Hulu has given out a pilot order to Nick Paley’s comedy “Phony” with Connie Britton now set for a lead role, Variety has learned.

The pilot is described as a coming-of-age mystery. The official logline states that it follows “a teenager who wakes up in the hospital after a car accident to discover his mom (Britton) — his only parent and his best friend — appears to have been replaced by an impostor.”

Britton’s character is named Ellen, who is described as “a single mom to Sonny and the principal of his high school.”

The project was originally set for development at Hulu in 2022. Paley serves as writer, executive producer, and director on the pilot. Paley most recently co-wrote the popular indie film “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” and previously served as a director on “Broad City” at Comedy Central.

Britton will executive produce in addition to starring. Charlie Alderman...

Jackpot! is an action comedy film directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Rob Yescombe. The Prime Video film is set in the near future in California and it follows the story of Katie, a struggling actress who wins the lottery but according to the law, anyone with a losing ticket is allowed to kill the winner and take the winnings. To survive Katie teams up with Noel, an amateur lottery protection agent. Jackpot! stars Awkwafina and John Cena in the lead roles with Simu Liu, Donald Elise Watkins, Sam Asghari, Colson Baker, and Marian Green starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the action, unique plot, and comedic moments in Jackpot! here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Self Reliance (Hulu) Credit – Hulu

Self Reliance is a dark comedy thriller film written and directed by Jake Johnson. The 2023 film follows the story of Tommy,...

Highland Film Group shared a first look at “London Calling,” an action-comedy that reunites director Allan Ungar with star Josh Duhamel after the success of the action heist thriller “Bandit.”

Film also stars Jeremy Ray Taylor, Rick Hoffman and Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones”)

Written by Omer Levin Menekse and Quinn Wolfe, “London Calling” sees mediocre hit man Tommy Ward (Duhamel) go on the run and get stuck in L.A. after mistakenly killing a relative of London’s biggest crime boss (Gillen). To get back to his son on the other side of the pond, Tommy makes a deal with his new employer (Hoffman): teach his socially awkward teenage son Julian (Taylor) to be a man, in exchange for safe passage. Tommy is now forced to drag Julian, afraid of his own shadow, along on his latest contract killing of a renowned assassin. What starts off as a...

Actress Kristen Stewart is known for her stint as Bella Swan in the Twilight franchise, which she starred in opposite Robert Pattinson. The actress has since experimented with her roles and has featured in a number of indie projects such as Anesthesia, Certain Women, and Certain Women.

Kristen Stewart is reportedly all set to marry her fiance and creative partner, Dylan Meyer. The couple had been dating since 2019 and reportedly got engaged in 2021. Stewart also revealed the story behind how the two got together. The Twilight star reportedly had met the screenwriter on the sets of the film American Ultra and then lost touch.

Kristen Stewart Almost Missed Out On Meeting Fiance Dylan Meyer Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart’s relationship status has been a subject of public scrutiny multiple times since her Twilight days. According to W Magazine, she has reportedly dated her co-stars Anton Yelchin and Michael Angarano. Her...

Clockwise from top left: Jeff, Who Lives At Home (Screenshot); The Farewell (Photo: A24); igby Goes Down (Screenshot); Election (Screenshot); Young Adult (Screenshot); Friends With Kids (Screenshot); Ghost World (Screenshot)Graphic: The A.V. Club

Streaming libraries expand and contract. Algorithms are imperfect. Those damn thumbnail images are always changing. But...

Robert Downey Jr. trekked to Sundance Film Festival’s opening night gala to reveal that a “terrible tragedy” has befallen Christopher Nolan. But don’t worry about the filmmaker behind “Oppenheimer.”

His hardship is really just a bad case of the blues, and it’s because Nolan — as Downey explained on Thursday while bestowing Nolan with the first-ever Trailblazer Award — “has become recognizable on the street.”

According to Downey, the critical and commercial success of “Oppenheimer” means that Nolan can no longer fly under the radar. Casual moviegoers have started to spot the British director, and, as a result, “he recoils, as though from a hot flame, from this new and unwelcome reality.”

Well, Nolan may not be retreating from the spotlight anytime soon. The director, an awards season favorite, was lauded by Downey as an “enigmatic auteur” and “as independent a voice we’ve ever had in cinema.” But the actor,...

“Thank you for lighting a fire under my ass,” Kristen Stewart told Sundance’s Opening Night gala tonight.

