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Between his big-screen acting debut in Robert Rossen's vastly underrated "Lilith" and his swan song "Welcome to Mooseport," Gene Hackman had a reputation for being a prolific and, at times, nowhere-near-choosy-enough actor given his considerable talents. But when you look over that 40-year career, you don't see an egregious number of turkeys. The Dan Aykroyd buddy-cop comedy "Loose Cannons" or his third go-round as Lex Luthor in "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" are probably the twin nadirs of his career, but mostly Hackman had a propensity to make many mediocre movies watchable. He was the reason you'd find yourself halfway through Nicholas Meyer's ho-hum spy thriller "Company Business" without any real complaints. Could it be better? Absolutely. But it had Hackman.

The movies -- great, average, or garbage -- haven't had Hackman since 2004, which never ceases to stink.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus began her career in comedy, as so many comedians do, with the Second City, the stalwart and long-lived comedy troupe based in Chicago. She was only 21, but Louis-Dreyfus gave such an impressive performance at a Second City event that she was immediately asked to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." It seems that NBC talent scouts lurk at Second City performances all the time. She starred on "SNL" from 1982 until 1985, becoming friends with writer Larry David during her tenure. A few years later, David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld created the sitcom "Seinfeld," wherein Louis-Dreyfus starred as Jerry's friend Elaine.

"Seinfeld," once might recall, was something of a hit, lasting 180 episodes over nine seasons. Louis-Dreyfus was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one. She would go on to win another Emmy for her performance in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and an additional nine Emmys for "Veep," eight of them for acting.

A Jeopardy! contestant just made a heartfelt plea to the world after a horrible tragedy. Rather than use his platform to share who he was and what he liked to do in his spare time, he opted otherwise. So, what did he say and what was his plea for? Keep reading for more details.

Jeopardy! Player Makes Heartfelt Plea After Tragedy

When Ken Jennings comes back from the first commercial break on Jeopardy!, he takes the time to get to know the contestants. He usually brings up fun facts or interesting stories about them. The audience gets a sense of why they are on the show and it is often relatable or fascinating. This time, a contestant opted to share a very deep and heartfelt story with Ken and the audience. He then turned it into a plea which he hoped could further change his life. It was more than a game,...

A middlebrow triumph-against-the-odds sports crowd-pleaser can be a beautiful thing — that is, if it doesn’t pander and lose itself in clichés, and if it has as much respect for reality as it does for getting an inspirational rise out of you. “Unstoppable,” a wrestling drama based on the life of the college champion Anthony Robles, is an honest and stirring entry in the genre, with genuine commercial potential. It has plenty of familiar tropes, but in its no-frills way it touches a nerve of authenticity. The true story it tells is nothing short of extraordinary, and that may be why the filmmakers didn’t feel the need to overhype it.

In the opening scene, we’re at the High School Nationals in Philadelphia in 2006. Anthony, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., played by the superb Jharrel Jerome (who was Chiron’s love interest in the second segment of “Moonlight” and...

It was like the South Sudan version of the movie Hoosiers. An African team of discards and college players was hammering Team USA, filled with the world’s best basketball players.

Saturday night at O2 Arena in London, South Sudan got up by as many as 16 points and was poised to enact one of the biggest upsets ever seen in international basketball before Team USA woke up.

LeBron James led the charge, capping things with a driving layup with eight seconds left to cement a 101-100 victory.

Former Charlotte Hornets forward Jt Thor had made a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining and South Sudan had three attempts in the final seconds, but couldn’t convert.

The South Sudan team is called the Bright Stars. It is the first team to represent the country in the Olympics.

“I did not do a great job preparing our team, I think we did not...

Dennis Hopper was the Oscar-nominated performer who experienced many ups-and-downs throughout his career, with his off-screen antics often overshadowing his onscreen talent. Yet many of his movies have stood the test of time. Let’s take a look back at 15 of Hopper’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1936, Hopper made his movie debut at the age of 19 in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), where he became fast friends with James Dean. He had an even bigger role in “Giant” (1956), which would be Dean’s last film before his untimely death in 1955. Hopper struggled for several years trying to find his voice, making small appearances in such films as “Cool Hand Luke” (1967) and “True Grit”(1969).

He burst onto the scene with the counterculture phenomenon “Easy Rider” (1969), which he also directed and co-wrote (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern). The story of two bikers (Hopper and Fonda) traveling across...

