News

Denzel Washington considers himself many things after a decorated, decades-long stage and film career. However, one notion he rejects is that he's strictly a movie star, insisting he's beyond the Hollywood tag people give him.

Speaking on CBS News' CBS News' Sunday Morning, Washington addressed being labeled a Hollywood actor, insisting that he doesn't know what the term means and considers himself a stage performer first. According to the Oscar-winning star, the tag is limiting, given his extensive theater work. "What's the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I'm from Mt. Vernon, so I'm a 'Mt. Vernon actor,'" he said. "I don't know what 'Hollywood' means. "Somebody who's famous on film? A film actor, great success on film?"

Washington also stressed the pressures of being a theater performer, insisting that "nobody can help you" if things go wrong and that the stage tests your acting limits more than the big screen.

While William Shatner’s career is synonymous with his feats in Star Trek, prior to his flight in the sci-fi juggernaut, he made a name for himself by excelling in theatre, especially at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. But before headlining major plays at Stratford, he worked as an understudy to Christopher Plummer for years, a man he admired immensely.

The Sound of Music | Credit: 20th Century Fox

Even though Plummer was just three years his senior, Shatner described the former as far more advanced in the realm of acting, given Plummer’s roots in the theatrical scene of Montreal. But it was his mentor’s unavailability during one play that contributed to Shatner’s breakout moment in the field.

An accidental kidney stone launched William Shatner into the spotlight William Shatner | Credit: Super Festivals, licensed under Cc By 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Amidst his stint as an understudy to Christopher Plummer,...

Rian Johnson delighted fans with his 2019 murder mystery movie Knives Out, the whodunit story centered on the death of a bestselling author. The writer and director has become a pro in the murder mystery genre with the follow-up sequel film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, along with the Peacock murder mystery series Poker Face.

If you loved every aspect of Knives Out, which earned Johnson an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, the new Netflix murder mystery series The Residence, is a must-watch for numerous reasons.

The Residence Has a Gender-Swapped Benoit Blanc

The reason to watch The Residence for those who love Knives Out is not just because both shows are murder mysteries. A key character in Knives Out who links the franchise together is Benoit Blanc. Played by Daniel Craig, he’s a brilliant yet quirky private detective with unique methods but an impeccable reputation. The...

Although there are many great actors whose work has sadly been ignored by the Academy Awards for far too long, few cases are quite as egregious as that of Christopher Plummer. Plummer was one of the greatest actors of all-time, and starred in acclaimed films for over six decades, including the Best Picture-winning musical The Sound of Music. Plummer finally received his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the biopic The Last Station, which many saw as a generous way of honoring his entire body of work. However, it was only two years later that Plummer won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his powerful, heartwarming performance in the romantic comedy Beginners.

Exclusive: Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee novels are being given the small screen treatment.

Robin Cass and Robert Munroe are behind the adaptation of the Canadian author’s books, with a writer still being sought.

The deal is with Cass & Co and Blacktop Recess for 17 Ava Lee novels plus four Uncle Chow Tung prequel books. A globe-traveling enigma, Ava Lee is an unexpected heroine – a formidable forensic accountant, a fearless sleuth and a master of an ancient martial artform, Bak Mei – historically taught only to males. She is a true original as she outruns, outsmarts and outpaces the most dangerous criminals in the world. The 17 books include The Water Rat of Wanchai, The Disciple of Las Vegas and The Fury of Beijing.

“From my first read of the first novel in the series, Ava firmly implanted herself in my imagination and my heart. Bond is one thing. Ava Lee is quite another.

Denzel Washington is no stranger to collaborating with the industry's most prominent filmmakers, especially Spike Lee. However, while most know that both joined forces for the Oscar-nominated Malcom X, a relatively underrated title paired them in a thrilling heist film with an all-star supporting cast. Inside Man, released in 2006, received acclaim from critics and audiences flocked to the cinemas, earning it $186 million worldwide on a $45 million budget. Almost 20 years later, it has reclaimed its audience, this time in the streaming world.

Inside Man made it to Max's Top 10 most watched movies this week, according to Flix Patrol. The 2006 thriller is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% score from critics, while audiences are equally enamored, garnering an 85% Popcornmeter rating. Inside Man features Washington playing a detective who is caught in a high-octane hostage negotiation with an incredibly intelligent bank robber played by Clive Owen. However, not everything is as clear-cut as it appears,...

