News

The holiday movie season may be getting off to a slow start over the next few weeks, but that’s not due to the lack of star power or Oscar hopefuls. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

What’s a little strange about this November kick-off weekend is that there are not one, not two, but three movies from filmmakers who have directed movies that won Best Picture at the Oscars. And yet, only one of them is getting a wide theatrical release and is bound to report box office.

That movie is “Here,” based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire. It reunites “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis with two of his stars, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, as well as Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, for a unique family drama that essentially keeps the camera in place to show the events of a specific Philly location over time.

While he has perfectly proven his charms in other genres like 1993’s war-drama Schindler’s List, 1999’s family-sci-fi Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and 2003’s rom-com Love Actually as well, Liam Neeson’s performance in the action genre still dominates all. To say the least, action films are the one thing he is better known for than most.

Liam Neeson. | Credits: Retribution/Lionsgate.

Over the years, he has had, perhaps, more action dramas than all the other genre films combined in his resume. And yet, with each passing day, the 72-year-old actor isn’t getting any younger. Even Neeson isn’t denying that he’s tired and running out of gas. That said, the action legend didn’t hesitate to signal the end of an era while sharing his retirement plans from action pieces.

Liam Neeson Seems to be Eyeing His Retirement

Liam Neeson may have started his...

Liam Neeson has to be one of the busiest guys in the business. Next week sees the release of his crime drama, Absolution, in which he plays an aging mobster looking to make amends with his family before his time is up. Next summer, he’s got his remake of The Naked Gun coming out – which should (hopefully) allow him to branch out into comedy. But he’s also got a whole bunch of other action flicks set for release in 2025, including The Ice Road 2, Cold Storage, Hotel Tehran, and even more in the works. However, given that he recently turned seventy-two, Neeson is giving serious thought to slowing down, with him recently saying in an interview that he’s calling it quits pretty soon, stating, “Maybe the end of next year. I think that’s it.”

Now, it has to be said that this isn’t the first time Neeson has toyed with retirement.

Liam Neeson’s career significantly diverted when he switched to being a hardcore action star with Taken. Previously, the Ireland-born actor made a massive name in critically acclaimed historical fiction and drama films. Presently, even at 72, he is one of this era’s most well-decorated action heroes.

Liam Neeson in a still from Batman Begins | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Liam Neeson has given some memorable action flicks like The Grey, Cold Pursuit, and Wrath of the Titans. Many fans were afraid that his action career may soon come to an end due to his age. Recently, when the actor talked about this during an interview, he savagely stated that he would only quit the genre when his fight coordinator feels that he is too old to continue.

Liam Neeson on his future in action movies Liam Neeson in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List | Credits: Universal Pictures

Action heroes have...

Liam Neeson would have been around 56 years of age when the world recognized his potential as an action hero in the 2008 film Taken. Despite the years, Neeson hasn’t stopped since.

Liam Neeson in Taken | Credits: M6 Films

From blockbuster hits to serious roles, Neeson has done it all and in Taken, the world got to see an action side of the hero. Well, the actor is pushing his age now and he refuses to believe that he is done with action movies.

Even at 72 Years, Liam Neeson… Will Find You

In the Land of Saints and Sinners was the latest action film that Liam Neeson starred in and the world simply loved it. With an intriguing story, Neeson portrayed the role of a former assassin who gets drawn back into the game.

Liam Neeson in Schindler’s List | Credits: Universal Pictures

Despite pushing 72, the actor still feels that he...

"Can you just walk away?" Goldwyn Films has revealed the official trailer for a new action thriller called Absolution, arriving in US theaters this November. The film has been scheduled for a theatrical release on the 1st, another new Liam Neeson movie this year after also starring in In the Land of Saints and Sinners earlier. An aging gangster attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes from his past, but the criminal underworld won't loosen their grip willingly. This trailer sets up the story and teases tons of the shoot-outs and intense fights, about a thug who is trying to make amends with his family even though other guys keep coming after him. Liam Neeson stars, with Ron Perlman, Yolonda Ross, William Xifaras, Daniel Diemer, Josh Drennen, Frankie Shaw, Javier Molina, and Jimmy Gonzales. This is made by a talented Norwegian filmmaker named Hans Petter Moland of...

Just when Liam Neeson thought he was out, they pull him back in. Samuel Goldwyn Films has dropped the first trailer for Absolution, an action thriller starring Liam Neeson as an aging gangster who attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past. However, the criminal underworld won’t loosen its grip willingly.

