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Gangsters, mobsters, thugs, and mugs. Organized crime holds the upper tier of the international cinematic commission. “Crime pays,” Edward G. Robinson, who played Rico Bandello in the seminal gangster film Little Caesar (1931), is famous for saying. “But only in the movies.” When a good mob movie is on the table, it is an offer no filmmaker can refuse. There is more intrigue, suspense, violence, mayhem, and madness to be found in the criminal element than any other genre.

“Gone are the days of the gangsters,” audiences heard for years, usually in movies about mobsters. They always rise up, even if they are splattered across the ornate fountains of their gangland mansions in the last frame, like Al Pacino’s Tony Montana in Brian DePalma’s Scarface (1983), or rolling down the steps of a church, dead from a hail of bullets. That’s how James Cagney’s Eddie Bartlett went out in The Roaring Twenties (1939). Now,...

Look over the list of Best Picture winners over the years and you realise that almost every film selected is still in circulation.

William Wellman’s Wings, the very first winner in 1927, is readily available on DVD and Blu-Ray, as are such other early winners as Cimarron and Broadway Melody.

Most of the other Best Picture winners are titles that any film lover will recognise instantly. The blind spots are obvious. The Academy never chooses foreign language titles. In recent years, it has shunned comedies.

The Shape of Water may have won in 2018, but voters are generally wary about genre pictures. You don’t see many sci-fi or martial arts titles on the list.

There is a growing divide between what wins at the Oscars and what makes the money at the box office. Even so, the est Picture Oscar remains one of the most reliable bellwethers for films that will have an afterlife.

Look over the list of Best Picture winners over the years and you realise that almost every film selected is still in circulation.

William Wellman’s Wings, the very first winner in 1927, is readily available on DVD and Blu-Ray, as are such other early winners as Cimarron and Broadway Melody.

Most of the other Best Picture winners are titles that any film lover will recognise instantly. The blind spots are obvious. The Academy never chooses foreign language titles. In recent years, it has shunned comedies.

The Shape of Water may have won in 2018, but voters are generally wary about genre pictures. You don’t see many sci-fi or martial arts titles on the list.

There is a growing divide between what wins at the Oscars and what makes the money at the box office. Even so, the est Picture Oscar remains one of the most reliable bellwethers for films that will have an afterlife.

Marlon Brando was a powerhouse film actor — of that there is no denying. He was also quite admirable for his social activism and standing by his political beliefs, famously sending Indigenous activist and actor Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his Best Actor Oscar win for "The Godfather" in 1973, citing the poor representation of Native Americans in film and TV.

On the flip side, Brando was known for being at best disruptive, at worst flat-out unprofessional in his conduct on-set later in his career. But you already knew that, correct? Brando's antics are the stuff of legend in their own right. So instead of laying into him yet again, let's talk about the time an actor made Brando's life a slog while shooting a movie

The film was 1955's "Guys and Dolls," a big screen musical based on the hit 1950 Broadway stage show of the same name (itself inspired by Damon Runyon...

There is an old adage about filmmaking that says 90 of the director's job is casting. The reasoning behind this comes from the fact that during a fictional, narrative feature, the audience will spend the vast majority of the time looking at the faces on screen. The characters are our entry point to the cinematic world laid out in front of us. If the people you put in front of the camera are compelling, unique, and, more than anything, truthful, you will be able to take the audience wherever you wish. While I think the percentage is certainly a little hyperbolic, I do not think you can undersell the importance of casting.

What directors look for in casting varies wildly from person to person. Some just want a collection of the most attractive people they can find to dazzle the audience. Some want to surround one or two movie stars with a collection of warm,...

Every Friday, we’re recommending an older movie available to stream or download and worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. We’re calling the series “Revisiting Hours” — consider this Rolling Stone’s unofficial film club. This week’s edition: Alex Pappademas on Paul Schrader’s 1978 working-class raunchcom/working-man’s crime drama Blue Collar.

Two Detroit auto-plant workers are meeting up for a substance-fueled orgy at the home of a third. Zeke (Richard Pryor) and Jerry (Harvey Keitel) are both married; their host is Smokey (Yaphet Kotto), who isn’t.

A disturbing flight from enthusiasm into obsession is witnessed in Kamran Heidari's Ali Aqa, the story of an aging Iranian pigeon fancier and the toll his volatile eccentricity wreaks on his long-suffering family. Premiering in the feature-length competition at documentary giant Idfa, this Iran-Switzerland-France co-production is a well-crafted and unsettling work which poses some tricky questions about the practicalities and ethics of fly-on-the-wall non-fiction film making. It should find further perches at similar events and with a little trimming should find favor among TV buyers.

