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For an industry often referred to as a "dream factory," it makes sense that what constitutes a success or a failure in the film business is based largely on perception. This is because the necessary facts in judging a film's financial performance are rarely available for outsiders to peruse. As detailed in the showbiz nonfiction classic "Fatal Subtraction: How Hollywood Really Does Business" by Pierce O'Donnell and Dennis McDougal, studios go to great lengths to conceal their "creative" accounting practices — which, in this case, allowed Paramount to use the profits from the Eddie Murphy blockbuster "Coming to America" to cover the company's overall losses.

Still, some movies are such obvious flops there's no way they're actually, despite their lousy box office performance, secret hits, right?

Ask anyone with a general sense of film history to name a film that epitomizes...

Peacock’s crime drama “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” made its streaming premiere on September 5, 2024. The star-studded cast including Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson was enough to attract early buzz, but what are critics saying now that six episodes have aired, with the final two slated for October 3 and October 10? And how could positive reviews impact its chances at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards?

In a city bursting with fight night anticipation, streetwise hustler Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Hart) plants himself at the center of the action. His big ambitions, and even bigger talk, put him on a collision course with ruthless criminals, each consumed by their own insatiable hunger for the spoils of the event. As dawn breaks on a city reeling from the heist, Jd Hudson (Cheadle), a pioneering Black detective, is thrust into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse as the body count rises.

Joaquin Phoenix made his professional acting debut in the 1985 TV movie "Kids Don't Tell," a heady primetime drama about child victims of sexual assault. Phoenix was only 11 at the time. The following year, Phoenix first appeared in theaters in the kid-friendly drama "SpaceCamp," about teenagers and children who are accidentally launched into space. Phoenix continued to land high-profile roles with interesting directors, appearing in Ron Howard's "Parenthood" in 1989 and Gun Van Sant's "To Die For" in 1995. Phoenix soon became an indie darling, and a go-to actor for extreme, quirky, sometimes dark roles. He played a kooky thug in Oliver Stone's "U Turn," and a wise pornographer in Joel Schumacher's "8mm."

By the time he appeared in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" in 2000, Phoenix was a household name. The role earned him the first of four (to date) Academy Award nominations. He would also be nominated for playing Johnny Cash...

A robbery that happened the night of Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight is the center of the upcoming Peacock series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Based on the true story and podcast of the same name, the series follows Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams and how a party he threw the night of the fight turned into a bloody warfare. Shaye Ogbonna created the series, featuring a star-studded cast with Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, and Taraji P. Henson.

RELATEDMarvel Theory is the Perfect Way to Set up Armor Wars Without Destroying Robert Downey Jr.’s Endgame Legacy Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Review Kevin Hart in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

Chicken Man wants nothing more than to be the big dog in Atlanta and turn it into the new Las Vegas. With everyone in town for Muhammad Ali’s return to the boxing ring,...

There have been several Marvel movies that never happened. From talks of a solo Falcon movie (until Brave New World) to the introduction of Galactus in the MCU, several ideas have been scrapped.

Don Cheadle in a still from Iron Man 2 | Credits: Marvel Studios

The scrapped ideas included a Don Cheadle movie that would have solely focused on James Rhodes aka War Machine and his friendship with Tony Stark. However, the idea was never put to use.

The Don Cheadle Movie Would Have Been Good

There is no harm in saying that Phases 4 and 5 weren’t the best that the cinematic universe had to offer to the world. The MCU went to a high of Avengers: Endgame and has been trying to regain that same hype ever since.

There was a War Machine movie in the works | Credits: Marvel Studios

Several movies, such as Thor: Love and Thunder and The Eternals,...

Kevin Hart’s true crime limited series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” premiered on Peacock Thursday, complete with a star-studded cast.

The eight-episode limited series follows the true story of Muhammad Ali’s 1970 return to boxing and an after party that led to the one of the largest heists in Atlanta history. Determined to make Atlanta the Black Mecca of the United States, Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Hart) finds himself stuck between established gangsters and calculated robbers.

The series is based on an iHeart Radio true-crime podcast “Fight Night,” created and hosted by Jeff Keating. Will Packer Media produced the podcast and also executive produced the series along with Hartbeat Productions.

Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson join Hart in bringing this true story to life on screen. Read on for the full cast list and a description of the real world characters they depict.

Kevin...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and three-time Oscar nominee Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line) have been tapped for roles in Die, My Love, Lynne Ramsay’s thriller based on the 2017 novel by Ariana Harwicz.

Details as to the duo’s roles are under wraps. The project reunites Spacek and Nolte following their work together on Affliction, the 1997 crime drama written and directed by Paul Schrader. As previously announced, Jennifer Lawerence, Robert Pattinson and Lakeith Stanfield will also star.

Set in a remote forgotten rural area, the story follows a mother (Lawrence) who struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with psychosis. Pattinson will be playing her husband, and Stanfield, her lover.

Ramsay is directing from her script written with Enda Walsh. Producers on the project include Justine Ciarrocchi and Lawerence on behalf of Excellent Cadaver, as well as Martin Scorsese and Andrea Calderwood. Black Label Media is financing.

Ridley Scott’s historical film Gladiator (2000) is remembered for its iconic scenes, dialogue, and impeccable cast. Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix in particular aced their performances, which earned them high praise. But making epics comes with its own set of challenges, especially for the actors who were portraying Roman heroes.

