News

The Chicago International Film Festival 2016 announced its full lineup, and it includes Julia Ducournau's Raw, the previously announced 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Eyes of My Mother, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch.

Press Release: Chicago (September 13, 2016) ­ The Chicago International Film Festival today announces Opening and Closing Night selections, as well as the full slate of films included in the Festival’s U.S. Indies, Spotlight: Musicals and After Dark categories. Chicago will play host to gala screenings of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival as respective bookends to the 52nd Festival, opening on October 13th and closing on October 27th. A full list of these newly announced programs is below and at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. Tickets for these events and all film screenings go on sale September 21st for Cinema/Chicago members...

As we began talking about editorial content we could publish to celebrate the release of Hail, Caesar!, the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, we realized that none of us had the same top five lists, and that it seems unusual for that to be the case. The Coens have had such a rich and varied career that it is impossible to pin them down to one style or one theme or one type of storytelling. Some people love their comedies. Some people love it when they get dark. Some people love the underdogs, the least-liked of their films. But what's clear is that every film they've made has its fans, and even their worst films are beloved by someone. There are few artists like the Coen Brothers, and we were delighted to get lists from each of our special guest contributors this time. The diversity of the replies...

Jerry Rice got all Magic Mike in a nightclub this weekend -- stripping off his shirt to bump and grind with a g-string go-go dancer ... and TMZ Sports has the amazing footage!! The NFL legend was partying his face off at Peek Nightclub at Harrah's Lake Tahoe -- when something came over the Hall of Famer ... who hopped up onstage and ripped off his shirt.  The 52-year-old -- who was a runner up on "Dancing with the Stars...

Justin Timberlake on the Oscars' Red Carpet Justin Timberlake at the Academy Awards The Social Network actor Justin Timberlake arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards, which took place on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. At the ceremony, Timberlake and Black Swan actress Mila Kunis introduced the nominees – and eventual winners – in the animation categories. Throughout the proceedings, he pretended to be the elusive Banksy, whose Exit Through the Gift Shop was a Best Documentary Feature contender. The joke fell mostly flat, but Timberlake actually elicited some laughs when he imitated three-time Oscar-nominated veteran Kirk Douglas*, who mercilessly stretched the Best Supporting Actress announcement into what seemed like hours. Admittedly, Douglas was funny. (The winner in that particular category turned out to be Melissa Leo for David O. Russell's The Fighter.) As announced by the Justin Timberlake-Mila Kunis duo, the Best Animated Short Film was Shaun Tan...

Saturday Night Live, Season 40, Episode 13, “J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo”

Aired January 31, 2015 at 11:30 pm Et on NBC (East coast version watched for review)

Host: J.K. Simmons likes to work. For those who may be unfamiliar with him or that fact, he makes it all very clear in his monologue, when he points out that he starred in a movie called Whiplash, which he is practically a lock to win the supporting actor Oscar for, as well as a TV show, Growing Up Fisher, where he played a blind lawyer (“It got cancelled”), along with starring in ads for State Farm And as the voice of the yellow M&M. Simmons is the epitome of “oh its that guy” actors; he was even once an “oh its that guy” guy on an episode of SNL. As such, Simmons brings an affable working man quality to all of his sketches tonight, playing a pageant host,...

If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

It was clash of the comedians over on "The Tonight Show!" Martin Short, Miranda Sings and Jerry Seinfeld competed with Jimmy Fallon in a game of Pictionary and it was...uhm...surprisingly intense. Worth watching for Jimmy's impression of Jerry alone!

Martin Short also revived his well-loved and completely hilarious character, Jiminy Glick, who interviewed Jimmy Fallon and asked questions like "Is Justin Timberlake your lover?" Good times! Of course our favorite musing from Jiminy was "I've been on Jenny more times than Mr. Craig." Classic.

The Killers debuted their new holiday music video "Joel The Lump of Coal" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which was recorded with none other than Jimmy himself.

Award-winning composer Christophe Beck scores the action-drama Edge Of Tomorrow, directed by Doug Liman and starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The film follows a soldier (Cruise) who finds himself caught in a time loop while battling an alien invasion.

The Edge Of Tomorrow soundtrack will be released on Watertower Records. In theaters now, read Jim Batts’ review Here. Earlier this week I spoke with the composer about his latest film soundtrack.

