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Unpacking ‘Henry Johnson’: Mamet Returns With a high-profile Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross currently underway, we’re once again reminded of David Mamet’s singular ear for dialogue- the same talent that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for this very play. While his sharp, staccato writing has long been celebrated on stage and screen, Mamet’s work behind the camera has drawn more divided opinions. His latest film, 'Henry Johnson', is an intimate ensemble piece starring Shia Labeouf, Evan Jonigkeit, Chris Bauer, and Dominic Hoffman. After premiering at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles last May, the film is now available to rent through its official website. As the old T-shirt gag goes, “But what I really want to do is direct.” Mamet’s career has followed that familiar arc: from acclaimed playwright to Hollywood screenwriter- penning Oscar-recognized scripts like 'The Verdict'- to director,...

Unpacking ‘Henry Johnson’: Mamet Returns With a high-profile Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross currently underway, we’re once again reminded of David Mamet’s singular ear for dialogue- the same talent that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for this very play. While his sharp, staccato writing has long been celebrated on stage and screen, Mamet’s work behind the camera has drawn more divided opinions. His latest film, 'Henry Johnson', is an intimate ensemble piece starring Shia Labeouf, Evan Jonigkeit, Chris Bauer, and Dominic Hoffman. After premiering at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles last May, the film is now available to rent through its official website. As the old T-shirt gag goes, “But what I really want to do is direct.” Mamet’s career has followed that familiar arc: from acclaimed playwright to Hollywood screenwriter- penning Oscar-recognized scripts like 'The Verdict'- to director,...

Plot: Henry Johnson follows the title character as he navigates his search for a moral center after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way — including his eventual cellmate, Gene — Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice, and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you.

Review: David Mamet is a name that has become synonymous with masterful writing. A playwright and filmmaker for over fifty years, Mamet’s works have become required reading in performing arts programs nationwide. Having written films including Glengarry Glen Ross, Ronin, and Hannibal, Mamet’s directorial projects have been no less influential. While my favorite is 1997’s The Spanish Prisoner starring Steve Martin, Mamet has helmed many movies based on his plays and original scriptwork. It has been twelve years...

Pulitzer Prize-winning filmmaker David Mamet comes out of a 10-year hibernation today with a trailer for his upcoming thriller Henry Johnson. The prison drama finds Shia Labeouf and Evan Jonigkeit turning up the heat inside a hostage situation.

Here’s the official synopsis for Henry Johnson courtesy of the project’s production company 1993:

Written and Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, Henry Johnson follows the title character (Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way — including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Labeouf) — Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you.

In David Mamet’s Henry Johnson trailer, Henry (Evan Jonigkeit) forms a unique friendship with Gene...

Two years after staging his newest play, David Mamet is returning to the big screen with a brand-new cinematic adaptation of the work. “Henry Johnson,” Mamet’s first film since his 2013 Al Pacino-starring Phil Spector TV movie, reunites the full original cast from the stage version, including Shia Labeouf, Evan Jonigkeit, Chris Bauer, and Dominic Hoffman. The film’s first trailer, an IndieWire exclusive available below, hints at the acidic drama to come.

Per the film’s official synopsis, “Henry Johnson” is “a drama that follows the title character (Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way — including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Labeouf) —Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty.”

When the play was first mounted at Venice, California’s Electric Lodge in October...

David Mamet will release “Henry Johnson,” a prison drama that marks his first film in over a decade, this spring. Production wrapped recently on the film, which stars Shia Labeouf and is an adaptation of Mamet’s 2023 play of the same name.

In addition to Labeouf, who starred in the show when it was mounted at the Electric Lodge venue in Venice, Calif., the rest of the play’s cast will reprise their stage roles on-screen. They include Evan Jonigkeit (“The Night House”), Chris Bauer (“True Blood”), and Dominic Hoffman (“Suits: LA”).

“Henry Johnson” will be released independently in partnership with production company 1993. Starting on May 9, the movie will be available to rent directly through the film’s website. It will also get a simultaneous theatrical run at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles. Mamet said in a statement, “If you only see one film this year… you should get out more.

Tim Allen playing the bad guy is not what we've come to expect. For decades, Allen embodied the quintessential suburban dad while grunting through home improvement mishaps on television. He also voiced one of the most recognizable animated characters ever known and loved, Buzz Lightyear. But there was a moment in Allen's career when he flipped the script for 2008's mixed martial arts (Mma) movieRedbelt, written and directed by David Mamet, a clever wordsmith known for Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo, and other acclaimed plays and films.