Phoenix played Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius of Rome. His menacing aura, coupled with his amazing dialogue, earned him the nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2001 Oscars. However, behind the sets of the epic, the actor had to work very hard to perfect his role. His physical limitations led to the director calling him fat, due to which he didn’t eat for weeks.

Ridley Scott’s one comment, which sparked a change

Joaquin Phoenix’s iconic portrayal of Commodus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is widely regarded as one of cinema’s most compelling villains.

Civil War is a fictional war drama film written and directed by Alex Garland. The A24 film is set in the near future in a dystopian future suffering from a civil war. We follow the story of a group of journalists racing against time to get to Washington D.C. so that they can interview the President before the rebel factions take over the White House and kill the President. Civil War stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offernman, Sonoya Mizuno, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Jesse Plemmons, Karl Glusman, Jin Ha, and Juani Feliz starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the war drama and a story about journalists in Civil War here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Madras Cafe (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Madras Cafe is a political action thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar.

Exclusive: Neon has hired marketing and publicity veteran Joey Monteiro as EVP, International Marketing and Ashley Hirsch as Manager of International Sales and Marketing. The move further expands the company’s global footprint as it grows its international sales arm headed up by seasoned sales executive Kristen Figeroid.

With a career spanning more than two and a half decades, Monteiro joins Neon from Sierra-Affinity/eOne, where he served as EVP of Marketing and Publicity and was responsible for creative marketing across film markets and festivals as well as international distribution. He handled campaigns on Academy Award-winning titles including: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; Miles Teller starrer Whiplash; Margot Robbie starrer I, Tonya; Manchester By The Sea with Casey Affleck; and Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.

Prior to that, Monteiro worked at Warner Brothers Pictures as Director of Digital Marketing and Lionsgate as SVP of International Marketing,...

The 2024 Oscar nominees for Best Actor are Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), and Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”). Murphy (16/5) is favored to win by our odds, followed in order by Giamatti (18/5), Cooper (9/2), Wright (9/2), and Domingo (9/2).

Whereas last year’s lead male lineup was the first in almost nine decades to consist entirely of Oscars newcomers, this one includes three rookies and two general veterans. Standing alone in having already competed for this specific award is Cooper, who was previously recognized for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2013), “American Sniper” (2015), and “A Star Is Born” (2019). Since he personally helmed both “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro,” he is now the fourth person to direct himself to multiple acting nominations, following Laurence Olivier, Warren Beatty, and Clint Eastwood.

Cooper is concurrently nominated for co-writing the original screenplay for “Maestro” with past winner Josh Singer and is directly involved...

Don Cheadle is the latest addition to the stacked cast for the upcoming Peacock limited true crime series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.”

Cheadle joins previously announced series lead Kevin Hart in the show, along with fellow cast members Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Dexter Darden.

The series is based on the podcast “Fight Night,” which was produced by Will Packer along with iHeartPodcasts and Doghouse Pictures. It will be set in Atlanta in 1970. The official description states that it will tell “the infamous story of how an armed robbery during the night of Muhammad Ali’s (Darden) historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”

Cheadle will appear in the series regular role of Jd Hudson, described as “one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives assigned to Ali’s security detail and the robbery.”

Cheadle has...

Paul Giamatti turned the tables on Leonardo DiCaprio when Oscar nominations were announced, with Giamatti nominated for Best Actor for “The Holdovers” while DiCaprio was snubbed for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” But 19 years ago it was the other way around.

SEETop 20 Oscar snubs of performers: Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Willem Dafoe …

In 2004 the Oscar lineup for Best Actor consisted of Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”), Johnny Depp (“Finding Neverland”), DiCaprio (“The Aviator”), Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby”), and the eventual winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”). Someone who was notably absent that year was Giamatti for “Sideways.”

Prior to the nominations announcement DiCaprio was recognized at every major precursor for his performance as Howard Hughes, a real-life filmmaker, pilot and businessman, in Martin Scorsese‘s “The Aviator.” Among those plaudits, he won the Golden Globe for Best Film Drama Actor. The movie itself received 13 Oscar noms overall, including DiCaprio’s Best Actor bid.

The Oscars nominations might not have given everything the people wanted, but diversity in the acting categories had several high points to celebrate.

Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American nominated for best actress, for her towering role as Mollie Burkhart in the crime thriller “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Colman Domingo became the first Afro Latino nominated in best actor for his powerhouse performance in the civil rights drama “Rustin.” He’s joined by fellow Black nominee Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction.” This is only the second time in Oscar history where more than one Black actor, who wasn’t either Will Smith or Denzel Washington, was nominated for the leading prize. The first was the 2004 lineup with Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”) and eventual winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”).

Wright’s co-star Sterling K. Brown was nominated for best supporting actor for his turn as Clifford “Cliff” Ellison,...

Don Cheadle has enjoyed an interesting and varied career encompassing success in both film and television.

He first started acting in the mid-1980s with such films as “Hamburger Hill” and “Colors.” His career took a different direction when he was cast in the spinoff series “The Golden Palace” followed by “Picket Fences.” Around this time, he also had the movie “Devil with a Blue Dress” garner him some awards attention and make nearly grab him an Oscar nomination.

Cheadle won a Golden Globe in 1999 for his role in the film “The Rat Pack,” in which he played Sammy Davis Jr. He would later go on to appear in the remake of one of Davis’ films, “Ocean’s Eleven.”

