News

October has rolled around, and 2024 has finally hit its stride with big-time movie releases. It's inevitable that the Best Picture conversation heats up and early reviews for frontrunners like Anora, The Brutalist, and Conclave are in, and they are overwhelmingly full of praise. With the festival circuit hits coming around November and December, it's easy to forget about the films that have been leading the charge the whole time.

Jason Reitman's Saturday Night has been slowly picking up steam ever since it was announced as "SNL 1975." The cast of the film has been doing press for the last few months and has been charming the world with their chemistry. The movie is getting rave reviews and, through these charming interviews, has gained a cult following of impatient Twitter warriors dying for a wide release. One option that can potentially satisfy the Saturday Night itch is 2000's State and Main.

Red's unexpected success on Netflix 14 years later is a testament to its enduring charm and star-studded cast. Both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Red exceeded expectations and even earned a Golden Globe nomination. A sequel was released nine years later, though with Bruce Willis' retirement, the possibility of Red 3 is slim.

Red finds new success on Netflix 14 years after its release. Based on the DC Comics series of the same name, the 2010 action comedy follows Frank Moses, a former black-ops agent who reassembles his old team to uncover who was behind an assassination attempt on his life. Bruce Wills leads Red's cast, with the all-star ensemble also including Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, Rebecca Pidgeon, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, and James Remar.

Now, 14 years after its original release, Willis' action-comedy comic book adaptation has found new success on Netflix. Red ranked...

Bruce Willis' 2010 action movie Red is highly celebrated and trending on Netflix, offering a blend of action, thriller, and comedy. Red boasts an incredibly talented cast including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich, earning it positive reviews and a 72% Rt score. Despite the success of Red, its sequel, Red 2, received more negative reviews and had lower box office performance, preventing a third installment.

Bruce Willis' popular 2010 action movie is one of his best action franchises after Die Hard. Willis remains one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history, having appeared in some of the most iconic movies ever made, such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, and Frank Miller's Sin City. Willis has maintained his status as a staple of the modern action genre through his widely celebrated Die Hard franchise, which began with the celebrated 1988 original directed by John McTiernan.

Red, starring Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, is a highly entertaining blend of action and comedy, now on Netflix. The movie is based on a comic book series, with familiar faces like Helen Mirren and John Malkovich. While Red 2 is also available on Netflix, it's not as well-received as the original but still worth a watch.

Bruce Willis and Morgan Freemans underrated action-comedy movie, Red, is now available to stream on Netflix. Bruce Willis is best known for playing John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, a role which catapulted him to success in 1988 and cemented his legacy in the action movie genre. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman is most notable for The Shawshank Redemption, though his distinctive voice has featured in multiple genres and numerous movie roles. The two veteran actors only appear in a handful of movies together, despite their long-running careers, but Red is arguably their most underrated movie appearance.

Legendary film director Barry Levinson has given us such movies as Diner, Rain Man and Sleepers, while legendary screenwriter David Mamet penned such classics as The Untouchables, Glengarry Glen Ross and Ronin. The two are reportedly set to team up for a new film about the JFK assassination, which will star another cinema legend, Al Pacino. The film, Assassination, was first reported out of Cannes and is set to feature a cast including Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia Labeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon and Courtney Love.

Back when the film was revealed at Cannes, Mamet was set to direct his screenplay, which he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi. Now, Deadline is reporting that Barry Levinson is stepping in as the director for the film. According to Deadline, the plot of Assassination “tells the story of how infamous Chicago mobster Sam Giancana arranged the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as payback for trying...

Heist movies where teams of specialists played by big-name actors join forces in order to steal a fortune are a dime a dozen, but some films in the genre haven't received nearly enough recognition for how they build on the format. Everyone knows about the incredibly successful Ocean's Eleven franchise and Ant-Man and how well they follow the heist format, but since the genre came into its own through the '40s and '50s, there have been literally hundreds of heist movies and some deserve another look.

Whether these films have turned the format on its head, added a fun twist, or used a different perspective, each one is well crafted, well-cast, and deserves more success than it's already had. The technical challenge of having a large primary cast, creating a puzzle for the protagonists to solve, and a clear mark that when successfully acquired pays off the whole...

Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia LeBeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon (“Bird Box”) and singer/actress Courtney Love have joined the cast of the JFK thriller ‘Assassination’.

The synopsis reads; 1963. During a crucial justice hearing against organized crime, the head of the Chicago mob orders the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr., creating a deadly conspiracy while altering the fate of a nation.

Pulitzer Prize winner and Oscar nominee Mamet is directing from a story by himself and Nicholas Celozzi, who based the script on his great uncle, the Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, who may have played a significant role in orchestrating Kennedy’s assassination.

Also in news – Willem Dafoe cast in Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice 2’

Insiders indicate it will focus on events that took place 48 hours before the assassination, telling the mob’s version of the story. Celozzi based the material on details shared by his late...

David Mamet has a new movie in the works, and he's rounded up quite the cast. The writer/director has Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia Labeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon and Courtney Love are all on board.

Co-written by Mamet and Nicholas Celozzi, the film is set in 1963. During a crucial justice hearing against organized crime, the head of the Chicago mob orders the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr, creating a deadly conspiracy while altering the fate of a nation.

With the cameras set to roll this September in Vancouver, the film's rights are on sale at this year's Cannes Film Market.

The new JFK Thriller “Assassination” reveals its star-studded cast.

David Mamet’s new film will tell the story of the late American president John F. Kennedy’s famous assassination from the perspective of the mob that hired the hit on his life. Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana was said to have made the call as payback for JFK turning his back on them after they helped him to secure the election.

Read More: ‘The Crowded Room’ Trailer: Tom Holland’s Past Unravels In Psychological Thriller Series

Deadline reports that Oscar winner Al Pacino, Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen, Oscar nominee John Travolta, BAFTA winner Shia Labeouf, NBR Award winner Rebecca Pidgeon and Golden Globe nominated singer and actress Courtney Love are set to star in the new film.

Aside from directing, Mamet also co-wrote the script with Nicholas Celozzi, with Arclight launching the film for the Cannes market.

Read More: Elisabeth Moss,...

Assassination, an upcoming project written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet has just announced its stellar cast, with the likes of Oscar winner Al Pacino, Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen, Oscar nominee John Travolta, and BAFTA winner Shia Labeouf signing on to the JFK thriller. As revealed by Deadline, the likes of Bird Box and Heist star Rebecca Pidgeon and Golden Globe nominated singer Courtney Love will also join Pacino and the rest of these A-list names in the movie, which is all set to be launched at the Cannes market.

While details of their roles remain under wraps for now, it has been revealed that Assassination will be another retelling of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, only this time it will be told from the point of view of the mob. The movie will frame the murder as a hit ordered Chicago mob kingpin...

David Mamet is going to need more than a motorcade with the cast he has lined up for his upcoming JFK movie Assassination. Reports have come out that the film will star Al Pacino, John Travolta, Viggo Mortensen, Shia Labeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Courtney Love. That’s one Academy Award winner, two Oscar nominees, a BAFTA winner, Mamet’s wife, and Courtney Love! (We kid–Love is a fantastic actress and was robbed of a nod for The People vs. Larry Flynt.)

As per Deadline, Assassination “will retell the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s point of view, reimagining his death as a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected.” The script is co-written by Mamet and Nicholas Celozzi, who is actually Giancana’s grandnephew, which should elevate the authenticity.

This is the time of year, right before the kickoff of the Cannes Film Festival, when filmmakers put together tentative projects to present at the Cannes Film Market. This is when we get teases for massive features with amazing casts and filmmakers all being offered to the highest bidder. And this year, perhaps the most intriguing project up for sale is “Assassination.”

According to Arclight Films, David Mamet is ready to begin work on his newest film, “Assassination.” And as you might expect from a Mamet production, the filmmaker has pulled together a truly impressive cast that includes Al Pacino (“The Irishman”), Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”), John Travolta (“Pulp Fiction”), Shia Labeouf (“Honey Boy”), Rebecca Pidgeon (“Heist”), and Courtney Love (“The People vs.

Continue reading ‘Assassination’: Al Pacino, Shia Labeouf, Viggo Mortensen & More To Star In David Mamet’s New Thriller at The Playlist.

