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In the blink of an eye, Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ time at Wimbledon turned in to a pure nightmare. The tennis star suffered a serious knee injury that left her screaming in pain!

Credit: Starz

To say Shadow is just a tad bit emotional about seeing his once dead wife, Laura, sitting up on his motel bed and chatting away would be an understatement.

Rather than ponder how it is she is sitting on his bed, Shadow has more important questions, all of which are regarding her infidelity. Laura goes into detail about how long it took for her to cheat, how long it lasted and what her final moments were like. Shadow listens to every detail, as angering as it is. As the conversation rolls on, the two share a kiss that seems to bring a brief moment of warmth (and a heart beat) to Laura. However, all hopes of a reunion are shot down when Shadow tells Laura he is no longer her Puppy.

Then, Mr. Wednesday knocks at the door and within a minute, police cars pull up and the officers arrest Shadow and Wednesday.

It's been nearly 30 years since we saw Pierce Brosnan play the lead on a TV series, but he's back, and better than ever.

The 63-year-old actor recently sat down for an interview with Emmy, and Et has your exclusive first look at his feature from the magazine's March issue.

Watch: Pierce Brosnan and His 19-Year-Old Model Son Enjoy Guys' Night Out

In the piece, which hits newsstands March 21, Brosnan gets candid on returning to the small screen as Eli McCullough on AMC's new western drama series, The Son, a type of role he admired as a young boy growing up in Navan, County Meath, Ireland.

"Going to the pictures was a magical delight," he says of watching classic cowboy sagas at local theaters. "The whole mythology of the Western is very much part of my own psyche."

AMC

"It's a new age of TV," he adds. "Such rich characters, rich writing -- it's a very fertile time."

Brosnan...

IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast is an exploration of how good movies get made through in-depth conversations with filmmakers about their artistic process. This fall and winter we were fortunate to host guests whose films are favorited to take home Academy Awards this weekend. As we get ready for the Oscars, here’s a look back at some of what we learned from the writers, directors and editors behind this year’s best films.

The Filmmaker Toolkit podcast is available on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play Music.

“Arrival” Screenwriter Eric Heisserer

Ted Chiang’s “The Story of Your Life” is a beloved sci-fi short story, but no one thought it was natural fit for the big screen. Well, nobody besides Eric Heisserer, who was emotionally devastated the first time he read Chiang’s 32 page story. He wanted to find a way to capture that feeling in a movie, but...

Seventy-three unproduced screenplays comprise this year’s Black List, an annual ranking of well-regarded scripts that have yet to make the leap from page to screen. More than 250 executives in the film industry voted on this year’s edition, and their consensus is that Elyse Hollander’s Madonna biopic “Blond Ambition” is the “most liked” of them.

Previous screenplays that have appeared on the Black List and gone on to be produced include “Spotlight,” “Arrival” and “Manchester by the Sea.” Full list below:

“Blond Ambition” by Elyse Hollander (48)

“Life Itself” by Dan Fogelman (35)

“The Olympian” by Tony Tost (35)

“The Post” by Liz Hannah (35)

“Voyagers” by Zach Dean (28)

“In the Blink of an Eye” by Colby Day (25)

“O2” by Christie LeBlan (22)

“Untitled Lax Mandis Project” by Seth Spector (22)

“Dark Money” by Matt Fruchtman (21)

“Letters from Rosemary Kennedy” by Nick Yarborough (21)

“Linda and Monica” by Flint Wainess (20)

“Hala” by Minhal Baig (19)

“The...

It's a typical story, one that legions of independent filmmakers have experienced since the dawn of Sundance. You pore your energies into making your debut movie – in Barry Jenkins' case, it was Medicine for Melancholy, his 2008 lo-fi romantic comedy in which a San Francisco bike messenger and a boho young woman spend a day hanging out. Your film travels the festival circuit, you win an award or two, and after the victory lap, you start thinking about what comes next. You go to Hollywood, where you work on a...

