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Timing is everything, horses for courses, styles make fights, and every movie, no matter how packed with potential on the page, is subject to the whims of fate. And here's a casting "what if" that, had it gone a different way, might've turned one of the most beloved movies of the 1990s into a colossal flop.

Let's take a trip back to late June 1988. The summer movie season is in full swing. After a pokey start thanks to Ron Howard's Memorial Day dud "Willow," the box office has picked up under the power of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Big," and "Coming to America." Moviegoers were gearing up for the July releases, which, with the likes of "Short Circuit 2," "Arthur 2: On the Rocks," and "License to Drive" on deck, did not look particularly promising.

And what to make of "Die Hard?" A big R-rated action movie ought to...

Matlock is getting a brand-new reboot at CBS, with Kathy Bates set for the gender-swapped lead role. The original Matlock originally ran on NBC from 1986 to 1992 before moving to ABC until it went off the air in 1995, overall running for a total of 193 episodes plus a feature-length pilot. The series followed Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock, a skilled attorney who hides his cutthroat nature behind a folksy exterior.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jane the Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman is developing a reboot of Matlock that has received a pilot order. The series will star Bates in the Griffith role, with the character now renamed Madeline Matlock. The premise will be similar, with Matlock - a former Da who is now in her 70s - un-retiring and coming to a prestigious law firm where she conquers a variety of cases using her supposed guilelessness to her advantage.

Related: The Actor...

Are you one of those people who sees all of the hoopla surrounding HBO content but never gets to play along?

Has adding another pay-tv option to your already overburdened entertainment fiscal responsibilities left you in the dark when it comes to HBO?

Have you unwisely chosen to spend your money on less critically acclaimed and lower quality content to get more bang for your buck?

Well, we have good news for you.

HBO knows you're a captive audience, and they're betting that once you get a taste of their popular and lauded entertainment that you might want to make it a more permanent thing.

Of course, that's my assessment, and I'd recommend HBO in a heartbeat. I have, and I will continue slathering praise on the network that has provided some of my all-time favorite content.

And now, you (that's You who don't have HBO), too, can find out...

To provide some entertainment relief for those doing their part to keep everyone safe and healthy in this time of social isolation, HBO is making almost 500 hours of top programming available to stream for free for a limited time on HBO Now and HBO Go without a subscription-starting this Friday, April 3. The list of free programming includes every episode of nine iconic HBO series such as The Sopranos, Veep, Six Feet Under and The Wire; major Warner Bros. blockbusters from HBO's current catalog like Pok&#233mon Detective Pikachu, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Crazy, Stupid, Love; and 10 riveting HBO documentaries and docu-series including McMillion$ and The Case Against Adnan Syed.

All of the programming will be available to stream without a subscription starting Friday by downloading the HBO Now or HBO Go apps or by visiting Hbonow.com or Hbogo.com. The content will also be...

Current global events are bad, but HBO is offering free streaming of “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” and hundreds of hours of other content, which is good.

HBO will begin offering free streaming of the aforementioned series and dozens of other projects, starting Friday, April 3. The limited-time offer will be available on the HBO Now and HBO Go apps, in addition to those platform’s respective websites.

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Though most entertainment companies have made moves to keep their customers entertained as more people continue spending time indoors, few entities have announced plans to release such a large volume of content for free. HBO said the free programming will constitute nearly 500 hours but did not specify how long the free streaming would last.

In what’s becoming a common trend across the industry, HBO will be providing free content to viewers during the coronavirus lockdown. Following on from the likes of CBS All Access in opening up their paywall, HBO will be making HBO Now and HBO Go free to access from Friday, April 3rd. While this offering does not include certain hit series like Game of Thrones, viewers will still be able to watch almost 500 hours of content from the HBO library, adding to the options available for those stuck at home.

The entertainment giant are using the slogan #StayHomeBoxOffice for the campaign, which will also be open to participating distributor partners including HBO over cable packages, and via Hbonow.com and Hbogo.com. The full list of shows, movies, and documentaries available from this Friday include:

Dramas/Comedies

Ballers (5 Seasons)

Barry (2 Seasons)

Silicon Valley (6 Seasons)

Six Feet Under (5 Seasons)

The Sopranos...

During the coronavirus pandemic, everyone has to do their duty by staying inside and watching a ludicrous amount of television and movies. Now HBO has provided the quarantined with an important tool in this mission.

