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Goat rapper Eminem has never shied away from dissing at his peers in the entertainment industry, and P Diddy and Jennifer Lopez weren’t spared from his jabs either. Back in 2000, with his track I’m Back, he name-dropped the rap mogul on his album, and managed to pull in his then-girlfriend Lopez as well. Referencing the fact that the rapper was involved in a romantic relationship with the boss babe back then, his song included the words,

Cause if I ever stuck it to any singer in showbiz. It’d be Jennifer Lopez and Puffy, you know this. I’m sorry, Puff, but I don’t give a f**k.

That’s not all. Adding to this, the Without Me singer even went as far as fantasizing about Lopez with some really vile things, saying he’d still have s-x with her even if she were his mother. And yet,...

Pam Grier is universally recognized as the first female action movie hero. Grier is a trailblazer and an icon. It’s no wonder Quentin Tarantino wanted to feature her as the titular character in his 1997 exploitation throwback Jackie Brown.

Jackie Brown is an iconic effort and peak Tarantino. Though it was somewhat underrated upon release, I think people are coming to recognize just how effective it really is.

In addition to directing, Tarantino also wrote the script for the film. He adapted the screenplay for Jackie Brown from the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. Rum Punch is far from the only one of Leonard’s novels adapted for the screen. Celebrated director Steven Soderbergh previously adapted his novel Out of Sight with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez playing the lead roles.

In addition to Grier, Jackie Brown stars Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and Robert De Niro.

Starz has announced the movie and TV titles that will be available on the service in February. The Starz February 2025 schedule includes the climactic season finale of The Couple Next Door, starring Sam Heughan from Outlander.

The Starz app expands in February with a diverse slate of films, including 1992, starring Tyrese Gibson, Asteroid City, Every Body, The Crow, Greedy People, White House Down and more.

The Couple Next Door

In honor of Black History Month, Starz shines a spotlight on Black filmmakers with its Focus on Black Directors collection, featuring powerful titles like The Butler, Law Abiding Citizen and Emperor.

For Valentine’s Day, get your heart racing with an action-packed selection, including Borderlands, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

1992 Starz Highlight

The Couple Next Door

The grass isn’t always greener in this seemingly idyllic neighborhood where danger lurks behind...

Eminem has never hesitated to call out some of the biggest celebrities in his raps. However, Sean Combs aka P. Diddy has been a recurring subject of his fiery verses for over two decades. But Slim Shady shook the music industry when he linked Combs to the controversial death of 2Pac in his 2018 track Killshot.

Eminem in 8 Mile | Credits: Universal Pictures

In the 90s, the world of rap was undergoing a disturbing time as the East Coast-West Coast feud was at its peak with Sean Combs and Suge Knight leading the two fronts. The violent atmosphere ultimately led to the two tragic deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.

Multiple theories and reports have linked the controversial death of Tupac Shakur aka 2Pac to P. Diddy. The rumors gained more weight when 2Pac’s accused killer Duane “Keefe D” Davis also asserted that Diddy allegedly put a...

After Diddy’s alleged crimes have come to light thanks to a domino effect started by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, there are a ton of conspiracy theories floating around the Internet. We are not going to lie; many do seem pretty believable but some are so far-fetched that wrapping our heads around it. Eminem’s name has been coming up in the scenario ever since the lyrics for his song Fuel became popular on the Internet.

Diddy on Late Night with Seth Meyers | Credits: NBC

Now, a conspiracy theory regarding Eminem, Diddy, and Rihanna has made its way to the Internet and while it does sound pretty out there, anything is possible at this point. The wild theory has something to do with Eminem and Rihanna’s hit song, The Monster, and it just might make you go, “Wtf?”

Bizarre Conspiracy Theory Links ‘The Monster’ to Diddy Rihanna in the...

Prior to his death, Tupac Shakur and P. Diddy weren’t exactly on the nicest of terms, especially after the former joined Diddy’s rival label, Death Row. Moreover, the Life Goes On rapper vehemently believed that the Bad Boy Records owner was somewhat involved with his earlier shooting back in ’94.

Tupac in All About U Music Video | Credit: All Eyez on Me

While Diddy himself has denied these claims, Duane Davis, the accused killer of Tupac, claimed that the former allegedly offered a handsome amount to take out his rival musician, and added he had no hesitations about taking the alleged job.

