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“There’s a real element of fun playing a villain — because it’s delicious.” Of all the Hollywood names you could surmise saying such a thing, Dennis Quaid was probably not the one you were thinking of. Starting his career 50 years ago, the American actor tended to find success in the drama and comedy genres. Such titles like 1998’s The Parent Trap and 2002’s The Rookie prove this to be true. But just like all the others who found themselves the least bit typecasted, he wasn’t satisfied with himself. He wanted to try something outside the box and be great at it.

Horror was something that Dennis Quaid would sporadically step into — but these acting experiments had awful results. 2009’s Pandorum flopped at the box office and 2019’s The Intruder failed more on a critical level. In a new true crime drama on Paramount+ called Happy Face, Quaid steps...

Update, 4:24 Pm: Extraction producer David Guillod is not going to be charged with sexual assault, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said today.

“After an extensive review of the evidence by the Sex Crimes Division, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has determined that the Office is unable to prove sexual assault allegations against David Guillod beyond a reasonable doubt,” Nathan Hochman’s office announced.

The Friday afternoon news dump by Da Hochman comes more than four years after Guillod was arrested by the LAPD on October 28, 2020, for an alleged sexual assault a week before. At the time of that arrest, the Atomic Blonde producer was facing 11 felony counts in Santa Barbara on multiple charges of sexual assault. That case, which involved an alleged attack on Ted actress Jessica Berth and another woman, was dismissed in June 2022. After that, the cases of two of Guillod’s accusers moved to LA County,...

“Reasonable Doubt” has cast Joseph Sikora as a series regular for its upcoming third season, Variety has learned.

Sikora will appear in Season 3 of the Onyx Collective series as Bill Sterling. The character is described as “Jax’s (Emayatzy Corinealdi) coworker at her firm Binder, Hurwitz & Stewart. Bill started his law career later in life after serving as a Coast Guard for ten years. As he is looking to make partner, his proximity to Jax becomes imperative to his success.”

Along with Corinealdi and Sikora, series regulars for Season 3 include McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo and Angela Grovey.

Sikora is best known for his role as Tommy Egan in the hit Starz crime drama “Power,” on which he starred throughout its six-season run. He then led the spinoff series “Power Book IV: Force,” which is ending with its upcoming third season. Sikora’s other TV roles include stints on “Ozark,” Season 1 of “True Detective,...

On Sunday January 19 2025, UPtv broadcasts Mystic!

The Intruder Season 3 Episode 1 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Mystic,” titled “The Intruder,” promises to be an exciting addition to the series. Set to air on UPtv, this episode follows a young girl who has recently moved from London to the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. As she settles into her new surroundings, she stumbles upon a mystery that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

In “The Intruder,” the girl discovers an injured horse that seems to hold a lot of secrets. This horse not only captivates her attention but also leads her to uncover hidden truths about its past. As she investigates further, she encounters challenges and surprises that reveal the deep connections between the horse and the local community.

The episode explores themes of friendship, bravery, and the bond between humans and animals. The stunning New Zealand scenery adds to the atmosphere,...

Exclusive: Mia McKenna-Bruce, recipient of last year’s BAFTA Rising Star laureate and star of Molly Manning Walker’s breakthrough hit How to Have Sex, has joined Claire Denis’ new film The Cry of the Guards. She replaces the previously announced Riley Keough.

The fast-rising British actress travels to the Republic of Senegal in West Africa next week for principal photography on the Denis movie with longtime attached actors Matt Dillon and Isaach De Bankolé, who starred in Denis’ 1990 masterwork No Fear, No Die and her films Chocolat and White Material, and more recently in The Brutalist and Black Panther.

Denis returns to the continent that defined her childhood to make The Cry of the Guards, which during development was also known as The Fence — and there’s chatter about it reverting back to that title — to film the intense drama focusing...

In the Season 3 premiere of Mystic titled “The Intruder,” airing at 8:00 Pm on Sunday, January 19, 2025, on UPtv, viewers are in for an exciting and mysterious ride. The episode begins with a girl who has just moved from London to New Zealand, looking to start fresh in a new place. However, her new life takes an unexpected turn when she uncovers a series of secrets surrounding an injured horse.

As she becomes more involved with the horse and its mysterious circumstances, she finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue. With the horse’s injury being at the heart of the mystery, the girl’s curiosity leads her to uncover hidden truths and face unexpected challenges. The episode promises to deliver a compelling mix of suspense, drama, and heartwarming moments, with a deep dive into the relationships between the characters and their connection to the animals.

Fans of Mystic can...