When we think of the greatest actors who opted to retire, there are really so few that ended on a high note. Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread is the first one that comes to mind, but who else would even be close? Unfortunately, it isn’t Gene Hackman, who left Hollywood after a 40+ year on the screen following 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport…which is just about the most embarrassing way to cap off such a legendary career. Then again, maybe it’s just the sort of movie that would make you want to retire.

By the time filming began on what would be his last movie, Gene Hackman was in his mid-70s and had seen enough in the business to know who was competent and, well, who would be directing Welcome to Mooseport. As co-star Maura Tierney remembered, Hackman and Donald Petrie did not get along at all when making the movie.

David Anspaugh's 1986 sports drama "Hoosiers" has gone down in history as one of the most influential sports dramas ever made. Partly inspired by the real-life story of the 1954 Indiana state champions Milan High School, "Hoosiers" focuses on formerly-disgraced basketball coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), who gets a rare second chance to prove his mettle at Indiana's Hickory High School. The rather tight-knit town of Hickory seems a little too unforgiving towards Norman due to his sketchy past, but redemption finds its way to him via a David vs. Goliath situation that soon transforms into a classic underdog tale about dreaming big and achieving the impossible.

Some of the more saccharine themes in "Hoosiers" might feel a tad corny at times, but it is a film that brandishes sincere authenticity when it comes to the magic of unexpected second chances and the highs and lows of small-town sports. Moreover, a...

Fanatics, the sports-focused company led by CEO Michael Rubin, wants to create a Comic-Con for sports fans.

Fanatics is planning its first live flagship event, which it is calling Fanatics Fest, for Aug. 16-18, to be held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

NFL legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, MLB legend Derek Jeter, and NBA superstar Kevin Durant are attached to participate, as is entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, Eli Manning, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, and wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. The company’s events division, Fanatics Events, is producing the show.

“There isn’t a unifying event for sports, the way you see it in pop culture with Comic-Con, or for influencers with VidCon, or tech with CES or music with South By [SXSW], none of those platforms exist [for sports],” says Lance Fensterman, the CEO of Fanatics Events, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “It just became clear that...

Once more, and with feeling…

Roxy Cinema

Our 35mm print of Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance has a final screening on Sunday; Spike Lee’s He Got Game and Hoosiers play on prints, while Blonde Ambition screens this Sunday.

Anthology Film Archives

The films of Med Hondo play in a massive retrospective.

Film Forum

Hondo’s West Indies begins screening in a 4K restoration; the Belmondo-led Classe tous risques begins playing in a new 4K restoration; Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman plays with live music on Sunday.

Film at Lincoln Center

The films of Wojciech Has are highlighted in a new series.

Paris Theater

A new retrospective shows just how incredible a year 1974 was: Chinatown, Badlands, Amarcord, California Split, The Conversation, Kiarostami’s The Traveler and more screen, many on 35mm.

Museum of the Moving Image

The Red Shoes screens on Saturday and Sunday.

Museum of Modern Art

The...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of April titles. The April 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals as well as numerous action, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, Tubi engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library, which includes over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of Tubi Originals, and nearly 250 Fast channels.

You can watch the Tubi April 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the web at Tubi.tv.

Tubi Originals

Documentary

Behind...

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 9:00 Pm Edt, the #3 Nebraska Cornhuskers face the #6 Indiana Hoosiers from Target Center. The game is airing exclusively on Big Ten Network, which you can stream with a Live TV Streaming Service.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Indiana Hoosiers When: Friday, March 15, 2024 at 9:00 Pm Edt TV: Big Ten Network Stream: Watch with 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream 5-Day Free Trial $79.99 / month directv.com/stream

Save $50 Over Your First Two Months of Directv Stream.

The Nebraska vs. Indiana game will be streaming on Big Ten Network, which is available with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream. You can also stream Big Ten Network on Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV.

Can you stream Nebraska vs. Indiana on Directv Stream?

You can watch the Nebraska vs. Indiana game on Big Ten Network with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream + $10 Off Your First 3 Months of Choice Plan.

One of the greatest crime movies of all time, "The French Connection" is William Friedkin's gritty drama based on a true story. Gene Hackman stars as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a no-nonsense, rule-breaking cop who gets caught up investigating a case in which the Italian mob is bringing drugs into America with the help of a French heroin-smuggling syndicate. But this isn't an open-and-shut case. The lawmen are seemingly foiled at every turn, and things end on a shocking, bleak note. It's an amazing movie with one of the best chase sequences ever captured on film. "The French Connection" was released nearly 53 years ago, which means many of its cast members have left us, along with director Friedkin, who died last year. But a few are still around. So here are the only major actors still alive from "The French Connection."

