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Though controversial figures like Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor and organizations like the UFC have turned mixed martial arts into one of the most popular sports in the world, that popularity has failed to translate to the world of cinema. "Rocky" and "Raging Bull" showed what full-contact competitive fighting sports could uniquely bring to the sports subgenre, and the continued success of the "Creed" series proves that the appetite from audiences for this sort of film persists despite the Marvel-ification of the movie theater.

So why aren't there more Mma movies? It's likely because what few have been produced have, on the whole, been critical failures. But that doesn't mean this sub-subgenre is doomed altogether. We've found the 10 best Mma movies ever made, the best qualities of each arguably revealing what qualities future films need to master before entering the theatrical octagon themselves.

Read more: The 25 Best '80s Action...

Movies have countless areas of craft that require distinct talents which sadly more often than not fail to be recognized in the way they deserve to be. While directors and actors are the most prolific, there is an endless array of roles that most would argue are just as important. Aside from editors, writers, and lighting crews to name a few, sound design is perhaps one of the most important aspects of moviemaking, but is rarely given much attention to. Legendary sound designer Ben Burtt is such a special case for the art of sound design for movies as how his work has not only reached an iconic status, with the most significant work done in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, but his inventive instinct on display for how to achieve the sound effects that are known so well. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here.

Ellen DeGeneres, the former Ellen Show comedian publicly shouted out her love and admiration for her wife Portia de Rossi in a touching birthday tribute shared on social media. While she fell from grace over allegations of being an unpleasant boss, thousands of people still adore Ellen. Additionally, their successful same-sex marriage shines like a beacon for those in the LGBTQ community.

Ellen Degeneres’s Sweet Tribute to Portia de Rossi

The post by the comedian who moved to the UK, rumored to have been sparked by the election of Donald Trump, quickly garnered thousands of likes and comments. In it, Ellen featured a heartfelt message celebrating de Rossi’s brilliance, beauty, humor, and adventurous spirit.

The caption on Instagram read simply, “Happy birthday to my brilliant beautiful hilarious adventurous wife. I think you’re terrific.”

Revealing her affection and love for Portia de Rossi comes as they previously faced...

Jack Lemmon was the two-time Oscar-winner who starred in dozens of films, working until his death in 2001 at the age of 76. But how many of those titles are classics? Let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest movies, ranked worst to best.

Lemmon won his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for “Mister Roberts” (1955). A second Oscar for Best Actor followed for “Save the Tiger” (1973), making him the first person to pull off victories in both categories. He competed six more times for Best Actor throughout his career.

He is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with Walter Matthau, with whom he made 11 films. In films such as “The Fortune Cookie” (1966), “The Odd Couple” (1968), and “Grumpy Old Men” (1993), Lemmon’s fastidiousness played beautifully off of Matthau’s scruffiness.

On the small screen, Lemmon earned Emmys for “‘S Wonderful, ‘S Marvelous, ‘S Gershwin” (Best Variety Performer in 1972) and...

I’m unsure if Netflix is trying to drum up some competition between spy thriller shows. The Recruit’s second season is set to stream this week, while the puzzlingly uber-popular The Night Agent’s sophomore effort premiered the week before. For my money, there is no competition.

Both shows are imperfect, but The Recruit has far more fun with its genre premise than The Night Agent. Led by heartthrob Noah Centineo, the second season offers thrills and laughs while smartly dropping some of the dead weight of personal relationships.

I’ll offer another hot take on the subject — The Recruit is smarter than the latter.

Related Real Reason Why Lana Condor and Noah Centineo Never Dated in Real Life is Far From What The Actress Said Netflix’s The Recruit Review and Synopsis

The second season follows Centineo’s Owen Hendricks, who has just finished a crash course in...

An emotional Kieran Culkin thanked A Real Pain writer-director and co-star Jesse Eisenberg tonight as he accepted the Golden Globe for Best Male Actor In A Supporting Role for a Motion Picture.

“I’m here because Jesse Eisenberg wrote an incredible script. He’s a fantastic director and scene partner. So anybody that has an opportunity to work with him in any category, just leap at it. Thank you, sir,” Culkin said.

“I’m feeling a little … my wife and I did a shot of tequila with Mario Lopez. Definitely feeling, that. The whole speech is gone,” added the Succession star..

“I love the Golden Globes. The first ever acknowledgement I got as an actor was a Golden Globe nomination when I was basically a kid, and so then that meant a lot. And so this has a special place now. It’s like the best date night that my wife and I ever have.