Absolution has all the hallmarks of a Liam Neeson action thriller: a conflicted man pushed to his limit, icy glares, and, of course, plenty of cracked skulls and gunshots. Neeson stars in Absolution alongside Yolonda Ross, Frankie Shaw, Daniel Diemer, Javier Molina, Jimmy Gonzales, Josh Drennen, Deanna Nayr Tarraza, Terrence Pulliam, and Ron Perlman. Hans Petter Moland directed the film from a script by Tony Gayton.

Related Interview: Steven Seagal talks his latest film, favorite roles, & more!

The film is Neeson’s second collaboration with Samuel Goldwyn Films following the release of In the Land of Saints and Sinners...

Saltburn composer Anthony Willis leads the pack in the second wave of nominations for the World Soundtrack Awards (Wsa) 2024.

As well as his previously announced nomination in film composer of the year, Willis is also up for the discovery and the public choice award.

The winners will be announced on October 16 at the Wsa ceremony and concert, held during Belgium’s Film Fest Ghent.

In discovery, Willis battles it out alongside Jerskin Fendrix for Poor Things; Carlos Rafael Rivera for Ezra; Caroline Shaw for Julie Keeps Quiet; and Diego Baldenweg for In The Land Of Saints And Sinners.

Willis and...

Filming for the World War II film, Pressure, has gone underway in the U.K. Pressure comes from the production studios Working Title and StudioCanal and will depict the build-up to the historic Normandy Landings. Ripley and All of Us Strangers star Andrew Scott is set to star in the film alongside Kerry Condon, known for her work in The Banshees of Inisherin and In the Land of Saints and Sinners. Deadline now reports that Chris Messina of Sharp Objects, joins the film as U.S. meteorologist Irving P. Krick and Golden Globe and Emmy winner Damian Lewis, of Billions, has been cast as legendary British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

The official synopsis reads,

“In the seventy two hours leading up to D-Day, all the pieces are in place except for one key element – the British weather. Britain’s chief meteorological officer James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is called upon to...

The character of Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) first appeared in "Encounter at Farpoint," the pilot episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." For many episodes, he was basically a background character, usually present to deliver a line or two of techno-jargon and to beam the senior staff from the ship to a planet and back. With each appearance, though, audiences began to get more details about O'Brien's life. He used to build ships in bottles as a boy, for instance. O'Brien would marry and have a child. All told, O'Brien appeared in 52 episodes of the show, sometimes starring in his own stories. 

The character became popular enough to be carried over to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, on which he was a regular character. On "Deep Space Nine," O'Brien became even more awesome, serving as the chief engineer on the station, having to familiarize himself with dated Cardassian technology,...

Netflix’s House of Guinness has brewed its cast.

James Norton and Jack Gleeson have been named among the cast for Steven Knight-penned Guinness factory drama series.

Joining them are Niamh McCormack, Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air, Manhunt), Louis Partridge (Pistol, Enola Holmes), Emily Fairn (The Responder, Black Mirror: Demon 79), Fionn O’Shea (Normal People, Dance First), Seamus O’Hara (Blue Lights, An Irish Goodbye), Dervla Kirwan (True Detective: Night Country, Smother), Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones, The Long Shadow), Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone, Obituary), David Wilmot (Station Eleven, Bodkin) and Hilda Fay (The Woman in the Wall, Spilt Milk).

The series, from Banijay UK’s Kudos, is billed as an epic story inspired by The Guinness family, a European dynasty made famous by the drink they brew.

Tom Glynn-Carney plays King Aegon II Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon, and his epic portrayal of the famed villain has earned the character so much contempt from the viewers. Despite the hate train on Aegon, the actor admits to never having any negative encounters with fans.

Tom Glynn-Carney in House of the Dragon / HBO

This wasn’t the case with Joffrey actor Jack Gleeson from Game of Thrones. He played the wicked young king for three years, and within that span of time, he received so much hate that it led to speculation for his early retirement from acting.

Tom Glynn-Carney Gets Spared From The Hate Despite Playing Aegon

During an interview with Vestal Magazine, actor Tom Glynn-Carney talked about his experience playing King Aegon in House of the Dragon. He was aware of the consequences his portrayal might gain him, but he was glad none of those negative expectations happened.