Read more: The 20 Best Detective Movies Ranked

Gene...

This post contains spoilers for "The Boys in the Boat."

Heads up, Dads of the world: There's a new Dad Masterpiece (or "Dadsterpiece") in theaters right now. After tackling a sports movie with his 2008 film "Leatherheads," director George Clooney is back in sports mode once again with "The Boys in the Boat," an adaptation of Daniel James Brown's 2013 non-fiction book about the unlikely rise of the University of Washington's Jv crew team as they went on to represent the United States at the 1936 Olympics. 

The sports movie boom in American cinema is long over, so in some ways, a project like this feels like a rarity. It also feels comforting and familiar in the way it engages with the tropes and rhythms of this genre. Still, there are some surprises to be had if you don't know the real story, and I had the chance to sit down over...

BITB_15372_R (l-r.) Thomas Elms stars as Chuck Day, Tom Varey as Johnny White, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch and Wil Coban as Jim McMillin in director George Clooney’s The Boys In The Boat An Amazon MGM Studios film Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

As promised the onslaught of 2023 sports films marches, or in this case paddles, on. Hot on the heels of last week’s historical sports drama, comes this one based on a popular book from a few years ago. It’s not about wrestling, like Friday’s flick, but it is set in the past, though nearly fifty years before the Von Erichs. But there is an Olympic connection. This one concerns a larger team of young men defying the odds and overcoming hardship to go for the gold, rather than fame and fortune.

Exclusive: In a tense moment during the protracted SAG-AFTRA strike when guild negotiators weren’t talking to studios/streamers as film workers faced home foreclosures with no paychecks for six months and no end in sight, George Clooney led other top A-listers in offering to uncap dues and contribute $150 million over three years to guild coffers to help qualify more actors for health benefits and other things. While he has long enjoyed the spoils of an above the line life, Clooney has never forgotten the struggling showbiz underclass he was part of before ER changed his life.

Just in time for Christmas, Clooney taps squarely into those themes with his new film The Boys in the Boat. An adaptation of the Daniel James Brown bestseller, the film tells the underdog story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that came together under a stern coach who promised those who...

The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany were about more than sports. The world was still mired in the Great Depression, and faced the prospect of a second world war as fascism flourished throughout Europe. As such, there couldn't have been a worse time for Berlin to host the games. They gave Hitler a global platform to espouse his white supremacist views, and he vigorously exploited the opportunity by putting on an Aryan spectacle that made him look like the god emperor of the greatest (and whitest) country on Earth.

And so it was important for the free-ish world to trounce Hitler's athletes whenever possible. When we look back on the games now, the first figure that comes to mind is African-American track-and-field prodigy Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals as Hitler fumed from his box in his imposing, 100,000-seat Olympiastadion. But there were other triumphs, one of the most notable being the U.

The biggest story of the 1936 summer Olympics in Berlin was Black track and field star Jesse Owens winning four gold medals and putting the lie to Adolf Hitler’s theories of race supremacy. A less-heralded U.S. gold medal triumph over host country Nazi Germany glides onto screens this Christmas with The Boys in the Boat from MGM Amazon Studios, directed by George Clooney.

It was a technically grueling, on-the-water shoot with a group of young actors who had to learn the sport from scratch, Clooney’s longtime producing partner, Grant Heslov, said during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles event. At one point they feared they had made a terrible mistake, Heslov said in conversation alongside the movie’s editor, Tanya Swerling.

“So we cast these guys and we hired them for an extra three months to train — a solid three months of real rowing training with Olympic rowing coaches,...

In director Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 “monsters vs. mecha” film Pacific Rim (watch it Here), Idris Elba played the character of Marshal Stacker Pentecost, whose most popular scene may be when he gives a crowd-pumping speech that includes the line, “Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!” It’s a great moment that was almost played by another actor, as del Toro has revealed that Tom Cruise was the first choice to play Marshal Stacker Pentecost!

Speaking with Collider, del Toro said, “The two models for Pacific Rim, the two models for the screenplay, are Hoosiers with Gene Hackman and Top Gun. So, the part that Idris Elba plays, Tom Cruise was gonna do it, and I even had a karaoke. The deal couldn’t be made. He wanted to do it. We were developing stuff, and he couldn’t do it. I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go with Idris Elba then.

“Gran Turismo,” based in part on the popular video game but also the real-life story of a gamer (played in the film by Archie Madekwe) who wins a tournament and becomes a real-life driver, is more of an old school sports movie than a high-tech video game adaptation. Think “The Karate Kid” more than “Detective Pikachu.” And what is a sports movie without a gruff but loving trainer/coach character? And who better than to play that role than David Harbour? TheWrap spoke to Harbour and Madekwe (before the SAG-AFTRA strike) about the movie and inhabiting those classic sports movie roles. You can watch the full video above.

