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We are fast approaching the middle of the year and have already witnessed some of the best movies and TV shows on everyone’s favorite streaming platform, Netflix. However, this was only the start and as summer 2025 kicks off, Netflix is rolling out a vibrant lineup of new movies, TV shows, originals, and documentaries to keep viewers entertained.

With June just days away, the month will bring several enticing new entries and highly anticipated seasons and movies, including Ginny & Georgia: Season 3 and The Ultimatum: Queer Love: Season 2. Fresh films such as Cheers to Life and documentaries like Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. add global flair.

However, some classics, including Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy or the classic Matthew McFadyen starrer Pride & Prejudice, will depart the platform. So here is a comprehensive guide that dives into everything arriving, premiering, and leaving Netflix in June 2025, ensuring you don’t...

As with every month on Netflix, your favorite streamer is bringing a lot of new goodies on June 1. The total number of 29 might not seem as much as the last few months, but then fewer things are leaving at the end of May. There’s less to give because there is less to take away.

And while we will get into what will be streaming beginning next week, we can tease a bit deeper into June as well. On June 5, the third season of Ginny & Georgia drops. Fubar Season 2 will be released on June 12. The Waterfront appears on June 19. Squid Game Season 3 starts on June 27.

In other words, there is going to be good stuff delivered throughout the month, but we have to wait a little longer than normal to view them.

What is coming to Netflix on the first day of June 2025?

Perhaps the best thing about the...

Like the 1970s, the '90s were a great decade for disaster films. In addition to films like "Deep Impact," "Armageddon," "Independence Day," "Dante's Peak," and "Volcano," there was, of course, "Twister." The Jan de Bont film followed a storm-chasing couple on the verge of divorce, chasing one of the worst outbreaks of tornados in the history of Oklahoma. Though the film is now almost three decades old, it holds up!

There are lots of reasons why the movie works so well. One major factor was de Bont's insistence on practical effects. "We dropped those combines hanging from helicopters onto the road as the car was driving, which, of course, makes for the best reaction you can get from the actors, because it's goddamned real," he told Vulture. "They really fall from the sky, and it is not like a little fall."

Another major aspect of the film's success was its cast.

War films make up a popular genre that many moviegoers flock to the cinema to see. Some of the most memorable and award-winning films fall into the war genre. At least one war movie usually makes an appearance at The Academy Awards. Dunkirk (2017), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), The Imitation Game (2014), War Horse (2011), and The Hurt Locker (2008) were all nominated for Best Picture, just to name a few.

Most of the time, war films are categorized in a few different ways. There are war movies based on real events and war movies that are fictional. There are war movies that take place during real wars and war movies about made-up wars. There are also plenty of movies based on specific branches of the military. That's where this list comes into play, as it will cover some of the best submarine war films ever made.

This Film Received Positive Reviews, But Historical Inaccuracies Held...

Quick LinksBruce Willis and Colin Farrell Were an Odd PairingHart's War Was an Interesting ConceptHart's War Was a Box Office DisasterIt Is Better Than It Seems

Today, Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell are known as beloved names in Hollywood. While they rarely worked together, the two have led entire franchises, and they managed to bring respectability to even the most overlooked characters. They are each genre stars, as Willis is beloved for the Die Hard movies, while Farrell has become a breakout legend for DC and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The two actors have had different paths in their careers, but they had one brief moment where they overlapped. The two united for a now-forgotten World War II movie from 2002. It was a box office disappointment, a critical disaster, and an easily ignored part of Hollywood history. Still, despite receiving an uneasy reception after its release, Willis and Farrell's Hart's War...

David Ayer has enjoyed a remarkable career, but one movie remains a challenging aspect of his legacy. The director began his career as a writer for the submarine movie U-571 (2000), and he quickly found his way to multiple popular productions. He wrote for The Fast and the Furious (2001), Training Day (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003), earning success for each release. Eventually, he attracted attention and earned a role as the director of Harsh Times (2005). The extremely small-scale production had a $2 million budget and easily earned success with its $6 million box office total.

Having proven himself, Ayer went on to be a Hollywood regular. He directed 2016's Suicide Squad for the DC Extended Universe, 2024's The Beekeeper, and 2014's Fury. While Suicide Squad failed to entertain critics, it was his biggest success, earning $749 million on a budget of $175 million. It proved that he could handle big-budget releases, even if these franchise movies might not wholly satisfy audiences.

