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Liam Neeson in RetributionImage: Lionsgate

For audiences who like seeing 71-year-old Liam Neeson do action stuff but find it just a touch unconvincing when he punches out bad guys twice his size and half his age, Retribution may be just the ticket. Sticking him behind the wheel of a car...

Exclusive: Marco Pontecorvo’s Fatima, the first title to be released by Bob and Jeanne Berney’s revived Picturehouse, is going wide in 1,000 runs on Aug. 14, Deadline has learned.

The faith-based movie about the Virgin Mary’s appearance to a 10-year old shepherd and her two cousins in Fátima, Portugal, was acquired by Picturehouse back in October, in Bob Berney’s first big move post Amazon where he served as Head of Marketing and Distribution. Fatima was originally scheduled for an April 24 release, however, was delayed due to the exhibition shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the movie, the children’s revelations inspire believers but anger Church and government officials, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle, and what they experience changes lives forever. Interestingly enough...

Bob Berney and Jeanne R. Berney have relaunched their label Picturehouse and have acquired the North American rights to faith-based drama “Fatima,” the couple announced on Sunday along with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment.

The film is directed by Marco Pontecorvo and produced by Origin Entertainment along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures. Picturehouse has set a release date for the film on April 24, 2020.

Bob Berney was the head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios and left the company in June of this year. He headed Picturehouse in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema, and he and his wife relaunched the label in January 2013 as an independent distributor before he joined Amazon in 2015.

Also Read: Amazon Studios Marketing and Distribution Chief Bob Berney to Exit Company

“Fatima” is a feature film starring Stephanie Gil, Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida, Goran Visnjic,...

In his first major move since exiting Amazon Studios, distribution executive Bob Berney has teamed with wife Jeanne Berney to reopen Picturehouse, the label he once headed. They have acquired North American distribution rights to Fatima, a feature film starring Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida (Queen of the South) and Goran Visnjic (Beginners) with Sonia Braga (Aquarius) and Harvey Keitel (The Irishman).

The Berneys are co-heads of Picturehouse and they made the deal with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.

Picturehouse was formed in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line, with Bob Berney at its head. The Time Warner subsidiaries acquired the theatrical distribution operation of Newmarket Films, which under Berney’s leadership had released such films as the record-breaking The Passion of the Christ; Monster,...

Los Angeles-born filmmaker of Hungarian ancestry Nimród Antal made a name for himself on the international circuit with a debut that turned into a minor cult film, Kontroll. He then returned back over the pond to work on horror Vacancy, sci-fi thriller Predators, music movie Metallica Through the Never and managed to direct an episode of M. Night Shyamalan´s TV adaptation of the mystery trilogy Wayward Pines. On his recent visit to Hungary, he finished his latest feature, The Whiskey Bandit, combining the allure of Eastern European social drama with high-paced Hollywoodsy action and gloss.  It's based on the real events and personality of Attila Ambrus, born in Transylvania. In the 90s, Ambrus worked as a professional goaltender (and the team´s janitor) while moonlighting as...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

It was back in 2003 that Hungarian director Nimrod Antal burst on to the international scene with his debut feature, Kontroll. A smart, slick title that was not at all what we'd been taught to expect from Eastern European cinema, Kontroll triggered a bit of a frenzy around Antal and Hollywood came calling. But while he tended to over deliver in the small to mid budget projects he was handed - Vacancy, Armored, Predators, Metallica Through The Never - the personality that caught so much attention in Antal's debut never quite came through in his Us efforts. Which means there is a certain amount of anticipation to see what Antal can do back in his native Hungary now that he has returned there for a...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

There is a level of audacity to Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness that I can’t help but admire. On paper, it’s not the type of film that generally gets a big studio push in this day and age, but yet, 20th Century Fox is going all out for Verbinski’s weirdly surreal exploration of the one thing none of us can escape—our mortality—and I dig that he once again takes an avant-garde route to give us a grandiose, epic gothic horror movie that wears its influences on its sleeves, yet at times feels like nothing we’ve ever experienced before.

If you distill Cure down to its basic elements, though, it’d be safe to say it feels like if Hammer Films did their own version of Shutter Island, but really, that only accounts for about 30% of what Verbinski achieves here. The bottom line is,...

