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Netflix teams with Joe and Anthony Russo again for a large-scale, blockbuster-style sci-fi adventure that seems tailor-made for Imax, except you will be watching it on your couch. Hopefully your TV is really big.

With elements of 2023’s The Creator, 1986’s Short Circuit and the wondrous Wall-e among others, Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel serves as a starting point for screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley and this humongous big-screen adaptation set, like the book, in an alternate version of the 1990s where Bill Clinton as president engages in an all-out war against a robot uprising. Humans are being attacked, but it is the robots who had all the humanity as it turns out: They lost everything and now are relegated to the sidelines in a world that once was an idyllic place for them.

Now humans live in a virtual-reality world much of the time and that is how...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"When my agent called me up and said 'giant worms underground' I was like, 'Oh my God. My career is in the toilet.'" Those are the words of Kevin Bacon, star of "Tremors," reflecting on his role in the now-beloved monster movie in the 2020 documentary "Making Perfection." While that is a wild pitch and, admittedly, the movie was not a big hit in its day, it by no means wound up in the toilet. On the contrary, it kickstarted one of the most surprisingly enduring franchises in the genre landscape. Sometimes, big things have humble beginnings.

This journey begins with screenwriters S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who met in college and quickly became writing partners. They broke out in Hollywood with...

All titles below begin streaming for free on February 1 unless otherwise noted.

Originals

Action

Earthquake Underground (2/29)

When a massive earthquake submerges several subway cars underground, a group of misfit passengers band together to get to the surface or die trying.

Vice News Presents: Mass Shooting America (2/7)

An unflinching look at the true scope and scale of gun violence in America, as told by those who’ve experienced it first-hand.

Love You To Death: Mommy’S Missing (2/14)

The case of a missing mother reveals twisted family secrets that leave a trail of flames, arrests, and deaths in their wake.

TMZ No Bs: Miley Cyrus (2/24)

Harvey Levin and his team of TMZ experts discuss Miley Cyrus’ meteoric rise to fame and debate her biggest scandals and successes.

Love You To Death: For Love Or Money (2/28)

The shooting of a beloved Cleveland firefighter leads detectives to uncover a shocking plot for money gone very wrong.

In trying times, many of us are reminded of Mr. Rogers’ famous quote: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” But never did we expect to find such a soul in Steve Guttenberg – it’s not because of him (we love Guttenberg!), but just that it seems so unexpected. And judging by a recent news video, he’s not doing it for praise; he’s doing it because he’s a good man.

As brush fires rage in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades, homes and lives are being destroyed, with more than 3,000 acres of the region seeing impact. One person doing his part to help is Steve Guttenberg, who took time for a brief interview with Ktla (via People). As he explained to the reporter, “If anybody has a car and they leave the car, leave the keys in the car so that we can move the car…...

There is a lot of information to process in the first official trailer for James Gunn's "Superman" film, which will officially kick off his new DC Studios universe in live-action next July. There's our introduction to this version of Superman, played by David Corenswet, as he lies in the snow and whistles for his super-dog, Krypto, to come help get him home. There's our introduction to Metropolis, the villainous Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), the Daily Planet, reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and much, much more. Heck, we even get to see some members of the Justice League. There's a lot packed into the trailer, so it can be easy to miss some of the important bits -- and one very important shot deserves a special shout-out. 

We see Superman kneeling inside of what looks like the Fortress of Solitude, with all of its crystalline structures, and he's holding the hand...

I’d say we all have to acknowledge certain directors in the horror genre as undisputedly great. You can rank them however you like but there’s really no argument to be made against Wes, George, John, and Tobe leaving indelible marks on the genre we all love. So much so in fact that I didn’t even have to use their last names for you to know exactly who I’m referring to. While Carpenter is my favorite and I believe his run of quality is better than any of the others listed, Craven has more all-time classics. I’d say Craven has more stinkers too, but I think it’s that disparity that makes stuff like today’s film fall under the radar. While Deadly Friend isn’t as good as The Serpent and the Rainbow, The People Under the Stairs, or Red Eye, it’s certainly better than stuff like Swamp Thing,...

Daft Punk and Leiji Matsumoto’s 2003 anime film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem will screen in theaters worldwide for one night only on December 12th, 2024.

Essentially an anime visual album of Daft Punk’s seminal sophomore record Discovery, Interstella 5555 follows the abduction of an alien music band by an evil human character with some dark plans. It was created by Daft Punk and Cédric Hervet in collaboration with Leiji Matsumoto (who passed away in early 2023) and Toei Animation, and was originally cut as individual music videos — now, fans will finally have the chance to view the film in its entirety.