Matthew McConaughey has proven himself as a jack of all trades in Hollywood. He's starred in everything from a handful of 2000s romantic comedies to heavy-hitting dramas like The Lincoln Lawyer and Dallas Buyer's Club (for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor), not to mention his role as a stripper in Magic Mike, a disturbing villain in Killer Joe, an animated koala in the Sing franchise, or his iconic role in Dazed and Confused. McConaughey is able to fully embody any role he takes on.

However, in U-571 and Free State of Jones, the celebrated star takes on a totally different genre: War. Portraying rugged men who manage to be compassionate yet headstrong leaders while running head-first into battle seems to come naturally to him. Though one film is fashioned more as a blockbuster with giant explosions and nail-biting turns and the other a more zoomed-in analysis of...

Matthew McConaughey was the quintessential lover boy in the 2000s before the McConaissance era in the 2010s. The actor starred in a string of successful romantic comedies including The Wedding Planner, Failure to Launch, Ghost of Girlfriends Past, Fool’s Gold, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance in A Time To Kill | Warner Bros

The latter marked the first collaboration between McConaughey and Kate Hudson and is one of the most beloved rom-coms. Fans have loved the duo’s chemistry in the film and have been clamoring for the pair to reunite on-screen. Hudson recently expressed her openness to return in a sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but fans are concerned that Hollywood will ruin the legacy of the original film.

Fans Are Apprehensive About A Possible Sequel To How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Matthew...

Donna Berwick, a costume designer who worked on films including Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” “Donnie Darko” and more died, July 14 of breast cancer. She was 66.

Berwick was nominated for best contemporary film by the Costume Designers Guild for her work on “Da 5 Bloods,” a Vietnam War veterans drama starring Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors and Clarke Peters. The 2020 Netflix original film follows four veterans that return to Vietnam searching for the remains of their squad leader and the fortune he helped them hide.

She also designed the costumes for Lee’s “Inside Man,” starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owens as well as Ernest Dickerson’s “Juice,” starring Tupac Shakur.

The late costume designer April Ferry and Berwick worked together on costuming films and TV shows including “Donnie Darko,” “U571” and “Game of Thrones.”

Born in Queens, New York, Berwick earned a Bfa from the School of Visual Arts...

Matthew McConaughey considered early retirement due to rom-com typecasting, prompting a two-year hiatus from Hollywood. After feeling limited by his roles, he returned to critical acclaim with serious performances in films like Dallas Buyer Club. The actor's career saw a resurgence with acclaimed roles in Magic Mike, True Detective, and Interstellar.

Matthew McConaughey explains why he considered retirement early in his acting career and why he "had to leave Hollywood." After breaking through with a brief but memorable role in Richard Linklater's coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused, some of McConaughey's first successful lead roles came in the legal drama A Time to Kill, the sci-fi film Contact, and Steven Spielberg's historical drama Amistad. However, during the 2000s, McConaughey became known for romantic comedies, which caused him to take a two-year hiatus from acting, though he came back better than ever.

During a recent conversation with Interview Magazine, McConaughey...

David Ayer has been making action movies for more than 20 years. "Training Day" might still be his most famous credit as a writer, but he also has writing credits on "The Fast and The Furious," "U-571," and "S.W.A.T." and he later wrote and directed films like "End of Watch," "Fury," "Sabotage," and "Suicide Squad" (the latter of which was infamously recut by Warner Bros. before its release). With all of that experience, one might assume he'd be the one imparting advice or doling out nuggets of mastery on the set of his latest action film, "The Beekeeper." But as I learned in a recent interview with the director, Ayer is smart enough to know when to listen -- especially when working with a genre superstar like Jason Statham.

"He schooled me," Ayer told me about his collaboration with Statham on their new movie. "I mean, let's be real: He's an action icon,...

Pictured: Hulk, The Mummy, The Karate Kid, Kung-Fu Panda

A New Year means lots of removals from Netflix and January 1st is looking busy, with over 100 movies set to leave the service already. Below, we’ll be keeping track of all the Netflix departures for the first month of 2024.

First, a few housekeeping notes as to how Netflix removals work before we dive in. Due to licensing agreements, shows and movies added to Netflix aren’t added forever. Instead, they’re essentially rented for a fixed period. All the shows below have their current window on Netflix ending and will likely be bound for a rival streaming service.

We list titles slightly differently from other outlets, with our listings being the actual day of removal. If you want to watch any titles scheduled to expire on January 1st, for example, you’ll need to watch by the end of December 31st.

