News

Photo by Dale Robinette

When I first heard about this movie, First Man, I said to myself, "Now, why would anyone want to watch another film about a cyclist accused of blood-doping?" then I realized that this was a different Armstrong (smiles). In fact, this film will be about the life and space mission of Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to walk on the moon -- unless you are a conspiracy theorist and believe it was all a hoax, but I am not one of these. First Man has been giving a release date of October 12, 2018, just in time for awards season, and will have some massive talent involved.

We must start with the "it" guy in Hollywood right now, Damien Chazelle, who is fresh off his Oscar win for Best Director in La La Land. He also has two other nominations for Best Original Screenplay for the same film,...

In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016.

Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.

Follow-Up Twilight Time Quantity Updates: Used Cars and Center of the Earth Ryan is out of space, but still buying box sets! (Buyers remorse vs unwatched stuff) Hertzfeldt Kickstarter Arrivals News Star Trek: Digital Bits News (Animated Series on Blu-ray, Khan Uhd) Kino Lorber: Fathom, Star Slammer, Modesty Blaise, Gold (1934) Code Red: House on the Edge of the Park, Truck Stop Women, Hot Moves …bucket list fever! Scorpion: The Rift (from the director of Pieces) Blue Underground: Circus of Fear/5 Golden Dragons & The Shape of Things to Come Misc Links Larry Karaszewski on After The Fox Night of the Comet vinyl Kickstarter Links to Amazon After the Fox Bandits Black Mama, White Mama The Black Sleep Breaker! Breaker!

This week Ride Along 2 and The 5th Wave get reviewed. The Movie Bit's rating system gets explained. Which movie genres are ending and plenty madness and bedlam! Tom’s Trivia Three – Awesome stuff, you never knew before!!Reviews – Ride Along 2, The 5th WaveA critically acclaimed screen actor quotes lines from movies he hasn’t starred in – This week, our acclaimed actor takes on Mad Max: Fury RoadNews – Michael Collins, Suicide Squad, Yoga HosersSubscribe on iTunes – Click here (Click view in iTunes and the click Subscribe) If you’re already a subscriber, the latest episode is ready to download. iPhone / iPad Users– Click here to open your iTunes podcast app and click Subscribe! Stitcher Users Click here – iOS / Android This is our latest, epic, episode!

Sundance breakout Brooklyn opened in Ireland this weekend, setting a nearly two-decade best start for an Irish film. The immigrant drama which Lionsgate UK released on November 4 scored an opening frame upwards of £432K ($650K) on 87 screens, including Northern Ireland. That’s the widest release ever for an Irish movie in Eire and the best score since Michael Collins opened to £465K in November 1996. Helmer John Crowley’s film also bested recent Irish hits The Guard…...

John Crowley’s critically acclaimed Brooklyn made box office history this weekend, claiming the biggest opening of any Irish film in Ireland since “Michael Collins” (1996).” The film opened to over €605,000 in its home territory after its release on November 4th overtaking recent Irish hits “The Guard” (€572,000), “Angela's Ashes” (€558,000) , “In Bruges” (€482,000) and “Calvary” (€463,000). Opening on 87 screens resulted in making this screen count the largest ever in Ireland for an Irish film. Taking an estimated €1,460,016 in the UK and Ireland combined means the film is the Number one opener for this past weekend.

The Quare Land Written by John McManus Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly Irish Repertory Theatre DR2 Theatre, NYC 9/22 - 11/15, 2015

Our final review from this year's 1st Irish Festival in New York City brings us another strong production: The Quare Land, by County Cavan playwright John McManus. McManus’s two-man comedy takes place entirely within the upstairs room of Hugh Pugh's rural Cavan farmhouse (a superb set by Charlie Corcoran). The room's single naked lightbulb illuminates a chimney, record player, toilet, and, most importantly, a clawfoot bathtub. Under a thick layer of bubbles in that tub, 90 year-old bachelor and Enya fan Hugh (actor and writer Peter Maloney) is taking his first bath in 4 years in anticipation of a visit by his alcoholic brother when receives an unexpected visit from Rob McNulty (Rufus Collins). Hugh checks his mail far less often than he bathes, so hotel and construction company owner Rob has...