Interstellar 5555 will be screened in over 800 cinemas in 40 countries on December 12th. A list of participating theaters and on-sale ticket info can be found here.

Following the one-day-only screening, Daft Punk will unveil a limited-edition physical release, Discovery: Interstella 5555 Edition, on December 13th. This special...

Daft Punk and Leiji Matsumoto’s 2003 anime film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem will screen in theaters worldwide for one night only on December 12th, 2024.

Essentially an anime visual album of Daft Punk’s seminal sophomore record Discovery, Interstella 5555 follows the abduction of an alien music band by an evil human character with some dark plans. It was created by Daft Punk and Cédric Hervet in collaboration with Leiji Matsumoto (who passed away in early 2023) and Toei Animation, and was originally cut as individual music videos — now, fans will finally have the chance to view the film in its entirety.

Interstellar 5555 will be screened in over 800 cinemas in 40 countries on December 12th. A list of participating theaters and on-sale ticket info can be found here.

Following the one-day-only screening, Daft Punk will unveil a limited-edition physical release, Discovery: Interstella 5555 Edition, on December 13th. This special...

The Story: Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider), a helicopter pilot working for the LAPD, is selected to test pilot an experimental government helicopter called “Blue Thunder.” Highly sophisticated, and heavily armed, Murphy discovers the helicopter is being designed for urban use by a group within the government, headed by his old Vietnam nemesis, F.E Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell). Thought to be insane by his LAPD bosses thanks to his troubled history of war-related Ptsd, Murphy steals ”Blue Thunder” in an attempt to reveal the murderous conspiracy behind its creation, culminating in a series of spectacular dogfights in skies above downtown Los Angeles.

The Players: Director: John Badham. Writers: Dan O’Bannon, Don Jakoby. Starring: Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, Candy Clark, Daniel Stern, & Warren Oates. Score by Arthur B. Rubinstein.

The History: During the early eighties, the comic book-style techno-thriller was in-vogue. Usually, these thrillers revolved around lone-wolf cops or military men given...

John Carpenter's 1986 action-comedy "Big Trouble in Little China" is an odd duck. The plot involves an ancient wizard named Lo Pan (James Hong) who aims to kidnap, marry, and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to break a curse he is under. The woman in question is Miao Yin (Suzee Pai), the fiancée of Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), who, fortunately, knows a little bit about evil wizards and ancient Chinese warriors. It will be up to Wang to rescue Miao Yin from Lo Pan. Also kidnapped is the green-eyed Gracie (Kim Cattrall), beloved by the dumb-as-rocks blowhard Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), essentially Wang's sidekick.

The gag of the movie is that Jack doesn't really seem to understand that he's a sidekick, and behaves like the action hero. Indeed, the whole movie seems to be a martial arts movie told from the perspective of the American guest star. Russell was featured...

Fisher Stevens apologized for his bad behavior on the set of Friends, admitting he was rude and disrespectful to the cast and crew. Despite his negative experience on Friends, Stevens has continued to have a successful acting career, appearing in a variety of TV shows and films. Stevens has also ventured into directing, winning an Oscar for his documentary work and helming narrative films like Stand Up Guys and Palmer.

Actor Fisher Stevens had a smaller guest-starring role on Friends, but his on-set behavior was so bad that it led to home apologizing to the cast and crew decades later. Friends is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, with one of the most iconic ensembles in history. Along with Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, there were a number of notable guest stars over the course of the show's nine seasons. However, Stevens is one actor...

In all likelihood, audiences were not clamoring for Steve Guttenberg to make a hard dramatic turn into Hitchcockian voyeurism amid his successful run as a comedy star in the 1980s. In 1987, the public was treated to an unapologetic riff on the thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock in The Bedroom Window, starring the actor of Police Academy fame. While he was a prominent figure in movies during his prime, Guttenberg, unlike contemporaries Steve Martin and Ted Danson, has not lingered in the public consciousness in the aftermath. Whereas the likes of Martin and Danson had a second act in their later years, Guttenberg, following a string of '80s hits such as Cocoon, Short Circuit, and Three Men and a Baby (also starring Danson), never elevated to a new phase upon the decade's conclusion. At the very least, he made a daring career choice by tapping into the seedy and paranoid handbook...

The '80s was a golden age for cinema, releasing some of the most popular titles in pop culture, including Back to the Future, Top Gun, and The Breakfast Club. Despite some faults modern viewers have found in these older films, these substantial titles not only hold up for nostalgia purposes but have a solid storyline, performances, and effects that hold up as masterful entertainment.