It’s been 15 years since Redbelt, the last theatrical feature from David Mamet, and time has not been kind to the writer-director. Like many in his generation, his mind has been fully Fox News-ified to the point where I had thought his 2008 feature might be his last film (not discounting his HBO outing in 2013) and his potential funding has dried up. That hasn’t been the case, however, as his next project has been announced ahead of production beginning this fall and it will be sold at the Cannes market.

Set in 1963 and scripted by Mamet and Nicholas Celozzi, Assassination is set during a “crucial justice hearing against organized crime, when the head of the Chicago mob orders the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, creating a deadly conspiracy while altering the fate of a nation.” With a cast featuring Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia Labeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon,...

Oscar winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Oscar nominee John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), BAFTA winner Shia Labeouf (Honey Boy), NBR Award winner Rebecca Pidgeon (Heist) and Golden Globe nominated singer and actress Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt) are set to star in the thriller Assassination, we can reveal.

The film, which Arclight is launching for the Cannes market, is to be directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Oscar nominee David Mamet (Wag the Dog) from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi.

Assassination will retell the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s point of view, reimagining his death as a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected (that thread formed a big part of Oliver Stone’s JFK).

Script co-writer Celozzi is Giancana’s grandnephew.

Angus MacLane, animation veteran and director of the new Pixar adventure Lightyear, discusses his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Taking Off (1971)

Reign of Terror (1949)

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s review

Lightyear (2022)

Toy Story (1995)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s Beyond Furious series, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Mars Attacks! (1996)

The ’Burbs (1989) – Ti West’s trailer commentary, ’Burbs Mania at Tfh

Alive (1993)

Star Wars (1977)

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

The Matrix (1999)

Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Tron (1982)

The Blues Brothers (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Howard The Duck (1986) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Wall-e (2008)

Predator 2 (1990)

Alien vs. Predator...

Welcome to this week’s Friday Night Smackdown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I’m…Nobody. I work as a tax attorney now, but I used to kill people for money…like a tax attorney. People used to f—k with me and get their heads blown off. I once took a Honda Prius and shoved it up Helen Mirren’s ass…then killed her. She thanked me at the Academy Awards…then I killed her. I worked for all the major government agencies: FBI, CIA, Nsa, Pizza Hut. I could sneak into the Kremlin in plain sight or sneak into your momma’s bedroom…in the ass. I took down Libya with a spoon. I wiped Blyflygamygastan off the face of the Earth. What’s that? You’ve never heard of Blyflygamygastan? My point exactly. I blackmailed chestnuts for being lazy. Rebecca Pidgeon owes...

Exclusive: Mindful that David Mamet gave me the best quote I’ve ever gotten in 30 years of trade reporting, I have been chasing him down to try to get him to answer a question on my mind. What does it feel like for a great writer of dialogue to have an actor like the late Sean Connery — who won his only Oscar with the Mamet-scripted Brian De Palma-directed drama The Untouchables — elevate the words like Connery did as the rough and tumble Irish cop Jim Malone? Or, for that matter, when Alec Baldwin and the other stellar stars turned Glengarry Glen Ross in a master class in toxic testosterone.

But when you talk to him, Mamet is like his best plays and scripts: unpredictable. That was the case back in my Daily Variety days, when I got Mamet on the phone to discuss the abrupt exit of actor Jeremy Piven...

Morgan Freeman, Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Williams, David Alan Grier, Elizabeth Ashley, Matthew Broderick, Lucas Hedges and Paul Mescal are among the actors who’ll take part in a benefit series of new, livestreamed stage reading productions of works by such major playwrights as Gore Vidal, David Mamet, Kenneth Lonergan and Donald Margulies.

Producer Jeffrey Richards announced the new line-up of the weekly Spotlight On Plays, a web series at the recently launched Broadway’s Best Shows website. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Actor’s Fund, with the livestreamed events available for a strictly limited amount of time.

Productions are all-new and performed remotely, with directors including Mamet, Phylicia Rashad and Daniel Sullivan given leeway in how to present their shows. (Watch a trailer for the series above.)