Diddy Allegedly Offered a Handsome Paycheck To Take out Tupac Diddy | Credit: The Wendy Williams Show/YouTube

Given the extremely tense situations of the late 90s, which surged from the East Coast/West Coast feud at the time, according to Tupac’s accused killer, Diddy allegedly put...

On his way to becoming the King of Rap, Eminem has never hesitated to blast some of the greatest pop culture names in his verses. From Kanye West to Lizzo and Diddy to Ja Rule, many big faces have been a part of his ruthless lyrics. Interestingly, even Amber Heard was also not spared by the Slim Shady.

Eminem in the Music Video of Sing For The Moment | Credits: Eminem’s YouTube

Amber Heard was subjected to numerous headlines after some crazy secrets came out in her infamous legal battle against her ex-husband Johnny Depp. It looks like the widely-publicized trial also left a mark on Eminem’s head. The hitmaker made a wild reference to the Aquaman star in his 2024 track, Lucifer.

Nobody expected to spot Amber Heard in Eminem’s 12th studio album Amber Heard in Aquaman | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the craziest revelations that came...

The world of entertainment and Hollywood is going through a turmoil given the recent arrest of Sean P Diddy Combs on some serious charges. With more details discovered day by day, the case seems to be turning even more serious and controversial. While Combs’ late girlfriend’s alleged memoir made headlines a couple of days ago, it is now legendary rapper Eminem who has been garnering attention about Diddy.

Diddy Aka Sean Combs in the Closer to God Mv | Credits: Youtube via @diddy

The lyrical genius just released a new album in July titled The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), and several of the songs apparently mention Diddy and his alleged crimes. As the lyrics went viral recently, fans went on to praise Eminem for his genius.

Eminem Apparently Tried to Expose Diddy via His Lyrics

The music mogul, rapper, and music producer, Diddy was recently arrested by...

Revelations about Sean Combs, better known as Diddy, have come to light and many people are shocked. Now, many people online are recognizing other artists who seemed to be hinting at what was going on with Diddy all along. One of the artists is Eminem. What he had to say in his recent song “Fuel” has sent fans reeling. Continue reading for a breakdown of the lyrics, plus what fans are saying.

Breaking Down Eminem’s Lyrics In ‘Fuel’

People online are praising Eminem after listening to lyrics from his new song “Fuel,” which was released in July. The song is part of the rapper’s latest album “The Death of Slim Shady.”

In the song, Eminem seems to take direct shots at Diddy. As music lovers listened to the lyrics, their jaws dropped.

As many people know, Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested last week and charged with a laundry list of sex crimes.

Helldivers 2 players were rejoicing, knowing that they had managed to eradicate the Automatons from Super Earth and were waiting for another enemy faction they wanted to stamp out of the galaxy. But it turns out that the evil robots have returned in full force and are wreaking havoc.

The Automatons have also dropped a diss track against Super Earth, which is much sicker than Eminem’s, and it says a lot about these bots’ mindset. This has worked for the enemy forces, as players are feeling offended as well.

Automatons Are Back in Helldivers 2 With a Diss Track The Automatons have returned in Helldivers 2 and they bring a diss track.

The latest Operation Swift Disassembly in Helldivers 2 was a success, with players eradicating the Automaton faction, but somehow they returned. It was revealed that the last force was just a vanguard, and a huge fleet had begun an assault in Cyberstan and other nearby planets.

Deadpool and Wolverine have similar powers, but their healing factors work differently. Deadpool's healing factor was designed specifically for him and does not heal injuries, but rapidly creates cells being killed by his cancer. Wolverine's healing factor constantly heals his body to its original form, but he cannot grow back lost limbs like Deadpool can.

There are many similarities between Deadpool and Wolverine, but the mutant healing factor fans believe to be the same between the two couldn’t be more different. They may be effectively immortal and unkillable, but the way their abilities work within their bodies is not what most fans assume.

As shown in Deadpool #3 written by Daniel Way with art by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, and Marte Gracia, the true nature of Deadpool's healing factor is explained. While Wade wasn’t born with his healing factor, he is the only living organism it was designed and works for.

Quentin Tarantino has only made one movie adapted from another writer’s work: his third feature-length directorial effort, 1997’s Jackie Brown. It revolves around the titular flight attendant (Pam Grier) who plays a gun runner and the Atf against each other so that she comes out on top. Jackie Brown is often called Tarantino’s most underrated movie. It’s not as flashy as Pulp Fiction or as action-packed as Kill Bill or as daring and darkly comedic as Inglourious Basterds, but it is perhaps Tarantino’s most mature movie. Jackie Brown focuses more on emotions and human connection than graphic violence and pop culture references (although there’s still plenty of that to enjoy).