Christophe Beck is behind the score to the Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning film Frozen. The Frozen soundtrack, certified platinum 11 weeks after its release, has sold more than one million copies, and spent five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Beck returned to the Muppets in Muppets Most Wanted after scoring The Muppets in 2011. He’s also scored the blockbuster Hangover trilogy, Tower Heist, Due Date, Date Night and Pitch Perfect. He staged the drama for...

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards went off without a hitch earlier this evening (February 22) with "12 Years a Slave" continuing to make waves snagging the biggest prize of the night.

Before her film won Outstanding Motion Picture, the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o added another piece of hardware to her already impressive collection taking home a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while Kerry Washington snagged up her second Image Award with a win for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Kerry's show "Scandal" also won Outstanding Drama Series.

In addition, the hilarious Kevin Hart took home Entertainer of the Year, while Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela with a touching speech and musical dedication.

"He was everything we have all have heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he's been through," Winfrey said.

The 45th NAACP Image Awards were presented Saturday night (Feb. 22), with names like Kevin Hart, Kerry Washington, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen and Lupita Nyong'o being honored.

The Image Awards pay tribute to the best in film, TV, writing, music and literature. Take a look at the full list of winners below.

Winners are in bold.

Entertainer of the Year

Kevin Hart

Film

Outstanding Motion Picture

"12 Years A Slave" "Fruitvale Station""Lee Daniels' The Butler""Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom""The Best Man Holiday" 

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Forest Whitaker - "Lee Daniels' The Butler"Chadwick Boseman - "42"Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Angela Bassett - "Black Nativity"Halle Berry - "The Call"Jennifer Hudson - "Winnie Mandela"Kerry Washington - "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples"Nicole Beharie...

Joel and Ethan Coen have built a reputation as two of the most visionary and idiosyncratic filmmakers working today. Dabbling in Film Noir to screwball comedy, from off-beat indies to big-budget studio pieces, their films are adored by critics and audiences alike. The two-man writer-director-producer-editor team, have long been regarded by cinephiles as masters of the craft. Choosing our favourite Coen Bros. film isn’t an easy task, but we asked our staff to rank their films from favourite to least favourite. The results were interesting, with Fargo running away with first place, and two of their 16 films not producing enough votes to justify making the cut (The Lady Killers, Intolerable Cruelty). Here are the results. Let us know which is your favourite Coen Bros. film?

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13. Burn After Reading, 2008

Leave it to Joel and Ethan Coen to follow-up their award winning mammoth No Country for Old Men just a year later with the spry,...

Feature James Clayton 24 Jan 2014 - 06:03

Inside Llewyn Davis leaves James pondering the role of cats in films, and whether the Coens can make him learn to love the furry moggies...

Llewyn Davis is a New York musician pawing around the early 60s Greenwich Village folk scene. He's a pretentious mewling creative-type who can't connect with others around him, and he's caught up in the questions of artistic integrity versus commercial success. He's a lost soul with some hair going on. Llewyn Davis has a lot in common with a certain Barton Fink, and in my mind I can picture the forlorn pair performing "Man of Constant Sorrow" as a duet.

In spite of their similarities, though, the lead of the Coen Brothers' fresh folk yarn is arguably better off than John Turturro's doomed screenwriter. Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac) has something that Fink lacks and that is a pet.

Adding their picks to the awards season deluge, the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards unveiled the official list of nominees.

Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.

Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.

And the nominees are:

Television

Outstanding Comedy Series

"House of Lies" (Showtime)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)

"The Game" (Bet)

"The Soul Man" (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in...

News

Former Power Ranger hottie Archie Kao was one of my reasons for watching CSI — until I realized he was horribly underused. He’ll be a series regular on Chicago Pd, the upcoming Chicago Fire spin-off. I hope they make better use of him.

Archie Kao

The Love Boat is becoming a stage musical! Well… for the most part. A Vegas stage show is being developed based on The Love Boats a memoir by cruise director Jeraldine Saunders that was the basis for the classic TV series. The show will feature music from 1976 – 1986, the period when the show aired, but the stage show will be more risque, matching the book. Stage shows that audiences are already familiar with (like Chicago and Mamma Mia!) do well in Vegas, producers are hoping this will be familiar enough to win over Vegas audiences.

The Young and the Restless found a way to get my attention,...

Jay-z has delivered his "Magna Carta."

