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Culprits Season 1 Review Out ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Culprits Season 1 Review: Star Rating:

Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarret, Gemma Arterton, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Niamh Algar, Kamel El Basha, Tara Abboud, Karl Collins, Vincent Riotta.

Creator: J. Blakeson

Director: Jake Blakeson, Claire Oakley

Streaming On: Star, Disney+, and Hulu.

Language: English

Runtime: 8 Episodes, Around 1 hour each.

Culprits Season 1 Review Out ( Photo Credit – YouTube ) Culprits Season 1 Review: What’s It About:

Culprits is a new heist TV series debuting on Hulu, Disney+, and Star, depending on the territory. The eight-season episode focuses on the life of David, a man living several lives at the same time. The show splits into two timelines, showing David during two pivotal moments in his life: during a massive heist and after the heist. The series then goes back and forth between the two timelines, and we see that getting out of the game is easier said than done. How did David get to this place?...

Culprits is a TV series adaptation of the anthology novel, focusing on a family man named Joe who tries to protect his new life from being destroyed by his criminal past. The show is created and helmed by J Blakeson, known for his work on films like I Care A Lot and The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Culprits follows a non-linear narrative structure, with time jumps between "before" and "after" the heist, adding mystery and tension to the storytelling.

Inspired by the anthology novel, Culprits will be available to stream on Hulu beginning December 8. The story takes place after the events of a high-stakes heist and follows family man Joe Petrus as he attempts to nurture his relationship with his fiancé and provide a loving environment for their two children. However, Joe's dark secrets are at risk of being exposed and his criminal activity threatens to destroy the new life that he built for himself.

We have an exclusive clip from Hulu's Culprits, which follows elite criminals being hunted by a ruthless assassin after they try to leave their old lives behind. Culprits stands out with its stylish visuals, fantastic cast, and intriguing horror-adjacent ideas, according to critics. The crime thriller series offers a tangled knot of secrets, lies, crosses, double-crosses, hidden motivations, and unexpected turns.

We've gotten our hands on an exclusive clip from Culprits, the crime series courtesy of Hulu. This exclusive footage from Culprits sets the tone of the show as well as offering a glimpse at the stellar main cast, including Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Candyman), Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man), Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves) and Kirby (The Good Place). Unlike many other crime shows, Culprits kicks off after a high-stakes heist, when the crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways and have tried to leave their old lives behind.

It’s 2010, and Gemma Arterton is describing to Empire Magazine having spent an entire day shooting kidnap thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed in tears. “Your body’s not supposed to cry that much. It is exhausting.” Martin Compston, her co-star in the crying scene, agrees in earnest and the interviewer jokes off-camera, “So what you’re saying is: feel-good hit of the summer?”

Compston laughs, “Yeah, Disney Channel!” and Arterton repeats the gag, shaking her head at its ridiculousness “Disney Channel!”

13 years, a brand shift and a streaming revolution later, and Disney is now the UK home of The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Disney+ is also the UK home of writer-director J Blakeson’s latest collaboration with Arterton: TV thriller Culprits, which is out on Hulu in the US.

That eight-part series is the story of consequences catching up with the diverse crew who pulled off a mega-money heist years earlier.

Exclusive: The first call Stephen Garrett made after acquiring the rights to suspense-fuelled book Culprits: The Heist Was Just the Beginning was to writer and director J Blakeson, who he hailed as “the real deal.”

Blakeson “has seen every crime movie and thriller. You can’t catch him out really,” Garrett pronounced sagely. He was ideal, then, to write and direct the TV adaptation of the multi-layered, heart-stopping anthology, edited by Richard Brewer and Gary Phillips.

The result is Culprits, an eight-part thriller starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in a career-changing role, and Gemma Arterton, about the maelstrom that swirls after a gang of ruthless thieves pull off an ingenious heist.

Disney+ streams Culprits in the UK and Ireland on November 8 and in the U.S. on December 8 on Hulu. Garrett is executive producer, as are showrunner, writer and director Blakeson, and Johanna Devereaux. It’s produced by Morenike Williams.

The two men had met 14 years ago,...

Hulu's new dark comedy thriller Culprits follows Joe, a man whose dark past catches up with him, jeopardizing the peaceful life he has built in the American suburbs. The series begins after a high-stakes heist, when a ruthless assassin starts targeting the crew of elite criminals who have tried to leave their old lives behind. Culprits features a talented cast, including Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton, Niamh Algar, Kirby, Kamel El Basha, Tara Abboud, Kevin Vidal, Ned Dennehy, and Eddie Izzard.

Hulu has released the official trailer for their latest dark comedy thriller Culprits, coming to the streaming platform on December 8th. The past always catches up with those with dark secrets, and Joe Petrus is no exception. As he builds a dream life in the American suburbs with his fiancée and children, Joe believes he has finally gotten everything he wants to live in peace. But that life is...