William Shatner kicked off his career as a promising young actor in the company of the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. But when, despite strong notices for his performances, he failed to springboard to stardom like his Canadian colleague Christopher Plummer, Shatner lowered his sights and embraced the philosophy of a working actor. This isn't a knock. He shined in his "The Twilight Zone" episodes, and was superb as a racist interloper who stokes violence against the Black residents of a small town in Roger Corman's "The Intruder." However, he also took so many guest roles in television that he ran the risk of driving down his value by dint of his ubiquity.

Three seasons and several great episodes of "Star Trek" fixed that for Shatner, but throughout the 1970s he become closely associated with a kind of laughably serious, easily parodied manneredness. The ne plus ultra of...

The golden age of Toonami wasn’t just about the anime and action cartoons—it was about the atmosphere. Toonami’s commercials and promos were a core part of that experience, blending sleek visuals, evocative music, and powerful voiceovers to craft mini-masterpieces that transcended the typical approach to marketing animation. They embodied the spirit of Toonami itself, igniting excitement and leaving an indelible mark on viewers, many of whom were just discovering anime. Toonami’s original commercials celebrated creativity and storytelling in their own right, with some becoming as iconic as the series they promoted.

Toonami, Cartoon Network’s action-oriented programming block, launched in 1997 and quickly became a staple for fans of anime and sci-fi. With its robot host Tom and his AI companion Sara guiding the audience, Toonami introduced American viewers to legendary series like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Naruto. Not only did it showcase diverse and dynamic shows,...

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka is set to debut her sophomore special on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally, Disney announced on Tuesday.

Okatsuka is getting into business with Hulu after debuting her first special, The Intruder, on HBO in 2022. While no title or logline for her new hour has been disclosed, she’ll tape it at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday November 9 as part of a newly added date on her 2024 “Full Grown Tour,” produced by Live Nation. Further information, including its premiere date, is forthcoming.

Okatsuka’s “Full Grown Tour” continues September 13 with 20 dates across the U.S. and Canada. Presale tickets for the LA shows will be available beginning September 4 at 10 a.m. local with general on-sale beginning September 6 at the same time.

Stated Okatsuka, “As a company that pioneered cartoons, it was only a matter of time until they asked to work with me.

Atsuko Okatsuka is joining the likes of Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, Roy Wood Jr. and Ilana Glazer in the Hularious comedy brand lineup, with her second stand-up special set to premiere on the streamer and Disney+ internationally.

The special, whose title, launch date and other information will be revealed at a later date, will be filmed during Okatsuka’s newly added Los Angeles date on her 2024 Full Grown Tour produced by Live Nation, which will take place on Nov. 9 at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.

The tour, which includes 20 stops across the U.S. and Canada, kicks off on Sept. 13, with presale tickets for the L.A. shows available starting Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. local time and general on-sale available Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. local time. Full Grown has sold out theaters worldwide with over 200 shows in more than 100 cities in 20 countries and over 100,000 tickets sold.

“As a company that pioneered cartoons,...

The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival officially kicks off on Wednesday with the eyes of the film world focused on the Lido.

Long-running festival director Alberto Barbera and his team have unveiled a star-studded lineup, including possible awards season contenders. But which premieres can’t be missed amid the busy program?

THR‘s chief movie critic David Rooney looked through the selection of the big Italian festival to pick some of the most intriguing prospects.

The Brutalist

When Brady Corbet was in Venice at age 16 with Mysterious Skin, instead of flying home with his director Gregg Araki and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he stayed on a couple extra days to see the new Claire Denis film, The Intruder. That same cinephile curiosity is evident in the choice of filmmakers with whom he’s worked, among them Michael Haneke, Sean Durkin, Lars von Trier, Olivier Assayas and Mia Hansen-Love. Co-written with Mona Fastvold,...

One of the earliest Alien rip-offs was made for US television. We take a look back at 1981’s The Intruder Within.

Much like Jaws, Star Wars and Mad Max before it, the success of 1979’s Alien prompted studios and producers the world over to make their own hastily-made rip-off movies. Thanks to – shall we say – enterprising filmmakers like Roger Corman and Norman J Warren, we got cheap and cheerful fare like Barracuda (1978), Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) and Inseminoid (1981).

One of the earliest Alien clones to emerge like a shambling monster, though, was The Intruder Within – a low-budget TV movie that cheekily borrowed all sorts of ideas from Ridley Scott’s hit, but transplanted the entire thing from a spaceship in the future to an oil rig in the post-energy crisis early 1980s. As you can probably imagine, it isn’t a lost classic, but it’s fascinating to revisit, both...