The 43-year-old rapper dropped his 12th solo studio album on Thursday morning, released in a partnership with Samsung. The mobile company pre-ordered one million copies of Jay-z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" and distributed them to users of Samsung Galaxy products through an app.

The 16-track album features collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, Beyonce, Swizz Beats, Pharrell, Nas, and Timbaland. Teased in a series of videos, "Magna Carta Holy Grail" was announced just weeks before its release.

While some took issue with the amount of information the Samsung app required of users, early reactions to the album were largely positive. Scroll through below for listeners' takes on "Magna Carta Holy Grail."

#JayZ has made a masterpiece of an album. Magna Carta Holy Grail is The Best Album of 2013. #McHg

— The Illuminati (@ThelIluminati) July 4, 2013

Magna Carta gonna have goons swapping purple sprite...

With Ryan Reynolds leading the way, the cast for psychological thriller The Voices has just got even more awesome.

Filming is about to get underway in Berlin, and Deadline report that Anna Kendrick and Gemma Arterton have boarded the project alongside Reynolds.

Reynolds plays a lovable but strange bathtub factory worker who yearns for the attention of a woman in accounting. When their relationship takes a sudden murderous turn, Jerry’s evil “talking” cat and benevolent “talking” dog lead him down a fantastical path that ultimately brings him to salvation.

The Oscar-nominated Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis, Chicken with Plums) is behind the camera, and will be directing from a script by Michael R. Perry (Paranormal Activity, The River).

Kendrick is coming off the back of last year’s successful Pitch Perfect, and has a slew of films on her slate this year, with Drinking Buddies, Rapturepalooza, and Get a Job all...

Given that one coached an elderly choir in Song For Marion and the other showed aca-capable skills in Pitch Perfect, you might think that Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick signing on to The Voices means more feel-good tunes. You would be wrong. They’ll actually be part of the cast for a psychological thriller. Ryan Reynolds is starring as Jerry Hickfang, a bathtub factory worker whose personality errs towards the weird. He’s secretly in love with a woman from accounting, but things go badly wrong when their relationship takes a murderous turn.He’ll need help, and Jerry will get it from his evil chatty cat and benevolent talking dog, who try to guide him down a path to salvation.Paranormal Activity franchise veteran Michael R. Perry wrote the script and Persepolis' Marjane Satrapi will start calling the shots shortly in Berlin.Arterton was last seen battling evil in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Exclusive: Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick have been set to star alongside Ryan Reynolds in The Voices, the Marjane Satrapi-directed psychological thriller that is being co-produced by 1984 Private Defense Contractors and Mandalay Vision. Filming is about to start in Berlin, with script by Paranormal Activity‘s Michael R. Perry. Reynolds plays a lovable but strange bathtub factory worker who yearns for the attention of a woman in accounting. When their relationship takes a sudden murderous turn, Jerry’s evil “talking” cat and benevolent “talking” dog lead him down a fantastical path that ultimately brings him to salvation. Arterton just wrapped Runner, Runner opposite Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, and was last seen in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Kendrick is coming off the sleeper hit Pitch Perfect. Both are repped by CAA. 1984 Private Defense Contractors’ Adi Shankar and Spencer Silna are producing with Mandalay Vision’s Matthew Rhodes, and Roy Lee.

Felicity + Kevin Walker + 80s flashback = Someone at FX is a genius.

News

Former Ugly Betty hunk Eric Mabius hasn't committed to a U.S. show since it ended, but TVLine says we can look forward to a guest-appearance on Blue Bloods.

The Neighbors' upcoming George Takei episode is getting even more nerdtastic. TV Guide reports that Mark Hamill will also appear in the episode.

Add Ke$ha to the list of pop stars with reality shows.

Bad news if you were looking forward to seeing a Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek share the screen again. It turns out Kaczmarek will appear in a DVD extra... or maybe it's good news? I mean, what if they're planning a Breaking Bad/Malcolm in the Middle mash-up for the DVDs?

This pilot season's ridiculous idea is a series based on Disneyland's Big Thunder Railroad ride, which will follow a 19th century family...

There’s nothing new under the sun — which is just the way Millennials like it.

We’re a generation obsessed with our own recent past, as befits the children of Boomers. Our influence on the entertainment industry is also increasing as we grow older. That’s probably why 2012 was the year that a collective nostalgia for pop culture from the ’90s and even the early ’00s hit in full force. Sure, the year also featured its share of projects inspired by/cribbing from the ’80s or even earlier — we learned it by watching you, Generation X! — but generally speaking, a...