Movies set during World War II often prioritize entertainment value over historical accuracy, leading to major inaccuracies. Films like "Inglourious Basterds," "Pearl Harbor," "U-571," "Red Tails," and "Saving Private Ryan" contain significant historical inaccuracies, whether due to artistic license or poor research. While some World War II films strive for a factual basis, others prioritize sensationalized storytelling and action spectacle over accuracy, leading to fictionalized versions of events and characters.

Movies set during World War II represent a significant portion of the war movie genre, yet many of them feature major historical inaccuracies. Historical accuracy is often overlooked in favor of entertainment value, from biopics to completely fictional stories. Other times, though, this disregard for the actual historical events is a conscious decision made by the best directors in the genre.

Though there are World War II films with an impressive amount of factual basis, others provide blatant inaccuracies. For example,...

Los Angeles, Feb 19 (Ians) Oliver Wood, an English cinematographer whose credits include ‘Die Hard 2’, ‘Face/Off’, aThe Other Guys’ and the original ‘Bourne’ trilogy, has passed away at his home in Hollywood following a battle with cancer. He was 80.

With a career spanning across seven decades, Wood worked across a wide variety of projects, collaborating with directors like John Woo, Adam McKay, Antoine Fuqua, Barry Sonnenfeld and Larry Cohen, reports ‘Variety’.

He was nominated for a BAFTA award for best cinematography for his work on 2007’s aThe Bourne Ultimatum’, directed by Paul Greengrass.

Born in London, Wood moved to New York City when he was 19. His first major credit came on Leonard Kastle’s 1970 crime film aThe Honeymoon Killers’ making a strong impression for his technique of using available light to give the anachronistic dark comedy the look of a newsreel.

As per ‘Variety’, Wood shot numerous B-movies and independent...

Oliver Wood, whose work as a cinematographer included such big-budget action films as The Bourne Identity and two of its sequels, along with studio comedies like Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, has died. He was 80.

Wood died Monday, Feb. 13, surrounded by loved ones at his Hollywood home following a battle with cancer, his agent Ann Murtha told The Hollywood Reporter.

He is known for working with a long list of prominent directors, including John Woo on Face/Off (1997); Adam McKay on Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013); Edward Zwick on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016); Antoine Fuqua on The Equalizer 2 (2018); and Daniel Espinosa on Safe House (2012), Child 44 (2015) and Morbius (2022). His work on Paul Greengrass’ The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) earned Wood a BAFTA Award nomination for best cinematography.

Born on Feb. 21, 1942, in London, Wood moved to New York City at age 19 and...

Oliver Wood, an English cinematographer whose credits include “Die Hard 2,” “Face/Off,” “The Other Guys” and the original “Bourne” trilogy, died Monday, Feb. 13, at his home in Hollywood following a battle with cancer. He was 80.

With a career spanning across seven decades, Wood worked across a wide variety of projects, collaborating with directors like John Woo, Adam McKay, Antoine Fuqua, Barry Sonnenfeld and Larry Cohen. He was nominated for a BAFTA award for best cinematography for his work on 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum,” directed by Paul Greengrass.

Born in London, Wood moved to New York City when he was 19. His first major credit came on Leonard Kastle’s 1970 crime film “The Honeymoon Killers,” making a strong impression for his technique of using available light to give the anachronistic dark comedy the look of a newsreel.

Wood shot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and ’80s, frequently collaborating...

Gina Prince-Bythewood knows a little something about the power of persistence. When the filmmaker set out to make her feature directorial debut, “Love & Basketball,” in the late-’90s, the semi-autobiographical sports-centric romance seemed doomed to never get made. It was only after Prince-Bythewood was invited to the Sundance director’s lab to work on the script, where she staged a table reading of her work so fantastic that it sparked a bidding war (Spike Lee and his 40 Acres and a Mule won out), that the film was shot.

“I will never get over it,” Prince-Bythewood told IndieWire during a recent interview of the film’s legacy. “Every single studio turned it down. Every single production company turned it down. Sundance saved it.”

Released in April 2000 by New Line Cinema, the film proved to be a hit: earning second place at the box office in its first week of release...

We Americans have a bad habit of taking credit for things we really shouldn't in historical movies that are, supposedly, based on facts. Remember "Argo," the Best Picture Oscar-winning 2012 film where the CIA all but single-handedly saves the day during the Iran Hostage Crisis? In truth, the Canadian ambassador to Iran at the time, Ken Taylor, and Canadian embassy employee John Sheardown (who's not even in the movie) were far more directly involved in the rescue operation than the on-screen version of the story indicates.