Things seldom work out well for pigeons in fictional cinema — the ones so lovingly tended by Terry Malloy in On the...

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

A year on from the launch of Candy Jar Books’ Lethbridge-Stewart books, the company has announced a new partnership with Fantom Films to turn the novels into audio adventures! And they’ll be read by Terry Molloy, best-known for playing Davros throughout the 1980s! The fully-licensed Lethbridge-Stewart range launched in February 2015, with Andy Frankham-Allen’s The Forgotten Son , a...

The post Lethbridge-Stewart Audiobooks Are Coming! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Discover the stuff that dreams are made of. Hold your breath, make a wish, count to three. Take a day off with Ferris Bueller. Survive a winter in the Overlook Hotel. Movie lovers will be able to do all of this and more in 2016 as Fathom Events partners with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for the biggest-ever “TCM Big Screen Classics” series.

The not-to-miss lineup begins in January and continues monthly throughout the year as Fathom Events and TCM bring some of the greatest titles ever back into movie theaters, each for just four showings. These classics will each be accompanied by specially produced commentary from TCM hosts Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz.

The series will include “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Planet of the Apes” and “The King and I” from Twentieth Century Fox; “The Maltese Falcon,” “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and “The Shining” from Warner Bros.; “The Ten Commandments,...

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Panini’s lavish series of bookazines – The Essential Doctor Who – continues with a 116-page issue devoted to Davros and Doctor Who’s other notorious villains. Davros and Other Villains includes exclusive interviews with Davros actors Terry Molloy and David Gooderson, Andy Wisher (son of original Davros actor Michael Wisher), Peter Miles (Nyder in Genesis of...

The post Out Now – The Essential Doctor Who: Davros and Other Villains appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Spoilers: here are our viewing notes for Doctor Who series 9 episode 1, The Magician's Apprentice. There's a lot to spot...

When a show has over 50 years of history, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with all the continuity, callbacks and generally geeky references. Which is why, for series 9 (or series 35), we're trying this extra weekly feature of, effectively, viewing notes.

Which is fortunate because, as you might expect, The Magician’s Apprentice contained more than its fair share of these. Here are the ones we found; if you noticed something we haven’t, feel free to add it in the comments!

This is a very spoiler-heavy article. Thus, we've deployed our spoiler squirrel - Daphne - to stop your eyes accidentally drifting to the text of the article if you want to be spoiler-free. Scroll below Daphne at your peril...

Back to Skaro

It may surprise you to learn...

“I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” That classic scene from “On The Waterfront” was part and parcel behind Marlon Brando's release into the stratosphere of supercool. Beginning with his stage debut as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” (which he, of course, reprised in the 1951 film adaptation), his film debut in “The Men,” and a string of larger-than-life roles culminating with his Oscar-winning turn as Terry Malloy in 'Waterfront,' Hollywood was Brando's oyster in the 1950s, and a man became a cultural symbol. Through these roles, and future titanic turns in “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Last Tango in Paris,” we know and remember Marlon Brando as one of the greatest screen actors of all time. But what of the man behind the actor? This question fuels Stevan Riley's documentary,...

Ever since two men slipped on gloves and sparred in a squared space, boxing has been a popular subject for mass media. I mean it’s a perfect venue, one man battling another, for everything from the legitimate theatre (the stage classic “Golden Boy”) and comic strips (“Joe Palooka” was a media sensation). But it seems to have been tailor-made for cinema, since it can cross over from “sports flick” to many other genres. It’s been a setting for laughs with screen comedians from Buster Keaton to Kevin James dancing about the canvas (plus The Main Event was a boxing “rom com”). And there are boxing biographies from Gentleman Jim to Ali. One modestly-budgeted 1976 smash turned into a huge franchise with Rocky (which will soon continue with Creed). But boxing’s biggest impact may be in prestige dramas, with Wallace Beery earning an Oscar as The Champ to the...

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Stockton High Street and town centre will play host to a sci-fi spectacular on Saturday, June 6th, with Sylvester McCoy, John Levene and Terry Molloy among the guests at Ka-pow! Running as a town centre takeover, the event is a combination of specialist traders and indoor/marquee audience events, with costumed characters mingling, much like an outdoor convention....