Happy Holidays from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today we discuss the great Jack Lemmon with the great Mitchell Beaupre! Our B-Sides today include Cowboy, The April Fools, Tribute, and Out to Sea. There’s also a lengthy appreciation of Save the Tiger, which won Lemmon his second Oscar.

The three of us try to define how exactly Lemmon so perfectly encapsulated the average, American male for so many decades, while digging into his long career, that includes both filmmaker Billy Wilder and Walter Matthau. We discuss how Cowboy was ahead of its time, how The April Fools skates by on immense, charming chemistry, and how Tribute falters due to a stunted co-lead (sorry Robby Benson!).

There’s a lot in this episode. A true holiday gift! We...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Paramount+'s Dear Santa movie.Ben Stiller's surprise appearance in Dear Santa is one of the movie's best moments, and although it works well in isolation, Stiller's presence also serves as a clever nod to another Jack Black project from over two decades ago. Stiller's Dear Santa casting places him in his second 2024 Christmas movie - with the other being Hulu's Nutcrackers. So, the holidays this year mark an acting resurgence for Ben Stiller after focusing far more on behind-the-scenes roles in recent years.

Although he doesn't appear until near the end of Dear Santa, Stiller has a surpisingly large impact on the plot. Fans who follow Jack Black's career outside the movie industry will get a little more out of Stiller's role in the Dear Santa cast than those who only know Black as an actor. The pair have a long-standing relationship that isn't limited to feature-length productions,...

A Different Man Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

The first big awards event of the season was held in New York last night, with Aaron Schimberg's transformative tale A Different Man taking top prize. Sing Sing and Nickel Boys each won two awards, putting them in good position for the race to come. There was a special tribute award for Angelina Jolie for her performance as opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria.

Zendaya received the Spotlight Tribute for her work in Luca Guadagnino's tennis-themed Challengers, while Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold received the Visionary Tribute for their collaboration on Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Denis Villeneuve received The Gotham Director Tribute for Dune: Part Two, and the Ensemble Tribute went to the cast of The Piano Lesson, including Samuel L Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins,...

A24’s “A Different Man” won best feature at the 2024 Gotham Awards Monday night at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Meanwhile, “Sing Sing” swept the acting categories, with Colman Domingo winning for best lead performance and Clarence Maclin for best supporting performance.

Each category for nominations is decided by a different jury of critics, journalists and other industry professionals, and screening links must be provided to all its jury members. An entirely different group determines the winners. That’s in contrast with the Oscars or the BAFTAs, which are determined by actors, filmmakers and other artists who are in the entertainment industry.

In addition to the nominees, the Gothams bestowed special tributes to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (Performer Tribute) for “Maria,” Emmy winner Zendaya (Spotlight Tribute) for “Challengers,” Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold (Visionary Tribute) for “A Complete Unknown,” and the...

Music can be funny sometimes because songs can be about anything - including other songs. Some songs can serve as a source of inspiration for other songs, and much of that influence is expressed in the record itself (whether that influence is positive or negative). Sometimes, the songs at the center of one song may not even exist, which is a whole other strange phenomenon in itself.

At the end of the day, musical artists and songwriters are storytellers and thus might make up a song at the center of the one they are playing to tell a story. It's somehow even more meta than a song referencing a song that actually exists. In either case, such a meta scenario has opened the door some of the best songs in music history. Here are just a few examples of such great songs that are about other songs, existing or otherwise.

Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions (2024) is yet another modern retelling of the French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Frankly, if we’re being serious, it’s really a remake of the Roger Kumble film of the same name, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair, which came out a quarter of a century ago.

Now, we live in a world of TikTok and Instagram, where people can be cruel at the tap of a screen. This is a story where Cruel Intentions hits its authentic target audience in the age of social media. The result is an adaptation made for the streaming era—additive, highly bingeable, and with a wicked sense of itself.

Sarah Catherine Hook, Sara Silva, and Zac Burgess in Cruel Intentions (2024) | Image via Amazon MGM Studios Related My Old Ass Review — A Hilarious and Tender Coming of Age Tale...

Actor Timothée Chalamet and director James Mangold, collaborators on the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” will receive the Gotham Awards’ Visionary Tribute, the organization announced on Tuesday.

“In ‘A Complete Unknown,’ Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold have beautifully captured Dylan’s emergence in 1960s New York, not just as an artistic evolution, but as a meditation on the necessity of change,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham.