Santiago Loza, Natalia Meta and Martín Boulocq are among the filmmakers returning to San Sebastian with projects in this year’s Europe-Latin America co-production forum (September 23-25), alongside the latest project from the directors of Sundance prize winner Sujo.

This will be Argentinian director Loza’s eighth participation in the Spanish festival, previously taking part in the forum in 2017 with Brief Story Of The Green Planet. His latest project is Animales Del Desierto.

Argentina’s Meta is taking part with The Spirit Of Law, after The Intruder played in Horizontes Latinos in 2020.

Bolivia’s Boulocq returns with The Strange Woman,...

David Loughery, the screenwriter whose credits included the action pictures Dreamscape, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the Wesley Snipes-starring Money Train and Passenger 57, has died. He was 71.

Loughery died Tuesday of skin cancer in St. Petersburg, Florida, his friend Fred Rappaport told The Hollywood Reporter.

Loughery collaborated with director Joseph Ruben on Dreamscape (1984), starring Dennis Quaid; The Good Son (1993), starring Macauley Culkin; Money Train (1995), with Woody Harrelson alongside Snipes in their follow-up to White Men Can’t Jump; and Blindsided (2013), starring Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton.

Born on March 3, 1953, in Oak Park, Illinois, Loughery graduated from Ball State University, then received his master’s degree from the University of Iowa. In 1981, he shared a story credit on an episode of ABC’s Hart to Hart.

After his film debut on Dreamscape, he had the sole screenplay credit and shared a story credit on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...

When Roger Corman died on May 9 at age 98, the film world lost one of its great independent film legends. Over the course of his seven decade career, Corman directed over 55 films and received more than 500 producing credits, creating work that helped serve as the launchpad for major Hollywood stars and filmmakers like Peter Fonda, Frances Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Peter Bogdanovich, and Jonathan Demme. And yet, from his first film to his last, Corman remained true to his roots of low-budget, independent, lowbrow-yet-brilliant genre filmmaking.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Corman was smart enough to attend Stanford University studying industrial engineering, but quit his first job in the field after only four days. Looking to go into the film industry, he worked his way up at 20th Century Fox from mail room messenger to story reader. But after he didn’t receive credit for the success of “The Gunslinger,...

Roger Corman, the legendary B-movie filmmaker who directed, produced, and starred in upwards of 500 films over the course of a staggering eight decade-spanning career, has died. He passed away aged 98 this past Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California.

In a statement posted on Roger’s Instagram to announce his passing, Corman’s wife Julie and daughters Mary and Catherine shared the following: “It is with profound sadness, and boundless gratitude for his extraordinary life, that we remember our beloved husband and father, Roger Corman. He passed away on May 9th, at home in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Julie and his daughters Catherine and Mary. He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him. A devoted and selfless father, he was deeply loved by his daughters. His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age.

Roger Corman, the pioneering producer and director, known affectionately as “the king of B movies,” passed away on May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, California. Corman had as much influence over modern Hollywood as Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese. And for good reason: Without him there likely wouldn’t even have been a Spielberg or Scorsese.

This maker of hundreds of low-budget horror, sci-fi, and exploitation films is to this day remembered by many, and rather unfairly, as a B-movie hack, but Corman’s aesthetic sensibilities have come to dominate the franchises we now call tent poles, and his protégés number among the most influential people in cinema. And he enjoyed every minute of it.

Corman came off as very humble, resembling no one so much as Mr. Rogers. He laughed at himself and his experiences frequently. Many of the movies that he made were ridiculous but they were knowingly so.

Roger Corman, the maverick producer of B-movies and iconoclastic subjects whose innovative low-budget enterprises launched the careers of numerous major filmmakers, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica. He was 98.

Corman’s career encompassed seven decades and more than 500 producing credits, including early work that launched the careers of major Hollywood figures such as Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, Frances Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Peter Bogdanovich, Gale Anne Hurd, John Sayles, Ron Howard and Jonathan Demme. Yet Corman resented the commercial studio system, and as both producer and as a director himself, he pursued his cheap, no-frills filmmaking style at all costs, while using lowbrow genre tropes as a Trojan horse for socially conscious themes.

Over the years, Corman’s name has been most closely associated with the zany escapist enterprises often referred to as exploitation films, a term he abhorred. With producing credits such...

Exclusive: Jonah Hill has rounded out the cast of Outcome, the dark comedy that he wrote and is directing and starring in for Apple. Newcomers include Susan Lucci (All My Children), David Spade (The Wrong Missy), Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black), Kaia Gerber (Palm Royale), Roy Wood Jr. (The Daily Show) and Atsuko Okatsuka (The Intruder).

