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Steve Bannon once got top billing within Donald Trump‘s administration and served at the embattled president’s side during the early days of his leadership. Now, Bannon is saying goodbye to the White House.

“White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve’s last day,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed in a statement on Friday. “We are grateful for his service and wish him the best.”

The news came as a shock to some considering the former Breitbart News executive chairman had served as the White House Chief Strategist and Trump’s senior counselor.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.

This week’s question: “The Book of Henry” has been assailed by critics. But let’s look beyond this particular reviled new release. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever reviewed?

Alissa Wilkinson (@alissamarie), Vox

It’s unfortunately not even a contest: “God’s Not Dead 2,” which I reviewed for Flavorwire and then wrote about it further for Thrillist. (The first movie is actually far worse, but I didn’t review it.) They’re actually not the worst-made movies I’ve seen, but as a Christian and a film critic, I find them so actively offensive and cynical that it’s somehow even more depressing. I didn’t derive any joy from the process, but it felt important that I write about it.

Kristy Puchko (@KristyPuchko), Pajiba/Cbr.com...

Long before he became the controversial White House Chief Strategist in the Trump administration, Steve Bannon decided to try his hand at the movie business.

Back in 1991, the 38-year-old Goldman Sachs vet hooked up with none other than Sean Penn to help produce the actor’s directorial debut, The Indian Runner.

Bannon, who was recently removed from the National Security Council, became a topic of conversation during an interview between Penn and Death and Taxes magazine. Asked about his time working with Bannon on the film, Penn offered a scathing review of the once-fledgling producer.

“Bannon was then, as he is now,...

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, in the latest change to his political organization, has hired Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of conservative website Breitbart News, as CEO of his campaign, according to news reports late Tuesday. Bannon, the filmmaker responsible for the pro-Sarah Palin movie The Undefeated, is a former naval officer and former mergers and acquisitions investment banker at Goldman Sachs who holds masters degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Business School. The New York Times also reported that Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser and pollster for Trump and running mate Mike Pence, has been promoted to the

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Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has broken her silence after parting ways with Fox News, saying that she's ready to reach a larger audience and suggesting that she's ready to take on another media gig. Though it's not quite a "larger audience," in an exclusive interview with Breitbart.com, Palin tells Stephen K. Bannon, producer and director of the 2011 Palin documentary "The Undefeated," that she and other "believers in American exceptionalism" need to reach beyond the converted to spread their message. Also read: Sarah Palin, Fox News Split Asked what's...

This story first appeared in the Oct. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Now that 2016: Obama's America has grossed $32.9 million, more than any other political documentary except Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119.2 million), conservative filmmakers are lining up to try to duplicate that success before the Nov. 6 election and beyond. Photos: 15 of the Best Election-Themed Movies In limited release now is Occupy Unmasked, a critical look at the Occupy Wall Street movement from director-writer Stephen K. Bannon, who last year made the pro-Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated. Unmasked is distributed

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Like seemingly every other network and streaming service, the film-focused ReelzChannel is looking to get further into the realm of scripted series. Previously focused on programming about movies in theaters, on DVD and on premium channels (like "Maltin on Movies" and "Naked Trailers"), Reelz has also been filling out its schedule with syndicated sitcoms like "Wings" and "3rd Rock From The Sun" and the occasional network premiere like Sarah Palin doc "The Undefeated," which took place the same weekend as the premiere of HBO's "Game Change" in what many assumed was a calculated bit of counterprogramming. Reelz has also made itself the home of the Steven Seagal-scripted series "True Justice," in which the action star plays a former special forces agent turned undercover cop or something. Now Deadline's reporting they've picked up popular Franco-Canadian spy series "Xiii,"...

Increasingly, feature-length political documentaries are using new technology to get their films seen. You may recall that the Sarah Palin biopic The Undefeated was made available last September on video-on-demand and pay-per-view to approximately 75 million homes through major cable and satellite companies such as DirecTV, Dish Network, and Time Warner Cable. Now in time for the election cycle, liberal filmmaker Robert Greenwald is employing the same methods with his take on Koch Brothers Exposed which starts streaming on May 8th. The director of docs on Wal-Mart, Rupert Murdoch, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan takes on billionaires Charles and David Koch and their huge funding of conservative causes as well as their political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. The film is a project of Brave New Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, and premiered in NYC on March 29th (in partnership with AlterNet). It continued to Washington DC on Monday...

