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In Bob Clark's 1984 film "Rhinestone," Dolly Parton plays a country singer named Jake who is utterly miserable singing at a sleazy New York nightclub called the Rhinestone. In a fit of pique -- perhaps after reading a copy of "Pygmalion" -- Jake posits that she can grab any random schnook off the street and transform them into a celebrated country music star within two weeks. The club owner, Freddie (Ron Leibman) takes that bet, saying that if Jake is successful, she'll be released from her long-term contract. If she loses, however, she'll be stuck at the Rhinestone for another five years. 

Unfortunately for Jake, the random schnook she grabs is the mookish Italian cab driver Nick Martinelli, played by Sylvester Stallone. As anyone who has seen Stallone act could tell you, he is not known for his musical acumen,...

Gen-Xers likely recall this with clarity, but way back in 1987, when actor Bruce Willis was riding high in Hollywood, he began to, perhaps misguidedly, branch out. He released a blues record called "The Return of Bruno," a concept album consisting mostly of covers that was said to trace the rise and success of a fictional alter-ego named Bruno Radolini. In a tie-in TV special the same year, Willis played the titular Bruno in a mockumentary about the character. Many people bought "The Return of Bruno" as a pop culture curio, more eager to mock Willis than to give his music a chance. These days, few remember "Bruno," and those that do only bring it up for reasons of kitsch. 

Even fewer people, however, will remember an additional return of Bruno. Willis, it seems, wasn't done.

In 1996, Willis co-created and starred in an animated series called "Bruno the Kid," a comedy...

Jodie Comer and Hugh Jackman are filming The Death Of Robin Hood in Belfast, starting this week. More details on the film here.

Physical production is getting underway this week on The Death Of Robin Hood, a film that secured distribution backing at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Some nine months on, cameras are being set up, and filming is taking place in Northern Ireland.

Jodie Comer and Hugh Jackman lead the cast of the movie, and it’s being written and directed by Michael Sarnoski. He previously brought to the screen the terrific Nicolas Cage-headlined Pig, and – more recently – steered A Quiet Place: Day One.

The Death Of Robin Hood is being distributed by A24 in the US, and True Brit Entertainment has snagged the rights in the UK. True Brit has previously released The Critic over here, and its next release is the Danny Dyer-headlined Marching Powder,...

Mark Strong is set as a series regular opposite leads Callum Turner and Briana Middleton in Neuromancer, Apple TV+’s 10-episode drama series based on the award-winning novel of the same name by William Gibson.

Created for television by Graham Roland and Jd Dillard, Neuromancer follows a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case (Turner) who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high-stakes crime with his partner Molly (Middleton), a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes, aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.

Strong will play Armitage, Case and Molly’s mysterious employer. In addition to Turner and Middleton, he joins previously cast Joseph Lee who plays Hideo, a professional bodyguard.

A co-production between Skydance Television, Anonymous Content and Apple Studios, Neuromancer is also produced by Drake’s DreamCrew Entertainment. Roland will serve as showrunner and Dillard is set to direct the pilot episode.

Harlan Coben's next series on Netflix will be Run Away. The eight-episode series will be based on Coben's book from 2019. And just like with everything else Coben, you know you are going to want to see it. The recently announced cast will certainly make that a possibility.

The plot involves a father, Simon, whose eldest daughter, Paige, runs away. Simon searches for her (of course!) but finds her high on drugs in a city park. The story does not end there, though. Simon thinks Paige is alone, but she isn't, and violence ensues. He loses his daughter all over again, and his new search for her sends him into an underworld that could tear their family apart.

But who is playing Simon and who is playing Paige? That is what you really want to know, right? Good news! We now know all that information.

New Harlan Coben series, Run Away,...

Minnie Driver, Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones and James Nesbitt are leading cast on Run Away, Harlan Coben’s next Netflix series.

The pair join another 10 in the latest from Coben, as his current series, Missing You, dominates top-10s around the world and a year after Fool Me Once drew millions and millions of viewers.

Driver is playing Ingrid Greene, Jones is Elena Ravenscroft and Nesbitt is Green’s husband Simon.

Synopsis reads: “Simon had the perfect life: loving wife and kids, great job, beautiful home. But then his eldest daughter Paige ran away and everything fell apart. So now when he finds her, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he finally has the chance to bring his little girl home. But it turns out she’s not alone, and an argument escalates into shocking violence. In the aftermath, Simon loses his daughter all over again,...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to UnBroken, the award-winning documentary that tells an extraordinary story of survival from Nazi Germany.

