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It’s that time again; Holiday Gift Guide time! We kicked off things with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and we will also feature guides on Blu-ray, Box Sets, Collectibles, and Toys! But first, here is our list of the best books to buy for the movie fan in your life (or maybe just for yourself!)

If you’re a geek like me, then you’ve probably got rows upon rows of pop culture books that hold a strong sense of nostalgia and importance to your nerd habits. From written works of fiction, behind-the-scenes art books, movie-related tie-ins, or comics and graphic novels, there’s a bevy of book-bound goods that bring joy and happiness to satiate any fanboy/girl and help fill those lonely shelves. This year is no different, with plenty to offer in all those departments. Take a gander at some of the coolest (and timeliest) books for this Holiday season!

The entire country of Chile has a vested interest in the success of Ted Danson’s new Netflix comedy, “A Man on the Inside.” In the series, Danson plays Charles, a retired widower who answers a help wanted ad — and is then hired by a P.I. to embed in a retirement community and spy on its residents and staff.

From Universal Television, “A Man on the Inside” is based on the Oscar-nominated 2020 Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent,” which detailed the real-life version of this story. Danson’s character is based on the film’s central star, Sergio Chamy – who has since become a household name in his home nation.

“He’s a rock star,” says “The Mole Agent” director Maite Alberdi, who is now also an executive producer on “A Man on the Inside” through Micromundo Producciones. “He’s in all the commercials on TV. He shot a film with Amazon.

Being the Man With No Name in the mid-60s, Clint Eastwood’s era as the lead of the Spaghetti Westerns granted the actor immortal status. With a single Sergio Leone trilogy, Eastwood was able to climb to such an echelon of Hollywood celebrity that the actor is still running strong as a guy behind the lens.

Leonardo DiCaprio, left, on the set of J. Edgar with director Clint Eastwood and writer Dustin Lance Black [Credit: Warner Bros.]

Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood handbook is so expansive in its content that if one wanted to accrue some foresight and knowledge into a certain area of expertise related to acting, Eastwood would readily have it. The Western legend has been around since the early 1950s and as of yet, shows no signs of quitting or stepping down without one last hurrah.

Judi Dench Has Complaints Against Clint Eastwood Judi Dench in J. Edgar...

“Show, don’t tell” is always great advice to filmmakers, but it usually refers to just what’s onscreen. It’s good advice for filmmakers during the pitching stage as well, as producers are looking for ever more details about the projects they’ll be investing in. Visualizing your film or TV project as much as you can in advance, giving as close an approximation as possible to what will be onscreen, has never been more important. And IndieWire has you covered with our “Pitch Your Project: Why Producers Now Expect More” panel at the Future of Filmmaking Summit in Los Angeles November 2.

Purchase Early Bird Discount Tickets for the Future of Filmmaking Summit

You’ll get a free six-month subscription to Canva with your ticket. Canva has quickly become the premier design software to use for creating concept art, posters, and social media graphics for film and TV projects.

In the early 1960s, an Italian auteur, inspired by a Japanese legend, cast an American star in what would become one of the greatest Westerns of all time. As Clint Eastwood put it, the film about a Mexican gang war was “an Italian-German-Spanish co-production of a remake of a Japanese film in the plains of Spain.”

Clint Eastwood on the set of Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy [Credit: United Artists]

Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars was a layered narrative in terms of production and behind-the-scenes development. As a story, it was quite simply a Western that redefined Westerns for generations to come. However, for Clint Eastwood, the Dollars trilogy was the stepping stone to a 70-year-long career in Hollywood that was more illustrious and enduring than any other actor originating from the Golden Era of the film industry.

The Legacy of Clint Eastwood’s Dollars Trilogy Clint Eastwood as...

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is arguably one of the best directors currently working in Hollywood, with a phenomenal critical and commercial record. He recently appeared on a podcast, where Tarantino discussed all things cinema, especially the movies he has come to love over the years. In the process, Tarantino also revealed the only film trilogy he considers perfect.

Quentin Tarantino discussed his favorite movie trilogies (Credit: Club Random podcast | YouTube).

During the podcast, Tarantino shared his admiration for the Toy Story movies but admitted that there was one trilogy he loved more. The Academy Award-winning director named Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy as the only one he deems perfect. In the process, Tarantino praised one genre that critics have often seen dismissively, and here is what he had to say.