“For me, ‘Hoosiers’ was really big. I think we all have these movies that we grew up with, that we love so much. I want to remake them without remaking them. I want the younger generation to experience the thrill I...

Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo is unlike most video game movies. It’s actually the true story of Jann Mardenborough (played here by Archie Madekwe), a gifted Gran Turismo player who parlayed his skills into a professional race car driving career. It’s a fascinating tale that’s anchored by Madekwe and co-star David Harbour’s performances, as well as Blomkamp’s immersive style. We actually had a chance recently to sit down with the director and talk about his latest, which is a pretty huge departure from his earlier work like District 9, Elysium or Chappie.

One of the things that I guess I found most refreshing about Gran Turismo is that when you think of a video game movie, you don’t often think of the term based on a true story.

Nb: I think that was one of the main things that drew me to it. It...

Hollywood loves feel-good, based-on-real-life sports dramas, and isn't shy about drastically altering the facts to mine these tales for maximum stand-up-and-cheer potential. The scrappy high-school basketball underdogs in "Hoosiers" were, despite the school's small enrollment, actually a top team in the state during that supposed Cinderella season (which is why the filmmakers opted to set the film in a fictional town). "Remember the Titans" is riddled with inaccuracies, one of the most egregious being that T.C. Williams High School's climactic game against George C. Marshall High occurred in the middle of the season. And while the title character of "Rudy" did fulfill his dream of suiting up for his beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish, retired NFL quarterback Joe Montana, who was on the team at the time, says the dramatic uniform-dumping scene is a pure fabrication.

In most cases, no one gets hurt by a filmmaker taking a liberty...

Actor Robert Swan, best known for roles in The Untouchables, Hoosiers, The Babe, and more, died on Wednesday. He was 78.

Swan died after a battle with liver cancer, a family friend confirmed to multipleoutlets.

Born in Chicago, Swan got his start in local theater — earning three Joseph Jefferson Award nominations — before his first film appearance in the 1980 film Somewhere in Time. He continued to work in film and television throughout his career, playing a Mountie captain in The Untouchables in 1987, and Deputy Napalatoni in 1994’s Natural Born Killers.

Two of his most high-profile roles came in sports movies. He played Rollin Butcher, the assistant coach to Gene Hackman’s Norman Dale in the 1986 high school basketball drama Hoosiers, and in 1992’s The Babe — which starred John Goodman in the titular role — he played Babe Ruth’s father, George Herman Ruth Sr.

Swan was also the founder of Harbor Country Opera,...

Robert Swan, an actor familiar from sometimes brief but noticeable roles in Hoosiers, Rudy, The Untouchables and The Babe, died of cancer today at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. He was 78.

His death was announced by his friend Betty Hoeffner in a Facebook post.

Perhaps best known for his role as an assistant to Gene Hackman’s high school basketball coach in director David Anspaugh’s 1986 sports drama Hoosiers, Swan also featured as a priest in Anspaugh’s 1993 Rudy starring Sean Astin.

Making his feature debut portraying a stagehand in 1980’s Somewhere in Time, Swan frequently appeared on both TV and in film over the next two decades, with roles in the 1984 TV-movie The Dollmaker starring Jane Fonda and in series including All My Children, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, Walking Tall, The Twilight Zone and Spencer For Hire.

On the big screen, he portrayed a biker in Doctor Detroit...

Robert Swan, the actor best known for his roles in “Hoosiers,” “Rudy,” “The Untouchables” and “Natural Born Killers,” has died. He was 78.

The veteran character actor died peacefully in his sleep Wednesday in his Rolling Prairie, Indiana, home. His death comes after a long battle with cancer, Betty Hoeffner, a close friend of Swan’s, confirmed to TheWrap.

Swan delivered the memorable line “Coach stays” in “Hoosiers,” and was the one who said “I don’t approve of your methods” in “The Untouchables.”

Born in 1944, Swan’s first role was in the 1979 TV series “The Duke.” Throughout his career, the character actor appeared in several notable projects including “The Twilight Zone,” “Hoosiers,” “The Untouchables,” “All My Children,” the original version of “The Equalizer,” “The Babe” and “Rudy.” His most recent Hollywood role took place in 2012 when he portrayed the driver in the film “The Owner,” an online collaboration between 25 different actors.