Typically, Allen portrays the warm protagonist, slightly flawed but good-natured. That's not to say he hasn't played characters with more of an edge in a few works, such as Jason Nesmith in Galaxy Quest and the profane losers Eliot Arnold in Big Trouble and Larry Roth in El Camino Christmas. But Redbelt is the only time he played a conniving villain. Allen's cynical,...

Ed O’Neill has been cast in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Hulu drama series “All’s Fair” in a recurring role, Variety has learned.

O’Neill joins previously announced cast members Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor, and Matthew Noszka. Variety previously reported that Halle Berry, who was previously attached to star, had dropped out of the series back in July.

Exact plot and character details are being kept under wraps, but it was previously reported that the show will follow a divorce lawyer at an all-female law firm in Los Angeles.

O’Neill is known for his starring roles in the long-running sitcoms “Married…With Children” and “Modern Family.” Both shows ran for 11 seasons, with the former on Fox and the latter on ABC. O’Neill received three Emmy nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy for his work on “Modern Family.” Most recently, O...

Frank Griffin, who nosed out another makeup artist to work with Steve Martin on Roxanne, just one of the 20 movies they did together, has died. He was 95.

Griffin died Wednesday of cancer at his home in Studio City, his daughter Roxane Griffin, a veteran Hollywood hairstylist (Avatar, Transparent, 80 for Brady), told The Hollywood Reporter.

Frank Griffin started out in Hollywood as an actor and studio laborer before turning to makeup in the mid-1960s, and he went on to work on Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Scarecrow (1973), Westworld (1973), Cinderella Liberty (1973), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Urban Cowboy (1980), Midnight Run (1988), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Vacation (1983), Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985).

Survivors also include his sister Debra Paget, who starred in such films as Broken Arrow (1950), Love Me Tender (1956) — Elvis Presley’s first movie — and The Ten Commandments (1956).

His other two sisters were actresses as well: Lisa Gaye,...

Who doesn't love Steve Martin? A staple of stand-up comedy, film, and music for 50 years, Martin's unique brand of fiery humor and charm has made him one of the most beloved figures in pop culture. As a comedy actor and writer, his versatility is crucial to his unanimous approval rating, as he has something for everyone: R-rated comedies, rom-coms, family entertainment, and subversive genre exercises. At the peak of his abilities, Martin walked away from the stand-up world to pursue ambitious cinematic projects, such as the musical Pennies From Heaven, and peculiar romances like All of Me and L.A. Story. In his late 70s, Martin made his way to television with the popular Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building. There is one instance in his towering career when Martin provided no laughs and only sheer menace. The Spanish Prisoner, a twisty neo-noir by David Mamet, unveils Martin's untapped dramatic chops,...

Explore Steve Martin’s Life and Career The Road to Stardom: How Steve Martin Became Famous 10. The Jerk (1979) – 83% Score 9. All of Me (1984) – 85% Score 8. Roxanne (1987) – 88% Score 7. The Spanish Prisoner (1997) – 89% Score 6. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) – 89% Score 5. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – 90% Score 4. L.A. Story (1991) – 91% Score 3. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) – 92% Score 2. Parenthood (1989) – 92% Score 1. Only Murders in the Building (2021-Current) – 99% Score

Steve Martin has donned many hats in the entertainment industry throughout his prolific career.

As a writer, comedian, musician, actor, and so much more, this extremely talented creator has always made us smile. At 78 years old, Steve Martin hasn’t let his age hold him back and has continued to flex his comedic acting muscles without slowing down.

As this beloved actor’s birthday passes and we continue to laugh at his outrageous performances, we thought it’d be a joy to look back at this masterful amuser’s career so far.

With such a...

The Beekeeper Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Phylicia Rashad, Jemma Redgrave, and Minnie Driver

Director: David Ayer

The Beekeeper Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)

What’s Good: Jason Statham being Jason Statham

What’s Bad: It over-promises on its selling point, i.e., the action, but under-delivers at almost every level

Loo Break: Whenever you don’t see Jason Statham doing Jason Statham things

Watch or Not?: With zero expectations while having a Sunday dinner after you fail to find anything to watch

Language: English

Available On: Theatrical Release

Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes

User Rating:

Adam Clay is a Beekeeper, not the regular one who is just in for the honey; he’s the protector of the ‘hive’ – a masterfully skilled assassin secretly appointed by the United States. He’s someone who can go ‘John Wick’ even on...

