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The following contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building Season 4, Episode 2, "The Gates of Heaven," which debuted on September 3, 2024.

Only Murders in the Building is back for its fourth season, and things are already starting to heat up. While it took Charles, Oliver and Mabel an episode to realize that Charles's stunt double, Sazz Pataki, had been killed, they immediately set to work trying to figure out who the murderer might be. Oliver and Mabel turned their attention to the Arconia's west tower, where the sniper must've been when they shot Sazz. They soon met several of their more distant neighbors, who are also all possible suspects, but one, in particular, may have stood out to viewers.

There are a few new characters who aren't featured in Only Murders in the Building's Season 4 trailers,...

The Criterion Channel has unveiled its streaming lineup for August 2024, which features an eclectic mix of independent films showcasing the work of auteurs from around the world.

The boutique service will become the exclusive streaming home of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 comedy “Licorice Pizza,” and will celebrate the occasion by adding four more of his films to the channel: “The Master,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” and “Magnolia.” Anderson’s frequent collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman will additionally be celebrated on the streaming service as part of a larger retrospective. Many of the late actor’s most iconic roles, including “Capote” and “Synecdoche, New York,” will be included, along with his sole directorial outing “Jack Goes Boating.”

The channel will also highlight several other prominent filmmakers including Preston Sturges, who helped pioneer the modern rom-com through films like “The Lady Eve” and “The Palm Beach Story,” and prolific Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, an American actor, was probably best known for playing deplorable characters in many successful films. His career began in 1991, when he appeared in the series Law & Order, playing the role of a young thug in season 1 episode "The Violence of Summer". From 1992, he began playing supportive roles in films like Scent of a Woman (1992), Magnolia (1999), and Along Came Polly (2004). As his career grew, Hoffman eventually played leading roles and won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the movie Capote (2005). Being a successful actor was not the only accomplishment under his belt; Hoffman was also a film director, who had his first film, Jack Goes Boating, debut in 2010.

Unfortunately, in his youthful years, Hoffman struggled with drug addiction, and though he managed to abstain for several years, he relapsed in 2012 and died of combined drug intoxication on February 2, 2014. At this time, he was filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.

Exclusive: Stephen Dorff (Old Henry), John McEnroe (Ocean’s Eight), Gina Gershon (Emily the Criminal) and Luka Sabbat (Grown-ish) have signed on to star alongside Vito Schnabel in the dark comedy The Trainer, which Tony Kaye (American History X) is directing from a script by Schnabel and Jeff Solomon.

The film, heading into production Tuesday after nearly a decade in development, is based on an original story by Schnabel. It unfolds over eight days of sleep-deprived chaos and follows Jack (Schnabel), a down-on-his-luck fitness expert living with his mother in Los Angeles, who takes a maniacal swing at fame and fortune, trying to realize his version of the American dream. Julia Fox, Steven Van Zandt and Taylour Paige are also set to star. Details with regard to the characters the new additions to the cast will be playing have not been disclosed.

Schnabel, Kaye and Jeremy Steckler are producing, with George Paaswell serving as executive producer.

Dorff recently appeared in Potsy Ponciroli’s Western Old Henry, and on Fox’s Deputy. He’s also previously been seen in films including I’ll Find You, Leatherface, The Iceman, Somewhere, Public Enemies, World Trade Center, Cold Creek Manor, Zoolander, Blade and I Shot Andy Warhol. Additional TV credits include True Detective and Star.

McEnroe, the former pro tennis player, currently narrates Netflix’s coming-of-age comedy series Never Have I Ever. He’s previously appeared in films including Ocean’s Eight, Freak Show, Jack and Jill, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Wimbledon, Anger Management and Mr. Deeds, and on such series as Kenan, 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm. During his career in tennis, he established himself as the only male player to win upwards of 70 titles across singles and doubles competitions.

Gershon will soon be seen in the thriller Emily the Criminal from Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. She’s also appeared in such films as Rifkin’s Festival, Cagefighter, American Dresser, The Little Mermaid, Blockers, 9/11, Staten Island Summer, Killer Joe, P.S. I Love You, Slackers, The Insider, Guinevere, Palmetto, Face/Off, Showgirls, The Player, Cocktail and Pretty in Pink. Her TV credits include New Amsterdam, Betty, Riverdale, Red Oaks, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Z Nation, Elementary and Rescue Me. Other upcoming films in which Gershon is set to appear include Aleta Chappelle’s romance Love Extreme, Dylan K. Narang’s comedy Tapawingo and Eli Roth’s adaptation of the video game Borderlands.

Sabbat is best known for portraying Luca Hall on Freeform’s Grown-ish. Additional credits include Lena Dunham’s Sundance 2022 feature Sharp Stick and Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die.

Dorff is represented by ICM Partners and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; McEnroe by Img and International Artists; Gershon by Artists First and Schreck Rose Dapello; and Sabbat by CAA and attorney Marios Rush.

Big Beach, the production label behind Awkwafina starrer “The Farewell” and Tom Hanks’ “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” has abruptly closed its New York headquarters and parted ways with a significant number of staff, sources tell Variety.

The cuts are a sign of the increasingly difficult challenges facing independent film shops, even those with awards pedigree and decades of survival in the industry.

