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Martin Scorsese isn’t just one of the greatest filmmakers alive; he’s the guy who defines what great filmmaking even looks like. For over five decades, the New Yorker has been giving us everything from the gritty streets of Mean Streets and Taxi Driver to the slick chaos of Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Across his career, Scorsese has collected dozens of accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed (2006), a Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award. But beyond the awards, Scorsese’s movies just feel bigger. They’ve got that mix of raw intensity, moral questions, unforgettable characters,...

Nicolas Cage knows horror movies. He’s been a movie fan for as long as he can remember and has seen enough to tell when a scene is truly scary.

When NME asked him which movie moment terrified him the most, Cage didn’t hesitate. “There have been many, but I think that The Exorcist really took it to a whole new level,” he said. “I think the final exorcism scene in that movie, I would say, would be the scariest film in cinema history.”

It’s not shocking that Cage picked a classic. The Exorcist, released in 1973 and directed by William Friedkin, was more than just a movie, it became a cultural phenomenon. The film tells the story of a young girl possessed by a demon and the desperate efforts of two Catholic priests to save her through an exorcism.

Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair star in the movie.

Nicolas Cage has watched a lot of horror movies in his life. As a longtime cinephile, he knows what makes a film truly scary. But when NME asked him which scene in movie history he finds the most frightening, Cage didn’t hesitate. “There have been many, but I think that The Exorcist really took it to a whole new level,” he said. “I think the final exorcism scene in that movie, I would say, would be the scariest film in cinema history.”

It’s interesting that Cage picked a classic instead of some obscure horror film. The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin and released in 1973, was more than a movie, it became a cultural event.

The film tells the story of a young girl possessed by a demon and the desperate attempt by two Catholic priests to save her through an exorcism. It starred Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow,...

Get ready to head to Boston Harbor's most terrifying island. Shutter Island, Paramount Pictures' 2010 psychological thriller film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is finally making its way onto its studio's namesake streaming platform. The film is available on Paramount+ as of August 1. This will give fans a chance to sample yet another one of the iconic team-ups between DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese.

The film, based on the book of the same name by Dennis Lehane, tells the story of Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), a pair of U.S. Marshals who are sent to an insane asylum to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Once they arrive, things go awry when Daniels begins experiencing paranormal phenomena, including flashbacks of his time as a soldier and images of his dead wife (Michelle Williams). Eventually, it becomes clear this isn't by accident, and that nobody at the asylum — including the...

Minority Report

Starring Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max Von Sydow

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Now Showing At Veena (Patna)

At times, as we watch Steven Spielberg’s latest spin on futuristic trauma, we wonder if we’re watching a Hindi film. A slick, supple and slender film, but nonetheless inured to Hindi film conventions.

Now take this particular sequence from Spielberg’s sleek spinball: a woman who can see into the future accompanies fugitive Tom Cruise into a shopping mall. As the cops run helterskelter searching for our hero on the run she murmurs, “Just stand here.” At that very minute a man with a bunch of balloons passes in front of Cruise, blocking him from the surveillants’ view.

Now take this sequence: Cruise is chased into a futuristic car manufacturing plant where he gets squeezed into a moulding machine. We soon see him emerge in a sleek sports car and drive away.

Whenever a Hollywood epic gets so drunk on its own cultural importance that it attempts to pre-legitimize itself by casting every available star in town, you can be quite certain that the finished product will be either a terminal bore or a full-blown disaster. Darryl F. Zanuck's "The Longest Day" is very much the former, a 178-minute grind that tries and largely fails to thrust moviegoers into the middle of the D-Day invasion via docudrama techniques; it's often technically impressive, but it quickly turns into a game of spot-the-star, which pulls us straight out of the movie. And then there's 1967's "Casino Royale," a celebrity-studded James Bond parody that feels like watching an exclusive, booze-fueled bash from the house across the street.

There are obvious exceptions, but they come with the caveat of knowingly satirizing Hollywood's insularity (Robert Altman's "The Player") or simply being a hot project that...

While speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, Stellan Skarsgård talked about his relationship with Swedish cinematic legend Ingmar Bergman, and he didn't mince his words. Skarsgård, who is at the venerable film festival to support his latest film, Sentimental Value, noted Bergman's skill while also discussing his manipulative ways, and tied it back to Bergman's controversial past as a Nazi supporter during World War II. Bergman directed Skarsgård in Hustruskolan, a 1983 Swedish TV adaptation of Molière's play The School for Wives.