Karol G won Album of the Year, Natalia Lafourcade won Record of the Year, Shakira and DJ Bizarrap won Song of the Year, and Joaquina was voted Best New Artist to headline the 24th Latin Grammys, held tonight in Seville, Spain.

For the first time, Latin music’s biggest night was held outside the United States, as Seville rocked to the sounds of reggaeton, hip-hop, merengue, tango, and every genre of Latin music.

It was Karol G’s big night, as the singer took home the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year for “Mañana Será Bonito.” She joked from the stage about how much she loves to talk, but in moments like these, she finds herself speechless.

“Es demasiado chimba,” she said of winning the award, which translates to, “It’s very cool.” Karol G added that the album changed her life and she’s happy it changed a...

All of the winners of the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards have been announced!

Hosted by Sebastián Yatra, Danna Paola, Roselyn Sánchez, and Paz Vega, the annual music awards show took place on Thursday (November 16) in Seville, Spain.

Mexican producer and songwriter Edgar Barrera led the nominations with 13, followed by Camilo, Karol G, Shakira, and Kevyn Mauricio Cruz, all with seven nominations.

Click inside to read the full list of winners…

See the full list of the Latin Grammys winners below…

General Field

Record Of The Year

“No Es Que Te Extrañe” – Christina Aguilera

“Carretera y Manta” – Pablo Alborán

“Déjame Llorarte” – Paula Arenas Featuring Jesús Navarro

“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53″ – Bizarrap Featuring Shakira

“Si Tú Me Quieres” – Fonseca & Juan Luis Guerra

“Mientras Me Curo Del Cora” – Karol G

“De Todas Las Flores” – Natalia Lafourcade — Winner

“Ojos Marrones” – Lasso

“La Fórmula” – Maluma & Marc Anthony

“Despechá” – Rosalía

“Correcaminos” – Alejandro Sanz Featuring Danny Ocean...

All eyes are on Seville, Spain! The televised 2023 Latin Grammys ceremony is Thursday with some of the biggest names in Latin music coming together to celebrate a stellar year of releases.

Before the show, the Mexican-American songwriter and producer Édgar Barrera led the tally with 13 nods, much of it for his work with Camilo and Grupo Frontera. Camilo, along with Shakira, Karol G, and songwriter Keityn, all follow Barrera with seven nominations each.

Shakira and Karol G already earned their first awards of the night in the Best Urban/Fusion Performance,...

Miami – Last week, at his Washington D.C. tour stop, Colombia born singer-songwriter, and global Latin music superstar Maluma, premiered a heartfelt and extremely personal video for his song “Procura” off his newly released album, Don Juan. The video features a huge surprise and is a very special moment for Maluma.

Visualizer for “Procura”

In September, Maluma and Mexican singer-songwriter Carin León, reached #1 on TikTok for their song “Según Quién.” The track has accumulated over 2.4 billion views and 1 million creations on the platform. Earlier this month, Maluma performed the track alongside Carin León on Good Morning America and solo on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. He also treated viewers to a performance of “Coco Loco” on GMA.

Maluma’s sixth studio album Don Juan, was released in August via Sony Music Latin – listen Here. The record features 25 songs including 6 bonus tracks and Maluma’s previously released singles “La Fórmula” with Marc Anthony,...

The nominations for the 2023 Latin Grammys are here — and though the award show is undergoing big changes by switching up its venue and heading to Spain this November, the contenders in each category are pretty familiar to the Latin Recording Academy. Major pop acts and Latin Grammy veterans make up a lot of the big categories here: The Mexican American songwriter and producer Édgar Barrera leads the tally with 13 nods, much of it for his work with Camilo and Grupo Frontera. Camilo, along with Shakira, Karol G, and songwriter Keityn,...

Maluma has confirmed the release date for his upcoming album Don Juan, and it’s not too far away: The sixth studio LP from the Colombian singer drops on August 25th via Sony Latin.

While Maluma hasn’t yet shared the full tracklist for Don Juan, we know his follow-up to 2020’s Papi Juancho includes already-released tracks “La Fórmula” with Marc Anthony, “La Reina,” “Diablo, Que Chimba” featuring Anuel AA, and “Coco Loco.”

Pre-orders for Don Juan are ongoing, and you can see the artwork for the album below.

Later this month, Maluma will commence the 30-date North American leg of his “Don Juan World Tour.” Find tickets here.

Get Maluma Tickets Here

Don Juan Artwork:

Maluma Confirms Release Date for New Album Don Juan

Abby Jones...

