News

UK filmmakers and talent have a strong showing at Sundance 2025, taking place from January 23 to February 2, 2025 in Park City.

Brides, the feature debut of theatre director and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall,premieres in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.The film, which is written by Suhayla El-Bushra,follows two troubled teenage girls who decide to run away to Syria, is produced by Neon’s Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi from Italian outfit Rosamont.

It was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund,...

Nick Frost writes and stars in the horror comedy Get Away. Here’s the trailer for the film once known as Svalta.

Nick Frost both writes and stars in the folk horror comedy Get Away – a movie originally going by the name Svalta. The synopsis reads as follows:

Looking forward to a vacation on the small Swedish island of Svälta, the Smith family is unsettled by the unfriendly mainlanders who advise them to avoid the island at all costs, especially during the Karantan festival. But the 4-member family is in deep need of some time away & stubbornly decides to take the ferry anyway. On the island, the locals are rather rude & unwelcoming, and their behavior suggests that some big event is about to happen. Is it a cult? Is there a sacrifice in the works? Seemingly unbothered by so much discourtesy and drama, the family enjoys a swim in the sea,...

Nick Frost is no stranger to horror comedies, having starred in such modern classics as Shaun of the Dead and Attack the Block. This year, the actor has already starred in Krazy House (review), and now he is reuniting with that film’s director Steffen Haars in Get Away, a frequently amusing folk horror comedy that relishes in bloodshed almost as much as it does cringe comedy.

The Smith Family, comprised of patriarch Richard (Nick Frost), matriarch Susan (Aisling Bea), sister Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and brother Sam (Heartstopper‘s Sebastian Croft), is spending their holiday on Svälta, a fictional Swedish island with a dark past tied to Susan’s ancestor. Despite warnings not to from quite literally everyone they cross paths with along the way, the Smiths arrive on the island and are greeted with immediate hostility from the mainlanders, especially from the skeptical town elder (Anitta Suikkari), who is...

Following her recent Oscar-nominated role in Bradley Cooper’s dramatic biopic “Maestro,” actress Carey Mulligan is switching it up and returning to the world of comedy. Variety reports that Universal’s Focus Features has acquired the new Mulligan film “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” formerly known as “One For The Money.”

The pic hails from the director James Griffiths (“Cuban Fury”) and is produced by veteran British comedian Steve Coogan via Baby Cow Productions with a supporting cast that includes Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) and Akemnji Ndifornyen (“Famalam”).

Continue reading Carey Mulligan Lottery Comedy ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Lands At Focus Features at The Playlist.

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Carey Mulligan comedy “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” Variety can confirm exclusively.

They will release the film in the U.S. while Universal Pictures International is handling global distribution.

The film, which was previously titled “One For The Money,” is directed by James Griffiths (“Cuban Fury”) and produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow productions (“Philomena”).

The screenplay was written by Tom Basden (“After Life”) and Tim Key (“Great Expectations”), who also star in the film alongside Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) and Akemnji Ndifornyen (“Famalam”).

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” tells the story of Charles (played by Key), an eccentric lottery winner who tries to reunite his favorite musical duo Mortimer-McGwyer (Mulligan and Basden) despite the fact they split up many years ago. Making things even more awkward, the musicians – Nell Mortimer and Herb McGwyer — were also once romantically involved with each other a la Sonny and Cher.

Exec will report into Spt’s president of international productions Wayne Garvie.

Sony Pictures Television (Spt) has appointed Big Talk managing director Matthew Justice to the newly created role of EVP, head of UK & Europe.

Justice, who announced earlier this week that he was stepping down from The Outlaws producer Big Talk after 16 years, will report into Wayne Garvie, Spt’s president of international productions.

Justice will manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, and work closely with Spt production labels and joint ventures. These include: Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials), Eleven Films (Sex Education), Left Bank Pictures...

In what is likely to be considered a major poach, Sony Pictures Television has hired Mathew Justice — a seasoned U.K. industry vet and currently managing director of the ITV Studios-owned Big Talk — for the newly created role of executive vp, head of U.K. and Europe.

Reporting to Spt president of international productions Wayne Garvie, Justice will directly manage the company’s International Studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which include Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry), Eleven Films (Sex Education) and Left Bank Pictures (The Crown). He joins later this year.

“Joining Wayne and the team at Spt is an opportunity that dreams are made of,” said Justice. “The Spt labels are outstanding, so it is a rare honor to get to work with them and the people behind them.

Sony Pictures Television has appointed Matthew Justice as executive VP and head of U.K. and Europe.