Tarantino tends to come up with his stories and characters himself. He’s the winner of two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, making him one of just five screenwriters to have won the award more than once.

"Why on Earth do you keep poking holes in our plan?" Netflix has unveiled a new trailer for a quirky WWII comedy called Operation Mincemeat, from filmmaker John Madden. This was released in Warner Bros in the UK earlier this year, and Netflix is releasing it in the US this summer (both in theaters and streaming). During WWII, two witty intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to try to outwit German troops. They were recruited to hep pull the attention away from a planned invasion in 1943, so that the Allied forces could gather their troops. Colin Firth stars as Ewen Montagu, Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley, plus Johnny Flynn as Ian Fleming, with a cast including Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Jason Isaacs, Lorne MacFadyen, Alex Jennings, Rufus Wright, Mark Gatiss, Hattie Morahan. This looks like a clever twist ...

"Why on Earth do you keep poking holes in our plan?" Warner Bros UK has released an official trailer for a kooky WWII movie called Operation Mincemeat, the latest from filmmaker John Madden. Uncover a most extraordinary true story lead by an all-star cast, adapted from a book called "Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory". During WWII, two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to try to outwit German troops. They were recruited to pull the attention away from a planned invasion in 1943, so that the Allied forces could gather their troops. Colin Firth stars as Ewen Montagu, Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley, plus Johnny Flynn as Ian Fleming, with a cast including Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Jason Isaacs, Lorne MacFadyen, Alex Jennings, Rufus Wright, Mark ...

Nick Cannon and The Black Squad have dropped another Eminem diss track, but “Pray For Him” seems to be getting the same response from the internet as “The Invitation.”

Which is, to say, a very small percentage of people are embracing Cannon’s guns-blazing approach — or even the notion that the “Masked Singer” host would be fit to sharpen Slim Shady’s lyric-writing No. 2 pencils.

Though “Pray For Him” is a better diss song than “The Invitation” was, this one is even a better example of Cannon’s collaborators doing the heavy lifting. As talented as some of them are, the opinion of social media users — and this writer — seems to be that they don’t stand a chance against Marshall Mathers, solo or in summation.

Also Read: Twitter Is Not Backing Nick Cannon on His Eminem Diss Track, 'The Invitation' (Audio)

For his part, all Eminem has...

In the streaming era, major hits tend to be sluggish: Between 2012 and 2017, the average tempo of the 25 most-streamed tracks on Spotify fell by 23 beats per minute, to 90.5 b.p.m..

Why? There are plenty of theories: the utter and total dominance of southern hip-hop, which revels in slower speeds; a bleak national mood that leaves people uninterested in brisk, peppy tracks; and streaming platforms’ obsession with all things “chill,” which leaves little room for anything vigorous and potentially jarring.

Back in 2017, songwriters and producers also suggested that favored tempos — like everything in pop — are cyclical,...

Songstress Ariana Grande has established a new YouTube record for most-watched video in a 24-hour period following a debut.

Grande’s hit, Thank U, Next, topped previous record holders and K-pop superstars Bts’s Idol. Released at 12 noon Pacific time on Friday, Thank U, Next has now passed 46 million viewers, edging Bts’s 45.9 million total in just under 22 hours. The Bts record was set in August, eclipsing Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do.

The Grande video, which combines lyrics on her tumultuous romantic life with visuals reminiscent of early 2000 female-driven films, had 829,000 viewers watching simultaneously at its peak, generating 516,000 chat messages during its debut stages, the latter also a record. The flood of comments was so overwhelming that YouTube experienced a delay in posting them.

Actors in the video include Mean Girls stars Jonathan Bennett and Stefanie Drummond, and features an amusing take by momager Kris Jenner...

“Lucha Underground” has become a cult hit with wrestling fans, thanks in large part to the elaborate backstage segments that have given the show an otherworldly mythology that has gotten bigger with each season. Skip Chaisson, director of those cutscenes, takes TheWrap behind the scenes with notes on his favorite shots from the El Rey series and what inspired them.

Episode 1: The Opening Fight Scene: “Inspired by an old El Santo comic, this was our first big fight. It established what we were doing with Lucha “real world” fights.

Episode 4: King Cuerno’s introduction: “This was one of the moments where I knew we were on to something. The sun was setting and King walks out to the edge of the roof a la “The Dark Knight” with no fear, a total badass hero come to life.”

