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Though it’s something of a backhanded paean to its eponymous city in question, the most enjoyable element to “Lost & Found in Cleveland” is its locations, locations, locations — cinematographer Davon Slininger’s widescreen images provide an appealing selective tour of a burg the film presents as quaintly lagging well behind the times. Otherwise, this slick if uninspired first feature for actors turned writer-directors Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak offers a pleasant-enough ensemble seriocomedy that straddles the terrains of Richard Curtis and Christopher Guest, without approaching either’s high points. The Newport Beach Fest world premiere’s familiar faces and story beats seem best suited to home viewing.

An opening montage to the retro pop of Bobby Darin singing “Artificial Flowers” — an incongruously brassy, “Mack the Knife”-like arrangement of a depressing slum-tragedy lyric from 1960 Broadway musical “Tenderloin” — introduces the characters, as well as a sense that this midwestern metropolis’ growth stalled some decades ago.

A couple of years ago, Luke Barnett heard from his mother – even though it had been 20 years since she died. The actor-filmmaker received a text from an unknown number with a YouTube link to a video his mother had made when he was 16, telling him how proud she was of him. It was particularly jarring, as he didn’t have many photos and no video of her. It turned out, his friend Jon’s father had recently discovered it on an old VHS tape and had it put online.

“The video really shook me up,” says Barnett. “It took me back to my last conversation with my mom. She was in the hospital, in a coma, and they let me go in one last time.” He was just 17 at the time, and says it ended up being more like a confession. “From talking to people years later, I learned that...

"Don't touch the sheet - right. Got it." To get everyone in the mood for horror season just around the corner, enjoy this horror dark comedy short film called The Crossing Over Express. This 11-min short posted by Short of the Week is made by two talented indie filmmakers & writing partners Luke Barnett & Tanner Thomason. A man finds closure in the back of a truck – reconnecting with his dead mom. Hank gets ready. He has the money with him, he just has to fill out the form. Then everything is ready for his appointment with Dr. Gale Gustberg, a very peculiar woman who plies her "trade" in a white truck. He gets two minutes... Starring Luke Barnett, Dot-Marie Jones, and Ron Song. "Our goal was to make something creepy yet magical that would tempt you to laugh when you think you should cry, and to cry when you think you should laugh.

It’s been a couple years since we’ve heard a peep about The Collected, the planned third installment in the horror trilogy that began with The Collector and continued with The Collection. The hotly anticipated film had briefly entered production before shutting down back in 2020, you may recall, but it sounds like it’s getting a second chance at life here in 2024.

Chatting with YouTube’s David Clair-Bennett, director Marcus Dunstan (The Collector, The Collection, #Amfad: All My Friends Are Dead) offers up an exciting update this week.

Dunstan tells the channel, “After five years of Gordian Knot untangling, The Collector is free. The Collector gets to come back. And it is something that… Josh Stewart… we’re pumped… Emma Fitzpatrick… we’re thrilled. We want to come back and do it right.”

“What are the next steps? Well, really we’re at the nascent stage,” Dunstan continues. “So...

Back in September of 2019, we reported that The Collected – the third film in the franchise that began with 2009’s The Collector (watch it Here) and continued with 2012’s The Collection (watch that Here) – had started filming in Atlanta. Genre legend Tom Atkins had a role in the film, and he told us that the first thing shot on The Collected was the twelve-page sequence that makes up the ending. Nearly five years later, that’s still all that has been shot for The Collected. Writer/director Marcus Dunstan and co-writer Patrick Melton previously revealed that production was shut down on The Collected after just eight days of filming… but it looks like this project is finally coming back together and moving forward again!

After the production shutdown, Dunstan and Melton stopped hearing from anyone involved behind the scenes. Attempts to get in contact with the producer who held the rights went unanswered.

Exclusive: Ali Wentworth, Raven-Symoné, and Brooke Shields have joined the cast of Arnon Manor, and Kelsey Bascom’s coming-of-age feature film comedy, Quarter. The film also stars Bascom, and includes Breckin Meyer, Tati Gabrielle, Eric Roberts, Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers), Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Dot-Marie Jones, and Matty Cardarople (Stranger Things), and Derek Theler (American Gods).

Written by Bascom and co-directed by Bascom and Peabody Award-winning director Arnon Manor (who also serves as SVP of Visual Effects production at Sony Pictures), the film follows Kelly, a young woman living with Type 1 diabetes, who’s about to turn 25, as she deals with the ups and downs of her blood sugar levels and the ups and downs of her personal life.

“I wrote Quarter because I want to normalize and bring awareness to Type 1 diabetes (T1D),” Bascom said. “Most narrative films or...

Exclusive: Kelsey Bascom, Ali Wentworth, Brooke Shields, and Raven-Symoné to star in new coming-of-age comedy, Quarter. The film also stars Breckin Meyer, Tati Gabrielle, Eric Roberts, Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers), Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Dot-Marie Jones, and Matty Cardarople (Stranger Things).