He would win a second Golden Globe in 2013 for the TV series “House of Lies” which had a multi-year run on Showtime. The series would earn him three Golden Globe nominations and four Emmy nominations,...

The Last King of Scotland.In 2007, Forest Whitaker won the Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator and army general Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006), becoming only the fourth Black man to win Best Actor. Lauded as the role of his career, critics praised his “full-throated, technically accomplished” performance, and his ability to “seize the space and show us how he can rage”.“Full-throated” the performance was indeed, but it was a throat filled with an accent that neither sounded like Amin’s nor any person from Koboko, northern Uganda, where the general was born. “Technically accomplished,” but the accent, directed by dialect coach Robert Easton, was neither technical, nor accomplished. Linguistically speaking, Whitaker’s accent is riddled with instances of the US English rhotic R pronunciation (which is pronounced at the back of the throat without a trill), and a combination of vowel pronunciations from across East Africa,...

Paul Giamatti turned in one of the best performances of 2004 in Alexander Payne‘s “Sideways.” He played Miles, a depressed writer who takes a trip to Santa Barbara County to celebrate his friend’s (Thomas Haden Church) engagement. He reap bids at the Critics Choice, SAG and Golden Globes awards. It was shock when he was snubbed at the Oscars in favor of eventual winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”) plus Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”), Johnny Depp (“Finding Neverland”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Aviator”), and Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby”).

The academy can finally rectify that oversight as Giamatti and Payne have reunited for “The Holdovers,” which Focus Features is releasing on Oct. 27. Giamatti is a curmudgeon of a teacher forced to stay behind and look after students staying at his school throughout the holiday period. Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are great in supporting roles but it’s Giamatti who is the star of the picture.

Prime Video is heading into the spookiest time of the year with all new treats for its subscribers. The streamer has added dozens of titles to its film library this October, ranging from a new time-traveling slasher comedy to a large collection of classic Bond.

In addition to the latest movie options, Prime Video members will also be able to watch several new documentaries and new seasons of hit series, including the fan-favorite sci-fi comedy “Upload” which premieres its third season on Friday, Oct. 20.

Find out The Streamable’s picks for the best of what’s new on Prime Video below!

30-Day Free Trial $8.99 / month amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Prime Video in October 2023? “Totally Killer” | Friday, Oct. 6

Fresh off its Fantastic Fest premiere, “Totally Killer” lands on Prime Video. The time-traveling comedy-horror slasher flick takes place 35 years after the shocking murders of three...

There’s a lot to watch on Prime Video in October and, as you may have guessed, there’s spooky stuff galore in amongst Prime’s usual rotation of extensive library content.

In the movie Totally Killer, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka travels back in time to the 1980s to stop a serial killer. Then there’s Make Me Scream, a Halloween special that challenges celebrities to “a gruesome game of terror.” Renfield will also be streaming on the service for anyone who’s been dying (muahahaha!) to catch the Nic Cage Dracula film.

Outside of Prime Video’s more creepy fare, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will debut, Upload will be back for a third season, and new film Awareness should scratch your sci-fi itch. Meanwhile, for Frasier heads – those who consider themselves utterly Frasier-pilled – all eleven seasons of the Cheers spinoff show will be streaming at the touch of a button.

If you’re looking for a complete list of every new movie and TV show coming to Amazon Prime Video in October, you’ve come to the right place. This month kicks off with a slew of great library additions, from James Bond films to relatively new releases (“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and the Nicolas Cage Dracula movie “Renfield”) and beyond.

There are also some high-profile originals landing in October. The third season of the sci-fi comedy series “Upload” arrives on Oct. 20, while Oct. 6 marks the release of the Prime Video original film “Totally Killer,” a fun slasher set in the 1980s that stars Kiernan Shipka.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in October 2023 below, followed by a complete list of new arrivals for Freevee in October as well.

Arriving October 1

Frasier, Seasons 1-11 (1994)

Hit, Season 3 (2020)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

A Guy Thing...

With “American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson, best known for penning television episodes of “Succession” and “Watchmen,” helms one of the finest directorial debuts seen since Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty.” In the style that feels like an audacious blend of the screenplays of Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” and Nicole Holofcener’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” he shepherds an audacious dramedy anchored by a career-best and Oscar-worthy performance from star Jeffrey Wright. After debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s a movie that could be a contender for the coveted TIFF Audience Award, and it would be deserved.

Based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film follows author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk writes an outlandish “Black” book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and madness.

A brand new “The Boys” spinoff series, the second season of “Wheel of Time” and football highlight a robust lineup of new movies and shows coming to Amazon Prime Video in September. “Gen V,” a spinoff of “The Boys” set at a college, premieres on Sept. 29, while new episodes of “The Wheel of Time” Season 2 are rolling out all month long after the season premiere on Sept. 1.

Thursday Night Football is streaming starting Sept. 14, and a whole host of library movies worth checking out – from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Dracula” to “10 Things I Hate About You” – are now streaming.

There’s also the premiere of the original film “Cassandro” starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a gay wrestler, and the acclaimed drama “A Thousand and One” comes to Prime Video on Sept. 19.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023 below.

It’s a deceptively big month on Prime Video in September! To kick things off, The Wheel of Time will be back for a second season on the service, while a live-action The Boys spinoff series called Gen V will be capping off the original series content later in the month.