The distributor plans a February 21 theatrical release of the film from first-time director Beth Lane (watch the film’s trailer below). UnBroken bowed at the Heartland Film Festival in 2023 where it won Best Premiere Documentary Feature, going on to screen at Doc NYC and other festivals across the U.S. It won audience awards at RiverRun International Film Festival in North Carolina, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival in Iowa, and Berkshire International Film Festival in Massachusetts.

An animated sequence in ‘UnBroken’

The Weber siblings — Alfons, Senta, Ruth, Gertrude, Renee, Judith and Bela — faced incredible danger as World War II erupted and the Nazis implemented their hideous plan to exterminate all Jews. After their mother was seized and sent to Auschwitz where she was killed, their father made...

Imagine an acerbic love child miraculously spawned by Addison DeWitt of “All About Eve” and Waldo Lydecker of “Laura,” with John Simon serving as midwife, and you will be prepared for Jimmy Erskine, the viciously witty and mercilessly demanding title character played with utterly delicious flamboyance by Ian McKellen in “The Critic.” Directed by Anand Tucker (“Shopgirl”) and written by Patrick Marber (“Notes on a Scandal”), the film is a heady brew of period thriller, compelling melodrama and jet-black comedy, and the second most remarkable thing about it is how seamlessly these diverse elements gel.

Even more remarkable, however, is McKellen’s multifaceted portrayal of the man aptly known as “The Monster,” both behind his back and to his face, in the film’s world of 1930s London theater.

Erskine takes unseemly delight in savagely shredding the productions (and performances) he finds lacking, and the physical appearances of actors he deems unattractive.

Former Bond girl actress Gemma Arterton isn’t sure the spy franchise is ready for a female protagonist.

“Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?” the actor told The Times. “They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous. Sometimes you just have to respect the tradition.”

Arterton played Strawberry Fields in 2008’s Bond installment, Quantum of Solace. The film was Daniel Craig’s second time playing James Bond and the franchise’s 22nd installment overall. Strawberry Fields is a consular employee who Bond seduces in Bolivia.

“I don’t regret doing a Bond film, but I am perplexed why it has followed me around,” Arterton added. “I was only in the film for five minutes.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the actress defined herself as “really scruffy” and said she was therefore “surprised that [a pin-up] was the way I was viewed for a long time.

“Quantum of Solace” star Gemma Arterton has weighed in on the prospect of a female James Bond, suggesting that such a change might not align with the franchise’s tradition. “Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins being played by a man?” the actor told The Times. “They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous. Sometimes you just have to respect the tradition.”

Arterton, who played Strawberry Fields in the 2008 Bond film alongside Daniel Craig, also expressed puzzlement at how the role has followed her career: “I don’t regret doing a Bond film, but I am perplexed why it has followed me around. I was only in the film for five minutes.”

The 38-year-old actor, who recently starred opposite Ian McKellen in “The Critic,” spoke candidly about the evolution of on-set practices, particularly regarding intimate scenes. She recalled an instance where “a...

Exclusive: Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings franchise), Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), and James Corden (Gavin & Stacey) are set to star in The Christophers, the next film from Steven Soderbergh, which goes into production in London in February.

The Christophers is a dark comedy about the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be discovered and sold after his death. Script is by Ed Solomon, Soderbergh’s collaborator on the 2021 crime thriller No Sudden Move, Max miniseries Full Circle, HBO murder mystery Mosaic (released as both a series and a mobile app), and Bill & Ted Face the Music (which Soderbergh exec produced).

Department M, run by Michael Schaefer and Mike Larocca, will finance the film, with Schaefer and Larocca to serve as executive producers. Schaefer comes to the project after collaborating with Soderbergh on his 2018 film Unsane...

Legendary film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were known for their passionate discussions about movies, whether they were raving about arthouse offerings like My Dinner with Andre or fiercely debating the artistic merits of Home Alone 3.

But what about TV?

Well, apart from that time that they reviewed an episode of Saturday Night Live during the episode, the famous duo didn’t really discuss TV shows. But that all changed thanks to one very special animated series: The Critic. Al Jean and Mike Reiss’ underrated primetime cartoon chronicled the life of a portly New York film critic and TV host Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) who routinely trashed Hollywood blockbusters such as Scent of a Wolfman and Dennis the Menace II Society.

