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Steve Buscemi joins Sam Rockwell in the cast of Martin McDonagh's upcoming movie Wild Horse Nine. One of the most prominent character actors in Hollywood, Buscemi has an impressive filmography, first shooting to fame with a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's debut Reservoir Dogs. He later appeared in several hit movies, including Pulp Fiction, Con Air, The Big Lebowski, and Ghost World. With a strong body of work on television too, including a supporting role in The Sopranos and the lead role in Boardwalk Empire, Buscemi remains one of the most recognizable and iconic stars of film and TV.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Buscemi will replace Mark Ruffalo in Wild Horse Nine, and is also joined by Parker Posey and John Malkovich. The movie, which McDonagh will write and direct, is described as a darkly comedic drama, and will begin shooting later this month in Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island.

Few other fantasy shows reached the pinnacle of fame the way The Vampire Diaries did, and it continued its successful run even three seasons deep. After two incredibly beloved seasons, Tvd offered even more twists and turns in Season 3, making it one of the show's best installments. Stefan, Damon, and Elena combated even more villains and dealt with growing feelings in this season as well.

Season 3 brought with it some of the best plot twists, including ghosts coming back to life and Elena turning into a vampire. Some would say that it was one of the most pivotal seasons of The Vampire Diaries, as it changed relationship dynamics for good. Along with great writing, the third season of Tvd also had some of the best dialogues, which added to its appeal.

Damon and Alaric Witness Stefan's Ripper Side Image via Warner Bros.

Stefan gave up his autonomy to Klaus to...

Noomi Rapace is set to star in female-led action thriller “Traction,” which WestEnd Films is bringing to the EFM.

“Traction” is directed by Lorraine Darrow (“Pas Sages”) and is produced for Elizabeth Bay Prods. by Janette Day, Dennis Davidson and Simon Moseley (“The Man Who Knew Infinity”). Jon Gosier and Chandler Heinz Laun of FilmHedge serve as executive producers, as do Elizabeth Bay’s Grant Hill, Eugin Koh and Clayton Heinz. WestEnd Films will introduce the project to buyers at EFM.

Production is set to begin in August. “Traction” marks WestEnd’s first collaboration with Dennis Davidson’s Elizabeth Bay Prods. and Atlanta-based FilmHedge, after first partnering last year. FilmHedge will finance alongside Elizabeth Bay.

The high-stake thriller follows Kate (Rapace), a former U.S. soldier leading a humanitarian mission through war-torn Chechnya with her Chechen ally Magomed. But their mission turns deadly as they unwittingly harbor a young rebel,...

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This February, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the return of beloved shows like Invincible and Reacher to the much-anticipated teen romantic drama film My Fault: London. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 10 best films that are coming to Prime Video in February 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

A Fish Called Wanda (February 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Credit – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A Fish Called Wanda is a heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton from a screenplay by John Cleese. The 1988 film revolves around a group of thieves and con artists who team up to pull off the perfect heist, but things go horribly wrong because they all try to double-cross each other.

The 2003 indie drama "Thirteen" was widely acclaimed upon release while elevating the careers of filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke (who was paid just $13 for the job) and actors Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed. "Thirteen" was lauded for its searing, contemporary depiction of the lives of impressionable American teenagers. For those looking for movies tackling similar subject matter and themes, there is no shortage of teen coming-of-age dramas. From triumphs to tragedies, plenty of movies have explored the everyday life of American teenagers, both preceding "Thirteen" and released in the 2003 film's wake.

From dramedies to tonally uncompromising dramas, those pivotal teenage years are ripe for cinematic exploration. Even the comedies on this coming-of-age list don't shy away from the heavier parts of the teenage experience, including illegal drug use, mental health concerns, and teen pregnancy. Simply put, growing up can be a grueling ordeal, and these movies find the heartbreak and humor...

It began with the spark of a candle in 1941 related to the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons. Wait, a comic book genre?! No one was certain what to think about pages coming to life. The comic book genre has been under siege during "Awards Season" since 1978 when Christopher Reeve made the world believe a man could fly.

Recently, a different Bat signal had been emblazoned across Hollywood's sky, and it is solid gold. Can we stop hating on this genre now?

It probably won't happen as long as people like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Roland Emmerich, and David Cronenberg are helming Hollywood. They're so influential and vociferous against the comic book genre that it tends to make the award bureaus reconsider a person acting in spandex really isn't "acting." As if cosplay doesn't involve imagination.

