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The Simpsons has crossed over with a number of other TV shows over the years, including Futurama, Family Guy and The X-Files. It’s happened so many times at this point that it’s hard to believe that the mere suggestion of inviting Jay Sherman from The Critic onto an episode was the subject of a major behind-the-scenes controversy. Side note: How can anyone be mad at an episode that gave us “Man Getting Hit by Football?”

Well, now The Simpsons gang are once again co-mingling with another popular show that falls under the Disney corporate umbrella: ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

According to Disney, the December 9th game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys will be presented in traditional fashion, but it will also be available to stream in a version set in the world of Springfield.

Yes, in the “Funday Football” stream, the Bengals will be coached by Bart,...

Three years after the phenomenal success of “Hi, Mom” (it is still the third most successful film ever in China), Jia Ling is back with another heart-warming dramedy, a remake of the knockout Japanese indie drama “100 Yen Love”. And once again, the director, writer and actress used a similar formula to storm her way to the top of the 2024 Lunar New Year box office.

This time, Jia Ling plays Leying, a thirty-something introvert who still lives with her family, refuses to have a job, spends her time sleeping and is hopelessly obese. Everything suddenly becomes unbearable when her family turns against her and her boyfriend leaves her for her best friend. Deciding to move out and finally take control of her life, Leying gets a small-time job as a waitress and becomes quickly fascinated with the nearby gym… especially one of its boxing coaches.

Check the review of the...

German producer Nico Hofmann has unveiled a slate of projects he is working up as part of a partnership with Beta Film. Veteran producer Hofmann left UFA Film to strike out on his own, partnering with longtime collaborator Jan Mojto, CEO of Beta Film, and Beta Film/Intaglio Films producer Jan Wünschmann earlier this year.

The quartet of projects include a six-part series inspired by award-winning journalist Thomas Hüetlin’s soon-to-be-published novel ‘Man Lebt Sein Leben Nur Einmal’ (You Only Live Once), about film star and pioneering feminist Marlene Dietrich.

Another six-part series in prospect is an adaptation of Tilman Lahme 1920s-set novel ‘Die Manns – Geschichte Einer Familie’ (The Manns – Story of a Family). The story will be told through the eyes of the younger generation finding their place in a changing world.

There are two adaptations in the works based on European Book Prize winner Maxim Leo’s novels.

The Opening Night on Wednesday 24 April will travel between China and South Korea with two international premieres. The task of opening the curtain will fall to “Yolo“, the film phenomenon with which Jia Ling (director and protagonist) literally smashed the box office! Then it will be the turn of “Citizen of a Kind” by director Park Young-ju, an irresistible action comedy that revolves around a single mother, unemployed and victim of a phishing scam.

Chosen by the Feff as the inaugural title of the twenty-sixth edition, “Yolo” is an international festival premiere and tells two stories: one that develops in the plot and one which spread with great force outside the screen, becoming a source of inspiration for millions of Chinese. A story which brings a strong message into the spotlight: it is never too late to change your life. It is never too late to believe in yourself and to fully exercise your willpower,...

If there's one actress whose name is synonymous with the "Halloween" franchise, created by director John Carpenter in 1978, it's Jamie Lee Curtis. If there's another, it's Danielle Harris. Curtis holds the record for most "Halloween" movie appearances with six film, not counting archival footage, and the late Donald Pleasance is in five (though his likeness was used in the new "Halloween" trilogy). Harris, however, appearing in four "Halloween" movies, is the only actress to play two different characters in the franchise, and she did so by never taking no for an answer. When conditions were wrong, she walked, and when arbitrary directorial edicts threatened to block her, she acted her way back in with the best audition.

Harris was a young child when she first encountered Michael Myers. What happened to that little girl? She grew up, but she never stopped working. These days, she's a mother in real life,...