“Through Chalamet’s breathtakingly authentic performance and Mangold’s masterful direction, we witness Dylan’s transformation from folk prophet to electric rebel, showing how growth often requires letting go of the very relationships and identities that shaped us,” Sharp continued. “Together, they have created a work that will not only resonate with longtime Dylan admirers, but also introduce his revolutionary artistry to a new generation. We’re thrilled to honor them with this year’s Visionary Tribute and look...

Timothee Chalamet and his Complete Unknown director James Mangold will receive the 2024 Gotham Awards Visionary Tribute for their work on the Bob Dylan biopic.

The honor recognizes collaborations that push the boundaries of storytelling in film.

“In A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold have beautifully captured Dylan’s emergence in 1960s New York not just as an artistic evolution, but as a meditation on the necessity of change,” The Gotham Film & Media Institute executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement. “Through Chalamet’s breathtakingly authentic performance and Mangold’s masterful direction, we witness Dylan’s transformation from folk prophet to electric rebel, showing how growth often requires letting go of the very relationships and identities that shaped us. Together, they have created a work that will not only resonate with longtime Dylan admirers but also introduce his revolutionary artistry to a new generation. We’re thrilled...

Songs of Praise presents a special Remembrance Sunday episode airing on November 10, 2024, at 1:15 p.m. on BBC One. Presenter Sean Fletcher journeys to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, for a poignant exploration of remembrance and faith within the Royal Navy. Fletcher meets current and former service members, hearing their stories and […]

Songs of Praise: Remembrance Sunday – A Moving Tribute from Dartmouth...

Ozzy Osbourne’s complete solo discography will be collected on an 18-lp box set titled See You on the Other Side V2.0, set to arrive on March 14th, 2025. The release updates a 2019 box set with Ozzy’s two most recent albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and 2022’s Patient Number 9, as well as additional goodies.

See You on the Other Side V2.0 comes at a steep price of $599.99, but it is limited to 2,000 copies, with each signed by the Prince of Darkness himself. It is available for pre-order from Ozzy’s official merch store.

In addition to all of his studio LPs, live albums, and rarities on vinyl, the box set includes 10 brand-new full-size posters of vintage photos, a gold bat vinyl slipmat, and an individually numbered vellum certificate of authenticity personally signed by Ozzy.

The announcement of the box set is accompanied by a hilarious commercial starring Osbourne’s guitarist Zakk Wylde.

Denis Villeneuve will receive The Gotham Director Tribute on December 2 for Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures’ Dune: Part Two.

Villeneuve’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert sci-fi messiah story starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya premiered in London in February and opened in March, going on to gross more than $711m worldwide.

Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute, said, “This recognition celebrates not only [Villeneuve’s] recent accomplishments but also his remarkable journey as a filmmaker, which began nearly 30 years ago and has included such early classics as Incendies, a project we were proud to support through our...

Minecraft is the latest addition to the list of Jack Black video game movies, and his history with the genre traces back to a failed Tenacious D animated series. Award-winning comedy actor and musician Jack Black is beloved by audiences and has established himself as a reliable and multi-talented performer, but with a current streak of roles in video game movies, Black has also made a major splash in the gaming community. His vocal performance as Bowser in the 2023 animated Super Mario Bros Movie was a viral sensation that led to the adaptation's $1 billion box office domination and award-winning run.

Black has since appeared as Claptrap in the 2024 Borderlands live-action movie, with critics praising his commitment, despite the commercial failure and negative reception of the project. To continue this monumental trend in the actor's career, Black is set to portray Steve in Warner Bros. and Mojang Studios' 2025 Minecraft movie, a...

This year’s 2024 TIFF Tribute Award honorees addressed a packed black-tie Fairmont Royal York Ballroom. Sometimes the tributees go on to Oscar glory. For example, after his 2019 tribute, Joaquin Phoenix went on to win Best Actor for “Joker,” Variety Artisan Award winner Roger Deakins landed a cinematography win for “1917,” and after his 2020 tribute, Anthony Hopkins grabbed an Oscar for Best Actor for “The Father” and TIFF tributee Chloé Zhao won Best Director for her movie “Nomadland.” The list goes on. Eventual Best Actress Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain was tributed at TIFF for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” as was Brendan Fraser for his work as an actor on the movie “The Whale.” And tributee Michelle Yeoh went on to win Best Actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Many on this year’s list harbor similar hopes. Here are the award winners:

Angelina Jolie, TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media,...