Quentin Tarantino Reveals the Only Film Trilogy That Blew Him Away

Quentin Tarantino is yet to formally confirm his next directorial...

If Criterion24/7 hasn’t completely colonized your attention every time you open the Channel––this is to say: if you’re stronger than me––their May lineup may be of interest. First and foremost I’m happy to see a Michael Roemer triple-feature: his superlative Nothing But a Man, arriving in a Criterion Edition, and the recently rediscovered The Plot Against Harry and Vengeance is Mine, three distinct features that suggest a long-lost voice of American movies. Meanwhile, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Antiwar Trilogy four by Sara Driver, and a wide collection from Ayoka Chenzira fill out the auteurist sets.

Series-wise, a highlight of 1999 goes beyond the well-established canon with films like Trick and Bye Bye Africa, while of course including Sofia Coppola, Michael Mann, Scorsese, and Claire Denis. Films starring Shirley Maclaine, a study of 1960s paranoia, and Columbia’s “golden era” (read: 1950-1961) are curated; meanwhile, The Breaking Ice,...

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.

The Pitch: Clint Might Be Complicit in an Orangutan Date Rape

By 1978, Clint Eastwood had starred in Sergio Leone’s Man With No Name trilogy, headlined three “Dirty Harry” movies, and directed six feature films. He could have pulled an Alexander the Great and wept because there was nothing left to conquer. Instead, he teamed up with a monkey.

Against the advice of his agent and manager, Eastwood used his Hollywood clout to force a weird little comedy script called “Every Which Way But Loose” into production. He stars in the film as Philo Beddoe,...

A series adaptation of “Gattaca” is in development at Showtime, Variety has learned from sources.

Exact plot details on the series are still under wraps, but sources say that Alex Gansa is attached to serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Gansa’s partner Howard Gordon also executive producing. They co-created the show with Craig Borten, who also executive produces. Sony Pictures Television will produce, with Gansa and Gordon currently under an overall deal at independent studio. Sources stress that deals for the project are not yet closed.

Showtime and Sony declined to comment.

This is not the first time that a series adaptation of “Gattaca” has been attempted. In 2009, it was reported that Sony Pictures Television was developing their own police procedural version of the film, though that project ultimately did not go forward.

Gansa and Gordon are best known for co-creating the hit Showtime series “Homeland,” which ran...

Adria Arjona and Wagner Moura will star in the feature film adaptation of Francisco Goldman’s bestselling book “Say Her Name.” The film, which will be directed by Gerardo Naranjo, will feature a script by Goldman, while Arjona and Moura will executive produce. UTA Independent Film Group is representing worldwide rights and will be launching sales at EFM.

Naranjo is best known for directing “Miss Bala,” which premiered in Cannes in 2011, and was the Mexican entry for the Oscars and Goya awards that year. He has directed episodes of acclaimed series such as “The Walking Dead” and “Narcos,” and his latest film “Kokoloko” won Best Mexican Film at Guadalajara in 2020.

Goldman is the author of six books, including the 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist “Monkey Boy.” He wrote the screen adaptation for HBO’s 2020 crime documentary “The Art of Political Murder,” based on his 2007 nonfiction book by the same name. “Say Her...

I admit I didn’t really notice Nicolas Cage (then billed as Nicola Coppola) in his debut, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but I quickly became a fan after seeing him in 1984’s underrated Racing with the Moon. Since then, he has made dozens of movies, across the genres, going from romantic lead to tortured lead to action lead and back again.

Despite making all of these films, earning numerous nominations and earning an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and numerous local critics’ awards, Cage has never quite gotten the respect his work deserves. Some of that is because of questionable career choices as well as an outsized public life that has garnered embarrassing headlines and unwanted notoriety.

Along the way, he has become a beloved cult performer, with many enjoying his low budget efforts and others rooting for him to regain his peak performance. With age and...

The space Western series "The Mandalorian" debuted on Disney+ on November 19, 2019 to a great deal of acclaim. Set in the universe of "Star Wars" after the events of "Return of the Jedi," but about 25 years prior to the events of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "The Mandalorian" follows a mysterious masked space cowboy named Din Djarin (although his name is a closely guarded secret) who becomes embroiled in a complex plot involving an psychic alien toddler named Grogu. Taking character cues from Sergio Leone Westerns and various 1950s samurai films, the Mandalorian is a stoic, honorable figure who...

The post Pedro Pascal Shares the Awesome Story of How He Was Cast in The Mandalorian appeared first on /Film.

