One Tuesday evening in September, in an unassuming, dusty building in New York’s Chinatown and up a rickety elevator ride that made you wonder about the pre-war building’s safety codes, you’d find the Dare DJing on the sixth floor to a few dozen people, days before he heads out on a sold-out tour across the United States. Truthfully, he prefers it this way.

“Small shows are just always better,” the Dare says. It’s not a unique sentiment, but it’s one that encapsulates the energy that...

Addison Rae has reignited her pop career with “Diet Pepsi,” her first solo release since last year. It also marks Rae’s first official release on Columbia Records.

The dreamy new song has Rae channeling Born to Die-era Lana Del Rey. It’s a love song full of nostalgic imagery as it explores young love. “When we drive in your car, I’m your baby (So sweet)/Losing all my innocence in the backseat,” she sings on the chorus.

A black-and-white video released alongside the track’s debut and captures Rae riding shotgun,...

The British musician Fred again.. is best known for creating intimate listening experiences at scale. He gained critical and fan acclaim for his 2021 project Actual Life, where he composed original tracks using an array of sonic fragments, ranging from voice memos and snippets from social media to bits and pieces of sounds from other artists. He described the project at the time as something of a diary of the beginning of the pandemic, a period when the whole world was seeking connection in digital space. Since then, he’s dropped...

If you couldn’t tell by the persistent glow of lime green on your timelines, this is Charli Xcx’s year. Something shifted the minute she released Brat, her sixth album and a tribute to being a party girl in your thirties, dealing with all the anxieties that come with that age bracket.

Brat has dominated the cultural conversation for the past month, becoming the type of all-consuming pop-culture moment that fans of the future-forward pop princess have been dying for. From the album cover’s bold green to the...

Exclusive: Joe Aboud, who spearheaded promotions at Atlantic Records and developed the music program at Apple Music, has formed a new company.

Aboud is branching out to launch 444 Sounds, a music consultancy and management firm that oversees strategy and promotion for clients including record labels, distributors, management companies, and artists.

444 Sounds’ launch comes with a roster including Sony Music, UnitedMasters, Warner Records’ dance label Major Recordings, and artists Jung Kook, Enrique Iglesias, and Michaela Jaé (also known as Pose actress Mj Rodriguez).

Aboud is also involved in marketing starlet Julia Fox, who recently debuted music at Charli Xcx’s iconic Boiler Room set.

While Vin Diesel is known as the protagonist of the Fast & Furious franchise, he had his breakthrough with the sci-fi film franchise The Chronicles of Riddick. Beginning with Pitch Black, the franchise spawned two more sequels, short films, and video games. Diesel even turned producer of the threequel after trading the rights for the franchise for a cameo in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

The makers have now confirmed that a fourth film is in development. Diesel would be reprising his role as the mercenary Riddick in the film titled Riddick: Furya. The film would reportedly follow the character as he goes back to his homeworld, which finds its citizens fighting against a new monster.

Vin Diesel Set To Return As Riddick In Riddick: Furya Vin Diesel in Pitch Black

Actor Vin Diesel became one of the highest-paid actors when he starred as Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise.

On a quiet Friday night in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Ana Macho sits on a feathered gray futon, looking as fabulous as ever. Leaning in with their wire-framed glasses, the artist is excitedly ready to share their story. For them, it’s been a journey: Ana Macho has been trailblazing a path to the mainstream market as an artist who happens to be non-binary, and the last few months have marked a new evolution in their career.

“Just today, it’s been more than a year of doing music on my own,...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

It's safe to say that Vin Diesel is an actor who has made the most out of every single opportunity given to him. From voicing Groot in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise -- a role that requires him to say just three words over and over again most of the time (and in multiple languages) -- to leading the "Fast & Furious" series as Dom Toretto, Diesel has generated more than $14 billion at the box office through the movies he's starred in. Yet, it is a modest, mid-budget hit from a decade ago that remains arguably the most fascinating thing he's ever done. With 2013's "Riddick," Diesel used every tool at his disposal to bring a passion project to fruition.

In...