It was all the way back in 2003 that young Hungarian director Nimrod Antal burst on to the scene with Kontroll, a super stylish action-comedy-thriller hybrid revolving around subway workers in Budapest. The film marked Antal as a director to watch and, sure enough, Hollywood was watching and he's been working in English on this side of the ocean ever since with his Us career hitting its peak with the one two punch of the Robert Rodriguez produced Predators and 3D concert film Metallica Through The Never. But now he's headed home. Antal's next film will be his first Hungarian effort since Kontroll, a large scaled biopic of Attila Ambrus - a Hungarian born in Romania who requested asylum in Hungary in 1988 and launched...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The Grammy Awards are underway! See the winners as they're announced below, then return after the ceremony to check out the full list. The 57th Annual Grammy Awards aired live on CBS. Record of the YearIggy Azalea featuring Charli Xcx, "Fancy" Sia, "Chandelier" Sam Smith, "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)"Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off"Meghan Trainor, "All About That Bass" Album of the YearBeyoncé, Beyoncé Beck, Morning PhaseEd Sheeran, XSam Smith, In the Lonely Hour Pharrell Willliams, G I R LSong of the YearSia, "Chandelier"Sam Smith, "Stay with Me (Darkchild Version)"Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off" Meghan Trainor,...

Last year's Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature, "20 Feet From Stardom," has rounded out its long awards run beginning as a competition player way back at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival with a Grammy for Best Music Film. The doc, which won countless other prizes from critics and festivals last year, zipped past the competition including "Beyoncé & Jay Z: On the Run Tour," Coldplay's "Ghost Stories," "Metallica Through the Never" and Pink's "The Truth About Love Tour: Live from Melbourne." It was the only traditional feature documentary in the bunch so it's little surprise it stood out to voters. As previously reported, movie crossover winners at the Grammys this year included "Frozen's" hit track "Let It Go" and compilation soundtrack album, Pharrell's "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2" for Best Music Video, Glen Campbell's "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" for Best Country Song as well as Alexandre Desplat ("The...

Complete list of winners and nominees of the 2014 Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday February 8. Winners will be updated as they're announced during the telecast and pre-telecast. Record Of The Year “Fancy,” Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli Xcx “Chandelier,” Sia **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift “All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor Album Of The Year **Winner** “Morning Phase,” Beck “Beyoncé,” Beyoncé “X,” Ed Sheeran “In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith “Girl,” Pharrell Williams Song Of The Year “All About That Bass,” Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor) “Chandelier,” Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia) “Shake It Off,” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift) **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith) “Take Me To Church,” Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier) Best New Artist Iggy Azalea Bastille Brandy Clark...

Nearly all of this year's Grammy nominees have been announced, with album of the year contenders still to be unveiled tonight. Looking at the nominees for visual media — i.e. film and TV stuff — we have a mix of Oscar nominees and winners from last year and potential contenders for this year. Let's take a look… At the top, big ups to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their "Gone Girl" score landing a nomination. It might be the best score of the year, in my opinion, and I'm crossing my fingers that the Academy's music branch is as cool as they were in 2010 for nominating "The Social Network." Also in there is "The Grand Budapest Hotel," one of a few scores from Alexandre Desplat in Oscar contention this season ("The Imitation Game" and "Unbroken" will be eligible for Grammys next year). Last year's Best Original Score Oscar winner Steven Price was nominated for "Gravity,...

Below is a list of the nominees and nominations for the 57th annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 8, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The main show will be broadcast on CBS 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Est/Pst and present 10-13 awards from major categories. The Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony (previously dubbed the Pre-Telecast Ceremony) will take place in the Nokia Centre from 12:30-3:30 Pst and will be live-streamed via Grammy.com. Beyonce and Sam Smith lead overall nominations, with six a piece; each have an Album of the Year nod. Album Of The Year Sam Smith, "In the Lonely Hour" Beyonce, "Beyonce" Beck, "Morning Phase" Ed Sheeran, "x" Pharrell Williams, "Girl" Record Of The Year Iggy Azalea, "Fancy" featuring Charli Xcx Sia, "Chandelier" Sam Smith, "Stay With Me" Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off" Meghan Trainor, "All About That Bass" Song of the Year Sia,...

San Diego - Oscar-winner Melissa Leo is such a convincing actress that for a brief moment on the "Wayward Pines" press line at San Diego Comic-Con, she had me doubting whether I even knew where I really was. "I think the show is full of, like a lot of [M.] Night ]Shyamalan]'s work, you think who know you're talking to, but do you know who you're talking to?" said Leo ominously. "Do you even really know where you are?" Cue existential crisis. Thankfully, I recovered just enough to continue posing questions to Leo and her co-star Toby Jones about the upcoming Fox "event series," including whether shooting the filmmaker-driven show - which in addition to executive-producer Shyamalan features episodes helmed by such big-screen directors as Nimrod Antal ("Predators," "Metallica Through the Never") and Zal Batmanglij ("The East") - feels at times more like shooting a movie than a TV seris "In some ways yes,...