Director J Blakeson worked with Gemma Arterton on the former's film directing debut, :a[The Disappearance Of Alice Creed]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/disappearance-alice-creed-review/' }, and that worked okay for him — he's had a healthy career ever since. So you can imagine that they were looking for a way to collaborate again, and now they've found it via new crime thriller Culprits, which will be out via Disney+ in the UK and Hulu across the pond. The first trailer for the show has dropped and you can see it below:

Culprits, as the synopsis explains, kicks off where most crime stories end: after a high-stakes heist, when the crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways and have tried to leave their old lives behind. Past and present collide when a ruthless assassin starts targeting them one by one. Why are they being stalked, who is behind the mayhem,...

The Hulu Original Series Culprits is set to begin streaming on the Hulu service on Friday, December 8th, and all eight episodes of the show will be available to binge on that date. With a little over a month left to go before we reach the release date, a trailer for the series has arrived online and you can check it out in the embed above! Wikipedia notes Culprits will also be released “on Star via Disney+ in several countries around the world as a Star Original.”

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (the Candyman reboot), Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves), Kirby (a.k.a. Kirby Howell-Baptiste of The Good Place), Kamel El Basha (The Insult), Tara Abboud (Amira), Kevin Vidal (Working Moms), Ned Dennehy (Good Omens), and Eddie Izzard (Six Minutes to Midnight) lead the cast of Culprits, which has the following synopsis:

Culprits kicks off where most...

"If we fight, we die. If we run, we die." Hulu has unveiled an official trailer for a crime comedy series titled Culprits, made in England for Disney UK. It's the latest creation from filmmaker J Blakeson, best known for his films The Disappearance of Alice Creed, The 5th Wave, and I Care a Lot previously. After a heist, the crew have gone their separate ways, but now, they are being targeted by a killer one-by-one. Culprits kicks off where most crime stories end: after a high-stakes heist, when the crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways. Past and present collide when a ruthless assassin starts targeting them. Why are they being stalked, who is behind the mayhem, and will they be able to find one another in time to protect themselves and the people they love? The 8-episode UK dark comedy series stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton,...

Fair Play, directed by Chloe Domont, premiered at Sundance and is now streaming on Netflix. The film focuses on a couple whose relationship is tested by a promotion. Lead actors Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich deliver standout performances, with an explosive ending that has garnered attention. The supporting cast, including Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer, Sebastian de Souza, Geraldine Somerville, and Patrick Fischler, adds depth to the story.

Written and directed by Chloe Domont, Fair Play has a small but stellar cast. The film follows a couple who is pushed to the edge after a promotion complicates their relationship and works to destroy them. Fair Play first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it received rave reviews from critics and was quickly picked up by Netflix.

The film is now streaming on its platform, and it boasts some top-notch performances from its lead actors. Domont’s film keeps its story tight,...

Gemma Arterton in ‘Culprits’ (Photo: Character 7 Productions/Hulu)

Hulu’s released the first batch of photos from Culprits, an upcoming thriller set to stream this fall. The first-look photos tease what Hulu describes as a darkly funny crime series without giving much away.

Culprits stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Generation), Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man), Kirby (The Good Place), Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves), and Kamel El Basha (The Insult). Tara Abboud, Kevin Vidal (Working Moms), Ned Dennehy (The Peripheral), and Eddie Izzard (Victoria and Abdul) also star.

The eight-episode season was created by J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), who also serves as an executive producer and director. Disney+ Emea’s Johanna Devereaux and Stephen Garrett (The Night Manager) executive produce, Claire Oakley (Make Up) directs, and Morenike Williams (Killing Eve) is a producer.

The series is a Character 7 production.

Eddie Izzard in ‘Culprits’ (Photo: Character 7 Productions/Hulu)

The Plot,...

Gemma Arterton and Eddie Izzard are the latest additions to the original Disney series ‘Culprits.’

Also joining Arterton and Izzard on the cast list are Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“Cruella”) who plays Officer, Niamh Algar (“Deceit”, “Raised by Wolves”) who plays Psycho, Kamel El Basha (“The Insult”) who plays Youssef, newcomer Tara Abboud who plays Azar, Kevin Vidal (“Strays”, “Working Moms”) who plays Jules, Ned Dennehy who plays Devil.

The eight-episode series, which is described as a darkly funny, whip-smart series follows the aftermath of a heist follows what happens after a heist, when the crew have gone their separate ways, but are being targeted by a killer one by one.

Also in news – R.I.P Ivan Reitman

The series comes from series from acclaimed executive producer Stephen Garrett (The Undoing; The Night Manager) and film-maker J Blakeson. Directors for the series are J Blakeson and Claire Oakley (“Make Up”) who...