In the blink of an eye, the City of Light turned dark on Kim Kardashian. The 35-year-old star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians "was held up at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room this evening, by two armed masked men dressed as police officers," her rep told E! News Sunday. Kardashian was "badly shaken but physically unharmed," her rep added. Kardashian was in the city for Paris Fashion Week. New details surrounding the incident emerged overnight. The French Interior Ministry said five men threatened a concierge with a weapon, handcuffed him and forced him to open Kardashian's private apartment. Per Today, the Paris Prosecutor's office confirmed two of the men gained...

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen may not be joining the rest of the Tanner clan on "Fuller House," but they're still part of the "Full House" family -- and their Uncle Jesse has nothing but love for them, especially when it comes to big life moments.

John Stamos proved that this weekend when he shared a sweet throwback photo of him with the Olsen twins from back in their "Full House" heyday, in celebration of Mary-Kate's recent wedding to boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy. The adorable photo features Stamos sandwiched between the twins, wearing matching Mickey Mouse sunglasses and making goofy faces for the camera.

"In the blink of an eye." Congrats Mk. X

A photo posted by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Nov 30, 2015 at 4:49pm Pst

"In the blink of an eye," Stamos captioned the snap. "Congrats Mk."

Stamos wasn't invited to the wedding -- and it doesn't appear that any other "Full House" castmates were,...

A photo posted by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Nov 30, 2015 at 4:49pm Pst Even though Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen won't be returning for Fuller House, the upcoming Netflix reboot of the classic show, John Stamos has nothing but love for his onscreen nieces. The actor took to Instagram on Monday to congratulate Mary-Kate on her recent wedding with an adorable throwback picture, writing, "'In the blink of an eye.' Congrats Mk. X." The fashion designer married her boyfriend of three years, Olivier Sarkozy, on Friday in a private ceremony in Manhattan. See John's post above, and then check out the Full House cast's cutest pictures together.

Need a reminder of how adorable the Olsen twins were in their Full House days? You got it, dude!

John Stamos shared a vintage '90s photo of himself posing with a young Mary-Kate Olsen (and her sister Ashley! to commemorate the fashion designer's weekend wedding.

"'In the blink of an eye.' Congrats Mk," Stamos, 52, captioned his Instagram on Monday night.

Olsen, 29, married French banker Olivier Sarkozy, 46, during an intimate ceremony in New York on Friday.

Though the newlyweds have kept their nuptials hush-hush, Olsen's TV dad Bob Saget confirmed the happy news on the Today Show.

"I was not invited,...

I’ve spoken to many people in my time, but few (if any) have the same credentials as Walter Murch, whose résumé would be amazing if it was only for the collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola: editing and / or audio work on all three Godfather films and The Conversation, truly groundbreaking sound design on Apocalypse Now, editing the terribly ignored Youth Without Youth and Tetro — even being around for the early days of The Rain People and lesser-seen oddities such as Captain Eo. But that’s not the half of it, really, since he’s also been instrumental in proving how consumer-grade editing software can be as effective as high-end systems. And then there’s the work that helped George Lucas getting his career started. And the cult sensation that is his only directorial effort, Return to Oz. Or his book, In the Blink of an Eye, which is...

Walter Murch is synonymous with sound design. Before he came along, the audience, and much of the industry, took sound for granted; so long as a movie cohered into a polished whole, nobody thought much about the soundscape. Then, in 1979, "Apocalypse Now" hit theaters. Not only did it shatter our perceptions of the Vietnam War, but it also shattered our eardrums. From the whir of a ceiling fan to the sound of helicopters slicing through the sky, Murch showed the world the possibilities of cinematic sound. In fact, Murch was the first official sound designer ever credited: Floored by Murch's work on "Apocalypse Now," Francis Ford Coppola invented the term to bestow upon his friend. In the years since, 72-year-old Murch has continued to revolutionize the fields of sound design and editing, winning several Academy Awards along the way. His theory, most eloquently imparted in his 1995 book "In the Blink of an Eye...