Variety reports that Skarsgård discussed his mixed feelings for Bergman at the festival: "My complicated relationship with Bergman has to do with him not being a very nice guy. He was a nice director, but you can still denounce a person as an asshole. Caravaggio was probably an asshole as well, but he did great paintings." Skarsgard went on to note the...

Neal McDonough has played soldiers, senators, snipers, and now — with the release of his new faith-fueled crime thriller Guns and Moses — a righteous avenger. But to many cinephiles, he’s also forever linked to one of the most iconic sci-fi thrillers of the 21st century:Minority Report. The 2002 Steven Spielberg film, starring Tom Cruise and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, recently earned a coveted spot on The New York Times’ list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century. And when Collider’s Maggie Lovitt asked McDonough how it feels to be part of such a legacy, the actor lit up with admiration — and gratitude.

“I remember when we were doing the film, and we were doing all this stuff on the screen, we had to go to school,” McDonough said. “Me, Colin [Farrell], and Tom had to go to the school for how to do the hands right,...

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28 Days Later was a surprise hit with critics, audiences, and the box office alike because it came out of nowhere and felt like no film ever before it. An astounding feat all on its own, but even more so when you consider it did all this as a zombie movie. Well, they aren’t zombies. But you get what I mean. When it was over, and that plane flew over Jim, Selena, Hanna, and their handmade Hell sign… nope… Help sign, everyone wanted to know what happened next. Not only to them… but to the rest of the world. Which left director Danny Boyle and company in quite a predicament. How do you follow up a one-of-a-kind hit film that feels like no other when there is no surprise element anymore, your lead actors, and even you yourself aren’t available due to scheduling issues? It’s...

If you, like so many of us here at Collider, have found yourself wrapped up in The New York Times’ 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, then you might be playing catch-up. After all, there are a copious number of titles on the list, and it’s incredibly probable that several have flown under your radar. The good news is that a lot of the highly-regarded movies are on streaming, passing the ball into the viewers’ court. What’s even better is that a few of them, like Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, are going to be streaming completely free of charge. In the case of the 89% Rotten Tomatoes sci-fi flick that sees Tom Cruise step into yet another leading role, the film is set to launch on Tubi beginning on July 1.

Clocking in at number 94 on the Times’ all-encompassing list, Minority Report finds itself among good company, wedged in...

One of Steven Spielberg's most underrated movies is Minority Report, the action thriller starring Tom Cruise. More than 20 years after its original release, the dystopian sci-fi film has found a new streaming home, and fans of the genre will be able to stream one of Cruise's best films without paying anything. Starting July 1, the film will be on Tubi, and to stream the movie, viewers will just have to stick around for the occasional ad breaks.

The futuristic sci-fi film is based on Philip K. Dick's story The Minority Report. It follows Cruise as the chief of a new police unit known as Precrime. Using advanced technology and the psychic ability of three "precogs," Chief John Anderton is able to foresee crimes. When he observes the crimes before they're committed, Anderton and his partners stop the perpetrators and serve justice. During an evaluation by the Department of Justice,...

Sir Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have frequently worked together on different projects, but their most famous and successful release is arguably 2000's Gladiator. However, they worked together again several more times, and their projects weren't always big hits.

2010's historical epic adventure film Robin Hood is one of their misses. Aside from the Crowe-Scott pairing, the film had more A-listers in the cast and was based on the Robin Hood legend, with a big budget. After failing in theaters,Robin Hood has become quite popular on streaming services, and more fans have a chance to rewatch or discover it again, as it's headed to Peacock on July 1.

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe's Robin Hood was recently a streaming hit on Prime Video. The film, which premiered in 2010, had negative reviews from the critics, who gave it a "rotten" 43% score. Audiences also gave the film a negative score, with 58% on the Popcornmeter.

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It always seems like Netflix has an unending library of great movies and TV shows, but at the same time, it is also quite difficult to figure out what you actually want to watch. So, we thought why not let Netflix make it easy for you, as it removes movies and TV shows from its library every month, and we decided to pick the best of the best films and TV shows you should watch before you can’t anymore.

13 Going on 30 (July 1) Credit – Sony Pictures

13 Going on 30 is a fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick from a screenplay co-written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith. The 2004 film follows a 13-year-old girl who wishes to become a 30-year-old, and the next she wakes 17 years later as a woman who now works as a fashion editor. 13 Going on 30 stars Jennifer Garner,...

Death is inevitable, but few are happy to welcome it. The topic brings with it existential dread, if not terror, and thousands of years of philosophical and theological discussion, all to try and cope with that final frontier. While some learn to approach the end with acceptance, even peace, it's seldom easy. And so, death in media becomes another tool by which we can confront this universal experience by whistling past the cemetery, if nothing else.

