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In Walter Hill’s bizarre gender-bending B-movie “(re)Assignment,” Michelle Rodriguez plays a gun-toting hitman transformed into woman against his/her will by a revenge-seeking Sigourney Weaver. Why would you not want to see this?

Here are a few reasons.

Hill may have directed some of the more endearing action showdowns over the last 30 years, from “The Warriors” to “48 Hrs.,” but “re(Assignment)” is an amateur work. Cheesy without being self-aware, hobbled by rampant transphobia that the screenplay’s too dumb to address, this inane burst of campy stupidity can’t get beyond the sheer absurdity of its very existence.

RelatedThe 2016 IndieWire Tiff Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival

However, the outrageous scenario isn’t the film’s biggest problem. As Dr. Rachel Kay, Weaver is a dime-store Hannibal Lecter who spends most of the movie in a straightjacket, mechanically recalling her scheme to a stone-faced psychologist (Tony Shaloub,...

There have been few first features in recent years as charming as Adam Leon’s “Gimme the Loot,” and now that quality is starting to look like a motif. “Tramps,” Leon’s follow-up to his prize-winning debut, delivers another brisk and scrappy tale of lovable young hooligans on the cusp of a busy inner city world and searching for their place within it. “Tramps” doesn’t break new ground or offer much in the way of surprise developments; its cutesy setup adheres to familiar rules. At the same time, Leon’s sophomore effort has more polish to its entertainment value, matched by playful energy indicative of a mature storyteller in tune with his material. It’s certainly one of the better American romcoms in recent memory, although the competition’s not especially fierce.

Leon’s a knowledgable cineaste who draws from the right stuff with the shrewd hand of a...

First things first: Bill Nighy is an international treasure (but you already knew that). Singlehandedly capable of transforming a comedy from wan to winsome, the droll patron saint of mediocre British movies has only become more welcome as he’s grown more ubiquitous. “Their Finest” is as wan (and winsome) as anything he has ever made, but Nighy — playing a pompous wartime actor who serves as a glorified prop in his country’s interchangeable propaganda films — has never been better. Alas, the lanky British baritone has no business being the standout of a story that exists in order to celebrate the value of female storytellers; Bill Nighy is many things, but a woman isn’t one of them.

A characteristically lush period rom-com from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig, “Their Finest” winds back the clocks to a time when movies were a matter of life and death. We open in...

Ruth Negga employs a couple of handy metaphors when talking about her turn as Mildred Loving in Jeff Nichols’ biographical drama, “Loving,” from carrying a precious vase to safety alongside her co-star Joel Edgerton to launching off a trampoline under the guidance of Nichols. But each metaphor – thoughtfully considered and very charming, much like the Ethiopian-Irish actress herself – help drives home one single thing: The delicate, brave nature of taking on such a meaningful and important role.

Nichols’ film eschews the standard high-drama biographical movie formula, instead focusing on the more intimate aspects of the love story that would go on to change the face of marriage in America. While many Americans are at least aware of the existence of the landmark Loving v. Virginia case, few know the details – how the Lovings were ambushed and raided after their 1958 marriage, charged with a slew of crimes, forced to leave their...

IndieWire’s Springboard column profiles up-and-comers in the film industry worthy of your attention.

Dash Shaw isn’t kidding around — and neither is the title of the first-time filmmaker’s Toronto International Film Festival debut, “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea.” The animated feature really is about a sinking high school, and it’s really told from the perspective of a Shaw surrogate, an outcast high schooler also named Dash Shaw (gasp). The graphic novelist and short story writer turned screenwriter and director lends his unique vision — both in terms of actual visuals and his funny, self-deprecating view of the world — to the story, which blends the charm of a solid teenager-centric film with any number of high-stakes, high-seas adventures (Tiff rightly refers to it as “John Hughes fused with ‘The Poseidon Adventure'”) to make something that is truly unique.

Read More: Tiff 2016: 9 Breakthrough Names To...

Earlier this year, the concentration camp Auschwitz was wiped off the face of the Earth. A superpowered Holocaust survivor who goes by the name of “Magneto” went to the hallowed massacre site, and — blind with rage after suffering a tremendous personal loss — used his mutant abilities to dismantle the single most important landmark of his people’s suffering. It was a striking moment, in part because it seemed wildly out of place in a movie about a group of teens who dress in purple spandex and fight each other with magic, and in part because Magneto’s rash show of rage wasn’t played as a revenge fantasy so much as an act of historical rejection.

