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Will Smith famously turned down the chance to don the iconic trench coat and sunglasses of Neo in The Matrix. The sci-fi film went on to become a cinematic gem with never-seen-before actions, groundbreaking visuals, and mind-bending storytelling. When Smith turned down the role, it went to Keanu Reeves who gave an unforgettable portrayal.

Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Credits: NBC

In a cryptic Instagram post, Smith recently teased a what-if scenario where he would’ve agreed to the role. Fans couldn’t help but imagine Smith playing Neo in the film instead of Reeves. They were sure that if things went differently, The Matrix would’ve taken a different creative direction.

Why did Will Smith turn down the role of Neo in The Matrix? Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Keanu Reeves + Kung Fu is...

Over the years, some great movies have been made against the backdrop of Christmas that fans love to revisit year after year. While most of these movies are either critically acclaimed or box office blockbusters, some failed to resonate with audiences and critics when they were released but have since gone on to become cult classics. Will Smith’s Collateral Beauty is one such film.

Collateral Beauty (2016) | Credit: Warner Bros.

The film is based on Will Smith’s character, Howard Inlet. A pretty successful advertising executive, Howard ends up being seriously depressed after his daughter’s death, feeling as if there was no life left in him. Retreating from life, putting his and his company’s life in jeopardy, he ends up writing letters to Love, Time, and Death.

However, one thing leads to another, and he ends up meeting the three entities, ultimately realizing life is worth living despite the loss and heartbreak.

By no means do I claim to have an encyclopedic knowledge of film. So it’s not uncommon for me to hear about movies that I’m unfamiliar with.

When those movies are thoroughly star-studded, packed to the gills with A-list actors at the peak of their careers, however? It’s usually enough to pluck at least some distant string at the back of my brain. After all, it’s tough for something with that much money invested in it to fall into obscurity. One post from Twitter user @i_zzzzzz though, has sent group chats and online denizens to suddenly unearth one such movie that still seems entirely made-up.

The movie in question is 2016’s Collateral Beauty. A name, by itself, that sounds like it would grace some sort of visual gag for an invented New York Times Bestseller with an image of a crushed flower on the cover.

While growing up, Will Smith shared a rocky relationship with his father Willard Carroll Smith, Sr., following the latter’s violent outburst towards the Oscar winner and his mother. But despite directing aggression towards a young Smith, which contributed to them becoming a bit distant at times, things eventually changed when Smith’s father was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

Not only did the last moments with his father allow him to reconcile things and connect in a way like never before, but it also gave the actor a great lesson about the uncertainty of life.

Will Smith Was Allowed To Set Things Right With His Father Will Smith | After Earth (via Columbia Pictures)

After being told that his father had six weeks to live following his cancer diagnosis, the situation allowed Will Smith and his father to tune in a fashion like they never had. The Bad Boys star...

Resistor could help Will Smith reclaim his sci-fi crown and revive his career in the genre after a string of recent failures. Despite recent setbacks, Smith's early success in blockbuster sci-fi films like Independence Day and Men In Black still resonates with audiences. The upcoming Resistor, based on Daniel Suarez's novel Influx, offers Smith a chance to blend action and self-serious sci-fi in a potential hit.

Will Smiths new sci-fi movie Resistor has the opportunity to end one of the actors most concerning career trends by finally giving him another hit in the genre. Early in his blockbuster career, the sci-fi genre seemed to be one of Will Smiths strong suits. While the actor first rose to prominence with roles in Six Degrees of Separation, Bad Boys, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, it was 1996 and 1997s one-two punch of Independence Day and Men In Black that cemented his superstar status.

Bad Boys II was poorly received by critics, earning just a 23% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of Will Smith's lowest-rated films. Despite the critical reception, the Bad Boys franchise has always been more about pleasing audiences, with high audience scores for all films. The success of Bad Boys for Life, with a fresh score of 76%, helped to reignite interest in the franchise despite the disappointing sequel.

The Rotten Tomatoes score of Bad Boys II is quite surprising considering the success and popularity of the Will Smith-led franchise. The first Bad Boys film was released in 1995, becoming an instant buddy cop classic directed by Michael Bay. Starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the highly anticipated sequel to Bad Boys was Bad Boys II, released in 2003. Despite the 8-year difference between the first and second films, which certainly generated some hype for the sequel, Bad Boys II was ultimately torn apart by critics.