Episode 4: Fenix’s introduction: “This was another step we took...

Welcome to the Lucha Underground review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is Ultima Lucha: Cuatro – Part 1! Did the exclamation point work? Screw it. Let’s rock and or rolllllllllllllllla!

Match #1: The Reptile Tribe defeated The Rabbit Tribe and Sammy Guevara, Ivelisse and Xo Lishus – Trios Title Elimination Match

My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a good match that had lots of action, but felt like it was less than the sum of its parts. I’d call this an old-fashioned lucha match, complete with wild spots and blood in all the wrong places… actually, the blood worked out where it was. The wrestling was fast and furious and made every-one look like a psychopath. The star of the match was Guevara, who has had one hell of a year and got a chance to show what many of us had been missing. Kevin Kross,...

Eminem's Venom theme song music video has been released and it's a pretty cool tie-in to the movie, which hit theaters this weekend. The rapper surprise released his Kamikaze record a few weeks ago after teasing the Venom single on social media. Fans were happy to get one new song from Eminem, but he dropped an entire album the next day instead, which blew music fans away. Since then, the rapper has released three videos, including his newest for the symbiote-themed rap.

The Venom music video begins with a young man walking down the street and discovering an old Eminem CD on the sidewalk. He stops to pick it up and pulls a black mysterious disc from the tattered case, which starts to tease the look of the symbiote. The man is clearly infected and starts rapping lines to Eminem's song, twitching and convulsing as the rapper tries to take over its new host.

Welcome to this week’s Lucha Underground review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have more weird stuff from the Drew Carey of wrestling leagues. Let’s go, Idaho! Also, we will use Larry Csonka’s review of Lucha Underground, which you can find every week on 411Mania, for further context.

Match #1: Paul London, El Bunny, & Killer Kross defeated Joey Ryan, Ivelisse, & Xo Lishus The following is courtesy of Larry Csonka and 411Mania:

London and Bunny attack before the bell, but Ivelisse fights back and works over London. Bunny tags in and so does Xo Lishus. Bunny hits a springboard head butt and kicks. Bunny follows with a broncobuster as London tags back in. He delivers knee strikes, but Xo Lishus gets a sunset flip for 2. London cuts him off but Xo Lishus gets the tag anyway as Ivelisse runs wild and sends London into Bunny and Germans them both.

Samantha Ronson probably wishes Eminem turned his metaphorical gun on himself and not at Machine Gun Kelly ... 'cause she's tearing the rapper to pieces for "Killshot" and thinks the diss track is absolute trash!!! We got the DJ at Lax, and she wasted no time ripping Eminem a new one, saying his song is misogynistic, homophobic, lazy and something a 4-year-old would write. There was more, and you gotta see just how nuclear she went on Em.

Machine Gun Kelly thinks Eminem needs some target practice ... 'cause Em "missed" when he fired back at Mgk in their escalating feud. Mgk mocked Eminem onstage Sunday night, wearing a shirt with the logo from Marshall's extremely homophobic diss track, "Killshot." Machine Gun Kelly Disses @Eminem On Stage pic.twitter.com/SFv730QCRn — 24/7 HipHop News (@BenjaminEnfield) September 17, 2018 Kelly made sure the crowd at the Amway Center in Orlando knew exactly how he feels about Eminem,...

Eminem’s content kamikaze assault continues with the release of his Machine Gun Kelly diss track, “Killshot.” Earlier this month, after getting dissed on Eminem’s Kamikaze, Mgk released “Rap Devil,” which found the Cleveland rapper claiming Em tried to blackball him from the music industry after he tweeted about his daughter, Hailie, being “hot as fuck” in 2012. On “Killshot,” Em takes Kelly to task for a variety of things including him sporting a man bun and his choice of breakfast food.

Eminem spends the majority of his diss track...

Eminem just unleashed on Machine Gun Kelly in an extremely homophobic diss track that hit everything from Mgk's career to his own daughter. Em dropped "Killshot" Friday in response to Mgk's diss track, "Rap Devil," that he dropped last week. In it, Mgk took shots at Eminem's age, his beard and his miserable attitude. Fans weren't expecting Em to sit quiet, and he delivered. Some lyrics ... "Die motherf**ker like the last motherf**ker saying Hailie in vain.

With a towel shrouding his face, pro wrestler Shane Strickland is helped to an ambulance waiting outside the abandoned Boyle Heights factory where he just brawled for more than half an hour. His back is covered in fresh wounds shiny with blood and small, glimmering pieces of broken glass.