So, naturally, Siskel and Ebert took note of The Critic. They then took the highly unusual step of reviewing it on a 1994 episode of their show,...

They don’t hand out awards for when you lose your mother, but if they did, Homer Simpsons’ trophy case would be full.

As Homer’s many experiences reconnecting with Mona before another untimely departure can attest, there aren’t many things in this world that are less funny than losing your mom. No matter what age you are when you experience this unique grief, it’s extremely hard to see how any joy can come out of such a loss, which is exactly why comedy savants like legendary Simpsons writer, showrunner and producer Mike Reiss get paid the big bucks: Nobody can do what they do quite as well as they do it.

Reiss sadly lost his mother recently, and, to celebrate her memory, he made an incredible joke that he thinks would have killed with his mom:

Reiss won the 1990 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One...

The Simpsons has crossed over with a number of other TV shows over the years, including Futurama, Family Guy and The X-Files. It’s happened so many times at this point that it’s hard to believe that the mere suggestion of inviting Jay Sherman from The Critic onto an episode was the subject of a major behind-the-scenes controversy. Side note: How can anyone be mad at an episode that gave us “Man Getting Hit by Football?”

Well, now The Simpsons gang are once again co-mingling with another popular show that falls under the Disney corporate umbrella: ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

According to Disney, the December 9th game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys will be presented in traditional fashion, but it will also be available to stream in a version set in the world of Springfield.

Yes, in the “Funday Football” stream, the Bengals will be coached by Bart,...

John Trafford-Owen, former executive at Studiocanal and Paramount Pictures, has joinedZygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment as head of theatrical sales.

Trafford-Owen was previously head of theatrical distribution at Studiocanal UK as well as sales director for the UK and Ireland at Paramount Pictures International and United International Pictures UK. More recently, Trafford-Owen has worked withGower Street Analytics, Anton Capital,RealD, Dolby Cinema and IMAX.

True Brit has also hired Kate Willoughby as its senior marketing manager and Rob Barnes as head of home entertainment.

Willoughby began her career at Momentum Pictures and went on to work with distributors including Universal Pictures,...

Anand Tucker’s The Critic is a crime drama that shifts gears a little too soon. Jimmy Erskine, played by Ian McKellen, was known for his blatant savage commentary, and while some relished his harsh criticism, thespians dreaded him. The first half dealt with Erskine’s self-obsession and compulsive need to feel powerful and validated, but it soon escalated into something a little too dark for the premise to handle. Jimmy Erskine felt threatened after the new editor-in-chief, Viscount Brooke, warned him to tone down his criticism. This was perhaps the first time anyone had dared to question Erskine’s style, and he did not know how to react to it. He refused to live in constant fear of losing his job, and at the same time, he was hellbent on sticking to his style. It was the 1930s, and homosexuality was considered a crime. One night, Erskine was drunk...

The general consensus on "The Simpsons" is that it started to go downhill somewhere between seasons 7 and 10. Some fans will argue that the first ten years are the real golden age, while others will point to season 3 to 7 as the real sweet spot. Either way, almost all fans will surely agree that "The Simpsons" stopped being good at some point.

For those superfans who remember buying the DVD box sets just to listen intently to the commentary tracks (this writer may or may not be included in that group), you might recall the season 10 episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" as a real hinge moment for the series. I distinctly remember then-showrunner Mike Scully having to sweat through the commentary track while a palpable sense of disappointment slowly built. This was, after all, the episode where Mr. Burns travels to Scotland and actually captures the Loch Ness monster, bringing the...

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Oct 4-6)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Joker: Folie à Deux (Warner Bros) £5.7m £5.7m 1 2. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £1.1m £22.8m 5 3. Speak No Evil (Universal) £408,214 £4.8m 4 4. The Substance (Mubi) £358,000 £2.2m 3 5. The Outrun (Studiocanal) £319,542 £1.1m 2

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.31

Warner Bros blockbuster Joker: Folie à Deux topped the UK-Ireland box office on its opening weekend; but its £5.7m start was 54.9% down on the £12.6m opening of the 2019 first film.

Folie à Deux took an £7,826 average from 725 cinemas – also down 58.2% on the £18,734 average from 671 sites of Joker.

A potential yardstick for Folie à Deux’s performance is 2021 comic...

A decent September saw the UK-Ireland box office reduce its year-on-year deficit from -15% at the start of August 2024, to -10% by the end of September.