Mr. Vin Diesel has made a name for himself playing monotone bruisers; big guys who look like they want to smash your skull in if you get in your way. But he's also a family man when it comes to the "Fast and Furious" films. He's also been a talking tree, a sci-fi warrior, a mobster, a military grunt in a Steven Spielberg movie, and more. While Diesel seems solely committed to playing Dom in the "Furious" saga these days, we shouldn't forget about his other work, some of which is quite good (and others ... not).

To get to the bottom of what Diesel's best role is, we here at /Film asked our readers to weigh in. Then we compiled the results in a special, massive supercomputer. The results may actually surprise you. They kind of surprised me! So let's take a look at Vin Diesel's best roles, starting at the bottom.

Vin Diesel stars in Fast X, one of the final films in the Fast & Furious movie franchise. Fans are eagerly awaiting the first part of the two-part ending. Actors John Cena, Brie Larson, Jason Momoa, Rita Moreno, and more will join the cast. How much was Diesel paid for his role? Here’s what we know.

Vin Diesel wants the ‘Fast & Furious’ finale to be the ‘best movie ever made’ Vin Diesel | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Diesel discussed the end of the franchise and his hopes for the film. When asked how he’s feeling about the Fast & Furious franchise winding down, he says he’s grateful for the experience.

“I feel so grateful and so blessed,” Diesel tells Unilad. “At the same time, so inspired to attempt to make the best movie that’s ever been made as the finale, the two-part finale.”

Diesel also spoke about...

There’s a moment in writer-director Chloe Domont’s impressively realized feature-length debut, Fair Play, when a collection of finance-bros, employees of the fictional One Crest Capital, a Manhattan-based hedge fund, half-watch a corporate-sponsored, obligatory, diversity and inclusion presentation while a newly fired Pm (portfolio manager) takes out his rage at his summary dismissal on the computer equipment in his soon-to-be-ex-office. Attention momentarily shifts to the Pm before shifting back to the presentation, a sign or signal that the ex-pm’s tantrum isn’t new or novel; it’s close to routine for the familiarly ruthless, cutthroat world of high finance and low ethics. Domont’s film, however, however, doesn’t center on the finance bros specifically like its predecessors, but on a twenty-something couple,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

No matter how many “good little movies” play at Sundance, this festival simply can’t continue to be what it has been unless it features movies that can break out of the independent-film-world bubble. I’m talking about movies like “Fair Play.” It’s a finance drama, set inside a cutthroat New York hedge fund, and it’s also a romantic thriller that probes the theme of sexual passion (and sexual politics) in the post-#MeToo age. It’s one of the rare Sundance films that could break through in the real world; at a time when movies like “Tár” and “The Fabelmans” have struggled, that makes it a rare commodity. Yet the key to the film’s potential success isn’t just that it’s made in a commercial genre. It’s that “Fair Play,” while full of sex, money, corporate backstabbing, and a lot of other things that are fun to watch,...

Skrillex is back with his first new solo song in just over a year, “Rumble,” which features rising DJ/producer Fred Again.. and grime Mc/producer Flowdan.

“Rumble” lives up to its name, with Flowdan rapping over a steady, propulsive groove punctuated with menacing bass swells. The two-and-half-minute track builds steadily to a clever peak that drops with a deft, almost understated boom.

The official release of “Rumble” comes after Fred Again.. teased it during his Boiler Room debut last summer. The song also dropped a couple of days after...

It may be hard to believe now after nine "Fast & Furious" movies and guff like "The Last Witcher" and "Bloodshot," but there was a time when Vin Diesel was an interesting actor. With that gravelly voice and a smooth aura of self-assurance, he was a natural, even when playing a small but neatly drawn character in "Saving Private Ryan," a slick senior broker in "Boiler Room," or voicing a big metal fella with a heart of gold in "The Iron Giant." In another world, he might have even gone on to become a writer-director — after all, Diesel got his start starring in his own low-budget indie films.

It would have been really interesting to see how his career might have developed if he'd followed that route instead of becoming an action star. But he was set on that path with "Pitch Black," the sci-fi sleeper hit that gave him the juicy role of Riddick,...