“Sundance is the f*cking sh*t!” she added taking the stage to receive the Visionary Award from her co-star of 3 films, Jesse Eisenberg. The honor for is for their work as an uncompromising artist in indie film, who also has a long history with the Park City fest.

Stewart is doing double duty here at the festival, starring in the Sam and Andy Zuchero acquistion title, Love Me, and A24’s Rose Glass directed genre title Love Lies Bleeding.

Eisenberg spoke about how he was struck by the emotion she brought to what was a brief driving scene in which he had one line, and she was all face on the set of Greg Mottola’s Adventureland. Eisenberg and Stewart also starred in Woody Allen’s Cafe Society and the action movie American Ultra.

Signature Entertainment has acquired the action comedy London Calling, starring Josh Duhamel (Transformers franchise), from Highland Film Group for release in the U.K. and Ireland.

The feature film also stars Jeremy Ray Taylor (It), Rick Hoffman (Suits) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones).

Signature said it plans to release the movie in early 2025.

London Calling focuses on Tommy Ward (Duhamel), a “mediocre hitman who goes on the run and gets stuck in Los Angeles after mistakenly killing the relative of London’s biggest crime lord,” according to a plot description. “To get back to his son on the other side of the pond, Tommy makes a deal with his new employer (Hoffman): teach his socially awkward teenage son Julian (Taylor) to be a man, in exchange for safe passage.”

The film is directed by Allan Ungar, who is reuniting with Duhamel after their work on the heist thriller Bandit,...

Angelina Jolie added the action thriller Wanted to her long list of action films. A potential sequel was soon planned for the movie after its success, but Jolie might have played a part in its cancellation.

Angelina Jolie refused to come back for a ‘Wanted’ sequel Angelina Jolie | Marilla Sicilia/Getty Images

Spoilers for those who haven’t seen the movie.

Wanted was a 2008 adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name starring X-Men alum James McAvoy. In it, Jolie played a member of a team of assassins called The Fraternity.

Jolie’s character ends up not living through the movie. But in the initial script, she wasn’t supposed to die at all. Jolie felt killing off her assassin was the right thing to do given what was revealed about her organization, so she had the script rewritten.

“In the original, she doesn’t kill herself,” Jolie once told MTV News.

Since it was announced several years back, I’ve found Amazon’s Citadel to be conceptually interesting.

In a television marketplace in which international territories are more important than ever and the landscape is glutted with IP-driven franchise plays, the idea of pre-franchising an original idea and instantly building brand fungibility with different foreign spinoffs is enticing, albeit meaninglessly jargon-filled.

Of course, it’s easy to get conceptually interested in something when you don’t know the actual concept — and having seen half of what ended up being a six-episode first season for Citadel, I will say that sustained interest is harder to come by.

If you’ve followed industry reporting and scuttlebutt related to a burgeoning budget, showrunner changes and extensive reshoots, you might expect Citadel to be some sort of disaster, all mismatched pieces and jagged narrative edges. It isn’t. Instead, whatever its initial ambition happened to be,...

On the heels of her first Oscar nomination for Spencer, Kristen Stewart has signed on to star in the A24 film Love Lies Bleeding from director Rose Glass (Saint Maud), Deadline has confirmed.

The romantic thriller examines a romance fueled by ego, desire and the American Dream. Glass is directing from the script she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. Film4 developed the project alongside the filmmakers and will co-finance alongside A24, which is producing and handling the pic’s global release. Andrea Cornwell will also produce for Lobo Films, alongside Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions.

Glass is a double BAFTA nominee whose debut feature Saint Maud won her the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards, along with Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year at the London Film Critics Circle Awards.

Stewart portrayed Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer and has also...

Exclusive: Dorian Missick (Shirley), Pamela Reed (Outside In), Amanda Warren and Jim Klock (The Underground Railroad) will round out the cast of Prime Video’s The Burial, which is currently in production.

They’re set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie and Bill Camp.

Based on the New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr, The Burial follows a charismatic personal injury lawyer famous for his impressive track record and loudly unconventional approach who decides to help a funeral home owner save his family business from a predatory corporate behemoth. In a move to bring emotional resonance to a dry contract law case, the lawyer digs up an unexpected and complex web of race, power and oppression that forces everyone to examine long-buried prejudices they didn’t know they had.

Maggie Betts is directing from a script by Doug Wright.

Exclusive: Deadline has the first exclusive tracks from Marcelo Zarvos’ A Journal for Jordan score, which is set for release tomorrow via Sony Music Masterworks—ahead of the Sony Pictures title’s release in theaters on December 25.