In the blink of an eye, or the swipe of a screen, Josh Duggar has gone from sanctimonious family values spokesman to cautionary tale. But could the former 19 Kids and Counting son have an actual problem? Besides a PR problem, we mean. Just last week, Josh admitted to being unfaithful to wife Anna Duggar and copped to a "secret addiction" to pornography (in a statement that was posted but then altered to exclude the mention of porn and his previous acknowledgment of molesting five girls when he was 14). His confession came after Gawker posted alleged evidence of an Ashley Madison account in his name. "The fact that someone like Josh Duggar may have used the Ashley Madison site is...

Taking over the Ace Theater in Los Angeles , Kristen Stewart brought along former co-star Taylor Lautner to plug her new flick, American Ultra on Tuesday night (August 18).

The Bella Swan actress looked radiant in Zuhair Murad romper with sequin embellishments and a pair of Jimmy Choo heels, while Taylor kept it simple in a white tee and blue jacket.

Per the synopsis, “American Ultra centers on Mike, a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe, is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.”...

First off, let me tell you that it makes such a big difference when you love the movie you.re interviewing for. And that.s the extent of what I.m going to tell you about .American Ultra. until my review next week. For now, I hope you have fun watching my interview with the fantastic Kristen Stewart, all glowing and happy, and the sweet and smart Jesse Eisenberg.

The two play a stoner couple whose relationship is bound to be tested when Mike.s (Eisenberg) identity is revealed. In this interview, we talked about the script, their characters, their chemistry, Stewart.s movie choices post-Twilight, and Eisenberg.s love of the Filipino culture! I.m Filipino and that made me happy!

Oh yeah, I made sure I didn.t ask any questions they spoofed on Funny or Die!

.American Ultra. comes out in theaters on Aug. 21st.

Here.s...

Wamg has your free passes to the advance screening American Ultra in St. Louis.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

Written by Max Landis, the film also features Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman & Walton Goggins.

From director Nima Nourizadeh, American Ultra opens in theaters on August 21.

Wamg invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening on Tuesday, August 18th at 7Pm in the St.

In the next few weeks, you'll get to see two flavors of Jesse Eisenberg. On Friday, he'll be in his familiar guise doing serious actor stuff in James Ponsoldt's "The End Of The Tour." Then, in mid-August, he goes into rarer form with the mainstream "American Ultra," and a new trailer for the stoner-secret-agent-action-comedy is here. Co-starring his "Adventureland" bud Kristen Stewart, the movie follows a mild-mannered stoner who has to go on the run with this girlfriend when he discovers he's actually a sleeper agent, with a very unique set of skills. Here's the official synopsis:  American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike [Eisenberg], a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe [Stewart], is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him,...

The more I see of American Ultra, the more I fall in love with this potential sleeper hit of the Summer. I do love a high concept auctioneer, and you don’t get more high concept than the tale of a small town, go no where stoner (Jesse Eisenberg) who finds out he’s a special, government trained killing machine. The script from Chronicles’ Max Landis promises to bring the action and humour in spades, with Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Topher Grace especially having an absolute blast. Check out the new trailer below to see for yourself. Released: 21st August (U.S.)/ 28th August (Irl/U.K.)Synopsis: Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), find his life suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye,...

Check out the insane new trailer for American Ultra.

The film is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh and written by Max Landis, the film also features Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman & Walton Goggins.

American Ultra Opens On August 21

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanUltra

https://twitter.com/AmericanUltra

https://instagram.com/americanultra

The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content.

The...

With its first trailer, stoner comedy/action thriller hybrid American Ultra showed it could very well be the sleeper hit of the Summer, and the latest trailer only backs that up. There is a lot of promise to the movies high concept plot, and as you can see below, there is plenty of humour to be found inbetween Jesse Eisenberg been the year’s most unlikely action hero. Check it out below. Released: 21st August (U.S.)/ 28th August (Irl/U.K.)Synopsis: Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), find his life suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced...