Though an exact number is unknown, staffers from the assistant level up to heads of film and TV verticals have been served pink slips, two insiders familiar with the company said. Many Los Angeles-based employees have been dismissed as well. The cuts come almost a year after one of the company’s principals, “Little Miss Sunshine” producer Peter Saraf, quietly exited the company.

A representative for Big Beach declined to comment on the matter. Another source close to the operation said new heads of film and TV will be announced imminently,...

MGM has tapped Zach Baylin, the screenwriter behind the upcoming Richard Williams biopic “King Richard,” to write the screenplay for “Creed 3,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

No production date or release date has been set for the third film in the “Rocky” spinoff franchise of boxing movies starring Michael B. Jordan, as Jordan’s shooting schedule is particularly crowded.

Plot details for “Creed 3” are also not confirmed for the sequel, and the film still needs a director.

Also Read: Michael B Jordan Takes a Shot to Avoid Telling Fallon What He's Thinking About Tessa Thompson (Video)

“King Richard” is Baylin’s debut screenplay that appeared on the 2018 Black List and is about the father of tennis greats Serena Williams and Venus Williams, with Will Smith attached to play their father in the film. Baylin has also worked in the art department on films such as “Jack Goes Boating” and “Side Effects.

Natalie Portman has closed a deal to direct and star in an untitled biopic about the identical twin sisters who wrote advice columns as Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers.

The sisters were born in 1918. Dear Abby was launched in 1956 by Pauline Esther Friedman in the San Francisco Chronicle. Her twin sister was born Esther Pauline Friedman and won a contest in 1955 to take over the “Ask Ann Landers” advice column in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Both used straightforward styles in dispensing common-sense advice. The competing columns led to the sisters having a bitter professional rivalry that lasted the rest of their lives.

Portman will play both sisters for the project. Katie Robbins, a producer and staff writer on the TV series “The Affair,” wrote the script. Producers are Peter Saraf and Dani Melia of Big Beach Films. Saraf received a best picture Oscar nomination for “Little Miss Sunshine” and has credits on “Loving,...

It’s hard to imagine anything that sounds more low stakes than putting together jigsaw puzzles, but Marc Turtletaub’s “Puzzle” turns a relatively benign hobby into the catalyst for charming new drama. Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald stars in the film, which debuted at Sundance in January, and the combination of Turtletaub’s graceful direction and Macdonald’s satisfying and humane performance result in a mid-life crisis film with a darling edge.

Turtletaub’s film – his second feature, though he’s got a slew of producing credits, including previous Sundance favorites “Jack Goes Boating” and “Safety Not Guaranteed” — revels in the possibilities of finding something new in a wholly ordinary life. For Macdonald’s sheltered character Agnes, that starts with the literal opening of a birthday gift, one that contains a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that ignites in her not only a new passion, but also the long-dormant sense that she’s excellent at something.

It starts with one piece: a woman, readying her home for a party, straightening a tablecloth and vigorously vacuuming a room, hanging a “happy birthday” banner. Another piece: the party is in full swing, and she’s dutifully attending to everyone, checking in to make sure her husband is having fun. Final piece: she emerges from the kitchen carrying a huge, lit birthday cake, only to have everyone break into song, wishing her a happy birthday. In the minimum of time, “Puzzle” director Marc Turtletaub and writer Oren Moverman have provided a full picture of the woman – Agnes, played by the extraordinary Kelly Macdonald – and her life. It is so very small.

But something small changes it. Turtletaub’s film – his second feature, though he’s got a slew of producing credits, including previous Sundance favorites “Jack Goes Boating” and “Safety Not Guaranteed” — revels in the possibilities of finding something...

First Look Media, which co-financed the Best Picture Oscar winner “Spotlight” as its first project and helped produce Laura Poitras’ upcoming Julian Assange documentary “Risk,” has hired Todd Green as its Senior Vice President of Content Distribution and Licensing and Carrie Lieberman as Director of Content Distribution and Licensing.

Read More: Cannes: With ‘Risk,’ Laura Poitras Ignites Demand For Julian Assange’s Release

Green and Lieberman will identify and secure distribution partnerships and licensing deals for content produced and acquired by First Look across film, television and short form digital. Green was previously a Senior Vice President of Digital Distribution at the now-defunct Alchemy, prior to which he was a General Manager at Tribeca Film and a Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising at AMC Networks.

“Todd brings a wealth of experience with a range of distribution deals, partners and models from his extensive time at AMC Networks and Tribeca Film,...

Happy Birthday Daphne Rubin-Vega Rubin Vega is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk nominee and recipient of the Theater World, Obie, Blockbuster awards and was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Jack Goes Boating. She is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi Rent and Conchita Anna in the Tropics, both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony award. She also originated the role of Rahmi Gum, Sofia Nilo Cruz' Two Sisters and a Piano, Canary Mary Suzan-Lori Parks' Fucking A, Lucille Lortel nomination and Lucy Jack Goes Boating at the Public Theater, as well as starred in the Broadway revivals of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Magenta and Les Mis, 'Fantine' and most recently, The New Group's Blood From a Stone 'Yvette' opposite Ethan Hawke.'...