Today HBO announced that it is making nearly 500 hours of original programming and some WarnerMedia-branded movies available for free to all for a limited time. Subscriptions to HBO via cable with HBO Go or via streaming with HBO Now usually cost $15 per month. But starting Friday, April 3, anyone with Internet access will be able to access nine original HBO series and a multitude of other free content via either platform. Just visit HBONow.com, HBOGo.com, or download either’s respective app to begin watching. HBO hasn’t revealed how long constitutes a “limited time” so get those bingeing muscles ready.

The nine HBO series for which every episode in every season will be...

HBO is inviting those adhering to #StayHome quarantine guidelines to “#StayHomeBoxOffice,” by streaming, for free, a variety of the premium cabler’s programming.

HBO is making almost 500 hours of programming available to stream for free/without a subscription, now through the end of April, via its HBO Now and HBO Go apps.

More from TVLineThe Undoing Delayed: HBO Pushes Nicole Kidman Limited Series to Fall Due to Coronavirus PandemicCurb Your Enthusiasm Finale Recap: Latte Larry's Sparks More Than SpiteI Know This Much Is True: Mark Ruffalo Stars Opposite Himself in Trailer for HBO Limited Series -- Watch

The HBO content...

HBO is unlocking its biggest trove of free programming ever — in a goodwill gesture as people look for a diversion during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The WarnerMedia-owned premium cabler is making almost 500 hours of programming available to stream for free (without ads) for a limited time on HBO Now and HBO Go services without a subscription, starting this Friday, April 3.

The list of free programming includes every episode of nine HBO series: “The Sopranos,” “Veep,” “Succession,” “Six Feet Under,” “The Wire,” “Ballers,” “Barry,” “Silicon Valley” and “True Blood.”

Also streaming for free are 20 Warner Bros. movies in HBO’s current catalog including “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love”; and 10 HBO documentaries and docuseries including “McMillion$” and “The Case Against Adnan Syed.”

Notably, however, HBO megahit “Game of Thrones” is absent from the free-streaming fiesta, as are recent hits including “Westworld,” “Big Little Lies,...

It might be a bit surprising to see the beloved Judi Dench in contention for an award calling out the worst achievements in film, but such was the effect of “Cats,” the widely ridiculed movie musical that leads this year’s Razzie noms. The good news, though, is that even if she wins she’ll be in good company. More than a dozen Oscar-winning actors have won Razzies too.

SEERazzies: Every Worst Picture Winner 1981 to Today

Dench, a Best Supporting Actress winner for “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), is now up for Worst Supporting Actress for her role as Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the Jellicle cats who was actually played by male actors on Broadway and the West End. This Razzies category alone has gone to Oscar winners Faye Dunaway and Kim Basinger.

Dunway also won Worst Actress for “Mommie Dearest” (1981). That category has gone to even more Oscar champs: Liza Minnelli...

HBO is out with its list of everything new coming to HBO in January, and everything leaving.

Highlights include “The New Pope,” out Jan. 13. Starring Jude Law, it’s a continuation of the 2016 series “The Young Pope.”

There’s also “The Outsider,” out Jan. 12. Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, it stars Jason Bateman, Cynthia Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn.

“Avenue 5,” about a luxury space-traveling company, is out Jan. 19, along with season 10 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Here’s the full list for January:

Jan. 1

American Animals

Casi famoso (Almost Famous) (2019)

Vaca (2018)

Another Stakeout (1993)

Arthur (1981)

Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)

Cat People (1982)

College (2008)

Fast Five (Extended Version) (2011)

Filly Brown (2013)

Galaxy of Terror (1981)

Head Office (1986)

The Hitcher (1986)

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (2011)

Les Misérables (2012)

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

Mr. Holland’s Opus (1996)

Odd Jobs (1986)

The Odd Couple II (1998)

Rock the Kasbah (1991)

The Russia House (1990)

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Seventh Son (3015)

The Shooting...

Alec Bojalad Dec 19, 2019

We have the highlights of what's coming and going from HBO Now and HBO Go in January 2020.

A new year will eventually mean a new HBO with the release of HBO Max. But for now HBO Now and HBO Go continue on and are putting their best foot forward with the HBO new releases for January 2020.

Comedy is the name of the game for the HBO originals in January 2020. Larry David returns as Curb Your Enthusiasm season 10 premieres on January 19. Veep creator Armando Iannucci takes his satirical ways to space with Avenue 5 the same night. The New Pope is...sort of a comedy and arrives on January 13. The Stephen King series The Outsider is very much not a comedy but it will come to HBO on January 12 all the same.

The list of movies coming to HBO in January 2020 are surprisingly action-packed as well. John Wick...

The film and television director, producer and writer died of natural causes at his Bel Air Home. He was 89.