The wonderfully high concept American Ultra is showing all the promise of a sleeper Summer hit, with everything we see of the Max Landis (Chronicle) scripted, Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) directed stoner comedy/action thriller hybrid being soooo much fun. Case in point, this new clip, which sees the aftermath of the future Lex Luthor Jesse Eisenberg’s deadly efficiency with a spoon. Released: 21st August (U.S.)/ 28th August (Irl/U.K.)Synopsis: Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), find his life suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

The marketing team behind the new stoner comedy American Ultra might have picked the smartest way to spread their seed at San Diego Comic-Con… by offering members of the medical marijuana community a highly valuable product. Earlier today, the website www.theamericanultraprogram.net started circulating. From your mobile device, people were asked for their drivers license or state ID number and photo, along with their medical marijuana information (for verification). Once verified, a field agent contacts you and delivers a glass jar, rolling papers, a lighter, and a sample of their own special brand of premium kush. If you don’t have a medical marijuana card, don’t bother trying. You will fail.

Below, you can see what was delivered when I tried it out for myself… for science, of course! The goods come in a sealed envelope that says American Ultra on it. Inside, everything is branded with the same American flag,...

Comic-Con International 2015 begins today and to kick things off, Lionsgate has released a new custom Comic-Con poster for their upcoming comedy, American Ultra.

Award-winning artist Jim Evans (aka T.A.Z.), the designer behind hundreds of gig & movie posters including those for The Beastie Boys, The Wu Tang Clan, Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Saw franchise, crafted the badass print featuring Jesse Eisenberg & Kristen Stewart.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

The first trailer for American Ultra showed a lot of promise for the Max Landis scripted offbeat action comedy, gleefully subverting the usual action cliches with Jesse Eisenberg playing a CIA sleeper agent who has fallen deep into his cover as a go nowhere stoner. Two new, rather trippy posters, including a fake cover for comic book Apollo Ape, which figures in prominently into the plot, specially made for San Diego Comic-Con have come our way courtesy of i09, showing how fun this movie will be. Released: 21st August (U.S.)/ 28th August (Irl/U.K.) Synopsis: Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), find his life suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him,...

Icymi, Lionsgate has released two new poster for American Ultra.

You won’t want to miss a second of this fast-paced action comedy about an awoken sleeper agent starring Eisenberg & Stewart alongside Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, & Bill Pullman.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

Written by Max Landis the film also features Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman & Walton Goggins.

American Ultra opens on August 21.

https://www.

The co-creator of Saw and Insidious chats to us about homages, mistakes, and the Luke/Leia/Vader relationship...

James Wan's longtime collaborator Leigh Whannell was the co-creator and co-writer of the Saw and Insidious series. For the third chapter of Insidious, Whannell has personally picked up the director's megaphone for the very first time.

We met up last week to speak about his newly-forged processes as a writer-director, his ambitions, the lessons he learned from this film, and lots more besides, from Poltergeist to The Shining and, at three separate talking points, the Star Wars saga.

I think would-be filmmakers and students of the medium will find some of his answers particularly intriguing, but be warned, there are spoilers for The Others, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Going back to the beginning, the first Insidious was regularly compared to Poltergeist. Did it start out as a Poltergeist homage,...

Sometimes movies just pop up on the schedule out of nowhere. Sure, we all knew that “American Ultra” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart was coming, but Lionsgate whipped out its August release date suddenly only a few weeks ago. No matter, the stoner-action comedy is on its way and it looks like a blast of fun energy. Here’s the official synopsis: American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive. Read More: Jesse Eisenberg And Kristen Stewart...

Photo Credit: Alan Markfield

Opening on August 21st, here’s a look at the red-band and green-band trailers for director Nima Nourizadeh’s action-comedy American Ultra.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

Written by Max Landis the film also features Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman & Walton Goggins.

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanUltra

https://twitter.com/AmericanUltra

https://instagram.com/americanultra

The post Watch Kristen Stewart & Jesse Eisenberg In American Ultra...

It’s one of the most anticipated films of the summer and “American Ultra” just dropped a new Red Band trailer for mature audiences only.

The Lionsgate production stars Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Topher Grace, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Tony Hale and Connie Britton and is slated to hit theaters on August 21st.

Per the synopsis, “American Ultra centers on Mike, a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe, is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.”...

Get your first hit of Jesse Eisenberg & Kristen Stewart with these first posters and photo from Lionsgate’s American Ultra.