There’s a good reason why, in real life, Auschwitz is a museum and not a landfill: It protects against those who say the Holocaust could never happen again, and — increasingly — to serve as...

Mateo Gil’s latest sci-fi film “Realive” asks the question: “What would it be like to be resurrected after being dead for over 50 years?” The film follows Marc Jarvis (Tom Hughes), a successful man who has recently been diagnosed with a fatal, fast-spreading cancer. He decides to cryonize his body in the hope that he will be brought back to life when they have found a cure. Six decades later, the Prodigy Health Corporation resurrects Marc, and he becomes the first human to survive the process, but his reanimation doesn’t go smoothly and he soon finds himself longing for his past self. The film also stars Charlotte Le Bon (“Bastille Day”) and Oona Chaplin (“Quantum Solace”). Watch an exclusive trailer for the film below.

Read More: Meet the 2011 Tribeca Filmmakers | “Blackthorn” Director Mateo Gil

Gil is likely most famous for co-writing Alejandro Amenábar’s 1997 film “Open Your Eyes,” which...

Check out the new poster & trailer for Lionsgate Premiere’s upcoming thriller Manhattan Night.

Based on Colin Harrison’s acclaimed novel Manhattan Nocturne (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Manhattan Night tells the story of Porter Wren (Adrien Brody), a New York City tabloid writer with an appetite for scandal. On the beat he sells murder, tragedy and anything that passes for the truth. At home he is a model family man, devoted to his loving wife (Jennifer Beals).

But when a seductive stranger (Yvonne Strahovski) asks him to dig into the unsolved murder of her filmmaker husband Simon (Campbell Scott), he can’t resist. In this modern version of a classic film noir, we follow Porter as he is drawn into a very nasty case of sexual obsession and blackmail – one that threatens his job, his marriage and his life.

Manhattan Night will be released by...

Det. Sammy Bryant, he’s not.

Shawn Hatosy is donning a badge again, this time in CBS’ sexy new legal drama Reckless (premiering Sunday at 9/8c). But the police sex scandal his Detective Terry McCandless stirs up stands in stark contrast to his days patrolling the streets of Los Angeles on Southland.

Related CBS’ Fall Schedule Kicks Off With Thursday Night Football; 2-1/2 Men, Elementary Premiere in Late October

In fact, Terry’s sordid behavior with officer Lee Anne Marcus (Fringe‘s Georgina Haig) — prepare to see the Eye network’s boundaries tested — might even make Sammy a little flush.

Aw, Fitz! Tony Goldwyn divulged behind the scenes secrets from the set of Scandal to Us Weekly at the Paley Center and WeTV presentation of On The Beat: The Evolution of the Crime Drama Heroine, Thursday, June 19. The handsome star, 54, who plays President Fitzgerald Grant on the smash series, joked that there is a caveat to working with Kerry Washington. "It's fantastic," he told Us of the "amazing" new mother, "except that she teases me constantly!" In fact, Goldwyn added of the entire tight-knit cast: [...]...

We’ve known that Blue Underground has been working on bringing the Maniac Cop sequels to Blu-ray, but now we have an official release date, cover art, and details on extras.Both movies will be available on November 19th in separate Blu-ray/DVD combo packs. Each movie has been digitally remastered, optimized for D-Box systems, and comes with a number of bonus features:

Maniac Cop 2: The “Maniac Cop” is back from the dead and stalking the streets of New York once more. Officer Matt Cordell was once a hero, but after being framed by corrupt superiors and brutally assaulted in prison, he sets out on a macabre mission of vengeance, teaming up with a vicious serial killer to track down those that wronged him and make them pay… with their lives!

Robert Davi (License To Kill), Claudia Christian (The Hidden), Michael Lerner (Barton Fink), Laurene Landon (Hundra), Leo Rossi...

Video Attack is a weekly collection of videos we've collected but never had a chance to share.  Don't forget to to take the videos fullscreen--some of them have pretty cool visual effects.