Although still down on last year at this stage, the four weeks in September 2024 brought in £60.1m, up 21% on the equivalent weeks of September 2023.

UK-Ireland top 10 titles September 2024 Rank Title Distributor September gross Total gross Release date 1 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Warner Bros £21.6m £21.6m 06/09/24 2 Speak No Evil Universal £4.4m £4.4m 13/09/24 3 Lee Studiocanal £3.1m £3.1m 13/09/24 4 Prima Facie - Nt Live 2022 (2024 re-issue) National Theatre Live £2.6m £2.6m 06/09/24 5 Deadpool & Wolverine Disney £2.1m £57.4m 26/07/24 6 It Ends With Us...

The Critic co-creator Mike Reiss shared Jay Sherman's review of Tim Burton's latest film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Reiss co-created The Critic with Al Jean, which originally ran from 1994 to 1995. The series followed movie critic Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz), who hosted a movie review TV show similar to Siskel and Ebert (who also guest starred in the series as themselves). Throughout The Critic, Jay often reviewed a movie on his show by saying "It stinks." Jay even appeared in a season 6 episode of The Simpsons, which was another show that Reiss and Jean had worked on together.

On X, Reiss posted an image of Sherman on the set of his show Coming Attractions. The image in the post was shown in The Critic's opening theme song. In the post, Reiss wrote (as Jay) "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stinks stinks." Check out the review below:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stinks stinks. pic.twitter.

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Sep 27-29) Total gross to date Week 1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £1.8m £21m 4 2. Speak No Evil (Universal) £641,119 £4m 3 3. The Substance (Mubi) £420,495 £1.5m 2 4. Lee (Studiocanal) £400,612 £2.8m 3 5. The Outrun (Studiocanal) £397,526 £449,025 1

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.34

Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun scored a top five spot on its opening weekend at the UK-Ireland box office; as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice held top spot for a fourth successive weekend, and Megalopolis opened outside the top five.

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice added £1.8m – a slim drop of just 27.2%, that brings it to just shy of £21m. It is now the eighth-highest-grossing 2024 release,...

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” continues to dominate the U.K. and Ireland box office, maintaining its top position for the third consecutive week. The Warner Bros. sequel generated £2.4 million ($3.2 million) over the weekend, bringing its total to £18.2 million ($24.4 million), per numbers from Comscore.

Universal’s “Speak No Evil” held steady in second place, earning £813,890 in its sophomore frame for a cumulative £2.8 million. Mubi’s new release “The Substance” debuted in third with £591,247. Studiocanal’s “Lee” moved down to fourth place in its second week, adding £556,465 for a £1.8 million total.

There was a tie for the fifth spot. The 10th-anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” from Warner Bros. opened with £453,921, while Universal’s”Despicable Me 4″ continued its strong run, tying “Interstellar” with £453,921 for the weekend and pushing its 11-week total to £46.6 million.

Signature Entertainment’s “200% Wolf” debuted at seventh place with £237,037. Long-running hits “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “It Ends With Us...

Sir Ian McKellen ain’t one to take a bad review lying down, especially if he knows it’s completely off the mark. After all, being a knight of the realm and a legend on stage and screen doesn’t mean you have to quietly nod along when a critic tears into your performance. McKellen firmly believes that actors have every right to push back if a review feels unfair or unearned.

Sir Ian McKellen l Image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

With decades of acting prowess under his belt, he knows when a critique is off-target. For him, standing up against a bad review isn’t about vanity—it’s about defending the craft. McKellen’s stance? Sometimes, critics need to be reminded that even they aren’t beyond reproach.

Sir Ian McKellen Fights Back Against Critics in The Critic—At 85, He’s Not Holding Back!

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Sep 13-15)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £2.5m £18.2m 3 2. Speak No Evil (Universal) £813,979 £3m 2 3. Lee (Studiocanal) £555,529 £1.8m 2 4. The Substance (Mubi) £519,668 £591,322 1 5. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) £369,840 £46.7m 11

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.32

Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice continued its reign at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as it crossed the £18m mark while Mubi body horror The Substance opened in fourth place.

The Beetlejuice sequel dropped 42% in its third week to bring in £2.5m and push its total up to £18.2m. It will likely enter the UK top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 within the next week.

Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” held the lead at the U.K. and Ireland box office for a second consecutive weekend, earning £4.2 million ($5.6 million) for a cumulative total of £14.4 million ($19 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

Universal’s newcomer “Speak No Evil” secured the second position with a £1.4 million debut, while Studiocanal’s “Lee” entered the chart at number three with £705,643.