Yorkin was born in the coal mining town of Washington, Pennsylvania on February 22 1926 and after serving in the Navy embarked on a career as a camera engineer for NBC.

He became a stage manager and then writer, working on NBC’s variety showcase The Colgate Comedy Hour. He moved into directing that show and then directed stints on programmes such as The Spike Jones Show and Light’s Diamond Jubilee.

Film director credits include Love Hurts, Twice In A Lifetime, Arthur 2: On The Rocks, The Thief Who Came To Dinner, Start The Revolution Without Me, Inspector Clouseau, Divorce American Style and Come Blow Your Horn.

He also served as executive producer on Blade Runner and played a role as producer in bringing to fruition the sequel, which is set to begin shooting next summer.

His credits...

Michael Douglas. Anthony Hopkins. Just two actors who've returned to play the parts that won them Oscars...

When Oscar glory comes knocking for a successful Hollywood actor, it must be hugely tempting when the chance arrives for them to reprise that award-winning role. But while sequels and reboots are a common enough sight in the movie industry these days, examples of stars who've returned to their Oscar-winning roles are relatively few and far between.

The reason, perhaps, is because it's so difficult to recapture the creative lightning in a bottle that led to the Oscar win in the first place. Nevertheless, some actors do occasionally take up the offer and return to the filmmaking well. And as the list below proves, the results can sometimes be highly accomplished - though seldom quite as powerful and fresh as the films they're following...

Gene Hackman

Won for: The French Connection

Played the...

Anchorman 2, the sequel to the 2004 cult classic, returns Will Ferrell as the thick-headed but carefully quaffed Ron Burgundy.

'Anchorman 2' Returns With Ron Burgundy

It’s now the 80s and Ron and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) are co-anchoring a show together in New York City. Marital and career trouble ensues for the anchorman when his wife gets a promotion and he gets the slip. With old pals weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell), ladies’ man Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), Ron endeavors to wage a comeback with a 24-hour news channel.

The Anchorman sequel was highly anticipated with massive expectations. Overall, critics are relatively satisfied with what Farrell and director Adam McKay brought to the screen for the second go around of the comedy premise.

Critics Review 'Anchorman' Sequel

"The film’s strong suit, however, is its unhinged, anything-for-a-laugh audacity. If...

Hollywood is positioning 2015 to be the single biggest year for movies in the history of the medium, with The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: Episode VII, Batman Vs. Superman, Mission: Impossible 5 and Bond 24 all arriving within months of each other. But standing in the way are the twelve months of 2014. While the New Year doesn't quite pack the heated punch of 2015, it does bring some highly anticipated fare that we simply can't wait to see. From plenty of superheroes, to evolved apes, to giant robots, to teenage vampires, and even the return of Dominic Toretto, here are the 14 movies guaranteed to get us standing in front of that box office window buying a ticket before 2015 does its ultimate damage on our savings account.

1Vampire Academy

Release Date: February 14. The Players: Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch), Kirova (Olga Kurylenko), Queen Tatiana (Joely Richardson), Mason Ashford (Cameron Monaghan), Dimitri Belikov (Danila Kozlovskiy...

Liza Minnelli emerged on this Earth only 66 years ago today. What's your favorite Liza moment? Mine will shock you. Also on this date in history: Barbra Streisand becomes a Grammy-winning superstar, Meryl Streep's first true love dies, and Bernie Madoff pleads so so guilty.

March 12 is a pretty fascinating date, ladies and gents. Liza Minnelli descended to Earth, Barbra Streisand ascended to wherever it is Barbra Streisand exists now, and Fdr invented a chic mode of speechifying. Happy Monday, all! Deposit your favorite Liza moments below.

1933: Franklin Delano Roosevelt engages the nation in his first fireside chat. He opens the talk with the curious greeting, “Hey, America. Sorry Herbert Hoover was the worst. Sadface for your savings. Forevz.”

1946: Liza Minnelli, the Oscar-Tony-Emmy prize winner (with a “z”!) is born. You can keep your Cabaretand The Sterile Cuckoo because I know the definitive Liza Minnelli movie is Rent-a-Cop,...