Casting superhero characters is important, but at the same time, it's not important. During the '80s and '90s, audiences felt a certain thrill knowing that certain outsize movie stars would be playing Batman villains. Indeed, Jack Nicholson received top billing on Tim Burton's "Batman," and audiences were more keen to see an actor of such stature hamming it up as a murderous gangster clown. The same could be said of Danny DeVito as the Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Jim Carrey as the Riddler, or Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. Casting, in those cases, was more important than the character.

In the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, that changed. The characters became more important than the casting. Audiences were drawn to MCU movies because they wanted to see Captain America, not because they were dying to see Chris Evans' interpretation of Captain America. Any number...

House Party is a fresh and hilarious reboot of the classic 1990 comedy film, featuring a talented cast of comedy actors and A-list rappers and sports personalities in exciting cameos. The House Party cast delivers authentic and comedic performances, with each actor showcasing great comedic timing and bringing vibrancy to their roles. The movie captures the spirit of the original while introducing new dynamics and characters, set against a backdrop of lively music, dance battles, and comedic chaos.

House Party, a contemporary reimagining of the classic 1990 comedy film, brings a fresh and hilarious take on the party movie genre, and the House Party cast is full of comedy actors and cameos from A-list rappers and sports personalities. The story revolves around two friends, Kevin (Jacob Latimore) and Damon (Tosin Cole), who decide to throw the ultimate house party to achieve fame and success. Set against a backdrop of lively music, dance battles,...

It was hardly a surprise that Will Smith won the Best Actor Oscar at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony for his performance as Richard Williams, the obsessive coach and father of tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams, in the sports drama film King Richard, as Smith was the overwhelming favorite.

Of course, the biggest surprise that took place at the ceremony, which took place on March 27, 2022, came before the announcement of Smith’s Oscar triumph, when Smith stormed onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face after Rock had joked about the baldness of Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who was forced to shave her head due to a condition called alopecia areata.

With this single action, Smith not only overshadowed, and ruined, his Oscar triumph but also forever altered his legacy, which had previously been pristine, as while Smith has certainly had his share of professional disappointments over the past twenty years,...

Exclusive: Morris Chestnut (The Best Man: The Final Chapters), DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan (Harlem), and Bryan Terrell Clark (When They See Us) have been cast opposite Diarra Kilpatrick on her upcoming BET+ series Diarra from Detroit.

Created by and starring Kilpatrick, the original dark comedy series, which is part of Kilpatrick’s recent overall deal with BET, is slated to premiere on BET+ in late 2023.

Diarra from Detroit follows Diarra Brickland (Kilpatrick) a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. As the case unfolds, her co-workers, friends, and lovers become unlikely allies as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole.

Chestnut plays Swa, Perry portrays Aja, Logan is Moni and Clark plays Mr. Tea. Character descriptions are being kept under wraps for now.

While HBO Max may now be Max, there are still loads of new films to watch on the streaming service. From the early hits of now young adult actors and actresses like Dakota Fanning and Jaden Smith to one of Will Smith’s emotional movies and the 2020 Best Picture Oscar winner “Parasite,” there are options for all sorts of audiences, even the superhero-loving ones.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” lands on the streamer after being released in theaters in March. The Max rebrand preceded Sydney Sweeney’s next project “Reality,” the television movie taken from an FBI transcript. A campy take on the story of Snow White is available to stream as well.

Here are seven of the best new movies to watch on Max in May.

Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story (2005) Dreamworks Pictures

Past, present and future horse girls need look no further than “Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story,...

The new streaming service, Max, which Warner Bros. Discovery recently rebranded from HBO Max, just dropped its catalog for June and the remainder of May.

Audiences can expect this summer to be filled with aliens, mutants and epic stories. The long list of feature films headed to the streaming service includes Avatar: The Way of Water, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Ready Player One and a lot more.

Related: HBO Max Relaunch Unveils New Price Tiers

See Max's full catalog for June below:

May 23

Bama Rush (Max Original)

Clone High, Season 1 (Max Original)

German Genius (Max Original)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai, Season 1 (Max Original)

Growing Floret (Magnolia Network)

How To Create A Sex Scandal (Max Original)

Maine Cabin Masters, Season 8 (Magnolia Network)

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

SmartLess: On The Road (Max Original)

Talking Sopranos Podcast

Villainous, Season 1A (Cartoon Network)

What Am I Eating?...

Exclusive: Naomie Harris has signed with WME for representation in all areas. She is returning to the agency after 3 months with CAA.

The Academy Award-nominated performer recently wrapped work on Guillem Morales’ upcoming thriller The Wasp where she plays the lead role of Heather. Prior to that, she starred in the Showtime series The Man Who Fell to Earth.