The way a film starts and the way it ends can tell a lot about a movie, as well as the particular style of the director behind the project. Numerous films throughout history have had memorable opening and closing shots that have elevated the feature in question, while also taking on a life of their own as iconic moments in cinema.

Following his first exploration of first and final frames in film, vimeo user Jacob T. Swinney has revisited the topic in a new video, looking at 70 new films and how their opening and closing mirror each other. Swinney had this to say in the episode description.

After numerous requests, I finally decided to create a sequel to “First and Final Frames”. Part II plays the opening and closing shots of 70 films side-by-side. Like the first video, some of the opening shots are strikingly similar to the final shots, while...

Exclusive: Ansel Elgort has inked his next major role after enjoying a breakout 2014 with hits The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent, both opposite the Golden Globes-nominated Shailene Woodley. Now he’s set to star with Chloë Grace Moretz in November Criminals, the teen thriller adaptation that Hitchcock‘s Sacha Gervasi is directing for Lotus Entertainment.

Steven Knight (Locke, Eastern Promises) adapted the script from Sam Munson’s 2011 novel about two teenagers who venture into the seedy underbelly of Washington, D.C. to investigate a friend’s murder while falling in love for the first time.

Catherine Keener also stars in the film, which Lotus came aboard to co-finance and co-produce during November’s Afm. Beth O’Neil (Jack Goes Boating) is also producing. CAA and Wme are jointly repping domestic rights and Lotus will handle international sales.

Elgort, the 20 year-old son of an opera director and a photographer, burst...

Happy Birthday Daphne Rubin-Vega Rubin Vega is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk nominee and recipient of the Theater World, Obie, Blockbuster awards and was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Jack Goes Boating. She is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi Rent and Conchita Anna in the Tropics, both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony award. She also originated the role of Rahmi Gum, Sofia Nilo Cruz' Two Sisters and a Piano, Canary Mary Suzan-Lori Parks' Fucking A, Lucille Lortel nomination and Lucy Jack Goes Boating at the Public Theater, as well as starred in the Broadway revivals of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Magenta and Les Mis, 'Fantine' and most recently, The New Group's Blood From a Stone 'Yvette' opposite Ethan Hawke.'...

Review by Sam Moffitt

I was as shocked and saddened as anyone at hearing of the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Not that long ago I wrote a review of Jack Goes Boating for We Are Movie Geeks, directed by Hoffman and starring him in an amazing performance. I’m glad I did that as I had no way of knowing Hoffman wouldn’t be with us much longer. I cannot comment on the problems he had with addictions. I had my own substance issues for years. I never lost a job or stole anything to support any habit and I never had to go into rehab, I simply quit using anything. Two cups of coffee is about as wild as I get these days.

Of course the Hollywood haters came out on the internet and in newspaper letter columns slamming Hoffman and the entire Hollywood lifestyle. Again, I can...

In a way I am not sure I have ever felt before, for a figure I do not know personally, I am still trying to comprehend Philip Seymour Hoffman’s passing.

When we grow with artists, we do not just identify with them, or become “fans.” We love these artists, anticipate our experiences with them, and similarly better understand the potential of their means of an expression. Loving an artist indeed becomes a personal venture, especially if one is to believe that art, something that keeps us human, belongs to all of us just as much as it does the artist (to paraphrase a line actually said by Hugh Bonneville in this upcoming Friday’s The Monuments Men). My love for Philip Seymour Hoffman, an icon lost, is directly interwoven with how I began to truly watch films, and learn from them.

To quote A.O. Scott in a bold remark of perfect clarity,...

Philip Seymour Hoffman was not an easy interview. He could be brusque or uninterested. He was not the kind of star who tries to bond with journalists. But a few years ago I caught a glimpse of who Hoffman was not as an actor but as a man, and a bit of advice he gave me changed my life.

At the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, my wife, Jill, and I were invited to a dinner for Tamara Jenkins’ drama The Savages, starring Hoffman and Laura Linney. We were seated across from Hoffman, and had been warned that he was not...

Actor and director who could imbue the many wretches, prigs and braggarts he played with a wrenching humanity

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has died aged 46 of a suspected drugs overdose, had three names and 3,000 ways of expressing anxiety. He was a prolific and old-fashioned character actor, which is not a euphemism for "odd" – it means he could nail a part in one punch, summoning the richness of an entire life in the smallest gesture. And, yes, he could also look splendidly odd, with his windbeaten thatch of sandy hair, porcine eyes and a freckled face that would glow puce and glossy with rage. His acting style was immune to the temptations of caricature. His rise in the 1990s coincided with the emergence of a new wave of American film-makers, and his versatile, volatile talent became integral to some of the most original Us cinema of the past 20 years.

He was...

On stage, Philip Seymour Hoffman excelled playing characters driven by desire. As a theatre director, he pushed his actors towards abandon

Although best known for his Oscar-nominated turns in films such as Capote and The Master, Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a visceral stage actor and a sensitive, vigorous theatre director. On stage, he had a savage, vital and vulnerable presence that his film appearances approached, but never really equalled. He traded in a kind of heightened naturalism that made even the most absurd scenarios seem likely. Doughy, slouchy, unhandsome and unkempt, Hoffman distinguished himself with his fierce commitment to preparing roles and his lack of vanity in playing them.