Among these many fantastic '80s movies are some that are remembered fondly by fans but have some aspects that make them not as perfect as one initially recalls. Some of these films, such as The Goonies and Tim Burton's Batman, still hold up today but have a couple of imperfections worth mentioning. Others, including Sixteen Candles and Short Circuit, have glaring issues that are impossible for modern viewers to overlook. Upon a rewatch, viewers may realize some of the flaws within these '80s films.

Mark Damon, a film producer, sales executive, and spaghetti Western actor, died at 91, representatives for the executive told Deadline on Sunday night.

Damon, born Alan Harris in Chicago, started his career in Hollywood in 1956 after signing a contract with 20th Century Fox. After starring in House of Usher, Damon won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. The film was directed by Roger Corman, who died on Thursday.

Damon would move to Italy and star in films like The Reluctant Saint (1962), The Young Racers (1963), The Shortest Day (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), 100 Horseman (1964), Secret Agent 777 (1965), Dio, Come Ti Amo! (1966) and Johnny Oro (1966).

he first entered the world of independent sales and production in the 1970s while living and working in Italy where he saw a large market of independent international distributors eager for top American movies. He evolved from acting to film production and, in 1977, founded the Producers Sales Organization to sell American films to international distributors.

Mark Damon, an actor-turned-independent sales executive who was a force in the foreign sales world and at film markets for many decades, died Sunday in Los Angeles, according to his wife. He was 91.

Damon won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his starring role in 1960’s “House of Usher” for director Roger Corman, who died Thursday, then went on to appear in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies shot in Europe, from “Johnny Yuma” to Mario Bava’s “Black Sabbath.”

Born Alan Harris in Chicago, Damon earned an Mba at UCLA, then moved to Rome where he established a busy acting career. When he returned to the U.S., he founded Producers Sales Organization to bring American independent films to international distributors, helping launch the American Film Market and Independent Film & Television Alliance.

He explained how his business started in a 2013 Variety profile: “Back in 1975, it was very tough.

Mark Damon, the former spaghetti western leading man who turned to a pioneering career in independent sales and financing and was a fixture at the film markets, has died on the eve of Cannes. He was 91.

Damon’s representatives confirmed he died in Los Angeles on Sunday (May 12).

Damon produced, packaged and sold numerous films and led Producer Sales Organization (Pso), Vision International, Mdp Worldwide, Media 8, and most recently Foresight Unlimited.

He attended Cannes dozens of times and produced or served as executive producer on more than 70 films.

One of his most illustrious producer credits came at Media 8 with Patty Jenkins’ Monster.

Tubi has become an undeniable force in streaming. Now, the beloved free streamer is getting a facelift. The familiar logo and orange color scheme have been tossed in favor of a purple and yellow look. The great lineup of movies and TV shows will remain the same.

Watch Now Free TubiTV.com

The new look is rolling out slowly. You can see it on their website, but as of this writing, it’s not reflected in the Apple TV app, for example.

Nearly two-thirds of Tubi’s audience are cord-cutters or “cord nevers” - people who have never subscribed to cable. The service now has 200,000+ movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive originals, and over 250 live channels.

Related: 225+ Streaming Services You Can Try for Free ►

Unlike many of its free-streaming peers, Tubi offers a wide variety of top-quality entertainment. Users can watch films like “La La Land,” “Lawrence of Arabia,...

Disney is shifting its strategy to focus on original content for Disney+ including the upcoming ambitious animated series Iwájú. Iwájú, created in collaboration with Kugali Media, will explore themes like class clashes in a futuristic Nigerian setting. By centering on Black and African storytellers, Disney is looking to create a groundbreaking animated series that resonates with viewers.

It's no secret that The Walt Disney Company has made substantial changes to its slate of soon-to-be-released movies. From pumping the breaks on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to announcing surprise sequels like Moana 2, Disney is changing its flooding-the-marketplace strategy, especially where its premiere streaming platform is concerned. However, there is an upcoming animated series bound for Disney+ with a more ambitious release plan — one that underscores Disney's confidence instead of highlighting the company's more recent financial and critical setbacks.

Since its founding in 1923, Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced a whopping 62 feature-length films.

Director and visual artist Stuart Birchall and producers Leila Mousavi and Seb Brown have unveiled joint UK production outfit Scrapbook Pictures, with a focus on using physically produced special effects for family-focused live action theatrical features.

For its first feature project, Scrapbook Pictures has teamed up with model visual effects supervisor José Granell, who has worked on the Harry Potter franchise, A Haunting In Venice and Napoleon, alongside The Magic Camera Company to co-produce fantasy adventure feature A Paige Odyssey (working title), which will combine physically built miniature environments and creatures with virtual production and CGI. It aims to start...