Well this is quite something. The “Adam Sandler plays a brother and sister” movie Jack and Jill has just made cinematic history: the “comedy” swept literally every single category of the Razzie Awards, which honor the worst in cinematic achievement. Sandler took home Worst Actor and Worst Actress, Al Pacino nabbed Worst Supporting Actor, and the film itself was honored with a triple Worst Couple for Sandler and Katie Holmes, Sandler and Pacino, and Sandler and Sandler. All in all, it was a pretty great/terrible night for Adam Sandler. Hit the jump to see the full list of nominees that Jack and Jill bested in each category. I keep hoping in vain that the actor will try his hand at drama again, but Grown Ups 2 is on the horizon and this unfunny streak appears to have no end in sight. As such, I’m assuming this isn’t...

Not that it will stop Adam Sandler from continuing to make increasingly shitacular movies, but it is kind of nice to finally see his cinematic abominations get recognized for the truly awful pieces of filmmaking they are.

Yesterday, appropriately on April Fool's Day, the Razzies handed out their statues for the best of the worst, and "Jack And Jill" swept the ceremony winning an award in every category. It was the first time in the history of Razzies that the feat was accomplished. So, congratulations Sandler, Dennis Dugan (who also won for "directing" "Just Go With It"), Al Pacino, Katie Holmes and everyone else -- you are now a part of a movie that will forever go down as one of the worst in movie history....until "Grown Ups 2."

Anyway, take a look below at the categories and see the hall of shame in all its glory. [24 Frames]

Worst Picture...

A round of applause is deserved for Adam Sandler and Dennis Dugan. After breaking the Razzie nomination record, they have now set another milestone with their Jack & Jill winning every single category, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished its 32-year history. The ceremonies occurred last night and one can see the winners below, in which Sandler received both worst actor and actress, an accomplishment I don’t see repeating any time soon. Well, until the inevitable Jack & Jill 2.

Worst Picture

Bucky Larson:Born To Be A Star

Jack & Jill

New Year’S Eve

Transformers:Dark Of The Moon

Twilight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Actor

Russell Brand – Arthur

Nicolas Cage – Drive Angry 3-D, Season Of The Witch and Trespass

Taylor Lautner – Abduction and Twilight S.B.D. Part I

Adam Sandler – Jack & Jill and Just Go With It

Nick Swardson -Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star...

We were all a bit disappointed when the Razzie Awards moved away from the Oscars to end up on April Fool’s day but fortunately the awards have now been held and just as we thought, Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill has swept the board picking up awards in all 10 categories which include Worst Actor, worst Actress, Worst Film, Worst Director and Worst screenplay. I’ve placed the full list below for your viewing pleasure!

Love these awards because they’re always completely bonkers! Roll on 2013!

Worst Picture

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star Jack & Jill New Year’S Eve Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Actor

Russell Brand, Arthur Nicolas Cage, Drive Angry 3D, Season Of The Witch and Trespass Taylor Lautner, Abduction and Breaking Dawn Adam Sandler, Jack & Jill and Just Go With It Nick Swardson, Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star...

"Jack & Jill," starring Adam Sandler as both Jack And Jill, sets a new record by becoming the first film in the 32-year history of the Razzies to win every single category. The Razzies, of course, is the anti-Oscars meant to "honor" the worst movies of the year.

Here's the complete list of nominees and "winners" of the 2012 Golden Raspberry Awards aka the Razzies:

Worst Picture

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star

Columbia Pictures / Happy Madison Productions

*** Jack & Jill

Columbia Pictures / Happy Madison Productions

New Year's Eve

Warner Bros / New Line Cinema

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

Paramount Pictures / Hasbro

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Summit Entertainment

Worst Actor

Russell Brand

Arthur

Nicolas Cage

Drive Angry 3-D, Season Of The Witch and Trespass

Taylor Lautner

Abduction and Twilight S.B.D. Part I

*** Adam Sandler

Jack & Jill and Just Go With It

Nick Swardson

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star...

Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Game Change Julianne Moore may not get an Oscar nomination early next year, but she seems to have an Emmy nod — probably the award itself — guaranteed thanks to her performance as U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the HBO movie Game Change. As the v.p. selected to run alongside Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Palin was a source of outrage, disgust, mirth, horror, and/or worship, depending on one's point of view: far-right Christian or secular liberal, Tina Fey / Saturday Night Live fan or non-fan. This year, Game Change not only earned Moore great reviews, but according to The Hollywood Reporter it has also become HBO's most successful movie — 2.1 million viewers — since Joseph Sargent's Something the Lord Made (2.6 million in May 2004). That's quite a contrast from the Sarah Palin documentaries that, whether pro or con, bombed miserably at the North American box office last year.

Drag performances regularly allow male actors to break through into Worst Actress. Adam Sandler's performance as his own annoying sister in "Jack and Jill" has him following in the footsteps of nominees like "the Wayans Sisters," who were cited for their work in "White Chicks" back in 2004. He is the frontrunner to win both this award and Worst Actor. George W. Bush was among those who won for his "performance" in 2004's "Fahrenheit 9/11." Though it is rare for the Razzies to nominate real-life individuals, Sarah Palin's propaganda documentary "The Undefeated" rubbed Razzie voters in all the wrong ways. Make Your Razzies Predictions: Who Will Win Worst Actress? Forecast all races. Compete against experts! Make Your Predictions! It seems like Kristen Stewart will now be an annual favorite in the Worst Actress category after being cited for last year's &...

TV viewers have the chance to see two very different views of the former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate this weekend — a double feature of sorts that has The La Times saying the "battle of the Sarah Palins on cable TV could be flippin' awesome."

The Undefeated makes its network television premiere on ReelzChannel Sunday — one day after HBO airs Game Change, starring Julianne Moore as Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain, and Woody Harrelson as strategist Steve Schmidt. Stan Hubbard, ReelzChannel CEO, told the AP that the decision to air The Undefeated on the same weekend as Game Change was strictly for business reasons, not political ones.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 3/8/2012 by reelz

The Undefeated | Ed Harris | Julianne Moore | Woody Harrelson | Sarah Palin | Game Change...

New York -- The ReelzChannel television network says it scheduled a pro-Sarah Palin documentary on the same weekend as HBO's "Game Change" debut strictly for business considerations, not political ones.

"The Undefeated," a Palin documentary by conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon, will have its television premiere on Sunday. It will come 23 hours after HBO opens "Game Change," based on the 2008 campaign book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, and starring Julianne Moore as Palin.

Stan Hubbard, ReelzChannel CEO, said he licensed "The Undefeated" for the same reason that his network aired "The Kennedys" miniseries last spring after it was dropped by the History channel – to draw attention to a nearly 6-year-old network with a low public profile. ReelzChannel is in 62 million homes, a little more than half the country.

"For a young network, public relations is important to us, which is why we hunt for opportunistic things," Hubbard said.

On his program Thursday, Fox News' Sean Hannity spoke with Steve Bannon (producer of The Undefeated, among various other films) about a series of tapes Andrew Breitbart claimed to have about Barack Obama. Breitbart mentioned the tapes during his recent Cpac speech, sharing that “[w]e are going to vet [Barack Obama] from his college days to show you why racial division and class warfare are central to what hope and change was sold in 2008.”...

Us comic outdoes Eddie Murphy's 2007 record with 11 nods for awards recognising year's worst performances

A day after the Oscars claimed to highlight 2011's best movies, Adam Sandler has received a record-breaking 11 nominations for the annual Razzie awards, which aim to recognise the year's poorest performances in film.

Sandler's haul is more than double the previous individual record of five nods held by Eddie Murphy for his 2007 film Norbit, a fairly staggering indictment. Most of the nominations are for the Us comic's film Jack and Jill, in which he plays a successful advertising executive whose irritating twin sister arrives for Thanksgiving. The comedy, which itself has 12 nods, will duke it out with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which has eight nominations. Sandler himself is up for both worst actor and worst actress, worst screenplay and worst ensemble for Jack and Jill. With his production company Happy Madison having released...