In receiving the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media tonight, Oscar and Tony winner Angelina Jolie exclaimed that “When I am asked how I feel about the state of the world today, I admit I feel sick.”

She added, “After pushing for basic human rights for all people, only to see the reality worsen for so many, I feel a part of the failure of the system.”

However, Jolie always seeks to make a difference in showing the resilience of humanity. “A lot of Jolie’s films are about the long impact of war,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey tonight at the world premiere of her sixth directorial Without Blood. Her blockbuster 2014 holiday movie, Unbroken followed Olympian Louis Zamperini turned WWII pilot, who spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. In the 2017 Netflix documentary,...

While the late actor may not be one of the most recognized in Hollywood, the best Christian Oliver movies and TV shows reveal the underappreciated depth of his talent. Born in Germany in 1972, Christian Oliver tragically passed away along with his two daughters in a plane crash in the Caribbean in early 2024. His career was still incredibly active at the time of his passing, and from his earliest appearances in movies like The Baby-Sitters Club through to TV thrillers like 2020's Hunters, he showcased a versatility few actors can match.

German actor Christian Oliver starred alongside an incredible number of Hollywood A-Listers including Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Cate Blanchett. He was a reliable and dependable talent, adding a level of authenticity to any movie or TV show he starred in, whether it was a central role, a minor character, or even simply additional voice-work to add immersion to a scene.

We have not heard the last from Tenacious D.

During the red carpet premiere of Borderlands on Tuesday, Jack Black was asked about the band’s status following bandmate Kyle Gass’s joke about an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which led Black to cancel the band’s upcoming tour dates. Speaking to Variety, Black promised that Tenacious D “will be back.”

“We need to take a break. Everybody needs a break sometime,” Black explained. “And we’ll be back.”

Asked if he had spoken to Gass since canceling the tour, Black replied, “Yeah, we’re friends. That hasn’t changed. These things take time sometimes… And we’ll be back when it feels right.”

As proof of his commitment to Tenacious D, Black noted that he was wearing the magical guitar pick from the band’s 2006 film, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. “I love Tenacious D. It’s probably my favorite job,...

Among Dave Grohl’s many contributions to popular music, easily in the top five is essential work with Tenacious D on their 2001 classic, “Tribute.” Grohl not only played rhythm guitar and drums on the studio version of the track, but he also popped up in the video, too, as the demon who challenges Jack Black and Kyle Gass to play the best song in the world, lest he eat their souls.

Over the weekend, at the Foo Fighters’ Aug. 3 show in Denver, Grohl took a moment to play a bit of the classic song.

Dave Grohl seems to be sticking by Tenacious D amidst the recent outcry over Kyle Gass’ joke regarding the recent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump.

During Foo Fighters’ concert at Empower Field in Denver, Colorado on Saturday night, Grohl covered a portion of Tenacious D’s song “Tribute” during the acoustic portion of the band’s set.

Get Foo Fighters Tickets Here

Grohl only made it through the first verse before acknowledging that he didn’t know all of the lyrics, adding, “I only played the drums on that song.” Even so, performing even a portion of the song less than a month after Tenacious D found themselves involved in a firestorm of controversy seemed like a conscious show of support from the Foo Fighters frontman.

During a Tenacious D concert in Australia last month, Gass was asked to make a wish for his birthday and responded, “Don’t miss Trump next time.

Alexander Payne, whose most recent film “The Holdovers” picked up five Oscar nominations and one win, will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the art of film.”

Payne’s longtime collaborator Jim Taylor, with whom he shared the 2005 adapted screenplay Oscar for “Sideways,” will join him at the festival, which runs Aug. 16 to 23. Payne will present a special screening of “Sideways,” which earned five Academy Award nominations.

Payne also will hold a masterclass, which will be “an opportunity for the film enthusiasts to learn from him about film production, directing, screenwriting, and other key aspects of his career,” according to a statement from the festival.

Payne’s eight feature films have been nominated for 24 Oscars, including four times for best picture and three times for director. He has won twice for adapted screenplay, and “The Holdovers” won supporting actress this year.

Working with a luminary like Steven Spielberg is a golden opportunity, one coveted by many but earned only by a handful, and Jackie Chan had been longing to be among the latter.