But there are also some interesting new projects lined up between those two biggies. On September 15, Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen star in what is sure to be a delicious tale of revenge. Wilderness, based on B.E. Jones’ novel of the same name, stars Coleman as a heartbroken wife who discovers her husband has been cheating on her after she gives up her whole life to move over to America with him and support his career.

You should also keep an eye out for Cassandro, landing on Prime Video on the same day. The film, which has been...

Academy Award-winning Hotel Rwanda screenwriter and director Terry George is heading to Saudi Arabia for his upcoming film Riverman, to shoot in the country’s burgeoning film production hub of Neom.

Inspired by the war diaries, and true events of the war in Afghanistan over the course of 2001-2008, the film revolves around a highly decorated Royal Marine who is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world.

The production is lead produced by Future Artists Entertainment under Matt Williams with Camilla Storey (Bitter Harvest) of Tms Productions and Mark Foligno of Limelight Ctl.

“Riverman is an action-packed movie that explores ideas of heroism, corruption, and temptation within the dark and dangerous world of arms dealing and warfare. This is a powerful film and with George at the helm, we’re very excited to bring it to life,...

Oscar-winning Irish director Terry George is set for Afghanistan-set actioner “Riverman” which will be shot in Saudi Arabia’s Neom regional production hub.

Inspired by true events that unfolded between 2001-2008 during the war in Afghanistan, “Riverman” revolves around a highly decorated Royal Marine named Max who after a series of devastating events goes to the dark side. He is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world. “Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing,” says the provided synopsis.

Casting on “Riverman” is still underway, with principal photography set for January 2024 in Neom, the sprawling area situated along Saudi’s Red Sea coast in Tabuk, in the northwest of the kingdom. Neom now boasts world-class sound stages, a generous 40% plus rebate, and local talent and crews.

The “Riverman...

Irish filmmaker is known for directing ‘Hotel Rwanda’ and writing ‘In The Name Of The Father’.

Oscar-winning Irish filmmaker Terry George is to direct war action thriller Riverman and is preparing to shoot the feature in Saudi Arabia’s Neom and the UK.

Inspired by war diaries written during the war in Afghanistan, the story will follow a Royal Marine who is recruited by a private arms dealer and descends into a world more dangerous than the battlefield.

The script has been written by George, director of Hotel Rwanda and The Promise, who also wrote the screenplay for 1994’s In The Name Of The Father.

Oscar-winning writer/director Terry George (In the Name of the Father, Hotel Rwanda, The Shore) has set his next project, the action feature Riverman, which will shoot in Saudi Arabia’s Neom region and in the U.K.

Inspired by the war diaries and true events of the war in Afghanistan over the course of 2001 to 2008, the film will tell the story of a highly decorated Royal Marine who is tempted into the corrupt forces at work behind warfare and the high-stakes world of arms dealing.

The production will be led by Future Artists Entertainment under Matt Williams (Bank of Dave, Poker Face), with Camilla Storey (Bitter Harvest) of Tms Productions and producer Mark Foligno of Limelight Ctl (Moon, The King’s Speech).

“Riverman is a powerful, highly dramatic war story,” said George. “I am excited to be directing this great project in Neom.”

Neom, which is being heavily touted...

Some noteworthy new releases, a bevy of library titles and the complete series of “Freaks and Geeks” are among the new additions to Amazon Prime Video this month. May will see the streaming availability of the 2022 films “She Said,” “Violent Night” and “Till” on Prime Video, while the beloved (and short-lived) TV series “Freaks and Geeks” will be streaming on Amazon starting May 4.

We’ve also included everything new to Freevee, which includes the first three “John Wick” movies, “Scarface” and “The Usual Suspects.”

Check out the complete list of everything new on Amazon Prime Video in May 2023 below.

Also Read:

The 41 Best Movies on Amazon Prime (April 2023)

Arriving May 1

MasterChef Mexico S1-4 (2015)

A Beautiful Mind (2002)

Amistad (1997)

Babe (1995)

Babe: Pig In The City (1998)

Babel (2006)

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)

Biker Boyz (2003)

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Blue Crush (2002)

Blue Crush 2 (2011)

Bound (1996)

Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)

Bridget Jones’s Baby...

With its list of new releases for May 2023, Amazon Prime Video is increasing its global reach.

The streamer’s biggest original offering this month is a German series. Hohlbeins’ – The Gryphon, based on the works of Wolfgang Holhlbein, will present a sprawling fantasy tale about three teens discovering a fantastical world called The Black Tower where “the Gryphon, a world-devouring monster, mercilessly subjugates all living creatures.”

The only other original title of note in May is Freevee comedy Primo on the 19th. Written by author and journalist Shea Serrano and produced by Michael Schur (The Good Place), this coming-of-age series will follow a teenager balancing “college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life on the south side of San Antonio.”

And that’s pretty much it for Amazon Originals this month! Thankfully, there is a huge influx of library content to keep Prime Video subscribers entertained. May 4 sees the...

The free streaming platform Freevee will debut its original bilingual drama “Casa Grande” on May 1. The saga follows two families in Northern California, exposing the privileged world of wealthy landowners and the undocumented migrants who toil on their behalf. Issues of class, family, culture, and immigration are explored against a backdrop of love and desire.

Watch the “Casa Grande” trailer:

Also hitting Amazon’s free streaming service next month are the first three films from the “John Wick” franchise. In the series, Keanu Reeves plays a former hit man forced to return to the criminal world that he had already escaped. The three films arrive on the platform on May 1.