And so, hate continues against any visual entertainment from comic books and graphic novels.

Mayfair Witches season 2 improves compared to its first installment, with the supernatural drama getting a better showing on Rotten Tomatoes. The second television show set in the shared Immortal Universe, which is based on the Anne Rice novels, Mayfair Witches premiered after 2022's Interview with the Vampire. It stars Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who learns she is connected to a powerful family of witches and soon gets pulled into a dangerous and high-stakes world.

Mayfair Witches season 2 debuted on AMC and AMC+ on January 5 and is off to a strong start on Rotten Tomatoes. The supernatural drama from creators Michelle Ashford and Esta Spalding holds an 83% based on six reviews. The score is likely to fluctuate as more viewers are added, as season 1 ultimately has 36 reviews. For now, the score, as it currently stands, represents an improvement over season 1's 44%.

What The Reviews Mean For Mayfair Witches...

What some might call Steve Buscemi‘s offbeat good looks combined with his prodigious acting skill has helped to build a long-lasting career that has stolen many a movie or TV show.

Buscemi’s awards history has largely centered on his work in television — he was been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for television, including a win for “Boardwalk Empire;” eight Emmy Award nominations with a win for the short form “Park Bench with Steve Buscemi” and an impressive 11 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, which include four wins for “Boardwalk Empire.” Buscemi also earned one film Globe nom for his supporting work in “Ghost World,” one of his finest performances in any medium.

Let’s look back and rank the 12 greatest film performances of Buscemi’s career. Tour our photo gallery above, ranked worst to best, which includes “Ghost World,” plus “Fargo,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Big Lebowski” and more.

Steve Buscemi is widely regarded to be one of the greatest character actors working today, as he has the ability to steal a film despite having a relatively limited amount of screen time. Buscemi has never been the type of actor who can sell a film based solely on his involvement, but seeing him pop up in classics like Ghost World and The Big Lebowski is always a nice surprise. It should come as no surprise that an actor of Buscemi's caliber would also be a great director, as he has already worked with many of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today. Although he had been doing strong work since his directorial debut Trees Lounge was released in 1992, Buscemis brutal drama Animal Factory features an amazing performance from Willem Dafoe.

Teri Garr, known in part for her unforgettable role in the Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein, has passed away. Per Variety, Garr died on Tuesday in Los Angeles due to complications from multiple sclerosis at 79 years old. She had been living with multiple sclerosis for over two decades, having first revealed her diagnosis in 2002.

Born in Ohio, Garr was raised in North Hollywood before relocating to New York to study acting. After appearing in several Elvis Presley films in the 1960s, her breakthrough role was as Roberta Lincoln in the 1968 Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth." She'd also had minor roles in other 60s shows like Batman and The Andy Griffith Show. She'd also become a regular performer on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and The Ken Berry 'Wow' Show.

In 1974, Garr starred in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein as Inga, an assistant to Gene Wilder's Dr. Frederick Frankenstein; Wilder...

Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress best known for her work in hit comedies like Tootsie and Young Frankenstein, died Tuesday, Oct. 29, at her home in Los Angeles, The New York Times reports. She was 79.

Garr’s publicist confirmed her death, saying it was caused by complications from multiple sclerosis. Garr was diagnosed with Ms in 1999 and revealed it publicly in 2002. In 2006, she suffered a brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for several days, though she eventually regained her ability to speak.

Over four decades, Garr enjoyed a wildly successful and multi-faceted career,...

Teri Garr, the star of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein who earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Tootsie, has died at the age of 79. Best known for her film roles, Garr was a preternaturally gifted comedic genius and a fixture on late-night TV, where she often dropped by The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and Late Night With David Letterman. Garr passed away on October 29 following a prolonged battle with multiple sclerosis, as confirmed by Variety.

In addition to acting, Garr was a trained dancer and talented singer whose early credits included go-go dancing as a background extra. After taking a step back from acting in the late '90s, Garr later revealed in a 2002 interview with Larry King that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system.

Related The Best Performances In Mel Brooks Movies, Ranked

Throughout his long career,...

Ghost World is a peculiar comic book movie that takes a mature look at what female friendships look like in the aftermath of graduating from high school. The film centers on the best friends Rebecca (Scarlett Johnasson) and Enid (Thora Birch), who are united in their shared animosity towards the rest of the students in their class, who they perceive to be less intelligent. However, the two girls soon begin to drift apart when they realize that they have mistaken cynicism for wisdom.