In what is likely to be one of the best looking films of next year, Jake Gyllenhaal will star with Hugh Jackman in Prisoners, about a small town carpenter whose daughter and her best friend are kidnapped, and the failure of the police to find them. Bonus: Jake Gyllanhaal plays a cop, so there's uniform potential.

The Weather Channel is going to name winter storms, much like hurricanes are named. They claim it's because names make people pay more attention to the danger, but mostly I think it's because you can only use "snowmaggedon" so many times before people tune you out.

Chris Kluwe is on the cover of Out this month, which is a pretty fast turnaround. It's worth checking out just for the photos of him in jeans riding low on his hips with no underwear visible, but he also talks about equality, and how to write a great zinger.

The UK’s favorite horror festival visits its second home at the Glasgow Film Festival for the 7th year with its biggest lineup ever. From Friday, February 24th, to Saturday, February 25th, Film4 FrightFest will be screening 11 new must-see genre titles, 10 of which are UK premieres.

From the Press Release:

Expect to be taken on a roller-coaster ride from hell with this ghoulish global celluloid feast featuring Argentinean demons, flesh-hungry Russian zombies, mutant cannibals, a Chinese-speaking alien, Asia’s deadliest killers, a Croatian hit-man, Pinocchio obsessed psychos, and Jack Nicholson like you’ve never seen him before.

With guest directors and filmmakers from all over world (to be announced shortly), surprises on screen and off, and our unique community feeling, FrightFest at the Gff has now become a must-attend occasion on the horror fantasy fan's calendar.

Alan Jones, FrightFest’s co-director said: "Film4 FrightFest is thrilled to be part of...

The UK’s favourite horror fantasy festival returns to its second home at the Glasgow Film Festival for the 7th year with its biggest line-up ever.

From Friday Feb 24 to Saturday Feb 25, Film4 FrightFest will be screening eleven new must-see genre titles. ten of which are UK premieres. So expect to be taken of the roller-coaster ride from hell with this ghoulish global celluloid feast, featuring Argentinean demons, flesh-hungry Russian zombies, mutant cannibals, a Chinese-speaking alien, Asia’s deadliest killers, a Croatian hit-man, Pinocchio obsessed psychos and Jack Nicholson like you’ve never seen him before.

With guest directors and filmmakers from all over world (to be announced shortly), surprises on screen and off, and our unique community feeling, FrightFest at the Gff has now become a must-attend occasion on the horror fantasy fan’s calendar.

Here is the full line-up

Fri 24

13:30 Corman’S World: Exploits Of A Hollywood...

My favourite horror film festival, FrightFest, have announced the line-up for next month’s Glasgow Ff, which takes place as part of the Glasgow Film Festival – with what looks to be the biggest line-up ever. Says Alan Jones, FrightFest’s co-director:

Film4 FrightFest is thrilled to be part of the Glasgow Film Festival for its seventh and biggest year. We’ll be showing eleven fantastic premieres, previews and special events to shock, thrill and amaze over two days – plus those must-meet guests from all corners of the genre. So, be part of the best community spirit in the country while watching the best fright stuff currently on offer. There couldn’t be a better way to delve into 2012 and ready yourselves for FrightFest the 13th in August

From Friday February 24th to Saturday February 25th, Film4 FrightFest will be screening Eleven new genre titles, ten of which are UK premieres...

Demi Moore toplines the new additions to the cast of the Amanda Seyfried-led Linda Lovelace biopic "Lovelace" as female rights activist Gloria Steinem. Meanwhile, Elton John knows which famous pop star he wants to play him in a biopic and a new rumor says Arnold Schwarzenegger might be an angel in his upcoming film.

It's January 3, and you're tuning into today's Casting Call!

Demi Moore, Adam Brody And Eric Roberts Join "Lovelace"

The cast is all coming together for "Lovelace." The Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman-directed biopic of the life of "Deep Throat" porn star Linda Lovelace has its major cast lined up, and now is making the finishing touches on its secondary characters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Demi Moore will play feminist Gloria Steinem in the upcoming flick, while Adam Brody will play Lovelace's "Deep Throat" costar Harry Reems and Eric Roberts will play lie detector expert Nat Laurendi.

ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown

Justin Timberlake kept his word and attended the Marine Corps ball on Saturday with Corporal Kelsey DeSantis, who asked him on the date on YouTube in July. "Jt," as DeSantis called him, later wrote on his web site, "Last night changed my life and I will never forget it." Mila Kunis, who was also asked out to a Marine Ball on YouTube, still plans on attending this Saturday.

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The judge who set the lowball, unsecured bail for accused child abuser Jerry Sandusky was a volunteer at his charitable foundation, The Second Mile. Meanwhile, on Saturday Night Live the Devil himself was so disgusted by the Penn State scandal that he quit as Satan and decided to go back to his old job as a customer service rep for Time-Warner Cable.

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Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper must not have worked out because the 42-year-old JLo is now linked...

With both the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block reuniting within the past year (yet no reunion in sight for 'N Sync), it was only a matter of time before fake boy bands would want to get in on the action.

The four remaining members of 2gether, the spoof band created by MTV in 2000 to poke fun at the late '90s teen girl phenomenon, are trying to get their fake-but-kinda-real band back in action.

According to Perez Hilton, Alex Solowitz, who played Mickey "The Rebel" Parke in the TV movie and subsequent TV series, posted the following message on his Facebook page urging fans to help their reunion wishes go viral: "Ok, here's the plan I need everybody, all of you to tell everyone about this. we need this to go insanely viral so MTV can't turn us down. You all have done an amazing job of blowing this up,...

Hartford, Conn. -- Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream is too hot to handle for some supermarket chains. While the new limited-edition flavor has brought chuckles from fans of the "Saturday Night Live" skit on which it's based, some supermarket chains aren't laughing and have been giving it a cold shoulder.

The flavor featuring fudge-covered rum balls has been absent from some grocery freezers since it was unveiled. The title was inspired by an innuendo-laced 1998 skit featuring Alec Baldwin as baker Pete Schweddy, who promises, "No one can resist my Schweddy balls."

But apparently some grocery store chains can, and so can supporters and members of the One Million Moms group.

That Mississippi-based moms organization has been putting the heat on retailers to keep Schweddy Balls out of their freezers and encouraging parents to ask the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's to stop production of the item, saying the name...

Justin Timberlake is no easy act to follow. The singer/actor is so popular as a Saturday Night Live host — thanks to instantly classic skits (“Omeletteville,” “Single Ladies” ) and viral Digital Shorts (“Motherlover”) — he might as well be named a cast member already. Timberlake worked his magic once again when he hosted the finale of the 36th season of SNL back in May, ending a shaky season on a high note (and by high note, we of course mean this), which earned him yet another Emmy nomination for his work on the series.

Then again, when it comes to hosting SNL,...

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Sex without love is an empty experience. But as empty experiences go, it’s one of the best.

- Woody Allen

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A pair of friends, who happen to be of opposite sexes, are tired of the dating game and decide what they should do is have sex without all that awkward love and relationship stuff. This works for a while but soon it becomes clear they want something more, but everyone else they see proves unsuitable. Eventually love will either bring them together or push them apart. There could conceivably be a conflict followed by a big romantic gesture. That’s not giving anything away, just a thought that occurs from having seen more than enough modern romantic comedies to last me between now and death.

If you haven’t seen No Strings Attached (tagline: ‘Friendship has...

Here’s yet more of the latest poster released to the interwebs, featuring a new photoshop-tastic poster for Fright Night 3D which combines the previous character posters into one, the new UK poster for In Time, the first poster for Texas Killing Fields and yet another new poster for The Three Musketeers!

Fright Night 3D

High school senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all – he’s hanging with the cool crowd and dating the hottest girl in school, Amy (Imogen Poots). In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his nerdy best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger, Jerry (Colin Farrell), moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right – yet no one, not even Charley’s mom (Toni Collette), seems to notice! After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charley comes...

Too busy to catch up on movie news and assorted genre goodness last week? Well, here’s a peek at some of the coolest stuff you may have missed!

* Weekend Box Office Roll-Call: Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes out on top, The Smurfs hold at #2, Cowboys & Aliens in third from the top slot last weekend, The Change-Up opening at #4 and Captain America: The First Avenger dropping two slots to #5.

* Rhianna’s in Battleship! Don’t believe me? Check it.

* More behind-the-scenes pics from World War Z, which totally helps my The Walking Dead jones right now. And Bryan Cranston will have a “small but flashy” part to play… I’m hoping he’ll be Redeker.