The series, which follows last May’s production of Love Letters with Bryan Cranston and Sally Field,...

David Mamet's new play, The Christopher Boy's Communion, will be staged for the first time, for a limited time only. Featuring a cast, that includes Rebecca Pidgeon, William H. Macy, Clark Gregg and recent Tony Award nominated Fionnula Flanagan, the story follows a grisly murder that has taken place in Central Park. It runs February 13 - 23, 2020 as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, for 10 performances only.

What’s your "only in Toronto" moment?

Having a celebratory dinner at Sotto-Sotto [ in 2001] after the premiere of David Mamet’s Heist with David, Danny Devito, Gene Hackman, Rebecca Pidgeon and others and having absolutely no one approach the table for an autograph or anything. When we were leaving, everyone in the restaurant applauded, so they knew we were there. Very Canadian to not be aggressive with stars in town for Tiff.

What was your Tiff high point?

Bringing an elephant in full regalia marching down Yonge street to the Elgin for the premiere of Breakaway.

What can’t you live ...

What’s your "only in Toronto" moment?

Having a celebratory dinner at Sotto-Sotto [ in 2001] after the premiere of David Mamet’s Heist with David, Danny Devito, Gene Hackman, Rebecca Pidgeon and others and having absolutely no one approach the table for an autograph or anything. When we were leaving, everyone in the restaurant applauded, so they knew we were there. Very Canadian to not be aggressive with stars in town for Tiff.

What was your Tiff high point?

Bringing an elephant in full regalia marching down Yonge street to the Elgin for the premiere of Breakaway.

What can’t you live ...

A little movie called Bird Box started streaming on Netflix back on December 21, 2018. You may have heard of it. The film starred Sandra Bullock and birthed an internet full of memes, challenges, and more. It was kind of a thing last year to put it lightly. And it turns out the movie's success has inspired the author of the book on which the Netflix original film was based, Josh Malerman to take to the typewriter once more for a sequel novel called Malorie. A sequel that will follow Sandra Bullock's character from the movie once again and the author promises it will expand on what we know about the creatures.

Josh Malerman says this about working on Malorie.

"In the time between Bird Box coming out and the time since I've been writing Malorie, I've been asked a ton of times: people want to know what happened with Boy and Girl.

Playwright David Mamet has expressed sympathy for his longtime friend Felicity Huffman and her husband, fellow actor William H. Macy, following her indictment in a widespread college admissions bribery scandal.

In a statement sent to media outlets on Tuesday, Mamet also slammed the “elite universities,” calling their admissions policies “an unfortunate and corrupt joke.”

“I’ve known Felicity Huffman for those 35 years, she was my student, my colleague, worked in many of my films, and created roles on stage in three of my plays,” Mamet said. “I’m crazy about them both. That a parent’s zeal for her children’s future may have overcome her better judgment for a moment is not only unfortunate, it is, I know we parents would agree, a universal phenomenon.”

Huffman debuted on Broadway in 1988 in Mamet’s “Speed the Plow” and won an Obie Award in 1995 for her work in Mamet’s “The Cryptogram.

Enter here for your chance to win passes to an advance screening of the new film The Divergent Series: Allegiant, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, and Miles Teller.

For your chance to receive two (2) complimentary passes to see the new film The Divergent Series: Allegiant at the Mjr Troy Digital Cinema in Troy, Michigan on Tuesday, March 15th at 7:00Pm, just look for the “Enter the Contest” box further down on this page. But hurry because there are a limited number of passes available and when they’re gone, they’re gone!

About The Film

The Divergent Series: Allegiant: The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent series franchise, Allegiant takes Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before. After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago.

The teaser trailer for The Divergent Series: Allegiant has dropped. With director Robert Schwentke at the helm, the film stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Daniel Dae Kim, Bill Skarsgård, Rebecca Pidgeon, Xander Berkeley, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jonny Weston, Nadia Hilker, Andy Bean and Naomi Watts. […]

The post ‘The Divergent Series: Allegiant’ Teaser Drops appeared first on uInterview.