The National Theatre’s re-release of filmed play “Prima Facie – Nt Live 2022” landed in fourth place, adding £556,470 to its total of £1.4 million. Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” continues its strong run in fifth place, earning £389,929 in its 10th week for a total of £46.2 million.

Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” follows in sixth, adding £359,588 for a cumulative £56.6 million over eight weeks. Lionsgate U.K.’s new entry “The Critic” debuted at number seven with £353,075. Sony Pictures’ “It Ends With Us” placed eighth, earning £327,196 for a total of £20.8 million, while Disney’s...

There wasn’t much of a chance that any of the new movies would give Tim Burton and Michael Keaton‘s reunion for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” a run for the top spot. Read on for the weekend box office report.

Sure enough, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was the number-one movie for a second weekend in a row with $51.6 million, down 54% from its opening weekend, bringing its domestic total to $188 million in North America. Overseas, it added another $28.7 million, which helped bring its international total to $76.3 million and worldwide box office to $264.3 million. We’re definitely going to have to wait to see how well this holds up against upcoming movies like “Transformers One.”

James McAvoy starred in the Blumhouse remake of the Danish horror film “Speak No Evil,” which Universal released into 3,375 theaters with strong reviews, currently at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite a strong premise, the latest Blumhouse only brought in $1.3 million in...

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.) had an unexpectedly strong second weekend. With just under $52 million, it fell 54 percent (quite decent from a $111 million start), and a domestic total of $188 million in just 10 days.

Its take made up just over half of the U.S./Canada estimated gross of $95 million. That’s up 50 percent from last year, with year to date totals now 12 percent below last year.

The “Beetlejuice” 36 years-later sequel now looks certain to top the original film’s grosses, adjusted to current ticket prices. “Twisters” (Universal), released earlier this summer, was a similar legacy project, though with a different cast. As big as it was ($266 million domestic so far), that’s about half of the adjusted total for the 1996 original.

“Beetlejuice,” however, is faring similarly to “Twisters” overseas. With the film open around most of the world, its foreign take so far is only $76 million, a smaller gross compared to domestic.

Gemma Arterton and Ian McKellen in The Critic

Director Anand Tucker and screenwriter Patrick Marber's 1930s period drama The Critic, sees Sir Ian McKellen step into the shoes of Jimmy Erskine, the chief theatre critic of the Daily Chronicle newspaper. The most feared critic of his time, he seeks to entertain his readers with scathingly witty takedowns of any actor or production that fails to meet his standards.

After the death of his father, David Brooke (Mark Strong) takes over the Chronicle. He and Erskine immediately clash as he tries to make it a family-friendly newspaper. He lets go of some of the old guard writers, and makes a simple request of Erskine: "Be kinder." The veteran critic can't abide it and, after being arrested for homosexual transgressions, he loses his job. In order to take back power from Brooke, he makes a deal with actress Nina Land (Gemma...

As a critic preparing to write about The Critic, I feel somewhat intimidated. The eponymous writer at the center of Anand Tucker's period drama, Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), uses his words as weapons against the actors and directors who dare present him with a horrible performance. He's brutal, and takes pleasure in each cutting word he has his loyal secretary Tom (Alfred Enoch) type up. I couldn't be further from Jimmy, which is why it disappoints me to have to write that The Critic was far less fun than I had hoped it would be.

The Critic

Director Anand TuckerRelease Date September 13, 2024Writers Patrick Marber, Anthony QuinnCast Alfred Enoch, Beau Gadsdon, Romola Garai, Ian McKellen, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Gemma Arterton, Ben BarnesCharacter(s) Tom Turner, Annabel Land, Cora Wyley, Jimmy Erskine, Stephen Wyley, David Brooke, Freya Wyley, Nina LandRuntime 95 MinutesGenres Drama, Mystery, Crime

As the very revealing trailer suggests,...

Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) has never minced words in his decades-spanning career as the poison-quilled theater critic for London’s Daily Chronicle. When a maligned actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), confronts her nemesis in the street, demanding to know whether she’s really as “appalling” on stage as he’s alleged in print, he responds, with a half-apologetic look of disgust as he recalls her past performances, “I’m afraid so.” Could she have expected mercy? This is, after all, the man who wrote of her on-stage death scene that “when Miss Land finally, blessedly, expires, her death is akin to a deflated dirigible.”