The roll-up media venture led by ex-Disney execs Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer has set its next acquisition: Faraway Road Productions, the Israeli entertainment company behind Netflix series “Fauda” and “Hit & Run,” Variety has confirmed.

The deal for Tel Aviv, Israel-based Faraway — founded by and headed by Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz (pictured above) — is the third for the still-unnamed company formed by Stagg and Mayer with the backing of private-equity company Blackstone. It’s a comparatively small tuck-in: The price tag for Faraway is under $50 million, according to a source familiar with the pact, compared with $3 billion for kids’ media company Moonbug Entertainment and $900 million for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.

Issacharoff and Raz first inked a deal with Netflix in 2017 for political thriller “Fauda,” in which Raz also stars, based on his and Issacharoff’s experience serving in the Israel Defense Forces‘ special forces unit. The duo...

Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, the creatives behind the critically acclaimed political thriller “Fauda,” have extended their existing creative pact with Netflix following the success of their new action thriller, “Hit & Run.” The show, starring Raz as Segev Azulai, premiered last Friday and made its debut in Netflix’s Top 10.

“Hit & Run” centers on a happily married man, whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run accident in Tel Aviv. Grief-stricken and confused, he searches for his wife’s killers, who have fled to the U.S. With the help of ex-lover Naomi Hicks (Sanaa Lathan), he uncovers disturbing truths about his beloved wife and the secrets she kept from him. Other cast members include Kaelen Ohm, Moran Rosenblatt, Gregg Henry, Lior Ashkenazi, Gal Toren and Neta Orbach.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Issacharoff and Raz, founders and...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the 395 artists and executives that have been invited to join this year — about half the number of last year’s class. The 2021 class is comprised of 46% women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 53% international from 49 countries outside the United States. Of the 395 invitees, 89 are former Oscar nominees, including 25 winners.

Eight individuals have been invited to join by multiple branches and must select one branch upon acceptance. They include Leslie Odom Jr, Kaouther Ben Hania, Craig Brewer, Lee Isaac Chung, Emerald Fennell, Shaka King, Alexander Nanau, Florian Zeller.

Other big names among the newly invited include Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “Promising Young Woman” original screenplay winner Emerald Fennell and “Minari” stars Steven Yeun, Ye-ri Han and recently crowned supporting actress Yuh-Jung Youn.

In the directing category, new invitees include Janicza Bravo, Nia DaCosta, Cathy Yan, Darius Marder, Michael Almereyda, Lizzie Borden,...

Oscar winner Yuh-Jung Youn, who took Supporting Actress in April for Minari, along with a number of her recent fellow acting nominees including Maria Bakalova, Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby, Leslie Odom Jr., Paul Raci, and Steven Yeun, are among the new class of 395 artists and executives who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. A number of other recent winners and nominees including both of the latest screenwriting victors, Emerald Fennell and Florian Zeller, Music Score winner Jon Batiste, and all three writers of Oscar winning song “Fight For You” including H.E.R. are also on the list from the 17 branches of the Academy. Overall, there are 89 Oscar nominees, including 25 winners, among the new class. 46% are women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53% coming from countries outside of the U.S. this time around.

Although receiving an Oscar and/or a nomination is a big plus,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations for 395 artists and executives working in film to join the ranks of a growing membership of more than 9,000 film industry figures. Per AMPAS, “membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority of Academy Aperture 2025.”

Statistically, the 2021 class is comprised of 46 percent women, 39 percent underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53 international members from 49 countries outside of the United States. Among the new class are 89 Oscar nominees and 25 winners, including “Minari” Best Supporting Actress winner Yuh-jung Youn, Best Actor nominee Steven Yeun, multi-nominated director/writer Lee Isaac Chung, and co-star Ye-ri Han, plus “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Best Actress nominee Andra Day, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” Supporting Actress nominee Maria Bakalova, “Pieces of a Woman” Best Actress nominee Vanessa Kirby, and Supporting Actor nominees Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”) and Paul Raci...

Oscar-nominated actors Leslie Odom Jr., Maria Bakalova and Steven Yeun are among the 395 people who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy announced on Thursday.

Also on the list of invites: actors Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Nicole Beharie, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Carrie Coon, Laverne Cox, Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby, Nathan Lane, Jonathan Majors, Robert Pattinson and Issa Rae; directors Lee Isaac Chung, Sean Durkin, Emerald Fennell, Jonathan Glazer, Shaka King, Darius Marder and Florian Zeller; and musicians Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Janet Jackson and Emile Mosseri.