In 2021, Harris portrayed Eve Moneypenny in the newest Bond film No Time To Die. Harris was first seen in the franchise in Skyfall, which won the 2013 BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film and went on to become Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film with a worldwide box office of over $918 million.

Harris’s performance in Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award-winning film Moonlight earned her Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations as well as the Best Supporting Actress Award at the London Critics Circle Awards. In 2021, she reunited with Moonlight co-star Mahershala Ali...

Time is running out to stream the animated series “Bordertown,” the tearjerker classic “My Girl” and the cult favorite comedy “Galaxy Quest” on Netflix. These are among the handful of films and TV shows departing the streaming service in May, which also includes Steven Soderbergh’s Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum-fronted thriller “Side Effects,” the Hailee Steinfeld coming-of-age comedy “Edge of Seventeen” and the terrific animated film “Rango.”

Check out the full list of what’s leaving Netflix in May 2023 below.

Also Read:

What’s New on Netflix in May 2023 May 4

“Pup Star: World Tour”

May 10

“Bordertown” (Seasons 1-3)

May 13

“Weed the People”

May 14

“Booba: Food Puzzle” (Season 1)

May 16

“Side Effects”

May 18

“The Last Days”

May 27

“Collateral Beauty”

May 29

“The 2nd”

May 31

“Barbershop 2: Back in Business”

“The Boy”

“Edge of Seventeen”

“Galaxy Quest”

“Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”

“Little Boxes”

“Midnight Diner” (Seasons 1-3)

“My Girl”

“Rango”

“The Space Between Us...

"Boston Strangler," the new film from "Crown Heights" director Matt Ruskin, is one of the most well-cast movies of 2023. A 1960s period piece about the infamous Boston Strangler murders, the film stars Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin, an under-appreciated journalist who becomes the first person to break the story of a killer going after women in the city. While there were a few bright spots, Knightley's career in the 2010s was littered with largely thankless roles in projects like "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," "Everest," and "Collateral Beauty," so it's thrilling to see her back in true movie star mode for the first time in years. 

It certainly helps that Knightley is surrounded by a who's who of great character actors, including Carrie Coon as journalist Jean Cole; Chris Cooper as their editor, Jack MacLaine; Alessandro Nivola as a police detective who becomes a confidant during the investigation; and David Dastmalchian...

From the very beginning of his career, Edward Norton proved himself to be an incredible talent. With performances in such acclaimed projects as American History X and Fight Club, Norton cemented himself as one of the best actors of his generation who was willing to take on bold movies.

While Norton is known for challenging movie roles, that doesn't mean he hasn't had considerable success at the box office. He has appeared in some surprise hits, a few recognizable franchises, and even a superhero movie. He may not be the highest-grossing star in the world, but his box office success might come as a surprise.

Updated on January 9th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: Edward Norton's latest movie, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, may have been released on Netflix, but it already made a strong showing during its brief run in movie theaters. Norton is not the type of actor...

Sure, he has the plumb lead “villain” role in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”—available on Netflix now— but where has Edward Norton been in the ensuing years? That’s the central question that Dax Shepard has on the new Armchair Expert podcast interview with his old buddy Norton.

Read More: Edward Norton: The Essential Performances

Shepard has a point. Norton’s last major live-action roles before ‘Glass Onion’ were “Birdman” (2014), a supporting role in “Collateral Beauty” (2016), and “Motherless Brooklyn” in 2019, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.

Continue reading Edward Norton Wants Denzel Washington To Star In His Prison Drama & Has Written A Lewis & Clark Miniseries at The Playlist.

There is a lot of advice given to those who are going through the loss of a loved one, but the truth is that there is no formula, each person responds to grief differently. Now, in times of post-pandemic, it is more than necessary to reflect on this subject, both to deal with death and to help those who are bereaved.

Watching films that address the theme can be fruitful to observe and learn, for this reason, we have put together a list of excellent movies with characters who are going through or have gone through the end of a cycle. Among the selections are Little Big Women (2020) by Joseph Chen-Chieh Hsu and Bunny Drop by Sabu.

If you are in a grieving situation or know someone who is going through it, comforting the person can be a way to show affection, whether it’s in person or through condolence messages,...

Straight from his Oscar win and…the notorious incident from that night, Will Smith is back in another dramatic turn. This time, Smith stars in a historical drama inspired by true events from director Antoine Fuqua. The new Civil War film is an Apple Original called Emancipation and finds Will as a slave who escapes his plantation to return to his family, and the new trailer debuts online.