Exclusive: Ben Younger (Snowfall) has been tapped to direct and executive produce ABC drama pilot The Company You Keep, starring Milo Ventimiglia and Catherine Haena Kim, from 20th Television.

The project, which is based on Korean format My Fellow Citizens that ran for more than 30 episodes on KBS2, follows con man Charlie (Ventimiglia) and undercover CIA officer Emma (Kim). A night of passion leads to love between the pair, who unknowingly are on a collision course professionally. While Charlie ramps up the “family business” so he can get out for good, Emma’s closing in on the vengeful criminal who holds Charlie’s family debts in-hand — forcing them to reckon with the lies they’ve told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences.

William Fichtner also stars.

The Company You Keep is being written and exec produced by Julia Cohen. Ventimiglia will exec produce via his...

Ben Affleck is an accomplished actor, producer, writer and director, proven by his two Academy Awards. So why does social media chatter generally refer to each of his new and effective outings worthy of Oscars consideration as a “comeback?”

In the middle of his newest film “The Last Duel,” it dawned on me. Nothing regarding his interpretation of Count Pierre d’Alençon should work with his sensibilities as an actor. Yet he completely steals the show in one of three segments designed to belong to Jacques Le Gris (played by Adam Driver). Unfortunately, the Hollywood machine, critics and consumers have taken his abilities for granted. Perhaps it was the paparazzi’s focus on Bennifer or his openness regarding his struggles with sobriety. Either way, he’s shown himself, on multiple occasions, an uncommonly invigorating actor when placed in the right hands.

My realization came three days after a BAFTA member...

Paramount Plus is building out the cast of the upcoming series “The Offer,” which tells the story of the making of “The Godfather,” with the additions of Giovanni Ribisi, Colin Hanks, and Dan Fogler.

The trio join previously announced stars Miles Teller and Matthew Goode. “The Offer” is based on the experience of Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy (Teller), about the behind-the-scenes events of the original 1972 film. Goode will play producer Robert Evans.

Ribisi is set to star as mob boss Joe Colombo. In addition to running one of the notorious Five Families of the American Mafia, Colombo also founded the Italian-American Civil Rights League. The League originally opposed the making of “The Godfather” before Ruddy met with Colombo and secured his support.

Ribisi most recently worked on the Netflix series “On the Verge” and starred in the Amazon series “Sneaky Pete.” He is best known for his feature roles,...

The Robinhood effect has now extended to the movies. Days after the Reddit-led consumer buys of struggling GameStop, AMC Theaters, and other stocks, two of the most successful recent films about Wall Street manipulation are soaring high in home rentals.

Apple TV, usually the quickest to detect trends and spot immediate response, currently has Adam McKay’s 2015 “The Big Short” at #3 and Martin Scorsese’s 2013 “The Wolf of Wall Street” at #4. That places them ahead of all but two current releases (“Tenet” and “Greenland”) as the most-ordered titles.

This rapid response parallels what happened last February when Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 “Contagion” flew high with its story that paralleled the then-emergent Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Big Short” (based on Michael Lewis’ non-fiction account of Wall Street firms reaping profits from the 2008 financial collapset) and “Wolf of Wall Street” (based on the career of broker Jordan Belford) clicked with the public a...

We’ve seen Hollywood tell stories of the finance industry for decades. Who can forget “Wall Street,” “The Big Short,” “Boiler Room,” or “The Wolf of Wall Street,” for example? But the upcoming HBO series, “Industry,” takes a different perspective, focusing not on the richest men making the most money in devious, disgusting ways.

Continue reading ‘Industry’ Trailer: The World Of Finance Provides Plenty Of Drama In HBO’s Upcoming Series at The Playlist.

Kareem Ali doles out music at a torrid pace: He has released seven albums in the last 18 months, a mix of reverent deep house tracks and more potent, pointed grooves, questing science fiction and pressing political commentary. While it’s more common than ever for artists to jettison songs like old sheets during spring cleaning, Ali’s data-dump feels considered and locked in; listening to his albums back to back to back is at once soothing and captivating.