Eight people were invited by two different branches: Chung, Fennell, King, Zeller, Kaouther Ben Hania and Craig Brewer were invited by both the directors and writers branches, while Alexander Nanau was invited by the directors and documentary branches, and Odom Jr. by both the actors and music branches. If they accept the invitations, double invitees must choose a single branch...

3-D goes Kung-Fu in Super-Touch! The 3-D Film Archive restores a Far East oddity from the year of Star Wars, an all-action sword, fist and supernatural magic combat spectacle. The big battles play like choreographed dance numbers, but with sound effects and screams taking the place of music. The disc’s 3-D extras are of special interest — we take a tour of every display section of a 1955 department store in full dimensional images.

Dynasty 3-D

3-D Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Qian dao wan li zhu; Super Dragon; Warlord / Street Date April 13, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 /

Starring: Tao-Liang Tan, Ying Bai, Kang Chin, David Wei Tang, Bobby Ming.

Cinematography: Zon Su Chang

Art Direction: Chih-Liang Chou

Stunts: Ying-Chieh Han

Super-Touch 3-D supervised by Michael Findlay

Written by Kuo-Hsiung Liu

Produced by Frank Wong

Directed by Mei Chung Chang

Note: With no decent Dynasty images to be found on the web,...

Narcos star Wagner Moura has been tapped as a lead opposite Elisabeth Moss in Shining Girls, Apple TV+’s metaphysical thriller series based on Lauren Beukes’ 2013 best-selling novel, which comes from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and MRC Television.

Created and written by Silka Luisa, The Shining Girls book centers on a Depression-era drifter who must murder the “shining girls” in order to continue his travels.

Moura will play Dan, a veteran journalist breaking the widening story of a copycat attack. Moss plays a Chicago reporter who survived a brutal assault only to find her reality shifting as she hunts down her attacker.

In addition to starring, Moss executive produces via her Love & Squalor Pictures, alongside Lindsey McManus. Luisa is an executive producer and showrunner. DiCaprio executive produces through Appian Way alongside Jennifer Davisson. Beukes and Alan Page Arriaga also serve as executive producers on the project. MRC Television is the studio.

One of the best movies contending for Oscars this season follows a solitary character struggling with the insurmountable loss of a loved one, while resisting the romantic overtures of a new companion. It takes place against a poetic backdrop populated by non-actors revealing the fragile nature of their lives. Their stories aren’t always uplifting or neat. But in their collective soul-searching, the movie finds hope in small, ineffable bursts of joy, even in the midst of broader existential gloom.

Many people combing through awards buzz might assume the above description belongs to Oscar heavyweight “Nomadland,” and it does, but there’s another movie in the conversation that hits those same beats with equal success. “The Mole Agent,” Chilean director Maite Alberdi’s tender, unpredictable tale of a man who infiltrates a nursing home at the behest of a private detective, deserves just as much attention from Academy members this...

Exclusive: Joe and Anthony Russo’s next big-budget action pic at Netflix is building quite the ensemble. Sources tell Deadline that Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, Dhanush and Julia Butters are joining the Russos’ The Gray Man. Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana De Armas are already on board to star.

The Russos have been developing the project for some time at Sony, and when the package went back on the market over the summer, Netflix was quick to acquire it and set Gosling and Evans to star. The film will be the biggest-budget film in Netflix’s history on the feature side.

The Russos penned the script with a recent polish by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The Russos along with Mike Larocca will produce on behalf of Agbo along with Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Chris Castaldi through their Roth Kirschenbaum banner.

The Gray Man is based on the debut novel by Mark Greaney,...

“Knives Out” star Ana de Armas is set to star with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the next film from “Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo — a big-budgeted spy and espionage thriller called “The Gray Man” that the brothers will direct at Netflix. Its budget could exceed $200 million, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Joe Russo wrote the script — with a polish by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely — based on the book and series “The Gray Man” by Mark Greaney.

“The Gray Man” follows Court Gentry (Gosling), a legend in the covert realm, who is an expert at completing any lethal task and then disappearing. But he’s now being pursued by a former CIA colleague of his, Lloyd Hansen (Evans), once they feel that Gentry has outlived his usefulness.

The Russo Brothers’ Agbo will produce the film, brothers and Mike Larocca listed as producers...