Moviegoers are starting to pick up on what Hollywood figured out long before reviews for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2": Dane DeHaan is going to be a movie star. Remember when theater-trained actress Jessica Chastain was first being cast in movie after movie? That's what's been happening to DeHaan, who is 28. In the past year he not only took on Harry Osborn in Marc Webb's big-studio sequel but eclipsed Daniel Radcliffe in "Kill Your Darlings," starred in heavy metal 3D flick "Metallica Through the Never" and played Ryan Gosling's son in Derek Cianfrance's "The Place Beyond the Pines." He's done a lot for someone so young. DeHaan broke out in 2008 with the HBO series "In Treatment," as Jesse, one of therapist Gabriel Byrne's patients. He made his Broadway debut that same year with David Mamet's "American Buffalo." In 2010, DeHaan won an Obie for his performance Off-Broadway in "The Aliens.

The new film from You’re Next director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett will be coming to a theater near you this fall. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews, Picturehouse has picked up U.S. rights to The Guest for a fall release, marking the studio's second feature film release after making their debut with last year's Metallica Through the Never. The Guest stars Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as a soldier who befriends the family of a fallen comrade and becomes a threat to everyone around him when it turns out he may not be who he says he is. I caught the pic at Sundance and it’s a great 80’s throwback that’s kind of like a cross between Halloween and The Terminator. Stevens is excellent in a dark role that is the polar opposite of his Downton Abbey character, and Wingard and...

Give me fuel, Give me fire, Give me that which I desire… which is a chance to watch Metallica Through The Never for free on SundanceNow. This is a music driven film that combines spectacular live performances and a bold narrative to create a raw and visceral cinematic experience! Join a young roadie on a surreal adventure to complete an urgent mission for the famous band, Metallica! Catch Metallica Through The Never on SundanceNow Today!

To Enter:

1. You Must Be A U.S. Resident. To Access The Platform Winner Must Be In U.S.

2. Place Your Name, A Valid Email, And Answer To The Question Below In The Comment Section Of This Post.

3. What Is Your Favorite Metallica Song? Why?

Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.

Award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) creates a groundbreaking motion picture event,...

"Gravity" swept up four trophies at the International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society Awards bestowed on Tuesday night in Hollywood. "Frozen" was the next biggest champ with two victories. Full winners' list below. Live Action 3D Feature "Gravity," Warner Bros. 3D Scene/Moment Of The Year "Gravity," Warner Bros. Stereography – Live Action "Gravity," Warner Bros. Theatrical Motion Picture – Outstanding Use Of 2D to 3D Conversion "Gravity," Warner Bros. Animated 3D Feature "Frozen," Walt Disney Animation Studios -Break- Stereography – Animation "Frozen," Walt Disney Animation Studios Short 3D Motion Picture/Narrative "Get a Horse," Walt Disney Animation Studios 3D Documentary "Metallica Through the Never," Picturehouse Entertainment 3D Advertising "Olympic Identity," BBC - UK 3Dtv ...

1. 3D Honors: The International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society honored 25 films for "distinguished achievement" at the 3D Creative Arts Awards on Tuesday night. Not surprisingly, "Gravity" was the big winner, receiving awards for best "Live Action 3D Feature," best "Stereography - Live Action," best "3D Scene of the Year" and best "2D to 3D" conversion. "Metallica Through the Never" won for best "Motion Picture Documentary." 2. Smartphone Filmmaking: Over the last century, each generation of technology revolutionized filmmaking. But with smartphone filmmaking, the barrier to entry drops to something close to zero. David Rosen asks whether 2014 is the year that smartphone filmmaking becomes mainstream. Read more here. 3. Crowdfunding: Just a few years ago, it was nearly unheard of for filmmakers to seek funding on crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter (of course, Kickstarter didn't even exist until 2009) -- and even more unusual for those projects...

Rush One of the better movies from 2013 arrives this week in the form of Ron Howard's Rush, but don't go in looking for too many special features, though I am curious in the "Real Story of Rush" described as an "in-depth" look at the true story that inspired the film, but for Hollywood "in-depth" might mean ten minutes. Either way, this is a film definitely worth owning and one of the few truly rewatchable movies from the last year.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa I've heard it's funny and I do want to see it, I wonder if Netflix Instant will carry it, because I just can't imagine buying one of these Jackass movies. Once is enough.

Metallica Through the Never Not really my thing, but I've heard decent things so fans may want to seek this one out.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 I really disliked the...

Which music stars went home with awards at the 2014 Grammy Awards? Find out with this full winners list.

Winners in each category are bolded.

Record of the Year

"Get Lucky" -- Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers

"Radioactive" -- Imagine Dragons

"Royals" -- Lorde

"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars

"Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thick feat. T.I. and Pharrell

Album of the year

"The Blessed Unrest" -- Sara Bareilles

"Random Access Memories" -- Daft Punk

"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" -- Kendrick Lamar

"The Heist" -- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

"Red" -- Taylor Swift

Song of the year

"Just Give Me a Reason" -- Jeff Bhasker, Pink and Nate Ruess (Pink feat. Nate Ruess)

"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Bruno Mars (Bruno Mars)

"Roar" -- Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry and Henry Walter (Katy Perry)

"Royals...