Exclusive: British filmmaker J Blakeson has signed for representation with WME. Blakeson is coming off writing and directing the dark satirical thriller I Care A Lot, which starred Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzales and Dianne Weist. The film premiered at 2020 Toronto and was released last February by Netflix in the US and Amazon Prime in the UK, with Pike winning the Golden Globe. He is currently in production on Culprits, the Disney+ limited series he created. Blakeson is head writer and lead director and EP alongside Character 7’s Stephen Garrett. Blakeson had been repped by CAA.

Blakeson made his feature debut with the acclaimed kidnap thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed. His second film was The 5th Wave for Sony, and he directed all three episodes BBC/HBO’s mini-series Gunpowder, written by Ronan Bennett and starring Kit Harrington, Liv Tyler, Peter Mullen and Mark Gatiss.

London-based Blakeson continues...

If you’re looking for something to watch on HBO Max this month, you may want to prioritize the following titles that are leaving the streaming service throughout February. Below, we’ve assembled a complete list of everything leaving HBO Max in February, which ranges from Oscar-winning blockbusters to stone-cold classics to delightful comedies.

Noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “Dunkirk,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Amistad,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Independence Day,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “The Goonies,” “Joker” and “The Lego Batman Movie.” It’s also last call for DC films “Wonder Woman,” “Aquaman,” “Birds of Prey” and “Suicide Squad.”

The end of February will also mark the departure of a number of documentary series that aired on CNN, including “The Bush Years,” “The Seventies,” “The Eighties,” ”The Nineties,” ”The Movies” and ”The Story of Late Night.”

Check out the full list of everything leaving HBO Max in February 2022 below.

Disney+ is ramping up scripted commissioning in the UK.

Disney+ has ordered a live-action series based on Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as it ramps up scripted commissioning in the UK.

Nautilus is being produced by two British companies: All3Media label Seven Stories, which counts Stephen Lambert as chair, alongside Xavier Marchand’s Moonriver TV.

The show was unveiled during today’s Disney+ Edinburgh Television Festival Spotlight session (August 23).

The 10-parter will tell Verne’s story from the point of view of character Captain Nemo, who oversees the legendary submarine Nautilus.

Once Nemo sets sail with his ragtag crew,...

Take a look at actress Gemma Arterton, aka 'Polly' in director Matthew Vaughn's prequel action feature "The King's Man", opening December 22, 2021, posing for "The Rake" magazine, wearing Caroline Andrew, Meváris and a whole lot more, photographed by Mariano Vivanco:

Arterton's extensive film work includes playing 'Bond Girl' 'Strawberry Fields' in "Quantum of Solace"...

...lead roles in  "Clash of the Titans" (2010), "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010), "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013)...

..."The Disappearance of Alice Creed" (2009), "Tamara Drewe" (2010), "The Escape" (2017) and "Vita and Virginia" (2018). 

Since 2016 Arterton has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions...

...focusing on creating female-led content in front of and behind the camera.  

"The King's Man" will be released December 22, 2021.

Click the images to enlarge...

The series include ‘Culprits’ from the producers of ‘The Night Manager’ and ‘Killing Eve’.

Streaming service Disney+ has ordered its first slate of original series in the UK, including a dark comedy thriller from UK filmmaker J Blakeson.

Culprits has been created by Blakeson, whose features include The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, The 5th Wave and I Care A Lot. The latter debuted at Toronto International Film Festival in 2020.

The series will come under Disney’s adult-focused Star brand and follows what happens after a heist, when the crew have gone their separate ways but are being targeted one-by-one by a killer.

Disney has announced its initial slate of scripted UK originals for Disney+ working with creatives from ‘Killing Eve’ and more.

Three UK productions have been confirmed for Disney+; one Disney-branded and two Star-branded originals that will add a diverse range of new stories. Spanning a wide range of genres, commissions include a swashbuckling family adventure, an electrifying heist drama and an innovative comedy series.

BAFTA Award-winning writer Sally Wainwright, along with BAFTA-winning producers Sally Woodward Gentle (Sid Gentle Films), Faith Penhale (Lookout Point) and Stephen Garrett (Character 7), are among the talent whose series will be launched on Disney+. Debut screenwriter Emma Moran brings an innovative Star Original comedy to the service.

The news follows the earlier announcement that Disney has teamed up with legendary footballer David Beckham on a factual entertainment series that will see Beckham going back to his roots to mentor a struggling young grassroots team.

Also in...

BAFTA-winning writer Sally Wainwright, “Killing Eve” producer Sally Woodward Gentle and producers Faith Penhale (“Les Miserables”) and Stephen Garrett (“The Night Manager”) are among the creatives behind Disney Plus’ first scripted slate out of the U.K.

The service has unveiled two Star originals — including one from debut screenwriter Emma Moran — and one Disney-branded project. This brings the streamer’s European originals to 14 — almost a third of its planned 50-title slate out of Europe by 2024. They will be executive produced on behalf of Disney by Johanna Devereaux, director of scripted.

The U.K. original productions are as follows, with synopses provided by Disney:

The Ballad of Renegade Nell

Penned by Wainwright, “The Ballad of Renegade Nell” is billed as a “Disney-branded swashbuckling adventure series” that is set in the 18th century and produced by Lookout Point. When she’s framed for murder, Nell Jackson is forced into a life of highway robbery,...

Take a look at new images of actress Gemma Arterton ("The King's Man") in the March 2021 issue of  "M Revista de Milenio":

Arterton's extensive film work includes playing 'Bond Girl' 'Strawberry Fields' in "Quantum of Solace"...

...lead roles in  "Clash of the Titans" (2010), "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010), "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013)...

..."The Disappearance of Alice Creed" (2009), "Tamara Drewe" (2010), "The Escape" (2017) and "Vita and Virginia" (2018). 

Since 2016 Arterton has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions...

...focusing on creating female-led content in front of and behind the camera.  

Click the images to enlarge...

In his latest interview/podcast, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks to J Blakeson (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed) about writing and directing the morally ambiguous, visceral, tar black comedy I Care A Lot, how you cast someone as high profile as Rosamund Pike to play such a nasty piece of work as Marla Grayson and much more.

Poised with sharklike self-assurance, Marla Grayson is a professional, court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards whose assets she seizes and cunningly bilks through dubious but legal means. It’s a well-oiled racket that Marla and her business-partner and lover, Fran, use with brutal efficiency on their latest “cherry,” Jennifer Peterson – a wealthy retiree with no living heirs or family. But when their mark turns out to have an equally shady secret of her own and connections to a volatile gangster, Marla is forced to level up in a game only predators...

When we think of "elders", we usually think of our grandparents or grand-uncles, or even that nice lady who works in a grocery store and always talks to you and asks you about your life whenever you stop by. This is normal. However, shady legal guardian Marla Grayson in I Care a Lot, filmmaker J Blakeson's latest film (after The Disappearance of Alice Creed and The 5th Wave), only thinks of them as a constant flood of cash. Blakeson's dark comedy thriller is a chaotic mix of genres, a crazy rollercoaster ride, and it certainly saves itself with a stellar cast and a storyline that is interesting enough to keep us invested right up until the end. Marla Grayson, played by Rosamund Pike, likes to say that she cares a lot. And in the true meaning of this sentence, the woman does care, just not about what people think.

Wonder Woman 1984 star Chris Pine is reuniting with his Hell or High Water co-star Ben Foster for Violence of Action, a new thriller from STXfilms. The one-two dramatic punch of Pine and Foster should hopefully prove to once again be as gruffly charismatic as in their 2016 collaboration in this story of black ops and betrayal.

Violence of Action is being helmed by Swedish director Tarik Saleh whose previous credits include the likes of the 2017 crime drama The Nile Hilton Incident as well as episodes of popular series Westworld and Ray Donovan. Violence of Action stars Pine as "James Harper who, after being involuntarily discharged from the Green Berets, joins a paramilitary organization in order to support his family in the only way he knows how. Harper travels to Berlin with his elite team on a black ops mission to investigate a mysterious threat. Barely into his first assignment, he finds...

The Trump Era may be officially over, but Trump’s legacy of greed, corruption, and malfeasance lives on in J Blakeson’s scabrous, scathing satire, I Care a Lot, a not particularly deep, if viciously funny, takedown of the for-profit nursing home industry, a malleable, safeguard-free civil court system, and the professional grifters, true believers in Gordon Gecko’s “greed is good” credo as a life philosophy, who exploit both for maximum financial gain, here depicted in its entirety as an unnerving microcosm of unfettered capitalism (U.S.A Edition). Tonally pitch-black, I Care a Lot may not be for everyone, but for semi-adventurous viewers who can appreciate Blakeson’s unapologetic embrace of non-redeemable, non-root-worthy characters or an underlying, borderline nihilistic, discomforting message. The moment...

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

“I Care a Lot” is a test that throws a lot of different but related questions at its viewers:

Will you hate the central character, Marla Grayson, even though she’s played by Rosamund Pike, who showed in “Gone Girl” that she’s very, very good at playing very, very bad?

Is it Ok to root for her if the people coming after her are very, very bad, too?

Will you take any pleasure in watching her be despicable, since Pike obviously takes so much pleasure in playing her?

Can you continue to hate her when she starts doing the stuff a movie hero typically does, like using all her pluck and resourcefulness to come back from rock bottom and get revenge on the people who tried to harm her?

And if you do ever stop hating her, will you then feel guilty and hate yourself for being a sucker,...

Battle of the Bilk: Blakeson Returns with Topical Con Comedy

“There’s no such thing as good people,” croons the dulcet Rosamund Pike over the opening sequences of I Care A Lot, the latest twisty narrative from J Blakeson, the director’s third feature which showcases a return to form evidenced in his underrated 2009 debut The Disappearance of Alice Creed. His latest film is also about disappearances, of a sort, showcasing the wonton elder abuse made possible by the US government’s principle of Parens patriae, meant as a protection for older vulnerable adults in which the state can assign the emergency use of ‘professional guardians’ to oversee someone’s estate who isn’t able to care for themselves or attached to family members able to exercise their best interests.…...

Pike’s black-hearted Marla drains the bank accounts of well-off elderly patients, until she picks the wrong prey

A sulphur-whiff of evil rises from this exquisitely nasty and horribly watchable thriller from writer-director J Blakeson, whose debut movie The Disappearance of Alice Creed 12 years ago gave us all grounds for predicting great things. And Rosamund Pike is tremendous, giving us her most outrageous Hitchcock-blonde turn since Gone Girl.

Pike offers a window display of pure predatory wickedness, lighting up the screen with her sociopath haircut, shades and fashion-plate outfits, like Nurse Ratched’s aspirational granddaughter. She is also vaping – always the sign of a screen villain. Although I can’t help wishing Blakeson could have given Pike’s co-star Dianne Wiest more to do in the final act, it is grisly and gleefully cynical entertainment. If Ben Jonson directed films, they would be like this.

Pike plays Marla Grayson, a ruthless woman who,...

Take a look at new images of actress Gemma Arterton ("The King's Man") in the February 2021 issue of "The Rake" magazine, wearing Caroline Andrew, Meváris and a whole lot more, photographed by Mariano Vivanco:

Arterton's extensive film work includes playing 'Bond Girl' 'Strawberry Fields' in "Quantum of Solace"...

...lead roles in  "Clash of the Titans" (2010), "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010), "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013)...

..."The Disappearance of Alice Creed" (2009), "Tamara Drewe" (2010), "The Escape" (2017) and "Vita and Virginia" (2018). 

Since 2016 Arterton has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions...

...focusing on creating female-led content in front of and behind the camera.  

"The King's Man" will be released February 26, 2021.

Click the images to enlarge...

It’s 2021. Finally. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve hopefully gotten through the wreckage of last year unscathed and are ready for a brighter future. And if you’re also a movie lover, this certainly includes a trip (or 20) back to the cinemas. Although a month into the new year, and our hope for a better tomorrow has faded a bit–especially with new Covid variants spreading. Yet there is reason to remain warily optimistic. Yes, including about theaters

For nearly a year now cinemas have remained largely dormant, and given the already shuffling 2021 film calendar, that will continue for the foreseeable future. However, studios (with one notable exception) remain mostly committed to getting new films to the theater this year, and the current 2021 film slate gives reasons to be hopeful.

Indeed, 2021 promises many of the most anticipated films from last year, plus new surprises. From the...

In today’s Global Bulletin, WarnerMedia Latin America makes several leadership team changes; HBO Europe announces new true-crime docuseries “Pray, Obey, Kill”; Amazon Prime Video picks up “I Care a Lot” in several key territories; Piece of Magic hires Charlie Kemball as head of acquisitions and business development; San Sebastián opens the call for key sections; and “Mully” will stream free globally this Valentine’s Day.

Leadership

WarnerMedia Latin America chief content officer Tomás Yankelevich has announced the company’s new General Entertainment leadership team and structure going forward, after integration of regional Turner and HBO properties.

As part of the restructuring, Mariano Cesar has been named head of programming and content strategy for HBO Max Latin America, ahead of the streaming service’s 2021 launch. Gustavo Grossman is now head of Ge Networks, heading the team that handles the company’s linear pay TV brands.

Ricardo Pichetto will stay on...

Lily James Rom-Com Adds Cast

Sajal Ali, Shabana Azmi, Rob Brydon and Asim Chaudhry have joined the cast of Working Title and Studiocanal’s romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It? Shoot is now underway in London on the pic, which Deadline previously revealed would star Lily James, Shazad Latif and Emma Thompson. Jemima Khan wrote the screenplay and will produce, with Shekhar Kapur directing. Nicky Kentish Barnes is also producing alongside Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, with Sarmad Masud as executive producer. Story is a cross-cultural rom-com about love and marriage and is set between London and South Asia.

‘Last Warrior’ Slays Russian Box Office

Russia’s box office got a big boost in the early part of 2021 as The Last Warrior: Root Of Evil set a record gross of $22.1M across its first ten days of release. Originally opening to $2M on January 1, the movie from...

"I don't lose. I won't lose. I'm never letting you go." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for I Care a Lot, a sneaky crime film dark comedy starring Rosamund Pike. This is the new film from director J Blakeson (of The Disappearance of Alice Creed and The 5th Wave) and it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year to mostly positive reviews. Pike stars as a crooked, spineless legal guardian who drains the savings of her elderly wards. But she meets her match when an elderly woman she tries to swindle turns out to be more than she first appears. This is one of those films that is about a horrible person, but follows them as the protagonist just to show us how depraved they can be. The cast includes Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, Damian Young, with Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Dianne Wiest.