Fear the Walking Dead star Garret Dillahunt has signed with APA.

Dillahunt, who moves over to the Hollywood talent agency from rival UTA, also appears in Greg Barker’s Netflix Iraq drama Sergio, and will next be seen in writer-director Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, opposite Dave Bautista, also for Netflix.

His other TV credits include playing two different characters on HBO’s Deadwood, Hand of God for Amazon, The Mindy Project for Hulu, the Fox comedy Raising Hope, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John From Cincinnati, The Book of Daniel, ER, The 4400, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds and Burn Notice....

Fear the Walking Dead star Garret Dillahunt has signed with APA.

Dillahunt, who moves over to the Hollywood talent agency from rival UTA, also appears in Greg Barker’s Netflix Iraq drama Sergio, and will next be seen in writer-director Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, opposite Dave Bautista, also for Netflix.

His other TV credits include playing two different characters on HBO’s Deadwood, Hand of God for Amazon, The Mindy Project for Hulu, the Fox comedy Raising Hope, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John From Cincinnati, The Book of Daniel, ER, The 4400, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds and Burn Notice....

The November 2020 lineup for The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, toplined by a Claire Denis retrospective, including the brand-new restoration of Beau travail, along with Chocolat, No Fear, No Die, Nenette and Boni, Towards Mathilde, 35 Shots of Rum, and White Material.

There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.

There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.

See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.

Exclusive: Wagner Moura, a Golden Globe nominee for his role as Pablo Escobar in the Netflix acclaimed series Narcos, has signed with WME.

Moura, who was previously repped by UTA, can currently be seen starring in two Netflix film; Sergio, which he also produced, and Wasp Network, opposite Penelope Cruz and Gael Garcia Bernal.

Wagner made his directorial debut with Marighella, which premiered at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. Other credits include Walter Salles’ Behind The Sun for Miramax, Sony’s Elysium, opposite Matt Damon, and Jose Padilha’s Elite Squad, which won the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.

Moura continues to be repped by Brent Travers and attorney Greg Slewett.

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” and “I Carry You With Me” are among this year’s Imagen Awards nominees, which span a range of new categories including best director in television, best music composition for film and television and best music supervision for film and television.

The Imagen Foundation president Helen Hernandez announced 114 nominees across 20 categories for the 35th annual Imagen Awards.

“This year’s list of nominees is a far cry from four honorees 35 years ago,” Hernandez said in a statement. “The level of creativity and talent in our community is bountiful and is exemplified in this year’s list. The judges were challenged with the overwhelming increase of quality submissions for consideration. It’s clear that we are making some strides, but have a way to go to achieve significant equity and inclusion in the industry. Until then, Imagen is committed to be the means to...

“Trolls World Tour” (Universal) was #1 in theaters this weekend, such as they are: Playing in a handful of drive-ins, sources say it took in over $100,000 for the three days. More significantly, it also was #1 on three VOD charts.

Universal has not yet reported “Trolls” revenues, but based on multiple sources it seems possible that its domestic 10-day take could exceed $80 million. With the studio retaining a far greater share via these platforms than from theatrical, it could recoup much or even all of the $90 million-$100 million production cost. However, it would represent much less profit than a theatrical release followed by home viewing.

More from IndieWire'The Sandman': Neil Gaiman Says Netflix Series Was About to Enter Production Before Shutdown'The Starling': Netflix Lands $20 Million Deal for Ted Melfi's Film, Starring Melissa McCarthy

At Netflix, “Tiger King” is no longer #1. Ahead of it are three theatrical releases: Universal’s animated “Despicable Me...

Just five days after the creation of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, a lone suicide bomber drove an explosive-filled truck onto the grounds of Baghdad’s Canal Hotel, long used as the Iraq headquarters of the Un, and detonated its payload. Nearly two dozen people died in the bombing, and the lasting impact of the attack changed the course of Un diplomacy forever. It also ended the life of the beloved Un diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, who had undertaken the job in Iraq as a likely send-off to a storied career, the final stop in a life spent in service to others.

All that is not immediately clear in the opening of Greg Barker’s unfocused “Sergio,” which follows Vieira de Mello (Wagner Moura) through One moment, Sergio is screaming for help, the next, he’s back swimming in the warm waters of his native Rio. The...

Director Greg Barker doesn’t quite have the track record or the mystique of Werner Herzog, but he enters Herzogian territory with “Sergio,” his drama about United Nations diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello that premieres on Netflix on Friday.

