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There is no separating the character of Lieutenant Columbo from the man who portrayed him on "Columbo," Peter Falk (even if he wasn't the first choice to play the unconventional detective). The actor really made the character his own through his performance, but shockingly, he only directed one episode of the long-running series. It's likely that he wanted to focus on simply acting and wasn't interested in trying to pull double-duty, although he did also write an episode of the series later in its run. In the end, though, fans got only a single magical episode both starring and directed by Falk: season 1, episode 7, "Blueprint for Murder."

"Blueprint for Murder" features "Silent Night, Bloody Night" star Patrick O'Neal as the murderer of the week, Elliot Markham, an architect who kills the extremely wealthy Texan Bo Williamson (Forrest Tucker in a 10-gallon hat) with the help of his lover, Williamson's beautiful trophy wife,...

For many people, the character of Lieutenant Columbo, the disheveled detective portrayed with a perfect mix of earnestness and deprecation by Peter Falk, is as comforting as a fictional character can be. He is the true ideal for justice, frequently taking down the rich and powerful through the sheer power of being an annoying little guy who pays close attention. Indeed, every episode of "Columbo" offers at least some kind of comfort for the audience. The show ran for decades, from 1968 to 2003 (though there were some gaps), with Columbo becoming a crucial part of pop culture along the way, being referenced in everything from "The Simpsons" to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." 

One especially memorable "Columbo" reference, however, was created by Falk himself when he gave a truly hilarious performance as the titular character outside of the actual show. In 1978, the actor appeared in-character as Columbo on "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast,...

This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of The Studio.

This week’s episode of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire The Studio found perpetually awkward Continental Studios head Matt Remick investigating a mystery involving a missing reel of film. The footage was seemingly stolen from the set of director Olivia Wilde’s new movie, an obvious Chinatown rip-off.

After donning a trench coat and fedora, breaking into trailers and disguising himself as a Chateau Marmont server, Matt eventually cracks the case and discovers that the reel was, in fact, stolen by Wilde herself! It seems that she was unhappy with the footage they shot for one sequence and came up with a scheme to convince Remick to pay for the pricey reshoots.

Some have interpreted this episode’s twist ending as a meta-nod to Wilde’s real-life on-set drama during the production of 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling. But it’s...

Robert Downey Jr’s prison nightmare that left his traumatized (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Robert Downey Jr.’s journey through the shadows of addiction and incarceration paints a picture far removed from the polished charisma of Tony Stark. Before the red carpets and Marvel blockbusters, he navigated a grim world of jail cells and tough crowds.

His 1996 arrest for drug possession consisting of heroin, cocaine, and even an unloaded handgun marked the beginning of a spiral that would include probation, missed drug tests, and multiple stints behind bars.

Inside Corcoran: Where Fame Means Nothing

Things took a darker turn when Robert skipped a mandatory test a year later, which landed him in LA County jail for four months. But that wasn’t the end, as, by 1999, he was doing serious time, 15 months in Corcoran, a notoriously rough California state prison.

Robert Downey Jr. photographed after being sentenced to 3 years in prison,...

Peter Falk wasn't the first choice to play the titular detective on "Columbo," but it's safe to say that he nailed the role and became synonymous with the character for most of his career. The actor helped turn the '70s procedural into a bona fide success story, winning a bunch of Emmys in the process, and making audiences fall in love with his trench coat-wearing, scruffy crime-solver. What's more, Falk's portrayal of Frank Columbo inspired Christian Bale's performance in 2022's "Amsterdam," proving that he's had a long-lasting effect on popular culture. However, Falk wasn't the only actor to leave his mark on the series, as his wife, Shera Danese, set a record for her contributions to the show.

Overall, Danese appeared in several episodes of "Columbo," making her the most featured guest star in the series' history. Her debut, which came about in the season 6 episode "Fade In to Murder,...

For a long time, you could tell just how successful a TV show was based on the number of spin-offs it inspired. That concept is as true now as it was decades ago, what with the vast amount of "NCIS" and Dick Wolf spin-offs that litter the network airways year after year. But while spin-offs can be an easy sign of whether or not a series is popular, the spin-offs themselves aren't always successful, even when it comes to procedurals like cop dramas and mysteries. Indeed, just because viewers will always flock to crime dramas doesn't mean that every one of those shows is guaranteed to be a hit. If you need an example, simply look at the short-lived spin-off of one of the most beloved TV series of all time.

One of the all-time great mystery TV shows, "Columbo" transformed Peter Falk from an immensely talented actor into an...

Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham have reunited in the studio for the first time since Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018. News of their collaboration comes from Swedish producer Carl Falk, who has posted photos of the two working on Fleetwood’s solo album.

In late February, Falk posted a photo of Buckingham and Fleetwood in the studio on Threads with the caption, “Slightly unreal moment to sit with Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood to play Lindsey the album we have been working on. And to see his genuine happiness for Mick to finally do his own album and offering to play guitar and to sing on it. Can’t wait to finish this one.”

More recently, Falk posted a studio shot of Buckingham with the caption, “Mick and Lindsey together again, what a flawless guitar player.”

He also shared a photo of Fleetwood in the studio with The War on Drugs.

The thing about episodes of "Columbo" is that they're kind of like slices of pizza: even when they're not that great, they're still pretty wonderful. There really aren't any god-awful episodes of "Columbo," and ranking the best of them is a challenge. "Columbo" is pure comfort, a show that feels like a warm hug because Peter Falk as the titular detective is the ultimate dream of what justice should look like. Columbo almost always gets his villain, the bad guys are usually the rich and entitled, and the world feels like a better place, all within the span of 90 minutes or so. I've already written at length about which "Columbo" episodes are the absolute best (in my humble opinion), but how did Falk feel about the series?

Back in the early 1990s, Falk did a special for A&e where he went over his favorite episodes from the NBC era of the series,...

Deep in the Norwegian countryside, away from the noise and distraction of city living, photographer Maria Payne had established an idyllic existence with her husband Nik and their four children.

Calling a small farmstead home, they spent their days immersed in nature’s rhythms, growing their own food, educating the kids, and cherishing their independence. However, Maria’s sudden death from cancer would upend this tranquil way of life and send the family down a new, uncertain path.

A New Kind of Wilderness follows Nik and the children in the aftermath of this tragedy as they reckon with their loss and strive to piece together a future without Maria.

Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, the film presents an intimate look at their journey through verité-style observation, allowing their quiet strength and vulnerability to shine through. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it offers a heartfelt tribute to one family...

Eric Bana returns as Federal Agent Aaron Falk in Force of Nature: The Dry 2, investigating a missing woman. The sequel features a female-driven story with flashbacks, exploring Falk's character in dual timelines. Bana is open to a third movie adaptation if the right approach is found, with author Jane Harper's support.

Eric Bana is back as the troubled Australian Federal Agent Aaron Falk in Force of Nature: The Dry 2. The past few years have seen the actor, best known for his roles in the likes of 2003's Hulk, 2009's Star Trek and 2014's Deliver Us From Evil, return to his home country of Australia for a variety of projects, namely that of the 2020 adaptation of The Dry. Based on Jane Harper's novel of the same name, the first movie followed Falk as he headed to his childhood hometown to investigate the apparent murder-suicide of one of his old friends.

It’s an indie grab bag and a fun one this weekend with the widely pummeled TIFF-premiering Poolman, (the people will decide), Jamie Foxx in comedy Not Another Church Movie, and Eric Bana’s Force of Nature: The Dry 2 sequel. Mubi and Strand Releasing are testing the market with limited openings Gasoline Rainbow and A Prince. A24 begins a slow rollout of I Saw The TV Glow.

The widest release on 1,180+ screens is Briarcliff’s Not Another Church Movie directed by Johnny Mack, starring Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Daniels and Mickey Rourke. Daniels is Taylor Pherry (silent p), an ambitious young man on a holy mission from God (Foxx) — to tell his family’s stories and inspire his community. But the Devil (Rourke) has plans of his own.

Vertical’s Poolman at 160+ locations is Pine’s directorial debut andhe also stars as Darren, a native Angeleno who...

The arid landscape of the fictional Australian town Kiewarra lends the 2020 mystery thriller “The Dry” its name and identity. It’s the type of place filled with interpersonal tension, which frequently reflects onto a barren, sun-scorched environment itching to go up in flames.

When federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his hometown to look into the double murder-suicide supposedly perpetrated by his childhood best friend, he’s thrust back into the town’s powder-keg energy. Everyone looks at him with suspicion because they suspect he was responsible for the drowning of his high school girlfriend twenty years prior, with their resentment exacerbated by his off-the-books investigation. Adapted from Jane Harper’s procedural mystery novel by the same name, “The Dry” marinates in buried backcountry secrets and childhood trauma, both of which unfortunately never transcend their generic function or presentation on screen.