The film synopsis per Deadline reads,

“The film follows Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith, and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom. It is inspired by the 1863 photos of ‘Whipped Peter,’ taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as ‘The Scourged Back,’ which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by...

Will Smith has been a professional movie star for three decades.

It’s a job that comes with a draining, all-consuming level of scrutiny, but Smith never really seemed to buckle under the weight of the exposure. On red carpets, he’d mug for cameras and seemed to feed off the energy of screaming fans. In interviews and late night appearances, he’d be down for anything, revealing a few intimate details while still maintaining enough of a barricade of privacy to keep his A-list status intact. In professional settings, at lunches and dinners with Oscar voters, Smith would work the room, making eye contact, remembering names, and grabbing shoulders and arms in shows of sincerity with a fluency that would put seasoned politicians to shame. He was the consummate celebrity.

So Smith’s violent outburst at Sunday’s Oscars was a shock to the fans who have loved him...

Kate Winslet had no problem nailing her Delaware County accent for “Mare of Easttown,” a performance that landed her a second Emmy Award. Afterward, she took some much-needed time off.

In honor of International Women’s Day on Tuesday, Variety spoke to the London native about her journey, her successes and what she’s looking forward to in 2022.

“I took last year off to be with my family and to recover from ‘Mare of Easttown.’ It was good to have a bit of a reset. But I love my job, and I’m really ready to throw myself back into it,” Winslet tells Variety. “For an actor, there’s nothing as thrilling as being in a room with other actors. I am craving that again. But I’ve got heaps going on this year so I’m excited to get going.”

The Oscar winner is fulfilling a dream in an upcoming role,...

Will Smith is looking like a very serious contender for Best Actor in this year’s Oscar race for playing tennis patriarch Richard Williams in “King Richard,” but it’s been a long journey to get there, including two previous nominations, the most recent of which was in 2006 for “The Pursuit of Happyness.” His win at the Golden Globes for lead actor in a drama has definitely clinched his front-runner status (though the influence of the Globes is questionable this year due to their controversies getting them yanked from broadcast TV). And by the time you read this he may already be a SAG nominee as well.

Smith has been the overwhelming favorite for Gold Derby odds-makers going all the way back to “King Richard’s” debut at the Telluride Film Festival. That includes 18 Experts and six Editors who have Smith winning his first acting Oscar for the movie, compared...

“a compelling new look at Frankenstein’s creation” – Bloody Disgusting

A Nightmare Wakes will be Available on VOD, Digital HD & DVD on July 6, 2021. Check out this scary trailer:

Lje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to the horror film, A Nightmare Wakes,fromShudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. Rlje Films will release A Nightmare Wakes on VOD, Digital HD and DVD on July 6, 2021.

Now you can win the Win the DVD of A Nightmare Wakes. We Are Movie Geeks has three to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite Frankenstein movie is, Giullian Gioiello (“Scream: The TV Series”), Claire Glassford (Collateral Beauty), Philippe Bowgen (“The Mick”,“Supernatural”) and Lee Garrett (“The Undoing”). Rlje Films will release A Nightmare Wakes on DVD for an Srp of $27.97.

A Nightmare Wakes is based on the timeless...

by Christopher James

Kate Winslet is ready for some holiday drinking games. Are you?This Christmas is going to be different for a lot of people. One of my favorite Christmas traditions was taking my Mom to the movies at our local movie theater, Lodi Stadium 12. The theater had come a long way from having a bedbug infestation in the early 2010s to now having a bar in the area that used to be the party room and fancy reclining seats (hold the bedbugs). One of my favorite memories was the two of us ordering glass after glass of wine during our sold out showing of Collateral Beauty. For those of you enjoying a socially distant or virtual Christmas, a holiday movie drinking game may be just what you need in order to get through the holiday.

Without further ado, here are some drinking guides to some Christmas classics…...

Start sweater weather season off right with exciting new original series and A-list blockbuster movies coming this October to HBO Max.

Max Originals debuting in the month include the new Sundance award-winning film Charm City Kings, starring Jahi Di'Allo Winston and Meek Mill; A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, in which the award-winning original cast' reunites for the first time in 17 years for a special staged theatrical presentation of the "Hartsfield's Landing" episode; Greg Berlanti's documentary series Equal, honoring the LGBTQ+ rebels of yesteryear with never-before-seen archival footage along with stylistic depictions; and A World of Calm, a revolutionary TV experience that combines mesmeric imagery with narration by A-List stars. Chelsea Handler's newest comedy special Chelsea Handler: Evolution, and the first two seasons of Gomorrah will also debut in the month.