Barker’s new “Sergio,” which stars “Narcos” star Wagner Moura as the celebrated Brazilian who worked for peace around the world for more than 30 years, is the second “Sergio” that the director has made, the first being his 2009 documentary. That puts Barker in the company of a small group of directors who’ve made a documentary about a subject, and then later adapted the same story into a narrative feature – among them Herzog with his 1997 documentary “Little Dieter Needs to Fly,” about Vietnam War Pow Dieter Dengler, and his 2006 feature “Rescue Dawn, which starred Christian Bale as Dengler; Dan Krauss with the 2013 doc and 2019 narrative features “The Kill Team”; and Fenton Bailey...

There’s never been a better time to try and catch up on all those films and TV shows that’ve been sitting on your watchlist for months now. After all, if you’re practicing social distancing and staying home as much as you can, there’s not much else to do other than to stream content from your platform of choice.

Speaking of which, the first streaming service most people log into is Netflix. And that only makes sense, as they have more content than ever and continue to deliver more and more on a near daily basis. And while they certainly aren’t the only streaming site worth subscribing to, they definitely have the most variety and the deepest library.

But with so many movies and TV shows, where does one begin? Well, how about with some of the new additions coming this week? Yes, a new week...

Netflix is here to make social distancing a little easier. The streaming service has announced a number of titles that will be added throughout the month of April.

Original movies including Coffee & Kareem, The Main Event, Tiger Tail, Sergio, The Willoughbys, Extraction and Rich in Love will all join the streamer's roster in the upcoming month.

New seasons of original shows Nailed It, La casa de papel, Hi Score Girl, Fauda, The House of Flowers, After Life, Hello Ninja and The Last Kingdom will also debut in April.

Meanwhile, a number of new series will premiere. Viewers can look ...

Netflix is here to make social distancing a little easier. The streaming service has announced a number of titles that will be added throughout the month of April.

Original movies including Coffee & Kareem, The Main Event, Tiger Tail, Sergio, The Willoughbys, Extraction and Rich in Love will all join the streamer's roster in the upcoming month.

New seasons of original shows Nailed It, La casa de papel, Hi Score Girl, Fauda, The House of Flowers, After Life, Hello Ninja and The Last Kingdom will also debut in April.

Meanwhile, a number of new series will premiere. Viewers can look ...

Coronavirus has brought the world screeching to a halt.

Flights are grounded, international borders are closed and, in an effort to mitigate the loss of ticket sales, major Hollywood studios are fast-tracking new projects so that their theatrical release and VOD premiere are effectively one and the same.

Earlier this week, for instance, Universal announced plans to bring The Invisible Man and The Hunt to VOD platforms – this Friday, in fact – whereas Sony just confirmed that the Vin Diesel actioner Bloodshot will release via digital and mobile on March 24th. That’s next week.

Yes, Covid-19 has completely upended the very concept of ‘normal life’ for so many people. And with the World Health Organization urging folks to stay indoors and self-isolate, there is one thing that can help ease the angst of quarantine: Netflix.

And sure enough, the streaming giant has just compiled a list of new releases headed to the platform in April.

There is a Robert Frost poem called “Escapist – Never” which provides a frequent refrain in Greg Barker’s deeply admiring but drawn-out biopic of Brazilian diplomat and U.N. leading light Sergio Vieira de Mello. “It is the future that creates his present,” runs the penultimate line, and the handsome, heroic, charismatic de Mello (played with persuasive charm by Wagner Moura) certainly does seem like a man whose present was shaped by the future — specifically by the better, brighter, freer global future he believed the U.N. could be instrumental in achieving and that he personally could help midwife into being.

Such noble intentions and such impact on world affairs does render understandable Barker’s rather starry-eyed approach, but in its unnecessary length and sentimental emphasis on the man’s romantic life, “Sergio” more often, intentionally and otherwise, evokes the “interminable chain of longing” of the poem’s celebrated last line.

"This mission requires the very best." Netflix has debuted a trailer for Sergio, an indie drama premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this month. Inspired by a documentary also titled Sergio, the director of that doc makes his first narrative feature telling the story of a Un diplomat working in the world’s most unstable regions. The film is set in the chaotic aftermath of the Us invasion of Iraq, where the life of top Un diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career. "Inspired by a true story, Sergio is a sweeping drama focused on a man pushed to his physical and emotional limits as he's forced to confront his own divisive choices about ambition, family, and his capacity to love." Starring Wagner Moura as Sergio, with Ana de Armas as his love interest, plus Garret Dillahunt, Clemens Schick, Will Dalton,...