Update, 4:01 Pm: The Motion Picture Sound Editors have announced all of its nominees for the 61st annual Golden Reel Awards, which are set to be bestowed February 16 at the the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in La. The group unveiled its film noms Wednesday and now has added TV, animation, computer entertainment and student work categories. Here’s is the complete list: The 61st Mpse Golden Reel Awards Nominees Best Sound Editing: Music In A Musical Feature Film Frozen Music Editor: Fernand Bos, Mpse Inside Llewyn Davis Music Editor: Jen Monnar Justin Bieber’s Believe Supervising Music Editor: Kevin McKeever Metallica Through the Never Music Editor: Matt Fausak Best Sound Editing: Music Score In A Feature Film 12 Years A Slave Music Editor: Katrina Schiller 47 Ronin Supervising Music Editor: Andrew Silver American Hustle Music Supervisor: Susan Jacobs Gravity Supervising Music Editor: Christopher Benstead The Great Gatsby Supervising Music Editor: Jason Ruder...

Remember, it's Black Friday deals week at Amazon right now and I have a full rundown of deals galore right here and while you're looking for deals, Barnes & Noble is still having their 50% off Criterion titles through the end of the month. Take a look at that sale right here, but before you head out check out this week's new titles directly below. There may be a few that catch your eye. Breaking Bad: Final Season and Complete Series With the final season of "Breaking Bad" finally on DVD and Blu-ray perhaps now Netflix will have those final eight episodes available for streaming and I can finish the series. I must say, however, if I was as die hard a fan of this series as some people seem to be, the complete collection is an impressive little curio, at least as far as DVD and Blu-ray sets are concerned.

Metallica today announced that their groundbreaking 3D feature film, Metallica Through the Never, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nimr&#243d Antal, will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, digitally, and V.O.D. (Video On Demand) on January 28, 2014 through Blackened Recordings. Formats will include a standard 2-disc package on DVD, Blu-ray, or 3D Blu-ray, as well as special expanded versions. The DVDs and Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray will include extensive behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film, including an 80+ minute "Making Of Metallica Through the Never" documentary, various interviews with the cast and crew and never before seen Metallica content. Metallica fans will also be able to purchase a limited-edition deluxe package containing a piece of the actual stage used in the film, a lithograph print autographed by all four band members and more. Full details of the package are below. The digital format will include the feature film, as...

Exclusive: HanWay Select boards 20,000 Days on Earth; Madman pre-buys Australia.

HanWay’s specialty arm HanWay Select has boarded Nick Cave music documentary 20,000 Days on Earth.

Directed by visual artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, and featuring an original score by Cave and regular collaborator Warren Ellis, the film features staged footage and real-life recordings of acclaimed Australian musician Cave and his bands.

HanWay has acquired world rights, excluding UK and Australia, with the latter being pre-bought by Madman in a deal with the producers.

Produced out of Pulse Films by James Wilson (Jw Films) and Dan Bowen, the film is backed by Film4, the BFI, Corniche Pictures, Pulse, Phi, and Goldin Films.

Currently in production, delivery is scheduled for early 2014 with theatrical rollout later in the year.

The film weaves drama and reality in a fictionalised 24 hours in the life of the acclaimed musician, author and screenwriter Cave, known for his bands Nick Cave and the Bad...

It's Amir here, bringing you the latest box office report. Here's a pop quiz for you dear readers: when was the last time that the top film in both wide and limited releases revolved around an old man on a journey to overcome ridiculously difficult obstacles? By my estimation, it was never. On the face of it, saving one's life from the clutches of the sea and saving one's testicles from a vending machine may seem entirely different but both struggles appealed to their audience this weekend nonetheless. Bad Grandpa coasted on the Jackass brand to dethrone Gravity from the top spot, though if we were thinking Alfonso Cuaron's film is going away, we were proven wrong emphatically.

Box Office

01 Bad Grandpa $32 *new* 

02 Gravity $20.3 (cum. $199.8) Sandy B & Review

03 Captain Phillips $11.8 (cum. $70) Podcast & Hanks For All Ages

04 The Counselor $8 *new*  Podcast 

05 Cloudy With Chance Of Meatballs 2 $6.1 (cum. $100.6)

06 Carrie $5.9  (cum. $26)

07 Escape Plan $4.3 (cum.

Those critics and writers who think Princess Diana ought to be allowed to rest in peace may have a point, judging by the lousy opening figures in Australia for director Oliver Hirschbiegel's Diana.