The 32nd annual Razzie Awards nominations have been announced celebrating 2011's worst achievements in film. Leading the pack with most nomination is Adam Sandler who earned a record breaking eleven nominations! These included his involvement with films such as Jack and Jill, Bucky Larson, and Just Go With It. I'm not really surprised by this, and I imagine it's not a surprise for him as well. The guy knows he's making crap movies.

This year's Razzie Awards will handed out on April 1st, 2012. The only film I've seen on this list is Transformers: Dark of the Moon. That being said, the worst movie that I did see last year was Tree of Life, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

What was the worst movie that you went out and saw last year?

Worst Picture

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star Jack & Jill New Year’S...

So, change of plans for the the Razzies this year... they will be announcing the winners on April Fool's Day, instead of the day before the Oscars. Hilariously fitting, right? In order to continue riding the wave of Oscar press coverage, however, they decided to unveil their nominees over the weekend. I think you can probably guess most of the films that are nominated before you even read the list, but for the sake of convenience, here is a basic summary. The four most obvious targets this year are Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star and Jack & Jill, with a little bit of New Year's Eve, The Hangover: Part II and Martin Lawrence sprinkled throughout. I'm not sure how Arthur really deserves to be in here, but I digress. The big news is that Adam Sandler has...

Undefeated, which followed a Memphis high school football team, won the Academy Award for best documentary film last night, defeating Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, perhaps the expected winner because it chronicled how the films it followed helped free three men from prison. (The winner is not to be confused with last year's documentary about Sarah Palin, The Undefeated.) Meanwhile, Saving Face, an HBO documentary about women scarred by acid attacks in Pakistan, won the Oscar...

Standing as the complete antithesis of the likes of the Academy Awards in the annual award season, the Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies, have announced the list of nominations for their 32nd ceremony, decreeing the worst in film in 2011.

I don’t especially love the sentiment of the Razzies myself, and think it’s pretty mean to single out films in this way, but I’m sure that none of the nominees pay much, if any, attention to them, given that the nominees are often films that have done pretty successfully commercially, if not critically.

This year, Adam Sandler has a record-breaking 11 nominations, topping Eddie Murphy’s 5 nominations with Norbit a few years back. And for the first time in the thirty-two years of Razzie history, the five nominees in the Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Ensemble are all the same.

Here’s...

With the best in film being awarded tonight (well, at least by a small section of old white men), it is looking to be a relatively predictable ceremony. On the other side of things, the Razzies are celebrating the absolute worst in cinema as their 2012 nominations have been revealed. Aside from the terrifying box-office, Adam Sandler is getting some well-deserved recognition.

After his involvement with Just Go With It, Jack and Jill and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, he has racked up a record-setting 11 nominations. I certainly can’t argue with the rest of them (especially hatred for Trespass), but surprised to see no consideration for Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch. Check out all the nominations below.

Worst Picture

Bucky Larson:Born To Be A Star

Jack & Jill

New Year’S Eve

Transformers:Dark Of The Moon

Twilight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Actor

Russell Brand – Arthur

Nicolas Cage – Drive Angry 3-D,...

Usually held one day before the Academy Awards, this year the Razzies are changing the game a bit, choosing instead to unveil their nominations this weekend, with the ceremony to take place on April 1st -- that's right, April Fools Day. So who earned the distinction in 2011 of the best at being the worst? Adam Sandler.

Breaking the previously record held by Eddie Murphy, Sandler earned 11 Razzie nominations in all for the Worst Achievements In Film in the past year ("Jack & Jill" earned a total of 12 nods). Starring in two movies -- "Just Go With It" and pulling double duty in "Jack & Jill" -- in addition to producing "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," the Razzie folks had plenty to choose from in what was a banner year for Sandler mediocrity. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" brought up the rear with seven nominations each.

Critically speaking, 2011 may have been Adam Sandler's worst year ever.  His two main vehicles, Just Go With It and Jack & Jill, were panned.  As a producer, his name is also on Zookeeper and (most damningly) Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.  The Razzies recognized his efforts with a record 11 nominations.  For those keeping track, this shatters the record set by Eddie Murphy and his 5 nominations for Norbit in 2007.  New Year's Eve, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 join Jack & Jill and Bucky Larson as the 5 contenders for Worst Picture.  Hit the jump for the full list. I don't really like the spirit behind the Razzies, but I will admit that a pair of nominations in the Worst Actress category made me chuckle: Adam Sandler (as "Jill") in Jack & Jill and Sarah Palin (as "Herself") in Sarah Palin: The Undefeated. Worst Picture...