A graduate of New York University, he cut his theatrical teeth downtown, in plays including Caryl Churchill's The Skriker and Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and Fucking, before assuming more high-profile roles. He alternated with John C Reilly as Austin...

Sunday was marked with the tragic news of the passing of one of American acting's most vivid, varied and committed stage and screen performers, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and we recognize his passing with my 2010 InDepth InterView conducted around the the time of the release of his first and only feature film as both director and star, Jack Goes Boating. On a personal note, Magnolia remains my favorite film and his tremendous turn within it as a put-upon home nurse dealing with death, dogs, and a Biblical plague of frogs falling from the sky no, really is masterful and unforgettable - Hoffman's description of the meta-musical film an 'an opera' in not only its incorporation of music into the plot and the outsized emotions of its characters but also the scope of the Paul Thomas Anderson project itself is an exquisitely erudite example of the perceptive nature Hoffman always afforded, whether...

In the wake of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s sudden death, Exclusive Media will not present Ezekiel Moss at the Berlin market this week.

Hoffman had been lining up to direct his second feature after Jack Goes Boating and the Prohibition era Ezekiel Moss was to star Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams.

It was due to be introduced to buyers at the European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin this week.

“Exclusive Media is deeply saddened to learn the shocking news of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s passing,” the company said in a statement.

“He was a truly gifted actor and director who not only inspired his fellow colleagues, but audiences around the world and he will be greatly missed.

“We give our sincere condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. As such, Exclusive Media will not be presenting Ezekiel Moss to international buyers at Efm at this time while producers explore the next steps for the...

When I met Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2011 I found a man profoundly honest about movies, self-loathing and his struggles with addiction

Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the most miserable men I have ever met, and one of the most humane. I interviewed him in 2011 when he was promoting his directing debut, Jack Goes Boating – a quiet, still and surprisingly optimistic film.

Of course, he was anything but optimistic in the flesh. It was painful for him to sit down and talk when all he wanted to do was get away and smoke in silence. He spoke in the same fractured, tortured sentences as he did in his films. Nobody did crippled communication quite like Hoffman. Hoffman was a lumbering, grumbling bear of a man.

He didn't say a word more than necessary and often said less. But there was a profound honesty to him. He might have insisted he...

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead Sunday of an apparent drug overdose, was among the most acclaimed actors of Hollywood and Broadway. People movie critic Alynda Wheat has this remembrance. It was a gray New York City afternoon several years ago that I ran into Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was a brief encounter - as he emerged from a cab at the corner of 50th Street and 6th Avenue, I told him how much I admired his work and he responded graciously. I remember being struck, though, by the fact that he wasn’t the 6'4" mountain of a...

New York City – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Actor Oscar Winner for ‘Capote,’ was found dead in his New York City apartment early Sunday morning. The 46-year-old Hoffman had struggled with heroin addiction, and police suspect an overdose, but the cause of his death is yet to be determined.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in His Oscar Winning Role as ‘Capote’

Photo credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Philip Seymour Hoffman was a consummate actor and performer, from the cult huckster Lancaster Dodd (“The Master”) to manic sound man Scotty J. (“Boogie Nights), through his Oscar winning portrayal of Truman Capote (“Capote”), Hoffman embraced his roles with a intuitive understanding that was second-to-none among his peers. He was almost unrecognizable as Oakland Athletics Manager Art Howe in “Moneyball,” but every scene he was in, the focus seemed all about him. He recently did a more mainstream role as Plutarch Heavensbee in “The Hunger Games...

Philip Seymour Hoffman was at the Sundance Film Festival less than two weeks ago to talk about his role in John Slattery’s directorial debut, God’s Pocket. He spoke with EW’s Anthony Breznican along with Slattery and co-star Christina Hendricks (Mad Men). Hoffman had his first film as director — Jack Goes Boating — premiere at Sundance in 2010, and he only had this bit of advice for Slattery: “When you get here, it’s the letting go time.”

Watch the video from Sundance below and check out previous interviews with the Oscar winner from EW about some of his earlier films,...

This morning was marked with the tragic news of the passing of one of American acting's most vivid, varied and commited stage and screen performers, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and we mark his passing with my 2010 InDepth InterView conducted around the the time of the release of his first and only feature film as both director and star, Jack Goes Boating. On a personal note, Magnolia remains my favorite film and his tremendous turn within it as a put-upon home nurse dealing with death, dogs, and a Biblical plague of frogs falling from the sky no, really is masterful and unforgettable - Hoffman's description of the meta-musical film an 'an opera' in not only its incorporation of music into the plot and the outsized emotions of its characters but also the scope of the Paul Thomas Anderson project itself is an exquisitely erudite example of the perceptive nature Hoffman always afforded,...

Some very sad news this morning brings word Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment. An autopsy will be performed to confirm the cause of death. It should be noted, Hoffman struggled with substance abuse in the past, which "started slowly with prescription pills, and recently escalated to snorting heroin" and as recently as May 2013 checked out of detox following a relapse after being clean for 23 years. An official told the New York Times investigators found a syringe in his arm and an envelope containing what is believed to be heroin. The official added, "It's pretty apparent that it was an overdose... The syringe was in his arm." It gets even sadder with this quote from one of Hoffman's neighbors: "He's a local. He's a fixture in this neighborhood," said Christian McCulloch, 39, who said that he lives nearby. "You...