Emily Blunt wants to make a movie about stuttering because it has affected the actress, particularly in her youth. Stutterers are often bullied and made fun of, which can cause emotional trauma. Blunt is a board member of the American Institute for Stuttering (Ais), a non-profit organization that provides therapy and support for those who stammer. The Ais aims to empower and change lives around the world through their work.

Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, actress Emily Blunt is addressing an issue near and dear to her heart. And that matter is educating others about stammering, which she herself suffered from particularly at a young age. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (Nidcd), approximately 3 million people in the United States stutter. Blunt discussed stuttering while appearing on the BBC 4 podcast titled Woman’s Hour. Blunt said (per BBC Sounds):

“The one...

Roger Corman's 1960 feature films "House of Usher" was the first film in a long series of Edgar Allan Poe-based movies at American International Pictures. From 1960 to 1964, Corman directed eight Poe films, with all but one of them starring Vincent Price. After "House of Usher," Corman made "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Premature Burial," the anthology film "Tales of Terror," "The Raven," "The Haunted Palace," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Tomb of Ligeia." Technically, 1963's "The Haunted Palace" isn't a Poe movie. It was named after Poe's 1893 poem but was in fact based on the 1927 short novel "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by H.P. Lovecraft. Poe, it seems, was a bigger marquee name than Lovecraft, so the latter author's story was merely folded into Corman's short-lived but well-remembered Poe subgenre. 

Fans of gothic horror would do well to marathon all eight movies. They're all...

A fan in the UK built an incredibly detailed replica of Johnny 5 from Short Circuit and it had a heartwarming reunion with actor Steve Guttenberg. Guttenberg was delighted to see his former co-star and embraced the replica, showing his fondness for the character even after all these years. Despite controversies surrounding the movie, Short Circuit remains a popular 80s classic, with Johnny 5's charm and innocence still capturing the hearts of fans and inspiring fan creations like the replica.

Johnny 5 is alive! Or at least that is what it looked like when an impressive fully-functioning replica of the Short Circuit robot came face to face actor Steve Guttenberg in a reunion guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who grew up in the ‘80s.

Thanks to a video shared by the maker of the incredibly detailed replica, fans could witness the moment Guttenberg and Johnny...

South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp has directed five major feature films to date: the Oscar-nominated "District 9" in 2009, the class-conscious sci-fi tragedy "Elysium" in 2013, the oddball "Short Circuit"/"RoboCop" mashup "Chappie" in 2015, the low-budget stinker "Demonic" in 2021, and now the video-game-adjacent biography "Gran Turismo" in 2023.

With the exception of "Demonic," each of Blomkamp's films is explicitly or implicitly about class. "District 9" is about alien visitors who are forced to live in a run-down shanty town outside of Johannesburg. "Elysium" features a posh space station where the wealthy live in comfort while the impoverished live on the overheated, overpopulated Earth below. "Chappie" is an Acab movie about a police robot coming to fight for the people and against its corporate creators. 

"Gran Turismo," meanwhile, is about Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), an expert player of the titular racing video game, who is tapped by Nissan to become a race car driver for real.

Oscar-nominated producer Lawrence Turman died Saturday at the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital. He was 96. He had a stellar career not only as a producer of such seminal films as The Graduate (1967), The Great White Hope (1970), American History X (1998) and many more in a producing career that lasted six decades, but he also took a significant turn when he left his partnership with producer David Foster to head the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC in 1991, an association that continued until his retirement just two years ago.

His son, John Turman, confirmed the death to Deadline. “Our father Lawrence Turman passed away late yesterday,” he said. “It’s sad, but he had a long and storied life, and it’s the passing of an era.” He added that the MPTF is planning a memorial service as well as USC at a later date.

Related: Hollywood & Media...

John Badham's 1986 comedy "Short Circuit" was a masterwork on cinematic animatronics. The film's main character was a robot, called only Number Five (voiced by Tim Blaney), who was struck by lightning and lost its memory, but somehow gained sentience. Number Five, originally built to be a laser-wielding soldier, idly rolled out of the robotics lab where it was built and into the home of the put-upon suburbanite Stephanie (Ally Sheedy). Stephanie spends the bulk of the film trying to teach Number Five about the fineries of human interaction while providing it with all the raw data she can provide; Number Five can read books in a matter of seconds. 

Searching for Number Five is a military jarhead named Capt. Skroeder (G.W. Bailey), and a pair of funny robotics geniuses named Newton and Ben (Steve Guttenberg and Fisher Stevens). Antics ensue on all sides while Number Five itself slowly comes...

