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After being typecast in romantic lead roles for rom-coms such as 13 Going On 30 and Just Like Heaven, Mark Ruffalo found it difficult to break into other genres - that is, until he got a "take it or leave it" offer from the team behind Zodiac.

In a recent interview with High Snobiety, Ruffalo spoke about Paramount Picture's Zodiac project and how they grudgingly gave him a unique opportunity to try something new, saying, "I’ll never forget when they were negotiating my deal [for ‘Zodiac’], the studio negotiator literally said to my manager, ‘Look, we don’t give a shit about Mark Ruffalo, we don’t even want Mark Ruffalo in this movie, so you’re going to take what we’re offering you or forget it.'"

Related: Thanos and Hulk Battle it Out in Marvel's New Miniseries

Ruffalo went from rom-com lead to playing more serious, dramatic...

Exclusive: Apple TV+’s Huey P. Newton series The Big Cigar has rounded out its cast, with Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick), Noah Emmerich (Dark Winds), John Doman (City on a Hill), Chris Brochu (Zero Contact) and newcomer Brenton Allen coming aboard in recurring roles. André Holland leads the cast, with Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, Pj Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Jordane Christie, Moses Ingram, Olli Haaskivi and Glynn Turman also set to star, as previously announced.

The six-episode limited series, based on the eponymous Playboy magazine article by Argo‘s Joshuah Bearman, tells the extraordinary, hilarious, almost-too-good-to-be-true story of how Black Panther leader Newton (Holland) relied on his best friend, Bert Schneider (Nivola) — the Hollywood producer behind Easy Rider — to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba while being pursued into exile by the FBI.

Newman will play Roz Torrance, with Emmerich as Schneider’s brother Stanley, and Doman as his father Abe.

Exclusive: Four-time Emmy winner Laura Linney got behind the camera for the first time on the back half of Ozark‘s final season, directing the 11th episode of its 14.

The acclaimed drama created for Netflix by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy (Linney), who have dragged their kids Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skyler Gaertner) from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where they must launder money to appease a drug boss. Season 4, which returned for its first of two parts on January 21 and wraps up on April 29, finds tensions further escalating as the Byrdes do everything they can to disentangle their family from the cartel, and to stay alive.

Linney co-exec produces the series, which also stars Alfonso Herrera, Jessica Frances Dukes, Lisa Emery, John Bedford Lloyd, Joseph Sikora and more. Chris Mundy served as showrunner, writer, and exec producer of Season 4, with Bateman,...

Exclusive: Orlando Bloom (Carnival Row) and Andie MacDowell (Maid) have signed on to star in Red Right Hand, an upcoming action-thriller from directors Ian and Eshom Nelms (Fatman).

The film written by Jonathan Easley centers on Cash (Bloom), who is trying to live an honest and quiet life, taking care of his niece Savannah in the Appalachian hills of Odim County. When the sadistic Queenpin Big Cat (MacDowell) who runs the town forces him back into her services, Cash learns he’s capable of anything—even killing—to protect the town and the only family he has left. As the journey gets harder, Cash is drawn into a nightmare that blurs the lines between good and evil.

Asbury Park Pictures is serving as the project’s financier and producing alongside Traction. Individual producers on board include John Wick‘s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Asbury Park Pictures’ Mike Gabrawy, Traction...

Andy Fickman will direct the romantic comedy “Tension Ring,” the debut feature of the newly formed Robbins Lane Entertainment, Variety has learned exclusively.

“Tension Ring” marks the launch of Robbins Lane Entertainment, from Seth B. Fass and Scott Prisand. The shingle is named after the pair’s elementary school in Syosset, Long Island.

Fickman will direct from a script he wrote with Marnie Alexenburg and Kristen Gura Fickman. Inspired by a true love story, “Tension Ring” follows a New York stock broker who enlists the help of his girlfriend’s eccentric father to pull off the engagement of a lifetime — but quickly realizes the alliance could ruin everything.

The project is set to film in New York in early 2019. Fass and Prisand will produce with Fickman’s Oops Doughnuts, with Betsy Sullenger also producing. The film will be executive produced by Robert Leary of Vineyard Point Productions.

“We are thrilled...

It feels like it’s rare to find an actor who doesn’t at some point in his or her career get the urge to direct. Even stars barely out of their teens discuss the desire to direct in interviews (some even get around to it: “Submarine” actor Craig Roberts premiered his first film “Just Jim” last year at the age of 24, and former child star Xavier Dolan was only 20 when he made his first). Sometimes the results are terrible, as anyone who saw Mark Ruffalo’s “Sympathy For Delicious” or Ryan Gosling’s “Lost River,” to name but two recent examples, would tell you. Read More: 10 Strong Directorial Debuts From Actors-Turned-Directors But sometimes, such films are terrific. And with “Miles Ahead,” Don Cheadle’s pretty decent first film as director, hitting theaters on Friday (read our review), Nate Parker’s “Birth Of A Nation” storming Sundance, and the news...