The post Doctor Who Stars Descend on Teesside for Ka-Pow! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

“I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” That classic scene from “On The Waterfront” was part and parcel behind Marlon Brando's release into the stratosphere of supercool. Beginning with his stage debut as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” (which he, of course, reprised in the 1951 film adaptation), his film debut in “The Men,” and a string of larger-than-life roles culminating with his Oscar-winning turn as Terry Malloy in 'Waterfront,' Hollywood was Brando's oyster in the 1950s, and a man became a cultural symbol. Through these roles, and future titanic turns in “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Last Tango in Paris,” we know and remember Marlon Brando as one of the greatest screen actors of all time. But, what of the man behind the actor? This question fuels Stevan Riley's documentary,...

Destiny of the Daleks

Davros and the Daleks made an unexpected and spectacular return to Doctor Who in the Autumn of 1979. In Destiny of the Daleks, Terry Nation’s notorious pepper pots set out on a mission to rescue their malevolent creator – Davros. The mutated scientist had only appeared onscreen once before – in the 1975 classic Genesis of the Daleks. Michael Wisher took on the role of Davros for his debut story but he was otherwise engaged when filming began for the Destiny of the Daleks. Debutant director Ken Grieve found the perfect replacement for Wisher in the form of David Gooderson. Like so many of the stars of his generation, Gooderson had burst onto the acting scene as a member of the Cambridge footlights. Over 30 years later, the multi-talented actor, writer and director still has fond memories of the show.

Were you familiar with Davros when you were cast in the role?...

The rebirth of Doctor Who in 2005 has sparked a revival in an area of Geekdom that was on the brink of extinction in the early 90s — American Doctor Who fan conventions. The hearty souls behind Gallifrey in Los Angeles kept the fan run scene alive during the wilderness era at the end of last century. In the last few years, the green shoots of a revived fan movement have begun to appear around the nation. Ken Deep’s New York state based L.I. Who was a blockbuster success when it debuted in 2013 and plans are underway for L.I. Who 3 later this year. Full disclosure here — I’m heavily involved in planning a Doctor Who fan convention myself — Time Eddy, in Wichita Ks this October. I’ve run conventions in the past — though it’s been a few years and those were in the UK. So I see myself...

TV shows have been keeping secrets for decades, and in today's world of instant communication and showbiz reporters vying for scoops, it's tougher than ever to surprise audiences.

Keeping something secret in the world of entertainment is tough, but the round-the-clock effort is usually worth it - even if the amount of subterfuge might appear ridiculous to some.

Broadchurch series 2: 20 burning questions we have about episode 1

Broadchurch series 2 secrecy felt like spy mission, says Arthur Darvill

In light of Broadchurch's recent return - a show which somehow managed to keep the fundamentals of its storyline a secret for over a year - here's a quick rundown of six popular shows that managed to keep their top secrets.. despite huge public interest.

1. Broadchurch

Writer Chris Chibnall probably never expected Broadchurch to become such a huge success, and audiences weren't anticipating more... so the announcement of a second series made...

Last year, 12 Years a Slave clinched the Academy Award for Best Picture at the Toronto Film Festival. Well, that’s not actually true. In fact, you could argue that the Best Picture winner almost lost the statue at the festival. Steve McQueen’s harrowing instant classic was so instantly and universally anointed in Toronto that seeds were planted for an inevitable backlash to flower in the six months before the Oscar winner was finally announced. Ultimately, 12 Years’ biggest Oscar competition came from another Toronto film, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Though both films premiered at Telluride and Venice, respectively, the awards...

In The Drop, Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini play two Brooklyn cousins trying to make ends meet on the fringe of gangster life without sticking their necks out too far. Gandolfini, in what is his final onscreen performance, plays Cousin Marv, the manager of the seedy bar who once was respected and feared in the neighborhood but now settles for something less. Hardy plays Bob, the detached bartender who sees and hears nothing while he makes the nightly money drops that keep the business alive.

But when Bob finds an abandoned puppy and meets a pretty woman (Noomi Rapace), his...

Doctor Who is back with Peter Capaldi playing an all-new incarnation of the Time Lord.

Feature-length premiere 'Deep Breath' sent The Doctor and his companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) on a harrowing adventure through Victorian London – and set the tone for future adventures.

Doctor Who: 'Deep Breath' video review - Geek TV

Doctor Who: Who made a surprise cameo in 'Deep Breath'?

Digital Spy rounds up the best reactions from fans and stars to Doctor Who's series premiere below (Warning: spoilers ahead):

Deep breath, all! Happy #CapalDay ! 7.50pm BBC1, 8.15pm @Bbcamerica Aftershow 11pm! #DoctorWho

— Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) August 23, 2014

I thought that was an amazing reinvention, a modernisation, even. We've rarely been given a Doctor we can't immediately define.