Over his shoulder, stage crews sweep away shards on which his body was repeatedly slammed, with cruel abandon. Among the debris carted away is a broken medical stretcher with a large chunk of human skin on it, a pile of broken tables, dented metal chairs, and several yards of barbed wire. A woman hoses down a blood-stained wrestling ring for the third time this evening.

Scattered around the ambulance are dozens of Strickland’s fans, who offer stunned applause and cuss-filled cheers as his wounds are treated. In one dripping, sanguified hand, Strickland holds a black mask that bears a marksman’s crosshairs on the front.

Elmore Leonard doesn’t make adaptations easy. The many successful films and one great TV show produced from the renowned author’s work seem to indicate otherwise, but for every “Out of Sight” and “Justified,” there’s a “Killshot” and “Karen Sisco.”

Now, after a hailed novel and two feature films, “Get Shorty” becomes the latest Leonard crime story to get the series treatment, and it’s a lot closer in quality to its titular inspiration than its lesser sequel, “Be Cool.” But aside from being pretty darn good, this take goes its own way.

Anyone familiar with the 1990 book or 1995 film will certainly recognize the plot, but creator Davey Holmes’ new show isn’t doing an impression; not on any level. From the casting to the construction, this version of “Get Shorty” is its own beast. The hour-long drama may not be the next big breakout in the golden age of TV,...

The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino // Writer: Quentin Tarantino

The film that almost wasn’t due to a draft of the script being leaked in early 2014, causing Tarantino to shelve the project. But after a live script reading at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles in spring 2014, extreme interest seemed to reenergize The Hateful Eight, another ‘southern’ from Tarantino following 2012’s Django Unchained. While the role rumored for Christoph Waltz eventually went to Kurt Russell (who starred in Death Proof, of course), Tarantino recycles his usual crew, including Samuel Jackson, Zoe Bell, Michael Madsen, while adding some high profile names like Channing Tatum, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Demian Bichir in a film set in post-Civil War Wyoming, where bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Tarantino has already announced he wants to go out while he’s still ‘fresh,...

Jackie Collins, queen of the sexy thriller, has been hooked on Elmore Leonard ever since she read Get Shorty. But she has never been able to follow the king of crime fiction's 10 rules for writing …

Rip Elmore Leonard. What a guy – what a teller of wild and wonderful and, most of all, raunchy tales. A storyteller with a crazy imagination mixed in with personal experiences. Many have tried, but nobody has managed to outdo crime fiction's master of the thriller.

I discovered the joy of an Elmore Leonard book in the early 1990s when I picked up Get Shorty. What a trip! I was immediately hooked by his colourful language and outrageous characters. I grew up reading Mickey Spillane, and I never thought any writer could beat Spillane for his way of bringing characters to life so that one could actually visualise them. But Elmore Leonard managed to do that – and brilliantly.

Elmore Leonard, the author best known in the film world for the feature adaptations of his works "Get Shorty," "Out of Sight," and "Rum Punch" (which was filmed as "Jackie Brown"), has passed away at 87, three weeks after suffering a stoke. Gregg Sutter, Leonard's researcher and webmaster, broke the news of Leonard's passing on the novelist's Facebook page, writing that he died surrounded by family in Detroit, the city he's called home since 1934. Read More: The Playlist Pays Tribute to Elmore Leonard In addition to the aforementioned books, Leonard is also the writer of the short story "Three-Ten to Yuma," adapted twice to screen, as well as the creator of the character at the center of FX series "Justified," on which he also served as executive producer. He also served as executive producer on "Jackie Brown," "Be Cool" (the sequel to "Get Shorty"), "Killshot," and the upcoming Jennifer Aniston crime caper "Life of Crime.

SXSW 2013 begins in a couple days, and we couldn’t be more excited. By “we,” I mean Fsr founder, publisher and beard-model Neil Miller, professional interviewer and lanky ladies man Jack Giroux, and myself. We’ll be descending on Austin this Friday to take in as much festival film-going, socializing and Alamo Drafthouse food as we possibly can. Of course we’re excited to see movies too. A lot of movies. And to give you an idea of what we’re most looking forward to film-wise the three of us have each listed our five most anticipated films of SXSW 2013 below. Don Jon’s Addiction Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s directorial debut left critics impressed at this year’s Sundance with our own Allison Loring mentioning that the only downside of the film is the abundance of porn… something I’m guessing none of our readers or 99% of the Internet will mind. Nudity...