Written Bascom and co-directed by Bascom and Peabody Award-winning director Arnon Manor (who also serves as SVP of Visual Effects production at Sony Pictures), the film follows Kelly (Bascom), a young woman living with Type 1 diabetes, who’s about to turn 25, as she deals with the ups and downs of her blood sugar levels and the ups and downs of her personal life.

“I wrote Quarter because I want to normalize and bring awareness to Type 1 diabetes (T1D),” Bascom says. “Most narrative films or TV shows that incorporate Type 1 diabetes either misinterpret or overdramatize it, and we want this...

Chicago – The internet has invented news ways to harass people, and the category of celebrity has taken the brunt force of it all. Dana Delany is one such A-lister, who began an online communication with a anonymous teen, and tells about it live in “Highway Patrol,” at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through February 18th. For information and tickets, click Highway.

Play Rating: 4.0/5.0

As Dana Delany was doing the TV series “Body of Proof” in 2012, she began an online correspondence with Cam (embodied by Thomas Murphy Malony), a teenage heart transplant patient. As the series grind became more stressed, Delany becomes more dependent and intimate with Cam. It eventually becomes clearer that Cam and his grandmother (Dot-Marie Jones) don’t exactly seem to be who they are.

Dana Delany in Goodman Theatre’s ‘Highway Patrol’

Photo credit: GoodmanTheatre.org

Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review of “Highway Patrol” …

”Highway Patrol” is at the Goodman Theatre,...

This year’s annual Snixxmas Charity event honoring Naya Rivera features a previously unreleased song by the late “Glee” star.

“Prayer for the Broken,” first recorded by Rivera in 2012, now includes background vocals by her “Glee” co-stars Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Heather Morris, Vanessa Lengies and Ashley Fink. “Prayer for the Broken” was written by Lindy Robbins and Isaac Hasson.

Proceeds from the song will benefit Alexandria House, which provides safe and supportive housing for women and children on their journey from emergency shelter to economic stability and permanent housing.

“Prayer for the Broken” can be streamed, downloaded or purchased via music platforms. Direct donations to Alexandria House can be made at alexandriahouse.org.

Rivera was 33 years old when she died after drowning on July 8, 2020, in Lake Piru in Ventura County while boating with her son Josey Hollis Dorsey. Dorsey, who was four years old at the time,...

The "Glee" cast and crew recently reunited in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. On Aug. 23, stars including Heather Morris, Darren Criss, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kevin McHale, as well as writers, producers, and choreographers for the hit television series joined the picket line in Burbank, CA. Marching alongside former coworkers, the group made sure to include a special shoutout to the late Naya Rivera, who played Santana Lopez on the show and died after a tragic boating accident in July 2020.

At the protests, a few of the picketers carried signage displaying famous one-liners from "Glee." Morris's sign featured Santana and her quote, "The only straight I am is straight-up broke," while former crew member Meg Doyle held up another screen grab of Santana saying, "I'm about to go all Lima Heights." Ushkowitz's sign also showed a snap of her character Tina Cohen-Chang saying, "I'm dehydrated from all the striking.

The actors strike is bringing old colleagues back together.

On Wednesday, members of the “Glee” cast reunited on the SAG-AFTRA and WGA picket line in Hollywood, including Heather Morris, Kevin McHale, Darren Criss and more.

Read More: Abbi Jacobson Blasts Report That Strike Led To Cancellation Of ‘A League Of Their Own’ As ‘Bulls**t & Cowardly’

Morris posted photos from the picket line on Instagram, posing for photos with her old co-stars, and holding up a picket sign paying tribute to the late Naya Rivera.

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A post shared by Heather Morris (@heatherrelizabethh)

The sign featured a picture of Rivera as her “Glee” character Santana, with the quote, “The only straight I am is straight-up broke.”

Rivera died in July 2020 while boating with her son Josey.

Other cast members who showed up on the pick line included Jenna Ushkowitz, Dot-Marie Jones, Becca Tobin, Iqbal Theba and Vanessa Lengie.

Though less obvious about it than some other streaming services, Peacock has been churning out some of the best TV of the year. On the heels of Emmy-nominated series “Poker Face” and “Mrs. Davis” comes the return of Craig Robinson’s comedy “Killing It.” The show stars Robinson and Claudia O’Doherty as Craig and Jillian, two underdogs who team up to kill snakes to win prize money, a real thing that happens in Florida as a means of protecting the ecosystem from invasive pythons.

In Season 2, which is now streaming, the pair’s talent for killing snakes leads to the realization of Craig’s dream: owning a saw palmetto farm, which he hopes will give him the means to become a mogul. The comedy, which hails from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici, is as endearing as it is biting as it takes on issues of class...