— Paul_Cornell (@Paul_Cornell) August 23, 2014

Oh yes Peter Capaldi! Great stuff - great beginning Bring it on

— Colin Baker (@SawbonesHex) August 23, 2014

Ugh.

The obligatory movie catchphrase…memorable golden dialogue for the cinematic soul. What film fan does not enjoy reciting and repeating their favorite movie quotes? After all, there are countless catchphrases in films–some are famous, some are familiar, some are obscure. Still, paraphrasing movie quips has become an art onto itself?

So what are your all-time movie catchphrases? Perhaps it is Jimmy Cagney’s “You dirt rat…you killed my brother?”. Maybe it is Cary Grant’s “Judy, Judy, Judy”? Or how about Lauren Bacall’s “You know how to whistle, don’t you? Just blow…” Whatever movie catchphrases catches your fancy is fine so long as it brings up memories of the film or film characters tat have made a big impression on your cinema experiences.

The Lip Service: The Top 10 Movie Catchphrases selections are: (in alphabetical order according to film title):

1.) “Fasten your seat belts, it...

Now what would the movies be like if everybody on the big screen was a conformist and blandly played by the rules? Every now and then it can be quite therapeutic to have a bad apple shape our rigid outlook with a dosage of cynicism in cinema. Whether intentionally unruly or merely questioning the status quo movie rebels can be compellingly entertaining for various reasons.

So who are your choice big screen rabble-rousers that like to stir the pot and cause dissension in the name of justice or just plain anti-establishment? In Trouble With a Cause: The Top 10 Movie Rebels let us take a look at some of the on-screen troublemakers with a taste for colorful turmoil, shall we?

The selections for Trouble With a Cause: The Top 10 Movie Rebels are (in alphabetical order according to the film titles):

1.) Brad Whitewood, Jr. from At Close Range (1986)

In director James Foley...

We asked a few LatinoBuzz amigos to get their Robinson Crusoe on and pick a film, an album, a book and a companion from the movies to join them in their shenanigans were they to be stuck on a deserted island (and before anyone nitpicks, filmmakers are resourceful, so of course they built solar powered entertainment centers made from bamboos, coconuts and grass to watch movies and listen to baby making slow jams). We figured we'd start with the narrative filmmakers since they probably sit around thinking about this kinda stuff anyway.

Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.

Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.

Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.

Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)

Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!

Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.

A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.

Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)

Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!

Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.

Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”

Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )

Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.

Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!

Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.

Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)

Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.

Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”

Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.

Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)

Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.

Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.

One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.

Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )

Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.

Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.

Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.

Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)

Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.

Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.

Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.

Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )

Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.

Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.

Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.

Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)

Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.

Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.

Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.

Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)

Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...

Gene Kirkwood is one of those true originals which are hard to come by these days within the film industry. A legend in his own right, he’s produced the likes of Rocky, New York New York, the Pope of Greenwich Village, The Keep and Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Originally an actor, Kirkwood then moved into producing and intends to do it “’til [he] drops”. Recently he and producing partner Ross Elliot folded their production company into Bitesize Networks, with the intention to create cutting-edge new content across a variety of platforms.

Kirkwood’s view on the industry is a refreshing one, and in the interview was prone to go off on tangents this writer was enjoying too much to divert. Read on for an insight into a fascinating personality that celebrates everything British, his admiration of Harvey Weinstein, his slew of exciting new projects and reveals things about the...

Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with less than three weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.

After paying heed to 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang', this week we've opted for another Tom Baker tale - the third greatest Doctor Who story of all time transports us to the battle-ravaged planet of Skaro, where a war between two races culminates in the creation of a scientific abomination...

3. Genesis Of The Daleks (1975) - Six episodes - written by Terry Nation

"Do I have the right?"

Yes, the giant clam is rubbish.

With that out of the way, let's get about appreciating everything that's amazing about 'Genesis of the Daleks' - without question, Terry Nation's best Doctor Who script and indeed one of the show's finest ever serials.

New details of BBC Worldwide's Doctor Who 50th Celebration have been announced.

Peter Davison is the latest star to be added to the guest-list for the three-day event, which takes place at ExCeL London from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24.

The fifth Doctor actor joins Matt Smith and former Doctors Tom Baker, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy in attending the celebration.

It has also been confirmed that 50th anniversary special 'The Day of the Doctor' will be screened, in 2D and free of charge, on the evening of Saturday, November 23.