No word on the roles to be played by the new cast members. As previously announced, Keanu Reeves leads the ensemble of the Apple Original Film, which will also star Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer.

Written by Hill and Ezra Woods, Outcome centers on Reef (Reeves), a damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past.

An Apple Studios production, the film will be produced by Matt Dines, Ali Goodwin...

Dennis Quaid is an icon, according to CinemaCon.

The annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners has zeroed in on the veteran star to receive this year’s Cinema Icon Award. Quaid will be honored during the Big Screen Achievement Awards, hosted by official presenting sponsor the Coca-Cola Company inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11. The ceremony will also see trophies handed out to Amy Poehler (vanguard award), Lupita Nyong’o (star of the year), Shawn Levy (director of the year), Joseph Quinn (breakthrough performer of the year award) and Dan Stevens (excellence in acting award).

“From compelling dramas to exhilarating thrillers, Dennis Quaid’s remarkable career is a testament to his talent and versatility as an actor,” said Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon. “His ability to embody diverse characters has captivated audiences for decades with his dedication to crafting authentic portrayals. He is truly a Hollywood icon.

Created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco, Toonami is a late-night programming block that helped introduce Japanese animated series to audiences in the West. First launched in 1997 on Cartoon Network, the block continues to this day on Adult Swim and is responsible for expanding the animated palate of multiple generations, myself included. Originally, Toonami was hosted by Moltar, a former supervillain from the 1966 animated series "Space Ghost" (not to be confused with "Space Ghost Coast to Coast"), but was replaced three years later by Tom (short for Toonami Operations Module). Tom wasn't just a host; he also came with his own lore and storyline from episode to episode, similar to the way the robots on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" also have backstories and character arcs.

Tom was a way to usher in a new era of Toonami, kicking off his transmission with an episode of "Sailor Moon R." Fans loved Tom,...

Dennis Quaid, seen above channeling his inner Randy Quaid in Deon Taylor’s The Intruder, will play a madman once more in the upcoming Paramount+ series “Happy Face.”

Variety reports this morning that Quaid will play the real-life serial killer known as “Happy Face” in the upcoming series, which also stars Annaleigh Ashford (“American Crime Story”).

The website details, “The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Moore’s true-life story.”

Here’s the official plot synopsis for the show: “Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is...

Only three years before he was trapped in Arizona by a kingdom of tarantulas and a mere five years before he played James T. Kirk in Star Trek‘s first motion picture, William Shatner starred in the low budget thriller Impulse. And thanks to the team at Grindhouse Releasing, the world can finally witness another Shatner joint in all its restored 4k glory.

So does good ole’ Bill play the hero in this one? Uh no, not in the least. We get full on evil demented Shatner in the flesh. He portrays Matt Stone (not to be confused with the talented South Park creator), who is just your typical thumb-sucking, mini cigar chain-smoking, conniving, scheming faux financial investor. His prey are vulnerable and lonely women, who he exploits for their money with delusional promises of fortune, love and monogamous commitment. He’s a sociopath, a psychopath…all kinds of ‘paths.

The African American Film Critics Association (Aafca) reveals its list of 2024 Special Achievement Honorees which includes Killers of the Flower Moon, Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner at Foxxhole productions, Fatima Robinson, head choreographer on The Color Purple 2024, and others were chosen for their contributions to the entertainment industry. These honorees will be celebrated at the organization’s 7th Annual Aafca Special Achievement Awards luncheon, taking place on Sunday, March 3rd in the Centennial Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in downtown Los Angeles.

Recipients of the Aafca Special Achievement Awards are carefully selected by a committee and chosen based on their contributions throughout their careers. These honorees represent talent both behind and in front of the camera, including executives, journalists, actors, crafts artists, and filmmakers.

The invitation-only luncheon will bestow honors upon the feature film Killers of the Flower Moon, which will receive the Stanley & Karen Kramer Social Justice...

International Film Festival Rotterdam has revealed its selection of 16 feature film projects for the 41st edition of CineMart, running Jan. 28-31.

In Another Journey Without Women six chain-smoking know-it-alls embark on a tragi-comedic polar expedition in Greenland in 1918. The film is directed by Illum Jacobi, whose The Trouble With Nature appeared at IFFR in 2020. The film features Greenlandic actor Hans-Henrik Suersaq Poulsen in the lead role, alongside David Dencik and Claes Bang as the famed explorer Knud Rasmussen.

“Lucia,” directed by Irish filmmaker Aisling Walsh, concerns the talented but troubled daughter of author James Joyce. The director’s “Maudie” (2016), starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, world premiered in Telluride.