In these dark times in which we live, the line between satire and horror can be so razor-thin as to barely exist at all. Peacock’s Craig Robinson comedy Killing It is ostensibly a comedy about how badly the American economic system is stacked against anyone who isn’t already well-off. But its humor is so cutting, and so often feels not that far removed from reality, that I often spend more time covering my face during episodes than laughing.

This is not a complaint, mind you. The series, created...

Killing It returns for Season 2 on Peacock later this month, and to get people excited, the streaming service is airing select episodes across multiple platforms.

The streaming service announced Monday that the first three episodes of the Craig Robinson comedy are available to stream on YouTube and TikTok.

Additionally, the first two episodes from Season 1 will air tonight, August 7, at 11 p.m. Et, on USA Network following WWE Monday Night Raw.

The move is in anticipation of Killing It Season 2's premiere on August 17, 2023, on the streaming service.

On the first season, Craig Foster (Robinson) teams up with his Uber driver, Jillian (Claudia O'Doherty), to enter a state-sponsored snake-hunting contest in hopes of achieving the American dream and becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The second season picks up a year later, as Craig and Jillian take the money they won from the Florida Python Challenge and use it to buy a saw palmetto berry farm.

Are you ready to delve back into the world of Killing It?

Peacock announced Tuesday morning that the hit comedy series would return for more laughs on Thursday, August 17.

The second season will comprise eight episodes.

The series is headlined by Craig Robinson (as Craig), who stars alongside Claudia O'Doherty (Jillian) and Rell Battle (Isaiah).

The impressive guest cast includes Tim Heidecker (Rodney Lamonica), Stephanie Nogueras (Camile), Jet Miller (Vanessa), Scott MacArthur (Brock), Wyatt Walter (Corby), and Dot-Marie Jones (Jackie Boone).

The cast is rounded out by Katie Kershaw (Natalie-Ray Boone), Joe Massingill (Ray-Nathan Boone), Melanie Field (Shayla), Tim Simons (Agent Burton), Fatimah Taliah (Maya), Beck Bennett (Johnny), and Kyle Mooney (Bugs).

Killing It is a comedy about class, capitalism, and one man's quest to achieve the American Dream.

But first, he has to overcome vicious criminals, nature run wild, and worst of all, corporate America.

The trailer hints at...

“Killing It” Season 2 has added eight new guest stars, Variety has learned exclusively.

The second season of the Craig Robinson-led Peacock comedy series has added the following actors in guest roles: Dot-Marie Jones as Jackie Boone, Katie Kershaw as Natalie-Ray Boone, Joe Massingill as Ray-Nathan Boone, Melanie Field as Shayla, Fatimah Taliah as Maya, Beck Bennett as Johnny, Kyle Mooney as Bugs, and Tim Simons as Agent Burton.

They join Robinson and returning series regulars Claudia O’Doherty and Rell Battle. Stephanie Nogueras, Jet Miller, Tim Heidecker, Scott MacArthur, and Wyatt Walter will also return as guest stars.

The description of the second season describes it as “a comedy about class, capitalism, and one man’s quest to achieve the American Dream. But first he has to overcome vicious criminals, nature run wild, and worst of all, corporate America.” It will consist of eight episodes. The first season of the...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Air, Renfield, Beef, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Murder Mystery 2.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves premiere

Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head and co-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley walked the carpet at Sunday’s L.A. premiere of their Dungeons & Dragons flick.

Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Daisy Head, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page and Jeremy Latcham Chris Pine, Paramount Pictures president and CEO Brian Robbins, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Air premiere

After first debuting at SXSW, Ben Affleck and his cast of Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina and Chris Tucker brought their Nike film to Los Angeles on Monday.

Marlon Wayans,...

Owen and Andrea are the dynamic duo I didn't realize we needed.

As the doting, loving parents of T.K. and Carlos, obsessed with planning the perfect wedding for them on 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Episode 8, it's enough to make you long for more storylines that directly involve the Strand and Reyes family.

And catching up with Marjan on the road was such an adventure!

It was another installment that was light on emergency calls and most of the cast, but this time, it didn't feel quite as frustrating because the continuity was strong enough, and things flowed.

The emergency call with Wesley and his father was a heck of a way to kickstart the installment. And their rescue was something out of Operation.

Kevin set the tone for an hour full of control freaks, whether they were well-meaning, like Owen, or abusive, like Grant.

It was great...

To celebrate the release of Bros – released on DVD & Blu-ray 6th February – we have a Blu-ray up for grabs!

From the ferocious comic mind of Billy Eichner and the hit making brilliance of filmmakers Nicholas Stoller and Judd Apatow, comes Bros, a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about how hard it is to find another tolerable human being to go through life with.