Check out the trailer for “John Wick 3 - Parabellum”:

The WWII film “The Monuments Men” will also arrive on Freevee next month. The film recalls the true story in which a battalion of art specialists is assigned to...

Over 100 popular films are leaving HBO Max at the end of the month, but luckily you have the whole month to stream them.

They include cinema classics like “Ben Hur,” the winningest film in Oscars history

Leaving April 5

The Inside Story, 1948

Reminiscence, 2021 (HBO)

Leaving April 11

Adult Swim Yule Log (aka The Fireplace)

Leaving April 12

About Face: Supermodels Then and Now, 2012 (HBO)

Leaving April 13

The Last Duel, 2021

Game Theory With Bomani Jones, Season 1

Leaving April 18

The Lego Batman Movie, 2017

Leaving April 24

Tom and Jerry Cowboy Up!, 2022

Leaving April 27

Malignant, 2021 (HBO)

Leaving April 30

47 Ronin, 2013 (HBO)

3 Godfathers, 1948

Accepted, 2006 (HBO)

The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938

A Private War, 2018 (HBO)

An American in Paris, 1951

The American President, 1995

Any Given Sunday, 1999

Australia, 2008 (HBO)

Before I Fall, 2017 (HBO)

Ben-Hur, 1959

Black Legion, 1937

Blade, 1998

Blood Diamond, 2006

Blow Out, 1981 (HBO)

The Bodyguard, 1992

Boogie Nights, 1997

The Book of Eli, 2010

The Bourne Identity, 2002 (HBO)

The Bourne Supremacy, 2004 (HBO)

Bringing up Baby,...

Rwanda’s government has commuted the sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” and was convicted on terrorism charges in 2021.

Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press on Friday that the 25-year sentence was commuted by presidential order after a request for clemency. Rusesabagina, a U.S. resident and Belgian citizen, is expected to be released on Saturday, she said.

“Rwanda notes the constructive role of the U.S. government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the state of Qatar,” Makolo told The AP.

The U.S. designated Rusesabagina as “wrongly detained,” and said that “the reported lack of fair trial guarantees calls into question the fairness of the verdict.” The civil rights activist denied all the charges and refused to take part in the trial that he and his supporters called a political sham, Reuters reported.

If size really doesn’t matter, then one film has the edge to win ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards: “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Because of the group’s stringent rules stipulating only actors with their own title cards are eligible for the prize, the dark comedy boasts just four nominated cast members: Kerry Condon, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan. And if “Banshees” prevails, it’ll tie the record for smallest cast to win the award.

“Sideways” (2004) has the record all to itself right now. Thomas Haden Church, Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh were part of its winning ensemble, and the quartet triumphed in a year of small casts in a field of six. “Hotel Rwanda” also had four nominated cast members, while “Million Dollar Baby” had just three. The boxing drama and “Beasts of No Nation” (2015) hold the record for smallest nominated cast. Only one of the six nominees,...

Toni Collette is set to star alongside Odessa Young in The Prima Donna from writer/director Nathan Silver (Thirst Street, Uncertain Terms), a feature that is billed as a “delightfully twisted and darkly funny revenge thriller about dysfunctional family dynamics, the dangers of ambition, and the lengths we will go to make our mark on the world.”

The film will reunite Collette and Young who previously worked together on the HBO series The Staircase. Cornerstone is handling international sales and distribution and will commence sales at the European Film Market. CAA Media Finance and Anonymous Content are repping North America.

The Prima Donna sees Collette playing legendary opera diva Livia Angelli as she prepares to step into the role of a lifetime, just as her estranged daughter Mimi (Young) shows up at her doorstep, right out of rehab.

An aspiring opera singer herself, Mimi summons the courage to ask Livia...

Mafia Mamma and Knives Out star Toni Collette and Odessa Young have signed to co-star in writer and director Nathan Silver’s twisted revenge thriller The Prima Donna.

Collette and Young previously worked together on HBO’s award-winning series The Staircase.

The drama revolves around dysfunctional family dynamics, the dangers of ambition, and the lengths we will go to make our mark on the world.

Set in contemporary Rome, Collette will play a legendary opera diva who is about to step into the role of a lifetime just as her estranged daughter (Young) shows up at her doorstep, right out of rehab.

An aspiring opera singer herself, the daughter summons up the courage to ask to be her mother’s understudy. When her mother callously dismisses the suggestion, she snaps and starts mulling the ultimate revenge, igniting a cut-throat battle of wills.

Silver, whose previous credits include Thirst Street,...

The novel White Noise by Don DeLillo is a landmark work of literary fiction. It won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction when it was released in 1985, and DeLillo’s poetic satire of American society remains as vital now as it was when the book was first released.

Hollywood loves to mine the world of literature for new IP, but early attempts to turn White Noise into a movie were unsuccessful. Barry Sonnenfeld was set to direct an adaptation in 2004, and Michael Almereyda was announced as the writer and director of a different version in 2016.

Adam Driver as Jack, Greta Gerwig as Babette, and Don Cheadle as Murray | Wilson Webb/Netflix

These false starts contributed to the idea that White Noise was an “unfilmable” book, but the third time’s a charm. Noah Baumbach created a film version of the novel for Netflix, bringing together a talented cast...