Love him or hate him, Russell Brand has well and truly transitioned into acting as today’s Blu-ray release of Arthur well and truly reminds us! Read on for our review…

Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) is an irresponsible charmer who has a tendency to drink far too much. Wiling away his days in a pool of alcohol and frivolous behaviour supported by a generous allowance, Arthur gets a nasty shock when his unfriendly mother, Vivienne (Geraldine James), declares that he is to be cut off should he not settle down and marry the woman of her choice, Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner). As Arthur turns his attentions to the advice of his former nanny and permanent housekeeper, Hobson (Helen Mirren), he unexpectedly bumps into the beautiful and free spirited Naomi (Greta Gerwig). Arthur finds himself facing his biggest challenge: choosing between the arranged marriage, or an uncertain, probably penniless future with...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit worried that George Rr. Martin might be unable to keep all of the plates of his sprawling Song Of Ice & Fire series spinning with the arrival of the long-awaited 5th installment, A Dance With Dragons (Bantam, $35.00 Srp). The series has only grown larger and more complicated with each outing, with hundreds of characters in a delicate web.

Chicago – Critics were pretty hard on the remake of “Arthur” starring Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, and Greta Gerwig (including our very own Patrick McDonald, who gave the film 2 stars out of five) and the film relatively bombed at the box office, opening in 2nd place to “Hop” and making only $12.7 million in its first frame with a lower per-screen average than “Hanna” or “Soul Surfer.” Now you can compare the new version to the award-winning original and its dreadful sequel in a 2-movie collection, now on Blu-ray.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

Warner Bros. could have used the opportunity of the remake to offer a truly impressive version of the 1981 original complete with digital remastering, featurettes, a commentary, and maybe a deleted scene or two. That didn’t happen. This is as minimal a tie-in release as can possibly be made. The two films weren’t even given their own individual discs.

Predicted Weekend Box Office

Hop $23 millionArthur $16 millionYour Highness $12 millionSource Code $10 millionHanna $7 millionInsidious $6.6 millionLimitless $6.3 millionDiary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules $5 millionThe Lincoln Lawyer $4.5 millionSoul Surfer $3.4 million

I hope you are a Russell Brand fan because he's likely to take the two top spots at the weekend box office. His turn as the reluctant Easter Bunny in Hop should be able to retain its winning streak for another week. Family films often don't suffer the same box office drop week to week since the audiences for such fare aren't as likely to show up opening weekend. It's projected to be on top of the heap with around $23 million.

Russell Brand is also starring, this time in the flesh not just the voice, in the remake of Arthur. This remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore/Liza Minnelli chestnut has reviewers asking "Why" and me very angry because why doesn't Liza even have a cameo in this?...

Whether you’re trying to avoid the releases this week or augment them with even more movies, Your Alternate Box Office offers some options for movies that would play perfectly alongside of (or instead of) the stuff studios are shoving into the megaplex this weekend. This week features a young girl who could kick your ass, an old boy who could buy and sell your whole family, a pair of pothead fantasy role players, and a young girl who couldn’t kick a shark’s ass. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992) Double Feature With: Hanna The Pitch: Sure, watching a Bourne movie seems obvious here, but it’s far more interesting to pair one teenaged ass-kicker with another teenaged ass-kicker who lives firmly in the comedic world. One is taking down the shadowy secret government, the other is taking down the shadowy vampires that hang out around the sleepy hamlet of Sunnydale. Please...

In a matter of a few short weeks (April 22nd in fact), Warner Bros’ remake of a classic 1980s comedy arrives to British cinemas, with Us audiences being able to go and see it from today. That comedy is Arthur, a film which is very dear to my heart and which was rather criminally one of only relatively few cinematic releases that Dudley Moore made, which is why I was initially somewhat frustrated that the unstoppable Hollywood remake machine had turned its attention to it.

I do like Russell Brand- and I’m sure I’m probably in a dwindling minority here- and value his sense of humour above a number of less barbed and colourful (and thus far safer in my eyes), but in accepting the role of Arthur, he is filling some mighty big shoes. Dudley Moore, the original playboy character from the 1981 version of the film,...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

I didn’t think I would like the new Tron film. The original was a childhood favorite, even though it’s not a terribly good flick, and everything I’d seen and heard about the sequel gave me a massive feeling of “meh”. Well, the sequel, while flawed, is entirely watchable, at times even good, even if it suffers the same kind of story malaise that affected its predecessor.

We've got a decent amount of new discs hitting stores this week, although the list leans pretty heavily towards Blu-ray catalogue releases... not that there's anything wrong with that. Tron: Legacy arrives on home video today in a dizzying variety of packages, some of which include the previously hard-to-find original Tron as well. Other major studio releases include the widely panned Little Fockers, Casino Jack starring Kevin Spacey, and I Love You Phillip Morris starring Jim Carrey. There's very little in terms of TV, but the good news is such classics as Taxi Driver, Babe, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Fiddler on the Roof are finally available in high-def along with a double-pack featuring Arthur and Arthur 2: On The Rocks. What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out the full list of noteworthy releases after the jump.