This is a reprint of our review from the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. There's no bigger way for a movie star to paint a giant target on their back than by stepping behind the camera. More often than not, an actor making their directorial debut gets to do more or less whatever they want, and without anyone telling them no, the results can be indulgent and self-serving — there are more films like Mark Ruffalo's "Sympathy For Delicious" than Charles Laughton's "Night Of The Hunter." And far be it from Ryan Gosling to upset that particular narrative. The "Drive" star's first feature as director, "Lost River," premiered in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes and has seemingly already passed into Croisette legend as a "Southland Tales"-style disaster. That's not entirely unfair, as the film is an indulgent mess and then some. But it's not a dull mess, and...

There's no bigger way for a movie star to paint a giant target on their back than by stepping behind the camera. More often than not, an actor making their directorial debut gets to do more or less whatever they want, and without anyone telling them no, the results can be indulgent and self-serving—there are more films like Mark Ruffalo's "Sympathy For Delicious" than Charles Laughton's "Night Of The Hunter." And far be it from Ryan Gosling to upset that particular narrative. The "Drive" star's first feature as director, "Lost River," premiered in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes, and has seemingly already passed into Croisette legend as a "Southland Tales"-style disaster. That's not entirely unfair, as the film is an indulgent mess and then some. But it's not a dull mess, and this writer at least found some pleasures to salvage from it, mostly of the audio-visual variety.

More from Nathaniel at the Tribeca Film Festival

Electric Slide

There's something about the Killer Films logo, that has me rooting for the film that follows every time. Christine Vachon's company has shepherded so many confrontational and interesting indie films and voices into the arthouse over the years that it has both a nostalgic pull And an edge, and those things rarely come conjoined. 

Electric Slide, about a bank robbing loser in 80s Los Angeles, definitely has the confrontational edge part though it's not what you might call "interesting". The only likeable characters are way on the periphery (Vinessa Shaw is engaging despite very little to do as a furniture store employee) like the pretty bank tellers who really sell their brief moments of victimization and carnal attraction to Eddie. But as a film it's intensely narcissistic, less concerned with what you think of it, than what pose it's...

Niko Nicotera (Sympathy For Delicious) and David Labrava have been promoted to regular for the seventh and final season of FX’s Sons Of Anarchy. Nicotera has recurred for the past two seasons on the Kurt Sutter-created biker drama as Samcro member Ratboy Skogstrom. Real-life Hells Angels member Labrava plays Happy, who in Season 6 became Sergeant-at-Arms for the mother chapter of the club. Sons Of Anarchy is FX’s highest-rated series ever, and the Season 6 closer scored a season-finale record with 5.2 million viewers. Nicotera, repped by Pakula King & Associates and manager Nicolas Bernheim, next will be seen in feature The Purge: Anarchy. Related: Kurt Sutter Talks ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ At ATAS Event...

Daniel Escobar, who was best known for playing a teacher on Lizzie McGuire, died last Friday in Los Angeles from diabetes complications. He was 49.

Daniel Escobar Dies

In addition to his recurring role on the Disney Channel series, Escobar reprised his character alongside Hilary Duff in the 2003 Lizzie McGuire movie. Escobar also had a recurring role on the ABC comedy Dharma & Greg as a waiter named Lorenzo.

Adam Lamberg and Jake Thomas, who costarred with Escobar in Lizzie McGuire, both took to Twitter to express their sadness at learning of his passing.

I am deeply saddened to hear about Daniel Escobar passing. He was a kindhearted, generous person. Rest in Peace.

— Adam Lamberg (@AmigoLambergo) December 18, 2013

I'm very sad to hear about Daniel Escobar's passing. He made us laugh with his role as theater teacher "Mr. Escobar" on Lizzie McGuire

— Jake Thomas (@SirJakeThomas) December 18, 2013

Escobar’s long list of TV...

He has been on our radar since he produced Alistair Banks Griffin’s Two Gates of Sleep (2010) and mounted his writing-directing projects in the Sundance preemed shorts The Fort (2012) and Karaoke! (2013) (here is one of our two interviews with the helomer), Deadline reports that Richard Gere has boarded Andrew Renzi’s directorial debut – a Sundance Writers’ Lab project that will begin lensing in October, Franny will potentially film Philadelphia where the original screenplay is set. We’re looking forward to more casting announcements for the roles of the young couple. The producer army begins with Treehouse Pictures’ Justin Nappi and Kevin Turen (All Is Lost), TideRock Media’s Thomas B Fore and Jason Michael Berman (Sara Colangelo’s Little Accidents) and Big Shoes Media’s Jay Schuminsky are producing. Magnolia Entertainment’s Shelley Browning and Michael Diamond serve as executive producers alongside Soaring Flight Productions’ Ruth Mutch and Qed evp of international sales John Friedberg.

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: May 21, 2013

Price: DVD $Tba, Blu-ray $Tba

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Camilla Belle (Father of Invention) looks for a new life in drama movie Open Road.

Belle plays Angie, a free-spirited Brazilian artist who leaves her past behind her to journey around the country in search of happiness. Along the way, she makes a connection with an aging drifter, a handsome cop and his sympathetic sister. As Angie learns to care for her new friends, she’s torn between the freedom of her nomadic life and the joy of becoming part of a community that loves her.

The coming-of-age film was directed by award-winning Brazilian director Marcio Garcia and also stars Andy Garcia (City Island), Juliette Lewis (Sympathy for Delicious), Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed) and John Savage (Bereavement).

Open Road wasn’t screened in theaters in the U.S., debuting on DVD and Blu-ray instead.

Both...

Yesterday, Jordan M. Smith, Nicholas Bell and I highlighted our Top 10 New Faces (strictly in the acting domain) of 2013′s Sundance Film Festival and while that list was pretty much a consensus, our Top 20 New Voices (fiction/non-fiction/short scribes, directors and full-out filmmakers/producers) was an amicably, yet hard fought deliberation process and then ranking of who we think the future will shine most bright…in other words, if these people were Wall Street stock options — we’d put our money behind them. Enjoy the mini profiles and adjoined praise.

#20. Sophie Goyette

Part of the pair of Canadian-based, female auteurs to make a pit stop in Park City (the other being Sarah Polley) French-Canadian filmmaker Sophie Goyette and her 2012 Tiff showcased short film Le Futur Proche demonstrates that there is plenty more raw talent and a pulse from Quebec. Here we find a pilot dealing with loss, suppressing his...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 9, 2013

Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray $34.98

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Bill Murray (Get Low) plays U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson, a movie that’s part love story, part drama, part comedy.

Rated R, Hyde Park on Hudson is centered around the weekend in 1939 when the English King (Samuel West, TV’s Mr Selfridge) and Queen (Olivia Colman, The Iron Lady) visited the home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in upstate New York.

During the first-ever visit of a reigning British monarch to America, Fdr juggles international affairs with the complications of his wife (Olivia Williams, Anna Karenina), mother (Elizabeth Wilson) and mistress, his distant cousin Margaret “Daisy” Suckley (Laura Linney, Sympathy for Delicious).

Directed by Roger Michell (Morning Glory), the film was written by Richard Nelson (Ethan Frome).

Hyde Park on Hudson was screened in limited theaters, grossing $5.6 million. But it...

Back in 2004 Luke Greenfield showed promise with the better-than-it-should-have-been sex comedy The Girl Next Door, but since then we’ve been waiting for the director repeat that same magic. Unfortunately his last effort, Something Borrowed, fell prey to all the generic rom-com trappings he avoided in his previous feature. He’s now looking for his next feature and has lined up two possibilities, Variety reports.

With the connective tissue being Mark Ruffalo, producer of his directorial debut Sympathy for Delicious, Andrew Renz, has linked up with Greenfield for the dramedy The Last Bachelor, which “follows a single man in his late 30s who drops everything to seek out his soulmate. When he finally meets “the one,” he finds himself behaving as if he had a ticking biological clock.”

Then the other project, just receiving a polish by Stuart Blumberg, scribe of Ruffalo’s The Kids Are All Right (coincidence? I think not.

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Dark Shadows, God Bless America and Hick.

Tim Burton brings the peculiar tale of the Collins clan to the big screen. Johnny Depp stars as Barnabas Collins, a long-imprisoned vampire unleashed on the 1970s, where he discovers a colorful batch of dysfunctional descendants. Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter co-star.

Prefer camp with your macabre?

Dark Shadows (1966) Check out the cult classic that started it all. Originally conceived as a moody melodrama, this groundbreaking gothic soap found success following the introduction of tormented vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). From there the Collins family regularly crosses the paths of ghosts, werewolves, and witches. Oh my.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) Or revisit Burton and Depp’s first collaboration, the tale of a modern Frankenstein’s monster with scissors for hands.

It seems like Orlando Bloom‘s comeback is going to start…any…minute…now. He took a couple years off, and then did a film that there was reason to anticipate (Mark Ruffalo’s Sympathy For Delicious) and a few other projects that were destined to be baby steps back to public awareness more than anything else. (Main Street, The [...]...

#59. Smashed - James Ponsoldt An integral part of the indie filmmaking scene, when not contributing to Filmmaker Magazine helmer James Ponsoldt (pictured above) appears to be busy mounting his next project and five yearsafter his breakout debut Off the Black (a Sundance entry in 2006) we now have his sophomore pic - a dramedy featuring Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul along with Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Look for Smashed to grab a U.S Dramatic or Premieres spot. Gist: Co-written by James Ponsoldt and Susan Burke, this is the story of a married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of alcohol gets their relationship put to the test when the wife decides to get sober and begins attending AA. Producers: Jennifer Cochis (Douchebag), Jonathan Schwartz (Like Crazy) and Andrea Sperling (Sympathy for Delicious)(Ioncinema.com Preview Page // IMDb Link)  ...

The long-in-development directorial debut of Mark “the Fourth Avenger” Ruffalo, Sympathy For Delicious tells the story of a gifted DJ who’s fallen on hard times in the wake of an accident that’s left him confined to a wheelchair. Living out of his car, relying on the charity of a do-gooding priest (Ruffalo), things are pretty bleak for Delicious D (that’s his name!) until he finds that he has the power to heal the sick with a laying on of hands—a power that cannot be applied to his own devastating malady. Further embittered by this cruel twist of fate, D nonetheless offers his healing hands to the downtrodden masses of the streets, but it isn’t long before an opportunistic indie rock band offers him a second shot at stardom if he’ll exploit his gift on-stage for a lucrative music/evangelism fest called Healapalooza. But does...

Chicago – An intriguing, highly unusual premise is brought to life by fine performances in “Sympathy for Delicious,” but the film’s aim to inspire is undercut by the shallowness of its one-note characters. Scene after scene veers between a genuinely absorbing morality play and a feature-length “Touched by an Angel” episode riddled with f-bombs.

I suspect that the picture was awarded a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in part because of its offscreen story regarding the 20-year friendship between first-time director Mark Ruffalo and screenwriter/star Christopher Thornton. Their arduous journey toward bringing this indie production to the screen was clearly a labor of love, and the film is an impressive achievement on numerous levels. It just has the tremendous misfortune of centering on one of the most insufferable protagonists in recent memory.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

Thornton is a fine actor and proves here that he’s more...

What exactly happened to Juliette Lewis? Once positioned to be quite the serious actress in films like Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” and the indie drama “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Lewis has been pretty much absent from major roles in the acting world for the past few years (or more). Sure, she has shown up in some enjoyable character turns in comedies like “Whip It” and “Old School,” and put in time in dramas like "Conviction" and "Sympathy For Delicious," but it seems she's mostly been making a go of it with her punk band Juliette and the Licks. Anyway,…...

 Hey everyone! Here's this weeks choices to watch!

Win Win 

Paul Giamatti headlines writer/director Tom McCarthy's comedy drama centering on a beleaguered attorney and part-time wrestling coach who schemes to keep his practice from going under by acting as the legal caretaker of an elderly client. Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) thinks he has discovered the perfect loophole to keep his practice in business. But his brilliant plan hits an unexpected hitch when his client's troubled grandson shows up looking for a place to stay. With his home life in turmoil and both of his careers in jeopardy, Mike quickly realizes that he'll have to get creative in order to find a way out of his current predicament.

This movie is what I call a Dramedy. It has some really funny parts but is definitely a drama. This movie is very real and to these characters nothing comes easy, which...

Rank the week of August 23rd’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Blitz

(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #9439

Win Percentage: 51%

Times Ranked: 215

Top-20 Rankings: 5

Directed By: Elliott Lester

Starring: Jason Statham • Paddy Considine • Aidan Gillen • Zawe Ashton • David Morrissey

Genres: Crime • Crime Thriller • Police Detective Film • Thriller

Rank This Movie

The Beaver

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #5199

Win Percentage: 52%

Times Ranked: 858

Top-20 Rankings: 6

Directed By: Jodie Foster

Starring: Mel Gibson • Jodie Foster • Anton Yelchin • Jennifer Lawrence • Zachary Booth

Genres: Comedy Drama • Drama • Psychological Drama

Rank This Movie

Win Win

(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #2107

Win Percentage: 61%

Times Ranked: 2455

Top-20 Rankings: 6

Directed By: Thomas McCarthy

Starring: Paul Giamatti • Amy Ryan • Bobby Cannavale • Jeffrey Tambor • Burt Young

Genres: Comedy Drama • Drama • Sports Comedy • Sports Drama

Rank This Movie

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #5643

Win Percentage: 49%

Times Ranked: 725

Top-20 Rankings:...

Too many films with a faith-based lesson approach their themes with such heavy-handed force that anyone outside of its niche audience can feel attacked or simply alienated. It’s not impossible to work Christian themes into a story or to present a story that is overtly about faith. Though, you’d never know that judging from films like Soul Surfer and the slew of others that are made specifically to entertain that narrow demographic. With that sampling, you’d swear there was no middle ground. Mark Ruffalo found it though with Sympathy for Delicious, about a faith-healer that never demands you accept the religious practice as a reality, but merely puts it at the heart of the story and then examines how it would realistically play out in today’s modern world obsessed with money and fame. It’s not perfect, as it relies on a few cheap caricatures to make its allegory clear,...

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Bambi II: Special Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2006)

Synopsis: Bambi, one of the silver screen.s most cherished characters, makes his triumphant return. The eagerly awaited next chapter of Bambi.s unforgettable story continues for a whole new generation in a film that.s sure to delight your entire family. Join Bambi as he reunites with his father, the Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn and teach him the ways of the forest. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers that there is much that he can learn from his spirited young son. Thumper, Flower, Owl, and your favorite characters return . and you.ll meet some wonderful new friends . as Bambi.s magnificent legacy continues. Illustrated in the breathtaking animation style of the original classic and bursting with new songs, Bambi II...

Mark Ruffalo's retirement rolls on.

Following his quitting the film business in 2009, Ruffalo's career has been hotter than ever: he was nominated for an Oscar last year for "The Kids Are All Right," Ruffalo directed his first feature film this year in "Sympathy for Delicious," and is currently filming the Marvel ultimate teamup flick, "The Avengers," in which he plays The Incredible Hulk. After that, he'll shoot sex addict movie, "Thank You For Sharing" with Tim Robbins, and then, according to Variety, he'll go FBI agent in "Now You See Me."

The daily trade paper reports that Ruffalo has signed on to the Jesse Eisenberg-starring thriller about a team of illusionists who pull off enormous bank heists. Ruffalo will lead an FBI team that works to take them down, meaning he'll be playing a different kind of good guy to the one he will portray in "The Avengers...

The first photo of Jason Statham and Robert De Niro in The Killer Elite, Tom Cruise still rocking the abs in full costume as Stacee Jaxx in the Rock of Ages movie adaptational Steve Carell and Keira Knightley on the set of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and several new stills of Captain America: The First Avenger including Sebastian Stan's Bucky and Hugo Weaving's Red Skull.

Posters for Cowboys and Aliens, Crazy Stupid Love, The Devil's Double and concept art from John Carter and Tarsem's Snow White.

Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton talks to Hero Complex about why "John Carter" won't be showing up at San Diego and reveals some snazzy concept art.

AcidCow has a list detailing the actual physical ages of cartoon characters - Bart is 34, Ariel is 38, Penny from Inspector Gadget is 38.

"The first trailer for the upcoming "Footloose" remake is set to debut online on Tuesday…...

Maya Entertainment will release the comedy-drama film Sympathy for Delicious, the directorial debut of actor Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island), on Blu-ray and DVD on Aug. 23 for the list prices of $29.98 and $27.98, respectively.

Rock'n'roll rules for Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis in Sympathy for Delicious.

Written by and starring Christopher Thornton, Sympathy for Delicious tell the story of up-and-coming rock’n’roll “Delicious” Dean O’Dwyer DJ (Thornton) who is paralyzed in a motorcycle accident and then seeks out a remedy for the situation in the world of faith healing. Dean gets a bit more than he bargained for when he discovers that he that he possesses the power to heal people but is unable to heal himself. Angrily deciding to use his newfound gift for fame and fortune, Dean joins a rock band, which sets the stage for still another potential tragedy…

Also starring Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis (Due Date), Laura Linney...

The directorial debut from Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right, Shutter Island), Sympathy for Delicious comes to Blu-ray and DVD August 23 from Maya Entertainment. The film was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Directing at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Written by and starring Christopher Thornton (Welcome to California, Pretty Persuasion), Sympathy for Delicious is an edgy, rock-and-roll spiritual journey that explores the lasting effects of tragedy, the search for meaning, and the ultimate redemptive power of compassion. Based on Thornton's real-life experiences as a paraplegic in the world of faith healing, the film also stars Ruffalo, Academy Award nominees Juliette Lewis (Due Date, Whip It!) and Laura Linney (TV's The Big C, HBO's John Adams, The Savages), along with Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Sympathy for Delicious, which had a U.S. theatrical release in April, will...

"I'd probably say 'On the Waterfront.' It's [Marlon] Brando at... his all-time best. It's Elia Kazan, who is one of the all-time great directors. And it's just the perfect mix of great storytelling, social commentary and great acting. It's political and still relevant.

"Those themes are still happening today. It's universal. Coming from the theater, to tell those kind of stories in film, is what's really exciting to me."

Mark Ruffalo is currently filming 2012's "The Avengers," in which he plays Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk). "Sympathy for Delicious," his directorial debut, opened in theaters April 29.

More Favorite Movies: Jessica Szohr | Michael Sheen | Maria Bello | Kat Dennings | Pauley Perrette...

Actress Juliette Lewis was uncomfortable playing a heroin addict in Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut - because she's a recovering addict herself.

The Cape Fear actress fought with Ruffalo over one tough scene in Sympathy For Delicious and the first-time director urged her to walk away and take a break. His advice worked for both of them and Lewis later called the Zodiac star to apologise.

The actor recalls, "She really didn't want to do that scene. It was written into the character, but she was resistant to playing it. I told her... to take a break because it wasn't working.

"I've learned that the best way to deal with some of this stuff is to not deal with it, to turn your back on it. About two or three hours later she called me and she was like, 'I'm really sorry. I'm throwing up a lot of resistance because this brings up a lot of heavy s**t.'

"I was like, 'Join the rest of us, babe'."...

Movie star Mark Ruffalo insists he struggled more than most to make his directorial debut - because he was still grieving the loss of his brother.

The Kids Are All Right star signed on to direct and star in the adaptation of disabled pal Christopher Thornton's screenplay Sympathy For Delicious in a bid to beat the blues, and he admits the hectic 23-day shoot was cathartic for him.

Ruffalo tells Black Book magazine, "When I started making the film I was in the deepest pit of grief and pain. I was really mourning, and I said to myself, 'How can I possibly turn a total f**king s**t situation into something else?' The only thing I knew to do with all my unresolved anger and sadness was to shove it into the work, and try to make something meaningful.

"I would go into my trailer every day, wanting to crawl into a little ball, and then someone would be like, 'Boss, they're ready for you on set.' I'd be lying there, like, 'F**k, how am I going to face this day?'

"Acting, whether it's theatre or filmmaking, has always been a really healthy way for me to work out my dark, dark s**t... My only other option was to slip into deep despair and depression, which I was headed for. If you'll notice, I dedicated the movie to my brother."

Ruffalo's sibling, Scott, was shot dead in December, 2008.

Miranda Kerr stepped out for lunch Saturday at La's Cheebo with her son Flynn. She's home again in California following a quick trip last week to South Korea, where she did interviews and had a few changes including a traditional South Korean costume, for photo ops on behalf of one of her many contracts. Miranda changed into an orange dress by the evening to attend a Global Green party at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel with her husband Orlando Bloom. They mingled with his Sympathy For Delicious director and costar Mark Ruffalo at the bash, which also brought out box office winner X-Men: First Class star Kevin Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick. Orlando is a longtime celeb supporter of the eco organization, since both he and Miranda are well known for their advocacy on behalf of green causes. View Slideshow ›...

While this was largely expected to happen, the last time we heard from Orlando Bloom about his possible (inevitable) reprisal of Legolas in "The Hobbit," the actor played it safe. During the press rounds for "Sympathy For Delicious" Bloom told us, “My fingers and toes are crossed, but, yes, I’ll be there. We’re just waiting for everything to get straightened out.” Well, the ink has dried and the schedules have been made as Peter Jackson confirmed Bloom's return in aFacebook post today: Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas. I'm excited to announce…...

While Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut "Sympathy For Delicious" was kind of a disaster, he certainly didn't leave anything to chance. The film follows a wheelchair-confined DJ who discovers he has the power to heal, and it boasts a pretty solid cast including Ruffalo himself, Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Christopher Thornton (who also wrote the screenplay). But Ruffalo's eye for talent didn't end there. It appears that the actor/filmmaker is somewhat of an indie music nut. "Sympathy For Delicious" features an original score by Montreal rockers The Besnard Lakes and as Ruffalo told us last month,…...

Lakeshore Records will be releasing a soundtrack album for the indie drama Sympathy for Delicious. The album includes the film’s score by the Canadian indie rock band The Besnard Lakes, as well as several songs by the fictional band in the movie Burnt the Diphthongs feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks. Other artists featured on the album are Do Make Say Think, The Kills and The Bee Gees. The album will be released on June 7, 2011 and is now available to pre-order on Amazon. Sympathy for Delicious is actor Mark Ruffalo’s directing debut and stars himself, Christopher Thornton, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich. The film centers on a paralyzed DJ struggling to survive in his wheelchair on the streets of L.A. The movie opened earlier this month in select cities and is now available on VOD.

Here are the new MPAA ratings from Bulletin No: 2172.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Rated PG-13 For sexual content and language. Bunraku Rated R For bloody violence and language. Release Date: Tba 2011 The Chameleon Rated R For language, brief drug use and nudity. Chick Magnet Rated R For strong sexual content and language throughout, and some drug use. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Rated R For language. Discover The Gift Rated PG For some thematic elements. Evil Things Rated R For language. Green Lantern Rated PG-13 For intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action. Release Date: June 17, 2011 Inside Out Rated PG-13 For violence and some language. Life In A Day Rated PG-13 For disturbing violent images, language and a sexual reference. Release Date: July 24, 2011 Little Big Soldier Rated PG-13 For violence and action. Lucky Rated R For language, some violence and brief sexuality. Madso's War Rated R For violence, sexual content,...

Posters for Conan the Barbarian, The Debt, Horrible Bosses, Final Destination 5, The Muppets, Fright Night and Submarine.

Also posters for The Future, The Ledge, Colombiana, 30 Minutes or Less, Sympathy for Delicious, Buck and Green Lantern.

Lots of strange, esoteric new artwork for Steven Soderbergh's Haywire.

The first details are out for the 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release of "Citizen Kane" at Blu-Ray.com.

"Milla Jovovich says she thinks the upcoming fifth film in the "Resident Evil" series will be called "Resident Evil: Retribution" and it will shoot in Japan…" (full details)

""When they say 'We don't have a script,' they don't have a completed script that they're about to go shoot. There's a great desire to see Jack Bauer on the big screen" said Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice when asked about the potential "24" movie during a conference call yesterday to discuss the network's fall primetime programming…...

Rating: 2.5/5

Writer: Christopher Thornton

Director: Mark Ruffalo

Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Laura Linney, Christopher Thornton, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom

Two years ago, Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut, Sympathy For Delicious, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. There, it became one of the biggest critical disappointments and was ripped apart. Some folks were rude for the sake of being rude, and some were fair, but almost every review was less-than-favorable. But Ruffalo got the last smile, as the film did go on to win the Special Jury Prize at the end of the festival. There are directorial debuts far worse than Delicious - Mitch Glazer's Passion Play immediately comes to mind - but the film is in no way going to be adored as much as some of his on-screen performances.

Read more on Theatrical Review: Sympathy For Delicious...

"What makes Johann run — and rob?" asks Melissa Anderson in the Voice. "Benjamin Heisenberg's second feature is as taut, lean, and fleet as its title character, played by Andreas Lust and based on the real-life Johann Kastenberger, who was both Austria's most-wanted bank robber of the 1980s and a champion marathoner. Writing the script with Martin Prinz, who adapted his own 2005 novel about the notorious criminal, Heisenberg forgoes backstory and psychological explanation, structuring his film as a series of adrenaline spikes."

"Lust's character in The Robber is familiar from European crime movies," suggests Noel Murray at the Av Club. "He's the stoic loner who doesn't say much, lest he inadvertently reveal some kind of motivation. When he robs banks, he wears a thin mask that doesn't look all that different from his face, and when he goes on a date with his caseworker, Franziska Weisz, he's more amused by...

Franklin Roosevelt was perhaps the greatest American leader of the 20th century. Turns out the guy who's playing him isn't too bad, either.

Earlier in the week, Bill Murray was confirmed as playing the Great Depression and World War II-era President in the upcoming film "Hyde Park On The Hudson." Word was that Focus Features was using Murray's tentative agreement back in March to sell potential co-stars, and now just days after Murray's confirmation, a second cast member has agreed to join: Laura Linney, as Roosevelt's distant cousin Daisy.

The film will focus on both King George VI's visit to Roosevelt's residence away from the White House, as well as Fdr's alleged affair with Daisy. A sixth cousin and close adviser, Daisy (real name: Margaret Suckley) was a Roosevelt Library archivist for many years, as she held close correspondence with the President and traveled with him often. She was...

Apparently it’s called “acting”. Go figure. Anyways, “Sympathy for Delicious” star and first-time director Mark Ruffalo and his leading man Christopher Thornton were kind enough to sit down for a round of questions from various websites about their new indie movie. Naturally, playing the Hulk came up. Here’s his answer: Fans of Mark Ruffalo definitely have to pick up “Sympathy for Delicious”, where the actor makes his directorial debut. This inspired and unusual film tells the story of Dean O’Dwyer (Christopher Thornton), also known as “Delicious D,” an up-and-coming DJ on the underground music scene in Los Angeles. When a motorcycle accident leaves Dean paralyzed, he abandons his turntables for a wheelchair as his once promising career disappears before his eyes. Forced to live out of his car on skid row, Dean begins his descent into depression when he meets Father Joe Roselli (Mark Ruffalo), a passionate young priest.

Call her America's sweetheart. Or secret weapon. Having won the heart of one British leading man, Greta Gerwig is in talks to co-star in a romantic comedy with another England export.

Gerwig, coming off her turn as Russell Brand's love interest in "Arthur," will star in "Lola Versus," a romantic comedy about a bride-to-be who gets dumped by her fiance just weeks before her wedding, Variety reports, with Orlando Bloom in talks for an undisclosed role. Whether he takes on the offending fiance or eventual love interest remains to be seen, but either way, Gerwig will have worked her charm on the Brit.

The film will be Gerwig's first major leading role; in 2010, she gained major notice with her co-star turn opposite Ben Stiller in "Greenberg," an indie romantic dramedy, and earlier this year, had a small part in "No Strings Attached." The success comes after years of work...

Chicago – A few weeks ago we asked you, the HollywoodChicago.com readers, what you wanted to ask Oscar-nominated star Mark Ruffalo about his directorial debut “Sympathy For Delicious,” now playing in New York City. The multi-talented star sat down with his lead actor/writer Christopher Thornton and gave us the goods. Check it out below the synopsis of this intriguing film. The synopsis follows.

“Sympathy For Delicious marks acclaimed actor Mark Ruffalo’s first foray into directing. This inspired and unusual film tells the story of Dean O’Dwyer (Christopher Thornton), also known as “Delicious D,” an up-and-coming DJ on the underground music scene in Los Angeles. When a motorcycle accident leaves Dean paralyzed, he abandons his turntables for a wheelchair as his once promising career disappears before his eyes.

Forced to live out of his car on skid row, Dean begins his descent into depression when he meets Father...

Now up on our VOD Calendar are the titles available in May.

Some of the highlights include Derek Cianfrance‘s Blue Valentine, John Carney‘s Zonad, Mark Ruffalo‘s directorial debut Sympathy for Delicious (which is also in select theaters now, read our interview with Ruffalo), Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu‘s Biutiful and the premiere of the Adrien Brody/Penélope Cruz starrer A Madator’s Mistress.

To find titles from other months go to our VOD Calendar homepage.

Mark Ruffalo can be forgiven for trying to help out an old acting school friend by directing him in his script, the morality tale Sympathy for Delicious. But this is one of those cases where what's fun and challenging and feels good to the folks making the movie doesn't necessarily work for the audience. Ruffalo, who recovered from a brain tumor in 2002, is fine as a conflicted Catholic priest who is trying to help the homeless by exploiting a wheelchair-bound DJ who discovers healing powers (actor-writer-producer Chris Thornton). Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis play skanky rock musicians, and Ruffalo's You Can Count On Me co-star Laura Linney is a smarmy manager. Everyone is exploiting everyone, in other words. But it takes the entire movie ...

Here's a brief list of some interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles:

My Monster – Hot off the heels of his directorial debut, Sympathy For Delicious, actor-director-Hulkster Mark Ruffalo has his pick of projects. Of the many he’s reportedly considering (Low Down, The Normal Heart, Red Light Winter), he plans to co-write and direct his own next, a drama about a recovering heroin addict raising his six-year-old son.

Unforgiving World – Nicole Holofcener teams up with American Teen's Nanette Burstein to develop Focus Features’ adaptation of the 2008 French comedy Notre Univers Impitoyable, which centers on a professional couple working at the same company who end up competing for the same job.

Nobody Walks – Tiny Furniture’s Lena Dunham has nabbed a trio of hot, young up-and-comers to headline her next film. John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt and Olivia Thirlby star in this indie drama about a family whose lives are turned upside-down when they invite a young, charismatic artist into their home.

Amnesty – Max Landis sold this pitch to Universal Pictures with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment on board to produce. Plot details weren’t disclosed, but Deadline describes it as a mash-up of the Jason Bourne books and Tolkien.

If you know of something in the works, please let us know by submit it for a listing on IMDb Pro via our online submission form.

On Monday, we reported that cameras on Joss Whedon's The Avengers began rolling.  Today Entertainment Weekly informs us that one of film's main Avengers, The Incredible Hulk a.k.a Bruce Banner played by Mark Ruffalo joined the set in Albuquerque, New Mexico to get his portrayal of the massive superhero underway. 

Ironically enough, Ruffalo's directorial debut film Sympathy for Delicious opens in theaters today as well.  While promoting that movie, Ruffalo opened up about his role as the Hulk describing what the green giant (not to be confused with the jolly green one) will look like on the big screen when The Avengers hits theaters next summer. ...

Says He Was Never Tipped For 'Cogan's Trade,' Reveals Brian Helgeland's 'Sidney Grimes' Fell Apart & Talks His Role As The Hulk In 'The Avengers' Exclusive: Actor Mark Ruffalo is a busy man and jack of all trades. While the Academy-Award nominee meant to retire from acting in hopes of starting a directorial career with his latest, the indie pic, "Sympathy For Delicious" starring Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis, (no really), his cooler head prevailed and thankfully for audiences, The Kids Are All Right," was an excellent experience that made him decide he couldn't leave his vocation. Since then, he's…...