In “Les Diplomates,” two diplomatic counterparts from Austria and Switzerland secretly negotiate the contours of history as the Eastern Bloc disintegrates – fueled by a petty personal grudge. The project is directed by Swiss filmmaker Andreas Fontana, whose eerie thriller “Azor” (2021) picked...

Six film projects currently at development stage have been selected to take part in a workshop session as part of mylab+@Jogja next month. The six share a common characteristic of Indonesian co-production and a recurring theme of luminescence.

“This theme underscores the importance of having the distinctive light of Asian cinema arise from its own characteristics. The participants reflect the new hope of Asian cinema with a fresh and authentic perspective. With this kind of program I really hope Asian films continue to shine by their own characters and beauty throughout the world,” said Ifa Isfansyah, producer, director and festival director of the Jogja-netpac Asian Film Festival.

Selected from over 60 applications, the six include a mix of youth on the directing side and experience on the producing side

They include: “A Ballad of Long Hair” with director-scriptwriter Giovanni Rustanto, producer Annisa Adjam and co-producer Fran Borgia; “Carpet” (aka “Karpet”) (Malaysia) with director Mien.

More than two years have passed since it was announced that MGM, Bron, and Hidden Empire Film Group were teaming with director Deon Taylor to conjure up a reboot of the 1972 blaxploitation classic Blacula (watch it Here). Last night (and one year late), a 50th anniversary screening of Blacula was held at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills – and while promoting that event, Variety happened to include a long-awaited update on the Blacula reboot, saying the new film is slated for a Halloween 2024 release.

The new Blacula has been described as a “modern reimagining” of the original film, but Variety has also made it sound like it’s going to be a follow-up to Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream (watch that one Here). According to Variety, “the reboot picks up where the original saga left off, after the 1973 sequel Scream Blacula Scream, and will be set in...

Welcome to The B-Side from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Happy Halloween! This year we discuss a legend: Roger Corman! As is tradition, our dear friend Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!

Today we tackle three B-Sides: Not of This Earth, The Intruder, and Frankenstein Unbound.

We discuss Corman’s influence on New Hollywood and his enduring influence to this day, his indelible eye for talent both in front of (actors like Nicholson and De Niro got their starts in Corman films) and behind, and the directing career that could’ve been had The Intruder been a hit.

There’s talk of the other...

It’s less the question if Claire Denis and Tindersticks are modern cinema’s greatest director-musician collaboration; it’s more a matter of how far above the competition they stand. But many of their soundtracks––as rich as any of the studio albums that make Tindersticks one of our greatest working bands––haven’t streamed, instead relegated to a (treasured) collection released in 2011. Completists sometimes have to rely on the films themselves: frontman Stuart A. Staples’ solo score for Let the Sunshine In and the band’s full assembly on Both Sides of the Blade have remained unreleased.

To promote forthcoming shows that juxtapose their soundtracks with Denis’ images––tickets are online if you’re in Paris or Lyon––Tindersticks have released a handful of soundtracks once only in the collection and the aforementioned scores for Sunshine and Blade. (The former veers between ethereal and jazzy; the latter sounds like a through-and-through horror film.

Gene Roddenberry's celebrated sci-fi TV series "Star Trek" debuted on September 8, 1966, and recently celebrated its 57th anniversary. Initially, "Trek" wasn't terribly popular, and only managed to make a third season thanks to a coordinated letter-writing campaign (a campaign that Roddenberry was accused of orchestrating and encouraging himself). It wouldn't be until after "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969 that its popularity would significantly begin to grow. Thanks to a sweet infinite syndication deal, "Star Trek" reruns were common, and a cult began to form. By the early 1970s, the first "Trek" conventions began to appear. Naturally, conventions were a great place for the show's stars and creators to congregate and share production stories with a rising tide of obsessives. Fans were able to talk to and get autographs from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett, Walter Koenig, George Takei, James Doohan, and Grace Lee Whitney, as...

Where to Watch Powered by The 2020 movie Fatale has become Netflix's top trending movie after struggling at the box office. The movie follows a familiar storyline of adultery, stalking, and poor decision-making that mirrors the plot of Fatal Attraction. Fatale's popularity on Netflix can be attributed to a combination of Covid-19-related delays, genre interest, and the streaming service's lack of hit new movies in summer 2023.

Fatale might be Netflix's top trending movie, but the film's sudden surge in popularity doesn't change the fact that it's a rip-off of a classic 1987 thriller. Directed by Deon Taylor and written by David Loughery, who also collaborated on the 2019 thriller The Intruder, Lionsgate's Fatale has a less-than-stellar track record. After bombing at the box office upon its 2020 theatrical release, the Netflix-streaming psychological thriller seems like fare that would fade into obscurity — or at least off of the platform's homepage. Somehow,...