Four years later, the awkwardly titled sequel...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)

While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny perhaps garnered more press out of Cannes, another selection involving archaeologists and tomb raiders will have a longer shelf life. Alice Rohrwacher’s latest feature La Chimera ranked quite highly on our top 50 films of 2023 list for good reason. It’s a dreamy, magical odyssey in which the Italian director whisks viewers away with the kind of transportive vision she’s exuded in all her features thus far.

Where to Stream: VOD

Eileen (William Oldroyd)

Considering how many jokesters online talk about supporting women’s wrongs, Eileen should have made a billion dollars. Alas, not everyone can have impeccable taste. William Oldroyd’s character study grabs you from the first scene,...

If there is any justice in this world, we’ll get an Aaron Falk mystery every few years in perpetuity. Force of Nature: The Dry 2, written and directed by Robert Connolly and based on the novel by Jane Harper, offers up a brand-new case for viewers and does not require that you’ve seen its engaging predecessor (The Dry). This time the setting is the Giralang Ranges, a fictional rainforest of labyrinthine density. Along with the drastic change in scenery from the first outing (which hewed closer to an outback aesthetic tourists would expect), there’s been an expansion of production value. As Falk closes in on the identity of the killer, a violent storm closes in. This time there are more characters, more plot, and more conflicting motivations.

The plot revolves around a corporate retreat gone bad. Five women went out on a team-building hiking-camping trip. Only four came back.

Plot: Five women participate in a hiking retreat but only four come out the other side. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head into the mountains hoping to find their informant still alive.

Review: We reviewed the Australian mystery drama The Dry a couple of years ago. We enjoyed Eric Bana’s first Australian film after moving to Hollywood and found director Robert Connolly’s adaptation of Jane Harper’s novel to be refreshing. That film told the story of a federal investigator who returns home to investigate the murder of a childhood friend, which bears a distinct connection to a crime he himself was accused of decades prior. Bana and Connolly have reunited for the second novel in the Aaron Falk trilogy, Force of Nature. Carrying the subtitle that indicates it as a sequel to The Dry, Force of Nature is a substantially different story. Shifting from a...

Australian writer-director Robert Connolly had a domestic hit in 2021 with The Dry, a slow-burn murder mystery built around Eric Bana’s somber performance as a pensive city cop drawn back to the remote town of his childhood in the middle of a prolonged drought. Bana returns as Aaron Falk in Force of Nature: The Dry 2, which is otherwise a sequel in name alone. The setting this time is a lush and very wet mountain rainforest, drenched by a massive thunderstorm at a key point in the narrative. That makes half the title a complete misnomer.

This is a handsomely produced, solidly acted thriller that’s certainly watchable, though the perplexing subtitle is not its only issue. Unlike its riveting predecessor, it’s absorbing but never quite gripping.

Connolly sticks to novelist Jane Harper’s template from the first book in her Aaron Falk trilogy, in which the Australian Federal Police...

August Moon in The Idea of You is reminiscent of One Direction, with the latter's songwriters writing music for the movie. The movie, though not based on Harry Styles, draws parallels with One Direction through the character of Hayes as well as August Moon's huge success. Despite working on hit singles for One Direction, the songwriters didn't really think of the real-life boy band when writing for August Moon.

Since Robinne Lee's debut novel of the same name hit shelves in 2017, there's been speculation that The Idea of You is a fictional spin on Grammy-winning musician Harry Styles' life. Although The Idea of You isn't Harry Styles fanfiction, it does boast a fun connection to Styles' former boy band, One Direction. One of the best-selling boy groups of all time, One Direction shot to super stardom after landing a spot on The X Factor in 2010. The boy band's members Niall Horan,...

The Dry was a thrilling mystery drama released back in 2020. Starring Eric Bana, it followed an Australian federal agent who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, who is believed to have killed his wife and son before taking his own life. Falk reluctantly agrees to investigate the deaths, uncovering deep-seated secrets and confronting his own troubled past along the way. The movie was well received by critics, who praised it for its gripping story and Bana's powerhouse performance. Now, a sequel entitled Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is on the way, and Collider is thrilled to be able to present an exclusive sneak peek at the thrills to come.

The Women's Cancer Research Fund has announced their An Unforgettable Evening event will take place on April 10 in Beverly Hills.

An Unforgettable Evening is Wcrf’s flagship fundraising event featuring extraordinary honorees and tributes to cancer survivors and the memory of those impacted by cancer. For 25 years, this event has brought together leaders in entertainment, cancer research and corporate philanthropy to raise funds for pioneering cancer research conducted at leading medical and academic institutions in California and across the U.S.