Every Marvel star has a story about how they landed their life-changing role, but it sounds like Don Cheadle's is a little different than most. A full thirteen years into his run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Cheadle is looking back at his time in the supersuit for GQ (via Variety). The actor sat down with the outlet to reflect on his role in the MCU, as well as a career that includes turns in "Devil in the Blue Dress," "Hotel Rwanda," and much more. Along the way, he revealed that he got the part of Rhodey at a time when he least expected it: at his own child's birthday party.

"I was at my kid's laser tag birthday party," Cheadle revealed in the GQ video. "They called me and said, 'This is what's happening. We're giving you the offer. If you don't say yes...

For the first three seasons, Janet Hubert played “Aunt Viv” on The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air, dealing out wisdom to Will Smith’s Philadelphia transplant. Aunt Viv remained a constant on the show, but starting with season four, Daphne Maxwell Reid stepped into the role, giving pop culture enthusiasts a new term for sudden recastings. But to actors who replace other actors, the term “Aunt Viv” might have negative connotations.

At least, that’s the impression viewers get when watching Don Cheadle‘s reaction during an interview with GQ. “It’s famously known online how you ‘Aunt Viv’d’ Terrance Howard for the role of Rhodey,” the interviewer observed, prompting a look of shock from Cheadle. “I ‘Aunt Viv’d’ him?” he asks with incredulity, before clarifying, “I did not move Terrance out of a role.” However, he stumbles when trying to explain exactly what happened. “That’s… they had decided they weren’t…...

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Chinonye Chukwu’s Till will receive the Stanley Kramer Award during the 2023 Producer’s Guild Awards.

The United Artists and Orion Pictures movie will be presented with the annual honor on Feb. 25, 2023, at The Beverly Hilton, the guild announced Monday.

“This team fought for years to see Mamie Till-Mobley’s story told on the big screen, venerating her legacy and the enduring love she had for her son, Emmett,” said PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line in a statement. “We are humbled and thrilled to bestow this award on a film that compassionately depicts the events, and mother-son bond, that sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Till inspires all of us to work towards realizing Mamie’s purpose, justice for her son Emmett and all those who have been harmed by hatred and prejudice.”

The movie is centered on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till,...

The Producers Guild of America announced Monday that “Till” will receive the Stanley Kramer Award at its upcoming awards.

Producers Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly and Frederick Zollo will share the honor at the ceremony, which will take place Feb. 25 at the Beverly Hilton.

The Stanley Kramer Award annually honors a production, producer or key contributors to a film who use cinema as a platform to raise awareness for social issues from past to present. The award is titled after American director and producer Stanley Kramer, whose films like “The Defiant Ones” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” transformed popular American cinema with their commentary on racism.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, “Till” follows the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), mother to 14-year-old Emmet (Jalyn Hall). Emmet is lynched while visiting family in Mississippi, leading the educator to turn to activism, channeling her grief into the Civil Rights Movement.

Chinonye Chukwu’s feature drama Till for MGM’s Orion and United Artists Releasing will be honored with the Stanley Kramer Award at the 34th annual Producers Guild Awards, taking place at The Beverly Hilton on February 25, 2023.

Named after the director-producer responsible for some of the most pivotal social issue films in American history — including Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — the Stanley Kramer Award recognizes a production, producer, or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues. Past recipients of the award include Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda, as well as such films as Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda.

Written by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chukwu, Till tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), whose pursuit of justice for...

Oscar Qualifying Run of Award-Winning Feature Doc ‘Oleg’ at Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 — Nov. 4 - Nov. 10Interview with the Director Nadia TassOleg, an award-winning documentary feature about the quest for freedom by a famous Soviet Russian cinema heartthrob Oleg Vidov, from award-winning Australian director Nadia Tass. Produced by Joan Borsten, the doc’s narration is provided by Emmy-Award winner Brian Cox (‘Succession’) and Russian-born actor Costa Ronin (‘Homeland’, ‘The Americans’).

Oleg will have an exclusive week-long FYC award-qualifying run at the Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 cinema from November 4 to November 10. For tickets and screening times: https://bit.ly/OlegFYCTix.

Trailer Link: https://bit.ly/OlegTrailer

Official Movie Site: www.olegvidovfilm.com

‘Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story’ premiered in April 2021 at the Moscow International Film Festival, the spiritual home of this great actor, once called the Robert Redford of the Ussr. The 95-minute documentary which memorializes his rise to fame, his ill-fated marriage into the inner circles of the Brezhnev family, and his desperate escape to the West by illegally crossing a border was directed by Nadia Tass and produced by Joan Borsten.

The producer Joan Borsten, Oleg’s widow, once a prominent American journalist who reported for the Los Angeles Times and the Jerusalem Post before becoming a producer, spent almost three years bringing this intense documentary to the screen.

Directed by Nadia Tass, one of Australia’s most prominent directors (Amy, Malcolm, Matching Jack) who also served as executive producer and about whom Joan says,

I chose Nadia Tass to direct not only because she has helmed so many award-winning films, or because she knew Oleg personally but because she had one foot in each world; her own grandparents escaped from the Bolshevik Revolution to Greece and raised her reciting Russian poetry and acting out Russian plays. These factors gave her the sensitivity to carve out of Oleg’s big life a compelling story about one man’s search for freedom.

