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Ever since Sean Connery brought James Bond to life in Dr. No (1992), the name became synonymous with Hollywood’s quintessential spy. Over time, actor after actor took over the mantle, and the last time we saw the 007 agent, he had Daniel Craig’s face. With a powerful and deeply personal take on the character, the actor gave us a brooding and grounded James Bond, considered as one of the best in franchise history. But even the best of the best have a point where they stumble and fall.

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006) | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing

While many would say that the ultimate film of his 007 career, No Time to Die (2021), wasn’t up to the mark, we will have to disagree. There is at least one film that deserves the last spot more than No Time to Die – Quantum of Solace.

Why Quantum of Solace is Daniel Craig...

As always with awards season, there have been many declarations of whether the group of nominees or winners would be the best or worst films ever to take home Best Picture. To help us quantify that statement, we jumped into Oscar history and filled in any of our blind spots over the last few weeks. Here is our ranking (from worst to best) of every Best Picture winner from the Academy Awards.

97. Cimarron (1931) FandomWire Best Picture Rankings – Cimarron Directed by Wesley Ruggles

While the Western has struggled with depicting non-white characters since the beginning of the genre, Cimarron is beyond many of its contemporaries. It’s hard to fully explain how racist Cimarron comes across in 2025, especially in its depictions of black and Indigenous characters. However, Cimarron is also boring beyond compare. Unlike Gigi, which was wildly celebrated as one of the great Oscar winners of all time, Cimarron only took home three wins,...

It’s a rare type of cinephile who wasn’t introduced to the idea of film as more than just idle entertainment by the ritual of the Academy Awards. And it’s an even rarer type of cinephile who didn’t soon thereafter vehemently reject the Oscars as the ultimate barometer of a film’s artistic worth. Those of us who started off with The Godfather, Schindler’s List, All About Eve, or Casablanca all eventually got around to Out of Africa, Around the World in 80 Days, The Greatest Show on Earth, Cimarron, and Cavalcade.

First loves being first loves, we still find ourselves regressing if for only one night a year, succumbing to the allure of instant canonization even as it comes in the form of repeated slap-in-the-face reminders of Oscar’s bracing wrongness: Gladiator, Braveheart, Chicago, Crash. In that sense, consider this project part cathartic exorcism and part...

Russell Croweturns to Taken and aged action icon Liam Neeson for advice in this underrated and divisive crime thriller, which is now streaming free. Released back in 2010, The Next Three Days finds Crowe taking the lead as an everyman who is forced to leap into action after his wife is wrongfully convicted of murder.

Written and directed by Paul Haggis, The Next Three Days is a remake of the 2008 French film Pour elle (Anything for Her) by filmmaker Fred Cavayé, and stars Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Olivia Wilde, Lennie James, Ty Simpkins, and Liam Neeson alongside Russell Crowe. The Next Three Days is now streaming free on the popular platform, Tubi, and you can check out the official synopsis below.

RelatedMark Wahlberg’s Box Office Bomb Thriller Is Streaming Free...and It Deserves Another Chance

The neo-noir thriller follows a private detective seeking redemption for past sins.

“Life for John...

Before Daniel Craig became the detective with the weirdest accent ever in the Knives Out franchise, he played James Bond for fifteen years. While his debut as Agent 007 revolutionized the franchise and brought it to a whole new generation, his series of films were filled with both hits and misses.

Craig’s sophomore film Quantum of Solace faced several hurdles before making it to production. Plagued with a writer’s strike shortly before production began, Craig called the filming process a nightmare as the studio went ahead without a proper script. It shows as it is considered one of the weakest Bond films in the franchise.

Daniel Craig did not approve of Quantum of Solace being filmed without a script Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace | Credits: Sony Pictures

When Daniel Craig replaced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, the franchise was in a bit of a dry spell. Brosnan’s series of films,...

Oscar nominated movies go through meticulous discussions and careful considerations before becoming a candidate to win the actual award. But sometimes public opinion does not necessarily align with the experts. The audience does not shy away from expressing their opinions—especially when they do not like a movie.

But that doesn’t mean these films aren’t worth watching, they’re entertaining. However, if we start handing out nominations to every entertaining movie, the Academy Awards would lose their value, wouldn’t they? In some cases, these films even overshadowed more deserving contenders, fueling criticism about the very selection process of movie nomination.

In this list, we will look at some of the most controversial and surprising movies nominated for an Academy Award. Without further ado, let’s find out if the movies selected were justified or not.