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For an industry often referred to as a "dream factory," it makes sense that what constitutes a success or a failure in the film business is based largely on perception. This is because the necessary facts in judging a film's financial performance are rarely available for outsiders to peruse. As detailed in the showbiz nonfiction classic "Fatal Subtraction: How Hollywood Really Does Business" by Pierce O'Donnell and Dennis McDougal, studios go to great lengths to conceal their "creative" accounting practices — which, in this case, allowed Paramount to use the profits from the Eddie Murphy blockbuster "Coming to America" to cover the company's overall losses.

Still, some movies are such obvious flops there's no way they're actually, despite their lousy box office performance, secret hits, right?

Ask anyone with a general sense of film history to name a film that epitomizes...

The cast of Jurassic World Rebirth includes a wide variety of familiar faces and up-and-coming stars. The movie is the latest installment in the iconic franchise that kicked off in 1993 with the Steven Spielberg classic Jurassic Park, which was adapted from the 1990 Michael Crichton novel of the same name. It was a smash hit both critically and commercially, grossing $1.058 billion against its $63 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year, going on to be nominated for three Oscars and winning all of them, spawning a major multimedia franchise in the process.

There are now seven movies in the Jurassic Park franchise including the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth, with two trilogies apiece centering on largely distinct groups of characters, who were all brought together in the 2022 legacy sequel Dominion. So far, no legacy characters are set to return in Rebirth, as the new movie will introduce a new cast...

Scarlett Johansson has showcased her incredible comedic talents in a variety of films, from quirky black comedies to light-hearted romantic romps. Johansson's ability to blend humor with emotional depth shines through in roles that range from sarcastic social outcasts to heroic mothers. With a diverse filmography that includes animated musicals and satirical WWII comedies, Johansson proves she can excel in any genre.

Over 30 years in show business, Scarlett Johansson has built a reputation as one of the most sought-after actresses working today, although her incredible talent as a comedic performer is sometimes underrated. With so many fantastic roles in dramas, thrillers, and superhero movies, its easy to forget just how much Johansson has excelled in out-and-out comedies and subtly hilarious genre films. Through her ability to lose herself in her roles, Johansson has showcased that she can be truly hilarious in almost any cinematic environment.

The best Johansson movies highlighted...

Dynamic duos have been a staple in film for years. When audiences think of these pairings, their mind typically goes to superhero teams like Batman and Robin. They may even think of odd couples like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in Twins or Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour franchise. Save for a few obvious examples like Thelma and Louise, it can sometimes be hard for viewers to come up with too many iconic examples of female duos in movies.

Across all genres, there have been stellar examples of female best friends on the screen. These characters are often nuanced and fully developed. They support one another through thick and thin, and in many cases, push each other to succeed, break their comfort zone, or follow the morally right path. Based on the quality of these films and the natural chemistry of the characters, audiences shouldn't overlook...

Scarlett Johansson shines in sci-fi roles with exceptional commitment to performing. Legendary directors brought out Johansson's talent in science fiction films. Despite mixed reception, Johansson impressed in Eight Legged Freaks, Ghost in the Shell, Lucy, The Island, and Under the Skin.

Scarlett Johansson has made a name for herself as one of the most sought-after actors working today, and several of her greatest performances were in science-fiction movies. Johansson has taken up sci-fi roles since early in her career, such as in the little-known creature feature Eight Legged Freaks, right up to more recent releases like the controversial manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell. Across all these roles, Johansson delivered the same exceptional commitment to performing that she has shown throughout her varied career in Hollywood.

The best Scarlett Johansson movies included work with legendary directors, and her science fiction offers were no different. With fantastic performances in movies by filmmakers such as Jonathan Glazer,...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Fly Me to the Moon.

Fly Me to the Moon stars well-known actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash, and Ray Romano. The character Kelly Jones leads the marketing of the Apollo 11 moon landing and helps fake the moon landing in case the real one fails. The movie features a star-studded cast and explores themes of space exploration, politics, and the influence of marketing on public perception.

The movie Fly Me to the Moon includes superstar actors like Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, as well as less-famous names who offer compelling performances. The Apple historical comedy follows a woman named Kelly Jones who gets hired to market the Apollo 11 moon landing, increasing interest for the American public. However, she soon learns that appealing to the masses isnt her only job. The government wants her to create a video that fakes...