The omens for the biopic starring Naomi Watts have been dire since its world premiere in the UK last month where it got withering reviews and a lowly audience turn-out.

.Creepy weepie will make you sleepy,. said the Daily Mail. .A special class of awful,. declared The Daily Telegraph. .Hirschbiegel shows no signs of a cinematic heart beating in his portrayal of the self-anointed .Queen of Hearts,. and rarely goes beyond made-for-television territory,. intoned The Times.

The saga of the princess's final few years and her supposed affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) earned $543,000 at 206 locations in Australia last weekend, and $696,000 with previews.

Business overall was soft with only two titles raking in more than $1 million.

Gravity added another $200,000 to its opening weekend total bringing its October opening weekend record to $55.7 million. As far as the reader predictions are concerned it didn't change anything as the highest prediction on the board within range was $55 million. Runner Runner also notched a slightly higher result, but with only $7.7 million I don't think there will be any bragging going on with that title even though its worldwide prospects were much higher. This week we also had two limited release titles on the board in Metallica Through the Never, which actually added theaters, but in the end dropped 56.7% to $683,000 and Parkland opened with a thud in only 257 theaters, bringing in $310,246 for a $1,207 per theater average. I've listed the current top ten for both leaderboards directly below, but you can see the full list of rankings right here and for the complete box office top ten and points awarded for this weekend specifically click here.

With a strong marketing effort*and a boost from 3D ticket pricing*Gravity blasted off to a fantastic $55.8 million this weekend. Meanwhile, Runner Runner couldn't find its footing, and overall business wound up down 13 percent from the same weekend last year.At 3,575 locations, Gravity's $55.8 million debut is a new opening weekend record for the month of October ahead of 2011's Paranormal Activity 3 ($52.6 million). It's also the highest start ever for stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney ahead of The Heat and Batman and Robin, respectively. Recognizing that Gravity had huge commercial potential, Warner Bros. rolled out a blockbuster-level marketing effort in the past month. Advertisements played up the movie's unique setting and stunning visuals, and also positioned it as a thrilling, action-packed adventure. Leading up to the release, Warner Bros. started emphasizing the movie's critical reception, which was nothing short of fantastic (it currently has a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Also,...

We knew it was going to win, but by how much was the big question and the $17.5 million it tallied on Friday suggested something around $49 million, but Gravity held on stronger than that, finishing the three-day weekend with an estimated $55.6 million and a new October opening weekend record, besting Paranormal Activity 3's $52.5m back in 2011. The big story concerning this one is the fact 80% of the total came from 3D screenings and 20% from IMAX screenings. It also has one box office tracker calling Sandra Bullock the "most bankable actress in Hollywood" noting four of her last six films have opened over $30 million, none of which were sequels. Hard to argue with those numbers. Gravity has already shown it has legs and with an "A-" CinemaScore it will be interesting to see how long they are as it will have to contend with Captain Phillips next weekend for the adult...

The top stories of the week from Toh!Awards:Oscar-Bound Bruce Dern Talks Career and Alexander Payne's "Nebraska"Box Office:Arthouse Audit: "Enough Said" and "Metallica Through the Never" Score Solid Limited National Grosses"Cloud 2" Clear Winner Over Spotty Weekend, "Instructions Not Included" Highest Spanish Grosser EverFeatures:Immersed in Movies: "Gravity" Takes a Giant VFX Leap as Pure CinemaYour Week in Streaming: Movies About Movies by Hong Sang-soo and Jim McBrideFestivals:nyff Tributes Cate Blanchett on the Road to OscarRamping Up to the 36th Mill Valley Film FestivalSpike Jonze Previews "Her" Before Its New York Film Festival UnveilingInterviews:"Gravity" Q&A: Alfonso Cuaron Talks Creating Space Epic (Video)Q & A: Indie Hit "Enough Said" Is Oscar Race Dark HorseNews: Obit: Paramount Stalwart A.C. Lyles Bows Out at Age 95Obit: Tom Clancy, Author of Jack Ryan Thrillers "Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games" and More, Has Died at 66 (Film Clips)Take Note, Indie...

I'm beginning to see a trend here as the reader average continually falls just below Laremy's predictions. I haven't taken the time to look, but it makes me wonder if he is traditionally over on his predictions and that's why you all go so low or is it because you're too scared to go too highc I was talking with Laremy last night about his predictions and he told me he hoped the average for Gravity wouldn't be $45 million, which would have been slightly over his $44.9 million prediction. Well, no fears Laremy, the readers actually went well below your prediction, $4.6 million below in fact and just ever-so-slightly above the $39.4 million tracking. Hmmmmm, is that what people are paying the closest attention toc The trackingc Whatever it may be it makes for an interesting weekend. As a side note, Gravity already brought in $1.4 million from late night showings last night. Comparatively,...