Steven Spielberg | Photo by Elena Ternovaja, licensed under Cc By-sa 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

While Chan was keen on experiencing the epic world of dinosaurs, Spielberg couldn’t quite envisage the now 70-year-old slapstick acrobat against such a backdrop of sci-fi slash reptilian adventures. But the film that the two would ultimately end up working together on, would somehow turn out to be worse.

Jackie Chan Was Desperate to Work With Steven Spielberg

With a career spanning five prolific decades, a dazzling, unforgettable filmography, and a deluge of accolades attesting the same, it’s no surprise that even industry goliaths are dying to join forces with Steven Spielberg. Just look at Jackie Chan.

“When I came to Hollywood,” the...

“The First Omen” is a 2024 movie written and directed by Arkasha Stevenson starring Nell Tiger Free. With Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga and Bill Nighy.

Hulu has done it again: the streaming network has taken a classic horror film, “The Omen” (1976), and created an intriguing prequel that pays homage to and respects the original. The prequel vividly depicts the birth of Damien with stunning effects and a sense of spectacle. It also expresses a profound respect and reverence for one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Plot Summary

A novice arrives to take her vows as a nun but soon finds herself entangled in a demonic plot where priests are attempting to bring the Anti-Christ to life.

The First Omen “The First Omen”: A Grand Tribute and a Novel Movie

Comparing a prequel with its iconic 70s horror movie original may seem inevitable. The original was...

Prior to his seven-year stint on "Star Trek: Voyager," Robert Picardo had a lengthy and storied acting career. He was a Joe Dante regular, appearing in "The Howling," "The Explorers," "Innerspace," "The 'Burbs," "Matinee," and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch." He appeared in "Star 80," Ridley Scott's "Legend," the zombie cop film "Dead Heat," and Robert Englund's directorial debut "976-evil." This was all mixed in with plentiful TV work and multiple appearances on stage. Picardo has never been not busy, most recently appearing on a 2024 episode of "Young Sheldon."

Had Picardo never taken the "Star Trek" gig, he still would not have been hurting for work. "Voyager" just happened to be a sizable feather in his cap. "Voyager" simply boosted the actor's visibility and gained him legions of Trekkie fans. On "Voyager," Picardo played the U.S.S. Voyager's nameless Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram that had to...

Nicole Kidman hung out with Miles Teller, Reese Witherspoon, Lee Daniels, Meryl Streep and Zac Efron at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Kidman was glowing in her sparkly gold gown while holding her award. Streep wore a floral dress and held hands with Kidman. Witherspoon went with a black gown while the men twinned in suits.

Kidman attended the event with her country music star husband, Keith Urban, and their daughters Sunday, 15, and Faith, 13.

Kidman has two adopted children from her previous relationship with Tom Cruise. Their daughter Bella, 31, recently shared a selfie rocking a mullet. Their son Connor, 29, is a DJ.

Bella and Connor choose to keep their lives private and stay out of the spotlight. They are estranged from Kidman, while Cruise had full custody of them after their divorce in 2001.

The...

Shudder announced a while back that they had renewed The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs for a supersized sixth season that will make sure Joe Bob is an even more consistent presence on the streaming service throughout the year. We previously heard that the Last Drive-In special A Tribute to Roger Corman, which is set to air on Shudder (and AMC+) March 15th, wasn’t considered part of the new season, with The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs season 6 officially beginning on March 29th – but now a trailer for season 6 has made its way online, and according to this trailer (which can be viewed in the embed above), they’ve decided to go ahead and count A Tribute to Roger Corman as part of the season. Since this special kicks it off, The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs season 6 begins this Friday!

Some promo art for the new season was also unveiled,...

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Photo: Star Wars Timeline

With Oscar-nominated 'Oppenheimer' director Christopher Nolan calling 'Dune Part Two' the Denis Villeneuve's 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' - let us take a look at Star Wars and its universe.

May is a special time of year. It is special in multiple ways, there are graduation celebrations, and it's the start of summer (your writer's favorite time of year). But for us Cinephiles it brings us so much more, May is the official month of Star Wars! after all, the original ‘Star Wars: Episode 4’ was released on May 25th, 1977 and George Lucas's birthday is on May 14th. That's not all, May 4th and 5th are Star Wars days where fans around the world celebrate by having watch parties for their favorite episodes. May the 4th be with you, but beware of the revenge of the 5th!

Related Video: Full...