Lionsgate has released a brand new trailer for the upcoming The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

The next chapter features a huge cast including Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Daniel Dae Kim, Bill Skarsgård, Rebecca Pidgeon, Xander Berkeley, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jonny Weston, Nadia Hilker, Andy Bean and Naomi Watts.

The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent series franchise, Allegiant takes Tris [Shailene Woodley] and Four [Theo James] into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before.

After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths. Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a ruthless battle...

Lionsgate has released three new posters and a trailer for director Robert Schwentke’s The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

Divergent is the most successful franchise launched since The Hunger Games with the first two Divergent films grossing nearly $600 million at the global box office.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant is slated for a domestic release in IMAX on March 18, 2016.

The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent series franchise, Allegiant takes Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before.

After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths.

Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a ruthless battle ignites...

Clara Mamet‘s debut feature Two-Bit Waltz has been acquired by Monterey Media, which plans a fall theatrical release. Mamet — the daughter of David Mamet and Rebecca Pidgeon — wrote, directed and stars in the indie comedy alongside Jared Gilman, David Paymer and William H. Macy. It centers on Maude, who is suspended from school, rejected sexually by her one true love — and then her grandmother dies. The will states that Maude will inherit a large sum of money on the condition that she finish her education. Plagued by a broken heart, the loss of a friend and a botched suicide attempt, she must decide […]...

Chicago – With the larger-than-life acting tics that have invaded most of Al Pacino’s performances in the last twenty years, it seemed inevitable that the actor was the only person who could possibly play a notable loon like Phil Spector. In tonight’s HBO movie named after the legendary producer, Pacino chews the scenery as one would expect but it’s Helen Mirren who steals the piece from the Oscar winner. Both actors are great and Mamet’s gift with dialogue remains intact but the plotting and choice of storytelling in “Phil Spector” makes for a final product that doesn’t make enough of a statement or tell us much about its title subject.

Television Rating: 3.0/5.0

The first scene of “Phil Spector” is the best. Linda Kenney Baden (Helen Mirren) joins the defense team of the volatile producer in his first trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson. As she...

HBO Film has released the first trailer for their new original movie, Phil Spector. The movie was directed by David Mamet and stars Al Pacino sporting all kinds of crazy hairstyles that Spector has had over the years. Pacino has never looked so strange. I don't see Phil Spector, I just see Pacino wearing some ridiculous wigs. 

Spector was a record producer famous for developing projects with a heavily layered "Wall of Sound." He was involved with releases from The Ramones, The Righteous Brothers, and The Beatles, among many others. Unfortunately, things ended badly.

The movie revolves around Spector as he was tried and convicted of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson for which he is currently incarcerated. 

Written and directed by David Mamet, Phil Spector is his exploration of the client-attorney relationship between legendary music producer Phil Spector (Al Pacino) and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden (Helen Mirren), who...

It’s one of the most famous cases in Hollywood history: Music producer Phil Spector was accused of the second-degree murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003. After a 2007 hung jury, he was found guilty in 2009 and is currently in prison. Now, the true story is coming to HBO with an all-star cast. An incredibly-similar-looking Al Pacino tackles the title role of Spector, and Helen Mirren plays his attorney, Linda Kenney Baden.

Written and directed by David Mamet, the HBO Films production focuses on his first trial and the relationship between Spector and Baden (who was one of many attorneys he went...

New York — There has been a lull. Talk of "Girls" settled down after its bombshell first season as fans took the opportunity to catch their breath.

That ends now. "Girls" is returning for its second season, Sunday at 9 p.m. Est. HBO's saga of four young women living in New York will then resume, with their struggles almost certain to inspire another round of amused if pained recognition on the part of the show's devotees.

"Girls," of course, was created by Lena Dunham, now 26, who also stars as Hannah, a would-be but none-too-successful writer living in Brooklyn. Hannah's circle of highly verbal, overanalytical chums includes Marnie, a gallery assistant played by Allison Williams; sexy self-absorbed bohemian Jessa (Jemima Kirke); and Jessa's cousin, the naive motormouth Shoshanna, whose coming-of-age in the first season included losing her virginity and accidentally smoking crack.

Shoshanna has other things going on. In the season opener,...