When Adam Sandler’s bad, he’s really bad, according to voters for the Razzies, an Academy Awards spoof that singles out the worst movies of the year. Sandler received a record 11 nominations Saturday for the Razzies as star, producer or writer on three 2011 movies — Jack and Jill, Just Go with It, and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. That more than doubled the previous record of five Razzie nominations held by Eddie Murphy for 2007′s Norbit. Sandler’s nominations include worst actor for both Jack and Jill and Just Go with It — and worst actress for Jack and Jill,...

On Oscar eve, Adam Sandler received some berry bad news -- all the three movies released by his Happy Madison Productions dominated the list of contenders for the 32nd Annual Razzie Awards!

Sandler beat Eddie Murphy's record for the most nominations by an individual in a single year! As either an actor, writer, and/or producer on "Jack & Jill," "Bucky Larson," and "Just Go With It," the star received 11 Razzie nominations and thereby crowned with the Worst Achievements in Film in 2011.

Sandler's abysmal cross-dressing fantasy comedy, "Jack & Jill" received 12 nods including Worst Picture. Sandler was nominated for Worst Actor for "Jack & Jill" and "Just Go With It." The actor was also nominated for Worst Actress for his role as Jill, Jack's twin sister.

Katie Holmes received a Worst Supporting Actress nod for the movie, as well as Oscar winner, Al Pacino, for gasp (!), playing himself!

Other Worst Picture contenders were "Bucky Larson,...

Santa Monica, Calif. — When Adam Sandler's bad, he's really bad, according to voters for the Razzies, an Academy Awards spoof that singles out the worst movies of the year.

Sandler received a record 11 nominations Saturday for the Razzies as star, producer or writer on three 2011 movies – "Jack and Jill," "Just Go with It" and "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star."

That more than doubled the previous record of five Razzie nominations held by Eddie Murphy for 2007's "Norbit."

Sandler's nominations include worst actor for both "Jack and Jill" and "Just Go with It" – and worst actress for "Jack and Jill," in which he plays a family man and his own twin sister.

Sandler also had two nominations as worst screen couple opposite Jennifer Aniston or Brooklyn Decker in "Just Go with It" and opposite Katie Holmes, Al Pacino or himself in "Jack and Jill."

As a producer, Sandler...

Nominees for the 2011 Razzie Awards were announced today and Adam Sandler made history by snagging 11 nominations for his three cinematic offerings -- Jack & Jill, Just Go With It and Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star.

5 Love To Hate 'Em Razzie Winners

Adam earned multiple nominations in the Worst Actor category (Jack & Jill and Just Go With It) while he also earned a nod for Worst Actress in Jack & Jill. Adam also got repeatedly recognized in the Worst Screen Couple category, splitting the slot with Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker for Just Go With It and Katie Holmes, Al Pacino and himself for Jack & Jill.

The Best Everything of 2011

And while he doesn't appear on-screen in Bucky Larson, he was the film's producer meaning that he shares the burden of responsibility for that movie's Worst Picture nomination. He once again earned another nomination in that category as Jack & Jill also made the Worst Picture cut, along with New Year's Eve...

Updated Feb. 23, 2012.

Here's some inside intel for casual movie fans contemplating their Oscar predictions: By the time the Academy Awards roll around, we know who's going to win in pretty much every major category.

Sure, there can be surprises and the occasional too-close-to-call race, but after so many other award functions play out in the lead-up to Oscar night, from the Critics Choice to the Golden Globes to the all the guild gatherings, patterns emerge and some favorites appear unbeatable.

That's why if you're about to head to Vegas (Editor's note: NextMovie does not condone gambling, unless you're sharing …) and lay down some scratch on "The Artist" winning Best Picture, the rewards, at this point, won't be too tempting.

But if you're simply just looking to fill out your office Oscar ballot (get your printable one right here), then there are some categories you just shouldn't miss on.

Get a...