So, let’s take a tip from Jimmy and speak plainly: Despite its perfect grenades of one-liner takedowns, Anand Tucker’s The Critic is nothing short of a mess. It’s only the winking malice of Sir Ian’s title character that prevents it from imploding entirely,...

Directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, The Critic is a period thriller film adapted from Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel Curtain Call. The film features an outstanding cast, including legendary stage and screen actor Ian McKellen as the notorious theatre critic Jimmy Erskine, while Gemma Arterton stars as the beleaguered actress Nina Land. Mark Strong is David Brooke, the son of a newspaper proprietor while Lesley Manville portrays Nina’s mother, Annabel Land.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year. Following its initial screenings, the film underwent some reshoots and tweaks after festival audiences found the original cut too dark in tone, leading to a slightly lighter version being released.

The film is set in the cutthroat world of 1930s London theatre, where Jimmy Erskine reigns supreme as the most feared and respected critic. His acerbic reviews are known to make or break careers,...

Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” conjured a dominating £7.3 million ($9.6 million) opening weekend in the U.K. and Ireland, easily claiming the top spot at the box office, according to numbers from Comscore.

Ahimsa Entertainment’s Tamil-language film “The Greatest Of All Time” (“Goat”), starring Vijay, debuted in second place with £768,842.

Sony’s “It Ends With Us” held strong in its fifth week, landing at number three with £668,902, pushing its total to £20.1 million. Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” continued to perform well in its seventh frame, adding £661,592 for a £55.9 million cume.

Rounding out the top five, Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” scared up another £570,708 in its fourth weekend, bringing its total to £12.1 million.

Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” showed staying power in sixth place, collecting £543,555 in its ninth week for a £45.7 million total. Warner Bros.’ “Blink Twice” landed in seventh with £331,425 in its third weekend, accumulating £2.62 million overall.

Disney’s “Inside Out 2” took the eighth spot,...

Gemma Arterton has revealed that she once had to resist pressure from an unnamed director to film a sex scene that was written to take place off-camera.

Arterton, who has performed alongside Daniel Craig in James Bond movie Quantum of Solace and is currently starring in The Critic, said she “flat out” rejected the director’s demand.

In an interview with The Radio Times, the actress said: “I remember being on a set once and the director said, ‘You’re going to shag on the bed.’ And I said, ‘No, this scene was written for us to be off-screen, so you just hear the noises. I’d never have accepted the role if it was going to be filmed.’

“He put pressure on us on the day. The other actor, God bless him, was mortified. There were very high-profile people there.”

Arterton said she only felt able to push back...

The U.K. and Ireland box office reached £120.2 million ($158.2 million) in August, marking the highest monthly total since July 2023’s £160 million ($210.5 million) “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, per numbers from Comscore. Year-to-date figures now trail 2023 by 12%, an improvement from the 15% deficit at the month’s start.

Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominated with £29.7 million, pushing its total to £55.3 million. The sequel now ranks as the third-highest grossing 15-rated release, behind only Warner Bros.’ “Joker” (£58.2 million) and Universal’s “Oppenheimer” (£59.7 million).

Sony’s “It Ends With Us” secured the second spot with £19.4 million, becoming 2024’s seventh-highest grosser. The romantic drama marks Blake Lively’s biggest U.K. release to date. Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” claimed third place, adding £16.9 million for a £45.2 million cume. The animated sequel is tracking close to its predecessors’ lifetime totals.

Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” debuted at fourth with £11.5 million, becoming director Fede Alvarez’s top-grossing film and 2024’s highest-earning horror release.

“I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide.”

The immortal words spoken by Gandalf the White in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as he returns to his friends in the Fellowship.

And it seems that Sir Ian McKellen could be coming back to his beloved role as J.R.R. Tolkien’s wizard after revealing that he had been approached about featuring in the new Lord of the Rings films.

McKellen told The Big Issue: “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating … I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.”

The 85-year-old actor, who is recovering from falling off stage in Player Kings in London’s West End, added: “When? I don’t know.

Maybe Matt Groening was saying “boo-urns.”

Back in the 1990s, comedy shows collaborating to make crowd-pleasing crossover episodes was all the rage. Friends and Mad About You connected their comedy universes via Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula. Steve Urkel from Family Matters crashed the Tanner household in a Full House episode. The Jeffersons appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air twice — that’s double the visits of Will’s dad. While these kinds of very special episodes may not have been the most artistically inspired publicity stunts, these marketing department’s delights certainly weren’t anything worthy of shame or derision, let alone a full-scale press tour from either show’s creator as they disowned the project like it’s a nefarious failson who committed treason against the crown. That is, unless you ask Groening.