Compared to 2000's "U-571," however, "Argo" is a stickler for facts. Directed by Jonathan Mostow ("Breakdown," "Terminator 3: Rise of the...

The post Why U-571 Was Marred By Controversy In the UK appeared first on /Film.

A series adaptation of the 2012 film “End of Watch” has gotten a script to series commitment at Fox, Variety has learned.

The one-hour drama project hails from writers and executive producers David Ayer and David Matthews, with Ayer having written and directed the film. Like the film, the show would follow the daily grind of two young police officers in Los Angeles who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.

Ayer will executive produce via Cedar Park Studios, with the company’s Chris Long and Darryll C. Scott also executive producing. John Lesher, James Masciello of Raven, Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi will also executive produce. Lesher was a producer on the film as well. Bill Rotko serves as consulting producer. Fox Entertainment will produce the series.

“End of Watch” starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in the lead roles. The film...

Martha De Laurentiis, a producer with more than forty years of experience in the entertainment industry and wife of the late Dino De Laurentiis, died on Saturday following a long battle with cancer. She was 67.

News of De Laurentiis’ death was shared on Instagram by television writer and producer Bryan Fuller. Fuller developed and executive produced the NBC series “Hannibal,” an adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novels which featured Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. De Laurentiis was an executive producer on the series.

“What an amazing lady. Martha De Laurentiis left us yesterday peacefully with her family at her side,” Fuller wrote. “Long live Martha and her brilliant legacy.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bryan Fuller (@bryanfullergram)

Martha De Laurentiis was born on July 10, 1954. She formed the Dino De Laurentiis Company in 1980 with her partner and eventual husband, Dino. The two wed in 1990 and remained married...

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (Iamtw) recognizes the wide range of authors who work on media tie-ins. Often overlooked, these writers craft exciting tales using beloved characters and settings of franchises including the likes of Mike Hammer, Firefly, Murder She Wrote, James Bond, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. These stories can be original adventures, or adaptations of movies or television episodes. They include all genres and a wide range of lengths and formats.

To recognize the accomplishments of the unsung authors in this particular field, the Iamtw sponsors the annual Scribe Awards. This year’s awards have six categories to highlight excellence in Novels, Short Stories, Audio Dramas, Young Adult/Middle Grade works, and Graphic Novels.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Audio Drama:

The Enemy of My Enemy by Tracey Ann Baines

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Carrie Thompson...

Wednesday, Oct. 21 Saban Schedules ‘Wander’ for Theaters, On Demand

Saban Films has scheduled a Dec. 4 opening in theaters, on demand and on digital for the conspiracy thriller “Wander,” with Aaron Eckhart starring.

“Wander” is directed by April Mullen from a script by Tim Doiron. It also stars Katheryn Winnick, Heather Graham and Tommy Lee Jones.

Echhart’s character is hired to probe a suspicious death in the small town of Wander, then becomes convinced the case is linked to the same conspiracy cover up that caused the death of his daughter. The film was shot last year in New Mexico.

Jonathan Mostow Directing Refugee Thriller

Jonathan Mostow has signed on to write and direct the feature film based on the true story of American businessman Chris Catrambone, founder of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station.

“Chris Catrambone is living proof of how one person’s passion can save lives,” said Mostow.

HBO Max has a major job on its hands to justify its approximately $15 a month subscription fee, especially given the strong competition out there from established names like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Disney Plus faced a similar challenge last year in arriving onto an already-saturated streaming marketplace, but at least had the advantage of major series like The Mandalorian to promote. While HBO Max will eventually be home to the Snyder cut of Justice League, and has some originals for its first week of availability, the big draw right now is its enormous back-catalogue of movies.

Given the various corporate elements that are going into HBO Max, including the Warner Bros. library, owners AT&T will be hoping that the combination of brand recognition for HBO programming, and a deep bench of movies, will convince people to add a new subscription to their list. To this end, HBO Max have added 122 films today,...

To help you anticipate and navigate all that HBO Max has to offer, TVLine presents this comprehensive list of all the TV series, movies, documentaries and specials making their debut on the new streaming service this month — all as a 100-percent free supplement to our daily and handy What to Watch and weekly TVLine-Up columns, and our monthly New on Netflix roundup.

Among Max Originals coming in June are a new Adventure Time special, Doom Patrol Season 2 and Search Party Season 3. You’ll also be able to stream the most recent episodes of HBO original series, including Insecure, I Know This Much Is True...