Los Angeles, California (X17online) - The Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated will air on the ReelzChannel on March 11, just one day after HBO is set to air Game Change, an adaptation of a book on the 2008 presidential campaigns, starring Julianne Moore as the controversial former Republican vice presidental candidate. Despite largely negative reviews from film critics, the network is confident in the film's audience appeal. "Sarah Palin is a charismatic figure who burst onto the political scene, and whatever your leanings, if you have any interest or curiosity in politics, social change or the Sarah Palin phenomenon, this is a must-see movie," ReelzChannel CEO Stan E. Hubbard said in a statement. The Undefeated raked in $65,132 when it hit 10 screens on its opening weekend last summer.

The Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated will make its network television premiere on ReelzChannel Sunday, March 11, at 8 Pm Et and Pt — the same weekend as HBO's Game Change, starring Julianne Moore as Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain, and Woody Harrelson as strategist Steve Schmidt.

The Undefeated chronicles the rise from obscurity to national prominence of former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. Starting during the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989 when Palin worked a commercial fishing boat she owned with her husband, the documentary follows the struggles, the victories, and the setbacks during a controversial career. The Undefeated was written and directed by Stephen K. Bannon and produced by Glenn Evans and Dan Fleuette of the Victory Film Group.

Next Showing: The Undefeated premieres Sunday, March 11 at 8 Pm Et/ 5 Pm Pt on Reelz

Link | Posted 2/21/2012 by Chris

Sarah Palin | The Undefeated...

Didn't make it to the theaters to see the Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated"? First off, rest assured; you're far from alone. Secondly, don't worry -- you'll get your chance to see the film next month. Also read: Fox News Confuses Sarah Palin With Tina Fey (Video) "The Undefeated" will make its network television premiere March 21 at 8 p.m. Et/5 p.m. Pt on ReelzChannel, the network said Tuesday. The film will receive encore airings March 12 at 10 p.m. Et/7 p.m. Pt, and March 25 at 5:30 p.m. Et/2:30 p.m. Pt. Also read: Sarah...

ReelzChannel has picked up the Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated and will premiere it March 11 at 8 Pm Et/5 Pm Pt. The pro-Palin doc from Victory Film Group was released theatrically in July in a few theaters and grossed just more than $100,000 domestically, but its politically charged subject puts it right in the wheelhouse of ReelzChannel, which found ratings success picking up the miniseries The Kennedys after it was dropped by History Channel. That mini from 24 co-creator Joel Surnow earned 10 Emmy nominations last year and won four and put ReelzChannel on the cable map. It’s also not a coincidence that the March 11 TV premiere date for Undefeated comes a day after HBO premieres Game Change, its movie about the 2008 presidential election that focuses on the emergence of Palin on the national scene. “We are incredibly excited that ReelzChannel has made the courageous decision to present the network television premiere on...

The Undefeated, Stephen K. Bannon’s documentary that favorably highlights the amazing political journey of Sarah Palin, will premiere on Reelz Channel on March 11. That’s a day after HBO premieres its film Game Change, based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s account of the historic 2008 presidential campaign and starring Julianne Moore as Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain, and Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt, the strategist who came to second-guess his initial brainstorm to potentially put Palin one heartbeat from the presidency.

Read more:

Sarah Palin’s ‘The Undefeated’: We saw it so you don’t have to!

The Undefeated, the documentary that chronicles Sarah Palin’s rise from Wasilla, Alaska homemaker to Republican rainmaker, will have its TV debut on ReelzChannel. The network announced Tuesday that it will premiere Stephen K. Bannon’s documentary on March 11 at 8 p.m., the same weekend HBO will bow Game Change, which has Julianne Moore playing Palin in an adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book about the 2008 presidential campaigns. "We’re thrilled to have yet another opportunity to bring a big story to viewers," said ReelzChannel CEO Stan E. Hubbard, in a statement. "Sarah Palin is a charismatic

read more...

Hey everybody. Michael C here. Can you feel the suspense? Not the Oscars, that’s going to be The Artist. No, I mean that we are only one week away from The Razzie nominations, where we can get a little retribution for the cinematic crimes of 2011.