In the newly created role, he will report into Wayne Garvie, president of International Productions. Justice will directly manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly-owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which includes Bad Wolf, Eleven Films and Left Bank Pictures.

Justice most recently served as managing director at ITV Studios-backed Big Talk. He will start at Spt later this year.

Garvie said: “Matthew is a highly respected figure in the U.K. television and film industry — together he and Kenton Allen have built Big Talk into a significant international player. A smart operator, a strategic thinker and, just as importantly, a very good person, Matthew brings just what we need to build our UK and...

Exclusive: Ben Radcliffe (Pandora) is set for a recurring role opposite Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery in Anatomy of a Scandal, Netflix’s six-part anthology series based on Sarah Vaughan’s bestselling novel, from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley, former House of Cards showrunner Melissa James Gibson, Liza Chasin’s 3dot Productions and Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories.

Anatomy of a Scandal tells the story of a scandal among the British privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.

Radcliffe will play Young James (Older James is played by Rupert Friend).

Kelley and Gibson will write, showrun and executive produce with S.J. Clarkson, who also directs, along with Chasin for 3dot and Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Allie Goss for Made Up Stories. Vaughan and Margaret Chernin are co-executive producers.

Radcliffe just wrapped a leading regular role on the CW’s Pandora. He recently filmed Nightflyers,...

Iain Canning and Emile Sherman’s See-Saw Films has appointed Nicky Earnshaw as Head of Production for the UK film and TV divisions. The exec is moving to the Lion and King’s Speech producer from Film4 where she has been acting Head of Production. At See-Saw, she is replacing Amy Jackson who is moving into independent producing and will continue to collaborate with the company on various projects.

Earnshaw, who at Film4 oversaw physical production on such titles as Disobedience, Beast and I Am Not A Witch, will be responsible for the production and day-to-day operations of See-Saw’s expanding film and TV slate developed and produced out of the UK office. In addition, she will oversee productions greenlit through the recently announced first look deal with New Regency, as part of See-Saw’s increasing presence in the U.S.

She will report to Co-Managing Directors Canning and...

See-Saw Films has hired veteran executive Nicky Earnshaw as head of production for its U.K. film and television divisions, effective July 9.

Earnshaw will be responsible for the production and day-to-day operations of See-Saw’s film and TV slate developed and produced out of the U.K. office. In addition, she will oversee productions greenlit through the recently announced first-look deal with New Regency, as part of See-Saw’s increasing presence in the U.S.

Managing directors Iain Canning and Emile Sherman said: “Nicky is undeniably one of the most experienced and respected production executives in the business, with extensive industry knowledge particularly in the U.K. and excellent relationships with globally renowned filmmakers and talent. We are excited to have her join our team and have no doubt she will be an extraordinary asset to our growing film and television business.”

Earnshaw takes over the role from Amy Jackson,...

Why so glum, chum? Movies are fun and they need watching.

In the immortal words of Shane Black via Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight, “Life is pain. Get used to it.” These days life has been really painful though, and it’s not so easy to get used to it. Thankfully movies are always here to pick us up when we need it, or bring us down if we’re looking to wallow. This month we’ve made a list of movies that will leave you smiling and feeling good about humanity after you watch them — at least for a little while. Click on their titles to be taken to their Netflix pages.

Pick of the Month: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

It’s possible that Big Trouble in Little China might be the stupidest movie ever made. It’s about a fast-talking, rock-stupid, man-child truck driver battling Asian mystics over the fate of his...

MaryAnn’s quick take…

Relentlessly dull. A tour of a strange world and “characters” little more than their “peculiar” abilities isn’t enough to whip up fantastical excitement. I’m “biast” (pro): I was a peculiar child, and I remain a peculiar adult; love the cast

I’m “biast” (con): mostly disappointed by Tim Burton lately

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

So it’s Harry Potter Lite. Very lite. No, wait: It’s X-Men Babies. In the land of Groundhog Day, or maybe in a Doctor Who-ish timey-wimey chronic hysteresis. Where they’re haunted by Slenderman. Later, there is a Bill & Ted reference. Remember the days when Tim Burton made movies that took your breath away with their originality? Where has that Tim Burton gone?

Okay, so lots of things are derivative. That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker.

Exclusive: Pinewood’s former head of production appointed production finance executive.

Film4 has hired former Pinewood Pictures head of production Nicky Earnshaw as production finance executive.

Earnshaw, head of production at Pinewood for three and a half years, joined the broadcaster last week.