Mayfair Witches season 2 premiere is confirmed for 2025 with an intriguing teaser. The season 1 finale hints at Rowan's evolving powers and introduces new characters. Season 2 will add new characters, including Rowan's ex-boyfriend.

AMC confirms the release window for Mayfair Witches season 2, as the supernatural drama extends Anne Rice's universe. The second television show set in the shared Immortal Universe, based on Rice's novels, Mayfair Witches premiered after 2022's Interview with the Vampire. It stars Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who learns she is connected to a powerful family of witches. With a cast including Tongayi Chirisa, Jack Huston, and Harry Hamlin, Mayfair Witches season 2 was renewed in February 2023.

A new teaser shared by AMC's Immortal Universe on social media, confirms that Mayfair Witches season 2 will premiere in 2025. An exact date has not yet been announced.

The legacy continues. #MayfairWitches returns to @AMC_TV and @AMCPlus in 2025. pic.

The 9-1-1 cast is mourning the loss of a member of the crew after a horrific car crash. 20th Television confirmed the crew member’s death in a statement. Continue reading to learn the details of the awful accident.

Rico Priem From The 9-1-1 Crew Died Over The Weekend

Rico Priem, 66, died on Saturday, May 11. He was a beloved crew member on the set of the ABC drama series 9-1-1.

Priem worked as a grip on the set of the show. After a 14-hour overnight shift, he was involved in an accident on the highway. The accident occurred in Pomona, California.

California Highway Patrol officials reported that Priem was driving a Toyota Highlander and was headed north on the 57 Freeway. At Via Verde Drive, his vehicle left the tarmac and “went up an embankment, and flipped onto its roof.”

The studio, 20th Television, released a statement to People. “On...

A crew member on 9-1-1 died early Saturday morning in a car accident on the highway following a 14-hour overnight shift.

Rico Priem, a grip for the Fox procedural and a member of the crew union IATSE Local 80, was involved in a car crash after working Friday night through Saturday morning on a location shoot in Pomona, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. IATSE and the show’s studio, 20th Television, confirmed the death in statements on Monday after crew members began posting about the tragedy on social media over the weekend.

“We are fully committed to the safety and the well-being of all our members and express our heartfelt condolences to the member’s family,” IATSE said in its statement. “Workers have a reasonable expectation that they can get to work and come home safely. No one should be put in unsafe circumstances while trying to earn a living.

Black Forest Films, the multi-award winning team behind My Cherry Pie (2022), The Viper’s Hex (2018) and Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla (2014), and Mad Alice Productions have unveiled the first images and synopsis for their upcoming feature film, An American Masquerade.

Two failing actors and a porn star. A car full of contraband. One hell of a road trip…

Scott Mifune (Yoji Yamada) and Lenny Bulger (Dylan Heath) are two failed actors attempting to eke out an existence in Portland, Oregon. Between smoking weed and embarrassing auditions, their dreams of moving back to Hollywood are seemingly dying. That is until a change of luck finds them with an opportunity to make a large sum of money to transport drugs to LA. En route, they defend a porn starlet, Indiana Union (Elissa Dowling), from her violent manager and she joins them on their journey. Along the way, the trio meet a wild array of criminals,...

For as long as “teenager” has been a demographic, there have been stories about teens breaking free from the status quo. While a lot of the modern great teen rebellion media is confined to the world of TV — where shows like “Euphoria” attract constant buzz — the archetypal troubled teen story remains 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause.” Starring James Dean in unquestionably his defining role, a rebellious teen struggling with his demons in L.A., Nicholas Ray’s film spoke to young people at the time with its story of high schoolers struggling with, and going against, the social pressures that bring them down. Over the years it became a touchstone because its themes and its honesty transcends generations.

As the teen film has evolved and morphed as a genre, there’s always been room for stories of iconoclastic youth who don’t fit in with the status quo. Oftentimes, these...

My standard complaint about the Black Hammer comics is that they’re mostly static, locked into an initial premise that wasn’t all that exciting to begin with. I suppose that’s in distinction to “real” superhero comics, which rely on the façade of change – someone is always dying, someone’s costume is always changing, someone is always making a heel-face turn, and worlds are inevitably always living and dying so that nothing will ever be the same – but it’s not self-reflective enough to count as irony.

But some kinds of stories aren’t supposed to change anything – the whole point is that they don’t, and can’t, change the things we already know. Jam comics by entirely different creators tend to fall into that bucket: they’re sometimes “real” and sometimes not, but even if they’re canonical, they don’t push the canon in any direction.