'EastEnders' boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins based the Carters on his own family. The BBC One soap's executive producer has revealed he invented the characters Mick and Linda Carter, played by Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright, after being inspired by his own parents. He shared: ''The Carters are my family. My father was an Irish immigrant named Michael Collins, my mother a hairdresser from Kilburn, named Linda. So Mick and Linda Carter.'' The 37-year-old TV producer added that grumpy Stan Carter (Timothy West) is based on his grandfather while Mick and Linda's sons Lee (Danny-Boy Hatchard) and Johnny (Sam Strike) are him and his brother. He...

'EastEnders' boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins based the Carters on his own family. The BBC One soap's executive producer has revealed he invented the characters Mick and Linda Carter, played by Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright, after being inspired by his own parents. He shared: ''The Carters are my family. My father was an Irish immigrant named Michael Collins, my mother a hairdresser from Kilburn, named Linda. So Mick and Linda Carter.'' The 37-year-old TV producer added that grumpy Stan Carter (Timothy West) is based on his grandfather while Mick and Linda's sons Lee (Danny-Boy Hatchard) and Johnny (Sam Strike) are him and his brother. He...

The shortlist for France’s Louis Delluc Prize, one of the country’s highest film honors, has been released with 14 films making the cut across two categories: Best Film and Best Debut Feature. Among the eight main movies, six hail from this year’s Cannes crop. Saint Laurent – which is France’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar – by Bertrand Bonello; Olivier Assayas’ Juliette Binoche/Kristen Stewart-starrer Clouds Of Sils Maria; veteran Jean-Luc Godard’s 3D Goodbye To Language; Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu; Pascale Ferran’s Bird People, starring Josh Charles; and Claus Drexel’s Au Bord Du Monde will vie alongside Venice pics Trois Coeurs, by Benoît Jacquot, and Robin Campillo’s Eastern Boys. Godard, Ferran and Jacquot are all former Delluc laureates. The Debut Feature shortlist is made up of Thomas Cailley’s well-received Fortnight film Love At First Fight; Camera d’Or winner Party Girl; Virgil Vernier...

• After Michael Collins, there was Henry Hayes • A medic who travels to war zones to heal the wounded, he has no idea that when he’s in the field, he’s activated by a mysterious group and becomes the ultimate weapon of assassination and war: Deathlok • From the writer of Black Widow and The Punisher comes a new take on the iconic cyborg character making waves on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deathlok #1 Written by Nathan Edmondon Pencils & Cover by Mike Perkins Variant Covers by Skottie Young, Clayton Crane...

This October, a new legend is born in Deathlok #1 – the first explosive issue in an all-new ongoing series! Launching as part of the Avengers Now! initiative, critically acclaimed creators Nathan Edmondson (Black Widow, The Punisher) and Mike Perkins (Captain America, Stephen King’s The Stand) provide a brand new spin on Deathlok like you’ve never seen him before.

After Michael Collins – there was Henry Hayes. A war veteran, a single parent. A good man who though he’d left his war behind. As a field medic, he has traveled to war zones to heal the wounded, unaware of his true purpose. Unbeknownst to him, he has been transformed and twisted into a new weapon for a new war – Deathlok! Operative, fighter, assassin and more – he is whatever his mysterious handlers need him to be.

Utilized as a deadly weapon rented out to the highest bidder, Hayes travels the globe...

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were inside the Lunar Module “Eagle” while Michael Collins was in the Command Module “Columbia” when Apollo 11 successfully landed on the Moon July 20, 1969.

That’s your clue to watch the third trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.

Crack the code here: http://www.interstellarmovie.com/

Left to right: Timothée Chalamet, Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy in Interstellar; from Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers Entertainment.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn and Michael Caine, the movie chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

Interstellar opens in cinemas on November 7th, 2014.

https://twitter.com/Interstellar

The post Moon Landing Date Unlocks New Interstellar Trailer On Official Site appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

Irish Film New York (Ifny) played host to Irish President Michael D Higgins at a screening of the Oscar-winning movie, “The Shore” at the Lincoln Center. As a writer, a poet, and Ireland's first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, attended the event which was very close to his heart during his first official visit to New York. The President took part in a panel discussion on Irish storytelling with filmmakers Macdara Vallely, Marion Quinn and Ifny Director Niall McKay after the screening. President Higgins shared his views on many issues of contemporary Irish filmmaking, including its portrayal of immigration within an Irish context, the balance between creating art and achieving commercial success, and the importance of an organic creative process. Terry George, director of “The Shore”, said he was heartened to see Michael D Higgins in the Áras, considering his support and passion for the arts.