Because music fans are back to loving vinyl for their enjoyment of music, every now and then, a special release of various albums gets the record treatment. Once such soundtrack is the celebrated and loved collection of music used in the Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. In addition to getting a cool vinyl reissue, Mondo artist Tyler Stout designed the artwork for the LP which will be sold through an exhibit at Mondo's gallery in Austin on March 15th and on March 22nd through their website. In addition, a full poster with this artwork will be sold at the gallery, and might be made available online at some point. Poster below! Here's Tyler Stout's poster for Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive via Pitchfork: Drive is directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, of the Pusher trilogy, Bronson and Valhalla Rising previously. The screenplay was written by Hossein Amini (The Four Feathers,...

Berlin, Feb 11: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has decided to cut sex scenes from his directorial debut "Don Jon's Addiction" so that he gets U/A certificate.

The 31-year-old, who has featured in movies like "10 Things I Hate About You", "Killshot" and "Inception", says cutting the scenes will not affect the movie, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"Yes, we expect we have to do that (cut a sex scene) and I'll be getting started on it as soon as I get back (to the U.S.)... It won't affect the movie if we change that... I think it is important that those images are in there but what precisely you see isn't that important," Gordon-Levitt.

Oscar-nominee Diane Lane will star in David Cromer’s production of the Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird Of Youth,” which begins performances on September 15 at the Goodman TheatreFinn Wittrock, recently in Mike Nichols revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” will co-star as young giglo Chance Wayne, while Lane plays Princess Kosmonpolis. Over two decades, Lane has had expansive career, including, “A Walk On The Moon,” “The Perfect Storm,” and “Killshot.” Not a stranger to the stage she, has been on Broadway, most recently in “Runaways” and “The Cherry Orchard.” Cromer, whose directorial credits “Our Town” and “Tribes” at the Barrow Street Theater, and “The House of Blue Leaves” and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” on Broadway, will be making his Goodman Theatre directorial debut.

Charlie Theron’s agent has some serious Shazam going these days. She’s flirting with overexposure, sure, but the Oscar winning beauty has been in hit films across genres this season. Now she’s zeroed-in on the crime genre with a project suited to steal hearts as well as lives: Murder Mystery.

So who ensures the fun side of homicide is shown in Murder Mystery? John Madden, a director who is a bona fide sniper when it comes to heartwarming period pieces. Combine him with Charlize’s towering talent for inhabiting roles and inflicting emotion, and you’ve got an open-shut case on your hands.

Need I even provide evidence on Theron’s cinematic power? Let’s move right on to proving Madden:

First off, I’ll admit that he runs hot and cold at the box office. Even when he’s bringing to bear his talent for conveying a romantic atmosphere,...

It's interesting to watch how fortunes change. For a while, it looked like John Madden would never be able to match the critical and commercial acclaim of "Shakespeare In Love," with a string of ill-received and underperforming films like "Proof," "Killshot" and "The Debt." Which brings us to 2012. Madden is back on top with "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," which has brought in over $110 million worldwide, so no surprise he's now attached to a film with one of the hottest -- literally and figuratively -- actresses of the moment.

While at one time it had Kevin Macdonald attached, Madden will helm "Murdery Mystery" with Theron set to co-star and co-produce the film penned by "Zodiac" and "The Amazing Spider-Man" writer James Vanderbilt. The comedy mystery follows an American couple on honeymoon in Europe who have to go on the run after witnessing and being accused of murder, and are drawn...

Elmore Leonard’s novels are fuelled by dialogue. Punchy, quick-witted words fired off in a way to give you the lowdown on character And drive you through the story. But film versions? Now that’s a tricky one. For every Out of Sight, Get Shorty, and Rum Punch (filmed as Jackie Brown) there’s a Be Cool, Killshot, and Stick … and the list of negatives outweighs the positives.

Continue reading...

John Madden's amiable comedy repeats the success of word-of-mouth hits such as Calendar Girls as weekend takings hint at box-office recovery

The winner

Back in September 2003, Calendar Girls bucked the usual downward trend for cinema grosses by rising 5% on its second weekend of play. Now history repeats, as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which is similarly targeted at older cinemagoers, rises by an identical amount in its second frame, with takings of £2.34m, knocking The Woman in Black off the top spot. Thanks also to a solid midweek performance – the audience for this film is so far proving happy to come out any day of the week – it has now achieved a highly impressive £7.01m after just 10 days of play.

