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‘Turns out there were some financial shenanigans…’ United Artists “Marty” would prove to be a career-defining role for a then-fledgling character actor named Ernest Borgnine, who even in flattering press was described as “a big ugly, hulking guy” far from the screen idols of the time like Cary Grant or Rock Hudson. Produced on a relatively paltry budget — even for the time — of $273,000, with only $5000 going to Borgnine, the film was based on a 1953 NBC TV play written by Paddy Chayefsky (“Network”) and directed by Delbert Mann (“Desire Under the Elms”), who would both return for the big screen take....

A new chapter Paramount Pictures Perhaps the greatest redemption story at the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the one that took place behind the scenes. Robert Downey Jr. had been on track to becoming one of the greatest actors of his generation before his addiction took him down a very different path. The performer made headlines throughout the late ’90s and very early aughts not for his acting chops, but for running into trouble with drugs time and again....

Injustice Warner Bros. Pictures Based on the 2013 NetherRealm Studios video game “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” along with its comic book prequel, this upcoming DC Universe movie takes place in a world where The Joker has somehow tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane and his unborn child, leading the Man of Steel to implement totalitarian control of Earth. Batman and his fellow Justice Leaguers must band together to set things right....

Whiplash’s Sundance Opening Was ‘Very’ Worrying For Damien Chazelle Sony Pictures Classics By Mike Shutt/Nov. 5, 2022 10:30 pm EST As we are in the middle of — or really the tail end of — the fall festival season, we tend to talk about these festivals as showcases for the big awards hopefuls of the year. The slates are packed with studio movies from major, established filmmakers, looking to have an impactful premiere that will launch them into the race for the gold....

Why Olivier Assayas Imagined His Irma Vep Remake As A Series Instead Of A Feature HBO By Shae Sennett/July 28, 2022 9:09 pm EST When Oliver Assayas first directed “Irma Vep” in 1996, it was a very different world for cinema. Since the takeover of streaming services, the director has noticed a shift in financing and the future of film. He knew that if he was going to return to his most popular project, he would need to adapt to the changing media landscape....

Why Prey Director Dan Trachtenberg Doesn’t Think His Movie Is A Predator Prequel 20th Century Studios By Erin Brady/July 15, 2022 5:28 pm EST When you first heard that the newest “Predator” movie was to be set in 1719 in the Comanche Nation, you may have assumed that it would be a direct prequel to every other entry in the franchise. However, that’s not exactly the case — at least according to “Prey” director Dan Trachtenberg....

Littlefeather represented Brando on stage Paramount Pictures After telling the audience that she wouldn’t be able to read Brando’s full comments, Littlefeather improvised a very short version of his speech. “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award, and the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry,” Littlefeather said, before a short pause that was interrupted by both loud boos and applause....

With Aemond Targaryen, House Of The Dragon Has Its First Anime Character HBO By Rafael Motamayor/Oct. 10, 2022 12:00 pm EST “House of the Dragon” is quickly becoming the best George R. R. Martin adaptation yet, a show that embraces the best parts of “Game of Thrones” but does away with what didn’t work there. Sure, we may lack some of the sense of urgency from “Game of Thrones” and its catchy “Winter Is Coming” tagline, but by taking what is essentially just a history book and filling in the gaps of the story, we’re getting a faithful-yet-surprising and poignant-yet-entertaining tragedy about the fall of a family due to very stupid choices....

A Christmas Story Director Bob Clark Initially Passed On Peter Billingsley Taking The Role Of Ralphie MGM/UA Entertainment Co. By Matt Rainis/Dec. 2, 2022 10:04 am EST As the holiday season descends upon us, engulfing everything in sight with a deluge of frost and good cheer, we’ve officially reached the time of year when it’s socially acceptable to watch “A Christmas Story” again. The 1983 comedy, which follows a young boy’s pursuit of a non-lethal firearm in 1940s Indiana, achieves the rare combination of being both Christmas-y enough for children and not so cloyingly sweet that it forces parents to reconsider their life choices....

Circus World Paramount In “Circus World,” Wayne plays a character directly inspired by Buffalo Bill Cody, the real-life Western cowboy and folk hero who spent many years of his life (in the 1870s through the ’90s) performing a in a touring show called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.” The Wayne character in “Circus World,” set in 1885, buys a flagging circus with the hopes of reviving it and cashing in on Cody’s success....