Worldwide box office February 23-25 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world)Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Article 20 (various) $39.2m $288.6m $39.2m $288.6m 4 2. Pegasus 2 (various) $34.9m $433.2m $34.7m $431.6m 4 3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training (various) $28.5m $41.7m $17m $30.1m 57 4. Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount) $28.5m $120.5m $15m $49.4m 60 5. Yolo (various) $24.7m $463.2m $24.7m $463.2m 1 6. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $21.9m $256.9m $21.9m $256.9m 1 7. Exhuma (Showbox) $16.7m $16.7m $16.7m $16.7m 1 8. Madame Web (Sony) $16.5m $77.4m $10.5m $42m 65 9. Migration (Universal) $7.8m $268.7m $4.8m $148.3m 80 10. Wonka (Paramount) $7.7m $617.2m $5.2m $402.7m 72 Worldwide...

Worldwide box office February 16-18 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Yolo (various) $84.4m $402.4m $84.4m $402.4m 1 2. Pegasus 2 (various) $79.2m $358.1m $78.86m $357m 3 3. Article 20 (various) $68.4m $206m $68.4m $206m 1 4. Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount) $56.7m $74.6m $29m $29m 48 5. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $50.5m $207.7m $50.5m $207.7m 1 6. Madame Web (Sony)

$40.9m $49.1m $25,7m $25.7m 62 7. Haikyu!! The Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump (various)

$15,2m $15.2m $15.2m $15.2m 1 8. Wonka (Warner Bros)

$11.2m $254.8m $7m $395.1m 75 9. Migration (Universal) $10.7m $254.8m $7m $140m 6 10. Anyone But You (Sony) $10.2m $188.9m $7.8m $104.2m 44 Paramount celebrates...

Worldwide box office February 2-4 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Yolo (various) $110.4m $110.4m $110.4m $110.4m 1 2. Pegasus 2 (various) $104.6m $104.6m $104.6m $104.6m 3 3. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $60.8m $60.8m $60.8m $60.8m 1 4. Article 20 (various)

$46.6m $46.6m $46.6m $46.6m 1 5. Argylle (Universal) $15.9m $60.1m $9.4m $31.3m 82 6. Anyone But You (Sony) $12.4m $170.1m $9.7m $90m 51 7. Wonka (Warner Bros) 11.6m $587.5m $8.5m $382.3m 75 8. Migration (Universal) $9.7m $235.2m $6.7m $125.0m 80 9. The Movie Emperor (various) $7.9m $7.9m $7.9m $7.9m 6 10. Poor Things (Disney) $7.7m $81.2m $6.6m $50.9m 44

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

China wins top four spots in...

The international box office was generally muted this weekend, save for in China which ushered in the Year of the Dragon on Saturday, and with it the lucrative Chinese New Year moviegoing period. According to early figures from Maoyan, the first two days of Spring Festival 2024 amassed Rmb 2.44B ($339M), just a touch below the comparable days in 2023.

Although Maoyan’s Pegasus 2 was tops on Saturday, the first day of the holiday, ultimately it was the Jia Ling Cfg/Alibaba inspirational film Yolo that won the weekend with an estimated Rmb 804M ($112M/comScore has it slightly lower at $110.4M) across the two-day stretch. IMAX accounted for $3.6M of that. It often happens that the day-one winner is overtaken on day two.

An adaptation of the 2014 Japanese movie 100 Yen Love, Yolo (aka You Only Live Once) centers on Le Ying (Jia), an unemployed woman in her 30s who still...

The Strokes unveiled the live debut of “Fear of Sleep” from 2006’s First Impressions of Earth during their recent headlining performance at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival.

The band delivered a hits-filled set at the Naeba Ski Resort in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture that leaned heavily on their first two albums, but they dug deep into the catalogue to dust off “Fear of Sleep,” which according to Far Out Magazine, stood as the only song from their third LP that had not yet been performed live.

According to NME, lead singer Julian Casablancas prefaced the debut by telling the audience, “Here’s a song that we probably last played in Japan 29 years ago. Kidding… not that long ago. Sounds right? Let’s see how it goes.” Watch the performance and check out the full setlist below.