By comparison, Calendar Girls stood at £5.68m at this stage of play – although of course ticket prices were significantly lower eight and a half years ago. Calendar Girls ended up with £20.43m.

The Director of 2008's Bronson and 2009's Valhalla Rising, Nicolas Winding Refn, returns with equally dark blood-soaked subject-matter in his slick adaptation of James Sallis's 2011 book, Drive.

Winding Refn instantly gets our attention with a masterfully choreographed opening title sequence introducing his nameless hero. Giving his criminally-minded “clients” a rigid “five minute window”, he acts as getaway driver using the police radio frequency to monitor their detection. His is a precise operation, silently and calmly undertook without conversing with passengers. Amplified sounds of the city - radios, helicopters, sirens and the car engine's roar - nicely contrast with the silence as our hero and his load hide-out under arches. A final police chase is accompanied by edgy suspense-building electronic music and loud radio sports commentary before we're allowed to delve further into this mysterious driver's life.

Helping his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan), at the supermarket with her broken down car,...

Warner Bros. has picked up a pitch for an action comedy titled Killshot, though beyond the fact that it.s from Ken Woodruff, there.s very little else THR has to say about it. Plot details? Being kept under wraps. Major producers? None that we can speak of at the moment. We don.t even know a lot about Woodruff, who.s best recognized as an executive story editor and co-producer on CBS. weekly drama The Mentalist, with Simon Baker. Before that, he was assistant to the director on Fox.s soap opera The O.C.. Now? He.s a paid screenwriter with an action-comedy project in the pipeline. It.s unlikely that Woodruff is reworking Elmore Leonard.s 1989 novel about a married couple dodging a pair of hitmen. But I guess it.s possible. Director John Madden (The Debt, Shakespeare In Love) attempted an adaptation back in 2008, with Mickey...

Some Heroes Are Real. Thanks to a tip from Bleeding Cool, we found this rather awesome animated tribute to Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, starring Ryan Gosling as the Driver. It was created by Bruno et Tom on Vimeo, aka Tom Haugomat & Bruno Mangyoku, and is a quick 60-sec recap of some of the best moments. It's just badass. I was waiting for this happen, when I first saw Drive in Cannes I knew it would have an amazing cult appeal, and was waiting for it to be released, so we could finally see awesome art and tributes like this that have been pouring in ever since. If you loved Drive as much as us, then you've got to see this! Drive is directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, of the Pusher trilogy, Bronson and Valhalla Rising previously. The screenplay was written by Hossein Amini (The Four Feathers, Killshot,...

"You want me to pick you up something from the drive-thru, you give me a time and a place. I give you a 5-minute window." If you're among those who haven't yet enjoyed the masterful thriller Drive from director Nicholas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling, then you're missing out. But for those who have already seen the gripping, intense and even shocking film, this bit of fun is for you. Funny or Die has debuted a hilarious short called Drive-Thru which uses the same beautiful visual style (perhaps with a little less grace) and the film's killer soundtrack in a trailer parody that rivals The Muppets. Watch below! Here's Funny or Die's hilarious Drive trailer parody Drive-Thru: Drive is directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, of the Pusher trilogy, Bronson and Valhalla Rising previously. The screenplay was written by Hossein Amini (The Four Feathers, Killshot, 47 Ronin...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012

Price: DVD $26.99, Blu-ray $30.99

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Not to be confused with the short-lived 2007 TV show of the same name, Drive is an art house film trying to be an action film, or an action film masquerading as an art film. Take your pick.

The movie stars indie favorite Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) as a stuntman who moonlights as a driver for people who need drivers who don’t ask questions. A loner, Gosling’s driver meets and falls for his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go), whose husband is in jail. When he’s released and needs help with a heist, the driver agrees — for the sake of Irene and her young son. But after the heist goes wrong, Gosling ends up with a contract on his head.

The R-rated film also stars Bryan Cranston (The Lincoln Lawyer), Albert Brooks (Broadcast News...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012

Price: DVD $45.99, Blu-ray $55.99

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

FX’s acclaimed drama TV show Justified brings the attitude of the Old West to the criminal forces of today.

The Emmy Award-winning show stars Timothy Olyphant (I Am Number Four) as U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, who’s old-school in his approach to law enforcement. Season two begins after the deadly showdown that freed Harlan County from the reign of the Crowder crime family. But with the Crowders out of the picture, even deadlier criminal forces try to seize power — which Givens must stop.