HBO Originals premiering this October include limited series The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman...

HBO Max is out with its list of everything new coming to the streaming service in October and everything leaving at the end of the month.

The list includes HBO Originals like the limited series “The Undoing” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, out Oct. 25, and David Byrne’s “American Utopia” special event about Byrne’s Broadway show that electrified audiences, out Oct. 17.

There is also Nathan Fielder’s comedic docuseries “How To With John Wilson,” out Oct. 23, and the first season finale of “Lovecraft Country” on Oct. 18.

Among the things leaving at the end of the month are “Amelie,” “Ocean’s 11,” “V For Vendetta,” “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.”

Read the full list here:

Oct. 1

A World of Calm, Documentary Series Premiere

Akeelah And The Bee, 2006 (HBO)

All-Star Superman, 2011

American Dynasties: The Kennedys, 2018

American Reunion, 2012 (HBO)

Analyze That,...

HBO Max is serving up a lot of great new movies this October. Fittingly for the spooky season, the Warner Bros. streaming service is adding a fair few classic horrors to its library next month, but there’s really something for everyone going up – from comedies to romances to sci-fi to superhero films.

Speaking of that last genre, DC lovers will be pleased to note that 2013’s Man of Steel, the movie that kicked off the Dceu, is among the titles arriving on October 1st. Besides that, there’s a bunch of animated DC pics dropping the same day, including Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and All-Star Superman. 2005’s Constantine featuring Keanu Reeves, meanwhile, also debuts on the service from the 1st.

That’s not the only film starring the beloved actor headed to the platform, though, as probably the highlight of October’s haul is the addition of the...

YouTube domino artist Lily Hevesh is in development with Endemol Shine North America, the producer of “Lego Masters” and “MasterChef,” for a domino art competition series called “Domino Effect.”

Hevesh’s YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has three million subscribers and has garnered over a billion views on her content, which revolves around building huge and intricate domino structures and then knocking them down.

The 21-year-old Boston-based artist has led domino builds for Will Smith’s film “Collateral Beauty” and “Saturday Night Live.” She also helped launch Katy Perry’s last album with a special “Witness” themed domino structure, and has collaborated on projects with brands like Ford, Disney Pixar, Lego, Honda and Gillette. Hevesh also shares the 2017 Guinness World Record for largest domino circle field and is a member of a 19-person team that broke the American domino record for toppling 250,000 dominoes in one creation. She was listed on Forbes’ 30 Under...

Exclusive: From Lego to dominoes… Endemol Shine North America is developing a domino competition format after striking a deal with YouTube phenom Lily Hevesh.

The producers of Fox’s Lego Masters, which saw teams of Lego builders compete to create their own mega builds, are now turning their attention to one of the world’s oldest games.

The project is known as Domino Effect and the company will be taking it out to the marketplace in the coming weeks.

Lily Hevesh, as you can see below, is considered the world’s top domino artist. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has attracted over a billion views and she has nearly three million subscribers.

The 21-year old Boston artist has led builds for movies including Will Smith’s Collateral Beauty and TV series including Saturday Night Live and has worked with Katy Perry on the launch of her Witness album as well as brands such as Lego,...

When it comes to evaluating the financial performance of top movies, it isn’t about what a film grosses at the box office. The true tale is told when production budgets, P&a, talent participations and other costs collide with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV. To get close to that mysterious end of the equation, Deadline is repeating our Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament for 2019, using data culled by seasoned and trusted sources.

The Film

More from Deadline'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Reps Sony's Most Profitable Movie Of 2019: No. 8 In Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament'Toy Story 4' Has A Friend In Many: No. 6 On Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament'Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker' Lowest Profit Of Disney Trilogy Titles: No. 9 On Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament

Aladdin

Disney

While Disney has long played the Memorial Day holiday, it historically has had a...

A great bad movie makes you ask, “What did I just see? And when can I see it again?” as opposed to a run-of-the-mill stinker, the kind you wish you’d never watched and will immediately forget that you did. The great bad movies inspire think-pieces, podcasts, watching parties and feverish cult adoration. The regular ones merely wallow in mediocrity. Here’s my alphabetical list of the greatest bad movies the 2010s had to offer:

“Collateral Beauty” (2016)

Will Smith is sad, and his best friends gaslight him by hiring actors to pretend to be Love, Time and Death, but we’re supposed to find their efforts — noble? Charming? None of this makes a lick of sense, but it’s all delivered with hilarious gravitas by the likes of Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren. Make sure to stick around for the shameless third-act twist, and a labored explanation of the title.