We love crime movies. We may go on and on about Scorsese’s ability to incorporate Italian neo-realism techniques into Mean Streets (1973), the place of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) in the canon of postwar noir, The Godfather (1972) as a socio-cultural commentary on the distortion of the ideals of the American dream blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda…but that ain’t it.

We love crime movies because we love watching a guy who doesn’t have to behave, who doesn’t have to – nor care to – put a choker on his id and can let his darkest, most visceral impulses run wild. Some smart-mouth gopher tells hood Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), “Go fuck yourself,” in Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), and does Tommy roll with it? Does he spit back, “Fuck me? Nah, fuck you!” Does he go home and tell his mother?

Nope.

He pulls a .45 cannon out from...

As Harvey Weinstein crawls on hands and knees up the Croisette, searching desperately for the next film to equal the success of last year’s golden child, “The Artist,” it can be hard to recall just how unique and singular the film seemed when first shown at Cannes, before its subsequent release and obnoxious awards season buzz. The plain fact is, director Michel Hazanavicius & Co. made a tremendous film, and today news has sprung up that the cast and crew will continue to pursue interesting projects, ones that find them in a distinctly different environment than before.

Jean Dujardin’s dazzling smile and comic chops largely dominated “Artist” discussion, but really it was actress Berenice Bejo who truly grounded the film with an emotional center, oftentimes playing the straight performer but owning some fine comic moments herself. She then broke men’s hearts everywhere with news that she was married to Hazanavicius,...

Spartan (David Mamet, 2004) was quite near the beginning of the artistic sequence that Mamet scholars would eventually call his "early crypto-fascist period"—certainly a good dozen years before his bizarre, Kaufmanesque wrestling matches with Tariq Ramadan, complete with veiled ringside girls, on Al-Jazeera.  About the film itself, critics were brutal. One of them called it "unimaginably crude – the Pickup on South Street (1) of the so-called War on Terror." Another said, "watching this film makes me want to commit innocent but suspicious acts deserving of a good waterboarding in Guantanamo." Despite the down-beat & cryptic patriotism of the film, it was not a success. Warner Brothers, sifting through the testing data, eventually fingered its too mild anti-Arabian racism. Mamet was forced to move the idea to television where he re-conceived the material for the series The Unit, primarily, the cynics said, as a way to get singing gigs for his wife, Scottish folkstress Rebecca Pidgeon.

Action movies are a young man's game. Or they used to be, before Sylvester Stallone resurrected the hard-man genre last summer with his team of middle-aged action heroes in The Expendables (2010). Now there's a fourth Mission: Impossible on the way with Tom Cruise still firmly strapped into the lead role, and even Tony Scott has been talking up the possibility of a Top Gun sequel. Middle-age, it seems, is no longer a barrier to kicking ass.

Robert Schwentke's Red (2010), adapted from British comic book writer Warren Ellis and artist Cull Hamner's graphic novel of the same name, an acronym of “Retired, Extremely Dangerous”, stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren as retired secret agents now hunted by their former employers for an unknown reason. Willis unwittingly drags the object of his remote affections, the younger Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) into the chase, which is led by CIA...

A group of retired CIA agents stormed the home video charts last week, with Red sweeping the Blu-ray sales, DVD sales and DVD rental charts, for the week ending January 30.

Secretariat took second place on both the DVD and Blu-ray sales charts, and sixth place on the DVD rentals charts. Although Secretariat took second place in DVD sales, it only sold 62% as many units as Red. Secretariat also finished sixth place on the rental charts. Both Red, from Summit Entertainment, and Secretariat, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, do not apply the 28-day waiting period on both Netflix and Redbox like several studios do.

Saw: The Final Chapter was the only other notable new release, finishing in third place on all three charts. Takers, which was last week's top-selling disc, dropped all the way to eighth place in DVD sales in just its second week on the shelves. Takers also...

A group of retired CIA agents stormed the home video charts last week, with Red sweeping the Blu-ray sales, DVD sales and DVD rental charts, for the week ending January 30.

Secretariat took second place on both the DVD and Blu-ray sales charts, and sixth place on the DVD rentals charts. Although Secretariat took second place in DVD sales, it only sold 62% as many units as Red. Secretariat also finished sixth place on the rental charts. Both Red, from Summit Entertainment, and Secretariat, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, do not apply the 28-day waiting period on both Netflix and Redbox like several studios do.