Scarlett Johansson is one of the most successful Hollywood actors out there. That is to be expected from a star who has acted in a plethora of famous works, including the likes of Avengers, Lucy, Her, and Lost in Translation, amongst other famous works. But that doesn’t mean that she has not faced the odd setback. Even she has had to face numerous rejections time and again, including losing out on a role to Lindsay Lohan.

Scarlett Johansson did not have it easy

Scarlett Johansson was turned down for many roles in her early days

Before Scarlett Johansson made it big as a Hollywood star, she had her fair share of struggles in the industry. It must be difficult for fans to believe that the Marriage Story star found it difficult to catch her big break very early.

That is the the case with most stars though. It is...

Scarlett Johansson has been a star in a wide variety of films over the past thirty years. She had a prosperous early career, starring in films such as Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World (2001). However, she also had the unpleasant experience of hearing fans boo one of her career’s best films.

Yes, we are discussing Under the Skin. Despite the negative feedback, the talented actress did not let it bring her down. Instead, she sought sound advice that helped her keep things in perspective. Her career has seen critical and commercial peaks and troughs over the last 20 years, some of which are not necessarily aligned.

Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin

In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Johansson stated that she would rather experience both the highs and lows of success and failure than “tepid” mediocrity. The audience “booed” the 2013 flick, which made...

What’s new on Amazon’s Prime Video in February 2024?

In light of Valentine’s Day, Prime Video nailed it. This February, the platform is bringing a variety of new shows and movies for you and yours. There is something for everyone — from the latest releases to classic romantic comedies to thrillers and more.

Rom-com “Upgraded,” starring Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux, hits the streamer on Friday, while a series adaptation of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s steamy spy thriller “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is already taking the world by storm since its Feb. 2 debut with stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.

The platform will also debut 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” with Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson, last year’s animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and the well-liked 2014 indie “St.Vincent” with Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts and Chris O’Dowd.

And don’t forget about...

Prime Video’s big February drop is Mr. & Mrs. Smith! No, not the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie action movie, but a new TV series kinda based on it starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. The set up for the show version? Glover and Erskine are two strangers who both get jobs at a shady spy agency and are asked to get married so that they can pretend to be a couple undercover, but things get more complicated when they start falling in love for real. Uh oh!

If you’re in the mood for a movie or two this month, you can also check out the Prime debuts of Strays, Bottoms, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. In the meantime, here’s everything coming to Amazon Prime Video and Freevee this month. Amazon Originals are accompanied by an asterisk!

New on Amazon Prime Video – February 2024

February 1

12 Angry Men...

Clockwise from top left: Jeff, Who Lives At Home (Screenshot); The Farewell (Photo: A24); igby Goes Down (Screenshot); Election (Screenshot); Young Adult (Screenshot); Friends With Kids (Screenshot); Ghost World (Screenshot)Graphic: The A.V. Club

Streaming libraries expand and contract. Algorithms are imperfect. Those damn thumbnail images are always changing. But...

Love is in the air this February at Prime Video! From the long-awaited espionage comedy series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” to Jennifer Lopez’s new album companion film “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story,” the streamer is days away from adding dozens of classic and fresh titles to its seemingly endless catalog, including the premieres of many more Amazon Originals like “The Second Best Hospital in The Galaxy,” “Five Blind Dates,” and “The Silent Service.”

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for February on Prime Video, and find out everything coming to the platform this coming month!

30-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Prime Video in February 2024? “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” | Friday, Feb. 2

Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star in the long-awaited spy comedy series about two lonely strangers who land a job working for a mysterious spy agency...

Jim Carrey once called himself the “Tom Hanks of the Golden Globes” after his second straight victory with the Hollywood Foreign Press in 2000 (for “Man on the Moon” following “The Truman Show”). He could win with that group but somehow couldn’t impress Oscar voters. And he’s not the only actor in that situation. Our photo gallery features Carrey among the 20 actors who’ve never been nominated for an Oscar.

Even Academy Awards hosts such as Billy Crystal and Steve Martin haven’t been noticed by Oscar voters other than seeing them perform on the ceremony stage. They have both received critics awards and Golden Globe nominations in their long careers. Martin has at least received an honorary Oscar, but alas no individual nomination for either one throughout their careers.

Other Golden Globe film winners have included Richard Gere (“Chicago”) and Hugh Grant (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”). Our...