Skip the green beer this St. Patrick's Day and sip on one of these festive holiday beverages instead! St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and if you plan on celebrating Ireland's patron saint by imbibing alcohol (responsibly, of course), ditch the watered-down beer and try out one of these creative concoctions. Remember to pace yourself HollywoodLifers and eat plenty of traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage -- or else you might start seeing leprechauns! Irish Jack Rose Ingredients: 1 part Michael Collins Irish Whiskey 1/2 part Calvados 1/2 part fresh lime juice 1/2 part grenadine syrup Directions: Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel float. Frisky Whiskey Ingredients: 1 part Michael Collins Irish Whiskey 1/2 part Bärenjäger® Honey Liquor 1 part fresh orange juice 1/4 part simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura® bitters Directions: Combine ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake well.

X-Men was a shrewd career move, but in Shame, Michael Fassbender's bold, full-frontal performance – so handsome, yet so cold – carries the film

A year ago, if you mentioned actor Michael Fassbender, most people would respond with something about his uncompromising, 600-calories-a day performance as hunger striker Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen's Hunger, and his suave English officer in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. But those two films didn't seem like the same actor, and that kept him rather elusive. Some might have added that they didn't understand an Irishman having that name, and spelled it "Fassbinder", after the great German director. It's all changed now: Fassbender was everywhere in 2011, playing a Yorkshire landowner, a Manhattan sex-addict, a Swiss doctor and Magneto in X-Men: First Class. He is the actor every project thinks of – good-looking, smart and adventurous.

In fact, he was born in Germany, in 1977, to a German...

London – Iconic director John Ford and his life and work is to be celebrated with an annual shindig being set up by the Irish Film And Television Academy, the John Ford Estate and the Irish government. The inaugural event, pencilled in by Ifta for June next year in Dublin named John Ford Ireland, will mark the first John Ford Award, arleady dished out to Clint Eastwood, at a ceremony in the Irish capital. Eastwood accepted the honor from Michael Collins, Ireland's ambassador to the U.S., and Ifta chief Aine Moriarty, at a reception in Burbank on Dec. 6

read more...

Filmmaker Niel Jordan is going into production on a new female vampire called Byzantium, and he's cast Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) and Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans) as the two lead vampires. The script for the film was written by Moira Buffini and it tells the story of a mother vampire who turns her own daughter into a vampire and the pair form a lethal partnership, sometimes posing as sisters.

This sounds like it could be a pretty sick and twisted vampire flick. A mother and daughter vampire team going out flirting with guys and then eating them, typical. Ronan and Arterton should be great in these roles. As for Jordan being director, he's previously worked on such films such as The Crying Game, Interview with a Vampire, Michael Collins, The Butcher's Boy, The End of the Affair, The Good Thief, and more. All of these a pretty solid movies,...

What's the difference between operas and musicals? Is getting there quicker cheaper? The house where Handel and Hendrix lived

What distinguishes an opera from a musical?

About £50 a ticket.

John Peniket, Burnham, Bucks

Operas and musicals are similar in that they are both performed as musical theatre, with a story, character distinctions and arias. They are both made up of several songs, or musical pieces, connected by lines of dialogue; this is usually spoken in a musical, whereas in an opera it is performed as a recitative in which the dialogue transpires in a melodic or musical pattern.

Operas also tend to be continuous singing, although some musicals are sung through (eg Les Misérables). These are often acknowledged for their opera-like qualities by being called "popular" or "rock" operas.

Luke Gallagher, Lancaster

The following are tendencies, not certainties. Opera singers weigh more than those performing in musicals. The latter are easy to understand,...

The Tribeca Film Festival continues on through this weekend, but awards were announced Thursday night in New York for the tenth edition of the festival, making it so that New York audiences will have at least one more chance to see all the winners this Sunday May 1st. These films include Best World Narrative Feature "She Monkeys," a Swedish drama set in the world of equestrian acrobatics where a competition between two young women transcends mere rivalry, and Best Documentary "Bombay Beach," a elegiac look at the denizens of the dusty seaside California town.