Welcome to the HBO Max era! WarnerMedia’s streaming giant arrived on May 27 and is absolutely bursting with Warner movies, TV shows, and other titles. But time waits for no man or streaming service and each new month HBO Max will be expected to bring new content to the table. Things get started in June 2020 with the first batch of HBO Max new releases.

To be clear, the majority of the original series coming to HBO Max actually belongs to HBO. Shows like I May Destroy You (June 7), Perry Mason (June 21), and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (June 28) all belong to HBO…which now just happens to be a part of HBO Max. Confusing stuff, we know, but rest assured that if you have HBO Max you’ll get these shows…and if you only have HBO, you can go ahead and just get HBO Max for the same price anyway.

HBO Max launches May 27 with a whole lot of content ready to stream immediately. But throughout the nascent streamer’s first month, even more titles will be added, from HBO Max originals like “Adventure Time: Distant Lands Bmo,” to old favorites like “Amelie,” “Black Beauty” and “The Bucket List.”

Other brand-new HBO Max originals include the third season of comedy “Search Party,” and the second seasons of “Doom Patrol,” and “Esme & Roy,” all coming June 25, and on June 18, the second season of “Summer Camp Island” and the series premiere kids competition series “Karma.”

For a list of everything that will be available on launch day, look here.

Below is the full list of everything new coming to HBO Max in June.

Also Read: Chelsea Handler Sets First Standup Comedy Special in 6 Years at HBO Max

June 1

4th & Forever: Muck City, Season One

Adventures In Babysitting, 1987 (HBO)

Amelie, 2001 (HBO)

An American Werewolf in London,...

King of the second-unit cinematographers, Rexford Metz is second to none when it comes to getting shots on the ground, in water or high in the sky.

He operated the camera during the famed 10-minute chase sequence in “Bullitt” on the streets of San Francisco in 1968, and it was his coverage of muscle cars — and stuntman Bud Ekins’ motorcycle slide — that viewers could feel on the seat of their pants.

Metz was born in Los Angeles in 1937 to Glen and Mildred Metz. His dad built race car engines, and Metz graduated from Fairfax High School in 1955 with knowledge of two things: fast cars and using his 4×5 Graflex camera to photograph them.

On “Bullitt,” Ekins, who raced motorcycles with Metz, introduced his friend to star Steve McQueen, who got him hired on the film as a background actor. But after Metz shared his passion for cameras with Dp Bill Fraker, the cinematographer helped him change jobs.

Okay film fans, buy your ticket, settle into your seat, and grab the armrests as you prepare to submerge! Dive, dive, dive into the murky depths of another underwater adventure (and just hope you don’t become “Spam in the can”). This subset of the war film genre has been cruising the cinemas for well over 75 years, longer if you count the movie adaptations of Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo. The gold sub flick standard might have been the two torpedo blasts from 1958’s Run Silent Run Deep and 1961’s Sf-themed Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (which spawned a weekly TV series soon after). Things were quiet beneath the waves (well after The Incredible Mr. Limpet scuttled the U-boat menace) until the Cold War set 1989 smash The Hunt For Red October which began a 13-year wave of ocean thrillers including Crimson Tide, U-571, and K-19: The Widowmaker. After some time away,...

It’s no trick for even the most ham-fisted global action thriller to achieve a ripped-from-the-headlines “topicality.” Just throw in a terrorist from the right enemy nation, or an American president with the right haircut. So it’s a weird and musty Twilight Zone indeed that one enters to watch “Hunter Killer,” a grindingly ponderous and bombastic neo-Cold War submarine thriller — how ponderous is it? It stars Gerard Butler, and he’s the most lighthearted thing about it — that in every relevant detail seems three years, if not two decades, behind the times.

Consider its take on the U.S. president. The character, played by Caroline Goodall, is transparently modeled on Hillary Clinton. As a result, one watches her scenes utterly removed from the drama (I use the term loosely) and preoccupied, instead, with thoughts like, “Was this film really shot that long ago?” It was. Principal photography on “Hunter Killer...

Brace for Impact. Hunt For Red October, Crimson Tide, Das Boot, U-571… all great submarine films. Now comes the latest entry into the fleet. Hunter Killer.

Check out the official trailer and first poster for Summit Premiere’s Hunter Killer starring Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common and Linda Cardellini.