* Super Hero Updates:

- Idris Elba says he is up for Hemidall in Thor 2 (glad to see the crackpots that protested his casting in Thor got the respect they deserved), and chats...

Friends With Benefits Directed by: Will Gluck Written by: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman and Will Gluck Starring: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson Let me preface this review by revealing that I loathe the “romantic comedy” genre. I know, I am the resident female on staff, thus the duties of reviewing said genre fall squarely on my dainty (in my fantasy world) shoulders. But I don’t subscribe to the typical female proclivity for swooning at the bequest of any given film marketed to my gender. I trudged into the screening of Friends With Benefits, prepared to scribe my notes with a poison pen, certain that the offering in front of me would be dismal at best. Egg->face->me. Every time I am certain that something will suck, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Is this a great movie? Certainly not, but...

Friends with Benefits

Directed by: Will Gluck

Cast: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman

Running Time: 1 hr 49 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: July 22, 2011

Plot: A man (Timberlake) and woman (Kunis) are too busy with life for love, so they attempt to be friends … with benefits.

Who’S It For? Mainly, this is light and fun. Also, if you want to like romantic comedies more than you do, Friends with Benefits should do the trick. If you’re looking for a good version of No Strings Attached you’ll be happy.

Expectations: An R-rating gave me a little more confidence. Watching Timberlake try to be funny in Bad Teacher made me nervous if he could find his comedic rhythm on the big screen.

Scorecard (0-10)

Actors:

Justin Timberlake as Dylan: Dylan is Brandon’s best friend, and he’s got the hots for Brandon’s sister Brenda.

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.

In theaters this week a intergalactic cop will square off against a batch of urban penguins, a lovelorn teen, and an investigative look at one of the world’s most heralded publications. If you’re still craving superheroes, stand-up comics turned kid flick peddlers, besotted boys and inside information, we’ve got a selection of features that should satisfy.

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Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds returns to the arena of superheros with a fully CGI-suit and a little ring that holds a lot of power. Hal Jordan (Reynolds) is an American test pilot who is thrown into a world of intergalactic intrigue when an alien crash lands on Earth and passes off all the powers of The Green Lantern Corp! Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong co-star.

A Cimmerian warrior! Giant robots hell bent on destroying Chicago! A midlife crisis! Three horrible bosses! A wimp on steroids for his country! James Bond and Indiana Jones fighting Aliens in the Old West! Winnie the Pooh! And a bloody wizard m&#234l&#233e that will bring one of cinema's greatest sagas to a close forever! That's what July and August have to offer during the second half of our summer movie season.

It doesn't really matter how fast and furious things get on the big screen, the summer movie season doesn't officially kick off until May 6th. And this year Thor opened things with a lighting bolt blast of Marvel excitement. It doesn't come to an end until August 31st, when Sam Worthington sends us all back to school with The Debt. Between then and now, we will see some of the biggest movies of the year hit hard.

Stephen Fry has joined the cast of The Hobbit as The Master of Laketown.

Director Peter Jackson made the announcement on the official Facebook page, saying he was "thrilled" to have Fry on board the two-film adaptation.

Jackson said: "I've known Stephen for several years, and we're developing a Dambusters movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he's a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us."

He added that Ryan Gage - whose credits include appearances in Holby City and Hollyoaks - would be playing Alfrid ("the Mayor's conniving civil servant") and that 7ft 1ins Conan Stevens (Man-Thing, Game of Thrones) is playing an orc called Azog.

Sir Ian McKellen had recently revealed that Hugo Weaving would reprise his Lord of the Rings role as Elrond. No one has yet been announced as the voice of the dragon Smaug, though there is a fan campaign...

Way back in the simpler days of 2009, before anyone was taking him very seriously as an actor, Justin Timberlake apparently starred as the title character in a short called Jerry, adapted from a screenplay by John Killoran. Why is this relevant news today, you might ask? Well, because no one paid too much attention to Jerry when it first hit the internet, but it's recently enjoyed a major surge in online popularity, and it's full of sex scenes. A quick plot summary: in what I like to assume is a case of art imitating life, Timberlake goes through the short wooing women with lines that turn out to be a series of slogans from a weird genre of breakup greeting cards I never knew existed. In between all the sex, that is. Truly, something for everyone! Citizen Kane II it isn't, but it's only ten [...]...