Individual honors in the World Narrative Competition also went to Ramadhan "Shami" Bizimana for Best Actor in the Rwandan drama "Grey Matter" (which also picked up a Special Jury Mention for its writer/director Kivu Ruhorahoza), "Black Book" star Carice van Houten for Best Actress in "Black Butterflies," Luisa Tillinger for Best Cinematography in "Artificial Paradises,...

Michael Collins is set to make his TV debut on tonight’s Britain’s Got Talent and we really think he’ll end up being one of the biggest stars of the series.

The 19 year old It engineer turned up to the Birmingham tryouts to sing for Amanda Holden, David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre and at first glance, none of them expected much from him.

Dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a casual (bright orange) hoody the dad to be told Ant and Dec that he lives in a caravan site……it’s like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and The X Factor all rolled into one! He said:

“My name’s Michael, I’m 19 and I work in a computer shop in Plymouth. I live with my mum and dad on a caravan site. It’s not too bad actually, it’s quite posh really. You’ve got to have...

Amanda Holden has compared new Britain's Got Talent singer Michael Collins to Susan Boyle. Collins, who lives in a caravan park, blows away the judges with a rendition of Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' on the first audition show, which will air this weekend. The 19-year-old computer engineer is mocked by Amanda Holden and Michael McIntyre when he first appears on the stage and the Shrek actress claims that he looks like he's about to go on a long-haul flight in his jogging bottoms and baggy orange sweater. McIntyre jokingly whispers "on EasyJet" following his co-star's plane jibe. Watch the Britain's Got Talent judges discuss Michael Collins: However, after his performance, the judges gave Collins glowing reviews with David Hasselhoff commenting: "You really sang that with heart". (more)...

Saturday night’s Britain’s Got Talent seems to have a theme. People who look like they will be crap but actually turn out to be quite entertaining.

We’ve already introduced you to Gay and Alan Cooper and Michael Collins, now let us describe the audition of Stephen Hall. It’s spelt H A L L, as he pointed out to Amanda Holden. We’re sure you can see why, it’s a difficult surname to spell.

Hall is a boring looking Telecommunications engineer, who looks like he should be trying to sell double glazing or new windows instead of dancing for a bunch of celebrities.

Before he auditioned for Amanda Holden, David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre Stephen told Ant and Dec that he has been rehearsing for his big day for almost a year, once or twice a week, in a small kitchen that has limited space. It all sounds very promising…...

Yes we know it’s an old comparison but Britain’s Got Talent is back this Saturday and we promise you, you’re going to feel the same tingles down your spine when you hear Michael Collins sing, as you did when you heard Susan Boyle croon for the first time.

The 19 year old It engineer couldn’t look less like a star. He turned up to the Birmingham auditions dressed in a bright orange hoody and grey sweatpants. It was an shabby outfit that prompted Amanda Holden to comment:

‘He looks like he’s going on a long haul flight.’

Michael McIntyre wittily quipped: ‘Yes, with Easyjet?’ (Because of the bright orange jumper you see.)

Michael talked about his fiancee, revealed that they are expecting a baby and admitted that he proposed in an all you can eat Chinese restaurant called Buffet City.

Add to all this, the fact...

Say goodbye to the green beer.

That’s our quick piece of advice to St. Patrick’s Day revelers. The fact remains that Ireland is a country with a serious sipping tradition, especially when it comes to quality whiskeys and brews. And each year sees plenty of new bottles to try. With that in mind, Speakeasy surveyed the Irish liquid landscape to find these five recent or noteworthy releases As they say in Ireland, “Slainte!” (That basically means”cheers” or “good health,...

Michael Fassbender is having a banner year. The Irish actor, whose breakout role as Bobby Sands in Hunger first catapulted him to fame, will soon be seen in the sure fire summer blockbuster X-Men: First Class. Meanwhile he’s starring in Jane Eyre, an accomplished new period drama that will settle his status as a romantic Hollywood leading man. Cahir O’Doherty talks to the actor whose mother is a descendant of Michael Collins and who, for all his fame, always remembers his Irish origins. Michael Fassbender, 33, is pouring himself a cup of coffee in the penthouse of the Waldorf Hotel on Saturday morning. Wearing a simple grey designer t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, he looks more like a typical New Yorker than a Hollywood clotheshorse. But when he turns slightly to say hello and flashes a megawatt smile there’s no denying his charisma or his good looks, because this...