Liam Neeson’s career took a turn by the beginning of 2009 after his one film propelled him to the status of an action star. From 2008-2014, Neeson starred in three films in the Taken franchise, where he plays former CIA operative Bryan Mills. However, Neeson has one major regret in the film which made fans fall in love with the film in the first place.

Liam Neeson in a still from Taken | NBC

During the filming of Taken, Neeson’s driver pointed out the amount of killing he does in the film. Neeson was embarrassed by the driver’s question even though all his kills in the film were bad guys.

Liam Neeson Was Embarrassed By The Amount Of Kills In Taken Liam Neeson in a still from Taken | NBC

Liam Neeson‘s Bryan Mills inflicted some serious damage on the bad guys in the Taken franchise. In the first film,...

And just like that, 2024 is already half over. Crazy, isn’t it? It feels like Christmas was just a minute ago, but here we are in the middle of summertime. Before we know it, the fall festivals will open up, the awards race will begin, and people will start debating the year’s best movies.

But here’s the thing – whenever people start talking about the best movies of the year, they always neglect all of the films that came out in the first half of the year. Studios know this, which is why high-profile, prestigious movies always bow in the fourth quarter of the year. So, to give these movies a bit of a spotlight, we here at JoBlo have decided to list the 10 best movies of 2024…so far (in no particular order).

Dune: Part 2:

Denis Villeneuve’s epic conclusion to his two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s...

Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” is a certified hit for Netflix, and a rare one: It’s an original film that’s critically acclaimed as well as a popular success.

Meanwhile on PVOD, Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” dominated “Godzilla Minus One” (Toho) not only in theaters (more than three times the gross) but also in home interest.

“Civil War” (A24) is #1 again at iTunes in its fourth week of availability (#2 at Fandango), a remarkably strong showing for a film with a strong but sub-$70 million domestic box office take.

“Hit Man” has led Netflix’s most-watched movie list for 10 days, the first film to do so since 2023 Netflix production “Leave the World Behind” starring Julia Roberts; it held the spot for 13 days last December. We await word on actual viewing minutes, which it recently touted for “Atlas” with Jennifer Lopez. Already, “Hit Man” has more days...

For the first time ever, a film streaming on Netflix (free for subscribers) and available on VOD ($5.99 for 48 hours) is #1 on both charts.

Toho’s late-2023 sleeper success and eventual Oscar Visual Effects winner, “Godzilla Minus One” achieved that feat with a totally unexpected and previously unannounced release on Saturday.

The film, released in early December to an unexpected U.S./Canada gross of $56 million, normally would have hit PVOD for rental for $19.99 by late January, been reduced to $5.99 after a few weeks, then found a streaming home. But because of vaguely defined agreements with Legendary Entertainment, Toho’s partner in making Warner Bros.’ costlier Godzilla films, the March opening of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” led to the early-February termination of theatrical dates for “Minus One.” That came despite the Toho film still doing business (and ahead of the Oscars). Then, Warner’s “Godzilla x Kong” could play without “Minus One” as competition.

Fang Flanagan. That’s who Liam Neeson is going to be playing in his next action role, in the film Mongoose. More here.

Another deal from Cannes Film Festival has been announced and it looks like Liam Neeson is signing up for some cross country vehicular mayhem.

The Taken (pictured) star once expressed some concern that his upcoming comedic turn in The Naked Gun remake (currently in production) could signal the end of his career and as unlikely as that might seem, should it prove to be the case, there’s no need to worry because Liam Neeson will at the very least get to make Mongoose.

But what is Mongoose? Glad you asked. Mongoose is a cross country car chase movie, starring the undisputed king of the action thriller. This time, Liam Neeson stars as the wonderfully-named ‘Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero who, accused of a crime he...

Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Clara Rugaard and Til Schweiger lead the international cast of “Desperate Journey,” a newly-announced thriller set in the burlesque world of 1940s Paris.

The film — which has now wrapped production — comes from Emblem Pictures, and was written by two-time Oscar nominee Michael Radford (best known for directing 1994 global sensation “Il Postino”) and directed by Emmy winner Annabel Jankel (“Tell It to the Bees”).

Produced by Warren Derosa and Zsófia Kende, “Desperate Journey” is based on the true story of Freddie Knoller (played by Tønnesen), a young man forced to flee Vienna as Nazi hysteria takes hold. Knoller’s captivating story has been widely recognized around the world and he was honored by the late Queen Elizabeth.