Starring Billy Eichner, the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film, and Luke MacFarlane (Killjoys), the film featuring an entirely LGBTQ+principal cast, including Guy Branum (The Other Two), Miss Lawrence (Star), Ts Madison (The Ts Madison Experience), Dot-marie Jones (Glee), Jim Rash (Community) and Amanda Bearse (Married… with Children). The film also features appearances by Emmy winner Debra Messing (Will & Grace) and legendary four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy).

Funny, heartwarming and deliriously entertaining, Bros is the...

To celebrate the release of Bros – released on DVD & Blu-ray 6th February – we have a Blu-ray up for grabs!

From the ferocious comic mind of Billy Eichner and the hit making brilliance of filmmakers Nicholas Stoller and Judd Apatow, comes Bros, a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about how hard it is to find another tolerable human being to go through life with.

Starring Billy Eichner, the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film,and Luke MacFarlane (Killjoys), the filmfeaturing an entirely LGBTQ+principal cast, including Guy Branum (The Other Two), Miss Lawrence (Star), Ts Madison (The Ts Madison Experience), Dot-marie Jones (Glee), Jim Rash (Community) and Amanda Bearse (Married… with Children). The film also features appearances by Emmy winner Debra Messing (Will & Grace) and legendary four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy). Funny, heartwarming and deliriously entertaining, Bros is the perfect...

Peacock has announced that the groundbreaking romantic comedy Bros — the first from a major studio to center on two gay men — will begin streaming exclusively on the platform on December 2nd.

The film directed by Nicholas Stoller is a smart, swoony and heartfelt story about gay men — played by Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane—maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy. Its cast also includes Ts Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone, Guillermo Diaz, Guy Branum, Monica Raymund, Jim Rash, Harvey Fierstein, Bowen Yang, Amanda Bearse, Dot-Marie Jones, and many more.

Eichner and Stoller penned the script. Stoller also produced alongside Judd Apatow and Josh Church, with Eichner exec producing.

While Bros world premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, it had a disappointing showing upon its September theatrical release via Universal Pictures, grossing just over 14.6M worldwide. Its co-writer and star Eichner made history with Bros,...

An unhappy couple settle their rivalry over on a series of inane challenges in a film that mistakes dodgy acting for ambience

This LA-set breakup comedy at least has a nifty hook: when a longstanding couple part ways, who gets drinking rights at their favourite bar? After five years together, flannel-shirted carpenter Allen (Luka Jones) and go-getting talent agent Nina (Melissa Fumero) are undergoing what Los Angelenos now call a “conscious uncoupling”. Having never fought when they were together, their separation proceeds on the same smooth lines – until they set foot in the Martinez Bar & Lounge on the same evening, both on the town as singletons for the first time. Staff allegiances are divided, so they come up with a decider: Allen and Nina have to undergo a best-of-three bar challenge, with the loser “eighty-sixed” for good.

Debut director Jim Mahoney gets a tasty buzz on in the early stages,...

“American Horror Story: NYC” premiered October 19 on FX (available the next day on Hulu). As could be expected, the cast is vast and the plot is largely centered on killings in New York City. This cycle written by franchise creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk is heavily rumored to focus on a serial killer roaming the streets of the Big Apple. Joining the fun for the first time are Charlie Carver, Kal Penn, Joe Mantello, Russell Tovey and Gideon Glick. Returning are Sandra Bernhard, Nico Greetham, Rebecca Dayan, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Patti LuPone, Denis O’Hare, Dot-Marie Jones, Isaac Cole Powell, and Zachary Quinto. So what are critics saying about the latest edition of “AHS”?

See Everything to know about ‘American Horror Story’ Season 11, titled ‘New York City’ [Watch Trailer]

Brian Lowry of CNN compares it to Murphy’s Netflix hit “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” writing, “A key element of the Dahmer miniseries,...

Vulture Watch

With episodes airing twice a night, season 11 airs over five weeks.  Has the American Horror Story TV show been cancelled or renewed for a 12th season on FX? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of American Horror Story, season 12. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

A horror anthology series airing on the FX cable channel, American Horror Story: NYC stars Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Zachary Quinto, Russell Tovey, Leslie Grossman, Charlie Carver, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Cole Powell, Denis O'Hare, and Patti LuPone. Guests include Rebecca Dayan, Kal Penn, Gideon Glick, Sis, Nico Greetham, Dot-Marie Jones, Hale Appleman, Kyle Beltran, Clara McGregor, Matthew Bishop, and...

We don't have to wonder about the future of American Horror Story right now since the series has already been renewed for 12th and 13th seasons. This time around, FX is airing two episodes a night so that the season will air over just five weeks. Could this move help increase viewership? Stay tuned.