The gala will return to the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Bcrf). Wcrf was founded by Quinn Ezralow, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas, Renette Ezralow and Marion Laurie.

Who:

Courage Award Recipient Demi Moore; Unsung Hero Award Recipient Wallis Annenberg; Host Tig Notaro...

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024 The Women's Cancer Research Fund (Wcrf) Honorary Chairs Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks, along with Gala Chairs Quinn Ezralow, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and Anastasia Soare, and Co-Chairs NJ Falk, Tom Ford, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Kris Levine, Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson & Richard J Stephenson, Steve Tisch and Lori Kanter Tritsch & William P. Lauder will welcome guests to the 25th edition of An Unforgettable Evening.

The gala will return to the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Bcrf). Wcrf was founded by Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas and Renette Ezralow.

This year’s gala will recognize trailblazing actress Demi Moore with the Courage Award for her unwavering support and dedication to raising awareness for breast cancer. Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg,...

The Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning film A New Kind of Wilderness has bowed at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, marking its European premiere.

Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen attended the Thessaloniki premiere in person along with two of the film’s protagonists: Freja Vatne Payne and Ronja Breda Vatne. Freja and Ronja are the daughters of Maria Vatne, a gifted photographer who celebrated her family’s unorthodox lifestyle in a remote area of Norway through a blog called Wild + Free. The film begins with stunning footage and photographs taken by Vatne of her kids – in addition to the girls, boys Falk (Norwegian for “falcon”) and the youngest, Ulv (Norwegian for wolf).

But that opening sequence is punctuated by a bracing image – Vatne hooked up to tubes as she receives chemotherapy treatment. This idyllic life of farming, home-schooling, and communing with nature will be cruelly interrupted by tragedy.

L-r Q&a moderator,...

Based on Jane Harper’s bestseller, this twisty mystery follows Falk as he investigates a dodgy CEO (Richard Roxburgh) and his missing employee (Anna Torv)

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The first and perhaps most obvious point to make about Robert Connolly’s sequel to his popular and finely made mystery-thriller The Dry is that it’s not dry at all – it’s very, very wet. The director, again adapting a bestselling novel by Jane Harper, opens with shots of lush wilderness – the film is largely based in the Victorian mountain ranges – and rain-covered leaves.

The first time we see Eric Bana, back again as federal police agent Aaron Falk, he’s doing laps in a swimming pool. His fellow agent, Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), is anxious to solve their latest case – a missing person’s investigation – as flooding might soon hit the region. It is police informant...

Norwegian documentary filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen wanted to follow a family living the dream. Instead, she witnessed them going through a nightmare.

“Maria Vatne had this blog called ‘Wild+Free’ and I was fascinated by it. I discovered it 10 years ago,” the director of “A New Kind of Wilderness” – which has its world premiere Friday at Sundance Film Festival – about the mother of four who, alongside her partner Nik, decided to live on a farm, surrounded by nature.

“I called her up, saying I wanted to make a series about it. It didn’t work out and then she wrote she was sick.”

Maria died shortly after.

“I was devastated, even though I didn’t really know her. She was someone I admired, because I also had, and still have, this dream: What if we just decided to reinvent our lives? That’s what Maria and Nik did.”

Despite the tragedy,...

Since 1991 (and primarily within the last 10 years), a total of six TV performers have earned recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for reprising roles that had brought them Golden Globe nominations at least a decade earlier. With this and his own stellar HFPA track record in mind, Kelsey Grammer – the two-time Best TV Comedy Actor-winning star of “Frasier” – can more than reasonably be expected to join said prestigious club by scoring his ninth bid in the category (and first in 22 years) for the Paramount Plus revival of his beloved NBC sitcom. What’s more, he might actually make history as the first actor involved in such a situation to pull off a comeback victory.

Grammer collected his first eight Golden Globe nominations for “Frasier” between 1994 and 2002 and emerged triumphant in both 1996 and 2001. After saying goodbye to Dr. Frasier Crane 19 years ago, he is now set to lead a long-awaited...

There are only two certainties in this world; death and that "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island" is the best Scooby-Doo movie ever made. Scooby and the gang first debuted in 1969, but it wasn't until 1998 that "Zombie Island" set the standard for all things Scoob. It's scary, the animation is stunning, the voice-acting is top-notch, and every subsequent Scooby story has been chasing that high ever since. /Film's own Valerie Ettenhofer recently solidified her place as an expert on all things Mystery Incorporated with their oral history of the film and uncovered some production mysteries in the process.