Rounding out the supporting cast of the film are Sienna Guillory (“Meg 2: The Trench,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog”), Steven Berkoff, Fernando Guallar (“Love Divided”), Hugo Speer (“The Full Monty...

Star Wars The Phantom Menace: Where Are They Now in 2024 on Film's 25th Anniversary? - Main Image

What happened to the cast of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace since 1999? Where are they now? In celebration of Star Wars: Phantom Menace's 25th anniversary, fans will get to rewatch the entire Skywalker Saga in theaters this May.

Where Are the Original Cast of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 2024?

As fans reminisce about the first chapter of the Skywalker saga, here's where the cast is, as of 2024!

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn

Initially starring as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in 1999's Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Liam Neeson later became involved in several projects in the franchise.

Moving past being best known for his action flicks like Taken, Neeson lent his voice in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker and Tales of the Jedi to reprise his role.

Home viewing charts inspire deja vu: “Anyone but You,” a hit as a PVOD release, just debuted at Netflix. It knocked out Netflix’s expensive “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” from first place after two weeks, falling to #6.

Similarly, “Dune: Part Two” returned for its second week as #1 at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (which calculates by revenue).

The “Dune” sequel fended off challenges by two recent theatrical releases. Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” (Universal), once intended as a Netflix original, is #2 at iTunes, third at Fandango. The family-oriented “Arthur the King” (Lionsgate) took second at Fandango, but only #6 at iTunes. Both initially are available to rent for 48 hours for $19.99.

Two new home-play debuts also made top 10 lists. “Cash Out” (Saban) is #9 at iTunes, renting at $6.99; starring John Travolta, the critically reviled title may be getting as much attention for its little-known director Ives. That’s...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a smash, folks. First off, Alex Godfrey talks to ace actor Mike Faist, star of Luca Guadagnino's new tennis movie, Challengers [23:12 - 37:33 approx.], and then Chris Hewitt has a Zoom session (apologies if the sound is slightly distorted — tech issues) with Kerry Condon, Oscar-nominated star of The Banshees Of Inisherin, voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the MCU, and star of this week's Liam Neeson thriller, In The Lands Of Saints And Sinners. [57:25 - 1:15:29 approx.] Either side of those, Chris hosts in the podbooth and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for a spell, Sophie Butcher, to discuss the week's movie news, including the latest Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, review Challengers, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners, Boy Kills World, and Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver, and tackle a listener question that has stuck around from last week, and mutated somehow into a...

Having won a BAFTA (and landed an Oscar nomination) for her role as Colin Farrell’s kind-hearted but cynical — and distinctly less donkey-friendly — sister in Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Kerry Condon is back in her native Ireland for her next film role.

Set in the height of the Troubles in the mid-1970s, Robert Lorenz’s Irish Western “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” which launches on Netflix Friday, sees the actress ditch all niceties to play a hard-nosed, mean-as-hell, extremely potty-mouthed and very violent Ira gang leader trying to lie low in rural Donegal following a deadly pub bombing. But it’s not long before she’s up against Liam Neeson, whose demeanor as a quiet widow and secondhand book dealer masks a secret identity as a local hitman for Colm Meaney’s village mobster. Like any good Western, the two eventually face...

With two major sci-fi sequels debuting this week to lead the VOD and Netflix charts, the new films also inspired victory laps for the Part Ones of “Dune” and “Rebel Moon.”

“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) leads at both iTunes and Fandango, and Netflix’s original “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” is #1 at the streamer. iTunes packaged the 2021 “Dune: Part One” with its sequel as a $34.99 purchase, and it ranks second there. (“Dune: Part Two” alone rents for 48 hours for $24.99.) “Rebel Moon — Part One” returned at #7 on Netflix’s top 10.

Three other recent theatrical releases also transitioned to home viewing, with curiously different pricing and availability strategies. The top grosser is Neon’s “Immaculate” (approaching $16 million), but it rents for the lowest price: $9.99. “Late Night with the Devil” (IFC) is $14.99, but for that price consumers own it. “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” (Goldwyn) with Liam Neeson is a standard $19.99 rental.

The action thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners was recently given a limited theatrical release in the United States, and JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to talk to one of the film’s stars: Jack Gleeson, who may be best known for playing the role of Joffrey Baratheon on 27 episodes of Game of Thrones. You can watch Bumbray’s interview with Gleeson in the video embedded above, and you can read his 8/10 review of In the Land of Saints and Sinners at This Link.