The latest film directed by two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington is based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan), a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child.

The romantic drama scripted by Virgil Williams marked Zarvos’ second collaboration with Washington, on the heels of his Oscar-winning August Wilson adaptation, Fences. The composer says that for this “story about love, sacrifice and family that spans 20 years,...

Sky has announced that ‘Gangs of London’ director Corin Hardy will return for season 2 to take on the role of lead director and executive producer.

Hardy will helm four episodes for the second series while the rest of the directorial duties will upon acclaimed television directors Marcela Said (Lupin, Narcos Mexico) and Nima Nourizadeh (Little America (TV), American Ultra) who have also signed on to direct two episodes each.

The critically acclaimed and BAFTA-nominated first series became the biggest Sky Original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years and will also see series creator Gareth Evans and his creative partner Matt Flannery return as Executive Producers alongside Pulse Films’ Thomas Benski.

Also in news – Blake Lively to star in Dark Horse comic title ‘Lady Killer’ written by Diablo Cody

Corin Hardy said “Helping Gareth and the team bring the first series of Gangs of London kicking, screaming...

Corin Hardy (“The Nun”) will be the lead director for the second season of hit Sky and AMC series “Gangs of London.”

Hardy, who previously directed four episodes for season one, will also serve as executive producer, and will direct four episodes of season 2. Marcela Said and Nima Nourizadeh have also signed on to direct two episodes each.

Season 2 begins rolling in late spring.

“Gangs of London” was the biggest Sky original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. In the U.S., it debuted on AMC Plus, helping to launch the new streaming platform, becoming one of its most watched series.

Internationally, “Gangs of London” launched successfully across Europe, Latin America, Australia, Japan and most recently in China.

The BAFTA-nominated series is produced by Pulse Films in association with Sister, for Sky Studios and AMC. Series creator Gareth Evans and creative partner Matt Flannery return as...

Jordan Peele’s upcoming show “Hunters” is among the slew of new movies and TV series that will be added to Amazon Prime Video next month.

Peele executive produced “Hunters,” a drama following a group of Nazi hunters in New York City in 1977. The first season, created by David Weil, stars Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Kate Mulvany.

On the film front, Amazon Prime will add a mix of critical favorites and popcorn flicks like “Dick Tracy,” “Magic Mike,” and “Precious.” Recently released movies such as “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” “The Farewell” and “Honey Boy” will also become available to stream on the platform later in the month.

See everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in February below:

Feb. 1

Beat the Devil

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Buffalo ‘66

Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter

Cheech & Chong’s Still Smokin’

Crashing Through Danger

Dick Tracy

Earth Girls Are Easy

Emergency Landing

Father Steps...

Next month, Hulu will ring in Valentine’s Day with some counterprogramming. The streaming service will debut its original series “High Fidelity,” a gender-swapped reimagining of Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name. Previously, the book was adapted into a 2000 movie from Stephen Frears starring John Cusack. Zoë Kravitz stars as Rob Brooks, a music-obsessive record store owner in Brooklyn re-examining her previous romantic relationships to figure out what went wrong.

On the film front, the “Bridget Jones” trilogy, “Buffalo ’66,” “The Fugitive,” “Ghost” and “When Harry Met Sally” are among the new selections being offered in February. Releases from last year, like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral,” are also making their way onto the platform.

New seasons of reality series like “The Voice” and “American Idol” will also be available to stream later in the month.

See the complete list below.

Hulu is out with its list of all the content that’s coming and going to the streaming service in February.

Highlights include the series premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s “High Fidelity” reboot, coming on Valentine’s Day, in which she stars as a record store owner in a gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood, revisiting past relationships through music and trying to get over her one true love. Her character was played by John Cusack in the 2000 film, and both are based on Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name.

There is also a new episode of “Into the Dark” titled “My Valentine,” which will be released on Feb. 7, in which a pop singer’s ex-boyfriend and manager steals her songs and gives them to his new protégé.

Also Read: Why Hulu Programming Chief Is Ok Sharing Classic Content Like 'Svu' With Rival Streamers

Season 1 of Hulu Original “Utopia Falls” comes out Feb.

The streaming field, already bursting with hundreds of competing services, has added one more: Plex.