Selena Gomez in Emilia Pérez, Ben Afflect and Josh Harnett | Credit: Why Not Productions,...

A new James Bond favorite is slowly emerging and, much like fellow 007 favorite Henry Cavill, he’s something of a Zack Snyder staple. Scottish actor Stuart Martin, who is best recognized for his roles in Snyder’s Army of Thieves and Rebel Moon saga, has seen his odds improve as he gradually catches up with the likes of Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, The Gentlemen’s Theo James, and Little Women actor James Norton as the top choice to take over the iconic role from Daniel Craig.

According to William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps (via GBNews), Stuart Martin’s emergence as another firm-favorite has been an “intriguing turn” in the ongoing search for the next James Bond, with the Slow West star now “a serious contender.”

“The search for Daniel Craig’s successor as James Bond has taken another intriguing turn, with Scottish actor Stuart Martin gaining significant attention...

Quick LinksHenry Cavill Is a Massive and Beloved StarNext James Bond Candidates?Why Henry Cavill Just Proved He's Right to Play 007

James Bond fans hoping Henry Cavill will portray the next version of 007 on the big screen may have just gotten their wish. 20 years after Cavill's audition to play the dashing British superspy in Casino Royale, the screen test footage has been released online. While it's easy to notice Cavill's youthful inexperience in the video, his raw magnetism, charismatic energy, and undeniable charms are off the charts, further stoking enthusiasm for the British actor to don the tuxedo in Bond 26.

With two decades of experience since auditioning for Casino Royale, Cavill has proven his leading man bona fides countless times. Between playing Clark Kent/Superman and The Witcher, and British spies in Argylle and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and more, the newly released Casino Royale screen...

In 1999, The Sopranos set the standard for contemporary cinematic television, which has since gone on to become the norm for most television shows released. But The Sopranos also set the bar for quality genre television, the genre specifically being the gangster drama. The other great crime series it inspired are also worth watching.

While The Sopranos might be the best, the shows it inspired are some of the best series on television. As The Sopranos continues to influence creators to this day, with the latest example being The Penguin, The Sopranos is only the best in a long line of brilliant gangster television shows, such as Sons of Anarchy, Ozark, and Godfather of Harlem, to name a few.

Update: 2025/01/31 16:12 Est By Brian Cronin

I have updated this informative look at some of the best gangster TV series inspired by the success of The Sopranos to add five more series to the list.

Films that depict World War II exist across many decades of the history of cinema, starting even as the war was continuing to rage on. These films have the ability to transport the audience to a world that was torn apart by one of the most costly conflicts in modern history, putting viewers in the shoes of the fighters and bystanders in one of the defining moments of the 21st Century.

Some of the best World War II films are ones that closely follow real historical events, using true stories about real people to tell even more captivating tales. Period pieces that are able to accurately depict real events, especially events that had such a profound impact on the world, can create some of the most impactful and interesting movies of all time.

This Biopic Won a Great Actor an Oscar Darkest Hour (2017)

Biopics are often some of the most...

Leah Remini is remembering her Scientology and the Aftermath co-host Mike Rinder with an emotional tribute. Rinder died Jan. 5 at the age of 69.

“On Sunday, we lost a giant, and I lost a man who was more than a friend—he was my family,” Remini wrote in a statement on social media. “It’s impossible to imagine the last 13 years of my life without Mike Rinder. He was my anchor, my trusted partner, and my closest confidant. The thought of moving forward without him feels unbearable.”

Remini and Rinder teamed on Scientology and the Aftermath, which ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019. Rinder was nominated for two Emmys for his work, winning one.

“When I left Scientology, Mike was one of the first people I turned to. From that moment, he became my lifeline,” she continued. “Together, we embarked on an incredible journey that included The Aftermath and our podcast,...

While Entourage isn't returning for another reunion, fans are getting the next best thing. The show's creator, Doug Ellin, is reuniting with stars Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon for a new series. Entourage debuted on HBO in 2004 and was loosely inspired by the life of Mark Wahlberg, as the series focused on fictional movie star Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier) and his childhood friend-turned-manager, Eric "E" Murphy (Connolly). They're joined in the show by Vincent's half-brother Johnny "Drama" Chase (Dillon), his childhood friend and personal driver Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), and his loud, foul-mouthed agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). The series was a big hit for HBO, earning multiple Emmy wins over its eight-season run and returning for a 2015 film that did poorly at the box office with critics.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Ellin, Connolly, and Dillon are reuniting for a new series, Ramble On, that will follow Kevin Connolly playing...