US based entertainment production house Lonestar films forays into India with their maiden Bollywood Production, a full length Hindi feature film titled ‘Cancer’ with actor Sharib Hashmi and Aahana Kumra in lead roles. Incorporated in the USA, Lonestar Films is promoted by Pankaj Mamtora who is a serial entrepreneur with business interests in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, fitness, and real estate. The film will be directed by Faisal Hashmi who is making his Bollywood (Hindi Film) Debut with Cancer and is known for Gujarati language films like ‘Vitamin She’ and the award winning ‘Short Circuit’.

Touted as a mind bending futuristic thriller, Cancer is in pre-production and will go on the floors early next year. The hunt for the other two lead actors is underway. Sources say the film will be one of the most visually luxurious thrillers in recent memory and the rest of the cast will be locked by the year end.

U.S.-based production house Lonestar Films has signed Indian actors Sharib Hashmi (Amazon Prime Video’s “The Family Man”), and Aahana Kumra, (“Lipstick Under My Burkha” and Netflix’s “Call My Agent Bollywood”) for “Cancer” its foray into Bollywood film production. The high concept Hindi-language thriller will be directed by Faisal Hashmi.

Founded by Texas-based entrepreneur Pankaj Mamtora, Lonestar Films describes its maiden Indian production as a “mind-bending thriller.” Currently in pre-production, “Cancer” is expected to begin production early next year. A third lead actor is yet to join the cast.

“I have not seen anything like this on an Indian screen. I’m highly impressed by Faisal Hashmi who is a man of few words. I cannot wait to start shooting for this amazing, unique story,” said Sharib Hashmi.

Faisal Hashmi’s previous directing work has been in the Gujarati film industry. His credits include 2017 romantic comedy “Vitamin She” and 2019’s Short Circuit.

The Friday the 13th franchise is very important to me, so it always hits me hard when I hear that someone involved with the series has passed away… and last Friday night, the news broke that we have lost another Friday the 13th alumnus. Someone who played the hockey masked icon Jason Voorhees himself: stuntman Ted White. White had already been working in the entertainment industry as an actor and stuntman for thirty-five years by the time he was offered the chance to play Jason in 1984’s Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (watch it Here). It’s not a job he was thrilled to do, he didn’t even want to be credited on the movie, but he accepted it because the pay was good. As years went by, White eventually realized that he had been involved in something special and started connecting with fans at conventions.

It has...

If the Indiana Jones movies had been made in chronological order, the Thuggee cult in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" might have made pretty good bad guys for our intrepid adventurer to warm up on before tackling the greater peril of the Third Reich. After all, the real-life Thugs were proper nasty bastards, posing as travelers to waylay and murder around 30,000 people in early 19th century India, strangling their victims and offering them as a sacrifice to Kali, not to mention nicking all their stuff.

"Temple of Doom" screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz made them even worse, adding voodoo magic, enslaving children, turning people into zombies, and ripping out people's hearts to the Thuggee repertoire. And yet it still wasn't quite enough, because "Raiders of the Lost Ark" came first, and "Raiders" had the Nazis, those go-to cinematic (and real world) villains. After a whole movie beating up and melting Nazis,...

Propstore has revealed details of its annual live action auction of film and TV memorabilia, with the items on offer expected to fetch in excess of 12.6 million.

Over 1,500 lots will be sold during the auction. Top items to be sold at the auction – with estimated sale prices – include:

• Superman’s (Christopher Reeve) complete costume from the Superman franchise (1978-1987): 287,270-574,540.

• Darth Vader’s (Dave Prowse) gloves from “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977): 172,362-287,270.

• Full size animatronic Johnny 5 robot from “Short Circuit” (1986): 138,546- 207,819.

• First edition hardback book of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001): 114,908-172,362.

• Andy Dufresne’s (Tim Robbins) Rockhammer Bible from “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994): 114,908-172,362.

• James Bond’s (Sean Connery) Little Nellie Pilot helmet from “You Only Live Twice” (1967): 68,944-114,908.

• Fraggle puppet from “Fraggle Rock” TV series (1983-1987): 45,963-68,944.

• Jason Voorhees’ (C.J. Graham) hero hockey mask from “Friday the 13th Part...

September is quite the month over at Disney+. The Disney streaming giant is the perfect place to spend the early months of back-to-school season, with something for the entire family. If you’re a Marvel fan, no doubt you’ll continue to watch the adventures of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) in “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” For fans of “Rogue One,” ready to venture to a galaxy far, far away, there’s new spin-off series “Andor.” Then Halloween comes early with the premiere of the long-awaited sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

With plenty more on the docket, we here at IndieWire are laying out everything coming to Disney+ this month. But among the many titles (and after plenty of hit-and-miss Disney+ franchise extensions), “Star Wars” still looms large. Originally announced at the D23 fan convention back in 2019, audiences will finally get to see...