And in fact, neither the Ussr nor Russia were enigmas to any of the key team I assembled to make the documentary. For none of them was there a massive learning curve when it came to an inscrutable country which threatened western civilization for 70 years and then unexpectedly collapsed. Italy’s Andrea Guerra (‘Hotel Rwanda’) who composed the original music, the editor, Leonard Feinstein (‘Darfur Now’), and the writer/editor, the late Cory Taylor(‘JFK: A President Betrayed’) all share some connection to Russia, as do the narrator Brian Cox and Costa Ronin, the voice of Oleg.

Nadia Tass

Interviewing Nadia Tass in Melbourne, Australia gives insight into this doc as well as into her own directing methods which were honed in the newest fashion as she shot long distance using the latest technology during the time of Covid.

You have directed 18 projects (film, TV movies and one short) since your breakout film Malcolm in 1986 but never before a documentary. How was it shooting a doc?

I started a American doc about water called Bottle This. We are still working on it but when the producer’s husband fell ill, we put it on hold. But really my first doc was Oleg.

It is quite different creating the narrative but it was very exciting because the material for the narrative as already there. We had interviewed many people around the world from so many different cultures. It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together.

The actual techniques and my sense of narrative and visual storytelling that I have developed over the years were quite useful.

Very visually exciting was the shot of the car at the Yugoslavian border.

The difficulty was Covid. For instance, I could not actually go to the Yugoslavian border to shoot. It was really tough to be in Australia, working in my room during lockdown. I had to rely on technology, playmaker, Zoom, Skype to communicate with my crew in Slovenia.

Even the casting, wardrobe and of course looking at the footage was reliant on technology. In interviews online, I found crew in appropriate countries.

I had three cameras going at the same time and three screens around me plus Skype to stay close to the first assistant director who was there. It was very complicated. Covid has truncated so many areas and also has opened up other channels of communication.

Having worked as a director for a long time however, I was able to use that knowledge and that is what is in the film.

How was it working the the producer, Joan Borsten?

I would cross the world to work wth her again. She was such a leader and at the same time a great collaborator.

Were you drawn to this project because of Oleg?

Partially the privilege of knowing Oleg attracted me to it, but also I was drawn to the human being being so persecuted.

Can you speak more about your connection to the man, Oleg himself?

Historically our heritage is Russian. Part of my father’s side was from Russia and I always wanted to be connected but it was very, very far away. The connective tissue between me and Oleg was art and culture. As a very young child I wanted to direct and to know about theater, TV and movies, how to communicate through them. The visual arts also always attracted me. That was a part of my heritage. Oleg and I, and sometimes Joan when when she was around, would talk about our mutual love for the Russian culture and I am still so grateful for our being connected by that.

And today?

I am appalled absolutely appalled with the system there and the way that system treats people in Russia. It is the very thing that drove Oleg out of there. It hasn’t changed. Putin is yet another autocrat who with his megalomania has become completely evil. Oleg had to escape for his life because of the poltical system.

I would love to see the world supporting Ukraine and to put an end to this megalomaniac’s actions destroying so many peoples’ lives.

Would you work on a doc again?

Absolutely! I need to choose carefully. I must be in love with the iea. Like with Bottle This, I fell in love with water. It is a right of every human being to have water, and there are so many people who are deprived of this rights. I feel really passionate in my connection to that!

I notice in IMDb that since 2020 you seem to have a lot of films going, starting with the short Isolation Restaurant, going on to Oleg and now The Amazing Mr. Z and Feather.

Yes, and I have just been offered a film in Norway — and I don’t even have to go there. Technology avails me of it. In Italy, The Curfew is in pre pre-production and will shoot in the spring.

David Parker, my partner in Cascade here in Australia and I have three project we are now lining up.

I am also meeting on theater again (my big passion)…two plays, written in America that i am very passionate about are waiting on scheduling. Theater has just come back in the last four months and there is a backlog.

I love waking up to a full day of talking, negotiating, developing and planning projects!

++++

Celebrated as one of the Soviet Union’s biggest movie stars, no amount of fame could save Oleg Vidov from a system that tried to control his life. Born in Moscow during World War II, the film traces Oleg’s spectacular rise to stardom in the Ussr and his three decades in Hollywood as an actor and producer following his defection from the Soviet Union. The film also documents the hidden side of the prolific Soviet film industry and gives a rare, first-hand look at the privilege and corruption of the Soviet Communist regime.

Oleg managed to escape to the west in 1985, receiving immediate political asylum from the US Embassy in Rome. Once in Hollywood, Oleg turned to reinventing himself. He continued his film career starring in such films as Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wild Orchid with Mickey Rourke and Thirteen Days with Kevin Costner. Sadly, Oleg passed unexpectedly in May 2017.

‘Red Heat’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger

To read more about Joan Borsten and Oleg Vidov, click here.

The actor’s career has continued to rise since he broke through in mid-90s, but he says he still has ‘percussive recognition’. As he stars in the Don DeLillo adaptation, he reflects on his varied career

Is Don Cheadle a cold fish or a cool customer? It isn’t clear at first. The 58-year-old actor, who has been celebrated (he received an Oscar nomination in 2005 for Hotel Rwanda) and mocked (for his mangled cockney accent in Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels), has asked in advance for the cameras to be off during our video call. Our body clocks are also out of whack: it’s the crack of dawn for me in the UK, evening for him in Hawaii. What’s he doing there? “Chilling.” What can he see? “It’s night. So nothing.”

By way of preliminary chit-chat, I bring up A Strange Loop, the Tony-winning Broadway hit...