The screening will have limited availability and tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis, with Saturday attendees due to be e-mailed shortly with details about how they can reserve a seat.

The full guest list for all three days is as follow:

Friday, November, 22:

Waris Hussein, Anneke Wills, Kate O'Mara, Richard Franklin, Matthew Waterhouse,...

Steven Moffat may have some big surprises in store, but so far it seems Doctor Who’s fiftieth birthday will heavily weigh towards the extreme poles of Mark Gatiss’ docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time and Moffat’s low-calorie (now with 43 years less nostalgia!), doubtless audacious Smith/Tennant/ John Hurt team-up. But it’s only right that we fans celebrate the spirit of Doctor Who, rather than a clip-show celebrating the letter—and pay tribute to its boldest and most original narratives.

So step forward, Revelation of the Daleks (1985)—a triumph from Colin Baker’s all-too-brief and troubled Doctorate. It’s a thoroughly unique and weird experiment—and its triumph, despite casting aside so much of Doctor Who’s then-standard repertoire, is as great a testament to Who’s storytelling prowess as any.

No matter what your taste in Doctor Who, chances are Revelation of the Daleks’ peculiar flavour is not easily acquired.

10: Gentleman’s Agreement

Perhaps a bit tame by today’s standards, but Kazan’s message drama was an extremely important film in 1947, marking one of the first times that the word Jew was explicity used in a Hollywood picture. Kazan was known throughout his career as a champion of social causes, and Gentleman’s Agreement earned him the first of two Best Director wins (out of five such nominations). Agreement follows a respected gentile journalist (Gregory Peck) hired by a magazine publisher (Albert Dekker) to write a gutsy expose about anti-Semitism. In order to deliver a true, honest and powerful story, he decides to present himself as Jewish everywhere he goes. Gregory Peck gives unquestionably the second best performance of his career. His strong, steady portrayal earned him a Best Actor nomination (although not a win).

- Ricky D

9: Wild River

Set during the early 1930s when American...

Elia Kazan is one of my top five favourite American filmmakers of all time, and so I decided to ask our staff to rank his films. If you are not yet familiar with the filmmakers work, now would be a good time to start. Kazan was one of the most honoured and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history and introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to the world, including Marlon Brando, James Dean, Warren Beatty, Carroll Baker, Julie Harris, Andy Griffith, Lee Remick, Rip Torn, Eli Wallach, Eva Marie Saint, Martin Balsam, Fred Gwynne, and Pat Hingle. Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his cast, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. The source for his inspired directing was the revolutionary acting technique known as the Method, and Kazan quickly rose to prominence as the preeminent proponent of the technique. During his career,...

Mark O'Connor's rough-hewn, low-budget Irish movie revolves around a deadly feud between two families of Travellers disputing some sodden land not far from Dublin. The Powers are more settled, better dressed and less inclined to fight; the Moorehouses are more colourful and less predictable. All are equipped with big thirsts and a short fuse, and neither side is acquainted with restraint when it comes to acting. The movie opens with a scene-setting wedding in the style of The Godfather and centres on the plump boxer John Paul Moorehouse, a figment from the stage and screen. Like Hamlet he's driven by his father's ghost to avenge his murder, and like Romeo he falls in love with a pretty colleen from the Powers family. John Paul virtually reprises the scene between Terry Molloy and his brother Charley in On the Waterfront when he accuses his uncle of ruining his career in the ring.

Former pop star and pin-up Samantha Fox is to join the stars of Harry Potter, Primeval, Doctor Who and James Bond at the upcoming McM Birmingham Comic Con & Memorabilia on March 16 and 17.

The Comic Con and Memorabilia events are held side by side at the NEC, Birmingham. Comic Con visitors get into Memorabilia free of charge. Children under 10 get in free if accompanied by a paying adult.

Listed below are some of the star guests lined up for the shows.

Potter Personalities: Chris Rankin, who plays Percy Weasley in six of the blockbuster Harry Potter films, Steffan Rhodri, who was Reg Cattermole in Deathly Hallows and Hugh Mitchell, who appears as Gryffindor student Colin Creevey in The Order Of The Phoenix. Steffan is also famous for playing Dave in hit comedy Gavin & Stacey, and recently won plaudits as the voice of Drippy in acclaimed video game Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch.