Very sad news has been confirmed today as the tremendously talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead at the much too young age of 46. No cause of death is currently known, but Hoffman has struggled with substance abuse in the past and an overdose is suspected here. Few in the business had a more diverse filmography than him, so as tragic a loss as it always is whenever an entertainer is taken from us, this one just seems all the more depressing and hard to process due what he still had left to share with the world. A Best Actor Oscar winner for his lead performance in the biopic Capote, Hoffman was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his scene stealing turns in Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt, and last year for The Master as well. Along with multiple BAFTA, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, and Screen Actors Guild citations,...

Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams have joined the long-gestating prohibition era drama Ezekiel Moss for second time director Philip Seymour Hoffman, who made his debut with the critically acclaimed Jack Goes Boating in 2010.

The black list script comes from Keith Bunin (the upcoming Horns, the TV series In Treatment), with Amy Adams starring as Iris, an emotionally distraught woman living in the wake of her husband's death. She runs a small town boarding school where religion rules and sin is forbidden. She begins an affair with a mysterious stranger (Jake Gyllenhaal ) who wanders into town, only to discover that he has the ability to channel and physically inhabit the dead.

The film is being produced by Likely Story's Anthony Bregman, PalmStar Media Capital's Kevin Scott Frakes, Merced Media Partners' Raj Brinder Singh and Cathy Schulman of Mandalay Vision.

Ezekiel Moss comes to theaters in 2015 and stars Jake Gyllenhaal,...

Update 2/2: Horrible news. Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment today. More info here.  You'll have to jog your memory a bit, but way back in the fall of 2012, it was announced that Philip Seymour Hoffman would be following his feature directorial debut "Jack Goes Boating" with "Ezekiel Moss," a period-set ghost story. And then nothing much was heard from it. But today the project got a kick in the pants with the addition of two big stars. Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal have joined the film, which has Black List-approved script by Keith Bunin (HBO's "In Treatment," "Horns"), and tells the story of "Iris (Adams) who, emotionally fragile by the recent loss of her husband, manages to scrape by to provide for her spirited son by running a boarding house in a small town overrun by religious fervor. Their lives are forever changed when...

Philip Seymour Hoffman fans have been waiting quite a while for his directorial follow-up to 2010.s Jack Goes Boating, as he first committed to getting behind the chair in the summer of 2012. But when one has three Hunger Games films to star in, I guess he doesn.t leave a lot of time for filmmaking. Thankfully, the mysterious project has started building its cast, as Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams are set to take on two of the leading roles. No word on whether Hoffman himself will appear, but we.re hopeful. Ezekiel Moss is a Depression-era thriller that centers on a small town boy who befriends a strange drifter played by Gyllenhaal, according to TheWrap. Not that drifters aren.t usually strange to begin with, but this guy has the ability to communicate with the dead. Or so he says. Adams will star as the boy.s widowed mother.

X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer, whose first two features debuted at the Sundance Film Festival — including The Usual Suspects in 1995 — was one of the industry figures named to the Sundance juries that will judge this year’s films when the festival begins next week. Singer, who has X-Men: Days of Future Past due in May, will be one of five members of the U.S. Dramatic Jury. Other members of the juries include Tracy Chapman, Lone Scherfig, Leonard Maltin, and screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Prometheus). A complete list of the juries, courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival, can be viewed after the jump.

Review by Sam Moffitt

Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors working today. He is part of a group of actors who are so good, make such good choices in projects and are so dependable you want to see everything they are involved in.

Within that group I would include, in no particular order, William H Macy, Catherine Keener, Steve Carell, Jessica Chastain, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Taylor and Steve Buscemi. You probably have your own favorites and can add a dozen more names to that list.

Mr. Hoffman seems to specialize in likeable but flawed characters, people who are in pain, emotional, psychological or even physical pain. consider Love Liza for instance. But he can also play egotistical control freaks. I don’t know if I could ever consider him a “movie star”, I think of him, and you probably do to, as a top notch actor, more...

Labyrinth Theater Company, the award-winning, downtown ensemble announced today the complete cast and creative team for their World Premiere production of A Family For All Occasions, written by Labyrinth Company Member Bob Glaudini Jack Goes Boating, A View From 151st Street and directed by former Labyrinth Co-Artistic Director Philip Seymour Hoffman Jesus Hopped The A Train, Our Lady of 121st Street.

At the First Time Fest, there was a “First Exposure” series in which well known and accomplished directors would get their first directed films shown and have the chance to speak about the process. Some of these well known actors include Wes Anderson, Barbara Kopple, John Huston, Darren Aronofsky, Nancy Savoca, Michael Van Peebles, Hal Hartley, Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz, and more.

In addition, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan attended, speaking about their experiences while making Hoffman’s directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating. The film is about two adults (Hoffman and Ryan) having a crush on one another without taking any action to move forward in their relationship, all while they see the relationship of their friends ( John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega) fall. Curated by David Schwartz, the director of programming for the festival, here’s what they had to say about their film.