Following through on an announcement from last summer about a pact with Warner Bros., Plex officially lifted the veil on its ad-supported streaming offering, which is now live in 200 countries. Along with Warner film and TV titles, the offering includes properties from the Lionsgate, MGM and Legendary libraries. The film-skewing roster includes Evil Dead, The Terminator and American Ultra.

In a blog post, Plex acknowledged it has plenty of streaming competition. Nevertheless, the company said it believes its advantage is an integrated product designed to synthesize music, podcasts and video in a single interface. “We’re building on our decade of extreme passion for media to deliver the best experience possible, while also giving you the controls and customization to stream it your way,” the post said.

Additionally, the blog post asserted that Plex’s...

James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari from 20th Century Fox/Chernin Entertainment put $2.1M in the tank from Thursday previews that began at 6Pm. Projections expect the pic being released by Disney to exceed $20M this weekend, maybe even as high as $30M. Great exits for the Christian Bale-Matt Damon movie last night with 4 1/2 stars on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak and a 60% definite recommend and an 87% positive score. Leading demos were males over 25, females over 25, males under 25 and females under 25.

Ford v. Ferrari is booked at 3,528 locations including 350 IMAX screens, 650 branded Premium Large Format screens, and 330 D-Box/4D/ScreenX enhanced locations. Ford v Ferrari has 91% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which will encourage non-frequent moviegoers to flock.

Sony’s Charlie’s Angels started showtimes early at 4:30pm at 2,968 sites earning only $900K. The reboot from filmmaker/actress Elizabeth Banks is expected to come...

Part of a series of projects that writer-director Max Landis has been attached to, a remake of his father’s An American Werewolf in London now seems to be off the table, according to ScreenRant. Landis had been involved with the pic for several years, but development had been stalled by multiple accusations of sexual assault against the writer of, among others, Chronicle, American Ultra and Bright. According to reports, Landis’ upcoming screenplays, including Shadow in the Cloud, will likely continue without his direct input due to his significantly damaged reputation in Hollywood.

The original 1981 An American Werewolf in London by John Landis remains a horror-comedy classic for its mixture of an engaging story and groundbreaking special effects. A poorly-received sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, followed in 1997. We first reported on a remake of the initial movie in 2016, with The Walking Dead‘s David Alpert and Robert Kirkman producing alongside Landis Sr.

Connie Britton has signed a first look deal with Amazon Studios.

The beloved actress and producer will work with the entity to develop new television series to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

“Connie Britton is a multi-talented actress who has captivated audiences with her portrayal of smart, complicated women,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “Britton’s ability to create memorable characters and identify compelling stories makes her a perfect fit for Amazon Studios. We look forward to seeing what she creates for the global Amazon Prime Video audience.”

Four-time Emmy-nominated Britton is known for standout roles in television comedies such as “Spin City,” dramas including “24,” “The West Wing,” “Nashville,” “9-1-1-” and “Friday Night Lights,” and anthology series “American Horror Story” and, most recently, “Dirty John,” on which she also served as executive producer. Her film work includes “The Mustang,” Professor Marston & The Wonder Woman,” “Beatriz at Dinner,...

“Nashville” and “9-1-1” alum Connie Britton has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, the streaming service announced during the Television Critics Association press tour Saturday.

Per the studio, “Britton will work with Amazon Studios to develop television series to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.”

“Connie Britton is a multi-talented actress who has captivated audiences with her portrayal of smart, complicated women,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said. “Britton’s ability to create memorable characters and identify compelling stories makes her a perfect fit for Amazon Studios. We look forward to seeing what she creates for the global Amazon Prime Video audience.”

Also Read: Amazon Misses Q2 Profit Estimates, Halts Its Climb Back to $1 Trillion Valuation

“I’m thrilled to be joining Jen and the team at Amazon, and my hope is to contribute thoughtful, provocative, female driven and inclusive programming to their exceptional platform,...

While he might be best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg’s preternatural ability for making unique characterization choices has won him roles in wildly original films, both indie and studio, such as The End of the Tour, Adventureland, Holy Rollers, American Ultra, Zombieland, and two of my favorites, The Squid and the Whale and The Double. Now he continues that trend with Riley Stearns’ The Art of Self Defense. In this half hour he talks about the effort he put into finding the right tone to play the absurdity in that film, […]...

While he might be best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg’s preternatural ability for making unique characterization choices has won him roles in wildly original films, both indie and studio, such as The End of the Tour, Adventureland, Holy Rollers, American Ultra, Zombieland, and two of my favorites, The Squid and the Whale and The Double. Now he continues that trend with Riley Stearns’ The Art of Self Defense. In this half hour he talks about the effort he put into finding the right tone to play the absurdity in that film, […]...