Until recently, the literary pedigree of a motion picture could clear a path to an Oscar nomination and often a win. Best Picture champs such as “No Country for Old Men” (2007), “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) and “The English Patient” (1996) all began their lives on the page in works by Cormac McCarthy, F.X. Toole and Michael Ondaatje, respectively. This year, “White Noise,” Noah Baumbach‘s Netflix film based on Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel, is angling for such a Best Picture nomination.

The tradition dates back to the earliest days of the Academy Awards when classic novels were regularly adapted for the screen. The 1930s saw “All Quiet on the Western Front” (by Erich Maria Remarque), “Mutiny on the Bounty” (by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall) and “Gone With the Wind” (by Margaret Mitchell) walk off with the top prize. The subsequent decade was also fortunate for novelists, as adaptations of “Rebecca...

It's hard to call an actor like Don Cheadle "underrated" given how long he's been active in the film industry. However, it feels like Cheadle isn't often recognized for what an incredible cinematic chameleon he is. Whether he's trading quips with Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, popping up in prestige dramas, or playing key supporting roles as part of sprawling ensemble casts, Cheadle has an incredible versatility to him.

Although Cheadle has been working since the 1980s, he's reached new levels of fame in the 21st century. In addition to delivering award-worthy performances in theaters and on comedy shows like "House of Lies" and "Black Monday," he's stepped into the directorial chair for his debut feature, "Miles Ahead." You'd be hard-pressed to find another actor who's able to create a performance like his Oscar-nominated turn in "Hotel Rwanda," and then pivot to hilariously reinvent Captain Planet like...

Exclusive: Musician Zayn Malik, Simone Ashley (Bridgerton), and comedian Mo Gilligan are among the stacked cast who will lend their voices to the new CG-animated family comedy 10 Lives from director Chris Jenkins (Duck Duck Goose).

Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) and Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) round out the cast.

The flick is the story of a pampered and selfish cat who takes for granted the lives he has been dealt. After carelessly losing his ninth life, he begs to be given a second chance, an opportunity to show he can learn from his mistakes. Eventually, his wish is granted but with hilarious stipulations. Gfm Animation will present first-look footage at AFM.

In the film, Gilligan voices Beckett, the pampered feline with a taste for fine food & lazy days who doesn’t know what’s about to hit him when he begs for a new set of lives. Ashley voices Rose, a...

LCD Soundsystem has released their first single in over five years, “New Body Rhumba.”

The song features on the soundtrack of Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise,” which will be wide released in theaters on Nov. 25. The Brooklyn dance-rock band is hoping the song will be a major player in the Oscar race for best original song.

Released via Columbia Records and Dfa Records, James Murphy, Pat Mahoney and Nancy Whang wrote the single, which was produced by Murphy for Dfa Productions.

“White Noise” will open the New York Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel of the same name and tells the story of a contemporary American family attempting to deal with everyday life’s mundane conflicts amid an airborne toxic event.

The film stars Oscar nominees Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman” and “Marriage Story”), Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird” and “Little Women”) and Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda...

Charmaine Bingwa (The Good Fight) & Nkeki Obi-Melekwe (Tina -The Tina Turner Musical) are set as series regulars opposite Charles Babalola in Showtime’s King Shaka, (fka Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation), executive produced by Antoine Fuqua. Tony Kgoroge (Invictus), Sindi Dlatu (The River) and Bahle Hadebe (Bone of My Bones) also have been cast in recurring roles in the series from writers Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika, Propagate, Fuqua Films and CBS Studios.

Rooted in actual events, King Shaka tells the story of the Zulu Empire founder Shaka (Babalola) and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of southern Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend, on par with history’s most seminal figures. The outcast son of a Zulu Chief, Shaka is a visionary who is prophesied to become a king like none before him. In ferocious battles that test the body and soul,...

Alia Bhatt took to Instagram on Saturday night to share the first teaser of the spy action thriller ‘Heart of Stone’, helmed by the British director Tom Harper (‘Peaky Blinders’ and ‘War and Peace’).

Gal ‘Wonder Woman’ Gadot plays the lead character, CIA Agent Rachel Stone, with Jamie Dornan, an actor and musician from North Ireland who first got noticed in ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ and ‘Criminal Justice’ star Sophie Okonedo, and Alia, who essays the part of Stone’s understudy, Keya Dhawan.

The teaser is loaded with high-adrenaline action showing Gadot doing what she’s best at — kick some hostile ass. “Rachel Stone lives off the adrenaline she’s addicted to,” says Gadot in the teaser.

“It is going to be extremely epic … a super grounded raw action thriller,” she promises her fans, who are eagerly awaiting the film’s 2023 release on Netflix.

Says Alia: “It has...

When “Trees of Peace,” a drama set during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, surged into the top 10 English-language films on Netflix in June, some may have been amazed that a low-budget, albeit critically acclaimed indie was among the most-watched movies of the week. But executive producer Nicole Avant (“The Black Godfather”) wasn’t among them.

“It was incredible. I was surprised how quickly it got so much attention, but I wasn’t surprised,” Avant tells Variety about learning that the film racked up more than 9.3 million hours viewed in those first few days.

To Avant, the numbers indicated that audiences was ready for and interested in stories like this, despite its heavy subject matter.

“We’ve all felt pretty beaten up for many years, with all this social unrest happening in the United States and everywhere around the world, and just so much negativity,” she explains. “Then here comes this film about strength,...