Netflix is taking over the world. They had 24 Oscar nominations this year, the most of any film studio or streaming outlet, and their domination is not stopping anytime soon. Up next: Sundance domination. The streaming service has many, many major films making world premieres at the Sundance Film Festival next week. One of them is “Sergio,” filmmaker Greg Barker’s first narrative film and essentially dramatic remake of his own 2009 documentary also called “Sergio.”

Read More: The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s]

A sweeping drama set in the chaotic aftermath of the Us invasion of Iraq, “Sergio” centers on top Un diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello whose life hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career.

Continue reading ‘Sergio’ Trailer: Ana de Armas & Wagner Moura Star In A Iraq War Un Biopic Coming To Sundance at The Playlist.

Issue #46

Highlights Of Issue #46 (2020) Include:

John Wayne and Rock Hudson are "The Undefeated"

Unpublished 1974 interview with Albert Finney

Don Siegel's "Madigan" starring Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda

Interview with writer/director Michael Armstrong

The making of the epic film "Waterloo" starring Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer

Hammer Films Actor John Richardson interview Part II

Vietnam Before and After: "Go Tell the Spartans" and "Rolling Thunder"

Brian Keith in "The McKenzie Break"

Plus review of DVDs, soundtracks and film books.

USA/ Canada : Cinema Retro #46 USA/ Canada : Cinema Retro #46 $12.00 Usd UK : Cinema Retro Issue #46 UK : Cinema Retro Issue #46 £8.50 Gbp Europe : Cinema Retro Issue #46 Europe : Cinema Retro Issue #46 £10.50 Gbp Rest Of The World : Cinema Retro Issue #46 Rest Of The World : Cinema Retro Issue #46 £12.00 Gbp

Issue #47

Nick Anez covers "Flaming Star", the Elvis Presley drama that remains an overlooked gem.

Director John Stevenson's tribute to...

The Handmaid's Tale has returned at full throttle with an engrossing third season premiere, this time giving us a closer look at one creepy and enigmatic Commander Lawrence, played by Bradley Whitford. It's hard to get a read on the guy's intentions. He helps Emily escape after she attacked Aunt Lydia and seems to care about his wife (even if he was the one to put her in this twisted world). But he's also an architect of Gilead and plays a cat and mouse game with June. At this point, he feels more like a threat than an ally. While we don't know much about Lawrence, we do know a thing or two about Whitford, who has sneakily made his ascent into his silver fox era.

A seasoned TV star, Whitford is best known for his role as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on The West Wing, a political...

Seven international films have benefited from $2.14 million (THB68 million) in cash rebates since Thailand launched a production incentive program at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

Administered by the Thailand Film Office, the incentives provide 15% to 20% repayment of qualifying local spend.

At an event in Cannes on Friday, the Tfo said that the scheme is functioning well and that the Thai production industry is on course for a record year. In the first quarter of 2019, Thailand has already been used as a location for 28 feature films, with an aggregate local spend of more than $40 million.

“While producers are benefiting from the incentives, Thailand is also benefiting from the arrival of film and television productions. From the crews and facility companies, right through to hotels, domestic transport and the hospitality industry, the revenue earned through servicing international productions benefits many,” said Anan Wongbenjarat, deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism & Sport.

Take a look at actress Ana de Armas, aka the 'sentient lover' 'Joi' in "Blade Runner 2049", posing for "Virgin Atlantic Airways" "Vera" magazine, photographed by Sandro Baebler:

'Joi' can project into three-dimensional space as a hologram, interact with a real person and with the assist of a device called an 'emanator', materialize as a corporeal form.

In 2015, Cuban-born de Armas starred in the thriller "Knock Knock"...

...followed by the features "Exposed" (2016)...

..."Hands of Stone" (2016)...

...and "War Dogs" (2016).

In 2017, she appeared in the French action thriller "Overdrive", followed by her breakout role in the "Blade Runner" sequel, "Blade Runner: 2049".

She is currently shooting "Wasp Network" and in 2019 will be seen in "The Night Clerk", "Sergio", "Knives Out", "The Informer" and "Yesterday".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek Ana de Armas...