Shortly after Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator in October 2017, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched a civil rights investigation into The Weinstein Company. Four months later — with the goal of publicly identifying Weinstein’s enablers and ensuring that his survivors would be compensated — the Ag’s office filed a lawsuit that offered a blistering assessment of Weinstein’s inner circle, singling out Harvey’s brother, Bob Weinstein, TWC management, and the TWC board for “failing to investigate or stop [Harvey Weinstein’s abuse].”

Still, in the wake of The Weinstein Company’s collapse,...

"In Search of Tomorrow" is a new doc feature written and directed by David A. Weiner, taking the viewer on a year-by-year deep dive into science fiction films of the 1980's, including "Star Wars", "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", "Blade Runner", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", "Back to the Future", "Dune", "RoboCop", "Aliens", "Tron", "WarGames", "The Terminator", "Ghostbusters", "Predator", "Akira", "The Road Warrior", "The Abyss", "Short Circuit" and a whole lot more:

"...the doc features original interviews of key '80's sci-fi filmmakers, actors, special-effects and visual effects masters, as well as tech advisors, authors, influencers, composers and visionaries. Interspersed between the yearly timelines is a wide range of chapters that delve deeper into the intricacies of specific aspects of the movies including, worldbuilding, storytelling, character definition and costume design..."  

Click the images to enlarge...</iframe...

"In Search of Tomorrow" is a new doc feature written and directed by David A. Weiner, taking the viewer on a year-by-year deep dive into science fiction films of the 1980's, including "Star Wars", "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", "Blade Runner", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", "Back to the Future", "Dune", "RoboCop", "Aliens", "Tron", "WarGames", "The Terminator", "Ghostbusters", "Predator", "Akira", "The Road Warrior", "The Abyss", "Short Circuit" and a whole lot more:

"...the doc features original interviews of key '80's sci-fi filmmakers, actors, special-effects and visual effects masters, as well as tech advisors, authors, influencers, composers and visionaries. Interspersed between the yearly timelines is a wide range of chapters that delve deeper into the intricacies of specific aspects of the movies including, worldbuilding, storytelling, character definition and costume design..."  

Click the images to enlarge...

Disney Animation has unveiled a trailer for the short film Far From the Tree, which will be available for streaming on Disney+ later this week. You might've already seen this short if you went to see Encanto in the cinema, as it played in front of showings of that Disney Animation movie when it opened last month. In Far From the Tree, curiosity gets the better of a young raccoon whose frustrated parent attempts to keep them both safe. They will learn that while there is reason to be fearful, as danger lurks around every corner, it is still possible to live with an open heart. There's no voice cast, as this one doesn't have any voices anyway, just a couple of cute raccoons that go on an adventure around the Pacific Northwest. It's made by Natalie Nourigat, who also made Exchange Student in Disney's "Short Circuit" series. Meet the two raccoons below.

For any kid of the '80s, the words "Number 5 is alive" hold a special place as the phrase that made you fall in love with a military robot brought to life by a freak lightning strike in the movie Short Circuit. Also for any kid of the '80s, owning said robot would have been a dream, and now thanks to a movie and Lego fan it could become a possibility as a design has been submitted to Lego Ideas, and you can vote to make it a reality.

Short Circuit was released in 1986, starring Steve Guttenberg in one of his many 80s comedy roles, and told the story of Number 5, a robot created with the purpose of being an elite military weapon capable of going behind enemy lines without any risk to human life. While being charged, the generator supplying power to the robot is struck by lightning...

[This story contains spoilers for Free Guy.]

Five years ago this month, screenwriter Matt Lieberman sat down to write his first draft of Free Guy, a spec script centering on Guy, a non-player character in a video game who slowly comes to realize the nature of his reality.

For Lieberman, the story of Guy resonated more than one might expect from the writer, who was already successful selling scripts for films such as The Christmas Chronicles and penning movies such as the animated Addams Family and Scoob!

“I was definitely feeling a little stuck in a place. It is more an autobiography than I’d be willing to admit,” Lieberman tells The Hollywood Reporter.

After completing a draft of Free Guy in around three weeks, the script sparked plenty of interest around Hollywood, with it ultimately landing at Fox. It languished in development for a few years before star and producer Ryan Reynolds picked up...

“Short Circuit,” Disney’s experimental shorts program, returns August 4 on Disney+ with five new animated works about personal growth: “Crosswalk” concerns a pedestrian frustrated by a street light that won’t change; “Dinosaur Barbarian,” the program’s first 2D short, conjures a caveman superhero trying to clean up his act; “Going Home” explores a young adult repeatedly visiting his hometown; “No 2 to Kettering” follows a shy British girl who takes a dreary bus ride every morning; and “Songs to Sing in the Dark” offers a battle in a dark cave between two constantly evolving creatures.