Metallica Through the Never combines 3D footage of iconic 1980s American heavy metal band Metallica performing live in concert with a fictional storyline that revolves around a young roadie named Trip (played by Dane DeHaan). As the members of Metallica begin to (figuratively? literally?) bring the house down while playing to legions of roaring fans in a sold-out arena, Trip gets sent on a mission to find one of the band’s trucks (which has broken down) and retrieve the mysterious but precious cargo that it was carrying.

Along the way, Trip finds that the insatiable passion of Metallica’s music seems to have taken hold of the surrounding city and its citizens, resulting in chaos and madness everywhere – plunging Trip into a twisted and surreal one-night journey that ...

Click to continue reading ‘Metallica Through the Never’ Review...

With an aggressive marketing campaign and stellar reviews, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity is poised to easily take first place this weekend. The real question at this point is how high it can go, though it's hard to imagine an original Fall release debuting above $40 million or so. Runner Runner also opens this weekend, though it's unlikely that the Justin Timberlake/Ben Affleck thriller puts much of a dent in Gravity's grosses.Opening at 3,575 locations, Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as two astronauts who are stranded in orbit after their shuttle is destroyed. Advertisements for the movie put the astronauts in all kinds of precarious situations, which has nicely showcased the movie's stunning visuals and intense, high-stakes thrills. As of late, commercials have also emphasized the movie's reviews, which are nothing short of fantastic (it currently has a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes). If there's any complaint to be made about the marketing,...

Gravity is your heir apparent to the box office crown this weekend, tracking indicating another easy victory, IMAX and 3-D dollars providing Warner Bros. with a winner. With the $80 million production budget already released, it's also a fairly simple exercise to project that Cuaron's latest film will have no problem getting to the $200 million worldwide that would indicate a profit. Why is my call of $44.9 million over trackingc Because I believe this is the rare film that heavily appeals to the female demographic as well, regardless of your personal feelings for Sandra Bullock. It's often noted that this is Alfonso Cuaron's first film since 2006's Children of Men, with the inference being how odd that is, but the numbers on the (admittedly great) Children of Men were pretty bleak: Children of Men Production Budget: $76 million (x2.5= $190 million) Worldwide Box Office: $70 million DVD Sales: $20 million Projected Loss: $100 million (not factoring in television rights,...

This past weekend, co-writer/director Nimrod Antal’s concert/post-apocalyptic mash-up Metallica: Through the Never made its IMAX 3D debut and to mark the occasion, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Metallica’s own legendary guitarist Kirk Hammett about the project.

A blending of Metallica concert footage and a narrative story, Through the Never follows a young roadie (Chronicle‘s Dane DeHaan) on a mission during another legendary concert event only to find that when he hits the road, the world has gone to hell and he must fight his way through a post-apocalyptic landscape complete with bodies hanging from light poles, bloodthirsty rioters, a gas mask-wearing psycho and so much chaos that filmmaker Antal chose to shoot both the concert and the narrative part of the film specifically for IMAX.

During our chat with Hammett, we heard more on the origins of Through the Never,...

There is no need to explain who Metallica is. They’ve been around long enough to transition from being the thundering rock musicians whose tracks your parents made you turn down to being parents themselves, and no doubt shouting at their kids to turn their music up. What Metallica hasn’t really done in quite some time is surprise us. The S&M album was a beautiful experiment, but Metallica had become the one thing a groundbreaking metal band with designs on immortality-like longevity could ill-afford to be: ubiquitous. Conventional wisdom would suggest that it would take more than a concert video to rejuvenate this group and return them boldly to the limelight. And conventional wisdom would be entirely correct, but thankfully Metallica Through the Never is indeed more than a concert video. Directed by Nimród Antal, Metallica Through The Never intertwines concert footage with a scripted genre narrative. The catalog of Metallica hits performed during the...

Speakerfone is a column that focuses on music in film

Telling people that your new movie is "unlike anything you've ever seen" sets the critical bar pretty high. But Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich had no problem saying that this past July at Comic-Con, where he and the rest of his band were promoting their upcoming film "Metallica: Through the Never." Now, you can finally get a glimpse at what Ulrich was getting at.

"Through the Never" is a hybrid concert-feature film that combines live footage and a unique narrative storyline. The concert was filmed over two nights on a state-of-the-art stage built specifically for the movie. The other half of the film follows Trip ("Amazing Spider-Man 2" star Dane Dehaan), a Metallica roadie who has to deliver secret cargo while being chased by a masked horseman.

In a behind-the-scenes video debuting exclusively on Moviefone, fans can get a first-hand look...