From director Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) and writer Max Landis (Chronicle), Eisenberg and Stewart reunite in this supercharged action-comedy about a stoner whose past comes back to haunt him in the form of a government operation set to wipe him out.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

The movie also features Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo,...

Jessie Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart are getting blazed and chased in “American Ultra.” The film, directed by Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and written by Max Landis (“Chronicle”), focuses on a stoner and his girlfriend who are on the run from the government, whose out for blood. “American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of [ Read More ]

The post First Look and Posters from American Ultra Released appeared first on Shockya.com.

There’s no substitute for a really great stoner movie and it looks like Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg are teaming up for the next great project in the beloved genre.

MTV just dropped two new character posters and one production still from the forthcoming action comedy “American Ultra,” slated to hit theaters on August 21st.

Per the synopsis, “American Ultra centers on Mike, a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe, is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.”...

In the blink of an eye, Chris Brown is no longer wanted for battery. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the guy who accused Brown of punching him early Monday morning during a basketball game in Vegas called the cops on Tuesday and told them he wanted to drop the case. He did not explain why. At that point it was a no-brainer ... cops closed the case. Brown just settled a lawsuit over a previous fight...

Continuing the festival’s policy of recognizing those individuals whose intuitions and skills have left their mark on film history, the 68th edition will see the Vision Award - Nescens awarded to Walter Murch, the editor and sound designer (a term he coined himself). This award follows those previously attributed to such major creative talents in American cinema as special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull and “Mister Steadicam®” Garrett Brown.

Murch’s career has embraced first sound and then film editing as well, pursuing a concept of audio-visual composition that treats the two as inseparable.

His name is closely linked to the new generation of directors who emerged in the 1970s, such as George Lucas ("Thx 1138," 1971; "American Graffiti," 1973) and Francis Ford Coppola ("The Rain People," 1969; "The Godfather," 1972; "The Conversation," "The Godfather: Part II," 1974). His hugely impressive work with the latter filmmaker, as sound designer on "Apocalypse Now," won him his first Oscar in 1980.

Following his own directorial debut in 1985 with "Return to Oz," he subsequently won two more Academy Award statuettes for both sound and film editing on Anthony Minghella’s "The English Patient" (1996) – the first and only time in history the same person has won the Oscar in both categories. Although in this respect he was repeating an earlier record set when he won double BAFTA awards in 1975 for "The Conversation."

Murch has continually developed his editing talent and versatility, experimenting with every new and emerging system, from analogue to digital. His knowledge and artistry were distilled in his 2001 book, In the Blink of an Eye, an indispensable work of reference in the film editing world. He is also the subject of Michael Ondaatje's The Conversations: Walter Murch and The Art of Film Editing and Charles Koppelman's Behind the Seen.

Carlo Chatrian, the Festival’s Artistic Director, comments: “Having Walter Murch here, apart from the honor of his presence, also highlights the thinking behind this award, instituted two years ago. As Francis F. Coppola has written, « he is a true pioneer. A man we should listen to with great attention – and pleasure » . The way he works goes far beyond conventional notions of collaboration. The work on "The Godfather: Part II" or "Apocalypse Now," for example, prove that the great films are nearly always the outcome of a close working relationship between major creative talents. And it is to one of the most subtle and influential of these that the Locarno Festival pays tribute this year .”

Both the general public and the guests of the Festival will have an opportunity to meet Walter Murch and discover the secrets of his methods during a masterclass in Locarno. The Vision Award is supported for the second consecutive year by Nescens, Swiss anti-aging science.

The 68th edition of the Festival del film Locarno will take place 5 – 15 of August.

Tim here. As you’ve probably heard, unless this is literally the first thing you’ve read on the internet all day, the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars got thrown for a loop when the prohibitive frontrunner, The Lego Movie, was unexpectedly denied a nomination. In the blink of an eye, one of the most boring races suddenly turned into the most unpredictable of all 24.

So why don’t we start hacking away at the five titles, and see what we can make of them, now that we’ve suddenly got some excitement on our hands?