Talent behind movies including Barbie, Oppenheimer and Maestro are among the honorees for the American Cinematheque’s third annual “Tribute to the Crafts,” which will be held Jan. 19 at the newly renovated Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

The event — which will be co-hosted by producers and American Cinematheque board members Franklin Leonard and Paula Wagner — will celebrate individuals in 15 categories including Oppenheimer editor Jennifer Lame, Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington and late Killers of the Flower Moon composer Robbie Robertson.

Additionally, Academy Award-winning sound mixer Kevin O’Connell will receive a Career Achievement Award for his work, which spans 270 films over three decades. This year, O’Connell worked on projects including Oppenheimer, Barbie, Gran Turismo, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and Cocaine Bear.

The “Tribute to the Crafts” honorees are below.

Feature Film

Choreography: The Color Purple (Fatima Robinson) – Warner Bros. Pictures

Cinematography: Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema) – Universal Pictures

Costume...

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has received praise for its fidelity to the source material, making it a favorite among fans of the series. Tom Blyth delivers a standout performance as Coriolanus Snow, showcasing the downward spiral that leads him to become the hated President. The prequel is said to be even more gripping than the original story, with intense and gritty fight scenes, although the runtime could have been shorter and the ending less ambiguous.

While Young Adult sagas like Harry Potter, Twilight, and Percy Jackson are working on new adaptations of their original stories, the world of The Hunger Games is expanding with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel that deepens the mythology created by Suzanne Collis and recounts the beginning of the rise of the great villain of the story, Coriolanus Snow.

Based on the book published in 2020, the new film...

Past Lives, A Thousand and One and All of Us Strangers are among the top film nominees for the 2023 Gotham Awards.

Past Lives and A Thousand and One are both up for best feature, breakthrough director (Celine Song for Past Lives and A.V. Rockwell for A Thousand and One) and best lead performance (Greta Lee for Past Lives and Teyana Taylor for A Thousand and One).

Other best feature nominees are Ira Sachs’ Passages, which is also up for best lead performance (Franz Rogowski); Tina Satter’s Reality; and Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up.

All of Us Strangers, meanwhile, scored a leading four nominations, the most of any film. The Searchlight title is up for best international feature, best screenplay (writer-director Andrew Haigh), best lead performance (Andrew Scott) and best supporting performance (Claire Foy).

In the TV categories, Beef leads with three nominations, with Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire,...

“Maestro,” the upcoming Netflix film by Bradley Cooper, will receive the Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute at the 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony. The ceremony takes place on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 24th.

The Icon & Creator Tribute was created for this year’s Gotham Awards “in order to recognize cultural icons and the filmmakers responsible for bringing that icon’s story to life,” according to the official statement. In this case the Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute will honor Leonard Bernstein, a legendary composer who Cooper’s film centers around. The Tribute will honor both Bernstein and Cooper, who co-wrote, directed and produced the new movie, in addition to starring as Bernstein, who the official release describes as an “acclaimed musician, conductor, composer, teacher and author.” He was!

“With ‘Maestro,’ Bradley Cooper and the film’s entire creative team...

Air has been set for a special honor at next month’s Gotham Awards.

The film, which tells the story of the creation of the Air Jordan brand, will receive the Gotham Visionary Icon & Creator Tribute. The newly created award recognizes director Ben Affleck’s film as well as the real-life collaborators on the Michael Jordan shoe phenomenon.

The Gotham Film & Media Institute’s ceremony, this year set for November 27 at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street, represents the unofficial kickoff of awards season. Nominees for competitive categories in film and TV will be announced October 24.

“Both gripping and hilarious, Air is a deeply refreshing reminder to the film industry that audiences respond to smart, original narratives,” said Jeffrey Sharp, the institute’s executive director. “By capturing the dramatic story behind the most monumental partnership in the history of sports marketing, the film highlights the power of knowing your...

The Gotham Awards have announced that the Netflix biopic “Rustin” will receive the Icon and Creator Tribute for Social Justice at this year’s 33rd annual ceremony, which is set to take place on Monday, November 27, 2023, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The official Gotham Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, October 24.

“Rustin” tells the true story of Bayard Rustin (played by Tony nominee and Emmy winner Colman Domingo), who was one of the leading figures in the civil rights movement and one of the architects of the historic 1963 March on Washington, but he was marginalized for being gay. As of this writing Domingo ranks among the top five likely nominees for Best Actor at the Oscars based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users.

See‘Rustin’ trailer: See Colman Domingo transform into civil rights hero in new Netflix teaser [Watch]

Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director...

New York, June 1 (Ians) A 17-year-old Indian-origin student in Missouri has won the prestigious Regeneron Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 for his research relating to the mpox virus.

Saathvik Kannan of David H. Hickman High School in Columbia was awarded for using biocomputational methods to understand the causes of heightened infectivity in the disease mpox after it re-emerged in 2022.

Saathvik’s approach, named Bioplex, uses a combination of machine learning and three-dimensional comparative protein modeling to decode structures like those that enable the mpox virus to replicate.

This allowed him to identify the mutations in the virus that likely made it more infectious as well as other mutations that could make it resistant to antibiotics.

He credited his mentor, Kamlendra Singh, an assistant professor of veterinary pathobiology at the University of Missouri.

“I was overjoyed and incredibly excited!” Saathvik wrote in an email to the Columbia Daily Tribute about the prize.

It’s been a tough time in Hollywood and beyond as the Writers Guild strike shut down production of just about every kind of entertainment — and lots of parties and events, too. Canceled/postponed celebrations included the MTV Movie & TV Awards, the 49th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Nicole Kidman, the Critics Choice Inaugural Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television and many others.

But music festivals like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival marked the early beginning of summer fest season and Netflix helped launch Pride Month early with a huge “All Out” celebration in West Hollywood. Meanwhile, “The Little Mermaid” swam into Hollywood for a lavish premiere and SeriesFest: Chapter 9 took over Denver. So all is not lost in the world of Parties & Premieres, but we sure hope that Hollywood writers get the raises they deserve and go back to work very soon.

“The Little Mermaid”

The Dolby Theatre,...

Today sees the final release of tickets for The Taylor Hawkins Tribute show, presented by Foo Fighters along with the Hawkins family at Wembley Stadium, London. The late Foo Fighters drummer was only 50 years old when he was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia in March earlier this year. A cause of death is yet to be announced.

The band is already in London preparing for the one-off show, which promises to be a day of epic music and, though tinged with sadness, a time to celebrate a great musician and friend.

The show will take place on Saturday 3 September at Wembley Stadium. Doors will open at 2.30pm, with the show starting at 4.30pm.

From 12pm on show day, special merchandise will be available on Olympic Way. Ticket and merchandise sales will benefit Music Support, a charity that helps those who work in music and live events affected...

Longtime Variety reporter Dave McNary was remembered as a consummate journalist who deeply loved covering the movie business during American Cinematheque’s Tribute to the Crafts, held Monday night at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre.

Sharon McNary, a longtime journalist for Kpcc-fm who was married to Dave McNary for 21 years, was on hand to accept a posthumous award for her husband, presented by Variety co-editor in chief Cynthia Littleton. Dave McNary died in 2020 at the age of 69 after suffering a stroke.

“I never saw anyone work as hard as he did,” Sharon McNary told the crowd.

She noted that her husband loved this time of year, when film kudos are in full swing. “He called it tuxedo season,” she said. Unlike many industry veterans, Dave never complained about having to dress up for events. “He’d get dressed up, take a picture with the dog and head off to have the time of his life,...

Sensing a potential trend in the possible nominations of three major Oscars categories — best director, actor and actress — we could see a first-time occurrence for the Academy Awards on Tuesday. However, if you read the tea leaves put forth by the nominations for the DGA and SAG, there’s a strong possibility that all three of those categories may not include a first-time nominee — a first in Oscar history.

For best actor, the SAG lineup recognized all former nominees and winners — Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”), Andrew Garfield, Will Smith (“King Richard”) and Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”). Even the ones on the bubble are once-nominated or crowned, including Mahershala Ali (“Swan Song”), Bradley Cooper (“Nightmare Alley”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Don’t Look Up”). The closest first-timers in the running seem to be Golden Globe nominees Peter Dinklage (“Cyrano”) and Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza...

Kenneth Wannberg, composer and Emmy-winning music editor who worked on nearly half of all John Williams’ films dating back to the late 1960s, died Jan. 27 at his home in Florence, Oregon. He was 91.

Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.

He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...

Can you pour so much authentic love, tenderness, and warmth into a tribute with your heart in the right place and still get it all wrong? And to that end of questions, is it possible to apply the “wrong” genre to a beloved genre franchise? Well, for the former, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” certainly makes the case for a cautionary tale about overwrought affections. Because the new film by director Jason Reitman—the son of Ivan Reitman, the director of the original 1984 comedy— is undoubtedly a well-meaning love letter to “Ghostbusters,” and the late Harold Ramis, in particular, but its well-intentioned embrace is too reverent and eventually turns mawkish, even awkward and embarrassing in the final act.

Read More: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

It’s a bit of a shame, given how competent ‘Afterlife’ is at certain, unexpected things.

Continue reading ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Review: A Loving Tribute To Harold Ramis Is Sabotaged By Fan Service,...

Photo: ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’/Netflix Heightened Expectations Everyone’s favorite streaming service, Netflix, has released this high-intensity, female-led action film, ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ today and it has already received a lot of traction. So far the critics are loving this, as it has received eighty-five percent on Google, and sixty-seven percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Many people seemed to really enjoy it, and that’s fantastic. The title, ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ was a bit confusing to me, as I was not sure what to make of it. After watching the film, it all becomes clear now. It’s a little bit of violence, and a little bit of sweet/childish. That is a perfect description of the film’s entirety. Related article: ‘In the Heights’ – Behind the Scenes and Full Commentary/Reactions from Cast & Crew Related article: A Tribute to Cannes Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinema, Glamour, and Humanity | Statement From The Hollywood Insider...

It promises to be a memorable night of boxing tonight as some of the sports’ biggest names go head to head in a battle for pride, dominance and family legacy.

It’s all part of the “Tribute to the Kings” event, taking place at The Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico tonight, Saturday, June 19. The much-hyped event will feature Julio Cesar Chavez, Hector Camacho Jr., Mma legend Anderson Silva, Damian Sosa, Abel Mina and others, battling it out in the ring in a pay-per-view fight streaming on Fite.tv.

What is Tribute to the Kings?...

“You’re No Good” (Bob Dylan, 1962)

From his oft-overlooked folkie debut, a prophetic blast of rockabilly. Even in this early stage, hustling to make his name in the folk scene, Dylan’s got rock & roll in his bones.

“Going, Going, Gone” (Planet Waves, 1974)

One of his last great studio performances with the Band — and also one of his catchiest songs about death.

“Black Diamond Bay” (Desire, 1976)

A tale of forbidden love, violence, treachery — plus a final-verse twist where it turns out Dylan’s at home watching the news on TV,...

Gallipoli director Peter Weir and star Mel Gibson will be honoured this week at the 2021 Australian International Screen Forum via the event’s Trailblazer Awards.

The award will recognise their contribution to a body of work that transformed the Australian industry and led to Australian films breaking into international markets.

Screen Forum chairman Chis Beale said: “The Awards are given to Australians who have blazed a trail for Australian film and television; and that doesn’t merely include their own success, but also laying the foundation for others to follow – Peter and Mel fit that category”

Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson, was released in 1981 and was a breakthrough film in Australia and internationally, nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film and winning eight AFIs.

Peter Weir. (Photo courtesy the National Film and Sound Archive)

Tomorrow (Australian time), the Screen Forum will screen tribute...

ABC aired “Black Panther” on Sunday to pay tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, and the film delivered a substantial audience for the Disney-owned network.

After three days of delayed viewing, a total of 6.5 million viewers tuned in to see Boseman bring T’Challa to life. That represents the strongest performance for a feature film on broadcast television since the linear debut of “Frozen” back in 2016. In terms of the key 18-49 demographic, the film grew to a 1.5 rating, meaning its finished joint top of the table for the week of Aug. 24 with CBS’s “Big Brother.” According to sources, those “Black Panther” numbers also represent ABC’s best for Sunday nights this summer. In fact, the network hasn’t seen those numbers on a summer Sunday night since June 2018 (excluding sports).

The network’s Chadwick Boseman tribute special grew to 5.2 million viewers in Live+3.

“America’s Got Talent” and “Big Brother...

After almost 30 years, we're finally getting Bill & Ted Face the Music. The hugely anticipated sequel will stream on PVOD starting August 28 with a simultaneous release in select theaters and drive-ins. It was a long road to get the movie made, and some are disappointed that the follow-up to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey won't be getting a traditional release due to the ongoing health crisis faced around the globe. But those same fans should be pretty excited that the Wyld Stallyns are coming straight to their homes instead.

The best news here is that the team behind this long anticipated sequel, spearheaded by original stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter alongside original creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, have stuck the landing. Bill and Ted Face the Music is a sequel that is pure of heart. It's a true continuation of what has become before it,...