Justified also stars Nick Searcy (Moneyball), Joelle Carter (TV’s Third Watch), Jacob Pitts (TV’s The Pacific) and, in the second season, the irrepressible Margo Martindale (Secretariat), whose performance won the show its Emmy Award.

The television series is based on the short story “Fire in the Hole” by Elmore Leonard,...

Rourke Will Be The 254th Celebrity To Have Hands &

Footprints In Chinese Cement On Monday, October 31st

(Hollywood, Calif., October 18, 2011)–The most famous place in Hollywood, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (www.chinesetheatres.com), is set to honor its 254th celebrity, Oscar(R)-nominee Mickey Rourke, with his own hand and footprints ceremony on Monday, October 31 at 11:00 Am. The masters of ceremony and guest speaker will be announced.

Up next, Rourke can be seen in the visually-stunning 3D epic adventure Immortals, starring Henry Cavill, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Stephen Dorff, and John Hurt. Directed by Tarsem Singh, written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides and produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton and Relativity’s CEO RyanKavanaugh, Immortals tells the story of the ruthless King Hyperion (Rourke), who leads his bloodthirsty army on a murderous rampage across Greece to find a deadly weapon that will destroy humanity.

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: It was revealed this morning that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will receive the “Hollywood Breakthrough Actor Award” at this year’s 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards for his heartfelt performance in the film “50/50.” This year’s ceremony, presented by Starz Entertainment, is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

In Jonathan Levine’s film, which opens in theaters this Friday, Sept. 30, Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, an NPR editor diagnosed with cancer. The title refers to Adam’s odds of survival, though he receives tremendous support from his best friend (Seth Rogen), his pretty therapist (Anna Kendrick) and his worried mother (Anjelica Huston).

Gordon-Levitt will be on hand that evening to accept the award in person. His bio is below:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will next be seen in “50/50,” a comedy directed by Jonathan Levine that stars Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Nicolas Winding Refn.s Drive is simply perfect. Not since Michael Mann.s 1981 crime drama Thief, has a film of this type had such an impact, and dare I say Drive is even better? Yes, I do. Every woman.s newest sweetheart, Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love) is Driver, a nameless Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. He lives simply, adhering to a strict set of rules, which keeps him at the top of his game, out of prison. and alive. On the surface, he.s a pretty boy with a quiet disposition, but hidden within is a strong, efficient survivor with the capacity to be brutal when necessary.

Working as a mechanic for Shannon, played by Breaking Bad.s Bryan Cranston, the two men hold a partnership that handles the criminal side jobs. When Shannon approaches former motion picture producer turned organized crime boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks...

Review in a Hurry: Heil, Helen! Decades after World War II, the Queen of England—Helen Mirren, that is—hunts a former Nazi doctor who escaped incarceration. Sounds irresistible, yes? Strong performances and direction make this gripping espionage thriller a mission accomplished. The Bigger Picture: Director John Madden has built his career helming period pieces (Shakespeare in Love), character dramas (Proof), and thrillers (Killshot). In this remake of a 2007 Israeli thriller, he gets to combine all of the above, along with multiple locations, flashbacks, and different actors playing the same roles. The result is surprisingly cohesive. In the mid-1960s, three Israeli secret agents—Rachel (Jessica...

"What is the line between justice and vengeance?" asks Glenn Kenny at MSN Movies. "What's the exact burden of guilt when that line is crossed? When does righteousness, and particularly self-righteousness, get in the way of doing what's actually right? These questions were explored pretty trenchantly, at least by this reviewer's lights, in Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich, in which crack Israeli intelligence operatives tracked down and wiped out the parties behind the massacre of athletes at the 1972 Olympics. And Mossad, and undercover operations, also lie at the heart of The Debt, a new film from director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) that explores the same questions. This fictional tale aspires to pack a big sting, and it works to an extent, but as a whole the picture is too overdetermined and melodramatic and sentimental in spite of itself to put its ideas and convictions across as powerfully as it would like.

After its predecessor “Killshot” got a cursory limited release before being scuttled off to DVD and the film before that, “Proof,” hobbled in and out of theaters, “The Debt” is director John Madden’s first film in more than a decade to receive a theatrical run of more than 1600 screens, but an overbearing sense of self-importance undermines its box office potential, much less the effectiveness of skillful performances by a mostly-talented cast. Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain, sharing the screen as the same character as much as current and next generations of great actresses, sustain a frequently overwrought (and overlong)…...