In her new role she will supervise physical production on a number of projects, reporting to Film4’s head of production Tracey Josephs.

Three Film4 backed projects commence production in the Us in the next month: Andrew Haigh’s Lean On Pete, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, and Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing Of A Sacred Deer.

At Pinewood Pictures, Earnshaw oversaw production on films including Lone Scherfig’s forthcoming Their Finest, Spooks: The Greater Good and Belle.

Prior to joining Pinewood, she freelanced for 13 years in various production roles including production manager and line producer, on films including Cuban Fury, Berberian Sound Studio and Johnny English Reborn.

J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot has been developing a small-budget thriller called God Particle over the past few years, and casting has been ramping up in recent months. David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Daniel Bruhl are already on board to star, and now THR brings word that Bridesmaids star Chris O'Dowd has also joined the cast. John Krasinski was in talks at one point, but O'Dowd has taken over that role.

Here's what we know about the plot so far: it follows a crew of astronauts aboard an American space station who find that the Earth has vanished after an accident involving a particle accelerator. But they find traces of another space station nearby, and that's when things really get weird. Fanboy rumors peg this as the next movie in the "Cloververse," joining Cloverfield and this year's 10 Cloverfield Lane, but that's still just speculation at this point.

In any case,...

Pretty much strictly for fans of Ben Foster and Chris O’Dowd, who are both superb here. Probably not for fans of Lance Armstrong (if he still has any left). I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

If you’ve seen the far superior documentary on the same subject, The Armstrong Lie, you can probably safely skip The Program, unless you’re a huge fan of either Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) — who here nails cyclist Lance Armstrong’s now notoriously well-known sociopathic narcissism — or Chris O’Dowd (Cuban Fury), as David Walsh, the sports journalist for the Times of London who doggedly investigated the athlete, whom he (correctly, as it turned out) suspected of doping, over the course of Armstrong’s unprecedented seven-year winning streak at the Tour de France,...

Get someone kinda famous off the telly and a Hollywood A-lister, mix them together and hope for the best, but now it’s with added grit

This week’s home-video release of British romcom Man Up begins with two trailers: one for last year’s widely derided Nick Frost salsa showcase Cuban Fury and another for 2013’s similarly panned I Give It A Year. Like Man Up, both films see plucky British everymen romancing Hollywood A-listers in the service of a new kind of homegrown romantic comedy – one that rejects the foppish fantasy of yesteryear Richard Curtis offerings in favour of a coarser brand of Britishness, brimming with observational comedy and semi-famous telly actors.

This shift makes a certain amount of sense (lord knows there’s no place in 2015 for a leading man whose main source of strife is the lack of storage space in his open-plan Chelsea loft), but...

Having starred in the western series Deadwood, Ian McShane is no stranger to stirring up trouble on HBO. And now he’ll return to the cable network, this time for their insanely popular fantasy series Game of Thrones. The actor who taught Nick Frost how to dance in Cuban Fury, fought Andy Samberg in Hot Rod […]

The post Ian McShane Joining ‘Game of Thrones’ Season Six appeared first on /Film.

No one has done a musical like this before, keeping an uneasy beat to craft a dark replica of scared community spirit in the wake of a shocking crime. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

When I hear that something deadly serious has been turned into a stage musical, the first thing that springs to mind is Elephant! the all-singing, all-dancing Broadway show based on the life of “Elephant Man” Joseph Merrick, within the comedy film The Tall Guy. Or, of course, Springtime for Hitler.

So when I heard that London Road, a film adaptation of a National Theatre musical production, is about a 2006 serial-murder case, my first reaction was: Hell no. The potential for getting this wrong is enormous: the probability of tonal imbalance between hammy dramatics and horrible crime is almost 100 percent.

But...

Chris O’Dowd had a busy 2014 on the big screen what with living on a small Irish island (Calvary), playing a schmuck in corporate England (Cuban Fury) and teaching in a New York school (St. Vincent). Part of this year now looks to be taken up working with Julianne Moore in Can You Ever Forgive Me?Director Nicole Holofcener has adapted the script from Lee Israel’s 2008 memoir. The story finds Israel (Moore) as a respected biographer who runs into financial difficulties. So she starts fabricating the letters of famous dead writers and celebrities in order to drum up the money to keep a roof over her head. But when her work begins to raise suspicion, she goes one step further and starts stealing actual letters from library archives, selling them through a fence she meets at a bar (O’Dowd, we assume is playing the ex-con criminal, not the bar). All the while,...