Robert Swan, “The Untouchables” actor and founder of Harbor Country Opera, has died of liver cancer. He was 78.

His death was confirmed by a family friend, who said his dream was to turn his award-winning screenplay about Samuel Johnson, the man first credited with creating the modern dictionary, into a movie.

Swan was known for his work in several feature films, including his role as a Mountie captain in Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables” (1987), which starred Kevin Costner and landed Sean Connery an Oscar. He appeared in Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 “Natural Born Killers” as Deputy Napalatoni.

Additionally, he was featured in the 1984 Emmy-nominated Jane Fonda-led TV movie “The Dollmaker” and as a coach in the 1986 David Anspaugh-helmed feature “Hoosiers.” His further credits include “Backdraft,” “Somewhere in Time,” “Heart of Steel,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Stingray,” “Who’s That Girl,” “All My Children,” “Missing Persons” and “The Owner.

Veteran actor Robert Swan, known for his roles in the sports movies Hoosiers, Rudy, and The Babe, as well as TV roles in All My Children and The Equalizer, has died. He was 78. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Swan passed away on Wednesday, August 9, at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, after a long battle with cancer. Born on October 20, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, Swan started his acting career performing in local theaters before making his Broadway debut in 1974 in The Freedom of the City. His first film role came in 1980 in the romantic fantasy drama Somewhere in Time, which starred Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer. He is perhaps best known for his key roles in several notable sports movies, including David Anspaugh’s basketball film Hoosiers (1986), where he played Rollin Butcher, an assistant to Gene Hackman‘s Coach Dale. Swan reunited with Anspaugh in 1993’s Rudy, the biographical...

Robert Swan, the veteran character actor who appeared in key roles in the notable sports films Hoosiers, Rudy and The Babe, has died. He was 78.

Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.

Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).

In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.

Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...

Clockwise from top left: Hoosiers (Orion Pictures), The Basketball Diaries (New Line Cinema), The Way Back (Warner Bros. Pictures), White Men Can’t Jump (20th Century Fox) Graphic: The A.V. Club We love basketball because it has all the ingredients you need for a thrilling sports movie: the ticking clock, the last-minute reversals,...

When people think of American Idol, they often think of names like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, Katharine McPhee, and others. Interestingly, not all of these well-known contestants actually won the competition. For some, the exposure from Idol was enough to skyrocket their careers even higher than those of the people who took home the grand prize. Here are eight American Idol contestants who became more successful than the winners of their seasons.

Jennifer Hudson | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Jennifer Hudson, Season 3

Hudson is among the most famous American Idol contestants, and she wasn’t even a Top 3 finalist. She was eliminated from the Top 7 during season 3. Fantasia Burrino later won the season.

After Idol, Hudson built a lucrative career in music, film, and theater. She currently has three albums and more than a dozen movie credits, including Dreamgirls and Respect. Hudson is also an Egot winner and...

Kevin Iannucci, Kaitlin Olson, James Day Keith, and Woody Harrelson in ‘Champions’ (Photo Credit: Shauna Townley / Focus Features)

There have been many inspirational basketball films, including Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams, and Above the Rim. Add to that list Champions starring Woody Harrelson as Marcus, a minor-league basketball coach in De Moines, Iowa, who has just been fired for pushing head coach Phil Perretti (Ernie Hudson) for not listening to him about strategy during a game.

To make matters worse, Marcus ends up slamming into a police car on his way home and is ordered by the court to perform 90 days of community service.

The judge notices his unique talents and orders him to coach a basketball team of young players with intellectual disabilities. Wanting to stay out of jail, Marcus reluctantly agrees.

To say he’s unimpressed with his players and their non-existent hoop skills would be a gross understatement. “It...

While Peter Farrelly was off winning Oscars for “Green Book,” younger brother Bobby has been largely absent from feature directing. It’s been nearly a decade since the siblings shared credit — the last time being 2014’s “Dumb and Dumber To.” Now, rather than competing with Peter at the respectability game, Bobby sticks to what he knows with “Champions,” in which Woody Harrelson plays a minor-league basketball coach court-ordered to assist a Special Olympics team for 90 days — just long enough to take the team from bumbling incompetents to national finalists.

There are zero surprises in “Champions,” unless you count the not-inconsiderable shock that such a movie exists at all. A remake of 2018 Spanish box office sensation “Campeones,” this awkward (if presumably well-intentioned) comedy might have felt enlightened 25 years ago — back when “Forrest Gump” was an Oscar favorite — but today makes for a patronizing portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities. That’s...