Big Hero 6

Directors: Don Hall (1st nomination), Chris Williams (2nd nomination)

Studio: Walt Disney Animation (8th nomination)

Nathaniel kind of liked it, I kind of liked it a bit less. Which mostly describes the reception that the film has received from everybody: nobody much dislikes the genial adventure-comedy about a boy and his charmingly soft robot,...

It's hard to believe that "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" is just a mere seven months away from hitting theaters. In the blink of an eye, the movie went from being the subject of ceaseless speculation to having been shot and primed to obliterate the box office next year. And the first trailer is here —leaked online in advance of next week's scheduled premiere of "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D."— and it promises massive destruction! If you thought the city-obliterating finale of "The Avengers" might've been over the top, it seems Joss Whedon and co. are bringing even more carnage and mayhem this time around. That's not surprising, since you can't follow up a billion dollar movie featuring such wholesale devastation with a more subtle take on the genre, can you? This trailer indicates that 'A.A.O.U." seems to following the Marvel template pretty closely, with the gang back together to confront another bad guy,...

Post-production wiz, Walter Murch, in his book, In The Blink of An Eye, devotes a chapter to what he refers to as a film's DNA. He essentially says that a film can only be what it was meant to be, much like a human or chimpanzee are the products of their organic DNA. The human and chimp DNA may be genealogically similar, but they are nevertheless organically assembled to create the creature nature meant for them to be. You can try to splice their DNA to create a sort of cross-specie Humanzee, as Russian scientist Ilya Ivanov attempted to do in the 1920s, but ultimately, a chimp is a chimp and a man is but a man. To Murch, the same can be said for...

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He lives in a pineapple under the sea, but when his beloved Bikini Bottom is threatened, SpongeBob SquarePants will rise above the waves to save it! That's the premise for the wild new adventure The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and you can see a bit of this colorful sea creature in action in the film's first trailer. Nickelodeon dropped the above trailer, and with it revealed loads of totally bonkers elements. Let's take a closer look at this trailer's wackiest and weirdest moments through the gift that keeps on giving, GIFs! Bikini Bottom Goes Beyond Thunderdome In The Blink Of An Eye Mr. Krabs is freaking out that Bikini Bottom will be destroyed by the evil plans of a vicious pirate (Antonio Banderas in ginger beard). Squidward insists he's over-reacting, but not so much. Just like that, the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants has gone full on Mad Max.

Editor’s note: Our review of I Origins originally ran during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but we’re re-posting it now as the film opens in limited release. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt) is a molecular biologist primarily interested in the function, capability, and evolution of the human eye. He’s worked on curing color blindness and takes photos of people’s eyes in his free time, but it’s his latest project that sets him on a spectacular course. Hoping to eliminate the sharpest arrow from creationists’ quiver of arguments against evolution (and for intelligent design), he sets out to map the various stages of human eye evolution. Karen (Brit Marling), a first-year student assigned to his lab, excitedly assists the project by searching for a currently sightless species that nonetheless feature the genetic material needed to create even the simplest eye. Running parallel to Ian’s work in the lab is his newly blossomed...

Coming off a season in which the network catapulted to No. 1 in the 18-49 demo and saw double-digit improvement in many prominent timeslots, NBC has announced its 2014-15 line-up; and on the horror side it's looking surprisingly good.

Fresh off announcing renewals for two of our favorites, "Grimm" and "Hannibal," and confirming that "Constantine" will be appearing on said lineup, we have two more photos and a trailer for the latter along with more details on "event" series “Aquarius,” “Emerald City,” and (just cause we know a lot of you guys were "Heroes" fans) “Heroes Reborn.”

“We had a stellar year in scripted programming development that resulted in the unprecedented number of new original series joining the line-up during the coming year, which spans from September 2014-September 2015,” said Bob Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “I’m inordinately proud of NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke and Paul Telegdy, President of Alternative and Late Night Programming,...

NBC’s two-hour Thursday night comedy block will come to an end this fall. The broadcaster is scaling back its comedy investment on TV’s most lucrative night for advertising. Instead, NBC plans to gives its breakout hit The Blacklist the post-Super Bowl spot next year, then shift it to Thursday nights at 9 p.m. in midseason.