“I Care a Lot” is a sleekly unnerving thriller. Rosamund Pike, in killer suits and a bob so precise it looks like a blonde helmet sliced with a laser, plays Marla Grayson, a conservator who’s really a con artist. She’ll stand up in court, radiating a beam of articulate compassion, and argue that a senior citizen can no longer look after him or herself and should therefore be placed under Marla’s care. She then becomes their guardian — and sticks them in a rest home, so that she can slowly but surely suck away their assets. She’s the film’s protagonist, but she’s no mere grifter. She’s a sociopath, a predator who will toss someone’s life into the trash with a duplicitous grin of pride.

Because here’s the real crime: Some of the wards Marla takes under her wing are still perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Not since Gone Girl has Rosamund Pike been so perilously irresistible. All toothy grins and smiling eyes, Pike’s Marla Grayson enters every room in I Care a Lot as a ball of sunshine. But also like the sun, if you get too close to this woman, she’ll burn you alive—all while dipping into your savings account and selling the family home. That’s literally her job as a legal guardian: She takes care of people the state deems incapable of caring for themselves… and she’s made a hell of a mint doing it.

“You’re a robber,” bemoans Dianne Wiest at one point in the film, aghast that Marla convinced a court to throw her in a retirement home. “I’m your guardian,” Marla insists. But Wiest’s nice little old lady has the right of it. “You’re my guardian robber.”

Such are the pitch...

Exclusive: Baby Driver and Alita: Battle Angel‘s Eiza Gonzalez is joining I Care A Lot, the Black Bear Pictures-produced thriller that stars Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage. STXinternational boarded the project in Cannes and will directly distribute in the UK. The company confirmed Gonzalez’ casting to Deadline on the same day as its slate presentation at CineEurope in Barcelona. Principal photography starts next month in Boston.

J Blakeson (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed) is directing from his own original screenplay.

Oscar-nominee Pike will play Marla Grayson, a highly successful legal guardian with a knack for using the law to her benefit and her elderly clients’ detriment, living a life of luxury at their expense. But when her seemingly innocent next victim turns out to have dangerous secrets, Marla must use every ounce of her wit and cunning to stay alive.

González’s upcoming films include Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,...

Exclusive: Gone Girl and A Private War star Rosamund Pike is set to lead cast in thriller I Care A Lot for The Imitation Game and Ben Is Back producer Black Bear Pictures. J Blakeson (The 5th Wave) has scripted and will direct with shoot scheduled for June of this year.

Oscar-nominee Pike will play Marla Grayson, a highly successful legal guardian with a knack for using the law to her benefit and her clients’ detriment. But when she cherry picks her seemingly perfect client, she soon realizes looks are deceiving. Additional casting is in the works.

Teddy Schwarzman’s Black Bear and Blakeson’s Sugar November are producing, with Black Bear fully financing. Producers are Schwarzman, Ben Stillman and Michael Heimler, alongside Blakeson. Sacha Guttenstein will executive produce.

Schwarzman told us, “Black Bear is thrilled to partner with J and Rosamund to bring I Care A Lot to life.

Exclusive: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to star opposite Dakota Fanning in the Zeresenay Berhane Mehari-directed Sweetness In The Belly based on the bestselling novel by Camilla Gibb.

Adapted for the screen by Laura Phillips, the film is a powerful love story that explores an immigrant’s life from a unique perspective. In a story that is relevant to today’s cultural landscape, Fanning stars Lilly Abdal (a role which Saoirse Ronan was originally attached), who was orphaned in Africa as a child and escaped to England as a refugee, fleeing civil war. Lost in this cold new world, Lilly embraces the immigrant community in London, attempting to reunite people with their scattered families. However, Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless: A passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz (Abdul-Mateen II), an idealistic doctor. But can Lilly let go of the past?...

KollywoodWhile the story itself is nothing new, the way it has been treated is what makes this film a worthy experience.Anjana ShekarEchcharikkai – Idhu Manidhargal Nadamaadum Idam is a thriller centered around an abduction, a tested genre. The makers have even credited films like The Disappearance of Alice Creed, La Orca and Kadal as inspirations. So, does Echcharikkai offer anything fresh? While the story itself is nothing new, the way it has been treated is what makes this film a worthy experience. Kishore plays David and debutant Vivek Rajgopal plays Thomas, his nephew. Director Sarjun, who shot to fame with his short films Lakshmi and Maa, has given the two an interesting background and it is the placement of this history in the narrative flow that makes the rest of the film interesting. Had the narrative been non-linear, it wouldn’t have created as much of a curiosity as it does in its present form.