A number of great movies are leaving HBO Max at the end of March, so it’s time to prioritize these titles in your queue. Filmmaker James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot “The Suicide Squad” will depart the streaming service on March 22 after first hitting HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters back in 2021. Similarly, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was whisked away on March 1 after also getting a day-and-date release in 2021 (sorry/not sorry if you missed it).

You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”

Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Will Ferrell was, at one point, about as big of a star as one can hope to find in the world of comedy. Following his legendary stint on "Saturday Night Live," the actor had great success in movies such as "Anchorman" and "Step Brothers" in the first decade of the 2000s. But in 2008, Ferrell led an all-star cast that also included the likes of Woody Harrelson, Andre 3000, Will Arnett, and many other famous comedy faces that audiences know and love in a basketball comedy called "Semi-Pro." It was a movie with all the talent in the world which, unfortunately, didn't quite live up to expectations at the time of its release.

While the film topped the box office on its opening weekend back in March of 2008, it topped out at $44 million worldwide against a reported budget of $55 million. Critics also were not terribly kind to the sports comedy at the time.

Exclusive: Angelo Pizzo, the screenwriter behind such titles as Hoosiers and Rudy, is looking to complete a trifecta of iconic sports films with an upcoming title centered on automotive entrepreneur Carl Graham Fisher and the inaugural 1911 running of the Indianapolis 500, which Justin Escue will direct for Above The Line Productions, Diverse Media Group, T-Minus Productions and his company, My First Bike Productions.

This year’s Indy 500 is scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 29. The race sits alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hour of Le Mans as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport—maintaining a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious motorsport events.

Fisher, the protagonist of the as-yet-untitled feature, is an enigmatic, and until now mostly forgotten, true American anti-hero, responsible for not only the greatest spectacle in racing, but the building and creation of Miami Beach, Montauk Island, America’s first highways and byways,...

Nowadays, if you make a list of the greatest sports movies of all time and you don't put "Hoosiers" on it, you'll most certainly receive a cavalcade of flack. The picture about a small town Indiana high school basketball team pulls those inspirational sports story heartstrings better than most other movies of its genre, and regardless of what sport they are about, most modern sports movies essentially use "Hoosiers" as a blueprint. It's classic underdog story through and through, and if you give yourself over to its blunt sentimentality, you will get swept away in the emotion. It's the movie everyone's dad absolutely adores, and...

The post Gene Hackman Thought He Would Never Work Again After Hoosiers appeared first on /Film.

“American Idol’s” Disney Night turned out to be the end of the road for three talented contestants: country crooner Mike Parker, pop artist Emyrson Flora and soul singer Lady K. In our recent poll, we asked “Idol” viewers to tell us which of three eliminees was most robbed of a spot in next week’s Top 7, and the poll results are in. Mike led with 35 of the vote, compared to Emyrson at 27 and Lady K at 24; the other 14 of respondents chose the “None of them” option.

In our comments section, “American Idol” watcher Donna A Gerken said, “Mike got robbed … love his voice.” Fellow fan Elaine Hamilton chimed in, “I am so so sorry Mike Parker was eliminated. I say to Mike, please keep going this is not the end for you, when God closes a door he opens a window. Keep achieving and aiming high. You will get there.

This week on “American Idol’s” highly anticipated Disney Night, the Top 10 singers performed, but only seven received enough votes from America to advance to the next round. The three contestants who were eliminated on live television were soul singer Lady K, pop artist Emyrson Flora and country crooner Mike Parker. Of this talented trio, who do You think was most robbed of a spot in the Top 7? Vote in our eliminated “American Idol” Top 10 singers poll below and then defend your choice down in the comments section.

SEEKaty Perry’s Disney costumes on ‘American Idol’ including Snow White, Ursula, Tinker Bell …

After all 10 singers performed on the big stage, host Ryan Seacrest announced which seven earned enough viewer votes to remain in the competition. In no particular order, the following artists all heard good news on Sunday, May 1: Leah Marlene, Jay Copeland, Noah Thompson, Fritz Hager, HunterGirl, Nicolina and Christian Guardino.

“American Idol” continued with the 10th episode of Season 20 on Sunday, April 10. This installment of the ABC reality TV competition saw judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie relinquish their power over to America. 12 of the Top 24 performed at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii on Sunday, April 10. The other half will perform on Monday, April 11. Two singers with the lowest amount of votes from each night will be eliminated.

“American Idol” alum Jimmie Allen served as mentor for this first night of performances. So who was the best from Sunday night? And did they step up their game since Hollywood Week performance? Below I rank each hopeful from the least impressive (but with room to grow) to a possible Season 20 frontrunner.