In which we dusted off our black ties and wondered if Mel Gibson's Beaver film is a wholly good idea

And the award for best awards ceremony goes to …

The Oscars season got an unofficial starting pistol this weekend, with two major awards ceremonies dominating the cinema headlines. Saturday was the turn for Tallinn to enjoy the limelight, as the European Film Awards travelled to Estonia and awarded a rather remarkable number of trophies to Roman Polanski's The Ghost.

Sunday was the London's turn, as the British Independent Film awards bowed down before The King's Speech. Charles Gant wrote us his alternative awards; and the podcast – as well as featuring an interview with David Lynch on how he went pop – brought us a Bifas special, featuring chat with award winner Rob Lemkin.

Meanwhile, over at the Marrakech film festival, there was a golden star for Catherine Deneuve, a...

Well, the trailer we’ve all been waiting for is finally here and it’s a belter! This evening, the first teaser trailer for Michael Bay’s third movie in the Transformers franchise, Transformers: The Dark of the Moon was released and it answers a few questions but now gives us many more!

This third installment stars Shia Labeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson. This new trailer gives us a few clues as to storyline but also throws up a lod more questions.

By using screen captures from the trailer, we’ll have a look at what they might be.

So, we begin in July 20th, 1969, the day Man went to the Moon in Apollo 11 which was manned by Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins and Edwin ‘Buzz’ E. Aldrin, Jr.

Cue shot of the...

Take what you know of American history and. . . Transform!

The teaser for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is online and it looks. . .kinda. . .good?

Taking a Capricorn One-ish view of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the trailer shows our friends Neil and Buzz taking a quick walk over to the other side of the moon when no one is looking and finding something Awesome!

The real question is, did Michael Collins know?

Check out the trailer on Apple in HD.

Next week, the Sundance Film Festival will unveil the 100+ features titles for their 27th edition (with the short film announcements made usually get release the week after) and this can only mean one thing: this past week was the official nail-biting, living next to the phone type of deal for several first time filmmakers. Though Redford's festival is the holy grail of U.S indie festivals, my word of advice to those who've received a "nay" type answer...you'll have other great opportunities to premiere your film. Every year I'll find some great examples of American indie debut films and then rhetorically ask why this didn't play in Park City? and this will surely be the case for a good number of the 60 predictions we made over the previous weeks and that are mentioned below (click here to commence the countdown or click on the individual titles below for a...

Ferocious Mel Columbkille Gerard Gibson, bedecked in a bit of tartan kilt and his face painted blue, led the charge across the Curragh Racecourse into ancient battle. The blue ‘woad plant’ dye on Gibson’s face was his war paint and he was playing the role of the legendary 13th century Scottish hero William Wallace. Rubber arrows flew through the air and plastic swords clashed as extra warriors from the Irish Army Reserve on mechanical horses recreated the historical battles of Wallace with the English at Stirling and Falkirk. No local seemed to mind the director’s use of poetic license when the Irish switched sides to fight with their Scottish cousins at Falkirk even though they were, in fact, historically, somewhere else. The movie was Braveheart and most of it was filmed on location in Ireland on the plains of Kildare, and in the scenic hills and valleys of Wicklow.

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight Criterion #105, Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 film, Spartacus.

Special Guest: Elisabeth Rappe – A Writer from Chud.com and The Flickcast.

What do you think of their show? Please send them your feed back: CriterionCast@gmail.com or call their voicemail line @ 347.878.3430 or follow them on twitter @CriterionCast or Comment on their blog, http://CriterionCast.com.

Thank you for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe to their podcast and please leave your reviews in their iTunes feed.

They broadcast every episode Live on UStream every Friday @ 7pm Est/4pm Pst. Join in on the conversation @ CriterionCast.com/Live

Our next episode they will highlight and discuss Criterion #479 Louis Malle’s 1981 film, My Dinner With Andre.

Add It To Your Netflix Queue.