We might be entering the dog days of summer but Hulu isn’t slowing down. The streamer’s list of new releases for August 2023 is a pretty impressive collection of content.

The biggest Hulu original this month is season 3 of true crime comedy Only Murders in the Building on Aug. 8. This time around Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd are joining the already-stacked cast that features Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. This season’s central murder appears to take place at a theater (outside the building) but I think we’ll let it slide.

That’s far from the only worthwhile original in August as Aug. 2 sees the premiere of the third and final season of superb comedy Reservation Dogs. That will be followed by South Korean sci-fi series Moving on Aug. 9, Solar Opposites season 4 on Aug. 14, and A Murder at the End of the World on Aug. 29. Of course,...

Clockwise from top left: The Craft (Columbia Pictures), Malignant (Warner Bros. Pictures), Enys Men (British Film Institute), How To Blow Up A Pipeline (Neon)Photo: The A.V. Club

It’s the last full month of summer and Hulu is here to help you escape the heat with some refreshing new titles and genre favorites.

During the Cannes Film Festival, 20 emerging producers from across Europe took part in European Film Promotion’s promotion and networking platform Producers on the Move. They had been selected by the 37 national film institutes that are members of Efp. Variety invited them to pitch their projects to our readers, which we present below.

Gentian Koçi, Albania

Project: “Cold Sun” (in development)

Director: Gentian Koçi

As he attempts to rebuild his life in his hometown after being freed from jail after serving a 25-year sentence for killing his wife, a man in his fifties falls in love with a woman in her forties and gradually realizes that this love is going to be his true prison.

Julie Esparbes, Belgium

Project: “The Dance of the Foxes”

Director: Valéry Carnoy

A coming-of-age story, about a 17-year-old boxer who, following an accident, will have to reinvent himself in a more sensitive way. Valéry Carnoy...

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has snapped up North American distribution rights from Concourse Media to Christian Swegal’s true crime thriller Sovereign, starring Nick Offerman, Dennis Quaid and Jacob Tremblay.

Swegal wrote and will direct later this year in Arkansas. A theatrical release during Q4 2024 is planned.

Based on real events, the story follows a father and son (Offerman and Tremblay) who identify as Sovereign Citizens, a group of anti-government extremists, as they venture across the country and find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Dennis Quaid) that sets off an intense manhunt with tragic consequences.

“Sovereign is a timely and captivating story and all of us at Briarcliff are looking forward to working with Christian, Nick, the Concourse team and this stellar cast on what will be a gripping ride for movie audiences,” said Tom Ortenberg, Briarcliff Entertainment CEO.

“We are beyond excited to be partnering with...

The technology of cinematography has undergone some of the most seismic shifts in film history this century, with what began in the 2000s as an almost entirely photochemical process transforming into the digitally captured, manipulated, and projected images of today. The art of cinematography, however — using light, color, and texture to express ideas and elicit emotional reactions from the audience — remains intact.

In 2017, IndieWire made a list of the best shot feature films of the century thus far; the list was updated in 2020, and what follows is the third and most extensive version of the list. It’s also the first to be spearheaded by the IndieWire Craft team, which has grown considerably since this list was first published. Ranking cinematography is, in some ways, a fool’s errand given the broad variety of genres, resources, and intentions encompassed by the films below, but these are 60 titles that IndieWire believes...

Even when he’s not trying to be funny, laughter can be the first response that greets William Shatner. Some may think of him as a caricature. What Alexandre O. Philippe’s thoughtful, searching new documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” reveals, without ever being so blunt as to say as much, is that that laughter reveals more about us than about Shatner. About our inability to comprehend someone quite as complex, as defiantly irreducible, as the man who once was Captain Kirk.

Shatner may be pop culture’s greatest master of pontification, and there is no topic on which he doesn’t have thoughts. He’s expressed them before in the 2001 Peter Jaysen documentary “Mind/Meld”; in the 2011 documentary that he himself directed looking back at the legacy of “Star Trek” in its many different incarnations, “The Captains”; and as seen in Philippe’s new film, via poetry readings...

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.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)

It is a fascinating thing to watch someone’s history of protest and addiction collide and conspire to hold a pharmaceutical company accountable and expose its parent family as reprehensible. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras profiles the renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her fight through the AIDS and opioid crisis, but this is bigger than a biographical documentary. Through slideshows, interviews, and family videos, Poitras weaves a riveting, heartbreaking interconnected story of generational pain, its influence over the blurry boundaries between life and art. – Jake K-s.