See Meet the Top 24 “American Idol” finalists for Season 20

Below are my rankings for all 12 Hawaii performances from Sunday, April 10, from worst to best:...

“Subvert normality. Punk is not sexual, it’s just aggression. Destroy. Kill All Hippies. I’m not talking at you, I’m talking to you. Anarchy. Disco sucks. I don’t wanna hear about you, I wanna hear from you. This is Gorgeous. Does anybody outthere read me? Disco sucks, kill all hippies. Pretty vacant, eh? Subvert normality. Signing off. This is Gorgeous. Signing off.”

“Thumbs Up! Bitter, unforgettable. An unsung treasure.” – Roger Ebert

Shocking. Controversial. Unforgettable. – Dennis Hopper’s brilliant punk rock masterpiece of adolescent rebellion is ready for a new, long overdue close-up!

A kind of spiritual sequel (and cautionary counterpoint) to Hopper’s own Easy Rider, Out Of The Blue chronicles the idealism of the sixties decline into the hazy nihilism of the 1980’s. Here’s a new trailer for the restoration:

Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper) is a truck driver in prison for drunkenly smashing his rig into a school bus.

September usually means the beginning of the traditional fall TV season. As such, Hulu’s list of new releases for September 2021 contains some impressive TV swings.

For starters, all of ABC and Fox’s (both now united under the Disney banner alongside Hulu) fall season offerings will be made available to stream on Hulu the next day. More impressively, however, two FX on Hulu originals make their way to the streaming world this month.

The first is the long-awaited adaptation of the classic comic Y: The Last Man. The story of a virus that destroys every mammal with a Y-chromosome (save for one escape artist and his monkey) is set to premiere on September 13. Shortly after that, the B.J. Novak-produced anthology series The Premise arrives on September 16. Even those who are fatigued from timely anthology concepts will want to check this one out.

Read more TV How Y: The...

Exclusive: Dennis Quaid has signed on to star in The Hill, a family drama penned by Angelo Pizzo and the late Scott Marshall Smith, who passed away in December.

The film will tell the true story of Rickey Hill, a kid who overcame his physical disability to play professional baseball. Given the complexities Rickey faced in his relationship with his father, his is a story about more than just athletics. It’s also a story about family, and what one young man can do to follow his dream.

Quaid will portray Rickey’s father, Pastor Hill, an instinctively protective man who doesn’t want his son to go out into the world to pursue his dream, fearing that he’ll get ridiculed for his disability. Ultimately, Hill’s tough exterior is broken as Rickey grows up and proves his natural ability.

Jeff Celentano is directing the film, cast by Rick Montgomery (Green Book), which will go before cameras in Georgia in November.

He’s also producing alongside Warren Ostergard, with Matthew Dwyer, Michael Hollingsworth, Michael Blubaugh and Rickey Hill serving as exec producers.

The rest of the film’s cast has not yet been announced.

“I’m setting out to make an iconic film in the classic sense, a beautiful sweeping and powerful inspirational story. One that will stand the test of time like Blindside, Rudy, Field of Dreams and The Natural. Dennis was the first and only person I thought of for the lead role upon reading the script,” said Celentano. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he has the ability to play a loving, caring father while at the same time a staunch, powerful man – all the qualities needed to bring Pastor Hill’s character to life.”

“Since the 1970s in particular, the sports film has gained increasing recognition as one of the most important and popular genres in contemporary cinema,” added Quaid. “I couldn’t be more excited about this project. This film will no doubt further validate the power of American social mobility and show that in America you can choose to be what you want.”

Quaid is an Emmy nominee and two-time Golden Globe nominee best known on the film side for turns in Yours, Mine & Ours, In Good Company, The Day After Tomorrow, Cold Creek Manor, Far from Heaven, The Rookie, Wyatt Earp, Postcards from the Edge and other titles.

The actor’s recent TV credits include Netflix’s Merry Happy Whatever, Amazon’s Goliath and Fortitude, and Crackle’s The Art of More.

He’ll next appear in Alex Ranarivelo’s Born a Champion, Julio Quintana’s Blue Miracle, Andrew and Jon Erwin’s American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story, Ray Giarratana’s The Tiger Rising, Sean McNamara’s Reagan, in which he’ll play the actor-turned president, and more.

Quaid is represented by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

NBA star LeBron James will produce a new Netflix film, Rez Ball, a Native American basketball drama. The movie is described as a mix between Friday Night Lights and Hoosiers. The project’s description noted that the film “follows the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska, New Mexico, that must band together after […]

The post LeBron James To Produce Netflix Indian Basketball Film ‘Rez Ball’ appeared first on uInterview.