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Taxi Driver (35th Anniversary Edition) I could have sworn I requested a copy of this one, but it would seem I did not. Too bad, because I hear it is an excellent transfer, which tells me it's meaty and chewy with every texture of film you would want and expect from a high definition transfer of this classic. This is a film I didn't immediately like when I first saw it, but I discussed all this before when I reviewed the 2007 edition of this flick. I'm not sure if it's a film I necessarily need to own on Blu-ray, but at $12.99 at Amazon I am seriously considering buying this one right now and suggest if you are thinking the same thing you hit the Buy Now button before the price goes up. I Love You Phillip Morris This is...

Your Weekly Source for Blu-Ray and DVD Release News Blu-Ray for Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) An early Al Pacino in …And Justice For All (1979) Dudley Moore is a happy drunk in Arthur/Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1981/1988) Cute pork for kids… Babe (1995) Another dose of the villainous Mark Hamill in Batman: Return Of The Joker (2000) Forgotten good rom-com with Johnny Depp… Benny & Joon (1993) From the late George Hickenlooper, Kevin Spacey is Casino Jack (2010) Shocking dolphin documentary The Cove (2009) Kevin Kline & Ashley Judd star in De-lovely (2004) Fiddler On The Roof: 40th Anniversary Edition, Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (1971) Jim Carrey & Ewan McGregor star in I Love You Phillip Morris (2010) Rose McGoawn stars in the dark high school comedy Jawbreaker (1999) Ryan Gosling stars in Lars And The Real Girl (2007) Robert DeNiro & Ben Stiller star in Little Fockers (2010) Romantic comedy, Shakespeare-style with Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Julia Roberts...

Images courtesy of Jocelyn Davis

If you were anywhere near downtown Manhattan (near South Ferry) earlier today then there's a good chance you spotted a Batmobile in the street. No, it's not one of the newer Batmobiles from Christopher Nolan's films, and, no, they haven't started shooting the next Batman movie yet. Instead, it's an older Batmobile from Batman Forever, and it's apparently being used in the Arthur remake.

In Arthur, Russell Brand stars as a drunken, wealthy playboy who stands to lose a giant inheritance because his family doesn't like the new woman in his life. Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig and Nick Nolte also star. The original 1981 film starred Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, and was popular enough to spawn a sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks, in 1988. Putting the pieces together, it would seem Brand's character probably bought the Batmobile on eBay or at auction,...

Today Universal released Get Him to the Greek, a sort-of sequel to 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall as it uses Aldous Snow who had a small role in the original. Beyond that, there is only a brief reference to Sarah Marshall, which has me thinking it's not really a sequel as much as it is a spin-off. The same could be said for a movie like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)... Same characters, but not really a sequel to Clerks, which ended up having its own sequel in 2006.

In a debate with a group of fellow Seattle critics trying to decide if Get Him to the Greek was a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall or not, the topic turned to comedy sequels in general and I was asked to name a great comedy sequel. Should be easy... right?

I started mining my memory banks, and started thinking of movies with...

Love them or hate them, sequels have long been commonplace in the cinematic world. Some movies deserve and arguably need them (take Lord of the Rings and the Bourne films for example), while some are so honestly unwarranted that it makes you scratch your heads and question why you paid to see it theaters. Yes, I'm talking to you, Arthur 2: On the Rocks. As Iron Man 2 approaches, and I'm pretty confident it'll line up with the former than the Dudley Moore-stenched latter, it's made me question why another medium doesn't go the sequel route. Film and arguably television do it, but why doesn't the music industry? If they do, it's too far and few between. What am I getting at? It's simple -- I want sequels to hit songs. On Metallica's long-awaited last album, they gave us a second...

Oliver Stone has chosen to stick a blindingly obvious fact on to the end of his Wall Street 2 title. Are post-colon additions, from The Squeakquel to Die Harder, uniformly superfluous?

Keeping up with this year's Wall Street sequel has been an exercise in constant expectation-lowering. There's going to be a Wall Street 2? Great – those fat-cat bankers sure do need to be taken down a peg or two after all the mess they've caused everyone. It's going to star Shia Labeouf? Oh, well, Ok, never mind – he might be horrendously overexposed at the moment, but he's shown flashes of promise in the past, and... wait a minute, it's going to be called what?

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. That's the title Oliver Stone is going with. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. It's in the trailer and everything. There's no going back now. It's going to be there forever, messing...