Thora Birch has been performing in Hollywood since she was just a tiny tyke, famously playing Dani Dennison in the cult Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus," where she becomes the target of the malevolent Sanderson sisters. But although one of her most memorable roles came in 1993, when she was just 11 years old, that was far from the end of her career as an actress. Birch has continued to work in the industry, lending her talents to television series, films, music videos, and even podcasts over the years. 

Birch's career has been defined by a few standout performances in films that captured the imaginations of audiences everywhere, but one of the most inspiring aspects of her time in Hollywood is that whenever she has been in danger of being completely subsumed by these larger-than-life roles, she shifts gears, navigating a career as a performer on her own terms. If you haven't given...

An actor's body is their instrument, and depending on one's versatility, that instrument can produce all kinds of music. To cite a pair of extreme examples, Robert De Niro famously packed on 70 pounds to play post-retirement Jake Lamotta in "Raging Bull," while Christian Bale dropped 60 pounds to play the emaciated main character of "The Machinist."

For the most part, though, actors are cast according to physical type, which means they shouldn't have to drastically alter their appearance to play a specific role (because there's a bevy of talented actors who fit a variety of types). Still, there are parts that require rigorous training, like action movies. If you're going to play a character who can take out multiple adversaries at once with their bare hands, you've got to look convincing on camera. This means loads of combat training in different martial arts disciplines. Above all, this means getting in shape.

(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 we talk about Christmas movies and holiday classics, so often, we're talking about movies that came out decades ago, like "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), "Miracle on 34th Street" (1957), "A Christmas Story" (1983), or "Scrooged" (1988). Even "Home Alone" was released in 1990 and that feels downright modern compared to many of these films that have been in rotation for longer than a fair number of you reading this have been alive. The point is, it's tough to gain that coveted holiday classic status. But 20 years ago, Jon Favreau and Will Ferrell teamed up to give us the definitive modern Christmastime classic: "Elf."

The journey this movie traveled to eventually become the classic that it is today was not a simple one. It was in...

The kids from Hocus Pocus reunited after 30 years for an event in Salem, Massachusetts, in honor of the movie's anniversary. The event, called "It's Just a Buncha Halloween," included a costume party, drag show, raffle, and more. Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, and Jason Marsden reunited as part of the event.

The kids from Hocus Pocus have reunited 30 years later. The 1993 cult classic followed a group of kids in Salem on Halloween night squaring off against the Sanderson sisters, a trio of resurrected witches played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Those kids included new transplant Max (Omri Katz), his little sister Dani (Thora Birch), Max's love interest Allison (Vinessa Shaw), and Thackery Binx, a teenager trapped in the body of a cat (voiced by Jason Marsden).

Per Bloody Disgusting, in honor of the Hocus Pocus 30th anniversary, Salem, Massachusetts held an event called It’s Just a Buncha Halloween.

I Hate People, People Hate Me, a new six-episode dark comedy about two friends navigating Toronto’s queer community as outliers, will debut this November on CBC Gem.

Produced by LoCo Motion Pictures and hailing from creator and star Bobbi Summers, the series will hit the streaming service on Nov. 7, with the first two episodes set to stream globally the same day on the CBC Comedy YouTube channel. Ahead of its release, the series has also dropped a red-band trailer offering a (mature) first look at the show, which is directed by Blake Mawson and also stars Lily Kazimiera and Alden McWayne.

An exploration of queer identity as queerness has become more mainstream and commodified, the offbeat comedy is inspired tonally, in part, by films like Ghost World, Good Burger and Welcome to the Dollhouse alongside Summers’ diaries, written while in their 20s. The show follows Jovi (Summers) and Tabitha...

It’s been 30 years since Winifred Sanderson and her sisters put a spell on fans, and “Hocus Pocus” remains a Halloween classic. So, what are the witchy women up to these days? What about the kids they tormented? Well, at least when it comes to the latter, they aren’t kids anymore.

In fact, you can catch most of them at fan conventions across the country when they aren’t on-screen. Vinessa Shaw, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Jason Marsden have reunited more than a few times at events in the last few years, as “Hocus Pocus” found its cult following later in its life cycle.

As for the Sanderson sisters, well, they’re obviously still hard at work in Hollywood too. In fact, they just reunited last year for “Hocus Pocus 2” on Disney+.

You can see what the ‘Hocus Pocus” cast looks like now in the photos below.

In The Vampire Diaries, death doesn't always mean the end, as many characters return as spirits or ghosts with a purpose. Characters like Vicki, Rose-Marie, and Lexi make multiple appearances as ghosts or spirits throughout the show. Other characters like Mason, Sheila, Kol, and Frederick also make returns from the Other Side to seek revenge or help their loved ones.