Five things we learned about the Us box office this weekend, including why franchises rule and the Spanish-language film that knocked Pan's Labyrinth off its perch

• Dane DeHaan: beat poet, Metallica roadie and, next, James Dean

• Sundance film festival 2013: Don Jon - first look review

Never bet against a number higher than one

You'll be familiar with the popular Hollywood adage, "Nobody knows anything", which begs the question: why would an investor go anywhere near the movie business? Be that as it may, we wish it to be known that this column reserves the right to contradict itself next week (or even next point) by saying the exact opposite of what it is about to state as a cast-iron rule of thumb. While it is true that as the numeral after a franchise title goes up, the movie's quality diminishes, it is still likely that box office returns will rise.

"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" easily won a crowded box office weekend by grossing $35 million, marking the fourth-biggest September opening of all time. And since "Cloudy 2" cost only $78 million to make, it will easily become profitable. The new movie has a 58% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes. The first "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" hit theaters four years ago, opening to $30.3 million. It went on to gross $245.8 million worldwide. Ron Howard's "Rush," starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), landed in third place, behind "Prisoners." Even though "Rush" has an impressive 88% fresh rating and cost $45 million, the movie grossed only $10.3 million. It will heavily depend on foreign markets to break even. "Baggage Claim," which stars Paula Patton, Taye Diggs and Derek Luke, targeted black movie-goers and succeeded by grossing $9.3 million on a likely very small budget. The movie landed in fourth place, but has a terrible 14% fresh rating. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut,...

Family audiences ate up Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 this weekend, though the movie still fell short of the September opening record. Meanwhile, Prisoners held off newcomers Rush, Baggage Claim and Don Jon, none of which were particularly impressive.The Top 12 earned $95.7 million this weekend, which is off 10 percent from the same frame last year. This is a fine finish to a decent September*it won't be a record-setter, though it will still be slightly up from last year.Playing at 4,002 theaters*a new record for September*Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 opened to just over $34 million. That's an improvement over the first Cloudy movie, which debuted to $30.3 million in September 2009. However, it's noticeably lower than Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania, which set a September opening record with $42.5 million on the same weekend last year. Overall, Cloudy's opening is the fourth-highest ever in September behind Hotel Transylvania,...

Since they originally formed back in 1981, Metallica has gone from being an underground heavy metal band to one of the most successful musical acts in the world. The group’s nine studio albums have sold over one-hundred million copies worldwide, they have been nominated for and won dozens of awards, and their songs get more playtime on rock radio than any other band. While the band has already graced the silver screen in the documentary Some Kind of Monster (2004), they’ve returned now with Metallica: Through the Never, a unique hybrid film that blends a fictional narrative with real footage from a set of concerts the band held in summer 2012. Metallica: Through the Never is a solid film, albeit with some notable flaws, but it is definitely worth checking out for fans of Metallica or heavy metal music in general.

As Metallica performs a roaring live set for fans in a sold-out arena,...

The film industry needs a young Steve Jobs. That’s one message that Nigel Sinclair, co-chairman and CEO of Exclusive Media, delivered to the Zurich Film Finance Forum today.

“What the digital world means in production is relatively straightforward, but looking at distribution, there is a lot of potential for change,” the Scotland-born, La-based executive told Screen ahead of his keynote speech at the Dolder Grand.

“We’re looking at a massive sea-change in the way entertainment is priced and supplied. Digital delivery of films breaks up windows and that creates economic problems for the industry as it is currently structured. Some people are changing, but some aren’t.

“What’s really going to be the big change is curating a highly skilled navigation system to find films, like the Genius function on Apple’s iTunes that selects songs for you.”

“Distribution executives now are Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, so it’s going...

My first thought on seeing an extended preview for Metallica: Through the Never was that it looked like Metallica's attempt to create for themselves an icon like Pink Floyd The Wall. On viewing the movie at Fantastic Fest, my impression was cemented by one particular scene where a rioting crowd faces off against a line of police in riot gear.  Director Nimród Antal foregoes the surreal animated scenes that marked The Wall's flights into fancy, but the thematic resonance is unmistakeably clear.

Chronicle's Dane DeHaan is Trip, a roadie for the band whom we see arriving before the concert on a skateboard. Told to stay nearby in case he is needed, Trip walks out into the arena where he watches as a time-lapse view of concert preparations is set to "The Ecstasy of Gold."

From there, the music almost never stops. As the concert launches into full swing,...

Blue Jasmine | Prisoners | Greedy Lying Bastards | Mister John | Hannah Arendt | Runner Runner | It's A Lot | Girl Most Likely | Smash & Grab: The Story Of The Pink Panther | Austenland

Blue Jasmine (12A)

(Woody Allen, 2013, Us) Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard. 98 mins

In the downward trajectory of late-era Allen comes a startling spike to remind us how great he still can be, especially when it comes to women's roles. This show belongs to Blanchett, playing a Manhattan one-percenter brought down to earth. Propped up by alcohol, drugs and her sister, she's an accident that's already happening, and a magnificent, tragicomic creation.