NBC has given a pilot order to an untitled single-camera comedy (fka All Together Now) starring Bradley Whitford in his return to the network where he starred on Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The comedy hails from frequent collaborators Lesley Wake Webster (Speechless) and Jason Winer (Single Parents), and 20th Century Fox TV, where Winer’s Small Dog Picture Company is based. NBC nabbed the project in October with a put pilot commitment and Whitford executive producing and potentially starring.

Written by Webster, the untitled comedy is about a rural church choir that gets the director it never thought it needed when a salty, Ivy League music professor (Whitford) stumbles through their door.

Webster and Whitford executive produce alongside Winer and Jon Radler of Small Dog Picture Company.

The comedy is expected to incorporate musical numbers, with Adam Anders, who served as executive...

NBC has given a put pilot commitment to All Together Now, a single-camera comedy from frequent collaborators Lesley Wake Webster (Speechless) and Jason Winer (Single Parents); Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale), who potentially could star; and 20th Century Fox TV, where Winer’s Small Dog Picture Company is based.

Written by Webster, All Together Now is about a rural church choir that gets the gift it never thought it needed when a salty, Ivy League professor (a role earmarked for Whitford) becomes its director.

Webster and Whitford executive produce alongside Winer and Jon Radler of Small Dog Picture Company.

Whitford just closed a one-year series regular deal to reprise his role as Commander Joseph Lawrence on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Additionally, the Emmy winner recently wrapped two movies, 20th Century Fox’s Call of the Wild and Netflix’s Sergio.

Whitford next stars in National Geographic’s...

We will see a lot of Commander Joseph Lawrence on the upcoming third season on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Bradley Whitford, who was introduced in the last two episodes of Season 2, has closed a one-year deal to reprise the character as a series regular in Season 3. Additionally, the Emmy winner recently booked two movies, Call of the Wild and Sergio.

Whitford’s Commander Lawrence is an architect of Gilead, an economist pulled out of academic obscurity to create a system that has succeeded far beyond his wildest imaginings, and his worst nightmares. His combative relationship with June and tenuous allegiance to the regime spur a chain of events felt throughout Gilead. The character was an instant standout when introduced at the end of Season 2, and creator Bruce Miller hinted in July that Whitford would be back.

Whitford recently wrapped production on the 20th Century Fox movie Call of the Wild,...

Principal photography scheduled to begin in first quarter of 2019.

Penélope Cruz, Wagner Moura and Gael García Bernal have joined Edgar Ramirez on Olivier Assayas’ Wasp Network for Rt Features and CG Cinema, which Imr International will continue to sell to buyers in Toronto this week.

Assayas wrote and will direct the film based on Fernando Morais’ book The Last Soldiers Of The Cold War, about Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s and a terrorist network based in Florida whose sphere of influence extended throughout Central America with the consent of the Us government.

Principal photography is scheduled to...

Penelope Cruz, Wagner Moura, and Gael Garcia Bernal have joined Edgar Ramirez in the spy drama “Wasp Network.”

The deals were announced on Wednesday on the eve of the Toronto Film Festival. Imr International will continue sales to foreign buyers at the fest, with CAA Media Finance handling the U.S. rights.

Olivier Assayas (“Personal Shopper”) is directing from his own script, based on Fernando Morais’ book “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five.” Rt Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira is producing alongside CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert. Rt’s Lourenço Sant’ Anna and Sophie Mas are executive producing.

The Wasp Network was set up by the Cuban government in the 1980s and ’90s to infiltrate anti-Castro organizations in the United States. The book tells the story of 14 of the Cuban spies, and their eventual unmasking and prosecution by U.S. authorities. Five of the Cubans...

Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal, and “Narcos” star Wagner Moura have joined Edgar Ramirez on the cast of the true-story spy drama “Wasp Network,” Rt Features announced Tuesday.

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas and based on Fernando Morais’ “The Last Days of the Cold War,” “Wasp Network” tells the story of Cuban spies working undercover in the 1990s who uncover a terrorist network based in Florida with ramifications in Central America and with the consent of the U.S. government. Shooting is set to begin early next year.

Rt Features founder Rodrigo Teixeira is producing alongside CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert. Rt’s Lourenço Sant’Anna and Sophie Mas are executive producing. Imr International will continue sales to foreign buyers in Toronto, with CAA Media Finance handling the U.S. rights.

Also Read: Jessica Chastain Spy Thriller '355' Lands at Universal After Bidding War

Cruz is also set...