Saw: The Final Chapter was the only other notable new release, finishing in third place on all three charts. Takers, which was last week's top-selling disc, dropped all the way to eighth place in DVD sales in just its second week on the shelves. Takers also...

Chicago – After 2010, the Golden Globes should officially retire the category of “Best Musical or Comedy” for two reasons: 1. A staggeringly small percentage of American films annually fall under the category of “musical,” and 2. This year’s nominees were so embarrassingly awful that they instantly drained the category of any future credibility.

With the obvious exception of the family drama “The Kids Are All Right,” none of the nominated pictures were the least bit deserving of a Best Picture nod. Yet unlike “The Tourist,” “Burlesque” and (arguably) “Alice in Wonderland,” “Red” is the only nominee destined to spawn an ill-advised franchise. A sequel to “Red” would be wholly unnecessary, since the original film could easily function as its own sequel, remake and TV spin-off.

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0

Why? Because this 111-minute exercise in excess is built around exactly one joke: old geezers love firing guns. This premise stopped being funny around the...

Plenty of members registered to win Red and The Social Network on Blu-ray, courtesy of Summit Entertainment and Columbia Pictures; and now the winners have been selected. DeMoNaSsDiZ will take home the action-packed film Red, starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Julian McMahon, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, James Remar and Richard Dreyfuss. SLCpunk801 will take home David Fincher's award winning drama The Social Network on Blu-ray; starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella and Rooney Mara. [Click on the images below to enlarge]...

Here's your chance to own Red and The Social Network on Blu-ray courtesy of Summit Entertainment and Columbia Pictures with the first Daily Blam! caption contest. Follow the jump for the details... Red, starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Julian McMahon, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, James Remar with Richard Dreyfuss, will be available to own on DVD & Blu-ray January 25th, 2011. In honor of it's home release, we're proud to offer a Special Edition copy of the film on Blu-ray to one lucky winner! That's not all... being that this is our first of many caption contests, we're offering our members another chance to take home a prize. This time it's David Fincher's award winning drama The Social Network on...

Summit Entertainment has begun working on a sequel to 2010's Red, bringing back the scripting team of Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber to write the new installment.

According to Variety, Summit has not given the green light yet to a second Red, which grossed $90 million domestically following its October release. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren starred as former CIA agents who are classified as "Red" -- retired, extremely dangerous.

Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber adapted Warren Ellis' comic book for DC.

No production date has been set.

Red was released October 15th, 2010 and stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Heidi von Palleske, Jefferson Brown, Karl Urban, Chris Owens, Rebecca Pidgeon, Morgan Freeman. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke.

Thoughts I had while watching... Red (2010)

A few years ago I attended one of those New Yorker festival interviews that featured Mary-Louise Parker and the writer/moderator called her "a chameleon" after showing a clip of her from a movie I didn't recognize in which she wore a blond wig. It was the most ridiculous thing I heard that entire movie year.

Mary-Louise Parker is not a chameleon. Mary-Louise Parker plays Mary-Louise Parker. Like most enduring star actors, she's very very good at her one role.

This random memory came to me while watching Red, the October action comedy (yes, I'm two months late.) about Retired and Extremely Dangerous operatives, that the Golden Globe and Satellite voters unfortunately tossed into the precursor-mandated viewing schedule.

In the film Mary-Louise Parker plays Mary-Louise Parker with a headset. She works a boring job answering phones in some payroll divison of government and she...

Based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Red is an explosive action-comedy starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. Starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Julian McMahon, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, James Remar with Richard Dreyfuss Directed by Robert Schwentke Screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber Based on the Graphic Novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be the CIA's top agents - but the secrets they know just made them the Agency's top targets. Now framed for assassination,...

Filed under: Features, Cinematical

One of the supporting roles in 'Red' is played by Rebecca Pidgeon, who is married to David Mamet and primarily appears only in movies written and/or directed by him. When you see Rebecca Pidgeon in a film, you think David Mamet must be involved. As it happens, that's not the case with 'Red.' But it was enough of an excuse for us to imagine what 'Red' would have been like if it had been written by David Mamet.