Prisoners (15)

(Denis Villeneuve, 2013, Us) Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano. 153 mins

A kidnapping case refuses to crack in this weighty, slippery whodunit.

Greedy Lying Bastards (12A)

(Craig Scott Rosebraugh, 2012, Us) 90 mins

Climate-change deniers get a dose of their own medicine, as this impassioned doc lays out a history of hypocrisy.

Mister John (15)

(Christine Molloy,...

After breakout roles in Chronicle and The Place Beyond The Pines, the actor is having a good year. And in 2014, there's The Amazing Spider-Man 2...

"I've heard someone say that when people get famous, the qualities they had already just get magnified," says Dane DeHaan over an afternoon glass of red wine. "If they were an asshole before then maybe they'll be a huge asshole. But if they were a well-intentioned, grounded person then they'll become an even better intentioned, even more grounded person. Hopefully."

At this point, he laughs. Either way, this affable 27-year-old is about to find out. Already one of the most talked-about young actors in Hollywood, after breakout roles in Chronicle and The Place Beyond The Pines, DeHaan is about to take it up another notch or three. There's Metallica concert movie/sensory overload, Metallica: Through The Never, in which DeHaan gets his own little film within a film.

Do not be fooled by Dane DeHaan’s presence in Metallica: Through The Never. In no way do the legendary rockers take a backseat to some twisted, dystopian storyline as the trailer suggest, as director Nimród Antal delivers an absolute spectacle of a feature length music video/VIP concert experience mashup – but nothing else. Please don’t take this as a negative point though, as I’m a metalhead who was rocking out with everyone in my screening, but instead heed my words going into Metallica’s second feature. If a concrete story with a nice hard rocking soundtrack is what you’re looking for, you won’t find it here. With that said, Antal’s experience is an absolute must see for Metallica fans, giving them an unprecedented, up-close and personal look at a band who can still shred like no other.

The side story that takes place during...

Director Nimrod Antal's (Predators) Metallica Through the Never opens this weekend in IMAX 3D. The pic combines Metallica concert footage with a fictional narrative where Dane DeHaan plays a roadie who is sent on a mission through a “terrifying post-apocalyptic urban streetscape” during a concert. For more on the film, watch the trailer. This year at the Toronto International Film Festival, I landed an exclusive video interview with DeHaan and Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich. They talked about how the project came together, the IMAX sound mix, DeHaan's approach to the unique material as an actor, how they chose the songs, what they collect, and much more. In addition, DeHaan talks about the opportunity to play James Dean in Anton Corbijn’s Life. Hit the jump to watch. Finally, if you missed my exclusive video interview with James Hetfield, click here to check it out. Dane Dehaan and Lars Ulrich...

An eclectic bag of well-reviewed films hit theaters this weekend. Best reviews go to Greg Camalier's Sundance doc on "Muscle Shoals," the legendary Alabama town where, during the 1960s and '70s, such music titans as the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon would make the pilgrimage to alter the sound of soul and rock n' roll. The music recorded there was extraordinary.  Also musically themed, "Metallica: Through the Never" blends reality and fiction, starring rising star Dane DeHaan as a young gopher at a live Metallica concert. Critics are positive on what the NYTines calls "total metal immersion," and THR says is "pure sense-swamping spectacle." Jim Mickle's "We Are What We Are," a midnight hit at Sundance, is a well-written and superbly cast smart horror flick that marks the emergence of a strong director with a taste for the macabre.   Joseph Gordon-Levitt's romantic comedy and satire...

October 4, 2013

Filth

Director: Jon S. Baird

Starring: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots

Running time: 97 mins

Certificate: 18

How I Live Now

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Sophie Ellis

Running time: 101m

Certificate: 15

Sunshine on Leith

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Starring: George MacKay, Peter Mullan, Jason Flemyn

Running time: 100m

Certificate: PG

Thanks for Sharing

Director: Stuart Blumberg

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, Pink, Tim Robbins

Running time: 112m

Certificate: 15

October 11, 2013

The Fifth Estate

Director: Bill Condon

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Carice van Houten

Running time: 124 mins

Certificate: Tbc

Le Week-end

Director: Roger Michell

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Olly Alexander

Running time: 93 mins

Certificate: 15

Machete Kills

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Danny Trejo, Sofia Vergara, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba

Running time: 108 mins

Certificate: 15

Not Another Happy Ending

Director: John McKay

Starring: Karen Gillan, Stanley Weber, Iain De Caestecker

Running time: 102 mins

Certificate: 12A

Romeo and Juliet

Director: Carlo Carlei

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld,...