Reuniting Liam Neeson with his The Marksman director Robert Lorenz, In the Land of Saints and Sinners was written by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane (with revisions by Matthew Feitshans). It tells the following story: Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the...

Liam Neeson stars in In the Land of Saints and Sinners, a film directed by Robert Lorenz.

In the golden age of cinema, spanning the 1950s and 60s, a star actor’s presence was so dominant that their character, the one they consistently played, heavily influenced the movie. It used to be a movie tailored for James Stewart or Cary Grant, with minimal variations of their “hero” or “villain” roles.

The same case applies to Liam Neeson, who has embraced this traditional role, heavily influencing nearly every movie he stars in or as we suspect, the films seem to be specifically designed for him. Decades ago, someone decided that this man, Liam Neeson, embodied goodness, whether portraying the character of Oskar Schindler or, in this case, a killer with a heart.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners Plot:

Finbar Murphy is a killer living in an Irish village in...

Jack Gleeson and Liam Neeson in In The Land Of Saints And Sinners

In US cinemas now and coming to Netflix on 26 April, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners, directed by Robert Lorenz, marks a real return to form for Liam Neeson, who gets a chance to remind viewers what he can do as an actor after playing a string of underwritten characters in Hollywood actioners. He plays a retired hitman who falls in with a young up-and-coming assassin played by Jack Gleeson, who will be most familiar to viewers as Joffrey Baratheon from Game Of Thrones. Having arranged to meet up with Jack for an interview, I begin by thanking him, as I really enjoyed the film and might have missed it otherwise.

“I guess this is a nice meeting ground between the style of film Liam Neeson's been known for recently, a big action film, but then it also has a heart,...

IFC Films’ Late Night With The Devil topped the specialty market in its second week, as a Tollywood and a Bollywood film both made the top ten in a rare occurrence. Strong horror and Indian fare have helped buoy the box office since Covid. They continue to fill in the top ten, including this week, which boasts a monstrous hit in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire — but is a neighborhood with fewer overall wide release due to Hollywood strikes.

Scary first: Late Night With The Devil by Australian duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes stars David Dastmalchian, perfection as a late 1970s talk show host whose quest for ratings on a Halloween night broadcast goes nowhere good, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms. It grossed $2.2 million on 1,442 screens in week two, for a cume of $6.2 million. The film is in the top ten again, at no. 7.

A pleased...

Liam Neeson crime thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners opens on 896 screens this weekend, joined by Sean Penn in Asphalt City — the Godzilla vs. Kong of the specialty market?

Neeson reunites with The Marksman director Robert Lorenz as a newly retired assassin in a remote Irish village who finds himself drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists. Ciarán Hinds, Kerry Condon, Colm Meaney and Jack Gleeson also star in Land of Saints and Sinners, which premiered at Venice, and was shot in County Donegal, Ireland. Screenplay by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane. Samuel Goldwyn Films’ widest release post-pandemic sits at 80% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Penn stars with Tye Sheridan in Asphalt City, Vertical’s co-release with Roadside Attractions that opens on 297 screens, also with a national footprint. Young paramedic Ollie Cross (Sheridan) is paired with seasoned partner Gene...

At some point during the first act of Robert Lorenz’s handsome but egregiously hackneyed “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” which is maybe the 900th Liam Neeson movie about a weary hitman/rancher/fixer/truck driver/ex-cop/very tall person who decides to take matters into his own hands when some bad guys step over the line, the prolific Irish actor turns to one of his scene partners and sighs: “There’s more to me than this, and I’d like folks to see it.”

Needless to say, the first part of that sentence is much easier to believe than the second.

Cast here as a regretful assassin who tries to change his ways at the height of the Troubles (only to get mixed up with a trio of Ira terrorists who take cover in his quaint coastal village after a car bomb goes wrong), Neeson again reaffirms...

Plot: In 1974, an aging hitman (Liam Neeson) tries to leave his violent past behind and reinvent himself in a small, isolated town in Ireland. However, his good nature leads to him making a fateful decision that puts him in the crosshairs of an insane Ira assassin (Kerry Condon) and her cronies.