Iain Canning and Emile Sherman’s See-Saw Films has appointed Nicky Earnshaw as Head of Production for the UK film and TV divisions. The exec is moving to the Lion and King’s Speech producer from Film4 where she has been acting Head of Production. At See-Saw, she is replacing Amy Jackson who is moving into independent producing and will continue to collaborate with the company on various projects.

Earnshaw, who at Film4 oversaw physical production on such titles as Disobedience, Beast and I Am Not A Witch, will be responsible for the production and day-to-day operations of See-Saw’s expanding film and TV slate developed and produced out of the UK office. In addition, she will oversee productions greenlit through the recently announced first look deal with New Regency, as part of See-Saw’s increasing presence in the U.S.

She will report to Co-Managing Directors Canning and...

See-Saw Films has hired veteran executive Nicky Earnshaw as head of production for its U.K. film and television divisions, effective July 9.

Earnshaw will be responsible for the production and day-to-day operations of See-Saw’s film and TV slate developed and produced out of the U.K. office. In addition, she will oversee productions greenlit through the recently announced first-look deal with New Regency, as part of See-Saw’s increasing presence in the U.S.

Managing directors Iain Canning and Emile Sherman said: “Nicky is undeniably one of the most experienced and respected production executives in the business, with extensive industry knowledge particularly in the U.K. and excellent relationships with globally renowned filmmakers and talent. We are excited to have her join our team and have no doubt she will be an extraordinary asset to our growing film and television business.”

Earnshaw takes over the role from Amy Jackson,...

“Game Of Thrones” fans may be waiting until 2019 to see where the story of Jon Snow winds up. However, Kit Harington will return to HBO in some different clothes and facial hair for the miniseries “Gunpowder.”

Also starring Liv Tyler, Mark Gatiss, and Peter Mullan, and directed by J Blakeson (“The Disappearance of Alice Creed”), “Gunpowder” will the tell the story of Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of provincial English Catholics planned to blow up the House of Lords and kill King James I.

Continue reading ‘Gunpowder’ Trailer: Kit Harington & Liv Tyler Bring The Revolution at The Playlist.

Ryan Lambie Apr 27, 2017

Deciding what film to watch on a plane is fraught with danger - especially if you worry what other passengers might think of your choices...

Nb: The following contains a mild spoiler for Toni Erdmann and descriptions of saucy film moments.

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To date, science has yet to bring us matter transporters or suspended animation, but things have moved on considerably when it comes to in-flight entertainment. Once upon a time, watching a movie on a plane meant squinting at a screen a few rows away as a heavily-edited version of a six-month old film played.

Today, most planes come with a little flat screen mounted on the seat in front of you; with a press of a few unresponsive buttons, you...

Industry veteran, co-producer of Fox’s upcoming untitled A.A. Milne biopic, died suddenly at home last weekend.

UK producer-financier Steve Christian has died unexpectedly at home aged 53.

Former CinemaNX co-founder and chairman Christian, who previously oversaw the development of the Isle of Man’s film investment programme, most recently served as co-producer on Fox Searchlight’s upcoming Untitled A.A. Milne project starring Domhnall Gleeson and Margot Robbie.

Christian, a former accountant, was intrinsic to the development of the Isle Of Man Film Commission, which invested in projects including Lawless Heart, The Libertine and Revolver as well as TV series The Shadow Line.

He launched production and distribution outfit CinemaNX, which was backed by the Isle of Man government, in 2007 alongside producer Marc Samuelson.

The outfit backed titles including Me And Orson Welles, The Disappearance of Alice Creed and Chico & Rita.

Christian joined Pinewood Pictures in 2012 when the studio took over management of the Isle of Man...

Kirsten Howard Jan 11, 2017

Here's your first look at Urban Myths, Sky Arts' star-studded and controversial new series...

When Sky Arts announced they were pressing ahead with Urban Myths, a new series set to explore some of the more random urban legends that have been linked to celebrities over the years, it sounded like it was going to be pretty fun, but as the casting process continued things started to get almost as weird as the stories themselves.

See related Jessica Jones season 2: female directors will helm all the episodes Iron Fist: see some images from Marvel's next Netflix show The Punisher: 5 new cast members and 2017 release confirmed

Eddie Marsan (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed) as Bob Dylan, Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) as 'Hitler's Friend', Brian Cox (The Autopsy Of Jane Doe) as Marlon Brando...not a casting choice went by that didn't either raise an eyebrow or get a nod.

Mark Harrison Oct 11, 2016

We salute the film work of one of Britain's very best, and most versatile, film actors: Mr Eddie Marsan...

Eddie Marsan isn't just one of the best British actors working today – he's also one of the busiest, appearing in all kinds of supporting roles in major movies, while also appearing on TV a lot, on both sides of the Atlantic. He was fantastic as the latter lead in BBC One's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell last year and he's also a regular on Showtime's Ray Donovan as Ray's brother Terry, an ex-boxer suffering from Parkinson's disease.