In March 2016, Will Smith was at a crossroads. After three decades in show business, he was coming off the coldest streak of an otherwise stellar career. His previous three movies — Concussion, Focus and the much-maligned After Earth — had posted relatively anemic box office numbers, earning a collective $451 million worldwide. Although the release of David Ayer's ensemble tentpole Suicide Squad was looming, Smith's next star vehicle would be the three-hanky drama Collateral Beauty, which he was shooting in New York and would mark his worst opening ever.

Just as things looked bleak (and with pressure building on CAA, his ...

In March 2016, Will Smith was at a crossroads. After three decades in show business, he was coming off the coldest streak of an otherwise stellar career. His previous three movies — Concussion, Focus and the much-maligned After Earth — had posted relatively anemic box office numbers, earning a collective $451 million worldwide. Although the release of David Ayer's ensemble tentpole Suicide Squad was looming, Smith's next star vehicle would be the three-hanky drama Collateral Beauty, which he was shooting in New York and would mark his worst opening ever.

Just as things looked bleak (and with pressure building on CAA, his ...

His last few movies have been panned by critics – from the ones that still found box office success, like Suicide Squad and Aladdin, to the ones that very few moviegoers even know exist, like Focus and Collateral Beauty – so it can easy to forget how awesome Will Smith is.

Related: Will Smith's 10 Most Memorable Characters, Ranked

For someone who moved from rap artist to sitcom star to film actor, he’s given some terrific performances. Smith has starred in a lot of extravagant sci-fi blockbusters, but he’s appeared in just as many powerful dramas that shed light on significant social issues. So, here are Will Smith’s 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes.

Naomie Harris has been cast in the upcoming HBO-Sky Studios co-production “The Third Day.” In addition, Philippa Lowthorpe has boarded the series to direct the second half of the show’s six episodes.

In the first half of the series, titled “Summer” and directed by Marc Munden, Sam (Jude Law) is drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. In the second half, “Winter,” Helen (Harris), a strong-willed outsider, comes to the island seeking answers, but her arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate.

Harris received an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for her supporting role in the 2016 film “Moonlight.” She is currently in production on the James Bond film “No Time to Die,” reprising the role of Eve Moneypenny for the third time. Her other recent film credits include “Mowgli,...

Warner Bros. has revealed the first trailer for Motherless Brooklyn. This is surely going to be a movie that is hot on the awards season trail, as Edward Norton not only returns for his first starring role in several years, following Birdman and Collateral Beauty. But the Oscar-nominee also serves as director and writer of the screenplay. Couple that with a massive, impressive ensemble, compelling source material all wrapped up in a high-dollar crime drama and this becomes instantly compelling. And did we mention that Norton is playing a detective who has Tourette's?

The trailer opens by showing us a glimpse at the life of Edward Norton's character. We see he's not having the easiest time getting through the daily grind, given his social awkwardness, largely brought on by his Tourette Syndrome. We then get to the meat of the whole thing, which sees Norton's mentor, played by Bruce Willis,...

Watch intrigue and drama unfold in the trailer for Motherless Brooklyn, starring Writer/Director Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, with Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe. Only in theaters November 1.

It was announced that the movie will be the closing night selection at the 57th New York Film Festival.

https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2019/films/motherless-brooklyn/

This is Oscar/Awards season bait… for sure! We can’t wait for this one!

Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely guarded secrets that hold the fate of New York in the balance. In a mystery that carries him from gin-soaked jazz clubs in Harlem to the hard-edged slums of Brooklyn and, finally, into the gilded halls...

For more than 20 years, Independence Day has remained the highest-grossing movie of Will Smith's career. No longer. Over the weekend, the live-action Aladdin remake took the top spot. This proves that Smith is still a massive talent that audiences worldwide want to see on screen and that, perhaps, his best days aren't yet behind him.

As of this writing, Disney's remake of Aladdin has grossed $874 million globally. That puts it well above Independence Day. which brought in a massive $817 million when it first hit theaters in 1996. Granted, if we were to adjust for inflation, Roland Emmerich's alien invasion classic would come out on top, but in terms of pure dollars earned, there was a lot of magic in Disney's latest live-action reimagining. The actor took to Instagram to thank his fans around the world, quite literally, in every language he could think to do it in. Here's...

Keira Knightley is on a bit of hot streak as an actress, even if some of the projects she has been attached to haven’t quite made their mark. Earlier this year, she shone in Wash Westmoreland’s brilliant Colette, making big splash a few years before in more ‘modern’ fare as Say When and Begin Again, and more recently was the best thing in The Nutcracker And The Four Realms and the painfully awful Collateral Beauty. Whether in period or not, Knightley deserves her dues and while her latest film, romantic drama The Aftermath, fits somewhere in between those mentioned, she once again proves her worth.