David Mamet's 'Red'

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis): F***ers shot up my house.

Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman): Your house?

Frank: My house, the f***ers shot it up.

Joe: Those f***ers.

Frank: Sons of b******.

Joe: Who were these f***ers?

Fran : Dunno. The Company, maybe. Black ops? The hell do I know?

Joe: Did you get--

Frank: Here, I got--...

Weekend Box Office

1Jackass 3D$50 million2Red$22.5 million3The Social Network$11 million4Secretariat$9.5 million5Life as We Know It$9.2 million6Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole$4.2 million7The Town$4 million8My Soul to Take$3.1 million9Easy a$2.6 million10Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps$2.3 million#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10

There were some big surprises at the box office last week as the new romantic comedy Life as We Know It, which was supposed to debut at the top of the charts only took second place. Instead, David Fincher's The Social Network held strong and took the number one spot for a second week in a row. But this weekend the "Facebook Movie" had a tough time retaining its top position against two highly anticipated new movies, Red starring Bruce Willis, which is based on the popular comic book and Jackass 3D, the final film in the big screen trilogy based on the groundbreaking MTV reality series.

Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Written by: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner

Cast: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Jefferson Brown, Karl Urban, Rebecca Pidgeon, Morgan Freeman, Jaqueline Fleming, Jason Giuliano, Lawrence Turner, Emily Kuroda, Ernest Borgnine, John Malkovich, James Remar, Brian Cox, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss

A 'Joe Normal' life of easy going retirement might introduce a lot of boredom into the lives of just about any of us, but this is arguably even more so if your career had been something that gave regular adrenaline boosts. Some jobs are more of a complete lifestyle than a simply 9 to 5, and it can be hard to stop old habits and settle down. Imagine all the heroes and deep undercover spies we've seen in action and suspense thrill films over the last decades; when their lives winded into their 60's or 70's, what did they do with themselves? Sip lemonade, sit on the porch,...

Predicted Weekend Box Office

1Jackass 3D$28.1 million2Red$22.5 million3The Social Network$10.8 million4Life as We Know It$7.9 million5Secretariat$7.8 million6Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole$4.4 million7The Town$4.2 million8My Soul to Take$3.1 million9Easy a$2.6 million10Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps$2.3 million#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10

Last weekend, most Hollywood insiders predicted that Katherine Heigl's new romantic comedy Life as We Know It would take the top spot at the box office. But the movie came up short and failed to find as large an audience as was expected. While David Fincher's The Social Network held the number one spot for the second week in a row. The "Facebook Movie" will have stiff competition this weekend from two highly anticipated new movies, Red starring Bruce Willis, which is based on the popular comic book and Jackass 3D, the final film in the big screen trilogy based on the groundbreaking MTV reality series.

Good, breezy fun, Red, which opens wide across the Us today, is satisfying as throwaway entertainment, but it's even more interesting as a pluperfect example / warning signal of what can happen to European directors who want to make films in Hollywood.

Director Robert Schwentke, born in Germany, made his feature debut with Tattoo in 2002, a dark and tasty serial killer movie. It was pulpy and propulsive; the glossy sheen of the photography played in counterpoint to the ghoulish details of the death scenes, and August Diehl gave an edgy performance as the lead investigator. Schwentke, who penned the script, had previous experience writing for the venerable German TV show Tatort, and it felt like he'd stored up ideas until he could make his own movies.

His next film, The Family Jewels, a comedy about testicular cancer, did not make as many stops on the festival circuit as Tattoo, and all...

Chicago – In our latest action/comedy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 35 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new film “Red” with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker!

“Red” also stars Heidi von Palleske, Jefferson Brown, Karl Urban, Chris Owens, Rebecca Pidgeon and Jaqueline Fleming from director Robert Schwentke and writers Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber.

This screening is on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. To win your free “Red” pass courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just refer a few friends to the HollywoodChicago.com mailing in this secure, Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “Red” with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker.

Image credit: Summit Entertainment

Here is the plot synopsis...