Devra Wasserman, a onetime executive assistant in Hollywood and the wife of producer, literary agent and manager Larry Becsey, has died. She was 74.

Wasserman died Oct. 23 at her home in Los Angeles after a long battle with Als, her husband announced.

Born on July 31, 1950, Devi Jane Wasserman was raised in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. She graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1968 and from the University of Denver in 1972.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to start a career in the entertainment business and spent years as an executive assistant to major entertainment executives and attorneys.

Wasserman met Becsey in 1997, and they married in 2006. They traveled the world for his work and for their pleasure until the onset of Als 13 years ago began to limit her mobility.

She and her husband were board of governors supporters at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and were patrons of Moma, Lacma,...

Daniel Craig dismissed mounting rumors he was being considered to play James Bond. When the offer finally came, he feared what that could mean for his career and declined the part.

Daniel Craig revealed he didn't audition to play Agent 007; he was offered the role outright. Per THR, Craig said he was oblivious he was even shortlisted for the part, even when Steven Spielberg played the Bond theme while filming Craig's last scene for 2005's Munich. He said, "Eric [Bana] and I had to run with guns down the side of this wall, and [Spielberg] said, 'Action,' and then suddenly it was over these big speakers: 'Dun, dun, dun, dun' [the Bond theme music]. So I mean, it was obviously in the air. But seriously, I was like, 'It can't be. It's very nice. But me and 200 other people? Come on.'"

Related 'It's a Big Decision': 007 Producer Shares Major Update on...

Over the years, that shiny gold statuette known as the Oscar has been handed out to a wide variety of films, including certain winners that plenty of film fans might think didn't even deserve the little shiny plaque the actual awards are nailed to. For example, not even filmmaker Paul Haggis thinks his movie "Crash" should've taken home the Best Picture Oscar. It's not up to him, though! This is the internet, after all. But how are we to determine the worst film to have won that coveted coveted man-shaped medal (don't make it weird)? According to Rotten Tomatoes' metrics, the worst Best Picture Oscar winner of all time also happens to be the first of its kind in a different but related respect.

Long before James Cameron was crowned king of the world thanks to "Titanic" and the wildest Oscars moment of our lifetime (i.e. the "La La Land...

Quantum of Solace is widely panned as Daniel Craig's worst James Bond film. Critics agree it suffered from a disjointed narrative; Craig echoed the backlash with a new reveal on the sequel's development.

Daniel Craig revealed he's an uncredited scriptwriter for 2008's Quantum of Solace, his second James Bond film. The actor told THR the sequel's production was doomed when the 2007 writers' strike hit. "F—ing nightmare," he recalled. "[Screenwriter] Paul Haggis did a pass on the script, then he went off and joined a picket line, and we didn't have writers, so we didn't have a script. We probably should never have gone and started production, but we did. I ended up writing a lot of that film — I probably shouldn't really say, and I do not want a credit, it's fine — but we were in that state because that's what we're allowed to do. I was allowed to work.

Clint Eastwood is one of the biggest Hollywood stars of his generation, but that doesnt mean he can take on every single role thats offered to him. The actors career has stretched over seven decades, comprising a huge amount of different genres and styles, as hes continually tried new things and tried to keep up with the changing face of the industry. The reason Eastwoods career has been filled with so many great movies and lasted for so many years is his ability to change his signature style at the drop of a hat, which has kept him relevant.

Another reason that Eastwood has found such huge success is his ability to know exactly which roles are right for him, and which could be better tackled by a different actor. In his prime, the actor was starring in multiple different movies each year, but he wasnt just accepting any script...

The Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece “The Godfather” (1972) has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Picture winner ever. The results are from a recent Gold Derby ballot cast by 29 of our film experts and editors, who ranked all 96 movie champs.

Ranking in second place is the Michael Curtiz classic “Casablanca” (1943). Following in third place is the powerful Steven Spielberg film “Schindler’s List” (1993). Rounding out the top five are Coppola’s “The Godfather Part II” (1974) in fourth place and Billy Wilder‘s “The Apartment” (196o) in fifth place.

At the bottom of the list of the Best Picture winners is “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) from Cecil B. DeMille. Just above that film in the rankings are “Cimarron” (1931) from Wesley Ruggles, “The Broadway Melody” (1929) from Harry Beaumont, “Crash” (2005) from Paul Haggis, and “Around the World in 80 Days’ (1956) from Michael Anderson.