Rob Brydon ("The Trip"), Alexandra Roach ("Cuban Fury") and Sheridan Smith ("Jonathan Creek") have all signed on to play three new dwarfs in Cedric Nicolas-Troyan's "The Huntsman," the upcoming prequel to 2012's "Snow White and the Huntsman" which is in development at Universal Pictures.

Nick Frost has already signed on to reprise his dwarf role from the original, at the time it was indicated that the film would only feature two dwarfs. Seems that stance has been reconsidered, though Frost is the only actor who played a dwarf in the first film who is coming back for the sequel.

Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Ian McShane, Johnny Harris, Ray Winstone and Brian Gleeson played the other dwarfs in 'Snow White' and aren't expected back - though Jones and Marsan were said to have been contacted about the job.

Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron will reprise their roles as The Huntsman...

Universal's sequel to Snow White and the Hunstman will simply be titled The Huntsman as it sets out to tell a prequel story centered on the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and Ravenna's (Charlize Theron) lives before the arrival of Kristen Stewart's Snow White. We already knew Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain had joined the cast and Nick Frost was expected to return as Nion, one of the dwarves featured in the first film. Now we learn of three new names joining the cast those being Rob Brydon (Trip to Italy), Alexandra Roach (Cuban Fury) and Sheridan Smith (Hysteria) all as dwarves alongside Frost. Rumors as far as the plot are concerned suggest Chastain will be playing a character similar to the Hunstman, her specialty being with a bow, and they've teamed in an effort to obtain a "magical MacGuffin" before Emily Blunt's evil, frosty Queen can get her hands on it.

The Voice UK rose to more than 7.2 million viewers as the Battle Rounds began last night (February 28).

BBC One's singing contest averaged 7.23m (33.1%) from 7.15pm, according to overnight figures. Casualty then appealed to 4.8m (23.9%).

BBC Two's How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson was watched by 816k (3.7%) from 7.45pm. A Dad's Army repeat entertained 1.51m (6.8%), before Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the South continued with 1.16m (5.9%).

On ITV, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway managed 6.03m (28.5%) from 7pm.

Afterwards, Take Me Out and The Jonathan Ross Show attracted 3.36m (15.4%) and 2.17m (11.8%) respectively.

Channel 4's Homes by the Sea aired to 523k (2.5%) in the 7pm hour, with The World's Weirdest Weather garnering 812k (3.7%) afterwards. Nick Frost film Cuban Fury averaged 1.15m (6.1%) from 9pm.

On Channel 5, the latest episode of CSI was watched by 731k (3.5%) in the 9pm hour.

ITV3's Foyle's War won the multichannels, drawing 882k (4.1%) from 8pm.

Vince Bucci/AP

During tomorrow night’s episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, Jennifer Saunders will give up some more details on her long-planned Absolutely Fabulous movie. As some press – or maybe, just press-release authors – were at the recording last night, we have The Evening Standard’s account to scrape for details ahead of the broadcast.

The big point, I think, is that Rebel Wilson has a role in the film. There’s a long tradition of putting American stars in British pictures to try and help their export chances – cf. Rhodes of Africa, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Cuban Fury – but I’d have thought Ab Fab would have been able to stand on its own two feet. Maybe not.

Saunders reiterated that some of the film would be set on the French Riviera, which again chimes with a long tradition. Sitcoms-turned-movies forever seem to be relocating the action overseas,...

The sequel to "Snow White and the Huntsman" already won't feature Kristen Stewart's Snow White. Now, Deadline reports, most of her seven dwarves are getting axed, too. Only two dwarves will be in the "The Huntsman," though it's unclear exactly which two.

It is known that Nick Frost ("Cuban Fury"), Toby Jones ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") and Eddie Marsan ("Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows") will definitely not be in the movie. Marsan has a scheduling conflict with his work on Showtime's "Ray Donovan." And Bob Hoskins died last year, so he won't be part of the project either.

"The Huntsman" is a prequel that will show the titular character (Chris Hemsworth) and Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) crossing paths before the events of the first movie. Emily Blunt is on board to play a villain, reportedly a Snow Queen who is Ravenna's sister.

"The Huntsman" is set to...

Exclusive: It’s not just Snow White who’ll be missing from Universal’s The Huntsman. Most of the seven dwarves won’t be in the film either, Deadline has learned.