“The producer Knxwledge did an interview one time, and he was saying...

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has closed a first look production deal with Jennifer Todd, the producer of “Alice In Wonderland” and “Memento,” and her company Jennifer Todd Pictures.

There have been murmurs that Todd was going to ally herself with MGM for months. She has a long-standing business relationship with Michael De Luca, who took over as MGM’s Film Group chairman in January. The pair worked together when De Luca oversaw New Line Pictures in the 1990’s, producing hits such as “Boiler Room” and the Austin Powers franchise. They also teamed up to produce the Academy Awards in 2017 and 2018 — both shows were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Since taking the reins at MGM from Jonathan Glickman, De Luca has made several splashy moves. He tapped former New Regency executive Pamela Abdy to serve as MGM Film Group president and made a play to snag Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” when...

Producer Jennifer Todd is reuniting with Michael De Luca. MGM has closed a first look feature film production deal with Todd and her company Jennifer Todd Pictures, De Luca, MGM’s film group chairman, and Pamela Abdy, MGM film group president, announced Tuesday.

Todd and De Luca previously together produced the Austin Powers franchise of films at New Line Cinema back in the ’90s, as well as films such as “Boiler Room” and “Now and Then.” The duo also recently produced the 89th and 90th Academy Awards, both of which were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

“MGM’s enduring legacy as a home for great storytellers is further burnished with the addition of Jennifer to our studio family,” De Luca said in a statement.

Also Read: New 'Fiddler on the Roof' Movie in the Works at MGM From 'Hamilton' Director Thomas Kail

“The opportunity to make films...

MGM has finalized a first-look feature film production deal with producer Jennifer Todd and her company Jennifer Todd Pictures.

The deal brings Todd back together with MGM Film Group chairman Michael De Luca, the two having worked together in the 1990s when she produced the Austin Powers franchise, Boiler Room, and Now and Then for New Line when De Luca was at the helm of the studio. The duo recently produced the 89th and 90th Academy Awards, which were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

“MGM’s enduring legacy as a home for great storytellers is further burnished with the addition of Jennifer to our studio family,” said De Luca. Added Pamela Abdy, MGM Film Group president: “The opportunity to make films with Jennifer is hugely exciting to us both and we are beyond thrilled she is joining us here.”

Said Todd; “I started my career producing films for Mike and am...

Sony Pictures went “old school” to reach the younger demo when promoting the release of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” in the U.K., Germany and Mexico. The studio’s international team, in partnership with Sony Music, created pop-up retro record stores in the three territories that evoked the vibe of Los Angeles in 1969.

“People want to be transported,” Milissa Douponce, VP, international marketing, Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, tells Variety. With immersive experiences like this, “the goal is making people connect with the movie emotionally through the interaction [with its world], and hopefully it transfers to getting them engaged and excited to go see the movie.”

In London, the location of the pop up was Soho’s Sounds of the Universe record store, which used to be a pub where the Rolling Stones practiced in the 60s. More than 500 people passed through the store. In Berlin, Sony...

In the U.K., Snapchat has partnered with a bevy of top media brands -- including digital talent management firm Gleam Futures -- to create 25 original ‘Shows’.

The Shows format was introduced by Snapchat stateside two years ago, and marks a separate effort from the app's just-launched slate of Snap Originals. Rather than proprietary Snapchat productions, Shows are created by publisher partners and housed within the Discover section of the app. Snap’s head of international content partnerships, Rami Saad, told The Drum that U.S. time spent in Shows has tripled since the beginning of the year, and that U.S. shows have garnered an audience of 5 million people in the U.K.

In addition to Gleam, Snapchat has partnered with 17 total media companies across the U.K., including noted news destinations like The Guardian and Vice, as well as digital players like Irish men's website Joe and online music platform Boiler Room.

Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact rebecca.sun@thr.com.

There are certain rules

Jamie Kennedy has signed with Apa in all areas. The actor, producer and comedian will next be seen opposite Brad Pitt in James Gray's sci-fi epic Ad Astra, in which he plays a sergeant posted on a Martian base.