Our photo gallery above features the full top 10. See the complete rankings of all 96 films below.

The Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece “The Godfather” (1972) has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Picture winner ever. The results are from a recent Gold Derby ballot cast by 29 of our film experts and editors, who ranked all 96 movie champs.

Ranking in second place is the Michael Curtiz classic “Casablanca” (1943). Following in third place is the powerful Steven Spielberg film “Schindler’s List” (1993). Rounding out the top five are Coppola’s “The Godfather Part II” (1974) in fourth place and Billy Wilder‘s “The Apartment” (196o) in fifth place.

The worst among 96 Best Picture winners is “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) from Cecil B. DeMille. Just above that film on the bottom of the rankings are “Cimarron” (1931) from Wesley Ruggles, “The Broadway Melody” (1929) from Harry Beaumont, “Crash” (2005) from Paul Haggis, and “Around the World in 80 Days’ (1956) from Michael Anderson.

Our photo gallery below features the full top 10. See the complete rankings of all 96 films below.

When a true acting legend has already become associated with a certain role in the publics imagination, it will always be a tough act to follow for the new actor who steps into that part. In many instances, recasting movie legends with new actors can be poorly received, although there have been occasions where the stars aligned just right, and the replacement was perfect for the role. From franchise films to beloved works of literature, it's inevitable that characters will be played by multiple actors, although the new performers must find a way to make the role their own.

The best character replacements add something new and interesting to the part, with actors not only carving out their own legacy for the role but even surpassing the expectations set by the original. When characters have already been portrayed by some of the greatest actors of all time, reviving the role...

Quick Links Clint Eastwood's Poignant and Powerful War Drama Roger Ebert Was Blown Away by 'Flags of Our Fathers' Eastwood's Critically Acclaimed Two-Part Cinema Spectacle

Silver screen icon Clint Eastwood is undeniably one of the cinema's most decorated and brilliant presences, with the revered actor and director's illustrious career spanning nearly seven decades. Eastwood has helmed a slew of critically acclaimed masterpieces like Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and American Sniper, and in 2006, he tugged on the heartstrings of audiences all across the world when he created two companion war dramas depicting the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima: Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.

Flags of Our Fathers is told from the perspective of American soldiers and the five Marines and Navy corpsmen who participated in the iconic raising of the flag, while Letters from Iwo Jima depicts the harrowing conflict from the point-of-view of Japanese soldiers.

After the still entertaining but undeniably sillier Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the Terminator franchise was ready for salvation. But what would be the next step? Arnold was fully engulfed in his political career; James Cameron would rather remake Piranha 2 than return; and per the usual for this franchise….no one even knows who owns the rights! This is What the F*ck Happened to Terminator Salvation.

A bit after Terminator 3’s release, both Nick Stahl and Claire Danes were recast to return as John Connor and Kate Brewster in the next installment of the franchise. Jonathan Mostow (director of Terminator 3) was also involved and helping with the script but a retread of Terminator 3 sounded dreadful. On top of that, the rights situation was once again a mess…. After months of fighting, lawsuits, and distribution hassles…. the rights to the franchise were again sold. This time,...

Sandra Bullock sent fans into a frenzy when she admitted her massive crush on Keanu Reeves—and her absolute fear of taking it further. Yeah, they had crazy chemistry in Speed, but Bullock was all nerves when it came to getting up close and personal with Hollywood’s favorite heartthrob. She was practically starstruck!

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed | Credits: Mark Gordon Company

Her shy side gave their on-screen spark an extra kick, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. While fans were crossing their fingers for a real-life romance, Bullock kept those feelings tucked away, leaving us all wondering about the ultimate what-if.

Sandra Bullock’s Nerves on Reuniting with Crush Keanu Reeves in The Lake House Sandra Bullock as Kate Forster and Keanu Reeves as Alex Wyler in The Lake House | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Sandra Bullock once hilariously confessed, “I’m not ready to do this,...

Veteran actor Matt Dillon will receive the prestigious Golden Alexander award at the upcoming Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece. Organizers will honor Dillon for his long acting career and diverse artistic contributions to cinema. The 65th annual festival runs from October 31 to November 10.

During the festival, Dillon will showcase several of his recent projects. This includes his portrayal of legendary actor Marlon Brando in the film “Being Maria.” The movie explores actress Maria Schneider’s experience filming the controversial 1972 film “Last Tango in Paris.” Dillon both acts in and directed “Being Maria,” which had its premiere earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival.