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. (Check out last week’s best songs.)

Jimmie Allen featuring Monica and Little Big Town, “Pray”

Jimmie Allen goes big on collaborations on Bettie James Gold Edition, an expanded version of the “Best Shot” singer’s 2020 EP now featuring Breland, Keith Urban,...

After a Covid-induced hiatus, Tribeca Festival returns with in-person premieres and an exciting mix of studio productions and low-fi indies. The festival has ditched the word “film” from its title in order to emphasize the fact that Tribeca now encompasses podcasting, gaming, TV and so much more. But who are they kidding? For most New Yorkers, it’s all about the movies. With that in mind, here are 11 films that should be on every festival-goer’s must-see list.

12 Mighty Orphans

Director: Ty Roberts

Cast: Luke Wilson, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker

Meet your next uplifting sports drama. In the tradition of “Rudy” or “Hoosiers” comes “12 Mighty Orphans,” the story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who became unlikely Texas state championship contenders. In the process, their plucky come-from-nowhere run inspired a country reeling from the Great Depression.

Consider it a celebration with something of an asterisk: in-person film festivals are back! But so are virtual components, making some of the year’s biggest cinematic events both safe and accessible for an even wider audience to enjoy them. After a cancelled 2020 edition and a delayed 2021 event, the Tribeca Festival is bellying up for a hybrid event with a major in-person edge, with lots to watch, no matter in which manner you choose to consume it.

In March, the festival announced that it would “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held this month, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event.

Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca on June 9. The festival will also celebrate the world...

It is hard to know where to begin and what to say first when it comes to Dennis Hopper, both on screen and off. As an actor he began in the late 50s with small roles in films like Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and numerous TV performances. James Dean was a hero and friend to Hopper. A great way to view Rebel Without A Cause is to watch Hopper’s intense studying of and admiration for Dean on screen in that film. Hopper was witness to so many periods of American culture, a complex masculine figure much like his friend and contemporary Harry Dean Stanton, the whiskey, cigarettes and American highway mythology follows his legacy. This mix scratches the surface of an iconic figure of 20th-century popular culture and a great artist, it is a time capsule with no linear trajectory, bending back and forth across genre and feeling.Coming...

Angelo Pizzo, screenwriter of “Hoosiers” and “Rudy” has been tapped to adapt Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins’ highly-acclaimed and rated book “The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, A People, A Nation.” It is the first film property that has been optioned by Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative, CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises and trustee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum, for his Standing Arrow Productions banner. The company was launched earlier this past February.

“I have been a long-time admirer of Angelo Pizzo’s brilliant and iconic work,” says Halbritter said in a statement. “’Hoosiers’ and ‘Rudy’ melded sports with human drama to inspire millions…and that is our intent with The Real All Americans. Standing Arrow Productions has found the perfect writer to begin our cinematic journey.”

Jenkins’ book chronicles the true-life exploits of the Carlisle Indian School football team, which...

It’s that time of year again for basketball fans — March Madness is in full swing for collegiate teams, and the NBA playoffs are just weeks away. Basketball fans are a loyal bunch, following the excitement of the sport, with its heart-stopping beat-the-buzzer moments, dramatic plays and fast action whipping from one end of the court to the other. It’s no wonder that basketball makes for great cinema – and its players are capable of being part of the show.

There have been some great basketball films over the years, ranging from lowbrow comedies like “Celtic Pride” to family fare such as “Like Mike” to inspirational stories like “Coach Carter.” Some have used the sport as a way to shine a light on social issues over the years, with films like “Cornbread, Earl and Me” and “The Basketball Diaries” remaining relevant decades after their premieres. And most of these films feature real-life basketball players,...

It’s that time of year again for basketball fans — March Madness is in full swing for collegiate teams, and the NBA playoffs are just weeks away. Basketball fans are a loyal bunch, following the excitement of the sport, with its heart-stopping beat-the-buzzer moments, dramatic plays and fast action whipping from one end of the court to the other. It’s no wonder that basketball makes for great cinema – and its players are capable of being part of the show.

There have been some great basketball films over the years, ranging from lowbrow comedies like “Celtic Pride” to family fare such as “Like Mike” to inspirational stories like “Coach Carter.” Some have used the sport as a way to shine a light on social issues over the years, with films like “Cornbread, Earl and Me” and “The Basketball Diaries” remaining relevant decades after their premieres. And most of these films feature real-life basketball players,...