An anthology series, American Horror Story: NYC stars Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Zachary Quinto, Russell Tovey, Leslie Grossman, Charlie Carver, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Cole Powell, Denis O'Hare, and Patti LuPone. Guests include Rebecca Dayan, Kal Penn, Gideon Glick, Sis, Nico Greetham, Dot-Marie Jones, Hale Appleman, Kyle Beltran, Clara McGregor, Matthew Bishop, and Lee Aaron Rosen. Season 11 features one story and airs two episodes at a time. As the story begins, mysterious deaths and disappearances ramp up in the city. A doctor makes a frightening discovery, and a local reporter becomes...

The Big Apple gets scary in the 11th season of the American Horror Story TV show on FX. As we all know, Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like American Horror Story is cancelled or renewed for season 12. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we invite you to rate all of the 11th season episodes of American Horror Story here.

An FX horror anthology series, American Horror Story: NYC stars Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Zachary Quinto, Russell Tovey, Leslie Grossman, Charlie Carver, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Cole Powell, Denis O'Hare, and Patti LuPone. Guests include Rebecca Dayan, Kal Penn, Gideon Glick, Sis, Nico Greetham, Dot-Marie Jones, Hale Appleman, Kyle Beltran, Clara McGregor, Matthew Bishop, and Lee Aaron Rosen.

The release of “Bros” makes history as the first major studio film with an all openly LGBTQ cast. The brainchild of co-writer/director Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and co-writer/star Billy Eichner, the R-rated comedy follows an unlikely love story from two echelons of the gay community: a blunt podcaster who works at an LGBTQ+ museum and what Bobby calls “gay Tom Brady.”

If you’re wondering how to watch the rom-com, we have the answers to all your questions.

Also Read:

How Gay Rom-Com ‘Bros’ and Horror Movie ‘Smile’ Will Kick Off Box Office Revival Is “Bros” streaming or in theaters?

“Bros” was released on Sept. 30, 2022 exclusively in theaters, and is still playing there. Check your local listings.

However, while “Bros” is not on a streaming service, the film is now available to watch on VOD. You can rent it to watch at home right now.

While a...

“Success has many fathers,” the old saying goes, “but failure is an orphan.” Nonetheless, that orphan has no shortage of forensic surgeons ready to give it an autopsy. As early as Saturday of the opening weekend of the Universal gay romantic comedy “Bros,” the Monday-morning quarterbacking began, as various corners of the internet came forward with their reasons why the film’s grosses were a disappointment.

The marketing was too focused on its status as the first major-studio LGBTQ rom-com! It was too white! The poster was off-putting! The title was vague! Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane aren’t big enough names to open a movie! People don’t go to rom-coms during Halloween season! People don’t go to rom-coms, full stop! The reasons seemed endless. Sometimes they were thoughtful. Sometimes.

If you’re familiar with “Bros” star and co-writer Eichner’s work on “Billy on the Street” or “Difficult People,...

After a low opening turnout in theaters for LGBTQ rom-com “Bros,” writer and star Billy Eichner wrote on Twitter Sunday that it was “disappointing” that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up.” Dot-Marie Jones, who co-stars in the film, echoed Eichner’s sentiments Sunday evening at the Best in Drag Show, an annual parody drag pageant that functions as a charity benefit for people living with HIV/AIDS, and at which Jones was serving on the panel of judges.

“There’s so much heart and so many wonderful good laughs in this [movie],” Jones told Variety at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s, you know, LGBTQ. It’s not contagious — fuckin’ go see a movie, you know what I mean? It’s crazy.”

“I had a friend, she went and she’s straight,...

Click here to read the full article.

Much of the discussion around the release of the Billy Eichner-starring, Judd Apatow-produced romantic comedy Bros has been about the semantics of its historic nature.

Yes, it’s one of the first major studio movies starring two gay leads played by two openly gay actors. Yes, it’s part of a small, but growing handful of LGBTQ-inclusive films upending the mainstream rom-com genre. But it’s another detail — frequently thrown out during the film’s press tour as a sign of its groundbreaking nature — that perhaps makes the film most notable. And that’s its all, openly LGBTQ+ cast.

It was a decision, star and co-writer Eichner told The Hollywood Reporter during the film’s New York red carpet premiere, believed was important from the pitch.

“One of the first things I said to [co-writer] Nick [Stoller] and [producer] Judd [Apatow] was that my love...

Paramount’s “Smile” debuted to a sizzling 22 million this weekend, easily topping the domestic box office. The horror film beat out the weekend’s other new wide release, Universal’s LGBTQ romantic comedy “Bros,” which landed in fourth place with a paltry 4.8 million bow.

“Smile” ranks as one of the better original horror openings of the year, beating out 20th Century Studios’ “Barbarian” (10 million) and Sony’s “The Invitation” (7 million). As the box office enters October, the horror genre will continue to take center stage with Universal’s “Halloween Ends” releasing in two weeks and hoping to cash in on the seasonal thirst for thrills and chills.

The box office result for “Smile” is a frighteningly good haul, seeing as it cost a measly 17 million to produce and had originally been seen as a streaming release.