Festival organizers will also honor Dillon by screening his 2002 directorial debut “City of Ghosts.” In addition, Dillon will participate in an experimental art installation called “Interfears.” The piece will use Mri scans to visualize Dillon’s brain activity while he performs a monologue. Both the installation...

Matt Dillon will be feted at the 65th edition of Greece’s Thessaloniki Film Festival, where he will present his recent film “Being Maria,” in which he plays Marlon Brando.

Dillon will receive the festival’s honorary Golden Alexander award on Nov. 4, before a screening of his 2002 film “City of Ghosts,” which was his debut as a film director and screenwriter.

Other honorees at the festival, which runs Oct. 31-Nov. 10, include Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, as previously announced.

“Being Maria,” which will screen at Thessaloniki on Nov. 3, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Jessica Palud, it revolves around the troubled life of Maria Schneider, played by Anamaria Vartolomei.

When Schneider, a young, struggling actress with promise, is offered the lead role in “Last Tango in Paris,” playing opposite Brando, her dreams seem to be coming true. But what seems like a big break turns...

Letters From Iwo Jima (2007) earns high praise from a historian, who commends director Clint Eastwood's approach to capturing the conflict on film. Written by Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis, and Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Eastwood's World War II film chronicles the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese commander and his forces defending the titular island. The film serves as a companion film to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), which depicts the same battle but from an American perspective.

In a recent video for Insider, historian John McManus analyzes select scenes from Letters From Iwo Jima, awarding the film a strong grade of nine out of 10. According to McManus, the film accurately portrays elements of the battle, including the extensive Japanese tunnel system on the island, the weapons and fortifications they used, and actual military machine gun shooting techniques. What makes Letters From Iwo Jima particularly special, however,...

From gunslinging one-liners to angry cop retorts, Clint Eastwood quotes keep his characters iconic decades later. Eastwood is a seasoned Hollywood legend with dozens of classic films under his belt, both as a leading man and a sharp-eyed director. Throughout his career, Eastwood has played such unforgettable roles as vigilante cop Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry series and vengeful bounty hunter The Man with No Name in the Dollars trilogy. These antihero characters are full of quotable lines.

In his Oscar-nominated career as an actor, Eastwood has delivered quotes written by John Milius, Paul Haggis, and William Goldman. Their scripts have given him plenty of great one-liners and impassioned speeches to work with, and hes nailed every on-camera delivery to create some fan-favorite quotes. From Walt Kowalskis quippy grumblings in Gran Torino to William Munnys grizzled monologues about the many regrets from his gunfighting days in Unforgiven, there are...

Artists for Peace and Justice (Apj), established in early 2009, is a fundraising effort founded by Paul Haggis and friends that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. Over the past year, Apj has directed its efforts to raising enough funds to fully sponsor three schools in Haiti in support of the initiatives of Father Rick Frechette and his team. These schools aren’t just a place to learn but provide for a hot meal, clean water and a chance at the future to children who desperately need it. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Apj has focused its efforts on raising much needed funds for emergency relief efforts in the ravaged country that is only a few hours from our shores.

How you can help

Donations can be made directly to the Apj website with 100 percent of the funds raised going directly to Haiti.

Casino Royale failed to accurately portray poker gameplay, with illogical and unrealistic scenes throughout the game. Mr. White's unrealistic endurance in Quantum of Solace raises questions about the believability of Bond villains' abilities. No Time to Die left holes in Bond's journey back to London and his sacrifice at the end, leading to some inconsistencies.

This article contains spoilers for all Daniel Craig James Bond movies.Daniel Craig has been an outstanding James Bond over the years, but there are some things about his James Bond movies that make no sense. Since joining the long list of Bonds in director Martin Campbell's 2006 movie Casino Royale, Craig has delivered style and substance in his role as 007 in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. However, the movies still fell victim to some of the continuity errors, plot holes, and logical fallacies common in action movies.

While Craig...

The Next Three Days ending reveals the truth about the murder, proving Lara's innocence despite earlier doubt. The ambiguity surrounding Lara's guilt adds to the suspense and questions throughout the movie. The decision to make Lara's innocence unclear deviates from the original French film and could have added to the story's impact.

Even though the 2010 thriller has largely gone under the radar, The Next Three Days ending remains a memorable conclusion. Helmed by Paul Haggis, prison-break story The Next Three Days is an American remake of 2008 French film Pour Elle (aka Anything For Her) directed by Fred Cavay. Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks star as husband and wife John and Lara Brennan him a mild-mannered college professor and her a hot-tempered businesswoman whose world is turned upside down when Lara is convicted of murdering her boss after a blistering argument and sentenced to life in prison.