The Vampire Diaries is notorious for killing off characters who later return from death. In a town like Mystic Falls, which is chock-full of supernatural creatures, it makes sense that death doesn't always mean the end. While some characters, like Jenna Sommers, die and remain dead, The Vampire Diaries brings back many fan-favorite players, like Lexi Branson and Vicki Donovan.

Most characters who die in The Vampire Diaries return as either spirits or ghosts. Spirits and ghosts in Mystic Falls usually have two reasons for returning: they want to help someone,...

It’s been over 10 years since Speedy Ortiz shared their debut album, Major Arcana. Now, the beloved indie quartet is paying homage to the record with a 10th anniversary reissue featuring remastered versions of the songs, due out on November 17th. Listen to the first preview — a remastered version of “Tiger Tank” — below.

Major Arcana became an indie hit when it dropped in 2013, with Consequence’s Katherine Flynn writing at the time that Speedy Ortiz had masterfully utilized older sounds and styles, while still offering something entirely new and compellingly raw. “This is the real deal, ripped from notebook pages, the torn, frilly edges still hanging on,” Flynn wrote.

For her part, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis explained that the album is teeming with the energy of the band’s early, DIY days. “Speedy made Major Arcana in a flash of momentum — four days of recording at Sonelab with our pal Justin Pizzoferrato,...

With its 30th-anniversary rerelease the family-friendly Witches of Eastwick secures its status as a sweet-natured and sometimes weirdly brutal cult favourite

Maybe it’s beside the point to have a 30th-anniversary rerelease for Disney’s Halloween witch comedy starring Bette Midler – it’s been on a kind of permanent, low-level rerelease for three decades. The persistent, annual revival on US TV since it bombed on its cinema release in 1993 is supposed to be what’s gradually turned this film into a slow-burn success and then a cult favourite. Watching it again reveals Hocus Pocus to be … well … the pretty good film that it should have been recognised as at the time, a sort of family-friendly Witches of Eastwick.

A cheeky 17th-century prologue sequence in Salem, Massachusetts establishes that – whatever Arthur Miller might claim – witches with evil power were a real thing and the menfolk of the time were entirely justified in hating and fearing them.

Over the course of 100 minutes, Lost in Translation explores the relationship between two lost souls. Romantic and well-observed, with rich performances from Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, the movie captures the longing shared by two people who don’t belong anywhere. And yet, despite the film’s many achievements, the conversation around Lost in Translation has been dominated by one question: “What did he say?”

At the end of the film, aging actor Bob Harris (Murray) hugs young grad student and newlywed Charlotte and whispers something in her ear. Writer-director Sofia Coppola puts just enough of the whisper into the mix to suggest that maybe it should be heard by a viewer who pays enough attention, but not enough to register, even with subtitles.

For 20 years, some corners of film fandom have obsessed over the question, as if hearing that brief bit of dialogue would unlock the meaning of the...

While our massive, 60-film fall movie preview gives a hint at what to expect this season, it’s time to dive deeper into September. With films from Ethan Coen, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Luca Guadagnino being ripped off the month’s release calendar because studios don’t want to pay actors and writers fairly, it means the fall’s first offerings are a bit lighter––thankfully giving some truly independent productions further room to shine.

12. The Storms of Jeremy Thomas (Mark Cousins; Sept. 22 in theaters)

What do films like David Cronenberg’s Crash, Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, Nagisa Ôshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and (many) more have in common? They were produced by Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas. A new documentary by cinephile Mark Cousins, The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, explores the making of his most notable films.

With the summer movie season now quietly winding down, the fall movie season is upon us and while we expect a handful of release dates to change as writers and actors fight for what they deserve, it’s time to look at what’s on the horizon. As we do each year, after highlighting the best films offered thus far, we’ve set out to provide an overview of the titles that should be on your radar.

Featuring 40 films, the below preview includes both the best we’ve already seen (with full reviews where available) and the anticipated with (mostly) confirmed release dates over the next four months. A good amount will premiere over the next few weeks at Telluride, Venice, TIFF, and NYFF, so check back for our reviews. Dates below are theatrical releases unless otherwise noted.

Astrakan (David Depesseville; Sept. 1)

Astrakhan fur is unique: dark, beautiful, and stripped exclusively from newborn lambs,...