Leading up to the airing of the iconic Season Six Simpsons episode “A Star Is Burns,...

The Simpsons Golden Age is generally considered to have lasted from the show’s first episode all the way to sometime around Season 10, but the peak of Simpsons animation barely lasted longer than Homer’s studies at Springfield A&m.

The Simpsons Season Five came during a period of major change for the franchise that would survive another 30-plus years without freshening up the formula too much. David Mirkin stepped into the role of showrunner after the former Simpsons co-heads Al Jean and Mike Reiss left to produce their own series, The Critic, a show that would famously cross-over with The Simpsons a season later. In fact, following the finale of Season Four with the klassic episode “Krusty Gets Kancelled,” much of the show’s original writing staff left to work on other projects, and The Simpsons would lose yet another comedy powerhouse halfway through production on Season Five when...

Sir Ian McKellen is now the most feared drama critic on the West End thanks to his turn in “The Critic.”

McKellen leads the adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel “Curtain Call,” which centers on an aging — but iconic — journalist who teams up with an actress (Gemma Arterton) to exact revenge on his newspaper’s new owner (Mark Strong). The film is set in 1934 London.

“The Critic” is written by Academy Award nominee Patrick Marber and is directed by Anand Tucker (“Hilary and Jackie,” “Shopgirl”).

The official synopsis reads: “Jimmy Erskine (McKellen) is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle newspaper dies, and his son David Brooke (Strong) takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat.

“The Critic” is a 2023 Brit-produced period thriller, directed by Anand Tucker, based on the book “Curtain Call” by Anthony Quinn, starring Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Romola Garain and Ben Barnes, releasing September 14, 2024 in theaters:

“…in 1934 London, an actress finds herself in a dark situation…

“… involving a theatre critic…

“…and his paper's editor…”

Click the images to enlarge..

Have you ever noticed how Tommy from Rugrats sounds just like one of the Powerpuff Girls? Or that Scooby-Doo and Astro from The Jetsons speak very similar dog languages?

Hollywood’s voice-acting community is full of really talented people who can churn out a bunch of different voices, but that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally have characters that end up sounding exactly alike (it doesn’t help that this group of performers is relatively small).

To that end, here are 10 sets of cartoon characters whose voices are practically interchangeable…

10 Scooby-Doo and Astro

The Jetsons, which debuted as a prime-time show in 1962, is considered a classic today, but it didn’t gain that status until the 1980s when it re-debuted on Saturday mornings with new episodes. And so, when Scooby-Doo came along in 1969, six years after The Jetsons was canceled, voice actor Don Messick thought nothing of re-using Astro...

Transmission Films has released an international trailer for The Critic, which is an adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call.

An official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, The Critic centers on Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), the Daily Chronicle‘s most famous and featured theatre critic of the age; David Brooke (Mark Strong), with whom he clashes after recently inheriting the paper; and a young actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), who is devastated by Jimmy’s recent negative review of her.

As the three become entangled in a whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact, their strange triangle winds tighter and tighter to devastating effect for all those caught in the deadly web of blackmail and betrayal.

The cast includes Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville.

The Critic was directed by Arnand Tucker from a script by Patrick Marbert.

Exclusive: With Ian McKellen on the mend after wrist and neck injuries he suffered when he fell from the stage during a performance of swashbuckling Shakespearean drama Player Kings in London’s West End, the beloved star is eying a return to work.

No, the knighted thespian won’t be treading the boards anytime soon, but Deadline can reveal that the actor will do some last-minute “danger free“ post-production voice work for murder mystery movie The Critic in which McKellen stars as Jimmy Esrkine, a puffed up, once great first-night drama reviewer. McKellen stars alongside Gemma Arterton as Nina Land, a struggling West End ingénue who witnesses something she shouldn’t have seen.

Mark Strong, Alfred Enoch, Lesley Manville, Ben Barnes and Romona Garai co-star.

Lionsgate UK struck a distribution deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to...

Netflix has debuted the trailer for the highly anticipated sixth and final season of ‘Cobra Kai.’

With Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, our senseis and students must decide if and how they will compete in the Sekai Taikai — the world championships of karate.