Nick Frost (Cuban Fury), Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows) won’t be reprising their roles as the pint-sized companions from 2012’s Snow White And The Huntsman. That’s partly due to the fact that The Huntsman will only feature two dwarves, and it is still unclear who they will be. Marsan never was in the mix to return due to scheduling conflicts with his role on Showtime’s Ray Donovan, while Frost and Jones appear not to have agreed on terms to return for the second installment.

Returning from the first film will be, as the title indicates, Chris Hemsworth’s character as well as Charlize Theron’s evil queen Ravenna.

A marvelous combination of thrilling intellectual adventure and sensitive portrait of a man ahead of his time both personally and professionally. I’m “biast” (pro): love Benedict Cumberbatch, fascinated by Alan Turing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Here’s the thing about Alan Turing. It’s a pretty huge thing. He basically won World War II by breaking unbreakable German communication codes that allowed the Allies to eavesdrop on everything the Nazis were saying. (Winston Churchill himself said that Turing’s was the greatest single contribution to the war effort.) He shortened the war by several years and saved probably millions of lives in Europe, on both sides. For all practical purposes, he invented the computer. (Not to dismiss all the many people who contributed to the development of computing, but he,...

World Soundtrack Awards also honour Pharell Williams’ Happy from Despicable Me 2.

Alexandre Desplat has been named Best Film Composer at the 14th World Soundtrack Awards, held last night in Ghent. He also won best original film score of the year for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

This year’s Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film is Happy from Despicable Me 2, written and performed by Pharrell Williams.

Discovery of the Year 2014 is Daniel Pemberton for Cuban Fury and The Counselor.

Michelino Bisceglia’s music for Marina won the Spotify Public Choice Award.

Cliff Martinez was this year’s guest of honour, and his work was performed on the night by the Brussels Philharmonic.

The Lifetime Achievement Award winner was Francis Lai.

World Soundtrack Awards 2014

Film Composer of the Year: Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Film Score of the Year: The Grand Budapest Hotel (by Alexandre Desplat)

Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film:...

British comedy favourite Nick Frost will headline a new sitcom for ABC, which is being developed by Ben Karlin (Modern Family). The Spaced alum has had a busy time of late, balancing feature films such as The Boxtrolls and Cuban Fury, with television work such as Phineas And Ferb and Mr Sloane – but The Finger might just see his career enter a new phase.

The show will centre on Nick Ferguson (Frost), who is also known as ‘The Finger.’ He is the world’s most infamous jewel thief and, in reassessing his lifestyle, he decides that he wants to retire from his life of crime and spend more time with his nine year old son. He still needs a business, of course, so he opens a sandwich shop. The show will follow his subsequent transition from one high pressure lifestyle to another – albeit a more legitimate one.

Nick Frost will...

Of the trio who gave us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, only Nick Frost has really had a hard time creating a name for himself on his own. Simon Pegg has appeared in the Star Trek and Mission Impossible series, while Edgar Wright has given us Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and was attached to Marvel’s Ant Man until he wasn't. By contrast, Nick Frost hasn’t had much opportunity to create a name for himself stateside, though he’s had a fair bit of success as the lead in the rather funny Sky TV series Mr. Sloane. For Frost, Cuban Fury was supposed to be his chance to prove his leading man chops. He succeeds, but unfortunately it’s in a rather predictable dance comedy that’s oddly light on both dance and comedy. Nick Frost could easily become a big name for comedy lovers in America,...

A rich white man tours the misery of others to learn about happiness. Yes, it is as offensive as it sounds. I’m “biast” (pro): love Simon Pegg

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Are you poor, living in squalor, working a demeaning job, suffering from a lack of white male privilege, and/or fatally ill? Well, you should thank your lucky stars that you’re not Hector (Simon Pegg: Cuban Fury, The World’s End). He may be a wealthy psychiatrist living the high life in London, but he’s just not happy. Not with his gorgeous, enormous flat. Not with his beautiful, brilliant, and attentive girlfriend, Clara (Rosamund Pike: A Long Way Down, The World’s End). So off he goes, jetting around the world — sometimes in first class!

Previous studies of the most pirated movies and shows have generally stuck to the largest possible terms - total number of copies downloaded in a major country or across the world.

Now, housing information company Movoto Real Estate has conducted a study that has gone more specific in its analysis. It has taken a look at the most torrented movies, TV shows and video games by each state in the United States of America.

The study sticks to the continental U.S. so doesn't include Alaska or Hawaii. It was conducted over forty days and covers four million 'seed nodes', three million unique IP address and hundreds of titles. They have since published a map of the single most popular film, show and game by state.