Maluma has shared “Coco Loco,” the latest preview from his upcoming album, Don Juan.

Produced by his frequent collaborator MadMusick, the club-friendly track is accompanied by a music video directed by Jessy Terrero, in which the Colombian pop star holds an impromptu concert in the streets of Miami. Undeterred by the pouring rain, Maluma runs through “Coco Loco” while surrounded by dancers wielding umbrellas. Watch it below.

There’s no release date for Don Juan as of yet, but it’s slated to arrive later this year. The follow-up to 2020’s Papi Juancho also features several of Maluma’s recent singles: “La Fórmula” with Marc Anthony, “La Reina,” and his Anuel AA collaboration “Diablo, Que Chimba.”

In late August, Maluma will head out on a 30-city North American tour. Grab tickets here.

Maluma Drops New Single “Coco Loco”: Stream

Eddie Fu...

Maluma won’t let the rain stop him! On Thursday, the Colombian popstar released his single “Coco Loco,” alongside its rainy, choreography-filled video.

The Jessy Terrero-directed visual starts with an announcer revealing that his concert has been canceled due to extreme weather. The singer — dressed in all-white — is then seen posing under an umbrella in the extreme rain as female dancers engage in choreography around him.

The video shows clips of couples dancing together in the rain as Maluma sings the song’s catchy lyrics before he hosts a...

Maluma is promising an “exhilarating experience” on his upcoming tour. On Monday, the Colombian star revealed that after a year of working on his Don Juan LP, he’s ready to hit the road on a world tour.

“I am so excited to return to arenas around the U.S. this fall. I took a year off from touring to focus on perfecting what I feel is the best album of my career, Don Juan,” Maluma said in a press release. “I can’t wait to perform the new songs...

Papi Juancho? Maluma? Call him “Don Juan” from now on! On Wednesday, the Colombian star joined forces with Marc Anthony for Maluma’s first single of the year, “La Fórmula,” an upbeat salsa track that departs Maluma from his typical trap-reggaetón style.

“There’s no formula for me to forget your kisses/Nor an equation whose result takes me there,” the duo sings in Spanish over tropical melodies. “Even if I add or multiply, it’s always subtract/Since you left me, just please don’t go too far.”

The...

Ed O’Neill is set to play Donald Sterling in the upcoming FX limited series “The Sterling Affairs,” Variety has learned.

The show was picked up to series at FX back in April. It is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast of the same name. O’Neill joins previously announced stars Laurence Fishburne and Jacki Weaver.

The six-episode series tells the behind the scenes story of Doc Rivers (Fishburne) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ quest to bring a championship to one of the historically worst franchises in all of sports during the impending downfall of the team’s owner, Donald Sterling (O’Neill), whose notoriously racist behavior is brought to light amid the power struggle between his wife of 60+ years, Shelly Sterling (Weaver), and his mistress, V. Stiviano.

This will mark O’Neill’s first TV role since the finale of “Modern Family” in 2020. O’Neill starred on the single-cam sitcom...

When J Balvin isn’t coming up with clever rhymes or dominating stages across the globe, the Colombian reggaeton sensation is taking care of his mental health. The award-winning worldwide Latino music icon will share revelations about his journey toward mental wellness in a six-part docuseries, produced by Exile Content Studio and NBC News Studios for Tplus, Telemundo’s new content brand on Peacock.

Last week, Telemundo officially launched Tplus, which aims to serve the full spectrum of today’s U.S. Hispanics, which have been traditionally underserved and underrepresented by mainstream media outlets, streamers and cablers. The addition of the Medellín-born artist’s candid documentary show, titled “Gente Sana” (which translates to “Healthy People”), will give viewers an exclusive and intimate look at his own life, as well as the lives of his closest friends, many of whom are also industry bigwigs. Throughout the series, J Balvin will lead...

Exclusive: Deadline has the first exclusive track from Carter Burwell’s Oscar-shortlisted score for The Tragedy of Macbeth, which is set for release tomorrow via Milan Records, as the film from director Joel Coen premieres globally on Apple TV+.

Coen’s take on William Shakespeare’s classic 17th century play Macbeth watches as Denzel Washington’s Scottish lord is convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, subsequently conspiring to seize power with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand).

It’s the latest project to emerge from a career-spanning partnership between Burwell and Coen, dating back to 1984, which has seen the former score almost all of the latter’s films including Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men and True Grit.

Burwell’s score for The Tragedy of Macbeth juxtaposes string-heavy instrumentation with onscreen dialogue performed throughout the film,...