Fans of Michelle Pfeiffer will get an opportunity to celebrate wildly — let’s call that “makin’ whoopee” — when she leaves her handprints and footprints in cement at the Tcl Chinese Theatre next month.

The ceremony will take place during the April 24-27 TCM Classic Film Festival, it was announced Thursday.

One of Pfeiffer’s most unforgettable performances — that of smoldering lounge singer Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), for which she received the second of her three career Oscar nominations — will be showcased at the 16th annual event as well. (Watch her in that film on the piano, and we do mean On the piano, here.)

“There’s an undeniable quality to any part played by Michelle Pfeiffer,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz said in a statement. “She blends — seemingly effortlessly (though it surely isn’t effortless) — elegance with depth, capturing the complexity in every character she plays.

“For example,...

Kieran Culkin capped off a dominant Oscar season Sunday, winning Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain — and ended a streak to boot. Culkin is now the first to win the category without a Best Picture nomination for his film since 2012.

Christopher Plummer was the last one to pull this off when he triumphed for Beginners. His nomination was the only one for the Mike Mills film, and he swept the season. At 82, Plummer became the oldest acting winner at the time, a record that has since been broken by Anthony Hopkins, who was 83 when he won Best Actor for 2020's The Father.

Since Plummer's victory, every Best Supporting Actor winner until now had hailed from a Best Picture nominee. Five of them were in Best Picture winners, including the last three: Troy Kotsur (Coda), Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer).

See The...

Exclusive: Veteran film and television producer and executive D. Matt Geller has joined Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions as EVP. He will lead the development and production of all scripted content for the company. Geller fills the void left by the recent departure of Braden Aftergood who had been Stallone’s partner at Balboa Prods. since the company’s 2018 launch.

Geller’s background spans development, domestic and international co-productions, packaging and sales. He most recently served as President of Barry Josephson Josephson Entertainment and was an executive producer on the company’s Bill Condon movie Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Jennifer Lopez, which premiered at Sundance. He previously was a senior development and producing executive at Raze. His producing credits also include the 2015 movie Remember starring Christopher Plummer and the series Departure and Four In the Morning.

“Matt combines the knowledge, skill and acumen for getting things properly developed,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

This March, Netflix is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated murder mystery series The Residence to the star-studded sci-fi adventure film The Electric State. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Netflix this month and have an 85% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the seven best films that are coming to Netflix in February 2025 with an 85% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Beginners (March 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86% Credit – Focus Features

Beginners is a romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. The 2010 film follows Oliver, a young man still grieving the recent death of his father. He soon meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna and tries to use the memories of his father to motivate himself to open himself up to the...

There are a lot of characters in Star Trek. While plenty are dearly beloved, many others are loathed, despised, or simply forgotten. Sometimes, those sentiments are deserved. Sometimes, but not always. Here, we’ll explore some characters that deserve more attention or credit than they get.

Of course, it’s hard to determine what makes a character underrated. In some cases, it can be that the fans don’t rate or praise a character as highly as they deserve. Other times, it’s that the stories themselves underserve the characters in some way. Making these judgments is obviously subjective, but I will try to explain my rationale all the same.

Also, for this list, characters who were introduced in the current era of Star Trek (basically Discovery till now) will not be included. There are certainly underrated characters in these shows, but their newness means that the fandom’s estimation...

Originally published Feb. 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. Pt; updated Feb. 23, 2025 at 9 p.m. Pt

The Oscars race for Best Supporting Actor has lacked the drama of other categories this year — so it's fitting that the clear favorite is nominated for his role in a comedy. A Real Pain star Kieran Culkin leads Gold Derby's odds to take home the statuette on March 2 — and it doesn't look like Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), or Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) can do anything about it. But who has the best shot at pulling off the upset? Let's break down the category.

Frontrunner: Kieran Culkin

In A Real Pain, Culkin plays Benji, an obnoxious yet charming drifter who accompanies his cousin, David (Jesse Eisenberg), on a tour through Poland to honor their late grandmother. Two years after his Emmy win for Succession, nearly every Oscar expert predicts...

With the awards season well underway and the Academy Awards quickly approaching, it is time to revisit and reconsider the greatest movie acting performances of the 21st century. Whether it's a supporting role, or a lead role, a man or a woman, a blockbuster or an understated indie film, each and every award-nominated performance has something to appreciate. From Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood to Charlize Theron in Monster, to Christopher Plummer in Beginners, to Da'Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers, there have been so many mind-blowing performances since the turn of the century, but only one of them can be the best. One particularly strong contender comes from the Best Supporting Actor category of the 83rd Academy Awards.

Christian Bale's first and only Oscar victory is also one of the best. In 2010, he took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the Mark Wahlberg-led film The Fighter.

The Best Original Screenplay Oscar race has become a pain — and it could become A Real Pain’s. If it does, the film will become the first screenplay winner in either category not to hail from a Best Picture nominee in 20 years.

2024’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was the last original screenplay champ that was not up for Best Picture. In adapted, it goes back further to 1998’s Gods and Monsters. Both of these occurred when Best Picture was a field of five. In the preferential ballot era, all 30 original and adapted screenplay winners thus far have been Best Picture nominees.

That does not bode well for A Real Pain, which failed to make the Best Picture lineup of 10. But Jesse Eisenberg’s script has refused to go away. It has pocketed the second-most awards in the category this season after Sean Baker’s Anora and won...

Quick Links'Murder by Decree' Links Jack the Ripper to the British Royal FamilyJames Mason Is a Splendid Dr. Watson in 'Murder by Decree''Murder by Decree' Is From the Director of 'Black Christmas' and 'Porky's'

The famous detective duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson was introduced in the 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle detective novel A Study in Scarlet. The characters were later widely popularized through a series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, beginning with the 1939 Gothic mystery film The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which Rathbone’s Holmes is introduced as a dry-humored, obsessive follower of logic and reason, while Watson, played by Nigel Bruce, appears as Holmes’ lovable but often clueless assistant.

One of the first and best films to abandon this formula is the 1979 mystery thriller filmMurder by Decree, in which Holmes, played by Christopher Plummer, and Watson, played by James Mason, are approached to...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

A Simple Favor is a dark comedy mystery thriller film directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Jessica Sharzer. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, the 2018 film follows Stephanie Smothers, a young widowed single mother who runs a vlog, but when her new friend, Emily Nelson, suddenly vanishes, she tries to find her. A Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Dustin Milligan, Jean Smart, Rupert Friend, and Eric Johnson. So, if you loved the dark comedy, thrilling mystery, and compelling characters in A Simple Favor, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a dark comedy mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. The 2022 sequel film follows master detective Benoit Blanc,...

Nuevo misterio, nuevo reparto, mismo detective. © Netflix

Netflix ha publicado una nueva imagen de la esperada tercera entrega de Puñales por la espalda, titulada en España Puñales por la espalda: El misterio de Lázaro. En su versión original, el título que lleva es Wake Up Dead Man, que hace referencia a una canción de U2 de su álbum de 1997. Y es que la primera película tomó su nombre de una canción de Radiohead y la segunda de una de los Beatles.

Los detalles de esta nueva película de la saga whodunnit de Rian Johnson se mantienen en secreto, pero no su reparto, y qué reparto: Daniel Craig (Sin tiempo para morir), Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Glenn Close (Las amistades peligrosas), Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), Andrew Scott (Ripley), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Jeremy Renner (Los vengadores), Mila Kunis (Cisne negro), Daryl McCormack, Josh Brolin (Dune: Parte dos) y Thomas Haden Church (Spider-Man 3...

Benoit Blanc’s next mystery is afoot. Daniel Craig will reprise the role of the famous detective who drove Rian Johnson’s two previous installments, Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Johnson will helm the third film in the mystery series, which recently received its title and timeline for release. Following the original 2019 film starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, Netflix made a deal for two more sequel films with Johnson.

Those curious about the details of the latest installment such as cast, title and release date can find clues below.

What is Knives Out 3 called?

Rian Johnson revealed via social media that the second sequel will be called Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Johnson previously lamented the addition of the first film’s title to Glass Onion and expressed his hopes to change the subtitle to A Benoit Blanc Mystery. It...

Are you ready for Benoit Blanc’s most dangerous case yet? Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third film featuring the Southern-fried detective created by writer-director Rian Johnson. While the only glimpse we’ve gotten so far of everybody’s favorite ascot-wearing sleuth from Wake Up Dead Man was a snapshot shared by Johnson during filming, we now have another look at Daniel Craig in character alongside Knives Out newcomer Josh O’Connor (The Crown) in this photo.

We first met Blanc in 2019’s Knives Out, when he was hired to investigate the death of bestselling author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). In that film, Blanc teamed up with nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) to uncover the truth in a twisted case filled with angry relatives, red herrings, and fabulous knitwear.

Blanc’s skills were called upon once more in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, when...

For the past dozen years, the eventual Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor has hailed from a Best Picture nominee. But that streak could finally end this year, based on Gold Derby’s predictions.

Kieran Culkin is the odds-on frontrunner to win Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A Real Pain. He plays Benjamin “Benji” Kaplan, who embarks on a roadtrip through Poland with his cousin, David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg), following the death of their grandmother. The Searchlight Pictures film also received a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Eisenberg, who directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the project, but it was snubbed in Best Picture.

Culkin has dominated the precursor awards and should he prevail at the Oscars, he would end a 12-year streak that began after Christopher Plummer won for Beginners (2011). Plummer notably claimed this award at age 82, making him the oldest acting winner at that time (an...

When thinking of Jack Nicholson and the horror genre, The Shining is likely the first movie that comes to mind, but another horror-inspired gem in his filmography deserves some attention: 1994's Wolf. Directed by Academy Award-winner Mike Nichols, Wolf is a genre-bending dark romantic drama with a star-studded cast that includes Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Christopher Plummer, and Richard Jenkins.

Bob Clark made a name for himself in the early 1970s with a trio of low-budget horror films that soon attained cult status: Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, the rough-hewn tale of a group of actors contending with zombies on an abandoned island; Deathdream, a scathing Vietnam-era twist on “The Monkey’s Paw”; and Black Christmas, a blackly humorous proto-slasher flick. Enticed by a larger, though still modest, budget and a sterling cast of British and Canadian actors, Clark relocated to England to produce and direct Murder by Decree, an alternate-history period piece dripping with atmosphere that puts Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Dr. Watson (James Mason) on the trail of the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

The film cleverly indicates one of its key themes in its opening scenes by cross-cutting between two very different locations. Each of these scenes contains a startling juxtaposition between...

Mark your calendars, Oscars fans, because the 97th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 2, 2025 on ABC. The annual star-studded ceremony will honor movies released in theaters within the 2024 calendar year of eligibility. AMPAS members will vote on the Oscar winners in 23 categories, including Best Supporting Actor. But who will win? Here at Gold Derby, thousands of users have been making and updating their 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Supporting Actor, so let’s take a look at all of the top contenders in our photo gallery below.

These 25 Best Supporting Actor hopefuls are listed in order of their racetrack odds, which are derived from the combined forecasts of four unique groups: experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, editors who cover awards year-round for this website, top 24 users who had the best accuracy scores last year, and the mass of users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.

The...

Though it may be one of the most acclaimed movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is not without its controversy. Released in 1965, the film tells the story of Maria (Julie Andrews), a flighty young nun who is sent to work as a governess for the seven von Trapp children in 1938 Salzburg, Austria, where falls in love with the steely Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The Sound of Music is based on a true story, adapting the real Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the von Trapp Family Singers.

Though Christopher Plummer famously hated The Sound of Music, it is an enduring favorite, particularly around the holidays. At the time of its release, The Sound of Music won five Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture. However, as the film gets perenially rewatched, some of its inaccuracies have caused controversy. Though it's understandable that a movie...

To this day, one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in the history of comedy is the death of John Candy. The Uncle Buck star was just 43 years old when he succumbed to a heart attack while filming the Western spoof Wagon’s East.

Making his passing all the sadder is the sense that Candy clearly had a lot more to contribute to the entertainment world — even beyond the last few minutes of Wagon’s East, which were unconvincingly stitched together using old takes and early ‘90s computer technology.

Candy’s life is now the subject of a new biography by Paul Myers (brother of Mike), who previously tackled the subject of iconic Canadian comedians in the book The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy. Myers’ John Candy: A Life in Comedy doesn’t come out until October, but the author recently chatted with People about the project, and suggested...

With a stellar career spanning almost 70 years, Christopher Plummer has earned his reputation as one of the best actors of all time; whether it's his work in illicit dramas or in animated films, he captivates with his magnetic presence and charisma. Plummer plays many morally complex and powerful characters, from cruel villains to gritty businessmen, his roles and his career have left a lasting impact on Hollywood and cinema in general.

Potentially best known for his legendary role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, one of the best musicals of all time, or his Academy Award-winning performance as Hal Fields in Beginners, Plummer always shows incredible depth and nuance in his abilities. Even in his later work, like All The Money In The World, Plummer continues to evolve and change the expectations of his characters. His filmography is filled with incredible films and brilliant roles that capture...

There’s a reason we keep coming back to the heist movie genre, again and again and again. That’s because although most movies would have you believe that committing crimes is bad, we can’t help but respect a character who does it well. Robbing a little old lady on the street is unforgivable, sure, but robbing a wealthy old lady who keeps her hoard of ill-gotten money in an impenetrable vault surrounded by lasers and mercenaries? You gotta respect the moxie of anybody who even tries. And if they succeed, well dang, good for them. It sounds like they earned every penny.

There’s no shortage of classic heist movies, but with income inequality on our minds, and billionaires actively destroying everything decent about this planet every single day, the genre seems particularly alluring in the 21st century. Maybe that’s why we’ve had so many classic...

An airplane thriller with 80% on Rotten Tomatoes becomes a global hit on Netflix more than four years after its debut. Though it arrived very late in the year, the airplane thriller premise received a boost with Carry-On. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, with T. J. Fixman writing the script. The story centers on a Tsa officer who's blackmailed into allowing a nerve agent on board a flight during Christmas Eve. The cast of Carry-On is led by Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, and Jason Bateman.

By the start of 2025, Carry-On demolished records to become the fifth-most-watched English-language Netflix Original of all time. That data will soon be backed up by Nielsen's streaming charts. But the initial response underlines the holiday-themed thriller struck a nerve with audiences. Another plane-centric suspense saga is catching on with subscribers, albeit four years after it originally premiered on a rival platform.

Departure Is A...

Many have noticed the following trend in recent years, and it strikes everyone as incredibly odd. Whenever a major Hollywood studio pours millions into a high-profile movie musical, they insist on eschewing the fact that they have done so in the film's advertising. One might note that the early previews for Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" didn't feature any of the film's songs, despite being based on one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. Likewise, trailers for "Mufasa: The Lion King" didn't boast any of the film's songs, despite them having been written by Disney superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. Earlier this year, previews from the musical rendition of "Mean Girls," also adapted from a Broadway show, didn't have any singing in them, and the ads for the 2023 hit "Wonka" were also song-free. 

This has led many pundits and critics to ask why Hollywood is manufacturing a stigma against musicals.

Updated Jan. 6, 2025, at 3:45 p.m. Pt with Nikki Glaser ranked following the 2025 Golden Globes.

Original Story Published Jan. 2, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. Pt:

From 1944 to 1981, the Golden Globes opted not to have an emcee, with Robert Preston and Linda Gray being the first to tag-team the role in the 39th year. The ceremony returned to host-less the following year before employing a series cohosts – including the likes of William Shatner, Charlton Heston, Joan Collins, Faye Dunaway, and Tim Curry – from 1984 until 1995. After that, the Globe host gig was retired until 2010, when Gervais reinvigorated the format. For the past 15 years, several hosts have come and gone, for better and worse. Here’s our definitive ranking of just how golden those emcees performed, from worst to first:

8. Jo Koy (2024)

In 2024, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the scandal-ridden longtime governing body of the Globes, was out and the ceremony relocated from NBC to CBS.

Murder By Decree (4Kuhd) (4K Uhd) From Bob Clark, the acclaimed director of Dead of Night, Black Christmas, Breaking Point, Porky’s and A Christmas Story, comes this horrifying murder-mystery which pits legendary detective Sherlock Holmes against the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper! When Scotland Yard is unable to stop the gruesome rampage of Jack the Ripper, a citizens’ committee asks Sherlock Holmes and his trusted associate Dr. John H. Watson to investigate. Now the brilliant pair must follow a terrifying trail of clues that includes a frightened psychic, a suspicious inspector (David ... Read more...

Elijah Wood starred in Shane Acker's animated feature 9 in 2009, which was largely made possible by Tim Burton. Following Wood's lead performance as Frodo Baggins in the groundbreaking The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the renowned actor appeared in several films such as Sin City, Paris, Je T'aime, and Happy Feet. Wood went on to star in the celebrated FX comedy series Wilfred and recently appeared in the second season of the Emmy-nominated series Yellowjackets.

Burton has created several notable animated movies over his career. He was a screenwriter on animated classics such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach and directed Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. Burton recently directed the massively popular Netflix series Wednesday, which returns for its second season in 2025, and the highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel, which is now streaming on HBO/Max. If it weren't for Burton's efforts with 9, the film may have never been made.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

There are a few holiday traditions that go hand-in-hand with turkey and egg nog, namely watching Christmas movies with friends and family (or if you’re like me one year, booking a little hotel staycation to order room service and watch festive movies in bed).

One of the most popular movies this time of year is The Sound of Music. Though it was originally released in March of...

William Shatner kicked off his career as a promising young actor in the company of the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. But when, despite strong notices for his performances, he failed to springboard to stardom like his Canadian colleague Christopher Plummer, Shatner lowered his sights and embraced the philosophy of a working actor. This isn't a knock. He shined in his "The Twilight Zone" episodes, and was superb as a racist interloper who stokes violence against the Black residents of a small town in Roger Corman's "The Intruder." However, he also took so many guest roles in television that he ran the risk of driving down his value by dint of his ubiquity.

Three seasons and several great episodes of "Star Trek" fixed that for Shatner, but throughout the 1970s he become closely associated with a kind of laughably serious, easily parodied manneredness. The ne plus ultra of...

I grew up in Canada, and I’d wager the experience – at least as far as pop culture goes – was probably pretty similar to growing up in the States. Yet, there were some minor, strange differences. Here, we have a regulatory body called the Crtc (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), which ensures that about 30% of the content that’s broadcast on TV qualifies as “Canadian Content.” Thus, whenever you turn on the TV, one of our Canadian channels is bound to show something Canadian, including movies. While holiday classics like A Christmas Story and Black Christmas counted as Canadian Content (God Bless Bob Clark) we could reliably see around the holidays, more adventurous TV stations would show something outside the box. One such station was the adult-oriented Showcase (not to be confused with Showtime), which would program an utterly mental movie called The Silent Partner every Christmas Eve.

If you’re not Canadian,...

It's the holiday season, and families everywhere are gathering together to watch a Christmas classic — or congregating in different rooms, watching different films on different streaming apps, ignoring each other. Either way, Christmas movies are shooting into the top 10 lists of most streamers. But instead of re-watching Elf or Love, Actually for the 800th time, why not give a new, underappreciated Christmas film a go? There are dozens to choose from, as new Christmas films are released each day during the holiday season. 2017's The Star is the Christmas film you'll wish you had watched years ago, and it's currently racing up Netflix's streaming chart.

The Star is currently available to stream on Netflix, and sits at #7 on the streamer's Top 10 most popular movies of the week. Released in 2017, the film depicts the birth of Jesus on the very first Christmas Day through the eyes of the different animals in attendance.

Rian Johnson's twisty murder mystery Knives Out has a lot of surprises, and the Knives Out ending reveals the true tragedy behind the death of famous author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). The film stars Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, a private investigator hired to investigate Harlan's apparent suicide following a birthday party at his home. Over the course of the film, Benoit discovers that every member of Harlan's family had a motive to kill him — whether it was covering up a secret affair or securing a stake in his enormous fortune.

While each of them is guilty of one sin or another, only one of them actually plotted to kill Harlan: his grandson, Hugh Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans). The reveal in the Knives Out ending comes from flashbacks and several twists and turns throughout the movie's final act. Just as Rian Johnson sets up a twisty murder mystery in Knives Out,...

Al Pacino is one of Hollywood's greatest movie stars of all time. With 69 credits under his belt and seven new projects in the works, this actor is as relevant today as he was in the 1970s. Pacino is one of the classical method actors who trained under the famed Lee Strasberg in New York. Like many aspiring actors in the 1960s, he started in stage plays before he became a household name on the silver screen.

Pacino had his film debut in the 1969 drama Me, Natalie, in which he played a small supporting role. Pacino stated in his recently released memoir Sonny Boy that he felt his performance was “disastrous” and almost compelled him to give up acting. However, just two years later, Pacino would have his big break with his leading role in the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park. Altogether, the beloved actor took part in many iconic films,...

“Within every man there are two men. One who learns to be civilized by day. One who longs to be savage by night.”

So begins the theatrical teaser for Mike Nichols’ Wolf (1994). I remember seeing it for the first time on the “Coming Soon” section of a freshly bought VHS tape brought home by my mom (it might have been Bram Stoker’s Dracula or maybe Jurassic Park) and at the time it scared the hell out of me. The sight of a beastly Jack Nicholson, heaving with barely repressed lust and violence over the prone body of Michelle Pfeiffer, was spooky to me in a way movies can only be when you’re eight years old and the possibility of monsters being around every corner is still very viable to you.

That trailer now feels like a fading snapshot of a Hollywood that used to be able to get...

Oscar-winning indie studio Neon emerged as the big winner at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s 50th annual selections of the best films and performances, clinching top honors for two of its major contenders: the poignant dramedy “Anora” and the politically-charged thriller “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

“Anora” took home the best picture prize, following in the footsteps of past Lafca winners turned Oscar darlings such as “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Moonlight” (2016) and “Parasite” (2019). It seems like smooth sailing to the Dolby Theatre (at least for a nomination) for the Sean Baker dramedy that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mohammad Rasoulof directed, co-wrote and produced “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” under immense political pressure, resulting in the filmmaker being forced to flee Iran after facing an eight-year prison sentence and demands from authorities to withdraw the film from its Cannes premiere. His win...

For well over over five decades, Christopher Plummer was one of our most esteemed and honored actors across all acting fields. He hwon two Tony awards (out of seven nominations) for his stage work — the musical “Cyrano” (1974) and the one-man show “Barrymore” (1997), which was later turned into a film. For his television work, he has also won two Emmy Awards (out of six nominations) for the TV movie “Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers” (1977) and for his voice-over performance in the animated “Madeline” (1994).

But similar awards for his work in film eluded him for many years. True, he did co-star in 1965’s “The Sound of Music,” a film he had disdained for the longest time but one that was a phenomenon at the box-office. The musical ran in theaters for over 4 1/2 years and, adjusted for inflation, “The Sound of Music” has grossed $2.366 billion, currently making it the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.

The Fall Of The Roman Empire Comparison (Photo Credit – Facebook)

With Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II continuing to draw big numbers at the box office, conversations about the potential for a third installment are taking off, with the prolific filmmaker already calling in its favor. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning Gladiator saw Scott return to the helm, continuing a story loosely inspired by historical events. Adding Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington to the beloved franchise, the big-budget tentpole’s ability to blend melodrama with history has been a significant draw for audiences worldwide.

While Gladiator features characters based on historical Roman citizens like Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus and Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, the story nevertheless took creative liberties, notably with Russell Crowe’s Maximus. This character replaced Narcissus, a real-life wrestler who assassinated Emperor Commodus. Despite these alterations, the film’s narrative entertained audiences’ imaginations with...

In 1999, filmmaker and screenwriter Michael Mann released what would become one of the greatest dramas of its time. Starring Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer, Mann and co-writer Eric Roth adapted the story of chemistry teacher and whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand (portrayed on screen by Crowe) into a feature film that went on to garner seven Academy Award nominations. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Insider, Collider's Steve Weintraub had the pleasure of speaking with the esteemed director about his experience throughout the tumultuous production.

While one of Denzel Washington's greatest movies, Malcolm X, still scores as an all-time hit for the Oscar-winning actor, the film's legendary director admits its emergence was no slam dunk. Decorated helmer Spike Lee insists that the biographical drama nearly went bust and shares how two of the greatest NBA stars of all time showed up in the clutch to save it.

Speaking on The Realest Podcast Ever, Lee recalled how he and Warner Bros. were at odds during the Malcolm X creative process. According to Lee, the studio wanted to cut down its 3-hour-and-22-minute runtime and suggested that he should concede control due to financial issues, leaving him at one of the "lowest points of my life" as he tried figuring things out.

Related Denzel Washington Achieves Career-Best Milestone Thanks to Gladiator II

Legendary actor Denzel Washington secures a major feat thanks to the success attained by his latest film,...

Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader says he could’ve done a Frank Sinatra biopic, but the project died over his insistence on casting a "canceled" actor to star. Schrader, who has worked as both a director and writer, has been attached to a number of unproduced biopics, but his Sinatra movie stood out. The legendary singer and actor has been rumored as a biopic subject for years, but this long-dreamed-about Sinatra movie has yet to materialize. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are the biggest names trying to bring Sinatra’s story to the screen, but their planned project has reportedly stalled.

Famed Scorsese collaborator Schrader may not be involved in this proposed DiCaprio-starring Sinatra biopic, but he has considered the idea of making his own movie about the life of the superstar mafia-connected crooner. The agreement would only come if he was allowed to cast one particular actor as the leading man.

Legendary filmmaker Paul Schrader reveals why a biopic of Frank Sinatra has yet to happen and what controversial actor he wanted to play Ol' Blue Eyes. Schrader is one of the most prolific names in Hollywood, having written the screenplays for Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ and directing critically acclaimed films like Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Affliction, and First Reformed, to name just a few. At one point, a script for a Frank Sinatra biopic crossed his desk, and he briefly considered it, but his casting choice and potential conflicts with the Sinatra estate seemed to put a quick end to that, a fate he shares with former collaborator Martin Scorsese.

Paul Schrader sat down with MovieWeb to discuss his latest film, Oh, Canada. Schrader mentioned the Sinatra biopic he was supposedly working on, but he cleared up one misconception. "I never worked on it.

Ridley Scott's bombastic "Gladiator II" has been slicing its way through the box office thank to its incredible cast and people's love for the original film, although critics have been slightly less enamored with the sequel. Our own "Gladiator II" review praised Denzel Washington's performance as gladiator promoter Macrinus in particular and noted that there are a number of impressive action scenes, but also several parts that fall flat. No amount of pure spectacle can make up for a good story or thoughtful filmmaking, and unfortunately, it sounds like Scott might have had the wrong priorities during production.

In a podcast interview with "DocFix" (via WorldofReel), "Gladiator II" cinematographer John Mathieson called Scott's approach to the film "lazy," adding that he had changed over the years that they had worked together. Mathieson has collaborated with Scott on six of the director's films so far, including the original "Gladiator...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

This December, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the much-anticipated sequel film to My Fault to an exciting anthology series based on different video games titled Secret Level. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 7 best films that are coming to Prime Video in December 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

After Hours (December 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90% Credit – Warner Bros.

After Hours is a dark comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Joseph Minion. The 1985 film follows Paul Hackett, an office worker with a set routine, but when one night he breaks that routine to meet a strange woman, he finds himself in several...

One of Denzel Washington's career-making movies lands on a new streaming home in time for the holiday season. The Oscar-winning actor's legendary film, Malcolm X, is set to debut via Paramount+ very soon, giving fans another chance to see his acclaimed turn as the eponymous civil rights activist.

Paramount+ confirmed Malcolm X will debut on its platform on Dec. 1. The film has largely been available to rent or purchase on various digital platforms, including Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube, while also streaming for free (with ads) on Tubi.

Related 'There's No Better Director': Ridley Scott Hailed by Gladiator II Stars

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington reveal what Ridley Scott did to make the sequel feel as special as the original.

Malcolm X chronicles the many battles faced, speeches made and movements started by the titular Black liberation leader and orator, looking at his rise from...

Daniel Craig fans might want to subscribe to Prime Video before December rolls around. The actor's acclaimed 2019 murder mystery movie, Knives Out, will be added to the streamer next month.

Beginning Dec. 11, Knives Out will be available to stream on Prime Video. The star-studded murder mystery follows Craig's famed private detective, Benoit Blanc, as he investigates the death of bestselling author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) with suspects ranging from Harlan's daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and son Walt (Michael Shannon) to grandson Hugh (Chris Evans) and nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). Knives Out was well-received by critics, with many at the time considering it one of the year's best movies. The murder mystery was also a hit at the box office, grossing over $300 million worldwide against a $40 million budget.

Related Daniel Craig Seemingly Confirms Clash With Netflix Over Knives Out 3 Release

Daniel Craig comments on his disagreement with Netflix...