In terms of movies, the titles were all over the map with some reinforcing stereotypes such as "Lone Survivor" in Texas and "Cuban Fury" in Florida,...

If EzyFlix.tv.s Craig White is right, Australian producers and other content creators are set to benefit from a massive upswing in download-to-own revenues.

White's company is the first Australian retailer to adopt the Digital HD brand, which means offering consumers the opportunity to buy Hollywood and other films and TV programs several weeks before they are available on DVD and Blu-ray.

In the Us all major studios are marketing product on electronic sell-through under the Digital HD banner.

Among the titles that have launched in Australia in the early Est window are The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Muppets Most Wanted, Need for Speed, Sleeping Beauty, Cuban Fury and Sabotage.

Coming soon are Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Monuments Men, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Transcendence and Noah.

.Digital HD is the fastest growing online video segment in the Us and has helped to drive a 47% increase in consumer spend in 2013,. said White,...

What’s new, what’s hot, and what you may have missed, now available to stream.

streaming now, while it’s still in theaters

Happy Christmas: compulsively watchable; Joe Swanberg is a master of the subtlest of dramatic observation, and his films are unlike anything other filmmakers are giving us right now [my review] [iTunes Us] The Internet’s Own Boy: essential documentary about the life, work, and death of Internet prodigy and activist Aaron Swartz [iTunes Us]

streaming now, before it’s on dvd

Oculus: the eerie atmosphere of psychological upset is intriguing and unusual, but it’s not actually all that scary [my review] [iTunes Us]

new to stream

Finding Vivian Maier: extraordinary examination of a remarkable photographer, part portrait unraveled by meticulous detective work, part sharp criticism of the hidebound art establishment [my review] [iTunes Us] Half of a Yellow Sun: oh what a lovely film! as romance and history, this is by turns funny and tragic, suspenseful and celebratory,...

Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week

"Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery"

What's It About? David Lynch's two season TV series had viewers riveted to figure out who killed the beaming blonde homecoming queen Laura Palmer. And maybe, just maybe, some of us fell a little in love with Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), the curious FBI agent sent to investigate Laura's murder while enjoying many damn fine cups of coffee.

Why We're In: This ten-disc set comes with both seasons of "Twin Peaks," as well as the movie "Fire Walk With Me," plenty of featurettes, and deleted scenes (!!!!) from the beloved TV series. Not that we'll ever really know what happened in the strange little town of Twin Peaks, Wa.

New on DVD and Blu-ray

"Cuban Fury"

What's It About? Nick Frost ("The World's End," "Hot Fuzz," "Shaun of the Dead") stars as a down-and-out dude named...

Herzog: The Collection I've been reviewing Werner Herzog movies for the last 13 weeks or whatever it is and all in anticipation of this new 16-film collection from Shout Factory, which finally releases today and includes Even Dwarfs Started Small, Land of Silence and Darkness, Fata Morgana, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Heart of Glass, Stroszek, Woyzeck, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo, Ballad of the Little Soldier, Where the Green Ants Dream, Cobra Verde, Lessons of Darkness, Little Dieter Needs to Fly and My Best Fiend. Of the bunch I can tell you flat out Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Stroszek, Nosferatu the Vampyre and Fitzcarraldo are great films and that's without the special features this set contains, which are: English Audio Commentaries: Even Dwarfs Started Small, Fata Morgana, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Heart of Glass,...

Grading on the Ratner Curve, this is a positive triumph. The cheesy clichés are at least passingly entertaining. You could do worse. I’m “biast” (pro): love Dwayne Johnson

I’m “biast” (con): hate Brett Ratner

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

You think you know the truth about him? You know nothing!” This from the very shouty narrator who opens Hercules for us, presumably in case you saw the hilariously awful The Legend of Hercules earlier this year and were suckered into believing that Kellan Lutz is a demigod. What’s sort of funny and sort of the best thing about this second attempt in a few months to pass off a superhero of the ancient world as one for the 21st century is that the shouty narrator turns out to be Herc’s publicist, and that...