“Each [director] had a personal connection to their short, and that was a great starting point,” said “Short Circuit” production manager Jennifer Newfield. “That gave them a clear direction and engagement with the story.”

Ryan Green (“Crosswalk”) imagined his ancestors urging him on instead of waiting for the light to change; Kim Hazel (“Dinosaur Barbarian”) channeled...

Disney+ is shaking up its release strategy for its original series.

The popular streaming service has announced episodes will unspool on Wednesdays instead of Fridays.

That's right:

Wednesday is the new Friday at Disney+!

The news comes a week after the series premiere of Loki broke records, becoming the most-watched Disney+ premiere to date.

This means it beat out The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and even Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

As a result, a string of original series with already planned premieres have found their dates changed.

Below is the full list.

- Monsters at Work from July 2, 2021 to July 7, 2021

- Turner & Hooch from July 16, 2021 to July 21, 2021

- Behind the Attraction from July 16, 2021 to July 21, 2021

- Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life from July 23, 2021 to July 28, 2021

- Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts from July 30, 2021 to July 28, 2021

- The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse batch 2 from July 30, 2021 to July 28, 2021

- Growing...

Loki, the Tom Hiddleston-fronted Marvel television series, premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 9.

This was a bit of a surprise given that it originally was dated for a Friday and other series such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had launched just ahead of the weekend.

But the move paid off as Disney+ said that Loki, which was created by Michael Waldron and directed by Kate Herron, became its most-watched series premiere.

Going forward, the streamer will drop all of its originals on Wednesdays. This will include all original scripted, unscripted and animated series.

Disney+ Original Movies will continue to premiere on Fridays.

Here are the new premiere dates for several series:

Monsters at Work moves from July 2 to July 7

Turner & Hooch moves from July 16 to July 21

Behind the Attraction moves from July 16 to July 21

Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life moves from July 23 to July 28

Turning...

For Disney+, Wednesday is officially the new Friday.

In the wake of Loki‘s record-setting midweek launch, Disney+ has decided to abandon its traditional Friday episode “drops” for all of its original series in favor of Wednesday, TVLine has learned. (Disney+ original movies will continue to premiere on Fridays.)

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According to Disney+, Loki (which debuted June 9; read our recap...

Disney Plus will now starting releasing its original series episodes on Wednesdays instead of Fridays, the streamer announced.

The news comes on the heels of the launch of the Marvel Studios series “Loki” on the platform, which has now released two episodes on Disney Plus as of June 16.

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the decision will apply to all scripted, unscripted, and animated series going forward. Disney Plus original movies will continue to be released on Fridays.

The move will officially take effect for all other Disney Plus shows aside from “Loki” beginning in July. As such, the premiere dates of multiple shows — including “Monsters at Work” and “Turner and Hooch” — have now shifted and can be seen below.

Premiere date changes:

“Monsters at Work” from July 2, 2021 to July 7, 2021

“Turner & Hooch” from July 16, 2021 to July 21, 2021

“Behind the Attraction” from July 16, 2021 to July 21, 2021

“Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life...

Disney+ is permanently switching up the release schedule for its original series from Fridays to Wednesday. The decision comes after Marvel Studios’ “Loki,” which debuted last Wednesday, became the most-watched original series in the streaming service’s short history.

The new release schedule will apply globally and begin with the service’s July original series, which include Pixar’s “Monsters at Work” and the reboot of “Turner and Hooch.” “Monsters at Work” will now premiere on July 7, while “Turner and Hooch” will debut two weeks later on July 21.

Before “Loki,” Disney+ premiered all of its original series on Fridays. Unlike other streaming services, particularly Netflix, Disney+ has stuck to a weekly rollout model. The Wednesday rollout will only be for original series. Original movies like Pixar’s “Luca” will continue to debut on Fridays.

Here is how the rest of Disney+’s summer schedule will rollout. The animated Marvel series,...

As the ordinary guy in Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby, Guttenberg was one of the 80s unlikeliest stars – then disappeared. He talks about defying audience expectation, partying with Tom Selleck and Ted Danson and his latest role as a foul-mouthed British gangster

“Steve Guttenberg … in a British gangster film!” sounds like a movie pitch by Alan Partridge. Mr Nice of 80s movies – the actor who embodied friendly normality in films such as Short Circuit, Cocoon and Three Men and a Baby – starring in a weird subgenre of film that is now little more than violence porn and misogyny?

And yet, here we are in 2021, with Guttenberg playing an alarmingly bewigged capo in something called – let me check my notes – Original Gangster. It’s not quite as weird as Donald Trump becoming president of the United States, but it’s not far off.