Dying in a movie can be a moment of tragedy. Done well, it can also be a black, vivacious laugh. Sometimes it's bathos: anticlimactic, like that bit in James Cameron's "Titanic" where some poor dude thunks off the sinking ship's propeller. It's a horrible laugh, but darn if it doesn't ease the sorrow. In honor of that guy, we're going down the list of 15 of the best cinematic deaths ever. It should be...

Remakes are all the rage right now, and there are plenty of sci-fi and fantasy films from the past that can use one!

Hollywood has always had an affinity for remakes, but it's really picked up in recent years. That includes Disney’s live-action adaptations of their past animated movies, with Dreamworks following suit with How To Train Your Dragon. There’s also word of plans for remakes of Starship Troopers, among others.

Of course, some folks are worried about remaking a beloved film, as we’ve seen a lot of crummy examples over the years. There are many sci-fi/fantasy movies that should never be remade, from classics like Forbidden Planet to cult favorites such as The Last Starfighter.

But there are also many sci-fi and fantasy movies that could benefit from a remake. The originals are good, but they could use better effects, actors, and storytelling. These are...

William Friedkin's horror classic "The Exorcist," based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, opens in the deserts of northern Iraq, where the elderly Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) finds a mysterious, demonic sculpture. The statue depicts an animal-headed creature with angel-like wings, and a serpent between its legs. The statue is very concerning. Merrin knows that this demonic discovery will spell out evil somewhere in the world. Merrin will remain absent for the bulk of "The Exorcist," only called in to help when his vision comes true. In Washington, DC, a young girl named Regan (Linda Blair) has become bodily possessed by a demon claiming to be the Devil himself. The elderly priest will have to team up with Father Karras (Jason Miller) to remove the demon from the girl's body. 

Of course, relating details of "The Exorcist" seems like a churlish exercise, as it's one of the...

There’s no denying the power of a good exorcism film. Whether or not you subscribe to the teachings of the Catholic Church, there’s something uniquely terrifying about a horror film starring the devil himself or a villain unbound by the laws of corporeal life. Exorcism films invite us to suspend our disbelief and question the spiritual safety we take for granted. After all, demons could be lurking everywhere and there’s little to stop them from possessing our souls. Even more frightening, many claim to be based on actual events, adding authenticity to genuine terror.

David Midell’s bases his new film The Ritual on the most extensively documented exorcism in US history: the tragic case of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). Also known as Anna Ecklund, Schmidt suffered for decades under demonic oppression before her body was purged by the holy rite. Despite the reassurance of Father Theophilus...

Australia’s Imprint Films is releasing David Lynch‘s Dune on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray in sandbox packaging. Priced at Aud$199.95 (approximately $130), it’s due out on July 30.

The limited edition packaging features a tempered glass liquid sand panel, displaying the rolling sands of Arrakis and hints of spice melange, moving in front of the iconic poster artwork. Tilt the panel to watch the sands spill, run your fingers across the sand-like grit-textured surface of the hardbox, turn the foil-stamped text towards the light, and pull out the drawer to dive beneath the dunes.

Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 influential novel, the 1984 sci-fi film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Brad Dourif, Dean Stockwell, Virginia Madsen, José Ferrer, Sting, Linda Hunt, and Max von Sydow.

The four-disc set includes the theatrical cut on 4K Uhd and Blu-ray, the extended TV version on Blu-ray, and an exclusive extended cut of the 2021 documentary...

Fans of The Exorcist might feel their stomachs turn a bit upon learning that Mike Flanagan’s planned film could take longer to hit theaters than expected.

The filmmaker took to Tumblr to respond to a fan’s question regarding whether his new movie in the franchise was still moving forward. The Hollywood Reporter reported last year that Flanagan would be writing, directing and producing a new project in the Exorcist universe for Universal Pictures that was scheduled for release on March 13, 2026. A cast has not yet been announced.

Flanagan explained in his post that his first priority is his Carrie series for Amazon MGM Studios that adapts Stephen King’s 1974 novel. “Production hasn’t started, we need to finish Carrie first,” Flanagan wrote. “No way it’s coming out next March. Nothing to worry about though.”

On Wednesday, Universal removed the film from its 2026 release calendar and replaced it with an untitled Blumhouse movie.