Now available to watch via various Video On Demand platforms, and coming to DVD next week (July 29), Cuban Fury stars Nick Frost in the tale of a man who learns how to dance the salsa so he can woo his new boss, Rashida Jones. But the two clips we have to share today do not feature Rashida Jones, who is the radiant love of my fantasies a very lovely woman. No, we have strictly manly men in these clips, specifically Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd, the latter of whom looks to be an evil nemesis. In the first clip, O'Dowd boasts about his date with the aforementioned boss, while Frost seethes. Then, in the second clip, it looks like Mr. Frost has taken his salsa...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

What’s new, what’s hot, and what you may have missed, now available to stream.

streaming now, before it’s on dvd

Divergent: it’s not wildly different than other science fiction, hero’s journey, and adventure movies; sometimes we call such stories archetypal… mythic, even [my review] [iTunes Us] Cuban Fury: the cast is game, and hit the right notes balancing cartoonishness and charm; as sitcom rom-coms go, it’s far from the worst one ever offered to us [my review] [iTunes Us]

new to stream

All Cheerleaders Die: twists the high-school revenge story into feminist black magic [my review] [iTunes Us] Next Goal Wins: I could not possibly care less about football/soccer, and I fell hopelessly in love with this movie, and with the can-do amateur team it introduces us to [my review] [iTunes Us] The Returned: cuttingly sharp and incisive Sf horror; a chillingly polite film about the fascism that rises quickly up in a moment of fearful crisis [my review] [iTunes Us]

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Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd star in Cuban Fury as - of all things - rivals competing for the same woman (Rashida Jones) with the power of salsa dance. The UK comedy hits DVD and Blu-Ray on July 29th and one lucky Twitch reader could take home a Blu-Ray copy of the film along with the theatrical poster.You want Frost and his fiery feet in your home? Simple enough, just email me here and name the science fiction comedy series he starred in opposite Kevin Eldon. Please include your mailing address. Winner will be drawn at random....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Scanners (Criterion Collection) My review copy of Scanners arrived late yesterday afternoon so all I've had a chance to do is remove the cellophane wrapper and admire the artwork, but I will be diving into it soon enough not only to see how well the film holds up and the features, but to check out the inclusion of Stereo (1969), David Cronenberg's first feature film, which in-and-of-itself should answer the question, "Why are Criterion Blu-rays so expensivec" P.S. Remember, this one is 50% off at Barnes & Noble right now, $14 cheaper than the Amazon price.

Under the Skin I wasn't as impressed with this as other critics were, ending my theatrical review writing, "I'm happy to have seen Under the Skin, but any future viewings will most likely necessitate a Blu-ray commentary track, otherwise I don't really see the point." Guess what the Blu-ray doesn't have...

Rio 2 Here's another one...

The dance culture has seen an explosion of cinematic adaptations in recent years. There was Step Up in 2006 - the dan-com that launched the career of one Channing Tatum; MTV-funded urban success Save the Last Dance in 2001; and everyones favourite rags-to-Rojo story Billy Elliot in 2000. Going further back, classics such as Footloose (starring Kevin Bacon. Yes, believe it or not he used to appear in films), Dirty Dancing and Saturday Night Fever slide into shot, while one could even argue the suitability of Gene Kelly’s infamous musical number Singin' in the Rain...although for the purpose of this review, we’ll stick with dance as the main focus as opposed to an entertaining side-plot.

However, Cuban Fury is a beast like no other. While it may tap along to a similar beat, it’s underlying study is of a comical nature. Viewers are presented with 98 minutes of unadulterated ‘slapstick...

Ahead of the home entertainment release of Cuban Fury this week, HeyUGuys sat down with its star Nick Frost – who also came up with the idea for the film – about any memorable reactions, mementos from the set, improvised scenes and more…

The film has obviously been out for a while now. Has there been any reaction that has been particularly memorable?

I think people had lots and lots of Twitter traffic from people saying that dancing had broken out in screenings and people saying that there’d been a flash mob of salsa dancers! Is there a deeper meaning about aesthetic beauty in the film? Maybe, but essentially the film is about love and dancing. If even a thousand people came out of that cinema feeling happy, it’s a win.

In Cuban Fury, Bruce discovers what he wants to do with his life at a very early age. When...

★★☆☆☆Based on an original idea from leading actor Nick Frost and written by British sitcom stalwart Jon Brown, James Griffiths' feature filmmaking debut Cuban Fury (2014) sees Frost transcending his Cornetto Trilogy compadres and going solo in a British comedy that attempts to meet belly laughs with the zesty world of salsa dancing, but offering only middling results. Labelled "the boy with fire in his heels" as a 13-year-old in the eighties, Bruce Garrett was a dancing prodigy poised to sweep the floor at the UK Junior Salsa Championship until an incident with a group of bullies robs him of his confidence and determination to carry on with the sport he loves.