Review: I know what you’re thinking – another Liam Neeson action flick. Ho-hum. Normally, I’d be right there with you. While no one can deny he’s become the 21st century’s version of Charles Bronson, with him churning out a steady diet of B-level action flicks, not all of them are disposable in the way something like Blacklight, Honest Thief, Retribution and too many others are. Once in a while, he works with a really interesting director, such as on the beautifully photographed Marlowe by Neil Jordan. One of his better recent action flicks was definitely The Marksman,...

“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” is a new action feature, directed by Robert Lorenz, starring Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Colm Meaney, Ciaran Hinds, Jack Gleeson, Desmond Eastwood and Sarah Greene, opening March 29, 2024 in theaters:

“…hoping to leave his dark past behind him, a degenerate but now ‘reformed’ hired killer ‘Finbar Murphy’, leads a quiet life in a coastal Irish town, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country.

“But when terrorists show up, Finbar soon discovers that one of them has been abusing a local girl.

‘Drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, he must choose between exposing his secret identity and defending his friends and neighbors…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

It’s only been six months since the release of Liam Neeson’s last film, which means theaters are overdue for another thriller led by the prolific star. His latest vehicle, “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” arrives with an unusual distinction: Directed by Robert Lorenz, the film premiered in Venice a month before another Neeson movie, the maligned bomb-threat thriller “Retribution,” hit U.S. screens. Being selected by such a festival lends ”Saints and Sinners” a whiff of prestige, which it decidedly earns. In fact, the film practically resembles a “one for me” endeavor for the star, with its windswept Irish landscapes and thoughtful reserve, putting the actor among an ensemble of his fellow countrymen and providing the performances room to find poignancy.

The story opens with its most suspenseful action: a bombing by an Ira platoon in Belfast that accidentally kills a group of young children, setting...

Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson in In The Land Of Saints And Sinners Image: Samuel Goldwyn Films It’s clear early on in In The Land Of Saints And Sinners that director Robert Lorenz was inspired by his frequent collaborator Clint Eastwood. Lorenz was Eastwood’s producer and second-unit director for many years,...

Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson in In The Land Of Saints And SinnersImage: Samuel Goldwyn Films

It’s clear early on in In The Land Of Saints And Sinners that director Robert Lorenz was inspired by his frequent collaborator Clint Eastwood. Lorenz was Eastwood’s producer and second-unit director for many years,...

Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills, which apparently does not include embodying the Easter Bunny. In a skit on The Late Show, the actor auditioned to play the furry holiday rabbit, bringing an undeniable intensity to the popular verse, “Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity hoppity, Easter’s on its way.”

When asked to keep it light, with the producer reminding Neeson the character is for children, Neeson explained, “Do you understand what’s happening here? He’s hopping down the bunny trail,...

Easter weekend should help end March as one of the best months of the year so far, thanks to yet another major franchise sequel, this time “Godzilla.” Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

As March comes to an end, considerably better than earlier months this year, Warner Bros. are releasing the third sequel of the month that follows up a pandemic release, as “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” brings back the giant monsters that Legendary Pictures has been shepherding along since the 2014 “Godzilla” opened with $93 million, grossed $200.7 million domestic and $529 million globally. In 2017, “Kong: Skull Island” opened with $61 million, leading into 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which opened with considerably less, $47.8 million, and only made $383 million worldwide.

Those three movies led to 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which was stymied by the pandemic when it was released in late March 2021, just as movie theaters were reopening...

Liam Neeson was 56 when his career took an unexpected detour into the action hero genre thanks to 2008’s Taken, a Pierre Morel-directed surprise blockbuster that raked in more than $226 million worldwide and kick-started a franchise. He’s kept up a respectable pace ever since, churning out high-octane thrillers one after the next — and he’s not ready to hang up his holster.

“Audiences are innately intelligent and they’ll know when you’re past your prime in regards to throwing punches and firing guns, but I’m not there yet,” explained Neeson over Zoom last week while discussing his newest film, In the Land of Saints and Sinners. The Samuel Goldwyn Films release casts Neeson, who will be 72 in June, as Finbar Murphy, a man leading a relatively quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, Ireland, in the 1970s. While he’s eager to leave a dark past behind,...

“Hopefully my other cast members will be funny and sexy,” says Liam Neeson, expressing how nervous he is about starring in The Naked Gun remake.

You’d think that after conquering the world of action cinema, everything else would seem like a doddle, but for Liam Neeson, that isn’t the case. Following 2008’s Taken, the world became thoroughly convinced of Liam Neeson’s ‘hard man’ bona fides.