Show Notes:

(00:00 – 00:...

The Irish were seen as pariahs in Depression-era American. So how did they end up taking over Hollywood almost overnight?

Ethnicity, charming in small doses, too often becomes a cultural straitjacket. If we are French, we are expected to like cheese, wine and Molière, even if we prefer curry, scotch and Turgenev. If we are Jewish, we are expected to revere Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen and the Coen brothers; otherwise, we are accused of letting the side down. If we are Irish-American, as I am, it is incumbent upon us to admire all our Irish forebears who made such an impact on motion pictures during the Depression: Jimmy Cagney, Maureen O'Hara, Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, Maureen O'Sullivan, Gene Kelly, Tyrone Power and Bing Crosby. I'll take Cagney, Power and both Maureens. With pleasure. The rest of them you can keep. Especially Bing Crosby.

These musings are prompted by the publication...

The Sundance Institute have announced the Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab - some of these projects will find themselves on the public television, some may tour the film festival circuit starting with a debut at Sundance, and in the rare case, might turn out to be an acclaimed such as Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Trouble the Water. This year's batch comes from the U.S., China, Israel/Palestinian Territories and the Philippines. - The Sundance Institute have announced the Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab - some of these projects will find themselves on the public television, some may tour the film festival circuit starting with a debut at Sundance, and in the rare case, might turn out to be an acclaimed such as Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Trouble the Water. This year's batch comes from the U.S., China, Israel/Palestinian Territories and the Philippines.

The Sundance Institute have announced the Fellows for 2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab - some of these projects will find themselves on the public television, some may tour the film festival circuit starting with a debut at Sundance, and in the rare case, might turn out to be an acclaimed such as Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Trouble the Water. This year's batch comes from the U.S., China, Israel/Palestinian Territories and the Philippines. Here is the press release:. Lab Fellows in alphabetical order are: Ra'anan Alexandrowicz (Directing Fellow), Michael Collins (Directing Fellow), Heather Courtney (Directing Fellow - see pic above), Ramona Diaz (Directing Fellow), Ron Goldman (Editing Fellow), Kyle Henry (Editing Fellow), Stephen Maing (Directing Fellow), Leah Marino (Editing Fellow), Eric Daniel Metzgar (Editing Fellow), Jonathan Oppenheim (Editing Fellow), Trina Rodriquez (Editing Fellow), Marty Syjuco (Directing Fellow). These Fellows will be joined by six Creative Advisors, including Directors and Editors,...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

You wouldn’t think a comedy like Caddyshack (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.98 Srp) would benefit so much from high definition, but the new Blu-Ray benefits from a crystal clear picture that looks better than it ever has previously. To add even more incentive, there’s a new feature-length 30th anniversary documentary featuring most of the principals (sans Bill Murray and Chevy Chase) reminiscing, as well...

The 53rd San Francisco Film Festival will begin April 22nd and the film Julia will be in attendance. To show May 1st at 5:30, Julia is a film about a sleazy, vile protagonist who kidnaps a young boy for some quick cash (Sfiff). This lonely booze-hound double-crosses another kidnapper and soon Julia's life spirals ever downward. An action-packed thriller Julia is not to be missed along with several other noteworthy cinema treasures. All the details on the San Francisco Film Festival and Julia can be found below.

The synopsis for Julia here:

"Julia is a drunk. She loses her job in real estate and at an A.A. meeting meets a neighbor, Elena, an addled Mexican woman who talks about having lots of money and a plan to kidnap her own son from the boy's grandfather, a wealthy businessman. Elena wants Julia's help. Julia says yes with her own plan to do this alone.

Writers: Roger Bohbot and Michael Collins

Director: Erick Zonca

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo, Aidan Gould

Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Rating: 7.5/10

In the world of bad decisions, I wonder what the percentage is between those that are just plain bad and those that are made because you’re broke, desperate, or drunk (or all three) and the decision seems wise given your state of mind. I mean yeah, we all just plain screw up or make a bad call or pursue an idea that’s just flat out wrong, but the human ability to fuck up big-time quadruples when you’re broke, drunk, and/or desperate. You’ve got nothing to lose so you just let it fly and before you know it, you’re in deeper dutch than you were in before. Such is one of the many premises embedded in one of the best “lost gem...