Fans of the acclaimed Exorcist franchise will sadly not get the highly anticipated reboot anytime soon. Originally scheduled for March 13, 2026, Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist will unfortunately be delayed, as confirmed by the filmmaker himself via Tumblr. Over a year ago, it was announced that Flanagan was writing, directing, and producing “a radical new take” on the horror sequel with the genre producer, Blumhouse, and Morgan Creek. The sequel's announcement followed David Gordon Green's 2023 film The Exorcist: Believer, which was poorly received with only negative reviews from critics.

Flanagan’s The Exorcist reboot is utterly unrelated to Believer and will provide a unique perspective for viewers. The film currently has no revised release date yet, as production hasn’t even started, according to the director. Apparently, he wants to wrap up his current Carrie project, the upcoming Prime Video series revival, before progressing with The Exorcist. In his words:...

The Exorcist is possessing Meczo Toyz‘s Mds Roto Plush line with Regan MacNeil.

The 18″ doll features sculpted parts on a soft plush body and comes packaged in a die-cut window box.

Regan is outfitted in her blue nightgown and has hauntingly life-like features that capture her demonic expression – yellowed eyes, cracked skin, and a devilish grin.

Priced at $97.99, its due out in December.

Linda Blair was only 14 years old when she starred in The Exorcist alongside Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Lee J. Cobb.

The 1973 masterpiece is directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty, based on his own 1971 novel.

Modern master of horror Mike Flanagan is currently developing the next installment in The Exorcist saga, due out on March 13, 2026.

The post ‘The Exorcist’ Possesses Mezco Toyz with Regan Roto Plush Doll appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On May 1, the 1995 movie Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone was added to the streaming service Peacock. It's a good time to revisit this adaptation, especially as it celebrates its 30th anniversary next month. It's not the most popular adaptation of a comic book character. In fact, it's not even the most popular adaptation of 2000 Ad's iconic future cop.

But it's not completely without merit, either. While the 2012 adaptation Dredd is definitely the more popular choice, it does make the first attempt easier to accept on its own terms. In fact, while many elements didn't work (two of which in particular stand out), three things also worked surprisingly well.

What works in Judge DreddThe opening block war

The opening ten minutes of Judge Dredd are extremely effective at introducing the audience to Mega-City 1. We get a sense of just how chaotic and violent Dredd's city is and, more importantly, we learn about the Judges.

Sinners North America Box Office Day 25 Update (Photo Credit –Facebook)

Good content, along with stellar performances, is the key to success! It has been proven once again as Sinners continues to earn winning numbers at the box office. The film collected strong numbers on its fourth Monday. It has once again outpaced Joker but did not beat Oppenheimer this time. The film has also outgrossed A Minecraft Movie’s fourth Monday collection. Keep scrolling for the deets.

It is running in the cinemas along with big-budget family movies, but this R-rated movie is dominating, remaining only below the MCU’s Thunderbolts*. The movie is one of the highest-grossing horror movies and is now set to surpass The Exorcist’s US haul. The 1973 supernatural horror movie was directed by William Friedkin and featured Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair. It follows the demonic possession of a young...

The Exorcist Director Fired A Gun On Set—Here’s Why(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

If you were compiling a list of the scariest horror movies ever made, The Exorcist would top the list for many diehard cinephiles and genre fans. The critics ‘ feedback was surprisingly mixed when the film was released in theatres in 1973. However, eventually, the movie achieved a cult following among film enthusiasts.

Here’s Why the Exorcist Director William Friedkin Fired a Gun on Set

Another fascinating trivia about the film is that its director, William Friedkin, fired a gun on set. According to a report by ScreenRant, in a documentary titled Leap of Faith, it was revealed that he once fired a gun to create a loud noise and capture a startled reaction from actor Jason Miller, who played Father Karras. It was for the scene when Friedkin wanted to extract genuine expressions from Father...

Greg Cannom, the masterful prosthetics and makeup specialist who received Oscars for his work on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Vice, has died. He was 73.

Cannom worked often with makeup maestro Rick Baker early in his career, and Baker on Friday reported his death in an Instagram post. “His work will be remembered long after his passing,” he wrote. No details were immediately available.

In March 2023, a GoFundMe page was set up to help Cannom with expenses as he battled diabetes and a staph infection that led to one of his legs being amputated below his knee.

In addition to his four wins, Cannom received six other Oscar makeup noms: for Hook (1991), Hoffa (1992), Roommates (1995), Titanic (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999) and A Beautiful Mind (2001).

He and Wesley Wofford shared an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2005 for “the development of their special modified silicone material...