Amid heightened tensions between the Us and Russia, a new generation of highly sophisticated nuclear attack subs called hunter killers prowl the murky depths. When the Russian president is captured by his rogue general, an untested American submarine captain (Butler) teams up with an elite group of Navy SEALs to save him. Now the Americans and Russians must work together to avoid worldwide disaster.

Deep under the Arctic Ocean, American submarine Captain Joe Glass is on the hunt for a U.S. sub in distress when he discovers a secret Russian coup is in the offing, threatening to dismantle the world order.

Armory Films, Union Entertainment Group and Pegasus Pictures announced today that Mads Mikkelsen (Dr. Strange, Star Wars, The Hunt) is starring in the survival thriller Arctic, directed by Joe Penna. Co-written by Penna and Ryan Morrison, the film is being produced by Chris Lemole and Tim Zajaros of Armory Films and Noah C Haeussner of Union, and is being executive produced by Martha De Laurentiis, Einar Thorsteinsson and Cassian Elwes. The film also marks the first re-teaming of Mikkelsen and De Laurentiis since NBC’s “Hannibal.” Production is currently underway, with Xyz Films handling international sales.

The story surrounds a man (Mikkelsen) stranded in the Arctic, who is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost and he must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.

David Ayer has had quite the career thus far. He had his start writing such films as U-571, and the original Fast and the Furious film. From there, he hit his most high profile picture yet when he wrote Training Day, a film that would go on to be praised as one of Denzel Washington’s best performances yet.

In the mid-2000s, Ayer transition into directing, and over the next decade or so, he would establish himself as a helmer of violent dramas that include Street Kings, End of Watch, Sabotage, and Fury. Last year, his most high profile film yet, Suicide Squad hit theaters, and despite making all kinds of money at the box office, it was met with widespread ridicule from critics and fans. Regardless of what you thought of the film, however, there was little denying that he was a talented director. And like any good director,...

I'm sorry to report that actor Bill Paxton has passed away at the age of 61. This was some seriously sad news that I didn't expect to wake up to, and when I first saw it it felt like a punch to the gut. Bill Paxton has been a favorite actor of mine for years! Ever since I first saw him up on the big screen in James Cameron's Aliens.

People Magazine confirmed the news of Paxton's passing. He died after complications from surgery. A representative for his family released a statement asking for privacy and saying:

“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery. A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker.

We’re absolutely shocked to report that Bill Paxton has died at the age of 61, due to complications from surgery. This was confirmed to multiple outlets by his family, who issued the following statement:

“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery… A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family’s wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father.”

Having gone toe-to-toe with aliens, a terminator, and a predator, Bill Paxton was a huge presence...

Simon Brew Sep 2, 2016

Premiere magazine highlighted 10 movie executives to watch in 1990. So what happened to them?

In its May 1990 issue, the sadly-missed Us version of Premiere magazine published an article, highlighting ten young movie executives, and suggesting that these were people with very big futures ahead of them in the industry.

Given that much is written about movie executives, without actually digging much deeper to find out who they actually are, I thought it was worth tracing what happened to these ten, and – 26 years later – whether Premiere was correct in saluting them as the future of the industry. So, er, I did...

Lance Young

Senior production VP, Paramount Pictures

Pictured in the article on an office swivel chair with some snazzy purple socks, Lance Young, Premiere wrote, had been “groomed for big things since joining Paramount at the age of 23”. He was 30 at the time the article was published, and...

We’re now deep into the McConaissance folks. Yes, in the last few years, we’ve seen Matthew McConaughey really make the leap to the next stage of his career, shaking up the industry in the process. With this week marking the release of his new film The Sea of Trees, I wanted to take a look at his best work to date. Even before I started tackling heavier fare, he was someone I enjoyed, but that’s only grown these days. Whether in supporting or lead roles, he’s a unique and talented actor with a lot to offer. The years to come will be very exciting, both for us and for him… The Sea of Trees is a drama about a pair of suicidal men looking for a way out of a forest in Japan. One is Arthur Brennan (McConaughey), the protagonist, while the other is Takumi Nakamura...

Egypt thinks so, claiming it presents a Zionist view of events. But is it more guilty of being pompous and badly scripted?

Exodus: Gods and Kings review – holy Moses, wholly acceptable for the devoutEgypt bans ‘Zionist’ film

This week, big-budget Hollywood epic Exodus: Gods and Kings was banned in Egypt. “It gives a Zionist view of history and contains historical inaccuracies and that’s why we have decided to ban it,” explained culture minister Gaber Asfour. Reportedly, cinemas in Morocco have also been forbidden to show the film. This comes after one of the most extraordinary cinematic controversies of recent years: the spat over Kim Jong-Un assassination movie The Interview, which allegedly provoked the Sony Pictures hacking scandal and has drawn the governments of the United States and North Korea into a diplomatic contretemps.