Review / Leap Year a terrible mistake for Amy Adams / Click here Ferocious Mel Columbkille Gerard Gibson, bedecked in a bit of tartan kilt and his face painted blue, led the charge across the Curragh Racecourse into ancient battle. The blue ‘woad plant’ dye on Gibson’s face was his war paint and he was playing the role of the legendary 13th century Scottish hero William Wallace. Rubber arrows flew through the air and plastic swords clashed as extra warriors from the Irish Army Reserve on mechanical horses recreated the historical battles of Wallace with the English at Stirling and Falkirk. No local seemed to mind the director’s use of poetic license when the Irish switched sides to fight with their Scottish cousins at Falkirk even though they were, in fact, historically, somewhere else. The movie was Braveheart and most of it was filmed on location in Ireland on the plains of Kildare,...

The format of the History Channel’s Moonshot is a strange one. Similar to their prior Manson, the film contains both authentic documentary footage (interviews in that film, and verite footage of actual events in this one) and fictionalized re-enactments, but unlike that film, this one has the distinct disadvantage of following in the footsteps of many, many well-produced films and television shows about Nasa in the 1960s, whereas nothing comparable had really been produced about Manson. That’s not always a liability (Lord knows they’ll always be enough room in national consciousness for another television movie about Hitler), but Moonshot turns it into one, taking too many cues from prior films to make its pseudo-documentary style feel like anything other than a cost saving gimmick.

Odds are good that if you went through an American high school at some point in the last forty years, you are at...

In the wake of swine flu and body scans, designers reimagine isolation.

Four years ago Paola Antonelli curated a collection of emergency shelters, gas masks, and security bollards for a MoMA exhibition called "Safe: Design Takes On Risk." The show demonstrated how thoroughly 9/11 had galvanized the design field. Since then, our collective fear has shifted from terrorism to biology: Our nightmares now center on ebola, swine flu, and pandemic panic. So long Bin Laden. Hello hot zone.

On Tuesday, a diverse group of creative professionals--an illustrator, a sound designer, a set designer, a game designer, and architects, among others--met for the first of eight weekly sessions during which they will each develop a design for quarantine, the safe house of our bio-terror era. The results will be shown in March at Storefront for Art and Architecture, a gallery on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Quarantine is an ancient practice, according to the project brief,...

Clive Owen is one of those actors who hasn’t found his audience yet, but has a devoted following of men and women who get him. It’s easy to see why he’s got something of a cult following: The man gives off the air of casual cool, and has what magazines refer to as “a rugged sex appeal” in a way that few modern actors possess. He looks like he could have been a day laborer at one point or another, probably did some boxing, but knows how to wrap his way around words. He’s got those penetrating eyes that suggest the sort of world-weariness that was of fashion in the 30’s and 40’s. And yet when a film of his clicks with an audience (Inside Man, Sin City), it’s usually because he’s an ensemble player. Duplicity did not find its audience, and Clive Owen...

Congratulations to Kyra Sedgwick who just got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Remember when it looked for a millisecond like she might get an Oscar nod for playing Julia Robert's sassy sister in Something to Talk About back in 1995? Stealing scenes from Julia might seem like a hard thing to do and commendable, too, but it pisses Academy voters right off. One must not pull focus from their Pretty Woman!

Future Julia Roberts co-stars consider yourself forewarned! If you steal a movie from the billion dollar grin, you will get media attention. You will get a Golden Globe nomination. But, come Oscar nomination morning, The Big Snub Awaits You.

the case evidence:

Sally Field, Steel Magnolias (1989)Hector Elizondo, Pretty Woman (1990)Dustin Hoffman, Hook (1992)Sophia Loren, Pret-à-Porter (1994)Liam Neeson, Michael Collins (1996)Kyra Sedgwick, Something to Talk About (1995)Rupert Everett, My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)Hugh Grant, Notting Hill (1999)Yes...

Buffy star James Marsters is in final negotiations to play Buzz Aldrin in a big-budget telling of the Apollo 11 moon landing. ITV1 is lining up made-for-tv movie Moon Shot to air in July next year - the 40th anniversary month of the historic mission. The budget for the project is estimated at $$5m (£2.5m). Fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins have yet to be cast but producers have promised (more)...