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The Amateur is a vigilante action spy thriller film directed by James Hawes from a screenplay co-written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli. Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, the 2025 film follows Charlie Heller, a brilliant CIA cryptographer whose wife was killed during a terrorist attack in London. After discovering that, he blackmails his superiors into giving him training to kill the people who killed his wife and use his expertise in doing so. The Amateur stars Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Laurence Fishburne. So, if you loved the thrilling drama, intense revenge story, and compelling characters in The Amateur, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Law Abiding Citizen (Starz & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Overture Films

Law Abiding Citizen is a vigilante action thriller film...

Mel Novak, the great movie villain known for his slick turns as the sniper Stick in Bruce Lee’s Game of Death, the gangster Blue Eyes in Jim Kelly’s Black Belt Jones and the informant Tony Montoya in Chuck Norris’ An Eye for an Eye, has died. He was 90.

Novak died Wednesday of natural causes at a hospice facility in Granada Hills, his daughter Nikol Conant told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a career that spanned seven decades, the charismatic Novak did lots of his own stunts, as in The Ultimate Warrior (1975), starring Yul Brynner and Max von Sydow. That was one of the four films he made with Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse.

In his death scene for that post-apocalyptic adventure, “They covered me with peanut butter and sunflower seeds and then put 40 live rats on me,” Novak recalled in a 2018 interview. “I told their trainer, ‘If one of them bites me,...

He's bald, he loves his cat, and he lives in a volcano. Yes, you don't need to be a James Bond aficionado to know we're talking about Ernst Stavro Blofeld, 007's greatest adversary. Bond has faced many megalomaniacs and masterminds over the past 60 years, and some of them are just as memorable: Auric Goldfinger, Scaramanga, and Le Chiffre to name just three. Yet Blofeld remains the greatest Bond villain ever, playing Professor Moriarty to the suave spy's Sherlock Holmes, the Joker to his Batman. Much like the Dark Knight and his arch-enemy, they represent flip sides of the same coin and are likely to face off as long as people make Bond movies (who really thinks that "No Time to Die" will be the last we see of both characters?).

Since his intriguing first appearance in "From Russia With Love," Blofeld has appeared in eight films if you include one...

Spooky season is coming early this year on Peacock. The classic horror film The Exorcist will be among the new titles added to the streaming service next month.

Beginning April 1, Peacock subscribers will be able to stream The Exorcist, the highly influential 1973 horror film that became the first of its genre to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.The Exorcist is based on the 1971 novel of the same name by the late William Peter Blatty, who wrote the screenplay for the 1973 adaptation. The movie follows a young girl named Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) who becomes possessed by a demon, leading to her mother, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), seeking out the help of two Catholic priests, Father Karras (Jason Miller) and Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow), to rescue her daughter by performing an exorcism on her.

While Warner Bros. had low box office expectations for The Exorcist,...

Weird is wonderful. Weird is good. Weird films challenge expectations with disorienting elements like surreal imagery, non-linear plots, and dreamlike (or nightmarish) logic. So what defines 'weird?' Ambiguity, uncomfortable atmospheres, rejection of traditional narrative structures? The beauty of it lies in bypassing our rational mind and speaking directly to our subconscious. These films remain in our thoughts, revealing different meanings every time we watch them.

2019’s The Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers, owns its claustrophobic black-and-white cinematography, surreal mermaid visions, and descent into madness. Its obscure mythology and sexual imagery create an air of psychological horror and dread. Lead actors Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson deliver exceptional performances as isolated lighthouse keepers whose grip on reality deteriorates. With that in mind, if you like The Lighthouse, you'll love 1968'sHour of the Wolf.

Director Ingmar Bergman Ran So Others Could Walk

Directed by Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish classic Hour of the Wolf...

The hype surrounding Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Exorcist project gets more intense as days roll by, but there are also so many thoughts about the previous installments that heavily bombed at the box office. It took many years in between before the franchise produced follow-ups, simply because it wasn’t meant to be a cinematic universe.

Guillermo del Toro / Credits: BBC

What’s more upsetting is the fact that Guillermo del Toro almost helmed the unfortunate 2005 prequel movie, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, which already leaves us fans thinking he could have singlehandedly saved it. The project eventually went to Paul Schrader.

Guillermo del Toro could have saved the Exorcist prequel movie

The ill-fated Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist joined Guillermo del Toro’s list of unrealized projects despite it being his niche. The director, who is known for his love for monsters and all things gothic horror, turned down...