Celebrities Against Twitter (C.A.T.)

via Geeks Are Sexy

Kittens On The Beat

via Obvious Winner

UFO Over Santa Clarita

via IO9

Toddler vs. Hexapod

via Wired

The Guns of James Bond

Animatronic and Interactive Luxo / Pixar Lamp

via IO9...

In celebration of Edgar Wright’s new movie, The World’S End, the Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust; St. Louis, Mo 63103) will host a double feature of Wright’s previous two hits in which he teamed with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”.

The movies will be projected by Frontyard Features on a large inflatable screen in the Tap Room parking lot on the evening of Saturday, August 3rd, 2013, beginning with “Shaun of the Dead” at 8:30pm (dusk) and with “Hot Fuzz” to immediately follow at 10:20pm. Admission is free and beer will be available for purchase on-site from Schlafly. Patrons are invited to bring chairs and blankets to sit on while viewing the movies.

In “Shaun of the Dead,” a man (Simon Pegg) decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and...

Producer Noah '40' Shebib gives MTV News the inside story in an exclusive interview.

By Steven Roberts

Drake

Photo: John Shearer/ Getty Images

Despite all the critical and commercial acclaim Drake's Take Care has rightly earned, the Toronto Mc has remained relatively quiet when promoting the album. Relative in the sense that Thank Me Later's release was accompanied by the hoopla of in-store signings and a documentary.

That's not the only way the two projects differ. Where Tml featured a number of A-list hitmakers, from Kanye West to Swizz Beatz, the biggest name in Drake's sophomore effort's production credits is Just Blaze. The album certainly doesn't suffer from that lack of notoriety, however. In fact, it sounds more focused with the lesser-known T-Minus, and Drake's right-hand man Noah "40" Shebib stealing the show. Their efforts helped to make it more Drake's album — however introspective, weird and altogether refreshing that might be.

For a genre film, The Rite takes the subject matter of faith as seriously as it can while retaining mainstream appeal. If it were to dive either way we might be in propaganda film territory. This is one of many textures effectively employed by Mikael Håfström, who previously directed 1408, a Steven King adaptation which bucked the trend that all Stephen King adaptations not directed by Stanley Kubrick and Frank Darabount (with the exception of The Mist) suck. What sets The Rite apart is the film’s textures; this simply isn’t light and shadows that add up to cheap jump scenes. The film takes a somewhat more unexpected high ground and ponders the same question I have about exorcism: are those in need of an exorcism mentally ill? Is the approach helpful or harmful?

Enter young priest Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), a mortician’s son who appears destined for...

Norman Wisdom, the prolific British actor who many compared to Charlie Chaplin, died Monday in a nursing home on the Isle of Man at 95. Wisdom was most well known for his child-like character Norman Pitkin in movies like On the Beat and The Square Peg (which are both great to watch if you've had a long day). He received knighthood in 2000 and interestingly was extremely popular in Albania, where he received the honor of "Official National Comedy Hero." He died peacefully of natural causes. [The Guardian]...

British actor Sir Norman Wisdom has died after an ongoing battle with ill health. He was 95.

The veteran entertainer passed away at a nursing home on the Isle of Man on Monday.

A statement from the care facility reads, "Over the past six months Sir Norman has sustained a series of strokes causing a general decline in both his mental and physical health.

"He had maintained a degree of independence up until a few days ago... (when) his condition rapidly declined. He was in no pain or distress and peacefully passed away at 18.40 this evening."

Born in 1915, Wisdom made his debut as a professional entertainer at the age of 31 on the West End stage in London.

He moved into comedy and earned himself a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Film in 1954 for his turn in Trouble in Store.

He had an ongoing partnership with the Rank Organisation in the 1950s and 1960s and became famous for his clumsy, childlike character Norman Pitkin in films like On The Beat and The Square Peg.

Moving to the U.S. in 1966, he received a Tony Award nomination for his stint on Broadway in musical comedy Walking Happy. He returned to Britain in the late 1960s after his wife, Freda Simpson, left him.

He took time out of the spotlight but won critical acclaim in 1981 for his role as a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently, and he became a household name once again in Britain in the mid-1990s when he briefly joined the cast of beloved TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine.

He received a knighthood in 2000.

Wisdom suffered a health scare in 2006 when he suffered an irregular heart rhythm and was fitted with a pacemaker, but he continued to work as an actor, and won critical acclaim for his role in 2007 short film Expresso.