Chicago – Few movies are as timeless as Elia Kazan’s amazing “On the Waterfront,” recently released in a Criterion Blu-ray edition that stands among the best classics-in-hd releases I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of them. With amazing special features, including an interview with the legendary Martin Scorsese about how the film influenced him, and not just one but three HD transfers (for the three aspect ratios in which the film had to be shot simultaneously), along with a movie that actually gets better with age, “On the Waterfront” is the best Blu-ray release of 2013 to date.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

First, a word on aspect ratios (that is further detailed in an excellent visual essay on the first disc of the Blu-ray). “On the Waterfront” went into production at a time when studios were nervous about the encroachment of the television on the country’s entertainment dollar. And so widescreen was born.

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 19, 2013

Price: DVD $39.95, Blu-ray $49.95

Studio: Criterion

Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint star in On the Waterfront.

Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire) gives the performance of his career as the tough prizefighter-turned-longshoreman Terry Malloy in the classic 1954 film drama On the Waterfront.

A masterpiece of urban poetry and a raggedly emotional tale of individual failure and institutional corruption. On the Waterfront charts Terry’s deepening moral crisis as he must choose whether to remain loyal to the mob-connected union boss Johnny Friendly (12 Angry Men’s Lee J. Cobb) and Johnny’s right-hand man, Terry’s brother, Charley (Doctor Zhivago’s Rod Steiger), as the authorities close in on them.

Driven by the vivid, naturalistic direction of Elia Kazan (Viva Zapata!) and savory, streetwise dialogue by Budd Schulberg (A Face in the Crowd), On the Waterfront was an instant sensation, winning eight Oscars, including for awards for best picture,...

Male strippers flash the flesh in Florida but director Steven Soderbergh fails to get under their skin

We can be relaxed when Jane Fonda plays a confident, unrepentant prostitute in Klute, Dolly Parton a proud madam in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas or Natalie Wood a celebrated striptease artist in Gypsy. But we feel more than a little uneasy when leading actors appear in male versions of these roles, and an essential part of Billy Wilder's Irma la Douce, Paul Schrader's American Gigolo and Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights is to make us warm to and understand Jack Lemmon, Richard Gere and Mark Wahlberg as respectively a pimp, a gigolo and a porn star.

This is the task that Steven Soderbergh has taken on in Magic Mike. His debut film, the provocatively titled but essentially chaste sex, lies and videotape, set in prosperous, middle-class Louisiana, won...

When most people hear the word "Mafia," it conjures up images of "The Godfather," "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos." But Italian-Americans are hardly the only ethnic group to establish large organized crime rings.

Irish mobsters regularly challenged the Cosa Nostra for territory throughout American history -- and like their Italian counterparts, their conquests have made for some damn fine movies, dating all the way back to the James Cagney vehicles of the 1930s.

So this St. Patrick's Day, do your part as an educated movie fan and revisit the best Irish Mafia films of all time. We guarantee you'll feel better than your Irish Car Bomb-chugging friends the morning after.

9. 'Gangs of New York' (2002)

New York City was built upon organized crime. With millions of immigrants pouring into the city during 1800s, violence regularly broke out between gangs of different ethnicities. Martin Scorsese's Best Picture nominee begins with...

Directed by: Elia Kazan

Written by: Budd Schulberg

Starring: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint

Genre: Drama

Year: 1954

On the Waterfront is, on its surface, a modest story of a working class warrior going from a figurative hero to a literal one. However, the film surrounding it is not satisfied with just being one thing; it is a parable and a social exposé and a rich character study. Director Elia Kazan, himself a complex and perhaps damaged individual, specializes in explicating complex and damaged characters: the capricious Blanche DuBois of A Streetcar Named Desire, the obsessive Wilma of Splendor in the Grass, and the obsequious Cal of East of Eden. Here, the multifaceted fulcrum is a hyper-masculine archetype: the sensitive lug. In fact, Kazan’s greatest characters exhibit a unifying trait–their want, nay, their necessity, to be loved.

Marlon Brando’s Terry Malloy, an ex-bruiser in the ring who now...

From King Vidor's Depression-era talkie "The Champ" to last year's David O. Russell film "The Fighter," the world of boxing has appealed to filmmakers as a natural setting for character-driven drama. And something about portraying fighters seems to bring out the best in actors. "The Champ" earned its lead, Wallace Beery, an Oscar in 1932. In 1955, Marlon Brando netted his first Oscar for his portrayal of down-and-out former boxer Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront." In 1981, Robert De Niro won his second for his performance as "Raging Bull" 's Jake La Motta. And in 2005, Hilary Swank took home her second Oscar for her role in "Million Dollar Baby." Recently, as the popularity of boxing has declined and the popularity of mixed martial arts competitions such as Pride and the Ultimate Fighting Championship has soared, filmmakers have taken notice."Warrior" tells the story of Marine Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy),...