Imagine if, in modern times, the role of let’s say, DC’s Sgt. Rock went to the literal Rock, Dwayne Johnson. Imagine that he was given creative control over the high budget state of the art project despite having no idea who Sgt. Rock even was initially. Finally, imagine he decided to make it in the vein of all of his films, hiring Kevin Hart to be his sidekick, and royally pissing off fans of the source material along the way. That’s the best modern analogy I can come up with for what happened to 1995’s Judge Dredd. A film that had crew members allegedly taking bets on their director’s life expectancy, an NC17 rating, and Sylvester Stallone screaming I Am The Law!!! This is what happened to Judge Dredd.

Judge Dredd debuted in 1995; a year packed with iconic films. At the time, the superhero craze hadn’t fully kicked in,...

Exclusive: Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee novels are being given the small screen treatment.

Robin Cass and Robert Munroe are behind the adaptation of the Canadian author’s books, with a writer still being sought.

The deal is with Cass & Co and Blacktop Recess for 17 Ava Lee novels plus four Uncle Chow Tung prequel books. A globe-traveling enigma, Ava Lee is an unexpected heroine – a formidable forensic accountant, a fearless sleuth and a master of an ancient martial artform, Bak Mei – historically taught only to males. She is a true original as she outruns, outsmarts and outpaces the most dangerous criminals in the world. The 17 books include The Water Rat of Wanchai, The Disciple of Las Vegas and The Fury of Beijing.

“From my first read of the first novel in the series, Ava firmly implanted herself in my imagination and my heart. Bond is one thing. Ava Lee is quite another.

In many ways, Hour of the Wolf (1968) is just like many other films directed by Ingmar Bergman,one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. It stars two of his most frequent collaborators, Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann (the latter of whom was Bergman's partner at the time); it was filmed on the Swedish island of Fårö, where Bergman lived for much of his life; and its script was heavily inspired by Bergman's own life and relationships.

Even so, Hour of the Wolf is a unique entry in Bergman's acclaimed oeuvre for one simple reason: it's a horror film. While many of Bergman's films dealt with dark themes and featured Gothic imagery and foreboding atmospheres, Hour of the Wolf remains Bergman's only attempt to truly frighten his audience on a visceral level, taking heavy inspiration from his own nightmares. But Bergman didn't dabble in the horror genre just for shock value.

It's time to return to Shutter Island. The acclaimed 2010 psychological thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio is now available to stream on Paramount+.

Directed by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island stars DiCaprio as Deputy U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a patient from a remote psychiatric hospital. Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, and Michelle Williams co-star in the neo-noir psychological thriller, which was a commercial success upon its release in theaters in 2010, grossing $295 million at the worldwide box office. Shutter Island also received generally positive reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes noting an approval rating of 69 percent.

RelatedMartin Scorsese Recruits Patrick Wilson to Star in Reboot of His Oscar-Nominated 34-Year-Old Film

Martin Scorsese's executive producing a new adaptation of his acclaimed 34-year-old film.

Shutter Island marked the fourth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, who have developed one of the most successful and enduring director-actor partnerships of the century.

In the majority of iconic horror movies, the film delivers a memorable antagonist who imposes a formidable presence on screen for audiences. Given how most horror villains traditionally frighten viewers with terrifying examples of murderous acts or unnerving personalities, these characters reveal a staggering amount of power that takes hold of fans, as well as becoming more fleshed-out within a larger franchise.

No matter the stakes in the plot or how many characters get in the way of these villains’ plans, each one possesses the raw might to deliver some unforgettable frights. As a result, these powerful antagonists stand out from their cinematic peers as true juggernauts of the horror genre.

Jason Voorhees Embodies a Frighteningly Determined Killer The Friday the 13th Franchise Creates Brutal Violence for Fans

Positioning himself as one of the premier horror villains in American cinema, Jason Voorhees has had an illustrious career slashing away his...

Before growing green muscles and joining the Avengers as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mark Ruffalo starred in Martin Scorsese’s 2010 psychological thriller, Shutter Island. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as US Marshal Teddy Daniels and Mark Ruffalo as US Marshal Chuck Aule, the film depicts the partners’ investigation of the disappearance of Rachel Solando, a patient at the remote psychiatric facility Ashecliffe Hospital. Based on the 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane, who also wrote Gone Baby Gone, the film is a gripping mystery that explores the effects of trauma and grief on the human psyche.

Shutter Island is regarded as one of the best films of 2010, not only for its haunting atmosphere, but also for its hotly debated twist ending. Ruffalo’s performance throughout the film provides important clues for the big reveal, showcasing not only his talent for subtlety but his calm yet commanding presence that would later serve him...