Amy Ryan: She’s...

The First Time Fest was created by Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward as a way to showcase new upcoming filmmakers and their works, and to get them a head start in their industry. The festival occurred on March 1st to 4th at The Players Club in New York, which was a club started by some well-known writers and actors, including Edwin Booth (John Wilkes Booth’s brother), Mark Twain, and more.

While the festival does support new filmmakers in their journey, it also awards previous filmmakers who have made names for themselves. Being that this is the first year of the festival, the first ever John Huston Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema went to Darren Aronofsky. The award is named in honor of John Huston as he was a esteemed member of The Players Club, as well as considered to be one of the most influential writer, actor, director and producers of all times.

I support this new NYC Film Fest which a lot of our friends attended and also support. I went to their inaugural event in NYC a few weeks back and it felt good and I certainly like their Indie lineup. The following is from a recent press release:

Celebrating first-time filmmakers with a grand prize of theatrical distribution, hosted by the historic Players Club, First Time Fest also had additional participants to this year's unique event.

Harry Belafonte, Gay Talese, Michael Shannon & Ellen Burstyn have joined Christine Vachon, Fred Schneider, Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz, Barbara Kopple, Scott Foundas, Eric Kohn, Emily Russo, Jenny Lumet, Darren Aronofsky, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley, Peter Saraf, Nancy Savoca, Amy Ryan And Martin Scorsese participated In First Time Fest.

Belafonte & Shannon appeared onstage in the Ftf’s “Stand Alone! – Conversations With The Outstanding” series, one-on-one interview with notable cinema artists. Renowned author Gay Talese joined Christine Vachon and the B-52s Fred Schneider as another of the Ftf’s five jurors (the entire live audience at each of the 12 competition films was the 5th juror). Together, the jury and audience ultimately selected Grand Prize winner, Sal, a modern-day Western by Argentinian writer-director Diego Rougier which was offered theatrical distribution and full international sales representation from the renowned American film distributor, Cinema Libre Studio.

Acclaimed actress Ellen Burstyn, who worked with both Scorsese and Aronofsky served as the host of the Ftf Closing Night Awards program. As part of that festive evening, Martin Scorsese added his illustrious presence and belief in the art of cinema, presenting the first John Huston Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema to Darren Aronofsky. John Huston was one of the most prolific and versatile directors in the history of cinema. And with his mesmerizing debut film, Pi – made independently on black-and-white 16mm film – Darren Aronofsky was instantly recognized as a uniquely gifted new talent. His subsequent films: Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan, have more than fulfilled that promise.

In addition, Ftf had a special presentation of Andy Grieve and Lauren Lazin’s documentary about the band The Police, Can't Stand Losing You, featuring Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.

On an exciting party note, and in conjunction with Ftf’s presentation of the Australian/Mongolian documentary Mongolian Bling, First Time Fest and Hip Hop Saves Lives presented “Project Haiti,” an album release party for Zing Experience at Webster Hall.

Representing a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event, Ftf presented a dozen Competition Films, which were judged by a panel of industry luminaries and the Ftf audience. All competition screenings were followed by “hot-seat” discussions between the jury and filmmakers, and all audience members then voted on the films. It was truly a contest of the best emerging filmmakers competing for the Ultimate Audience Award.

Competition Films – (please visit here for competition films & descriptions).

In addition to the Competition Films, Ftf presented First Exposure, a series of first films from now prominent filmmakers. Joining the line-up - and mostly attending the fest - was the exciting Opening Night presentation of Sofia Coppola with The Virgin Suicides, Todd Solondz with Welcome to the Dollhouse, Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, Barbara Kopple with Harlan County, USA, Melvin Van Peebles with The Story of a Three-Day Pass, Pi from Darren Aronofsky, The Maltese Falcon from director John Huston, Poison from Todd Haynes, Jack Goes Boating from director Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth, and True Love from Nancy Savoca.

First Exposure Films – (please visit here, for First Exposure descriptions)

First Exposure also includes a 60th Anniversary Tribute to Morris Engel’s The Little Fugitive, a cinema vérité classic from 1953 that was shot on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, from Jean-Luc Godard to the Coen brothers. The tribute included a panel hosted by film historian Foster Hirsch including Mary Engel, daughter of Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, and James Sanders, author of Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies. In addition there was a Special Presentation of Everardo Gout’s thrillingly over-the-top action thriller Days Of Grace (Dĺas De Gracia), which won the Mexican Academy of Film’s prestigious Ariel Award for Best First Feature and was nominated for the Camera d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

First Time Fest included a series of panels called “How They Did It,” in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers moderated filmmaking case studies and spotlighted some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.

First Time Fest is a four-day, multi-faceted event hosted in New York City’s Gramercy Park by the celebrated Players (16 Gramercy Park South), the club founded by Edwin Booth, Mark Twain and John Singer Sargent, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind whose membership includes the greatest stars of stage and screen. Each of First Time Fest’s twelve finalists receive high-level industry mentorship and a one-year membership to The Players. The Players was the location for all Ftf panels and events as well as the Filmmaker and VIP Lounge. First Time Fest’s screenings were all held at the Loews Village VII on Third Avenue (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).