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Fresh off his adventure against Colonel Moran in the previous episode, Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Briggs), finds himself in something of a funk. He hasn’t left his rooms at Baker Street in a very long time, and everyone, especially his friend, Doctor Watson (Richard Earl), are getting worried.

Watson goes to visit Holmes and arrives just in time for a visit by a young man distraught over the accidental death of his uncle (Terry Molloy), and just about as distraught by the fact that the uncle’s will has disappeared. This is something of an issue because he and his three cousins have survived on their uncle’s wealth for several years.

Holmes takes the case and first visits the body of the uncle. He’s unsurprised to find that the man appears to have been thrown down a staircase after being drugged, rather than simply...

This incoherent cry of pain from America's blue-collar class is set in the adjacent Pennsylvania and New Jersey stamping grounds of those two mumbling pugilistic contenders, Rocky Balboa and Terry Malloy, and is a topical mélange of Rocky, On the Waterfront, The Wrestler and The Fighter. Two Irish-American brothers from Pittsburgh, alienated from their alcoholic, wife-beating father (Nick Nolte) and from each other, are forced for different reasons to enter a murderous Mma (mixed martial arts) contest being staged in Atlantic City for a $5m winner-takes-all purse. Tommy (Tom Hardy), a marine corps hero and sole survivor of a devastating battery of friendly fire in Iraq, wants the money for the wife of a dead comrade. Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a high-school physics teacher, has been left penniless by his daughter's medical bills, and without the purse will have his home repossessed. It's a crude, populist epic that makes the audience...

Well now, it's been a while since we've had a truly boring Doctor Who story. By my reckoning and my hazy memory, the last real snoozefest was when I reviewed The Mark Of The Rani , a pondersome ramble in Killingworth with waggling trees, incomprehensible dialogue and endless point scoring between two ageing Time Lords. Ever since the reboot of Doctor Who came about in 2005, we've had the occasional calamity, but never has a story been so boring.

Step forward The Doctor's Daughter – the big turkey of Tennant's third season and probably one of the worst duffers of the era. Don't be fooled by the title – in no way does The Doctor suddenly realise he's misplaced a long-lost daughter in the constellation of Canthares or some other obscure location. There's no jaw-dropping revelation that The Doctor had some late night fumblings with either Romana, Todd or even Rose. No – all that...

Remembrance Of The Daleks kicks off with a pre-credits sequence – the fourth in Doctor Who up to that point. Featuring snippets of speeches from JFK, Martin Luther King and Charles De Gaulle, and an overhead shot of the Dalek ship, the unusual beginning jump-starts the new season of Doctor Who in fine style.

In fact, the Remembrance pre-credits heralds what feels like a new era for Doctor Who. After the to-ing and fro-ing of season 24, Remembrance finally lands the series a classic, something that hadn't really been since Revelation Of The Daleks back in 1985. It's a fast, pacy action story that also happens to say lots of interesting things about racism and betrayal. It's also the first example of the Cartmel Masterplan, in which The Doctor is, at times, portrayed as something more than just an ordinary Time Lord. There's enough meat here for both casual viewers and dedicated Who aficionados,...

Here's a great video compliation of 150 famous movie lines and catch-phrases that we've come to know and love over the years. The great thing about movie quotes for film geeks like myself, is that whenever the moment presents itself we can always bust out a movie quote to throw into a conversation for a good laugh.

I will say most of these quotes are obvious, but it's still fun. The video below was created by David Balboa. Enjoy!

Here’s a list of each quote from the video, and who said it, from Balboa's blog Exophrine.

“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!”

- Beetlejuice

- Lydia, summoning Beetlejuice “It’s showtime!”

- Beetlejuice

- Beetlejuice, being summoned. “They’re heeeere!”

- Poltergeist

- Carol Anne Freeling, notifying her parents of the spirits present “Hey you guys!”

- The Goonies

- Sloth, calling the attention of the children he’s about to save “Good morning,...

Movie quotes are the currency by which we pay respect to our favorite films. We grab them out of our pockets at the most appropriate, or inappropriate, times, adding our love of a movie to an advancing conversation. Sometimes these quotes are insignificant lines you and your friends hold near to your hearts but, most of the time, these lines are the ones we all know and love. David Balboa, who runs a blog called Exophrine, edited together 150 of lines and catch phrases just like that into one, cool little video. Included are such diverse films as The Princess Bride, Rocky IV, Aliens, Toy Story, Die Hard, Citizen Kane and many more. Check it out, as well as the full rundown of what's in it, after the jump. Thanks to Balboa and his Exophrine blog [1] for this awesome video. And here's the list of each quote, and who said it,...