On the big screen though, it's Marsan's versatility that really makes him so watchable. He's had attention grabbing turns in minor roles in blockbusters like Hancock, Mission: Impossible III and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, but he's also at home amongst a big ensemble in more serious fare like Spielberg...

Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Alex Roe, Gabriela Lopez, Bailey Anne Borders, Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Zack Arthur, David Maldonado | Written by Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner | Directed by J Blakeson

I enjoyed The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, the Y/A sci-fi novel that this film is based on. I thought it was interesting, entertaining and fun. I was intrigued to see if the film would be able to deliver those same things. I didn’t see the film right away, and I began to notice the negative reviews coming out about it. People giving it some super-low ratings and calling it “terrible” and “worthless” and other similar words. I wanted to check it out for myself.

Directed by J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed, The Descent Part 2), the story of The 5th Wave takes part in a world that has been invaded by aliens. Deadly...

A twisty tale of a woman who wakes up in a bunker with two men, one of whom claims to have saved her from a catastrophe

Starting life as a psychological thriller written on spec by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken under the title The Cellar, this mutated into a distant relative of Matt Reeves’ sci-fi hit Cloverfield thanks to the involvement of Jj Abrams’s Bad Robot productions. With Whiplash writer/director Damien Chazelle now sharing screenwriting credit with Stuecken and Campbell, director Dan Trachtenberg’s feature debut finds Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Michelle waking up in an underground bunker after running her car off the road. With her are John Goodman’s Howard, a survivalist who insists that he saved Michelle not only from the crash, but also from some unspecified toxic catastrophe above ground; and John Gallagher Jr’s Emmett, whose status is initially uncertain, but who believes Howard’s tales of an apocalypse. What follows is a twisty, sinewy three-hander in which each of the trapped trio variously trusts and suspects the others’ moves and motives – more The Disappearance of Alice Creed meets Room than War of the Worlds. All three cast members play their roles to a tee, with Goodman walking a thin line between threat and pathos, while Winstead does a terrific job of leading the audience through the increasingly outlandish revelations of the plot. The film-makers keep us guessing about what’s happening above ground (A nuclear strike? The monster attack of Cloverfield? Or some fantastical fabrication?) but the real drama lies in the interpersonal chamber-piece dynamics of these increasingly frazzled characters.

Continue reading...

A twisty tale of a woman who wakes up in a bunker with two men, one of whom claims to have saved her from a catastrophe

Starting life as a psychological thriller written on spec by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken under the title The Cellar, this mutated into a distant relative of Matt Reeves’ sci-fi hit Cloverfield thanks to the involvement of Jj Abrams’s Bad Robot productions. With Whiplash writer/director Damien Chazelle now sharing screenwriting credit with Stuecken and Campbell, director Dan Trachtenberg’s feature debut finds Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Michelle waking up in an underground bunker after running her car off the road. With her are John Goodman’s Howard, a survivalist who insists that he saved Michelle not only from the crash, but also from some unspecified toxic catastrophe above ground; and John Gallagher Jr’s Emmett, whose status is initially uncertain, but who...

Chloë Grace Moretz battles teen-hating space invaders in this clunky adaptation of a Ya fantasy

This sci-fi fantasy, from the first book in Rick Yancey’s ongoing Ya series, mimics the riffs (feisty heroine, hunky boys, dystopian setting, devious adult corporations, potential love triangles etc) but lacks the cinematic legs of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner. Chloë Grace Moretz is the likable teenager who finds herself fighting a guerrilla war when space invaders (“we call them ‘others’”) terrorise the planet and the army starts rounding up kids to fight in an ugly war. The British director J Blakeson, who worked low-budget wonders on The Disappearance of Alice Creed, handles the shifts and twists of the plot efficiently enough, but the result remains lumpen and crucially lacking in surprise.

At best, this yearns for the youthful grit of Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now crossed with the disaster...

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Will The 5th Wave start another Hunger Games-style young adult movie franchise? Here's our review of the film...

Based on the first in a planned trilogy of Ya novels by Rick Yancey (the third instalment is due out this year), this teenagers vs aliens thriller incorporates elements of both Twilight and The Hunger Games and should play well to fans of the books. As such, it's engaging, well cast and pacily directed, but it's slightly let down by some trite dialogue and plot twists that you can see coming a mile away.

Chloë Grace Moretz plays Ohio teenager Cassie Sullivan, a normal high school student whose life revolves around her loving parents Oliver and Lisa (Ron Livingston and Maggie Siff), her doted-on younger brother Sam (Zackary Arthur) and the monstrous crush-from-afar she has on good-looking football player Ben Parish (Jurassic World's Nick Robinson).

However, Cassie's world...