The Interview is fantasy rather than history, but it does feature as a major character someone who is real,...

Egypt thinks so, claiming it presents a Zionist view of events. But is it more guilty of being pompous and badly scripted?

Exodus: Gods and Kings review – holy Moses, wholly acceptable for the devoutEgypt bans ‘Zionist’ film

This week, big-budget Hollywood epic Exodus: Gods and Kings was banned in Egypt. “It gives a Zionist view of history and contains historical inaccuracies and that’s why we have decided to ban it,” explained culture minister Gaber Asfour. Reportedly, cinemas in Morocco have also been forbidden to show the film. This comes after one of the most extraordinary cinematic controversies of recent years: the spat over Kim Jong-Un assassination movie The Interview, which allegedly provoked the Sony Pictures hacking scandal and has drawn the governments of the United States and North Korea into a diplomatic contretemps.

The Interview is fantasy rather than history, but it does feature as a major character someone who is real,...

Sam Worthington and Odeya Rush's international action-thriller The Hunter's Prayer has pre-sold in a raft of international markets, as well as snagging new castmembers Martin Compston, Amy Landecker and Verónica Echegui. Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3, U-571) is directing the film adaptation of Kevin Wignall's critically acclaimed novel, For the Dogs, with Sierra/Affinity representing international rights. Paul Leydon, Oren Moverman, John Brancato and Michael Ferris wrote the adapted script. Hunter's Prayer stars Lucas as a solitary assassin hired to kill Rush's character. But his plans go awry afer the two develop a bond, and the duo soon find

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For this week’s spotlight piece, I wanted to take a look at one of the most unusual A-listers that Hollywood has to offer. It’s none other than Matthew McConaughey, a unique star in the business. Up until recently known as a talented but easygoing movie star, he’s since undergone a career transformation that’s not just made him one of the most sought after actors around, but one of the most acclaimed as well. Last year alone, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a very strong year. He’s entered the second phase of his career and could reach the stratosphere before long. McConaughey got his start by stealing his scenes in Dazed and Confused. In fact, that first theatrical role gave him some instantly quotable dialogue and really established him as an interesting new actor on the scene. His next group of roles,...

Director David Ayer made his directorial debut with his original screenplay Harsh Times. The gritty drama, starring Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez, which was released in the fall of 2006. Ayer garnered widespread acclaim and accolades for his hyper-realistic portrayal of life behind the blue line in End of Watch (2012). He moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and the experiences of his upbringing shaped much of his artistic vision and his inside knowledge and affection for the culture surrounding law enforcement can be seen throughout his work.

Ayer joined the United States Navy, where he served as sonar man aboard a nuclear attack submarine during the Cold War. After an honorable discharge, Ayer began writing. He wrote and was a co-producer on his “calling card” spec script Training Day, which became a hit film and garnered Denzel Washington an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Ayer also co-wrote the submarine thriller U-571,...

At least once a month, Cinelinx will chose one director for an in-depth examination of the “signatures” that they leave behind in their work. With the release of Fury this week, let’s examine the trademark style and calling signs of David Ayer as director.

David Ayer began his movie career as a writer, recalling on his experiences in the Navy to write the script for U-571. He worked on several other scripts, including The Fast and The Furious, and Training Day. His feature debut as director was 2005’s Harsh Times, which wasn’t well received. His follow-up was Street Kings (2008), which featured a number of big-name actors, yet didn’t receive too much attention from audiences or critics. End of Watch (2012) is his most successful film to date. It was highly regarded by critics and fit in well with his style and proficiencies as a filmmaker. Ayer got a...

David Ayer co-wrote the underrated Matthew McConaughey World War II submarine movie U-571, and he also wrote and directed the pitch-perfect brothers-in-arms cop drama End of Watch. The first trailer for Fury, his WWII tank movie, looks to bottle elements from both, as Brad Pitt leads a gritty Sherman-tank crew into Germany to help end the war in April 1945. But as Pitt’s Sgt. Collier says in the trailer, “The dying’s not done. The killing’s not done.”

Pitt’s crew—which includes Michael Pena, Shia Labeouf, Jon Bernthal, and Logan Lerman—soon finds itself in over its head against staunch German resistance,...