Knightley stars as Rachael Morgan, wife to Lewis (Jason Clarke), who travels across Europe to Hamburg post World War II to be reunited with him at a palatial home which he is helping to rebuild. The city is a shell of what it once was,...

Exclusive: Starz is rounding out it series regular cast for upcoming drama P-Valley (working title). Carolyn Braver (The Iceman Cometh), Parker Sawyers (Pine Gap), Elarica Johnson (Blade Runner 2049) and Harriett D. Foy (Law & Order: Svu) have been cast opposite Brandee Evans and Nicco Annan in Katori Hall’s strip club drama based on her play Pussy Valley. Peter Chernin executive produces.

Created by Hall, who also showruns, the drama is set down deep in the Mississippi Delta, where lies an oasis of grit and glitter in a rough patch of human existence where beauty can be hard to find. The Southern-fried hourlong drama tells the kaleidoscopic story of a little-strip-club-that-could and the big characters who come through its doors: the hopeful, the lost, the broken, the ballers, the beautiful, and the damned. Trap music meets film noir in this lyrical and atmospheric series that dares to ask what happens...

ABC has picked up to pilot hourlong romantic comedy The Baker and the Beauty, from The Brave creator Dean Georgaris, David Frankel (Manifest), Keshet Studios, Universal TV where the company is under a deal, and ABC Studios.

This is the second time in three years that Georgaris has written two projects that have both gone to pilot the same season. He also has legal drama pilot Bluff City Law at NBC. In 2017, he also had one pilot at NBC and one at ABC: The Brave at NBC, which went to series, and Las Reinas at ABC.

Written by Georgaris and to be directed by Frankel, The Baker and the Beauty marks the second ABC pilot based on an Israeli format this season, joining romantic drama Until the Wedding.

The Baker and the Beauty, which had a put pilot commitment, tells the story of the unlikely romance between a blue-collar baker and an international superstar.

Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition, we take on Keira Knightley, who plays with gender identity in the title role of fall hit “Colette,” which is focused on the early career of the flamboyant French literary star.

Bottom Line: Ever since 2002, when Keira Knightley popped at age 17 in TV’s “Dr. Zhivago” and on-screen in Gurinder Chadha’s girl-power soccer movie “Bend it Like Beckham,” the actress has picked her projects well. Still only 33, the screen beauty has earned an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) and is equally capable of carrying bodice-ripping dramas and athletic action roles. Perhaps her most charming performance was in Richard Curtis’ holiday comedy “Love Actually,” juggling expressions of affection from swains Chiwetel Ejiofor and Andrew Lincoln.

Although she grew up in London as the child of two actors,...

Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition, we take on Keira Knightley, who plays with gender identity in the title role of fall hit “Colette,” which is focused on the early career of the flamboyant French literary star.

Bottom Line: Ever since 2002, when Keira Knightley popped at age 17 in TV’s “Dr. Zhivago” and on-screen in Gurinder Chadha’s girl-power soccer movie “Bend it Like Beckham,” the actress has picked her projects well. Still only 33, the screen beauty has earned an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) and is equally capable of carrying bodice-ripping dramas and athletic action roles. Perhaps her most charming performance was in Richard Curtis’ holiday comedy “Love Actually,” juggling expressions of affection from swains Chiwetel Ejiofor and Andrew Lincoln.

Although she grew up in London as the child of two actors,...

ABC has given a put pilot commitment to The Baker and the Beauty a one-hour romantic comedy based on the successful Israeli series. The adaptation hails from The Brave creator Dean Georgaris (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life), David Frankel (Manifest), Keshet Studios and Universal TV where the company is under a deal.

Written by Georgaris and to be directed by Frankel, The Baker and the Beauty follows the impossible Miami love story between a simple baker and an international superstar. Noa Hollander has it all: she’s the most famous woman in the country, the beautiful daughter of a real estate magnate, a successful model with an international career and – up until now – one half of a Hollywood power couple. The son of Cuban immigrants, Daniel is a simple guy who still lives with his parents and works at the family bakery. A chance encounter at a...

2016

Will Smith is cast in “Collateral Beauty,” a film about a successful New York advertising exec (Smith), who experiences a personal tragedy involving his young daughter and retreats from life, only to have his colleagues come up with a plan to bring him back. He meets people representing the three things: time (Jacob Latimore), love (Keira Knightley) and death (Mirren).