Paramount Television has made three new hires for its executive leadership team, naming Rob Ortiz as its new senior vice president of physical production, Brian Agboh as senior vice president of business affairs, and Julie Katchen Swidler as director of Paramount TV’s newly created current team.

“I’m so excited to welcome these new valuable executives to Paramount,” said Paramount TV president Nicole Clemens in a statement. “It thrills me to see my department heads attracting and building such solid teams as we continue to evolve the studio.”

Ortiz, who now reports to head of physical production Debra Bergman, has an extensive background as a producer and unit production manager in TV and film. Series he has worked on include “Titans,” “Salvation,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “The Beguiled,” “American Ultra,” “Homefront,” and others. Previously based in New York, he is now working out of Paramount’s L.A. office.

Agboh,...

In April 2016, MGM won an auction for a Max Landis-penned underwater horror script, “Deeper,” with Bradley Cooper and “White God” director Kornel Mundruczo attached. When the timing didn’t work for the talent, MGM pressed forward on the project, hiring Baltasar Kormakur (“Everest”) last fall; in February, Idris Elba was reportedly in talks to star. Today, Landis is the subject of a searing expose by Amy Zimmerman in The Daily Beast — and, according to sources who requested anonymity, “Deeper” has fallen apart.

Of course, movies come together or don’t all the time, for reasons large and small. However, this may be the first indication that Landis’ counterintuitive, decade-long career path — one that included making critically reviled films while enjoying a long-term reputation as an unabashed emotional and sexual abuser of women — is no longer one that will scale.

Landis first garnered attention as the screenwriter of Josh Trank’s 2012 everyman-superhero film “Chronicle.

Josh Trank reacted to the latest sexual and emotional abuse allegations made against Max Landis by revealing on social media that he banned Landis from the set of their 2012 superhero movie “Chronicle.” Trank and Landis came up with the “Chronicle” story together, with Landis getting sole screenplay credit and Trank directing the project. The film, released by 20th Century Fox, was a platform at the time for rising actors Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan.

“I 100% believe every word of this article about Max,” Trank wrote on Twitter. “I banned him from visiting principal photography of ‘Chronicle,’ and I haven’t spoken to him since 2012. To read about the terror he’s inflicted on so many women since then makes me sick to my stomach. Heartbroken beyond measure.”

Landis, son of comedy director John Landis, was accused of sexual and emotional abuse by eight women in a lengthy exposé published June 18 by The Daily Beast.

Max Landis, son of comedy director John Landis and the screenwriter of films such as “Bright,” “American Ultra,” and “Chronicle,” has been accused of sexual and emotional abuse by eight women in a lengthy exposé published by The Daily Beast. The women, many of whom chose to speak out anonymously, claim Landis manipulated his relationships with them in order to get them into his inner circle, after which he allegedly physically and/or psychologically abused them.

Ani Baker took to social media earlier this month to warn women about Landis after she discovered videos of her still existed on his Instagram page. Baker shared with The Daily Beast some of her experiences with Landis, including a moment when he got violent after the two had consensual sex. Baker said she slapped Landis’ butt in what she thought was a playful manner and he “snapped” on her.

“He turned around and...

Exclusive: The Matrix franchise and Sense8 co-creator Lilly Wachowski has come on board to produce, co-write, and co-direct a series to be based on Abby McEnany and Tim Mason’s pilot, Work in Progress, which is making its premiere in the Indie Episodic Section at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

In Work in Progress, Abby is forced to re-evaluate her life choices, her dating options, and whether or not to confront the woman responsible for ‘ruining her life’: SNL’s Julia Sweeney. Abby’s therapist dies mid-session, and she begins to date a trans man. Mason and McEnany co-wrote the pilot, Mason directed it with McEnany starring. Circle of Confusion’s Josh Adler, Ashley Berns and Lawrence Mattis will executive produce along with Wachowski, McEnany, Mason and Lisa Masseur.

McEnany is a mainstay of the Chicago improvisational comedy scene where she has performed with The Second City...

It may not have come as a big surprise when Connie Britton was chosen to play Debra Newell on Bravo’s new scripted show, Dirty John. She appears to be the queen of television series’, as she’s appeared on many well-known shows throughout the years. While she may best be known for her roles in American Ultra, Seeking a Friend For the End of the World, Nashville, and This is Where I Leave You, she’s also made notable appearances on Smilf, American Horror Story, 9-1-1, American Crime Story, Friday Night Lights, 24, Lost at Homes, The West Wing, The Fighting Fitzgeralds, […]

The post Who plays Debra Newell on Dirty John? appeared first on Monsters and Critics.