Later this year, HBO will air the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, its next Game of Thrones spinoff. Like House of the Dragon before it, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a prequel series set long before the days of Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen. But this one isn't set quite so far back in time; it's only around a century before Thrones, as opposed to two-ish centuries for House of the Dragon.

Since this is a big sprawling fantasy series with magic and mysticism, it's not out of the realm of possibility for these prequel shows to bring back characters from the original series. For example, House of the Dragon showed a brief flash of Daenerys during its second season finale. But any actual appearance in the flesh by a Thrones character still feels like a long shot in Hotd, since it's...

Back in 1977, Shelley Winters, Max von Sydow, Renato Pozzetto, and Alberto Lionello starred in a dark comedy called Black Journal (or Gran Bollito), which was directed by Mauro Bolognini and was loosely based on the true crime case of serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli. Now, Variety reports that Trouble Every Day director Claire Denis is in talks to direct a remake of that film, titled The Soap Maker.

The approach being taken this time around is to make this a cannibalistic elevated real crime drama in the vein of The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and Get Out, “with a decidedly dark tone and a psychological thriller feel.” So we’re not getting a dark comedy from Denis. Variety notes that the producers hold the rights not only to the Black Journal screenplay but also to “a diary that Leonarda Cianciulli allegedly wrote in the psychiatric prison were she spent the...

Frank Herbert's 1965 "Dune" novel has been a colossal inspiration since its release, encouraging countless other authors and filmmakers. However, for years, a successful movie adaptation proved very hard to get it right. Over five decades later, we have Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part One" and "Dune: Part Two," satisfying critics, fans, and the Academy.

While we wait for "Dune: Part Three," what's a fan to do? Well, the influences of "Dune" go far and wide, as do the cinematic influences of director Villeneuve. From the movies that were inspired by Herbert's original novel, to other films that capture something of the spirit or style of the story, and even previous attempts at tackling the material, there's a lot of cinema out there to please fans of the young, selectively bred Messiah figure Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who joins the desert-dwelling Fremen on spice planet Arrakis and quells the feud...

Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi visionary behind films like Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and, of course, the modern adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, has paid tribute to David Lynch, his filmmaking colleague and partner in the rocky territory of Dune adaptations.

Lynch, who passed away recently, is credited with the first-ever adaptation of the literary sci-fi classic from 1965. In 1984, the surrealist master brought Duneto the big screen with mixed results. Starring Sting, Kyle MacLachlan, Brad Dourif, Max von Sydow, and Virginia Madsen, among others, the film was a box-office flop. Lynch was famously not happy with the studio's interference and spent decades distancing himself from the film. A few alternate cuts emerged over the years, but none of them matched Lynch's vision enough to make him stand behind the film.

Jump forward 37 years and Villeneuve makes a science fiction epic that checks every item in the list of "things from...

While Swedish classic Ingmar Bergman is known for his psychological dramas that explore the intricacies of human behavior, he also made a bunch of comedies, musical films, and one horror movie. Titled Hour of the Wolf, the 1968 film is simultaneously a Gothic tale, a psychological examination of a tortured mind, and a grim story of a relationship in trouble. The story revolves around Johan (Max von Sydow), an artist, and his wife Alma (Liv Ullmann), whose life deteriorates after Johan begins having visions of strange figures whom he becomes so familiar with, he gives them names and sketches them. What follows can be interpreted in many ways, including as a cautionary tale about literal monsters or an allegory about demons residing inside an artistic mind. But at its core, Hour of the Wolf is also a strangely realistic depiction of a dysfunctional relationship.

We’ve all got our favorites - The Others, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Seven - no matter which plot twist you’d consider to be your favorite in cinema, there’s certainly no lack of options. Right now, one of the wildest moments of “didn’t see that coming” has found a new streaming home, with Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island currently streaming on Paramount+. The fourth movie to come from the collaboration between the famed director and one of his favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio, the psychological thriller is a rush of adrenaline from beginning to end. As one might expect from a Scorsese-helmed flick, the rest of the call sheet isn’t too shabby either, with Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List), Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) and Max von Sydow (The Exorcist) supporting DiCaprio in a fine piece of cinema.

The often forgotten and certainly underrated pulp action fantasy movie Solomon Kane has found itself at the top of the Freevee chart over 15 years after it was released. As a movie that failed to reach its potential at the box office, the film’s resurgence on free streaming is now giving it a second chance to make a first impression with many who missed it the first time around.