Kennedy is known for his roles in the Scream franchise, Romeo + Juliet, Bowfinger and As Good As It Gets, as well as Three Kings, Enemy of the State and Boiler Room. He also created The WB'...

Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact rebecca.sun@thr.com.

There are certain rules

Jamie Kennedy has signed with Apa in all areas. The actor, producer and comedian will next be seen opposite Brad Pitt in James Gray's sci-fi epic Ad Astra, in which he plays a sergeant posted on a Martian base.

Kennedy is known for his roles in the Scream franchise, Romeo + Juliet, Bowfinger and As Good As It Gets, as well as Three Kings, Enemy of the State and Boiler Room. He also created The WB'...

For four days earlier this year the Black Madonna vanished, slipping away between sets at Coachella and an appearance at Guadalajara club Bar Americas. In the turmoil and chaos of a life packed with travel, Facebook posts and Instagram photos, one of the most influential and respected DJs currently on the scene managed a disappearing act amid a 150-show-a-year calendar.

Typically, the Black Madonna (born Marea Stamper) spends her nights performing at different clubs, bars, record shops, venues weaving provocative music as thick as shag carpeting from threads of acid...

Viacom veteran Pamela Post has been promoted to head of scripted programming for MTV, VH1, and Logo. In her new role, Post will lead scripted efforts for the three cable channels as well as the recently launched MTV Studios.

Post will continue to head the channel group’s West Coast office and serve as executive producer on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Among the projects she will spearhead in her new role are upcoming revivals of “Aeon Flux” and “Daria,”

“Pam is a passionate and gifted storyteller with exceptional leadership skills,” said channel group general manager Amy Doyle, to whom Post will continue to report. “She continually inspires me and I know she will bring all of her energy and creativity to this expanded role.”

Post returns to the scripted world where she made her mark at Team Todd as VP of production, serving as associate producer for HBO’s “If...

The total number of women on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors is now 22, one more than last year. That’s because producer Jennifer Todd not only beat her Oscar show co-producer Michael De Luca as a finalist to represent the producers branch, but in a run-off election to resolve a tie vote, beat horror maestro Jason Blum as well.

Todd is president of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Pearl Street Films, where she produced “Live by Night” and executive produced last year’s “Jason Bourne.” Her credits also include “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Across the Universe,” “Prime,” “Memento,” “Boiler Room” and the “Austin Powers” films. Todd earned an Emmy nomination for her work on the HBO television movie, “If These Walls Could Talk 2.”

Todd joins incumbents Albert Berger and Mark Johnson in representing the...

The total number of women on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors is now 22, one more than last year. That’s because producer Jennifer Todd not only beat her Oscar show co-producer Michael De Luca as a finalist to represent the producers branch, but in a run-off election to resolve a tie vote, beat horror maestro Jason Blum as well.

Todd is president of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Pearl Street Films, where she produced “Live by Night” and executive produced last year’s “Jason Bourne.” Her credits also include “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Across the Universe,” “Prime,” “Memento,” “Boiler Room” and the “Austin Powers” films. Todd earned an Emmy nomination for her work on the HBO television movie, “If These Walls Could Talk 2.”

Todd joins incumbents Albert Berger and Mark Johnson in representing the...

Greetings, holiday shoppers! Welcome back for Day 7 of Daily Dead’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide. Today, we’re turning the spotlight on the fine independent artists over on Etsy who have handcrafted a multitude of projects, ranging from artwork to housewares to candles to holiday decorations—and pretty much everything in between.

And because we’ll be focusing on other gift arenas later this week like apparel, accessories, and enamel pins, you can expect to see more Etsy offerings coming your way over the next few days from those categories.

Also, Daily Dead has once again put together some really cool Holiday Gift Guide prize packs this year, and for your chance to win one, just send an email to contest@dailydead.com with “Holiday Gift Guide” in the subject line and be sure to include your full name and mailing address as well for your shot at some free horror-tastic...

Jimmy Kimmel is back, PriceWaterhouseCoopers be damned.

Strong reviews for the 2017 Oscar telecast were buried by the dramatic Best Picture envelope snafu and surprise “Moonlight” win. So the Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and outgoing president Cheryl Boone Isaacs decided to give the same team another chance to score for Oscars 2018.

Read More: Jimmy Kimmel Gives Update On His Baby, Interviews Senator Who Coined ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Test’ — Watch

“If you think we screwed up the ending this year, wait until you see what we have planned for the 90th anniversary show!” said Kimmel, the host and executive producer of the Emmy-winning “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, in its 15th season.

Also returning for a second go-round is Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, who Boone Isaacs calls her “dream team.”

“It’s not often you get two chances to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and even more rare to...

Jimmy Kimmel is back, PriceWaterhouseCoopers be damned.

Strong reviews for the 2017 Oscar telecast were buried by the dramatic Best Picture envelope snafu and surprise “Moonlight” win. So the Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and outgoing president Cheryl Boone Isaacs decided to give the same team another chance to score for Oscars 2018.

Read More: Jimmy Kimmel Gives Update On His Baby, Interviews Senator Who Coined ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Test’ — Watch

“If you think we screwed up the ending this year, wait until you see what we have planned for the 90th anniversary show!” said Kimmel, the host and executive producer of the Emmy-winning “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, in its 15th season.

Also returning for a second go-round is Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, who Boone Isaacs calls her “dream team.”

“It’s not often you get two chances to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and even more rare to...

Some people’s lives are best told truthfully, others more loosely.

In one corner, we have Rocky, the iconic Best Picture-winning boxing movie starring Sylvester Stallone as the made-up Rocky Balboa. In the other corner, we have Chuck, an upcoming biopic starring Liev Schreiber as real-life boxer Chuck Wepner. The latter primarily depicts the 1975 bout between Wepner and Muhammad Ali, which inspired Stallone to write the script for Rocky. He’s since tried to downplay the connection, especially after being sued by Wepner, but it’s close enough to being a film a clef as any.

Chuck received mostly positive reviews when it played the big film festivals last fall, but it’s unlikely to become the phenomenon, let alone Oscar darling, that Rocky was. Its legacy surely won’t be as lasting, in part because true biopics don’t tend to get sequels. There are a lot of benefits to fictionalized accounts of real events and...

[Editor’s Note: This post is presented in partnership with Spectrum. Catch up on this year’s Awards Season contenders and the latest films On Demand. Today’s pick is “Bleed for This.”]

Miles Teller is proving to be an actor who specializes in roles that combine extreme effort and crippling excess. Aaron Eckhart, meanwhile, has become the kind of performer who can bring a well-worn specificity to grizzled supporting roles.

Combine those elements and you get “Bleed for This,” the latest film from Ben Younger (“Boiler Room”). Teller plays Vinny Pazienza, a boxer struggling to return to the ring after a debilitating neck injury. It’s a performance that showcases Teller’s physicality against the backdrop of a true-life story. As Pazienza’s coach, Kevin Rooney, Eckhart brings his ferocity to a role that requires a less obvious show of continual force.

Younger has said that “Bleed for This” is far from a movie solely for boxing purists; he also wanted to rope in audiences who don’t care about sports at all. It’s an admirable goal, but one that doesn...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

From “School Ties” to “Live By Night” and this weekend’s “The Great Wall,” Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have each — for better and worse — left a considerable and ever-increasing footprint in the cultural landscape. But while the world is wide enough for both of them, our hearts are not. And so, we forced our panel of critics to choose: Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?

There can be only one.

Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelance with Rolling Stone, Vulture, Vox

This is a toughie. In terms of looks, both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s faces remind me of between forty and fifty of my least-favorite classmates during...

Exclusive: Danny Boyle's T2 Trainspotting will receive a special red-carpet welcome at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday night, after which Sony is throwing back to the culture of the original movie with an all-night rave set at a secret location. International underground music site Boiler Room will host the event, which will feature giants of the ’90s clubbing world in a nod to the iconic club scenes of 1996’s Trainspotting. The savvy marketing move, which ties in…...

Who wanted Xander Cage back? Is it you? It sure as hell isn't me. But he's here anyway, extreme-sports and lunkhead-espionage skills in tow. This cinematic equivalent of drool is the third in the series that started in 2002 by introducing Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, an extreme sports badass recruited by an Nsa boss (Samuel L. Jackson) to go undercover and flex his muscles. Ok, the assignment had something to do with Russians. But who remembers? Even Diesel wisely sat out the horrendous 2005 sequel (with Ice Cube) and found a...

Amazon has renewed “Sneaky Pete” for a second season, less than one week after Season 1 actually arrived. “Sneaky Pete” just premiered on Friday, January 13, when it became the platform’s second most-streamed original scripted series on an opening day, behind only “The Man in the High Castle.” The series was co-created and is executive produced by Bryan Cranston and showrunner Graham Yost. Michael Dinner, Fred Golan and James Degus also executive produce the Giovanni Ribisi show. Also Read: Martin Scorsese-Produced Grateful Dead Documentary Goes to Amazon In addition to the “Boiler Room” alum, the ensemble cast also features Marin Ireland,...

Marc Buxton Nov 30, 2016

Agents of Shield season 4 continues to be impressively adaptable and freewheeling with a magic-themed episode...

This review contains spoilers.

See related Bleed For This review Ben Younger interview: Bleed For This, Boiler Room, cookery

4.7 Deals With Our Devils

It’s quite literally a magical time to be a Marvel fan. Since Marvel’s Agents Of Shield last aired, fans were introduced to a world of magic in the Doctor Strange movie (hey Marvel, isn’t it time to announce the sequel?). But Marvel TV has its fair share of magic as well, and it’s all on display this week as half the team is lost in a very dark magical dimension thanks to the machinations of Eli Morrow.

The last few season, Agents of Shield has been all about Hydra and the Inhumans. Now, the series seems to be the place to explore the new Marvel world of magic.

Ryan Lambie Dec 2, 2016

After a decade away from the camera, Boiler Room director Ben Younger's back with Bleed For This. Ryan charts his extraordinary return...

Ask director Ben Younger about his new film, Bleed For This, and he glows with enthusiasm: eyes flashing behind his large glasses, he'll talk eagerly about the energy among the cast and the stress of shooting a period boxing drama on such a tight budget. Ask him about his first movie, the 2000 crime drama Boiler Room, and the words flow less easily. There's a hint of regret in his voice, a pause or two as he thinks about exactly the right response: not because the movie wasn't any good - far from it, in fact - but because, he suggests, its success came a little too early and easily.

See related  The Walking Dead season 7 episode 6 review: Swear The Walking Dead season 7 episode 5 review:...

Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart shine in the boxing drama, Bleed For This. Ryan reviews the comeback film from the maker of Boiler Room...

In boxing movies, it’s usually the lead actor who undergoes the most dramatic physical transformation, whether it’s Robert De Niro alternately pumping iron or gorging on pasta to play Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, or Jake Gyllenhaal bulking up to play a bereaved fighter in Southpaw.

See related Star Wars Rebels season 2 – Anakin and Ahsoka dominate finale trailer Star Wars: Hasbro unveils new merchandise Star Wars: Alden Ehrenreich confirmed, filming details Star Wars: Rogue One - watch a scene from the film right now

In Bleed For This, directed by Ben Younger (Boiler Room, Prime), Miles Teller provides a sinewy performance as real-life boxer Vinny 'Paz' Pazienza, but the most startling turn in the movie comes from Aaron Eckhart, who plays his hard-drinking trainer,...

Ryan Lambie Nov 30, 2016

Ahead of his boxing drama Bleed For This, director Ben Younger explains how he went from Boiler Room to chef and back to filmmaking...

Bleed For This is a tale of two comebacks. The movie itself tells the true story of Vinny Paz, a boxer who suffered terrible injuries in a car accident, but through sheer grit and determination, defied his doctors' advice and made a spectacular return to form. Behind the scenes, Bleed For This also marks the return of Ben Younger after more than a decade away from the film industry.

See related  Close To The Enemy episode 3 review Close To The Enemy episode 2 review Close To The Enemy episode 1 review

Younger's career took off at the start of the millennium with Boiler Room, a hit drama about white-collar crime starring Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel. A long and lucrative Hollywood career appeared to beckon,...

“Bleed for This” may look like any number of boxing movies that chronicle the career of a prize fighter, but the film is more about what legendary boxer Vinny Paz did outside the ring than inside. Based on the true story of Paz’s remarkable recovery after a car accident that left him with a broken neck, the movie stars Miles Teller as Paz and Aaron Eckhart as his trainer Kevin Rooney.

Read More: ‘Bleed For This’ Is A Boxing Movie With Too Much Heart, Not Enough Soul — Telluride Film Festival Review

During an interview with IndieWire at the Toronto Film Festival, writer-director Ben Younger (“Boiler Room”) explained that rather than telling the story of Paz’s entire boxing career, as a traditional boxing biopic might, he focused instead on the period that best revealed what kind of person Paz was: the year and a half immediately following his neck injury,...

In Bleed for This, Miles Teller plays real-life Rhode Island boxer Vinny Pazienza, who after breaking his neck in a car accident, begins a long recuperation that includes wearing a "halo" metal brace around his head and ultimately fights to return to the ring.

The film, written and directed by Boiler Room's Ben Younger, has received a number of rave reviews, including from The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic Todd McCarthy, who called it "a gritty, pungently Rhode Island working class-set boxing drama that connects with most of its punches."

Bleed for This, which opens in theaters today, reunites...

Miles Teller proves himself a champ by going all 12 rounds as Vinny "The Pazmanian Devil" Pazienza, the Rhode Island boxer who competed in three different weight classes – only to face the fight of his life after breaking his neck in a car accident and being told to hang up the gloves. That hyperbolic plot summary suggests a minefield of Hollywood clichés, and to be sure, Bleed for This sometimes bleeds right into them. But writer-director Ben Younger (Boiler Room, Prime) has a way of punching his way out of tight corners.

The boxing drama “Bleed for This” has a powerful story and a strong lead performance in its corner, but falls short of knockout status. Hampered by clichéd writing and stereotypical portrayals, this extraordinary true-life account feels run-of-the-mill. As written and directed by Ben Younger (“Boiler Room”) it’s not a bad movie; it’s just too familiar and conventional. No doubt the comeback of Vinny Pazienza (a.k.a. “the Pazmanian Devil”) after a near-fatal car crash, a broken neck and paralysis must have felt like a cinematic win from the moment it was pitched. The tale’s powerful dramatic arc is undeniable.

It was hard to figuring out during the latest boxing movie, Bleed for This, if I was watching a spoof called “Not Another Boxing Movie!” It worked for horror films and teen movies after all. But the filmmakers behind this project, improbably, are not kidding. They purport to take themselves seriously, even though the film is so cartoonish in some of its clichés that you won’t be able to. And you don’t have to: since the entire thing is rethreaded from other films, the movie feels more like a failed exercise in satire.

Bleed for This tells the story of Vinny Pazienza, played with the required trashy Northeastern accent by Miles Teller (New Jersey is the state of choice this time around). There is the hysterics-prone mother with an oversized perm (do you spot Melissa Leo? Oh, wait, this time it’s Katey Sagal, at least), the mostly...

The Oscars statues backstage at The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015.

Three-time Oscar®-nominated producer Michael De Luca and Emmy®-nominated producer Jennifer Todd will produce the 89th Oscars® telecast, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today. It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards®, which will air live on the ABC Television Network, and broadcast worldwide, on Oscar Sunday, February 26, 2017.

“What a talented team,” said Boone Isaacs. “Mike and Jennifer have a great working relationship and a tremendous love and respect of film, and will surely draw from their vast experience to create an exceptional and unforgettable event for movie fans everywhere.”

“We are deeply honored to produce the Academy Awards,” said De Luca and Todd. “We both revere the Oscars and grew up watching them each year with our families. We are so humbled and grateful to be a part of this incredible legacy,...