Among the Fest’s terrific sponsors is the delicious Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. "The forward-thinking Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte draws its inspiration from the call of ‘faraway lands.’ One of the youngest and most fashionable Champagne brands, Nicolas Feuillatte has captured the world's imagination by sharing its passion for creativity and arts in a record 37 years, becoming the #1 Champagne in France. In its role as discoverer of talent, the brand awards its prestige cuvée Palmes d'Or to First Time Fest's winners to complement the celebration in style."

Other terrific sponsors of the fest include Brooklyn Brewery, Moscot, Marquis Vodka and Technicolor Postworks.

For additional Festival Information - Visit The Festival Website at www.FirstTimeFest.com

Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward are the co-founders of First Time Fest. As an accomplished philanthropist, actor and social entrepreneur, as well as the daughter of singer Tony Bennett, Johanna Bennett has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy Ward has worked in the film industry for the past decade in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. Mitch Levine, CEO of The Film Festival Group, is producing the festival. Through his company, Mitch offers consulting services and expertise to film festivals, film commissions, distribution companies and filmmakers around the world, and was formerly the CEO and Executive Director of the renowned Palm Springs International Film Festival. The Festival’s Director of Programming is David Schwartz, the Chief Curator of Museum of the Moving Image.

This past weekend, March 1st to 4th, marked the first ever First Time Fest at The Player’s Club in New York City. The festival is a celebration of the films of first time film makers which also features a competition in which 12 aspiring film makers get to debut their first film. These 12 filmmakers have competed for their chance to receive major distribution of their film and all competitors will receive advice from those in the industry.

The festival is to help those aspiring filmmakers in the industry obtain important information in making their films successful. There are twelve competition films that come from all over the world to compete against this wonderful grand prize of not only distribution by Sponsor Cinema Libre Studio, but knowledge- knowledge of how to make films and how people got their start.

The festival itself includes films from these 12 competition films as well as...

Happy Birthday Daphne Rubin-Vega Rubin Vega is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk nominee and recipient of the Theater World, Obie, Blockbuster awards and was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Jack Goes Boating. She is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi Rent and Conchita Anna in the Tropics, both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony award. She also originated the role of Rahmi Gum, Sofia Nilo Cruz' Two Sisters and a Piano, Canary Mary Suzan-Lori Parks' Fucking A, Lucille Lortel nomination and Lucy Jack Goes Boating at the Public Theater, as well as starred in the Broadway revivals of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Magenta and Les Mis, Fantine and most recently, The New Group's Blood From a Stone Yvette opposite Ethan Hawke.

After enabled the superpowers to three high school friends, Max Landis will next fuel his new young leads with sex, love and friendship in ‘the weirdest, most surreal way possible.’

The co-writer for Chronicle (with Josh Trank), son of filmmaker John Landis will make his feature directing debut with the sexual-identity comedy called Me Him Her.

He also made a name for himself launching the viral video The Death and Return of Superman and being attached to a number of other writing projects.

Now comes word that an indie comedy called Me Him Her written by him as well, is about three young leads, ‘at least one of whom is struggling with their sexuality.’ The so-called ‘quarter-life-crisis’ story takes place in Los Angeles and will be produced and fully financed by Big Beach Films (Safety Not Guaranteed).

Exploring sex, love and friendship, the story which ultimately emphasizes that conceptions of...

Max Landis, the scriptwriter for "Chronicle," will make his feature directing debut with the sexual-identity comedy "Me Him Her," a representative for Landis has told TheWrap. The so-called "quarter-life-crisis" story takes place in Los Angeles and follows three youngsters hung up on their sexuality. It's expected to start production next spring or summer. The film will be produced and fully financed by Big Beach Films ("Safety Not Guaranteed"), which has produced a number of directorial debuts with actors, including Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Jack Goes Boating") and Liev Schreiber ("Everything Is Illuminated"). Landis, who...

Coming after a summer of heroes with super powers or alter egos, Dredd tells the story of one keeper of justice who polices a futuristic dystopia by way of the gun. Based on the famous comic book character who debuted in 1977, this law enforcer (now played by Karl Urban) acts as judge, jury, and executioner when unleashing justice. In Dredd 3D, this titular character becomes trapped in an apartment complex run by drug thugs, along with his rookie partner Anderson (Olivia Thirlby).

Actor Karl Urban is no newcomer to the world of film franchises. Previous movies on his resume include The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The Bourne Supremacy, Star Trek, The Chronicles of Riddick, Red, and even Doom.

In an exclusive interview, I sat down with Urban to discuss the Dredd suit, the idea of acting while wearing a helmet, the mindset for dealing with fan expectations,...

Because Philip Seymour Hoffman can do anything he wants, it’s no surprise that he is now taking on the horror project Ezekiel Moss for Mandalay Pictures.

The script is written by Keith Bunin (who’s penning the upcoming Horns screenplay and worked on In Treatment) and is set in the Great Depression. The film follows “a young boy living in a small town. He becomes friends with a drifter who appears to be able to communicate with the dead.” It doesn’t sound like anything special, but Hoffman is such a fantastic talent and I’m excited to see him take a foray into horror, as I’m sure many of you are as well.