Without M. Night Shyamalan, the Stanley Kubrick* of the Razzies, in the race it’s a little more challenging to predict the nominees for worst film than usual, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Full Disclosure: I haven't seen most of these and unless someone backs an armored car full of gold bars into my driveway it’s gonna stay that way. I am judging strictly off their public and critical reception

*True Fact: At their first ceremony The Razzies nominated Kubrick for worst director for The Shining.

The Front Runner

Suicide as mercy killing?

Adam Sandler's brother and screechy voice...

Undefeated

Directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin

Documentary, 2011, USA

After the Academy Award nominations were announced, there was some grumbling from the political site Wonkette about “the Sarah Palin movie” being nominated for Best Documentary. That just goes to show how far under the radar Undefeated flew: as Wonkette eventually realized, it’s a different movie altogether (the Palin doc was The Undefeated), and unlike the Palin film it wholly deserves mention among the great documentaries of the year.

This is the story of the Manassas (Tenn.) Tigers’ quest to win a football playoff game, something which has not happened in the long history of that high school. Manassas is an inner-city school, its surroundings ravaged by the recent recession, and its kids are mostly dirt-poor. Thus the film sometimes strays from a Friday Night Lights type of tone and leans toward The Blind Side, as coach Bill Courtney...

Since everyone here in North America still has football on the mind, it seems like as good a time as any to post the official trailer for the upcoming high school football documentary Undefeated (not to be confused with the similarly-titled Sarah Palin film The Undefeated). The movie generated a lot of strong buzz at Tiff last year and has since managed to drum up an Academy Award nomination. Although sports docs usually tend to get overlooked at the Oscars (Hoop Dreams, anyone?), this one is distributed by The Weinstein Company, which means it might actually have a shot at winning. The movie follows The Manassas Tigers, an inner-city high school football team in Memphis, Tennessee that has been consistently destroyed by its opponents, partially because most of its star players either end up dead or in jail. However, coach Bill Courtney took over the team in 2004 and slowly started to turn things around,...

Harvey Weinstein was a happy man Tuesday, earning 10 nominations for Oscar front runner "The Artist," Meryl Streep and makeup for "The Iron Lady," costumes for Madonna's "W.E." and even a nomination for the doc "Undefeated."  No, it's not that film about Sarah Palin (that's "The Undefeated")--this film is about the Manassas Tigers, a football team from an inner-city North Memphis school that tries for the seemingly impossible when it attempts to become the first team in the school's 110-year history to win a playoff game. The Weinstein Company snatched up the underdog doc from SXSW earlier this year, and plans to...

The Gop continues to make headlines as Republican candidates seek the party's nomination for Us president, but the political right could soon find itself leading another race altogether. Two films aimed at conservative moviegoers are among the year's worst reviewed and could find themselves in the running for multiple Razzie Awards. The ironically titled documentary "The Undefeated" tracks the career of unsuccessful 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin from her Alaska origins to her rise to national notoriety. But the film is "less a documentary than a glowing two-hour infomercial for Sarah Palin, Presidential Candidate To-Be," according to Anna Merlan (Village Voice). Time's Richard Corliss derided, "The movie may tempt even the most ardent conservatives to emulate their idol's tenure as governor and walk out halfway through." The film received a score of 32 out of 100 on Metacritic and 0% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes. ...

I wrote about Project Nim last time (read that here) and since then I have watched six more documentaries, trying to close the gap on the number of documentaries I missed out on seeing over the course of 2011. As a result, I have now seen five of the 15 documentaries shortlisted by the Academy for Oscar consideration and unfortunately I don't have access to the other ten, though I still have the much talked about Senna and Werner Herzog's Into the Abyss yet to watch. Beyond all that, however, I have six documentaries to briefly discuss today so let's no waste anymore time... Undefeated Undefeated is hands-down, without a doubt fantastic. Yet, at the moment, two things piss me off about it. The Weinstein Co. hasn't done anything to promote it. There isn't a clip; there isn't a trailer; and the poster I used to the left is some rush...