“It’s honestly sensational,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s distribution chief. “I don’t like to use hyperbole,...

Bros Review — Bros (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Nicholas Stoller, written by Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller and starring Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence, Ts Madison, Dot-Marie Jones, Jim Rash, Eve Lindley, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Diaz, Jai Rodriguez, Amanda Bearse, Debra Messing, Peter Kim, Justin Covington, Symone, Ryan [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Bros (2022): Billy Eichner is Terrific in a Wonderfully Unique and Charming Romantic Comedy...

“Smile” has something grin about this weekend.

The creeper is projected to land a 19 million debut from 3,645 locations. It’s a fantastic start for the Paramount release, which carries a modest 17 million production budget. Compared to other original horror entries this year, “Smile” is coming in below Universal’s supernatural kidnap thriller “The Black Phone,” which kicked off with 23 million, but surging past 20th Century Studios’ “Barbarian,” which opened to 10 million.

“Smile” landed a mildly positive “B-” grade through research firm Cinema Score, though such a figure is standard for a horror release. The film has drawn good buzz with solid reviews, scoring a 79 from top critics on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Variety‘s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the film in his review, writing that it “sets up nearly everything — its highly effective creep factor, its well-executed if familiar shock tactics, its interlaced theme of trauma and suicide — before the opening credits.

Click here to read the full article.

If you’re an Applebee’s employee in Des Moines who wants to see Billy Eichner’s romantic comedy Bros, Guy Branum just made it a lot easier by serving it up on a platter — free of charge.

The comedian, who plays the witty best friend of Eichner’s character in the Nicholas Stoller-directed film, has bought out a showing specifically for staff at five Applebee’s restaurants in the greater Des Moines area. Locations in and around Iowa’s capital city include Merle Hay, Se 14th Street, Altoona, Jordan Creek and Ankeny locations with the screening set for Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. at AMC Classic Johnston 16 in Johnston, Iowa.

“We are very grateful,” noted Iowa Applebee’s general manager David Hintz of the news as insiders estimate approximately 10-15 employees from each location will turn up at the screening, presumably scheduled...

“Smile,” the unsettling Paramount horror about grins, murder and suicide, has earned 2 million from Thursday previews at the domestic box office. On the other side of the cinematic spectrum, Universal’s “Bros,” a romantic comedy with entirely LGBTQ cast, has grossed 500,000.

As the two movies face off at the box office this weekend, “Smile” is expected to earn the top spot over “Bros” and defending champ, “Don’t Worry Darling,” which has earned 25.5 million in its first week of release. The horror movie is projected to earn between 16 million and 20 million this weekend. Paramount will be smiling from ear to ear with a box office haul anywhere in that range, seeing as the low-budget fright fest cost a measly 17 million to make.

Meanwhile, “Bros” is targeting a box office debut of 8 million to 10 million this weekend. If projections hold, that’s a mediocre result. But the film only cost Universal 22 million to make,...

“Smile,” the horror film from Paramount and writer-director Parker Finn, made 2 million at the box office Thursday in its preview screenings from roughly 3,000 screens and that began at 7 p.m. It opens on 3,648 screens this weekend.

“Smile” opens alongside Universal’s “Bros,” the LGBTQ+ and R-rated romantic comedy from writer and star Billy Eichner. “Bros” brought in 500,000 at the box office in its own preview screenings from 2,700 theaters that began at 5 p.m. It opens on 3,350 screens this weekend.

Neither “Smile” or “Bros” is expected to break the 20 million mark this weekend, a disappointing trend for movies this month at the box office, though both have modest budgets and hope to turn a profit on the backs of strong reviews for each and some creative viral marketing, whether it’s eerily grinning fans at a baseball game or Eichner running down New York City streets with Paul Rudd and a pack of lesbians.

One of the most memorable experiences I had at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) this year was attending the world premiere of Bros. For those not in the know, this is the first mainstream Lgtbq romantic comedy financed by a studio, and it stars Billy Eichner, who also co-wrote and directed the film. For all the press it’s receiving, one thing that seems to be missing is that at the end of the day, Bros is hilarious and works well for a mainstream audience. It’s Lgtbq-themed, but it’s a universal story everyone can enjoy. Indeed, watching it at Tff was terrific because the audience reacted to it like it was a rock concert, screaming in laughter from beginning to end.

I was lucky enough to speak to Billy Eichner, his co-stars Luke MacFarlane, Jim Rash (Community), Dot Marie Jones (Glee), Ts Madison, Eve Lindley and Miss Lawrence about the movie,...

After months of anticipation, the wait for "Bros" is finally over. Billy Eichner is officially off the streets and in the sheets, falling in love and mining a budding romance for all the comedy gold that it's worth. The rom-com sees Eichner starring opposite Luke Macfarlane as two men who fall for one another despite sharing very little in common. As they navigate the complexities of admitting that they may be in an actual relationship, Eichner's character Bobby is also in the midst of a major career development, as he attempts to find funding for a museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.