Andor Episode 8 Introduces A Truly Heinous Imperial Prison Disney+ By Debopriyaa Dutta/Oct. 26, 2022 11:30 am EST This post contains spoilers for episode 8 of “Andor.” The hidden bowels of the Empire’s systemic cruelty have been revealed in the latest episode of “Andor.” Titled “Narkina 5,” the episode mostly centers around this titular orbiting moon that houses a chain of prisons surrounded by water on all sides. In episode 7, Cassian was arrested during a beach trip in Niamos after a trooper found him walking the wrong way, despite the fact that he was just a tourist....

Anthony Ramos Blew Bradley Cooper Away With One Of A Star Is Born’s Most Difficult Scenes Warner Bros. By Joe Roberts/Dec. 1, 2022 8:43 pm EST After 2018’s “A Star Is Born” dropped, everyone seemed to have Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fever. The remake of the redo of the reversion of the original 1937 film (yes, there have been four versions) was Bradley Cooper’s first time in the director’s chair and, as most of us remember, became a cultural phenomenon as well as earning critical praise....

Avatar Was James Cameron’s Tribute To A Legend Of VFX Filmmaking 20th Century Studios By Fatemeh Mirjalili/July 29, 2022 9:40 am EST Anyone who watched “Avatar” in the cinemas during its release in 2009 will agree that the epic sci-fi film is a transformative experience. James Cameron’s labor of love had been conceived over a decade and achieved a groundbreaking level of visual effects that hadn’t been seen in Hollywood yet....

The limits of modern storytelling Marvel Studios In today’s era of Bingeworthy TV, it’s difficult for a series to make a lasting impression, much less sustain it over several weeks. In the beforetimes, television had the benefit of a 12 or even 20-episode season and the freedom to build out its story by releasing one episode each week. Disney+ has been toiling to reinstate that status quo since the premiere of “The Mandalorian” in 2019, but in the case of that series — and so many others on the platform — a weekly release schedule often hurts it more than it helps....

Every Ti West Movie, Ranked Worst To Best A24 By Eric Langberg/Dec. 24, 2022 7:00 pm EST Horror director Ti West came up through the world of micro-budget filmmaking. His early efforts were bankrolled by the likes of Larry Fessenden. He was also involved in the mumblecore movement thanks to a friendship with Joe Swanberg: They’ve even acted in each other’s movies. He has directed episodes of television shows as varied as “The Resident” and “Wayward Pines,” and he has helmed short segments of modern classic anthology films such as “V/H/S” and “The ABCs of Death....

Every Zack Snyder Movie Ranked Worst To Best Warner Bros. Pictures By Luke Y. Thompson/Sept. 29, 2022 3:48 pm EST Zack Snyder remains one of fandom’s most divisive directors, best known for his hyper-stylized takes on comic-book worlds. To his haters, he’s a grimdark objectivist who just likes to make things look cool with no real understanding of his subjects. To his fans, he’s the one guy who gets them, representing their favorite heroes the way they want to see them while indulging in the same power fantasies that draw outsider kids to comics in the first place....

Here’s The DC Superhero Idris Elba Wants Bloodsport To Fight Warner Bros. Pictures By Ernesto Valenzuela/Aug. 9, 2022 5:02 pm EST Idris Elba will be seen squaring off against a lion in “Beast,” but “The Suicide Squad” actor has his sights on bigger prey. The mystery and intrigue leading up to the reveal of who Idris Elba was playing in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” (not to be confused with the 2016 “Suicide Squad”) had many people theorizing what anti-hero the actor would play....

Can’t we all just get along? HBO Viserys, making a last-ditch effort at healing his deeply fractured House, kicks off the feast by begging those closest to him to let go of the grudges and resentment they’ve been clinging to these past many years (even decades in some cases). As he does, the scene jumps from a close-up of one actor to the next, giving much of the show’s cast the chance to say a whole lot with little more than a slight crease of the mouth or narrowing of the eyes....

A whale of a time Prime Video Apparently, Urban is a big fan of fishing and other outdoor activities, and is a pretty talented boat driver. Instead of trying to film a professional driver on the boat and shooting around him or inserting Urban later, the production just let Urban drive, and he had no problem launching the vehicle across the water. The problem was that Quaid, the Hollywood-raised son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, hadn’t really ever been on a speedboat before:...

Legendary Director William Friedkin To Return With The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock By Valerie Ettenhofer/Aug. 29, 2022 1:50 pm EST “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection” filmmaker William Friedkin will be returning to feature filmmaking for the first time in over a decade, according to Deadline. The acclaimed director, who is considered a pioneer of the New Hollywood movement, hasn’t made a narrative feature since 2011’s “Killer Joe.” The new movie will reportedly be an adaptation of “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” which was both a Pulitzer-winning novel and a play by Herman Wouk in the 1950s....