Based on the Puritan avenger created by Robert E. Howard – and who at one point became the subject of a run of Marvel Comics – James Purefoy delivered a brooding performance in the titular role, but never seemed to get the praise he deserved. Solomon Kane is depicted as a wanderer, walking the world destroying evil where he finds it. In the movie adaption, this included taking on a range of monsters created by the team behind Godzilla and Silent Hill, and...

Mike Flanagan has teased his ‘Exorcist’ reboot and ‘Carrie’ TV show will both have “unique takes” on the horror franchises.The 46-year-old director is due to helm a reimagining of the classic 1973 horror flick and a small-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel for Amazon MGM Studios, and has now hinted both his projects will offer audiences new spooky experiences that are “feeling surprisingly timely”.He told a fan on Bluesky: "Our unique takes on both The Exorcist and Carrie are feeling surprisingly timely..."Before Flanagan took over ‘The Exorcist’ franchise, director David Gordon Green was set to helm his own trilogy, though was dropped from the series after his 2023 movie ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ failed to impress commercially or critically.In September, Flanagan said he was looking to “add” something new to ‘The Exorcist’ mythology, and fought “very aggressively” to acquire the rights to the series.He told The Hollywood Reporter...

Sean Connery's James Bond films have a significant place in movie history, kicking off the long-running franchise in the early 1960s that has spanned decades with a total of 26 (1 being unofficial) Bond movies to date. Connery is arguably the most important actor in the franchise, being the first of six actors so far to take up the mantle of the iconic 007. His first appearance as the character was in Dr. No in 1962, which was also the first adaptation of the landmark novels by Ian Fleming.

Following his first film as James Bond, Connery starred in four more 007 films in the '60s, retiring briefly from the character, only to return in 1971. He finally came back once more in 1983 for Never Say Never Again, which officially marked the end of his career as 007. Not only was Sean Connery one of the most important James Bond actors, but he was also one of the best,...

Adaptation is tricky. Change too much, and you've lost the original fans. Stick too closely to the source material, and you miss out on the fun part of adapting one medium into another. Stephen King adaptations in particular can be extra tricky. So much of what works about the writer's work is the specific, King-ian way it's written. For example, his idiosyncratic dialogue makes sense as a literary device; still, it can sometimes sound strange coming out of the mouths of living, breathing actors. His evils can also be quite symbol-heavy in a way that works better as literature; we can believe in a writer haunted by malevolent flocks of sparrows for the length of a horror novel, but the less said about the film version of "The Dark Half," the better.

The fun part about King is that he considers his oeuvre to be a playground for anyone. For decades,...

Warning: This article discusses drugs and violence.

Author Stephen King has written some incredible stories over the years, but some are much better than their movie adaptations. Stephen King’s books and short stories make brilliant films and TV shows, but the King of Horror’s narratives are often so unique and complex that it’s hard for them to be translated to the screen properly. While many of Stephen King’s movies are legendary pieces of cinema, some just don’t hit the mark.

There are several reasons why these adaptations are worse than their book counterparts. Some are simply bad films, some fail to follow their source material properly, and there is even an instance of one tale being adapted so poorly that King’s work can’t be identified. Hopefully, the upcoming Stephen King movie and TV adaptations over the next few years can learn from these mistakes.

The French-Danish actor Niels Arestrup passed away on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, according to his wife, the actor and writer Isabelle Le Nouvel. While he may not be well-known by mainstream Western audiences, he holds the record in France for the most César Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and has starred in films by many of Europe's best directors — Alain Resnais, Chantal Akerman, Claude Lelouch, Marco Ferreri, Jacques Audiard, Julian Schnabel, Bertrand Tavernier, Volker Schlöndorff, and Albert Dupontel, not to mention American directors like Steven Spielberg and Angelina Jolie. His wife wrote in an Afp press release:

I am extremely sad to announce the death of my husband, the immense actor Niels Arestrup, after a courageous fight against illness. He passed away surrounded by the love of his family.

Born to working-class parents and spending his youth in public housing projects, Arestrup failed school and took on odd jobs until he found...

It’s always interesting to see big time directors go against type and into a genre we don’t necessarily associate them with. We have Mount Rushmore type horror directors like John Carpenter and Wes Craven giving us thoughtful entries into their catalogues like Starman and Music of the Heart. On the flip side of that, what happens when a director known for Oscar worthy drama, gangster, and period piece movies goes all in on a scary movie? How did that movie miss out on any major awards nominations even with it being considered prestige horror? How many different adaptations of Denis Lehane’s novel would we get? Take the boat over before the storm hits as we find out what happened to Shutter Island.

Denis Lehane is an American author who began writing in the early 1990s. While he had success with a series of novels with repeating characters early,...