While The Next Three Days...

Al Ruddy, who co-created the famed CBS sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, then captured Academy Awards for producing the best picture winners The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, has died. He was 94.

Ruddy, also credited as one of the creators of the long-running CBS police drama Walker, Texas Ranger, died Saturday following a brief illness at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, a publicist announced.

On the heels of The Godfather (1972), Ruddy produced another box-office hit with the original The Longest Yard (1974), the prison-set football movie that starred Burt Reynolds. The pair then reteamed for the action road films The Cannonball Run (1981) and its 1984 sequel, both directed by stuntman-turned-helmer Hal Needham.

The personable Ruddy also produced such films as Bad Girls (1994), the first Western with all female leads (Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell and Drew Barrymore); the baseball comedy The Scout (1994), starring Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser; and Matilda (1978), a comedy...

A Los Angeles judge has thrown out portions of Leah Remini’s lawsuit against Scientology, finding that some of the church’s attacks on her are protected under the First Amendment.

But in a mixed ruling, the judge also found that the church cannot claim free-speech protection for allegedly stalking, harassing and surveilling Remini, or for harassing producers and staff who worked on her anti-Scientology podcast.

Since leaving Scientology in 2013, the “King of Queens” actor has become its most prominent critic, writing a memoir and hosting two seasons of the A&e docuseries, “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”

Last August, she filed a 68-page lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging she had been subject to a decade of online attacks, stalking and intimidation designed to punish her for her criticism of the church.

The suit alleged that Remini was the latest in a long line of Scientology critics to...

The criminal sexual assault case against Paul Haggis in Italy could be coming to an end, with prosecutors in the Southern Italy city Brindisi, where Haggis was charged with sexual assault, requesting that the case be dismissed.

The case dates back to June 2022, when the writer-director was booked and placed under house arrest following the complaint of a British woman who was attending the Allora Film Fest with the director. According to the charges, Haggis allegedly abused the woman for three days (June 12-15, 2022) in the lodgings they shared. As a result of the complaint, the director was kept under preventative house arrest from June 19 to July 4, a decision later revoked by Preliminary Investigation Judge Vilma Gilli once it was determined that there was no risk of recurrence.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brindisi has told local media that the investigation could not establish that the relationship was nonconsensual.

Hello, and welcome to the Scene to Seen Podcast!

I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline. On today’s episode, we’re talking to director, writer, producers, and actress Jennifer Esposito, where we talk about her career and her directorial debut Fresh Kills.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Jennifer Esposito is a Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice and Hollywood Foreign Press award recipient. She has appeared in over 60 films and television productions. She’s appeared in Crash by Paul Haggis, Summer of Sam by Spike Lee and Welcome To Collinwood, directed by The Russo Brothers. Her television work includes Spin City, Samantha Who, Blue Bloods, The Affair, The Boys, and Nora From Queens.

Jennifer makes her writing and directing debut with Fresh Kills, in which she also produced and plays a supporting role. She was also the first to incorporate NFTs as a fundraising tool for independent films.

After multiple Oscars, Silver Bears, Golden Globes, Grammys and a Tony, Denzel Washington has earned the right to be called one of the greatest actors of our time. He could drop the surname and still be instantly recognisable – two syllables that guarantee acting excellence.

Key to his success is his ability to mesmerise an audience into seeing past his instantly recognisable face and observing only the character. It’s arguably the central tenet to any actor’s success, yet it is with unusual success and consistency that Denzel Washington has been able to shift from character to character seemingly with ease. This is an actor who rarely repeats himself.

The need for variety and the consistency of execution makes his sole franchise role all the more intriguing. Today sees the digital premiere for the third entry in The Equalizer series, with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua ending the trilogy...

Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology will come before the court in September 2025 – two full years from now – to face a civil lawsuit filed by three victims who say the organization viciously harassed them for reporting the “That ’70s Show” to authorities and ultimately leaving the church.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday lifted a stay on the civil case that was in place until the criminal trials played out, and set the September 22, 2025 start date. Masterson was convicted of raping two women and sentenced earlier this month to two successive 15-year sentences.

The Jane Does, all former church members, originally filed their civil complaint in 2019, seeking unspecified damages for what they say was a harrowing and cruel harassment campaign. Each described incidents of stalking, surveillance, vandalism to their cars and property, and even the poisoning of pets.