Where to Stream: VOD

Close (Lukas Dhont)

Dhont’s sophomore feature offers no narrative or stylistic fireworks, but it captures feelings so fine and true they...

It is my experience that one gets a far richer, stranger cinema education in pursuing the careers of actors, that group defined first by (assuming luck shines upon them) two or three era-defining films and then so much that dictates their industry—pet projects, contractual obligations, called-in favors alimony payments, auteur one-offs, and on and on. Few embody that deluge of circumstance better than Michelle Yeoh and Isabelle Huppert, both of whom are receiving spotlights in March. The former’s is a who’s-who of Hong Kong talent, new favorites (The Heroic Trio), items we can at least say are of interest (Trio‘s not-great sequel Executioners), etc.

Huppert’s series runs longer, and notwithstanding certain standards that have long sat on the channel it adds some heavy hitters: Hong’s In Another Country, Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, Breillat’s Abuse of Weakness, Hansen-Løve’s Things to Come. And, of course,...

Screen Rant is thrilled to exclusively present the trailer for the new series Temple. Based on the hit Norwegian series Valkyrien, Temple follows Daniel Milton (Mark Strong), a talented surgeon pushed to the brink. When his wife is diagnosed with a terminal degenerative disease, he does everything he can to save her. But when conventional medical treatments don't work, he searches for other options. Daniel teams up with Lee (Daniel Mays) to start a literal underground, off-the-books clinic in the tunnels beneath London's Temple tube station.

Eventually, they are joined by Anna, a guilt-ridden medical researcher, and Jamie, a young fugitive. Daniel and his team treat those who either can't or refuse to seek medical treatment from the legitimate healthcare system. While Daniel tries to balance his team, his attempts to save his wife, and his ever-swaying moral boundaries, his own desperation could be what brings everything crashing down around him.

It may not be particularly fair to say that this is a bit of a duff weekend, because there are indeed new wide and moderate releases. It’s just that very few of them are screening in advance for critics and therefore might be seen as less than. Can any of them topple Week 7 of “Avatar: The Way of Water”?

The one possibility is “Infinity Pool,” Brandon Cronenberg’s follow-up to his 2020 thriller, “Possessor,” which was stymied by the shutdown of movie theaters due to Covid. This one is equally enigmatic, though it has more of a name cast, including Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”) and Mia Goth. Skarsgård plays a writer on a luxury vacation with his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman from “Dopesick”) who becomes involved in a fatal accident that throws him into the locale’s world of horror and violence.

Stars: Macarena Gómez, Sofía García, Ana Milán, Germán Torres | Written by David Hebrero, Javier Kiran | Directed by David Hebrero

Everyone Will Burn (Y todos arderán) begins with a text crawl that informs us that in 1980 the residents of Razas del Monte sacrificed a baby in the hopes it would prevent the apocalypse they believed was imminent. They’ve managed to keep it covered up, until now.

That’s replaced by a view of the countryside accompanied by the sound of tortured breathing. We see the immaculately dressed María José climb up to the edge of a bridge, ready to kill herself. As she does Lucia (Sofía García) a strange-looking little girl, dirty and dishevelled, walks up behind her and asks “Mama”? Since her suicide attempt is linked to the death of her son and those responsible, including the mayor’s son, managing to escape being prosecuted this has a strong effect on her.

Argentina’s Rodrigo de la Serna leads the cast in the latest Paramount+ original film for Latin America, “El Salto de Papá,” based on the memoir of Argentine author-journalist Martin Sivak.

Daniela Goggi, who co-wrote the script with Andrea Garrote, will direct the pic which is set to begin shooting in Argentina in upcoming weeks. Vis, Paramount’s international studio, is producing the drama in association with two of Argentina’s leading producers, Infinity Hill and Rei Cine.

The film is one of multiple Paramount+ original projects underway in Latin America and Spain as the streamer seeks to rev up its local slate. Competition for premium culturally-specific content among streaming giants and studios in Latin America continues to heat up as they source more original productions locally. This June, at its U.K. launch, Paramount+ announced plans to commission more than 150 international originals by 2025.

De la Serna is best known for his role as Palermo,...

Atsuko Okatsuka has lined up her first comedy special, which will air on HBO and HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.

The special will tape this fall. The news comes just over a month after Okatsuka was named one of Variety‘s 10 Comics to Watch. She is a writer, actor, and stand up comedian currently based in Los Angeles.

”I’m so excited to work with HBO on what my family calls ‘an hour of you talking funny,'” Okatsuka said. “That’s what I’ll be doing. But normal enough so you know what I’m saying. I wrote this special when I realized that all the things that made me feel like a freak growing up were actually my superpowers. And I hope you’ll feel that way too after watching. This one’s for the weirdos, the lovers, those who got picked last or even first but...