While the movie toes the line between subverting genre tropes and also delivering a very sweet love story, it also acts as a love letter to the larger Lgbtqia community. The bulk of the cast — including the smaller, supporting roles — is filled out by LGBTQ+ performers, including seasoned actors...

Let’s get the historical housekeeping out of the way first: “Bros” is the first gay rom-com to be released by a major studio, an accomplishment with its share of codicils — there have been other queer films released by majors but they weren’t romantic comedies, there have been LGBTQ+ films of all stripes released by studios, but always by their indie shingle.

That’s a lot of historical baggage for any one film to have to carry, but it matters that the film succeeds at the rom-com just as much as it deserves notice for its narrowly defined status as “first.” Star and co-writer Billy Eichner spins a lot of plates here, crafting a hilarious and heartfelt film that also acknowledges the challenging and often hidden history of queer people in American society.

It’s also clear that Eichner fully understands his privilege; the film opens with his character,...

After years of declarations about the death of the romantic comedy, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s recent commercial hit “The Lost City” proved there’s still a place on the big screen for meet-cute stories.

Now, comedian and actor Billy Eichner is taking a stab at the feel-good genre with “Bros,” an R-rated romantic comedy that opens in 3,300 North American theaters on Friday. The movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming to generate 8 million to 10 million in its opening weekend. It’s not a huge number, but the film carries a modest 22 million production budget.

“Bros” is debuting in theaters alongside Paramount’s R-rated chiller “Smile,” which is projected to cast a toothy glow over the domestic box office charts with 16 million to 20 million. That’s a stellar result given that it only cost the studio 17 million to make.

Though “Bros” is backed by superb reviews (it has a 95 on...

Billy Eichner’s “Bros” will be making history upon its release as the first R-rated gay rom-com ever made by a major studio, but that historical record certainly won’t include the Middle East.

The Universal movie, which hits the U.S. box office on Sept. 30, is set to roll out across most international markets in October and November, but is pre-emptively skipping any kind of release in Middle East markets due to cultural and commercial reasons, sources close to the studio tell Variety.

It’s still unclear exactly what markets in the region will be affected, but it’s likely to include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Kuwait — all of which are notorious for censoring movies over even the slightest hint of LGBTQ themes or content.

And, as anyone who has seen “Bros” will tell you, the film — to its credit — is anything but subtle in depicting gay romance and sexuality,...

The ensemble cast and crew of Nicholas Stoller’s gay rom-com Bros were on cloud nine at the film’s Toronto press conference on Saturday, following its buzzy world premiere on Friday night as a special presentation followed by rave reviews.

Standing ovation for #BrosMovie at #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/AC7aeGV8yM

— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 10, 2022

Billy Eichner, who also takes co-writer credits, stars as an emotionally unavailable New York podcast host who finds himself embarking on a relationship with a lawyer specialising in wills and estates, played by Luke Macfarlane.

The film, which is being hailed as the first studio rom-com featuring a predominantly LGBTQ cast and crew, will be released in the U.S. on around 3,000 theatres on September 30.

Eichner, Macfarlane, Stoller were joined on stage on Saturday by producer Judd Apatow and ensemble cast members Jim Rash, Dot Marie Jones, Ts Madison, Miss Lawrence and Eve Lindley.

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Billy Eichner knows much has been written and lauded about Nick Stoller’s Bros being the first gay romantic comedy from a major Hollywood studio as it had its world premiere on Friday night at the Toronto Film Festival.

“But we have to acknowledge the decades of LGBTQ folks who did not get this opportunity, right? Ok, so everyone likes us now. But why did it take so long? I think that’s a question worth asking,” Eichner said at the Bros press conference in Toronto on Saturday morning.

The Bros star also paid tribute to Universal for getting behind the gay rom-com. “They could have wanted some soft, cheesy sitcom thing and we gave them a hard R Apatow/Stoller rom-com, which is very unapologetic, and they’ve gotten behind it in a major way, so we’re thankful,” Eichner said.

He...

Billy Eichner’s ‘Bros’ is breaking all kinds of barriers: It’s the first gay rom-com ever made by a major studio, the first with an all openly LGBTQ cast and Eichner is the first openly gay man to ever write and star in a studio movie.

Audiences finally got to see the movie for themselves in Toronto on Friday evening and, judging by the shrieks of laughter throughout the screening, it was a hit.

“I want to thank TIFF for letting a comedy into a movie festival!” Eichner yelled into the audience before the film rolled, making a valid point about the dearth of studio comedies that world premiere at top international film festivals.

Eichner stars in ‘Bros’ as Bobby, a frail museum head who’s down on his luck with the complicated, modern dating world. That is, until he runs into Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron, a buff lawyer...