Kicking off the fall movie season, Knives and Skin director Jennifer Reeder is returning with Perpetrator, a coming-of-age, feminist horror-noir feature. The Berlinale and Tribeca selection starring Kiah McKirnan, Melanie Liburd, Christopher Lowell, and Alicia Silverstone was picked up by Shudder for a theatrical and streaming release on September 1st and now the first trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Jonny Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan) is a reckless teen sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone). On her 18th birthday, she experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called Forevering. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator.”

David Katz said in his Berlinale review, “Just when you thought filmmakers and creators had exhausted everything worth saying in American high school-set comedies and thrillers, along comes Chicago-based independent Jennifer Reeder, who seems devoted to...

The actor who played the character of Doofy in Scary Movie has dreamed up an idea for a new spinoff, but will the movie ever get made? Released in 2000 to a strong reception from audiences, Scary Movie cleverly spoofed the biggest horror franchises of the day with its signature brand of low-brow humor. Making stars out of the likes of Anna Faris and Regina Hall, the film eventually spawned a bevy of sequels that each took aim at different notable horror movies and their well-known tropes. Even if critics never came around to them, Scary Movie became a veritable franchise in the 2000s.

One of the most memorable parodies from 2000's Scary Movie was the extended spoofing of 1996's Scream, and the film pulled no punches when it came to picking apart the popular Wes Craven meta-slasher series. The comedy hit also lovingly mocked Scream's iconic twist ending when it...

I honestly never expected Steven Spielberg in a Criterion Channel series––certainly not one that pairs him with Kogonada, anime, and Johnny Mnemonic––but so’s the power of artificial intelligence. Perhaps his greatest film (at this point I don’t need to tell you the title) plays with After Yang, Ghost in the Shell, and pre-Matrix Keanu in July’s aptly titled “AI” boasting also Spike Jonze’s Her, Carpenter’s Dark Star, and Computer Chess. Much more analog is a British Noir collection obviously carrying the likes of Odd Man Out, Night and the City, and The Small Back Room, further filled by Joseph Losey’s Time Without Pity and Basil Dearden’s It Always Rains on Sunday. (No two ways about it: these movies have great titles.) An Elvis retrospective brings six features, and the consensus best (Don Siegel’s Flaming Star) comes September 1.

While Isabella Rossellini...

Comic book movies are everywhere. At the beginning of the millennium, comic and graphic novel adaptations were uncommon, with the critical failure of "Batman and Robin" putting the breaks on many studios' plans for future superhero fare. Nowadays, we are spoiled by the veritable bounty of comic book re-imaginings, from the indomitable machine of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the many spin-offs of "The Walking Dead" to the Oscar-winning success of "Joker." We live in a time where even "Madame Web" is getting a big-budget film. Truly, our cup runneth over.

Of course, the trend is currently for superheroes and hasn't expanded much beyond that limited subgenre. Comic books are like any other artistic medium: they encompass seemingly limitless potential across styles, themes, genres, and intents. There are exceptions, from the mundane realism of "Ghost World" and "American Splendor" to the rip-roaring golden age adventuring of "The Adventures of Tintin.

Scarlett Johansson admits feeling hopeless about her career after losing a big role to Sandra Bullock. Having established herself as an actor in smaller movies like Ghost World, Lost in Translation and several Woody Allen projects, Johansson in the early 2010s began making her move to become an A-list star in blockbuster projects. Her big break of course came in 2010 when she starred as Black Widow in Iron Man 2, the role that launched her long run as a major figure in the massive MCU superhero franchise, turning her into a global superstar.

Johansson’s rise to worldwide fame did not come easily however, as she reveals in a new Variety profile, in which she talks about one of the big roles she pursued but missed out on: the lead in Alfonso Cuarón’s hit sci-fi/action movie Gravity. Johansson spoke about being devastated by losing the lead in Gravity to the aforementioned Bullock,...

The first weekend of May brings many things. May 4th is a celebration of Star Wars Day, the Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May, and the summer movie season begins. For over a decade, the tradition has typically been the release of a Marvel superhero movie. The other major event is Free Comic Book Day, an annual tradition held by various comic book stores in North America to attract new viewers. With the exception of 2020 and 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event has always been held on the first Saturday in May.

This event has been an annual tradition for many, but it is a relatively recent creation. In fact, Free Comic Book Day is thanks to the rise in superhero movies in the early 2000s. This is the history of Free Comic Book Day and how Superhero movies created a summer event for families nationwide.

Spider-Man...