Model Coordinator Lance Falk was interviewed as part of the piece and told Ettenhofer that "The Twilight Zone" was a major influence on not just the tone of the film, but also the structure. Lest we forget, most episodes of "Scooby-Doo" are roughly 20 minutes, which has an entirely different storytelling structure than that of a feature-length film.

If you came of age sometime between 1969 and now, there's a good chance you grew up with Scooby-Doo. The snack-loving Great Dane became a mainstay in homes across America when "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" first premiered, and Mystery Inc.'s reputation kept growing long after Joe Ruby and Ken Spears' groovy series ended its three-season run. In the decades since, Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma have become a global phenomenon, and even during low points in Scooby history, there's still a strong sense of cultural awareness for the lovable pup and his mystery-solving crew.

Scooby fans are also well-known for our strong opinions; with over a hundred Scooby titles to choose from across film, TV, web, comics, and more, Scooby fans have a knack for developing a strong individual sense of what works and what doesn't in the franchise. While most fans may not agree on what Scooby properties...

Whenever a producer in recent times has exited their partnership with a star, quite often said producer’s output is not as robust.

It’s a different situation for Bruna Papandrea, who after peeling off from Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard Production Company has been on quite a roll with such TV hits as HBO’s The Undoing, Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal and Luckiest Girl Alive, Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and now the Prime Video limited series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart based on Holly Ringland’s novel. This is all under Papandrea’s six-year-old production banner Made Up Stories, which is devoted to female-centric stories.

On today’s Crew Call podcast, we talk with Papandrea about why she went solo with Made Up Stories, the genesis of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and more.

Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the story of the title protagonist.

In a studio overlooking Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Rian Johnson is strapped to a lie detector machine. Next to him at the controls sits Natasha Lyonne, twiddling the device’s knobs with all the sinister intent of a supervillain. This photoshoot tableau is, of course, ripped right from the Meet the Parents Ben Stiller-Robert De Niro interrogation scene. Next, in an homage to the pithiest of TV detective tropes, Lyonne will pose at a typewriter, fake-talking into a rotary-dial phone. The visual nod this time goes to Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote.

In fact, the late, great Lansbury is connective tissue for Johnson and Lyonne. Lansbury and Lyonne appeared briefly together in Johnson’s film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, on a Zoom call playing the mystery game Among Us with Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc.

Little did we know back when that film premiered,...

Ben Affleck has been known to make the kind of old-school, supremely entertaining movies that make you want to bang your fists on the table and let out a “This is how you do it!”. And Air, unsurprisingly, is another one of his gambles that turns out to be a win for him and the everyone else involved. Without infusing his creation with too much gimmicky tension, Affleck makes you swoon over his instinctive mastery, with the story of a win echoing through the lobbies and the offices instead of the wild uproar of people witnessing Jordan’s magic on the court. There’s no big reveal to be found down the line with Air, which has found its name in the groundbreaking foundation of Air Jordan, a pair of shoes worn by a legendary basketball player. It’s about the wild passage one risky sports marketing deal provided for...

The grand theme of Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders’s fantasy of angels in Berlin before the end of the Cold War, is storytelling in all its forms as a coping mechanism of the human race. Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and his more objective but similarly empathetic cohort, Cassiel (Otto Sander), whose wings are only fleetingly shown, regularly swap tales of the small behaviors and interactions they’ve witnessed after traversing the skies and streets to hear “only what is spiritual in people’s minds.”

Among those observed are an elderly poet, Homer (Curt Bois), wandering the sites of his vanished haunts from the pre-Nazi era, wondering why “an epic of peace” has never been sung; Peter Falk, playing some eternal version of himself, arriving to shoot a film and provide a good measure of American soul and humor to Berliners and angels alike; and waitress turned trapeze artist Marion preparing...

Shot when the city seemed forever divided by the wall, this intensely romantic story of an angel who longs for human love is unlike any other

Wim Wenders’ extravagantly wistful, intensely literary romantic fantasy, co-conceived with Peter Handke, is re-released and right now it looks more than anything like an elegiac “city symphony” about Berlin. How extraordinary to think that just two years after this film came out, the Wall and the city’s division into east and west – which had seemed as poetically fixed and immutable as a river shoreline – disappeared. With its amazing crane and helicopter shots, Wenders’ movie swoops and hovers and floats over the city, pointedly surmounting the hated wall, enacting the longing of Berliners to somehow overcome history’s gravity and get over this ugly barrier.

Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander play Damiel and Cassiel, two angels in the sky above Berlin who amuse themselves...