The major studio rom-com is back with a flourish, but it took Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller to prove the format still works, even if this time it is two gay men who are the ones who find love against all odds.

Although Bros is indeed making history as the first major studio film with an all LGBTQ principal cast, and the first to star and be co-written by an openly gay man, ultimately what it has to say about how hard it is to find the perfect someone to spend your life with is truly universal. Don’t get me wrong. Much of the humor in Bros comes from situations and attitudes specific to gay culture, but you don’t have to be gay to laugh out loud at most of it.

It must be seen in a theater as I did tonight with a rollicking full house at...

Did Billy Eichner’s “Bros” just make history at the Toronto International Film Festival? It certainly felt like it.

The Universal movie is breaking all kinds of barriers: It’s the first gay rom-com ever made by a major studio, the first with an all openly LGBTQ cast and Eichner is the first openly gay man to ever write and star in a studio movie. Audiences finally got to see the movie for themselves in Toronto on Friday night and, judging by the shrieks of laughter throughout the screening, it was a hit.

“I want to thank TIFF for letting a comedy into a movie festival!” Eichner yelled into the audience before the film rolled, making a valid point about the dearth of studio comedies that world premiere at top international film festivals.

Eichner stars in “Bros” as Bobby, a frail museum head who’s down on his luck with the complicated,...

Kaitlin Olson won over legions of fans with the zany comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” but her go-for-broke performance never caught on with Emmy voters. Luckily, the TV academy made it up to the actress with a Best Short Form Actress nomination for “Flipped” in 2020, but Olson has finally earned a nomination for a full-length series this year, for Best Comedy Guest Actress for her role as DJ in HBO Max’s “Hacks.” Can this longtime comedy favorite finally score a win?

Emmy voters clearly love this series as “Hacks” managed to grab a whopping four nominations in this category. In addition to Olson, Jane Adams, Laurie Metcalf and Harriet Sansom Harris are also nominated. Adams and Olson are reprising characters they played in Season 1, while Metcalf and Harris are new additions to the ensemble. Five-time Emmy winner Jane Lynch (“Only Murders in the Building”) and three-time nominee Harriet Walter...

Universal’s Bros, the gay romantic comedy starring, co-written and executive produced by Billy Eichner, is heading to the Toronto Film Festival for its world premiere ahead of its Sept. 30 release.

Bros. is billed as a smart, swoony and heartfelt story about gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone, Guillermo Diaz, Guy Branum, Monica Raymund, Jim Rash, Harvey Fierstein, Bowen Yang, Amanda Bearse, Dot-Marie Jones, Jai Rodriguez and more will also star.

Nicholas Stoller directs and co-wrote. The film is produced by Judd Apatow, Stoller and Josh Church and is executive produced by Eichner and Karl Frankenfield.

This is the fourth world premiere to be announced for Toronto after Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out story, Clement Virgo’s Brother and the Paramount Players/Paramount+ movie On the Come Up from Emmy nominee Sanaa Lathan.

Billy Eichner’s romantic comedy “Bros” featuring a fully LGBTQ+ cast and directed by Nicholas Stoller will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Nicholas Stoller’s film joins a lineup that so far includes the “Knives Out” sequel “Glass Onion” from Rian Johnson and Sanaa Lathan’s “On the Come Up.”

The 47th annual TIFF runs Sept. 8-18.

Also Read:

Billy Eichner Dates the ‘Gay Tom Brady’ in New ‘Bros’ Trailer (Video)

The “Billy on the Street” and “Parks and Recreation” star Eichner wrote and stars in “Bros,” making him the first openly gay man to do so in his own major studio film. “Bros” stars Luke Macfarlane, Amanda Bearse, Guy Branum, Guillermo Díaz, Dot-Marie Jones, Miss Lawrence, Eve Lindley, Ts Madison, Jim Rash and Monica Raymund.

Described as a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about how hard it is to find another tolerable human being to go through life with,...

Click here to read the full article.

The Toronto Film Festival is set to give Nicholas Stoller’s romantic comedy Bros, starring Billy Eichner, a world premiere in September.

Universal Pictures’ Bros is billed as the first major studio film with an all-openly LGBTQ principal cast and will have a high-profile red carpet launch at TIFF. Eichner and Stoller co-wrote Bros, which is produced by Judd Apatow.

The ensemble cast includes Luke Macfarlane, Amanda Bearse, Guy Branum, Guillermo Díaz, Dot-Marie Jones, Miss Lawrence, Eve Lindley, Ts Madison, Jim Rash and Monica Raymund. All of the principal heterosexual roles will be played by openly LGBTQ performers.

Bros is also produced by Stoller and Josh Church and is executive produced by Eichner and Karl Frankenfield.

Universal is set to release Bros on Sept. 30, and the film has already had trailer drops and talent appearances at CinemaCon. Toronto returns for a 47th edition from Sept.