(L to R) Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso, Griffin Santopeitro as Anthony Larusso. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024 (L to R) Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024

Season 6 stars Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Gianni DeCenzo, Courtney Henggeler, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Yuji Okumoto, Alicia Hannah-Kim, Griffin Santopietro, Oona O’Brien.

(L to R) Nathaniel Oh as Nate, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny,...

"You're a maniac with a death wish!" "I'm a critic! I have power and influence." True Brit Ent. has revealed an official trailer for an intricate, indie thriller titled The Critic, made by filmmaker Anand Tucker. Not to be confused with Tarantino's project also titled The Critic, which is no longer in development anyway. This film first premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival and it also played at the British Film Festival. It's now set for its UK debut in September. The Critic is a deliciously dark & sharp-witted thriller, written by Patrick Marber and featuring an all-star British cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville. Wow. Set in 1930s London, revolves around a feared theatre critic named Jimmy Erskine, his loyal assistant, a newspaper owner who wants to get rid of the critic and an actress who has been...

True Brit Entertainment has debuted the trailer for the British film ‘The Critic’

Based on Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call, the movie tells the story of Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), the most feared and famous theatre critic in 1930s London, saving his most savage takedowns for Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), an already unsure leading lady.

London, 1934. When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the cross hairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.

Directed by Anand Tucker, the movie stars Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.

Also in trailers – “Hope you like flying…” Trailer drops for ‘Flight Risk’

The movie hits cinemas on September 13th.

The post “Watch your backs…...

We tend to get a lot of spurious news stories claiming that The Simpsons somehow prophesied major events. Which is obviously ridiculous. If the makers of The Simpsons were able to see into the future, they probably would have handled the Apu controversy differently and just might have reconsidered the episode predicated on the idea that it would be fun to watch Bart palling around with Michael Jackson.

But now the predictors have become the predicted: Some news outlets, including The New York Post and People, are reporting that Marge Simpson’s image has been discovered on the lid of an ancient coffin.

Which sure sounds like a bullshit story designed to lure you into clicking on an article full of ads for boner pills, but it’s kind of true. Experts found a significant historical find, but everyone on the internet just sees Marge Simpson. Yeah, that’s totally Marge Simpson.

If there is anything that history has taught us, it is that talent is often stalked by doubt. It is as though the world desperately seeks a layer of falsity when someone is really good at something. They want the satisfaction of being able to say, ‘I knew it was a ruse!’ Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese is no stranger to such questions.

Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas | Warner Bros Pictures

Even though he has been regarded as one of the greatest talents of all time, many overly analyze his poor decisions of the past as proof that what is raw talent, is just a clever con. However, one of the most infamous instances of such questioning crossed several lines.

So much so, that beloved director, Guillermo del Toro, felt the need to speak out in support of Scorsese.

Lines Were Cross and Martin Scorsese Became...

Lionsgate UK has struck a distribution deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to release Anand Tucker’s The Critic in the UK and Ireland.

Set in 1930s London, the film stars Ian McKellen as a vicious theatre critic who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, played by Gemma Arterton. Mark Strong, Ben Barnes and Lesley Manville co-star.

It will be released in theatres on September 13.

The Critic premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and was acquired by True Brit for the UK on the condition the film was re-edited and key cast were brought back...

Lionsgate and True Brit Entertainment will bring Ian McKellen’s The Critic to UK cinemas this September. More on the story below.

Lionsgate and True Brit have partnered up to release The Critic, director Anand Tucker’s new film, in UK cinemas, according to Deadline.

The film follows Ian McKellen’s ruthless theatre critic and the cast also includes Gemma Arteron, Mark Strong, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville. The script was penned by Patrick Marber, based on Anthony Quinn’s novel.

Screen Daily reported in early 2024 that The Critic would be True Brit Entertainment’s first UK film release as a distributor, but it seems that the company has now joined forces with Lionsgate for The Critic’s release.

The Critic had its world premiere at Toronto Film Festival in 2023, where it received mixed reviews (though McKellen’s performance was well received).

“This taut and gripping thriller, led...

Lionsgate UK has locked a deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to release the Ian McKellen pic The Critic.

The studio will release the feature in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday 13 September.

The film stars McKellen alongside Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone) and Lesley Manville.

Set in 1930s London, the pic is described as “a thrilling tale of ambition, blackmail, and desire with a dazzling anti-hero at its heart.” The synopsis reads: When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (Mckellen), finds himself suddenly in the cross hairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes...