There’s been a considerable upsurge of Shiv-heads within the “Succession” fandom ever since we saw the Roy princess being enfeebled by the testosterone-y majority of the Royco empire. If you must pull for someone in an ocean of people with hardly any redeemable qualities, let alone a moral upper hand, it might as well be the only one with a slight voice of reason that isn’t maneuvered by an underlying emotional distress that needs checking out by a therapist. It does tell you a lot about what sort of people are bold enough to get neck-deep into the pandemonium that is the world of “Succession,” especially when they band together to upheave the one Roy kid who has the least chance at pulling the rug from under the Ken-Rome power-duo. The larger chunk of us is made up of underdogs awaiting a shot to prove ourselves, and tonight,...

Despite being met with a less-than-warm welcome in Season 1, the character of Che Diaz will not only return, but return bigger than ever, when HBO Max’s And Just Like That… serves up Season 2.

Grey’s Anatomy alum Sara Ramírez’s non-binary podcaster/stand-up comic character chopped it up with Carrie and eventually wooed Miranda during the Sex and the City follow-up’s freshman run, which premiered last December. At the close of Season 1, Che decamped to Los Angeles to shoot a TV pilot — with love interest Miranda in tow.

More from TVLineSarah Jessica Parker Sets Record Straight About Kim Cattrall...

As Drive My Car sped from a best screenplay win and stellar reviews at Cannes to four Oscar nominations, distributor credits for the three-hour Japanese drama went to Sideshow/Janus Films – the former a little known new venture from Jonathan Sehring.

The longtime head of IFC Films said he launched Sideshow with “a group of friends.” Drive is its first project. Other are coming but “nothing we are ready to talk about yet.” The friends include Jonathan Turell and Peter Becker, partners in Janus Films. Turell is also CEO and Becker president of The Criterion Collection, a separate company that shares a leadership team and frequently works in concert with Janus. Their fathers, the late William Becker and Saul Turell, acquired Janus Films in 1965 and, Sehring said, gave him his first job out of college. “I worked for their dads. It’s almost like family to me,...

A new Steven Soderbergh movie is on the horizon, but it’s being released a little under the radar. The filmmaker behind “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Magic Mike” and “Traffic” tackles the thriller genre with a story set during the Covid-19 pandemic in “Kimi,” which serves as a performance vehicle for Zoë Kravitz. The film marks the first collaboration between Soderbergh and “Panic Room” and “Spider-Man” writer David Koepp, and is already drawing notice for being a lean, mean thriller that compels from beginning to end.

So how and where do you watch “Kimi?” And what is the film about? Your burning questions answered below.

Where Is “Kimi” Streaming?

“Kimi” is an HBO Max original film and is streaming exclusively on HBO Max starting on Feb. 10. Since it’s an HBO Max original, it will always be available on the streaming service.

Is “Kimi” in Theaters?

No, “Kimi” is not getting a theatrical release.

Steven Soderbergh’s directorial career has included Oscar-winning dramas, science-fiction mind-benders (“Solaris”), heist comedies (“Ocean’s Eleven”), historical epics (“Che”) and more, but he has never crossed over into making a Hollywood superhero tentpole. Don’t expect him too, either.

Speaking to The Daily Beast ahead of the streaming release of his new thriller “Kimi,” Soderbergh said he’s not approached to direct superhero franchises nor does he envision writing one. The filmmaker said it’d be almost impossible for him to work in the superhero space since the characters are completely sexless.

“I’m not a snob; it’s not that I feel it’s some lower tier in any way. It really becomes about what universe you occupy as a storyteller,” Soderbergh said. “I’m just too earthbound to really release myself to a universe in which Newtonian physics don’t exist [laughs]. I just have a lack of imagination in that regard,...

Michael Patrick King, the executive producer, writer and director of “And Just Like That … ,” the HBO Max revival of “Sex and the City,” talks with exclamation points in his voice, sounding invigorated as he discusses Season 1 of the show, which concludes this week. Continuing the stories of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) — who became both icons and archetypes during the original series, which King ran as an executive producer — has been a delight for him, and he uses variations on the word “thrill” multiple times. “All I’m really interested in now in my career is following creative risks,” King says..

One risk for “And Just Like That …” was an obvious one: There’s been no in-person Samantha, the beloved, sexually free “fourth Musketeer” of the group (as she’s called during the show’s premiere) after Kim Cattrall declared years ago that she was done with the character.

Nominations for the 2022 Writers Guild Awards were announced on Thursday, and quite a few members of TV’s freshman class — including Disney+’s Loki, Showtime’s Yellowjackets and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building — found themselves on this year’s list.

HBO Max’s Hacks and FX’s Reservation Dogs were also among the rookies to net multiple nods, while veterans like Succession and The Handmaid’s Tale — both nominated in previous years — are in the running once again.

More from TVLineSAG Awards 2022: Succession and Squid Game Lead Nominations; Yellowstone Snags Best Ensemble NodGolden Globes 2022: Succession and Hacks...

Netflix announced that a new Michael Che stand-up special will premiere globally Nov. 16. The special is titled “Michael Che: Shame the Devil.”

This special follows his 2016 Netflix special “Michael Che Matters” in which the comedian discussed topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to gentrification. “Michael Che: Shame the Devil” is directed by Kristian Mercado and produced by Irony Point.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Dates

HBO Max announced that the new drama series “Station Eleven” will debut Dec. 16. Based on the book by Emily St. John Mandel, the series is a post-apocalyptic saga that tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild the world. “Station Eleven” stars Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Daniel Zovatto, David Wilmot, Matilda Lawler, Philippine Velge, Nabhaan Rizwan and Lori Petty, with Gael Garcìa Bernal and Danielle Deadwyler recurring. Patrick Somerville, Scott Steindorff, Scott Dalman, Dylan Russell, Jessica Rhoades,...

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Digital filmmaking was mostly resigned to Dslr, until Red digital came into the picture. The camera company quickly became a favorite among directors and cinematographers, including Steven Soderbergh, one of the earliest to use a Red camera when he shot both installments of “Che” in 2008. Given the hefty price tag, Red cameras are too pricey to buy for some indie filmmakers — other than the Red Komodo, which are geared for indie productions, most indie filmmakers would rent these cameras rather than buy them unless they’re big studio productions. A Red camera can run you anywhere from $6,000 to upwards of $50,000, and despite being used in productions of all sizes, you’ll typically find...

If you are wondering if Squid Game has a source material past its script, then you aren’t alone. It’s one of the search terms that trended after the Korean social horror hit Netflix last week, and it’s not hard to understand why. In this era of peak content, a notable chunk of the stories that make it to our screens in the form of TV shows and movies are adaptations of some kind. When it comes to genre storytelling specifically, many of those adaptations have anime, comic book, or manga source material—one look no further than the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a chief example. So is Squid Game based on an already published story?

The short answer to this question is: no. Squid Game has no source material other than its stellar script. However, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk (previously best known for features like 2017 historical epic The Fortress...

After the success of its Celebration of Black Cinema events for the past three years, the Critics Choice Association said Tuesday it is expanding the series with the inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema, which will honor icons Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Demián Bichir along with a group of additional honorees, many associated with upcoming 2021 films, still to be announced.

The new Celebration, to be presented virtually, is set for Thursday December 9, 2021 and aims to put a spotlight on the contributions of great Oscar-winning and -nominated artists like that initial trio, but also Latino filmmaking in general, a facet of the motion picture industry that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves during awards season. Among other things, the Cca’s Celebration of Latino Cinema aims to change that.

“We are thrilled to be launching the first annual Celebration of Latino Cinema which recognizes the talented performers and skilled...

Josh Sapan, a cable pioneer who has headed AMC Networks and its predecessors in the Dolan cable dynasty for more than 25 years, is seguing to the vice chairman role at AMC Networks.

Matt Blank, a contemporary of Sapan’s who headed Showtime for 20 years, has been tapped as interim CEO while AMC Networks conducts a search for a new CEO.

Sapan’s move was anticipated in the two-year contract he signed in December 2020 that gave him the option to shift from president and CEO to the vice chairman role in 2022. Over his 34 years with Cablevision and Dolan-owned entities, the executive has led the expansion of the cable channel group that now includes AMC, SundanceTV, BBC America, IFC and WeTV channels and the IFC Films movie unit, plus a collection of international channels. Sapan joined what was then Rainbow Media in 1987 and was named president and CEO in 1995.

Sapan launched the...

Exclusive: Brenda Vaccaro and Ivan Hernandez have joined the cast of HBO Max’s Sex and the City revival And Just Like That… in recurring roles.

Emmy Award winner Vaccaro will portray Gloria Marquette, Mr. Big’s (Chris Noth) loyal, long-time secretary. Hernandez will work closely with Sara Ramirez’s Che Diaz in the role of Franklyn, a sound engineer working with the podcaster on their show.

And Just Like That…, from executive producer Michael Patrick King, follows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. The 10-episode, half-hour series began production in the Big Apple in early July.

Vaccaro is an Academy and Tony Award-nominated actress who most recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Faye Dunaway will appear alongside Kevin Spacey in his controversial new project, “The Man Who Drew God.”

Directed by Italian actor Franco Nero, who also stars, the feature will be Spacey’s first role since 2017, when dozens of accusations of sexual harassment and assault saw the “House of Cards” actor effectively ostracized from Hollywood.

Nero’s wife, the actor Vanessa Redgrave, was originally believed to be appearing in the film, and received social media backlash regarding her starring role alongside Spacey, who has never publicly acknowledged the multiple allegations against him. Shortly after she was linked with the project, Redgrave’s reps issued a statement distancing the actor from the project.

“The Man Who Drew God” producer Louis Nero has confirmed to Variety that Dunaway will be playing the role Redgrave had been rumored to play. “She plays an old Braille teacher who is an old friend of the blind...

Kevin Spacey returns to acting in L’uomo Che Disegnò Dio — Kevin Spacey will be back to work acting in an independent Italian film directed by Franco Nero called L’uomo Che Disegnò Dio. Spacey had previously been accused of sexual assault and 2017 was the last time, audiences heard about an upcoming Kevin Spacey movie. People [...]

Continue reading: L’Uomo Che Disegno Dio: Kevin Spacey is Making a Return to Acting in 2021...

“That Damn Michael Che” it is

“Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update” anchor Michael Che dropped by Jimmy Fallon’s studio on Tuesday to promote his new HBO Max show, ‘That Damn Michael Che.” The streaming series has an awesome title, but it was almost awesome-r.

“I want to talk about this show on HBO Max. I’m so psyched that you made this,” Fallon said. “It’s called ‘That Damn Michael Che,’ which is so funny even just saying that title because the audience is like, ‘Why would you say that about Michael Che?'”

“That’s why I like it, because it could go either way,” Che said. “It could be like: (smiling) ‘Man, that damn Michael Che is funny’ or (sternly) ‘That damn Michael Che.’ I like the kind of weight of it.”

He added: “I wanted to call it ‘That Black-ass Michael Che,’ but HBO said, ‘No.

Amazon Prime Video France today published details of its upcoming slate of productions, including four new originals:

Greek Salad is a contemporary sequel to the movie trilogy L’Auberge Espagnole (Pot Luck), 20 years after the originals. It follows the lives of Tom and Mia (the children of Xavier and Wendy from L’Auberge Espagnole) as they embark on a new adventure in Athens. The eight episode series is created by Cédric Klapisch, with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau (Call my Agent). The show will be co-produced by Bruno Levy for Ce Qui Me Meut and will launch exclusively on Prime Video in 2022.

Flashback is the second Amazon original movie produced in France. This one is a time travel comedy starring comedian Caroline Vigneaux, with Sophia Aram, Suzanne Clément, Lison Daniel, Gad Elmaleh, Lannick Gautry, Emy Ltr, Florent Peyre and Sylvie Testud. It is produced by Alain Goldman for Legende Films and...

If you read Heather Wixson's 4-star review or you listened to our Sundance episode of Corpse Club featuring director Natalie Erika James, then you know that we can't wait for Daily Dead readers to see her new horror film Relic. Before it comes to theaters and Digital/VOD on July 10th, IFC will release Relic in drive-in theaters early beginning July 3rd, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend:

Press Release: New York, NY: Ahead of its July 10th theatrical and Digital/VOD date, IFC Films is bringing Relic to drive-in theaters only as an advance week-run beginning July 3rd as studios delay new releases to later in the summer. With a current score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Relic is one of the year’s most highly anticipated genre films of the Summer.

Recently heralded as one of Indiewire’s ‘20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know...

In an aim to help now-shuttered independent theaters, IFC Films will allow cinemas to screen 200 of its library titles for free once they open back up. The distributor hopes that favorites like “Frances Ha,” “Y Tu Mamá También,” and even “The Human Centipede” will help drive audiences back to theaters in the coming months, a time when fewer and fewer new releases are being scheduled.

The Indie Theater Revival Project‘s offerings will be available to theaters beginning May 29, with traditional rental fees for library titles waived for theaters in the first 30 days that they’re open, starting from whatever date they reopen their doors. That means more money in the pockets in the form of ticket sales for local theater owners who have been faced with a near-zero revenue stream after closing their doors last month.

More from IndieWireHow France Is Supporting Its Film Industry During a Global CrisisWhy...

In an effort to help independently-owned movie theaters recover from the coronavirus pandemic, IFC Films announced on Tuesday that it will offer over 200 of its films to those theaters without any rental fees. This will help give those theaters some classic films to screen when they reopen while they wait for new films to be released.

“Independent theaters across the country have been essential partners for us at IFC Films, and we would not be where we are today without their support,” the distributor announced in a statement. “We wanted to take the first step and let theaters know that we are committed to helping them reopen their doors by providing a selection of films to program while the new release landscape gets back to normal.”

Dubbed “The Indie Revival Project,” the program will offer selections from IFC’s catalog in various curated packs, including a “Yes We Cannes!” program...

Showtime has rounded out the series regular cast for Hombre, its thriller drama pilot from BAFTA nominee Jonas Cuarón (Gravity), starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle). Marisé Alvarez (The Vessel), Greg Grunberg (A Star Is Born), Pepi Sonuga (Famous In Love), Adriana Santos (Taken) and newcomer Noah Reyes will join Bernal in the pilot, which is set to begin production at the end of April in Los Angeles.

Created by Cuarón, who also will direct the pilot, Hombre centers on a Mexican-American family man named Marcos Osuna (Bernal) who is living undocumented in the United States. When his wife Leticia is detained by Ice, Marcos, both desperate and resourceful, goes to unprecedented lengths to get her back. The project is an emotional thriller about a man enmeshed in a dangerous double life, contending with powerful forces set on thwarting his unwavering desire to unite his family.

Cuarón executive produces with Bernal,...

In 1991, Kathryn Bigelow directed the adrenaline-charged action crime movie “Point Break,” about an FBI agent who goes undercover to catch a gang of bank robbers who may be surfers, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. It’s become an action crime classic over the last two decades, and sure, it’s an enjoyable film, but do we actually need a remake? Hollywood sure seems to think so. Warner Bros. is releasing “Point Break” later this year, but this main trio is decidedly less sexy than Bigelow, Reeves and Swayze. Then again, everyone’s gotta start somewhere. This new version of “Point Break” focuses on some up-and-comers: Luke Bracey staring in the Keanu Reeves role, and Edgar Ramirez in the Patrick Swayze role. Now, Ramirez is known and celebrated in many circles — he was amazing in Oliver Assayas’ three part “Carlos,” and has done strong supporting work in "Zero Dark Thirty,...

Altamira

Director: Hugh Hudson // Writers: Olivia Hetreed, José Luis López-Linares

Hudson, notably the director of 1981 Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire, hasn’t helmed a feature since the lambasted 2000 Kim Basinger film I Dreamed of Africa, a noted passion project for the actress. His latest, Altamira, looks to be a historical reenactment, and will hopefully prove to be Hudson’s welcome return to feature films, which is why it makes our list. Banderas will play Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, a Spanish jurist and amateur archeologist who made the discovery of the Altamira Cave with his nine-year-old daughter Maria. Featuring painting of bison, horses, a doe and human hands, made with charcoal and ochre, these were the first Paleolithic cave paintings of their type to be discovered.

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Golshifteh Farahani, Rupert Everett.

Producers: Morena Films’ Lucrecia Botín and Alvaro Longoria (7 Days in Havana), Sympathetic Ink’s Andy Paterson (The Railway Man...

Filming is underway in New Orleans on David Gordon Green's feature adaptation of the 2005 political campaign doc of the same name. In her first live-action feature film appearance since "Gravity," Sandra Bullock plays retired political consultant "Calamity" Jane Bodine. She's pulled back into the game by a team of Americans tasked with getting an unpopular Bolivian president reelected. The campaign gets chaotic when Billy Bob Thornton shows up as the opposition — and, as we learn, he's also Jane's worst enemy. The film's top drawer cast includes Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Scoot McNairy (“Gone Girl,” “Argo”), Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”), Ann Dowd (“Side Effects,” HBO’s “The Leftovers”), Reynaldo Pacheco (“Beginners”), Dominic Flores (“Rampart”), Louis Arcella (NBC’s “The Blacklist”), Octavio Gómez Berríos (“Che: Part One”) and Joaquim de Almeida (“Fast Five”). Green, who has deftly carried projects both indie ("George...

Filming is underway in New Orleans on director David Gordon Green’s (“Pineapple Express,” “George Washington”) feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed 2005 documentary Our Brand Is Crisis, starring Oscar winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”).

When a group of American consultants accept the challenge of getting an unpopular Bolivian president re-elected, they realize they need help. Tracking down retired maverick political consultant Jane Bodine (Bullock) to her cabin in the woods, they persuade her to lead the team—a decision they quickly come to regret, as “Calamity” Jane begins to live up to her nickname, unleashing her very own brand of chaos on the campaign.

Just as all seems lost, the loathsome Pat Candy (Thornton), Jane’s worst enemy, arrives in town to work for the opposition. Suddenly things become personal and as the battle begins the consultants get to see Jane the legend in action.

Alcon Entertainment’s action-thriller Point Break, starring Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer and Delroy Lindo, begins principal photography today, it was announced by Alcon principals Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson.

The production will film on four continents, including North America, Europe, South America and Asia, and features stunts performed by the world’s top extreme sports athletes, as opposed to stunt performers. Locations set for filming include Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Venezuela, French Polynesia, India and the United States. Alcon will release through its output deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.

Ericson Core (“Invincible”) is directing from Kurt Wimmer’s (“Salt,” “Law Abiding Citizen”) screenplay. Ramírez (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Che: Part One”) stars as Bodhi and Bracey (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” upcoming “The Best of Me”) will portray Johnny Utah.

Point Break is inspired by the classic 1991 hit starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.

In “Point Break,...

Attempting to top the previous 'Machete Kills' character poster featuring sexy 'Modern Family' star Sofia Vergara firing off her breasts is always going to be an uphill struggle. Still the marketing team gave us Charlie Sheen with firearms so here's hoping for plenty of more eye candy. Today we catch sight of the Oscar nominated Demian Bichir ('Che: Part One') plastered up on the latest charster ('character poster'!) as Mendez the Madman. The weighty cast list also includes Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba ('Sin City'), Michelle Rodriguez ('Resident Evil: Retribution'), Amber Heard ('Drive Angry'), Vanessa Hudgens ('Sucker Punch'), Zoe Saldana ('Avatar'), Lady Gaga, Alexa Vega, the Avellan twins ('Planet Terror'), Antonio Banderas, Cuba Gooding Jr, Edward James Olmos ('Dexter'), William Sadler and Mel Gibson....

Forest Whitaker is simply one of the best actors working today. His resume is beyond impressive with Bird, Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samarai, The Last King Of Scotland and so many more. Also impressive is his co-star in The Last Stand, Rodrigo Santoro who has pretty terrific resume as well including Che: Part One and Part Two, as well as his work on the series .Lost.. One of the real treats of The Last Stand was watching these two fellas in action. This is what an R-rated action flick should...

Anurag Kashyap’s name (No Smoking, DevD) has become synonymous with new age Indian cinema, which pushes boundaries and offers an alternative to the mainstream commercial offerings from Bollywood which many have become accustomed to. Gangs of Wasseypur (Gow), fresh from its critical reception at Cannes Film Festival, is part one of a self-styled almost 6 hour epic mafia film, set in the hinterlands of northern India. The central concept of the film is revenge, coupled with the rise of warring clans. It is similar to the revenge Leonardo Dicaprio sought from Daniel Day Lewis in Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, or Amitabh Bachchan fought for in Mukul Anand’s Agneepath. In Gow this revenge is laid out very early in the film by a young Manoj Bajpai, in the name of his father’s death (also played by Manoj Bajpai) and will clearly culminate in part 2 of the film.

Demián Bichir Oscar nominee Demián Bichir at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Oscar Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills, California, on Monday, February 6, 2012. Applauding him are Jean Dujardin, Michel Hazanavicius, Janet McTeer, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, and others at the 2012 Oscar Luncheon. (Photo: Greg Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S. Click on the Demián Bichir photo to enlarge it.) Bichir is a Best Actor nominee for Chris Weitz's A Better Life, in which he plays an undocumented Mexican immigrant eking out a living in Los Angeles. His competition for the 2012 Best Actor Academy Award consists of George Clooney for Alexander Payne's family drama The Descendants, Brad Pitt for Bennett Miller's baseball drama Moneyball, Gary Oldman for Tomas Alfredson's spy drama Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Jean Dujardin for Michel Hazanavicius' silent comedy-drama The Artist. Dujardin was the Best Actor SAG Award winner.

Benicio Del Toro's always seemed a little uneasy with the idea of stardom. He's been working in the big leagues, on-and-off, since "Licence To Kill" in 1989, and took a big leap up with his near-incomperehensible performance in "The Usual Suspects," but every time he steps towards the A-list, he seems to take two steps back. After "The Usual Suspects?" Botched Alicia Silverstone rom-com "Excess Baggage." After his Oscar-winning performance in "Traffic?" The mediocre "Fugitive"-riff "The Hunted." After his titanic lead in "Che?" Seemingly falling asleep through most of "The Wolfman."  The actor will crop up next year in Oliver Stone's "Savages," but had a pretty big offer made to him of late that promised to be his highest profile role to date; he was J.J. Abrams' choice to play the villain in the sequel to "Star Trek." More fuss was kicked up in the...

Here's something I didn't know: apparently directors Steven Soderbergh and Gary Ross are good friends. Looking through their respective IMDb pages, you can see that Ross got a "Thank You" credit on Che: Part One and Ocean's 12, while Soderbergh served as a producer on Pleasantville. Now, with Ross rushing to complete production on one of the biggest films of next year, The Hunger Games, it seems that he's called in a favor. The Playlist has discovered a pair of Tweets that suggest that Steven Soderbergh is handling the second unit production for The Hunger Games. Just yesterday, production designer Eddie Mills Tweeted, "Soderbergh in the house this weekend!!! very exciting!" This was followed by a message from Chrys Blackstone, an electrician on the set, who apparently said, "Holy shit! Just found out that Steven Soderbergh is coming to the #hungergames to direct 2nd Unit. I am so excited this...

Photo: FilmDistrict One of the films I'm extremely excited to see at Cannes is Drive starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, and I have to assume anyone that's seen Refn's Bronson or the Pusher trilogy is anxiously awaiting this film right along with me. Today I received a batch of five images from the film in advance of its Cannes debut which you can browse in full right here.

The film is based on the James Sallis novel with a screenplay by Hossein Amini (Killshot) and is described as a fast paced action thriller that focuses on a Hollywood stunt driver (Gosling), a loner by nature, who moonlights as a getaway driver-for-hire in the criminal underworld. He finds himself a target for some of La's most dangerous men after agreeing to aid the ex-con boyfriend of his beautiful neighbor (Mulligan) in a job that goes dangerously awry.

With The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ...

Such a list includes Bryce Dallas Howard ("Victoria II"), Xavier Samuel ("Riley Biers"), Jodelle Ferland ("Bree Tanner"), Jack Huston ("Royce King"), Kirsten Prout ("Lucy"), Leah Gibson ("Nettie"), and, last but not least, Catalina Sandino Moreno ("Maria").

Since leaving the Eclipse scene, each has taken on his or her own unique course for work.

For Catalina Sandino Moreno, picking up the role of Maria for the film seemed to be a bit of a departure from her normally serious and revered movie portfolio (with work like Maria Full Of Grace, Fast Food Nation, Love In The Time Of Cholera, and Che: Part One and Che: Part Two), but perhaps that's exactly what she was looking for because while she has filmed another biopic - on the Cristeros War called Cristiada - she's also attached herself to a comedy of sorts.

Per Slashfilm, Moreno is part of...

Casting is coming together for the sequel to Clash of the Titans (imaginatively titled Wrath of the Titans), and Deadline are reporting that Carlos lead Edgar Ramirez has been offered the role of Ares, the God of War.

The actor has been around for almost a decade, showing up in meaty roles in a number of big feature such as Che: Part One, The Bourne Ultimatum and 2005’s Domino, but his highly praised performance in the epic (five hours plus!) tale of Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal has finally given him the career boast he needed.

Jonathan Liebesman (who has human vs. alien shoot ‘em up fest Battle: Los Angeles on the way) takes over the directorial duties from Louis Leterrier for the sequel to those warring god and mortals.

It looks like Mount Olympus wants in on some hot Latin action. Deadline is reporting that Venezuelan-born actor Edgar Ramirez (Carlos, The Argentine a.k.a. Che: Part One) is up for the role of 'Ares' in director Jonathan Liebesman's upcoming Wrath Of The Titans. Deadline says Ramirez has been offered the part of the God of War and that he's "on the verge of making a deal to star." The Clash Of The Titans follow-up will see the return of Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Ralph...

A Two-part Series On Steven Soderbergh'S Che.

***

Che: Part One (The Argentine)

What is a political image? How does it work, and what are the elements that make it work? This is a difficult enough question for the still image; but how is it that political moving images work? Relatedly, how can we unarchive the politicality of images as separate from their political sheen—or, put differently, how can we authenticate the politicality of the moving image?

Maps

Spend a few minutes watching the BBC series Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession or take a quick trip to the British Library this fall, and confirm what you might already know: maps, in their chief purpose, are tools of conquest and control. Maps are weapons that structure military campaigns and show geographic realities, and geography can determine history.

Above: Tabula Peutingeriana (detail); map of roads throughout the Roman Empire.

Above: Cantino planisphere,...

Following in the footsteps of the two-part Vincent Cassel biopic of notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine another iconic criminal, Carlos the Jackal, has been given the big screen treatment and Empire have exclusively revealed the UK quad.

Carlos stars Edgar Ramirez in the title role (he appeared in both Che: Part One and The Bourne Ultimatum) and the film makes its UK debut at the London Film Festival, having been edited down to a three hour movie (it begun life as a five and a half hours TV mini-series).

Personally, I prefer this fantastic 70’s inspired poster for the film, which was used for festival promotions.

Carlos is on limited release in the UK from October 22.

So last year I joined Twitter and desperately struggled to figure out a good use for it. Assuming most people following my account might come from the Film Junk podcast, I thought it might be an idea platform to keep track of what films I've been watching and what ratings I give them. My first post was March 9th, 2009 with David Cronenberg's The Brood (3.5/4) and since then I've managed to check out a good number of great films over the last year. (Jacques Tati's Play Time and Wim Wender's Paris, Texas are definitely two stand outs on this list.) Many of these are first time viewings, but a there are also a lot of movies I just felt the urge to revisit. So what do you think? Any favourites? Have a look for yourself after the jump! The Brood, (Cronenberg, 1979) 3.5/4 Operation Crossbow (Anderson, 1965) 3.5/4 Watchmen, (Snyder, 2009) 3/4 Pontypool, (McDonald, 2008) 4/4 Pinocchio,...

Benicio Del Toro hopes to put his acting career on hold in the future - because he's determined to step behind the camera to direct.

The Puerto Rican star has already expanded his resume with a string of producer credits, including historical epic Che and upcoming horror blockbuster The Wolfman.

And he hopes he will eventually be able to spend more time behind the scenes.

He tells British magazine Shortlist, "I know much more about movies and acting than when I was 20. I do want to explore other things in the film world, (like) telling people what to do.

"I usually get told what to do. I'd like to try to direct something, to tell a story. And I'd like to produce some more."

And he hopes to pick up tips from legendary director Martin Scorsese when they begin shooting upcoming movie Silence later this year.

Del Toro adds, "That's definitely something that I'm really looking forward to. Every time I talk to him, it's like the same as meeting with (Star Wars character) Yoda."...

0:00 - Intro / In-House Stuff 10:40 - Headlines: Marc Webb Confirmed for Spider-Man, Jason Momoa is Conan, Basterds Win at SAG Awards, Gremlins 3 in 3-D?, Paranormal Activity 2 Gets Saw VI Director, Tim Burton to Direct Live Action Sleeping Beauty Remake?, My Name is Bruce 2 26:10 - Review: Sugar 43:00 - Trailer Trash: MacGruber 51:55 - Other Stuff We Watched: Legion, Paper Heart, Guns ‘N Roses, Che: Part One, Invasion Iowa, 30 Rock: Season 1 89:07 - Junk Mail: She's 82 Remix, Favourite Albums of '09, The House of the Devil and Pontypool, The Wire, If America Declared War on Canada, Overdone Themes, Movies That Inspire You to Read The Book, Feature-Length Animation 2:03:30 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:04:50 - Outro » Download the MP3 (60 Mb) [1] » View the show notes [2] » Vote for us on Podcast Alley! [3] Subscribe to the podcast feed: [4] [5] [6] [7] Donate via Paypal: Recurring Donation $2/Month: [1] http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.

0:00 - Intro 1:55 - Headlines: Raimi Drops Spider-Man 4, Sam Mendes to Direct James Bond, Pierre Morel to Direct Dune, Darren Aronofsky Off Robocop?, Thundercats and Metal Gear Solid Movies Are Dead, Box Office Beats DVD Sales First Time in 7 Years, Avatar Passes $1 Billion Worldwide, Leno / Conan Late Night War 28:38 - Review: Thirst 43:25 - Trailer Trash: The A-Team 47:10 - Other Stuff We Watched: Grizzly Man, City of God, It Might Get Loud, La danse, Youth in Revolt, Che: Part One, Che: Part Two, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special 1:37:50 - Junk Mail: Film Junk vs. Howard Stern, Film Junk vs. Death, Directors Returning to Franchises, Tarsem Singh, Greg's Secret Crush, Idiocracy, How to Open a DVD 2:03:55 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:06:50 - Outro » Download the MP3 (62 Mb) [1] » View the show notes [2] » Vote for us on Podcast Alley! [3] Subscribe to the...

As we say good-bye to 2009, we reflect back on a year of space opera spectacles, animated allegories and protracted period pieces. The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds and Up in the Air were favorites among critics in 2009, though one of those films actually didn't make our list of the twelve most entertaining films of 2009. We'll let you read on to figure out which one was omitted—you can feel free to chastise us in the Comments section below if you think we were unfair for leaving it out.

How do we interpret "entertaining," you ask? Not necessarily the best, or most influential…or most "important"…but what we considered to be the dozen most enjoyable and/or absorbing films of 2009—broadly defined, films that pulled you into the story for one reason or another, and weren't forgotten 10 minutes after leaving the theater. Films that elicited an emotional reaction, not through manipulation,...

Demian Bichir ("Che: Part One") will star in the Mexican film "Hidalgo-Moliere." The film focuses on the father of the Mexican independence movement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor also is in discussions to star in an untitled drama which concerns Leona Sanchez, South Florida gang leader. Film has a working title of "Lady Scarface." Antonio Serrano ("Sex, Shame and Tears") is behind the wheel of "Hidalgo-Moliere." Ana de la Reguera of the "Nacho Libre" comedy co-stars. Story would tell of Hidalgo's early years in the theater and his rise to leading the Mexican War of Independence in the early 1800s. which focuses on Hidalgo's early years in the theater and his rise to leading the Mexican War of Independence in the early 1800s.

It's been a long time coming, but Steven Soderbergh's two-part biopic about Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara will finally get the full DVD and Blu-ray release that it deserves this coming January. Apparently they had hoped to have it ready for December, but Soderbergh needed extra time to reconstruct deleted scenes and prepare some of the supplementary material. In the words of Criterion president Peter Becker, the delay was "a trade we will always make, even if it means we don't get the benefit of sales in the holiday season, and we think that's the kind of decision our collectors would want us to make". Kudos to Criterion for that. The extras on this release will include the following: High-definition digital transfers of Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Audio commentaries on both films,...

Along with the previously announced Jon Hamm, Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch has added another good-looking man to its predominantly female cast: Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac, who most recently appeared in Body of Lies and Che: Part One.

Variety broke the news of Isaac's signing onto Snyder's upcoming project for Warner Bros./Legendary, which centers on a girl who's institutionalized by her stepfather and retreats into an alternative reality. Emily Browning plays the girl; Carla Gugino, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Scott Glenn, and Abbie Cornish are also on board. Zack and Deborah Snyder are producing Sucker Punch through their Cruel & Unusual banner. He's directing from a script he co-wrote with Steven Shibuya.

Keep it here for more on Sucker Punch as we draw closer to its fall start date in Vancouver.

- Debi Moore

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Catalina Sandino Moreno is no newcomer to the Hollywood scene. – Maria Full Of Grace. Moreno won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead in that film, as well as the New Generation Award at the London Critics Circle Film Awards and the Imagen Award, amongst others. ... Journey To The End Of The Night and as Ana in Paris, I Love You before becoming Sylvia for Fast Food Nation, an Imagen Award-nominated and Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm-nominated film that received wide acclaim. ... The Hottest State and The Heart Of The Earth before taking the role of Hildebranda in Love In The Time Of Cholera. ... Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, Cannes Film ,,, Benecio del Toro and Julia Ormond. She has also been cast in the up-coming film entitled Frail, which films in Vancouver – the same location as filming for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse with Jackson Rathbone...

Catalina Sandino Moreno is no newcomer to the Hollywood scene. Moreno is an Oscar-nominated actress with some very impressive work under her belt. This twenty-eight-year-old actress hails from Bogota, Colombia, and she was the first ever Colombian to be nominated for an Academy Award. Her husband, David Elwell, is a cinematic lighting technician who worked with her on the film for which she was nominated – Maria Full Of Grace. Moreno won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead in that film, as well as the New Generation Award at the London Critics Circle Film Awards and the Imagen Award, amongst others. Maria Full Of Grace was her first film, if you can believe it, and quite the breakthrough performance for Moreno it was. After Maria, Moreno took the part as Angie in Journey To The End Of The Night and as Ana in Paris, I Love You before becoming Sylvia for Fast Food Nation,...

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Catalina Sandino Moreno has joined the cast of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse as Maria (a character you might recall from Jasper (Jackson Rathbone)'s past). When the announcement came last night that Royce King had been cast with Jack Huston, many speculated as to whether flashback sequences from Jasper's past would be included as well (since those of Rosalie' ... Catalina Sandino Moreno is a twenty-eight year old Oscar-nominee who you might've seen in Fast Food Nation, Che: Part One, and Che: Part Two. Moreno has also played in Love In The Time Of Cholera, based on the classic book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so she has experience in book-to-film translations of a mystical sort. According to THR, The Colombian-born Sandino Moreno most notably starred in "Grace," in which she played a pregnant teacher who becomes a drug mule, as well as Steven Soderbergh's...

Actor Miguel Angel Suarez has died from esophageal cancer, at the age of 69.

The Puerto Rican star passed away at the Metropolitan Hospital in the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to his filmmaker friend Jacobo Morales.

Suarez was a veteran of over 30 films, including 2000 movie Under Suspicion - which also featured Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. He also starred alongside Benicio Del Toro in 2008 hit Che.

Suarez is survived by his actress wife Amneris Morales and a daughter from a previous relationship.