With long-standing success in that genre now secured, could Neeson be plotting a similar career trajectory to the one Tom Cruise is said to be charting? That means making a few smart choices to gradually move away from action by working with auteur directors in a carefully-staged bid to remind the world of his dramatic chops as an actor.

The answer, of course, is no. Instead, Neeson is heading to the world of absurdist comedy in a remake of 1988’s The Naked Gun.

Leslie Nielsen famously flipped his career 180 degrees when he started working with the Zuckers — David and Jerry — on the 1980 comedy Airplane! Nielsen was a seasoned dramatic actor who took his serious demeanor and used it to deliver the silliest of lines in a dry manner, resulting in some of the greatest comedy performances. Nielsen was able to become a leading man late in his career in The Naked Gun series, which would then spin him off into more leading roles in similar comedies, which would not necessarily be made by the Zuckers.

Enter Liam Neeson. The thespian has already reinvented himself when the former dramatic actor starred in 2008’s Taken, which showed that he could use his tall stature in the action genre. Neeson’s acting route would eventually land him in some comedy roles, including a self-parody guest spot on Life’s Too Short and working with Seth MacFarlane on...

“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” is a new action feature, directed by Robert Lorenz, starring Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Colm Meaney, Ciaran Hinds, Jack Gleeson, Desmond Eastwood and Sarah Greene, opening Mtach 29, 2024 in theaters:

“…hoping to leave his dark past behind him, a degenerate but now ‘reformed’ hired killer ‘Finbar Murphy’, leads a quiet life in a coastal Irish town, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country.

“But when terrorists show up, Finbar soon discovers that one of them has been abusing a local girl.

‘Drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, he must choose between exposing his secret identity and defending his friends and neighbors…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Liam Neeson returns to his native Ireland with an ensemble cast of notable Irish actors in the “Irish-Western,” In the Land of Saints and Sinners. The film comes from director Robert Lorenz. Along with Neeson, the crime thriller also stars Colm Meaney, Oscar® nominee Ciaran Hinds, Oscar® nominee Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones), Desmond Eastwood (Normal People) and Sarah Greene (Bad Sisters).

The official synopsis from Samuel-Goldwyn films reads,

“Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country. But when a menacing crew of terrorists arrive, led by a ruthless woman named Doirean (Kerry Condon), Finbar is drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, forcing him to choose between exposing his secret identity or defending his friends and neighbors.

"A saint's gotta be a sinner first, don't he?" Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed a new official trailer for the hitman action thriller called In the Land of Saints and Sinners, made by producer / director Robert Lorenz. This originally premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year in the Orizzonti Extra section (watch the first trailer). In the land of saints and sinners, some sins can't be buried. Liam Neeson stars as Finbar, eager to leave his dark past behind. Set in Ireland in the 1970s, ready to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country. But when a menacing crew of terrorists arrive, led by a ruthless woman named Doirean, Finbar is drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, forcing him to choose between...

Exclusive: Three-time Best Picture nominated producer Robert Lorenz (American Sniper) is set to direct airplane thriller Papa Alpha 333 for Meridian’s Eric Paquette, producer Aaron Barnett and Brian O’Shea’s The Exchange.

The movie will follow the story of a female airline pilot who wrests control of a 747 from a male captain caught in a severe thunderstorm, leaving the plane incommunicado. Her efforts to save 300 passengers are further complicated by suspicions of terrorism and a potential collision course with Chicago’s tallest skyscraper.

Currently casting, the partners are targeting a Q3, 2024, start date. The original screenplay is by Michael Walker, whose books include Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story Of Rock And Roll’s Legendary Neighborhood.

Lorenz most recently directed Venice Film Festival title In The Land Of Saints And Sinners and The Marksman, both of which starred Liam Neeson. He has previously been a producer on movies including Mystic River,...

Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Helen Hunt are attached to star in Peter Greenaway’s drama “Lucca Mortis,” which has started filming in the Tuscan city of Lucca.

The new film by the 81-year-old iconoclastic British filmmaker and artist — known for arthouse hits such as “The Draughtsman’s Contract,” “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” and “The Pillow Book” — is the tale of a New York writer (Hoffman), who in in 2001, following the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, takes a sabbatical to visit Lucca in search of his distant Italian origins. “Lucca Mortis” creates a sort of parallelism between the Twin Towers and the towers of Lucca, according to the Tuscany Film Commission website. Other details, including Hunt’s role, are being kept under wraps.