The Church of Scientology, which failed to convince the...

The race by the AMPTP and the WGA to get a deal done by sundown had plenty of folks thinking back to a very memorable episode of Entourage — Doug Ellin, included.

The creator of the HBO comedy was reminded Sunday on X about how the weekend negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA sounded “like an Entourage storyline.”

Ellin replied, “And on Yom Kippur it sure does.”

Not sure what he’s talking about? Think back 16 years ago to the season 3 episode dubbed “The Return of the King.” The 2007 episode kicks off with the boys at the race track while Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is arriving at temple before the start of Yom Kippur. That’s when he runs into Nick Rubenstein (Adam Goldberg), the neurotic son of movie producer Phil Rubenstein who is making the movie Medellin with Paul Haggis.

The rub: Benecio Del Toro has walked away from...

Priya Chaudhry is bolstering her boutique firm by bringing on entertainment lawyer Jeffrey Movit as head of litigation, creating a one-stop shop for high-stakes criminal and civil matters on both coasts.

Chaudhry, a well-known criminal lawyer who’s leading the defense for Creed III star Jonathan Majors on misdemeanor assault and harassment charges in connection with a March arrest, is one of THR‘s Power Lawyers: Troubleshooters and has also represented director Paul Haggis and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Jen Shah.

Meanwhile Movit has been highlighted by Billboard as one of the best lawyers in the music business and has worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, Katy Perry and Playboi Carti, as well as Umg. He joins from Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, where he was part of the team that recently secured a settlement for Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald in his yearslong dispute with Kesha.

“Adding...

The Church of Scientology hasn’t yet responded in court to Leah Remini’s harassment lawsuit filed earlier this month, but according to the Emmy winner, the David Miscavige-led organization has made some harsh moves in reaction.

“In the short period of time since Ms. Remini’s Complaint was filed, Ms. Remini and others have been subject to continued, aggressive harassment,” says an amended complaint from Remini put in the Los Angeles Superior docket on August 29 (read Remini’s amended complaint against Scientology here).

The amended complaint reiterates Remini’s earlier allegations in the original August 2 filing of retaliation by the Church for her public critiques of its policy and personnel. However, additionally Remini now is saying that since that initial complaint was filed she has been the victim of various acts of credit card fraud, lambasted by online trolls, accused directly by the Church of generating “threats of and actual violence against the Church,...

The Chi is a coming-of-age drama series created by Lena Waithe. The Showtime series focuses on the story of a few residents living in a dangerous neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago, a fateful turn of events connects the lives of Emmett, Brandon, Ronnie, and Kevin. If you love The Chi here are some similar shows you could check out next.

All American (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW

Synopsis: Spencer James is a rising high school football player and A student at South Crenshaw High. Compton is the place he calls home. But when Beverly High School’s football coach Billy Baker recruits him to join his team in Beverly Hills, Spencer’s mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, convince Spencer it’s an opportunity he must seize. Spencer navigates two worlds, the south side neighborhood that he knows and the affluent Beverly Hills world that...

Blue Bloods alum Jennifer Esposito has signed with WME.

The veteran Hollywood actor made her writing and directing debut this year with her 1980s-set mafia drama Fresh Kills, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Esposito wrote, produced and stars in the film, which features Annabella Sciorra and Domenick Lombardozzi.

Esposito, who played detective Jackie Curatola and Donnie Wahlberg’s partner for three seasons of CBS’ cop drama Blue Bloods, arrives at WME as she focused more on the writing and directing space by developing a slate of film and TV projects.

On NCIS, she played NCIS special agent Alexandra “Alex” Quinn, an experienced agent who left field work and became an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center before being lured back into the field as a federal agent.

As an actor, Jennifer is a SAG, Critics Choice, and Hollywood Foreign Press award winner. She has appeared in over 60 film and TV series,...

Updated: Leah Remini has filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment, defamation and other unlawful conduct. Remini, who joined the Church in 1979 as a child and left in 2013, claims Scientology’s “mob-style operations and attacks” have “significantly” impacted her life and career.

“For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last,” Remini stated in a press release sent out Wednesday.

In a statement released Thursday, the Church of Scientology responded to Remini’s lawsuit, calling the actor and former member “an anti-free speech bigot.”

“If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself,” the Church continued.

CBS is unlikely to be uttering the words “thank you Chuck Norris” anytime soon after handing over some Walker, Texas Ranger dough to the octogenarian action star.