Exclusive: The ensemble cast of Lionsgate’s prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes keeps growing, and we’ve heard first that Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples and Hiroki Berrecloth are joining the Francis Lawrence directed title opposite Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera.

The prequel is set years before Coriolanus Snow (Blyth) becomes the fierce President of Panem. The 18-year-old is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their...

A judge in Santa Maria, Calif., on Tuesday dismissed a rape case against film producer David Guillod, weeks after another judge threw out most of the charges against him.

Guillod was accused of raping or sexually assaulting six women, including actress Jessica Barth. But after a 10-day preliminary hearing in May, Judge James K. Voysey found that the accusations of four of the women were not credible enough to go to trial.

Voysey took note of text messages in which one alleged victim said, after the alleged rape, that she was looking forward to “dinner and some cuddles” with Guillod. Another alleged victim, Guillod’s assistant, was seen flirting with him and cuddling with him the day after the alleged rape.

“Those behaviors tell the court she didn’t think she was raped the night before,” Voysey said at the hearing on May 23. “She would never have done those things.

Variety has named its 10 Comics to Watch for 2022. This year’s honorees will be profiled in the July 20 issue of Variety and be honored at this year’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, held in Montreal July 13-31. There will be a panel and cocktail reception held on July 29, followed by a performance showcase July 30.

Variety has been presenting the 10 Comics to Watch list since 2000 and has included such names as Tiffany Haddish, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt and Quinta Brunson.

The list is comprised of stand-up comedians, writers and content creators selected by a panel that includes Variety editors and those in the comedy community that scout, book, cast and represent comics.

Says Christine Walters, creative director, Just For Laughs ComedyPRO and ComedyCON: “We look forward to welcoming the hilarious new class of Variety 10 Comics to Watch in this, our 40th anniversary year of the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.

Exclusive: Dark Dreams Entertainment, the production company owned by Magic Mike and I Am Number Four star Alex Pettyfer, has received backing from an angel investor and has set a three-picture deal with UK, LA and Buenos Aires-based production firm Infinity Hill.

Dark Dreams, which Pettyfer steers with his manager-producer James Ireland, has had “substantial” backing from Magnus Rausing, heir to the multi-billion euro Tetra Laval fortune. Rausing has acquired a stake in Dark Dreams and will take a place on the company’s board as an executive. We understand the Swedish heir has quietly supported films in the past but this is his first investment to be made public.

The three-picture pact with Infinity Hill covers projects Blurred, a Paris-set thriller from writer-director Ben Cookson (Waiting For Anya), which is set to star Pettyfer; an adaptation of the Craig Clevenger novel The Contortionist’s Handbook; and The Weekend, a...

Amy Schumer, James Acaster, Jimmy O. Yang and many other comedians have joined the lineup of Just for Laughs Montreal’s 40th anniversary festival. The news comes ahead of the launch for tickets of the event, which goes live Wednesday.

Schumer, Acaster, Yang, Jimmy Carr, Dara Ó Briain, Debra Digiovanni, Jacqueline Novak, Katherine Ryan, Maria Bamford, Fortune Feimster will all perform concert shows over the course of the almost three-week long Canadian comedy festival. In addition, Rick Mercer will host a special concert spotlighting Canadian comics. They join previously announced performers, who include John Mulaney and Hasan Minhaj.

Just for Laughs also announced a special gala celebrating the festival’s 40th anniversary, as well as several club shows, a podcast reading for Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg’s comedy show “Girls Gotta Eat” and programming for the Off-jfl spin-off festival.

The festival also released the dates for its 26th annual New Faces series,...

Stars: Cameron Monaghan, Frank Grillo, John Malkovich, Sasha Luss, Lilly Krug, Ash Santos, James C. Burns, Dat Phan | Written by David Loughery | Directed by Luis Prieto

Thirteen years after his last screenplay credit, writer David Loughery, who wrote blockbuster 90s action films like Passenger 57 and The Three Musketeers, returned to movies with Lakeview Terrace in 2008, and since then he seems to have specialised in films that feature characters with ulterior motives, who aren’t who they think you are; and with Obsessed he almost single-handedly looked to revive the low-budget thriller genre that was so prevalent during the era he last penned scripts for Hollywood. That determination continued with his scripts for films like Penthouse North and The Intruder; in 2020 he spiced things ups throwing in some eroticism with the script for Fatale and now comes Shattered, which takes the genre to its Basic Instinct-style roots. Though to be...