Exclusive: Black Widow cinematographer Gabriel Beristain has signed on to direct adaptations of the books Brooklyn Story and 11 Days in Hell, which were recently acquired by Wallner Media.

The former project is a film, which Suzanne Corso adapted from her best-selling novel of the same name. The latter is a TV series, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by William T. Harper. Beristain will direct all 11 episodes, scripted by Bruce and Brett Moore.

The first novel in a trilogy, Brooklyn Story is set in the summer of 1978. It centers on Samantha Bonti, who is fifteen years old, half Jewish and half Italian, and hesitantly edging toward pure Brooklyn, even if her dreams of something more are bigger than the neighborhood girls’ teased hair. Samantha lives in Bensonhurst with her mother, Joan, a woman abandoned and scarred in a ruinous marriage, poisoned with cynicism, and shackled by addictions,...

“I remember those days,” says production designer Tim Galvin of the time period portrayed in “Green Book,” so it interested him to “go back down that road a little bit.” Directed by Peter Farrelly, this Universal release tells the true story of how Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a working-class Italian-American bouncer, took a job driving African-American classical pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a concert tour through the Jim Crow-era South. Watch our exclusive video interview with Galvin above.

See Patrick J. Don Vito Interview: ‘Green Book’

“Green Book” is unique in that it was co-written by the protagonist’s real life son, Nick Vallelonga (in collaboration with Farrelly and Brian Hayes Currie). That first-hand experience proved vital in Galvin’s research, particularly when it came to recreating Tony’s Bronx apartment. “I had to be kind of specific about things with him,” he explains, “because it isn’t the entire life story.

Ricky Jay, a singularly skilled magician whose acting career included roles in “Deadwood” and “Boogie Nights,” died in Los Angeles yesterday. He was 72. The news was confirmed by Jay’s manager, Winston Simone, who said that he died of natural causes and “was one of a kind. We will never see the likes of him again.”

“I am sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and co-conspirator is gone,” tweeted Michael Weber, Jay’s partner in the Deceptive Practices Company.

Jay was the subject of a 2012 documentary, “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay,” directed by Molly Bernstein. It explored his revered career as a magician, as did a 1993 New Yorker profile that referred to Jay as “perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive.” Those talents also brought him work as a behind-the-scenes consultant on movies like “The Prestige,” “The Illusionist,” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.

Ricky Jay, the renowned magician, sleight-of-hand artist, card thrower and actor who appeared in Boogie Nights and Deadwood, died Saturday at the age of 72.

His manager Winston Simone confirmed Jay’s death to Variety, adding that the magician died of natural causes. “He was one of a kind. We will never see the likes of him again,” Simone said. Michael Weber, Jay’s co-partner in his company Deceptive Practices, added, “I am sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and co-conspirator is gone.”

As an actor, Jay appeared...

Master magician Ricky Jay, whose decades-long career included guest roles on Deadwood and The Simpsons, has died at the age of 70.

The news was confirmed by his manager, Winston Simone, who told Variety that his client died of natural causes. “He was one of a kind,” Simone said. “We will never see the likes of him again.”

A New Yorker profile once referred to Jay as “perhaps the most gifted sleight-of-hand artist alive.” His one-man Broadway show, Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants, was filmed for HBO by acclaimed director David Mamet in 1996. He appeared in many of Mamet’s films,...

Ricky Jay, a magician and character actor known for his roles in such films as “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “The Spanish Prisoner,” has died. He was 72.

“I am sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and coconspirator is gone,” tweeted Michael Weber, Jay’s partner in the Deceptive Practices consulting firm, which advises movie, TV and theater projects on various illusions and magic secrets during their productions. Among the films they consulted on were “The Prestige,” “The Illusionist” and “Oceans Thirteen.”

He was also credited as “Illusion Wheelchair Designer” for “Forrest Gump” — it was Jay and CGI specialists who made it appear as if Gary Sinise’s wheelchair-bond character Lt. Dan was a double-amputee.

Also Read: Nicolas Roeg, 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' Director, Dies at 90

In addition to guest starring roles in numerous TV shows, including “Deadwood,” “Lie to Me,” Flashforward” and “The X-Files,...

Known for his professional career as a magician and his roles in films like Boogie Nights and the HBO series Deadwood, Ricky Jay has died. He was 70.

Details about Jay’s death have not been revealed, but his attorney Stan Coleman confirmed his death while his partner at Deceptive Practices, Michael Weber tweeted, “I am sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and coconspirator is gone.”