Editor’s note: Often kept secret until retroactive reckonings occur like the ones going on now with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Justice League, on-set bullying and drama that was once the calling card of some power players is something the powerless suffered in silence. Gary Foster, a second-generation film producer who followed his late father David Foster into the movie business, makes an argument that many of those abuses are eminently preventable. Foster, president/partner at Krasnoff Foster Productions, has been at it 40 years with credits that include Denial, Sleepless In Seattle, The Score, Ghost Rider, Tin Cup and Short Circuit. Here, he proposes a new multi-step program he believes will institutionalize reform, and he lays out a case that nicer can actually be more efficient, in addition to leading to fewer bruised feelings and future social media posts.

***

Time To Lead And Commit To Humanity Code

My dad...

A slew of new animated shorts featuring iconic Pixar characters are slated to debut January 22 on Disney+.

Disney announced on Tuesday that the shorts, collectively titled “Pixar Popcorn,” would feature characters from acclaimed films ranging from “Toy Story” and “Soul,” to “The Incredibles” and “Cars.” The company also announced the names for the shorts on Tuesday:

“Dancing with the Cars, “Unparalleled Parking, “Soul of the City, “Cookie Num Num,” “Chore Day: The Incredibles Way,” “Dory Finding, “A Day in the Life of the Dead,” “To Fitness and Beyond,” and “Fluffy Stuff with Ducky & Bunny”

“Pixar Popcorn” will mark Disney+’s first original animation release of the year. Animation has been a key component for Disney’s streaming service, which launched in November 2019 with the well-received “Forky Asks a Question” animated series. Disney+ has premiered a handful of animated titles since then, including “Short Circuit,” “SparkShorts,” and the seventh and final...

Mike Fenton, the legendary casting director who worked on the “Back to the Future” franchise, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and scores of other classic movies and TV shows, has died. He was 85.

Fenton co-founded what is now known as Casting Society of America in 1982. He was a prominent casting director for more than 40 years, with a mile-long resume that stretched from “The Andy Griffith Show” and “That Girl” to “Chinatown,” “American Graffiti,” “The Godfather II,” “Blade Runner,” “A Christmas Story,” “Norma Rae,” “Footloose,” “Honeymoon in Vegas” and “Chaplin.”

“Working with Mike Fenton was like working in a candy store — he made casting a blast,” Steven Spielberg said in a statement. “His fervent support of actors was the stuff of legend, and after landing a part, any actor’s smile was rarely as wide as Mike’s. He didn’t just support actors, he launched crusades.

Fans of the original Short Circuit will soon have the chance to stay in the same house used in the 1980s classic. This is all thanks to superfan Richard Bates, who has purchased the Astoria based home used to film the movie and has been restoring it to accurately recreate the sets. What's more, it will be turned into a toy museum, in addition to a living tribute to the movie, that people will be able to visit and, should they choose, rent for a short stay.

Everyday People: 'Short Circuit' super fan brings film set to life https://t.co/ePbLsdU6Fm (@EdwardGStratton)

— The Astorian (@DailyAstorian) December 7, 2020

Richard Bates fell in love with the movie as a kid and had been paying the house, located in Astoria, Oregon, a visit periodically over the years. The area is also home to The Goonies house, which closed to tourists...

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‘Directors have needed a book like this since D.W. Griffith invented the close-up’, wrote legendary director John Frankenheimer about John Badham’s first book, ‘I’ll Be in My Trailer’. ‘We directors have to pass along to other directors our hard-learned lessons about actors. Maybe then they won’t have to start from total ignorance like I did, like you did, like we all did.’

Along with Frankenheimer, there were names like Oliver Stone, Michael Mann, Richard Donner and Steven Soderbergh weighing in from the directors’s corner. Giving the actors’s side of events, such luminaries as Mel Gibson, Frank Langella, Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, Dennis Haysbert and Martin Sheen.

Badham had gathered some of the most celebrated creatives in Hollywood to give us the benefit of their on-set experiences, and to offer advice about how these two very different artistic types...

On the November 16, 2020 episode of /Film Daily, /Film Editor-in-Chief Peter Sciretta is joined by senior writer Ben Pearson and writer Chris Evangelista and to discuss the latest film and tv news, including Justice League, Scorpion King, Wonder Woman 1984, Christopher Nolan, Short Circuit, Lilo & Stich, and Judd Apatow. In The News: Ben: […]

The post Daily Podcast: Justice League, Scorpion King, Wonder Woman 1984, Christopher Nolan, Short Circuit, Lilo & Stich and Judd Apatow appeared first on /Film.