More than five years after Norris sued the network and the studio for more than $30 million over profits from the eight seasons-plus of the procedural, lawyers and spokespeople for both sides say “the parties have resolved the dispute.”

CBS and Norris’ attorney John V. Berlinski are being as tight-lipped about the confidential settlement as the laconic Sergeant Cordell Walker himself, Norris pocketed a healthy sum in the end, I hear.

Sony Pictures TV was originally a defendant in the January 31, 2018-filed breach-of-contract lawsuit, but the studio was dismissed from the matter last year.

Litigated though the darkest days of the pandemic and with arbitration, the initial complaint from Norris’ Top Kick Productions alleged that Sony and CBS engaged in “self-dealing” that “cost Top...

In November 2001, Ludacris was set to release his third album, “Word of Mouf.” At the same time, however, his debut on film, “The Wash,” was also about to hit theaters. Luda’s role in the DJ Pooh-directed comedy starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg was small. But “The Wash,” along with his goofball antics in several of his music videos, put Luda in front of major league filmmakers such as the late John Singleton and Paul Haggis. In back-to-back films, the rapper became a movie star as Tej Parker in 2003’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” followed in 2004 by the Oscar-winning “Crash.” Some 30 more movies would follow.

“The theatricality of my videos, my image — it was a bit of transition, going into acting, playing myself playing the Ludacris persona,” says Luda, credited in film as Chris Bridges. “But ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ was a great way to start, because the year after was when ‘Crash’ came along.

Quantum of Solace is generally considered one of the worst James Bond movies, but it was hardly the studio's fault, and was in large part a result of the 2007 writers' strike. Daniel Craig's second outing as Bond has a "fresh" 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and an acceptable 6.6 on IMDb, but time hasn't been kind to the movie, and the film looks even worse being sandwiched between Craig's best Bond Movies, Casino Royale and Skyfall. However, if the movie feels like the cast and crew were making it up as they went along, that's mostly because that's exactly what happened.

The Writers' Guild of America (WGA) has gone on strike after not being able to come to an agreement with movie studios for fair pay. As a result, a lot of movies will be put on hold, and movies that are currently in production could suffer too. Even if a movie's screenplay is complete,...

Michael G. Wilson, the longtime producer of the James Bond movie franchise and co-steward of the 007 brand (alongside his half-sister Barbara Broccoli), always had a clear vision for the film that would follow Casino Royale. Kind of. While audiences only realized how great Daniel Craig was in the tuxedo after that ambitious reboot landed in cinemas in November 2006, the filmmakers long recognized they were making something special. So even as Casino Royale was still in pre-production, Wilson took longtime Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade aside to make sure that the next Bond movie would spring smoothly out of Casino Royale’s ending.

If you don’t recall, Craig’s debut as 007 recreated the bitter denouement from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, with Bond realizing the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd was dead, and that she had betrayed him due to blackmail by a hidden enemy. “The job’s done,...

"Crash" winning Best Picture over "Brokeback Mountain" is easily one of the biggest upsets in modern Oscar history. The Academy's decision was already highly contentious and has only aged like sour milk in the decades since. Ang Lee's tragic romance, on the other hand, remains a touchstone for positive queer representation in mainstream cinema. To dismiss it as the embodiment of the "Bury Your Gays" trope is to approach the film in a vacuum. At a time when homophobic humor intended to assuage the insecurities of straight audiences was commonplace in Hollywood, Lee and his "Brokeback" actors dared to take the story of two men falling in love seriously.

According to Deadline, the tale of cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist is getting a new lease on life thanks to a London stage production based on Annie Proulx's original 1997 short story (not Lee's movie). Mike Faist and...

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences attempts to award Oscars to the “best” film or artist in each category that year, and each year it fails at least a few times.

There is always room for disagreement on what constitutes “best”: how can we possibly compare Toy Story 3, Inception and The King’s Speech? And yet voters did just that in 2010.

It is similarly impossible to nail down all the egregious choices in academy history, but here are a few of the most glaring errors, with just days to go until the 2023 ceremony. Starting with the granddaddy of them all...

How Green Was My Valley

Beat: Citizen Kane to Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography in 1941

It takes a bit of searching these days to find someone who has a) seen John Ford’s Welsh melodrama How Green Was My Valley and b...

To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.

Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.

Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.

By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.

When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.

Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.

To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.

Only 94 films in history have been given this award. They’re not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.

Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.

By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.

When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The King’s Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. It’s rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.

Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.