Richard Jay Potash was born in Brooklyn, New York and had an impressive resume of films. In addition to Boogie Nights and Deadwood, Jay appeared in films such as Magnolia, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Spanish Prisoner, Mystery Men, and, appropriately, the magician drama The Prestige. He was also the subject of PBS’ American Masters in 2015 and was the first magician to be profiled in the series. He was also the subject of the documentary Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay.

Ricky Jay, a master magician who also acted in films and TV shows such as “Boogie Nights,” “House of Games” and “Deadwood,” has died. He was 70.

His attorney Stan Coleman confirmed his death. Further details were not immediately available. His partner in the Deceptive Practices company, Michael Weber, tweeted, “I am sorry to share that my remarkable friend, teacher, collaborator and co-conspirator is gone.”

A New Yorker profile called him “the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive,” and Jay was also known for his card tricks and memory feats.

He appeared in several David Mamet movies, including “House of Games,” “The Spanish Prisoner,” “Things Change,” “Redbelt” and “State and Main.”

In the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” Jay played a cyber-terrorist to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond.

He also provided the narration for movies such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” His one-man Broadway show, “Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants,...

Ricky Jay, one of the most compelling figures in magic, died Saturday in Los Angeles of natural causes, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He was 70.

"He was one of a kind. We will never see the likes of him again," his manager, Winston Simone, said.

In addition to his long career as a magician, Jay also appeared in such movies as Magnolia (1999) as the narrator, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as a cyber terrorist and Boogie Nights (1997) and several times in David Mamet's films, including House of Games; Homicide; Things Change; The Spanish Prisoner; State and Main; and Heist. He also had various roles on television series ...

Ricky Jay, one of the most compelling figures in magic, died Saturday in Los Angeles of natural causes, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He was 70.

"He was one of a kind. We will never see the likes of him again," his manager, Winston Simone, said.

In addition to his long career as a magician, Jay also appeared in such movies as Magnolia (1999) as the narrator, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as a cyber terrorist and Boogie Nights (1997) and several times in David Mamet's films, including House of Games; Homicide; Things Change; The Spanish Prisoner; State and Main; and Heist. He also had various roles on television series ...

It feels a little bit like Christmas morning around the house this morning, even though we’ve still got a week and change to go before the actual day, and that’s undoubtedly because all the women here are rousing themselves a bit early to get ready for what amounts to Christmas 2017, Hollywood style. (The cats have been up for some time already, and they too are very excited, but you know, that’s just their way.) You see, in a couple hours we’re all piling into the car and making the pilgrimage up the hill to Universal City to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. When it comes to buying advance tickets for a big movie for the whole family to see together my dear wife knows no restraints, and if the movie is prefixed with the words “Star Wars,” then all bets are most assuredly off.

Sony Classical announces the release of Goodbye Christopher Robin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with an original score by Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell.

The soundtrack will be released digitally on October 13 and on CD on October 27, 2017. The film will be released in the Us on October 13, 2017.

Pre-order here.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is directed by Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn, Woman in Gold) and will be released in Us theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures on October 13, 2017.

Carter Burwell said about the score:

“One of the riskier decisions Simon Curtis and I made with the score was to withhold the main theme until the middle of the film, when A. A. Milne begins to write and his friend Ernest Shepard begins to illustrate “Winnie The Pooh”. We did this to make that moment especially noteworthy, to make it the turning point of the story. Before that point, the music plays...

Former A&e head of scripted Gabriel Marano has joined Fox Broadcasting Co. as SVP, Drama Programming & Development. Based in Los Angeles, Marano will supervise the development and production of new and returning scripted series, reporting to EVP Drama Development & Programming Terence Carter. He will work alongside Brooke Bowman, who joined as SVP drama last summer.

Marano most recently was SVP of Drama Programming for A&e, where he oversaw the network’s scripted series development and production. His departure followed the network’s recent decision to exit scripted programming while doubling down on nonfiction fare. At A&e, Marano was involved in such series as Bates Motel, Longmire, The Glades, Damien and The Returned. He joined the cable network in 2013 as VP of Drama Programming and was promoted to SVP and head of scripted two years later.

Prior to A&e, Marano spent ten years with Fox Television Studios (now...