The film premieres in theaters Dec. 16

1985

A 17-year-old Will Smith meets Jeff Townes by chance and the two end up forming a hip-hop duo called DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

1989

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince receive the first ever Grammy Award for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” in 1989.

1990

After the IRS came after the actor for underpaid taxes, the rapper was nearly bankrupt. Luckily for him, NBC signed Smith and built “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” around his rap persona.

2002

Smith is nominated for an Academy Award...

Every Friday, we’re recommending an older movie that’s worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. We’re calling the series “Revisiting Hours” — consider this Rolling Stone’s unofficial film club. This week: Tim Grierson on Robert Altman’s 1993 celebrity-ensemble feel-bad masterpiece Short Cuts.

Because movies are a global art form, it’s natural that some filmmakers get interested in how stories connect us as human beings. (Yawn.) Much like life itself, which can sometimes be a medley of unrelated events that ultimately form a grand...

Apparently scripted by an especially depthless range of greetings cards, this big screen effort from the creator of This Is Us dishes out tragedy to Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening - and its audience

Dan Fogelman is the weepie whisperer, the man who brought the tearstained TV drama back into vogue with his sentimental – and massively successful – series This Is Us. Here he tries out the same recipe on the mid-level blockbuster, and delivers the first turkey of the autumn, a flashy but fraudulent treatise on love, loss and – yup – life itself.

Somehow managing to be both manipulative and muddled, it is a film that has already prompted critics to utter the dreaded ‘c’ word – in comparing it to Collateral Beauty. While I’m not sure it’s quite at that level of end-of-days infamy, it certainly does possess the same cynical Clinton Cards mawkishness, though one undercut with...

Tony Sokol Joseph Baxter Jan 29, 2020

Mr. Roarke is back, played by Michael Peña, ready to host guests in a Fantasy Island reboot, which is actually a horror movie!

"De plane! de plane!," alerted Hervé Villechaize's Tattoo to Ricardo Montalbán’s Mr. Roarke before hitting the tarmac to greet weekly crafts filled with wealthy life fetishists on ABC’s classic life-affirming adventure television series, Fantasy Island; words that will undoubtedly be shouted once again by another actor – this time to star Michael Peña – in the 2020 movie reboot of said series from the horror auteurs at Blumhouse.

Truth or Dare director Jeff Wadlow helms the film. Ryan Turek will oversee for Blumhouse and Matt Milam will oversee for Sony. Wadlow, who also directed the features Cry Wolf, Never Back Down, True Memoirs of an International Assassin, and Kick Ass 2, is also writing alongside Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs. The film is being distributed by Sony Pictures.

The sweet, coming-of-age comedy, Krystal arrives on DVD, Digital, and On Demand July 10 from Lionsgate.

The sweet, coming-of-age comedy, Krystal arrives on DVD, Digital, and On Demand July 10 from Lionsgate. Featuring a diverse all-star cast, including Rosario Dawson, Nick Robinson, William H. Macy, and Felicity Huffman, the film tells the tale of a young man who pretends to be in Alcoholics Anonymous® in order to woo the girl of his dreams, but things don’t go quite as planned. Directed by Oscar® nominee*, Golden Globe® nominee**, and Primetime Emmy® winner*** William H. Macy and written by Will Aldis, the Krystal DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

William H. Macy directs an all-star cast in this comedic drama about Taylor (Robinson), a young, sheltered man with a strange heart condition. When Taylor meets his dream woman, Krystal (Dawson) ­­­— a beguiling ex-addict with a sixteen-year-old son — Taylor pretends...

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to The Last Summer, an ensemble romantic comedy from Gulfstream Pictures loaded with young actors including Riverdale‘s K.J. Apa, The Fosters‘ Maia Mitchell and Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Posey among others. Shooting began last month in Cleveland and Netflix is eyeing a 2019 release.

Bill Bindley co-wrote with Scott Bindley and also directed the pic, which revolves around group of teens navigating relationships with family and friends over a Chicago summer in the months before going off to college.

Jacob Latimore, Halston Sage (Paper Towns), Sosie Bacon (13 Reasons Why), Gage Golightly (Red Oaks), Wolfgang Novogratz (Grown-ish), Jacob McCarthy (A.P. Bio), Mario Revolori (Sierra Burgess is a Loser) and Gabrielle Anwar (Burn Notice) also star.

Mike Karz, also an executive producer on Netflix’s Green Eggs and Ham, also produced The Last Summer with Bill Bindley and Wayne Rice.