The West Memphis Three: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky's Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory AIDS, American football, horses, the environment, war, the American Injustice System, Harry Belafonte. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 15 semi-finalists for the 2012 Best Documentary Feature Academy Award. Included on the list are James Marsh's Project Nim, a nominee for the British Independent Film Awards; Wim Wenders' Pina, Germany's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar; and Cindy Meehl's Buck, about the man who inspired the book The Horse Whisperer and the ensuing Robert Redford movie. Now, before anyone freaks out because of the inclusion of Undefeated: rest assured that this is Dan Lindsay and T. J. Martin's documentary about underprivileged football players — Lindsay and Martin's effort has nothing to do with the Sarah Palin movie The Undefeated, a shoo-in Razzie nominee. Lorenz Knauer's Jane's Journey,...

Right-wing doc-maker Steven Bannon is apparently at it again. After his Sarah Palin doc "The Undefeated" stirred up talk everywhere about the former Alaska governor's popularity (or not) as a viable political contender, Real Clear Politics reports that Bannon is planning on making a new film based on Palin adviser Peter Schweizer's forthcoming book, "Throw Them All Out," which details allegations of ethically dubious insider trading and conflicts of interest among members of Congress.

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The Lion King (Diamond Edition) The Lion King domination now moves over to home video and as you can see from the image to the left you have plenty of buying options. You can get the four-disc version with the 3D edition of the film, the two-disc version in either DVD or Blu-ray packaging or the eight disc version with the complete trilogy of films -- The Lion King, The Lion King 1.5 and The Lion King 2.

As for my suggestion, I will have a brief review later today, but the two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo should be enough to satisfy, but then again I don't think I've ever watched The Lion King 1.5 of The Lion King 2, are they any good?

Beauty and the Beast (Five Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) What, you didn't know the 3D version...

Sarah Palin cutout, filmmaker Nick Broomfield, Sarah Palin – You Betcha! Anna Faris-Chris Evans-Zachary Quinto/What's Your Number?: One of Worst Box-Office Openings Ever Sarah Palin – You Betcha! is the second Sarah Palin movie to bomb this year. Directed by sometime collaborators Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill, Palin's You Betcha! movie collected an estimated $7,400 at 6 locations in North America this weekend, averaging a disastrous $1,233 per theater. Back in July, Stephen K. Bannon's strong 2012 Razzie contender The Undefeated earned $65,132 at 10 theaters, averaging $6,513 per site. Even though that wasn't too bad for starters — thanks to some strong Tea Party marketing — Palin's The Undefeated movie went on to cume at a dismal $116,381 domestically. Needless to say, outside the United States no one gives a damn about the widely derided hagiography. In sum, Sarah Palin is what back in the days of the studio system, exhibitors would have called Box-Office Poison.

If you thought the first Sarah Palin documentary, "The Undefeated," bombed at the box office, wait until you see what happened to the latest non-fiction film to focus on the conservative gadfly. "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!", filmmaker Nick Broomfield's unflattering look at the former Alaska governor turned presidential hopeful, grossed only around $7,000 while opening in six locations this weekend. Freestyle Releasing distributed the film. That shakes out to about $389 per day per theater -- meaning that each location averaged less than 40 people each day seeing this movie. That's, like,...

British filmmaker Nick Broomfield has filmed a new documentary about the thriller from Wasilla titled Sarah Palin—You Betcha! and the film just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this week. Composed of in rumor, insinuation and the delightfully cheap theatrics of the director himself, the film combs the icy streets of Wasilla to score interviews with the seemingly endless of line of people who detest her personally or politically (or both). Among the disgruntled are a man she defeated for the Wasilla mayorship, or the Democratic state senate president during her aborted governorship, seasoned with a few former deeply disgruntled employees. Broomfield tracks down Tank Jones, who describes himself as Levi Johnston's agent. Jones informs him he wants $20,000 for a conversation with Levi that might talk about drugs in the Palin house and the other lovers of Sarah and Todd. -------------------- Read More: Sarah Palin...

Nick Broomfield’s Sarah Palin documentary Sarah Palin: You Betcha! will be distributed by Freestyle Releasing, the company has announced. Broomfield, who directed the “expose” with Joan Churchill, raised more than $30,000 on the crowd funding site Kickstarter in three weeks to support the release, with additional funding being provided by private investors for the film’s expansion. After making its world premiere Sept. 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival, it will hit theaters in NYC and La on Sept. 30 before rolling out to additional markets. Watch the trailer below. A synopsis describes the film thusly:

It chronicles Broomfield’s...