The Strokes still have a handful of live dates in 2023 including stops to New...

Throughout the history of cinema, numerous directors have left their unique and indelible mark on the industry. One such director is Fritz Lang, a visionary filmmaker whose groundbreaking work continues to influence and inspire generations of artists. In this article, we will explore the cinematic legacy of Fritz Lang, with a particular focus on his body of work known as the “Long Fritz.” We will delve into his early life and influences, examine his most iconic films, and discuss the lasting impact of his innovative directing style on film noir and modern cinema.

Introduction to Fritz Lang and the Long Fritz

Fritz Lang, born in Austria in 1890, was a pioneer of German Expressionist cinema and an early architect of film noir. His groundbreaking work in the 1920s and 1930s laid the foundation for what would later become known as the “Long Fritz” – an extensive body of work that spans a wide range of genres,...

Receiving one coveted 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes is a massive achievement in itself, with two actors being tied for having the most entries in the 100% club. Unsurprisingly, due to their influence on cinema, many of the films on Rotten Tomatoes with a Fresh 100% rating are considered classics, which means most of the actors with the highest number of 100% critic scores were at their height in the golden age of Hollywood. Many actors whose movies boast multiple 100% Rotten Tomatoes scores are also Oscar winners, suggesting their screen presence influences the films’ continued acclaim.

Beginning with 1920’s The Golem as the oldest movie with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, an increasing number of films have joined the desired list over the years, with the prospect of achieving a 100% score shockingly being easier to attain than a 0% score. Hollywood legends like Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Henry Fonda, and James Stewart boast between nine and 11 Fresh 100% scores each,...

It might be obvious to say, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.

In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).

This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...

It might be obvious to say, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.

In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

It’s easy to assume that certain releases don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films likem say, DC’s Suicide Squad may get mauled by the critics, but they still gain recognition from the Academy (it went on to win).

This is even more ridiculous when you consider that classics such as Don’t Look Now...

Abraham Lincoln, for whatever his historical faults, is perhaps the most cinematic President the Unites States has ever had. Whether you put him in a theatrical D.C. backroom drama like Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," or in a silly, pulpy movie like Timur Bekmambetov's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (from the same year!), you get a great film. Maybe it's because of his iconic appearance, maybe it's due to the almost mythical challenges of leading a country in the midst of a Civil War, or maybe it stems from the temptation to cast him as a hero battling the evils of U.S. slavery.

Spielberg's "Lincoln" has scenes set in the wreckage of battlegrounds. "Vampire Hunter" has Honest Abe fighting vampires on runaway trains. Most every film about Lincoln dramatizes the Civil War to some degree, and they typically allude to Ford's Theatre, where he was assassinated. That's what...

It might sound obvious, but getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make a film good.

In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

While it’s easy to assume that certain films don’t get nominated because they’re not what voters of the Oscars would usually go for, there have been a lot of surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films like DC’s Suicide Squad may have been mauled by the critics, but will still get recognised by the Academy (it went on to win), which is ridiculous when you consider classics such as The Good, the Bad and...

It might sound obvious, but getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make a film good.

In fact, there have been many deserving movies over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

While it’s easy to assume that certain films don’t get nominated because they’re not what voters of the Oscars would usually go for, there have been a lot of surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films like DC’s Suicide Squad may have been mauled by the critics, but will still get recognised by the Academy (it went on to win), which is ridiculous when you consider classics such as The Good, the Bad and...

It might sound obvious, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.

In fact, there have been numerous deserving films over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

Sure, it’s easy to assume that certain films don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films like DC’s Suicide Squad may have been mauled by the critics, but still get recognised by the Academy (it went on to win), which is ridiculous when you consider classics such as Don’t Look Now or The King of Comedy didn’t even get recognised.

It might sound obvious, but a film getting nominated for an Oscar doesn’t automatically make it good.