Hoffman has previously directed once before, with Jack Goes Boating. He can currently be seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, and in the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Philip Seymour Hoffman has been receiving rave notices for his role in The Master. Perhaps that’s why the Oscar-winning actor has decided to briefly drop the mic on this whole acting thing and take another turn behind the camera. Two years after his directorial debut Jack Goes Boating, Hoffman is attached to direct Ezekiel Moss, a ghost-story screenplay that was on the 2011 Black List. EW has confirmed the original report by Variety that Hoffman will direct the project, which is being produced by Cathy Schulman and Adam Stone of Mandalay Pictures, Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu of Likely Story,...

Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Cathy Schulman of Mandalay Pictures announced today that Philip Seymour Hoffman will direct Ezekiel Moss, a depression era ghost story about a young, imaginative boy living in a small dead end town who befriends a mysterious drifter who may or may not have the supernatural ability to communicate with the dead.

The Black List voted the script, written by Keith Bunin (who also wrote Horns, the Mandalay / Red Granite Pictures co-production which begins lensing on September 27th in Vancouver) one of the top ten scripts of 2011. The film is a Likely Story and Mandalay Pictures production in association with Hoffman’s Cooper’s Town Productions. Bregman and Schulman will produce. Stefanie Azpiazu of Likely Story, Adam Stone of Mandalay Pictures and Emily Ziff of Cooper’s Town Productions will also produce. Sara Murphy of Cooper’s Town will co-produce. Casting has just begun on the project.

It has been announced that Philip Seymour Hoffman will direct the depression era ghost story Ezekiel Moss:

“New York, NY – September 18, 2012 — Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Cathy Schulman of Mandalay Pictures announced today that Philip Seymour Hoffman will direct Ezekiel Moss, a depression era ghost story about a young, imaginative boy living in a small dead end town who befriends a mysterious drifter who may or may not have the supernatural ability to communicate with the dead. The Black List voted the script, written by Keith Bunin (who also wrote Horns, the Mandalay / Red Granite Pictures co-production which begins lensing on September 27th in Vancouver) one of the top ten scripts of 2011. The film is a Likely Story and Mandalay Pictures production in association with Hoffman’s Cooper’s Town Productions. Bregman and Schulman will produce. Stefanie Azpiazu of Likely Story, Adam Stone of Mandalay Pictures and Emily Ziff...

No doubt even more exhausted than usual by stupid Scientology questions and being swarmed by starry-eyed Hunger Games fans when he's just trying to shop at the mall, Philip Seymour Hoffman is looking to escape back behind the camera for his second directorial effort after 2010's Jack Goes Boating. Titled Ezekiel Moss (a name perfectly phonetically tailored to be croaked from Philip Seymour Hoffman's throat), the film is a Depression-era drama about a young boy's friendship with a drifter who may have the power to talk to the dead. Hoffman has preemptively responded to all future ...

Actor and chameleon Philip Seymour Hoffman will be going back behind the camera for his latest, the supernatural drama “Ezekiel Moss”. This will be Hoffman’s second film as director, his feature film debut being 2010′s drama “Jack Goes Boating”, but I doubt if any of you actually saw that one (or even know it existed, to be perfectly honest with you). Written by Keith Bunin, “Ezekiel Moss” will follow “a mysterious stranger with the power to speak with the dead. His arrival to a small Nebraska town transforms the lives of the town’s residents, including a widow and her young son.” This being a film from a notable actor, you probably shouldn’t expect a straightforward “guy speaks to the dead, bad stuff happens” type of horror movie. If it’s a horror movie at all. The emphasis here might be the drama part in the supernatural drama description.

1.) We sent an email to Fox last night to confirm and have yet to hear back, but as of now it looks like Rupert Wyatt is out as director of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Wyatt signed on for the sequel after finding success with the franchise reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but it turns out he didn't feel comfortable with meeting Fox's announced May 23, 2014 release date. It's similar to the situation with Hunger Games director Gary Ross, who didn't return for Catching Fire because of the quick turnaround between films. I'm sure Fox will name a replacement director rather quickly, while Wyatt could potentially move to Agent 13, the sci-fi project with Charlize Theron attached to star. It was picked up by Universal back in the spring. Wyatt was also at one time attached to direct Londongrad, with Michael Fassbender starring as former Kgb spy Alexander Litvinenko,...

Despite his many great performances, in my mind Phillip Seymour Hoffman will always be Scotty in Boogie Nights. My wife and I watch it whenever it’s on TV and Scotty always makes us laugh. Now, I am happy to report that Scotty is moving from Jack Horner’s boom mic operator to a full fledged director.

Variety brings word that Hoffman, who also directed Jack Goes Boating, will direct Ezekiel Moss for Mandalay Pictures. The flick is a described as a “Depression Era ghost story about an imaginative boy living in a small town who befriends a mysterious drifter who may have the ability to communicate with the dead.” the Black Listed script was written by Keith Bunin.

Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu are producing for Likely Story. Cathy Schulman is doing the same for Mandalay with Adam Stone. Emily Ziff of Hoffman’s Cooper’s Town Productions is also producing.