Stars: Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Edgar Ramirez, Lucy Fry | Written by Max Landis | Directed by David Ayer

Max Landis (Chronicle, Victor Frankenstein) is now as synonymous with writing pop genre mashups as director David Ayer (Harsh Times, End of Watch) is with brutal La-based cops ‘n’ robbers pictures. Bright offers a combo that has the air of a panicked producer meeting about it – ‘How about… Lord of the Rings meets Training Day!?’ – but ultimately it serves neither genre very well. Eschewing the world-building politics of Tolkien in favour of the bridge-building racial politics of today’s America, this is allegory drawn in thick crayon, and any meaningful social commentary is basically forgotten by the end.

The setting is a parallel-universe Los Angeles, where humans live tensely alongside downtrodden, ghettoised orcs and privileged, self-segregated elves. There are also mischievous fairies and (in a neat visual joke) the odd centaur roaming about.

MaryAnn’s quick take… Trolls the viewer and condescends to genre fans. A smirking, tone-deaf parable about racism that is itself racist, including about its made-up orcs and elves. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m a big genre dork

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

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

There are so many appalling things about Bright that it’s hard to know where to start. Netflix’s most expensive original movie yet is a big ball of knotted-up awful, so many threads of insult and injury that finding a way into it is giving me a headache, much as the movie itself did. Just when I think I’ve pinned down the right example of idiocy to use as a launchpad for diving into the deep end of the dumb, I realize how I can’t even begin to explain that one nasty...

Tolkien meets La cop thriller in Netflix’s Bright. Blockbuster or Christmas turkey? Here’s our review...

Back in the 1980s, when the buddy-cop thriller was all the rage, Alien Nation took the genre’s staples and threw a bit of sci-fi into the mix. In a future Los Angeles where extraterrestrials live among humans, an Earth-born cop (James Caan) is reluctantly partnered with an alien law enforcer (Mandy Potenkin); as they solve a case involving murder and narcotics, their antipathy eventually gives way to friendship and respect. It was familiar stuff, even back then, but the sci-fi angle gave it a certain freshness, not to mention a neat (if less than subtle) allegory for racial intolerance and hatred.

See related Inside No. 9 series 3: “We’re not sadists!” Rory Kinnear interview: Guerrilla, Bond, Penny Dreadful, Count Arthur Strong Russell T Davies' A Midsummer Night’s Dream review

Nearly 30 years later,...

With a global reach, and over 100 million subscribers tuning in, the Netflix footprint is as historic as it is staggering. No other movie studio in town can claim having simultaneous, instant access into homes all around the world. The industry is still figuring out the ramifications of what all this means, but on a fundamental level, it changes the landscape of what it means for a show or movie to succeed. Reviews are less important than sheer numbers; it’s why something like “Fuller House” can share the same space as “Mindhunter.”

This week, the streaming service goes blockbuster with “Bright.” It’s a fairly dumb looking movie, directed by David Ayer (“Suicide Squad,” “End Of Watch“), and penned by Max Landis (“American Ultra,” “Victor Frankenstein“) that basically presents a buddy cop movie in a world populated by humans, orcs, and fairies.

Continue reading ‘Bright’ Sequel In The Works At Netflix at The Playlist.

MaryAnn’s quick take… A sweet, romantic story about the polyamorous triad that created a beloved superhero… and about the power of comic books to speak to our inner lives. I’m “biast” (pro): love the cast; desperate for stories about women

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

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

Sorry, all you dudes who may have been expecting something salacious and debauched from a movie about the guy who created Wonder Woman for DC Comics. Cuz you’ve heard that he was into bondage and somehow managed to convince his wife to bring another woman into their lives and their bed: woo-hoo, threesome! But Professor Marston & the Wonder Women isn’t perverted, and it’s not pornographic, not even of the softest-core type. And this ain’t Fifty Shades of Grey, either. Thank Aphrodite. This is a sweet story about people...

There's no going back. Syfy opened the doors to the No-End House with the second season premiere episode of Channel Zero on September 20th, and if you have yet to experience the mind-warping horror of the show or you need to decipher what you saw in the recent episode, you can now watch the first full installment of the No-End House online for free, courtesy of Syfy.

"Inspired by Brian Russell’s “creepypasta” tale, Channel Zero: No - End House tells the story of a young woman named Margot Sleator, played by Amy Forsyth (“The Path”), who visits the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When she returns home, Margot realizes everything has changed. The second six-hour installment will be directed by Steven Piet (“Uncle John”). Nick Antosca (“Hannibal,” “Teen Wolf”) will return as executive producer, showrunner and writer for...

Deeper: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, above) is in early talks to join Deeper. Bradley Cooper is already set to star as a disgraced former astronaut who ends up in a fight with mysterious forces in a very deep, newly-discovered oceanic trench. Max Landis (American Ultra) wrote the original script and Kornel Mundruczo (White God) will direct. [Deadline] New Mutants: In a new interview, 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO Stacey Snider (above) compares X-Men spin-off movie New Mutants to both The Breakfast Club and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: "It’s like watching mutants go through adolescence and they have no impulse control, so they’re dangerous. The only solution is to put them in a Breakfast Club detention / Cuckoo’s Nest institutional...

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Deeper: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, above) is in early talks to join Deeper. Bradley Cooper is already set to star as a disgraced former astronaut who ends up in a fight with mysterious forces in a very deep, newly-discovered oceanic trench. Max Landis (American Ultra) wrote the original script and Kornel Mundruczo (White God) will direct. [Deadline]   New Mutants: In a new interview, 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO Stacey Snider (above) compares X-Men spin-off movie New Mutants...

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MaryAnn’s quick take… An essential history lesson with a smart smack of relevance for today (because feminism always has to be relitigated). It’s also warm, funny, and hugely entertaining. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about women

I’m “biast” (con): not a sports fan at all

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

That saying about those not remembering the past being condemned to repeat it? Of course it’s true… but sometimes it’s not an accident that the past gets forgotten. Sometimes the squashing of history — and the continuation of history into the present — is deliberate. Feminists know this: Women are constantly having to reinvent feminism, refight the same battles, because they don’t stay won. A brief moment of small triumph very quickly gets drowned out by major cultural pushback; women may savor victory only long enough...

On Wednesday, September 20th, Syfy opens the doors to the No-End House, the second season of the unsettling, creepypasta-based anthology series Channel Zero, and to help prepare you for the mind-bending scares to come (which I'm still recovering from after seeing the premiere episode at Comic-Con), we've been provided with images from the first two episodes and a new poster.

"Inspired by Brian Russell’s “creepypasta” tale, Channel Zero: No - End House tells the story of a young woman named Margot Sleator, played by Amy Forsyth (“The Path”), who visits the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When she returns home, Margot realizes everything has changed. The second six-hour installment will be directed by Steven Piet (“Uncle John”). Nick Antosca (“Hannibal,” “Teen Wolf”) will return as executive producer, showrunner and writer for the second installment alongside executive producer Max Landis (“Chronicle,...

Max Landis is a writer’s writer. While his subject matter is thoroughly accessible, he isn’t the type of guy you hire for your standard studio fare. The screenwriter behind films like Chronicle, American Ultra, and Bright is obsessed with structure, with word play, with the subversion of tropes and clichés. He’s exactly the type of writer […]

The post Screenwriter Max Landis Wrote a 150-Page Ode to Carly Rae Jepsen – And It’s Brilliant Storytelling appeared first on /Film.

Max Landis, director, writer, and producer on films like Chronicle and American Ultra, has discovered that songs have meaning. In a sprawling, slickly designed website, Landis presents a multi-part article (he calls it “a living document”) discussing his grand theory of Carly Rae Jepsen’s thematic concerns. Because…

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(Aotn) Ok, Smt heads, tonight’s offering “The Hatred” may seem like heavy subject matter… But don’t worry, if Thursday Trailers is going to get deep, we’ll be certain to do it indie horror style!

Anchor Bay’s “The Hatred” comes right here:

The hits just keep on coming!

Coming Attractions: Victor Crowley Update

Dark Sky Films proudly announces Victor Crowley, the surprise fourth film in the fan-favorite Hatchet franchise. Kept tightly under wraps for over two years, the slasher sequel unexpectedly debuted in La shocking fans, celebrities, and industry professionals who gathered to celebrate at an event coined as a “Hatchet 10th Anniversary Celebration.” The film will now be available to fans in select theaters beginning October 2017, as Victor Crowley hits the road. Writer/director Adam Green (and other cast) will travel with and introduce the film at special one-night screening events across America. Additional tour dates will be added.

(Aotn)- Smt Thursdays heat up as the the full-trailer for Syfy’s Channel Zero: No-End House is here!

Check out the full drop here:

Channel Zero: No-end House – Second Installment Premieres Wednesday, September 20 at 10/9c Inspired by Brian Russell’s “creepypasta” tale, Channel Zero: No-end House tells the story of a young woman named Margot Sleator, played by Amy Forsyth (“The Path”), and her best friend Jules (Aisha Dee “The Bold Type”), who visit the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When Margot returns home, she realizes everything has changed. The second six-hour installment will be directed by Steven Piet (“Uncle John”). Franchise creator Nick Antosca (“Hannibal,” “Teen Wolf”) will return as executive producer and showrunner; Max Landis (“Chronicle,” “American Ultra”) will also executive produce. For more information see Syfy.com Coming Attractions: AMC Networks...

"I think we're still inside the No-End House." Imagine entering an immersive experience or escape room that was so real, it seeped into your psyche and intertwined with your reality. That's what the characters in Channel Zero: No-End House go through, and you can watch their mind-bending adventures beginning Wednesday, September 20th when the second season of the creepypasta-based anthology series premieres on Syfy.

Channel Zero showrunner Nick Antosca revealed the September 20th premiere date (earlier than the expected October TV debut) for No-End House on Twitter, along with one of two new teaser videos that you can watch below.

Directed by Steven Piet, executive produced by Nick Antosca, and based on Brian Russell's creepypasta, Channel Zero: No-End House contains six one-hour episodes and is the second season of the Channel Zero series. The first season was based on Kris Straub's Candle Cove, and a third...

Horror fans have a lot to look forward to this Halloween season, and Channel Zero: No-End House should be near the top (if not the very top) of their lists. A creepy concoction of suburban scares and dreamlike dread, the second season of the Syfy series features an engaging cast that pulls you into their living nightmare, including Aisha Dee, whose character, Jules, awakens underwater in Room 5 of the No-End House in our exclusive teaser video that Daily Dead readers can watch right now.

You can enter Room 5 of the No-End House in our exclusive video below, and keep an eye on other sites for videos featuring additional rooms in the No-End House. We've also been provided with images from the new season that you can check out below as well.

Directed by Steven Piet, executive produced by Nick Antosca, and based on Brian Russell's creepypasta, Channel Zero...

Netflix has unveiled the trailer for its most expensive bet yet for a feature film: the $90 million sci-fy odyssey Bright starring action hero Will Smith. The film, Netflix’s first stab at bringing a blockbuster into the streaming fold, will debut on the service on Dec. 22.

Bright takes place in a future where humans coexist alongside orcs and elves. Smith plays a human cop who must work alongside an orc (Joel Edgerton). One evening on patrol, they stumble upon a magical wand with world-altering powers. Bright was directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and written by Max Landis (American Ultra). The film also stars Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez, Happy Anderson, Kenneth Choi, and Ike Barinholtz.

Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.

2017-07-18T10:05:41-07:00Topher Grace and Wife Expecting First Child

They’re going to be parents! Topher Grace and his wife, Ashley Hinshaw, are expecting their first child, E! News reports.

Hinshaw, 28, reportedly revealed her baby bump while out with Topher, 39, at Sweet Butter Kitchen in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of L.A. on Saturday, July 15. The actress was seen wearing a form-fitting striped dress and slip-on sneakers with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. The That 70’s Show alum looked low-key in a blue T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

The pair, who started dating in 2014, got engaged in January 2015. A source told Us at the time that Hinshaw was “totally in shock and so happy.” They later said “I do” in May 2016 in an intimate, romantic ceremony in Montecito, California, attended by close family and friends.

Read the rest of this article at Us Weekly.

Miss seeing Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner play a vampire and werewolf in the Twilight series? Well, the actors probably aren't reprising their supernatural roles anytime soon, but they did have an adorable reunion in La on Thursday. The former costars and real-life friends shared a sweet embrace at a Moschino afterparty. While Kristen sported her infamous buzzed haircut, Taylor showed off some sexy scruff as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. This isn't the first time the two have reunited since wrapping Breaking Dawn – Part 2. In 2015, Kristen brought along Taylor as her date to her big premiere for American Ultra. Bella and Jacob may not have been true love, but we're happy to see Kristen and Taylor's friendship is still going strong.