Filmmaker David Ayer definitely has a thing for telling stories about law enforcement. While his career began writing the 2000 submarine drama U-571, his career since has exclusively filled with cop movies like Training Day, The Fast and the Furious, Dark Blue, S.W.A.T., Harsh Times and End of Watch. He'll finally be breaking this pattern later this year with the release of Fury, his passion project about a tank crew serving in World War II, but before that he'll be departing the genre with a bang, dropping the new film Sabotage - which has just released a brand new extended red band trailer over on IGN. Co-written by Ayer and X-Men Origins: Wolverine/A Good Day To Die Hard screenwriter Skip Woods (uh oh), the new movie follows the members of an elite DEA task force who not only have an exceptional work record together, but have bonded ...

Most of this year's Oscar contenders are based on historical events – and there are academics waiting to pounce on every slip-up and blunder. But there is more to a great movie than getting the facts straight

• Top 10 biopics

• Alex von Tunzelmann's Reel History series

It's Oscars time again, and this year many of the big contenders have one thing in common. Two thirds of the contenders for best film are based on historical events. History also picks up four out of five best actor nominations, two out of five best actresses, and three out of five directors. So fierce has the competition among historical films become that it was reported that academic "history assassins" were paid handsomely by marketing consultants to spot errors in other studios' films. These errors would then be filtered out subtly through blogs, undermining rivals' Oscar hopes.

It was rumoured that sniping about the liberties...

This week’s best new releases on all the Instant Watching platforms.

Spring Breakers (2013)

Harmony Korine’s critical darling from last year is likely to be talked about and discussed for a good long while yet. Holding up an uncomfortable mirror to our youth, Spring Breakers works on a lot of levels not only does it work as a surface level tale of four out of control girls on a debauched trip in Florida but it also works as a story about the spiritual death and rebirth of Generation Y and asks some important questions about how post war culture evolved into something where our youth think licking power tools in music videos is something to aspire to.

There is a scene fairly early on where the two most rebellious of our heroines sit in class discussing oral sex on paper as their tutor drones on about world war two,...

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...

Director Jonathan Mostow has signed on to replace Phillip Noyce on the upcoming action-thriller For the Dogs, which has Sam Worthington and Hailee Steinfeld attached to star.

Oren Moverman (Rampart) wrote the most recent draft of the script, an adaptation of Kevin Wignall's novel, which follows a hitman (Sam Worthington) who helps a young woman (Hailee Steinfeld) get revenge on those responsible for the murder or her parents and younger brother. Paul Leyden (The Factory) wrote the original screenplay adaptation.

Sam Worthington, John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz are producing through their Full Clip Productions company, alongside Anthony Rhulen, Navid McIlhargey, Paul Leyden and Gregory Browne. Production is scheduled to take place this fall.

Jonathan Mostow is best known for directing Surrogates, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and U-571.

For the Dogs comes to theaters in 2014 and stars Sam Worthington, Hailee Steinfeld. The film is directed by Jonathan Mostow.

A director swap has occurred on the adaptation of Kevin Wignall’s novel For the Dogs. Salt director Phillip Noyce was previously attached to direct the thriller with Sam Worthington onboard to star, but Variety now reports that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines director Jonathan Mostow will be taking the helm. Mostow most recently directed 2009’s Surrogates and was also behind the 2000 submarine thriller U-571. Scripted by Oren Moverman (Rampart), For the Dogs centers on a solitary assassin who helps a young college girl seek revenge for the murder of her parents and brother. Worthington is set to play the assassin, while Hailee Steinfeld is onboard as the college girl. Producers are hoping to start production on the film this fall.

Ex-Terminator star Sam Worthington is teaming up with ex-Terminator director Jonathan Mostow for the assassin drama “For the Dogs”. Although the two never actually worked together, I guess you could call this a Terminator reunion of sorts. Or not. Just throwing it out there. Mostow replaces “Salt” director Phillip Noyce, who was attached for a while, but apparently found greener pastures elsewhere. Mostow is most known for “Terminator: Rise of the Machines” and the WWII drama “U-571″, and he also recently directed the Bruce Willis sci-fi actioner “Surrogates”. “For the Dogs”, based on the novel by Kevin Wignall, will star Worthington as “a solitary assassin who agrees to help a bright college girl exact revenge on those who mercilessly murdered her parents and younger brother.” Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) is playing the college girl, making this the third movie for her in 2014 where she’s involved in assassination shenanigans. She...