What’s new, what’s hot, and what you may have missed, now available to stream.

new to stream

The Monuments Men: as jaunty as Jean Dujardin’s beret, but in a sincere, old-fashioned kind of way; could almost have been rediscovered from the 1940s [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video]

new to Prime

Death Proof: Kurt Russell, in a genius bit of casting, is serial killer Stuntman Mike, in Quentin Tarantino’s wickedly funny and smartly teasing grindhouse pastiche [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video] Downfall: audacious German film about Hitler’s final days, and source of the gone-viral clip in which the insane leader raves to his subordinates [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video] Inception: Christopher Nolan’s brilliantly twisty film is always good for another viewing [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video] The Young Victoria: Emily Blunt is the English queen as a young woman, in love and not yet in mourning black [at Amazon UK Instant Video] Get Smart: cheerfully goofy, surprisingly James Bond-ishly exciting, but not so good...

To mark the release of Cuban Fury on 9th June, we’ve been given 5 of the following to give away; DVDs, Sound Track CDs, T shirts and Flashdance poster bundles.

Cuban Fury stars Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul), Rashida Jones (The Social Network, I Love You, Man), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, The Boat that Rocked), Olivia Colman (Hot Fuzz, “Broadchurch”), Ian McShane (Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Sexy Beast) and Kayvan Novak (Four Lions, “Fonejacker”).

1987: Poised to sweep the floor at the UK Junior Salsa Championships, 13-year-old Bruce Garrett has fire in his heels and the world at his feet… Until a freakish bullying incident robs him of his confidence and his life is diverted down a very different path. So it is that 22 years later, having locked away his boyhood dreams, Bruce finds himself out-of-shape, unloved and...

Stars: Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Chris O’Dowd, Ian McShane, Olivia Colman, Alexandra Roach, Rory Kinnear, Kayvan Novak | Written by Jon Brown | Directed by James Griffiths

Tubby funster Nick Frost steps out as the lead in salsa-based rom-com Cuban Fury. Frost plays Bruce, a former teenage salsa dancing extraordinaire who dons his Cuban heels once more in order to woo his new boss Julie, played by the lovely Rashida Jones. Standing in Bruce’s way are unpleasant colleague Drew, a none-more sleazy Chris O’Dowd and his own paralysing neurosis and shattered confidence.

Despite coming from a very televisual background – its director, James Griffiths, is best known (insomuch as he is known at all) for his work on Episodes and its writer and most of its stars made their names in TV – Cuban Fury stands up as one of the better examples of a British rom-com in recent years.

In a phrase, Walk of Shame is absolutely fine. No worse and no better. It’s a movie that may as well have every frame rubber-stamped with the word “passable” from beginning to end. I like to call these kind of films “just enoughs.” Just enoughs are movies that are made with just enough comedy, just enough energy and just enough plot to keep the audience ticking over in a state of semi-entertainment. It’s not ambitious and it’s far from brilliant, but 2014′s been a pretty rubbish year for comedy thus far, and I’d much rather watch Walk of Shame’s smattering of laughs than ever have to sit through Cuban Fury again.

In a plot that all but begs for a God-awful tagline along the lines of “she’s spent her whole life following the big news stories, but she still doesn’t know how to follow her heart,...

What better way to charm a lady than to display your dance moves?

Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) leads the cast in British dance-comedy Cuban Fury as Bruce, a middle-management type in a mechanical design office. His boss Drew, played quite creepily by Chris O'Dowd (The It Crowd, Bridesmaids), constantly picks on him and won't stop with the fat jokes (seriously, enough with the fat jokes). Both men are excited by the entrance to the company of American executive Julia (Rashida Jones, Parks and Recreation, Celeste and Jesse Forever).

Bruce has a secret: He and his sister were once young Latin-dance superstars in their region, until an attack by bullies led him to put up his dancing shoes. To impress Julia, whom he spies taking salsa lessons, Bruce turns to his former dance coach Ron (Ian McShane, Deadwood) for aid. Bruce also gets help and advice from his bartender sister (Olivia Colman,...

Nick Frost is probably one of the last actors you'd imagine leading a romantic comedy about salsa dancing, and the Shaun of the Dead and The World's End star is certainly aware of that fact. That's why it took so long for him to work up the courage to actually tell anyone he wanted to make a movie where his dancing was a huge plot point. What's great about Cuban Fury, though, is that it doesn't make fun of the fact that Nick Frost is a large man doing dances usually reserved for slim, sexy people. This is a well-meaning, heartfelt comedy about a man (Frost) coming to terms with the fact that he's excellent at something everyone would make fun of him for. It also doesn't hurt that his secret hobby happens to be the precise type of exotic dancing that his...

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