In fact, there have been many deserving films over the years that were somehow overlooked by the Academy.

Sure, it’s easy to assume that certain films don’t get nominated because they’re not what Oscar voters would usually go for, but there have been some surprises in the past.

For example, pretty much every new superhero film earns a nomination thanks to the technical or makeup categories, while random animated films are acknowledged most likely because of the low number on offer in a certain year.

This means films like DC’s Suicide Squad may have been mauled by the critics, but still get recognised by the Academy (it went on to win), which is ridiculous when you consider classics such as Don’t Look Now or The King of Comedy didn’t even get recognised.

Rod Stewart will reissue four of his mid-Seventies albums as part of a vinyl box set that also includes an extra LP filled with rare and unreleased studio outtakes from the era.

Due out June 4th via Rhino, the five-lp 1975-1978 includes the first four albums Stewart recorded during the Warner Records tenure that led to his solo commercial breakthrough: 1975’s Atlantic Crossing, 1976’s A Night on the Town, 1977’s Foot Loose & Fancy Free and 1978’s Blondes Have More Fun, Stewart’s first Number One album.

“It’s extraordinary for...

The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history. Above: Detour “The Americans made [film noir] and then the French invented it.”—Marc VernetIn a world of uncertainty, where the lines between good and bad are routinely blurred and peril lurks behind every hesitant corner, film noir had—and still has—a spellbinding way of cutting through the banalities of ordinary existence. Noir tarnishes the superficial sheen of domestic stability, peace and prosperity, and the naïve, sanguine euphoria of one’s best-laid plans. It revels in a realm of desperation, despair, and dread, leading audiences down long, lonely streets and engineering an entertaining and engaging descent into humanity’s dark side. While there remains some question about what defines film noir, and even more debate concerning whether or not the form is a genre or a movement (or something of the two...

Films by Zhang Yimou and André Téchiné will have world premieres in Berlin.

The final titles for the Berlin International Film Festival Competition and Berlianle Special sections have been announced.

The new competition additions are world premieres of Zhang Yimou’s One Second, André Téchiné’s Farewell To The Night, Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms, the German premiere of Vice, and the European premiere of Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace.

Of the new titles, Farewell To The Night, Alan Elliott’s Amazing Grace and Vice will play out of competition. 17 of the 23 films in the Competition section will be in contention...

Featuring actual choreographies by two times Japanese National ice skating champion Kenji Miyamoto, and dealing with homosexuality almost as much as with the sport itself, “Yuri!!! On Ice” is definitely not your everyday anime. The fact that it was one of the most successful shows and digital releases in Japan, though, is a testament to its quality.

The film revolves around Yuri Katsuki, Japan’s number one ice skater, who, as the anime begins, has suffered a humiliating loss at the Grand Prix Final, and is ready to retire from the sport completely. However, when his idol and five-time champion Victor Nikiforov decides to come all the way to Japan just to be his coach, Yuri changes attitude completely and decides to give it all to be successful in the sport at an international level. However, both their decision take a toll on Yuri Plisetsky, a rising 15-year-old Russian prodigy skater,...

The love for Fritz Lang doesn’t quit! As Lang’s biographers point out, his American films consistently focus on moral and psychological questions in crime. Lang saw murder as more than a dramatic tool as he probed for weaknesses in the legal system. His final American pictures — two separate disc releases — make excellent use of good actors. Dana Andrews stars in both, backed by name stars set loose from the studio system.

While the City Sleeps and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Separate Blu-ray releases

Warner Archive Collection

B&W / 2:1 widescreen / Street Date March 13, 2018 / 21.99 each

Original Music: Herschel Burke Gilbert

Produced by Bert E. Friedlob

Directed by Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang’s final American films.

The amazingly creative Fritz Lang almost singlehandedly pioneered a number of key genres: the fantasy epic, the gangster film, the spy thriller, and the science fiction film — all before the start of the sound era.