One week a month, Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by the week’s new releases or premieres. This week: In honor of Kenneth Lonergan’s magnificent Manchester By The Sea, we’re giving a standing ovation to other movies written and/or directed by playwrights.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

Playwright David Mamet is best known for quick, profane, tough-talking dialogue, captured in his iconic work, Glengarry Glen Ross. When Ggr went to the big screen, he wrote the screenplay, but let James Foley take the helm. Mamet stayed closer to some of his other productions, like his thriller con debut, House Of Games, which was also in the dark and chatty vein. But one of Mamet’s most successful efforts—while still a con, of course—is almost a complete departure from his usual brand, namely due to its quiet, thoughtful pace.

The Spanish Prisoner is named after a ...

Philip Laverty Nov 10, 2016

From The Edge and The Untouchables, to the mighty Glengarry Glen Ross: a salute to the movie writing of David Mamet.

Spoilers ahead for The Untouchables, The Spanish Prisoner, and House Of Games

There's a moment in 1992’s Glengarry Glen Ross when Alec Baldwin, sent from head office on what he calls a “mission of mercy”, opens his motivational speech to an office of real estate salesmen by turning on Jack Lemmon’s Shelley 'The Machine' Levene.

“Put that coffee down,” he demands as Lemmon pours himself what he, probably reasonably, considers to be a well-earned cup of Joe.

“Coffee’s for closers only,” Baldwin points out, using the term for someone who can make a successful sale. The person who can close it.

“Your name’s Levene?” he asks a few moments later. “You call yourself a salesman, you son of a bitch?”

The callous disdain of this moment,...

Every day, from now until the weekend of the 2014 Academy Awards, HeyUGuys will be publishing an article championing one of the nine films in contention for the coveted Best Picture Oscar. We will be collecting them all here, where you can find the previous articles.

Today we turn our attention to David O. Russell’s latest, American Hustle, whose long con seduced many with its evocative, heightened 70s bewitchery. Oscars may indeed a certainty, but does it deserve the grand prize? Cai Ross makes the case…

American Hustle is a film about the intricate means by which we deceive and fictionalise our entire lives to no good end, and the rescue which honesty and truth can potentially bring. Not only is it the best film of last year, but it is also the final proof of the Electric Light Orchestra’s standing as a truly great soundtrack band – but that’s by the by and,...

Given that we are already over 13 years into this century, that has been plenty of time for new stars of all different varieties to establish themselves. Actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Cillian Murphy and even Gerard Butler have either arrived on our screens or firmly established themselves this side of 2000. But what of comedy performers?

Although historically the route taken by comedy performers has been from comic to dramatic roles (Jim Carrey goes from Ace Ventura to The Truman Show, Steve Martin goes from The Jerk to The Spanish Prisoner, Adam Sandler goes from Happy Gilmore to Punch Drunk Love, Will Ferrell goes from Anchorman to Stranger than Fiction) we are increasingly seeing actors with a background in dramatic roles showing themselves to have serious comedy chops too.

So, with a little artistic licence (we’ll allow actors who didn’t break into comedy until...

Slated Editorial Director Colin Brown is back with the final installment essay in his series on packaging films. You can check out Colin's writing on the filmonomics blog, and you can see this post in its original format here. Hollywood has always fallen hard for films about scam artists and their clever schemes. Even before "American Hustle" and "The Wolf Of Wall Street," there was "Catch Me If You Can," "House of Games," "The Spanish Prisoner," The Grifters, "The Sting," "Paper Moon" and seductive confidence artists stretching all the way back to "The Lady Eve" in 1941. The cons vary but the tricks remain much the same: victims are fooled into trusting in a stranger's good faith through greed, vanity, opportunism, desire, compassion, desperation and any other basic urge you can name. It is easy to see the greenlight appeal of such stories. Not so much because of Hollywood’s own history with charismatic charlatans,...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 19 Dec 2013 - 06:30

Our journey through the lesser-known films of the 2000s continues. This week, it's 2003...

It was the year that Arnold Schwarzenegger went from Terminator actor to Governor of California, and when The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King dominated the global box office with a gross of more than $1bn. 2003 was also the year the Wachowskis' Matrix trilogy thundered to a close, the year Freddy Krueger clashed with Jason Voorhees in, er, Freddy Vs Jason, and the year Pixar scored another hit with Finding Nemo.

But as you've probably gathered by now, 2003 was also a year of quite brilliant, less lucrative films. The movies we've included in this week's list were chosen for a variety of reasons - some were ignored in cinemas, while others were harshly treated by critics. Some were modestly popular or given awards on release,...

Some pretty good titles this week in the build up to Christmas when Now TV will suddenly dominate the week with all the new content they got coming.