Tuscany Film Commission head Stefania Ippoliti said cameras started rolling earlier this month in Lucca, which is known for its medieval walls and towers,...

Exclusive: The filmmakers behind Israel’s 2024 International Feature Oscar submission are now working on a movie about an all-female Israeli Defence Force (Idf) tank unit which defended against the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.

Ayelet Menahemi, whose feature Seven Blessings won this year’s Ophir Prize in Israel, is slated to direct the film and will be teaming up again with writer-actress Eleanor Sela who is writing the script and also wrote and starred Seven Blessings.

The film is inspired by the true events regarding the first-of-its-kind all-female tank unit who engaged in fierce battles against Hamas attackers on the day of the October 7 massacres. The battle was the first instance in history of an all-female armored unit taking part in combat.

In addition to the battle, the filmmakers tell us the film will also explore the founding of the unit and the struggles the young women combatants faced in...

Laird Akeo, Dafne Rotolo, Christoph Pieczynski star.

Bleiberg Entertainment has acquired international sales on identity theft thriller Persona and begun talks here at AFM.

Written and directed by Wade Jackson, the feature follows a young man who is lured into adopting multiple false identities by a mysterious woman.

Drawn into her web of lies and crime, he must unravel the truth behind a murderous plot and avoid becoming a victim himself.

Laird Akeo (Paradise City), Dafne Rotolo (The Tomorrow Job), and Christoph Pieczynski (Krew Boga) star in Persona, which is produced by Jason de Vyea for Run Creative, Alexandra Caldwell,...

United King Films has started shooting Yohanan Weller’s comedy My Private Telenovela as cinemas tentatively reopen.

Film production has tentatively resumed in Israel starting with Yohanan Weller’s feature comedy My Private Telenovela (working title) as select cinemas begin to open their doors following the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 and escalating war in the region.

The film is the first feature to begin production again in the country, delayed from an initial start date of October 8.

My Private Telenovela is produced by Moshe and Leon Edery’s United King Films and will be released by the company’s distribution arm in Israel.

Todd Haynes will be honored with the Zurich Film Festival’s A Tribute To… Award at its upcoming 19th edition.

The Swiss festival announced the honor as it unveiled its full line-up on Thursday.

The U.S. director will be presented with the honorary prize ahead of a screening of new film May December on October 3.

“It’s a real honour to celebrate this master of American cinema. Todd Haynes is renowned for his elegant mise-en-scène and his ability to get the best from his actors and actresses,” said Zff Artistic Director Christian Jungen.

“We also have a long-standing working relationship with Todd. The outstanding drama May December featuring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman is the third film he has presented with us in the last ten years.”

Previous recipients of the award include Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Oliver Stone, Maïwenn and Luca Guadagnino.

The paddywhackery’s as thick as the Oirish brogues and flavorful caricatures in Robert Lorenz’s In the Land of Saints & Sinners, a deadly serious thriller about violence and redemption in which a local lush pauses to grab his pint as gunfire tears up the village pub. Not since the merry blarney of Wild Mountain Thyme has a movie leaned so hard into Emerald Isle stereotypes, which makes it remarkable that Liam Neeson as a pipe-smoking, Dostoevsky-reading assassin manages to play it straight. Kerry Condon as an Ira spitfire with a fondness for the C-word adds some interest, but this is overwritten, overripe and likely destined to be streaming fodder.

While the film is set in 1974 when The Troubles were still raging, that bitter political conflict is merely background wallpaper for a formulaic faux-Western in the predictable script written by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane, which loads up...

Can Finbar Murphy escape his past? “In The Land of Saints and Sinners” presents a mysterious man with a dark past who faces a crisis between doing what’s right and facing his own mistakes. Liam Neeson stars as Murphy, a man searching for solace and redemption; it’s yet another film that sees the actor carefully balance his dramatic roots with his recent success in high-profile action hits.

Read More: Fall 2023 TV Preview: Over 35+ Most Anticipated Shows To Watch

The project is Neeson’s second collaboration with director Robert Lorenz — the actor and director who previously teamed up on 2019’s “The Marksman.” Neeson is joined by Kerry Condon, who portrays terrorist leader Doireann.

Continue reading ‘In The Land Of Saints & Sinners’ Trailer: Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon & More Star In A New Irish Crime Drama Debuting In Venice at The Playlist.