1985 is something of a year of guilty pleasures. Take some of the offerings on the big screen. A View To A Kill. Clue. Weird Science. Not really movies that I'd bring up in the middle of a conversation about all-time classics, but in their own gormless way, they're actually quite enjoyable.

Ditto Attack Of The Cybermen, not really a story you'd admit to enjoying out loud. After all it's mindlessly violent, obsessed with pointlessly fannish continuity, and has a plot that might as well be written in hieroglyphics, since when you ponder on it, it makes little to no sense. It may not boast Cybermen wearing bras on their heads or Tim Curry frantically playing Lytton as a last-minute replacement, but nevertheless, I still quite like Attack Of The Cybermen.

It's the story that kicks off season 22, something of a turning point in Who history for a number of reasons.

Way back when in 1984, The Official Doctor Who Magazine (yes, it really was called that) ran a poll to find the best story of season 21. Given all the plaudits and platitudes heaped upon it, you'd expect The Caves Of Androzani to have taken the top spot. In actual fact, at numero uno was...

Resurrection Of The Daleks!

Now there's a surprise, especially when you consider how Resurrection has fallen so far from grace. These days, Resurrection would be lucky to scoop the fourth spot, and it's only the follies of Warriors Of The Deep and The Twin Dilemma that save it from being the official season 21 turkey.

So what went wrong? When did the coins fall from the eyes, so to speak? After all, in theory, Resurrection has an awful lot going for it. Eric Saward's back behind the word processor, after his previous offering Earthshock was released to great acclaim.

Banning the celebrated director from making films is the latest step in the regime's attempt to murder the nation's creative soul

A spectre is haunting the Islamic Republic of Iran – the spectre of freedom. All the powers of the old guard have entered a holy alliance to exorcise it: the ayatollahs and their warlords, Ahmadinejad and Khamenei, hanging judges and paramilitary vigilantes.

To try to exorcise that spectre, the custodians of the sacred terror will go to any lengths. But have they gone just a bit too far this time?

What exactly does it mean to condemn a globally celebrated film-maker who has done nothing but bring credit to his profession and glory to his homeland, to six years in prison, and on top of that to ban him from making a film for 20 years, from writing any script, from attending any film festival outside his country, or giving any...

David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, all working together on one film. Boy would I have loved to been on the set for that. You knew the three would make a great film though, despite whatever went on behind the scenes. And while The Fighter may not be the future Best Picture winner that everyone is making it out to be, it is undoubtedly a very strong film and extremely well acted. The Fighter tells the true story of two brothers, both boxers. Irish-American Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts. Dicky is a boxer, most well known for his fight against Sugar Ray Leonard. Dicky is a has been though, now his habits include petty crimes and drugs. As Terry Malloy would say, Dicky 'coulda been a contender.'...

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in The Fighter

Photo: Paramoun Pictures

One of the top Oscar hopefuls this year is The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. It's the story of Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) and his stepbrother Dickie Eklund (played by Christian Bale) from Boston, Ma. For those of you who don't know, Irish Micky Ward was a light welterweight contender best known for his three exciting bouts with the late great Arturo Gatti. Eklund was a fighter as well and once sent Sugar Ray Leonard to the canvas before succumbing to a serious crack habit that derailed his career. The film is directed by one of my favorite directors David O. Russell (Three Kings, Flirting With Disaster) and along with Wahlberg and Bale, the film also features Amy Adams and the underrated Melissa Leo.

Boxing pics have historically been a tough sell, but I have high hopes for this one.

Ben Affleck's thriller brings a familiar plot line to life with fresh direction and sparkling writing

Based on a novel by Chuck Hogan called Prince of Thieves, Ben Affleck's The Town is a violent crime story set in the Charlestown area of north-east Boston, which boasts more bank and armoured car robbers than any other square mile in America. Forty years ago one might have been surprised by this, as to outsiders Boston was thought of as a sedate city, rich in revolutionary history and the setting for respectable novels of upper-class manners.

But in the early 1970s the city became the stamping ground for the tough private eye Spenser, an east coast version of Philip Marlowe created by the prolific Robert B Parker, and the location for The Friends of Eddie Coyle, the first of 25 novels about crime and law enforcement by George V Higgins, assistant Us...