The titles of note this week are as follows:

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Take an unfilmable book, add the sibling directors of The Matrix and Speed Racer and the underrated director of Run Lola Run and Perfume, sit back and watch the beautiful, flawed and transcendent results. David Mitchell’s spiritual, revolutionary and vast book practically begs to be filmed due to the concepts and visuals that it asks you to conjure in your mind but it also has a tricky reincarnation subtext with characters appearing again and again in slightly different guises each time. The Wachowski’s and Tom Tykwer decided to use the same actors with heavy prosthetics or different skin tone or even a different sex in each different period over 300 years.

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 7 Nov 2013 - 07:02

Our journey through the half-remembered, underappreciated films of the 1990s continues. Here, we look to 1997...

Dominated by the box office behemoth that was James Cameron's Titanic, 1997 was a year of high drama and outlandish special effects. The Lost World: Jurassic Park brought with it a new batch of genetically revived dinosaurs, George Lucas dug his original Star Wars trilogy out of the cupboard and added new (controversial) computer-generated sequences, while Nicolas Cage and John Travolta did impressions of one another and fired guns in John Woo's delirious action movie, Face/Off.

It was a varied year for movies, for sure, particularly by 21st century standards; it's difficult to imagine a British feel-good comedy about amateur male strippers (The Full Monty) getting into the year's 10 highest grossing films these days. But among all those winners, there had to be some...

The Solution Entertainment Group has added the Cate Blanchett thriller Blackbird to its Toronto slate and will introduce to buyers in Toronto.

David Mamet is scheduled to commence production in January. Saïd Ben Saïd’s Paris-based company Sbs Productions finances and produces the project.

Blackbird centres on a woman who travels to Los Angeles for the funeral of her grandfather, unaware that the Hollywood effects artist’s history of moonlighting for Us special ops is about to place her life in jeopardy.

ICM Partners and Sbs represent Us rights.

“Blackbird is a quintessential suspense thriller in the vein of Mamet’s other great work, The Spanish Prisoner,” said Ben Saïd. “The Solution is just as passionate and committed to the project as I am and will choose the right international partners to bring this film to a global audience.”

“Blackbird promises to be a nail-biting thriller in the hands of the talented David Mamet and the exceptional...

The Solution Entertainment Group will handle international rights to writer/director David Mamet’s thriller Blackbird starring Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), it was announced today by The Solution Entertainment Group’s (“The Solution”) founders and partners, Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel.

The film, set to start shooting in January 2014 in Sydney, is being financed and produced by Saïd Ben Saïd’s Paris-based company, Sbs Productions (Sbs).

Janet (Blanchett) travels to Los Angeles for the funeral of her grandfather, a Hollywood visual effects artist who moonlighted for U.S. special ops agencies. After his death, hergrandfather’s well-kept secrets become a threat to her life, forcing Janet to discover the truth about a man who dedicated his life to making illusion reality.

The Solution will present the project to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival with ICM and Sbs handling Us rights.

“Blackbird is a quintessential suspense...

Exclusive: Modern Family star Ed O’Neill has signed with Paradigm, joining his longtime agent Iris Grossman who moved from ICM Partners to Paradigm earlier this month. O’Neill, who is managed by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, is the third major Grossman client to follow her from ICM to Paradigm joining Mandy Patinkin and Fraces Conroy. O’Neill stars as patriarch Jay Pritchett on ABC’s Emmy-winning comedy Modern Family, a role that has earned him two Emmy nominations. He is one of the highest-paid actors on TV as he also has ownership in the show. O’Neill’s previous series credits include Married… With Children, John From Cincinnati and The West Wing. In features and on stage, O’Neill has a decades-spanning affiliation with the Pulitzer-winning playwright David Mamet, appearing in his films The Spanish Prisoner, Spartan and Redbelt and stage productions of Lakeboat and Keep Your Pantheon.

We love crime movies. We may go on and on about Scorsese’s ability to incorporate Italian neo-realism techniques into Mean Streets (1973), the place of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) in the canon of postwar noir, The Godfather (1972) as a socio-cultural commentary on the distortion of the ideals of the American dream blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda…but that ain’t it.

We love crime movies because we love watching a guy who doesn’t have to behave, who doesn’t have to – nor care to – put a choker on his id and can let his darkest, most visceral impulses run wild. Some smart-mouth gopher tells hood Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), “Go fuck yourself,” in Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), and does Tommy roll with it? Does he spit back, “Fuck me? Nah, fuck you!” Does he go home and tell his mother?

Nope.

He pulls a .45 cannon out from...