He retired to Abbotswood nursing home in the Isle of Man later that year and allowed himself to be filmed for Wonderland: The Secret Life Of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 and 3/4 - a documentary highlighting the dilemma of coping with an ageing parent.

As well as his many honours, Wisdom was the official national comedy hero of Albania.

He is survived by his son Nicholas and daughter Jacqueline from his marriage to Simpson.

British actor Sir Norman Wisdom has died after an ongoing battle with ill health. He was 95. The veteran entertainer passed away at a nursing home on the Isle of Man on Monday. A statement from the care facility reads, "Over the past six months Sir Norman has sustained a series of strokes causing a general decline in both his mental and physical health.

"He had maintained a degree of independence up until a few days ago... (when) his condition rapidly declined. He was in no pain or distress and peacefully passed away at 18.40 this evening."

Born in 1915, Wisdom made his debut as a professional entertainer at the age of 31 on the West End stage in London.

He moved into comedy and earned himself a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Film in 1954 for his turn in Trouble in Store.

He had an ongoing partnership with the Rank Organisation in the 1950s and 1960s and became famous for his clumsy, childlike character Norman Pitkin in films like On The Beat and The Square Peg.

Moving to the U.S. in 1966, he received a Tony Award nomination for his stint on Broadway in musical comedy Walking Happy. He returned to Britain in the late 1960s after his wife, Freda Simpson, left him.

He took time out of the spotlight but won critical acclaim in 1981 for his role as a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently, and he became a household name once again in Britain in the mid-1990s when he briefly joined the cast of beloved TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine.

He received a knighthood in 2000.

Wisdom suffered a health scare in 2006 when he suffered an irregular heart rhythm and was fitted with a pacemaker, but he continued to work as an actor, and won critical acclaim for his role in 2007 short film Expresso.

He retired to Abbotswood nursing home in the Isle of Man later that year and allowed himself to be filmed for Wonderland: The Secret Life Of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 and 3/4 - a documentary highlighting the dilemma of coping with an ageing parent.

As well as his many honours, Wisdom was the official national comedy hero of Albania.

He is survived by his son Nicholas and daughter Jacqueline from his marriage to Simpson.

Kevin Smith's take on the buddy cop genre, Cop Out, arrives in theaters on Friday, and early notices seem to suggest what the trailers portended: That it's one of the worst movies of the year. I'm looking forward to the sucker punch.

It does, however, give us a chance to add a best buddy cop list to our Srl archives. There are three traits common to the buddy cop movie: Partners of a different race; one by-the-books partner and one freewheeling partner; and often, one partner with facial hair, and the other without. Also, a murder involving a drug dealer or distributor often sets the narrative into motion, demonstrating that if drugs were legal, there'd be a lot fewer movies in the buddy cop genre.

And with that, here are the seven best buddy cop movies of all time,

7. Turner & Hooch

Buddies: Det. Scott Turner (Tom Hanks) and Hooch...

Before we start in on what will initially seem like a crucifixion of Southland, know that we’re only drawing this comparison because its producers chose to enter into territory where the trail has been previously blazed by countless shows, and yet claim in an extra feature that they’ve created something new and exciting with Southland. Either they’re being very tongue-in-cheek funny or are legitimately blind to the sheer volume of shows which have already done exactly what they set out to do: look at the life of Lapd officers and how the job affects them.

The list of shows based around the Lapd is as follows (in alphabetical order, no less): 10-8: Officers on Duty (2002-3), Adam-12 (1968-75), Boomtown (2002-3), The Closer (2005-Present), Columbo (1971-94), Dark Blue (2009), Dragnet (Forever), Fastlane (2002-3), Hunter (1984-91), L.A. Heat (1999), Lapd: Life On the Beat (1995-99), Life (2007-9), Martial Law...

Former Bill star Graham Cole has released an autobiography, which covers his three appearances as a monster in Doctor Who. Serialised by the Mirror (no, really), On the Beat - My Story features recollections of Cole's time starting out as an actor, working as a driver and other on-set jobs to gain experience before working as an extra and a monster on Doctor Who. Cole later joined The Bill as a PC with occasional speaking lines after the series launched in the 1980s, before being given a...