All told, seven new dramas and comedies will join NBC’s lineup next season, along with two event miniseries. Stand-out dramas include the return of former Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl to prime-time in the thriller State of Affairs (which will receive...

Connie Britton ("Nashville," "Friday Night Lights") is set to replace Sharon Stone in the action comedy "American Ultra" for Lionsgate.

Filming kicked off earlier this month on Nima Nourizadeh's project which follows an unmotivated stoner (Jesse Eisenberg) whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend (Kirsten Stewart) is suddenly turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent in a government program created by Victoria Lasseter (Britton). In the blink of an eye, he is thrust into the middle of a deadly operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero to survive.

Stone herself replaced the originally cast Uma Thurman only last month. Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins also star.

Source: Vulture...

As production on the action-comedy American Ultra kicks off in New Orleans. Lionsgate is announcing some enticing new additions to the cast: Bill Pullman, Tony Hale and Sharon Stone. This trio joins an ensemble that already includes Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, John Leguizamo, and Walton Goggins. Here's the official plot synopsis for American Ultra, which was just revealed in a press release announcing the start of principal photography American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike, a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe, is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent in a government program created by Victoria Lasseter. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly operation and is forced to summon his inner...

With production having started just yesterday in New Orleans, Lionsgate's action comedy American Ultra has added Sharon Stone to its ensemble cast. She'll play a character named Victoria Lasseter. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh ( Project X ) and written by Max Landis ( Chronicle ), American Ultra also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins. American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him,...

Production is set to begin today in New Orleans on the Lionsgate action comedy film American Ultra. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh (Project X) and written by Max Landis (Chronicle), the film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins.

American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive.

A PalmStar/Likely Story/Circle of Confusion production, the film is produced by Anthony Bregman, Kevin Frakes, Raj Brinder Singh, David Alpert and Britton Rizzio,...

Today Lionsgate announced that production has begun on a new film that isn't based on some young adult novel! Cameras are now rolling on American Ultra and the studios have issued a press release announcing new additions to the cast and details on the plot. Come inside to check out the press release!

Production is set to begin today in New Orleans on the Lionsgate (NYSE: Lgf) action comedy film “American Ultra.” Directed by Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and written by Max Landis (“Chronicle” and the upcoming “Frankenstein”), the film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins. A PalmStar/Likely Story/Circle of Confusion production, the film is produced by Anthony Bregman (“Begin Again” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Kevin Frakes, Raj Brinder Singh, David Alpert (“The Walking Dead”) and Britton Rizzio, with Ray Angelic as executive producer. Jason Constantine,...

Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg are springing into action. "American Ultra," the "fast-paced action comedy" in which Eisenberg and Stewart will star as an "unmotivated stoner"/"lethal sleeper agent" and his live-in girlfriend, has officially started filming in New Orleans, Lionsgate announced today. Also starring Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins, the Max Landis-penned film is being directed by Nima Nourizadeh ("Project X"). Here's the official plot synopsis: “'American Ultra' is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his...

Production is getting under way in New Orleans on the Lionsgate action comedy “American Ultra” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and written by Max Landis (“Chronicle”), the story revolves around a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner (Eisenberg) whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend (Stewart) is suddenly turned upside down when he discovers that he has a secret past as a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, he is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order to survive. The cast also includes Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins. A PalmStar/Likely Story/Circle of Confusion production, the film is produced by Anthony Bregman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Kevin Frakes, Raj Brinder Singh, David Alpert (“The Walking Dead”) and Britton Rizzio, with Ray Angelic as executive producer.

Production is set to begin today in New Orleans on the Lionsgate action comedy film American Ultra . Directed by Nima Nourizadeh ( Project X ) and written by Max Landis ( Chronicle ), the film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins. American Ultra is a fast-paced action comedy about Mike (Eisenberg), a seemingly hapless and unmotivated stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart), is suddenly turned upside down. Unbeknownst to him, Mike is actually a highly trained, lethal sleeper agent. In the blink of an eye, as his secret past comes back to haunt him, Mike is thrust into the middle of a deadly government operation and is forced to summon his inner action-hero in order...