABC Radio podcast. Holmes (Seyfried), the enigmatic Stanford dropout who founded medical testing start-up Theranos, was lauded as a Steve Jobs for the next tech generation. Once worth billions of dollars, the myth crumbled when it was revealed that none of the tech actually worked, putting thousands of people’s health in grave danger. Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Holmes and Theranos is...

Gavin O’Connor has no shortage of successful film and TV projects in recent years – whether it’s “Mare of Easttown” (which he serves as Executive Producer), “The Way Back,” or “The Accountant” – all have been embraced by critics and fans alike. But perhaps his most overlooked film, “Warrior,” starring a then-unknown Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, is seeing a groundswell of appreciation.

Continue reading Director Gavin O’Connor Talks ‘Warrior’ After 10 Years, The Upcoming TV Adaptation & His ‘Suicide Squad’ Script [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

A sequel to the 2016 action film “The Accountant” starring Ben Affleck is in development at Warner Bros., with director Gavin O’Connor returning to the project, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.

Deals for O’Connor, writer Bill Dubuque and the film’s producers are in place, but the individual says no deals have been set for talent, including Affleck or Jon Bernthal.

O’Connor recently said on the Cinema Blend podcast that he “literally just closed that deal” for a sequel to “The Accountant.”

“The Accountant” grossed $155.1 million worldwide on a $44 million budget. Affleck starred as a quiet and reclusive math savant named Christian Wolff, who behind the scenes, while working as a small-town Cpa, is secretly a freelance accountant for dangerous criminal organizations. And he himself proves to be an excellent shot and dangerous figure. But the body count begins to pile up after he takes a legitimate job...

Only in the third decade of the 21st century could an HBO murder mystery, starring Oscar winner Kate Winslet, drop on a random Sunday in April without months of fanfare heralding its arrival. That Mare of Easttown managed to come out of nowhere before its successful seven-week run is proof positive that there is now far too much programming to even pretend to keep tabs. But isn’t it nice to be surprised?

Created and written by screenwriter Brad Ingelsby (The Way Back) and directed by frequent HBO player Craig Zobel (The Leftovers, Westworld), Mare of Easttown tells the story of the eponymous police ...

Only in the third decade of the 21st century could an HBO murder mystery, starring Oscar winner Kate Winslet, drop on a random Sunday in April without months of fanfare heralding its arrival. That Mare of Easttown managed to come out of nowhere before its successful seven-week run is proof positive that there is now far too much programming to even pretend to keep tabs. But isn’t it nice to be surprised?

Created and written by screenwriter Brad Ingelsby (The Way Back) and directed by frequent HBO player Craig Zobel (The Leftovers, Westworld), Mare of Easttown tells the story of the eponymous police ...

Exclusive: Big Sky has set the first major new cast addition for Season 2. Janina Gavankar has joined the popular ABC drama series as a new series regular opposite returning leads Kylie Bunbury and Katheryn Winnick.

In Season 2 of the David E. Kelley series based on the series of books by C.J. Box, when private detectives Cassie Dewell (Bunbury) and Jenny Hoyt (Winnick) reunite to investigate a car wreck outside of Helena, Montana, they soon discover that the case may not be as straightforward as it seems. As they unravel the mystery of the accident, their worlds will collide with a band of unsuspecting teens, a flirtatious face from Jenny’s past, and a vicious outsider hellbent on finding answers.

Gavankar will play Ren who is new to Helena. After a simple business transaction results in a messy car wreck involving one of her employees,...

Look at the movies written by Brad Ingelsby and you see the grounded working class sensibility that created HBO’s limited series “Mare of Easttown.” In his first crack at creating a television series, the seven-episode drama broke out with 16 Primetime Emmy nominations — enough to challenge frontrunner “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Eight years ago, finicky movie star Christian Bale was so impressed with Ingelsby’s script for Pennsylvania rust-belt drama “Out of the Furnace” (2013) that he signed on to play Rodney Baze, a stoic, hard-working factory welder trapped in an unforgiving steel mill town. And Ben Affleck ran with Ingelsby’s grieving, self-destructive, alcoholic high school basketball coach in “The Way Back” (2020), directed by Gavin O’Connor.

Both movies feel rooted in the real world, as does “Mare of Easttown,” which grabbed the interest of Oscar-winner Kate Winslet (“The Reader”), whose commitment got the series greenlit at HBO. And Ingelsby became a rookie showrunner as well,...

Look at the movies written by Brad Ingelsby and you see the grounded working class sensibility that created HBO’s limited series “Mare of Easttown.” In his first crack at creating a television series, the seven-episode drama broke out with 16 Primetime Emmy nominations — enough to challenge frontrunner “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Eight years ago, finicky movie star Christian Bale was so impressed with Ingelsby’s script for Pennsylvania rust-belt drama “Out of the Furnace” (2013) that he signed on to play Rodney Baze, a stoic, hard-working factory welder trapped in an unforgiving steel mill town. And Ben Affleck ran with Ingelsby’s grieving, self-destructive, alcoholic high school basketball coach in “The Way Back” (2020), directed by Gavin O’Connor.

Both movies feel rooted in the real world, as does “Mare of Easttown,” which grabbed the interest of Oscar-winner Kate Winslet (“The Reader”), whose commitment got the series greenlit at HBO. And Ingelsby became a rookie showrunner as well,...

Production designer Keith Cunningham, who has contended five times at the Art Directors Guild Awards for his film work, just earned his first Emmy nomination for the HBO limited series “Mare of Easttown.” He is quick to credit this success to a close collaboration with two fellow Emmy nominees: cinematographer Ben Richardson and costume designer Meghan Kasperlik. “It was all about coming up with the design parameters for these characters, to make each one diverse but make them fit into this world that we were creating. We knew we wanted a real density in the overall world and in each dwelling. We came up with a color palette because we were looking for a structure for these unstructured lives.”

See Brad Ingelsby interview: ‘Mare of Easttown’ creator

Cunningham had first worked with “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Inglesby on the Ben Affleck film “The Way Back.” The production designer, who grew up in suburban Chicago,...